Excerpt

Monday, May 4, 2015

REVIEW: Sunshine & Whiskey by R.L. Griffin

**Blog Tour Stop**

Sunshine & Whiskey by R.L. Griffin

Romantic Comedy

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21942398-sunshine-and-whiskey?from_search=true

Buy Links:

AmazonUS: http://amzn.com/B00VZC0688

AmazonUK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00VZC0688

AmazonCA: http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00VZC0688

AmazonAU: http://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B00VZC0688

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/sunshine-whiskey

iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sunshine-whiskey/id987626958?mt=11

AmazonPB: http://amzn.com/1511663413

Playlist:

https://open.spotify.com/user/1279014977/playlist/0vNcitNOKMVchI9aLqjrf3

Giveaway:

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/1b4f5c985/

Synopsis:

Sometimes the best things in life come from the unexpected. So if you lower your expectations, then you’ll never be disappointed. Sound cheesy? It is, but it's also true. Clichés come from a grain of truth…like a man with a Porsche is compensating for something, or once a cheater always a cheater—you get the idea. Sorry, I digress. I'm supposed to be telling you what this book is about.

I'm Megan Walker, a lawyer at one of the hottest boutique law firms in Atlanta. I'm on the fast track to making partner and have my entire life planned out...or I did.

We all know how that goes, right? Best laid plans and all that.

Life just threw me a couple curveballs, so I've set out to take things into my own hands. By throwing caution to the wind and getting out of my A-type personality bubble, I'm learning more about myself than I have in my twenty-seven years.

Sound like a chick flick, doesn't it?

It’s not.

Shel: Our first experience with R. L. Griffin was with her By a Thread series--an intense, emotional, suspenseful romance; so when we saw she was working on something completely new, we knew we had to check it out. This new series is a 180 degree turn from By a Thread--it's a lighter, romantic comedy. Court: And I really fell in love with the cover.

Shel: This novel features two best friends who ditch everything about life as they know it and hit the road--it's basically the most epic best friend road trip you can have. Both Megan (our protagonist) and Laura (her best friend) have things they need to work through and when an opportunity arises that will allow them the time and space to do that with each other, they take it. Along the way they begin to delve deeper into what they want and don't want; who they are and aren't; and what they like and don't in a series of funny pit stops between Atlanta and California. Court: These two are really the epitome of the modern woman, in my opinion. They are very independent, and use this road trip to really discover who they are and who they think they are, and really who they want to be. They stop in major cities along the way for their high profile shenanigans. You'll have to read to find out why things turn out so high profile!

Shel: Of course it wouldn't be a romantic comedy without the 'romance' part--and there are some interesting events men they meet along the way. From the most horrible one night stand in New Orleans to an eye opening meeting with an ex to "Meat" and finally to a mysterious man in California Megan delves into her past relationships and how it's impacted some major life choices--and Laura is there to kick her butt, make her laugh, and ask her hard questions along the way. Court: I was beginning to wonder about the romance, honestly, but it did indeed show up. In some...awkward moments in my opinion. The worst one night stand award goes to Ben, and I am still cringing so hard that I have almost no words for the rest. No words! Lol.

Shel: One thing to note is that this novel is in first person POV and it took me a little time to settle into it; it felt a little forced or some of her phrases were a bit repetitive in the beginning. I note this because it may jar you too but I should also say that as the novel progressed I noticed these things less and less and was happy at how the novel ended. I can definitely see that Laura is perfectly set up to have a novel in this series and it'll be interesting to see what her back story is. Court: It was a bit jarring, and takes some getting used to but I think it is Megan's personality as much as it is the POV. She's a bit rough around the edges and so type A in proving herself, and I just wanted her to loosen up a bit. The beginning is a bit slow too, as it takes about 20% of the beginning to set up and really get into the course of the plot. I am happy where this one ended, but I was very apprehensive where it began. It gained it's stride, and the last half really delved into Megan's deeper issues at hand.

Excerpt

Chad's face is a mask of contradictions and his penis is still hard and he's wearing a condom and he's walking toward me. "Megan, listen, baby, we can work this out."

"Oh yeah, we can?"

"Yes," he says, standing there with his pants at his ankles.

I know I’m repeating myself, but who walks toward his girlfriend with a condom on and pants at the ankles.

"How about this? You both have three minutes to get the fuck out of my house. I'm going to change because I have one of the most important depositions of my life, and I can't go with guacamole on my shirt."

Where is this calm coming from? No idea.

"Baby, come on. Don't overreact."

What a dick, right? Yep, he really says this, to me, while he is standing there with a condom on his dick, his pants around his ankles. The secretary now throws my vibrator on my perfect seven hundred thread count sheets and pulls her dress down from where it was bunched at her waist.

"Oh, you think this is over reacting?" I take a step toward him for the first time since I’ve been here.

Chad takes another step toward me.

I smile. "I think overreacting would be to grab that knife that I cut my cantaloupe with this morning, you know the one that's still on the kitchen counter, and cut your dick and balls off. Then have them mounted. I think that would be overreacting. I, however, am simply asking you to get your shit, your condom, your whore and never come back." Ice enters my veins and voice and he knows I’m not fucking around.

"Megan," his condescending tone blows the roof off my calm.

"Chad..." I use the same tone. "If you aren't gone in,” I look down at my watch, the one he gave me for my birthday, “two minutes now, I'm going to punch myself in the face and then stab you."

He stares at me.

"Heat of passion and all that. I walked in on my live in boyfriend pounding a bitch in my bedroom, using my dirty vibrator...I don't think a jury anywhere would convict me. You?" I smirk and cock my head to the side in a question. At that, I turn and walk into my huge walk-in closet and change my shirt. My closet was the main reason why I bought this house. I have no idea if the shirt I’m pulling off the hanger matches my suit. I’m trying to focus, trying to compartmentalize what just happened.

I look at my phone, I’m running into my cushion.

Author Bio:

R.L. resides in the Atlanta area with some cool dudes: her husband, son and one crazy dog. She was born and raised in the South. She attended Georgia Southern University and moved to Washington, D.C. to intern in the United States Senate during the impeachment trial. Falling in love with the city, she went to law school at American University, Washington College of Law. By A Thread is R.L.’s second book, but is the first in a series of books.

Series order: By A Thread, Tension, Seamless, Mending (short story describing the events between the end of Seamless and the Epilogue) and Heart in Wire

Connect with the Author:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/R.L.GriffinByAThread

Twitter: https://twitter.com/rlgriffinauthor

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1254833.R_L_Griffin

Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/R.L.-Griffin/e/B00LGU43CE/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1413589405&sr=1-2-ent

Newsletter:

http://rlgriffinauthor.us3.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=8ecf971f496c38eb8b6ec3a20&id=ad95753d14

Tsu:
https://www.tsu.co/RLGriffinauthor

Thursday, April 30, 2015

BLOG TOUR (Excerpt): Unsurprisingly Complicated by Claudia Burgoa (The Unexpected Series Book Two)

Claudia Burgoa Unsurprisingly Complicated 4/30/2015

The lies between my parents and I came to light and now I’m working on a new life for myself. Along the way, I have my trusty superhero, Mason, to lean on when I have a hard time standing or when my crazy ex-boyfriend continues to feel he has a claim on me. Porter has trouble understanding that there hasn’t been an ‘us’ for more than three years plus all the issues he had brought upon himself. My father was right, drugs do kill. My other concern is the growing feelings I am having regarding Mason. There’s something between us I want to explore but I keep getting mixed signals. Here, I thought that after telling my parents about my lies and having their full support, things wouldn’t be as complicated as they are.

Mason My parents divorced before I even made my entrance into this world. My father has been obsessed with that love for years while my mother searches for love in all the wrong places. I don’t want a place to call home or a girl I can claim as mine. Except… Ainsley Janine –better known as ‘Nine’—has some special power that makes me question my preferences. The more I try to stay away from her, the more she pulls me closer. Exploring the possibilities of having something steady in my life isn’t a problem; it’s the long term that worries me. In addition to that, the scumbag she dated years ago keeps popping up everywhere we go. If I could use my license to kill, maybe I can stop worrying about one thing and concentrate on what to do with the green eyed girl who keeps me awake most nights.

Buy:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes/iBooks | Smashwords

Excerpt: “Are you sure this is okay with you? “Yes, Mason Bradley.” This is the tenth time he has asked me the question. “Did you use sex to distract me?” I clamp my lips together and refuse to answer the question. I wasn’t going to, but he gave me the perfect idea when I was desperate to make a point that his mother had to stay with me. Of course, now I’m chewing my lip because Mrs. Reality knocks me down with full force. My boyfriend’s mother is staying with me. Not just any woman—his mother. She’s going to judge me, hate me, and, what else do mothers do? “Does she know about me?” “No.” He takes his eyes off the road for a second. My hands slam against my face. “Of course she knows about you. She’s known about you since you were little, Nine.” “I don’t mean that way.” I toss my head against the seat and roll my eyes. “Girlfriend. I mean, I am your girl right?” “Oh, that detail. You are?” I groan like a wounded bear. “It’s a joke. Damn, you get feisty when you’re nervous. Take it easy. Yes, she knows and she’s aware that you and I are dating. You hold the girlfriend title, the girl who tamed me, my other half, the one who holds the key to my cell and that’s why I stick around.” I suck on my lip as I gift him with my deep, hard glare of ‘die’. “You’re not funny.” “Oh, I am.” He laughs as I burn with panic, fear, and unamused anger. My entire body is shaking at the prospect of having the woman in my house for however long she’s staying here. “How long is she staying?” I’m trying to figure out my schedule for the next few days. “She didn’t say.” A response that won’t help me with the jitters eating the insides of my stomach or with planning. Ugh, I put myself into this situation. Great. “Stop,” he orders. “I’m the only one allowed to nibble those lips. They’re mine.” He takes my hand and kisses the inside of my wrist. Then his finger caresses my skin soothing the knotted nerves. “She’s going to like you.” Not love me? My world is in danger of crumbling as I learn that winning over his mom may be a bigger challenge that I originally thought. “Oh, God!” I finally let the excruciating panic out. “What is she going to think about me?” The question comes out of my subconscious. “That we’re going too fast. I mean, you’re practically living in my house, which I love. Each day a new pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and some other item finds a spot in my closet. Scott, your sports car, lives next to Eleanor. Tucker stays at my parents’.” “Huh, you just noticed?” He kisses my hand again. “To clarify, I’m not living with you. There are a few items I have around to make things simpler when I stay overnight. That brings me to another issue. Stop naming my stuff. It’s a car, not Scott; a truck, not Tucker.” He pats the dashboard. “Ready?” he taps my nose with his free hand. “Stamp on that pretty smile of yours. That, ‘I’m about to die’ look isn’t flattering. Here they are.” Mason parks the car in front of a couple. Mr. and Mrs. Daugherty wait for us outside the terminal with their luggage. Mason’s stepfather is only a few inches taller than his wife, bald but with handsome features. “Wait here,” Mason orders. Mason’s mom is an inch or two taller than me, maybe five-seven. Porcelain skin with dark almond-shaped eyes and fine, soft features. Dark hair and a smooth complexion, just like I remember her from childhood. Due to airport restrictions, within seconds Mason shoves their luggage in the trunk and helps his mom into the car as his stepfather did not offer. “Mother, meet Ainsley Colthurst-Decker, better known as Nine or the girl I casually date.” He used the dorky jokester voice. I narrowed my eyes at him. “My lovely girlfriend. I’m not sure if you remember her. Nine, Mom.”

About Claudia Burgoa:

Born on the mystical day of October 30^th in the not so mystical lands of Mexico City, Claudia grew up with a childhood that resembled a caffeine-injected soap opera. Seventeen years ago she ventured to the lands of her techie husband—a.k.a. the U.S.—with their offspring to start a new adventure. She now lives in Colorado working as a CFO for a small IT company, managing her household filled with three confused dogs, said nerd husband, two daughters wrought with fandoms and a son who thinks he’s the boss of the house. To survive she works continually to find purpose for the voices flitting through her head, plus she consumes high quantities of chocolate to keep the last threads of sanity intact.

Find Claudia Online:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Thursday, November 20, 2014

BLOG TOUR: THE UNION BY T.H. HERNENDEZ

The Union Synopsis:

After global warming and a second civil war devastated the former United States, two different societies rose from the ashes – the Union, a towering high-tech utopia, hugging the perimeter of the continent, and the devastated, untamed midsection known as the Ruins.

Seventeen-year-old Evan Taylor has an easy, privileged life in the Union. What she doesn’t have is any idea what to do with the rest of her life. She only knows she wants to do something meaningful, to make a difference in the lives of others.

When she’s kidnapped and taken into the Ruins as a pawn in a dispute involving her boyfriend, Bryce, her ideal world is turned upside down. What she learns while in the Ruins shakes her faith in everything she’s ever known, from Bryce, to her family, and even the Union itself.

Now Evan must choose whether to stay with Cyrus, the sexy, resourceful survivor who believes she’s in the Ruins for a reason, or return to the only life she’s ever known. But when she stumbles upon a dangerous plot that threatens both worlds, her decision could tear her apart.

An Excerpt

The sun hangs low, balancing delicately on treetops when someone calls my name. One of the brothers is coming toward me holding hiking boots in one hand and a pair of socks in the other. Pale eyes. Cyrus. I guess they’re tag-teaming me now.

Relief washes over his features when he spots me. Seriously? After how they found me, just how stupid does he think I am?

Blowing out a mouthful of air, I realize I need to make the best of this situation until I can get home.

Cyrus hands me the boots and socks. “I got a size seven. Let me know if they don’t fit.”

“Thanks.” While lacing up my boots, I decide if I’m going to make the best of things, I need to start by apologizing. “I’m sorry about last night. About screaming at you the way I did.”

He studies me for a moment, his golden brown eyes sizing me up. I brace myself for a lecture on how I owe them for rescuing me, but all he says is, “Apology accepted.”

Not what I was expecting. “Can I ask you something?”

He reaches a hand out to help me off the rock. “Sure.”

“How many people live out here?”

We start back to the house and I need to take three steps for every two of his to keep up with his longer strides.

“If you mean the land mass outside the Union, I don’t know, but in this valley, a few thousand. Why?”

“Just curious, I guess.”

I survey my surroundings with objectivity for the first time and I’m struck by the raw beauty, so different from the planned and cultivated Union.

Cyrus stares at me, like he wants to say something more, but he just runs a hand through his hair. “We should get inside. It’s almost time to eat.”

T.H. Hernandez Bio:

When not visiting the imaginary worlds inside my head, I live in San Diego, California, with one husband, three children, two cats, and one dog. In addition to my day job as a technical writer and editor, I write young adult fiction. I love the intensity of teen emotions and the way they're still figuring out life.

When I'm not writing, you can find me with my nose in a book, hanging out with family and friends, hiking, or knitting. I'm obsessed with Facebook, young adult novels, bad lip reading videos, pumpkin spice lattes, microbrewed beers, and the San Diego Chargers.

Buy Links:

Amazon | The Union Goodreads

Links:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thursday, October 23, 2014

BLOG TOUR: VANQUISH BY PAM GODWIN

Warning: Graphic sex and violence. Age 18+ only

It is recommended to read after Deliver, but it can be read as a stand-alone.

Her life is like a prison cell.

A self-made, to-hell-with-the-free-world existence that locks from the inside.

Stop judging. Her agoraphobia doesn’t define her. It simply keeps her safe.

He belongs in a prison cell.

The 6x8, make-me-your-bitch variety that locks from the outside.

But he’s free. To hunt. To take. To break.

And he just found a sexy new toy.

Capturing her is the easy part. Her fucked-up mind, however, makes him question everything he does next.

But he’s a determined bastard. If all goes his way, this will hurt like hell.

Goodreads link → https ://www .goodreads .com /book /show /20932811-vanquish

Buy Links →

Amazon US → http ://www .amazon .com /Vanquish -Pam -Godwin -ebook /dp /B 00 N 06 OSZ 4/ref =sr _1_1_twi _1?ie =UTF 8&qid =1412994937&sr =8-1&keywords =vanquish +by +pam +godwin

Amazon UK → http ://www .amazon .co .uk /Vanquish -Pam -Godwin -ebook /dp /B 00 N 06 OSZ 4/ref =sr _1_1_twi _2?ie =UTF 8&qid =1412995077&sr =8-1&keywords =vanquish +pam +godwin

Barnes & Noble → http ://www .barnesandnoble .com /w /vanquish -pam -godwin /1120187476?ean =2940046286533&itm =1&usri =vanquish +pam +godwin

Kobo → http ://store .kobobooks .com /en -US /ebook /vanquish -1

Smashwords → http ://www .smashwords .com /books /view /469955

Excerpt →

“Are you going to cut me up in little pieces?”

A cold smile tipped his lips as he chuckled. Then his expression sobered. “Walk to the kitchen.”

Fucking psychopath. He stood right in the doorway, taking up the whole damned hall. At over six feet tall with a muscled body cut from stone, he could squash her without breaking a sweat. She didn't want to go near him. He was terrifying. But being forced outside was worse. She straightened her back and headed toward him.

As she slid by, his arm caught her waist and yanked her back against his chest. She slapped at his hand, bucking against him, and his arm clenched tighter. His erection jabbed against her backside, his breath hot at her ear. “Fighting and squirming only turns me on. Don't stop.”

She immediately stilled. God, he wasn't lying. His dick was undeniably more pronounced against her back. Feeling him like that, so close, so huge and hard, rushed heat between her legs and prickles over her skin. Why, oh why was she responding this way? She hated and wanted it, and mother of all fucks, she couldn't have been more completely and totally out of her mind.

She drew a ragged breath. Think, think, think. But his intention blatantly rubbed against her, scattering her thoughts. “You're going to rape me, aren't you?”

His torso moved up and down with his breath. “I thought you wanted to be fuck buddies. Don't make it weird.”

Author bio →

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author, Pam Godwin, lives in the Midwest with her husband, their two children, and a foulmouthed parrot. When she ran away, she traveled fourteen countries across five continents, attended three universities, and married the vocalist of her favorite rock band.

Java, tobacco, and dark romance novels are her favorite indulgences, and might be considered more unhealthy than her aversion to sleeping, eating meat, and dolls with blinking eyes.

Author Links →