Friday, December 21, 2018

A Christmas Bet by Adele Knight

I was compensated via Fiverr for sharing this book. I only share those books that I feel will be of interest to my readers. Also please note that affiliate links are present within this post. Should you make a purchase through one, I may earn a small commission to help support my websites at no additional cost to you.



A Christmas Bet

Patience is a virtue...but Anna is over being patient and gave up being virtuous a long time ago. 

On the eve of her mother's divorce, Anna is determined to get what she wants—her soon to be ex-stepbrother.

The right kind of thoughts about the wrong girl have tormented Peter for far too long. When Anna arrives at his father's Christmas party; lips an enticing red, Peter's resistance crumbles.

With the party in full swing, Peter and Anna make a bet to ease some tension.

Rule number one: don't leave the room.
Rule number two: don't get caught.

As the tension heats up, so do the stakes.

A Christmas Bet is a fun Holiday romp to warm you up on a cold winter's night.

https://amzn.to/2LtAxwd
Free on Kindle Unlimited

About Adele Knight

Adele likes her red wine with chocolate and her sweet romances with lots of heat. Her spicy stories are a bedtime treat with enough spark to warm your sheets and alluring characters to make you beg for more. When she's not writing, Adele can be found lost in other fantasy worlds. Whether it's a hairy beast and a talking candle-stick or black leather and heels, Adele loves her heroines feisty and her heroes irresistible.

Monday, December 10, 2018

Review of Learning to Love by Jennifer Wilck


Welcome to the review tour for Learning to Love by Jennifer Wilck, which is probably one of my favorite books of 2018. Read an excerpt from this book as well as more of my thoughts. Download your own copy and leave your comments and questions for the author as you follow the tour. Be sure to enter the giveaway!

Please note that affiliate links are present within this post. Should you make a purchase through one, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.


Learning to Love

Dina Jacobs is a single librarian who has never fit in due to her off-the-charts intelligence, frizzy hair and rounder-than-socially-acceptable figure. She left her past behind until she receives an invitation to her ten-year high school reunion, and all her insecurities return.

Adam Mandel is a single corporate attorney who just missed his third deadline at his father's law firm, the law firm where he is up for junior partner. With his reputation on the line, Adam needs all the help he can get to convince his father that he deserves the promotion.

When Dina and Adam run into each other on a deserted road, Dina thinks Mr. Flashypants can't possibly be interested in someone like her. Adam thinks Dina is just the person to help him improve his reputation. Lies and insecurities force them to take a look at themselves. Can they trust each other to look beyond the surface?


Read an excerpt:
“Cold?” Adam turned and stopped in front of her.

She nodded, and he adjusted her scarf, the backs of his fingers caressing her cheeks and jaw. His warm breath tickled her nose and up close, she could see flecks of silver and brown in his eyes. A small scar marked the top of his cheekbone, beneath his eye, and without thinking, she touched it.

He froze, a sharp intake of breath making Dina realize she’d actually made contact. As if the texture of his skin beneath the tip of her finger wasn’t enough evidence.

“I’m sorry,” she said, drawing her hand away.

“No, it’s okay.” He took her hand and held it against his cheek. She could see his pupils dilate, feel the rasp of stubble beneath her palm.

“How did you get it?” she asked.

“A fight in the third grade. Tommy D teased me for talking to the girl everyone used to make fun of in class. So I decked him. He got me back and we both got detention.”

Dina couldn’t help smiling. “Aw, you were her knight in shining armor.”

He reddened. “You’re the only one who thinks I was.”

“Not true. She probably thinks so as well. Since I know who my competition is, I’ll have to give you my ribbon to carry or something.”

At his look of confusion, she continued. “In medieval times, a lady gave her knight a favor, such as a ribbon, and he’d joust for her.”

Taking her hand from his cheek, he raised it to his lips and kissed the backs of her fingers. “So you want me to fight for you?”


Buy links:



**My thoughts**
I truly loved this book. These two characters rang more true to me than any I have read in a long time. I think it's because I saw so much of myself in Dina and so many men I have known in Adam. Both of them are horribly flawed and hard on themselves. They have both had a rough time of it in life, despite their surface successes, and have low self-esteem as a result. Dina manages hers by withdrawing; Adam manages his by putting out a fake persona that he thinks people want to see. They meet accidentally, find themselves strongly attracted to each other, and almost don't know how to handle it. Their conflict is trying to realize that they are good and worthy people who actually deserve happiness in their lives and that they are truly meant to be together. 

They have a heck of a roller coaster ride as they try to figure it all out. Dina finds a strength within herself that she didn't know she had. Adam learns that he is more than just his father's son. They learn how to communicate with each other and important people in their lives. I felt like I rode the roller coaster with them, laughing and crying along the way.


About Jennifer Wilck

Jennifer started telling herself stories as a little girl when she couldn’t fall asleep at night. Pretty soon, her head was filled with these stories and the characters that populated them. Even as an adult, she thinks about the characters and stories at night before she falls asleep or walking the dog. Eventually, she started writing them down. Her favorite stories to write are those with smart, sassy, independent heroines; handsome, strong and slightly vulnerable heroes; and her stories always end with happily ever after.

In the real world, she’s the mother of two amazing daughters and wife of one of the smartest men she knows. When she’s not writing, she loves to laugh with her family and friends, is a pro at finding whatever her kids lost in plain sight, and spends way too much time closing doors that should never have been left open in the first place. She believes humor is the only way to get through the day and does not believe in sharing her chocolate.

She writes contemporary romance, some of which are mainstream and some of which involve Jewish characters. She’s published with The Wild Rose Press and all her books are available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and The Wild Rose Press.

She can be reached at www.jenniferwilck.com or http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jennifer-Wilck/201342863240160. She tweets at @JWilck. Her blog (Fried Oreos) is www.jenniferwilck.blogspot.com and she contributes to Heroine With Hearts blog monthly http://www.heroineswithhearts.blogspot.com.



Jennifer Wilck will be awarding a $15 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thursday, December 6, 2018

A Dual-POV Perspective on the Dual POV in Aftereffects by L.J. Greene


Welcome to the virtual book tour for Aftereffects by L.J. Greene. Today's stop is one of my favorite kinds of stops, where the characters take over to talk to us. Keir and Selene are sharing their thoughts about the dual POV that takes place in their book. Please enjoy this and then enjoy an excerpt before you download the book. Leave the author (and characters) questions and comments. Be sure to enter the giveaway as you follow the tour for more fun!



Keir: So the question here is what . . . why we didn’t want some third person telling our story for us?

Selene:
Yeah, that’s the question.

Keir: Why would we want that?

Selene: I don’t know—because a third person is unbiased, I guess. And they can speak to what other people are thinking, too.

Keir: What other people? The story is pretty much just us.

Selene: Like Justin, for example.

Keir: No one cares what Justin thinks. I don’t even care what Justin thinks.

Selene: (laughs) Nah, I really don’t care, either.

Keir:
Besides, Aftereffects isn’t about some bank heist. It’s a love story.

Selene: A friends-to-lovers love story.

Keir: Exactly. It’s kind of personal. To have had some third person telling it would’ve been weird. Don’t you think?

Selene: I agree. Another option, though, is that I could’ve told it.

Keir: By yourself?

Selene: Yes.

Keir: Not happening.

Selene: Why?

Keir: That’s boring.

Selene: What?

Keir: You’d have spent the whole book going ooohhh Keir, he’s so hot, he’s so perfect, he has such a big—

Selene: Keir!

Keir: (laughs) You know you would.

Selene: You’re the most annoying.

Keir: And you, Ms. Georgiou, are my aching, forever love. But you have to admit, Aftereffects is much better because I’m in it. Also, not to bring up a sore subject here, but you didn’t always read the tealeaves correctly when it came to us.

Selene: Ouch.

Keir: It’s true, though.

Selene: It’s kind of true. Much as I hate to admit it to your arrogant, smug face.

Keir: Handsome, did you say?

Selene: I didn’t say that, no.

Keir: (smiles) And don’t forget that I told some great stories in Aftereffects.

Selene: Like what stories?

Keir: Like the Jiffy Pop story in Chapter 21. I gave some valuable insight into my upbringing.

Selene: You mean how ten-year-old you ran around pretending to be a superhero?

Keir: Human Torch, baby. Flame on! (reaches out for a fist bump)

Selene: Flame on!

Keir: You know, one of the reviewers said they loved the way I told the part about when you made me go with you to Bloomingdales.

Selene: I didn’t make you. You were holding up your side of a bargain.

Keir: Yeah, whatever.

Selene: I’m still a little mad at you for that chapter, by the way. Did you really have to tell everyone about . . . you know . . .

Keir: (grins big) I don’t think I do. What are you referring to?

Selene: Hush, you.

Keir: (laughs) You’re blushing! That part was awesome . . . Any guy would agree. And that’s why we needed my POV. We needed a man’s perspective.

Selene: And what would’ve been your perspective on the part where you told me you wanted every side of me in every light of day for as long as we have.

Keir: I don’t remember it like that.

Selene: Which is why we needed my perspective. (smiles big) It’s all right there in Chapter 12.

Keir: I knew I should’ve narrated that chapter. And speaking of which, I need to talk to L.J. about the number of chapters I got. I don’t think it was 50/50.

Selene: She probably didn’t think you could keep a secret.

Keir: What do you mean?

Selene: I think she wanted me to tell the earlier chapters because good storytelling means you let a story out slowly. And you’re kind of . . .

Keir: I’m kind of what?

Selene: Awesome. (smiles)

Keir: No. (laughs) Nice try, Georgiou. What were you going to say? I’m kind of what?

Selene: You’re just very . . . introspective. You analyze everything. Which is a good thing. It’s one of your best qualities, Keir.

Keir: But?

Selene: No but.

Keir: (raises a brow)

Selene: I just think once you got rolling, you would have told the whole thing in one long chapter and not left anything for me.

Keir: So you’re saying I’m too awesome of a storyteller.

Selene: I don’t think that’s what I said at all.

Keir: And a bit of a demigod.

Selene: It’s a good thing I love you.

Keir: It’s a damn good thing you love me.




Aftereffects

What could be more terrifying than falling in love with the person who is your good place? Maybe realizing just a smidge too late that there can be dire consequences to becoming your best friend’s lover.

The lives of Keir Stevens and Selene Georgiou serendipitously collide midspan on San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, one jarring step ahead of fate. He’s a temporary transplant from Seattle; she’s facing the biggest career opportunity of her life. They have no notion of the common thread that connects them.

As they come to discover they share a similar adversity, their relationship evolves from a fun and frivolous infatuation with nowhere to go into a true friendship with sincerity, humor, and respect at its heart.

It’s awfully hard not to fall in love with that—even if you’re pretty darn certain you shouldn’t.

But when love and friendship suffer their own devastating collision—their interests brutally conflicting—the consequences of blurring the lines between the two suddenly become real. In the end, which one will be the stronger? And more importantly, can either survive?

AFTEREFFECTS is a standalone dual POV adult contemporary romance about the things we choose in life out of all the things that are beyond our choosing—a tale of love and friendship, of time and how we spend it, and of the inner wars that ultimately show us what really matters.


Read an excerpt:

It was always that first look of his that killed me. Unfiltered, it was like intensity and appetite combined in a way I’d never seen before on anyone. I couldn’t say it was aimed at me specifically, but it definitely affected me. It felt like fire racing through my veins whenever he looked at me that way. Luckily, it only ever lasted a second before he blinked and something more benign replaced it.

Tonight that something was a broad, boyish grin that grew on his face as he rose from his stool, rocking that five-o’clock shadow and a pair of Levis like nobody’s business. A forest-green sweater stretched across his chest.

It had been more than two weeks since he came to my house for dinner, and seeing him again caused a complicated ache to push through me. He had so quickly and unexpectedly become a friend in the most genuine sense. We talked on the phone often, and had forged a connection that I didn’t have with anyone else.

But he was also like a warm chocolate brownie being waved under my nose.

I wanted to say that I didn’t notice how tempting he was. But the truth is, I did really, really love brownies . . .


Buy links:
KindleiBooks *  B&NGoodreadsKobo 



About L.J. Greene

LJ Greene is a self-professed obsessive multi-tasker who writes really boring stuff by day and lets her inner romantic fly by night. This California native is married to the most amazing man and has two beautiful children, not old enough to read her books. (They probably wouldn’t want to anyway on account of the “Ew, gross” factor.) She’s an avid reader of all genres with an embarrassingly large ebook collection, and a weird penchant for reading the acknowledgements at the end of a novel. She's also a music lover with no apparent musical talent, a travel enthusiast, and a cheese connoisseur.


Author Website and Info:

www.ljgreenebooks.com

Twitter: @authorljgreene

Facebook: LJ Greene



LJ Greene will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, December 3, 2018

Read an excerpt from Bound Beauty by Jennifer Silverwood


On Tour with Prism Book Tours

Welcome to the blog tour for Bound Beauty by Jennifer Silverwood! Today I'm sharing an exclusive excerpt with you to enjoy. You can also check out the rest of the series, plus follow the book tour for more fun with the book. And then there's a great giveaway at the end for you to enter!


Bound Beauty


(A Wylder Tale #3)
By Jennifer Silverwood
YA Dark Fantasy
Paperback & ebook
December 21st 2018


Beware the bond between blood and beasts...

Vynasha has united the warring human and forgotten clans of Wylderland, claiming her majik and power as curse breaker. Her brother, Ceddrych keeps their nephew safely hidden away while Vynasha and her new allies fight against the feral beasts roaming their borders.

Meanwhile, her friendship with the Iceveins family deepens, unveiling a love she never expected. But her majik is still bound to the cursed prince she left behind and he isn't done fighting for her soul.

Darker forces walk in the forests, all drawn to Vynasha's light and the shade of a corrupt Enchantress haunts her waking dreams. A war is about to begin, between the forgotten people of Wylderland and the evil power of Bitterhelm.

Prophecy and Forgotten unite in the epic third chapter of the Wylder Tales Series, a gothic re-telling of Beauty and the Beast.

The Wylder Tales Series
Craving Beauty (Vol. 1)
Wolfsbane's Daughter (Vol. 1.5)
Scarred Beauty (Vol. 2)
Bound Beauty (Vol. 3)

Read an excerpt:
No longer did Vynasha mourn thoughts of Whistleande Village and the cabin she built over her family’s ashes. Home had been her nephew’s strained heartbeat against her ears and winter looming like Death over them, whispering, “Give him to me. You cannot hide forever.” 
Erythea’s sigh interrupted Vynasha’s darker thoughts. The girl was always chattering about every thought which entered her head. “I’ve never seen spring, did you know?” 
Vynasha blinked and for a moment, saw the valley of Whistleande, carpets of fuchsia heather and sage grass. 
Thea touched stray branches, infusing blue tendrils of energy into the sleeping buds. “My majik is tied to the earth like Mother’s. It wants to end this winter and let things grow.” She glanced over her shoulder at Vynasha with a crooked smile. “Did you know the last true spring hasn’t come in an age?” 
Vynasha pressed her claws into her palms. “Since the curse,” she whispered. Her voice held a rasp she couldn’t shake, ever since the fire. Not even her transformation under the curse could hide what she was before. 
Murderer. Monster. 
“Are you alright?” Erythea reached back to grab Vynasha’s hand, concern in her gaze. Eyes too old for so young a face. 
Vynasha nodded, though her attempted smile fell false. 
Thea squeezed Vynasha’s hand. “We practiced too long today. Come, Grandmother’s stew will make it better.” She leaned in until her shoulder brushed Vynasha’s arm and teased, “The twins say the pack should return for the festival soon.” 
Vynasha couldn’t help but tense at what her young friend didn’t say. 
Baalor. 
She hadn’t seen him in three moons, not since she agreed to stay and live with his family and leave her nephew with Ceddrych. 
She couldn’t think about Ceddrych, not now as they entered the paths taking them behind painted houses and torchlights. The fires never went out, no matter the cold or lack of fuel. The mirror folk saw to that, Vynasha had learned. There was much more to the relationship between guardian and mirror folk than she had once imagined. And still more they hadn’t explained. 
But this was for another night, when the promise of Baalor’s return and Grandmother’s stew weren’t looming before her. Tonight she would not be a curse breaker, and she would not dream dreams and she would learn to be happy.


Other Books in the Series

Grab the first book, Craving Beauty, for FREE! You can find your preferred format here. Or grab the compilation of volumes 1, 1.5, and 2 on Amazon.

About the Author

Jennifer Silverwood was raised deep in the heart of Texas and has been spinning yarns a mile high since childhood. In her spare time she reads and writes and tries to sustain her wanderlust, whether it’s the Carpathian Mountains in Transylvania, the highlands of Ecuador or a road trip to the next town. Always on the lookout for her next adventure, in print or reality, she dreams of one day proving to the masses that everything really is better in Texas. She is the author of two series—Heaven's Edge and Wylder Tales—and the stand-alone titles Stay and Silver Hollow.



Tour Schedule

December 3rd:
Launch
Books to Light Your Fire
Mythical Books
J.L. Mbewe
December 4th:
Rockin' Book Reviews
Wishful Endings
Locks, Hooks and Books
December 5th:
Colorimetry
Declarations of a Fangirl
December 6th:
Reading On The Edge
Book Butterfly in Dreamland
Bookworm Lisa
December 7th:
We Write Fantasy
Nicole's Book Musings
December 8th:
Grand Finale

Tour Giveaway


PRIZE PACK #1: Print copies of Wylder Tales Vol 1-2 along with a "Gothic fairytale" themed basket. (US only.)
PRIZE PACK #2: $10 Amazon eGift Card and winner's choice of two of the author's ebooks (if a novella series is pickes, i.e. Heaven's Edge, then all three novellas will be included). (Open internationally.)

Ends December 12, 2018

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Thursday, November 29, 2018

Thank God for Jean - The Evolution of Beauty Within by Jae El Foster


Welcome to the book tour for Beauty Within by Jae El Foster! Do you know how important an editor is to the writing process? I can always tell when an author doesn't use an editor and when someone has a really good editor on their hands. Today, Jae El Foster talks about the importance of an editor and sings the praises of the one he uses. Find out what he has to say and then check out his latest book. Be sure to leave comments and questions all along the tour and download your own copy after you enter the giveaway!

Please note that affiliate links are present within this post. Should you make a purchase through one, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.


******************************

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Nothing is better than a good editor, and I have a great one. Without editors like Jean Watkins, our books would not see their potential.

The importance of an editor is extreme, and on my first attempt at a fairy tale, I needed an editor more than ever before. An editor’s job extends further than correcting a writer’s punctuation, grammar and spelling. They see things that we as the authors do not see, and they help us correct them, build on them, or eliminate them if needed. Some writers feel that an editor will rewrite their books, but they are so very wrong on that assumption. A good editor will guide your hand as your tweak your story to make it the best piece of fiction that it can be.

Beauty Within was a book that saw several incarnations on its road to publication. It was the first of several books to hold a clue in my Jae El Fandom Hardcore Easter Egg Competition, and that clue had to be worked seamlessly into the story and still point people in the right direction to the second clue (full details are at www.jaeelbooks.com/contests). I’d never held a contest before where I’d had to hide clues in my books, so this was a challenge for me, and my editor helped me make that clue flow along with the rest of the novel – like it should – but stand out enough to be noticed by participants in the competition.

When it comes to misspellings, sentences that don’t flow, and paragraphs that are too complicated, my editor spots what my own eyes do not see, and she helps me rework what needs to be reworked, and sometimes, that is all because of my dyslexia. In Beauty Within, Jean came across a typo – Sirpiece instead of masterpiece. Not only was Sirpiece – which is not a real word – capitalized, but it was used at least three times throughout the book. I don’t know what the word means or why I created it, but I’m thankful my editor questioned it.

There is a French hair stylist named Pierre that is introduced a few chapters into Beauty Within. His role is to provide my protagonist Natalie with a unique hairstyle for a ball. In the original draft, Pierre did not understand a lick of English and spoke only French, so every time he would speak in the book, his words were in French and poorly translated to Natalie via her nemesis Sarah. While I saw the humor in the conversational situation, my editor pointed out that the only people who would understand what was going on and would get it were me and people who spoke French. I hadn’t thought of that when writing the scene, and so Pierre became a Frenchman with a bad English accent that my readers still enjoyed.

Jean and I worked our way through two – maybe three – edits of Beauty Within until all corrections had been made and the story flowed without pause or loss of flow. Yet, on my final read-through, when the book was set for publication, I realized Beauty Within was not finished. It didn’t feel finished. It lacked something – something big – and it had to do with the ending.

The original ending of Beauty Within is still there, but it is no longer the ending to the book. I drafted a whole new ending, adding a few more chapters onto the otherwise ready-to-go manuscript, and dropped it back to Jean.

The new twist in Beauty Within was so unexpected that even she admitted surprise to it. Yet, even as these new chapters did not much affect what we’d already edited and corrected, they had to be fixed from errors and inconsistencies, and the book as a whole had to be reread as well.

My editor has seen the best of my writing and the worst of my writing. She is why Beauty Within evolved into the wonderful fairy tale that it is, and she is why most of my writing is seamless and makes sense. I do not make life easy on her – especially with my first drafts and sudden ‘hey I had a’ thoughts. Yes, she’s a trooper, and if I have one piece of advice for any and every author out there, it is to get out there and find an editor. And when you do, hope that he or she is as good as Jean Watkins.

By the way – you might be able to tell – I did not let Jean edit this Guest Post beforehand.

My thanks to Books to Light Your Fire for hosting me today! Thanks also to Goddess Fish Promotions and DCL Publications for making this possible. Also, to those of you who have swung by to see what’s up, I hope you enjoy what you see. Thanks for stopping by!


******************************


Beauty Within

An enchanted mask. A harrowing castle. A reclusive dark lord. With the helping hand of the village witch, these three ingredients form a spell that will warm your heart as much as it chills it. Madame Howell makes her second appearance in Jae El Foster’s literary universe in this fairy tale that puts a new twist on an old classic. When a village maiden finds herself in a forbidden castle, she discovers that its sole occupant might be less of a monster than he has been made out to be. However, dark secrets and black magic are afoot, and a ‘happily ever after’ could turn disastrous. Will true love conquer all, or will a dark power make their world come crumbling down?

Read an excerpt:
Hanging his head low, he sighed with a deep sadness, and in a bout of self-anger, he jerked his head up to the ceiling and cried out with an agony and a rage that he had never expressed with such intenseness. His scream ran long, and it echoed loudly throughout every hall and chamber of the castle and even into the blackened air outside. When this scream fell silent, he cried out once again, this time falling down to his knees in bitter self-loathing. His hands fell across his face, touching upon the scars that had sealed his doom. Running his fingers from his face to his hair, he grabbed two fistfuls of the golden locks and pulled hard, adding pain to his already crippling misery.

“Lest he who hath created his hell perish in his hell…” he whispered as the tears began to dry from his eyes. Then, with a leap, he rose to his feet and crossed the foyer to the staircase. With slow, steady movements, he began up the stairs, formulating in his thoughts what his next actions would be. His mind was hazy and in a fog, and thinking made his head only hurt more.

The stairs seemed to continue up for an eternity, but he was used to the climb and he made it to the belfry of his castle with practiced ease. There, he rushed past the old brass bell that had not rang in many, many years, and he forced his hands to brace him as he stopped abruptly at the stone encasing that prevented him from falling to his death below.

With tear-stained cheeks, he stared down at the foggy ground, barely able to see the dirt of the hill. He looked over just slightly and gazed at the village of Foliage, which was completely lost in the night and the thick of the fog surrounding it. The wind still blew with massive force, rocking against his chilled body but never once ringing the bell behind him. Had the bell decided to ring, it would have rocked up against him with enough strength that he would have been pushed from the belfry and down to the ground below, shattering every bone in his body.

This thought chilled him more than the powerful wind, and he held himself in his arms as he tried to find the cottage of the mistress with the mask. Even though he could see none of the buildings contained within Foliage, he knew now the exact location of the fair maiden’s home, and he stared in that direction for the longest of time.

“What I would give,” he whispered, releasing fog with his breath, “just to touch you… to hold you… to share but one dance with you.”


Available on Amazon 


About Jae El Foster

Jae El Foster is an author with whom you question going to bed with at night, but you dare to venture beneath the sheets with him anyway. As the venture concludes, you are perhaps romanced by it, or perhaps you are frightened by it. Don’t worry, because you are always satisfied by it. Despite the title or genre of the book, Jae El sets out to please you with climatic and unexpected conclusions that will make you tremble with emotion. Hop aboard the Jae El train and give it a good ride.

Author Links:

Website: https://www.jaeelbooks.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jaeelbooks

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

Google+: https://plus.google.com/communities/105715668467648152419

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaeelfoster/

Amazon Author’s Page: http://www.amazon.com/author/jaefoster

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4540432.Jae_El_Foster

Blog 1: https://www.jaeelbooks.com/blog

Blog 2: https://thoughtsbyjaeelfoster.wordpress.com/


Jae El Foster will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday, November 27, 2018

Roosters: Innocent and Sweet by Megan Slayer


Welcome to the book blast for Roosters: Innocent & Sweet by Megan Slayer. If you follow this blog, you'll know she is a familiar face around here! Please enjoy the excerpt of another contemporary romance, leave Megan questions and comments, and then follow the tour for even more fun! Plus there's a great giveaway!

Please note that affiliate links are present within this post. Should you make a purchase through one, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.



Roosters: Innocent & Sweet


Anissa Dunn wants one man -- Kameron. He’s got looks, brains and a boatload of attitude… and all that muscle. A girl can only take so much, and he's her heart's desire. She’s not afraid to give as good as she gets and she wants him to be her teacher in all things carnal.

There's only one catch -- he's her bodyguard and the rules state she can't date the staff.

But rules are meant to be broken…


Read an excerpt:
Copyright ©2018 Megan Slayer

Kam broke the kiss, then stood her on her feet. “That’s hot.”

Excitement like she’d never known coursed through her veins. The hotness was her. She’d turned someone on -- better yet, the someone was him.

“Kiss swollen lips, flushed cheeks and wide eyes.” He grinned. “That’s the sign a woman’s been properly kissed. Lesson one complete.”

She reached for him. “I didn’t get a passing grade. I want another try. I know I can bump my grade up to an A.” She wound her arms around his neck. “At least offer me some extra credit.”

“Get through this event tonight, and we’ll not only go back over lesson one, but we’ll move to lessons two and three,” Kam said. “Once we leave this room, we resume our roles. No question.” He caressed her ribs. “Remember, this is an event for kids.” He let go, then left her in the suite alone.

Anissa touched her mouth. Her lips tingled. She’d never felt so wanted before. She bit back a whoop and spun on her heel. Hope blossomed in her chest. She’d chosen the right teacher. He’d give her everything she craved.

Now to find ways to make him crave her, too.

Buy links: 



About Megan Slayer

Megan Slayer, aka Wendi Zwaduk, is a multi-published, award-winning author of more than one-hundred short stories and novels. She’s been writing since 2008 and published since 2009. Her stories range from the contemporary and paranormal to LGBTQ and BDSM themes. No matter what the length, her works are always hot, but with a lot of heart. She enjoys giving her characters a second chance at love, no matter what the form. She’s been the runner up in the Kink Category at Love Romances Café as well as nominated at the LRC for best author, best contemporary, best ménage and best anthology. Her books have made it to the bestseller lists on Amazon.com.

When she’s not writing, Megan spends time with her husband and son as well as three dogs and three cats. She enjoys art, music and racing, but football is her sport of choice. Find out more about Megan and Wendi at: http://wendizwaduk.com/indexMegan.htm Sign up for the newsletter here: http://ymlp.com/xgjmjumygmgj


Website, http://wendizwaduk.com/indexMegan.htm

Blog, https://wendizwaduk.wordpress.com/

Fan Page, https://www.facebook.com/wendizwaduk.meganslayer/

Amazon Author Page, http://www.amazon.com/Megan-Slayer/e/B008BJCFSC

Bookbub, https://www.bookbub.com/authors/megan-slayer

Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/wendizwaduk/

Goodreads, http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5330530.Megan_Slayer

Twitter https://twitter.com/#!/MeganSlayer


Megan Slayer will be awarding a prize pack featuring a necklace made by the author and signed swag to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, November 26, 2018

Twelve Days by Hope Waters


Welcome to the blurb blitz tour for Twelve Days by Hope Waters! Check out an excerpt from this rock star romance with a Christmas twist and then download your own copy for just 99 cents during this tour! You can't go wrong with a read for under a dollar. Then be sure to follow the tour to read even more excerpts and reviews. Leave comments and questions for Hope along the way and be sure to enter the giveaway! It's a good one.

Please note that affiliate links are present within this post. Should you make a purchase through one, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.



Twelve Days

Zoey Blake is having a perfect holiday season. Finals are over and it's time to head home for Christmas, but when she wins the Hartbreakers True Love contest to join them of their tour, she has a chance to follow her favorite band for twelve days -- and twelve steamy nights.

Mackenzie Hart has been a player since and joining Hartbreakers has only edged up his game, that is until he meets Zoey. She's turned his world upside down and only she can make it right. Now all he has to do is convince her to stay with him forever. For a guy like Mack, that shouldn't be too hard but it's gonna take all he has and twelve days to win her true love.


Read an excerpt:
“Zoey,” Nia yelled from inside her bunk, where she had been talking to Josh. “Mack wants to say good night.”

I heard a chorus of approvals from the back of the bus. I stuck my tongue out at them and they laughed. I took the walkie-talkie from Nia and went back to my bunk.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Zoey.

“I just wanted to say goodnight,” Mack said over the crackles.

I smirked. “Why don’t you just call me?”

“Isn’t there something romantic about saying good night over a two-way radio channel in the wilds of Texas where a dozen truckers can hear us?”

I rolled my eyes. “I guess it’s romantic,” I said with a laugh. “Thank you. That is very sweet. Good night Mack.”

“Night.”

Before I shut off the walkie-talkie, I heard from over the waves, “Aw, you kids are cute.” I let out a laugh and turned it off as I handed it back to Nia. I closed my curtains and laid down to sleep as visions of Mack danced in my head.

https://amzn.to/2TJEwZu
 Just 99 cents for a limited time!


About Hope Waters

Straight out of fandom, Hope Waters has been writing for over thirty years. From a young age, she was crafting stories to entertain others of all ages and continues to do so to this day. Hope uses she/they for pronouns and enjoys a good book with a cup of coffee and snuggles from her cats.

Website: http://www.hopewaters.net

Twitter: http://twitter.com/HopeWatersBooks

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/HopeWatersBooks

E-mail: hope@hopewaters.net

Hope Waters will be awarding a $50 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Tuesday, November 13, 2018

Some Men's Dreams by Eileen Dreyer, writing as Kathleen Korbel


She has no time for love; he has no taste for love. Please enjoy an excerpt from this contemporary romance, Some Men's Dreams by Eileen Dreyer, writing as Kathleen Korbel. Be sure to leave comments and questions after you read the excerpt and download your own copy. And then of course follow the tour for more chances to win the giveaway.

Please note that affiliate links are present within this post. Should you make a purchase through one, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

Some Man's Dreams

SHE HAS NO TIME FOR LOVE

Dr. Gen Kendall has paid too high a price to let anything get in the way of her dream. In one month she’ll be a full-fledged doctor. She just has to impress her chief of staff, Dr. Jack O’Neill. She impresses him, all right. With one swing of a softball bat she puts him in his own hospital and changes both of their lives forever.

HE HAS NO TASTE FOR LOVE

A widower with a 12-year-old daughter, Jack hopes this move to Chicago will signal a new life for them both. He doesn’t plan on finding himself literally at the feet of one of the most compelling women he’s ever known. He certainly doesn’t expect her to turn his life upside down when she recognizes something in his daughter that could well break his heart. Is love enough to see them through, especially when it means that not just Jack but Gen must face the ghosts of their pasts to save his little girl?




Buy Links:
Amazon *  Nook *  KoboiBooks 

Read an excerpt:
Dr. Genevieve Kendall met the new chief of pediatric critical care at the house staff softball game. More to the point, she knocked him out.

Literally.

Dr. John Parker O’Neill, the handsome new wunderkind of medicine, who until very recently had made his name in Boston by effecting near-miraculous saves of desperately ill children, had this day decided to introduce himself to Chicago’s Memorial Medical Center by pitching for the attending-physicians’ team that always challenged the residents on the field of battle the Saturday after Memorial Day.

He had so far pitched as near-perfect a game as anybody would have expected him to. By the time Gen showed up late, because of a surprise admission she’d had to finish, he’d helped the attendings trounce the hapless residents by a score of fifteen to one. The residents promptly sent Gen in to pinch hit for their own sadly overmatched pitcher.

For Dr. O’Neill’s part, he looked unwrinkled and unflustered, standing out on the pitcher’s mound in perfectly pressed khaki shorts and a peach Izod shirt, his hawk-like features tanned and smiling, his gray-fingered black hair tousled just slightly in the humid breeze of an early Chicago summer afternoon.

Gen, on the other hand, looked as if she’d just pulled a thirty-six-hour shift, which, in fact, she had. Stretching the kinks from a sleep-deprived body still encased in wrinkled, Snoopy-decorated scrubs, she tossed her thick chestnut braid over her shoulder and choked up on the softball bat.

“Come on, weenie pitcher!” she taunted, much to everyone’s surprise. “See if you can reach the plate!”

Dr. O’Neill’s smile, a thing of controlled beauty, widened a notch. He tossed the thick, scuffed ball a couple of times into his oiled and gleaming glove and eyed his prey as if she were an amusing child.

His first pitch was wide. Gen waited until the ball safely thunked into the glove behind her to give her bat a few more practice swings.

“Big-time doctor can’t even find the strike zone,” she taunted, which drew howls of outrage from the infielders and another enigmatic smile from her foe.

His next pitch was as sweet a strike as is allowed in slow-pitch softball. Gen watched it arc into the afternoon sun and smiled with delight. She was winding up even before the ball reached its apex. Feet planted, left shoulder slightly forward, her whole body tensed for contact. The ball dropped toward her, and she slammed into it as if it were the head of the last surgeon who had called her an idiot.

The crack of a solid hit could be heard into the next diamond. The ball shot straight back the way it had come. Gen never even got the chance to drop her bat or turn toward first base. She recognized imminent disaster before anyone else.

Even Dr. O’Neill.

“Oh, shit,” was all Gen got to say before the ball, with unerring accuracy, slammed into Dr. O’Neill’s forehead and dropped him like a rock.

About Eileen Dreyer

New York Times bestselling, RWA Hall of Fame author Eileen Dreyer has published 31 romance novels in most genres, 8 medical­forensic suspenses, and 10 short stories.

2018 sees Eileen enjoying critical acclaim for her foray into historical romance, the Drake’s Rakes series, which Eileen labels as Regency Romantic Adventure that follows a group of Regency aristocrats who are willing to sacrifice everything to keep their country safe. She is also working on her first non­fiction book, TRAVELS WITH DAVE, about a journey she's been taking with a friend's ashes.

A retired trauma nurse, Eileen lives in her native St. Louis with her husband, children, and large and noisy Irish family, of which she is the reluctant matriarch. She has animals but refuses to subject them to the limelight.

Website -- http://eileendreyer.com/

Facebook -- https://www.facebook.com/EileenDreyer

Twitter --https://twitter.com/eileendreyer


Eileen Dreyer will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, November 12, 2018

Meet Jenn Hughes, author of Love at the Electric with Review and Giveaway


Welcome to the Name Before the Masses Tour for Love at the Electric by Jenn Hughes. I fell madly in love with this quirky romance and am sharing my thoughts and an excerpt with you. To add to the fun, Jenn took some time to answer some questions to take us deeper into the story and herself. Please leave her comments and questions of your own and then follow the tour for multiple opportunities to enter the giveaway.

Please note that affiliate links are present within this post. Should you make a purchase through one, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I also received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

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What was the inspiration behind this book?
I started writing this story the day after Christmas. The holidays were a big inspiration, but since it was post-Christmas and I was in that zone of being “over it,” I created characters that weren’t initially holly, jolly types. Mix that with the fact that video games were high on wish lists in 2016, and a holiday story about a geek-in-designer-clothing who falls for an attorney across enemy lines was born.
Which character was your favorite to write?
Ravi was a lot of fun. He doesn’t have that emergency brake that keeps someone from blurting out socially inappropriate things, so he gets to say all the things I think from time to time…all the time.
What was one of your favorite scenes?
I laughed to myself when I was writing the scene where Lillian has dinner with Richard at the farm-themed restaurant. There’s this strange trend of restaurants serving food on everything but plates (they use shoes or bricks or shingles instead), so Lillian is not having it when her meal is served on a shovel. She would have been better off having popcorn at The Electric with Sam. :)
Will we see these characters again?
Absolutely. They pop up again in the second book in the Port Bristol series and join a new cast of characters who are just as entertaining. Besides, Sam and Lillian didn’t quite get rid of Preston Lavery in Love at The Electric, so he’ll be back to throw a digital wrench into everyone’s plans in the second book.
What do you hope people will get out of your book?
I hope it makes them smile. Best case scenario, they laugh out loud. It’s supposed to be a quick, fun read with a 100% happy ending, so I want people to enjoy it.
On what are you currently working?
I’ve finished the first draft of the second book in the Port Bristol series, and now I’m working on rewrites. There are two other separate series I have on the backburner that occasionally attempt to lure me away, but I’m on a deadline, so I’m staying focused on Port Bristol.
What is the best writing advice you ever received?
The best writing advice I received was to keep writing. I never thought I’d get published because it seemed like no matter what I wrote or how hard I tried, it didn’t connect with an editor or publisher or agent. From no responses to outright-cruel rejections, it’s not an easy industry for new writers. But, I kept writing because I enjoyed it, not the queries or submissions—the writing. And I improved. It took time, but eventually a story that I wrote for my own enjoyment and then rewrote numerous (15+) times ended up being my first published work.
What are you currently reading? Up next on your TBR?
The Black Lyon by Jude Deveraux. I like historical romance, and this has been on my list for a while. I only have time to read when I’m waiting in the car pick-up line at school, so it takes me a while to finish a book. After that, maybe Kay Scarpetta #9. It depends on my mood.
When not writing, what can we find you doing?
Working. Working. More work. Okay, I’m not that bad. When not writing or working, I can be found cooking, spending time with family, repairing computers (that’s for fun, don’t judge), and I play around with mixed media artwork on occasion.
What is something readers may be surprised to learn about you?
Hmmm… I’m cross-dominant. That means I favor one hand for some tasks and the other hand for others. I write with my left hand, but I throw with my right. It’s a problem in archery, but since I don’t have aspirations for a superhero secret identity involving a bow and arrow (or do I? *cue theme music*), it’s not a big deal.


Love at the Electric


Walking wildfire Sam Owens gets Lillian hot in all the right ways, but there's more to the software CEO than just a pretty face. And a great body. And… Oh, right. He’s the enemy, according to the contract she signed with his rival. So when they secretly meet up for movies at The Electric, Lillian can't get too involved with Sam. She could lose her job. Her reputation. And her heart.

Sam is in love with his company, his image, his video games, and his ability to avoid commitment--at least until he levels up with attorney Lillian Walker. With her love of campy horror flicks and a body that makes him want to howl like a cartoon wolf, Sam’s found his leading lady. Too bad getting close to Lillian means tangling with her boss, a supervillain in the making.

In the nights leading up to Christmas, movies at The Electric mean more than just mutant toads and cannibal fruitcakes. Between shenanigans with old flames and an arch nemesis out to destroy any future they might have, Sam and Lillian learn the hard way that falling in love isn’t as easy as it looks on screen. When the past gets in the way of a perfect “the end,” there’s really only one solution--if werewolf Santas can bring them together, zombie ex-girlfriends can keep them together.

After all, anything’s possible at The Electric.

Read an excerpt:
Beneath a tailored tuxedo jacket, Ravi wore a printed-on tuxedo T-shirt and an LED bow tie slowly cycling through a rainbow of colors. The left pocket of the coat bulged out, and Sam didn’t even have to ask why. Ravi slid his hand down into the pocket, deftly pulled out a chocolate chip cookie, and then took a bite out of it.

“Nothing illegal about it,” he mumbled, cookie crumbs tumbling out of his mouth.

“Isn’t the T-shirt a little redundant?”

Ravi held up a finger and swallowed his mouthful. “It’s ironic. And you know I hate dress shirts with cuff links. Makes my wrists feel—”

“Like they’re suffocating. Right. I know.” Sam turned back to the window and took another sip of his drink.

“Where’s Lillian?”

Sam tugged on his bow tie. “Not coming, I guess. It’s after nine, and not even the limo driver will text me back, so she must have changed her mind.”

A normal friend might have slapped him on the back and said, “Sorry, bro,” or something similarly empathetic. But if normal was a single color, Ravi was an LED rainbow. Sam looked over at him. They stared at one another for a few seconds. Ravi took another bite of his cookie, and twisted his mouth into an uncomfortable frown.

“You should leave,” he finally said.

“What? Why?”

“Because this is a party and you’re bumming everyone out.”

“Wow, thanks for the sympathy.”

“Sympathy. Such a human emotion…” Ravi deadpanned. He finally flashed Sam a grin. “Okay. Fine. I’ll simplify this for you—why are you moping around here when you could be moping around Lillian? Get outta here. Go get the girl.”

https://amzn.to/2qOyFVz


**My thoughts**
It took me a couple of chapters to warm up to this book, as I am not one who dabbles in sci-fi and other "geek" topics. But then all of a sudden, I found myself head over heels in love with it and didn't want to put it down. 

Sam and Lillian are two of the realest characters I have read in a long time. It probably helps that they are about my age, a group which seems to be often overlooked in romance books. They have their fancy jobs, but with each other are completely willing to drop the facade and just be themselves. It's how so many of us live our lives. Sam may take the dual persona a little farther than the rest of us would, but he can afford to do so.

They are a doomed couple in some respects. Sam tends to be a playboy and Lillian is eager to do anything BUT get her heart stomped on by another man. And they literally legally aren't even supposed to be hanging out with each other, as Lillian's boss Preston and Sam have a nasty history. But they are drawn to each other from deep within and share a love for strange, horrible Christmas-themed horror movies being shown at the local independent theatre. It's not often that you find someone who shares your quirky hobbies, so of course they want to spend time together, even if it's "accidentally" bumping into each other.

They play almost a sort of chess game, doing a bit of a dance back and forth subtly teasing and flirting with each other, while also being cognizant of why they shouldn't be together. At the same time, they find themselves saying to hell with it because they are most free to be themselves and give a hefty boost to each other's self-esteem. Isn't that what we all want in our relationships? I enjoyed watching them stumble along, trying to figure it all out and rooted for them from the get-go.

In addition to our quirky starring couple, with whom I can see myself being friends with in real life, you have their even more quirky friends and family who add another layer of entertainment to the story. And then there are the settings. The town of Port Bristol is a clash between old-fashioned charm and new convenient technology. And the restaurants that Lillian visits while hanging out with her ex-boyfriend Richard made me laugh out loud at their descriptions. But most important is that theatre. I just wanted to go there and hang out, even if it meant watching weird Christmas horror movies like reindeer fighting wars with each other while speaking reindeer language.

I found out that there is going to be a second book in the series, and I am so excited for it. I want to go back to this town and hang out with these characters again.


About Jenn Hughes

Jenn Hughes writes romance with a heavy dose of humor. A lifelong love of all things sci-fi, combined with her day job in marketing, IT, and graphic design, infuses her writing with tech-centric and geeky references.

When not reading and writing, she enjoys spending time with her family and gardening at her home in North Carolina. You might also find her gaming, repairing computers and electronics, experimenting with mixed media art, or finishing furniture.

You can find her online at:

Author Website: jennhughesbooks.com

The Bristol Beagle, Port Bristol’s Trusted Source for News: portbristol.com

Twitter: twitter.com/jennhughesbooks

Instagram: instagram.com/jennhughesbooks


Jenn Hughes will be awarding a $50 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway