SPOTLIGHT & REVIEW: "Beautiful Broken Promises (Broken #3) by Kimberly Lauren

Title: Beautiful Broken Promises (Broken #3) 

Author: Kimberly Lauren

Release: May 27, 2014

Synopsis

THIS IS A total STAND-ALONE NOVEL. No need to read the first two books in the series to enjoy this book. This is not a dark romance. 

Every day you stay gone
I die a thousand more deaths 

Lane Parker has secrets he hasn’t even told his closest friends. He may have earned their respect but it’s undeserved. He may seem genuine but he’s a total fraud. He may look strong, but on the inside he’s weak and drowning with no chance of catching his breath any time soon.

After four years, Lane finally gets the call he’s been waiting for. Given back a piece of the life he’s been fighting so hard to reclaim, will he be able to handle everything that comes along with it? And if so, can all of his broken promises be redeemed?

So, I don’t give up and I won’t let them win 
I will find you and I will make sure that you know
You’re my everything 


New Adult Contemporary Romance: strong language and sexual content. This novel is intended for those 18 years and older. 

Goodreads link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18776967-beautiful-broken-promises?from_search=true

Purchase Links:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1kniVkA
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/beautiful-broken-promises-kimberly-lauren/1119608516?ean=9781499748864

Our Review

4 Stars ****

FINALLY! We find out why Lane always ups and leaves to places unknown. He is a tortured man with secrets he’s only told very few people. So he’s looking for this girl and will stop at nothing to get her back. See, four years ago she was taken from him and now he thinks he may have found her. He’s travelled all these places going underground looking for her and while in California he gets the call he’s been waiting for.

I know that’s not a lot to go on but you have to read this book. There are broken promises he feels like he has to make up for. There is a huge twist that plays into the main plot and I don’t want to give it away. We find out why Lane is so protective and so Alpha (a good thing). He’s super sexy, very smart, and he didn’t lead a life of co-ed parties and sex. He had a real life with a family he loved and lost. These characters are without a doubt two of the toughest characters I’ve ever read about. They’ve been put to the ultimate test and come back from it with a newfound friendship and love. This story is so different from all the others.

The story is told in dual POV; which is very interesting. We get inside Lane’s mind – heck yeah! Beautiful Broken Promises is an amazing read from prologue to epilogue. There better be a novella of a certain trip that all the characters take because it’s one I’d love to read.

If you want to read about fierce protective heroes and bad ass courageous heroines and sexy romance then this is the story for you.

~ Shannon D.


Favorite Quotes:

"Every day I wish I had found you sooner so I could love you longer.

"You made me the luckiest man in the world... that is, until you were ripped from my hands so brutally. Those promises I had sworn by were taken from me, and I was never even able to tell you I'm sorry. I never meant for it to be this way. I never wanted to break my promises. They forced me to."

 About the Author:

I'm a wanderer, an adventurer, a traveler.

I want to see it all. I haven't been everywhere but it's on my list.

"She travels the world & home is always in her heart."

Lately if I'm not traveling or chasing a toddler, I'm writing. Which is weird because I hated writing in college. Oh wait, that's because that was boring. Who really wants to sit there and cite all your sources into APA format? Not this girl. Writing for yourself is enjoyable and cathartic. Please try it. Then tell me about because I love indie authors.

I'm a Texas girl, who misses living in Europe! 

Hope you enjoy my books! xoxo KL

Author Links: 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/KimberlyLauren

website:  http://www.kimberlylauren.net
Twitter username:  @KimLaurenAuthor
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/KimberlyLaur...

RELEASE DAY BLITZ: "ComeTo Me Softly" by A.L. Jackson

Happy Release Day to A.L Jackson as we celebrate her new book Come to Me Softly!!

From the New York Times bestselling author of Come to Me Quietly comes

a scorching new adult romance in the Closer to You series.

A second chance at life…

A second chance at love…

Jared Holt never thought he deserved either—until he found both in the arms of Aly Moore. Aly has loved Jared for as long as she can remember, and she’s more than ready for the future they’re making together. But Jared can’t help remembering his own family. And he’ll never forgive himself for what happened to them. How can he allow himself the very happiness he once destroyed?

To live a life worthy of Aly, Jared knows he has to stop running and finally put his past to rest. But when he decides to face his demons head on, he encounters more than he bargained for: a dangerous mix of jealousy, lies, and dishonest intentions. When those intentions threaten Aly, Jared loses all control, giving into the rage that earned him his bad boy reputation years before. And he’ll fight to protect her no matter what it costs…even if he destroys himself in the process.

 

*Enjoy the trailer created by the wonderful Becca the Bibliophile*

♥BUY YOUR COPY OF COME TO ME SOFTLY♥

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes

Be sure to join us for the Come to Me Softly Read Along Party! We’re kicking off the celebration on June 24^th with a ton of prizes, then the read along begins. Daily prizes all the way up to grand prize on July 2^nd!

Grand Prize: Coach Bag stuff with A.L. Jackson Goodies!

♥JOIN THE COME TO ME SOFTLY READ ALONG PARTY!♥

Come to Me Softly Release Celebration Giveaway!

Grand Prize: Coach Bag, Kindle Paperwhite, and A.L. Jackson Swag

Second Prize: Come to Me Quietly Custom Charm Necklace

Third Prize: A.L. Jackson Swag Pack

a Rafflecopter giveaway

♥BUY BOOK 1 IN THE CLOSER TO YOU SERIES♥

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes

Aleena Moore is content with her life. She has goals and dreams and an easy smile. She also has a secret she holds locked inside.

Jared Holt believes he doesn’t deserve to love or be loved. He destroys everything he touches. Haunted by the mistake that shattered his life, he’s fled from the memory of that pain.

Jared doesn’t know why he’s compelled to return, but finds himself drawn back to the place where it all began. The exact place where it ended. When he runs into his childhood best friend, Aleena’s older brother Christopher, he agrees to share Christopher and Aleena’s apartment while he looks for a place of his own.

Aleena is no longer the little girl Jared remembers from his past and evokes feelings in him he never wanted to feel again. Terrified of destroying her, he fights to keep her away. But her touch is something he can’t resist—the touch that sealed his fate.

Their pasts are intertwined and their futures uncertain. The only truths they know are the secrets they whisper in the night.

A.L. Jackson is the New York Times bestselling author of Take This Regret and Lost to You, as well as other contemporary romance titles, including Pulled, When We Collide, If Forever Comes, and Come to Me Quietly.

She first found a love for writing during her days as a young mother and college student. She filled the journals she carried with short stories and poems used as an emotional outlet for the difficulties and joys she found in day-to-day life.

Years later, she shared a short story she’d been working on with her two closest friends and, with their encouragement, this story became her first full length novel. A.L. now spends her days writing in Southern Arizona where she lives with her husband and three children.

Look for Come to Me Softly and When We Met: Behind Her Eyes coming soon.

Facebook † Twitter † Website

Instagram @aljacksonauthor
Pinterest @aljacksonauthor

SPOTLIGHT & REVIEW: "Against All Odds" by Angie McKeon

Title: Against All Odds (Standalone)

Author: Angie McKeon

Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance

Release Date: April 01, 2014

GOODREADS LINK: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18803442-against-all-odds?ac=1

SPOTIFY LINK:  http://open.spotify.com/user/1256930571/playlist/1iZqrHLkDQN3qlD3UbhKCx

Blurb:

Our lives shattered... Our hearts broken... Our souls torn to pieces...

He was my world, my whole life. My reason for breathing. I had a perfect marriage, a baby on the way, and I felt fulfilled—almost invincible. 

Until the day life hit, leaving me broken, vulnerable, and alone.

She was my life. My ray of hope on the cloudiest day. With her, I thought I had the ultimate safety. A love that would never hurt or betray me. I gave her my heart, my body, and my soul. 

Until she broke me, destroying every dream and illusion I had about life, love, and marriage.

In our grief, we made a mistake. A mistake I'm not sure we can come back from.

Purchase Links:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1gQfb8I 

 BN: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/against-all-odds-angie-mckeon/1119063908?ean=2940149226931

Excerpt:

I step back and release a shaky breath. “I don’t know what to say. You know that we...” I flick my eyes to the other side of the room to collect my scattered thoughts.

Erasing the distance I just tried to put between us, he lifts my face to his. Our eyes connect, and my pulse—already wild—intensifies.

He looks straight through to the heart of me. “You don’t have to say anything right now. You don’t have to say anything ever. Just think about what I’m saying.” Gaze locked on mine, he places a tender kiss on my lips.

When he pulls back, he clears his throat and pulls out his phone. “All right, get packed. I’ll call the pilot and let him know we’re ready to leave.”

I nod numbly as he walks out of the room. I want to go home to my empty house. My empty bed. My empty life. I need some time away from everyone. I need to figure out what’s wrong with me. What happened to the girl with morals?

I close my eyes as all energy drains from my body. I slip to the ground, hugging my knees. I miss my life before Kayla died. Before all I felt was pain and hopelessness. Before all I saw was a nightmare. Before I shut down and started doing stupid things.

I need to find the girl I used to be, but I’m not sure she’s in there anymore. I’m not sure she’s strong enough to come back. Because coming back means feeling the loss of her baby and confronting the problems in her marriage. It means facing pain, fear, and guilt. That is so terrifying that living in a state of numbness and denial might just be easier.

    All rights reserved. Against All Odds © 2014 Copyright, Angie McKeon.

Review:  5 Stars

 This one was a 5 star for different reasons for me. It started with Kylie and Cooper already being married, having a baby, and living a good life. Then life being the bitch she is stepped in. Their world was ripped apart and torn into and rather than them healing and repairing; they just continued to step on it, ripping it to its core, and discarding it without a look back. They took what was a devastating loss and turned it into a dark abyss that engulfed not only them but all those that were close to them.

After the devastating loss of their little girl, Kylie and Cooper continue to pull away from one another. Kylie needs her husband; needs him mentally, physically, and sexually. Cooper can’t be that for her. He can’t make love to his wife. When he lost his daughter he lost himself. So when Kylie’s had enough of the rebuking and rejection she offers up a proposition to her husband that no one in their right mind would accept. But he did, like I said – no one in his right mind. He accepted the open marriage proposal and on the outside he was fine with it but on the inside he was dying. There were ground rules: always come home at night, always use a condom, and never ever sleep with a coworker or friend.

Grayson is their best friend. He’s been there from the beginning; he’s watched them fall in love, get married, have a baby and lose that baby and themselves. When Cooper can’t be the husband Kylie needs, Grayson steps in and takes her to appointments, fixes things around the house, and is the shoulder that Kylie needs when she’s falling apart. But what happens when Gray crosses that friend boundary that Coop and Kylie both set up?

Will Cooper stand up and be the real husband she needs? Will he be able to fight through his demons and see what he’s losing, if not lost, already? Can Kylie finally get through to her husband that he’s the man she always sees no matter who she’s with; will they forgive each other for all the pain, the ugliness, the hurt, and the rejection?

This was an ugly cry kind of book – I cried for Kylie, even though she was a selfish bitch, God she was hurting; but Coop, I cried for him more; for his pain and his loss.

Can you ever really get over that hurt and betrayal – I feel like it was betrayal even though it was agreed upon. Can you look at your partner the same, knowing that while she wore your wedding ring she slept with someone else; that she gave that piece of themselves that was meant just for you, to someone else because of the hurt and pain caused by the loss of YOUR child? I don’t know.

I just know this wasn’t what I was expecting. I don’t condone cheating but was it cheating in this book? It’s a definite shady area – no black and white – IN MY OPINION. You need to read this for yourselves and see what you think. What would you do? Would you forgive? Forget?

~ Shannon D.


Favorite Quotes:

We share a reckless, toxic love that feeds the brokenness in me, in us. Our love is an addiction. A love that I won’t ever consider living without. (p. 89)

Life’s a fucked up state of fucked up. I learned that the hard way. (p. 8)

“It doesn’t come in pretty packages. Sometimes it dents and bruises and does things it regrets, but it also forgives, shows mercy, and supports. It soothes and fights to the death. (p. 337)

I’m a better man with you by my side. You give me wings and help me fly. You are my today and tomorrow, my beginning and end. (p. 291)

Author Info:

A multi-tasker from birth—and now proudly able to add 'writer' to my resume—I'm a mother, wife and blogger. I love to read, write and drink copious amounts of iced coffee.

All three aforementioned addictions are detrimental to my sanity

I have a voracious appetite for dark, painful and twisted reads. I'm enamored with the concept of love and heart break. I believe life is a journey, a tale in its own for each of us. The road to happiness is sometimes paved with stones from hell, or glitters of satisfaction graced from the heavens above.

In my upcoming debut novel, 'Against All Odds,' I strive to make you feel. I believe any emotion—whether painful or happy—is good. To me, the key to living is to go through life feeling it’s ups and downs. Love is dark and it can be painful but, at the end of the day, it can save the most lost of souls and the most broken of hearts.

Author Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/angiemckeonauthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Angie_McKeon

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7389718.Angie_McKeon

Website: http://angiemckeon.blogspot.com/

SPOTLIGHT & REVIEW: "Dirty Angels" by Karina Halle

Title: Dirty Angels

Author: Karina Halle

Release: June 15th by Metal Blonde Books

Goodreads Link:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18281528-dirty-angels?from_search=true

Purchase Links: 

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1qQe8Ik

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dirty-angels-karina-halle/1119684453?ean=2940045984744

Synopsis:

**warning: this book contains situations which might be triggers for some people. Please see the bottom of this description to see if this is the kind of book that you'll love or piss you off**

For Luisa Chavez, a twenty-three year old former beauty queen, a better life has always been just out of her reach. Sure, she’s had men at her feet since she was a young teenager but she’s never had the one thing she’s craved – security. Having grown up in near poverty, her waitressing job in Cabo San Lucas can barely let her take care of herself, let alone her ailing parents. Every day is another unwanted advance, every day is a struggle to survive.

When Salvador Reyes, the depraved leader of a major Mexican cartel, takes an interest in her, Luisa is presented with an opportunity she can’t afford to pass up. She’ll become Salvador’s wife and exchange her freedom and body for a life of riches – riches she can bestow upon her deserving parents. But Luisa quickly finds out that even the finest wines and jewels can’t undo the ugliness in her marriage, nor the never-ending violence that threatens her every move.

Soon, Luisa is looking for an escape, a way out of the carefully controlled life she’s leading. She finally gets her wish in the worst way possible.

As it is, being the wife of Salvador makes her an ideal target for rival cartels and there’s one particular man who needs Luisa as part of his cartel’s expansion. One particular man whose quest for power has destroyed lives, slit throats and gotten him out of an American prison. One particular man who will stop at nothing until he gets what he wants.

That man is Javier Bernal. And he wants Luisa. He wants to take her, keep her, ruin her.

Unless she ruins him first.

***WARNING*** This book deals with drug cartels and as such it contains a lot of sex and violence and some violent sex. It can get pretty ugly, pretty dark and pretty crazy. There is drug use, abuse, a bit of torture and dubious consent. The hero is not a hero and the villains...well, they're even worse. If this sort of thing bothers you, PLEASE DO NOT READ IT. This ain't no cupcake farting unicorn kind of book. If you are even a bit squeamish about violence, brutality and rape, this is your warning to stay away from a book that you certainly will not like (and why read books that you know you won't like?)***

***While this is a spin-off of The Artists Trilogy, prior knowledge of the books is not needed. DIRTY ANGELS is the first in a trilogy, however each book can standalone and follows or introduces different characters***

My Review: 

5 Stars *****

I don’t think it is any secret that I am quite the fan of Karina Halle’s work. I enjoy tales of the grittier side of life. Stories where the good guy has a little bit of bad in him and the bad guy has a little bit of good in him. Human beings are rarely so cut and dry. Every scoundrel has love in his heart for someone and every hero has hate in his for someone right? Ms. Halle has an innate way of pulling affection from me for the one I fight hard to distain and I love every minute of it.

Luisa Chavez is beautiful and tormented. She was raised in a happy yet poor home where her parents worked hard to make sure she was always provided for. They loved her and she loved them fiercely. She had a bright future, winning pageants to acquire monies for college. Then her father fell ill and with her mother’s disability the responsibility to provide for her family fell solely on her shoulders. A responsibility she did not begrudge. She loved them and wanted to make sure they had all they needed and were happy. Even if she had to work for a disgusting and lecherous man to make a meager wage in order to do so. It was a joyless and bleak existence but she had her family and she was free. That is until she caught the interest of Salvador Reyes one of Mexico’s most notorious drug cartel leaders. He wanted her and no one ever says no to Sal. No one. While she loathed the thought of being married to the vile man she took solace in knowing her parents would have all the comforts and care they needed for the rest of their days. She had no idea the horrors that awaited her in her new life as Luisa Reyes. Sal’s cruelty and monstrous ways knew no bounds. Desperate to escape him she took her chance one day and fled only to end up in the arms of yet another devil.

Javier Bernal is the devil. He scratched, clawed and slithered his way up the ladder to become head of his own cartel. Full of ambition and drive he masterminds a plan to grow his empire but he needs something from Salvador Reyes. So he takes something of Sal’s and if he wants it back unharmed he will make a deal with Javi. It is almost too easy when the object of trade runs right out of Sal’s compound for his taking.  It’s a shame. Sal has a treasure in Luisa that he doesn’t appreciate. She is innocent, passionate, and loyal. All things that would make a great queen. Too bad she is a pawn that must be disposed of in one way or another. Javi must stay away from her. His track record with woman being what it is… he doesn’t want or need the distraction from his goal. Affection is weakness and he will never make that mistake again. Running a cartel sure is a sticky business. You never know who to trust… even your own men are a hairs breath away from putting a knife in your back. A man must be cunning, stealthy and precise at all times. Weakness or the appearance of it is something that you can not afford. But is having all the power worth it if you are all alone at the top?

Man oh man did I LOVE this book! Luisa was a surprising heroine. She was selfless which had a perception of weakness but was in actuality a strength. She drew from her love of her parents to make hard choices and to pull herself through the awful things she had to live through. Her love gave her power. Acceptance gave her power. She accepted her circumstances and worked with them rather than against them. So different from Ellie but so similar.  While Ellie started out bad with horrible parents Louisa was the flip side of the coin. She started out good and melded into the life she was dealt. Then we have Javier… Oh Javi… he is one of “those” characters. The ones who frustrate you to no end. You love and hate him so fiercely you can feel yourself being ripped in two as you read.  He is so power hungry and devious and yet through his love of his sisters and his strange code of “honor” (for lack of a better word) you can’t help but root for him to win. I was so torn between him and Cam in the Artist Trilogy I was literally Team hopping every other chapter. This book did not ease that struggle. He is ruthless and cunning and handsome and sexy and he takes what he wants and does not apologize for who or what he is and there is just something mesmerizing about that. So masculine and hot. Makes a woman want to be bad, really really bad.  I think I am going to take a trip to Mexico and see if I can find a little trouble ;) 

About the Author:

With her USA Today Bestselling The Artists Trilogy published by Grand Central Publishing, numerous foreign publication deals, and self-publishing success with her Experiment in Terror series, Vancouver-born Karina Halle is a true example of the term "Hybrid Author." Though her books showcase her love of all things dark, sexy and edgy, she's a closet romantic at heart and strives to give her characters a HEA...whenever possible.

Karina holds a screenwriting degree from Vancouver Film School and a Bachelor of Journalism from TRU. Her travel writing, music reviews/interviews and photography have appeared in publications such as Consequence of Sound, Mxdwn and GoNomad Travel Guides. She currently lives on an island on the coast of British Columbia where she’s preparing for the zombie apocalypse with her fiance and rescue pup.

Karina is represented by Scott Waxman of the Waxman Leavell Literary Agency.

Author Links:

website: http://www.authorkarinahalle.com
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Karina-Halle/140649372629593
twitter username: MetalBlonde

SPOTLIGHT TOUR: "Beloved" By Corinne Michaels

We are excited to be one of today's stops on Corinne Michaels' Spotlight Tour for "Beloved". Check our all the book & author info below, my review, excerpt, playlist, buy links and enter the giveway for a chance to win a signed paperback, swag pack or Amazon Gift Card. Good Luck and Happy Reading!

Title: Beloved (Belonging #1)

Author: Corinne Michaels

Release: May 29, 2014

Synopsis:

Not enough.

Catherine Pope has never been enough. Every man she has ever loved abandoned her—from her father to her fiancé. She finally accepted the fact she would never be enough to hold any man’s heart and soul.

Then Catherine met Jackson Cole.

When her world literally collided with the sexy former Navy SEAL, everything she always believed is turned upside down and left scattered. He made her feel alive and desirable, consumed her with fierceness and loyalty—which completely unnerved her. Jackson got her in a way no one ever had, giving him the power to destroy her.

If she breaks down and gives him what’s left of her battered heart—will he protect it? Or will Catherine become an irrelevant part of yet another man’s life?

Will she get the one thing that has always evaded her – to finally be someone’s beloved?

Goodreads link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20495373-beloved

Purchase Links:

AMAZON

B&N

My Review:

5 Stars *****

Catherine has been left or betrayed by every single man in her life. Pushed aside and forgotten. Her father left without an explanation never to be heard from again and her fiancee cheated and obliterated her heart on the cusp their wedding. Why does this keep happening to her? She's beautiful, smart, funny, successful, loyal and her friends love her. Yet the love of men keeps slipping through her fingers. So she is done. Done. Done.

Until she literally falls for Jackson Cole. Right in to his lap to be exact. He is handsome, sexy and self assured and she must avoid him. Oh but storms are impossible to avoid when you are in their path and Catherine is thrown right in the midst when her PR firm is vying against a rival firm to represent Mr. Cole's cosmetics company. How is she supposed to fight this insane attraction she has to him? How does she keep it all completely professional when just his voice sets her body on fire? How can she let herself be happy in the present when her past keeps coming back to bite her in the ass? 

Wow this debut novel surprised me. The first page got my attention. Boy did the first page get my attention. All my female senses went on high alert and my "oh hell no they didn't!!!!" emotions bared their teeth. I can not tell you how much I love it when a author does this. Don't get me wrong... I like a story with a slow build... but a story that can throw a curveball first thing and then keep delivering is my favorite. This is that kind of story. You don't have to wait to get to the good stuff. This book has a lot to offer... love, fear, heartbreak, HOT sex, quirky/protective friends, military badasses and heart stopping moments that have you holding your breath all the way to the last word. I can't wait to see what else Ms. Michaels has in store for us. Bring it on!

PS: Piper is a dirty ho.

Favorite Quotes:

"Cute is for babies and puppies. I can think of at least ten other words to better describe me" "...God idea of perfect..."

"I wont let you fall. I'll be here, but sometimes I am going to be a dick. sometimes I am going to say the wrong thing. But if I didn't want to be here with you, I would've walked away."

"told you I's always find you., but you have to want to be found."  

Excerpt #2

                 

“Tonight, when I’m alone, I’m going to think about how good your legs felt wrapped around me, how your voice sounded when you screamed out my name. I’ll remember how it felt when my dick sunk into your hot, wet pussy.” He leans down and whispers against my ear, causing the hair on the back of my neck to stand, “And I’ll be counting down the minutes until I have you again.”

Playlist:

The Faces of Beloved:

Author Bio

Corinne is an emotional, witty, sarcastic, and fun loving mom of two beautiful children. She’s happily married to the man of her dreams and is a former Navy wife. After spending months away from her husband while he was deployed, reading and writing was her escape from the loneliness. Beloved is her first novel due in June of 2014.

Connect with Corinne

Website: http://www.corinnemichaels.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CorinneMichaels

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorCMichaels

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7753662

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/corinnemichaels/

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway