Silver Heart by Victoria Green + Giveaway

Author Spotlight

Victoria Green is a New Adult author who enjoys writing about unspoken love and second chances. She’s a travel junkie and a huge photography enthusiast. Her experience growing up a war-torn country has helped teach her the importance of living life to the fullest and appreciating every single day. She believes in true love, good chocolate, and great books. She lives in Canada with her high school sweetheart (though he’s graduated to a fiancé now) and their pack of puppies, and also writes Young Adult novels under a different name.

Links

• Website
• Goodreads
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Pinterest

Synopsis

There comes a moment in everyone’s life when they must decide which road leads to personal happiness. For Dylan Silver, this is that moment…

For the past twenty-two-years, Dylan has been living in her parents’ carefully crafted world, always putting her own dreams on hold to play the role of a dutiful daughter.

So when her best friend coaxes her into a winter getaway to a mountain cabin, she sees it as a chance to forget about the responsibilities waiting for her at home. At least for a little while.
But then her past catches up to her–in the form of sexy snowboarder, Sawyer Carter.

Six years ago, Dylan bid goodbye to the only boy she ever truly loved. Now he’s standing right in front of her, bringing up bittersweet memories and igniting suppressed desires as he dares her to be the person she has always wanted to be.
Dylan and Sawyer’s unexpected meeting is a second chance, but will a girl who doesn’t believe in fate and taking risks be able to overcome her fears of losing control and finally embrace the life she desperately wants?

Only one thing is certain: after a week in Whistler, Dylan’s world will never be the same.

Excerpt

Sawyer took off his jacket and wrapped it around my shoulders, then lead me to a dim alley on the side of the bar, gently resting my back against the cool brick wall.

“How can I help?” he asked as he stood in front of me. His tall body shielded me from the wind, and it wasn’t long before I began to regain some warmth.

I tilted up my chin toward him. “You want to help? Then kiss me.”

His lips parted, and for a moment I imagined he was going to press them against mine. He quickly tightened his jaw and shook his head. “I can’t do that. You’re clearly tipsy.”

I rose up onto my tiptoes and grazed his chin with my mouth. “Don’t make me ask again.”

He exhaled sharply. “Silver…”

“What?”

“You’ve been drinking.”

“So?” I challenged. “You’ve never kissed a tipsy girl?”

“Sure I have. But you’re not just any girl.”

“Right now, I need to feel like one,” I told him as I slowly ran my hands up the hard ridges of his abdominal muscles and over his chest, finally wrapping them around his neck. “I need to feel wanted. For me. All of me.”

“Shit.” He groaned as my cold fingers entangled in his hair and tugged his face toward mine.

I’d never been so vocal about my desires. Pushed to the limits by Preston, and partly spurred on by the tequila running through my veins, I felt courageous enough to demand what I wanted.

For once in my life.

But it seemed like Sawyer wasn’t going to give in that easily. He took my hands in his and held me at arm’s length.

“Are you okay?” he asked quietly. A war between wickedly delicious lust and chivalrous constraint waged in his eyes. I silently prayed for the lust to triumph. “I meant it, Silver. Are you really okay?”

I buried my forehead in his chest and inhaled his icy scent. “I’ve never been better,” I said, diminishing the space between us. My skin heated feverishly upon contact with his body. “But I want to lose control. Again. With you.”

“Goddammit, Silver, you can’t say things like that,” he groaned.

“You’ve been telling me to let go, so here I am—letting go,” I whispered, ignoring his protest. “I need you to catch me.”

“I’m here,” he soothed.

Had he always smelled so good?

“Please touch me, Sawyer.” I felt no shame in begging. “Kiss me.”

“Silver…” he growled in warning. “Stop talking. Please.”

“Then make me stop.”

“I can’t do that.”

“Yes, you can.” My heart was in pain, and he was the only one who could mend it.

Resting his hands on the wall behind me, he buried his head in my hair and inhaled sharply. “The moment my lips connect with yours, I won’t be able to stop myself from wanting all of you.” The husky roughness in his voice sent an excited shiver down my spine.

“So do it,” I urged impatiently. “Consume me. Devour me. Eat me.”

Giveaway

Open internationally

• Silver Heart Necklace
• 30.00 Gift Card to Amazon/B&N/Kobo/Chapters/iTunes (winner’s choice)
• Snow-Themed Essie Nail Polish (Color: Set in Stones)
• 5 Sawyer’s Live-Ride Tattoos
• 5 Silver Heart Bookmarks

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d04251201/

Purchase

• Amazon

Only Between Us by Mila Ferrera Blitz

Author Spotlight

Mila Ferrera lives in New England, where she has a family and a job and does various normal, everyday things, all while plotting novels in her head. She has a passion for writing new adult/adult romance featuring psychological twists and tortured heroes. Her own psychology internship involved plenty of consultation, but alas, no sexy Swedish doctors, and her decision to make one up is what sparked her self-publishing adventures.

She’s the author of SPIRAL (available now), ONLY BETWEEN US (9/3/13), and EVERYTHING BETWEEN US (11/5/13).

Links

• Website
• Goodreads
• Twitter

Synopsis

Last semester, Romy escaped from an abusive relationship with the guy she’d thought was the man of her dreams. This semester she’s putting herself back together, determined to reclaim her passion for art and for life. When she signs up for a painting class at the local art co-op, the possibility of passion becomes very real — in the form of her teacher, Caleb. Both mysterious and seriously hot, Caleb bares his soul on his canvases, and Romy’s fascinated by what she sees.

Caleb is just trying to keep his head above water. Caring for his traumatized, unstable sister is getting harder every day, and his paintings are so dark and bleak that no one is buying. Teaching classes at the co-op is no longer enough, and now he’s going to have to sell more than just his art to the wealthy, sex-starved women in his classes. But when Romy comes along, she makes everything more complicated. She sees the truth in his paintings — a truth no one else has realized, until now.

Romy and Caleb might have a real shot together — one that could heal them both. But when ghosts from their pasts re-emerge, determined to keep them apart, will they be strong enough to hold on to each other?

Excerpt

The stairs creak and we look up to see a guy coming down the steps. He looks to be in his mid-twenties, maybe a few years older than I am, and he moves with the careless grace of an athlete.

“Holy hotness,” breathes Jude, mimicking my thoughts perfectly. It’s not that I’m on the prowl, but in this life, there are a few objective truths, and this guy’s attractiveness is one of them. His jeans hang from his lean hips and are stained with paint. A similarly decorated t-shirt clings to his frame, and there’s a smear of blue on his tanned, muscular forearm. He has chin-length, chocolate brown hair, but he’s pulled some of it away from his face in a partial ponytail high on the back of his head. And that gives us a perfect view of his wolf-gray eyes, which skate over us with mild interest as he descends the stairs and walks toward us.

“You guys here for my class?” he asks, nodding toward the classroom. Oh my God. He’s the teacher.

“Absolutely,” Jude says quickly, newly enthusiastic, and I can’t hold in my laugh.

“Head on in and grab an easel. We’ll start in a few minutes. I’m Caleb,” he says, holding his hand out to Jude, who shakes it and introduces himself.

Caleb turns his gaze to me and offers his hand. “Romy,” I say as I take it, my heart beating a little faster as my skin touches his.

He lets go first. “Have you painted before?” he asks softly, giving my toolbox a questioning glance.

“A little.” That’s a lie. I minored in art in college, and painting was my passion. Until last year. I was passionate about a lot of things until last year, actually.

He smiles, and it’s as warm as his skin and steals my breath. “You look nervous, Romy. You don’t have to be. This is supposed to be fun.”

Purchase

• Amazon
• Barnes and Noble

Ruin by C.J. Scott (Summer in Winter #1) + Giveaway

Author Spotlight

C.J. loves reading stories that take her away to another world. If she’s in the middle of an amazing book, she’ll keep reading while cooking or cleaning (when she can be bothered doing either).
She likes interesting artwork but can’t paint, sketch or make anything more complicated than a snowman from plasticine. She enjoys beautiful gardens but hates gardening. She also hates housework, cooking (see above) and writing about herself.

C.J. loves connecting with readers. The best place to interact with her and other fans is via her Facebook page. That’s where she posts teasers and other stuff from her books.

Links

• Website
• Goodreads
• Facebook

Synopsis

Kate Bell isn’t perfect. Not even close. The things she got up to in college would cause her parents to fall off their pedestals in shock. Home for the summer vacation, Kate settles in for a long, boring break in the tiny backwater of Winter with folks who still treat her like she’s twelve.

Then Ben Parker arrives and suddenly Winter gets interesting. He’s hot, mysterious and good with his hands. Kate falls for him instantly, but her cop father warns her to stay away. But how can she stay away from someone as compelling as Ben? Someone who thinks she’s perfect just the way she is?

When Ben’s secrets catch up to him, not only is Kate’s heart in danger of being broken, but Ben’s entire future could be ruined.

Excerpt

He gave me a sad smile. "I’m not a monk, Kate. If you kiss me…I can’t stop there."

His words probably had the opposite effect to what he wanted. It spurred me on, because now I knew he was on the brink of giving in. On the brink of falling into the abyss with me.

I touched his face. His jaw was rough from his stubble. A small muscle pulsed against my fingers.

"Kate, please," he whispered. But he didn’t pull away. Didn’t stop me getting closer.

I stroked his lower lip with my thumb, and he groaned deep in his chest.

"Ben," I murmured.

He brushed my hair off my shoulder. His fingers caressed my neck, sending tiny tingles racing down my spine. My heart hammered against my ribs to the tune of kiss me, kiss me, kiss me. I wanted this man. Wanted to know him intimately.

My head told me it was impossible that I could feel this way after such a short time, but my heart was ignoring it, lost in a mad, chaotic rhythm of its own.

Ben’s hand cupped my hip, his other pressed against my back. It was all the encouragement I needed. I closed the final small gap between us until I was crushed against his body. It was hard and ridged, warm.

Our lips met in a kiss that turned my legs to jelly. My knees buckled, but Ben’s arms circled my waist. He held me there, firm yet gentle, like I was something precious. I felt dizzy and weightless. The world spun one way and I the other, out of control. I didn’t care. It was exactly what I wanted to feel. Exactly how I’d always imagined a kiss should feel.

Yet I wanted more. The kiss filled me with longing that clawed at my heart. It wasn’t enough. Not nearly enough.

To read the extended version of this scene and discover what Ben has tattooed on his shoulder, check out C.J.’s website http://www.cjscottbooks.com

Giveaway

Open internationally

• 10$ Amazon Gift Card
• 2 eBooks by C.J. Archer

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/7a03880/

Purchase

• Amazon
• Barnes and Noble

Fairies in My Fireplace by R.L. Naquin (Monster Haven #3) Blitz + Giveaway

Author Spotlight

Rachel’s head is packed with an outrageous amount of useless Disney trivia. She is terrified of thunder, but not of lightning, and tends to recite the Disneyland dedication speech during storms to keep herself calm. She finds it appalling that nobody from Disney has called yet with her castle move-in date.

Originally from Northern California, she has a tendency to move every few years, resulting in a total of seven different states and a six-year stint in England. Currently, she’s planning her next grand adventure. Rachel has one heroic husband, two genius kids, a crazy-cat-lady starter kit, and an imaginary dog named Waffles.

She doesn’t have time for a real dog.

Links

• Website
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Goodreads

Synopsis

Sometimes it’s the monsters who need to be saved…

A migration of mythical creatures has begun, and more and more of them are landing on Zoey Donovan’s doorstep. As the only Aegis left in the country, it falls to her to protect the Hidden and keep them safe—and her house has become a sanctuary for water sprites, goblins, harpies, djinn and more.

Keeping track of her boarders is a full-time job, and Zoey’s already got her hands full trying to run her wedding planning business. Good thing she has a resident closet monster to keep her organized, and a hot Reaper boyfriend to help her relax every once in a while.

But she can’t keep up monster-triage indefinitely, and as more Hidden arrive, it becomes clear that someone—or something—is hunting them. In the midst of planning an event for a notoriously difficult client, Zoey’s got to figure out who’s behind the hunt…and she’s got to stop them before there are no Hidden left.

Excerpt

Chapter One

As I inched across the roof of my house, the harpy nestled against my chimney regarded me with suspicion. I’d have let her stay there, but the mailman could be coming up the street soon. With all the weird things he’d already caught glimpses of on my property, I didn’t think he’d go for some half-assed explanation that she was a Halloween decoration. Especially since it was April.

I drew closer to her, and she pressed herself against the bricks. By human standards, she couldn’t have been more than eighteen or nineteen, though maybe harpies had a different rate of aging. She was all boobs and hair and feathers. And she stank. She also clutched my car keys in her sharp, grimy claws.

I stretched my legs out on either side of the roof peak and sat back, straddling it. The harpy relaxed. I laid my hands on my thighs in as nonthreatening a manner as I could muster. I kept my voice low and casual—as casual as I could while squatting, two stories up, with cedar splinters poking me in the ass.

“There’s nothing to be afraid of here,” I said. “Are you okay?”

She frowned. I truly hoped harpies understood English, since my regular translator, an eight-month-pregnant brownie, was unavailable. The height wasn’t a problem—brownies don’t fall, they float. The climb was the issue. Molly didn’t need the strain. Her tiny body was already burdened enough with the thimble- sized life inside her.

The harpy stretched one filthy wing and shook my car keys. Her perky breasts jiggled. I kept eye contact, afraid to get caught staring. Seriously, though, they were impressive. I never felt I lacked in boobage until that moment, but if I had what she had, I’d head straight to Mardi Gras. They’d run out of beads and beer by the time I left.

An arm I didn’t know she possessed snaked out from under her greasy feathers and scratched a nipple before folding away.

She shrugged. “I’ve been better.” Her voice had a husky sound to it, like she’d been gargling with a handful of sand.

At least we could communicate. That was a good start.

“Anything you want to talk about?” I reached out to her with my empathic gift, opening myself to whatever emotions she might be leaking. Nervous energy pat- tered against my skin, tinged with the dark taste of fear.

She shook her head, and a hank of stringy blond hair dropped across her face. She peered at me, waiting.

I thought I heard a car and glanced out across the yard. No mailman yet. The driveway was clear. “Listen, we need to get you somewhere you can’t be seen, okay? You’re welcome here. Just not, you know, right here.”

She chewed on her bottom lip, thinking, measuring me up through her mat of hair. When she finally spoke, it was a whisper. “I don’t have anyplace else to go.”

I let out a breath. “Oh, honey, as long as I’m here, you have a safe place to be. You just can’t camp out on the roof. We’re protected here, but we still have to stay out of sight, okay? We’ve got trees in the back, if you want to stay in the open. There’s room in the attic if you want to come inside. No one will bother you there.”

The bird-woman shook her hair from her face and looked at me with surprise. “I can come inside?”

“Of course you can.” I smiled to reassure her. “And when you’re ready, maybe you can tell me what’s wrong?”

She nodded. “Maybe.”

I stuck my hand out, palm up. “Unless you were planning on a road trip, I could really use my keys back.”

She shifted from one foot to the other and eased toward me. A shingle knocked loose and slid down the sloping roof, crashing to the porch below.

A voice rose up the side of the house where I’d left the ladder. “Zoey! Is everything okay up there?”

The harpy froze, her face draining of color.

“It’s okay,” I said. “That’s Maurice. He’s a closet monster. You’ll like him. Everybody does.”

She looked doubtful. “You have a closet monster here?” She shuddered.

I suppressed a giggle. Like Maurice was a threat to anybody. “We have all sorts here. Maurice helps take care of everybody. I’m Zoey. What should we call you?”

“Viola. Vi, if you want.”

I grinned. “It’s nice to meet you, Vi. If you’ll hand me the keys, we can get down from here and get you settled.”

Vi scooted closer and dropped the keys in my outstretched hand. “Sorry about that,” she said. “They were so bright and shiny. Sometimes I act without thinking.”

I managed to climb down the ladder without hurting myself, and Maurice was at the bottom waiting.

“Why didn’t you answer me?” He frowned. “I was worried. And how much damage did you do up there? Are we going to have leaks when it rains? I’ve got a lot to do already.”

My lips curled in a tired smile. “Just a couple of shingles. It should be fine.” A shadow flitted above us and another chunk of wood dropped to the ground. “I need to run to the attic and open a window for our latest guest.”

Maurice sighed, his large yellow eyes weary, and his face even more gaunt and pale than usual. “I’ll take care of it. I need you to call Andrew. We’ve got a hellhound with some sort of mange or something. I put it in the garage. You’ve also got a pair of water sprites in your bathroom sink, and a family of gnomes is hiding under the back porch.”

I ran my hand through my hair and groaned. “All that showed up while I was on the roof?”

He nodded. “We’re running out of places to put people, Zoey. This is ridiculous.”

Giveaway

• 3 copies of one Monster Haven ebook, winner’s choice of one book from the series
• 1winner of all three Monster Haven ebooks

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/ba112f360/

Purchase

• Amazon
• Barnes and Noble
• Carina Press

Other Books in the Monster Haven Series:

Life, Love, & Lemons by Magan Vernon

Author Spotlight

Magan Vernon is a Young Adult and New Adult writer who lives with her family in the insurance capital of the world. She is in a very serious, fake relationship with Adam Lambert and constantly asks her husband to wear guyliner. He still refuses. She also believes her husband is secretly an alien, disguised as a southern gentleman.

 

Links Website Goodreads Facebook Twitter

Synopsis

When life hands you lemons, sometimes you have to say screw the lemons and bail.

Seventeen-year-old Bentley Evans had it all. Then her Dad got laid off.
Now she has to move across town to a small apartment and leave her life of luxury for public school and a job at the local burger place. Just when her world seems like it’s crumbling she finds solace in the unlikely punk boy next door, Kai Stone. But as their relationship blossoms, a jealous ex-girlfriend and a secret to tell that threatens to bring disaster back into Bentley’s life.

Excerpt

"You know I’m pretty sure that all that’s involved in high school dancing is just dry humping and swaying back and forth," I said as Kai helped me move my parent’s couch back.

"Well, I don’t want to dry hump or just sway back and forth," he said with a big grin on his face before setting the couch down.

"We don’t have to do this right now either. It’s a Sunday morning and all." I walked over to the front of the couch, not taking my eyes off of him.

"Homecoming is Saturday, and the only dance I know is the Hokey Pokey." He shrugged. "Besides Mom and my sisters are at small group and your parents can sleep through anything, so why not now?"

"Okay." I let out a deep breath and opened my computer. "But you really didn’t take any kind of dance classes? I had ballroom dancing freshman year in gym."

"Bentley, I’ve gone to public school all of my life. The only dance we ever learned was line dancing when I was in grade school up in Wisconsin, and I’m not doing that at Homecoming." He laughed.

I started up the song and set my laptop down and stepped in front of Kai, putting my right hand up toward him. “I definitely don’t think there will be line dancing at Homecoming,” I said, putting my hand in his.

“And you make fun of my music?” Kai asked as the song crooned through the speakers on my laptop. I put Kai’s right hand on my hip, and then placed my left hand on his upper arm.

“This is Sinatra, I really don’t think there is anything to be making fun of, and besides I don’t think we could really do ballroom dancing to punk rock.”

“I’m sure we could try." He smiled and kissed my forehead.

I rolled my eyes. “Okay, now that we have the arm position it’s time to move our feet, and if you step on my bare feet I am going to punch you.”

He playfully hovered his foot over mine, so I pinched his arm. “If you don’t behave then I’m switching the music to country.”

He let out a big sarcastic sigh. “Fine.”

“Okay, so left foot then right foot then together,” I said as we moved in unison.

“Then right foot goes back and then the left foot meets it.”

We moved together doing a few box steps. It felt kind of silly to be dancing in my pajamas in the living room.

“You know, I really don’t think that anyone is going to be doing the waltz at Homecoming,” I muttered

I looked up to see him mouthing ‘left, right, together’.

“Well what do people usually do then?" He looked down at me and stopped mouthing the words.

The Sinatra song ended and a slower punk rock song played, one that Kai had actually put on my computer.

“Usually…" I put both my arms around his neck. “It’s kind of more of a close, swaying motion.”

“Oh." He wrapped his long arms around my waist and pulled me as close as I think two people can get when one was over six foot and the other was barely over five foot three.

“Like this?" He swayed slowly back and forth.

“Usually it’s not some sort of a giant dancing with a midget.” I laughed.

“Fine then." He bent at his knees and picked me up off of the ground, so that my legs were dangling in the air while he continued to sway back and forth. “Is that better, shorty?”

I wrapped my bare legs around his waist. “Now it is."

I leaned in and ran my tongue along his bottom lip, tracing the lines of his lip ring.

“I don’t think that’s part of the waltz." He smiled and pressed his forehead to mine.

“It is now." I kissed him, pretty hard, since he fell back into the couch with me still in his arms.

Maybe I should have taken him up on the night alone instead of Homecoming. It felt so good to just be in his arms, and the kissing wasn’t so bad either. I could forget about the world every time that Kai kissed me. It was like his lip piercing had some kind of magical powers that just made all my problems disappear as long as we were kissing.

Purchase

• Amazon
• Barnes and Noble

Don’t Lie To Me by Stacey Lynn Blitz + Giveaway

Author Spotlight

Stacey Lynn lives in the midwest with her husband and four young children. She spends her day taking care of the kids and loving her family. At night she’s curled up with a book and a blanket, or her laptop, writing down all the stories she hears in her head.

 

 

Links Facebook Goodreads Website Twitter

Synopsis

A standalone erotica/adult romance fiction.

What do you do when the man you love leaves, and the only man you’ve wanted since is the one you can’t have?

When Emma’s first love walked away after learning she was pregnant, she was forced to pick up the pieces, re-evaluate her priorities, and change the course of her dreams all for the sake of her son, who became the only one who mattered.

It also meant taking a job with Jack McMillan; powerful, sexy, controlled, and CEO of McMillan Holdings. Emma has spent the last several years keeping her dreams and fantasies of Jack to herself, but one night, and one encounter, changed everything.

Once the walls between them are dropped and the truth is laid bare, will Jack and Emma’s new relationship be able to survive? When they are forced to confront their pasts, will they learn to finally put their trust in someone else, or will the lies that are told destroy them both?

Giveaway

• (5) eBook Copies – Either Kindle or Nook – (International)

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/aecff2101/

Purchase

• Amazon
• Barnes and Noble
• Kobo

Second Chances by Jo Briggs Blitz + Giveaway

Author Spotlight

As well as writing, Jo also enjoys reading; her favourite classics include Pride & Prejudice, Persuasion and Jane Eyre having studied English Literature before moving onto Art and Graphic Design. Current genre of choice on her iPad are dark, angsty steamy romances. Particular favourites at the moment are by S.C Stephens, Abbi Glines, R K Lilley, Sylvia Day and Jodi Ellen Malpas. Jo is also a regular visitor to eBook readers anonymous to keep her addiction under control.

Links

• Website
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Goodreads

Synopsis

Layla Keyes is back in England.  Much has changed in the five years since she moved to New York to pursue a modeling career – On the outside she appears independent, self-assured and enjoying running her own successful fashion label.

On the inside she is determined to take back what she lost five years ago when misunderstandings allowed a jealous third party to manipulate and interfere in destroying her relationship with Evan Carter.

Evan Carter has spent all that time pretending to not be affected by the loss of Layla from his life.

A twist of fate brings the two back together as they are forced to share a few days alone.

Can their love be rekindled despite the secrets they still have to confess to each other?

Excerpt

Once satisfied that all her belongings were safely in the boot of her car, Layla slammed the heavy, oak front door closed behind her, fully aware that she was also closing the lid on her relationship with Evan Carter.

She gulped down the rising sensation of guilt she felt at taking the coward’s way out by leaving when the man was still on a business trip. While sharing Evan’s sense of emptiness, Layla was unable to express it in words, but she did know that she could no longer deal with the look of pain on his face when he tried to talk about what happened. Whenever she attempted it, her throat seized up and no sound came out, only an endless stream of tears, which seemed to frustrate him even more.

Layla had not been especially close to her parents, but the abruptness of their death, followed by the traumatic horse-riding accident that resulted in the loss of her baby, had placed an irreparable strain on her two-year relationship with Evan.

Settling into the 4×4, she plugged her phone into the hands-free system and set off for Surrey, where her BFF, Keely lived. She was the only person who knew of Layla’s plan to leave Yorkshire and head to New York. Activating the voice-dial on her phone, which connected to her friend’s home number, she heard a familiar voice come over the speaker. “Hello?”

“Hey, it’s me,” said Layla, unable to conceal her subdued mood. It was becoming more than a regular occurrence and she was fed up of feeling that way. She just hoped a change of scenery would lift her out of her despair.

“Are you on your way?” Keely asked, her voice sounding tight and restrained.

“Yes,” said Layla, suspecting her friend of holding back on what she truly wanted to say.

“Are you really sure you want to do this?”

Layla sighed. Keely had been trying to persuade her to stay and work through her problems with Evan ever since she’d revealed her plans to leave. Layla recognised it was going to be hard, but she could see no other solution. The stabbing pain from the healing wound, caused by the accident, and the ache of her breaking heart had merged into one.

Giveaway

• $10 Amazon Gift Card
• eBook copy of Second Chances

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Purchase

• Amazon US
• Amazon UK
• Barnes and Noble
• Apple US
• Apple UK
• Smashwords

Captivated by Emily Jane Trent (Adam & Ella #1) Blitz

Author Spotlight

Emily Jane Trent writes steamy romances about characters you’ll get to know and love. The sex scenes are hot, and the romance even hotter! If you are a fan of stories with a heroine that’s got spunk and a hunk of a hero that you’d like to take home with you, these stories are what you’re looking for. The stories will let you escape into a fantasy – and you won’t want it to end – ever.

Links

• Blog
• Goodreads
• Twitter
• Facebook

Synopsis

Ella Walker, still suffering from issues of mental abuse, turns twenty-one and meets the man of her dreams. Can she break the bonds of her emotional prison and be the woman he desires? As an aspiring romance author, Ella struggles to find passion in her work. When Adam Bianci, the gorgeous Italian billionaire appears in her life, he lights up her drab existence. She’s determined not to let him slip through her grasp. But will his secrets and the tangled web of his own abuse keep them apart?

Purchase

• Barnes and Noble
• Amazon
• Smashwords

Jenny’s Blue Velvet by Angela Carlie Blitz + Giveaway

Author Spotlight

Facts about Angela Carlie
I write fiction. I work hard. I play often. 
When I’m not pushing a mouse around at a desk job, which is boring, or writing, which is fun, I enjoy hanging out with my fourteen-year-old son and husband, reading, hiking, kayaking, traveling, and running.

Hawaii and Washington are my two favorite states.
I believe that if everyone ate a whole-food plant based diet, cancer cases would be a minimum, heart disease a thing of the past, and hunger something found in history books.

One of my favorite documentaries is Forks Over Knives.

I love hearing about people reading my books, so if you enjoyed one of my stories, please let me know by leaving a review on Amazon or Goodreads.

Thank you for spending time with my stories. We don’t have much of it and I appreciate that you find my work worthy of your time.

Links

• Website
• Goodreads
• Facebook
• Twitter

Synopsis

Jenny’s stuck.

She’s tried just about every occupation she can think of and will be digging out of student debt for a very long time, but has nothing to show for it. Her everyday routine feels like a prison. And her marriage? Well, let’s just say it’s been a little one-sided lately and the money she threw down on the toys from Lover’s Erotic Store was well worth it and then some.

Jenny decides her next big step is to become a romance writer. Romance books are flying off the virtual shelves, after all. This will be her big break, her escape from the prison, and a way to freedom. Self-publishing is all the rage these days. She’ll be a best seller in no time.

When Jenny makes friends with a woman named Cassandra from the gym, she instantly decides that her new friend will make a perfect main character in her upcoming book. After the first chapter, real life begins to resemble the fiction she’s writing. Her friendship blossoms, sex with her husband turns into a daily feast, and her job gets more interesting with each chapter written.

Out of the blue, a person who is a close friend with her husband and who is dating Cassandra disappears. As the mystery behind the missing person unfolds, Jenny wonders if she might be responsible for his possible death. And if she is, what will be the consequence? What has this writing business gotten her into?

JENNY’S BLUE VELVET is a dark, humorous, romantic thriller for adults only.

Excerpt

Jason gives me a thumbs up. Look at him, all supportive and gorgeous. His ass, bopping in front of me, is totally squeezable if only I could catch up with him. Strong shoulders and legs. With each lunge forward, his calves contract. His entire body is one lean bundle of muscle. How I ever got so lucky, I’ll never know.

I’m going to write a romance novel. I’ve never really read one, but they seem to be selling like bonbons to housewives on a hot summer day. My romance novel is going to be a bestseller. Once I figure out what it’s going to be about.

He looked around, which was an odd thing to do as they were the only two people in the house.

Candy whispered, “There’s nobody with you, is there?”

Leo whispered back, “She’s always with me.”

Leo brushed blond strands from her face. His breathing felt warm on her cheek. She could lose herself in those soft blue eyes for an eternity. They held this moment for several heartbeats, just them, alone, staring at each other as though they only now discovered how wonderful it felt to be so close. If they were to move, the world would melt around them.

Leo’s kiss heated up the entire forest. His soft lips wrapped around Candy’s in a furious passion. One hand caressed her face and the other inched down to her breast, lighting a fire within Candy that not even a rainstorm could extinguish.

But it was never a quick satisfaction with Mr. Jackson. He enjoyed teasing her, driving her insane until she thought she’d die if he didn’t enter her. Of course, this wasn’t something to complain about.

His rough hand traced along the curve between Candy’s hip and her ribs, and then down her arm to rest on her fingers. He lifted them to his lips and kissed each blue fingernail, one by one.

“Tell me about blue,” he said.

They lay there, the pillows strewn about and the fire nearly dead, wrapped in each other’s arms, their glistening bodies exhausted.

My life should be filled with blooming flowers, singing birds, and the music of the crashing waves on the shore. I’m meant to be in a place surrounded by these things. Hawaii, to be precise. Not in a vacuum that’s sucking my soul away.

There’s something to say for people who have patience. What that may be, I don’t know because I don’t have it.

“You can’t have love and the lifestyle you desire,” she says. “It’s the way of nature. Nobody can have everything.”

“Ever since I met you, my life has been different. Not in a bad way, either. In the most amazing way I can ever imagine.”

“I know I don’t have all the riches you’re used to and are looking for, but I can take care of you, Candy.” His thumb traced the back of her hand. “I will take care of you always and forever."

I lay back on the cool concrete. The world around me is dizzy. “Jason?”

“Right here.”

“Let’s stay like this forever, ’kay?”

He strokes my hair. “We will always be like this, Jenny. We don’t need Vegas to be like this.”

Giveaway

• $25 Amazon Gift Card (International)

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d04251197/

Purchase

• Amazon
• Barnes and Noble

Strawberry by Lena Fox Promo Blitz

 

 

Author Spotlight

Lena is addicted to treasure hunting in thrift shops, picking the twist in movie plots, and food. Lena writes romance because it’s So. Damn. Sexy. And a girl’s got to get her kicks somewhere.

Links Website Facebook Blog

Synopsis

An out of work actress can find herself in some shady situations. For Kitty French, some raunchy role-playing gone wrong lands her in the clutches of an honest-to-god vampire who decides she’s the tastiest of them all. Being a blood-sucker’s ongoing meal plan is not high on her wish list, no matter how searingly sexy he is. Will she escape from his cold lips alive, and will she still want to?

A bite sized, steamy, paranormal romance, Strawberry is a novella of 33,000 words, about a third the length of a normal novel.

 

Excerpt I was supine, pinned down, at the mercy of three vampires. It’s okay. They aren’t real. Just men playing a game. A tongue licked across the lowest point of my neck, right where my pulse beat. A frisson of desire ran through my body, startling me. They crowded around the table, crawling up onto it to get better access to me. A hot mouth sucked at the flesh of my right breast where the gown left it bare. I gasped at the sensation and then screamed. I wanted to strike the man off me but kept in character. This is what I was being paid for. I knew what I was in for. Then the first man bit me. They didn’t bite hard but they weren’t exactly gentle either. That’s going to leave a mark. I was sprawled on the table, teeth nipping at me in three places. Their plaything. I could feel arousal beginning and I could not believe it. It really had been a long time since I’d had any action. My nipples were hardening as the heated hands tangled into my hair and warm tongues slid across my skin. Fake fangs pulled at the bared flesh of my cleavage, arms and neck. Little shivers stole up and down my spine, making me whimper and a delicious ache built between my thighs. I had just about decided that I really needed to get laid when an icy finger ran up my thigh, yanking me out of the delectable stupor I had tumbled into. I felt a cold nose press against my neck and breathe deeply. I heard a small grunt of desire. “This one is mine.” My eyelids, gone heavy during the biting, slammed open to see my vampires falling back, their faces gone blank. It looked like someone had just reached in and erased them from within. A new man stood above me, silhouetted by the dim scarlet glow of the lamp behind him. The primal instinct to escape invaded me again and I tried to scramble back across the table, but the dead, cold hands dragged me back and up into his arms. Then teeth sunk deep into my neck.

Purchase

• Amazon

Little Bird by Liza Gaines (The Tangled Series) Release Day Blitz

Author Spotlight

Liza Gaines grew up in Michigan before moving to Northern Virginia in 2007.  She misses her family and the Great Lakes but has otherwise fallen in love with her adopted home state.

The magic of getting lost in a book is one of her favorite things and is what led her to begin writing.  She also loves cooking, baking and visiting the many historical sites in the Mid-Atlantic with her history buff husband and their two dogs.

Links

• Website
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Pinterest

Synopsis

In his bonds, she learns to soar.
Lee Jackson is bad news for a girl like Savannah Alderton. At least, that’s what everyone keeps telling her when her boss tasks her with assisting Lee in the search for his missing ex-wife. But despite all the warnings and Lee’s overbearing attitude, she’s attracted to him from the start. Wanting more than the casual sex he readily offers, Savannah fears she is bound to get hurt. Can she take that risk?

After a dysfunctional marriage and demoralizing divorce, Lee doesn’t do relationships. Casual sex with women who don’t expect more is enough to meet his needs; especially if those women share his appetite for handcuffs and crops. Which means Savannah is all wrong for him. She isn’t his type, she’s naïve and inexperienced, and worst of all, she’s exactly the kind of woman who will want more than a rough tumble between his sheets. Still, Lee can’t seem to stay away and he can’t help but wonder if maybe he’s underestimated her.

As the situation with his ex-wife becomes more desperate, Lee and Savannah struggle to overcome their fears and begin to imagine a life together. Will they live long enough to see those dreams become reality?

Excerpt

Lee shut the door behind them and flipped the light switch. This cottage was identical to his in layout. Although being a rental, the furniture and decor were more spartan. Savannah followed him into the kitchen where he dropped her bags before tossing the keys on the counter and scribbling a number on a piece of paper. “There’s my number. Put it in your phone so you don’t have to fumble with it in an emergency. I don’t think they’ll be back this soon but you never know.”

Savannah nodded. Now that she was about to be alone out here, she was starting to feel a little scared. She gave him what she hoped was a brave smile. “I’m sure I’ll be fine. I don’t suppose you’d consider leaving Toby with me, though?”

“He wouldn’t stay. Remember, he was the coward who ran off last time there was trouble.” Lee gave her a searching look as he lifted up the back of his shirt and pulled out the nine millimeter she had seen that morning. “I was serious earlier, though. I’ll leave this here for you if it would make you more comfortable.”

Savannah shrugged, trying to appear calm and collected. “You can leave it if you want. I don’t plan on needing it though.”

Lee took her arm in his hand and turned it over, his rough thumb softly caressing the delicate underside of her wrist as he placed the gun in her palm. Savannah shivered as she felt the metal, still warm from its prior position against his skin, and surprised herself when she heard her own breathless sigh. Suddenly she felt completely overwhelmed by his close proximity, the smell of him, the feel of his fingers on her wrist, the sound of his voice with that lazy southern drawl. When she found herself leaning toward him and wondering what he would taste like if she were to kiss him, she knew she was in very big trouble.

“Do you know how to use it?” As Lee spoke his lips twitched before turning up in a knowing smile. Savannah didn’t know how he could have guessed what she’d been thinking but that look, a little dangerous and a whole lot of sexy, definitely said he had.

“The gun?” Savannah cringed at the sound of her own voice, all fervent and yearning.

“Yes.” Lee’s quiet laughter rumbled beneath his ribs and Savannah realized with some shock she was leaning against him, her free hand on his chest. When had that happened?

Lee’s fingers tightened briefly around her wrist before he released it, plucking the gun from her hand. He twisted against her and she heard the clatter of the gun as he laid it on the counter. Turning back, Lee reached behind her, pulling out the ponytail she’d made that morning. As Savannah’s hair fell around her shoulders he dipped his head, his lips brushing over her jaw, his beard tickling her sensitive skin. Lee’s hands moved down her back, softly touching her, until he reached her waist where he pushed them beneath her shirt and settled them on the flare of her hips. The ends of his fingers slipped beneath the waistband of her shorts as his thumbs leisurely stroked her skin. His lips skimmed her neck, the combination of his warm breath and scratching beard giving her goose bumps, and she moaned in eager response. His mouth moved lower still, grazing Savannah’s shoulder and then her collarbone as he tugged on the bottom of her shirt.

When Lee’s tongue flicked against the small indentation at the center of her neck, Savannah came undone, pressing her hips against him as she gasped, “Oh, yes.”

“Yes, what?” Lee raised his head to look at her, not so subtly pushing against her so she’d feel his erection.

His question hung heavy in the air and Savannah panicked. What had she been thinking? She didn’t even like this guy and Mike had explicitly warned her not to become involved with him. And now here she was, not twenty minutes after Mike left, with Lee’s impressively large hard-on pressing against her stomach. Jesus, she’d made a mess of this.

“Yes, I know how to use the gun.” Savannah was dismayed her voice quaked as she spoke.

Lee gave her a curt nod and set her away from him as he bent to pick up her bags again. His voice was gruff as he said, “Good. I’ll just put your bags in your room and leave you alone to get some rest.”

Savannah retrieved the gun from where he’d left it on the counter and followed him into the bedroom. Lee turned on the light and placed her bags on the floor at the end of the bed. Stepping around him to put the gun in the nightstand, Savannah got her first look at the bed. She was pretty sure it was a king.

“Whoa!” Lee gave her a questioning look and she hastily added, “Oh, sorry, it’s just I have a twin bed at home. I don’t think I’ve ever slept in a bed this big before.”

Lee flashed a sexy grin at her. “Well, you’ve got my number. You just give me a call if you get lost in that big ol’ bed by yourself.”

Just like that, he gave her that seductive look again and goose bumps rose on her arms as she remembered the feel of his lips on her skin. She had to get a hold of herself or she would never make it through this unscathed.

With a deep breath, Savannah finally managed to sputter out, “Go home, Levon!”

Laughing, he turned and headed for the front door, calling over his shoulder as he went, “Goodnight, sweetheart!”

Purchase

• Musa Publishing
• Amazon
• Barnes and Noble
• All Romance eBooks

Out from Under You by Sophie Swift (Smart Girls Finish First #1) Blitz

Author Spotlight

Sophie Swift is an east coast girl who recently transplanted to Southern California. She writes about sexy boys by day, and dates them by night. Her sizzling, new adult romance, OUT FROM UNDER YOU, the first in a new contemporary series, will be released in August of 2013. She loves books that quicken her pace, music sung by adolescent boys, and cupcakes with too much frosting. Visit her online at: www.SophieSwift.com

Links

• Twitter
• Facebook
• Goodreads

Synopsis

“Love is an earthquake. It comes when you least expect it. It rips the ground clear away. Right out from under you.”

The day Lia Smart met Grayson Walker, eight years ago, was the day she fell helplessly in love with him. Coincidentally, it was the same day Grayson fell in love with someone else: Lia’s smarter, sexier, superior-in-every-way older sister, Alex.

Now, nearly a decade later, Alex and Grayson are long over and twenty-two-year-old Lia has finally managed to forget all those lonely nights she spent pining after her sister’s boyfriend. But when Grayson unexpectedly arrives back in town with Alex for Labor Day weekend and the two announce that they’re not only back together but engaged, all the feelings that Lia buried suddenly come bubbling back to the surface.

But Lia is no longer the awkward, gangly tomboy she was at fourteen. Far from it. And Grayson is conflicted by the lustful thoughts he’s now having for her. He knows he could never act on those thoughts, however. Grayson has always prided himself on being one of the “good guys.” But as the weekend wears on, he’s finding this new grown-up version of Lia more and more impossible to resist…

Heartbreaking and sexy with a dash of humor, Sophie Swift crafts a passionate, unforgettable tale about desire, growing up, and the kind of love that shakes us to the core.

Excerpt

Lia

“Thanks,” Grayson says, setting the bag of ice against his hand, cringing as the cold settles into his skin. “It’s been a long time since I punched someone in the face. I forgot how much it hurt.”

Huh?

Is that what happened last night? Did he get in a fight?

Over me?

No. That’s not possible. No one has ever fought over me.

Alex. Alex gets fought over. She has the face that launched a thousand punches, or whatever.

I’m just…

I’m not worth fighting over.

He must read the confusion on his face. “You don’t remember that part, do you?”

I shake my head.

“How much do you remember?”

“I…” I start to say.

But I can’t do this. I can’t talk about this. Not here. Not while he’s dressed like that. Or shall I say, not dressed like that. I was kind of hoping we could just move on like it never happened and forget about it. But it’s pretty obvious he wants to hash it out. Right here. Right now.

So I take a deep breath and, battling to keep my voice steady, say, “Look, I’m really embarrassed about what happened last night and I kind of want to just forget about it and move on. I realize this may not be the mature thing to do but to be honest, at this point, I’m not sure I can handle the mature thing.”

His eyebrows furrow as he takes in what I just said. Or more like just rambled.

“You’re embarrassed,” he verifies, “because you got drunk and called me to come pick you up?”

“Because it seems like every time you’re around I somehow always need to be rescued!” My soft, tentative whispers have turned into throaty, breathy cries. “Because I’m like some perpetual damsel in distress who always needs saving.”

When I finish, he just stares at me, his gaze intense and searching. Then a reticent smile makes its way to his lips.

“I like saving you,” he admits quietly.

Of all the things I was expecting him to say in response to my tirade, this was certainly not one of them.

“What?”

He takes another step toward me. His proximity is intoxicating. Stronger proof than any alcohol. More debilitating than any drug.

“I said,” he replies, his voice deliberate. Determined. “I like saving you.”