Monday, May 26, 2014

Docked: Excerpt and giveaway





Docked by Rachael Wade 

Publication date: May 26th 2014
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance



Synopsis:
A new, sensual Adult Contemporary Romance from author of the Amazon bestselling PRESERVATION SERIES, THE REPLACEMENT, and LOVE AND RELATIVITY. Coming to e-readers everywhere May 26, 2014.


It’s not water that paralyzes Anya Banks—it’s the ocean. Tumultuous and powerful, sleek and unpredictable, it’s just like Tanner Christensen, owner of Trident Voyager, the cruise ship she’s been talked into boarding by her vivacious, foodie fanatic best friend and co-worker, Lana. Tanner exudes confidence, and his raw masculinity is hard to resist. But Anya came aboard to work, face her demons, and then get the hell back to dry land.

Until Tanner convinces her to take the plunge.

She quickly dives into a fun, carefree arrangement with him and embraces her goal to be brave, no matter how loudly her shaky knees tell her to abandon ship. For twelve days, Tanner’s all hers. For twelve days, she’s his goddess. Once the cruise is over and the ship docks, she won’t be the same. But being brave always costs something, and this time, it might cost her heart.









EXCERPT 
A soft breeze tickles my shoulder, waking me from my serene, sleepy haze. One glance at my watch tells me it’s time to head back to the room if I expect to be ready for this rendezvous with Lana and Mr. Blue Eyes. She’s right, of course. She’s convinced me to go. But only because it really does sound like fun, and I’d much rather let Lana humor herself than spend my first afternoon on a cruise ship by myself.I collect my things and hurry down the deck, veering around a corner to catch the elevator. The hallway is bustling with people getting on and off, many of them opting to take the stairs instead of waiting for the next lift. After waiting patiently for a few minutes, I decide to follow their cue and start for the stairs. I’m cutting it close.I jog up two flights, sighing when our stateroom door comes into view. The hall is quiet, except for the faint sound of hushed giggling just a few doors down. I insert my room key and crane my head toward the noise, my fingers stilling at the sight. There at the end of the hall, a curvaceous brunette is entangled with Mr. Blue Eyes. I almost don’t recognize him, but his baby blue tie immediately gives him away. His tall frame is pinning the brunette’s petite one to the wall, one hand pushing up her skirt, fingers gripping her upper thigh. He playfully bites her bottom lip and she giggles again, hooking her leg around his waist. The scene is entirely intimate, not to mention unprofessional for Mr. Owner of the Ship, and yet here I am, watching like a total stalker.I can’t look away.“Tanner,” the girl moans against his mouth, “take me inside.”“I’ll take you right here.”“Someone will see,” she whispers, gripping his forearms. He subtly rocks his hips, pushing her tighter against the wall, and I realize I’m gaping again, my jaw slack as I watch his hands roam over her body.“No one’s around,” he whispers back. “Everyone’s headed up to the lounge for the party.”“Don’t you have to be there?”“I have fifteen minutes.”“That’s it?” The girl whines, her face turning pouty.“Oh, it’s enough, baby.” His hand travels higher up her skirt, and I see a flash of red lace before my clumsiness gives me away. The room key fumbles in my fingers and drops from the doorknob to the floor. I quickly bend to swipe it up, bonking my head on the doorknob in the process.
“Shit!” I quickly stand, frantically attempting to open the door. I risk a side-glance toward them.
I wish I hadn’t.
Tanner clears his throat, and his eyes lock onto me like missiles. As soon as I meet them, he looks away, back to the brunette, mumbling something I can’t quite make out. It involves a string of F-bombs. Adjusting his groin and tugging at the sleeves of his suit jacket, he quietly directs the brunette to open their stateroom door. She’s amused and embarrassed, covering her mouth as she struggles to unlock the door. Tanner and I exchange one last glance before both of our doors open, saving the day. He and the brunette hurry inside, and I hustle into my room just as quickly, exhaling in relief the moment the door shuts behind me.
I work to collect my wits. I’ve just made a complete fool out of myself, and in less than fifteen minutes, I’m supposed to face the man I just caught manhandling his girlfriend. Hell, more than that. He would have fucked her right there in the hallway had I not ruined the heat of the moment. I fall back against the door and hang my head in exasperation.“Lan?” I call out, pushing myself off the door and moving toward the tiny bathroom. She’s not there, and the rest of the cabin is empty. She must have left for the lounge already. Hurrying to my suitcase, I dig around for my little black dress—the one Lana suggested I wear—and then begin washing up. I take a few minutes to freshen up my loose, brown curls and apply some smoky eyeliner to enhance my hazel brown eyes. I feel fresher, but no amount of primping will prevent the big ol’ pile of awkward I’m about to walk into. 




AUTHOR BIO

Rachael Wade is the Amazon bestselling author of The Preservation Series, The Resistance Trilogy, and the upcoming sci-fi series, The Keepers Trilogy. When she’s not writing, she’s busy learning French, watching too many movies, and learning how to protect animals and the environment. 



Author Links:
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Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Penelope's ghost: promo and giveaway





Penelope’s Ghost
by Goldie Alexander



Genre: Paranormal/Romantic Suspense/Contemporary       



Publisher: Boroughs Publishing Group

Date of Publication: April 9th 2014

ISBN:  9781941260142
ASIN: B00JLGEFQO


ARe      Amazon       Smashwords





Book Description:

Haunted. Haunting. Redeemed.

When Lisa Harbinger takes a job as nanny to a prestigious Australian family, she gets more than she bargained for: two spoilt children, vengeful ghosts, a long-unsolved mystery and a blazing passion she and her enigmatic boss are unable to deny.


  




  

Excerpt:


“He fell in love with someone else,” Richard repeated thoughtfully. “Was she a friend of yours?”

It must be time to confess. What he would think of me after that, I didn’t dare consider. “Actually, she was a he. Simon fell in love with Robert and finally admitted he was gay.”
Richard’s eyebrows shot up. “Married to someone as lovely and intelligent as you? That’s almost impossible to believe.”
Lovely? Intelligent? Not knowing how to respond to these compliments I said quickly, “I think Simon always knew he was gay. Even when he married me, he was just in denial. I was too dumb to wake up to it.”
“When you did realise, how did it make you feel?”
“Angry. Miserable. Then totally stupid,” I answered. “There were so many hints, but I kept on ignoring them.” Then I dared to venture, as the atmosphere between us was definitely pulsing, “He was never interested in sex.”
His face blank, Richard turned to the next page of the book we were sharing, then another. In the pause I heard an owl hoot and the wind rustle a branch against the window.
At last he put down the book. “Never interested in sex. That mean you’re not? Let’s find out.” With this, he placed one arm around my waist and with the other hand tilted my head so I faced him. Then he carefully and delicately placed his mouth over mine.



About the Author:

Goldie Alexander has published over 75 books plus many prize winning short stories and articles. For children she is best known for, "My Australian Story: Surviving Sydney Cove", now in its 10th edition. Amongst recent work are three collections of short stories: ‘Killer Virus’, ‘My Horrible Cousins’ and ‘Space Footy”.

Her latest novels for Young Adult include ‘The Youngest Cameleer’, ‘In Hades’ a verse novel, and ‘That Stranger next Door’. For middle grade readers: ‘eSide: A Journey into Cyberspace’. ‘ Cybertrix: 2043, and ‘Neptunia’, and the Junior novel ‘Gallipoli Medals’. She has authored the how-to-write ‘Mentoring Your Memoir’, facilitates creative writing workshops and mentors emerging authors.


Penelope's Ghost is Goldie's first, but far from last, Romance novel.







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GIVEAWAY:

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Monday, May 19, 2014

The Wardham Series: Excerpt, trailer and giveaway



The first three books in the Wardham Series by NYT and USA Today bestselling author Zoe York, have been put together into one delicious bundle!



Title: Welcome to Wardham, The Wardham Series (Three book bundle)
Author: Zoe York
Age: Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance



Blurb
Welcome to Wardham, a sleepy village ready to explode with new-found passion. This bundle contains the first three titles in The Wardham Series by Zoe York.

Between Then and Now
Their story didn’t start with a fairytale romance. Their marriage wasn’t chosen for love. But they still chose each other, time and again.

Romance is the last thing on Ian's mind. He's juggling the family farm and a second job, his kids are a crazy handful and every time he gets close to his wife, Carrie, she snaps at him. Their relationship has always had a sizzling physical connection, and he needs to find a way to leverage that into reconnecting on a deeper level before it’s too late.

What Once Was Perfect (Book #1)
She shuttered her heart and walked away. Now he has a second chance to get it right.

Kyle and Laney shared a perfect summer 12 years ago, and have never moved past their breakup. Now she’s back for the holidays and they have a chance to work out things out and move on with their lives. But moving on doesn’t make sense when you’ve finally reconnected with the only person you’ve ever truly loved.

Where Their Hearts Collide (Book #2)
The girl next door meets the cop of her dreams at exactly the wrong time.

Karen’s finally decided what she wants to do when she grows up. Too bad it’ll mean leaving behind her new neighbour, who’s stirred up a different kind of grown up feelings. But when he rebuffs her attempt to have a fling before she leaves Wardham, Karen knows it’s for the best. A clean break, no messy emotional entanglements. Too bad Paul’s right next door, and everywhere she goes. And he makes a pretty convincing case for getting entangled.

The Wardham Series continues: pick up When They Weren’t Looking (Book #3), available now, and look for Beyond Love and Hate, a Wardham novella coming in June 2014.












TRAILER:
Between Then and Now




Excerpt   
from Between Then and Now
I know what Ive got. I dont always show it, but Im lucky to be your husband, Carrie Nixon.         Best mistake ever? She meant the words to land lightly. It was a standing joke between them, but all that had gone unsaid between them over the last few months weighed the words down on her tongue, and her voice cracked.         Dont do this, not tonight. His features pinched together. He didnt let go of her hand, but the easy softness in his grip faded, replaced with a subtle tension that told her it was an effort to keep touching her.         Im not doing anything, she whispered. Tears threatened, hot bubbles at the edge of her vision.         Youre dragging old shit into a new argument. Shit I didnt even know was in your head. An argument I didnt even know we were having.         Were not! Were they? Was it all one big fight that just ebbed like the tide? I dont know why I said that.         He didnt answer. He didnt need to. She tentatively lifted her gaze to read his expression, but he didnt look over at her, instead keeping his eyes on the road ahead. A muscle twitched along his jaw, and she squeezed his hand, willing him to turn and see her. See that she wasnt mad. That she was just scared and strangely alone and not dealing with that well.         I dont think we were a mistake.         Damn straight.         But we werent in love when we got married, Ian. Thats never going to be something I forget.         Never asked you to.         We just cant talk about it.         We can talk about it, babe. But you cant yell at me about it.         I didnt yell.         You cried. Thats worse.         Didnt cry. No tears.         Sad voice, choked upsounded like crying. Carrie, that kills me, you know? He dragged a deep breath into his lungs. I just wanted an evening without a fight. Come on, lets go in.         With a start, she realized they were home. Wait—” She unbuckled her seat belt and reached across the center console. Slide your seat back.         Carrie, Im not—”         Give me a chance to get the mood back, please? She was grateful shed worn a skirt tonight. Scoot back, and close your eyes. He still hadnt moved, but at least he wasnt getting out of the truck. I want to show you what Ive got on under this skirt.         Thank god for his healthy libido. A lecherous grin spread across his face as he flicked his gaze to her hemline. Please tell me the answer is nothing. She waited for his gaze to hit hers again before offering a slow nod. His already smoldering interest caught a burst of oxygen from her answer, and while he slid his seat back with his left hand, his right arm was hauling her into his lap. We gotta stop fighting, babe.         We werent fighting, she whispered.         We were doing something, he muttered as he arranged her thighs on either side of his, his thumbs pressing hard into soft flesh. And it wasnt this.




About the Author:
Zoe York lives in London, Ontario with her young family. She has an English degree and works at a university, so it was probably a foregone conclusion that she'd write a romance novel one day. She's currently chugging Americanos, wiping sticky fingers, and plotting super-secret books about heroes in and out of uniform.
www.zoeyork.com | Twitter










Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Review: Unravel Me (Shatter Me # 2)


UNRAVEL ME (Shatter Me #2)

by Tahereh Mafi

Genre: YA Dystopia
Published: February 5th, 2013



SYNOPSIS:


tick
tick
tick
tick
tick
it's almost
time for war.

Juliette has escaped to Omega Point. It is a place for people like her—people with gifts—and it is also the headquarters of the rebel resistance.

She's finally free from The Reestablishment, free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam. But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch.

Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible.

In this exhilarating sequel to Shatter Me, Juliette has to make life-changing decisions between what she wants and what she thinks is right. Decisions that might involve choosing between her heart—and Adam's life.




buy the book from The Book Depository, free delivery



MY THOUGHTS:



As usual, it is simpler for me to write about books that I don't like. 
Because in cases like this book, I know I love it, but I find it very difficult to point out why!

It's just an...



To be honest, the writing started as a poor version of the one in SHATTER ME and I was also disappointed that Juliette was insecure again. 

But at some moment, the writing got better, there was a lot of action and I started to like it more. Probably when Warner appeared. (even from afar) 

The depth all the characters achieved was outstanding. I could connect with all of them, even the secondary ones.

The girls, Kenji and James are great. 
On the other hand, even if they were nicely created, I didn't like Castle and I despised Anderson. What a cruel and heartless person.

Among the supporting characters, my favorite was Kenji. He is funny, loyal, not afraid of saying what he thinks and with a story so sweet and sad that you can't help loving him.


About the protagonists:

Adam: Nothing against him, I actually liked him a lot in book one, but here he was dull, so doubtful and at some point, even seemed unstable. Though, I felt really bad for him. (can't say why without spoiling anything so...)

Juliette: as mentioned before, Juliette starts as a whiny, useless and scared little girl and ends up being so strong and brave. I believe Warner has a lot to do with this transformation. (and that's another reason why I LOVE him)

Warner:... he is just a tortured soul. And he is better than he let others see. Did I mention he is also sexy, sweet and sexy, and sexy? He captivated me and I adored his connection with Juliette. The way he challenges her and understands her. More than anyone else.


What else?
This book has the most romantic scene I've read in a long time and somehow Juliette managed to ruin it but anyway I still cling to the idea of that moment repeating.

Juliette's chemistry with Warner is just perfect. It makes me shiver. And I realized every time they were together I was so excited, no doubt I'm SO TEAM WARNER.






I believe that at the moment I'm Tahereh Mafi's biggest fan. I have a severe case on FAN GIRL -ism.

She had me completely with the twist she incorporated between Adam and Warner (which of course would be the spoiler of the year so... I'll say nothing)


The end was EPIC. Yay!!!


Can't wait for Ignite Me. I've already bought it... PLEASE TBD hurry up!







Monday, May 5, 2014

Review: Perfect (Pretty Little Liars #·3)

PERFECT (Pretty Little Liars #3) 
by Sara Shepard

Genre: Young Adult/ Mystery

BLURB:
In Rosewood, Pennsylvania, four perfect-looking girls aren't nearly as perfect as they seem.
Aria can't resist her forbidden ex. Hanna is on the verge of losing her BFF. Emily is freaking out over a simple kiss. And Spencer can't keep her hands off anything that belongs to her sister.
Lucky me. I know these pretty little liars better than they know themselves. But it's hard keeping all of their secrets to myself. They better do as I say . . . or else!




buy the book from The Book Depository, free delivery



MY THOUGHTS:


aaaaah! collection of thoughts and ramblings!

A is dead... everything is quiet in Rosewood... is it?

I like this series so much but this book wasn't as amazing. It was ok.

The start wasn't as strong as in the previous books. 

What happened to me is that basically that I got dissapointed with all the characters. 

Everyone is so f***ed up in this book, the girls, the parents, the friends! awww! frustrating!


- Emily is dull. So whiny and incapable of solving little things. I know that "coming out of the closet" might not be easy but I am referring to the small things.
Of course having parents with such old fashion minds doesn't help whatsoever.
But she is insecure and can't stand for herself at all. Though it was a bit  better in this installment.

- More of the same with manipulative Maya.

- Spencer is back on track, I like that.

- Hannah... until page 65, the only thing we hear about her is clothes... booooring.

- I used to like Ella but she kicked her daughter out for then ight. What kind of mother does that? Especially under those circumstances.

Aria messed up big time. She was my favorite so far but...

- Eventhough in the TV show I liked Ezra, I think that in the book he is getting in the way of something that could have been really nice.  A and S are cute. 


There were also good things:

At the end of book 2, the girls were a little closer to each other, here they grow apart again and it's interesting how A makes them doubt their friends.

It's like you know that everything is going to blow up in their faces, you just don't know when...


Even if it wasn't my favorite, it had a truly interesting end that will make me go on with the series.

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