28 February 2015

Stepbrother Dearest Review

Stepbrother Dearest
by Penelope Ward




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What they say: You’re not supposed to want the one who torments you.  


When my stepbrother, Elec, came to live with us my senior year, I wasn’t prepared for how much of a jerk he’d be. 

I hated that he took it out on me because he didn’t want to be here. 
I hated that he brought girls from our high school back to his room. 
But what I hated the most was the unwanted way my body reacted to him. 

At first, I thought all he had going for him were his rock-hard tattooed abs and chiseled face. Then, things started changing between us, and it all came to a head one night.  

Just as quickly as he’d come into my life, he was gone back to California.  

It had been years since I’d seen Elec.  

When tragedy struck our family, I’d have to face him again.  

And holy hell, the teenager who made me crazy was now a man that drove me insane.

I had a feeling my heart was about to get broken again.

Stepbrother Dearest is a standalone novel. 

**Contains sexual content and harsh language. It is only appropriate for adult readers age 18+




What I say: After reading the blurb and a few reviews I was expecting to dislike Elec. I have to admit that although I hated the way he treated Greta at times, he charmed me in a similar way to Jared Trent from BullyPenelope Ward has created a demanding character in Elec. He doesn't always make it easy to like him, but he won me over and I really enjoyed his and Greta's story.

Greta's life is overturned by the sudden arrival of her new stepbrother Elec. Whilst Greta is sweet, caring and thoughtful, Elec is confrontational, moody and often really mean. This tall, dark and tattooed badboy has a strained relationship with his father Randy (Greta's stepfather and all round horrible man) and takes an immediate dislike to Greta and her mother. Greta's sweet nature and her insta-attraction to her irritating stepbrother, mean that she goes out of her way to help him and ignores his attempts to torment her. The knicker stealing scenes really made me laugh.


Greta thinks the attraction is one-sided but the two find themselves drawn together. Eventually one night changes everything and they are pulled apart again. The story leaps forward many years and we're faced with two adults rather than teens. They're in very different places but are still seemingly drawn together. 

I don't want to spoil anything here so I'll just say the twist really surprised me. Although I had my suspicions about the ending I wasn't expecting the route the characters took.


In the end I really liked both characters - there were a few times when I wanted Greta to stop moping or to tell Elec to shove it. I ended up feeling really bad when certain events came to light and when we got to understand more about his past and how he had tried to fix things.

4 Stars in my Sky!



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27 February 2015

Need Me Cover Reveal

Need Me - Broke and Beautiful #2
by Tessa Bailey

Releasing 21st April.











From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Tessa Bailey, comes the next fun and sexy novel in her Broke and Beautiful trilogy!

“How did this tweed-wearing English professor turn out to be my dirtiest hero ever? Cause he really is.”--Tessa Bailey 

When Honey Perribow traded in her cowboy boots for stilettos and left her small Kentucky town to attend Columbia University, she never expected to find a dirt-cheap apartment or two new best friends. No stranger to hard work, Honey’s sole focus is a medical degree...until she sees newly-minted Professor, Ben Dawson, and her concentration is hijacked. Honey is fascinated by her gorgeous, young English professor and vows to find a crack his tweed-wearing, glasses-clad exterior. 

While at an off campus party, an accident lands Ben in a dark, locked closet with a sexy-sounding southern belle...and their chemistry is explosive. But when he discovers that the girl in his arms is the same beautiful student he can’t stop thinking about, he is stunned. Student-teacher relationships are strictly forbidden…yet no matter how hard he tries, Ben can’t stay away from Honey. 

And when his attempts to fight their attraction nearly ruin the best thing that ever happened to him, Ben will do anything to prove how much he needs her. 






Author Spotlight:

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Tessa Bailey lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and young daughter. When she isn’t writing or reading romance, Tessa enjoys a good argument and thirty-minute recipes.




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Cover Reveal: The Hazards of Sleeping with a Friend

Ooh check out the cover reveal for Alyssa Rose Ivy's The Hazards of Sleeping with a Friend

It's the 5th instalment in Alyssa's New Adult Hazards Series


The Hazards of Sleeping With A Friend - Cover

Releasing March 26th 2015.

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Cover Design: Once Upon a Time Covers
Cover Photography K. Keeton

 

Warning: Sleeping with a friend might change your life forever.

Sleeping with Kyle was never in the plans. Pretending to be his girlfriend was one thing, but letting our relationship become anything but platonic was another. The problem with mixing friendship with sex is that inevitably feelings get involved, and when that happens there's no turning back.

When Kyle's life fell apart around him, I needed to help, but doing that meant opening myself up to the most terrifying thing in the world—falling in love.


 

Alyssa Rose Ivy- Author Photo

Author Spotlight:
Alyssa Rose Ivy is a New Adult and Young Adult author who loves to weave stories with romance and a southern setting. Although raised in the New York area, she fell in love with the South after moving to New Orleans for college. After years as a perpetual student, she turned back to her creative side and decided to write. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and two young children, and she can usually be found with a cup of coffee in her hand.



 
Twitter * Author Goodreads * Pinterest * Website * Book Goodreads  * Facebook
 










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My Ever-expanding TBR - An Update on Reviews


I've been getting so many review & book promo requests recently so I felt I should address a few things...



I'm currently booked up really far in advance with tours, book blasts, promos etc and am not accepting any requests at this time - I literally don't have the space for them. 

As far as book review requests go my TBR is so full that I'm not physically able to read any more books than I am and so the blog is currently closed for review requests. I will open the list back up again as soon as I can.

I really don't like having to do this because I love helping out as many authors as possible but I literally don't have the space or time. 

I've had a few people getting upset recently because I couldn't fit them in on the blog, so I wanted to make it clear that I really do appreciate every request I receive and am grateful you took the time to contact me. 

Like many other bloggers I receive so many requests that I do not have the time to respond to them all (I do try to reply to as many as I can) but a while ago I had to make the choice between replying to requests and actually reading/writing reviews and posts. Please do not be offended if I do not reply or if I'm not able to work with you at this time because it's not a reflection or you or your work, it's purely a time thing and no offence is ever intended.

I really hope this clears up a few things regarding requests and I wish you all well with your book(s). I wanted to offer a big thank you to all the authors out there who provide us with hours of entertainment and who have given us so many wonderful characters - you guys rock!!

Z xx


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26 February 2015

The Hidden Library Release & Review


The Hidden Library - The Collectors'  Society #2
by Heather Lyons




Sometimes, the rabbit hole is deeper than expected . . .

Alice Reeve and Finn Van Brunt have tumbled into a life of secrets. Some secrets they share, such as their employment by the clandestine organization known as The Collectors’ Society. Other secrets they carry within them, fighting to keep buried the things that could change everything they think they know.

On the hunt for an elusive villain who is hell-bent on destroying legacies, Alice, Finn, and the rest of the Society are desperate to unravel the mysteries surrounding them. But the farther they spiral down this rabbit hole, the deeper they fall into secrets that will test their loyalties and pit them against enemies both new and old.

Secrets, they come to find, can reveal the deadliest of truths.






Don’t miss the first book in this series, THE COLLECTORS’ SOCIETY!







I received a copy in exchange for an honest review!


What I say: *Note: The Hidden Library is the second book in a series, so I recommend you read book one The Collectors' Society first (this review may contain minor spoilers from book one).* 

The series focuses around Alice Reeve (yes Alice from the Wonderland books) and a society who battle to save literary timelines and characters. We get to meet lots of famous characters from all sorts of novels including from Huckleberry FinnSweeney Todd, Frankenstein, Pride and Prejudice and many more. The story starts right after the dramatic ending of book one, with the society and timelines in danger. 


This instalment is much more Finn-centric because we get his POV too. When you're faced with a reworking of a story it's always interesting to see how the author sticks to or varies from the characters original story. With Finn I already knew his story but seeing it in depth from his POV and getting to know more about his past was good but really heartbreaking. 

Alice seems to be a little more together than she was previously, but the story still focuses on the issue of reality and madness. The overall concept of the series is really clever and the way in which Heather Lyons seamlessly ties past stories together is great.

Alice and Finn work together to help save the timelines. I've gotta say that I love their relationship and it's nice to see some sweet and steamy scenes of them together. I do however, have a huge soft spot for a certain King!

I loved getting to see some of my favourite characters from the previous book and meeting some new ones. One character in particular made me really nervous!


There are lots of unanswered questions and after THAT ending I'm equal parts intrigued and nervous for the next instalment in the series!

4 Stars in my Sky!



Author Spotlight:


Heather Lyons writes epic, heartfelt love stories and has always had a thing for words. In addition to writing, she’s also been an archaeologist and a teacher. She and her husband and children live in sunny Southern California and are currently working their way through every cupcakery she can find.




Excerpt:

We are about to open the conference room door and enter the hallway when he stops. He turns to me, his lovely eyes achingly sincere. “I want to take you on a date when all of this craziness is over. A real one. We’ve kind of gone about this all backwards, haven’t we?”
One corner of my mouth lifts up. “Are you saying you’d like to court me?”
There is no playfulness to his face, no quirk to his own lips. My heart flutters at his seriousness. “Yes.” 
He wants to court me.
Too many emotions rush around in a caucus race throughout my body. I have no doubts of Huckleberry Finn Van Brunt’s feelings toward me. I understood them two minutes ago just as well as I did this morning when I woke up and from the night before and from the day in Wonderland where he said, in not so many words, that he was falling in love with me.
I told him he was my north star, and meant it. He countered we are binaries.
He and I . . . We’ve never said those words, though, not the ones that truly spell out fragile, deep secrets of a heart and soul. Words so easily and yet unfortunately uttered by many, be it to express their appreciation of fried bits of potatoes to sports teams on the television. Words offered so frivolously about a variety of subjects and yet can be the most difficult, most painful, most meaningful, most cherished syllables we gift another person.
I have said these words before, to another man. Another man I still love. One I know, in the deepest confines of my heart, that I will love until the last breath escapes my body. A man who courted me in secret and then publicly in the face of astonishment, disapproval, confusion, and, in the end, prophesies. 
I have willingly given the man in front of me my heart, though, whether he knows it or not. He now holds it in his hands, and while I pray he is my future, there is still a part of me that bucks in conflicted confusion and delight by this declaration of his.
He wants to court me.
And yet, as sweet and romantic as such a gesture might be, I require no such formalities. My affections for Finn Van Brunt have already solidified into something real and wonderful and meaningful.


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Consolation & Conviction - Double Cover Reveal

Double Cover Reveal

Consolation
Book One in the Consolation Duet

by Corinne Michaels



Genre: Contemporary Romance
Cover Design: Okay Creations
Photographer: Perrywinkle Photography
Release Date: March 18th



Liam wasn’t supposed to be my happily ever after.
He wasn’t even on my radar.
He was my husband’s best friend—forbidden.
But my husband is dead and I’m alone. I ache for him and I reach for Liam.
One night with Liam changed everything. Now I have to decide if I truly love him or if he’s just the consolation prize.

✦ Pre Order on iBooks
✦ Add to your Goodreads Shelf





Excerpt:

Today is the last day I will allow myself to feel sorrow, the last day I will shed tears, because tears don’t change anything. I need to harvest whatever strength I have and hold it tight. I’m a mother who has an infant that needs me to be both mom and dad.
One day, they say. One day this will stop hurting.
Lies.
This will never be okay or stop hurting.
I’ll never be the same. The woman I was before died the minute the knock on the door came. I’m a shell of the woman I was. The woman who was loving, open, and full of hope is gone. Hope is a weak bitch who couldn’t give two fucks about what you want. So I rely on faith. Faith that I’ll make it through this and find my heart again.
Conviction
Book Two in the Consolation Duet




Genre: Contemporary Romance
Cover Design: Okay Creations
Photographer: Perrywinkle Photography

Release Date:  May 27th



I fell in love with Liam only to be left shattered into a million pieces. Again. The idea of being without him cripples me but the reality is, he’s gone.
He doesn’t understand and I can’t make him.
If only he’d see the conviction behind my words—then Liam would still be here.



✦ Pre Order on iBooks
✦ Add to your Goodreads Shelf


Author Spotlight:


Corinne Michaels is an emotional, witty, sarcastic, and fun loving mom of two beautiful children. She’s happily married to the man of her dreams and is a former Navy wife. After spending months away from her husband while he was deployed, reading and writing was her escape from the loneliness.
Both her maternal and paternal grandmothers were librarians, which only intensified her love of reading. After years of writing short stories, she couldn’t ignore the call to finish her debut novel, Beloved. Her alpha Navy SEALs are broken, beautiful, and will steal your heart.




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25 February 2015

A Stone in the Sea Tour, Review & Giveaway


A Stone in the Sea - Bleeding Stars #1
by A.L. Jackson





What they say: He wanted nothing at all…



Until he found she had everything to give… 


Sunder lead singer and guitarist Sebastian Stone has everything—fans, fame, and fortune. He also has a heart full of bitterness and a reputation for a short-fused temper. But an outward reputation rarely reveals the true man inside. Facing assault charges after trying to protect his younger brother, Sebastian is sent to Savannah, Georgia to lie low until the dust settles in L.A.


Shea Bentley is beautiful, kind, and hiding from the very lifestyle Sebastian has always embraced.

When the mysterious, tattooed stranger begins hanging out at the bar where she works, Shea is quick to recognize he is nothing but trouble, but she’s helpless to the way her body lights up every time his intense gray eyes tangle with hers.

They both soon find themselves drowning in a sea of desire and passion that won’t let them up for air.

Sebastian knows firsthand secrets never die, and he’s not the only one who’s hiding them.

Loving someone always comes with a price. But will it be Shea’s past that costs them everything?



Buy links: 


iBooks * Amazon * B&N


FACEBOOK RELEASE PARTY 4pm – 9pm EST!






Author Spotlight:



A.L. Jackson is the New York Times bestselling author of Take This Regret and Lost to You, as well as other contemporary romance titles, including Come to Me Quietly, Come to Me Softly, Pulled, When We Collide, and If Forever Comes.

She first found a love for writing during her days as a young mother and college student.  She filled the journals she carried with short stories and poems used as an emotional outlet for the difficulties and joys she found in day-to-day life.

Years later, she shared a short story she’d been working on with her two closest friends and, with their encouragement, this story became her first full length novel. A.L. now spends her days writing in Southern Arizona where she lives with her husband and three children. Her favorite pastime is spending time with the ones she loves.

To stay up to date with important news on A.L. Jackson, including new releases, sales, and exclusive specials and excerpts, text “jackson” to 96000 to subscribe!

NewsletterWebsiteFacebookTwitterPinterest * Instagram @aljacksonauthor * Tsu








I received a copy in exchange for an honest review!


What I say: A Stone in the Sea is a complicated and modern love story with dark edges and really sad moments. The title is very apt, fitting nicely with the tone of the book.

The story focuses on guarded rockstar Sebastian 'Baz' Stone. Baz finds himself in a small country town where he meets sweet, quite country girl Shea Bentley. There's an instant draw between the two, which I'm often very doubtful of, but didn't mind here because it worked with their story.

Baz is dealing with a boatload of issues; he's supposed to be using his time out of the limelight to sort out his problems, not falling in love. Baz carries a lot of guilt, which we slowly start to discover throughout the book. 

Shea has her own share of problems and secrets, a few of which I guessed and a couple I really didn't - THE ENDING!!! Shea takes a big risk getting involved with a bad boy like Baz but she can't fight the attraction and pull he has over her. 

I liked both Baz and Shea, although a certain little Butterfly stole the show. I kept hoping they'd open up to each other a bit more but A Stone in the Sea is the first book in a series and so we cannot expect all the answers in the first instalment.

Some sections of the story are really painful (I really wanted Baz to be able to deal with his unfair guilt), whilst others were cute and sweet. The romance made me smile and their naughty scenes are hot. 

I hope we get more info on the rest of the band, Baz's family and Shea's situation in the next book. I enjoyed the story and am looking forward to what comes next.

4 Stars in my Sky!





Excerpt: 

With a smile, I turned around, then froze when my sight registered the obscured figure leaning against the wall. A strangled gasp caught in my throat, and my heart took off at a sprint, blood pounding hard in my ears.
Pushing from the wall, he stepped from the shadows, his hands again stuffed deep in his pockets.
My heart rate only increased, the energy radiating from him almost as strong as the disappointment he’d left me with when he’d gone.
I pressed my hand to my chest to try to still the panic thundering against my ribs. “You scared me.”
“I’m sorry.” The words were soft. “That’s the last thing I want to do.”
But he did. I was scared of what he was capable of doing to me, the way I knew he held the power to trounce all over this hammering heart, to hold it in his hand and crush it into a million unrecognizable pieces.
“What are you doing here?” I asked on a shaky breath.
He looked to the sky and exhaled heavily, before he leveled his gaze back on me. “The same thing I’m doing every night, Shea. Thinking about you and wondering why the hell I can’t stop.”
My stomach flipped, and I gulped for air.
“What do you want from me?”
He laughed, lifted his elbows out to his sides in a helpless gesture without pulling his hands free. “Dinner?”
Nonsensical laughter shot from me. “At three in the morning?”
“Breakfast?” he amended, a coy smile pulling at his full, crooked lips.
Tingles spread across my skin, and I ran my hands up my bare arms. “I already told you I don’t have time for distractions.”
“Come on, Shea. It’s just food. Go out with me. Just tonight.”
Somehow I knew it was a lie, even though he wanted to believe it was true.
Nervously, I glanced to the back door all the while being inexplicably drawn to this man I didn’t even know. I knew I should make a break for it, run for the safety of my little world and give him no opportunity to rip it apart.
“I am hungry,” I found myself saying. After a long night of work, it was true. But it had nothing to do with the reason I was giving in.
Because I just wanted to…
I shook my head.
That was it. I just wanted. I wanted to be in his space. I wanted to understand why he had this pull on me. I wanted him.
Even though I’d never allow myself to have him.


Giveaway:



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