31 August 2014

Everybody Loves the Singer! Lead Review


Lead - Stage Dive #3
by Kylie Scott





What they say: Stay up all night with the sexy rockers in Stage Dive, the epic New Adult series from New York Times bestselling author Kylie Scott, author of Lick and Play.



As the lead singer of Stage Dive, Jimmy is used to getting whatever he wants, whenever he wants it, whether it's booze, drugs, or women. However, when a PR disaster serves as a wake-up call about his life and lands him in rehab, he finds himself with Lena, a new assistant to keep him out of trouble.   


Lena's not willing to take any crap from the sexy rocker and is determined to keep their relationship completely professional, despite their sizzling chemistry. But when Jimmy pushes her too far and Lena leaves, he realizes that he may just have lost the best thing that ever happened to him.




What I say: *You don't have to have read the previous books before Lead but it really helps if you do because the plot continues on from/overlaps with the first two books!* For the purpose of this review I'm going to presume you've read Lick (David and Ev) and Play (Mal and Anne). 

Oh Jimmy!!! Jimmy is the lead singer in the band and is in a pretty bad way. He's rude, snarky and mean to everybody. He even screwed over his brother David. If Jimmy wants to stay in the band he needs to remain clean and sort out his problems - Enter Lena!

I loved Lena! She's hilarious and my kinda gal. As much as she fancies him, she doesn't let him have everything his own way, but manages to remain non-judgemental. I actually thought she was more loyal to him than he deserved at times. I have so many Lena quotes highlighted on my Kindle - she has some fab one-liners and had me in hysterics with some of her antics!

Kylie Scott had done such a great job in the previous books in making Jimmy unlikeable, I wasn't sure how she could possibly make us like him. He has a horrible past and is way more damaged by his mother than even David. The one thing I wasn't expecting was for Jimmy to be sweet and funny. Don't get me wrong he's still rude and moody a lot of the time, but he can be really thoughtful when it comes to Lena. 

Lena's really patient with Jimmy and puts up with a lot of crap from him. Every time he did something insensitive I wanted to smack him. Lena is very hard on herself and doesn't seem to be aware of her beauty (inner and outer). It was nice to have a curvy heroine, although I'm not sure what we're counting as plus sized these days. 

Jimmy's lack of self-worth is really sad and I wanted him to open his eyes and see Lena. The restaurant scene with Ben was one of my fav's and I've reread it several times!

I loved these two together. Kylie managed to completely win me over with her portrayal of Jimmy in Lead! *Swoon!*

4 - 4.5 Stars in my Sky!





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30 August 2014

The Summer We Fell Tour & Review


The Summer We Fell
by Amber Garza





What they say: Adam Stewart is every girl’s fantasy – captain of the football team, smart, funny, hot. I’ve had a crush on him for years but he never noticed me. Until now.


Dating Adam is a dream come true. I should be happy about it, but it’s hard because my best friend Cruz is acting strange. Almost like he’s jealous. But that can’t be. Can it?

Cruz and I have been inseparable since we were kids. He’s always been like a brother to me. But lately things have changed. He’s different, and I’m starting to see him in a new light. Our relationship is evolving in a way I never thought possible. I don’t want to lose him, but am I willing to give up Adam for him? 



Buy Link: 



Author Spotlight:




Amber Garza is the author of the Delaney's Gift Series and many contemporary romance titles, including Star Struck, Tripping Me Up and Break Free. She has had a passion for the written word since she was a child making books out of notebook paper and staples. Her hobbies include reading and singing. Tea and wine are her drinks of choice (not necessarily in that order). She writes while blaring music, and talks about her characters like they're real people. She currently lives in California with her amazing husband, and two hilarious children who provide her with enough material to keep her writing for years.



I received a copy in exchange for an honest review!


What I say (review): The Summer We Fell is a super cute, YA story about love, friendship and everything in between. I'm a sucker for good friends to something more stories and this one really made me smile.

Sloan's lifelong best friend is her neighbour Cruz. They have always been there to support each other but have never wanted to be more than friends until now (or have they?)...

I have to admit, usually I do find some teen romances a bit too sentimental and cutesy but in this case I fully embraced the cute and just enjoyed the story. 

I liked Sloane and found her complete lack of realisation as to her appeal really sweet. She's completely oblivious and kinda awkward. Whenever she was around Adam, she'd say something ridiculous and have me laughing my butt off. She actually reminded me of one of my friends (who shall remain nameless).

I'm not sure if I was supposed to like both Cruz and Adam but I did. I had my obvious favourite and pick for Sloane but I liked that they were both viable options. I did enjoy getting Cruz's POV as well as Sloane's. Whenever Adam was around Sloane, Cruz's POV was hilarious, he definitely didn't handle his jealousy well. 


The story is clean and sweet, so younger readers will love it. If you're a fan of more angsty or sexy YA/NA stories, then The Summer We Fell probably isn't for you. I enjoyed the innocent glances and longing looks and didn't even mind the teen dialogue. I clearly have a more sentimental and softer side than I imagined... 

3.5 Innocent Stars in my Sky!



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29 August 2014

The Marriage Agenda Blitz














The Marriage Agenda by Sarah Ballance
Contemporary Romance




Date Published: August 18, 2014

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There's a scandal brewing in Washington... 

Knox Hamilton wants his father’s recently vacated Senate seat, but the only way his conservative constituents are going to vote for Knox is if he loses his playboy reputation. Which means Knox needs a wife. There’s only one woman with whom he's willing to share his life, but after the way he broke things off with her, will she give him another chance?

Chloe Lochlan's job is on the line. If she doesn't grab a big headline, she'll be ousted from her gig at the major newspaper where she works as a reporter. Knox's offer of marriage chills her to the bone. He already crushed her heart once and she has no intention of letting it happen again. But being with him gives her the kind of access to top tier social events rarely granted to media, access that could land her the story of a lifetime. When the truth she uncovers threatens to destroy the man she still loves, will she bury the story...or his career?


Buy Links:


Excerpt:

As she stood alone in the bar, second thoughts closed in. No one had approached claiming to be her date. Had he taken one look at her and left? Patience—and nerve—waning, Chloe scoured the room, hoping for a sign she should leave. And she found one. A big one.

Watching her intently from a corner table was her ex-everything. And in spite of a strict never-again policy for all things Knox Hamilton, her body melted in traitorous anticipation. His trademark bedroom-tousled hair, the same luscious brown hue as those smoldering eyes, did little to kill the energy coursing through her at the speed of orgasm. Her knees weakened, further threatening her unsteady perch on the stilts a salesclerk had tried to pass off as a wardrobe staple.

Chloe stared at Knox, an uneasy feeling crawling through her chest.

All her synapses fired “flee,” but her GPS was off. Her attempt at escape landed her at the corner of his table, where she nearly collided with a waiter setting something in front of Knox that was suspiciously akin to Chloe’s favorite drink, a strawberry daiquiri. Though the beverage seemed to confirm her suspicions, she eyed the glass with a touch of misplaced jealousy. It wouldn’t surprise her if he had a date. Well-known and filthy rich, up-and-coming politico Knox Hamilton had everything, including his pick of eligible women.

“Chloe.” He drawled her name, adding a seductive syllable or two. “You look amazing.”

Her mouth watered at the sound of his voice. “Hi.” Her voice squeaked with a less-than-dexterous reply.

He grinned. “It’s been too long. Have a seat.”

She eyed the daiquiri. “Actually, I have a date. As do you, it seems.”

His gaze met hers over the deep amber mouth of his beer bottle. “I ordered that drink for you.” The words simmered with the husky promise of the bedroom, slipping from his lips with an odd amount of reckless, deliberate ease.

Entranced, she caught herself staring at his mouth.

He leaned back in his chair, giving her a good, long look at the way his torso shaped his neatly buttoned and pressed shirt. “Will you join me?”

He had no right to look so good. She swallowed, getting a full taste of memories she’d sooner forget. “My date—”

“—is one unlucky bastard tonight. That is, of course, if you’ll sit.”

If she was smart, she’d give Knox a view of her amazing legs and phenomenal ass as she teetered out of the bar on those damned stripper heels. But curiosity would make a dead cat out of her yet.




Author Spotlight:



Sarah and her husband of what he calls “many long, long years” live on the mid-Atlantic coast with their six young children, all of whom are perfectly adorable when they’re asleep. She never dreamed of becoming an author, but as a homeschooling mom she often jokes she writes fiction because if she wants anyone to listen to her, she has to make them up. (As it turns out, her characters aren’t much better than the kids.) When not buried under piles of laundry, she may be found adrift in the Atlantic (preferably on a boat) or in search of that ever-elusive perfect writing spot where not even the kids can find her.  To learn more about her work in contemporary, historical, and supernatural romance and romantic suspense, please stalk accordingly.





Giveaway:

$25 Amazon/ BN gift card tour wide via Rafflecopter to one reader (winner’s choice)






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Introducing Z. Elizabeth - The Deal Cover Reveal

The Deal (#1)
by Z. Elizabeth


Adult Naughty Romance
December 1st 2014


goodreads


The Deal Cover


Synopsis:

One feud.

Two families.
One secret.

What happens when you fall for the enemy?

Thanks to their fathers' feud, Nicole and Craig have been enemies since the moment they were born. But six years ago they fell in love... They just never told each other.

Motivated by their grandparents' money, they agree to a simple deal: Stay married for a year and unravel the secrets and lies surrounding their fathers. Bound together, they must figure out why the two former best friends have spent the last thirty years ignoring one another and prohibited any contact between Nicole and Craig.

Craig is more than happy to uncover their fathers' past if it means he gets Nicole for real.
Nicole wants to keep the past exactly where it is and she will fight Craig every step of the way.

With only limited time together, delving into their family history could be the mistake that will break both their hearts.

What happens when secrets and lies are revealed? Can Nicole and Craig live their Happily Ever After after waiting six long years to be together? Or will one secret be enough to break them apart, just like their fathers?


'I'm doing this for us, Nic'

*THE DEAL is suitable for 17+ due to sex scenes and language*




*This is a STANDALONE novel. Book two is a companion novel.*



Excerpt:

Craig has me backed against the wall, his hands either side of my head and his face is within inches of mine. I can feel his hot breath spurt on my face and his eyes are burning with anger. He look like he wants to punch everything in sight. Okay, so maybe I went a bit too far, but f**k him. I wanted a reaction from him and I sure as hell got one.

I plaster myself to the wall. I know he would never touch me in a million years, but something primal is in front of me and between being scared of Craig, I am getting turned on by this too. We have yet to have angry make-up sex and right now, as much as I want my bath, sex would not go amiss.

“Are you trying to f**k me up, Nic? Trying to turn me into a jealous f**ker because I damn well am right now.” He spits out. His eyes are all over my face, from my lips to my eyes to my lips again. “I nearly punched the s**t out of your little work buddy earlier. You f**king LEFT ME in bed this morning after our fight last night and then I see you all f**king happy as Larry with dickwad. Do you know how that made me feel?

I shake my head and go to push him off me, but that only spurs him on and his body becomes flush with mine. I have to bite back a groan at the contact. He wraps his hands in my hair and brings my face even closer to his. I can literally taste the beer on his lips and all I want to do is taste it on his tongue. But I need to stand my ground and not let him get one over on me.

“Well maybe you should stop trying to dig into the past, Craig, leave it the f**k alone. I've already told you I feel f**king bad for this morning but you're a big boy, you should have learned how to set an alarm by now.” I bite back, “And I didn't bring Jamie along to make you jealous, you wanker, I brought him along to meet you all. But no, you turned it into a pissing contest. I am no ones okay? I am not yours so calm your f**king jealousy.”

He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. He unravels one hand from my hair and punches the wall next to me. I jump at the thud his fist makes and he falls forward, his face resting on my shoulder. I stand still, wondering what he is doing and I feel him wrap both hands around my waist. My hands are still idle at my waist, not wanting to touch him.

“Nic, you are mine. No matter what the hell happens. You. Are. Mine.” He murmurs into my ear and plants a kiss on my neck.

“Yeah, yours for 8ish more months.” I say and feel him shake his head and tighten his grip on me.

“No.” is all I hear from him. His words are confusing me and unless he cannot count how long we have left, he's going insane.

“Yes.”

“No.” and with that he lifts himself back up and slams his lips onto mine. 



Author Spotlight:

ZZ. Elizabeth is a debut author who grew up in Wales, UK and wishes she knew how to speak fluent Welsh. Bore da (Good morning), Wedi Bleno (tired) and Ydw (yes) just don't cut it.

Reading has always been a part of her life since she was a young kid and writing came quickly after she discovered her love for studying English Language and writing fiction. Since graduating with a degree in BA Journalism, writing is embedded into her everyday working and personal life. At 15, she finished a full length novel and thought nothing of it until now. The Deal is loosely based upon that story and it's one that she is hugely proud of writing and re-writing and re-writing...

When she isn't slaving away at her day job, you can find her daydreaming about her book boyfriends, reading the next hot book out or binge eating with her friends, continually shocking them with the filth that flies out of her mouth.

Z. Elizabeth hopes that her characters end up on your book boyfriend/girlfriend lists and her book ends up on your favourite list, maybe even your bookshelf.




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28 August 2014

Guardian Re-Release & Review



Guardian
by Courtney Cole




Sometimes, things that go bump in the night are real. 

My name is Whitney Lane.  I’m sixteen years old and at first, I thought I was crazy. 

I kept seeing shadows move along walls, and hearing whispers around corners, but whenever I looked, there was never anything there.  

Until one day, there was. 

Our world isn’t what we think.  There are things around us, good things, bad things, scary things. Things that we tell ourselves aren’t real, but they are.   

They’re very real, and they’re terrifying. 

I’ve been swept up now, in a battle of good and evil, confused about love and what is supposed to be love, but isn’t.  I don’t know what to think anymore.  I can’t trust my emotions and I don’t know what is true.  

There’s only one thing I know for sure. 

Nothing is what it seems.


Add to Goodreads



Re-release - Aug 28th

Not only is this a re-release of a story very close to Courtney's heart, but it's also her Birthday - so let's show her some love!





Excerpt:


Sometimes the things that go bump in the night are real. 

Happy birthday to me. 
 I close my eyes and burrow into my pillow as I try to sleep, as I try to escape this life. 
It’s a life I never thought I’d have, a life I most certainly don’t want. 
I’m still feeling sorry for myself as the blackness of sleep finally overtakes me. 
I don’t know what time it is when I shoot straight upward like a rocket.  Something had yanked me from the oblivion of sleep, something loud and shrill scraping my window.
My room is completely dark and I glance at my clock in confusion. 
3:00 a.m.
As my heart pounds hard against my ribcage, I quickly scan every corner of the room.
 In the last few hours, dark shadows had migrated onto my pink walls, but they’re familiar, nothing out of the ordinary, although in the night, they seem twisted and scary.  
I remain motionless as I allow the sleep-induced fog to clear from my brain.
As I sit, I feel common sense and logic slowly returning.
Of course nothing had touched my window because my bedroom is on the second floor. Nothing can reach it.  And there are no trees near enough to brush against it.  It was just a dream.
It was only a dream.
I chant it silently to myself like a mantra as I consciously slow my breathing down, hoping that my racing pulse will soon follow. It was only a dream.
But just as I’m calming down, I hear it again.
A high-pitched shrill shriek, reminiscent of fingernails on a chalkboard, scraping down my window. I gasp and pull my feet up to my chest, which is when I notice the temperature. 
I notice because I can see my breath.
Timidly, I blow a puff out again, watching the way my breath turns white in the air. 
Holy crap.  Oh my God. 
What the hell?
The sound stops and stillness surrounds me once again, the silence so loud that it echoes in my ear.
Nothing moves around me, the shadows are perfectly still as they twist across my wall.  They look like mangled fingers and arms and legs, but they don’t move. 
My legs are weak and shaking, but I know I have to move.   I have to move off my bed because it feels like something is under it.  Something terrifying. 
With a leap, I bound across the room, my feet hitting the floor several feet away from the edge of my bed. 
The floor is ice cold, as though it had been covered in a blanket of snow. 
I’m trembling as I race to the far wall and check the thermostat.  Because that’s the only explanation.  I must’ve bumped it earlier, I must’ve turned the AC way down. 
But the luminous numbers stare at me in contradiction. 
74 degrees. 
It must be broken.  It has to be broken.
My breath is coming in pants now, terrified, anxious pants. 
My fear isn’t logical.  I know there’s nothing here.  I’m the only one in this room. 
Or am I?
The air seems to push at me from all around, something dark, something heavy, something real.  Something unseen. 
My fingers shake, my legs tremble, and then all of a sudden, they can no longer support my weight.  I go down like a pile of bricks, collapsing onto the floor.  I lie still because I can’t move, because something seems to sit on my chest, holding me down. 
The shadows start to move, to slither across the walls, to reach and pull and dance. 
I struggle to focus, to see what it is. 
But all I can see are the numbers on the thermostat suddenly moving, rapidly counting down from 74 to 20. 
Twenty degrees?
The air is frigid as I suck it in, as I try to pull the ice crystals into my mouth so I can breathe. 
All of a sudden, there’s a blackness in front of me.  It hovers over me, a shapeless mass, sucking in the cells of the air, the atoms and the molecules.  It’s darker than the blackness of my room, blacker than the blackest black. 
Something is here. 
With me. 
“Dad?” I whisper in a white puff.  Because what else could it be?
I reach out a finger to touch it, and then I can’t see anything else, because the darkness of it surrounds me, bleeding into everything else, even my vision.   The shriek is back, screaming into my ears, bleeding into my brain. 
Then there’s nothing.


Buy Links:

Barnes & Noble * Amazon * Kobo * iTunes


Author Spotlight:

Courtney Cole is a novelist who would eat mythology for breakfast if she could. She has a degree in Business, but has since discovered that corporate America is not nearly as fun to live in as fictional worlds. She loves chocolate and roller coasters and hates waiting and rude people.

Courtney lives in quiet suburbia, close to Lake Michigan, with her real-life Prince Charming, her ornery kids (there is a small chance that they get their orneriness from their mother) and a small domestic zoo.





To celebrate Courtney’s Birthday, she is putting the following titles on sale for just $.99 on August 28th ONLY!




I received a copy in exchange for an honest review!


What I say: I didn't read Guardian when it was first released but I'm glad I had to opportunity to read it upon it's re-release. It's my favourite Courtney Cole book I've read so far! I wasn't expecting this, but I think the reason I liked the story so much was the emotional involvement. Even from the very beginning of the story Whitney's pain and sense of loss is palpable and devastating.

After a tragic loss Whitney 'Whit' is left fighting for survival. This fight is not only for herself but for her entire family. Whit suddenly finds herself in this unexpected and terrible situation, where instead of normal teen issues, she's left looking after her little sister Ellie (so cute) and mother. 

In Guardian, Cole covers the tricky issues of bereavement and mental health.  She also looks at morality and the paranormal - it all fits together in an infinitely better and less confusing manner than how I've described it here. I won't go into too much detail because even though it's a re-release I don't want to spoil anything for those who haven't read the book yet.

Whit is sweet, fierce and likeable. Well except for when it came to boys - she was a little immature here because she was fairly indecisive. BUT tbh I put that down to her grief and young age. I was expecting your typical angel love story, with an annoying drawn out love triangle, but thankfully Cole takes the story in a different direction. 

I thought Whit was pretty good at holding it all together and even though I could feel her pain, she was a trooper. The supernatural elements were a clever way of addressing grief by looking at it in a different way. 


I had my suspicions about certain characters, although I like how Cole kept us guessing. There were a few moments when I felt the timing was a little off. Sometimes events happened really quickly, then other times they went by really slowly. This is only a small thing and it did help to add to the sense of time passing and Whitney trying to move on. I actually remember being surprised at the extremely short time period that passes in Cassandra Clare's The Mortal Instruments series or when other YA stories suddenly jump forward months at a time. I often find this is the case with YA paranormal/fantasy stories because the perfect balance is very difficult to find. 

I enjoyed Whit's story because it was sad, sweet and interesting. I liked the twist in angel lore and found the characters (both main and secondary) intriguing. I like my characters a bit on the more mysterious side so I had a clear favourite choice for who Whit should be with, but I'll leave you to discover what happens...

4 Stars in my Sky!


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