Thursday, August 21, 2014

Review: Can't Go Home by Angelisa Stone

 Title: Can't Go Home (Oasis Waterfall #1)
Author: Angelisa Stone
Source: Received from author in exchange for an honest review




Synopsis:

Everyone has secrets; secrets meant to be kept—hidden away where nobody can discover the truth. Adrian O’Donnell (aka: Dre Donley) is no exception. Dre spins tales and half-truths like it’s his job, keeping the reality of his past buried deep within each lie he fabricates. On the other hand, Kathryn Howell is the exception to the rule. She’s a straight-shooter, a tell-it-like-it-is, no filter kind of girl.

Kathryn’s honesty and straightforwardness is the ultimate turn on for a guy like Dre. He’s never met someone so sincere, so full of truth and innocence. Their chemistry is unavoidable, their connection, magnetic. When Dre sets out to make Kathryn fall for him, he doesn’t realize the grave mistake he’s making. Kathryn’s strength and convictions do not falter, even for an irresistible man like Dre. When his past resurfaces, and the lies come tumbling forth, Kathryn must decide if his deceit and betrayal can be forgiven or if the damage is irreparable. Will the truth ultimately destroy the relationship that neither one of them could deny or even attempt to resist?





Review:




Can't Go Home is the first book in the Oasis Waterfall series by Angelisa Stone. It's a contemporary romance told from a dual point of view. Kathryn is just an average woman working as a literary agent for a publishing company. Dre is the mysterious town hottie, whom everyone knows but knows nothing about. Dre isn't a relationship type of guy, but when he does go after a woman – his type is usually blonde, thin, and sexy. Kathryn doesn't quite fit his “type”, but her personality made him take notice.

Dre is used to women falling at his feet. Kathryn acts as though she wants nothing to do with him. She is smart and has a very straight-forward personality. She is definitely not afraid to speak her mind. Well, usually. She tells Dre that she doesn't play games but yet she plays hard-to-get. She acts like she's not interested, when in reality she is on the verge on dropping her panties all along. Honestly, in the first chapter or two, I wasn't a fan of Kathryn. She definitely grew on me though.

Dre seems like the perfect guy, but he's constantly telling lies and keeping secrets. He keeps all these secrets because he is afraid that Kathryn won't want him when she finds out the truth. However, these “big bad” secrets don't really paint Dre in a negative light at all. I'm trying really hard here not to reveal anything, but the way that Dre lives his life doesn't make any sense to me. He goes to extremes. And the fact that his parents lost respect for him because of his chosen profession makes no sense to me either. It's a great profession! Oh, and I never did understand why he decided to become celibate for a year before meeting Kathryn. Maybe I just missed something?

I know it seems like I have a lot of negative things to say but I really did enjoy this book! I just really liked the romance and funny banter between these two characters. There were parts where I had trouble putting my kindle down. Like I said, Kathryn grew on me and I enjoyed her snarkiness and humor. Dre is just a great guy all around. There are definitely several steamy parts to this book. If you like steamy romances, then you will probably like this. I am looking forward to reading the next book, which is about Dre's brother. In this book, he is portrayed as a horrible character – but I have a feeling that he's not as bad as he seems, and I think I'm going to like it a lot.


Find this book at the following places:
 

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Release Day Launch: Hard To Hold On To by Laura Kaye

HTHOT RDL Banner

We are so excited to bring you the Release Day Launch for Laura Kaye's HARD TO HOLD ON TO! HARD TO HOLD ON TO is a Contemporary Romance filled with suspense and is a novella in the Hard Ink Series, published by Avon Impulse (an imprint of HarperCollins). And if this novella weren't hot enough on its own, Laura is donating 100% of her proceeds from the first two weeks' sales to a national non-profit organization that assists veterans transitioning back to civilian life!!

  Hard To Hold On To

 Amazon | Amazon.ca | Amazon UK | B&N | iTunes | Kobo


Excerpt:

Easy tugged down the covers and gestured for Jenna to get in. She chose the side that would allow her to lie on the uninjured side of her face.
“After what you’ve been through, I don’t want to do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable,” Easy said.
Propping herself on an elbow, Jenna shook her head. “You won’t. You’re the—” She blanched as if she hadn’t meant to say whatever she’d nearly said.
Which made Easy need to know. He crawled on the bed as if lured by the words. “Finish. That. Sentence.”
She eased back onto the pillow, red hair sprawling around her shoulders like silk, and stared up at him. And it took everything Easy had not to settle himself on top of her and tease the words out with his hands and tongue.
“The only one who makes me feel safe," she whispered.
Satisfaction humming through him, Easy turned and stretched out on his back. Because if he kept looking at her while she was looking at him like that, he might not be able to restrain himself from having what he wanted. A taste. A chance.
None of which she was in any shape for. And given the shitstorm in his head, probably neither was he.
“Good. That’s good,” he murmured, blowing out a long breath. Damn, he was tired. Not just because he hadn’t slept much the night before. But because of the size of the load he’d been shouldering for the past twelve-plus months. If he could only figure out how to put it down. He scrubbed his hands over his face, wishing he could shake himself out of this fucking slump.
If Rimes were here, he’d kick Easy’s ass for being such a morose motherfucker.
But he wasn’t here. Which was the damn problem in a nutshell.
He dropped his arms to the bed and peered over at Jenna.
She lay on her side facing him, hand tucked under her chin, not looking the least bit settled or relaxed.
“Whatchu need?”
“You.” She spoke the word without any hesitation, any doubt, any seeming self-consciousness.
“Have me, Jenna. Whatever you want,” he said, his cock stirring no matter how hard he reined himself in.
Holding his gaze, she moved closer until her head rested on his shoulder and her body trapped his arm between them. And, suddenly, she wasn’t fucking close enough.
“Here,” he whispered, lifting his arm and inviting her closer. And damn if his heart didn’t soar when she fitted herself the rest of the way against him, her face against his throat, her breasts against his ribs, her leg curling up onto his thigh.
He wasn’t sure whose sigh was louder. All Easy knew was that this was the first time in more than a year he didn’t feel alone. Wrapping his arm around her, he couldn’t resist squeezing her in just a little closer.
“Thank you,” she whispered, her breath ticklish against his neck.
He laced his fingers between hers where they rested on his chest. “I gotchu. You just close your eyes and know I’m here.”




Did you have a favorite line? Thanks for reading!
 
 
  HTHOT Teaser  
About Hard To Hold On To: 
Edward "Easy" Cantrell knows better than most the pain of not being able to save those he loves—which is why he is not going to let Jenna Dean out of his sight.  He may have just met her, but Jenna's the first person to make him feel alive since that devastating day in the desert more than a year ago. Jenna has never met anyone like Easy. She can't describe how he makes her feel--and not just because he saved her life. No, the stirrings inside her reach far beyond gratitude. As the pair are thrust together while chaos reigns around them, they both know one thing: the things in life most worth having are the hardest to hold on to.  

Hard to Hold On To on Goodreads

  LK Donation Promo Final 2   Men of Hard Ink

Other Books in the Hard Ink Series:
Hard to Come By (11/25/14)
Hard to Be Good (3/10/15)
Untitled (7/28/15)


Praise for the Hard Ink Series:

For Hard As You Can: "TOP PICK! There is a sinister and desperate edge to this tale that will keep readers glued to their seats. Kaye has dark romantic suspense nailed!" ~ RT Book Reviews Magazine "Hard As You Can is another five star read. The characters Ms. Kaye has created are wonderfully broken and the drama is gritty, but the burgeoning romance and the tight-knitted relationship of the team leaves you with a sense of redemption. A must read series!" ~San Francisco Book Review 

 For Hard As It Gets: "Edgy, sexy and full of suspense!  A great read from a great new author!" ~ #1 NYT Bestselling Author J.R. Ward "Sizzling romance... The intriguing tattoo parlor and military background will appeal to fans of Suzanne Brockmann and Lindsay McKenna." ~Publishers Weekly Review "Kaye's depiction of sexual tension and her sex scenes are masterful and this will appeal to fans of Maya Banks' KGI and Julia Ann Walker's Black Knight's series." ~Booklist 


 Author Photo 

About Laura Kaye: Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over a dozen books in contemporary and paranormal romance. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.
 


Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Cover Reveal: Perception - A New Adult Anthology


The world will never look the same…

There comes a defining moment in every young person's life that irrevocably shifts their point of view. For a new teacher who still compares herself to her students, it’s a missing girl and a false accusation that could cost her more than her career. For a young man who settles into a rut that not even his broken marriage can pull him out of, it’s a drifter’s gun to his head. For an idealistic college student, it’s her parents’ divorce pulling back the curtain on who they really are, shattering everything she thought she knew about love. And for a recovering addict who's not ready to change, it might just be an unhappy ending to her illicit affair.

In Perception, discover five captivating stories that explore what it means to be a new adult.

Perception, a New Adult anthology is coming 9/10/14 




Links to find our authors:
Nealy Gihan, author of Drive, on Facebook
Scott Davis, author of Outlaw, on Twitter
Mary Laufer, author of Missing, on Facebook
Linda Davis, author of My Boyfriend is a Senator, on Elephantine’s author list
Heather Hildenbrand, author of The Talisman, on Facebook

For more information and other releases, visit us at:

FICTION FREEBIES: free stories, excerpts, and interviews from Elephantine authors. Sign up and get inboxed!

Sunday, August 10, 2014

Review and Giveaway!!! Reborn by C.C. Hunter

 Title: Reborn (Shadow Falls: After Dark #1)
Author: C.C. Hunter
Source: Received from author in exchange for an honest review


Synopsis:

Return to the beloved world of Shadow Falls, a camp that teaches supernatural teens to harness their powers—and where a vampire named Della will discover who she’s meant to be.

For Della Tsang, Shadow Falls isn't just a camp: it's home. As a vampire who's never fit in with her human family, it's the one place she can truly be herself. But when a mysterious new guy arrives at camp, Della’s whole world is thrown into turmoil. Chase is a vampire with secrets, who knows more than he’s telling. But the more time she spends with him, the more she begins to trust this attractive stranger—and feel drawn to him. But romance is the last thing she wants—as she keeps telling Steve, the hunky shapeshifter who won’t stop trying to win her heart. And if Della isn't careful, he just might succeed.  When a new case puts everyone she cares about in danger, Della’s determined to do everything she can to save them . . . even if it means teaming up with Steve and Chase, who leave her more confused than ever. With their lives on the line, will Della and her friends survive—with their hearts intact?



Review:




Reborn is the first book in the new Shadow Falls: After Dark series by C.C. Hunter. It's a spin-off series, and I definitely recommend reading the Shadow Falls series first. This book is about Della – a teenage vampire. She attends Shadow Falls, a camp for supernatural teens. Della kind of has things rough. Her parents don't know that she was turned into a vampire – they think she's doing drugs or something, and she doesn't know how to explain her odd behavior. Her family is cold toward her, and that is heartbreaking for Della. However, she has a badass image to uphold so she doesn't let people know how much things bother her.

Luckily, Della has some great friends at Shadow Falls. She even has a couple of guys vying for her attention. She's been hurt in the past, and is determined not to be anyone's girlfriend. She can't help but to have feeling for Steve though. He is a handsome shapeshifter that is very sweet and caring. They've kissed and he wants them to be a couple. Della is very independent and headstrong though, and she is scared of making any sort of commitment. Then Chase enrolls at Shadow Falls and has his eyes set on Della. He is a hot vampire, but he is mysterious and cocky and Della is determined not to like him. He is definitely keeping secrets. Then Della is sent on a mission with Chase to catch a murdering vampire, and they get a little too close for comfort. Della is very confused on how she feels.

There is a lot going on in this book. Not only is there romance involved, but there is a lot of mystery and action. With dangerous missions, trying to find family she didn't know about, and even death – this book will keep you on the edge of your seat. I'll admit that it started a bit slowly, but after awhile I had trouble putting the book down.

This is a young adult book, but had some slight adult content. No sex scenes or anything, but there was talk about sex and there was a little bit of cussing. Nothing that a normal teenager hasn't heard before. Honestly, when I read a young adult book that is squeaky clean it makes me feel like I'm reading a middle school aged book. I think the content in this was just the right amount to make it seem believable.

I love Della's snarky humor and sarcasm. All the characters are great. I'm really, really looking forward to the next book. It's called Eternal and is supposed to come out in October. I can't wait to see which guy Della chooses. Right now, I'm Team Steve – but there's still a lot we don't know about Chase. I totally recommend this series of you like young adult books, but like I said – start with the Shadow Falls series first!


 Della and Steve:
 Reborn is available at the following places:


 Some teasers from the next book, Eternal:

*Never drive ninety miles an hour in a forty mile an hour speed-limit area.
*When it snows inside your bedroom, something spooky is going on.
*Breaking and entering isn’t nearly as much fun as you would think it would be. Especially when you are seconds from being caught.
*Riding in a convertible with the wind in your hair is almost as good as flying.
*Taking ice cream away from a girl suffering from a broken heart, might get you turned into a kangaroo with pimples.
 **************************************

But don't forget, start off with book #1 in the Shadow Falls series if you haven't already read it. It's great too!

Shadow Falls - The Beginning (books 1 & 2)

One night Kylie Galen finds herself at the wrong party, with the wrong people, and it changes her life forever.  Her mother ships her off to Shadow Falls—a camp for troubled teens, but it soon becomes clear that the kids at Shadow Falls are far from ordinary. They’re supernatural—learning to harness their powers, control their magic and live in the normal world. Kylie’s never felt normal, but surely she doesn’t belong here with a bunch of paranormal freaks either.  Or does she?  They insist Kylie is one of them, and that she was brought here for a reason...if she can only figure out why, and what her burgeoning powers mean.

As if life wasn’t complicated enough, enter Derek and Lucas.  Derek’s a half Fae who’s determined to be her boyfriend, and Lucas is a smokin’ hot werewolf with whom Kylie shares a secret past.  Both Derek and Lucas couldn’t be more different, but they both have a powerful hold on her heart.  As Kylie struggles to make sense of her feelings and her new abilities, the dark side of the supernatural world emerges and makes life a whole lot harder.  An evil enemy lurking in the shadows is about to threaten everything she holds dear…and bring her closer to her destiny.

Available at the following places:

Shadow Fall: The Next Chapter (books # 3 & 4) will soon be available:

 
Or...find the ebook of just book #1, Born at Midnight, here:



  For more information, visit C.C. Hunter here:


**************************************


Giveaway!!!


I have 4 prizes up for grabs. One winner will get a Shadow Falls: After Dark bookmark, nail file, and notebook. 3 additional winners will each receive a bookmark.

Sorry, U.S. citizens only please

To enter, please fill out the rafflecopter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Tempus by Holly Lauren

Holly Lauren has just earned another award for her book "Tempus" the first book in the GenEx Saga

Holly's novel has been chosen to be one of the 20 books listed on their Clean YA Literature reads of 2015-2016! 

Read more below!


(Click the book cover above to get your e-copy from Amazon!)

The Official Message From 
"We have selected Tempus for our 2015-2016 list.  The list will be announced March 2015.  
In April 2015, we will hold a statewide conference where we promote the list and we would love for you to be our key note speaker at the Tome State Conference on Saturday, April 25, 2015." ~ Jennifer Parker

Thank you so much to Tome Student Literacy Society and a HUGE Congratulations to Holly for her wonderful work! 

GMTA is so very proud of her! Be sure to look for the second book "Expertus" in the 'GenEx Saga', coming out soon from Libertine Press with GMTA Publishing!  

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Sale: Inside Out Series by Lisa Renee Jones


The entire INSIDE OUT series is on sale for the1st time EVER! IF I WERE YOU is only $1.99 -- $5 off!
He is dark passion and sweet obsession --#50shades meets #prettylittleliars
--Read about the series: http://bit.ly/1mK9h7i
--Amazon: http://amzn.to/1ki1fYC
--BN http://bit.ly/1czVBd4

 
Sale to celebrate the upcoming release of the 4th book (No In Between)
**** Now in development for cable TV with acclaimed producer Suzanne Tood (Alice in Wonderland w/Johnny Depp, Boiler Room, Austin Powers and more! )********


 
If I Were You (#1) $1.99
Amazon - http://amzn.to/LpV3hg
B&N - http://bit.ly/1czVBd4
iBooks - http://bit.ly/Tz7qw3
Kobo - http://bit.ly/1uDROao 

Rebecca’s Lost Journals (#1.1-1.4 & $2.5) $2.99
Amazon - http://amzn.to/1igz61K
B&N - http://bit.ly/1gyiegZ
iBooks - http://bit.ly/1tomif8
Kobo - http://bit.ly/1qIVXZ7

Being Me (#2) $2.99
Amazon - http://amzn.to/K7T28z
B&N - http://bit.ly/1hS8CBd
iBooks - http://bit.ly/1Av3H2W
Kobo - http://bit.ly/1uEbAm5

Revealing Us (#3) $2.99
Amazon - http://amzn.to/1aPgUED
B&N - http://bit.ly/1iyPiu6
iBooks - http://bit.ly/1rNa8Mf
Kobo - http://bit.ly/1nZhRnr

COMING AUGUST 19TH!
No In Between (#4)
Amazon - http://amzn.to/1mxOep0
B&N - http://bit.ly/M9P3Zq
iBooks - http://bit.ly/1nEj2ZQ


Not familiar with this series? This is a series I will soon be reading myself! Read more about it here:

If I Were You (Inside Out #1)

How it all started…

One day I was a high school teacher on summer break, leading a relatively uneventful but happy life. Or so I told myself. Later, I’d question that, as I would question pretty much everything I knew about me, my relationships, and my desires. It all began when my neighbor thrust a key to a storage unit at me. She’d bought it to make extra money after watching some storage auction show. Now she was on her way to the airport to elope with a man she barely knew, and she needed me to clear out the unit before the lease expired.

Soon, I was standing inside a small room that held the intimate details of another woman’s life, feeling uncomfortable, as if I was invading her privacy. Why had she let these items so neatly packed, possessions that she clearly cared about deeply, be lost at an auction? Driven to find out by some unnamed force, I began to dig, to discover this woman’s life, and yes, read her journals—-dark, erotic journals that I had no business reading. Once I started, I couldn’t stop. I read on obsessively, living out fantasies through her words that I’d never dare experience on my own, compelled by the three men in her life, none of whom had names. I read onward until the last terrifying dark entry left me certain that something had happened to this woman. I had to find her and be sure she was okay.

Before long, I was taking her job for the summer at the art gallery, living her life, and she was nowhere to be found. I was becoming someone I didn’t know. I was becoming her.

The dark, passion it becomes…

Now, I am working at a prestigious gallery, where I have always dreamed of being, and I’ve been delivered to the doorstep of several men, allof which I envision as one I’ve read about in the journal. But there is one man that will call to me, that will awaken me in ways I never believed possible. That man is the ruggedly sexy artist, Chris Merit, who wants to paint me. He is rich and famous, and dark in ways I shouldn’t find intriguing, but I do. I so do. I don’t understand why his dark side appeals to me, but the attraction between us is rich with velvety promises of satisfaction. Chris is dark, and so are his desires, but I cannot turn away. He is damaged beneath his confident good looks and need for control, and in some way, I feel he needs me. I need him.

All I know for certain is that he knows me like I don’t even know me, and he says I know him. Still, I keep asking myself — do I know him? Did he know her, the journal writer, and where is she? And why doesn’t it seem to matter anymore? There is just him and me, and the burn for more.
 
 
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