Swoon Thursday #YABound [8]

From the book you’re currently reading, or one you just finished, tell us what made you SWOON. What got your heart pounding, your skin tingling, and your stomach fluttering.Shout it out on Twitter with the hashtag #YABound, post it here in the comments, or grab the steamy button and share it on your blog. We want to know!

The Illuminae Files #1

ILLUMINAE

by: Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
Read on May 14th, 2017

This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do. This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.

But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again.

BRIEFING NOTE: Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.

swoon worthy scene

Mason, E, LT 2nd: More than you deserve?
Mason, E, LT 2nd: you deserve every star in the galaxy laid out at your feet and a thousand diamonds in your hair. You deserve someone who'll run with you as far and as fast as you want to. Holding your hand, not holding you back.
Mason, E, LT 2nd: You deserve more than I could ever give you, Kady.
Mason, E, LT 2nd: But I'll give you everything I can if you still want me to.
ByteMe: I don't know how you can say that, but I don't care. I just want it to be true. you're all i have, but it will be okay if I still have you.
Mason, E, LT 2nd: you have me
Mason, E, LT 2nd: until the last star in the galaxy dies
Mason, E, LT 2nd: you have me

*DEAD*

Thursday Tracks [51]

hosted by Gone with the Words

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...

GONER

Artist: twenty one pilots

Album: Blurryface

favorite lyrics: Though I'm weak and beaten down, I'll slip away into this sound. The ghost of you is close to me, I'm inside-out, you're underneath. Don't let me be gone.

Hear me next Thursday!

[Cover Reveal] Most Valuable Playboy, by: Lauren Blakely

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Lauren Blakely comes a sexy, new standalone sports romance releasing September 1st, MOST VALUABLE PLAYBOY! Told from the guy’s POV, MOST VALUABLE PLAYBOY will hit retailers just in time to celebrate the start of fall and football season! The audiobook is slated for a simultaneous release and will be narrated by Zachary Webber! Don’t miss the amazing cover and blurb below!

Cover Design by Helen Williams with Photography by Scott Hoover Photography

MOST VALUABLE PLAYBOY

by: Lauren Blakely

Release Date: September 1st, 2017

Genres: Sports, Contemporary Romance

Hands down, my favorite thing in the world is to score. Touchdowns. 

Don’t let the fact that I’m the leading pick in the Most Valuable Playboy charity auction fool you. These days, I’m only a player on the field. I’ve kept my pants zipped all season long — and it has been long — because nothing’s more important than leading my team to victory every week. Except maybe escaping from the owner’s handsy-as-hell sister who seems dead set on winning more than a date with me at the auction. 

Enter Violet and a well-placed Hail Mary.

She’s my best friend’s sister with a smile as sweet as cherry pie and a mind that runs quicker than the 40-yard-dash. After Violet saves the day with the highest bid, I don’t even give her a two-minute warning before I kiss her in front of the whole crowd and then announce that she’s my girlfriend. Which would be fine except my agent tells me the next day that we’ve got to keep up the act while he’s negotiating my contract. 

Violet says she’ll take one for the team and pretend to be mine, but our boyfriend-girlfriend scrimmage quickly turns into a full contact sport. And soon enough, I want this game with her to go into overtime. The problem is — I’ve been riding the bench for years.

How can a guy like me, who finally has a chance to prove his worth on the field, convince the girl she’s most valuable to his heart?

*MOST VALUABLE PLAYBOY is a brand new standalone sports romance written in the guy’s POV!*

PREORDER YOUR COPY TODAY!

✦ iBooks ➜ (Releasing TWO days early on August 30th!) ✦ Barnes & Noble ✦ Kobo ✦ Amazon ✦ Kindle Preorder Alert (via Lauren's newsletter) ✦ Goodreads

   

Can’t wait to get your hands on this smoking hot MVP?MOST VALUABLE PLAYBOY will release two days early on iBooks! If you’re an iBooks user, you can enjoy this sports romance on August 31st!

AUTHOR

A #1 New York Times Bestselling author, Lauren Blakely is known for her contemporary romance style that's hot, sweet and sexy. She lives in California with her family and has plotted entire novels while walking her dogs. With fourteen New York Times bestsellers, her titles have appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestseller Lists more than 80 times, and she's sold more than 2 million books. In June she'll release THE KNOCKED UP PLAN, a standalone romantic comedy. To receive an email when Lauren releases a new book, sign up for her newsletter! laurenblakely.com/newsletter

Website ** Facebook ** Twitter ** Newsletter ** Goodreads

Waiting on Wednesday [89]

"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 Dark Artifices #2

LORD OF SHADOWS

by: Cassandra Clare

Release Date: May 23rd, 2017

Sunny Los Angeles can be a dark place indeed in Cassandra Clare’s Lord of Shadows, the sequel to the #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling Lady Midnight.

Emma Carstairs has finally avenged her parents. She thought she’d be at peace. But she is anything but calm. Torn between her desire for her parabatai Julian and her desire to protect him from the brutal consequences of parabatai relationships, she has begun dating his brother, Mark. But Mark has spent the past five years trapped in Faerie; can he ever truly be a Shadowhunter again?

And the faerie courts are not silent. The Unseelie King is tired of the Cold Peace, and will no longer concede to the Shadowhunters’ demands. Caught between the demands of faerie and the laws of the Clave, Emma, Julian, and Mark must find a way to come together to defend everything they hold dear—before it’s too late.

   

What are you waiting on?

[Cover Reveal] My Kind Night, by: Lacey Blake

Today we have the gorgeous cover for My Kinda Night by Lacey Black! Check out this sexy new contemporary romance and be sure to preorder your copy now!

Summer Sisters #2

MY KINDA NIGHT

Author: Lacey Black

Release Day: June 13th

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Photographer & Cover Design: Sara Eirew

Payton Summer doesn’t have time for love. Between running her own business in her hometown of Jupiter Bay and her monthly night out with her sisters, Payton has no room for men, dating, or the drama that it entails. Her life is fine just the way it is. Yet, her attraction to the one man she shouldn’t want can’t be ignored.

Dean McIntire has one rule: don’t date clients. It’s a lesson he learned the hard way and sees the consequence every day when he looks at his five-year-old daughter. It’s not a rule he’d break again. Until he meets the gorgeous Payton Summer, and suddenly, Dean finds himself ready to throw the rule book right out the window.

What happens when the sparks of lust can’t be denied? One night turns into two, and two turns into more. Payton and Dean find themselves unable to stay away, but can they survive when their secrets are exposed?

*Though part of a series, this book can be read as a standalone. It is intended for those 18 and over due to graphic language, descriptive sex, and the world’s most inappropriate grandparents.

Pre-Order Today!

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU

AUTHOR

Lacey Black is a Midwestern girl with a passion for reading, writing, and shopping. She carries her e-reader with her everywhere she goes so she never misses an opportunity to read a few pages. Always looking for a happily ever after, Lacey is passionate about contemporary romance novels and enjoys it further when you mix in a little suspense. She resides in a small town in Illinois with her husband, two children, and a chocolate lab. Lacey loves watching NASCAR races, shooting guns, and should only consume one mixed drink because she’s a lightweight.

Lacey’s debut novel, Trust Me, was released in August 2014 and has been an Amazon Bestseller twice for Free e-books, as well as #1 for Contemporary Romance. All of the Rivers Edge books have been bestsellers in the Romance and Contemporary Romance categories.

   

[Review] Illuminae, by: Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

The Illuminae Files #1

ILLUMINAE

by: Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
Release Date: October 20th, 2015
Read Date: May 14th, 2015
Format: Hardcover, First Edition
Pages: 599

This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do. This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.

But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again.

BRIEFING NOTE: Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.

MY RATE

Oh god. How can I explain how good this book is without giving much away? First things, first. This book is way beyond our years, 2575. Like, holy star wars time. Also, this is not a "normal" book. Treat this book like is a file of a shit-ton of papers that were photocopied, emails, recordings, even AI codes. This book will tell you a story of a couple, a story of a spaceship crew, and a story of people that were rescued after an invasion. This book is full of secrets that the greatest evil doesn't want to uncover. BUT overall, this story is full of brave people doing what they can to survive and for the truth to come out. Over.

It was hard to adapt, I admit. At times I was more lost than someone swimming in space. Sometimes I couldn't know the difference between the truth and the lies. I had hope the whole book, then my hope disappeared and at the end, it came all over me like a good pail of cold water in summer. Sometimes I got really frustrated because I wanted to know more about something in specific, but the files jumped to other things and then came back. Everything is in the right place, do not get me wrong, but that is the nature of a reader, right? Over.

All characters in this book have a piece of me, even the ones that only made it inside in only a few articles. I could feel their thoughts of being afraid, their wants of being with who they loved, but they didn't know if they were alive. I could feel the love of people talking via comms. I could feel the anger of those that wanted the truth but were fed with lies. This book was magic itself. Over.

To anyone in general. I recommend this book wholeheartedly. Pick it up, you'll love it. Over and out.

 

[Book Blitz + Excerpt + Giveaway] Looking for Trouble, by: Stacey Mosteller

Nashville U #1
LOOKING FOR TROUBLE
by: Stacey Mosteller
Published by: Swoon Romance
Publication date: September 20th 2016
Genres: New Adult, Romance

She’s:
Uptight
Sheltered
Allergic to fun
He’s:
Cocky
Crude
Unapologetic
He’s all dirty jokes and curse words, while she’s quiet and shy. She blends into the background, while he is the center of everyone’s attention.
Clay Mitchell never expected to fall in love. Especially not with a girl he’s known all his life and one who’s always been off-limits.
Opposites might attract, but in this case of explosive chemistry, someone’s heart is bound to be shattered.
As enemies become friends and friends morph into more; Clay has definitely met his match.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

On sale for 99¢ for a limited time only!

—

EXCERPT:

Kat

      Before I can get my equilibrium, his mouth brushes mine, so light I almost think I imagined it. I gasp, my back arching and bringing our bodies closer together. The contact makes him gasp too, and our mouths touch once more. This time, his tongue darts out to trace along my bottom lip. My arms tighten further as he presses the top half of his body against mine.

      Reality intrudes, and I wonder, should we be doing this? Is this what I want? Then, Clay’s tongue touches mine and every thought in my head evaporates. Unable to focus on anything but the sensation of his tongue exploring my mouth, tangling with my own before he retreats. I automatically follow him, tasting the inside of his for the first time. If someone had told me that the first Mitchell boy I would kiss would be Clay, I would have laughed in their face. But, here I am, Clay’s hands on the bed, on either side of my head, his arms taut as they hold him above me.

      The kiss deepens, and Clay’s body moves as he toes off his shoes before climbing up on the bed to hover above me. My legs fall open, letting him move between them. His body lowers onto mine and now we’re touching from head to groin, his erection against the part of me that clenches at the feel of him pressing into me.

      Clay’s mouth leaves mine, traveling along my jaw until he gets to my ear where he sucks the lobe into his mouth, biting down gently. My arms go lax at the exquisite feeling, sliding down the side of his neck until my hands find purchase on his shoulders. He tugs a final time on my ear before his mouth moves lower to press a kiss just behind it. My nails dig into his shirt and his body shudders above mine, prompting a delicious feeling between my legs.

      Before I can register the motion, he rises up on his knees, grips the back of his t-shirt in one hand and pulls it over his head. He drops it over the side of the bed and pulls me up to a sitting position to grip mine by the hem. Pulling it slowly over my head, he drops it down as well, leaving me clad in only bra, jeans and panties. Clay’s eyes travel from the top of my head to my breasts, where they hesitate for only a few seconds before his hands slide along the sides of my face, tunneling through my hair to tip my head to the side. His mouth descends on mine, and he thrusts his tongue back inside my mouth, more forcefully than before.

      This kiss is totally out of my control. His hands on my face move it from side to side until I’m in the position he wants me in. Clay’s mouth is greedy, and he presses it harder against mine until I’m lying back against his pillows. All I can feel is the sensation of his mouth on mine, his bare chest touching my almost bare one. It makes me long for more. I arch my back, struggling to undo the clasp of my bra awkwardly with one hand. Noticing what I’m doing, he takes one hand from my face and runs it down my arm and around to where I’m struggling with the clasp. It takes him less than a second to undo, and then he uses both hands to slide the straps down my arms.

AUTHOR

Stacey is the New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author of Second Chances and Shadows of the Past (co-authored with H.M. Ward), the Nashville Nights, Two Sisters and Nashville U series (coming late 2015 from Swoon Romance).
She is also a wife, mother, writer and self-professed bookwhore – not necessarily in that order! As the mother of three growing boys, her Kindle has become her temporary escape from the insanity of boys, dogs and her husband. Stacey can usually be found curled up with her iPad when she’s supposed to be writing or creating endless Spotify playlists! 

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

[Review] The Rest of Us Just Live Here, by: Patrick Ness

THE REST OF US JUST LIVE HERE

by: Patrick Ness
Release Date: August 27th, 2015
Read Date: May 12th, 2017
Format: Paperback
Pages: 336

What if you aren't the Chosen One? The one who's supposed to fight the zombies, or the soul-eating ghosts, or whatever the heck this new thing is, with the blue lights and the death?

What if you're like Mikey? Who just wants to graduate and go to prom and maybe finally work up the courage to ask Henna out before someone goes and blows up the high school. Again.

Because sometimes there are problems bigger than this week's end of the world, and sometimes you just have to find the extraordinary in your ordinary life.

Even if your best friend is worshiped by mountain lions.

MY RATE

Guys, I have a literally crush on Patrick Ness, I swear. From the moment I read his trilogy, to this moment that I read this book... I couldn't stop myself from loving it. This book, as any other of the author, is so beautifully written that you get to be wrapped up in it all from page one.

Have you ever wondered what happens to all those characters that are behind the scenes? Those characters are not Chosen, that simply fill the gap of spaces in common places like the park or the school. Well, this book is full of them. All those characters that weren't Chosen and that have to live a normal as possible life. Mike tries to live a life as possible, but the world is always full of things that threaten it and he just wants to graduate before the schools explode, again. He has a crush on a girl that has a crush on someone else. He has to keep looking out what his sister eats. His best friend is hiding things from him. A stranger has come to his circle of friends and Mike is feeling left out. His OCD is getting out of control. And on top of all that, there are blue lights everywhere that are trying to invade the whole world. Ugh. So, thank God that he isn't actually a Chosen one.

Reading about Mike was really refreshing. Reading about someone from the outside was refreshing. Reading that he is as normal as us, makes it even better. This book is not five stars in my mind, but it made me laugh so much that I would rate it that way. I think that there were things left out, but overall it was a very good read.  Mike can be very relatable that I feel like he is part of my world rather than his. His family is a normal one, with problems and all that. Everything was well constructed, so I really enjoy reading it.

I'm not sure if anyone would enjoy a book like this, but I'm sure that anyone can try it and at the end, you might enjoy it.

 

Kristen Proby's Surprise Announcement!

From New York Times Bestselling author Kristen Proby, comes a passionate new romance—EASY FORTUNE! A Boudreaux Series novella, this standalone second chance romance features Mallory’s best friend Lena! Don’t miss the beautiful cover and a note from Kristen below! EASY FORTUNE is coming your way May 30, 2017!

   

Cover Design by Okay Creations with Photography by Sara Eirew Photography

Boudreaux #5.5

EASY FORTUNE

by: Kristen Proby

Release Date: May 30th, 2017

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Sometimes the past is better left behind you…

Lena Turner has spent her life as the outsider. Thanks to her extraordinary gifts, she’s learned to be independent—especially when it comes to men. She’s content to live her life in New Orleans as a schoolteacher, dating casually and dedicated to her small family. Long term is not part of her plan.

Sometimes the past catches up with you…

Leaving Lena behind to pursue his career was the most difficult thing Mason Coulter ever did. He told himself that it was for the best, had even convinced himself that he had only Lena’s best interests in mind. But now, after six long years, he’s back in New Orleans to settle his late eccentric aunt’s estate. All he has to do is get in and out of the city without submitting to the need to see Lena. But to Mason’s dismay, his aunt made other plans.

And sometimes the future and the past collide…

Having Mason walk back into her life is something Lena never saw coming. She could refuse to help him, but she’s never been good at telling Mason no. So she’ll do what she can to get the estate settled and Mason out of her life for good.

At least, that’s the plan. But Mason has plans of his own…

 

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Add to your Goodreads

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A Note from Kristen:

Hi, everyone! I’m so happy that it’s finally Friday because that means that I don’t have to keep this secret anymore! I’m horrible at keeping secrets. Seriously, don’t tell me any. I can’t be trusted.

Since Easy Magic released last month, readers have shouted from the rooftops that they’d love for Lena, Mallory’s BFF, to have her own story. I honestly didn’t have that in mind when I wrote her into Easy Magic, but the more I thought about it, the more it occurred to me that you’re right. Lena does deserve her own happily ever after!

And that brings us to this. Easy Fortune, Lena’s story, will release on May 30^th! That’s right, you won’t have to wait long for this one. Easy Fortune is a novella, and can be read as a stand-alone. And look at this gorgeous cover! I can’t thank Sara Eirew Photography enough for the beautiful photo, and Okay Creations for the amazing cover art.

Lena’s story has been a surprise to me, and frankly one of the most enjoyable story lines that I’ve written in a long time. I hope you enjoy watching her fall in love with Mason! He’s quite swoon-worthy!

Oh, and to make it an even better treat, the prologue and first chapter for Easy Nights will be included at the end of Easy Fortune. JACKPOT! 

Have a great weekend, everyone!
xo,
Kristen

   

And don’t miss the first standalone titles in the Boudreaux Series!

AUTHOR

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Kristen Proby is the author of the bestselling With Me In Seattle and Love Under the Big Sky series. She has a passion for a good love story and strong, humorous characters with a strong sense of loyalty and family. Her men are the alpha type; fiercely protective and a bit bossy, and her ladies are fun, strong, and not afraid to stand up for themselves. Kristen lives in Montana, where she enjoys coffee, chocolate and sunshine. And naps.

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