Total Book Geek

New website!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 30 Mar 2015 05:00:00 +0000

Some really exciting news, my fellow book geeks! I now have a brand new website :D This includes a new link, a new site and a new logo! The name stays very much the same though ^^)

So head on over to the new website and let me know what you think. Help me share the news, and enter the giveaway to win an Amazon gift card!

Review: Bully (Fall Away #1) by Penelope Douglas

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 28 Mar 2015 06:10:00 +0000

My name is Tate. He doesn't call me that, though. He would never refer to me so informally, if he referred to me at all. No, he'll barely even speak to me.

But he still won't leave me alone.

We were best friends once. Then he turned on me and made it his mission to ruin my life. I've been humiliated, shut out, and gossiped about all through high school. His pranks and rumors got more sadistic as time wore on, and I made myself sick trying to stay out of his way. I even went to France for a year, just to avoid him.

But I'm done hiding from him now, and there's no way in hell I'll allow him to ruin my senior year. He might not have changed, but I have. It's time to fight back.

I'm not going to let him bully me anymore.

I've heard a lot about this series and this book. It seems either people love it or hate it. I fall into that first category. Honestly I was a bit wary at first, as bullying is something I don't deal with well, and I've read comments from other people saying how horrible it was in this book. To me actually it was doable. There is no (physical) harassment, mostly spreading some rumors around to keep Tate isolated from most of her peers.

I certainly do not condone bullying in any way, I was just prepared for the worst and the reality wasn't as harsh as I had imagined. Though the bullying we read about has mostly happened in the past, to me Jared was mostly just being an asshole showing kindergarten behavior. Namely teasing a girl because you like her, though it certainly did go further than just teasing.

From the beginning it's actually pretty clear why Jared behaves that way and when you find out why he does it, that simply made me sad. The regret he feels, the anger, the love... these conflicting emotions also makes it difficult for him to stop his behavior. He realizes he can not keep treating her this way, but already so much has happened that it's hard to break the pattern.

Still it becomes more and more difficult to hide his true feelings for Tate, though she isn't so easy to forgive him. I fully agree with the way Tate reacts to Jared's behavior. After her year abroad she has become stronger, willing to finally stand up to him. Though at times she has to be careful not to turn into a bully herself. I really liked that she was done letting him run all over her, proving how strong she was. It's definitely not easy, and even confusing as Jared's behavior turns fickle.

Slowly it becomes clear how hurt both these characters are. Jared made a stupid decision, which he has trouble coming back from and Tate was the victim of that. Instead of still being best friends, they became enemies and for Tate it was never clear why. She suffered from this separation, though so did Tate. Since he was the start of it all, he will also have to make amends to turn things around.

Bully was an amazing story that deals with some pretty heavy themes. Two broken characters, exhausted from the dynamic between them and trying to figure a way out. While bullying is definitely a theme in this book, to me it felt more about standing up for yourself, figuring out what you want or who you want (to be), opening up and forgiveness. Add in all your usual teenage drama and you know it's not a light read. Still there are plenty of amusing scenes in between, when these two start arguing or the plans they have for each other. While these last couple of years were awful, I feel that we need to remember that Tate and Jared know each other very well, were best friends for most of their lives, and have a lot of history between them. Therefor it was easier for me to understand how Tate could forgive him.

I can keep rambling on about this book forever it seems, definitely plenty worth of discussing. So I'm just going to end things here. Bully was amazing, with complex and interesting characters, heavy themes and I loved it.

Fall Away - Reading order and purchase links

The Author

Penelope Douglas is a writer living in Las Vegas. Born in Dubuque, Iowa, she is the oldest of five children. Penelope attended the University of Northern Iowa, earning a Bachelor's degree in Public Administration, because her father told her to "just get the damn degree!" She then earned a Masters of Science in Education at Loyola University in New Orleans, because she HATED public administration. One night, she told the bouncer at the bar where she worked that his son was hot, and three years later she was married. To the son, not the bouncer. They have spawn, but just one. A daughter named Aydan. Penelope loves sweets, The 100, and she shops at Target almost daily.

Connect with Penelope Douglas:

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads

Excerpt: Deep (Stage Dive #4) by Kylie Scott

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 27 Mar 2015 06:06:00 +0000

Don't miss a beat with the fourth and final novel in the USA Today bestselling Stage Dive series from Kylie Scott.

Positive. With two little lines on a pregnancy test, everything in Lizzy Rollins' ordinary life is about to change forever. And all because of one big mistake in Vegas with Ben Nicholson, the irresistibly sexy bass player for Stage Dive. So what if Ben's the only man she's ever met who can make her feel completely safe, cherished, and out of control with desire at the same time? Lizzy knows the gorgeous rock star isn't looking for anything more permanent than a good time, no matter how much she wishes differently.

Ben knows Lizzy is off limits. Completely and utterly. She's his best friend's little sister now, and no matter how hot the chemistry is between them, no matter how sweet and sexy she is, he's not going to go there. But when Ben is forced to keep the one girl he's always had a weakness for out of trouble in Sin City, he quickly learns that what happens in Vegas, doesn't always stay there. Now he and Lizzie are connected in the deepest way possible...but will it lead to a connection of the heart?

His laughter, it didn’t really sound the smallest bit amused. “Christ. You’re done here.”

“Ah, no. I’m actually not. Now see, this is where we have a problem.” I folded my arms. Then unfolded them because like fuck I’d look defensive. He was the one in the wrong, not me. “You’re not prepared to take me, or my feelings, seriously. What you want is to hide away in Mr. Too Cool for Commitment land and just play with my affections when it suits you. Okay, I’ve accepted that. But none of that means it’s okay for you to come in here and act like you’re the boss of me. None of it.”

“That so?” he asked, leaning down so that we were almost nose to nose.

“That’s so, baby.” I play-punched him in the shoulder, which it should be noted, I barely came up to. Okay, so maybe the alcohol on a mostly empty stomach had made me slightly/lots braver/sillier. “So why don’t you take your little caveman jealous tantrum bullshit somewhere else. See, I do this funny thing I like to refer to as whatever the fuck I want. Understand?”

He just stared.

“And as pretty as you are with your beard and your muscles, you are too damn tricky and . . . complicated and shit for me.”

“I am?”

“Yes, you are. Are you finally seeing my point here?”

“You bet.”

“Excellent. So take your hotness elsewhere, kind sir. I want no part of it!” Huh. I had so told him. Drunken bravado was the best.

Stage Dive - Reading order and purchase links

All books can be read as standalone novels, but trust me when I say you will want to read them all ;)

Lick: Amazon - Kindle

Play: My review - Amazon - Kindle

Lead: My review - Amazon - Kindle

Deep: Amazon - Kindle

The Author

Kylie is a long time fan of erotic love stories and B-grade horror films. She demands a happy ending and if blood and carnage occur along the way then all the better. Based in Queensland, Australia with her two children and one delightful husband, she reads, writes and never dithers around on the internet.

Connect with Kylie Scott:

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Review: Axel (Corps Security #1) by Harper Sloan

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 27 Mar 2015 06:05:00 +0000

Fate hasn’t always been friends with Isabelle West. In fact, fate has been a downright bitch.

Isabelle has learned the hard way how hard life can be when fate isn’t by your side. It can hand you dreams on silver platters, but it can snatch them right back and hand you nightmares. One thing Isabelle knew for sure fate was consistent with was taking away everything she ever loved.
For the last two years Isabelle has been slowly clearing the clouds of her past. Happiness is finally on the horizon. She has a thriving business, great friends, and her life back. All she has to do is jump over the last hurdle…her ex-husband.

When problems start causing her to fear her new life, and memories that are better left forgotten start rushing to the surface the last thing she needs is a ghost from her past to come knocking on her door.

Axel never thought he would look into the eyes of Isabelle West again, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to now. He’s carried his anger for so long he isn’t sure he can just turn it off, but when he is faced with protecting her and an unexpected desire to have her again, life gets a little more complicated.

How will Axel and Isabelle deal when all their cards are put on the table and everything they thought was true blows up in their faces?

I'm having some mixed feelings about this story. On the one hand I'll probably read the rest of the series, because all these guys sound amazing. On the other hand I almost felt a bit disappointed with the way Axel turned out. It was definitely different than what I expected.

Isabelle's husband was not a good guy, but in the end she manages to escape from him. It's been two years since, and her life is slowly picking back up. She has some great friends that helped her through, and are always there for her. But when her ex-husband is causing some problems, her friends call in help. Who she never expected to see again was Axel.

I was kind of surprised how Isabelle handled the whole situation with Axel. Before she was more meek and compliant, but now she's full on angry. I liked that Axel was able to bring out more emotions from her, still her anger at times felt misplaced to me.

Axel also never expected to see Isabelle again. The last time he knew, she was happily married. In all those years he never stopped caring about her though, so now that she needs his help, he's there for her. As in, he takes over her life kind of, and leaves her no choice about it. While I certainly liked his possessive alpha male side, it didn't quite work in my mind, when he would all mushy around Isabelle. The guy is actually pretty romantic and has no problems talking about his feelings.

It's that whole contradiction in those characters that had me confused at times and made it more difficult for me to get really into it. Somehow it made the story less believable. So while the two main characters were kind of all over the place, the secondary characters were pretty great. We only get them to know a little, but I liked what I saw and that's probably why I'll be giving this series another shot.

2.5 stars

Corps Security - Reading order and purchase links

The Author

Harper is a NEW YORK TIMES, WALL STREET JOURNAL and USA TODAY bestselling author residing in Georgia with her husband and three daughters. She has a borderline unhealthy obsession with books, hibachi, tattoos and Game of Thrones. When she isn't writing you can almost always find her with a book in hand.

Connect with Harper Sloan:

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads

Excerpt & Giveaway: G-Men Series by Andrea Smith

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 26 Mar 2015 06:15:00 +0000

The entire G-Men Series is together for a limited time box set! Yes, those hot, alpha FBI agents, and their ladies, along with the spin-off characters of 'These Men' are packaged together for this limited time offer. This is your chance to meet Slate, Taz, Easton, Eli and Cain Maddox if you haven't yet had the . . . pleasure!

NOW AVAILABLE

Amazon US ONLY $0.99

Amazon UK ONLY $1.99

Diamond Girl (Book #1)

Slate was waiting for me at the bus stop when I arrived. I shamelessly flew into his arms as soon as I stepped to the curb. "I fucking missed you," I said, "And I don't want to hear shit about it, either."

He laughed softly, as he wrapped his arm around me, pulling me closely as we walked to his apartment.

Once there, we were like two savages that hadn't been together for months instead of days. I tore at his clothing, and he tore at mine. Once naked, he unceremoniously lifted me from the pile of clothing and placed me on his bed.

He lowered himself beside me, gently pulling me into his strong arms and kissed me softly all over. His lips brushed my lips, and then moved to my neck, peppering me with kisses as his tongue blazed a path to my breasts. His mouth suckled each one thoroughly, and soft moans escaped my lips as his fingers explored my wet pussy, and then dipped inside of me sending shock waves of pleasure throughout my body.

I watched as his hand moved from my pussy. He brought his fingers up to my lips. "Lick," he said, pushing his wet fingers against my lips. "I want you to see what you taste like."

The Author

Andrea is a USA TODAY bestselling author residing in Ohio. Her published works include Past Tense Future Perfect, an e-book trilogy (previously published under the "Baby Series" titles) the G-Man Series: Diamond Girl, Love Plus One, Night Moves, G-Men Holiday Wrap and Taz; and her 'Limbo Series,' consisting of Silent Whisper and Clouds in my Coffee.

Connect with Andrea Smith:

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads

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Review: Chase Me (Broke and Beautiful #1) by Tessa Bailey

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 26 Mar 2015 06:10:00 +0000

College drop-out, Roxy Cumberland, moved to New York with dreams of becoming an actress, but her dwindling bank account is quickly putting the kibosh on that fantasy. To make some quick cash, she signs up to perform singing telegrams. Her first customer is a gorgeous, cocky Manhattan trust-funder if she ever laid eyes on one. And what could be more humiliating than singing an ode to his junk, courtesy of his last one night stand? Maybe the fact that she’s dressed in a giant, pink bunny costume...

After a night out to celebrate winning his last case, lawyer Louis McNally II isn't prepared for the pounding in his head or the rabbit serenading him from the front door. But the sassy wit and sexy voice of the girl behind the mask intrigues him, and one look at her stunning face—followed by a mind-blowing kiss against his door jamb—leaves Louis wanting more.

Roxy doesn't need a spoiled rich boy who’s had everything in life handed to him on a Tiffany platter. But there’s more to Louis than his sexy surface and he’s determined to make Roxy see it...even if it means chasing her all over NYC.

I have to say that the opening scene was one the most original and funniest I have read in a while. A freaking singagram, I didn't even know those were still a thing, but Tessa Bailey made very good use of it. So the story starts off pretty strong with that one, then a kiss that will knock your socks off and the chase is on.

Though it was never Roxy's intention to blow Louis' world and have him chase her, she can't deny to fun she's having with this lawyer boy. It's always nice when a handsome man is into you, tries to charm you and puts on the full woo for you. Let's be honest, Roxy isn't running that hard away from him. The attraction between them is so obvious, that it would be silly to deny it.

Louis really is wonderful. He's successful, handsome, charming, funny, helpful and all kinds of amazing. When a guy like that wants you, you say "yes, please". Though in his quest chasing Roxy, he does make some mistakes, he's a guy afterall. There are certainly enough WTH moments though, to keep him from being too perfect.

Roxy was nice. She's confident, independent, funny, sassy and cute. All things you need to make a great actress, she just needs her chance. So her focus is very much on her career, and while a guy might be nice, it's not something she's pining for. Therefor meeting Louis was a nice surprise, which she fully enjoys. Still sometimes we get to see this little insecure side of her, and realize she's not always as confident as she'd like to be. All this adds some nice drama to the story.

Chase Me was a funny light-hearted sexy love story. Two great main characters, with Louis definitely being my favourite. He isn't just a total sweetheart, the boy has a dirty mouth on him as well, which I loved. The plot was predictable, but the dialogues were on point. I would definitely recommend it if you're looking for a fast and fun read.

3.5 stars

Broke and Beautiful - Reading order and purchase links

*All books can be read as a standalone*

The Author

Tessa Bailey is originally from Carlsbad, California. The day after high school graduation, she packed her yearbook, ripped jeans and laptop, driving cross-country to New York City in under four days.

Her most valuable life experiences were learned thereafter while waitressing at K-Dees, a Manhattan pub owned by her uncle. Inside those four walls, she met her husband, best friend and discovered the magic of classic rock, managing to put herself through Kingsborough Community College and the English program at Pace University at the same time. Several stunted attempts to enter the work force as a journalist followed, but romance writing continued to demand her attention.

She now lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband of seven years and three-year-old daughter. Although she is severely sleep-deprived, she is incredibly happy to be living her dream of writing about people falling in love.

Connect with Tessa Bailey:

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads

Review: The Will (Magdalene #1) by Kristen Ashley

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 25 Mar 2015 06:11:00 +0000

Early in her life, Josephine Malone learned the hard way that there was only one person she could love and trust: her grandmother, Lydia Malone. Out of necessity, unconsciously and very successfully, Josephine donned a disguise to keep all others at bay. She led a globetrotting lifestyle on the fringes of the fashion and music elite, but she kept herself distant.

While Josephine was trotting the globe, retired boxer Jake Spear was living in the same small town as Lydia. There was nothing disguised about Jake. Including the fact he made a habit of making very bad decisions about who to give his love.

But for Josephine and Jake, there was one person who adored them. One person who knew how to lead them to happiness. And one person who was intent on doing it.

Even if she had to do it as her final wish on this earth.

Whenever I read a book by Kristen Ashley, I wonder if it is really necessary for me to write a review. There hasn't been one book by her I haven't liked or loved. Reading her stories, you know upfront a bit what to expect. Though not by the plot, because that's always full of surprises. But about the emotions you will feel. Her writing just gets to me, and each and every time I feel somewhat drained after finishing one of her stories. Like I need a minute to recover.

For me it's also impossible to put her books down once I get started, unless I'm forced. The characters, their story, the setting, it's just all so well thought out and it feels so real. That for me is one of the biggest parts why I love her stories so much. They feel so real in a way, mostly the characters.

Josephine and Jake are both in their forties. Meaning they have already lived, they have a past, they made mistakes, and they are certainly not perfect. Josephine upbringing was horrible, but with the help of her grandmother she escaped that. Now leading a great life as the PA of a famous photographer. She has some friends and gets to travel around the world. Still when it comes to love, she has seen only the ugly side and decided for herself that she didn't want it. If she ever feels the need she will find someone, but Josephine will never give in.

Now with the passing of her grandmother, pretty much the only person she ever felt unconditional love from, Josephine is a bit lost. She returns back home, thinking she just finished organizing some stuff and be back on her way. What she hadn't counted on was the pull of the Lavender House, her grandmother's house, and the safety Josephine finds in that house. One other thing she hadn't expected was Jake.

Her grandmother had never mentioned him, but it looks like he was a big part of her life. Josephine doesn't know what to do with that information, but luckily Jake isn't afraid to take on the challenge that is Josephine. Now honestly it all moves kind of slow, but I liked that, because once again that adds to the realness of the story. And what a story it is!

We follow along as Josephine starts to place her grief of losing her grandmother, while dealing with Jake in her life. That connection between them isn't there suddenly, it grows and it has plenty of hurdles to keep things interesting. An unconventional love story, with characters I fell completely for. Just the way Josephine talks, was amazing and added this whole other dimension to the story. Jake past is a colourful one, and certainly adds plenty of drama. This one was another amazing book by Kristen Ashley. I just can not get enough of her writing.

Magdalene - Reading order and purchase links

*All books can be read as a standalone*

The Author

Kristen Ashley was born in Gary, Indiana, USA. She nearly killed her mother and herself making it into the world, seeing as she had the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck (already attempting to accessorise and she hadn't taken her first breath!).

Kristen grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana but has lived in Denver, Colorado and the West Country of England. Thus she has been blessed to have friends and family around the globe. Her posse is loopy (to say the least) but loopy is good when you want to write.

Kristen was raised in a house with a large and multi-generational family. They lived on a very small farm in a small town in the heartland and existed amongst the strains of Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon and Whitesnake (and the wardrobes that matched).

Needless to say, growing up in a house full of music, clothes and love was a good way to grow up.

And as she keeps growing up, it keeps getting better.

Connect with Kristen Ashley:

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads

Review & Giveaway: Night Shift Anthology

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 24 Mar 2015 06:50:00 +0000

Summer in the Big Easy is hot. Inside Tulane Medical Center the temperature is on the rise.

A doctor nursing a broken heart. A wounded warrior with no interest in love. A single father finding the girl who got away. A combat nurse trying to adjust to civilian life. Two lost souls looking for love. A former detective looking for answers and an FBI agent who finds more than he bargains for.

Desire. Lust. Excess. New Orleans will never be the same.

Six never before released stories that will leave you breathless.

Dirty things happen in the dark.

*I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review*

When it comes to charity I'm pretty much a sucker and if I get 6 short stories for it, I definitely don't mind handing over my money.

Four out of six stories can be read as a standalone and have a happy ending. Though technically they all have a "happy ending" *wink, wink*. The two others are clearly prologues to something more, though none the less fun to here.

There is the overall theme of Night Shift in all the stories. Meaning it's all centered around a hospital in New Orleans. We have doctors, nurses, technicians, cops and most of it takes place during the night. Pretty much every dirty fantasy you have that included those professions you will find in this anthology.

Seriously these ladies are trying to outdo each other in the hotness department. These stories are beyond smoking. Each one has there charm, and the writing style is different, but I truly liked all of them. Some are a bit sweeter, while others immediately go for the good stuff, but all of them will leave you very satisfied.

Night Shift is now available 6 NEW novellas

Never Before Released 100% of the proceeds will be donated to charity

Learn More About These Authors

Toni Aleo is the author of the Assassins Series, Bullies Series, Whiskey Prince, Let it be Me, and the Spring Grove novels. She lives in Clarksville, TN with her husband, and two beautiful children. She enjoys taking pictures, writing, shopping and going to as many hockey games that she can! Click here to visit her website.

Kindle Alexander, best selling and newly award winning author, is an innovative writer and a genre-crosser who writes classic fantasy, romance, suspense, and erotica. It’s always a surprise to see what’s coming next! Happily married with too many children, and dogs, living in the suburbs of Dallas. Click here to visit her website.

Sawyer Bennett, New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author, is a snarky southern woman and reformed trial lawyer who decided to finally start putting on paper all of the stories that were floating in her head. Her husband works for a Fortune 100 company which lets him fly all over the world while she stays at home with their daughter and three big, furry dogs who hog the bed. Sawyer would like to report she doesn't have many weaknesses but can be bribed with a nominal amount of milk chocolate. Click here to visit her website.

Chelle Bliss, USA Today bestselling author, writes stories about real-life scenarios with fantasy Alpha males. Her works include humor as well as steamy sex. Her work includes her best selling series Men of Inked. Click here to visit her website.

Eden Butler is an Amazon best-selling editor and writer of Romance, Mystery and SciFi and Fantasy novels and the nine-times great-granddaughter of an honest-to-God English pirate. This could explain her affinity for rule breaking and rum. Her debut novel, a New Adult, Contemporary Romance, "Chasing Serenity" launched October 2013. Since that time Eden has published six books and novellas including the Amazon best seller, "Thin Love". Click here to learn more about her.

Brenda Rothert is a proud indie author who loves writing stories that make readers laugh, cry and occasionally, yell at their e-readers. Her Contemporary Romances include Unspoken; The Now Series - Now and Then, Now and Again and Now and Forever, and The Fire on Ice Series - Bound, Captive, Edge, Drive and Release. Her latest release is Killian, the first book in her new hockey series, On the Line. For more information about Brenda’s books, visit her website at www.brendarothert.com.

100% of the proceeds will be donated to:

The Keith Milano Memorial Fund was established to help raise awareness about the devastating deadly disease that is Mental Illness. Keith’s spirit and laughter is kept alive through our efforts to increase awareness about mental illness and to raise money for education and imperative research. Click hereto learn more

The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network is fully committed to providing the most comprehensive set of programs and services to fight this very difficult disease. Our commitment and passion are driven by our mission: to advance research, support patients and create hope for anyone facing pancreatic cancer. Click here to visit the Keep the Memory Alive page

At the inception of the Nashville Predators' franchise in 1997, we not only made a commitment to develop a successful hockey team and organization, but also believed and committed to fulfilling a recognized responsibility to play an important role in our

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Cover Reveal: The Traveling Woman (The Traveling Duet #2) by Jane Harvey-Berrick

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 24 Mar 2015 06:32:00 +0000

THE CONCLUDING STORY of Aimee and Kestrel, begun in THE TRAVELING MAN ……

How many times do you gamble on love? When love has knocked you down, should you give it another chance? When does optimism become stupidity?

And what happens when the man you’re in love with is never still, always moving, always traveling? Do you say goodbye, or do you leave behind everything that you’ve worked for, everything that you’ve ever known? Can a traveling carnival be my home?

Oh. You thought I had the answers. No, sorry. No answers, just a lot of questions—and a heart that wants to rule my head.

Can one person be my home?

Pre-order: Amazon US - Amazon UK

Read The Traveling Man Now!

Amazon US - Amazon UK - B&N

The Author

I lived in London for over 10 years and have a love affair with New York. It's only since I have moved to the countryside, that the words have really begun to flow.

I live in a small village by the ocean and walk my little dog, Pip, every day. It’s on those beachside walks that I have all my best ideas.

Writing has become a way of life – and one that I love to share.

Connect with Jane Harvey-Berrick:

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads

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Review: Stupid Boy (Stupid in Love #2) by Cindy Miles

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 23 Mar 2015 06:19:00 +0000

Brax Jenkins and Olivia Beaumont are the most envied couple at Winston University—but the so-called “virginity dare,” orchestrated by Brax’s old fraternity, almost tore them apart. Now, a new dare is taking shape, and it’s sure to set emotions ablaze--more than ever before.

Winston’s “It Girl” Harper Belle isn’t just president of the Deltas--she’s also a master at keeping her ugly past a secret. So, when the Kappas’ dare hits closer to home for her more than anyone realizes, she devises a competition of her own as payback. Three sorority sisters will seek out a notorious womanizer on campus and--unbeknownst their “mark”--secretly train him to be the perfect boyfriend. Always up for a challenge, Harper targets the biggest player she can find: Brax’s wickedly handsome foster brother Kane McCarthy.

But, Harper discovers there’s much more to Kane than girls, games, and partying. His easy smile belies the quiet, old soul reflected in his deep brown eyes. All it takes is one night, one secret laid bare, and one kiss from Kane to shift Harper’s world on its axis. Suddenly, the girl who’s always walked a straight and narrow path can’t think of anything else except losing control.

*I received a copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Harper and Kane both have a dark past. They both bare scars from that, though some are just easier to hide than others. While there is certainly that attraction between them, Harper never suspected she would have so much in common with this bad boy. What started as a stupid prank, very quickly turned into something so much more.

I honestly never got the feeling that Kane was really a bad boy. Yes, he drives a motorcycle, is a bit rough around the edges and his daily occupation might not be legal. Still he seemed solid, and that is what Harper soon finds out. She had him pegged all wrong, and therefore was not prepared to feel so overwhelmed by him.

Harper's upbringing has always left her at the edge of the action. Always doing what was expected of her, without ever feeling too excited about it. She's more of an observer than a doer. Now being confronted about her behaviour by Kane, has her scared. The fact that someone might actually see beyond the facade she puts up, means she has to actually let someone in. Still slowly Kane gets to her and it becomes harder and harder to keep her distance.

Stupid Boy was a pretty fast read, even though not necessarily an easy read as there are some heavy themes in the book. The way their past is talked about is approachable. Meaning it didn't make me feel too emotional about it, even though I would have liked it more. I don't mind feeling too much, than rather too little. Harper and Kane were great characters and I did feel for them. I liked how Kane kept pushing at Harper's wall, his persistence was admirable. Meanwhile seeing Harper open up and become her real self was gratifying. Overall a good story, excellent if you want a fast read, with some emotional depth.

Stupid In Love - Reading order and purchase links

*All books can be read as a standalone*

Stupid Girl: Excerpt - Amazon ($0.99)

Stupid Boy: Amazon

The Author

Cindy Miles is the best-selling author of twelve novels, one anthology and three short stories. She also writes as Elle Jasper, and grew up on the salt marshes of the Vernon River in Savannah, Georgia.

Connect with Cindy Miles:

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads

Review: Fire Inside (Chaos #2) by Kristen Ashley

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 20 Mar 2015 06:55:00 +0000

Lanie Heron isn't looking for love-no surprise, considering her last serious relationship nearly got her killed. So when Lanie propositions Hop Kincaid, all she wants is one wild night with the hot-as-hell biker who patrols with the Chaos Motorcycle Club . . .

For Hop, Lanie has always been untouchable. She's too polished and too classy for his taste. But when she gives Hop the once-over with her bedroom eyes and offers him a night in paradise, he can't say no. And he doesn't regret it when he finds that Lanie is the best thing that's ever happened to him-in or out of bed. Now the trick will be to convince her of that.

We met Lanie and Hop in Motorcycle Man, though it isn't completely necessary to read it first. While Lanie left a pretty okay impression on me, my situation with Hop was a tad more difficult. Lanie to me always seemed more like a victim. Her idiot fiancé got her shot, Tyra stabbed and himself killed. It's been years since that happened, but it's not something you easily let go off.

Still slowly Lanie is ready to move forward and this includes a lovely one night stand with Hop. He has never denied his attraction towards her, so when the opportunity arises, he takes it. Except one night is really not enough for these two. Lanie keeps claiming and shouting that she doesn't want a relationship and the situation just got out of hand, but it becomes more and more difficult to deny that she actually has feelings for Hop.

Meanwhile Hop could have never in his wildest dreams believed that a woman like Lanie could be interested in him. They are so different and from opposite worlds. When he gets his hands on her though, all that seems to fade away. Of course it's not all rainbows and sunshine. They have a lot of arguments, but that's mostly coming from fear of giving love a chance. Both have had the worst experiences in that department, so opening up again and letting someone is a huge risk.

With the focus very much on the interactions between Lanie and Hop, I did miss a bit the excitement from the MC. Other than that, it was an excellent read and I'm very happy the way things turned out in the end for Lanie. She deserves it so much. Hop still wasn't very easily to love for me, but his persistence when it came to Lanie was admirable.

Chaos - Reading order and purchase links

Own The Wind: My review - Amazon - Book Depository

Fire Inside: Amazon - Book Depository

The Author

Connect with Kristen Ashley:

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Excerpt: Naughty King (A Sexy Manhattan Fairytale #1) by Michelle A. Valentine

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 19 Mar 2015 06:31:00 +0000

The King Always Gets His Way.
Women, business, pleasure: When I want it, I get it.
I’m never denied.
Including her.
I will break her.
I will show her who the king of this city really is.
The Feisty Princess of Manhattan will learn I am not a man that can be tempted.
No matter how fucking bad I want her in my bed.

Book one in a three part erotic romance series from NY Times and USA Today bestselling author Michelle A. Valentine (Rock the Heart, Phenomenal X, Wicked White, Demon at My Door).

Naughty King (A Sexy Manhattan Fairytale: Part One)

Feisty Princess (A Sexy Manhattan Fairytale: Part Two) — Coming Soon

Dirty Royals (A Sexy Manhattan Fairylate: Part Three) — Coming Soon

I grip the armrest of my seat and dig my nails into the cream-colored leather. It takes everything in me to not jump up and smack the ever-living shit out of this man.

I take a deep breath and count to five in my head before I blow the air out slowly through my nose to help me refocus and not fall into the little game he’s playing with me.

I swallow hard. “I’ll keep that in mind, but I would much rather spend my time figuring out ways to take you down.”

“Suit yourself, but I’m warning you, Ms. Buchanan, I don’t play fair.” There’s a wicked gleam in his eye, and there’s no telling what he’s planning to do to torture me, but I have to be ready for any move he tries to make.

Buy book:

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | Google Books

The Author

Michelle A. Valentine is a Central Ohio nurse turned New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of erotic and New Adult romance. Her love of hard-rock music, tattoos, and sexy musicians inspired her erotic BLACK FALCON series.

Connect with Michelle A. Valentine:

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads

Review: Word Play by Amalie Silver

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 19 Mar 2015 05:59:00 +0000

Smut sells.

Michael Rourke learned this the hard way.

Struggling to make ends meet as a mystery writer, he sold his soul - and his pride - as he pedaled sex and lust writing under the pen name Christoph Strong.

No one knew he was the one behind the steamy stories on the bestsellers lists. And he planned to keep it that way.

Until he met her.

Monica Singer, an infamous blogger, is keen to discover the truth of his secret identity.

During a chance meeting at a book convention, Michael and Monica form an instant connection. And soon, an industry rivalry becomes something else entirely.

But as Michael starts to let his guard down, he doesn’t realize that the person he's learning to trust may be hiding secrets of her own.

Secrets that could ultimately destroy everything.

Michael Roarke's career as a mystery writer wasn't going as well as he hoped. In order to be able to pay his bills he wrote an erotica novel under the name Christian Strong. It looks like that went way better than expected, since he's now a bestseller. Though honestly, he feels a bit ashamed for writing smut, but as long as nobody knows who he really is, he doesn't care.

That is about to change though. On his way to a book signing someone discovers his pictures and links it with Christian Strong. The mayhem that follow, well nobody expected that. Suddenly he needs security and women are throwing their panties at him. He's become the Justin Timberlake of the book world. Michael really doesn't like it. At first he goes along with it, but it's just not his thing.

When he meets Monica he lets his fake facade fall and makes a real connection. Though things are not quite what they seem with her. That's about all I can say about the plot. This one is definitely way more fun to discover yourself.

The story is told from a dual point of view, so while the characters are trying to figure out what's going on, you get to be all knowing. Michael and Monica are great characters. The idea of a man writing erotica was very refreshing. I know there are very little men who do that and I can imagine a lot of women would go extreme fangirl on such a guy, certainly if he's good looking.

The whole setup of this story was actually very refreshing and unique. There was plenty of humor and interesting twists. All the characters were very likeable and I was jealous of Monica in the more steamy scenes. This is one of those books I enjoyed way more than expected. I really liked how it involved authors and book bloggers. There were these little blog snippets that were hilarious and so recognizable. Amalie Silver has done an amazing job with this story and I'll definitely be reading more from her.

Buy book

The Author

Amalie Silver resides in Minnesota with her husband, two toddlers, and German Short-haired Pointer, Saba. She consumes approximately three pots of coffee a day, and credits this for her survival over the past decade.

When not completely consumed in her writing, she can be found taking road trips to northern Minnesota, engaging in fierce Scrabble games, or reading a good book. She’s a sucker for all romance genres, literary fiction, and psychological fiction.

Connect with Amalie Silver:

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Cover Reveal: Clipped by Love (Bellevue Bullies #2) by Toni Aleo

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 18 Mar 2015 06:53:00 +0000

Things are heating up for the Sinclair boys! With one already in the NHL, Jayden Sinclair is hoping to be next!

This has been the toughest year of my life. I watched my brother go into the draft without me, my mom got divorced, and the weight of my family’s issues is heavy on my shoulders. I feel like it’s my job to fix everything while working my butt off in school and trying to make my game better. I have to go into the draft. It will give my family the support they need, and it will prove that I’m good enough. But to get there, I have to show I can be the best captain for the Bellevue Bullies. The spot is mine—no one can take it. First though, Jude is making me go on a brother’s weekend. Innocent enough, I guess…until I see her. She’s the biggest competitor I’ve ever faced. Not only for my spot but also my heart. It’s hard to ignore someone like Baylor Moore.

***

I don’t lose. I can’t. My dad has bred me to be the best in anything I do. I am driven, I am smart, and I am going to be the first woman in the National Hockey League. No two ways about it. I’ve worked too hard. I’ve been through too much not to have what I want. I know I can do it. I will make my dad proud, and no one will stand in the way of that. That is, until I let him in. He scares me. He makes me feel. And he could very well be the one person who can make me want more than just to win.

We both have the same goal. Victory. But how do you compete against the person you want to win? It’s not easy. Love isn’t something you can control. It isn’t like a puck that can be handled by a stick. No, it has a mind of its own and does what it wants.

Neither of us saw it coming, and we really don’t know if there is a way to score, especially when you’re being Clipped by Love.

Bellevue Bullies - Reading order and purchase links

Boarded By Love: My Review - Amazon

Clipped By Love: Amazon (pre-order)

Assassins - Reading order and purchase links

Taking Shots: Amazon - Kindle

Trying To Score: Amazon - Kindle

Empty Net: Amazon - Kindle

Falling For The Backup: Kindle ($0.99)

4 & Counting: free read

Blue Lines: My review - Amazon - Kindle

Breaking Away: My review - Amazon - B&N

Laces and Lace: My review - Amazon - B&N

A Very Merry Hockey Holiday: Amazon ($0.99)

Breaking Away: My review - Amazon - B&N

The Author

Toni Aleo is the author of the Nasvhille Assassins series: Taking Shots, Trying to Score, Empty Net, Falling for the Backup, and Blue Lines.

When not rooting for her beloved Nashville Predators, she’s probably going to her husband’s and son’s hockey games and her daughter’s dance competitions, taking pictures, scrapbooking, or reading the latest romance novel.

She lives in the Nashville area with her husband, two children, and a bulldog.

Connect with Toni Aleo:

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads

Review, Excerpt & Giveaway: Suspicious Minds (Fate #3) by Elizabeth Reyes

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 17 Mar 2015 06:19:00 +0000

Good girls cheat too.

It's a bitter reality Lorenzo Moreno knows all too well.

After his "good girl" fiancée blind sides him by cheating on him with her ex Lorenzo swears off relationships for a while, if not forever.

Until Fate steps in.

Unable to fight the incredible pull he feels to Olivia, a girl who was supposed to be just a meaningless one night stand, Lorenzo gives into his heart. But only after making one thing utterly clear. He will not deal with any exe's or other men in her life. Period.

She's not that person anymore.

For too long Olivia Romero shamefully put up with an manipulative and overly controlling boyfriend. So when fate pairs her up with the gorgeous but intense Air Force pilot she's ready to stand her ground. Cutting all ties with her ex is no sacrifice for Olivia. It's why she willingly complies with Lorenzo's uncompromising stipulation.

As their relationship intensifies so do Lorenzo's suspicions about any man in her life. Determined to not be that weak girl anymore, Olivia demands to be trusted. Despite how vehement her new boyfriend can be, her diligence seems to be working.

But when an unforeseen crisis arises Olivia is forced to make a decision. A decision she knows in Lorenzo's jaded and suspicious mind could be unforgivable.

The thing about a Moreno is, they are intense, caring, loving and sexy as hell. Lorenzo was willing to give the world to his fiancée, but one thing Moreno's don't deal with is cheating. Those guys do not share and make this very clear. Why anyone would want to cheat on Lorenzo simply boggles my mind. He such a sweet and good guy, all wrapped up in one hot package. So girl was a fool and poor Lorenzo has been hurt by the experience.

His trust in women is broken, so relationships are out of the question and one night stands are the only safe thing he can do. Until one of those nights steps fully into his life as Olivia Romero, cousin to one of his friends. The night they had was spectacular, and he admits to have been thinking about her. Still seeing her again is too much, too soon. What they felt that night, turns out it wasn't a fluke. There is this real connection between them, and it becomes very difficult to deny it any longer.

Things quickly evolve between them, but there are still some obvious trust issues from Lorenzo. I can understand where he's coming from, and nobody wants to be fooled twice, but at times his suspicions got to be a bit too much. Luckily Olivia is understanding about that, and she's open towards him about her contact with other men. There is never an issue, unless it's about her ex.

Now Olivia's ex is an ass. They've had a difficult past, but she's clearly over that guy and very much in love with Lorenzo. When there is trouble in her hometown involving her best friend and her ex, that's when the real problems arise. That's at least the case in Lorenzo's head. When trust is broken, it needs time to heal, but to me it always seemed that Olivia had to earn Lorenzo's trust when she had done nothing wrong. I wouldn't be able to deal with that, but luckily she could.

When you mix Moreno with Romero, you know there are going to be fireworks. Besides the one-sided trust issues, everything went pretty smoothly. The way this relationship between them works is like a dream. I mean, Lorenzo is a dreamy guy, and anyone would be lucky to call him boyfriend. Olivia is also amazing. She's strong, independent and has a sexual confidence about her that's admirable. These two work very well together, it's really other people that's causing the trouble.

Suspicious Minds was a great and entertaining story. Besides the love part, there is also some mystery and even action involved. That was quite a surprise to me, but I liked it. Lorenzo's suspicions at times was a bit too much for me, but I liked how matter-of-fact Olivia dealt with those. Moreno and Romero together also means a lot of passion and those scenes were extremely hot.

Walking smack into a wall jolted her instantly out of her thoughts. The moment she realized the solid wall was actually a man’s chest was mortifying enough, but when her eyes met Lorenzo’s uncompromising expression, her legs went weak.

“I’m sorry,” she said, feeling her face go hot, and pulled her hand away from his chest where it’d flown in reflex.

She was caught in his intense eyes as she had been earlier. Like she had been so many times the night she met him. But it was only momentarily.

“Don’t be,” he said, glancing away quickly, and if she weren’t mistaken, he seemed a bit panicked. Maybe his wife or fiancée was here. “I wasn’t paying attention either.”

They stood there in heavy silence for a few awkward seconds until she finally smiled and shrugged. “Small world, huh?”

The miniscule nod said he agreed, but his vacant expression now bordered on hard. His eyes lowered, and she gulped when she realized he was staring at her lips. He licked his lips as the memory of his kisses inundated her. Is that what he was thinking of too? She stared at his lips as she felt his face lean in a little closer to hers and froze when she could actually feel his warm breath so close to her lips. Just when she’d been certain he was going to kiss her, he froze too and their eyes met again. “Too small maybe.”

Ouch.

“I can assure you,” he went on as he pulled back suddenly, “if I’d known you’d be here . . .” He glanced away with a frown without finishing then tipped the edge of his hat with a painfully forced smile. “My apologies for running into you,” he said tersely. “Have a good day.”

Fate - Reading order and purchase links

*All books can be read as a standalone*

Fate: Amazon - Kobo - Smashword

Breaking Brandon: My review - Amazon - Kobo - Smashwords

Suspicious Minds: Amazon - Kobo - Smashwords

The Author

USA Today Bestselling Author, Elizabeth Reyes continues to answer to her calling on a daily basis. Since releasing her debut novel Forever Mine (Moreno Brothers #1) in 2010 she has now published 9 full length novels total and fast at work on the next. The excitement her Moreno Brothers, 5th Street, and Fate series have garnered has far exceeded her wildest dreams. It is with as much excitement that she'll continue to put out books related to these series as well as introduce brand new ones very soon. In 2014 she will take her next step in the exciting world of writing and publish her first traditionally published book with Simon & Schuster/Atria. But she will continue putting out self published books as well.

Connect with Elizabeth Reyes:

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads

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Excerpt: Silver Bastard (Silver Valley #1) by Joanna Wylde

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 17 Mar 2015 06:00:00 +0000

First in the new Silver Valley series from the New York Timesbestselling author of the Reapers Motorcycle Club Novels

Fourteen months. For fourteen months, Puck Redhouse sat in a cell and kept his mouth shut, protecting the Silver Bastards MC from their enemies. Then he was free and it was time for his reward—full membership in the club, along with a party to celebrate. That’s when he saw Becca Jones for the first time and set everything in motion. Before the night ended he’d violated his parole and stolen her away from everything she knew.

Five years. It was five years ago that Puck destroyed Becca and saved her all in one night. She’s been terrified of him ever since, but she’s even more terrified of the monsters he still protects her from... But Becca refuses to let fear control her. She’s living her life and moving forward, until she gets a phone call from the past she can't ignore. She has to go back, and there’s only one man she can trust to go with her—the ex-con biker who rescued her once before.

Puck will help her again, but this time it’ll be on his terms. No more lies, no more tears, and no more holding back what he really wants...

Prologue

California

Five years ago

Puck

Motherfucker that burned.

The shot was a double, and the fact that it’d come cradled between two beautiful, giant tits attached to a stripper with endless legs and a tight ass didn’t hurt one goddamned bit. Tequila hit my stomach, the alcohol shocking my system, and shit finally got real.

Freedom.

Fourteen months since the last time I’d had a decent drink—all but forgotten what it felt like, too. That sweet, harsh pain that comes from losing the surface layer of skin all the way down your throat? Gorgeous. Never felt better in my life, and that’s a fact. Helped that the queen of body shots had sucked me off right after we’d pulled up to the party.

Spent the last year trying to decide what I’d do first when I finally got out. Kept going back and forth between getting laid and getting drunk, but God apparently has a soft spot for assholes because we’d found one hell of a good compromise.

I’d been free nearly four hours now. Still felt like a dream. The California Department of Corrections took its own sweet time with everything, up to and including processing a man out. I’d spent half the wait wondering if the cockwads would change their minds or if the club lawyer had forgotten something. Figured they’d find some way to fuck with my head.

FBI, state cops, even Homeland Security—they all wanted a piece of my club, the Silver Bastards MC, and not a week went by inside that they didn’t try to cut it out of my hide. Guess they figured a prospect made an easy target.

Not fucking likely.

My old man died for the Bastards. If I turned, he’d haunt my ass the rest of my life because that shit does not stand in my family. I’d been born to wear a Bastard cut. And tonight? For the first time I finally had the right to show those colors off.

A hand slapped my shoulder, then a burly man caught me up in a hug so tight it hurt. My fucking ribs creaked.

“That patch feel right on your back, brother?” asked Boonie. He was the president of the Silver Bastards in Callup, Idaho, and I’d heard him call me a hell of a lot of things—but never brother. Felt good. Damned good. Until an hour ago, I’d been a prospect and I’d never gotten any special treatment because of my old man.

That’s how I wanted it.

“Best night of my life,” I admitted. He pulled back, and his face grew serious.

“Proud of you,” he said. “You did what you had to. Protected the club, took care of business. Painter told us how things were inside, how you took his back. You earned this, earned it with your life and your blood. I know you won’t shame this patch, Puck.”

“I won’t,” I replied, his words almost too much. Boonie grinned suddenly, then grabbed my arm and turned me toward the bar again.

“Drink up,” he told me. “Then find yourself some pretty little thing to play with, because tomorrow we’re ridin’ home. Your bike’s in good shape—took care of it for you.”

“Thanks.”

“Another shot, baby?” the stripper asked. She rolled onto her side, reaching out to catch my neck with her hand, pulling me in for a kiss. That brought me a little too close to her face. She was sweaty, and her mascara had started running. Didn’t smell that great, either.

“More shots,” I said, pulling away. I’d appreciated the blow job, no question. But she wasn’t exactly the fantasy I’d been jacking off to the last year and I’d promised myself I wouldn’t settle once I got out. I wanted someone fresh—someone clean and soft and sweet enough to eat. I’d play with her for a while before letting myself go, punching through all that softness until she screamed and begged for mercy.

Mouth, cunt, ass.

That’d been what got me through those long nights wondering why the fuck I’d let myself get caught.

Ignoring the bitch on the bar, I reached across and grabbed the bottle of tequila, chugging nearly a third of it down. Christ, there went the rest of my throat. Then I turned to look out across room. Four of my new Silver Bastard brothers had come down from Callup—Boonie, Miner, Deep, and Demon. Joining them were four Reapers and two Reaper prospects. They were here to welcome Painter, who’d gone down with me on a weapons charge. This sucked, but such is life. We’d been fighting for our clubs, so no regrets there. Through a combination of luck and well-placed payoffs, we’d managed to stick together for the duration of our time served. The clubs provided the funds and the attorneys—to protect them, we matched that investment with our silence.

Painter caught my eye from across the room, grinning. After so much time together I could almost read his thoughts. I gave him a nod, one of those chin jerks that speaks volumes.

Congrats to you, too, asshole.

“You havin’ fun?” a man asked. I looked down to find a painfully skinny, greasy little man missing half his teeth standing next to me. Tweaker called Teeny. His face was just a little too eager, his eyes a little too bright. Unfortunately, Teeny was our host for the night so I had to be nice to him. We were out in the middle of nowhere, tucked back in a canyon where this douche had somehow acquired a house. The Longnecks MC—one of our “allies,” although their loyalty was questionable—had a warehouse set up in a shop right next to this guy’s house.

This Teeny asshole wasn’t even part of the club . . . Apparently his brother Bax was patched in, though, so they used him as a pit stop. Something didn’t quite add up about the situation, but fuck if I cared. In the morning I’d be riding for home. With luck my future association with the state of California in general and Teeny in particular would be extremely limited.

“See anything you like?” he asked. “That’s my old lady, there. “You want her? She’s real good, welcome you home right.”

I shrugged, glancing over toward his woman. She was probably in her midthirties, I decided. Pretty enough, but she had a hard, tired look around her eyes that didn’t appeal. Not only that, she was wiry and skinny as fuck. Probably smoking meth to block out the fact that she had to live with this dickwad.

“No, she’s great but not my type,” I said, casually taking another drink of tequila. Wasn’t burning so much now, which in retrospect should’ve been a sign to slow down. Maybe things would’ve turned out different.

Shitty thing about time—only runs the one direction.

“What’s your type?” he asked. I shrugged. The day I needed some tweaker to find me pussy, I’d cut off my own cock and get it over with. Swallowing another drink, I glanced across the room, pointedly ignoring him.

That’s when I saw her.

Now, I fuckin’ hate clichés, and shit like this only happens in movies . . . but I swear to fuck, I think I fell for her in that instant. She was small, with long brown hair in one of those knot things on top of her head. Not dressed to show off her figure, either. I could still see she had a tiny waist, though, along with generous tits and the kind of round, healthy curves you just know will cradle your hips perfectly when you’re pounding her.

I had to have her.

Like, needed her. Now.

“Good call,” Teeny said. I ignored him, focusing on the angel I had every intention of owning just as soon as I talked her out of her pants. God, she was pretty. Kind of out of place, too. Not flirting with anyone, and not a ton of makeup. Just wandering around, picking up empties, and avoiding conversation. Fascinating.

“I’ll introduce you.”

Teeny walked across the room toward my Dream Fuck. I started after him, because I didn’t want the asshole speaking on my behalf. Then Boonie caught my arm.

“Heads‑up,” he said, his voice pitched low, difficult to hear through the noise of the party. “We think somethin’s going on with that guy. Don’t be afraid to talk him up, okay? Can always use good information.”

I nodded, wondering why the fuck Teeny had to pick me to buddy up with. Tonight was for relaxing, enjoying myself. Just looking at him made me feel dirty, and considering some of the shit I’ve pulled in my life, that’s an accomplishment. Another hand slapped my back, then Painter caught me by the neck, squeezing me as he laughed.

“Never ends,” he said. “Boonie cock-blocking you?”

I punched him in the gut—not hard. Just enough to make him back off.

“No, right now you have that honor,” I muttered, glaring at him. “Christ, we just spent a year together in a fuckin’ cell. Think we’ve covered everything, so let me get laid? Please?”

He answered by punching me back, and I reeled . . . damn, hadn’t realized how drunk I’d gotten. Still, I wasn’t about to go down easy. I swayed, watching him as our brothers started crowding around us. The wild gleam in his eyes—a mixture of almost manic happiness and pent‑up energy—matched my own.

“Take it outside,” Boonie said. “I got fifty on Puck.”

“Hundred on Painter,” Picnic Hayes, the Reapers’ president, answered and then we were bundled outside for the fight.

I couldn’t wait.

We’d sparred before, of course. Nothing but time to kill in the pen, so I knew Painter’s moves like they were my own— and he knew mine, too. We were a good match, could go either way. Neither of us had much in the way of formal training but we’d both picked up a fair amount along the way. Hell, I’d gotten caught in my first bar fight when I was fourteen years old, seeing as my pop wasn’t exactly Father of the Year material. Still loved the old bastard, though.

The sun was fading as we stepped outside, painting the sky in pinks and oranges shot through with smudged clouds. I paused a moment, struck by the incredible beauty all around me, and smiled, breathing deep. So fucking good to be outside again. Nobody knows what it’s like, trapped in a cell like an animal. Nobody but the guys who’ve heard the sound of those gates closing behind them.

Fortunately for me, I wasn’t exactly the first Silver Bastard to do time for the club, which meant my brothers got me. They knew what this was like.

“Okay, we got a circle here,” Pic was saying. I blinked, starting to process the fact that maybe boxing with Painter while I was drunk might not be such a hot idea. Of course, he was drunk, too, and the booze would numb the pain . . . “Fight goes until one of you is down or taps out. Time to make your bets, brothers.”

Boonie caught my arm, pulling me to the side and looking into my face.

“You ready?” he asked. I nodded sharply, because drunk or not, I wasn’t going to pussy out in front of my president on the same day I got my colors. I glanced across the dusty circle to see Painter, who gave me a friendly sneer. Laughing, I flipped him off, then shook my arms out, loosening up.

That’s when I saw her again. Off to the side, standing next to Teeny, who was talking rapidly and pointing to me. I frowned, because I really didn’t need or want that asshole on my side. Knowing my luck, the fucker would send her running. I nudged my brother, Deep, who was standing next to me.

“See that girl?” I asked, jerking my chin toward her. “Make sure Teeny doesn’t scare her off, okay?”

“Sure,” he said. “I’ll keep an eye out.”

“Thanks.”

Painter and I stepped into the circle together, and I felt the thrill of adrenaline cut through the haze of alcohol. My blood started pumping, pounding through me until I could all but taste it. Christ, but I loved to fight. Always seemed to clear my head, and I’d gotten good enough over the years that I won more than I lost. Inside, those skills had saved our asses, and I’d picked up my fair share of pointers from the very man I found myself facing.

Painter moved first, coming in with an experimental jab toward my stomach. This wasn’t a real attack, just him testing my limits. I’d had a lot to drink, which would slow my reflexes. So had he. That changed the baseline, something we both needed to feel out.

“Can’t believe they gave you a top rocker,” he said, taunting me.

I grinned.

“Try harder, old man. I know you too well.”

Painter laughed, then came at me again, suddenly. He punched me square in the stomach and I doubled over. Shit. I fell back and almost stumbled out of the ring, catching myself at the last minute. I heard the shouts of my brothers urging me on.

Oh, hell no.

No fucking way I’d lose a fight tonight. Painter could fuck right off, because he’d had his colors for years. This was my night. I owned this bitch and he’d just have to suck it up and deal.

Still staggering, I lurched forward toward him like I was out of control. Then I attacked, and this time I caught him. One hit, two. Three. Right in the gut. Painter gasped and I moved in for the kill.

Somehow he pulled himself together, catching me across the chin. My entire head rattled as I staggered to the side. I felt blood in my mouth, then found a loose tooth with my tongue.

Asshole.

I thought of the pretty girl I’d just seen, which pissed me off. The anger was good. Cleared my head. Didn’t matter if I won or not, she wouldn’t want to suck face with someone bleeding like a stuck pig. This wasn’t a fight—it was a cock-block.

Time to end it.

Painter waited for me, swaying. I’d gotten him pretty good.

He was definitely favoring his left hand, which was great news because he was left-handed. Lucky me. I was ambidextrous.

I launched myself at him, turning that to my advantage.

He tried to block me but his arm was weak. I landed a blow to his gut followed by one that caught the side of his cheek. Pain seared through my hand, parting the fog of alcohol.

“Dick,” he managed to gasp as I danced back, flexing my fingers. That last one had been bad—if I’d been any more off-center, I’d have a fist full of broken bones.

“You got him,” Boonie shouted. I stretched my hand again. Did I want to risk another head blow? I hadn’t even wrapped my knuckles. . .

Fuck it.

I caught his chin again and Painter went down, falling hard. Blood dribbled from his nose and for long seconds I wondered if I’d actually hurt him for real.

Then he managed to roll onto his stomach, tapping out and flipping me off, all in one gesture.

“Congrats on getting your colors, Puck,” he groaned. “I’ll give you this one. Enjoy it while you can because next time I’m killing you.”

I staggered back, grinning and raising my hands once I realized he wasn’t seriously hurt. It’d been a lucky shot and we both knew it—we were well matched, could’ve gone either way. As I heard my brothers shouting in victory I didn’t care. This was my night. I had my freedom and my patch.

Still needed that girl, though.

I looked around and spotted her standing next to Deep. Teeny stood on the other side of him, looking all sorry for himself. She was hugging herself with both arms, obviously nervous, and I felt my smile fade. Shit. I hadn’t wanted her scared. I shook my head, wishing things weren’t moving so fast. Waving off the men crowding around me, I headed toward her, half expecting her to run off.

She didn’t, though.

As I came to a stop in front of her, she gave me a wavering smile, then spoke. “Can I help you find another drink?”

“Fuck yeah.”

I took her arm and pulled her into my side, exchanging a satisfied look with Deep.

“Let me know if you need anything!” Teeny yelled after us, and

I felt the girl shudder.

“Christ, but he’s a nasty little shit, isn’t he?” I asked her conversationally, and she gave a startled snort of laughter. I liked the sound. Sweet and sort of innocent. Made my dick happy, that was for sure. Still, I didn’t want to fuck things up and push her too hard, because the skittish vibes were intense.

“Yeah, he is,” she agreed quietly, and I leaned down to kiss the top of her head. She smelled good—fresh and clean, just like I’d been fantasizing all those months inside. Fresh and clean and perfect.

I wondered what she’d taste like.

“They’re lighting a fire out back,” she told me, her voice soft. “By the kegs. Maybe we should go over there?”

Hmmm . . . I could work with that.

“Okay.”

She tried to pull away from me then, but I caught her hand playfully, tugging her back toward me.

“I can’t get you a beer if you don’t let me go,” she pointed out.

Fuck. She was right. Still, I wasn’t about to let her get away that easy—knowing my luck, Painter’d swoop in and take her, just to fuck with my head. If anyone could pull it off, he could. Fucker was pretty in his own weird way—even I could see it. I couldn’t compete, not with the nasty scar on my face.

I’d just have to keep a close eye on her, I decided. Protect what was mine.

* * *

An hour later I found myself leaning back against the wall of the house, wondering how I’d gotten so lucky. My girl’s name was Becca, and she was rapidly turning into my all-time favorite female. Not that we’d talked much—she was pretty quiet. But she was soft and warm, and now I had her tucked between my legs, leaning back against me.

“Skittish” hadn’t been the right word for her, either. She’d been nervous as hell, so nervous I’d been afraid at first she’d pull a runner on me. Beer helped with that, and now she was relaxed into me, eyes closed, head turned toward my chest so that my chin brushed her forehead. I’d have said she was asleep if it wasn’t for the little noises she made every time my fingers circled her nipples under her shirt, or slid down her stomach.

We’d pushed up the bra about ten minutes ago, and I’d explored down below just enough to know she wasn’t sopping wet for me yet . . . but she was getting there. This was a good thing, because my dick was harder than a rock and ready for more. I shifted my hips, sliding my erection against her back, and groaned.

Feeling her up in the firelight was great, but time to move things along.

I pulled out one hand, catching her chin and tilting it up for a kiss. God, she was sweet. She tasted like sunshine and beer, with a hint of tequila mixed in for good measure. I could tell she didn’t have a ton of experience, because when I slid my tongue into her mouth she wasn’t quite sure what to do with her own.

Turned me on in a big way, gotta admit.

“Becca, you should take him on upstairs, don’t you think?”

Teeny’s voice cut through the kiss, and Becca stiffened. She pulled away from me, shutting down so hard I could practically feel the arctic chill. Fuck. For an instant I gave serious consideration to killing Teeny. It’d taken me nearly an hour to get her to this point, and he was not going to fuck it up for me.

I stared him down, eyes narrow.

“Is there a reason you’re talking to her?”

He smirked.

“Just making sure it’s all good here.”

“Go away.”

“Take him upstairs, Becca.” If anything, she got more tense, and I groaned. Sure, I could just go find someone else. But I didn’t want anyone else, and this asshole was ruining things for me. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her into me, tight, making it clear that she didn’t need to worry about Teeny.

“Now would be a real good time to disappear,” I told him, my voice full of a quiet menace designed to convey one message—fear. Becca shivered, which pissed me off. Been hard enough to get through to her, and now she had to see this. “Otherwise I’ll make it happen. Got me?”

Boonie came to stand next to us.

“We got a problem here?” he asked.

“No,” Teeny said, glaring at me and Becca. Then he turned and scuttled off like the fucking roach he was. She shivered, and I rubbed my hands up and down her arms.

“Don’t worry, babe,” I told her absently. “Thanks, Boonie.”

“No prob,” he muttered looking after Teeny. “Glad we’re leaving in the morning. There’s something wrong here—been a very educational trip.”

I nodded, although I didn’t have the full story. They’d fill me in later, so until then I’d just follow Boonie’s lead.

“Let’s go inside,” Becca said. “Find some privacy.”

She pulled free and stood up. This startled me, but I wasn’t exactly unhappy about the development. I lurched off-balance as I rose, and things were a little hazy around the edges. Wasn’t messing with my dick, though, so all good where it counted. She led me into the house and up the stairs to a small room in the back. It had a twin-size bed that was rumpled and stained. There was a puddle of beer spilled on the floor next to a turned-over bottle. More cups and bottles littered the area, and an ashtray was half full on the bedside table.

“Guess we aren’t the first ones looking for some privacy,” I commented, but I didn’t really care. Nope. I just shut the door and locked it. When I turned back, she’d already stripped down to her bra, and was busy unzipping her jeans.

Holy shit.

Becca was gorgeous.

I mean, I’d seen how pretty she was outside, but those sweet little boobs I’d been groping the last hour were even more perfect than I’d imagined. Somehow the fact that a plain cotton bra cradled them just enhanced the experience. Then she slid her pants off and I nearly died because I’d never seen anything sexier. I wanted to tie her down and take possession of every hole in her body. Twice.

Becca saw it all written in my face—clearly it scared her. She took a step back, and held up a hand. A deeply disturbing question flickered through my foggy brain.

“Are you a virgin?” I asked, the words tasting strange in my mouth. She gave a harsh laugh, then shook her head.

“No, I’m not a virgin.”

She reached behind to unhook her bra and I saw her nipples for the first time. Pink and pointy and gorgeous, exactly the right size for my mouth . . . I stepped toward her and she surprised me, dropping to her knees and reaching for my fly.

“How long has it been?” she asked, her voice almost businesslike. I groaned as she pushed down my jeans and briefs, cock springing free. I’d never been harder—wasn’t entirely sure I’d survive the next ten minutes. Fuck, would I even last ten minutes? Then her hand wrapped around me and I closed my eyes, reaching out to lean against the wall because otherwise I would’ve fallen flat on my ass.

She started out slow and steady, wrapping her fingers around me and rubbing up and down. After a minute she paused. I opened my eyes to see her peeking up at me as she licked her palm, looking older and more seductive than I’d pegged her before. Fuck. Fuck. Then her other hand reached down to cup my balls as she started working me again with all ten fingers.

I gasped, falling into the sensation again. Definitely wouldn’t be lasting that long, I realized. No way. But that was just fine, because tonight I had a lot more than one load saved up and ready to go.

“Use your mouth.”

She obeyed, opening up and taking me in, her tongue flicking at me expertly. Almost too expertly . . . weird, and a little surprising, given how she kissed. Then she sucked me deeper and I stopped thinking at all. Everything was warm and wet and fucking perfect.

Thirty seconds later I blew up in her mouth without warning. Hell, it caught me off guard, it happened so fast, and I cringed. Reaching down, I caught her hair in my hand, pulling out the rubber band holding it so the long, brown strands fell around her face. She stood, wiping her face with the back of her hand, soft brown eyes meeting mine.

She looked like an innocent little angel again.

“Becca, that was . . .” I didn’t have the words. God, I’d missed sex. Real sex, not just jacking off in my hand. Nothing in the world quite as sweet as the feel of hot wet woman wrapped around my dick.

She turned away, reaching down to grab a half-empty fifth of rotgut vodka off the bedside table, taking a big drink, and swishing it around her mouth. Then she spat it out on the floor so it mingled with the pooled beer before taking another swig.

Okay, not a total angel.

I reached out, and Becca handed the bottle to me wordlessly. Then she slid off her plain cotton panties and laid back on the bed.

“You ready?” she asked. I drank deep, my head spinning because I’d never been more ready for anything in my life. She didn’t look ready, though. Her eyes were distant, and when I kicked off my pants and stepped between her legs, I could see her body wasn’t with me, either.

Fortunately I knew how to fix that.

Pulling off my cut, I looked for somewhere safe to put it. The only available flat surface was the little table, but in the back corner was one of those hanging racks with some clothes on it. I walked over and grabbed a hanger, hung up the leather vest, and turned back to Becca.

She’d closed her eyes, and I’d have thought she was asleep if I didn’t know better. Fuck, maybe she’d passed out.

“You awake?”

She nodded her head.

“Yeah, just sort of drunk,” she muttered. “Don’t worry about it.”

Shrugging, I pulled off my shirt, then knelt down beside the bed and caught her legs up and over my shoulders. She squawked as I spread her pussy lips, giving her a long lick straight up to her clit.

“What are you doing?” she demanded, suddenly awake and alert. I licked her again, and Becca squirmed and gasped as her little nub started to harden for me. Nice. “Oh my God! I can’t believe how good that feels . . .”

She fell back on the bed as I got going. I love pussy. Of course, most men do, but not all of them love going down on a nice, juicy cunt as much as me. I licked and tickled, every once in a while giving a little nip as Becca came to life under me. I think she was trying to keep still at first, but no way was I having any of that shit. Nope. I wanted her soaking wet and screaming, because I planned to ride her hard the rest of the night.

Then I slid two fingers deep inside, searching for just the right spot as I sucked on her clit like candy. Found it on the first try, and she blew up around me, crying out and sobbing. I pulled away, grabbing a chunk of loose sheet to wipe off my mouth, and she moaned, little shivers running through her body.

I’d been hard for her before—almost constantly, even right after I’d come in her mouth—but that was nothing compared to my cock now. Fluid seeped from the tip, and I reached across the floor for my pants, pulling out a condom. Along the way the vodka caught my eye and I took another drink, following her lead as I swished out my mouth and spat on the floor.

The place was truly disgusting, but I’d spent fourteen months in prison so a little filth was the least of my concerns. Tilting back my head, I sucked down the rest of the booze, swaying as I stood. I caught her under the arms and scooted her up the bed before I slipped on the condom. Seconds later I pushed deep into her. Fuck, this had been the right call tonight, because—I shit you not—never felt anything that good before in my life.

She moaned and I caught her mouth with mine, kissing her hard and claiming her. This time I didn’t hold back. Nope. I just took as much as I could, savoring her sweet taste and wondering if she wanted to see Idaho . . . We’d be leaving in the morning, and the thought of throwing her on the back of my bike and taking her along worked for me in a big way.

Then she squeezed down on me hard and I stopped thinking altogether.

* * *

We slept for a while. Maybe we passed out. Dunno. Same difference. When I woke up, Becca was tucked into my side, one leg thrown over mine. Her hair trailed across my chest and her breath tickled my skin.

That’s all it took.

I rolled her over onto her stomach, sliding a pillow under her hips and spreading her legs before grabbing a condom. She murmured, not really talking, but the sounds coming out of her mouth weren’t unhappy when I found her clit again. Seconds later I pushed into her. I’m sure some man—somewhere in history—had enjoyed the feel of a woman’s cunt more than I did in that moment. Hard to imagine how, though.

I’d taken off the edge earlier and now that I had her nice and warmed up, I was ready to do this thing for real. Grabbing her hips, I pulled back and slammed deep. Becca screamed and stiffened, now well and truly awake. Fuck, so hot and slick . . . I started pumping in and out of her hard, loving how she convulsed around me. Her arms reached out, clawing the sheets, and I lowered myself across her back, using my knees to spread her legs out even wider. Then I caught her hands in mine, nipping at the back of her neck before groaning into her ear.

“Reach down below and finger your clit.”

“I can’t,” she gasped. I paused, catching her hand and shoving it down beneath her stomach as I lifted my weight. We found her clit together, then I shoved back into her roughly.

“Oh my God . . .” she moaned. “That’s incredible.”

Damn straight.

“Now keep it there,” I ordered. “You’re going to come for me at least twice, got it?”

She nodded into the sheets and I pulled my hand free, bracing myself as I started moving again. It wasn’t gentle, but that was okay because I felt how wet and slick she was around me. Tight, too. Even better than I’d imagined back in my cell, and I have a hell of a good imagination. I leaned up on my elbows, catching her hair and jerking it back because I get off on that shit. Each twist of my hips took me closer, and when she started convulsing around me and crying, I nearly lost it. Not quite, though. I wasn’t finished.

Mouth. Cunt. Ass.

I’d planned it all out in my head, dreamed about it for months . . . Now I finally had the staying power to finish it. As she shuddered and trembled, I pulled free and sat back on my heels. Becca’s ass spread wide in front of me, and I smiled because it was fucking gorgeous. Heart shaped, pretty. Not too big, but not fucking skinny and nasty like a half-starved donkey, either.

Christ, I wanted to fuck her there.

My cock was still wrapped tight and dripping with her juices, but I spat into my hand a couple times for good measure, slathering it on for a little extra lube. Then caught her hips and pulled her up and onto her knees.

“Brace yourself.”

She nodded, stretching out her arms in front of her like a cat, which was cute but totally inadequate under the circumstances. I caught her hair again, yanking her head to the side. Becca gasped.

“I said brace yourself,” I repeated. “Gonna fuck your ass now.”

She squawked, and her entire body stiffened.

“That a problem?” I asked. She shook her head quickly.

“No, do it.”

Shit, could she sound less enthusiastic? I stilled, realizing my prison dream girl might not be up for the full porno fantasy in living color. Fuck.

“It’s okay,” I said, pulling back. I closed my eyes, running a hand through my hair and shuddering. I’d just fuck her cunt some more. I could do that. Then she shocked the hell out of me by reaching around behind to grab my cock. She pushed back with her hips, awkwardly trying to guide me to her asshole, which was funny and pathetic at the same time.

Because I’m a shitty human being, I went for it. Not a complete dick, though. I could see the tension radiating off her.

“You never done this before?” I asked her. She shook her head violently, not looking at me.

“Okay, we’ll go slow.”

She nodded this time, but she still didn’t give me her eyes. It bothered me for some reason, although why, I had no fucking idea. I dug my fingers deep into her hair, twisting her head around enough to kiss her. Hard. My tongue dug deep, forcing her to kiss me back and, I shit you not, I felt like fireworks were going off in my head. Clichéd as all fuck, but there you have it. After long seconds we came up for air, and I stared into her eyes, seeing how her pupils grew wide.

Slowly, steadily I found her opening with my cockhead, pushing in as she gasped.

“You okay?”

“I’m fine,” she said, eyes wide, her lips trembling. I held her there, my heart beating so hard I thought it might come right out of my chest as I pushed down deep. She was tight—really tight. Sure as hell hadn’t been lying when she’d said she’d never done this before. I sank into her for what felt like forever before I hit bottom, balls resting against her pussy. Her heartbeat pulsed around my cock and I realized that I would be happy to die in that moment. That’s how good it was.

Becca closed her eyes and turned her face into the covers, spasming around me. I didn’t like the position—I wanted to watch her face— but she seemed to need some privacy. I got it. I’ve never been a nice, vanilla kind of guy, but this was a different kind of intensity than even I was used to. No screaming, no scratching, no fighting with each other until we both lost our minds . . . No, this was powerful on a whole new level, and looking into her eyes the whole time was probably too much for me, too.

I pulled back out, then slid in again. She gasped.

“Play with your clit some more.”

She nodded without speaking, burrowing her hand back down until she found her target. I started moving, going slowly and carefully at first. But it felt really good, and I’ve never been one to take things slow and careful.

Looking back, I can’t decide if that’s when things really fell to shit, or if they’d been falling to shit all along and I was just too stupid to see it. Never have figured that one out, but what happened next was not my finest hour. I started moving faster. It felt fucking amazing. She felt fucking amazing. Then I was pounding her and she was shuddering and I thought she was coming and it was perfect.

Becca sobbed suddenly. Loud. Not a pretty crying kind of noise, and not one of those moans bitches give when they’re getting off so hard they can’t quite control themselves.

No.

This was the kind of noise a puppy makes when you kick it, and I felt it all the way down to my gut like a knife ripping me open.

Big. Fucking. Mistake.

I pulled out and caught her up and into my arms. She flinched and I hated myself, because even like that she was soft and pretty and I just wanted to keep nailing her ass. Becca knew it, too, because she tried to pull away from the press of my cock against her back. More sobs escaped and tears rolled down her face and I knew for a fact that I’d burn in hell for this.

Rubbing her head, I tried to think of soothing noises. Instead I was full of questions. Why had she let me do it?

‘Cause you’re a pushy, scary bastard.

Fuck.

“I’m sorry,” I told her, my head starting to spin. Shouldn’t have drunk so much. I had no idea what time it was, no idea how long we’d been up here . . . I heard noises outside, the sounds of music and the party still going, but that didn’t mean much. A good party could last all night and into the next morning.

“It’s okay,” she finally managed to whisper, and I bit back a harsh laugh because that was a huge fucking lie and we both knew it. Then she did something that blew me away. Becca turned in my arms and pushed me down onto my back. Seconds later she had the condom off and was sucking me deep again, which made no fucking sense at all.

Unfortunately my dick wasn’t the sensitive, caring type because it really didn’t care that she was clearly so scared and drunk off her ass she’d lost touch with reality.

I could’ve stopped her.

I should’ve stopped her.

Instead I sank my fingers into her hair and blew up into her mouth and it was even better than the first time. The room was seriously spinning all around me as she tucked into my arm and stroked my chest.

“Tell him I did good, okay?” she whispered. “Just tell him I did good. Please?”

I passed out, wondering what the fuck she was talking about.

* * *

My bladder was about to explode.

Needed to pee. Maybe rinse out my mouth, too, because it tasted like something died in there and that was not an exaggeration. Shifting, I realized that Becca was still tucked into me, sleeping heavily. I managed to crack my eyes open, blinking. Faint light was creeping in through the window, although even now I could still hear music down below.

Great. Gonna be a long ride home with no sleep. Sliding carefully out from under Becca, I stood and pulled on my pants. My shirt had fallen into the sticky puddle of beer and vodka, so I stumbled out of the room half naked. The door across the hall was locked, although from the smell it had to be the bathroom—either that or people had started pissing and vomiting in the bedrooms, which I supposed wasn’t entirely impossible. Felt great to be back with my brothers, but our hosts kind of sucked ass. Bunch of assholes and meth heads, so far as I could tell. No wonder Boonie didn’t trust them.

I walked down the stairs into the living room, where despite the fact that music still blared, people were passed out all over the place. My brother Deep leaned back against the bar separating the living room from the kitchen area, arms crossed, a look of faint disgust on his face.

“Hey,” I said, keeping my voice low.

“You look like death. Have fun up there?”

I shrugged, feeling like an asshole.

“She’s perfect,” I said. “But I think I hurt her.”

His eyes narrowed.

“We got a situation? Should I go get Boonie?”

Shit.

“No, not like that,” I said quickly. “I mean, I think I pushed her too far. Tried to fuck her ass, and it didn’t go over so well. She’s okay, but I still feel like a douche.”

“We got a girl who’s gonna cry rape?” he asked quickly, and I snorted.

“Probably should,” I replied. “She told me to do it, though. Afterward she sucked me off. Feels wrong, somehow.”

“You want another drink?” I turned to see Teeny standing there, his beady eyes bright and full of something I couldn’t quite follow. God, I hated him—he was like a cockroach that wasn’t smart enough to stay out of the light.

Anger replaced my disgust. He needed to leave me the fuck alone.

“Are you serious?” I asked him, turning and cracking my knuckles. The fight with Painter had taken off my edge, but it’d come back again as I told Deep about Becca. Hitting someone— anyone—would feel good, but hitting this guy? That’d be a flat-out pleasure. “God, don’t you ever go away? Fucking piece of shit!”

I started toward him, but Deep caught my arm, pulling me back.

“Careful, bro,” he said quietly. “This isn’t about him. You’re pissed about the girl. Pick your battles, because there’s a lot more Longnecks than Reapers and Bastards combined. All he did was offer you a drink.”

Fuck. I breathed deep, looking at the scared little shit and wishing desperately he’d do something—anything—to give me an excuse to take him down. My brothers would back me no matter what, but I wasn’t stupid enough to think there wouldn’t be a price for my actions.

“I’m going back to bed,” I said after a tense minute or so, pulling free. “Talk to you later, brother.”

Deep nodded, watching Teeny as I turned and stalked back up the stairs. This time the bathroom door was open. Sure enough, someone had missed the toilet, and I felt my own stomach heave sympathetically. For a sec there I thought I might lose it. Then I pulled it together enough to piss without barfing. Afterward, I turned to look at myself in the mirror. As always, the face looking back at me was ugly as fuck. Dark, ragged hair. Scar cutting across my face. Nose that’d been broken at least four times now . . .

Shit, no wonder Becca had been scared of me—I looked like a fuckin’ serial killer. I wanted to punch the mirror and break it into a thousand pieces, which would accomplish even less than beating the shit out of Teeny.

Instead I went back into the room and found her still sound asleep on the bed. Her skin was pale and fragile, dark shadows ringing her eyes. Still gorgeous, but younger and more frail-looking now. Christ. What had I done? I crawled back into bed with her, sure I’d never get to sleep. I’d underestimated how much booze was still floating around in my system, because everything went dark again.

* * *

This time the sun was bright and harsh. I blinked, trying to remember where I was . . . Then it all came back and I looked around, wondering where my girl went.

Shit. Becca was gone.

What the hell really happened last night? I sat up, spotting my colors hanging from a rack next to . . . school uniforms? Fuck, some kid must live in this room, I realized. That’d suck, coming home to a mess like this. I turned and lowered my feet on the far side of the bed, figuring I’d open the window to air things out, check the lay of the land in the process. I stepped on a pile of books, which fell over. I reached down to pick one up.

Textbook.

I picked up another. Shit, it was another textbook, and under that was a notebook. That’s when I started to get a very bad feeling in the pit of my stomach—something I wouldn’t have pegged as possible, given how shitty I already felt about how the night had played out.

The notebook opened in my hands, and I saw the name Becca Jones written on the top of the front page, along with English: First Period and the date.

Below were notes.

Maybe she was in college, I thought desperately. Please, fuck . . . let her be in college. A piece of colored paper fell to the ground, and I dropped the notebook to pick it up.

What I saw nearly made me throw up.

It was a flyer for a dance—a high school dance.

Becca was still in school. Jailbait. The fuck? It didn’t add up . . . Then her last words to me sank in, and it all added up far too well.

“Tell him I did good, okay? Just tell him I did good. Please?”

* * *

I flew down the stairs half dressed, my boots thudding loudly. My shirt was filthy from her floor, but my cut was still fine—safe and sound after a night spent hanging next to Becca’s little school dresses. Fucking piece of shit pimp Teeny.

Had to be him.

This was his house. Who the hell was she? His kid? What the fuck kind of asshole pimped out his own daughter? But shit, I guess it happened all the time, all over the world. About halfway down I heard her scream, which should’ve woken up everyone all over the goddamned house. Most of them were still passed out drunk, though. I heard more shouts outside and knew my brothers were probably coming.

That turned out to be a good thing, because I came damned close to ending a man’s life that day—fucking craptastic way to start parole . . .

Teeny stood in the center of the kitchen, Becca huddled at his feet as he kicked her. Then he whacked her across the head with a fucking soup pot, of all things, and I lost my shit.

“You cocksucking asshole!” I shouted, launching myself at him.

“Fucking twat! I’ll kill you!”

My fists destroyed his face with a crunch. It felt good— cathartic.

He fell like a bag of concrete and some part of my brain noted vaguely that Becca was scrabbling away from us, chunks of her long hair torn loose and left on the floor. Blood, too. Another woman shouted and tugged at her, but I didn’t turn to look.

Nope. I had work to do.

Specifically, I needed to kill Teeny with my bare hands. Then I’d tear him apart and eat his heart. Raw. He screamed like a bitch the whole time, and I heard Boonie yelling in the background. Then they hauled me off his ass, kicking and fighting because I’d well and truly lost my shit.

“What the fuck is happening here?” Picnic Hayes demanded. Beside him stood one of the Longnecks, a guy who looked a fuckuva lot like Teeny and I realized this must be the brother who was part of the club. Bax.

Bax wasn’t a happy camper. Fair enough. I was pretty fucking unhappy myself.

Teeny moaned on the floor, rolling onto his back, and I spat at him. Then I heard a sobbing noise—one that’d already been burned into my brain. Becca was crying, and I looked over to find her huddled up against Teeny’s old lady.

Shit. I hadn’t seen it before because the woman was so nasty and used up, but under that scrawny, tweaker body was an older copy of Becca. Had to be her mother . . . Even with the meth eating her, though, she seemed too young. If that was the mother, she must’ve had Becca really fucking early.

“She his daughter?” I asked her, my voice like a knife. The woman shook her head quickly, lips quivering. “You let him pimp her out?”

She looked away.

“Damn,” Picnic said. “This is a hell of a clusterfuck.”

“I’m not leaving her here. He’ll kill her.”

Pic shook his head slowly, thoughtfully, but I could see it in his face—he knew I was right.

“Yeah, she can come with us,” he said. “You up for that, Boon?”

My president nodded, eyes never leaving the huddled mass of blood and human filth crying on the floor.

“We’ll head out in twenty minutes,” Boonie said decisively. “Anyone got a problem with that?”

He looked around the room in challenge, and several of the Longnecks glanced away—apparently they weren’t going to stand up for Teeny. Said a hell of a lot about them in general and Teeny in particular. I mean, I was glad that we weren’t fighting our way out, but that’s just pathetic. They were happy to party with him. When it came time to take his back, they were out.

“C’mon, let’s go upstairs and grab some of your shit,” I said to Becca, reaching toward her. She gave a little scream and pushed back with her feet, sliding across the floor to get away from me. Fuck.

“I’ll get her ready,” her mother said suddenly. Her voice quavered, but her eyes were resolute as they met mine. “She’ll go with you—just get her away from here. He’ll hurt her bad for this. Real bad.”

I nodded, watching as she drew her daughter to her feet, then pushed her toward the stairwell.

“Jesus, you can sure pick ’em,” Boonie said. “How old you think she is?”

“She’s still in high school,” I said, my voice grim. “Fairly certain I’m up for statutory if this goes down wrong.”

“Damn,” Painter said, coming up behind me. “That’s fast work—usually takes a little longer to violate parole, bro.”

I met his gaze, and for once his face didn’t hold even a hint of mockery. Fuck. This was really bad.

“Outside,” Picnic said sharply. “Horse, Ruger—you stay here. Make sure the girl gets out safe, okay?”

He caught my arm and pulled me toward the door. Boonie flanked us, and I sensed real danger beneath their calm expressions. We walked over to the bikes as the others scrambled to grab their shit and pack up.

“I won’t leave her,” I told them again. “I know she’s scared of me, but I don’t give a fuck. That girl’ll die if she stays here.”

“Not gonna leave her,” Pic said. “But we do need to get out fast, before they have time to figure out what happened and get pissed off. They decide to fight for her, things’ll get ugly. Not sure we can take ’em.”

“Thanks for standing with me.”

Boonie snorted.

“You’re our brother, Puck,” he said, his voice casual. “This is what we do. You went down for us, you think we aren’t prepared to do the same for you? Now pull your shit together. We can put the girl in the truck with the prospects, or you can take her on your bike. No time to fuck around.”

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, I watched as Horse, Becca, and her mom walked out of the house. At least thirty members of the Longnecks MC stood watching, talking quietly among themselves. I kept waiting for one of them to reach for a gun or challenge us, but they didn’t.

No sign of Teeny.

Becca had stopped crying, but her face was still covered in tear-smeared blood, and nasty bruises were popping up all over. Her breath sounded wheezy, too, and I hoped to hell she didn’t have broken ribs.

“I don’t want to go,” she whispered, catching at her mom’s arm. “I want to stay with you.”

“You’re getting out,” the woman replied, her eyes hard and calculating. “Let him cool off, then we’ll talk. Figure something out.”

Becca shook her head, but when I caught her arm gently she let me pull her away.

“You want to ride in the truck or on my bike?”

Becca glanced at the truck, eyes widening at the sight of two Reaper prospects. “I’ll stay with you.”

I nodded and climbed on my bike, eyes alert as I monitored our audience. She climbed up behind me, and then her mother gave a satisfied nod. Becca wrapped her arms around me and I felt her tits press tight against my back. My cock stirred to life. What the fucking hell was wrong with me?

“How old are you?” I asked, my voice low.

“Sixteen.”

Shit.

“Like, you’re almost seventeen?”

“No, I turned sixteen last week.”

Double shit.

Boonie kicked his bike to life, and we followed his lead, pulling away from the house in formation.

So that’s the story of how I committed statutory rape less than twenty-four hours out of prison—on my birthday, no less. In retrospect, I probably should’ve stayed inside, served out my full five-year term. Would’ve been less work for everyone.

Meet Puck & Becca on April 7th!

Amazon US - Amazon UK - B&N - Kobo - iBooks

The Author

Joanna Wylde is a New York Times bestselling author and creator of the Reapers Motorcycle Club series. She currently lives in Idaho.

Connect with Joanna Wylde:

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads

New Release & Giveaway: Night SHift Anthology

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 17 Mar 2015 05:28:00 +0000

Night Shift is now available 6 NEW novellas -- Never Before Released 100% of the proceeds will be donated to charity

Amazon

Authors: Toni Aleo, Kindle Alexander, Sawyer Bennett, Chelle Bliss, Eden Butler, and Brenda Rothert

Synopsis:

Summer in the Big Easy is hot. Inside Tulane Medical Center the temperature is on the rise.

A doctor nursing a broken heart. A wounded warrior with no interest in love. A single father finding the girl who got away. A combat nurse trying to adjust to civilian life. Two lost souls looking for love. A former detective looking for answers and an FBI agent who finds more than he bargains for. Desire. Lust. Excess. New Orleans will never be the same.

Six never before released stories that will leave you breathless. Dirty things happen in the dark.

100% of the proceeds will be donated to:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: The Frenchman (Crime Royalty Romance #1) by Lesley Young

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 16 Mar 2015 06:49:00 +0000

Fleur Smithers rarely veers off the straight and (excruciatingly) narrow. So moving to the seaport town of Toulon to live with her newfound biological mother—an inspector with the French National Police—for one year is a pretty major detour.

Son of France’s crime royalty family and international rugby star, Louis Messette, is devoted to his sport, famille and nothing else. But the carefree American he meets one night changes everything. She sparks a desire in him like no other. Possession takes root. She will do as he commands.

Bit by bit Fleur slips into the Frenchman’s realm of wanton pleasure agreeing to his one condition: that she keep their affair secret. She serves up her heart without reservation in the hub of the glittering Côte d’Azur, and the along the soulful Seine in Paris, unaware of the danger she is in. For her new lover’s family business will pit her against her mother, the police woman sworn to bring down the Messettes. And by then, far more than Fleur’s heart will be on the line.

*I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review*

The setup of this story is what caught my interest at first (besides the cover of course). A young woman travelling to France for one year, to live with her biological mother. While trying to get to know her mother better and connect with her, Fleur gets to experience the life in Toulon. She's definitely going for it, getting herself a job, starting extra language classes, some dinner experiences for her food blog, and maybe even meet a hot frenchman.

Though she never quite expected to meet someone like Louis. I have to say that my first impression of the guy wasn't the greatest, he was a jerk. When they bump into each other afterwards, that's when we get to really know the guy, even though there is this obvious fence around his heart. Fleur to me was a bit naive when it came to Louis. She's inexperienced, and well Louis is quite captivating. The attraction between them was pallable and just freaking hot. I could definitely understand why Fleur always went back for more.

It's mostly the part of his family and his animosity towards Fleur's mother, that made Fleur a bit naive in my eyes. She really has no clue what is going on, and at times I was even wondering if she simply didn't want it to see. Her mom is one of the best police officers in town and her mission in life is to rid Toulon of criminals, and one of those biggest gangs are the Messettes a.k.a. Louis' family. Except Fleur realizes this too late.

Besides a bit naive, I thought Fleur was a nice character. She has clear passions that keep her occupied, and I liked how she wanted to connect with her biological mother. Fleur obviously got more than she bargained for in Toulon, but still she knew how to handle herself. Louis might have been the clear leader in the beginning, though in the end it was Fleur who made the decisions.

Louis is not what I would call a nice guy. He's intimidating, passionate, aggressive in a way, and straight up alpha. It took some time for me to warm up to him and I believe he will never be a typical boyfriend. He's too intense for that. Due time it does become clear how he feels about Fleur, but he made some stupid choices and keeping secrets is never a good idea.

The Frenchman was an intense read. I do like the mystery part added to the story. While you might expect a pure romance novel, it was nicely balanced. Throughout you're kept guessing as to who the good and the bad guys are. I love those kind of spins. A great romantic suspense novel, and I'll definitely be reading more of this series.

3.5 stars

Crime Royalty Romance - Reading order and purchase links

*All books can be read as a standalone*

The Author

Lesley Young is an award-winning Canadian journalist by day, and obsessive novelist by night. Her debut novel, Sky’s End (Soulmate Publishing, 2013) hit #9 on Amazon’s sci-fi romance paid best-seller list in its first three months of release.

Not too long after that, she started dreaming up quirky heroines who lose their hearts to extremely powerful, flawed heroes, only to find out what love really is while on a dangerous adventure abroad. She called it the Crime Royalty Romance series, and landed herself a pretty big agent at Spencerhill Associates. Never one to take the obvious path, Lesley ultimately decided to self-publish. She’s never sure who or what will pop up in her imagination next. The Irishman? The Spaniard? The Hawaiian? Anything’s possible, and she loves suggestions (or recommendations of really hot, er, talented, actors to work as a muses).

Connect with Lesley Young:

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads

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Saturday Series: The Understatement of the Year (The Ivy Years #3) by Sarina Bowen

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 14 Mar 2015 06:22:00 +0000

What happened in high school stayed in high school. Until now.

Five years ago, Michael Graham betrayed the only person who ever really knew him. Since then, he’s made an art of hiding his sexuality from everyone. Including himself.

So it’s a shock when his past strolls right into the Harkness College locker room, sporting a bag of hockey gear and the same slow smile that had always rendered Graham defenseless. For Graham, there is only one possible reaction: total, debilitating panic. With one loose word, the team’s new left wing could destroy Graham’s life as he knows it.

John Rikker is stuck being the new guy. Again. And it’s worse than usual, because the media has latched onto the story of the only “out” player in Division One hockey. As the satellite trucks line the sidewalk outside the rink, his new teammates are not amused.

And one player in particular looks sick every time he enters the room.

Rikker didn’t exactly expect a warm welcome from Graham. But the guy won’t even meet his eyes. From the looks of it, his former… best friend / boyfriend / whatever isn’t doing so well. He drinks too much and can’t focus during practice.

Either the two loneliest guys on the team will self destruct from all the new pressures in their lives, or they can navigate the pain to find a way back to one another. To say that it won’t be easy is the Understatement of the Year.

I'm always interested when an author kind of changes it up in a series. And yes, I'm talking about the fact that the two main characters are men. It's a risk, but one I like very much.

I really do love books, where the outside world is kind of against the characters getting together, but they overcome the adversary anyway. Though of course the journey isn't that easy. Michael and John used to be best friends and then some. Two teens kind of experimenting, though it definitely meant much more. Until one time the big bad world came crashing in and that was it. They haven't seen each other since and both gone their own way. While John accepted who he was and even came out with it, Michael hid it so far inside that he's mostly filled with self hatred. Which is kind of tragic.

Now these two guys are playing hockey together. Michael is terrified that John would expose his secret, but honestly that is not even remotely on his mind. John is too busy dodging reporters, and having to convince the rest of the team that he's just a regular guy who likes to play hockey. It isn't easy for anyone in the team, they get a lot of backlash from other teams and even friends.

So while John is just trying to survive college and hockey, Michael just crawls deeper in his cave. Drinking becomes his solace, because that's the only way he can forget about John for a while. Five years might have passed, but for Michael it feels like yesterday. He feels guilty for what happened, and is so afraid of the consequences of his true feelings that it's crippling. It was hard to watch how Michael turned himself into his own biggest enemy.

I kind of liked John more, because his fear didn't stop him from taking chances. Ever since what happened five years ago, his life hasn't been easy, but he also hasn't stop living. He is true to himself and faces advesary head on. While Michael is stuck in the denial phase, if he ignores it then he won't have to deal with it. Which kind of worked until John came back. Faced with the guy he hurt, but also still loved, he needed to learn to come out of his shell. It was hard to see him struggle with it, and so very frustrating, though I liked how in the end it all flowed so naturally.

The Understatement Of The Year was an amazing book, with two real main characters. The emotional struggle in this book was pretty heavy, while the sexy times were a bit less. Honestly for me it could have been more explicit, like in the other books. Though this gives it a sweeter feeling. Michael's personal struggle for me could have been more resolved a little earlier in the book, because I would liked to have seen the aftermath of it all as that is now not mentioned. If you're a sport romance fan, hockey was now way more present in the story and overall very well written. The Ivy Years series is definitely one I recommend.

3.5

The Ivy Years - Reading order and purchase links

The Year We Fell Down: My review - Amazon - Book Depository

The Year We Hid Away: My review - Amazon - Book Depository

Blond Date: My review - Amazon

The Understatement Of The Year: Amazon - Book Depository

The Author

Sarina Bowen writes steamy, angsty Contemporary Romance and New Adult fiction from the wilds of Vermont.

She is the author of The Ivy Years, an award-winning series set amid the hockey team at an elite Connecticut college.

Also, the Gravity series.

Sarina enjoys skiing, espresso drinks and the occasional margarita. She lives with her family, eight chickens and more ski gear and hockey equipment than seems necessary.

Connect with Sarina Bowen:

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads

Review: Breaking through to Sue (The Breaking Series #4) by Nicole Sturgill

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 13 Mar 2015 06:56:00 +0000

This is the fourth in the Breaking series. Ryder Hampton is wild and crazy. He takes nothing seriously, including love, and is convinced that he falls in and out of it nightly with nearly every woman he meets. He winds up in trouble in Bakerstown and that's when he sees Susie Atkinson.

Suddenly, he knows he's in love and this time it's for real. But how can he convince the woman of that when she laughs at everything he says, convinced that he's joking with her. How frustrating for a man who is used to flashing his dimples and getting whatever he wants!! Add to that the complication that Brody Atkinson is her brother, the town Sheriff and he hates his guts. And of course there is another man sniffing around her skirts and Ryder knows he has a serious problem and Susie Atkinson is the cause of it all!

*I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review*

This is my favourite book in the series and it's pretty much all because of Ryder. He's just such a fun and crazy character. I have this thing for hyperactive hotties, they often instantly make the story a lot lighter. While these days we would say he has ADHD, back then they just called him a troublemaker.

Ryder has a problem with sitting still and his brain is wired a bit differently. Not a lot of people know how to deal with that and well he has a tendency of ending up into trouble. Getting into fights, telling all the women that he meets that he loves them, drinking too much and stuff like that, made him end up a night in jail in Bakerstown.

When Ryder meets Susie though something strange happens. His brain goes quiet and all he can see is her. Susie is his angel and Ryder knows he's fallen in love for real this time. Unfortunately Susie doesn't see it the same way. She believes Ryder, with his looks, are out of her league and the things he says to her are lies.

Honestly Ryder has no idea how to deal with that. He has always spoken the truth and sees no use of lying, now he has to find a way for Susie to give him a real chance. Though he has to hurry up, because there might be people on the sidelines waiting for him to screw up.

Susie is quite the different character than her sister, Sally. She's more softspoken and nice, often too nice. Also physically there are different. Susie is smaller and has a bit more meat on her bones, therefor her self confidence isn't that great. For a guy like Ryder to show any interest in her, seems almost absurd. At least in her eyes, everyone else can see how smitten he is.

I really loved how Ryder made Susie open up, helped her relax and made her see that she is pretty amazing. There is less big drama in this story, but seeing that growth in Susie and all the interactions involving Ryder made it a very entertaining read. These are two likeable characters and so easy to connect with. Ryder definitely added a lot of humor to the story and I really appreciated his honesty. All in all very refreshing.

The Breaking Series - Reading order and purchase links

Breaking The Rules: My review - Amazon - Kindle

Breaking Jacob: My review - Amazon - Kindle

Breaking Down Defenses: My review - Amazon - Kindle

Breaking Through To Sue: Amazon - Kindle

Breaking Boundaries: Amazon - Kindle

Breaking Series Box Set: Smashwords

The Author

I am a mother of three and wife to an incredible man who makes creating strong and loving male characters in my stories easy. When I’m not chasing my children, spending time with my husband, or taking care of one of my eight animals (including a tortoise, a bearded dragon and a ball python), I am writing. Living in a small Kentucky town, which requires a twenty-five minute drive to simply find a traffic light, creates the need to find escapes and writing does that for me. At times when I’m not writing, I also enjoy four wheeling, hiking, hunting, and spending lots of time outdoors. Life is a constant inspiration and so, I try to live it to the fullest!

Connect with Nicole Sturgill:

Website - Facebook - Goodreads - Wattpad

Cover Reveal: Healing Touch by Brenda Rothert

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 13 Mar 2015 06:24:00 +0000

Title: Healing Touch

Author: Brenda Rothert

Release Date: March 17, 2015

Blurb:

She spends her nights treating patients, but Dr. Jocelyn Drake’s own wounds are unfixable. Her ex-husband and his younger, bouncier girlfriend work just a few floors away at Tulane Medical Center, and they serve as a constant reminder of what Joss lost. But a fierce determination to continue her research project and a shred of remaining pride keep Joss from transferring out of the Big Easy.

Carson Stephens recently returned from a tour of duty in the Middle East, and though willing women present themselves at every turn, his closest companion is loneliness. His night-shift work supervising the electrical and mechanical systems at the hospital is a perfect fit – it’s solitary work putting broken things back together.

When the electrical system on Joss’ floor goes haywire, she’s frazzled by the sexy electrician who sparks her dormant sex drive. He’s brooding and cocky – so not her type. But if Carson has his way, his hands will work their magic on more than just the wiring, and he’ll show Joss a night of passion that restores her shattered confidence.

Night Shift Anthology releases on March 17, 2015. 6 NEW novellas from Toni Aleo, Kindle Alexander, Sawyer Bennett, Chelle Bliss, Eden Butler, and Brenda Rothert.

100% of the proceeds will be donated to the Keith Milano Memorial Fund, PanCan.org, and the Nashville Predators Foundation.

Pre-order now!

The Author

Brenda Rothert is a proud indie author who loves writing stories that make readers laugh, cry and occasionally, yell at their e-readers. Her Contemporary Romances include Unspoken; The Now Series - Now and Then, Now and Again and Now and Forever, and The Fire on Ice Series - Bound, Captive, Edge, Drive and Release. Her latest release is Killian, the first book in her new hockey series, On the Line.

Connect with Brenda Rother:

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads

Cover Reveal: Swimming in Shadows by Eden Butler

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 12 Mar 2015 06:19:00 +0000

Title: Swimming in Shadows

Author: Eden Butler

Release Date: March 17, 2015

Blurb:

One lie can change your life.

A web of lies can destroy it.

Neil Ryan was a good Navy SEAL. He was an even better detective, but when an unmarked envelope lands on Ryan’s desk, long-buried secrets are resurrected and Ryan questions everything he thought he knew about justice, including who killed his mother.

Now he’s chasing a ghost, swimming in the shadows of the past, searching for answers. All he’s found are dead ends and more mysteries. Ryan lands in America’s wildest, sexiest city tangling with a redhead, chasing down a dead woman, and trying to get his best friend to stop hounding him about a business he wants no part of. When a set up sends him straight to Tulane Medical, and into the care of the girl he never forgot, Ryan finds the strength and healing he seeks to unravel the mysteries of the past.

Night Shift Anthology releases on March 17, 2015. 6 NEW novellas from Toni Aleo, Kindle Alexander, Sawyer Bennett, Chelle Bliss, Eden Butler, and Brenda Rothert.

100% of the proceeds will be donated to the Keith Milano Memorial Fund, PanCan.org, and the Nashville Predators Foundation.

Pre-order now!

The Author

Eden Butler is an Amazon best-selling editor and writer of Romance, Mystery and SciFi and Fantasy novels and the nine-times great-granddaughter of an honest-to-God English pirate. This could explain her affinity for rule breaking and rum. Her debut novel, a New Adult, Contemporary Romance, "Chasing Serenity" launched October 2013. Since that time Eden has published six books and novellas including the Amazon best seller, "Thin Love".

When she's not writing or wondering about her possibly Jack Sparrowesque ancestor, Eden edits, reads and spends way too much time watching rugby, Doctor Who and New Orleans Saints football.

Connect with Eden Butler:

Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads

Review: The Hook Up (Game On #1) by Kristen Callihan

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 12 Mar 2015 06:15:00 +0000

The rules: no kissing on the mouth, no staying the night, no telling anyone, and above all… No falling in love.

Anna Jones just wants to finish college and figure out her life. Falling for star quarterback Drew Baylor is certainly not on her to do list. Confident and charming, he lives in the limelight and is way too gorgeous for his own good. If only she could ignore his heated stares and stop thinking about doing hot and dirty things with him. Easy right?

Too bad he’s committed to making her break every rule…

Football has been good to Drew. It’s given him recognition, two National Championships, and the Heisman. But what he really craves is sexy yet prickly Anna Jones. Her cutting humor and blatant disregard for his fame turns him on like nothing else. But there’s one problem: she's shut him down. Completely.

That is until a chance encounter leads to the hottest sex of their lives, along with the possibility of something great. Unfortunately, Anna wants it to remain a hook up. Now it’s up to Drew to tempt her with more: more sex, more satisfaction, more time with him. Until she’s truly hooked. It's a good thing Drew knows all about winning.

All’s fair in love and football…Game on.

I have to admit it was so much fun to read how much effort Drew had to put in to even just get Anna to talk to him. While Drew might be the popular guy, and Anna the more unknown girl on campus. His popularity was so off putting for her, that she wasn't really interested in him. She did admit that he was hot, though she never believed he was out of her reach, just that they were so different it was never going to work.

Anna was down to earth and I loved that about her. She certainly had her insecurities, and she has to be careful with those because they can seriously interfere with her love life. It takes a long while before she lets Drew in closer. She's the one being difficult and putting down their rules of engagement. This was refreshing to me, as it is often the other way around. When she finally realizes that Drew is serious, and their arrangement could be more than bed sport, that scares her.

Drew was also quite a surprise. Yes, he's a jock and has a reputation with the ladies, but that's all it is, a reputation. He's serious about his sport and about Anna. Groveling, begging, secret meetings, he will do whatever it takes to get her to see his way. For him it isn't just about sex, he really sees her, likes her and he wants things between them to be serious. In the beginning he takes what he can get, but her repeated rejection starts weighing on him. His love for her is so clear to see, and there were plenty of times where I was cursing at Anna for being so stubborn when it came to this great guy.

One more thing that took me by surprise was the length of the book. It's over four hundred pages long, and I'm used to shorter new adult stories. Though most of the time I didn't feel that length, the story reads so smoothly and I was completely hooked from the start. While there was some angst throughout the story, it was in no way overwhelming at all, the focus was more on the connection between these characters and the feelings they had for each other. There is the necessary drama, though that went deeper than usual and it wasn't about stupid things, but there is certainly a fun and sexy side as well.

The Hook Up was an extremely pleasant surprise. From the characters, to the drama and the overall plot, I was hooked. Even the secondary characters were charming and I can not wait to Gray's story (Drew's BFF). I fully recommend this story to any NA fans, or people who want to give NA a (new) chance.

4.5 stars

Buy book

The Author

Kristen Callihan is an author because there is nothing else she'd rather be. She is a three-time RITA nominee and winner of two RT Reviewer's Choice awards. Her novels have garnered starred reviews from Publisher's Weekly and the Library Journal, as well as being awarded top picks by many reviewers. Her debut book FIRELIGHT received RT Magazine's Seal of Excellence, was named a best book of the year by Library Journal, best book of Spring 2012 by Publisher's Weekly, and was named the best romance book of 2012 by ALA RUSA. When she is not writing, she is reading.

Connect with Kristen Callihan:

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads

Review: It Ain't Me, Babe (Hades Hangmen #1) by Tillie Cole

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 11 Mar 2015 06:52:00 +0000

Sinning never felt so good…

A fortuitous encounter.

A meeting that should never have happened.

Many years ago, two children from completely different worlds forged a connection, a fateful connection, an unbreakable bond that would change their lives forever…

Salome knows only one way to live—under Prophet David’s rule. In the commune she calls home, Salome knows nothing of life beyond her strict faith, nor of life beyond the Fence—the fence that cages her, keeps her trapped in an endless cycle of misery. A life she believes she is destined to always lead, until a horrific event sets her free.

Fleeing the absolute safety of all she has ever known, Salome is thrust into the world outside, a frightening world full of uncertainty and sin; into the protective arms of a person she believed she would never see again.

River ‘Styx’ Nash knows one thing for certain in life—he was born and bred to wear a cut. Raised in a turbulent world of sex, Harleys, and drugs, Styx, unexpectedly has the heavy burden of the Hades Hangmen gavel thrust upon him, and all at the ripe old age of twenty-six—much to his rivals’ delight.

Haunted by a crushing speech impediment, Styx quickly learns to deal with his haters. Powerful fists, an iron jaw and the skillful use of his treasured German blade has earned him a fearsome reputation as a man not to be messed with in the shadowy world of outlaw MC’s. A reputation that successfully keeps most people far, far away.

Styx has one rule in life—never let anyone get too close. It’s a plan that he has stuck to for years, that is, until a young woman is found injured on his lot… a woman who looks uncannily familiar, a woman who clearly does not belong in his world, yet a woman he feels reluctant to let go…

This is one of those books where you berate yourself for waiting so long to read it. I honestly can not remember if I have ever read something like this. By now I've read a couple of MC books, but this takes it to a whole other level. Then that main element of the comune, the brainwashing and all the horror, just gives it a another unique twist.

Personally I don't deal well with extremism in all its forms. So when people start calling themselves prophets, and using that to brainwash people and excuse all the horrible things that they want to do, my skin simply crawls. Therefor there definitely were a lot of parts in this book, that I had some trouble with. Not with the writing, and the way it was handled, because that was all very direct and open. Just the theme on its own wasn't an easy pill to swallow. I would feel genuine anger for all the abuse and misuse in this story.

Though luckily it's a story about overcoming all those things. Leaving that past behind and looking towards the future. Discovering the truth, and rediscovering yourself or in Salome's case just forming an identity. Always being told what to do, who she was and why she was evil, weighs down on you. Now having that freedom means letting all that go, with the help of Styx, and becoming someone new.

Styx has had his own demons to deal with over the years, but by now nobody would dare to cross him. Grown up in the MC, he has known no other way of living. So when Salome enters his life again, she's pretty much the opposite of what he and the MC stand for. The adjustment from both sides isn't easy, but their love is what makes it solid. Styx will do whatever it takes to keep her by his side, to protect her from the horrors of her past in every which way they might come.

That contradiction between the two main characters is so vast, still somehow it works. While Styx and the MC might not be vile creatures, they pretty much participate in all seven sins on a regular basis. Salome though still believes in their good sides, and with all that she's been through she realizes that good and bad come in all kind of forms.

This story deals with some very heavy themes and they are not easy to swallow, but Tillie Cole has approached them in a way that you can deal with it. An unique tale that will stay with you for a while, characters that will worm their way inside your heart and an extremely rocky path that leads to happiness.

Hades Hangmen - Reading order and purchase links

It Ain't Me, Babe: Amazon - Kindle

Heart Recaptured: Amazon - Kindle

The Author

Amazon & USA Today Best Selling Author, Tillie Cole, is a Northern girl through and through. She originates from a place called Teesside on that little but awesomely sunny (okay I exaggerate) Isle called Great Britain. She was brought up surrounded by her English rose mother -- a farmer's daughter, her crazy Scottish father, a savagely sarcastic sister and a multitude of rescue animals and horses.
Being a scary blend of Scottish and English, Tillie embraces both cultures; her English heritage through her love of HP sauce and freshly made Yorkshire Puddings, and her Scottish which is mostly demonstrated by her frighteningly foul-mouthed episodes of pure rage and her much loved dirty jokes.

Having been born and raised as a Teesside Smoggie, Tillie, at age nineteen, moved forty miles north to the 'Toon', Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, where she attended Newcastle University and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts honours degree in Religious Studies. She returned two years later to complete a Post-Graduate Certificate in Teaching High School Social Studies. Tillie, regards Newcastle to be a home from home and enjoyed the Newcastle Geordie way of life for seven 'proper mint' and 'lush' years.

One summers day, after finishing reading her thousandth book on her much loved and treasured Kindle, Tillie turned to her husband and declared, "D'you know, I have a great idea for a story. I could write a book." Several months later, after repeating the same tired line at the close of another completed story, she was scolded by her husband to shut up talking about writing a novel and "just bloody do it!" For the first time in eleven years, Tillie actually took his advice (he is still trying to get over the shock) and immediately set off on a crazy journey, delving deep into her fertile imagination.

Tillie, ever since, has written from the heart. She combines her passion for anything camp and glittery with her love of humour and dark brooding men (most often muscled and tattooed – they’re her weakness!). She also has a serious side (believe it or not!) and loves to immerse herself in the complex study of World Religions, History and Cultural Studies and creates fantasy stories that enable her to thread serious issues and topics into her writing -- yep, there's more to this girl than profanity and sparkles!

After six years of teaching high school Social Studies and following her Professional Rugby Player husband around Europe, they have finally given up their nomadic way of life and settled in Calgary, Alberta where Tillie spends most of her days (and many a late night) lost in a writing euphoria or pursuing a dazzling career as a barrel-racing, tasselled-chap wearing, Stetson-sporting cowgirl... Ye-haw!

Connect with Tillie Cole:

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads

Trailer Reveal & Giveaway: Zeroboxer by Fonda Lee

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 10 Mar 2015 07:32:00 +0000

A Sci-Fi Thrill Ride Set in the Action-Packed Sports Arena of the Future

A rising star in the weightless combat sport of zeroboxing, Carr “the Raptor” Luka dreams of winning the championship title. Recognizing his talent, the Zero Gravity Fighting Association assigns Risha, an ambitious and beautiful Martian colonist, to be his brandhelm––a personal marketing strategist. It isn’t long before she’s made Carr into a popular celebrity and stolen his heart along the way.

As his fame grows, Carr becomes an inspirational hero on Earth, a once-great planet that’s fallen into the shadow of its more prosperous colonies. But when Carr discovers a far-reaching criminal scheme, he becomes the keeper of a devastating secret. Not only will his choices place everything he cares about in jeopardy, but they may also spill the violence from the sports arena into the solar system.

Note from author:

This isn’t your usual book trailer. Instead, I wanted to share with you one of my favorite parts of writing Zeroboxer: envisioning and depicting the sport of zeroboxing. How would a combat sport work in the absence of gravity? Check out what these martial artists and fighters have to say about it.

Made by The Signal Productions.

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The Author

Fonda Lee writes fantasy and science fiction for teens and adults. Her debut novel, ZEROBOXER, will be published by Flux on April 8, 2015. She is a former corporate strategist, avid martial artist, and an enthusiast of food, film, and books. She lives in Portland, Oregon.

Connect with Fonda Lee:

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads

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