Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Make It Last (Bowler University, #3) by Megan Erickson ~ Blog Tour




Title: Make it Last
Author: Megan Erickson
SeriesBowler University #3
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance
Publication: January 6th, 2014 by William Morrow Impulse

After graduating from Bowler University, the last place Cam Ruiz ever expected to find himself is his hometown. A bad job as a bouncer and worry over his mom’s health make living in Paradise anything but. There’s only one thing that can make his return any harder—running into the only girl he’s ever loved.

Tate Ellison made a mistake when she was eighteen, one that cost her the best thing she’s ever had. She’s always hoped the regret of losing Cam would fade over time. Too bad it’s only grown. She took comfort in the fact she’d never have to face him again, so his presence in Paradise throws her for a loop.

The pull between them is instant and when the truth of what happened years ago tumbles out, they share a mind-blowing kiss...which leads to more. But the past has a way of repeating itself. When all the cards are on the table, Cam and Tate must decide what they are willing to do to make it last.



Purchase:

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Review

Sometimes when I read a book, my emotions get blindsided.  Such is the case with this book.  It's not that the situation is too close to home as much as the feeling of the characters are close to my own.  And that tells you how real this book feels to me.

Tate thought she knew what was best for everyone around her and that always meant she took the worst of it as a result.  Yes, I do that sometimes.  So I get Tate.  It's also why I wanted to smack her sometimes.  But I love her just the same.

Speaking of love, I adore Cam.  He's yummy and determined.  I love that he comes home to help his mom.  I love that he still loves Tate.  I love that he believes her when all is said and done.  I love the game they play together.  He's one hunky Hispanic and I'm so happy for him.

It was great seeing characters from the first two books in this one.  They made cameo appearance but you didn't need to know their story to read this one.  It definitely can be read stand alone.

The story had me wondering a lot at the beginning.  But as it unfolded, I figured things out and enjoyed every page of it.

This is fast read that I just slowed down some because of my emotions.  But anyone who loves the new adult genre will want to pick this one right up.  Enjoy. 



        

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About Megan

Megan Erickson grew up in a family that averages 5’5” on a good day and started writing to create characters who could reach the top kitchen shelf.

She’s got a couple of tattoos, has a thing for gladiators and has been called a crazy cat lady. After working as a journalist for years, she decided she liked creating her own endings better and switched back to fiction.

She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, two kids and two cats. And no, she still can’t reach the stupid top shelf.



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Giveaway


a Rafflecopter giveaway

#CuddlesByVal ~ 12/31/14



This is my version of Waiting on Wednesday but with more cuddles, books I can't wait to cuddle for various reasons.

What are we waiting on this week?  THIS!


Available 1/6/15


When everything starts spinning out of control . . .

Three years into college, Tressa Oliver’s life is a nonstop party. She’s skating by in her classes, and there’s no shortage of drinking, dancing, and general hell-raising. The only aspect that hasn’t been much fun: She can’t shake the toxic jerks that always seem to gravitate toward her.

It will take someone totally wrong . . .

Trent Lawson is the classic anti-bad boy: smart, boring, and way too serious. To a wild girl like Tressa, there’s no way in hell they’re compatible—especially since Trent seems to see straight through her defenses.

To set her right.

When a college prank goes terribly wrong, Tressa starts to suspect that her partying ways are leading nowhere fast. Now she has to turn to the last person she ever thought she’d ask for help—and quickly discovers that there’s more to Trent than meets the eye . . .


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20893490-contradictions?from_search=true

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0425274802/http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/contradictions-tiffany-king/1118739100

 
Why am I waiting?  I love Tiffany books and this series in particular has been a favorite.  Reading it soon.




Available 7/1/15

Jesse's Girl (Hundred Oaks)

Practice Makes Perfect.

Everyone at Hundred Oaks High knows that career mentoring day is a joke. So when Maya Henry said she wanted to be a rock star, she never imagined she’d get to shadow *the* Jesse Scott, Nashville’s teen idol.

But spending the day with Jesse is far from a dream come true. He’s as gorgeous as his music, but seeing all that he’s accomplished is just a reminder of everything Maya’s lost: her trust, her boyfriend, their band, and any chance to play the music she craves. Not to mention that Jesse’s pushy and opinionated. He made it on his own, and he thinks Maya’s playing back up to other people’s dreams. Does she have what it takes to follow her heart—and go solo?



Why am I waiting? I've loved Miranda Kenneally's books since Catching Jordan. Breathe, Annie, Breathe was one of my favorite books of 2014, and I even added it to my all-time favorites shelf. I am so excited to read this next book! Seriously. I cannot wait. CANNOT. WAIT. *flails*


That's what we're waiting on this week! What do you think? What are you waiting on? Leave us a comment!


Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Wolf's Fall (Alpha Pack, #6) by J. D. Tyler ~ Audio Book Review

Source:  Purchased the audio book.

Wolf's Fall (Alpha Pack, #6) by J.D. Tyler

A top secret team of wolf shifters, the Alpha Pack are former Navy SEALS that use their Psy powers to take on the world’s greatest predators. But while each member is loyal to the pack, it can be hard to deny the call of desire…

Still tormented by his recent captivity, Alpha Pack commander Nick Westfall isn’t sure he’s fit to lead—especially when he meets the one woman he can’t claim without reliving the torture he endured at the hands of a rogue vampire.

Vampire princess Calla Shaw has seen her own share of heartbreak, but she can tell that the wild attraction she and Nick feel for each other could turn into something significant—if only he’d let it. But Calla isn’t about to give up on her mate without a fight.

Time is running out, not only for Nick to claim his mate, but for Calla and her coven. A vampire war is on the horizon, one the Alpha Pack can’t hope to win if their leader can’t pull himself back from the abyss…


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20649133-wolf-s-fall

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0451466918/http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wolfs-fall-j-d-tyler/1120001712http://www.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/Wolfs-Fall-Audiobook/B00PZGSNTO/



 Paperback Cover






 Review...

Since this is an audio review, let me start there.  Marguerite Gavin narrates this book.  Looking at the previous books, she is new to this series.  I haven't heard the rest of the books so I can only talk about my experience with this book but I don't think it was a great change.  I didn't enjoy her voices.  Particularly, Nicks voice.  She made him sound like a grouchy old man.  I guess as a 200 year old natural born shifter, he is old but it doesn't show at all, otherwise.  Anyway, I don't think I would listen to another book by this narrator.

I started this series in book 5, Cole's Redemption.  Check MY REVIEW here.  The ending of that one set-up this one and I was interested in how a wolf that had been tortured by a vamp would ever be okay with a vamp as his mate.  So I picked this one to find out.

I enjoyed this world where a top secret pack of shifters protects the world from paranormal problems.  Nick is a great leader who has faced more than a few struggles in his over 200 years.  That makes the story serious and full of battle.  It's also full of sexy times every time Nick and his new mate Calla find themselves alone.  Didn't matter if that was under a waterfall or in a cabin alone.  These two are hot together.

The larger story of the group in the series moves forward as well.  I am missing pieces as I didn't read the first 4 books but it makes sense anyway.  I enjoy the other characters even if I don't know all their back history.  It was nice to see Zan again.  I'm glad he's doing better.

If you love the paranormal romance with a side of extra hot and sexy, then this book will appeal to you.



                    


About the author...


National Bestselling author J.D. Tyler is best known for her dark, sexy paranormal series Alpha Pack, and the Firefighters of Station Five series under her pseudonym Jo Davis. PRIMAL LAW, the first book in her Alpha Pack series, is the winner of the National Reader’s Choice Award in Paranormal. She's also been a multiple finalist in the Colorado Romance Writers Award of Excellence, a finalist for the Bookseller's Best Award, has captured the HOLT Medallion Award of Merit, and has been two-time nominee for the Australian Romance Readers Award in romantic suspense.

J.D.’s books regularly appear on the Neilson Bookscan, Barnes and Noble, BooksOnBoard, and Amazon bestseller lists, among others, and she was recently named by BooksOnBoard as their #1 Bestselling Romance Author.

When she isn’t writing, J.D.’s idea of a good time certainly isn’t cleaning house (sniff), bungee jumping (not in this lifetime, or the next), or camping (her idea of “roughing it” is a slow bellboy). She enjoys reading, being pampered like the diva she is, and spending time with her awesome family. J.D. lives in Texas with her two teenagers. 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/JD-Tyler/192403284107373https://twitter.com/JDTylerAuthorhttps://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4486715.J_D_Tylerwww.JDTyler.com




Tuesday Teaser ~ 12/30/14

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!



INTRODUCING SWAT: SPECIAL WOLF ALPHA TEAM
They're tight
They're on target
They're as alpha as men can get.


The Dallas SWAT team is hiding one helluva secret . . . they're a pack of wolf shifters.

The team of elite sharpshooters is ultra-secretive—and also the darlings of Dallas. This doesn't sit well with investigative journalist Mackenzie Stone. They must be hiding something . . . and she's determined to find out what.

Keeping Mac at a distance proves impossible for SWAT team commander Gage Dixon. She's smart, sexy, and makes him feel alive for the first time in years. But she's getting dangerously close to the truth—and perilously close to his heart...


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21898402-hungry-like-the-wolf

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1492608475/http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hungry-like-the-wolf-paige-tyler/1120023163


Teaser...



"Yeah, I get it.  I'm sex-addled, not slow."  Gage laughed again.   (Kindle location 2876)



Yeah, I'm being stingy with this teaser but it was such a great line, I just didn't want to give ya more.  Besides it kinda represents these two well.  You can check out MY REVIEW here.  What do you think of Mackenzie and Gage?

 



Tiger's Quest (The Tiger Saga, #2)
Back in Oregon, Kelsey tries to pick up the pieces of her life and push aside her feelings for Ren. Kelsey Hayes's eighteenth summer was crazy. The kind of crazy nobody would ever believe.

Aside From battling immortal sea monkeys and trekking the jungles of India, she fell in love with Ren, a 300-year-old prince.

When danger suddenly forces Kelsey on another Indian quest, with Ren's bad-boy brother, Kishan,the unlikely duo begins to question their true destiny. Ren's life hangs in the balance--so does the truth within Kelsey's heart.

Tiger's Quest, the thrilling second volume in the Tiger's Curse series, brings the trio one step closer to breaking the ancient prophecy that binds them.



Teaser...


He seized me as boldly as a tiger captures his prey. There was no escape. And I didn't want to. I would have happily died in his clutches. I was his, and he made sure I knew it. My heart burst with a thousand beautiful blooms, all tiger lilies. And I knew with certainty more powerful than anything I'd ever felt before that we belonged together.

He lifted his head and murmured against my lips, "It's about bloody time, woman."

I am so addicted to this series, I cannot even tell you. REN! What do you think of this little taste of him?


Those are the teasers for this week! What do you think? Do you have a tease to share? Leave us a comment!

Monday, December 29, 2014

Hungry Like The Wolf (SWAT, #1) by Paige Tyler ~ Review

Source:  Received an eBook copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

INTRODUCING SWAT: SPECIAL WOLF ALPHA TEAM
They're tight
They're on target
They're as alpha as men can get.


The Dallas SWAT team is hiding one helluva secret . . . they're a pack of wolf shifters.

The team of elite sharpshooters is ultra-secretive—and also the darlings of Dallas. This doesn't sit well with investigative journalist Mackenzie Stone. They must be hiding something . . . and she's determined to find out what.

Keeping Mac at a distance proves impossible for SWAT team commander Gage Dixon. She's smart, sexy, and makes him feel alive for the first time in years. But she's getting dangerously close to the truth—and perilously close to his heart...


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21898402-hungry-like-the-wolf

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1492608475/http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hungry-like-the-wolf-paige-tyler/1120023163

Available 1/6/15



Review...

I've just been in the mood for paranormal lately.  And shifters have always been my favorite type of paranormal, so when I saw this one I had to read it.

What do you get when you put a bunch of alpha males together on one SWAT team?  A bunch of muscled guys that tend to solve problems with their fists.  Good thing they respect the pack leader, Gage, or there would be more than broken mirrors in the weight room.  But when a sexy reporter comes looking for what makes this team so successful the pack might disagree on how to deal with her.

What I loved about this story is how my interest continued to grow over the course of the story.  I'm interested in the pack leader and the reporter that he thinks smells so good.  And as that part of the story starts to make sense to me, a new part takes my interest.  Oh.  How is that going to play out with the rest of the story?  What about this photographer?  What about this criminal that has his panties in a bunch?  What about the rest of the pack?  What about the rest of the police department?  What about truth?  What about secrets?  What about the public's right to know?  What about protecting those that protect others?  It was more than a romance between a shifter and the reporter who doesn't know the story she's looking for is in her bed.  And I enjoyed after last page, right down to the last.

There is some hot chemistry between these two.  But what was so nice and different was that they didn't fall into bed immediately and at every opportunity.  There was a story to go with the hot sex.  I really did love that.  My very favorite hot and sexy scene, though,  was when they were trying to be quiet.  Hehe.  And the Olympic scoring.  Yes that.  So fun.

There are sixteen in this pack of sexy, muscled SWAT members.  I'm guessing and hoping they each get their own book.  I'm hoping Xander is next.   He leads one of the divisions and I was very drawn to him.  But I'd love to read Coopers too.  Oh, all of them.  Bring it.

If you love those sexy stories that also have action, suspense and keep you turning the pages, then this one is a great choice.  It's gonna get you interested in paranormal again.

              

About the Author...


Paige is a USA Today Bestselling Author. She graduated from The University of West Florida with a degree in education in 2000, but decided to pursue a full-time career as a writer in 2004. Since then, she’s written over fifty books in several genres, including paranormal, contemporary, western, sci-fi and erotica. She loves writing about strong, sexy, alpha males and the feisty, independent women who fall for them. From verbal foreplay to sexual heat, her stories of romance, adventure, suspense, passion and true love will leave you breathlessly panting for more.

She and her very own military hero (also known as her husband) live on the beautiful Florida coast with their adorable fur baby (also known as their dog). Paige graduated with a degree in education, but decided to pursue her passion and write books about hunky alpha males and the kickbutt heroines who fall in love with them.

When not working on her latest book, Paige enjoys reading, jogging, P90X, Yoga, Pilates, going to the beach, watching NFL football, watching movies and hanging out with her husband (not necessarily in that order!)


https://www.facebook.com/SWATSeriesbyPaigeTylerAuthorhttps://twitter.com/paigetylerhttp://paigetylertheauthor.com/https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2300692.Paige_Tyler