Saturday, May 11, 2013

Mirror of Shadows



Mirror of Shadows
3 of 5 stars false
Ella McKaye returns home for her grandmother's funeral to find she's inherited a ton of smoney and a run down mansion she never knew existed, called Grey Manor. Her greedy mother is appalled when the will stipulates specifically that Ella can't give her any of the inheritance. She quickly throws Ella out of her home forcing her to take up immediate residence in the spooky old mansion.
Within minutes of entering her new home she has a strange interaction with a creepy old mirror in the main hallway and the ghostly inhabitants of the past get more and more agitated the longer Ella's there. Nearly fatal back to back accidents make Ella start to wonder if she's angered some ghost or if there is something more sinister at work.
Will Ella unravel the deadly mystery before she becomes a ghost herelf? Or will fate take another one of the Grey ancestors to the grave

Review

****I received this book as part of a blog tour for my honest review****
 This was a very satisfying read. A paranormal type mystery, with all sorts of twists and turns to keep you guessing. Ella is a decent character and although she is just out of college, she seems quite mature. There is a bit of a love triangle situation that occurs, between Ella, Jeremy and Matt. Jeremy is the handyman hired to help get Grey Manor back up and running again after years of disuse. Matt is a wealthy gentlemen. I enjoyed the tension between the three and when "incidents" started happening, the finger pointing that occurred was great. Of course I was a sucker for Jeremy, I love a dark brooding character. However the stand out character in this book was the cat Boo. I love it when pet steals the show.
The mixture of paranormal, mystery, suspense and romance worked well in this book. It was easy to read and it felt like an afternoon well spent. Not overly long this book could be finished in one sitting if you had an hour or two spare just to escape into a story, and this would be an enjoyable book to do it with.
  

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Broken Promises






After three years in Boston attending college, Mallory Wells has come home to Casper, Maine to care for her father, who is dying from cancer. She left Casper without looking back, leaving her small-town life and everyone in it, behind. Including her sexy high school sweetheart.

Luke Bates was devastated when Mallory left him for the city life. He managed to pull himself together and move on, even if only just barely. When Mallory shows up in town, Luke vows to stay away from her at all costs. So why does he keep checking in on her and her father, showing up when he's clearly uninvited? Maybe Luke isn't as 'over her' as he thought.









Dawn Pendleton is a New Adult & Young Adult author living in Maine with her husband and pup.

Right now, she's working on two manuscripts simultaneously. It's a difficult task for her, but one she's certain will pay off in the end.

Want to meet Dawn?

She is also one of the featured authors of the New Adult Sleepover Weekend. You can find all the details here.


Website † GoodReads † Twitter † Facebook 



Make sure to check out the blog tour kicking off on Monday, May 13th -- HERE.









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Friday, May 10, 2013

Apocalyptic Moon 18+

Dr. Dora Adler's life has been in disarray since the beginning of the zombie apocalypse, but when she gets bitten by one of the undead, her whole world is turned upside down. Held captive in a secret underground lab, the tall, muscular hunk in the next cell is her only hope for salvation. Unfortunately, he claims to be a werewolf. Yeah, and she's supposedly a witch. Dirk Gunderson is an alpha Arbor pack werewolf. Captured and collared, he's sold to the zombie lab in hopes his blood serum can create a vaccine. He needs to escape, but not without the hot little brunette witch. In the midst of enemy werewolves and the hordes of undead, Dirk and Dora's sexual tension ignites a blaze hotter than the desert highway. Along their journey, they battle the inevitable: a werewolf must never take a witch as a mate.
4 of 5 stars false1/2 Goodreads Amazon










 

Review

****I received a copy of this book for my honest review****
Dr. Dora Adler fully expects to die on her 27th so when she is bitten by a patient with the zombie virus, she is resigned to her fate. However she is immune to the disease and is transferred to another lab to be tested, while there she meets Dirk. Dirk is an alpha werewolf, he is immune to the disease and the two of them can talk telepathically. The two of them plan to escape, Dora wants to find her brother, Dirk wants to take her back to his pack. Can the two of them escape the compound full of guards, get past the zombies? Will they stay together? Will they give in to the growing attraction they are feeling or will everything fall apart? This book was really good, I loved how the author kept the book from being to serious and dark, she added a lightness that was refreshing. Dirk was a great Alpha male hero, he had that aura of authority and he was willing to fight for Dora. Dora was just awesome, she is sarcastic, determined and had attitude for days. She didn't do things just because they were easier. This book is full of action, rife with sexual tension and the emotions between the characters are sweet and real, they bring to question what's more important duty or love. Apocalyptic Moon is a great book and I can't wait to get my hands on the next book set in this world.

Interview With Eva
  1. What is it about a zombie apocalypse that intrigued you enough to write a story about it?
I’ve always been a big fan of zombie movies. From George A. Romero zombie flicks to Resident Evil to The Walking Dead. I love books by Max Brooks such as Operation Z and his more practical one, The Zombie Survival Guide. Actually, I now have quite a collection of zombie survival books.
What intrigues me is what happens when civilization comes to an end.
A disease has ravaged humanity and few survive. Those that survive must deal with flesh eating zombies, starvation/dehydration, and the inevitable gangs that will prey on the weak.
  1. Mixing shifters and zombies is something that I have not seen before, how did you come up with this idea?
I have written several paranormal werewolf romance novels. In fact I have studied real wolves and ravens, and teach workshops on wolf and werewolf lore. If the secret shifter society exists, why not bring them out into the opening during the zombie apocalypse? I loved combining my two favorite genres. One reviewer aptly titled my work as Dystopian Paranormal Romance.
  1. When writing Apocalyptic Moon did you already know how it would end or did the ending change as your writing progressed?
I had a vague idea but since I allow my characters take the helm, I was satisfied how the story ended. Always a happily ever (romance) after but only after a difficult journey.
  1. What is your favorite characteristic of Dr. Dora Adler?
I love her sense of humor or wit despite the high-octane stress of dealing with the undead, mad scientists, werewolves and her unusual awakening gifts.
  1. How would you describe Dirks personality?
Bad boy with a big heart lone wolf. An alpha hero with a tragic past who will protect those he loves with a vengeance.
  1. Will you be writing more books set in this world?
Yes, I’m finishing off the draft to book 2, which will be Rave’s story. Princess Ravenna known as Rave is the feisty, sultry raven shifter who has matured from spoiled princess into a young woman who is now a soldier of the Avian Intel. Like the ravens once used by Vikings to find land, our raven shifters help in finding survivors, approaching zombie hordes and living enemies.

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Land Of The Unaltered

Rose comes from the capital of the Confederation of Cities where its citizens live in luxury and the greatest fashion statement of all is being Altered. People change everything about the way they look as often as they do their hairstyle but Rose is different. Her position of privilege has made her an outcast and led her to suspect that something sinister is happening to the citizens and flees the capital along with a past that imprisons her in search of a fresh start in the Land of the Unaltered.
Flynn lives in the Land of the Unaltered and hates the capitol and everything it stands for. So when a spoiled capital girl is assigned to work with him, he wants nothing to do with her and is prepared to make her life miserable. But Flynn was not prepared for someone like Rose. She doesn’t fit the mold he expected and finds himself strongly attracted to her. As she continues to surprise and outwit him, they begin to forge a bond that is tested when they discover a secret that could change everything they know about Land of the Unaltered.
Land of the Unaltered is a Dystopian Romance and is the first installment of the Unaltered Trilogy.


Leti Del Mar lives in sunny Southern California with her husband, daughter and abnormally large cat. When she isn’t writing, reading or blogging, she is teaching Biology and Algebra to teenagers. Leti is also a classic film buff, passionate about Art History and loves to travel.
Links: Goodreads  Website

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Heartstrings

Giveaway: (Sara is Hosting TWO Giveaways) 
***Please leave valid email address to be eligible*** 
(1) I will be giving away two ebook copies of my last release Gambling On A Secret at the end of the Tasty Review Tour, so make sure readers leave a valid email address with comment to enter. 
(2) Tour Grand Prize is a swag pack full of goodies! A signed copy of Carolyn Brown’s Just a Cowboy and His Baby, an ebook copy of my last release Gambling On A Secret, a notebook, a pen, custom jewelry set, $5 Starbuck’s gift card—all tucked into a keepsake box. (Sorry, only US residents are eligible. Comparable International Prize: $25 Amazon Gift Card.) *Swag pack(gift card) is for the entire two-month tour. Winner will be announced on June 1, 2013
The last person Abby Crawford wants to face down is country music superstar Seth Kendall. Last time she did, she flat-out lied so he’d go to Nashville without her. She’s never understood why their mutual best friend proposed, but she went with it so her baby wouldn’t be fatherless. Now she’s a divorced mother of a teenager, and secretly Seth’s biggest fan. Seth is home in McAllister, Texas for his father’s funeral...and a chance to meet the daughter he’s never known. He’s willing to face the music of his own making and admit he’s known about his little girl all along. For fifteen years he’s kept his distance because Abby told him to follow his dreams without her, insisting she didn’t’ love him. But now he won’t leave until he knows his daughter and she knows him, even if it means facing the woman who broke his heart for good. Confessing she’s lied about her daughter’s paternity all these years won’t be easy for Abby, especially with her ex blackmailing her to keep the secret. And Seth doesn’t know the hardest truth of all: Every love song he plays on his guitar still plucks her heartstrings



Excerpt
CONTENT WARNING: Spicy sex.

Seth leaned in. His lips were close enough to kiss, and his scent of sandalwood and something exotic enveloped her, taking her back to that night on the beach. His eyes flashed with the dangerous fire of his temper. It was similar to the flame of the passion she’d once seen in the green depths. Abby didn’t expect or want the heat curling in her belly, and shivered with a sudden and fierce desire.

I’m her father, Abigail. I wanted to be her father after she was born. It was you and Mike who insisted I had no business messing things up.”

I never said any such thing. You never tried. You just left.”

He pounded a fist on the counter top so hard she jumped. “Yes, I left! I wasn’t welcome at home. Dad ran me off with a shotgun. Mike wouldn’t even let me see my daughter. He made it quite clear you and he were happily married, and I had no place in your life. I was under contract to be in Nashville to start recording my first album.”

What did he mean, Mike wouldn’t let him see Emily?

Before she had a chance to voice her question, his eyes darkened as the pupils dilated, obscuring the stormy green. “But I’m no longer nineteen and scared shitless. I could make things very rough for you and this fantasy you’ve got working.”

A cold lump quickly replaced the tangle of heat in her belly. “What-what do you mean?”

He backed off and tapped the countertop. “I’m talking a custody battle. I could have a judge order a paternity test. I think we both know the media hoopla the results would cause.”

Her heart slammed into her chest wall. “You wouldn’t do that.”

Try me. Now that I’ve met Emily, I want to get to know her.” He walked over to look out the kitchen window. The hard line of his jaw melted, and he swallowed so hard his throat moved up and down. “I was a fool when I let Mike talk me out of being in her life after she was born.”

What do you mean?”

He glanced at her. “Don’t pretend you don’t know.”

The strings of guitar music provided a soft counterpoint to the hard tension in the kitchen. Emily was outside on the patio playing around with her guitar, waiting for them to finish with the dishes she and Seth had insisted on doing.

All I want is to have some time with my daughter. That’s all I’m asking for.” When he looked over his shoulder at her, sadness replaced the anger in his eyes. “I’ll keep your little secret. I’ll just be her favorite singer. The family friend who made it big in Nashville. I don’t want to hurt her. As much as it galls the hell out of me, I see what Mike means to her.”

He moved toward her and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “Besides, I don’t want to hurt Carolann or Frank any more than you do.” He glanced outside again, his voice husky as he spoke. “But I’ll sue you if I have to.”

A part of her wanted to give in to him, but a larger part wanted to punish him. Let him take her to court; she’d make sure the world knew what kind of jerk Seth Kendall really was.

She gritted her teeth and fisted her hands by her sides. “I’ll let you have tonight, Seth. But don’t ask for more.”

She turned away and strode through the French doors.

 
Sara Walter Ellwood is an award winning author whose novel Gambling On A Secret was named by bestselling author Carolyn Brown in the Happy Ever After Blog on USA Today as one of her favorite romances of 2012. Although Sara has long ago left the farm for the glamour of the big town, she draws on her experiences growing up on a small hobby farm in West Central Pennsylvania to write her stories. She’s been married to her college sweetheart for nearly 20 years, and they have two teenagers and one very spoiled rescue cat named Penny. She longs to visit the places she writes about and jokes she’s a cowgirl at heart stuck in Pennsylvania suburbia.   She also writes paranormal romantic suspense under the pen name of Cera duBois.  
Links: Website Blog Facebook Twitter Goodreads 


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Sweet On You


Sweet On You (The Cupcake Diaries, #1)  
3 of 5 stars false 
For fans of Debbie Macomber comes Sweet On You, the first installment in the Cupcake Diaries series.
Everyone knows business and pleasure don’t mix … or do they?
Andi Burke has a dream—a kitchen big enough to dance in, regular income to support her daughter, and a chance to find true love. So when she enlists her sister Kim and their bubbly best friend Rachel to help open Creative Cupcakes, it all seems perfect.
Especially when hunky local reporter Jake Hartman offers to finance the store for them. Andi hasn't dated since her divorce, but the way Jake keeps looking at her might make her change her mind. After all, what could go wrong?
Plenty! There's a shady tattoo parlor behind their shop, a crowd of crazy Zumba dancers out front (chanting "Lose the fat, dance with Pat!"), and about the only thing going right is Andi's romance … until Jake’s media crew captures a story that could shut the two of them down forever.


Review

****I received this book as part of a blog tour for my honest review****
Andi is a single mother trying her to best to make things work, her sister Kim and friend Rachel get together and the three of them open Creative Cupcakes with the financial help of Jake. This was a  fast feel good read, the characters were likable and down to earth. Their struggles and problems were realistic, the romance between Andi and Jake was sweet. Both of them have not so stellar pasts and it was nice to see good people get their HEA. Sweet On You is a good start to this sure to be interesting series. 
 

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His Risk to Take (Line of Duty #2) 18 +

The following review is for 18+ readers.
His Risk to Take (Line of Duty, #2)
5 of 5 stars false
The greater the risk, the hotter the reward…
Homicide cop Troy Bennett had a reputation on the Chicago PD for being fearless and in control—until the night his daredevil partner is killed during a raid. From that moment on, he swears he’ll never again be responsible for the loss of a loved one. To escape his demons, Troy transfers to the NYPD, bringing him up close and personal with Ruby Elliott, a beautiful, street-savvy pool hustler.
Reckless and stubbornly independent, Ruby embodies everything Troy’s avoiding, but when she walks into O’Hanlon’s Pub and blows his carefully laid plans to hell, Troy knows he has to have her—risks be damned. But there’s a connection between Ruby’s shadowed past and a case Troy’s working involving a notorious Brooklyn felon, throwing her safety into jeopardy. Confronted with his biggest fear, will Troy push Ruby away to keep her safe or fight to keep her in his arms where she belongs?

Review

*** I received this review from Netgalley for my honest review***
Two out of two for Tessa Bailey!!
For such a short story His Risk to Take packs a punch with great characters, who have a great banter and a steamy sizzling connection.
Troy a ex Chicago cop has moved towns after the death of his partner. He runs into Ruby as she is hustling some money out of someone in a pool game. He has an instant desire for this woman, but little does he know that she is closer to a case he is working than he knows. To close for comfort.
I really enjoyed every single moment of this book. The story although short, did not feel rushed at all. In fact my only complaint about this book would be that it was too short. I would have liked more time with these two characters as their steamy connection was burning up the pages before my eyes.
Tessa Bailey is quickly becoming an author that I will be keeping my eye on, she writes just the type of hero that I like to see in my romance books with female characters that I can relate to.
Keep the awesomeness coming Ms Bailey!!
 
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Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Mafia Secrets 18+

Leave a comment with you email address and you will be entered to win a $10 Amazon or B&N card. Follow the rest of the tour for more chances to win.


Lessa Noelle grew up never knowing she was the illegitimate daughter of a mafia king pin. After his murder, she finds herself a surprise heiress immersed in the dangerous world of organized crime with only the guidance of Marco Santo her father’s second in command to help her. Marco searches for her father’s killer and tries to keep the realities of his life from touching her. An uneasy attraction blossoms between the two. An already dangerous situation turns volatile when a killer turns his attention to Lessa.
4 of 5 stars false1/2
















Review

****I received this book as part of a blog tour for my honest review****
Lessa is a professional cheerleader in danger, she doesn't know if it's a fellow cheerleader but she decides to disappear for awhile. Here comes Marco he has a letter from her biological father who she never knew about and she certainly didn't know he was the mob king. Now she is thrust into a new world full of violence, lies, secrets and mystery. Marco needs to find out who killed his boss because now the killer is after Lessa. Sparks and bullets fly for the two of them.This book was not what I was expecting, I thought Lessa would not be as smart and tough as she turned out to be. Marco was hot, smooth, protective and had a dangerous side that brings a whole new meaning to the term bad boy. The family dynamics in this book was interesting to read, the secrets that were kept effected everyone. The love story was more of a slow build up of smoldering flames than a quick explosion of fire. I loved the suspense, it kept me glued to my kindle blocking out everything but the pages of this book. I really liked Mafia Secrets and I am wondering why it took me so long to find this author.
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Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Unbeautifully Loved



In three words I can sum up everything I learned about life. Regardless of the shit going on in your life, this fact still remains. It. Goes. On Lexie Todd knew these 3 simple words. They were her mantra. So, after dealing with years of abuse at the hands of her boyfriend and the father of her son, she knows what needs to be done. With help from her best friend Mollie, they go on the run. After months of being on the run they finally find the perfect town to settle in. Unable to trust and always having her guard up, the last thing Lexie wants is to get involved with Lukas Gunn. Persistent, annoying, bossy, over protective and extremely hot, Detective Lukas Gunn. After an incident leaves her vulnerable, Lukas knows there’s something haunting her. He’s determined to find out, wanting to protect her and make her his. But Lexie is determined also. Not wanting to give up her past, she pushes him away. Repeatedly. But when history repeats itself, will Lexie finally be able to trust those around her to keep her safe? Will Lukas be able to save her? Or will Lexie succumb to only knowing what it’s like to be Unbeautifully Loved?



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Excerpt

Prologue
Meeting him changed my life. I never thought I’d meet someone who’d finally complete me like he did. Someone who finally made me feel whole and loved as much as he did. There’s always been a void in my heart, a void I thought I’d never have. I was in love, deeply in love, the kind of love that only comes around once in a life time, the kind you don’t want to live without and he didn’t even know how I felt. I’d waited too long and I didn’t know if I’d ever get to tell him.
The thought of him fizzled from my mind as my body shook from the cold under the thin sheet of a blanket that was wrapped around me. I was in shock, I could tell. I knew the signs. I winced as I moved; shooting pain licked my body in every direction. I knew a couple of my ribs along with my wrist were broken, and possibly something on my face, as pain swept over it and into my head. I raised my free arm up slowly, painfully, feeling my damp face as my hand found its way to the laceration on the side of my head, the source of only some of the pain. Unable to hold my arm up for much longer, it fell to the side throbbing and dangling off the edge of the bed. My body, it was beaten and bruised possibly more than ever before and I could feel myself slipping away, wanting nothing but to close my eyes and sleep, but it was the last thing I’d allow myself to do.
My mind was disoriented; I had no idea what day it was or how long I had been locked in this cold, dark place. Time was frozen, becoming nonexistent, and I was sure the days were just bleeding together. I thought about Finn and Mollie, hoping and praying they were safe because I didn’t know if I was going to see them again. The thought of that was unbearable. My eyes watered, nose burned and I felt like I couldn’t breathe.
Pull it together.
Think.
I didn’t know where I was, why I was even here or what caused him to do what he did to me. I felt like my life, my being, was being sucked right out of me. The abuse had taken its toll on my body and I had no fight left in me. All hope that I had earlier was beginning to fade away.
The door creaking open brought me back from my thoughts, my eyes snapped closed at the light that followed him in. I wanted to pull my blanket up to hide myself and hope it would make me disappear but I couldn’t and there was no point in trying.
Looking at him you wouldn’t think any kind of malicious evil would consume him, but it did. It was written all over his face, in the grin he wore and the burning in his cold, dead blue eyes. A shiver ran through me as I thought of his eyes looking back at me, blank, filled with nothing but coldness and the brightness of those eyes forever gone. I’d never seen a pair of eyes so cold, or so hollow and dark, not even the pair I looked into years before compared to what I was seeing now.
He walked over to the side of the bed, no words said. His rough cold hands roamed over my hair down the side of my face and my body stilled as I wished him away. My eyes snapped shut not knowing what was about to come.
His hand slipped under the covers, gliding over my naked arm, stopping above my elbow, lingering there a moment before moving away and then my cuffed hand was free. His hand went back, gripping my arm tightly as he pulled me to a sitting position. Pain radiated through me as I let out a whimper. He pulled me to my frozen feet, my knees shook, feeling like they were going to give out, unable to support me. I felt myself sway to the side but his grip held me upright, tightly; his fingers dug into my arm, pinching my skin.
What’s one more bruise?
He started to pull me towards the open door, my eyes squinting, trying to adjust to the light. I didn’t know where we were going and I was sure it wasn’t going to be good and for the first time I was wishing to stay in the hole. I didn’t have any strength to fight him so I let him pull me, taking me wherever he was going.
Maybe I had it all wrong. Maybe it was meant to end here and meeting him, falling in love, having this emptiness I carried around finally filled, maybe it was only supposed to be... temporary.
Life had a way of playing cruel tricks on you.
This I knew.
Boy did I know.
I no longer saw the future with him as bright, happy and full of love; it was suddenly now empty, numb and full of complete and utter darkness. 


 
 
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Monday, May 6, 2013

The Caveman and The Devil

The Caveman and the Devil
3 of 5 stars false
The animals at the Philadelphia Zoo brought zookeepers Paul and Noah together, but now they might tear them apart. When a bloodthirsty lioness stalks her cubs, Noah charges into her enclosure without regard for his own safety. Luckily, a co-worker catches his mistake and saves the day. It’s not the first time Noah’s rushed in on impulse, and he still carries scars from the last time.
Paul can’t pretend nothing happened. Frustrated, he tries to comfort Noah, but he can’t get past his anger. As head keeper of the big cats, Paul must report the incident and figure out how to keep his reckless lover safe. Somehow he has to make Noah see that his carelessness could cost him his job or his life—and maybe Paul too.

Review

***I received this book as a part of a blog tour for my honest review***
This was a really short book, 76 pages to be exact. It really was a snippet of this couples life after an incident that one of them, Noah, is completely blasé about and the other, Paul, is having kittens over. (hahah) The characters were well developed and the story was enjoyable. I just really wanted more of them though, like how they got together or something of the like. Like I said before, it was extremely short and before I knew it was finished. It is hard to be completely satisfied with a book of this length.
Short and sweet m/m romance.If you have a spare hour, give it ago, it will be an hour pleasantly spent.
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Good Guys Love Dogs

Prologue

Ian McKinley had finally made it. Reached the pinnacle. The top rung of the ladder. Tonight represented the crown jewel in the career he’d spent seventeen years of his life building. Thirty-nine, and by most definitions, he had everything. Money. Success. A teenage son. A beautiful fiancée.
Not to mention, having just brought on board the biggest client ever for CCI Investments of Manhattan, he was a hero to his partners.  This party at the Waldorf-Astoria had been thrown for him, the invitation list a who’s who of New York City high rollers.
Standing here now among trays of champagne and tables loaded with exotic-looking foods, he should have been nothing but exhilarated. Somehow, he merely felt tired. Bone weary with the routine of his life, the predictability of it.
Every morning he bought his breakfast at the same bagel shop on Sixtieth Street, ate it at his desk with exactly two cups of coffee, no cream, no sugar. Every day he ran six miles at noon. He couldn’t remember when he’d done anything remotely spontaneous.
But this was the life he had wanted. This was what he’d worked so hard for—to prove a poor boyfrom the wrong side of Manhattan could make it to Park and Sixty-first. He only regretted that neither Sherry nor his mother had lived to see his success. He’d promised them both he would make something of himself one day. He wondered if they would have been proud of him. But then, if Sherry had lived, maybe he wouldn’t have been quite so driven. Wouldn’t have buried himself in his work. Life would have been more about family. More normal for him and for Luke.
Did he even know what normal was anymore?
For the past three weeks, he’d gotten no more than five hours of sleep a night. That might explain his fatigue, except that part of him felt as if he’d been tired for years. He needed a vacation. Away from the city. When was the last time he’d taken one?  The last time he’d spent more than an hour alone with his son? Guilt gnawed at him. He would plan something for them to do together. Soon. And he would make sure he kept his word.
“Why is it you look like a man headed for the gas chamber instead of the man of the hour?”
Ian swung around to find Rachel looking up at him with inquisitive eyes and a smile on her lips. “Hey,” he said, putting a hand on her shoulder and giving it a soft squeeze. “A pillow and a bed sound pretty good about now.”
“I could go for that. Especially since I’ve been getting just a little jealous of the stares half the women in the room have been sending you all night.” She leaned in to kiss the corner of his mouth, her right breast pressing into his chest. He waited for the surge of attraction that should have followed her deliberate provocation and decided, when it did not come, that he was more tired than he’d realized.
“Hey, we can’t have any of that.” Curtis Morgan clapped a hand on Ian’s shoulder. A short man witha receding hairline and an expanding waistline, Curtis was one of Ian’s partners at CCI. “Not until after the wedding, at least. Ms. Montgomery, you’ll have our guest of honor ducking out before I’ve had a chance to make my toast to him.”
“I suggest you hurry up and do it,” Rachel said with a raised brow. “I’m afraid he’s nearly dead on his feet.”
“No wonder. You really gave this one everything, Ian,” Curtis said. “Our firm will see the benefit of it. We’re all very appreciative.”
“Yes. I’m so proud of him,” Rachel said. “Now, if I could just get him to agree on a wedding date.”
She looked up at Ian with wide eyes that attempted to convey innocence, but Ian suspected Rachel knew exactly what she was doing.
As methodical about her personal life as she was about attaining senior partnership status at the law firm of Brown, Brown and Fitzgerald, Rachel made no secret of the fact that she thought a marriage between them would be mutually beneficial. She’d continued pressing her case for the past couple of years until she’d finally convinced him she was right.
Two weeks ago, when Ian asked her to marry him, it had been with the understanding that there was no rush. Both their lives were full, and a piece of paper wouldn’t change things drastically. Or so he had told himself.
When Sherry died right after Luke was born, he said he would never marry again. Unexpectedlylosing his wife at the age of twenty-three was the most painful, life-altering thing he’d ever known. Something inside him simply shut down. For the first five years after her death, he didn’t date at all. When he did start seeing someone, he made sure it never lasted for any length of time, never long enough to let things get serious.
With Luke almost grown now, he didn’t relish the idea of spending the rest of his life alone. His relationship with Rachel was a comfortable one. It made no demands or even hinted at happily-ever-after and white picket fences. At one point, he’d believed in destiny and people who were meant for each other. A young man’s dreams. He no longer believed in any of that. If what he had with Rachel met the definition of compatibility more than love, he still appreciated her. Smart and beautiful, he personally knew of a dozen men who envied him.
“So what’s the holdup, Ian?” Curtis asked with a punch to his left shoulder. “You need a reason to leave the office before midnight.”
A waiter approached them and handed Ian a cordless phone. “There’s a call for you, Mr. McKinley.”
“Now, who could that be?” Curtis joked. “We’re the only ones who ever bother you at this hour, andwe’re all here.”
Ian shrugged and moved to the window, away from the noise of the party.  “Hello.”
“Mr. McKinley?”
“Yes?”
“This is Detective O’Neill with the New York City Police Department. Is Luke McKinley your son?”
Alarm shot through Ian. “Yes, he is.”
“He was arrested tonight for possession of marijuana, Mr. McKinley.”
It took a moment for the words to sink in. One by one, they finally did, even as disbelief washed over him. “Is he all right?”
“Yes.”
“There must be some mistake. Luke has never—”
“No mistake, Mr. McKinley.”
The detective gave him the address of the station and told him where to find Luke. Ian hung up, feeling as if someone had just punched him in the gut. He found Rachel and told her everything he knew. When she offered to go with him, he asked her to stay and explain to the others that he’d had an emergency.
He caught a cab outside the building, imagining, during the drive, a hundred different scenarios involving Luke and jail.
When the driver pulled over at the police station, Ian handed him a fifty and sprinted for the door, his stomach churning. Inside, he took the elevator to the third floor. Even at this hour, the place vibrated with purpose.  Still dressed in his tuxedo, he got his fair share of stares as he wound his way through a maze of desks littered with coffee cups and mounds of paper.
From the far corner of the room, a thin man with graying hair and skin that could use a little sunshine waved at him and called out, “You Mr. McKinley?”
“Yes.”
“Your son is in the room across the hall. Go on in. I’ll be right with you.”
“Thank you,” Ian said, while the detective went back to his call.
At the door, Ian stopped and drew in a deep breath before quickly turning the knob. Relief flooded him at the sight of Luke standing by the window with his hands jammed in his pockets.
His hair, long in front and short at the sides, halfway covered his eyes. His stance screamed defensive, his mouth set in a straight line. “Guess I messed up your party, huh?” he asked, his tone belligerent.
If Luke felt any fear, he wasn’t showing it.
“Is that what you meant to do?” Ian asked quietly, not at all sure where to go with this.
“I didn’t mean to do anything.” Luke shrugged, clearly a rebel with a cause, the origins of which Ian couldn’t begin to guess.
“They said you were arrested for drug possession.”
Another shrug. “Big deal.”
“Big deal?” Ian repeated. “Do you have any idea how serious this is?”
“It must be if you left your party to come down here.”
The verbal slap achieved its intended sting. “I know things have been busy lately, but. . . .”
“Lately?” Luke interrupted with a short laugh. “You’ve been saying ‘lately’ since I was six years old. Probably before then, I just can’t remember so far back. You only have time for work. And Rachel, of course, now that she’s going to be your wife.”
Bitterness layered the declaration. The vehemence behind it shocked Ian. Luke wasn’t a big talker. For the past few years, getting information out of him took the finesse of a secret service agent. Ian chalked it up to teenage rebellion. The boy had been even less communicative since he’d told him about his engagement to Rachel. He looked at his son now and felt as though he were seeing him for the first time in a very long while. “I think we need to talk.”
“So pencil me in before your nine-thirty, and I’ll tell you all about how I know you wish I’d never been born.”
The anger in the boy’s voice hit Ian like a brick in the face. “Why would you say a thing like that,Luke?”
“Because it’s the truth.”
“No. It’s not. Son—”
“If it hadn’t been for me, she wouldn’t have died,” Luke yelled. “Don’t you think I know that?”
Ian grappled for composure. “Nobody could have prevented what happened to your mother. She had a stroke. How could you possibly think I would—”
“I don’t know,” he interrupted. “Maybe because you work all the time just so you don’t have to bearound me.”
“Luke!” Ian stopped, at a complete loss for a response. Somehow, when he hadn’t been looking, something had gone terribly wrong between the two of them. Staring across at his son, part boy, part man, Ian wondered how Luke had felt this way without his knowing. How long had Luke been trying to get his attention? “Does this have something to do with my marrying Rachel?”
“I don’t care who you marry. I’m sure you’ll make all the time in the world for her.”
Ian felt as if someone had just held a mirror in front of him. He didn’t like what he saw. He thoughtabout the party given in his honor tonight and realized the price. He’d spent the past seventeen years trying to make sure Luke had the things he himself never had as a kid. He’d sent the boy off to a camp in Wyoming every summer and to Austria in the winter with his ski team. In fact, he’d given him everything possible except one thing.
Time.
Maybe if he had, none of this would be happening.
Maybe if he had, he wouldn’t have needed this kind of wake-up call to see what a mess he’d made of things.
Ian sank down on the chair behind him. He raked a hand through his hair and wondered how he’d gone from such heights to such depths in the span of one night. Luke was in trouble. Ian could blame no one but himself.

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 Author
RITA Award-winning author Inglath Cooper has written 9 published novels and 2 novellas. She fell in love with books as soon as she learned how to read. “When I was a little girl, we had a black-and-white TV with rabbit ears. Needless to say, it didn’t pick up a lot! I spent a good deal of time with my nose in a book. I think I read most of the books in my elementary school library.”

That love for books translated into a natural love for writing and a desire to create stories that other readers could get lost in, just as she had gotten lost in her favorite books. Her stories focus on the dynamics of relationships, those between a man and a woman, mother and daughter, sisters, friends. They most often take place in small Virginia towns very much like the one where she grew up and are peopled with characters who reflect those values and traditions.

“There’s something about small-town life that’s just part of who I am. I’ve had the desire to live in other places, wondered what it would be like to be a true Manhattanite, but the thing I know I would miss is the familiarity of faces everywhere I go. There’s a lot to be said for going in the grocery store and seeing ten people you know!”

Her passion for writing has most recently translated into songwriting which she considers a natural extension of her love of storytelling.
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Saturday, May 4, 2013

Johnny Stone


This weeks author writes books with explicit adult content, to enter the contest you must be 18+. It is open internationally.


  I was born near Minneapolis, MN, but have lived in numerous places across the U.S and done a lot of traveling around the world in general. I also lived in Austria for a year, Saudi Arabia for around three and Germany for six. Traveled about to places like England, Switzerland, France, Italy, India, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Egypt. I've always enjoyed reading, but found my true love in writing, recently. I like dogs, too. :)
Links: Goodreads  






Interview
First off, I’d like to say thank you for inviting me to this interview- it’s a good way for authors to touch base with their readers, outside the scope of simply reading their profile or random board interaction.
1) How much has your travels contributed to your writing?
I’d have to say quite a bit, especially my time in the Army. It’s given me the opportunity to experience different cultures and see places that many people only read about. In doing so, I convey some of my travel experiences on to the readers. It also helps with character creation- I’ve used numerous people that I’ve met over the years as templates for story characters and adapted the personality to fit the story.
2) In your book Misadventures In Infidelity Erin becomes a house slave, what research did you do to write that particular story from Erins pov?
Actual research? None. In this particular story, I used my personal experience in the BDSM lifestyle to set the stage, or setting for Erin, with a desired plot conclusion as my end result. The rest I attribute to the character creation itself, (their goals, motivation, desires, and personalities) both Erin’s and her Mistress, Mrs. Waters. For an author, it’s a matter of putting yourself in their shoes, deciding how they will react, or what they will do or say in a certain situation based on the character’s personality traits.
3) You write erotic books which are mainly a female dominate genre, do you feel it's harder for you as a male author to be taken seriously?
I started writing erotica long before reading it and it reflects my personal taste in reading. It’s not what you would call ‘the norm,’ as far as what most people view as being typical erotica. I know how odd that sounds- an erotica author that doesn’t read erotica. I truly believe that helped me in the sense, because I never had a preconceived notion of what ‘erotica’ actually was.
Because of it, I’ve never had an issue as being taken seriously in this genera- I believe in letting the difference and the quality of my work speak for itself. I remember when my first book came out, The Devil’s Dance, and some readers swore that I was a woman, despite my Pen name and profile. The character was that believable, written from a first person pov of a woman, and a submissive in the lifestyle, which was contrary to everything ‘I’ claimed to be.
The gender the author really doesn’t matter, in my opinion. It’s a matter of being able to step outside of yourself and think like the character you’re portraying in book. You have to understand human nature itself- the cause and effect of interaction, to make the characters honest and the story itself realistic.
4) What books are you currently working on?
I’m currently working on Slave World II, the sequel to Salve World, and I would say it’s approximately 80% complete. It’s been in the works for over a year now due to setbacks in my life that has put my writing time on hold. That one is my priority until it is finished, but I’m also working on a collection of ‘Dark Paranormal’ short stories. At some point I need to return to an Alternate History PNR that I started about 2 years ago that will be more traditional in nature and romance oriented.
Lots of others planned, in the plot development stage for later down the road, including a co-author PNR with another established writer that totally redefines the concept of what Vampires and Shifters are all about.
5) Out of all the places you have traveled which one has been your favorite?
Tough question. Different places hold special meanings for me with distinctive memories. Many of the places I’ve been have been represented incorrectly or romanticized by movies or tv, and I discovered first hand that, that wasn’t really the case. It’s like seeing the world with blinders on and not the whole picture. Example- the Venice Italy. Most people think of the canals, and romantic trips in a gondola. Ah yes… the perfect Honeymoon place, right? To me, I think of a dirty city that smelled like any other port- petrol, dead fish, sewage and filth.
Some fonder memories? There’s nothing like sunset or dawn in the desert- so desolate and quiet in it’s simplistic beauty, as the sky begins to dim or brighten, laced with a multitude of colors.
Skiing in the Austrian Alps… magnificent. Such a pretty country, just like the in the movie, ‘The Sound of Music.’
Sitting in a small, smoke-filled pub in Germany, drinking beer and singing ‘Panzerlied’ with some old WWII German Army vets one night. Same trade, same profession, separated by fifty years and different wars.
So many different countries… different sights, sounds, and smells that stay with you forever. I can say that I am truly fortunate to have experienced some of the things I have, booth good and bad.
6) When you are not writing, what do you like to do?
I work full time at a coal-fired power plant, odd hours, so my free time is limited. Writing takes up most of it. In the past I used to play a lot of RPG’s, or Strategy based board and computer games. I used to do a lot of painting, some oil-based, and sell my work on e-bay. Did well at that for several years, but then started writing. Used to do a lot of reading, but that has been pushed to the wayside over the last 6 years as well. I used to do a lot of things that I don’t any longer. Lol
I also moderate a board on GR, and that takes up a chuck of my time as well.
6) Favorite author of all time?
Another tough one, and I’m not sure I have one. As I said above, I don’t read on a regular basis any longer, at least anything new or current. I guess if I had to go with a single author, it would be J.R.R. Tolkien.

  



Books

Cherry Clark is a spoiled brat, unappreciative of the good fortune she's experienced throughout her life. She is also a solitary sex addict, experiencing her vicarious desires through her imagination and Internet porn. Her closet desire to be a submissive is shrouded in fear; and her mouthy attitude only gets her into trouble. One night after work, she finds a flier stuck to her car, advertising a mysterious club, Sheol's Fringe. Her interest is aroused, she decides to go, unaware that her life is about to change forever. Sameal, the hot looking bartender and Sheol's owner, is also a "devil", and a member of the Board of Directors for Devil Corp, an organization that brokers in human pleasures through the use of a 'Dream Journal' service. The journal itself allows the user to experience whatever fantasy they write about while in a sleep-like trance. Sameal gives her dream journal of her own, through which Cherry lives out her deepest and darkest fantasies. Her desires take some shocking twists. Even more frightening, they tend to manifest themselves in unusal physically form. She's a rare breed, able to immerse herself in fantasy to the point of changing her own reality. From scenes as a sexy "puppy" to a down-on-her-luck white-trash whore who gets used hard, the shallow young woman is soon to discover that despite her open resistance, she has a strong desire to submit. As her relationship with Sameal deepens, she becomes his. It's under his stern hand that she discovers the joy of being spanked and punished, as her bratty side is paddled into submission for the first time in her life. However, Cherry still wars with her submissive self. And when she decides she wants her freedom, Sameal grants her request. But without his ownership and guidance, she feels empty; and now she's fair game for other members of the club, who have their own designs on the sexy Cherry. Some painful lessons await her as she attempts to navigate her elusive quest for sexual gratification without the powerful Sameal. Can Cherry live without him? Will she find her way back? Or will there be a new master ready to take this needy submissive in hand? Contemporary BDSM Fantasy, (with paranormal elements) featuring male domination.
 Links: Goodreads Amazon




Far outside of the United Planetary Federation’s jurisdiction is a world of unprecedented fetishes and kinks, unrestricted by the governing laws of slave ownership. This pearl of debauchery has a name- Slave World- a hell on earth to some, and a Garden of Eden to others. Margo Winters, an emotionally scarred and unstable veteran turned independent freighter pilot, is about to find out firsthand which category she falls into. A routine slave delivery for Margo and John, her out-of-date droid/companion/co-pilot and sex partner, turns catastrophic when their cargo escapes cryo-stasis and takes control of her ship. Margo has a hidden secret though, and one of the escapees recognizes it, dooming her to a life of sexual slavery.
Links: Goodreads Amazon 











Steam & Spurs by Johnny Stone The year is 1893 and Earth is a place of wondrous steam driven machines during the Victorian age of Imperialism. Spacecraft prowl the stars, colonizing alien worlds while battling the barbaric pirates of Mars. It’s a world where the Confederate States of America won the civil war, and the Republic of Texas finally gained its independence to stand alone as a sovereign country. It’s a time of leather and calico lace, of Techno music and perpetual motion technology, giving birth to twisted sense of farfetched dreams commonly known as Steampunk. But there’s one man who lives life by his own terms, trapped in the past while thumbing his nose at modern society as he carves a place in history using nothing but a gun and his stubborn courage. He’s a war hero, an Indian fighter, a Texas Ranger and a bounty hunter; and his name is Johnny Stone. Johnny is an outwardly gruff, old-west personality with a subdued code of rustic honor in an age that continues to pass him by with leaps and bounds. Throughout his life, he’s always had a knack for showing up at the wrong place at the wrong time. He’s a man with a seemingly charmed life and a haunted past, walking on the razors edge of danger and tempting fate more often than not as certain death passes him by again and again. Rainia Morwin, Captain of the British luxury liner the Dreaming Star, is a Venutian Mistress with years of experience in dominating men. She’s a strong woman, with a mind as sharp as her tongue. But, she’s also a secretive switch, craving the wonderful bliss of a domineering male hand with the unwavering strength and persistence to take what is rightfully theirs from a woman, if they’re able. Her search for a new Master, a loving man that can fulfill the needs she so desperately craves again after so many years of dimming hope, is about to be found in an unlikely source. This sultry novel is brought to you by the author of The Devil’s Dance. Steam & Spurs has something for everyone; suspense & suspension, sex & fighting, guns & whips.
Links: Goodreads Amazon 




Misadventures in Infidelity is sexy string of stories revolving around a married woman’s untamed desires. Each story begins with a flashback, as Erin recalls her earlier days of infidelity. Erin Porter is a slut and a tease, she always has been. Nothing changed after she’s married, as she thought it would, except having a ring on her finger and a man who has no idea what she’s doing when he’s away from home. In A Rude Awakening, Erin gets together with friends for a night of carefree and innocent partying when her husband is away. She wakes up the next morning to discover she had a wild night of raunchy, unprotected sex with two men. Too bad she doesn’t remember it. Lucky for her there is a video that shows what a dirty whore she really is. During Mr. Harley and his Unwanted Guests, Erin makes a fledging effort to openly cheat on her husband, but hunting for guys isn’t as easy as she thought it would be. After meeting a rough and tumble biker at a strip club she’s convinced to enter a wet t-shirt contest with the promise of drinks if she loses. Things never work out for Erin the way she plans, and she gets much more then she bargained for, or was emotionally prepared to deal with. In The Working Girl, Erin is unexpectedly offered the job of becoming a house slave and sexual pet to the rich and powerful Miss Olivia Waters. In her desperation for money she accepts, despite what her humiliating ‘duties’ will entail. Everything at her Mistress’ mansion seems to be going well, as Erin gradually learns her place as an obedient submissive, but when the striking Mr. Olan enters the picture, finally acting on his desires for her, things really heat up! From the author of The Devils Dance and Steam & Spurs, comes an entertaining collection of stories that have something for everyone. Scandalous cheating, lesbian sex, anal and oral sex, threesomes and more!
Links: Goodreads Amazon 






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