Thursday, July 31, 2014

BLOG TOUR: PIECES OF AUTUMN BY MARA BLACK

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Title: Pieces of Autumn 
Author: Mara Black 
Genre: Dark Romance 18 + 
Publish Date: July 31, 2014
Publisher: Indie
 Published Event organized by: Literati Author Services, Inc.                  

~ Book Synopsis ~
I wish I could tell you that I was stolen.
Kidnapped off the street in some third-world country, sold against my will, while a desperate family back home waited and prayed and talked about me on the news.
I wish I could tell you that, because then you might understand.
What really happened? I walked to my fate with my eyes wide open. But before you say I deserved whatever happened to me, you should know. I was desperate. I was alone. I was afraid for my life. You would have done the same thing.
I thought things couldn’t possibly get any worse.
But then, I woke up in darkness, unable to move. There was only one thing I was sure of: I wasn’t alone anymore.
And then I heard HIS voice...

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AN EXCERPT:

“Never say that word to me.” 

I had never heard his voice like that. Not once. My blood chilled in my veins. If I thought I’d ever been afraid of Tate before, it was nothing. Absolutely nothing compared to this.

I’d wanted to unnerve him, but instead, I seemed to have unhinged him. Unleashed something I didn’t understand, and didn’t want to.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. 

“Too late,” he replied, his chest rising and falling rapidly with each breath. His tone was pure venom, pure sin, pure fucking evil. “Too late for apologies.”

In that moment, I had three choices.

I could fight him.

I could run.

Or, I could tie myself to the mast and meet him, measure for measure.

I chose the storm. With the hurricane himself standing there, his pulse pounding so loud I could almost hear it, I chose to stand tall.

What was happening? What was he about to do? I had no way of knowing, no way of guessing what he’d do. How he’d ruin me. 

But I knew I could survive.

His hand lashed out and grabbed mine, lifting it to his face. Eyes half-lidded, he brought my fingers to his lips, my thumb pressing past them and up against his teeth. Finding resistance, for a moment, until he parted them and suckled it into the soft, wet heat of his mouth.



My Three Favorite Quotes from Pieces of Autumn

I’d like to tell you that I love all of my quotes equally, but it’s simply not true. I gotta play favorites. There are some moments in Pieces of Autumn that I enjoy more than others, so I thought I’d share them. But, shhh...don’t tell the rest of the scenes. They get jealous.

NUMBER ONE:

He laughed, ringing out loud and harsh in the room.

“You’re wrong,” he said, his voice low and rough. Dripping sex. “Compassion isn’t what you crave.”

-

This is my favorite dark romance trope. He knows what she wants, more than she does. Because it’s oh so wrong. The nice guys never get this, but the oh-so-bad boys definitely do.

NUMBER TWO:

The pain is a constant thing.

It’s not emotional. It is a deep and physical ache, lodged in my chest where no surgeon could ever hope to find it. It’s as real as a snake bite or a broken leg. It is not the sting of a whip or the heavy thud of a bat against my ribs, although I still have a twinge when I breathe in deep.

If all the broken things from my past were like vicious shards, embedded deep, an ache I’d grown used to - didn’t know how to live without -

Then Autumn was like a paper cut. Sharp and bright and sudden. Unexpected. Hurting more than it had any right to. 

-

Tate’s point of view is relatively rare in the story, but this is one of my favorite moments. He’s essentially admitting that he’s in love with her. Because she’s different. Maybe the only thing he’s capable of feeling right now is pain, but at least she’s a new kind of pain. 

NUMBER THREE:

“You’re pathetic.”

My tone was vicious. He stared at me, his eyes widening slightly.

“It’s all bullshit,” I shouted. His eyes flashed with anger, but he didn’t move. “You’re hiding behind a mask. You want absolution, but you can’t face what you did. So your way of forgiving yourself is to decide that you can’t help it. This is just who you are. But it doesn’t work, does it? Because you know it’s not true. You know you can do better. You’re just afraid to.”

-

Every romance needs a moment where the characters finally cut to the heart of the matter, and say what we’ve all been thinking. This one was personally cathartic for me, and I think it’s something that a lot of people do - not just Tate. It’s always easier to wallow. To keep doing what you’re accustomed to doing. What Tate’s doing is not sustainable, and it’s Autumn who dares to tell him so.

-

What’s your all-time favorite quote from a dark romance? Tell me about it in the comments!




    About the Author
Mara Black is a connoisseur of love that lurks in the shadows .

~ Giveaway ~
~ Signed book of Pieces of Autumn ~

BLOG TOUR & GIVEAWAY: ACTS OF DESPERATION BY EMERSON SHAW


Available Now
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1npXQCy
Also Available on iTunes
  
Synopsis:

**This highly anticipated debut novel was inspired by actual events.**

Sember is a strong-willed attorney who’s got it all: the budding career, the condo, and a marriage proposal right around the corner.

When her sister, Sarah, needs a new attorney, Sember is torn. She wants to help Sarah, but she is terrified her emotions could compromise the case. With so much at stake, failure isn't an option.

In walks Jax Alexander, a brilliant legal mind from New York who excites Sember’s body and mind. When he offers to take on Sarah’s case, he provides hope in a hopeless situation. Sember and Jax are thrust together as their passion ignites.

As a web of lies is exposed, Jax works tirelessly to reveal the truth behind Sarah’s case. But, he has a dark secret shadowing his past that threatens to destroy everything.
In the midst of so many lies, can Jax really be trusted? His secret could put Sarah’s case in jeopardy and could cost Sember her life. Will he risk it all to save them, or will he cut and run, leaving destruction in his wake?

Sometimes, desperate acts call for desperate measures.






About The Author


Emerson Shaw (1977-present) was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. She was the third born of three girls and had a very happy childhood. She graduated from the University of Cincinnati in 1999 with a Bachelors of Business Administration. After graduating, she built a career in the wine industry. She married her husband in 2004 and had their first son two years later. She sold and studied wine for nearly ten years, but the birth of her second child in 2008 led her to put a hold on her professional life. She quit her job to stay home to raise her children. Her sister had always encouraged her to write, but she thought the publishing industry was nearly impossible to break into. Then, the self-publishing industry began to explode. Emerson's children had gotten older and less dependent just as her sister started going through a difficult family situation. The idea to write a fictional story inspired by her sister's experiences was born. Acts of Desperation is her debut novel.

NEW RELEASE: STRIP TEASER BY AVA MANELLO

Strip Teaser (Naked Night's #1)
By Ava Manello
Genre:  Erotic, Humour
Cover Designer: Margreet Asselbergs
When investigative reporter Sally Evans receives her latest assignment to uncover the naked truth, she gets more than she bargained for. Eight weeks on tour with the Naked Nights male stripper troupe to expose all their dirty secrets, is this serious reporter's worst nightmare. She'd rather a man keep his clothes on. For Sally, sex is only a consideration if it happens in the dark, not that she can remember the last time she had a reason to turn the lights off. With over-eager, over-sexed female fans in abundance and baby oil by the gallon, the guys are looking forward to some fun.... Sally's inhibitions are not.

Strip Teaser Playlist

Strip Teaser - Fan Trailer

Passionate reader, blogger, publisher, and author. I love nothing more than helping other Indie authors publish their books be that reviewing, beta reading, formatting or proofreading,  I love erotic suspense that's well written and engages the reader, and I love promoting the heck out of it over on my book blog.
I'm a mother, but most of all I'm me!

Stalk Ava Manello

Twitter: @avamanello

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

COVER REVEAL: FROM THE INSIDE OUT BY S.L. SCOTT



From the Inside Out is a brand new


 4 part serial from 


New York Times Best Selling 


Author S.L. Scott. 




Here are the AMAZING covers for Scorned and 


Jealousy - Part 1 & 2 of the serial



            Part 1: Scorned - Aug 18        Part 2: Jealousy - Sept 8



We shared a love that regulated every heartbeat and every breath we took. It was all encompassing. I thought our love could withstand time and anything thrown our way.

I was wrong. So wrong.

I used to be happy. I used to be Juliette Weston when Dylan Somers filled my life with promises of love and a happy ever after. But when he took my heart and broke it into a million pieces, I became someone else entirely. In one afternoon, I lost my soul mate. I lost everything I knew myself to be.

Three years later, the man who destroyed me is back.

To assuage his guilt? To finish the job? It doesn’t matter… I won’t let him this time. I’m stronger. I’ve moved on. He won’t affect me.

This is a story of love and betrayal. Pain and loss. Happiness and fate. It’s about finding your true destiny.

This is our story.

And it’s not for the faint of heart.


S.L. Scott is a former high-tech account manager with a journalism degree pursuing her passion for telling stories. She spends her days escaping into her characters and letting them lead her on their adventures. 

Live music shows, harvesting jalapenos and eating homemade guacamole are her obsessions she calls hobbies.

Scott lives in the beautiful Texas hill country of Austin with her husband, two young sons, two Papillons and a bowl full of Sea Monkeys. 

Her novels include Naturally, Charlie, Good Vibrations, and A Prior Engagement.

She welcomes your notes at sl@slscottauthor.com.




Links:


REVIEW: BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE BY ALLIE GAIL

Rob Kensington is just your typical high school senior. Athletic, intelligent, handsome. Sees a therapist once a week. Because his parents just died in a house fire of questionable origin. And he doesn't seem to care.

Maybe he isn't so typical.

Sara Marsh had no clue when she returned to live with her divorced father that the bedroom down the hall would be occupied by a stray with a major attitude problem. The last time she saw Rob, he was a brooding goth who could have passed as Marilyn Manson's love child. But at some point during her three years away, Creepy Kensington managed to evolve into a sizzling hot star running back with smoldering hazel eyes.

The attraction is undeniable. The temptation is irresistible. And soon they're sharing more than just an address. But with another life lost in a deliberately set blaze, Sara's trust is faltering. Has she lost her heart to a serial arsonist? He's already shown her the allure of playing with fire.

And someone's about to get burned.

* This book contains strong language and sexual content and is intended for ages 17+ *

Paperback, 298 pages
Published March 10th 2014 by Createspace
Purchased: Received from author in exchange for review
Purchase this book: Goodreads | Amazon 

| This book is available via Kindle Unlimited | 

OUR REVIEW:

This was a super quick YA-ish read. It's set during the senior year of Sara and Rob's senior year and though they start as less than friendly, they make up for that..eventually. The problem is that Sara and Rob are holding on to ideas about each other that are no longer true. He's no longer a goth boy and she's not some spoiled princess. Once they get that out of the way things heat up. Truly, it's the perfect teen scenario. No parents for most of the week, hot teen couple, sexual tension out tha wazoo...you see what's happening here? Because it did; it happened.

I am still somewhat shocked about that fact, because holy crap was that one naive Dad! Just, wow! Lol. After that though, it really worked for this story. I was attracted to this story by the parts that included them in a coming of age situation, a tragedy, misconceptions on one another based on appearance and actions...all set up for a great concept that I was very intrigued by. 

But in the midst of that happening...other shenanigans ensue. There's weirdness between a girl named Jordan and ..well..just about everyone else. This weirdness spills into Sara and Rob's relationship..but to their credit, they do tend to discuss the problems as they arise. There's also Riley...a boy who insists on creating drama between Rob and Sara too..high school drama....it never leaves us, does it?

That weirdness just set up a suspenseful tone for the story. I was like, "What on Earth is going to happen here." Wild events ensure. Cryptic messages are given. Mixed messages on what is going on had me pointing fingers at people I didn't want to point them at. My heart was racing because I had no idea what in the heck was going to happen! Riley. Asshat, extraordinaire. But...is he? Hhhmmm.

Anyway.
The two main threads of this story are the romance of Sara and Rob and the mystery behind an arson; as the story builds..so do the clues. Courtney warned me that I might be a little surprised at the end..she was right...the last 10% was not what I expected at all.

I am still quite surprised by what happened. The suspense about killed me. I was ready to throw things. I almost did...because well, teenage boys are unpredictable and can be total dicks. I was expecting dickish behavior from several boys, got it from just as many as I had anticipated...but enjoyed the laughs and shenanigans at lunch on the way. 

Overall this was a quick read. Lots of high school drama and fun. Lots of steamy scenes. There were a few places I found the pacing to be a little off..but overall, it was something I think a lot of readers would enjoy. Agreed. There are a few things that happened either a tad slow, or super fast, but that is the part that knocked off a bit of my rating. The story, the characters, the premise...I enjoyed very much. I say give this one a whirl if you're looking for some young adult with a bit of a twist.

Shelley: 3.5 stars
Courtney: 4.5 stars

About Allie Gail
I was born in a charming but microscopic town in Alabama with a book in each hand. Well, maybe not literally, but you get the idea. I don't think there's an author out there who didn't start out as an avid reader, and I'm no exception.

It was only fairly recently that I decided to resurrect an old high school interest and once again began writing. There's something cathartic about breathing life into the quirky characters struggling to escape my imagination.

These days I reside in the beautiful panhandle of Florida with my own blue-eyed Prince Charming and three fat, pampered cats who are just tolerant enough to permit us to share the same house with them. As long as they're fed on time, that is.

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

SNEAK PEEK: ALL FOR THIS BY LEXI RYAN




Releasing August 4, 2014

New Adult Contemporary Romance

Pre-order NOW
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**ALL FOR THIS is book three in the Here and Now series. It is not a stand-alone and it’s intended to be read after LOST IN ME and FALL TO YOU.**

What if you would never remember the day you made the most important decision of your life?

That’s what they’re telling me about the day of my accident—the day I put on Max’s ring and chose him over Nate. I’m counting on the wisdom behind a decision I don’t remember making.

Max is amazing—sexy, sweet, and kind. I was starting to believe happily-ever-after might be in my future after all. Then the unthinkable happened and my world imploded. If I’m going to make this work with Max, I need my missing memories, or at least answers from about those five days before my accident.

But what does my future hold if those answers aren’t anything like I imagined?



The following excerpt from ALL FOR THIS by its very nature contains spoilers for the first two books in the Here and Now series, LOST IN ME and FALL TO YOU. If you hate spoilers and haven’t read the first two books, I recommend you don’t read any further.

EXCERPT:

Max

“How are you holding up? Did it go okay with Nate last night?”
She stiffens at his name. “He asked me to move to LA.”
Of course he did. “And what did you say?”
She blinks at me. “I’m not leaving New Hope. This is my home.”
“He wanted more than for you to move to LA.” I take a step closer. I need to touch her. I wonder if she knows she’s pulling away from me, if she can feel it like I can. It’s as if we’re connected by a thousand little threads like those in a woven rug and they’ve been breaking one at a time since the moment Nate came back into town. With every breath, I feel another thread snap. “He wanted you.”
She shrugs. “I’m already taken.”
I draw in a deep breath. She lifts her hand to my face and skims her fingers along my jaw.
I groan softly and slide my hand into her hair as I lower my mouth to hers. She’s soft and sweet, and I need more of her.
Taking a fistful of her skirt, I yank her dress up around her waist and find the cotton of her panties. She gasps, and I rub her through the fabric as her fingers curl into my back. My lips find her neck and the skin in the sensitive juncture of neck and shoulder.
“Max,” she says. But it’s not the normal breathy, needy whispering of my name. The word is a warning. A yield sign. “Max.”
My hand stills and I pull back to look into her eyes. I’m blindsided by the apology I see there. “Let’s move in together.”
“What?” She blinks at me. If she’s thinking I have the world’s worst timing with important proposals, she’s not wrong.
“We could rent out our apartments and use the money to rent a little place together. Someplace without those stairs that scare the living shit out of me every time I think of you climbing them. Someplace we can make our own.” I take her hand and squeeze. “You didn’t want to move in together last spring because you knew your mom would flip if you lived with a guy before marriage, but we’re not trying to maintain appearances anymore, are we?” She looks at the floor, and I tilt her chin back up so her eyes meet mine. “I could give two shits about appearances. I want to wake up with you in my arms, Hanna. I want to know I’m going to be right there when you need me, every time you need me. You and Claire are all that matter in my world. I want everything that matters to be what I come home to every night.”
“I’m sorry.” She steps back. “I just can’t. I’m too confused right now.”
My lungs burn as I fill them—it hurts to breathe in a world where Hanna isn’t mine.
“I know it’s not fair. And I want a future with you, but…”
“But you can’t stop thinking about him.”
“I can’t move in with you right now,” she says softly. “That wouldn’t be fair to either of us. It’s not that simple.”
“You keep saying that.”
I swallow back the rest of what I want to say right along with my anger, frustration, and the betrayal I’ve never allowed myself to feel. While I was waiting for her to take my ring, she was with another man, and I was never allowed to be angry because that man died and she needed to grieve.
I drag a hand through my hair and look at the ceiling. “Was it that simple when you made love to him?”
“Can we not do this?”
Torment is etched across her face, and I can’t stand to know I’m the one who put it there. I pull her against my chest.
“I won’t rush you, but remember something for me,” I whisper into her hair. “You put on my ring.”

About the Author

Once a college English professor, I now write full time. I live in rural Indiana, where, when I’m not writing, I get to hang out with my husband and two kids–a six-year-old boy and a two-year-old hellion, er, girl. Not surprisingly, reading and writing remain my favorite activities, though both come in bits and pieces these days, not the big hunks of time I enjoyed before I had children. When I’m feeling virtuous, I like to go running (I use that word liberally. I’m really, really slow) or do yoga. Don’t worry, I’m always careful to balance out such activities with a hearty serving of ice cream or a chocolate martini.




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RELEASE DAY BLITZ: ROGUE BY KATY EVANS




ROGUE – snippet

“Bastard,” I mumble. “You ruined my whole week, you fucking bastard. I bet you’re fucking some triple-D blonde right now and her triplets all at the same time, aren’t you? You’re not even a two-timer, you’re like a three-timer, liar, feeding me an I’ll-take-you-to-the-movies fucking line. I swear I was fine until you came back like you “got” me, like you “got” me even if I looked like a hungover mess. God, I can’t believe myself!”
I kick the tub as if it’s the tub’s fault, then yell, “OUCH!”
Scowling, I walk into the bedroom, grab my sleep clothes, pad outside to my living room/kitchen combo to grab some ice cream, slide on my Princess Bride DVD and turn on the TV. A couple of pounds of fat, here we go. I plop down and a vibration buzzes across the couch. I scowl and feel around for my phone. I find it way in between the two couch cushions, pull it out, and set it aside for a scoop of ice cream. I almost choke on it when I see a text I hadn’t noticed before.
Be home tonight.
What? My stomach vaults. I read who the text is from and suddenly I want to throw my phone into a WALL. Greyson. I scowl at it and throw it down to the couch and start pacing. I’m not going to answer him. Why would I? He seemed in no hurry to talk to me before, and now he orders me? Like an all mighty king? No thanks. I’ll pass on our second date, thank you.
But I check and notice the text was sent hours ago. I tell myself I am not going to respond, I will wait a gazillion days like he did. I set the phone aside and put a big spoonful of ice cream in my mouth, letting it melt on my tongue, but my stomach is squirming and now I can’t watch the TV, I can only stare at my phone and suck on the spoon. Then I bury the spoon in the tub and grab my phone, squeeze my eyes shut and type.
I’m home but that doesn’t mean I’m staying home. Just depends . . .
On? comes the reply, and quickly.
Whoa, was he waiting, with phone in hand, to answer? It seems like he was.
I wait one full minute. Trembling. Type: On who’s visiting
I don’t mean that as an invite. I mean it as in: I’d hightail it out of here if he set foot in my building. But his answer is lightning fast and my heart starts pounding as it keeps staring back at me.
Me.
Crap! I have to leave. I have to leave; I can’t see him! I can’t be this easy! A line must be drawn. He’s already shown what our night together meant to him, and I won’t let myself be devalued by him or any other moron again.
I should leave before he arrives, or when he does, yell through the door, without opening it even an inch, and tell him that I’m NOT INTERESTED! You stood me up, you didn’t get in touch soon enough, I am not your booty call, have a good life!
Yeah. That sounds right.
Determined, I head over to close the living room blinds. When I glance out the window and reach for the string I see a dark sports car pull over and a man in black step out of the driver’s seat. He looks up toward my window and all my systems stop when our eyes lock, hold, recognize. My insides go into chaos mode. A strange excitement makes my knees knock.
Fuck me, it’s really him.
What is he doing here? What does he want?
He heads into the building and I turn to face my closed door, panicking because I haven’t changed, I didn’t change. I’m in my pj’s, if hardly that.
Noticing the pint of ice cream still grasped in my hand, I run to shove it back into the freezer, spoon and all. I start pacing around in circles, trying to come up with a new plan, but unable to think for shit. I consider telling my building guard not to let him in, but I hear the ring of the elevator and realize the guard must have recognized the motherfucker from when he brought me home last week.
Deciding not to delay the inevitable, I swing the door open as he steps out of the elevator. He looks straight at me and his gaze drills into me, making a hole straight in my thoughts. One of my neighbors and her husband pass along the hall toward their door.
“Well, hello there, Melanie. A little chilly out.” She gestures to the white silk shorts and near-transparent camisole I’m wearing in complete disapproval and continues on.
Greyson follows behind her and fills up the space one foot away from my threshold with muscle and beauty and testosterone and, I swear, god, I swear, he’s as lethal as a nuclear bomb. My knees, oh, my knees. My heart. My eyes. My body feels both light as a feather and heavy as a tank. How can this be? He’s so stunning I can’t even move. Or blink, or hardly stand; I’m leaning on the door frame.
I’m fully sober. Something I might regret. He’s no longer blurred by the rain, by vodka, or by my stupid illusions of prince charming.
The man standing at my door is very real, very big, very tan, and his smile is very, very charming. There is no word for the way he stands there, his eyes dark and glimmering, his cheekbones hard and his jaw smoothly shaven, his mouth so beautiful, tipped up mischievously at the corners. His suit is perfect, playboy perfect, and his tousled hair run with wayward streaks of copper that makes me want to rake my fingers straight through. And he’s here, looking at me as if waiting for me to let him in. A memory of the morning he brought me home flashes through me. Where I felt sore because of the way he’d loved me all night. The little mark behind my ear that I found the next morning.
Hanging on to my every instinct of self-preservation, I hold the door only halfway open when he catches it in one big powerful hand.
“Invite me in,” he says softly, holding the door in his firm grip.
“My car doesn’t need a tune-up, it’s fine, but thanks for checking in on it,” I say, pushing it closed with more effort.
He shoves the door open and strides inside, and I’m frustrated over my inability to keep him out. Now he’s inside and he shuts the door like he owns my place, then he studies it with a sweep of narrowed eyes. “This building has a laundry chute?”
That’s your line?”
He crosses the room and pulls the rest of the blinds shut, then he performs an insanely quick check of my place with a sweep of his gaze that makes my insides turn over.
It’s almost like he’s making sure there is no other man here.
He can’t possibly be jealous, can he?
And now . . . now that he seems assured no one is here but me, he starts walking over to me and looking at my mouth, and I’m walking away because every instinct of self-preservation in me tells me to walk away.
“You’re here. Why are you here all of a sudden? Some other date canceled on you last minute?” I demand.
“I have a date I’d like to schedule with you.” His eyebrows pull low over those brilliant hawklike eyes. “You’re not nearly as excited to see me as I’d hoped.”
“Maybe I thought you were a drunken hallucination. Maybe I hoped you were.”
I hit the back of my kitchen island and he locks me in with his arms, his eyes almost desperate and hungry. Then he cups my face and sets his mouth to mine, like he thinks—mistakenly—I belong to him.
“I’m not,” he says, softly, then he kisses me again, so deeply I lose my train of thought until he speaks against my mouth again. “A hallucination. And if you need me to, I’ll spend all night reminding you of what it feels like to have my tongue and my cock buried deep in you and how much you liked it.”
He leans over as if to kiss me again. My voice trembles as I turn my head. “Don’t, Greyson.”
“I don’t like that word, ‘don’t,’” he rasps against my cheek. “But I do like you saying Greyson.”
He tips my head around with the tip of one finger and stares at me like he loves the look of me. I lift one of his arms and he lets me, and I start easing away again, free of him, but not free of his stare. The first night he just kept staring at my eyes like he couldn’t tear his gaze free, but now, now he’s seeing all of me. I’m wearing shorts and a camisole yet my body starts heating as his eyes rake me up and down.
“I gave you a chance and you blew it,” I breathe.
“I want another one.”


​Social Media

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http://www.katyevans.net/
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https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKatyEvans?fref=ts



BioMy Life in 8 Words: “Hectic, wonderful, complete; everything I ever wanted.”
Katy Evans grew up with books and book-boyfriends until she found a real sexy boyfriend to love. They married and are now hard at work on their own happily ever after. Katy loves her family and friends, and she also loves reading, walking, baking, and being consumed by her characters until she reaches “The End.” Which is, hopefully, only the beginning…


REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: LEAD BY KYLIE SCOTT

Lead banner

Stay up all night with the sexy rockers in Stage Dive, the epic New Adult series from New York Times bestselling author Kylie Scott, author of Lick and Play.
 
About Lead (Stage Drive #3):


lead 

As the lead singer of Stage Dive, Jimmy is used to getting whatever he wants, whenever he wants it, whether it's booze, drugs, or women. However, when a PR disaster serves as a wake-up call about his life and lands him in rehab, he finds himself with Lena, a new assistant to keep him out of trouble.
Lena's not willing to take any crap from the sexy rocker and is determined to keep their relationship completely professional, despite their sizzling chemistry. But when Jimmy pushes her too far and Lena leaves, he realizes that he may just have lost the best thing that ever happened to him.

Amazon // B&N // iTunes

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OUR REVIEW:

We've loved Kylie Scott and the members of Stage Dive for quite a while now. Since we first read Lick, and then Play I have been an avid obsessor over Kylie's writing, and what might come next for these complicated, zany, outrageously hot men. And I was not disappointed in THE LEAST BIT by one Mr. Jimmy Ferris. 

Right, Court. Kylie has the best sense of humor and if I've said it once, I've said it a million times on this blog: I LOVE to laugh when I'm reading..and Kylie always makes me laugh. The guys in Stage Dive just do not fail me. 

Jimmy as referenced in the books previously referenced, is complicated. He is an addict. He has major, serious, life altering emotional issues. And you know what. He is like kryptonite to me. I love these complicated characters who have to dig waaayyyyyy down deep to find something even remotely redeemable. But you know what Ms. Scott did. OMG. She made us work for it right up to almost the very last page. Did you read that right. I said almost the LAST page. Jimmy was brooding, and funny, and like I said complicated right up to the end. I wanted to throw things (like Lena did I'm sure), I wanted to snuggle him tight when things went awry...but what I did most of all was fall further in love and stay up half of the night reading it. Because, lawd, who needs sleep when a fantastic book must be finished? 

When we first met Jimmy way back when, I just wasn't sure if I could like him. He seemed like a major ass. And honestly, in the vast majority of this book, he was a major ass. BUT!...I learned there were reasons for this and I very quickly appreciated his assholish ways. Even when I wanted to throttle him, I also wanted to laugh with him (he's funny as hell) and ..well, do everything Lena did. Lena was all sorts of awesomeness...

I've been slowly gushing over this book due to facebook teasers (Kylie is a fantastic tease y'all!) and finding out that Lena is one badass chick. She is hired to be Jimmy's personal assistant/sobriety companion...and she definitely has her work cut out for her. She wasn't planning to be so attracted to this foul mouthed asshole, but she (like we couldn't) can't resist him and gets sucked into this world of rockers (aka, dealing with Jimmy, and being harassed by Mal. I would LOVE to be harassed by Mal. He is so freaking funny! Anyways, Lena has the patience of a saint, and without being too spoilery the strength of her character in this book is awe inspiring, and I just love her. 

Man oh man...did I love Lena? Oh YES I DID. I loved her. She's got confidence for days (usually) and she's funny as fuck. I just..she cracked me up with her sass and her ability to snark at Jimmy at all times. She also knew how to handle all of the other boys in the band and their women, AND she was extremely loyal and ..god..really, what wasn't she? Um..that's hard. She was pretty badass all around. I suppose the hardest thing to watch (and I really did feel for her) was the impending implosion that seemed bound to happen between her and Jimmy. I knew it wasn't going to be great..but I just really loved how she handled it. She was so easy to relate to and ...I have the hugest crush on her. HUGE.CRUSH.

The writing of this book is spectacular. I don't know that I can say that enough. The pacing was seamless, the characters are solid...even though they are infuriating. The dialogue is engaging and funny. The steam is ridiculously steamy even though we had to wait a while for it. I love when I can say you must freaking read this book as soon as possible! Or the series if you haven't started it yet. It is a keeper! 

I, too, loved this book. I loved the humor and the complications that were Lena + Jimmy. I loved the other band members. If I had one thing I'd want to see more of..it'd be more of Lena and Jimmy before we got to know them..but really that's because I enjoyed them so much, I wanted to know everything about them.

Shelley: 5 stars
Courtney: 5 stars x a million


Excerpt:
“Lena, you seen my old black Led Zep shirt?”
“Nope.”
“You sure?” His brows became one dark cranky line. The scratches on his face were healing well, thank goodness. Though it didn’t reduce my desire to throttle his mother on a daily basis.
“Yes. I haven’t seen it.”
Can’t find it anywhere…”
“And this is a surprise, how?” I slipped my hands into my back jean’s pockets. “Jimmy, you own more clothing than Cher, Brittney, and Elvis, put together. Things are bound to go missing.”
“Sure you haven’t seen it?”
“For goodness sake, what do you think, Jimmy? That I stole it to sleep in or something?” I laughed bitterly. Sure as hell, the truth deserved a good mocking. I’d sunk so despicably low.
I hadn’t even meant to steal the stupid thing, but the shirt had been mixed up with my laundry a few days ago. It’d been the first top I laid my hand on after stepping out of the shower, ready to go to bed. Without thought, I’d put it on and it’d been so soft, the scent of him lingering beneath the laundry detergent. Every night since, I’d found myself in it come bedtime. My shame knew no limits. And no, I still hadn’t quit. The words still hadn’t come even close to leaving my mouth.
He frowned. “No.”
“That I have some deep secret longing to feel close to you resulting in my stealing your shirt like some creepy perv?”
“Course I don’t fucking think that,” he replied crankily, reaching up to grip the top of the doorframe. All of his bulging muscles stretched the arms of his white T-shirt in the nicest way. It was all I could do not to start drooling, my heart beat taking up residence somewhere down between my thighs. And who could blame it? Not me. Maybe if I got laid, this would go away and things would return to normal. It’d seemed safer to avoid rubbing up against any men just in case I got carried away and started dating again. This new situation, however, changed everything.
“Well, of course not! That would be crazy.” And wasn’t that the god’s honest truth? Cray-zeee. Lock me up and throw away the key because it wasn’t like I didn’t know better.
“Just can’t figure out where the hell it could be.”
Angels couldn’t have smiled as innocently. They might have tried, but they would have failed, the dirty-mouthed, winged, little liars. “Jimmy, I don’t know where it is. But I’ll look around for it later, okay?”
“Yeah,” he said, and then added as an afterthought, “and stop looking at me weird.”
“I’m not!”

About Kylie Scott:
Kylie Scott

Kylie is a long time fan of romance, rock music, and B-grade horror films. Based in Queensland, Australia with her two children and one delightful husband, she reads, writes and never dithers around on the internet.

Twitter | Amazon Author Page | Facebook | Goodreads | Website      

The Stage Dive series by Kylie Scott:

Lick (Stage Dive #1): Amazon / B&N / Goodreads
Play (Stage Dive #2): Amazon / B&N / Goodreads
Deep (Stage Dive #4) available on January 6th, 2015: Amazon / B&N /Goodreads

Check out more of Kylie's work:

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