Saturday, July 26, 2014

~~BLOG TOUR~~ WHY YELLOW JACKETS CAN'T FIND THE HOLE by Emily Walker


Title: Why Yellow Jackets Can’t Find the Hole

Author: Emily Walker

Release Date: June 2, 2014

Find on Goodreads



The Yellow Jackets are a group of young men in their early twenties who have taken a vow of sexual purity. But making a vow and keeping a vow is two different things. Each of them struggle in one way or the other to remain sexually unscathed. Bryant, one of the Jackets, has moved off campus from the all-boys school and finds himself neighbors to a very tantalizing beauty. Only this girl is much more than she seems, and unbeknownst to Bryant, she makes it her mission in life to take his virginity. Bryant and his roommates, in the meantime, are slowly discovering that all of their fellow Yellow Jackets have secrets. Not to mention that there’s a spy in their midst—one who is doing everything he possibly can to expose the fact that the Yellow Jackets are not as ‘pure’ as they all seem.







I adore writing about everything. Creating worlds and the complicated, tortured, sometimes insane characters within them makes me happy. I write horror, paranormal, dystopian, and the occasional rom-com.

Living in the mountains with my red-bearded love and our cat and dog. I work at my alma-mater, am in grad school, and have a second job as a freelance writer. I am attempting to learn to crochet, I run a lot, and my Kindle is with me always.



a Rafflecopter giveaway



Friday, July 25, 2014

~~RELEASE DAY & GIVEAWAY~~ DROWNED by Nichola Reilly



















Title: DROWNED

Author: Nichola Reilly

Release Date: June 24, 2014

Pages: 304


Find it: Amazon || Goodreads

Genre: Fiction | YA | Fantasy




Coe is one of the few remaining teenagers on the island of Tides. Deformed and weak, she is constantly reminded that in a world where dry land dwindles at every high tide, she is not welcome. The only bright spot in her harsh and difficult life is the strong, capable Tiam—but love has long ago been forgotten by her society.



The only priority is survival.



Until the day their King falls ill, leaving no male heir to take his place. Unrest grows, and for reasons Coe cannot comprehend, she is invited into the privileged circle of royal aides. She soon learns that the dying royal is keeping a secret that will change their world forever.



Is there an escape from the horrific nightmare that their island home has become?



Coe must race to find the answers and save the people she cares about, before their world and everything they know is lost to the waters. 




















































I write things on the sand so I won't forget them. Things I like. Darkness. Dreams. Clam.

Buck Kettlefish.

Things I want.

A warm dry place.

A long night of sound sleep.

I watch the waves come and erase the words from the shore. Erased from existence. From possibility. It's almost as if the waves are taunting me.

For thousands of tides I am sure people thought about how and when the world would end. Maybe they wondered whether it would happen while they were alive, or if their children, grandchildren, or maybe even their great-greatgreat-great-grandchildren would be the unlucky ones to be there when the world crashed down around them. But I don't have to wonder.

I know it is going to happen soon, and maybe in my lifetime.

Every morning I wonder if I will see the sunset. Every breeze is like death breathing down my back.

The sun burns like fire among black smokelike clouds on the horizon, making my eyes squint and burn. High tide is approaching, the waves slowly coming closer. With every breath, every heartbeat, they rise a little more. Soon almost everything will be underwater.

I stand and shake the sand out of my mat, then roll it up and affix it to my knapsack. I've gotten pretty good at doing all these things one-handed. My clothes are wet, and my lips taste like salt. I'm not sure why I'm yawning because I had a pretty good spell of sleep. Nearly half a tide. Half a tide where, at least in my mind, I was somewhere warm and dry, somewhere that didn't smell like crap or rotting fish.

I plod along with the others, away from the steadily rising waters. It's chilly but at least my tunic is only slightly damp; it doesn't stick to my skin. Nothing is ever dry here. It's either sopping wet or damp, and damp is a blessing.

It's time once again for formation. We all know the tides. We must, or we'd pay for our ignorance with our lives. It's time for all of us, all 496 of us, to trudge to the platform that stands maybe sixty of my feet above the ground, at the center of the island. At least, at last total, there were 496 of us. I don't like to count because our numbers are constantly falling. We all know this, which is probably why nobody looks at or speaks to anyone else. Better not to get too familiar.

When someone disappears, we all assume the worst. Because the worst is usual.

The only person who does look at me is Mutter. His face is dark and leathery, and his beard is scraggly and foul, greenish-gray, filled with old, dead things. He has his own scribbler scars, but at least he has all his limbs. He is useful. He sneers at me, disgusted. "Waste of space," he hisses as I find my spot on the platform. "Scribbler Bait." I wipe away the sand with my bare foot. The number two is scratched there.

Number two is my spot, for now. It's near the dry center of the circular formation, where things are safer. There are 496 circles arranged around it, spiraling out from the center. The circles are small;

there's barely enough room to stand. There used to be thousands of circles, one for every person on the island. But the only thing constant about the island we call Tides is change.

Children get the central spots. When I reach my sixteenth Soft Season, when I am an adult, I will be given a new spot based on the importance of the job I am given. Mutter is right, though. I don't have any special skills, and my deformity makes it difficult for me to pull in the nets or do the things fishermen do. I'd barely make a good scavenger, the lowest of the low. People call them Scribbler Bait.

"I saw a scribbler on the platform last night," Xilia whispers to no one in particular. She is a scavenger, too, and quite mad. But many of those who occupy spaces on the outer edge of the formation are crazy, because they brush with death every time the tide comes in. And nobody can deny that the scribblers have been getting braver. That's not the name we always had for them. When I was young they were called spearfish, because they'd often spear fishermen as they brought in the nets. But then they started coming onto the sand when the tides receded, sunning themselves. They'll attack us on land, ripping through our flesh with their spear-shaped noses, then feasting on our blood. They're getting smarter, too, because after a while they began burrowing under the sand, hiding from us, and springing out whenever a human came too close. They make long, winding paths in the sand with their sinewy black bodies—like scribbles, my father had said. My father started calling them scribblers, and everyone followed him, as they usually did.

I've never seen a scribbler on the platform before. The thought makes me shudder. The platform, however small and inadequate, is our safety. But I know our safety is eroding. It has always been so. A thousand tides ago, the platform was twice the size it is now at high tide. There was room for twice as many people. Now we are under five hundred. I know this because there are fewer than five hundred spaces. The largest number that's still visible, though it is nearly half eaten by the tides, is 496. At least, that was the number the last time I had the energy to look.

I sigh and throw my things down on my spot. The spot is so comfortable and familiar to me that I feel as if the imprint on the stone conforms perfectly to my feet. Sweat drips from my chin. My eyes sting from the glare reflecting off the white concrete. Little Fern, who is seven, comes hopscotching up to space number one, scrawny as a sprig of seaweed, two white-blond braids framing her sweet smile. She has a little stick in her hand, something she's never without. When she steps next to me, she touches the stick to my elbow. "Your wish is granted," she says with great flourish.

If only. If only the stories I told her about fairies were true. There are so many things to wish for.

I was space number one until Fern turned five, when we all moved over a space to make room for her. Before then, she occupied the same spot as her mother, who was a fisherman before she died many tides ago. They used to give mothers spaces in the center of the formation when they had children, but then things became so dire that some women had babies just to get a better spot. I was told Tiam's mother had, and my mother had, though I can't remember ever squeezing next to her on her spot. Two babies in a season was a virtual baby boom. So they put an end to that practice after I was born. Now nobody has children. It just means more people. And there are already too many people.

After all, when a baby is born, it just means that when that child turns five, we'll all have to move one space to the left. The person at the very end of the spiral is out of luck. Space is something people have been known to kill for.

I'm grateful for Fern, though. She is the only one who still smiles at me. As for the others, we are not friends. We do not trust or like anyone, even our own family members—if we have any of them left, and most of us don't. We all know what is coming, and we've all lost enough to know that caring for another person doesn't make things easier.

Which means I have a big problem.

"Hey, Coe."

Just like part of the formation washes away in every tide, part of me is lost every time I hear his voice.

"Hi, Tiam," I say, staring at the sandy ground. Looking up at him, at those liquid sapphire eyes, will just make the pain worse. Besides, I already have every inch of his face memorized. Him? If I hadn't been required to assume the space next to him for the past ten thousand tides, if there weren't slightly under five hundred of us, I doubt he'd know my name.

Fern waves her wand some more, granting wishes to the air. I wonder how obvious it is that most of the wishes I have in my head involve Tiam. It's not that I want to wish about him. It just happens.

Tiam drops his stuff in space number three. For as long as I can remember, he has been beside me. When I was young he used to hold my hand to keep me from being scared. He is never scared.

I move as far away from him as I possibly can, which isn't far enough. The spaces are only maybe two of my feet in diameter, so now that we are older, we rub shoulders. Even though I try to wash up every day in a tide pool, I know he can smell me. I have the luck of having the job that makes me reek a hundred times worse than the normal, forgettable stench that most of us carry. Mine seems to bury itself deep under my skin. No matter how much I bathe, it never completely goes away.

If he does smell me, though, he never lets on. In twenty tides or so he will reach adulthood, and I'm sure he will have a good spot in the formation. A spot for the most valuable people. He is smart enough to be a medic, strong enough to be a builder, brave enough to be an explorer. He is everything I am not.

Tiam always comes to the formation at the last moment. I think it's his way of laughing at nature, while the rest of us cower before it. He says, to no one in particular, "So, what is the news?"

I know that isn't directed at me. I spend most of my free time alone, so I don't ever hear any news. But formation is the time to catch up on the latest gossip. Burbur, in space four, who is one of the most respected royal servants, says that she heard the king coughing in his sleep while making her normal rounds in the palace. Tiam raises an eyebrow, and everyone murmurs, "Ah, really?" Finn, a fisherman, whispers that the food brought in during this morning's harvest was "pitiful," and people shake their heads and say, "Is that so?" This goes on for a moment as I wonder whether or not to submit the only piece of information I have gleaned in the past hundred tides. Finally I clear my throat.

Tiam and ...






DROWNED Playlist:

* Ocean – Five for Fighting
* Keep Breathing – Ingrid Michaelson
* We Don’t Need Another Hero – Tina Turner
* Breathe – Pink Floyd
* Oceans – Pearl Jam
* The Reaper – Blue Oyster Cult
* Walk on the Ocean – Toad the Wet Sprocket
* The Ocean – Velvet Underground
* Overcome – Live
* Don’t Dream It’s Over – Crowded House




****REVIEW****
I received an ARC an exchange for an honest reveiw.  Thank you to Nichola Reilly for a chance to review your book.  I have been looking forward to reading this book when I heard about it and I am glad I did.  
Drowned is an YA Adult post apocalyptic fantasy filled with adventure, romance, mystery and action.  I really enjoyed this book it was well written and though it wasn't a complete page turner for me I found it to be a great read. I recommend it to YA and adults.  







July 14th Like A Bump On A Blog  – Promo/Excerpt



July 15th Cabin Goddess  – Playlist/Excerpt/Recipe



July 16th Fandom Monthly Magazine – Review/Top 10



July 17th Bookish – Review



July 18th All Things Romance – Review



July 21stI Feel The Need The Need To Read  – Review/ Top 10



July 22nd Bookraptured – Review



July 22nd Sleep. Eat. Read. – Review



July 23rd Bookish - Debbie – Review



July 23rd The Bookish Confessions – Review/ Top 10



July 23rd The Reader and the Chef – Review/GP



July 24th Ohana Reads  – Review



July 25th Guest Review - Karin Baker  – Review



July 25th The Cover Contessa – Review



July 25th Little Red's Book Reviews – Review/Playlist























Nichola Reilly is Cyn Balog’s post-apocalyptic fantasy-writing alter-ego. 



The first book in her series, DROWNED, will be releasing from Harlequin TEEN sometime in 2014, followed by a sequel, BURIED, in 2015.




About Cyn Balog:

Cyn Balog is a normal, everyday Jersey Girl who always believed magical things can happen to us when we least expect them. 



She is author of young adult paranormal novels; FAIRY TALE (2009), SLEEPLESS (2010), STARSTRUCK (2011), TOUCHED (2012), and her most recent release: DEAD RIVER (2013).e. 



She lives outside Allentown, Pennsylvania with her husband and daughters.She also writes under the pen name Nichola Reilly



Nichola Reilly is Cyn Balog’s post-apocalyptic fantasy-writing alter-ego. The first book in her series, DROWNED, will be releasing from Harlequin TEEN sometime in 2014, followed by a sequel, BURIED, in 2015.












Website Twitter Facebook | Facebook - Nichola | Goodreads  | Twitter - Nichola









a Rafflecopter giveaway






Hosted by:




~~RELEASE DAY~~ EMPOWER ME ANTHOLOGY

       
Empower Me Banner                                 







Empower Me Anthology





 GR logo




              Eight Strong, Sinfully Sexy Leading Women.



T.L. Smith, SK Logsdon, Chantal Fernando, Becca Lee, Jaci J, Amie Nichols, Ada Frost, and Tara Brown have joined together to bring you a powerhouse collection of leading ladies that will show you never judge a woman by her Lipstick and Stilettos.......



T.L. Smith -- Sasha's Dilemma

SK Logsdon - Lex

Chantal Fernando - Spin My Love

Becca Lee - A Perfect Moment

Jaci J - The Ride

Amie Nichols - Unbreakable

Ada Frost - Elemental Fear

Tara Brown - Blood and Bone



           

Love... Lust... Laugh... Live... Loss... Life... Luscious... Lost.



            Eight Amazing Authors... Eight Kick ass reads…

                                    Eight five star books

BUY LINK:      Amazon 

Synopsis




Sasha's Dilemma by T.L Smith


This is not a HEA


LOVE— it’s a common word that people take for granted. As for me, Sasha Adams, I have seen that love isn’t everything, though sometimes

it’s meant to be. But to be honest, I never wanted it. That has been my plan for as long as I can remember. The only person I ever wanted to love is my sister Lola. But then I met not one no, not even two— but three beautiful men.

Dylan, the doctor, had his head screwed on tight. Josh, well, he was a tattooed sex machine playboy. Then there was Brax, the rock star. It was clear they all wanted my heart, but I wouldn’t give it to any of them willingly.

Unwillingly, I fell hard, but there was a part of me that knew he could destroy me. So I refused to give him all of me, and now he’s returned and determined to win me back. But it’s too late, isn’t it?



Sasha



Unbreakable by Amie Nichols


Being adopted by one of the wealthiest families in the country Lilly Sumnor should have had a life of luxury. But being hated by her adopted mother Jane for reasons no one seemed to know, made Lilly's life one of mental and physical abuse. It wasn't until the day that a young Lilly met their gardener's son Luke Hansen did she ever feel like she had something to look forward to. The closer they got the harder it was for young Luke to control his temper against the abuse suffered by the hand of adopted mother Jane.
Luke being sent away by his father for fear of him doing something that would affect the rest of his and Lilly's life forever. Lilly was heartbroken and knew that no matter what she would never feel for anyone the way she felt for Luke. Jane being one of the most respected socialite's in Louisiana no one could save Lilly from the abuse.
Until one day it all changed. Jane and Ted Sumnor die in a car accident leaving Lilly being the only relative to inherit the entire Sumnor fortune.
Her life changes in so many ways and after Luke returns their love rekindles but can they survive the threats that are plaguing Lilly. Slowly finding out clues to how she became adopted, and finding out that her birth mother might be dead at the hands of voodoo and dark magic is it too much for them to handle.
She is wrapped in a world of dangers from what she finds out and from the threat of someone that wants to take her away from Luke forever.
Unbreakable (Book 1) is a dramatic love story that takes place in the deep south of Louisiana with twists and turns that will keep you guessing..........



amie



The Ride by Jaci J


Tank
It had always been about the ride. My love for the ride is what fuels me. It’s what drives me. That freedom of the open road in front of you with not a damn thing holding you back is what I crave.
I don’t need much, shit I don’t want much out of life. My bike, my club, my brothers, my money, and occasionally a warm and willing women in my bed is what I need.
I liked my life that way. It works for me. I enjoyed the familiarity of it. But slowly things were changing. I can feel that change in the air. It's everywhere. There comes a point in your life where things just change. No matter how much I fight it. No matter how hard I hang on, it's changing. Whether by choice or not. For better or worse it gets turned upside down on its fucking head. The moment I laid eyes on her shit changed forever. Things were on their way to changing, but fuck if she didn't tip that shit right over. She hit me like a blow to the chest crippling me. Rocking my world. That girl completely blew everything I thought I wanted to shit. She took me on a wild ride and for better or worse she changed everything for me.


Lil
The loud rumble of pipes fills me with a sense of home. Deep gruff male voices remind me of nights spent sitting at the bar listening to the guys tell me stories. The smell of leather, grease, and smoke brings back memories of hot summer days spent around the compound. The sound of classic rock makes me want to dance. A group of rough and mean men makes me smile. Seeing a beautifully crafted bike makes my heart beat a little faster. A man in leather always makes me hot. The feel of the vibration through my body from a perfectly tuned bike takes me right back to my old life. Some things never change. Sometimes those things are never meant to change. Although much hadn't changed since I left, a few things had. The loss of loved ones, the addition of new ones. With one new addition to life things changed for me forever. My life will never be the same. He changed it all.

the ride




Spin my Love by Chantal Fernando


World renowned DJ Tane Miller returns to his hometown after leaving when he was eighteen and never looking back. When he runs into his beloved childhood friend Giselle, his life takes a turn he could never have anticipated.

Giselle Reece has been in love with Tane ever since she can remember. After learning her lesson the hard way, she realizes that Tane isn’t the man she once thought he was. When he re-enters her life, desperate to make amends, Giselle needs to decide whether she can let down her guard and forgive the man she once adored, or is it time to finally let go?

Tane must now fight for what he wants, even though he isn’t sure he deserves it. The only question is, will it be enough? Or is it too late for him to redeem himself?

spin



A Perfect Moment by Becca Lee


“When life threatens perfect, it’s time to step up and kick life in the balls.”

Ella's perfect moment was taken from her is the worst possible way. Humiliated, heart broken and absolutely determined not to allow her heart be destroyed for a second time, she builds an ice wall around her heart.

Preston has known that he was in love his big sister's best friend since the age of fifteen. Over ten years on, and an opportunity to be her knight in shining armour is too good to miss. Putting his heart on the line, he's on a mission to show Ella that the perfect moment is possible.

Ella's instinct is to run when she realises her feelings for her bestie's little brother may just run a little bit deeper than just friends. But if she can't run, she'll try every trick in the book to shake off his affection and realign his feelings.

She already had her perfect moment, and there is no chance she'll let her heart thaw for Preston. No matter how good he looks in the firefighter's Christmas calendar.

*** Contains steamy-hot moments, romance, friendship and a bulk load of swearing - non explicit sex scenes. ***

becca






Elemental Fear by Ada Frost


Evelyn Beaumont is a beautiful, intelligent, loving woman. She has an adoring family, a man who loves her and a best friend who is willing to do anything to make her happy. Sound like a perfect life to you?
Evelyn Beaumont:
I hide a terrible secret, one I have hidden from the people I love the most, from the people that love me the most. For the longest time I have hidden behind my shame, silenced by an elemental fear and depravity. I am bound by silence to protect them, to hide what I really am. In truth I can never let my family know what darkness haunts me, I am the key to destroying my family. And I would rather die than allow that.


WARNING: This book is about the survival of severe domestic abuse, it’s not pretty, and it is fear at a level most of us cannot comprehend; this is Eve’s story. Contains severe domestic abuse.



ada



Lex by SK Logsdon


NOTE: This is a story of finding oneself, through the horrors and pains of life. This isn't just a story about love. It's a story about anguish. This is a story about Lex's journey to acceptance.

--Not for Close minded people--

Lex Keagan isn't your typical woman. Her past has left her broken and afraid, yet she remains bold and successful. As a result of her painful past, love has never come easy; therefore, she’s convinced herself to spend her entire adult life staying busy working at her own company--that is, until her best friend Roni persuades her to give online dating a try. When she concedes, Lex quickly discovers that the world of online dating is nothing like she's ever dreamed. The mysterious charm of her online crush leaves her reluctant and afraid to let love in. As two more men enter her life outside of the online dating world, she's left confused and overwhelmed. Who will she chose? With the deep scars and raw truths her past contains, is anyone capable of accepting the real woman trapped inside, or will she remain alone forever?

CAUTION: This book contains HEAVY ADULT SEXUAL CONTENT, which may include multiple LGBT sexual scenes. Some intense emotional scenarios, including ones of abuse, might be difficult to read. For ages 18+
--Erotic Romance--
- This book is a Stand Alone, part of a Series



lex






Blood and Bone by Tara Brown



The hollow sound of a casing hitting the floor.
The clicking of heels walking in a misty alley.
The ability to tie a cherry stem with her tongue.
A haunting song no one else knows.
That's all that's left of Jane's memories.

What would you do if the life you lived was a lie, and everyone knew but you? Where do you run when there is no one on your side?


Jane discovers that deep inside her mind there is a map.
What she doesn't know is that there is also a man who will do anything to get it. But what he doesn't know is that Jane hasn't always been honest about the things she remembers. There are places inside of Jane that even she doesn't like to go.


What would you do if the secret you kept was the only thing keeping you alive?

But keeping it meant someone else had to die.           












3D

~~COVER REVEAL & GIVEAWAY~~ STRIKE (Spark, #3) by Jennifer Ryder

Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000031_00006]

Title: Strike (Spark, #3)

Author: Jennifer Ryder

Genre: Steamy Erotic Romance

Expected Publication Date: September 2014

goodreads





Synopsis

Fast. That’s how I like life, especially my two great joys: bikes and women. I’m committed to exclusively riding one, but not the other.

Until April.

A sexy-arse freelance photographer who’s travelled the world, and doesn’t do long walks on the beach or romantic candlelit dinners. She enjoys running with the bulls and food spicy enough to make your hair fall out. If that weren’t enough to get me hard, she rides a mean mother of a motorcycle.

I’ve gotta have a taste of this wildcat.

~Spencer (Jones)

I don’t do fast. Not anymore. I’ve got my career, my independence, and since I fled Spain to come back home I promised myself that I wouldn’t be put second—or third, for that matter—again.

Then I meet pretty boy Spencer.

He’s smooth, oozing the most potent pheromones probably known to modern science, and he’s making a move on me. One kiss was almost enough for my promise to dissolve.

My head says no—my treacherous body screams yes. I’m gonna make Spencer work for it. Make him fight for the chance to have me, because I know that deep down I’m worth it.

~April MacIntyre



*The book can be read as a stand-alone, but it is best to read after the first two in the series, as the main characters in Spark and Spike continue to appear in each book in the series.*



Spark series

Spark series

Spark (Spark #1)




Spike (Spark #2)







About the Author

7511241

New Adult and erotic romance writer, and author of the Spark series.

A sexy imagination, a life-long love of books and a sucker for romance, Jennifer Ryder couldn't stifle her creativity any longer.

Writing steamy adult romance has become her new focus. Living on a rural property in New South Wales, Australia, she enjoys the best of city and country.

Her loving husband is ever willing to provide inspiration, and her two young cherubs, and sheep that don't see fences as barriers, keep life more than interesting.

Jennifer placed third in the International Stringybark Erotic Short Fiction Award 2013.




Giveaway!



Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000031_00006]

thumbnail