Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Book Review: Shameless by Nina Lemay



Shameless 
Nina Lemay 
Publication date: August 18th 2014 
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

Synopsis:

~New Adult Contemporary Romance — recommended for mature readers~

Girls like me don’t get happy endings.
I know what I am. At worst a cliché, at best a cautionary tale. I put an international border between me and my past, only to wind up working in a low-end titty bar. Even my excuse is as lame as it gets: I’m paying for college, getting my art degree from Montreal’s most prestigious school. Although some days it becomes confusing: am I just a student who moonlights as a stripper, or a stripper who masquerades as a student?

But the inevitable happens and my two lives collide. And now there’s one other person who knows both the quiet, antisocial Hannah and the sensual, shameless Alicia. One person who keeps my secret.
He’s beautiful, he’s sophisticated. He comes from the other side of life, the one where I’m not wanted or accepted. But he calls me la petite Américaine, and his hot, hot hands on my skin promise me things I long ago gave up on.

The problem? He teaches my Classic Photography class.

This is a standalone novel, no series, no cliffhanger.

My Rating:

 

Favorite Quotes:


“He reaches out, slowly, carefully, as if afraid to scare away a butterfly that alighted on his sleeve, and takes my hand.”

“Female friendship remains a strange and baffling thing to me.  I’m thinking I might give up on the idea altogether.”

“I want to say me too.  I want to tell him about all the empty hours and the mental tricks to think about something else.  I want to tell him about what I saw in those photos I gave him and ask if that really was the way he saw me.  But I was never very good with forming feelings into words.  Maybe that’s why I always relied on shapes and colors.” 


My Review:


This book is emotionally tense, tightly wound, and well written.  I liked it, yet it annoyed me - although I am not a big fan of angst. The tale is written in first person and the main character, Hannah, was difficult for me to like, despite however much I wanted to.  Hannah is a bit odd and has a somewhat toxic personality, and has become quite adept at keeping most people at bay.   The author teased me with interesting yet tiny details about her characters, really just feeding me breadcrumbs… but she succeeds in stringing me along and never really revealing the meatier entrée of the backstory.  I am greedy, I want the full meal.  I want to know that deep dark secret that would ruin everything if it were exposed.  She wouldn’t tell hers, he wouldn’t tell his, they danced around each other with uncomfortable awkwardness when attempting to open up to their issues, although they were obviously good together and had fantastic steamy sex.  Add in the constraints of a forbidden relationship of teacher/student.  He finally tells his history, but she never really fessed up to the totality of her dark traumatic secret.  It was like having an itch you can’t reach, I find it rather maddening.  Finally during the final pages, we get a little taste of her prior events, but it was just a glimmer, so I finished still feeling a bit itchy.

Empress DJ


About the Author:


Nina Lemay is a YA writer by day and author of sinfully twisted New Adult…well, also by day. She loves all things dark and edgy and never tires of tormenting her characters. While Nina is a fan of all things scary, Gothic, and fantastic, she doesn’t shy away from a gritty contemporary romance when the muse strikes. She lives in Montreal, a city that never fails to inspire, with her partner and her dog.

New Release, Giveaway: Dragonfly Awakening by Jaycee Ford



BOOK:  Dragonfly Awakening
AUTHOR: Jaycee Ford
SERIES: Book #2 of Love Bug Series
GENRE:  Contemporary Romance

RELEASE DATE:  September 30th, 2014
GOODREADS LINK: CLICK HERE
HOSTED BY: Book Empire Promotions



PURCHASE LINKS
Amazon: goo.gl/Q1R5lr I iBooks: goo.gl/dSs0va I
B&N: goo.gl/KfY2Pb I Kobo: goo.gl/QuD4J7

SYNOPSIS
When Paul Harris laid eyes on Ellie Caldwell the first day of high school, his heart stopped and never beat the same again. However, his best friend Lance spoke first and ended up with the girl. Paul watched them from the sidelines as he fell harder and harder, caught beneath rules of friendship and bro codes. Ellie secretly desired Paul, but he never made a move.
Ten years later, Ellie is living in New York City, worlds away from her ex and the man her heart always craved. A New Years’ resolution sends her back to the country, bringing Ellie face to face with her past.
A forbidden love unfolds between a small town cowboy and a big city fashion designer. When time and distance are no longer excuses, secrets and broken promises come in between Paul and Ellie. All because of the one thing that has always stood in their way … Lance Walton.

EXCERPT
I stepped toward the window and gazed out over the snow that had begun to fall across the landscape of rolling hills. Candlelight glowed around me, igniting the fiery need between my legs. The tap of his boots echoed in the silence, thumping toward me. The sound stopped right behind me. The heat radiated off him mere inches away. His breath tickled my neck, and my chest pounded with nerves and disbelief as to what was going on between us. Barely a few sentences were said, but years of sexual tension were about to combust.


“Are you still single?” I whispered. I knew what I needed, but I wouldn’t dare try to take him away. His hands glided down my arms. I closed my eyes to absorb his touch.


“Yes. Are you?” His answer sent a throb pulsing throughout my body. Silence passed for what seemed like an eternity until his lips pressed against my neck. My knees buckled from the intensity; he wrapped his arms tight around me.


“Friends, right?”


My heart gave way at his whispered question, but I needed to feel him before I gave him up forever. I turned around in his arms and stared at his lips with longing, licking my own before I answered.


“Yes.”



SERIES ORDER & PURCHASE LINKS

 

Book #1 Watching Fireflies: CURRENTLY 99cents 

Book #2 Dragonfly Awakening:

  
ABOUT JAYCEE FORD


Jaycee Ford grew up chasing street cars around the city of New Orleans. After doing a four year stint at Louisiana State University, she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and fled for the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. New Orleans beckoned her home again where she put her love of the foothills into a series of romance novels. In between writing, she’s found behind her desk at a top rated law firm … or still chasing street cars.



GIVEAWAY
$15 Amazon Giftcard

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Monday, September 29, 2014

New Release: Handled by S.E. Hall and Angela Graham



 Nothing makes my cock stand at attention like my lil' Firecracker.
She thinks she can hide behind that sharp tongue and those succulent pink lips, but it only makes her taste all the sweeter.
I can't get enough...if only she could say the same.

Release Day Party!

Starts at 5:30 CDT!
Come hang out with some of your favorite authors!!!

https://www.facebook.com/events/296032813935918/ 





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Angela Graham is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of the Harmony series. She resides in Tipp City, Ohio with her three beautiful children. Collaborating with S.E. Hall, she has released three erotic short stories.
Angela knew she found her calling in the world of fiction the moment she began pounding away at the keys for her first short story in 2012. With a baby on her shoulder, she wrote for about a year before deciding to try her hand at an actual novel. It was the best decision she ever made and since then she continues to bring characters to life in her free time.


S.E. Hall is the author of the Amazon Best Selling Evolve Series, Emerge, Embrace, Entangled (novella) and Entice as well as the bestselling stand-alone NA Romance, Pretty Instinct. She has co-written Stirred Up, Packaged and Handled, a collection of erotic short stories with her CP and friend, Author Angela Graham as well as a collaboration titled Conspire, a romantic suspense with friend and author Erin Noelle. She is honored to be a part of the USA Today and NYT Best Selling Devour box set. S.E., which stands for Stephanie Elaine, resides in Arkansas with her husband of 18 years and 3 beautiful daughters of the home, and one married daughter who graced her with two beautiful grandchildren. When not in the stands watching her ladies play softball, she enjoys reading and writing and the occasional trip to the casino. She's also clutch at Baggo, when it's warm outside, and definitely the woman to pick on your side for some Flip Cup!






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Promo, Giveaway: The Perfect Wave by A.J. Pryor



Book: The Perfect Wave
Author: A.J. Pryor
Genre: Contemporary Romance



Synopsis:

Things are heating up in A.J. Pryor’s seductive new novel, The Perfect Wave.
Jessica Baker, the twenty-six-year-old daughter of a Texas oil tycoon, likes to have the upper hand. She enjoys the freedom that comes with wealth and sails through life on her terms.
Until the day she meets Roan Anders: sexy surfer, extreme sports agent, and verifiable playboy.
He is the one man who has the power to anchor her heart or break it wide open.
Both try to deny the intense chemistry flowing between them and embark on a friendship that is destined to get complicated. Lust and desire ignite their feelings from a slow burn into a raging fire, and what started out as platonic, quickly flares into something impossible to contain.
Jessica soon learns that being born into a life of luxury can’t protect her from heartache when a woman from Roan’s past surfaces with allegations that turn Jessica's world upside down.
Is Roan capable of commitment? Will Jessica’s family accept the man she’s chosen? Can their love survive the rocky waters they’ve suddenly encountered? Find out in this sexy and emotional story that explores how one’s past can change the course of one’s life forever.


Teasers:




Author Bio:

A.J. Pryor lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two daughters. When she’s not writing, you can find her at the beach, the yoga studio, or the soccer field with her girls. An avid reader of Adult, New Adult and Young Adult novels, her Kindle is always an arm’s length away. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

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Cover Reveal: The Syrian Virgin by Zack Love

Zack Love's The Syrian Virgin CR Banner 


Syrian Virgin_ecover 


Book Info

Title: The Syrian Virgin

Author: Zack Love

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Cover Design: PinkInk Designs (Cassy Roop)

Release Date: October 20th 2014


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Synopsis 

Anissa is traumatized by the most brutal conflict of the 21st Century: the Syrian Civil War. In 2012, Islamists in Homs terrorize her Christian community and destroy everything in her life. Narrowly escaping death, Anissa restarts her devastated life as a college student in NY. She is bewildered and lost -- a virgin in every sense.

But despite her inexperience with men and life in the United States, Anissa is quickly drawn to two powerful individuals: Michael, the Syrian-Christian American who leads the political effort to protect his community, and Julien, her college professor who runs a $20 billion hedge fund. Complicating matters, Michael is still attached to his ex-girlfriend and Julien is the most sought after bachelor in Manhattan. Anissa's heart and her communal ties pull her in different directions, as she seeks hope and renewal in a dark world.

LIFE shattered her. LOVE empowered her.


::::Sign up for an alert when The Syrian Virgin is available::::


Teasers


Sunrise in a forest in autumn with fog 

Zack Teaser 1 

Meet & Connect      With    Zack Love 


Zack Love graduated from Harvard College, where he studied mostly literature, psychology, philosophy, and film. After college, he moved to New York City and took a corporate consulting job that had absolutely nothing to do with his studies. The attacks of September 11, 2001 inspired him to write a novelette titled "The Doorman," and heightened his interest in the Middle East. A decade later, that interest extended to the Syrian Civil war, which provided the backdrop for his latest work. In late 2013, Zack began releasing his unpublished works of fiction and became a full-time author. He has published comedy, psychological and philosophical fiction, and romance. Zack enjoys confining himself to one genre about as much as he likes trying to sum up his existence in one paragraph.


::::CONNECT WITH ZACK LOVE HERE::::

Facebook | Twitter | Website | Amazon | Goodreads


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Character Blast, Giveaway: Bonded by Blood Vampire Chronicles by Arial Burnz

Midnight Eclipse - Character Reveal Tour 2014

Midnight Eclipse Character Reveal Tour

The Bonded By Blood Vampire Chronicles by Arial Burnz is the saga of Broderick MacDougal following the soul of his true love through the centuries. There are six books planned for the series and this tour highlights the characters featured in the first three books and in the upcoming release Midnight Eclipse - Book 4 - which features Norse shapeshifting pirates. AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER OCTOBER 8TH for VIP Club members, October 15th worldwide. CLICK HERE to see the full schedule of all the Tour Stops at Literati Author ServicesSpots are still available if you'd like to host one or ALL the characters at your blog! Join the party today!! Become a VIP Club Member?for FREE to get the VIP pre-order pricing of 50  for Midnight Eclipse!!  You'll also get Midnight Conquest, Book 1, for FREE if you join. CLICK HERE to read about the other benefits of being a VIP. Click to Tweet and help spread the news!

Bonded By Blood Characters - Angus Campbell

Bio: Angus Campbell

Villain or Tortured Hero??

Angus is the bastard son of Alyssa Campbell, who died when she gave birth to Angus's brother, Ewan. Raised by his spiteful step-father, Fraser Campbell, Angus has forever been reminded of his illegitimacy. Fraser made sure Angus never forgot who his father was, how he was abandoned and what he would never receive because Angus was not Broderick MacDougal. Wars between the Campbells and MacDougals have made Angus a war-toughed Scotsman with a heart full of vengeance...and immortality was his path to revenge. But he feels completely justified by his vengeance...for reasons slowly being revealed throughout the series.

Most Popular Quote from?Angus Campbell

"Huz-zah!" Snapping his head toward Jasper, he said,  "What is this laudanum?" Said by Angus Campbell after feeding from a victim who had laudanum in his blood - Midnight Captive, Book 2 of the Bonded By Blood Vampire Chronicles - Click to Tweet

Facts About Angus Campbell?NOT in the Books

SORRY!! Can't share these right now...or they would be major spoilers for the books!! I can say that green is his favorite color, because it was his mother's favorite color.

Midnight Eclipse - Book 4 of the Bonded By Blood Vampire ChroniclesBook Blurb

Broderick MacDougal follows the familiar yearning of his soul to a fierce warrior who is as seductive as a siren at sea - and she is just as deadly. The world of the supernatural opens to Broderick as he not only finds himself in the midst of an ancient war of shapeshifters, but the devious Cordelia Lynn Harley has re-entered his life and has a few of her own surprises. Born into a hated race of Norse wolf shifters, Celina Hunter knows all too well the dangers of trusting anyone other than her two brothers. And yet the survival of her family hinges on trusting the strangely familiar vampire, a natural enemy of her kind yet her tribes Shaman advisers confirm he is her soul mate. Enemy or not, Celina slips into the spell of Broderick's promises of eternal love, gambling with all she holds dear. Broderick and Celina are bound by a curse, but having come this far through the centuries, Broderick is not about to risk his chance at having his soul mate for eternity. The price, however, may be more than Celina is willing to pay as there is more at stake than just her immortal soul. Click to Tweet

Giveaways!

Bonded By Blood - Vampyre MaskArial Burnz is giving away a TON?of stuff during this tour! Please use the Giveaway Tools entry widget to be entered into the drawing. Each button will earn you more chances to win and you can keep coming back to earn more entries! All entrants will automatically become members of Arial's VIP Club, which is free to join and has many more benefits, such as exclusive contests like this one. These are the prizes for?the Character Reveal Tour featuring the characters in Midnight Conquest (Book 1)?- winners will be chosen on Sep 27, 2014:
  • Vampyre Mask -Arial will be adding ribbon ties, not shown in the picture. This mask IS wearable and surprisingly comfortable! Just in time for Halloween! This is an original design and hand-painted by Arial Burnz.
  • 1 signed set of Books 1-3
  • $10 Amazon, B&N or iTunes gift card (winner's choice)
   

Tour Grand Prize

Arial is also giving away a single Grand Prize of...
      • A $100 Amazon, B&N or iTunes gift card - winner's choice
   
    • A signed set of Books 1-4 of the Bonded By Blood Vampire Chronicles
      Winner will be chosen on 11/21/2014. Everyone who participated in any stops on the Midnight Eclipse tours (VIP Club members or not) will be entered for the grand prize drawing. The more you participate, the more chances you have to win. Use the Giveaway Tools buttons below to earn extra chances to win by tweeting, following and liking. For Official Contest Rules, click here.  

Arial Burnz - Author Bio

Arial Burnz - Author of the Bonded By Blood Vampire ChroniclesArial Burnz has been an avid reader of paranormal and fantasy for over thirty years. With bedtime stories filled with unicorns, hobbits, dragons and elves, she succumbed to crafting her own tales, penning to life the magical creatures roaming her dreams. Having a romantic husband who's taught her the meaning of true love, she's helpless to weave romance into her tales. Now she shares them with the world. Arial Burnz lives in Southern California, with her husband (a.k.a. her romance novel hero) who is also, quite coincidentally, a descendant of Clan MacDougal.

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