Monthly Archives: March 2014
The Uncovering by Jes Young
Author: Jes Young
I from PR&aTR and received no compensation for this review. I give the book 4 fangs.
The main character Tab Bennett’s life is quiet, uncomplicated. She has a fiancée and a job she likes in the local bank. But her sisters’ disappearance brings hidden secrets into the light, now her life consists of long hidden secrets of her lineage and birth, of a destiny she can’t avoid. Now “normal” means juggling her fiancé’s broken heart and a handsome prince’s irresistible advances ( yes it gets very complicated in her love life) while trying to work out who is plotting to kill her.
As she struggles with finding out she’s not human but actually an Elvish princess.
That the family she thought she had were actually sent to keep her safe, that the enemy are willing to kill to get to her.
Have you ever read a book, that niggles at you, that you are not completely sure what it is, but something just feels off? Now as I sit here thinking of what to write. I wonder why such things were kept from her… They should have at least told her and trained her up when her “sisters” started going missing. I don’t want to say more as it would spoil it for new readers.
When trying to pick a category for this book, it was a bit stuck In between Young Adult, and New Adult… Cut out the sex scenes and it would sit neatly in Young Adult but because the author has spiced it up it can’t But Tab’s demeanour is too childish to me, at 20 why would she not question why her fiancée wouldn’t get hot and heavy with her? Why would she not demand more information when her “family” want to lie and cover up the deaths.
But I did enjoy this story, there is a lot happening, it’s written well, but this is a trilogy ( again! – anyone else fed up with serial books?)
It’s got intrigue and a few twists in it and I am interested to see where the author will take Tab next.
Please note… From research this book has been previously released under a different title and I think that there should be a disclaimer plainly stated so readers are aware.
There is nothing more frustrating than buying a book previously purchased and read.
The Chronicles of Moxie by Z.B. Heller
Title: The Chronicles of Moxie
Author: Z.B. Heller
Genre: Adult Romantic Comedy
Publication Date: May 6, 2014
Cover Designer: Carrie from Cheeky Covers
Event Organized By: Literati Author Services, Inc.
~Synopsis ~
Moxie Summers is a curvy, twenty-six year-old teacher who has not had the best track record with relationships. In a drunken stupor at a bar, she meets Miles who turns out to be her sparing equal, until she vomits all over his shoes. Just when she thinks things couldn’t get worse, her dream man turns out to be the single father of the newest student in her class.
While fighting an attraction for Miles, Moxie’s conniving stepmother tries to advise Moxie she needs to get in shape if she’s ever going to catch the man of her dreams. To make matters worse a Girl Scout plans Moxie’s demise, a surprise party makes everyone blush, and then there was the skunk…
Can Moxie overcome all the Girl Scout cookies, food poisoning and a showdown at Costco to get to Miles?
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~ About the Author ~
As a little girl it was always a dream for Z.B. Heller to become She-Ra Princess of Power. Since this dream was unobtainable, she spent what was probably way to long in college trying to “find herself”. Becoming an artist scratched the creative itch until the stories in her head were getting to be to loud for her to get anything else accomplished. She lives in St. Louis with her husband, son and Flemish Giant rabbit Chloe. In her spare time she likes to read, stalk celebrities on Twitter and create the type of art that people scratch their heads about.
Connect with the Author: Facebook | Twitter | Website | Goodreads
Giveaway: Rising From The Ashes by Jessica Prince
Book Title: Rising from the Ashes
Author: Jessica Prince
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: February 25, 2014
Hosted by: Book Enthusiast Promotions
People make mistakes when they’re young, but how they choose to come back from those mistakes is what matters in the end.
Savannah Morgan found true love at a very early age, but one rash decision — one that she would regret for the rest of her life — was all it took to end her relationship with the love of her life.
For seven years, Jeremy Matthews has accepted being “”just friends”” with the only woman he’s ever loved. Finally deciding that enough is enough, Jeremy relentlessly pursues Savannah until he forces her to see just how right they are for each other.
When Savannah’s past mistake is revealed, threatening the future she so desperately wants, the fate of their relationship lies in Jeremy’s hands. Will he be able to forgive Savannah, or is the relationship truly over?
When struggles and obstacles threaten the foundation of Savannah and Jeremy’s relationship, will they choose to let each other go, or rise from the ashes of the past to claim their happiness?
I looked back out my window at Jeremy, taking in the broad chest, ripped abs, and muscular arms pushing the mower around my front lawn. Sweat was running down his sexy-as-sin torso, pulling my eyes to the worn out jeans that were resting low on his hips. The white T-shirt he’d shown up in earlier had been discarded and was hanging out the waistband of the back of his pants. He was a walking advertisement for sex, and even my neighbors couldn’t help but come outside to appreciate him.
I let out a sexually repressed sigh and went back to my conversation with Lizzy. “He’s bulked up a bit over the years, but yeah, for the most part, he’s always been pretty cut.”
She was silent for several seconds. “No offense, babe, but how in the ever-living hell did you give up having sex with that for the past seven years?”
I leaned my head against the glass and squeezed my eyes shut. “With an iron will.”
She started laughing on the other end of the phone. “How’s that working out for ya right now?”
“Well, considering I’m two seconds from knocking his ass out just so I can take advantage of him, I’d say not so good.”
Do you need more, or will these work, or do you need a few more?
Jessica was born and raised in Texas—where she’ll stay because she claims the cost of living in Texas excuses the god-awful weather. She is first and foremost a wife and mother. Because of those two things, she’s also a self proclaimed wino and coffee addict.
She’s always been and avid lover of all types of books, but romances are her main favorites.
Jessica’s husband likes to say reading is her obsession, but she likes to call it her passion…there’s a difference.
Monster Unleashed, Dark Indiscretions by Shakuita Johnson
![Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000038_00075]](http://slevjay.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/send1.jpg)
Blurb
What would you do if the one fate chose for you vanished into thin air? What would you give up? Who would you become to stay with that person?
Krista Bell finally knows what it’s like to be free. The torture she endured at the hands of her psychotic father have unleashed the monster her mother tried so hard to help her suppress. The only thing she wants to do is be the shadow in the night that everyone is afraid of.
Taser is barely holding it together. He lost Kris once to her father and now he’s losing her to the monster she is becoming. He’s also barely containing his own monster since Krista decided she didn’t need her mates anymore. Nathan is still near but he may not be enough.
Nathan is on the verge of losing not one but both of his mates. One vanished without a trace. The other is avoiding him. He has run out of patience with them both.
But when the monster that Krista has become comes to them with a proposal will they take her up on it and possibly lose themselves or will they try to talk her down and get the beast to put back on her chain?
Excerpt
Krista made her way down the hall and into the office she knew her mates would be. They were not going to like what she had to say but right now it was about her. She was tired of putting others before herself. Tired of pretending to be someone that she wasn’t. She paused for a moment in the doorway to look at her mates one last time. They were rung tight from her self-imposed seclusion and she knew this was only going to be the beginning of their heartache.
She took a moment to really look at her mates. They were total contrasts to each other. Where Taser was standing at only five-foot-five-inches and weighing one hundred and seventy five pounds. He had dirty blonde hair that stuck out all over the place and hazel eyes. On the other hand, Nathan stood at just less than seven feet and weighted over three hundred pounds of pure muscle. He had black hair with the most mesmerizing green eyes flecked with gold, belaying his paranormal status. They were both handsome. Any girl would be lucky to have just one of them as a mate.
Yet her she was ready to give them both up. It couldn’t be helped so no use in delaying the inevitable. Without preamble Krista spoke the words all men dread.
“We need to talk. Now.”
“Now you’re ready to talk,” Nathan said with an arched eyebrow.
“It’s about damn time,” was Taser’s reply.
Krista saw where this conversation was going to go before it started. Both her mates were upset and yet she still couldn’t bring herself to care, much. She knew what she had to do and she didn’t plan on changing her mind.
“Are you both going to be assholes or listen to what I have to say?” Krista asked.
“Fine. Speak,” Taser barked.
Speak! What was she a damn dog? Krista was fuming and she could feel the air around her zinging with her anger.
“Careful how you speak to me,” she threatened in a low voice. “I am not some common animal that you can issue commands and receive obedience in return. You will do well to remember who and what I am.”
“Let’s all calm down and take a seat. We have just been worried. Taser didn’t mean anything by it. Let’s not fight but instead have a civilized conversation,” Nathan said. He didn’t need anyone losing their cool right now. Emotions were already running high as it was.
“Before the rudeness was introduced, what I was trying to say is I will be leaving here today and never returning. I’ve given this a lot of thought and there is just no way I can continue this existence how I was. I am no longer that person. I have changed. There is no point in a discussion because nothing you say will change my mind. The both of you will also not be joining me,” Krista stated.
Was she serious with this shit? She walks in here like she owns the world and decrees that she is leaving not only the pack lands but also her mates behind. Did she think we were supposed to be okay with it? Nathan was utterly speechless. Never in all his years would he have expected this shit when he found his Nyhiya. He could feel the rage building and getting ready to burst free.
“Come again?” Taser asked. “I think I may have misheard what you just said. I could have sworn it sounded like you were abandoning your mates.”
“No need to be dramatic. It’s not like you only have one mate. Nathan will keep you company but unfortunately I have things to do. Mates would only hold me back from my destiny. I don’t need any weaknesses my enemies could exploit. Now if you both will excuse me, I have preparations to make.”
With those parting words, Krista got up and walked out of the office. She didn’t have time to waste. She had to gather the few things she had here and leave to begin her hunt. She wasn’t sure where she was starting but she was sure she was leaving here tonight and by any means necessary.
I was given this book, by the author and Paranormal Romance and Authors That Rock for an honest review.
Following 9 months after Dark Indiscretions, this is Krista’s story. Jennifer’s daughter has returned from her father and his abuse, changed. Her monster is out and she has no intention of shutting it away again. Taz and Nathan are left behind while she goes off and hunts, but they are both struggling. Krista returns and kidnaps Taz, keeping him in his wolf form to do her bidding. After her father contacts her from beyond, she needs Nathan too, and goes back, but not before she returns Taz his free will, and he lets rip! Neither mate is happy, well actually NO ONE in this book has anything to be happy about!!
Jennifer is pregnant and when Krista threatens both her, and the unborn, Jackson and Taylor are gunning for Krista’s blood. Jennifer is also, she makes the decision that Krista is no longer her daughter and (straight from the book) needs to be put down. But something is going on with Jackson and Taylor, although this is not made clear, and I suspect will come out in another book.
Krista’s father is returned from beyond, and gets a little bit of a shock! Someone from Jennifer’s past also returns, but not from beyond.
I found this book less rushed than the first one, although it does move at a fast pace, and had I been able to stay awake, I would I finished it on 2 hours yesterday. kept me age turning, I tell ya!! I also enjoyed it more than Dark Indiscretions. M/M and M/F/M scenes, although less than in book one. again, these characters are deadly and make no apologises for that, and I am beginning to see another side to them, not just the one they portray on the page. maybe its because ive read the two books close together, I dunno, but I am beginning to understand these dark and deadly creatures, and why they are as they are. it wasn’t something that came across in book one! i’ll be looking out for the next in this series, soon I hope, since I want to know whats going on with Jackson and Taylor, and whether Krista will reign her monster in, if she chooses, AND what is James going to do with his shock!! (whatever it is, James wont be nice about it!)
4 pointy fangs
About the Author
Shakuita Johnson is a 29-year-old Psychology major. When she isn’t going to school or working, she is doing what she loves most. Writing. She started writing in middle school. Starting with poetry. Then short stories in a creative writing course her senior year. Her love for paranormal and supernatural started with R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books and TV show, Anne Rice Vampire Chronicles, and Christopher Pike books. She is an avid reader with over 100 books on her bookshelf and 1000 plus on her iPad. This is her second novel. Visit her online and read her poems and one attempt at songwriting on her blog.
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Giveaway: A FireFighter’s Flame by Dani Hart
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If you dig into the deepest parts of your soul, what would you find? Happiness, pain, love, regret, peace, sorrow? Now imagine experiencing all those feelings at once and then nothing at all. These were the average days in the life of Lennox. An unhealthy and unstable mind is further challenged when fate intervenes. One tragic moment will test her wavering strength and leave a permanent scar on her conscience. Follow her journey of rediscovery, falling in love, and searching for her own fairy-tale ending.
This book was given to me by the author and PRATR for an honest review. This is a story about several things, being the wife of a firefighter, suffering and learning to live with depression and bipolar disorder, and love and loss. Lennox is the wife of a firefighter named Dean and as she suffers from depression and bipolar disorder living the life she lives is very hard. As she gets older she starts to feel like her marriage is a waste and she is losing herself. Then a devastating accident changes her view on her life. Is it to late for her and Dean to save their marriage? Will Lennox be able to make it through the suffering and come out better or worse? Ms Hart writes so eloquently I was crying toward the end and smiling at the same time. This is a stirring story about not taking for granted who you have in your life as they can be tore away in a heartbeat. 5 teary fangs.
AMAZON /AMAZON CA / AMAZON UK / BARNES & NOBLE
WEBSITE / FACEBOOK / GOODREADS / INSTAGRAM
Dani’s passion for writing started at a very young age. It all started with a multitude of diaries, then as her passion grew she turned to poetry and short stories. She received her Bachelor’s Degree at USC in Theatre with an unofficial minor in writing. While at USC she wrote her first screenplay and post-graduation was fortunate to be hired to write another screenplay. As family life got busy her passion was pushed aside, but as she fell back into the love of reading her desire to write again increased, so she returned to it in the summer of 2013. She is currently working on a YA Urban Fantasy Romance series, The Life of Arie, with book 1 already published, and a Romance Novel to be released on March 17, 2014. You can connect with Dani through her website http://www.danihartbooks.com.
Prologue
There was a time in my life when the light within me shined so brightly. At some point I lost it. I lost me. Life used to course through my veins like an out of control wildfire, unstoppable and infectious. Time was supposed to heal, but all it did was slowly strip me down to an empty vessel void of passion, desire, and drive. I wanted to scream, “Be the one to save me,” but my soul was drained, my heart was shattered, and time had siphoned the life out of me.
Hosted by:
Melted and Shattered by Emily Eck
Cover Reveal
Melted & Shattered by Emily Eck
Synopsis
Elle was never broken.
She wasn’t shattered.
And she sure as hell never needed to be saved.
That is,
until she found out what the aftermath of love was capable of causing.
Doing her best to stay afloat amidst the sh!t storm that has become her life, Elle is hanging on by a thread. Between worrying about Fernie’s precarious future, an incident with a Shemar Moore look-alike gone terribly wrong, and an inability to let go of her feelings for J, Elle just can’t seem to get her head straight.
Deciding a change of atmosphere is what she needs, Elle heads to Mexico to study abroad for a semester.
She has no idea that she is walking into an even worse storm.
One that involves a pissed off MC President, a ruthless drug cartel, and a man willing to die to have her light.
***This is the 2nd book in the series L&J – cannot be read as a stand-alone***
Purchase Links
Excerpt
the scar on my skin was not the worst damage. It was a reminder of the scar I’d carried inside. Could he erase that scar? Could he heal a wound one could not see?
at a low flame, but it blazed through me. He would’ve shot my kid, and I couldn’t let that happen. These kids, they’d become my lifeline. My light.
the day, only to come home and sob until sleep graced me was maddening. “I’ve got nothing left to give you, J. Nothing.”
face. I could feel his breath against my lips. “You were a comet that bust into my life out of no where” he whispered. “I begged for you. On my knees in the dirt, I groveled to the sky to bring me light. And there you were, at Eight Oh Eight, staring up at me, even though I knew you couldn’t see through the window. I saw you, though. Elle, I saw you long before you saw me.”
crumbled into his arms. How did two times come to be a number exponentially higher?
Author Bio
Emily is a Midwestern Gal, but could be anywhere as you read this. She gypsy’s the country, as well as south of the border. Adventure feeds her soul, and offers great writing material.
She loves kids and working with kids, but can only handle caring for four-legged furry friends. A crazy dog and laid back cat have trained her to be their partner in life.
Vices include Swedish Fish, ignoring chores in favor of reading, and caring too much for people in her life. She chose to write this bio in third person as she is an Aries, and found writing in first person ended up with her writing an excessively long life story.
Aries like to talk about themselves. It is something Emily is working on being more mindful of.
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Throttle Me by Chelle Bliss
Throttle Me by Chelle Bliss
Men of Inked Series Book #1
Available Today!
All the buy links for the book are:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JCXG4SS/
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00JCXG4SS/
Amazon CA: http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00JCXG4SS/
Amazon AU: http://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B00JCXG4SS/
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/throttle-me-chelle-bliss/1119045138?ean=2940149427703
iTunes: THROTTLE ME IS NOW AVAILABLE ON ITUNES! https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/throttle-me/id851679923?mt=11&uo=4
Suzy’s a control freak and has her life mapped out – work hard, find a man with a stable job, and live happily ever after. She’s content with the status quo, but her plan comes to a screeching halt when he enters her life and turns it upside down.
City gave up on love when his heart was crushed in college, preferring to be the typical bachelor. He spends his nights hopping from one bed to another and his days working at his family tattoo shop, Inked. A chance encounter on a dark road makes him question what he had sworn off forever – a relationship.
A night of passion and lust causes them to question everything. Is City the knight in shining armor to the damsel in distress? Can their relationship survive when a fantasy falls apart and a secret comes out that changes everything?
Rating: (out of 5 fangs) 5 out of 5
I received this book from Paranormal Romance and Authors that Rock in exchange for an honest review.
Review:
Hot! Hot! Hot!
First the “bad”: there were a few typographical/grammatical errors in the ARC I received, but I feel assured that they will be corrected before the final copy goes to print. And, as errors go, they were not frequent enough to keep me from enjoying the story.
Now, the good, and there is a lot of good. The first bit of good is that this appears to be book one of a series, so we’ll get to know more about the men of Inked, the tattoo studio the hero and his siblings own. I suspect this means we’ll get more about the brothers (and maybe the sister?), and that suits me just fine! I also love the way that the author has developed the characters. Both Joseph “City” Gallo and Suzette “Suzy/Sunshine” McCarthy, the hero and heroine of Throttle Me are well-developed and very real. They both have flaws and neither seems like a good bet for a relationship at the outset. City has had his heart broken and has become a bit of a player as a result. Suzy is a tight-laced control freak with an OCD list of traits her ideal man must have. City, at first, only has the amazing attraction that Suzy is drawn to in order to recommend him… and the fact that he rescued her when her car broke down. As the story progresses, however, each person finds their own way out of the patterns that have held them captive in order to become a person capable of being loved and capable of loving. The plot of the book has enough obstacles to make the progression of the relationship seem realistic but not so many as to feel contrived.
The sex scenes are scorching hot. Not only because of the way that they are described, but the connection between the two characters is so palpable. Brava, Ms. Bliss! A bit of poking around on Amazon and the author’s website shows me that Kayden and Sophia, Suzy’s friends, are the main characters in another series, so I know of at least two books to add to my To Be Read pile.
Reviewed by HR Duby
Review 2:
I received this book from the author and Paranormal Romance and Authors that Rock in exchange for an honest review.
Suzy is the good girl. She’s a teacher, a best friend, and always plays it safe. She plans out her life to the smallest detail, making lists and following them to the letter. She dates boring but stable guys, looking for the one that can make her dreams come true. Her dreams consist of a house with a white picket fence, a family, and a successful husband whose financial stability is solid. City roars into her life on a deserted road after her car breaks down and her cell phone has died. He blows by her on his Harley with no intent of stopping, Something about Suzy makes City turn around and come to her rescue. City is a Harley riding, tattooed, muscular man who makes Suzy want to throw her lists out the window, while at the same time wanting to run away as fast as she can because he shakes up her plans for the perfect and secure life that she has mapped out for herself. These two couldn’t be more different from each other…but are they really?
I have to admit, I love a good story about a tattooed motorcycle god hooking up with an unlikely partner. This one did not disappoint. From the very first time that City enters the scene, he dominates. He is the perfect Alpha Male character, without coming across as a controlling jerk. Suzy is a reasonable enough female lead, while she obviously needs Citys’ help in the beginning, it is clear that she has made her own way in the world, and while she might like a knight in shining armor to whisk her off her feet, it isn’t absolutely necessary. I read this book in two sittings, stopping for a few hours of sleep in the middle. It kept my attention from the beginning and the story line never dragged. The author even put in a few plot twists that weren’t easily predicted and were pleasantly surprising.
Overall, I liked this book quite a bit. It is definitely not the same as most of the books out right now about motorcycle men that are reminiscent of Sons of Anarchy, City does not belong to a gang, even though he hangs with some colorful people. If you enjoy books containing tattooed, pierced, and built Alpha Males who aren’t overly domineering and heavy handed in their treatment of the girl next door type, then this book is definitely for you. I, for one, can’t wait to read the next book in the series.
I give it 4 out of 5 fangs
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Giveaway: Bleak Devotion by Gemma Drazin
Bleak Devotion – Release Blitz
By Gemma Drazin
Young Adult Futuristic Dark Fantasy
Date Published: March 31, 2014
After her only remaining friend is killed, Jessica flees the city hoping to find a place where emotions aren’t fatal. A place to grieve those she lost and live out her meager existence. When she discovers the world of the emotionless creatures isn’t what she believes, the love it leads her to may also be the path to her own death.
EXCERPT
Jessica clamped her teeth together and took a deep breath. “I can stay calm if he can.”
Zach shook his head. “I don’t think—”
“Let her speak with me.” A deep male voice resonated through the crowded hallway.
Throwing on an emotionless mask, Jessica slowly shifted her body toward the voice. A tall male, whom she could only assume was the monster they called Blade, had managed to sneak down the stairs and stood mere inches from her. If she reached out, she would be able to touch him. The thought disturbed her and she struggled to maintain her composure.
The only thing she wanted to do was run screaming at this monster who had ruined her life. Every emotion that she’d been forced to hold in since the invasion begged to be launched at him. Grief. Torture. Outrage. Terror. All of it, she wanted him to feel. She wanted the rage to coat him inside and out, no matter what it would do to him.
Gemma Drazin
Gemma Drazin is the author of short stories and Young Adult Fantasies, sometimes mixing in a love story. She has a great love for cute shoes and can often be found outside with a book and a treat. When she’s not reading or writing she can be found enjoying time with her husband and children.
Author Links
Giveaway
10 ebook copies of Bleak Devotion
Being Dracula’s Widow by Faith Marlow
Continue the Story 4-5-14
Release Party for Being Dracula’s Widow
https://www.facebook.com/events/1456357214576391/
Go back to the Beginning…
Being Mrs. Dracula
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