Tuesday, November 18, 2014

By Way of Accident by Laura Miller

Title: By Way of Accident
Author: Laura Miller
Release Date: Oct 21, 2014
Find on Goodreads
They say in every guy’s life there’s a girl he’ll never forget and a summer where it all began. Well, for me, 1999 is that summer, and Brooke Sommerfield is that girl. But that was nearly nine years ago. And what they don’t tell ya is that you’ll blink, and both the summer and the girl will be gone. 
I have no idea where Brooke ended up. She disappeared that same summer I met her. And kind of like when you move something on a wall after it’s been there for a long time and everything around it is faded, that’s how I feel about Brooke. She wasn’t there very long, but when she left, everything around her memory sort of dimmed. That is until a letter postmarked the year she left mysteriously resurfaces. And call me crazy—everyone else has—but I have to find her. I have to know what became of the green-and-gray-eyed girl who stole my last perfect summer. I have to know if she believes in second chances—because I do—even if they do come with good-byes.

Prologue
They say in every guy’s life, there’s a girl he’ll never forget and a summer where it all began. Well, 1999 is that summer, and Brooke Sommerfield is that girl. I’m convinced she was an angel. My grandma always used to say that angels come in blinks. Brooke was just like that. She flew into my life and then flew right back out again—almost as if she were never there at all. But she was definitely there. And I’ve got her invisible memory to remind me of it. But anyway, that was years ago and yesterday when she flew in by way of accident. At thirteen years old on that hot June day, I only had three things on my mind: Cooling off, girls...and girls. So, I’d have to say that June 22, 1999, was also the best day of my life.
See, there was a creek that ran through the back of our property when I was growing up. It stretched the entire length and then jutted north and disappeared behind old man Brandt’s land. I had followed it one day when I was bored. There’s not too much more to do in Detmold, Missouri. They say the town, or what’s left of it, is named after some big city in Germany somewhere. I’ve never been, but I hear they’ve got old castles and big museums over there. And while we don’t have old castles or big museums, we do have an old building with weeds growin’ in it that used to be a post office...and big fields. We’ve got lots of big fields.
But anyway, after old man Brandt’s property, that winding, narrow stream crawled past a turn-of-the-century white farm house owned by a little old lady named Samantha Catcher. She doesn’t live there anymore. I guess that house eventually just got too big for her because not too long after Mr. Catcher passed, she moved to a tiny one-bedroom in the next township over. And now, she rents the old farm house out to people who are just passing through our little town. They stay a little while, and then soon enough, they’re on their way again. When I was young, kids would tell stories about why Mrs. Catcher kept the old place. Some said it was because it was haunted by her late husband. Some said she needed the money because Mr. Catcher gambled their life savings away before he died. But I know that Mr. Catcher wasn’t a gambler—well, beyond being a farmer—and I was pretty sure he wasn’t a ghost either. See, I was convinced that Mrs. Catcher kept that old place because it made her happy. I’d catch her in between renters plantin’ flowers in front of its porch or hangin’ a new welcome sign on the front door. She’d always be smilin’ then. See, Grandma also told me once that memories are invisible to everyone but the beholder. So I just assumed that Mrs. Catcher was looking at all her memories that nobody else could see when I would catch her smilin’ at that old house.
But all the same, that creek kept crawlin’. It kept on goin’ for miles after Mrs. Catcher’s place, but I didn’t. It was gettin’ close to supper time by then, and I was gettin’ awful hungry, so I turned around that day, and I walked back home. But the point here is that I knew that creek like the back of my hand, and I knew everyone who lived anywhere near it too. So that’s why June 22, 1999, was different. It started off normal. I baled hay. I got hot. I went to the creek. Believe it or not, I was on my summer vacation—right here at home, helpin’ my grandpa out around the farm. To me, it wasn’t much of a vacation, but my parents thought spendin’ some more time with Grandpa would do him and me some good. So, there I was on a Tuesday evening gettin’ ready to jump into that creek when I spotted somethin’—somethin’ that would stick with me for a really long time. And that day in the summer of ’99, I walked home with the best souvenir I ever got from a summer vacation—an invisible memory—of a shiny, little thing that would change my life forever.
But again, that was years ago. And now, I’m just left here smilin’ at this old creek just like Mrs. Catcher used to do at that old farm house. My mind just keeps replaying the little time I held Brooke Sommerfield. That beautiful girl is gone now, but I can still hear her in the wind. If I listen real hard, I can hear her laughter over the whip-poor-will, and I can hear her whisperin’ softly about the sky and its secrets and dreams and being happy. I close my eyes and breathe her in. She smells like daisies and fresh creek water—and summer. And all of a sudden, I hear a soft sigh rustlin’ through the trees, and I force my eyes open just in time to see a flock of geese—wings wide, toes spread—landing on the water.
“Life passes you by when your eyes are closed,” I whisper back to the wind. And then I smile wide, and I sit back against the grassy creek bank, and I watch my invisible memories play out just as if she had never left me.
That summer came slow, but it went so fast. Turns out, those endless days were never meant for the two of us. I never seemed to get enough time with her. Maybe it was because she taught me how to live. Maybe it was because she taught me how to love. Or maybe it was just simply because I loved her.
I sit back further into that grass, and I watch those geese float down the creek. All around me, the tree frogs are startin’ to call, singin’ back and forth about whatever it is frogs sing back and forth about. And I just sit there, and I think about that beautiful girl.
“I’ll find my way back to you, Brooke Sommerfield. As sure as the sun is gonna rise in the mornin’, I’ll find you,” I whisper to the wind. I tell it what I wish I could say to her. I tell it what I told her once before in a letter—a letter she would never receive until years later. See, that’s the funny thing about fate; it works around us, despite us, in spite of us, even. And it’s near impossible to figure out, until all the pages are in place. But all the same, that doesn’t stop me from prayin’. Every day, I pray that this wild ride fate’s got me on ends with her. I pray that you, Brooke Sommerfield, are on my last page. And I pray that page is a happy one. But whether it is or it isn’t, either way, I have to know what became of you. I have to know what became of the girl who stole my last perfect summer. And I have to know if she believes in second chances—because I do, even if they do come with good-byes.
But until then, Brooke Sommerfield, my summer angel, you and I will be what my grandpa always liked to call...unfinished business.
LAURA MILLER is the national bestselling author of the contemporary romance novels: BUTTERFLY WEEDS, MY BUTTERFLY, FOR ALL YOU HAVE LEFT and BY WAY OF ACCIDENT.
She was born on a farm in small town, Missouri and attended the University of Missouri-Columbia (Mizzou). She later graduated from Mizzou with a degree in newsprint journalism and was a newspaper reporter in her former life.
Laura spent some time in San Diego, Calif., and Charleston, S.C., before moving back to the Midwest in 2011. She now lives in Kansas City, Mo., with her husband, a TV meteorologist.

Cover Reveal ~ Holly Lane by J.B. Morgan






Title: Holly Lane
Author: J.B. Morgan
Genre: Contemporary Holiday Romance
Perspective Release Date: December 20, 2014









Hollie + Layne = One trip. One week. One chance meeting that they'll never forget. Two hearts. Two different places. And One event that could change it all.

This Christmas, take a stroll down Holly Lane where you'll find Hollie Reed's story of memories, friendships, a town full of holiday joy and the power of love.















J.B. Morgan resides in Oregon where she's a wife and a stay-at-home-mother of two. When she's not writing she can be found carting her kids everywhere, volunteering at their school, busy with her church calling, or reading. She loves the NY Yankees, traveling, her family and chocolate.

Two reasons that helped inspire J.B. Morgan to try her hand at writing:

1. When she was younger, she would make up hero-rescuing stories in her head, revolving
around boys she had crushes on at school.

2. She missed reading about nice, normal, good men and books with a story line.

J.B. likes to write clean New Adult & Contemporary Romance stories. Her up-coming books are mostly suitable for older teen- YA readers as well as those in the New Adult/Contempt genre.  She definitely knows how to write a swoon worthy leading male.
















Monday, November 17, 2014

By Way of Accident by Laura Miller

By Way of Accident


5 Sweet Stars

I loved By Way of Accident!!  The book and River Asher stole my heart away.  I knew from reading the synopsis that I just had to read this book and from the moment I picked up By Way of Accident I couldn’t put it down.  Laura Miller’s writing was beautiful, she really made me feel like I was right there with River throughout the entire books.

By Way of Accident is told from the point of view of River Asher.  The story starts out when River is only thirteen years old spending his summer helping his Grandfather bale hay on his farm.  After a long day of baling River finds his peace at the creek that runs behind his grandfather’s farm.  On one random day at the creek River meets Brooke Sommerfield.  River is intrigued by this girl he has never seen before; she is the most beautiful girl he has ever seen.  They both agree to meet at the creek the next day, River can’t wait to see Brooke again and spend more time with her.  Feelings for her start to swirl in him, but at the age of thirteen he doesn’t know what to make of them.  He just knows he wants to spend as much time with Brooke as he can.

River and Brooke continue to grow closer as they spend their summer together at the creek. Even at the age of thirteen they both start to realize that what they are feeling for each other is love.  I couldn’t keep the smile off my face during this time of their relationship.  River was such a sweet young boy.  He cared for Brooke and wasn’t afraid to show it.  Their relationship was so new and innocent you couldn’t help rooting for them to last.

Unfortunately, Brooke’s dad takes a job in a new state and they have to move.  River promises to visit Brooke as soon as he can and to write to her all the time. But as it does in real life, life gets in the way and things change that are out of their control.  River holds on to that summer with Brooke for as long as he can, but as River gets older he realizes it’s time to move on but the girl from the creek isn’t far from his mind, even after nine years have passed.

As I said before, I absolutely loved this story.  It was such a sweet story of first love, faith and second chances.  This was the first book I’ve read by Laura Miller and I doubt it will be my last.  Her writing style and storytelling had a way of making By Way of Accident feel so real to me.  I recommend this book to everyone, especially if you’re a hopeless romantic like myself.

 
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Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Out Today~ Second Position by Melody Grace

       

Purchase on Amazon: http://amzn.to/10QUmnU
Purchase on iBooks: http://bit.ly/1u6iVtp

  Dancing with the perfect partner is like the most exquisite climax of your life. Can you feel it? The way our bodies rock together. My hands pinning you down, my mouth sliding over your hot, damp skin. Each hard thrust driving deep to that place you never dreamed possible. Every breathless cry hurtling you closer to the edge. Beyond words. Beyond thought. Beyond reason. Free. I’d all but given up on perfection like that. Until I met her. Annalise. Her body is pure motion; her spirit, a caged bird just waiting to be set free. I will claim her. I will possess her. I will teach her the most erotic dance of all. *Part two of the sexy, seductive romance serial*


   


Haven't started the series yet? First Position is available for 99¢!


 

Purchase on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1qpNm8q
Purchase on iBooks: http://bit.ly/1nytkMN


A man dances the same way he fucks. His stamina, his rhythm, the slow grind of his hips. Some people are born to it, others learn through years of careful study. And dancers? We do it best of all. The moment I saw her, I knew. Her innocence is intoxicating. My lust is fierce. Primal. To watch her dance is to know the torment of true temptation. She will be mine.    


THE DIRTY DANCING SERIES RELEASE DATES:
FIRST POSITION -- 11/5
SECOND POSITION -- 11/12
THIRD POSITION -- 12/1
About Melody Grace
melody grace    


Melody Grace is the New York Times bestselling author of the Beachwood Bay series. A small-town girl turned SoCal beach lover, after spending her life with her nose in a book, she decided it was time she wrote one herself. She loves steamy romance novels, happily-ever-afters, and lusting after fictional menfolk. She is author of USA Today & international bestselling Beachwood Bay series.

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Second Position by Melody Grace

Second Position (Dirty Dancing #2)
 
4 Stars
 
This may contain spoilers if you haven’t read First Position.

Well, that was pretty damn HOT!!!  Melody Grace defiantly amped up the heat in the second book in the Dirty Dancing series Second Position. 

Second Position picks up right where First Position leaves off.  Annalise is unsure if she will be able to dance for one of the coveted solo spots with her ankle severely sprained.  Lucky events give her time to rest and heal her ankle before the big try outs. Dancing for her future, Annalise nails her audition and wins the lead in Swan Lake.  The only person she wants to celebrate her victory with is Raphael.

Raphael and Annalise relationship grows and changes in Second Position as they begin to open up more, sharing their wants and desires and not just for dance but with each other. Annalise agrees to help Raphael by dancing with him for his audition to join a dance company.  The heat and passion between them becomes almost too much for either of them to hold back on now that they are dancing together.  Let me tell you, these two have some steam!!  They both can’t seem to get enough of each other.  Now the question will be can Annalise be able to balance the lead in Swan Lake and dancing with Raphael.  Can she have her cake and eat it too?  I guess we will find out in Third Position.  I can wait!!!!

 

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First Position  (Dirty Dancing, #1)

Monday, November 10, 2014

Out today~ Filthy Beautiful Lustre by Kendall Ryan






From New York Times & USA Today bestselling author, Kendall Ryan, comes the third book in the Filthy Beautiful Lies series.


Pace Drake loves sex. He knows where get it, what to say, what to do, and he makes no apologies for satisfying his needs. But when he meets single mom, Kylie Sloan, he's enthralled by her, and begins to question his standard operating procedure. After all, there's no chase, no mystery when banging a woman in a nightclub bathroom. Kylie's depth and determination make the sloppy, drunken hookups that fill his weekends seem empty and shallow. She's the opposite of the desperate, clingy women he's used to. She doesn’t want or need anyone to take care of her and that only makes him want to care for her more.

Kylie's trust in men has vanished. The last guy she was with played ding-dong-ditch-it with her uterus and left her with a baby to raise. Now her infant son is the only man she has time for, even if she misses sex and intimacy more than she'd ever admit. Opening her heart up to a younger man who's best known for no-strings-attached sex and his casual lifestyle is probably the worst idea she's ever had. But Pace wants to prove to her there are still a few good guys left, and watching the sweet way he interacts with her baby makes her want to try…but she can really trust that his days of hitting it and quitting it are in his past?

Filthy Beautiful Lust is the third book in the Filthy Beautiful Lies series, however it can be read as a standalone novel (no cliffhanger). To understand the full growth and development of the characters, it is recommended that you begin with book 1, Filthy Beautiful Lies.










CHAPTER 1


PACE

I still recall that day in the pool last summer when I'd taken the crying baby from her and entertained him all afternoon. I couldn't even be sure why I'd done it. I suppose, looking back, she just looked like she could use a hand. I've never liked seeing a woman struggle. Although a damsel in distress, she is not. I get the sense she's not the type to back down from a challenge and has enough strength and determination to succeed at just about anything she tried. A sexy quality, to be sure.
As we stand there, me sipping my bourbon, and Kylie grinning politely at the crowd, the silence between us grows. I feel like we have nothing in common, and I'm at a loss, trying to think of something to say, anything that will keep this beauty in my presence. There are so many things I want to know about her, but none of them are any of my goddamn business. How she tastes, what noises she makes when she comes. I also want to know how she ended up a single mother, and if Max's dad is still in the picture. I tried asking Colton about it once, but he remained incredibly vague. The asshat. If there was a worst wingman award, it would go to my brother.
"Have dinner with me this week," I say. It wasn't what I'd been planning to say, but once the words leave my mouth, they feel right.
"Pace, that's sweet of you to ask, but I can't…" She pauses, like she wants to say more, but doesn't. Her body language is all wrong too. Where women are normally vying to get closer, placing their hand on my bicep, or even brushing their breasts against my arm, Kylie stands straight and tall, like she wants to avoid physical contact at all costs.
"Are you here with someone?" I ask. It's also absolutely none of my business, but I'd happily shell out ten grand just to find out if she's fucking someone.
"No," she confirms.
"No boyfriend?" I press further. I need to know what I'm up against.
"There's been no one since Max's father," she says quietly.
My inner alpha male beats on his chest in triumph. "That's quite a dry spell."
"Indeed," she murmurs.
"It's just dinner, Kylie. It's not like I'm offering to step in and play daddy." I treat her to a playful, crooked smile, my dimple out in full force. I've heard it's quite irresistible and that's what I'm banking on.
"That's exactly why I can't. I'm sorry."
Fuck. Why am I such a fucking idiot?
"Oh," I stammer, at a loss for words for the first damn time in my life. Christ. Grow a pair, Pace.
"Besides, something tells me if you're interested in a woman like that," Kylie tips her chin toward the bar where Sheena, or Trina, is making a spectacle of herself, "you can't possibly be interested in a woman like me."
Hold the fuck on. Now that's where she's wrong. "Why's that?" I ask, meeting her fiery green gaze. If she's about to criticize herself, I will not hold back in proving to her how very wrong she is.
"Pace," she admonishes. "Look at her. They look…inflatable."
When I realize she's not tearing herself down, but instead chastising my taste in women, I almost want to laugh. "A woman like that is good for only one thing and we both know it," I say.
She raises her eyebrows, waiting for me to explain.
"One good fuck," I continue.
"You're crass." Her eyes light up, and her mouth twitches in an attempt not to smile.
"I'm direct, and you like it."
She shrugs. "At least you're honest. That's more than I can say for most men."
"Go out with me. One time, Kylie. What do you have to lose?"
I can practically see the wheels turning in her head, and for one brief, beautiful moment I think I might have a chance. "Bye Pace." She turns and walks away, her long legs carrying her across the room while my heart throbs.
Fuck.
"Kylie, wait."
She turns and tosses me a sexy wink. "Go have fun with Malibu Barbie.
This is not over.

I play to win.



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Kendall Ryan is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance novels, including Hard to Love, Unravel Me, Resisting Her and When I Break.
She's a sassy, yet polite Midwestern girl with a deep love of books, and a slight addiction to lipgloss. She lives in Minneapolis with her adorable husband and two baby sons, and enjoys hiking, being active, and reading.
Visit her at: www.kendallryanbooks.com  for the latest book news, and fun extras

Cover Reveal ~ Path of Destruction by E. Lee & C. Quinn

Authors Elizabeth Lee and Caisey Quinn are so excited to finally be able to share with you the cover, synopsis, and official release date for Path of Destruction, book two in the Broken Heartland series!


Title: Path of Destruction (Broken Heartland #2)
Author: E. Lee and C. Quinn
Age Group: Upper YA/NA
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: December 24, 2014
PRE-ORDER Link Coming Soon!

Synopsis 

They ignored the warning signs and it cost them everything... 

At the end of a life-changing summer a devastating tornado hit the small town of Hope’s Grove, Oklahoma.

While the brick suburban mansions of Summit Bluffs saw very little damage, their occupants weren’t so lucky. As the members of both communities struggle to put the pieces of their lives back together, lies will be told, truths will be revealed, and nothing will ever be the same. The road to recovery is long and paved with past hurts and future heartbreaks.

They ignored the warning signs, and one of them didn’t make it out alive. The four that remain know they’d be crazy to think the storms are actually over.. 

Because it’s just when you think you’re safe that you find yourself right in the path of destruction.


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Giveaway Link: 

Check out the first book in the series for $.99!

Title: Storm Warning (Broken Heartland #2)
Author: E. Lee and C. Quinn
Age Group: YA
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: December 12, 2013
Amazon | BN

Description:
Sometimes you can’t see the storm coming until it’s too late...

Severe Storm Warning Tip #1:
Be alert to changing weather conditions. Look for approaching storms.

Severe Storm Warning Tip #2:
If you see approaching storms or any of the danger signs, be prepared to take shelter immediately.

Severe Storm Warning Tip #3:
They may strike quickly, with little or no warning.

Situated just outside of Oklahoma City, Calumet County is divided into two drastically different communities: Hope’s Grove and Summit Bluffs. One is the small backward town where dirt roads lead the way to field parties and railroad tracks. And the other, a sprawling suburb where paved drives lead to the landscaped lawns of the wealthy and over privileged.

For five teenagers smack in the middle of Tornado Alley, summer is heating up fast. The winds of change are blurring the invisible line that divides the rich and the rural.

One has a secret.
One has a crush.
One has been lying.
One will get caught.
And one might not make it out alive.

They’re from two different worlds…but one summer is about to change everything.


Series info:
Whether you believe in destiny, divine intervention, or just plain ol' dumb luck, several things happened in 2013 that caused E. Lee and C. Quinn's paths to cross. It may have been that the stars aligned perfectly, or the fact anytime Luke Bryan was mentioned on a social media site both of them were tagged, or maybe it was just that their small town roots and country girl attitudes were magnetically drawn together—calling out to one another, “Y'all should write a book!” Despite geography keeping them apart—Lee in Illinois and Quinn in Alabama—they did. Thanks to three-hour phone calls, ridiculous amounts of online chats, and umpteen Google Docs—Storm Warning is the first book in their edgy new Young Adult series, Broken Heartland.
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Author Bios:
Born and raised in the middle of a Midwestern cornfield (not literally, that would be weird), I’ve spent my entire life imagining stories. Stories where the right guy always gets the right girl, first kisses are as magical as they are on the big screen and anything is completely possible if you believe.

Although this journey began years ago, it recently took on a whole new life. After years of devouring hundreds of Romance, YA and New Adult novels, I had an epiphany... I should write a book. And I did it!

If I’m not reading, writing, enjoying drinks with my amazing group of girlfriends or chasing around a sarcastically funny kid, I’m probably watching television shows that were created for teenagers, while my husband teases that I’m too old to watch them.

Connect with Elizabeth:

Caisey Quinn lives in Birmingham, Alabama with her husband, daughter, and other assorted animals. She is the bestselling author of the Kylie Ryans series as well as several New Adult Romance novels featuring country girls finding love in unexpected places. You can find her online at www.caiseyquinnwrites.com .

Website: http://www.caiseyquinnwrites.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7041163.Caisey_Quinn
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCaiseyQuinn
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CaiseyQuinn

Sunday, November 9, 2014

His Frozen Heart by Nancy Straight


Author Nancy Straight will be touring His Frozen Heart from November 3-14, 2014. Join us for reviews and more!


Title: His Frozen Heart
Author: Nancy Straight
Publisher: Self-published
Age Group: NA
Genre: Romantic Suspense

Blurb:
For best friends, Candy and Libby, money is tight with hardly enough to cover their living expenses. When they are desperate for grocery money, the girls bet on their pool playing skills to add to their income.

A simple wager on a quiet winter evening has devastating results, with a stalker determined to kill them both. With Libby in the hospital after a vicious attack, and Candy being pursued by the same stalker, she vows to find Libby's attacker.

What she finds is Dave, an old friend with a secret past filled with misfortune. Will Dave’s past provide the answer to all of Candy’s problems or will it become Candy’s worst nightmare realized?

GIVEAWAY:
$100 Amazon gift card, 10 signed paperbacks, 10 audiobooks, and 20 ebooks

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Author Bio:

I LOVE Starbucks’ White Mocha Latte and Mountain Dew, (but not together). I have a lead foot so I set cruise control when I drive, even in 25 MPH zones. I almost never win when I play Angry Birds, but have my 9 year old close, so he can clear the hard levels for me. I grew up on a farm and am opposed to eating fresh chicken (not opposed to meat - just opposed to any meat that was alive a few hours before lunch). I am a huge fan of the show, Big Bang Theory, on CBS. I share my life with two fantastic sons, three rotten dogs and a husband that I adore.

Twitter: @NancyStraight