Thursday, May 16, 2013

Friends and Lovers 18+

Tara is hosting a TOUR WIDE giveaway for TWO DIGITAL COPIES of FRIENDS AND LOVERS to Two Randomly Drawn Commenters. Please leave a valid email address with your comment, follow the rest of the tour for more chances to win.

Friends and Lovers 
 3 of 5 stars false 
Can the man of Lauren's dreams save her from the man in her nightmares?
Wes Dunlop was a hot commodity in high school and the ruin of good reputations, so it was easy to criticize the guy when his sister did it too. Then Lauren McKay actually met her best friend's brother, and she was intrigued. When he came to her rescue, she was doomed. Afraid to admit her change of heart, Lauren hid her secret from both of them.
Fifteen years later Wes is back. Now a dedicated cop, he's determined to win Lauren—the girl he can't forget and the only one his sister demanded he leave alone. But he finds that Lauren's life is a lot more complicated than he imagined.
Personal tragedy made Lauren a fierce defender of battered women. However, when a dangerous gunman tracks his wife to Lauren's shelter, the protector becomes the target. Her life suddenly in the balance, nothing will stop Wes from doing everything in his power to rescue her.
Content Warning: some violence, sensual sex

Review

****This book was part of a blog tour I received a copy for my honest review****
Wes was the guy everyone wanted in high school, Lauren was best friends with his sister. They both had feelings for each other but didn't act on it, fifteen years later the two of them find themselves together again and Wes has to not only keep her safe but find a way to fight the demons of her past. This was a really good book, Laurens past was heart breaking and I felt for the woman. Wes was a good man and protector. Domestic abuse is a hard subject to write about and I think the author did a good job showing how harsh and brutal is can be, while at the same time showing that things can change and get better. As much as I liked the characters and enjoyed their story I had problems with a few things, there were some inconsistencies in the story. I won't get into those because I don't do spoilers, but if those were fixed then this book would be a solid four for me. As it stands Friends and Lovers is still a good read and well worth the time is takes to read it. 

Tasty Book Tours 

Post by: work_at_home_moms_zpsdf8e4cf4-1_zpsc183cc39

The Heiresses



In Allison Rushby's Heiresses, three triplets--estranged since birth--are thrust together in glittering 1926 London to fight for their inheritance, only to learn they can’t trust anyone--least of all each other. When three teenage girls, Thalia, Erato and Clio, are summoned to the excitement of fast-paced London--a frivolous, heady city full of bright young things--by Hestia, an aunt they never knew they had, they are shocked to learn they are triplets and the rightful heiresses to their deceased mother's fortune. All they need to do is find a way to claim the fortune from their greedy half-brother, Charles. But with the odds stacked against them, coming together as sisters may be harder than they think













The Heiresses Q&A
Q. Where did you get the inspiration for The Heiresses?
A. This is extremely embarrassing, but I think it was actually from watching a Dr Phil show, years ago. I can't say too much as it will spoil the plot completely, but I saw a segment that involved a family and their genetic makeup and asked my husband (a medical specialist) about it all that evening. This led me to wondering how this family's scenario might have played out if genetic testing was not available to them, which is the case in The Heiresses, set in 1920s London.
Q. What other novels in the New Adult genre would you compare The Heiresses to?
A. I think the obvious comparison is Anna Godbersen's The Luxe series, because of the historical setting and the saga-like plot. I love all her books!
Q. What's The Heiresses about?
A. The Heiresses revolves around triplets Thalia, Erato and Clio. Estranged since birth, they are thrust together in glittering 1926 London to fight for their inheritance. They quickly learn they can't trust anyone in their new lives – least of all each other.
I had an absolute ball writing The Heiresses with all its dramatic highs and lows. I was even lucky enough to be living in Cambridge at the time, so had the advantage of being able to research in London whenever I needed to.
Q. Who are your favourite authors?
A. My very favourite author is P.G. Wodehouse. So much so that for Christmas I received the five book The Jeeves Omnibus set because I'd worn my old five book set out! Some other favourites are Stella Gibbons and anything at all Mitford.
Q. How long did it take to you to complete The Heiresses?
A. The Heiresses was a little different for me because it was contracted from only a short writing sample and a series guide. I wrote it very quickly, in under nine months (altogether, it's roughly 120,000 words). Usually I wouldn't be anywhere near this fast!
Q. What was the hardest part about writing The Heiresses?
A. The most difficult part was the historical research. Although I love to read historical books and watch documentaries and historical dramas on TV, I hadn't actually written anything historical before. When I started writing, I found myself stopping after every second sentence or so to research this point and that point. After a while, I realised I had to write on and put little 'x' signs where I needed to research and go back later to do all my research in one session, or I'd never get anywhere!
Luckily, I wrote The Heiresses while living in Cambridgeshire in the UK (I usually live in Australia), so could pop on a fast train and be in London in under an hour to research anything I liked. Being so close to London was an enormous bonus – from the London Transport Museum, to simply walking around Belgrave Square, it really brought the story to life for me. I even managed to crash the village set of Downton Abbey, which was a hugely exciting day, despite the fact that it snowed (Australians don't do snow well…)!
Q. Why New Adult?
A. I think it's just a fascinating time in life -- a time that's difficult to bridge and often scarier than any other change you've been through. You don't necessarily feel like an adult, but you have sudden adult responsibilities (working, studying in the kind of way where no-one cares if you go to classes or not, maybe being a parent if you have children early…). Everyone has a different experience and everyone deals with that experience differently. There are endless story-telling opportunities!
Q. What do you feel the major differences are between New Adult and Young Adult?
A. For me, it's all about bridging that gap between childhood and adulthood and the more I see people discuss New Adult, the more this is firmed up in my mind. I do think people focus too much on the sexual content of books when talking about the New Adult genre. For me, The Heiresses is New Adult because of how the girls deal with the sex they are having in the book (and, to be honest, there isn't a whole lot of sex) and how it changes them from girls into women, along with all the other happenings in their new lives.
Q. So much New Adult work is self-published. Is there a reason you chose the traditional publishing route?
The Heiresses was a bit of a different publishing experience for me as my agent approached me and mentioned St Martin's Press was actively looking for New Adult ideas that could work in serial form. I had the basis of an historical idea that I'd been thinking about for years and the timing was great as Downton Abbey (set in a similar time period) was really taking off. Thus, The Heiresses began to take shape very, very quickly. I'd love to say all my ideas pull off so easily, but unfortunately that's not quite true (I sold my first chick-lit novel out of the slush pile and agent-less in 2000 and have many a manuscript in my bottom drawer)!
Q. Most New Adult books seem to be set in college. Can you tell us more about writing historical New Adult?
A. As it happens, when I first had the idea for what would become The Heiresses (years ago), there was no such term as New Adult. The idea itself meant that the story required three 18-ish year-old heroines (they needed to be able to inherit money, be of marriageable age, live away from home and be generally young and fabulous in 1920s London etc.), so it simply happened to fall into the New Adult genre naturally. As for the world, I've always adored reading about London in the 1920s and it's a perfect fit for the New Adult genre -- the years between WWI and WWII were a very heady, unstable time to be young in England, with death looming and a 'live for the moment' motto.
Q. What are you reading at the moment?
A. I'm actually on a short New Adult/Young Adult reading break (might have gorged myself a little there) and am reading Rebecca Skloot's The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, which is absolutely fascinating and horrifying all at the same time.
Q. What are you writing now?
A. I've just finished a contemporary New Adult novel. While it's set in the present day, it's not college-based, but is about a charismatic modern artist and a young woman who becomes his muse. It's set in Paris, London and New York. My next New Adult novel will most likely be historical, though.
Q. Do you have any advice for aspiring New Adult writers?
A. Read widely and write what you'd love to read. I think it always shows if you're writing something you're excited about, rather than trying to write to a trend.


Having failed at becoming a ballerina with pierced ears (her childhood dream), Allison Rushby instead began a writing career as a journalism student at The University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. Within a few months she had slunk sideways into studying Russian. By the end of her degree she had learned two very important things: that she wasn't going to be a journalist; and that there are hundreds of types of vodka and they're all pretty good. After several years spent whining about how hard it would be to write a novel, she finally tried writing one and found it was quite an enjoyable experience. Since then, she has had nine novels published. She keeps up her education by sampling new kinds of vodka on a regular basis.
Links: Website Goodreads Facebook Twitter 











 

Taken By Him ( The Billionaires Club #2) 18+

The following review is for 18+ readers.
Taken by Him
4 of 5 stars false
The Billionaire’s Club: The wealthiest, most powerful men, not only in Chicago, but in the world. They are used to having whatever they want, whenever they want it.
Luke Preston is the ultimate playboy among his billionaire friends. Every bad girl in Chicago has surrendered in his bed. Some good girls, too. But when he ends up in the hospital after an assassination attempt, his friends suggest he take a long vacation to recoup, regroup and lay off the women until the man is caught. However, when Luke lays eyes on the stunning brunette across the beach, she inspires every dark, erotic thought his mind can conjure.
Peyton Lane has always been serious and responsible and she’s determined to have some fun for once in her life. And that means a deliciously, sexy affair with a stranger while she’s on vacation. So when a blond Adonis named Luke crosses her path at the Cancun resort, she’s determined that he will be the one. But Peyton gets more than she bargained for when Luke introduces her to a passion unlike any she has ever experienced and she discovers that behind that charming smile are secrets and a beautiful, damaged soul.
Red Garnier takes readers deep into a world of incredible emotion and undeniable power and possession.


Review



I received this book from Netgalley for my honest review.
This is my first Red Garnier book and it will not be my last.
I read for pleasure and Taken By Him was a sexy little book to satisfy my reading needs.
Luke Preston is hiding out on a holiday after somebody attempted to murder him. He is a billionaire playboy, not used to having to do things he doesn't want to do. He is supposed to be laying low....all goes to plan until he literally falls over Peyton Lane.
Peyton is on a well deserved holiday, on her own.
When these two get together the agree on a no strings attached fling. Of course neither were counting on what the they would begin to mean to each other.
Their connection is a sizzling one and I was soon almost slipping off my armchair at the action going on between this two. Luke's dirty mouth and Peyton's wild abandoned sexuality was perfect.
Even though a short story and obviously a bit faster than a full length novel, I didn't feel unsatisfied or like their connection was forced. I loved the downfall of the playboy and his jealous, alpha issues towards the end. Luke Preston is a bad boy to be enjoyed!
Red Garnier has pleasantly surprised me with Taken By Him and I will definitely be looking out for more in this series.  

Post by: