Friday, July 18, 2014

Review & Giveaway ~ HER SECRET, HIS SURPRISE by Paula Altenburg

9781633750241

Her Secret, His Surprise
by Paula Altenburg

  Book Synopsis: Conflict of interest is an understatement… Since being disowned by her strict father, Cass Stone has spent her adulthood trying to prove him wrong. Her drive has led to more success than her family ever thought she’d achieve, and life is looking great. Not even an incredible and mysterious one night stand that leaves her a single mom can trip her up...until the father of her baby stumbles back into her life, as sexy and unreliable as ever. Logan Alexander hasn’t forgotten the night he spent with Cass two years ago, but he never expects to end up undercover as her assistant. His job saves lives—like it should have saved his brother—and he can’t afford complications. It’s difficult enough to maintain his cover as a carefree wanderer when he realizes his attraction to Cass hasn’t faded...and then he meets Cass’s daughter.

  Entangled Bliss: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlissImprint 
  Twitter: @RomanceIsBliss Steals and Deals   

Review:  This was such a good, cute story about a woman who wants to let go and live for just one night and the wonderfully sexy man who obliges her.  The instant connection and attraction between them is hard to deny and both end up with a night they will never forget.  When Cass ends up with a surprise a few months later, she tries to find Logan but has no success.  Imagine her shock when she shows up for work two years later and her new temporary assistant is none other than the sexy man who haunts her dreams.
     Logan has not forgotten about Cass and their one magical night together.  He would love nothing more than to relive that night over and over again, but first he has a job to do.  While Cass thinks he is just a temp getting ready to move to the sunny seas, the truth is that Logan has a top secret job that he can't tell her about.  When he realizes that Cass' daughter is his, he does everything he can to start building a relationship with her without jeopardizing his career and the case he is working on.
     This is such a sweet story about finding what you really want and need in life when you least expect it.  I loved both Cass and Logan's characters and could easily see their banter played out in real life.  I love how they are carefree with one another and both secretly wanted the other in their lives.  If you like second chance romances, this is the book for you.  Don't miss out, make sure to get your copy today!    

  Author Bio: Paula Altenburg lives in rural Nova Scotia, Canada, with her husband and two sons. Once a manager in the aerospace industry, she now enjoys the freedom of working from home and writing fulltime. Paula currently writes fantasy, fantasy romance and category romance. Visit her atwww.paulaaltenburg.com and follow her on Twitter @PaulaAltenburg.  


  Giveaway Info: Copy of Desire by Design by Paula Altenburg 
 
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Her Secret, His Surprise

Thursday, July 17, 2014

Review & Giveaway ~ LET ME LOVE YOU by Megan Smith




RELEASE DATE: JULY 21st

SYNOPSIS:

Jaylinn McCormick is determined to forget that one terrifying night which left her feeling broken and tainted. There is one person who can make her whole again… but he is hell bent on keeping her at arm’s length. She has loved him her entire life but can she wait for him to step up to the plate?

Cooper Cahill has loved Jaylinn for years. He wants nothing more than to put all her pieces back together but he deems himself unworthy. Choosing between his baseball career and Jaylinn has him feeling lost. Does he have what it takes to put Jaylinn’s heart back together again?

When their paths cross will they intersect or blindly pass each other by?

Will their lives take them in different directions?

(Let Me Love You is the fourth novel in the Love Series)

Add Let Me Love You to your TBR Goodreads List: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18873138-let-me-love-you?ac=1




Review:
   
     We have met and come to love Jay and Coop from the other books in this series, but nothing prepared me for how much I would love their story!  This book picks up right were Hard To Love You leaves off and I found it so hard to put down.  Oh, how I feel for Jay!  We all knew going into this book that Jay and Cooper would have a battle ahead of them.  There was something in Jay's past that kept holding both of them back, but we didn't know what it was.  This book lays it all out for us and, let me tell you, I felt for both of them.  What happened to Jay and what Coop witnessed changed them both.  The question is, can they move on?
     Jay is determined to not let her past hold her back.  She knows that Cooper is the only one she will ever love and she wants nothing more than to commit to him in every way.  She has come to terms with what has happened to her and wants Coop to do the same.  However, every time they get close to having sex, something always stops Coop.  Jay is tired of waiting for him and New Years night she makes the hardest decision in her life and walks away from Coop.
     Coop knows that he loves Jay and he could never love anyone the way he loves her.  He wants nothing more than to breach the last barrier between them, but every time they get close he has flash backs of that awful night.  He is not sure how to more on and he knows that he has driven Jay away, possibly for good.
     Will they be able to over come their past?  Will Coop finally learn to let go and claim the only woman he will ever love?  Will Jay forgive Coop for pushing her away?  In order to find out, you will have to read the book!!  I promise you will not be disappointed!
     I loved this book.  I have been patiently (not really) waiting for this one and it did not disappoint.  I fell in love with all the characters in the first book Trying Not To Love You and my love continues to grow for them.  I can't even begin to tell you how much I was looking forward to reading Jaylinn and Cooper's story.  We all knew there was some sexual tension there, but we couldn't figure out why Coop was holding back.  Once you find out, you will understand but you will also question Coop's resistance.  If Jay was ready to move forward, shouldn't he?  I will warn you though, this book ends just the way the previous ones did, with an ending that leaves you questioning what is going to happen next.  But, please don't let that hold you back.  Will you get your answers to what happens with Jay and Coop, but you will be left wondering what it is that Hunter needs to tell Jay.  Don't just take my word for it, make sure to get your copy on release day!!          

Excerpt:

“Yo man, have you seen Jay?” I ask Eli who came to the party with us.
He shakes his head, “Last I saw she was sitting on the couch over there with Kevin.”
My stomach drops. Kevin’s the campus drug dealer. He used to be a tight end for the football team in our freshman year at college but was kicked off the team after drugs were found in his dorm. He’s from New Jersey too, but he lived up north and actually went to high school with Eli in Hoboken. Eli said he used to be really popular until he started hanging out with the wrong crowd.
I drop my arm from around Courtney, the girl I was planning on taking home, and go to try and find Jaylinn. Fuck, I knew I shouldn’t have brought her with me but I couldn’t tell her no. All that girl has to do is bat her eye lashes and I’d cave.
I search the whole downstairs of the frat house for her and Kevin but they are nowhere to be seen. Panic starts to set in, chilling me to the bone. I race up the stairs, three on the right, three on the left and one straight back. The first door opens and some guy is standing there that I don’t recognize, pulling a shirt over his head. I check the bed to make sure Jaylinn isn’t there. I do this to the next five doors; all were opened and occupied but Jaylinn wasn’t in any of them. I get to the last door on the left; it’s dark so I reach around the wall for a light switch. I flick it on and the room is empty.
“Where the fuck is she?” I roar.
I slam the door shut and stamp to the last door. My heart rate spikes causing a swooshing sound in my ears, my body shakes with rage. I turn the door knob, it’s locked. I bang on it, “Jaylinn,” Nothing, complete silence.
Something isn’t right. My stomach knots and I try banging on the door a few times, hoping someone is just passed out and can’t hear me. After a minute I can’t take it anymore and I ram my shoulder into the door. Once, twice, and finally it gives way.
My heart stops, I can’t breathe and my vision blurs.






AUTHOR BIO:

USA TODAY bestselling author Megan Smith is a New Jersey native managing purchasing for an award-winning business IT and software development firm - and by night creating the memorable characters her fans have grown to adore. Smith's The Love Series introduces readers to MacKenzie Cahill - a hopeful young woman who experiences adversity, challenges and the bittersweet triumph of true, authentic love.

Smith is a wife and mother, who makes time for her family, professional life and the creation of the Cahill's world. Fans of The Love Series - Trying Not To Love You, Easy To Love You, Hard To Love You - are captivated by relationships, special bonds and family ties pervasive in Smith's emotional, energized and engaging work. Smith is also the author of the 2014 releases, Let Me Love You - continuations of The Love Series, Finding Us (Finding Series) and a few top secret projects.

Books available now: 
The Love Series
"Trying Not To Love You"
"Easy To Love You"
"Hard To Love You"

Finding Series
"Finding Us"

Coming Soon...
Let Me Love You
Finding Ours
Finding Happiness


STAY CONNECTED WITH MEGAN SMITH:

Twitter @AuthorMSmith






TRYING NOT TO LOVE YOU:
PURCHASING LINKS:
AMAZON **  B&N ** KOBO


EASY TO LOVE YOU
PURCHASING LINKS:
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HARD TO LOVE YOU
PURCHASING LINKS:
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LET ME LOVE YOU
PURCHASING LINKS:
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Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Author Cindy Miles Guest Post for STUPID GIRL

Stupid Girl Synopsis:
Only fools fall in love...
After her senior year of high school leaves behind nothing but heartache, Olivia Beaumont is sure of this: She’s no stupid girl. She sets out for Winston College, promising herself that she will remain focused on her first and only love – astronomy. But all it takes is cocky sophomore Brax Jenkins and an accidental collision with a football, to throw her entire year off course.

A quick-tempered Southie who escaped the inner city streets of Boston to pitch for Winston, Brax is known to play way more fields than just the baseball diamond. So, when his name is drawn to take part in his fraternity’s hazing dare, Brax eagerly accepts the mission to take Olivia’s virginity. But he doesn’t plan on falling hard for the sweet and sassy Texas girl who sees right through his bad-boy persona.

As Olivia and Brax battle their feelings for each other, echoes of the past year begin to surface. A boy who once turned Olivia’s whole world upside down reappears, and “harmless” pranks wreak havoc. Pretty soon the aspiring astronomer is on the verge of revealing her most difficult, heartbreaking secret. All the while, Brax must wrestle with the irrevocable dare, and Olivia struggles against all logic as she does the one thing only a stupid girl would do: fall in love.
PURCHASE LINKS
AMAZON      B&N

AUTHOR GUEST POST
From choosing a name to 3-D character: How Stupid Girl’s Brax Jenkins was born.

Naming characters is at the top of my list of fun things to do when beginning a new project. Names mean a lot to me. Not only are the characters, like our children in real life, stuck with the name you choose, but having certain meaning behind the name adds an edge to their character. It did for the bad boy Southie pitcher from Boston, BRAX JENKINS, in my New Adult novel, Stupid Girl.

Just another bad boy? No way. In Stupid Girl, Brax was abandoned at a Chinese restaurant on Braxton Street as a baby. That’s a pretty bad start in life for a kid. But it didn’t stop there for Brax. He was passed from foster family to foster family, some not-so-nice, raised by the judicial system, and learned the hard way how to survive on the streets. The harder it got for him, the tougher he became. He had no choice. He grew angry. Defensive. And he had no real family. What he did have was baseball. And you don’t have to necessarily love baseball to get that in order to survive you have to have something that matters. It was the driving force of Brax’s survival. His desire to be something more than a delinquent street kid with a crappy home life. All these qualities, to me, make him a 3D character. Add in his cockiness, his swagger, and his wicked fast ball? Seems like he’d be someone real.

When he meets the heroine in Stupid Girl—Olivia, whom he affectionately calls ‘Gracie’—she stuns him by not tripping all over herself to be with him like all the other girls do. Olivia is smart. Goal-driven. And despite having her own horrific ordeal the summer before her senior year—followed by her entire senior year—in high school, she prevails, determined to take the scholarship she’d earned in astronomy and make something of herself. Make her dreams come true. Her hard-working ranch family proud of her. When she first meets Brax and all his cocky swagger, she doesn’t think there’s a chance in hell they could be friends—much less anything else. They both proved to be wrong.

All of these things combined affected Brax Jenkins in a way that made him want to be a better person. Not just a survivor of the streets. Not just someone who was thrown away as a baby. But of who he wanted to be for the rest of his life. Olivia makes him whole.

And to me, that makes a character real.

Visit me on the web! I love to hear from readers J And be sure to join my Newsletter for all the hot-off-the-press updates on the Stupid In Love series!

Twitter: @cindymilesbooks

Monday, July 14, 2014

Review & Giveaway ~ MEETING MISS MYSTIC by Katy Regnery





BLURB:

Both emotionally and physically scarred from an accident, Zoe Flannigan must take a journey to meet Paul Johansson—and to discover a love as beautiful and boundless as the wide Montana sky.

SYNOPSIS:

INSIDE & OUT

High school principal Paul Johansson has never been lucky in love, which is too bad, because few men in Montana are more naturally romantic. Then his friend Maggie signs him up for Internet dating, and while Paul is initially furious, he’s soon blown away by Holly Morgan, a blonde, blue-eyed art teacher from Connecticut. She might just be the girl of his dreams.

Zoe Flannigan—aka Holly Morgan—totally forgot about the account she set up two years ago on Meet-the-One.com. In fact, after an accident that left her physically and emotionally scarred, she hasn’t been up for meeting or dating anyone. Until Paul. Handsome, sweet, and too-good-to-be-true... But while the built-in anonymity of the Internet offers a buffer, she can’t hide in cyberspace forever, either from Paul’s expectations or from herself. There’s a journey she must take, and at the end of it will be a love as beautiful and boundless as the wide Montana sky.


PURCHASING LINKS:

AMAZON  ** B&N

REVIEW:

     Such a sweet story about realizing that looks are not everything, what is inside is what really counts.  Paul has always has this vision of what his perfect mate would look like, think of Buttercup from The Princess Bride.  He has always dated and fell for women who met his long standing criteria.  What he didn't realize is that he may be missing out on his ONE because of his ideals.
     Zoe truly did meet Paul's criteria of the perfect woman, but that was before a horrible car accident left her face and leg badly scarred.  After the accident she didn't feel happy and carefree, so he died her hair black, got brown contacts and changed her wardrobe.  It isn't until Paul comes into her life through the website Meet-The-One.com that she begins to change her outlook on life.  When Paul decides he is coming to see her sooner than she anticipated, she knows there is no way she can make the transformation back to her old self in time.  So she decides to fly out and meet him, to give him the truth in person that she is not who he believes she still is.
     When Paul meets Zoe, he can't help but be attracted to her.  He feels pulled to her and as though he has known her for forever.  Zoe can't stand the thought of losing him after telling him the truth, so she keep putting it off.  But when the truth comes out about who she is, will their budding romance be able to stand up to Paul's feeling of betrayal?  Will Paul come to realize that the person he loved is still the same, whether she looks like Buttercup or Ms. Temptation?
     This book is truly a sweet story about realizing what is really important in a partner.  Do looks really matter that much?  Shouldn't it be about who the person is and not what is on the outside?  I love how Paul helped her to overcome her past and realize that she has a lot to live for and not everything is as gloomy as it seems.  I love how she decided to go meet him in order to come clean, but it frustrated me she kept back out of telling.  Don't get me wrong, I understood her reason, but it still frustrated me.  I love how Paul felt loyal to Holly/Zoe before they had even met.  And I loved reading his inner turmoil over his feelings for both Holly and Zoe.  
     If you are looking for a sweet read, this one is for you.  I enjoyed both characters and I was so happy with the way this book ended.  The author did a wonderful job of showing that there is always more than what meets the eye.  But don't just take my word for it, go out and get your copy today!     

EXCERPT:

Zoe didn’t realize she’d been holding her breath until it came out in a rush. Her heart pounded in her chest as she turned over the phone. How could something as impersonal as an e-mail be so affecting?

            Her lips turned up in a slight smile as she savored the warmth and sincerity of his words. She was not surprised – Maggie had been so effusive, there was no way Paul was going to be another jerk – but, she was unprepared for the impact of reading his e-mail. She had assumed the physical distance between them would make him feel far away. Instead, it was like she’d just spent ten intimate minutes inside his head.

            She sat back in the chair and let her damaged face bathe in the warmth of the sun for a moment as he had suggested, even though she knew it wasn’t a good idea. Until her final surgery in early October, it wasn’t smart to discolor the puckered, violet skin any further.

She thought about the girl in the photo that Paul must have finally seen last night. It had been taken three years ago at Sandy and Rob’s wedding even though Zoe knew it would have been far more honest to upload a recent picture of herself. In fact, she’d found a photo taken in the past few months – she wasn’t smiling, but at least it was in profile and didn’t show her bad side – but when she’d held the newer photo up to her computer screen, staring at the two incredibly different girls that were both Zoe, she couldn’t bear to do it. Swap out the photo of the trim, blond, sunny girl who used to be Zoe? For the heavier, black haired, dark eyed, tattooed, scarred disaster she’d become? Right. She’d never hear from him again, and for whatever reason, it really mattered to Zoe that she hear from him again.

            She sighed. She knew she should delete Paul’s message, disable her account and leave him alone. He was a nice guy looking for love and she had no right to lead him on even the littlest bit. Yet when she visualized deleting his sweet e-mail and disabling her Meet-the-One account, a terrible heaviness threatened to edge in on the little bit of light she’d been enjoying.

Was exchanging a few e-mails really leading him on? It was more like being pen pals, especially if she was upfront about her intentions to be friends. She could tell him about her life in Connecticut and he could tell her about Montana and Yellowstone – get to know each other, just as he suggested. No more, no less. They couldn’t very well get romantic from so far away, could they? No, of course not. His e-mail only felt intimate because it had been so long since a man – a nice, decent man – had been so kind to her. It was impossible to be intimate from two thousand miles away. There was no reason to overthink it.

            Halfway convinced that she wasn’t a horrible person for writing back and ignoring the guilt that wouldn’t quite leave her alone, Zoe picked up her phone and pressed reply.



AUTHOR BIO:

KATY REGNERY, Amazon best-selling author, has always loved telling a good story, and credits her mother with making funny, heartwarming tales come alive throughout her childhood. A lifelong devotee of all romance writing, from Edwardian to present-day, it was just a matter of time before Katy tried her hand at writing a love story of her own.
As it turned out, one love story turned into a series of six Heart of Montana romances, following the love lives of the Yellowstone-based Lindstrom siblings. When Katy's fans asked her to turn up the heat, she cheerfully started her Enchanted Places series, which offered steamier romance to her readers. Katy was also proud to offer a stand-alone romance, The Vixen and the Vet, written as a benefit for Operation Mend, just in time for Fourth of July, 2014.

Katy lives in the relative wilds of northern Fairfield County, Connecticut, where her writing room looks out at the woods, and her husband, two young children, and two dogs create just enough cheerful chaos to remind her that the very best love stories of all are the messy and unexpected ones.

Katy hosts a #LunchtimeLiveWithKaty party every day from 12:00-1:00pm EST. Visit Katy at: www.katyregnery.com, www.facebook.com/KatyRegnery or @KatyRegnery on Twitter - she loves to hear from her fans!


Katy Regnery Links:

Katy Regnery (Goodreads): https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7211470
Katy Regnery (Amazon Author link): http://www.amazon.com/Katy-Regnery/e/B00FDZKXYU/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1394938840&sr=8-2-ent
Twitter: @KatyRegnery



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Release Day Launch & Giveaway!! A BEAUTIFUL THOUGHT by Alicia Rae

  Beautiful Thought RDL

I am so excited to bring you the release day launch of Alicia Rae's A Beautiful Thought!! Read below for info on the book and to enter Alicia's giveaway! :)

Blogs Taking Part in the Release Day Launch
   
  A Beautiful Thought Synopsis: As a physical sports therapist, Gail Bennett is accustomed to working with gorgeous athletes every day, but after falling for a few of these attractive men, she has been left heartbroken one too many times. When Gail’s hours at work are unexpectedly cut, she must find a way to continue helping her parents pay for her sister’s education. Reluctantly following her best friend’s advice, Gail takes on a roommate—with the one man she has been avoiding since the first time she laid eyes on him. Damon Johnson loves a challenge, and he is not the type of man to back down when he wants something. From the first moment he meets Gail for dinner, he feels an inexplicable pull between the two of them. In his determination to have her, he finds himself helping her in any way he can. Can Damon break through all the barriers Gail has so carefully placed around her heart and prove that he’s different? Or will Gail’s reservations keep her from falling in love? One thought could change everything.



PURCHASE LINKS
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5889106

Alicia Rae Bio: Alicia Rae is a Contemporary Romance Author who lives in Dekalb, Illinois, with her husband and three beautiful boys. Alicia has a passion for reading all types of romance, writing to bring a story to life, and photography. Thank you to my dear sister, Kels, who showed me a few years ago how much I truly missed reading. And to my loving husband, for not throwing away my Nook, and planting the seed of writing in my mind. I am forever grateful. Xo Readers, words cannot thank you enough for supporting me along this incredible journey. I hope you enjoy my novels as much as I do writing them. I thank each and every one of you. Believe in yourself and follow your dreams...

  Links: Blog | Twitter| Facebook | Author Goodreads


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Friday, July 11, 2014

Review & Giveaway!! STUPID GIRL by Cindy Miles


Stupid Girl Synopsis:
Only fools fall in love...

After her senior year of high school leaves behind nothing but heartache, Olivia Beaumont is sure of this: She’s no stupid girl. She sets out for Winston College, promising herself that she will remain focused on her first and only love – astronomy. But all it takes is cocky sophomore Brax Jenkins and an accidental collision with a football, to throw her entire year off course.

A quick-tempered Southie who escaped the inner city streets of Boston to pitch for Winston, Brax is known to play way more fields than just the baseball diamond. So, when his name is drawn to take part in his fraternity’s hazing dare, Brax eagerly accepts the mission to take Olivia’s virginity. But he doesn’t plan on falling hard for the sweet and sassy Texas girl who sees right through his bad-boy persona.

As Olivia and Brax battle their feelings for each other, echoes of the past year begin to surface. A boy who once turned Olivia’s whole world upside down reappears, and “harmless” pranks wreak havoc. Pretty soon the aspiring astronomer is on the verge of revealing her most difficult, heartbreaking secret. All the while, Brax must wrestle with the irrevocable dare, and Olivia struggles against all logic as she does the one thing only a stupid girl would do: fall in love.
Review:

     Whoa, what did I just read?  Yes, it is a YA/NA book but there are so many issues in this book that I think it can translate to any genre.  Olivia was ready to begin her life anew, ready to leave behind her past and start a new life away from anyone who knew what had happened to her before her senior year of high school.  She was determined to focus only on school and make her family proud.  What she didn’t expect was to get run over by the cocky, Boston born, campus man whore himself. 
     When Brax first sees Olivia arriving on campus, all he knows is that he has to have her.  The last thing he expects is for her to knock him flat on his ass and crave being around her.  He knows she is nothing like all the others girls and that in itself is enough to keep him coming back to her.  He also notices that she is terrified of someone from her past.  He is determined to do everything he can to keep her safe and show her it is ok to let her guard down around him.
     When secrets from both of their pasts are exposed and Olivia is humiliated at a party, will Brax find his way back into her heart?  Will Olivia realize that Brax loves her and when he asks for another chance, will she give it to him? 
     There is so much turmoil and heartbreak in this book that you can’t help but keep reading to see if they are going to get their HEA.  I truly enjoyed this book.  It is about overcoming your past, not letting people who truly don’t matter hold you down and learn to open up your heart.  There were many times in this book that I held my breath because of what I was afraid was going to happen next. 
     Olivia was such a strong character that had a horrible night (and something she had no control over) cast such a dark cloud over her life.  I was happy she was getting a true chance to live the life she deserved.  Brax, well, I LOVE Brax.  He was such a tough person, never letting anyone get close due to his life growing up.  I love how he went after Olivia (or Gracie as he called her) with everything he had.  He wanted her, to protect and love her and he never let go.  It was such a sweet love story and I loved the ending.  I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a good read.        


PURCHASE LINKS
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Cindy Miles Bio:
Cindy Miles is the best-selling author of twelve novels, one anthology and three short stories. She also writes as Elle Jasper, and grew up on the salt marshes of the Vernon River in Savannah, Georgia.

Author Links:

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