Book Blitz: Blog Post & Giveaway | Love &Other Lies | Madeline Ash

Love & Other Lies by Madeline Ash
Published by: Destiny Romance
Publication date: January 20th 2015
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:

Small town vet Abby Benson has fled to the country to put her shameful past behind her. She’s just beginning to find her feet again when handsome stranger, Rue Thorn, arrives in town and begins to stir things up. Rue is gorgeous, kind and thoughtful and the two share an instant attraction.  But convinced he’ll despise her if he learns about her history, Abby reluctantly keeps him at arms length.

Determined to win Abby over, Rue tries to reshape himself as the sort of guy he thinks she might be interested in. And for a while it seems his act is working.  But when he finds out that Abby has been lying to him, it isn’t long before everything start to unravel …

A moving story of trust, forgiveness and the power of love from the author of Uncovered by Love and The Playboy’s Dark Secret.

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Purchase: Amazon

What Makes a Hero?

In Love & Other Lies, Rue is a good guy hero. He’s kind-hearted, thoughtful, and easy going. Unfortunately this is exactly the wrong kind of man for Abby. She’s a reformed compulsive liar, terrified of a relapse, and can’t bear the thought of dragging a decent man into her mess. She doesn’t consider that he’s exactly the right kind of man for her, because he can see she needs support and gives it without question.

Funny how the wrong man turns out to be her hero!

Now, on the topic of heroes…about a year ago, a friend of mine commented that romance heroes aren’t actually heroes. She believes it’s a misnomer – they’re hardly saving the world. This made me wonder what makes a romance hero heroic? Why are they called heroes at all? I can’t answer on behalf of all lovers of the romance genre – there are many types of romance hero – but there are certain qualities that all the heroes in my books possess to make them worthy of the title.

My heroes are:

Admirable. The hero needs to act in a way that others admire – including the heroine.

Courageous. They always find the courage to fight their demons – and to fight for the heroine’s love.

Strong: My heroes are resilient, often having to endure internal conflict.

Kind: Even burdened by internal conflict, they never act inexcusably.

Combined, these qualities are all it takes, in my opinion!

What are the ideal traits of your perfect hero? 

About the Author

Madeline lives and writes in Melbourne. She is an author with Destiny Romance and Tule Publishing.

Online, she calls madelineash.net home, although she does have capricious blogging tendencies so might not always have fresh tea ready for visitors. That's not to say she doesn't welcome company.

She writes contemporary romance.

Author links:

Goodreads Author Page | Facebook | Twitter | Website

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Book Blitz: Blood and Shattered Glass | Tyffani Clark

Blood and Shattered Glass

Book # 1

By- Tyffani Clark Kemp

Genre- Adult Psychological Romantic Thriller

Publication Date- January 5th, 2015

Four months ago, a traumatic accident put Trista in the psych ward. They were supposed to help her deal with the events that transpired, but something happened to her in there. Something changed her and Jeremi Lloyd can’t figure out what it is. As her guardian, it’s Jeremi’s job to make sure Trista is taken care of. During the day, Trista is happy and content with the best fiancé in the world, but at night, horrible nightmares plague her sleep.

But Jeremi has a huge secret, one the doctors say Trista isn’t ready to handle. It’s a secret that could shatter what little bit of happiness and stability Trista has been able to find.

When Jeremi learns that strange things are happening at the psych ward where Trista was being helped, he starts to wonder if her nightmares and her mental instability aren’t really her fault. And he wonders if the secrets he’s keeping are worth it.

As the answers begin to surface in ways neither Trista or Jeremi could have imagined, so does a level of danger that could be the end of them and their friends. Can they figure out the truth before they’re both committed?

  

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Blog Tour Review & Giveaway || Private Internship || Kitsy Clare

Private Internship
(An Art of Love Novel Book 2)
by Kitsy Clare
Kindle Edition, 147 pages
Published September 30th 2014 by Inkspell Publishing

Blurb: 

Sometimes sugar isn’t so sweet and secrets can be deadly...especially with matters of the heart.
Sienna’s bestie, Harper warned her not to intern for famous bad boy artist, Casper Mason. After all, he just fired Harper who helped Sienna get the interview. But the moment Sienna sees Casper—or Caz—sweaty, practically shirtless and swinging from chains as he works on his sculpture, she’s hooked. He’s the richest, hottest artist in New York, and he lives in the fabulous Williamsburg Sugar Factory. But he’s also an incorrigible game-player, who seems to relish testing Sienna’s loyalty with a string of unsettling tests.
She knows she should get away fast. But by the time Sienna sneaks into his locked storage room and begins to unearth his dark and terrifying secret, she’s fallen way too hard for the handsome, charismatic Caz.

Buy Links:

Amazon│B&N│Kobo Books

Links to companion book:

Goodreads│Amazon│B&N│Kobo Books

About the Author

Kitsy Clare hails from Philadelphia and lives in New York. A romantic at heart, she loves to write about the sexy intrigue of the city, and particularly of the art world. She knows it well, having shown her paintings here before turning to writing. Model Position, her new adult novella is about artist Sienna and her friends. Living in a Bookworld says: "Beautifully written! We get to learn things about art & painting, which is refreshing. A colorful story from a promising new adult author." The next in her Art of Love series, Private Internship launches in September with Inkspell.

Kitsy loves to travel, draw, read romance, speculative fiction and teach writing workshops. She
also writes YA as Catherine Stine. Her futuristic thriller, Ruby's Fire was a YA finalist in the Next Generation Indie book awards. Fireseed One, its companion novel, was a finalist in YA and Sci-Fi in the USA News International Book Awards, and an Indie Reader notable. Her YA horror, Dorianna, launches fall 2014 with Evernight Teen. She's a member of SFWA, RWA and SCBWI.

Author Links:
Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook

Thank you to YA Bound and the Author for a copy of the book for review. 

This does not effect my opinion of this book.

Sienna takes a well-paying internship working for world famous artist Casper(Caz) Mason. While at first Sienna thinks that Caz is rude and his behavior is uncalled for, she begins to challenge him at his own game. Caz is very reserved and doesn't like people who try to dig into his personal life. However, Sienna just has to know. After googling him multiple times and finding nothing of his life before he move to New York, Sienna decides to put it to the back of her mind. 

She starts to develop feelings for Caz and even dumps her boyfriend to be with him. As his secrets begin to pile up and come to the light, Sienna wonders if she can be with him. Can she look past his past and just be with who he is now? Can she trust him?

I'm not a person who reads many romance novels. They just aren't my flavor. And while I continued on with this book- determined to finish- it just wasn't my cup of tea. While I enjoyed the mysteriousness of Caz, I didn't click with Sienna as a character. There were many sex scenes which are okay. There is sexual tension like WOAH. There is nothing bad I can really say about this novel. It's.... a matter of what kind of books you like to enjoy. 

Not bad, not great. 3 Stars. 

3 Coffee Cup Stars
Finished October 11th 2014

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Blog Tour Organized by:

YA Bound Book Tours

RDL Launch || Fractured Lines || Jen McLaughlin

Fractured Lines
By Jen McLaughlin
Out of Line #4
Publication Date: October 14th, 2014

Blurb:
The lines we once crossed so easily have widened and torn us apart…

Once upon a time I thought Finn and I would live happily ever after, but real life doesn't always have a happy ending. He's testing my trust, and I'm losing faith in the man I thought I'd spend the rest of my life with, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it. He’s the one I trusted to keep me safe, but now he’s the source of my greatest pain…

Forgiveness is fragile, and some fractures never fully heal...

One mistake—a slip in a moment of weakness—might cost me everything I've worked so hard for. The thing about trust is that it's a lot easier to lose than it is to build. Just as I'm about to give up and surrender to the demons from my past, an unexpected threat reminds me what I'm best at: protecting the woman I love. Whether or not she wants me, I will fight for Carrie and our daughter, and I will keep them safe—no matter the cost.

Even if I have to put my life and my heart on the line.

 

Amazon || Kobo 

About the Author:
Jen McLaughlin is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of sexy New Adult books. Under her pen name Diane Alberts, she is a multi-published, bestselling author of Contemporary Romance with Entangled Publishing. Her first
release as Jen McLaughlin, Out of Line, released September 6 2013, and hit the New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal lists. She was mentioned in Forbes alongside E. L. James as one of the breakout independent authors to dominate the bestselling lists. She is represented by Louise Fury at The Bent
Agency.
Though she lives in the mountains, she really wishes she was surrounded by a hot, sunny beach with crystal-clear water. She
lives in Northeast Pennsylvania with her four kids, a husband, a schnauzer mutt, and a cat. Her goal is to write so many well-crafted romance books that even a non-romance reader will know her name.

Goodreads || Website || Twitter || Facebook

Giveaway

Win hand-knitted, green fingerless silk/merino mittens (made by Jen!) and a $20 Gift Card

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Chills: A Short Story Collection || REVIEW

Chills: A Short Story Collection
by Sahar Sabati
Genre: Suspense
Age Category: Adult
Release Date: 17 October 2013

Blurb:
The same people are impossibly spotted in two different places at once; a man considers murdering the husband of a woman he loves; while driving home very early in the morning, a driverless car appears out of the fog and follows two sisters home. Fear of the unknown, emotional intensity, and plain old creepiness will give you chills long after you have finished reading the seven stories in this collection.

You can find Chills: A Short Story Collection on Goodreads

You can buy Chills: A Short Story Collection here:

- Amazon

- Kobo
- B&N

- Itunes

About the author:
The author of Spirit Within Club and Chills: A Short Story Collection, Sahar was born the first of three siblings and the first of eight cousins who grew up together. Thrust in the role of head of the brood at a very early age, she honed her imagination by creating stories and plotlines the eight of them could play to all summer long. But soon, her interest in the paranormal took its toll on said brood. Worried on the long-term effects (as well as potential therapy costs) of this continual exposure to increasingly scary stories her oldest was (too) expertly weaving for their terrified ears, her mother gave her a typewriter ? and a writer was born. Many books, a couple of screenplays, countless short stories, numerous essays, two blogs, and one Facebook page later, Sahar joined the ranks of Blogcritics, delving into the world of reviews.

You can find and contact Sahar here:

- Author website

- Blog

- Facebook

- Twitter

- Instagram

Thank you to the author and Lola's Blog Tours for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. 

Chills: A Short Story Collection is a 73 page book of 7 short stories. The author states that "the stories in this collection are metaphors for fears that I or close friends of mine had to face." I went into this book hope to get a little freaked out. It's hard to 'scare' me so that wasn't anticipated, but it is more a psychological reaction then one of horror. 

Story 1: Double, Double || Dana is sure that she is seeing the same people in different places, knowing that it is virtually impossible from these people to be in two places at once. Dana believes that she sees the same people over and over on a number of occasions. When she finds out the truth about what she is actually seeing, she is overwhelmed. 

~~~ I didn't really have any type of reaction to this story. I knew about half-way through what the outcome would be. ~~~~

Story 2: The Mug Shot || An emergency room nurse comes face-to-face with a guy that is on the FBI's most wanted list in an area that she can't escape so easily. The conversation doesn't go as you would expect. However, it makes you think, what would you do if you were in her position?

~~~~This was a psychological story for me. I asked myself multiple times, what would I do if I was her. I didn't expect the conversation to go the way that it did and was intrigued by the statements that the Mug Shot guy made. This was my favorite short story.~~~

Story 3: Karma || Peter is a pharmacist who falls in love with, Eva, a customer of his. Of course, she is married to another man. Peter knows that it is wrong and makes several attempts to remove himself from the area of town that she would frequent to avoid her. However, when Peter sees Eva again years down the line he is put in an awkward and potentially dangerous situation. When things don't go anything like he imagined is his fate at risk?

~~~I don't see this story as suspenseful, psychological, or scary. This is something that I've seen numerous shows, movies, books all cover before. The forbidden love. However, what Peter gains at the end is certainly different then the norm. ~~~

Story 4: The Car In The Fog || After an all-night study session, at a local coffee shop, Kimmy and Mandy leave to make their way home when the see a black SUV travelling in the fog behind them. After questioning each other they both say that there wasn't a driver in the car. Panicking they pull off an exit to wait for the car to pass. They never see it past. They wait and continue off the exit and come to a notorious haunted and abandoned house where they see the black SUV in the driveway. When they go to check it out they discover things they never thought they'd find. 

~~~~This story actually irritated me. Really you go to find out why a mysterious vehicle is at an abandoned house. Just no. Just stop. Oh and I'm on a coffee binge with no sleep. On to the next one.~~~

Story 5: Monster in My Closet || A woman does not know what to think when she discovers her closet door is open, and opening wider slowly, as she lays in bed attempting to fall asleep. She eventually gets out of bed, avoiding closing the door not knowing if something is in there, and goes to the bathroom and locks the door. Time ticks by, things happen, she climbs out the bathroom window and calls the police at her neighbors home. The investigation uncovers some very creepy things that will haunt this woman forever.

~~~While I was disappointed in some things that this woman did in this story it was ultimately a freaky story. After knowing what happens at the end I would be terrified if I was her and don't know how I would go on. Second favorite story of the collection.~~~

Story 6: Misty Eyes || A woman working at home on a foggy day continuously sees people dressed in the same coat walking outside of her house all day long. When she suspects something shady is happening at her neighbors house she decides to check it out. After seeing a woman with blood on her face charging at her front door she calls 911. She then decides to research the history of her neighborhood. After discovering awful things about the house across from her she has a hard time sleeping. Her friends Mike & Lida offer to stay with her so she feels safe. When they both see the woman in the street they discover some more horrible history. 

~~~I feel like the person in this story is holding some guilt that isn't necessary. When you see a strange person that you don't recognize on the street would you feel as though you are suppose to help them with something? I wouldn't. I also wouldn't research things that would concern or scare me either. Judgement calls are my main issue with this story. ~~~

Story 7: Mindy's Melody || A man tries to move on as a widower with the help of an old man and a piano. The guy is having a hard time moving on after his wife's unexpected death. As he attempts to dive into work and also into religion he finds that he has held the answer to moving on all along. 

~~~This story really made no sense to me at all. I didn't understand the ending and it made me say what the hell, at the end of the book. I'm still trying to make sense of it and can't.~~~

Overall

I give this book 3 coffee cup stars. While I did like a couple of the stories 

the rest of it fell kind of flat for me.

3 Coffee Cup Stars
Finished September 21st 2014

Cover Reveal & Giveaway || Dear Carolina || Kristy Woodson Harvey

We're thrilled to help reveal the cover for Dear Carolina by Kristy Woodson Harvey!

Check out the cover below, and be sure to let us know what you think in the comments.

Dear Carolina by Kristy Woodson Harvey | Berkley

Publishing Release Date: May 5th 2015

One baby girl. Two strong Southern women. And the most difficult decision they’ll ever make. Frances “Khaki” Mason has it all: a thriving interior design career, a loving husband and son, homes in North Carolina and Manhattan—everything except the second child she has always wanted. Jodi, her husband’s nineteen-year-old cousin, is fresh out of rehab, pregnant, and alone. Although the two women couldn't seem more different, they forge a lifelong connection as Khaki reaches out to Jodi, encouraging her to have her baby. But as Jodi struggles to be the mother she knows her daughter deserves, she will ask Khaki the ultimate favor… Written to baby Carolina, by both her birth mother and her adoptive one, this is a story that proves that life circumstances shape us but don’t define us—and that families aren't born, they’re made…

What do you think of the cover?

Be sure to add Dear Carolina to your TBR on Goodreads!

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