Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Empire by Rachel Van Dyken Release Day Blitz

Empire 0 days   empire smash cover art

I have lost everything. My purpose My love My soul Death knocks on my door, I want to answer, but every time I reach for the handle -- the promise I made her brings me back. So I breathe. I live. I hate. And I allow the anger to oil beneath the surface of a perfectly indifferent facade. I am broken, I don't want to be fixed. But the Empire is crumbling and it's my job to fix it. My job to mend the pieces that were scattered over thirty years ago. A trip to New York, only one chance to redeem a lost part of our mafia family. The only issue is, the only way to fix it, is to do something I swore I'd never do again. An arranged marriage. Only this time. I won't fall. Or so help me God, I will kill her myself. My name is Sergio Abandonoto, you think you know my pain, my suffering, my anger, my hate? You have no idea. I am the mafia. I am the darkness. Blood in. No out.

AMAZON US / AMAZON UK / AMAZON AU / AMAZON CA / B&N / iBOOKS / KOBO

    The loving couple in the rain

EXCERPT

Sergio looked ready to strangle me. “No. I don’t believe I asked for an annoying little sister, but if that’s what you’re offering, please don’t let me stop you. Just know, I won’t hesitate to put you over my knee if you get out of hand.” 

The minute the words left his mouth. I froze. He froze. The taxi driver stared little laser like holes into the rearview mirror. And Sergio leaned toward me. I swallowed as tension swirled around us. He gripped me by the chin and turned my head to the side, his lips brushing my ear. “It’s like you have a death wish.” 

“You wouldn’t do it.” 

He pulled back as both of his eyebrows shot up, and then he looked down, like he had spotted something. I followed the direction of his gaze and let out a little gasp as a gun dug into my stomach. 

“It’s been directed at you for the last four minutes,” Sergio said through a practiced smile. “I meant what I said. Listen well. I keep my word. Kiss me, and blood will be spilled.” 

“Y-you’re a crazy person!” I hissed, shoving at his chest. “And I wasn’t going to kiss you!” 

“Sure you weren’t.” He put the gun away. 

“Good talk though, right? Oh look, the movie theater.” To say that I scrambled out of the car like a kid running away from her kidnapper would be a gross understatement, but the minute my feet hit the pavement, I paused. My body told me to run. The guy had pulled a gun. On me. I didn’t even watch violent movies.
    

Get the beginning of Sergio's story in Elude

elude
Twenty-Four hours before were were to be married--I offered to shoot her. Ten hours before our wedding--I made a mockery of her dying wish. Five hours before we were going to say our vows--I promised I'd never love her. One hour before I said I do--I vowed I'd never shed a tear over her death. But the minute we were pronounced man and wife--I knew. I'd only use my gun to protect her. I'd give my life for hers. I'd cry. And I would, most definitely, lose my heart, to a dying girl--a girl who by all accounts should have never been mine in the first place. I always believed the mafia would be my end game--where I'd lose my heart, while it claimed my soul. I could have never imagined. It would be my redemption. Or the beginning of something beautiful. The beginning of her. The end of us.

AMAZON / iBOOKS / NOOK

  rachelborder
Rachel Van Dyken is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of regency and contemporary romances. When she's not writing you can find her drinking coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The Bachelor. She keeps her home in Idaho with her Husband, adorable son, and two snoring boxers! She loves to hear from readers! You can connect with her on Facebook www.facebook.com/rachelvandyken or join her fan group Rachel's New Rockin Readers. Her website is www.rachelvandykenauthor.com. FACEBOOK / TWITTER / GOODREADS / AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE / NEWSLETTER

The Long Game by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

****1/2

From Bloomsbury USA Children's Books:

For Tess Kendrick, a junior at the elite Hardwicke School in Washington D.C., fixing runs in the family. But Tess has another legacy, too, one that involves power and the making of political dynasties. When Tess is asked to run a classmate's campaign for student council, she agrees. But when the candidates are children of politicianseven a high school election can involve life-shattering secrets.
Meanwhile, Tess's guardian has also taken on an impossible case, as a terrorist attack calls into doubt who can--and cannot--be trusted on Capitol Hill. Tess knows better than most that power is currency in Washington, but she's about to discover first-hand that power always comes with a price.


Source:  Advance copy from the publisher.

I love this series so much!  The Fixer was so phenomenal, I really didn't think the second book could live up to the hype in my head, but it did.  It so did.  Tess is an amazingly strong, intelligent and moral young woman while dealing with these huge issues on top of trying to grow up and dealing with all the normal teenager problems.  Going along for her journey is fascinating and wholly entertaining.  

The publisher calls this series a mix of Scandal and Veronica Mars and they couldn't be more on the mark.  It's about a kick-ass young woman solving mysteries and trying to do the right thing, even when it is difficult for her.  I don't want to say too much (I HATE spoilers!), so I will just say, this is one of my favorite series to come out the last couple of years.  I would love to buy it for everyone and make them read it so we can all freak out about it together!  But since I don't have that kind of money, I will just tell you all to read it.  Now.  Then come by and we can freak out about it together!  :-)

~ Shel

Sunday, May 29, 2016

A Peek In The BiblioBin #200


Welcome to our Stacking the Shelves post! Stacking the Shelves (or as we like to call it, A Peek in the BiblioBin) has been created by the folks at Tynga's ReviewsIt's a way for bloggers to share what books they've won, received for review, purchased, borrowed from the library or friend, received as a gift, grabbed off the bookshelf, etc.


For Review:


The Belle vs The BDOC (Bend or Break #0.5) by Amy Jo Cousins 

Paper Princess (The Royals #1) by Erin Watt aka Elle Kennedy & Jen Fredrickson


Purchased:


The Hidden Oracle (The Trials of Apollo #1) by Rick Riordon

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Rooftops of Tehran by Mahbod Seraji

The Best of Kade Boehme by Kade Boehme (Kindle Edition)


Thursday, May 26, 2016


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It's time for the excerpt reveal for Give Me You by the awesome Caisey Quinn!  Check out the hotness below.  Beware - dirty talking hero ahead!


Excerpt
The library smells like hundred-year-old paper and dust. But I love it. It's peaceful. Like a church—minus the judgment.
Skylar watches my face as we enter, and I pretend not to notice. But I know what he sees. My mouth dropping at the sight of the cathedral ceilings, my eyes brightening as they scan sky scraping towers of books.
“This place is really getting you off, isn’t it? I can't help but wonder if you’d look this worked up after a raging orgasm. Let’s find out, shall we?”
I ignore him. I’ve gotten used to his in inappropriate banter. Mostly. When he whispers dirty things to me in public, and especially in close proximity to our roommates, I still blush. And worse, used to it or not, Skylar Martin affects me. My stomach tenses at his request. He’s only half kidding, maybe not even half. My heart beats a little heavier against my chest and I work hard to appear unfazed.
We trade under the table kicks and above the table flirty jabs for the next hour while I study. At one point I catch him watching me chewing on my pencil as if I’m purposely seducing him with my nerdy habits.
When the witty banter subsides and the tension thickens between us to a point where I can barely sit still, I stand and make my way to the reference stacks in the back of the room.
“Corin,” he says evenly from behind me once I’ve reached a dead end between rows. “Stop, please. I want to talk. Actually talk.”
I turn around and smirk at him. “Funny, I don’t think you’ve stopped talking since we got here.”
He shakes his head. “No. I want to cut the bullshit for one night. Say something real, dammit.”
“Something real, dammit,” I repeat.
His eyes are bright, emergency flares in the darkness aimed at me with a ferocious intensity that presses me further against the wall. “No more games, Corin. Not tonight.”
Realizing I’ve been holding my breath, I exhale and then inhale deeply, causing my chest to graze lightly against his. My nipples practically high-five his. God, he smells so good. I would drink whatever body wash he uses with a straw.
“What do you want me to say, Skylar? That I'm attracted to you? That I want you? That every time you open your mouth I wish it was on me? I'm not going to say any of that. Because you already fucking know it.” My teeth are clenched in frustration but voice is so breathy that it’s embarrassing.
“That’s a start. Either you’re in to me or you aren’t, Corin. If you aren’t, say the word and I’ll leave you be. But I’m done playing this mind-fucking game with you.”
“I’m…I’m…”
“You’re what? A virgin? Saving yourself? What?”
I shake my head. He wouldn’t understand. You don’t tell a guy you have a minor flirtation with that you had a miscarriage after your piece of shit boyfriend “accidentally” knocked you down a flight of stairs in your shitty apartment. Or that you ran away at fifteen to escape a mother who treated the living room like a brothel only to end up exactly like her. You sure as hell don’t tell him how the guy who knocked you up pimped you out to his friends for money or that being pregnant at eighteen made you feel like you might actually have one good thing in your life. But you lost that too so you ended up here trying desperately to create some semblance of a future for yourself. No, no way in hell.
“I’m celibate,” is all I give him because it’s all I have to give. “For personal reasons that are none of your business.”
He scoffs, and I’m overcome by the urge to slap his handsome face.
“Don’t scoff at me, Skylar. I’ve had sex. I know what it’s all about. There’s nothing wrong with it. I’m just not going to do it again until I decide to.”
His brows thread inward. “And what do you think will make you decide to? Tequila?”
Bastard. My hands thrust out and shove against his hard chest. “Move, asshole. Better yet, go to hell.”
“Not until you tell me why—why you’re celibate and why you look at me like you want to eat me alive only to dip out immediately after any conversation or moment that ventures beyond surface level.”
I bite my lip hard because I did not know he’d caught those looks. Or my tendency to duck and hide to avoid intimacy. Turns out you’re not as smooth as you thought, Connelly. He’s been paying closer attention than I realized. But I’m still not ready to cut myself open and let all the ugly fall out.
“I’m not like Layla, Skylar. I’ve made a lot of mistakes, a lifetime’s worth already, ones I’m trying very hard not to repeat. I don’t want to get sidetracked by sex-that’s not what I’m here for.”
“What are you here for, Corin? I’m not trying to be a dick. I genuinely want to know. I feel like we talk around everything but never actually about anything.”
I tilt my chin up because everyone else who knows me would laugh if they knew why I was really here. “I want to go to law school—and before you burst out laughing—yes, I’m serious. I want to be a child advocate. It’s a job I heard of where you’re like a legal voice for kids who need someone to make sure they end up somewhere good and safe. Not all of us had that growing up. So I’m sorry if your precious male pride is wounded because my legs didn’t fall open the second you indicated that you were interested. If that’s what you’re looking for, look elsewhere.”
He gapes at me and I do an internal fist pump at leaving his arrogant ass speechless for once. Taking advantage of his moment of stunned weakness, I move past him but somehow his hand shoots out and catches me. Strong warm fingers encircle my upper arm, gripping tightly enough to dent my flesh but not enough to hurt.
“Corin. Stop. I need you to listen to me very carefully.”
My skin tingles to the point of searing where his fingers are. I glance down and stare at our joined flesh.
“You listening, sweetheart?”
Swallowing hard, I nod.
“I am not every other guy you’ve been with. Yes, I am attracted to you. Yes, I would like to fuck your sweet body into submission because you are always fighting me and what you feel for me. But rest assured, I do not put this much effort into anything or anyone that I don’t care about. I like you. I want to continue getting to know you. And maybe I’ve done a shit job of showing it with the innuendos and teasing, but I respect the hell out of you.”
His words have a direct line to whatever body part controls my heart rate. I make a mental note to ask in anatomy class.
“You do?”
He smirks as if I’m ridiculous not to realize this and releases my arm. I breathe a little easier though I kind of miss the contact.
“Of course I do. You’re smart, and funny, and beautiful. You’re a loyal friend to your roommate from what I’ve seen and even though I’ve never heard of what you want to be when you grow up, I know it’s a hell of a lot nobler than my career choice. So yes, baby. I respect you very much. I just wish you weren’t so closed off sometimes.”
I’m closed off because you wouldn’t respect me if you really knew me.
The words “I would like to fuck your sweet body into submission” just keep circling my brain on a constant loop. How easy it would be to let him. To give up control and just let go and let him give me what we both know I need. But I know how that vicious cycle plays out. Soon I’d be using sex to validate our relationship and then I’d be using it to gage my own self-worth.
I will not be that girl again, not even for this beautiful man who swears he respects me.
“I’ll work on that,” I finally say, easing the tension just a fraction. “I’ll try to at least.”
His eyes cloud over, his gaze growing darker by the minute.
“Do you want me to leave you alone, Corin? Because I’m tough enough to take it if that’s what you want.”
I can’t help but think of the accident, the way he had Landen’s back without hesitation, and how much fun we had later that night, just hanging out. As much as I’ve prided myself on not needing anyone, on not needing a man in my life period, and is certifiably crazy as this particular man makes me, the thought of him leaving me alone as he put it is painful.
“No,” I whisper. “I don’t want that. I just want…”
What the fuck do I want?
Apparently Skylar wants to know the same thing.
“Well…what the hell do you want?”
My mouth tugs upward at our similar line of thinking. I keep picturing Ryan Gosling screaming a similar question at Rachel McAdams.
Taking a deep breath, I close my eyes briefly. “I want…I want to know where we stand at all times. I need boundaries. I want to know that you aren’t going to hook up with the next thing that walks by just because I’m not giving it up. I want us to draw a line, I guess.”
“A line?” He arches a brow and folds his arms over his chest. “What kind of line?”
“A friendship line,” I say, formulating my theory as I’m speaking it. “I want us to be friends who are getting to know each other like you said. And I want to keep it at that until we reach a mutual decision about whether or not we want to be more. But even if we decided to be more, I still might not be ready for a sexual relationship. Do you think you can handle that?”
Please say yes. It’s a lot to ask of a red-blooded American nineteen year-old male. I know this. I just need a little more effort. And some patience.
Skylar strokes his chin thoughtfully. He’s making me sweat—dragging it out the same way I’ve done to him. I examine my Lincoln Park After Dark manicure as if I couldn’t care less what his answer is.
But I care, God do I care. And he apparently has more patience than I do.
“For God sake’s Martin, say something.”
His lips twitch. “I’m thinking it over. For the most part it’s a reasonable enough offer, but my dick thinks you’re a mean, mean, girl.”
My eyebrows lift and I flash him an amused smile. “Well my body thinks you’re overestimating your ability to fuck it into submission.”
I win. Skylar looks like I just hit him with a flying throat punch.
Tension ripples his angular jaw line and I have the strangest urge to lick it. Damn hormones. They are not cooperating at all.
“Corin…I’m going to back down on the inappropriate comments the best that I can.” He leans into my space but I refuse to budge. I remain statue still as he moves my hair off my left shoulder. “But trust me when I tell you, I could do things to your body that you don’t even have names for. And I feel it, the way you tremble when I touch you unexpectedly, the way you clench your delectable thighs together when I say those dirty things in your ear. So please, inform any parts of your anatomy that doubt me that I will be proving them all kinds of wrong as soon as you give me permission to do so.”
His erotic promise lingers in the air between us. It wraps around me like a boa constrictor, starting at my throat and squeezing hardest low in my stomach.
“So the line,” I choke out.
“Yes, Red. You can have your line.” He winks, gracing me with a wicked grin. “For now.”

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Give Me You by Caisey Quinn releases June 7th!
Add Give Me You to your TBR at: http://bit.ly/1rNVc3q
View this excerpts Pinterest Board: https://www.pinterest.com/caiseyquinn/give-me-you/

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Blurb
Corin Connelly left her past far behind her in New York City. Along with her mother and an ex-boyfriend who had no plans to let her go. Starting over in college in California seemed like a vacation in paradise compared to her old life, and if anyone needs a fresh start, it's her. But her new roommate has a life-threatening secret, and soon paradise becomes even more intense than New York. When she loses a bet to the university soccer team's star goalie, Skylar Martin, he claims a prize she didn't ever plan to give him.
A weekend in her hometown.
Skylar Martin is used to getting what he wants. Growing up in a world of privilege has made his life easy, which is exactly how he likes his women. But when a feisty redhead tells him no, he becomes determined to figure out what makes her tick. And what she's hiding.
Spending a weekend together will change everything they think they know about each other. The closer they become, the harder it is to hide the mistakes they thought they'd left behind--mistakes that will stand in the way of what they both want.
Corin and Skylar will have to stop hiding from the darkness in their pasts if they want a bright future together. But how can you love someone if you can't forgive them?

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See the beginning of Skylar and Corin's story
in KEEP ME STILL

About the Author

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Caisey Quinn lives in Nashville, Tennessee with her vivacious six-year-old daughter. She is the bestselling author of the Neon Dreams series (Avon/William Morrow) and the Kylie Ryans series as well as several New Adult and Contemporary Romance novels. You can find her online at www.caiseyquinnwrites.com and Tweeting entirely too often as @CaiseyQuinn. 


She is represented by Kevan Lyon of the Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.
SOCIAL MEDIA




THANK YOU!

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Dirty Little Rendezvous by Emma Hart

***
Source:  Galley provided by author in exchange for an honest review.

From the Author:

Sometimes the past becomes the present... And he's hot, cocky, and British. 
Leila Burke expected a lot of things when she joined her brothers on tour in Europe. He wasn't one of them.
Jase Masters had no idea what to expect when he agreed to support Dirty B. on tour. She definitely wasn't it.
It's been eighteen months.
He remembers that night a little too well.
She insists she has no idea who he is.
He's rugged and determined.
She's wild and free.
Together, they're a tornado.

Keeping it from touching down is the least of their worries.

Source:  Galley provided by author in exchange for an honest review.  

The Burke Brothers, the members of Dirty B, are the hottest band going.  Leila is the youngest sister of the four alpha bad boys and agrees to join them on their European tour.  While there, she runs in to her British one-night stand, who just happens to be an up-and-coming rocker who's opening for Dirty B on the first leg of the tour.  All of this makes for fun hijinx and hilariously awkward situations.  Imagine four over-protective boys trying to dictate to a free-spirited, strong-willed sister.  :-)  Now you see it.  That's the best part of DRL in my humble opinion.  I love the Burke family and have thoroughly enjoyed the journey from Dirty Secret to Dirty Little Rendezvous.  

I enjoyed DRL, but it was my least favorite in the series.  There were some editing issues that took detracted from the story (at least for me).  It's told in dual POV, which I love, but sometimes it felt like the British hero had the same southern USA voice as our heroine, which I found distracting.  Again, maybe it's just me, but I expected his thoughts to be more distinctively British.  There were also a some grammatical errors, which were hopefully caught in final editing.  I tend to have an eagle-eye when it comes to such things and come across such errors in almost all books I read - hopefully you don't because it's often a pain in the ass for me.

Despite my over-analness (and now I'm making up words) about editing issues, I recommend you pick up DRL and the rest of the Burke Brothers (if you haven't already, do it now!).  This series is definitely worth your precious reading time.  My favorite is Dirty Secret - I just adore Connor's interactions with Mila.  Ok, I enjoy the entire family's interactions with Mila.  You'll get why!

~ Shel

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Waiting on Wednesday (189)


Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that highlights future releases that we are excitedly anticipating.


Paper and Fire (The Great Library, #2)By Rachel Caine
Publication Date: July 5, 2016

In Ink and BoneNew York Times bestselling author Rachel Caine introduced a world where knowledge is power, and power corrupts absolutely. Now, she continues the story of those who dare to defy the Great Library—and rewrite history…

With an iron fist, The Great Library controls the knowledge of the world, ruthlessly stamping out all rebellion, forbidding the personal ownership of books in the name of the greater good.

Jess Brightwell has survived his introduction to the sinister, seductive world of the Library, but serving in its army is nothing like he envisioned. His life and the lives of those he cares for have been altered forever. His best friend is lost, and Morgan, the girl he loves, is locked away in the Iron Tower and doomed to a life apart.

Embarking on a mission to save one of their own, Jess and his band of allies make one wrong move and suddenly find themselves hunted by the Library’s deadly automata and forced to flee Alexandria, all the way to London.

But Jess’s home isn’t safe anymore. The Welsh army is coming, London is burning, and soon, Jess must choose between his friends, his family, or the Library willing to sacrifice anything and anyone in the search for ultimate control…
 


Defending TaylorBy Miranda Kenneally
Publication Date: July 5, 2016

Captain of the soccer team, president of the Debate Club, contender for valedictorian: Taylor’s always pushed herself to be perfect. After all, that’s what is expected of a senator’s daughter. But one impulsive decision—one lie to cover for her boyfriend—and Taylor’s kicked out of private school. Everything she’s worked so hard for is gone, and now she’s starting over at Hundred Oaks High.

Soccer has always been Taylor’s escape from the pressures of school and family, but it’s hard to fit in and play on a team that used to be her rival. The only person who seems to understand all that she’s going through is her older brother’s best friend, Ezra. Taylor’s had a crush on him for as long as she can remember. But it’s hard to trust after having been betrayed. Will Taylor repeat her past mistakes or can she score a fresh start?






Hell Breaks Loose (Devil's Rock, #2)By Sophie Jordan
Publication Date: July 26, 2016

Hell hath no hunger like a man let out of a cage . . .

Shy and awkward, First Daughter Grace Reeves has always done what she’s told. Tired of taking orders, she escapes her security detail for a rare moment of peace. Except her worst nightmare comes to life when a ruthless gang of criminals abducts her. Her only choice is to place her trust in Reid Allister, an escaped convict whose piercing gaze awakens something deep inside her. Reid is nothing like her other captors.

He’s tougher, smarter…and one blistering look from him makes her hotter than any man ever has.

Reid spent years plotting escape and revenge . . .years without a woman in his bed. For this hardened felon, Grace Reeves isn’t just out of his league—she’s from another planet, but that doesn’t stop him from wanting her. Escaping Devil’s Rock was tough, but resisting this woman could be the end of him. For a man with nothing to lose, protecting her . . . claiming her as his own, becomes more necessary than his next breath.
 


Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Too Hot to Handle by Tessa Bailey

***

From Forever Romance (Hatchette):

When rescue looks like a whole lot of trouble . . . 

The road trip was definitely a bad idea. Having already flambĂ©ed her culinary career beyond recognition, Rita Clarkson is now stranded in God-Knows-Where, New Mexico, with a busted-ass car and her three temperamental siblings, who she hasn't seen in years. When rescue shows up---six-feet-plus of hot, charming sex on a motorcycle---Rita's pretty certain she's gone from the frying pan right into the fire . . . 


Jasper Ellis has a bad boy reputation in this town, and he loathes it. The moment he sees Rita, though, Jasper knows he's about to be sorely tempted. There's something real between them. Something raw. And Jasper has only a few days to show Rita that he isn't just for tonight---he's forever.



Source:  Advance copy from Publisher.


Too Hot to Handle is filled with Bailey's trademark - chemistry so hot it burns right off the page.  Jasper has a little more insecurity than Bailey's typical hero, but it just makes him more drool-worthy.  He's also an extreme dirty-talker, possessive, and dominant.  As far as book boyfriends go, he's a scorcher.  I read a lot of this book in public - I was blushing like a virgin the whole time!  

I love the unique premise of this series.  The four Clarkson siblings take off from San Diego roadtripping to New York City to take part in a New Year's Day polar plunge, which was their mother's last request.  Each sibling is getting a book and they will each find love along the way.  It's an ambitious idea, which requires just the right execution.  Believable insta-love is a tough thing to write.  Luckily, Tessa Bailey is a pro.  While it's difficult to believe that two people who've never met can fall in love in three days, Bailey writes it in a way that feels organic to characters. You should definitely check out THTH.

Too Wild to Tame comes next, featuring Aaron Clarkson.  I can't wait to see how things play out for the rest of the Clarkson family!  

~ Shel