Spotlight – Baby’s Got Bite

05 Wednesday Aug 2015

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Contest

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Baby's Got Bite, Candace Havens, Take It Like a Vamp series

When I reviewed Take It Like a Vamp I said I couldn’t wait for Linc to get his HEA … and it looks like he’s going to have a heck of a ride getting there 🙂

*****

Baby’s Got Bite

by Candace Havens

Release Date: July 28, 2015

Genre: paranormal romance

Publisher: Entangled

Blurb:

Bennett Langdon has a firm no-relationships policy. Still, it doesn’t stop her from hooking up with a super-sexy bad boy at her best friend’s wedding. After all, it’s only one night—what harm could it do? Ten weeks later, a pregnant Bennett has her answer…

Linc Monahan can’t believe it. This wasn’t supposed to happen. He’s a werewolf, and shouldn’t be able to father a child with a human. Now Linc has to find some way to tell Bennett that not only do werewolves exist, but she’s about to have a baby with one.

But when word of their surprise conception gets out, the fur hits the fan. There are people who don’t want this baby to be born—even if it means killing. Now Bennett and Linc aren’t just fighting each other…they’re fighting for their lives.

Goodreads Amazon BN Entangled Page

*****

Author Info:

Bestselling author Candace Havens has written multiple novels for Berkley, Entangled and Harlequin. Her books have received nominations for the RITA’s, Holt Medallion and Write Touch Reader Awards. She is the author of the biography Joss Whedon: The Genius Behind Buffy and a contributor to several anthologies.

She is also one of the nation’s leading entertainment journalists and has interviewed countless celebrities including Tom Hanks, Nicolas Cage, Tom Cruise, George Clooney and many more. Her entertainment columns can be read in more than 600 newspapers across the country. Candace also runs a free online writing workshop for more than 2200 writers, and teaches comprehensive writing class. She does film reviews with the Hawkeye & Dorsey on 96.3, and is a former President of the Television Critics Association.

Website: www.candacehavens.com

Blog: candacehavensbooks.wordpress.com

Twitter: @candacehavens

Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Candace-Havens

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/goodreadscomcandacehavens

Newsletter: http://www.candacehavens.com/index.php/blog/

*****

Giveaway:

Amazon Fire stick (A gift card will be substituted in place of the stick if the winner is international)

$50 gift certificate to Amazon or BN

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/ba112ffc1112/

*****

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Spotlight – Heroes Are My Weakness

04 Tuesday Aug 2015

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Contest, Sneak Peek

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Heroes Are My Weakness, Susan Elizabeth Phillips

SEP has been one of my favorite authors for a long time – Lady Be Good is my all time favorite (Kenny and Emma are absolutely delightful together), but the Chicago Stars series (starting with It Had To Be You) comes a close second … although I can’t forget Match Me If You Can which is fantastic … and I get a giggle thinking about … ya know, I’ll just say I love them all 🙂

And even though I haven’t read this one (YET), it is getting some great press so I’m sure it is going to be a winner!

*****

Heroes Are My Weakness

by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Releasing Sept 28^th, 2015

Mass Market Paperback

Avon Romance

Blurb:

The dead of winter. An isolated island off the coast of Maine. A man. A woman. A sinister house looming over the sea … He’s a reclusive writer whose macabre imagination creates chilling horror novels. She’s a down-on-her-luck actress reduced to staging kids’ puppet shows. He knows a dozen ways to kill with his bare hands. She knows a dozen ways to kill with laughs. But she’s not laughing now. When she was a teenager, he terrified her. Now they’re trapped together on a snowy island off the coast of Maine. Is he the villain she remembers or has he changed? Her head says no. Her heart says yes. It’s going to be a long, hot winter.

Link to Follow Tour: http://www.tastybooktours.com/2015/07/heroes-are-my-weakness-by-susan.html

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23215475-heroes-are-my-weakness-intl

Buy Links: Amazon | B&N | BAM

*****

Excerpt:

Annie didn’t usually talk to her suitcase, but she wasn’t exactly herself these days. The high beams of her headlights could barely penetrate the dark, swirling chaos of the winter blizzard, and the windshield wipers on her ancient Kia were no match for the wrath of the storm that had hit the island. “It’s only a little snow,” she told the oversize red suitcase wedged into the passenger seat. “Just because it feels like the end of the world doesn’t mean it is.”

You know I hate the cold, her suitcase replied, in the annoying whine of a child who preferred making a point by stamping her foot. How could you bring me to this awful place?

Because Annie had run out of options.

An icy blast rocked the car, and the branches of the old fir trees hovering over the unpaved road whipped like witches’ hair. Annie decided that anybody who believed in hell as a fiery furnace had it all wrong. Hell was this bleak, hostile winter island.

You’ve never heard of Miami Beach? Crumpet, the spoiled princess in the suitcase retorted. Instead you had to haul us off to a deserted island in the middle of the North Atlantic where we’ll probably get eaten by polar bears!

The gears ground as the Kia struggled up the narrow, slippery island road. Annie’s head ached, her ribs hurt from coughing, and the simple act of craning her neck to peer through a clear spot on the windshield made her dizzy. She was alone in the world with only the imaginary voices of her ventriloquist dummies anchoring her to reality. As sick as she was, she didn’t miss the irony.

She conjured up the more calming voice of Crumpet’s counterpart, the practical Dilly, who was tucked away in the matching red suitcase in the backseat. We’re not the middle of the Atlantic, sensible Dilly said. We’re on an island ten miles off the New England coast, and the last I heard, Maine doesn’t have polar bears. Besides, Peregrine Island isn’t deserted.

It might as well be. If Crumpet had been on Annie’s arm, she would have shot her small nose up in the air. People barely survive here in the middle of the summer let alone winter. I bet they eat their dead for food.

The car fishtailed ever so slightly. Annie corrected the skid, gripping the wheel more tightly through her gloves. The heater barely worked, but she’d begun to perspire under her jacket.

You mustn’t keep complaining, Crumpet, Dilly admonished her peevish counterpart. Peregrine Island is a popular summer resort.

It’s not summer! Crumpet countered. It’s the first week of February, we just drove off a car ferry that made me seasick, and there can’t be more than fifty people left here. Fifty stupid people!

You know Annie had no choice but to come here, Dilly said.

Because she’s a big failure, an unpleasant male voice sneered.

Leo had a bad habit of uttering Annie’s deepest fears, and it was inevitable that he’d intrude into her thoughts. He was her least favorite puppet, but every story needed a villain.

Very unkind, Leo, Dilly said. Even if it is true.

*****

Author Info:

Susan Elizabeth Phillips soars onto the New York Times bestseller list with every new publication. She’s the only four-time recipient of the Romance Writers of America’s prestigious Favorite Book of the Year Award. Susan delights fans by touching hearts as well as funny bones with her wonderfully whimsical and modern fairy tales. A resident of the Chicago suburbs, she is also a wife, and mother of two grown sons.

Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

*****

Giveaway:

Surprise SEP Romance Prize Pack

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/521ac4c8748/

*****

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Book Review – Kiss Me

03 Monday Aug 2015

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Book Review

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Book Review, Fool's Gold series, Kiss Me, Susan Mallery

Kiss Me

Fool’s Gold series

by Susan Mallery

New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery creates the small-town destination for romance in charming Fool’s Gold, California—where a loner cowboy finds the one woman who can capture his heart

After Phoebe Kitzke’s kind heart gets her suspended from her job in LA, she swears off doing favors—until her best friend begs for help on the family ranch in Fool’s Gold. Unfortunately, sexy cowboy Zane Nicholson isn’t exactly thrilled by the city girl’s arrival.

Thanks to his brother’s latest scheme, Zane has been roped into taking tourists on a cattle drive. What Phoebe knows about ranching wouldn’t fill his hat, but her laughter is so captivating that even his animals fall for her. One slip of his legendary control leads to a passionate kiss that convinces him she’s exactly the kind of woman a single-minded loner needs to avoid.

In his arms, Phoebe discovers she’s a country girl at heart. Yet no matter how much the small town feels like home, she can’t stay unless Zane loves her, too…but is this cowboy interested in forever?

It’s time to visit Fool’s Gold again – yea!! Usually when I review one of these, I talk about how great it is to visit the little town and have a reunion with friends from previous stories but we really didn’t get that here … and I didn’t mind at all! We pretty much stay on the Nicholson ranch and get to know new people, but that doesn’t stop it from being quirky and fun and sweet and oh-so addictive just like all of the others in the series. The characters, even though they are new, are just as real and detailed as any that we’ve gotten to know over the years.

Phoebe grew up in foster care and never really had a family. It’s caused her to have a few issues, including never feeling quite good enough. So she’s spent her adult life being a pleaser … which is how she ends up on the ranch. Her best friend asks her to spend a week helping out the family and true to form she can’t say no. I love Phoebe – she’s funny and silly and caring and honest. She’s an LA girl thru-and-thru but once on the cattle drive she embraces it with everything she has. And that includes a little flirtation (or more) with Zane.

Zane has seen all the bad things that can happen when you give your heart to a woman … and he doesn’t plan on ever going there. He also knows what it is like to live with regrets so he’s trying everything he can to make sure that his little brother doesn’t have to experience it too. But it isn’t exactly causing warm, fuzzies at home. When quirky and appealing Phoebe drops into his life it not only has him looking at his relationship with his brother in a new light, but she’s also proving impossible to resist.

Like usual, there are wonderful secondary characters and a hint at the next book. There’s also a side piece involving a couple who can’t have kids but somehow have found themselves chaperoning a couple of foster kids during the drive. It’s an absolutely fantastic story of learning to let go of what you thought you wanted in order to embrace the wonders right in front of you. By delivering something so touching and well-developed as a small accessory tale with limited pages, Mallery continues to show her skill at giving readers characters and stories that mean something.

From start to finish, I couldn’t put down Kiss Me. But I didn’t expect anything less, because Mallery has always excelled at writing laugh-out-loud, give-a-little-sigh, cheer-for-the-HEA romances.

(Since these are new characters this is absolutely the perfect place for new readers to start, so don’t be shy if this is your first Fool’s Gold story. You are going to feel right at home.)

Book Review – A New Hope

02 Sunday Aug 2015

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Book Review

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A New Hope, Book Review, Robyn Carr, Thunder Point series

A New Hope

Thunder Point series

by Robyn Carr

Starting over is never easy, but in Thunder Point, where newcomers are welcome and friends become family, it’s possible to find yourself again. #1 New York Times bestselling author Robyn Carr takes us on a moving and rewarding journey as a young woman finds new hope.

After losing her child, Ginger Dysart was lost in grief. But since moving to Thunder Point, a small town on the Oregon coast, Ginger is finally moving forward. Her job at the flower shop is peaceful and fulfilling, and she’s excited to be assisting with the Lacoumette wedding.

In spite of her lasting heartache, Ginger is swept up in the pleasure of the occasion. But the beauty of the Lacoumette farm and the joy of the gregarious family are ruined by an unfortunate encounter with the bride’s brother, Matt. Struggling with painful memories of his own, Matt makes a drunken spectacle of himself when he tries to make a pass at Ginger, forcing her to flee the scene in embarrassment.

But when Matt shows up at the flower shop determined to make amends, what started out as a humiliating first meeting blossoms into something much deeper than either of them expected. Everyone around them worries that Ginger will end up with a broken heart yet again. But if Ginger has the courage to embrace the future, and if Matt can finally learn to let go of the past, there may still be hope for a happy ending.

Two things that I think are important to note here – 1) if you haven’t read any of the Thunder Point books it is probably a good idea to at least start with One Wish, which is the book before this one, because it has some of the characters from A New Hope but 2) it shouldn’t be an issue because these books are just so darn good that you should be reading them all anyway 🙂

I always feel like a broken record with this series – emotional plots involving realistic characters with real troubles. But when you have something as perfect as this why mess it up, right? And Carr is so talented at bringing a variety of people and their issues to the page, I never feel like I’m getting just a repeat.

We got to know Ginger some in One Wish and I’m thrilled that we get to see her continue to heal, make friends and build a new life for herself. She’s understandably a little unsteady on her feet but she’s making great strides. She shows an amazing sense of self and maturity coming out of the amazing hardships she’s had to face and that is exactly what Matt needs. He’s having to address a few things of his own and meeting Ginger definitely shakes things up for him – living a life he’s not proud of since his divorce, seeing what Ginger has overcome has him re-examining things.

I recommended reading One Wish not just because of Ginger, but we also get a continuation of Grace & Troy’s story, which I loved. It added even more sweetness to an already touching story. Plus they help us get a little sneak peek at the next story. I’ve said this before too, the sense of continuation and community, of old friends and new acquaintances, is one of my favorite parts of this series.

With A New Hope, Carr once again brings us characters that we grow to care about. And I love that even though they help each other, they face their demons themselves. It helps lead to a healthy HEA that left me all giddy and happy and oh-so-ready for the next story.

Spotlight – The Scheme

01 Saturday Aug 2015

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour

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Mia Kayla, The Scheme

And now the second of our fantastic new books for today!

*****

The Scheme

by: Mia Kayla

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: July 27, 2015

Blurb:

Brian Benson is the nice guy every girl dreams of marrying. Too bad he’s off the market—for good. He’s sworn off women since the last girl he dated broke his heart. Determined to start over in New York, his sole focus is to climb the corporate ladder—no distractions. Until one minor collision propels him into the path of small-town-girl but bombshell babe, Kendy Miller.

Kendy walks with a sass she was born with. Single and ready to mingle, she’s on the prowl. Moving from her tiny town of Bowlesville to work as a nurse at New York Cornell Hospital, she is introduced to Dr. Hot Pants. She feels it in her bones—he only belongs to her.

When Kendy formulates a grand scheme to land Dr. Hot Pants and uses Brian to do it, Brian is all in because he could use a little fun.

Things were going to plan, until one night lines were crossed, kisses were exchanged and clothes flew off.

Fate collides, fortunes are tested and plans backfire, but Kendy is still determined to land her doctor.

Problem is… Brian was only there to assist in the plot. Falling in love with the girl wasn’t part of THE SCHEME.

*****

Author Info:

Mia Kayla is a New Adult/Contemporary Romance writer who lives in Illinois. On the weekdays, she can be caught wearing a suit, commuting to her corporate job in downtown Chicago and raising three beautiful munchkins in the suburbs, four if you count the husband.

In her free time she loves reading romance novels, jamming to boy bands, catching up on celebrity gossip and designing flowers for weddings.

Most of the time, she can be caught on the train with her nose in a book sporting a cheeky grin because the main characters finally get their happily-ever-after at the end.

She loves reading about happy endings but has more fun writing them.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | GoodReads

Spotlight – Heart’s Chord

01 Saturday Aug 2015

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Contest, Sneak Peek

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Charity Parkerson, Heart's Chord, Ugly Eternity series

Gonna be a busy Saturday 🙂 We’ve got two great new books to look at so here we go!

First up we have Heart’s Chord … if the blurb doesn’t draw you in, I’m sure those sexy tattoos will.

*****

Heart’s Chord

SERIES – Ugly Eternity, 5

AUTHOR – Charity Parkerson

GENRE – M/M GBLT Romance

PUBLICATION DATE – July 6, 2015

LENGTH (Pages/# Words) – 122/23829

PUBLISHER – Punk & Sissy Publications

COVER ARTIST – Charity Parkerson for Punk & Sissy Publications art department

Blurb:

Even though he already has more to do than there are hours in the day, Finn has no problem adding Austen to his life. The sexy former marine is the only good thing that’s happened to Finn in a long time.

For Austen, Finn is the perfect man. If he sees anything lacking in Austen, he never shows it. But falling in love with Finn changes everything for Austen. All the insecurities he’s faced since he has come home from deployment confined to a wheelchair come rushing back to the surface. No matter how hard he tries, he can’t let Finn in.

When Finn decides he’s had enough of not being enough, and his dreams come crashing down around him, he’s ready to walk away from everything for good. But he never counted on Austen’s reaction to losing him, or how far his Ugly Eternity family will go to make his dreams a reality.

**Author note**

This is an Ugly Eternity bonus story. It can be read as a standalone.

BUY & TBR LINKS

AMAZON KINDLE US – http://bit.ly/HeartsChord

AMAZON KINDLE CA – http://bit.ly/HeartsChordCA

AMAZON KINDLE UK – http://bit.ly/HeartsChordUK

AMAZON PAPERBACK – http://bit.ly/HeartsChordPBA

GOODREADS – http://bit.ly/HeartsChordGR

*****

Excerpt:

“You need some posters or a mural or something on the ceiling in here,” Finn mused aloud after a few minutes.

“Why’s that?”

Finn squinted at the offending blank ceiling, attempting to picture the perfect art as he answered. “Judging by your incredibly sexy body, you spend a lot of time in here. You need something to focus on. There’re some studies that suggest visual stimuli is directly linked to physical health.”

“What do you think of these studies?”

At the curiosity in Austen’s voice, Finn rolled onto his side and up onto his elbow. His gaze swept down Austen’s body, taking in every hardened line and scar. His cock lengthened as hunger rose inside him. This man was under his skin. There wasn’t one particular attribute he could point to in order to explain his insane desire to touch Austen, but it was there. When he met Austen’s stare, there was no way Finn could hide his desire. “I think a little visual stimulation has never hurt anyone.”

Austen’s mouth quirked in one corner at Finn’s claim. “The view in here is looking pretty damn good right now.”

Finn wanted to kiss him. His lips tingled with longing, but sometimes, Austen didn’t invite Finn’s touch. He didn’t know how to explain it. There were moments when Austen’s expression remained closed, shutting Finn out—times such as now. Tearing himself away from temptation, Finn settled down beside Austen once more, going back to staring into space. “I can’t hang around all day, but maybe I can figure out something else. Maybe there’s a book somewhere about images for every environment.”

He felt Austen tense beside him a split second before Austen’s mouth came down upon his—hard and hot. Surprise gave way to lust in an instant as Finn opened for him. Finn flattened his palms against the floor beside him to keep from reaching for Austen. His skin itched to be closer, but he didn’t want to ruin the moment, and it seemed like he always did somehow.

*****

Author Info:

Charity Parkerson is an award winning and multi-published author with Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Indie Publishing House LLC, and Punk & Sissy Publications. Born with no filter from her brain to her mouth, she decided to take this odd quirk and insert it in her characters.

*2015 Passionate Plume Finalist for Paranormal Erotica

*Winner of 2, 2014 Readers’ Favorite Awards

*2015 Golden Flogger BDSM Award Finalist

*2013 Readers’ Favorite Award Winner

*2013 Reviewers’ Choice Award Winner

*2012 ARRA Finalist for Favorite Paranormal Romance

*Five-time winner of The Mistress of the Darkpath

AUTHOR FOLLOW LINKS

Amazon Author Page – amazon.com/author/charityparkerson

Website/Blog – http://www.charityparkerson.com

Fan email: admin@charityparkerson.com

Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/authorCharityParkerson