Articles

Feb 18 2016

Book Review: Ink & Lies by S.L. Jennings

Author: Bibliowhore • Discussion: 1 Comment

Ink & Lies FOR WEB

Ink & Lies

by S.L. Jennings

Release Day: February 9th, 2016

Synopsis

From International Best Selling Romance Novelist, Hope Hughes, comes a gripping, heartfelt tale of two lovers, fighting for the freedom to…

No. Scratch that. Too cheesy.

…two people, torn apart by the tumultuous tides of life, only to discover refuge in…

WTF? What does that even mean? DELETE.

…two people, confused as shit as to where they should be and who they should love and none of this means a damn thing because it’s all lies!

Lies.

I’m not Hope Hughes. I’m not some fierce woman romance machine. Hell, I’m not even a woman.

I’m a liar.

And while I refuse to believe my own BS, deceit masked in heartfelt phrases of love and devotion, I want to make her believe them. Because maybe—just maybe—if she can find the soul within my words, she’ll also be able to find the truth scribbled on my heart.

You see, I once lived for the perfect plot twist.

I just never expected to actually live it.

This is my story. Well, maybe her story. I just wish I could make it our story.

The one I’m still writing.

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Purchase Links

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Nook | iBooks | Kobo

Review

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

“I guess the most epic romances are still tucked away within the pages of her favorite novels, safely swathed in inked lies and faded paper promises. Forever fictional. Just like love.”

This book is a work of magic. I absolutely loved it and now that I’ve read it, I am so jealous for everyone that gets to read it for the first time. EPIC. I fell in love hard with this story, the characters and the clever way S.L. Jennings penned their story. I spent a good portion of this read highlighting text because I was so enamored with her writing. August Rhys Calloway is a struggling author…Hope Hughes, not so much…but as the liar extraordinaire struggles to navigate his fictional persona and real life he never imagines the two will intertwine. Book boyfriends like these are hard to come by — he is guarded, pretends to be devoid of emotion, but as we all know, there’s always an exception to the rule. One can only pretend for so long before all those lies come crashing down and August is about to get the rudest awakening of his life.

I was pleasantly surprised with the storyline and although I had no idea what to expect, this book has easily made it’s way to my favorite reads. I’m sure I’ll be revisiting and recommending this book to everyone for weeks. It’s clever, witty, unique and poetic. The emotion penned on these pages only helped solidify my love for reading. I really love as a reader when authors can transport you and make you feel every emotion through their writing. S.L. Jennings repeatedly does this by not only giving you an inside glimpse into the mind of an author, but by displaying how heartbreakingly beautiful the process of baring oneself can be for self and others. August’s story will make you feel a range of emotions from heartbreak to anger to love and hope, but the entire story is a journey and only makes you appreciate the bumps in the road that lead to the end result.

I won’t spend time discussing the rest of the characters because the beauty of this story for me was the uncertainty. I wasn’t sure what to expect. The concept seemed pretty interesting, but it wasn’t until I started that I knew I’d be hooked. I’ll just say this is a friends to lovers angst-filled contemporary romance that will leave you swooning, tearing, and book stung as the story unfolds. I loved every minute of this read and I hope you will too!

~ Happy Reading Lovelies ~

Giveaway

Signed paperback of INK & LIES by S.L. Jennings

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About the Author

Most known for her starring role in a popular sitcom as a child, S.L. Jennings went on to earn her law degree from Harvard at the young age of 16. While studying for the bar exam and recording her debut hit album, she also won the Nobel Prize for her groundbreaking invention of calorie-free wine. When she isn’t conquering the seas in her yacht or flying her Gulfstream, she likes to spin elaborate webs of lies and has even documented a few of these said falsehoods.

Meet the Liar

Facebook | FB Fan Group | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon

Some of S.L.’s devious lies:

INK & LIES

TAINT (a Sexual Education novel)

TRYST (a Sexual Education novel)

FEAR OF FALLING (a Fearless novel)

AFRAID TO FLY (a Fearless novel)

THE DARK LIGHT SERIES

・Dark Light

・The Dark Prince

・Nikolai (a Dark Light novella)

・Light Shadows

Jan 07 2016

COVER REVEAL: Ink & Lies by S.L. Jennings

Author: Bibliowhore • Discussion: No Comments

Ink & Lies FOR WEB

Ink & Lies

by S.L. Jennings

Releasing February 2016

Synopsis

From International Best Selling Romance Novelist, Hope Hughes, comes a gripping, heartfelt tale of two lovers, fighting for the freedom to…

No. Scratch that. Too cheesy.

…two people, torn apart by the tumultuous tides of life, only to discover refuge in…

WTF? What does that even mean? DELETE.

…two people, confused as shit as to where they should be and who they should love and none of this means a damn thing because it’s all lies!

Lies.

I’m not Hope Hughes. I’m not some fierce woman romance machine. Hell, I’m not even a woman.

I’m a liar.

And while I refuse to believe my own BS, deceit masked in heartfelt phrases of love and devotion, I want to make her believe them. Because maybe—just maybe—if she can find the soul within my words, she’ll also be able to find the truth scribbled on my heart.

You see, I once lived for the perfect plot twist.

I just never expected to actually live it.

This is my story. Well, maybe her story. I just wish I could make it our story.

The one I’m still writing.

Ink-&-Lies-teaser-4

Giveaway

Win a Sephora Mystery Box

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Ink-&-Lies-PRINT-FOR-WEB

About the Author

Most known for her starring role in a popular sitcom as a child, S.L. Jennings went on to earn her law degree from Harvard at the young age of 16. While studying for the bar exam and recording her debut hit album, she also won the Nobel Prize for her groundbreaking invention of calorie-free wine. When she isn’t conquering the seas in her yacht or flying her Gulfstream, she likes to spin elaborate webs of lies and has even documented a few of these said falsehoods.

Some of S.L.’s devious lies:

INK & LIES- Coming Soon

TAINT (a Sexual Education novel)

TRYST (a Sexual Education novel)

FEAR OF FALLING (a Fearless novel)

AFRAID TO FLY (a Fearless novel)

THE DARK LIGHT SERIES

・Dark Light

・The Dark Prince

・Nikolai (a Dark Light novella)

・Light Shadows

Meet the Liar

Facebook Author Page | Facebook Fan Group | Twitter

Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon

Aug 26 2015

RELEASE BLITZ: Fallen Crest University (Fallen Crest High #5) by Tijan

Author: Bibliowhore • Discussion: 1 Comment

Sam & Mason return in Fallen Crest University!

Now Available!

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks

Blurb

Fallen Crest is back with a vengeance!

Samantha, Mason, and Logan are all together and united with one common enemy: Park Sebastian, the king of fraternity douchebags.

With professional football scouts eyeing his every move, Mason Kade has to walk the line for the first time in his life. Any move he makes against Sebastian has to be perfect and under the radar. One mistake, and his career is over.

Sebastian has other plans. Mason’s career isn’t his target—not even close. Wanting to destroy Mason completely, Sebastian knows he must hit him where it hurts the most: Samantha, who doesn’t give a rat’s ass that she’s the target.

Sam is bound and determined to protect Mason herself, no matter the cost, but what if the cost is beyond her imagination? What if this time, the villain wins?

EXCERPT

She was confident. She moved with purpose.

It hit me how much she changed from when she’d moved in with Analise. She’d lost everything. She hadn’t cared about anything, and she had been a badass because of it—striking out, not giving a shit. Logan and I took her in, and then she had something to lose—me. She got scared. She was pushed around by the girls and bullied by her own mother, and through all that crap, she’d still fought. She’d clawed her way back up, protecting and loving Logan and me at the same time.

Good god. I wanted to pull her on top of me. I wanted to lose myself in her.

When I sat on the couch, Sam had a knowing grin, and she sat right where I wanted her, right where maybe she shouldn’t have. My hands held her hips as she straddled me. She looped her arms around my neck and rested her forehead to mine.

Her grin never dimmed, not even as she teased, “Why do I feel like we’re in high school, and I don’t want my mom to catch us making out in the basement?”

Shit, I love this woman.

A smooth and lazy low laugh flitted from her lips. I waited for her to find my mouth with hers, but she didn’t.

She held back and her eyes traced over my face. “What happened today?”

I wasn’t going to tell her. More time. I needed more time.

Haven’t read this series yet?

Find the series reading order here

About the Author

I didn’t begin writing until after undergraduate college. There’d been storylines and characters in my head all my life, but it came to a boiling point one day and I HAD to get them out of me. So the computer was booted up and I FINALLY felt it click. Writing is what I needed to do. After that, I had to teach myself how to write. I can’t blame my teachers for not teaching me all those years in school. It was my fault. I was one of the students that was wishing I was anywhere but at school! So after that day, it took me lots of work until I was able to put together something that resembled a novel. I’m hoping I got it right since someone must be reading this profile! And I hope you keep enjoying my future stories.

Stalk Her: Facebook | Twitter | Website | Goodreads

GIVEAWAY

$50 AMAZON Gift Card
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Aug 18 2015

Before We Were Strangers by Renee Carlino

Author: Bibliowhore • Discussion: No Comments

From the USA TODAY bestselling author of Sweet Thing and Nowhere But Here comes a love story about a Craigslist “missed connection” post that gives two people a second chance at love fifteen years after they were separated in New York City.

MISSED CONNECTION?

To the Green-eyed Lovebird:

We met fifteen years ago, almost to the day, when I moved my stuff into the NYU dorm room next to yours at Senior House.

You called us fast friends. I like to think it was more.

We lived on nothing but the excitement of finding ourselves through music (you were obsessed with Jeff Buckley), photography (I couldn’t stop taking pictures of you), hanging out in Washington Square Park, and all the weird things we did to make money. I learned more about myself that year than any other.

Yet, somehow, it all fell apart. We lost touch the summer after graduation when I went to South America to work for National Geographic. When I came back, you were gone. A part of me still wonders if I pushed you too hard after the wedding…

I didn’t see you again until a month ago. It was a Wednesday. You were rocking back on your heels, balancing on that thick yellow line that runs along the subway platform, waiting for the F train. I didn’t know it was you until it was too late, and then you were gone. Again. You said my name; I saw it on your lips. I tried to will the train to stop, just so I could say hello.

After seeing you, all of the youthful feelings and memories came flooding back to me, and now I’ve spent the better part of a month wondering what your life is like. I might be totally out of my mind, but would you like to get a drink with me and catch up on the last decade and a half?

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | iBooks

Renée Carlino is a screenwriter and bestselling author of romantic women’s novels. She lives in Southern California with her husband, two sons, and their sweet dog June. When she’s not at the beach with her boys or
working on her next project, she likes to spend her time reading, going to concerts, and eating dark chocolate.

FACEBOOK | WEBSITE | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM

GIVEAWAY

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Jul 16 2015

Release Blitz: THE HURRICANE by R.J. Prescott

Author: Bibliowhore • Discussion: No Comments

THE HURRICANE by R.J. Prescott (July 14, 2015; Forever E-Book; $0.99)

Emily McCarthy is living in fear of a dark and dangerous past. A gifted mathematician, she is little more than a hollow, broken shell, trying desperately to make ends meet long enough to finish her degree. Through an unlikely friendship with the aging, cantankerous owner of an old boxing gym, Em is thrown into the path of the most dangerous man that she has ever met.

Cormac “the Hurricane” O’Connell is cut, tattooed and dangerous. He is a lethal weapon with no safety and everyone is waiting for the misfire. He’s never been knocked out before, but when he meet Em he falls, HARD. Unlike any other girl he’s ever met, she doesn’t want anything from him. Just being around her makes him want to be a better person. They are polar opposites who were never meant to find each other, but some things are just worth the fight.

EXCERPT

He grabbed my hand and pulled me to a stop facing him. He moved in so close that our noses were almost touching.

“Tell me you can feel this. I need to know I’m not the only one,” he spoke gently.

“I feel it,” I whispered, staring at the ground. “But I’m not doing anything about it. Everything that you make me feel is completely overwhelming, and I can’t give you what you need, not even close. I don’t want to talk about why I am this way, but just offering you friendship is a big deal for me right now.”

I finished my rant feeling more desperate than ever. This big, strong, beautiful, terrifying man had feelings for me, but seriously how long would they last? I was getting better, but I was afraid of my own shadow most of the time. I was small, weak, and lacked any self-confidence. O’Connell was dangerous, addictive, and so sexy that I was consumed by lust every time we were in the same room together. He used his body like a weapon and the danger attracted women like a magnet. With that many women, all vying for his attention, what little charm I held for him would fade like mist in the morning sun. If I let him in, he had the power to break what little of me was left whole when I couldn’t keep him.

Reaching out one giant, scarred and calloused hand, he tucked a wayward curl behind my ear. He lifted my chin with his knuckle forcing me to meet his gentle gaze. He looked so happy and intense right now that I could feel my eyes welling up. I never thought that anyone would ever look at me like that.

“I know I’m scary and loud. I’m fucked up, and I’m gonna fuck up with you a lot because I’ve never done this before. I don’t date girls, I fuck them and walk away because that’s what they expect. It’s all they think I’m good for. I’m not smart like you, and I know I don’t deserve you. Right now, I’m dirt poor, but one day, I’m not gonna be. I will fight to make something better of myself, to be someone better. Someone you can be proud of. If you need time, then I’ll give you time. If you need friendship, then I’ll give you friendship. But you’re mine, and when the time is right, when you’re ready, I’m coming for you.”

I nodded, so close to tears I knew that if I tried to speak, I’d completely break down. I swallowed hard, and the tears fell anyway. O’Connell wiped them away with his thumb and gently pressed his big firm lips to mine. Just like that, my fears were forgotten. The kiss was gentle, but fireworks exploded all over my body. It was like he had invigorated every cell with life. The touch of his lips wasn’t enough to satisfy, only to feed my addiction. I knew in my head that I wasn’t ready for a relationship, but my body wanted to drown in the revelation that it could feel something other than cold, hunger, and pain. It was a kiss both chaste and pure and everything I hoped that my first kiss would be, because everything I gave to him, I gave freely. Slightly out of breath, our lips parted, and he rested his forehead back against mine.

“I’m gonna give you the fuckin world, baby,” he whispered against my lips.

He kissed me again quickly and grinning like a kid, threaded his fingers through mine.

“You know friends don’t hold hands,” I whispered, knowing that there was no way that I was letting go first.

“Huh,” he grunted. “Me and Kier hold hands all the time.”

99 PENNIES FOR A LIMITED TIME!

ORDER NOW:

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About the author:

R.J. Prescott was born in Cardiff, South Wales and studied law at the University of Bristol, England. Four weeks before graduation she fell in love, and stayed. Ten years later she convinced her crazy, wonderful fire fighter husband to move back to Cardiff where they now live with their two equally crazy sons. Juggling work, writing and family doesn’t leave a lot of time, but curling up on the sofa with a cup of tea and a bar of chocolate for family movie night is definitely the best part of R.J. Prescott’s week. “The Hurricane” is her debut New Adult Novel.

Social Media Links:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Jul 10 2015

Book Review: That One Night (That One Series, #1) by Josie Wright

Author: Bibliowhore • Discussion: No Comments

Blurb

All it takes is just one moment to change the course of your life. For me, it was one perfect night.
I have always had a thing for my brother’s best friend, Ben. When I found him on my parents’ couch, drowning his sorrows in a whiskey bottle, my attempts to comfort him quickly turned into a night of raw and intense passion.
My foolish heart hoped he might feel the same way I do.
But Ben wasn’t there to stay and I woke up the next morning alone with a broken heart.
I attempted to forget the guy with a smile to die for and a touch that sets me on fire.
I thought I was over him.
I thought he was gone forever.
Until, eighteen months later Ben returns and learns my secret. Now, he is hell-bent on winning me back.
He plays dirty.
And he won’t stop until he gets what he wants—me.

But he has secrets of his own.
Secrets that could destroy everything we might have and everything we are.

Not suitable for under 18’s due to strong language, violence and sexual content
This book is an interconnected standalone and first in the series.
Approx. 86,000 words

About the Author

Josie Wright has always been a bookworm, spending every free moment with her nose buried in a book. While others were out partying, she spent her evenings with Heathcliff, Sydney Carton or Snape. Romance, fantasy, thrillers – you name it, she read it.

Thanks to the Kindle, she finally arrived in the 21St century and discovered the Indie literature world. Josie has been lost to it ever since. With her love for the written word and her promiscuous feelings for countless book boyfriends, the next logical step was to start writing. The voices in her head and her imaginary friends wanted out to play and so she wrote her debut novel “That One Night”, that’s to be released early summer 2015. And the good news is, there are more voices and imaginary friend where Ben and Frankie came from.

Josie is a financial expert by day and a writing junkie by night. The rest of the time she’s a bit of a hippie, a bit of a goth and many things in between. Josie loves to spend time with her husband when she can tear herself away from her book boyfriends. She loves video games, movies, good food and even better music. She’s addicted to chips, long baths and shoes. Oh, and books of course. Definitely books.

Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads

Book Review

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

All thoughts and comments are my own.*

Josie Wright’s debut novel That One Night was a pleasant surprise and I could not put it down. It had me hooked from the very first page and I was dying to know what would happen next. The characters are witty and snarky and I caught myself laughing out loud quite a few times. The story is also emotional at times and makes you feel for both Ben and Frankie. I won’t give away too much of the storyline, but lets just say these two have serious chemistry and the sexual tension I felt while reading this book nearly set my kindle aflame. These two shared a special night that was ruined by Ben’s mysterious disappearance that left Frankie heartbroken and 18 months later still trying to mend the wounds. Ben is set on gaining her trust and hoping she will forgive him, but there are secrets that Ben is hesitant to share with Frankie. Secrets that cause a greater divide between them. As both have been broken down and are trying to find a way to recover, they lean on one another, but Frankie is hesitant to open her heart again and Ben fears his secret will destroy the trust he’s fought so hard to rebuild.

I found myself deeply invested in this story and wanted to hug both Ben and Frankie for all they’d been through — together and separately. They both struggled with trust issues and restraining their feelings for one another. Frankie for fear of being hurt again and Ben mostly feared judgement. This book makes you feel, it makes you think how second chances may be difficult, but not impossible. You will root for these two and hope they find a way to overcome all that has stood in their way and find their happily ever after. I can’t wait for the next book in this series. I was sad when this ended, but ecstatic with how the story unfolded. The secondary characters also helped make this story even more enjoyable and I hope to see how these characters develop in future stories. This was a solid 4 star read and I recommend it for New Adult, Romance/Contemporary Romance fans. The book is funny, emotional and at times a bit of a tear jerker. I think this is a great feel good summer read. Happy Reading lovelies.

xo 💋

BUY IT NOW:

Amazon | Amazon UK

Jun 17 2015

Book Review: Amber to Ashes by Gail McHugh

Author: Bibliowhore • Discussion: No Comments

AMBER ^toASHES

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR

GAIL McHUGH

They were a storm I never saw coming, an unforeseen heartbreak on the edge of a dangerous cliff.

In AMBER TO ASHES (Atria Paperback; June 9^th, 2015), Amber Moretti’s life changes in the span of minutes. An orphaned outsider, she is desperate to start fresh the moment she walks onto campus. In the time it takes to cross the university’s dining hall, she meets two men who bring color, air, and light to her darkened world.

They became my addiction, each a needle to my next hit, my high.

Brock Cunningham’s appeal is dizzying, a potent force Amber can’t deny. A green-eyed smooth talker, he instantly attracts Amber. It doesn’t take long for him to consume her every thought, her every breath.

Ryder Ashcroft, a blue-eyed, tattooed, and pierced bad boy, turns Amber off immediately—that is, until he kisses her, stealing a piece of her heart, her soul.

They were as opposite as fire and ice, yet I ached for them equally.

Never knowing she could be broken down in so many unexpectedly beautiful yet petrifying ways, Amber finds herself falling for both men.

Immoral? Maybe. I say undeniable. Uncontained.

But one devastating event changes everything, shattering each of their lives…and Amber isn’t sure she can recover from it.

Book Review

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

All thoughts and comments are my own.*

My favorite thing in the world is picking up a new book and reading through all the words an author has penned together creating a new journey for me to embark upon. Words are powerful and can reveal the most beautiful or even the ugliest inner workings of someones mind. Gail McHugh has a gift with words and through it they reveal a story in which she has claimed contain many layers of her own reality. Parts of her own story woven together with fictional elements to create a gem that will captivate you from start to finish.

This is the first book I’ve read by Gail McHugh and it definitely won’t be my last. I don’t think I have EVER read a story like Amber to Ashes. I was completely spellbound. I could not put it down. I read it in one sitting by the final page I was dying for more. Addiction, obsession, desire, love, lust, pleasure, pain by the end you’ll have fought a battlefield of emotions and even question your sanity. The physical and emotional turmoil all three characters experience will tear at your heart. Their desires overwhelming at times, torturous and completely unlike any story you’ll ever read. It is not an erotic fantasy come to life, it is a dangerous and desperate yearning that plague these three and may be the beginning of the end for all of them. I was intrigued and as I delved deeper into the story it was hard to form an alliance or choose. I almost felt like I was Amber because I became as torn as she was. Parts of this story at least the arrogance of the two leading men made me a bit suspicious of their intentions at times. This book will mess with your head. Gail’s poetic style of writing leaves you to ponder many painful yet harsh realities of love, life, death and everything in between.

Amber to Ashes is a raw and artfully crafted masterpiece that takes you on a bumpy, deeply emotional, chaotic and passionate journey through the lives of three people whose stories culminate in the mother of all cliffhanger endings. This is a dark and gritty story that will rip you to shreds rendering you absolutely speechless . It is a book you won’t soon forget. One that will seep its way into the depths of your soul and completely own you. It is an all-consuming, fiery, get your heart racing, question your sanity kind of ride. I loved every minute of it and I cannot wait for more. Check out an excerpt here.

Buy NOW

AMBER TO ASHES by Gail McHugh

Atria Books Paperback | On sale: June 9, 2015 | 480 pages

ISBN: 9781476766010, $15.00 | eBook ISBN: 9781476766041, $7.99

Order the AMBER TO ASHES paperback:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million | IndieBound

Order the AMBER TO ASHES eBook:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Blio | B-A-M | GooglePlay | iBooks | Kobo

About the author:

Gail McHugh is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Collide and Pulse. She is the mother of three beautiful children and has been married to her husband for fifteen years.

Visit Gail online at:

Website | Twitter | Facebook

Giveaway

Enter to win one (1) of ten (10) signed copies of AMBER TO ASHES HERE

Apr 28 2015

Book Review: BLACK IRIS by Leah Raeder

Author: Bibliowhore • Discussion: No Comments

BLACK IRIS by Leah Raeder

Atria Books Paperback | 384 pages | ISBN: 9781476786421 | On sale: April 28, 2015 | $15.00

eBook: Atria Books | 384 pages | ISBN: 9781476786438 | On sale: April 28, 2015 | $5.99

ABOUT BLACK IRIS:

It only took one moment of weakness for Laney Keating’s world to fall apart. One stupid gesture for a hopeless crush. Then the rumors began. Slut, they called her. Queer. Psycho. Mentally ill, messed up, so messed up even her own mother decided she wasn’t worth sticking around for.

If Laney could erase that whole year, she would. College is her chance to start with a clean slate.

She’s not looking for new friends, but they find her: charming, handsome Armin, the only guy patient enough to work through her thorny defenses—and fiery, filterless Blythe, the bad girl and partner in crime who has thorns of her own.

But Laney knows nothing good ever lasts. When a ghost from her past resurfaces—the bully who broke her down completely—she decides it’s time to live up to her own legend. And Armin and Blythe are going to help.

Which was the plan all along.

Because the rumors are true. Every single one. And Laney is going to show them just how true.

She’s going to show them all.

REVIEW

Mindfuck. This book is a total mindfuck.

That perfectly describes Black Iris and the psychological turmoil I experienced while reading.

I thought my first experience reading Leah Raeder’s Unteachable was intense, but this book displays a whole different level of her literary genius. It’s powerful and deeply personal which makes the reader connect in an indescribable way.

The novel captivates you from the moment you begin reading. I am generally not a fan of making highlights in books. When I started reading more e-books I rarely took advantage of the highlight feature on my Kindle. I loved that I was able to highlight and flag things without marring the book, but I’ve still remained a bit conservative in that respect. Something has to really speak to me for me to highlight. Black Iris seems to be the exception. I found myself constantly highlighting wanting to savor and remember every moment, marking the words that moved me so I could go back to them later and relive the experience. The writing is profound, lyrical and undeniably haunting. There is a pain and complexity to this book that I’ve never experienced before as a reader. It is as though you are watching someone come to terms with their very existence and how they begin to accept every part that makes them a whole. The book is sexual, but doesn’t fit in any particular mold. The romantic aspect of this book is complex and at times troubling. I worried about how toxic some of the relationships in this book had become at one point, but there was such immense beauty in Laney’s coming to terms with who she was. Bit by bit, piece by piece, as disturbed as I was at times by her actions I understood them in a way that made me question my sanity.

There are writers I dislike, writers I like and then there are the writers that I love. The ones who I know will repeatedly produce outstanding content. The author whose writing seeps its way into my veins, searing their name into my soul. Leah Raeder managed to win me over with Unteachable, but Black Iris gripped my heart solidifying my love for her writing and a deep respect for her as an author. It is addictive, flawlessly unique and oddly refreshing. It is unlike any book I’ve ever read. Black Iris is raw, wild and completely unpredictable. It crosses boundaries and takes you through a journey of acceptance, revenge and pain unlike any book I’ve ever read. It examines human sexuality on a deeper level than I’ve ever contemplated. It describes how fierce love between human beings can be, the effects of non acceptance from society as well as self and how deep an individuals experience can brand them and to what lengths someone will go for retribution. Love is love — Reader’s brilliant, dark and poetic writing capture this message beautifully. I voraciously devoured Black Iris and I hope you will too.

BUY NOW :

US:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million | IndieBound

UK:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Waterstones | Foyles | Kobo | Apple | Google

AUS:

Apple | Amazon | Google

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Leah Raeder is a writer and unabashed nerd. Aside from reading her brains out, she enjoys graphic design, video games, fine whiskey, and the art of self-deprecation. She lives with her very own manic pixie dream boy in Chicago. Visit her at LeahRaeder.com.

Find Leah online:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Jan 13 2015

NEW RELEASES & PRE-ORDERS

Author: Bibliowhore • Discussion: No Comments

LAST CALL (#4.5 NOVELLA)

From NEW YORK TIMES & USA TODAY bestselling author Alice Clayton, known for her “deliciously addictive” (The Book Vixen) novels, this Cocktail series novella reunites readers with Caroline and Simon from the wildly successful Wallbanger.

Simon and Caroline are back for another round of baking, banging, and big life changes. Settling in, but never settling down, Caroline has finally struck a balance between the professional and the personal. As one of the top interior designers in San Francisco, she travels all over Northern California between nook time with Simon.

Perpetual globetrotter Simon has cut his frequent flyer miles in half over the last year, preferring to balance his professional and personal life, as well.

The next step in their lives seems preordained—toasts, veils, and the aisle of rose petals. But when an accident on a photo shoot in Southeast Asia brings Caroline the most terrifying phone call she could ever imagine, she has to ask whether “till death do us part” is a more realistic prospect than faces most couples.

It’s been a grand adventure, and Caroline and Simon wouldn’t go out without the best surprise ending ever. One part sexy, one part laughter, a dash of exotic locales, and one pink nightie, mixed with passion, and you’ve got Last Call. Served with a side of Clive.

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE

NEVER NEVER (#1)

Best friends since they could walk. In love since the age of fourteen.

Complete strangers since this morning.
He’ll do anything to remember. She’ll do anything to forget.

[yasr_overall_rating size=”small”]

MY REVIEW

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE

THE MASON LIST

An epic love. An epic hate. An epic story that would last a lifetime.

Today, 8:15 p.m.
I hurt. I hurt so deeply, I felt the pain searing in my bones and jabbing like a hot poker into my heart. I knew nothing would make it better as the memories pulled from the crevices of my mind, detailing the bad and the ugly, filling my thoughts with regret as I slipped into the darkness. . .

When I was eight, my mother was dying of cancer, my father lost his job, and the bank kicked us out of our house. I was forced to move to the strange town of Arlis, Texas where my father and I slept in our car in the hospital parking lot. Desperate and hopeless, we lived on fumes of our former life.

Then one night, everything changed forever. A knock on the car window brought a family into my life that I only wanted to shut out. I hated charity and I hated the Masons. Well, except one. He made it impossible to hate him.

Jess Mason had the biggest blue eyes and ornery smile of any boy I had ever seen. He was a ray of sunshine in my dark world. A boy full of adventure, dragging me across the meadow of Sprayberry Ranch; a beautiful Texas paradise full of horses and tree houses that got us into more trouble than anyone ever imagined.

Jess was my everything as a kid until we grew up and the rules changed. Instead of living happily ever after with a boy full of love. . . I destroyed it.
– Alex Tanner

Author Note: The Mason List is a coming-of-age story that follows the life of Alex Tanner from the age of six to twenty-six. The novel crosses the genres of Young Adult and New Adult. The Mason List is a standalone, 118,940 word, full-length novel.

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE

BRANDED (#2)

Ignite Trilogy, Volume 2: DJ & Phina

I wear my scars like a scarlet letter, reminding myself that I’m not worth the trouble.
I’ve spent seventeen years pushing men away, never allowing myself to believe in the fairytale…then, he walked back in.

Just like before, we explode when we’re together. I hate him for what he did to me, but I can’t stay away.

Eighteen days filled with passion and promises.
Nineteen letters filled with threats and foreboding.
It only takes twenty minutes for the numbers to all add up.
One thousand, two hundred seconds until everything changes and there’s no going back.

This is my story, and it’s going to leave a scar.

AMAZON

CORPS SECURITY: THE SERIES (BOOKS 1-5)

Special pre-order pricing at 0.99 – Regular price will be $9.99.

The entire Corps Security series is together for a limited time box set. Titles included are Axel, Cage, Beck, Uncaged, Cooper and Locke.

Years after the Marines brought them together, the men of Corps Security are together again.

These six novels follow their lives as they take a chance at love. Can love truly conquer all?

From broken souls to broken hearts, they all will find out if they’ll get their second chance at happily ever afters and that love really is worth fighting for.

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE

RAVELING YOU (#2)

Ayden Gregory may want to keep running from his nightmares, but he no longer has a choice. His past is catching up with him. And fast. He relies on one person to keep him from crumbling. His best friend Lyric Scott.

Lyric feels helpless watching her best friend’s world turn upside down. But she does her best to remain positive and upbeat. She gets their band their first gig and even with everything going on, her relationship with Ayden starts to heat up.

But when danger enters Ayden’s life again, even Lyric might not be able to help him.

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE

HELD AGAINST YOU

Accused of a horrible crime and on the run, Kat has been rejected by everyone she loves. She’s a fugitive from her past, flitting from town to town with nothing but the clothes on her back. Until she meets a man who literally stops her in her tracks.

This notorious bounty hunter, with his stunning good looks and powerful instincts, never fails to capture his prey. But there’s something about his newest mark that gets under his skin–and it’s not just the naked innocence he sees in her eyes. Behind his ice cold demeanor, he has his own secrets… and now his lively, vulnerable captive is about to crack him wide open.

As they drive across the country together, neither of them can deny the spark of attraction between them. Will their journey force these two passionate opposites together…or will their dangerous secrets be too much to bear?

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE

ABUSE

Bonjour, my name is André Chevalier. It has been my joy and my great honor to help those who have lost their way. Not long after I began my journey, I met two such wounded souls.

Renata Koreman, my little mouse. She came to me as a child—shy, mute, injured… broken. It took oh-so many years to start to bring her back to herself! Yet, I could not fully heal her.

Years later, Grant Wilkinson, he too fell into my hands. The ex-Army Ranger was badly disfigured and saw himself as a monster. Isolated by secrets, solitary and self-contained, his colleagues affectionately named him ‘Frosty.’ Yet, how should one behave when besieged by a lifetime of confusion and guilt?

The moment I saw him, I thought of her and I wondered. The eyes, they cannot always see clearly. And the heart? Ah, the heart can only guess at the truth. So it was that I remained uncertain.

Could the mouse and the monster could heal each other?

AMAZON

PROMISE TO MARRY (#1)

We were best friends since as early as I could remember. We grew up together. We were next door neighbors. We shared each other’s deepest secrets. When I was thirteen, we made a pact: if we were still single by the time we were 30, we’d marry each other.

Today was my thirtieth birthday. I was single. I knew he was single too.

But we were no longer best friends, and a part of me knew that he hated me.

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE

THICKER THAN BLOOD

A true friendship never dies.

Leisel and Evelyn lost everything. Husbands. Families. Friends. Lives that made sense. All they had left was each other, and a friendship that could withstand anything…

Even an apocalypse.

Until one fateful night, the marginal safety they’d come to rely on comes to a vicious and brutal end. With the help of Alex & Jami, both unlikely allies, Leisel and Evelyn are able to escape their shattered sanctuary only to find themselves face-to-face with a much altered, much crueler life where they have to find the way—and the will—to stay alive in a world they no longer recognize.

Traveling across a broken and infection-ridden country; the road-weary group are pitted against endless violence, improbable circumstances, and the ultimate loss.
Everything comes at a price—especially safety, the cost of which could very well strip them of the one thing they’ve tried so hard to cling to: their humanity.

Yet along with all the trials they’re forced to endure, there’s also hope in the form of love. Having loved Leisel from afar, Alex attempts to put the pieces of her fractured heart back together.

But in such a savage world, is there room for love?

In a place of nightmares-made-reality, where the living should be feared far more than the dead, an unbreakable friendship and a love amongst all odds can mean the difference between life and death.

There are friends…

And then there are Leisel and Evelyn.

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE

Uncover Me

I lost track of my life.

Spiraling down the rabbit hole, I lost myself and became one of them. Living undercover within the MC, the days bled together as I became absorbed in a life of excess and violence.

Becoming consumed was easy.

Was I Thomas Gallo, good guy and respected cop or Blue, Sergeant-at-Arms of the Sun Devils MC?

Before, I could answer with certainty. But now, there’s a darkness that has settled deep in my soul, fusing with my heart and altering my reality forever.

The road I’ve traveled has been paved with danger, death, and deception.

Roxanne grew up as part of the MC, a victim of her birth. Her life has been treacherous, setting her on a course of torment and destruction.

When our worlds collide, secrets are revealed. Trying to save us from damnation, I fight for redemption and the woman I love.

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE

When

Maddie Fynn is a shy high school junior, cursed with an eerie intuitive ability: she sees a series of unique digits hovering above the foreheads of each person she encounters. Her earliest memories are marked by these numbers, but it takes her father’s premature death for Maddie and her family to realize that these mysterious digits are actually death dates, and just like birthdays, everyone has one.

Forced by her alcoholic mother to use her ability to make extra money, Maddie identifies the quickly approaching death date of one client’s young son, but because her ability only allows her to see the when and not the how, she’s unable to offer any more insight. When the boy goes missing on that exact date, law enforcement turns to Maddie.

Soon, Maddie is entangled in a homicide investigation, and more young people disappear and are later found murdered. A suspect for the investigation, a target for the murderer, and attracting the attentions of a mysterious young admirer who may be connected to it all, Maddie’s whole existence is about to be turned upside down. Can she right things before it’s too late?

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE

SONG OF BLOOD & STONE

Between love and duty lies destiny

Orphaned and alone, Jasminda is an outcast in her homeland of Elsira, where she is feared for both the shade of her skin and her magical abilities. When ruthless soldiers seek refuge in her isolated cabin, they bring with them a captive – an injured spy who steals her heart.

Jack’s mission behind enemy lines nearly cost him his life but he is saved by the healing power of a mysterious young woman. Together they embark on a perilous journey straight into the heart of a centuries-old conflict.

Thrust into a hostile society, Jasminda and Jack must rely on one another even as secrets jeopardize their bond. As an ancient evil gains power, Jasminda races to unlock a mystery that promises salvation.

The fates of two nations hang in the balance as Jasminda and Jack must choose between love and duty to fulfill their destinies and end the war.

AMAZON

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Jan 08 2015

Cover Reveal: BLACK IRIS by Leah Raeder

Author: Bibliowhore • Discussion: No Comments

FIRST CHAPTER EXCERPT:

BLACK IRIS by Leah Raeder

April is the cruelest month, T.S. Eliot said, and that’s because it kills. It’s the month with the highest suicide rate. You’d think December, or even January—the holidays and all that forced cheer and agonized smiling pushing fragile people to the edge—but actually it’s spring, when the world wakes from frostbound sleep and something cruel and final stirs inside those of us who are broken. Like Eliot said: mixing memory and desire, stirring dull roots with spring rain. In the deepest throes of depression, when sunlight is anguish and the sky throbs like one big raw migraine and you just want to sleep until you or everything else dies, you’re less likely to commit suicide than someone coming out of a depressive episode. Drug companies know this. That’s why antidepressants have to be marked with the warning MAY CAUSE SUICIDAL THOUGHTS.

Because what brings you back to life also gives you the means to destroy yourself.

SYNOPSIS:

It only took one moment of weakness for Laney Keating’s world to fall apart. One stupid gesture for a hopeless crush. Then the rumors began. Slut, they called her. Queer. Psycho. Mentally ill, messed up, so messed up even her own mother decided she wasn’t worth sticking around for.

If Laney could erase that whole year, she would. College is her chance to start with a clean slate.

She’s not looking for new friends, but they find her: charming, handsome Armin, the only guy patient enough to work through her thorny defenses—and fiery, filterless Blythe, the bad girl and partner in crime who has thorns of her own.

But Laney knows nothing good ever lasts. When a ghost from her past resurfaces—the bully who broke her down completely—she decides it’s time to live up to her own legend. And Armin and Blythe are going to help.

Which was the plan all along.

Because the rumors are true. Every single one. And Laney is going to show them just how true.

She’s going to show them all.

BOOK DETAILS:

Atria Books | 384 pages | ISBN: 9781476786421 | On sale: April 28, 2015 | List price: $15.00 | eBook ISBN: 9781476786438 | eBook list price: $5.99

More information here

PRE-ORDER

US:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million | IndieBound

UK:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Waterstones | Foyles | Kobo | Apple | Google

AUS:

Apple | Amazon | Google

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Leah Raeder is a writer and unabashed nerd. Aside from reading her brains out, she enjoys graphic design, video games, fine whiskey, and the art of self-deprecation. She lives with her very own manic pixie dream boy in Chicago. Visit her at LeahRaeder.com.

Find Leah online:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Nov 20 2014

Special Announcement by Abbi Glines

Author: Bibliowhore • Discussion: No Comments

THE FIELD PARTY Special Announcement by Abbi Glines, with Wordsmith Publicity.

Come join The Field Party!

Subscribe to The Field Party You Tube Channel for latest videos and teasers!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVGIKODlRu74lCztT4uXslQ/feed

THE FIELD PARTY

by Abbi Glines

Coming Fall 2015

About the Author:

New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of TWISTED PERFECTION, FALLEN TOO FAR, NEVER TOO FAR, JUST FOR NOW, WHILE IT LASTS, BECAUSE OF LOW, BREATHE, THE VINCENT BOYS, THE VINCENT BROTHERS, THE EXISTENCE TRILOGY.