Tuesday, November 25, 2014

A Date to Die For Box Set by Bonnie Paulson - Release Day

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Release Day - A Date to Die for: 5, 6, & 7: Dirty Twist, Check Mate, & Last Chance On Sale $.99!!

3dDon't forget to pick up A Date to Die for: 1-4 $2.99 Date to Die for: Series #1 When dating ends in deaths and threats, Molly might be better off staying single. During one of Molly’s weekly meet-ups with her girls at their regular bar, Molly succumbs to the duress of her two best friends and begins the aggressive dating they sign her up for online where the pairings are questionable… and dangerous. They’ve entered her in an evening of speed dating. But at the end of the evening she finds an item from her past that raises questions, grief… and danger. When the number of deaths surpass Molly’s goodnight kisses, her past pushes into the present and Molly loses much more than she gains. A stalker has focused on Molly and refuses to let anyone else date her. But she refuses to be single for the rest of her life. Is Molly doomed to a life of singledom wrapped in fear – or will the stalker turn on her #2, Oh No, He Didn’t! Molly is ready to meet up with her first date – Crisco Ethan. But first she has to survive threats at work and fear at home. Will Brad-the-bartender make a move or flirt from afar? The stalker is closing in and Molly has a terrible feeling she won’t stay untouched for long. Can she lean on Brad or is her heart pushing her toward danger? #3 Dinner for Two Getting ready to message her next date, Molly comes across an email from the stalker that might tear her apart. The aftereffects swallow her sanity and she struggles to stay in the everyday while battling the knowledge that he can find her anywhere. Nowhere is safe. Is Brad as involved as circumstances suggest? Or is a man out there that wants nothing more than to keep her all to himself – dead or alive? #4 Don’t Look Back! At work, a special delivery slams home the seriousness of the situation. How many more lives will be affected by the man’s obsession with Molly? Molly’s stalker attacks close to home. Can she find safety? Can anyone? #5 Dirty Twist The stakes are high and Molly has learned how desperate her stalker has made her. Tormented with more kidnappings and deaths, Molly searches for answers in all the wrong places. Will she find what she’s looking for? Or will her fear continue to paralyze her, leaving her open for the ultimate end? #6 Check Mate What precautions can a single girl take to protect herself from a sociopath? Why, move in with the crush and bring his ass in to play the game, of course. Even with all the bravado, Molly still learns she has a lot more to lose. Can she come back from the turmoil? Or is she doomed to misery for the rest of her short life? #7 Last Chance In a desperate attempt to save someone she cares about, Molly faces her would-be killer. But who it is devastates her. If the killer has their way, Molly will die at their side. Can Molly escape or will she finally be on a Date to Die for?
Bonnie  Bonnie R. Paulson mixes her science and medical background with reality and possibilities to make even myths seem likely and give every romance the genetic strength to survive. Bonnie has discovered a dark and twisty turn in her writing that she hopes you enjoy as much as she has enjoyed uncovering it. Dirt biking with her family in the Northwest keeps her sane. Follow on: Facebook / Blog / Twitter / Goodreads / Newsletter / Literary Addicts / Amazon

Monday, November 24, 2014

Malice by Amity Hope - New Release

Malice full sizeNew Release!

Samara Cavanaugh has grown up in a world filled with magic users. She’s used to bizarre and peculiar. But when a stranger checks in at The Bella Luna, the bed and breakfast her family owns, the strange occurrences in Granite Falls escalate. Many people are leery of Levi, their new guest. He claims to be in town doing research but Samara’s friends aren’t so sure that his claim is as innocuous as it appears to be. When two of her classmates disappear, her friends seem convinced Levi had a hand in it. Those closest to her have been keeping secrets from her. Those secrets put everyone close to her in danger. Suddenly, her unrequited crush on her best friend, Tristan becomes the least of her troubles.

On sale for 99¢ until November 25th!

Price will go up November 26th to $2.99.

 

Buy on Amazon

 
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Monday, November 17, 2014

Damsel Not by Kristina Circelli - Book Tour

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Damsel NotIn the days of old, one knight fought to save the maiden he loved – a battle that ended in a bloody promise for the future.

In the days of the 21st Century, Izz doesn’t believe in prophecies. A recent widow, she struggles to find the passion that once fueled her life – a passion that is reignited the day a knight in disguise cuts into her life in a flash of swordplay and seductive grins.

Izz doesn’t want to love him. The guilt of moving on nearly crushes her, yet she finds herself unable to resist the touch, the feel, the scent of the man who leaves her breathless with just one look. But each day Izz finds herself drawn to Cade, the more danger she finds herself in, for someone believes Izz to be at the center of an ages-old prophecy – and will do anything to stop it.

When threatening messages turn even more dangerous, Izz must rediscover a part of herself she’s never known before and fight to save her knight in shining armor. With only a sword passed down throughout the generations to guide her, Izz must prove to her adversary that unlike maidens of old, she will never be a damsel in distress.
 
Kristina Circelli's first contemp romance with a slight touch of fantasy, for readers 18+

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Meet the author:

kristina-2Night owl, Dorito lover, and quiet eccentric - Kristina Circelli is the author of several fiction novels, including The Helping Hands series, The Whisper Legacy, The Never, and The Sour Orange Derby.

Her latest series, The Whisper Legacy, features Beyond the Western Sun. This book is what all fantasy adventures must strive to be: a complex, intricate examination of human emotion set within the context of worlds known only in our imagination. Melding fantasy and legend in an epic quest, this series signals the arrival of Kristina Circelli as a master storyteller and an important voice in Native American literature.

A descendent of the Cherokee nation and niece of a Cherokee elder, Circelli holds both a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in English from the University of North Florida, where she teaches creative writing. She also heads Red Road Editing, a full-service editing company for independent authors and commercial clients.

She currently resides in Jacksonville, Florida with her husband, Seth, and cats, Lord Finnegin the Fierce and Mr. Malachi the Mighty.

Follow Kristina on

Facebook | Twitter | Website | Literary Addicts | GoodReads

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Monday, November 10, 2014

Favors and Lies by Mark Gilleo - Book Blast

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Favors & LiesDan Lord is a forty-year-old private detective with a law degree working the blurred line between right and wrong in the Nation’s Capital. As a self-employed solutions broker and legal consultant, he works for a very select clientele. He doesn’t advertise and only takes cases on referral. But when two people close to him are murdered, Dan’s work becomes very personal.

With the assistance of a newly hired female intern, extracting clues from a ladder of acquaintances, Dan bounds through both the underbelly and elite of society, each step bringing more questions and yet ultimately taking him closer to the answer he seeks. A bail bondsman, a recluse hacker, a court clerk, a university student, an old-school barber, a high-class madam, an intelligence officer, a medical doctor, and a police detective are among the list of people Dan must cajole for help. His quest will lead him to discover things he never wanted to know, and put him in the position to reveal things that important people would prefer remain unrevealed. 

Tense, ingenious, and filled with the unforgettable characters, Favors and Lies is Mark Gilleo’s most thrilling novel yet.

Buy on Amazon | Website

 

Read an excerpt from the book: 

The cab pulled to the curb on one of the city’s myriad one-way streets and Dan spoke through the holes drilled in the security glass. “What’s the damage?”

“Nineteen even.”

Dan stepped from the back of the cab and slipped a twenty through the front passenger window. “Keep the change.”

“Thanks, big spender,” the burly driver replied, shoving the cash into the front pocket of his sweaty shirt.

Dan bent at the waist, his manila folder in hand, and peered into the open window. The glare from Dan’s light-blue eyes melted the driver’s bravado, bringing long-sought momentary silence to the interior of the car. The cabbie muttered something unintelligible and the car pulled away from the curb into evening rush-hour traffic.

Dan straightened his dark blue suit and his red tie before heading down H Street. The business side of the White House sat just beyond Lafayette Square to his left. As a white male in a suit, within spitting distance of the White House, Dan was perfectly camouflaged. Despite the changing face of American society and the dual terms of President Obama, those making the rules remained largely as it always had been – lily white. An hour watching C-Span was the only proof needed.

Dan walked deliberately to the corner of H and 16th streets and silently mingled with a half-dozen likeminded suits waiting for the light. The pedestrian signal changed from an illuminated red hand to the depiction of a person walking. The crowd moved. Dan took three steps toward the street and then froze at the edge of the curb. He scanned his environment for a mirror reaction from anyone in the vicinity. Sometimes the best way to see if you are being followed is to stop. It was a standard counter-surveillance move, likely perfected a hundred thousand years ago by an animal on the Serengeti trying to avoid becoming dinner.

The sidewalk around Dan emptied as the pedestrian signal on the far side of the street began to count down. Dan swiveled his head slowly, finishing with a glance over each shoulder. No one, he thought. At least no one on foot. Walking against traffic on a one-way street mitigated most of the possibilities of being trailed by car.

He waited until the countdown on the pedestrian signal reached five and then crossed the street illegally in the opposite direction, dissecting a group of lawyers and think-tankers on their way to a local watering hole to finish their briefs and pontifications for the evening.

On the far side of the street Dan turned right and headed back in the direction from which he came. Once again he checked for surveillance. Nothing.

Near the end of the block, with a taxi queue ten yards ahead, Dan checked his watch with a casual glance and turned left down an alley without looking back.

He passed several dumpsters and looked up at the darkening sky framed by the buildings on both sides of the alley. A light scent of urine wafted through the air. Under a fire escape near the corner of the building Dan turned again. He followed a staircase downward, his hand running along a worn metal handrail, his shoes trampling cracked concrete steps. Three stories above the urban crevasse, room rates started at eight hundred a night.

Dan forced himself to relax. Feeling out of place was the single greatest contributor for being spotted in an area where one had no earthly business. But with the appropriate behavior and movement, a man in a suit in an alley was no more out of place than a man in overalls in the lobby of an office building. Properly portrayed, every appearance could be overlooked.

Dan reached the bottom of the stairs and admired the collection of discarded cigarette butts thrown half-heartedly at an empty coffee can resting just outside the door. He took one more calming breath and pushed through an unlocked metal door that read “Exit Only” in neat white print.

Unlocked doors were goldmines. Half the buildings in the Nation’s Capital were circumventing million-dollar security systems with propped open doors. A brick here. A doorstop there. If you knew where to look, an employee with a smoking habit could be better than a week of surveillance. Not to mention cheaper and less risky than paying off a doorman. 

Inside the building, Dan entered an elbow-room-only foyer facing another door. He watched the light under the closed door and waited for the telltale movement of people on the other side to subside. When the timing was right and the movement ceased, he pulled the knob.

An attractive blonde in an off-the-shoulder red dress took a breath of surprise. Dan muted his response and without pausing pointed towards the men’s room with his chin. “Wrong door.”

The lady in red smiled and Dan followed through on his impromptu ruse and entered the restroom. 

“Shit,” Dan whispered, looking into the mirror over a granite sink with gold fixtures. He had rules. One adjustment in the plan was standard. Two put him on notice. Three unforeseen adjustments to a plan and he aborted – immediately and without exception. There was little he could do about the woman in the hall so he pushed it aside. That’s one, he thought. A little early for an adjustment.

The lower level back door at the Hay Adams Hotel was a direct line into the living room of the elite. Off the Record – the appropriately named bar in the basement of the Hay Adams Hotel – boasted a history as long as its client list. It was where the rich blew off steam. People with faces too famous to enjoy a quiet drink in Georgetown or along Connecticut Avenue. Faces from the morning paper and evening news. Off the Record embraced customers who didn’t mind overpaying for drinks or the forty bucks it cost to valet their cars. Money was rapidly becoming the last legal barrier for keeping out the riffraff.

The Hay Adams Hotel, and its subterranean watering hole, was public. Dan could have chosen to walk through the lobby. He could have nodded at the bellhop and doorman as he strolled in unquestioned and unmolested. He could have slowly crossed the ornate wood-paneled entrance and past the polite scrutiny of the front desk as he made his way to the stairs. But why announce your arrival when you didn’t have to? Especially so close to payday.

In the mirror in the bathroom, Dan checked his watch, his hair, his face, his glasses, his teeth, his fingers. He peeked inside his manila folder. He exited the room and walked through the lone swinging door into the bar. He located his target before his first foot hit the deep burgundy carpet. He completed his room assessment by the time his second foot landed. Nine men and four women, he calculated, parsing his headcount before anyone noticed he was in the room. Five men at the bar, two of them seated together, most likely coworkers. Two women alone at a table on the far side of the room in similar black dresses. Waiting for dates, he thought. A table of three huddled in the opposite corner, far enough away to be out of most contingency scenarios. Dan added two more to the headcount for the bartender and waitress, and one more for the lady in red who was now in the bathroom.

Dan stepped from the dark corner near the bathroom and approached a man in his early fifties sitting alone at a table, his hand caressing a glass of Maker’s Mark.

“Judge McMichael,” Dan said, sitting quickly without invitation.

The judge tried not to look surprised but the corner of his eyes betrayed him as they danced towards the entrance of the bar.

“The back door?” the judge asked.

“Bathroom window,” Dan replied straight-faced.

“Am I at the correct table?”

“Yes. Thank you for following instructions.”

Dan didn’t take his eyes off the judge. The judge looked older than his pictures in the press. More stately. Fifty and fit with large hands and sharp eyes. The lighting at the table was romantic – enough light to see the judge, but dark enough to erase cosmetic imperfections from across the table. Perfect call-girl ambiance.

The judge stared back across the table at a short grey mop of curls and wild blue eyes dancing behind thick black-framed glasses. The judge’s eyes dropped to Dan’s hands and the manila folder on the table. Dan noticed the judge’s attention and he covered one hand with the other, both on top of the folder.

“Why don’t we both agree to keep our hands on the table,” Dan suggested before getting to work. “See the two guys at the far end of the bar?”

The judge turned his head slightly.

“They are with me.”

The judge nodded.

“I will make this short and sweet. Your wife has divorce papers for you to sign. She also has an agreement regarding alimony and the custody of your stepson and stepdaughter. She says you have been refusing to sign these documents and have threatened her and her children.”

“Do you know who I am?”

“Yes. Judge Terrance J. McMichael. Born in Naperville, Illinois. Educated at Princeton. Law School at Dartmouth. Judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit… also known as the D.C. Circuit. Wife is named Cindy. Stepdaughter is Caroline. Stepson is Craig.” 

“And you are?”

“Someone willing to ruin your life. Your wife hired me to make a request on her behalf. You are a highly intelligent man so I’m going to assume you heard my request the first time and that I don’t need to repeat myself.” Dan paused for effect. “You are going to sign the papers.”

“Do you have any idea what I can do to you?”

Dan slid the manila folder into the middle of the table and opened it. The first photograph showed the judge’s wife with raccoon eyes, her nose broken, swollen to...

mark gilleoAbout the author: Mark Gilleo is the author of three award-winning novels. His books have won both the National Indie Excellence Award and the Readers’ Favorite Award. His two most recent novels were finalists in the 2014 International Book Awards. His latest novel, Favors and Lies, was named Runner-Up for fiction in both the 2014 San Francisco Book Festival and the 2014 New York Book Festival. Mark has a graduate degree in international business from the University of South Carolina and an undergraduate degree in business from George Mason University. He enjoys traveling, hiking and biking. He speaks Japanese. A fourth-generation Washingtonian, he currently resides in the DC area. Follow the author on Twitter | Goodreads

Follow the Book Tour The author is giving away some Amazon GC. Open Internationally. Please fill out the form below to enter a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, November 3, 2014

How to be Manly by Maureen O'Leary Wanket - Review

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How To Be ManlyWhen Fatty Matty Sullivan finds a self-help book by former football great Tad Manly at a yard sale, he secretly starts following the old pro’s advice to get in shape and get the girl. Summer goals: lose the milkshake weight, join the football team, and turn himself into the kind of guy super hot Cassie Bale will love. But between taking care of his grandfather, trying to pass remedial Algebra, and getting caught up in his friend Jester’s half-baked weed-dealing schemes, Matty’s summer isn’t quite the game-changer he’d planned. When on top of it all his dad moves back in with his own plans to get rich quick, Matty suddenly has much bigger things to worry about than football and whether or not Cassie’s going to call him back. And it turns out that there might be more to being manly than he thought. Maureen O’Leary Wanket’s debut is a sharp, comic novel about trying to do the right thing… even when you’re not sure what that is.

My Thoughts: How To Be Manly is a story of inspiration. I wasn't expecting it to have so many amazing lessons for readers. I also didn't know what I would think of a male main character. I ended up loving Matty's transformation and how much he grew as a person. I thought he was a very relateable teenage boy, having never been one myself. Still, I can remember the struggles of trying to fit in and be noticed in the right way, the temptations to do things the easy way. I think Wanket did a great job portraying all of that with Matty.

I loved the journey that the characters took. While the story focused on Matty and his journey is impressive, other characters shined. Characters like Mr. Manlow, who is so important to the story and Coach who helps Matty out, are some of my favorites. I loved Dirty Harry, too. What an awesome name for a dog!

This book is a fast read. I sat down to read and I didn't want to stop, so a few hours later I found myself coming to the end of the book. I loved the characters, loved the plot and all the obstacles that Matty has to overcome. I think this would be a great read for young adults and adults alike.

Rating:

Buy on Amazon | B&N

Put How To Be Manly on your TBR list  

Meet the Author:

MOW author pic_cr suzanne swansonMaureen O’Leary Wanket is a writer and teacher living in Sacramento, California with her husband and two daughters. How To Be Manly is inspired by the humor and courage of the students she’s met in her classrooms over the past twenty years. She loves high school football, but only when she happens to teach at least half of the players on the field. Her short stories have appeared in Esopus, Xenith, Fiction at Work, Blood and Thunder, Musings on the Art of Medicine and Prick of the Spindle. Maureen writes articles about issues in education for local and national publications. She also muses about inspirations for a writer’s life in Friday Free Topic at http://maureenoleary.wordpress.com. How To Be Manly is her first novel. Find Maureen on: Twitter | Blog | Goodreads

The author is giving away a $15 Amazon Gift Card and a paperback. Fill out the form below to enter a Rafflecopter giveaway


I received an e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own. 

Falling Star by Laura DeLuca - Book Blast

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FallingStarEbookDrew DiPalma feels like he's living a lie. He's had it with his Hollywood persona, the high-maintenance women, and his sleazy agent. To escape the madness, he flees to a tourist town he'd often visited as a child. He never expected to find love on that little island. Then he stumbles upon Lainey alone on the swing set of a deserted beach. After a dozen internet dating disasters, Lainey Riccardo has given up on romance--until she meets a West Coast hunk who has no trouble winning her heart. But Lainey only knows him as Drew, not the Oscar-nominated actor who's constantly scandalized in the tabloids. When she learns the truth, will the small town Jersey girl be able to accept Drew's fast-paced life? Or will the truth drive her away forever?

Buy on Amazon | Smashwords | B&N

 

 
laura delucaAbout the author:
Laura “Luna” DeLuca lives at the beautiful Jersey shore with her husband and four children. She loves writing in the young adult genre because it keeps her young at heart. In addition to writing fiction, Laura is also the editor of a popular review blog called New Age Mama. She is an active member of her local pagan community, and has been studying Wicca for close to eight years. Her current works include Destiny, Destiny Unveiled, Phantom, Morrigan, Player, and Demon.
Author Links:
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Laura is giving away an awesome prize pack - includes: Wildwood Mug, Wildwood statue, Wildwood key chain, coral bracelet, incense, crystal key-chain, Jersey Girl charm, and rose quartz heart.

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Saturday, November 1, 2014

Blog Ahead! - Intro & Progress


It's November! November means the trees are changing their colors outside my window. November means colder weather. November means Thanksgiving, which in turn means planning and preparing our usual feast with the help of my five little monsters. Last year, November started meaning NaNoWriMo for me. I'm planning to do it again this year. 

This year, for November I'm adding in Blog Ahead! This awesome event is being hosted by Herding Cats & Burning Soup. The plan is for me to get ahead on scheduled blog posts. Since I've never actually been ahead in posts this should be pretty great. I hope by the end of this month that I'll have 30 or more posts ready to post in later months. 

If you want to learn more about this event click on the banner above. If you want to follow my progress, you can check back here. I promise to try to remember to post how things are going.