INTRODUCTION

Hi everyone My name is Victoria Zumbrum, 40 years old, married 14 years with 1 son. This is my very first blog. So bear with me. I have always wanted to have my own blog. I have always loved to read. I enjoy getting lost in a good book.
I love becoming part of the story and characters. I am hoping to bring my love of books to my readers.

I love reading different genres such as paranormal, young adult, romance, romantic suspense, mystery, Christian fiction, some horror, etc. The list goes on. I started reviewing books a couple of years ago and have done reviews for different blogs and even some authors. I really have enjoyed reviewing books and I will continue to do so. If anyone is interested in me reviewing a book for them, please contact me. I still have a lot to learn regarding my own blog so bear with me. I welcome and appreciate all followers.

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Review of Storm Mistress by Brandy L. Rivers

Storm Mistress - Tour Banner


BOOK INFORMATION

TITLE – Storm Mistress
SERIES – Others of Seattle: Book 2 (stands alone)
AUTHOR – Brandy L Rivers
GENRE – Adult Paranormal Romance
PUBLICATION DATE – 9-15-2015
LENGTH (Pages/# Words) – 108k
PUBLISHER – Brandy L Rivers
COVER ARTIST – Brandy L Rivers


Storm Mistress - Book Cover


BOOK SYNOPSIS

Nothing is as it seems…
Everything Isadora Starling wants is right there in front of her, but Toryn is off limits. He’s her best friend. She’s been denying her heart all these years, afraid to lose him.
Toryn Flame has a long past full of secrets. None of which he can share with Isadora, the only person who truly matters to him. She’s the one woman who has never shown a hint of lust toward him, but even if she did, pursuing her is forbidden.
That all changes when the family Isa doesn’t know decides it’s time to reveal who and what she is. After Isa’s recent attack, their motives are unclear.
His only goal is protecting Isa. Toryn will do everything in his power to keep her safe, including going against orders from his king.
Toryn’s only fear is losing Isa’s trust. Once the truth is revealed, can she forgive him for years of misdirection and omissions? Can she come to terms with a world she doesn’t want or know?
 
Storm Mistress - Full Cover


BUY & TBR LINKS



Beautiful Young Smiling Couple In Love Embracing Indoor


EXCERPT

Pounding music flowed over Isadora Starling as she walked into her bar, Shenanigans. Only one thing was on her mind, finding someone who would take her home and rock her world. She was smoking hot and she knew it.
Taking note of every man whose head turned in her direction, she emphasized the already-seductive sway of her hips as she sashayed to the bar with purpose. As usual, her eyes kept drifting back to the only man in the place who made her mouth water. Unfortunately, her best friend was not on the menu.
She slid into a booth and turned toward her business partner, Lana, one of the few women she truly trusted.
Lana’s molten silver eyes landed on her. A smirk twisted her lips. “Back so soon?”
Isa lifted a shoulder in a shrug before stating, “I’m on a mission.”
Perusing the sultry make-up and her come-ravish-me outfit, Lana snorted. “I can see that. What are you drinking?”
“Double Grey Goose, straight up.”
“One of those nights?” There was a grimace on her face.
Isa responded with a one fingered salute before turning back to the crowd with the intention of finding a man.
Lana cut in with, “I still think you should drag him home and get each other out of your systems.”
By him, she meant Isa’s best friend, Toryn Flame. More than gorgeous, he was fucking beautiful, masculine perfection. His dazzling blue topaz eyes were lined in guyliner, not that his eyes needed any help attracting attention with his ten-mile long lashes. Silky black hair was teased up in a sexy tousle calling to her fingers. The man was a sex god, in snug leather pants and half-buttoned black silk shirt open far enough to display his sculpted chest and the beginning of washboard abs.
Forbidden, though she had a never-ending supply of fantasies starring Toryn. The current was her craving to lick every ridge of muscle on her way down to the golden zipper straining over an impressive bulge she wished she could ignore.
They were firmly stuck in the friend zone. He didn’t see her that way, and despite the fact he was sensuality walking, she wasn’t supposed to want him.
Frustrated, she turned back to Lana with a cold stare. “Have you forgotten he prefers men? Last time I checked,” she looked down and shook her tits for emphasis, “I have all the wrong parts. Besides, he’s my friend, my best friend and he,” she glanced back to watch Toryn tongue-fuck his boytoy, “is all over his man, Leon.”
One scarlet brow rose in challenge. “Bullshit, I’ve seen him take women home.”
“Please, when was the last time? Tiffany? And that rare occurrence was over a year ago.”
Lana’s mouth dropped open, “Oh my god, you are fucking blind, Isadora. He’s only with Leon to distract himself from you.” With a glare, Lana slid the vodka to her.
Isa would give anything for that to be the truth. Forcing the desperate sentiment from her mind, she took the shot in a single gulp, causing Lana to grimace.
Driving her point home, Isa nodded back to the two hottest men in the place. “Toryn is with Leon. Has been for nearly two months, which is some kind of record for him.”
Actually, they had been dating exactly seven weeks, which was damn near a miracle. Aside from Leon, he hadn’t been with a single person more than twice since she’d met him nearly ten years ago. Somehow his lack of commitment made her want him all the more. She always loved a challenge, and secretly wished she could be the one to snare him permanently.
Of course, if she told Lana she was counting the days Toryn stayed with Leon, it would prove her point. A point Isa was going to deny until her desire finally died.
With a devilish smirk, Lana shrugged. “He’d dump him for you in a heartbeat.”
A glance back at Toryn easily reminded her how wrong Lana was. Toryn was grinding his hips into Leon who was hungrily kissing down Toryn’s throat. They were too hot and heavy for their public display of sexual chemistry to merely be a distraction.
“Then why is he taking Leon home tonight? And don’t tell me he’s not. Do you see them?” Isadora pointed back at them with a wicked grin. It was a gorgeous sight.
Licking her lips and watching like every other woman, and most of the men, in the nearly anything goes bar, she nodded. “Oh, I do, but you don’t see the way he looks at you. Like he’s making love to you with his eyes. When you aren’t watching Toryn, he always stares at you.”
Lana filled the shot glass.
In all the years they’d been friends, Toryn had never made a move, so Lana was wrong, very depressingly wrong. Isa slammed back the second dose and glared back at Lana. “You’re full of shit. Pour me another.”
“I’m not. I still say you’re fucking blind,” Lana taunted as she refilled the glass. “If he wasn’t so hung up on you, I would make a move on him.”
That hurt.
Wait… what? Hung up on me? Yeah, might need to have her committed.
Isa took another glance at Toryn and Leon, then grinned at Lana. “If you can pry him from Leon, he’s all yours.”
Thankfully, Lana changed the subject. “Where’s Mike?”
Well-intentioned, maybe, but her new topic wasn’t much better. Isa downed the third shot before answering, “Don’t know. Don’t care. Of course it would be a hell of a lot easier to get laid if he were around.” He was her favorite fallback romp in the sack.
“You torture that poor man. If you’d let him, he’d fall in love with you.”
Which was exactly the reason she hadn’t called and was attempting to avoid him… though in desperate times...
Mentally shaking herself, she quipped, “We don’t work as a couple. Sure, explosive in bed, awesome on the dance floor, but that is where our good chemistry ends. We would drive each other batshit crazy—and I’m not talking about the scorch the sheets way—in a matter of days. Not to mention the fact Roxy hates my fucking guts.”
“Only because you’re stringing her brother along. Plus, she has a valid point. I’m still convinced you fell for Toryn years ago. Like two seconds after you met him.”
She was right, but Isa wasn’t going there. “Go to hell.”
“Only when you join me.”
Isa slid the empty glass at Lana and batted her lashes. “Anyone I should consider?”
With an accusatory glare, she answered, “Plenty of them. Except, don’t take the hot blond home.” She glanced down at the end of the bar for about the hundredth time since Isa sat down.
All Isa saw was the healthy fall of shiny blond hair, way too long and perfect to be on any man’s head.
“I don’t go for blonds.” Isa smirked before turning toward the crowd. Of its own accord, her gaze landed on Toryn, who winked at her.
Lana pulled her back to reality with bite in her tone. “Knowing you, you’ll take him home to spite me.”
Isa spun back around, her hands landing on the counter as her eyes narrowed. “I would not. When was the last time?”
Her eyes narrowed to slits. “Last week, when you took Reese home.”
“Oh,” she shrugged sheepishly, “that hardly counts. You didn’t warn me beforehand. If you had simply told me, I would have found someone else.” It was the truth, Isa never meant to hurt anyone, and especially not her friends. There had been plenty of other options. She honestly hadn’t realized Lana was interested.
“Why don’t I believe you?” she muttered. The question stung. Of course, her payback sucked. Lana turned around and hired the guy the very next day, even after Isa begged her not to.
“I’m not selfish, Lana. I wouldn’t do that to you,” she whined.
“Hmph,” Lana didn’t look convinced, but a smirk formed as she looked over Isa’s shoulder.
Isa fought back a smile as she felt Toryn’s approach. He had a presence she could feel and as much as she hated her weakness, it felt good to have him close. Toryn leaned his long hard body against hers.
Lana grinned as if her point was made.
One corner of Isa’s mouth lifted. “I would be more worried about Toryn taking Blondy home.”
“Bitch,” she gasped.
“Grey Goose?” Toryn licked his full lips as his brow cocked. “One of those nights, Isa?”
Her eyes nearly rolled out of her head, “Okay, everyone stop! I had a long day, and I’m horny as hell. It’s not like I’m driving home. No more judging. Just let me find a man for the night.”
The guy sitting next to her turned with a smile that chilled her blood. His deep blue eyes seemed wrong, his skin too pale, almost blue. She’d seen him before, but couldn’t place where.
Isa glared back. “Not you.”
Amusement danced through his eyes as they dropped to his drink with a chuckle.
Toryn grinned at Lana. “Two Loves and one is for my sweet Isadora.” His eyes held a mischievous sparkle.
Isa snorted. “Is that so?”
“Don’t argue,” he purred in a way that made her want to scratch her nails down his back while riding him into the night.
With a groan, she smiled back at Lana and tossed down enough cash to cover her vodka and the Loves, plus a generous tip. “Where’s Leon?”
Avoiding answering, Toryn quickly finished the drink and placed his empty glass with a purposeful thunk on the counter. “Let’s dance.”
She let the question slide and followed his lead after finishing her cocktail.
Maybe she had a bit too much, too fast, because the world tilted. Still, she managed to walk straight.
“Leon won’t be jealous?”
“Nope, he plans to join us soon.” She could feel his eyes caress down her body and back up. “He told me to tell you that you’re on fire tonight.”
“He always says that.”
He pulled her close and his lips grazed over her ear. “Only because it’s true.”
The warmth of his breath and rumble of his voice only heightened the ache between her legs. Such a damned tease. And if he didn’t do it with everyone, she might think he really felt something for her.

Sexy Couple





[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpOkFnG0Pk8?list=UUgQTzgIOkiDlm8er-K6K7NA]





Sexy smiling shirtless male model flirting against white backgro

MY REVIEW:

I really enjoyed reading Storm Mistress.  If you are looking for paranormal, action and suspense, mystery and intrigue this book is for you.  Brandy takes you into a world filled with different paranormal creatures and a wonderful storyline.  I really enjoyed all the characters in the story.  They had a life of their own.  Brandy made them part of the story and they just fit right in.  I instantly fell in love with Toryn.  He is truly an amazing man.  Not only is he Isadora's protector but he loves her with all his heart and will do anything for her.  Toryn and Isadora's chemistry is instant and very believable.  There are no doubts how they feel about one another.  Both try to hide their feelings for each other but the trust comes out.  I love Isadora's characters.  She is truly amazing also.  When Isadora learns the truth, she is very forgiving of Toryn and why he lied to her.  The past is the past to her.  Nothing else matters but the future to her.  Toryn has always been Isadora's best friend and confidant.  She trusts him with her life and the past isn't going to change that. 

I love Brandy's writing and I am looking forward to reading more books in this series.  Her storyline and characters are so believable.  You become lost in the story and become part of it.  Storm Mistress is fast pacing and you can't help but become lost in the story.  You become the characters and you feel what they feel.  I could not put the book down.  I highly recommend this series and any other books Brandy writes.  Brandy's writing is truly amazing.  5 stars

AUTHOR BIO

Brandy L Rivers is the author of the Others of Edenton Series. There are more Others of Edenton in the works. She is also working on the Others of Seattle series.
As an avid reader, Brandy has always loved writing. She became serious about it as a stay-at-home-mother. She has a file full of manuscripts she plans to edit and put out there eventually.
She lives in Western Washington with her husband and three kids, where she is already working on future stories in the series.
If you are interested in receiving emails about future book releases, please sign up for her email distribution list by visiting her site.


Hair Braid. Beautiful Woman with Healthy Long Hair. Hairdressing


AUTHOR FOLLOW LINKS



Couple In Love. Happy Loving Couple. Dark Background.


GIVEAWAY PRIZES

2 paperbacks of Storm Mistress, one US one can be International
5 ebook copies of Storm Mistress with swagpacks
2 $10 amazon giftcards
Storm Mistress - Teaser 5


This Tour Has Been Organized By
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Body Language

Body Language - Tour Banner

BOOK INFORMATION

TITLE – Body Language
SERIES – The Boot Knockers Ranch #2
AUTHOR – Em Petrova
GENRE – Contemporary western erotic romance
PUBLICATION DATE – sept 9, 2014
LENGTH (Pages/# Words) – 44,000 words
PUBLISHER – Samhain Publishing

Body Language - Book Cover


BOOK SYNOPSIS

There are no words for desire this hot…but he’ll sure try to find them.
The Boot Knockers Ranch, Book 2
If there’s one thing that Damian Vince can do well, it’s read women. With his trademark wink and sexy drawl, he’s the most wanted cowboy on the Boot Knockers Ranch, a spa where sexually challenged women come to get charmed out of their uptight panties.
He’s also the ranch’s bad boy—he hates to admit he’s had his mug-shot taken more than once. But now he’s on the right path, ranching and fulfilling women’s desires.
Prim grade-school teacher Ruthie Johansson prays Damian will be able to fix her strict upbringing that’s left her leery of men and intercourse, though her body aches for both. Once she sets eyes on the muscular, auburn-haired Damian, she throbs only for him.
As they get skin to skin, her instinct touches something Damian’s been struggling to hide from his fellow Boot Knockers. A secret he’s spent a lifetime keeping buried beneath bar brawls and a bad attitude. But with Ruthie’s gentle coaxing, he just might give overcoming it another try—as long as they do their homework in bed.
Warning: Contains a bad boy with a vulnerable underside, a squeaky clean woman who wants to get dirty, and a secret shame only love and compassion can heal. Prepare to drool while he parses her sentences…one sexy verb at a time.

BUY & TBR LINKS

BOOK 1 – Pushin’ Buttons

EXCERPT

Ruthie clasped her hands and fought to keep from wringing them. The backstage area was alive with chatter. Excited giggles echoed around her as she waited for the cowboys.
She looked at the other women. They were as diverse as the cowboys on the brochure. Women with every shade of hair and body type huddled together, some talking quietly about what to expect.
With a knot of nausea in her throat, Ruthie didn’t feel like speaking. Besides, when she stepped onto the stage, she would be alone. No one could save her from what she’d chosen to do.
Isabel, the stage manager, buzzed between girls, dashing notes on her clipboard. “You’re up third, Ruthie.”
Nodding, she battled the urge to bolt for the door. Boarding the jet to Texas had given her the illusion she was going on a nice vacation. But once she’d arrived at the ranch and been taken into a private screening room to choose from a selection of cowboys, her real purpose hit hard.
She’d come to find the most sexual pleasure she’d ever known, which would be easy considering she hadn’t found it with her former lovers.
Images of the five cowboys she’d selected revolved through her mind. They were in the audience right now. In a few minutes she’d step onto the stage and they’d fight over who would win her.
She dragged in a wavering gasp just as Isabel announced the first contestant was to take the stage.
Holding her breath with the rest of the women, Ruthie watched from the sidelines as a tall girl with a pretty face and dishwater-blonde hair stood before the cowboys.
Ruthie’s mind clouded, and she stared at her simple, flat leather sandals. How had she gotten here? From the third-grade classroom to a sex club. Her face burned.
By the time she lifted her gaze again, the first woman was coming offstage.
With a cowboy.
Ruthie felt her jaw drop as she came face-to-face with the dashing, muscled man in worn denim, boots and hat. His shirt was blue plaid, sleeves rolled to his elbows, displaying a tattoo of a rodeo belt buckle on his forearm.
“Take good care of her, Elliot,” Isabel said with a grin.
He tipped his hat at Isabel and hooked the woman’s arm more securely over his. He led her through the throng of women and out the side door.
Oh my God. Oh my God.
Ruthie gasped for breath when contestant number two took the stage. She wore ill-fitting clothes that disguised her body. When she took her place in the spotlight, she smiled, and her whole appearance transformed.
“I wish we could hear what they’re saying,” someone beside Ruthie whispered.
Me too. What should she expect? More Q&A? How would she ever keep her knees from knocking when faced with all that testosterone?
“Get ready, Ruthie. It’s almost your turn.”
The knot in her belly pulled tight, and she was pretty sure she knew what expression she wore. In the classroom, it was one she’d come to recognize early—right before the cleanup.
Contestant number two came off stage, grinning like Miss America and guided by a tanned hunk with his hand on the small of her back.
Ruthie shivered, more aware of herself than ever before. Within minutes she’d be that girl, and she’d have some cowboy’s hand on her.
All OVER me with any luck.
“Ruthie, you’re on!”
Sucking in a deep breath, she stepped onto the stage. Her sandals were almost noiseless on the polished floor. As soon as she stepped into the spotlight, she broke out in a sweat. Her watermelon-colored cotton sundress clung to her damp skin, and she squeezed her fingers together until her knuckles popped.
Her heart throbbed heavily in her ears. Through the glare of lights, she could just make out the line of cowboys. They sat in plush leather chairs with red buttons before them.
Oh my God, I’ve landed on a game show. And I’m the prize.

AUTHORS PLAYLIST

Mine – Christina Perri
Begin Again – Colbie Caillat
Stubborn Love – The Lumineers
Unsaid – The Fray

AUTHOR BIO

Em Petrova lives in Backwoods, Pennsylvania, where she raises 4 kids and a Labradoodle named Daisy Hasselhoff. Her heroes are hardworking heroes--in bed and out--and she is known for panty-scorching erotic romance.

AUTHOR FOLLOW LINKS


GIVEAWAY PRIZES

(2) $5 Amazon Giftcards
(2) $5 Starbucks Giftcards

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Monday, September 29, 2014

Chaperoning Paris by Victoria Pinder

Chaperoning Paris - Tour Banner


BOOK INFORMATION

Author Name: Victoria Pinder
Book Title: Chaperoning Paris
Publisher: Soul Mate Publishing
Date Published: 06/11/2014
Genre: Contemporary Romance


Chaperoning Paris - Book Cover


SYNOPSIS

Gigi Dumont never forgot how she walked away from the only man she ever loved.
She’s a teacher who has led her students to the finals of an international French competition to be help in Paris. The night before the trip, the Principal tries to cancel the trip before he, in turn, loses his job to her high school boyfriend, Sean Collins.
Sean Collins has survived cancer, a divorce, and Gigi having aborted their child back in high school. He assumed he’d hate her, if they ever crossed paths again. But he discovers she’s exactly what he wants.
When Gigi and Sean are stuck together for a week in Paris, Gigi feels she has lost all her control. How can she survive her attraction to Sean? The man’s sexier now than he was back in the day, and once upon a time, he’d had her heart. She finds herself falling for him, even knowing forever is impossible.

BUY LINK





EXCERPT

Payback time. Standing in his mother’s kitchen, Sean Collins smiled as he hung up the phone.
He hovered at the phone for a moment, then charged along the carpeted hallway to his bedroom. In a flash, he changed from his T-shirt and jeans into his black pin stripe king-of-the-business-world suit complete with black tie and shiny black shoes.
Finished dressing, Sean jittered at the door and listened to his son talking nonstop to his mother upstairs. His skin tingled and he closed his eyes. At least moving to his parents’ country estate where he had grown up on Cape Cod had been good for everyone.
Breakfast could wait. He grabbed the keys on the counter downstairs, and he called upstairs, “I’m leaving. I won’t be gone long.”
Last year, the school principal had fired him with bogus charges. Sean had sworn on every holy book that he’d been fired because his doctors had discovered cancer in a routine physical exam.
The sickness sucked. But he’d survived. And now he used his vast wealth to get what he wanted. No teacher should be treated so callously. He had taken the job at the time to prove to himself he had more choices than being the chief financial officer of his father’s corporation.
He set his jaw and walked outside to his car, where the smell of freshly cut grass hit his senses.
The moment he stepped outside and headed toward the garage, Sean stared at the vast forested area on the property for a moment and pressed his lips together. Trees made sense. Women never had. His luck with women had been bad from the start. His first girlfriend, Gigi Dumont, had left him for parts unknown, and then later his wife, now his ex, Jennifer, had also left. She’d played with a whole set of loose scruples. But Jennifer hadn’t hurt him, not like Gigi had. Sean rolled his shoulders. Why did everything in his life always seem to go back to Gigi leaving?
He fished out his keys from his pocket. And now Gigi had moved back into the house next door.
Sean opened the garage door. A quick click of a button and the gate lifted.
Last night he hadn’t slept. Today his shoulders were straight. This moment had nothing to do with women and everything to do with justice. His fingers traced the shiny finish of his brother Gerard’s Aston Martin. Without blinking, he opted to borrow the car. He’d be early and outshine everyone else. Gerard had offered to loan it to him specifically for today. Sean licked his lips and turned the key, igniting the engine, and took off.
A daydream flashed in his eyes. Principal Murray’s jaw dropped to the ground in shock the second Sean stepped inside the office with the papers.
Sean clutched the wheel. He intended to twist the knife even further. People like Mr. Murray gave businessmen around the world the reputation of cold, heartless automatons, especially when he claimed the firing had been over “job performance.” Every one of Sean’s students had passed the state assessments.
Now, Sean ran the finances for his parents, his father’s company, and his brothers. The support of his family to get him through cancer treatments had been phenomenal, but what if he hadn’t had that support? What if he’d had no money to pay for treatments? He’d be dead because the principal had fired him due to the insurance increases. Well, now Sean had a better solution.
He sped down the country road for the half-hour trip. During his horrible marriage to Jennifer, he’d worked as a teacher, and his students had achieved both academic and social successes. Jennifer had been the nightmare that drove Sean away from Collins Industries, Collins Enterprises, Collins Investments, and Collins Mutual, to list a few of his father’s multiple companies. Post divorce and cancer, Sean had made the decision to offer employees packages in cases of sickness. Anyone who worked for him would now receive a payoff equal to the job performance done over the years as part of a settlement. Money paid hospital bills.
Sean’s stomach clenched as he gazed at the sign for the Barnstable Charter High School parking lot. Sean parked Gerard’s fancy lawyer wheels that screamed “out to impress” right next to the about-to-be-sacked principal’s BMW sedan. The Aston Martin made the perfect goodbye gesture. Murray had been outclassed.
Sean leaned forward in his seat, refusing to feel guilty. He waited for the school bell to ring and watched students bounding outside.
Unlike most people, his family had money, and normally he wouldn’t like flaunting wealth. His Jeep Wrangler suited him just fine, but today he needed to look like the elite businessman he was. He stepped out a minute later, and in a fast walk, he strode down the halls. Sean winked the second he saw the school guard’s shocked face.
“You had cancer?” asked the older African American lady who coached the wrestling team.
“Yes, I did. I’m better now,” Sean said, smiling.
He inclined his head and passed the security desk then Sean turned right toward the principal’s office.
In his briefcase he carried the school board’s ruling and the proof of sale of the school to Collins Enterprises. Barnstable was a private school that followed school board law. The sale to his company had been finalized, but Sean had insisted on telling Murray in person. The minutes of the meeting would be posted at one that day. Victory waited for him, and justice tasted better than homemade chocolate chip cookies.
In the office, the overqualified secretary, Mattie, dropped her pencil on the floor. Sean made eye contact with her and the older woman smiled back. Then he picked up the pencil in stride, and handed it back to her. She opened her mouth to speak, and he shook his head, placing his finger over his lips to silently request her silence.
She smiled her response and swiveled her chair back to her computer.
He had seen Mattie in action and understood the older woman had known how to treat people more than anyone else in the office.
Outside the principal’s door, Sean straightened his tie into perfect alignment. His heart rate sped up and his entire body became alert then he heard her voice.
Gigi, or should he say, Giovanna Dumont. Her quiet, sweet voice unmanned him, making his palms sweat. Why would she be here? And how could she still steal his breath away?

AUTHOR BIO

Victoria Pinder grew up in Irish Catholic Boston then moved to Miami. Eventually, found that writing is her passion.
She always wrote stories to entertain herself. Her parents are practical minded people demanding a job, but when she sat down to see what she enjoyed doing, writing became obvious.
The Zoastra Affair, Chaperoning Paris, Borrowing the Doctor, and Electing Love, Mything the Throne and Favorite Coffee, Favorite Crush will be published in 2014.
Now she is represented by Dawn Dowdle of Blue Ridge Literary Agency.
Also she’s the Vice President for the Florida Romance Writers. Her website is www.victoriapinder.com.

AUTHOR FOLLOW LINKS



GIVEAWAY

Chaperoning Paris - Giveaway Pic
$10 Giftcard
Keychain

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Stepbrother Dearest by Penelope Ward







Stepbrother Dearest
By Penelope Ward
Release Date: September 29, 2014

Book Summary:

You’re not supposed to want the one who torments you.

When my stepbrother, Elec, came to live with us my senior year, I wasn’t prepared for how much of a jerk he’d be.

I hated that he took it out on me because he didn’t want to be here.
I hated that he brought girls from our high school back to his room.
But what I hated the most was the unwanted way my body reacted to him.

At first, I thought all he had going for him were his rock-hard tattooed abs and chiseled face. Then, things started changing between us, and it all came to a head one night.

Just as quickly as he’d come into my life, he was gone back to California.

It had been years since I’d seen Elec.

When tragedy struck our family, I’d have to face him again.

And holy hell, the teenager who made me crazy was now a man that drove me insane.

I had a feeling my heart was about to get broken again.

Stepbrother Dearest is a standalone novel.

**Contains graphic sexual content and harsh language. It is only appropriate for adult readers age 18+









Penelope Ward’s bio & Social Media links:

Penelope Ward

Penelope Ward is a USA Today Bestselling author.

She grew up in Boston with five older brothers. She spent most of her twenties as a television news anchor, before switching to a more family-friendly career.

Penelope lives for reading books in the new adult genre, coffee and hanging out with her friends and family on weekends.

She is the proud mother of a beautiful 10-year-old girl with autism (the inspiration for the character Callie in Gemini) and a 8-year-old boy, both of whom are the lights of her life.

Penelope, her husband and kids reside in Rhode Island.

She is currently working on her fifth novel, Jake Understood. She is the author of Gemini, Jake Undone, My Skylar and Stepbrother Dearest.

website | amazon author page | Facebook | twitter | goodreads

Release Day Giveaway:
Penelope is not hosting a Release Day Giveaway but she will be very active on Facebook all day giving things away. Please direct your readers to pop in and say hi!

Purchase Links:
Links are currently not available but will be forwarded to you as soon as they are live. (hopefully Sunday evening)

Teasers:
I’m attaching a couple of teasers but please feel free to go to Penelope’s Facebook site and grab any you’d like to use from there. You can also go to my facebook page and find the photo album I’ve created for Penelope. https://www.facebook.com/SoluriPR

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Surrender by Jennifer Burrow (Blitz)





Title: Surrender


Author: Jennifer Burrows


Genre: Romantic thrillers/Suspense


 

 


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Katherine Anderson was living a dream life. She came from an influential family, had a successful career as a food critic, and was about to marry the man of her dreams. Her life suddenly takes a change for the worse when she finds her fiancé in the arms of another woman. Her dream wedding now cancelled, she tries to find herself in Italy, on a trip she was supposed to be taking as the just married Mrs. Michael Gibbons.





Massimo "Tony" Bertalucci has had his life destroyed by a cartel known to be trafficking black market olive oil out of Italy and around the world. While the cartel thought the entire Bertalucci family was dead and buried, Tony remains very much alive and determined to find a way to get his life back.





When Tony and Katherine’s worlds collide, she is Tony’s only hope of escaping Italy alive. What Katherine doesn’t realize is that this charming, unassuming Italian man is using her to save his own life. Will she be able to get back to the states safely, or will she be subjected to the same fate as Tony's family? Will Tony find a way to stop running? Or will he have to surrender his life to the cartel?


 








US: http://www.amazon.com/Surrender-Trilogy-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00M7LCLCK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1409783975&sr=8-1&keywords=jennifer+burrows






 



 




 

 





 


























 

















I was born and raised in Southern California.  I received my Master’s Degree from California State University, Dominguez Hills.  I have worked in nursing for over fifteen years.  I have worked in multiple areas of nursing.  However, my passion is for emergency medicine.  Oh the stories I can tell.


My passion wasn’t always nursing.  When I started college, I wanted to be a writer.  However, I had a teacher that made me less then happy about writing and I chose to go into nursing.  Since then, I have always had stories in my head that I wanted to put on paper but never found the time.


I married my wonderful husband whom I met while working in the intensive care unit.  We have three active and amazing boys that consistently keep me on my toes.  We spend a lot of time watching the boys baseball games, snowboarding in Mammoth, and watching the oldest son play high school football.  I happen to be the photographer for his team and I spend a lot of time on the field!


So with all of the activities in my life, where do I find the time to write?  Needless to say, I am an insomniac.  When I am not up in the middle of the night reading, I get up about five in the morning and start writing.  Most days, this gives me an hour and a half to write as much as I can.  During the summer months, I am blessed with a lighter schedule and more time to put my thoughts to paper.


 


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Friday, September 26, 2014

Love At The End of Days (Dead Rapture Series #2) by Tera Shanley











Love At The End Of Days (Dead Rapture Series #2)
by
  
Romance and zombies collide in the riveting sequel to Love in the Time of the Dead.

Four years into the Dead outbreak that ended the world, Vanessa Summers has been so burned by love, she swears she will never trust a man again. But Sean Daniels, guard leader of Dead Run River, isn’t just any man. When past lovers return to the colony, things get complicated. Desperate to rid herself of the heartache, Vanessa signs up for a supply run that will test her mettle as a guard in training. Sean volunteers to lead her team, and his hungry looks say it’s more personal than professional.

Danger comes from all sides as they scavenge Dead-infested cities, and as her attraction for Sean deepens, Vanessa finds her head and heart at war with each other. He clouds her judgment, and the slightest misstep could spell disaster outside of the safety of colony gates.

A race back to Dead Run River could save a teammate’s life, but trouble has been brewing back home. Laney Landry, the woman who broke Sean’s heart, is in trouble, and Vanessa must decide whether to take back the Denver colony beside the man she’s falling in love with, or bow out of an attraction that terrifies her.

The Demon Who Loved Me by jessie Lane Cover Reveal




We are so excited to share with you this sexy new cover for Jessie Lane’s upcoming book in her paranormal romance, Big Bad Bite series, THE DEMON WHO LOVED ME! Isn’t it gorgeous? Model, Colby Lefebvre, isn’t too bad himself! *wink* Be sure to leave a comment and let us know what you think! 







Title: The Demon Who Loved Me
Series: Big Bad Bite #3
Author: Jessie Lane
Release Day: February 28, 2015
Genre: Paranormal Romance

Blurb:
He’s a gambling man…







One brunette bombshell with a devious mind and a potty mouth has thrust Kent smack dab in the middle of where he never wanted to be—his family. He’s spent most of his life avoiding his familial responsibilities, especially the one that required him to join the Ninth Circle Council—the demon society’s equivalent of judge, jury and executioner. Then one lost bet with the little Amazon flipped his entire life upside down. With worries about retaliation from the remnants of a rogue pack of wolves in Germany, he doesn’t have time to deal with his family, or his obsession with Chloe Demos.




And she’s the biggest risk he’ll ever take…

After her mother’s death, Chloe’s world crashes down around her. A secret Amazonian heritage. Aunts and a long lost brother she never knew about. Supernatural beings. With all of the sudden changes, she’s decided it’s time to step out from behind her façade of an air-headed, materialistic bimbo and show her sisters she truly does love them—she only hates their wardrobes. What better way to show she cares about her family than to help prove someone close to one of them is innocent of the bogus murder charges from some ridiculous council? Chloe has no scruples about calling in the marker the demon Kent owes her in order to do just that. It’s only too bad she’s underestimated Kent’s intelligence, and his playboy charm.

Contains mature themes.







Chapter One
Chloe

“The terms of our original agreement are no longer sufficient. We need to renegotiate.”
Chloe snorted at the demand. The demon must think she’d been born yesterday. “Wrong, Kent. Our agreement stands as it is. If you don’t like losing, perhaps you shouldn’t make bets.”
A smooth growl came over the phone. “You scammed me and you know it.”
She laughed at the accusation. “Wrong again. I didn’t scam you, I schooled you, and if you don’t like learning hard lessons, then don’t play games with me.”
“Do you realize what you’ve done to my life? Do you honestly fucking grasp what I’ve had to do to cover my marker from this ridiculous goddamn bet?”
Little did the people in her life realize, Chloe did feel regretful about some of the things she did. This particular situation was one of them. Because Kent was right, she had turned his whole life upside down over a bet. It hadn’t started out that way for her. No, that night, a little over a month ago—when they had run into each other at the McPhee owned bar—Chloe would have never guessed that she’d walk away owning a marker from the demon, but he’d challenged her, dammit. And she’d won that bet fair and square.
Chloe had been sitting at the bar, minding her own business and watching some douchebag treat his girlfriend like shit, when she’d realized that someone was watching her. Looking around to see who her admirer was, her eyes had stopped on a drop dead gorgeous man with brown hair, cobalt blue eyes, a five o’clock shadow with a panty melting grin, eyeballing her from his side of the bar. The demon who was only known by his last name, Kent. She’d first laid eyes on him in that very bar just days before when she and her two sisters had confronted Gage Ivanov about his sister, Lulu’s, whereabouts. 
He’d caught her eye even then, yet she hadn’t truly found him interesting until she’d gone home and done a little research. Her sisters might think she was an airhead, but that was only because it was the persona she liked to play. The real Chloe was an information whore. She wanted to know who everyone was, what they were doing, and the dark secrets they stored in their proverbial closets. So when she’d pulled up her aunts’ notes on demons in the area and did some extensive late night reading, imagine her surprise when she discovered that laid back, playboy Kent played a cop by day to avoid his rather influential, wealthy and demanding family. 
Why would a man walk away from easy living to play cops and robbers in real life? With a little more digging, she’d figured it out. Kent’s family was big in the demon hierarchy and politics. He was the first born son, and therefore, expected to take his family’s seat on the Ninth Circle Council. For reasons she couldn’t discern yet, Kent had done his best to put off those obligations.
Interesting information, but not necessarily useful. Yet. Chloe had learned over the years that information was the best kind of weapon a girl could have because you never knew when it would come in handy. 
That information had been beneficial a lot sooner than she would have expected it to, as well. She thought back to the night that had put this whole clusterfuck into motion. 
It seemed like a crime to ignore Kent’s appreciative glances to keep track of the douchebag boyfriend who was berating his poor, sweet girlfriend in front of his friends. Chloe hated assholes like him and loved to make examples of them. She was just waiting for her opportunity to do so.
She was so engrossed in staring at the douchebag as he joked with his buddies that she didn’t notice when Kent sat down on the stool next to her. 
“Do you have a thing for men that are taken or something, sweetheart?”
The sound of his voice near her ear almost made her fall off her seat it startled her so badly. 
Placing a hand over her hammering heart, she turned to glare at him. “No, I do not have a thing for men who are taken. Do you usually scare women in bars half to death?”
Kent shook his head. “Didn’t mean to scare you, but you’re staring at that pencil dick over there pretty hard. I was just trying to figure out if you wanted to jump his bones or something since you won’t give me the time of day.”
Chloe snorted in disgust. “I’d rather tell him to take a flying leap off a tall building than give him the time of day. Have you seen how mean he’s being to his girlfriend?”
“Yeah, it’s a shame, too. Pretty girl like her could definitely do better than him. She’s probably with him for his car.”
Chloe gave him a confused look. “His car?” 
“Yeah, sweetheart, his car. Saw him getting out of his Ferrari when I pulled in. That pretty little girl probably took one look at his car and thought she was hooking up with a high class man. Instead, she hooked up with an idiot.”
Chloe pursed her lips in thought as she stared at the miserable girl. The poor thing looked as though she wanted to be anywhere other than there. Maybe Chloe could help her with that.
“Think it would make her night if she got to drive his car? Then maybe she’d have at least one good thing about tonight she could remember.”
Kent laughed. “There’s no way in hell you’re getting that guy to let her drive his car.”
Well now, she did love a good challenge. 
Leaning into his personal space, she crooned back, “What would you give me if I walked out of here with his car keys and the girl so that she could drive his car?”
“Anything because there’s no way you’re pulling that shit off.”
She gave the demon a small, flirtatious smile. “And what do you want if I lose this little bet?”
“You, in my bed, any way I want you for twenty-four hours straight.”
She didn’t even have to think about it. Not because she wanted to have marathon sex with Kent, although she had to admit the idea was appealing, but the truth was, she was that confident in her abilities. He should never have blindly walked into a bet. His mistake would be her gain, though. 
And really? Twenty-four hours? Why did men always try to bullshit about their stamina? Chloe doubted there was a man, or Other, on the planet that could have a sexual marathon for twenty-four hours.
Running one of her manicured fingers down the side of his face, she whispered, “Remember this was your bet, demon. When it comes time for me to cash that marker, I’ll contact you.”
She got up off her bar stool and walked away from Kent, who was watching her with a curious face as she sashayed over to her mark’s table. She’d seen a hundred guys just like him, and they never failed to disgust her; the privileged, over-confident and atrocious jackasses that liked to treat women as objects instead of people. 
When she reached her destination, she pulled up a chair and invited herself to sit down. Every single man there was already leering at her, and half of them weren’t even bothering to look at her face. The only one unhappy to see her was the douchebag’s date, however that was okay.
“Hello, boys,” she purred. “Who wants to buy me a drink?”
Two of the four men were up and out of their chairs so fast they were practically tripping over themselves to get to the bar and do as requested. Douchebag was one of the two left behind. Chloe turned herself sideways in the chair and crossed her legs to give him a view of her tan limbs and red high-heeled, fuck me shoes.
As usual, Chloe was dressed to kill. She was wearing a black sheath dress with an overlay of red lace that clung to her pin up figure and had a low, square neckline to show off her abundant D cups. 
She leaned back a little to thrust her breasts out and watched her mark’s eyes zero in on her assets. This wouldn’t be hard to pull off at all. She was almost disappointed at the lack of a challenge. 
Chloe spent the next hour coyly flirting with four men that she’d rather pour gasoline over and set on fire, yet she was determined to win the demon’s marker. She could feel Kent’s eyes on her, and a part of her wondered if it turned him on to see her schmoozing other men. Maybe losing the bet would be worth it? Her pride, however, wouldn’t let her throw the bet for a bit of pleasure.
Douchebag was practically drooling all over their table at the thought of getting in her panties and he’d all but forgotten that he had another date sitting there with them. All she had to do was make her move now. 
Excusing herself to use the restroom, she got up from the group and walked down the hallway to the women’s bathroom. She went in, dug her lipstick out of her purse and touched up her lips with her favorite luscious red. Then, she fluffed her hair and checked her figure in the mirror. Satisfied that she’d wasted enough time, Chloe grabbed her purse and walked out of the bathroom where she found Mr. Douchebag himself—real name John—leaned up against the opposite wall waiting for her.
He grabbed her arm and pulled her into his body, sliding his hands down to rest on her ass. “Hey, sexy, you ready to get out of here and have some fun?”
Did he not care that he had a date sitting at the table? 
Ignoring her disgust for him, she bit her bottom lip like she was considering it. “Why do we have to get out of here to have some fun? We could sneak into the men’s bathroom and you could bend me over the sink instead. Wouldn’t that be hot?”
The man’s eyes widened and he smiled widely, like he’d hit the sexual jackpot. “You want me bad, don’t you, baby? Can’t even stand to wait for me to take you home. Fuck, yeah, let’s go in the bathroom and I’ll fuck you so good they’ll hear you screaming in the bar.”
Chloe ran her finger down the front of his chest teasingly. “There’s only one little problem, stud. I’m not excited yet, at all. I have a hard time getting hot and bothered, if you know what I mean. My psychologist says I’m a nymphomaniac with an adrenaline rush problem and dangerous tendencies.” 
Douchebag’s eyes glazed over a bit and he started panting a little. Chloe could guess that jerk-wad had a serious thing for what he thought might be crazy pussy. 
“What does that mean?” he panted.
Sticking her bottom lip out, she playfully pouted. “It means I have to do something that gives me a rush before I can get off. I saw that beautiful Ferrari you drove here. If you let me take it for a spin around the block, I bet my panties would be soaked by the time I got back.”
“Really?” he squeaked.
Chloe nodded. “Really. I’m getting excited just thinking about your car. The engine purring, and when it revs up, how I’ll feel the vibrations between my legs. God, that’s just so sexy. So hot, even, that I’d be willing to park the car around back and let you bend me over the hood and fuck me fast and hard. Can’t you just picture it, baby?” Chloe pressed her body tighter into his and put her lips against the shell of his ear to whisper. “I’ll get out of the car and you can push me down all rough-like on that hot hood. The warmth from the motor will burn my nipples a little through the fabric of my dress, but that’s okay because it’ll feel sooooo good. Then you can push my dress up over my hips, rip my thong off and slide right in because I’ll be wet and hungry for you. You’ll be able to fuck me nice and hard. What do you say, sexy?”
Douchebag had his keys out of his pocket and in her hand so fast it was laughable. He started physically pushing her down the hallway, back into the bar’s main room. 
“You go for that spin, honey. Hell, take it around the block twice just avoid a speeding ticket or wrecking it. I’ll be waiting for you around the back when you’re done.”
Chloe turned around and put a hand on his chest to stop him for a second. “I don’t want to go by myself, though, so I’m going to take the other girl with me. We’ll be right back, sexy. Have your dick out and waiting for me.”
Douchebag stood there with his jaw hanging open while she grabbed his stilted date’s hand and dragged her towards the bar’s entrance. 
Before she walked out the door, she turned her head to look at the bar, finding Kent’s eyes on her. She waved the keys in the air and gave him a finger wave before walking out with the other woman.
“Are you fucking listening to me, Chloe?” Kent snapped through the phone, bringing her back to the present. “You and I both know that I had to go above and beyond walking into that meeting and accepting my family’s seat to get Lulu the time and reprieve she needs. You’ve got to admit that my debt has more than been paid and now I’m stuck in the very situation I’ve been avoiding for decades, dealing with uptight, sniveling politicians. You owe me for this, Amazon, and you owe me big.”
He was right, however that didn’t mean she was going to admit it. 
Heaving a bored sigh, she asked, “What exactly do you want to even the score, demon? Depending on what it is, I’ll consider it, even though I technically don’t owe you a damn thing.”
She waited for Kent’s response, but he didn’t say anything right away. Thinking perhaps he’d gotten mad and hung up on her, she pulled the phone away from her and checked the screen. The call was still active, so she called out his name.
When he answered, his voice was a seductive croon that sent tingles down her spine. “I want a night with you. Dinner, wine and more.”
Chloe felt the sting of disappointment. She didn’t know why she’d been hoping Kent would be different from any other guy she’d dealt with, yet for some odd reason, she had. Why did all men think that just because she had a pretty face paired with a body that had all the right curves that she’d just fall into bed with them? She was sick and tired of men thinking she didn’t have anything to offer besides what was between her legs. 
And she wasn’t a whore. She’d never once slept with a man to get something and she never would. Mr. Douchebag had learned that the hard way when his stilted date had driven his Ferrari back after dropping Chloe off at her house. Chloe had asked the girl to pass on the message that neither him, nor his car, had been hot enough to get her excited at all. Then Chloe had firmly told the woman that she was young, beautiful and intelligent and she didn’t have to settle for dickwads like him. If she didn’t treat herself with respect, no one else ever would.
Reeling in her disappointment over Kent’s request, Chloe mentally placed him in the ‘Just Another Jerk’ list in her head. 
“Not happening, demon. You come up with a reasonable request that doesn’t involve trying to get me on my back and I might consider it. ‘Til then, keep Lulu’s ass off the Ninth Circle Council’s radar. Elena and Gage are still working on getting the evidence they need to fully clear her. Besides that, we have nothing else to talk about.”
Chloe hung up and tossed her phone on the bed with a discouraged sigh. One day she would meet a man who was good looking and had a heart of gold; someone who would see her for who she really was and not what the outer packaging looked like. It’d just be nice if that one day would hurry the hell up and get there.














Find out more about the BIG BAD BITE Series!
The series has had a complete makeover with brand new, smokin’ hot covers and a can’t-miss sale!


Big Bad Bite

Book #1 – Jenna & Adam’s Story

Published January 28, 2013

What would it be like to live in a world where you were considered abnormal even to those who were above the norm?

Jenna O’Conner is not human, nor is she considered the norm for the supernatural Other community that is benevolent enough to share this world with the humans. On her first day as the newewst member of the Wilmington Police Department’s SWAT Team, Jenna runs into trouble in the form of a deadly, mouthwatering man named Adam McPhee, who is also not human. He is determined to figure out exactly what Jenna is, which could very well put her life in danger. Furthermore, he is determined to have her all to himself.

As if that weren’t enough for Jenna to deal with, a group of extremist Shifters who consider humans to be cattle and who think that factions of Others should stay within their own species—never to intermingle—come to town. Jenna has to find a way to shut them down, but in the process of trying to do that, she discovers things about herself that even she had never thought were possible.

Who said the wolf was what you had to worry about?
Welcome to the real world.

Contains mature themes.











Walk On The Striped Side

Book #2 – Gage & Elena’s Story

Published February 24, 2014

Does he have his claws in her for good? Or is she just yanking his tail?

Elena Demos’s life has been turned upside down. Her mother has passed away, leaving Elena and her two half-sisters to deal with their mother’s will and the crazy stipulations it contains. For the three sisters to inherit the substantial amount of money left behind, they have to go to work with two aunts they’ve never met in a family business—Amazons Inc.—they know nothing about. If that isn’t bad enough, Elena runs into the man who once broke her heart, and it’s only their first day on the job.

Gage Ivanov is a stupid beast. He let the woman who should be his mate go because she couldn’t be told of his Other identity. Now Elena’s back, but she refuses to give in to his demands for her to be his mate. The timing for all of this couldn’t be worse, either, because Gage and his circle of friends are trying to subdue a rogue pack of wolf shifters in Germany who threaten to out the Others to the world of humans. Will he be able to juggle the oncoming conflict and win back his mate?

Claws, love bites and handcuffs – OH MY!

Contains mature themes.

Jessie Lane is the best-selling author of The Star Series, Big Bad Bite Series and the Ex Ops Series. She writes paranormal and contemporary romance, as well as Upper YA Paranormal Romance/Fantasy.

She lives in Kentucky with her two little Rock Chicks in the making and her over protective alpha husband. She has a passionate love for reading and writing naughty romance, cliff hanging suspense, and out-of-this-world characters that demand your attention, or threaten to slap you around until you do pay attention to them.

You can follow Jessie at: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Goodreads & her Amazon Author Page










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