Tuesday, May 31, 2016

[R] Let's Pretend This Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir), by: Jenny Lawson

Let's Pretend This Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir)
by: Jenny Lawson

★★★★★

When Jenny Lawson was little, all she ever wanted was to fit in. That dream was cut short by her fantastically unbalanced father and a morbidly eccentric childhood. It did, however, open up an opportunity for Lawson to find the humor in the strange shame-spiral that is her life, and we are all the better for it.

In the irreverent Let’s Pretend This Never Happened, Lawson’s long-suffering husband and sweet daughter help her uncover the surprising discovery that the most terribly human moments—the ones we want to pretend never happened—are the very same moments that make us the people we are today. For every intellectual misfit who thought they were the only ones to think the things that Lawson dares to say out loud, this is a poignant and hysterical look at the dark, disturbing, yet wonderful moments of our lives.

Monday, May 30, 2016

[R] Demon Hunting in Dixie, by: Lexy George

Demon Hunting in Dixie
(Demon Hunting #1)
by: Lexy George

★★★★☆

A warrior, a demon, and the girl next door. . .
Looking For Trouble

Addy Corwin is a florist with an attitude. A bad attitude, or so her mama says, 'cause she's not looking for a man. Mama's wrong. Addy has looked. There's just not much to choose from in Hannah, her small Alabama hometown. Until Brand Dalvahni shows up, a supernaturally sexy, breathtakingly well-built hunk of a warrior from--well, not from around here, that's for sure. Mama thinks he might be European or maybe even a Yankee. Brand says he's from another dimension.

Addy couldn't care less where he's from. He's gorgeous. Serious muscles. Disturbing green eyes. Brand really gets her going. Too bad he's a whack job. Says he's come to rescue her from a demon. Puh-lease. But right after Brand shows up, strange things start to happen. Dogs talk and reanimated corpses stalk the quite streets of Hannah. Her mortal enemy Meredith, otherwise known as the Death Starr, breaks out in a severe and inexplicable case of butt boils. Addy might not know what's going on, but she definitely wants a certain sexy demon hunter by her side when it all goes down. . .

Sunday, May 29, 2016

[Release Blitz + Excerpt + Giveaway] Je suis à toi, by: Pepper Winters


Je suis à toi
(Monsters in the Dark #3.5)
by: Pepper Winters
Publication date: TODAY!
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
“Life taught me an eternal love will demand the worst sacrifices. A transcendent love will split your soul, cleaving you into pieces. A love this strong doesn’t grant you sweetness—it grants you pain. And in that pain is the greatest pleasure of all.” 
Q made me the happiest esclave in the world. He gave me his heart, his empire, his ruthless unforgiving love. And life finally left us in peace.
A man like my maître has special needs though, growing stronger as our lives intertwine. The only way to survive his monster is to agree to all his desires.
Including his latest wish.
I’m his.
And I won’t refuse.


Tess and I remained quiet, letting the others do the entertaining.
The staff cleared the table, appearing and disappearing effortlessly. It felt as if we were alone and in a private sanctuary rather than a cavernous castle.
Finishing his wine, Frederick stood up, helping Angelique to her feet with a doting smile. They made a handsome couple with their svelte frames and similar features. I didn’t have many close friends, but those I did, I cherished.
“Let’s play a few parlour games. What do you say?” Frederick clapped his hands, encouraging us to stand.
Tess rolled her eyes as Franco plucked Suzette from her chair.
“I don’t think monopoly or scrabble are what most of us have in mind tonight.” Tess murmured too low for anyone but me to hear as she came toward my side.
Wrapping an arm around her waist, it came off as kind and loving, but the fierce way I glued her to my side spoke of domination and desire. “Shall we retire and find our own entertainment?” I whispered in her ear.
She smiled coyly. “I think that’s a—”
“Come on. No excuses. A few games together and then we’ll head to bed.” Frederick in his bossiness didn’t let us say no.
With a mixture of grumbles and half-hearted hesitation, he ferried us into the room attached to the great hall and motioned us to sit in the mismatch velour love-seats and wingbacks grouped together around a low coffee table. Nestled by the chairs were a whiteboard, markers, and other paraphernalia.
“What the hell are you planning, mon ami?” I asked, reluctantly letting Tess pull me onto a love-seat with her.
Angelique answered for him, tugging her long dark hair over her shoulder. “Well, we’re in a castle. We thought it would be fun to play some of the parlour games that would’ve been their entertainment back in the day.”
I groaned dramatically. “I’d much rather drink.” I pinched Tess beside me, hissing in her ear. “And then play with you.”

Pepper Winters is a NYT and USA Today International Bestseller. She wears many roles. Some of them include writer, reader, sometimes wife. She loves dark, taboo stories that twist with your head. The more tortured the hero, the better, and she constantly thinks up ways to break and fix her characters. Oh, and sex... her books have sex.
She loves to travel and has an amazing, fabulous hubby who puts up with her love affair with her book boyfriends. She's also honoured to wear the IndieReader Badge for being a Top 10 Indie Bestsellers, best BDSM series voted by the SmutClub, and recently signed a two book deal with Grand Central. Her books are currently being translated into numerous languages and will be in bookstores in the near future.
To be the first to know of upcoming releases, please join Pepper's Newsletter (she promises never to spam or annoy you.)
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Saturday, May 28, 2016

[Double Review] Spanish Lessons & Lessons in Gravity, by: Jessica Peterson

Spanish Lessons
(Study Abroad #1)
by: Jessica Peterson

★★★★☆

Vivian Bingley has big plans for her semester abroad in Spain...

Along with her BFF, Maddie, Vivian hopes to indulge her inner Art History nerd by visiting the best museums in the world. She also wants to tackle more practical concerns—like a less than stellar GPA in her major, Economics—with the help of a Spanish tutor.

But falling for her studly Spanish tutor definitely isn't one of them.

Madrileño Rafa Montoya is the stuff study abroad dreams are made of: super studly and super smart. He also happens to be super into Vivian. With his wicked dancing skills and his passion for the arts, he tempts her to throw caution to the wind and live out her wildest dreams.

Only problem? Maddie wants Rafa, too, and Vivian promised herself she’d never settle for second best again…not after a hookup-gone-awry last semester left her heartbroken. Is it best for Vivian to protect her heart at all costs? Or is letting Rafa in worth the risk?

Lessons in Gravity
(Study Abroad #2)
by: Jessica Peterson

★★★★☆

Maddie Lucas is only looking for a one night stand…

While studying in Spain for her semester abroad, Maddie hopes to escape the drama surrounding her parents’ divorce—a divorce she may or may not have caused—while researching Spanish architecture for her thesis. And if she hooks up with hot Madrileños along the way? All the better.

But handsome Spaniard Javier Montoya wants so much more.

Guitarist Javier is ready to set aside his rock star ways and settle down for good with his gorgeous ex-girlfriend. But after a one night stand with sexy, passionate Maddie blossoms into genuine friendship, he begins to wonder if Maddie might be the forever girl he’s looking for.

Too bad Maddie believes forever is more fiction than fairy tale. Can Javier prove to her that fairy tales exist? Or is Maddie right to think she doesn’t deserve happily ever after?

[Book Blitz + Excerpt + Giveaway] Devil's Kiss, by: Ella Frank


Devil's Kiss
(Sunset Cove #2)
by: Ella Frank
Release Date: May 24th, 2016
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, MM Romance

What do you do when the one you least expect to matter…
Ends up mattering the most?

Derek Pearson likes to think he’s an easygoing guy. Uncomplicated, upfront, and unapologetic with what he wants. His what you see is what you get attitude is on prominent display for anyone who cares to look, and his foul mouth is right there to back it up should you miss the point.

However, what you see isn’t always what you get, and only a select few have ever glimpsed the real man under the brash exterior.

Among them? Professor Jordan Devaney. Complicated, high-maintenance, and vibrant, he’s Derek’s opposite in every way. From the moment they saw each other, a love-hate relationship began.

But what happens when one person wants more?

BUY IT NOW!


THE CALL
Present Day
DEREK PEARSON PUSHED open the door of Leighton, Finley & Associates, and stepped out on the paved sidewalk. It was the first day of August, and if the sweltering Floridian sun was any indication, today was going to be hotter than hell’s waiting room.
As he strolled toward the curb, he pulled a pack of Marlboros from the pocket of his shorts and flipped open the top. He needed a fucking cigarette after watching Daniel Finley and his damn professor get all sappy and shit. That was gonna get old real quick if he had to stomach their nauseating displays of I love yous longer than the fifteen minutes he’d been in there. But he’d known he had to make an appearance sooner or later; otherwise Danny boy would’ve shown up asking questions. Questions he wasn’t ready to answer.
There’d been a reason he hadn’t come around to see Finn when he first moved back from Chicago two months ago, but it wasn’t something he was in the mood to talk about yet, even if he was one of the two people on the planet who would get all the shit he’d been dealing with.
Yeah… He just wasn’t ready to go there.
With a smoke between his lips, he lit up, then shoved the pack back in his shorts. He was so damn antsy lately, and for that he could thank his brother, Alan.
He walked around to the side of his Jeep and pulled open the door. After climbing inside, he grabbed his cell phone and stared at the dark screen, contemplating his next move.
Am I really planning to do this? 
Fuck, it seemed that he was, even when he knew better.
If he did this, it would be nothing more than a Band-Aid over the real problem. A shot to numb the more painful issues he was dealing with right now. He would be slipping back into a pattern he had pulled himself out of. An addiction he’d broken free from. But he was also aware that if he didn’t do it, the alternative would be to spiral out of control, and solitude was no longer helping his fucked-up nerves.
He brought the phone to his ear and waited. The phone rang and rang, and fucking rang, until he was close to hanging up—and then it connected.
“You free?” were the only two words out of his mouth. He waited, not caring to pursue small talk. That wasn’t what this was about. All he cared about in that moment was getting what he needed.
When an affirmative came through the phone, he hung up, tossed it on the dashboard, and brought the Jeep to life. As he sped across town, he white-knuckled the steering wheel and didn’t allow himself to think about the consequences of what he was about to do.
It took him less than ten minutes to pull into the underground parking garage of The Palisades and take the elevator up to where his drug of choice waited for him. He glanced up into the camera in the corner of his metallic confines and stared boldly into the face of the one who was waiting at the other end of this ride.
Yeah, he was about to fall off the fucking wagon big time. Was about to slide back into the one place he promised himself he wouldn’t go again. Yet as the elevator came to a halt and the doors opened, there was no denying this was exactly what he wanted.
“I have thirty minutes,” were the words that greeted him.
Derek walked off the elevator and over to the naked man waiting for him. He took the haughty chin between his thumb and forefinger and promised in a voice thick with arousal, “I only need ten. Take me to your room, Jordan. Time’s a wasting.”


DO NOT MISS READING THE FIRST BOOK OF THE SERIES!

(Sunset Cove #1)
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, MM Romance

It's time to come home, Finn.
It’s been seven years since Daniel Finley left his hometown in Florida for the hustle and bustle of Chicago’s city life.
Since then, he’s worked hard for his position at the prestigious law firm Leighton & Associates, even when it’s caused distance and isolation from his family and friends. But that’s all about to change.
On his thirtieth birthday, he receives the one thing he never dared hope for. Something that was promised to him years earlier—a note. One simple sentence from the man he’s never been able to forget.
Six words will forever change the course of their lives.
Brantley Hayes has it all. Or so he thinks. When he first made the decision to take a job down in Florida, his family thought he was crazy. But, after years of living in the quiet beach town, he finally feels a sense of community. He’s surrounded himself with friends who are like family, has a job he loves, and owns a spectacular beachfront property that is his sanctuary.
Yet he still feels unfulfilled, as if a piece of the puzzle is missing, and he knows exactly which piece it is. On an impulse, he follows through with a promise he made years earlier. A promise to call home the one he sent away.
Nothing is as simple as it seems.
After years of separation, the former lovers are reunited, but Brantley wasn’t expecting to encounter the high walls now guarding Daniel’s heart.
Daniel may not be the same person he was when he left, but he knows that the first step to healing is the note in his hand.
BUY IT NOW!


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Ella Frank is the author of the #1 Bestselling Temptation series, including Try, Take, and Trust. Her Exquisite series has been praised as “scorching hot!” and “enticingly sexy!” A life-long fan of the romance genre, Ella writes contemporary and erotic fiction and lives with her husband in Portland, OR. Some of her favorite authors include Tiffany Reisz, Kresley Cole, Riley Hart, J.R. Ward, Erika Wilde, Gena Showalter, and Carly Philips.





BOOKS BY ELLA FRANK
Sunset Cove Series
Temptation Series
The Exquisite Series
Masters Among Monsters
Standalones

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Thursday, May 26, 2016

Thursday Tracks [3]


Ohhh! You know, and if you don't you'll know now, that I LOVE, love, LoVe music. Just as I live and breathe words, I live and breathe music. Those two things are just part of me as any other organ in my body. As you can see in my Music page, I hear music while reading! My Thursdays will become from now on... Thursday Tracks day! A feature created to share what song, album, playlist, artist I got stuck in my head every week. Now, this week song is...
Unsteady, by: X Ambassadors


favorite part: the lyrics are so heartbroken, but i LOVE them
favorite lyric part: Mama, come here. Approach, appear. Daddy, I'm alone. 'Cause this house don't feel like home. If you love me, don't let go.
linked with a book: yes! Priceless, by Linda Kage [review here]

See other song next Thursday!

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Waiting on Wednesday [38]

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. 
This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:
(The Light #1)
by: Aleatha Romig

Sara Adams awakes blind, unable to remember the most basic details of her life, but her darkness seems a blessing when she discovers the terrors of The Light.

Stella Montgomery investigates the news on the mean streets of Detroit, where she’s noticed a disturbing trend: young women are vanishing. When her best friend disappears, Stella investigates—despite warnings from her police detective boyfriend—following a twisted trail that leads her through the city’s most dangerous and forsaken precincts. There she uncovers something more sinister than she could have imagined: a shadowy organization known as The Light, led by the enigmatic Father Gabriel.

As Sara struggles to understand her place in the strange world she’s awakened to—an oppressive cult demanding unquestioning obedience—and her feelings for Jacob, the husband she can’t recall and whose harsh and tender attentions confuse and beguile her, Stella risks all to discover the truth. But enlightenment always comes with a price…

RELEASE DATE: June 14th, 2016

What are you waiting on?

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

[R] Priceless, by: Linda Kage

Priceless
(Forbidden Men #8)
by: Linda Kage

★★★★★

Three things in my life were fact.
I needed Sarah to survive.
I needed sex to remain sane.
And I could never mix sex with Sarah.

I just knew—deep in my marrow—that if I did, I’d somehow lose her. All my deepest darkest secrets would crack open, bleed out, and ruin everything between us. I wouldn’t unleash the shit inside me on my worst enemy, let alone her. So she stayed strictly in the friend zone.

People probably thought I never went there with her because of her cerebral palsy, but f*ck them. She knew she was the most important person in my world, and I wasn’t about to risk hurting our relationship just to make my c*ck happy.

Until the moment she begged me to take her virginity.
Now it’s all about to hit the fan, because how the hell do you resist the one person forbidden to you when she says please?
--Brandt Gamble

[Short Review] Takedown, by Sierra Riley

Takedown
by: Sierra Riley

★★★★½

Three years ago, Mitchell Keane's marriage was called off when his close friend Luke thought he spotted Mitchell cheating on his wife-to-be in a gay club. Mitchell fled to a new life as a New York City realtor rather than defend himself against the rumors flying around his small Nebraskan hometown. After all, Luke accidentally got the gay part right. Since his abrupt outing, Mitchell's been too wound-up to even date until he's forced back home.

Luke Hanson never forgave himself. Low lighting, one too many drinks, and an overactive conscience led to a terrible mistake. Luke tamped down his feelings and threw himself into his career instead. All Luke wants now is a white picket fence and a career as an MMA fighter. Then his trainer, Hugh, tells him Mitchell is coming back to town for two weeks... to sell the gym, after the death of Mitchell's uncle, gym owner Toby.

Luke convinces Mitchell to let him run the gym rather than sell it on the spot. But Mitchell's parents can't accept who Mitchell is, and Luke's future rides on winning his first big promotional fight. With a ticking clock, hothead Luke has to finish things... but hopefully not with Mitchell. Does a small town MMA fighter even have a chance with a high-powered realtor in backwater Nebraska?
These type of stories will be the end of me! I swear. I think that reading all this romance will affect my future love life. I think I'll have high expectations. Because these two had me at "hey".

After the death of Mitchell's uncle, he was left with the gym in a small town called Beatrice in Nebraska. He, a realtor from New York, has issues about coming back. First, because he escaped after all the town learned he was gay. Second, because he is really comfortable in his west state. Third and last, because he has to confront Luke. Luke is basically who runs the gym after Toby's death. Clashing with the fact of confronting Mitchell again and that he may sell the gym has him in knots. But when these two finally see each other, sparks fly and tension builds every second. 

Mitchell and Luke's relationship is a little bit unusual. And all the town has rumors around them. Mitchell doesn't want much to do with such rumors, but Luke has something that he doesn't want to look away. I don't actually like MMA fighting because all the blood and that, but I have to admit that reading it has my blood pumping to know which one throws which punch. These two have really hot scenes before and after the fights, so you should be expecting something good.

I loved the book, but I keep telling myself that something is amiss. I cannot pinpoint what, and I guess is the fact that I didn't read an actual future of them and not good enough epilogue for me. I always like more, so... whatever. Read me later!

Monday, May 23, 2016

[R] Wednesday, by: Kendall Ryan

Wednesday
by: Kendall Ryan

★★★★★

Hard-core fucking.

It’s not what I really want, but it’s all he has to offer. He’s filled with turmoil and heartache and regrets, but for two hours every Wednesday all he feels is me. How much I desire him, how desperate he makes me, how much I’d like things to be different between us. Real.

He used to be my best friend back before he got married. And now? Now, he’s a young widower. It would be wrong on so many levels to expect something more from him, so I give him what he needs. Dark, delicious fucking.

But I know I can’t keep this up. I’ve already given him my body, my soul. I want him to have my heart. It might drive him away forever, but that’s a risk I’m willing to take.

Wednesday is an angsty romp told from dual points of view. If you’re in the mood for something quick and dirty, you’ve found it. Proceed at your own risk.

[Triple Review] Guardian - Firewall - Solace, by: Sierra Riley

Guardian
by: Sierra Riley

★★★★½

Attorney Alexander Wilson lies to himself. He’s not in the closet. He’s happy alone. He could come out to his work colleagues any time. Until then it’s one nerd and his Corgi, his string of failed relationships, and his collection of Space Shuttle toys. So when he’s hired by a tattooed, musclebound mechanic, it’s just as well that Conflict of Interest prevents him getting involved.

Mechanic Titus Edwards walked away from a promising Army career. As a former EOD expert he’s faced tougher environments than Flushing, Queens, but never a tougher job: raising his eight year old niece. When her biological father crawls out of the woodwork, Titus needs an attorney if he’s to protect her. But he’s not expecting to find himself drawn to Alex. After all, Alex is a guy. And Titus isn’t gay.

Both men are haunted by pasts they would rather forget. But if they are to forge a future together they’re going to need to overcome more than their individual hurts. Can they learn to trust themselves and each other before it’s too late?

by: Sierra Riley

★★★★½

Justin West is one of the world's most sought-after IT security specialists. His skills as a network penetrator are renowned, but in meatspace he's seen as cold and awkward. His Asperger's makes it hard to be a team player and in a cutthroat industry, enemies abound. Justin is framed for a massive security breach and soon it's not just his job on the line; his very life is in danger.

Bodyguard Calder Lesley takes pride in his career protecting others. In contrast to his geeky hotshot best friend, Calder uses body language and psychology to excel at his job. He only ignores his instincts when it comes to Justin. Even though their friendship has been long distance for eight years, Justin's feelings for him are obvious. Calder's afraid of nothing... except losing a friend to pursue a new kind of love.

When a rival hacker threatens Justin's career, he's going to need the help of the person he trusts most, but Calder can't protect him from a distance. Forced into Calder's orbit for protection, the sparks begin to fly as Justin's career falls apart. Opposites might attract, but can they last?

by: Sierra Riley

★★★★½

Shane Carter couldn’t wait to see his daughter after returning home from Afghanistan. Even though the scars he collected overseas ran deep, her light always brought him through the darkness. But when his ex-wife denies him the chance, those scars bleed into every part of his life and Shane is forced to admit he needs help.

Aaron Hayes thought he’d found the perfect career as a service dog trainer. Until he realized speaking to crowds was part of the job description. He’s never felt safe in a crowd, but one-on-one? That’s a different story. And when a handsome and troubled veteran needs his help training a service dog, Aaron doesn’t hesitate.

Shane tries his best to keep Aaron at a distance, even though his attraction to the man is undeniable. Convinced a quick fling will get it out of his system, he seduces Aaron. But he soon realizes he’s the one falling under Aaron’s spell. As Aaron starts to become his light in the darkness, Shane fears their future together--or lack thereof. If he can't even win back his own daughter, how is he ever going to fend off his demons long enough to find solace with Aaron?

[Cover Reveal + Giveaway] #Swag, by: Cambria Hebert


#Swag
(GearShark, #3)by: Cambria Hebert
Publication date: June 10th, 2016
Genres: Contemporary Sports Romance
These drivers got #swag…
Racing is in her DNA.
Right alongside money and power.
When you’re the daughter of one of the most powerful men in the country,
you have to work harder for success.
Joey Gamble’s a girl on a male-dominated track.
With a daddy who can buy whatever she wants.
But she doesn’t want anything… except to EARN her reputation.
Racing is his passion.
Trouble follows him everywhere. Some even say he invites it.
When you’re nipping at the taillights of the best driver in the new NRR,
you have to fight and claw for each and every success.
It’s never been easy for Lorhaven.
That’s why he doesn’t play by the rules.
He’s a man with a serious chip on his shoulder against the pro racing circuit.
We at GearShark want to know what’s up with that.
We’ve also been hearing rumblings…
of a pro who wants to go indie.
We’ve invited racing royalty and the driver from the wrong side of the tracks to sit down and talk to us about a possible crossover.
We expected sparks to fly when Joey and Lorhaven crossed paths.
Will those sparks ignite into a full-on inferno?
Previous books in the series:
27824473 28802913
swagteaser7


Cambria Hebert is an award winning, bestselling novelist of more than twenty books. She went to college for a bachelor’s degree, couldn’t pick a major, and ended up with a degree in cosmetology. So rest assured her characters will always have good hair.
Besides writing, Cambria loves a caramel latte, staying up late, sleeping in, and watching movies. She considers math human torture and has an irrational fear of chickens (yes, chickens). You can often find her running on the treadmill (she’d rather be eating a donut), painting her toenails (because she bites her fingernails), or walking her chorkie (the real boss of the house).
Cambria has written within the young adult and new adult genres, penning many paranormal and contemporary titles. Her favorite genre to read and write is romantic suspense. A few of her most recognized titles are: The Hashtag Series, Text, Torch, and Tattoo.
Cambria Hebert owns and operates Cambria Hebert Books, LLC.


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