Thursday, August 31, 2017

REVIEW - No Other Love - Kathryn Shay




TITLE - No Other Love
AUTHOR - Kathryn Shay




Releases September 12th



BLURB:


A family of heroes, all in dangerous jobs, all irrevocably tied to those they love. Read about the Marino clan in this fast-paced, emotional new series, To Serve and Protect, by NYT bestselling author Kathryn Shay.

Connor Marino has always been an upstanding guy. Even in his youth, he was good-natured and upbeat. So it’s no surprise that when becomes an adult, he joins Doctors Without Borders to help those in dire circumstances. There he meets Calla Gentileschi, also a doctor, but also a…real princess. And because she comes from a royal family, whose customs and ways are old-fashioned, her life is not her own. Calla loves Connor but she loves her family and country more. Will the decisions Calla has made destroy their love for each other?

In NO OTHER LOVE, get a glimpse at the difficult work of doctors overseas, travel with Connor and Calla to her exotic foreign home country, and experience their undying love for each other.
 



REVIEW:


“Love that crosses boarders, 5 stars”

Connor and Calla fell in love when they shouldn’t have. She has obligations to her country and he is not part of her father’s plan for her future. Blame it on the circumstances around them. Sometimes when surrounded with grief like they were while with Doctors Without Borders you find solace in each other. Only They fell in love and Calla left.

Connor hasn’t been the same since Calla left him in a war-torn country to marry the man her father had chosen. From his experience love beats all and if she loved him she wouldn’t have chosen her family duty over him. Now he’s back home in the States and with his family. Everyone and everything is changing around him and offers perfect distraction from his disaster of a love life. Until he sees Calla then his world shifts again leaving him off balance. Can Calla and Connor make it this time or is it destined for failure again?

Calla loves Connor but she was taught that the duty for her country comes first. She didn’t expect her marriage to go the way it did. Calla left home with two goals, leave her husband and get Connor back. Only sometimes life gives you more than you can handle. Will she get out of the abusive relationship back home and get the guy she has wanted since she met him? Or will life be unfair again?

Connor is probably my favorite Marino, he is so much more then what we have seen before. These two are forced together and must decide where their loyalties stand. Will Connor get his princess after all this time? No other Love is like a fact overload on how our government operates with abuse victims and seeking asylum. We were seeing a different side then we have before when reading the Serve and Protect series. Shay has one story left in the series then after that I hope she writes Calla’s sisters stories.


Star Ratings:
Plot- 5/5
Character- 5/5
Heat- 5/5
Writing style- 5/5
Overall- 5/5








Surprise Trailer Reveal - Destiny Disgraced - Carrie Ann Ryan

We're just under two weeks from the release of DESTINY DISGRACED by Carrie Ann Ryan - so we're going to share the trailer with you to celebrate! See the trailer below and preorder your copy now!


 About DESTINY DISGRACED

The Talon Pack continues with a new twist to the Packs and a revelation no one was prepared for.
Mitchell Brentwood is aware that others think he’s the harsh taskmaster Beta trying to keep his Pack alive, but they only see what he wants them to know. He’d once thought he had his path laid out before him, but when his future was violently ripped away, he vowed he’d never let anyone close again—especially not a young wolf from a traitorous Pack.
Dawn Levin may be younger than the war that destroyed her people, but she knows she must still pay for their sins. She’s ready to find her way in this new world where wolves and humans blend as one, but first, she needs to fight her attraction to the dark wolf that stands in her way.
While the two struggle with their feelings and burning attraction for each other, they can’t ignore the world that shakes beneath their feet. There is a new enemy on the horizon, one with revenge and the unknown on their minds. An adversary that might be closer than they realize.
Add DESTINY DISGRACED to your Goodreads list here!

DESTINY DISGRACED releases September 12th, 2017 - preorder your copy now!

✦Amazon http://amzn.to/2oIxeFN
✦iBooks http://apple.co/2cXaajT
✦Barnes & Noble http://bit.ly/2n1AC00
✦Kobo http://bit.ly/2fyQpxx
✦Google Play http://bit.ly/2mL3EPq
✦Amazon Paperback http://amzn.to/2kr6P0O

See the DESTINY DISGRACED trailer!



About Carrie Ann Ryan

Carrie Ann Ryan is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary and paranormal romance. Her works include the Montgomery Ink, Redwood Pack, Talon Pack, and Gallagher Brothers series, which have sold over 2.0 million books worldwide. She started writing while in graduate school for her advanced degree in chemistry and hasn’t stopped since. Carrie Ann has written over fifty novels and novellas with more in the works. When she’s not writing about bearded tattooed men or alpha wolves that need to find their mates, she’s reading as much as she can and exploring the world of baking and gourmet cooking.





REVIEW - Six - K.I. Lynn



TITLE - Six
AUTHOR - K.I. Lynn







BLURB:



I had a one-night stand. It wasn’t my first, but it would be my last.

A gun to the head.

A trained killer.

A deadly conspiracy.

Kidnapped and on the run, my life and death is in the hands of a sadist captor who happens to be my one-night stand. Armed with countless weapons, money, and new identities, the man I call Six drags me around the world.

The manhunt is on and Six is the next target. Can we find out who is killing off the Cleaners before they find us?

Two down, seven to go.

When it’s all over he’ll finish the job that dropped him into my life, and end it.
Stockholm Syndrome meets bucket list, and the question of what would you do to live before you died. The questions aren’t always answered in black and white. Gray becomes the norm as my morals are tested.

Death is a tragedy, and I’ll do anything to stay alive.

Are you ready for the last ride of your life? Six has a gun to your head—what would you do?

This isn’t a love story.

It’s a death story.

**Due to the dark and explicit nature of this book, it is recommended for mature audiences only as some scenes may be particularly disturbing.**



REVIEW:


Holy… Love… Of…. Jesus! This book rocked my world. This book exceeded my expectations. This book is exactly what I would expect if I was to get kidnapped by a killer. Seriously! Now I do have to say this book is graphic and contains some not so nice scenes that might be hard for some to read so if you don’t like dark erotica’s, I would avoid this book. I love this stuff so for me this was the jackpot. This book has mystery, action, heat, and a lot of sexy alpha male. 


Gosh I just loved this plot. Killer takes hostage on the run with him. Said hostage does everything she can to stay alive. Throw in some hot and steamy scenes and I am game! What I think I loved most about this plot is the fact that I was always questioning, when will he finally kill her? This book took me on an amazing and thrilling journey.

Six is such a wonderful alpha character. The author wrote him so realistically, well at least what I would expect from a real life killer. I certainly don’t know any. I loved his attitude and watching him through Paisley’s eyes. Paisley is what I would hope I would be in her situation. She steels her resolve to survive and uses whatever she has in order to make it. She is a true survivor in every sense of the word. I love her sarcastic attitude and her defence mechanisms. 

And of course there is so much heat in this book that anymore and it would be too much! I love some hot and steamy scenes mixed in with my story and this author does not skimp on it. Six being such a alpha, you were sure to expect him to give us some wonderful carnal sex. The wild card of course is Paisley. How will she respond to such an animalistic man? The answer will surprise you!

I honestly don’t have a single complaint about this book. This book sucked me in and kept me until the very end. Even then, I wanted to go back and read more. I loved the characters and plot. The pace of the book was perfect for the story. I also loved the shocker of the book. Who would have known?!? Not me, that is for sure.

Overall, this is a wonderful book. I would recommend this to others who like these kinds of books. This book does dance along the lines of some sensitive subjects, so again if you have any sensitivities while reading, beware this book might contain one. I can’t say much more without giving anything away. What a brilliant 5 star read!


Star Ratings:
Plot: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Heat: 5/5
Writing Style: 5/5
Overall: 5/5




Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Blog Tour & Review - The Game (Icon Trilogy #2) - Vanessa Fewings





✰✰BLOG TOUR✰✰
Title: The Game (The Icon Trilogy, Book 2)
Author: Vanessa Fewings @VanessaFewings
Genre: Romantic Suspense/ Contemporary Romance
Release Date: August 29, 2017
Hosted by: Buoni Amici Press, LLC. @BuoniAmiciPress





#BuyNow

Google Play:  http://bit.ly/2tuJwX1


Special offer on The Chase
     Coupon code: THEGAME
     Face value: $1.50 OFF
     Valid from: Aug 29, 2017 to Sept 30, 2017
     This coupon code is only valid on www.Harlequin.com
     Here are direct links to the product page for THE GAME on Harlequin.com that the author can embed as hyperlinks in their blog posts/social media:

     This coupon code is applicable for both print and ebook purchases.



Add the book to Goodreads


#BookBlurb

Can she outwit the ultimate master in a timeless game of seduction? 

Chasing Icon, the world's slickest art thief, was the most seductive thrill of London art investigator Zara Leighton's career…until the clues led her to the man who holds command of her body and heart, Tobias Wilder, an American billionaire with charisma to spare. Her duty to capture him is complicated by the intensity of their passion. Her will to end their connection is tinted with red-hot need to never let him go. 

Tobias's heists are about more than money and ego. His plot to orchestrate the perfect deception in Los Angeles is destiny. No one—not even Zara—knows the depths of his motivation. And no one suspects the truth behind a single artifact that holds the secrets to an entire civilization. Forced to deny one calling to satisfy another, he knows something must be sacrificed: his code of honor or his loyalty to Zara.






Review:

I actually finished this within a day of starting to read it, but I've not had chance to sit and write my review until now, 3 weeks later! 

The Game is the second book in the Icon Trilogy, and it follows straight on from where The Chase finished up. Now I was sat thinking at the end of The Chase, if we know the 'who' in the big 'who done it?' puzzle, and we know the why's, how on earth could there be more to actually read? 

For me, once the puzzle is solved and we know who done what, I'm more than satisfied. So as I loved The Chase, and felt quite content with what had panned out, I was a little nervous as to what could be in The Game to keep it exciting. Well, I should of known I would be worrying for nothing, this is a Vanessa Fewings story and she just knows how to keep a reader gripped throughout. 

This of course is one of those books which is incredibly difficult to review, without giving so much of the story away, so I will need to be very careful what I say, and not actually give much story background. Lets just say, the intensity takes a leap, the heat continues to burn, and the story just become more and more intriguing. The twists and turns throughout are incredible and I never seem to see any of them coming. Such a smart and unique story and background. 

I'm still loving both Zara and Tobias, these two character couldn't be more perfect for each other, and just watching them spar and bounce off each other is fascinating. The heat and chemistry between them is almost embarrassing to read, it's that intense. I just never get bored of waiting to see what happens next with them. 

I'm now incredibly excited for the final chapter in this trilogy. I need their conclusion, and find out how it all finishes up. I was literally sat on edge throughout so much of The Game, that I'm stupidly eager for the last part. So many questions need answering, and seeing what becomes of everything going on at once. 

Again, flawless writing from Vanessa, I absolutely love everything she writes. I say it every time, but she just never disappoints me. I swear she could write a copy of the news headlines and I would still be gripped by each word. Perfection as always. Huge 5 stars. 








#MeetTheAuthor

Vanessa Fewings is the USA TODAY bestselling author of the ENTHRALL SESSIONS.

THE CHASE is the first in her sizzling new romantic trilogy from HQN Books and will be released in June 2017, followed by THE GAME & THE PRIZE.

Vanessa is also the author of The Stone Masters Vampire Series. Prior to publishing, Vanessa worked as a registered nurse and midwife. She holds a Masters Degree in Psychology. She has traveled extensively throughout the world and has lived in Great Britain, Germany, Hong Kong, Cyprus and the USA.

Born and raised in England, Vanessa now proudly calls herself an American and resides in California with her husband.

The Bestselling Enthrall Sessions reading order can be found on VanessaFewings.com.
Instagram: @vanessafewings

The Bestselling Enthrall Sessions - reading order can be found on VanessaFewings.com.

Rep'd by The Whalen Agency



#SocialLinks
Website:  https://vanessafewings.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VanessaFewings/
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/vanessafewings/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/vmkfewings/


Tuesday, August 29, 2017

REVIEW - Born, Darkly (Darkly, Madly Duet, #1) - Trisha Wolfe




TITLE - Born, Darkly (Darkly, Madly Duet, #1)


AUTHOR - Trisha Wolfe





Released Sept 19th



BLURB:

He challenged her sanity. 

She shattered his reality. 

They dared each other...to the brink of madness.

A dark and twisted maze awaits criminal psychologist London Noble when she falls for her patient, convicted serial killer, Grayson Pierce Sullivan. As she unravels the traps, her sanity tested with each game, she's forced to acknowledge the true evil in the world around her.



REVIEW:


Oh my gawd that was crazy intense, I’m still sat here trying to make sense of it all. Obviously in vain, as I don’t think I’ll get anywhere, anytime soon. 

I’m even typing this review on my iPad while it was fresh, so excuse the typos, I hate typing on this thing, but I had to talk about it while it was all still buzzing around my head. 

So this arc came through last night, I started immediately as I was so stupidly excited to read it. I had to force myself to stop at 50% or I wouldn’t of actually gone to sleep. Luckily the craziest of crazy parts hadn’t started yet. I picked it back up this morning, and there was really no putting it down until I reached the end. 

I’m not even sure what I just read, I can’t seem to work out what was happening and not happening. Lol Yep I make no sense. Anyway, crypticness aside, it really was the most clever and gripping story I have read in a long time. Yes, it was crazy dark but not in the ‘let’s shock them as much as possible in one book’ way, more in the way that the story was naturally dark. More twisted and nasty than chuck up your lunch gross. 

The sheer work that went into the background and details of this story, just makes me in complete awe of Trisha Wolfe’s writing skills. Not only was it beautifully written and told in such a compelling manner, but the details she managed to weave in were incredible. Of course I’m left with 1000+ questions, but that’s what makes it such a clever story. 

Grayson and London were two characters that were obviously made for each other. Truly soulmates in my opinion. Watching them spar with each other mentally and verbally was so sexy and clever, you just can’t stop reading, feeling the frustration along with them. Both of them have the most unique minds, they couldn’t possibly be with anyone else, they are just perfect for each other. 

I definitely didn’t see where it was heading at the end, but I didn’t actually see where it was going in any of it, it was just so gripping. But I’m obviously dying to get my grubby paws on book two. I can’t wait! I chose not to give any background or content details in this review, it really is a ride you have to go into blindly, so you can experience it all without having any clues what’s next, it’s how I went in, and I’m so glad about that, it meant I never saw what was coming, so I would sit in shock for 90% of the story, doing the nail biting/fish mouth thing. 

So being that Trisha Wolfe is a new to me author, who I stumbled across when seeing an advert for this book quite some time ago, I am pleased to say she didn’t disappoint. This story was incredibly dark, gritty and sheer genius. I can’t wait for book two, but I will have to settle for hunting her previous work while I wait. 






Release & Review - The Alpha's Bargain - Ryan Michele




Title: The Alpha’s Bargain: A Howl’s Romance
Author: Ryan Michele
Genre: Paranormal Shifter Romance
Release: August 29, 2017


Blurb:

Dire straights.

Rock bottom.

Out of options.

It's where we were. My pack and I.

A simple bargain.

A childhood crush.

Could it work? In a world of fated mates how would we possibly fake it for everyone?

Luca made it all sound so easy. My heart, body, and wolf were on board. I just needed to convince my head.

I couldn't deny the alpha he was or the chemistry between us. Only time could tell if it would be for eternity.

A not so simple bargain changed it all.





What a wonderful paranormal shifter novel. This book combines some wonderful themes common in most novels. We have the paranormal aspect, which is always great. There is also an alpha male with a bargain thrown in to spice things up a bit. Add the undeniable chemistry between characters and you have one hot novel!

The plot of this book drew me in. These two characters have a history together. They have known each other for a long time. I like the idea that one jumps in to offer a bargain to help save the other. It is obvious from the beginning that there is some ulterior motive at play though. Add in the mystery and suspense and this is a wonderful novel.

The characters in this book were written wonderfully. I love the spunky Caleigh. I think she speaks to me most because I feel like I relate to her so much. She feels she has the weight of the world on her shoulders. I swear her heart is made of gold. Then you have Luca. I was suspicious of his intentions from word go. I liked getting to know him though. I love alpha males and he is the definition of one.
There is plenty of hot and sexy scenes in this book. Like I said before, the chemistry between these characters are off the chart. Their shared history and their new bargain adds some interesting dynamics into their interactions. What I love even more is the feisty side that comes out of Caleigh due to this new arrangement. This aspect of the book is not lacking.

This book has a steady pace. I liked the characters and the plot. For the most part, this book is wonderful. My only complaint is that there seemed to be a bigger plot being introduced, but I felt it fell a little flat. I felt that this plot was not explained well enough to really feel like it is a part of the book. It felt segmented from the story. With that being said, it did not ruin the book or anything, just caused a bit confusion in my mind.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I liked the characters and the plot. There is already a second book being planned and I cannot wait to read more from this author. I would recommend this book to others as I did enjoy it even if it was not a 5 star for me. I hope to see this series continue for at least a couple more books.

Star Ratings:
Plot: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Heat: 5/5
Writing Style: 4/5
Overall: 4/5



Buy Links (Kindle Unlimited):





Excerpt:
©Ryan Michele 2017 The Alpha’s Bargain (A Paranormal Shifter Romance) (Howls Romance)
Unedited and Subject to Change


The wind whistled through the trees, bending the strong trunks to its will. Leaves rustled, creating music through the night’s sky, while the clouds hid the moon, leaving everything blanketed in darkness. The smell of rain lingered in the air, indicating the storm was coming through hard and fast. Off in the distance, wolves howled, warning of the fast approaching weather change.
The air invaded my lungs, and the calm seeped deep into my body. My hair blew in the wind as the swing rocked back and forth while I watched the changes from my front porch. It was my favorite spot. Spending hours here had become my pastime. Whether the sun shone down, moon glowed, or the storm rose, sitting in this spot filled me with peace.
Storms were my favorite, though. The more lightning, thunder, and rain, the better. It was as if two worlds were colliding, bringing a force down on one another that rivaled the other. An epic battle of wills, crashing and tearing through the land—all of it part of nature and her works.
The clouds would sporadically give way to the crescent moon playing hide-and-seek with the earth below. Small droplets began to fall to the ground, the dirt pressing out of its way before the water seeped in. A burst of energy floated through the air as lightning cracked, thunder crashed, and the rain began to pour down around me. All the while, not a drop hit me because of the large awning above.
Yellow eyes glowed in the distance, making their way quickly toward me. A beautiful, light brown wolf with white around his ankles hopped up on the porch, his nails tapping against the wood. He shook his body violently and fast, spraying me.
Rolling my eyes, I wiped the wetness from my bare arms and glared down at my brother as he shifted.
Ren stood before me with a wide, mischievous smile on his face. “Thought you could use a shower.” He chuckled as a large crash of thunder reverberated, shaking the ground beneath us, my feet feeling the long rumble.
“And here I thought I liked you.”
Ren reached down, snagging his sweatpants and pulling them over his body. Wolves never cared about nudity. It was a part of our lives, but being siblings, my three brothers kept themselves covered for the most part, which was greatly appreciated.
The swing gave a creak and groan as my brother’s heavy weight settled beside mine, all the while the rain and wind picked up around us.
“Why do you love storms so much?” Ren asked, pushing the swing back and forth with his powerful legs.
Ren was the oldest and would one day be alpha, according to our father. A job Ren rolled with and didn’t make much fuss about. Stating, “He’d worry about it when the time comes.” Which was an admirable thing to me.
In some packs, rifts would cause problems between the alphas fighting for dominance. So far, we’d skated those lines and hadn’t had that issue.
“Peace, Ren. In all the chaos that is the storm, the peace will come.”
He let out a huge sigh and laced his fingers behind his head. “Have you told Dad yet?”
My insides clenched, and the headache that stayed at bay began to come back, seeping into my temples. “No.” Telling my father would mean trouble, and bringing that to my family wasn’t on the top of my list. The problem was, it couldn’t be hidden for much longer.
We were drowning.
Our pack, the one my father, his father before him, and his father before him had grown, was losing more money than we were bringing in. Therefore, our savings was dwindling to the point of scraping by, and no pack could survive the way things were. With sixteen mouths to feed, electricity that needed to be paid, and to simply live, we needed a holy grail of help.
I’d done everything possible to get us back in the black, and the stress of it was getting to me and my wolf. Lately, she was restless to a point where neither a run nor a hunt could calm her. The human side of me wasn’t much better. The pressure of making things right, of helping my family and not being able to was sending me down a dark path.
It couldn’t be stopped, because no matter what accounts money was shifted to or creative ways to put off the bills, they just kept coming. All of it weighed so heavily on my chest there were times I couldn’t breathe and felt like an utter disappointment to everyone around me.
My parents had me attend the local Breed College and get a degree in finance, which only nailed my coffin harder, because I felt like a failure on so many levels. The problem was the money wasn’t coming in as fast as we needed it, and it was time for everyone to get jobs outside the pack so we could get back on our feet.
Ren and I were the only ones who knew how low we were because I confided in him. It was either that or allow the pressure to take me completely under.
Knowing one day I was destined to be an alpha female, I carried the weight of my pack heavier than most. My natural instincts screamed to save the pack from all problems. Even though I hadn’t yet had my first heat, my family knew my wolf, and I knew it, too. Eventually, everyone else would once I had my cycle, and then I would be more of a failure.
“We’re going in now and talking to him, Caleigh. This can’t go on, and the longer we wait, the farther down we’ll go.”
He was right. The only reason for me putting it off was my ego, which was totally stupid on my part. It was so damn hard, though, knowing you failed. You failed everyone around you when you should know exactly what to do to make it right. I had no other options at this point, and finding a money tree wasn’t an option.
“Right,” I breathed out, not wanting to, but having to do the responsible thing.
We rose from the swing just as another crash came to the earth. This time it felt like a warning, one that made the hair on the back of my neck stand to attention.
My father was the best man I knew—loyal, fair, and trustworthy to the highest degree. It was one of the reasons I was so down on myself about telling him. He had put so much trust in me to handle the finances, and here it was, all fucked up. Having him disappointed in me was the worst feeling ever.
Tears threatened to push their way to the surface, but I held them back while following Ren into the pack house.


Author Bio (picture attached):
Ryan Michele found her passion in making fictional characters come to life. She loves being in an imaginative world where anything is possible and has a knack for special twists readers don’t see coming.
She writes MC, Contemporary, Erotic, Paranormal, New Adult, Inspirational, and many more romances. And whether it’s bikers, wolf shifters, mafia, or beyond, Ryan spends her time making sure her heroes are strong and her heroines match them at every turn.
When she isn’t writing, Ryan is a mom and wife living in rural Illinois and reading by her pond in the warm sun.




Social Media Links:

In the Series:
The Alpha’s Arrangement (complete stand alone)

Giveaway: