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Book Review: One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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ABOUT ONE TRUE LOVES:
In her twenties, Emma Blair marries her high school sweetheart, Jesse. They build a life for themselves, far away from the expectations of their parents and the people of their hometown in Massachusetts. They travel the world together, living life to the fullest and seizing every opportunity for adventure.
On their first wedding anniversary, Jesse is on a helicopter over the Pacific when it goes missing. Just like that, Jesse is gone forever. Emma quits her job and moves home in an effort to put her life back together. Years later, now in her thirties, Emma runs into an old friend, Sam, and finds herself falling in love again. When Emma and Sam get engaged, it feels like Emma’s second chance at happiness.
That is, until Jesse is found. He’s alive, and he’s been trying all these years to come home to her. With a husband and a fiancé, Emma has to now figure out who she is and what she wants, while trying to protect the ones she loves.
Who is her one true love? What does it mean to love truly? Emma knows she has to listen to her heart. She’s just not sure what it’s saying. 

 

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408067962_hrABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Taylor Jenkins Reid is an author and essayist from Acton, Massachusetts. She is the author of Forever, Interrupted, After I Do and Maybe In Another Life. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Alex, and her dog, Rabbit. You can follow her on Twitter @TJenkinsReid.

 


FIND TAYLOR ONLINE:
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Book Review 

*This was an ARC provided to me for free in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and comments are my own.*

Once upon a time I hated romance novels. I hate love triangles, drama and most of all the mushy often cliché writing. I can’t stand to sit and read about flawless, imperfect people and people who don’t struggle or grow. In any novel these are things I still look for. Obviously, you all can tell my opinion of romance novels has changed. I do still have moments where I find a book too cheesy for my liking, but as I’ve grown older, my appreciation for the art of romance/adult fiction has evolved and I do love a good romance novel. Although I wouldn’t classify Taylor Jenkins Reid’s writing as simply romance, I’d say it could be categorized as contemporary adult/women’s fiction with romantic elements — with a lesson or two thrown into the mix. Definitely more along the lines of what I love to read. 
I discovered Taylor Jenkins Reid after reading Maybe in Another Life. I fell in love with her writing style and knew I had found a new author to follow. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on One True Loves. Her writing with Maybe in Another Life was quite profound and evoked pensive thoughts. I found this also to be true while reading One True Loves.  I’ve found her books have strong heroines that are faced with tough decisions, but they grow a great deal throughout the course of her novels. The lessons they learn and the experiences they endure are often difficult, but meaningful. Her writing generally has important life lessons that people neglect to really sit and ponder, but while reading you seem to find yourself thinking like you’ve never thought before. It’s actually one of the things I love most about her books. 
One True Loves is the type of book that will gut you and leave you an emotional wreck. The writing is beautiful, the emotions palpable leaving you with no choice but to keep reading, to keep devouring all that Taylor Jenkins Reid has to offer. This was an incredible read. I laughed, I cried, I smiled, I sighed. Emma experienced an unimaginable tragedy, one that left her unsure of how she’d continue on each day, but somehow she managed, somehow she dug herself out and started to rebuild. Life seemed better, it didn’t seem as painful, as hard to continue moving forward, that is until Jesse resurfaces only complicating and confusing her about what she thought she wanted and who she thought she was. 
I read One True Loves in one sitting The author does an incredible job building the story up and she will keep you guessing. I felt as though I experienced all the pain and loss that each of these characters were faced with. I empathized with each of them and even I had a difficult time figuring out who Emma would ultimately end up with. The funny thing is you will fall in love with all of them, so much so that the who matters less in the end than the journey that led them there. Her characters are perfectly flawed, they are complex, well developed, genuine and lovable. Just a fair warning, you may need a tissue or two while reading, this one will definitely gut you, but the angst is completely worth it. And as always with a Reid book, you may also learn a thing or two about yourself. Raw, poignant and completely heartfelt, One True Loves is an definite 5 star must read perfect for contemporary romance readers and the quintessential summer read. 

 

~ Happy Reading Lovelies ~

 


ONE TRUE LOVES by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Atria/Washington Square Press Paperback | ISBN: 9781476776903 | On sale: June 7, 2016 | 352 pages | $16.00

eBook: Atria/Washington Square Press | ISBN: 9781476776910 | On sale: June 7, 2016 | 352 pages | $11.99

 

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Cover Reveal: Pennies (Dollar Series) by Pepper Winters

She was poor.  He was rich.  Together…they were bankrupt.
Pennie$ is Book One in the Dollar Series 
releasing Summer 2016!

 

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Pre-order your copy here: 

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Blurb
“At 18 I had pennies, but money didn’t make me bold. At 19 I had dollars, but it didn’t dull the pain of being sold. At 20 I had hundreds, but then I met him and was found. At 21 I had thousands, but all I wanted was to be bound.”
“At 23 I had dollars, but life changed and made me rich. At 25 I had hundreds, but it wasn’t enough to stop my killing itch. At 27 I had thousands, but my reputation didn’t set me free. At 29 I had millions, but I met her and could finally see.”
Tasmin was killed on her 18th birthday. She had everything planned out. A psychology degree, a mother who pushed her to greatness, and a future anyone would die for. But then her murderer saved her life, only to sell her into a totally different existence.
Elder went from penniless to stinking rich with one twist of fate. His lifetime of crime and shadows of thievery are behind him but no matter the power he now wields, it’s not enough. He has an agenda to fulfil and he won’t stop until it’s complete.
But then they meet.
A beaten slave and a richly dressed thief. Money is what guided their separate fates. Money is what brought them together. And money is ultimately what destroys them.
She was poor.
He was rich.
Together…they were bankrupt. 

Pre-order the Entire Series HERE!

 

Dollars (Book Two)
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Release date to be determined
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Hundreds (Book Three)
Release date to be determined

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Thousands (Book Four)
Release date to be determined

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Millions (Book Five)
Release date to be determined

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pepper wintersAbout the Author
Pepper Winters wears many roles. Some of them include writer, reader, sometimes wife. She loves dark, taboo stories that twist with your head. The more tortured the hero, the better, and she constantly thinks up ways to break and fix her characters. Oh, and sex… her books have sex.
She loves to travel and has an amazing, fabulous hubby who puts up with her love affair with her book boyfriends.

 

STALK Pepper:    Website    |    Pinterest   |   Facebook   |   Twitter    |    Blog   |    Goodreads

Cover Reveal: Amped (The Trent Brothers #2) by Tina Reber

Amped by Tina Reber will be released this summer!

Are you ready for another sexy Trenton Brother?

Add Amped to your TBR list:  

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Teaser Excerpt

Everyone has a demon inside them. That voice of self-loathing, of questioning our purpose and worth. But everything in life has balance. A counterbalance. The light in the darkness. Every breath we take, each choice… We all struggle, Jason. Every day. You aren’t the only one. But that’s what life is all about. Of counting our blessings. Of seeing the moments of beauty that are right in your face. But you’re too busy feeling sorry for yourself and allowing the cowardice of others to blind you.”He scoffed. “Cowardice?”“You think there’s bravery in suicide? Or this slow death of yours? It’s a copout. You want to label yourself as brave, you fight—every second of the day if you have to. You never, ever give up. You fight until the end.”

 

tina reber

About the Author
I had my first library card at the age of four. My mom was a part-time librarian at the Coplay Library in Coplay, Pennsylvania for 29 years, where I spent a good portion of my time growing up attending “story hour” every day after school.
I always chose the hot pink colored carpet to sit on to listen to the amazing stories that were read to us and eventually begged my parents to install the same hot pink carpeting in my bedroom. That’s when I learned that “wall to wall” carpeting DIDN’T mean that my walls would be covered in hot pink carpeting too. It was a sad day.
My education and background is in Business Analysis, Corporate Training, Banking, Accounting, and IT Design – but that was just to pay the bills. Creative, artsy stuff – from jewelry design to painting and writing – have always been my passion.
I live a quiet, drama-free life in Pennsylvania with my husband, our nine year old son who is growing like a weed, a Keeshond that sheds like crazy, two very lively mini Schnauzer puppies, and an Eclectus Parrot who thinks he’s a dog and mommy’s boyfriend – named Percy.

 

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Book Review: Honor Me (Men of Inked, #6) by Chelle Bliss

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NEW RELEASE

Honor Me, Men of Inked Book 6, by Chelle Bliss

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City & Suzy are back!

I had everything I ever wanted—a wife, a kid, with two more on the way. I was living the American dream. After the babies were born, we hit a rough patch. I did everything to prove my love, to show Suzy that nothing was more important than her. After some work and a lot of time, we found our groove again. Just when life had evened out, a familiar enemy came back to haunt us. It wasn’t my past that followed us, but my brother’s. When the danger gets too close, I’ll do anything to defend my family. There’s nothing more important than the people I love, and I’ll protect what’s mine—even if it costs me my life.

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Excerpt

Suzy glared at me. “What’s this we shit? I’m the one with two aliens inside of me, trying to claw their way out of my body. I’m the only one pushing them out of my tiny vagina. Not you. Not her. Me!” She waved her hands frantically in the air. “I’m the one doing everything while you sit there calm, sexy, and without your body splitting in two. I’m going to be the one tearing wide open as I push two humans and their giant Gallo heads out of my body.” She collapsed, gasping for air, and closed her eyes.
I bit my lip. Pregnant Suzy was unpredictable, but in-labor Suzy was just downright scary. “I know, sugar. You’re doing all the hard work. I’m just here to cheer you on and support you.”
Her nostrils flared and her eyes grew wide when she glanced up. “Support me? If you want to support me, you’ll never knock me up again. You want to cheer me on?” She rolled her eyes and made a noise low in her throat. “Stop fucking talking.”
I braced myself, waiting for her head to do a 360. I brought my mouth right next to her ear. “My sweet little wife, you beg for my cock every day. It takes two to tango, sweetheart. I didn’t put you in that bed.” I lowered my voice further, whispering, “Your sweet little cunt did.”
She closed her eyes again and moaned. “You’re just too damn good. I can’t keep my hands to myself. It’s still your fault, my dear husband.”
I couldn’t hold it in any longer. I burst into laughter. “Now, I fuck you too good?”
“Yes!” she screeched, pounding her fist on the crappy, plastic hospital bed. “If you weren’t so good at it, I wouldn’t be lying here right now.”
Just as I was about to reply, the nurse walked in. “I hear someone is ready to push.” Her voice was so chipper, kind of like my wife’s used to sound like before pregnancy. “Are we excited?” she asked, moving a tray of instruments next to the foot of the bed.
“I just want this over. I’m so freaking uncomfortable.”
“That makes two of us,” I muttered and nodded at the nurse with a fake smile on my face before leaning over and kissing Suzy’s forehead. “Ready, sugar?”

Review 

*This was an ARC provided to me for free in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and comments are my own.*

First of all I have to reiterate this with every Men of Inked release…I adore the Gallos! I was over the moon when I heard there would be another installment to one of my most beloved series. City and Suzy might be my favorite couple of the series, though I love them all. Throttle Me is where it all began so they’ll always have a special place in my heart.  It’s only fitting that we get a new installment continuing City and Suzy’s story.  Honor Me, the sixth installment in the series is everything I hoped it would be and more. Chelle Bliss consistently touches on real life issues through her writing. She knows just how to deliver blows to the reader yet keep you enamored and hopeful. This story had a bit of everything — friendship, family, humor, suspense, action, drama, heartbreak/sadness, admiration/love. It’s one of the reasons I am always a fan of her books. It has a little something for everyone and everything about her books makes this family and their stories always feel so real. You connect with these characters because they feel familiar, like loved ones or long lost cousins, but the ones you actually like haha. 
She definitely throws some curveballs this time around, but then again when doesn’t she?  This time I think she shocked me more than any other Men of Inked book. In fact, I’m pretty certain I fully stopped reading for a good twenty minutes and just stared at the page because I was in utter disbelief, but I picked my jaw up and as I continued reading I realized the error of my ways. Chelle never makes anything easy for her readers and I should’ve expected these twists, but she did a great job shocking me. She likes to torture us just a tiny bit, but as always those moments are beyond worth it. She also always focuses on serious, but key issues that people can actually relate to. This book focused on a few very real issues centered around self, family, relationships and how it isn’t impossible to overcome any hurdles with the right support systems in place. Although the book focuses heavily on City and Suzy, we continue to get more than a glimpse of the entire Gallo clan. 
This book makes clear how deep loyalty runs when it comes to the Gallos and how far they’ll go to protect one another. They are a resilient and lovable group whose stories continue to enrapture me. This story has it’s serious moments, but what would a Chelle Bliss book be without the “bliss.” Theres still the kinky, raunchy and downright dirty moments we all have come to know and love with this bunch. The only difference now is with a bunch of kids in the mix the stories are all the more hilarious. Absolutely adore this book and I can’t wait for more Gallos! 

 

~ Happy Reading Lovelies  ~


About the Author

Bliss

Chelle Bliss, USA Today Bestselling author, currently lives in a small town near the Gulf of Mexico. She’s a full-time writer, time-waster extraordinaire, social media addict, and coffee fiend. Currently she’s written a dozen books in three different series. She loves spending her free time with her boyfriend, 2 cats, and hamster.

Before becoming a writer, Chelle taught high school history for over ten years. She holds a master’s degree in Instructional Technology and a bachelor’s in history. Although history is her first love, writing has become her dream job and she can’t imagine doing anything else.

FACEBOOK   |   WEBSITE   |   NEWSLETTER   |   TWITTER   |   INSTAGRAM

 

HAVEN’T READ THE MEN OF INKED? NOW’S YOUR CHANCE TO START FOR ONLY 99 CENTS!

 

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Release Day Blitz: TOO HOT TO HANDLE by Tessa Bailey

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BOOK INFORMATION

Title: Too Hot To Handle
Author: Tessa Bailey
Series: Romancing the Clarksons, #1
On Sale: May 17, 2016
Format: eBook
Price: $2.99 USD

 

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When rescue looks like a whole lot of trouble…
The road trip was definitely a bad idea. Having already flambéed her culinary career beyond recognition, Rita Clarkson is now stranded in God-Knows-Where, New Mexico, with a busted-ass car and her three temperamental siblings, who she hasn’t seen in years. When rescue shows up—six-feet-plus of hot, charming sex on a motorcycle—Rita’s pretty certain she’s gone from the frying pan right into the fire…
Jasper Ellis has a bad boy reputation in this town, and he loathes it. The moment he sees Rita, though, Jasper knows he’s about to be sorely tempted. There’s something real between them. Something raw. And Jasper has only a few days to show Rita that he isn’t just for tonight—he’s forever. 

 

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EXCERPT

 

Rita and Belmont were sitting silently on the sidewalk, staring at the decimated restaurant, when a sleek, white Mercedes with the license plate VOTE4AC pulled up along the curb, eliciting a sigh from them both. Rita shoved a hand through her dyed black hair and straightened her weary spine. Preparing. Bolstering. While Belmont’s modus operandi was to hang back, take a situation’s measure and then approach with caution, her younger brother Aaron liked to make a damn entrance, right down to the way he exited the driver’s side. Like a Broadway actor entering from stage left into a dramatic scene, aware that eyes would swing his direction. His gray suit boasted not a single wrinkle, black shoes polished to a shine. His golden boy smile had made him a media sensation, but for once, it was nowhere to be seen as he approached Rita and Belmont.
Aaron shoved his hands into his pants pockets. “Fuck. Right?”
“Yep,” Rita said, swallowing hard. 
Her politician brother did a scan of the dire scene, brain working overtime behind golden brown eyes inherited by all the Clarksons. Except Belmont, whose eyes were a deep blue, on account of him having a different father. A fact that Rita forgot most of the time, since Belmont had been there—an unmovable presence—since the day she was born. Aaron had come later. The second coming. 
“Are you all right?” Aaron asked her abruptly, a suspicious twinkle in his gaze. “You must have been in there a while with the smoke. The soot around your eyes—”
“Hilarious, dickhead.” Her heavy, black eye makeup and general fuck off appearance were a constant source of amusement for her clean-cut younger brother. “You have a funny way of showing concern.”
“Thank you. What do I need to handle?” Aaron adjusted the starched, white collar of his shirt. “Did you make a statement yet or anything?” 
Rita allowed the steel to leach from her spine. “I’ve been kind of busy just sitting here.”
“Right.” Aaron feigned surprise at finding Belmont on the sidewalk with them. “Jesus. I thought you were a statue.”
“Ha.”
“You smell like the ocean.”
“You smell like the blood of tax payers,” Belmont returned. 
“Well.” Rita finally found enough presence of mind to yank the smoky apron over her head, chucking it into the street. “I think I just remembered why we haven’t hung out since Mom died.”
Truthfully, even before that rainy afternoon, the time they’d spent together as a family had felt mandatory. Organized by their mother and fled from in almost comical haste. 
“Oh. My. God.”
At the sound of their youngest sibling, Peggy’s, voice, all three of them cursed beneath their breath. Let the family reunion officially begin. It wasn’t that they didn’t love their baby sister. And in many ways, Peggy, a personal shopper to San Diego’s elite, was still a baby at twenty-five. Her big coke-bottle curls and cheerleader appearance guaranteed she got away with just about everything. Including neglecting to pay her cab driver, if the irritated-looking man following her with a receipt clutched in his fist was any indication. 
“How did this happen?” Peggy hiccupped, playing with the string of engagement rings dangling from her neck, as Belmont wordlessly paid the cab driver. “I just had dinner here two weeks ago. Everything seemed fine.”
Rita battled the compulsion to lay down on the sidewalk in the fetal position. Oh God. Her mother had bequeathed her an award-winning restaurant and she’d burned it down. On Rita’s first day back
Aaron was busy scrolling through his phone, the screen’s glow illuminating his perfectly tousled dark blond hair. “Look at the bright side, Rita. Now you can pursue your dream of being a Hot Topic register girl.”
Rita barely had the strength to flip him the bird. “Jump up my ass.” 
When Peggy approached, Rita couldn’t look her in the eye, so she focused on her younger sister’s toes, peeking out of strappy silver sandals. “Hey. I’m glad you’re okay.”
Rita’s throat went tight. “Thanks, Peggy.”
“I’m sorry about the restaurant, too. I know how much you loved it. How much Mom loved it.” Her youngest sibling nodded and cast a discreet glance over her shoulder, turning back with a charming half smile. A smile responsible for four marriage proposals over the past three years. “Mom probably would have wanted me to talk to those firefighters, though. Am I right?” 
Rita groaned up at the sky. 
Meet the fucking Clarksons. 

 

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Tessa Bailey CREDIT City Headshots

AUTHOR INFORMATION

Tessa Bailey is originally from Carlsbad, California. The day after high school graduation, she packed her yearbook, ripped jeans, and laptop, and drove cross-country to New York City in under four days. Her most valuable life experiences were learned thereafter while waitressing at K-Dees, a Manhattan pub owned by her uncle. Inside those four walls, she met her husband, best friend, and discovered the magic of classic rock, managing to put herself through Kingsborough Community College and the English program at Pace University at the same time. Several stunted attempts to enter the work force as a journalist followed, but romance writing continued to demand her attention.
She now lives in Long Island, New York with her husband and daughter. Although she is severely sleep-deprived, she is incredibly happy to be living her dream of writing about people falling in love. 

 

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Release Day Blitz: SMUT by Karina Halle

 

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Smut AMAZON - CopyWhat happens when the kink between the pages leads to heat between the sheets?
All Blake Crawford wants is to pass his creative writing course, get his university degree and take over his dad’s ailing family business. What Amanda Newland wants is to graduate at the top of her class, as well as finally finish her novel and prove to her family that writing is a respectful career.
What Blake and Amanda don’t want is to be paired up with each other for their final project but that’s exactly what they both get when they’re forced to collaborate on a writing piece. Since Amanda thinks Blake is a pushy asshole (with a panty-melting smirk and British accent) and Blake thinks Amanda has a stick up her ass (though it’s brilliant ass), they fight tooth and nail until they discover they write well together. They also might find each other really attractive, but that’s neither here nor there.
When their writing project turns out to be a success, the two of them decide to start up a secret partnership together using a pen name, infiltrating the self-publishing market in the lucrative genre of erotica. Naturally, with so much heat and passion between the pages, it’s not long before their dirty words become a dirty reality. Sure, they still fight a lot but at least there’s make-up sex now.
But even as they start to fall hard for each other, will their burgeoning relationship survive if their scandalous secret is exposed or are happily-ever-afters just a work of fiction? 

 

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EXCERPT 

 

She holds my gaze for a moment and something passes over her. Regret, maybe. Then she nods. “Sit down. Let’s work.”
And so we do. And for the first time in a long time, it’s strained. I’m about to suggest maybe we need the Estonian vodka anyway when she lets out an exasperated sigh over something she’s reading.
It happens to be something I wrote.
“What?” I ask, wondering what I did wrong.
She gives me the the ‘are you kidding me?’look. “Okay, I was ignoring it earlier but I think you need to get a grip on some of this shit. This simply does not happen.”
“Explain, please.”
“I just think it’s unrealistic for there to be so much talking, let alone the fact that the first time they do it it’s in a public place.”
“Too much talking?”
“Yeah.” she scans over the document. “You know, give me your cock, oh you feel so good, harder, harder, you’re so big, fuck me harder big boy.”
“Have you even had good sex?” I ask incredulously.
She flinches. “Of course I have. And it’s none of your business.”
“We’re writing about sex. It’s completely my business. I’m not letting you interject your edits based on your personal experiences about sex because believe me, if the sex is good, you’re moaning my name.”
She raises her chin. “Maybe all those girls were faking it.”
Oh, brilliant.
“Excuse me?” I say, hands pressed against the table, nearly getting out of my chair. “You have no idea. I pride myself in giving a girl as many bloody orgasms as she can handle.”
“Bloody orgasms don’t sound like fun,” she jokes softly.
“They can be if you’re into knife play,” I tell her, even though that’s not exactly what I meant. Still, she scrunches up her nose. “Don’t knock it until you try it, but that’s neither here nor there. When you were with Alan, he must have made you come at least a few times.”
If he didn’t, I feel like finding the guy and showing him a thing or two for wasting four years of her life.
“Yeah,” she says flatly.
“And in the middle of that orgasm, didn’t you want to yell a few things?”
“Sometimes.”
“And why didn’t you?”
She looks at her nails as if they’re suddenly fascinating. “It didn’t seem right. It was…too intimate. I would have felt dumb. He didn’t like any of that stuff.”
The plot thickens. “Any of what stuff?”
“Sex that didn’t involve the missionary position or the bed.”
My mouth drops open. My brain and penis can’t compute this. “I feel so sorry for you.”
We must remedy this.
She glares at me. “It’s not like I didn’t want to do it. I did. And he did try it. Most of it. But it always went back to the same old.”
I knew it. She’s a nerd on the streets and a freak in the sheets.
“I don’t mean to brag,” I tell her in all seriousness. “But you do realize that I could give you an orgasm in thirty seconds.”
Her eyes widen. I can’t tell if she’s horrified or intrigued. “I don’t believe you and I don’t want you to try.”
She’s not getting it. I frown, trying to explain. “If you’re having good sex and it’s with someone you’re comfortable with, you won’t worry about holding back. You’ll cry out all the nonsense you want, you’ll make noises like a pig and scream like you’re on fire because you truly can’t have a good orgasm unless you’re letting go on all accounts.” I lean back in my chair and study her, running my fingers along my jaw. “I would venture that every time you came with your ex, you were only experiencing half of what you should have been. How is it with your vibrators?”
I expect her to tell me to fuck off, that I’m getting too personal but to my surprise she gives me a small smile. “It’s better. But I do have a roommate with exceptionally good hearing.” She clears her throat. “Anyway, so I guess I’m wrong. The heroine can make all the noise she wants.”
“And have first time sex in public.”
“I don’t know…”
“Believe me, when you finally get a chance to fuck, you don’t care where it is. That’s why I always have a condom in my pocket. And the more public the sex, the sneakier you have to be, the hotter it is.”
“But in the book you would never get caught.”
“You don’t always get caught in real life too.”
I can see she wants to ask me where I’ve done it but she loses her nerve. “Okay.” She looks back to the document. “I accept defeat.”
But I don’t want her to. I want to prove to her I’m right and not have her take my word.
Is there a non-creepy way to show her just how amazing good sex can feel? I’m thinking not.
Or…maybe there is. 

 

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Halle HeadshotKarina Halle is a former travel writer and music journalist and The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling author of The Pact, Racing the Sun, Sins & Needles and over 25 other wild and romantic reads. She lives on an island off the coast of British Columbia with her husband and her rescue pup, where she drinks a lot of wine, hikes a lot of trails and devours a lot of books.
Halle is represented by the Waxman Leavell Agency and is both self-published and published by Simon & Schuster and Hachette in North America and in the UK.
Hit her up on Instagram at @authorHalle, on Twitter at @MetalBlonde and on Facebook. You can also visit www.authorkarinahalle.com and sign up for the newsletter for news, excerpts, previews, private book signing sales and more.

 
 

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Book Tour: Dirty (Dive Bar, #1) by Kylie Scott

DIRTY BOOK TOUR

Are you ready to get Dirty?  
Dirty is Book One in Kylie Scott’s Dive Bar Series.  
Order your copy of DIRTY here:

 

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Blurb
The last thing Vaughan Hewson expects to find when he returns to his childhood home is a broken hearted bride in his shower, let alone the drama and chaos that comes with her.
Lydia Green doesn’t know whether to burn down the church or sit and
cry in a corner. Discovering the love of your life is having an affair on your wedding day is bad enough. Finding out it’s with his best man is another thing all together. She narrowly escapes tying the knot and meets Vaughan only hours later.
Vaughan is the exact opposite of the picture perfect, respected businessman she thought she’d marry. This former musician-turned-bartender is rough around the edges and unsettled. But she already tried Mr. Right and discovered he’s all wrong-maybe it’s time to give Mr. Right Now a chance.
After all, what’s wrong with getting dirty?

 

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Excerpt

“Once upon a time,” he began, voice low and measured. “There was a princess. A beautiful, occasionally annoying princess.”
“What was her name?”
“Ah, Notlydia.”
I frowned. “Her name is Notlydia?”
“You wanted a story, I’m giving you one. Shut up.”
“Whatever.”
An even heavier sigh from the man. “Anyhoo, Notlydia was all set up to marry this prince. We’ll call him Prince Bag of Dicks.”
“Works for me.”
“But on the day of her wedding, when she was wearing this sweet dress that served her tits up like they were a fucking platter—”
“Is this an R-rated story?”
“Please,” he said, sliding an arm around my bare waist. And I let him. “R is for rubbish. If you don’t get to see any penetration then you’re wasting your time. This is XXX.”
I laughed.
“So on the day of her wedding to Prince Bag of Dicks, Notlydia kisses him and he turns into a big slimy two-headed toad with terrible breath and even worse foot odor.”
“Whoa.” I rested my head back against his shoulder. “Poor Notlydia.”
“Hell of a plot twist, right?”
“Never saw that one coming.”
“Mm.” He rested his cheek against the top of my head.
“What happens next?”
“Well, she’s completely freaked out, of course.”
“Of course.”
“And she takes off into the woods. She’s running through bushes, jumping fences, climbing trees, you name it. Nothing’s going to stop her from getting the hell away from that toad, Prince Bag of
Dicks.” He took a sip of beer. “Unfortunately, she loses her fancy dress along the way. She’s just down to some skimpy underwear and a corset and with all that jogging through the forest, it’s barely holding her in. One decent breath and there’s going to be nipple out there for all the world to see.
Did I happen to mention she’d been voted Best Rack in the kingdom four years running? Anyway, eventually she finds this small cottage. Now, what you don’t know about Notlydia is that she has a shady past.”I tried to look up at him. But with the angle, all I got was stubble and cheekbone. “That doesn’t sound like Notlydia.”
“Be quiet.” A hand covered my mouth. “Notlydia’s a dirty, dirty girl. Got a bad side like you wouldn’t believe. A little breaking and entering is nothing to her. So into the house she goes. But she’s all muddy from running through the woods, see? She can’t let people see her like this, she’s a princess, for fuck’s sake.”
The hand remained over my mouth. Which was fine, I had nothing to add to his pornographic fairy tale.
“Notlydia gets in the shower and starts soaping herself. There’s lots of bubbles and steam, and she’s a modern woman so there’s a bit of self-love. She even finds time to wash her hair, shave under her pits. Things like that. But then the owner of the cottage wakes up and hears the water running. He stomps into the bathroom saying, someone’s using up my hot water. Notlydia cries out, not me, not me.”
He craned his neck, meeting my gaze. “See, babe, what did I tell you? That Notlydia is a filthy little liar.”
I looked up to heaven. No help was forthcoming.
“Someone’s using up all my soap, says the owner. Not me, not me, cries Notlydia.” He put his lips next to my ear. “She should be ashamed of herself, shouldn’t she? If ever a busty princess deserved a spanking.”
I bit at the palm of his hand, teeth catching at the fleshy mound beneath his thumb.
“Ow.” He laughed, pulling his hand free. “Then the owner said, someone’s been fingering herself in my shower.”
“Stop!” I put my hands over my ears, trying desperately to hold in my laughter. “This is the worst story ever. The Brothers Grimm are rolling over in their graves.”
“Notlydia throws back the shower curtain and says, oh yeah, big boy, that was me. Come and get it. And they have wild sex all over the cottage.” Vaughan’s body jerked beneath mine as he laughed his ass off. “The end.”
“No way. Notlydia is virtuous and pure. She’d never pull that sort of shit.”
“Nah.” He chuckled. “It all happened exactly as I said. Dirtiest princess in all the land.”
“Like hell. The owner of that cottage was a pervert and a deviant. Why, he would have picked the lock on a chastity belt. She never stood a chance.” Difficult to maintain my pious stance, given I’d started laughing so hard tears were pouring down my cheeks. The funny bastard. “I want to know more about this cottage owner. What’s his name?”
“I don’t know. Let me think . . .” He rested his chin back on top of my head. “He definitely isn’t Prince Charming.”
“He could be!”
Silence.
“If he wanted to. Or not. Whatever,” I added weakly. Crap. “Let’s go back to not talking.”
I was a moron.
We’d been all relaxed and laughing. Me and my idiot mouth. Way to go, Lydia. Just shout out any old impossible daydream to the dude who’s made it clear there was no future “we.” If someone could just direct me to the nearest brick wall, I’d knock a little sense into myself.On the other hand, it was two stupid words. Surely he could have ignored the last hundred years of Disney perpetuating slick-haired young royals gallivanting around the countryside saving hot babes in distress. For the sake of getting along. God knows, Chris never had any problems ignoring or placating me. I’d seen his thoughtless gorgeous smile aimed my way a hundred times. No, a thousand. If only I’d recognized it for what it was.
Ugh. Just the thought of it made me want to punch the douche all over again.
Maybe I needed a bit more than a week to get over that catastrophe. The money would help. Substantially. I’d never imagined that compromising my morals and taking hush money from such foul woe-begotten assholes would feel so good. Maybe I should sell out more often.
“This, ah, this Prince Charming of yours,” he said haltingly.
“Yes?”
Vaughan shifted beneath me, pushing out a heavy breath. “I mean, it doesn’t make sense, does it? Why would he be in a cottage instead of a castle?”
“Well . . . his parents, the king and queen of the neighboring kingdom, died in a terrible accident.”
I stayed perfectly still, waiting to see how he’d react.
“I see.”
“And it hurt him so bad he just, he didn’t want to be a prince anymore.”
Nothing from him.
“Bad things happen in fairy tales sometimes.”
A grunt.
“It’s not fair, but it happens,” I said, feeling my way with more caution than skill. “The prince loved his parents and the castle had too many memories.”
“Hmm.”
“So he ran away into the woods too.”
“Doesn’t sound like much of a prince if he can’t handle his shit,” he said.
“Princes are just men too, human beings. I don’t think a crown or a penis gives you magical invulnerability to loss and pain.” I stared at the wall, thinking the problem through. “Life is hard.
Terrible things happen. We all have feelings. We’re all just flesh and blood, trying to do our best.”
“Running away from problems isn’t doing your best.” His voice echoed around the small room, the same as around in my head.
What with holding the Coeur d’Alene title for runaway bride of the year, I had no answer. None at all. So much for my half-assed wisdom. 

twist kylie scott

Twist  (Book Two) in the Dive Bar Series by Kylie Scott releases on November 22nd! 

 

Pre-order your copy of  TWIST here:

 

Amazon US   |   iBooks   |   Barnes & Noble   |   Kobo   

 


 

kylie scott

About the Author:
Kylie is a long time fan of erotic love stories and B-grade horror films. She demands a happy ending and if blood and carnage occur along the way then all the better. Based in Queensland, Australia with her two children and one delightful husband, she reads, writes and never dithers around on the internet.

 

Kylie is represented by Amy Tannenbaum at the Jane Rotrosen Agency, New York.

 

Stalk Kylie Scott:
Website   |   Facebook   |   Twitter   |   Goodreads 

 

Book Review: The Randy Romance Novelist by Meghan Quinn

We’re celebrating the release of The Randy Romance Novelist by Meghan Quinn!

Check out my review and giveaway!


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THE RANDY ROMANCE NOVELIST by Meghan Quinn
Scheduled to release: April 12, 2016
Romantic Comedy

Cover designer: Meghan Quinn

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BLURB: 
It finally happened, I lost my virginity. Cue applause and cheers.
For a while life was all rainbows and kittens prancing in a sky full of cotton candy clouds…that was until the demands of the real world set in.
My best friend is getting married and she asked me to be her maid of honor. She’s not worried about flowers, or the dress, or the food at the venue. No, she’s worried about the bachelorette party, what kind of penis crown she will wear, and the nipple size of the stripper who will be attending.
I’m in way over my head trying to balance life with a boyfriend, planning a penis party, and writing my romance novel. Something is bound to give.
This is my life after my happily ever after… 

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Book Review

 

*This was an ARC provided to me for free in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and comments are my own.* 

The Virgin Romance Novelist is one of the funniest books I have ever read. When I heard Meghan Quinn was continuing Rosie’s story I was elated. Rosie is quirky, eccentric and all sorts of naïve, but in all honesty that’s what made her such an endearing character. Her quirks, her often absurd and sometimes bizarre quandaries are a big part of why I loved her story. She found herself in ridiculous situations and often. Through all the drama, predicaments and laughs she is truly a lovable character. She is someone you will cheer for on the sidelines hoping she won’t embarrass herself again, but instead find that happily ever after…or at least a happy medium. 
 
The Randy Romance Novelist is everything I expected it to be and then some. It was hilarious, there were times when I was in tears from laughing so hard other times I would laugh out loud, much to the dismay of those around me. Oops….just a day in the life of a voracious reader…it’s not wholly unexpected. Meghan Quinn writes with an authenticity and wit that reminds me of reading a Tara Sivec novel. Not to compare the two, but they are two of the funniest authors I’ve ever read and both produce unforgettable reads. I’m talking laugh out loud, tears in the eye…maybe a run to the bathroom…hey, don’t deny that’s happened to you at least once from laughing so hard. Meghan Quinn has a way with words and if you enjoy racy, unpredictable often amusing antics then this is a great read for you. I only warn you that you will laugh and often. 

 

This story is a continuation of The Virgin Romance Novelist, so if you haven’t read that book yet, you should. It’s hilarious and will make you fall in love with not only Rosie, but a whole host of integral characters that I will not name in order to avoid spoiling these stories for anyone who hasn’t read the first book. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry…mostly from laughing, but you will also fall in love with the sweet side of these characters and their love for one another. I may have forced a guy friend to read The Virgin Romance Novelist (he is definitely not a romance reader) and he laughed so much he recommended it to some of his girl friends so with that said I truly believe anyone will enjoy this read, but if you’re a fan of Contemporary Romance, Romantic Comedy or New Adult you’ll especially enjoy it . Check it out, read it with a friend, loan it to a friend…you won’t be disappointed. 
 
~ Happy Reading Lovelies ~


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Purchase THE VIRGIN ROMANCE NOVELIST HERE!
 
Her bosom heaved at an alarming rate as his rough hand found its way down to her soft, yet wiry briar patch…
Can you say briar patch in a romance novel? What about meat sword? That’s what it is…a meat sword, right, all meaty and sword like, slaying through the inner dungeons of a woman’s dark desires. What about breasts? Do bosoms really heave?
God, I have no idea what happens when private parts touch.
I’m a virgin trying to write a romance novel and can’t seem to write past a sex scene thanks to my lack of experience.
My two best friends encourage me to drop the pen for a while and gain some real life practice through multiple dating facets such as blind dates, online profiles, and random hookups.
But losing my virginity is proving to be tougher than expected…

 

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About the Author:
Born in New York and raised in Southern California, Meghan has grown into a sassy, peanut butter eating, blonde haired swearing, animal hoarding lady. She is known to bust out and dance if “It’s Raining Men” starts beating through the air and heaven forbid you get a margarita in her, protect your legs because they may be humped.
 
Once she started commuting for an hour and twenty minutes every day to work for three years, she began to have conversations play in her head, real life, deep male voices and dainty lady coos kind of conversations. Perturbed and confused, she decided to either see a therapist about the hot and steamy voices running through her head or start writing them down. She decided to go with the cheaper option and started writing… enter her first novel, Caught Looking.
 
Now you can find the spicy, most definitely on the border of lunacy, kind of crazy lady residing in Colorado with the love of her life and her five, furry four legged children, hiking a trail or hiding behind shelves at grocery stores, wondering what kind of lube the nervous stranger will bring home to his wife. Oh and she loves a good boob squeeze!

 

Like me on Facebook   |   Find me on Goodreads   |   Visit my website 

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Cover Reveal: TWIST (Dive Bar, #2) by Kylie Scott

 

From Kylie Scott, the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Stage Dive series, comes a fresh, hilarious, and sexy new series. Welcome to Dive Bar, where the tattooed bartenders keep the drinks—and romance—flowing with a perfect cocktail of heartbreak, humor, and sweet, sexy romance.

 

twist kylie scott

Twist (Book Two) in the Dive Bar Series by Kylie Scott releases on November 22nd!  

 

Description
When his younger brother loses interest in online dating, hot, bearded, bartender extraordinaire, Joe Collins, only intends to log into his account and shut it down. Until he reads about her.
Alex Parks is funny, friendly, and pretty much everything he’s been looking for in a woman. And in no time at all they’re emailing up a storm, telling each other their deepest darkest secrets…apart from the one that really matters.
And when it comes to love, serving it straight up works better than with a twist.

 

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Pre-order your copy of TWIST here:

 

Amazon  US   |   iBooks   |   Barnes & Noble   |   Kobo

 


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Are you ready to get Dirty?
Dirty is Book One in Kylie Scott’s Dive Bar Series.
Meet Vaughn & Lydia on April 19th!
Pre-order your copy of DIRTY here:
Amazon US   |   Amazon UK   |   iBooks   |   Barnes & Noble   |   Kobo 

 

kylie scott
About the Author:
Kylie is a long time fan of erotic love stories and B-grade horror films. She demands a happy ending and if blood and carnage occur along the way then all the better. Based in Queensland, Australia with her two children and one delightful husband, she reads, writes and never dithers around on the internet.
Kylie is represented by Amy Tannenbaum at the Jane Rotrosen Agency, New York.
Stalk Kylie Scott:   Website   |   Facebook   |   Twitter   |   Goodreads

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Excerpt Reveal: Dirty by Kylie Scott

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Excerpt

Heavy footsteps roused me from my stupor. I don’t know how long exactly I’d been sitting in the bathtub, staring off at nothing, pondering the catastrophe my life had become. Couldn’t have been too long since sunlight still lit the room.
The footsteps came closer and closer. And then they entered the room. Oh, shit. I froze, not even daring to breathe. There was a loud yawn, followed by the cracking of joints. Then a large hand reached in beside the closed shower curtain and turned on the tap. A torrent of ice cold water poured down. It was like a billion itty-bitty knives stabbing at my skin. All of the scratches and raw patches from earlier stung like shit. I gritted my teeth, shoulders hiked up to around my ears as if that would provide any protection.
Yep, I sat there, all huddled up, listening to the man take a leak.
Awesome. Just plain awesome.
Wasn’t like I could jump out and interrupt the man midflow. And say what? I knew this was not a good situation to get caught in.
  1. I’d basically broken into this guy’s house.
  2. And had then gone on making myself right at home, having a messy emotional breakdown in his bathtub.
Normal, rational people didn’t do this sort of thing. I didn’t even have a criminal record, had never particularly done anything outlandish or interesting until now. This was all Chris’s fault, the bastard. I’d just have to make the best of it and hope this guy had a sense of humor.
Just as the water began to warm, he flushed the john and freezing cold water drenched me anew. I’d been about to open my mouth and announce my presence, but that put an end to that. Needles of icy cold water pelted down on my skin. I fucking froze. Teeth gritted, I suppressed a squeal of pain and rage.
Then the shower curtain flew back.
“Shit!” The man was very tall, very naked, and very surprised. He stumbled back a step, a hand clutching at the bench behind him, eyes furious and wide. “What the hell?”
Good question.
I opened my mouth, closed it. Language skills had apparently abandoned me. In total silence, the man and I stared at each other.
Even with no clothing to take cues from, the dude was clearly the epitome of cool. He looked about my age, or maybe a little older. He had longish red-blond hair, dark blue eyes set in an angular face, a lean but muscular torso covered in tattoos, and a rather large cock. Not that I meant to check him out, it’s just kind of hard to ignore a penis and scrotum when they’re dangling right in front of your face. I tilted my head, trying to get some perspective. Every viewpoint, however, was equally shocking. There was dick as far as the eye could see.
And I should stop ogling him. Right.
“Hi.” With a calm I didn’t even vaguely feel, I reached up and turned off the tap. Much better. His monster penis had momentarily derailed me, but I was back on track now. Time to talk myself out of this mess. “Hey.”
“What the fuck are you doing in my house?” he asked flatly.
“Right. Well . . .” I neatly tucked my dripping-wet shoulder-length blond hair back behind my ears. As if that would help. My winged eyeliner and false lashes were probably halfway down my cheeks. “I, um, I . . .”
“You what?”
“I’m Lydia,” I said, the first thing to come to mind.
No reply. His handsome face, however, took on a distinctly pissy expression. Even his strawberry-blond hair seemed a fiery hue. Fine, so we weren’t swapping names and getting cozy. Fair enough. You wouldn’t believe how hard it was, keeping my eyes on his face. The struggle was real. It might have been due to my not seeing one in so long, but his dick seemed almost hypnotic. The thing had magical powers, I swear. It was so big and mobile, subtly swaying every time he moved. My gaze kept darting down despite my best efforts.
Finally he put me out of my misery, grabbing a towel off a nearby rack and wrapping it around his waist. It made for quite the hot-looking miniskirt. Not just any man could have pulled off such a look.
But back to my explanations.
“Ah, firstly, I’d just like to say sorry about this.” I waved a hand at him and his bathroom and, well everything, really. “For any inconvenience I might have caused here in your bathroom.”
The guy stood tall, looming over me with his hands on hips. Tattoos covered his arms to his wrists. Still, he had a whole lot of sinew on show. Definitely not the kind of man you’d want to mess with. Dude could probably snap me in half in a second. I bet he was a tattoo model, or a biker, or a pirate, or something. Something a lot hot and more than a little scary.
Shit. I really should have chosen another house.
“I don’t normally break into people’s places and hide out in their tub,” I babbled, on the verge of incoherency. “So I’m really sorry. Seriously. So very sorry. But you’ve got a lovely home.”
“That so?”
“Not that, I mean, that’s not why I’m here. I just . . .” Fucking hell, my mind was a disaster. I took a deep breath, letting it out nice and slow, before trying again. “I love the old Arts and Crafts bungalows, don’t you? They have such soul.”
His brows drew tight. “Are you high? What the fuck are you on?”
“Nothing!”
“You haven’t been popping any pills or snorting something?”
“No, I swear.”
“Nothing to drink?”
“I haven’t had anything,” I said, but the suspicion and anger still lined his face. Paired with the stubble on his chin and the shadows beneath his eyes, my unwilling host was one tired, cranky man. Couldn’t really blame him.
“So you’re completely sober,” he said.
“Completely.”
A pause.
“You’re thinking I’m bat-shit crazy now, aren’t you?” I asked, despite the answer sitting plain as day on his pretty face.
“Pretty much, yeah.”
Oh, god. “I’m not. I’m sane.”
“You sure about that?” He looked down the long line of his nose at me, distinctly unimpressed. “Seen a lot of weird shit in my years. Stuff like you wouldn’t believe. But I got to tell you, right now, this . . . you, are taking the cake.”
“Great.” And I was so definitely probably going to jail. Someone ought to give me a cookie. My ability to take a bad situation and make it worse today was amazing.
“You touch any of my stuff?” he asked. “Take anything?”
“Yes, your sofa is cunningly hidden down the front of my dress. You won’t believe where I fit the TV.”
Again, his eyes narrowed dangerously. “Between you and me, probably not the time to be funny, babe.”
Crap. “Sorry. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. You have every right to be mad.”
“Damn right, I do.”
I nodded, contrite. “I haven’t touched any of your things.”
The dude just stood there, staring. Lots going on behind his eyes. None of which I could read.
A stray tear trickled down my face. It must have saved itself up just for the occasion. Gah. How pathetic. I sniffled, brushing it off hurriedly with the back of my hand.
“Fuck’s sake,” he muttered.
“I really am sorry about this. The truth is, I just needed somewhere to hide for a little while. I didn’t mean to freak you out.”
He sighed. It wasn’t a happy sound. “Lydia?”
“Yes?” Despite my best efforts, my voice trembled slightly.
“Look at me.”
I did so. He still looked cranky and crazy cool while I remained a hot mess.
“I’m Vaughan,” he said.
“Hi.”
He tipped his chin and silence fell between us once more.
With the tip of his tongue rubbing at his upper lip, he looked at the wide open window, and then back at me. Yep, that’s how I’d gotten in. Houdini had nothing on my mad skills.
“What are you doing in my house, Lydia? The truth.”
“It’s kind of a long story, actually.” Along with being excruciatingly embarrassing. But then, what wasn’t about this day?
Vaughan crossed his arms over his wide chest and waited me out while I fussed with my ruined skirts and tried to come up with a way to spin the story to not make me look a complete fool. Christ, the holes in my stockings were huge. On one side, my entire foot stuck out. So screwed.
Vaughan crouched by the side of the tub, resting his arms on the side. Up close the shadows under his eyes seemed even bigger and darker against his pale skin. And there were bags big enough to use as carry-ons. Despite the strong lines of his lean face, the man looked done-in. Ready to sleep for a hundred years.
I knew that feeling.
“Looks like a wedding dress,” he said quietly.
“Yes, it is. I was going to get married today.” I took a deep breath, wiping my face with my hands. Just as expected, my palms came away smeared with black eye makeup. “Ah, boy. I must look a wreck.”
Without comment, Vaughan reached out and grabbed a towel, handing it to me. It was sort of threadbare, old. Dated like the rest of the house. I hadn’t seen more than one room, but real estate agents got a feel for these sort of things. Minimal upkeep for the past five or so years would have been my guess. Perhaps it’d even been left empty. Bushes out front hid the house from view, so I’d never gotten a good look at it before.
“Thank you.” I patted myself dry with the towel as best I could. What remained of my beautiful dress was a sopping wet ruin. “I’m sorry I broke into your house, Vaughan. I swear I don’t normally do this sort of thing.”
“No,” he said, his voice deep. “Figured as much. Where’d you come from?”
“The big house at the back.”
His brow wrinkled. “You climbed over the fence?”
“Yes.”
Tired, red-tinged eyes appraised me anew. “That’s a tall fence. Must have been one hell of an emergency.”
“It was a disaster.”
For a long moment he studied me, deep in thought. Then he sighed yet again, climbing to his feet.
“Are you going to call the cops on me?” I asked, my throat tight with tension. “I know you have every right to, I’m not disputing that. I’d just, I’d like to know. Mental preparation and all that.”
“No. I’m not.”
“Thank you. I appreciate that.” My whole body sagged in relief.
Then he clapped his hands together, startling the crap out of me. “Okay, Lydia. Here’s what we’re going to do.”
“Yes?”
“I arrived late this morning, have only had a few hours sleep. If I don’t get some coffee soon, things are going to get ugly. And you probably need to get dried off.” With no fuss, he held out his hand. “Let’s get shit sorted out. Then we can sit down and you can tell me the long story of how the hell you ended up in my house. Agreed?”
“Agreed,” I said, voice lightening.
He pulled me up. Then, with strong hands on my waist, lifted me out of the tub. Immediately water started dripping off of my saturated dress, pooling on the scuffed wooden flooring at my feet. Chris would have been distinctly unimpressed. Chris didn’t like messes. But as Vaughan didn’t seem to care, neither did I.
“You’re really not going to call the police?” I asked.
“No. Hold still,” he said, carefully plucking a fake eyelash from my cheek.
“Thank you.”
“Your dress is kind of fucked.” He looked me over from top to toe.
“I know,” I said sadly.
“I’ll leave you to get changed.”
“Wait. Please. I can’t get out of it on my own.”
More frowning.
“It’s vintage,” I explained with a grim face. “There’s no zip, just a line of little buttons up the back.”
“’Course there is.” Without another word, he turned me around and got started in on said buttons. As he worked, he hummed beneath his breath, the song vaguely familiar.
“Aren’t you still mad?” I asked, perplexed.
“Nuh.”
“But I broke into your house.”
“Window was open.”
“I still trespassed.”
Busy fingers kept working on undoing the dress. “You sat in the tub and cried because some dickhead fucked you over.”
That shut me up.
“Or that’s what I’m assuming, given the dress and all. I take it he’s the one that gave you that shiner on your cheek?”
“No. No one hit me. And yes, you assumed right about the being fucked over.” I tried to look back at him, but I couldn’t see a thing beyond my wild-ass hair. Impressive how it’d survived the shower. The stylist clearly knew her shit.
“You sure no one hit you?” He did not sound convinced.
“Yes. I lost my grip and hit the floor when I was climbing in the window. My home invasion skills need work.”
“I’d suggest you try a different career.” He finished with the buttons and took a step back, scratching his head. “You okay with the dress now?”
“Yes, thank you,” I told his reflection in the mirror. “For everything, I mean.”
“Sure.” He almost smiled and gave a small shake of the head as if he couldn’t quite believe what was going on. Or maybe it was disbelief that he wasn’t kicking me straight back out the window through whence I’d come.
Lord knows, it’d shocked the shit out of me.
He turned toward the door. “See you out there.”

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Are you ready to get Dirty?
Dirty is Book One in Kylie Scott’s Dive Bar Series.
Meet Vaughn & Lydia on April 19th!

 

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dirty kylie

Blurb
The last thing Vaughan Hewson expects to find when he returns to his childhood home is a broken hearted bride in his shower, let alone the drama and chaos that comes with her.

Lydia Green doesn’t know whether to burn down the church or sit and
cry in a corner. Discovering the love of your life is having an affair on your wedding day is bad enough. Finding out it’s with his best man is another thing all together. She narrowly escapes tying the knot and meets Vaughan only hours later.

Vaughan is the exact opposite of the picture perfect, respected businessman she thought she’d marry. This former musician-turned-bartender is rough around the edges and unsettled. But she already tried Mr. Right and discovered he’s all wrong-maybe it’s time to give Mr. Right Now a chance.

After all, what’s wrong with getting dirty?

 

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kylie scott
About the Author:
Kylie is a long time fan of erotic love stories and B-grade horror films. She demands a happy ending and if blood and carnage occur along the way then all the better. Based in Queensland, Australia with her two children and one delightful husband, she reads, writes and never dithers around on the internet.
Kylie is represented by Amy Tannenbaum at the Jane Rotrosen Agency, New York.
Stalk Kylie Scott: Website   |   Facebook   |   Twitter   |   Goodreads

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Cover Reveal: Honor Me (Men of Inked, #6) by Chelle Bliss

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Honor Me, Men of Inked Book 6, by Chelle Bliss

Cover Photographer by Eric Battershell of Burton & Coco Hughes

Release date May 2016

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Synopsis

I had everything I ever wanted—a wife, a kid, with two more on the way. I was living the American dream. After the babies were born, we hit a rough patch. I did everything to prove my love, to show Suzy that nothing was more important than her. After some work and a lot of time, we found our groove again. Just when life had evened out, a familiar enemy came back to haunt us. It wasn’t my past that followed us, but my brother’s. When the danger gets too close, I’ll do anything to defend my family. There’s nothing more important than the people I love, and I’ll protect what’s mine—even if it costs me my life.

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About Chelle Bliss

Bliss

Chelle Bliss, USA Today Bestselling author, currently lives in a small town near the Gulf of Mexico. She’s a full-time writer, time-waster extraordinaire, social media addict, and coffee fiend. Currently she’s written a dozen books in three different series. She loves spending her free time with her boyfriend, 2 cats, and hamster.

Before becoming a writer, Chelle taught high school history for over ten years. She holds a master’s degree in Instructional Technology and a bachelor’s in history. Although history is her first love, writing has become her dream job and she can’t imagine doing anything else.

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Book Review: Nine Letters by Blake Austin

9 LETTERS LIVE

Meet Luke Crawley in Blake Austin’s debut novel of loss, redemption, and ever-enduring love!

 

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Blurb
Luke Cawley is a broken man. After his wife’s tragic death, he lost everything that mattered in the world. Now, his life is filled with hard days, harder nights, and a steady stream of alcohol and the wrong kind of women. Nothing helps.
Until the letters arrive on Luke’s doorstep.
Nine envelopes. Nine messages. Nine chances to find his way back.
Rae Goode is looking for the real thing. After fighting her way out of a string of bad relationships, she’s ready for something different–something true.
She meets Luke while piecing her life together, and right away she can tell that he’s different. Drawn together by fate and the desire to heal, Rae and Luke discover new ways to mend their broken hearts–one letter at a time.
Discover Blake Austin’s debut novel of loss, redemption, and ever-enduring love.

 

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Book Review

*This was an ARC provided to me for free in exchange for an honest review.

All thoughts and comments are my own.*

So, I’m just going to go ahead and say I generally live by the “don’t judge a book by its cover” rule, but every so often I get lured in by some fantastic cover. Come on, we’re all guilty of doing it at some point. In this case, I saw the cover, drooled a bit, and decided I absolutely needed to read this book before I even read the synopsis….what can I say?…cover dude is hot! I’m not actually sure the cover was a great match for the story, but it’s schmexy as all hell and definitely got my attention, so no complaints here. I wasn’t disappointed with this read, it’s engaging and heartbreaking at times, but there were a few things I felt could’ve been a bit more developed.

 

Luke Cawley has probably been living the worst year of his life. A year after the death of his wife, he’s still trying to cope with the loss. His guilt, shame and anger torment him, but when the letters arrive he starts to feel alive again and he begins to gain a semblance of hope that things will get better. What I loved most about 9 Letters was the rawness, the honesty and the grieving process that brings us on a journey with Luke. Sometimes an ugly, angry journey, sometimes a sad, heartbreaking one, but by the end you see how far this man comes and you will absolutely fall in love. 

 

Upon reading the synopsis I thought this might have been a dual POV read, but it is told solely in Luke’s POV — which I loved. I definitely would’ve like to get a bit more of Rae’s story, but as I continued reading I realized this was more about Luke finding his way and coming out stronger than he was in the first chapters. Rae has an important role in his coping and progress, but it is Luke that needs to find his way. I definitely loved his story and he is an admirable and loyal book boyfriend, not to mention the cover dude makes all thoughts of Luke Cawley schmexier 🙂

 

Seriously though, this book was a pleasant surprise from a new voice and I am excited to see what Blake Austin has in store for us next. 9 Letters gut punches you, but it connects you with Luke almost instantaneously. I read it in one sitting and it is probably the most honest fictional writing about the grieving process that I’ve ever read. You’ll love Luke. His story will leave you optimistic and reflective. As he begins to weave his way into the light you’ll hope that  he will find a way to reconnect with others — especially Rae. 9 Letters has elements of romance, but it also is a powerful story about love and loss and through these letters you see that even in death love is the most powerful voice of all. 

 

~ Happy Reading Lovelies ~ 

 9 LETTERS TEASER


Excerpt

I was about twenty minutes early for my shift, but I got up to the bar, grabbed a rag, started wiping it down, bussing some dishes.
“Damn, Luke,” Jake said, watching me work. “You win the lotto or something? Royals win the pennant last night and I forgot to watch?”
“I’m just in a good mood, that’s all,” I said.
I thought about it a moment longer, decided I should tell him more. Impart some wisdom learned from my not-particularly-advanced years.
“When everything’s dark for so damn long and your eyes get used to it,” I said, “just a little glimmer of sunshine lights up the whole world.”
He nodded, then grabbed a bus bin and headed back into the kitchen.
Warren though, Warren wasn’t impressed. He was sitting by one of the daytime barflies, but he’d stopped talking and was just watching me. I was on thin ice, and I knew it. I couldn’t afford to lose my job. A heartbroken, drunk, angry widower is probably as unemployable as the average ex-con.
I came on at the end of the day shift. Warren liked tending bar during the day, because it meant just shooting the shit with the regulars. That day I had a smile for every customer, sparse words of wisdom like day drunks want to hear. Tending bar wasn’t my dream. But to hell with letting that make me lazy. I kept the place clean, I poured drinks like I cared.
I was getting into the swing of it when happy hour kicked in and a few more people filtered through the door. Couple of middle-aged bikers, a retired couple that parked their RV out front.
The door swung open again, letting in a little bit of that early-evening cold, and I glanced up to see a crowd of three women, with two men. One of the women was a reddish blonde, radiant. Sort of stole the light out of the room. It was Rae. Our eyes met and her smile gave the room back its light.
She’d been in jeans at the shelter, but she was in a blue dress now and she looked damn fine in either. Took my mind right off Maggie, faster than I thought it would be possible. I met her eyes, and she gave out a little gasp and giggle. I was probably smiling in surprise myself.
The crowd came over to the bar. I’d thought the other four were two couples, but I realized pretty quick that the black girl with the afro was dating the quiet white guy in a beard and glasses and tattoos, and that the other guy was trying to impress Rae. He had a John Deere hat, but his clothes were way too clean for me to buy it that he worked on a farm. I hated him, right off. I probably would have hated him if he was the best guy in the world, though. The other girl, she was tall, latina, and for some indiscernible reason was interested in the poser farmer.
Most of the time, I’m awful at reading people. But for some reason, at work I can tell you everything about everyone who walks in the door. About who’s into who, about who had a bad day at work. Who wants to get drunk and miserable, who wants to get drunk and happy, who wants to get drunk and start trouble. Maybe it’s some magic of the job, maybe it’s just how people carry themselves at a bar. Helps with tips, that’s for certain. You wingman right, and the money flows in.
Warren, he likes to upsell them drinks when he’s doing that. Get them excited about the top shelf. Not me.
“Hey, Rae,” I said.
“Luke,” she said.
John Deere looked at me like I was the scum of the earth. And maybe I was, but if I was the scum then he was… I don’t know, something worse than scum. Wannabe scum.
She introduced me to her friends. Nicole had the afro, her boyfriend was Eric. The girl with bad taste was Irina, and John Deere had some name but honestly it went in one ear and out the other. He was John Deere to me. Yeah, maybe I’m an asshole.
“So, how do you know this guy?” Deere asked, tossing me a look that said I clearly wasn’t good enough to be friend with someone like Rae.
“Oh, he came in just the other day. Adopted the sweetest dog, a bloodhound.” She turned to me, flashing that dimple high on her cheek. “How is he? You guys call a truce yet?”
“King’s great,” I said. “I mean, he’s probably at home right now, eating everything I’ve ever owned, but I figure I was due for a purge anyway, right?”
It was a lame attempt at humor, but Rae laughed.
“What can I get you all? Friend of Rae’s is a friend of mine.”

9 LETTERS TEASER BT


blake austin bioAbout the Author
Blake Austin is a guitar playing father of one, who lives in Los Angeles. He’s written music for as long as he can remember and was inspired to add book writing to his repertoire. 9 Letters is his debut novel.
For updates: Follow Blake Austin on Facebook

 

 


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