Craved by an Alpha (Eternal Mates 5) by Felicity Heaton-Review, Book Barrage and Giveaway

Craved by an Alpha (Eternal Mates 5) by Felicity Heaton-Review, Book Barrage and Giveaway

Craved by an Alpha Banner

Craved by an Alpha, the fifth book in New York Times best-seller Felicity Heaton’s hot paranormal romance series, Eternal Mates, is now available in ebook and paperback. To celebrate the release, she’s holding a FANTASTIC GIVEAWAY at her website and sharing sneak peeks of the book.

Find out how to enter the Craved by an Alpha international giveaway (ends February 8th) and be in with a shot of winning a $75, $50 or $25 gift certificate at her website, where you can also download a 5 chapter sample of the novel: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/craved-by-an-alpha-paranormal-romance-novel.php

craved by an alpha

Craved by an Alpha
Eternal Mates #5
by Felicity Heaton
Genre: adult, contemporary, erotic, paranormal romance
Release Date:January 27, 2015

Amazon.com / KOBO / ibooks

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date January 27, 2015

Having turned his back on his snow leopard pride, Cavanaugh has been counting the days until he’s free of a role he never wanted—one that separated him from his fated female and stands between him and the future he craves with her.

Just days from the night he will finally be free to be with the low-ranking beauty who stole his heart, she walks back into his life and threatens to destroy everything he’s worked towards in the five long years they’ve been apart.

Eloise has traveled across continents searching for the male who was once her best friend and so much more to her, but was now her pride’s true alpha. Desperate to fulfil a promise to her kin to save them from the tyrant he left in charge, she convinces Cavanaugh to return to his pride, but as they journey to Bhutan, doubts bloom and old feelings resurface, tearing her between duty and her deepest desires and impossible dreams.

Will Eloise be able to resist the burning need that Cavanaugh reignites in her and remember her place in the pride? And can Cavanaugh find a way to save his kin and claim the future he craves with the woman he loves?

••••••••••••••

REVIEW: CRAVED BY AN ALPHA is the fifth installment in Felicity Heaton’s adult, contemporary Eternal Mates erotic, paranormal romance series. This is snow leopard shifters Cavanaugh and Eloise’s storyline-a second chance at love for destined mates. CRAVED BY AN ALPHA can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty.

Told from third person point of view, the storyline focuses on reluctant alpha and snow leopard Cavanaugh as he is tasked, by his cautious mate, with returning to his homeland to claim what is rightfully his-the leadership of his pride and a mate he has not seen for close to five years. Eloise has been searching for Cavanaugh for two years hoping to convince the man that she loves to return to their village and accept his position as alpha. Cavanaugh left the pride to protect the woman that he loves only to learn that the male who assumed leadership has left the pride decimated, destroyed and fearing for their lives.

CRAVED BY AN ALPHA follows Cavanaugh and Eloise on their trek back to their homeland. Their time is running out-Cavanaugh has eight days to reclaim his position as alpha or the mantle goes to the current male in charge. What ensues is a journey of flight and foot, through the jungles and over treacherous mountain terrain where our hero reflects on family, his life and the past ten years. Cavanaugh never claimed his mate leaving her to defend for herself against a tyrant and sadistic murderer.

The majority of the storyline is a reflection; a narration that reveals Cavanaugh’s emotional pain and history with his pride. As the reluctant heir and alpha, Cavanaugh tired of the constant battle for leadership and feared placing his unclaimed mate in danger. Leaving the pride was the worst move Cavanaugh could have made.

The relationship and former friendship between our leading couple has already been established but the years under a tyrannical rule have left Eloise fearful and submissive. The sex scenes are erotic and provocative but Cavanaugh had yet to claim his mate-the woman he has never stopped loving.

Felicity Heaton takes the reader on quest; a pilgrimage to the homeland where the scenery and beauty of the land adds to our couple’s wants and needs. There are moments of heartbreak and anguish; romance and love. Because most of the storyline is a reflection, the communication between our couple is limited. The previous history and current dilemma are revealed through contemplation, consideration and internal dialogue. Saying that, Eloise is reluctant to reveal the true nature of her journey and the frightening conditions back home.

Felicity Heaton writes addicting storylines of strong alpha males and the women they love. Her $ex scenes are erotic and seductive; the relationships are emotional and intense. The ETERNAL MATES series and CRAVED BY AN ALPHA are imaginative, enchanting and a rewarding read.

Copy supplied by the author.

Reviewed by Sandy

Excerpt

 

 

 

“I’m going for a swim.”

Eloise barely had time to register those words before Cavanaugh was stripping off his charcoal fleece, tugging the dark t-shirt he wore beneath off with it too. He dropped them on top of his pack and she stared at him, unable to drag her eyes away as they slowly glided down over the hard slabs of his pectorals to the ropes of his stomach.

An ache started low in her belly and only got worse as he tugged off his walking boots, pulled off his socks, and unbuttoned his dark grey trousers. He pushed them down, revealing long toned legs, and stepped out of them, his muscles shifting with the action, mesmerising her.

He truly was a majestic male.

For a moment, she feared he would crush her strength to resist him by stripping completely, but he turned away from her, his black trunks still in place. They hugged the twin globes of his backside as he walked and she stared at them, loving the way they dimpled and flexed with each stride he took towards the water.

When he looked back at her, she dropped her gaze to her pack.

She felt his eyes leave her and lifted hers back to him, drinking in the sight of him. He waded into the water and barked out a sharp noise that echoed around the lush green valley and the mountains beyond.

“Fuck, that’s freezing.” He didn’t turn around as she had expected. He shuddered and kept wading out into the river, his shoulders hunched up and fingers flexing at his sides.

She smiled.

And hid it when he looked back at her.

He grinned, his grey eyes bright with it, a light she hadn’t seen in them for a long time. Too long. This was the gorgeous male she had grown up with, always an air of mischief surrounding him, a sense that he was going to live his life to the fullest and take every adventure in his stride.

Seeing him like it again only made her feel worse about making him return to the pride with her and only made it hit home how much he had changed when he had become their alpha. She had never thought he would smile again as he was now, full of energy and happiness. She had never thought she would see the Cavanaugh who had been her best friend, her closest companion, and so much more than that.

For her at least.

She studied him, spotting all the changes that she had failed to notice, ones that were startlingly clear to her now and told her that things had been hard for Cavanaugh at the village after he had become their alpha. She could see now how much it had weighed on him and she cursed herself for being so wrapped up in her own hurt to notice his struggle. Her heart whispered that it wasn’t only his duties as alpha that had made life at the pride hard for him and she tried to ignore it, afraid to listen to it and believe that his struggle had in part been because they had been separated and couldn’t be together.

She refused to get caught up in that fantasy.

She refused to surrender to her pressing need to question him too, because she feared the answers he might give her.

He bravely dipped lower in the water, kicked off and began to swim in the deepest part of the river, entrancing her as he ducked his head under the cold water and surfaced again. He slicked his silver-white hair back and rivulets ran down his sculpted cheeks and rolled along the strong line of his jaw. He still made her heart beat hard and still drew her to him even though her memories of him were tainted by everything that had come afterwards.

The women.

The warmth that had been building inside her stuttered and died, leaving her ice cold.

Cavanaugh swam towards her, but his smile no longer affected her. The sight of him no longer made her want to rush into his arms and listen to his deep voice as he told her stories of the outside world. The pain of watching him from a distance for five long years crushed that need and the pain of being separated from him and everything she had endured destroyed her softer feelings.

“Join me, Eloise,” he hollered, his smile widening. “It’s not bad once you get used to it.”

“No.” That word came out far colder than she had intended and he frowned at her, his smile disappearing as he stopped swimming.

She looked away from him, unable to bear seeing the hurt as it crossed his face, tearing at her. She hadn’t meant to reject him so cruelly. It had been wrong of her, and not because he was her alpha and she had been disrespectful. It had been wrong of her to hurt him when deep inside she had wanted to take him up on his offer.

She wanted to swim with him, but she couldn’t shake the memories that were bombarding her, replays of the five years she had watched him from a distance as he had acted as their alpha.

She couldn’t shake the flashes of the women who had been all over him, seeking his attention.

Eloise pressed her hands to her chest as her heart hurt and tears threatened to fill her eyes. She sniffed them back, unwilling to let them fall. She had spilled enough tears in her life over everything that had happened. She was done with them now. She was stronger than the woman she had been, the one shaped by events she’d had no control over.

The one who had been torn apart every night when Cavanaugh had gone to his house, a trail of women following him.

It was the right of pride alphas to take their pick from among the females of status, satisfying as many partners as took their fancy. The females vied for the attention of their alpha because sharing his bed might elevate them into the role of his sole female.

Cavanaugh had never chosen one from the many. His father had been like that too, bedding numerous females, never settling on one.

His father had even slept with the females without status, the ones who could never be selected as his sole female.

Her gaze sought Cavanaugh and tracked him as he swam away from her, the distance between them eating at her. How many females had he bedded in the five years he had served as their alpha?

How many more would he sleep with after he returned to that role?

He would return to it. He had no choice. He would become their true alpha again when he set foot in the village, and she would go back to her quiet life, away from the pride. As much as it hurt her, it was how things had to be. She wasn’t bringing him back for her sake. She was doing it for the pride.

Eloise watched him, a deep need growing inside her again, one that she struggled to deny.

Asking Cavanaugh for the truth about how many women he had slept with and whether he had ever cared about her would only end with her being hurt again. She wasn’t strong enough, wasn’t brave enough to lay her heart on the line like that. Her stomach rebelled at the vision of him looking her right in the eye and telling her that he had bedded the females and that she had meant nothing to him, that what had happened between them had been nothing more than satisfying a biological need for him.

She wasn’t strong enough right now to hear that. Seeing him again, speaking to him for the first time in almost a decade, and being close to him had her muddled and off balance, liable to fall apart and make a fool of herself.

Cavanaugh began swimming back towards her and the resolve she had mustered crumbled again. She trembled on the brink of casting aside all the rules and swimming with him. Part of her demanded she seized this moment with him, before he was taken from her again, but the rest warned that it would only make things worse. Giving herself to him again now would make seeing him with other females unbearable. The knowledge that he could again take something precious and special and treat it as if it was nothing would destroy her.

His gaze swung her way and his expression suddenly went cold.

“Eloise!” He shoved out of the water, spraying it everywhere and startling her.

He rushed across the wet rocks, his footing sure as he sprinted towards her, leaping with agile grace from one boulder to the next, his muscles working hard as he closed the distance between them.

Her eyes widened and she turned slowly, her heart thundering against her breast and cold prickles crawling over the nape of her neck.

She wasn’t alone.

Her eyes met the huge tiger’s ones as it stalked towards her from the edge of the forest, already close enough to pounce.

 

 


about the author

Felicity HeatonFelicity Heaton is a New York Times and USA Today international best-selling author writing passionate paranormal romance books. In her books, she creates detailed worlds, twisting plots, mind-blowing action, intense emotion and heart-stopping romances with leading men that vary from dark deadly vampires to sexy shape-shifters and wicked werewolves, to sinful angels and hot demons! If you’re a fan of paranormal romance authors Lara Adrian, J R Ward, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Gena Showalter and Christine Feehan then you will enjoy her books too.

 

If you love your angels a little dark and wicked, the best-selling Her Angel series is for you. If you like strong, powerful, and dark vampires then try the Vampires Realm series or any of her stand-alone vampire romance books. If you’re looking for vampire romances that are sinful, passionate and erotic then try the best-selling Vampire Erotic Theatre series. Or if you prefer huge detailed worlds filled with hot-blooded alpha males in every species, from elves to demons to dragons to shifters and angels, then take a look at the new Eternal Mates series.

If you want to know more about Felicity, or want to get in touch, you can find her at the following places:

Website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk

Blog: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/blog/

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

Twitter: http://twitter.com/felicityheaton

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/felicityheaton

Find all the links, a fantastic 5 chapter downloadable sample of the book, and also how to enter the giveaway and be in with a shot of winning a $75, $50 or $25 gift certificate at her website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/craved-by-an-alpha-paranormal-romance-novel.php

Books in the Eternal Mates paranormal romance series:

Book 1: Kissed by a Dark Prince
Book 2: Claimed by a Demon King
Book 3: Tempted by a Rogue Prince
Book 4: Hunted by a Jaguar
Book 5: Craved by an Alpha
Book 6: Bitten by a Hellcat – Coming February 17th 2015
Book 7: Taken by a Dragon – Coming March 10th 2015

 

giveaway

Felicity is graciously offering an ecopy of any ONE book in her Eternal Mates Series of
either *Kissed by a Dark Prince*, *Claimed by a Demon King*, or *Tempted by a Rogue Prince* (international) to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.

 

1. If you have not previously registered, 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 such as Twitter or Facebook, please post your email address with your comment.

3. LIKE us on FACEBOOK and then click GET NOTIFICATION under ‘liked’ for an additional entry.

4. LIKE us on Twitter for an additional entry.

5. Please FOLLOW us on TSU for an additional entry.

6. LIKE Felicity Heaton on Facebook

7. LIKE Felicity Heaton on TWITTER

8. Sign up for Felicity Heaton’s NEWSLETTER

9. Giveaway open Internationally

10. Giveaway runs from January 28  to 31, 2015

Share

Hot and Bothered (Hot in the Kitchen #3) by Kate Meader-Review, Promotion and Giveaway

Hot and Bothered (Hot in the Kitchen #3) by Kate Meader-Review, Promotion and Giveaway

Hot-and-Bothered-Launch-Day-Blitz
Hot and Bothered Banner

Hot and Bothered
Hot in the Kitchen #3
by Kate Meader
Genre: adult, contemporary, erotic romance

Paper copy Release Date: January 27, 2015
Hot and Bothered

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

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Although her baby boy keeps her plate full, Jules Kilroy is ready to take her love life off the back burner. Despite a bevy of eligible bachelors, it’s her best friend, Taddeo DeLuca, who’s fueling her hormones with generous servings of his mouth-watering Italian sexiness. But Jules learned her lesson once before when she went in for a kiss, only to have Tad reject her. She’s vowed never to blur the lines again . . .

After a lifetime of excuses and false starts, Tad has finally opened a wine bar, a deal made even sweeter when Jules joins his staff. Lovers come and go, and he’s had his share, but friendships like theirs last forever. Still, ever since he tasted her luscious lips, he can’t stop fantasizing about what could be. Then she signs up for an online dating site—and the thought of his Jules with another man makes Tad’s blood boil. Even if he gets burned, Tad can’t stop himself from turning up the heat this time.

••••••••••••••

REVIEW: HOT AND BOTHERED is the third installment in Kate Meader’s contemporary, adult Hot in the Kitchen erotic romance series focusing on the DeLuca/Kilroy family. This is Taddeo DeLuca and Jules Kilroy’s storyline –a friends to lovers scenario. HOT AND BOTHERED advances the series approximately eighteen months to two years. Although HOT AND BOTHERED is the third book in the series, it can be read as a stand alone without too much difficulty. Any important information from the previous storylines is added where necessary.

The premise follows single mother Jules Kilroy and her friendship with Taddeo DeLuca. It has been eighteen months since she gave birth to her son Evan and she has decided it is time to get back out into the world of dating-her only problem-she is in love with her best friend Tad DeLuca-a man with a reputation for the ladies. As Jules’s sisters in law help with her foray into the online dating websites, Tad finds himself becoming over protective and a little more than jealous when his best friend begins to see other men.

Tad is a man who wants to prove himself worthy of his family and friends but a heartbreaking loss ten years earlier finds Tad wallowing in guilt, self doubt and any excuse not to get close to the woman that he loves. Words will be said in anger and Tad’s relationship with Jules will die a slow death-one heartbeat at a time. Their pasts continue to haunt their present and in this the emotional pull of helplessness, guilt and moving on is always a reminder of what was and what could have been.

The secondary and supporting characters include all of the previous storyline couples as well as everyone at DeLuca’s restaurant, family and friends. Because the storyline advances the series eighteen to twenty four months, we are given another look at Jack and Lili’s relationship as well as Shane and Cara-their struggles and expanding families. Kate Meader’s world of Hot in the Kitchen takes the reader behind the scenes at a family run restaurant-the people, their lives and their loves.

HOT AND BOTHERED is an emotional read; a sexy storyline about two people who continue to ignore the elephant in the room-they are in love with one another but heartbreak and the fear of the unknown is holding them back.

Reading Order and Reviews
Feel The Heat
All Fired Up
Hot and Bothered

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley.

Reviewed by Sandy

excerpt

 

 

“I’ll walk you up,” he said, slipping his jacket on so it was clear to both of them he would be on his way as soon as his chivalrous duty had been performed. Because people put on jackets to, you know, go outside.
“You don’t—”
“I do.” He tucked his hand under her elbow, the touch electrifying his every cell once more. He didn’t let go of her arm as he guided her up to the second flight.
He took the key and opened her door. No problems with the door knob.
“I’ve got it from here,” she said, still avoiding his eyes. Good girl, look away. If she had any sense of self-preservation, she would close the door and send him packing because he was this close to pushing her against the wall and banging her boneless.
“How did your date go tonight?”
Fuck. The self-preservation thing goes both ways, bischero.
There was that flare of anger again. He wished she’d come right out and say what she was mad about.
“I didn’t know Cara was going to bring Darian.”
“So, a pleasant surprise. A doctor.” Merda, that came out sarcastic, which, to be honest, he meant it to be. Judging by the freeze-his-nuts stare she aimed his way, she took it in that same spirit.
“Think I don’t have it in me to date someone smart like that?”
“Don’t use that card, Jules. You have it in you to get anyone you want. I just don’t think that guy’s right for you.”
“Why?”
Because he’s not me.
None of those idiots understood the first thing about her. Tad did, though. He knew that sometimes she felt dumb because the words on the page refused to cooperate for her. He knew that she had spent her childhood wishing that someone, anyone would see her. He knew she had fought like a tigress to get here so she could provide the best life possible for Evan.
Tad had been there from the beginning, shoulder at the ready for her tears, hand outstretched so she could crush it while delivering Evan. Fancy diplomas, fat bank balances, a McMansion in Schaumburg—none of these things qualified them for shit where this woman was concerned.
“He’s just looking for a housewife to support him and pump out his kids while he does his important job.”
“Wow, you got all this from watching me flirt with him?”
He could feel his teeth mashed together like a trash compactor and he spat out the next words with trouble. “Conor’s no good for you either, so you can forget about that.”
“What’s his problem, then? He owns his own bar, saves people from burning buildings… Oh, is that it?” She kicked off her shoes, an angry smirk crinkling the corner of her mouth as one of the heels hit the leg of her coffee table with a satisfying thud. “You don’t think guys who save lives are good enough for me. You’re not exactly saving any lives when you pair that silky Pinot with the aged manchego.”
As insults go, it was pretty tame, but the sharpness in his chest registered the unintended blow. Saving lives was the last thing he was qualified for.
“I’m just trying to look out for you, Jules.”
“That’s a neat trick. You move your lips and Jack’s words come out. I’ve already told you I don’t need another brother.”
She might not need a brother but she needed a protector. Someone who could be with her through the tough times, who understood the meaning of sacrifice and family. Someone not like him.
But he could be her friend. “What happened to get you so upset tonight?”
Her brows drew together over eyes sparking with determination. “I realized I have to take what I need and fight for what’s mine.”
Whoa, if he wasn’t turned on before, he sure as hell was now. Mine. He loved how that sounded on her lips, even though he had no idea what she was yammering on about. She was grabbing something by the balls—her destiny, perhaps, and he was man enough to say, she had him by the balls as well.
The smoky lines around eyes dark with emotion hit him like a shot of moonshine. Every hair, and more, stood to attention at the sight of her Cabernet-red lips in that beautiful bow shape that would look so perfect trailing scorching kisses across his chest and beyond. Warmth washed through his veins. The edge of desire rose up to meet him and he embraced it fully.
He was only human.
She padded toward him, showcasing the sultry sway of her hips even without the sparkly fuck-me heels. Her eyes turned to shadowy emeralds like the pupils had swallowed the usual sea-green brightness. He recognized that look. He had seen it the other night in the wake of his kiss. Except for one difference: Juliet Kilroy, his friend, hot MILF, was now seducing him.
She brushed by him and closed her fist over the doorknob. Looked like her difficulties with the open/close thing were a thing of the past. Drawing the door ajar a few inches, she speared him with a look that might have flattened a lesser man.
“I’m giving you a choice. You can walk out this door and pretend there isn’t something happening between us or you can stay and give me what I need.”
His cock thickened and grew achy. “What do you need, Jules?”
“You. Inside me. All night.”
Oh, sweet Jesus.
He held her green tilty gaze, aiming to infuse his next words with cut-the-bull clarity. “I’m not like the others, those men you’ve been dating, the ones who slobbered all over you tonight. I’m not boyfriend material.”
“That’s not what you offered, though, was it?”
Leaning past her shoulder, he pressed the door shut, the snick short and final.
Inevitable.
“That’s not what I offered.”


 

 

Interview-RED

TRC: Hi Kate and welcome to The Reading Café. We would like to start with some background information.

Kate MeaderWould you please tell us something about yourself?

Kate: Well, I’m originally from Ireland and I’ve lived in Chicago for over twenty years. I have degrees in law, history, and library science, and I write about hot alpha men and the women who can match them quip for quip.

TRC: Who or what influenced your career in writing?

Kate: I’m huge fan of romance with humor, so when younger, I loved sexy, sprawling comedic romances and women’s fiction from Maeve Binchy and Jilly Cooper. These days, major influences are Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Jill Shalvis, Rachel Gibson, and Jenny Crusie.

Hot and BotheredTRC: HOT AND BOTHERED is the latest release in your Hot in the Kitchen contemporary, romance series. Would you please tell us something about the premise?

Kate: The series follows the lives and loves of the DeLucas, an Italian-American restaurant owning family and the sizzling chefs who love them. HOT AND BOTHERED is a friends to lovers story that gets its kick start when my heroine, Jules decides she’s ready to take her love life off the back burner and start dating. And that gets my hero, Tad, all riled up because he’s been crazy about her forever. So he embarks on a plan to keep her
close by having her use her culinary skills in his wine bar kitchen, by sabotaging any date she’s on, and by offering her an alternative—a sexy fling to scratch her itch.

TRC: How many books do you have planned for the series?

Kate: There are three books planned in the Hot in the Kitchen series—FEEL THE HEAT, ALL FIRED UP, and HOT AND BOTHERED. All are written and now available in both print and ebook.

Hot in the Kitchen series

TRC: What challenges or difficulties (research, logistics, background) did you encounter writing this particular series?

Kate: None, really! I mean, it’s food after all. I watched a lot of cooking shows and online videos to get the behind-the-scenes of working in a professional kitchen. I also cooked a lot of the recipes used in the books.

TRC: When writing a storyline, do the characters direct the writing or do you direct the characters?

Kate: Characters first, always.

TRC: The mark of a good writer is to pull the reader into the storyline so that they experience the emotions along with the characters. What do you believe a writer must do to make this happen? Where do you believe writers fail in this endeavor?

Kate: It all comes down to writing characters that people can identify with, whether it’s a princess or a single mom down on her luck. As long as that character is acting in situations that make sense to that character—and us—the reader will want to get on board that train. Usually, I find writers fail if they establish a character and then have them make decisions that make no sense. Not necessarily a dumb decision, but one that’s not in keeping with the traits of that person.

TRC: What is something that few, if any people, know about you?

Kate: A lot of people don’t know I have a masters degree in medieval history. I studied medieval nuns and holy women who used their connection to God to find new paths to empowerment in their community. Medieval nuns were probably the first feminists!

TRC: On what are you currently working?

Flirting with FireKate: I’m working on a new series called Hot in Chicago about a family of firefighting foster siblings and their blazing hot love interests. The first full-length book, FLIRTING WITH FIRE, comes out in March 2015.

TRC: Would you like to add anything else?

Kate: Just thanks for having me!

TRC: Thank you Kate for taking the time to answer our questions. Congratulations on all of your success.Congratulations on all of your success.

About The Author

FOLLOW: Goodreads / Website / Twitter / Facebook

Kate MeaderKate writes contemporary romance that serves up delicious food, to-die-for heroes, and heroines with a dash of sass. FEEL THE HEAT, the first in her Hot in the Kitchen series from Forever/Grand Central is now available, with Book 2 in the series, ALL FIRED UP, following in November 2013.

Originally from Ireland, she cut her romance reader teeth on Catherine Cookson and Jilly Cooper novels, with some Mills and Boons thrown in for variety. Her stories are set in her adopted home town of Chicago, a city made for food, romance, and laughter – and where she met her own sexy hero.

 

giveaway

There are TWO (2) ways to WIN

Giveaway #1

The publisher is offering the complete set of Hot in the Kitchen books-Feel The Heat, All Fired Up and Hot and Bothered by Kate Meader.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway #2

To celebrate the paper back release Kate’s publisher is graciously offering a paper copy of HOT AND BOTHERED to one (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.

1. If you have not previously registered at The Reading Cafe, please register by 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 LIKE us on FACEBOOK and click GET NOTIFICATIONS

4. Please FOLLOW us on Twitter for an additional entry.

5. Please FOLLOW us on GOODREADS for an additional entry.

6. Please FOLLOW us on TSU for an additional entry.

7. Follow Kate Meader on Facebook.

8. Giveaway is open to USA and Canada only

9. Giveaway runs from January 27-31, 2015

Share

Blind Faith (Sin Brothers #3) by Rebecca Zanetti-Promotion, Interview and Giveaway

Blind-Faith-Launch-Day-Blitz[6]

Blind Faith (Sin Brothers #3) by Rebecca Zanetti-Promotion,Interview and Giveaway

Blind Faith Banner

Blind Faith
Sin Brothers #3
by Rebecca Zanetti
Genre: adult, contemporary, suspense, paranormal
Release Date: May 6, 2014
Paper back release : January 27, 2015

Blind Faith

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

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 6, 2014

A betrayal he couldn’t forget . . .

For Nate Dean, love is a four-letter word. As part of a secret black-ops military unit, he and his brothers were genetically engineered by the government to be ruthless soldiers with an expiration date. They were loyal only to one another . . . until Nate laid eyes on the woman who stole his heart and blew his world apart. Now, years later, his family is still paying the price for his mistake. But as time runs out, there’s only one person who can save his family: the very woman Nate swore he’d never trust again.

A love she couldn’t deny . . .

The moment Audrey Madison spies Nate across a crowded ballroom, she can barely breathe. He’s just as undeniably sexy as she remembers, yet there’s an edge to him now that’s as irresistible as it is dangerous. When he asks for her help, Audrey can’t refuse. But she has secrets of her own-secrets that, if Nate ever discovers them, may cost them both their lives .

••••••••••••••••

REVIEW: BLIND FAITH is the third instalment in Rebecca Zanetti’s contemporary, adult, action suspense, slightly paranormal Sin Brothers Series focusing on Mattie, Shane, Nate and Jory Dean- four genetically engineered brothers who were created to become the perfect super soldier. This is Nate Dean and Audrey Madison’s story. Audrey is the ‘daughter’ of the doctor who, along with the commander, has helped create the ultimate warrior of destruction. The commander is still determined to bring the brothers back into the fold but there are only a couple weeks remaining on the brothers’s expiration date.

As the series continues, it is Nate’s turn to hunt down the people responsible for their creation but someone from Nate’s past has popped up on their radar and Nate needs information and answers to many questions. Audrey is the only woman whom he has ever loved and she is the daughter of the woman who is directly responsible for his brothers’s impending demise. It has been close to five years since Audrey and Nate last had contact and many things have changed in the ensuing time. Not only have they both lost someone they have loved but they will be pulled together by a secret neither one ever knew.

The relationship between Audrey and Nate is sexual, sensual and has lost none of the powerful attraction since they last met. Nate is determined to keep Audrey in his life but Audrey has other plans-she is determined to take down the commander on her own.

All of the previous storyline characters play a secondary role including Mattie and Shane Dean. The world building continues as the brothers hunt for the code to deactivate their death sentence but the people responsible continue to elude capture or meet their end. The search for the youngest Dean brother continues with a glimmer of hope that Jory may still be alive and in this, the brothers’s storyline will continue, at least, for one more chapter.

BLIND FAITH is a fast paced story of action, suspense and drama. Rebecca Zanetti has written a compelling and intriguing series about four brothers brought together by DNA, power and abuse and, circumstance. It is their continuing search for the code that pulls the brothers together. These are their stories of love and loss; betrayal and heartbreak; family and connections.

Reading Order
1. Forgotten Sins
2. Sweet Revenge
3. Blind Faith (May 2014)
4. Total Surrender (March 2015)

Copy supplied by Netgalley.

Reviewed by Sandy

excerpt

 

 

“Let’s dance.” He turned her toward the dance floor.
She balked. “No.” God. She couldn’t dance with him, couldn’t be touched by him.
“Yes.” His hold slid down to the back of her elbow, and he ushered her toward where the orchestra was playing “I Will Wait for You” by Michel Legrand. The warmth in Nate’s touch flared her nerves to life in an erotic need she’d worked hard to overcome.
“Nate—”
“Shhh.” He tightened his hold and drew her into an impressive erection.
She gasped, her face heating, her sex convulsing. Blinking, she glanced up in confusion to see if he was as affected as she was and stilled at the look in his eyes.
Furious. The man was truly furious. Even with the contacts masking his eyes, his anger shone bright.
She tried to step back and didn’t move. Yeah, she knew she’d hurt him when she’d ended their relationship, but after nearly five years, he shouldn’t still be so mad. He’d had freedom for five years, which was a hell of a lot better than she’d had. She’d had pain and fear and uncertainty. She blinked. “What is wrong with you?”
His impossibly hard jaw somehow hardened even more. “Oh, we’ll discuss that shortly.” Threat lived strongly in the calm words. “For now, we’re going to finish this dance. Then you’ll take the north exit and meet me in my car so we can talk.”
“If I don’t?” she asked quietly, wings fluttering through her abdomen.
His hold tightened imperceptibly. “I know where you live, I know your daily routine in working for Senator Nash, and I know where you go when you need time alone. You can’t hide, you can’t outrun me—and you know it.”
The hairs on the back of her neck rose. “How long have you been watching me?” More importantly, why hadn’t she noticed?
“A week. Long enough to know the two apes toward the doorway are following you, too. What’s up with that?” His hold tightened just enough to show his strength.
She shrugged. “They haven’t made a move, so I’m not worrying about it.” Not true, and by the narrowing of Nate’s eyes, he could still smell a lie a mile away. “The commander is having me followed.”
Nate’s jaw clenched. “Why?”
“Dunno.” They didn’t have time to discuss it. “You should go now.”
“No.” He spun her, easily controlling their movements.
Her leg hitched, and she stumbled against him.
He frowned. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” None of his damn business, that was. “What do you want to talk about?”
His gaze narrowed, and he spun her again. She tripped again. Her damn leg didn’t move that way. She glanced toward the doorway and the two soldiers watching her. They’d straightened to alert stances. Damn it.
“What’s wrong with your leg?” Nate asked, brows furrowing.
Oh, they were so not going into her injuries on the dance floor. “You almost sound like you care.” She threw his words back at him, gratified when his nostrils flared in irritation.
His gaze probed deep, wandering down her neck. He blinked several times, his chest moving with a harsh intake of breath. “I like your dress,” he rumbled, his voice a low whisper.
With his tight hold, she had no doubt the tops of her breasts were visible. “Nathan, don’t—”
“Don’t what?” His gaze rose to her lips. A light of a different sort filtered through his angry eyes. She knew that look. Her body heated and her thighs softened. His erection jumped against her, and she bit down a groan.
“One kiss, Audrey.”
Her eyes widened to let in more light. “No,” she breathed. One of his hands held hers, the other pressed against her back. Thank goodness. He couldn’t grab her and kiss her, no matter how appealing the thought. “Bad idea.”
“I know.” Nate didn’t need hands. His lips met hers so quickly, she never saw him move.
His mouth covered hers with no hesitancy, no question—as if he had every right to go deep. His tongue was savage and demanding, holding nothing back and accepting no evasion. He tasted of loneliness, anger, and lust. Hard, needy, demanding lust.
The men at the door were watching.
But her body didn’t care—instantly igniting instead of pushing away. Her heart thundered in her ears, and she fell into his heat, uncaring of whether or not he caught her. He wrapped around her, his unyielding body holding her upright. He caressed her with his tongue, and she met him thrust for thrust, fierce pleasure lighting her on fire.
She forgot where they were, who they were, everything but the desperate need he created.
He broke the kiss, blatant male hunger crossing his face. His breath panted out even as he moved them in tune with the music.
She softened against him, allowing him to lead so she didn’t collapse. Her mind whirled, and she shook her head to regain reality. “Nathan, what do you want?” The question emerged as a breathless plea she couldn’t mask.
That quickly, all hints of desire slid from his face. His chin hardened. “Want? I want to know what happened to the child you were carrying five years ago when you ripped out my heart. Where’s my baby, Audrey?”


 
Interview

Rebecca ZanettiTRC:  Hi Rebecca and welcome back to The Reading Café. Congratulations on the paper back release of BLIND FAITH book three in your amazing Sin Brother Series.

Who or what influenced your career in writing?

Rebecca: I’d have to say Nora Roberts. I mean, I loved mysteries and teen paranormals, but the first romance I ever read was a Nora Roberts, and I was hooked for life.

TRC: When not writing, what do you do to relax?

Rebecca: It depends on the time of year. In the summer, we go to our lake cabin, and I’ll just kick back with the kids in the sun. In the winter, we go to a mountain cabin and snowmobile…or hang out by the fire with warm drinks. I relax with family and friends every chance I get.

TRC: Is there any profession that you would have liked to enter but never had the opportunity?

Rebecca: Oh my gosh, what a great question! Yes! I would love to go back to school and study either quantum physics or genetics. Or maybe both. I think being able to conduct research and experiments would be tons of fun.

Blind FaithTRC: BLIND FAITH is the May 2014 release in your Sin Brothers series-would you please tell us something about the premise?

Rebecca: The Sin Brothers is a series about a band of half-brothers genetically enhanced in test tubes and raised as soldiers. They learned early on that family is all that matters, and they fought for each other until finally gaining freedom from their creators. Now, all bets are off, they’re heading back to take out the people who created them…while finding love on the way.

Blind Faith begins with the hero having to hunt down the woman who’d broken his heart years ago in order to save his brothers from the kill chips embedded near their spines. He finds her, and while there’s definitely tension, he instantly feels the protectiveness toward her that he had when they were together.

Total Surrender March 15TRC: March 2015 with mark the release of TOTAL SURRENDER –the final book in your Sin Brothers series? Would you please tell us something about the premise?

Rebecca: The premise of Total Surrender is that the three older Dean brothers finally find out what happened to their younger brother, and hopefully they all get reunited. (They totally do). Jory, the smartest brother, is on a quest to destroy the kill chips embedded near their spines, but his damaged, and he’s not sure if he’ll survive. Piper Oliver, the heroine, is determined to help him…yet she has her own agenda, too.

TRC: How do you feel about the series coming to an end?

Rebecca: Well, I was really happy to finally tell Jory’s story, because it was time for that reunion. And, to be honest, I’m working on a spin-off series right now, because I’m not ready to let those Dean Brothers go quite yet.

TRC: What challenges or difficulties (research, logistics, background) did you encounter writing this particular storyline and series?

Rebecca: For this storyline and arc, I had to research biology a little bit to deal with the kill chips. I’m not going to lie – I took quite a bit of artistic license. LOL! Plus, I hounded a few doctors for ideas, and that ended up being a lot of fun.

TRC: How do you keep the plotline unpredictable without sacrificing content and believability?

Rebecca: If I can surprise myself as I write, I figure I can surprise readers, too.

There are quite a few surprises in both Blind Faith and Total Surrender that I had no clue about until they ended up on the page. Of course, then I have to figure out how the plot works around those surprises, but that challenge makes the whole process more enjoyable.

Sin Brothers

TRC: Do you believe that the book cover and image plays any role in the reader’s selection process?

Rebecca: Sure. I’ve picked up a book with a cool cover just because of the cover before, haven’t you? There are some amazing covers out there, and I’m always so excited when I first see one of my covers. I love the ones in the Sin Brother series.

TRC: What is something that few, if any people, know about you?

Rebecca: I’m totally addicted to Trivia Crack right now. I’ll text and harass my sisters if they haven’t played in a while and I’m waiting for them to play.

TRC: Thank you Rebecca for taking the time to answer our questions. Congratulations on all of your success.

Rebecca: Thanks so much, and I really appreciate being invited here to play today. The interview questions were awesome!

Website: http://rebeccazanetti.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RebeccaZanetti.Author.FanPage
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RebeccaZanetti
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4149342.Rebecca_Zanetti

giveaway

There are TWO (2) ways to WIN !!

Giveaway #1:

The PUBLISHER is offering a fantastic Rafflecopter giveaway which includes a grand prize of all three books in the series, plus an ARC of TOTAL SURRENDER, a “Who Shot Jory Dean?” T-shirt and a Blind Faith dog tag:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveway #2: Exclusive to The Reading Cafe

To celebrate the paper back release the PUBLISHER is offering a paper copy of BLIND FAITH to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe

1. If you have not previously registered at The Reading Cafe, please register by 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 LIKE us on FACEBOOK and click GET NOTIFICATIONS

4. Please FOLLOW us on Twitter for an additional entry.

5. Please FOLLOW us on GOODREADS for an additional entry.

6. Please LIKE us on TSU for an additional entry.

7. Follow Rebecca Zanetti on Facebook.

8. Giveaway is open to USA and Canada only

9. Giveaway runs from January 27-30, 2015

Share

The Rules According to Gracie by Stefanie London – a Review

The Rules According to Gracie by Stefanie London – a Review

 

The Rules According to GracieAmazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / BAM

Description:
Rule number one: don’t fall for the wrong guy.

Gracie Green has a shopping list for men. Career, financials, family…and a long list of rules to determine a guy’s suitability. She’s already disappointed her socialite mother once—now Gracie needs to find Mr. Perfect. Too bad she keeps getting distracted by her super-sexy, six-feet-of-tattooed-hotness friend, Des, who is so many shades of Mr. Wrong…

Bar owner Des Chapman has vowed never again to get involved with society girls. Yet he’s irresistibly drawn to Gracie—those lush curves, those lips, and her ridiculous ability to date the wrong guys. As Gracie’s discouragement grows, Des realizes it’s time to show her what shereally needs in a man—and it has nothing to do with a briefcase and generous bank account. He’ll teach Gracie the Rules According To Des…even if it means breaking his rule in the process.

 

Review:

The Rules According to Gracie by Stefanie London was such a fun read.

Gracie is the main character, she was hilarious.  I laughed so hard at her attempts to find the right guy.  She wants all the boxes ticked, but the harder she tries, the harder they fail.

I loved her call for help to Des. A certain cocktail, and it’s Des to her rescue. I think this should have told her how she sees her dates, I think subconsciously she wanted either Des to give them the thumbs up, or wanted him to sweep her off her feet and claim her as his. 🙂

She promised her dying father to try and make her mother happy (a feat in its self!) so ….. No tattooed bar owners, just white collared boars!!

The character of Des was simply gorgeous. I loved how he slowly steered Gracie from her path of searching for the perfect man, and to see him in that role. He fell for Gracie and that was totally unacceptable, he has his own set of rules, and won’t break them, not even for Gracie.

The scenes were well written, I loved the scenes between the main characters.

Her mother was a nightmare, nothing Gracie did was ever good enough.

And the scenes between her dates had me chuckling. All those nightmare dates we go on, before we meet Mr Right. I highly recommend this fabulous read, passionate, sexy, flirty and fun.

Reviewed by Julie B.

Copy provided by Publisher

 

Share

Viper Game (Ghostwalkers #11) by Christine Feehan – Dual Review and Giveaway

Viper Game by Christine Feehan – Dual Review and Giveaway

 

Viper Game Banner

 

Viper Game
Ghostwalker series – Book # 11
by Christine Feehan
Genre: adult, contemporary, paranormal, romance
Release Date: January 27, 2015, Viper Game Jan 15Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / The Book Depository / BAM

Description:
GhostWalker Wyatt Fontenot knows the price he paid for the secret military experiments that gave him his special catlike abilities. After all, he left his bayou home a healer and came back a killer. While Wyatt and his GhostWalker brother Gator may have known exactly the sort of game they were getting into, Wyatt never anticipated where it would lead—or to whom.

The swamps hold many mysteries, but few are as sinuously seductive as Le Poivre de Cayenne. The woman the locals call Pepper is every bit as enigmatic as the three little girls she’s desperately trying to protect. From what, Wyatt is soon to discover. Right now Pepper needs a man like Wyatt. Passionately. But her secrets are about to take them both deeper into the bayou than either imagined—where desire is the deadliest poison of all.

 

Barb’s Review:

Viper Game by Christine Feehan is the 11th book in her wonderful GhostWalker series. We have been waiting a long time to get Wyatt’s story, and it was worth the wait; even though there are many more Ghost Walkers we can’t wait to read about. This is a typical Christine Feehan story, with a bit of everything from romance, suspense, danger, action-packed excitement, hot hot men, and on top of all that a couple that sizzles all throughout the book. Make no mistake, Viper Game is sexy as hell.

Wyatt Fontenot is Gator’s brother, and though I loved Wyatt, no one can touch Gator.   But this is Wyatt’s book and the story starts with him coming home to the swamp with his two friends to help his Grandmere. It seems that that something is going on nearby in a private building that is gated and tightly guarded.

When Wyatt returns with his friends after checking out the building beyond the swamp, he meets our heroine, Pepper, under difficult circumstances. Thinking his Grandmere was in danger, Wyatt makes a move that causes Pepper to get hurt trying to save him from an unlikely source.

What follows is an awesome story about another one of Peter Whitney’s devious attempts at creating super soldiers, and his using children, even babies to create poisonous vipers. It doesn’t take long for Wyatt to know that Pepper is his mate, even if she is too afraid to commit to anyone, knowing how dangerous she is. Pepper’s skill is different, and very lethal, as it did put an interesting twist into the story, especially effecting all the guys. The storyline with the babies also makes this a good story in a fight to save the baby, and the other two babies still at the compound.

I do not want to give spoilers, as a lot happens. Just know that Wyatt and Pepper scorch the pages. I thought Wyatt was a bit too rough, and angry with Pepper, which did turn me off at times. With that said, you need to read the story to understand why. The last half of the book was filled with so much action, and intense excitement. I really liked Wyatt’s team, especially Trap, who we know will be getting his own book, if not next, sometime in the future. I wish we could have seen Gator and Flame, but it didn’t happen. However, Wyatt and Pepper were great, and she is a worthy addition to the female GhostWalkers. Wonderful addition to this series.

 

Sandy’s Review:

VIPER GAME is the eleventh installment in Christine Feehan’s adult, contemporary Ghostwalker paranormal romance series focusing on an elite group of enhanced supernatural soldiers. This is Wyatt Fontenot (Gator’s brother –Night Game-Ghostwalker #3) and Pepper. VIPER GAME can be read as a stand alone but for background, history and overall enjoyment I recommend reading the series in order.

Wow. It’s been almost thirty (30) months (July 2012) since we last visited the Ghostwalker series and Christine Feehan welcomes a new team of supernatural soldiers. We are reintroduced to the newly enhanced Wyatt Fontenot-a man who purposely walked into Dr. Whitney’s labs in the hopes of gaining his super powers. With his feline DNA, Wyatt has become an exceptional soldier with over four hundred missions to date. But a call from his Nonny about mysterious happenings in the Bayou will bring Wyatt home, along with two fellow soldiers, Malachi and Ezekiel Fortunes, to investigate the who and the what of the swamp surrounding his boyhood home. What ensues is the discovery of a female Ghostwalker named Pepper whose story and connection to Wyatt will shake the very foundations of family and love.

Like most of Christine Feehan’s Ghostwalker storylines there is an instant attraction between Wyatt and Pepper. Dr. Whitney’s experiments pair up matching soldiers such that each will compliment or destroy the essence of what it means to be a super soldier with enhanced powers and psychic abilities. Pepper and Wyatt’s relationship is fused with the knowledge that Whitney has stolen from them something more precious than DNA -their future happiness and family. As Wyatt works with his team to infiltrate the latest test labs, Pepper is uncertain that her future is safe with any man. The $ex scenes are raw and intense. There is a necessity to their mating-one that does not go unnoticed by every red blooded male around- but one that will quell the mutual burning fires of need and want.

The secondary and supporting cast includes the many soldiers who guard and protect Whitney’s latest compound: Wyatt’s new team of genetically enhanced soldiers including Malachai, Mordichai and Ezekiel Fortunes; Trap and Draden. The only previous storyline character is Wyatt’s grand-mere Nonny. Gator and Flame are briefly mentioned but notably absent: we do not get an appearance by our favorite Cajun man. We are introduced to the latest female Ghostwalker-a woman known only as Cayenne-but a woman who starts to melt the frigid frost around Trap’s heart. Recognize where this team of female soldiers is heading?-SPICE GIRLS–and there are three more little girls whose names are as sweet as the flavors they enhance.

At times VIPER GAME fell closely into Carpathian territory with some of the enhanced psychic abilities especially Wyatt’s power to heal and Trap’s ability to …well you will see. I almost felt that I was reading a cross over storyline involving both series which was a little disconcerting because the comparisons were many.

VIPER GAME is a fast paced, action packed story of insta love, romance, suspense and mystery. Dr. Whitney has yet to be caught; he is constantly on the move; and Wyatt’s team are the latest ‘victims’ to fall under the spell of their genetically modified mates. Christine Feehan’s imagination knows no boundaries; she will pull you in and never let go. Her stories are heartbreaking, emotional and always with a love connection that goes beyond DNA.

My only concern is the number of previous storyline Ghostwalkers who have yet to find their happily ever after. With the introduction of a new team of enhanced soldiers and a glimpse at Trap and Cayenne’s possible connection, what happens to men without women to anchor them in the psychic world of DNA enhancement and destructive powers?

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley

giveaway

Christine’s publisher is graciously offering a paper copy of VIPER’S GAME to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.

1. If you have not previously registered at The Reading Cafe, please register by 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 LIKE us on FACEBOOK and click GET NOTIFICATIONS

4. Please FOLLOW us on Twitter for an additional entry.

5. Please FOLLOW us on GOODREADS for an additional entry.

6. Please LIKE us on TSU for an additional entry.

7. Follow Christine Feehan on Facebook for an additional entry.

8. Giveaway is open to USA only.

9. Giveaway runs from January 26-30, 2015

Share

Immortal Flame by Jillian David – a Review

Immortal Flame by Jillian David – a Review

 

Immortal flameAmazon

Description:
World War II veteran Peter Blackstone traded his soul so that his wife could live. That was 1945. Since then, Peter has lived an unnaturally long life as a hired killer, providing the life forces upon which Jerahmeel feeds to survive.

Doctor Allison La Croix has a big problem. She randomly sees people’s deaths. She has longed to be free of her twisted “gift” to live a normal life without fear of predicting yet another loved one’s demise.

After a horrific accident, a severely injured Peter arrives in Allison’s ER. The vision Allison experiences when she touches him nearly kills her. He teaches her to block these devastating episodes as she finds a way to unlock his forgotten, passionate soul.

But Jerahmeel’s minion has orders to destroy Peter and anyone he loves. Will Peter’s and Allison’s shattered souls survive the devious plan? Or could their love save them both? Someone will have hell to pay.

 

Review:

Wow !!!  Immortal Flame by Jillian David was such a great read. Totally different from my usual reading material.  Fast paced and full of action.

Peter is our hero, after making a pact (he is called an Indebted) with his master, he lives to do his masters bidding. The Jerahmeel is satan in human form.

Peter has a sword In which he dispatches evil with. The sword is an extension of Peter. The sword channels the blood from the criminals, the insanity, the cruelty and the wickedness from the blood feeds his master. And the reason Peter is serving Jerahmeel?  He made a deal to spare his wife’s life and his life was now Jerahmeel’s to command.

Peter is practically indestructible, even after a terrible car crash, (which would have killed a normal person) he began to heal.  Waking in a hospital, he is faced with an angel, long forgotten emotions begin to surface, he feels protective and possessive of her.

Allison is just starting her shift at the hospital, she is a doctor. Allison has a gift (or as she calls it a curse) if she touches you, she might see your death. This has haunted her for as long as she can remember.

She touches Peter as she starts her examination of the patient. Immediately she is bombarded with horrific scenes of death. This causes her to black out, when she comes round, Peter is watching her intently. He starts to bombard her with questions, what did she see?  Before She can respond, Peter’s brother appears. Dante is like Peter, they have been friends for 100 years !!!!  Peter and Dante convince Allison to release Peter from the hospital. If he spends too long in one place, bad things happen.

Dante informs Peter that he has to remain in town for his next assignment.  Once Peter and Allison catch up with each other, things start to happen.  Why does his boss want him dead?

Both the main characters were very well written, and even Dante made me smile. The scenes were incredibly detailed. I could see the battles, I could see Peters struggle with what was right.

I can’t recommend this book enough. I’m thrilled to find out that there is a 2nd book in this Hell to Pay series (Relentless Flame)  coming soon, with a 3rd (Flame Unleashed) to follow.

Reviewed by Julie B.

Copy provided by Author

Share

Foolproof (Drexler University #2) by Jennifer Blackwood-a review

FOOLPROOF (Drexler University #2) by Jennifer Blackwood- a review

Foolproof

Amazon.com / Barnes and Noble / KOBO /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date January 26, 2015

A summer of seduction…

Jules Carmichael needs to get her life together. Pronto. School’s been hell, there was that tiny stint in rehab, and worst of all, she’s lost her cushy summer job. The only available work is at Office Jax, home of horrid 90s music and the biggest jerk on this side of the galaxy…

Recovering from a brutal break-up and taking a hiatus from college, Ryan DeShane has just discovered the “6 Ultimate Steps to the Perfect Summer Fling.” It’s a brilliant distraction, and Jules is a tantalizing target. But the “steps” work a little too well, because he and Jules are definitely, uh, flinging. And it’s only a matter of time before Ryan’s foolproof plan starts to seriously unravel.

•••••••••••••••

REVIEW: FOOLPROOF is the second installment in Jennifer Blackwood’s new adult, contemporary Drexler University erotic romance series. This is former business student Ryan DeShane and pre med student Jules Carmichael. Although FOOLPROOF is the second installment in the series, it can be read as a stand alone.

Told from alternating first person points of view (Jules and Ryan) FOOLPROOF follows the building relationship between two twenty something university students Jules and Ryan. Off for the summer break, Jules and Ryan will find themselves as co-workers at Ryan’s father’s retail office supply store-Office Jax. What follows is a nasty introduction between two people whose immaturity and indecisions play a major role in their respective dysfunctional family visits, work habits, and previous relationships. When Jules tries to befriend the boss’s son, she gets snarky attitude and a cold shoulder in return. This is going to be a long summer!

The relationship between our couple begins combatively but their attraction to one another is immediate. Ryan is unhappy; his life is a mess; his girlfriend cheated on him with his roommate: and he has to spend the summer working for his dad. Enter Juliette (Jules) Carmichael-a feisty pre med student who doesn’t take any crap from the boss’s son. With her future all but planned out by her parents, Jules is on the verge of self-destruction and walking away without a backward glance. The $ex scenes are erotic, spontaneous and little bit risky! When Ryan uncovers an article about the ‘6 Ultimate Steps to the Perfect Summer Fling’, he will use this to his advantage only to have Jules discover that perhaps everything about their relationship has been based on a lie and a magazine article.

There is a playful banter between Jules and Ryan throughout the storyline-one using 90s music as the basis for many a comment or text. Ryan’s father likes to play 90s music in the store and our couple use this for fun and mutual enjoyment.

The secondary and supporting characters include Ryan’s father and uncle who battle one another over Ryan’s future; Jule’s mother whose need to control her child’s future pits mother against daughter; and Blake and Payton (the couple from book one UNETHICAL)-Ryan and Jule’s best friends. The world building focuses on the friendship between our couples; family disappointment and support; as well as a summer spent falling in love. In the end, Jules and Ryan’s future plans will have changed and we watch as our couple learns that if you want something, go for it, because in the end, ‘you are the key to your own happiness.’

FOOLPROOF is an imaginative and realistic storyline with a little bit of humor, romance, sex and fun. There are moments of heartbreak for two adult children whose parents see failure and disappointment; blended with a building romance between two lost souls who have found one another when they needed it the most.

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley.

Reviewed by Sandy

Share

Running Hot / Playing Dirty (Bad Boys Undercover .5 & 1) by HelenKay Dimon-a review

PLAYING DIRTY (Bad Boys Undercover #1) by HelenKay Dimon-a review

Playing Dirty

Amazon.com / Barnes and Noble / The Book Depository

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date January 27, 2015

As an elite Alliance agent—the joint undercover operation of MI6, the British Secret Intelligence Service, and the CIA—Ford Decker lives for the adrenaline. But when he befriends sexy property manager Shay Alexander in hopes of finding her cousin, a known national security threat, Ford crosses the line, getting to know her better . . . in bed.

After being burned by her last relationship, Shay wants to take things slow. Yet she can’t keep her hands off the drop-dead gorgeous hottie who’s moved into her apartment building. So when Ford’s identity as an undercover agent is exposed, his betrayal cuts deep. Shay never wants to see him again, but Ford can’t let her go, not when her life is still in danger. He will sacrifice everything to protect her, then be prepared to walk away from the only woman he’s ever loved, even if it breaks him.

•••••••••••••••••••

REVIEW: 4.25 stars–PLAYING DIRTY is the first full length installment in HelenKay Dimon’s new contemporary adult Bad Boys Undercover action, suspense romance series focusing on an elite group of former CIA and MI6 operatives known as Alliance. This is agent Ford Decker and property manager Shay Alexander’s storyline

The storyline follows Ford’s building relationship with Shay. Undercover as an IT tech and Shay’s newest apartment resident, Ford Decker weaves a seductive trail in the hope of uncovering the whereabouts of Shay’s industrious cousin-a man suspected in the latest terrorist threat against the USA. While Ford seduces his way into Shay’s life and her bed, his team of elite Alliance agents are on the hunt for anything that will lead the Team back to Shay’s cousin. With National security at risk, Ford is willing to risk everything including his relationship with Shay-one that he knows will be destroyed when the truth about his latest assignment is revealed.

The relationship between Shay and Ford is highly sexualized, erotic and energetic but it is a relationship that was not authorized and has not been condoned by the people in charge. Everyone knows that Ford has lost his heart to the undercover mark, and there are concerns that Ford will not be able to complete the investigation and his assignment should Shay’s life be threatened.

The secondary and supporting characters include Ford’s team of operatives-all former CIA and MI6 agents whose specialties make for some dangerous friends and comrades. We also see a little more of CIA operative Ward Bennett and the love of his life Tasha Gregory whose story was told in the introductory novella RUNNING HOT (December 2014).

The world building follows the actions and military like precision of the Alliance Team whose working dynamics are compromised when one of their own turns traitor. From hidden cameras to secret warehouses, back room negotiations and hidden trackers, the men and women of the Alliance Team know their way around negotiations, terrorist threats and take downs.

HelenKay Dimon does another amazing job of introducing the players, the stakes and the behind the scenes struggles of an elite group of warriors who risk their lives to keep the world a safer place.

Copy supplied by the publisher through Edelweiss

Reviewed by Sandy

________________

RUNNING HOT
(Bad Boys Undercover .5)
by HelenKay Dimon

Amazon.com / Barnes and Noble / KOBO /

Running HotABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date December 16, 2014

HelenKay Dimon kicks off her hot new romantic suspense series, Bad Boys Undercover, featuring the fierce men of Alliance—and the only women capable of taming their hearts.

Camped out at a resort bar in Fiji, CIA operative Ward Bennett may look like he’s on vacation but he’s really deep undercover, hunting a dictator on the run. Ward may be on the job, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t time for the sexy female bartender. That is, until she drugs him.

When Tasha Gregory discovers the hottie on the barstool isn’t who he pretends to be, her MI6 training kicks into gear, and she has no choice but to take him out. Problem is, Ward’s not an easy man to put down for long. More than once, his interference almost blows her surveillance operation—and her ability to keep her heart to herself.

As the situation heats up, these two must decide whether they can trust one another—and quick. Working together might just make everyone safer, but getting close enough for comfort … might just get them killed.

•••••••••

REVIEW: RUNNING HOT is the introductory novella in HelenKay Dimon’s adult contemporary Bad Boys Undercover action, suspense, romance series. This is CIA operative Ward Bennett and MI6 agent Tasha Gregory’s storyline.

The storyline follows Ward and Tasha’s undercover assignments in Fiji. Neither is aware that other is deep undercover or that they are looking for the same evil dictator whose attempting to amass a stash of military grade weapons. What ensues is Tasha’s take down of Ward; his decision to merge information with Tasha; and their pursuit of a man who is accumulating a horde of illegal weapons and machinery. Enter fellow CIA agent Ford who aids Tasha and Ward in their search for a missing MI6 operative; add some less than cooperative gun-toting assassins whose idea of fun is torture and mutilation; and you have yourself a recipe for disaster.

RUNNING HOT is a predictable, quick and easy introductory read; an action packed story of suspense and romance. I did have some issues with the writing style-as though I was being told a story and not invited in-especially during the action and fight sequences which came across as stilted and cold-almost choreographed. Our couple take a few minutes to ‘discover’ one another’s deepest secrets which mark the beginnings of a permanent relationship-one that will result in the formation of a new Black Ops Team known as Alliance-the merging of former CIA and MI6 agents whose assignments are dangerous and deadly.

Reviewed by Sandy

Share