Friday, February 27, 2015

Riot (Mayhem, #2) by Jamie Shaw ~ Review

Riot (Mayhem, #2) by Jamie Shaw

When Dee Dawson meets sexy mohawked guitarist Joel Gibbon, she knows it won’t be long before she has him wrapped around her finger. No guy has ever been able to resist her… but Dee’s met her match in a player like Joel.

Dee’s not the relationship type—not after seeing the pain “love” has caused her friends and family—yet she’s desperate to make Joel want her more than anyone else. He quickly becomes an obsession, and when a reckless attempt to make him jealous ends in disaster, Dee turns into the damsel in distress she never wanted to be. With her carefree world crashing down around her, the last thing she needs is Joel’s pity.

But Joel is suddenly determined to prove he cares, and no matter how hard Dee tries to push him away, he refuses to let her shut him out. Now the girl who swore she’d never say those three little words must choose between guarding her heart and losing Joel forever… or falling head-over-heels for the tattooed rock star of her dreams.



https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22552582-riot

http://www.amazon.com/Riot-Jamie-Shaw-ebook/dp/B00L1AJUKY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423967052&sr=8-1&keywords=riot+jamie+shawhttp://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/riot-jamie-shaw/1120303519?ean=9780062379689&itm=1&usri=9780062379689&cm_mmc=AFFILIATES-_-Linkshare-_-GwEz7vxblVU-_-10:1&r=1,%201


Review...



I so loved the first book in this series.  Couldn't wait for the more so when I got my hands on Riot, I didn't wait to dive in.  Dee and Joel's story is a little different, though.  While Rowan is Dee's best friend, they couldn't be more different.

She loves to have the guys chase her but the catching part is always short lived.  The idea of a relationship is more than she can take.  Her mom broke her heart at age eleven and she's not going there again.  So a different guy every night?  So fine with her.  Guess hanging with a band is the right place for that, right?

Yeah, except that she catches Joel's eye.  He's your typical rock star.  Different girl every night or hour as the case may be.  But he keeps going back to Dee and she's good with that.  And the game begins.  Both of them avoiding what's obvious to everyone else.

Seems that the way to tame a player is to be a player yourself.  When both of them can't stand to see each other with someone else, Joel starts to figure it out.  But Dee resists, a lot.  It's quite amusing actually.  Rowan tries to enlighten Dee but she won't have it.  This girl falls kicking and screaming.

The story is a sexy roller coaster ride of emotions as Dee tries to figure out her heart and Joel shows his in his actions.  I really enjoyed watching them come to terms with their hearts.  Truly was a riot.

While I totally recommend you read Mayhem first, it's not necessary.  Riot can stand alone.  Those that love the sexy rock star story will want this one for sure.  Definitely at fangirl status for this series!

Cannot wait for Chaos in July.  Looks like that's Shawn and Kit's story.   And there's certainly a story there.   A history and some chemistry.  Gonna be good.  Make sure you're ready for that one.

 

About the series...


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22552579-mayhemhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22552582-riot





About the author...


Author of the MAYHEM series, JAMIE SHAW earned her M.S. in Professional Writing from Towson University before realizing that the creative side of writing was her calling. An incurable night-owl, she spends late hours crafting novels with relatable heroines and swoon-worthy leading men. She’s a loyal drinker of white chocolate mochas, a fierce defender of emo music, and a passionate enthusiast of all things romance. She loves interacting with readers and always aims to add new names to their book boyfriend lists.





https://www.facebook.com/JamieShawAuthorhttps://twitter.com/authorjamieshawhttp://authorjamieshaw.blogspot.com/https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9878015.Jamie_Shaw


Cover Reveal ~ Need Me (Broke & Beautiful, #2) by Tessa Bailey




From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Tessa Bailey, comes the next fun and sexy novel in her Broke and Beautiful trilogy!

“How did this tweed-wearing English professor turn out to be my dirtiest hero ever? Cause he really is.”--Tessa Bailey

When Honey Perribow traded in her cowboy boots for stilettos and left her small Kentucky town to attend Columbia University, she never expected to find a dirt-cheap apartment or two new best friends. No stranger to hard work, Honey’s sole focus is a medical degree...until she sees newly-minted Professor, Ben Dawson, and her concentration is hijacked. Honey is fascinated by her gorgeous, young English professor and vows to find a crack his tweed-wearing, glasses-clad exterior.

While at an off campus party, an accident lands Ben in a dark, locked closet with a sexy-sounding southern belle...and their chemistry is explosive. But when he discovers that the girl in his arms is the same beautiful student he can’t stop thinking about, he is stunned. Student-teacher relationships are strictly forbidden…yet no matter how hard he tries, Ben can’t stay away from Honey.

And when his attempts to fight their attraction nearly ruin the best thing that ever happened to him, Ben will do anything to prove how much he needs her. 


Available 4/21/15 from Avon

Add to Goodreads

Pre-Order

Amazon | B&N 

About Tessa Bailey
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Tessa Bailey lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and young daughter. When she isn’t writing or reading romance, Tessa enjoys a good argument and thirty-minute recipes.

Cover Reveal ~ Getting Diry by Mia Storm


We are so please to introduce brand new author Mia Storm with her debut release, Getting Dirty

Releasing on March 19th




Dirty
A poem by Blaire Leon

If sex is dirty, why would I do it with someone I love?
If sex is dirty, then didn’t we all come from the dirt?
What if I like the dirt?
What if I want to get dirty?
What if I want to roll in the mud until I’m so fucking filthy that I’ll never be clean again?


When twenty-five-year-old graduate assistant Caiden Brenner asked Blaire Leon how old she was, she said she was a senior. He chose to believe she meant in college. They connect over Lord Byron’s Don Juan and, as their conversations become increasingly thicker with sexual innuendo, Caiden finds himself obsessing over a totally off-limits undergrad who’s bold, beautiful, brilliant, and one of the most passionate poets he’s ever met.

But it turns out Blaire hasn't been totally honest. She's the seventeen-year-old valedictorian of her high school class, taking courses at Sierra State while awaiting her acceptance to Stanford.


Will Caiden get too deeply into Blaire to back away before he finds out the truth? Or will their connection be enough to seduce him into risking his entire future on Jail Bait?






"A thousand and one feels....Getting Dirty is a thrilling, tantalizing forbidden romance you do not want to miss! I not only devoured this book, it devoured me right back!"--Katy Evans, New York Times Bestselling author of REAL













EXCERPT


“What year are you?” I don’t even realize I’ve said it until it’s out of my mouth.
Her eyes flick from the book to mine. “A senior.”
I feel my eyebrows arch before I can stop them. “You look younger.”
She bites her lips between her teeth for a moment. “Is that good or bad?”
“Neither, I suppose.” But my insides burn, knowing that she’s not as off-limits as I originally thought. It’s nearing the end of January. Commencement will be here soon enough. She graduates and all bets are off.
“So…” she says, twisting a finger into the ends of her hair. “I know you like old, dead poets. How do you feel about hearing something fresher?”
I lean toward her. “Such as?”
“I’m reading in a poetry slam tonight. It’s just something over at Tino’s in Jonestown on the fourth Friday of every month. There’s no prize money or anything, but I perform something new pretty much every month.”
“A poetry slam…” I want to say yes in the worst way, but it feels dangerously like a date.
She must read the hesitation in my eyes. “If it’s too weird, no worries. I just thought, since you like poetry…”
She leaves the thought dangling. Like a noose. And I jump right into it. “Yeah. Why not?”
The answer to that rhetorical question is that it’s not May yet and she hasn’t graduated. I’m risking everything I’ve worked the last three years toward. My entire future. But the voice of reason is being drowned out by the raging waves of something rolling up from the deepest layers of my being like an undertow. Something base and essential. And unrelenting.
“Do you want to meet me there?” she asks, standing from her seat and giving me a better view of the entire exquisite length of her.
“Yeah…that’s probably best.” Plausible deniability. No, Dr. Duncan, I didn’t have any clue she’d be there. Just went to hear the poetry.
“Great,” she says as she gathers her book and shoves it in her bag. “It starts at nine. There are usually five or six poets and it’s a random draw, so I don’t know what time I’ll be reading.”
I nod without standing, no longer able to tame my erection. “I’ll be there at nine.”
“You know where Tino’s is?”
Electricity crackles under my skin. I’m really doing this. “Yeah. I’ll find it.”




About the Author:

Mia Storm is a hopeless romantic who is always searching for her happy ending. Sometimes she’s forced to make one up. When that happens, she’s thrilled to be able to share those stories with her readers. She lives in California and spends much of her time in the sun with a book in one hand and a mug of black coffee in the other, or hiking the trails in Yosemite. Connect with her online at MiaStormAuthor.blogspot.com , on Twitter at @MiaStormAuthor, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MiaStormAuthor

Thursday, February 26, 2015

The Reality O by Candy Sloane ~ Review

The Reality OSource: e-ARC provided by the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Reality O by Candy Sloane


Fifteen Contestants, Twelve Episodes & One Very Big O

When my best friend Allie posted about my need for an inaugural O on a prominent dating website it was meant to be a joke.
A joke she was supposed to delete.
But her post started an internet and media frenzy and, when I was offered fifty thousand dollars to star in my own reality competition show, I had no choice but to say yes.
The Orgasm Virgin was supposed to help me meet a carnal companion who could finally bring me to climax.
Unfortunately, the one person I want to win the undying allegiance of my, well, you know, can’t be in the running at all.
Now in an L.A. mansion with fifteen very persuasive contestants vying for my attention and one undeniably sexy Production Assistant secretly getting it all the word ACTION has a whole new meaning…


Candy Sloane is an erotica author and the fictional creation of Lisa Burstein from the New Adult novel Sneaking Candy. The Orgasm Virgin is her debut novel.

Author's Note: This book is about sex. There are men kissing women, women kissing women, and men kissing lady parts. It is not meant for readers under eighteen, or my mother.



Review...


I'm a sucker for books about reality TV. Which is funny because I'm not a huge watcher of reality television--not to say I don't watch it ever, but I definitely don't find it as addicting as a book with the premise. So I wanted to get my hands on this book so badly. And then magic happened and I DID. I spent about two days with this book, and I have to say that those were two darn good days. I really enjoyed The Reality O.

I think the greatest way to enjoy this book is to go in expecting fun. Fun and laughs and sexy times. If you go in with those expectations, you'll do just fine--because The Reality O delivers. 

So the MC of this story is Chris. She's a librarian, can be kinda shy, and is doing the best she can with the situation her best friend put her in--you know, by sharing with the entire internet her sexual misfortune. Honestly, Chris takes the whole thing a million times better than I would have. No way would I still be cool enough with my BFF to bring her along with me to Hollywood. But Chris is, essentially, a good person. And she had this fun little attitude that I found so enjoyable in her narrative.

The love interest is, of course, forbidden. His name is Scott and the author of this book has said she pictures him as Chris Hemsworth, so I pretty much die every time I imagine this guy. He. Is. Amazing. Sweet, Kind, and oh so hot. Perfection--you know, except for the fact that he's a production assistant on the show, therefore off limits. But who cares? I heart him to infinity and beyond anyway.

The "Gasms" (what the contestants on Chris' show are called) were great. I liked some more than others, and there were even a couple I'd stretch to say I loved. MD was totally my favorite. And I ended up a fan of Cowboy, even though he did have a little...ahem...incident. As far as the Gasms went, I thought it was nice how they did get developed at least a little bit into actual characters instead of just...placeholders. They were fun, and they could be so interesting when they had their chance. 

Romance and comedy make this story. Dear goodness, the romance was scorching. If you're here for a naughty good time--let me tell you, you are sure gonna get it. And I got so many laughs. The Gasms were a huge source of amusement, as was just being in Chris' head. This book was an enjoyable experience all around.

Overall, The Reality O is the perfect book for when you need a laugh and want to turn up the heat. Funny, sexy, and often quite witty, Candy Sloane has written a story that I definitely loved! 


5 stars - A fun, sexy story that's perfect to read when you need a laugh. I loved it! 


The Billionaire and the Virgin (Billionaires and Bridesmaids, #1) by Jessica Clare ~ Review

Enter the illustrious world of Jessica Clare's billionaires and bridesmaids. Fans of Maya Banks, Melody Anne and J. Kenner will be dazzled by the scorching-hot chemistry of this New York Times bestseller.

You met the six bachelors of the Billionaire Boys Club... Now it's time to pair up some filthy-rich billionaires with lucky ladies in waiting and enjoy the spoils...

Marjorie Ivarsson is the picture of naivete. A hardworking waitress raised by her grandmother, an evening playing bingo is her sort of socialising. But when she's invited to be a bridesmaid at her friend Bronte's wedding, she enters a whole new world.

Whisked away to the billionaire groom's private island, Marjorie is awe-struck by the glitz and glamour. But what dazzles her most is notorious playboy and hot-shot TV producer Robert Cannon.

After Marjorie saves Robert from drowning in the island's turquoise lagoon, she can't help but feel drawn to him. But she's not the only woman intrigued, and with his wild and womanising ways, they couldn't be more wrong for each other. With the blistering attraction between them becoming hard to ignore, and the idyllic, irresistibly romantic island as their playground - will opposites attract?

Want more exquisite romance? Look out for the rest of the Billionaire and Bridesmaids series: The Taming Of The Billionaire and The Billionaire Takes A Bride or take a spin with the steamy Billionaire Boys Club starting with Stranded With A Billionaire.



https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22707536-the-billionaire-and-the-virgin

http://www.amazon.com/Billionaire-Virgin-Billionaires-Bridesmaids-Book-ebook/dp/B00JV0YWC2/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1424911547&sr=1-1&keywords=9780698186934http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-billionaire-and-the-virgin-jessica-clare/1119865598?ean=9780698186934&itm=1&usri=9780698186934&cm_mmc=AFFILIATES-_-Linkshare-_-GwEz7vxblVU-_-10:1&r=1,%201

Now available from Penguin Books

Review...


I'm a very character driven reader. 

I didn't like either of these characters. 

Marjorie is an old soul in a young body.  She was raised by her grandparents and is way more comfortable around older people.  She plays shuffleboard and bingo.  She's also very tall and isn't really comfortable with that.  Though Robert thinks she's beautiful, she doesn't.  She's a virgin and hasn't really dated at all.  She works as a waitress.

Talk about opposites.  Robert is a TV producer for a show I can't even think about.  He's a player who doesn't even remember the names of the girls he sleeps with.  Rolling in money, he does what he wants, including crashing a wedding to get a meeting with someone who doesn't want to give him the time of day.  He's crass and I can't stand him.  He has his assistant investigate Marjorie for crying out loud.  I just couldn't even deal with the idea that Marjorie might forgive him for doing all this.

These two do not go together at all.  And while I like books that bring together people that normally wouldn't, this one was just too much.  I just couldn't overcome some of the things Robert did.  I couldn't even relate to Marjorie and her world.

I kept putting it down and taking a break.  Finally, I just couldn't take it any more.  Skimmed to find the ending and let it go.  Too many other good books to read to waste time on this one.

I'm sure others felt different.  You should check out their review too.

     



 


Cover Reveal ! Untamed (Thoughtless, #4) by S.C. Stephens


About UNTAMED
Griffin Hancock is tired of being stuck behind Kellan Kyle's spotlight. He's the best, the main event, and everyone should know it. He has Anna, and his beautiful daughter Gibson, and to hell with the rest of them. A new venture presents itself, and Griffin decides this is his chance. When he tells the band about his new side gig, they are less than supportive. Undaunted by their criticism, Griffin decides to take matters into his own hands. Packing up his family, he leaves Seattle behind and returns to L.A. to break out on his own. But success isn't as easy as Griffin thought it would be, and he soon finds that the phrase 'You don't know what you've got until it's gone', is all too true.


About S.C. Stephens
S. C. Stephens is a #1 bestselling author who enjoys creating stories that are packed with emotion and heavy on romance. In addition to writing, she likes spending lazy afternoons in the sun reading, listening to music, watching movies, and spending time with her friends and family.  She and her two children reside in the Pacific Northwest. 

Connect with S.C. online!
@SC_Stephens_

Pre-order UNTAMED
Soon to be at retailers everywhere including Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, iTunes, Kobo, and IndieBound too!
GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/1vwDPV8

Swoon Thursday ~ 2/26/15


The fabulous girls over at YA Bound created this super HOT meme.  Here's how it works.

From the book you’re currently reading, or one you just finished, tell us what made you SWOON. What got your heart pounding, your skin tingling, and your stomach fluttering.

Shout it out on Twitter with the hashtag #YABound, post it here in the comments, or grab the adorable button above and share it on your blog! I want to know & so do the chicks at YABound!




Claimed (Brides of the Kindred, #1)
Brides of the Kindred Book One—Claimed

Olivia Waterhouse has just graduated from nursing school and has her whole life ahead of her—until she gets drafted. Problem is, she isn’t being forced into the Army, she’s been chosen as a Kindred bride.

The Kindred are huge alien warriors—a race of genetic traders whose population is ninety-five percent male. After saving Earth from the threat of invasion they demand a reward—the right to find brides among the population. The chances of being chosen are about the same as those of winning the lottery—guess it’s just Liv’s lucky day.

Baird is a Beast Kindred who recently escaped imprisonment and torture at the hands of the malevolent Scourge. Through the torment and pain only one thing kept him sane—the thought of finding and claiming his bride—Olivia. His need to possess her is a burning intensity that threatens to consume them both.

Angry at having her future and her family taken away from her, Liv vows to fight back the only way she can—by resisting. She has one month on the Kindred Mothership with Baird—their claiming period. If she can keep from having bonding sex with him during that time, she can go home and get on with her life on Earth.

But Baird isn’t going to make it easy for her. Every week he is allowed to touch Liv more and more intimately and according to the contract she signed, she has to let him. She’s determined to resist him but his touch sets her on fire. And just as she thinks she knows what she wants, a twist of fate and an attack by the faceless Scourge AllFather changes everything…



Currently FREE!


Swoon...


"You're my type." He stepped forward and took her hands in his. "From the moment our minds first aligned I knew you were the only woman in this world or any other for me, Olivia," he rumbled softly. "I don't want anyone but you. Watching you and sharing your life through my dreams was the only thing that kept me from going crazy those six months before we met."

~~~

Instead, she felt the lightest brushing of lips imaginable across her own, as though a butterfly's wings had fluttered tenderly against her mouth. 
"Don't be afraid, Lilenta," he breathed in her ear in that deep, rumbling growl of a voice. "Not gonna hurt you. Not gonna take what you don't want to give."

So I couldn't help but choose two for this. Because decisions are hard. But I'm such a fan of Baird right now. I want Liv to give in SO BAD, just because Baird can be so darn sweet. Sure, he's intensely focused on bonding--but take five minutes to talk with him and he'll say at least a handful of things that make my heart flail. So yeah. I am loving him. 


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

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Soulbound by Kristen Callihan ~ Review

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

Once two souls are joined...

When Adam's soul mate rejected him, there was more at stake than his heart. After seven hundred years of searching, his true match would have ended the curse that keeps his spirit in chains. But beautiful, stubborn Eliza May fled—and now Adam is doomed to an eternity of anguish, his only hope for salvation gone...

Their hearts will beat together forever...

No matter how devilishly irresistible Adam was, Eliza couldn't stand the thought of relinquishing her freedom forever. So she escaped. But she soon discovers she is being hunted—by someone far more dangerous. The only man who can help is the one man she vowed never to see again. Now Adam's kindness is an unexpected refuge, and Eliza finds that some vows are made to be broken...


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22395684-soulbound

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1455581666/http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/soulbound-kristen-callihan/1119678097

 Now Available  from Forever Books


Review...

I've been in the mood for paranormal books lately and so when I was given the opportunity to read this book, I took it.

It's a series but I was able to jump in with this one and enjoy this paranormal romance.  Definitely can be read stand alone.

These two soul mates get off to a rocky start.  After seven hundred years, Adams not willing to let Eliza get a way from him.  He does a stupid thing.  A total guy thing.  Eliza doesn't really take it so well, even though Adam saves her life.  They have an interesting dynamic.  She's a girl out of time.  Definitely sporting the women can do anything vibe but hanging out in the nineteenth century.  That makes her interesting.  I did get irritated with her.  She really made Adam pay for his early mistakes.  Her doubt makes this story take a bit longer than maybe it should have.  

I so loved Adam.  He's a man who was cursed for doing what he thought was right.  Spending so long in an unfeeling state, he's remarkably kind to the GIM.  As their king, he is bound to them as well.  His well being effects theirs.  It made for an interesting situation towards the end.  This author did like to make us earn our happy too.  I was ready to crawl in the book and kick some character bootie if they didn't get this thing between them figured out.  Luckily for them, they didn't have to deal with this middle school teacher.  I was happy with their ending.

I needed a good paranormal romance and this certainly is one.  Fae, shifters, ghosts and more.  I enjoyed the world.  The explanation of how all these supernatural being came into being was interesting and well told.  Totally felt like this world could sit next to the one we live in.

The sexy times had an interesting little twist.  Not gonna say but it wasn't something you'd expect from a guy who's been around as long as Adam has.  They had an undeniable need for each other.  Adam clearly saw Eliza as his soul mate but she didn't.  They had to work through some issues and that made the relationship real.  No falling into each others arms on page 2.  But when they did fall into each others arms, oh what fun!

And then there is Sin.  I really liked him.  I wondered, at first, why we kept getting little pieces of what was up with him.  But he played a big role and it seems he will be the focus of the next book.  Would love to read that one.

If you've been looking for that good paranormal romance to give a chance to, then this is the one you need.