Possession (Fallen Angels #5) by J.R.Ward-Promotion and Giveaway

Possession (Fallen Angels #5) by J.R.Ward-Promotion and Giveaway

Possession Promotion Banner

With the upcoming October 1, 2013 release of J.R.Ward’s POSSESSION (Fallen Angels #5) the Berkley Publishing Group / New American Library are offering a paper copy of JR’s 1st book in this series, COVET (Fallen Angels #1) to five (5) lucky commenters at The Reading Cafe.

As part of an early promotion, check out our series spotlight and then comment for your chance to WIN 1 of 5 paper copies of COVET by J.R.Ward.

•••••••••••••••••••••

#1 New York Times bestselling author J.R. Ward explores what really happens when good and evil toy with humanity in her new novel of the Fallen Angels, as the salvation of a doomed soul depends once again on a crossroads…

Seven deadly sins. Seven souls to save. This is the first battle between a savior who doesn’t believe and a demon with nothing to lose!

Fallen angels series

POSSESSION
Fallen Angels #5
by J.R.Ward
Release Date: October 1, 2013

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/ Barnes and Noble / KOBO / The Book Depository

Possession JR Ward

When Cait Douglass resolves to get over her broken heart, throw off her inhibitions, and start really living, she’s unprepared for the two sensual men who cross her path. Torn between them, she doesn’t know which to choose–or what kind of dire consequences could follow.

Jim Heron, fallen angel and reluctant savior, is ahead in the war, but he puts everything at risk when he seeks to make a deal with the devil–literally. As yet another soul is unwittingly caught in the battle between him and the demon Devina, his fixation on an innocent trapped in Hell threatens to sidetrack him from his sacred duty…

Can good still prevail if true love makes a savior weak? And will a woman’s future be the key, or the curse, for all of humanity? Only time, and hearts, will tell.

________________________________________

Covet
Fallen Angels #1
by J.R.Ward
Release Date: October 29, 2009

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/ Barnes and Noble / KOBO / The Book Depository

Covet Redemption isn’t a word Jim Heron knows much about-his specialty is revenge, and to him, sin is all relative. But everything changes when he becomes a fallen angel and is charged with saving the souls of seven people from the seven deadly sins. And failure is not an option.

Vin DiPietro long ago sold his soul to his business, and he’s good with that-until fate intervenes in the form of a tough-talking, Harley-riding, self-professed savior. And then he meets a woman who will make him question his destiny, his sanity, and his heart-and he has to work with a fallen angel to win her over and redeem his own soul.

_____________________________________________

Crave
Fallen Angels #2
by J.R.Ward
Release Date: October 5, 2010

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/ Barnes and Noble / KOBO / The Book Depository

Crave

 

Isaac Rothe is a black ops soldier with a dark past and a grim future. The target of an assassin, he finds himself behind bars, his fate in the hands of his gorgeous public defender Grier Childe. His hot attraction to her can only lead to trouble-and that’s before Jim Heron tells him his soul is in danger. Caught up in a wicked game with the demon who shadows Jim, Isaac must decide whether the soldier in him can believe that true love is the ultimate weapon against evil.

________________________________________________

ENVY
Fallen Angels #3
by J.R. Ward
Release Date: September 6, 2011

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/ Barnes and Noble / KOBO / The Book Depository

EnvyAs the son of a serial killer, homicide detective Thomas “Veck” DelVecchio, Jr., grew up in the shadow of evil. Now, on the knife-edge between civic duty and blind retribution, he atones for the sins of his father- while fighting his inner demons. Assigned to monitor Veck is Internal Affairs officer Sophia Reilly, whose interest in him is both professional and arousingly personal. And Veck and Sophia have another link: Jim Heron, a mysterious stranger with too many answers… to questions that are deadly. When Veck and Sophia are drawn into the ultimate battle between good and evil, their fallen angel savior is the only thing that stands between them and eternal damnation.

______________________________________________

RAPTURE
Fallen Angels #4
by J.R.Ward
Release Date: September 25, 2012

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/ Barnes and Noble / KOBO / The Book Depository

RaptureMels Carmichael, reporter for the Caldwell Courier Journal, gets the shock of her life when a man stumbles in front of her car outside the local cemetery. After the accident, his amnesia is just the kind of mystery she likes to solve, but she soon discovers they’re over their heads with his past. Over their heads with passion, too …As shadows walk the line between reality and another realm, and her lover’s memory begins to come back, the two of them learn that nothing is truly dead and buried. Especially when you’re trapped in a no-holds-barred war between angels and demons. With a soul on the line, and Mels’s heart at risk, what in heaven – or in hell – will it take to save them both?

After reporter Mels Carmichael hits a disheveled man with her car
outside the local cemetery, she pays a visit to the stranger in the hospital. The only thing he remembers of his past is seeing a name written on a headstone: that of Jim Heron—a fallen angel charged with rescuing souls from the seven deadly sins. Now, as Mels struggles to help this mysterious stranger rediscover himself, Heron himself returns to prepare for a battle between good and evil.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••

About The Author

FOLLOW J.R.Ward: Website / Facebook / Goodreads /

Jessica Rowley Pell Bird was born on 1969 in Massachusetts, USA. She is the daughter of Maxine F. and W. Gillette Bird, Jr. She began writing as a child, penning her thoughts in diaries as well as inventing short stories. She read her first Harlequin Presents novel in a rose garden when she was in her teens. She was hooked immediately. By the time she went to college, she had boxes and boxes of Harlequins and Silhouettes. Every year, her mother would ask why all those books had to live in the house and Jess would reply that if even one of them disappeared she would know. (She’d catalogued them.)

JR WardJess finished her first romance manuscript the summer before her freshman year of college. She attended Smith College and graduated with a double major in history and art history. She then received a law degree from Albany Law School. Shortly after that, she began working in the healthcare industry in Boston. She spent many years as one of the premier medical center’s Chief of Staff. While working as a lawyer in Boston, she completed two novels more and started a number of partials. In 2001, Bird married John Neville Blakemore III. Both her mother and her new husband kept telling her to send something in to an agent, a publisher, the Tooth Fairy, anyone. She thought they were nuts, but eventually got her nerve up and bought a lot of stamps. Since getting published, she has written contemporary romances as Jessica Bird and paranormal romances as J. R. Ward. She has been a Rita Award finalist, received two Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice nominations and has been a HOLT medallion finalist.

New England born and bred, Jess is surprised to find herself living south of the Mason Dixon line. (But that’s what happens when you marry a Southern gentleman.) She and her husband live with their golden retriever, who oversees her writing in a supervisory role.

Giveaway

The Berkley Publishing Group / New American Library are offering a paper copy of COVET (Fallen Angels #1) by J.R.Ward to five (5) lucky commenters at The Reading Cafe

Covet

 

1. Please register using the log-in at the top of the page (side bar) or by using one of the social log-ins.

2. If you are using are social log-in, please post your email address with your comment.

3. Giveaway is open to USA only.

4. Giveaway runs from September 19, to October 1, 2013

Share

Revealing Us by Lisa Renee Jones-Blog Tour and Giveaway

Revealing Us by Lisa Renee Jones-Blog Tour and Giveaway

REVEALING US Tour Button

Revealing Us (Inside Out #3)
by Lisa Renee Jones
Release Date: September 10, 2013

Revealing Us

The Inside Out Series
by Lisa Renee Jones

Series Spotlight

If I Were You (Inside Out #1)
by Lisa Renee Jones
Release Date: September 13, 2012

Click HERE for our review of IF I WERE YOU by Lisa Renee Jones

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/ Barnes and Noble / KOBO / The Book Depository

If I were youWhen Sara McMillan finds a stack of journals in a storage unit, she’s shocked and enthralled by the erotic life the writer led. Unable to stop reading, she vicariously lives out dark fantasies through Rebecca, the writer—until the terrifying final entry.

Certain something sinister has happened, Sara sets out to discover the facts, immersing herself in Rebecca’s life. Soon she’s working at the art gallery Rebecca worked at and meeting Rebecca’s friends. Finding herself drawn to two dangerously sexy men, the manager of the gallery and a famed artist, Sara realizes she’s going down the same path Rebecca took. But with the promise of her dark needs being met by a man with confident good looks and a desire for control, she’s not sure anything else matters. Just the burn for more

____________________________________________

Being Me (Inside Out #1)
by Lisa Renee Jones
Release Date: June 11, 2013

Click HERE for our review of BEING ME by Lisa Renee Jones

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Barnes and Noble / The Book Depository

being MeFascinated by the dark fantasies in the journals she’s discovered, and the two men who have now found a place in her life, Sara McMillan finds herself torn between her new life and her past. Now, more than ever, Sara identifies with the lost journal writer, Rebecca, and is certain that something sinister has happened.

In the arms of the sexy, tormented artist Chris Merit, Sara seeks answers about Rebecca and ends up discovering things about herself she never knew existed. Chris forces Sara to reconsider who she is and what she truly wants from life, but not before his dark desires threaten to tear them apart. Her boss, Mark Compton, offers her the shelter to understand just what those needs mean to her, and what they might have meant to Rebecca, but can she trust him to lead her to a final conclusion to Rebecca’s story?

_______________________________________________

Revealing Us (Inside Out #3)
by Lisa Renee Jones
Release Date: September 10, 2013

Click HERE for our review of REVEALING US by Lisa Renee Jones

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/ Barnes and Noble / The Book Depository

Revealing Us

 

The third installment in the sexy Inside Out erotic romance series—in the seductive tradition of Fifty Shades of Grey.

You’ve discovered Rebecca’s secrets. You’ve discovered Sara’s secrets. Now Sara will discover “his” deepest, darkest secrets…but will those secrets bind them together–or tear them apart?

Release Day  September 10, 2013:

 

_____________________________________________

Rebecca's Lost Journals

ORDER YOUR COPIES of Rebecca’s Lost Journals:

Rebecca’s Lost Journals are a supplement to The Inside Out series and should be read after IF I WERE YOU and before BEING ME.

THE SEDUCTION: Amazon.com / Amazon.ca/ Amazon.uk / Barnes and Noble / KOBO

THE CONTRACT: Amazon.com/ Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk /Barnes and Noble/ KOBO

HIS SUBMISSIVE: Amazon.com/ Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk /Barnes and Noble/KOBO

MY MASTER: Amazon.com/ Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk /Barnes and Noble/KOBO

___________________________________

The Master Undone
Inside Out Novella
Release Date: August 12, 2013

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca/Amazon.uk / Barnes and Noble /KOBO

The Master Undone I told him goodbye, and I will not call him. I know if I do, it will be my undoing, and I’ll once again be caught up in his spell. I will once again be…lost.

In her private journals, Rebecca laid bare her soul, revealing her obsession for the one man whose erotic demands captivated her imagination–and enslaved her forever. Now, with Rebecca no longer in his life he is lost, questioning everything he thought he knew about himself and about control he holds in such high regard. One women will reach out to heal him and then turn away, leaving him haunted. She is nothing he thought he wanted and somehow everything he needs. He tells himself to forget her but he cannot escape his desire for her. He has to have more…

__________________________________________

About the author

Lisa Renee Jones PhotoNew York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Lisa Renee Jones is the author of the highly acclaimed INSIDE OUT TRILOGY which has sold to more than ten countries for translation with negotiations in process for more, and has now been optioned by STARZ Network for a cable television show, to be produced by Suzanne Todd (Alice in Wonderland).

Since beginning her publishing career in 2007, Lisa has published more than 30 books with publishers such as Simon and Schuster, Avon, Kensington, Harlequin, NAL, Berkley and Elloras Cave, as well as crafting a successful indie career. Booklist says that Jones suspense truly sizzles with an energy similar to FBI tales with a paranormal twist by Julie Garwood or Suzanne Brockmann.

Prior to publishing, Lisa owned multi-state staffing agency that was recognized many times by The Austin Business Journal and also praised by Dallas Women Magazine. In 1998 LRJ was listed as the #7 growing women owned business in Entrepreneur Magazine.

Lisa loves to hear from her readers. You can reach her through her website and she is active on Twitter and Facebook daily. 

Giveaway

Lisa Renee Jones is offering an additional giveaway for the members at The Reading Cafe: A signed paper copy of IF I WERE YOU and swag.

1. Please register using the log-in at the top of the page or by using one of the social log-in.

2. If you are using a social log-in, please post your email address with your comment.

3. Giveaway open INTERNATIONALLY

4. Giveaway runs from September 19 to September 25, 2013

Rafflecopter Giveaway

Lisa is giving away an autographed copy of IF I WERE YOU, a Red Tote & Swag to one lucky winner at the end of the tour.

NOTE: The Reading Cafe is NOT responsible for the rafflecopter giveaway. If you have any questions, please contact the tour promoter

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour Schedule

Click HERE for a complete list of participating blog and review sites.

Share

Revealing Us (Inside Out Series #3) by Lisa Renee Jones – a review

REVEALING US (Inside Out Series #3) by Lisa Renee Jones-a review

Revealing Us

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/ Barnes and Noble / KOBO / The Book Depository

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date September 10, 2013

The third installment in the sexy Inside Out erotic romance series—in the seductive tradition of Fifty Shades of Grey.

You’ve discovered Rebecca’s secrets. You’ve discovered Sara’s secrets. Now Sara will discover “his” deepest, darkest secrets…but will those secrets bind them together–or tear them apart?

•••••••••••••••••••••••••

REVIEW: REVEALING US is the third installment in Lisa Renee Jones’s sexy contemporary, erotic romance Inside Out series. In the previous two installments Sara McMillan found and had read a series of journals written by a young woman who was once employed by the same man with whom Sara is now working. Hoping to find some clue about Rebecca’s disappearance, Sara searches for answers in the sometimes less than revealing journals about the ‘what’ and the ‘who’ in Rebecca’s life. And Sara’s almost obsessive need to uncover the truth will put her in harm’s way and threaten her relationship with Chris Merit- the man that she loves.

Revealing Us picks up where Being Me left off and in doing so, Sara must make a decision that quite possibly could affect the rest of her life. But Sara continues to struggle with her need to uncover the truth and with her best friend Ella still missing, Sara will push forward until hidden secrets and painful pasts are revealed. With the man that she loves bordering the edge of control, Sara will push the boundaries until the truth is finally revealed.

Once again, Lisa Renee Jones pulls the reader into a storyline of mystery and suspense; heartbreak and sorrow; love and revenge. Revealing Us has a different feel to the story than the previous installments as it centers on Chris Merit’s past and the potential for disaster in both his personal and private life as well as Sara’s need to find out what happened to her best friend after she unexpectedly disappeared while on vacation in France.

Revealing Us is not the end but the beginning of a new direction in the series. With the focus of the series branching out in several directions, Lisa adds another connection to her dark heroes, her lost heroines and a lifestyle that lays hidden behind closed doors and in secret rooms. And in the end, everything and everyone can be traced back to a young woman who wanted to be loved but found out the hard way that you don’t always get what you want.

Revealing Us and The Inside Out series is a story of suspense and mystery, painful secrets, love and loss. Lisa writes a story that lures the reader into the seductive world of erotic pleasure and pain, and a lifestyle where moving on does not necessarily mean letting go.

Inside Out Series with Journals 3

READING ORDER:
1. If I Were You (Inside Out #1)
2. Rebecca’s Lost Journals (Novellas)
-The Seduction
-The Contract
-His Submissive
-My Master
3. Being Me
4. Behind Closed Doors (online serial novellas)
5. The Master Undone (novella) (August 2013)
6. Revealing Us (September 2013)

Copy supplied by the author.

Reviewed by Sandy

Share

Skipping Stones by J.B. McGee-Book Blitz and Giveaway

SKIPPING STONES by JB McGee-Book Blitz and Giveaway

Skipping Stones

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/ Barnes and Noble / KOBO /

Blurb:

They say there are five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.

Not everyone will grieve in this order, nor will everyone go through every stage. It’s during the stage of denial when Alex Hart meets Andrew Foster. He takes her one-step closer to acceptance: the stage when new, meaningful relationships are formed. The stage when the realization occurs that this is now the new state of normal.

Just when Alex thinks she is on her way to healing, she enters the bargaining phase. That’s the phase where you wonder what you could have done differently. You wonder “what if?” Specifically, what if the ones you loved hadn’t left you?

Leaving…this is what makes heading off to war so difficult and frightening for Alex. She knows all too well what it’s like to be the one on the losing end of life, which is why she’s made it her personal mission in life to save as many lives as possible. The extreme high she gets from treating trauma victims turns into Alex’s own form of therapy, or so she thinks.

When faced with her world being turned upside down, Alex may just find that her true therapy is in the one who has always saved her.

jb mcgee ss letter
Bio:

J.B. McGee was born and raised in Aiken, South Carolina. After graduating from South Aiken High School, she toured Europe as a member of the 1999 International Bands of America Tour, playing the clarinet. While attending Converse College, an all-girls school in Spartanburg, South Carolina, she visited Charleston often. It quickly became one of her favorite vacation spots. She met her husband, Chad, during Christmas break her freshman year, and they married in 2001 and she moved back to her home town.

 

In 2005, the couple welcomed their first son, Noah. J.B. finished her Bachelor of Arts degree in Early Childhood Education at the University of South Carolina-Aiken in 2006. During her time studying children’s literature, a professor had encouraged her to become a writer.

In 2007, she welcomed their second child, Jonah, and she became a stay at home mom/entrepreneur. In 2009, the found out their two children and J.B. have Mitochondrial Disease. In 2011, a diagnosis also was given to Chad. Please take a moment and learn more about Mitochondrial Disease. Awareness is key to this disease that has no cure or treatments.

J.B. McGee and her family now reside in Buford, Georgia, to be closer to their children’s medical team. After a passion for reading had been re-ignited, J.B. decided to finally give writing a shot. Broken (This Series), is her first book and first series.

bookmark-2

ENTER TO WIN

NOTE:  The Reading Cafe is NOT responsible for the rafflecopter giveaway.  If you have any questions, please contact the tour promoter

a Rafflecopter giveaway

stories and swag tours button-1

Share

The Third Kingdom by Terry Goodkind – a Review

The Third Kingdom by Terry Goodkind – a Review

The Third KingdomLinks to order The Third Kingdom:
Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / The Book Depository

Description:
The Richard and Kahlan series, beginning with The Omen Machine (which is also the 12th and final book of the Sword of Truth series) is a NEW series separate from Sword of Truth.

The bloodthirsty Jit is dead, and against all odds Richard and Kahlan have survived. But a new menace has attacked them in the Dark Lands. Infected with the essence of death itself, robbed of his power as a war wizard, Richard must race against time to uncover and stop the infernal conspiracy assembling itself behind the wall far to the north. His friends and allies are already captives of this fell combination, and Kahlan, also touched by death’s power, will die completely if
Richard fails.

Bereft of magic, Richard has only his sword, his wits, his capacity for insight – and an extraordinary companion, the young Samantha, a healer just coming into her powers.

Compelling, fast-moving, and intense, The Third Kingdom is a powerful tale that welcomes new readers to Terry Goodkind’s world, while opening up new vistas of worldbuilding for longtime readers of the adventures of Richard Rahl and Kahlan Amnell.

 

Review:
The Third Kingdom, written by Terry Goodkind; is the non stop. Action packed, second installment in the trilogy named after Richard & Kahlan.  Admittedly, I came into this novel quite apprehensive.  When reading the blurb from the publishers…I spent the next several months waiting for this release, debating whether or not I was even going to purchase the book.  Shocking, as I have been reading Terry Goodkind‘s work for half my life.  The blurb simply states….”If you wanted Richard and Kahlan to live happily ever after, you should have stopped reading at Confessor.”  Instantly my brain went into overdrive and I am thinking that Mr. Goodkind is ultimately going to pull an RA Salvatore, or GRRM move on me.  Killing off one, or both, of the characters with which he has built his astounding career.  For as long as Terry Goodkind has been at the top of my favorite author list….for as long as I have sang praises for the world & character’s he has created…killing off Richard, Kahlan…or even Zedd & Cara would be a deal breaker for me. 

I have discovered something about myself recently.  I have immensely changed as a reader since I began the journey of Sword of Truth so long ago.  Ironically, it was this beloved series that changed me.  I never needed romance, or a love story in my literature before learning the soul deep love connection between Richard and Kahlan.  A bond that readers have come to learn Can. Not. Be. Severed.  No matter the obstacles they face.  We all want to believe such love exists, the kind of love that when never surrendered, triumphs over any, and all things.  We all want to believe it does not only exist in stories.  This is why I claim the World of Sword of Truth to contain one of the most Epic love stories of all time.  This is the type of love Richard Rahl, and Kahlan Amnell possess for each other, and in my perception….it is the entire foundation with which this world was built.  For this reason I do not want to believe Goodkind will destroy everything he has created.  Despite this cryptic line, I do not want to believe that the dust will never clear one last, final time.  I do not want to believe there will never be peace for Richard and Kahlan, because truly, if this is to be the case….what have they been fighting for across the time of 11+ books?  Why have we all been coming back novel after novel–our hearts having been broken, left bleeding for these two outstanding characters–who are just trying to have a life together?  I for one hope for, and look forward to the ultimate reward, upon the finale of Richard and Kahlan’s harrowing journey.  I not only want their Happily Ever After, I demand it, as someone who has spent time, money, and emotion on what will become of them.  I read fiction as an escape, because in reality, there is not nearly enough happy endings.  If the desire to someday see my two most favorite, fictional characters safe & happy, means I am no longer a “true” fantasy genre reader, then so be it.  Now that my rant is over, I will move on to the actual review. 🙂

Long time veterans, and newcomers to the world of the Midlands alike, will find many elements of enjoyment in The Third Kingdom.  Because we all experience books differently, I offer a little breakdown information for those attempting to decide whether or not to embark on this new journey.  Readers who were not keen on Terry’s last two works (what is wrong with you *kidding*) will be happy to know that the Third Kingdom presents a style of world building, greatly similar to Terry’s earlier work.  To put it simply…if you have missed Richard in all his “classic” glory.  If your favorites were books 1-4.  If you are a fan of Terry’s meticulous attention to detail.  The way he repeats himself often, and painstakingly adds each individual thread until we can see the whole tapestry–this book is a must read. 
 
I will take this moment to mention that those who have not read The First Confessor, Legend of Magda Searus, may find yourself somewhat confused throughout your navigation of The Third Kindgom.  It isn’t necessary to read this novel prior to TTK, but I would highly recommend you do so.  Without spoiling too much, I will say that Mr. Goodkind produces a unique take on evil beings that go bump in the night, and their origin can be found within The First Confessor.  In Terry’s own words. “The road beyond is unimaginably dark and fraught with danger.”  This description is a tangible entity while reading.  The story begins very close to where the Omen Machine left off, and yet everything has changed.  Much like how Richard himself feels upon coming to, readers are met with a situation that is abstract, and produces great confusion.  Through Richard’s addled wits, we grasp a broken conversation between two strange men.  Richard struggles to rouse himself, taking in several facts consecutively.  He and Kahlan are alone in the back of a wagon.  Kahlan is non-responsive.  And the soldiers of the First File, along with their friends; are nowhere to be found.  It is here, as our hero struggles to get his bearings, that things take a drastic…and gory turn of events.  Richard soon discovers that even though his desperation is great…he is without the ability to summon his magic, in order to protect himself and the unconscious woman he loves.  Unbeknown at the time, Richard’s actions to save both he and Kahlan from the bloodthirsty Hedge Maid in the end of Omen Machine, has produced unforeseen, and severe consequences.  From this moment on, Richard is equipped with only his staggering intelligence, his instincts as both a warrior & woods guide, the Sword of Truth, and the young, powerfully gifted (yet untutored) Samantha; to survive.

Richard learns through an ancient message left for him alone, that once again, the fate of the World will be decided by his actions.  Somehow, he must save all of life, or be destroyed along with it.  In signature Goodkind fashion, Richard must separate from Kahlan in order to ensure her salvation.  In more ways than one, The Third Kingdom showcases a race against time, as Richard attempts to stop the conclusion heading towards him.  If he fails, his people, friends, the woman he loves, himself…and the very existence of the world; will succumb to darkness.I have said it before, and I will say it again.  Character driven stories are held within a league of their own.  The Third Kingdom is full of heart pounding action, endless intrigue, terrifying villains…and yet it is Richard whom breathes life into this story.  After half my life of watching this character transform, ever morphing into more….something magical and unexpected happened for me in this book.  Stripped of his political power, without his lethal magic as a War Wizard, we see Richard devolved back to where it all began.  Once more he is simply the Seeker of Truth.  No more, and no less.  This book resonated so profoundly within me, because Richard has only what is within his heart, and soul to utilize.  Like many times before, he is considered by everyone around him; to be the most important person who walks among the living.  The weight of the entire world rests upon his broad shoulders.  Yet he still the type of hero who would lower his sword, and provide comfort for a terrified, young girl in need, rather than save himself.  It has been a long while since we have seen Richard the man, instead of the Lord Rahl, and I personally found this element so brilliant in it’s delivery.  Regretfully there are only a few glimpses of our heroine within the entirety of The Third Kingdom.  Like with Richard, Kahlan comes to her senses with the realization that her gift is no longer at her disposal.  Kahlan, stripped from her magic as the Mother Confessor, is powerless to prevent herself form being moved from the secure location with which Richard left her.  Finding herself the unwilling guest of a man with dark, and nefarious motives, Kahlan must rely upon her wits, and finely honed skills in combat to escape.    In classic, TG style, the ending of the Third Kingdom was a massive orchestra of conflicts, danger, action….and heartbreak.  Yes Mr. Goodkind…indeed you walked a fine line with me on this one.  In some ways, I wanted this characters happiness more than Richard and Kahlan’s.  I understand the fuel you needed in order for your characters to ultimately triumph in the end, made this devastating blow necessary….but I am still mad at you. *sigh*  I look on to the third novel, and reported conclusion of the Richard and Kahlan trilogy with mixed feelings of anticipation and anxiety.  Over all, Mr. Goodkind delivers a phenomenal read with the finesse that few authors can achieve. Bravo.

Reviewed by Miranda
Share

Born Wild (Black Knights Inc #5) by Julie Ann Walker-Sourcebooks promotion and giveaway

Born Wild (Black Knights Inc) by Julie Ann Walker-Sourcebooks promotion and giveaway

Born Wild Banner

PRE ORDER: Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Barnes and Noble / KOBO /

Born Wild
Black Knights Inc #5
by Julie Ann Walker

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date November 5, 2013

Born Wild

She’s got three rules:

1. Trust no one… Eve Edens has been abandoned, used, or manipulated by almost everyone she’s ever met. Born into ridiculous wealth, she’s dealt with the petty jealousies and sordid little resentments for nearly thirty years. But after three botched attempts on her life, she can no longer ignore the truth. Someone wants her dead.

2. Avoid the bad boys at all costs… William “Wild Bill” Reichert, the wonderfully sexy boy who abandoned her years ago, is back in town. Only he’s no boy. Now he’s a covert operative – and he’s all man. When Eve hires Bill to help her discover who is behind the attacks, Bill soon comes to suspect it’s someone much closer to Eve than she dares to believe.

3. And never fall for the same ruse twice… The search for the killer takes Bill and Eve deep into the dark secrets and strange world of the rich and famous, and into the heart of red-hot passion re-ignited by the peril that threatens to consume them both. But does Eve dare risk her heart on Bill a second time?

About the author

In the heart of the Windy City, Julie Ann’s imagination takes flight, dreaming up the stories of Black Knights Inc.

Julie Ann WalkerBiography

Julie Ann Walker is prone to spouting movie quotes and song lyrics. She’ll never say no to sharing a glass of wine or going for a long walk. She prefers impromptu travel over the scheduled kind, and she takes her coffee with milk. You can find her on her bicycle along the lake shore in Chicago or blasting away at her keyboard, trying to wrangle her capricious imagination into submission.

FOLLOW Julie: Facebook / Goodreads / Website / Twitter

Giveaway

Sourcebooks and Julie Ann Walker are offering a paper copy of THRILL RIDE (Black Knights Inc #4) by one lucky reader at The Reading Cafe. To qualify:

Thrill Ride

1. Please register using the log-in at the top of the page (side bar) or by using one of the social log-ins.

2. If you are using a social log-in, please post your email address with your comment.

3. Please comment and tell us to enter you in the giveaway.

4. Giveaway is open to US and Canada only.

5. Giveaway runs from September 18 to September 25, 2013

Black Knights Promo banner

Promotion available to US and Canada only !

BORN WILD by New York Times and USA Today Julie Ann Walker will be here before you know it! Hitting stores this November, we are SO EXCITED for this new release in the Black Knights Inc. series. And of course we want to celebrate and thank everyone who has pre-ordered the book.

Sourcebooks Promotion

A Gift for You, for Pre-Ordering BORN WILD by New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Julie Ann Walker.

Send Sourcebooks your proof of pre-order of BORN WILD by JULIE ANN WALKER and we’ll send you a Black Knights Inc. bandana! (A gift for US and Canada only)

PRE ORDER: Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Barnes and Noble / KOBO

We’ll send a bandana to anyone who shows us their pre-order receipt until October 31, or supplies run out. Just email your receipt to sbpublicity@sourcebooks.com.

As an added bonus: EVERYONE who receives a bandana will have an opportunity to win a fabulous motorcycle-themed gift basket, inspired by the Black Knights. All you have to do is post a photo of you with your bandana and show it to us!

Post your photo to one of the following places:
Julie Ann Walker’s Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/jawalkerauthor

Sourcebooks Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/sourcebooks

Or you can Tweet your photo—be sure to tag @jawalkerauthor or @SourcebooksCasa

You have until November 15, 2013 to send us your photo! The winner will be chosen at random, and announced on Julie Ann Walker’s Facebook Page on Monday, November 18.

Share

A Little Too Far (A LIttle Too Far #1) by Lisa Desrochers-Review, Blog Tour and Giveaway

A LITTLE TO FAR (A Little Too Far #1) by Lisa Desrochers-Review, Blog Tour and Giveaway

A Little Too Far Blog Tour

A Little Too Far
A Little Too Far #1
by Lisa Desrochers
Release Date: September 17, 2013

A Little Too Far

itunes / Books a Million / Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/ Barnes and Noble / KOBO / The Book Depository

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date September 17, 2013

Have you ever gone just a little too far?

Lexie Banks has.

Yep. She just had mind-blowing sex with her stepbrother. In her defense, she was on the rebound, and it’s more of a my-dad-happened-to-marry-a-woman-with-a-super-hot-son situation. But still, he’s been her best friend and confidant for the better part of the last few years … and is so off limits. It’s a good thing she’s leaving in two days for a year abroad in Rome.

But even thousands of miles away, Lexie can’t seem to escape trouble. Raised Catholic, she goes to confession in hopes of alleviating some of her guilt … and maybe not burning in hell. Instead, she stumbles out of the confessional and right into Alessandro Moretti, a young and very easy-on-the-eyes deacon … only eight months away from becoming a priest. Lexie and Alessandro grow closer, and when Alessandro’s signals start changing despite his vow of celibacy, she doesn’t know what to think. She’s torn between falling in love with the man she shouldn’t want and the man she can’t have. And she isn’t sure how she can live with herself either way.

•••••••••••••••••••••••

REVIEW: A LITTLE TOO FAR is the first storyline in Lisa Desrochers contemporary, new adult storyline. Lisa draws the reader into a world of forbidden love between three people: a woman who loves two men and the two men who love one woman. In the end, Lexie must decide if her love is strong enough to overcome society’s issues of right and wrong or if forbidden love is worth the rejection of family and friends.

The storyline focuses on Lexie Banks and the emotional roller coaster that is her life. Prior to leaving on an eight month education exchange in Italy, she and her step brother Trent profess their mutual love for one another and act on their forbidden feelings. Knowing that society will judge their actions, Lexie hopes to put everything behind her in Italy. But their love for one another is much more than surface deep.

A LITTLE TOO FAR is also about a deacon (a priest in training) whose need for a woman is much stronger than his call to serve his God. But there are some family issues and background story that have forced the deacon into the Lord’s service and it will take a forbidden love to show him the path onto which he must travel.

Lisa Desrochers writes about an issue that will be contentious for some readers especially those who follow strict Christian dictates and canon law but she handles the controversy with a delicate touch. The storyline is passionate; the relationship between Lexie and Trent is sensual and sexual and there is no mistaking who and what it is they both want.

The storyline will be controversial for some but no more controversial than many of the fictional and real-life stories that many of us face every day. Although we are not necessarily thrown into a world of sexual fantasies about our step brother or parish priest, the issue at hand is where does someone draw the line between right and wrong? Is forbidden love truly a sin if deep down, there is no sin to forgive.

The characters are colorful; their stories are emotional and the world building is awash in sights and sounds of old Italy and France. Lisa’s ability to bring the story to life is a sign of an author who knows exactly how to tell a story.

Copy supplied by the author

Reviewed by Sandy

about the author

FOLLOW Lisa :  Website / Goodreads / Blog / Facebook / Twitter

Lisa DesrochersAbout the author: Lisa Desrochers lives in central California with her husband and two very busy daughters. There is never a time that she can be found without a book in her hand, and she adores stories that take her to new places, and then take her by surprise.

Look for her New Adult novel, A LITTLE TOO FAR , courtesy of HarperCollins Sept 2013, and the first companion, A LITTLE TOO MUCH , in Nov 2013. Also in stores is her YA PERSONAL DEMONS trilogy (Macmillan).

•••••••••••••••••••••••••

rafflecopter giveaway

Lisa is hosting a tour wide giveaway – Prizes include an iPad Mini, pendant, tote bags, temporary tattoos, and annotated chapters of ALTF

NOTE:  The Reading Cafe is NOT responsible for the rafflecopter giveaway.  If you have any questions, please contact the tour promoter

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

A Little Too Far Blog Tour Banner

Share

East of Ecstasy (Hearts of the Anemoi #4) by Laura Kaye-Cover Reveal

East of Ecstasy (Hearts of the Anemoi #4) by Laura Kaye-Cover Reveal

East of Ecstasy Cover Reveal

East of Ecstasy
Hearts of the Anemoi #4
by Laura Kaye
Release Date: April  2014

EoE_500

Pre Order: Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/ Barnes and Noble / The Book Depository

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date April 2014

Laura Kaye’s EAST OF ECSTASY cover reveal. East of Ecstasy is the final book in the award-winning Hearts of the Anemoi series.

Annalise Fallston made peace with postponing her big-city dreams to care for her ill father, but lately she’s been filled with a restlessness not even her beloved painting dispels. Worse, the colors don’t speak to her as they always have, and all her efforts produce dark, foreboding images of a dangerous man and a terrifying future.

Devlin Eston, black-souled son of the evil Anemoi Eurus, is the only one who can thwart his father’s plan to overthrow the Supreme God of Wind and Storms. But first, Dev must master the unstable powers he’s been given. Distrusted and shunned by his own divine family, he never expected to find kindness and passion in the arms of a mortal.

But Devlin’s love puts Annalise in the path of a catastrophic storm, and in the final Armageddon showdown between the Anemoi and Eurus, sacrifices will be made, hearts broken, and lives changed forever…or lost.

Hearts of the Anemoi Series

__________________________________________________

about the author

Laura Kaye-Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over a dozen books in paranormal and contemporary romance. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Newsletter SignUp

 

Share