Journey with Books

Oct 28, 2013

Book Blast and Giveaway: Knowing Vera by Rachelle Ayala

Unknown October 28, 2013 0 Comments

Hi everyone! I hope you're all having a great day. But if not, this post might just turn your luck. Journey with Books is featuring the book titled Knowing Vera by the author, Rachelle Ayala. Get to know more about this book and enter the great giveaway at the bottom of this post.

Title: Knowing Vera

Author: Rachelle Ayala

Paperback: 276 pages

Date Published: October 03, 2013

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1492384097

ISBN-13: 978-1492384090

Book Blurb:

Some secrets are best untold.

Vera Custodio has never fallen in love, though she has strong feelings for her friend and sometimes lover, Zach Spencer. Long-forgotten memories resurface when Vera discovers Zach’s mother was the woman her father supposedly murdered many years ago.

After losing his leg, former triathlete Zach Spencer reevaluates his life—and realizes he’s falling in love with Vera. When she ends their relationship, Zach is determined to prove his love and follows her to Australia in search of the killer.

Caught between a web of family secrets and a deranged adversary, Vera and Zach must depend on each other for survival. Love blossoms, but the truth explodes everything Vera knows about herself. Will she close her heart forever or risk it all for a shot at happily-ever-after?

About the Author:

Rachelle Ayala is the author of dramatic fiction crossing genres and boundaries featuring strong but flawed characters. She writes emotionally challenging stories and is not afraid of controversial topics. However, she is an optimist and laces her stories with romance and hope.

Rachelle Ayala has written four novels. Michal’s Window is a powerful and emotional journey as lived through the eyes of Princess Michal, King David’s first wife. Broken Build is a story of redemption and healing where a man learns to love and trust the woman who destroyed his life. Hidden Under Her Heart is a heartfelt love story mixed with controversy over difficult decisions.

Her latest is Knowing Vera , a steamy romantic suspense involving family secrets, disability, and an unsolved murder.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AyalaRachelle

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RachelleAyalaWriter

Website: http://rachelleayala.me/

Giveaway:

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Oct 26, 2013

Book Blast: Excerpt and Giveaway: Just One Week by Stacey Lynn

Unknown October 26, 2013 0 Comments

Hi everyone! Journey with Books is featuring Just One Week by Stacey Lynn. You'll get a little peek on what's this book is all about. Plus there's a giveaway at the bottom of this post, so just have fun and read on!

Title: Just One Week (Just One Song #2)
Author: Stacey Lynn
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publication Date: October 24, 2013
Cover Designed By: Cover It Designs
Event organized by: Literati Author Services, Inc.

Book Blurb:

Two years ago, Mia had everything she thought she wanted. She loved her job, and her best friend Nicole was finally recovering from losing her family in a car accident. When they met rock star Zack Walters and given backstage pages for his concert in their hometown of Minneapolis, Mia had no idea she would get involved with the band’s drummer, Chase Harper. It was simple, fun, and exactly what Mia liked best – no strings attached.

Then Chase decided to change the rules and Mia did what she’s always done best: she ran.Now she’s on her way to Los Angeles to help Nicole get ready for her wedding to Zack. The one thing she’s not looking forward to is seeing Chase again. With his sculpted muscles, strong hands and dark gray eyes that seem to know everything she’s thinking – Chase has the ability to make her forget. He also has the power to make her feel, something Mia refuses to let happen.

When everything around Mia’s life begins to crumble, and she keeps all of her secrets tucked close and hidden away, Chase is the one who steps in to help.Because he has decided that he isn't letting her go again. Not until she finally admits she’s his.

Note: Book can be read as a standalone as these are spin-off characters from Just One Song.

Book Excerpt:

“You have a massage in one hour,” I remind her with a raised eyebrow. Her eyes slowly open and the smoky color in her blue eyes clears.

“Wha….”

I chuckle softly. It takes every ounce of self-control not to take her. How can one kiss turn both

of so completely inside out like this?

“A massage. In one hour.” And then I smirk. “Unless you want me to take care of it for you.” I run my hands slowly down her throat, across her collar bone, and down her sides until I reach the edge of her short t-shirt that I want removed. Immediately. I play with the hem with my fingers and firmly grasp her thighs, squeezing the backs of them until my hands are cupping her perfect ass.

She jumps when I pinch each ass cheek, pushing me away. I throw my hands up innocently as she laughs just once. It’s the first smile I’ve gotten out of her since we stepped out of the plane. It’s progress and I’ll take it.

“You’re a tool.”

I place both hands on my hips, my feet shoulder-width apart, and watch her eyes fall to my erection that’s pressed so hard against my boxers I’m surprised it hasn't popped out yet. When she’s looking, I wiggle my hips once. “We both know you like my tool.”

Her cheeks flush bright pink and she turns away, but she’s still smiling and laughing so I consider my work done for the morning.

Add to Goodreads

About the Author

Stacey Lynn left her workplace in a cube farm at an insurance company, as soon as her first child

was born and

has never once looked back.

Years – and four kids later – she rediscovered her love of reading in an effort to find a brief escape from the

mountains of laundry, dust balls, and dishes. Reading turned into her daydreaming, and soon…an idea was

born. Once the story became loud enough that she couldn’t ignore it any longer, she put down her Kindle

(briefly!) and began her work on Just One Song.

Stacey loves hearing from readers.

Connect with Stacey:

Facebook | Blog | Twitter | Goodreads

Giveaway:

Open to international.

$25 Amazon gift card, $10 Amazon gift card, 3 ebook copies of Just One Week

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Oct 25, 2013

Blog Tour: Excerpt and $100 Giveaway: Her Royal Masquerade by Natasha Moore

Unknown October 25, 2013 0 Comments

Hi everyone! Today, Journey with Books is featuring Natasha Moore's Her Royal Masquerade. You'll be given a chance to take a peek of what's inside this book. Plus! There's a giveaway you wouldn't want to miss at the bottom of this post. You'll get a chance to win a $100 Amazon Gift Card. So read on and have fun!

Title: Her Royal Masquerade
Author: Natasha Moore
Print Length: 191 pages
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B00FW2C6ZI

Book Blurb:

Time is running out for Prince Vittorio. His father’s health is failing and he must find a royal bride. Fast. He’s never forgotten his glimpse of a beautiful Scandinavian princess and lures her to his Mediterranean country with an invitation to his father’s birthday ball. He’d planned to propose a marriage agreement as cold as her icy reputation, but then he discovers she's as colorful and warm as a summer sunset. The heat between them flares red-hot and when she allows him to seduce her, Vittorio sees his future unfolding just as he had planned. But what he doesn't know is that the woman in his bed is not a princess at all.

The last thing schoolteacher Mia Holmberg expects when she masquerades as her royal cousin is to be swept off her feet by a charming prince. The incredible night in Vittorio's arms is like a fairy tale come true, but she’d never want the life of a real princess, with all its pomp and politics. Knowing they can never have a future together, she slips out of his bed and back to reality, where she belongs.

But Vittorio discovers the deception and kidnaps Mia back to his palace, demanding she be his mistress until the real princess appears. Despite her attempts to stay aloof, Mia soon learns there’s more to the prince than arrogance and attitude, but now she’s in danger of falling in love with a man she can never have.

Book Excerpt:

Mia sipped her champagne and tried not to be affected by the man sitting next to her. He was so…so everything. Charming. Gorgeous. Commanding. Seductive. One dance and she hadn't been able to control her reaction to him. What had made her press against him like that?

To rub against his obvious erection? With a man she’d only known a few minutes. She was certain even Birgitte wouldn't have been that forward.

She’d had to get off the dance floor, had to get out of his arms before she did something outrageous like beg him to take her to some dark corner and ease the ache he was causing within her. But tonight she was Birgitte. No free pass at this ball. She had to act the princess.

But she longed to be out on the dance floor again. The music was so stirring. She found herself swaying with the beat of the song. The ballad was one she didn't recognize, one she’d certainly never heard back home. The melody called to her on a visceral level. There was no logical reason why. Music was that way sometimes. It couldn't have anything to do with Vittorio.

“What are you thinking?” he asked softly, leaning over to murmur the question softly in her ear.

“Simply enjoying the music,” she replied, trying to ignore the delightful shiver caused by the whisper of his warm breath along her skin.

He slipped his arm over the top of her chair, letting his fingers brush her bare shoulders.

Just a simple touch like that sent her heart racing. “Would you like to dance again?” he asked in a seductive tone that suggested he might be talking about more than just a dance.

“I’m not sure I dare,” she admitted, keeping her gaze on the musicians.

“Oh?” With one finger, he touched her chin and turned her face his way. He shot her a wickedly sexy grin. “You don’t seem to be the type to back away from a challenge.”

She leaned back against his warm arm. She couldn't help herself. “So I should consider another dance with you as a challenge?”

One lazy finger traced circles on her bare shoulder, teasing a shiver to run along her skin. “For me, the challenge will be pretending I have no more interest in you than any other guest at the palace tonight.”

Mia swallowed to moisten her suddenly dry mouth. Pretending she was Birgitte made it slightly easier for her to hold his gaze and slowly smile. “And what interest do you have in the princess of Stagatland?”

“I assure you, my interest in you is strictly as a beautiful, enticing woman. That you are the lovely princess is simply an additional benefit.”

She knew better. He wouldn't be flirting with her if he knew she was a commoner, no one of importance. If he ever saw her in her usual outfits, the bulky sweaters and heavy boots, he wouldn't look at her twice. The knowledge should have upset her, but it had been a fact of life for her since she was old enough to realize that her cousin was treated differently than she was. Mia had always had to step back and let Birgitte have all the attention, no matter if it was a royal affair or simply a family gathering.

To be called beautiful and enticing by such a handsome, charming man gave her often bruised ego a boost. What harm would it do to soak up an easy compliment? He probably tossed them away like crumbs to the birds. A man such as Prince Vittorio surely had had his choice of beautiful women over the years. He knew how to charm. Seduce. She told herself she could enjoy it without making more of it than what was intended.

Birgitte would probably take the compliment as her due. No sense gushing over the flattering remarks. She was a princess. Act like it, she admonished herself.

“I suppose I could take a chance and join you on the dance floor once more,” she said, trying to keep her tone light and flirty, and not betray the fact that she was aching to be back in his arms again.

“I like a woman who’s willing to take a risk.” The faint lines at the corners of his eyes crinkled with his smile and she wanted to reach out and brush her finger over them. Oh, she liked him. More than she should.

Grab the moment, Mia. Tomorrow you’ll be back home, shivering from the freezing cold instead of the arousing touch of a handsome prince.

Vittorio rose and graciously helped her to her feet. His commanding presence threatened to take her breath away. How could she resist him at all?

Buy Here:

Author Bio:

Natasha Moore fell in love with the written word as soon as she could read. As she grew up, she discovered romance and now enjoys the chance to add some extra sizzle to her stories. She writes sexy contemporary and erotic romance because she believes that stories of love and hope are important, and that there’s nothing better than a happy ending. She lives in New York State with her husband, her real life hero who is happy to tell everyone that he’s her inspiration.

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Giveaway:

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Oct 24, 2013

Blog Tour: Excerpt and Giveaway: Out From Under by Selene Chardou

Unknown October 24, 2013 1 Comments

Hi everyone! Journey with Books is featuring Out From Under by the author Selene Chardou. You will get a little glimpse on what's inside this book. And there's a giveaway fro you guys on the bottom of this post. Don't miss it!

Book Blurb:

"I have always been strong, independent and wanted a life that belonged to me. It's the very reason why I chose to attend Stanford because it is away from the small-town life that seems more Twin Peaks than charming. Secrets are a dangerous commodity and Pine Bluff has them in spades. So do my parents, and the dirtiest secret of all is my brother, Trey. Sergeant at Arms for the Demon's Bastards, a criminal, a felon, and perhaps the catalyst for the tragedy that destroyed my life just days before I was supposed to leave for college.

"Now I am on the run because my life is in danger and I could be next. I don't want to live my whole life looking over my shoulder and I don't want to live my life shrouded in despair. Anxiety has me in a death grip, unable to let go. I pop Xanax to get through the day and were it not for my famous cousin, I would probably be dead already.

"My name is Trista Lennon, and I am tired of being afraid."

Linx Carter never thought he could help anyone when he could barely help himself. He is hanging on by a thread after a tough, six-month Gods of Rock Tour with his band, Winter's Regret, and Scarlet Fever. He has a greedy ex-wife, two sons and all he wants is to put the pieces of his life back together.

Linx knows there is something special about Trista from the moment they meet. She's wounded, in desperate need of a friend yet feminine, feisty and no one's charity case. She is the strongest woman he has ever known.

Through their friendship, they will find the strength to heal themselves and love one another but a feud between two gangs is brewing. Trista is caught in the crossfire, and by proxy, so is Linx. What they discover might not only cost them the love they have for one another but their lives too.

Book Excerpt:

The motorcycle clubs, and the violence they brought with them, was the major reason why I wanted to leave this place. I couldn't take the biker gangs and the casinos, the whores and the drug trade any longer. I was sick of it and how our whole lives were affected by it. My parents owned their own accounting firm, but it was mostly a front to do the books for the Lucifer’s Saints MC and every illegitimate businessman come tax time.

Like most men, my father was a contradiction. He didn't want his children to be involved in a life of crime though he and my mother were neck deep in it. I suppose it made me feel slightly better they’d been bullied into their position as accountants mainly for a biker gang but they also had to take some of the blame. We could have moved to another town, another state but perhaps they were just as greed-driven as the average adult and could only see working for the MC as an end game toward early retirement.

We lived comfortably but I couldn't disguise my quiet disgust at how our lifestyle came at the cost of lives lost, ruined and destroyed. They dealt with unsavory people and washing dirty money clean didn't make me feel any better, no matter how comfortable my life was as a result of my parents’ profession.

Of course, I was a walking cliché myself. I had secretly been the girlfriend of an MC prospect for over a year, Tristan dated a woman with direct ties to a rival MC and Trey was in the MC. I needed to get away because I didn't want this kind of life. I certainly didn't want to bring children into this kind of environment, no matter how charming Pine Bluff and its proximity to Lake Tahoe were. Underneath the town lurked a rot and filth that marred our beautiful surroundings and vaguely reminded me of the show, Twin Peaks. Like that idyllic town, nothing was as it seemed and it was the same for the nearby towns of Birch Tree, where the Saints ruled, and Black Oak, the town where the Knights had placed their claim.

“Earth to Trista, how are you and what are you doing here?”

I turned towards Tristan’s voice before I smiled and walked over to embrace him and Taryn.

“I’m great, although to be honest, I can’t wait to get out of this po-dunk town,” I said, before I sipped from my drink.

Tristan glared at me with harsh sky-blue eyes. “What’s that? Coke? You better not be drinkin’. Mom and Dad would have my ass if they found out their perfect daughter was caught at a Bastards’ party with this many drunk and fucked up people running around. What they hell is wrong with you? If anyone can understand how out of control these events can become, it’s you.”

“Well,” I said as I placed my hands on my hips. “If you have any ideas on how I am supposed to spend my New Year’s Eve, especially in our little hole in the wall town, I’m all ears,” I replied in a sarcastic voice.

“Maybe you should spend some time at home for a change. Take Clooney with you—he’ll make sure you get home safe and sound.”

I laughed out loud. “That can’t happen. Trey would go postal if he knew I was alone with Clooney. He told me I had to leave with you two when you decide to go home or he would have another prospect drop me off. He’s demanded I cut any and all ties to the MC before I leave for Stanford.”

“He’s right, you know,” Taryn replied in her soft, barely-there Northern Irish accent. “You've been surrounded by this whole sordid scene since you were a wee child and it’s not healthy. I was so happy to get the hell out of Belfast, I didn't know what to do. Of course, I miss me Ma but do you know what it’s like to attend high school and university in a normal environment? No bombs exploding and not having to worry about being a Catholic?”

She paused and wrapped her arms around Tristan’s waist. “That’s why I love your brother so much. He loves me for me and it doesn't hurt that he’s one of the most fit men I have ever met.”

My brother looked at her before he kissed her lips softly. “I love you too, babe.”

I smiled at both of them before I pursed my lips and left the clubhouse. I sat outside on a wooden bench and watched a few revelers in more than close-for-comfort positions while I drank my SoCo and Coke.

The sheer need to leave this place had become an all-consuming obsession and I couldn't wait for the New Year. As far as I was concerned, it couldn't come fast enough.

Buy Here:

Author Bio:

Selene Chardou is a world traveler and the alter-ego of Elle Chardou.

Ms. Chardou’s writing is all about hot romance and exciting times with the wild, damaged, out of control and/or rich and famous set in the New Adult realm.

She is currently working on Rock My Heart, the first novel in the Scarlet Fever Series, which concludes the story of Kasper “Kaz” Gillian and Sydney Lundvik; she is also working on In Too Deep, the conclusion to The Lovers Duet. She also has a pop stars series planned and an MC series planned that chronicles the issues between Lucifer’s Saints and Demon’s Bastards motorcycle clubs.

Ms. Chardou has lived abroad in Stockholm (Sweden), Manchester (England), Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area and Portland. She currently resides in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Blog: http://selenechardou.blogspot.com/

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com

Follow Selene Chardou on Twitter: http://twitter.com

Like Selene Chardou on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/

Giveaway:

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Oct 23, 2013

Guest Post: Why I LOVE the Young Adult Genre by Sherry Soule

Unknown October 23, 2013 0 Comments

“Why I LOVE the Young Adult Genre”

Guest post by bestselling author, Sherry Soule

Today bestselling author, Sherry Soule has some exciting news to share with us! All the previously published books in the Spellbound series have been rewritten and republished with more epic romance and suspenseful thrills. The new versions also include exclusive bonus material and brand new scenes. Even additional scenes from charming, bad-boy, Trent Donovan’s point-of-view! To help promote the new editions, she is doing this awesome book promo to share the update with fellow booklovers.

Hi everybody, I’m author, Sherry Soule—waving from the SF Bay Area, where it can get pretty foggy just like in Fallen Oaks. I can’t believe that winter and the holidays are right around the corner. Thanks for letting me visit today, it’s an honor to be a guest here and meet other fellow booklovers.

Since I was a child, I recognized that books were a way to travel to other places and have remarkable adventures. Even though I am older (you’re NEVER too old to read young adult novels, IMHO) than the average teen reader, I’ve always loved reading Young Adult literature.

I think I love reading YA Lit because I think that most novels in this genre are fast-paced and thrilling, and the stories are written in a style that is engrossing, with story-driven or character-driven plotlines. I also love that there are so many books created into a series nowadays, so that you can continue to have additional adventures with your favorite characters.

Could my love of YA Lit be simply because I’m still stuck at age sixteen, just a teenager-at-heart in disguise?

Could be. And like many of you, I’ve read hundreds of YA books and I can actually say that I enjoyed them all. Some I genuinely loved and these books became like good friends that I didn’t want to part with, so they adorn my bookshelves and wait patiently to be reread again one day. Other novels were simply read and then disregarded with a contented smile.

And you know what? I am NEVER embarrassed to buy YA novels (although I buy most of my books online through Amazon) in bookstores, or carry them around with me. I love the genre and always have and always will.

Of course, I realize that we all have diverse tastes in literature. Most of you will have varied genres that you love to read, and probably some of my favorite books are simply your forgotten reads. That is what makes the world of YA Lit, and reading as a whole, so dang fascinating. Each one of us will enjoy different types of characters, plots, and of course, a writer’s voice, the way only they can tell a story.

Personally, I like to read and write darker, edgier young adult novels. As you can probably tell if you’d read my books, I tend to write dark, tormented heroines, too. I love the angst of a female teen protagonist trying to come to terms with some dark secret or horrific event in her past, and usually, she ends up facing this fear, vulnerability, or threat, with a handsome, strong hottie by her side. Oh!—and I love to create an evil villain that is unquestionably devious, but complex. My antiheroes always possess some redeeming features, and because of these factors, I think it makes them much more interesting villains.

My heroines are typically intelligent, snarky, and full of fight. Like my girl, Shiloh Ravenwolf in the Spellbound series. You gotta admire Shiloh’s spunk and determination. When I grow up, I wanna just like her. Or a vampire. Or a ninja. Hmmm, not sure which…

Anyhoo, thank you so for letting me chat about my love of young adult literature. I hope you enjoyed this post. Now go feed your mind and read a book! Preferably mine. :-D

Places you can cyberstalk Sherry Soule:

Official website: http://www.sherrysoule.blogspot.com

Spellbound Series Universe blog: http://thespellboundseries.blogspot.com

Twitter @WriterSherry: http://twitter.com/writersherry

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11634793-beautifully-broken

Deadly Witchcraft. Ghostly Threats. Doomed Romance.

They say every town has its secrets, but that doesn’t even begin to describe Fallen Oaks. The townsfolk are a superstitious lot and the mystical disappearance of a local teen has everyone murmuring about a centuries old witch’s curse.

When sixteen-year-old Shiloh Trudell takes a summer job at Craven Manor, she discovers a ghost with an agenda. That’s where she meets the new town hottie, Trent Donovan, and immediately becomes enchanted by his charms.

Finally, Shiloh’s met someone who is supercute and totally into her, but Trent is immersed in the cunning deception that surrounds the mysterious Craven Manor. So much so that he may lose sight of what is truly important to him. And she can’t decide whether she wants to shake him or kiss him. Yet neither one of them can deny the immediate, passionate connection growing between them.

But underlying everything is the fear that Trent may be the next victim on a supernatural hit list, and Shiloh is the only person with the power to save him…

With cryptic messages from a pesky wraith, Shiloh will finally begin to understand the mysterious significance of the strange mark branded on her wrist and decide how much she’s willing to sacrifice to protect the other teenagers in town.

Unfortunately, for Shiloh, not all ghosts want help crossing over. Some want vengeance.

BUY BEAUTIFULLY BROKEN (book 1):

Amazon Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/

Kindle: http://www.amazon.com

NOOK: http://bit.ly/Q6mGqx

Kobo: http://bit.ly/18C4KQK

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/14edSHU

Oct 22, 2013

Book Review: Fight or Flight by Jamie Canosa

Unknown October 22, 2013 0 Comments

Title: Fight or Flight
Author: Jamie Canosa
Paperback: 354 pages
Date Published: March 15, 2013
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1482695693
ISBN-13: 978-1482695694

Book Blurb:

Be smart.
Keep your head down.
And look out for number one.

These are the rules Jay has lived by for the past two years. The rules of surviving life on the streets. But when Em comes bursting into his life, in all of her disastrous glory, the rules go right out the window.

Survive.
Flee what’s been left behind.
And never look back.

Em’s plan was simple. Though, it was easier said than done. The city streets are dangerous and unforgiving to a new arrival. Especially, a seventeen year old girl who’s never known anything but life in the suburbs. Sometimes, however, what’s lurking behind those white picket fences can be more frightening than any dark alley.

Both of them made the same decision when life got overwhelming—to run from their demons. Brought together by fate or circumstance, Em and Jay find the kind of love neither of them ever expected. But when those demons come back to haunt them and their love is on the line, which instincts will they choose to follow this time . . . Fight or Flight?

Fight or Flight was the first book of Jamie Canosa that I've read. It was a book filled with dark, deep and painful emotions.

Fight or Flight was about the journey of two broken teenagers who run away from their difficult home situations. Em escaped from the grasp of years of abused from someone who was supposed to take care of her. She left everything and went to the crazy and dangerous life on the streets. She met Jay, the only person who took her in when no one else would.

Jay was a natural protector. When he saw Em roaming around, he had this strong instinct to keep her safe. He worked hard for both of them. It would have been okay but something happened that caused Em's past to catch up with them.

The characters were great. I empathized with their situation and with what they were going through. Em and Jay were both broken by what happened to them. The chemistry was there. I loved their interactions. It was sweet and sometimes sad and painful but so good.

Actually, this book was great. Em and Jay's journey from getting to know each other to falling in love and to facing their pasts was really good. It was heart wrenching at times but that's what makes it good. The only thing I can complain about was that I thought the ending was too abrupt. It was too anti-climatic. I thought it could have been so much better if the ending wasn't too rushed.

Verdict:

Overall, I enjoyed Jamie Canosa's Fight or Flight. It was a good, well written book full of gut wrenching and heart twisting emotions. So, I recommend this to readers who love books that has a romantic but realistic twist.

PS: I have read the second book of this series and it was so good! I will be posting my review of Now or Never, the sequel of Fight or Flight, on November. It's a must read!

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About the Author

I am a full time author of YA literature, which I absolutely love! When I'm not writing or spending time with my family, I can usually be found with my nose in a book. I currently reside in Ravena, NY with my wonderful husband and three crazy kids . . . plus the dog, the bird and the rabbit.

Blog | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Google+

Oct 17, 2013

Blog Tour: Book Review, Excerpt and $15 Giveaway: Shock Me by Ashley C. Harris

Unknown October 17, 2013 1 Comments

Hi everyone! I'm back with another blog tour. This time, Journey with Books is featuring a YA Paranormal Romance titled Shock Me by the author Ashley C. Harris. Read my review down below. There's also a little book excerpt for you guys. Plus a giveaway that you wouldn't want to miss.

Title: Shock Me

Author: Ashley C. Harris

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal Romance

Release Date: September 17th, 2013

Words: 68,230 Words

Publisher: Self-Published

Language: English

Format: Digital eBook

ISBN: 978-1-30157-839-9

Book Blurb:

A promising gymnast, Donna Young is a shy, quiet nobody from the wrong side of town. The only exciting thing in life is her secret friendship with Ryan, her childhood crush. But after the accident—one that should have killed her—she discovers she has impossible powers! Why now, at sixteen, can she transform into something shocking and inhuman? Donna doesn’t know how to use her new abilities or who she can trust, but unveiling this mystery might lead to conclusions about Ryan that are deadly.

Rich kid, Ryan Applegate is the most popular guy in town. He has a face that should be on a poster in every girl’s bedroom and dates the hottest chick in school. But ever since the big explosion at the town’s power plant, Ryan has been keeping secrets of his own, that if revealed could force him to choose between his family and the girl he's forbidden to love.

As their electrifying puzzle unfolds, so unfolds a town where friends become enemies, and enemies become unrecognizable and intertwined. Tortured heroes just might be the bad guys, and Donna discovers that her and Ryan’s secrets are powerful enough to destroy everyone... including themselves.

Shock Me was the first book of the Shock Me Series which was written by Ashley C. Harris. This was the first book I've read from this author and I must say that I was pleasantly surprised. It was a mixed of Fantasy and a little bit of Romance.

The plot was interesting. This is the first book in the series and when you read it you'd know that it's just an introduction. It barely touched the depth of the plot. So many questions were left unanswered that as a reader you'd be frustrated because you'd want the next book in your hands, presto.

Shock Me was written well. It was about a girl named Donna Young. She was a very ordinary teenager with ordinary teen problems like crushes, diets and fitting in. Until the day her life was changed because she discovered something unnatural within her.

I will not go into details because I think books were mostly enjoyed if you read it without spoiling it. The characters were all very interesting. Each one of them has value. I think I liked that the most. They all played a role in Donna Young's life. They were not just there as a filler.

These characters grew on me. Each one of them has flaws and some of them were selfish in the way a normal teenager was. They weren't the goody-two-shoes-it's-so unreal type of characters. The author made all of them and I mean all of them more realistic and human with their flaws and how they handled their feelings and unusual situations.

The chemistry of the main characters is fine. I figured since the blurb mentions Ryan, he was the love interest of Donna. I must say that the chemistry was there but romance was not the focus of the book. I guess the romance part will be developed in the next books of this series.

The flow of the story was nice. There were so many questions left out at the end of the book but it was okay. I just wished some secrets were revealed to make the whole thing even more exciting than it was. The whole book was enveloped with an air mystery that would keep a reader guessing.

Verdict:

Overall, Shock Me by Ashley C. Harris was a good novel. It was a really good start for a book series ad I cannot wait to get my hands on the next book to get the answers this one left. I recommend this book to all YA readers who want their next read to have a mix of fantasy, a little bit of romance and a whole dose of mystery.

Book Excerpt:

Seeing Ryan

Donna's POV:

Just as she entered the outside of the forest running trail Donna saw him: Ryan Applegate. He was too far off for her to make out his face, but she knew it was him. They were the only two that jogged this early besides Lulu, one of the elderly women from town who got her exercise in every day.

Donna slowed down a bit, running and jogging off and on, getting used to her old routine again. She looked off at some of the plants and things. Anything but stare right at Ryan dead on. They weren’t friends or anything after all, and she’d prove to be more of a dork than she already was if she kept on looking right at him.

He was wearing a new sweat suit, a bright blue one with white stripes down the sides. His hair, which he was letting grow out, shined and framed his face perfectly. His gaze concentrated on everything but her. This was their ritual.

Donna had hoped after spending a fun summer with Peter, who she had met in New York, that she wouldn’t like Ryan as much, but no, she was out of luck. When she saw him yesterday morning jogging, and then again at school that day, her heart had pounded just as quickly. Ryan looked just as good, if not better, than he had before she’d left.

After they jogged around separate paths, the path looped around and they joined each other running in the same direction. As the ritual went, they’d fall into the same pace, running together side by side, as if they were friends or something. They never talked, Ryan always listened to his music, yet he’d never go ahead and lose her.

Donna did all she could to look straight at the trees, not at his big muscular arms, or his gorgeous face that should be on every girl’s bedroom poster. After two years of this she wasn't super nervous running next to him, but it was hard not to concentrate on Ryan as being another reason besides gymnastics to be in shape.

They looped around the path, their ritual almost coming to its end, then as the path cut off at the park they both stopped together.

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Author Bio:

Author and film director Ashley C. Harris resides in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. When she is not hard at work writing or dreaming up new indie films she spends her time working out, reading the bible, and going on breath-taking adventures with her sister.

The seed for becoming an author started budding for Ashley in the third grade, when she wrote her first hundred page book during her class's quite time, her teacher couldn't believe it and voiced over her that surly she'd become an author someday. Those words never left Ashley and she has been writing ever since.

Ashley loves to create young adult, science fiction, fantasy novels, and is currently working on her first steamy romance... with more to come.

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Oct 16, 2013

Book Blast and Giveaway: Loving Her by CM Hutton

Unknown October 16, 2013 0 Comments

Loving Her by CM Hutton
Expected publication: October 15th, 2013
Adult contemporary romance

Boring, but completely gorgeous. That was my first impression of him. My next two thoughts were ‘pompous ass’ and ‘cocky jerk.’ And, I had the glorious pleasure of sharing a table with him for the entire night. He didn’t speak, didn’t grunt….he just nodded and stared. If I weren’t taking my bosses place at this dinner, I’d have found another place to sit and escape Rylan Daniels.

‘Absolutely beautiful’ was what I thought when I found her at my table at the Ad Execs quarterly dinner. She wore a black strapless dress and exuded confidence from every part of her. I nodded to her, but didn’t speak. I really didn’t have much to say anyway.

I couldn’t quit staring and had to excuse myself at one point to stand across the room and watch her. It was a strange, unwelcome feeling I was having about this stunning woman.

It had been five years….five years since Kristen…..and I still couldn’t move on. That kind of hurt you just don’t get over so easily and I wasn’t even sure that I wanted to get over it. But, here I was, completely intrigued and unable to stop thinking about Jen Bailey.

Jen

“I need to kiss you. May I?” Oh, dear lord. Those words did funny things to me.

A slow smile crept across my face and he had one to match. “Yeah.” I whispered as he leaned in and ever so gently swept his lips across mine. It was the sweetest, softest kiss and I wanted more, but he pulled his head back and whispered “Thank you” then quickly turned me around to face out to the crowd leaving my waist locked in this arms.

Rylan

Jen Bailey looked just as beautiful as she did at dinner last night, but instead of a fancy dress, she was in jeans….’sexy as hell’ jeans. I let my eyes roam her body since she had no idea I was looking at her. Her long blonde hair was not as smooth as it was last night. It was a little messy and looked good. She was curvy where it mattered and not too thin. Pretty damn perfect, actually.

I leaned against the bar and sipped my drink. I hadn’t really noticed anyone but her until I saw none other than Jack Woods walking right behind her with his hand on her back. Damn.

I'm a wife, a mom of three, a sister, a daughter, an aunt, a friend and a teacher. Now I can add writer to my list! I've always loved to write and finally found the inspiration and support to put my first novel on display for others to read.

I live near Austin, Texas with my family where I teach school and run around like crazy taking care of my crew. I absolutely love to read and tend to totally ignore my 'near and dear' when I'm lost in a good book. Put me on a beach somewhere with a great story and the whole world just disappears around me.

Loving Her is my second novel. I'm working hard to continually improve my writing; hoping to make my stories better, my characters more loveable and my fans proud!

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Oct 15, 2013

Cover Reveal and $100 Amazon or B&N Giveaway: Only You (A Mephisto Covenant Book) by Stephanie Feagan

Unknown October 15, 2013 2 Comments

Only You by Stephanie Feagan

Formally known as The Mephisto Mark by Trinity Feagan

Orphaned at six and sent to live with abusive relatives in Bucharest, Mariah learned early in life to box up violent, agonizing memories and put them in permanent mental storage. Now almost nineteen, she has a paying job, a tiny apartment, and a plan to attend university. She loves her independence and is steadily overcoming her past, but when an enigmatic stranger walks into the pub where she works and the trajectory of her life changes yet again, she begins to wonder if she’ll run out of mental shelf space.

The only females unafraid of the Mephisto brothers are the extremely rare Anabo, born without Original Sin. Over one hundred years ago, Phoenix was first to find one, but he made a fatal mistake and she was murdered by his oldest brother and enemy, Eryx. Phoenix soldiered through the next century wrapped up in grief and guilt, his only outlet planning takedowns of those who pledged their souls to Eryx. When one of his brothers brings Mariah to Mephisto Mountain, he’s torn between his instinctive, powerful need to pursue her, and his certainty that he can never have her.

Drawn into the world of the Mephisto, Mariah sees the pain and misery Eryx unleashes on humanity, and the boxes in her mind begin to fly open, one by one. All that keeps her from slipping off the edge is her unlikely, sexually charged friendship with Phoenix. He’s incredibly screwed up; she’s completely broken. It would take a miracle for them to find happiness. Then Eryx brings the war for Hell to a whole new level, forcing Mariah and Phoenix to make a choice that will bind them together for all eternity, or rip them apart forever.

I knew if I moved at all, my body would go to hers of its own volition. I wanted her with crushing desperation. And I could never have her.

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Amazon † BN

What Kind of Moron Changes Cover, Title and Author 3 Weeks After Release Day?

Me. I’m the moron. But maybe not as idiotic as it seems. When I decided to self-publish the third Mephisto book and make it New Adult with sexy times and more grown-up-y angst, I gave serious consideration to doing this to start with, but couldn’t decide, and so I asked author friends for their advice and they unequivocally said I should keep Trinity Faegen as the author, use the same font for the title, and the same general theme of the cover. Continue the package and branding.

So I did. And it’s beautiful – I love the cover of The Mephisto Mark. But most people have never heard of the Mephisto Covenant series, so they don’t know – or care – that this book is all matchy-matchy with the previous books. So no new readers are jumping on board. And readers of the first two assume this will be like those, but it’s not. Even the writing is different. Book 1 & 2 are in third person, alternating POV and this one is in first person alternating POV. This one has more language and adult themes and is not anything close to a YA. It’s New Adult – except not about somebody in college. Just college age. It’s a romance novel, pure and simple. It’s a sad story, a hopeful tale, a love story with a happy ending – like all romance novels.

The first two Mephistos were romances. Young Adult romance, but romances just the same. This book, the third Mephisto, with a new title and cover, written as Real Me, the romance writer, will hopefully find its place on the right bookshelf, and people who love romance novels will find it and enjoy it. Should I have done this to begin with? Well, yeah, but who knew? That’s the beauty of self-publishing! You can climb down off the horse in the middle of the stream and get on another horse. Or swim to shore and take a bus. Y’all come with me – read Only You and tell me what you think.

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Oct 14, 2013

Book Blitz: Crash Into Me by Tracy Wolff

Unknown October 14, 2013 0 Comments

Crash Into My by Tracy Wolff

She’s totally off limits, but this rocker wants a taste…

Jamison Matthews has lusted after Ryder Montgomery since she was a preteen. But now that Ryder and her brother’s band, Shaken Dirty, has made it huge, she’s just one of many pining for the brooding lead singer. Too bad Ryder still sees her as a little sister. Not that it matters. Her brother would never allow it, and the last thing Jamison wants is to be another notch on a rock star’s bed post. Even if it’s Ryder’s.

Ryder doesn’t deserve happiness. After his fame destroyed his last girlfriend, he swore he’d never fall in love again. So when Jamison, the girl he’s been in danger of loving for years, joins the band on the road, he’ll do anything to deny the sparks between them—even after one hot night together. But Jamison is determined to show Ryder that he’s worthy of love—her love—and that she’s all grown up…and ready to play.

Book Excerpt:

Onstage, the band launched into “Awake,” one of the power ballads that had made them famous. The crowd screamed their approval and so did she. Totally not her typical modus operandi, but she couldn’t help it. Something about listening to Ryder croon the darkly haunting lyrics had her knees trembling and her heart beating much too quickly. If she closed her eyes, she could do what all the other women in the audience were doing and pretend that he was singing straight to her.

So much better than remembering he’d written these heartfelt words for another woman. For Carrie, who had killed herself and broken his heart so many years before. Her own heart ached at the thought. For him. Always for him. At twenty-nine, Ryder had already been through more darkness and despair than any one person should have to handle.

“Awake” finally came to a close, the last note hanging in the air for long, tension-
fueled seconds. Then the band fell silent and the audience did the same, as if they were all holding their breaths. Ryder lowered his guitar, shuffled, and stamped his feet once, twice. It was a familiar gesture, one years of experience had taught her was his way of shaking off excess emotion. Again her heart twisted. It devastated her that more than ten years after the fact he was still eaten up by what had happened. Still determined to bury it under a bunch of layers that not only insulated him from his pain but also hid the real Ryder so deep inside the public Ryder that she wondered sometimes if he even existed anymore. Or if the boy who had held her while she cried, who had let her whisper her pre-adolescent fears without ever making fun of her, had disappeared forever.

She searched for him in that one endless moment.

Looked for him in the obsidian eyes that arrowed to the heart of the crowd even as they barricaded his own emotions.

Combed through her own memories and expectations in an effort to see Ryder as he really was instead of how he portrayed himself.

And when his eyes—his crazy, beautiful eyes—met hers, she found him. Seconds passed, long, intense seconds where she lost the ability to hear or breathe or even think.

All she could do was look into Ryder’s eyes, at the feral heat boiling up and out of them, and want.

She smiled at him, waved. He snarled back. But it wasn’t a leave-me-alone snarl. No, definitely not. It was his I-want-to-fuck-you-up-against-a-wall snarl—she knew it well, had seen it directed at a lot of women through the years—and her knees gave way when she realized that this time, finally, it was directed at her. It didn't matter that there was no sign of recognition in his eyes, no knowledge that the woman he was looking at like that was actually her. Jamison. For one moment, he wanted her the way she’d always wanted him.

It was more than enough.

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About the Author:

Tracy Wolff collects books, English degrees and lipsticks and has been known to forget where—and sometimes who—she is when immersed in a great novel. At six she wrote her first short story—something with a rainbow and a prince—and at seven she forayed into the wonderful world of girls lit with her first Judy Blume novel. By ten she’d read everything in the young adult and classics sections of her local bookstore, so in desperation her mom started her on romance novels. And from the first page of the first book, Tracy knew she’d found her life-long love. Now an English professor at her local community college, she writes romances that run the gamut from contemporary to paranormal to erotic suspense.

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Oct 28, 2013

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Oct 23, 2013

“Why I LOVE the Young Adult Genre”

Guest post by bestselling author, Sherry Soule

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