Review: An Affair of Deceit by Jamie Michele

13 July, 2013 2:23 pm , 1 Comment ,

An Affair of Deceit
By: Jamie Michele
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Published: March 30, 2013
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Rating:
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Diligent attorney Abigail Mason doesn’t have a lot of time–not for the father, a legendary spymaster, who abandoned her years ago, and not for the charming CIA agent who’s suddenly asking questions about his whereabouts. But her interest is definitely piqued–just what has her father done to find himself in the agency’s crosshairs?A trained psychologist, Agent James Riley doesn’t need his degree to figure out that the persistent, sexy Abigail will be a problem? both for his investigation and his heart. And while he needs her cooperation, he’s not ready for the hands-on, dangerous role she insists on taking in the search for her father.

As the two uncover startling truths about a secretive past, can Riley shield the woman he’s come to love from a madman who wants her to pay for the sins of her father?

 
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Posted in: romantic suspense

Friday Fun #12

12 July, 2013 5:25 pm , 34 Comments ,

18 & Over Book Blogger Follow is a weekly feature that begins on Fridays and runs through the weekend, hosted by Crystal from Reading Between the Wines. This is a Friday blog hop with the objective to find and visit other book blogs that share the same interest as you, namely books geared towards the 18 & over crowd, and make some new friends!

Question of the week: 
When you DNF a book or rate a book two ‘stars’ or lower, do you post a review for it on your blog? Have you ever emailed the author about it?

Answer: It depends.

If the author contacted me to review it for them or if it’s part of a blog tour I will contact them and let them know that it wasn’t “my cup of tea”. I will offer an alternate post with either sharing an excerpt or writing a guest post. Just because I didn’t like the book doesn’t mean that one of my readers wouldn’t enjoy it. So I still give them the option to share their book on my blog while not ruining their blog tour or writing a horrible review about their book when they were nice enough to offer me a free copy. But even though it isn’t on my blog doesn’t mean I didn’t review it on Goodreads.

However, if it’s a book that I own or am reading on my own and I don’t like it, then yes I will review it on the blog with a DNF or 2 stars (emotes).  I figure, I went out of my way to obtain this book, whether I bought it or borrowed it from the library.

Feature & Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee’s View and Alison Can Read and is a blog hop that expands your blog following by a joint effort between bloggers.

This weeks activity:
Photobomb a picture with your favorite book.

Challenge accepted:

My oldest, Snickers with Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
I laugh in the face of photobombing Mwahahaha!
*Yes I’m a total dork and I don’t mind making a complete fool of myself!
Yes, I own two copies of the same book. The one on the left is the 20th Anniversary edition and the one on the right is the library copy that I borrowed when I first read it. A year later, they wound up selling their copy and I snagged it. I’ll be making it 3 as soon as I can get my hands on a 1st edition.
Posted in: meme

Excerpt: Missing in Machu Picchu by Cecilia Velastegui

11 July, 2013 3:57 pm , 1 Comment ,

Missing in Machu Picchu
By: Cecilia Velastegui
Publisher: Libros Publishing
Published: June 4, 2013
Genre: Thriller/Chick-Lit

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

High in the Andes Mountains on the legendary Inca Trail, four thirty-something professional women embark on an Ivy League hike to help them confront their online dating dependency, only to find themselves victims of a predator’s ruse, and soon in a fight for their very lives. The women are eager to leave relationships behind for a while, but their intent to cast off their search for a soul mate falls by the wayside when handsome, magnetic Rodrigo, their hike leader, proves too mesmerizing to resist. Friend is pitted against friend as the women vie for Rodrigo’s attentions. Rodrigo manipulates them into participating in a heinous ancient sacrifice that will guarantee the success of his megalomaniacal dreams. But unbeknownst to the hikers, they have been under the vigilant presence of Taki and Koyam, two elderly indigenous women who understand the danger the women are facing at the hands of Rodrigo.

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Posted in: Excerpt

Review: Left Drowning by Jessica Park

10 July, 2013 2:48 pm , 1 Comment ,

Left Drowning
By: Jessica Park
Publisher: Skyscape
Published: July 16, 2013
Genre: New Adult Romance
Rating:
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Weighted down by the loss of her parents, Blythe McGuire struggles to keep her head above water as she trudges through her last year at Matthews College. Then a chance meeting sends Blythe crashing into something she doesn’t expect—an undeniable attraction to a dark-haired senior named Chris Shepherd, whose past may be even more complicated than her own. As their relationship deepens, Chris pulls Blythe out of the stupor she’s been in since the night a fire took half her family. She begins to heal, and even, haltingly, to love this guy who helps her find new paths to pleasure and self-discovery. But as Blythe moves into calmer waters, she realizes Chris is the one still strangled by his family’s traumatic history. As dark currents threaten to pull him under, Blythe may be the only person who can keep him from drowning.

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Posted in: New Adult

Excerpt: Breaking the Rules by Melinda Dozier

9 July, 2013 9:30 am , 1 Comment ,

 

Breaking the Rules
By: Melinda Dozier
Publisher: Crimson Romance
Published: July 8, 2013
Genre: Romance

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A forbidden love affair in the past has led Hope Robinson, a middle school principal, to Harbor Bay, Florida, where she commits herself to play by the rules. This can be difficult for a perpetual klutz, who—even strapped in a cast—has to uphold a competent attitude at all times.

Luckily, she has Dr. Colin Calaway on her side, a widower and father of a student, who is ready to give love another try. When Colin convinces Hope they should explore the connection between them, a steamy romance develops, though it could destroy them both. They must decide if their jobs—and their hearts—are worth the risk.

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Posted in: Excerpt

Review: White Trash Beautiful by Teresa Mummert

8 July, 2013 11:27 pm , 1 Comment ,

White Trash Beautiful
(White Trash Trilogy, #1)
By: Teresa Mummert
Publisher: Gallery Books
Release Date: July 9, 2012
Genre: New Adult
Rating:
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Cass Daniels isn’t waiting for her knight in shining armor. She knows that girls like her don’t get a happily ever after. Not if you live in a trailer with your mom, work at a greasy spoon diner, and get leered at by old men. Maybe that’s why she puts up with Jackson—her poor excuse for a boyfriend, who treats her like dirt. Cass has learned to accept her lot in life. That is, until he walks into her diner. . . .

His name is Tucker White, and he’s different from any man Cass has ever known. Tall, tattooed, and bad-ass gorgeous, he’s the lead singer of the rock band Damaged. From the moment they meet, Tucker sees something in Cass he just can’t shake. Something beautiful. Something haunted. Something special. And he’s determined to find out what it is—if only he can get her to open up and let him in. 

Cass has been dealt a nasty hand in life. After her father left her and her mother to fend for themselves, she found herself living in a trailer park, working at the local diner barely making ends meet, with a heroine addicted mother and boyfriend. But everything changes when a new guy shows up at the diner. Not only is he nice and good looking but he continues to come back to the diner to see her. Pretty soon she finds herself swept up in the Cinderella fairy tale.

Cass was definitely an interesting character. She has a lot of fight left in her considering how long she’s been dealing with the abuse and I don’t mean being surrounded by addicts. Her boyfriend beats her and always talks down to her. She pushes it off as the drugs talking but deep down she knows that without him willing to get help and change, he will never be the guy that she originally fell in love with. So when Tucker shows up and genuinely seems to care about her even though he doesn’t even know her, she latches onto that little bit of hope.

Tucker was also an interesting character. We get to see him through Cass’ eyes. When he comes into the diner he immediately recognizes Cass as someone who is in need of help. It doesn’t help when her boyfriend starts man-handling her for money right there in the diner. So he makes it a point to keep coming back so that he can keep an eye on her. He takes it upon himself to be her protector.

“I know what it’s like, Cass, to feel like nobody gives a shit about you. I also know that sometimes we need someone else to make us feel like we’re worth something… to make us feel special, you know.”

I really enjoyed this story. I can’t say that I was overly surprised by what takes place in this book but it was a pleasure to read. I’m pretty excited that this is part of a series since I would love to know more of Cass’ story. Not only that but I will definitely be checking out the author’s other books. I like her simplistic writing style. She doesn’t try to dazzle the readers with crazy descriptions or fancy words that you need a dictionary for. 

“If I wanted to get my life together, I needed to be my own white knight for once.” -Cass

Posted in: New Adult

Review: Hollywood Lies by N.K. Smith

1 July, 2013 8:00 am , 2 Comments ,

Hollywood Lies
By: N.K. Smith
Publisher: The Writer’s Coffee Shop
Published: June 20, 2013
Genre: Erotica
Rating:
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Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository

 In a world where make believe is a multibillion dollar industry, it’s hard to know where the fantasy ends and real life begins. When Collette Stroud, an influential Hollywood actor and director, takes a chance on two young actors for her romantic teen movie, three lives converge in a complicated web of publicity, passion, lust, and lies.

The web is cast when Stroud, a woman with a few skeletons in her closet, hires two young artists in her low-budget film. She handpicks Liliana Addison and Devon Maddox to be Hollywood’s next big stars. Former child star Liliana has had limited success with her previous roles but hopes to take the world by storm under Collette’s tutelage. While Devon is an out of work actor, he never stops dreaming about making it big. The director’s interest in him assures Devon his dreams are about to become reality.

Sparks between Collette and Devon set their lives ablaze, but the studio has other plans. Executives concoct a fictitious romance in order to drive box office sales and launch careers between Devon and Liliana. When the studio offers to make the young actors into bona fide stars, will the price be too high to pay, or will the deal be too sweet to pass up?

Can the trio handle the pressure of a hidden romance coupled with a phony public relationship? Will love be enough to conquer the promise of fame, fortune, and a lasting legacy, or will it be an easy sacrifice?

All three will tread the thin line of Hollywood Lies and genuine passion on the most important red carpet walk of their lives.

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Posted in: Erotica

Guest Post with A.K. Mills, Author of The Parts I Remember

1 July, 2013 12:42 am , Leave a Comment ,

The Parts I Remember
By: A.K. Mills
Publisher: Self-Published
Published: March 1, 2013
Genre: New Adult

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Act first. Think never. Remember nothing.

Welcome to Kelly Rockport’s existence at Haysville University, where responsibility is just an elective. After all, fake IDs, alter egos, and one-night stands are all part of the college experience, right? So what if she blacks out from time to time? Memory is overrated.

When freshman year lasts about as long as a one-night stand and is quickly followed by the Year of the Blackout, Kelly projects junior year to be nothing shy of amazing. But as shots, beer, cocaine and men mesh together in an intoxicating haze, Kelly’s reckless ways get her into serious trouble. The only problem is, she can’t remember what happened.

As she hovers along the edge of consciousness, Kelly forces herself to think past her pain to piece together the shards of her life. This is her story, told in her words: The Parts I Remember.

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Posted in: guest post

Review: Alpha Instinct by Katie Reus

30 June, 2013 2:58 pm , Leave a Comment ,

Alpha Instinct
(Moon Shifter, #1)
By: Katie Reus
Publisher: Signet Eclipse
Published: Feb. 7, 2012
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating:
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Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository

Fear has a scent. So does desire…

Ana Cordona has been a strong leader for the lupine shifters who survived after all the males and most of the females in her pack were mysteriously poisoned. As tough as she is, with no Alpha male, the pack is vulnerable to the devious shifter Taggart, who wants to claim both their ranch and Ana as his own. When Connor Armstrong comes back into her life, promising protection, it’s almost enough to make Ana forget how he walked out on her before—and reluctantly accept his offer to mate.

The minute Connor sees Ana again, it reawakens a raw hunger. He must have her for his bondmate—his wolf cries out for it. But his human side knows he must proceed with caution because of their complicated past. If he is to truly have her body and soul, he must go beyond his burning desire and win back her heart. Whatever it takes, he is determined not to leave her side again.

But Taggart and his rival pack are not their only enemies. A human element in town is targeting shifters. Their plan not only threatens Ana and Connor’s future, but the lives of the entire pack…

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Posted in: Paranormal Romance , Tagged: ,

Excerpt: Zombie, Incorporated by Jill Elaine Hughes

28 June, 2013 11:34 pm , Leave a Comment ,

Zombie, Incorporated
By: Jill Elaine Hughes
Publisher: Hackberry Books
Published: March 25, 2013
Genre: New Adult/ Paranormal

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Eighteen-year-old Katie Allred is socially awkward and unpopular at school. The only child of parents who had her right out of high school, Katie is herself about to leave the nest, even though she hardly feels ready.
Katie’s new after-school job at the Zimble Box Corporation draws her into the complex social strata of high school cliques and backstabbing friends in ways she never imagined. Katie soon discovers there’s something very strange about the “in” crowd at school—and about her employer, too. Shortly after starting her new job, the Contagion breaks out, plunging her town and the entire nation into chaos as zombie shadow forces come out into the open, ravaging the streets. Katie goes into hiding and her parents disappear, along with almost everyone else she knows.

But Katie soon discovers she has special powers that help her survive. She’s a Beacon, someone with the innate ability to help zombies produce children. It’s a power her employer — and what little remains of the U.S. government — both want to exploit for their own ends. Not only that, it runs in her family—which has a secret past Katie never knew about until now.

Enter Agent Morehouse of the FBI Special Zombie Control Unit. A reformed zombie working undercover, he suppresses his urge to eat human flesh in order to serve and save humanity. But Agent Morehouse can’t help but be attracted to a Beacon like Katie, and she to him. Even as they fight zombies the world over, they must fight their intense attraction to each other, hoping to keep Katie from suffering Agent Morehouse’s terrible zombie fate.

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Posted in: Excerpt