Tuesday, May 31, 2016

The Darkest Torment by Gena Showalter ~ Release Day & Giveaway

TheDarkestTorment - RWB banner    


The Queen of Paranormal Romance, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Gena Showalter, returns with THE DARKEST TORMENT, the eagerly anticipated twelfth novel in her Lords of the Underworld series, available now! Grab your copy today!


   
TheDarkestTorment - cover


Get your copy of THE DARKEST TORMENT here!


Amazon * Kindle * Barnes & Noble * Nook * Book Depository * GooglePlay *iBooks* BAM * Kobo * IndieBound


THE DARKEST TORMENT Synopsis:


New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter returns with her most explosive Lords of the Underworld tale to date, about a fierce warrior on the brink of sanity who will stop at nothing to claim the exquisite human with the power to soothe the beast inside him…


Driven to his death by the demon of Distrust, Baden spent centuries in purgatory. Now he’s back, but at what cost? Bound to the king of the underworld, an even darker force, he’s unable to withstand the touch of another…and he’s quickly devolving into a heartless assassin with an uncontrollable temper. Things only get worse when a mission goes awry and he finds himself saddled with a bride—just not his own.


Famed dog trainer Katarina Joelle is forced to marry a monster to protect her loved ones. When she’s taken hostage by the ruthless, beautiful Baden immediately after the ceremony, she’s plunged into a war between two evils—with a protector more dangerous than the monsters he hunts. They are meant to be enemies, but neither can resist the passion burning between them…and all too soon the biggest threat is to her heart.


But as Baden slips deeper into the abyss, she’ll have to teach him to love…or lose him forever.



    TheDarkestTorment - Available Now - teaser 2    


Add it to your Goodreads Now!


Excerpt


Katarina wasn’t afraid of Baden. Not anymore.


He took a step to the side, intending to move around her. Oh, no. She flattened her hands on his shoulders, keeping him in place.

“I want to know what’s wrong with you.” She said. “Tell me.”

He snapped his teeth at her in a show of dominance. “You think you want to know my problem. You’re wrong.”

Her tone dry, she said, “I’m so glad you know my mind better than I do.”

“Very well. I need sex.” He threw the words at her as if they were weapons. “Badly.”

Whoa. Blindside!

Heart pounding, she jerked her hands away from him. “Sex...from me?”

“Yesss.” A hiss. “Only from you.”

Only. Amazing how one little word could send pleasure soaring through her, warming her.

 “You told me never to touch you.” Which she’d just done, she realized. My bad.

“I’ve changed my mind.” His gaze dropped, lingered on her lips.

Burning her... “But you and I...we’re a different species.” As if that mattered to her body. Gimme!

He took a step closer, invading her personal space.  “We’ll fit, I promise you.”


Tristo hrmenych! The raspy quality of his voice, all smoke and gravel...she shivered with longing. Must resist his allure.

But...but...why? Before she’d committed to Peter, she’d dated around, had made out in movie theaters, cars and on couches. She’d liked kissing and touching and “riding the belt buckle,” as her friends had called it. Then, after committing to Peter, she’d gifted him with her virginity. At first, he hadn’t known what to do with her—he’d been just as inexperienced—and she’d left each encounter disappointed. When finally she’d gathered the courage to tell him what she wanted, he’d satisfied her well.

She missed sex. But connection...intimacy...she thought she missed thosemore.

The dogs barked, jolting her from her thoughts. They’d cleaned their food bowls, and now wanted to play. She clasped Baden’s hand to lead him out of the kennel. He jerked away, severing contact.

One action. Tons of hurt.

“I’m allowed to touch you and you want to have sex with me, but you’re still disgusted by me.” She stomped outside the kennel, done with him. “Well, I’m leaving. Good riddance! Your do-what-I-say-or-else attitude was annoying, anyway.”

He darted in front of her, stopping her. Breath caught in her throat as sunlight streamed over him, paying his chiseled features absolute tribute, making his bronzed skin glimmer.
So beautiful. Too beautiful.

“I’m not disgusted by you. You need me. I’ve come to accept it,” he admitted, looking away from her. “But being skin-to-skin with another is painful for me. We’ll have to proceed carefully. And you’ll get over your annoyance.”

Another order!  She would show him the error of his ways.





  Lords of the Underworld Series banner


And don’t miss the previous titles in the Lords of the Underworld Series!


THE DARKEST NIGHT

THE DARKEST KISS

THE DARKEST PLEASURE

THE DARKEST WHISPER

THE DARKEST PASSION

THE DARKEST LIE

THE DARKEST SECRET

THE DARKEST SURRENDER

THE DARKEST SEDUCTION

THE DARKEST CRAVING

THE DARKEST TOUCH


    TheDarkestTorment - Available Now    



Author pic- Gena Showalter
About Gena Showalter: Gena Showalter is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of the spellbinding Lords of the Underworld and Angels of the Dark series, two young adult series–Everlife and the White Rabbit Chronicles–and the highly addictive Original Heartbreakers series. In addition to being a National Reader’s Choice and two time RITA nominee, her romance novels have appeared in Cosmopolitan (Red Hot Read) and Seventeen magazine, she’s appeared on Nightline and been mentioned in Orange is the New Black–if you ask her about it, she’ll talk for hours…hours! Her books have been translated in multiple languages. She’s hard at work on her next novel, a tale featuring an alpha male with a dark side and the strong woman who brings him to his knees. You can learn more about Gena, her menagerie of rescue dogs, and all her upcoming books at genashowalter.com or Facebook.com/genashowalterfan      



Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

 






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Release Day...

From HQN Books...




USA TODAY bestselling author Sarah Morgan introduces a sizzling new trilogy about three best friends embracing life—and love—in Manhattan

Cool, calm and competent, events planner Paige Walker loves a challenge. After a childhood spent in and out of hospitals, she's now determined to prove herself—and where better to take the world by storm than in the exhilarating bustle of Manhattan? But when Paige is let go from the job she loves, she must face her biggest challenge of all—going it alone.

Except launching her own events company is nothing compared to hiding her outrageous crush on Jake Romano—her brother's best friend, New York's most in-demand date, and the only man to break her heart. When Jake offers Paige's fledgling company a big chance, their still-sizzling chemistry starts giving her sleepless nights. But can she convince the man who trusts no one to take a chance on forever?








A stolen boy

A haunted soldier

A cornered con woman…


Rafe Angelito thought he was done with the demons from his past—until his son is kidnapped. Blackmailed into abducting an American heiress, the legionnaire soon finds himself trapped in paradise with a fiery, daring beauty who's nothing he expects…and everything he desires. But when he uncovers her own dark secret, Rafe realizes he's made a critical mistake—one that could cost him everything.

Playing body double for a spoiled socialite was supposed to be Holly Ryan's ticket to freedom. But when she's snatched off her yacht by a tall, dark and dangerous stranger, the not-quite-reformed con artist will make a desperate play to turn her captor from enemy to ally, by any means necessary.

Yet as scorching days melt into sultry nights, Holly is drawn to the mysterious capitaine, with his unexpected sense of honor and his searing touch. When they're double-crossed, they'll have to risk trusting each other in ways they never imagined…because in this deadly game of deception, it's their lives—and hearts—on the line.



 
No strings attached is pretty much Lucky McCord's calling card in Spring Hill, Texas, but when family is on the line, this cowboy's honor and heart are about to get lassoed, tied and branded.

Every family needs its black sheep, and Austin "Lucky" McCord is happy to oblige. The bad-boy bull rider lives fast and loose, until his business partner leaves him an unexpected bequest. Suddenly Lucky is sharing custody of two children with Cassie Weatherall, one of the few homegrown women he hasn't bedded. And not from lack of trying…

Cassie fled her messy past to become a celebrity therapist in LA. So why does it feel so right to come back and share parenting duties—and chrome-melting kisses—with a man she's striven to avoid? Loving Lucky always seemed like a sure bet for heartache. But for this perfectly imperfect family, Cassie might just gamble with everything she's got.






 
Driven to his death by the demon of Distrust, Baden spent centuries in purgatory. Now he's back, but at what cost? Bound to the king of the underworld, an even darker force, he's unable to withstand the touch of another...and he's quickly devolving into a heartless assassin with an uncontrollable temper. Things only get worse when a mission goes awry and he finds himself saddled with a bride—just not his own.

Famed dog trainer Katarina Joelle is forced to marry a monster to protect her loved ones. When she's taken hostage by the ruthless, beautiful Baden immediately after the ceremony, she's plunged into a war between two evils—with a protector more dangerous than the monsters he hunts. They are meant to be enemies, but neither can resist the passion burning between them...and all too soon the biggest threat is to her heart.

But as Baden slips deeper into the abyss, she'll have to teach him to love...or lose him forever.









Teaser Tuesday ~ 5/31/16

This is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.



To participate you:
* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
(Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!




Angels' Dance (Guild Hunter, 0.4) by Nalini Singh

The gentle teacher of angelic young, and the keeper of her people's histories, Jessamy is respected and admired by everyone who knows her. Yet, born unable to soar into flight, she has spent thousands of years trapped in the mountain stronghold of the Refuge, her heart encased in painful loneliness...until the arrival of Galen, warrior angel from a martial court.


Rough-edged and blunt, Galen is a weapons-master at home with violence, a stranger to the sweet words it takes to woo a woman--but he is also a man determined to claim Jessamy for his own, to dance with her through the skies denied her for so very long...even if their exhilarating passion proves as dangerous as the landscape of war and unrest that lies before them.



This novella is also available in this anthology




Teaser...


Anger was not the dominant emotion she felt toward Galen. 
When he returned with her sandals and went down on one knee to slide them onto her feet, his wings a rich, dark gray against the paving stones, she started to argue that she could do it herself.  But Galen, as she'd already begun to learn, was an irresistible force when he wanted something, and he had her feet in the sandals moments later, the skin of his hands callused, the touch intimate in a way that made her abdomen clench.  (Page 21)


So, my obsession series is by this author and, well, I must check out another of her series'.  And this one is very different and yet similar.  Same rich writing and strong characters.  Totally different world.  And I do like it.  We'll see if it becomes an obsession.





Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass, #2)"A line that should never be crossed is about to be breached.

It puts this entire castle in jeopardy—and the life of your friend."


From the throne of glass rules a king with a fist of iron and a soul as black as pitch. Assassin Celaena Sardothien won a brutal contest to become his Champion. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown. She hides her secret vigilantly; she knows that the man she serves is bent on evil.

Keeping up the deadly charade becomes increasingly difficult when Celaena realizes she is not the only one seeking justice. As she tries to untangle the mysteries buried deep within the glass castle, her closest relationships suffer. It seems no one is above questioning her allegiances—not the Crown Prince Dorian; not Chaol, the Captain of the Guard; not even her best friend, Nehemia, a foreign princess with a rebel heart.

Then one terrible night, the secrets they have all been keeping lead to an unspeakable tragedy. As Celaena's world shatters, she will be forced to give up the very thing most precious to her and decide once and for all where her true loyalties lie... and whom she is ultimately willing to fight for.


Teaser...


"I'm just trying to figure out what's so boring that you dozed off ten minutes ago." 
She propped herself on her elbows. "I did not!" 
His brows rose. "I heard you snoring." 
"You're a liar, Chaol Westfall." She threw her paper at him and plopped back on the couch. "I only closed my eyes for a minute." 
He shook his head again and went back to work.  
Celaena blushed. "I didn't really snore, did I?" 
His face was utterly serious as he said, "Like a bear."

About time I picked this book up. I loved Throne of Glass, and I'm excited to read what comes next! I heart Chaol. He and Celaena are so freaking cute! 


Those are our teasers for this week! What do you think? Do you have a teaser to share? Leave us a comment and link us up!

Monday, May 30, 2016

Bound to Serve by Julie Castle ~ Release Day & Giveaway


We're celebrating the release of the BOUND TO SERVE by Julie Castle! 

Title: BOUND TO SERVE
Series Name: Dangerous Liaisons
Author Name: Julie Castle
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance/Romantic Suspense


BLURB



Condor earned his reputation by being Delta Star’s ultimate secret agent. He’s untouchable, unstoppable, and he always nails his targets. But no matter how many times he’s saved the world, he’s a ghost who will never take credit. He works best alone, and to continue to protect his country, he’ll stay alone.

New Delta Star field agent Bridget Jamison is obsessed with capturing Simon Perez, the elusive terrorist responsible for her ex-fiancé's death. When the Delta Star director hands the case over to Condor, a mesmerizing ghost agent who has the power to make her weak in the knees with one intense look, Bridget agrees to be Condor's partner so that she's not dropped from the case and her chance for justice.

Now they’re on a mission to infiltrate a dangerous criminal organization and capture Perez. It’s up to Condor to keep this beautiful, determined agent out of harm’s way, and to keep their explosive passion contained long enough not to risk their cover…and their lives.



EXCERPT




Condor walked back into the body of the Delta Star unmarked jet after conferring with the flight crew in the pilot’s cabin. The agency’s private jet bore no government markings and had filed a false flight plan. The flight to the private island would be a lengthy one and would give him a chance to work with Bridget. Bridget stood by the counter, his backpack open and the Perez file unfolded in her hands. He smiled. She’d fallen right into his trap. Denying her access to the file had been a small test, one she’d failed miserably. He knew she was going to be trouble, and this confirmed it. Given her training, it wasn’t likely that she’d blow their cover after learning what it contained, but it was imperative that she learn to obey him. The instant she sensed his presence, she looked up at him and blushed like a guilty kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar. An instant later, her chin rose defiantly and her emerald eyes narrowed. The look charmed the hell out of him, but it was her unapologetic smile that made his heart skip a beat, while he hardened, throbbing to life. Damn, who was the master here? It was going to be a long night. “So the creep gets his rocks off at a private island compound called the Retreat,” she said softly, then added in a scornful tone, “I’m not a bit surprised.” Her instincts as an agent were sharp, he had to give her that, but he was keeping her in the dark for a reason. Unused to this kind of operation, she might say or do the wrong thing and risk her pretty neck. Given her personal connection to the case, and her need to avenge James Clayton, she wasn’t thinking with her head. She’d want to take over. Hell, she’d already threatened to take over, and it couldn’t be allowed. Not on Condor’s watch.

Bridget clutched the file and tried to gauge Condor’s reaction. She looked at his firm, forbidding expression, and knew without a doubt that she had crossed an invisible line in the sand. He’d ordered her not to peek, and she defied him. Now she had to pay the penalty. Damn the man. She wouldn’t have to resort to subterfuge like this if he’d share the info like a normal agent, but the troubled look in his eye told her to save her breath. He rolled up his sleeves. “Kick off your shoes, take off your jacket and piece, and come here.” He pushed down a jump seat, sat down, and patted his hard lap. She gulped, appalled, and at the same time fascinated as he prepared to punish her. He couldn’t mean to actually take her over his knee like she was a disobedient child. The flight crew might overhear. A look at his amused expression told her that he meant to do just that. “No.” He was a total hunk in a rough-around-the- edges kind of way. Still dressed in his biker leathers, he looked totally indecent and totally devastating. “You did agree to be trained. And I told you it would start immediately.” He arched a brow and said softly, “Unless you want out. Just say the word, and I’ll turn the plane around.”

“No,” she protested. Still, she stood frozen with shock, her pulse racing, her core tightening. If he’d grabbed her and forced her to comply, it would have been so much easier, but that wasn’t his game. He wanted her to come to him, to submit, and damn—part of her wanted to obey, to find out what it was like to let someone else be in control and take care of her.


Teasers












GIVEAWAY









About the author:





Sunday, May 29, 2016

Stacking OUR Shelves ~ 5/29/16


Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.  Make sure to checkout her post with links to all the other participates.

Click covers for Goodreads links


For Review Consideration...




Thanks go to...


St. Martin's Press


Bought...



My signed copy arrived!


Couldn't resist these two because I LOVE this series and this author!






For Review Consideration...


The Ghost (Highland Guard, #12)Demand (Careless Whispers, #2)A Measure of Love (A Pound of Flesh, #3)



Thanks go to...


Pocket Books
Gallery Books



Bought...


A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #2)


That's what we added to our shelves this week! What do you think? What did you add to your stacks? Leave us a comment and link us up!

Saturday, May 28, 2016

The Darkest Whisper (Lords of the Underworld, #4) by Gena Showalter ~ Review

Source:  Purchased audiobook


He is the keeper of Doubt and his entire world’s about to be rocked.

Bound by the demon of Doubt, Sabin unintentionally destroys even the most confident of lovers. So the immortal warrior spends his time on the battlefield instead of the bedroom, victory his only concern…until he meets Gwendolyn the Timid. One taste of the beautiful redhead, and he craves more.

Gwen, an immortal herself, always thought she’d fall for a kind human who wouldn’t rouse her darker side. But when Sabin frees her from prison, battling their enemies for the claim to Pandora’s box turns out to be nothing compared to the battle Sabin and Gwen will wage against love…










Review...


I continue to enjoy the Lords of the Underworld seres, though I do love this cover the best!  In this story, Sabin and Gwen are featured but we see and hear from a lot of the other Lords.  It's a bit different from other series' where a different couple is featured for each book.  In this one, there is always something more than passing mentions of the couples that came before and there is always details that will lead to others stories going forward.  I enjoy that.  It's nice to have the overarching story including all the Lords and there are a couple of Lords who's stories I can't wait to read because of it (Is it Paris' turn yet???).

As for Sabin, I was a little worried.  He's part of the group of Lords that broke off during a disagreement on what their purpose should be.  Since the stories up to now have been about the other group of Lords, I wasn't certain how I would feel about Sabin.  He's very much a warrior and at the beginning of this one shows very little softness at all.  But I shouldn't have worried, I completely fell for him.

Talk about a mis-match, in this one you have the solid warrior Sabin pitted against the harpy that's afraid of her harpy side and can't fight, like at all.  It's kinda funny actually.  But I don't think anyone could have made it past the demon doubt and melt the heart of Sabin and certainly no one else could teach a harpy how to fight.  I loved that.  They each brought something to the table that benefits the other and they made that into the best thing that every happened to them.  It's very balanced for a romance story.

Of course the sexy times are hot and spicy.  Sabin really has stayed away from women and Gwen has always been afraid to let herself loose.  When both of them let go, they are seriously hot together.  And while Gwen really doesn't need to be protected, Sabin is all over that job.  And while Sabin has always been able to fight alone, Gwen is all about being at his side.

I enjoyed how this one played out.  We gets lots of information about the series over-arching story as well as an interesting resolution for the couple.  I can't really say more without spoiling their ending but I will say that it has a "proving" aspect that I liked.

Still not sure that this is an obsession.  I might not know until I'm done with it and decide if I move on or re-read.  But this is one great paranormal romance series and I'm definitely enjoying it.  So if you haven't started this series, you should get on that.




                            






2,000,000 Pageview Celebration Giveaway #7




We are honored to have been visited so many times.

And we're celebrating the way we always do!

Giveaways!


We have a week worth of great giveaways!

Friday, May 27, 2016

Splash Into Summer Giveaway Hop




Thanks to BookHounds for hosting this hop!




I have this YA novel to give away!

US only




He makes good girls...bad.

Dante Walker is flippin’ awesome, and he knows it. His good looks, killer charm, and stellar confidence have made him one of hell’s best—a soul collector. His job is simple: weed through humanity and label those round rears with a big red good or bad stamp. Old Saint Nick gets the good guys, and he gets the fun ones. Bag-and-tag.

Sealing souls is nothing personal. Dante’s an equal-opportunity collector and doesn't want it any other way. But he’ll have to adjust, because Boss Man has given him a new assignment:

Collect Charlie Cooper’s soul within ten days.

Dante doesn't know why Boss Man wants Charlie, nor does he care. This assignment means only one thing to him, and that’s a permanent ticket out of hell. But after Dante meets the quirky Nerd Alert chick he’s come to collect, he realizes this assignment will test his abilities as a collector…and uncover emotions deeply buried.





a Rafflecopter giveaway


Check out the rest of the hop...



Sleepless in Manhattan by Sarah Morgan ~ Review

Source: Received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

USA TODAY bestselling author Sarah Morgan introduces a sizzling new trilogy about three best friends embracing life—and love—in Manhattan 
Cool, calm and competent, events planner Paige Walker loves a challenge. After a childhood spent in and out of hospitals, she's now determined to prove herself—and where better to take the world by storm than in the exhilarating bustle of Manhattan? But when Paige is let go from the job she loves, she must face her biggest challenge of all—going it alone. 

Except launching her own events company is nothing compared to hiding her outrageous crush on Jake Romano—her brother's best friend, New York's most in-demand date, and the only man to break her heart. When Jake offers Paige's fledgling company a big chance, their still-sizzling chemistry starts giving her sleepless nights. But can she convince the man who trusts no one to take a chance on forever?




Review...



Deliciously sweet and sexy, Sleepless in Manhattan will have you staying up late.

Friends to lovers is a favorite trope but add brothers best friend to the mix and it’s just plain fun. Paige meets Jake when she’s in the hospital as a teen and facing heart surgery. Her brother Matt brings him around. And while Jake is Matt’s best friend, the friendship he develops with Paige is the medicine she needs. Of course she falls for him. But Jake has issues with love and pushes her away. The problem is that he stays a part of their tight group of friends. Paige sees him every week. Now, all grown-up and dealing with her life, Paige still cares for Jake even if she can’t have more. And that is where this story starts.

I really enjoyed the characters in this story. Of course, I loved the highly successful if not emotionally battered Jake. He has an app for that. A tech genius and a great businessman, he’s made it. A different girl on his arm every week, he has what he wants. Paige, so organized and on top of things but afraid to take a risk. She took that risk as a teen and it didn’t pay off. Better to play it safe. Her best friends, Eve and Frankie. So love them. Eve is adorable. Optimistic and happy, she can bake something up to feed you. And Frankie has the green thumb to end all but don’t ask her about love. She finds it stupid. Then there is Matt, Paige’s brother. Protective and loving towards his sister, he may not see what he’s looking for is close by. Together these friends are fun, supportive and perfect.

The writing is third person but it was done really well. I felt that connection to the characters that is sometimes missing in this style of writing. Alternating POV between Paige and Jake, I loved reading every page.

A great story, this one does a great job of mixing sweet and sexy without either being overwhelming. I enjoyed the friendship Paige and Jake had. It was obvious that he cared for her but he struggles with some pain from his childhood that has him untrusting of love. It’s an interesting play on friends to lovers since he’s Matt’s best friend. But it worked really well.

Enjoyable and satisfying, I’m hopeful there will be more from these characters. I can see a book for each Eve and Frankie. For one of them, I’m thinking I know who their happy is with.  Can't wait for more.