Thursday, December 31, 2015

Release Day Blitz!- Ryker (The Powers That Be, #4) by Harper Bentley

Title: Ryker (The Powers That Be, #4)

Author: Harper Bentley

Publication Date: Dec 31st 2015

Plot: Ryker Powers was the biggest prick I’d ever met.

He was also my biggest mistake.

He’d taken what he wanted then left, and I detested him for it. Not that the jerk had cared to stick around long enough to know how I felt.

Everyone thought he was a perfect gentleman with all his quiet intensity but I knew better.

I knew he had a filthy mouth. That he liked things dirty.

He may have had people fooled into thinking he was a nice guy but I knew exactly who he was.

He was a bad boy who’d ask for a light from the devil himself.

And I wanted to see him burn.

Until I realized—to my utter horror—that what I really wanted was him.

Who was going to get burned now?

☆✮ Book Trailer ✮☆

**☆✮ The Powers That Be Series ✮☆

☆✮ About the Author ✮☆

USA Today Best Selling author Harper Bentley writes about hot alpha males who love hard. She's taught high school English for 23 years, and although she's managed to maintain her sanity regardless of her career choice, jumping into the world of publishing her own books goes to show that she might be closer to the ledge than was previously thought.

After traveling the nation in her younger years as a military brat, having lived in Alaska, Washington State and California, she now resides in Oklahoma with her teenage daughter, two dogs and one cat, happily writing stories that she hopes her readers will enjoy.

Author's Links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

☆✮ Buy Links ✮☆**

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Release Blast Review + Giveaway!- Till Death Us Do Part by Cristina Slough

Title: Till Death Us Do Part

Author: Cristina Slough
Publication Date: December 29th 2015 by Limitless Publishing

Plot: The fateful day Mimi Marcus has dreaded begins with a phone call...

The wife of a U.S. Marine, Mimi spent countless nights worried that her husband Joel would fall in the line of duty. He had fought valiantly and served his country with honor. That’s exactly what they tell her when they deliver the news—Joel was taken by the enemy in Afghanistan. Her husband is dead.

In desperate need of closure, Mimi travels to the one place Joel still has ties—The Marcus Ranch in Texas, inherited by his handsome younger brother Austin.

New beginnings are only an illusion...

The closer Mimi grows to the Marcus family, the more she considers it home. But when suspicions of Joel’s past surface, Austin refuses to disclose family secrets—even to his brother’s widow. It’s only by accident she uncovers evidence of Joel’s tainted past. Devastated by his lies and betrayal, she slowly opens up to Austin, and together they unfold layers of pain and grief.

Mimi is sure she’ll never love again, but is Austin the man to prove her wrong? Then the unthinkable happens…

Just as Mimi finds new hope in a future with Austin, Joel returns home from war. Enraged, traumatized, and teetering on the edge of insanity, Joel confesses to a history of deception, revealing yet another secret—this one too terrible to forgive.

In an awful twist of fate, Joel proves marriage vows are made to be honored.

No matter what.
Link to Follow Tour: http://www.tastybooktours.com/2015/12/till-death-us-do-part-by-cristina-slough.html

☆✮ My Review ✮☆

☆ I received an ARC via Tasty Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!! ☆

This book isn’t what I expected. And I don’t mean that in a mean way.
The beginning was a little bumpy, but over all, it was all there and pretty cohesive.

For an author debut, this book tugged at my heartstrings. I can’t imagine what goes on in the head of a military spouse and their significant other. It cannot be easy.

Getting into Mimi’s head and witnessing the shock, the pain, the anguish or losing her husband and also the pain and confusion she feels when she learns later that he was after all alive was intense. My heart felt heavy for her.
Then add on top, the chilling fact that her husband is not the stand up man she thought he was. That was pretty mind-boggling and alarming.

AND, since that Mimi has now moved on from her husband and is dating his brother-- after reaching out to the latter, believing that her hubby was deceased—and therefore embarking on a relationship with that other. It was pretty up and up to see how everything unfolded.

In some ways, I feel that this book was about finding your inner strength, finding your center and standing on your own two feet when you feel your world crumbling down. It was about love, friendship, forgiveness, rediscovery, and ultimate sacrifice.

The ending, wah, that was definitely not how I thought it would end. It was unexpected.
Certainly, not your typical book ending, that’s for sure!

My Rating:

♥♥♥♥

☆✮ Excerpt ✮☆

He watched her, his eyes sad. They appeared to gleam in the flash of simultaneous lightning; he appeared to reach out to her, his body bloody and wet.
Mimi remembered a dream that she had, a few months before, the night before she had been informed that Joel had been killed. Only, this wasn’t a dream. She was awake and he was standing in front of her.
She felt the blood drain from her face.
“What is it?” Austin asked.
“It’s Joel. He’s…he’s outside.” Her voice trembled.
Austin leapt out of bed. He saw his brother standing out in the pouring rain. He felt a wave of anger, followed by fear. Joel looked like a ghost, lost, broken, but the way his body stood rigid told him he needed to worry.
“I’ll go talk to him,” he said, pulling on his jeans that were draped over a chair sitting in the corner of the room.
“No, don’t. He looks crazy,” Mimi said, her voice high-pitched.
She’d never ever been fearful of her husband; he had never given her reason to, never any doubt, but in the darkness of this stormy night, something inside was telling her she had cause to panic.
“Just stay here, alright.”
“Austin, please don’t go out there,” she pleaded “Let me go…I’ll talk to him; it’s me he’s come for.”
Austin swallowed hard. “Actually Mimi, I think it’s me he’s come for.”

☆✮ About the Author ✮☆

Novelist, movie addict, and animal lover, Cristina Slough is the author of Till Death Us Do Part, her debut novel.

Cristina has always been a bookworm, rarely seen without a pen and paper in her hand, she loves delving into a literacy fictional world of her own.

At the age of 11, her junior school teacher told her mother that she would be wasting her life if she didn’t become an author. Throughout her teenage years and beyond, her parents spurred her on to keep writing. She later began a career in commercial real estate, working in London’s West End, a corporate bubble where she was unable to fuel her passion to write.

It was on her Californian honeymoon in 2012 that the bug to write was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. After visiting Yosemite National Park she was inspired by the natural beauty of the land that surrounded her. Holding a special place in her heart, Yosemite would later be written into her debut novel.

She finally gave up the ‘big smoke’ when her son, Lucas, was born in October 2013.

When Lucas was a newborn, Cristina was told to sleep when the baby sleeps. She never could. There was a calling inside her to write. After getting to grips with her new role as a mother, she began working a psychological thriller, but she couldn’t fully connect to the characters she created. She ditched the manuscript and started Till Death Us Do Part (Limitless Publishing, 2015).

Cristina is married to Adam, who runs a successful business; together they share their Bedfordshire home with their son, crazy white German Shepherd and three spoiled cats. They can be found trekking through woodlands, or around the many shops Cristina loves to explore. As a family, they love to travel frequently, the United States being a firm favorite.

Author's Links:

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

☆✮ Giveaway! ✮☆

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/NTIxYWM0YzhjYmFkNDc1MDkxYzA3ZDNmMjhhM2RjOjg3MQ==/?

☆✮ Buy Links ✮☆

Monday, December 28, 2015

Blog Tour & Release Review + Giveaway!- The Last Round by E.L. Montes

Title: The Last Round
Author: E.L. Montes
Publication Date: December 28th 2015

Plot: In the ring, I’m trained, powerful, and in control.
And that’s exactly how I built my legacy.
For years I’ve trained to fight, but no championship title in the world has prepared me for the most important fight of my life.
Out of the ring, I’m untamed and reckless.
Which is why my wife of nine years has filed for divorce.
I’m done with living up to the bad boy image my middleweight titles come with. Boxing is my life, but the money and the fame mean nothing to me without her by my side.
This fight is for the woman that I love.
And I can’t lose.
I won’t lose.
Book Trailer: WATCH NOW
Song Playlist: HERE. *A song that reminds me of the couple is Poison by Rita Ora, and Just Give Me A Reason by P!NK, and Wanted You More by Lady Antebellum.

☆✮ My Review ✮☆

☆ I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!! ☆

This was an alright read… good even. But, was it just me, or did it feel incomplete or missing something? I don’t know.

I did enjoy the story prognosis and what it encompassed-- since it was different for me, but, things did feel rather progressively fast and tied up much faster than what I would have liked and therefore ended quicker than I had hoped.

This is a story of a boxer and an actress. Two of which have been married for years and together a few years longer than that, until, their marriage crumbles.

Now, it’s about taking time apart and focusing on themselves. Re-evaluating everything and taking a step back.

Can they have a second chance at love?

A read of inspiration, I would have liked MORE to this story, but beggars cannot be choosers.

I really liked seeing the dynamics between Julian and Natalia—what brought them together in the first place. The elements that tore them apart. Witnessing their own journey and voice. And seeing them grow from this.

Julian had a lot of growing up to do and making things right, but, I cheered him on nonetheless. It’s easy to empathize with his plight of what your career and being in the limelight can do to you and your view of things. It skews it, and in his case, devastated him and his marriage in the end.

Natalia. I could also see her side of why she wanted this marriage to end. How can you fault a woman who put her heart and soul into her man and burned more times than she could count? Enough was enough.

What I liked about this story, was, like with any relationship it puts the bigger things into perspective. It took a lot of work, an immense amount of soul searching and digging deep, and most of all, HEART.

All in all, a not bad read!

My Rating:

♥♥♥♥

☆✮ Excerpt ✮☆

FLASHBACK of Julian and Natalia (High School Years)

My smile brightened with each step. This should be fun. His head was bent low as his fork stabbed into a baked potato.

Placing my tray down, I took a seat across from him. “If that was a living being lying on your plate, I’m sure you’d be charged for aggravated assault or even attempted murder. What has that poor potato done to you?”

He lifted his head, eyes meeting mine with a raised brow. He seemed both amused and annoyed I interrupted his train of thought.

“I eat alone,” he said, eyes tensed. Then he shoved a fork full of the loaded starch into his mouth. His tongue darted out and wiped clean his perfect lips. I wonder what it would be like to kiss Julian Rios.

“So do I!” I sounded a bit too bubbly, even for myself, but with a wide grin, I nestled further into the seat, crossed my legs, and reached for my apple. “We can eat alone together.”

“Why do I have the feeling you’re gonna make my life miserable?”

“But quite the contrary; by the time I’m done with you, you’re gonna want me part of your life every waking second.”

He scoffed. “I find that very difficult to believe.”

“Listen. I’m a freshman. You’re a junior. We have two long years together. Unless you switch schools, I’m all for bugging the hell out of you until you fall irresistibly in love with me.”

He pointed a plastic fork at me. “I’ve seen girls like you on The First 48. You’re one of those psycho obsessed chicks, right? I’m gonna have to get a restraining order, aren’t I?”

I never laughed so hard in my life and for a moment the cafeteria went quiet. Only the sound of my hooting bounced in the space. I froze and looked around along with Julian. I focused my gaze back on him, leaned in and whispered, “Everyone is staring at us.”

Julian moved in closer. “Because you’ve just crossed over dangerous grounds.”

Squinting, I mouthed, “You don’t scare me.”

“You scare me.”

A soft grin touched my lips. “Good.”

☆✮ About the Author ✮☆

USA Today Bestselling Author, E.L. Montes (Emmy Luz Montes) lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, Alex, and their English Bulldog name Butters. She has a Bachelor of Science in Legal Studies.

Ms. Montes worked several years as a paralegal for a mid-size law firm. She had always loved the legal field and found it to be interesting. She more so "secretly" loved to write. Disastrous was her debut novel which was released October 2012. After the release of her second novel Ms. Montes took a huge leap, by leaving her fulltime job to focus on her writing career. She has and continues to write characters with flaws. Ms. Montes said, “No one is perfect and neither are my characters. It makes the storyline a bit more realistic, in my opinion. But I also feel no matter who you are or the life you have lived, everyone deserves someone to love and be loved. I’m a hopeless romantic, and enjoy writing a story where my readers feel like they’re living and feeling every emotion.”

Author's Links:

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

☆✮ Book Inspiration ✮☆

My inspiration for the story: I always said I wanted to write about a married couple. I guess I can say the inspiration stems from my marriage. I met my husband when I was sixteen. We have been married for seven years, and although we are in a really good place in our relationship, it wasn't always that way. But I feel the best part of a marriage is all the obstacles you face, yet through it all you stick by one another no matter how difficult it may be. And although in The Last Round the story is fiction, I believe a lot of females can relate to the struggle of how a marriage can fall apart, yet how easily you can rekindle and fall back in love.

☆✮ Giveaway! ✮☆

Four winners will win a basket with: A custom mug, Tshirt, Signed Paperback, a $10.00 Amazon GC and a few extra goodies!

https://gleam.io/KWQuO/emmy-l-montes-the-last-round-release-week-event

☆✮ Buy Links ✮☆

Release Day Blitz!- Hooked by Love (Bellevue Bullies, #3) by Toni Aleo

Hooked By Love is finally here!

But to understand the end - you must first start from the beginning...

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

BOARDED BY LOVE

(Bellevue Bullies #1)

Jude Sinclair here, hockey player for the Bellevue Bullies and lover of all ladies. Hockey’s in my blood, and not to sound full of myself, but I’m good at it…really good. The draft is within my reach—it’s mine to take—but that’s not the only reason people know my name. They know me because of my way with women. They know the score, and I aim to please. I just tend to stay away from repeat performances. In other words, I don’t do relationships beyond my family and friends. I’m happy with life. However, I should warn you that my story and how I see it playing out is about to change due to a certain redhead on campus.

She’s beautiful. Stunning. Breathtaking.

She’s my game changer.

*** He’s trouble from the moment I see him. I don’t know what I’m thinking, but from the moment I meet his gaze, I’m his. It’s a scary feeling.

I’ve never trusted anyone outside my aunt and uncle—and even that took months. I didn’t have it easy growing up. My mom was usually strung out, and she didn’t give me a second thought. Drugs and the men who paid her were more important to her. It was horrible, but I’m stronger today. Because of my past, security is what I need most. Money assures me that I can take care of myself today, tomorrow, and next month. I don’t want to ever be hungry or go without again, so I work hard for every penny.

Oh, by the way, I’m Claire Anderson. I’m a hard-studying sophomore at the University of Bellevue, dancer for the school dance team, and a burlesque dancer at a club, but that’s my secret.

You may think you know how our story ends, but you have no clue. It’s not easy falling in love… or living happily ever after. At first it may seem so, but when is anything worth having ever won without a fight?

Especially when you’re boarded by love.

DOWNLOAD BOARDED BY LOVE

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

CLIPPED BY LOVE

(Bellevue Bullies #2)

Things are heating up for the Sinclair boys! With one already in the NHL, Jayden Sinclair is hoping to be next!

This has been the toughest year of my life. I watched my brother go into the draft without me, my mom got divorced, and the weight of my family’s issues is heavy on my shoulders. I feel like it’s my job to fix everything while working my butt off in school and trying to make my game better. I have to go into the draft. It will give my family the support they need, and it will prove that I’m good enough. But to get there, I have to show I can be the best captain for the Bellevue Bullies. The spot is mine—no one can take it. First though, Jude is making me go on a brother’s weekend. Innocent enough, I guess…until I see her. She’s the biggest competitor I’ve ever faced. Not only for my spot but also my heart. It’s hard to ignore someone like Baylor Moore.

***

I don’t lose. I can’t. My dad has bred me to be the best in anything I do. I am driven, I am smart, and I am going to be the first woman in the National Hockey League. No two ways about it. I’ve worked too hard. I’ve been through too much not to have what I want. I know I can do it. I will make my dad proud, and no one will stand in the way of that. That is, until I let him in. He scares me. He makes me feel. And he could very well be the one person who can make me want more than just to win.

We both have the same goal. Victory. But how do you compete against the person you want to win? It’s not easy. Love isn’t something you can control. It isn’t like a puck that can be handled by a stick.

No, it has a mind of its own and does what it wants. Neither of us saw it coming, and we really don’t know if there is a way to score, especially when you’re being Clipped by Love.

DOWNLOAD CLIPPED BY LOVE

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

And now... I am proud to FINALLY introduce you all to:

HOOKED BY LOVE

(Bellevue Bullies #3)

COVER PHOTOGRAPHY || SARA EIREW

COVER DESIGN || REGINA WAMBA

Things are out of control for the Sinclair boys! With two already in the NHL, Jace Sinclair is ready to follow in his brothers’ HUGE skates in the last Bellevue Bullies novel…

Jace Sinclair here, and I’m amazing. There is no other way to describe me. I am the leading scorer for the Bellevue Bullies, I’m the captain, and people love me: my family, my teammates, my coach, and the NHL. This is my last year in college–I already have one foot in the draft. Hockey keeps me warm even when it’s freezing. It’s always there when nothing else is. And it pushes me to be the best I can be. It’s my one and only love.

That is, until I see her against a tree with a guitar.

Avery.

The last thing I wanted was to meet anyone. My heart is on the bench because of what happened with my parents, and I don’t want that for myself. I don’t want to be hurt by anyone. I can’t give them that power.

But my heart is begging for ice time, and I can’t control it around her.

* * *

I’ve always been in the background. No one has ever had time for me and that’s fine; I’ve learned to cope. Coming from a family where hockey is life, the last thing I want is some big, burly hockey player charging at me. I don’t have time for it, but Jace Sinclair isn’t one to be deked around.

I didn’t want to meet anyone. I didn’t want to end up freezing the puck with him. It’s not what I want.

I have demons.

I have issues.

Living in the shadows, no one even knew until it was too late. But Jace wants to know. He wants me.

And that scares me the living hell out of me.

We were so worried about what would happen if we fell, but we never thought what could happen in the process of falling. We never saw it coming. But it’s here, and the repercussions are not pretty.

We should have known that there is no way out of the zone when you are being Hooked by Love.