Friday, December 28, 2012

7 Reasons to spoil yourself with the Sullivans: Awesome reads and crazy awesome prizes!


Did you get a new eReader for Christmas, and are now looking for something awesome to read? Or, maybe you didn’t get anything good and want to spoil yourself a little with the chance to win that coveted eReader, some major gift cards, or other awesome prizes. Maybe you just need to relax after hurry-scurrying around all season. Well…
Wouldn’t it be nice to take a long hot bath or snuggle under your favorite blanket with a great read? Sounds like the perfect day, right? Hey, we can offer you something even better than that.
In fact, we can offer you something seven times better!
For starters, we can offer you up to seven review copies of Bella Andre’s New York Times and USA Today best-selling contemporary romance series The Sullivans.
We’ll introduce you to—not just one, but—each and every member of the Sullivan family on their quests to find happiness. Even though most of them aren’t even really looking for love, it has a way of finding them anyway. These sexy, emotional and funny novels will nurse all your literary and metaphorical desires. You’ll laugh and cry right along with the characters, and get hooked into these great stories right from the very first page. They even take place in lovely California, giving you the opportunity to travel by proxy and escape the windy winter doldrums.
What’s that you say? The books sound awesome, but you’re not sure why you have to join the tour to enjoy their awesomeness? There are so many reasons to sign-up. Since there are seven books (so far) inThe Sullivans series and seven that will be taking part in this extraordinarily large tour, let’s stay right on theme and discuss seven reasons why you need to join the fun, pronto.

Not only will you get to read a great novel—or two, or three, or seven—but you’ll also get…
1. The opportunity to network with other bloggers and avid readers.
2. The option to host a guest post, excerpt or interview with best-selling author Bella Andre. This will bring new readers to your blog AND give you content for your blog—what’s better, a post you didn’t even have to write yourself. If your New Year looks as hectic as mine, having a guest post is almost as good as reading an awesome book… because it means I’ll have TIME to READ that great book.
3. The chance to interact directly with the author through a number of social media activities, discussions, and awesome giveaways .

4. Literally, there are more books. If you love The Sullivans, you can find half a dozen more books just waiting for your eager hands and mind. AND REVIEW COPIES ARE AVAILABLE FOR ALL SEVEN! WOWZA!
5. Kick start your New Year’s resolution to read more! Plus you get hours of entertainment absolutely free—you may even win something (which makes the deal even sweeter).
6. The Sullivans will make you fall in love. You’ll love the writing, the humor, the characters, and the stories. You might even find hope for true love within these pages.
7. If you’ve ever wished for your own happy ending—heck, even if you’ve already found it—there’s something in each of these novels you’ll be able to identify with. We all know life isn’t perfect, and the Sullivans know that too. They’re so real, reading the book is almost like watching a movie or watching somebody’s real life unfold right in front of your eyes.

The prizes are ridonkulous. We’ve got romantic swag baskets, hundreds of dollars gift cards, an iPad Mini, Kindle Fire, Nook Color, AND a Sony eReader to name a few.
Well I guess there’s just one more reason to join us on the biggest tour Novel Publicity has ever put together. More books, more bloggers, more buzz and, of course, more prizes!

Sullivan Tour Badge
Learn what all the buzz is about when you receive review copies of the first 7 books in this on-going series. Read one, or read them all. Or, you could host an excerpt, interview, or guest post instead–and we’ll even put that together for you.
Tour Dates:  January 7 to 20, 2013
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Page Count: approx 300 pages each
CAUTION: Explicit language, very steamy love scenes…and lots of emotion!
The Prizes:
* iPad Mini
* Kindle Fire
* Nook Color
* Kobo eReader
* $100 Amazon gift cards (7 prizes)
* $50 Amazon gift cards (2 prizes)
* $25 Amazon gift cards (8 prizes)
* $20 iTunes gift cards (10 prizes)
* Custom prize baskets for EACH of the 7 books–including items such as wine gift set, silver bracelets, romantic photo books and photo frames, eReader and smart phone skins, and MUCH, MUCH more!
…and we’ve got special prizes just for participating bloggers
Read summaries and excerpts on the sign-up page.


The Fallen King Tour





The Fallen King
T.A. Grey
The Bellum (#4)
Genre: Paranormal Erotic
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: December 28, 2012







Book Blurb/Synopsis:
Life couldn't have possibly gotten worse for the demon king Alrik. But it did. He lost the love of his life. Days spent clouded in black and gray were brightened only with the lovely Arianna near. Her light kept the darkness at bay if only for a few moments. 
And now she's gone leaving him alone. Now he has nobody. But he has purpose. A purpose—steely determination—for revenge against the one who cursed him. His mother. She's out there in the rift, gathering forces, for what, he's unsure. 
A mere human witch by the name Abbigail Krenshaw is the key to saving himself and killing his mother--or so a little old seer tells him under sword point. Small, fragile, and breakable Abbigail almost reminds him of his lost love, yet she's different. Strong, charming, always pushing him in ways that Arianna wouldn’t dare. He can feel her worming her way into his battered, blackened heart and can't decide whether he wants to close her inside forever, or lock her out.
He needs Abbigail. He needs the human witch to sacrifice herself in order to save his tortured soul. He's more than willing to sacrifice her for his purpose, but the more he's around her the more difficult it becomes to uphold the decision. Can he really use her to save himself and let her die? His heart screams no but his mind says yes.

Book Excerpts:

Excerpt #1
The human mumbled to herself, her head lolling left and right. Something tightened in his gut as he looked at her. He didn’t like it. Gazing upon her stirred something deep inside of him.
Alrik cursed.
Who was she to try to compete with his Arianna? She was no Arianna. Arianna was a goddess. Beautiful, shining, dark black hair fell down to her slender waist and a graceful figure and demeanor that could only be obtained with the best of haute, aristocratic blood in her veins. This human looked nothing like his Arianna. She had hair the color of wet dirt. It looked thin and not heavy like Arianna’s hair. She had wide hips and more curves than Arianna, but Arianna didn’t need blatant curves. Her graceful figure brought about attention alone.
Simply put, she wasn’t his Arianna.
Then why did his gut clench just looking at her?
Too long without a woman, maybe. His gaze trailed over her form once more taking in the slight span of her waist and the flare of her hips. The sight stirred something hot buried deep inside him. He wondered how she’d feel pressed tight against him…bare skin to bare skin.
His cock hardened like steel.
Enough!
Alrik charged into the dark cave. He didn’t need his sight in his place; he knew it like the edge of his sword. He went far back into the cave, sidestepping the fire pit he’d made before he’d left to find the human. Then he dropped the human to the ground. He wasn’t gentle about it and she gave him the response he’d been looking for. Her eyes shot open, mouth forming a big circle as pain pinched her features. She let out a low, husky groan that did nothing to alleviate the pressure in his groin.
“What the hell,” she groaned, turning on her side to rub her back.
“We will talk now.”
She hadn’t been aware of him, he realized. Now she was. Slowly her head fell back, her eyes turned up to meet his. Recognition dawned slowly. Her eyes darted wildly around the cave filling with panic and fear. She stood in a rush then wobbled on her feet. Panic had her in its grip. She swung her arms out, found the wet cave wall with a hand, and then leaned towards it to steady herself, pressing both hands against it.
“What the hell’s going on? Oh my god, where am I?”
“Be quiet. I will talk and you will listen. Do you understand?” He hadn’t met a human in years. In his previous experience, some were smart and others not so much. He hoped his salvation didn’t lie in a daft girl who looked entirely too young to have the amount of power the seer spoke of.
She turned and glared at him. The spark of anger was good, and the cleverness he spotted in her eyes even better. Good, she wouldn’t be daft.
“Excuse me? How about you tell me who you are, demon, where I am, why I’m here, and what you want with me?” She crossed her arms and set her light green eyes on him.
Alrik had the distinct urge to stalk over to her and tower over her just to see her quiver in fear. She will learn her place soon enough. Her attitude would go even quicker. He was a king, and some lowly human would not treat him like a servant.



Excerpt #2

“You are not done working, Abbigail.” He sounded pained to say her name as if he couldn’t say it without yelling it. “Get back up there or I swear I’ll--”
Oooh!
She spun around and let all the frustration and anger that had been building throughout the long day fly from her mouth. “Or you’ll what? Magically force me to cast a damn spell? Sorry, but I don’t think even you can do something so ridiculous. I think I did good today. I started not even able to make the stupid little branch move a hair. Now I’ve made it fall over twice, and you know what? I’m wiped. Totally freaking wiped. I’m hot and sweaty, my skin feels sticky, and all I want to do is wipe the dirt and grime off me. And nothing you can do, I mean nothing, will stop me from doing just that, you got me?”
To prove her point she grabbed the hem of her shirt and whipped it over her head. It had to be the emotions riding her that made her wad the shirt into a ball and throw it at him. It didn’t come near hitting him but he didn’t seem to care. His eyes were locked on her chest. She had a moment of panic before anger overtook that too.
She propped her hands on her hips. Maybe she wouldn’t have been so cocky if she didn’t have a bra on, but right now she felt like she could command an army. “Are you gonna stand there and watch me bathe too?”
Something changed in the air. Energy crackled. His eyes turned hungry. That’s the only way she could describe it. His gaze darkened, eyes smoldered and devoured her body as if seeing her as anything other than “the witch” for the first time. He had the look of a man that wanted to eat her up. She could almost feel his gaze caressing her breasts. Her breasts pulled tight at the predatory look—the look of assessing a female.
Her breath caught. “Alrik?” she said hesitantly. Something about his stiff stance, the way his eyes glowed brighter, made him look as if he was fighting some inner war with himself.
His eyes flicked up to hers. His voice sounded thick, heavy, and slow. “Yes.”
Breathing became difficult, as if all the oxygen around them had disappeared. “Yes what?”
He blinked. “Yes, I’ll watch.”
She swallowed over the knot in her throat. Oh.

Excerpt #3

Alrik couldn’t move. He was rooted in place not by a spell but by a human woman. Abbigail. Surely, life couldn’t be so cruel as to send a woman like her to him. She was seductively formed, small waisted with hips made for a man to hold on to while he thrust inside of her, and breasts that made his palms itch to hold.
She turned her back to him and waded into the water like a brave enchantress. The sight of her shapely backside and the sexy dip of her lower back nearly sent him after her. Her legs were strong, with just enough muscle that they rippled as she stepped into the lapping water.
Was she testing him? Trying to taunt him with something he couldn’t have or wouldn’t take?
Wait. He’d take it. Yes, he’d take it and so much more if she offered her young lithe body to him. After all the horrible deeds he’d committed in the past, using her body would hardly fare against them. He’d taken several steps towards her retreating back before he stopped himself.
No, he couldn’t touch her. They both needed to stay focused. He’d had and lost his love.
He could not turn so easily to another woman with Arianna’s death still lingering on his hands.
But it’s been a year since she died, a voice in his head taunted.
Abbigail ducked into the water and came up with a splash that glistened from her hair and bare shoulders. His mouth watered at the sight of naked skin, and his cock throbbed and hardened to a painful point.
Breathing hard, he stepped away from her, away from the temptation. She wouldn’t welcome him. He could make her but the thought of that didn’t sit well in his gut. If he touched her, something terrible might happen—he might begin to care. No, he couldn’t risk it. He couldn’t risk gaining any feelings towards her lest he be unable to go through with his plans. He needed her to die to save him. He finally had a chance to become the man he’d once been and he wouldn’t lose that chance no matter what.
He’d already lost one woman he cared about, he wouldn’t put himself in the same situation twice. No matter how the light glinted off her body. She cupped handfuls of water and scrubbed her face. She turned just enough so that he caught a glimpse of the side of her breast. He groaned low in his throat. He ached to know how she’d feel in his hand—heavy and full or light and firm? His cock became a heavy, throbbing mass.
He couldn’t do this. Not for him and not for Arianna.
Alrik made one of the hardest decisions of his life then and turned around.


Praise for the Other Books in the Series
Chains of Frost (book #1)
"Having never read a novel by this author before, I was delighted to pick up this novel. It is extremely fast paced and never slows down. The story flows beautifully together, and will lead perfectly into the second novel. This is a truly enchanting novel that will grab the interest of readers everywhere and will not let go." – Night Owl Romance
Bonds of Fire (book #2)
"Bonds of Fire is, as I previously mentioned, the second book in the trilogy of the Bellum sisters. It is a wonderful story, moving fast and never stopping for anything. It ties in beautifully to the previous book, with the stories blending with each other, and working together to build the third novel, which is forthcoming. Romance lovers everywhere will adore this book (and the series) as much as I have." 4.5/5 stars! Night Owl Romance Top Pick!
Ties That Bind (book #3)
"Ties That Bind is a hair-raising, nail biting, heartwarming adventure of the grandest scale. Of all three of the Bellum sisters, Lily would have to be my personal favorite, as she is charming, quirky, and not a little bit spunky and outrageous. She is also still a delicate and unsure young lady. This is a perfect conclusion to the Bellum sisters trilogy, and I absolutely loved it." 5/5 stars! Night Owl Romance Top Pick!

Author Social Links
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/T-A-Grey/122074687903394
Website: http://tagrey.com/index.html
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorTaGrey
Blog: http://tagrey.wordpress.com/
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16124518-the-fallen-king
Purchase Links
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/T.-A.-Grey/e/B0055EVG5Y/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_2
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/t.-a.-grey
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/tagrey

Author Bio
I love to write the kind of stories that will keep you up late at night and make your heart pound. It’s my goal in writing to make each new book better, more exciting, more action-packed, not only to test myself as a writer but to keep thrilling you. I’m always trying to push the boundaries with my imagination, and yours, to create something new and different.
If you’re a fan of paranormal romance novels then you’ll love my Bellum Sisters Trilogy. This isn’t your typical romance story, so be prepared for a kick of heat and tons of action. The Bellum Sisters Trilogy has received excellent reviews from paranormal bloggers and two of the three books are Top Picks from Night Owl Reviews.
Now, if you like shorter books with quite a bit of heat, humor, and action then I’d recommend the Kategan Alphas series. This erotic series features the sexy Kategan family and all the lucky men and women who get to meet them and complete their lives.
Visit my website to learn more about me and my books at www.tagrey.com.

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Thursday, December 27, 2012


One Bite to Passion 
by
MaryLynn Bast




Synopsis:

On a business trip to Japan, Paige has just found happiness with Casey, an exciting, young man with a passionate interest in Paige. After a night of wild sex, feels like a new woman. Drawn to Casey, Paige can’t refuse him even though he says he wants to possess her and she learns he is a vampire. Then Paige's unfaithful husband, Dalton, shows up. He has supposedly broken off his affair, but Paige suspects he is still seeing his mistress. Soon, Paige begins to notice disturbing things happening around her and discovers she has become the center of a battle between covens who consider her The Chosen One. But when she faces the greatest peril of her life, and Casey shows up to help, Page realizes she is willing fight the covens side-by-side with him, if it means the chance of a future with this vampire she has come to love.

Review:

Overall “One Bite to Passion” is average.  I pushed my rating from 2 out of 5 stars to 3 for two reasons: great sex scenes and two engaging characters. 

Many women, including me, can relate to Paige.  She has a few extra pounds, is average-looking, and middle-aged.   She is the central character in the story and has some powerful sexual experiences.  It’s refreshing to read about an average middle-aged woman having powerful sexual experiences in a time when most modern romances involve gorgeous, thin, young women.   Her partner is a gorgeous, young man named Casey who truly cares about her.  He doesn’t sleep with her out of pity.  He doesn’t sleep with her as part of some plan to use her to get something.  He sleeps with her because he loves her and he makes her feel beautiful because he genuinely sees her as beautiful.  Awesome. 

“One Bite to Passion” has a vampire element to it, but Paige’s growth is at the heart of the story.   Her self image is  damaged from a dead marriage to a man who no longer appreciates her.  She doesn’t feel attractive or worthy of attention from him or anyone else. Although she struggles with her affair, Paige justifies it as Casey shows her that she is beautiful and desirable. We sympathize with her adulterous relationship because we understand her belief that it is a healthy choice for her.

On the downside, the writing style itself was boring.   I wanted to know more about some specific experiences that Paige had with her husband.  A couple are provided in the book, but I wanted more.  I also wanted a clearer description of the various settings.  Give me a vivid image of what the buildings look like, what did they make her think of, did they remind of anything?  Give me some background on Casey.  That could be done without spoiling the resolution of Paige’s issues.  Has he been married?  What does he think and feel when he sees Paige? What was his first exposure to vampires?   Tell me more about Rosa. We know that she is Paige’s best friend and that she cheats on her husband on a regular basis, but I wanted more details of some experiences they had together over the years.  In general,  I wanted much more character development. 

The sex scenes were strong and compelling.  Descriptions of the physical, as well as the emotional and mental aspects, were vivid and engrossing.  We get inside Paige’s head and understand her conflicted feelings.  We are privy to her purely sexual thoughts as well as her feelings about herself, Casey and her marriage. 

Paige’s periodic attraction to other women should be either cut from the story or more fully developed as part of the message about Paige discovering herself sexually.  Part of that could be experimentation with other women.  If the writer chooses not to make that part of Paige’s journey, however, then there is no reason to mention it and it should be cut. 
I have one issue with the generally well-done pinnacle of the story.  A large amount of information is provided in a few pages, which is a variation from the pace and writing style of the remainder of the book.  I would like to see some balance from this perspective.  Give me more plot and character development throughout the story.  The story needs a steady supply of information,  not a light supply for the largest portion of the book and then large amounts of it at the end.  The pacing and the flow of the story changed dramatically.  This needs to be balanced.

This is a fun, easy read.  The sex scenes will pull the reader in, and there are some good themes.  Overall, however, it’s average, due to some structural and style issues with the writing itself.




About the author:
MaryLynn Bast



MaryLynn Bast moved to Las Vegas in 2010 from Texas, where she grew up. She works as a consultant with a contractor for the US Military, traveling from base to base across the US and around the world. Whenever possible, MaryLynn enjoys spending time with her husband, children and friends. In her free time she writes paranormal romance, erotica, loves to read and travel.
For more information check out her blog at: http://heartofawolfseries.blogspot.com/



Sunday, December 16, 2012

Bluff Tour


Bluff 
by
Lenore Skomal

Review copy provided by 
Novel Publicity


Synopsis:

To the medical world, I was a host body, surviving only to bring a new life into the world. And while I wanted to die more than anything in the world, I never wanted this. No, I never wanted to cease to exist. This was the worst death of all.”
Jude Black lives in that in-between, twilight place teetering on death but clinging to life in order to bring her baby into this world. Only she knows the circumstances surrounding her mysterious fall off the bluff that landed her in the hospital being kept alive by medical intervention. Only she knows who the father of her baby is. In this poignantly crafted literary novel, the mystery unfolds and the suspense builds as the consequences of Jude’s decisions threaten to reveal everyone's deceptions, even her own. BLUFF offers a sensitive look at essential questions such as the value of human life, the consciousness of those in a coma and the morality of terminating life support. At the core is the story of a tragically misunderstood woman who finds peace, acceptance, understanding and even love on her deathbed.

Review:

This one is VERY unique but good all the same! Lenore did an amazing job with her writing. The story wasn't predictable at all. The story is very touching and in some places it will make your heart cry. In others your heart will smile. I commend Lenore on her job well done with this novel :) 

About the author:
Lenore Skomal

Lenore Skomal wants you to eat her books. Her passionate desire is to touch your heart, inspire you, and luxuriate in the world of the written word. She is an award-winning author with the single goal of resonating with others. Winner of multiple awards for blogging, literature, biography and humor, her catalogue spans many genres. With 30 years of writing experience, 18 books published, a daily blog and weekly newspaper column, the consistent themes in her work are the big issues of the human experience and adding depth and voice to the intricacies involved in living a multi-dimensional existence. She has won many Society of Professional Journalist awards, the Whidbey Island Writer's Conference honorable mention for best fiction, Writer's Digest 73rd Annual Fiction Contest, New York Public Library's Best Books for Teens 2003, and most recently, the 2012 Next Generation Indie Book Award for humor for “Burnt Toast.,” her first anthology of her award winning humor columns. From journalism, to literary fiction, to humor and biography, her writing is consistent, if not in genre, then in message. Connect with Lenore on her websiteFacebookGoodReads, or Twitter.
Get Bluff on Amazon.



Wanna win a $50 gift card or an autographed copy of Bluff?

Out of Reach tour with Carrie Arcos

Out_Of_Reach_Blog_tour.jpg






Out of Reach 
by: 
Carrie Arcos







Synopsis:


How do you find someone who doesn’t want to be found? A girl searches for her missing addict brother while confronting her own secrets in this darkly lyrical novel.

Rachel has always idolized her older brother Micah. He struggles with addiction, but she tells herself that he’s in control. And she almost believes it. Until the night that Micah doesn’t come home.
Rachel’s terrified—and she can’t help but feel responsible. She should have listened when Micah tried to confide in her. And she only feels more guilt when she receives an anonymous note telling her that Micah is nearby and in danger.
With nothing more to go on than hope and a slim lead, Rachel and Micah’s best friend, Tyler, begin the search. Along the way, Rachel will be forced to confront her own dark secrets, her growing attraction to Tyler…and the possibility that Micah may never come home

Special Exerpt:

“Micah started out slowly, ‘This is me. I’m not you or Mom. I know I have some issues, but I’ve got it handled now. I’m fine.’ And then he said the biggest lie ever. ‘I’m not perfect like Rachel.’
The shock must have registered on my face because the counselor asked me, ‘Rachel is there anything you’d like to say to Micah? It’s okay. This is a safe space.’
Safe spaces exist only where people aren’t, I thought. I shook my head, no.”

Author Bio:


Carrie Arcos



Carrie Arcos lives in Los Angeles with her family. She writes young adult literature and is an adjunct professor. You can find more about her at carriearcos.com

Links:

List of other Blogs participating:



GIVEAWAY!