August 27, 2015 by Tina Williams

RELEASE BLITZ ~ Miami Inferno (Miami Nights 1), by Elle Boon (includes excerpt)

Contemporary Romance

A Wounded Temptress
Angelina Rugiero loved Lorenzo Delgado with a budding woman’s passion, until he broke her heart. Now she has the life she always dreamed of, or so she thought.

A Determined Man
Lorenzo has loved Angel for years. He knew that he had to wait for her to grow up. With one thoughtless act on the night of her eighteenth birthday, he destroyed all hopes of a future, leaving him devastated….and determined to make things right.

A Love That Can’t Be Denied

As Angel goes home to Miami one last time, Lorenzo realizes this is his opportunity to prove his love. Can they have the life they’d always wanted together, or will a man bent on revenge destroy their happily ever after before it begins?

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1V8U5Eh

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1hsrUlx

ARE: http://bit.ly/1MzRqAv

Excerpt

“Is there anyone else who wants to step up as my partner? Going once, going twice, and sold to the…” Angel stopped.

“Sorry, boys, this one’s mine,” Lorenzo said, speaking into the microphone and wrapping his arm around her waist as he tossed the mic back.

The DJ immediately began playing a latin number. His mother always said he’d danced in the womb for nine months, and came out ready to go. Lorenzo could believe it, too. He loved music, the way the beat pounded through the room making people move with it. To him, dancing was like making love to a beautiful woman. All you had to do was listen to the music, whether it was a fast song with instruments, or a sweet woman’s voice. You only had to move your body and guide them with a strong hand.

Angelina danced her body close to his as soon as the song started, and then moved away. Her breasts scorched him through the thin material of his designer shirt. Her hand fit inside his larger one, her head barely reached his shoulders even in her extremely tall, fuck me heels. There were no other words for the things on her feet. She wouldn’t meet his eyes, just looked over his shoulder, giving him a blank smile while pretending to get into the right position.

He yanked her body flush with his, feeling all her soft parts fit his harder planes, making him even more aware of their differences.

Moving them farther across the dance floor, away from prying eyes, he led them in a dance so sensual, so erotic, his pants became too tight. Her breathing was labored and her skin looked flushed. He was glad to not be the only one affected.

Hard to believe he’d dreamed of dancing with her on that fateful night five years ago. Even harder to believe was the reality was so much better than the dream. Only now he didn’t feel like a pervert.

She was not his sister, nor was she a child anymore. When her eyes still avoided his, he exerted more pressure on her back. Their bodies touched and stayed connected. With his other hand, he tilted her chin up, forcing her to meet his eyes or close her own. Either way, she had to acknowledge him.

Her body trembled in his embrace, not in fear he was sure. Turning them around, he inserted his leg between her thighs, and subtly rubbed back and forth. His palm slid down her back, fingers curving to fit her rear, while his thumb rested at the top of her shorts, stroking the silky skin beneath the tank.

Her pulse visibly jerked at his touch. She licked her lips, like her mouth had gone dry. His dark eyes finally connected with her emerald green irises and held, her pupils dilated, glowing like tiny chips of green fire.

His own flared with desire and carnal heat. Lorenzo wanted her more than he’d ever wanted another, and that was saying a lot.

Their bodies undulated, mimicking what he’d like to do with her, sans clothes. Her moves matched his, and upped him every time. With her face still held in his hand, he examined every inch of her beautiful features, committing them to memory. After what seemed like an eternity of scrutiny, he dipped his head, covered her shiny mouth with his and kissed her passionately. His tongue slipped inside her mouth, tasting, savoring the sweetness and heat within.

Angelina shuddered, and heat exploded in his groin, coursing through his blood.

His tongue licked the inside of her lower lip, teeth nipped at the corner of her mouth and he felt her surrender. He drew her tongue into his mouth, sucking the tip, the suction tight and rhythmic, reminding him of sex. He pictured his body thrusting into hers, her back arched, hips tilted, her body fitted to his. The vision so erotic he began to sweat, and still he kissed her.

When the song ended, he relinquished his hold on her face, his knee still parting her thighs, pressing up against her flesh. She was hot, surely wet, and so responsive. He gazed down into her green orbs for a long moment, stroking her flushed cheek with the back of his hand, feeling the warmth of her skin. “I plan to claim what’s mine,” he stated simply.

For a moment, she allowed her body to relax into him. He savored the feel of her soft, toned body. And then she withdrew. Even more shocking was the sense of loss he felt, his heart ached, he wanted more, needed more.

He let her move back, saw her inhale, exhale, and inhale again. Her breath escaped in a whoosh of air, hitting his chest with the warm air.

“I’m not a prize to be had, Lorenzo. You’d do best to remember that.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, baby.”

She narrowed her eyes like she was picturing him in a Chinese torture chamber. He thought of many ways they could both torment the other, and all of them involved a naked Angel, and him equally naked.

She turned on her heels, ass swaying so enticingly in the snug leather he whistled. Her long black hair swung around, followed by an angry look directed at him. With short, loud stomps, Angel marched back to where he stood. He contained the grin his lips wanted to do. Sparring with the little spitfire verbally, made him hotter than ever.

Author Bio

I’m a wife and mother who is a retired stay at home mom of 2. I say retired because my youngest is 14 and my oldest is 20. When my baby went to school, reading saved my sanity, and then the same year he started school, I was diagnosed with Cancer, again reading saved my sanity. When I recovered and realized how quickly life could change, I made a bucket list. The number one thing was to live. Check. On top of that list was to become a published author. Check. Eight years later I have accomplished that goal and several others.

I live in the Midwest, but I”m a southern girl with only a slight twang who says y’all quite frequently, and am known to say “Bless Your Heart” A LOT. If you know what that means, you do not want to be the one I say that to, lol. I cuss worse than if a trucker and a sailor were put together, but I do it with class *WEG*.

I write what I love to read, erotic romance. My books are definitely full of lots of story, but I leave nothing to the imagination in or out of the bedroom. My hope is that after readers have read one of my stories, they fall in love with the characters as much as I have.

The best part of my new journey is that I get to create new worlds, and have all kinds of stories in my head just waiting to be written. I truly love to hear from readers. You can find me on Twitter, Facebook or my webside, but I’m on Facebook ALL the time, so find me. I’d love to hear from you J

www.elleboon.com

https://www.facebook.com/elle.boon

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Elle-Boon-Author/1429718517289545

https://twitter.com/ElleBoon1

http://www.amazon.com/Elle-Boon/e/B00K03HY42/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1415849092&a

August 14, 2015 by Caroline Barker

Release Blitz Innocence by Holly J. Gill

Innocence by Holly J Gill

Book 1 in the Innocence Series

Buy Links

Amazon UK
Amazon US

Quote: ‘Don’t make promises you cannot keep!’
Calvin Edwards, has everything he could dream about, perfect lifestyle, running the family real-estate company back in London. He takes a holiday up North to visit his parents, only when out walking on his parents land, he finds a young pregnant woman attempting to take her life. Calvin wishes to help, becoming a friend through her troubles, only fears he’s out of his depth, let alone discovers his past comes back to life, sending his life crashing.
Kacey is pregnant and her life is out of control, with nowhere left to go. She descends on her mum for one last chance for help, only the door is slammed in her face. At her wits end, alone, scared and helpless until Calvin comes along. He becomes a dear friend giving her kindness. Only what she’d pushed to the back of her mind through selfish pain, is back. Her past has come back to life!
Teasers:

5 Star review

Well I’ve enjoyed all of Holly ‘s previous books ,but this one was written in a completely different direction to her others . I wasn’t sure what to expect . Well what can I say other than ‘when is book two out’ . Loved it from beginning to end , you could feel both of their pain on the decisions life had put in front of them .not sure where to go who to turn too, yet she came through it all and is still fighting. What a roller coaster ride she had ,then after all those years she meets a man who seems to care about her ,like no one has for such a long time ,only to find he was the someone she had to run away from ,frightened he would disown her like her mother did . Bringing her mother to mind as someone I would like to disown , treating her daughter the way she did ,leaving her homeless , helpless on the streets vulnerable .while she carries on leading a normal life .. what amazes me is they all feel there suffering more ! They haven’t lived the life of hell she has ,quitting her family ,giving something precious up ..well without telling you the whole story , this was a book I enjoyed from beginning till end ….

About the Author

I’m a wife, mum of three all grown up and fleeing their nests and I’m a proud nana to twins. I live in England a town called Grimsby where I work as a care assistant in a residential home. I enjoy spending quality time with my family. Me and hubby have a secret hideaway for peace and quiet in a sweet idyllic campsite were we like to pitch a tent close to York one of my favourite cities. I enjoy touring around the UK, sight-seeing, visiting stately homes and castles. Hobbies I like to read and write. I have been writing since being a young girl, always having a wild imagination which never ceases to amaze me. When writing I am not committed to one genre I like to move around wherever my mood takes me. I currently have an erotic series out called Desires about a sex club. And finally I have a terrible sweet tooth especially when it comes to treacle sponge.
Stalker Links for the Author
http://www.facebook.com/hollyjgillauthor
http://hollyjgill.blogspot.co.uk/
http://hollyjodygill.blogspot.co.uk/

Tweets by HollyJGill

On behalf of bookpimpers and Holly J Gill we want to say a massive thank you for taking part in the release blitz .

August 11, 2015 by Caroline Barker

Promo post w/excerpt Hot Basque by Laurette Long

Hot Basque is the second novel of A French Summer by Laurette Long. The characters do cross over into book 2, however both novels can be read as stand-alones. I am looking forward to reviewing Hot Basque over the coming weeks, and I’m sure it will be a beautiful, scenic contemporary romance! A perfect holiday read!! (Please read below for an excerpt and author bio!) 🙂

Title: Hot Basque: A French Summer Novel 2

Author: Laurette Long

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Chick-Lit

Release date: May 11th, 2015

Length: 341 pages

Blurb: Sit back with a glass of chilled rosé and let yourself be carried away to the white sands and pounding surf of the French Basque coast. What could be more relaxing? Find out what’s going on at the Villa Julia, where Caroline and her honey are enjoying the song of the crickets, the glow of the stars and happy romps in the boudoir. Caroline is also doing some matchmaking between best friend Jill and the hot Basque himself, Antoine, he of the smouldering eyes and perfect teeth. And Annabel the sister from hell, is miles away, no need to fret about her. What could be more idyllic? Not a cloud on the horizon…well, maybe it’s looking a bit black to the north, but nothing to worry about, surely??

Read on to see how, in Edinburgh, Jill is preparing her body for that nail-biting June encounter with the hot Basque:

EXCERPT – HOT BASQUE

Jill stepped out of the cubicle, tugging down her swimsuit, and came face to face with the full length mirror at the end of the ladies changing rooms. She barely repressed a gasp of sympathetic horror. Jesus if that’s what these aquagym folks looked like she was certainly going to get a boost to her ego. She turned round as casually as she could for a closer look at the poor freak behind her.

The changing room was empty.

She swung round in the direction of the mirror again, leaned forward, blinked, and leapt back. The freak was herself!

Surely she hadn’t looked like that when she tried on her swimming kit in the bathroom of her flat a couple of weeks ago? Of course, the mirror wasn’t full length, and it was one of those rather flattering ones, the same sort they had in expensive boutiques, the ones that persuaded you that your derrière had shrunk to Kylie Minogue proportions thanks to that cute little black number you’d just tried on, the one with the four-figure price tag.

She advanced cautiously, turned to the right, then to the left. She was positively bulging out of her Speedo swimsuit! She really had to cut down on the G and Ts. And the chocolate biscuits. She turned full face again. An alien with the head of a fly had been grafted on top of her shoulders. No wonder she’d had all that trouble in the changing room, pushing and shoving to get her thick mop inside the small slithery rubber cap that kept shooting off one side of her head as soon as she’d managed to tug it down on the other. A bit like one of those old fashioned diaphragm thingies that women used to wear for contraception. She’d actually come across one at the back of her own mother’s drawer, shock horror, all dried up and yellow with age. Well it would be, she supposed it had been a while since Kathleen O’Toole had been needing it. Five strapping boys and finally the hoped-for girl. Her mother had been forty-five when Jill was born and on the point of giving up. She supposed the diaphragm had been chucked into its box as soon as Kathleen had got out of hospital and told Jerry O’Toole that if he didn’t get the snip Kathleen was going home to her mother in Dublin. Forever.

And now here was Jill, no longer a cute baby but a hefty thirty-something, ready for her first aquagym class, wearing her mother’s old diaphragm on her head and a swimsuit two sizes too small. She tugged the Speedo up, then down, trying to cover her buttocks and her boobs. It became obvious she’d have to accept that one of those two areas was going to be on display. Better the buttocks, she decided, after all they’d be under water for most of the time whereas if her boobs were popping over the top she’d probably put the men off their stride.

Men…were there any men in the class? She suddenly realised there was no one else in the changing rooms, that was funny. Maybe there were no women in the class, just her and a group of hairy males all having the same problem trying to get their bits inside their Speedos. Did they have to wear the funny hats too? Perhaps there’d be some prime specimens, all sleek muscles and washboard abs, like that Florent what’s his name, the one in the Olympics with the cute dimples.

No Jill, enough of that, she told herself sternly. Antoine is waiting for you, in his wetsuit, with his smouldering eyes and sexual techniques known only to the Basque nation.

In spite of her Nordic hill walking and her sessions at the gym, she had decided that more drastic measures were needed if she was going to be the Belle of Biarritz in June. She needed toning, as well as developing her heart and lungs, which both seemed to be in pretty good shape, especially her lungs, she thought, yanking at her swimsuit again. Apparently aquagym was the answer. Lots of stretching and tightening up those flabby thighs and bingo wings, twirling those funny pink and blue foam thingies that looked like giant noodles. It would be fun! She’d rummaged round until she found her old swimsuit from college and popped into Aquasports R Us to look at swimming caps. The snotty young assistant had said no, the cap with devil’s horns would not go down well at an aquagymn class. These young ones, no sense of humour. Miss Snootyface had informed her that what she needed was a slippery scrap of rubber which was the only device tight enough to prevent the least drop of water getting onto her hair and ruining its colour. Did she by any chance want to stop being a red-head and opt for green hair the texture of a horse’s dinner? Of course she didn’t.

Snootyface had omitted to mention that it needed ten minutes and steel talons to snap the thing in place and that not only did it keep the bloody chlorine out, it also, in a reverse or perverse action that probably had something to do with thermodynamics, was so eye-wateringly tight that it forced every brain cell downwards to the chin area making the wearer resemble Benny Hill.

She became aware of a sudden loud, regular tick. The clock over the door said 12h40. Fast, obviously. The class started at 12h30. But in that case, a small voice inside her head told her, why was the ladies changing room empty except for her?

She was late for her first class. Sweat broke out. Perhaps she could just sneak in, slide into the pool without anyone seeing? She pushed open the door into the shower room, hurried along to the end.

Uh oh. She could hear the voice of the instructor going on about ‘drop that head down, feel its weight, now turn slowwwwly to the left, now slowwwwly to the right…’

They’d started. She’d probably get a belt with a rubber hose or something. She hurried out into the pool area, tottering down the wet steps, careful, don’t want to fall smack on your increasingly exposed buttocks now, do you Jillian Benedicta? There seemed to be rather a lot of people down there in the pool. She got to the bottom of the steps, was making her way as unobtrusively as possible to the water’s edge when a voice rang out:

‘Shower!’

What? Was someone talking to her? The class had come to a standstill in the water, all eyes were on Jill in her Speedo and her diaphragm. The instructor had turned, hands on hips. And what hips! Jill couldn’t help marvelling at those toned slender meercat items dropping down to equally toned slender thighs and going up to, well she didn’t have much in the boob department, but Jill supposed that was what you looked like if you were a sports fanatic.

Or maybe it was the lycra. Her eyes, fascinated, got stuck on the instructor’s outfit. Pure, poured-on lycra. You could even see, well, she didn’t want to linger on the bit between the instructor’s legs, frankly it left nothing to the imagination, she wondered how anyone could have the nerve–

‘Shower!!!’

‘Pardon?’

Jill lifted one side of her diaphragm.

‘You obviously haven’t been through the showers. Your swimsuit–’ the instructor gave a little sneer ‘–is bone dry. Didn’t you read the instructions?’

‘Oh. Er. Sorry. Sorry. ’

Jill fled back up the steps, turned on the cold water and gave herself a vigorous soak adding a few loud gasps for authenticity.

This time when she ventured to the edge of the pool she was able to step delicately down the steps and join her fellow aquagym-ers.

They were obviously regulars. The warm-up had finished, they were all leaping up into the air like Icelandic geysers, arms rigid at the sides, pushing down the water with their flattened palms. Jill joined in, jumping as energetically as she could ‘and push that water and push that water…’ She felt a kick in the back of her leg, turned around. A senior citizen in a cap covered in fake roses was glaring at her. Where was her diaphragm? In fact there were quite a few non-diaphragm pieces of headgear, now she looked. She’d have been better in the devil’s horns. Rosebonnet was saying something, over the sound of splashing.

‘Forward! Move forward!’ she hissed, in between jumps.

‘Oh sorry,’

Jill realised her energetic leaps had been taking her towards the back of the pool. She waded forward, gave another leap, then realised the exercise had changed, now they were all swinging their upper body from left to right, arms extended. Was that a snigger she heard from Rosebonnet? A knobbly finger gave her a karate chop below the ribs but the woman next to her had already swung round the other way. They were feral, this lot. Jill hopped a bit further to the left, started swinging, feeling her waist muscles give a nice satisfying tug.

Ten minutes later she was definitely getting the hang of it. It was a bit tougher than she’d thought, she’d asked the girl at reception what sort of level she ought to start with, intermediate or advanced? But the receptionist had smiled sweetly and suggested that maybe she could try ‘Beginners’, she could always move up to Intermediate and Advanced once she saw how she got on.

Beginners! Jill had capitulated, with bad grace. Now, in the brief moments when they were relaxing and deep-breathing she had time to do a quick recce of her fellow aquagymers. They were all, with one exception, senior citizens. And all, with one exception, female. There was one ancient wheezing grandad at the back, with sagging breasts and a gold necklace. The only other person who looked to be remotely Jill’s age was at the front of the class, under the watchful eye of Lycra-woman, and was heavily pregnant.

‘OK, floats!’

‘Ouch!’

A pink noodle hit her on the head, then a blue one, good job they were made of foam but still she’d sensed a certain hostility in the way they had been hurled in her direction by a wizened old prune of ninety.

‘Everyone on their backs, legs together, flex those feet, now to the count of eight, scissor those legs, keep your back straight, tummy up, feel those tummy muscles working.’

Oh they were working alright. By the time she’d done two sets of eight Jill was puffing and panting like a steam engine. Around her the grannies carried on, scissoring fit to cut a rug, flashing their false teeth at Lycra-woman.

‘That’s wonderful Gladys! Keep going! Excellent Phyllis, those legs are really straight.’

But if she’d thought the scissors thing was bad, by the time they got to the abdo curls Jill was sure she was going to die. Not only that, either she kept drifting into other people’s ‘space’ or they kept drifting into hers, causing a lot of collisions and submersions and hissed insults.

As the lesson finally drew to a close Jill watched them emerge slowly from the buoyant water, totter up the steps like newborns, arms and legs like sticks, and putter off to the showers like arthritic tortoises. She could scarcely believe this bunch of pathetic creatures were the same lot of beasts she’d spent the last forty minutes with, exchanging sly kicks and punches under the water. She was going to be black and blue tomorrow. And her stomach muscles were on fire.

‘Ouch!’

She was hauling herself out of the water and up the steps when she felt a pinch on her bottom. A decided, deliberate, old-fashioned, good-handful-of-flesh pinch. She turned round, outraged, ready to sock this fighting gran right out of her rose-covered bonnet.

Grandad was grinning up at her, gap-toothed, gold chain glinting in his grey chest hairs.

‘Welcome to wor class, lassie. Fair got a wee stiffie on me just watching yer do them jumps!’

He gave a leer and a wink as she shot up the final steps and made for the showers. What could she do, report him for sexual harassment? He must be at least a hundred and four. He’d never make it to the police station.

AUTHOR BIO:

Laurette was born in the UK, near Brontëland. Graduating from the University of Leicester with a degree in English, she taught in the USA, UK and France, where she now lives.

Her forays into fiction writing when she was seven reveal her literary influences and distinctive style. “The Phantom Ghost Girl of Raven Castle” begins: ‘Vicky Dare, the girl detective and her big Alsatian, Rex…’ then stops. “The Ruined Cottage” is longer and also demonstrates she is equally at home with either first or third-person narrator: ‘…it was a favourite haunt of mine and I never grew tired of it.’ In the chilling tale “The adventures of Carlotta”, the heroine ‘…dashed to the door her face white with horror’ while, surprisingly, in “The Secret at the Ball” ‘…a secret compartment was revealed! There glittering lay the Lane jewels!’

(Yes, she is a hoarder, incapable of parting with childhood books and notebooks.)

Aged 10 she developed a passion for the theatre, and throughout her career wrote plays for students. “A Midsummer’s Nightmare”, where Shakespeare’s lovers get into time warps in the wood, meeting Dracula and Little Red Riding Hood, was a tricky favourite. Everyone wanted to play Dracula. She had to wield authority. (Those with pointed canines had an advantage). Later, unable to find a textbook suitable for adult ESL students, she wrote one. Beguiled by an admirable work of French literary criticism about American writers in Paris, she translated it. (“Paris in American Literature” by Jean Méral)

(As well as being a hoarder she has also been accused of being bossy and a dilettante.)

Recently the ghosts of Vicky Dare and Carlotta nudged her into a return to fiction. “Biarritz Passion”, a contemporary romance, was inspired by the Basque country and its magic. (Go see!) An Amazon fan, she attempted self-publishing. After wrestling with formatting rules and sweating during the on-line tax interview, she finally hit the ‘submit’ button in March 2014, thus proving that even non-techies can do it. (Hoarder, bossy, dilettante and getting better with computers).

In spite of distractions–good friends, good food, Monsieur Wonderful, and a project to transform a hill of brambles into a Mediterranean garden–Book Two in the French Summer Novel Series, “Hot Basque”, was finally finished in May this year. Ouf.

AVAILABLE FROM AMAZON

HOT BASQUE

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hot-Basque-French-Summer-Novel-ebook/dp/B00XK2II3G/

http://www.amazon.com/Hot-Basque-French-Summer-Novel-ebook/dp/B00XK2II3G

BIARRITZ PASSION (A French Summer, Novel 1)

http://www.amazon.com/Biarritz-Passion-French-Summer-Novel-ebook/dp/B00J2ERSSM

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Biarritz-Passion-French-Summer-Novel-ebook/dp/B00J2ERSSM

Keep up with Laurette’s thoughts about books and writing on her blog ‘Get Passionate’:

http://laurettelong.com

where all comments are welcome.

August 4, 2015 by Caroline Barker

Promo post A Jar of Dreams by Clarissa Cartharn

Title: A Jar of Dreams

Author: Clarissa Cartharn

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release date: July 16th, 2015

Length: 258 pages

Blurb: When Eric Tanner, an assassin, is targeted to be murdered by his former employer, he seeks refuge in the house of a blind woman, Anne Mullen.

Eric knows how to live in silence. He’s done it all his life. So when he discovers Anne is blind and living on her own, he thinks this would be his perfect hideout.

But then he makes the mistake of his life. He forms an attachment to her. And for a man in his profession, such attachments are a weakness. Now, he must do everything he can to protect Anne from the world he’s come from.

Author bio

Clarissa Cartharn has always had a deep love for language. Her pursuit of it has led her to attain a BA majoring in English Language and Literature, sought a career in English teaching for six years before finally becoming a lawyer. But when she took up the pen, she realised what she was really desiring for was the cathartic release of her wild imaginations via writing.

Clarissa is interested in learning new languages and is currently on a quest on conquering Mandarin Chinese.

Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YHNOZVQ

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25629216-a-jar-of-dreams

Website: http://clarissacartharn.wix.com/clarissacartharn

Reader Group: http://eepurl.com/btEKh1

EXCERPT

CHAPTER 1

“Hey, Ricky!” shouted out an eighteen year old boy as he goose-stepped his basketball opponent. “This way! Come on, man!”

Eric dribbled the ball, darting a quick glance at Jamal. He made to dash with the ball towards the basketball hoop and then cunningly shot it over to Jamal. Cries mingled with cheers as Jamal raced over to shoot, skillfully dribbling the ball between and about him.

Eric took deep rapid breaths as he tiredly placed his hands on his hips, watching his friend take the glory of shooting yet another goal for the team. There was something about Jamal that told him he would get far from being just the poor homeboy playing on rugged community basketball courts.

His eyes caught sight of a girl across the courts. Her long golden curls fluttered in the breeze as she stood watching them from the other side of the street. He didn’t think he had ever seen her before. He smiled shyly. He would definitely have remembered her if he had. How could anyone forget those beautiful sharp features and blonde locks? She seemed a dream plucked out of a fairytale book. She didn’t belong to a city like Camden, New Jersey.

Even at a distance, he could feel her eyes peeled keenly on the boys playing on the courts. Who was she interested in? Jamal? A sudden pang of jealousy speared through his heart. It felt strange. He had never been jealous of his best friend. Not even when his school coach picked Jamal over him to play for their school team. Was he being too petty?

He wondered if he should go and talk to her. Perhaps, a conversation with her would heal the wound he felt inside of him. Perhaps, talking with her would lift her mysteriousness. Hell, he might even discover she is unlikeable and just another dumb, blonde chick with too much time to spend on herself and none at all for anyone else.

He threaded his fingers through his hair. Who was he kidding? He needed courage to speak to a girl like her. The way she looked, she could most possibly be the most popular chick in high school. And he, Eric Tanner, had yet to catch the eye of any popular girl at all. The only reason he had even scored dates with Bree Hadden and Diane Farnum was because their friend, Hayley Bradberry needed to double-date with Jamal.

“Hey! Did you see that?” Jamal swung an excited arm over his shoulders.

“What?” Eric asked, hesitantly breaking his gaze away from the girl.

“You didn’t see that?” Jamal said with disbelief. “That thing I did? On the hoops… like this.” He re-enacted his winning shot.

Eric nodded, glancing to and fro between Jamal and the girl. What if she never came back? I would never know. I should take my chance.

“Where are you, man? You ain’t even listenin’,” Jamal complained. “You okay?”

“Yeah, yeah.” He shook his head. He had to face it. He simply didn’t have it in him to strike a random conversation with a strange and beautiful girl. And if he asked Jamal to do the deed, there was likelihood he would lose her to him. Not that Jamal was to blame. Jamal just had that charisma he would probably never have.

“There’s something wrong, is there? Someone do something?” Jamal asked seriously, his brow frowning with concern.

“No, no, I just-” He stopped short, his eyes narrowing, focusing angrily on the three boys gathered around the girl.

“What is it, Ricky?” Jamal asked, noticing his sudden change. He turned to find out what had invoked that anger inside him. “Those boys?”

Eric didn’t answer, observing them closely. His feet moved involuntarily towards the girl. But when she fell to the pavement, he sprinted out of the court with Jamal racing after him.

“Eric, don’t get involved!” Jamal warned.

I already am. He pressed his lips tightly and closed in on the boys. “Hey, get away from her!” he screamed, his fists clenched together with rage.

They looked over at him and laughed.

“Stay out of our business, white boy,” one said with a nasty grin.

Eric glanced down at the girl whimpering on the craggy and dirty pavement and her humiliation incensed him. But they were three boys and he was just one. He needed to be smart.

“Leave her alone,” he said, raising his palms up in submission. “I don’t want any trouble. She’s just a girl. You don’t need to do this, man.”

“Is she your girl?”

“No,” he said cautiously.

“Well then, what are you so worked-up about? We’re just having some fun.”

“Yeah, fuck off,” said another. “It ain’t your business.”

He stepped forward stubbornly. “I’m not going anywhere. Leave her alone.”

“Oh, yeah yeah.” The leader smirked. “I get you. You’re trying to impress the girl. But, you see, I saw her first. So I get to play with her first.”

“You’re such a nasty piece of work, Denzel,” Jamal said from behind Eric. “Does Denzel Washington know you fucking up his reputable name? He might sue you.”

“It ain’t my fault if my momma loves Denzel Washington.”

Jamal clicked his tongue. “Boy, Denzel, if you are as bad as this now, I hate to see you when you’re all grown up.”

Denzel clenched his teeth and made to charge at him.

“Hold on there,” Jamal warned, waving his phone at Denzel. “I just called the cops. They will be here anytime soon.”

“I don’t believe you,” the boy minced menacingly.

“It’s your choice.” Jamal shrugged nonchalantly.

Denzel shifted uneasily and with uncertainty.

“Jamal! Ricky! You guys okay?” one boy called out from the edge of the courts.

A group of young boys had gathered behind him, watching them intently.

“You sure you want to take on all of us?” Jamal sneered.

Denzel backed away. “I’ll see you again, white boy.” He waved his finger threateningly at Eric.

Eric watched him walk away before rushing over to the girl.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

The girl was sobbing, scrambling on her hands and knees.

“Hey, it’s fine now,” he said softly. “They’re gone now. Here.” He offered his hand to help her up but she continued to cry, crawling about the path.

He frowned curiously.

“What’s going on?” asked Jamal, watching the girl with as much inquisitiveness.

“Here, let me help you up.” Eric bent down and touched her back lightly.

She flailed her hands at him, and cowered from him. “Don’t touch me,” she growled. “Don’t touch me!”

Her face was directed at them, but her eyes weren’t focused, wandering aimlessly between him and Jamal.

Jamal crept low and waved his hands before her. She didn’t react.

“She can’t see,” he mouthed silently at Eric.

Eric glanced up at her deep blue eyes. He didn’t care that she was blind. She was beautiful. And her eyes were gorgeous. They were clear as the sea would be on a calm day. He wanted nothing more but to drown in them if he could.

“We are here to help you,” he said softly again. “Those boys who tried to hurt you… they’ve gone.”

“Who are you?” she asked with a tremble in her voice.

Eric paused. He was never easy at introductions. Especially when he was as attracted as he was now to her.

“I’m Jamal,” Jamal said quickly. “And this here… I mean, the guy sitting next to you…”

She let out a snort. “You know I’m blind.”

“Uh…,” Jamal hesitated.

“Is it okay if I touch you to help you up?” Eric asked. “What’s your name?”

“Anne… Anne Mullen.”

August 3, 2015 by Caroline Barker

COVER REVEAL Letting Go by Holly Renee

Title: Letting Go

Series: The Garage Series #1

Author: Holly Renee

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: August 31, 2015

Blurb

When Kat was forced to leave the only home she had ever known due to her brother’s secrets, she wasn’t prepared for what was waiting for her in Tennessee or the choices it would force her to make.Kat instantly knew she didn’t like Blake Reagan. He was cocky, stubborn, and infuriating. What Kat didn’t understand was why she couldn’t stop thinking about him or the way he made her feel.

The last thing Blake expected was for Kat Archer to storm into his world and turn it upside down. He thought he had her pegged from the beginning, but she destroyed everything he thought he knew. Blake was willing to fight to push his way into Kat’s heart, but she put up a wall at every turn as she clung to her past.

If she stayed, she’d risk the only family she had left. If she left, she’d lose Blake and every piece of her heart that he’d managed to steal.

ADD TO GOODREADS

Pre-order Links

AMAZON US / UK

B&N / KOBO / iBOOKS

Author Bio

Bookaholic, firm believer in grand gestures, and obsessed with happily ever afters.

Holly Renee is from the small town of Maryville, TN where she was born and raised. She currently lives with her husband and fur baby, Luna. (Yes. She was named after Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter.)

Holly Renee is the author of her debut novel Letting Go.

During the day, Holly spends her time as a nurse, but once her shift ends, she falls deep into her passion of reading and writing.

Author Links

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FACEBOOK

TWITTER

GOODREADS

INSTAGRAM
PINTEREST
AMAZON

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July 16, 2015 by Tina Williams

Blog Tour for Living The Dream by Celia J Anderson PLUS Author Interview and Excerpt (includes giveaway)

Contemporary Romance

We have a real treat in store today! Not only are we hosting an interview with Celia J Anderson, but we are also sharing an excerpt from her latest contemporary romance Living The Dream. Scroll down to read the interview, find out more about the book and enter a super giveaway. Without further ado, over to Celia!

Welcome to our humble corner of cyberspace Celia and thank you for allowing us to quiz you about Living the Dream, your new release. I am really intrigued by the premise behind this book, where dreams collide with reality!

1. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what prompted you to start writing?

Thanks for the invitation; it’s lovely to be here! I’ve always written to amuse myself but only really began to take it seriously when, hurtling towards my 40^th birthday, I retrained as a teacher. The creative writing tutor at my local adult education place (I realised I needed a year of brain-refreshing lessons first) was inspirational and one of the projects was to come up with the first chapter of a book. It was an addictive task. That book – Moondancing – was pretty awful, but I carried on regardless and three novels later, Moondancing has had a huge revamp and is coming out in January 2016. Now I teach full time, the writing opportunities are dwindling, but the holidays are coming up…

2. Your novel delves into virtual reality, a subject which I find fascinating- somehow I’m imagining Keanu Reeves as Moriarty Miles (but enough of my fantasies). Did you have to do much research into this concept or did you give your imagination free reign?

I’ve got to confess I’m the most rubbish researcher ever. I only stop and dig deeper when I have to, or boredom takes over before I can get the story down. I’d love to be better at planning and so on, but it happens when it needs to, and that has to be enough at the moment. It’s a fascinating subject though. Incidentally, in my head, Moriarty is a cross between Andrew Scott of the Sherlock TV series who plays Jim Moriarty and the guy who was best man at my first wedding. Discretion prevents me from enlarging on this…

3. What was your inspiration for the story and the characters?

The heroine, Vita, was named after a charismatic friend of my mum’s who died in the prime of her life. I didn’t know her well because we only saw her once a year. She ran a wonderful B&B with a wild, rambling garden on the east coast, and she stayed in my mind, somehow, even though I was only a child when she died.

The story evolved from the trip that I took with my family in 2013 – across the USA mainly by train. It was amazing! I wanted to experience it again and again and the best way to keep the memories alive was to write them down. Vita’s journey is pretty much an exact copy, with a bit of artistic licence. The fantasy part came from my love of imagining the perfect holiday and place to have it. It was brilliant fun to write.

3. What did you find were the most challenging aspects of writing it?

Trying to make the whole thing hang together time-wise. It was really important to tie everything together properly and as I’ve already said, planning is my worst nightmare. Mandy James, critique partner extraordinaire, and Christine McPherson, my wonderful editor at Tirgearr knocked it into shape quite painlessly. I’ll be eternally grateful for their help.

4. What is your writing process like? To what extent do you plan the characters and plot and how much do you just let the words flow?

I usually get straight into writing the first couple of chapters and then make myself stop and focus on the characters’ ages, back stories, favourite foods, best moments etc. Then I go back in and write like crazy. I edit every time I write – it’s therapeutic playing with the words and polishing the work as it goes along.

5. Do you write every day? Also how do you cope if you experience writer’s block?

In the school holidays I write every day, and I try to fit a good chunk of work into the weekends during tranquil periods, but sometimes work is so full on that my brain won’t focus on writing at all. I’ve started to accept that situation more, instead of raging inwardly (and outwardly sometimes!) I really love working with children and you have to remind yourself that they deserve your whole attention. They only have one childhood and it needs to be the best possible one.

6. If you could give an aspiring author one tip, what would it be?

Learn to spoil yourself. Know what helps you to unwind and let the words flow, whether it’s a hot bubbly bath, a large glass of chilled wine, a cuddle, time to read a good book, a walk or if you’re very lucky, a writers’ retreat or a get together with your writing buddies. My fabulous friends, who blog as the Romaniacs, and Mandy James (mentioned above) are my sanity. We can discuss anything, we prop each other up when the rejections come in, celebrate the good times and get together in person as often as possible, although Facebook is our lifeline.

7. Have you any favourite genres or authors you like to read yourself?

I love Kate Atkinson, Mavis Cheek, Liane Moriarty, Elizabeth George, Alexander McCall Smith and numerous others. Lately I’ve been lucky enough to join a live Radio book club on BBC Radio Derby with Authors Tracy Bloom and Joanna Courtney, and some of the choices have taken me out of my comfort zone in the best possible way, but when I’m sad or worried I go back to my late mum’s ancient collection of novels by D.E Stevenson and Elizabeth Goudge. Bliss.

8. Can you share with us about what you are working on at the moment?

My work in progress is a bit darker than the norm for me. It’s called Hidden Depths, and centres round the relationship between a controlling mother and a previously repressed daughter. Strangely enough its focus is a cruise down the Rhone – guess where I went this summer?

9. And finally, have you a message for readers?

I’m thrilled to think some of you will read Living the Dream, and hope you’ll try the other two – Little Boxes and Sweet Proposal, with Moondancing and Hidden Depths to follow. Thanks for reading my ramblings – whether you’re an avid reader or a writer yourself (or both) I hope you continue to enjoy what you do.

Once again, thank you Celia for taking time out of your busy schedule. We wish you the best of luck with the release of Living the Dream and your career as a writer.

Excerpt:

The stop press news of the day is that Ronan’s body is one day going to help others less fortunate. He made the announcement this morning just as I limped into the bedroom, still damp from the shower and with my left foot dripping with blood after standing on my razor. He’d taken ages in the bathroom so I was already late for work. He usually waits until he hears the door slam behind me before he even sticks a toe out of bed, but today he sneaked in there while I was making a cup of tea.

This isn’t the first time that Ronan’s seemed preoccupied with his own death. The idea that he’s not long for this world has been brewing for a week or two, ever since he had that dizzy spell when he was bending over to get the last bottle of vodka from the bargain bucket in Sainsbury’s.

‘I’m away into town to the solicitors to make my will,’ he said, frowning at the trail of blood on the cream carpet, ‘just in case you forget the details of what I want when the time comes.’

‘I’m not sure why you’re bothering. It’s bound to be a really boring will. Our flat’s rented and we haven’t got any children or savings, have we? Unless you know something I don’t?’

‘Well, that’s just the sort of thing you would say, Vita.’ Ronan gritted his teeth and sucked in his stomach. He’d made his choice of clothes for the day after some consideration, and was wearing his only suit for the first time in years but the trousers were refusing to fasten. ‘You never give a thought to the future, do you? Stuck in this one-horse town, doing a pointless job that’s nothing but putting up with people banging on about their own miserable little lives. You’ve got no ambitions.’

‘How do you know I’ve got no ambitions? When do you ever ask me about them? And anyway, I thought you liked living in Clayton-on-the-Bream? You always said it was the next best thing to the coast, with the river and the castle and everything.’ I ran out of steam, rather surprised at myself for jumping in to defend my home town so quickly and passionately. Okay, Clayton wasn’t the most exciting place on earth, but it was pretty and peaceful and not too touristy – far enough from the Cotswolds to miss out on the trippers looking for tea, scones and antiques, and only a couple of hours from St Pancras on a fast train. Ronan pulled a face.

‘This dead and alive hole? You’re kidding me, aren’t you? There’s nothing here for me – if I had my way I’d go right back to London in a heartbeat.’

Blurb:

When dreams and reality crash and mingle, escape can be the hardest challenge of all.

Longing to get away from her troubled marriage, the opportunity to cross America by train seems like a dream come true for Vita Craythorne. But charismatic travel agent Moriarty Miles has other ideas; by replacing her friend Jack on the trip, Vita has unwittingly set herself up as a guinea pig for Moriarty’s mind-blowing and potentially dangerous new virtual-holiday project. His idea is to give clients the holiday of a lifetime without ever having to leave the comfort of their favourite chair. It’s exciting. It’s innovative. It could be just what Vita needs. That is, if she can avoid becoming trapped inside her own, miraculous dream world.

Here are my buy links:

http://celiajanderson.co.uk/books/living-the-dream/

Author Bio:

Celia J Anderson is passionate about writing, cake, wine and long walks in the Quantock hills or on random beaches. She is very proud to be the assistant head at a Catholic primary school in the Midlands and divides her time between walking off the cake, inventing imaginary worlds and teaching English and drama.

http://celiajanderson.co.uk

https://www.facebook.com/CeliaJAndersonAuthor

http://www.twitter.com/celiaanderson1

GIVEAWAY!

Make sure to follow the whole tour—the more posts you visit throughout, the more chances you’ll get to enter the giveaway. The tour dates are here:

http://www.writermarketing.co.uk/prpromotion/blog-tours/currently-on-tour/celia-j-anderson-3/

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July 14, 2015 by Tina Williams

Love the Way You Lie, by Skye Warren ~ 99c Promotion!

Adult/18+ Read

LovetheWayYouLieSale

If you haven’t read Love the Way You Lie, the first book in the Stripped series by the amazingly talented Skye Warren then you are in for a real treat. You can download this dark, edgy and suspenseful read for 99c from July 13th-17th! I had the good fortune to review an ARC of this book earlier this year and it is other fab addition to the author’s collection of addictive reads featuring dark twisted alpha men and the strong yet fragile women who fall for each other, often in the direst of circumstances.

Love the Way You Lie
by Skye Warren
Stripped #1
Publication Date: March 12, 2015
Genres: Contemporary, Dark, Erotic, Romance

Sale: Love the Way You Lie by Skye Warren

Amazon • Nook • iBooks

Loe the Way You Lie by New York Times Bestselling author Skye Warren is on sale for $0.99 from July 13 – 17th. Start the Stripped Series for a bargain today.

Synopsis

A dark romance about the lies that lead us down…

I’ll do anything to get safe, even if that means working at the scariest club in town.

I’ll do anything to stay hidden, even if it means taking off my clothes for strangers.

I’ll do anything to be free. Except give him up. When he looks at me, I forget why I can’t have him. He’s beautiful and scarred. His body fits mine, filling the places where I’m hollow, rough where I am soft.

He’s the one man who wants to help, but he has his own agenda. He has questions I can’t answer. What are you afraid of?

“It’s gritty, edgy, and sexy, served to you in the well-written, absorbing style that Skye is so talented at delivering. I can’t wait to get my hands on the rest of the Stripped series.” – Shameless Book Club

“I LOVED it! Instantly compelling and thrillingly unpredictable, Honor and Kip’s story delivers a jagged, layered and enthralling adventure that weaves darkness and light with precision and purpose.” – the lusty literate

“Wow! I found Love the Way You Lie to be a dark, edgy and suspenseful romance. It’s also addictive, sexy and downright dirty (in the best possible way)!” – Tina, A Reader’s Review Blog

“It’s dark, mysterious, sexy, and I loved every page of it! There were twists and turns that I never saw coming! I love when an author is able to keep me guessing until the very end of the book.” – Book Fancy Book Blog

“Love The Way You Lie was heartwarming, exhilarating and tantalizing with just the right tinge of darkness.” – Warhawke’s Vault

About Skye Warren

Skye Warren is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of dark romantic fiction. Her books are raw, sexual and perversely romantic.

Website • Blog • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads

July 10, 2015 by Tina Williams

NEW RELEASE ~ Damon, Starkis Family #2, by Cheryl Douglas

________ღ☆ღ_________ ☆ [] NEW RELEASE [] ☆ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ღ☆ღ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

Damon

Starkis Family #2 ( Can Be read as a standalone )

by Cheryl Douglas

Blurb:

Eleni Litras recognized a kindred spirit when she saw one. Damon loved to have a good time, was allergic to commitment, and was honest to a fault. He wasn’t afraid to speak his mind, even if it meant raising a few eyebrows. She loved that about him. In fact, she feared she may be falling in love with him. But her tragic upbringing taught her trust was a filthy four letter word. Damon Starkis partied like a rock star most of his life, with little regard for consequences. That was one of the many advantages of being born to a billionaire. But when he got news that rocked his world, he had a choice… grow up or risk losing out on the opportunity of a lifetime. Change didn’t come easily, but he was proud of his new life and the man he’d become, except for one little problem. The secrets and lies were piling up and if Eleni found out, she’d never forgive him.

Buy Links:

ⷡ® Amazon: http://amzn.to/1Mg6GjY

ⷡ® B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/damon-cheryl-douglas/1122198617?ean=2940151992725

ⷡ® Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/553353

ⷡ® Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/damon-starkis-family-2

ⷡ® iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/damon-starkis-family-2/id1011979047?mt=11

About the Author

When one door closes, another one opens. I closed the door to my business for the last time in 2011, which left me with a decision. What now? Find another location and move my nutrition business, go to work for someone else, or take a chance on my dream? I chose the latter and I’ve never looked back! I’ve always loved reading and writing, but it wasn’t until I jumped in with both feet and decided writing would be my career, instead of just a hobby, that my muse woke up from her deep slumber.

It was like someone flipped a switch inside my head and stories just came pouring out. At the end of the day, I would often look at the keyboard and wonder, ‘Who the heck wrote that? ‘Cause I’m pretty sure it wasn’t me!’

I don’t write books. I tell stories, or rather, I allow my characters to tell their stories through me. I’m not a plotter, never have been, never will be. Why? Because I have no idea how the story will evolve and it’s not my place to manipulate it. My job is to get to know these characters, figure out what makes them tick, then follow their journey wherever it takes me.

When I’m not writing, I’m daydreaming. Thankfully, I have an understanding husband and son who know I’ll re-join the land of the living just as soon as my muse decides it’s quitting time. I don’t work for myself. I work for her. She’s the boss. And I’m okay with that.

Website: Facebook: Twitter: Goodreads:

Presented by:

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July 2, 2015 by Caroline Barker

Review Round-Up June ’15

Dear readers, Welcome to a our Review Round-Up for June. It has been a scorcher here in the UK over the last few days, and I do believe that many of us will welcome some rain to break up the humidity. That’s not to say that we want to turn down the heat in the books we are reviewing! This month in particular is dominated by romance, mostly dark and erotic, with Skye Warren’s Better When It Hurts (Stripped #2) and two titles from Christina Phillips’ contemporary erotic romances. For a little erotic fun, we also have Tied to the Kitchen Sink by Kay Jaybee.

However, for those of you that are looking for a paranormal fantasy, we can certainly recommend C.J. Pinard’s Soul Redemption (Rebel Riders #2) and Tim O’Rourke’s Werewolves of Shade (Beautiful Immortals, series 1, part 6), the final part of series one. For a deeper psychological thriller/horror there is also the growing success of Lynda O’Rourke’s Dwell (The Kassidy Bell trilogy, #2), which has it’s first book of the trilogy, Drug, reach the no. 1 spot on the Amazon Young Adult horror charts!

Lastly, there is also the amazing The Medea Complex by Rachel Florence Roberts, a dark historical psychological thriller that explores the state of a mind of a woman in the late 1800’s who has postnatal depression, yet at the time it was believed she was possibly mad. Influenced by her own personal experience, Rachel has explored this subject and set it in a time when very little was understood of mental states. It is one woman’s battle to realise her terrible truth and understand why. A very moving piece that has now been published by Penguin books in early June, and has been re-worked. Our review is of the original self-published version.

As always, we hope that our reviews influence your reading and that you enjoy them. (Please click on titles for our full review posts.)

Happy reading!

Caroline & Tina 🙂

Hold Me Until Midnight (Grayson Brothers #1) by Christina Phillips, contemporary erotic romance (reviewed by Tina)

Blurb: Scarlett Ashford needs a date for her father’s wedding. Only she doesn’t just need a guy in a suit—she needs a bodyguard. The only problem is that Jackson Grayson is big and gorgeous and way too sexy. So much so that Scarlett’s tempted to let this hot bad boy ruin her oh-so-good reputation…

Jackson doesn’t do relationships and he certainly doesn’t sleep with clients. Yet he can’t fight their inconvenient attraction, or how badly he wants Scarlett’s warm and wicked curves against his body. He wants her. Now. Even if it’s just for one night, and even if walking away the next morning isn’t as easy as he thought.

Besides, one hot and incredibly intense night between a bad boy and a pampered princess could never turn into something real…could it?

Interviewing Wade (Executive Decisions #4) by Grace Marshall, contemporary romance (reviewed by Tina)

Blurb: The Executive Decision Trilogy may be over, but the story continues in this addictively sexy fourth instalment by the best-selling Grace Marshall. Ambitious reporter Carla Flannery has been waiting to make her name – and when she gets the chance to interview Wade Crittenden, the mysterious genius behind Pneuma, Inc, she can’t believe her luck. However, Carla has made a lot of enemies in her work, and when Wade discovers she’s being stalked, he is determined to keep her safe, spurred on by his confusing feelings towards her. As situations turn deadly and dark secrets threaten to reveal themselves, lives and hearts are on the line as the interview starts to reveal far more about them than either ever expected …

Soul Redemption (Rebel Riders #2) by C.J. Pinard, paranormal/urban fantasy, paranormal romance (reviewed by Caroline)

Blurb: Faced with unthinkable changes, Nolan Bishop seeks to come to grips with his new version of mortality. While his relationship with Charity Sheridan was already rocky, he’s now facing a whole new set of challenges as they continue to try to find a balance to the love that has just begun to blossom between them. Meanwhile, her twin Eva has violent vengeance on the mind, and the succubus won’t settle for anything less than Nolan’s ultimate demise. Heading back to New Orleans at the request of the BSI, Nolan will have to face Joel Reichert, the old vampire whose oldest friend is now dead because of him. But is Joel really an enemy?

A new, young friend in the Rebel Riders group gives Nolan a much needed reprieve from the stress of his new way of life. While Archie and the Riders don’t really know the full extent of Nolan’s new problems, he continues to hide the horrific things he has to do in order to stay alive. Will Nolan come out better than he was before Eva tried to take his soul, or will he crack and break under the pressure once he realizes what the succubus has really done to him?

Mist Revealed (Elemental Desire #1) (re-edit of Mist Unveiled) by Nancy Corrigan, erotic paranormal romance (reviewed by Tina)

Blurb: A woman seeking answers…

Cat, a renowned scientist, embarks on a quest to uncover the source of the unknown deadly virus that claimed her sister’s life. What she finds is a man shrouded in mystery who manages the impossible—swaying her devotion from logic to passion. But Rune isn’t simply a lover. He’s a weapon, one that has the potential to save her or destroy her.

A man searching for treasure…

Rune, a child of the mist, awakens into a world hovering on the verge of destruction. Ragnarok is coming. His enemies have been released from their prison. And he’s discovered the one woman who can thaw his frozen heart. But the race to stop the final battle isn’t the time to fall in love. Or is it?

A discovery that will change everything…

Life evolves, and what was lost can be recovered. But the truth revealed isn’t the one Cat or Rune expects. The impossible has become reality. And two lovers must make a choice—adapt or die.

Author’s note: Mist Revealed was previously released as Mist Unveiled and has been reedited.

Better When It Hurts (Stripped #2) by Skye Warren, dark erotic romance (reviewed by Tina)

Blurb: Five years ago we lived in the same house. He was the ultimate bad boy. And my foster brother.

Now he’s back. Tougher, harder, meaner. All of it aimed at me, because I was the one who sent him away. It’s payback time. He wants his pound of flesh, and I am helpless to say no.

The Medea Complex (re-released/new edition) by Rachel Florence Roberts, dark historical psychological thriller (original review by Caroline)

Blurb: A deep and riveting psychological thriller inspired by true events of the Victorian era, The Medea Complex explores the nature of the human psyche: what possesses us, what drives us, and how love, passion, and hope for the future can drive us to insanity.

1885. Anne Stanbury wakes up in a strange bed, having been kidnapped from her home. As the panic settles in, she realizes she has been committed to a lunatic asylum, deemed insane and therefore unfit to stand trial for an unspeakable crime. But all is not as it seems….

Edgar Stanbury, her husband as well as a grieving father, is torn between helping his confined wife recover her sanity and seeking revenge for his ruined life. But Anne’s future rests wholly in the hands of Dr. George Savage, chief medical officer of Bethlem Royal Hospital.

The Medea Complex is the darkly compelling story of a lunatic, a lie, and a shocking revelation that elucidates the difference between madness and evil….

Tiara’s Golden Submission & Veiled Romance by Evelise Archer, erotic romance (reviewed by Tina)

Blurb (Tiara’s Golden Submission): On the cusp of turning fifty, Tiara, a submissive without a Dom or husband, desired to return to the lifestyle. Placing her destiny in the hands of Madame Eve and the 1Night Stand Service, will Tiara find all that she seeks? Or will a past love interfere with her future plans?

Blurb (Veiled Romance): Shane Wise is a Dom and part owner of a popular BDSM club in Rittenhouse Square, Club Rebellion. A tumultuous past has led him to an almost perfect present, except Shane has a secret. A secret that could destroy his reputation in the world in which he loves to live-BDSM.

Deacon Archer is also a Dom and part owner of Club Rebellion and he is in love with Shane Wise. Together Shane and Deacon must decide if the love they feel can withstand the scrutiny they fear, if their relationship is revealed.

Can two dominants truly forge a relationship? Will secret desires open up a new world and allow Shane to be the man he was intended to be or will veiled dominance get in the way?

Dwell (The Kassidy Bell trilogy #2) by Lynda O’Rourke, psychological thriller/horror (reviewed by Caroline)

Blurb: Running from the shadows of Cruor Pharma, Kassidy Bell soon discovers that it’s not just the cleaners and police that are after her. With the drug VA20 slowly working its way through her veins, Kassidy has become an irresistible target to all those looking for somewhere to dwell.

Desperate to find a place of safety and somewhere to rest, Kassidy and the other volunteers set off in search of the Bishop’s house – the last place they know of that Max’s brother, Robert, may have headed for.

But who can Kassidy trust? Can she even trust her own decisions and feelings, especially when it comes to Doctor Ben Fletcher?

‘DWELL’ – Book 2 in the #1 bestselling paranormal thriller series by Lynda O’Rourke.

Tied to the Kitchen Sink by Kay Jaybee, erotic (reviewed by Tina)

Blurb: Will can hardly believe his eyes when he receives the ultimate in birthday gifts. Karen, the girl of his fantasies, has been left tied to his kitchen sink’s taps, ready to be played with exactly as he chooses. Meanwhile, Becky is having a spank-filled first day in her new job, and a BDSM-curious male allows himself to be lured into a dominatrix’s lair by the tempting lyrics of a truly bad poem. Whether bound in ropes or handcuffs, as they are shackled to the bed, kitchen sink, or within the confines of a fetishist’s supply cupboard, the willing victims of Tied to the Kitchen Sink’s kinky S&M and BDSM action find their darkest and sexiest dreams coming true.

Daisy’s Dilemma by Anne Stenhouse, regency historical romance (reviewed by Tina)

Blurb: Lady Daisy should be ecstatic when her brother, the earl, allows Mr. John Brent to propose. She’s been plotting their marriage for two years. However, she is surprised to find herself underwhelmed and blames their distant cousin, Reuben, for unsettling her.

Reuben Longreach wonders whether the earl understands the first thing about Daisy’s nature and her need for a life with more drama than the Season allows. It’s abundantly clear to him that Daisy and John are not suited, but the minx accepts his proposal nonetheless.

Meanwhile, Daisy hatches a plan to attach Reuben to her beautiful, beleaguered Scots cousin, Elspeth. Little does she know that Elspeth is the focus of a more sinister plot that threatens Daisy too.

Will Reuben be able to thwart the forces surrounding Daisy before she is irretrievably tied to John? Will Daisy find the maturity to recognise her dilemma may be of her own making before it’s too late?

Werewolves of Shade (Beautiful Immortals, series one, part 6) by Tim O’Rourke, paranormal fantasy (reviewed by Caroline)

Blurb: From Tim O’Rourke #1 bestselling author of ‘The Kiera Hudson Series’ comes ‘Werewolves of Shade’ a werewolf romance with a twist.

When the entire population of Shade go missing, investigative reporter Mila Watson knows this could be the big break she has been waiting for. Setting off into the mountains to the village of Shade, Mila soon learns that the village isn’t as deserted as she first believed it to be and that creatures lurk in the shades…

‘Werewolves of Shade’ (Part Six)

Note: This ends in a cliff-hanger. Part Seven will be published within the next few weeks.

For readers 16+

Relinquish by M.N. Forgy, dark erotic romance (reviewed by Tina)

Blurb: ***WARNING*** This novel contains explicit language, sex, drugs, violence, and sexual situations that some might find offensive. This book is intended for adults 18+ years of age.

In my world, there is no such thing as love. It is just a lie we whisper into our client’s ear. Love is foreign and hazardous. What I did not expect was to bare my soul to a man who is as egotistical as he is dangerous.

His name is Landon. Despite his blackened soul, he tried to save me, but what he didn’t expect was my torturous fate to catch up with me.

To your father, I’m the escort.

To your mother, I’m the whore.

To the legal system, I’m the prostitute.

In the end, I’m just the other woman.

I have no idea if I will continue to survive, if I will ever find my path aside from the gritty streets I know so well. There is a good chance I will wind up in the ditch like most women in my position. Surrendering to my fate is the only choice I have. I must relinquish it all.

Indulgence Anthology by Various Authors, dark erotic romances (reviewed by Tina)

Amity Cross, Royal Blood (Royal Blood #1) A hitman and a woman with an explosive secret collide in this thrilling romance. Will love be enough? Or are they doomed from the start?

Audrey Carlan, Angel Falling (Falling, #1) Socialite Aspen Reynolds is saved from death by country boy, Hank Jensen, who makes it clear he wants her in his life and his bed.

Cat Mason, Escaping Me (Shaft on Tour #1) Temptations, betrayal, and lies are all mixed with booze, tattoos, sex, laughs, and love as the Shaft takes stage after stage. Making friends along the way, Daisy must stop escaping herself. She must stop hiding behind a list and come to terms with what she really wants in life. Emotions and secrets unravel all around as Daisy learns to live the rough and rowdy life of taking Shaft on tour.

Cynthia Sax, Releasing Rage Joan sees the darkness in Rage, the sexy cyborg she’s been assigned to maintain. He’s big, angry, violent… and exactly the warrior she needs.

Deanndra Hall, My Last Dom A submissive who’s addicted to pain runs headlong into a Dominant determined to save her. But her ghosts could ruin their chances for happiness.

Jamie Salisbury, Perpetual Love Albert and Anne meet on his family’s ranch. Cupid’s arrow does it’s thing. The pair become inseparable. Anne’s father meanwhile has his own agenda.

JM Witt, Letting Go (Anchored Hearts #1) What happens when the girl who’s only read about BDSM meets a flawed Dom? Will their tortured souls find love amidst pleasure and pain?

Kelley Grealis, The Descendant (The Descendant Vampire Series, #1) Mortal death or eternal damnation? If those were your choices, which would you choose? Discover the vampire’s origin in The Descendant – A Vampire Tale of Biblical Proportions!

Laura Harner, Rescued (Three’s Allowed Book 2) With Elizabeth’s abusive ex intent on murder, Sheriff Graeme and security-mogul Michael join forces—but who will rescue them? One woman, two men, deadly serious.

Liz Crowe, Man On (Black Jack Gentlemen, #1) All eyes are on the fledgling Black Jack Detroit soccer team in its debut season. They must make a good showing in the league and with new fans. But player drama, club dynamics, and misplaced priorities may tear it apart before it even begins.

Nina Levine, Relent (Sydney Storm MC, #1) Will Evie relent in this second chance romance or has Kick left it too long to go after the woman who’s owned his heart forever?

Sandy Sullivan, Make Mine a Cowboy (Cowboy Dreamin’, #1) She writes fantasy cowboys for a living, but she never expected to find her own on the back roads of Hill Country, Texas.

Sharon Hamilton, SEAL Under Covers (Seal Brotherhood #3) Navy SEAL Armando Guzman is trying to help his sister clean up her life, but he is unprepared for the chemical attraction of his sister’s new best friend who he doesn’t know is an undercover cop.

Skye Callahan, Irrevocable (Irrevocable, #1) They stripped me of my life but never my will to survive. Descending into their darkness and making it my own became my only escape.

Theresa Troutman, A Special Connection Three friends who are as close as can be, in a moment of despair, share an experience that will forever change their lives.

June 26, 2015 by Tina Williams

RELEASE BLITZ ~ If it’s a PAIN in the Ass then you’re doing it wrong, by J.C. Clarke (excerpt and giveaway)

If it’s a PAIN in the ass, then you’re doing it wrong!

AUTHOR: JC Clarke

Genre: Humor/ Contemporary Romance

Warnings: Adult content (not Erotic)…do not to eat or drink while reading…your Kindle will get messy. JC is not responsible for any cracked ribs from laughing

Cover Design: The Graphics Shed

Editor: RE Hargrave

Synopsis

His Princess was a little bit eclectic, a lot of eccentric, and a big time potty mouth. She was outgoing and loud, but held her friends and family close to her heart. She ranted about everything wrong in the world and her wild passion made him fall hard and fast. His life gave him the middle finger when she opened his eyes to the beauty around him – or right in front of him.

Her ‘Prick-a-Doodle-Do’ was uptight businessman through and through. He never saw the fun in anything and she knew right from the start that she could have fun with this man and get him to open his eyes. He made her see that she didn’t have to always be alone, even when surrounded by people. His knack of bringing out the best in her was what made her fall for him, even if she didn’t want to admit it to herself.

Both of them were raised in ‘high society’, but where one was guided by the rules, one had fun going against them. He was her new boss and she didn’t give two hoots about it, so when she was given an opportunity to express her views about a certain subject, she readily agreed.

It was now her personal mission to make the life of her boss a little harder, while experiencing a little fun along the way.

Excerpt

“Bossman, what are my shoes?” I asked and leaned back in my chair to put my feet up on his brand new desk.

“Stilettoes?”

“Wrong, for starters, no one calls them that these days. They’re either pumps or heels. Normally, if
they’re designer, you just give people that name. What color is my shirt?”

“Red?” he asked, puzzled at where I was taking this.

“No, it’s burgundy. My hair is also in a low twist to the side, but you’d say that it was a ball of mess on the side of my head. My point is, no female author should write her male lead so . . . girlie. He shouldn’t know what cut her dress is or what the exact shade of her nail polish is, because, putting it simply, men don’t know these things. They don’t want to know. The second real men start showing an interest, their girl will never stop asking for their opinions. All men want to do for an easy life is say ‘Yes, dear’ and scratch their balls while watching a game,” I ranted. All the while his eyes got wider.

“You need to calm down, Princess,” he finally said, but I shook my head.

“But why? As readers, we are basically paying these authors to produce shit work. I don’t want to read that every male character has a monster cock and can give award-winning oral sex. No virgin can deep throat on her first go and the wording, oh my God. Do I really have to read every character
announce that they’re coming like a freight train in every sex scene. If the sex is good enough, it should be clear to the reader in the description, not through ‘Incoming orgasm approaching platform three, please stand clear of the gap!’”

Book Links

Amazon US

Goodreads

About the Author

J.C. Clarke lives in the heart of the New Forest in England with her husband and four children. Never a dull moment, her full house provides no shortage of inspiration which fuels her writing. She loves reading and writing a variety of genres in addition to dabbling with graphic art to create book covers, swag and more.