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Sunday, March 31, 2013

Review: Dear Cassie

1:02 PM 0 Comments

Dear Cassie  by Lisa Burstein

Published: March 5th 2013 
Publisher: Entangled Teen
**Ebook provided by the publisher in exchange of an honest review**

What if the last place you should fall in love is the first place that you do?

You’d think getting sent to Turning Pines Wilderness Camp for a month-long rehabilitation “retreat” and being forced to re-live it in this journal would be the worst thing that’s ever happened to me.

You’d be wrong.

There’s the reason I was sent to Turning Pines in the first place: I got arrested. On prom night. With my two best friends, who I haven’t talked to since and probably never will again. And then there’s the real reason I was sent here. The thing I can’t talk about with the guy I can’t even think about.

What if the moment you’ve closed yourself off is the moment you start to break open?

But there’s this guy here. Ben. And the more I swear he won’t—he can’t—the deeper under my skin he’s getting. After the thing that happened, I promised I’d never fall for another boy’s lies.

And yet I can’t help but wonder…what if?



Where do I start with this?
I fu**ing love it! And Cassie is probably one of my fav characters now. She's so real, so normal and at times, such a mess I can't help loving her.

This is the first Lisa Burstein book I read, I had Pretty Amy on my TBR pile since before it came out, I just haven't got the chance... But trust me after this, I'm so reading it!

Cassie got arrested on Prom night and instead of jail, she gets send to boot camp: no cell phones, no bathrooms, no internet and no earings. Absolute Hell.
But for her, getting arrested isn't the real reason she's there. There's something else, something worse that lead to boot camp.
What's even worse is that Lila run away and she was the one behind what got them arrested, and Amy ratted her out to avoid jail time.

There are many things I love about Dear Cassie:
The book is told in the form of diary entries, and through them we get to know Cassie in such a raw and basic level.
The secondary characters add to the story in a particular way each. Troyer is everything Cassie isn't and through her silence and notes she helps Cassie trust in someone again. I also like to how in her up front way, Cassie was just what Troyer needed. Nez is Cassie's other roommate and probably the bane of her existence but she knew just how to push Cassie's buttons.
And Ben... He slowly but surely makes you fall for him. He's everything Cassie doesn't want, what she's afraid of, but at the same time she can't stay away.
The relationship between Ben and Cassie is one of the best things of the book. Is slow, sweet, innocent and heartwarming. It has a first love feel to it and Ben is probably one of the most loveable male characters ever.

At first, I wasn't too happy with how easy to see what "the thing" was, but as I continued reading I saw this wasn't about "the thing" so much as it was about how Cassie was dealing with it. Denial is a powerful thing, and putting into word something painful can be one of the hardestthings to do, reading Cassie's entries as she tries to get through that and somehow live afterwards you learn to love her, all of her: the tough girl thiat curses non stop and the scare one who hides behind her.
The ending was a bit abrut maybe? I mean I knew that was the end, I just thought there would be a bit more to it. In a way it fitted Cassie's personally perfectly. She just ended that chapter of her life.
I Just want more of her... I need more of her. 


Dear Cassie is a raw, emotional journey about lost friendship and heartbreak. Is about how sometimes we make desitions that later become too painful. Is story about forgiving yourself and lear to love yourself again. Is about finding love again.


About Lisa Burstein


Lisa Burstein is a tea seller by day and a writer by night. She received her MFA in Fiction from the Inland Northwest Center for Writers at Eastern Washington University and is glad to finally have it be worth more than the paper it was printed on. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her very patient husband, a neurotic dog and two cats. Pretty Amy is her first novel. She never went to her senior prom.


Website //  //  // 

Friday, March 29, 2013

Cover Reveal: Of Silver and Beasts

12:09 AM 2 Comments




Of
Silver and Beasts (A Goddess Wars Novel)



Release
Date: June 1, 2013


Genre: New Adult Dark Fantasy

Cover Reveal Organized by: YA Bound

Cover
Designed by: Steven
Novak





Summary
from Goodreads:




In the sand-covered queendom of Cavan, the goddess once
saved a young Kaliope’s life, preventing the mercury her father attempted to
hide in her blood from reaching her heart. Now, a cybernetic clamp filters it,
but the silver streaks swirling faintly beneath her skin are a constant
reminder that she’s different.






When nineteen-year-old Kaliope is chosen as head of the Nactue Guard, she
becomes the sworn protector to her empress. In the midst of an invasion on a
neighboring land, Kaliope is placed in charge of guarding Prince Caben, the
last heir to his kingdom. But when they’re attacked by the feared
Otherworlders, Caben and Kaliope are abducted and taken below to a realm where
they must fight for their life in a caged arena. 






Kaliope struggles to protect her princely charge, keeping him and herself alive
while battling inhumanly opponents, and trying to save the stolen, sacred relic
that will restore her empress’s life force and all of Cavan. And if she can
somehow awaken the goddess within her, she may save what’s most important.












***Excerpt***





I open my mouth to say something comforting, but I’m unsure of what. In this moment, I’m reminded that I know little about him. Other than the sarcasm and desire to understand nothing of my queendom, he hasn’t allowed me past the surface.
But then, I have my own walls, hiding things I’d never want him or any other to know. And I understand that need to hide them. You can’t trust anyone.
“Caben…” I start, but still can’t find the right words.
He lowers his hand from his face, never taking his eyes off the glinting water top. “You’re right,” he finally says. “Let’s find the access to Lilly’s section.”
A hollow pang hits my chest, and I’m not sure why. Something in his voice sounds lost, broken. I imagine the gears around my heart spinning faster, trying to keep up with my racing heart.
When he sidesteps me, I reach out and grab his arm. “Caben, I didn’t mean—”
“It’s fine, Kal,” he snaps. “We have work to do.”
“No, I’ve said something to offend you.” I drop my hand, but keep close to him, not allowing him to leave my side. Goddess, trying to understand the male brain is harder than anything in protector training. I’ve heard people say that you have to tip-toe around a woman’s emotions, but a man’s ego is every bit as fragile, if not more so.
He releases a heavy breath through his nose and walks back to the pool. He sits down along the edge and rolls up his pants, then slips off his boots. “I honestly don’t think Bax or his goons will be returning tonight.” He sinks his bare feet into the water and sighs.
Glancing at the back of the cave, I plant my hands on my hips. We don’t have time for indulgencies, but the prince is still my charge. If it were my empress, I’d give her anything she’d ask for. Allow her as much time as she needed to collect herself. I have to watch over his mental state as well as protect him, so I try to push the pending need to find Lilly aside and sit down next to him.
“Here,” he says, turning his hand out near my crossed feet. “You have to feel this.”
A smile tugs at the corner of my mouth. “I can remove my own—”
“Have you never been pampered a day in your life?” he asks, lifting an eyebrow. “I know that the Nactue are fierce and will put a hurt on any man for touching them. But try to relax.”
“Is that the rumor in Perinya?”
“What?”
I bite my lip, suddenly regretting my blurt. “Nothing. Never mind.”
From the corner of my eye, I see his lips pucker into a pinched smile, as if he’s trying not to. “Ah,” he says, like he’s made some great universal connection. “Well, there are many whisperings about the Nactue. Some I dare not repeat for fear I’d leave here missing a limb, but that’s one, yes.” He takes my booted foot and begins to unlace it. “I’ve heard that the empress’s protectors are untouchable—forbidden to give themselves to men. And that they’ll snap a man’s neck just for making an advance.”
My mouth drops open. Appalled, I counter, “That’s not true.”
“All right,” he says, as if he hasn’t just insulted my very existence. “It’s only rumors. Things men jaw about in pubs. The unattainable woman is a fantasy, Kal. Don’t be offended.”
“Unattainable?” I grit my teeth, trying to maintain my composure. “Tell me, prince. Do men in your country just go around bedding every woman they can in order to keep them compliant?” I shake my head. “If their fantasy is a woman that would have nothing to do with them, it seems to me it’s their way of feeding their egos after being rejected.”
His eyes widen. “No! How does your brain come up with these—” He bites off his words, his lips thin as he presses them together. “Look, it was a joke.”
I nod, many times. “Another joke. I’m glad that our hard work and sacrifice is amusing to the men of Perinya.”
Caben lets out another sigh and slowly pulls off my boot. His warm fingers skim my calf as he inches up my pant leg. “Just stick your foot in,” he says, then adds lower, “while I stick mine in my mouth.”
Unexpectedly, I laugh. “At least it’s now clean,” I say. “Would you like some help getting it to your face?”






***GIVEAWAY***

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Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Review: Beautiful Bastard

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Beautiful Bastard (Beatiful Bastad #1) by Christina Lauren
Published: February 12th 2013
Publisher: Gallery Books
*eARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

An ambitious intern.
A perfectionist executive.
And a whole lot of name calling.

Whip-smart, hardworking, and on her way to an MBA, Chloe Mills has only one problem: her boss, Bennett Ryan. He's exacting, blunt, inconsiderate—and completely irresistible. A Beautiful Bastard.

Bennett has returned to Chicago from France to take a vital role in his family's massive media business. He never expected that the assistant who'd been helping him from abroad was the gorgeous, innocently provocative—completely infuriating—creature he now has to see every day. Despite the rumors, he's never been one for a workplace hookup. But Chloe's so tempting he's willing to bend the rules—or outright smash them—if it means he can have her. All over the office.

As their appetites for one another increase to a breaking point, Bennett and Chloe must decide exactly what they're willing to lose in order to win each other.

Originally only available online as The Office by tby789—and garnering over two million reads on fan fiction sites—Beautiful Bastard has been extensively updated for re-release.


I always had a little special spot for books that had the title somewhere along the book. You know, that fits into the characters thoughts? yep! So this one started with a right hand :) And also with what looks like a very good Main Character. “Become the person the CEO can’t live without. Be their right-hand man.” “I had become irreplaceable. And I’d definitely become the Right Hand. It just so happened that in this case, I was the right hand that most days wanted to slap the damn face. My boss, Mr. Bennett Ryan. Beautiful Bastard.” And wow... two lines in, and Mr. Ryan proves you that he totally deserves the title... When I started I was really excited, the firsts chapters are good and have some really nice quotes, and because he needs a description I’ll say yes to this: “ “Late” was a word not found in the Bennett Ryan Dickhead Dictionary. Along with “heart”, “kindness”, “compassion”, “lunch break”, or “thank you” “ Now, not many books can pull off the characters giving into the sexual tension from the start. And I’m afraid this one didn’t really did it for me. I loved Chloe at first. She’s witty and smart. Considering she slept (more like the F-word) her boss in the conference room,left him waiting his turn for the favor and says: “If this was someone else’s life I would be high-fiving them so hard.” I Wanted to high five her. And then... IT HAS DOUBLE POVS!! *cue Cyny was super happy right then* Problem? That’s as far as my excitement got. I enjoyed reading this, is a light and quick read. But as much as I tried, I couldn’t really care for the characters, and there’s no real plot to the story. They have sex, lots of it. And that’s it for them. He treated her like crap and we never really get a reason for it that actually makes sense. They couldn’t stay away... but I didn’t find an emotional connection for it, just sex... So, I get the different rating in goodreads. Was it good? No really... Did I enjoy it? Yeah in a way. So you should maybe give it a chance.

About The Authors
hristina & Lauren have been writing all kinds of stories together since 2009. This is not the first erotic romance they’ve ever written . . . but it is the first one under this name. Separated by the pesky state of Nevada, these co-author besties talk several times a day, agree that Ruby Pumps is the best nail polish color ever, and would, if given the choice, spend all day staring at the ocean from the San Clemente pier.

CWe don't respond to messages here, so please contact us via twitter or our site. Thank you!!

Monday, March 25, 2013

Book Promo + GIVEAWAY: Only Love

2:58 PM 0 Comments


Only Love (The Atonement Series)

Deirdre Bardot’s life changed almost one year ago when her father was run over by a drunk driver and his crime was never solved. In the last few months, she has ended therapy, found love in the arms of Colin van der Meer, her psychiatrist’s son, and they are now engaged to be married and are expecting.

A grave secret is revealed on a routine check-up and Deirdre, feeling lost and alone, flees her old life, leaving her fiancée and the city of her birth, Seattle. She quickly settles in La Jolla, California and meets her sexy—if not mysterious—next door neighbor, Drake O’Connell. After he proves he is more than just a good looking face when tragedy strikes Deirdre, she is left with one of the most terrifying decisions of her life.

Colin is back and he isn’t ready to take “no” for an answer. Although she still loves her former fiancée, she finds herself head over heels and slowly falling in, Deirdre has no choice but to make a decision: she can fight for the past and the world she knew or she can fight for an unknown future that could bring her more happiness than her heart can hold.

The Atonement series consists of the following books:

Atonement (Deirdre and Colin’s story)

Only Love (Deirdre, Drake and Colin’s story; March, 2013)

Only Time (Caitlyn and Liam’s story: May, 2013)

Only You (Drew and Aubrey’s story; July, 2013)

The books do not have to be read in order nor do they have to each be read to understand the series.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

ABOUT THE AUTHOR




Elle Chardou is a world traveler and author of several different series. Ms. Chardou is the author of The Ties That Bind Trilogy, The Atonement Series, The Hart Family Saga, The Vamp Saga, The Supernaturals, Beginnings: Book I (The Plague) series.
She is currently working on Only Time (The Atonement Series), and Queen of the Immortals, Book Three in The Vamp Saga.
Ms. Chardou has lived abroad in Stockholm (Sweden), Manchester (England), Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area and Portland. She currently resides in Las Vegas, Nevada.

CONTACT HER





Friday, March 22, 2013

REVIEW + GIVEAWAY: THE CHOSEN ONES

12:04 PM 0 Comments
Goodreads
The Chosen Ones (The Lost Souls #1) by Tiffany Truitt
Published June 12th 2012 
Publisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC
**E-copy provided by the publisher for review**


Life is bleak but uncomplicated for sixteen-year-old Tess, living in a not-too-distant future where the government, faced with humanity's extinction, created the Chosen Ones, artificial beings who are extraordinarily beautiful, unbelievably strong, and unabashedly deadly.

When Tess begins work at Templeton, a Chosen Ones training facility, she meets James, and the attraction is immediate in its intensity, overwhelming in its danger. But there is more to Templeton than Tess ever knew. Can she stand against her oppressors, even if it means giving up the only happiness in her life?

Let's start by the cover, shall we? I mean, the contrast between the girl and the floor are really good. And I love the font for the tittle. So, good cover, a good start for me.

And now the book... wow.

I absolutely love this book. The world building is fantastic and Tiffany Truitt makes an excellent job at writing the feelings that had me hooked from page one. The world of The Chosen Ones is an interesting scary place I couldn't get out from.

When I started this book, I had to take a second. This world that was presented to me in page one was a disturbing place.Tess is a Natural. A human. A week being that shouldn't have feelings at all. She lives at a compound, along with the rest of her community, protected by the Chosen Ones, artificial beings created to be soldiers and fight a war that has destroyed not only the country but people's hope.

"The absence of hope was the worst plague that ever ravaged my people"

Humanity is damned. They can't feel any emotions because it makes them week. Music, books, art and love is against the rules. Women are to blame for everything. They are the cause to this week state, so the oldest girl in every family must serve to Templeton, a training facility for the Chosen Ones for 3 years after they turn sixteen.

When Tess' older sister, Emma, dies at childbirth she must take her place and she does so willingly. She taught herself to bury every kind of emotion she ever felt and she's determined she will live, she won't make the same mistake her sister did. She won't fall in love.

In some ways, this made it a bit hard to relate to Tess, she doesn't give us an insight to her feelings right away, because she doesn't acknowledged them at all. But on the other hand, you can see that a part of her wants to fight back.

"The only time I would let them own my voice."

Her development through the book is great. I love her from page one and once she started working at Templeton and she meets James, is a whole new world in her eyes that kept me reading at night.

James is a Chosen One. He's trained to kill. He was taught he's better than a natural. And at the same time, he loves all that the rules say is bad. He has music and books.
His relationship with Tess has a steady pace and the reactions are real, they are going against everything they were ever told and I really liked that about the relationship. And the heated moments? Perfects.

Can you imagine living in a world without music or books, without feelings and love? The Chosen Ones made me feel lost.., and hope. Scared... and excited. I was angry, I wanted to fight back this organization that treated humans and women like were nothing. But most importantly I feel in love with it's characters and story. The ending was heartbreaking. I'm really looking forward to read the next one.

Get the book:


Now for the Giveaway!! 
The ebook will be sent by Entangled. Contest is open internationally. 


About Tiffany Truitt


Tiffany Truitt was born in Peoria, Illinois. A self-proclaimed Navy brat, Tiffany spent most of her childhood living in Virginia, but don’t call her a Southerner. She also spent a few years living in Cuba. Since her time on the island of one McDonalds and Banana Rats (don't ask), she has been obsessed with traveling. Tiffany recently added China to her list of travels (hello inspiration for a new book).

Besides traveling, Tiffany has always been an avid reader. The earliest books she remembers reading belong to The Little House on the Prairie Series. First book she read in one day? Little Woman (5th grade). First author she fell in love with? Jane Austen in middle school. Tiffany spent most of her high school and college career as a literary snob. She refused to read anything considered "low brow" or outside the "classics."

Tiffany began teaching middle school in 2006. Her students introduced her to the wide, wonderful world of Young Adult literature. Today, Tiffany embraces popular Young Adult literature and uses it in her classroom. She currently teaches the following novels: The OutsidersSpeakNight, Dystopian Literature Circles: The Hunger GamesThe GiverThe Uglies, and Matched.

Saturday, March 16, 2013

COVER REVEAL: STRIPPED

12:03 AM 0 Comments
Stripped
Release Date: 05/14/13
Cover designed by: Lisa Poff Photography
Cover reveal organized by: YA Bound

Summary from Goodreads:
“I like you.” His voice is low and soft, which I don’t deserve. I look away, down the rutted parking lot.
“Don’t…waste those words on me.”
He touches my cheek. “You just need someone to show you.”
“No.” I ease back again. “I don’t. So please, Torrin, stop trying to swoop in and save me. I don’t need saving.”

College freshman Quinn Montgomery will do anything to avoid the mistake her sister made—killing herself over a boy. But when she is forced into nude modeling at a local college to support her family after a bankruptcy, she begins to crack, just enough to let Torrin, the university’s top varsity oarsman, see that the real Quinn is not as feisty and unapproachable as she wants everyone to think. But letting someone in comes at a steep cost and, it turns out, Torrin is connected to Quinn’s family in more ways than she could ever imagine.

About the Author
Brooklyn Skye is an author, editorial intern, and just your average awkward girl (especially on the phone!). Her new adult debut, STRIPPED, releases May 2013!

Follow Brooklyn at:

Click HERE to sign up to participate in the blog tour for Stripped.

***GIVEAWAY***
Enter below to win a signed hardcopy of STRIPPED (if U.S. winner) or an e-copy with Authorgraph (if international winner)
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Friday, March 15, 2013

Book Blast: After the Ending

4:00 AM 2 Comments


After the Ending
Lindsey Fairleigh and Lindsey Pogue
Sci-Fi / Dystopian
Date Published: 2/22/13


The Virus spread. Billions died. The Ending began. We may have survived the apocalypse, but the Virus changed us.

When people started getting sick, “they” thought it was just the flu. My roommate, my boyfriend, my family…they’re all gone now. I got sick too. I should have died with them—with the rest of the world—but I didn’t. I thought witnessing the human population almost disappear off the face of the earth was the craziest thing I’d ever experience. I was so wrong. My name is Dani O’Connor, I’m twenty-six-years-old, and I survived The Ending.

The Virus changed everything. The world I knew is gone, and life is backwards. We’ve all had to start over. I’ve been stripped of my home, my dreams…all that is me. I’m someone else now— broken and changed. Other survivors’ memories and emotions haunt me. They invade my mind until I can no longer separate them from my own. I won’t let them consume me. I can’t. My name is Zoe Cartwright, I’m twenty-six-years-old, and I survived The Ending.

We’ve been inseparable for most of our lives, and now our friendship is all we have left. The aftermath of the Virus has stranded us on opposite sides of the United States. Trusting strangers, making sacrifices, killing—we’ll do anything to reach one another. Fear and pain may be unavoidable, but we’re strong…we’re survivors. But to continue surviving in this unfamiliar world plagued by Crazies and strange new abilities, we have to adapt. We have to evolve.

EXCERPT

Looking around apprehensively, I made my way toward the convenience store in hopes of finding a bathroom. The vacant world around me was eerily silent. All I could hear was the creaking of a giant wooden billboard being assaulted by the wind. How long has it been since anyone was here? Through the dark windows I saw a bathroom sign that looked promising, but I couldn’t bring myself to enter. I wonder if it’s safe…

As I stood outside of the store, I noticed a newspaper box still filled with papers. I leaned closer. The headline read, BILLIONS DEAD, and the paper was dated December 9, right before everything had started to shut down. I inserted a quarter and snatched out a paper. Scanning its contents, my mouth grew dry and my body stiffened.

…the H1N1/12 pandemic…
…looting and riotous outbreaks everywhere…
…end of civilization as we know it…
…survivors losing their minds…
…governments can’t control…
…the Apocalypse…

The newspaper slipped from between my fingers. Frozen in place, I was suffocated by the reality of our situation.
This isn’t going away.
The world ended. Thinking of the strange feelings I’d been experiencing, I once again questioned my own sanity. My thoughts were too loud to silence. My heart thudded, and I couldn’t swallow the lump in my throat. Looking out into the abandoned world around me, I realized how alone we really were. I bent down to reclaim the paper and turned on my heels to head back toward the truck, completely awestruck as the words I’d read replayed in my mind. Each was a reminder that the only world I’d ever known had ended.


Author Bio:

Lindsey Fairleigh lives her life with one foot in a book—as long as that book transports her to a magical world or bends the rules of science. Her novels, from post-apocalyptic to time travel and historical fantasy, always offer up a hearty dose of unreality, along with plenty of adventure and romance. When she’s not working on her next novel, Lindsey spends her time reading and trying out new recipes in the kitchen. She lives in the Napa Valley with her loving husband and confused cats.

Lindsey Pogue has always been a little creative. As a child she established a bug hospital on her elementary school soccer field, compiled books of collages as a teenager, and as an adult, expresses herself through writing. Her novels are inspired by her observations of the world around her—whether she’s traveling, people watching, or hiking. When not plotting her next storyline or dreaming up new, brooding characters, Lindsey’s wrapped in blankets watching her favorite action flicks or going on road trips with her own leading man.




Buy Links
Kindle book on Amazon *Kindle Version will be FREE 3/15 - 3/17*

Reading Addiction Blog Tours

Sunday, March 10, 2013

BLOG TOUR + GIVEAWAY: POISON ME

4:00 AM 1 Comments

Poison Me by Cami Checketts
Jake Merrill was raised by his grandmother, Ruby, and her hilarious friends. After a suspicious death at the retirement home where Ruby lives, she enlists Jake and Chanel, the beautiful activities director, to help her find the killer.

But secrets Ruby has kept for decades threaten her family and the man she’s always loved but could never have. Chanel’s unstable ex-boyfriend, a presumably dead relative, and vicious criminals add to the confusion. Time is running out as Jake, Chanel, and Ruby desperately search for clues to solve the murders and fight to save those they love.

Praise for Poisen Me

Poison Me made me laugh out loud and thoroughly enjoy myself. I wish I had a friend like Ruby! Snappy dialogue, romance, and a strong sense of family made this book well worth reading.

Rachel Ann Nunes, bestselling author of Line of Fire and Before I Say Goodbye


Excerpt

Jake studied Chanel for a moment and then turned to Ellie with a warning glance. “Don’t even think about it, Aunt Ellie. I’d rather take you to dinner.”
Ellie laughed. “I’m flattered, dear, but Marissa informs me I’m too old.”
“Darn right,” Marissa said. “Disgusting the way you throw yourself at the boy.”
Ellie chuckled. “At least I have fun,” she said, then hollered, “Chanel? Get out here and meet Ruby’s grandson.”
Ruby watched the interchange with trepidation. How would Jake handle Ellie’s interference? Would he ever allow himself to fall in love again?
“Aunt Ellie,” Jake said under his breath. “Stop, please.”
Chanel glanced at Ellie and held up a finger.
“I can find my own dates.” Jake jammed a hand through his dark hair.
Ellie grinned. “I’m sure you can, but you never involve me, and you know how I hate to be left out.”
He crossed his arms and frowned, not answering. Ruby wished Ellie would leave him alone, but someday he’d have to put himself back in the dating market. What better time than now? Chanel was a darling girl.
Seconds later, Chanel hung up the phone and walked to their table. Her eyes flickered to Jake before she focused on Ellie. She pulled a bit of her hair forward, shadowing the large birthmark that started at the corner of her left eye and disappeared on her forehead beneath her gold-highlighted hair. “Good morning, ladies. Can I do something for you?”
“You sure can.” Ellie jabbed her finger at Jake. “We need you to take this fine young man off our hands.”
Jake’s face darkened. Ruby waited, wondering if he would explain he wasn’t dating and probably never would be. Instead he plastered on a smile and stood to shake the activities director’s hand. “I’m Jake and these sweet—” he stared pointedly at Ellie “—ladies are giving you a hard time.”




Author Cami Checketts

Cami is a part-time author, part-time exercise consultant, part-time housekeeper, full-time wife, and overtime mother of four adorable boys. Sleep and relaxation are fond memories. She's never been happier.
A portion of the proceeds from Cami's books will be donated to The Child & Family Support Center. For more information on this worthy cause, please go to www.cachecfsc.org

Book Blog
Fitness Blog
Facebook
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Blog Tour Giveaway
$50 doTERRA Oil basket and $35 wholesale membership, $50 Kate Ryan Skincare GC, $50 Amazon GC.  Ends 3/30/13



Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
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Friday, March 8, 2013

COVER REVEAL + GIVEAWAY: LOST IN YOU

5:00 AM 0 Comments
Coming May 1st
Cover by Sarah Hansen ~ OkayCreations.net



Lost in You



Ryan Stone is a less than average teenager. He doesn’t have fancy clothes. He doesn’t carry around the latest smartphone and he definitely doesn’t have an MP3 player. Instead, he goes to school, does his chores and dreams of a new life away from Brookfield where he’s expected to follow in his blue collar family’s footsteps. 

Hadley Carter is America’s Pop Princess. A successful recording artist living her dream with a sold-out tour and a handful of Grammy’s there isn’t much that she wants for, except love. But finding love on the road is near impossible when all she longs for are romantic dinners, a nighttime stroll on the beach and holding hands with someone who isn’t going to exploit her. 

When a chance encounter introduces Ryan to Hadley, will he be like her adoring fans looking for a way in, or will it be Hadley who pursues Ryan even though it might cost her the only career she's ever known.

Lost in You is a story about following your dreams, taking risks and getting lost in love. 



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About Heidi:




Heidi is the author of USA Today, Digital Book World, Amazon and Barnes & Noble Bestselling novel, Forever My Girl

Originally from the Pacific Northwest, she now lives in picturesque Vermont, with her husband and two daughters. Also renting space in their home is an over-hyper Beagle/Jack Russell and two Parakeets.

During the day Heidi is behind a desk talking about Land Use. At night, she's writing one of the many stories planned for release or sitting court-side during either daughter's basketball games.



USA Today Bestseller - Forever My Girl - Amazon | Barnes & Noble 



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Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Cover Reveal: The Liberator

3:30 PM 0 Comments
Hello LOVES!!

OMG we're so excited to bring this cover reveal to you today, because we'e talking about none other than Mr. Dante Walker!!

*Fan girl moment*

So, with only 27 days left to get our hands on Mr. Dante, and we know we can't wait to get here already, we get to see what his next book will look like!

Be ready to swoon...


So what do you think??? 

Cover Reveal: The Space Between Us

3:23 PM 0 Comments


The Space Between(Book One in The Book of Phoenix Series)
By Kristie Cook
Release Date: April 5, 2013
Genre: New Adult Paranormal Romance

When Life Falls to Pieces, Answers Lie in the Space Between
After a month-long dance tour through Italy, 20-year-old Leni Drago returns to Georgia to care for her great-uncle, only to find him gone, the home they shared empty and any evidence he ever existed wiped out. All that’s left is a journal she can’t open.

Jeric Winters has been searching for a piece of his past for over a year, only to reach a dead-end in Georgia. When an urgent and magnetic pull draws him out of his hotel room, he comes face-to-face with the beautiful dancer who’s been haunting his dreams day and night.

Jeric’s one to stay away from—a bad-boy, hit-it-and-quit-it type—but Leni can’t escape the fervent feelings between them. As their own existences begin to crumble around them and shadowy forms that are more monsters than men attack, they realize there’s more to the connection between them than physical fascination.

To solve the riddle their lives have become, they must embark on a journey that requires them to face their pasts and release their true souls. And they must do it fast—dark ones from another world are closing in, intent on killing them. Permanently.


Excerpt:


LENI – The overhead lights fell dark for the last time as I opened the dressing room door. The back exit stood open at the end of the hall, allowing in enough light from the streetlamp outside to show my way. I inhaled slowly, cherishing the musty smell of an old theater mixed with the odor of dancers’ sweat and the fragrance of white roses. I silently said my goodbyes as my feet carried me outside.
“Thank you, Uncle Theo,” I whispered as I left the theater for the last time. Only because of him did I even have this opportunity. I couldn’t wait to tell him all about it.
A large, muscular body flew at me, swept me into his arms and twirled me around as though we were still on stage. Laughter bubbled out of my chest.
“You ready to celebrate, cara mia?” Alberto asked as he set me down.
“Celebrate that you’re finally getting rid of me?” I teased. 
He clapped his hand over his heart, and his face fell into an exaggerated expression of pain. “Oh, Leni, you do not know how I will miss you and your mane.”
He swatted playfully at the bottom of my curls. He had no idea how I would miss the way he said my name, drawing out both syllables, “laaaay-kneee,” like only an Italian could do.
“But you won’t miss my heels on your toes or my arm in your face?” I said in mock disbelief.
He took my hand and danced me down the cobbled street toward the plaza at the center of town. “You are a stunning dancer, cara mia. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.” He spun me under his arm, my duffle bag banging me in the butt the whole time. “Of course, you have become much better since becoming my partner. But everyone does.”
He winked at me before dropping me into a dip. My bag slid off my shoulder and a hand darted beneath me to catch it. Alberto swung me up and around so that I came face-to-face with the most unbelievably stunning vision I’d seen my whole time in Italy. Which was saying a lot. His eyes—blue, I thought, though the light from the corner post wasn’t enough to be sure—enraptured me. He held my bag out with a small smile that hinted at dimples.
“Grazie,” I said breathlessly as I wrapped my hand around the strap of my bag. He gave me a nod almost deep enough to be a bow, his shaggy blond hair falling in his face. Then, without a word, he turned and walked away. My mouth fell open. “How rude.”
“Must be American,” Alberto said. I punched him in the arm.
“Who goes out of their way to catch a falling object and then can’t even say ‘you’re welcome’?” I asked absent-mindedly as I stared after the retreating body that rivaled Alberto’s. No, scratch that. It totally beat out Alberto’s even on his best day.
“What an ass,” Alberto muttered.
“Rude, yes, but I don’t know if I’d go that far.”
“No, I mean what an ass that man has.” He let out a low whistle.
I laughed and admired the view as well. “I can agree with that.”
“He’s going to Alonzo’s. Lucky us.”
~ ~ ~
JERIC – I flipped to the picture I’d drawn a couple of weeks ago during my search in Italy. I’d woken from a dream, one I’d been having for years, and as I had previously, I’d felt the need to sketch the girl who had me waking with a painful boner. Now that I’d met her in real life, I couldn’t deny the girl in my sketches was Leni—curly hair, exotic green eyes, full lips and breasts, her skin … as if the absolute best features of both African and European blood had been blended together and given to her. The Leni I’d just met would probably never wear the leather bra, miniskirt, and knee-high boots I’d drawn her in, but damn if she wouldn’t look hot in them. The vision came to me clearly. Too clearly. I had to place the book over my lap to hide the full-blown wood pressing against my jeans.
I needed a distraction. I needed to get her out of my head. I bought several little airline bottles of rum and dumped them in my Coke, but they weren’t enough to blur the image of Leni’s face in my mind. When the smoking hot flight attendant ran her finger over my arm then dropped a napkin with a message on my tray (“Meet me upstairs?”), I couldn’t resist. I snuck up the spiral staircase to the empty upper level and found her in the bathroom wearing nothing but heels and thigh-high stockings, tendrils of bottle-bleached hair barely hiding her fake tits. Flight attendants like this had made me a lifetime member of the mile-high club—they wanted nothing more than something to make the transatlantic flight more interesting. My perfect kind of girl.
Unfortunately, my eyes only saw Leni’s body under my hands.



About The Author:

Kristie Cook is a lifelong writer in various genres, from marketing communications to fantasy fiction. Besides writing, she enjoys reading, cooking, traveling and riding on the back of a motorcycle. She has lived in ten states, but currently calls Southwest Florida home with her husband, three teenage sons, a beagle and a puggle.