Thursday, January 31, 2013

Kick Off Giveaway Winner



Congratulations to Maria Voulelis Malaveci who is the winner of our Kick Off Giveaway!

She won a $5 Book of her choice via Amazon or B&N! 


Be on the lookout for more Giveaways from our Blog soon! 


Review Wrap Up: The Gatekeeper's Challenge by Eva Pohler



Ya Fantasy
(Gatekeepers Trilogy Book 2)
Date Published: 11/29/12

Ten agonizing months have gone by since Therese faced off against her parents’ murderer at Mount Olympus, and she suspects Thanatos’s absence is meant to send her a message: go on with your life. In cahoots with her new friend, who's gotten in with the Demon Druggies at school, Therese takes a drug that simulates a near-death experience, planning to tell Than off so she can have closure and move on, but things go very, very wrong.

Than has been busy searching for a way to make her a god, and he’s found it, but it requires her to complete a set of impossible challenges designed by Hades, who hopes to see her fail.



REVIEWS

From My Cozie Corner

Eva pens "The Gatekeeper's Challenge" in a very interesting story line filled with characters from Greek mythology with a touch of romance. A fun read that is easy to follow, even if you know nothing of mythology. I really enjoyed the book and recommend it to all YA and not so YA readers.

I give "The Gatekeeper's Challenge' a 5 star rating


From Marked By Books:
Therese is not perfect. She lies, she makes mistakes, she judges, she hurts people, and she lets her past cloud her future. She doesn't always live up the the expectations placed upon her, yet she's disappointed when others don't meet hers. You want to know why she acts so human? Because she is human, which is a fact that I think so many authors have come to forget. Eva Pohler is not one of them.

Human beings were never meant to be perfect, and the imaginary ones are no exception. They cheat, they lie, and they grovel just like the rest of us. That's why we can relate to them so well. When an author tries to take those characteristics away, trying to "improve" them, they're no longer like us. They don't mean anything.

Therese had been through a lot that past year. People died, they left her all alone, and she doesn't understand why. All she knows is that she will do anything to get them back, or to get back to them. Even if that means she has to die.

Therese does a whole lot of stupid things in this book, most of which have consequences that she, or even the gods, can't erase. People die by her hands, but she regrets it more than words can express. She may not be perfect, but she's not a monster either.

I'm not so sure if I liked Therese more than I just appreciated her. She made me mad more times than I can count, and I was chanting "stupid girl, stupid, stupid girl" right along with Artemis pretty often.

As usual, I absolutely loved a lot of the minor characters, namely Asterion and Ariadne. I was absolutely crushed when Therese had to fight them, especially after they were so kind in letting her pass through the labyrinth unharmed.

Hephaestus I adored as well, mostly because of how human he was willing to act. Unlike many of the other gods (except for maybe Hermes), he was humble and genuinely cared for Therese as a person instead of a creature to do his bidding. You didn't see him expecting her to commit her life to smiths work before he was willing to help, and he was more than willing to comfort her and be that kind face in the crowd.

I was pretty fond of the Holts as well, expect, of course, for Mr. Holt. I hadn't really like Jen that much in the beginning of the first book, but she really pulled on my heartstrings once I learned more about her. Bobby, of course, was adorable, and his enthusiasm was much appreciated.

And then there's Pete. I love, love, love, loved Pete. I'm not saying that he was a better fit for Therese than Than was, but I still absolutely adored him. He was so kind, considerate, and gentle, never doing anything that he thought might upset Therese. He was willing to turn his whole family against him to protect his little sister when she was too afraid to stand up for herself, and he always put others first. He was never rude or cruel to Than even though he was kind of stealing his girl, and I don't think he ever blamed Therese for what she did, even though she deserved it. He was willing to wait so that he wouldn't hurt her, even after he gave up his whole future to stay for the ones he loved. Anything happens to him, and I'm breaking out the pitchforks, understood?

Rating: 5 stars



RABT Review Wrap Up

This Book has averaged a 4.25* Rating from reviewers during this tour.
It is currently at a very high 4.5*'s on Amazon.
Each book is $2.99! 


More Reviews From This Tour:
January 2 - Jen McConnel 
January 7 - The Stuff of Success
January 12 - Impressions of a Princess 
January 20 - Magical Manuscripts 
January 22 - Inside BJ's Head 
January 24 - Love in a Book 
January 28 - Beloved Books
January 29 - The Avid Reader 


Buy Link



Eva Pohler teaches writing at the University of Texas at San Antonio, where she lives with her husband, three children, two dogs, two rats, and her very large collection of books.

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

PROMO: The Exception to the Rule by Beth Rinyu



The Exception To The Rule

The Exception to the Rule
ISBN 0615739229 (ISBN13: 9780615739229)
Contemporary Romance
Date to be Published: 12/19/2012

Synopsis: 

When Katrina “Kat” Vallia, an idealistic if somewhat naive 20-something American pediatrician travels halfway across the globe to volunteer in a poor African village, she looks at it as a means of closure. Following a bitter breakup with her unfaithful boyfriend, she decides to throw herself into her work without any distractions from a man. That’s until she encounters Dr. Julian Kiron, a handsome, career driven pediatric oncologist. Even though she tries to fight it, Kat finds herself falling deeply for him; until she painfully realizes that they both want totally different things from life. Not willing to compromise for the other, they sadly say goodbye, cutting all ties. Five years later, Kat’s happy world is turned upside down when she is given devastating news. She must now confront her past and the secret she’s harbored for years. But will saving the one she loves most also rekindle the love she let slip away?


EXCERPT:


We talked for some time and I could tell he was getting tired, his skin looked paler than usual and the light color of his eyes just enhanced the dark circles that were beginning to form underneath.
“Are you tired?” I asked.
“A little,” he finally admitted.
“But I thought you didn’t get tired,” I teased as I got up to grab the blanket from the other couch, turning off the overhead light. I looked out the window to see a light snow falling. I sat back down on the couch covering us both with the blanket as we watched TV with just the glow of the fireplace and Christmas tree lights. He had his arms wrapped tightly around me as I rested my head on his chest. 
“Thank you,” I whispered.
“For what?” he asked.
“For being here.”
 I smiled when he pulled me closer and gently kissed my head. It didn’t take long before I heard his breathing begin to change and as I looked up I saw he was sound asleep. I put my head back down on his chest, kissing it softly. Just knowing he was here beside me, listening to his heartbeat and feeling him breathe, put my mind at such ease that it wasn’t long before I was fast asleep too.


Beth Rinyu

Author Bio
Ever since I can remember, I have always enjoyed Creative Writing. There was always something about being able to travel to a different place or become a different person with just the stroke of a pen - or in today's world a touch of the keyboard. I have been writing poetry for years and finally got the inspiration to write my very first novel about a year and a half ago. Once I started the idea's kept flowing, my fingers kept typing - and here it is! It's a beautiful love story that focuses on so many different relationships: the love of a man and a woman, a parent and a child, friendships and those that are not bound to us by blood but by love. So, I'm hoping all of you get as much enjoyment reading this as I did writing it! Oh and here's a little bit about bit me - my life is not as interesting as the story or the characters in it, but then again whose life is? I was born and have lived in New Jersey my whole life. I'm a mom of twin teenage boys, a teenage step-son, a crazy Border Collie and a cat with an identity crisis! I guess you can say writing is my form of Calgon! I am married to a wonderful guy - but we'll keep that between us, I don't want him getting a big head! Thanks for taking the time to learn about my book and me! If you decide to read it (and I hope you do! ) please be sure to go on and review it for me - yes, even if you don't like it!


Monday, January 28, 2013

PROMO: Safeword Quinacridone by Candace Blevins




Erotic/BDSM
Date to be Published: 12/29/12


What happens when an introverted artist who only likes sex when it’s a one-night stand meets a computer-geek-extraordinaire with his own sexy secrets? Objectification, romance, pain, adoration, lots of kinky toys, and oodles and oodles of wonderfully imaginative sex.

Join Cara and Travis on their journey to mesh their distinctive sexual tastes into a loving relationship with blow-your- mind kink.

 Ob·jec·ti·fi·ca·tion:
  1. Treating a person as an object for use, with no regard for a person’s personality or sentience.
  2. Regarding someone as a commodity; considering them merely an instrument towards one’s sexual pleasure.
 Examples of OBJECTIFICATION:
  1. A woman is on her back at the edge of a tall bed with hands and feet bound together and restrained above her head. A curtain drapes from a canopy above and puddles on the backs of her thighs. The man about to penetrate her sees only female genitals available for use.
  2. A woman is dressed in a full latex blow-up doll costume with durable latex ‘pockets’ stuffed into her orifices. She is bound into a position giving easy access to all three holes at a party. Her face is completely covered excepting nose and mouth. The men do not know who is in the costume.

Safeword: Quinacridone is a stand-alone book. You do not need to have read the previous books in this series.
Warning: This title contains graphic language, consensual BDSM, extreme objectification, bondage, watersports (one scene), chemical play, fisting, temporary body modification with saline injections (one scene), and the use of toys including clamps, canes, plugs, paddles, whips, floggers, and zip-ties.


Candace Blevins is a southern girl who loves to travel the world.

She lives with her husband of 15 years and their two daughters. When not working or driving kids all over the place she can be found reading, writing, meditating, or swimming.

Candace writes romance books about characters who happen to have some extreme kinks. Relationships can be difficult enough without throwing power exchange into the mix, and her books show characters who care enough about each other to fight to make the relationship work.

Each book in the Safeword series highlights a couple with a different BDSM issue to resolve. All books are standalone books and can be read in any order, with the exception of the two Davenport books, since Safewords: Davenport and Chiffon is a sequel to Safeword: Davenport.

You can visit Candace on the web at candaceblevins.com and kinkyeverafter.com

* Real Romance * Real BDSM *

Contact Links:


Purchase Links


Follow Along With the Tour:


VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR January 28 - February 8

January 28 - Reading Addiction Blog Tours - Meet and Greet
January 29 - Up All Night Reviews - Review
January 30 - Sinfully Sexy Books - Review
January 31 - What's On The Bookshelf - Review
February 1 - Boyfriend Bookmark Blog - ReviewFebruary 2 - Sweet and Sassi - Review
February 3 - Booklovin Mamas - Interview/PROMO
February 4 - Book Reviews and More - PROMO
February 5 -RABT Reviews - Review
February 6 - Stressed Rach - Review
February 7 - Steamy Side - Review

Forever Clan by January Bain





Paranormal Romance
Forever Clan (Book #3)
Date Published: 1/7/13

Sunday Rose's soul mate is a vampire. If that isn't difficult enough to deal with, she's pregnant with a child that prophecy states can either help or destroy the vampire race. And there are those that fear either outcome. If she is to protect her child from those who would exploit the prophecy, she must awaken unknown abilities and call upon her guardian angels to buy the time necessary to get her family to safe harbor.

"January Bain has created characters so real as to feel like family or friends. She makes the reader really care about what happens to them."
Judy Gill, editor and writer rated it 5 stars.

Addiction Rating: 
4.5

Cami's Review:

You will be engaged from the beginning of this sereis. Keep in mind this is Book #3 in the series so you will definitely want to go and pick up the first two. 

January Bain has managed to create characters who are compelling and easy to get behind. 

This series is a ride that you will not want to miss and each book has such a good plot while also combining for a great overall series plot. 

I definitely reccomend this book and the whole series! There is another book in the series coming out, just a note.

EXCERPT

 “My name is Sunday Rose St. Clair. My ma says it’s because I was born on a Sunday in August when her climbing roses were in bloom and it was finally her turn to name a child. And my Grandma was named Rose.” She rolled her eyes at the “her turn” and smiled broadly, happy to be over the stuttering fit.
“It’s very nice to meet you, Sunday Rose St. Clair. I’m Sean, Sean Cameron.” He held his hand out to her and she grasped it only to feel a hot jolt of electricity shoot up her arm and enter her core, pooling the hot blood in her womb with aching results. His hand was ice-cold, she dimly realized, the ache spreading in lovely waves of pleasure and need. Whoa! She was confused and excited all at the same time. This had definitely never happened to her before.
“You’re not from around here, Sean, are you?” Her words were rhetorical. “Your accent sounds a wee bit American.” So, he was not the Aiden she had heard about. She relaxed considerably with this new information. Perhaps there was a chance he was unencumbered by a wife or girlfriend . . .
“I thought I had lost my accent—ten years back in the old country. You have a good ear, Sunday Rose.” His wide smile dazzled her, like he knew a great secret that she would like to know.
“You’ve covered it well, but it’s still there, just under the surface.”
She smiled at him with the well-practiced knowing look meant to cover her own sense of inadequacy and inexperience. She loved to use the look to nonplus her other suitors of which there had been plenty and all turned down to date. She was holding out for that special one, that she had promised herself early on. He had to bethe one before she would entertain any thoughts of a physical relationship. Her avid reading had shaped her beliefs and she longed for a love like Heathcliff and Cathy, or Romeo and Juliet, or Cleopatra and Mark Anthony. She drifted for a moment, living inside the idea of such a love.
“Would you like a piece of pie, Sunday Rose, since you went to all this trouble for an unknown neighbor?” He seemed to like her name, which made her like it ever more as he said it with his sexy, low pitched voice that echoed so enticingly in her nether regions. She squirmed in her seat and Sean smiled at her, electric lust lying heavy between them, needing only a slight gesture on either’s part to spark it off.
“Sure, that would be great.” Pie and a handsome—maybe single, exciting neighbor—doesn’t get better than this, she thought in happy excitement. The day making pies was definitely not wasted effort.




LINK TO BUY 
Amazon





January Bain hails from AshernManitobaCanada. Married to the love of her life, her husband Don, she has combined her love of romance with her interest in vampires to produce the Forever Series of books. She also writes Science Fiction novels chiefly concerned with time travel and life on other planets. She teaches English and Computer courses during the day, and gets up at 5 am to write before her day job. She hopes her storytelling will touch your heart. She loves hearing from readers and writers alike!









GIVEAWAY




She is giving away, Forever Clan notebook, bookmarks, signature card, frig magnets of which I have many, and a few copies are available of the first book in the series, Forever Man. There is also one large tee shirt and three bookbags too with the logo on it for Forever Clan. 




Friday, January 25, 2013

Tour Kick Off - Unholy Tesament: The Beginnings by Carole Gill





 Gothic Romance/ Paranormal
published by Tudor Rose Press
Date Published: November 4, 2012

The day Eco first laid eyes on Rose Baines was the day she discovered (The House on
Blackstone Moor) her family’s savage butchery at the hands of her mad, incestuous father.

“I saw you leave the house that day, Rose, that terrible day you discovered your family
butchered. I saw you…”

Eco realizing he has fallen in love with her pens a confession documenting all of his sins
committed in the course of his immortal existence. The one request is that Rose reads his
confession.

Rose, having become his captive, is forced to read this unholy testament of his.

From Ancient Egyptian vampire cults to Roman vampire brothels to The Dark Ages, The
Crusades, The Black Death of 1348 to his meeting with child murderer and Satanist, Gilles de
Rais, concluding with his wicked affair with the Blood Countess herself, Erzebat Bathory.

Eco is, if nothing else, frankly and brutally honest. The pages are filled with debauchery and
vice and murder--yet, there is also love or what Eco swears is love.

The story is continued in Unholy Testament – Full Circle, to be released in early 2013.



Link to Buy 


Find other Reviews From this tour:



January 15 - Waiting on Sunday to Drown - Review/Guest Post
January 16 - My Cozie Corner - Review
January 19 - Impressions of a Princess - Review/Interview
January 19 - The Avid Reader - Review
January 20 -Inside BJ's Head - Review/Guest Post
January 21 - Author Ever Leigh - Review
January 22 - My Reading Addiction - Review
January 24 - Let's Get Booked - Review/Guest Post


RABT Review Wrap Up:

This story continues from The House on Blackstoor Moor and the tale of the Blackstone Vampires. Horror that will leave you thinking did I just read that? And an abundance of twists to keep the reader on the edge of their seats. 

This Book has averaged a  4.5* Rating from reviewers during this tour.
It is currently at a very high 5*'s on Amazon.
The first in the series, House on Blackstone Moor is Free on Amazon and this story is only $.99! 

Photobucket
I wrote my first story at age 8. It was sci-fi but as both my parents were sci-fi fanatics it wasn’t a surprise.


I continued to write however life got in the way as it often does, and it wasn’t until 2000 that I turned back to writing. I joined a local writer’s workshop and was greatly encouraged to keep up with my writing and to send things out.


Shortly afterwards, I was selected by Northwest Playwrights of England for further development but found I preferred fiction writing.


Widely published in horror and sci-fi anthologies, The House on Blackstone Moor is my first novel. It is a tale of vampirism, madness, obsession and devil worship.


Set in 19th Century Yorkshire, its locales include Victorian madhouses as well as barren, wind-swept Yorkshire moors. The story is a marriage of horror and gothic romance. I think it can best be described as being gothic paranormal romantic horror.


I suppose you could say I want to put the Goth back into Gothic.


Living in the area the novel is set in, was very beneficial. Also, as a great admirer of the Brontes and frequent visitor to the Bronte Parsonage in Haworth, I found myself nearly obsessed with recreating the gothic romantic narrative.


Having been employed in a hospital which had been historically a workhouse and asylum in Victorian times, I was able to add great realism to the depiction of the asylums as described in my novel.


The next in the series, Unholy Testament – Full Circle is the continuation of Eco’s confession. It will be released in 2013.


Book 4 in the series follows that.

Friday, January 18, 2013

Review Wrap Up - Romantic Tales: Bedtime Stories - Episode 3



Genre: Romance, Erotica, Fantasy and PNR.

Romantic Tales: Bedtime Stories has a little of everything. From your everyday Contemporary Romance (The Getaway) To your Hot and Heavy Rockers turned Werewolves (Crave) and your Sci-Fi/Paranormal with Erotic overtones…. (The Genesis Project) Each Episode will entice its readers, draw them in. A quick Bedtime story before they dream, keeping them pleasantly satisfied while peaking their interests for next month’s installment. All for 99 cents. During the interim there will be previews of next month’s Episode…







The Getaway by Riley Ross

Juliet gives an answer to Mike’s surprising proposal and they are on a mad scramble to pull off a wedding in six days. Will it go off without a hitch or will someone try to destroy their happiness. Come along for the conclusion of The Getaway for Season 1

The Genesis Project by Tigris Eden

A choice is made, and a secret is revealed. All are not what they seem to be in this last installment of The Genesis Project. Xander knows who and what Gen is, but there is still one piece to the puzzle missing. This ending is promised to leave you all up in arms! Be sure to find out what happens to the conclusion of The Genesis Project for Season 1

Crave by Ty Langston
Desperate for a way out, the missing Darien Anderson resurfaces. The reasons why she was captured were not for the reasons everyone thought.

The answers will not only shock all, but also have a tremendous rippled effect for all involved. Especially, Cass and Harper at the conclusion of Crave.

REVIEWS

This is not normally my style of novel - I don't go for the thigh clencher romances or short stories. But I'd read the first set and reviewed them here, and they weren't so bad, so I thought I'd better go for the second episode, and reviewed that here. Then of course, I had to finish out the season.

Once again the first short story was The Getaway. There was plenty of family tension once again, although I felt that it was obvious what the ending would be from the beginning. I was surprised at the marriage suggestion, but then this is something I feel isn't really necessary to prove love (and anyway, they were already having sex!!).


The text and dialogue was completely stilted to me (just as I complained about before), but at least the  author was consistent. There was far too much of 'She did this... She did that... She does this...' and so one. This was particularly obvious in the cafe and also restaurant they go to eat in. Also some weird tense changes and breaking of the third wall.



The sexy action was mainly hinted at with passionate kisses and sexy underwear, with no explicit sex. Plenty of romance though! Romance, romance, crying, sentimentalism. If you like that kind of thing, you're going to like this.



This time CRAVE  drew itself to a thrilling, but not precisely satisfying conclusion. It was gripping enough that I stopped noticing some of the carelessness in misplaced " and changed tenses. The beginning felt really rushed.



There were some new ideas introduced in this section that made it more interesting and kept me reading. Darien reappeared, sort of, and the changes in perspective added to the story. There's a fair bit more graphic sex here, but I wasn't satisfied precisely with the way it was written. It felt crude to me, and so I skipped parts of it.


The Genesis Project saves the day for me once again. Some nice revelations, some really hot sex scenes (way better than the other two in my opinion) and of course a thrilling conclusion. Yay! Genesis! And this time we get the explanation for where the title of the novella has come from. Poor Gen, she's so confused.

I'd recommend this book for adults only. It does come with a tag of erotica, and in this case that means explicit descriptions of sex and so forth. I don't think I'm going to sign up to review season 2, as I find myself not really enjoying 2/3 of the parts. The Genesis Project I'm still going for, but other than that, not really, I can use my reading time more productively.


I received this book free as part of a tour, but this has no way influenced my review.



A great continuation in the Romantic Tales series. Three stories by three great authors. Make sure you pick up the first two episodes before reading this one! 

The Getaway leaves us felling content with where the story is at. 

Crave finds us with a cliffhanger that will have you screaming for more! 

The Genisis Project is such a unique story and continues to amaze! 

Can't wait for more! 


Find More Reviews From this Tour:

January 8 - Crazy Four Books -Review
January 9 -Author Ever Leigh - Review
January 13 - Sweet and Sassi - Review
January 14 - Debbie Jean's Blog - Review
January 16 - Stressed Rach - Review


RABT Review Wrap Up:

With a variety of writing styles and genre's you will most definitely find one or more of the stories to your liking. 

This Book has averaged a 3.5-4* Rating from reviewers during this tour.
It is currently at a very high 5*'s on Amazon.
Each episode is $.99! 

BUY IT HERE


Find Romantic Tales: Bedtime Stories:






   
Tigris Eden

Author of Shadow Unit Series, 1st Book Enslaved In Shadows... I love all things books! Music
and much more! I write PNR, Contemp, SCI-FI, Erotic, and HORROR..... Yes I love the gore!
Currently working on Burned In Shadows... Due out sometime in January 2013.
There isn't much to say about me truly... I am not that interesting... But I promise to make you
laugh at least once!



Ty Langston

As a child, multi-published author Ty Langston loved to read about dragons and knights so
much that one day, her grandmother told her to "just write about them."
So she did.
From that day forward, she never left home without her pen, a notebook, and some kind of
music playing in the background. Her love of reading expanded from fantasy into science fiction,
and eventually into paranormal romance and erotica.
She enjoys different works from George Martin, Anne McCaffrey, Stephen King, and Jackie
Collins. But some of Ty's favorite writers are from the world of TV and film: namely, Tudors
creator Michael Hirst, and the late John Hughes.
Ty has a certificate in Broadcast Journalism along with a degree in Business Administration.
She is single and enjoys spending time with friends and family.


Riley Ross

To date I haven't published anything yet but I love to write wrestling fan fiction, romance and
light erotica. I will be married for fifteen years this month to my best friend and Prince Charming
all rolled into one. I am mommy to two Syberian Huskies.