Read My Mind: 4/1/15

30 April, 2015

Blog Tour - Book Review: Taking What's His (Shillings Agency #4) by Diane Alberts

About the Author:

Diane Alberts is a multi-published, bestselling contemporary romance author with Entangled Publishing. She also writes New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling new adult books under the name Jen McLaughlin. She’s hit the Top 100 lists on Amazon and Barnes and Noble numerous times with numerous titles. She was mentioned in Forbes alongside E. L. James as one of the breakout independent authors to dominate the bestselling lists. Diane is represented by Louise Fury at The Bent Agency.

Diane has always been a dreamer with a vivid imagination, but it wasn’t until 2011 that she put her pen where her brain was, and became a published author. Since receiving her first contract offer, she has yet to stop writing. Though she lives in the mountains, she really wishes she was surrounded by a hot, sunny beach with crystal clear water. She lives in Northeast Pennsylvania with her four kids, a husband, a schnauzer mutt, and a cat. Her goal is to write so many fantastic stories that even a non-romance reader will know her name.

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My Thoughts:

Whether she's writing under the name Diane Alberts or Jen McLaughlin, Alberts knows how to write an engrossing story that pulls readers into the lives of her characters and makes a person not want to put her book down.

Taking What's His is probably my favorite book in the Shillings Agency series to date. I loved Holt's character and his chemistry with Lydia was red-hot!

Alberts created a lot of character depth in writing Holt. His conflict with trying to appear as if nothing was wrong with him, while struggling with side effects from an IED injury added intensity to the story line itself, as well as his growing relationship with Lydia. Holt ticked all the right boxes for me - nerdy, but good looking, dominant, but respectful, and he was in the military. Plus, let's not forget he wears glasses and is a Doctor Who fan. I loved how Alberts incorporated the Doctor Who fandom into Taking What's His.

I also liked how Alberts incorporated some of the other characters from her previous Shillings Agency books into Taking What's His. Of course Cooper was mentioned since Holt works at the agency, but also Gordon from book #3 shows up. This series seems to get better with each book and I'm hoping there is more to come!

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Taking What's His (Shillings Agency #4)
Adult Contemporary Erotic Romance
Published: 28 April 2015 by Entangled Brazen

A sexy category romance from Entangled's Brazen imprint...

Some lines are meant to be crossed...

One explosive device was all it took to turn Holt Cunningham from ass-kicking Marine to IT technician. Hell, he's still not over it. So when the cute little strawberry blonde at the bar asks him to kiss her, Holt can't resist the temptation of a sexy distraction. Before he knows it, she's blown his mind...and then skipped out the next morning.

Lydia Thomas never expected things with Holt to go quite that far, but oh, it was worth it. After being far too good for way too long, she was ready to be bad. Except that there's that tiny detail that Lydia kept to herself-Holt just spent the night doing naughty things...with his best friend's little sister.

One night isn't nearly enough. But with his friendship on the line, how far will Holt go in order to claim what's his?

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Check out the rest of the Shillings Agency Series on Goodreads HERE.

Taking What's His Blog Tour Arranged By InkSlinger PR. Click HERE to follow the rest of the tour.

29 April, 2015

Cover Reveal: Domination by J.S. Cooper

About the Author:

J. S. Cooper was born in London, England and moved to Florida her last year of high school. After completing law school at the University of Iowa (from the sunshine to cold) she moved to Los Angeles to work for a Literacy non profit as an Americorp Vista. She then moved to New York to study the History of Education at Columbia University and took a job at a workers rights non profit upon graduation.

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Domination
Adult Contemporary Erotic Romance
Expected Publication: 22 September 2015

Domination is a new book coming from New York Times Bestselling Author J. S. Cooper. Check out the awesome cover below!! Domination will be released on September 22nd, 2015.

She made him lose control.

To Titus Brooks, power was everything. He lived his life confidently and recklessly, never letting a day go by where he didn't exercise some form of control. He was handsome, he was rich, he was a player. That's all he cared for people to know. He didn't want them finding out his real story.

Savannah Corey was a flash of lightning in his life. She was dangerous. She came too close. She didn't know her boundaries. She didn't care about his. She was capricious, feisty and sexy as hell and she drove him crazy. That's why Titus had to teach her a lesson. He couldn't allow her to make him lose control.

So he decided to play a game with her. Only he didn't know that he was the one being played. He didn't know that domination didn't always mean winning.

Goodreads

28 April, 2015

Release Day Blitz: Taking What's His (Shillings Agency #4) by Diane Alberts

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Taking What's His (Shillings Agency #4)
Adult Contemporary Erotic Romance
Published: 28 April 2015 by Entangled Brazen

Taking What's His Release Day Blitz Arranged By InkSlinger PR.

Release Day Blitz: Clipped By Love (Bellevue Bullies #2) by Toni Aleo

About the Author:

Toni Aleo is the author of the Nasvhille Assassins series: Taking Shots, Trying to Score, Empty Net, Falling for the Backup, and Blue Lines.

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Excerpt From Clipped By Love:

“Today for our team-building exercise, we are gonna run this five-mile course.”

Immediately people are groaning. Apparently, I’m not the only one who hates to run. He blows his whistle, and everyone snaps their mouths shut as Dad goes on, “I believe that running is not only great for your endurance but also it’s good for building a team. The whole no person left behind is something I live by. Push your brothers and sister, help them to finish, and remember this isn’t a race.”

Dad may say that, but when I glance up at Jayden, I see it in his eyes.

This is a race.

And he’s going down.

“We are to finish as a team. Don’t let me see someone finish by themselves,” he says and everyone nods. Blowing his whistle, he waves us off. “And go!”

I meet Jayden’s gaze, and then we are glaring at each other as we start to walk with the team to the start of the trail.

“Wager?”

I scoff. “You mean, what you’re gonna give me when I win?”

He nods dumbly at me before sarcastically saying, “Oh yeah, sure.”

“You’re carrying an extra fifty pounds easy. You can’t beat me.”

“Try me, princess.”

Glaring, because I’ve decided that is the most degrading thing you can call me, I say, “Fine, I win, you gotta buy me a big bottle of mustard for the house.”

Scrunching his face up in a perplexed look, he says, “Mustard?”

“Yes, it’s a favorite.”

He shakes his head. “Fine, but thankfully, I won’t have to give up the five bucks. But you will have to admit one thing to me that you would never admit to anyone else.”

Eyeing him, I ask, “Say what?”

He grins, his teeth flashing in the sun as he covers his eyes with a pair of Ray-Bans. “When I win, you have to admit something to me. Pretty cut-and-dried, Moore. Or what, are you too scared to do such a thing?”

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Clipped By Love (Bellevue Bullies #2)
New Adult Contemporary Sports Romance
Published: 27 April 2015

Things are heating up for the Sinclair boys! With one already in the NHL, Jayden Sinclair is hoping to be next!

This has been the toughest year of my life. I watched my brother go into the draft without me, my mom got divorced, and the weight of my family’s issues is heavy on my shoulders. I feel like it’s my job to fix everything while working my butt off in school and trying to make my game better. I have to go into the draft. It will give my family the support they need, and it will prove that I’m good enough. But to get there, I have to show I can be the best captain for the Bellevue Bullies. The spot is mine—no one can take it. First though, Jude is making me go on a brother’s weekend. Innocent enough, I guess…until I see her. She’s the biggest competitor I’ve ever faced. Not only for my spot but also my heart. It’s hard to ignore someone like Baylor Moore.

I don’t lose. I can’t. My dad has bred me to be the best in anything I do. I am driven, I am smart, and I am going to be the first woman in the National Hockey League. No two ways about it. I’ve worked too hard. I’ve been through too much not to have what I want. I know I can do it. I will make my dad proud, and no one will stand in the way of that. That is, until I let him in. He scares me. He makes me feel. And he could very well be the one person who can make me want more than just to win.

We both have the same goal. Victory. But how do you compete against the person you want to win? It’s not easy. Love isn’t something you can control. It isn’t like a puck that can be handled by a stick. No, it has a mind of its own and does what it wants.

Neither of us saw it coming, and we really don’t know if there is a way to score, especially when you’re being Clipped by Love.

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Check out the rest of the Bellevue Bullies Series on Goodreads HERE.

Clipped By Love Release Day Blitz Arranged By Good Choice Reading Promotions.

23 April, 2015

Blog Tour - Book Review: The Australian (Crime Royalty Romance #2) by Lesley Young

Author Bio:

Lesley Young is an award-winning journalist by day and a compulsive romance novelist by night. Her most recent series—Crime Royalty Romance—features unforgettable heroines who fall in love with dangerous men while on adventures abroad. Her fast-paced novels are rich with intricate plots, sizzling romance and gripping character development. You'll root for her characters from page one!

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My Thoughts

I loved the main character, Charlie! She is a no nonsense, literal, takes everything at face value woman. But even though she says what she means, she is also a little naive and innocent. Prior to moving to Australia, she used being caretaker to her mother, and having the inability to read social cues correctly, as a way to avoid almost all types of relationships, with the exception of having one close friend, named B.

But Charlie's sheltered life takes a sharp turn to the opposite when she goes to interview for a personal assistant position for Jace Knight. Although Charlie seems to get off on the wrong foot with Jace, he still hires her for the job because her attitude and straight talk seem to intrigue him. Soon after, Charlie finds herself in a completely different world than she had ever imagined when she moved to Australia, which includes international spies and fast paced adventures across the continent.

I liked how Charlie's character was different from most female characters in romance novels. She didn't have some shady past that prevented her from forming relationships with men, so even though the result was the same due to other personality issues, the uniqueness of the storyline made The Australian stand out from the crowd.

The Australian has a little bit of everything to engage all genre readers - romance, intrigue, adventure, and a foreign locale (for US readers). Lesley Young not only captivated me with her characters, but also the descriptions of Australia itself.

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The Australian (Crime Royalty Romance #2)
New Adult Contemporary Romance
Published: 27 March 2015

Charlie Sykes takes everything and everyone at face value—and believes life would be a lot easier if everyone else did, too. Aussie Jace Knight, international hotelier and purported playboy, has never met anyone like the absurdly literal and obliviously beautiful American who applies for his personal assistant position. The trouble is, how do you pursue a woman whose definition of flirting comes straight out of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary? That, and he’s not the only one after Charlie. Seems Mr. Knight might not be a reformed criminal after all.

Soon, Charlie’s immersed in a whirlwind of international espionage that takes her from the hip streets of Sydney to the majestic Great Barrier Reef and the wild, desolate outback. A dangerous trap’s being set, but how will Charlie protect herself and prevent a tragic betrayal, when she can’t even sort out what her heart’s telling her?

Goodreads

Check out the rest of the Crime Royalty Romance Series on Goodreads HERE.

The Australian Blog Tour Arranged by Literati Author Services.

22 April, 2015

Book Trailer Reveal: Flirting With Scandal (Capital Confessions #1) by Chanel Cleeton

About the Author:

Originally a Florida girl, CHANEL CLEETON moved to London where she received a bachelor’s degree from Richmond, The American International University in London and a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Chanel fell in love with London and planned to stay there forever, until fate intervened on a Caribbean cruise and a fighter pilot with smooth dance moves swept her off her feet. Now, a happily ever after later, Chanel is living her next adventure.

Law school made Chanel realize she’d rather spend her days writing sexy stories than in a courtroom, and she hasn’t looked back since. An avid reader and hopeless romantic, she’s happiest curled up with a book. She has a weakness for handbags, her three pups, and her husband.  

Chanel writes contemporary romances. She is published by Harlequin HQN, Penguin/InterMix, and Penguin/Berkley and is the author of the International School, Capital Confessions, and Wild Aces series.

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Flirting With Scandal (Capital Confessions #1)
Adult Contemporary Romance
Expected Publication: 19 May 2015 by InterMix

The author of I See London sets her sights on Washington, D. C., with a sexy new series about three sisters, the secrets they keep, and a powerful blog with a knack for exposing scandals...

Jackie Gardner knows all about dirty little secrets. The illegitimate daughter of one of the most influential senators in Washington, D.C., she grew up surrounded by the scandals and shadows of politics. Now that she's landed an internship with a powerful political consulting firm, she's determined to launch her career and take this city by storm.

William Andrew Clayton was born for politics. He knows the drill: work hard, play discreetly, and at all costs, avoid scandal. At twenty-six, his campaign for the Virginia State Senate is the first step to cementing his future. It's time for him to settle down, to find the perfect political spouse. He needs a Jackie Kennedy, not a Marilyn...

When Jackie meets Will in the bar of the Hay-Adams Hotel, sparks fly. But the last thing Will needs is to be caught in a compromising position, and an affair with a political candidate could cost Jackie her career. When what began as one steamy night, becomes a passion neither one of them can walk way from, they must decide if what they have is really love, or just another dirty little secret...

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Flirting with Scandal by Chanel Cleeton has it all. A sexy hero, strong heroine, delicious romance, sizzling tension, and plenty of breathtaking scandal. I loved this book! - New York Times bestselling author Monica Murphy

Scorching hot and wicked smart, Flirting with Scandal had me hooked from page one! Sizzling with sexual tension and political intrigue, Cleeton weaves a story that is as complex as it is sexy. Thank God this is a series because I need more!! - New York Times bestselling author Rachel Harris

Sexy, intelligent, and intriguing. Chanel Cleeton makes politics scandal-icious. - USA Today bestselling author Tiffany King

Chanel Cleeton knocked it out of the park with Flirting with Scandal. The banter was refreshing, the political storyline captivating, and the sexual tension was through the roof. Smart, emotional, romantic, and sizzling hot--this book is fantastic! - Christina Lee, author of the Between Breaths series

Chanel Cleeton delivers again! Featuring a strong heroine, a steamy romance, and juicy dose of political scandal, Flirting with Scandal is completely engrossing. Clear your calendars--you won't be able to put this one down! - Brenda St. John Brown, author of Swimming to Tokyo

Flirting With Scandal Book Trailer Reveal Arranged By Good Choice Reading Promotions.

Cover Reveal: The Magnolia Affair by T.A. Foster

About the Author:

T.A. Foster grew up catching rays and waves along the North Carolina Outer Banks and now resides in the state with her husband, three children and canine kiddo.

She has an undergraduate degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a graduate degree in Educational Psychology from Texas A&M University. When she’s not chasing her two-legged and four-legged children or trying to escape for date night, you can find her reading, writing, or planning her next beach trip.

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Excerpt from The Magnolia Affair:

I am having an affair.

I know what you’re thinking. There has to be a reason. There needs to be a reason. Something acceptable like after five years of marriage I had spent too many nights alone with a glass of wine. Or when my workaholic husband was home we slept back to back, as if he had forgotten how to touch me.

You would understand that. You’d probably pity me and say, “Bless her heart. How could a husband treat his wife that way? What else could you do?”

You’d want me to tell you that the only thing we exchanged was conversations about the weather and updates on what needed to be added to the grocery list.

It would probably calm the judgment bubbling to the surface if I described how we ate dinner in front of the television, commenting occasionally on a drastic cliffhanger to be continued next week.

You’d give me a look of pity if I told you he stopped noticing when I got my hair cut or if I walked into the room in a new dress.

The story would start to come together in your mind if I painted a picture of how we went to bed at separate times out of habit, forgetting that we once scheduled everything around the other.

You could see it happening. You would almost feel it slipping away like water through your fingertips. It might create doubt about your own marriage, even though you’d shake your head, knowing that couldn’t happen to you. Little pieces of your own truth filtering in between the images you have of us.

It wasn’t my fault. That’s what you’d tell yourself. You’d probably want to hug me and console me with soothing words, “It’s understandable. No one can blame you.”

But I have a confession. Something you won’t want to hear. Words that will haunt you more than the excuses. None of it is true. My husband didn’t do those things. There isn’t a single thing that led me to another man.

I am having an affair for the worst possible reason. Because I can.

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The Magnolia Affair
Adult Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Expected Publication: 21 May 2015

Audrey Kingston has the perfect life she always wanted. An adoring husband, a beautiful house, book club nights with friends. It was idyllic. It was serene. Until Paxton Tanner, candidate for state senator, moved in next door.

Seduced by his undeniable charm, Audrey’s life becomes unrecognizable as she gives in to her impulses.

The affair becomes deadly, and she gets tossed into a political scandal that leads all the way to the governor’s office.

When love becomes lethal, there’s only one way out.

Goodreads

The Magnolia Affair Cover Reveal Arranged By InkSlinger PR.

21 April, 2015

Release Day Blitz: Asa (Marked Men #6) by Jay Crownover @InkSlingerPR @JayCrownover

About the Author:

Jay Crownover is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Marked Men series. She also introduced the dark and sexy world of The Point that started with BETTER WHEN HE's BAD and is currently working on her newest series The Saint of Denver. Like her characters, she is a big fan of tattoos. She loves music and wishes she could be a rock star, but since she has no aptitude for singing or instrument playing, she'll settle for writing stories with interesting characters that make the reader feel something. She lives in Colorado with her three dogs.

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Excerpt from Asa:

I pulled the Nova to a stop in front of a duplex that had clearly seen better days. It wasn’t a rusted-out trailer in Kentucky, but it might as well have been. I turned off the ignition and sat back in the seat so I could turn to look at Ayden. She was watching me carefully and I could see how frustrated she was with the entire conversation in the way her shoulders were tensed up and the way her hands had curled into tight balls on her lap. It was the way she used to look whenever I got into trouble and she had to do something desperate and drastic to get me out of it. I reached out a hand and put it on top of her fists.

“I died in that hospital, Ayd. There were no angels playing harps. There was no redemption and repentance. I died and it was very clear that I was going to get exactly the kind of fate I had been courting with all the messed-up shit I had been doing to other people. All I could see was every wrong I had ever committed and every bad decision I had ever made exploding all around me. For once I could see how all of that affected you. I was dying, and I knew what was waiting for me on the other side, yet I couldn’t go knowing that was all you were going to have to remember me by. I had to come back and give you something else to hold on to, some kind of good memory to go with the endless miles of bad I laid at your feet. I wanted to have the chance to show you I could be the kind of brother you deserved all along, so no, I didn’t save myself—you saved me. Just like you’ve always done for my entire life.”

I saw her bottom lip tremble until she snapped her teeth around it to keep it still. Her fists unclenched below my palm and she curled her shaking fingers around my hand and her already husky voice rasped with even more emotion when she told me what I think I had needed to hear from her all along.

“I have always been proud that you’re my brother, Asa. Yes, there have been times in the past I would have gladly fed you to the wolves, and it’s no secret that I had to leave home because I didn’t know what to do to help you anymore, but we both made it out alive and are better people for it. I know you’re sorry for the way things went down when we were younger, but I need you to open your eyes and take some credit for the way you have turned it around to make things the way they are now. I’ve long since come to terms with the Asa from my childhood. What I want to do is love the Asa that’s here with me now. You need to let go of those boulders weighted with all the bad things from past that are dragging you down before you get crushed under them.”

It was eerily similar to what Royal had been telling me the deeper and deeper I sank in with her. I don’t think I was ready to let any part of those stones go just yet, but a sexy redhead was slowly and surely eroding bits and pieces of the rock the more and more time I spent with her. By the time she was done, maybe she would be able to carve out something that was worthwhile, something that didn’t eviscerate me to look at.

I leaned over enough that I could kiss Ayden right on the center of her forehead between her midnight eyebrows and I felt her let out a shuddering sigh.

“I’m never going to let you down again, Ayd. That is the one and only thing in the entire world that I can promise and know it’s a promise I will keep.”

We stared at each other for a long and silent moment. The seriousness of the words I had said to her and the fact that I could see that she understood that I really, truly meant them finally worked to absolve me of some of the guilt that seemed to suffocate me whenever I thought about the things she had done to keep me safe.

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Asa (Marked Men #6)
New Adult Contemporary Fiction
Published: 21 April 2015 by Harper Collins

Jay Crownover’s New York Times and USA Today bestselling Marked Men series continues with the much anticipated story of southern charmer and certified criminal Asa Cross.

Starting over in Denver with a whole new circle of friends and family, Asa Cross struggles with being the man he knows everyone wants him to be and the man he knows he really is. A leopard doesn’t it change its spots and Asa has always been a predator. He doesn’t want to hurt those who love and rely on him, especially one luscious arresting cop who suddenly seems to be interested in him for far more than his penchant for breaking the law. But letting go of old habits is hard, and it’s easy to hit bottom when it’s the place you know best.

Royal Hastings is quickly learning what the bottom looks like after a tragic situation at work threatens not only her career but her partner’s life. As a woman who has only ever had a few real friends she’s trying to muddle through her confusion and devastation all alone. Except she can’t stop thinking about the sexy southern bartender she locked up. Crushing on Asa is the last thing she needs but his allure is too strong to resist. His long criminal record can only hurt her already shaky career and chasing after a guy who has no respect for the law or himself can only end in heartbreak.

A longtime criminal and a cop together just seems so wrong . . . but for Asa and Royal, being wrong together is the only right choice to make.

Goodreads | Indiebound | Barnes and Noble | iBooks | Kobo

Check out the rest of the Marked Men Series on Goodreads HERE.

Asa Release Day Blitz Arranged By InkSlinger PR.

17 April, 2015

Blog Tour - Book Review and Excerpt: Master of Freedom (A Mountain Masters Novella) by Cherise Sinclair @InkSlingerPR @CheriseSinclair

About the Author:

Having to wear glasses in elementary school can scar a person for life. Dubbed a nerd at an early age, Cherise Sinclair has been trying to live up to the stereotype ever since. And what better way than being an author?

Known for writing deeply emotional stories, the USA Today Bestselling Author has penned sixteen erotic romance novels, most with a BDSM theme. (Please do not mention the phrase mommy porn in her presence.) Her awards range from a National Leather Award to a Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice nomination to a GoodReads BDSM group award for best author of the year. Called an “ascendant erotica queen” by Rolling Stone Magazine, Cherise spends her days writing, supervised by a sadistic calico cat.

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My Thoughts
Cherise Sinclair has been one of my favorite authors since I was introduced into the BDSM genre and she doesn't disappoint with Master of Freedom, her seventh foray into the Mountain Masters and Dark Haven worlds.

Master of Freedom is probably one of my favorite Cherise Sinclair books to date. I really liked the progression of Atticus and Gin's relationship, as well as the steamy attraction that each felt for the other. I also liked how there was resistance on both sides in terms of either character wanting to get involved in a long term relationship.It always seems as if there is one character that gets in their own way and manages to hinder a developing relationship, but in the case of Master of Freedom, both Atticus and Gin had past issues and relationship baggage that needed to be dealt with.

Sinclair not only has a way with words, but she seamlessly mixed seamy hot sex scenes, romance, and every day life, as well as dramatic and suspenseful tension, into Master of Freedom. I loved reading Atticus and Gin's story, as well as catching up with the lives of characters from previous books in the series. I'm hoping Sinclair will write a story (full length or novella) about Atticus' brother Sawyer. He was one of my favorite characters in Master of Freedom and I would love to see him have a storyline of his own.

Note: The following excerpt is meant for readers 18 years and older.

Excerpt from Master of Freedom:

Yes, this man was special.

And she wanted him more than she’d wanted anyone before. She frowned into her drink, and when she looked up, he was watching her, sipping his wine, and waiting.

With some of her dates, she’d felt their impatience, as if they tired of wading through the getting-to-know-you phase before they could get some. Atticus displayed no urgency, just the quiet patience of a very experienced man.

The knowledge increased her low-key arousal.

Far, far sooner than she should have finished, she drank the last of her wine.

“Nervous, pet?” he asked.

She nodded. Although the air was chilled, her body felt like a heat pump, and her stomach quivered with nerves. She hadn’t had many lovers and no one since meeting Preston. No one after.

He studied her for a moment, eyes narrowed. “Talk about mixed signals,” he said. “I can take you back to your car, sweetling, if you like. Or I can light a fire, and we can sit and talk.”

“Or we can go for the third option.” She set her glass on the island, grasped his hand, and pulled him down the dark hallway. Hopefully his bedroom was at the end of it. “Let’s get this out of the way.”

“You make sex sound like a trip to the dentist.”

“There have been—” Her mouth snapped shut. Blushing, she stopped dead, not believing what she’d started to share.

“I see.” His chuckle was low. “I’ll try to make this feel better than a long, hard drilling.”

The suggestive words delivered in his deep baritone sent tingles over her skin.

With his hand on her stomach, he backed her into a room, even as his mouth covered hers, taking possession. The minute her arms wrapped around his neck, he curved one hand under her ass and pulled her up on her toes. His thick erection pressed against her pelvis.

When he lifted his head, she was breathless.

Her skin simmered with heat. She glanced at the bedroom and saw no interesting kinky shackles or piles of rope or handcuffs. “So we’re going to do this the old-fashioned…um, vanilla…way?”

“Mostly.” He undid her bustier. “I’m not going to tie you down, sweetheart. Not until you know me better.”

“Oh. Okay.” That surely wasn’t disappointment she felt. The sensation of his scarred knuckles brushing each newly bared inch washed the emotion away.

She glanced up at him and saw his half-smile and the comprehension in his expression. He knew…

Flustered, she lifted her hands to undo his shirt. “You’re overdressed.”

Master of Freedom (A Mountain Masters Novella
Adult Contemporary Erotic Romance
Published: 14 April 2015 by Evil Eye Concepts, Incorporated

Detective Atticus Ware gave up his beloved Idaho to start again in the mountains of California, close to his imprisoned brother. He has a rewarding job and friends, but the experienced Dominant wants more than the Do-Me submissives who flock around him. He needs a woman who will give her heart as well as her body.

Virginia, “Gin,” is damn good at her challenging career as a prison psychologist. However, one problem inmate is mired in misery and unable to overcome his guilt at causing a friend’s death. To clear her mind, she joins a friend’s kinky backpacking excursion, planning to hide in her tent during the evening BDSM pursuits. But Atticus lures her into the activities. She’s read about BDSM, but submission under the hands of a powerful Dom is beyond anything she’d imagined. She doesn’t trust men, doesn’t want a relationship, and yet…wants more from him.

Finally, Atticus has found the woman he wants in his life. In his bed. In his cuffs. But she’s not only his brother’s therapist, but also works in a prison. How can he tolerate his woman walking into danger every single blasted day?

Gin knows she has no future with Atticus Ware, but still, hope is rising in her heart.

Goodreads | Amazon

Check out the rest of the Mountain Masters and Dark Haven Series on Goodreads HERE.

Master of Freedom (A Mountain Masters Novella) Blog and Excerpt Tour Arranged by InkslingerPR.

Blog Tour - Book Excerpt: Say My Name (Stark International Trilogy #1) by J. Kenner

About the Author:

Julie Kenner (aka J. Kenner and J.K. Beck) is the New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of over forty novels, novellas and short stories in a variety of genres.

Praised by Publishers Weekly as an author with a “flair for dialogue and eccentric characterizations,” J.K. writes a range of stories including super sexy romances, paranormal romance, chick lit suspense and paranormal mommy lit. Her foray into the latter, Carpe Demon: Adventures of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom by Julie Kenner, is in development as a feature film with 1492 Pictures.

Her most recent trilogy of erotic romances, The Stark Trilogy (as J. Kenner), reached as high as #2 on the New York Times list and is published in over twenty countries.

J.K. lives in Central Texas, with her husband, two daughters, and several cats.

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Excerpt from Say My Name:

I was about to go out on a real date, a very rare occasion for me. And dammit, I liked the way I felt. I wanted to hang on to the feeling. More than that, I deserved to hang on to it.

I busied myself with making coffee, then didn’t want to drink it for fear it would linger on my breath. When the quick, firm knock sounded promptly at ten-thirty, I just about sprinted to the door.

“Hey,” I said, breathless as I flung it open, and even more breathless when I saw him standing there, tall and lean, his dark hair wind-tossed just enough to give him a sexy, reckless vibe. When he stepped inside, his primal, raw scent enveloped me. Earth and wood and rain, blending together in a way that was uniquely Jackson.

“Don’t move,” he said as he stood just inside my apartment. “I want to look at you.”

“I like the dress,” I said. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” he said as his gaze raked over me with such intensity that I was certain he was seeing both the dress—and what was underneath.

“I like the lingerie, too,” I said boldly, and was rewarded by the heat in his eyes and the way his jaw tightened, as if he was fighting for control.

“Do you?” he said, and those two simple words seemed to hold a world of questions.

I lifted my chin slightly, and when I spoke, my voice was breathy. “Yes. Do you want me to show you?”

Say My Name (Stark International Trilogy #1)
Adult Contemporary Erotic Romance
Published: 7 April 2015

New York Times bestselling author J. Kenner kicks off a smoking hot, emotionally compelling new trilogy that returns to the world of her beloved Stark novels: Release Me, Claim Me, and Complete Me. Say My Name features Jackson Steele, a strong-willed man who goes after what he wants, and Sylvia Brooks, a disciplined woman who’s hard to get—and exactly who Jackson needs.

I never let anyone get too close—but he’s the only man who’s ever made me feel alive.

Meeting Jackson Steele was a shock to my senses. Confident and commanding, he could take charge of any room . . . or any woman. And Jackson wanted me. The mere sight of him took my breath away, and his touch made me break all my rules.

Our bond was immediate, our passion untamed. I wanted to surrender completely to his kiss, but I couldn’t risk his knowing the truth about my past. Yet Jackson carried secrets too, and in our desire we found our escape, pushing our boundaries as far as they could go.

Learning to trust is never easy. In my mind, I knew I should run. But in my heart, I never felt a fire this strong—and it could either save me or scorch me forever.

Say My Name is intended for mature audiences.

Goodreads

Say My Name Blog Tour Arranged by InkSlinger PR.

15 April, 2015

Blog Tour - Author Guest Post: Kristi Belcamino (Blessed Are Those Who Weep: Gabriella Giovanni Mystery #3)

About the Author:

Kristi Belcamino is a writer, photographer, and artist. In her former life as a newspaper crime reporter in California, she flew over Big Sur in an F/A-18 jet with the Blue Angels, raced a Dodge Viper at Laguna Seca, watched autopsies, and interviewed serial killers. She is now a journalist based in Minneapolis, and the Gabriella Giovanni mysteries are her first books. Find Kristi on Facebook or on Twitter.

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I Am Not Gabriella

One thing that has surprised me about being published is that people seem to have a hard time separating me from my main character.

Gabriella Giovanni is an Italian-American crime reporter living in San Francisco.

There are a few similarities:

I mean, yeah sure I'm Italian-American, brunette, and a former crime reporter, but really that's about it. But unlike my character, I’ve been with my husband for 24 years, life in Minneapolis, and have two kids. And that is just the tip of the iceberg for differences.

I write in first person present tense and I think this contributes to it.

But when people read my books and are completely immersed in Gabriella Giovanni's world - and frankly, in her head - they sometimes come away feeling like they know me intimately.

Well this is hard to swallow on many counts. I'm not my character. Thank goodness! My mom reads my books. My dad reads my books. I have violence. And sex scenes! If I were writing about myself, I'd die of embarrassment and never be able to write another word.

Gabriella Giovanni is a fictional character. Sure, she has some of me in her. But so does the serial killer and the cop and the little kid and the gangbanger on the corner. Every character has a tiny bit of me in him or her, after all, they came from my brain.

But I'm not my characters.

However, some people who read my books assume that I'm Gabriella.

In fact, one of my friends who read my book last summer was upset because Gabriella was sleeping around and I've been married 20 years.

"I'm not Gabriella," I told her, even though I really shouldn't have had to say that.

And yet.

It is by far, the most common question I'm asked in an interview: “Are you Gabriella?”

So much so, that I made myself take the Myers-Brigg personality test twice. Once as me and once as Gabriella. It was no surprise to me that we were polar opposites in every way.

I’m not Gabriella, but I sure do like spending time in her world and from what I’ve heard, my readers do, as well!

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Blessed Are Those Who Weep (Gabriella Giovanni Mystery #3)
Adult Contemporary Murder Mystery
Published: 7 April by Witness Impulse

San Francisco Bay Area reporter Gabriella Giovanni stumbles onto a horrific crime scene with only one survivor—a baby girl found crawling between the dead bodies of her family members. Reeling from the slaughter, Gabriella clings to the infant. When Social Services pries the little girl from her arms, the enormity of the tragedy hits home. Diving deep into a case that brings her buried past to the forefront, Gabriella is determined to hunt down the killer who left this helpless baby an orphan.

But one by one the clues all lead to a dead end, and Gabriella's obsession with finding justice pulls her into a dark, tortuous spiral that is set to destroy everything she loves …

“Tense, disturbing and smart....Belcamino is a writer to watch.” — Alex Marwood, author of The Wicked Girls

“Truly first- rate.” — Bruce DeSilva

Goodreads | Barnes and Noble | HarperCollins

Check out the rest of the Gabriella Giovanni Mystery Series on Goodreads HERE.

Blessed Are Those Who Weep Blog Tour Arranged By Literati Author Services.

14 April, 2015

Release Day Blitz: Master of Freedom (A Mountain Masters Novella) by Cherise Sinclair @InkSlingerPR @CheriseSinclair