Blog Tour: Tamed (Tangled #3) by Emma Chase ~ Review and Giveaway

Series: Tangled #3

Genre: Erotic Contemp Romance

Welcome to the Tamed Blog Tour! My stop includes a review and giveaway. Thanks for stopping by!

 

 

Series: Tangled #3

Genre: Erotic Contemp Romance
Publisher: Gallery Books

Publication Date: 7/15/14

Format: eARC

Pages: 256

Source: Publisher

Rating: 4 stars

 

GoodReads  |  Amazon  |  BN  |  iBooks

 

 

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: girl meets player, they fall in love, player changes his ways.

 

It’s a good story. But it’s not our story. Ours is a lot more colorful.

 

When I met Dee I knew right away that she was special. When she met me, she thought I was anything but special—I was exactly like every other guy who’d screwed her over and let her down. It took some time to convince her otherwise, but turns out I can make a convincing argument when sex is at stake.

 

You might know where this story’s headed. But the best part isn't where we ended up.

 

It’s how we got there.

TAMED goes back in time to the Tangled days. But this time around, it’s not Drew dishing out the advice and opinions—it’s his best friend Matthew, who of course is dealing with Dee Dee.

 

My Review

 

 

As a fan of the Tangled series, I was pretty darn getting to read Tamed. If you've read the series, you know that Matthew and Dee definitely get their happy ending. So why would I want to read a book when I already know the end? Because this is Matthew and Dee, okay! These two are crazy sexy, crazy funny and fall crazy in love. The beauty of Tamed isn't the destination, it's the journey.

 

I adored Tamed for a few reasons. Obviously the characters were a big bonus. Women don't come much more hilarious, ballsy, and smart than Dee. Matthew is great too, though he and Drew have pretty much cornered the market on cocky. We get more of Mackenzie, Steven and The Bitch. Tamed runs parallel to Tangled, so we do see glimpses of Drew and Kate's tumultuous early days, through Matthew's eyes.

 

I also have to note that I still appreciate Emma Chase's style. As with the other books in the series, the fourth wall is down, with Matthew speaking directly to the reader. The humor that I've loved in the previous books is still in full-swing. I started Tamed on a plane at 1:00am (a nightmare!) and probably drew dirty looks from sleeping passengers because I was laughing so, so hard.

 

If I had any issues with Tamed, I would have to say they're minor. The lack of suspense in Matthew and Dee's relationship probably took the pure joy down a notch, but I knew that going on. I also knew that Matthew would probably be every bit as cocky as Drew (he was), which did have me thinking "I get it! You're funny and awesome and handsome and a wicked good lover." These are minor issues on my part, and I still wouldn't hesitate one second in recommending Tamed.

 

Tamed was a quick and easy read that had me laughing, loving the sexy, and honestly touched by the connection between Matthew and Dee. Fans of Tamed will definitely want to scoop this one up!

 

 

 

Favorite Quotes

 

 

  "That's my favorite."

  I look at the screen. "That's the periodic table."

  She shrugs. "To me, it's a masterpiece. Harmonious. Perfectly organized. Dependable."

  "Aren't some of the elements unstable?"

  She smiles. "Sure, but the table tells you which ones they are. No surprises. No disappointments."

  And this right here is the perfect example of who Delores is. Safety-goggle-wearing chemist by day, glitter-covered club girl by night. She wants excitement, spontaneity, but a part of her-the part that's been dicked around by one too many pricks in the past-craves reliability. Honesty. Truth.

  I want to give her both. I want to be her roller coaster and her merry-go-round, her adventurer and her protector. Her impressionist and her periodic table.

 

 

  Life is a short, wild ride. Don't try to put the brakes on, don't overanalyze or try to control it. If you're lucky, like I was, you'll find that perfect someone who'll sit next to you and hold your hand through every curve, every up and down.

  And that? Just makes it even more fun.

 

 

 

 

The Tangled Series

             

(covers lead to GoodReads)

 

 

I have one copy of Tangled to give away, courtesy of the publisher. Must be 18+ years of age; open to US only.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About Emma Chase

 

By day, Emma Chase is a devoted wife and mother of two who resides in a small, rural town in New Jersey. By night she is a keyboard crusader, toiling away the hours to bring her colorful characters and their endless antics to life. She has a long standing love/hate relationship with caffeine.

Emma is an avid reader. Before her children were born she was known to consume whole books in a single day. Writing has also always been a passion and with the 2013 release of her debut romantic comedy, Tangled, the ability to now call herself an author is nothing less than a dream come true.

 

Website  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |  GoodReads

Blog Tour: Rusty Nailed by Alice Clayton ~ Review and Giveaway

Welcome to the Rusty Nailed Blog Tour! My stop includes my review and a giveaway. Thanks for stopping by!

Series: Cocktail #2

Genre: Contemp. Romance

Publisher: Gallery Books

Publication Date: 6/24/14

Format: eARC

Pages: 320

Source: Publisher

Rating: 4 stars

GoodReads  |  Amazon  |  B&N

In this sequel to Wallbanger, the second book in the Cocktail series, fan favorites Caroline and Simon negotiate the rollercoaster of their new relationship while house-sitting in San Francisco.  

Playing house was never so much fun—or so confusing. With her boss on her honeymoon, Caroline’s working crazy long hours to keep the interior design company running—especially since she’s also the lead designer for the renovation of a gorgeous old hotel on Sausalito. So with her hotshot photographer boyfriend gallivanting all over the world for his job, she and Simon are heavy-duty into “absence makes the heart grow fonder” mode. Neither has any complaints about the great reunion sex, though! Then Simon decides he’s tired of so much travelling, and he’s suddenly home more. A lot more. And wanting Caroline home more, too. Though their friends’ romantic lives provide plenty of welcome distraction, eventually Caroline and Simon have to sort their relationship out. Neither wants “out of sight, out of mind,” but can they create their own happy mid-ground cliché? 

USA TODAY bestselling author Alice Clayton delivers another delicious, frothy cocktail of a book, shaking up her characters, stirring in laugh-out-loud humor, and serving sizzling romance straight up! 

Review

Oh, Simon and Caroline, how I've missed you two! I loved Wallbanger - smile every time I think about how it made me laugh, and was excited when I learned we would get more of this ridiculously witty, sexy couple. But I will say outright, I was very worried when it came time to pick up Rusty Nailed. I was happy that the two had gotten their happily ever after and wasn't too keen on seeing them go through whatever trials I assumed would come their way.

Rusty Nailed is what-happens-next story, what comes after the happy ending. How Simon and Caroline's lives change, and how they stay the same in so many ways, as they become more established. Like all real relationships, some aspects are smooth (such as wallbanging) and some take a adjustment (brutal work hours and the need for space). The pair had a lot to work through in this installment. Caroline is moving on up in the design world, and it's up to her to discover whether she can do it all, or if she even wants it. Simon, he melted me heart. I like that we get to see him deal with his losses, and though it killed me to see it, his willingness to expose his vulnerabilities to and with Caroline are what made Rusty Nailed shine. I appreciate that Clayton always keeps it real, and that she explores the true issues real couples go through as they evolve. I also love the fact that it didn't feel like Rusty Nailed was thrown together to just have another story, with forced issues used to drive the story. Any problems or struggles Simon and Caroline faced? They're the same issues real couples go through. Miscommunications and immaturity didn't drive this story. Love did.

And you know what? Rusty Nailed was really freaking romantic. I mean, I know it's a romance, but I feel like Clayton is an old soul, as are her characters, and she infuses that romance into her stories. It's a kind of charm I don't often find in novels, which of course makes these stand out. It's also, you guessed it, hilarious. I love witty people, in real life and in my romance. This must be some of the wittiest group of fake humans I've ever come across. The best friends were great comic relief, 
especially Sophia and Neil who were freaking insane. I loved it.

Oh yeah...Rusty Nailed was also damn sexy. Simon Parker and his wallbanging hips can whoa me any day. Hypothetically, of course.

The Cocktail series is one filled with friendships, wit, sexy times, and a love story that just won't quit. I'm happy that I've had the opportunity to experience this series and am more than happy to recommend.

 Favorite Quotes

  Not all men can handle to P-word. And boy, is that a mouthful. Ahem. Some say it all the time, some use it in common conversation. But a good P-word is all about the placement: when to say it, where to say it, how to say it. Dirty talk is an art. Do it too often, it becomes routine. Never do it, and you're missing something. Simon did it just right. He was like a perfect bowl of smutty porridge: just right.

  When you were in a long-distance relationship, of course you made the most of the time you were together. But sometimes, it was the unexpected that really made the difference. The unexpected emotions you were hit with when you saw that face, looked into those eyes, felt those lips. The unexpected reminder of why you fell in love with this person could hit you so powerfully. And this was that time. I memorized his face, felt every line and every pattern, drew his temple, his nose, his dimple, the bow of his lip, drew it all with my fingertips and memorized it once more.

  "I love you, Simon. Love you, love you, love you so much," I chanted as he laid me down, peeled the clothes from my body and his own, and entered me.

    His gaze grew wistful, and he looked so young. "I don't want to put things off, even though we haven't been together a really long time. I don't want to wait--you never know what can...Look. I adore you, and I want a home. Again. With you."

The Cocktail Series

     

(covers lead to GoodReads page)

One winner will receive a copy of Wallbanger! US only; must be 18+ years of age to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the author

Novelist Alice Clayton makes her home in St. Louis where she enjoys gardening but not weeding, baking but not cleaning up after, and is trying desperately to get her long-time boyfriend to make her an honest woman–and please buy her a Bernese Mountain dog.

After working for years in the cosmetics industry as a makeup artist, esthetician, and educator, Alice picked up a pen (read laptop) for the first time at 33 to begin a new career: author. Having never written anything longer than a grocery list, she soon found writing to be the creative outlet she’d been missing since walking away from the theater 10 years before.

She has a great time combining her love of storytelling with a sense of silly, and she was shocked and awed to be nominated for a Goodreads Author award in 2010 for her debut novels, the first two installments of The Redhead Series–The Unidentified Redhead and The Redhead Revealed. Her latest novel Wallbanger is a return to her trademark comedic erotica, or funny smut, that Alice has become known for.

Additionally, Alice loves spending time with her besties on Not Your Mother’s Podcast (check them out on iTunes) and has recently partnered with actor Greg Grunberg, blogger Brittany Gibbons, and actress Keili Lefkovitz on a new travel show that will begin filming in January.

Alice enjoys pickles, Bloody Marys, eight hours of sleep and a good pounding

Website  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |  GoodReads



BLOG TOUR: UNSCRUPULOUS by AVERY ASTER

The Unscrupulous Blog Tour is here today! For my stop, I have "Twenty-Five New Yorker Insights" and the tour giveaway. The tour is hosted by Lit Connect. Go to the tour homepage to follow the 40+ stops, book info and more.
 

Series: Manhattanites #2
Category/Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance
Publisher: Ellora's Cave
Publication Date: 8/14/13
Format: eARC
Source: Received from publisher for review

At thirty-three Warner Truman is one of the richest men on the planet, a spa mogul who buys and sells resorts at will. He holds powerful executive’s careers in his well-groomed hands. Nothing is beyond Warner’s reach…until he meets her.

Stunning, tantalizing, and perverse, Taddy Brill captivates Warner’s carnal desire like no woman he’s ever met. A self-made millionaire, Taddy is tougher than steel, more brilliant than diamonds and, at twenty-seven, she’s never depended on a man for anything…until she meets him.

The more Taddy plays with Warner’s affections, driving him to erotic heights, the more she is confronted by a dark past. But before she can love him, Taddy must meet her worst fears head-on or risk losing it all, including herself.
 

 

 

The Manhattanites Series

(click on cover for GoodReads page)

 

 

Purchase Unscrupulous

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble
 Undressed (The Manhattanites #1) is regularly priced at $8.75 and will be 65% off the retail price at $2.99 from August 14th the same day that Unscrupulous (The Manhattanites #2) launches until August 27th.

 

Twenty Five New Yorker Insights Learned from Unscrupulous

Sex

• •    Always vajazzle your vajayjay in garnet red Swarovski crystals, then go to a champagne bar without wearing any underpants.
• When a one night stand asks you to keep the lights off as he undresses check his scrotum for candied sprinkles.
• If at first you don’t succeed in taking his entire anaconda, try and try again. 
•  If you let a hunk finger you while in public, it’s best to orgasm under a cocktail table when no one is looking.
• Prostitution isn’t illegal in France, but ejaculating in public on a balcony out over a crowd of tourists will indeed get you arrested.

Money

• •   When paying good money to import a butler from Russia, particularly one named Díma Revva, make sure he can cook something other than just Holodets for dinner.
•  Never buy a workout package of private home lessons from Gilad Oseary, a gorgeous Middle Eastern Pilates instructor. The last thing he’ll do with you is work out.
• Avoid pinching pennies by using an expired moisturizer that you’ve stolen from your plastic surgeon’s office. The karma will cost you more than a good complexion. 
•  Always pay for your own travel accommodations when going to the Cannes Film Festival. Any attempt to secure free tickets by blackmailing airline officials with photos of them wearing your corsets is bound to blow-up in your face. 
•  If Mr. Kim Lee, your male nail technician, expects a bigger than average tip for his pedicure, he’d better be prepared to do a lot more than buff your toes. Especially when you’ve just attended a BDSM workshop with Madam Queen Dick Dupree and are ramped up for a fucking good time.

Work

• •    Spying out your office window at the people in the high-rise next to you with best friends Vive and Blake should only be done while drinking Bloody Mary’s and using binoculars.
• Virgin Mormons make the best personal assistants. They are never hung over at work nor will they steal your Manolo Blahniks. But they may become naturally curious and ask to borrow your porn collection.
• Having a reality TV star as a PR client can be annoying, especially when she thinks she can not only design handbags and make jewelry but also record a pop album.
• Masturbating to NFL player fantasies is best done on an elliptical next to your desk while wearing Lululemon stretch pants.
• Just because you own the high-rise that your company is in, doesn’t give you the liberty to smoke indoors.

Love

• When you’re sleeping alone waiting for his call, it’s alright to use your four Shih Tzus as loveable fur pillows.
• Don’t look away while making love to Warner Truman. He wants your eyes meeting his and his hands on your heart.
• Love may be unconditional, but if your parents drop you off at boarding school when you’re thirteen and never pick you back up, ever, it’s okay to tell them to go fuck themselves.
• The love you get from your friends and co-workers may be special, but it’ll never compare to the love you get from the six-foot-five, anaconda-hung, hazel-eyed, close-to-trillionaire stud, you’ve nicknamed Big Daddy.
• The third richest man in the world is capable of saying he loves you. He just has to jet around the globe and do it in style.

 

 

 

About the author
AVERY ASTER pens erotic romance for Ellora's Cave. As a resident of New York's Upper East Side and a graduate from New York University, Avery gives readers an inside look at the city's glitzy nightlife, socialite sexcapades and tall tales of the über-rich and ultra-famous. "I write about what I see in my metropolis that never sleeps--Manhattanites on the quest for a passionate thrill," Avery says. "By and large, my characters are drop-dead gorgeous, ripped straight from the headlines and on the hunt for their next conquest."

UNDRESSED #1 (Lex & Massimo) launched The Manhattanites series, exploring people's forbidden desires of lust and longing. UNSCRUPULOUS #2 (Taddy & Warner) is the highly anticipated prequel coming August 14, 2013. Also, stay tuned for the sequel with UNSAID #3 (Blake & Miguel) coming winter 2013.

Website  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |  GoodReads

 

GIVEAWAY

Unscrupulous Pre-Sale Tour:



Enter in The Manhattanites Rafflecopter prize contest (must sign up for Avery's newsletter and will only be notified about upcoming releases) and win:

• First prize: a $50.00 American Express gift card.
• Second prize: your name in Avery Aster's upcoming novel; Unsaid (#3 The Manhattanites) scheduled to release fall/winter
• Third prize: ebook of Unscrupulous & Undressed
• Fourth prize: ebook of Unscrupulous
• Fifth prize: ebook of Undressed



The Manhattanites Tour:
Enter in The Manhattanites Rafflecopter prize contest (must sign up for Avery's newsletter and will only be notified about upcoming releases) and win:

• First prize: a $200.00 American Express gift card.
• Second prize: your name in Avery Aster's upcoming novel; Unsaid (#3 The Manhattanites) scheduled to release fall/winter
• Third prize: ebook of Unscrupulous & Undressed
• Fourth prize: ebook of Unscrupulous
• Fifth prize: ebook of Undressed


**** Please follow the Rafflecopter directions at each stop. Full Terms and Conditions are located on the widget. ****

a Rafflecopter giveaway

COVER REVEAL: SAFE WITH ME (WITH ME IN SEATTLE #5) by KRISTEN PROBY

I'm excited to be participating in the cover reveal of Safe with Me, by Kristen Proby. The reveal is hosted by InkSlinger Blog Tours.

 

 

 

 

Series: With Me in Seattle #5

Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance

Publisher: Kristen Proby Publishing

Publication Date: 9/24/13


Keeping others safe is what Caleb Montgomery does. He’s never had a problem taking on an assignment, whether it was during his dangerous SEAL days or his most recent job of training war mercenaries. But being assigned to keep Brynna Vincent and her adorable daughters, Maddie and Josie, safe from an unknown threat has thrown Caleb off his axis. Hot for the tall brunette since she came back to town more than a year ago, being close to her day in and day out is cracking Caleb’s resolve to keep his hands off her gorgeous body and his head in the mission.

Brynna is sick and tired of being afraid. All she wants is a normal, quiet life for her and her precious girls. Just as she’s settling into her new home in Seattle and feeling safe again, Caleb shows up on her doorstep insisting the danger is as high as ever. But whether she needs to be sheltered from the threat in her past, or from the intense emotions she feels for the sexy, protective man sleeping in her home, remains to be seen. What will happen if Brynna and her girls fall in love with a man so broken he may not be able to protect them from the danger that threatens, much less himself?”

SAFE WITH ME is the fifth book in the With Me In Seattle series, and continues to follow this tight-knit, loving family through life’s trials and tribulations with humor, passion and everlasting love.

  

 

 

 

 

I love this cover! Be sure to add Safe With Me to your to-read list!

 

EXCERPT

 

“Deny it if you want to,” Meg smirks and glances out the back window. “Damn,” she whispers.

“What is it?” Nat asks and rises from the table to see what Meg is looking at. Her eyes widen and she glances back at me and then outside again. “Holy shit.”

I know exactly what they’re watching.

Or, who.

And yes, it is a sight to behold.

“How do you ever get anything done around here?” Meg asks as I rise and lean against the sliding glass door, coffee cradled in my hands, and watch the sexy man in my backyard. “I’d just stand around and watch him all day.”

“Uh, Meg,” I glance over at her and laugh. “You have one of these at home,” I remind her, referring to Caleb’s pro-football star brother, Will, who is also Meg’s live-in boyfriend.

“And it’s a good thing he’s gone most of the day or I wouldn’t get anything done either.”

“It’s starting to rain,” Nat observes, but it doesn’t seem to faze Caleb. He lifts two thick, heavy ropes in both of his hands. The ends are attached to Nat’s photo studio out back. With a firm grip on the ropes, he begins to wave them up and down, quickly, the rain pounding down on him, causing his shirt to cling to every muscle as it flexes and moves with the motion of the exercise.

“Hot damn,” Nat whispers and I silently agree. He continues to pump his arms furiously, effortlessly. “What does that exercise do?” Nat asks.

“Works his arms, back and abdomen, and it’s cardio too,” Meg responds and takes a sip of coffee.

Just then, Caleb drops the ropes, bends down to grab onto a medicine ball and lowers his tall body to the sit-up position.

“Maybe he’ll bend over again,” I murmur, earning giggles from the other two women.

“It’s a good thing Jules isn’t here,” Nat mutters and licks her lips as her eyes watch Caleb hold the medicine ball over his head and easily raise and lower his torso in smooth sit-ups. “She’d never let us watch him like this.”

“Jesus, that medicine ball is fifty pounds,” Meg whispers, amazed.

“Watch this part,” I urge them as Caleb tosses the ball to the side like it’s a beach ball and assumes the push-up position and begins to perfectly execute the push-ups, easily completing more than a hundred of them in two minutes.

“Why aren’t you sleeping with him again?” Meg asks and I choke on my coffee.

“I might be,” I whisper and feel their astonished gazes on me, but I avoid them. “Don’t you dare breathe a word of that to anyone.”

“Who can blame you?” Nat asks just as Caleb stands and returns to the ropes. “Look at those back muscles.”

“Look at that ass,” Meg counters.

“You should see it naked,” I respond and we all giggle again.

“Should I be grossed out by this?” Nat asks, tilting her head to the side. “He’s practically my brother.”

“But he’s not your brother, Nat.” I remind her with a grin. “And the Montgomery men are freaking hot.”

“That’s no lie,” Meg agrees. “Aren’t you going to be late for work?” She asks me.

“I have a few minutes,” I murmur and feel the familiar pull low in my belly as I watch Caleb lay on the ground again and execute more perfect sit-ups with his medicine ball.

It would be the perfect position for me to ride him. I might have to suggest that tonight.

“He’s hardly panting,” I observe. “What kind of physical training must he go through to work that hard and have it hardly phase him?”

“Oh girl, you have no idea the rigorous training they go through to become SEALs. It’s not natural.” Nat shudders. “All of the boys have always been athletic.”

“Obviously,” I murmur sarcastically. “It’s a bit intimidating.”

“Caleb can be the scariest person on Earth if he’s pissed off,” Nat informs us, her eyes still glued to him. “He’s just big and strong, and damn intimidating.”

“You should see him with the girls.” I grin, remembering our movie night last week. “He’s funny and sweet.”

I realize the room has gone dead silent. I look over to my friends to find them looking at each other and then staring over at me. “What?”

“You’ve got it bad,” Nat remarks and snickers. “Welcome to the club.”

“What club?”

“The ‘I Love a Hot Man’ club, sweetheart.” Meg laughs and salutes me with her mug just as Caleb approaches the sliding door, frowning at me. I step back in surprise as the girls giggle.

“What’s wrong?” Caleb asks, is hair and clothes soaked and a little muddy from the rain and grass.

“Nothing,” I reply and shrug.

He narrows his eyes at me, watching me closely, then turns his gaze to Nat and Meg.

“What’s going on with you guys?”

“Nothing at all,” Nat replies with a huge grin. “Just girl talk.”

“Uh huh.” He props his hands on his lean hips and watches all three of us for a moment and then shrugs and saunters to the fridge to pull out a cold bottle of water. “We have to leave soon,” he reminds me.

 

 

With Me in Seattle Series

 

 

(click on cover for GoodReads page)

 

 

About the author:

Kristen is the author of the Amazon and USA Today bestselling With Me In Seattle series. She has a passion for a good love story and strong characters who love humor and have a strong sense of loyalty and family. Her men are the alpha type; fiercely protective and a bit bossy, and her ladies are fun, strong, and not afraid to stand up for themselves.

Kristen spends her days with her muse in the Pacific Northwest. She enjoys coffee, chocolate and sunshine. And naps.

 

Connect with Kristen:

Website  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |  GoodReads