Sunday, February 24, 2013

Book Blast: Excerpt & Giveaway: Bent by HB Heinzer...


Bent-BB2

Bent (Back to Brooklyn, #1)
Title: Bent
Author: H.B. Heinzer
Release Date: 1/22/2013
Genre: Contemporary


BookBlurb:
If there’s one thing Julia Wilson has learned in life, it’s that you can’t push your own dreams to the background for anyone. Newly divorced, Julia returns to the hometown she once swore would never see her again. Her plan is simple; enjoy the cheap rent her friend is offering and stay just long enough to develop a plan to make her own dreams come true.


It doesn’t take long before Julia realizes she’s made a big mistake.


Micah Anderson came closer to breaking Julia than anyone else ever had. After promising her forever, he broke her heart the week before she left for college. Now, Julia’s back in town and he’s going to have to tell her the truth about why he left her. It’s not possible to hide a twelve year old child when you live in a town of 5,000 people.


Is following your dreams worth it if it means giving up on a second chance with her first love? Is trying to make a relationship work worth it if his past becomes a threat to her safety?

Book Links:



AuthorBio:
I’ve been reading romance novels for over 20 years now. My fascination started with my mother’s collection of romance novels which lined half of one wall in the master bedroom of my childhood home. After I graduated from high school, life began to interfere with my reading and I didn’t read nearly as often as I would like. When my daughter was born, we decided that it would be more beneficial for me to be a stay at home mom. To fill the income gap, I began freelance writing for a variety of websites and print publications.

From there, I progressed to writing blogs as a way to hang on to the pieces of myself I felt slipping away as I filled my roles as wife and mother. Blogging slowly morphed from a creative outlet for my writing to a way to place another egg in my work at home basket. 


It wasn’t until I attending a blogging conference in 2012 that I was overcome with the need to write a book. I’d been thinking about it since I was 15 but it was one of those “someday” dreams. There were two speakers at that conference who convinced me I needed to do it. Just shy of a year later, here I am!


AuthorLinks:
Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook / Amazon


Excerpt:
"How did you do this?" Julia asked in wide-eyed wonder.

A smug grin broke on Micah's face, "I have my ways," he said, pulling her gently to him. "Come on, there's one more thing," he said as he led her to the master bath. The long vanity was lined with tealights and a vase containing four long-stemmed roses.


"One yellow rose," Micah said handing the first rose to Julia, "to tell you how happy you've made me by coming home, even if it's only for a while."


"A pink rose," he continued, "to say thank you for allowing me into your life. I was an ass and even if I told you I'm sorry every day until I die, it wouldn't be enough."


"This red rose," he handed her the third stem, "because I love you. I always have and I always will." 

He pulled the final rose from the slender crystal vase and placed it in Julia's hand, "And the orange rose to show you that you are the only woman I desire. There was a time in my life when I thought I could convince myself otherwise but I was wrong. It's only ever been you."

Giveaway Info:

Prize: 1 Signed Paperback Copy of Bent by H.B. Heinzer


Friday, February 22, 2013

Cover Reveal: In Too Deep by Michelle Kemper Brownlow...

Gracie has just finished her freshman year of college in Memphis when she takes a job at a local pizza joint in her home town of McKenzie, Tennessee. She is the epitome of innocence when she meets Noah. Noah is unabashedly handsome, intriguingly reckless and just cocky enough to be sexy. Gracie’s instincts tell her to stay far away from him and based on the stories she hears from her co-workers he leaves broken hearts in his wake. But still, she can’t explain her fascination with him.
Noah puts aside his bad boy ways when what he thought was a summer crush has him unexpectedly falling in love. But soon after Gracie transfers to UT Knoxville to be with Noah, their unexpected love becomes riddled with anger, deceit and humiliation.
Jake, Noah’s former roommate and Gracie’s best friend, can no longer be a bystander. Gracie’s world falls out from beneath her and when she breaks she turns to Jake for strength. As Jake talks her through a decision she’s not yet strong enough to make, together they uncover a truth so ugly neither of them is prepared for its fallout. Will Jake pull her to the surface or is Gracie Jordan finally In Too Deep?


Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Medium Well by Meg Benjamin Blog Tour & Giveaway...

 photo fotoflexer_photo_zps74095738.jpg

TOUR SCHEDULE:


The Medium Trilogy takes place in one of the most historical and romantic neighborhoods in San Antonio--the King William District.


Three Ramos siblings, Danny, Rose, and Ray, all have King William connections. Danny sells historic homes at Vintage Realty. Rose lives in a King William mansion she inherited from her grandmother. And Ray is renovating another mansion so that he and his partner can flip it for a profit. But all three have a hidden talent--so well hidden, in fact that they it's a secret even from them. They're all descendants of the Riordan family: legendary mediums and sworn enemies of the ancient ghosts known as the Old Ones.


Medium Well, the first book in the Medium Trilogy, is Danny's story, released by Berkley Intermix on February 19.

Medium Well
Love At Second Sight 
Real estate agent Danny Ramos has always had a knack for selling homes, but when his boss saddles him with a neglected carriage house, Danny discovers that his abilities are more than simple intuition...
On his first visit to the house, Danny is confronted with visions of a violent murder. His assistant, Biddy Gunter, doesn’t seem affected, and Danny starts to think he’s going crazy—until he gets a visit from his mother, who suggests that Danny’s uncanny talent to sell old houses may stem from his family inheritance: psychic empathy.
When Biddy reveals to Danny her own strange dream about the carriage house ghosts, they team up to investigate and discover both the house’s dark history and their own unexpected attraction. But as the hauntings turn from unsettling to downright dangerous, Danny and Biddy need to figure out how to rid the house of its ghostly inhabitants, before their budding romance meets an untimely end...



Buy a copy at Amazon or at Barnes & Noble.

Excerpt:

He nodded toward a door on the far wall. “Did you check in there?”
“Not yet. Maybe it’s the kitchen.”
Danny took hold of the doorknob and turned. “Locked.”
“Why would they lock the kitchen? I don’t know if we have a key. Maybe the front door key works here, too.” She started toward him.
Danny rattled the knob again. “Probably just stuck. I don’t see a keyhole.” After a moment, he put his shoulder against the door and pushed, gritting his teeth at the thought of his recently cleaned Hugo Boss jacket. The door opened with a tooth-jarring creak.
He stood in the doorway staring at another filthy room. A utility sink stood against one wall, an ancient wood-burning stove on the other. “At least it’s got plumbing. Not all these places do.”
Biddy peeped in the door over his shoulder. “Do you think the stove is worth anything? Maybe it’s an antique.”
He glanced at the stove—black metal with a steel top, covered with a half inch of filth. It looked like it weighed a ton. “Could be valuable. Assuming you could actually get it out of here. You’d have to use a crane or something.”
He walked across the dusty floor, stepping over the occasional piece of trash, then ran his fingers across the scalloped edge at the top corner of the stove.
And suddenly his hand was on fire.
Electric sparks seemed to flow up from his fingertips to his shoulder. The surface of his palm throbbed with heat, as if the stove were flaming. “What the hell?” Danny gasped, snatching his hand away.
His shoulders ached, his back, his neck. Danny grabbed hold of his burning hand and the sparks flowed to the other side of his body. “Jesus Christ!”
“Mr. Ramos?” Beside him, Biddy frowned. “What’s wrong?”
“Christ!” He shook both hands, trying to cool them. Slowly, the heat began to recede.
“Don’t touch the stove,” he gasped. “It’s got some kind of electric charge or something.”
“The stove?” She gave him an incredulous glance, reaching her hand toward the stove top.
“Biddy, no!” Danny grabbed for her, missing her hand, so that his palm landed on the burner again.
His hand rested upon cool metal.
Biddy stared at him with real concern. “Mr. Ramos? It’s okay, really. There’s nothing here. I don’t feel anything.”
Danny took a deep breath, willing himself not to snatch his hand away again. The stove top felt cold. There were no electric sparks. “I must have touched something else. Something hot.”
“Up here?” She glanced around the room. “But it’s not hot here at all. I mean, actually it’s cold. I wish I’d brought a sweater.” She wrapped her arms around herself, rubbing her shoulders.
Danny stared around the room again. Dust. Trash. Two dirt-stained windows. He stared down at his hands, but they looked perfectly normal. No burned skin. Nothing.
His jaw clenched. Too much coffee. Too little sleep. Nothing freaky going on. “Anything else to see? Any other rooms?”
She shook her head, watching him with narrowed eyes. “Just the downstairs. The garage part.”
“Okay.” He blew out a breath. Time to head back to the real world. “Let’s go down there and check it out.”
He took the key from her fingers, feeling a quick brush of warmth as their hands touched, then shooed her out the front door, leaning back to lock it. His fingers still tingled slightly. He glanced down.
His hand was stained crimson, his fingers dripping blood.
Danny stood frozen in the doorway, staring. He didn’t feel any pain. How could he be bleeding?
“Mr. Ramos?” Biddy called to him from the bottom of the stairs. “Okay?”
He glanced down at her, then back at his hand again.
His clean, dry hand.
About Meg:
Meg Benjamin
Before I came to Texas twenty years ago, my husband and I lived all around the U.S., including Kansas, Iowa, Washington, Oklahoma, Alabama, Colorado, Massachusetts, and Pennsyvania, with brief visits in California, Connecticut, and New Mexico. In fact, one of my favorite things to do (in pre-gas price hike days) is to travel around the country, preferably off the Interstate.
A couple of years ago my husband took a new job in the Colorado foothills, so I've now relocated to the northwest Denver suburbs. It's a big switch, but my mom grew up on the Western Slope, and she gave me an abiding love of the mountains, so I'm not expecting too many problems (and no, I don't mind the snow).
In Texas I taught English, desktop publishing, Web design, and editing, among other miscellaneous things, before finally retiring after putting in my twenty-five. At the same time, I worked as a freelance writer and editor, on projects ranging from computer manuals to underwater photography books.
My husband and I managed to raise two wonderful sons, along with a variety of cats and a couple of dogs. We still visit South Texas, and we still love to wander around the country when the spirit moves us, although these days we're likely to fly in and rely on public transportation (let's hear it for light rail trains!). 




Monday, February 11, 2013

Tucker's Fall by Eliza Gayle Blog Tour & Giveaway...


I am so looking forward to reading Tucker's Fall. The first book in the Purgatory Masters series. ~ sounds so good!!  Please make sure to leave a comment to be entered in the GIVEAWAY for a SWAG GIFT PACK!! Love me some swag!! :)
Good Luck!! 

Purgatory Masters: Tucker’s Fall by Eliza Gayle

Scandalized professor Maggie Cisco returns to her hometown to lick her wounds and reconsider her future. Her years of personal and professional research into the BDSM lifestyle has landed her in jail, in divorce court and now in the headlines of more newspapers than she cares to count. The worst of all? The entire debacle is being blamed on a bestselling book she hasn’t even read!

Just when she thinks her only solution is a tell all memoir, a snowstorm puts her in the path of stunningly handsome, insanely rich and equally intense, Tucker Lewis.

Tucker remembers Maggie well. They once shared a mind-numbing kiss at the annual St. Mary’s carnival when her boyfriend wasn’t looking. No stranger to scandal, he looks past public opinion to the submissive craving a master’s touch and decides then and there what he wants. He’s going after Maggie and her heart’s kinkiest desires.

Unfortunately, no amount of money can change the sins of the past and when they’re certain they know everything there is to know about each other, one discovers a secret they aren’t prepared for.

Tucker’s Fall is available now at

All Romance eBooks | Barnes & Noble | Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon DE | KoBo | Smashwords | OmniLit  | Apple  iBookstore

Excerpt:
Alone in the dark, cold shivered through Maggie. She pulled her sweater tighter and cursed herself for not wearing a heavy jacket when she’d left the cabin. She didn’t spend much time outdoors but any idiot knew to be prepared for inclement weather.
Now what?
She glanced back at her car and sighed. Her only option was to go down because on this slick road going back the way she came was out of the question. She hopped back into her car, buckled her seat belt and turned the heater on high. In her rearview mirror headlights approached, making it imperative she get her car out of the way.
Compressing the brake, she put the car in drive and pulled on the wheel. It didn’t budge.
“Are you kidding me?” Maggie glanced in the rearview mirror and tried again. The lights were getting closer. When the wheel still wouldn’t budge she searched the dashboard for the hazard light switch. She had no idea if the oncoming driver could make out her taillights in the heavy snowfall. Her stomach jumped when she discovered the button with the familiar triangle and flipped it on.
A backwards glance revealed the vehicle closing in with no sign it would stop. Maybe the driver couldn’t stop. She’d have to get out and flag them down. She sighed. The car was warm. Out there was not. With no time to figure out another option, she grabbed her backpack and jumped out. She’d barely cleared the car when the vehicle, which she could now identify as a truck, bore down in her direction.
Maggie jumped up and down and waved her hands trying to get the driver’s attention. Nothing. He was seconds from slamming into her car. She scrambled across the snow-covered road and across the embankment on the other side. The least she could do was not get splattered.
She covered her eyes and waited for the crash. Unable to resist, she spread her fingers and peeked at the scene in front of her in time to see the truck swerve and miss her precious BMW by mere inches. The driver accelerated and snow flew from under its tires, hitting her in the chest and face like little pellets, as it continued down the hill. Too stunned to move, she watched the taillights move farther away until eventually they disappeared.
So caught up in the rude truck driver, she failed to hear the next vehicle crest the hill.
A horn blasted into the darkness and Maggie screamed before she whirled around to see a large SUV with an emergency light in its window making its way down the hill in her direction.
Oh thank God. Maybe this one would stop. She slumped against the tree and swore if she got home safely she’d never do anything this stupid again.
The vehicle slowed as it approached before coming to a stop at the rear of her car. Bright headlights illuminated the area.
“Anyone hurt?” a male voice boomed.
She shook her head and responded, “No, I don’t think so.” Her teeth chattered but that was hardly cause for alarm. After she picked up her stomach from the road she turned to the stranger.
“Thank you for stopping.”
The man opened his door and unfolded from the interior of the large SUV. Maggie gasped as she craned her neck to take in the sheer size of her rescuer. Dear God, he had to be six and a half feet tall. Not just tall either. He was built like a freaking line backer. His shoulders alone blocked half the light from his headlights as he walked in her direction. She blinked against the glare and swallowed. Her rescuer was as big as a bear and they were alone, on a dark night, on an empty road.
She glanced side to side and confirmed they were indeed alone. An uneasiness she didn’t like crawled along her spine. Hadn’t she seen this very scene in a movie one time? The heroine had been too stupid to live.
“You’re welcome.” His voice carried the several feet between them and her heart beat rose. That voice sounded familiar. She twisted her head until the torches most called headlights not spotlights disappeared from her vision.
The imposing figure of her supposed rescuer morphed into a gorgeous man. Light brown hair neatly trimmed around his head, a strong jaw that lent the man more than a fair share of arrogance and the gorgeous ocean blue eyes she’d been captivated by in high school.
“Goddamn it, Tucker. Is that you? What are you doing here?” The fifteen years since she’d seen him last melted away. She pictured him as he’d been back then. The last time she’d seen him he’d been leaning against the bed of someone’s truck with his hands shoved in his pockets and a smirk on his face. She’d been with Derek and far too preoccupied with the outcome of her date to talk to him.
A tight smile formed across his face, bringing her back to the present. “Such language from a lady. Since when can’t a man come to the rescue of a damsel in distress?”
“You obviously don’t know me very well,” she muttered under her breath.
“Whose fault is that? It’s been what, ten years or more?”
She shrugged. “Something like that.”
“I didn’t expect to find you on the side of the road. But I can’t say I’m sorry for it.”
Maggie’s pulse jumped. Tucker looked damned fine and it would be so easy to fall down memory lane… She needed to diffuse this conversation fast. “I’m just glad you’re not some crazed stranger looking to chloroform me and tie me up. Amazingly, I am not in the mood for a kidnapping.”
Tucker stopped in front of her and locked his gaze with hers. “What makes you so sure I don’t have nefarious intentions?”

Author Bio:
Eliza Gayle lives a life full of sexy shapeshifters, blood boiling vamps and a dark desire for bondage…until she steps away from her computer and has to tend to her family.

…Join her in her world. The door is always open and the next red-hot adventure is just a page away.

Read more about Eliza’s brand new release, Purgatory Masters: Tucker’s Fall, including reviews and behind the books facts or her many other books listed on her website at elizagayle.net.



GIVEAWAY:
***Eliza will be giving one lucky commenter who answers the question below a swag gift pack.***
Winner picked on 2/15/13

What is it about BDSM Romance that draws you to it?


Friday, February 8, 2013

Hidden Gates by D.T. Dyllin Blog Tour & Giveaway...



Click on the link below for the other blogs participating 
and the complete tour schedule

BOOK INFO:
Hidden Gates (P.J. Stone Trilogy #1)
by D.T. Dyllin
Publish Date: eBook Jan 24 - Paperback 2/28
Publisher: Dragonfairy Press

BLURB:
For P.J. Stone, being a “Seer” who has never seen anything is less than fun. And P.J. isn’t known for her patience.

To make matters worse, she must choose a suitable mate to continue the Seer bloodline. Duty always comes before her heart…at least that’s what her parents taught her. When she finds herself wanting someone who is considered off-limits, P.J. is forced to question everything she believes.

As if navigating her love life isn’t complicated enough, P.J. finally receives a vision—of a threat to her world that only she can perceive. But no one will believe a fledgling Seer’s warnings. With nowhere else to turn, she may decide to trust a stranger with her life, her world, and maybe even her heart.


      


Hidden Gates Excerpt 1:

   Most Seers my age had at least gotten some small premonitions. Me—not even a blip on my premonition radar. Maybe I was some weird Seer anomaly that was born without powers. If that were the case . . . well, at least my dating worries would be over. Hooray?
   Bryn sighed loudly. “Some Speaker you are. Do you not know what this means?” He waved his hand in front of his neck in a slashing motion again.
   Jenna scrunched up her face at him. “Obviously not.”
   I placed my hand on top of Bryn’s. “It’s okay. I might as well face the truth. Something went wrong with me, and I’m never going to actually see anything.”
   Bryn interlaced his fingers with mine and gave my hand a squeeze in an effort to comfort me. “Maybe the problem is you’re putting too much pressure on yourself. Just relax.”
   “And you know what’s a great thing for relaxation? Sex,” Jenna added.
   I groaned. “Come on, Jenna—seriously—enough already.”


AUTHOR INFO
_DSC4159_1
Cynical-Optimist. Chocolateholic. Sarcasm Addict. Paranormal Believer. Self-Imposed Insomniac. Sci-Fi Geek. Animal Lover. Writer . . . are just a few words to describe D.T. Dyllin. She was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and now lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with her husband and two very spoiled German Shepherds.


Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Enslaved in Shadows by Tigris Eden Virtual Book Tour & Giveaway...

Enslaved in Shadows_TEden_Badge

I am so excited to be a part of the Enslaved in Shadows Book Tour and Giveaway. This blurb and excerpt sound so good and I can't wait to read!! I LOVE this cover!! Please be sure to enter the giveaway through Rafflecopter below and Good Luck!! 

Enslaved In Shadows (Shadow Unit, #1)
Genre: Erotic Paranormal Romance
Heat Level: Erotic
Publisher: Kat's Kreative Ideas
Publishing Date: January 29th
Series, #: The Shadow Unit
Format: Print and E book
Words: 87K

A man's Past leads to his Future......
Agent Stone of the Shadow Unit's job is simple, most days. Work in the Shadows, police his own Kind. 
When an unwanted assignment turns out to be his darkest fantasy from the past, Draven can't help but be conflicted by the memories of the past and his responsibilities in the future. But his decision has been made.

The Heart of a woman is Tested........
Jes can't let the tall dark agent back into her life. 
How can she trust any man after what she's endured. Years of abuse have broken her down and she doesn't have room for more. The man she turns to for help hasn't abused her physically but he's tormented her emotionally. A past betrayal left her scarred, but also brought her life. 
Can she accept him into her heart and trust him again? 
One will survive and adapt, the other will realize hearts can be mended even if it’s a bit too late. 
The road to forgiveness sometimes only brings more pain. Unexpected events set their lives on two separate tracks leading to one outcome. Lives will be changed and an emotional battle to save their souls will leave them both trapped and enslaved in their need for one another.

  
Excerpt:
Jesminda sat back and fastened her seatbelt. Heated feelings still lingered in her system for Royce. Not as strong as when she’d awakened in the car, but there was still some lingering thoughts dancing through her head.
“Stop being a naughty human,” Royce said into the mirror looking right at her.

She didn’t even try to hide her face. Instead, she winked back at him and he laughed. Life was too short to continue being in a bad mood, he’d saved her life. She could be playful with him. It didn’t mean anything and Royce knew it. Draven of course also eyed her in the mirror. His eyes watched her intently, alternating between her and the road.

“We’re going to pull over at this rest stop up ahead. We need to get something to eat, and maybe see if there’s a shirt for her to change into.” Draven said as he turned off the exit to head toward the rest area.

There were so many reasons she should ignore everything her body was saying. For starters, the unexplained feelings for Royce had not worn off entirely. There were her feelings that were resurfacing for Draven. Which didn’t make much sense, he’d lied to her. Game over. She was a big girl and there was no reason for her not to be adult about the entire situation. Instead of guessing, she decided to confront the problem head on.

“Royce?”

“Hmmm.”
“Why do I want to have sex with you?” The car swerved hard to the right and dipped dangerously on the shoulder. Royce braced himself on the dashboard while laughing loudly.
“Have I ever told you I like you more and more as a person Jesminda?” Royce gasped trying to recover from his hysterics.
“No, but answer the question. Why do I want to screw your brains out? Not as much as I wanted to earlier but the thought and some of the feelings still linger.”
Draven grunted and hit the gas pushing Jes back into her seat.


Giveaway Details:
Tigris is generously gifting five signed copies (US ONLY) and five digital copies (mobi format only) of Enslaved in Shadows to individual commenters along the tour. Additionally, Tigris is offering one fabulous US ONLY Grand Prize of a signature Enslaved bottle of perfume and lotion to one lucky person from the tour! The contest is open both internationally and US only, so please make sure you leave a comment with your broken up email addy and geographic location=US or Int. Entrants must be at least 18 years of age. It will run from 12:00am EST 2/4/13 - 11:59pm EST 2/11/13. Please follow the Rafflecopter directions below on how to enter as well as gain extra entries. Full terms and conditions to the contest can be found on the Rafflecopter widget.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

  Additional Tour Stops:  
Week of February 4 – 8
2/4: Books a la Mode
2/5: Book Sniffers Anonymous 
2/6: Fictional Candy 
2/7: Belle’s Book Bag 
2/8: Way Too Hot Books
Author Bio
There is really not much to say... I love to write, read, and listen to music. My attempt at a music career sadly ended at the Apollo one warm night in May! LOL (Side note: I was not booed just outdone by two munchkins rapping to Biggy Smalls but they were good!)
Military brat extraordinaire; have traveled to a lot of interesting places. 
The very first time I put pen to paper in story fashion, was in 6th grade. It was called The Case of the Missing Pepperoni. 
It was a cute mystery where all the ingredients and shop appliances came to life when the store owner closed up for the evening.


Lit Connect