Saturday, November 29, 2014

Review: Hard to Come By



Title: Hard to Come By
Series: Hard Ink, #3
Author: Laura Kaye
Publisher: Avon
Release Date: November 25, 2014
Pages: 384
Buy LinkAmazon
Amazon is having a 30% off sale on any one print book. Just use HOLIDAY30 at checkout. Ends November 30, 2014.


Blurb:

Caught between desire and loyalty...

Derek DiMarzio would do anything for the members of his disgraced Special Forces team--sacrifice his body, help a former teammate with a covert operation to restore their honor, and even go behind enemy lines. He just never expected to want the beautiful woman he found there.

When a sexy stranger asks questions about her brother, Emilie Garza is torn between loyalty to the brother she once idolized and fear of the war-changed man he's become. Derek's easy smile and quiet strength tempt Emilie to open up, igniting the desire between them and leading Derek to crave a woman he shouldn't trust.

As the team's investigation reveals how powerful their enemies are, Derek and Emilie must prove where their loyalties lie before hearts are broken and lives are lost. Because love is too hard to come by to let slip away...


Review

Funny and sexy, that's how I would describe Derek DiMarzio. Losing a limb didn't diminish his thirst for life. He was so lighthearted and fun to be around. The joker of the group, Marz seemed like the picture of a perfectly happy soldier.

Beckett and Marz used to be close, but Beckett felt guilty for barely getting a scratch while Marz lost his leg saving his friend. I really enjoyed the chemistry between the two when Beckett wasn't so awkward around Marz. Beckett made a speech once that really touched my heart. Whodathunkit? The big man had feelings, haha.

    "Just give it a minute," Beckett said. "You don't always have to be too strong to accept help. No one here thinks you're weak."
    Derek's eyes went wide as he gazed at his friend. How could anyone think Derek weak? The guy had saved her twice in two days and used his own body as a human shield for hers. He'd been hit with a bat and kicked in the head, and still had enough presence of mind to try to take out her brother's fleeing truck."

Marz's story was a bit predictable when it came to Emilie Garza. Regardless, I enjoyed their connection and his protectiveness towards her, as with all the other guys in Hard Ink. I also loved reading about Marz in action - being the computer genius and all. One of my favorite things about Marz was his shameless singing. 

Emilie: "You give excellent orgasms...But um, has anybody ever told you that--"
Marz: "I can't sing?"
Emilie: "Uh, yeah?"
Marz: "All the time. I can't hear it, so it doesn't bother me."

I definitely would recommend this book. Lots of laughter and romance to keep you occupied :) 

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

RELEASE DAY LAUNCH: HARD TO COME BY

HTCB RDL Banner  
We are beyond thrilled to bring you the Release Day Launch for Laura Kaye's HARD TO COME BY! HARD TO COME BY is the third full length novel in Laura's Hard Ink Series, published by Avon Romance.

As a special treat, through December 2, pre-order Hard to Come By or purchase it during release week, and receive exclusive bonus content! Just fill out the quick form here!  

Hard To Come By Cover

Buy at:  Amazon | Amazon.ca | Amazon UK 
BN | iTunes| Kobo


Hard to Come By on Goodreads

Pre-order or purchase before December 2, and get awesome bonus content!

Blurb:

Caught between desire and loyalty...


Derek DiMarzio would do anything for the members of his disgraced Special Forces team--sacrifice his body, help a former teammate with a covert operation to restore their honor, and even go behind enemy lines. He just never expected to want the beautiful woman he found there.

When a sexy stranger asks questions about her brother, Emilie Garza is torn between loyalty to the brother she once idolized and fear of the war-changed man he's become. Derek's easy smile and quiet strength tempt Emilie to open up, igniting the desire between them and leading Derek to crave a woman he shouldn't trust.

As the team's investigation reveals how powerful their enemies are, Derek and Emilie must prove where their loyalties lie before hearts are broken and lives are lost. Because love is too hard to come by to let slip away...


Excerpt
Marz was playing with fire. He damn well knew he was. But that didn’t make him want to pull away.

He just wanted more of the heat.

Marz nuzzled the side of Emilie’s face with his nose, his lips. She turned her face toward him and offered her lips. He couldn’t refuse.

Capturing her mouth on a tortured groan, Marz poured every ounce of his longing and confusion and desire into the kiss. They grasped at each other and Emilie turned in his arms. He pinned her against the railing and planted his hands in her hair. She opened to him and accepted his tongue, sucking him in until Marz’s blood ran hot and his hard-on ached. He ground himself against her and devoured every little moan and whimper and gasp she spilled.

Trailing kisses from her mouth to her jaw to her ear, Marz dragged a hand down her body and grasped her breast in his palm. She cried out and her head dropped back, drawing his mouth to her neck, where he licked and sucked and nipped as he kneaded her soft flesh. “You are so damn sexy.”

Her hand flew to his hair and grasped the back of his head. “Touch me,” she said. “Don’t stop touching me.”

Marz pulled away long enough to do a three-sixty scan. The lighthouse cast a dark shadow over them, and the pier was otherwise empty. His heart raced and his pulse hammered. He dove back in, trailing kisses down her neck to her collarbone, which he traced with his tongue. Her nails scratched deliciously at his scalp and her grip urged him down.

Through the thin material of her blouse and bra, he mouthed and flicked at her nipple. He shifted the deep vee of the neckline to reveal a lacy royal blue bra. He tongued her through the lace until she was panting and moaning and writhing against the railing.

“Oh, my God,” she rasped as he shifted her shirt and moved to her other breast. This time, he tugged the lace down to bare the deep pink of her nipple. She tasted and smelled like something fruity and sweet, and it made Marz hunger for more. “Derek,” she gasped. “Yes, yes, yes.”

Her palm cupped and squeezed the bulge of his erection through his jeans. His hips jerked into the touch, craving more of her, all of her. He groaned and it seemed to egg her on, because she pressed and rubbed her hand against his trapped cock until he was panting and imagining taking her down to the ground.

“Jesus, Emilie, you’re driving me fucking crazy,” he said as he worked kisses back up her body to her mouth.

“I know just what you mean,” she said. Her molten hot gaze met his. Eyes hooded, lips shiny and swollen, cheeks flushed, she was a freaking goddess standing under the moonlit sky. He felt the force of her beauty every bit as much in his chest as in his cock.

“You sure about that, babe?” he asked as he took her mouth in a deep, wet kiss. “Because my imagination has me stripping you of those fuck-hot jeans.”

“Yeah?” She rubbed his cock in a long stroke with the heel of her hand. “Mine has us getting a room at the hotel back there. So I’m sure,” she said with a smile.

Marz’s heart hammered against his breastbone and his cock jerked, clearly liking her idea, too. Except, if he took her up on it, he was going to end up buried inside her for as long as she’d have him. And so long as this clusterfuck of a situation defined their relationship, he couldn’t take things that far. Could he?

  HTCB Available Now


 
And don’t miss the other Hard Ink books, now available:
Hard As It Gets
Hard As You Can
Hard to Hold On To



Praise for Hard to Come By:

"Rough sex and explosive fights power Kaye's third Hard Ink novel, a thrilling adventure that feels more like an action movie with a romantic subplot than a typical contemporary romance. New readers will head straight for Kaye's backlist after powering through this installment." ~Publishers Weekly Starred Review

"TOP PICK! If you're looking for danger, gritty action, and sizzling passion, then Kaye has just the book and the series for you." ~RT Book Reviews Magazine



HTCB Teaser 2   



Author PhotoAbout Laura Kaye:

Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over a dozen books in contemporary and paranormal romance.

Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. 

She lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.    
    


Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Review: Betrayed



Title: Betrayed
Series: Rockfort Security, #2
Author: Rebecca York
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Release Date: July 1, 2014
Pages: 320
Buy LinkAmazon

Blurb:

To Trust...
Rockfort Security operative Shane Gallagher has been brought into S&D Systems to find a security leak. Confidential information has been stolen, and Shane suspects Elena Reyes, a systems analyst with the access and know-how to pull it off. As he finds excuses to get close to her, their attraction is too strong to ignore, but how can Shane trust the very woman he's investigating?

Or Not to Trust
Elena has spent her life proving herself, but now she's risking it all: everything she's worked for, and her growing feelings for Shane. Much as she wants to trust the devastatingly sexy, hard-as-nails investigator, she can't let herself fall for him...the stakes are too high.


Review

Mistrust and Romance - this is Betrayed in two words.

This book was filled with suspicion, lies, and the fight for the truth. Shane was such a strong character. He did his job even when he felt he couldn't trust his subject. Elena, on the other hand, somehow always ended up doing something that caused Shane to doubt her. Their teamwork, however, was commendable, especially when the rest of Rockfort Security came to the rescue :)

I did admire Elena's bravery, though her loyalty was a bit irritating. I guess that's just what her culture taught her. Even when her brother didn't deserve her rescue, she went after him, even at the cost of her own life. 

Even when Shane didn't trust Elena in the slightest, his attraction to her propelled him to protect her at all cost. Also, as manly man that he was, he piloted a plane while he had a bullet on the side of body. That's sexy and stupid.

I love the Rockfort Security series for their action and romance. I can't wait to read the third book about Max!

Check out my review of the first book, Bad Nights!

Thursday, November 6, 2014

Review: Undefeated



Title: Undefeated
Series: Bomb Squad, #2
Author: Melissa Cutler
Publisher: Penguin Group
Release Date: November 18, 2014
Buy LinkAmazon Pre-Order


I received an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. Quotes in this review may be altered in the finished copy.

Blurb:

Welcome to Destiny Falls, New York, home of Bomb Squad--an ice hockey team full of rugged military heroes. The team's battling a losing streak, but the season's biggest game changer is one player's second chance with the one who got away...

Yoga instructor Marlena Brodie is always up for a challenge, and her new job of snapping Bomb Squad out of their rut is definitely that, even though it means being in close contact with Liam McAllister, her high school crush gone bad. She can feel the damage pouring off of him--but also a wild and sexy strength that calls to her.

The Army turned Liam McAllister into a man, but as a combat medic, he saw far too much to ever be whole again. He's not interested in the civilian world beyond his job as a carpenter, but he never stopped wondering what might have been with Marlena--and it isn't long before she's crashed through his carefully constructed walls. He longs for a new beginning with her, but to be the man she deserves, he'll have to step out of his defensive zone and score the most important play of his life...


Review

I read this book every minute I got. This was one of those books that you would rather read than work for a living. The book you'd rather stay up late for and screw the consequences of the next day at work. Who needs sleep?

This book was like a combination of a couple books I've read in the past. The ex-military reminded me of Jessica Scott's Coming Home series while the rest reminds me of Laura Kaye's Hard Ink series.

Melissa really captured the struggle of a veteran coming back to the civilian world and re-learning how things worked in society. When you read this book, just know that Chapters 16 and 17 were the ones to look out for. I was absolutely into it and I think they were the best chapters in the entire book. It showed just how dysfunctional yet strong Liam and Marlena's relationship was.

Liam had PTSD syndrome and as any man would, he didn't bother sharing his pain with people around him, including his twin Olivia. He was kind of like a Dom, except this wasn't a BDSM story. He definitely had tendencies, though. If he was a real person, I'd still be a bit scared of him even after reading his story.

"And I'm not going to ask you out because I don't have the patience for civilian dating bullshit."

Marlena, on the other hand, was some kind of spiritual sage. She put everything to the universe and she had some weird psychic abilities. Reading this book made me want to go back to doing yoga. The relaxation and the grounding seemed so promising. 

I don't know what else to say to convince you to buy this book, but I promise it's going to be so worth it! Now I should go buy the first book :)


Check out my reviews for the books that reminded me of this story:
Hard Ink Novels
1. Hard As It Gets
2. Hard As You Can
2.5 Hard To Hold On To

Coming Home Novels
1. Because of You
1.5 Anything For You
2. Until There Was You - it looks like I never read this book :(
2.5 I'll Be Home For Christmas
3. Back To You

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Promo: Spanked By The Bad Boy






Spanked by the Bad Boy
Bad Boy Fever Series
London Saint James
Decadent Publishing
Cover Art by Mina Carter
57 pgs, 49k words
Contemporary Erotic Romance (Spanking),
Suspense, Thriller, Heat level 5


As the personal assistant to the owner of one of the top engineering firms in Denver, Tiffany Brooks has worked hard at maintaining a professional façade, intent on ridding herself of terrible habits—like her attraction to bad boys. But when the owner of DC Construction rides his chopper into her world two years after their one-time anonymous sexual encounter, everything turns upside down.
Declan Cage is the type of guy who makes a lasting impression, especially with women, yet the gorgeous assistant at Stoub Engineering never remembers his name—or does she? Intrigued by her game, her sexier than sin body, and an infuriating prissy attitude, Ms. Brooks is begging to be taken into hand, and he’s the man to do it.
Armed with the knowledge Declan doesn’t recognize her, will Tiffany give in to her desire for him yet again, or will her past come back to haunt them both and ruin their chance at something real?






Buy Links:   Decadent Publishing    Goodreads     Amazon  



Regular Excerpt:
When a commotion broke out somewhere not too far behind Declan’s table, he
twisted in his chair to see what was going on. His brow crinkled.
“I’ll be back,” he said without looking at his employees.
Declan stood and made a beeline for the hallway leading to the restrooms, stopping
when he came to a guy in a suit and a woman he recognized.
“Is there a problem here?” he asked.
The woman spun around to see him, shock and perhaps a little fear written all over
her features. “Mr. Cage?”
“I see we’ve made progress, Ms. Brooks. You’ve remembered my name twice today.”
“There’s no problem, buddy,” the man said, puffing his chest out, reminiscent of a
peacock. “You need to go back to your table and mind your own damn business.”
“The lady is my business.” He hooked his fingers around Tiffany’s elbow and
maneuvered her beside him. “Are you all right? Is this guy bothering you?”
She gazed up at him with large blue eyes. “I’m okay. Everything’s okay.”
“It didn’t look that way to me.”
The guy she was with squared his shoulders. “Listen, asshole.” The distinct smell of
alcohol rolled from his breath. Obviously, The Suit couldn’t hold his liquor and falsely
thought he was some sort of tough guy when he drank. “The lady said everything is
fine.”
“You’ve had one too many,” Declan said. “You should probably go home before you
do something you’ll regret.”
“Who the fuck do you think you are to tell me what to do?” The man stupidly poked
his finger into Declan’s chest. “Besides, I won’t have any regrets about beating you like a
redheaded stepchild.”
The dude was a walking cliché. What a douchebag.
“I haven’t had a beating since I was nine, and I doubt you’re going to change my track record, but you’re more than welcome to try.” He tucked Tiffany behind him in a purely protective move. “I’ll even let you take the first swing.”
Tiffany tugged the back of his shirt and said, “There’s no need to make a scene.”
“No scene here, sugar. I’m only giving the guy what he wants.”
The man in the dark suit took a horrible roundhouse swing. Declan didn’t put any
real effort behind his counter move. He ducked to the right. The guy missed, spun
around, and stumbled away. He figured Mr. Fancypants had had enough, but no. It took
The Suit a second, then he straightened and came toward Declan, all wild-eyed and
doing a boogedy-boo, I’m-crazy-scary motion with his arms.
Declan waited until he came close again then punched the man in the nose.
Immediately, the guy’s own blood soiled his silver-white shirt and tie. He staggered
back, dazed, before he cupped his hands over his nose. Blood dripped from his fingers,
dribbled down his wrist, and trickled over the expensive watch he wore.
“I think you broke my nose,” he mumbled in a nasal sound from behind his hands.
Declan’s men had flanked him—feet spread, arms at their sides. He ignored them and nodded. “Yep. It’s broken.”
“Hey! Hey,” the manager of The Last Inning sputtered, waggling his bony finger at
them as he came over. “I’m not having this kind of thing going on in my establishment.”
The Suit kept his nose covered, but aimed his pinky at Declan. “He started it by—”
“No,” the manager said. “I don’t want to hear it, and I don’t give a rat’s ass who
started what.” He turned to glower at Declan. “Pay your bill then all of you, get out.”
“This ought to cover it.” Jett handed the manager a hundred.
He practically ripped the money from Jett’s hand.
“Fine. Now, go,” he said, shooing them away.
“No problem. We’re leaving,” Declan said and took Tiffany by the hand. She trailed
behind him while they headed for the door then, suddenly, she resisted. He stopped and
studied her, unsure what the holdup was. She held her right foot out. His gaze started at
the pointed toe of her black shoe, skimmed up her shapely leg, hip, small nipped waist,
bountiful breasts, slender neck, nose, and then finally looked into her eyes. “What?”
“Shoes,” she said in an exasperated tone. “You’re pulling me too hard, and I’m
walking too fast on a tile floor. I’m stumbling.”
He glanced at the spiked heels and shook his head. “I’ll slow down.”
He slowed their pace but didn’t let go of her until they made their way outside and
into the cool night air.
Standing beneath the covered porch of the sports bar, he observed his workers come
out, their expressions serious.
“What’s going on, DC?” Jett asked.
“Nothing I couldn’t handle.” He motioned with his hand. “Guys, this is Tiffany
Brooks, by the way. Tiffany, that’s Jett, one of my foremen, and over there is Chris. Chris
is my concrete guy.”
“Hi,” she said in a small voice.
Jett and Chris nodded. “Ma’am,” they said, almost in unison.
“You guys go on home,” Declan said. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Are you sure you don’t need us to stick around?” Jett asked.
“Naw.”
“Okay. If you’re sure.”
“I’m sure.” Declan pulled his wallet from his back pocket and plucked a stack of
twenties out. “Here, Jett.”
Jett waved. “You don’t need to pay me back for the bill.”
“I do,” said Declan. Jett reluctantly took the money. “Go on home, and get some rest.”
He shoved his wallet into the pocket he’d pulled it from.
Once his workers left, he gave Tiffany his undivided attention. “I want you to tell me
why the man you were with was shaking you, maraca style?”


Adult Excerpt:



Author Bio & Links:
London Saint James has lived in many places, but never felt “at home” until she met the real-life man of her dreams and settled down in the beautiful Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. London lives with her husband and their fat cat who thinks he owns them.
As an award-winning, bestselling, multi-published author, London is living her childhood dream. She knew all the scribbling she did, that big imagination of hers, and all those clamoring characters running around in her head would pay off someday.

Bad Boy Fever FB Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/badboyfever