SEXY SATURDAYS: BLINDFOLD INNOCENCE by ALESSANDRA TORRE

 

Sexy Saturdays with Andrea and Autumn is a weekly feature created to spread the word about spicy reads. 

Participating blogs:

The Autumn Review

The Bookish Babe

Series: Innocence #1

Genre: Erotic Romance

Publisher: Harlequin HQN

Publication Date: 1/28/14

Format: Paperback

Pages: 304

Source: Publisher

Rating:
 

"I'm not sure what you have been told about me, but I'm not nearly as bad as they make me out to be." His deliciously deep voice carried a little bit of ego.

I'm sure you are exactly as bad as they make you out to be….

Brad De Luca is used to getting whatever and whomever he wants. The premier divorce attorney in town, he's a playboy who's bedded half the city—including his own clients. And when the newest intern at his firm poses a challenge, his seductive prowess goes into overdrive.

Pre-law student Julia Campbell is fresh off a failed engagement and happy with her new independence. Even if she weren't warned away from Brad at every turn, she'd know he was bad news. The last thing she needs is a man who could destroy her job prospects, not to mention her innocence. But before she knows it, the incorrigible charmer has her under his spell. His deviant tastes plunge her deep into a forbidden world of sexual exploration…but her heart may not survive the fall.

 

 

 

Based on the blurb, Blindfolded Innocence seems like a story about the typical rich, overbearing, dominant boss and the naive intern. And to an extent, it is. I'll admit, that I probably wouldn't have picked it up on my own. I decided to give the story a try, hoping for the best. The result was a bit of a mixed bag. There was a lot about the story and characters that just didn't work for me. But...the farther I went, and when I just went with the flow instead of fighting, I did end up liking Blindfolded Innocence way more than I anticipated.

So the story here is: Julia is a new intern at a law firm, Brad is a partner. The two are very attracted to one another, but she's been warned off from Brad who, because he has no impulse control around pretty ladies (?) knows he should stay away. Of course that means they head to Vegas together, which is obviously a great idea. It's cool though, because Brad just brought Julia because he hates to travel alone and knows she would have fun. He's not there to sex her. Of course, this plan is basically screwed because the two sleep in the same bed, he gives her her first O, and they have a wicked good time at a gentleman's club. They swear everything will be cool when they get back home, but it's clear Brad and Julia may never get enough of each other.

Brad and Julia were really something else. I can give Julia a pass because she's twenty-one (I was married at that age, but still an idiot) and because she goes through the story with a strong sense of self-awareness. She knows getting involved with Brad will probably wreck her, but still, he's damn sexy.

I'm kind of over characters like Brad. I don't deny he does have a charm, but honestly, nothing about book men who are super authoritative and all-knowing and positive they can cure women with their magic wang appeals to me. But even though that doesn't work for me, I guess I could see maybe a wish-fulfillment fantasy there? There's no doubt many, many readers love men like Brad. See, I'm just the wrong audience for the rich, dominating man who seduces by wining and dining and reveling in the "good life". Personally, all I need is a babysitter, dinner at my favorite, moderately-priced restaurant, and a six pack of Guinness or Beck's, and I'm all good. I don't know if that makes me low-maintenance or easy, but there you have it. Having said that, Brad did grow on me at the end.

I felt a disconnect throughout the first two-thirds of Blindfolded Innocence. It's like these two act in direct opposition of everything they say. Julia says she won't hang out with him, but goes to LV. Says she won't have sex with him, but does sleep with him. Brad says it's not about sex, he just doesn't want to be alone. She wakes up w/him on top of her, kissing her, getting her off, but he tells her it's still not about sex. Brad says he doesn't want a relationship with her, and yet he runs every other man off. It was frustrating.

The "romance" didn't work for me for the first two-thirds either. Brad tells Julia most women can't handle his true desires, but the ones who can don't actually appeal to him. He wants to do her, but she shouldn't have unreasonable expectations about his feelings. Wow. Somebody get the smelling salts cos I am swooooning here. I mean, isn't this every woman's dream? I am not about convincing a man that he really wants to be with me because, call me crazy, I believe we all deserve more. So at this point I would probably give him my best glare (I give good glare) and tell him to go fck himself. To be fair, Julia isn't really having it. She does give in to a certain extent, but when things get tough, she stands up to Brad. So I did like that.

But... but... things did turn around at one pivotal moment, it's a moment that truly took me by surprise and definitely gave me pause. I wasn't expect Big Bad Brad to turn around and lay a whopping sweet, insightful moment on Julia, but when he did, my perception about a lot of Blindfolded Innocence was changed.

  "What if what we're looking for is each other?" he asked quietly.
  That was unexpected. I turned to stared at him. "You've got to be kidding me." In his eyes I saw a flicker of vulnerability, but that disappeared before I could grab hold of it.
  "Look, we're both looking for a soul mate, right? And I know you want your prince to come riding up, all perfect and unmarred, but this is real life. Typically the best things come from the most screw-up circumstances. How do we know we aren't the person we're both searching for?"


From there on, I pretty much made a tentative peace with everything I had disliked about Blindfolded Innocence. Brad opened and softened up, as did Julia. The story ended on a very interesting note, and I would surely pick up book two.

  

 

The Innocence Series

   

(covers lead to GoodReads page)

 

 

Purchase Links

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  iBooks

 

 

 

 

About the author

Alessandra Torre is an exciting new author who astonished the publishing world with the success of her first novel, Blindfolded Innocence. Initially self-published, the intriguing romance and erotica title quickly rose to the top of the charts on Kindle and Amazon where it attracted the interest of major publishing houses. Currently available on Kindle, iBookstore and Nook, Blindfolded Innocence will be available in print in through Harlequin Publishing on January 25, 2014.

Torre’s captivating story about a young intern’s sexual awakening has won praise and rave reviews from numerous critics, bloggers and book reviewers, including the acclaimed Dr. Laura Berman. In her recent article “35 to Read After 50″ in Everyday Health, Dr. Berman recommended Blindfolded as a must-read for book enthusiasts searching for a new fix after Fifty Shades of Grey. The book has also received high marks from readers on Goodreads and other literary web sites where fans frequently remark they can’t wait for a Blindfolded sequel.

Momentarily stunned by the book’s rapid success, Torre resumed her daily writing routine and published ‘The Girl in 6E’, an erotic thriller that explores the hidden fetishes men covet and the life of a female recluse who battles an overwhelming desire for murder. The Girl in 6E will be released in Summer 2014, as a hardcover novel, through Redhook, an imprint of Hachette.

From her home near the warm waters of the Emerald Coast in Florida, she devotes several hours each day to various writing projects and interacting with her fans on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. Happily married to her “best friend” and with one son, she loves watching SEC football games, horseback riding, reading and watching movies.

Website  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |  Pinterest  |  GoodReads

 

 

 

 

BLOG TOUR: NASH by JAY CROWNOVER

Series: Marked Men #4

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: William Morrow

Publication Date: 4/29/14
Format: eARC
Pages: 400
Source: Publisher
Rating: 3.5 stars

Will their past determine their future?

Saint Ford has worked hard to achieve her childhood dream of becoming of nurse. Focused on her work and devoted to her patients, there’s no room for love. She doesn’t need a guy making waves in her calm, serene life—especially when he’s the unforgettable hottie who nearly destroyed her in high school. Dark, brooding Nash Donovan might not remember her or the terrible pain he caused. But he turned her world upside down . . . and now he’s trying to do it again.

Saint has no idea that Nash isn’t the cocky player he once was. Uncovering a devastating family secret has rocked his world, and now he’s struggling to figure out his future. He can’t be distracted by the pretty nurse he seems to meet everywhere. Still, he can’t ignore the sparks that fly between them —or how she seems so desperate to get away from him. But the funny, sweet, and drop-dead gorgeous Saint is far too amazing to give up on—especially since she’s the only thing in his life that seems to make sense.

When Nash discovers the truth about their past, he realizes he may have lost her heart before he could even fight for it. Now, Saint has to decide: is Nash worth risking herself for all over again?

After devouring the first three Marked Men novels, I was anxious to have more. My love for those books were such an unexpected surprise, setting me up with high expectations moving forward. I began Nash with a huge amount of anticipation.

There's a lot about Nash that I enjoyed. Nash is misunderstood non-bad boy who totally looks badass. He has tattoos everywhere, a ring through the bottom of his nose, multiple piercings elsewhere, and his head is shaved on the sides. All those might indicate to some he's trouble. I don't like that people think that way, have been personally treated that way myself, but there you have it. Beneath the badass facade is a guy who was treated horribly by his mom, was lied to about his father, and is held at arms length by the woman he wants.

In Saint, we get a heroine who is easy to identify with in that she doesn't have great self-esteem. Saint has a good job that she loves, but not a lot of friends. A past in which Nash badly hurt her feelings and other men have broken her trust has left her with huge trust issues. When Nash comes back into her life, those issues play a huge part in their story.  Though her reluctance was frustrating, I got her justification. As someone who doesn't easily give trust and openness in matters of the heart. I could relate to her a lot.

The two go through a large amount of push-and-pull, the "will they or won't they", not so much physically as emotionally. Surprisingly, it's not Nash who's reluctant, but Saint. Crownover does a great job of "selling" her couples. They all have individual issues, are put to the test, and come out strong. I had no problems buying Saint and Nash as a couple who could go the distance.

I loved getting more of the previous couples, especially Rule and Shaw. If you like those two, you'll love seeing them in Nash too. Rome and Cora also. I did like getting some Ayden, but Jet off being a star meant he wasn't really around and I missed him.

I'm not sure if I was just irritable or that I'm on point with this with particular tic, but...honestly? The talk of Nash's purple/lilac/indigo/periwinkle/Violet eyes in many, many scenes got a little old. I mean, I get that his eyes are spectacular and tell a lot about his moods, but I don't need it for every scene. Give me something else. I would also like one, just one, character with a common name. I mean, you don't have to go with "Roy" or "Debbie" (no offense to the Roys and Debbies out there!), but we can't all be Shaws and Aydens or Saint.

Okay.

Something about Nash didn't grab me quite as hard as the other installments, but I'm not quite sure what it is. It is a good story with a couple of great messages. This is a group of men who in some way, didn't fit in. With their parents, with "mainstream" society. In Marked, they found a place to belong. With Nash, we get the message of love. Deserving it, and accepting it. It was a beautiful message. I look forward to more of this great series.

Favorite Quote

  Nash Donovan was a beautiful, wicked, and hot flame that burned me when I got too close. He was just the first stop in a journey dotted by disappointment, but somewhere along the way I found my footing. My purpose. I just didn't know that as soon as I did, Nash would manage to turn my world upside down all over again, and only a fool gets burned twice by the same fire.

  "All I can see is you. Why can't you understand that? No one shines as bright as you in the sky I'm looking at. To me there is no sun, no moon, and no stars in the sky, just endless miles of storm clouds and pretty, pretty gray." 

The Marked Men Series

     

(covers lead to GoodReads)

Purchase Links

 Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Barnes and Noble | iTunes | Indie Bound

 Giveaway

About the author

I'm supposed to share interesting details about myself so that my readers get to know me so here we go in no particular order: I'm an natural redhead even though I haven't seen my real hair color in years, I'm a big fan of tattoos and have a half sleeve on either arm and various other pieces all over the place, I've been in the bar industry since I was in college and it has always offered interesting insight into how men and women interact with each other, I have 3 dogs that are all crazy, I live in Colorado and love the snow, I love music and in all reality wish I could be a rock star not a writer or a bartender but I have zero talent so there is that.

I love to write, love to read and all I'm interested in is a good story with interesting characters that make the reader feel something.

Website  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |  GoodReads 

Review: Deep Down by Elle Aycart

Series: The OGs #1
Genre: Erotic Romance
Publisher: Loose Id
Publication Date: 2/11/14
Format: ebook
Pages: 293
Source: Purchase
Rating: 2 stars

Mike Haddican is a proud small-town gym owner, a renowned karate instructor, and all-around good guy. He’s never needed much to be happy: his family, his friends, his girl. Especially his girl. But when Kyra left him seven years ago to chase her dreams, she all but destroyed him.

Contemporary dancer Kyra Brims made it big, but it cost her dearly. With her life and career in shambles, she doesn’t need a do-over, she needs a friggin’ miracle. Injured, broke, and out of options after going through hell, she’s come back to Alden, the town she swore she’d never return to and home of Mike Haddican, the man who ripped her soul to pieces, to lick her wounds and recover.

Forgetting and letting go proved impossible when they were worlds apart; now that they’re stuck together they don’t stand a chance, especially with Mike’s grandma and her partners in crime plotting, meddling and refusing to give up on them.

As the passion that never died burns out of control, so do old hurts and unresolved issues. Both have reasons to be angry and feel betrayed, but now that they’re older, are they wise enough to make things work?

I wasn't a fan of Deep Down, a fact that both surprises and makes me sad. I'm a big fan of Aycart's Bowen series, and have really talked it up to other readers. I almost didn't write this review for that reason, and also after being so annoyed, I was ready to move on. But I did take the time to read the entire story, so here I am throwing in my two cents. For what it's worth.

Deep Down didn't work for me because I did not like Mike at all. I don't remember a lot about him from the Bowen books, probably because I was blinded by the dirty deliciousness of James and Cole Bowen. And that's what confuses me. The Bowen brothers were dirty talkers who backed that mouth up with a lot of action. They were bossy and gruff and it work for me. So what happened here? Mike is also bossy and gruff, but guys, I found him to be a huge jerk. Actually, I could have overlooked the alphahole personality, if it hadn't been for the sex.

Here's the thing: Kyra and Mike broke up over seven years prior. Kyra got married and Mike got to underground fighting-of course- and laying pipe all over town because the best way to get over someone is to get under (or behind) someone else. It's okay though, he never let any of these women give him a BJ because that's the only meaning of true intimacy. Oh, and he never went down south on any of the sluts, I mean ladies, he went out with because they weren't Kyra. Of course, Kyra never truly wanted anyone but Mike, and besides her husband he's the only guy she's ever been with. Good thing too, or she would've been a whore, right? But her ass though, that is all Mike's. Even better are Mike's very exacting standards for sex. One, he will never, ever use a condom on Kyra. Even when she asks him to stop and put one on. Silly Kyra, you can't ask a man who's been sexing up other ladies for seven years to wear a condom. What are you, a prude? And two, there is no cleaning up after sex. Nope, you do not get the obligatory after-sex wash cloth because King Kong here wants to drift away to dreamland with his semi still planted in you and his hand cover your "sex" so he can feel your combined fluids drip out onto your thighs and the sheets. Nothing says romance like waking up to crusty junk.

Okay, so I'm going on a semi-rant here and it's exhausting. Bottom line, I didn't find the wicked goodness with heart that I've come to expect from Aycart. I got a dirty second chance romance that I just couldn't get behind.

Because I don't want to leave this on a completely negative note, I will point out a couple things I liked. Despite being epically irritated, I did get turned on by the sexy, especially when Mike kept his mouth shut. And the grandmas. Between their scheming and autocorrect fails, they did make me laugh.

Purchase Links

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble 

 

 

About the author
After a colorful array of jobs all over Europe ranging from translator to chocolatier to travel agent to sushi chef to flight dispatcher, Elle Aycart is certain of one thing and one thing only: aside from writing romances, she has abso-frigging-lutely no clue what she wants to do when she grows up. Not that it stops her from trying all sorts of crazy stuff. While she is probably now thinking of a new profession, her head never stops churning new plots for her romances. She lives currently in Barcelona, Spain, with her husband and two daughters, although who knows, in no time she could be living at the Arctic Circle in Finland, breeding reindeer.

Elle loves to hear from readers!

Blog  |  Twitter  |  GoodReads

COVER REVEAL: CHASING LOVE'S WINGS by ZOE DERRICK

 

 

 

 

We're very excited to share the cover of Chasing Love's Wings by Author Zoey Derrick!

 

 

 

 

Title: Chasing Love's Wings (Love's Wings 2)

Author: Zoey Derrick

Age group: NA

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Cover Design: Parajunkie

Scheduled to release: May 27, 2014

Goodreads

Everything in Cameron Enders' life feels like a dream since she took a trip to a remote island where she met Tristan Michaels, Hollywood's hottest man. Tristan never imagined that his get-away vacation would change his life and his heart. 

But everything isn’t perfect in paradise once Cameron and Tristan return to Phoenix. When Cami discovers a dark secret, her dream becomes a living nightmare. She slips back into old habits, turning to alcohol to hide her pain. As the woman he loves becomes more a stranger by the day, Tristan’s world is rocked again. He’s a helpless witness to Cami’s self-destructive cycle - until she pushes too far, testing the limits of his love. Their love is far from perfect, but he will stop at nothing, chasing it all until she has everything she deserves.

Cami’s withdrawal could strengthen or destroy everything she hopes to have with Tristan. Can Cami trust him enough to give him everything or will she cling to her secrets and their pain, tearing them apart forever?

 

 

Pre-order links:

  Kobo  |  iTunes

Teaser (choose ONE)

*subject to final edits

1 -
“I love it when you’re jealous.” 

I playfully smack his chest. “I am not jealous.” 

He laughs. “Yes you are.” He kisses my forehead and I there is that shiver of goosebumps that fly across my skin and that is something I know I never want to get used to when it comes to him. “Cami, every single minute of the future I see is filled with images of you and me, and maybe even little ones running around. I’d propose to you right now if I knew you’d say yes, but I am also enjoying us just the way we are. We start talking about marriage and then other things factor in.” 

I pull my hand up to rest on his chest and I place my chin on top. “Other things like what?” 

He takes a deep breath. “Things like you starting your career at Bold, me getting my post Love Is Burning career moving forward. Hell Cams, I don’t even have a place to live. When I’m not with you, I’m in hotels. I feel so unstable and I’ve felt that way for a long time. When I’m with you, I’m finally starting to feel some sense of normalcy and stability, but I not quite there yet.” He pauses momentarily. “Sure I have loads of money because I don’t spend it.” 

I can’t help the chuckle that escapes my lips. “Don’t spend it? My ass, do you not remember your Tarah bill?”

He laughs a little at that. “Oh I remember it, it’s hard to forget over two-hundred thousand dollars.”
“I told you that I’d pay for half of that.” 

“Shh, we’re done talking about that. I told you no before, and I am saying it again. No.” I roll my eyes at him and he smirks at me. “Seriously, though, my career could be over tomorrow, I could get cut from Catalyst or whatever the hell the next one in New York is, the minute they find someone better, or decide to give up. I could not find another script I like, then I end up settling just so I can do movies. Cams, my career is a nightmare and there are no guarantees.” 

“There was one point you were ready to give it all up.” 

He adjusts himself underneath of me and puts his head back into the pillow. “I’m still not sure that might not happen.”

“Is that what you want?” 

He sighs. “I don’t know. It’s not as fun as it was before.”

“That’s my fault.” 

His head comes off of his pillow and he looks at me. “Explain please?” 

“Well look at the last six weeks. Things were great, you go to L.A., then you come home to find me in the mess I was in, then we come to Montana, and I’ve been miserable and a bitch. Look at everything around you Tristan, don’t you think that factors into why you’re not enjoying yourself.” As soon as the words leave my lips, I’m not sure that’s really how I wanted to say that, but I do my best to brace myself for whatever he has to say back. 

“These last six weeks have down right sucked. I won’t lie Cami. I was so afraid to leave you, scared shitless about what I was going to come home too. I thought maybe if we got away and came up here, out of your condo, that things would be better, but they only got worse because he’s thirty minutes away and after today, I don’t know what to expect from you anymore, and it scares me.”

2 -
Cami is standing in the bathroom, at the mirror, she’s just finished with her hair, which of course looks beautiful, pulled over one shoulder and held back by a flower, similar to the one she wore in Tarah for one of our dates. Her beauty is something I can’t get over. It doesn’t matter if she has raccoon eyes, or if she is wearing no make-up at all, which doesn’t happen often. But tonight, I am more interested in the fact that all she has on right now is a black lace bra, matching panties, and lace top thigh-highs that are being held up by a matching garter belt. 

Her panties leave very little to the imagination and I can’t help but stare hard at this beautiful girl. I sneak up behind her and wrap my arms around her waist, my hands gliding along her stomach and she melts into me. 

“Hey beautiful.” I whisper in her exposed ear. 

“Hey beautiful yourself.” She smiles at me in the mirror and our eyes meet. I love our little greeting ritual and it never seizes to warm my heart. 

My hands continue to roam along her body, starting down at her thighs where her thigh-highs stop. Her skin is so soft and I can’t resist touching it. 

“Behave yourself.” 

I snort a laugh. “Never.” And I kiss her on her neck, just below her ear, the spot that always turns her to putty in my hands. 

“We have twenty minutes before we have to get out of here.”

“I can be quick.” I blurt out, my erection straining against my jeans. 

“Not that quick.” She says and she turns to kiss me. But it is soft and quick. She knows better than to work me up, but sometimes I wonder if it works her up just as much. I can’t seem to stop my hand from roaming between her legs. 

“See you’re already hot and wet for me.”

 
“I’m always hot and wet for you, but we don’t have time.” She kisses my cheek. “Now go, before we will be really late and I don’t want the nasty look from Beau, because she will know exactly why we’re late.” 

I huff. “Fine, but you owe me.” 

She turns so quick in my arms that it hardly registers until we are face to face. “Behave yourself and I will more than make it worth your while.” She promises and kisses me, then playfully pushes me away. 

I like her promises of making it worth my while, it usually means that she will do something extra special for me when we get home, so I back away and let her finish getting ready. I head down to the kitchen and pour us both a small glass of chiraz and wait, impatiently for her to join me. I haven’t seen what else she plans on wearing tonight and I don’t really care. I am already starting to feel the ache in my balls and it is going to be a long, horny night.

 

 

 

Title: Finding Love's Wings (Love's Wings 1)

Author: Zoey Derrick

Age group: NA

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Cover Design: Parajunkie

Release: May 6, 2013

ASIN: B00CNXE8HS

ISBN13: 9780615814077

Goodreads

 

CAMERON ENDERS seems to have it all: a brand new condo in a city she loves, a top executive position at an international entertainment firm, an insane amount of money, and a gorgeous boyfriend. But when Cami catches the boyfriend in the act with another woman, it triggers all the anguish from years of neglect by her parents, and she realizes she never learned how to love or be loved. Cami flees to the remote tropical island of Tarah, but she can't avoid facing her problems any longer when she meets the man of her fantasies...

TRISTAN MICHAELS, one of Hollywood's hottest new stars, has come to Tarah to ride out a storm. His girlfriend of five years has been caught on camera cheating, and she's determined to make Tristan stop the story from breaking.

But Tristan's done cleaning up her messes. He needs to escape all things Hollywood for a while--and especially the firm that represents him--until the whole thing blows over. What he doesn't count on is meeting an irresistibly beautiful woman, a woman who just so happens to be the CEO of the firm he's trying to avoid.

Can Tristan and Cami help each other learn to trust and love again, or will their histories of betrayal tear them apart?

 

 

 

Purchase Links:

Amazon US | iTunes | B&N | kobo

 

 

About the Author:

Amazon Best Selling Angels, Demons & Devils and Paranormal Author of Give Me Reason - The Reason Series Book One comes from Glendale, Arizona. Zoey, was a mortgage underwriter by day and is now a paranormal, romance and erotica novelist full-time. She writes stories as hot as the desert sun itself. It is this passion that drips off of her work, bringing excitement to anyone who enjoys a good and sensual love story.

Not only does she aim to take her readers on an erotic dance that lasts the night, it allows her to empty her mind of stories we all wish were true. Her stories are hopeful yet true to life, skillfully avoiding melodrama and the unrealistic, bringing her gripping Erotica only closer to the heart of those that dare dipping into it.

The intimacy of her fantasies that she shares with her readers is thrilling and encouraging, climactic yet full of suspense. She is a loving mistress, up for anything, of which any reader is doomed to return to again and again.

Author Social Media Links:
 Twitter | Facebook | Blog/Website

WAITING ON WEDNESDAY: CAROLINA BLUES by VIRGINIA KANTRA

   

 

Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine,that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.


This week's WoW selection is...

 

 

Series: Dare Island #4

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Berkley

Publication Date: 10/7/14

 

 

Jack Rossi is Dare Island’s new police chief. The laid-back North Carolina community is just what he needs to recover from a rocky marriage and a big-city police department.  He’s learned his lesson: no more high-profile women or high-pressure jobs. The last thing he wants is an unconventional alt girl rocking his world.

Grad student Lauren Patterson made headlines when she kept a bank robbery from going bad.  She’s fled to Dare Island to clear her head and focus on writing her story. However, sexy Jack Rossi is a distraction that’s too hot to ignore, and it’s igniting an affair too combustible to resist—or quit.

But when their pasts come looking for them, Jack and Lauren find themselves fighting for the future they deserve, whatever the price.

 

 

 

 

Why I'm Waiting...  I am ridiculously in love with Virginia Kantra's Dare Island series. The stories have a great family, great love stories, and great heart.

 

 

 

 

 

PROMOTIONAL EVENT ~ TEACHING WILLOW: SESSION 2 by PAIGE JAMES

(click cover for event homepage)

Thanks for stopping by the Teaching Willow: Session 2 Promo Event. I have an excerpt and teasers to share with you. Be sure to enter the giveaway!

Series: Teaching Willow: Session 2

Author: Paige James

Publication Date: April 8, 2014

Hosted by: Wordsmith Publicity

Infatuated. That’s how it began.

Desperate. That’s when it escalated.

Addicted. That’s what I’ve become.

Just when I think that I’ve discovered the one thing I wouldn’t do for Ebon, the one extreme to which I would not go, I find myself exceeding it. Looking back with regret, looking forward with dread, and living the now like it’s all I’ve got.

Because it is.

It’s pure bliss. It’s unimaginable hell. It’s all I know, all I want to know. A runaway train that I can’t stop, one that I don’t really want to.

But disaster is coming. It will turn sweet into bitter, deception into devastation. Perfection into wreckage.

Ruin. That’s what’s coming.

Ruin.

Excerpt

 Rather than answering me right away, Ebon slides his hand up from my ribs to touch my cheek.  He peers deeply into my eyes, so much so that cold chills break out across my chest.  This is the kind of look that, as Willow, I would’ve given anything to see on his face.  “Please don’t regret letting me in. You can tell me anything, Sage.  I won’t ever judge you and it won’t change the way I feel about you.  You know that, right?”

In this moment, with his body heat enveloping me, his fingers resting against my face and his eyes pouring into mine like warm liquid, I do know that. I believe him.

“I know,” I whisper, trying to smile.

Ebon leans close enough to brush my lips with his.  “Good, because I want to know you.  Inside and out. I want to know what makes you tick as much as I want to know every place on your body that brings you pleasure.”  His words are quiet and sincere.  “I want to know what’s going through your head when I touch you and kiss you, but also when you watch a sad movie or hear a baby laugh.”

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About the author

My name is Paige James. I'm a fairly shy bookworm and lover of all things romantic and steamy. I'm a wife, a daughter, a sister, a friend, a drinker of wine, an animal advocate (even the ones that look like rodents) and a spinner of tales. Thank you for taking a chance on my work. You're making this working girl's dream come true.

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TEASER TUESDAY: NASH by JAY CROWNOVER

 

 Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along, just do as following:

·Grab your current read
·Open to a random page
·Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
·Be careful not to include any spoilers so as not to ruin the book for others.

Make sure to share the title and the author so other TT participants can add the book to their TBR piles.

 

 

Series: Marked Men #4

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: William Morrow

Publication Date: 4/29/14

 

Will their past determine their future?

Saint Ford has worked hard to achieve her childhood dream of becoming of nurse. Focused on her work and devoted to her patients, there’s no room for love. She doesn’t need a guy making waves in her calm, serene life—especially when he’s the unforgettable hottie who nearly destroyed her in high school. Dark, brooding Nash Donovan might not remember her or the terrible pain he caused. But he turned her world upside down . . . and now he’s trying to do it again.

Saint has no idea that Nash isn’t the cocky player he once was. Uncovering a devastating family secret has rocked his world, and now he’s struggling to figure out his future. He can’t be distracted by the pretty nurse he seems to meet everywhere. Still, he can’t ignore the sparks that fly between them —or how she seems so desperate to get away from him. But the funny, sweet, and drop-dead gorgeous Saint is far too amazing to give up on—especially since she’s the only thing in his life that seems to make sense.

When Nash discovers the truth about their past, he realizes he may have lost her heart before he could even fight for it. Now, Saint has to decide: is Nash worth risking herself for all over again?

 

 

 

My Teaser ~

  Nash Donovan was a beautiful, wicked, and hot flame that burned me when I got too close. He was just the first stop in a journey dotted by disappointment, but somewhere along the way I found my footing. My purpose. I just didn't know that as soon as I did, Nash would manage to turn my world upside down all over again, and only a fool gets burned twice by the same fire.