Welcome to Larissa's Bookish Life

GIVEAWAY + Guest Post by Lolita Lopez

2013-05-17T20:20:00.002-03:00

Long Distance Lovin'

Even couples living aboard space ships in the very distant future have to find ways to spice up their relationship. One of my absolute favorite scenes to write in Grabbed By Vicious takes a futuristic twist on the phone sex/Skype sex of today.

When Vicious sends Hallie on a luxurious week-long trip to see her sister in the distant space colonies, he gets a little antsy. Seeing his beautiful new wife on his screen gives him one deliciously naughty idea. It doesn't take much persuading to convince Hallie to give in to his

sinfully sexy idea…

***Excerpt from Grabbed By Vicious (Grabbed, Book 1)***

Vicious drummed his fingertips on his desk and stared at the vid screen as he waited for his call to Hallie to connect. He’d tried three times already but the satellites had been busy. It was late onboard the Valiant—he’d have to report for duty in less than five hours—but it wasn’t quite midnight at her hotel. He hated keeping track of time differences. Thank goodness there were apps for that.

The screen flashed green. He sat forward in anticipation. She’d been gone three days but it felt like a lifetime. Each call they’d shared had been quick and perfunctory. He was really hoping tonight’s call would be different.

Hallie’s grinning face filled the screen. “Vicious!”

“Hey, Kitten.” He smiled at her excitement. “How is your sister?”

“She’s great. Huge,” Hallie added with a laugh. “She’s having a girl, by the way.”

“That’s nice.” He wasn’t good at small talk, even with Hallie, but he tried. “The trip between the colonies went well? Were there any problems?”

“Calm down, Vicious. The trip was great. The hotel is beautiful, by the way. Did you know they have a spa? I let Bernie and Lenny talk me into going. It was so much fun—but I think kind of expensive.” She looked sheepish. “Sorry about that.”

“I don’t care about the money, Hallie. I’ve rarely spent any of my salary these last two decades. There’s plenty for you to spend. I’m glad you’re enjoying the hotel.”

“It’s nice but it would be nicer if you were here with me.”

His heart ached. “I miss you too.”

Hallie reached out to touch the camera on her end. Her fingertips filled the upper section of his screen. He reached out and placed his fingertips against hers. It wasn’t nearly enough but it helped to imagine her warm skin under his.

“We’re leaving the day after tomorrow. I think it’s an express transport ship. We should dock with the Valiant in twenty-six hours.” She frowned. “Or, at least, I think that’s what Terror said.”

“Where is Terror?” Vicious let his fingers drop from his screen. “I tried calling his room earlier but he didn’t answer.”

“Oh, I think he went out to check the perimeter or something.” She shrugged and waved. “You know how he is. Mr. Vigilant and all that.”

“Yes.” Vicious let his gaze roam his wife. “What are you wearing?”

Hallie laughed and blushed. “Vicious, behave!”

“I can’t. You drive me crazy. I am being serious, though. Is that one of my shirts?”

She nodded and touched the fabric. “It’s the last one you wore before I left.”

“Is that where it went?” He laughed. “I dug through our hamper for ten minutes this morning trying to match up all of my uniforms to be sent to the cleaners.”

“Sorry. I just wanted to be able to smell you while I was gone.”

Heat burned through him. Only Hallie could make such a sweet gesture seem so fucking sexy.

“Take it off, Hallie.”

“What?” She looked scandalized. “Vicious, no!”

“Take it off. Let me see you.”

“You’re out of your mind. I’m not getting naked in front of this camera.”

“It’s a secure line, Hallie. Now let me see you.” He made sure to use that gruff tone that made

her shiver…

Lolita Lopez

Facebook | Twitter @lowriter

Website

GRABBED BY VICIOUS

Grabbed Series, Book 1

Hallie has never run so fast in her life. One of the frightening sky warriors from the warship Valiant is hot on her heels and intent on capturing her as his new bride. He takes her down and places his collar around her neck. With one word, he claims her.

Mine.

Born and bred for the military, Vicious has spent the last twenty-four years rising through the ranks. This dark-haired sprite ensnared him with one glance. Now she is his reward.

Despite her fear of Vicious, Hallie surrenders under his skillful hands and mouth. Vicious makes a promise to her. If she’ll submit to him, she’ll know only pleasure and comfort. After a lifetime of hardship, his offer tempts her greatly.

One night with Hallie and Vicious feels his protective instincts flaring. He’ll do anything to make her happy and keep her safe, even if that means surrendering his heart. Though he intended to master her, Vicious realizes it may be his sweet Hallie who masters him.

CAUGHT BY MENACE

Grabbed Series, Book 2

Menace's plan to catch a sweet, docile woman is shot to hell when he's tackled by a dark-haired beauty who wants to save her friend from being Grabbed. Refusing to leave the planet's surface empty handed, Menace claims the spitfire with his collar.

Naya clawed her way off the streets of Connor's Run and vowed to never let any man have control over her. She plans to make Menace so miserable he'll set her free but the ruggedly sexy warrior disarms her with his unexpected patience and kindness.

Against her better judgment, Naya surrenders to Menace's masterful hands and mouth. Submitting to her new husband brings her more pleasure and happiness than she'd ever imagined possible. For the first time in her life, she willingly trusts a man to protect her.

But when her past misdeeds catch up with her, Naya puts the depth and strength of that love to the test. Determined to show her he's worthy of her trust, Menace will stop at nothing to save her.

Release Date TBA

Buy Links

Ellora's Cave | Amazon

Lo is giving away the following prizes on her tour:

Grand Prize: $25 gift card to Amazon to ONE lucky winner

Runners-Up: FOUR(4) runners-up will receive winners choice of GRABBED BY VICIOUS or CAUGHT BY MENACE (winners that would like CAUGHT BY MENACE will have a few weeks wait until the books is realeased).

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Claudia's Review: Lachlan's Bride by Kathleen Harrington

2013-05-17T05:07:00.000-03:00

He is Lachlan MacRath, laird and pirate. And he intends to be her lover…

Lady Francine Walsingham cannot believe this warrior is to be her escort into Scotland. It is whispered that Lachlan MacRath has magical powers…how else do you explain his success as a pirate? But trust him she must, for a treacherous plot is about to reveal all her secrets…and Francine has no choice but to act as his lover to keep her enemies at bay.

When Lachlan first sees Francine, the blonde beauty stirs his blood like no woman ever before. As luck would have it, they must now play the besotted couple so he can protect her…and Lachlan is determined to use all his seductive prowess to properly woo her into his bed

Publisher: Avon Impulse
Release Date: April 30, 2013
My Copy: Received from author.
Author's Website
Buy This Book:

*Spoiler Free

If you love Highland heroes, you will love Lachlan. He's sexy and smart, and totally in control of making sure that he takes care of all his charges.

The story opens with Lachlan witnessing a murder that will come back to play a part in his romance with the lovely Lady Francie. She is recently widowed and a beloved member of King Henry's court. The king wants Lady Francie to go ahead of the princess to the Highlands where the princess is set to marry in what will become a unification of the two countries. Along the way, Francie comes to know Lachlan and fall in love with him but she thinks she's under a spell. Silly superstitions!! She also has to come to trust him with her secret which could cause her to lose her precious daughter.

Along the way, a plot is discovered against her and her daughter which could cause the two countries to go to war. But Lachlan is determined to protect both of them and keep them for himself. And as he falls in love with Francie, he is determined to make her love him right back!

This was a great story with plenty of action and relationship-building along the way. Lots of interesting things happen along Francie's self-discovery of herself and what love can be. Secrets are exposed but she finally gets her man.

While it might seem the story was a little long, it was very enjoyable. This book is a second in a trilogy but can easily be read as a stand-alone. I loved it enough that I'll be going back to read the first and then read the last. Enjoy!!

Previously in the Highland Lairds Trilogy:

About the Author:

Kathleen Harrington, winner of the Colorado Romance Writers’ Award of Excellence, has touched the hearts of readers across the country with her sparkling tales of high adventure and unending love. Her historical romances have been finalists for the Romance Writers of America’s RITA, The Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Awards, the Virginia Romance Writers’ HOLT Medallion, and the Phoenix Desert Rose Golden Quill. Her fabulous heroes have garnered the KISS (Knight in Shining Silver) Award. She lives in Southern California.

Website

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Sarah's Reviews: Wallbanger by Alice Clayton

2013-05-16T17:31:00.003-03:00

Caroline Reynolds has a fantastic new apartment in San Francisco, a KitchenAid mixer, and no O (and we’re not talking Oprah here, folks). She has a flourishing design career, an office overlooking the bay, a killer zucchini bread recipe, and no O. She has Clive (the best cat ever), great friends, a great rack, and no O.
Adding insult to O-less, since her move, she has an oversexed neighbor with the loudest late-night wallbanging she’s ever heard. Each moan, spank, and–was that a meow?–punctuates the fact that not only is she losing sleep, she still has, yep, you guessed it, no O.
Enter Simon Parker. (No, really, Simon, please enter.) When the wallbanging threatens to literally bounce her out of bed, Caroline, clad in sexual frustration and a pink baby-doll nightie, confronts her heard-but-never-seen neighbor. Their late-night hallway encounter has, well, mixed results. Ahem. With walls this thin, the tension’s gonna be thick…
In her third novel, Alice Clayton returns to dish her trademark mix of silly and steamy. Banter, barbs, and strutting pussycats, plus the sexiest apple pie ever made, are dunked in a hot tub and set against the gorgeous San Francisco skyline in this hot and hilarious tale of exasperation at first sight.

Publisher: Omnific Publishing
Release Date: November 27th 2012
Author Website
Buy the book

When I'd read all the book blurb I was very intrigued, I had never read anything of Alice Clayton's before and she already is popular on Goodreads and Amazon.

Caroline has everything you could want except for the "O" and she has a wallbanging neighbour... so you know where this is going right? The book is hilariously funny, and I mean hilarious that if you decide to read this in public - be warned you will laugh out loud. The book is very sexy too, although mainly towards the end of the book so there is a whole load of sexual tension! But I have to say I was expecting more sex based on the title.

It is really easy to read and you won't want to put it down and noting the price on Amazon it is worth the price for sure. I think you could re-read this several times, perfect holiday reading!

Release Day Blitz: Lucid by Natalie Roers

2013-05-15T04:38:00.000-03:00

Excerpt:

I gave her a funny look and loosened the drawstrings. A dark green stone

fell out into my hand. It had little red splotches on it and was hung with three

small chains from a silver crescent that looked like the moon. The metal of the crescent looked very old, as if it had been pounded by hand.

“You made me zink of it when you mentioned your dreams earlier.” Kelly

said. “I zought you might appreciate it.”

“What is it?”

“It’s a talisman. According to legend, it was originally used by da Lucid as a gateway to da dream world.”

“That’s really cool,” I said, “What’s it got to do with me?”

“Talismans are very magical. Dey have da power to make extraordinary

transformations. Why don’t you keep it for a while? See how it works?”

“Oh, come on,” I disagreed. “You don’t really believe that, do you?”

Doctor Kelly smiled. “I believe very much in powerful transformations.”

Publisher: Twilight Times Books

Genre: paranormal fantasy

Print ISBN: 978-1-60619-027-2

eBook ISBN: 978-1-60619-026-5

May 15, 2013 ebook

July 15, 2013 print

Pages: 168

Book Description:

Disfigured at birth and ostracized at school, Travis Hunter dreams of

acceptance and secretly yearns for the affection of a beautiful young woman named Corrine. When a mysterious doctor promises to help Travis through something called lucid dreaming, Travis gets more than he ever bargained for and soon finds himself learning the secrets of love and life in a fantastic unconscious world.

Chapter Excerpt

ABOUT NATALIE ROERS

Natalie Roers is a veteran writer, voice artist, and on-air personality. A journalist by trade, Lucid is her first work of fiction involving such serious social themes as bullying, acceptance and compassion. Natalie is currently working on her second book that deals with the complex issues of mental illness. With each book she writes, Natalie hopes to raise money and social awareness for worthy causes. She lives with her husband, Cory, and son, Austin, in Columbia, South Carolina.

Lucid will be available for download at all fine online retailers May 15th, 2013.

The paperback will follow with a release in July. To learn more about the project or to book this author for an interview, please check out jointhelucid.com.

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Marina's Review: Gyaros - Book One - The Mice Eat Iron by Rohan Healy and Alex Healy

2013-05-15T00:20:00.003-03:00

Welcome to the green districts of Elissa, capital city of the unified corporate planet, Carthage. The year is 0061. For 29 years, husband and father Miles Stanton has followed society's guidelines. But one day he is pushed too far. Branded a criminal and deemed unfit to live or work on Carthage, Miles is exiled to the harsh prison moon of Gyaros, losing everything that was ever important to him.

He struggles to survive as a civilized human being in a lunar wasteland of chaos and brutality. But when surrounded by unspeakable violence and madness, how long can a man hold on to his precious humanity?
They say there's no way back to Carthage. But if Miles is to survive on Gyaros he has to believe that there is.Follow Miles as he makes friends and enemies, fighting for his life across Carthage and Gyaros, and stumbling upon secrets he was never meant to know!The debut novel by musicians, authors and brothers, Rohan & Alex Healy; The Mice Eat Iron is the first thrilling part of the epic sci-fi adventure that is the Gyaros trilogy.

Publisher: Beardfire Publishing

Release Date: April 3rd 2013

Author's Website

NO Spoilers

What happens when everything you hold dear has betrayed you?

What happens when an average man is suddenly thrown in a hostile environment?

What finally happens when in the deepest pit of hell you suddenly find truth and friends and people who care for you?

That’s some of the questions our hero Miles is forced to answer in this book.

Gyaros:The Mice Eat Iron is a book for the struggle of a man for survival, struggle to overcome obstacles and to remain human.

Miles lives in the ideal city of Carthage, a phenomenally ideal life until THAT life kicks him in the face, then Miles is shipped to a wasteland named Gyaros or Red Moon a desert like planet for all the outcasts, all the criminals of Carthage.

The reasons why Miles was convicted to exiled are not important. After all he is not the first and certainly won’t be the last man who will eventually find out that his life is based on lies.

His love, however, and commitment to his son is truly admiring.
Between us and this is the only memorable thing I found in Miles’s character. I couldn’t find the connection with the MC throughout the course of the book and I honestly didn’t see him grow into a different, stronger man by the end.

nevertheless, the authors did a great job in world building!!! Although I’m not a fan of the genre I enjoyed really the hard and unforgiving world of Gyaros!

Carthage is the planet of prosperity, the world where everything works as a well tuned clock, functional, shiny and new! The world of light and opportunity. On the contrary Gyaros – The Red Planet is rough, desert like and foul of living terrors but despite all these Miles in Gyaros finds a purpose and to help him with this purpose he unexpectedly finds new friends and ultimately he finds the truth.

“Miles raised his gaze to the large red moon in the sky, Gyaros the land of exile, where the worst criminals, deviants, miscreants, and those deemed unfit to populate the verdant and prosperous home world of Carhtage were sent to rot. Those banished to Gyaros had no hope of ever returning to Carthage’s capital, nor any other part of Carthage for that matter as the means to do so simply did not exist.”

If you can keep up with the rough ride and the graphic novel atmosphere then this book is for you.

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Blog Tour + Giveaway: Claudia's Review of Submission Therapy by Willsin Rowe and Katie Salidas

2013-05-13T17:05:00.000-03:00

Billionaire CEO of Blakely Incorporated, Natasha runs her empire with an eagle eye for every detail. She’s an obsessive, compulsive, micromanaging hard-ass, consumed by the need to control every aspect of her life and her business.
But underneath that seemingly strong façade, Natasha is a swirling mess of anger, anxiety and sexual addiction. Only her therapist, Dr. Benson, knows how close she is to burning out...or exploding. He insists on a radical form of treatment – Submission Therapy – knowing that it’s her only hope.
Skeptical but intrigued, Natasha agrees to attend the first session. What she finds there is an erotically-charged environment that will forgive none of her habitual bad behavior. And a steely-eyed man who seems to read her every desire - even the ones she won’t admit to herself.
Will Natasha learn what it means to submit? Or will she allow her brittle pride to rob her of what she truly needs?

Publisher: Kristell Ink

Release Date: November 12th 2012

Author Website

Buy the book

Natasha is definitely a control-freak. She didn't become successful by handing over control in any decisions she has had to make. But she needs help before she loses control over herself! The stress she is under is literally killing her. She has a strong sexual addiction and has been going to therapy to help. But it's not helping. Her therapist is at the point that he has to let her go, her only chioce being to attempt a last-ditch effort for treatment at a location her therapist has given her without explanation. If Natasha fails, well..she has no choice but to do as her doctor has directed.

This story is a short one but it delivers in eroticism. When Natasha comes to the door of this hotel where she's been sent she is greeted by a woman in lingerie but she won't let Natasha enter. "You have not been permitted to enter yet," she says. Then a deep, calm voice belonging to a masked man in leather pants and bare chest comes towards the two women and takes control of the situation. He takes control of Natasha! He feels his power and relents, as she knows that she must submit to this radical therapy. She just had no idea to what exactly she would be submitting.

Through this man, whom she must call Master Sweet, she learns that submission is not weakness. She learns that she has to trust someone else. Master Sweet delivers some punishment which Natasha finds that she actually enjoys it. When he praises her, she finds that it gives her power because she can get the praise through obedience and she wants it! As she submits to her punishment she learns to block out the world and live within the simplicity of the moment, focusing only on what is happening at that moment.

Through the session she learns about herself and about who she wants to be, how she can relinquish control but still be whole. In here, with Master, she learns that her self-absorption was corrupting her. And then she learns who her Master Sweet is.

"I could barely believe how enslavement had given me such freedom...I'd had so much freedom that I was enslaved by it. Now, every time I gave my willing assent to one of Master's commands, I grew just a step closer to the woman I wanted to be."

"There is power in success. Of that there can be no doubt. You came here with a concrete definition of what success is. You measured it in dollars. Boil that down far enough, and you were already submissive. And money was your Dom."

"Not any more, Master."

Katie Salidas is a Super Woman! Endowed with special powers and abilities, beyond those of mortal women, She can get the munchkins off to gymnastics, cheerleading, Girl Scouts, and swim lessons. She can put hot food on the table for dinner while assisting with homework, baths, and bedtime… And, She still finds the time to keep the hubby happy (nudge nudge wink wink). She can do all of this and still have time to write.

And if you can believe all of those lies, there is some beautiful swamp land in Florida for sale…

Katie Salidas resides in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mother, wife, and author, she does try to do it all, often causing sleep deprivation and many nights passed out at the computer. Writing books is her passion, and she hopes that her passion will bring you hours of entertainment.

Social Media Links

On Her Website Katie Salidas

Katie's Author Page on Facebook

Katie on Twitter

Katie on Goodreads

Katie and Willsin’s Other Books Together

Patience

Slowpoke

Submission Therapy Free Download

Occupational Therapy

Immersion Therapy

Consummate Therapy Omnibus Edition

Win 1 of 3 eBooks of The Consummate Series

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Top 5 Sundays #141 - Best Book Sidekicks! {Part II}

2013-05-12T00:16:00.001-03:00

Hey everyone!

This was such a fun list to compile... I had to put more than one from each series, since it would have been a crime not to...

I would love to know YOUR favorite sidekicks!

Check out my first Sidekicks List

This week’s results:

Best Book Sidekicks! {Part II} 70.59% (12 votes)

Best Childhood / Teen Years Movies! {Part II} 29.41% (5 votes)

Total Votes: 17

The theme for today is:

Best Book Sidekicks! {Part II}

But first, a little bit about this feature and the rules to join in…

Every Sunday I will post a TOP 5 list on the blog. It can be about anything and every week I'll have a new theme {You can vote on next week’s theme on my RIGHT sidebar!} and I will ad the Mr.Linky bellow the post so you can do a list with the theme and add you link to it.

Rules:

Write a post listing your TOP 5 choices within the theme I chose (or was chosen on a poll) for the week.
Mention this Blog on the post and link back to it.
Fell free to use the Feature's image (there is a smaller size version of it bellow)
After you've finished your post, add you link (of the post, not your blog's main page) to the Mr.Linky at the end of that week's post.
If you don’t have a blog to post, just leave your list in the comments =)

*in no particular order

Julie / Jim

from the Kate Daniels Series by Ilona Andrews

One is kick ass and has lovely banter with Kate, the other is all that but also grounds Kate as a responsible adult and help give her evem more depth.

LOVE both!

Ron / Hermione / Neville

from the Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

I know that the main trio is always on spotlight, so Ron and Hermione were obviously going to have their place... but I love Neville and this image was to good to not be shared LOL

Tyler / Danny / Naomi

from the Jessica McClain Series by Amanda Carlson

A new series and already so many awesome characters... we have the twin bro, the best friend and the surprise new friend... LOVE!

Maurice

from the Monster Haven Series by R.L. Naquin

Another new series I am in love with! Maurice is a FANTASTIC sidekick!

ACE / Reader / The Animals

from the Katherine "Kitty" Katt / Alien Series by Gini Koch

so many amazing characters but these are the main sidekicks to our beloved heroine! LOVE them all!

Attention!

Please HELP, Guys!

If you have any theme ideas for the next Top 5 Sundays Posts, please leave them in the comments! NEED NEW IDEAS! Your input would be much appreciated!

Now I can’t wait to see who is in YOUR List of

Best Book Sidekicks! {Part II}

Write you post and leave your link so i can check it out!

Hope you guys have fun with it!

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Blog Tour Review: Caged Heat by Milly Taiden

2013-05-10T06:24:00.000-03:00

Everyone has a bit of a beast inside…

After five years traveling through third world countries to teach impoverished children, Samira Suarez has returned home to Black Meadows. What Sam didn’t expect was to be instantly overwhelmed by the desire to be with the one man she’s wanted since she was a teen, Riel Karven.

Riel has been patiently waiting for Sam’s return. For five long years he’s backed off and watched her come and go. This is it. His mate is back and he’s taking a stand.

Sam’s need for Ry grows to unimaginable proportions. It’s almost as if she were in heat. But she’s a human…isn’t she?

There’s more at stake than Sam and Ry’s future relationship when she inherits her grandmother’s estate. One of her many relatives wants her out of the way.

It’s going to take all of Ry’s determination and help from his friends to keep her alive. And it’s going to take delving into her past to find out why a human is going into mating heat.

Publisher: eTopia Press
Release Date: April 3rd, 2013
My Copy: Received by Bewitching Book Tours.
Author's Website
Buy This Book:

*Spoiler Free

Here we go! Caged Heat resonated with me so much more than Sharp Change! Ry and Sam's story is so sweet. They met years ago and since the first time they saw each other their attraction was instant.

Being a werewolf, Ry knew Sam from day one that Sam is his mate. However, he took her grandma's advice and waited for her to grow up and have more worldly experience before he claimed her.

Sam traveled a lot volunteering and helping people all around the world. Her beloved grandma is dead and it's time for her to settle down in her family home and enjoy her life. Not that her greedy family members think she has that right, specially with the money they believe should have been left for them.

Caged Heat is a great love story with just the right amount of action and a LOT of heat! If you enjoy Paranormal Smexy Times, this is definitely the book for you!

Previously in the Black Meadow Pack Series:

Milly Taiden

Milly Taiden was born in the prettiest part of the Caribbean known as the Dominican Republic. She grew up between New York, Florida and Massachusetts. Currently, she resides in New York City with her husband, bossy young son and their little dog Speedy.

She began writing when she learned to put words together and her first book consisted of two homeless dogs living in a park for her second grade English class. She didn’t win a prize, but she acquired a love for writing that never went away.

When she’s not working full-time, texting with her best friend Heidi in England, chastising her son for pulling the dog’s ears, shopping with her sister Jewel or watching scary movies with her husband, she can be found writing on her laptop. She’s addicted to shoe shopping, chocolate and Dunkin Donuts coffee.

A major reader when she can get her hands on a good book, she loves reading all Mina Carter, Cynthia Eden, Cynthia Sax among others

Website | Twitter @millytaiden | Facebook

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Claudia's Review: Brave Girl {Nice Girl #2} by Kate Baum

2013-05-10T05:31:00.000-03:00

Eve is beyond excited for her new adventure. Only a truly brave girl could move thousands of miles from home to begin a five-year commitment teaching on an American Indian Reservation. As soon as she arrives, she finds that many of the tribe’s people are not very welcoming. They are suspicious of the college students that work and live on the reservation in exchange for free graduate tuition. After a misunderstanding, Eve decides she absolutely despises a certain tribal police officer. Circumstances cause her to keep running into him.Lou regrets the awkward situation where he first met Eve. He had been openly distrustful of the college girls who have come to live on the reservation. In the past, some of the girls were disrespectful of the tribe’s culture. There is something different about Eve. He can’t get her out of his head. The more he tries to get to know her, the more she pulls away. What will it take for Lou to convince Eve that their attraction for each other cannot be denied?Eve has given up on men. She has had unsatisfying sex in the past and decided that men are just not worth the trouble. She’s a modern young woman and decides that using a handy tool is all she needs to relieve her sexual frustration. The problem is...there’s a gorgeous, sexy police officer that stirs her blood like no man has ever done before. Eve is tough and strong and brave. She doesn’t like the fact that her legs shake and her voice trembles whenever she crosses paths with him. Maybe if she keeps running from him, she won’t have to face what her body…..or her heart is telling her.****Warning – for adults only. Contains graphic sex including a group sex scene and a m/m sexual situation.

Publisher: Kate Baum

Release Date: April 12, 2013

Author's Website

Buy Brave Girl:

*NO Spoilers!

This book is the second in the Girl Series for author Kate Baum. I had not read the first book, but this second installment was good as a stand-alone.

The story revolves around Eve, who has left her three best friends from high school/college, to take a post-grad internship at an Indian reservation. She quickly becomes friends with her new roommates who will also be teaching at the reservation.

So one day at school she overhears some men saying rude things to her friends and she quickly defends them, earning her the title "Fire Spirit." Eve is beautiful and smart and has the mane of red hair (from her Irish ancestry) that really helps you picture that she is a fire spirit when you hear her often coming to the aid of those who need help standing up for themselves. She has always prided herself on being brave, on conquering her fears, and being the badass of her group of girlfriends. It's a sassy attitude that totally fits her and really helps the reader connect with her.

In the course of the altercation she meets (sort of) Lou Red Wolf, and whoa, the more she sees of him, the more she likes! I've never read a romance with a Native American hero but if I were to make a list of all the things that make up a good hero, he would be all that is Lou Red Wolf - gorgeous, smart, caring, respectful, alpha without being an alpha-hole, patient, sexy, and totally capable of giving a woman everything she could want in the bedroom.

Eve and Lou have this growing sexual tension that you can totally feel as you're reading. Their banter is playful and fun and full of innuendo from Lou. This man wants her and she doesn't want to be a fling but she feels that he would never want her permanently because she is not Native American. Lou doesn't care about that, he only cares about being with the woman who has captured his heart.

One of my favorite lines that totally had me reacting like Eve was when Lou said:

“Are you ready, Eve?” He asked in a voice that had turned husky. He was breathing heavily as he stared at me with such intensity that my body tightened involuntarily."

I love how these two were able to work through their issues, though it took a while for Eve to realize that she was the one who was continually running away. She kept finding reasons to not be with Lou and he kept breaking down those excuses. As much as she wanted to be brave, she understood that she was afraid and that's why she kept running from him.

At last...

"I learned just then that a true act of bravery is giving the person you love everything….. including your heart. So I decided to be brave."

Sexy without too much description, this book might seem long but the story was good and kept a good pace. There was a group sex scene that was described and a m/m scene that occurred but in my opinion both scenes were pretty tame. If you don't like to read those scenes, you could easily skip over to get the gist, and keep right on reading without skipping a beat. They are just set-up scenes for some further understanding of situations that were going on around Eve and her new friends.

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Blog Tour Giveaway + Sarah's Review: Love is Darkness by Caroline Hanson

2013-05-09T06:55:00.000-03:00

Valerie Dearborn wants a cotton candy life, but it’s more like a puffer fish: pointy, unusual, and—if not prepared exactly right—deadly.

In London for graduate school, Val knows she's finally free. Her father and ex-almost-boyfriend are back in California and she's out of the Vampire hunting biz for good. Or is she?

She draws the attention of Lucas, a 1600 year old Vampire, and King to his kind. He’s also wicked hot. As golden as Lucifer, and just as tempting, he makes Valerie an offer she can't refuse— help him find out if the Others (Empaths, Fey and Werewolves) still exist or he'll stop protecting those she loves.

Lucas tells her that Empaths were a Vampire’s biggest weakness before going extinct hundreds of years ago. While the Fey or a Werewolf might kill a Vampire, an Empath could enslave them, seducing or harming with emotions at will. The one detail he leaves out? Valerie is an Empath.

And after 1600 years of an emotionless existence, Lucas wants Valerie like a recovering alcoholic wants a wine cooler.

Can she keep those she loves alive, stop Lucas from munching on her, survive a fanged revolution and still find a way to have that boring, normal life she’s always wanted? Probably not, but boy is she gonna try!

This is a full length novel and contains adult content.

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It’s so easy for any vampire story to quickly be likened to the Twilight series and whilst I wouldn’t say the comparison was correct here it is not far off.

Valerie is instantly likeable and I found the love triangle between her Lucas and Jake was enticing, sexy and I couldn’t work out which of the male characters I preferred. I found myself changing my mind each time I read about them. I think possibly my favourite became Jack… I think!

I really loved the world that the author created but it was pretty difficult working out if we were in the past or present as the story darted about so much that I got totally lost several times. There are a few mistakes in the book which were highlighted more in a story that was easily confusing to read. The mistakes probably wouldn’t have been noticed so much had the story flowed better. The characterisation was great and I felt that the characters were believable and I could imagine them easily.

When I had got to the end I couldn’t quite work out the plot, had there been a plot? Yes the author had created an interesting read but what actually happened exactly, I don’t really know. There is more to come in this series so hopefully more plot will happen throughout this series but the characters are possibly just about enough to get me reading more. I did still enjoy it but I couldn’t really tell you much about it other than my favourite was Jack…

Intrigued about Book Two but it needs to be much better!

Caroline Hanson

Caroline Hanson grew up in California and moved to London in order to dance and go to pubs. Adulthood ensued and she returned to California, bringing back her very own Englishman.

After becoming an attorney she had two children and now tries to parent, read, write and play tennis. She's heard rumors that other mothers clean and cook but is trying valiantly to keep those rumors from reaching her

family.

Caroline grew up listening to Brit pop and reading about vampires. As a teenager her favorite authors were Anne Rice and Jude Deveraux. Now she loves Laurell K. Hamilton, Charlaine Harris, Patricia Briggs, Laura Kinsale, Lisa Kleypas, Loretta Chase, Nalini Singh and JR Ward--that's the short list.

In terms of TV she's big into Game of Thrones, anything by Mr. Whedon, Ms. Plec or Ms. Rhimes because she likes a love story-- the more messed

up and disastrous the better!

Her books have been on various Bestseller lists and she loves to hear from fans so long as they understand that Lucas is not real, she can't hook them up, and he CERTAINLY isn't chained to her bed.

Website | Goodreads | Twitter @Caroline-Hanson | Facebook

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GIVEAWAY + Guest Post by Lillie J. Roberts {Author of "Life After Death"}

2013-05-08T21:35:00.003-03:00

Hi Larissa!

Thanks for hosting me on your blog! :)

Hi lovely readers! In case you don't recognize me, I'm Dottie from Tink's Place, but I write under the pseudonym Lillie J. Roberts. My debut novel was published on March 18, 2013 from Crimson Romance.

I thought today I'd talk about something many aspiring writers struggle with: character development.

I've been asked many things about writing... Why do I do it? What drives me to write? How do I write?

For me, I write for the characters, those people sharing my brain, refusing to quiet down until I let them come to life. But one thing that I'm rarely asked about is character development. How do they come to be? Because when I'm listening to them, for me, their story unfolds as I write, but I always have a sense of who the characters are.

To me, it's the life blood of your story. If you can't feel for the characters, then you can't relate to the story. How many times have you read a book and felt the characters were one-dimensional? Or that the

heroine or hero was too unbelievable? Or they left you feeling flat? These problems occur when there is a lack of character development.

Character development can mean the character's physical attributes, but that's not all it means. Without ever 'telling' your audience, you want them to get a feel for what it's like to walk around in their shoes.

How they treat others and the world around them, what makes them tick, what really works their last nerve, or heats them up to the point of no return are all important aspects of character development, and it all has to be believable, even in a supernatural world, paranormal romance, historical fantasy, or space odyssey.

In my new release, Life After Death, the heroine, Chelsea Karmikel, worms her way into your heart, she's part klutz, part romantic with a touch of comedy, and she has to learn to be a kick-ass heroine all rolled into one. She doesn't take heat from anyone, living or dead. My hero, Brad Rearden, has always been grounded in the real world. He's always known wealth, but it isn't something he takes for granted, he prefers to earn his own way instead of relying on his family. When he plays, he plays hard, but prefers a quiet life instead of the glitz and glamor wealth can provide. It makes the two characters, who are polar opposites, clash, but from the clash, sparks fly with burning heat, and they find themselves in

each others arms, a perfect match, one for the other.

Just from those brief descriptions of my characters, you already have a sense of who my characters are, you know they've had to struggle to be who they are, if they're someone you could be friends with, and someone you can care about. Now, my story goes into much greater detail of course, there are many factors that create the individuals these characters become.

I hope I've given aspiring writers a sense of what it's like to write, that was my object for today, because characters are the most important part of your story.

One last thing, and I can't emphasize this enough, if you want to write, do it!! And never stop reading, all authors are prolific readers. It helps you learn more about your craft. One last tidbit of the most important advice I've ever received: Never give up!

If you have any questions I haven't answered, and you'd like to know more, drop me a line or visit me on Facebook or Twitter. You can always stop by one of my blogs to see what I'm working on next.

Again, many thanks to you, Larissa for allowing me to share your blog! :)

Lillie J. Roberts

Facebook | Twitter @gymmom_027| Twitter @LillieJRoberts

Author Blog | Tink's Place Blog

Email: dottietaylor1960@gmail.com

Chelsea Karmikel has led a pretty uneventful life…until she finds herself electrocuted. Now, she’s discovered her family’s secret heritage. She’s a seer of the dead, lending her sight to help those in need. Ghosts are her new reality.
Her mission is to encourage those who have lost their way to follow the Watchman, the crazed guide for the Inbetween…a way station where souls move from one existence to the next. But, there’s something deeper and darker than the ghosts who come to her for help. If Chelsea’s not careful, those eager to swallow her soul’s light may devour her alive… if she allows herself be drawn into the Nevernever.
When Brad Rearden, a darkly handsome, insufferable private detective and walks into her life, he touches off a wild-fire of desire that entraps them both, scorching them with need. Together, they work to solve the mystery of his Aunt Deloris’s death, because Chelsea’s next on the murderer’s list. But who will catch whom—the murderer or Chelsea?

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