Wednesday, May 28, 2014

ARC Review: Bang (Black Lotus #1) by E.K. Blair

They say when you take revenge against another you lose a part of your innocence.
But I’m not innocent.
I haven’t been for a very long time.
My innocence was stolen from me. Taken was the life I was supposed to have. The soul I was born with. The ruby heart embedded in a life full of hopes and dreams.

Gone.
Vanished.

I never even had a choice.
I mourn that life. Mourn the what-ifs.
Until now.
I’m ready to take back what was always meant to be mine.

But every plan has a fatal flaw. Sometimes it’s the heart.

**Due to the dark and explicit nature of this book, it is recommended for mature audiences only as some scenes may be particularly disturbing.**


Bang

Purchase Bang on Amazon 
Purchase Bang on B&N

4 STARS out of 5

What can I say without giving away the mystery of this book? Bang is a real page turner and trying to figure out where this story was taking me kept me on edge to the very end! The author kept me on my toes the entire book, I seriously had no idea why these characters were doing what they were doing. 


Bang is emotional, twisted, dark and just a big WOW! There were a lot of parts of this book that had "OMG" moments and made me really sad to see this character go through what she did. It was truly heartbreaking. The writing of the story is fantastic and really makes you feel like you are in the story!

It's really hard to write a review on why this book is fantastic. I refuse to give any of the plot away--it's just something that you must pick up and read yourself. What I can say, this book is all about revenge and you can't figure out who to believe! And it does in end with a big BANG and leaves you hanging for more! 

I cannot wait to see how the characters play out in the next book or where they are going to go from there. Truly amazing!




Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Cover Reveal: The Raven by Sylvain Reynard


The Raven 
by Sylvain Reynard



From the New York Times bestselling author of the Gabriel Series comes a dark, sensual tale of romance in a city shrouded in mystery…

Raven Wood spends her days at Florence’s Uffizi Gallery restoring fine works of Renaissance art. But an innocent walk home after an evening with friends changes her life forever. When she intervenes in the senseless beating of a homeless man, his attackers turn on her, dragging her into an alley. Raven is only semi-conscious when their assault is interrupted by a cacophony of growls followed by her attacker’s screams. Mercifully, she blacks out, but not before catching a glimpse of a shadowy figure who whispers to her…

Cassita vulneratus.

When Raven awakes, she is inexplicably changed. She returns to the Uffizi, but no one recognizes her and more disturbingly, she discovers that she’s been absent an entire week. With no recollection of the events leading up to her disappearance, Raven also learns that her absence coincides with one of the largest robberies in Uffizi history – the theft of a set of priceless Botticelli illustrations. When the baffled police force identifies her as its prime suspect, Raven is desperate to clear her name. She seeks out one of Florence’s wealthiest and elusive men in an attempt to uncover the truth about her disappearance. Their encounter leads Raven to a dark underworld whose inhabitants kill to keep their secrets…




Release Date:
Early 2015


About the Author

I'm interested in the way literature can help us explore aspects of the human condition - particularly suffering, sex, love, faith, and redemption. My favourite stories are those in which a character takes a journey, either a physical journey to a new and exciting place, or a personal journey in which he or she learns something about himself/herself. 


I'm also interested in how aesthetic elements such as art, architecture, and music can be used to tell a story or to illuminate the traits of a particular character. In my writing, I combine all of these elements with the themes of redemption, forgiveness, and the transformative power of goodness.


I try to use my platform as an author to raise awareness about the following charities: Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Foundation, WorldVision, Alex's Lemonade Stand, and Covenant House. For more information, see my Twitter account.

You can find Sylvain at 

         

Blog Tour Stop: Rev (Bayonet Scars #3) by J.C. Emery

Everyone belongs somewhere. Even the misfits.

With the looming threat from the Mancuso Crime Family, the Forsaken Motorcycle Club is preparing for a war that could destroy them. Grady, the club’s Sergeant-at-Arms, knows that love makes you weak, and he has zero interest in adding to his liabilities– especially now. He’s already got his teenage daughter who keeps him on his toes and a beef within the club that could fracture his relationship with a fellow brother for good.

For Holly Mercer, her life is finally getting on track and the last thing she wants is trouble from her hometown’s resident outlaws. Keeping her nose clean is easier said than done, when suddenly she finds herself embroiled in club business. Holly might like the idea of being with a real-life bad boy, but even being in the same room with tough-as-nails Grady flusters her.

When Holly inadvertently finds herself on Mancuso’s radar, she has two choices: trust that Grady will protect her, or continue to refuse the club’s help. Both roads are dangerous, but only one has the chance to damage her beyond repair.

Love is never more dangerous than when it can destroy you.


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21528220-rev




Purchase Rev on Amazon | B&N 

4 Stars out of 5

What can I say? I absolutely love this series and couldn't have been more excited to read all about Grady!

Grady. Grady. Grady. He is a total a-hole. He's rude and crude. But fiercely in love and protective over his daughter Cheyenne. He maybe a bad ass MC biker, but he loves his daughter and mother.

Holly Mercer is trying to figure out who she is when she moves back home. In the past, she's made all the wrong choices and now she's trying to move on and do it the "right" way. Holly works at the school, as a counselor and gets assigned to Cheyenne. Cheyenne is a typical teen going through the emotions of a teenager--skipping school, talking back, etc... 

Holly needs to meet with Cheyenne's father, but can never get a hold of him. Needless to say, she has no idea who her father is!

Holly and Grady meet and completely get off on the wrong foot. They both infuriate each other and have strong choice of words for each other! Holly is sassy and mouthy, but Grady finds it attractive. These two dance around each other, by throwing insults, but there is a strong attraction between the two. Holly ends up getting  mixed up in "Club Business" and brings plenty of chaos into her life.

She soon figures out what it means to be part of a "The Club." Her life completely changes and Grady feels the need to protect her. 

Rev is filled humor, angst, sexy steam and plenty action. The end of this book kept me on the edge. There's plenty of heartbreak and emotional/disturbing scenes. I highly recommend this book, especially if you are fans of past characters of the series!
And who's book is next? I want Ian's story! :) 

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About the author:
As a child, JC was fascinated by things that went bump in the night. As they say, some things never change. Now, as an adult, she divides her time between the sexy law men, mythical creatures, and kick-ass heroines that live inside her head and pursuing her bachelor's degree in English. 


JC is a San Francisco Bay Area native, but has also called both Texas and Louisiana home. These days she rocks her flip flops year round in Northern California and can't imagine a climate more beautiful. JC writes adult, new adult, and young adult fiction. She dabbles in many different genres including science fiction, horror, chick lit, and murder mysteries, yet she is most enthralled by supernatural stories-- and everything has at least a splash of romance. 
Facebook | Website




"I told you that I won't say anything. You won't take me at my word, so if I have to take the money to get you to believe that I'm not going to do anything to get you or your club into trouble, then I will." And that's exactly the problem. We deal with a lot of shady as fuck people in our line of business. I learned two things in my last twenty years with his cut on my shoulders: number one, everybody has a price; and number two, that there is no such thing as getting something for nothing. And the fact that she won't take my money makes me think she's going to take my freedom. Only, she doesn't seem to be malicious or deceitful. If I didn't know any better, I would think that she really just wanted to be left alone. Which is a damn shame because the more time I spend around her, the more aware I am of her presence.
"Stay here," I say. She is an adult and responsible for own fate, but I can't help the bad feeling that I get from the idea of letting her walk. She hasn't told me what exactly went down between her and Mancuso's guy, but from the way she avoids the topic altogether, I'm starting to worry that it was more than she's letting on. And if he has taken an interest in her, then she’s screwed.
"No," she says. She gives me a small shake of her head, and then her shoulders rise in the air, stay for a beat, and fall. "I was an idiot for thinking that it could be a good idea to let Cheyenne think that were sleeping together. Now my boss is asking questions and even Mindy thinks I'm hiding something from her. If I stay here, it's only going to make everything worse."
"You won't stay here because people are asking questions, so you would rather be murdered to avoid a few uncomfortable conversations?" I don't even know what the fuck to say about this shit anymore. I've tried my best to get it through her thick skull that getting dead is a very real possibility here. She shifts in place and looks down at her lap. Her fingers work at the hem of her blouse.
"The more time I spend with you, the more that guy is going to think I matter. It's better for you and Cheyenne that I stay away. If he thinks we know each other then he can use me as leverage. You have enough to worry about with Cheyenne and your club. You don't need to worry about me as well."
“Stay,” I say again, quieter this time.
“I don’t fit in here.”
“Yes, you do,” I whisper.
“But, I don’t.”
“You’re insane, and ballsy, and you handle your shit. You fit in here alright.”
I sound like a pussy.
Her silence is unnerving. She doesn’t react to my fucked-up attempts at getting her to stay for a long moment, then she says, “But I don’t want to be those things.”
I don't give her anything for a good minute or so. I've nothing to give. She doesn’t want this and I won’t force it. On one hand, she makes sense. Her staying here could make it look like she means something to me, which she doesn't. Well, more than I want her to, anyway. Still, that doesn't address the fact that she's already had words with this guy and apparently the asshole pulled a gun on her. But she's made her choice, and I'm not the kind of man who begs.

Excerpt 3:
“You ever play Street’Opoly?” Grady leans in and asks me.
“What?” I ask. I’ve heard of a lot of different versions of the game before, even one that could be totally customized, but never Street’Opoly.
“Well, you’re about to be schooled,” he says. He takes a pull of his beer and gives me a sly smile. The attention makes me blush, but after last night, it probably shouldn’t. Clearing my throat and tucking my hair behind my ears, I smile wide up at him. He smiles back broadly, the lines around his mouth and eyes deepening. He truly is gorgeous in a way that is all man and muscle and arrogance.
“You think you can teach me a thing or two?” I say in a low and breathy voice. My heart rate spikes, and I flush all over.
“Baby, I’ll teach you things that are illegal in nine states,” he whispers. Cheyenne makes a gagging noise from my other side. I glance at his lips then up at his eyes and back to his lips. My nerves have disappeared and in their place is pure, unadulterated lust. He dives in for a quick kiss and then pulls away like nothing happened.
“Well,” I say lowly while trying to clear my throat, “you can try, but you’re going to have to do it as something aside from the ship. I already called that piece.”
“My house, my rules, my ship,” he says. I feel his arm move behind me. The adult, mature Holly wants to think he’s making a move and wrapping me in his strong embrace, but the kid in me recognizes this move. It’s the same one my older brother, Theo, used when we were kids and he wanted to get his hands on something I had. Back then, Theo, Mindy, and I were inseparable. I may have fallen for this trick a few times when I was little, but Mindy and I soon learned the art of the hand-off. In my experience, every girl who’s had to deal with an overbearing male in her life knows about the hand-off.
I take a chance, lean in toward Grady, and blow out a shaky breath. His arm pauses for a brief second, and I pounce, grabbing the ship from the table and handing it off to Cheyenne. Like a pro, she grabs the ship, hops out of her chair, and runs around the table to Lisa, who is dumping wings out of the plastic bags and into a glass bowl.
“That’s fucked,” Grady says and leans against the back of his chair. He takes a pull of his beer and shakes his head. “You’re supposed to be on my team, Chey!”
“Ha! You grounded me last month for being like ten minutes late for curfew. You’re on your own, dude,” she says. He grumbles something about an hour and fickle memories, but doesn’t make a stink out of it.






Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Blog Tour Stop: Taint by S.L. Jennings

Right now, you’re probably asking yourself two things:
Who am I?
And, what the hell are you doing here?

Let’s start with the most obvious question, shall we?

You’re here, ladies, because you can’t f*ck.

Oh, stop it. Don’t cringe. No one under the age of 80 clutches their pearls.
You might as well get used to it, because for the next six weeks, you’re going to hear that word a lot. And you’re going to say it a lot.
Go ahead, try it out on your tongue.
F*ck. F***ck.

Ok, good. Now where were we?

If you enrolled yourself in this program then you are wholly aware that you’re a lousy lay. Good for you. Admitting it is half the battle.

For those of you that have been sent here by your husband or significant other, dry your tears and get over it. You’ve been given a gift, ladies. The gift of mind-blowing, wall-climbing, multiple-orgasm-inducing sex. You have the opportunity to f*ck like a porn star. And I guarantee, you will when I’m done with you.

And who am I?

Well, for the next six weeks, I will be your lover, your teacher, your best friend, and your worst enemy. Your every-f*cking-thing. I’m the one who is going to save your relationship and your sex life.

I am Justice Drake.
And I turn housewives into whores.

Now…who’s first?



https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18366077-taint?ac=1


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Most known for her starring role in a popular sitcom as a child, S.L. Jennings went on to earn her law degree from Harvard at the young age of 16. While studying for the bar exam and recording her debut hit album, she also won the Nobel Prize for her groundbreaking invention of calorie-free wine. When she isn’t conquering the seas in her yacht or flying her Gulfstream, she likes to spin elaborate webs of lies and has even documented a few of these said falsehoods.

Facebook | Twitter | Website

Some of S.L.’s devious lies:

FEAR OF FALLING

THE DARK LIGHT SERIES
  • Dark Light
  • The Dark Prince 
  • Nikolai (a Dark Light novella)
  • Light Shadows- coming in 2014

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Friday, May 16, 2014

COVER REVEAL: Seduce Me by Ryan Michelle

Official Seduce Me ebook
Title: Seduce Me (Ravage MC #2)
Author: Ryan Michele
Genre: MC Romance
Release Date: June 9, 2014
   
Synopsis
Casey Alexander grew up part of the Ravage Motorcycle family since the day she was abandoned by her mother and thrown into her father’s lap. Always seeing herself as an outsider, she spent her whole life trying to fit in, but never really succeeding. When she loses her beloved father, the utter aloneness engulfs her, leaving her searching for solace in the one man she’s always craved. Confessing her love for him only results in devastation when he pushes her away. Convinced she needs a fresh start, she leaves everything behind in order to mend her broken heart and begin building a future without him.

Gage Thomas (G.T.) Gavelson fell in love with his Angel when he was just a pint sized kid. Both beautiful and smart, he always felt she deserved so much better than him. Growing up beside her in the club only continued to test his will power, until one night, he gave into temptation. Realizing he couldn’t allow himself to hold her back from the life she deserved, he pushed her away, allowing her to believe she would never be enough for him. Letting her go had been the hardest thing he’d ever done. Even though he’d thought it’d been the right thing to do, not a day goes by that misery doesn’t consume him for it.

When a tragic shootout occurs, everything changes as once again their lives are intermingled. When you find your way back to the one person you are meant to be with, forgiveness should be easy. But sometimes, we hurt each other too much to ever be able to forgive.

Is their love strong enough to heal their pain?

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Ravage Me (Ravage MC #1)
Ravage Me
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About the Author
7170947
I'm a mom and a wife who works full time. I have a huge obsession with collecting paperbacks and reading. Becoming an author, wasn't exactly what I set out to do, it just happened. I needed something to help me get rid of the feeling of being 'just a mom' or 'just a wife' that was consuming me and writing became that outlet. My book(s) cover some tough issues which are hard for some readers to digest. I am grateful for every single one of you who read my books.
 
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