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Friday, March 31, 2017

REVIEW BLITZ: The Hard Truth About Sunshine by Sawyer Bennett




New York Times bestselling author Sawyer Bennett has written her most gripping and poignant tale yet. Provocatively heart-breaking, audaciously irreverent and romantically fulfilling, The Hard Truth About Sunshine exposes just how very thin the line is between a full life and an empty existence. 


Despite having narrowly escaped death's clutches, Christopher Barlow is grateful for nothing. His capacity to love has been crushed. He hates everyone and everything, completely unable to see past the gray stain of misery that coats his perception of the world. It's only after he involuntarily joins a band of depressed misfits who are struggling to overcome their own problems, does Christopher start to re-evaluate his lot in life. 

What could they possibly learn from one another? How could they possibly help each other to heal? And the question that Christopher asks himself over and over again... can he learn to love again? 

He's about to find out as he embarks upon a cross country trip with a beautiful woman who is going blind, a boy with terminal cancer, and an abuse victim who can't decide whether she wants to live or die. 

Four people with nothing in common but their destination. They will encounter adventure, thrills, loss and love. And within their travels they will learn the greatest lesson of all. 

The hard truth about sunshine... 

Warning: This book deals with some tough issues including suicide and sexual abuse.














My Review

I received an advanced copy of this book with the promise of an honest review. 

This is going to be a lot shorter than my usual reviews. You see, I'm not sure how to review this book. And not because I didn't enjoy this book. I loved it. I'm just not sure how to put my feelings into words, but I will do my best to try. 

This is not your typical Sawyer Bennett story.  Just from reading the synopsis you can tell that this will be an emotional read. And that doesn't even begin to describe this book. We have four people who couldn't be more different going on a road trip. A road trip, that in the beginning, holds A LOT of meaning for one of the people, but by the end, is extremely meaningful for everyone involved. 

On the surface, I could not relate to any of these characters. They either had a traumatic past or they were dealing with something that was going to happen in the future. But the more I got to know them and learn their stories, I could see tiny parts of myself in every single one of them. 

The Hard Truth About Sunshine is about unlikely friendships, overcoming your fears, trying new things, opening yourself up to the unknown, living life on your own terms, and finding love where you least expect it. I read the majority of this book on a plane. Thankfully I had the whole row to myself and it was an early morning flight so everyone around me was pretty much out of it. Because let me tell you...I CRIED BUCKETS WHILE READING THIS BOOK. Good lord. Every time I thought that I was over one crying jag, I would start again. 

This may not be your usual Sawyer Bennett book, but it is definitely one of her best. If you decide to buy and read this book, make sure you read the author's note at the end. And thank you Sawyer, for not only sharing this story, but also sharing WHY you wrote it. 







EXCERPT



Jillian holds my gaze for a moment, her eyes drilling into mine before she gently tugs on the material of my jeans near the shin rod of my prosthetic. “What happened to you?”

She doesn’t look away. Not down at the fire, not down to my legs. She stares right at me. Although my gut is turning slightly at the thought of telling her what she asked, I forge straight ahead. For the first time, I tell someone who is not medical personnel or a shrink my story.

“I was driving a military Humvee and the right front tire ran over a roadside bomb,” I say, and Jillian makes a sound of distress low her in throat as her eyes turn sad. “It completely obliterated my buddy sitting in the passenger seat.”

To my surprise, Jillian scoots over closer to me and lays her head on my shoulder. She pushes her hand in between my ribs and my arm, curling her fingers over my bicep. It’s a show of support. Solidarity. That she’s settled in for the long haul of this story, and she wants to hear it all.

“It didn’t blow my leg off,” I tell her, and I can feel her body jerk slightly in surprise. Her fingers squeeze my bicep. “The fingers yes, the leg no. It just shattered and shredded it badly, but the doctors tried hard to save it.” 


“Obviously, they couldn’t,” she whispers the obvious.


“They tried for three months,” I tell her, reaching down to grab my phone laying near my left hip. Jillian lifts her head up, watching as I pull up my pictures. I scroll backward, but it doesn’t take long to find what I’m looking for because I don’t take a lot of photos. I hold the phone out so she can see. “This was taken about a month after my injury.”

Jillian makes a strangled sound as she looks at the photo of me in bed. My eyes are half open because I was bombed out on so many heavy-duty pain medications, and I have a grimace on my face. I vaguely remember this picture being taken, and I think it may have been by my brother, Hank, when he came to visit once during that first month. He came a few more times after that, and then he didn’t.

Jillian’s eyes roam over the photo. My leg is encased in the external fixator with several rods leading from the outside of the cage right into my skin, where it’s drilled through and into the bone to hold the pieces together. The wounds on my leg are all open to the air, red and some of them dripping with puss and lined with blisters. I’ve got IVs in both arms and a PICC line in the right side of my neck to deliver the hordes of antibiotics and pain meds I needed to keep me alive and functioning. I took the maximum dosages they allowed me, preferring to try to be oblivious to what was happening. Yet, the pain was so great it just couldn’t be fully erased.

Jillian turns her head to look at me, and I lay the phone back down. “How long were you like that?”

“Three months. But they couldn’t get ahead of the infections, which were delaying the bones from knitting. I was in so much pain that I wanted them to amputate.”

“You had to make that decision?” she whispers.

I nod. “Yup. I mean… the doctors were at the point they felt it was the right way to go, although they were willing to keep trying if I wanted. But I wanted it gone. I was tired of being in the hospital and being in so much pain. I just wanted it gone.”

“Do you regret that decision?” she asks me bluntly, but with that still-sweet melody her voice makes. The question doesn’t bother me, because even her hard questions sound lovely.

“Yes,” I tell her without any shame. “I wonder what would have happened if I held on just a little bit longer. Not long after the leg came off, the pain receded and I became more lucid. Once I’d forgotten how bad the infections smelled, I regretted it.”

“Three months is an awful long time to be in pain like that,” she points out the obvious.

I shrug. “And the rest of my life is a long time to wonder ‘what if.’”









Since the release of her debut contemporary romance novel, Off Sides, in January 2013, Sawyer Bennett has released more than 30 books and has been featured on both the USA Today and New York Times bestseller lists on multiple occasions. 

A reformed trial lawyer from North Carolina, Sawyer uses real life experience to create relatable, sexy stories that appeal to a wide array of readers. From new adult to erotic contemporary romance, Sawyer writes something for just about everyone. 

Sawyer likes her Bloody Marys strong, her martinis dirty, and her heroes a combination of the two. When not bringing fictional romance to life, Sawyer is a chauffeur, stylist, chef, maid, and personal assistant to a very active toddler, as well as full-time servant to two adorably naughty dogs. She believes in the good of others, and that a bad day can be cured with a great work-out, cake, or a combination of the two. 



COVER REVEAL: Betrayed by Lies by Rebecca Shea



USA TODAY bestselling author Rebecca Shea brings you the third title in her thrilling and sexy romantic suspense Bound & Broken Series, BETRAYED BY LIES, releasing April 24, 2017. 

Don’t miss the beautiful cover below, and be sure to grab your copies of BROKEN BY LIES and BOUND BY LIES today! Fall into the deliciously dark world where the line between good and evil becomes blurred.




From the USA Today bestselling author of the Unbreakable series, comes a sexy, heart-wrenching novel…Betrayed by Lies.


As an ATF agent, bringing down the Estrada cartel has been my sole mission. I’m a skilled agent, determined and fearless, but a relentless pursuit and a willingness to risk everything almost killed me.

A year later, when an opportunity in Los Angeles presents itself, I jump at the chance to start over and rebuild the career and life I almost lost.

Kate Stevens was not part of my new plan. I never expected she would be the one to save me from my past. She was exactly what I needed—smart, beautiful and independent. I finally have a future I look forward to.

Only nothing in my life ever goes according to plan. Losing Kate is not an option, but fate seems poised to ruin me, and there isn’t a damn thing I can do about it.

Preorder on iBooks Today!


And don’t miss the first two books in the Bound & Broken Series!


BROKEN BY LIES



BOUND BY LIES



Rebecca Shea is the USA Today Bestselling author of the Unbreakable series (Unbreakable, Undone, and Unforgiven) and the Bound and Broken series (Broken by Lies and Bound by Lies). She lives in Phoenix, Arizona with her family. From the time Rebecca could read she has had a passion for books. Rebecca spends her days working and her nights writing, bringing stories to life. Born and raised in Minnesota, Rebecca moved to Arizona in 1999 to escape the bitter winters. When not working or writing, she can be found on the sidelines of her sons’ football games, or watching her daughter at ballet class. Rebecca is fueled by insane amounts of coffee, margaritas, Laffy Taffy (except the banana ones), and happily ever afters.



Thursday, March 30, 2017

REVIEW BLITZ: Say I'm Yours by Corinne Michaels




From New York Times Bestseller, Corinne Michaels, comes a new second chance standalone romance. 

I spent twenty years waiting for Trent Hennington to open his eyes and see me. But it was all for nothing. He chose to keep himself guarded and let me walk away, proving that my time and efforts were wasted. 

I'm done being invisible. 
It's time to move on. 

A single dance sets my new reality into motion, and I welcome it. After all, Cooper Townsend is perfect. He's kind, sexy, and attentive--everything a girl could want. 

I thought I got it right this time. 
That my heart could mend, and I would be happy. 
Apparently, some things really are just too hard to walk away from. 



 


My Review

I received an advanced copy of this book with the promise of an honest review. 

I've been so curious about Trent since Say You Want Me. We were given just enough to tease us and have us waiting on the edge of our seats to finally figure out that his deal is. 

For as long as anyone in Bell Buckle can remember, it's been Grace and Trent. They seem to be the perfect couple and most everyone seems to think that they are meant to be together. But looks can be deceiving. Trent and Grace have fallen into a routine and it is not a good one. Grace realizes that Trent will never be the man that she needs him to be so she does the only thing she can do...she leaves him. Trent does not take their separation very well and he makes it quite hard for her to move on. Like really hard. 

Gah! Those Hennington brothers sure are a charming bunch aren't they? As much as I wanted to be mad at Trent, I just couldn't do it. He had his reasons for acting the way he did, but unfortunately the lack of communication with Grace really did a number on their relationship. As much as I loved this book I got so frustrated at times. There was a lot of back and forth between the two of them that had me pulling my hair out. But that was also something that had to play out in order for the two of them to find their way back to each other. 

This book is so good. And just like with all of Corinne's books, she brings the emotions. Whether you're laughing because Zach, Wyatt or Trent are together being idiots or your crying because something has just happened that is breaking your heart, you feel things. Lots of things. 

One last thing...Cooper. COOPER. TOWNSEND. I freaking love that guy. He was the sweetest man and a small part of me was Team Cooper...how could you not be? Now he just needs his own happily ever after!




 

Corinne Michaels is the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author of The Salvation Series (Beloved, Beholden, Consolation, Conviction & Defenseless), Say You'll Stay, Say You Want Me, and Say I'm Yours. She's an emotional, witty, sarcastic, and fun loving mom of two beautiful children. Corinne is happily married to the man of her dreams and is a former Navy wife. After spending months away from her husband while he was deployed, reading and writing was her escape from the loneliness. 

Both her maternal and paternal grandmothers were librarians, which only intensified her love of reading. After years of writing short stories, she couldn't ignore the call to finish her debut novel, Beloved. Her alpha heroes are broken, beautiful, and will steal your heart. 


BLOG TOUR & 4 1/2 STAR REVIEW: Co-Wrecker by Meghan Quinn


We're celebrating the release of CO-WRECKER by Meghan Quinn!



NA Romantic Comedy
Photographer: Lauren Perry
Designer: Meghan Quinn

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2mtA5QO


AMAZON: http://amzn.to/2mHiKEu
AMAZON UK: http://amzn.eu/7thK9Gf
AMAZON CA: http://a.co/5eu4Y4K


What do ice cream and Sadie Montgomery have in common? They're both ice cold, but one taste is never enough. 

I wanted to be friends — I would have even settled for her seeing me as anything but a nerd — but there was no getting through. So just like any hard-headed, red-blooded man out there, I made up my mind. 

I’d make my coworker fall for me. 

I’d like to say it was simple, but like every other epic love story, all it took was one drunken night and a lot of naked courage to get the girl. For a moment, at least.

Love with a coworker is never simple, especially since Sadie’s trying to keep us on the low. Not to mention her persistent ex-boyfriend who won’t leave her alone. But I’ve never been good at giving up, and I don’t plan to start now.

The whole thing is a recipe for a rocky road, but I plan to eat the whole gallon, no matter how bad the brain freeze.










My Review

I received an advanced copy of this book with the promise of an honest review. 

OMG. I need to go out and find my own hot, goofy, slightly awkward nerd. Meghan has given us some amazing men in her books, but I'm pretty sure she has broken the mold with Andrew. HE IS EVERYTHING. GAH!

Andrew just wants to start over. Work his job at Friendly's and get a new start at his Binghamton University. What he didn't count on was Sadie. The extremely grumpy, but very hot woman who has to train Andrew. They get off to a very interesting start (Sturdy Tits anyone?) and despite the fact that Sadie wants nothing more than to hate Andrew, she can't help herself. He can be SUPER awkward, say the completely wrong thing and make an ass out of himself, but he just doesn't care. The dude is just charming as HELL. 

Sadie has her baggage. Like some Louis Vuitton priced baggage. She has been through a lot in the past year and hasn't exactly been dealing with things in healthy manor. Getting involved with Andrew probably isn't the best idea, but it turns it's the best thing to happen to Sadie in a long time. He makes her smile. Andrew brings out the best in her. 

I loved them together and I actually prefer Sadie with Andrew...she's kind of a pain in the ass when she isn't with him. And these two know how to have fun in and out of the bedroom. Talk about hot. HOLY CRAP. 

I just loved this book so much. In true Meghan Quinn fashion, it is absolutely hysterical. I laughed out loud a bunch of times and even found myself with tears in my eyes from laughing so hard. There's this one scene with a bat...like the mammal, not of the baseball variety that KILLED me. So freaking funny. Just do yourself a favor and pick up this book and read it. You won't be disappointed. 













Born in New York and raised in Southern California, Meghan has grown into a sassy, peanut butter eating, blonde haired swearing, animal hoarding lady. She is known to bust out and dance if "It's Raining Men" starts beating through the air and heaven forbid you get a margarita in her, protect your legs because they may be humped.

Once she started commuting for an hour and twenty minutes every day to work for three years, she began to have conversations play in her head, real life, deep male voices and dainty lady coos kind of conversations. Perturbed and confused, she decided to either see a therapist about the hot and steamy voices running through her head or start writing them down. She decided to go with the cheaper option and started writing... enter her first novel, Caught Looking.

Now you can find the spicy, most definitely on the border of lunacy, kind of crazy lady residing in Colorado with the love of her life and her five, furry four legged children, hiking a trail or hiding behind shelves at grocery stores, wondering what kind of lube the nervous stranger will bring home to his wife. Oh and she loves a good boob squeeze!


Find me on Goodreads:

Visit my website: http://authormeghanquinn.com/

BLOG TOUR: His Alone by Alexa Riley


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Ryan Justice may be her boss, but nothing will stop him from making her his. USA TODAY and #1 ebook bestselling author Alexa Riley entices with a brand-new, full-length novel.
She thinks I'm perfect. A good boss, a good man. She thinks that I play by the rules.

She has no idea who I truly am. Why I'm really here.

Paige Turner is trying to outrun her past, but there it is, tossed back in her face anytime she manages to get two steps ahead.

She has no idea what a man like me will do to get what he wants.

Her need for Ryan got in the way of revenge, took her off course. Redirected her focus. Before she knew it, he'd made his way into her life. Into her heart.

I'm dirtier than she knows. She thinks I'm good to the core, but she doesn't know the things I've done. The things I would do for her.

True love doesn't let secrets as big as these stay buried. And when the truth about Paige's father is finally exposed, Ryan will do anything to fix everything. Paige has always been his and his alone.




He takes his lips away from my neck, and I see a flash of his deep green eyes filled with desire before he claims my mouth with his. His tongue pushes past my lips in a searing kiss. His normally controlled body shakes slightly and I can feel him fighting to control himself, wanting to pull back from me. Wanting to pull back from where we are going.

“Don’t fight it,” I whisper against his lips as he starts to do so. “I like it when you let go. Let the perfect gentleman you always try to be slip away for me. I like this dirty, deeper part of you that comes out to play with me. I like that I make it come out.”

“I promise he only comes out for you, kitten.”

“Show me. I need this,” I plead, looking up at him. I want him to snap, make the world melt away for me.

He captures my wrists in one strong hand. His mouth comes back down on mine, and I moan into his mouth, letting him take me and push me further into the soft bed. Something about him makes me want to let go, to not think about anything but getting lost in him. So I do. I drop my legs from around him and let them fall open farther, giving him the invitation to do whatever he wants with me.

His hand moves under my T-shirt and up my thigh. It trails up slower than I’d like, the torture bittersweet as I rock against him, wanting more. Wanting his hand between my legs. He growls into my mouth, deepening the kiss as his tongue makes love to mine. There’s still a restrained need in his body, and I want him to unleash all of it on me.

He pulls away abruptly, and I try to sit up, needing his mouth. I have to have it back on mine. I don’t care if I need oxygen. I want to keep kissing him forever. I want to stay in this moment forever.

“I want to feel all of you.” I yank at my hands, and he reluctantly frees me. I wrap them around his neck, pulling him back to me and taking another kiss. He claims my mouth, and I’ve never been so taken. After we’re both breathless, he breaks the kiss and rests his forehead against mine.

“Kitten.” He says my name like a prayer, with so many emotions in his voice. I can see him fighting himself, and I want to make him snap. Why do I love pushing him so much?

I drop my hand from around his neck and go to the buckle of his pants. I fumble with his belt, pulling it free. I go to fling it across the room, but he snatches it from me.

“Hands on the headboard,” he growls, his tone catching me off guard. “I’ll give you what you want, but you’ll do as I tell you.”

His words send a thrill through me, all the way down to my toes, and I swear I can feel them tingle. My dirty Captain is coming back out to play. I slowly raise my hands to the headboard. I wrap my fingers around the metal bar and do as he says.

He flashes a predatory smile as he wraps the belt around my wrists and through the bars. My heart pounds in my chest and my body clenches with want. I have to bite back a moan as I watch him do it. Don’t get me wrong, I always thought sex with Captain would be good, but I didn’t think it would go like this. He didn’t strike me as kinky, but maybe I’m so vanilla myself that I think this is a kink.

I lick my lips, wondering what he’ll do next…



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Alexa Riley is two sassy friends who got together and wrote some dirty books. They are both married moms of two who love football, donuts, and obsessed book heroes.
They specialize in insta-love, over-the-top, sweet, and cheesy love stories that don’t take all year to read. If you want something SAFE, short, and always with a happily ever after, then Alexa Riley is for you!
Author Links







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COVER REVEAL: Locke & Key by Cristin Harber



LOCKE AND KEY by Cristin Harber is coming May 2nd and we're so thrilled to share the cover with you! Check out the full cover below and find out more about LOCKE AND KEY!




ABOUT LOCKE AND KEY (Releasing May 2nd)
THE STOIC SPECIAL FORCES OPERATOR

There’s only one person to blame for darkening the last years of Locke Oliver’s military career: Cassidy Noble. And damn if he doesn’t have to save her from the side of a frozen mountain.

Even after the job is done, he can’t shake the woman from his thoughts. He blames her for the deaths in his Army unit so many years ago, and he’s not ready to let that go. It’s driving him to the point of distraction, and now his Titan Group boss says to get his act together or get out.

THE FEISTY, FALLEN REPORTER

Cassidy is a disgraced journalist, once accused of treason—Or she’s an American hero. It depends on who you ask. She’s on a mission to rebuild her name and started with a simple question but discovered a complex web of spies and possible human trafficking.

Titan Group believes in her.

Locke does not. Until he can’t deny the truth any longer about the past or what she’s uncovered in her investigation.

BECOME AN INSEPARABLE TEAM

Cassidy volunteers to go undercover. Locke would do anything to stay by her side as she slips into the network and is sold to the highest bidder. All is going right until everything goes wrong. Nothing is as they expect including falling in love with the woman he thought he hated.

Preorder LOCKE AND KEY now



ABOUT CRISTIN HARBER

Cristin Harber is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling romance author. She writes sexy, steamy romantic suspense and military romance. Readers voted her onto Amazon’s Top Picks for Debut Romance Authors in 2013, and her debut Titan series was both a #1 romantic suspense and #1 military romance bestseller.