Saturday, November 30, 2013

For the Love of Our Furry Friends Christmas Blog Tour by Jennifer Conner and Sharon Kleve



For The Love Of Our Furry Friends Christmas Blog Tour
November 20th-30th

Best-selling authors Sharon Kleve and Jennifer Conner adore animals. That's why they collaborated on this blog tour together. To showcase their Christmas stories celebrating our beloved pets. They hope you enjoy reading them as much as they did writing them.

Book Title: Halo's Wish (Book one in the Dreams Come True Series)
Author: Sharon Kleve
Publisher: Books to Go Now
Genre: Contemporary Christmas Romance
Release Date: 9.13.2013
Length: 50 pages
Heat Rating: Sweet

Book Blurb:
Halo Ann Carlyle wishes for a home, family, and a boat-load of pets. What she gets is a bruised hip, a lump on the head, a broken ankle, and her new yellow Honda Civic is demolished.

Rich McFarland, a sexy veterinarian, keeps showing up in the most unexpected places, promising everything she's ever wanted.

Halo believes she only has time to pursue her career as a pet detective and must ignore her growing attraction to achieve her dreams.

Will Halo trust her heart, and find a way to get both for Christmas?

Excerpt:
She'd just placed another call through to Pemsky's office, which went straight to his voicemail, when the office door opened. Halo smiled and looked up into dreamy, gold-flecked green eyes, short sandy brown hair, a slight cleft chin, and full lips set in a hard line. Even with the stern look he had on his face, my hormones jumped into overdrive.
Mr. Dreamy cleared his throat—she must've been staring. In her most professional voice she said, "Good morning. How may I help you?"
He removed a piece of paper from his shirt pocket and unfolded the sheet.
"I was parked in front of the Beacon Hill Ale House and my driver's side mirror was sideswiped by one of Pemsky's Security's SUV's Friday night."
Halo loved the Beacon Hill Ale House. Every Saturday night the Ale House allowed local bands to jam together. That's where she'd met her last loser boyfriend. She'd had a lot of loser boyfriends. She's currently on a hiatus from dating, but she wouldn't mind jumping back into the dating game for this dream-boat.
He handed her the piece of paper.
"I wasn't able to get a look at the driver, but I got the license plate number of the vehicle that hit my car and drove away."
He emphasized the last part.
"I'm very sorry about your car. I'm sure Mr. Pemsky will be happy to cover the damage." Halo checked the company log and Pemsky's name popped up as the driver—she gulped.

Buy Links:

Book Title: Brenda’s Christmas Desire (Book two in the Dreams Come True Series)
Author: Sharon Kleve
Publisher: Books to Go Now
Genre: Contemporary Christmas Romance
Release Date: 11.20.2013
Length: 50 pages
Heat Rating: Sweet

Book Blurb:
Like any child Brenda Howser loved Christmas until her parents were killed by a drunk driver during their annual shopping trip.
Brenda went to live with her aunt, who blamed their death on everything that represented Christmas; the gifts, the tree, and all the decorations.
The festivities' Brenda once cherished became something she dreaded under the shadow of her parents death. She lived in fear of something happening to the people she loved during Christmas.
Christmas approaches and Brenda has to decide if she’s going to let the past hold her prisoner for another year or if she can finally enjoy what Christmas used to mean to her—love.
DEA agent, John Smith knows the significance of December fifteenth to Brenda, but when the head of the Nuevo Cartel escapes federal prison he's forced to let her face the day without him, but not quite alone.
Can Daisy, a golden Labrador puppy, a huge sale on decorations at the hardware store, and a gift from her aunt restore her love of Christmas?

Excerpt:
December 2013
The weather forecast for the Western Washington area, specifically North Seattle, predicted a good five-to-six inches of snow. Brenda Houser watched the flakes float like cotton balls from the sky as she dipped a tortilla chip into a bowl of thick and chunky salsa and popped the morsel into her mouth. 
Her boss, Corny Myers, tapped her pencil on Brenda's reception desk to the beat of The Little Drummer Boy, which streamed from the Green Hornet Investigations Bose speakers.
"Hey, Brenda. I have bad eating habits but I've never started the day with chips and salsa. What's up?" Corny asked.
"You know how I feel about all the holiday hoopla. I'd rather stick my head in the sand and pull it back out in January."
"Do you really think Mexican food is going to make you feel better?"
"Probably not, but a couple margaritas might help."

Buy Links:


Author Bio:
Sharon Kleve was born and raised in Washington and currently lives on the Olympic Peninsula with her husband.
Sharon is a writer of paranormal and contemporary romance. She loves romance. She loves reading romance, living romance, and especially loves writing about romance. She gets no greater feeling than watching her characters come alive in each other's arms. Most of all, she loves giving her characters the happily ever after they deserve—with a few bumps and bruises along the way.
One of her favorite things to do is picking up a new book and sinking into the story, immersing herself in the emotions between the characters. She hopes to inspire her readers the same way her favorite authors have inspired her.
When not writing, she can usually be found either curled up in her recliner with her cat and a good book, or in the kitchen baking sourdough bread or bagels.
Social Media Links:


Book Title: Central Bark At Christmas (Book one in the Dog Tails Series)
Author: Jennifer Conner
Publisher: Books to Go Now
Genre: Sweet Contemporary Christmas Romance
Release Date: 11.09.2013
Length: 50 pages
Heat Rating: Sweet

Book Blurb:
When Tennyson’s boyfriend left her for her best friend from high-school, all Tennyson received in the break up was her dog. She’s sworn off men and now is rebuilding her life. The only thing Par does is work. He barely has time to do anything he wants for himself other than take his dog to the dog park. When Par and Tennyson find an abandoned dog at the park named Duke. Will they find room in their hearts to take him in? And can this Christmas season weave some special magic for the two of them?

Book Excerpt:
 “I’m happy this wasn’t your worst date ever, because I had a great time.” He lifted her chin with the tips of his finger. Slowly he lowered his head until she thought she would die of anticipation. He clamped his hands to her waist and gazed into her eyes. “You’re so beautiful…” There was depth and sincerity in the tone of his voice. She felt special. Desired. He dropped his head and kissed her.
Gentle at first and then deep. She couldn’t breathe. He’d sucked all the air from her lungs, but there was no way she wanted him to stop. As she brushed his firm lips to hers, she relished the feel of her blood simmering in her veins. Par slid his fingers through her long hair to cradle and position her head to kiss her even more thoroughly.
His lips pulled away from hers and he stepped back. She reached for the roof of the car to steady herself. Oh. My. God… could this man kiss.
“Not bad for a first date,” he whispered and then kissed her gently again.
Okay… so it was a date. After that kiss it turned into an ‘official date’ and she had no regrets at all.

Buy Links:


Book Title: Christmas Gift That Keeps Wagging (Book two in the Dog Tails Series)
Author: Jennifer Conner
Publisher: Books to Go Now
Genre: Sweet Contemporary Christmas Romance
Release Date: 11.06.2013
Length: 50 pages
Heat Rating: Sweet

Book Blurb:
Julian Barrows has his hands full working full time and being a single dad to his kindergarten, special needs son, Gabe. Gabe’s teacher convinces Julian he doesn’t need to do everything on his own and introduces him to a seizure dog trainer, Hanna Acker.
Hanna and her sister grew up without any ‘Christmas Cheer’. She’s trying to get her sister through college and doesn’t have time to let anyone too close, especially the handsome single dad with a kid.
But, Christmas has a way of changing what we thought we wanted… especially when Santa and an adorable four-legged ‘elf’ are involved.

Book Excerpt:
“What’s this?” Hanna asked, as she ran a hand over the grocery bag wrapping paper. Julian took her coat and hung it by the door so she could follow Gabe into the living room.
“Daddy saw this in a store window and said that we had to get it for you. Open it!” Gabe said. “I wrapped it myself,” he added proudly.
“But it’s not Christmas.”
“No. This is a before Christmas gift. You have to open it now.”
She pulled off a half-pound of scotch tape and finally the paper fell away. Hanna stared at the gift in disbelief. “A Christmas sock… with my name on it.”
Julian came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “You told me that you’d never had a Christmas stocking of your own when you were growing up. Gabe knew  Santa wouldn’t know where you were if you didn’t have you sock hung somewhere.” He winked. “So you needed it.”
“You can take it to your home or you can hang it here!” Gabe shouted almost tripping over Cody.

Buy Links:

Author Bio:
Jennifer Conner is a best-selling Northwest author who has over thirty short stories on ebook and three full-length books in print. She writes in Contemporary Romance, Paranormal Romance, Historical Romance, and Erotica.  
Shot in the Dark hit Amazon at #1 in Romantic SuspSuspense and Christmas Chaos was #2 in the Romance category. 
Her novel Shot in the Dark was a finalist in the Emerald City Opener, Cleveland, and Toronto RWA contests.  
Jennifer is an Associate Publisher for the indie e-book company Books to Go Now that resides in the Seattle area. Books to Go Now offers professional editing, cover design, multiple book format file creation, and most important--publicity. Their staff works to help make our author books a success one book at a time. 
She lives in a hundred year old house that she grew up in. Her semi- small town holds an interesting mix of resident hillbillies, yuppies and Navy Seals. And of course Seattle, only a few miles away, is the birthplace of Starbucks so coffee is always on the check list. She blows glass beads with a blow torch, (which relieves a lot of stress and people don't bother you).

Social Media Links:


Publisher: Bookstogonow@gmail.com www.bookstogonow.com










Rafflecopter Giveaway Info:
Prizes:
  • One (1) Winner will receive a $25 gift card to a book seller of their choice
  • One (1) Winner will receive Sharon Kleve’s Book one and two of the Dreams Come True Series.
  • One (1) Winner will receive Jennifer Conner’s Book one and two of the Dog Tails Series.

Legal Information:
- Entering this contest means you have read, understood, and agree with all rules and regulations stated.
- Entrants must be 18 or older (or age of majority in your country) to enter and to win.
- No purchase necessary.
- Void where prohibited.
- All stated rules are subject to change without notification or reason given.
- Chances of winning vary widely based on the number of entries received.
- Prize is as stated. No substitutions or exchanges.
- Contest host/organizer is not responsible to misrepresented/mis-typed email addresses, spam filters, mailer demons, and other internet wackiness that may crop up at the time of winner notification.
- Winners are final.
- Contest Starts 00:01EST September 15, 2013 and Ends 12:59EST October 16, 2013 and open to International participants.
- Winners will be notified via email, Twitter, or Facebook no later than 12:00EST October 18, 2013
-Respond by date to collect prize is 14 days from notification date.



Friday, November 29, 2013

[Book Review] The Perfect Match by Kristan Higgins 4 1/2 STARS!

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THE PERFECT MATCH by Kristan Higgins
HARLEQUIN

What if the perfect match is a perfect surprise? 

Honor Holland has just been unceremoniously rejected by her lifelong crush. And now—a mere three weeks later—Mr. Perfect is engaged to her best friend. But resilient, reliable Honor is going to pick herself up, dust herself off and get back out there… or she would if dating in Manningsport, New York, population 715, wasn't easier said than done. 

Charming, handsome British professor Tom Barlow just wants to do right by his unofficial stepson, Charlie, but his visa is about to expire. Now Tom must either get a green card or leave the States—and leave Charlie behind. 

In a moment of impulsiveness, Honor agrees to help Tom with a marriage of convenience—and make her ex jealous in the process. But juggling a fiancé, hiding out from her former best friend and managing her job at the family vineyard isn't easy. And as sparks start to fly between Honor and Tom, they might discover that their pretend relationship is far too perfect to be anything but true love…


4 1/2 STARS!

I love Kristin Higgins and she never disappoints! Her humor is the best medicine. Tie that in with a hunky hero and a sweet heroine and you have a perfect book! 

Two people are "forced" together to help each other out, but in the end they realize they are the perfect match for one another. I loved Tom and his British accent along with his colloquialisms. And a tortured hero always tugs at my heart. Tom's rough past has to do with a woman who cheated on him and a step-son that he loves. Seeing the relationship between Tom and Charlie build also had me falling for him! Honor is everyone's "go to" woman. She's trustworthy, honest and reliable. Poor thing gets a kick in the heart and takes desperate measures so that she can have a family of her own. 

I did find the beginning slow -- I wanted Tom and Honor to connect sooner, but when they finally did, the pacing picked up. 

A great read! Can't wait to see more from the Blue Heron series! That family is one of my faves.


Wednesday, November 27, 2013

[Book Tour] Baby by Design by Elley Arden



Baby By Design
By: Elley Arden

Blurb
Trish DeVign knows what she needs to be single, successful and satisfied. She needs a baby. With recent relationships falling short of her expectations, she’s single by choice. With a thriving interior design company, she’s got successful covered. It’s the satisfied part that eludes her, and that’s her mother’s fault-not her adopted mother, but the mother who gave her away, sentencing her to a privileged life with two good people who don’t share with her a single drop of DNA. Refusing to grow old bitter, Trish decides a baby will calm the restlessness and lead her to true happiness. Instead, it leads straight to her best friend’s brother.

Tony Corcarelli has spent his adult life as the black sheep of his large Italian-American family. The nickname became permanent when he took a buyout from his sister rather than run the family carpentry company after his father’s death. Now, Tony’s grandmother has cancer, and he’s expected to join the family in making her wishes come true. Unfortunately, the two things Nonna wants most for Tony, are two things he can’t fathom-a wife and kids or the priesthood. There has to be another way.
When Trish asks Tony to escort her to a wedding, a night of fun and flirtation turns serious, with Trish confessing she wants a baby-Tony’s baby. Could a calculated conception be the answer he’s looking for? Thrown together by a carefully constructed yet cockamamie plan, Trish and Tony struggle to define terms they didn’t expect to become so complicated. But what if neither disapproving family members nor Nonna’s rapidly declining health is their biggest complication? What if it’s love?

Buy Links

Link to Follow Tour: http://tastybooktours.blogspot.com/2013/10/now-booking-tasty-virtual-book-tour-for_11.html

Author Info
Elley Arden is a born and bred Pennsylvanian who has lived as far west as Utah and as far north as Wisconsin. She drinks wine like it’s water (a slight exaggeration), prefers a night at the ballpark to a night on the town, and believes almond English toffee is the key to happiness.
http://twitter.com/elleywrites

REVIEW
Elley Arden does it again! She has such a way with her characters, it's mesmerizing. Tony, the hero in this story, is so much fun! I love that he's full of life and laughter. Unfortunately, his sister and other family members think he's never serious. Yet, he's serious when he wants to be. 

In comes Trish, a friend of Tony's sister. Trish is the exact opposite of Tony. Serious, business oriented, reliable. But, Trish is about to shatter the put-together misconception when she asks Tony to be the father of her child. She's dreamed of having a baby and no man has proven worthy of the task ... except Tony. Tony quickly agrees, wanting to please his Nonna who was diagnosed with cancer. 

The growth of the characters through this book is what really got me, even with the secondary characters. The whole Corcarelli family is a hoot! 

I can't wait to read the others in this series. I'm ready for more, Ms. Arden!



Rafflecopter Giveaway ($25.00 Amazon Gift Card)


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Tuesday, November 26, 2013

[Book Tour] Main Attraction by Ava O'Shay

Today is my stop during the blog tour for Main Attraction by Ava O'Shay. Main Attraction is published by Entranced Publishing.


Information about the book: Title: Main Attraction
Author: Ava O’Shay
Genre: contemporary erotica romance
Release Date: November 25, 2013

Blurb:
Jessica Hunter lost her heart and her husband at the same time. He died, and she discovered his infidelities, leaving her a shattered mess.
Five years later, Jessica still isn’t interested in a relationship. That is, until she meets sexy, lead actor Penn Jackson on the set of a popular tween movie—and her life gets turned upside down. Swept away by Penn’s carefree attitude, she lets him into her heart—and her bed—even though Penn warns her that being with him will change her life.
Penn’s warning doesn’t mean much to her. But when his publicist begins a campaign to get rid of her, and a trip to the emergency room turns into a tabloid explosion, she doesn’t just lose her anonymity, but also her job. Now, Jessica will have to choose between the man she loves and the life she’s always known.

You can add Main Attraction to your to-read list on Goodreads

About the Author:
Ava O'Shay grew up in the north Seattle area but now resides on a hill in the heart of the city so she can be inspired by the sights and sounds of the Seattle waterfront. She loves the outdoors and gets most of her inspiration during long bike rides and kayaking adventures with family, friends, and her three dogs which she loves like children. She can be found on the balcony of her home, wrapped in warm sweater people watching in the winter and enjoying the concerts at the Seattle Center in the summer, while typing on her pink computer.

You can find and contact Ava O’Shay here:
- Blog
- Twitter
- Facebook
- Goodreads


Top ten Romance Books
1. Real and Mine by Kay Evans
2. The Thoughtless Series  by S.C. Stephans
3. The Driven trilogy by K. Bromberg
4. Strings by Kendall Grey  (although it is a little rough it is still romance)
5. Anything by Nora Roberts  (she is the queen of romance)
6. Nicholas Sparks must then be the king
7.  The arrangement series by H.M. Ward
8.  The breathing series  by Rebecca Donovan
9.The Weekend Girlfriend by Monica Murphy
10. Eleanor and Park  Rainbow Rowell


There is a tour wide giveaway for the blog tour of Main Attraction.
- 10$ amazon gift card
- 2 e-copies of Main Attraction by Ava O’Shay

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Monday, November 25, 2013

[Book Blast] Born in Chains by Caris Roane #Giveaway




BORN IN CHAINS
Men in Chains, #1

In the epic battle of vampire against vampire, one warrior’s fate is bound to a mortal woman who controls him, commands him, and craves him like no other…

CHAINED FOR LIFE
Two years ago, the rogue vampires invaded Lily Haven’s home and kidnapped her son. Now, if she hopes to see her child again, she must do the unthinkable—bind herself, body and soul, to a vampire warrior.  She must choose one of the rogue army’s prisoners of war and force him to do her bidding. But when she sees the warrior Adrien, naked, beaten, and straining against his chains, it is she who is held captive…

HUNGRY FOR MORE
Adrien has been waiting for her. A beautiful woman who appears to him in visions. Who soothes his tortured body, feeds his erotic cravings—and quenches his thirst for blood. But Lily is more than he ever hoped for. She is the master of his destiny, and he is her willing slave. Even when she asks him to find the ultimate weapon for his enemies, he must obey her. Even if the task destroys them both, he will fight for her love, forever…

“Sexy, cool, edgy romantic fantasy…Prepare to be enthralled.”
New York Times bestselling author Lara Adrian

To Order BORN IN CHAINS:

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Caris Roane has published nine paranormal novels and novellas and writing as Valerie King, fifty Regency works.  In 2005, Romantic Times gave her a Career Achievement award in Regency Romance.  As Caris Roane, she currently writes paranormal romance for St. Martin’s Press and also self-publishes the continuing stories for her Guardians of Ascension series as well as stories set in other worlds. 

Connect with Caris:

TOUR GIVEWAY:
3 winners will EACH receive ALL of the following prizes at the end of the tour:

·         signed paperback of BORN IN CHAINS
·         eBook of EMBRACE THE DARK
·         notepad
·         versatile calendar
·         sticky notes
·         Romance Trading Cards (RTC's)


OPEN INTERNATIONALLY
*If winner is international they will receive a gift card as compensation

RAFFLECOPTER HTML CODE:



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Saturday, November 23, 2013

[Cover Reveal] Concealed by Selena Laurence


Just in time for Christmas! Releasing the Week of December 15th, CONCEALED, the sequel to the Top Selling Military Romance Camouflaged.

Two years ago, Gabe Thompson stood in the desert of Afghanistan and watched the love of his life drive away. When his tour of duty ended six months later, she wasn’t waiting. Now Gabe’s ready to go after the one thing his life is missing – the woman he’s never been able to forget.
 
Twenty-year-old Alexis Garcia rues the day she decided to volunteer for a UN mission to Afghanistan. The sexy, exasperating soldier she met there nearly destroyed her carefully constructed life with the boy next door. She’s spent two years trying to forget Gabe, working to show her parents and her boyfriend that she knows where she belongs.
 
But when Gabe shows up at Alexis’s door, complete with tattoos, a Harley and enough attitude to start another war, everything she’s tried to conceal could be exposed, starting with her heart.

About Selena Laurence:
Selena Laurence lives in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains and spends a hell of a lot of time at soccer games, on her laptop, and reading. She requires a Mocha Latte every day to function, keeps a goldendoodle at her feet most of the time, and has more kids than she knows what to do with. Her husband, Mr. Laurence, spends as much time as he can at the office and the gym in order to avoid the kids, the dog, the laptop and the reading, but he always shows up for the soccer games, and he makes a mean Mocha Latte.