Monday, March 31, 2014

Sweetest Surrender by Katie Reus - Review



A woman on the run…

Angel has been on her own for two years, moving from place to place to outrun her past. With no family and few friends to lean on, she’s managed to keep her secrets and stay safe. But when her past suddenly catches up to her, she has a choice to make. Run or stay and claim her life once more.

He’ll stop at nothing to protect her…

Vadim has never let anyone close to him—until Angel. From the first time he met her, everything changed. As a private consultant for Wyatt Christiansen, he’s good with computers and he’s got connections to unearth people’s deepest, darkest secrets. When Angel’s life is threatened Vadim steps in and uses all his resources to end the threat once and for all. As the danger closes in, he lies to her in an effort to protect her, not realizing that even once the threat is eliminated, he might lose her anyway.


OMG…seriously Vadim is one of the sexiest heroes I’ve read in awhile. Yeah, he does some things to protect Angel that made me want to smack him for being a dumb male, but I really loved him for caring so much.

Angel has a seriously scary past, and I loved that she falls in love with Vadim, even though she’s afraid of him being hurt by her past.

Ms. Reus has a serious knack for building up the suspense until the reader needs to scream to release the tension, and then somehow still manages to take the reader to higher level of suspense with some amazing twists. She’s a true mistress of her craft and this story just shows off her superb writing skills. Vadim and Angel are on a whirlwind roller coaster of romance with lots of sexy scenes to keep the spice that I’ve come to expect from her books.

I highly recommend this book, I think it’s a fabulous addition to the Serafina City series. I look forward to more stories in this series. It can definitely be read as a stand-alone but I do love and recommend the whole series.





 I received a copy in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not compensated for my review.





Boots and Twisters by Myla Jackson - Spotlight


Boots and Twisters
Ugly Stick Saloon, #7
Print Length: 168 pages
Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
Publication Date: March 25, 2014
ASIN: B00H54X8GW



Welcome back to the Ugly Stick Saloon!

Two ranchers are about to get Lucky—in more ways than one.

Lucky Albright’s unlucky streak is so long and wide that she’s been run out of one town and it looks like it may happen again.

When she finds herself out of money and out of gas in Temptation, Texas, a part-time job from the kind owner of the Ugly Stick Saloon gives her a glimmer of hope that this time things will be different.
Trent Jameson and Isaac Moore have always believed you make your own luck, but a black cloud of disaster seems to hover over their new hand. Under a tumbling stack of hay, Isaac discovers what Lucky’s hiding beneath baggy clothes and a tough exterior. Enough sexy curves to satisfy both men’s appetites.

But it isn’t long before Lucky’s history starts wreaking havoc all over town. It’ll take a force of nature to help the ranchers convince the law, the Garden Club—even Lucky herself—that now is no time to hit the road.

Warning: Hot cowboys meet hot cowgirl, and there’s a whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on in Temptation. Get your twist-and-shout on at the Ugly Stick Saloon!

 Available March 25th:



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Myla Jackson/Elle James’s Bio:

Myla Jackson aka Elle James spent twenty years livin' and lovin' in South Texas, ranching horses, cattle, goats, ostriches and emus. A former IT professional, Myla/Elle is proud to be writing full-time, penning intrigues and paranormal adventures that keep her readers on the edge of their seats. She has 39 works with Harlequin, self published works under pen name Elle James, over 40 works with other publishers including Samhain, Elloras' Cave, Kensington and Avon and 18 works self-published under pen name Myla Jackson. Now living in northwest Arkansas, she isn't wrangling cattle, she's wrangling her muses, a malti-poo and yorkie. When she's not at her computer, she's traveling, out snow-skiing, boating, or riding her ATV, dreaming up new stories.
Social Media:

ELLE JAMES  Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads

Excerpt:
 
Copyright © 2014 Myla Jackson
All rights reserved — a Samhain Publishing, Ltd. publication
Trent went to work stacking the hay on another wall, one bale at a time. Halfway through the stack, his muscles burned and he’d worked up a good sweat. He was feeling better and had almost forgotten the woman at the saloon.

With several tall columns of bales leaning against one wall, Trent was about to start a stack in front of them when a noise made him turn around.

A slim figure in jeans and a chambray shirt entered Thunder’s horse stall.

Thunder hadn’t been ridden since Dusty the ranch foreman had been tossed and ended up in the hospital.

Trent started to say something to the new ranch hand about the horse and his temperament. Before he could, the hand emerged, leading a placid Thunder out by his lead rope. If the horse had an attitude, it wasn’t on display that morning.

The cowboy had his head dipped, his cowboy hat pulled low. Between the dim lighting in the barn and the shadows from the rim of his hat, Trent couldn’t see the cowboy’s face. Covered in sweat and hay, Trent didn’t feel much like introducing himself yet. But he watched as the young man led the horse out of the barn. A few minutes later, he returned and entered the stall with the wheelbarrow, and soon had a pile of soiled straw loaded into it.

Trent resumed his work on the hay, keeping a watch on the new guy from the corner of his eye.
One stall after the other the young cowboy worked. When he completed the last stall and was pushing the last wheelbarrow load of soiled straw toward the door, Trent decided it was time to inspect the job and introduce himself.

“Wait up, there.” Trent tossed the bale he’d been carrying, dusted the straw off his gloves and crossed to the ranch hand. He glanced past the man’s shoulder into the cleaned stall and noted it was cleaner than he or Isaac usually got it. “Name’s Trent Jameson.” He held out his hand. “Nice work you’ve been doin’ there.”

For a moment the cowboy froze. Then gripped Trent’s hand with his own gloved one. “Thanks.” The cowboy refused to look up, keeping his chin tucked in, his head lowered.
Trent couldn’t look the man in the eye. He didn’t trust a man who wouldn’t look him directly in the eye. “You got a name?”

“Lucky.”

“Lucky.” Trent digested that. “Nickname?”

The ranch hand shook his head and tipped his hat lower over his head. “I better go dump this.” As he hurried around Trent, the wheel ran over Trent’s toe.

“Ow!” Trent yanked his foot back and teetered on one leg.

“Oh my gosh!” The cowboy’s hands flew in the air and the wheelbarrow dumped over, the contents rushing out, knocking Trent backward. He slammed into the freshly stacked hay bales and they swayed.

Trent glanced up, his breath hitching.

Crap.

“Oh no.” The young cowboy launched himself at the hay, tripped over the pile of dung and straw and, instead of catching the bales before they toppled, sprawled out on top of Trent.

The bales tipped and fell, one after the other, landing on or near them.

Several grunts sounded from the cowboy who took the bulk of the pummeling.

His hat flew off and long sandy-blonde hair tangled with the loose hay flying around the interior of the barn.

Trent blinked the hay and dust out of his eyes and stared up into pretty gray eyes, the color of storm clouds. “You!”

The woman he’d been dreaming about kissing planted her hands against his chest and tried to push herself off him.

“Yes, me.”

He opened his mouth to admit he thought he’d never see her again. Thinking better of it, he demanded, “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Working.” Jerking her leg out from under a heavy bale, she managed to roll off him and onto the ground. “What does it look like?” As agile as a cat, she shot to her feet.

“I can see that. But why?”

“Isaac hired me as the new ranch hand.”

“What?” Trent stood and stared at her.

“Is it so hard to believe a woman can be as effective and efficient at ranch work as a man?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“No, you didn’t have to.” She stood, brushing the hay from her jeans but missing the straws stuck in her hair. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to get to work cleaning this up.”

“I didn’t say I agreed with Isaac’s decision to hire you.”

She planted her hands on her hips. “You gonna fire me?”

He glared at her. “I don’t know.”

“Well, until you say otherwise, I have work to do.”

Trent climbed over the bales to stand in front of her. “Like I said last night. You’re trouble.”

Something clouded her already stormy eyes. “Maybe, but I work hard and I know my way around a ranch.”

She grabbed a bale and threw it up onto the stack.

“I gathered that.” And she was beautiful with fire in her eyes and hay in her hair. Trent worked alongside her until they had all the hay stacked in neat rows. When they were done, he brushed straw off his body and grinned. She’d worked hefting as many bales as he had. So, she could lift bales.

Lucky flicked hay off her shoulders. “If we’re done here, there’s a fence on the northeast corner of the property I intend to fix.”

“You can’t do that.”

“Why not?” she asked.

“Because it’s a two-man—person—job.”

“I’ve strung fence with and without help. I can handle it.”

“Maybe so, but we use the buddy rule around here. Unless you’re working around the house or barn, you always take a buddy with you. That way if one or the other is hurt, you have someone there to help.”

She looked at him through slitted eyes. “You’re making that up.”

He held up two fingers. “Scout’s honor.”

Her eyes narrowed even more. “When were you ever a Scout?”

His lips twisted. “Okay, so I’ve never been a Scout. But we do use the buddy system. I’ll go with you.”

Her full, soft lips tightened. “How do you usually get there?”

“I take the four-wheeler. You can ride on the back.”

“Is that how you and your partner…er, brother ride out?”

“We usually take a couple of four-wheelers, but one of them is in the shop for repair.”

She hesitated then nodded. “Okay. Let’s go.”

Trent gathered the come-along, a roll of barbed wire, pliers, a hammer and a couple of metal fence posts and the heavy pounder used to drive them in.

Lucky took half of the supplies and carried them out into the open, then went back for the other half while Trent pulled the four-wheeler out of one of the storage areas in the barn.

Loading what she could in the box on the back, she settled the fence posts over the box and Trent strapped them down along with the pole pounder.

“I’ll get my hat and be ready to go.” Lucky disappeared into the barn.

Isaac joined Trent, carrying two water bottles. He settled them in the box with the tools. “I take it you’ve met our new ranch hand.”

Trent gave Isaac a withering look. “Yeah. You could have warned me.”

“She has the experience and know-how. And from the looks of it, the stamina.” Isaac’s lips twitched.

“Don’t go there.”


Sunday, March 30, 2014

Knights and Kink Box Set by Jill Elaine Hughes - Spotlight




KNIGHTS AND KINK ROMANCE BOXED SET, by Jill Elaine Hughes

Check out this AMAZING boxed set of four hot alpha-male romance novels by renowned indie author and award-winning journalist Jill Elaine Hughes. KNIGHTS AND KINK ROMANCE BOXED SET is a super ebook bargain that offers FOUR full-length novels for the rock-bottom price of 99 cents.
These novels are a sampling of Jill Elaine Hughes’ diverse writing talents, and offer either swashbuckling, sword-wielding knights, BDSM kink — OR A COMBINATION OF BOTH. You’ll be up all night reading these books, who have some of the hottest, sexiest book boyfriends you’ll ever encounter.
Sexy heroes, smart independent heroines, passion, kink, historical settings, even time travel. No matter what kind of romance stories you like best, you have your choice of many different options with this set. These edge-of-your-seat, action-filled romance plotlines and alpha males are sure to keep you hot and bothered. Almost 300,000 words of reading enjoyment for less than one dollar!

KNIGHTS AND KINK ROMANCE BOXED SET contains the following books:


A CAPITOL AFFAIR

 A contemporary erotic romance that blends BDSM elements with American politics, Secret sex clubs, backroom dealings between sexy aides and hot young congressmen, bondage, submission, ménage a trois, and more.

“This is an inventive work of erotica with a wonderful storyline." --Coffee Time Romance

KNIGHT MOVES 

A red-hot sex farce that blends paranormal time travel with contemporary romantic comedy.

“Knight Moves is a tantalizing romp peppered with inferno-heat level sex, saucy humor and a good sprinkling of action.”--- Joyfully Reviewed

MERCENARY BRIDE  

It’s the year 1101, and England is still reeling from the Norman conquest a generation earlier. Lady Sabina of Angwyld is fleeing an unwanted marriage on her way to become a nun at Glastonbury when she meets Robert de Tyre, a swashbuckling Norman mercenary. Sparks soon fly!

TENDER IS THE KNIGHT 

Assembly-line forewoman and Dayton, Ohio resident Lisa Marie Smith’s co-worker and best friend Pegeen Palmer forcibly drags her to an event showcasing Pegeen’s latest hobby---the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA), a living history organization that specializes in the Middle Ages. Lisa is skeptical at first, but pretty soon she falls for Sir Phillip Reginald of Whitestar, a swashbuckling SCA Knight and top favorite to become the SCA’s most important new King.

“Very fun romp through the SCA. Really enjoyed this!!!”----Vanessa Barger, Bestselling Indie YA/Paranormal Author


BUY LINKS:




Kobo: (coming soon)





Follow the Author:

Twitter: @JillEHughes

Friday, March 28, 2014

Intimate Desires by Celeste Carrara - Spotlight/Giveaway


Intimate Desires
by Celeste Carrara



BLURB:  

Stephanie is almost forty and her life hasn’t turned out the way she planned. That doesn’t mean she’s ready to give up and wallow in her misfortunes. She has fantasies, wild fantasies and she decides it’s time to make them come true. Lucky for Stephanie, she has four hot tenants that are anxious to satisfy her needs.

It was supposed to be one night of pleasure. Mark soon realizes he can’t get enough of his landlord, Stephanie. He doesn’t care about their age difference, or what others will say. Mark will do whatever it takes to make her see they are meant to be regardless of the obstacles that lay ahead. He will fight for her because that’s what you do… you fight for the one you love.


*This novella contains explicit sexual encounters, which include ménage and group sex. 18 and over only.




Excerpt:
It was hard to concentrate on walking with Mark in such close proximity. His face was so striking, with perfect masculine features, a strong chin, and broad nose. He had to be Italian. His dark hair was short and styled with a sexy “just got out of bed” look. His eyes matched his hair color and Stephanie was rattled when they met hers. His good looks made her so nervous she stumbled over the threshold. He was quick to catch her arm to help steady her. She was embarrassed beyond measure and tried to laugh it off, making small talk about the history of the house, though he seemed more interested in her than the things she was saying. Mark stared at her and it was unnerving. Self-conscious, she rubbed her fingers through her long hair afraid something was out of place. Why did he look at her like that? He smiled and blushed when she asked if he wanted to go upstairs. She told herself not to read too much into it and led him to his bedroom.

AUTHOR INFORMATION:


Celeste Carrara grew up in New York City where she spent her days exploring all of its amazing treasures. Her writing started as a teen when she turned her heartache into poetry. From then on, she found a love for reading romance novels as well as books in other genres such as paranormal, mystery, poetry, thrillers and more. Celeste never dreamed that one day she would be lucky enough to become a full-time writer.

After having a dream that she couldn’t get out of her head, Celeste decided to put that story on paper. She was amazed at how fast her pen flew with the help of her characters leading the way. The result was book one in her Paranormal City series, Give Me Forever. A paranormal erotic romance based in her favorite city, New York.

Celeste has been on an amazing journey and has self published four additional books in her series. Recently, she tried her hand on new genres that produced two novellas, an erotic romance and a new adult contemporary romance. She spends her days writing in her office in her home in New York that she shares with her husband, and their two children. She has no plans on stopping and is currently working on the next novel in her Paranormal City series. 








Celeste will be awarding a $15 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Games We Play by Zayne Michaels - Spotlight

Available From:

Zayne Michaels is a small-town girl who grew up and ran off to the big city. She currently resides in the Midwest where she spends her days dreaming up dark, sexy adventures in between soccer games and the never-ending pile of laundry.

Zayne's fascination with old and discarded treasures has always been a source of inspiration for her tales. From antique clocks to old, dilapidated houses, her imagination turns to the what ifs and what used to bes.

Maybe this love for the abandoned is why she is a firm advocate of second chances, or perhaps she's just a little crazy. Whatever the reason, Zayne believes everyone chooses their own path, creates their own destiny, and is the author of their own story.

GAMES WE PLAY
Hard Habits



Entering the small bar on the side of the highway, Remy didn’t harbor high expectations for the night, not until he notices the most gorgeous man in the place checking him out from across the room. Casual hookups in dark alleys aren’t his style, but he knows he’d be a fool to pass up such an opportunity.
From the moment the blond beauty stepped into the room, Colt had to have him, even if just for the night. Their parking lot tryst gets off to a sizzling start, especially when Colt realizes the barfly enjoys a firmer hand. It’s just a one night stand, though. What does it matter if he can’t remember the man’s name?
Unfortunately for him, it matters a lot to Remy, and Colt’s one-time fling is about to become much more than he expected.


EXCERPT
Unfortunately, before he could reach the door, his toe caught on the leg of a barstool, and he stumbled a couple of steps before finding his balance. If that hadn’t been embarrassing enough, his misstep didn’t go unnoticed, either. Before he could make his getaway, the man he’d been drooling over for half an hour appeared in front of him, smirking as though he knew a secret but wouldn’t share.
“Whoa, easy.” He placed his massive hand in the center of Remy’s chest to stop him. “Do you have a ride? ’Cause I think you’ve had a little too much to drink.”
“No, I’m fine. I only had a beer, half a second one, and some foo-foo drink.” His heart beat too fast, and he felt a little lightheaded, but it didn’t have anything to do with the alcohol he’d consumed. “I’m okay, really. Thank you.”
“Maybe I should drive you home, just in case.”
“No, no, thank you.” He tried to sidestep, but the guy moved with him, cutting off his exit. “I promise I’m not drunk.”
“I believe you.” The cocky grin that stretched his lips only made Remy’s heart beat faster and his dick throb to the point of pain. “Maybe I just wanted to get you on your knees in the back of my truck.”
His eyes rounded, and the air whooshed out of his lungs in a sharp gasp. “I…I…” Remy didn’t know what to say, so he snapped his lips closed to stop his stammering.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” Stepping closer, crowding against him, the guy insinuated a hand between them and cupped Remy’s erection through his jeans. “I’ll take this as a firm yes.”
Remy’s heart crawled up into his throat, cutting off any reply he might have offered. Those deep, dark eyes mesmerized him, holding him captive to his own lust. Still unable to form intelligible words, he licked his lips and nodded toward the exit. He didn’t typically engage in one night stands or clandestine encounters in the back alley, and while they’d flirted some, he honestly hadn’t thought the guy was that interested.
Opportunities like this didn’t present themselves often, though, not in Remy’s experience, and he’d be an idiot to pretend he didn’t want it. So he said nothing as he was led by the elbow to the exit.
“I…” he croaked. Then he cleared his throat and added some bass to his voice in an attempt to sound more confident than he felt. “I still don’t know your name.”
“Does it matter?”
Remy shrugged. “I guess not.” He’d likely never see the guy again, so no, it didn’t really matter.
Neither of them spoke again as they hurried across the litter-strewn asphalt to the shadowy recess in the back corner of the parking lot. Approaching the jacked up Ford 4x4, his mysterious bar hookup swung him around, pushing him roughly against the side of the truck and pinning him in place with his muscled body.
Large, callused hands slid beneath the hem of his shirt and scraped along the expanse of his stomach to the waistband of his jeans. “Colton,” the guy growled in his ear. “You can call me Colt.” Then his mouth crashed down on Remy’s with heat and hunger.
Remy’s body lit up like the Las Vegas strip, and he opened readily, allowing Colt to thrust his tongue between his parted lips. The man didn’t just kiss, he consumed, and each confident stroke of his tongue over Remy’s felt like a promise of things to come. When the top button of his jeans popped open and Colt reached inside the denim to grasp Remy’s rigid cock, his world tilted on its axis and started to spin.
“I’ve never done anything like this.”
“It’s easy,” Colt teased. “I’ll show you.”
“I meant hooking up in a parking lot.”
“I know.” He scraped his teeth down the side of Remy’s neck and licked a wet path back up to his earlobe. “You talk too much.”

In the next heartbeat, Remy found himself pushed to his knees on the hard asphalt, staring up at Colt while his heart pounded painfully against his sternum. Though he anticipated what would happen next, the hard set of Colt’s jaw and the dominance in his stance still sent a ripple of electricity down his spine.