Sunday, June 30, 2013

Lusting for Covers (131)


Lusting for Covers is a weekly meme, held on Sunday, that allows bloggers to share their current cover obsession with fellow book lovers.

This meme is hosted by TBQ @ TBQ's Book Palace.

To view complete instructions on how to participate, as well as grab the HTML code for the graphic, see this page first!



Once you are ready to join the fun,

please fill out Mister Linky below with

your name/blog name and the direct

link to your Lusting for Covers for this

week!



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


Here's my candidate for the week:
 












Saturday, June 29, 2013

[Kame's Review]: "Secret Maneuvers"

Secret Maneuvers by Jessie Lane
Publisher: Jessie Lane (June 13, 2013)
Series: Ex Ops, 1
Genre: Contemporary Romance (Romantic Suspense)
 
Some mistakes from the past haunt us forever... unless fate steps in with a second chance.

One 'dear John' letter haunts Bobby Baker's every living moment. It’s the letter he stupidly wrote to his high school sweetheart, Belle, right after he left to join the Army. The letter that he told her that he wasn't so sure if they were ready for forever yet. But before he can let her know that the letter, and his second thoughts, are nothing but a mistake, she up and disappears from the small Georgia town they were both raised in.

Fifteen years later, Belle unknowingly walks back into Bobby's life when her job as an ATF Agent forces her to work with a group of men secretly headed by the CIA to help her track down whoever is involved in funneling black market weapons to a drug cartel in Mexico.

Bobby will use this mission to try and soothe Belle's hurt feelings while proving to her that their love is still meant for forever. He'll use every dirty trick he's learned since he joined the Army to maneuver her back into his life for the long haul. But Belle's not making it easy as she keeps him at arm's length in the hopes that mistakes of her own never come to light.
 
 
 
 
 




 
 

Where to Buy*:
Kindle | NOOK | ARe

For a limited time, grab your copy for only $0.99!
 
More Info:


Kame's Review:









Friday, June 28, 2013

[Musing Maddie's Review]: "Kill Shot"

Kill Shot by Liliana Hart
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (May 14, 2013)
Genre: Contemporary Romance (Romantic Suspense)
 
Grace Meredith is the CIA’s most deadly assassin. Too bad she’s gone off the grid and become a mercenary for hire. After the death of her daughter by a sniper’s bullet, Grace can no longer stomach the demands of agency life or keep herself from blaming the only man she’s ever loved. Her mind and body are fragile, and she knows she’s just a step away from breaking down completely.

Gabe Brennan holds the weight of the world on his shoulders. As one of the most brilliant black ops agents the CIA has ever employed, he knows it’s no one’s fault but his own that his child was gunned down in cold blood. He might not have been able to save his daughter, but he’s determined to save his wife. He only has to find her first.

Sexual tension crackles between Gabe and Grace from the moment they’re reunited, but between the man who is hunting them, a secret that’s been buried for eighty years, and a turbulent past—the odds are stacked against them.
 
 
 
 
 
 




 
 

Where to Buy*:
More Info:


Musing Maddie's Review:








Thursday, June 27, 2013

Blog Tour Spotlight: Safe Haven Series


WELCOME TO THE BLOG, KATE! :)


Kate Laurens is a proud Canadian who loves beer, coffee, kickboxing and books. She writes New Adult Romance and falls a little bit in love with each hero that she writes.

Kate loves to hear from her readers. Find her at www.katelaurens.com
She's also on Twitter as @KateLaurens


Where to Find Kate:


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Love Me For Me by Kate Laurens
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (March 26, 2013)
Series: Safe Haven, 1
Genre: New Adult Contemporary
 
A fresh start...

It’s been three years since Serena King learned to say no—no to the boys that were a desperate cry for help, no to the extra weight she put on in self defense, and most of all no to the abuse that has haunted her since she was fifteen. Now a sophomore in college, all she wants is to be normal. The last thing she expects is a guy who can make her want... make her want everything.

A new guy...

Alex Blackthorn is a bundle of contradictions, a sexy dark haired badness who goes slow... deliciously slow. And despite the iron will that has gotten her through the last few years, Serena finds herself unable to ignore the heat that sizzles between them whenever they’re together.

A dark past...

Serena never thought she could be involved in a relationship, but Alex makes her long for things she thought were out of her reach forever. When he finds out her secret... when he finds out what she did to keep herself sane... will he still want her, or he will treat her just like everyone else?

And Alex has a secret of his own.



Where to Buy*:
 
For a limited time, pick up the Kindle copy for only $0.99!
 
More Info:





Love Me For Me by Kate Laurens
Excerpt



“Which dorm are you in?”

“MacKinnon.” I had to take two strides for his every one, but I noticed that he tried to keep his stride level with mine as we turned from the street onto the campus. “Which one do you live in?”

I wondered if he would ask me to go back to his dorm with him.

I wondered if I would say yes.

“I live off campus.” I hadn’t been expecting that. Not a lot of students did, because the cost of living in downtown West Haven wasn’t cheap. “It’s just a couple of blocks away.”

“Oh.” My eyes widened, though I tried to keep the surprise out of my voice. I was here on scholarship, and it still barely covered my living expenses. He was a football player and might have a bigger one. Or the shelter might pay really well.

It wasn’t any of my business and I didn’t know him well enough to ask. I bit my tongue, and stayed silent until we’d crossed campus to where my dorm stood.

“Thank... thank you for a fun night.” I smiled up at him shyly. Since I’d never been on a date, I didn’t know what I was supposed to do right now, so I just told him the truth. “I liked it. Really.”

He said nothing, instead staring down at my lips, my smile. Though I knew that he had snuck past my guard, had made me want things that I didn’t have any business wanting, I still felt overwhelmed by the urge to grab him, to pull him close to me and to never let go.

“I’m glad.” My nails dugs into my palms as the silence between us stretched out, thick and heavy.

“Well. Um. Goodnight.” I turned towards the neon lights of the dorm, a stone settling in the pit of my belly.

“Serena.” Alex’s voice was raspy, and it was exactly what I had been waiting for. I looked back over my shoulder, my heart in my throat.

“Yes?” I whispered.

“I want to kiss you.” My skin suddenly felt too tight. He stood beside a battered old car, his hands stuffed into his pockets, the streetlights casting a buttery glow over his face. He wasn’t reaching for me, instead waiting for my consent.

He couldn’t have known how important that was to me.

He was beautiful. He could have had any girl he wanted, yet he was asking me if he could kiss me.

“May I?” His face was solemn. Longing was an ache in my belly as I nodded, jerkily. And then he closed the distance between us, placed his hands on my waist the same way he had while we were dancing, and dipped his head down.

All the wondering about whether or not he was into me flew from my head as he slowly pressed his lips to mine. I had thought he would crush me to him, would devour me with his kiss, but he was slow and in control.

It was no less hot. His hands slid around to splay over my lower back as he tasted my lips with excruciating slowness. My breath caught and I curled my fingers around his upper arms, right where his tattoos lay hidden beneath the soft leather.

Even through the thickness of the jacket I could feel the iron of his muscles, a hardness that spoke of something beyond football practice. I moaned softly into his mouth as my fingers danced, exploring up to his shoulders, his neck.

He made a sound deep in his throat, before backing me slowly against the parked car. I felt the chill of the metal seep through my jacket and my shirt, as he finally closed the last inch of space between us, pressed his body against mine, and deepened the kiss.

“Oh.” I parted my lips beneath the warm swipe of his tongue. I’d kissed with my tongue before, but never like this, never like I was being savoured.

An unfamiliar heat surged between my legs, and I felt the tips of my breasts pucker as they brushed against his chest. He wasn’t doing any more than kissing me, his hands still roaming the expanse of my back, but I felt my breath coming faster, harder.

“Is this okay?” With excruciating slowness he moved his hand from my back, across the stripes of my ribcage, and over to... oh man.

His large palm cupped my breast, over my tank but inside of my jacket and sweater. His thumb strummed over my nipple and I choked out a gasp against his lips, my hips pressing forward into his own.

“Serena.” His pelvis arched into me in response for one, long, satisfying second, and then he pulled back entirely, breaking the kiss, a groan escaping his lips as he did.

I could still feel the hardness of his need pressing into my stomach, the skin there sensitive and overly aware from the touch. There was a quick flash of self preservation in which I wondered if this was wise.

It wasn’t, I knew it wasn’t, but by this point I didn’t care.

My head swam as I tried to get some sense of my bearings back. I vibrated with need, wanting his lips on mine again.

He gave them to me, but in the form of a short, sweet, frustrating kiss.

“Night, Serena.” His hands moved to my hips, squeezed gently, then pushed me towards the dorm. Dazed, I did as he urged, walking the short distance across asphalt to the front door.

I only snuck one quick glance back over my shoulder, once I’d reached the glass door that had been smudged by a thousand fingerprints.

He was still leaning against the battered car, his arms crossed as he watched me—protectively?

I shivered. The look on his face was of restrained need... and it said clearly that he had claimed me as his.

He waited until I was inside the building, looking back through the glass door, before he pushed off the dented metal and walked away, hands stuffed into his pockets. He left me pondering what it felt like to have someone watching out for my well being.

I was pretty sure that I liked it.



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Love Me If You Dare by Kate Laurens
Publisher: Kate Laurens (June 23, 2013)
Series: Safe Haven, 2
Genre: New Adult Contemporary

Some things change...

It’s been three years since Kaylee Sawyer has been home—home to the alcoholic mother she can’t handle, home to the painful memories of her sister Ella... and home to the guilt she’s carried for years. About to enter her final year of college, she is determined to come to terms with the mess of her past—and to ignore the guy whose single kiss has been tattooed into her mind forever.

Some things stay the same...

Dylan McKay is still golden haired and dangerous, the flame Kaylee was always afraid to touch for fear of getting burnt. But despite the damage that’s been done, she finds that she still can’t stay away from the one person who accepted her the way she was.

Some things are meant to be.

Kaylee is no longer the innocent girl she once was. Though tragedy ripped them apart before, one look from Dylan brings all of the old feelings rushing back. Torn between her past and her future, she’s not sure if a person can ever truly go home again.

But Dylan doesn’t plan to let her go without a fight.


Where to Buy*:
More Info:





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I have both book 1 and 2 in my TBR pile right now, I cannot wait to read them!
 
Are you a fan of the New Adult (NA) genre? Have you read these books yet?







Enjoy!



Until Next Time,



 Photobucket


*TBQ's Book Palace is a member of both the Amazon and Barnes and Nobles affiliates program. By using the links provided to buy products from either website, I receive a very small percentage of the order. To read my full disclosure on the matter, please see this post!

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

[Kame's Review]: "Falling for the Backup"

Falling for the Backup by Toni Aleo
Publisher: Loveswept (June 24, 2013)
Series: Assassins, 3.5
Genre: Contemporary Romance
After serving as a dutiful bridesmaid in the wedding from hell, Aynslee Shaw just wants to slink home to Nashville and forget the whole trip. That is, until the hottest guy she’s ever seen is seated next to her on the flight and dazzles her with his easy laugh and killer smile. But just when she thinks things are getting good, he vanishes, leaving Aynslee wondering, was that guy the one? And did she just let him slip through her fingers?

Former superstar goalie Jordan Ryan is back on the ice—finally. After a crippling knee injury that had him wondering if he’d ever play pro hockey again, he’s got his full attention on rebuilding his career. So a pretty—okay, beautiful—girl on a plane shouldn’t be a distraction. But Jordan is very, very distracted. And when Aynslee crosses his path again, he’s not sure any job in the world is worth missing his second chance with a woman like her.





Where to Buy*:
More Info:


Kame's Review:






Monday, June 24, 2013

Blog Tour: Interview with Robyn DeHart!



WELCOME TO THE BLOG, ROBYN! :)



A life-long love of stories and adventure, it was either become a stuntwoman for the movies or live out those adventures from the safety of her PJ's and computer. Award-winning author, Robyn DeHart chose the latter and couldn't be happier for doing so. Known for her unique plotlines and authentic characters, Robyn is a favorite among readers and reviewers. Publishers' Weekly claims her writing to be "comical and sexy" while the Chicago Tribune dubs her "wonderfully entertaining." Robyn is an award-winning author as well as being a four-time RT Bookclub Reviewers' Choice award nominee, and a three-time RomCon Reader's Crown nominee. Robyn lives in Texas with her brainy husband, two precocious little girls and two spoiled cats. You can find Robyn on-line at her website or at one of her group blogs, the Jaunty Quills or Peanut Butter on the Keyboard.




Where to Find Robyn:


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The_Book_Queen: Hi Robyn! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?






Sunday, June 23, 2013

Lusting for Covers (130)


Lusting for Covers is a weekly meme, held on Sunday, that allows bloggers to share their current cover obsession with fellow book lovers.

This meme is hosted by TBQ @ TBQ's Book Palace.

To view complete instructions on how to participate, as well as grab the HTML code for the graphic, see this page first!



Once you are ready to join the fun,

please fill out Mister Linky below with

your name/blog name and the direct

link to your Lusting for Covers for this

week!



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


Here's my candidate for the week:
 









Saturday, June 22, 2013

[Kame's Review]: "Long Simmering Spring"

Long Simmering Spring by Elisabeth Barrett
Publisher: Loveswept (May 13, 2013)
Series: Star Harbor, 3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Cole Grayson finally returns to Star Harbor, and now that he’s the town’s new sheriff, he’s upholding the law instead of breaking it. He and Julie Kensington, the local physician, have known each other since grade school, and she’s less-than-impressed with the bad boy he used to be. But after stints in the military and on Boston’s police force, the question isn’t whether he’s changed, it’s how much. It isn’t long before Cole realizes that his sweet, sexy doctor will force him to confront his past and help him to face the future.





Where to Buy*:
More Info:


Kame's Review:





Friday, June 21, 2013

Spotlight: "Isle of Sensuality" + Giveaway!


WELCOME TO THE BLOG, AIMEE! :)



About me (snooze—can you tell I hate the me stuff? Lol)

For as long as I can remember, I've had a good book in my hands. In primary school I loved Roald Dahl. In high school my English teacher introduced me to Charles Dickens, Stephen King, Jane Austin, Emily Bronte, and Shakespeare. It was then that I discovered my love for romance and I've wanted to pen my own imaginary heroes and heroines for others to enjoy ever since. Only in the last few years was I lucky enough to meet some fabulous and encouraging people to help me gain the skills to make that dream possible.

I live in sunny Scotland in a small town near the Ochils and work nine to five in a solicitors office. In my free time, you'll find me on Facebook, stalking *cough* following friends on Twitter, and may even catch me shoe shopping.


Where to Find Aimee:


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Isle of Sensuality by Aimee Duffy
Publisher: Beachwalk Press, Inc. (January 18, 2013)
Genre: Contemporary Romance
 
Who knew being with Mr. Wrong could be so right?

Caitlyn Hart is shooting her first movie, and she doesn't want to screw it up. Still, she's on a deadline and when her co-star, Mr. Hot Shot Campbell, holds filming up, he's immediately on her shit list. But she can't ignore his charms for long or the overpowering want she feels for him. Even though she knows he's her Mr. Wrong, she doesn't mind him being her Mr. Right Now. If only her silly heart would stay immune.

Having been burned once, Jake Campbell doesn't have the capacity to love, but that doesn't mean relationships of a purely sexual nature are off limits. After all, a man has needs. His sexy co-star with fire red hair and a passion to match ignites his own desire and he sets out to convince her a fling is the only way to scratch the proverbial itch. Little did he figure that she'd be the one to penetrate the thick scars on his heart and make him feel.



Where to Buy*:
More Info:



Tuesday, June 18, 2013

[Book Discussion/Review]: "Something About You"

Again, Kame and I are trying something a little different for today's post! We both picked up Something About You at the same time, and decided to do a double review and discussion about it. A few emails later, and here's what we put together. Let us know what you think about this post--do you want to see more like it or not?
Also, be warned--I am a shameless QuoteHussy, and I can't stop myself from pulling pages and pages of quotes out of this book while talking with Kame--it's that good! :D
Enjoy!
TBQ




Something About You by Julie James
Publisher: Berkley (March 2, 2010)
Series: FBI / US Attorney, 1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Fate has thrown two sworn enemies...

Of all the hotel rooms rented by all the adulterous politicians in Chicago, female Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron Lynde had to choose the one next to 1308, where some hot-and-heavy lovemaking ends with a death. And of all the FBI agents in Illinois, it had to be Special Agent Jack Pallas who gets assigned to this high-profile homicide. The same Jack Pallas who still blames Cameron for a botched crackdown three years ago—and for nearly ruining his career.

Into each other's arms...

Work with Cameron Lynde? Are they kidding? Maybe, Jack thinks, this is some kind of welcome-back prank after his stint away from Chicago. But it's no joke; the pair is going to have to put their rocky past behind them and focus on the case at hand. That is, if they can cut back on the razor-sharp jibes—and smother the flame of their sizzling-hot sexual tension.



Where to Buy*:
More Info:



Double Review and Discussion:


Kame: TBQ, this is so cool – I am so happy you thought of this!


TheBookQueen: I think it's something we definitely need to do more often!


K: I completely agree books are more fun when you know you have someone to discuss them with!

Hmmm where to start? Okay first off – what were you first impressions of the book?

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Lusting for Covers (129)


Lusting for Covers is a weekly meme, held on Sunday, that allows bloggers to share their current cover obsession with fellow book lovers.

This meme is hosted by TBQ @ TBQ's Book Palace.

To view complete instructions on how to participate, as well as grab the HTML code for the graphic, see this page first!



Once you are ready to join the fun,

please fill out Mister Linky below with

your name/blog name and the direct

link to your Lusting for Covers for this

week!



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


Here's my candidate for the week:
 



Saturday, June 15, 2013

[Kame's Review]: "Empty Net"

Empty Net by Toni Aleo
Publisher: Loveswept (April 23, 2013)
Series: Assassins, 3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Definition of an Empty Net: When a team pulls the goalie for an extra attacker, desperately seeking a goal.

Audrey Parker was in a horrible place.

She hated her job, her sister was getting married and moving out, but worst of all, she was in love with a total jerk. No matter what she did, every guy she met hurt her. All she wanted was her happily ever after. Her Prince Charming. Her Lucas Brooks! She didn’t know how to change her life but she knew she needed too.
Feeling like she was about to hit rock bottom, Audrey wakes up next to Tate Odder.

Tate Odder had lost everything.

After being brought up from the Assassins’ farm team, the Florida Rays to the Nashville Assassins, Tate hopes he’ll forget everything he has lost. He doesn’t. Each day gets harder to live in a place he doesn’t know. Even being the first rookie goalie to shut out an opposing team three times during the Lord Stanley Cup Finals, he still felt empty. With the loss of his parents and sister still heavy on his heart, Tate isn’t sure how to live like everything is okay.

But when he wakes up beside Audrey Parker, things start to change. She turns his life upside down with her kooky sense of humor and her bright clothing. She is intelligent and beautiful, and for once, he doesn’t feel empty.


Will Audrey be the person to fill the holes in Tate’s heart, making him whole again?




Or will another player ruin everything, leaving him feeling forever like an empty net?









Where to Buy*:
AmazonKindle | BN | NOOK | ARe
More Info:


Kame's Review:



Friday, June 14, 2013

[Pat's Review]: "An Indiscreet Debutante"


An Indiscreet Debutante by Lorelie Brown
Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd. (May 14, 2013)
Series: Wayworth Academy, 2
Genre: Historical Romance
 
Love is madness.

When Miss Charlotte Vale isn't running a school for impoverished factory women, she takes tea with an insane painter-the mother she adores. Determined to avoid her mother's legacy of madness, Lottie refuses to marry and nurtures the "ton's" bemused disregard for her reputation.

Through her door strides a man who threatens all she holds dear. Her cherished school, her careful control and her guarded heart.

Sir Ian Heald has tracked his sister's blackmailer to her last-known location-Lottie's school. Although he would burn the place to the ground if it would save his sister's reputation, Ian is drawn to Lottie's bold candor and indifference toward polite society.

To find his sister's blackmailer, Ian follows Lottie into a twisted world of illegal gambling clubs and eccentric parties. Even when their mutual passion ignites, Ian knows their affair cannot last. Lottie was never meant to be tucked away on his quiet pastoral estate, and she staunchly refuses his desire to wed. Yet fiery kisses and scandalous showdowns tempt this proper country gentleman to win the woman he loves and never let her go.

Warning: This book contains gambling in low-class clubs, deliciously deadpan dialogue, an unplanned swim to rescue doused women, and a fast, furious spanking. She wants it though, so that hardly counts.




Where to Buy*:
More Info:




Pat's Review:

Thursday, June 13, 2013

[Review]: "Spirit"


Spirit by Brigid Kemmerer
Publisher: K-Teen (May 28, 2013)
Series: Elemental, 3
Genre: YA Paranormal


With power comes enemies. Lots of them.Hunter Garrity just wants to be left alone. He’s learned the hard way that his unusual abilities come at a price. And he can’t seem to afford any allies.

He’s up to his neck in hostiles. His grandfather, spoiling for a fight. The Merrick brothers, who think he ratted them out. Calla, the scheming psycho who wants to use him as bait.

Then there’s Kate Sullivan, the new girl at school. She’s not hostile. She’s bold. Funny. Hot. But she’s got an agenda, too.

With supposedly secret powers rippling to the surface everywhere around him, Hunter knows something ugly is about to go down. But finding out what means he’ll have to find someone he can trust…









 


Where to Buy*:
More Info:



My Review:

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Blog Tour: Guest Post with Ann Gimpel!


WELCOME TO THE BLOG, ANN! :)




Ann Gimpel is a clinical psychologist, with a Jungian bent. Avocations include mountaineering, skiing, wilderness photography and, of course, writing. A lifelong aficionado of the unusual, she began writing speculative fiction a few years ago. Since then her short fiction has appeared in a number of webzines and anthologies. Several paranormal romance novellas are available in e-format. Three novels, Psyche’s Prophecy, Psyche’s Search, and Psyche's Promise are small press publications available in e-format and paperback. Look for two more urban fantasy novels coming this summer and fall: Fortune’s Scion and Earth’s Requiem.

A husband, grown children, grandchildren and three wolf hybrids round out her family.


Where to Find Ann:


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Real Women and Real Bodies in an Airbrushed World