SPOTLIGHT TOUR: BREAKING KATE BY D. KELLY (EXCERPT)

Michael Matthews has been in love with Katherine Moore since the second grade. In Michaels mind there is absolutely nothing that will ever be able to keep the two of them apart. The night Michael is set to propose to Katherine the evening is interrupted by an unexpected tragedy that tears the two of them apart for good.

Three years have passed since that fateful night when Katherine, now known as Kate meets Daniel. After an awkward start sparks fly between them. Daniel and Kate fall hard and fast into the most passionate and intense love affair of their lives. In three years a lot can change, Michael knows he made the biggest mistake of his life when he left Katherine and he will do anything to get her back. Asking his best friend Daniel for help is his first step in righting the wrongs he made so many years ago. Unfortunately, neither of them realizes that Michaels long lost love Katherine is Daniel’s true love Kate.

While attending the engagement party of a mutual friend, all of their paths collide. How is Kate supposed to choose between the two men that mean the most to her in the world? Kate has to push past her heartache and put some serious thought into what comes next. One wrong choice and not only could she lose them both but Daniel and Michael may never recover their friendship.

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We only talked a few days ago about the possibility of me putting myself out there again and he’s presumptuous enough to think he can fix me up on my first date in ages? Of course he is; he’s Connor fucking Houston. As pissed off as I am, I have to admit a bit of morbid curiosity as to who it might be.

Over the past year, I have heard all about his best friends Daniel, Jake, Mike, and April. I have yet to meet any of them in person, although I sort of feel like I already know them from Connor’s stories. Connor Houston is HOT! Scott Eastwood hot. Melt in your mouth hot. ‘Yes, you can fuck me right here, right now, in this room full of people just because you looked at me with come fuck me eyes and I don’t even know your name’ kind of hot. I can only begin to imagine what his friends look like.

Jess glares at me and I know I overstepped—she’s upset. “Kate, I’m going to try and ignore the fact that you basically just called me superficial because you and I both know that nothing could be further from the truth. I met the guy two seconds ago and he is HOT, and you, my friend, need to get laid. You haven’t had a relationship in over three years. I want to see you happy. I want to go on double dates. I want to swap sex stories with someone who is actually getting some, but most of all, I want to see that sparkle that has been missing from your gorgeous eyes for the last three years. I know how broken you’ve been, and you have every right to grieve your losses, but it’s time to move on. My god, Katie Grace, you met the man all of ten minutes ago and have already decided he’s a jerk. Maybe he’s nervous. If I were you, I would give it an open mind and see where it goes. If it’s awful, well, you wasted a night. But if he’s great? God, Kate, if he’s great maybe you can be happy again. Besides, I don’t think Connor would set you up with a jerk. He’s way too over protective of you to put you in that kind of situation. When they come back, I’m going to ask Connor to show me around and you need to play nice with Daniel, if for no other reason than to do me a favor. Can you please do that for me?”

His lips are almost brushing against mine, so close I can feel his breath caress my lips… it’s intoxicating. Daniel places one hand on the back of my head, pulling me forward to close the small gap between us as his perfect lips meet mine for a gentle, yet utterly heart-stopping kiss. This is the first kiss fairytales are spun from. My heartbeat is still rapid, my pulse is still racing, and I can’t for the life of me figure out why I have waited so long to find him. This man was obviously made just for me. Daniel stops kissing me, resting his forehead against mine.

I reach up and run my fingers through his hair, and I feel him suck in his breath as he slowly he moves his lips to mine. Gently kissing me, he parts my lips with his tongue, making his way into my mouth. When his tongue caresses mine I feel butterflies in my stomach. What the hell? The feeling is exceptional; it’s unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. I’m lost in it and to it.

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I'm a wife, a mom and a dog lover. I'm also a taxi, problem fixer, extreme multi-tasker and my kids biggest fan in anything that they do. I love to write, so when my career suddenly derailed I turned back to my love of writing. I married my high school sweetheart... how cool is that? Margaritas and sarcasm make me happy. Chocolate makes that happiness grow exponentially. People who make me laugh are my favorite kind of people. I believe Karma is a bitch who slaps back hard and that mean people suck. I'm California born and raised, I love the beach but hate the sand. Breaking Kate is my first novel and is part of The Acceptance Series.

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IN THE SPOTLIGHT: LEFT DROWNING BY JESSICA PARK

Title: Left Drowning

Author: Jessica Park

Print Length: 399 pages

ISBN: 1477817158

ASIN: B00BJQR23C

Publisher: Skyscape (July 16, 2013)

Retailers: Amazon Digital Services, Inc. | B&N

Goodreads

Check out our 5 star Left Drowning review
HERE

Synopsis:

What does it take to rise from life’s depths, swim against the current, and breathe?

Weighted down by the loss of her parents, Blythe McGuire struggles to keep her head above water as she trudges through her last year at Matthews College. Then a chance meeting sends Blythe crashing into something she doesn’t expect—an undeniable attraction to a dark-haired senior named Chris Shepherd, whose past may be even more complicated than her own. As their relationship deepens, Chris pulls Blythe out of the stupor she’s been in since the night a fire took half her family. She begins to heal, and even, haltingly, to love this guy who helps her find new paths to pleasure and self-discovery. But as Blythe moves into calmer waters, she realizes Chris is the one still strangled by his family’s traumatic history. As dark currents threaten to pull him under, Blythe may be the only person who can keep him from drowning.

*This book is intended for mature audiences due to strong language and sexual content.

Note: due to mature content recommended for Ages 17+

BUY LINKS:
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About the Author:
Jessica is the author of LEFT DROWNING, the New York Times bestselling FLAT-OUT LOVE (and the companion piece FLAT-OUT MATT), and RELATIVELY FAMOUS. She lives in New Hampshire where she spends an obscene amount time thinking about rocker boys and their guitars, complex caffeinated beverages, and tropical vacations. On the rare occasions that she is able to focus on other things, she writes.

Please visit her at jessicapark.me and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/authorjessicapark and Twitter @JessicaPark24

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: FULL STEAM AHEAD BY VALERIE CHASE

Is anybody else with us in wishing we were on a cruise RIGHT NOW! Winter is dragging long...so check out this book in the spotlight today all about fun in the sun and cruising the seas looking for love! 

About Full Steam Ahead---

Seven days aboard a luxury cruise.
The perfect getaway from it all.
At least, that’s what Georgia Cantwell was hoping for.

Georgia wishes she could run away from the nightmare that has consumed her life—but she can’t. With her inbox filling with menacing emails, all she can do is try to get through her sorority’s winter break cruise without anyone realizing how wrecked she is. So she really doesn’t need Jace McLaren, a green-eyed womanizer, seeing through her tacked-on smile when no one else seems to notice.

Growing up with a father in jail and a barely there mom, Jace knows from experience that if you’re going through hell, there’s no way out but through. He has always steered away from girls like Georgia with her ice-queen attitude, but she’s in real trouble, and despite himself he pushes past her walls.

As much as Georgia tries to ignore it, Jace won’t let her pretend with him. But she can’t risk telling him the truth. Her past would ruin his trust, her family, her future—everything.

But out on the open ocean, there’s nowhere to hide. And when Georgia’s secrets come tumbling out, it might take more than Jace to save her.

Read the first chapter here!

Buy Links

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Author Bio

Valerie Chase writes New Adult romance in the suburbs of Washington, DC.

When she isn’t typing away on her laptop or dreaming up swoon-worthy kiss scenes, she loves sipping hot tea, taking long walks by her house, and getting lost in indie bookstores. (You’ll probably find her in one right now.) Full Steam Ahead is her first book.

Social Media LinksFacebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Subscribe to Val’s Mailing List

ExcerptThe club stops spinning for a moment. Jace’s mouth is soft, much softer than I’d have thought given the roughness of his jaw under my fingertips. He doesn’t move for a heartbeat, and it’s like we exist in a bubble outside of this dance floor, outside of time.
But he pulls away from me. “What’s gotten into you?” He breathes, our mouths only inches apart. “I thought—”
I kiss him again. I need to forget about those emails, forget about my parents, forget about Hunter and Kelsey. I need to lose myself tonight, and Jace hooks up with lots of girls, so I’m sure he’ll know how to take my mind off of my problems. I’ve seen how he looks at me, so I know he’s interested. We’ll have some fun, and both get what we want.
My tongue traces along Jace’s mouth and then I gently bite his bottom lip, tugging it teasingly. I dip my thumbs into the waistband of his jeans and feel the warm skin of his stomach, so hard and smooth. I moan before I can stop myself.
Whatever I’m doing must be working, because Jace starts to kiss me back. His hands settle at my waist, trailing down toward my hips. Our kiss deepens and his tongue circles around mine, once, twice. Soft as a whisper. I’m lost in a rush of feeling, and I wrap my arms around his neck to draw him closer. I need him closer.
I push us toward the outskirts of the crowded room.
The lights move dizzyingly in the dark, and the music throbs through my limbs. Jace and I reach an empty spot by the wall. Here, we’re hidden from the dance floor by a tall potted fern decorated with white twinkling lights. The tiny lights reflect in Jace’s eyes, which take me in hungrily.
His hands move over my tank top to the bare skin of my shoulders, and I shiver as heat spikes through my limbs. My own fingers roam across his skin again eagerly: his waist, his back, across his hard abs that tighten at my touch… It has the temperature of a fever.
Jace dips his head to kiss my neck, and those dangerous lips make my whole body tingle. My thoughts go wild as I imagine him kissing down my belly, past my hips, and lower still. For a while we are a whirlwind, hot and spinning, and I haven’t felt so alive in months. Maybe years. I can’t help but think that it never felt like this with Hunter—this heat, this need. Not even when we first started dating.
I had no idea what I was missing.
And I don’t want it to stop.

BOOK SPOTLIGHT: BREAK AWAY BY ELLIE GRACE

Title: BREAK AWAY

Author: Ellie Grace

Release date: February 10, 2014

Age Group: NA

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Tour organized by: WordSmith Publicity

Links to the book: 

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads 

Book Description:

When Olivia Mason catches her fiancé cheating, her life gets turned upside down. With no family and no real place to call home, she heads south for a fresh start in Charleston, South Carolina. Determined to gain her own independence and protect her heart, the last thing she needs is a sexy, tattoo-covered guy to cross her path and test her resolve. Just as she’s beginning to put her life back together, she uncovers a piece of her past that shakes up everything.

Dex Porter has his own demons. A former Marine, he’s haunted by the past and uses whiskey, women and fighting to drown the pain and guilt that consume him. When Olivia arrives in town, he finds himself drawn to her immediately and is surprised by his desire to get to know her. She’s unlike anyone he’s ever met but he knows he can’t get close to her without exposing the part of himself that he keeps hidden. 

As Dex and Olivia strike up a friendship and fight their attraction to one another, they begin to chip away each other’s walls and help each other heal. However, the past is never far behind and they soon learn that no matter how fast they run, it will always catch up with them.

  

About the Author:

Ellie Grace is an avid reader, chocolate lover and caffeine addict. When a story popped into her head that she couldn’t seem to shake, she decided to pursue her childhood dream of becoming a writer. When she’s not writing, she’s usually curled up with a book by one of her many, many favorite authors.

Author Social Media Links:
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To see other stops guest posts, and excerpts click here or the button below.

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BOOK SPOTLIGHT - EXCERPT + REVIEW: CAKE BY NICOLE REED

 

 

Would you be willing to make a mess of your life to get exactly what you want?

Kylie Lord has known Trent Moss and Dray Savage since college. Trent, the smart and kind-hearted humanitarian has had her heart from the moment they met, but someone else always has his. Dray is an arrogant professional football player who happens to be Trent’s best friend and Kylie’s nemesis “with benefits.”

Five years after graduation, Kylie is commanding the world with a new image and a successful business; however, she lacks the one thing she wants and the one thing she can never have. That is, until one fateful night when Kylie decides to go after all of her forbidden fantasies and risk everything.

Two men, completely different and poles apart, but together they are her idea of perfection. One can only offer her tonight and the other forever, but can Kylie settle for just one man, or can she have her cake and eat it too?

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AMAZON CA / AMAZON UK

Our Review---

Cake. Let her eat cake. Immediately brought to mind I think of the phrase "Have your cake, and eat it too." So that should tell a lot just out of the gate. Having read about certain brothers with the name of Walker recently, I really didn't know WHAT direction that could go, but we were definitely intrigued by the idea of Kylie being best friends with two guys from college, and possibly being with one or both of them. 

To get it out of the way, the beginning was kind of rough. There was a lot of information to be given to get the story going, so it was understandable on one hand, and meh, on the other. The writing smooths out quickly enough, because it is a very quick read. (Shel, what did you think about pace, because I might be the wrong one to ask about that?) I thought after the initial set up of information, the novel flies. Time moves in weeks and months and moves the action along quite rapidly.

Kylie, Trent and Dray (I freaking loved the name Dray) are friends from their Freshman year of college. Kylie has loved Trent from afar for over seven years, so it was painful for her to rehash that because we're complete cynics. We wanted her to give up on him early because how many times do ya want to be kicked when you're down girl! She had a lot of growth to do. A lot! And be happy to know that you get it. Even if I was seriously prepared to throw my device across the room to endure it. Yeah I had many palm to face smacks with Kylie. I mean. How long you gonna waste your life for someone who just uses you..in the nicest possible way but, really, just uses you. Thank goodness she had Madison there to speak some truth (although sometimes her logic was a little screwy).

I, and I know Shel did too, had a lot of emotions to contend with during the reading of this book. I felt giggly and happy and laughed a lot in the beginning to middle. There are lots of funny one liners in this one. I love a book that makes me laugh! Needed a fan for a large portion, because there are some smoking hot scenes...and a lot of rage and anger about each character's behavior and motivation even if they made complete sense. Yep, yep, and yep. Hot scenes and lots of anger about some dumbass foolishness!

In all of that, I did really like the story. I like (now...then, not so much) the emotions that it provoked, and the fact that Shel and I have now exchanged phrases like Penis Genius in our bizarre whacko conversations. Fun times had by all, and I really would like to know if there is going to be another book (not about these people, Thank God, this story resolved itself beautifully...though each person will decide for themselves if that is a good or bad beautiful) about Kylie's best friend Madison and who she ends up with! Need to know this information! Ditto!

Courtney: 4 Stars
Shelley: 4 Stars

“Do you feel that, Kylie?” He continues to caress my arm with his hand. “That’s power running between you and me. I never imagined it would be so strong, so intense. Can you even conceive what my body rubbing against yours well feel like? Please unlike either one of us has ever experienced. Sex in its greatest form.”

His words hypnotize me, seduce me, and demolish my inhibitions so that even my common sense agrees with what he is saying. I’ve never wanted sex as much as I want it with Dray at this moment. In my head, I can see images of us entwined together, his dark against my light skin. The sight, in my mind’s eye, so clear, so erotic, that my breathing becomes erratic just with the thought. Closing my eyes, I feel his fingers glide to my breasts, circling the tip through my clothes. My clit throbs in tune with his movements almost as if he is touching me there. Dray grasps my nipple tightly as he pulls and squeezes. The dual motion overwhelms my senses, and an orgasm overcomes me, rippling up and through my body. Clenching my legs together, I moan as I ride it out. My body shakes, tingling with the aftermath of what just happened, and what I need to be happening again; however, sanity returns with me still sitting on the side of the couch. Opening my eyes, Dray stares at me like he knows my every thought. At least now, he has a supreme satisfied smile on his mouth and his shorts are in a superior tent out front.

“Damn girl. That is about the hottest sight I’ve ever seen. Had you been butt-naked, I think I would have exploded right along with you.”

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I love angst….I thrive on it, but only the fictional kind. I adore a story that grips the reader from the beginning and doesn’t let go…EVER. I’m an avid reader who just recently discovered my love of writing. My favorite things in life include my three wild & crazy kids, Reese’s Pieces, and every genre of music. I reside in the Deep South.

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