THE PRINCE – Review & Excerpt Tour

From #1 New York Times Bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout, comes THE PRINCE, a new novella in her Wicked Series, brought to you by 1,001 Dark Nights! 

Be sure to grab your copy today!

From #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout comes a new story in her Wicked series…

She’s everything he wants….

Cold. Heartless. Deadly. Whispers of his name alone bring fear to fae and mortals alike. The Prince. There is nothing in the mortal world more dangerous than him. Haunted by a past he couldn’t control, all Caden desires is revenge against those who’d wronged him, trapping him in never-ending nightmare. And there is one person he knows can help him.

She’s everything he can’t have…

Raised within the Order, Brighton Jussier knows just how dangerous the Prince is, reformed or not. She’d seen firsthand what atrocities he could be capable of. The last thing she wants to do is help him, but he leaves her little choice. Forced to work alongside him, she begins to see the man under the bitter ice. Yearning for him feels like the definition of insanity, but there’s no denying the heat in his touch and the wicked promise is his stare.

She’s everything he’ll take….

But there’s someone out there who wants to return the Prince to his former self. A walking, breathing nightmare that is hell bent on destroying the world and everyone close to him. The last thing either of them needs is a distraction, but with the attraction growing between them each now, the one thing he wants more than anything may be the one thing that will be his undoing.

She’s everything he’d die for…

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I received a copy in exchange for an honest review!

What I say: I'm going to start with the end and ask how can it end like that?! The Prince is dramatic, angst-filled and infuriating, but in the best way!!!

Right, now back to the beginning, or the start of this novella, which is set after the end of Ivy's story in Brave.

I've yet to find a JLA book that I didn't like and I'm not starting with The Prince. It's chockablock with amazeballs! JLA really does give good or really bad fae depending on which side of the war you take! 

I can honestly say I hadn't given Brighton much thought before now, but as she always manages to do, JLA had me invested in Bri's story from the first page. I wanted to see what happened next and was desperate to see her become her best badass self. Never let it be said that you cannot pack a lot of character development and growth into a novella, because we certainly see a lot of it with Bri in The Prince.

Oh the Prince. Former dark fae, now hotel good fae, Prince Caden, is a mystery. He's got the whole broody thing down. Leader of all reformed bad boys (ish) thy name is Caden! I'm desperately hoping we get a full series about the two of them because it cannot end like that!!! Also can Tink have his own story too please?

4.5 Stars in my Sky!

Author Spotlight:

# 1 New York Times, USA Today and international bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki. Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV. She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

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Cover Reveal: Fighting Silence

Fighting Silence

  by Aly Martinez

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RELEASE DATE: February 2015

  

Sound is an abstract concept for most people. We spend our lives blocking out the static in order to focus on what we believe is important. But what if, when the clarity fades into silence, it's the obscure background noise that you would give anything to hold on to? 

I've always been a fighter. With parents who barely managed to stay out of jail and two little brothers who narrowly avoided foster care, I became skilled at dodging the punches life threw at me. Growing up, I didn’t have anything I could call my own, but from the moment I met Eliza Reynolds, she was always mine.  I became utterly addicted to her and the escape from reality we provided each other. Throughout the years, she had boyfriends and I had girlfriends, but there wasn't a single night that I didn’t hear her voice.

You see, meeting the love of my life at age thirteen was never part of my plan. However, neither was gradually going deaf at the age of twenty-one.

They both happened anyway.

Now, I'm on the ropes during the toughest battles of my life.

Fighting for my career.

Fighting the impending silence.

Fighting for her.

Every night, just before falling asleep, she sighs as a final conscious breath leaves her.

I think that's the sound I'll miss the most.

Excerpt:

"That wasn't yours to take away," he exploded into the otherwise silent night. His words echoed off the surrounding buildings, each wave slicing me to the quick all over again. "That was our place. Not yours." His voice cracked right alongside my heart.

"Yeah, well, there was a lot of stuff that wasn't yours to take either." I held his gaze, desperately trying to be strong, but as his eyes grew wide, I whimpered.

His long legs strode forward, stopping only inches away from me. He was crowding me, but he still leaned in closer to my face. "There is nothing in this world that was ever more mine than you," he stated. Though it was the absolute truth, I wished with all my heart that it were a lie.

"Till," I cried, swiping the tears from my eyes.

"Why!" he shouted, causing his muscles to tense under the force. "Goddamn it! I needed that place."

Porch lights flashed on from the surrounding apartments, illuminating not only the dark but also my rage.

I shoved my hands into his chest. "What about what I needed? You left! I waited in that fucking apartment for weeks."

He didn't budge, but my bare feet slipped, sending me toward the ground. Impossibly fast, Till's hand snaked out and caught my arm. I didn't let his chivalrous gesture douse my fire. I had six months’ worth of words to say to the man I was irrevocably in love with.

"You took what you wanted. Then you left me."

"Doodle," he whispered.

I had been perilously close to the edge of insanity, and with one single word, he’d pushed me over.

I lost it completely.

Pounding my fists against his chest, I screamed at the top of my lungs, "It's Eliza! My name is f**king Eliza! Not Doodle!" I spun to march away, but Till's arms folded around me, lifting me off my feet to restrain me.

I was miniscule compared to him. There was no use in fighting, but I still kicked my legs, irrationally desperate to get away from him—but only because I knew I couldn't keep him for forever.

"Stop it!" he growled into my ear. "I know your Goddamn name—probably better than I know my own."

Author Spotlight:

Born and raised in Savannah, Georgia, Aly Martinez is a stay-at-home mom to four crazy kids under the age of five, including a set of twins. Currently living in South Carolina, she passes what little free time she has reading anything and everything she can get her hands on, preferably with a glass of wine at her side.

After some encouragement from her friends, Aly decided to add “Author” to her ever-growing list of job titles. Five books later, she shows no signs of slowing. So grab a glass of Chardonnay, or a bottle if you’re hanging out with Aly, and join her aboard the crazy train she calls life.

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The Accidental Assassin Release & ARC Review

The Accidental Assassin by Nichole Chase

Ava McKenzie is a creature of habit. Life is passing her by and she has nothing to show for it. She’s had the same job since she started college, she orders the same dish every time she goes to her favorite restaurant, and only reads books from authors she knows. There is nothing new or surprising in her life… until her best friend marries a man from London. When her newlywed friend asks her to house-sit while she honeymoons, Ava jumps at the chance. She thinks this could be the very thing she needs to shake up her life. Ava throws herself head first into her new lifestyle; she wants to try everything, go everywhere, and never get stuck in a rut again. Of course, offing a man in a car garage hadn’t been one of the things on her list to try.

Owen Walker spends every day in a new place with a new case. As one of the most renowned assassins in the world, he has his choice of marks—and he’s never failed in a mission. When a new hit takes him back to his hometown, he looks forward to spending time somewhere familiar. What he isn’t expecting is to help an attractive, confused American woman find out how she’s ended up on a hit man’s list. 

As Ava and Owen dodge bullets, will they be able to escape their undeniable attraction to each other? Or will all of that chemistry blow up in a shower of hot and dangerous sparks?

Buy Links: 

Amazon * Amazon UK * Barnes & Noble * Kobo * iBooks

Author Spotlight:

Nichole Chase is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Suddenly Royal, Flukes, The Dark Betrayal Trilogy, and several short stories. She is also the instructor of Say What? a dialogue class at the Romance Academy.

Nichole lives in Georgia with her husband, energetic daughter, superhero dog, Sulcata tortoise, and two cats. When not writing, you may find her reading, painting, crafting, or chasing her daughter around the house while making monster noises. 

Links:

Website * Twitter * Facebook * Author Goodreads *  Book Goodreads

THE ACCIDENTAL ASSASSIN will be $2.99 for the first week and then the price will rise to $3.99 after December 7th!

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review!

What I say: Ava is in a rut and has decided to move Country to shake things up. Unfortunately for her she has the worst luck ever and goes from one mishap to another. Owen is hot, fierce and oh yeah, he's also an assassin! 
An incident involving a car accident (don't worry no spoilers as this is in the blurb) Ava finds herself in the hands of a strangely alluring hired killer. There were times when I felt mean for laughing at Ava's antics and others when I didn't believe things could possibly get any worse for the pair of them, until they did...
Ava is cute, slightly bumbling, yet really endearing. I loved the banter between her and Owen and felt the instant attraction worked here. The story is told in such a way that I actually ended up feeling sorry for him (never though I'd be saying that about a killer). 

I would have liked to see more of an explanation/resolution concerning certain characters and to have perhaps seen a longer ending but I enjoyed the story and their antics! I'm off to download the Royal series.

4 Stars in my Sky!

Excerpt:

I twisted the steering wheel sharply as I exited the garage and almost knocked over the doorman. But he was holding a large gun in one hand and to my shock he fired directly at my window. The glass shattered, but I didn’t feel any pain, which I hoped meant I wasn’t hit. I ducked in a belated reaction and the car swerved wildly, but the gun-toting hottie next to me steadied the wheel.

“I knew that doorman didn’t like me.” I gritted my teeth. “What an asshole. He’s almost as bad as you are.”

“I’ll drive now, if you’d like.” He said it like we were taking turns on a road trip, not running for our lives. Maybe he wasn’t running for his life. But I was still running for mine. I didn’t know what this guy wanted with me. Was I supposed to just let him drive me to some creepy kill room? An image of walls draped in plastic, knives on a table, and a bed with chains filled my mind. I didn’t think so.

“Now? You want to drive now?” My voice rose with each word. “Sure, I’ll pull over at the corner for a snack and let you take over. Holy shit! Are you crazy?”

“Has anyone ever told you that for such a beautiful woman you have a very dirty mouth?” He smiled at me as my mouth worked silently. “I think I like the odd combination.”

“F**k you.” I glared at the road.

“So does that mean you don’t want me to drive?” He nodded toward the traffic that was growing thicker. “Do you have a plan for where to go?”

“The cops.” I didn’t mention that I had no idea where they would be located. I’d just stop the first one I saw. “And you told me to get in the driver seat.”

“You’re sure you want to go to the police?” He leaned back into his seat, getting comfortable. He looked, for all the world, as if riding around in a car with a bomb attached to it was normal. “You killed a man and fled the scene in his stolen car—which has a bomb attached to it. Oh, and someone was trying to kill you. I’m sure being locked in a tiny room with nowhere to run will make their job much more difficult.”

“Maybe they were trying to kill you. I can imagine why they’d want to.” I growled and turned down a street that was one way only. And I was going the wrong way. I muttered under my breath as I dodged cars and people honked at me. “I should’ve stayed in bed today.”

“Possibly. They were very sloppy.” He pointed to a street. “You should turn here and take the roundabout.”

“Roundabout?” My heart dropped into my stomach and I broke into a cold sweat. “That seems like a bad idea.”

Roundabouts were the devil. If you’ve ever tried to drive through a roundabout after years of driving in America, you’d understand. Everything was completely backward to how you instinctually drove. It gave me an ulcer just thinking about it.

“We’re being followed. We need to lose them.” He looked at me with serious eyes. “If you want to live, we need to put distance between us and the people in the black sedan.”

“Oh, Jesus.” I jerked the wheel and our car shot down the road toward the evil traffic circle of death.

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Waiting on Wednesday: Wicked

Something Wicked this way comes!!

*Note* Wicked was initially going to be last weeks Waiting on Wednesday book & The Queen was scheduled for today, but I swapped them around because I noticed another blog I follow also had Wicked as their W.O.W. last week. I respect them too much to use the same posts as them (even unintentionally). But I'm so excited about Wicked I still wanted to post about it... 

This Week I'm Waiting on:

Wicked by Jennifer L. Armentrout

What they say: Things are about to get Wicked in New Orleans.
Twenty-two year old Ivy Morgan isn’t your average college student. She, and others like her, know humans aren’t the only thing trolling the French Quarter for fun… and for food. Her duty to the Order is her life. After all, four years ago, she lost everything at the hands of the creatures she’d sworn to hunt, tearing her world and her heart apart.

Ren Owens is the last person Ivy expected to enter her rigidly controlled life. He’s six feet and three inches of temptation and swoon-inducing charm. With forest-green eyes and a smile that’s surely left a stream of broken hearts in its wake, he has an uncanny, almost unnatural ability to make her yearn for everything he has to offer. But letting him in is as dangerous as hunting the cold-blooded killers stalking the streets. Losing the boy she loved once before had nearly destroyed her, but the sparking tension that grows between them becomes impossible for Ivy to deny. Deep down, she wants… she needs more than what her duty demands of her, what her past has shaped for her.

But as Ivy grows closer to Ren, she realizes she’s not the only one carrying secrets that could shatter the frail bond between them. There’s something he’s not telling her, and one thing is for certain. She’s no longer sure what is more dangerous to her—the ancient beings threatening to take over the town or the man demanding to lay claim to her heart and her soul.

• Expected publication: Dec 8th 2014.

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Why I'm Waiting on Wicked:

1. Er have you read the blurb?!
2. As a JLA fan-girl of course I'm going to read it!
3. Love the names Ren and Ivy!
4. Ren sounds like Daemon!
5. It sounds awesome!

Thrash Review

Thrash - Bayonet Scars #2 by J.C. Emery

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What they say: Loneliness suffocates the heart. Acceptance breaks down walls.

As a Lost Girl to the Forsaken Motorcycle Club, Nicole Whelan knows how to party. She’s not cut-out for relationships and her life is way too complicated for anything more than casual encounters. But one night when she falls into Duke’s bed at the clubhouse, he sees something in her that he can’t let go of—no matter how many times she tries to run.

Having been left to raise her teenage brother, Jeremy, she’s already got her hands full and isn’t looking for anymore complications. But Duke’s just watched his best friend fall for the only girl he couldn’t have, and then almost lose her so shortly after, shaking him to his core. Faced with his own loneliness, he’s more determined than ever to break down Nic’s walls and show her that he can be good for her; but he’s got a bad track record and she’s got a bad temper. Changing his ways isn’t easy when he’s not sure what he’s even changing for.

The violence and turmoil are at an all-time high, and Forsaken is in a vulnerable place when a twist of fate breathes new life into the club. It’s a much-needed beacon of hope for the embattled biker family, even if everyone’s not exactly on board. With Duke and Nic’s relationship already on shaky ground, and something even more important at stake, the Forsaken Motorcycle Club will fight like hell to keep their family together and whole.

Love is never more precious than when it’s new.

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.

What I say: Thrash is the second book in J.C. Emery's Bayonet Scars MC series and I would recommend reading the books in order, but you could read as a standalone (although you may find certain events confusing).
This time the main action focuses on 'lost girl' (gotta admit I prefer this term to sweet butt) Nic and and biker Duke. The big difference compared to Alex and Ryan's story (told in Ride) is that Duke is determined to keep her and not push her away, but Nic doesn't want to give in to him. As far as she's concerned they don't have a future.
A lot happens in the story and they face a large amount of problems and conflicts. It was interesting to discover more about their past and see how individually linked their lives are. I enjoyed looking at their very different involvement in the club.

Nic is very different from Alex because she has a lot more life experience and has been with her share of of bikers. On the surface Duke is the typical biker who makes use of the seemingly never ending supply of willing woman ready to be his for the night, but he can be sweet when it comes to Nic - he can also be a real arse. One particular thing he did had me wanting to smack him!! 

I liked how Nic stands up to Duke and isn't an easy catch. BUT I did think (even with all her sass and strong willed resistance), she gives in to his bullying and demanding tendencies too easily at times. On the other hand she does put him in his place and doesn't let him have it all his own way - Thrash is a book of extreme contradictions!

The club is in a stage of upheaval and I was pleased to see Emery didn't just brush what happened in the previous aside, she puts her characters through it and pays attention to the ongoing tension with the MC and it's members!

4 Stars in my Sky!

Ride Review

Ride - Bayonet Scars #1 by J.C. Emery

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What they say: Death comes in Armani. Salvation comes in leather.

Principessa to the Mancuso crime family, Alexandra knows a thing or two about living outside the bounds of the law. Suffocated by the future her father has laid out for her, she makes a choice she can't take back, changing the entire trajectory of her life.

Thrust into the dark and dangerous world of the Forsaken Motorcycle Club for her own protection, Alex finds herself faced with the last thing she needs right now: the man of her dreams. He’s sex in leather, the devil incarnate, and one hell of a kisser. But he’s also off-limits. Ryan Stone can be her friend, but he’s forbidden to be her lover.

Third-generation Forsaken, Ryan knows nothing other than life on two wheels, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. He enjoys the many privileges that come with the patch, and the only laws he recognizes are the ones set-forth by his club. That is, until who he wants more than anything isn’t allowed on the back of his bike —or in his bed. Balancing his desire for her body, and need to keep her safe, Ryan tries to keep Alex at a distance. Finally having made a choice for herself, she’s done hearing the word “no” and will push boundaries even Ryan himself doesn’t dare cross.

Love is never more tempting than when it’s forbidden.

Buy Links:

Amazon * Amazon UK

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review!

What I say: I haven't read many mafia based stories but I do love biker books. It makes an interesting change to see the two combined as they are in J.C. Emery's Ride. 

I'm not going to go into too many plot details because I don't want to spoil the story before you've had the chance to read it. There are several twists and turns throughout Ride which are very cleverly revealed. As the only daughter of a mafia mob boss, Alex is used to behaving a certain way and having her actions monitored and controlled. A dramatic change in circumstance sees Alex suddenly living with the members of the Forsaken MC and the darkly handsome club member Ryan.

I liked Alex and enjoyed seeing her 'come into her own' as the story progressed. Where some people may have viewed her as a brat, I saw her more as an overwhelmed girl in a bad situation. My favourite parts were when she stood up to the bikers and also when she confronted certain issues. I did think she was extremely forgiving and let Ryan walk over her at times, but she also managed to put him in his place.

On to Ryan. I'm still not sure how I feel about Ryan. I don't mind an alpha hero and even one who is demanding at times, but for the most part, Ryan is a complete arse! I've read lots of biker and alpha stories and I'm not that big of a fan of 'man-whore meets innocent girl' stories but the real problem I had with Ryan is his really shady behaviour. He treats Alex really badly, then seems to be at a complete loss about her reaction. Although in a weird sort of way this was part of his charm! It's not all bad with Ryan though because he did grow on me and I really liked his protective nature and how much he risks for her. What I didn't like was the lack of respect he demonstrated at times. In Ryan's biker world it really is his way or the high way.

I enjoyed Ride and the mafia/biker cross over and am looking forward to reading Thrash.

3.5 - 4 Stars in my Sky!