Showing posts with label Suspense. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Suspense. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Review & Giveaway ~*~ Permanent Lines by Ashley Wilcox




Blurb ~
Merrick Drake.

Bartender, dirt bike racer, and far from settling down…until that one race, and that one girl that changed everything.

Amelia Driscoll.

Amelia took Merrick by surprise, bringing out emotions that he never knew existed. Amelia stole his heart…

Only to break it.

When fate puts Merrick and Amelia back together, it doesn’t come without a price- it comes with vengeance, determination, and putting his life on the line for the one he loves.

But, how much is Merrick willing to put on the line to have a future with no reason to hide? In the end, fate will decide...


Who's permanent.

Youtube Permanent Lines Video Trailer:

~ Buy Links ~ 

Amazon   ~   B&N   ~  Smashwords

Review ~ 
Permanent Lines was a different story.  Told from Merrick's POV, I loved that he warned the reader he was a bit girlie in the beginning so it didn't annoy me as much as it might have otherwise.  

Amelia is in a bad situation and while attracted to Merrick when they first meet, she leaves him high and dry with no way to even contact her.  When they cross paths again their lives about to get a dramatic change of pace! 

Permanent Lines is full of intensity of all kinds, drama, passion, friendships, intrigue and more.  I enjoyed the roller coaster of pieces that all had to come together in the end.  The story flows well and you will keep flipping page to page just to see where it is going next. 
Author Bio~
Living in Syracuse, New York, Ashley Wilcox is happily married to her husband of over six years, and a mommy to two little boys, and one little girl who is expected to be here in March 2014. Through her addiction for reading, Ashley has discovered her passion for writing. She loves reading and writing about anything romance. Some books that Ashley is most commonly known for are The Forever Series, Summer Rush, and her latest, Permanent Lines.

To find out more about Ashley and what she is currently working on, please visit her website at ashleywilcoxauthor.com.

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Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Review & Giveaway ~*~ Knowing Vera by Rachelle Ayala




Blurb
Vera Custodio has never fallen in love, though she has strong feelings for her friend and sometimes lover, Zach Spencer. Long-forgotten memories resurface when Vera discovers Zach’s mother was the woman her father supposedly murdered many years ago.

After losing his leg, former triathlete Zach Spencer reevaluates his life—and realizes he’s falling in love with Vera. When she ends their relationship, Zach is determined to prove his love and follows her to Australia in search of the killer.

Caught between a web of family secrets and a deranged adversary, Vera and Zach must depend on each other for survival. Love blossoms, but the truth explodes everything Vera knows about herself. Will she close her heart forever or risk it all for a shot at happily-ever-after?

Knowing Vera is a suspenseful, cross-cultural romance mixing an unsolved murder, action and adventure, and hot, steamy love scenes.

Buy Link

Review ~

Knowing Vera is a different story for me.  It is hard to rate this one.  Once started, I wanted to see what was going to happen so I thought it would end up with a high rating, but by the middle I was getting frustrated with the characters and the plot so it dropped a little.  I'd probably have to give it a 3.5 out of 5.

Knowing Vera is worth reading.  It has a little bit of everything in it from suspense, to sweet romance, to some bordering on erotic moments, to a little mystery, lots of angst and anger and more.  So every emotion is touched but maybe it was just a little too much of everything all at once.

Overall, I did enjoy it and would recommend it if you are looking for multi-cultural romantic suspense to add to your reading list.


Author Info
Rachelle Ayala is the author of dramatic fiction crossing genres and boundaries featuring strong but flawed characters. She writes emotionally challenging stories and is not afraid of controversial topics. However, she is an optimist and laces her stories with romance and hope.

Rachelle is an active member of online critique group, Critique Circle, and a volunteer for the World Literary Cafe. She is a very happy woman and lives in California with her husband. She has three children and has taught violin and made mountain dulcimers.

Visit her at: Website: http://rachelleayala.me Blog: http://www.rachelleayala.com or follow @AyalaRachelle on Twitter. Subscribe to mailing list for upcoming books and giveaways. http://eepurl.com/lR5kv


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Sunday, September 1, 2013

Excerpt & Giveaway ~*~ Buried Secrets by Emme Rollins



BLURB:
Should some secrets remain buried?

Dusty has always been a hothead, far more impulsive than her twin, Nick, the calm, cool and collected one of the pair. But Nick is dead, found murdered in their local cemetery, and Dusty simply can’t rest until she finds out who–or what–has killed her brother.

Sure the local authorities aren’t being straight with her–or anyone else–about what’s been going on in their little upper Michigan town, Dusty delays going off to college for a semester, defying her father and stepmother and taking a job in the local bar to start doing some digging. Her focus soon fixes on Shane, her brother’s best friend and the town bad boy. The tension and rivalry between Dusty and Shane has always been palpable and sparks fly as the two collide. Dusty finds herself sinking in deeper with Shane and the mystery of what happened to her brother–and a lengthening list of victims–grows even stranger.

When everything comes to a head, Dusty focuses on one thing: What happened the night her brother was killed in the cemetery? She’s sure Shane is keeping a secret and she’s determined to find out what it is, one way or another.

BUY LINK: (Kindle only)
Amazon   ~   Amazon UK


EXCERPT:
“Nick told me something the last time I saw him… alive.”

She closed her eyes, not sure why she was telling him. Maybe it was the way he turned his head toward her before inhaling deeply, like he was trying to breathe her in. Maybe it was the way he cupped her shoulder in his hand, like he was holding something delicate—a tiny field mouse or a baby bird—and he was trying to be careful not to startle it. But mostly she thought it was the memory of his kiss in the darkness, the way he had taken it, how he had groaned and given into her response in that one brief moment before his senses returned.

“What did he tell you?” Shane’s spine straightened slightly, breath catching in his chest. He went completely still, like a deer caught in the shine of a poacher’s flashlight.

“He said he saw the way you look at me.” She hesitated, hearing his intake of breath when her hand moved to his thigh. Leaving it there, halfway up, she rested her head in the crook of his shoulder, feeling him breathing again. “And he saw the way I look at you.”

“What, exactly, is that supposed to mean?”

“Nick said he had the feeling, if he hadn’t been around, we might have ended up together.” Dusty lifted her chin to see his reaction. He didn’t look surprised, not like she had been. They were very close now. Close enough she could see the reddish stubble on his cheeks and the gold flecks in the light blue of his eyes and that little divot above his lip. She had the impulse to touch him there and repressed it.

“You and me?” he asked, pondering it, lips pursed in thought, making her think about that damnable kiss. She didn’t understand why she was feeling this way. First, the funeral home. Now they were both sitting on her brother’s grave. What was it about her dead brother that revved up her libido around Shane? It went beyond crazy and slipped into the realm of the surreal.

“You and me.” She nodded slowly, fascinated by the shape of his mouth.

“I don’t know.” Shane blinked those striking blue eyes at her, both eyebrows raised. Her attention was drawn down to his mouth again when he licked his lips, drawing the lower one thoughtfully in before asking, “What do you think?”

“I don’t understand why…” She didn’t. She didn’t understand any of it. Her world made no sense anymore. Nick was dead and Shane was here, offering her comfort and something else—she didn’t even know what—after all the years they’d spent sparring and going after each other’s throats.

But he’d come looking for her, had known she would be in the closet. He’d known her temper well enough to hold her back when she would have gone after the idiotic sheriff with her bare hands. And he’d held her and rocked her and let her cry when she needed to, which was far more than anyone else in her life seemed to want to do.

She didn’t understand it, but she knew she was feeling it. And whatever “it” was, it was powerful. Magnetic. It made her want to act, to do something reckless, careless, shameless. It made her feel like she had in the closet of the funeral home, ready to strip down to nothing and give into the feeling. It made her feel like doing that now, right here, on her brother’s grave. It felt wrong and right at the same time.

“What don’t you understand?” he prompted.

Dusty took a deep breath, reaching out and doing it, touching that little divot above his parted lips. She didn’t stop there, tracing the delicious shape of them, feeling him go still again, but it was different this time. This sort of stillness was more predator than prey. It was like the watchful, waiting crouch of an animal.

“I don’t understand why,” she whispered, swallowing as she let her finger trail down over his Adam’s apple, feeling him swallow. “But I think Nick wanted us to kiss and make up.”

“Do you want to?” He turned more fully toward her, the question in his eyes.

“Kiss?” Her finger traced the V of his t-shirt, his jacket still undone.

“Yes.”

His lips were slightly parted, wet. So were hers. They were so close she’d lost focus and longed to close her eyes. Her body thrummed, so very alive, and the irony didn’t escape her because they were surrounded by death. Everything else faded away, lost its shape, until all she could focus on was Shane’s presence, the heat of his body, the way his hands moved down the curve of her shoulders to grip her upper arms.

“I don’t know why,” she confessed, finally letting her eyes close in anticipation, feeling him drawing her closer by micro increments. “But yes. Yes. Yes.”

She whispered the last three words, her lips almost touching his. His breath was warm, fruity and sweet, fingers tightening their grip on her arms.

AUTHOR BIO AND LINKS:

Emme Rollins is Top 100 Amazon Bestselling New Adult/Mature Young Adult fiction. She’s been writing since she could hold a crayon and still chews her pen caps to a mangled plastic mess. She did not, however, eat paste as a kid.

She has two degrees, a bachelor’s and a master’s, one of which she’s still paying for, but neither of which she uses out in the “real world,” because when she isn’t writing, she spends her time growing an organic garden to feed her husband and children (and far too many rabbits and deer!) where they live on twenty gorgeous forested acres in rural Michigan.

She loves tending her beehives (bees are wonderful pollinators and Hello!? Honey!) and keeping up with her daily yoga practice and going for long walks in the woods with her boxer, Rodeo, who loves chasing squirrels almost as much as Emme loves writing!

Social Media Links
Site: http://www.emmerollins.com
Blog: http://www.emmerollins.com/blog
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emmerollinsfanpage
Twitter: http://twitter.com/emmerollins
Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/104962183698626394500
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/18901147-emme-rollins
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/emmerollins/
Tumblr: http://emmerollins.tumblr.com/


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Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Review ~*~ Guarding Hope by Ann Mayburn


Blurb ~*~
War hero Daniel Escobar has left behind his career as a Marine and now works for the Contego Agency, Detroit’s premier personal protection firm. Unfortunately his heroic actions on the battlefield cost him not only part of his sight, but also his peace of mind. Haunted by regrets of the past, Daniel finds a new purpose in life when he is given the job of protecting Hope, the only woman he’s ever truly loved, from the mob.

Hope Walker can’t believe it when she finds Daniel, her first love, working at the Contego Agency. She’s searched for him for years, wanting to know why he left her after that terrible night their senior year in high school when a fight with his mother’s drug dealer boyfriend left Hope in the hospital and Daniel shipped off to parts unknown by Child Protective Services. For both Daniel and Hope the old memories and emotions come rushing back, and together they will have to fight to stay alive long enough to give their love a second chance


Buy Links ~*~
Amazon   ~   Smashwords   ~   ARe 

4 Star Review ~*~
If you've been following this blog for awhile, you'll know that I am a huge fan of Ann Mayburn's and never not liked anything she's written.  Guarding Hope didn't disappoint!  While it's not a 5 Star for me, it's a fabulous book and definitely one to add to your collection!

Hope needs help.  She's pissed off a local mafia boss and now needs protection.  Little does she know that the local agency has assigned her first love, Daniel, to protect her. There is a lot of anger and emotion between hope and Daniel as they navigate waters they never expected to be in.  After years of not seeing each other and thinking the worst, fate tosses them into a sticky situation that could be life and death for each of them.

First, I love books with settings in Detroit ~ being a Detroiter at heart these are always great! Now, Hope and Daniel are characters with a lot of baggage ~ for a variety of reasons.  Hope struggles with lost love but she is a brave woman who is a real asset to abused women each and every day. I really admired what she set out to do and how she sticks with it.  Daniel faced some nasty things as a Marine, as a child, and still mourns the love he lost with Hope.

I can't really put my finger on a particular reason to give it 4 instead of 5 stars, except it just wasn't as compelling as some.  I don't think I got as invested in the characters.  Guarding Hope is a well written story with a bit of suspense, a lot of passion, and an overwhelming feeling of good within its pages.  I highly recommend it if you are looking for a romance that will keep you on the edge of your seat with characters that don't back down from a fight.


~*~I received a copy of this book to review but I was not financially compensated in any way.  
The opinions expressed are my own and are based on my observations while reading this novel. ~*~

About Ann Mayburn ~*~
Ann is Queen of the Castle to her wonderful husband and three sons in the mountains of West Virginia. In her past lives she's been an Import Broker, a Communications Specialist, a US Navy Civilian Contractor, a Bartender/Waitress, and an actor at the Michigan Renaissance Festival. She also spent a summer touring with the Grateful Dead(though she will deny to her children that it ever happened).

From a young age she's been fascinated by myths and fairytales, and the romance that often was the center of the story. As Ann grew older and her hormones kicked in, she discovered trashy romance novels. Great at first, but she soon grew tired of the endless stories with a big wonderful emotional buildup to really short and crappy sex. Never a big fan of purple prose, throbbing spears of fleshy pleasure and wet honey pots make her giggle, she sought out books that gave the sex scenes in the story just as much detail and plot as everything else-without using cringe worthy euphemisms. This led her to the wonderful world of Erotic Romance, and she's never looked back.

Now Ann spends her days trying to tune out cartoons playing in the background to get into her 'sexy space' and has learned to type one handed while soothing a cranky baby.


Connect with Ann ~ She loves stalkers . . . errr . . . fans ~ yeah Fans ;-)

Facebook   ~  Website   ~   Twitter 



Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Excerpt & Giveaway ~*~ Burn on the Western Slope by Angela Smith



Blurb ~*~
On the ski slopes of Montana, deception turns deadly and seduction becomes more hypnotic than jewels.

Reagan McKinney is on a mission to discover more about a deceased uncle who mysteriously left her a sizable inheritance, a condo in the mountains, and a stash of stolen jewels. With both her graphic design career and her love life in shambles, the opportunity to begin a new life couldn’t have come at a better time. When she becomes involved with the sexy FBI agent next door, she finds her struggle is not only to keep her heart intact, but her life.

Grief stricken after an undercover investigation ends in the tragic death of his partner, FBI Agent Garret Chambers goes home to find solace in the arms of his mountain home. That is, until his boss assigns him to investigate the spirited brunette staying in the condo next door. He is assigned to investigate Reagan’s involvement with a large jewel fencing organization, but his investigation becomes comprised when his attraction to her heats up. Will his discovery destroy everything he has come to love, including Reagan?

Excerpt ~*~
Garret blinked, slowly, and she watched his chest rise and fall. “Did you know something about Kyle?”

She threw her boot at him. He caught it. She cursed.

“I knew he was a dirty cheating slime ball. Just like you.” Reagan tugged on her socks and her knee-high boot, tightening the lace in record speed. Standing, she marched to him and seized the other from his grasp, refusing to look at him. Her balance teetered as she tried to slip it on, but she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her helplessness. She braced one hand on the wall as she loosened the lace and lugged on the boot, refusing to sit. Refusing to reveal any kind of vulnerability or regret.

Garret remained in the doorway, watching. Unmoving. She pushed past him, his woodsy scent all the more reason to hate him, or at least hate the effect he had on her. She donned her jacket, slipped on her gloves, and tore out the front door.

“It’s too far to walk,” Garret called behind her.

“I’ll take my chances.”

Garret pulled on her arm and whipped her around. Eye level with his chest, she didn’t fail to notice the tension streaming out of every pore of his body. The cords in his neck bulged with each breath. His eyes, a deep, dark, abysmal dye, wouldn’t let her inside his head. Which was a good thing, now that she knew the psychosis of his mental state.

Buy Links ~*~
Amazon   ~   B&N   ~   Kobo   ~   iTunes   ~ ARe


Author Bio & Links ~*~
During my senior year in high school, I was dubbed most likely to write a novel because I always had my nose stuck in a book. I would hide my romance novels under my history book until my teacher called me out on it. Writing has been my dream ever since my mother read Brer Rabbit to my sister and me so often that we were able to recite it back to each other before actually learning to read. I love reading about the adventure of love, and getting involved in the legal field developed my love of suspense. I believe love is a mystery that most people have trouble resolving. While I don’t expect we’ll ever solve that mystery, I love to read and write about characters who work to solve their love’s mystery. See more about me at my website www.loveisamystery.com or tweet me @angelaswriter .

Publisher Website: www.crimsonromance.com


Giveaway ~*~
Angela will be awarding one of three prizes: a car mirror hanger or key chain (a seashell as a tie-in to her book), an mp3 album by Pretty Little Blisters, & a $10 Amazon gift card . . .

Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:
http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2013/06/virtual-super-book-blast-burn-on.html

Monday, July 22, 2013

Book Blast ~*~ The Vigilante by Jacqui Morrison




Blurb ~*~

It isn’t safe for men who work in the porn business in the city of Toronto.

When porn producer Sal Turbit is found dead in his apartment, no one seems to care. No one, that is, except Detective Lynette Wilton. Lynette has been a homicide detective for only three months, and has yet to earn her stripes.

Murder is murder no matter who the victim is—and Lynette is out to catch a killer.

Could the killer be Wanda Chambers, a mentally ill woman who hates the “scumbags” who prey on the vulnerable? Wanda’s beloved sister, Cathy, was one such woman. Cathy became a porn actress and then took her own life when her sleazy manager/boyfriend, Gil Lee, wouldn’t let her go.

Lynette’s sergeant doesn’t think it’s possible. Wanda has a debilitating illness. But Lynette believes that Wanda’s hatred and harsh childhood make her a prime suspect, and she proves it by catching Wanda in the act of attempting to shoot Lee.

Renowned defense lawyer Maxine Swayman takes on Wanda’s case; Maxine has a different view of the accused. She wants to help Wanda get the help that she needs, and it’s not going to happen in a prison cell.

As the trial proceeds, will Maxine prevail and save Wanda, or will Lynette be able to tie Wanda to Turbit’s murder as well?

"Morrison knows how to create suspense! She brings readers on a roller-coaster ride that leaves you breathless from start to finish!" —Trey Anthony, star and producer “Da Kink in Da Hair”

Excerpt ~*~

Chapter 1
“Hey,” Sal said, “come on in. You’re right on time. Good to meet ya.” He left the visitor in the living room of his shabby apartment in a grungy, low-rent building, and slipped into the kitchen. The metallic pop of a beer bottle opening echoed in the other room. Then another.

Six empty beer bottles, a heaping ashtray, and assorted marijuana paraphernalia were already strewn across his table. The grandfather clock struck four times. Sal stumbled back into the room. “I got you a beer.”

Glassy-eyed, Sal said, “I’ve got lots of great products for you to move today.” He showed the visitor the cover of a DVD. “This one is new. It’ll sell out. She’s a real sweet thing. Told me she was eighteen ’n had the ID to prove it. Likely just some little tramp from nowhere-ville. Came to the big, bad city for excitement––”

The metal felt cool as the visitor pulled out a gun.

“What the hell?” Sal screamed, just before the bullet penetrated his skull.

He fell onto the sofa, blood oozing out the back of his head. His face was contorted, almost angry looking. Certainly surprised.

The spent cartridge from the handgun ricocheted against a metal garbage can––reminiscent of the pop of a beer cap––and then landed on the carpet.

The murderer studied the victim’s splayed body, feeling a sense of elation and satisfaction. Out came a Swiss Army knife, and the killer wordlessly hacked off a section of Sal’s hair, stuffed it into a small plastic bag, and then threw it into a knapsack. The killer then picked up the half-spilled beer that Sal had been handing over when the shot was fired. Perfect. Grinning, the murderer chugged the beer, retrieved the spent cartridge, and smugly looked at Sal Turbit’s still body, now surrounded by pooling blood.

Still wearing leather gloves, the murderer put the beer bottle and hot metal bullet charge into a knapsack and fled, smiling, into the dense night.

AUTHOR Bio and Links ~*~
I am Jacqui Morrison. I started writing poems and short stories as a child. I also enjoyed public speaking in elementary school and at University. In High School, a great teacher, Lenore Hawley, inspired me and in 1995 I pursued my life-long passion for writing.

My career is a complicated web and includes: owning an ice cream parlour and fine food shop, teaching life-skills management to adults, teaching computer applications, social service work and marketing.

From 1994 to 2003, I assisted survivors of domestic violence in both criminal and family court as a support worker. I’ve always had a strong interest in law and justice.

I love to write and I am happiest writing or encouraging others to fulfill their writing dreams. I facilitate writing seminars for Canadore College and various agencies.

I live in northern Ontario, Canada with my daughter Alison, my husband Wayne, and a three-legged dog named Willow. Our daughter has convinced us to adopt four cats so Felix, Sasha, Nikke and Angel round out our family. Angel, at four-months-of-age was abandoned by its owner and we rescued her in -15 degree weather.

Alison has a future in politics, animal rescue work or sales … because I’m not really a cat person and she’s persuaded me to adopt four.

My parents are the late Drs John and Irene Morrison. Mom was a family physician and a competitive swimmer. My father worked for the Provincial Parole Board. Dad enjoyed to write fictional stories in his spare time. He was my mentor, my editor and my hero. I have one sister named Trish. She is a competitive swimming coach. Trish resides in southern Ontario with her husband, four children, two dogs and a cat.

In our spare time we like to cruise Georgian Bay on our boat or spend quality family time.

Her Website: http://jacquimorrison.ca/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jacqui.morrison


Jacqui will be awarding Loose Tea and Chipnuts to two randomly drawn commenters during this tour and the Virtual Reviews Tour combined.

Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:

http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2013/06/virtual-super-book-blast-vigilante-by.html