BLOG TOUR & GIVEAWAY – Review of Tunes (Beekman Hills #2) by K.C. Enders

“One kiss, and I was done.” 

 

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Length: 268 Pages

POV: Alternating First Person

Description:

What’s more cliché than falling for a guy in a band?

A no-strings fling is all it was meant to be for Gracyn George. Sun, sand, sex, and then move on. That was before he strummed his way into her life. Each note leaving a tingle in her spine, their lasting melodies burned into her memory.

What’s more cliché than pining for the one who got away?

Gavin Keller has sacrificed far too much to chase after the girl who snuck out in the middle of the night and left him wondering, What if …

No matter how high his star rises or how many sold-out shows he plays, he ends each concert scanning the audience for her.

What was supposed to be temporary becomes a longing neither is willing to let go. After months of trying to move on, can they sync the tunes in their hearts?

What happens on spring break, stays on spring break…right?

Jennifer’s Review:

*I received this book free from Barclay Publicity.*

If you read book one then you already know Gracyn met someone on Spring Break, but in Tunes we’ll discover all the sordid details of that vacation, including the one bad decision which ended it and why she was so moody all the time. But when things are meant to be they’ll find a way.

“Never thought I’d fall for the guy in the band.”

Gavin put college on hold to play music. He never thought he’d make it big, but even with all the success he still finds himself longing for that one girl he had the connection with. Even though it was only a few days something that amazing doesn’t drift away, not even with time.

“And, G…miss me like crazy. Because I’ll be dying a little on the inside every minute we’re apart.”

You can watch as their reunion gets closer and closer, but it’s still so exciting when it happens. And the way they try to make things work…from her meeting the band (loved that introduction, she was perfect) to him meeting her dad (ugh that was a disaster) was such a rocky road, and yet they have that special something that just deserves everything.

“We’ll figure this out, I promise. I have no intention of losing you.”

Tunes adds a little rock n’ roll to the Beekman Hills series. It’s fun, entertaining, and adds just enough drama to play on your heartstrings. It definitely had me cheering for Gracyn and Gavin to make it.

Downside… Oh! My! Goodness! The encore…the beloved Francie…let’s just say what happens will change Beekman Hills and I cannot wait to read the next book in the Beekman Hill series.

*Clicking on the book cover above will take you to the Amazon purchase page.

Excerpt:

Gavin

Gracyn’s gone. She fucking left me in the middle of the night, buck-ass naked and in her bed.

I waited more than an hour for her to come back from wherever she’d scampered off to, almost certain that she’d just gone out to grab us some breakfast. Took a shower and threw on my clothes from last night. Well, my board shorts because my favorite fucking shirt was gone, too.

No Gracyn.

No note.

No shirt.

Nothing.

The sun blazes down on my bare shoulders as I walk back to my shitty motel. It’s petty and stupid, but I’m too pissed off to put on a different T-shirt. It’s the principle.

My fist connects with Ian’s door with three solid thumps. The last thing I want to do is walk in on him getting ass when my chick had taken her fill and bailed on me. No fucking way I feel like dealing with his shit over this. I don’t want to hear it.

“Dude, you good?” I call as I hit the door again.

“S’open,” Nate yells. “Hey, didn’t think we’d see you today. She leaves tomorrow, right? That chick you’ve been hanging with all week,” he asks, looking away from the movie he’s watching, head propped up against the headboard of his bed.

“Fuck, man. Forgot we swapped rooms. I’ll—”

Ian looks up from his laptop and leans back, the colorful tats shifting as he folds his arms across his chest. “Jesus, what did she do? Steal your clothes and skip town?” The disgusted look on his face probably mirrors my own.

The door closes behind me as I cross the room and sit my ass down on the edge of the empty bed. I dig through Ian’s pack for a T-shirt. I pull on the first one I find, not caring if it’s clean, and flop back, staring at the water stains blooming across the ceiling by the bathroom. Hopefully, it’s the shower leaking in the room above us and not the shitter.

What the fuck happened? Why did she leave like that?

“Gavin? Seriously, man, what happened?” Nate’s sitting on the edge of his bed, features twisted in concern.

“I don’t know. I woke up, and she was gone.”

“Gone? Or out for a minute?”

“Gone. Left. Bags packed, including my fucking shirt. Just gone.” No matter how many times I go over it in my mind, it doesn’t congeal into anything that makes sense.

“Shit, man. That sucks balls,” Ian mumbles as he goes back to tapping at his keyboard. “What’re you gonna do? You text her yet?”

If only.

I run my hands through my hair, gathering it in my fists, and blow out a frustrated breath. “I don’t have her number.”

“Wait, what? You spent all fucking week with her. How do you not have her number?”

I roll my head to the side, so he can see just how fucking miserable I am. “I spent all fucking week with her. I didn’t really need it … until now.” Jesus, this is the worst. “What time are we playing tonight?”

“Ten, down on the beach. So … nothing? You got nothing? No way to find her?” Nate asks.

“Fuck. No, not really. Just a general idea of where she goes to school, and … no, I don’t even have a last name. I mean, I’m sure I could try to stalk the shit out of her, but she bolted, man.”

“Yeah … I guess she just wasn’t that into you, man. Fucked the rocker on spring break and went back to her Ivy League boyfriend.” As soon as the words leave his mouth, Ian cringes, gritting his teeth and sucking a breath through them. “Sorry, shit. I didn’t mean …”

“Whatever.” I pull out my phone, hoping there’s a message, but this day is nothing but all kinds of disappointments. I pop my earbuds in and pull up my post-show playlist. I crank some old school ’70s disco to clear my mind. And hopefully drift off to sleep.

Enter here to win a Signed Set of Beekman Hills books! Plus, five will win a Beekman Hills eBook of their choice!

 

 

 

 

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Blog Tour – Review of Thirsty (Eastside Brewery #1) by Mia Hopkins

“My angel is walking around in black high heels.”

 

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Urban

Book Length (Est.): 240Pages

Book Description/Synopsis:

A gangster hiding from his past. A single mom fighting for her future. Can she show this bad boy the man he’s meant to be?

My name is Salvador Rosas. Back in the barrio, my past is written on the walls: ESHB. Short for East Side Hollenbeck, my father’s gang—my gang. Hell, it’s a family tradition, one that sent both my brothers away. They used to call me “Ghost” because I haunted people’s dreams. Now I’ve got nothing going for me except a hipster gringo mentoring me in a new career. An ex-con making craft beer? No mames.

Still, people in this neighborhood look out for one another. That’s how I became Vanessa Velasco’s unwelcome tenant. Chiquita pero picosa. She’s little, but with curves so sweet they’re dangerous. I remember Vanessa from the old days, the straight-A student with big plans. Plans that were derailed by another kid stupid enough to think he was bulletproof. Now Vanessa knows better than to believe in empty promises. There’s fire in her . . . and if I touch her, I might get burned.

I’m trying everything I can to go straight. But when East Side Hollenbeck comes calling, I might have to risk it all to find out if there’s a future for Vanessa and me. Because she’s the only one who can quench my thirst for something real.

The Rosas brothers will return in Trashed!

Jennifer’s Review:

*I received an ARC of this book free from Barclay Publicity in exchange for an honest review*

Salvador’s life didn’t turn out exactly like he wanted, but he did his time and now he’s trying to get his life together…that is if the ESHB will allow it. He struggles between doing what he thinks is right and what he thinks he’s obligated to do. One will bring joy into his life and the other will bring nothing but pain. But when you are working two jobs and living in a garage you don’t have many options.

Vanessa already fell for one homeboy. He gave her an adorable daughter. He also made her a widow for said daughter was born. Now she spends her time between working, studying, and being a mom; there is no time for a man. Let alone another homeboy who could destroy her life.

With no place to go Vanessa’s grandmother lets Salvador move into her garage. He gets cheap rent and she gets a handyman who will clean all of her deceased husband’s stuff out of the garage. What he didn’t expect to get was Vanessa. She didn’t like him being there and had no problem telling him, but she is also a very lonely woman who finds it hard not to fall for someone who’s trying his best to make a better life for himself.

Thirsty will bring you down into the hood, into the middle of gang life, and show you how it feels to try to escape it.

I liked the storyline, but there were a few things that kept me from loving the book. One, if you don’t speak Spanish (like me) then there’s a lot of words and conversations you won’t understand. Stopping to try and understand what was being said kept interrupting my reading flow. Two, there’s an underlying story where the ESHB is concerned, one that includes a rival gang moving into town, but it’s all left up in the air. Maybe there will be some more to it in the next book, Trashed. And lastly, is it just me or was there no chemistry between Salvador and Vanessa? I mean yes they have great sex and an occasionally deep conversation, but for the most part it was hard to tell if she even truly liked him most of the time.

*Clicking on the book cover above will take you to the Amazon purchase page.

Excerpt:

The ride starts with a burst of music like a jack-in-the-box. We glide backward and over a couple of times. The Ferris wheel stops to let other passengers on. At the very top, our carriage swings back and forth before it goes still.

Now I can see my neighborhood from a different viewpoint, high above. The lights of the carnival are bright and beautiful. The smells of tacos, hot dogs, and popcorn fill my nose. People pack the church parking lot. Cars line the street, and in the surrounding houses, lights in the windows show where families are talking or watching TV or having dinner.

“How are you doing?” I ask.

“I’m all right.”

She’s looking at the same things I am. I wonder if she is seeing the same details. I stroke her hair and take another risk. “So what do you think?”

“About what?”

“Starting something with me?”

She takes a deep breath but doesn’t say anything.

“What are your doubts?” I say.

“Are you kidding?” She snorts. “You’re seriously asking me that?”

I laugh a little. “Okay, well. Besides the obvious.”

“You have your own life. I have mine. You’re trying to rebuild from the ground up. I’m trying to secure my daughter’s future. We’re heading in different directions.”

She isn’t wrong. Life has disappointed her in such deep and cruel ways, I don’t blame her for protecting herself. But even as she tells me this—the truth about how we’re not right for each other—I feel how right it is to talk to her, to hold her hand, to show her who I am. “I have an idea,” I say. “Probation.”

“What?”

“I’m only around for two months, right?”

“Right.”

“Spend those two months with me.” I look into her eyes. “I want to be with you, Vanessa.”

“Sal—”

“I’ll be gone before I have a chance to disappoint you.” When the words leave my mouth, I try to ignore how pathetic they sound. “We’re adults, not dumb kids. We won’t lose our heads.” I run my fingers through her silky hair. “I swear to God, every time I look at you, I feel . . .” I reach for the most honest word I can find. “Thirsty.”

CELEBRATE THE RELEASE WITH A GIVEAWAY!

Grand Prize: (1) 7’ Kindle Fire (8GB) + (2) Backlist titles from Mia Hopkins (Digital Only)

2 Runner-Ups: (1) $10 Amazon Gift Card each + Any (1) backlist Mia Hopkins title (digital version)

Enter here.

Dirty Valentine Giveaway

THE GIVEAWAY

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, Jaine Diamond is giving away her biggest prize pack yet!

This one includes signed paperbacks of the entire Dirty rockstar romance series so far—Dirty Like Me (Dirty #1), Dirty Like Brody (Dirty #2), AND an extremely limited Special Collector’s Edition of Dirty Like Us (Dirty #0.5), containing bonus excerpts from upcoming Dirty books featuring Zane and Maggie’s story—as well as a $20 Victoria’s Secret gift card and cosmetics kit full of goodies* to get you date-night ready!

* Cosmetics kit includes: silver makeup bag and samples of Bumble and bumble Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil, Origins Ginzing Energy-Boosting Gel Moisturizer, bareMinerals Gen Nude Radiant Lipstick, Tarte paaarty Amazonian clay 12-hour blush, Make Up Forever waterproof eye pencil (black), Make Up Forever Excessive Lash Mascara (black), Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz pencil (soft brown), Comptoire-Sud Pacifique Vanille Coco Eau de Toilette, and Prada Candy Eau de Parfum spray!

Giveaway open internationally. Age 18+.

Giveaway Link: http://bit.ly/2rIcgfO

BOOK LINKS

Dirty Like Us (Dirty #0.5) – FREE!: http://ebook.jainediamond.com/getdirty/ 

Dirty Like Me (Dirty #1): http://amzn.to/2bYrVKB 

Dirty Like Brody (Dirty #2): http://amzn.to/2rnLqcl

… And more books in the Dirty series coming soon!

 

Blog Tour – Review of Carnal: The Beast Who Loved Me (Exiled #1) by Victoria Danann **GIVEAWAY**

Captivating and Emotional

 

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Book Length (Est.): 251 Pages

Book Description/Synopsis:  

The first book in the new series, EXILED.

The angel, Kellareal, stopped the genocide of generations of hybrids, who had been bred for research and spent their entire lives imprisoned. Against orders, he spirited them away to a dimension where they would have freedom and purpose.

In a vindictive fit, Rosie Storm asked Kellareal for a place to hide out. He knew just the place for her to grow up, learn emotional control, and other things.

Jennifer’s Review: 

*I received an ARC of this book free from Book Enthusiast Promotions in exchange for an honest review*

Kellareal broke the rules when he transported the Exiled to another dimension. In essence he altered what would have naturally become in both dimensions.

Rosie is younger than she seems and hasn’t figured out that tantrums aren’t the way to get things, but then again one got her in a self-proclaimed timeout with the Exiled. Being there, helping out, it’s where she finds herself…and her heart’s desire.

Carnal is the eldest son of the Exiled’s leader, Free. He’s most definitely all alpha male and oh boy does he know it. But Rosie brings out a different side in him and it’s quite interesting to watch their relationship blossom.

“I don’t want to be your boy toy, Rosie.”

“Good. Then we’re agreed.” She looked pointedly at this hand on her wrist, detaining her progress.

“But I might want to be your man.”

Carnal brings something new and unique to life. The storyline and characters are captivating. I loved all of them…Free, Serene, Charming, even Deliverance. I found myself thinking about it instead of sleeping and oh my goodness when it ended….so so emotional! Even though I knew what was going to happen I couldn’t have unglued my eyes from that last chapter if I wanted to.

The only major downside was that since I haven’t read the Knights of Black Swan series I felt like I was missing something. This is the first book in the Exiled series, but I’m pretty sure it’s a spin-off from the Knights of Black Swan. It has little references throughout that made me wish I’d read the other series first.

My Favorite Laughable Moment: Dandy was pretty sweet once I got to know her and I loved her interactions with Rosie.

“Good. Back to work. And forget about Carnal.”

“Right.”

“You’re not forgetting about him, are you?”

“I am.” Dandy raised her eyebrows. “I am! Really!”

*Clicking on the book cover above will take you to the Amazon purchase page.

Excerpt:

“Let’s take a walk. There’s a spot up above the training grounds. It’s quiet, private, pretty.” When she looked up at him, he bent and rubbed his nose against hers in a way that was not common for humans, but definitely sexy.

“What are we going to do there?” She hoped she didn’t sound as breathless, and eager, as she felt.

“I’m going to get to know everything there is to know about you, my little sex demon.”

“I’m not a sex demon, Carnal. I’m just part sex demon.”

“Okay,” he smiled. “If you say so. I just know that I’ve never felt this way about a female before. I figure something supernatural must be at work.”

Rosie didn’t know whether to be more thrilled about the proclamation that she was special to him or about the fact that his feelings were unusual enough to suspect that she’d bewitched him. She was thinking that she needed to tell Charming to keep the witchcraft book a secret when Carnal said, “So tell the truth. You’re part witch, right? Did you put a spell on me?”

He stopped and turned to face her.

She knew the drill at that point. He was fishing for half truths and untruths, so she met his eyes.

“No, Carnal. I have not used magic on you or altered the natural course of things in any way. Other than fixing your motorbike.”

“Motorcycle,” he corrected. “Would you like me to be under your spell?”

She laughed and pulled away. “I don’t have to answer that.”

He caught up with her quickly and fell into step beside her. “Free thinks you’ll be leaving soon.”

“Does he?”

“Is he right?”

“Honestly, Carnal, I guess I don’t know from one day to the next. Every day I wake up and think, ‘I’ll stay one more day’.”

“Why?” She gave him a confused look. “Not that I’m not glad you’re here, but from a purely clinical and objective standpoint, why have you stayed?”

“I’m not sure my answers would make sense.”

“Tell me anyway.”

“I like working at the Commons. I like living in your parents’ house. I like the way Charming treats me like a sister. I like Dandelion. I like that your father listens to my ideas and gives me respect.”

Carnal pulled her to a stop again and lifted her chin so that she had to look at him. “I didn’t hear anything in there about me.”

“I didn’t either.”

“Tell me. Am I part of the reason why you’ve stayed?”

Blog Tour and Excerpt courtesy of:

**GIVEAWAY**

$50 Amazon Gift Card

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Blog Tour – Review of Reckless (Rescue Squad #1) by Kimberly Kincaid **GIVEAWAY**

Being Reckless Isn’t Always Bad

 

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Book Length (Est.): 336 Pages

Book Description/Synopsis:  

SOMEONE’S BOUND TO GET BURNED…

Zoe Westin may be a fire captain’s daughter, but feeding the people in her hometown of Fairview is her number one priority. Running a soup kitchen is also the perfect way to prove to her dad that helping people doesn’t always mean risking life and limb. But when she’s saddled with a gorgeous firefighter doing community service after yet another daredevil stunt, the kitchen has never been so hot.

Alex Donovan thrives on adrenaline, and stirring a pot of soup doesn’t exactly qualify. He’s not an expert at following the rules either, not even when they come from the stubborn, sexy daughter of the man who’s not only his boss, but his mentor. Determined to show Zoe that not every risk ends in catastrophe, Alex challenges her both in the kitchen and out. One reckless step leads to another, but will falling for each other be a risk worth taking, or will it just get them burned?

Jennifer’s Review: 

*I received an ARC of this book free from Kensington Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Zoe thought she knew what she wanted and she went after it with a gusto, but being a chef in a large kitchen didn’t exactly make her feel all warm and fuzzy inside so she made a change. She wanted to cook for people to actually needed it, for people who actually appreciated her efforts. Of course in following her dreams she felt like she’d let her father down and that was a bridge she truly wanted repaired.

Alex loves his job as a fireman, but when it comes to choosing his own judgement over following the rules he proves he’s a little too reckless for the team, which lands him with community service. Community service under the direction of his chief’s beautiful and demanding daughter.

One house rule…chief’s daughter is off-limits. It wasn’t a written rule, but with how close everyone was it was a well-known and respected rule. One even Alex wasn’t reckless enough to break. His restraint wavers a few times, but he always gains control before crossing that line. Until  one day when his restraint breaks.

Her father and mother split up because of his dedication to being a fireman. It was something she never fully understood. At least not until Alex. But one thing remained the same, she couldn’t imagine ever even thinking about being with a fireman. She saw the stress it had put on her mother and she never wanted to live like that. Too bad her heart and head aren’t on the same page, because fireman or not Alex was slowly becoming everything to her.

Reckless is about family, overcoming fears, and risking a little recklessness to truly live. It was a fun and entertaining read that kept me interested for the most part. There are a few slower moments that seemed to drag, but not enough to make me want to put it down.

My Favorite Moment: I enjoyed the moment when Zoe and Alex decide they need to tell her father. His unsaid words were what made it my favorite part.

“It’s going to take a delicate conversation, an we’ll have to figure out the best way to have it. I’m not saying it won’t be…” Awkward. Brutal. A carte-blanche invitation for the man to kick my ass. “Difficult at first,” he managed past his tightening vocal cords. “But like you said, we’re adults. This isn’t just some one-night stand.”

*Clicking on the book cover above will take you to the Amazon purchase page.

Excerpt:

Alex sat back against his bar stool, his mood in the shitter despite the cold beer in his hand and the warm smile of the waitress who’d brought it. But the ten hours he’d spent hitting the bricks in Hope House’s kitchen today had done their level best to kill both his stamina and his patience.

The grunt work, however, couldn’t even hold a flamethrower to his new boss.

Alex tilted his bottle to his lips, swallowing a long, smooth sip of pale ale to cover his frown. Yeah, he’d cop to the fact that he hadn’t come out of the gate with a stellar first impression, but it wasn’t as if he’d meant to drift off to dreamland while he’d waited for Zoe in the dining room. With the circadian rhythms that went hand in hand with Alex’s job, five minutes in the dark meant one of two things—either he was falling asleep or getting laid. He had to admit, when he’d first seen Zoe standing there in Hope House’s dining room, with those blazing brown eyes and jeans that showcased more curves than a Grand Prix racetrack, the option behind door number two had seemed awfully freaking appealing.

Until he’d realized who she was. But how the hell was

he supposed to know his captain’s only daughter had ditched out on her fancy career as an up-and-coming chef

to direct a small-time soup kitchen in Fairview’s projects? Or that she seemed to have been living on a steady diet of no-risks, all-rules since he’d last seen her five years ago?

Or that despite the fact that she’d pulled a Judge Judy on his ass over the way he’d landed his community service sentence, then met his cold shoulder with an equally arctic counterpart as she’d worked him into the kitchen tiles, he still found her unbelievably and unequivocally hot as hell.

God, he was screwed. And not even in a way that would leave a smile on his face.

“What’s the matter, Donovan? One day of plates and pots enough to send you around the bend?”

Alex blinked himself back to his usual table in Bellyflop’s bar area just in time to catch the good-natured glint in the eyes of his former squad mate Nick Brennan. If anyone knew the twists and trials of working in a professional kitchen, it was definitely Brennan. After suffering a career-ending injury two and a half years ago, the guy had spent his time doing exactly that before coming back to Fairview last month to teach at the fire academy.

After all, once a firefighter . . .

“Laugh it up, fry boy,” Alex said, giving up half a grin before sliding off his padded leather bar stool to shake his buddy’s hand. “I take it you heard about my disagreement with McManus.”

“Who hasn’t? The story’s all over the department.” Brennan tipped his darkly stubbled chin at their passing waitress, pointing to Alex’s beer bottle with one hand while holding up two fingers with the other as he parked himself across the table. “Gotta hand it to you, dude. When it comes to going all-in, you are definitely committed.”

Alex shrugged. He’d had the same philosophy for the last twelve years, and while it might’ve gotten him into a bunch of scrapes, his all-in, all-the-time mind-set was definitely better than the alternative. “From where I sit, there’s really no other way to be. After all, Cap’s not running a knitting circle. We either take risks or people get hurt.”

“You’re preaching to the choir. Believe me, I remember what goes down on shift.” Brennan plucked a specials menu from between the salt and pepper shakers on the table to give it a nice, long look-see, and even though his expression didn’t vary from its terminally easygoing status, guilt poked holes in Alex’s chest all the same. Brennan had been injured the same night they’d lost Mason in that gut-twisting apartment fire. One minute, they’d all been clearing the building, business as usual. The next, part of the third floor had collapsed, Brennan’s career had been shattered along with a pair of his vertebrae, and Mason was gone.

And wasn’t that one more balls-out reminder that life was short.

“Yeah.” He finished the last of his beer, the empty bottle finding the polished wood table with a thunk, and Brennan leaned in, his voice notched low against the music spilling down from the overhead speakers.

“Listen, Teflon, I get where your head is, but do you think maybe—”

“Well, well, look who it is! I heard this guy’s gonna be the next Martha Stewart.” Tom O’Keefe, one of Station Eight’s paramedics, arrived at the table, clapping his palm over Alex’s with a wry laugh. Cole followed behind him, sending a thread of relief beneath Alex’s breastbone. While he’d never disrespect Mason’s memory, giving his emotions airtime—especially in the middle of a moderately populated sports bar—wasn’t part of Alex’s game plan. The past was past. What mattered was the moment you were in, and not a whole hell of a lot more.

After all, if you weren’t busy living, you were busy dying, and no way was he going out with a fizzle instead of a slam-fucking-bang.

“You’re hilarious, O’Keefe. Really. Asshole,” Alex tacked on, but his buddy just lifted his brows in an exaggerated waggle.

“Oh, now you’re just flirting with me.” O’Keefe shrugged out of his dark blue quilted FFD jacket as the waitress delivered Alex and Brennan’s beers, and he twirled his finger in a tight circle over the table as he put in an order to make the round complete. “So,” he said, commandeering the bar stool across from Brennan and next to Cole. “All kidding aside, the house is too quiet without your mouthy ass. What’s the word with this community service thing?”

Alex rolled his eyes, suddenly grateful for the fresh beer in his hand. “The word is, the next four weeks are going to be an exercise in futility.”

“You’re actually going to do the whole four weeks?” Brennan’s dark brows winged upward, and as much as it burned, Alex met his buddy’s shock with a resigned nod.

“Don’t get me wrong. I’m not planning on any circle-oflove transformations while I log my time. But as far as the community service goes, I don’t have a choice.” Christ, this whole thing was such a waste of time and resources. He should be out there fighting fires, not serving up dry sandwiches in some cafeteria line because that idiot McManus was suffering from a bruised ass and an ego to match. “I’ve got four weeks before I go in front of the fire chief for my review. Until then, it looks like the department has got me by the short and curlies. I either do this community service as penance, or I lose my job. And I’m not losing my job.”

“Yeah, but if you do the whole four weeks, you’re also not getting paid,” O’Keefe said. “That’s got to sting.”

“I’m good there,” Alex replied, the words firing out just a little too fast. Ah, damn it. This situation was sideways enough without having to dig into the truth behind his statement. There were only three people at Eight who were privy to all of his sticky particulars, and Alex wasn’t about to bump the number higher, not even by one.

He forced his shoulders into their loosest setting, dialing his expression up to damage control status. “I’ve got some scratch saved up from my part-time gig. It’ll last.”

“Right. I forgot about that.” O’Keefe propped both forearms on the table, tilting his head as he thankfully switched gears. “Still. You spent all day at this soup kitchen place. You haven’t tried to sweet-talk the director into giving you a shorter assignment, maybe moving the whole thing along so you can get back in-house? This is you, after all.”

An image of Zoe with her hands locked over her lush, denim-wrapped hips as she ran him in circles around Hope House’s kitchen ricocheted through Alex’s brain, and he barely managed to cough out a humorless laugh with his answer. “Uh, yeah, no. As much as I want to trim some time off my assignment, sweet-talking the director isn’t going to be a viable strategy.”

Cole’s brows slid together, his gaze darkening in confusion under the low light of the bar. “Talking your way out of things is always your strategy. What’s so special about this director that makes her a game changer?”

“Well, let’s see. For starters, her last name is Westin.”

The stunned silence at the table lasted for a breath, then another, before O’Keefe finally broke it with a low whistle. “Ho-ly shit, Teflon. Zoe Westin is the director of Hope House’s soup kitchen? That’s the hush-hush project she came back home to work on?”

Alex’s sip of beer went down way more sour than smooth, and he made a face to match. “Unfortunately, yes.”

 

Blog Tour and Excerpt courtesy of:

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Blog Tour – Review of Manaconda (Hammered #1) by Cari Quinn & Taryn **GIVEAWAY**

Sexy + Irresistible=Trouble 

 

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Rock Star Romance

Book Length (Est.): 177 Pages

Book Description/Synopsis: 

My name is Hunter Jordan, lead singer of Hammered and no, I didn’t name my c*ck Manaconda.

Rolling Stone did.

On the front cover of their damn magazine.

I still haven’t lived it down. And now our record label wants to maximize the frenzy.

So, I have a brand new PR person–Kennedy McManus.

And she’s making me insane.

I don’t know whether to ignore her, yell at her, or push her up against the wall and kiss her smart mouth shut.

I ended up kissing her.

Come on, I mentioned how exasperating she was, right?

That’s when it blew up in both our faces.

Now, the tabloids think she’s my girlfriend. My record label would rather have me remain the single manwhore of the ages.

Kennedy thinks I’m the manwhore anyway. She wants me for a quick fling and nothing more.

I just want Kennedy.

Man, I’m so screwed.

BEYOND OBLIVION – A Rockstar Romance full of sexy fun set within the world of our Lost in Oblivion series! You never know who you’ll see show up in the books.

****Warning: book does end on a cliffhanger ****

Jennifer’s Review: 

*I received an ARC of this book free from Tasty Book Tours in exchange for an honest review*

Sometimes you find that anomaly, that complete and utter attraction to someone even if you’re not sure you entirely like them. It gets under your skin and will drive you insane because the only you can do is act on it. That’s the attraction Kennedy and Hunter feel within minutes of meeting. It’s what get them in trouble within those same few minutes and lands her in media hell as his “girlfriend”.

Media is what Kennedy does, it’s her job to spin things for the best. What’s not part of her job is kissing her sexy clients…in front of a room full of fans. She knows she shouldn’t get involved with him, she certainly doesn’t want to become another rock star groupie conquest, but her wants get completely obliterated by her need for his touch.

“I can’t say I’ve ever enjoyed a button-fly more in my life.”

I laughed. “Buttoned for her pleasure? That’s new.”

Jordan wanted the publicity for the band and he thought Rolling Stone was going to be that, but it turned out to be publicity for his cock. They labeled it Manaconda and sent all his fans on a rampage for more. Any rock star should love the attention, but not him…not anymore. When he meets the sexy redhead with the fiery temper he can’t help but be attracted to her, but the more she rants the more he desires her.

“If you want it to just be a game for the cameras, I’ll abide by that. But if you want more. If you want to see where this will go tonight. To see if this thing between us is more than just a quick storm with some laughs and an orgasm or seven…”

Manaconda is fun, sexy, and HOT! Kisses in secret passageways, orgasms in equipment trucks, what can be more captivating than two people who can’t seem to resist each other.

Downside, it does end on a cliffhanger (not that you weren’t warned), but the last chapter seems kind of rushed compared to the rest of the book. Like they were just trying to wrap it up quickly. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still good, and it’ll definitely leave you wanting the next book, but it didn’t seem in sync with the rest of the book.

My Favorite Moment: The first concert. Nothing like getting distracted backstage during the concert.

“Show.” I dragged in a deep breath. “Song. Singing.” Fuck, I didn’t even know the right words. Words were what I knew. Spin and image. I groaned when he pressed me even tighter into the wall. Breath whooshed out of my lungs.

“After. I want you after. In my room.” His voice lowered until it was only a grumbling bass of sound. “All of this off. All of you – mine.”

*Clicking on the book cover above will take you to the Amazon purchase page.

Excerpt:

“Maybe we should go back.”

I shook my head. “Maybe we can sneak around. Seems like there wouldn’t be any fans back here.”

“Famous last words,” she muttered.

I strode out, gravel crunching under my boots.

“You know, I’m not a huge fan of this dragging me around like a child.”

I turned back to her, dragging her into my body. “Nothing child-like about you, Kenny.” I bent down to her, our noses touching. “I just want a little alone time with you.”

A loud engine started up.

“There’s an elevator back there.” She pointed with her thumb. “I bet we could do a lot of things in your room, my room—whatever.” She rose on her toes until our lips were a breath apart. “You can give that whole seven thing a go.” She dragged her nail over my bottom lip. “I don’t believe you’ll make it to seven, but I’m willing to let you try.”

“I—”

“Oh, my God, that’s Hunter!”

The hiss of hydraulics and stomp of many feet did not bode well.

I closed my eyes. “Shit.”

“What?”

“Please don’t be what I think it is.”

“What?”

A trio of people in black shirts with our new album on the front were standing in front of a huge bus. “Can you run in those things?”

She looked affronted. “I can do anything in heels.”

“I hope so.”

A woman in her twenties pointed our way. “Is that him?” she shrieked.

“Fan club.”

“What?”

“This is where the fan club bus is parked.”

“They should be at dinner. Why aren’t they at dinner?” Kenny asked with rising panic.

“Guess it’s over.” I sprinted to the door we’d just come out of. “Son of a bitch.” I twisted the handle but nothing. “It must have locked after us.”

She slapped the keypad. “Ya think?”

“Not helping.” I darted a look past the bus, along with the line of at least seventy people lined up to board. Definitely couldn’t go that way.

“They’ll eat you alive.”

“No kidding.”

Three women broke off from the crowd and headed our way. As soon as they did, twenty more followed. I dragged Kenny with me to the front of the bus and around the side. The bus driver looked down at us and shook his head.

No help there.

The people that had boarded the bus were pointing at us as we ran to the other end. I shot by another line of cars and zig-zagged around another bus and saw a familiar logo. “Thank God.”

“Where did he go?” Came shouts that were way too close.

“Where are we going?” she hissed.

“My bus.”

“Your bus?”

I dragged her behind me as I ducked behind a black truck we used for our equipment. It has been a stripped down stage, but we still had a lot of instruments between Keys’s pianos, the entire percussion set up that Wyatt used, all the guitars, amps, and digital network we used—we needed a truck no matter what.

“New plan.” I unlatched the back of the rig and lifted the rolling door. “Get in.”

“Are you freaking kidding me?”

I stared down at her. “Does it look like I’m kidding?”

She groaned. “I can’t get up there.”

I lifted her until her knee was on the base of the truck ledge. She scrambled in as the scraping of heels and running feet got closer.

“Move it, Kenny.”

Her skirt rode up as she dragged herself inside. I threw her a soft whistle. She turned back to me with murder in her eyes. I squashed down a laugh, rolling in after her, tugging the door down behind me with a bang.

“I hate you.”

I just smiled into the dark.

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Review of Tiny Glitches by Rebecca Chastain **Giveaway**

Electrically Charged

 

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Book Length (Est.): 373 Pages

Book Description/Synopsis:  

Life isn’t exactly normal for Eva Parker: the stronger Eva’s emotions, the faster nearby electrical devices die. Eva can’t have a cell phone, use a computer, or be in a car for more than a few minutes without killing it. Dealing with her electricity-killing curse makes living in modern-day Los Angeles complicated enough for Eva—and that was before she was blackmailed into hiding a stolen baby elephant and partnered with Hudson, a sexy electrical engineer Eva just met.

Dodging repeated attempts on her life made by ruthless corporations hunting the elephant is easier for Eva than quelling her growing affection for Hudson, and while protecting an elephant is hard, controlling her curse is a lot harder. However, Eva must do both, because if she lets her emotions free and falls in love with Hudson, neither of them will survive.

Enchanting and quirky, Tiny Glitches fuses electrifying romance and high-voltage suspense in a rollicking adventure.

Jennifer’s Review: 

*I received this book free from the author in exchange for an honest review*

Eva was born with a gift, or curse as she calls it, where she basically sucks out everyone’s electricity. Not even cars are safe from her uncontrollable ability. She hates it, but she and those closest to her have learned to adapt. Of course those who don’t know her suddenly believe in curses of bad luck.

“Redheads and trouble go hand in hand,” Mark said, walking over to me after he pocketed Hudson’s money. “That’s what my father always said. But always worth it.”

Hudson was only there to install a new security system, but before he left he had to ask Eva out. Too bad their date never officially happens and instead they get thrown into a wild goose chase with an elephant in tow. He becomes a firm believer in the elephant curse since every electronic he comes in contact dies a mysterious death and yet he still stays around to help Eva, a woman he barely knows, find Jenny, a psychopath lady who handcuffed Eva and left them shackled with an elephant and no idea what for.

“Shouldn’t I be concerned about the cuffs?”

“They were your idea.”

I originally thought Tiny Glitches would be fun and entertaining, but it was more strange and monotonous. Between pooping elephants, ninjas, cars breaking down and someone getting kidnapped every time I turned around it was a little much. The chemistry between Eva and Hudson was there sometimes, but overall it wasn’t. The storyline was interesting it just wasn’t captivating.

*Clicking on the book cover above will take you to the Amazon purchase page.

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