Showing posts with label forever romance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label forever romance. Show all posts

Monday, April 7, 2014

If You Stay by Courtney Cole Release Day Blitz + Review + 2 Giveaways



IF YOU STAY by Courtney Cole 
Pub date: April 8, 2014
Publisher: Forever Trade Paperback; $12.00

My Review:
Wow, what a book.  Pax really is an ass at least at first and Mila is so sweet and innocent.  But this story really changes everything and I read it in an afternoon and loved it.

The story starts out very dark.  Pax uses drugs and while not an addict he almost overdoses, only saved by the fact that Mila just happens to come along.  Mila is still reeling from her parents death two years ago and feels some strange connection to Pax that leads her to his hospital room to check on him after the almost-overdose.  There a connection between the two of them begins to form.  And of course there are setbacks along the way.  You would expect no less in a New Adult book, but there is also a love story that was truly enjoyable.

The story feels real. There are many struggles, there are issues with trust, there is love.  But in the end will love be enough to hold these two together?  Well you will just have to see.

A solid New Adult book that I enjoyed every minute of. The characters while flawed (or not really in Mila's case) were great to watch the growth in. The romance was real, the struggles real and I enjoyed the storyline immensely.  If you haven't read If You Stay yet, then this is definitely one to put on your list!

My Rating: 5.0/5.0

About the Book:
Twenty-four-year-old Pax Tate is an asshole. Seriously. He's a tattooed, rock-hard bad boy with a tough attitude to match. His mother died when Pax was seven, leaving a hole in his heart filled with an intense guilt that he doesn't understand. What he does know is that he and his dad were left alone, and they have never been close. Now, he uses drugs and women to cope with the black void in his soul. He pretends that the emptiness isn't there and this has always worked . . . until he meets Mila.

Sweet, beautiful Mila Hill is the fresh air that Pax has never known in his life. He doesn't know how to not hurt her-but he quickly realizes that he'd better figure it out because he needs her to breathe. When the memories of his mother's death resurface to haunt Pax, Mila is there to save him from his overwhelming guilt. Mila restores his broken heart, even as she evokes his powerful, sexual desires. Now for Pax to keep Mila, he needs to work on his issues-and stop being an asshole. But is that enough to make her stay?


Buy Links:

About the author:
Courtney Cole is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who lives near Lake Michigan with her family.  She's always working on her next project... or staring dreamily out her office window.  To learn more about her, please visit http://www.courtneycoleauthor.com/

Social Media Links:


Tour Giveaway

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My Giveaway:
One paperback copy of If You Stay by Courtney Cole (mailed from publisher, US/Canada only)

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***I received this book from the publisher for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any other way except receiving the book for free.  ***

Friday, April 4, 2014

Cover Reveal: The Lost Souls Series by Eliza Freed

Today I present the cover reveal for a series, the first book comes out July 1, with the others following later this year.  I also have the information for Forgive Me and a Q&A with the author to tell us more about this series.  So without further ado I present the the cover to the first book in The Lost Souls Series, Forgive Me, and then scroll down for the others!



FORGIVE ME  by Eliza Freed
Pub Date: July 1, 2014 
Publisher: Forever Yours E-Book
Price: $3.99

Some things can't be forgiven...
Charlotte O'Brien should forgive God for her parents' death. She should forgive her boyfriend for his one horrific mistake that separated them, and she should forgive herself for cutting them both off, but instead she hates everyone.

But when her childhood friend Noble Sinclair arrives, his passion reignites the spark that had vanished so completely in Charlotte's gray existence. And in Noble's arms, Charlotte finally begins to wonder if she might be ready to choose the future with Noble over her shattered past.



Pre-order links:


And the next two books in the series:

Interview with the Eliza Freed:
1.       Tell us a little bit about The Lost Souls series…

It’s the story of Charlotte O’Brien–a stubborn, sarcastic, intensely loyal, and compassionate girl who loses her parents at the age of twenty, her first love at twenty-two, and her faith in God and herself too many times to count. Without a clue of how to survive, Charlotte withdraws to her rural hometown and embraces humiliation and self-loathing with an unnerving honesty.

The books are both heart-wrenching and hilarious.  They portray that dark place, deep down inside all of us that responds to the pain we inflict on each other, and yet grant us permission to laugh as Charlotte hauls herself out of the darkness…and finds love in the process.

2.      In the series, you fearlessly take your heroine, Charlotte to some dark places— how do you think these covers represent the story and Charlotte’s journey?

While Lost Souls is a love story, it’s also rather tragic and daunting. Charlotte grapples with questions that leave some of us staring into the darkness in the middle of the night.

What do we owe the dead?

Is there a divine plan?

How much of ourselves can we give to another before there’s nothing left?

Can we truly forgive what we can’t forget?

These covers are not only visually stunning, but brilliantly hint at the fact there’s a great deal more going on here than just love. Charlotte’s ethereal depiction in the background with her pleas written over her are right on. 

She’s also a girl who doesn’t take her surroundings for granted. Charlotte beholds the clouds, the moon, the sunset, the ocean, the strength of the waves, the distance to the horizon, and incorporates those sights into her understanding of the world. The images within each ME are a nod to her connection to the Earth and they could not be more beautiful or appropriate.

Grand Central’s immensely talented Elizabeth Turner blew me away with these covers!

3.       A lot of the action in THE LOST SOULS series is set in New Jersey. What’s your connection to the Garden State and why did you chose to set Charlotte’s story there?
I grew up in a rural town in Southern New Jersey which is a stark contrast to the urban setting of Rutgers University where I attended college. I’m odd in that I love the city and the country. The beauty of New Jersey is you can have both. It’s a haven for big personalities and bigger hearts nestled amongst mountains, 130 miles of coastline, rural fields, New York and Philadelphia as our neighbors, and of course lots of highway exits.

I wanted the Lost Souls Series to give a voice to the rich diversity that exists here.

4.       What 3 words would you use to describe your heroine, Charlotte?


Unsinkable. Jersey. Girl.
 
About Eliza Freed:

Debut author Eliza Freed writes new adult romance novels with a New Jersey wit and a hometown charm. The first book in her Lost Souls series will be released in 2014 by Forever Yours.



Social Media Links:






Friday, February 28, 2014

Cover Reveal: When You are Mine and Loving You Always by Kennedy Ryan

Today I have two beautiful covers to reveal for the first two books in Forever's debut author Kennedy Ryan's The Bennett's series.  The first one releases in June and Loving You Always will follow in October.  But for now get a look at these covers and add them to you Goodreads wishlist!


WHEN YOU ARE MINE (June 17, 2014; 9781455556816) introduces the story of Kerris Moreton, a foster child who has thrived despite her circumstances and is ready to open her own business and accept a marriage proposal. Unfortunately, the only thing missing in her would-be-fiancé Cam is the passionate connection he believes is overrated but Kerris craves. Lucky for her, she meets a man who lights her up like the Fourth of July.

Walsh Bennett is one of the East Coast’s most eligible bachelors, and Cam’s best friend. He’s used to plenty of female attention, but lately he’s been distracted by the one woman he can’t have. Kerris is the soulmate Walsh never thought he would fine, but too bad his best friend found her first.








LOVING YOU ALWAYS (October 17, 2014; 9781455556861) is book two in The Bennett’s Series. We don’t want to spoil anything, so you’ll just have to wait to see what happens with Kerris, Walsh and Cam in WHEN YOU ARE MINE first!

 


Author Kennedy Ryan has had several signs that she would be a writer, and finally circled back after years of gainful employment. She is a mom to a wonderful son living with autism. This is her debut novel and a percentage of her royalties are donated to families living with autism through her personal foundation as well as through TACA, Talk About Curing Autism. You can learn more about Kennedy Ryan at her Website, Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.


Monday, November 25, 2013

Release Blitz & Giveaway: Before We Fall by Courtney Cole

 

Summary:
One dark moment was all it took to turn twenty-four-year-old Dominic Kinkaide's world black. On the night of his high school graduation, a single incident changed him forever, and he became a hardened man-famous in the eyes of the world, but tortured inside. Now all he cares about is losing himself in the roles that he plays.

At twenty-three years old, Jacey Vincent doesn't realize how much her father's indifference has affected her. She is proof that sometimes it isn't one specific moment that wrecks a person, but an absence of moments. She tries to find acceptance in the arms of men to fill the void-a plan that has worked just fine for her, until she meets Dominic.  When jaded Dominic and strong-willed Jacey are thrown together, the combination of his secrets and her issues turns their attraction into the perfect storm. It could change their lives for good-if it doesn't tear them both apart…



Buy Links:

Bio:
Courtney Cole is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who lives near Lake Michigan with her family.  She's always working on her next project... or staring dreamily out her office window.  To learn more about her, please visit courtneycolewrites.com


Social Media Links:
http://bit.ly/1bYxR2x (Goodreads)





Excerpt:
 “Are you feeling warm yet?”
I watch his lips as he speaks the words, husky and low.   His lips are full, yet manly and suddenly I ache to lean over and press mine to his, to touch them in any way that I can. 
But I don’t. 
Because I’m not a girl who gets used.  Not anymore. 
 “No, not at all.”
But Dominic takes that as a challenge.  He’s not used to hearing the word no and he’s not about to start now.  I see that in his dark eyes a scant moment before he dips his head and consumes my mouth.
I say consume, instead of kiss, because that’s what he does.
He consumes me.
His lips are fiery and hot and he kisses me with a fierceness that touches a secret part of me; moist, hot, firm, sexy.  I want to inhale him, to suck him down.  I vaguely feel his hands on my back, his warmth emanating through my clothes, his hardness pushing into my softness.
I’m breathless when he pulls away. 
“What about now?”
Rafflecopter :
Prizes include a "Night Out with Dominic Kincaide" gift pack full of naughty and nice items reminiscent of Cole's hot new hero!
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Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Release Day Blitz & Giveaway: I'll Be Home for Christmas by Jessica Scott




I'll Be Home For Christmas by Jessica Scott
November 5, 2013
 Forever Yours/E-Novella
$0.99
978-1-4555-5424-9

I'm reading this one right now and really enjoying it, stay tuned for my review probably tomorrow!
 
About the book:
There's nothing in the world Army Sergeant Vic Carponti loves more than his wife and his country. Smart-mouthed and easy tempered, he takes everything as a joke . . . except his promise to come home to his wife, Nicole, for Christmas. As he prepares to leave for his latest deployment into Iraq, Vic will do everything he can to shield his beautiful, supportive wife from the realities of war . . . and from his own darkest fears.

As a career army wife, Nicole Carponti knows just what to expect from her husband's tour of duty: loneliness, relentless worry, and a seemingly endless countdown until the moment Vic walks through the door again. But when the unthinkable happens, Nicole and Vic's bond is tested like never before and changes everything they believe to be true about the power of love and the simple beauty of being home for the holidays.


Buy links:

Author Bio:

USA Today bestselling author Jessica Scott is a career army officer; mother of two daughters, three cats and three dogs; wife to a career NCO and wrangler of all things stuffed and fluffy. She is a terrible cook and even worse housekeeper, but she's a pretty good shot with her assigned weapon and someone liked some of the stuff she wrote. Somehow, her children are pretty well-adjusted and her husband still loves her, despite burned water and a messy house.

She's written for the New York Times At War Blog, PBS Point of View: Regarding War Blog, and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. She deployed to Iraq in 2009 as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom/New Dawn and has served as a company commander at Fort Hood, Texas.

She's pursuing a PhD in Sociology in her spare time and most recently, she's been featured as one of Esquire Magazine's Americans of the Year for 2012. 


Author Social Media links:



Excerpt:

“You’re not serious.”

Carponti turned around, his shoulders covered in flecks of red hair. “What?”

Nicole grinned as she leaned against the door. “Garrison is going to kill you.”

“Garrison is going to love my new hair cut. It looks just like his.”

Nicole arched one blond eyebrow. “Except for the bright red fuzzy patch in the center of your head.”

Carponti shrugged and rubbed his hands over his freshly shorn scalp. “I can’t wait to see what the sergeant major says.”

“Isn’t he going to be mad?”

Carponti brushed the hair off his neck. “We’re going to war. My hair isn’t on the list of things he’s going to worry about.”

Nicole looked down at the pile of hair on the floor and sighed. “Then why do it?”

Carponti smirked. “Because it’ll get a rise out of him and I live to make his blood pressure go up.”

She laughed. “You need a hobby. Other than blowing things up.”

He sidled across the room and hooked his thumb into the waist of her jeans and tugged her close until their hips met. “I have a hobby. Keeping you well satisfied.”

She sniffed but her lips curled at the edges. “You’re going to be derelict in your duties for a while.”

“But I’ll be home soon enough and then I’ll make up for it.”

“I think I’m going to need a deployment boyfriend.”

He grinned wickedly. “Did you already get one?” He backed her up against the wall, his body hard against hers. God but she loved this man. “Can I see it?”

A slow flush crept over her face and she tried to look away. He threaded his fingers with hers and lifted her arms over her head. Her back arched with the movement.

“Please?” he whispered against her lips. “That would be an awesome memory to take with me downrange. Just think of me, alone in the middle of the desert. One visual of you with your deployment boyfriend and it could make a lonely night go by so much faster.”

Nicole giggled until the laugh overwhelmed her and she was gasping for air. He released her hands and she threaded them around his neck. She buried her face against his throat and laughed.

“There’s something really wrong with you,” she said when she could breathe again. “I’ll send you a video.”

He brightened instantly. “Really?”

“Yes. And dirty letters.”

“Promise?” He nibbled along the edge of her jaw, guiding her slowly backward toward their bed, stacked high with his two duffle bags and all the crap he still hadn’t packed.

But he didn’t care.

“I promise. And you’re going to be late.” Her voice caught in her throat.

“Screw it,” he whispered. “This is the last chance to make love to my beautiful wife before I have to go traipsing across the desert like Lawrence of Arabia.” He nibbled at her earlobe while his hand slipped down her belly to the moist head between her thighs. “Tell you what. You send me a picture of yours and I’ll send you a picture of mine. Maybe I can get him a little horse and saddle and send you a picture. Maybe a Barbie camel. I can put him in a little man dress.”

She laughed and Carponti’s heart swelled in his chest at the sound of it.

“I’m going to hold you to that.” She traced her fingers over his scalp, her body soft and warm against his erection. “I want a picture of him in a man dress in exchange for a video of the deployment boyfriend.”

Her legs bumped into the back of the bed and he followed her down. Tangled between the duffle bags and his uniforms, he made love to her one last time before he got on a plane and headed to war.



Giveaway:


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***I received this book from the publisher for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any other way except receiving the book for free.  ***

Release Day Blitz & Giveaway: Jagged by Kristen Ashley



Jagged by Kristen Ashley
November 5, 2013 
Forever/E-Book
$3.99
 978-1-4555-9914-1

Zara Cinders always knew Ham Reece was the one, but he wasn't interested in settling down. When she found someone who was, Ham walked out of her life. Three years later, Zara's lost her business, her marriage, and she's barely getting by in a tiny apartment on the wrong side of the tracks. As soon as Ham hears about Zara's plight, he's on her doorstep offering her a lifeline. Now, it will take every ounce of will power she possesses to resist all that he offers.

Ham was always a traveling man, never one to settle down in one town, with one woman, for more time than absolutely necessary. But Ham's faced his own demons, and he's learned a lot. About himself, and about the life he knows he's meant to live. So when he hears that Zara's having a rough time, he wants to be the one to help. In fact, he wants to do more than that for Zara. A lot more. But first, he must prove to Zara that he's a changed man.


Buy links:
 
Author Bio:
Kristen Ashley grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana, and has lived in Denver, Colorado, and the West Country of England. Thus she has been blessed to have friends and family around the globe. Her posse is loopy (to say the least) but loopy is good when you want to write.

Kristen was raised in a house with a large and multigenerational family. They lived on a very small farm in a small town in the heartland, and Kristen grew up listening to the strains of Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon, and Whitesnake.

Needless to say, growing up in a house full of music and love was a good way to grow up.

And as she keeps growing up, it keeps getting better.


Author Social Media links:
Goodreads



Excerpt:
When I saw who was outside, my mouth dropped open.

Luckily, the doorbell buzzing stopped.

Unluckily, the last person on earth I wanted to see was standing outside my door.

“Jesus, you don’t have a peephole?” Ham growled, looking incensed and Graham Reece looking, or worse, being incensed was a very bad thing. I’d learned that five months ago.

I didn’t have it in me to concern myself with Ham being incensed. I was more concerned with him being there at all.

To express this, I asked, “What the hell?”

“Open the fuckin’ door, Zara.”

I stared a beat, then pulled myself together.

This was not happening.

We were done.

I pushed the door closed.

The problem with this was it didn’t work, seeing as the toe of Ham’s boot was wedged between it and the jamb.

“Open the door, Zara,” he repeated.

“We’re done,” I told him through the gap in the door. “Move your foot.”

“Open the door.”

“We’re done, Ham,” I snapped.

“Right, then move back.”

“What?”

He didn’t repeat his order. He moved his foot but only so he could rear back and plant his shoulder in the door.

The chain popped right open, as did the door, and I went flying.

I righted myself as Ham, now in my apartment, slammed the door.

“You’re payin’ for that!” I yelled.

His eyes were beyond me, examining my new space as his mouth moved.

“Not a problem. I’ll reimburse what they take out of your security deposit when we move you out of this dump.”

I didn’t know what he meant and I also didn’t care.

I switched subjects.

“How did you get here so fast?” I asked, and his eyes finally came to me.

“I hope to Christ you didn’t miss local gossip because you’re spendin’ your days at Deluxe Home Store and your nights at some titty bar.”

“I’m not working at a titty bar, Ham, so you can stop concerning yourself with me and move on”—I paused—“again.” I bit off the last word then what he said penetrated and I asked, “What gossip?”

“Managing The Dog, Zara, have been for a week. I live in Gnaw Bone.”

I felt my eyes get huge as my stomach clenched.

“You’re managing The Dog?” I whispered, aghast.

“Yeah. And you just got a new job. You start after you work out your notice at Deluxe,” he returned.

“What?” This also came out quiet and horrified.

“You’re waitressin’ for me. Shit hours but, if I remember correctly and since the view hasn’t changed except to get better, with your face, tits, and ass, great tips. In the meantime, we’re movin’ you out of this shithole and, you don’t got a girl who can take you on, you’re bunkin’ with me.”

Bunking with him?

Was he high?

“I am not moving in with you,” I declared.

Giveaway:

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Tuesday, October 15, 2013

The Wager by Rachel Van Dyken is on sale for 99 cents + Giveaway!

THE WAGER is currently on sale for 99 cents

What is it about a junior-high crush that can send an otherwise intelligent woman into a tailspin? TV reporter Char Lynn wishes she knew. Jake Titus is too rich, too handsome, too arrogant: a trifecta that once lured Char into the best night-and worst morning-after-of her life. Now they've been thrown together in a wedding party. It's awkward, but survivable . . . until Jake stops acting like a jerk, and starts acting like the man she'd always hoped he could be.

If watching your brother marry your best friend is weird, being attracted to your best friend's other best friend is downright bizarre. Unfortunately for Jake, Char hasn't forgotten how he once tossed her aside. Worse still, Jake's already-nutty grandma is even crazier about Char. Cue meet-cute shenanigans and all manner of meddling, and somehow, Jake's falling. For Char. Now all he has to do is make her believe it . . .

Available now  at e-tailers for 99 cents:
Barnes & Noble – http://bit.ly/1bMQisq

About Rachel Van Dyken


Author Biography

Rachel Van Dyken is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of regency and contemporary romances. When she's not writing you can find her drinking coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The Bachelor. She keeps her home in Idaho with her Husband and their snoring Boxer, Sir Winston Churchill.


Giveaway:

For those who want to get caught up with the Titus brothers, Rachel Van Dyken is giving away 10 copies of Book 1 in the series, THE BET. Enter here:

(10 winners will receive a copy of Book 1 in The Bet series – ends Sunday, October 20th)

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