Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Pieces of Lies by Angela Richardson

 So, I finished this book a few days ago and it still has me reeling, it's taken me all this time to find the words to say just to write this review. I will start off by saying that I was captivated from the very beginning. I was all over the place with this book. It's full of lies, deceit, angst and rivalry. I second guessed everything someone said, looking more into it than was really necessary just trying to catch them in a lie. One chapter I was all for one character and the next chapter I was against them, I was back and forth throughout the whole book.
Norah
Norah Ross was forced to leave NYU and attend McLaren University for her last semester of graphic design. All of this is bearable since her long time best friend, Josh also attends this school. As part of the deal that she attend McLaren University, she is set up in her own apartment, has her own car and anything and everything she could possible want. She agrees to all of this and tries to put her past behind her and move on. She starts to wonder if maybe her friendship with Josh could be more, she has started to notice him in a different way and her feelings for him have started to change. She thinks that he shares these same feelings by the way he looks at her or holds her when he hugs her.
Josh
Josh is trying to get into McLaren University's Secret Society "Lappell". He agrees to take Norah to these exclusive Lappell parties in the hopes of taking their relationship to the next level. This plan backfires once Norah meets Clint Weston, the team leader of Josh's Lappell Group. Clint has a reputation of being a ladies man and Norah has all intentions to steer clear of him, but he has other plans. Clint will do anything to get her attention, she isn't like any other girl he's met. Norah has passion and goes for what she wants and doesn't care what anyone else says or thinks.
Clint
Both of these guys are after her heart and Norah doesn't know which way to go. Josh has known her most of her life and accepts her for who she is, past and all, but the connection she has with Clint is unlike anything she has ever experienced. Norah also has to deal with her past and the things she left behind as they start to intertwine with the present. Lies and deceit are uncovered and Norah doesn't know who to trust or who she can turn to. She wants to follow her heart but is what she feeling really love or has she been manipulated into having these feelings. THEN....we are left with a cliffhanger!!! I'm not sure I can wait for the next book. I thought I would be happy with the way it ended then Angela threw a monkey wrench in there and I was like a 3 year old throwing a temper tantrum, lol.
 
 
 

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

700 Facebook Likes Giveaway!


A few weeks ago Ashley and I never thought we would reach 500 likes and here we are reaching 700 likes! Look out 1,000 here we come!!

In celebration of our accomplishment we are going to do a giveaway that revolves around the number 7. The giveaway will run for 7 days. We will select 7 winners to win an e-book of their choice that is $0.99 or less. Use the rafflecopter below to enter the giveaway. Once the giveaway is over we will post our winners on Facebook and also message you at the email you used when signing into the rafflecopter. You will have 48 hours to respond and confirm your email and your book selection.

Thanks to everyone that has helped up reach 700!!



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Monday, January 28, 2013

Taste by Kate Evangelista GIVEAWAY!!!

Ready for another giveaway??? I recently won an e-book copy of Taste by Kate Evangelista. I have already read it when we participated in the blog tour last month sooooo....Kate is letting us giveaway the copy that was intended for me to one lucky winner on our blog!

I loved Taste. It was way different than anything I had ever read. You can find my review here.

Don't want to read my review to see what I thought? Here is the synopsis, let's see if that catches your fancy, lol.

At Barinkoff Academy, there's only one rule: no students on campus after curfew. Phoenix McKay soon finds out why when she is left behind at sunset. A group calling themselves night students threaten to taste her flesh until she is saved by a mysterious, alluring boy. With his pale skin, dark eyes, and mesmerizing voice, Demitri is both irresistible and impenetrable. He warns her to stay away from his dangerous world of flesh eaters. Unfortunately, the gorgeous and playful Luka has other plans.

When Phoenix is caught between her physical and her emotional attraction, she becomes the keeper of a deadly secret that will rock the foundations of an ancient civilization living beneath Barinkoff Academy. Phoenix doesn’t realize until it is too late that the closer she gets to both Demitri and Luka the more she is plunging them all into a centuries old feud.


To enter for you chance to win a e-book copy of Taste use the rafflecopter below. The winner will be contacted once the giveaway is over and will have 48 hours to respond. We will contact you at the email you used when signing into the rafflecopter and we will also post the winner on our Facebook. Thanks so much to everyone that enters. I hope you love Taste as much as I did.


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Cover Reveal: Relentless by Cassia Leo

Blurb:
Claire Nixon is a twenty-year-old college dropout with a secret. To Claire, Adam Parker is just another flirty customer at the cafe, until a chance encounter and seemingly innocent comment spurs a bet between them. The bet is simple: If Adam can get Claire to reveal the secret that made her drop out of college, she has to re-enroll. If he doesn’t succeed, she gets to keep her secret and he must never step foot in the cafe again. Claire thinks she has this one in the bag. She’s perfected the art of forgetting her past. But she isn’t prepared for Adam’s relentless pursuit or his physical prowess. She's also not prepared for Adam to share his own secrets. And she’s definitely not prepared for her secret to come banging down her door one year later.

Goodreads


Release date: March 1st 2013
Title: Relentless
Length: Approximately 250 pages
Author: Cassia Leo
Genre: New Adult (Mature Young Adult) Contemporary Romance
 
Excerpt:
When I arrive at Cora’s house at five minutes past three, I only have to knock once before the lock turns and the door creaks open. Adam is standing before me wearing a soft smile and I know he’s probably been here all day.
 

“Come on in,” he says, holding the door wide open for me.
 

I walk inside and Cora is sitting in her recliner in front of the television with Bigfoot in her lap. The apartment is clean and the usual sharp litter box smell is gone. Cora looks up and smiles so big I can see the gap where she’s missing her two back molars.
 

“Hello, honey. Have you met Adam Parker? He’s your new neighbor,” she says in a voice that makes me feel a little like a preschooler being introduced to a classmate. “I think you two should get to know each other.”
 

She obviously doesn’t know about our date yet.
 

Adam takes a seat on the sofa, on the side closest to the recliner, and pats the cushion next to him. “Yeah, come sit down, Claire. Let’s get to know each other.”
 

I take a seat on the sofa, making sure to put at least a foot of space between Adam and I, then I turn to Cora. “What did you do today? Where’s Tina?”
 

“Adam’s been taking care of me today. He gave her the day off,” she says, and her eyes crinkle with delight.
 

I narrow my eyes at him and he grabs Cora’s hand as he turns back to her. “It was my pleasure. I didn’t have anything to do today since the only other person I know in this town was working.”
 

“You work too much, Claire,” Cora chimes in, as she continues to stroke Bigfoot with her free hand.
 

Geez. It’s like these two have spent the past six hours rehearsing a routine to get Adam and me together. First he switches my schedule without my knowledge and now he’s using Cora to get on my good side. He is a master conspirator.

I stand up and do a quick check around the kitchen just to satisfy my curiosity. As expected, he did everything I asked. He even stocked her cupboard with plenty of hot cereal packets and her refrigerator with lots of fresh fruit.
 

“Well, it looks like you’re all taken care of so I’m gonna head home,” I say, as I plant a kiss on Cora’s forehead and rub Bigfoot’s head. “I need to shower and get to bed early. I have the early shift tomorrow.”
 

“Walk her home, Adam,” she says sweetly and he immediately pops up off the sofa.
 

“See you later, Cora. We’ll have to watch that movie another time.”
 

“See you later, sonny,” she says, and I know what’s coming next. “But just because I call you sonny, doesn’t mean you’re bright.”
 

He laughs and points at her. “I can’t keep up with you, C.”
 

Adam follows me out of the apartment and uses his own key, which Cora must have given him, to lock her deadbolt.
 

I take a few steps and turn when I reach my door. “C? Did you spend the whole day with her?”
 

“I ran a few errands for her, but other than that, yes, I spent the day with Cora. She’s funny and we were about to watch a movie before you interrupted us.”
 

“Oh, well, don’t let me interrupt your date with Cora. Please go right back in.”
 

He steps forward and my back hits my front door as I take a step back. He leans against my door with his hands on either side of my head, effectively caging me in.
 

“Are you jealous of my relationship with Cora?”
 

His breath is hot against my nose and warmth rushes through me, lighting up my core.
 

“I just don’t want her to get so used to having you around. She’s had a lot of people bail on her and I….” His face is getting closer with every word I speak. “I don’t want her to get hurt.”
 

“Are you sure we’re talking about Cora?” he whispers against my lips, lingering for a moment before he pushes away from the door. “I work all week, but I’ll be by your house at nine a.m. on Saturday. Wear a bathing suit under your clothes.”
 

I let out a deep sigh and scramble into my apartment, slamming the door behind me. I take a few calming breaths then try to ignore the ache pulsating between my legs as I make my way to my bedroom to meditate.

 

 
About the Author:

Cassia Leo grew up in Florida and moved to California after graduating with a degree in journalism. She worked at two small newspapers before discovering her passion for writing romance. Her favorite color is lavender and her dream is to one day score a record deal based on her awesome shower singing skills.
 
 
 
 
 

Freebies 01/28/13

I have been a slacker on free books lately. I have a lot of good ones for today, I hope that makes up for my being slack, lol.

Remember freebies are usually only good for a limited time, so if you click the link and it's no longer free, I DID NOT LIE!! lol, you were just too slow

Second Chance Romance by Sophie Monroe- Loved this! Find the review here

The Devil's Metal (Devils #1) by Karina Halle – I loved this book! Find my review here.

All Over You (Devoured) by Emily Snow- Rockstar!!! Novella to Devoured 


Madly (Book 1) (Madly Series) by M. Leighton- very short 


Noah (5th Street #1) by Elizabeth Reyes- I’ve heard a lot of good reviews on this one. 




Awakened by Brenda K Davies

Leopard Moon (Moon Series) by Jeannette Battista 

He Loves Me Not by Christine Kersey 

Tag Team by Nicola Marsh-ummmm tattoos….. 

Drive Me to Distraction by Caitlyn Nicholas

Cover Reveal: Unbeautifully Loved (Unbeautiful Life # 1) by Emma Grayson

Blurb:
On the run from her dark and painful past, Lexie Todd is finally forced by her best friend Mollie into settling into a new place for the first time in months. Having been hurt in more ways than one in the past, the last thing Lexie is expecting or wanting is to meet someone as persistent and annoying but incredibly gorgeous as Lukas Gunn.

When an incident leaves Lexie banged up and rattled, Lukas knows there’s more to her than meets the eye as something is haunting her to the core making him nothing but determined to make her his and protect her from whatever it is that casts the dark painful shadow behind her eyes.

But when her past shows up and pulls Lexie back into the nightmare she already once escaped while leaving her closest loved ones in danger it’s up to Lukas to save her from her darkest nightmare relived.

Will Lukas be able to save Lexie? Or will Lexie succumb only having known what it’s like to be Unbeautifully Loved?
Expected to be released in April 2013.

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Poughkeepsie by Debra Anastasia


Really, REALLY loved this book! I am having a very hard time not thinking about it. It’s all I can think about since I finished; I know this one is going to stick with me for a while. I got so many different feelings off of this book. I told Ashley it reminds me of How to Kill a Rock Star (minus the rock star, lol), Crow’s Row and one of the characters reminded me a lot of Xhex from Black Dagger Brotherhood. These are all some of my favorite books, so you know that means this is now one of my favorites!

There are many different characters in the book and we get to read about all of their stories and find out how they all kind of cross paths. I loved that about the story, just when I thought one character would be my favorite another would take the spot light. Each story is beautiful in itself. There are 3 couples in the book, but there are also other special characters on the side. Each person is what makes the book so breathtakingly beautiful. There is a lesson to learn from everyone. The reader gets a deep connection to almost every character. We get to look into their mind and memories. We following along with their personal struggles and with that I built a strong connection to every character.

This book is beautiful. It’s humorous. It’s touching and it’s heart breaking. There are some feelings that I got while reading Poughkeepsie that I can’t even describe. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone.

This is bound to be a long review. There is so much going on in the book and so many things I want to tell you, I will just have to do my best to reel it in, lol.

Livia takes the train everyday to her university. She always acknowledges everyone at the train station, even the young homeless guy that always sits alone in the same spot. Everyone else acts like he doesn’t exist, Livia treats him the same as she would treat everyone else.  

His green eyes seemed to wait for her without fail, but as soon as the smile reached her lips, his gaze scurried away like a frightened mouse. He hardly looked at anyone, and never asked for money.

Not everyone is as kind as Livia. Some people pick on Blake and Livia decides that she is going to take up for him. This is how Livia and Blake become acquainted. After meeting Blake and seeing how wonderful he really is, Livia starts coming to the station earlier and earlier everyday to see him.

As they spend more time together Livia starts to learn that some things are a little off about Blake.

I’m an idiot – of course he’s broken. He must be so very broken.

Livia looks past his issues. They are nothing that would cause harm to her. Blake is aware of his issues too, he doesn’t try to hide them from her.

 
“Livia, I have problems – things that make me undesirable, not viable, dangerous, unlovable.”

“Who told you those ugly words? I can’t… you can’t believe that.” She reached for his hand. Who would say those things to a child?

“If you hear it enough, and people’s actions support those words…” Blake shrugged.

Livia takes off from school one day to see what a day with Blake would be like. He takes her to meet his brothers. Blake met his brothers as a child while they were in foster care. They bonded and went through things a child should never have to endure. Blake’s brothers are not homeless, like him though. They each took different paths when they aged out of the system.

Beckett (my favorite brother) became a criminal. He aged out first and decided then that he would do whatever he had to do to make sure his brothers were safe and taken care of when they aged out. He is willing to do anything for his brothers, he just doesn’t always go about the right way doing it.

 
“Beckett’s probably the hardest man there is to love,” Blake said. “He does life wrong for all the right reasons.”

Cole found his place in the church. He lives there and is in training to be a priest one day. Cole was the hardest for me to like. I feel like he came on a bit strong to Livia. I know he is looking out for Blake, but my thing was he is trying to be a priest, he shouldn’t have been so quick to judge.

Cole looked at her with troubled brown eyes. “Livia, if I may be so bold, he’s going to take your kindness very seriously. If you’re playing a game, or trying to get even with a boyfriend by dating the worse thing you could find – ”
Livia held up one hand to stop him. “With all due respect, never, ever refer to Blake as ‘the worst thing’”

To Livia’s surprise, Cole almost smiled.

 
Beckett and Cole watch over Blake and always make sure he is safe. Blake will take nothing from anyone that he hasn’t earned, but they know how to make sure he always has what he needs.

Then there is Mouse, I can’t forget Mouse. I probably learned the most from him and his beautiful heart. He isn’t technically a brother, but he earns his role in the world of the brothers faithfully and by being dedicated. Mouse….it still hurts me to think about him….

There were times as I was reading that I was like let’s get back to Blake and Livia!!! But through the eyes of the others we learn so much about Blake and his past as well as his future and the man he is to become. The book would not have been the same without all of the other characters. I needed the other characters to be part of the story. I actually needed the other characters to have their own book, that’s how much I loved everyone…..guess what…. I’m getting my wish! I saw online today that the next book will be about Beckett!!! Bad news….we have to wait until 12/30/13!!!

If you haven’t read Poughkeepsie, skip this, lol

Return to Poughkeepsie- 12/30/13

Eve should be starting over. Cleansed free of her criminal activities, she should be getting married. Instead she works in a dive and craves Beckett like addictive poison.

The heart pounding continuation of Poughkeepsie centers around the two worst felons. Cracking their hard outer shell might just reveal that pain was the only thing that held them together in the first place.

Okay, so after this very long review (I swear, there is still so much more to know about the book than what I have written!) I hope you decide to read it. I am seriously addicted to it. I am craving to know more about the crew from Poughkeepsie. There is so much beauty hidden in the ugly of Poughkeepsie. PLEASE read it!

5 stars.

Sins & Needles (The Artist Trilogy #1) by Karina Halle Blog Tour

Synopsis:
Ellie Watt is used to starting over. The daughter of a grifting team, Ellie spent her childhood being used as a pawn in her parents' latest scam. Now she’s much older, wiser and ready to give her con artist life a rest. But returning to the dry desert town of Palm Valley, California means one more temptation than she bargained for – Camden McQueen. Once known as the high school weirdo, Camden is bigger and badder than the boy he used to be and a talented tattoo artist with his own thriving business. Ellie’s counting on Camden still being in love with her but what she’s not counting on is how easily unrequited love can turn into obsession over time. When Camden discovers Ellie’s plan to con him, he makes her a deal she doesn’t dare refuse, but her freedom comes with a price and it’s one that takes both Ellie and Camden down a dangerous road.

**The Artists Trilogy is a dark and sexy contemporary ride about three flawed individuals caught in a world where it's so easy to justify the bad things we do. This is a pure adult read (Not YA or NA).**

Find it on Amazon soon!

Check out our Reading Order Guide and the playlist for S&N. Check out our castings on Facebook too!

Review:
When it comes to Karina Halle I am a total fangirl. I know I get a giddy about a lot of authors, but when it comes down to my favorite, Karina is it for me! Being a part of this tour was a huge deal to me.

Sins & Needles is remarkable! As with all of Karina’s books, I was hooked from line 1. I can’t explain it….something about her writing style is just so phenomenal. Her stories are always fresh, like nothing I have ever read before. The actions of the characters are so put together, it flows perfectly and everything that happens in the books is for a reason. It’s not like oh hey, let’s get a tattoo together…everything that happens, happens for a reason.

Ellie Watt is always on the run. She is a con artist if I never heard of one, lol. She always keeps a spare life in her trunk. Spare clothes, driver’s license social security cards…you name it, she has it. Her most recent con sends her running back to the place she has tried to avoid for so many years, and she is finally herself again.

I was Ellie Watt again. I was finally me. Oh, joy.

The life that Ellie is living is one she has known her whole life. He parents were cons and they taught her how to be one too. You are what you see, right? A con gone bad when she was a child makes her the way she is today. Always weary of wearing shorts and never a skirt. It jeans and shit kickers for Ellie.

After her most recent job gone wrong, she is convinced that was the last time…..that is until opportunity comes knocking on her door. She runs into an old friend from high school---enter Camden! He is not what she remembers. The Camden she knew was a Marilyn Manson wannabe, this guy is a tattooed and pierced sex on a stick kind of guy.

After getting reacquainted with Camden, Ellie has the one thought that she shouldn’t…

How much cash could I take from him before I hate myself…

Uhggg, Ellie! How can you do this! How! I mean really! Just look at Camden…look at how sweet is he is to you! Look at how well he does other things to you!!

Ok, vent over, lol. As you know from the synopsis, Camden catches Ellie in the act….he makes her a deal she has no choice but to accept and now they are both on a dangerous road together. So, can Ellie trust Camden after knowing he has been playing her the entire time simply because he wanted to get back at her for something did in high school…..can Camden trust Ellie after she tried to rob him blind? I guess you will just have to read and find out!

About the Author:
The daughter of a Norwegian Viking and a Finnish Moomin, Karina Halle grew up in Vancouver, Canada with trolls and eternal darkness on the brain. This soon turned into a love of all things that go bump in the night and a rather sadistic appreciation for freaking people out. Like many of the flawed characters she writes, Karina never knew where to find herself and has dabbled in acting, make-up artistry, film production, screenwriting, photography, travel writing and music journalism. She eventually found herself in the pages of the very novels she wrote (if only she had looked there to begin with).

Karina holds a screenwriting degree from Vancouver Film School and a Bachelor of Journalism from TRU. Her travel writing, music reviews/interviews and photography have appeared in publications such as Consequence of Sound, Mxdwn and GoNomad Travel Guides. She currently lives on an island on the coast of British Columbia where she's preparing for the zombie apocalypse.

Friday, January 25, 2013

Reaper's Property by Joanna Wylde

Just looking at this reminds me of the saying, Never judge a book by it's cover. It looks a little too harlequin romance for my taste but believe me when I tell you it's anything but. If you are into alpha males, bikers with tattoos and steamy hot sex then this book is for you! I wasn't sure what to expect, I never read the synopsis. I seen a lot of people talking about it and decided to give it a try and boy am I glad I did. I don't like to compare books because each book is different, but if you are a fan of Motorcycle Man by Kristen Ashley or Undeniable by Madeline Sheehan then you will LOVE this book. I had been in a book funk for a little while and had actually not read anything in about a week. I started this book and stayed up all night reading until I finished, needless to say the book funk is OVER!
Marie

Blurb:
Marie doesn’t need a complication like Horse. The massive, tattooed, bad ass biker who shows up at her brother’s house one afternoon doesn’t agree. He wants Marie on his bike and in his bed. Now.
But Marie just left her abusive jerk of an ex-husband and she’s not looking for a new man. Especially one like Horse—she doesn’t know his real name or where he lives, she’s ninety percent certain he’s a criminal and that the “business” he talks with her brother isn’t website design. She needs him out of her life, which would be a snap if he’d just stop giving her mind-blowing orgasms.
Horse
Horse is part of the Reapers Motorcycle Club, and when he wants something, he takes it. What he wants is Marie, but she’s not interested in becoming “property of”.

Then her brother steals from the club. Marie can save him by giving Horse what he wants—at home, in public, on his bike… If she’s a very, very good girl, she’ll get lots more of those orgasms only he can offer, and he’ll let her brother live.
Maybe.

I love Horse and the whole Reaper MC Family. They are bad ass and they take care of their own. I wasn't crazy about the nickname Horse at first, but then I found out why they call him that and well I learned real quick to appreciate that name..wink, wink! I was captivated from the very beginning, I love that we get the story from both Marie and Horse. When you only get the story from one main character, it always makes me wonder what the other was thinking in certain moments, well we get to read it in this book and I loved it! There was so much going on throughout the book, one thing after another, but it was very well written and didn't feel rushed. I was excited the whole way through, I couldn't wait to see what was gonna happen, but as I got to the last couple of pages I thought, Oh NO...I'm almost done and it will be over!!! Well, at least I can always go back and read it again and this is a book that I will definitely read again and again!
 
 

Find You In The Dark by A. Meredith Walters

I need the second book, like, now! I did get a bit excited though to find out book 1.5 came out yesterday....so maybe that will hold me over. Oh, and if you already read this book, I did hear through the grapevine book 2 may be released in March!

Being honest, this book should have been extremely depressing...but I found myself more and more into it. I should have looked away with heartache, but I just couldn't get off the roller coaster. This book will not be for everyone, but it sure was for me. It was angsty and almost brought on the waterworks. It was to the point of emotional devastation....yet I still couldn't put it down!

I was off of work today...so what did I do? Read, read and read! I read this book all afternoon, only putting it down to pee, lol.  I was so involved in the world of Maggie and Clay and the realistic affects that mental disorders can have on a being.

Your first love is supposed to be beautiful, right?

Maggie is a 17 year old girl, living in a boring world (wow, I almost had Journey moment, lol). Her life is filled with school, sports and friends that she was destined to be friends with because their parents were best friends. She spends her days and weeks doing the same thing, nothing is ever spontaneous. She is starting to resent this lifestyle. Then she runs into him....

Clayton Reed is not like anyone else at her school. Sure, he is beautiful and could be at the top of the social ladder, but he wants nothing to do with people and is pretty rude when Maggie nearly knocks him down in the parking lot. Even through the rudeness, Maggie can't help but feel this pull to him.

I had never been as drawn to someone the way I was finding myself drawn to Clayton. I didn't know him, had only shared a mouthful of words- (an they weren't nice) but I wanted to say more, to hear more.

Maggie is tired of the cold shoulder she is getting from Clay, so she confronts him. After getting everything off her chest of how rude he is, they decide to be friends. Clay shows Maggie how to live outside of the box. Maggie shows Clay a little of how to live in it. He needs stability. All he has ever wanted is normal. Maggie gives that to him.

As their friendship grows they begin to realize that there may be something more....the thing is, Clay has this invisible wall built, one that he won't let anyone cross. When they go to a party and things turn bad. Clay has no choice but to let Maggie inside. After she finds out about his past and his parents and the real reason he has moved to Virginia she knows that she has to protect him, comfort him and most importantly just be there for him. Can she do it? Is she strong enough to handle the demons? Can their love really survive this life?

I hated so many people in this book! I hated Clay for acting the way he did, then I understood why he did some of the things he did. I hated Maggie sometimes for smothering Clay. I hated her parents for not being more supportive of Clay and I hated his parents most of all for being selfish and evil!

There were so many times I hurt for the pain Maggie was going through. It was like no one was just there for her. Everyone had to make their own opinions and judgements and never actually helped her. The things Maggie has to go through are not things a person should have to do alone. I felt like everyone was against her, but at the same time everyone was just looking out for her too.

I think I will be thinking about this one for days. I'm so ready for the next book.

TEASERS...DEPTHS by Steph Campbell and Liz Reinhardt

WHOO HOO!! CHECK OUT THESE TEASERS FOR DEPTHS BY STEPH CAMPBELL AND LIZ REINHARDT!!!

 AND..................
 
 
WE CAN'T WAIT FOR THIS TO RELEASE!
 

Thursday, January 24, 2013

The Second Daughter by J. Jeffrey Blog Tour Stop

Synopsis:
You try turning out all right after you overhear your mother wishing you hadn’t been born.

It had started out well. Umbrellas tangled. A storybook romance followed. A wonderful wedding. A beautiful, sweet first daughter. They were complete, a family, happy.

And then they went and had another daughter.

Her charming and witty fraud of a father Theodore starts disappearing, then worse, coming back. Her once allegedly sweet older sister Regina angrily resents her, and the sisters are at constant war. Her poor harried mother Helen is so busy what-iffing about the life she might have had that she overlooks the life she is actually having. Everyone blames younger daughter Debra for pretty much everything as the family slowly, then quickly, then one day explosively disintegrates. Along the way there are secrets and lies, heartbreaks and betrayals, plus the dramatic unexpected death of a central character at a pivotal moment. Debra, now a young woman, finds herself living awkwardly alone with her embittered mother when the phone rings—and her mother’s secret past suddenly crashes back into the present. Their life may be about to change forever; or rather, perhaps, revert back to what it should have been all along.

But not exactly because of that phone call, as it turns out.

Because of the remarkable second daughter. For what Debra Gale has is unyielding determination. What she has is an irrepressible capacity to love.

And now at last what she has is a chance.

The complex dynamics of a changing family. Mother, daughters, sisters, and the father who both divides and unifies them. That dramatic unexpected death, plus a fair amount of banana cream pie. Welcome to The Second Daughter: a funny but poignant, unusual but beautiful love story.

Find it on Amazon!

Review:
I wasn’t feeling this book at first, but I’m not one to stop reading anything so I continued. I’m so happy that I did. I am so in love with this book. It brought out many emotions in me. One minute I was bored, the next I was happy then I was so pissed! Then I went back to happy and yet mad again, lol. No more boredom after I got into the story. I didn’t want to stop reading and I really didn’t want it to end.

I enjoyed the way historical events were thrown into the story line. The sex revolution, women’s liberation, Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson…. it really added to the story and gave me a better understanding for the time frame and setting. It made me feel like I was part of the book.

It’s not really any type of romance genre, which is what I normally read, yet I still found myself drawn into the story. There are romantic gestures in the book, but it’s not mainly a romance, I don’t know what you would call it…I just call it excellent, heart warming and heart wrenching all at the same time.

The story starts out sweet and kind of romantic. Helen and Theodore meet, fall in love and are married. Helen should have known better than to marry Theodore; the marriage kind of starts out on a lie. She doesn’t know Theodore’s real name and his age is off by 2 ½ years.

Despite the lies that Theodore assures Helen are nothing she goes on with the weeding. Helen gets pregnant on her wedding night, lol. They have the perfect family.

“And are you sure we are ready for a child?”

“What’s to be ready? We’ll just do it.”

“All right, then,” Helen said contentedly enough, closing her eyes. “You’re the boss.”

“Damn right I’m the boss. Now prepare for some dictation, young lady!” As Theodore said this he dexterously peeled off her lavender panties for some quick morning intimacy before she got ready for work.

Baby Regina is born and she is perfect. She is sweet and loving, a mothers dream.

And to be sure, Regina entered their lives as smoothly as a perfectly executed handoff to a speedy running back behind an outstanding offensive line. There was barely a pause, a hiccup, as they adjusted to their new lives. She was a perfect little baby and they were the perfect parents. She slept beautifully, ate beautifully, barely ever even cried. Everybody loved her, her toothy smile, her guffaw of a baby laugh, you almost didn’t notice her occasional tendency to bite and to pinch and to scratch, and if you did notice you almost didn’t mind—it was just all so cute!

After Regina is born, Helen becomes pregnant again. The 2nd pregnancy is not as smooth as the first. The 2nd baby…. not as sweet as the first. But I mean really, all babies are different, what did they expect!? Then come the reasons of why they want nothing to do with baby Dub-- So, the dad is freaked out because the baby has eczema…..that’s messed up. He wants nothing to do with her and it breaks my heart L

And then the horrible thoughts---- What if Debra hadn’t been born.----how can you think that about your own child!

The sisters, Regina and Dub share the same birthday. Regina hates Dub, all she does is terrorize her. I just wanted to wrap little Dub up and take her home with me! Ahh, and the barbies, I really want to cry over the barbies. How can you have a secret Barbie stash, that is just cruel!

Then the fighting begins. What do adults always fighter over? Money, sex and children….that goes the same for this story.

As the children grow older, and the parents grow farther and farther apart a beautiful story develops. A story between a mother and daughter and no one else. They need no one, they can take care of themselves and can learn to be happy together even after all of the lies and betrayal of Dub’s childhood.

This story branches out in many different ways. Like I said there is heart felt moments, but there is also heartache. Many cases of lies and deceit are unfolded in the story and in the end a strong woman emerges. I would recommend this book to anyone. Even if you normally follow the romance genre, this is still well worth the time to read.  

About the Author:

J. Jeffrey stands about six foot three and likes poetry. He has been known to climb the occasional mountain and tame the occasional lion. He sings opera as an amateur but is trained as a masseur, and he is extremely partial to his wife’s green tea perfume. He drinks too much coffee, and gets lost a lot. Two words: Florence, Italy. Pastry for breakfast, over the crossword puzzle, preferably after noon. Soup for lunch, preferably late afternoon, over another puzzle (the first having been solved). His favorite drink (after coffee) is red wine. He knows a word or two but will not play scrabble. Regrettably, he believes he might be happy if only you would think him as funny as he thinks he is. But most importantly, he is not to be trusted. He writes biographies full of lies, or are they novels full of truths? Such a fine line.

 
The tour schedule can be found here

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Sins & Needles by Karina Halle Playlist

What is always a package deal with Karina Halle's books? A guaranteed playlist. She is a major music buff and you can bet your ass there will always be music references in her books!

Bright skies, rough desert, open blacktop spreading before me. Cue the music. I fumbled with my ipod and selected the Desert Playlist I concocted a few days ago in a hotel room in Colorado. The Door's "Roadhouse Blues" came blaring from Jose's speakers and I let myself smile as the hot breeze blew my hair back.

There wasn't a car or soul around for miles. It was just me and Jim Morrison and the extreme landscape.

I followed highway 62, through my favorite Calexico songs and surf music until Joshua Tree National Park appeared on my left.

The foreboding guitar strings of Calexico's "Gypsy's Curse" started playing as I entered Palm Valley's Main Street, which only added to the drama.

That was a very long time ago and it wasn't as simple as a man and woman breaking up, she taking his car and his money. This wasn't a Carrie Underwood song. This shit went fucking Anthrax for a while.

Even John Mayer was playing over the speakers, but the newer John Mayer, after his years of exile on a ranch.

They just lay side-by-side, staring up at the stars and listening to Soundgarden's "The Day I tried to Live" on his portable speakers, watching for satellites and enjoying the feeling that they, in their fourteen-year old tragedies, were the center of the universe.

"Ever heard of Guana Padano?" he asked me, reaching for his iPod.

"Sounds like Calexico," I told him, feeling excited about a new musical discovery. "One of my favorites."

When the show was over and they played an encore of The Cramps "Human Fly" and "Fever" to a rowdy and ridiculous crowd, Camden joined me down at the front of the stage.

"Seriously," I reinstated, "you're awesome. You're almost better than Poison Ivy."

A few songs into Calexico's Feast of Win (my choice), when the bottle was half-drunk, we suddenly remembered we wanted to eat food. So Camden ran back inside to get the asparagus and steak - and a bag full of our thrift store clothes.

This time my soundtrack was the album Sunset Mission by Bohren and Der Club of Gore, a German horror jazz band that was all instrumental.

"Behold," Camden announced like Marilyn Manson's magician, "Justification in the form of Ellie Watt."

"You know when we were in my car heading to the show and I said I liked Guana Padano because it reminded me of you? Rough and sweet at the same time? I wasn't lying. I was just leaving something out. It's rough and sweet and very, very sad. When I look at you, I see sadness."

"Of course, I do. I'm a con artist. Almost every paycheck is dirty in some way." 
"Dirty deeds done dirt cheap."

I put The Dead Weather's Horehound on the mp3 and the dissonant chords of "Treat Me Like Your Mother" came blaring out the speakers.

And to my surprise, as soon as Jack White's vocals came up, Camden jumped right in. I eyed him appreciatively, impressed that he knew the words.Soon we were singing, shouting, shaking our heads and spelling out the word "Manipulate."

"The tattoo on your arm. The tune. It's from 'On Every Street' Dire Straits."

Her song for Javier was Nine Inch Nail's "Wish."

"Luck be a lady tonight," Camden said quietly. "I think she'll turn on us soon."