Labels

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Release Day Book Blitz: Had To Be You By Juliet Chatham @JulietChatham @swoonromance @NereydaG1003 #giveaway





Had To Be You
Release Date: 08/05/14
Swoon Romance

Summary from Goodreads:
After college, Rory Finn left behind the familiarity of her quiet, picturesque hometown to pursue a professional career in the city. With her sights firmly on the future, Rory pressed on in hopes of forgetting the past until a jarring bit of unwelcome news forces her to confront it.
Her first love, the one she'd tried so hard to forget, is about to marry someone else. That pang Rory feels isn't envy, it's not even regret. It's love. But Rory can't be that girl. She won't. But if she doesn't, she'll never know what could have been. She'll never have another chance to tell him how she feels.

As she embarks on an impulsive, desperate bid to win him back, her mission turns into an unexpected and emotional journey of rediscovery. HAD TO BE YOU explores a history of love from its tentative beginnings to what may just turn out to be its final bittersweet end, as Rory ignores her head and follows her heart.




Available now:



Excerpt:
Jill clicked off the phone and exhaled loudly, shaking her head.

"What was that all about?" Trevor came back into the room and dropped into the chair across from her. He had a pint of ice cream in his hand. "Is she upset because Matt is marrying Amanda? Doesn't she like her?"

"No, it's not that, really," Jill replied, gazing out the window. A smudge of moonlight was barely visible in the night time sky above the buildings across the street. "Rory doesn't even know Amanda. They've never met. She's just upset Matt is getting married, period. There's a long history there, you know. Once upon a time... well, they were pretty close. They were best friends, each other's first loves, you name it."

Trevor always tried to play it off like he was barely interested in gossip, above it all even, but when they were alone he definitely took a sort of conspiratorial delight in getting the scoop on Jill's small hometown crowd. He himself had never experienced just how tight some childhood ties could bind.

"I guess I recall you telling me that." Swallowing a mouthful of ice cream, hefrowned. "So, is she just jealous he found someone else? Or does she still have feelings for him?"

"Who knows?" Jill replied with another yawn, propping her elbow on the back of the couch to rest her head in her hand. "Rory Finn is a very complicated girl. Believe me, she makes me look easy."

"Maybe we shouldn't talk about how easy you look, love," he murmured as he dug his spoon in, trying to hide a grin, "when you're sitting there all knocked up."

"Give me that ice cream and I just might forget you said that."


About the Author
A lifelong New Englander, I divide my time between the North Shore and Cape Cod. My favorite things are beaches, boats, books, bars, the Boston Red Sox and boys, but not necessarily in that order. Consequently, you'll probably find that these are the things I write about, too.

Author Links:
 photo iconwebsite-32x32_zps1f477f69.png  photo icongoodreads32_zps60f83491.png  photo icontwitter-32x32_zpsae13e2b2.png



GIVEAWAY:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blitz Organized by:

Monday, August 4, 2014

Review: Goddess, Awakened By Cate Masters @CateMasters @LiteraryNook #Giveaway




 photo goddessawakened.jpg






 photo GoddessAwakened-CateMasters.jpg

Goddess, Awakened
The Goddess Connection Book 1
By Cate Masters
Fantasy/paranormal romance novel
About 89,700 words

Blurb

With a little help from a goddess, battling evil is a piece of cake for Jocelyn Gibson.

A descendant of the goddess Iris, Jocelyn Gibson may have forgotten about the realm of magic, but it hasn't forgotten her. When Eric Hendricks is targeted by a demon, Joss must step in to battle the evil and save the town's awkward, but endearing, vet…who also happens to be the man she loves.

Joss's new inn, a culinary career specializing in cooking with lavender and a new love all make for a fine recipe of disaster. She needs to embrace her inner goddess and harness the powers she never knew she had before it's too late.

 photo waxcreative-bn-nook.png  photo AllRomanceEBooks.jpg


Excerpt

The sting remained with Joss long after Eric fled the inn. Deep-rooted pain emanated from him when he'd first entered, and his palm against her arm sent an electric shock straight to her bones. The poor man. Grief kept him its prisoner. Joss understood how easy it was to fall into that dark trap. The way he'd held her, he sought escape. Comfort.

He awakened deep-seated sensations in her. In the few moments with him, she'd felt more alive than she had in three years.

So strange. Normally, one look allowed her to see the person inside. With Eric Hendricks, her receptivity went into overload. His soul, pent up for years, stirred to life and churned up love, fear, joy, hopelessness, yearning, jumbled and shifting faster than light. He displayed great strength in his firm stance and gentle touch. Beneath a hard veneer of sheer pain, one other trait came through clearly-purity of spirit, and integrity enough for many men.

The arrival of more guests drew Joss to the foyer again. Another matronly witch and an older man wearing a checked flannel shirt, jeans, and boots stepped inside, followed by a princess and a boy in a fabric turtle shell.

Joss recognized the girl as one of the riders whose horse was boarded at the inn's stable. After greeting them and pointing them toward refreshments, she returned to Lydia. "Sorry about Dr. Hendricks."

"Don't apologize. It's wonderful you have so many guests." Lydia fingered the flowers in the vase on the table.

One woman stood in the archway to the front room, her bright-eyed glare directed at Joss. Wearing a short white shift adorned with large red hearts, the woman held a wand topped with a glittering red heart.

Confused by the woman's malevolence, Joss approached and fought to overcome the negativity oozing from her. "Did you try some of the booscotti?"

The woman tilted up her chin. "I'm not hungry, Mrs. Gibson," came her familiar nasal reply.

Recognition finally hit. Of course-the girl who worked at the diner in town. "Sheree?"

At her curt nod, Joss forced a smile. "I love your costume."

Sheree's gaze darted her length. "Likewise."

What could be her problem? The woman wielded her wand like a weapon, ready to strike. "Please have a drink and make yourself at home."

"Thank you." Her narrowed eyes swept the room as if suspecting an ambush, and then she moved stiffly away.

Joss crossed the room to Lydia. "That was weird."

Lydia whispered, "Be careful of her."

"Sheree? I can't imagine why." Could she be nervous the inn would take away some of the diner's business? Though Joss would have liked to think it was the cause of her strange behavior, Sheree's vibes told Joss otherwise. Business had nothing to do with it. The waitress directed her bad juju at Joss personally. Had Joss unintentionally insulted Sheree? She'd barely met the woman.

Leaning close, her aunt spoke sternly, "I warned you to watch for others who seek the power of this place."

Sheree? Her aunt must be mistaken. The woman's terrible attitude resulted from something. Maybe an imagined slight? Joss would find a way to put Sheree at ease.

More guests entered, and Joss excused herself. She left Lydia deeply inhaling the air. Joss couldn't deny the charged atmosphere was one of the reasons she'd bought the place. Not to tap into any lines of power for herself, but maybe to enhance the lavender field she planned. Joss needed the garden to thrive so the inn would as well.







My Review

I received a free copy of the book from the author for my honest opinion.

Jocelyn Gibson is a descendant of the goddess Iris with magical powers of which she thought she had put on the back burner because of her husband. But Joss has been in morning for the past three years and decides it is time to move on with her life. So she buys an old bed and breakfast in the small town of Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania that she plans on renovating. She knows it is going to take a lot of time and hard work but she has her friend Annie and her family to help her.

Even though Joss is now trying to make a new life for herself she is still not ready or has no plans for another man in her life. That is until she meets the town vet who just happens to live and work across the street from the inn. Eric Hendricks like Joss is not ready for a relationship either. Joss is also morning his wife, Karen but when the two of them meet sparks start to fly. In the beginning they both try to fight the feelings they are having. Neither one of them knows excatly what is happing nor what they are feeling. They push their feelings away and try to hide them from themselves and everyone else. But they can't hide from other people.

I think Eric realizes before Joss how he feels about her and that he wants her in is life. But there is a woman that works at the diner in town who has her eyes set on Eric and will do whatever she has to; to make him hers even sell her soul to the devil. She makes a deal with a demon to get Eric. When Joss finds out she enlist the help of her family to help her save Eric before it is too late. Joss with the help of her Grandmother, Aunt and other family members must fight evil in order to save Eric, the inn, the town and the people who live there as well.

Goddess, Awakened is filled with love and evil that will have you feeling real good one minute and the next minute it will have you hanging on for your life or more like one of the character's lives. You just want to reach into the book and give the woman that was after Eric a shake and just tell her to leave him alone. But at the same time you knew that she couldn't totally be blamed for everything she was doing. The demon that she made the deal with is more to blame than her. Although she was evil from the beginning before the demon ever came into the picture or she would never had made a deal with him.

If you like reading about goddess, demons, love and goddess and demons fighting then you need to give Goddess, Awakened a try. I really liked reading about a older age group of main characters for a change, it was refreshing.



About The Author

 photo catemasters.jpeg

Cate Masters has made beautiful central Pennsylvania her home, but she'll always be a Jersey girl at heart. When not spending time with her dear hubby, she can be found in her lair, concocting a magical brew of contemporary, historical, and fantasy/paranormal stories with her cat Chairman Maiow and dog Lily as company. Look for her at her website and in strange nooks and far-flung corners of the web.

Website Icon photo website.png Email Icon photo email_32.png Facebook Icon photo facebook_32.png  photo Twitter_256x256.png


Giveaway



 photo CateMastersTreatYourselfLikeAGoddessGiveaway.jpg




BP Button For Tours photo bpbuttonfortours.jpg

Sunday, August 3, 2014

Book Blitz: Aqua By M.A. George @ProximityAuth @GHBTours





Aqua
By- M.A. George
Genre- YA Paranormal
Publication Date- April 16th, 2014 

Meet Layla McKelland:  
Novelist (unpublished, but cut her some slack…seventeen is a bit early to despair),
Slightly neurotic introvert (Alright, let's be honest…there's no "slightly" about it),
International Woman of Mystery, and…
Okay, just scratch the bio. 

The only real "mystery" in Layla's life is why her father has never been on the scene.  Or why her mother drags Layla to a new coastal home every year.  

Nothing about the latest hometown seems too newsworthy…until a routine day at the beach leaves Layla questioning whether she's read one too many paranormal fantasy novels.  The plot thickens when a random guy claims to know things about her father-a bizarre claim he backs up with an equally impossible stunt.  And Layla soon finds herself on the wrong side of a mysterious attempted drowning…on her own kitchen floor.

When all is done, Layla will attest that fact is far stranger than fiction.  And nothing in real life is ever as transparent as it seems…Not even water. 

Especially not water.



   

Saturday, August 2, 2014

Blog Tour: Please, Pretty Lights By Ina Zajac @InaZajac @GHBTours




 photo pleaseprettylightstourbanner.jpg






 photo pleaseprettylights.jpg

Title- Please, Pretty Lights
By- Ina Zajac

Blurb:

It's September when Via Sorenson stumbles into a Seattle strip club, drunk and alone on her twenty-first birthday. Mattias and Nick-best friends, bandmates, and bouncers-can see she's not like the other girls and do their best to shield her from their shady, sadistic, cocaine-trafficking boss, Carlos. They don't realize her daddy issues come with a forty-million-dollar trust fund and a legacy she would do anything to escape.

She is actually the adult version of Violetta Rabbotino, the tragic little girl who had been all over the news ten years earlier when her father, an acclaimed abstract artist, came home in a rage, murdered her mother, then turned the gun on himself. Violetta was spared, hidden behind the family Christmas tree, veiled by the mysticism of its pretty lights whose unadulterated love had captivated and calmed her.

Now, desperate to shed her role as orphaned victim, Via is attempting to recast herself as a party girl by stage diving into a one-hundred-day adventure with Matt and Nick, the bassist and drummer of popular nineties cover band Obliviot. At first the rock-and-roll lifestyle is the perfect distraction. She gets high on true love, but the rush terrifies her. As Christmas looms closer, she can no longer deny her demented past. But how will she ever untangle herself from her twisted string of pretty lights?

Warning: Recommended for mature audiences due to explicit language, sexual content, and drug use.

    photo waxcreative-bn-nook.png


Excerpt:



Chapter 4



***Via



Via leaned against the side of the 7-Eleven and pounded her third mini bottle of chardonnay. After leaving the Space Needle, she had walked around the same block three times, past that same Pink Elephant Car Wash, three times. She couldn't find her car to save her life, which was proof she had no business behind the wheel anyway. She had called a cab company, but they could only take her as far as the West Seattle ferry terminal. If she were to walk onto the ferry, she would have to go to the upper deck and just knew she would run into people from church. And she didn't want to go home anyway. Her chest felt toasty warm.

She scarfed down her last mini powdered donut and threw away the wrapper. It was a sign, an actual, literal sign. In the next parking lot over, the Hotties marquee changed colors for the two-hundredth time-hot pink to purple to white, and then red, red, red, and then hot pink to purple to white. The letters flashed, "Gallery Night. She's a Masterpiece. Amateur Night. Win $750."

She had nowhere else to be. Screw it. Why not? Before she'd started dating Dan, she and her college roommates had often gone dancing at the Blue Tonic, a bar just over the Canadian border where the drinking age was just nineteen. Its big dance floor had two dancing platforms, each surrounded by a gilded cage awash in spotlights. Toward the end of the night, the bouncers invited a few girls to go inside and dance a song or two. Ceremoniously opening the side doors, the bouncers escorted the chosen ones inside. There was no lock. The bars were wide enough that the girls could climb out at any time. Via had gone in often and never gotten out early-not once. Drinks could wait, her bladder could wait, flirting could wait. A fire alarm could wait, because her time there had felt precious and fleeting, and her soul had wanted to stay and dance forever. Rarely making eye contact with the men watching her, she'd felt their lustful stares. She had fed on their energy and lit up from the inside out.

This is how it is supposed to be, she had realized, lost in the lights. Her opera-obsessed parents had chosen this life for her the day they had chosen the name Violetta over Brunhilde. The day they had chosen Verde over Wagner. They could have named her after a Norse warrior woman who rode a flying horse and kicked ass, but instead they'd chosen an Italian slut who coughed blood into a hanky. She could have gone by Hilde or Hil. Maybe she could have been brave. A badass.

The Hotties sign drew her in even more. The flashing neon began to morph, then hum and buzz. She blinked. Wait, she realized. Wait, she knew those lights. Their unadulterated love blazed toward her. They danced and shimmered just for her. They vibrated their epiphany. Pretend, pretend, they urged. Don't you remember? The recollection teased her, but retreated before she could fully recognize it. Instead she softened her focus, and let them blur and buzz and snap her into a new state of being.

She tucked her last mini bottle into her purse for later. While crossing over into the Hotties parking lot she tripped, but caught herself. She just laughed it off, too wasted to care. Should she take her mother's ring off? She wondered. No, it would be safest right where it was. She skimmed her thumb back and forth over it for luck, for courage. She didn't let herself pause at the tinted double doors for fear she would change her mind. Just one night dancing. Lost under the lights. She couldn't stand being alone with herself, so she would just be somebody else. Just for the night.



Playlist:

Please, Pretty Lights Setlist in order of appearance:

COMFORT EAGLE (Cake)

*BREED (Nirvana)

*ENTER SANDMAN (Metallica)

NICE GUYS FINISH LAST (Green Day)

SKILLS TO PAY THE BILLS (Beastie Boys)

*STIR IT UP (Bob Marley)

*I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW (Jimmy Cliff)

*ISLAND IN THE SUN (Weezer)

*ROCK-AND-ROLL LIFESTYLE (Cake)

*ALL THE SMALL THINGS (Blink 182)

BAD FISH (Sublime)

SUCK YOU DRY (Mudhoney)

GOTTA GET AWAY (The Offspring)

*THE NATIONAL ANTHEM (Radiohead)

*EVERLONG (Foo Fighters)

* ROYAL OIL (Mighty Might Bosstones)

*SONG FOR THE DEAD (Queens of the Stone Age)

*MAGIC FIRE MUSIC (Richard Wagner/The Ring Without Words)

WHEN THE ANGELS SING (Social Distortion)

CORDUROY (Pearl Jam)

SONG 2 (Blur)

*WELCOME TO PARADISE (Green Day)

*SANTA MONICA (Everclear)

*STRONG ENOUGH (Sheryl Crow)

Un De Felice (Verdi)



About the Author:

 photo InaZajac.jpg

Ina Zajac is an award-winning journalist, avid people watcher, and lover of quirk and contrast. Her writing is heavily influenced by her fascination with music, art, and her hometown of Seattle.

Website Icon photo website.png Facebook Icon photo facebook_32.png  photo Twitter_256x256.png




http://www.girlsheartbookstours.com

Friday, August 1, 2014

Book Tour: Plumb Crazy By Molly Blaisdell @mollyblaisdell @swoonromance @NereydaG1003 #Giveaway




 photo Plumb-Crazy-tourbanner.jpg






 photo PlumbCrazy1600x2400.jpg

Plumb Crazy
by Molly Blaisdell
Release Date: 06/10/14

Summary from Goodreads:

Small town country girl Elva Presley Hicks is about to attend her five-year class reunion with her best friends, Shay and Margarett.

The discovery of an old fanfic manuscript stirs up memories of her summer job as a plumber's helper in Houston the summer before senior year. She earned a lot of money that year, but was lonely as heck.

It's not like there weren't any suitors back then. Elva could have chosen between Chase, the obese pig farmer, and Wyatt, the plumber with wandering hands. But Elva yearned for something more, and found it that fateful summer, with electrician, Mitch McCall.

It was magical. Mitch wasn't turned off by Elva's name or fan fiction writing, and Elva didn't lose interest in Mitch after he cut off his nose at work.

Trials and triumphs followed including a friendship implosion, world-wide fanfic humiliation, and goat salvation. It would go down as the most memorable summer of high school.

But as these things sometimes do, the summer romance fizzled and Elva moved on to life after high school. And while she's ready to reminisce, she is unnerved when she runs into Mitch at the reunion. Can they give it another go after so much time has passed, or are they too different now to even try?

    photo waxcreative-bn-nook.png

My Dream Cast for Plumb Crazy

This is an ensemble story, so I need a pretty big cast.



Elva Presley Hicks- Hailee Steinfeld. She's the gal from the True Grit reboot. Hailee doesn't usually play comedy but I think she could. I also think that she would have the right amount of toughness to fit into a plumbing crew. We would buy that she could hold her own. We will also believe that she cares for her friends and that she aches for true connection with someone.

http://www.imdb.com/media/rm2841227008/nm2794962?ref_=nm_ov_ph



Mitch McMcall- Carter Jenkins. He was the kid in TV show called Surface where the kid bonded with this alien sea monster thing. Carter is a perfect fit for Mitch. He's got the right angular face and intelligence in those eyes to bring Mitch to life. He's has a quiet presence and a shy persona too. I can imagine him playing an independent guy working hard for his dream and falling for a-not-so-average girl.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1334396/



Margarett (One of the loser girls) - Clara Mamet. She plays the eldest daughter on The Neighbors. She would have fun with this role. I think she could pull off awkward and religious nut with ease.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1565037/?ref_=tt_cl_t5



Chase Fleaso - Haley Joel Osmet. He was a cute kid and a wonderful actor from The Sixth Sense. He's not considered the most handsome guy now, and he struggles with his weight. He's a little old but I think he could do 17. He would bring the right amount of soul to the part and yet would also bring the right amount of awkward.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005286/?ref_=tt_ov_st



Shay (One of the loser girls) - Zendaya Coleman. Zendaya is a Disney teen actress. I want someone with a little glamour and sophistication for this role, a young woman who exudes confidence, but at heart is someone who is really struggling. Zendaya is perfect.

http://zendaya.com/tag/zendaya-coleman/



Bobby Ray (25-year-old guy dating a high school student) - Garrett Hedlund. He starred in the Tron remake. I think he's the right amount of creepy and handsome.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1546300/



Wyatt (the plumber with the wandering hands) - Alexander Ludwig. He's on the series The Vikings and plays Bjorn Lothbrok. I just think he would dazzle Elva.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1573253/?ref_=tt_cl_t2



Yves - Jack Black. I really believe the bit parts are important and he would have fun playing a plumber.



Mr. Bob -Tommy Lee Jones. It's a small part, a cameo really, but important. I need someone who can really say damn.



Pawpaw - I mean is there any question, William Shatner. Do I need to explain it?



Nonny - Kirstie Alley. Again perfect. Star Lt. Saavik from The Wrath of Khan and great comedy chops.



I think I love this movie!



About The Author:

 photo molly.jpg

Molly Blaisdell is a dash of fun, mixed in with some smart cookie and a splash of capable. She started her first fan fiction group in junior high and never stopped writing. Today, she writes about geeky girls with lofty dreams and about the absolute craziness of falling in love. Her debut novel is PLUMB CRAZY, a NA/YA romantic comedy. She's also the author of 30 books for children and hundreds of articles. You can find her and her books at www.mollyblaisdell.com.

Website Icon photo website.png Goodreads Icon photo goodreadsicon.png  photo Twitter_256x256.png Facebook Icon photo facebook_32.png


Giveaway:





As well as the standard giveaway, the author of Plumb Crazy is also running her own giveaway for a signed copy of the book and a $100 gift card to Cavender's Authentic Western Wear.






Book Tour Organized by:

Cover Reveal: Incarcerated By Inger Iversen @kris10inger @GHBTours #Giveaway





Incarcerated
Love and War Standalone
By- Inger Iversen 
Genre- Adult Contemporary Romance
Expected Publication Date- TBA

One of the few white kids in a rural Kentucky town, Logan Whyte always kept to his own kind out of self-preservation. He never considered himself racist, but that didn't stop him from falling in with the wrong crowd that celebrated hate as much as he fought it - or from ending up in prison for eight years on an armed robbery charge.

A successful and educated black woman, Katie Andreassen is tired of being accused of betraying her own race. Her lonely isolation, coupled with her grief over losing her mother, inspire her to create a new pen pal program at Capshaw State Penitentiary, where her father is a warden.

The program brings together the unlikely pair, but Logan and Katie soon find themselves forced to overcome past fears and prejudices. Their friendship doesn't come easily - threatened by a crooked lawyer with a grudge and a best friend who betrays her promise to help.

When faced with a world that forces them apart, Logan and Katie must show everyone else what they have discovered: that love is, in fact, colorblind.