sâmbătă, 31 august 2013
Waiting #6
Hothouse Flower by Krista Ritchie Becca Ritchie
Ryke Meadows, meet Daisy Calloway ... she’s all grown up.
Twenty-five-year-old Ryke Meadows knows he’s hard to love. With a billion-dollar inheritance, a track-star resume, and an alpha-male personality—he redefines the term likable asshole. But he’s not living to make friends. Or enemies. After months helping his brother through rehab and sobriety, he just wants to free climb three of the toughest mountains in Yosemite without drama or interruption.
And then he receives a distressed call from a girl in Paris—a girl that he has never been allowed to have.
Daisy Calloway is eighteen. Finally. With her newfound independence, she can say goodbye to her overbearing mother and continue her modeling career. Next stop, Paris. Fashion week begins with a bang, and Daisy uncovers the ugly reality of the industry. She wants to prove to her family that she can live on her own, but when everything spirals out of control, she turns to Ryke to keep her secrets.
As Daisy struggles to make sense of this new world and her freedom, she pushes the limits and fearlessly rides the edge. Ryke knows there’s deep hurt beneath every impulsive action. He must keep up with Daisy, and if he lets her go, her favorite motto—“live as if you’ll die today”—may just come true.
vineri, 30 august 2013
Day Blitz Don't Make Me Beautiful by Elle Casey
Release date: August 31st 2013
Self-Published
A ROMANTIC SUSPENSE NOVEL. No one knew a woman lived there or that she even existed. A monster, living in darkness...
At twenty-six, Nicole doesn't even look human anymore. The beast made sure of that. So she hides. A monster consigned to a life of fear and solitude. This is all she deserves, she is quite sure of that.
And then one day out of the blue, the autographed baseball caught by Brian Jensen at the latest Marlins game enters her prison and manages to turn her world completely upside down.
Temptation comes in the form of pity at first, and then perhaps something more.
Does she dare to believe the things she's told, that this is not the life she was meant to live? That being a monster is not her forever-fate? And will she be willing to risk everything, to reach out and accept the helping hands around her? She knows only too well that hands can hurt. Finding out whether they can also heal is a risky proposition, especially when the beast is still out there. Looking for her.
**This story was inspired by true events. If you liked the movie "Sleeping With the Enemy", then you might like this story too. CONTENT WARNING: Violence, foul language, and adult situations. Not meant for younger readers.**
Excerpt
Liam’s mother reverses out of the driveway, their young son strapped into the back seat and waving like a maniac out his window. “Bye, Dad! See ya later!”
“Bye, Li-Li! See ya Wednesday!”
“I’ll bring him back before school,” his ex-wife says. “I have early meetings.”
“Sounds good,” says Brian, still waving to his son. He waits until he’s out of Liam’s sight before he puts his hand down. It’s nice to be alone for a few days, but he already feels the pangs of missing his child creeping in.
Standing in the driveway, Brian considers his next move. There’s an antique armoire in his workshop that needs a final coat of stain and then some clear-coat to protect it. It took a week to repair and refinish, but he scheduled two. He could do something else if he wanted to…
It can wait. The issue of the monster lady is weighing too heavily on his mind to let it go. Ignoring the warning bells going off in his head, he walks to the bottom of the driveway and turns left to go down the street.
“What am I doing?” he mumbles under his breath. “The guy obviously doesn’t like visitors.” The fact that the guy also looks like a Bantam rooster spoiling for a fight is not making Brian’s misgivings any fewer.
“Hey there, Brian. Going for a walk on this fine morning?” Ethel, his next-door neighbor is out trimming her bushes again. They don’t need trimming; they’re just a prop to give her a reason to be standing outside, waiting for passersby.
Brian waves. “Yep. Just getting some fresh air, I guess. Seemed like a good idea.”
“Little Liam gone for the week?”
She must have seen him drive by. She sees everything that happens on this street. “Just for a few days. He’ll be back on Wednesday.” Brian keeps walking, although slower. If he stops, he’ll be stuck there for an hour and probably end up in her kitchen having an iced tea. She’s the nicest, most talkative neighbor he’s ever had. He doesn’t usually mind it; in fact, he’s happy to indulge in a neighborly chat now and again - it’s why he moved to this area - but today, he’s on a mission and he doesn’t have time for gossip or an hour-long discussion about the upcoming weather and whether Mrs. Grandston down the street will ever start recycling.
“Tell him to stop by and see me when he gets home,” she says, poking her clippers vaguely in Brian’s direction. “I bought some new cookies at the store and I think he’s going to like them. He’s my official cookie taster.”
“I’ll tell him. He’ll be really happy to hear that.”
She waves with a gloved hand as he reaches the far side of her property line, and he waves back.
Maybe I should ask Ethel about the guy around the corner. Brian’s not sure that Ethel knows anything beyond the business of those living on Lodi Street. She stays pretty close to home, taking care of her husband who’s slowly going downhill with dementia. Brian’s not looking forward to the day she’ll have to put him in a nursing home. He has a feeling it will take the spark from her, and she’s fun just the way she is, even if she is a little nosy.
The house comes into view. As he gets closer, he sees that the window is still broken, but now there’s a piece of cardboard taped over it. The house is still, with no sign that anyone’s home. The large black truck that was in the driveway last night isn’t there. Maybe it’s in the garage.
Brian walks up to the porch, taking the steps slowly as he looks around. He’s not sure what he’s looking for, but everything seems to be in order.
“What the hell am I doing here?” he whispers to himself. What am I going to say if that guy comes to the door again? I’ll ask him for the bill, that’s it. Tell him I want to pay right away. Be a good neighbor. Brian shakes his head at his ridiculous thoughts. He already told the guy to leave the bill in his box. Showing up again and ringing the bell when the sign on it says not to feels almost like harassment. He looks at the sign again, reading the heavy scrawl.
DO NOT RING BELL. DO NOT KNOCK. WE DON’T TAKE VISITORS.
Brian frowns. He can’t get past the feeling that it’s just a weird thing to do, to put a sign up like that warning people away. It’s like something he would have done as a kid on a clubhouse to keep other kids from discovering his secret hiding place. It’s so ridiculous it almost begs people to discover whatever it is he’s keeping inside.
Brian laughs nervously at himself. Don’t be stupid. You’re a grown man and so is he. This is his house. If you trespass he can shoot your stupid ass.
Brian steps back away from the door, prepared to leave and never come back. But then the sound of his son’s voice and the vision of him standing on their own front porch the night before comes back to him. “She’s not sick, Dad. She’s just really ugly.”
Brian doesn’t want to see a really ugly woman. That’s not what’s motivating him to stand her on this porch and risk pissing off this neighbor. It’s just that … he’s a math guy. Brian has always been strong in math, from the time he was Liam’s age. He uses it every day with his work at restoring furniture, both in the actual hands-on stuff and the figuring he has to do later when he does his billing. Everything always has to add up in his world, and this situation with the monster lady? It wasn’t adding up.
Brian glances over at the cardboard covering the hole. Maybe I’ll just take a look at the damage and make a call to a glass company myself. Then I can go get some cash out of the bank and be ready to pay the guy when he gives me the bill.
Brian takes a few tentative steps down the porch towards the front window. A car comes down the street and he freezes, waiting until it’s a few doors down before continuing. Once in front of the window, he looks around the neighborhood. No one is outside, and he sees no faces in any other windows. These people need an Ethel.
Turning to look at the cardboard, he notices it’s stuck to the still intact frame with duct tape. “That’s going to be a problem when the sun melts that adhesive onto the PVC,” he says out loud. He runs his finger along the edge, hoping he can find a loose spot so he can pry up the cardboard a little to see the actual damage. It’s stuck on too tight, though.
His eyes roam up. A set of white, gauzy curtains are right in front of him, obscuring his view of the house’s interior. This house has the same basic layout as his, so he knows there’s a large living room of sorts on the other side of the glass. He wonders what the woman was doing when the ball came through her window. Was she sitting in the living room reading a book? Was she in the kitchen making cookies?
He blinks his eyes a few times as they adjust to looking through the white curtain. There’s a couch in the center of the wall facing him with side chairs on its left and right, its dark, burry contours getting clearer the longer he stares. A small coffee table rests in the middle of the conversation area. His eyes roam the walls, wondering what the pictures in frames look like. It’s too difficult to see. He steps back and stands straighter, embarrassed when he realizes he’s being worse than Ethel, staring into people’s houses like this.
It’s then that something inside the house catches his eye. Brian stops moving for a moment as he focuses his attention on the dark shape on the floor. He steps closer to the window, going so far as to press his face up against the glass and cup his hands around his eyes, trying to see better. What is that? A carpet on the floor? No. It’s not a carpet. It’s too bulky. It looks like…
He bends down, a sense of urgency overtaking his good sense. He scratches desperately at the edge of the duct tape, finally getting a corner of it to peel away from the window frame. He draws it down, careful not to let it tear. Once it’s free on one side, he grabs the cardboard and pushes it sideways, like opening the cover of the book.
What the hell am I doing? This is nuts… He ignores his own concerns, needing more than anything else right now to just confirm that what he thinks he’s seeing on that floor is not what he’s seeing.
The hole in the window is finally revealed, and it’s big enough for his hand to fit through. Thank you, Liam. Never in his wildest dreams did he ever think he’d thank his son for breaking someone’s window.
Brian reaches through and grabs the curtains on the other side, using both hands to pull the bottom of them out through the hole. As soon as he has the entire bottom seam through the broken window, he lifts it up and looks into the small space that’s remaining. Now there are no curtains in the way and he can see into the living room as clear as if he were standing inside the house.
“Holy Mary mother of Jesus,” he whispers. He raises his voice. “Ma’am … ! Miss … ! Are you okay?”
There’s what he assumes to be a woman lying on the floor in the middle of the room. All he can see is the back of her head and blood on her one exposed hand. “Ma’am! Are you okay?!”
No response.
“Fuck!” he yells, hurriedly shoving the curtain back through the hole and pushing the cardboard into place. He cuts the back of his hand on the glass, but he ignores the blood, the pain, and everything else as he struggles to get his cell phone out of his front pocket.
“Nine-one-one, what’s your emergency?”
“Hello, this is Brian Jensen and I’m standing on the front porch of …” He leans out and looks at the number on the front of the house near the door, “…thirty-two Fresno Street, and there’s a woman inside her house who’s passed out and there’s blood. She needs an ambulance.”
“Are you the homeowner, sir?”
“No, I’m a neighbor. Can you please send someone quick? I’m afraid she might be … dead. I’m not sure. She’s not moving.”
“Can you check for a pulse?”
“No, I’m outside. But just wait a minute. I’m going in.”
“Sir, is there anyone else at the home?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Hold the line while I call the house,” the operator says.
Brian’s at the front door when the woman comes back on the line. “They don’t appear to have a home phone on record. Have you tried the doorbell?”
“No.” Brian realizes how ridiculous it is that he hasn’t bothered to do that first. Surely the guy who lives here needs to know his wife is passed out on the floor. She’s obviously sick. Maybe she hit her head or something when she fell.
Brian rings the doorbell several times and bangs on the door with his fist. “Is anyone home?!” he yells.
No one answers.
“I don’t think anyone’s home but her,” Brian says to the operator. He tries the handle, but the door is locked. “I’m going to see if they have another open door somewhere.”
“Sir, I don’t recommend you break into the home.”
“I hear ya, but I’m doing it anyway.”
Brian runs around to the back and tries the door he finds there. It’s locked up tight as well. “The back door’s locked too. I’m going back to the front.”
“The ambulance is on its way along with a police officer. Can you stay on scene until they arrive?”
“Of course.”
“Do you want me to stay on the line with you?”
“No. Thanks for your help.” Brian hangs up without waiting for a response.
Going back to the front, he scrambles to pull the cardboard off and the curtain through the hole again. He leaves blood on the curtains in his attempts to see inside.
“Ma’am, an ambulance is on its way, okay? Ma’am, can you hear me?”
He’s about to look away when he sees her first finger move. It’s just the slightest twitch, but he’s sure he saw it. “I see you moving! I know you’re alive! They’re coming, okay! They’re coming!”
A low moan comes from inside the house, from the woman. Brian’s breath catches in his throat as her hand moves again, this time to slide out across the carpet. It leaves a smear of blood behind.
She moans again, this time an agonizing sound that makes Brian’s skin crawl. “You’re going to be okay. I called nine-one-one.”
Her moaning turns to a strange keening, like a growl and a sob blended together into something almost animalistic. The sounds of a siren in the distance reach Brian’s ears. He’s frozen in place, holding up the curtains and peering inside, as her head slowly turns.
The ambulance turns into the driveway as her face comes into view. Brian needs only one second to take in the sight of the horror before him before the blood in his veins goes cold and the words fall out of his mouth unbidden.
“Oh my god … what happened to your face?”
About the author
New York Times Best-Selling author Elle Casey is an American girl living in southern France with her husband, three children, and several furry creatures. She writes in a variety of genre including YA Fantasy, YA Action/Adventure, New Adult Romance, and Adult Contemporary Romance. She's a little on the wild side, usually busy making people laugh, and always in the mood for adventure. There's not much in this world that she loves more than reader interaction, so feel free to drop her a line.
Contact
www.ElleCasey.com
www.Facebook.com/ellecaseytheauthor
www.Twitter.com/ellecasey
www.Goodreads.com/ellecasey
www.Wattpad.com/ellecasey
Buy on Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/d3zwa78
Buy on iTunes: http://tinyurl.com/brf3yao
Buy on Barnes & Noble: http://tinyurl.com/c9usttz
Buy on Kobo: http://tinyurl.com/caafmuo
Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Self-Published
A ROMANTIC SUSPENSE NOVEL. No one knew a woman lived there or that she even existed. A monster, living in darkness...
At twenty-six, Nicole doesn't even look human anymore. The beast made sure of that. So she hides. A monster consigned to a life of fear and solitude. This is all she deserves, she is quite sure of that.
And then one day out of the blue, the autographed baseball caught by Brian Jensen at the latest Marlins game enters her prison and manages to turn her world completely upside down.
Temptation comes in the form of pity at first, and then perhaps something more.
Does she dare to believe the things she's told, that this is not the life she was meant to live? That being a monster is not her forever-fate? And will she be willing to risk everything, to reach out and accept the helping hands around her? She knows only too well that hands can hurt. Finding out whether they can also heal is a risky proposition, especially when the beast is still out there. Looking for her.
**This story was inspired by true events. If you liked the movie "Sleeping With the Enemy", then you might like this story too. CONTENT WARNING: Violence, foul language, and adult situations. Not meant for younger readers.**
Excerpt
Liam’s mother reverses out of the driveway, their young son strapped into the back seat and waving like a maniac out his window. “Bye, Dad! See ya later!”
“Bye, Li-Li! See ya Wednesday!”
“I’ll bring him back before school,” his ex-wife says. “I have early meetings.”
“Sounds good,” says Brian, still waving to his son. He waits until he’s out of Liam’s sight before he puts his hand down. It’s nice to be alone for a few days, but he already feels the pangs of missing his child creeping in.
Standing in the driveway, Brian considers his next move. There’s an antique armoire in his workshop that needs a final coat of stain and then some clear-coat to protect it. It took a week to repair and refinish, but he scheduled two. He could do something else if he wanted to…
It can wait. The issue of the monster lady is weighing too heavily on his mind to let it go. Ignoring the warning bells going off in his head, he walks to the bottom of the driveway and turns left to go down the street.
“What am I doing?” he mumbles under his breath. “The guy obviously doesn’t like visitors.” The fact that the guy also looks like a Bantam rooster spoiling for a fight is not making Brian’s misgivings any fewer.
“Hey there, Brian. Going for a walk on this fine morning?” Ethel, his next-door neighbor is out trimming her bushes again. They don’t need trimming; they’re just a prop to give her a reason to be standing outside, waiting for passersby.
Brian waves. “Yep. Just getting some fresh air, I guess. Seemed like a good idea.”
“Little Liam gone for the week?”
She must have seen him drive by. She sees everything that happens on this street. “Just for a few days. He’ll be back on Wednesday.” Brian keeps walking, although slower. If he stops, he’ll be stuck there for an hour and probably end up in her kitchen having an iced tea. She’s the nicest, most talkative neighbor he’s ever had. He doesn’t usually mind it; in fact, he’s happy to indulge in a neighborly chat now and again - it’s why he moved to this area - but today, he’s on a mission and he doesn’t have time for gossip or an hour-long discussion about the upcoming weather and whether Mrs. Grandston down the street will ever start recycling.
“Tell him to stop by and see me when he gets home,” she says, poking her clippers vaguely in Brian’s direction. “I bought some new cookies at the store and I think he’s going to like them. He’s my official cookie taster.”
“I’ll tell him. He’ll be really happy to hear that.”
She waves with a gloved hand as he reaches the far side of her property line, and he waves back.
Maybe I should ask Ethel about the guy around the corner. Brian’s not sure that Ethel knows anything beyond the business of those living on Lodi Street. She stays pretty close to home, taking care of her husband who’s slowly going downhill with dementia. Brian’s not looking forward to the day she’ll have to put him in a nursing home. He has a feeling it will take the spark from her, and she’s fun just the way she is, even if she is a little nosy.
The house comes into view. As he gets closer, he sees that the window is still broken, but now there’s a piece of cardboard taped over it. The house is still, with no sign that anyone’s home. The large black truck that was in the driveway last night isn’t there. Maybe it’s in the garage.
Brian walks up to the porch, taking the steps slowly as he looks around. He’s not sure what he’s looking for, but everything seems to be in order.
“What the hell am I doing here?” he whispers to himself. What am I going to say if that guy comes to the door again? I’ll ask him for the bill, that’s it. Tell him I want to pay right away. Be a good neighbor. Brian shakes his head at his ridiculous thoughts. He already told the guy to leave the bill in his box. Showing up again and ringing the bell when the sign on it says not to feels almost like harassment. He looks at the sign again, reading the heavy scrawl.
DO NOT RING BELL. DO NOT KNOCK. WE DON’T TAKE VISITORS.
Brian frowns. He can’t get past the feeling that it’s just a weird thing to do, to put a sign up like that warning people away. It’s like something he would have done as a kid on a clubhouse to keep other kids from discovering his secret hiding place. It’s so ridiculous it almost begs people to discover whatever it is he’s keeping inside.
Brian laughs nervously at himself. Don’t be stupid. You’re a grown man and so is he. This is his house. If you trespass he can shoot your stupid ass.
Brian steps back away from the door, prepared to leave and never come back. But then the sound of his son’s voice and the vision of him standing on their own front porch the night before comes back to him. “She’s not sick, Dad. She’s just really ugly.”
Brian doesn’t want to see a really ugly woman. That’s not what’s motivating him to stand her on this porch and risk pissing off this neighbor. It’s just that … he’s a math guy. Brian has always been strong in math, from the time he was Liam’s age. He uses it every day with his work at restoring furniture, both in the actual hands-on stuff and the figuring he has to do later when he does his billing. Everything always has to add up in his world, and this situation with the monster lady? It wasn’t adding up.
Brian glances over at the cardboard covering the hole. Maybe I’ll just take a look at the damage and make a call to a glass company myself. Then I can go get some cash out of the bank and be ready to pay the guy when he gives me the bill.
Brian takes a few tentative steps down the porch towards the front window. A car comes down the street and he freezes, waiting until it’s a few doors down before continuing. Once in front of the window, he looks around the neighborhood. No one is outside, and he sees no faces in any other windows. These people need an Ethel.
Turning to look at the cardboard, he notices it’s stuck to the still intact frame with duct tape. “That’s going to be a problem when the sun melts that adhesive onto the PVC,” he says out loud. He runs his finger along the edge, hoping he can find a loose spot so he can pry up the cardboard a little to see the actual damage. It’s stuck on too tight, though.
His eyes roam up. A set of white, gauzy curtains are right in front of him, obscuring his view of the house’s interior. This house has the same basic layout as his, so he knows there’s a large living room of sorts on the other side of the glass. He wonders what the woman was doing when the ball came through her window. Was she sitting in the living room reading a book? Was she in the kitchen making cookies?
He blinks his eyes a few times as they adjust to looking through the white curtain. There’s a couch in the center of the wall facing him with side chairs on its left and right, its dark, burry contours getting clearer the longer he stares. A small coffee table rests in the middle of the conversation area. His eyes roam the walls, wondering what the pictures in frames look like. It’s too difficult to see. He steps back and stands straighter, embarrassed when he realizes he’s being worse than Ethel, staring into people’s houses like this.
It’s then that something inside the house catches his eye. Brian stops moving for a moment as he focuses his attention on the dark shape on the floor. He steps closer to the window, going so far as to press his face up against the glass and cup his hands around his eyes, trying to see better. What is that? A carpet on the floor? No. It’s not a carpet. It’s too bulky. It looks like…
He bends down, a sense of urgency overtaking his good sense. He scratches desperately at the edge of the duct tape, finally getting a corner of it to peel away from the window frame. He draws it down, careful not to let it tear. Once it’s free on one side, he grabs the cardboard and pushes it sideways, like opening the cover of the book.
What the hell am I doing? This is nuts… He ignores his own concerns, needing more than anything else right now to just confirm that what he thinks he’s seeing on that floor is not what he’s seeing.
The hole in the window is finally revealed, and it’s big enough for his hand to fit through. Thank you, Liam. Never in his wildest dreams did he ever think he’d thank his son for breaking someone’s window.
Brian reaches through and grabs the curtains on the other side, using both hands to pull the bottom of them out through the hole. As soon as he has the entire bottom seam through the broken window, he lifts it up and looks into the small space that’s remaining. Now there are no curtains in the way and he can see into the living room as clear as if he were standing inside the house.
“Holy Mary mother of Jesus,” he whispers. He raises his voice. “Ma’am … ! Miss … ! Are you okay?”
There’s what he assumes to be a woman lying on the floor in the middle of the room. All he can see is the back of her head and blood on her one exposed hand. “Ma’am! Are you okay?!”
No response.
“Fuck!” he yells, hurriedly shoving the curtain back through the hole and pushing the cardboard into place. He cuts the back of his hand on the glass, but he ignores the blood, the pain, and everything else as he struggles to get his cell phone out of his front pocket.
“Nine-one-one, what’s your emergency?”
“Hello, this is Brian Jensen and I’m standing on the front porch of …” He leans out and looks at the number on the front of the house near the door, “…thirty-two Fresno Street, and there’s a woman inside her house who’s passed out and there’s blood. She needs an ambulance.”
“Are you the homeowner, sir?”
“No, I’m a neighbor. Can you please send someone quick? I’m afraid she might be … dead. I’m not sure. She’s not moving.”
“Can you check for a pulse?”
“No, I’m outside. But just wait a minute. I’m going in.”
“Sir, is there anyone else at the home?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Hold the line while I call the house,” the operator says.
Brian’s at the front door when the woman comes back on the line. “They don’t appear to have a home phone on record. Have you tried the doorbell?”
“No.” Brian realizes how ridiculous it is that he hasn’t bothered to do that first. Surely the guy who lives here needs to know his wife is passed out on the floor. She’s obviously sick. Maybe she hit her head or something when she fell.
Brian rings the doorbell several times and bangs on the door with his fist. “Is anyone home?!” he yells.
No one answers.
“I don’t think anyone’s home but her,” Brian says to the operator. He tries the handle, but the door is locked. “I’m going to see if they have another open door somewhere.”
“Sir, I don’t recommend you break into the home.”
“I hear ya, but I’m doing it anyway.”
Brian runs around to the back and tries the door he finds there. It’s locked up tight as well. “The back door’s locked too. I’m going back to the front.”
“The ambulance is on its way along with a police officer. Can you stay on scene until they arrive?”
“Of course.”
“Do you want me to stay on the line with you?”
“No. Thanks for your help.” Brian hangs up without waiting for a response.
Going back to the front, he scrambles to pull the cardboard off and the curtain through the hole again. He leaves blood on the curtains in his attempts to see inside.
“Ma’am, an ambulance is on its way, okay? Ma’am, can you hear me?”
He’s about to look away when he sees her first finger move. It’s just the slightest twitch, but he’s sure he saw it. “I see you moving! I know you’re alive! They’re coming, okay! They’re coming!”
A low moan comes from inside the house, from the woman. Brian’s breath catches in his throat as her hand moves again, this time to slide out across the carpet. It leaves a smear of blood behind.
She moans again, this time an agonizing sound that makes Brian’s skin crawl. “You’re going to be okay. I called nine-one-one.”
Her moaning turns to a strange keening, like a growl and a sob blended together into something almost animalistic. The sounds of a siren in the distance reach Brian’s ears. He’s frozen in place, holding up the curtains and peering inside, as her head slowly turns.
The ambulance turns into the driveway as her face comes into view. Brian needs only one second to take in the sight of the horror before him before the blood in his veins goes cold and the words fall out of his mouth unbidden.
“Oh my god … what happened to your face?”
About the author
New York Times Best-Selling author Elle Casey is an American girl living in southern France with her husband, three children, and several furry creatures. She writes in a variety of genre including YA Fantasy, YA Action/Adventure, New Adult Romance, and Adult Contemporary Romance. She's a little on the wild side, usually busy making people laugh, and always in the mood for adventure. There's not much in this world that she loves more than reader interaction, so feel free to drop her a line.
Contact
www.ElleCasey.com
www.Facebook.com/ellecaseytheauthor
www.Twitter.com/ellecasey
www.Goodreads.com/ellecasey
www.Wattpad.com/ellecasey
Buy on Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/d3zwa78
Buy on iTunes: http://tinyurl.com/brf3yao
Buy on Barnes & Noble: http://tinyurl.com/c9usttz
Buy on Kobo: http://tinyurl.com/caafmuo
Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway
joi, 29 august 2013
Blog tour The silent Swan by Lex Keating
Once upon a time – better known as “now” - Gabriel Pritz reigns as king of his high school. Easy grades, perfect baseball season, a pretty date for prom—he's coasting into a golden future. Until his parents demand he cook dinner once a week. Caught between kitchen fires and ballpark withdrawal, Gabe is thrown into Tam Swann's orbit. Hostile, friendless, and stubborn, she's exactly the sort of person he'd prefer to avoid.
Tam's sphere of influence expands beyond Gabe's sad domestic skills, rapidly invading everything from his favorite game to parts of his soul he didn't know existed. It's uncomfortable, it's hard work, it's...making him a better man. And that's just what she does to people she doesn't like. The better he gets to know her, the more he has to face the truth: this sharp, heart-breaking outcast is worth fighting for. How many families, fairy tales, and felons will he go through to ride to the rescue of the bravest person he's ever met?
Review
Tam Swan is a foster girl and she have 6 brothers and she wants to have a family again with them. They are with different family but they want to be with her sister and to be together like a family.She always take care of them and she fight for them.She and her brothers loves baseball.
Gabe is very different of Tam because he have a perfect family 4 brothers and two loving parents.I love his family because they always have dinner together every day .
The relationship between Tam and Gabe began when he needed her help to cook dinner for his family and she needed help with math .At first they aren't friends but they have something in common their love for baseball.After they spend time together they became friends and they fall in love.Gabe admired her because she always fight for her family and she is strong and he wants to be like her father Mark Swan and be a good man.
After Gabe found out that Tam fight for the custody of her brothers he helped her to arrange her home because he fall in love with her and he wants to prove her that he is there for her.He wants to take care of her and to be her boyfriend.
Thank you Lex for this arc .
Excerpt
Whether his life happened here or in another state, he wanted it full of integrity and commitment. Whether he grew up to play baseball or work in government, he wanted to growinto a man Mark Swann would have admired. Partly because he had been awesome, and partly because he was Tam’s dad. Whether she escaped their small town to rule the Food Network or coach the Braves, Gabe wanted to be there. Take care of her. Call her names and pull her in byslow degrees. Get her to fling herself into him the way she did when battling for her brothers.
She made his life better—not simpler, but more full—and she challenged his character. It was getting to where all roads led to Tam.
Giveaway
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miercuri, 28 august 2013
Arc Review Revealing us by Lisa Renee Jones
The third installment in the sexy Inside Out erotic romance series—in the seductive tradition of Fifty Shades of Grey.
You've discovered Rebecca's secrets. You've discovered Sara's secrets. Now Sara will discover "his" deepest, darkest secrets...but will those secrets bind them together--or tear them apart?
Review
I received an ARC of this book from the author for an honest review.Thank you.
I love this series and this beautiful couple Sara and Chris.Chris is a wonderful artist and sexy and protective with Sara and he is perfect for Sara.
Sara is a loving woman who fall in love with Chris a complicated man but beautiful and loving and perfect for her.
In this book Sara decided that she will fight for their relatinoship and for their love and decided to follow Chris in France and to give him another chance to tell her his past
In France we learn more about Chris's past and we meet new characters Amber and Tristan and their connection with Chris.But the most important thing in this book is their relationship and their love.
She know him but in the same time felt that she doesn't know him because Chris didn't tell her his secrets and she told him all her secrets.She have so many doubts about their relationship but Chris is always there to reasure her that she is the one in his heart and she is most important person in his life and he will never share her.Chris can read her very well and he knows want she wants from him and how to push her buttons and when to let her be.
After Chris told her his secret she felt that she can fully trust him and she reassure him that she still loves him and she understand him and she can live with his secret.
In this book they learn that they can trust in each other and they need to let go the past and to live in the present.Chris is rich like her father so she is afraid that his money will be a weapon against her in their relationship but Chris always reassure her that the money means nothing for him and he is not her father and he will not control her like her father with his money and she finally understand thet he doesn't want to control her he just wants to protect her
Chris is a dominant and he likes to control in bed but with Sara he wants to know that she trust in him that she is safe with him and he will never hurt her in bed.In this book Chris helped Sara to discovered who is she and what she likes in bed.In their relationship doesn't exist right or wrong exist just them Chris and Sara what they likes and what they want.
She still wants to find Ella and to make sure that she is safe and happy not like Rebecca.She still is haunted by her and her story with Mark her master.
I love this series and every character.This series is full of mystery romance and drama and love and action.Chris is my new bookfriend. I can't wait to find out more about Chris and Sara and Mark and Ella
You've discovered Rebecca's secrets. You've discovered Sara's secrets. Now Sara will discover "his" deepest, darkest secrets...but will those secrets bind them together--or tear them apart?
Review
I received an ARC of this book from the author for an honest review.Thank you.
I love this series and this beautiful couple Sara and Chris.Chris is a wonderful artist and sexy and protective with Sara and he is perfect for Sara.
Sara is a loving woman who fall in love with Chris a complicated man but beautiful and loving and perfect for her.
In this book Sara decided that she will fight for their relatinoship and for their love and decided to follow Chris in France and to give him another chance to tell her his past
In France we learn more about Chris's past and we meet new characters Amber and Tristan and their connection with Chris.But the most important thing in this book is their relationship and their love.
She know him but in the same time felt that she doesn't know him because Chris didn't tell her his secrets and she told him all her secrets.She have so many doubts about their relationship but Chris is always there to reasure her that she is the one in his heart and she is most important person in his life and he will never share her.Chris can read her very well and he knows want she wants from him and how to push her buttons and when to let her be.
After Chris told her his secret she felt that she can fully trust him and she reassure him that she still loves him and she understand him and she can live with his secret.
In this book they learn that they can trust in each other and they need to let go the past and to live in the present.Chris is rich like her father so she is afraid that his money will be a weapon against her in their relationship but Chris always reassure her that the money means nothing for him and he is not her father and he will not control her like her father with his money and she finally understand thet he doesn't want to control her he just wants to protect her
Chris is a dominant and he likes to control in bed but with Sara he wants to know that she trust in him that she is safe with him and he will never hurt her in bed.In this book Chris helped Sara to discovered who is she and what she likes in bed.In their relationship doesn't exist right or wrong exist just them Chris and Sara what they likes and what they want.
She still wants to find Ella and to make sure that she is safe and happy not like Rebecca.She still is haunted by her and her story with Mark her master.
I love this series and every character.This series is full of mystery romance and drama and love and action.Chris is my new bookfriend. I can't wait to find out more about Chris and Sara and Mark and Ella
luni, 19 august 2013
Cover reveal Wanted by J.Kenner
For fans of Fifty Shades of Grey, Bared to You, and Release Me comes an all-new erotic series of three enigmatic and powerful men, and the striking women who can bring them to their knees.
He is everything I crave, all I desperately want—and he is everything I can’t have.
Evan Black embodies my every fantasy. He is brilliant, fierce, and devastatingly handsome. But he is also headstrong, dangerous, and burdened with secrets.
My family warned me to stay away, that I could never handle Evan’s dark dealings or scarred past. Maybe I should have listened. Maybe I should have run. But our desire is undeniable, and some temptations you just can’t fight.
And from the moment we touch—the passion between us consuming us both—I know that I will never be the same.
About the author
J. Kenner is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Release Me, Claim Me, and Complete Me. She spent more than ten years as a litigator in Southern California and central Texas, using her rare free time to indulge in her passion of writing. She lives in Texas with her husband and daughters.
vineri, 16 august 2013
First chapter Origin by Jennifer Armentrout
Origin by Jennifer L Armentrout
Abia astept sa citesc cartea !!!!Nu mai am rabdare !!!
miercuri, 14 august 2013
Blog tour White Chalk by Pavarti K. Tyler
Chelle isn’t a typical 13-year-old girl—she doesn’t laugh with friends, play sports, or hang out at the mall after school. Instead, she navigates a world well beyond her years.
Life in Dawson, ND spins on as she grasps at people, pleading for someone to save her—to return her to the simple childhood of unicorns on her bedroom wall and stories on her father’s knee.
When Troy Christiansen walks into her life, Chelle is desperate to believe his arrival will be her salvation. So much so, she forgets to save herself. After experiencing a tragedy at school, her world begins to crack, causing a deeper scar in her already fragile psyche.
Follow Chelle’s twisted tale of modern adolescence, as she travels down the rabbit hole into a reality none of us wants to admit actually exists.
Review
Chelle is a teenager who is lost because she doesn't have dreams or goals and she just wants to love and to be loved and she wants the attention of her parents.She feel the need to be important or special for someone.
Her father is an alcoholic so she can't count on him or on his promises and she knows that but she still feel the need to believe in him and his promises.Her mother is busy with work.I understand her because I think that is hard to live with an alcoholic and the same time to work.She thinks that her daughther understand her and they are a team and they helped each other.
She meet Troy Christiansen and she feel that is the one and she thought that she will be with Troy because he always was there with her and he was caring and loving and friendly and she feel that she can be special for him and she was happy until he got a girlfriend Xiu.She wanted to hate a Xiu but she couldn't because Xiu is beautiful carefree and friendly.
She have an affair with Mr Harrison her professor and he only use her and she know that but she feel beautiful and powerful and special even if she know that their relationship is wrong.I think that Mr Harrison is a coward because he didn't helped her when she needed his help.
I wished that she will confide in someone yeah she trusted an Cat her only true friend but not enough to tell her the true about her relationship with Mr Harrison and her feelings. I wished that someone to tell her that she is beautiful and special and important .The ending was unexpected and sad.
I really liked the book.This book made me feel sadness and angry.
Thank you Amina and Pavarti K. Tyler for this arc.
Giveaway
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marți, 13 august 2013
Blog tour The Howling Heart by April Bostic
Paige Donovan is an ambitious college graduate who aspires to reach the top of the corporate ladder. She’s climbing fast when given the promotion of a lifetime at a prestigious fashion magazine in New York City. Her bright future comes to an unexpected halt after news of her father’s death. She inherits his old cabin in the Colorado Rockies and just when she thinks her luck couldn’t get any worse, she has a car accident in the mountains and awakens in the small, remote community of Black River. Soon she’s engulfed in the mystical world of Varulv—wolves descended from 12th century Scandinavia and blessed by Norse gods with the ability to appear human. Paige is desperate to return home, but never expects to fall for her rescuer, Riley Gray, a charming young werewolf from England who offers her an alternate future with his pack. Now she must choose between the career she’s always wanted and the love she’s always dreamed.
Review
Paige is a city girl but after her father died and her boyfriend cheated on her she decided to go to the cabin he left her.The cabin is very special to her because there she meet a white wolf and she feel that he is her friend.
Paige feel drawn to Riley a sexy man and she felt afraid of the attraction between them because she wanted to go back to her job and she doesn't wanted a relationship a distance.She suffered a accident and Riley saved her and he took her at his home because his sistes is a nurse.She fall in love with Riley because he is friendly caring and kind with her and he helped to heal from the accident and he understand her about the dead of her father because he lost his mother.
Accidentally she discovered that Riley and his family are werewolves and she wanted to know everything about the werewolves.Riley confessed her that he was the white wolf and she is his mate and he wants to be with her.Riley convinced her to stay with him because he loves her and he can't be without her and he wants to have a family with her and to make her happy and she agree because she could feel his love and his pain when she told him that she wants to leave. So she give him a chance and she was happy with him.Paige learn more about werewolves and their life like a pack.
At first her life in the pack was difficult because they don't accept humans in the pack but their alpha is the sherrif and he is the father of the Riley and Riley conviced his father that he can't live without Paige.I love the way that that Riley fight for for Paige and their relationship.For Riley Paige is the most important person in his life because he loves her and he is bounded for life with Paige.
I really like the book and the relationship between Riley and Paige. Thank you Shane and April for this arc :)!
Giveaway
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Review
Paige is a city girl but after her father died and her boyfriend cheated on her she decided to go to the cabin he left her.The cabin is very special to her because there she meet a white wolf and she feel that he is her friend.
Paige feel drawn to Riley a sexy man and she felt afraid of the attraction between them because she wanted to go back to her job and she doesn't wanted a relationship a distance.She suffered a accident and Riley saved her and he took her at his home because his sistes is a nurse.She fall in love with Riley because he is friendly caring and kind with her and he helped to heal from the accident and he understand her about the dead of her father because he lost his mother.
Accidentally she discovered that Riley and his family are werewolves and she wanted to know everything about the werewolves.Riley confessed her that he was the white wolf and she is his mate and he wants to be with her.Riley convinced her to stay with him because he loves her and he can't be without her and he wants to have a family with her and to make her happy and she agree because she could feel his love and his pain when she told him that she wants to leave. So she give him a chance and she was happy with him.Paige learn more about werewolves and their life like a pack.
At first her life in the pack was difficult because they don't accept humans in the pack but their alpha is the sherrif and he is the father of the Riley and Riley conviced his father that he can't live without Paige.I love the way that that Riley fight for for Paige and their relationship.For Riley Paige is the most important person in his life because he loves her and he is bounded for life with Paige.
I really like the book and the relationship between Riley and Paige. Thank you Shane and April for this arc :)!
Giveaway
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luni, 12 august 2013
Cover reveal THEN, NOW, FOREVER (Heartbeat #2) By Teodora Kostova
Then
Gia had let Beppe into her life so easily, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. She’d held him when he’d hurt so badly he’d thought he might die; she’d talked him down when he’d been so angry he’d considered doing something he’d regret for the rest of his life.
Gia had saved his life.
At least once he needed to be strong for her.
This right now, this moment, was theirs. It belonged to them, not to abusive or dead fathers, not to guilt, regret or sorrow, not to the past of the future.
But will their love survive when tragedy separates them?
“I have to go, Gia. I’m tired and I feel empty. I know you need me, but I have nothing left to give you. I need to heal.”
“I miss you so much it’s hard to breathe.”
Now
Beppe was still Gia’s closest friend. But they’d never be anything more than that again. Remembering what it felt like to have the person you love most in the world be torn away from you still hurt. Gia was determined never to be put into that position again.
There was never lack of love, but can Beppe win Gia’s trust again?
Forever
“When I was broken you gave me pieces of yourself and made me whole again.”
Add to Goodreads
About the author
Hi, my name is Teodora and I live in London with my husband Ted and my son Jason. I've been writing ever since I can remember, but it became my full time job in 2010 when I decided that everything else I've tried bores me to death and I have to do what I've always wanted to do, but never had to guts to fully embrace. I've been a journalist, an editor, a personal assistant and an interior designer among other things, but as soon as the novelty of the new, exciting job wears off, I always go back to writing. Being twitchy, impatient, loud and hasty are not qualities that help a writer, because I have to sit alone, preferably still, and write for most of the day, but I absolutely love it. It's the only time that I'm truly at peace and the only thing I can do for more than ten minutes at a time - my son has a bigger attention span than me.
When I'm procrastinating, I like to go to the gym, cook Italian meals (and eat them), read, listen to rock music, watch indie movies and True Blood re-runs. Or, in the worst case scenario, get beaten at every Wii game by a five year old.
Contact:Facebook Twitter Blog Series blog
Cover reveal Hate at First Sight by Diana Nixon
Every day of Megan’s life was carefully planned. Freedom and independence had been her best friends for years. Until one day she met Aiden, whose priorities were so much like hers….
What happens when attraction wins?
What happens when poles apart become equal?
What happens when the flames of passion burn everything in their way?
Is there still a chance to resist the power of magnetism?
The walls of inaccessibility will come crashing down. Everything she thought was unacceptable he will turn into pure pleasure….
Dive into the world of Hate at First Sight to see if hate can become something completely different….
Teaser
http://www.aminablack.com/2013/08/synopsis-and-teaser-hate-at-first-sight.html?spref=fb
About the author
Diana Nixon is a poet and the author of fantasy and contemporary romances. She was born in Minsk, Belarus, where she currently lives. In 2008 she graduated from Belorussian state University. She has a Master of Law degree and speaks several foreign languages, including English, Polish and Spanish.
Contact
Facebook Twitter Official page
Ce am citit in luna Iulie
Ce am citit:
Broken Hart (The Hart Family, #1) by Ella Fox
The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden (The Coincidence, #1) by Jessica Sorensen
Crush (Crush, #1) by Lacey Weatherford
Smitten (Crush, #2) by Lacey Weatherford
Dulces mentiras, Amargas verdades by Lily Perozo
Boys Don't Cry by Malorie Blackman
Diamond Sky (Love Lines, # 3) by Diana Nixon
Frigid (Frigid, #1) by J. Lynn
Beneath This Man (This Man, #2) by Jodi Ellen MalpasBeneath
This Man (This Man, #1) by Jodi Ellen Malpas
This Man Confessed (This Man, #3) by Jodi Ellen Malpas
Fix You (Second Chances, #1) by Mari Carr
Consequences (Consequences, #1) by Aleatha Romig
Truth (Consequences, #2) by Aleatha Romig
Complete me by J.Kenner
Chaotic by C.A. Williams
The Last Boyfriend (Forever Love, #1) by J.S. Cooper
The Last Husband (Forever Love, #2) by J.S. Cooper
Cartile mele preferate din aceasta luna sunt Complete me by J.Kenner si Truth by Aleatha Romig
Momentan citesc: Falling Stars (Falling Stars #1) by Sadie Grubor
Broken Hart (The Hart Family, #1) by Ella Fox
The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden (The Coincidence, #1) by Jessica Sorensen
Crush (Crush, #1) by Lacey Weatherford
Smitten (Crush, #2) by Lacey Weatherford
Dulces mentiras, Amargas verdades by Lily Perozo
Boys Don't Cry by Malorie Blackman
Diamond Sky (Love Lines, # 3) by Diana Nixon
Frigid (Frigid, #1) by J. Lynn
Beneath This Man (This Man, #2) by Jodi Ellen MalpasBeneath
This Man (This Man, #1) by Jodi Ellen Malpas
This Man Confessed (This Man, #3) by Jodi Ellen Malpas
Fix You (Second Chances, #1) by Mari Carr
Consequences (Consequences, #1) by Aleatha Romig
Truth (Consequences, #2) by Aleatha Romig
Complete me by J.Kenner
Chaotic by C.A. Williams
The Last Boyfriend (Forever Love, #1) by J.S. Cooper
The Last Husband (Forever Love, #2) by J.S. Cooper
Cartile mele preferate din aceasta luna sunt Complete me by J.Kenner si Truth by Aleatha Romig
Momentan citesc: Falling Stars (Falling Stars #1) by Sadie Grubor
vineri, 9 august 2013
Complete me by J.Kenner
This sexy, emotionally charged romance continues the story of Damien Stark, the powerful multimillionaire who’s never had to take “no” for an answer, and Nikki Fairchild, the Southern belle who only says “yes” on her own terms.
Our desire runs deep. But our secrets cut close. Beautiful, strong, and commanding, Damien Stark fills a void in me that no other man can touch. His fierce cravings push me beyond the brink of bliss—and unleash a wild passion that utterly consumes us both.
Yet beneath his need for dominance, he carries the wounds of a painful past. Haunted by a legacy of dark secrets and broken trust, he seeks release in our shared ecstasy, the heat between us burning stronger each day.
Our attraction is undeniable, our obsession inevitable. Yet not even Damien can run from his ghosts, or shield us from the dangers yet to come.
Complete Me is an erotic romance intended for mature audiences
Review
ARC courtesy of Random House, provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
Complete me is the last book on the series Stark and I really love this series.I will never forget this wonderful series and this couple Nikki and Damien.I love Damien
Damien is possesive is dominant and in the same time is loving patient and vulnerable with Nikki.He want's to be with Nikki because she is perfect for him and understand him and he knows what she needs and he give her everything she needs.Damien loves to dominate Nikki in bed and he loves to tease her.He offers her everything she needs pain love or passion
Nikki is sensible and vulnerable but is the same time is strong because she fight with her addiction everyday and when she can't fight her addiction she can count on Damien to help her.Now her addiction is Damien and her need to be with him.Nikki fall in love with Damien because he understand her better then anyoe and he don't judge her.Nikki is afraid that Damien don't love her like she love him but she is wrong because she is Damien's world and he will do anything for her and to make her happy and to be with her.
In this book Damien Stark faces murder charges and he have to fight his own demons and to deal with his painful past.Nikki is determined to fight for their relationship and to be with Damien without the fear of their past.Both understand that their past doesn't define them and their relationship and the past is nothing compared with their future.
Damien want's to protect Niki fron paparazzi and fronm his past and he can't protect her and Nikki understand that and she learned to fight beside him.In this book Nikki began his own business and Damien is proud of her.
They both had a tough childhood and they deserved to be happy together.I love the ending.I love this wonderful books
Our desire runs deep. But our secrets cut close. Beautiful, strong, and commanding, Damien Stark fills a void in me that no other man can touch. His fierce cravings push me beyond the brink of bliss—and unleash a wild passion that utterly consumes us both.
Yet beneath his need for dominance, he carries the wounds of a painful past. Haunted by a legacy of dark secrets and broken trust, he seeks release in our shared ecstasy, the heat between us burning stronger each day.
Our attraction is undeniable, our obsession inevitable. Yet not even Damien can run from his ghosts, or shield us from the dangers yet to come.
Complete Me is an erotic romance intended for mature audiences
Review
ARC courtesy of Random House, provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
Complete me is the last book on the series Stark and I really love this series.I will never forget this wonderful series and this couple Nikki and Damien.I love Damien
Damien is possesive is dominant and in the same time is loving patient and vulnerable with Nikki.He want's to be with Nikki because she is perfect for him and understand him and he knows what she needs and he give her everything she needs.Damien loves to dominate Nikki in bed and he loves to tease her.He offers her everything she needs pain love or passion
Nikki is sensible and vulnerable but is the same time is strong because she fight with her addiction everyday and when she can't fight her addiction she can count on Damien to help her.Now her addiction is Damien and her need to be with him.Nikki fall in love with Damien because he understand her better then anyoe and he don't judge her.Nikki is afraid that Damien don't love her like she love him but she is wrong because she is Damien's world and he will do anything for her and to make her happy and to be with her.
In this book Damien Stark faces murder charges and he have to fight his own demons and to deal with his painful past.Nikki is determined to fight for their relationship and to be with Damien without the fear of their past.Both understand that their past doesn't define them and their relationship and the past is nothing compared with their future.
Damien want's to protect Niki fron paparazzi and fronm his past and he can't protect her and Nikki understand that and she learned to fight beside him.In this book Nikki began his own business and Damien is proud of her.
They both had a tough childhood and they deserved to be happy together.I love the ending.I love this wonderful books
miercuri, 7 august 2013
Cover Reveal Destiny by Cindy Ray Hale
Destiny Clark, a young Mormon girl living in Tennessee, is wildly infatuated with Isaac Robinson, the headmaster’s son at her Baptist high school. When they’re cast together in the school’s production of Les Misérables, Destiny is horrified to find that she has to be publicly humiliated by acting out her true feelings of rejection onstage.
As their rehearsals begin, Destiny realizes the unimaginable: Isaac has developed deep feelings for her despite their religious differences and the fact that he has a girlfriend. But will they be able to find their place amongst the backbiters of their ultra-conservative world?
Weaving around Destiny and Isaac's alternating viewpoints, Destiny is the first book in a series inspired by the characters of Les Misérables and explores heartbreak, self-discovery, intolerance, and love.
Excerpt From Destiny:
“This is my favorite place to come when I need to think,” I said. The remaining light was orange as it filtered through the autumn foliage onto the hammock below.
“It’s very peaceful,” Isaac said. “I can see why you like it.” He scrutinized me, his facial muscles fighting to find the appropriate expression. Confusion, worry…interest? Each battled for control of his features. “It must be really hard for you and your family, being the only Mormons at a school full of Baptists.”
I blinked in surprise. I really wasn’t expecting this kind of sympathy from the headmaster’s son. I imagined that Dr. Robinson had been filling his mind with lies about Mormons since he was a small boy—especially after our family converted. There was a lot of anti-Mormon talk going around during that time, and Dr. Robinson wasn’t the only person educating the congregation on what he thought we believed. Mormons weren’t the only ones spoken against either. I’d heard similar words regarding Catholics, Muslims, Wiccans, Seventh-Day Adventists, and Jehovah’s Witnesses.
“I’m surprised that you even care,” I whispered.
“I know it may seem that way because of how my dad doesn’t agree with your church, but I don’t necessarily feel the same way. The more he tries to convince me that there’s something wrong with you, the more I want to learn about what you believe.”
I blinked in surprise. These were the last words I’d ever expected to hear coming from Isaac’s lips. “I—I don’t know what to say.”
He smiled, eyes softening as they traveled across my face. “You know,” he whispered as he reached a hand up and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, “even covered in mud, sticks, and dust, you are absolutely breathtaking.” I needed to tell him to stop, that this wasn’t right, but I stood immobile.
“I haven’t stopped thinking about you since our practice. When you sang with me, I felt so connected to you. I’ve hardly been able to sleep.”
We stood face-to-face. His chocolate eyes so warm, my heart beating so fast it was about to explode. How many times had I hoped for this moment? I never in a million years had imagined that such words would come out of Isaac’s mouth. That perfectly beautiful mouth. This was unreal, beyond my wildest daydreams. It was so hard to fight the desire to be with him. All my most unreachable dreams were suddenly, so unbelievably, about to come true.
About the author
Cindy Ray Hale lives in Murfreesboro, Tennessee with her husband and four children. In addition to being a writer, she’s an avid reader and a social media junkie. She starts her morning by writing with a freshly-blended berry spinach smoothie next to her. She’s obsessed with Les Misérables, playing the piano, and stalking up-and-coming musicians on YouTube. When she’s not writing, she’s singing. Like the characters in her book, she sang in the elite choir in high school. She went on to join the choir in college. She’s a member of her church choir today and belts her favorite songs while she folds laundry and does dishes. Her kids could tell all about it.
Her Destiny books are very near to her heart because they were heavily influenced by her own life. She’s Mormon and attended a Baptist school for seven years where she faced the same intolerance Destiny faces in the series. Several scenes from the story were written word-for-word from her own life experiences. While her life hasn’t been completely miserable, she’s still seen her fair share of trials. Her motto is: “When times get tough, throw your head back and laugh.” Destiny is her first novel and is Book One of the Destiny Trilogy.
Destiny will be available for purchase November 2013 on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, and Kobo. It will be released as a paperback and an ebook.
The title of the next book in the Destiny Trilogy is Synchrony and will be available for purchase next year.
Contact:Facebook Website Blog
Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway
luni, 5 august 2013
vineri, 2 august 2013
Release Day Blitz: I BREATHE YOU by Lori L. Clark
Synopsis:
When a tragic accident leaves Rhane Evans — lead vocalist for the rock band Fate’s Crazy — permanently unable to speak above a whisper and kills the love of her life, she moves across the state to pick up the pieces. Shattered, Rhane struggles to understand what happened the night of the accident, an accident everyone blames her for, even though she wasn’t driving the car.
Enter Ian Callahan. He’s the one person who may have a more tumultuous past than Rhane. Though they try hard to deny the sizzling attraction between them, it proves nearly impossible. When Ian’s troubled past threatens to tear them apart, they begin to believe happiness isn’t in their cards.
Because Fate’s Crazy that way…
Goodreads
Excerpt
Gwen announces that it's time to eat and we make our way to the kitchen with T leading the way. I stiffen momentarily when Ian's fingertips rest gently against my lower back but soon relax beneath his reassuring touch as he guides me forward.
Several times during dinner, I sense Ian's eyes on me, and I glance up. The first couple of times, I quickly avert my gaze to the plate in front of me. But now, a glass and a half of wine later, it's getting harder to shift my attention elsewhere. He watches me through hooded eyes, and I refuse to look away. I reach for my wine and swirl the liquid slowly around in the goblet. I take a long swallow and slowly run my tongue around the perimeter of my tingling lips, teasing him. His eyes darken and the corner of his mouth tips into a half smirk.
After we eat, I stand, offering to help Gwen clear the table. Shockwaves of electricity jolt down the center of my back when Ian steps behind me and whispers into my ear. "Thank God you weren't eating a banana or I might have had to excuse myself from the dinner table for a few minutes." I draw my lips between my teeth to keep a mad case of giggles from erupting.
"I'll go bring in some wood for the fire," Ian offers. Under his breath he mutters low enough only for me to hear, "It'll be the closest thing to a cold shower I can get away with right now."
"Do you want me to help?" I whisper playfully.
"No. You’ve done more than enough already," he shakes his head. Gwen arches an eyebrow at his remark. I understand the meaning behind his words and grin. He shrugs and walks outside with a huge smile on his face.
About the author
I read, I write, I run 1/2 marathons for fun. Ten things about me:
1. I’m an only child.
2. I love dogs!
3. I was born in Iowa City, Iowa and lived in Iowa my whole life until January 2007.
4. I worked as a professional psychic reader for 2 years.
5. I’m a Pisces Sun, Leo Moon with Aquarius rising.
6. I’ve written 5 books and am in the process of brainstorming a 6th.
7. I don’t look or act my age!
8. I ran my first 1/2 marathon at age 50.
9. I love 80′s hair band music.
10. My day job is as a claims payment analyst for one of Fortune 500 Magazine’s “Top 100 places in America to work.”
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joi, 1 august 2013
Blog tour Truth (Finding Anna #3) by Sherri Hayes
The third installment of the Finding Anna Series.
For the last two months, Brianna has discovered something she never thought she would again. Hope. After the horror of being Ian’s slave for ten months, a fate she never imagined she’d escape, it feels as if she is living a dream. She has freedom she hadn’t expected to have again, and she wakes up every morning not fearing what the day will bring. There is also Stephan. The man who saved her from the daily torture she had to endure at the hands of Ian and his friends. The same man who makes her heart race with just the thought of him. Life is good.
Outside forces are determined to conspire against them, however. When Brianna’s father shows up on her doorstep, it sends her world spiraling out of control. He brings with him new information about how Brianna ended up in Ian’s clutches, but will it make a difference? Will Stephan be able to find a way to make Ian pay for all he made Brianna suffer? As Brianna and Stephan try to find out the truth, their relationship is tested. She is forced to face her past head on, and deal with the ugly reality of what happened to her. Will Stephan’s love be enough to see her through her newest challenge, or will the fragile trust they’ve built come crumbling down around them as the truth makes itself known.
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Review
I love this series because those books speak about love communication and trust and respect. I love the way the author describes the relationship between the main characters and their love.The author show that an abused woman can have a relationship and she can learn to love again with the right man and with his help.Yes, they have an unconventional relationship ( BDSM) but if they are happy that way I think that is the right relationship for them.
I love Stephan because he is so patient and loving with Brianna.He is always calm with her and knows what she needs.I love Brianna because she is strong and loving and wonderful and she fight with her fears.
In this book we learn more about Brianna's father John and how she ended with Ian.Stephan wants that John to stay away from Brianna because she is afraid of him and she doesn't want him to be around her.
Brianna is more confortable with Stephan in this book and now she knows that he will not hurt her and will take care of her and he will protect her.She have two friends Lily and Jade and both understand her.She is more comfortable with people around her.
Stephan helped Brianna to face her past and to understand that she is beautiful and strong and she deserves to be happy.
From my point of view I think that Stephan and Brianna have an ideal relationship because both are happy and content with their life.
Thank you Jenny and Sherry for this arc.
Welcome back to my blog Sherri!!!!
Guest post about Brianna and Stephan
When you are writing the two different points of view, which character flows more naturally? Which one "talks" to you more. Since Stephan is the Dominate, does he take over in the writing too?
Most of the time, Stephan is easier to write. In talking with my beta, though, she pointed out that part of that may be because Stephan is, as a character, much more talkative. He’s confident, outgoing, and has no problem communicating what he wants and needs.
Brianna, on the other hand, is shy, quiet, and has a difficult time explaining herself sometimes. That is an issue when I’m on a deadline and I need to her to tell me what she’s thinking and feeling. Occasionally, she surprises me and puts it all out there, but all too often, I’m having to drag it out of her in little bits.
There have been times, however, when it’s the complete opposite. Brianna knows what she feels and what she wants, whereas Stephan is dragging his feet. They have both caused me to want to pull my hair out from time to time.
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