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Tuesday, December 31, 2013

LET ME BE THE ONE by Bella Andre

LET ME BE THE ONE 
(The Sullivan's #6)
by Bella Andre
ARC Review
Published: November 23, 2013
Paperback Release: December 31, 2013, Harlequin HQN

My rating: 4.5 of 5 ⭐️







After spending the last decade in Europe, sculptor Vicki Bennet is trying to get a foothold in the San Francisco art world. When she is cornered into a meeting with an important art critic who won't take no for an answer, she calls the only person she can trust to get her out of trouble. Her friend since childhood and the only man she trusts, Ryan Sullivan, pitcher, baseball star and ladies' man. 

Seeing one after the other of his siblings find happiness, Ryan Sullivan has become tired of his own empty hookups and longs for something more meaningful. He is on top of his career, has a great loving family and nothing to complain about, other than that he still has not been able to chase down that one person to make it complete. Until she calls out of the blue, she's in town and she needs him. Vicki.

DAY #6: BIKERS - BABES & BOOKS; "Lovers Duet & Rough Riders Series" by Elle Chardou









Out From Under


(The Lovers Duet #1)

Paperback, First, 350 pages
Published
July 31st 2013
by Midnight Engel Press, LLC 
 Trista Lennon is strong,
independent and only desires freedom. Freedom from the control of her
parents, freedom from the motorcycle gangs she has had to put up with
her whole life and freedom from a relationship that will trap her into
the very life she has no wish to ever live.

The day before she’s
supposed to leave for Stanford University to pursue her dreams, her
world is shattered. After a tragedy that tears her family apart, Trey,
her cousin, Talia, invites her to L.A. Her life is all the sudden
Hollywood stars and sunshine, late nights and wild parties.

And then she meets him.

Linx
Carter isn’t looking for a relationship. He survived a dysfunctional
marriage with his childhood sweetheart, which produced two sons, an
inability to trust women and a multitude of lies. He merely wants to
recuperate from a rough, six month tour Winter’s Regret just completed
with superstar band, Scarlet Fever, and enjoy a little peace and quiet.

Until he sees her.

Trista and Linx fight their attraction for one another like war on a battlefield.

She
has a closetful of secrets and he would rather be single and pathetic
than date a teenage girl who seems older than her years. However the
passion between them is too much to resist and they realize in order to
heal one another, they must destroy the walls they have constructed so
tightly around their hearts.



COVER TALK
I am a visual person and the reason why I
worked closely with my cover artist on this particular cover was because I
wanted to convey two different characters and worlds colliding.
The woodsy background is very symbolic and
important because the lead female character, Trista Lennon, grew up in the
small town of Pine Bluff, Nevada, which is controlled by the Demon’s Bastards
MC. Her oldest brother, Trey Lennon, is also a member of the outlaw Bastards
charter club.
Linx Carter, the lead male character, is a
bassist for Winter’s Regret, a very successful hard rock band, and the reason
why he doesn’t face the camera was symbolic and important too. He always wants
to go unnoticed even if he is covered by tats and fly underneath the radar.
The directness you see in Trista’s eyes is
very symbolic of her character too. She faces everything head first and
sometimes she speaks before she should but she is direct, very in your face and
not scared of much but having a brother who is an MC member, I think her character
act’s appropriate for what she has grown up around.
The cover is understated and very much
opposite of the novel, which starts like a slow burn and then everything
converges and the reader is taken on a wild ride they are not bound to forget
any time soon.
I don’t consider this a woman’s novel at all.
I think guys would definitely enjoy it too since the story is told from both of
their point of views, which are very different from one another.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



In Too Deep

(The Lovers Duet #2)

Paperback, First, 360 pages

Published
October 7th 2013
by Midnight Engel Press, LLC 
 In too fast…

Trista
Lennon-Carter received a phone call that will change her tranquil life
with her husband, rock star Linx Carter, in the blink of an eye. All she
knows is her brother, Trey, is either dead or being held against his
will in Northern Ireland and despite him being the Demon’s Bastards’
Sergeant-at-Arms, he needs her help.

In too far…

To save
Trey, Trista will have to take Linx back to the very place she grew up
and the same place she’s wanted to escape from her entire life. She will
also have to involve the very Motorcycle clubs she has no wish to deal
with ever again. When it is a life or death situation, she would do
anything to save the only family she has left.

In too deep…

The
club life has become ingrained in Trista like a tattoo and to save her
brother, she will be forced to become the person she most feared was a
part of her all along: a vengeful, fearless murderer who will stop at
nothing to save Trey. With her life and that of her husband’s at stake,
will she survive the nightmare their world has become, or will it drag
them back into the criminal cesspool she has finally managed to escape?

The
stunning conclusion to The Lovers Duet, Trista and Linx’s journey will
be one of strife, hardship and beyond the boundaries of anything they
have ever had to face before. Will they be able to endure or will the
past and their current present ruin their future happy ever after?



EXCERPT
“THIS IS BULLSHIT!” Trista
screamed.
She looked like a wild yet
untamed filly with sweat-soaked hair, crazed blue eyes and a crimson colored
complexion. She was beyond pissed and Linx didn’t have a clue how to calm her
down, especially since she was speaking to his Prez and there wasn’t much he
could say without getting a personal beat down of his own from his fellow
members.
“Listen to me, young lass,
because I will only take insubordination for so long before I rip you a new
asshole.” Dizzy stood and glared down at the young woman and Linx visibly
flinched.
He’d always hated the
feeling of being helpless and right now, there was fuck all he could do about
the present situation.
They’d accompanied Naomi to
the gun range and although Trista could hold her own with small caliber
weapons, she was useless when it came to the big guns. Uzis, Steyr AUGs and
AK-47s were not easily controlled and she fucked up royally, even after
instruction by Naomi. She wouldn’t be allowed to make the trip to Belfast.
“You will stay here where
you are safe. This is a dangerous operation.” Dizzy walked over and poured
himself a healthy glass of Macallan before he sat down at the head the table in
the chapel again. “Ronan, Quinn and Lennon will be in Belfast to do a messy
job. In and out…Trey is alive and we have to get him out of Northern Ireland as
soon as possible. You don’t need to be there if all you’re gonna be is dead
weight, lass. Sorry to be the one to break it to you.”
“But he’s my brother and I
want to see him. I want to be there when he’s rescued.” The tears streamed down
her face and although her shoulders slumped in defeat, there was a certain
defiance about her posture he knew she wasn’t ready to give up just yet, not
even if there was a slither of a chance she could go and help save her brother.
“The answer is still no and
it won’t change. You have got to stay here where we can keep you safe. The boys
leave tomorrow morning so it’s best if you just get drunk with the rest of
those eejits out there and fuck your man until he can’t get his pecker up again
because it’s the last bit of Irish injection you’re gonna be havin’ in youse
for a while.”
Linx grabbed Trista by the
shoulders and escorted her out of Dizzy’s office while she sobbed on his
shoulder.
“Baby, you know I’m gonna
bring Trey home for you so please don’t cry. That will get us nowhere and we
both know I’m on borrowed time as it is. I have two weeks to get this done and
almost one week has passed already.”
Trista’s shoulders heaved
before they collapsed and she wiped the tears away in complete and utter
gut-wrenching frustration with hands that clawed at her gorgeous face. “It
still doesn’t make a fuck all bit of difference. Dizzy tricked me—he fuckin’
played us, Linx. He had no intention of allowin’ me to go to Ireland with you
guys. He never wanted me involved in the first place because he’s a sexist
fuckin’ prick.”
Linx kissed the side of
Trista’s forehead and held her close, inhaling a mixture of vanilla and freesia.
“Yeah, he’s that too, but I can’t say I’m sorry you’re not goin’. I would be
worried about you the whole time and if I’m too busy thinkin’ about you, I
can’t do my job properly. There’s nothing wrong with you stayin’ here at the
clubhouse until I get back. You’re safer here than any other place, you feel
me?”
“Yeah, I’m feelin’ you all
right but first I need some chronic and a couple glasses of Macallan. Someone
has got to be holdin’ some grade-A shit around here and I’m not givin’ up till
I find it.”
“Follow me.” Linx grabbed
her hand and led her to a game room where a fifty-inch television was mounted
to the wall and several of the brothers from the club played Mine Craft while
other young couples necked, smoked and drank while chatting animatedly with one
another.
“Trista, Linx—over here!”
Naomi shouted as Ronan rolled his eyes. Quinn sat next to a gorgeous brunette
with creamy skin, wide steel blue eyes and small Irish features. They all
passed around joints and while the two women held bottles of Bud Ice, the guys
were taking shots from a bottle of Jack Daniels.
Cillian and Gisela entered
and took a seat cater-corner to them next to a couple that were all over each
other to the point where it might have been a good idea for them to get a room.
“Hey, you two—cut that shit
out. Some of us wanna keep our liquor down.” Cillian slapped the girl on her
arm and she finally separated from the man she was pawing.
Linx poured himself a shot
of Jack Daniels and took a shot while Naomi lit up a joint for Trista. He
looked up and recognized the young woman as Maeve “Misty” Cox, the only girl in
a family full of boys and the guy she was with as someone who shouldn’t have
been there.
“What. The. Fuck.” Trista
grabbed Linx’s wrist as her face turned a fierce crimson and her blue eyes
slowly grew colder than an Eskimo’s dick. “That
motherfucker.”
Linx knew it was too late.
It was on and he could only hope he could keep her calm enough not to blow his
cover because one way or another, the man in question was going to get an
earful.
Naomi looked from Trista to
Linx and back again, her brown eyes wide with concern. “What’s the matter?”
“What the fuck is a Demon’s
Bastard doing in a Lucifer Saints clubhouse during lockdown?”
All the sudden, every pair
of eyes in their vicinity were on the two of them and Linx could only hope the
blowback his wife was about to cause wouldn’t be enough to do major damage the
night before he had to leave for Northern Ireland.




 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Elle Chardou is a world traveler and author of several different series.

Ms.
Chardou is the author of The Ties That Bind Trilogy, The Atonement
Series, The Hart Family Saga, The Vamp Saga, The Supernaturals,
Undertow, and Beginnings: Book I (The Plague) series.

She is
currently working on A Summer to Remember from the brand new Seasons of
Love & Lust series, Only Love (The Atonement Series) and Queen of
the Immortals from The Vamp Saga series.

Ms. Chardou has lived
abroad in Stockholm (Sweden), Manchester (England), Los Angeles, the San
Francisco Bay Area and Portland. She currently resides in Las Vegas,
Nevada.




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********************************
Selene Chardou
is a featured author at
To see the entire list of Featured authors for this event along with all the details visit the website..

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Blog Tour - BECK by Harper Sloan


BECK 
(Corps Security #3) 
by Harper Sloan
Published: December 30, 2013




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BECK by Harper Sloan

BECK 
(Corps Security #3) 
by Harper Sloan
ARC Review
Published: December 30, 2013

My rating: 5 of 5 ⭐️






In their friendship, Dee has always been the one to hold Izzy together. Together with Greg, she managed to get her away from her abusive ex and stood by her as she found solid ground under her feet with Axel by her side. When Greg shortly after that struggled with his own troubles and ended up happy and in love, she made sure not to create more ripples, and wore her smile and happy demeanour like a badge. She didn't want anyone to see her struggles and no one saw......no one except Beck.

Being the butt of jokes from his colleagues doesn't bother Beck much. He has known from the start that Dee is something special. They may not be able to tell, but he can. He has seen a side of her she never shows in public and he would do anything to take that pain away. But Dee is not an easy woman to care for, as soon as she feels him getting to close, she pushes him away. She can try, but Beck is not going anywhere.

Sunday, December 29, 2013

BADLANDS by Jill Sorenson

BADLANDS
(Aftershock #3)
by Jill Sorenson 
ARC Review
Published: December 31, 2013, Harlequin HQN

My rating: 4.5 of 5 ⭐️







Owen Jackson and a Penny Sandoval have a history. Five years ago he was a convicted felon and she was rejected by her parents due to her unplanned pregnancy when they where trapped together under an overpass after a massive earthquake. Owen had stood up for and by Penny through their ordeal and despite their vast differences in background, they came through close friends. Penny's father, already active in the political arena pulled some strings and managed to eventually have Owen assigned to their security detail. 

Despite having been within sight of each other for most of the past five years, Owen has always kept his feelings for Penny under lock and key. It hasn't always been easy, but at least he was able to show true affection for her son Cruz, who he had helped bring into this world. At times Penny would give off signals that indicated she might have more than just a friendly interest in him, but they both had too much to lose to act on a mere possibility.

Blog Tour -RETURN TO POUGHKEEPSIE Debra Anastasia


RETURN TO POUGHKEEPSIE
(Poughkeepsie #2)
by Debra Anastasia
Published: December 30, 2013





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RETURN TO POUGHKEEPSIE by Debra Anastasia

RETURN TO POUGHKEEPSIE
(Poughkeepsie #2)
by Debra Anastasia
ARC Review
Published: December 30, 2013

My rating: 5 of 5 ⭐️







Five years after vowing to turn his life around, Beckett gets a call he has always feared. One of his family is in trouble and he needs to go home. Why he hasn't returned before now he isn't quite sure. Probably because he still doesn't feel, and quite likely never will, that he has cleared his conscience and his soul sufficiently to ever be the man that his family and in particular Eve deserves. Eve has never been far from his mind since he left Poughkeepsie and  he wants nothing but happiness for her.

Something is going on in Poughkeepsie and it is making Eve nervous. Since coming back from New York she has heard Beckett's name whispered more than once, but despite his promise to return, she hasn't heard a thing from him in all these years and suspects he might be dead. Still she clings to hope. But when an attack is launched directly at her family, she needs to become involved, and despite keeping her nose clean for years, she has no problem slipping back in her old familiar character once again.

Saturday, December 28, 2013

FIGHTING LOVE by Abby Niles

FIGHTING LOVE 
(Fighting to the Extreme #2)
by Abby Niles
ARC Review
Published: December 31, 2013, Entangled Select

My rating: 4 of 5 ⭐️







After losing his title and his career barely six months ago, former MMA fighter Tommy Sparks didn't   think his life could sink any lower, until he comes home to find it engulfed in flames. Everything he had left up in flames, all his possessions, the most treasured of his memories....all gone. Everything except for the clothes on his back and luckily the dog by his side. Only thing left to do now is to call the one person he has always been able to count on, his best friend for over twenty years.

Satisfied with her life as a veterinarian and resigned to her life as simply Tommy's best friend, Julie Rogers tries to come to terms with the fact that after twenty years of unrequited love, it is time to move on. Of course, that is perfect timing for disaster to strike and her best friend to need her to step up, something she doesn't even think about twice. Tommy is coming home with her and staying as long as he needs.

Friday, December 27, 2013

DAY #2: BIKERS - BABES & BOOKS; "Damaged Series" by Bijou Hunter




Heir to the local
motorcycle club and crime syndicate, Cooper Johansson is accustomed to
taking what he wants. His newest conquest is college freshman Farah
Smith.

When the tattooed bad boy reminds her of a rough childhood
she desperately wishes to forget, Farah keeps him at arm's length. Yet,
Cooper refuses to give up. He pushes her buttons, tears through her
walls, and forces her to admit her feelings for him. What begins as lust
soon builds into something more powerful than either expects.

Can the beast heal the damage inside the girl of his dreams?

***Warning:
This novel contains scenes of a sexual nature, violent themes, and
coarse language. It is intended for mature readers.

~~~~~~~
 After he saves her from certain death, Tawny Smith falls for her knight in shining armor.

Judd
O'Keefe isn't an easy man to love though. As an enforcer for the
Johansson family business, he hides his heart behind cold walls built
from a lifetime of pain. Yet, his angel Tawny awakens a desire in Judd
more powerful than he ever imagined possible.

Can a man with blood on his hands heal the damaged girl of his dreams?

Damaged
and the Knight is the second book in the Damaged series. It is a full
length novel with a HEA. Damaged and the Outlaw is scheduled for release
in early autumn.
***Warning: This novel contains scenes
of a sexual nature, violent themes, and coarse language. It is intended
for mature readers.

~~~~~~~ 


Damaged Novella

Aaron
Barnes has found his muse in Lark Foster. However, his inspiration is
saddled with a domineering stepfamily and the lingering guilt from a
childhood loss.

Once Aaron claims his muse, Lark embraces the
fighter inside her gentle heart. When fate stands in the way of love,
the only choices are giving up or taking what your heart demands.
 ~~~~~~~ 






After turning against
his former MC, Vaughn Majors found refuge in Ellsberg. Years later, he
remains a dead man walking, avoiding commitments and hiding his
loneliness.

Raven Hancock refuses to fall in love again. Men are
her poison and Vaughn is all kinds of bad news. He’s also the hottest,
funniest, sweetest bastard she’s ever met.

Can Outlaw free himself from the dangers of his past and build a home with a girl able to see more than the blood on his hands?










Damaged Series Order
Damaged and the Beast
Damaged and the Knight
Damaged and the Cobra
Damaged and the Outlaw


I'm an indie author and romance novice. I published Damaged and the Beast
in April '13. The New Adult romance between bad boy Cooper and his girl
Farah ended in a big sweet HEA. In July '13, I released Damaged and the Knight
with Farah's sister Tawny. She finds her knight in shining armor with
Judd O'Keefe. I have several more Damaged books planned for this year.

As
for me, I like hearts, flowers, butterflies, puppies, kitten-shaped
clouds, and unicorns with rainbows shooting from their asses. I support
love and peace. I also like cutting in lines and stealing candy from
babies. Wait, did I write that last part out loud? Oops.




DAMAGE AND THE BEAST EXCERPT

Chapter Five



Skye proved to be a reliable chauffeur until
Friday when something mysterious happened to her car. That was how she phrased
it. Something mysterious. She
couldn’t pick me up from work, so I would have to find another way home.


Cooper sat in the back booth, reading a book
he clearly hated with a passion. Occasionally, he smacked the book onto the
table then glared at it hatefully. Finally, he returned to reading. I had to
admit he looked especially hot in the white tee clinging to his strong chest.
The contrast of such bright white against his tanned flesh made it difficult
not to stare, let alone drool.


While I considered asking Cooper for a ride, I
immediately shot down the idea. I had successfully avoided him most of the
week, seeing him only on Wednesday night when he came in for dinner. He did a
lot of his intense staring and made a few comments squarely in the domain of
inappropriate. He also left me another twenty dollar tip. We had created a nice
relationship so far, but owing him anything was a mistake.


Cooper just wanted to fuck me. Though I wasn’t
wholly against the idea of sex with him, I sensed he would be rough and I’d
cry. My tears would likely piss him off and he would find a way to punish me.
Maybe I assumed too much, but I didn’t want to take the chance of ruining my
life in Ellsberg.


Giving up on asking him or anyone else, I
walked outside towards the bus stop. As I hurried through the parking lot, I
realized Cooper never left after paying his bill. When I glanced in the
direction where he was talking on the phone, I found him staring at me. I
turned away quickly, not needing any trouble. Hearing his motorcycle rev, I
prayed he was heading to a party and would speed right past me.


“Need a ride?” Cooper asked, pulling over as I
walked down the street. “Let me rephrase that. I know you need a ride, but are
you desperate enough to take one from me?”


“Why desperate?”


“You tell me. You act like I’m a stalkey
douche you can’t shake loose.”


Uh,
I wasn’t touching that statement.


“My ride cancelled and it’d be a pain to take
three busses.”


“Is that your way of saying you’re desperate
enough?”


Studying his grin and the rumbling hog, I
figured the ride would take five minutes tops. As for owing him, maybe I could
buy him dessert or take notes for him at school. You know, repay him with
something besides my body.


********************************
Bijou Hunter
is a featured author at
To see the entire list of Featured authors for this event along with all the details visit the website..

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Win the DAMAGED Series!

You must be 18+ years of age to win.

CONFLICTED LOVE (Needle's Kiss #2) by Lola Stark

CONFLICTED LOVE 
(Needles Kiss #2)
by Lola Stark
ARC Review
Published: January 10, 2014

My rating: 4 of 5 ⭐️






He isn't quite sure what is up with Teeny, but Trip knows they should never have risked their friendship with one night of wild and drunk sex. Not that it wasn't good, cause it was. Very good. In fact he could barely look at Teeny without remembering everything about her, but he hated how pissed she was at him all the time now. Difficult situation, since his brother Mace and her best friend Scarlett were joined at the hip and soon to be married. If only she would talk to him.

She doesn't need anyone, certainly not Trip, who jumps from one bed to another. Teeny is used to going it alone, and this is just another thing she will have to tackle by herself. Although she didn't think she was ready to take on a baby by herself in her dingy apartment, with no income to speak of. She doesn't want to tell Trip, but he finds out anyway and reacts just as she expected, like the asshole he is.