Friday, August 29, 2014

Dissonance


Dissonance

Dissonance Series Book 1
By: Drew Elyse
Self Published
Release August 25, 2014
Kindle Edition
316 pages

Synopsis

The first time Logan ever saw Charlotte, she was staring up into the rain.
Logan is searching for direction when his new roommate makes that entrance. With a body of pure sin, giant bright eyes, and the voice of an angel, she has his attention immediately. But everything about Charlotte is also screaming "hands off."
Charlotte is hiding. She made a life of pretending, and she is happy to keep it that way. Physically and emotionally scarred by the secrets of her past, the last thing she needs is a gorgeous roommate asking all the wrong questions. Their mutual attraction and devotion to music may be too strong to keep him at arms length, though.
Can they find a way to resolve the dissonance between them?

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I went into this book blind. I sometimes just want to NOT know what a book is about before reading.  I went in with eyes and mind open.

We have all read the books out there with alpha men and "broken" girls. But this books was just a little different than that.  From the moment Logan laid eyes on Charlotte, he knew...she was his future.  Unfortunately his best friend, Charlotte's brother, said that she was off limits.  Logan had a few "friends with benefits" and hadn't really foreseen much of a wife and kids kinda future.  But that all changed once his eyes met her. Logan was a strong character but had such a soft side.  He was "alpa" when he needed to be (wink wink)!

Charlotte had a past.  We all do, but her's was deeply hidden.  Her brother and best friend didn't even know what was going on.  She kept her feelings, problems and nightmares to herself.  She struggled with wanting to be with Logan and sharing her past but was so desperately afraid to lose him or be worthy of him.

She tries to deny the pull between her and Logan but sometimes, these things can't be denied.

I really enjoyed watching this relationship blossom, but my heart broke for them a few times throughout the book. I just wanted Charlotte to open up to Logan and share her past with him. I did find myself yelling at my kindle a few time..."just tell him...he will understand!"

My only dislike in this book was...it was written in third person and I prefer more dialogue, but Drew really made me understand what they were feeling and thinking so I was able to overlook it most of the time.  

I am a big music listener. Music is a big part of the relationship with Logan and Charlotte. Drew begins many of the chapters with songs.  I love to put music on in the background when reading.  She introduced some really amazing songs..."Bring your love to me" by The Avett Brothers is now one of my favorites!

I am looking forward to reading the story of Charlotte's brother, Eli and her best friend Alex. There is no cliffhanger in this book but hoping we see a little more of Logan and Charlotte in the future.

4/5 stars

Amazon link to Dissonance

http://tinyurl.com/oy7jtce


                                                                      Author Bio





Drew graduated from Loyola University Chicago with a BA in English. She was born and raised in Chicago, IL, and still lives there with her boyfriend, a rabbit named Lola, and a bird named... birdie.
Besides writing, she loves reading, music, and crafting. She has a slightly-less-than-healthy obsession with all things Disney, and is an avid fan of the Chicago Blackhawks.




Wednesday, August 20, 2014

With the release of On the Record in a few short days, Kyla would like to share the cover for the final book in The Record Series - FOR THE RECORD, scheduled for release on November 18, 2014. Isn't it gorgeous?! Who's excited about this series - we want to hear from you! Blurb to come after the release of On the Record so stay tuned for more to come!!!
for the record
AboutTheAuthorKA LindeNEW USA Today bestselling author K.A. Linde has written the Avoiding series and the Record series as well as the new adult novels Following Me and Take Me for Granted. She grew up as a military brat traveling the United States and Australia. While studying political science and philosophy at the University of Georgia, she founded the Georgia Dance Team, which she still coaches. Post-graduation, she served as the campus campaign director for the 2012 presidential campaign at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. An avid traveler, reader, and bargain hunter, K.A. lives in Athens, Georgia, with her fiancé and two puppies, Riker and Lucy.

READ THE SERIES♥ Book 1 - Off the Record Book 2 - On the Record Pre-Order Book 3 - For the Record

Hard Knox


HARD KNOX- The Outsider Chronicles, #1
By: Nicole Williams
Self Published
New Adult/Adult Contemporary
Released August 12, 2014
Kindle Edition
310 pages

Knox Jagger. The name inspires resent in every male at Sinclair University, want in every female, and contempt in Charlie Chase.
Charlie can be summed up in three words: independent, independent, and independent. To Charlie, Knox epitomizes everything that’s wrong with college males: prolific one-night stands, drunken senseless fights, and a body that hints at prioritizing gym time over study time.
As an up-and-coming writer for Sinclair University’s newspaper, Charlie’s tasked with getting to the bottom of who’s been dropping little white pills into girls’ drinks at parties. In an ocean of All-American boys sporting polo shirts and innocent smiles, Knox is the obvious suspect. As evidence piles up against the bad boy of Sinclair, Charlie becomes more and more certain it isn’t Knox. But when her drink is dosed at a party and she wakes up on Knox’s couch the next morning, Charlie’s left with more questions than answers when it comes to Knox Jagger.
How can Charlie ever hope to uncover the truth behind a guy so closed off he’s become . . .
Hard Knox.

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I became a fan of Nicole Williams when she wrote the Crash Series. This series is a little different.  I love a great college aged romance, but this book has a little more "reality" to it than many books out there.  Yes, there's the good girl/bad boy pairing which we have seen before.  But this bad boy is just a little different, as is our good girl. 

Let me tell you about the fascinating characters in this story.

Charlie Chase, she isn't the naive virgin girl we often read about.  Yes, she a virgin, but she's not hiding from everyone. She's proud to let the entire Sinclair University know about her intact virginity via the school newspaper. Charlie is a journalism major and is always "looking for a story".  She attends frat parties under the ruse she's, well, there to party. However, she is there to observe how often party goers visit the keg for a future article on binge drinking.  She's sounds barrel of fun, huh? But she actually keeps me laughing throughout the entire book.

One of the peculiarities of Charlie that I loved was she has a habit of wearing t-shirts with silly sayings on them, ."No Daddy Issues or Low Self-Esteem Here", "On The Prowl for my Next Baby Daddy" shirt. She's determined to be an independent woman, who takes care of herself. Charlie's mom often says to her throughout the book;

"Just because you pride yourself on being independent doesn't mean you have to go it alone." and she fights the need for help and friendship from Knox for quite a while. 

Beckett Farrell, aka Beck. Beck is the all american guy, gorgeous, athletic, wealthy, and popular.  Exactly what every girl wants in a college boyfriend, right? Well, not Charlie, she ended their relationship because he was "too good" on paper, no grit, not that she's looking for a bad boy, but maybe a little mixture of good and bad.  He comes in and out of the story.  He's not supportive of the budding friendship between Charlie and Knox.

Jagger Knox, the myth, the legend, the fantasy. The way Charlie explains him is best...

"The icon, the man, the legend...the guy who was earning a memorial statue in the bad boy hall of fame."

He has a reputation. He's known for having girls, many girls, put their panties with their phone number written-on them,  in his back pocket at parties and he see's which panties he likes the best, and well, she wins the "Jagger Knox lottery" that night. Charlie has no interest in winning that payout.

Charlie is drugged, twice, and Knox is the one to save her and keep her safe.  She wakes up in his bed, the morning after, feeling sick and out of whack.  But who is there to hold her hair as throws up?  Who encourages her to go to the hospital?  You got it, the "bad boy" Knox. He becomes her protector and knight in shining amour more than once.

Charlie alerts her professor of the drugging and the professor believes that Knox is in fact, the bad boy that everyone believes, but even worse, he's a drug dealer. Her professor believes Knox the one who is supplying all the fraternities with the drugs.  But the journalist in Charlie doesn't believe that. Her professor assigns her an article to prove that Knox is a drug dealer. But as she becomes friends with Knox she begins to see a side of him that no one else sees.  Is he a "good" boy stuck in a "bad" boy persona?  As the story continues, the relationship between Charlie and Knox is about friendship, companionship and yes, a budding romance. But will she ever be "that girl", who slips her undies in Knox's back pocket?

Charlie is determined to show her professor, her ex-boyfriend Beck, the entire student body at Sinclair University and Knox that what you see is not always what you get.

Charlie,
 "...I'm half as good as you think I am, and you're half as bad as you've convinced yourself you are."

"How can you fit every single stereotype and yet not be the stereotype is beyond me."

One of the many reasons I enjoyed this book was Charlie's quick wit...

Charlie  to Beck
 "And what occasion must you rise to before you can wear the distinguished title of president?" (of his fraternity)

Beck: "It's not so much about rising to the occasion as it is to completing a challenge."

Charlie: "Why must all of you frat guys talk like your James Bond and you've got five seconds to diffuse a bomb before it obliterates the entire world?"

and the part that made me crack up hysterically...

Charlie, "My panties, thank you very much, are not, and will not, nor will they ever wind up in your back pocket for you to staple to your bedroom wall."

Knox, "Why? Because you don't wear any?"

Charlie, "Because I wear grannie panties. Giant ones. Old giant ones that have been worn and washed so much that the elastic is starting to fail. The kind with little white kittens batting at butterflies and daisies..."

Knox, "Sounds like just the thing my panty collage has been missing...I love kittens, and butterflies. And daisies."

As you can see the banter between Knox and Charlie is comical.  This continues throughout the story.

On a serious note, this book has an underlying issue that is facing our college age students everyday.  In 2009, nearly 15,000 American women and men ended up in the emergency room after being unwittingly, but intentionally, drugged by someone else. If every college student had the chance to read this book , I believe those numbers would decline significantly.  
http://consumer.healthday.com/general-health-information-16/drug-abuse-effect-news-211/drugs-slipped-into-drinks-sending-many-to-er-report-658779.html

This book offers great life lessons, romance, friendship, redemption and keeps you laughing throughout.  I believe that is rare in many books, but Nicole has done it with Hard Knox. 
4.5/5 stars


About the Author
I’m the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of the CRASH series (HarperTeen, S&S UK), LOST & FOUND series, UP IN FLAMES (S&S UK), The EDEN TRILOGY, and a handful of others. I write stories about everyday kinds of people who find themselves in extraordinary kinds of situations. I tell love stories with happy endings because I believe in making the world a better place, and that’s one tiny way I can make it so. I’m one of those people who still believe in true love and soul mates, and would rather keep my head in the clouds any day over having my feet firmly on the ground.




Purchase links:








Wednesday, August 13, 2014

COVER REVEAL

Seductive Nights Series
by Lauren Blakely

Release Date: November 11, 2014

Free Prequel Novella Release Date: October 21, 2014


Lauren Blakely is well known for writing sexy, heartfelt and humorous contemporary romance as well as deeply emotional new adult stories -- one commonality in all her books is the scorching hot sexy times. And these new books are absolutely no different!

Jack Sullivan and Michelle Milo's story will be told in 2 books – the free prequel novella ONE NIGHT WITH HER and the novel NIGHTS WITH HIM.

The Seductive Nights erotic romance series continues with a new installment starring a new couple later this fall! While the first four books in the series followed Julia and Clay, the next two will be about Michelle and Jack, and can be read without having read the earlier books. (Though, why wouldn't you want to read about Clay and Julia?!)

Lauren is releasing a free prequel novella called ONE NIGHT WITH HER on October 21 about the night they meet and the mind-blowing encounter they have in a New York City hotel. 
The novel itself, NIGHTS WITH HIM will release on Nov. 11. 


ABOUT NIGHTS WITH HIM:
A sensual, sexy, standalone romance novel in the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Seductive Nights Series by Lauren Blakely...

Jack Sullivan is a Sex Toy Mogul.

An extremely eligible bachelor in New York, he’s the full package, right down to his full package. Hell, this man could be the model for one of the toys his company, Joy Delivered, peddles. Instead, he’s the powerful and successful CEO and he’s got commitment issues a mile-long after the tragic way his relationship with his fiancĂ©e ended.

He’s looking for a way to erase the pain and that arrives in the form of Michelle Milo. From her pencil skirts to her high heels, she’s his perfect fantasy, especially since she has no idea who he is the night they meet at a hotel bar. He doesn’t have a clue either that she’s the brilliant psychologist his sister has arranged for him to see to help him get over his past. She’s simply the stunning woman he takes to bed that night and delivers many Os of joy too.

His touch helps her forget that other man.

When he shows up at her office door the next day, there’s no way in hell she’s going to treat him after they’ve slept together. Jack isn’t willing to let go of the first woman he’s felt anything for in years so he proposes a deal – share her nights with him for thirty days. At the end of one month of exquisite pleasure, they walk away, having helped each other move on from their haunted pasts.

But soon, all those nights threaten to turn into days as the lines between lust and matters of the heart start to blur. Can two people so terribly afraid of love truly fall head over heels?

**NIGHTS WITH HIM is a standalone full-length novel in the bestselling SEDUCTIVE NIGHTS series following the love affair of a new couple.**

iBooks Preorder: http://bit.ly/WGs1zM

About Lauren Blakely:
Lauren Blakely writes sexy contemporary romance novels with heat, heart, and humor, and her books have appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iBooks bestseller lists. Like the heroine in FAR TOO TEMPTING, she thinks life should be filled with family, laughter, and the kind of love that love songs promise. Lauren lives in California with her husband, children, and dogs. Her novels include Caught Up In Us, Pretending He’s Mine, Playing With Her Heart, and Trophy Husband. She also writes for young adults under the name Daisy Whitney.


Links:


Monday, August 11, 2014

How to Kill Your Boss: An Erotic Love Story

How to Kill Your Boss: An Erotic Love Story
By: Krissy Daniels
Published by: Lyrical Press
July 21, 2014
Kindle Edition
244 pages

When Tatum's daydreams of murder become a reality, all fingers point to her.
In Tatum Wood's opinion, murdering her boss on a daily basis within the safety of her thoughts is better than therapy. Until he takes a swan dive off a building and all evidence points to her.  Thank goodness she has Franklin Reed.  Her mysterious, overprotective and drop dead gorgeous coworker is all too eager to play hero. With two attacks in her building and her stalker with a penchant for roses, Franklin's injection into her life couldn't have come at a better time.
As Tatum and Franklin scramble to discover who's behind the murder, secrets are unearthed that question his motives...as well as his identity.

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Just the title of this book made me want to read it!  Haven't we all had a boss before who we wouldn't have been too unhappy to meet and early demise?

This book was so clever...each chapter began with Tatum's daydreams on how to kill her boss...from pushing him off a cliff to poisoning his tea in the morning, Tatum has thought it all.  Her boss, Mr. Cruse was her father's good friend and gave her a job as a receptionist at this private investigator's office after he passed away. So as a family friend, she stayed at her job as an obligation. She doesn't love her job (or her boss obviously) but coming to work has just become a little more interesting.  Franklin Reed has just come on board.

Her first impression of Reed...

"My IQ dropped thirty points...There was good looking and there was gorgeous.  This man played in a league that put both of them to shame."

Tatum and Franklin become friends instantly, agreeing that Mr. Cruse is a jerk of a boss. Their friendship soon becomes a little more when Franklin invites Tatum out for a drink...one thing leads to another...

Tatum describes their first kiss as
"No way in hell would I remember any previous smooches after Franklin Reed's assault on my lips.  It wasn't slow and romantic. It definitely wasn't awkward or stymied by shyness. It was full on your mine, I'm going to eat you alive kind of kiss."

Their relationship becomes more and more difficult to hold back once Tatum's beloved neighbor is almost beaten to death.  Franklin is there to comfort her and keep her safe.  When Mr. Cruse is murdered, all the evidence points to Tatum.  The mysterious roses that keep showing up, the hooded man who keeps following her and the man on the motorcycle all become a threat to Tate and Franklin is there to keep her safe.

The love story between Tate and Franklin is hot and steamy and with each chapter you start to see their relationship become a blossoming love for each other.  Why is Franklin so hell bent on protecting Tate after just a few short weeks of working with her?

The little bit of sarcasm and silliness from Tate and the cocky arrogant behavior from Franklin made this book even better for me.

Some steamy romance, suspense and a few laughs, makes this an all around good book for me!

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reviewer was provided with an ARC for an honest review

Excerpt
Franklin tossed his cell at my feet, rolled down his window, and took a deep breath.Classified? “Who are you?” I swiveled to face him.His grim expression softened. Barely. “You know who I am.”“Who are you?” I asked again, more a demand than a question.“The man who keeps saving your ass.” He looked my way, and I got my first glance at his face. The skin surrounding his eye boasted several shades of purple and blue. His nose definitely didn’t look right, and three large scratches stretched from his left eye to below his cheekbone. Not bad for my first shot at kicking someone’s ass. Instinct urged me to reach over and offer comfort. I tucked my hand under my leg to keep it from such betrayal.“Why were men shooting at you?” I asked, unable to cloak the seething anger in my tone.“They weren’t.”“Now you’re not making sense.” I pulled on the door handle. “I’ll jump out if you don’t start talking. Why were men shooting at you?”“They weren’t aiming for me, Killer. You were the target.” Author Bio
Krissy is a full time writer, an avid reader, and lover of all things romance.
Growing up surrounded by the great outdoors, her childhood was full of adventure that fueled an overactive imagination and ignited a passion for storytelling. Whether it be dolls, or running free through the wooded areas surrounding her home, playtime always included a tormented villain, a damsel in distress and a larger than life hero.After relentless encouragement from friends and family, she finally put the characters in her head to pen and paper. The only thing she loves more than curling up with a steamy romance novel, is cozying up to her desk and writing her own sexy adventures to share with others. 

Buy Links
Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/How-Kill-Your-Boss-Erotic-ebook/dp/B00KIVAX1C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407261861&sr=8-1&keywords=how+to+kill+your+boss

 Barnes & Noble - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/how-to-kill-your-boss-krissy-daniels/1119617528?ean=9781616506230 Kobo - http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/how-to-kill-your-boss-an-erotic-love-story iTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/how-to-kill-your-boss-erotic/id881929275?mt=11 Google Play - https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Krissy_Daniels_How_to_Kill_Your_Boss_An_Erotic_Lov?id=-OOgAwAAQBAJ&hl=en
 

               

Friday, August 8, 2014

Perfectly Broken


Perfectly Broken
By: Prescott Lane
Self Published by Prescott Lane
March 1, 2014
Kindle Edition
279 Pages

Even after years of trauma therapy, Peyton still believes she’s broken. She has little desire to date or show off her natural beauty, content simply to hang out with her best friends and run her pie shop in New Orleans. But her world turns upside-down when a handsome architect and self-confessed player shows up in her shop and thinks she’s perfect, much more than the usual hook-up. While Peyton does her best to resist his charms, believing she could never be enough for him, she can’t deny the obvious heat between them. With Reed determined to have her, Peyton must decide whether to continue to hide behind her apron and baggy clothes or take a chance and share her scars with Reed, a man with a playboy reputation and scars of his own -- a dark past he can’t possibly share with Peyton, not after learning the horrors she’s endured. But if they can find a way to trust each other, and themselves, they just might be able to heal, to save each other, to live perfectly broken together.

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After years of not allowing her self to have a relationship, Peyton has found herself interested in a man.  Not just any man, but her BFF's boyfriend's best friend.  Perfect story huh? Well, it's not all rainbows and unicorns for Peyton and Reed.

Peyton has an amazing therapist who will make you laugh out loud and wish you had someone like Dr. Lorraine to talk to.  She has been trying for years to get Peyton to believe she is deserving of love and is not broken but Peyton just won't believe her.  Once she meets Reed, Peyton's rough exterior begins to break.

Upon meeting Reed, who comes with a reputation, she is instantly on guard. But Reed begins to pursue her, without being the "player" that he is.  He just wants to get to know her and Peyton finally relents and the relationship between them is a sweet loving story of, actually two, broken people finding themselves worthy of love. Is it the secret that Peyton won't share, her friendship with Griffin, her best friend's brother or Reed's past that will keep them from having a future?

With so many books out there with "damaged" characters you may think, "I have read this story a million times", but this book is a little different.  They both need to overcome some past issues to have any kind of a future.  They will need each other to heal.

Rating: 4/5
An ARC was received from RockStarLit PR for an honest review

Add to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20914273-perfectly-broken
Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Perfectly-Broken-Prescott-Lane-ebook/dp/B00IQYYYJ0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407274667&sr=8-1&keywords=perfectly+broken+by+prescott+lane
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Perfectly-Broken-Prescott-Lane-ebook/dp/B00IQYYYJ0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407274705&sr=8-1&keywords=perfectly+broken+prescott+lane


Excerpt:

 “Peyton can pick for you.”
“Yeah, she’s got some weird sixth sense about pie,” Bret said. “She can tell what pie you like just by looking at you.”
“We call it the ‘Pie Personality Gift,’” Quinn said.
“I think I’ll just take the apple,” Reed said.
“That’s no fun,” Peyton teased. “How about I give you the apple and also what I think you’d like, and then we’ll see?”
“Sure,” Reed said with a shrug. “How can you tell?”
“Let me see your hand,” Peyton said, a twinkle in her eyes.
“Are you some kind of palm reader?” Reed held out his hand and gave a smirk to Bret — as if this was the most ridiculous thing he’d ever done.
“It’s nice you do what you’re told,” Bret quipped.
Peyton slipped her hand into Reed’s, and a sudden electrical charge shot between them. She flinched at the contact, her baby blue eyes flying wide open, but he gently closed his fingers around hers, never letting slip a chance to hold a pretty girl’s hand, even if he didn’t believe any of her pie witchcraft bullshit. Quinn cleared her throat to voice her disapproval. But Peyton and Reed both ignored her, leaving Quinn to frown and grab a nearby table with Bret.
Reed studied her as she worked, or whatever the hell she was doing. She was a natural beauty — her baby blue eyes, long brown hair, and fair skin, without a stitch of makeup — a far cry from the overtly sexy model he usually went for. He memorized her perfect pink lips, knowing what they could do for him, and the curve of her neck, a silver locket dangling from it. He saw something else, too — at least he thought he did. There appeared to be some complication about her, some sadness behind her pretty eyes, something she was trying to hide. I could make you happy.
Peyton examined the shape and lines of his hands but found it hard to focus, a part of her wanting to run and hide, another wanting to run her hands through his dark, messy hair, to feel the slight stubble on his face, imagining his hands running down her body, her breasts against his washboard abs. Then she caught herself and drew a deep breath, her stomach churning, a million butterflies floating around. She looked up from his hands, into his steel blue eyes, shocked by her attraction to a man she knew nothing about. “You are devil’s food chocolate praline.”
“We’ll see.”

About Prescott Lane:
Prescott Lane is the author of First Position and her new release, Perfectly Broken. She is originally from Little Rock, Arkansas, and graduated from Centenary College with a degree in sociology. She went on to receive her MSW from Tulane University, after which she worked with developmentally delayed and disabled children. She married her college sweetheart, and they currently live in New Orleans with their two children and two crazy dogs. Prescott started writing at the age of five, and sold her first story about a talking turtle to her father for a quarter. She later turned to writing romance novels because there aren't enough happily ever afters in real life.
 Twitter: https://twitter.com/prescottlane1
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PrescottLane1
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7055470.Prescott_Lane

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Prescott-Lane/e/B00CRHJCZI/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1