Monthly Archives: June 2013
#WickedWednesday: Need You Tonight by Jezebel Jorge #Erotic #Romance #RotG
Welcome back to the blog for another of my favorite weekly features, Wicked Wednesday. This week, I lassoed fellow Evernight author, Jezebel Jorge into a visit.
Here’s Jezebel to tell you a bit about her latest release, Need You Tonight, an Evernight Romance on the Go title.
* * * * *
Need You Tonight started out as a dare from my favorite ex. He challenged me to write a hot story with him as the hero and have it ready for him when he would be in town for a WWE Monday Night Raw taping at the Bridgestone Arena. A little verbal foreplay, you might say…
Our relationship began much like Saffron and Mik’s. I approached him in a hotel parking lot wanting to get even with a cheating ex by hooking up with the one guy he hated. Some twenty-five years later and we’re still pissing off J— every chance we get.
I hope you’ll check out my story and have as much fun as I did in reliving all those awesome 1980s Hot ‘Lanta nights.
Need You Tonight
by Jezebel Jorge
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Line: Romance On The Go
Heat Level 3
Released June 10, 2013
Blurb: Saffron has as thing for muscled up, bad boy pro wrestlers. Going to the matches, and actually getting to hang out with the guys she sees on TV every week, is both an ego trip and an escape from her less than exciting real life. When she catches her favorite guy with another girl, she decides to get even with the cheating ex by seducing his arch rival.
Mik Daring isn’t known for turning down the temptations of life on the road. He’s more than willing to piss off his most hated nemesis in the ring with some action between the sheets.
Their attraction is so intense that by the next morning they both know one night of passion will never be enough.
Buy Links:
Evernight Publishing | AllRomance Ebooks | Amazon
Excerpt: (Mature Audiences Only)
He gave her ass another playful swat and then yanked away the pillows to resume his comfortable position propped against the headboard.
“What do you want?” She crawled up to him on all fours, her eyes sparkling with a wary eagerness that somehow put him on edge.
How far could he push her? How far was she willing to go for him?
“Undo my tie.”
Mik had to fight the urge to kiss her as she loosened the knot on his tie and pulled it from around his neck. He took the tie from her and for just a second considered using it to bind her hands. No, not yet. He wasn’t ready to go there yet. Not with her.
“Unbutton my shirt,” he said.
Like a good little girl, she did as he asked, slowly working open each button, almost as if she were teasing him by not allowing her hand to slip and touch his skin. It would be so easy to tie her up and just fuck the hell out of her. Get her out of his room and out of his head quick and easy with no unnecessary complications.
She reached to untuck his shirt and he tightened his grip on the tie.
“No.” He stopped her with just the single word. “Take off my shoes.”
Saffron slid her naked body down to his feet and stuck her bottom up in the air as she removed first one shoe and then the other. He knew she was working it as she straddled his legs, bending ever so slightly to give him the occasional sweet peeks of her pussy.
He got so distracted by the view that he forgot to tell her it was okay to remove his socks. Her touch was electric as she kneaded the sole of his foot with surprisingly strong hands. Damn if he felt the pleasure all the way up to his dick.
“Okay,” he said, struggling to keep his composure. “That feels great, but… let’s keep going.”
She crawled back up to face him. Not touching him. Just waiting for his next command. He glanced at the obvious bulge in his pants and her eyes followed. Those freaky lilac crocus eyes.
“May I?” Saffron’s hand hovered over his belt.
He’d thought of her by name. This girl had so quickly become more than just another on the road piece of ass. He wasn’t exactly sure how he felt about that. Thinking was highly overrated in a situation like this. “Go for it.”
* * * * *
About the Author: Jezebel Jorge is a practicing witch and medium. Her indie released Ring Dreams series features wicked witches and hot pro wrestlers. She is also recounting her spirit guide, Odessa’s life with a series of hot short reads. If you would like to sample one of Odessa’s stories for free and sign up for our newsletter just email a receipt from purchasing Need You Tonight and I will send you a Smashwords coupon code for your choice of a free download of Under My Skin or The Lady is A Tramp.
You can find her online at the following locations:
GIVEAWAY:
Enter to win your choice of any of Jezebel Jorge’s other titles:
Dirty Birdies Flock Hop: I’m Flocking Late…Again (but there’s a #giveaway)
So… it occurred to me at 9:25pm this evening that I was supposed to have written and posted this…OOPS. Falling behind seems to be my theme for this summer. My hearty apologies to you all for my lack of organization.
I’m actually quite excited about this hop, and looking at the list of participants, you should be too. Since the theme of this particular hop is eyecandy…and I just love me some of that. There’s Man-candy, cover whore eye-candy, hot chic eyecandy…so many lovely things.
Let’s stick with my favorite… MAN Candy. I have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to this particular sweet *grins*
By far, my absolute favorite piece if eyecandy? I’m so glad you asked.
Here he is…
Does it get more beautiful? Truly?
What about you guys? Who is your Eye Candy indulgence?
One lucky commentor will win a signed “Caveman” calendar (courtesy of Ellora’s Cave) — talk about eye candy. *fans self* I had a chance to meet a few of the gents gracing this calendar, and let me tell you, they are just as hot in person. The chosen winner will also receive an eBook copy of their choice between my two most recent releases, A LEAP OF FAITH and BLOOD and FIRE.
I think you can’t go wrong either way *winks*
You can learn more about either of these titles by clicking on their cover images in the right sidebar of this blog.
Make sure you leave your email address along with your comment so I can reach you if you are selected as my winner. And you must answer the question in BOLD above to be eligible to win.
Oh! Don’t forget to stop by the list of other blogs participating in the Hop and enter to win bunches of other prizes as well.
Here is the LINK
Happy Hopping!
~Bex
Happy Release Day Maya Banks…..and A Giveaway!
worth a share 🙂
Happy Release Day Maya Banks! We are so excited to have Forged in Steele in our happy little hands (or on our e-readers). To celebrate the release today, we will be giving away one ebook copy of Forged In Steele to one lucky commenter on this post telling us what their first Maya Banks book they ever read was. Contest runs through midnight.
Blurb:
The Kelly Group International (KGI): A super-elite, top secret, family-run business.
Qualifications: High intelligence, rock-hard body, military background.
Mission: Hostage/kidnap victim recovery. Intelligence gathering. Handling jobs the U.S. government can’t…
Steele, a KGI team leader, is an enigma not even his teammates understand. His emotions are tightly locked down and nothing can break that icy exterior. Nothing except Maren Scofield, a doctor on a mission, a woman who has gotten under Steele’s skin and threatens to crack that unflappable cool he’s legendary for.
Steele is determined…
View original post 82 more words
#SexySnippets: Sometimes Fairy Tales are Naughty. #WIP #Erotic #BDSM #Fairytale
Welcome to another installment of #SexySnippets, where we get to share seven steamy sentences from a published work or WIP. This week I am sharing just a bit of my work in progress, Alice and the Eggs. That’s just a working title, but for now, it will have to do. The story is a fairy tale about a chicken farmer’s daughter and a prince with a dark side. I am just getting started with this one, so I haven’t written the “steamy” bits yet, but I’m hoping some of the sexual tension between the two characters shines through in this sample.
Here’s my tidbit for this week. Enjoy!
A shiver raced down her spine, but Alice refused to allow him to see her fear. “Then we have a deal?” She extended a hand, as much to seal their agreement as to put some space between them. He was far too close and seemed to be stealing all of the air. She had a hard time catching her breath.
Warm fingers encased hers, but the dark smile returned, chilling her to the bone. “Yes, my sweet Alice, I believe we do.”
I’d love to know what you think. Feel free to share your thoughts below, and stop by the Nuthouse Scribblers blog to find the list of participants for this week. You can click the Snippets button at the top of the post to get there.
See you next time.
~Bex
Evernight Teen Summer Kick-Off Blog Hop: Spotlight on Slayer for Hire #YALit #giveaway
Welcome to Evernight Teen’s Summer Kick-off Blog Hop!
It’s a great opportunity to get to know Evernight Teen: Gritty Fiction for Today’s Young Adult. Our stories include fresh teen fiction that’s raw, gritty and real.
My spotlight is on Slayer for Hire by P.E. Cunningham
Blurb:
Nineteen-year-old Billie Eshleman loves the TV show Slayer for Hire, and has a major fangirl crush on its hunky star, Dylan Garber. When the show comes to her home town to film a movie version, it’s her greatest dream come true. Unfortunately, she’s not the only fan trying to crash the set. A real vampire has fixated on the fictitious “slayer,” and is determined to make Dylan her mate—like, for the rest of eternity.
With help from Dylan’s co-star, Matt—an actor with vampire-related secrets of his own—it’s up to Billie to keep her idol from joining the ranks of the undead long enough to finish the movie. And, incidentally, keep herself alive in the process.
14+ for adult situations
Excerpt:
The guy with the cross tattoo shook himself all over like a dog. Then he grinned at me with those big prosthetic teeth. His B.O. hit me with a stench like three-week-old hamburger. “You look tasty,” he said. He started toward me.
All of a sudden my sight of those scary teeth was blocked by a shapeless wool poncho. I never heard Dina run up. She just appeared between me and Tattoo Boy. They started to circle like dogs. I backed out of reach, but didn’t run. I’d just seen this skinny guy toss Rolly like a basketball. Dina would need help. What I could do with no weapons, I had no idea. Kick, maybe? Worked on the hockey field.
That’s when I noticed Tattoo Boy’s eyes. When he’d grinned at me, they’d been blue. They were red now. I don’t mean bloodshot. I’m talking solid scarlet, with a black pit of pupil in the centers. He hadn’t had a chance to slip contacts in. My gut did a ten-story plummet. Reality had just run off the rails here.
He bared his pointy teeth at Dina and hissed.
She bared her own pointy teeth and hissed right back at him.
Okay. Totally freaked now.
In a move almost too fast to follow, Dina whipped off her poncho and flung it in Tattoo Boy’s fangy face. Under the poncho she had on a scoop-neck top, jeans, and a bandolier full of wooden stakes. She yanked one free. Once Tattoo Boy untangled himself from the poncho and flung it away, she dove in and rammed her stake into his chest.
He looked at the stake. Then he looked at her. His lips started to move. Before any words could form, lips, face and everything else cracked and crumbled and collapsed on the mall’s worn linoleum with a little puff.
I kept waiting for Rog to yell, “Cut.”
Dina calmly plucked another stake from her bandolier. She looked over at me. Her eyes were solid crimson.
“You might want to run now,” she suggested.
She left me before I could speak or scream, or do anything other than pant. I stared around at everything except that pile of ash on the floor, and realized our part of the mall was almost deserted. I glimpsed Matt, recognizable by his height, up at the other end, herding people toward the exits.
What about Dylan? Surely they’d gotten him to safety when this disaster started, right?
I ran, but not for the nearest exit. I headed for the spot where I’d last seen Dylan. Matt seemed to have his own safety under control, but I couldn’t cut out until I knew for sure Dylan was all right. What kind of fangirl would I be if I did?
But first, I detoured for the sporting goods store. I needed a weapon. I grabbed a hardwood baseball bat from the front-of-the store display. Not my first choice, but it was handy. Then I plunged toward the junkyard of abandoned cameras, dollies and cranes where Dylan had last been filming.
I didn’t see anyone around. Maybe they’d all got out. Then two shapes buzzed past me, so fast I only saw blurs, like the vampires on Slayer for Hire, just without the SFX.
Trust me, I did not like how the evidence was mounting up.
The blurs slowed enough to resolve into two of the fang-faced attackers. They grabbed two people struggling to wedge themselves out through an emergency exit. One was Rog. The captain of this flick had stuck with his sinking ship past the last minute. He had Dylan with him, at least until the leather boys yanked them apart. I hefted my bat and pelted toward them.
“Hey, I know you,” one of the Fango Brothers said to Rog. “You were on Leno. You directed RoboSoldier II. Man, that movie sucked.” He swooped in close. He looked like he was biting Rog’s neck.
The other one had hold of a struggling Dylan. “Relax, pretty boy. We’re part of your fan club. Our president wants to meet you. She sent us to pick you up, seeing as how you won’t answer her letters.”
“I don’t see her letters or emails or anything. We’ve got people who do that.” Dylan abruptly stopped struggling. He’d finally noticed the guy sucking on Rog’s neck. “What the hell?”
His captor shrugged one shoulder. “He skipped breakfast.”
“Are you friggin’ insane?” Dylan exploded. “Slayer’s not real! It’s a goddamn TV show! It isn’t real!”
The guy showed his fangs. Dylan shut up. “It’s real enough, bucko.”
“So’s this,” I quipped, and swung the bat. Go for the legs, that’s what they taught us in field hockey. Okay, no, not the coaches. Sarah McClosky, our team captain. She could trip an opposing player six different ways and make ’em all look like an accident. Her dad was a cop, so she knew what to aim for. Her tricks were also effective against grabby dates who wouldn’t listen to “no.”
I cracked the bat against the guy’s knees with all the strength I could muster. Considering the weight of the trays we have to lift at the dinner rush, that’s a lot more than you’d think.
He let go of Dylan and staggered back. He should have gone down, but he didn’t. I retreated a couple of steps. Dylan whirled toward the exit door and clawed at the unyielding bar, totally ignoring the “Push” sign.
I took another swing at Fango’s legs. I thought I was fast, but he beat me. He caught the bat on the downswing and yanked it out of my hands. He tossed it away. It clattered and rolled across the floor, too far away for me to make a dive for. Fango grinned at me, and licked his lips.
“Come to think of it,” he said, “I could do with a bite myself.”
Slayer for Hire is available here!
What’s up for grabs?
- One lucky hopper will win a KINDLE PAPERWHITE eREADER sponsored by Evernight Teen.
- Every book blogger/reviewer site is giving away one free eBook from Evernight Teen (winner’s choice of any eBook from Evernight Teen’s website).
- Plus, each author offers their own unique prize! So visit each blog hop stop for a host of fabulous prizes to win.
How to enter? Leave a comment answering the question below, along with your email address to be eligible to win a prize. Copied and pasted entries will be disqualified — so make your answer unique in some way, so I know you didn’t just copy someone else’s response. (Sorry I have to do this, but you’d be surprised how many times this actually happens)
Question: What is your favorite Vampire book or movie character of all time?
Don’t forget to continue hopping to the next stop!
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New Release News: Dark Tales Dairies Vol. 2 by London Saint James #Erotic #Romance #BDSM
Dark Tales Diaries Vol. 2
by London Saint James
Genre: Erotic Romance
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Blurb: Blackthorn Printing made a splash in the publishing world with the introduction of Dark Tales Diaries, yet despite his efforts, Tristan Blackthorn isn’t any closer to finding the woman he seeks. Unwilling to give up on his lost love, his search for Keira continues in Volume Two.
A voyeuristic moment leads an astronomy professor and his assistant to a steamy endeavor on The Observation Deck.
An invitation for cocktails has the reclusive woman who lives in 204-B pondering why the handsome, wealthy owner of her building would invite her to anything. Does she have enough guts to go to The Top Floor?
And a Maestro strikes the right cord with a young and talented cellist who is trying to find her passion.
Be Warned: voyeurism, bondage, spanking, sex toys, anal sex
BUY LINK:
Excerpt: (Mature Audiences Only)
“Come on, Tristan,” Keira said, giggling playfully as she shut her diary.
“What new story have you added? One of love? Intrigue? A tale of the forbidden?” I inquired while eyeing the leather bound book.
Keira laid it aside, and rose to her feet. “I’ll read them to you, someday.”
She slipped out of her white cotton dress, leaving her sandals in the wake of snow-colored material at my feet. I leaned my back against the trunk of the tree, pretending to rest, but in truth, rest was the furthest thing from my mind.
Keira twirled on the ball of her foot, more graceful than any dancer.
“Do that again,” I said.
The sun broke through the leaves on the trees, and set her long raven tresses into brilliant highlights that shimmered in deepened shades of blue-black. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. She alone encapsulated perfection, with her small, pert breasts slightly covered by her long hair, and when she moved, the gumdrop point of a pale-pink nipple peeked through some of the strands. She raised her arms above her head, giving me a full view of her extended frame, and did something of a provocative pirouette before turning to face the pond.
Her slender waist gave way to rounded hips that swayed seductively as she tiptoed, nude, toward the edge of the water. She stuck one toe in, and looked at me over her slender shoulder. Her jewel-green eyes penetrated my soul.
Keira twisted her long hair up, and used the dark pieces that fell from her fingers to weave her tresses into a tied-off knot, freeing the canvas of her back. The dappled shade that fell from one of the overhanging branches caressed the curve of her spine like a long lost lover, and in that instant I wanted to kiss the dimples above her heart-shaped ass. The thought stirred up something much more primal.
“Are you coming?” she asked.
When Keira licked the plumpness of her lips, my cock ached for her.
“Definitely,” I said, and stood from my shaded spot under the oak, toeing off my shoes in a hurry, before ridding myself of my shirt and pants.
Once free of my clothing, I bounded toward her. She grinned and jumped before my hand made contact with her arm. I wasted no time, and followed in behind her. Our heads popped to the surface in unison, with her joyous laughter filling the air.
“I bet you can’t catch me,” she taunted in a cutesy voice before diving beneath the murky pool.
I studied the trail of bubbles and waves she made, guessing where she might come up, then made my way onto the grassy bank, crossed over the plank bridge, and hopped into the water off the south bank. When she resurfaced, I snatched her up.
“Got you,” I said, and placed a kiss to her lips.
She wiggled. Her moist mouth left mine. “No fair, Tristan. You were supposed to swim and catch me, not cheat, and wait until I ran out of air.”
“You never outlined the rules. And besides, I play to win.”
Keira, shook her head. Water rolled along her nose, over her parted lips, and down her chin before the wandering drop found its home in the pond.
“I know you do,” she said, rubbing her nose against mine. “That’s one of the things I love about you.”
“What else do you love about me?”
“I’m not telling.”
I placed my lips to her tempting neck, traced a line with the tip of my nose to the end of her ear, and sucked her lobe into my mouth. “What if I persuade you to tell me?”
She moaned my name, and draped her arms around my neck. “Don’t stop doing that, and I might be persuaded.”
Keira wrapped her long legs around my waist. The head of my hard cock slipped between our two intertwined bodies. She pressed herself against me, tighter. Warmth worked its way through my essence as I slid my manhood in-between her parted lower lips. I wanted to explore all of her with my hands, my dick, and my mouth. One hand remained on the back of her slim neck while the other left her lower back to discover the wonder of her ass. Flames, not water lapped at my skin with a desire beyond words.
For a limited time, Dark Tales Diaries: Volume One is 99 cents on Amazon
For years, Tristan Blackthorn has toiled to find his lost love. He finally decides to use Blackthorn Printing, along with his newly created Dark Tales Diaries, as a way to find her. Will her story be one of the three tales in Volume One?
Mistress Guinevere’s calling card is her Red Stilettos. She specializes in a particular fetish and always maintains her control, until a man from her past returns to test her will.
A recently divorced woman experiences the effects of empty nest syndrome after her twins head off to college. With the clock ticking away, she decides it’s far past time to seek out something that has always eluded her. Will she find what she’s looking for withThe Leather’s Edge?
And a bored computer programmer learns what it’s like to feel sexual freedom after being bound by a Master in Safe Word.
Be Warned: bondage, anal sex, sex toys, fetish
Buy Links:
Evernight Publishing Amazon All Romance eBooks
About London: London wrote her first short story in the second grade. Her teacher informed her parents London had a big imagination, but having a big imagination wasn’t necessarily a good thing as far as he was concerned. Without watering that seed of imagination, London placed her vivid characters, her childhood stories, along with her imagination on the shelf, where they would wither for a while. At the urging of her eighth grade English teacher, London pulled her imagination off that shelf, and wrote her second short story. To no surprise, it was a love story inspired by a song. Then as life does, it moves on, so yet again London placed her imagination on the shelf to wither for a while. She needed to do the “sensible thing.”
The sensible thing earned London a degree in Psychology, but while in college she traversed into writing once more, and was encouraged by a couple of professors to pursue that endeavor. She took on the world of written word, and has never looked back.
London writes erotic romance from sweet to downright naughty. She is an author for Evernight Publishing, a member of the Romance Writers of America, and a member of Passionate Ink.
Connect with London: Site Blog Facebook Twitter
#WickedWednesday: A Visit from Kastil Eavenshade and The Forest Maiden #NFT #Erotic #FairyTale
Welcome back for another installment of one of my favorite blog features, Wicked Wednesday. I know I’ve been away for a bit, but I am back now, and hopefully I will be able to keep to my set schedule going forward.
I’m excited to have a chance to share a steamy excerpt from my friend and fellow Evernight author, Kastil Eavenshade’s latest erotic story, a Naughty Fairy Tale titled, THE FOREST MAIDEN.
Here are the details on the book:
The Forest Maiden
by Kastil Eavenshade
Genre: Erotic Romance (Fairy Tale)
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Line: Naughty Fairy Tale (NFT)
Blurb: Eirlys Edurne wants nothing to do with the prim and proper world her title endows her. When her father attempts to force her to marry a vile Prince from a neighboring kingdom, she takes flight into the forest. Only the thrill of the hunt and the call of wildlife can tame her until a mysterious man invades her campsite.
The guest at her fire mistakes her as one of Earth Mother’s forest maidens. Eirlys uses her feminine wiles to seduce him only to find that her heart has other plans for her mighty warrior. When her father perishes, Eirlys is thrust back into the world she loathes by her stepmother. Will she break free of the woman’s clutches and once again reunite with the man who holds her heart?
Be Warned: anal play, public exhibition, multiple partners
Excerpt: (Mature Audiences Only)
“I did not mean to startle.” He held his hands up in peace.
“Nor did you.” But for the beating of my heart, she thought. Her hand moved away from the knife, and before she could rattle some sense into her head, she crossed the distance between them. Her lips crashed into his, heedless of crusted dirt on his person. His arms possessed her as she deepened the kiss, her tongue mingling with his.
Many things zipped through her head within the passionate embrace. Her willingness to love a man she hardly knew, and the growing need between her legs to have him take her wholly again. She tried to blame the allure of the forest for her wanton ways but her heart never lied. Her hand sought the object of her desire. As it brushed his arousal, he moaned against her seeking tongue.
“Bring me peace, Forest Maiden.”
Not the wind brushing her skin or the openness of the land would halt her goal. She slipped from his grasp and kneeled on the ground. Her fingers wrestled with the belt staying his breeches from hitting the ground. He aided her in her quest and soon his rigid cock freed itself of its confines. She gripped the magnificent specimen in her hand. Her tongue flicked out, and her pussy clenched at the groan from his lover’s lips. She took in his manhood, stroking and teasing the tip.
The act seemed so natural, so right. Her need to taste him as he did her in the clearing, to finish the union completely, sang. The heart never lied to one in tune with nature and hers pounded against her chest, urging her to take her fill of the man standing before her. As his cock became slick with her machinations, the state of her own wetness between her legs grew.
His strong grip pulled her up, and he pinned her back to a tree. The lusty dark gaze in his eyes sent shock waves through her veins. He yanked at her breeches until her legs came free of their entrapment. His hardened shaft rubbed her sensitive nub before seeking her moist center. Her legs claimed him as he thrust into her. She tangled her fingers in his hair as he held his piercing gaze. Her world opened to each hard stroke of his cock within her. Bliss radiated from both of them as she unleashed her wails of pleasure. The forest cried with her and soon her lover’s own desperate pleas to the heavens broke through.
BUY LINKS:
Evernight Publishing | Amazon | All Romance | Bookstrand
Blog Tour: My #review of Remember Me by Amaleen Ison and a #Giveaway (@Amaleenison) #YALit
Welcome to my stop on the Remember Me Blog Tour. I’m so excited to finally have a chance to lend my support to one of my favorite authors, as well as having an advanced look at her new release, REMEMBER ME so I could write the review. It’s really one of the best things about reviewing books. All that great literature (you hope) for free. What’s not to like?
I digress…
I fell in love with Ms. Ison’s work with her first solo release, THE TROUBLE WITH NIGHTINGALE. If you haven’t read this one, folks, you really need to get on that right after you finish picking up this latest endeavor.
But, we aren’t talking about that story today. Today is ALL about the newest tale to spawn from Ms. Ison’s fanatically creative mind.
Before we get to my review of the tale, let’s have a closer look at the book beyond its spectacular cover.
Remember Me
by Amaleen Ison
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Decadent Publishing
Release Date: June 11th, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-61333-545-1
Cover Artist: Scott Carpenter
Blurb: Sera isn’t living. She’s existing—barely. Bedbound by illness, she has no memory of life before the freezing barn she now calls home. A mournful song haunts her dreams and hints at a past not completely buried—one she’s desperate to uncover. Yet Father’s whirlwind visits to draw blood and administer medication don’t provide answers. He only confirms the one thing she already knows; she’s dying.
A lonely death without ever knowing her past seems inevitable until a sudden, mystifying return to health coincides with the arrival of a boy in the opposite out-building. The inextricable pull to the stranger, and the broken memories that storm her mind when he’s near, warn of a history quite different to any she could have imagined. If she’s to uncover the truth she craves, she’ll have to decide whether knowledge of the past is worth forfeiting her second chance at life.
Excerpt:
Father snatches the cover away and yanks my bare arm straight. Angry-looking bruises and red track marks riddle my paper-thin skin from wrist to elbow crease. He flicks a spidery-looking vein. “Dammit. Next.” My sluggish movements prove too slow for his liking, and he grabs my other arm. “We’ll give this one a try.”
I turn to Noah. Although younger than Father and not yet graying, his straggly black beard and tired-looking eyes make him appear older. He wears a worried expression and avoids my gaze. Perhaps he pities me, or my condition embarrasses him. Probably both.
The fog of medication descends in my mind and sends its glacial water surging through my veins. The barn wobbles, and my head lolls back on the pillow, giving me a view of the rafters. When it comes, the prick of the needle doesn’t hurt. Only the beautiful, melancholy song that plays constantly in my mind accompanies the odd sense of draining life.
Minutes, hours, days later—I can’t tell—Father holds up a full vial of blood to a shaft of sunlight streaming through the hole in the roof. “Thank you, my angel.” He kisses my forehead and squeezes my hand at the same time. I smile at the show of relief in his eyes, before my heavy lids close.
“She’s sleeping,” he says.
Footsteps draw near.
“She looks worse.” The disembodied comment comes from somewhere near the foot of the bed.
Father grunts.
“Her blood isn’t working anymore.” Noah’s voice sounds tight.
Silence.
“We ought to let her die peacefully.”
Yes, they ought to let me die peacefully.
“No!” Father’s breath comes in heavy gusts. “I won’t give up on her. We’ll capture the other one.”
“We’ll be damned.”
“Too late.” A loud clunk and something metallic skitters across the floor. “We’re already damned.”
Buy Links:
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The descriptions are so vivid, as if Ms. Ison is painting a portait in your mind. So clear you can just sit back and watch the story unfold. I just love when a story can do that. Make the words disappear and you are left watching a film — a mental movie of the book you’re reading. I really felt IN the story beside Sera throughout her struggles to understand what is happening to her.
The characterizations are just as strong. Each of the characters in the story, from the more prevalent, Sim, Father and Noah, to the less seen, Martha and Angela — each one completely flesh out and three dimensional.
I don’t do spoilers in my reviews, so the excerpt and blurb will have to give you enough clues to go by. I’ll not be adding any. Sorry, folks. You will have to just content yourself with knowing how much I enjoyed the short read, and how highly I recommend it to all the YA fan out there, as well as anyone who just enjoys a great, well written story.
5 Enthusiastic Pirate Skulls for this well woven YA tale.
Amaleen Ison is offering a giveaway as part of the Blog Tour. You could snag yourself an eCopy of Remember Me as well as a $20 Amazon Gift Card. The giveaway is open to International entrants.
Since I can’t host Rafflecopter on a free wordpress blog, you will have to swing over there to enter. The link is below. Good luck!
Remember Me Rafflecopter Giveaway Link
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Author Bio: Amaleen Ison is a married mother of one. She lives with her family in Hertfordshire, England, along with her cats (Oscar and Winston), guinea pig ( LouLou), and gerbils (Blackberry and Pumpkinseed). She writes Young Adult fantasy stories that meander into a variety of sub-genres.
As a child, Amaleen lived most of her life in her head. She imagined herself in mystical lands populated by the weird and wonderful. She still spends way too much time daydreaming, but now she writes about her imaginings and weaves them into stories. The fantasy element is always important, but more so the hodgepodge of emotions that arise from her characters first time experiences.
Her Links:
Facebook | Twitter | Website/Blog | Goodreads
Rise of the Magi Blog Tour:My #Review and a #Giveaway, too! @JocelynAdams, #UF, #LilaGray
Those of you who follow the blog regularly, know how much I have enjoyed the stories in Jocelyn Adams’ Lila Gray Urban Fantasy series. Well, today is the day I get to share my review of the last installment, RISE OF THE MAGI, which released from J. Taylor Publishing on June 4th.
It has been KILLING me to have to hold my tongue on what I thought about this final Lila Gray tale, but for all of us — the wait is finally over.
Excited, right? Yeah, me too!
Before I get to the actual review, here is a bit about the novel.
Rise of the Magi
by Jocelyn Adams
Series: Lila Gray, book #3
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: J. Taylor Publishing
Release Date: June 4th, 2013
Keywords: fae, faeries, elves, selkies, fantasy, urban fantasy, romance, romantic, dryads, paranormal.
Blurb: In a battle of wills, who is strongest? The one who hates or the one who loves?
In a test of faith, who will fight the hardest? The one who has everything to lose or the one who believes only in herself?
For Lila Gray, the answer is both. For the Magi, the questions are pointless since they can’t lose, and they’ve been waiting since before Lila’s birth for this one moment. Lila only needs to find them to understand her entire purpose in life. This time, though, instead of protecting her people, Lila may be leading them all, including her unborn child and the man she loves, to their deaths — and not by accident.
In the ultimate trial of heart and soul, and the conclusion to the Lila Gray series, Lila will learn that the greatest weapon of war is herself, with one ultimate unknown. For which side will she fight?
Rise of the Magi on Goodreads:
Book Trailer:
You want it now, don’tcha? Don’t even need to read my review now. Do ya? It’s okay, you can admit it. *grins* I left the links below for you — you know, just in case I’m right.
BUY LINKS:
For those of you who are still with me and not over at one of the above sites buying your copy…
My Review:
I’m going to start this review off by stating for the record, I consider the author, Jocelyn Adams a good friend. But, saying that, you should also understand she is one because I met her on a writing site and LOVED her stories, so started to post critiques of them on the site. We got to know each other and became friends, but I loved her stories first.
Now that we have that out of the way.
Rise of the Magi is the final installment of Ms. Adams’ Lila Gray stories, and while I have to say The Glass Man is still my favorite of the three novels in the series, Rise of the Magi comes a close second. The series’ main character, Lila Gray has become one of my favorite literary heroines. I’m just a sucker for a tough female lead. Lila started out spunky in The Glass Man and that spirit and sarcastic determination is evident in the second book, Shadowborn. It still exists in this story.
I make it a point to not give spoilers in my review, so I won’t discuss the plot itself — as much as I want to. I will say I cried in some places, and for a book to get me that way doesn’t happen often.
I also have to say I am completely impressed by the authors ability to carry the tale through three novels and tie things up so succinctly at the end of it all. So many twists and turns, things I never saw coming, clues missed in Book #1 or Book #2 that gave me such “A-ha” moments while reading Rise of the Magi. I love when that happens.
The story is character rich and the “voice” is stellar. I highly recommend the read, in fact, the whole Lila Gray series.
5 Pirate Skulls from me for this wonderful, urban fantasy tale.
Oh! I almost forgot… I promised you all a giveaway. I can’t actually host the giveaway here on my free wordpress blog, so I have just given you the link below. Good luck!
Author Bio:
Jocelyn Adams grew up on a cattle farm in Lakefield and has remained a resident of Southern Ontario her entire life, most recently in Muskoka. She has worked as a computer geek, a stable hand, a secretary, and spent most of her childhood buried up to the waist in an old car or tractor engine with her mechanically inclined dad. But mostly, she’s a dreamer with a vivid imagination and a love for fantasy (and a closet romantic — shhh!). When she isn’t shooting her compound bow in competition or writing, she hangs out with her husband and young daughter at their little house in the woods.
Links:
New Release News: Reality Hero by Ashlynn Monroe #Romance #Superhero
Welcome back to the blog 🙂
I’ve been a bit absent of late, and haven’t been posting regularly as I should, but hopefully, this is just the beginning of me getting back on my game. For my first New Release News since my triumpant return, I’ve lassoed Ashlynn Monroe and her latest release for a little visit.
Here’s Ashlynn with the details:
Thank you so much for hosting me! I loved writing this book and I hope that readers will enjoy reading it as much as I adored the process of writing it. I am working on a novella sequel to this novel, Ella’s story. Enjoy Reality Hero, I can’t wait to hear what you think. I love reader email at authorashlynnmonroe@gmail.com
Reality Hero
By Ashlynn Monroe
Release Date: June 17, 2013
Genre: Fantasy/Superhero Romance (erotic)
Buy Links: http://beachwalkpress.com/reality-hero/
Blurb: Can reality TV handle a reluctant superhero bachelor, ten attention-seeking women, and one evil villain?
Dina Dell’s career as a television producer has hit bottom. Desperate to save her job, she comes up with the idea for a reality show called I Want to Date a Superhero. But the only superhero bachelor she knows is the only man she’s ever loved—Zane Blair.
Zane was once a normal human, but a traumatic childhood incident mutated him, along with Dina’s sister and their friends. Dina was the only one who escaped without any superhero abilities. And while she might be the “normal” one, that only left her feeling like more of an outcast.
Her lack of powers put Zane in danger. Knowing that it was only a matter of time before someone used her to get to him, she left, breaking both their hearts in the process. After all the pain she caused him, will he be willing to help her now?
Then an old enemy emerges, putting Dina’s plans on hold. When her superhero friends are the ones who need help, Dina just might learn that sometimes little Miss Average can be a hero too.
Content Warning: graphic sexual content
Excerpt:
Zane looked at Dina in disbelief. Before he could stop himself, he was crushing her to him in a desperate kiss. His mouth ravished her with primitive savagery. Dina melted against him. Her lips parted and he slid his tongue into her mouth. She tasted so damn good. Feeling her body against his was an incredibly heady sensation. He never wanted to let her go. Her tongue slipped inside his mouth and explored. Zane growled and held her close for a second longer.
He pulled back, searching her expression for any sign that she was ready to admit they belonged together. Her wide eyes gazed up at him, and her lips parted slightly. She flushed, looking incredibly sexy. Just looking at her made his cock stiffen.
She put her forehead against his chin and closed her eyes. “You’d better go before someone comes to investigate how I am.”
He pushed back from her. She was a damn stubborn woman. He must like to suffer, because that was part of her appeal. He’d always loved a challenge. “Someday, I won’t obey your every command, Di.”
He had no idea just how much those old feelings still lived inside of her. She opened the door, this time he didn’t get it for her, and she ran up the stairs and into her building like the chicken she was. Her inner voice made clucking sounds the whole time she fled. Nothing terrified her quite like her longing for him. She wondered if he knew it and hoped he didn’t.
She’d never get any rest and she had a mountain of work so she sat down and started going over everything. There was a lot more to putting on good TV than just turning on a camera. The phone rang and she jumped. Her hand slapped around on top of all the papers on the desk until she found her cellphone buried under them. Her eyes were so blurry that she didn’t even bother to look at the caller ID.
“Hello,” Dina said.
“I’ve never been ashamed of you until today. Dina, how could you? You know Zane would never let you down. You used his feelings to abuse his good heart. I’m so angry with you that I don’t even know the right words to express it. If you needed something, why didn’t you talk to me first? I could’ve helped you. We could’ve come up with something different.”
There was a pause. Dina didn’t know what to say. It was a small relief when Ella continued.
“He hates the media, and now he’ll not only just be on your show, but the tabloids will eat him alive too. They’ll do all they can to find out his secret identity. You know the lies those rags print. This will start a feeding frenzy.”
Dina knew she deserved the tongue lashing, so she said nothing. She had no defense, because her twin was right.
“Call this off. Please, as my sister, do this for me and save the best man in the city from this horrible mistake. I know how you feel about him, and you know how I feel about him. We both know how he feels about you.”
There was another pause. Dina’s throat closed. She knew, and it tore at her heart.
“Are you still there?” Ella sounded annoyed.
“Yes,” Dina whispered brokenly.
“When you left, you ripped out his guts. Don’t destroy his life. He still loves you.”
“I know.” That was what made asking him to be on the show so damn hard.
“I don’t know why you turned your back on us, but you owe him. We all do. He’s the best of us. We’ve lost Aaron. Don’t take Zane away too. If he’s exposed, God only knows what will happen to him—us. Don’t do this, Dina.”
She bit her lip. She wanted to tell her sister she’d come to her senses, but it was too late.
“Ella, I’m so sorry. I hate myself, but it’s too late. They’re already airing the promos on the network, and the casting call went out. In the morning, I’m going to have dozens of women begging me to be on this show. Zane and I have been over for a very long time. We both know which one of us is in his life. You should be with him, not me. I’m his Achilles heel.”
“Being in his life isn’t the same as being in his heart, sis. He’s always loved you, and while we look alike, I’ll never be you. He wants you.”
Author Links:
http://amazon.com/author/ashlynnmonroe
http://www.facebook.com/AshlynnMonroeAuthor
http://twitter.com/#!/ashlynn_monroe
http://www.kindlegraph.com/authors/ashlynn_monroe
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3442759.Ashlynn_Monroe
Bex Book Nook 