Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Tragic Desires Cover Reveal ~ Drexel Can 'Cover' Me Anyday!


Cover by Sarah Hansen at Okay Creations
Photo by Scott Hoover Photography
Cover Model Emmanuel Delcour

BOOK SUMMARY:

My name is Gemini Sheridan. At least that’s what I thought it was for 23 years. Then one day a slight adjustment on the wheel of my mountain bike set into motion a series of catastrophic events that changed my life forever. Now I’m running from the headaches that threaten to destroy me… from the assassins that threaten to kill me… from the truth that exposes who I really am… and from the man that wants to save me. Because he now owns my heart and I fear him above all others.


My name is Drexel Wolfe and I’m a private investigator. Nothing ever stands in the way of what I want because when I see something I just take it. All of that changed the night my life collided with Gemini Sheridan’s and now everything is one hot damn mess. And the worst part of it all is that I’m trying to save her ass and I don’t know why the hell I’m even bothering. Well, that’s not exactly true. Fact is, I can’t stop thinking about her. She’s crawled into every thought I own, asleep or awake. I have serious plans for her that include making her mine. What she doesn’t know is that when I play, I play for keeps. Nothing and no one will get in my way or stop me… not even Gemini Sheridan herself.



Based upon my Beta read of the book, I'd give the 'original' version 4 dark, swoony hearts, with a side of painkillers (not that you need painkillers to read the book... just read the darned thing and you'll get it.)

Looking forward to my read of the final version; Drexel sure has made me perk up in the past!  And hey- Austin, TX is among the locales, and any book that reflects on Austin to 'keep it weird' is more than worth reading!  A.M. also just rocks my socks off on a regular basis because she is SO awesome!  I'd NEVER miss one of her books!


Author Information

One day, on her way home from work as a sales manager, A. M. Hargrove, realized her life was on fast forward and if she didn't do something soon, it would quickly be too late to write that work of fiction she had been dreaming of her whole life.  So, she rolled down the passenger window of her fabulous (not) company car and tossed out her leather briefcase.  Luckily, the pedestrian in the direct line of fire was a dodge ball pro and had über quick reflexes enabling him to avoid getting bashed in the head.  Feeling a tad guilty about the near miss, A. M. made a speedy turn down a deserted side street before tossing her crummy, outdated piece-of-you-know-what laptop out the window.  She breathed a liberating sigh of relief, picked up her cell phone, called her boss and quit her job.  Grinning, she made another call to her hubs and told him of her new adventure (after making sure his heart was beating properly again).

So began A. M. Hargrove's career as a YA/NA and Adult Romance writer. Her books include the following: Edge of Disaster, Shattered Edge and Kissing Fire (The Edge Series); The Guardians of Vesturon series (Survival, Resurrection, Determinant, reEmergent and Beginnings); Dark Waltz and Tragically Flawed.

Other than being in love with writing about being in love, she loves chocolate, ice cream and coffee and is positive they should be added as part of the USDA food groups.

Author Links:
Author Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5338829.A_M_Hargrove

Be sure to check out ALL her books so you don't miss out on these hot treats!


Sunday, January 12, 2014

Skater Boy Blog Tour + Giveaway ~ Grind on this Extreme Romance!

Kay Manis Blog Tour Banner
Skater Boy Synopsis
For 25 year old attorney, Hindley Hagen, life is all about staying one step ahead of the game. Avoiding surprises and keeping people at a distance is the only way she has to protect herself from the painful scars and shattered memories of her past. When Hindley is offered a new position at her prestigious Austin law firm as sports agent for pro skateboarder, Rory Gregor, she’s ready for the new challenge but completely unprepared for the man who captures her heart. Suddenly, Hindley is thrust into a world where protecting all their secrets could cost her everything; her family, her career, and maybe even her life.
Professional skateboarder and X Games royalty, Rory Gregor knows what it’s like to be at the top. But after two years of bad decisions and one-night-stands, he’s having to make a comeback he never anticipated. Hiring a new agent may be what his team thinks he needs to rebuild his career, but what if it costs him his heart in the process? Just when he thinks he’s posed for a comeback, secrets from his past threaten to ruin his chance for gold and a new love. In a sport where trust means everything, this time... it may not be enough.
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My Skater Boy Synopsis
Find out the dramatic conclusion to Book 1 of the X-Treme Boys Series, Skater Boy.
For the first time in her life, Hindley Hagen has something she’s always looked for, unconditional love. As the attorney and sports agent for X Games golden boy, Rory Gregor, she’s worked hard to help him make a comeback in a professional sport that isn’t always so forgiving. This time, he’s won more than just a gold medal, he’s captured her heart. But now, she’s trapped, caught in the snare of a man playing a deadly game. She must choose, protect the one man who’s made her come alive for the first time in her life or risk losing everything she’s worked hard for, including him. To save them both, Hindley must do the unthinkable or face a life without the one thing Rory Gregor has finally given her; hope. But protecting them means her own demons may surface and from that, there is no recovery. Hindley must learn the hard way, in love and life, there is no such thing as a safe secret.
Trust isn’t something that comes naturally to Rory Gregor. Even his own professional achievements as an X Games multi-gold medalist can’t wash away a childhood filled with abuse, which has left him with a lifetime of insecurities and self-loathing. But now, he’s finally found a woman who makes him feel the one thing in life he never thought possible-smart. With Hindley Hagen by his side, he’s skating better than ever, securing deals that could make them both rich. Yet something is off. Just as he gets inside the walls she’s constructed to guard herself, she pulls away again. She’s hiding something. But then, so is he.
As their need to protect one another grows to escalating heights with deadly consequences, will Hindley and Rory finally find the future together they so richly deserve? Or, will they discover the one thing that could destroy them both forever is actually each other? Find out in this exciting conclusion to the first book in the X-Treme Boys Series, Skater Boy.
 
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Skater Boy
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My Skater Boy
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Buy Now
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My Skater Boy Cover
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Skater Boy Review
--Warning to readers that MUST have a HEA- have book #2 ready before you start this one.--
 
It must be said, I found Hindley and Rory to be very real characters that were easy to care for.  I may be pissed as all get out on their choices and their difficulty communicating without the physical and their own doubts and fears getting in the way.  But that's a hallmark of a interesting, dramatic romance.  It's no fun if the characters are bland and if there are never any conflicts... 


Though it's NOT a HEA ending, sorry for that minor spoiler, but I know readers where that can make or break a book unless they are warned... and it's a little abrupt on the ending.  Ok, majorly abrupt.  Although good news- book #2, My Skater Boy, picks up right where they left off.

 I was (and still am) rooting for Rory and Hindley. Really, I am. Although... we know most of Rory's inner demons- but Hindley is still a huge black hole of 'WTF is up with her'? We see behind the curtain on some issues, but I get that feeling that there is more skeletons hiding in that closet of hers.

I also can't help but mention, while there are some HOT things in these pages, there are almost as equally some of those (almost movie-like)  'camera pans to the curtains' moments.  It's like it was sitting on the fence between a vanilla, New Adult/Romance and a spicy, racy Contemporary Romance.  Again, fine lines between the two, and I really wanted it to (sorry to be crude here) but shit or get off the pot.  For all my complaining here, I still was charmed by this book and these characters.  I want to know more, and I'm keen to find out their entire story in My Skater Boy!

I received a free eBook from Kay Manis in exchange for an unbiased review as part of a Enticing Journey Book Promotions blog tour.

 
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Excerpts
SKATER BOY (X-Treme Boys Series, Book 1)
--Hindley--
Sensing my anxiety, Skater Boy headed toward my bedroom door but I didn’t want him to leave, not yet. I had an overwhelming need to touch him so I reached out and caught him by the arm. His muscles were defined and hard and I held on longer than I should have. His eyes looked down at my hand then back up to me.
“Hey, I just wanted to say thanks for last night. I really appreciate you taking care of me,” I said. I could see him working hard, trying to figure out if I was telling the truth or not. I’d been right about his height. He was tall, over six feet, but my five foot eight stature seemed to match his perfectly.
“Why do I feel like that might have been one of the hardest things you’ve ever had to do?” I raised my eyebrows in disbelief, shocked at how well he already knew me. I prided myself on not needing anything from anyone, so words of gratitude from me were few and far between.
“Probably because it was,” I answered, pushing past him and through the door on my way to the bathroom, feeling every bit as vulnerable now that I was fully dressed as I did lying next to him in nothing but my underwear. Somewhere deep inside, I wished I was back there, though, back in bed with him, relishing how beautiful he was.
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MY SKATER BOY (X-Treme Boys Series, Book 2)
--Rory--
Today was the day I’d dreaded forever, the day I realized I was the source of Hindley’s pain and anguish. It truly was me I had to protect her from, not all the others threatening to harm her. The only way I could do that now was to leave her alone. I bolted out of the elevator, running to my room as fast as I could, afraid I may actually vomit in the hallway before getting to the bathroom. Losing Hindley wasn’t an option, but the choice wasn’t mine to make. Suddenly, that one realization, the fact I was no longer in control, scared me more than anything I’d ever known.
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Meet Kay
Kay Author Pic
Kay Manis lives in Austin, Texas with her husband, daughter and five pound Chihuahua affectionately named "Tiny." When not writing or researching you'll find Kay reading a good book, eating out with friends or napping.
Kay's biggest goal in writing is to amuse, inspire and entertain. If she's done that for you then she says she'll always consider herself a success.

Dark Obsession Chronicles got a chance to meet Kay at an author event in 2013!
See her signature there, third from the left end in purple?
It was a happen-chance meeting  with Kay, and she was so fun to meet!
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Giveaway
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Friday, January 10, 2014

Destroyed Cover Reveal ~ Happy Dance!

 ebook  
Title: Destroyed
Author: Pepper Winters
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Expected Release Date: February 2014
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Synopsis
She’s a woman with a dirty secret. I’m complicated. Not broken or ruined or running from a past I can’t face. Just complicated. For good reason. I thought my life couldn’t get any more tangled in deceit and confusion. But I hadn’t met him. I hadn’t been sucked into his lies or taught to run from everything that he is. Instead, I let him ensnare me, seduce me, trap me with secrets—Hazel Hunter He’s a man with a killer secret. I’ve never pretended to be good or deserving. Despite the shadows I live in, I’m ultimately a slave to my secrets and that gives me a free pass to chase who I want, be who I want, act how I want. I didn’t have time to lust after a woman I had no right to lust after. I told myself to shut up and stay hidden. But how could I deny her? How could I deny my one chance at redemption? But then she tried to run. I’d found a cure to my existence and damned if I would let her go—Roan Fox And secrets silently destroy them.
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Prologue
 
I didn’t believe her when she said she was complicated.
She didn’t believe me when I said I had secrets.
I didn’t understand the truth, even when she let me glimpse behind her mask.
She didn’t understand that I couldn’t live with the consequences.
I thought she was a saint.
She thought I was a sinner.
Too bad we didn’t try to find the truth.
We both paid the price.
We destroyed each other.
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About the Author
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Pepper Winters wears many roles. Some of them include writer, reader, sometimes wife. She loves dark, taboo stories that twist with your head. The more tortured the hero, the better, and she constantly thinks up ways to break and fix her characters. Oh, and sex… her books have sex. She loves to travel and has an amazing, fabulous hubby who puts up with her love affair with her book boyfriends. Her debut book Tears of Tess is followed by Quintessentially Q and Twisted Together. You didn’t think Q could stop so soon, did you? Her other two titles, Last Shadow and Broken Chance will be coming soon.  
Connect with Pepper
Blog | Twitter: @pepperwinters | Facebook | Email: pepperwinters@gmail.com | Goodreads

Night & Day ~ 'A Suze-sized Short Set after the 19th Year'

Something is wrong with Suze. His memory, his magic, even his muscles have all gone mental. If he's not careful, the underworld's version of the loony bin may be his next stop.
Not ready to give up the goat yet—if he had one he didn’t eat that is—Suze sets out to stop the mystical mayhem. Unfortunately, this isn't a fairy tale, and Suze isn't Snow White felled by an apple waiting for a kiss. Nor is he Prince Charming. 
Nope, he's just Suze. A destroyer demon stuck without the one person who probably kept him sane for the last eighteen years. Mackenzie Thorne. Or, maybe, just maybe, Mac made him insane, and what was once wrong is now right.

The only thing Suze is sure of—maybe—is that he needs to find the cure. However, with boy wonder memory-less and Mac in California, he’s not even sure where to start.

Of course, once he does figure it out, everything will fall into place like a well designed set of dominoes. Where the path leads, though, is a place Suze never would have expected.

The entire series has been a blast thus far ~ so many supernatural critters!  I can't wait to sink my teeth into this little morsel!  And Suze is just fabulous!  How cute is that cover, too!
  • This is a novella (<30 k--="">
  • This will be available in print and ebook.
  • Release date is February 10, 2014 - just in time for Valentine’s Day
  • The price will be $.99!
Be sure to check out Emi Gayle's Blog Post!

Add Night and Day to your GoodReads shelves!

Here is the 19th Year series reading order: