Sunday, July 27, 2014

The Break In by Aidee Ladnier - Spotlight/Giveaway

Breakin[The]LG

The Break-in by Aidee Ladnier Busted Labs: Book Two

Synopsis

Ten years ago, roboticist Forbes Pohle received a visit from time-traveler Oliver Lennox. “Wait for me,” Oliver said. Now a decade has come and gone, and Oliver has returned. However, Forbes never dreamed Oliver would reappear as the point man for a gang of technology thieves breaking into his lab. He finds the younger Oliver just as sexy and even more annoying; still, he must convince him their happily-ever-after is meant to be—but he only has the time it takes his robotic cat Jeepers to thwart the thieves to do it. After waiting so long, he could lose everything in the span of seconds.

The Break-In is a stand alone HEA

  worth excerpt (1)
5 Quirky Things About Aidee
by Aidee Ladnier
I write about quirky characters because that’s what I know. I’m a pretty quirky individual myself. Here are a few things you might not know about me.

I've designed my own shoes
literaryshoes

I really, really like shoes--not high heels—flats. A friend made the mistake of telling me about a company that lets you design your own shoes. Sure enough, they had lots of heels and one template for flats. I immediately started tinkering and then ordered my “author” shoes. Here they are! Words are so pretty, aren’t they?

I’ve sent a ping pong ball into space.
pingpong

JP Aerospace, a volunteer DIY space program was raising funds to send ping pong ball sized science projects by elementary school children up to the edge of space in 2012. As a lover of all things science and science fiction, I gave money to the cause. In thanks, they let me put a ping pong ball in with those of the children. I ran my own ping pong ball sized experiment and got the thrill of seeing the video that included my experiment coasting in space among the stars. Here’s a picture of my ping pong ball before it went up to space. Which leads to my next quirky fact…

I fold so many origami cranes that I use them as packing material when I mail boxes

It all started when my computer began running slow at work. I would have to reboot often and I found I could make two origami cranes in the time it took my computer to restart. Then I began folding cranes in meetings to keep my hands busy so my brain could stay engaged (think of it like doodling with folded paper). Now it’s a crutch. Whenever I’m stressed, I fold a bird.

Whenever I’m worried, another crane appears. I have to say, my Christmas gifts to my family are enjoyed as much for the crane packing material as they are for the gifts.

One of my poems inspired an indie pop song by the band Correatown

As a thank you for supporting her album on Kickstarter, Angela Correa offered to write a song for me. She asked what I’d like to provide as inspiration and I gave her a love poem that I wrote for my husband. The song that resulted was beautiful and I gave it to him as an anniversary gift that year. If you’d like to hear Distillery by Correatown, you can do so by going here: http://aideemoi.tumblr.com/post/26007891265/you-know-several-years-ago-i-was-divorced-over-a

I have an extensive collection of silly socks
socksThere’s really no excuse for the socks I own. They are all colors of the rainbow, some have animals on them, some have strange shapes, all are fun. It’s wonderful to wake up not sure you’re ready to face the day and then put on some goofy socks. It changes everything around.

Of course there are other quirky things about me that didn’t make it into this list--several of them are listed in my bio, in fact. I’m of the opinion that adventures are everywhere. You just have to recognize them. So may the quirk be with you and remember, have fun today.


Aidee's Love of Robots 10 Minute Video (she really loves robots)


The Forbes and Oliver Playlist for The Break-in
I have to admit when I’m looking for songs to fill a playlist for a story, they have to meet one of two criteria:

The lyrics have to match what a character is feeling
The song has to capture the mood of a scene
That said, here are the songs I chose for this story and why. If you’re interested, I created the playlist on YouTube so you can listen to the whole set here: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaf-IXveR9pUKgijDcluQcrnjwxiYpGz2

Moving On by Needtobreathe

I think this song captures Forbes at the start of the story. He’s waiting for his lover to reappear when their stars align but is contemplating moving on. It encompasses that kind of sad but inevitable feeling that you might be waiting for nothing.

Mission Impossible Theme

Okay, I know this is a pretty cheesy pick, but I am dead certain that Wilson, the self-appointed leader of the technology thieves, insisted that this music be played in the van on the way over to Forbes’s lab. Oliver was lucky he drove his own motorcycle to the scene, because they would have come to blows over the endless repetition of this song.

99 Problems by Hugo

I know the Jay-z version is more famous, but I love the almost folky sound of this song. This is Oliver’s song as things start to go south. He’s suddenly on the wrong side of both Forbes and the gang of thieves he’s working for.

Take On Me by A-ha

Shameless 80s guilty pleasure music. THE BREAK-IN is set in the near future, so I’m going to say Forbes has it in his music library because his parents listened to it.

Ruler of My Heart by Irma Thomas

I love the soulful sound of Irma Thomas. This is definitely a Forbes song. He’s waited so long for his lover to return and when he does, it’s not at all in the way he expects.

Jeepers Creepers by Frank Sinatra

I had to include this song. It’s Jeepers’s song! The little cat robot embodies this quirky little ditty. He probably plays it in the house whenever Forbes leaves—which could explain why he was so grumpy that Forbes blew off the blind date at the beginning of the story.

Do It Alone by Sugarcult

Forbes would understand this song. He doesn’t want to be alone anymore. He’s willing to beg Oliver to stay.

With you by Natalie Walker

The lyric “Love takes time and time is on our side” is perfect for THE BREAK-IN. Forbes definitely found his life changed by Oliver and as a result his love didn’t fade despite time and circumstance. It’s a sappy song but those are okay sometimes.

Life Less Ordinary by Carbon Leaf

This song embodies Forbes and Oliver’s relationship. They are somehow a lot less ordinary together and together they will have an extraordinary life.

Little Wonders by Rob Thomas

This song is for the end of the story. The hardest part is over for both Forbes and Oliver. The twist and turns of fate have left them exhausted and time has fallen away. It’s definitely the heart that really matters in the end.

All Will Be Well by Gabe Dixon

This song is my song. As the author, I want to tell my characters that “all will be well” but only time will tell. There are a few more Forbes and Oliver stories to come.

Buy Links
Author Bio
AideeNOH8Aidee Ladnier began writing fiction at twelve years old but took a hiatus to be a magician's assistant, ride in hot air balloons, produce independent movies, collect interesting shoes, and amass a secret file with the CIA. A lover of genre fiction, it has been a lifelong dream of Aidee's to write both romance and erotica with a little science fiction, fantasy, mystery, or the paranormal thrown in to add a zing. Visit her at http://aideeladnier.com or on some of her favorite social media sites:
BEST GIVEAWAY EVAH!!!
$25 Amazon Gift Card + Prize Candle (Could contain a prize up to $5,000) + Serious Swag and Yes the Kitty is a USB Drive
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Friday, July 25, 2014

Heart Craving by Sandra Hill - Review



They share love, laughter, and a passion that burns up the night.

But can he share the secrets that threaten their marriage?

Nick and Paula DeCello are getting divorced in seven days, even though they love each other dearly. His overprotectiveness has finally become too much for her, and there’s something painful locked deep inside him. Desperate, Nick takes the advice of a quirky, old fortune teller to find his wife’s “heart craving.” To Nick, that means sexual fantasies.

Armed with a hilarious collection of advice books, he embarks on a wild, funny seduction of Paula that proves there’s nothing wrong with their relationship in the bedroom. When it comes to giving her what her heart really craves—soul-sharing communication—he’ll have to take a big step outside his comfort zone.




I want to start this with, I love Sandra Hill, so I was happy to read a book that was one of her original stories. I really loved Nick and Paula, they love each other. Nick wants to win his woman back, so he tries everything and I enjoyed this about him. He wasn’t afraid of making a fool of himself in order to figure out Paula’s heart craving.

I was left with a happy feeling when I finished this book, and that makes this a great book. I was rooting for Paula and Nick the whole time. I definitely recommend this quick, sexy read that is packed full of emotion.





I received a copy for the purpose of an honest review. I was not compensated for my review. 






Uriel's Fall by Loralie Hall - Spotlight/Giveaway


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Loralie will be awarding $10 Amazon Gift Card to a randomly drawn winner via the rafflecopter at the end of this post. Please click on the banner to see the other stops on this tour.

Please note: This book is on sale for only $0.99 until August 8, 2014.

Ronnie has the job any entry-level angel or demon would sell their soul for—she's a retrieval analyst for the largest search engine in the world. Ubiquity is a joint initiative between heaven and hell. Because what better way to track all of humanity's secrets, both good and bad, than direct access to their web browsing habits.

She might appreciate the position a little more if a) she could remember anything about her life before she started working at Ubiquity, b) the damn voice in her head would just shut up already, and c) her boss wasn't a complete dickhead.

As she searches for solutions to the first two issues, and hopes the third will work itself out in performance reviews, she uncovers more petty backstabbing than an episode of Real Housewives, and a conspiracy as old as Lucifer's descent from heaven. On top of all that, if she forgets the cover sheet on her TPS report one more time, she's absolutely going on final written warning.

Now Ronnie’s struggling to keep her sanity and job, while stopping the voice in her head from stealing her life. She almost misses the boredom of data analysis at Ubiquity. Almost.



Enjoy an excerpt:

We must have sat there, me on the couch, and Michael on the floor, for at least half an hour, not saying anything else.

I finally broke the silence. “You need your rest.” I would have rather kept him there, but I couldn’t ask him to sit on the floor by me all night.

“Do you want a real bed to sleep in?” He stood and offered me his hand.

He didn’t mean…? No, he couldn’t. Maybe his bed? Light anticipation fluttered in my chest, rising above the horrors of the night. “I wouldn’t complain.”

“You can stay in the guest room.” He helped me to my feet.

I couldn’t ignore my disappointment, but I also wasn’t about to turn down the offer. I followed him to one of the doors, and he nudged it open. “You stay here as long as you need. Not just tonight, but until you find a new place. If you want to wash some of the dust off, there are clean towels in the bathroom, and you can snag something to wear from the drawers or closet.”

I glanced up at him, not able to talk myself out of wanting him. I forced the question out before I could take it back. “Will you help me?”

He furrowed his brow. “With…?”

I stepped closer, thumbs hooked in my belt loops, tugging down the waistband of my jeans. “Washing the dust off.”

I watched him through my eyelashes, trying to gauge his reaction. He hadn’t said yes, but he also hadn’t said no, turned me away, or left. With any luck I wasn’t about to humiliate myself.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  Loralie Hall is a full time corporate geek and a fuller time writer. Her spouse is her muse and their cats are very much their children. When they’re not spending way too much time gaming, they’re making the world more good by vanquishing one fictional evil at a time.

Find Loralie Hall Online

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

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/aszreal

Blog: http://blog.apathyshero.com

Website: http://urielsfall.com

Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00L3WESHU

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/uriels-fall-loralie-hall/1119720777?ean=2940046001648

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/uriels-fall-ubiquity-book-1/id888043741?mt=11

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/446644?ref=LoralieHall

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/uriel-s-fall-ubiquity-book-1



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Tesla's Imprint by Kimberly Adkins - Spotlight/Giveaway


Tesla’s Imprint
by Kimberly Adkins




Some things just can’t be erased.

Simon’s visions of a little girl are the only memories he has. Like an imprint on his heart, the visions cling. Who is she? Who is he for that matter? Tracked and hunted across the world, and in possession of a device that sets him apart from time and space, danger follows him at each turn.

He never meant to drag Tess into his drama. But with one slow, seductive dance in a candlelit night­club, that’s exactly what he’s done.

Tesla’s own heritage is a mystery in itself. Born of wealth into a corporation with no paper trail, she’s called back to take the helm. But what’s the nature of the business she’s supposed to lead? And how does it connect her to Simon?




Simon leaned with his back against the door. The metal was searing hot through his layers of clothing, but he barely reacted to the burn. He understood the feeling that flooded through his being, the sense that the young woman from the nightclub was just on the other side of the frame. It was false, of course. Once the device opened the slice it automatically detached and became inactive. When the door closed she was a world away.

What am I thinking? He firmly banged his head against the solid door, tacky with hot paint. When he’d told her he made a promise, he couldn’t have been more serious – and more disturbed by his reaction to the encounter in the night club than he cared to admit to himself.

What could he possibly have to offer such a beautiful young woman after a dance like the one they shared? God, he didn’t even know who he was. The only thing he could even be sure about was that he was in danger, all the time.

He had to learn the truth about his past and why he knew the things he did without remembering them. Until then, the only thing he could be is a shadow on the edge of society. Everyone was safer that way.

He replayed the way she felt in his arms, how she stood on her toes to kiss his chin with her irresistible lips. She felt familiar to him in a way he hadn’t experienced for what seemed like a lifetime. It didn’t matter, though. He couldn’t let it matter. She was halfway across the world now, and all the better for it.

…besides, he had work to do.



Kimberly Adkins is an author and artist who spends her spare time working on worm hole theories so she can go back in time and enter Star Gate’s ‘Get in the Gate’ sweepstakes as many times as it takes to win.

Says Kimberly of romance, “Fate lines up to reward the faithful who believe that love holds a power beyond our understanding and dreams have a chance to come true.”









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Thursday, July 24, 2014

Notice Me by B.L. Blair - Spotlight/Giveaway


Notice Me
by B.L. Blaire



 
Andrew Moore has always thought of Victoria as family. She is his best friend’s little sister and his little sister’s best friend, but recently something has changed. Andrew is thinking about Victoria in a completely different way. She will never fit into his quiet, conservative world. They are too different to have a future together, but he can’t help noticing her.
   
Victoria Carson has been in love with Andrew since her sixteenth birthday, but Andrew never noticed her as anything other than his best friend’s little sister. She fled from her hometown so that she wouldn’t have to watch Andrew build a life with someone else. But things have changed. Andrew is now a widower, and Victoria has returned home. It is time to make him notice her.
   
Return to Holton, Texas to see if Victoria can get Andrew to notice her. Notice Me is the second book in the Holton Series but may be read as a standalone novel.



Excerpt:

As always, her heart stopped when she saw him.  Victoria knew she had seen better looking men, had even dated better looking men, but Andrew always moved her.  For a moment, she enjoyed the simple pleasure of just looking at him.  His broad shoulders filled out the conservative blue suit and his powerful arms and legs made him a lean, dominant picture.  His thick brown hair had fallen across his forehead, and Victoria’s hand itched to brush it back.  He was talking softly to his sister explaining the papers in his hand.  Victoria watched his mouth move and waited for the smile that always made her toes curl.  It happened and Victoria took a deep breath.  She thought she should be used to that reaction by now, but it still caught her by surprise.  Andrew’s smile brought butterflies to her stomach and made her ache for his love.  She quickly pulled herself together and closed the door behind her.

Andrew looked up at the sound, and Victoria found herself looking into his piercing green eyes.  They had narrowed and trained on her immediately.  The intense green gaze locked her into place.  She stood very still while his eyes roamed over her.  Victoria knew the past few months had accomplished this.  Andrew was now very physically aware of her.  What he thought about her, Victoria did not know.  She did know he invariably watched every movement that she made.



B. L. Blair writes simple and sweet romance stories.  Like most authors, she has been writing most of her life and has dozens of books started.  She just needs the time to finish them.

She is the author of the Holton romance series.  She loves reading books, writing books, and traveling wherever and as often as time and money allows.  She is currently working on her latest book set in Texas, where she lives with her sisters and her cat, Darcy.






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