Friday, May 30, 2014

FLASHBACK FRIDAY: "Motorcycle Man" by Kristen Ashley

Good Friday morning all. Today's Flashback Friday Post is "Motorcycle Man" by Kristen Ashley. This book was originally released in 2012 and released by Forever in January 2014. Check out all the book and author info, buy links and my review below. Happy Reading!



Title: Motorcycle Man (Dream Man #4)
Author: Kristen Ashley
Release: January 28, 2014 by Forever 


Synopsis

Get ready to ride . . .
Tyra Masters has had enough drama to last a lifetime. Now, she's back on track and looking forward to her new, quiet life. Until she meets the man of her dreams. The tattooed, muscled biker plies her with tequila-and the best sex of her life. She knows it isn't the tequila and hot sex talking. He's the kind of man she's always wanted. Unfortunately, he's also her new boss . . . 

Kane "Tack" Allen has a rule. He doesn't employ someone he's slept with. So when he learns he spent last night in bed with his new office manager, he quickly fires Tyra. Yet when Tyra stands up to him and fights for her job, Tack is intrigued. He tells her she can keep her job on one condition: no more sex. Ever. But as things heat up between them, Tack finds that he'll be the one breaking all the rules...





Purchase Links






My Review
4 Star ****


Okay so this is the second book I read in #TheDreamManSeries by Kristen Ashley... I know I read it out of order. I just could not wait for two books to read Tack's story after reading Mystery Man. I. Could. Not. I loved him and his "relationship" with Gwen so much I had to have more of him right away. First of all, I love a good MC book and I like a rough and raw biker badass. Second, I fell kinda in love with Kane "Tack" Allen when he was trying to claim Gwen and was kind of sad he didn't get the girl (okay not that sad... because... well HAWK). Thirdly, I have already read #OntheWind and I needed the back story and lastly, I needed to get to his HEA sooner rather than later. I will read Wild Man and Law Man soon (especially after meeting their kickass women it this book) so all is well. ;)

Now lets talk Tyra. I loved her. She, like all of KA's heroines, is a badass chick. She knows what she wants and she is not afraid to wait on it. I loved this about her because I was the same way. I didn't cave to peers, parents or grandparents pressures to "get married and have babies" already and I don't think other girls should either. No one should "settle" for second best out of fear that your perfect match is never gonna come and you will run out of time to be a beautiful bride and start a family. NEVER. Tyra never settled. She had no idea her dream guy was going to come in a scary biker dude package with so many hurdles to climb but he did. You see your perfect guy is not A PERFECT GUY not by a long shot. No he is simply the "perfect guy" for you. And Tack is certianly NOT perfect. He is bossy... very very bossy. He sleeps with a lot of women (at least he did). He doesn't do warm & fuzzy ever. He does not compromise ever. He is honest to a fault (which should be a good thing but can be a bad thing). He expects you to fall in line or he will force you in line if you don't. Those are not qualities easy for a self respecting woman to except. No a woman must be trained to trust such a man and trained she is. Boy does she get trained. Again & Again trained. Partly because she is hard headed and partly because she seems to fall into trouble very easily. Like the other girls in KA books she is more of a react first and ask for forgiveness later kinda gal (yet another trait we share). So through her association with Chaos and with her BFF Lanie and her mess with a crazy fiancee and the Russian Mob (yes RUSSIAN MOB yikes!), Tyra finds herself in a few tight spots but none tigher than she finds between herself and Tack. Is she ready to let him in to color her drab world? Can she survive his lifestyle? Can she build a life and family with Tack and his kids and finally live her dreams?

Well I think she can if she makes it out alive and she doesn't kill Tack O.o

The rest of the gang show up and a favorite or two from the Rock Chick Series. If you love tough chicks and there brooding, sexy, badass man... you will love this book. #RockOn

PS: Aunt Bette is "the shit" <---- no joke


About the Author


Kristen Ashley was born in Gary, Indiana, USA. She nearly killed her mother and herself making it into the world, seeing as she had the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck (already attempting to accessorise and she hadn't taken her first breath!). 

Kristen grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana but has lived in Denver, Colorado and the West Country of England. Thus she has been blessed to have friends and family around the globe. Her posse is loopy (to say the least) but loopy is good when you want to write.

Kristen was raised in a house with a large and multi-generational family. They lived on a very small farm in a small town in the heartland and existed amongst the strains of Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon and Whitesnake (and the wardrobes that matched).

Needless to say, growing up in a house full of music, clothes and love was a good way to grow up. 

And as she keeps growing up, it keeps getting better

Links


Thursday, May 29, 2014

AUTHOR INTERVIEW & GIVEAWAY: "The Devil's Contract" by Claire Contreras


We’re
celebrating the release of THE DEVIL’S CONTRACT by Claire Contreras! Check out
the Author Interview and don’t forget to enter the GIVEAWAY!



Title: THE DEVIL'S CONTRACT
Author: Claire Contreras
Age group: Adult
Genre: Dark Contemporary Romance
Cover Design: Najla Qamber


Synopsis:


He gave them a choice.

She took it.

He made her promise two years.

She should have known there was a catch.




Purchase Links:




Interview with Claire Contreras


1)     Author’s take on the leading man:
 
a.      I had a dream about Colin Oliver once. It was a verra, verra good dream. I thought about him for weeks after. I don’t do dream casts L he’s in my head.

·        Is he based on anyone you know?  If dreams count, yes.
·        What are his vices?  He’s a liar.
·        What are his virtues?  He’s a liar.
·        Is there anything about him you know that the readers don’t and may find interesting?  He’s passionate. When he wants something, he gets it, and if he doesn’t want something, he discards it just as quickly. He loves ties.
·        How is he described in the book (physical and/or personality)-  brown hair, coffee colored eyes that get lighter in the sun and have little specs of honey, he’s tall, well built (not overly muscular or anything, just a normal tall guy that rid of his baby weight a long time ago). He swims daily, I’m sure that helps.

2)     Author’s take on the leading lady:
 
·        Is she based on anyone you know?  Yes, actually. Her story is, anyway.
·        What are her vices?  She loves her parents to a fault.
·        What are her virtues?  She loves her parents to a fault.
·        Is there anything about her you know that the readers don’t and may find interesting?  She loves to draw and often draws caricatures of a guy named Pat (he looks like a very round cat, his best friend is a mouse named Tat).
·        How is she described in the book (physical and/or personality)  She’s average. Olive skin, dark hair, amber colored eyes that are almond shaped (that’s her least average feature), athletic built from cheerleading her entire life.


3)     Facts about THE DEVIL’S CONTRACT: 

What are up to 10 interesting or noteworthy facts about this book and/or characters? This
doesn’t need to be narrative. It can be bullet points.
a.      I knew an Amara once.  I got this story from her (I hope she doesn’t get mad). It’s fictionalized, obviously, but also has some truths.
b.     Real life Amara looks just like fictionalized Amara.
c.     There’s a lot of sex in this book. I’ve never, ever, ever written this amount of sex in any of my other books.
d.     It’s a story about family (it seems like most of my stories are lol…in weird twisted ways).
e.      It’s a story about forgiveness. About living, about forgetting.
f.       Colin is very sweet.
g.     Philip is calculated.
h.     Samuel is ambitious.
i.        Courtney is awesome.

4)     Tell us about Philip. He’s going to be a controversial character. What challenges did you face writing him in as the villain? Is there hope that he may turn out to be a good guy in disguise?
Villains are my favorite people. Ever. I always root for the villain. I always lose. I’m thinking that might change here. We’ll see. He’s not a good guy in disguise, no (what fun would that be?)


5)     Describe THE DEVIL’S CONTRACT in six words.
1.     Sex
2.     Fun
3.     Hot
4.     Mysterious
5.     Lost love
6.     Sex

6)     Author Interview

·        What inspired you to write THE DEVIL’S CONTRACT?
o       I actually started writing TDC when I wrote TINLID. TDC wasn’t called that then, it was just sex scenes at that point. The sex scenes were supposed to go on a very sexy website, but in the end I chickened out and didn’t do it. When I wrote TINLID I kept thinking about those sex scenes and came up with a plot. Then I wrote out my notes in a little notebook (the way I do for all my books). Then I let that sit in my closet for three years. I went back to it recently and voila! 
·        What is your favorite scene or was your favorite to write?
o       Colin’s email to Amara.
o       Also, one of the sex scenes (I wont say which one) because I really pushed myself writing that one. 
·        Is there anything you would like readers to take away after reading the book they may miss that you want to point out?
o       Hmmm… no, I’ll let them be the judge. 
·        When will the next book release and what can you tell us about it?


o       The next book I’m releasing is called Prisoner. I’ve been working on it for a year now so I’m hoping to finish it soon. It’s a spin-off to the Darkness series.




GIVEAWAY:







About
the Author:

Claire Contreras graduated with her BA in Psychology from Florida
International University. She was born in the Dominican Republic and raised in
Miami, Fl, where she currently resides with her husband, two boys, and two
American Bulldogs. 


Life is short, and it’s more
bitter than sweet, so she tries to smile as often as her face allows. She
enjoys stories with happy endings, because life is full of way too many unhappy
ones.




Website | Facebook | Twitter


 

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

RELEASE DAY EVENT: "The Devil's Contract" by Claire Contreras



It’s
release day for THE DEVIL’S CONTRACT by Claire Contreras! We have an excerpt to
share with you today, but we are the final stop of the excerpt chain, so if you
haven’t read the rest of the excerpt, stop here and go back. The group’s are
listed below.



Title: THE DEVIL'S CONTRACT
Author: Claire Contreras
Age group: Adult
Genre: Dark Contemporary Romance
Cover Design: Najla Qamber


Synopsis:


He gave them a choice.

She took it.

He made her promise two years.

She should have known there was a catch.




PURCHASE LINK:




EXCERPT

“Philip has agreed to employ you in his company, PB Marketing.”

Amara’s eyes widened with recognition, and Vivienne gave her a toothy, wicked smile,
like she was in on some joke that Amara was oblivious to.

“Whenyou move back to the States, you will be offered a job in PB Manhattan. Of
course, you will not be compensated for your work there. You must understand…”

Amara understood clearly where this was going. They were going to use her until she
paid back every cent her father owed them.

“What will happen to my parents if I don’t sign?”

Vivienne shrugged. “It’s not something I would know. That’s Philip’s business. I will
say, your family name is very well known, Amara. Not just your father’s, but
your mother’s as well. Philip can tarnish everything. He doesn’t…how is it you
say…stick all his eggs in one basket. Philip is everywhere.”

Amara’s jaw tightened. She knew how much weight her last name had and how much more
would be lost if she didn’t do as she was told.

“I have a couple of conditions in regards to my father…”

Vivienne smiled. “Very much like your grandfather, I see?”

Her words took Amara by surprise. She had only met her grandfather a handful of
times since she was a baby. Her mother wasn’t on speaking terms with him after
their falling out when Amara was a child, and the comparison wasn’t something
that bode well with her. She never wanted to be in the same sentence as the
sultan.

“How do you know my grandfather?”

“Oh, I don’t know him personally. I only know of him. Many people do, I suppose,”
Vivienne said flippantly.

Amara stared at Vivienne for a long moment before taking the pen from the table.
“Where do I sign?”

She signed on every dotted line she was told, and knew that, in that moment,
she’d sealed her fate with the devil.



GIVEAWAY:






About
the Author:

Claire Contreras graduated with her BA in Psychology from Florida
International University. She was born in the Dominican Republic and raised in
Miami, Fl, where she currently resides with her husband, two boys, and two
American Bulldogs. 


Life is short, and it’s more
bitter than sweet, so she tries to smile as often as her face allows. She
enjoys stories with happy endings, because life is full of way too many unhappy
ones.




Website | Facebook | Twitter


Follow the excerpt chain!
Group 1
Shh Moms Reading  http://www.shhmomsreading.com
Bridger Bitches Book Blog  www.bridgerbitchesbookblog.com
Books to Breathe  http://bookstobreathe.com
Keep Calm & Read Romance  http://keepcalmandreadromance.blogspot.com

Group 2
A Bookish Escape  http://www.abookishescape.com
Kindle Crack Book Reviews   http://www.kindlecrack.net

Group 3
Sassy Savvy Fabulous  http://www.sassysavvyfabulous.com

Group 4
The Romance Cover   http://www.TheRomanceCover.com

Group 5
Group Therapy Book Club Blog & Review   http://www.grouptherapybookclub.blogspot.com
Bright Autumn Sun   http://www.siren.org



 

Friday, May 23, 2014

BLOG TOUR STOP & GIVEAWAY: "What Happens Tomorrow" by Elle Michaels

We are so excited to be one of today's stops on Elle Michael's "What Happens Tomorrow" Blog Tour. See all the book and author info, buy links, our review and enter the giveaway for a chance to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card or Signed paperback! Good Luck & Happy Reading!



No one knows what happens tomorrow...
When Brooke Adams suffers the unimaginable, she knows her heart will never be whole again. Faced with the choice of giving in to her grief, or fighting to regain a resemblance to the life she once knew, she chooses to fight.
Not ready to give up, Brooke starts a new life where no one knows her past. As she slowly puts the pieces of her life back together, Brooke meets her neighbor, Tyler Reynolds. Soon, he becomes her friend, her rock...
and her complicated constant.
Despite her best efforts, she finds herself falling for him, but what will happen if Tyler learns the truth about her past and realizes just how deep the damage is?
The risk might be too much...
 
 
OUR REVIEW:
5 Stars *****

What happens when your entire reason for being is taken away from you? How do you react? Better yet, how do you go on living? 

Let me tell you what Brooke didn't do. She didn't give up on her life when it was expected of her. Brooke lost everything in one split second, losing herself in the aftermath. She grieved for years and then one morning she woke up and decided she needed a brand new life. She packed up, moved from Seattle and all it's pain to Santa Monica to start anew. She knew no one, didn't have a job, but just knew this is what she needed to survive life.  She found an apartment (think Melrose Place) for her and Charlie her puppy, life saver, and best friend. 

One morning at the coffee shop around the corner from her house she literally ran into the hottest specimen of a man she'd seen in a very long time. After she profusely apologized he disappeared but only to show up on her doorstep later that day. No, Tyler wasn't a stalker but he did live in the same apartment complex. He just had some life altering issues himself so he knew hurt and he had seen that hurt in her eyes. He wanted to take that pain away and he was so taken with her he couldn't just let her go. He felt something (not just hot coffee) when they ran into one another. He needed to get to know her.

He became her best friend and they'd often lie around and watch movies and eat dinner together all the while he's slowly falling in love with her. He continued to catch the glimpses of pain and hurt in her eyes but she would never reveal the source. Never once told him about the night her whole life came to a crashing halt. 

So, what happens when Tyler tells her how he really feels? Will she accept him with open arms or will she continue to live in her darkness and keep all her hurt and pain inside? Will he help her to live again and maybe actually love again? Is she willing to put herself back out there? To take a chance on life and love?

I cried some fat, ugly, and snot-faced tears reading this book.  I cried and cried. I couldn't put it down. It ate at me. It sucked me in and wouldn't let me go. I absolutely fell for this book. It's fantastic. I hurt, I laughed, and I fell completely in love with Tyler. He's the epitome of the perfect book boyfriend. He's honest, loyal, sexy, and sensitive. Brooke is beyond amazing. She's tough yet soft, she's been trampled by life but is still going. She's a rock with a soft heart. 

This book is about love and hope, going forward and learning to live again. It's about taking pain and growing from it.  I hope everyone who can, takes the time to read this book. It deserves to be seen, read, passed around and discussed amongst friends. 

On a personal note, I have a very close friend who had her world ripped away from her much like the same way Brooke's was. I watched her hurt, cry, and suffer. I watched her become the shell of the person she was. But I also watched her kick life's ass. I watched her pick herself up, go on because you can't move on, and make a brand new life for herself. I watched her morph from her shell back into her beautiful and living self again. Does it still hurt? Yes, always. I could never imagine going through anything like this but I would pray for the resolve that most women, who find themselves in this situation do. They fight their way back and kick the hell out of life's ass. I honor all of you who've fought this courageous fight. 

Favorite Quotes:

Come on, Brooke, this is the kind of shit romance novels are written about. That Hallmark makes movies of the week about.  Location 864

"How did I get so lucky a second time in my life?".....His lips curl into a smile. "That's because this is my once in a lifetime love, and you just happen to be the lucky lady I've fallen in love with."  Location 1554

I started to sob. Sob because of the finality of what I was about to do.  Sob because I missed Matt and Katelin.  Sob because I wanted to be with them.  But then.... Sob because my mom and dad would find my lifeless body and they would never recover.  Location 1146.  
 
~ Shannon D. 


 




 
 
Elle Michaels is a professional in the tech sector, residing with her family in the Pacific Northwest. Having spent years acting in and directing stage productions, she dreamed of writing a screenplay, but at the suggestion of a friend, she decided to write a novel instead.
She has always had a passion for reading and romance. There is nothing she loves more than to get lost in a sexy romance story.
When not working or writing, she can be found spending time with the love of her life, her two young children and Yorkshire Terrier.
 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Elle-Michaels/538029962926582
Twitter: https://twitter.com/elle_michaels
Email: ellemichaels1@gmail.com
 


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

RELEASE BLITZ & GIVEAWAY: "What Happens Tomorrow" by Elle Michaels

Along with Elle Michaels, we are excited to share with you her new release “What Happens Tomorrow”. Make sure to join the Facebook Release & Tour Event, read the EXCERPT & enter the Amazon Gift Card GIVEAWAY below!

No one knows what happens tomorrow...
When Brooke Adams suffers the unimaginable, she knows her heart will never be whole again. Faced with the choice of giving in to her grief, or fighting to regain a resemblance to the life she once knew, she chooses to fight.
Not ready to give up, Brooke starts a new life where no one knows her past. As she slowly puts the pieces of her life back together, Brooke meets her neighbor, Tyler Reynolds. Soon, he becomes her friend, her rock...
and her complicated constant.
Despite her best efforts, she finds herself falling for him, but what will happen if Tyler learns the truth about her past and realizes just how deep the damage is?
The risk might be too much...








Elle Michaels is a professional in the tech sector, residing with her family in the Pacific Northwest. Having spent years acting in and directing stage productions, she dreamed of writing a screenplay, but at the suggestion of a friend, she decided to write a novel instead. She has always had a passion for reading and romance. There is nothing she loves more than to get lost in a sexy romance story. When not working or writing, she can be found spending time with the love of her life, her two young children and Yorkshire Terrier.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Elle-Michaels/538029962926582
Twitter: https://twitter.com/elle_michaels
Email: ellemichaels1@gmail.com



  a Rafflecopter giveaway