Title: Stupid Love (Stupid in Love #3)
Author: Cindy Miles
Publisher: 247 Pages (September 10th, 2015)
From: the Author
Format: eARC
Add to: Goodreads
Order a copy: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository, Amazon UK

NOTE: This is a "New Adult" novel. Due to mature content this title is recommended for ages 18+

Synopsis: Bestselling new adult author Cindy Miles is set to capture the hearts of STUPID GIRL fans again with the grand finale of the Stupid in Love series, featuring Memory and Jace.

MEMORY

Casualties.

That’s how I refer to the guys who’ve had the bad fortune to fall for me. They only see long legs that they wish were wrapped around them, a cat-like smile, and the reckless abandon to take on any wild dare. It’s all a game to me. Show me a bridge, and I’ll leap over the side. Give me a car, and I’ll race it. Give me a heart, and I’ll break it. I always win. I even showed Death who was boss a long time ago.

Or so I thought.

Now, time is running out, and I’m losing fast…and big. I met someone. Jace Beaumont. He’s smart, and good, and I dream about spending days exploring the summit of his perfect lips. But, I’m a grenade. I know I should leave him be. I can’t.

JACE

Study, class, work, repeat. That’s all I have time for. At twenty-five years old, I have a bit more mileage on me than the average college freshman. But, that’s what happens when you spend your youth drinking, partying, and bagging girls like it’s a full-time job. Now, I have goals. There’s just one kink in my plans. Her name is Memory. She’s every guy’s dream girl. She’s intoxicating. She’s trouble. I want to stay away. I can’t. 

Review: 3 Stars - Stupid Girl is the third and final book in the Stupid in Love series from author Cindy Miles. Each book centers around a new set or characters so while they can be each read as a standalone, characters from the previous books do make appearances here and there in following installments.

This title focuses on characters’ Memory and Jace. All of the characters attend the same college so the setting for parts of the book was a welcome reminder of the pervious titles. However if these two were mentioned or introduced in the two previous books I don’t recall, so they were completely new to this reader.

As for whom these two characters are, I liked Jace more than Memory, yet I liked the idea of her. I just couldn’t get a good idea as to who she was. She was such a free spirit that just when I felt I had a better idea as to who she was, what she looked like and what she wanted in her life something would happen and I’d feel like I was reading a completely different character. I don’t believe I connected with her at all. Yet with Jace, I understood him. He’s a bit older, easy going, keeping his head down to get through his first year of college. He’s not looking or interested in girls or parties, he wants to stick to his plans and when he meets Memory things become muddled for him.

One of the things I went back and forth on with this story was a serious secret that Memory was keeping. I felt she continued to set herself up for a huge fall that could have been avoided so many times over. She was frustrating to me on numerous occasions.

Even with the huge thing that Memory was dealing with the book started out slow. Now, with the previous two books I really did love them. I couldn’t get enough of them. I liked how they were written, the stories and the characters. However with this one it was often hard to continue to read and finish the book.

I’m one of those people that even if a book doesn’t work for me it’s hard to not finish it. I have to know how it all ends. And while reading I did ask myself if this was one of those books. I didn’t know, but I did understand that I didn’t enjoy this one even close to how much I did the other two installments. And while I had things that didn’t work, I really loved the Jace character and the major issue that Memory was going through. Her inner dialogue about this issue had me hurting for her one minute and frustrated the next.

With how much I loved the other two books I don’t want to put anyone off reading this series. I’d say start at the beginning and get to the great stuff and see if you like it and then go from there. I’ll be keeping an eye on this author to see what comes from her in the future. One book that didn’t work for me isn’t enough to put me off reading what they write next, as I honestly believe that not every book works for everyone.

This is without a doubt a “New Adult” title due to language and adult situations and should be taken into consideration if you happen to be sensitive to those sorts of things. I do hope you find more to like/love about this title than I did. Happy reading.

Title: Reaper's Fall (Reapers MC #5)
Author: Joanna Wylde
Publisher: Berkley, 384 Pages (November 10th, 2015)
Add to: Goodreads
Order here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository, Amazon UK

NOTE: This is a "Adult/New Adult" novel. Due to mature content this title is recommended for ages 18+

Synopsis: He never meant to hurt her.

Levi “Painter” Brooks was nothing before he joined the Reapers motorcycle club. The day he patched in, they became his brothers and his life. All they asked in return was a strong arm and unconditional loyalty—a loyalty that’s tested when he’s caught and sentenced to prison for a crime committed on their behalf.

Melanie Tucker may have had a rough start, but along the way she’s learned to fight for her future. She’s escaped from hell and started a new life, yet every night she dreams of a biker whose touch she can’t forget. It all started out so innocently—just a series of letters to a lonely man in prison. Friendly. Harmless. Safe.

Now Painter Brooks is coming home… and Melanie’s about to learn that there’s no room for innocence in the Reapers MC.

Excerpt:

“You want to watch a movie or something?” she asked, nodding toward the TV. I had a decent one, too. Giant-ass flat-screen—homecoming present from the club.

“Sure,” I said, reaching for the remote. I didn’t have cable, but Ruger had set up some kind of box thingie for me so I could stream shit. “Whatcha in the mood for?”

“Not horror,” she said quickly, and I laughed again, remembering that first evening I’d spent with her at Pic’s house. She’d been so young and scared and vulnerable . . . I’d wanted to eat her up.

I still wanted to eat her.

“I can’t believe that you and Puck were supposed to be watching over me, and then you put in a slasher movie. That’s not how you make a girl feel safe.”

“No horror,” I agreed, although the thought of holding her for a couple hours while she was scared shitless appealed way more than it should. Watch it, asshole. “How about Star Wars?”

“You like Star Wars?”

I shrugged. “Everyone likes Star Wars. You know, I’m pretty damned sure Han Solo was a biker.”
She giggled. “You mean, like a space biker?”

“See, when you say it like that it sounds stupid.”

“I wanted to be Princess Leia. She’s badass,” she said, taking a deep drink of her beer. I watched as her lips wrapped around the neck, her throat swallowing. Oh fuck, that was good. She set the beer down on the coffee table with a clink, then let loose with the biggest burp I’d ever heard.

“Fucking hell,” I said, stunned. “I didn’t think girls could burp like that. Shit. Impressive, Mel. Very impressive.”

She grinned at me.

“We’re friends,” she told me. “And friends don’t need to worry about stuff like that. Let me guess—you’ve never had a female friend before?”

“Not really,” I admitted. “I’m think I’m a little scared.”

Scared and turned on, which was weird.

“You should be. I can do the whole alphabet.”

Damn. I kinda wanted to see that.

About the Author:
Joanna Wylde is a New York Times bestselling author and creator of the Reapers Motorcycle Club series. She currently lives in Idaho. 

Find Joanna Online:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

GIVEAWAY!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Title: Consent
Author: Nancy Ohlin
Publisher: Simon Pulse, (November 10th 2015)
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
Add to: Goodreads
Order here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository, Amazon UK

Synopsis: Bea has a secret.

Actually, she has more than one. There’s her dreams for the future that she can’t tell anyone—not her father and not even her best friend, Plum.

And now there’s Dane Rossi. Dane is hot, he shares Bea’s love of piano, and he believes in her.

He’s also Bea’s teacher.

When their passion for music crosses into passion for each other, Bea finds herself falling completely for Dane. She’s never felt so wanted, so understood, so known to her core. But the risk of discovery carries unexpected surprises that could shake Bea entirely. Bea must piece together what is and isn’t true about Dane, herself, and the most intense relationship she’s ever experienced, in this absorbing novel from Nancy Ohlin.

Author Guest Post:

          I knew I was taking a major risk writing a novel about a teacher-student romance.  Many people are uncomfortable with this subject, and for good reason; do a search for “teacher,” “student,” and “sex” on the Internet, and the result is way too many disturbing links about teachers being arrested for preying on their students.

          So this happened to me in high school.  It was not a romantic or sexy experience.  Years later, I decided that I wanted to write a novel about the topic so that I could warn and enlightenreaders.  That’s how Consent was born.

          But Consent changed radically along the way.  While writing, I realized that the issue of sexual consent was way more complicated than I was making it out to be, at least with regards to age.  Laws exist that dictate how old a person has to be to legally consent to sex, and they differ from state to state.   These laws are intended to protect; they can also be perceived as being arbitrary and overly restrictive.  Is it fair for a seventeen-year-old boy to be arrested for having sex with his fifteen-year-old girlfriend?  Shouldn’t it be okay if the parties involved are in love?

          Consent is about all this.  It’s about a teacher who should know better than to have a relationship with his student.  It’s about a damaged girl who needs a mentor so she can move forward in life.  It’s about two people in love.  It’s about laws being broken.  It’s about consequences and finding the truth.

I want to be clear.  In no universe do I think that teachers should have relationships with their students.  Consent laws are vitally important—not just the so-called “age of consent” laws but the laws that spell out when “no means no” and “yes means yes.”

But.  Real life is not so black and white, and I wanted to explore all the grayness, the nuances, through the lens of a teenager—a fictional teenager—who is in love with a man she thinks of as her hero andsoulmate.

          Consent may unleash a maelstrom of public outrage.  In a way, I hope it does.  We need to keep talking about the issue of consent:  what it means, how to regulate it, and how to bind it inexorably to the very idea of sex.  Consent is my humble contribution to that conversation.

About the Author:

I am the author of BEAUTY, a YA retelling of the Snow White tale, and ALWAYS, FOREVER, a YA retelling of Daphne du Maurier's REBECCA. ALWAYS, FOREVER was originally published in hardcover as THORN ABBEY.

I've also contributed to several celebrity novels, including a New York Times-bestselling YA trilogy.

I'm currently hard at work on my next YA novel, which will be as mind-bending as ALWAYS, FOREVER (I hope!).

My favorite cures for writers' block are long walks, long showers, popcorn, chocolate, and really expensive coffee. I talk to myself a lot while I write (you know, to make sure the dialogue zings).

Find Nancy Online:

Website | Twitter| Facebook | Goodreads

Title: Untamed (Thoughtless #4)
Author: S.C. Stephens
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing, 416 Pages (November 3rd, 2015)
Add to: Goodreads
Order here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository, Amazon UK, Kobo, iBooks, Google Play, BAM

NOTE: This is a "Adult/New Adult" novel. Due to mature content this title is recommended for ages 18+

Synopsis: #1 New York Times bestselling author S.C. Stephens brings us the next book in her Thoughtless series! 

The spotlight doesn't only shine. Sometimes it burns.

Being the bad-boy bassist for the world's hottest band has earned Griffin Hancock some perks: a big house, a fast car, and most importantly his incredible wife, Anna. The one thing it hasn't brought him is the spotlight. Anna tells him to be patient, that his talent will win out. But Griffin is through waiting for permission to shine.

Without warning, Griffin makes a shocking decision and takes the gamble of a lifetime. Suddenly he's caught up in a new level of lights, cameras, and chaos. One that pushes his relationship with Anna to its limits. Anna has always found his unpredictable behavior sexy, but lately he's seen an ache in her eyes--and it has his soul in knots. Just as the recognition Griffin seeks is finally within reach, the thing he loves most in life could be slipping through his fingers...

Author Interview:

1. What do you think readers will be surprised to see from Griffin in UNTAMED?

I think readers will be surprised to see how much he grows in this book. He’s evolved a lot since Thoughtless, but that growth is nothing compared to Untamed.

2. What’s your favorite quote or scene from UNTAMED?

Oh man…there are so many! But my ultimate favorite scene is at the end. I don’t want to spoil it, so I can’t really talk about it, but he lets his guard down and is completely open and vulnerable. It’s such a shocking difference from how he normally is that it really gets to me. I choke up every time.

3. What are three things we’d find on your writing desk?

My iPod, my laptop, and my Ned Stark figurine. He helps keep me focused, because… Winter is coming.

4. If UNTAMED was being made into a movie, who would you want to play Griffin?

Chris Hemsworth. And I would need to be on set every day.

Excerpt:

          “What was all that about? And what did you mean at the end there? You are a part of this band, Griffin. You always have been, and you always will be.”
          Pushing him back a step, I snapped, “It’s a little late for the pep talk, bro. If you think I’m so valuable, you could have stood up for me in there.” I lifted my arms for emphasis. “It gave me the warm and fuzzies how you let him walk all over me.”
          Kellan sighed. “It’s complicated, Griff. Matt’s a genius on guitar…he’s…it’s his instrument, the one he’s born to play. But us saying that isn’t an insult to you. You’re amazing on bass, gifted even. It’s just…we each have our part, you know?And we have to do them the best we can.” He put a hand on my shoulder. “For the sake of the band, I’m asking you to let this go and just…forget about lead. Please?”
          I could only stare at him. I felt numb inside. Was this what giving up your dream felt like? For as long as I could remember, I’d wanted all eyes on me—I’d wanted to be the center of attention. Matt had never wanted that. But he was given the instrument that shone while I was given the one that everyone forgot about. My part was designed to blend, designed to go unnoticed. It was everything I wasn’t, and I was sick of being stuck with it. I wanted more, but they wouldn’t give me more.
          Without answering him, I turned and walked away, toward the house. What could I say to that anyway? Matt had just permanently rejected my chances at ever being lead guitar. Forgetting was the only thing left that I could do. Forget, or stew, and right now, I wanted to stew.
          When I got back to the living room, Jenny and Rachel were there working. “Need something, Griffin?” Jenny asked, her pale eyes practically sparkling with happiness.
          Ignoring both her good mood and her question, I called out for Anna. “She’s upstairs with Kiera,” Rachel quietly replied.
          Harrumphing some sort of thank-you, I began plodding my way to the stairs. Fucking stairs. I stomped up them, cursing my bandmates with each step. I imagined that the carpet treads under my feet were their squishy faces. I felt a little better by the time I reached the top. “Yo, Anna! Where are you?”
          Both Anna and Kiera instantly appeared in a bedroom door frame. Simultaneously, they both put fingers to their lips. “Shhhhhhh,” they both scolded.
          I was tired of being reprimanded today, so I didn’t lower my voice any. “Wake up Gibson. We’re leaving.”
          Anna instantly edged around Kiera to step into the hallway. “What’s wrong?” she asked me, while Kiera stepped out of the room behind her. The two sisters were pretty similar, but Anna definitely had a lot more curves than her slimmer and straighter sister. Generally I appreciated those curves, but at the moment, I just wanted to shove them into the car and get out of here.
          “There’s no point being here right now, so we’re leaving. Actually, there’s no point in ever coming back here, so we’re leaving.” I opened the door closest to me, hoping I’d find my sleeping daughter behind it. Nope. Empty.
          I moved to try another door, but Anna stepped in front of me. “Let’s go outside, get some fresh air.”
         Dramatically tossing my hands in the air, I gave up. “Fine.” What did it matter, since nothing was working for me today anyway?
         I headed back to those goddamn stairs while Anna told Kiera she’d be right back. Not waiting for my very pregnant wife, I sped down the steps and out the door. The fresh air on my face helped calm me down a little, but I was still riled up. I paced the front porch while I waited for Anna. Those sanctimonious assholes.
          “Griff?” A soft touch on my shoulder spooked me, and I jumped. Turning, I saw Anna behind me, her green eyes worried. “What’s going on?” She indicated the front step, and I grudgingly sat down.
         Once I was seated, my mood dropped. I’d started the day so positively, knowing without a shadow of a doubt that this tour was going to be the one. But not anymore. It was going to be the same old crap. Dropping my head, I slumped over. Anna sat beside me, and her fingers lightly caressed my back in a soothing pattern. It helped my residual anger, but not my rising disappointment.
          “One song. I asked for one fucking song…and they wouldn’t even give that to me…” I studied my fingers in my lap while my dreams dissolved in my hands. “Matt just told me that he’s not ever going to give me a chance to play lead, and the rest of the guys agreed with him. I’m done…forever stuck on bass…forever in the shadows. I just wanted one song, one moment in the spotlight.” With a sigh, I looked up at her. “Four minutes? Is that so much?”
          Anna’s eyes were heavy with sympathy. Reaching up, she threaded her fingers through my hair. “No…that’s not much at all.”
          I nodded and dropped my vision to my lap again. “Yeah, I didn’t think so either. But they can’t even give that to me.” The anger resurfaced, wrapping disappointment around it like a blanket. “Between me and you, babe, sometimes…I really don’t like those guys.”
          Anna kissed the back of my neck and wrapped an arm around my shoulder in sympathy. “I’m sorry, Griffin.”
          Closing my eyes, I let her comfort wash over me. At least there was one person on earth who gave a shit about me.

About the Author:

S. C. Stephens is a #1 bestselling author who spends her every free moment creating stories that are packed with emotion and heavy on romance.  In addition to writing, she enjoys spending lazy afternoons in the sun reading, listening to music, watching movies, and spending time with her friends and family.  She and her two children reside in the Pacific Northwest.

Find S.C. Online:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

GIVEAWAY!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Title: Hard Beat (Driven #7)
Author: K. Bromberg
Publisher: Signet, 400 Pages (November 3rd, 2015)
From: the Publisher
Format: eARC
Add to: Goodreads
Order a copy: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository, Amazon UK, Kobo, iBooks

NOTE: This is a "Adult/New Adult" novel. Due to mature content this title is recommended for ages 18+

Synopsis: From the New York Times bestselling author of Sweet Ache comes a blistering new novel filled with danger, secrecy, and a desire that can’t be sated…

Foreign war correspondent Tanner Thomas is addicted to living on the edge. Needing the adrenaline rush of his job to help him cope with a personal loss, he throws himself back into the game, concentrating all his energy on getting the next big story.

But when he meets his new photojournalist, Beaux Croslyn, he can’t help but feel like he’s losing his focus—and maybe risking more…

With secrets she won’t address, Beaux is far from your ordinary woman. Determined to keep her distance, she’s willing to pull Tanner in closer and hide behind the sparks flying between them. But as Beaux’s past begins to put their relationship—and their lives—at risk, Tanner’s determination to find the truth puts them both in jeopardy.

He's ready to chase her to the ends of the earth to find out if what they had was real, or if the danger surrounding them was just an exquisite heat fated to burn out…

Review: 3.5 Star - Hard Beat is the seventh book in author K. Brombergs Driven series. And while this might be part of a series this title can without a doubt be read as a standalone. So, if you haven’t read any of the previous books in the series, you are not only missing out, but have no fear, you can start here! (Rhyming in this review was just an added bonus!)

When I first started reading this series I couldn’t get enough. It’s a fact that still remains. However I find myself looking more and more for Colton and Rylee. I miss those two, so when they pop up here and there throughout the books it’s like a little hidden Easter egg. And Bromberg didn’t let me down in that respect one bit.

As I’ve read the previous books there have been certain characters who have intrigued me and one happens to be Rylee’s brother Tanner. He’s talked about and doesn’t often make an appearance in pervious installments, however when I learned what his “job” was I wanted to hear his story. When I found out Hard Beat was all about the Foreign war correspondent I couldn’t wait to find out what makes him tick.

Tanner himself is an adrenaline junkie of sorts. He likes to live as close to the edge as possible and in ways that makes him the perfect person to be in the thick of a war zone to report it. He’s not ready to give it up and settle down. He wants that rush he feels when he gets a call that something big is about to happen in the middle of the war torn desert.

It’s not until something happens to someone he loves that his life changes and makes him question things. He knows he needs to get back out there and to push through if he’s going to make a difference and make up for what he believes he failed in.

So when Beaux walks into his life there’s more than just fireworks, there’s stress, worry and disaster written all over it. However, there’s no turning back when the cards are all on the table.

Their story was kind of slow. It had great parts to it that simmered, yet this one wasn’t my favorite of all the books so far. I wanted to love it and it just kind of… felt a bit idle. Both of these characters are dealing with things they can’t or don’t want to face or talk about so the secrets are steady. It’s because of these that make the book feel like there’s a storm brewing just under the surface.

I grew frustrated beyond words with Beaux. She asked so much and gave so little. She pried and had Tanner opening up to her and then… nothing was reciprocated. I wanted there to be some kind of explanation to what the hell was going on and it wasn’t until so much later in the book that… WOW. Some shocking things came out.

And shocked I was. I couldn’t believe what I was reading and it wasn’t until almost the end of the book that I loved it. It did make up for the middle so much that… I’m still shocked what happened. Then what happened after that and then even after that I don’t think my jaw came up off of the floor for the last hour or so of the book. I haven’t had such a shock like this in a book in awhile so I have to applaud Bromberg for doing just that. WOW.

Yeah, the ending more than made the book for me. I was the book for me. It’s emotional, surprising, maddening and shocking all over again. I felt so many emotions during that last part Tanner and Beaux’s.

While this might not have been my favorite of this series, it won’t stop me from reading any future titles because there’s just so much I love about these characters and their lives. If you haven’t read any of these books yet, you should give one or all a try. If I was going to suggest where to start, I’d say at the beginning where it all started with Colton and Rylee. Enjoy!

About the Author:

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author K. Bromberg writes contemporary novels that contain a mixture of sweet, emotional, a whole lot of sexy and a little bit of real. She likes to write strong heroines and damaged heroes who we love to hate and hate to love.

She’s a mixture of most of her female characters: sassy, intelligent, stubborn, reserved, outgoing, driven, emotional, strong, and wears her heart on her sleeve. All of which she displays daily with her husband and three children where they live in Southern California.

On a whim, K. Bromberg decided to try her hand at this writing thing. Since then she has written The Driven Series (Driven, Fueled, Crashed, Raced, Aced (releasing 1/11/16)), the standalone Driven Novels (Slow Burn, Sweet Ache, Hard Beat (releasing 11/3/15), and a short story titled UnRaveled. She is currently working on new projects and a few surprises for her readers.

She loves to hear from her readers so make sure you check her out on social media.

Find K. Online:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest | Amazon

GIVEAWAY!!!

Mystery Box (3 Winners)
This box will be filled with goodies from K. Bromberg!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Title: Paint My Body Red
Author: Heidi R. Kling
Publisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC, (November 2nd, 2015)
Add to: Goodreads
Order here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK

Synopsis: They think I'll be number seven. Unlucky number seven.

Dead teenager number seven. With the rash of suicides at my school, I've been shipped off to my dad's Wyoming ranch for “my own safety.” My mom worries I'll be next—another depressed teenager whose blood will end up on the train tracks. But she doesn't know my secrets...or what I did.

Everything has changed at the ranch since I was there last. The staff is gone, and there aren’t any visitors. The place is struggling, and ALS is destroying my dad. The one bright spot in this mess is his new—and only—ranch hand, Jake. He’s gorgeous, cheerful, healthy and sane. Shadows don't haunt his eyes and eat away at him in the night.

But the ranch and Jake can't save me from the darkness inside, or the knowledge of what I've done. This time, it's up to me to save myself...

About the Author:

Heidi Kling writes fantasy novels set in a contemporary world and contemporary novels about girls in fantastic situations. The bestselling Spellspinners series (Coliloquy/Vook), is 9-book series leading with Witch's Brew. The Gleaning, Devil's Frost and Beautiful Monster are out now with more adventures to follow. Her debut contemporary, Sea (Penguin), was an IndieNext Pick, Northern California Book of the Year nominee, Gateway Reader’s Award choice and Scholastic Readers Pick. Her forthcoming contemporary novel, Paint My Body Red, launches with Entangled Teen Fall, 2015.

Told in dual narratives, several more installments are planned in this "Romeo and Juliet with magic" series readers compare to stories by  LJ Smith, Cassandra Clare and Melissa de la Cruz.

After earning her MFA in Writing for Children from the New School, she returned to her native California. She lives with her husband, two children and the cutest accidental puppy mix ever, Sailor Lily, just over the coastal mountains from the sea. 

Find Heidi Online:

Website | Twitter | Tumblr | Goodreads

Title: Surviving Ice (Burying Water #4)
Author: K.A. Tucker
Publisher: Atria Books, 352 Pages (October 27th, 2015)
Add to: Goodreads
Order here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository, Amazon UK, iBooks, Kobo, IndieBound

NOTE: This is a "New Adult" novel. Due to mature content this title is recommended for ages 18+

Synopsis: The USA TODAY bestselling author of the Ten Tiny Breaths series and Burying Water—which Kirkus Reviews called “a sexy, romantic, gangster-tinged page-turner”—returns with a new novel packed with romance, plot twists, and psychological suspense.

Ivy, a talented tattoo artist who spent the early part of her twenties on the move, is finally looking for a place to call home. She thinks she might have found it in San Francisco, but all that changes when she witnesses a terrible crime. She’s ready to pack up her things yet again, when a random encounter with a stranger keeps her in the city, giving her reason to stay after all.

That is, until Ivy discovers that their encounter wasn’t random. Not at all…

Excerpt:

          “You’re two hours late!” I holler, rolling the shade up, preparing my best scathing glare for Bobby. It’s not his giant frame I find looming outside, though.
          It’s that guy from yesterday.
          We simply stare at each other through the grimy glass for a moment: me, in surprise; him, something unreadable, his eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses. He’s swapped his black T-shirt for navy today, to go along with the jeans. Simple, clean, unremarkable.And yet very appealing on him.
          “Is it Thursday yet?” There isn’t so much as a hint of a joke in his voice. I can’t tell if he’s serious.
          “You’re persistent.”
          “Yes.”
          “Persistence annoys me.”
          Finally, a slight smile touches his lips, and I instantly find myself fighting the urge to match it. He slides his sunglasses off his face, meeting my eyes with that cool, indifferent gaze. “And what doesn’t annoy you?”
          “Not much, honestly.”
          Another staring match. As intense as the weight of his gaze is, it’s not nearly as uncomfortable as it was yesterday, now that I’m no longer wary of his intentions.
          I should be difficult and tell him to come back in a few days. The thing is, I don’t want to be difficult. I want to be very easy for him right now, because I’ve been thinking about him more than is wise since yesterday. Especially since last night. If just a sketched picture and thoughts of him could get me off so quickly and easily, I wonder what the real man could do to me.
          Not that I would ever flip my hair or giggle at his jokes or do anything else to make my interest obvious.
          I unlock the door and pull it open, stepping back to give him room. “The guy I was supposed to be working on hasn’t shown up, so I guess you’re in luck, because I’m all ready to ink and I need skin to work on.” I let my gaze drift over his arms, honed with muscles and free of any markings, before moving over to his chest and stomach. Wondering if the rest of him is this perfect. Wondering exactly which part of him I’ll get to touch.
          “You look more rested today,” he murmurs, a secretive smile touching his eyes. As if he can read my mind, as if he knows that he helped put me to sleep last night.
          I don’t answer, pushing the door closed. I lock it once again with a sly smile. As far as I’m concerned, if Bobby shows up now, no one’s here.

About K.A. Tucker:

Born in small-town Ontario, Kathleen published her first book at the age of six with the help of her elementary school librarian and a box of crayons. She is a voracious reader and the farthest thing from a genre-snob, loving everything from High Fantasy to Chick Lit. Kathleen currently resides in a quaint small town outside of Toronto with her husband, two beautiful girls, and an exhausting brood of four-legged creatures.        

Find Kathleen Online:

Website |  Twitter | Facebook  | Author Goodreads | YouTube | Pinterest | Instagram

GIVEAWAY!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Title: Madame X (Madame X #1)
Author: Jasinda Wilder
Publisher: Berkley, 304 Pages (October 6th, 2015)
From: the Publisher
Format: eARC/Finished Paperback
Add to: Goodreads
Order a copy: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository, Amazon UK, Kobo, iBooks, BAM

NOTE: This is a Adult novel. Due to mature content this title is recommended for ages 18+

Synopsis: My name is Madame X.
I’m the best at what I do.
And you’d do well to follow my rules...

Hired to transform the uncultured, inept sons of the wealthy and powerful into decisive, confident men, Madame X is a master of the art of control. With a single glance she can cut you down to nothing, or make you feel like a king.

But there is only one man who can claim her body—and her soul.

Undone time and again by his exquisite dominance, X craves and fears his desire in equal measure. And while she longs for a different path, X has never known anything or anyone else—until now...

Review: 4.5 Stars - Madame X is the first book in a new trilogy from author Jasinda Wilder. The story, writing and characters are different, unique and a wonderful surprise for a reader who went in without any expectations. And in the end was blown away by the mystery surrounding the characters.

This was one of those books that when I read the synopsis I knew I had to read it. The synopsis alone makes this book extremely intriguing to me. It also, really doesn’t tell you all that much about the book, which fits perfectly with the story itself. You get a chance to meet the characters and yet by the end of the book you find yourself scratching your head wondering a few things.

First, what the heck did I just read and what the heck is going on?
Second, wow that was a breath of fresh air!
Third, I have NO idea who these characters are, nor do I understand what’s going on but that’s A-OKAY with me because that book was pretty amazing.
Forth, the tester for the next book…. SHUT. UP.
Fifth, when can I get my hands on Exposed because I NEED it?

Those are just a hand full of things that are still crossing my mind after finishing days ago.

The main part of the story is all about Madame X. (Yep, that’s her name and not to worry, when you read the book you’ll find out how she got it too.) We find out bits and pieces along the way, yet nothing truly concrete. She’s a strong woman, she’s controlled in all things due to Caleb and she knows nothing of the people or the things they do around her, also due to Caleb. As she begins to question the larger world that’s beyond her condo her life takes a turn and wow… I had NO idea what was about to happen next.

I have so many questions and this review is one of the hardest I’ve ever written because I don’t want to give anything away… but I started to question things more and more as I read because as I mentioned above you truly have no clue who each of the characters are. Madame X herself has no past and if you ask me a bleak future if she stays on the path she’s chosen. And then Caleb… I’m not much of a fan of him at this point for so many reasons, one is his business that I again, did NOT see coming, among other things that X realizes as she questions her life. However he’s all she knows. He is extremely dominant, controlled in all things including X. And I mean all things X as in she just about can’t take a step without him telling her how far her strides should be.

Yet no matter how much I want to hate Caleb I kind of can’t. He’s sitting on a sharp edge with me, and can fall either way because there’s still so much we don’t know yet. There are some underlying parts that give the reader just enough to assume he’s dealing with his own damaged parts, yet there’s nothing there to actually acknowledge he’s broken.

And we also have Logan… who I’m questioning as well because he’s keeping so many secrets too that I wonder if X would be walking from one wolfs den right into another.

This book in a way made me dizzy because I was so twisted up and looking for answers yet more questions were brought up faster than I could turn the page on my Kindle. And it’s not often that I’m able to find a book where I’m left with more questions that I was given answers that I loved as much as this one. Jasinda took these characters and her unique way of storytelling within this book and created something that I can’t get enough of. I want more. I need more and Exposed will be one book I’m looking forward to more than I can begin to explain. And in case you didn’t get the note from my review, I do highly recommend this title to everyone. It’s an Adult title for sexual situations, language, drinking and some violence which readers should consider before reading. Yet there’s so much more to the story than just these adult themes. Future readers should be prepared for one heck of a ride with this one and trust me, you’ll want the next book just as bad as I do. Enjoy.

NOTE: This is a Adult novel. Due to mature content this title is recommended for ages 18+

Excerpt:

A knock on the door, the silent swing of hinges, and then heat and hardness behind me, a faint but intoxicating hint of cologne, the creak of leather. Hands on my waist, lips at my neck.Breath on my skin.

I don’t dare tense, don’t dare suck in a sharp breath of fear. I don’t dare pull away.
Strong, hard, powerful hands twist me in place, and an index finger touches my chin, lifts my face, tilts my gaze. I cannot breathe, don’t dare, haven’t been given permission.

“You are lovelier than ever, X.” A deep, smooth, cultured voice, like the purr of a finely tuned engine.

“Thank you, Caleb.” My own voice is quiet, careful, my words chosen and precise.

“Scotch.” The command is a murmur, barely audible.

I know how to prepare it: a cut-crystal tumbler, a single ice cube, thick amber liquid an inch from the top. I offer the tumbler and wait, keep my eyes downcast, hands behind my back.

“You were too harsh on Jonathan.”

“I must respectfully disagree.”

“His father expects results.”

I bristle, and it does not go unnoticed. “Have I ever failed to produce results?”

“You sent him away after less than an hour.”

“He wasn’t ready. He needed to be shown his faults. He needs to understand how much he has to learn.”

“Perhaps you’re right.” Ice clinks, and I take the empty tumbler, set it aside, and force myself to remain in place, force myself to keep breathing and remind myself that I must obey. “I didn’t come here to discuss Jonathan Cartwright, however.”

“I suppose not.” I shouldn’t have said that. I regret it as soon as the words tumble free.

My wrist bones scrape together under a crushing grip. Hard dark eyes find mine, piercing and frightening. “You suppose not?”

I should beg forgiveness, but I know better. I lift my chin and meet those cold, cruel, intelligent dark eyes. “You know I will fulfill the contract. That’s all I meant.”

“No, that isn’t all you meant.” A hand passes through artfully messy black hair. “Tell me what you really meant, X.”

I swallow hard. “You’re here for what you always want when you visit me.”

“Which is?” A warm finger touches my breastbone, slides into the valley of my cleavage. “Tell me what I want.”

“Me.” I whisper it, so not even the walls can hear.

“All too true.” My skin burns where that strong finger with its manicured nail traces a cutting line up to my shoulder. “You test my patience, at times.”

I stand stock-still, not even breathing. Breath whispers across my neck, huffs hot on my nape, and fingers toy with the zipper of my dress.

“I know,” I say.

And then, just when I expect to feel the zipper slide down my spine, body heat recedes and that hot breath now laced with hints of scotch is gone, and a single word sears my soul:

“Strip.”

My tongue scrapes over dry lips, and my lungs constrict, protesting my inability to breathe. My hands tremble. I know this is expected of me, and I cannot, dare not resist, or protest. And . . . part of me doesn’t want to. But I wish . . . I wish for the freedom to choose what I want.

I have hesitated too long.

“X. I said . . . strip.” The zipper slides down to between my shoulder blades. “Show me your skin.”

Reaching behind my back, I lower the zipper to its nesting place at the base of my spine. Hard, insistent hands assist me in brushing the sleeves from my shoulders, down my arms, and then the dress is floating to the floor at my feet. That’s all the help I’ll get. I know from long experience that I must make a show of what comes next.

I turn my head, and see tanned skin and the perpetual two-day stubble on a refined, powerful jawline, sharp cheekbones, firm, thin lips, black eyes like voids, eyes that drip desire. My hair drapes over one shoulder. I lift one knee so my now-bare toes touch the gleaming teak, curl my shoulders in, let my gaze show my vulnerability. With a deep breath, I unhook my bra, let the garment fall away.

I reach for my underwear.

“No,” comes the purr, “leave them. Let me.”

I let my fingers graze my thighs, wait. My underwear slides down slowly, and where fingers touch, so too do lips, hot and damp, touching my skin, and I cannot flinch, cannot pull away or express how badly I want only to be alone, to even once have the right to want something else.

But I do not have that right.

About the Author:

Jasinda Wilder is a New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and international bestselling author. She is a Michigan native and currently lives there with her family. Visit her official website at jasindawilder.com. 

Find Jasinda Online:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

GIVEAWAY!!!

>>>CLICK HERE TO ENTER<<<

Title: Sing Your Heart Out (Sinful Serenade #1)
Author: Crystal Kaswell
Publisher: (Fall 2015)
Genres: New Adult, Romance
From: the Author
Format: eARC
Add to: Goodreads
Order a copy: Amazon, Amazon UK

NOTE: This is a "New Adult" novel. Due to mature content this title is recommended for ages 18+

Synopsis: Good girls don’t date rockstars.

They certainly don’t take rock stars as fuck buddies.

Still a virgin at 21, Meg Smart walks a straight and narrow path. She aces her classes, excels at her part time job, and carefully avoids the black hole that is mourning her sister. There’s no room in her life for trouble–no drinks, no drugs, and especially no boyfriends.

Fine with Miles.

Rock star Miles Webb doesn’t do boyfriend. He doesn’t do intimacy, or love, or anything that isn’t effortless and casual. The only time the singer reveals himself is on stage. His gorgeous, tortured voice hints at the kind of unspeakable pain Meg understands all too well. Only the second he steps off stage he transforms into a cocky, know-it-all player.

Their chemistry is red-hot. He’s tattooed, tall, and totally irresistible. She can’t handle a one-night stand, and a relationship is totally out of the question.

That only leaves one option:

Friends with benefits.

Just sex. Just fun.

No secrets, no feelings, no falling in love.

Only neither one of them can quite abide by the terms.

Review: 3 Stars - Sing Your Heart Out is the first in the Sinful Serenade series from author Crystal Kaswell. The series itself follows band members from the band – Sinful Serenade and their lives as they navigate the limelight that comes with fame.

Since this is the beginning of the series, we’ve had a chance to meet each of the band members and learn a bit about them. Nothing too much to really know what makes them tick, but enough to know who they are and a bit of who they might be in the books to follow. And this time our two main characters are Miles, lead singer and Meg a college senior who’s looking to apply to medical school.

So, one of the main things I love about this book is that each of these characters are hurting. They have issues and secrets they are holding close and deep inside that make them both feel human and relatable. It’s because the issues they are facing are honest and some that many of us will be able to understand on a deeper level. I know I did.

Each of the characters had so much to give yet were hiding behind their pain and issues that they weren’t honest with each other, their friends and themselves. Again, this is something that makes them relatable since sometimes throughout or lives we aren’t honest with the things that happen to us. Mainly because we don’t want to face what’s happening or maybe it’s more we don’t know how to deal with things.

We have two characters that are looking for things in their lives and things they are so set against being ready for. So through the journey we watch like a fly on the wall as you feel for them, and it did without a doubt affect me. My heart broke for these two more than once and I hated the pain they were facing.

However, there are some parts of the story that could have used work. It was more that it felt flat and not as even as it could have been compared to other parts. I wish the story had been a bit more fluid and while I felt so much for these characters there times that this “off-ness” bled over into the characters making them feel like completely different people from who they were just pages prior. Not to be confused with character growth, which also happened, but what I’m mentioning is something completely different.

In the end I did enjoy it, a 3 star is still a good rating to me and tends to mean that if there’s a sequel I’m ready to read more, which is the case for me and this series. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next and having a chance to get update(s) on both Meg and Miles to see where they are down the road in their lives and relationship.

Fans of contemporary titles and characters that are in a band, you should give this a try. Not sure when the next in the series will be released but I know I’ll be on the look out to find out which band member we’ll be following and what will happen within Soulful Serenade next. This is without a doubt a “New Adult”/Adult title due to language, drinking, sexual situations and more, so please keep that in mind when purchasing and reading. Enjoy!

About the Author:

Crystal Kaswell writes steamy new adult and erotic romance books. She loves when flawed characters fall head over heels for each other. Especially if they fall into bed first. She loves police procedurals, tea, and The Hunger Games series. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband.

Find Crystal Online:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

GIVEAWAY!!!

Tour-wide giveaway (INTL)
$20 Amazon Gift Card

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Organised by Kerry Drewery (Author of A Dream of Lights and A Brighter Fear) and Emma Pass (Author of Acid and The Fearless) UKMG and YA extravaganza aim to complete the following mission whilst bringing readers, bloggers and authors together. 

"Author events are great fun. But often, the authors taking part are 'behind the velvet rope ' –  on a stage or behind tables – where they do their event and are then whisked away.

We want to change all that.

Our mission with the UKYA Extravaganzas is to bring UKYA in all its guises to readers all over the country (UK), by organizing regional events which bring readers and authors together. We have a huge wealth of YA writing talent here in the UK, and we think it's time to shout about it!

There will never be a 'star author' at the UKYA Extravaganzas – each and every author who takes part is the star of the show. The Extravaganzas are fun, informal and most importantly of all, egalitarian, allowing everyone to mingle and chat without barriers.

And there will always, but always, be cake. Caaaake…

Here's to a revolution in author events!"

Title: The Crowham Martyrs
Author: Jane McLoughlin
Publisher: Catnip (June 2015)
Add to: Goodreads
Order here: Amazon, The Book Depository, Amazon UK

Synopsis: Ghosts don’t frighten Maddy Deeprose.

She’s seen them all her life.

So when her mum sends her to creepy old boarding school Crowham Martyrs, Maddy isn’t worried. But then her friends start disappearing, and Maddy knows it’s time to be scared.

Something is lurking at Crowham Martyrs.

Something evil.

Is the place that is supposed to keep Maddy safe

About to become the hunting ground?

Author Guest Post: UK Middle Grade Extravaganza Blog tour post by Jane McLoughlin 

Thanks to the organisers of the UK Middle Grade Extravaganza for organising this blog tour and to Jenny and Lisa for letting me guest on A Life Bound B y Books.

Judging by the wonderfully fit young men gracing the covers of some of the books reviewed on A Life Bound by Books, my book definitely doesn’t fit the usual YA/NA genre that this blog caters for, but please bear with me!

One of the characters in The Crowham Martyrs, Caleb, is as hot as any NA cover boy. (Seriously!)  However, as a MG character, he has to stay fully dressed at all times and remain “just friends” with the main female protagonists. It’s a shame really—he’s such a lovely young man!

But that’s how it is in middle grade: there are things that can happen, and things that can’t.  I’m not complaining—Caleb has the rest of his life to become a brooding YA hero or a buff and bulked up NA heart throb.  Similarly, my main female characters, Hannah and Maddy, have it in them to grow into awkward or graceful or sexy or sweet or geeky or kick-ass teen heroines.  Their later years may never be written about, but I hope they can be imagined!

One of the most rewarding things about the Harry Potter series (both for millions of readers and for one very clever author!) is that JK Rowling allowed her characters to get older. Readers saw Harry, Hermione and Ron grow from capable-if-confused middle graders to brave, resourceful and heroic young adults.  Readers like my daughter were able to grow up with these characters in real time, because the books came out when she was the same age as the Potter kids.  As the years passed and she got older, the world of Harry Potter became darker and deeper, more reflective of her own teenage years.

The point I’m trying to make is that middle grade characters—whether they are in series like Harry Potter, or in stand-alone books like The Crowham Martyrs—are more engaging if readers (and their creators) can see them  outside and beyond their own “age grouping.”

The same goes for readers.  It’s important that we authors think of middle grade readers not as children preserved in aspic, but as young people who are moving forward with life and are constantly in flux.  Candy Gourlay, in her UKMG Extravaganza post, wisely called them “readers in the middle” who are “growing the readers they are going to be.”

That means that one day soon.  Our middle grade readers will drift into YA territory, and possibly NA. In no time at all, they’ll be adults who will, hopefully, have developed an unquenchable life-long love of reading.  It’s up to us to keep them company on this journey to their reading futures, to make sure that our writing—our stories and characters and plots and words--helps their reading grow.

Thanks again for having me!

Link to Candy Gourlay’s blog contribution: Click Here

About the Author:

Jane McLoughlin is an American who has lived in the UK for over 25 years. She has had short stories published in various literary magazines and her debut novel for teenagers, At Yellow Lake, was published in 2012 by Frances Lincoln Children’s Books in the UK, the USA and Australia/New Zealand. It was nominated for the 2013 Carnegie Medal, and longlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize and the Branford Boase Award for debut writers.

A former teacher, Jane regularly gives talks and delivers writing workshops in schools and at events, including Booklinks in London and the 2012 Edinburgh International Book Festival.

Find Jane Online:

Website | Twitter | Goodreads