Wolf Rising by Paige Tyler – Review, excerpt & Tour

Wolf Rising by Paige Tyler –  Review, Excerpt & Tour

Amazon / B&N / iTunes / Google Play / BAM / Book Depository

 

 

Description:
Werewolf SWAT Officer Jayden Brooks has yet to meet The One—but when he rescues teacher Selena Rosa from a hostage situation at her high school, he knows he’s in trouble. Her scent is irresistible.

There’s a reason for that powerful scent—and it isn’t an expensive perfume. Thanks to the traumatizing events at the school, the werewolf gene flipped on and Selena’s going through the change. Even scarier, she’s on track to become an omega—an out-of-control and violent breed. It’s going to take everything Brooks has if he wants any chance to pull her back from the edge…and ultimately win her heart

 

 

Review:

Wolf Rising by Paige Tyler is the 8th book in her wonderful  SWAT (Special Wolf Alpha Team) series. I love this series, as Tyler always gives us exciting stories that are pulse pounding action, with a great couple, and the hot men (werewolves) that make up the alpha swat team. Wolf Rising was another wonderful romance suspense that Tyler does so well.

Jayden Brooks, our hero, is sent with some of his teammates to a hostage situation at the local high school, where a gang member is threatening a student, as well as the teacher.  He arrives just in time to rescue them, and senses something different about the teacher.

Selena Rosa, our heroine, has stood up to gangs all her life, having lost her brother to one of them years before.  Selena refused to back down to the gang member, and when Jayden rescues her, she thinks he is badly hurt.  When she later goes to visit him at the Swat headquarters, she finds it strange that he was not hurt, since she saw blood, but accepts his explanation and soon a friendship starts.

We watch Selena put herself in danger when the student who she helped save, is again in the middle of a gang attack.  Selena loses control, and finds herself becoming strongly violent to scare off the gang.  She does not understand what has come over her.   Jayden can smell Selena’s scent and knows she is going through a change to become a werewolf.  After talking to his c- workers, it seems the traumatizing event at the school triggered the change in Selena.   How was he going to explain what is happening to her?

When their relationship becomes sexual, Selena panics when she sees that she bit Jayden and he is forced to tell her the truth, which she does not accept.  Jayden also sees how Selena is very strong, and out of control at times, which hints that she is an Omega (a more violent wolf).  In a short time, Selena will go to Jayden for help, and meet the rest of his teammates, and work with another experienced Omega wolf to learn how to control her urges.  It was a nice added feature to learn more about the other types of wolves, such as Omega or Beta.

The story line focuses on the gangs and the drugs they help sell.  One is a dangerous and at time lethal drug, and the SWAT team is determined to find the leader of this group creating the drug.  The chemistry between Jayden and Selena is hot, and he knows that she is the ‘one’ (his mate).  Selena has a nice best friend, Becca, who helps her come to terms with her change.  I also love the men on the SWAT team, and how well they get along. 

When things get dangerous, all hell will break loose, and Selena is once again in danger from the leader of the gang, someone she never suspected, (whom I did suspect from the start).  The last ¼ of the book was very exciting; I was unable to put the book down.  Paige Tyler does it again with another intense, intriguing, fun and sexy story, with a fabulous group of secondary characters.  I have said this before; Tyler manages to keep the story in the forefront, and still give us a beautiful sexy romance.  Wolf Rising is a wonderful addition to this fantastic series that you should be reading.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by  Publisher

 

The dayroom was big enough for the whole SWAT team to fit, as well as their extended pack, which was a good thing, since it was growing in leaps and bounds. In addition to the two couches and coffee table, there were beanbag chairs and a sweet big-screen TV. Since it was the holiday season, there was also a Christmas tree with all the trimmings. Brooks gestured to one of the couches, then sat down beside her.
“I’m glad we got a chance to talk in private,” Selena said. “I wanted to ask if you got injured in the rescue but wasn’t sure if I should bring it up in front of everyone else. I know guys can get embarrassed when women ask questions like that around other men.”
He was so distracted by the sexy curve of her hips as she crossed her legs that he almost missed what she’d said. “Injured? Nah.”
“You weren’t? Huh.” She frowned, confusion clouding her eyes. “There was so much blood on my clothes, not to mention the floor, and when I realized it couldn’t be Pablo’s, I naturally assumed it was yours.”
Brooks’s first instinct was to say nothing. That was the standard response anytime someone outside the Pack saw something they shouldn’t. But Selena looked so distressed, he had to tell her something.
“Oh, you must mean these.” He gestured at the freshly healed scars on his forearm from both the small bullet hole up near his elbow and the larger incision he’d gotten when Trey had dug Pablo’s bullet out of him. “I cut myself on a piece of glass picking you up. It was nothing.”
Selena studied the scars, her eyes narrowing a little before she looked back at him. Brooks had no doubt she was trying to figure out how scars that looked like they were a week old could possibly have produced as much blood as she’d had on her clothes. When she stared him straight in the eyes for several long moments, he wondered if this was what her students felt like when they’d been caught lying. He held his breath, sure she was going to call him on it.
But instead, she nodded and broke eye contact. “I’m glad it wasn’t anything more serious. You could have gotten shot shielding me like that.”
He breathed a sigh of relief. “It was nothing. I was more worried about hurting you. I slammed into you pretty hard. I didn’t break anything, did I?”
Selena shook her head. “No breaks, thank goodness. The doctor was worried I might have gotten a concussion, though. He could be right. My head was a little wonky last night for sure.”
“Wonky?” It was his turn to frown. “What do you mean? Should you be out of the hospital?”
Brooks subconsciously moved closer, his heart beating faster at the thought that he’d hurt her. He was half a second away from sweeping her up into his arms and hauling ass for his truck to take her to the hospital.
Selena must have read his mind, because she stopped him with a smile and a gentle hand on his arm. “I’m okay…really. I’ll admit my heart rate was all over the place when I was there, and I had a fever nobody could explain, but thankfully, everything went back to normal. As it turns out, the doctor decided my symptoms weren’t related to anything physical.”
“What was it then?”
She took her hand away from his arm as she shrugged. “He seemed to think I’m dealing with post-traumatic stress.”
A part of Brooks was relieved Selena wasn’t physically injured, but at the same time, he was worried. PTSD wasn’t anything to mess around with. He’d known a lot of good cops who’d lost their jobs, their families, and sometimes more because they’d gone through a rough situation they’d never been able to get past.
“Have you thought of talking to someone about it?” he asked.
She sighed. “You sound like my principal and vice principal. They want me to talk to somebody, too. In fact, they’ve essentially kicked me out of my class for the rest of the week, so I can take time off to recover. Whatever the heck that means.”
“Selena, this is serious,” Brooks said. “Someone tried to kill you. It’s normal to be affected by something like that. Normal to feel confused, scared, and freaked out as hell. It’s also completely normal to sit down and talk with someone about it.”
Her shoulders sagged. “I know. And to be honest, I am a bit freaked out by everything that happened—the parts I can remember anyway. But honestly, I’m not sure who I’d even talk to about something like this. I don’t know if I could walk into a therapist’s office and open up to someone I’ve never met. My grandmother is the only family I have left, but I don’t want to worry her any more than she already is after what happened yesterday.”
Selena thought a moment. “I suppose I could talk to my priest, but he’s such a gentle soul that I’m not sure I could bring myself to tell him all the things I was feeling in the classroom when Pablo was waving that gun around.”
“You could always talk to me,” he said softly. “I mean, I know you just met me, but at least you don’t have to fill me in on all the details, since I was there with you. And I do a pretty good job of listening, if I do say so myself.”
That gorgeous smile returned. “Well, since it seems like I have the rest of the week off whether I want it or not, maybe we could get together and talk over lunch?”
“Lunch would work,” he agreed. “But how about dinner instead? If you’re comfortable with that, I mean.”
Selena didn’t answer. Crap. Had he completely misread the situation? It hit him then that he’d never even considered the possibility she might have a boyfriend…or a girlfriend, for that matter. But then he heard her heart thump a little harder and realized she was definitely intrigued by the suggestion.
“I’ll consider dinner,” Selena said slowly, her lips curving in a surprisingly sultry way. “But only if you come to my place.”
Brooks certainly didn’t mind going to her place, but he was a little taken aback by the invitation. Then he picked up a very distinct scent filling the room. Damn. If he didn’t know better, he’d swear she was getting aroused. Which immediately got him going, too. The image of him humping her leg came roaring right back.
Down, boy.
“Are you good in the kitchen?” he asked.
Selena gave him a look that suggested she knew exactly what she was doing to him. “I’m good in every room of my place.”
He chuckled, loving the unexpected flirty banter, especially when her face heated up, making him think she’d been more shocked by the words than he had.
“Well, in that case, dinner at your place it is. Tonight work for you?”
She hesitated, and again he was struck by the idea that this wasn’t the way she normally behaved. But then she took a deep breath and nodded her head. “Tonight sounds good. Eight o’clock?”
“Perfect.”
They talked a little while longer…and flirted a bit in between exchanging phone numbers, too. Every once in a while, he’d pick up the tantalizing scent of her arousal.
But now, it was mixed with the one he’d picked up when he’d first walked into the admin building. He tried to get his head around the amazingly complex aroma. It was equal parts delicate flowers, exotic spices, and something feminine and uniquely Selena.
He couldn’t believe how different her scent was today from yesterday. It was almost like he was smelling a different woman.
But no matter what Selena smelled like, Brooks couldn’t deny how strongly her scent affected him.
Some of the guys in the Pack had experienced this sensory sensation before, and in every case, it involved stumbling across The One.
Did Selena’s amazing scent mean she was his soul mate, a woman he’d known for all of thirty minutes?
His head spun at the idea. Not because he didn’t believe in the idea of finding The One. It was simply that he’d never expected it to happen. He’d tried a long-term relationship once, and it had failed spectacularly. After that, he’d stopped trying.
But if Selena was The One, that would all change, right?
He was still wrestling with those thoughts when Selena stood up. “I’d better get to the store and pick up some stuff for dinner if I’m going have everything ready by eight.”
“You know you don’t need to do anything fancy, right?” He flashed her a grin as they walked to the door. “I’d be happy with another tray of brownies.”
Selena laughed. “You know, I think you mean that.
But putting together a good meal isn’t work for me. I love to cook. It’s what I do for the important people in my life. Like you.”
Brooks gazed down at her, suddenly robbed of speech. Selena slowly ran the tip of her tongue over her lips, leaving a moist sheen behind that made his gums tingle as his fangs threatened to slip out. He leaned in to kiss her, when suddenly, the door jerked open.
Brooks shot out a hand and caught Selena before she could fall, but that didn’t keep her from blushing as Khaki and Rachel stood there with knowing looks on their faces. There were some introductions, a few apologies, and a lot of laughter as Selena got her feet back under her.
Neither of them spoke as Brooks walked her to her car. When they got there, Selena opened her door before turning to him with a smile.
“I’ll see you tonight.”
The urge to kiss her was still there, but he held himself in check and returned her smile instead. “I’ll be there.”
As Brooks watched Selena’s car disappear down the street, he replayed the moment right before Khaki and Rachel had opened the door and interrupted them.
The thought of Selena’s luscious lips had him thinking about all kinds of things a couple normally didn’t do on a first date.

Share

Somebody Like You by Donna Alward – Review, Guest Post, Tour & Giveaway

Somebody Like You by Donna Alward – Review, Guest Post & Giveaway

 

Somebody LIke You Banner

 

Blog Tour Banner

Somebody Like YouAmazon / B&N / Kobo / BAM / Book Depository

Description:
A kiss to last a lifetime

Aiden Gallagher was only five years old when he appeared in a photograph on the Kissing Bridge. The town of Darling, Vermont, has used Aiden’s image on the famed bridge—local legend has it that a kiss there results in everlasting love—as part of its tourism campaign. Now, twenty years later, Aiden is asked to recreate the moment with the woman he once kissed: Laurel Stone.

Recently divorced, there’s nothing Laurel wants less than to pretend happily-ever-after with Aiden. As teenagers, their romance was no fairy tale—and Laurel has never quite forgiven Aiden for breaking her heart. But now that she is back in her hometown, and keeps bumping into police officer Aiden, Laurel can’t deny that there’s still a strong flicker between her and her old flame. Could it be that the Kissing Bridge is working its magic on Laurel and Aiden—and that all true love ever needed was a second chance?

 

 

Review:

Somebody Like You by Donna Alward is the first book in her new Darling, VT series.  This was my first book by Donna Alward, and after finishing this story, it will not be my last.  I really enjoyed Somebody Like You.  This was a sweet pure romance, with a great couple, wonderful characters, within a nice small town atmosphere. 

Laurel Stone returns home to Darling, VT after her divorce. She is starting life anew by purchasing the local gardening store, and has sworn off men.  When her store is vandalized, she comes face to face with her high school crush, Aiden Gallagher, who is now a cop.  Aiden broke Laurel’s heart in high school, and she has never forgotten or forgiven him.  Aiden tries to apologize, saying he regrets what he did when he was 17.  But Laurel coming off of her divorce is very cold and wants nothing to do with Aiden.

There is also the famous photograph promoting Darling’s Kissing Bridge of 5 year old Aiden and Laurel kissing.  That picture has been there for 20 years, and now the town has approved changing the picture.  They want a grown up Aiden and Laurel to do another one. Aiden is willing, but Laurel wants nothing to do with it. 

Despite her misgivings, Laurel keeps running into Aiden, when he comes to her rescue a few times, and together they become involved in helping, George, a homeless man.  The mystery behind the vandalism in town, and George is a nice side story. 

What follows is a heartwarming story, with Laurel slowly rekindling her feelings for Aiden.  After having been hurt during her divorce, Laurel had given up on her dreams, closing her heart to being hurt again.  At first she was angry, bitter and cold towards Aiden, but he was such a wonderful hero.  He understood where Laurel was coming from, and took his time to win her over.  It was so much fun to see her begin to change and open herself up to love.  But even to near the end, Laurel would pull back, but family and friends, as well as Aiden would work to help show her the way to happiness.

Donna Alward has written a beautiful romance, and the sweet emotional ending was simply wonderful.  If you enjoy a pure romance, with a little bit of mystery, wonderful characters, then I suggest you read Somebody Like You. 

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

Guest postWhat Makes Small Town Romances so Special?
By Donna Alward

Family.

When I started thinking about this question—what makes small town romances so special?—I thought about the books and series that I’ve loved over the years and why. When it comes right down to it, small towns are about family. Either the family you’re born into, or the family you choose. Small towns are where people stick their noses in your business, but also where help is only a phone call away.

Small towns are vibrant and quirky and full of personality, just like most families. People look after each other. You know your neighbors. And right now we live in an age of more ways to connect and yet feeling more and more disconnected. But reading a book or a series set in a small town gives a reader a sense of connection. To place. To people. For those of us a little older, (emphasis on the “little!”) it’s a little nostalgic, perhaps reminding us of where we grew up, when times were “simpler” (though they sure didn’t seem simple at the time!). For slightly younger readers, small towns can represent the sort of place they’re longing for.

For me, it’s all about where you call home. In fact, that’s the main component of all of my stories—where my characters belong. Sometimes that’s geographical, and sometimes it’s more a matter of hearts, which is why my tagline is “Where your heart finds home.”

It’s kind of like Cheers for the romance reader. Small towns are where the characters go; where everybody knows their name. LOL

When I think about my favorite small town series, I think about places like Robyn Carr’s Virgin River, Sherryl Woods’s Chesapeake Shores. It’s the kind of place I envisioned when I wrote my first series for St. Martin’s, the Jewell Cove series set in Maine. And again with my new series, set in a cozy town called Darling in Vermont.

I’m hoping readers will open the book, step inside The Purple Pig Café, or the Ladybug Garden Center, or stroll along the Green to the Kissing Bridge, and feel like this is the sort of place they’d like to live. Set down roots. Fall in love.

I hope they start reading the pages and feel like they’re family.

 

excerpt

 

By the time they were through, it was nine o’clock and time to open. Being a Saturday, business was brisk. Her dad dropped off the supplies and offered to stay to help cover the tagging, but with the heavy shopping traffic, Laurel decided to wait until things died down. For now the tarps covered the tags, and she’d focus on her customers. Otherwise her anger would get the best of her and that was bad for business. By six p.m., things had slowed considerably.
Laurel had been going flat out for ten hours, stopping for only fifteen minutes to run to The Purple Pig for a sandwich. Her stomach growled, her feet hurt, there was dirt beneath her nails and she really, really wanted a shower and a glass of wine—in that order. Laurel had just dragged out the hose to water the fruit trees when a half- ton truck drove into the lot and parked in an empty space.
The driver hopped out, and her heart slammed against her ribs as she immediately realized how she must look. Dirty jeans, mannish golf shirt that did nothing for her figure,
scrubby ponytail through a Ladybug Garden Center ball cap, and prob ably smudges of dirt on her face and arms. Not that she was trying to look nice for Aiden or anything, but it was him getting out of the truck, looking sexy as hell in faded jeans and a T- shirt that stretched across
his chest and shoulders.
She could pretend she hadn’t seen him. Resolutely she turned on the hose and started watering the apple trees.
“Hey, Laurel,” he called out, and that erased any hope of avoiding him.
She turned off the hose and faced him. “Aiden. What brings you by? Looking for a shrub or tree or something?”
Keep it businesslike, she reminded herself. The last thing she needed was for him to know that he had the ability to fluster her.
“I heard about what happened.”
Of course he had.
“Don’t even. I’m still pissed.”
“I know it’s not what you needed. Did Crystal tell you that you weren’t the only one hit?”
Crystal must be the offi cer from this morning. “She did.”
“Well, that must make you feel better.”
She stared at him. “Better? Seriously? Since I opened a month ago, I’ve had to have the driveway re- graded, I’ve had to replace shrubs that were stolen from out front, deal
with a break-in and vandalism, and now tagging. Trust me, Aiden, the only thing that would feel better is if you actually did your job and found out who was doing this.”
She turned the hose back on.
He waited. He waited a long time. Several seconds, maybe thirty. Which was really not that long at all but definitely felt that way. She was watering the third tree when he sighed. “ You’re upset.”
“No shit, Sherlock.”
He met her gaze, and his eyes were soft, even though she’d basically just accused him of not doing his job. The understanding she saw there made her stomach churn. She didn’t want to lash out, but that was what she did when she was hurt. Angry.
Stopping by was kind and thoughtful. She kept trying to make him out to be a bad guy, and he kept being nice. It definitely made it difficult for her to hate him. Particularly since her biochemistry betrayed her at every turn. Even now, when she was utterly preoccupied with the day’s events, she seemed to notice everything. His hair, his eyes, the breadth of his chest, the armband tattoo that looked like some sort of Celtic braid, peeking just below the hem of his T- shirt sleeve. The shape of his lips . . .
He muttered something that was as creative a curse as she’d ever heard, and sounded suspiciously Irish. She couldn’t help but laugh, and tried to clamp her lips shut again. But not before he saw and heard, and his eyes took on an impish gleam.
“ You’re not fine. You’re tired and upset and rightfully so. You’re also just as stubborn as you always were.” He put his hands on his hips. “I take it you’re not adverse to help, just help from me in particular.”
Her face heated. Dammit.
“Maybe this could be my penance,” he suggested, giving her a quick grin. And she wished she could take him seriously, but he always seemed to be teasing. It was one of the things she’d really liked about him and hated at the same time. Particularly now, when she wanted to be, if not mad, completely unaffected. And she wasn’t. He was trying to cajole her out of her mood and it was working.
“It’s Saturday night. Don’t you have a hot date or something?” She turned on the hose again. Focused on the large plastic pot holding a cherry tree.
“Nope. Free as a bird.”
Dammit again.
“Come on, Laurel. Peace offering. Manual labor for you to stop hating me.”
She glanced over at him. “Why do you care so much?”
He was quiet for a moment, and to her surprise the teasing expression left his face. After a while he answered, his voice a little lower. “I don’t know why I care what people think so much. I always have. I don’t like anyone to be mad at me. Maybe it has something with being one of the younger siblings in the family. I don’t know. I just know that I don’t like it that you’re still so angry.” His intense blue gaze locked with hers. “It’s starting to become a personal mission to win you over. To atone for past sins.”
“Good luck,” she said dryly, more touched than she wanted to admit.
His boyish grin was back. “Come on, Laurel. You know you can’t hold out forever. You think I’m hot.” He had the audacity to wink at her.
She rolled her eyes.
“You do. You have a thing for gingers. And you have to admit, I grew up kinda good.” His hands were still on his hips and he tensed his muscles so that his shoulders and chest tightened beneath the thin T- shirt.
“I think you’re a bit taken with yourself, to be honest,” she replied. And tried not to smile. She didn’t want to be charmed, but he was incorrigible.
“Laurel.”
Damn, his voice was all silky- smooth now. “Yes, Mr. Narcissist?”
“You know damn well you want to hate me and you can’t. Besides, I saw your face just now. Maybe if I took off my shirt . . .”
“Would you like to go somewhere private to be with yourself?” she asked, biting the inside of her lip. She shouldn’t be enjoying this so much. And she wouldn’t be, if she thought he was serious. But he was teasing her.
Like he used to do when they were friends. And today . . . she swallowed against a ball of emotion. Today she needed a friend, and all she’d had were well- meaning customers.
She looked over at him. “Jeez, Aiden. You’re looking a little flushed. I think you could stand to cool off.” And before he could reply, she flicked her wrist and aimed the spray of the hose right at the center of his chest.
The abrupt shock on his face was gratifi cation enough, but then he grinned and reached to take away the hose. She danced away, still spraying him, admiring how the shirt now clung to his skin and the little droplets lit up his face and hair. A laugh bubbled up through her chest and out her mouth as she darted around the trees, dragging the hose with her. But there were too many pots and not enough room to maneuver and within seconds he caught her, wrapped one strong arm around her and wrenched the hose away with the other, spraying her in the process.
Cold water dripped from her nose, down her neck, over her bare arms. Aiden held her close against his body, close enough she could feel the hardness of his muscles, and thrilled at it. Their breaths came fast, their chests rising and falling with both laughter and the exertion of the struggle over the hose. But it was the way he was looking down at her right now that made her feel as if the lack of air was strangling her lungs. All it would take was the tiniest move and he’d be kissing her. Her gaze dropped to his lips— he’d always had fine lips— and she swallowed, nervous and scared at her reaction and turned on as hell.
She looked up, which was a mistake. Because he was staring at her lips. And his arm tightened just a little bit at the hollow of her back. Oh God . . .
A car horn honked and Laurel jumped back. He let her go, but the gravity of the moment remained.

 

 

 

theauthor

Marti Corn Photography donna alward H-R 1600

While bestselling author Donna Alward was busy studying Austen, Eliot and Shakespeare, she was also losing herself in the breathtaking stories created by romance novelists like LaVyrle Spencer, Judith McNaught, and Nora Roberts. Several years after completing her degree she decided to write a romance of her own and it was true love! Five years and ten manuscripts later she sold her first book and launched a new career. While her heartwarming stories of love, hope, and homecoming have been translated into several languages, hit bestseller lists and won awards, her very favorite thing is when she hears from happy readers!
Donna lives on Canada’s east coast with her family which includes a husband, a couple of kids, a senior dog and two crazy cats. When she’s not writing she enjoys reading (of course!), knitting, gardening, cooking…and is a Masterpiece Theater addict.

Twitter–  FacebookAuthor Website

 

 

giveaway

Donna’s publisher is graciously offering a paper copy of SOMEBODY LIKE YOU to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.

1. If you have not previously registered at The Reading Cafe, please register by using the log-in at the top of the page (side bar) or by using one of the social log-ins.

NOTE: If you are having difficulty commenting after logging onto the site, please refresh the page (at the top of your computer).

2. If you are using a social log-in, please post your email address with your comment.

3. Please follow Donna Alward on Facebook.

4. LIKE us on FACEBOOK and then click GET NOTIFICATION under ‘liked’ for an additional entry.

5. LIKE us on Twitter for an additional entry.

6. Please FOLLOW us on GOODREADS for an additional entry.

7. Please follow The Reading Cafe on Tumblr

8. Giveaway is open to USA only

9. Giveaway runs from February 3-7, 2017

Share

Nightbloom by Juliette Cross – Review, Blog Tour & Giveaway

Nightbloom by Juliette Cross – Review, Blog Tour & Giveaway

 

Nightbloom Button 300 x 225

Nightbloom
Nightwing series – Book #3
by Juliette Cross
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance
Release Date: September 1, 2015

NightbloomAmazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo

Description
All her life, Ella Barrow has allowed others to make her decisions. Forced to stifle her artistic talents and stay in a loveless relationship with Clayton Kerrington, the man her mother believes to be her perfect match, Ella’s life may be safe—but it’s not her own. Paxon Nightwing, on the other hand, is anything but the safe choice.

A charming and alluring Morgon, Paxon sees Ella for the woman she truly is. His bold confidence and protective nature ignites a passion she’s never felt before. But a dark family tragedy forces their secrecy—until Clayton makes it impossible to hide their clandestine affair. Will Ella be strong enough to fight for herself at last? Or will she succumb once more and risk losing the only man she’s ever loved?


Review:

Nightbloom by Juliette Cross is the 3rd book in her terrific Nightwing series. All the books in this series are novellas, or a bit more. I love this series, and whenever I find out a new one is coming, I cannot wait to get my hands on it. These are perfect fast reads that you devour in one sitting…exciting, action, sexy couples, and scorching hot….did I say hot, hot. When I discovered Juliette Cross in the first book, Soulfire, I knew then she would become one of my favorite authors, and nothing has changed that opinion.

The Nightwing series is about Morgan men, who are all totally irresistible, and the woman who will become their mates. Ella Barrow is our heroine, as we met her in the earlier books, since Ella is best friends with Scorcha and Jessen, our earlier heroines. Ella is smart and a talented artist, but her mother has put the fear of Morgon men into her life since she was a child. Ella is dating Clayton, her family’s choice as the perfect man, but Clayton is not a nice man, as she will soon find out.

Paxton Nightwing has been watching Ella from afar, but her shyness and fears keeps him from attempting to get to know her. Until one night when her boyfriend offers her to kiss anyone who wins a wager. Paxton, in trying to protect her, enters the battle and wins a kiss.   She has always found Paxton enticing, someone forbidden, and now the kiss has changed her, especially after she finds Clayton having sex with a waitress. It is here that Ella will change, begin to drop the veil she has lived under for so long, and allow her feelings for Paxton to rise up in a blaze of fire. That is how hot their chemistry was.   I thoroughly enjoyed watching Ella come out of her shyness, and go after what she wants….Paxton.

It was a beautiful and totally hot relationship between them. I loved both Paxton and Ella together, and enjoyed her marvel when he flies her to places. Morgon men are Dragons, and can fly. Most of all, I loved Paxton’s devotion to Ella, as well to protect her against the evil Clayton and to help her face her family to prove all Morgon men are not always bad. It was an emotional moment when mother and daughter finally came face to face again.

Juliette Cross has done it again with another sensational story in this fabulous series. The story is beautifully done, the sex is scorching hot, and the couple are super great together. If you have not read this series, you are missing a gem. I am happy to say that I have discovered Juliette Cross, and I am not missing anything she writes.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

excerpt

I blotted my Petal Pink lips on a piece of memo paper and capped the lipstick.

“Dangit!”

Trying to retrieve the tube with the tip of my open-toe heel, I only succeeded in pushing the lipstick farther away. “Ugh.”

Unable to bend that far in my pencil skirt, I hiked the hem up to my thighs and crawled on all fours, shimmying my behind, then stretching my arm till my fingers finally gripped my favorite lipstick.

That’s when I heard a low, masculine whistle from someone standing behind me.

Scooting back, I shot off the floor and slid my hemline back to my knee, all under the steady gaze of Paxon Nightwing, silhouetted by the sunlight that filtered into the foyer of Linden and Burke.

Towering above me with jet-black hair and matching sharp-edged wings, wearing a charcoal button-down, black slacks, and a devilish smile, his voice crooned when he spoke. “Now that’s what I call a warm welcome.”

“I, um, well, I…”

He extended a bronzed hand. I reached out with my right, nearly dropping the lipstick again. I shifted it to my left hand. “I like pink.”

I like pink? I like pink! For God’s sake, Ella. How old was I? Five?

His extended hand engulfed mine, then he drew our bodies closer. Grinning wide and stroking his thumb across my knuckles, his melodious voice sounded sultry and sinful.

“So do I.”

I blinked stupidly till my brain started functioning again. He didn’t say a word, mesmerizing me with ridiculously deep brown eyes.

“I’m, uh, Ella Barrow.”

“Paxon Nightwing. Pleasure to meet you. But I think we’ve met before.”

I tugged on my hand. He didn’t let go, tightening his hold.

“Uh, well, I’m friends with Sorcha and Jessen.”

“Yes.”

I knew this guy was a player, the kind to make a girl swoon with a glance and charm the pants right off her. Literally. Jessen had even kissed him in a club once. And while his carousing behavior should make me want to run away, I couldn’t forget that Jessen had said on a scale of one to ten, his kiss was a ninety-nine.

He still held my hand, angling his body closer. “I’ve also seen you at the Vaengar games. With Kerrington.”

“Yeah. We’re, um, dating.”

“That’s a shame.”

I tugged again.

He released me. “I have an appointment with Sorcha Nightwing.”

“Yes. I know.”

Pulling myself together, I pressed the comm device on my desk and cleared my throat. “Mr. Nightwing is here.”

“Thanks, Ella. Show him to my office, please.”

Rounding behind the desk, I gestured down the hall. “This way.”

“After you.” A sly grin.

I tilted up my chin, pretending I wasn’t afraid of him, then led him toward Sorcha’s office. I was good at pretending.

As soon as I stepped in front of him, a primal shiver vibrated through my bones.
His eyes were on me. I felt his gaze, as if his gaze were a caress, brushing up my legs, curving over my behind, rounding my hips to the dip of my waist and finally settling on the blond waves that fell past my shoulders. By the time we reached the door to the office, my heartbeat hammered in my throat.

Gesturing for him to enter, I kept my eyes on the floor, trying desperately to regain control. He stopped in front of me, but I held my gaze until I realized I was fixated on his crotch. I jerked my head up. Amusement flickered across chiseled features. He was about to say something, but I didn’t give him the chance. I marched back up the hall to the receptionist area.

 

 

About The Author

Juliette Cross Juliette calls lush, moss-laden Louisiana home where the landscape curls into her imagination, creating mystical settings for her stories. She has a B.A. in creative writing from Louisiana State University, a M.Ed. in gifted education, and was privileged to study under the award-winning author Ernest J. Gaines in grad school. Her love of mythology, legends, and art serve as constant inspiration for her works. From the moment she read JANE EYRE as a teenager, she fell in love with the Gothic romance–brooding characters, mysterious settings, persevering heroines, and dark, sexy heroes. Even then, she not only longed to read more novels set in Gothic worlds, she wanted to create her own.

Juliette is a multi-published author, including her Nightwing series with Kensington Publishing and The Vessel Trilogy with Samhain Publishing.

Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads / Pinterest / Amazon Author Page / Newsletter

 

rafflecopter giveaway

 

NOTE: The Reading Cafe is NOT responsible for the rafflecopter giveaway. If you have any questions, please contact the publisher

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Share

Taken by a Dragon (Eternal Mates #7) by Felicity Heaton-Review, Book Tour & Giveaway

Taken by a Dragon (Eternal Mates #7) by Felicity Heaton-Review, Book Tour & Giveaway

Taken by a Dragon Banner

Taken by a Dragon
Eternal Mates #7
by Felicity Heaton
Genre: adult, fantasy, paranormal romance
Release Date: March 10, 2015

Taken by a Dragon, the seventh book in New York Times best-seller Felicity Heaton’s hot paranormal romance series, Eternal Mates, is now available in ebook and paperback. To celebrate the release, she’s holding a FANTASTIC GIVEAWAY at her website and sharing sneak peeks of the book.

Find out how to enter the Taken by a Dragon international giveaway (ends March 22nd) and be in with a shot of winning a $75, $50 or $25 gift certificate at her website, where you can also download a 5 chapter sample of the novel: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/taken-by-a-dragon-paranormal-romance-novel.php  

Here’s more about Taken by a Dragon, including an excerpt from this paranormal romance novel.

taken by a dragon

Amazon.com / KOBO /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date March 10, 2015

Possessed by a need to save a beautiful Amazon warrior from the vision he witnessed, Loke snatched her from the midst of the battle between the Third and Fifth realm of the demons, and carried her to his home deep in the black mountains of Hell to protect her. But as the fierce little female awakens, he finds she’s anything but grateful, and his dragon instincts roar to life to warn she might be more to him than an enemy—she might be his fated female.

Anais remembers meeting a handsome warrior in the heat of battle, a man who was her enemy but who looked at her with eyes that held dark heat and wicked promises. When she wakes to find that same dragon shifter has taken her captive, desire is the last thing on her mind, but escaping him to return to Archangel, the hunter organisation she works for, sounds less than appealing when he reveals the reason he took her—to stop her from dying.

Can Loke protect Anais from the dangers of his realm and how far will he go to save her from the future he keeps witnessing? Can Anais resist the fierce attraction that burns between them as hot as fire and stay true to Archangel or will her heart be taken by the dragon?

••••••••••••••••••

REVIEW: TAKEN BY A DRAGON is the seventh inslallment in Felicity Heaton’s ETERNAL MATES paranormal romance, fantasy series focusing on shifters, demons, Fae, elves, vampires and more. This is dragon shifter Loke, and Anais’s storyline. Anais is a hunter who works for Archangel Industry-a group that studies the supernatural powers and paranormal activity. TAKEN BY A DRAGON can be read as a stand alone although many of the previous storyline characters are beginning to cross over between the novels, along with hints at future matings and relationships.

Told from alternating third person points of view, the focus of the storyline is two fold: The opening finds Anais on the battlefield in the Third Realm of Hell when she is unglamorously abducted and held against her will by a dragon who claims that he has seen the future. Loke felt compelled to save Anais the minute a vision of her death clouded his mind. Anais is unsure as to how to handle the news and attempts to escape only to find herself the prisoner of another dragon who is more than willing to take what he wants-and what he wants will surely end Anais’s life.

Secondly, Anais knows that the people from Archangel Industry will be on the hunt for their missing female and Anais is more than willing to let the people in charge do what they do best. It is only when she and Loke return to the human realm does she realize the gross error in judgment about the people with whom she works.

The relationship between Anais and Loke begins combatively and reluctantly although their attraction to one another is immediate and intense; Loke believes he has found his fated mate but humans rarely survive a mating the a supernatural species and with this comes fear, desire and longing. A good portion of the storyline finds our couple ruminating out the past, present and future-a stream of consciousness as to the here and now. Anais’s life is threatened and at risk on numerous occasions, and Loke finds himself as protector, guardian and shield. The sexual tension is strong. The $ex scenes are intimate, arousing and romantic.

The secondary and supporting characters include many of the previous storylines couples, cast and paranormal beings. Favors are called in; promises made; futures unknown. We are introduced to several dragons from the Third Realm of Hell, as well as an assortment of battling Elves and Fae who long thought one another had died or at the very least, had disappeared to another realm. With the new arrivals, comes a quick glimpse into the future of Felicity Heaton’s ETERNAL MATES series-one that involves Angels, demons, dark Fae and elves. There is some dark and dangerous history that is slowly revealing in each successive storyline.

TAKEN BY A DRAGON ventures between the human world and the Third Realm of Hell where a battle rages between the supernatural powers and Archangel Industry. The flow and pacing are even; the tension and anxiety is high. There is plenty of action both on and off the battlefield.

Felicity Heaton’s ETERNAL MATES is a fantasy of the mind; a virtual color reel of imagination; a fascinating and imaginative series that will leave you wanting more.

Copy supplied by the author.

Reviewed by Sandy

Excerpt

Anais straightened and looked him right in the eyes, refusing to let how beautiful they were distract her.

“Take me back.”

His eyes darkened and his lips compressed into a thin line. “No.”

Fine. He wanted to do things the hard way and she was good with that. If he wouldn’t take her back out of the kindness of his black dead heart, she would force him to do it at knifepoint.

Anais slowly shifted away from the wall of the cave, heading into the open area between the dragon and the fire. He countered her, turning on the spot, keeping his front to hers. A darker edge flickered in his eyes, one that warned he was on to her and knew she intended to attack now.

“Last chance. Take me back.” She was fairly certain that he wasn’t going to take her up on her offer. She knew stubborn when she saw it. She looked at it in the mirror each day. In a battle of stubbornness, he wouldn’t win.

He took a step towards her.

Anais kicked off, lunging towards him, her eyes on the knife sheathed against his left hip.

He snatched her wrist before she could reach it, his strong grip sending a hot bolt of electricity arcing along her bones. She twisted her arm in his grip, turning her back to him and coming around on his left side. She made another grab for the knife with her free hand and he whipped the arm he held her with forwards, shoving her away from him and making her miss her target.

His growl echoed around the cave and she ducked beneath his other hand as he tried to grab her.

She broke free of his grip but didn’t back off. She didn’t know what he wanted with her, but she wasn’t going to stick around to find out. He’d had his chance to play nice. Now she was going to play rough.

He stepped into her and she brought her knee up hard, slamming it straight into his balls.

He grunted and doubled over and victory flashed through her as he cupped himself, leaving his knife wide open.

Anais made a grab for it.

He reacted in an instant, his head coming up and his hands leaving his groin. In a lightning fast move, he had blocked her attempt, knocking her hand away. She unleashed a short noise of frustration and attacked him, swinging her fist at his face. He blocked again, and again, stopping every punch she threw or kick she swung at him. Her anger rose with each failed attempt to hit him, her temper fraying at the same time.

The bastard was humouring her.

It was there in his eyes as he blocked her, always defending and never attacking. Their bright jewel-blue depths shimmered with amusement. He knew he could stop her any time he wanted because he was far stronger and quicker than she was.

Son of a bitch.

She growled and went to kick him between his legs again, and he caught her shin with both hands, stopping her. She tried to take her leg back but he refused to let go.

Anais launched a solid right hook at him, lost her balance and almost fell. His hand on her upper arm stopped her. What the hell? She would have thought he would be pleased if she had landed face first on the black ground, humiliating herself, but he had saved her.

She had the strangest notion as she pulled free of his grip and faced him.

He didn’t want to hurt her.

His self-assuredness wasn’t the reason why he was only defending. He wasn’t doing it to amuse himself either. He was doing it because any other course of action might hurt her.

He cemented that feeling when she made another lunge for the knife and he grabbed her right upper arm. The cut beneath the sleeve of her black t-shirt burned and she flinched, biting her tongue to muffle the cry of pain that blazed up her throat.

He quickly released her and backed off, distancing himself.

“I am sorry.” He lowered his hands to his sides.

Anais wasn’t sure what to make of him, but she refused to let his behaviour sway her. He probably wanted that. He wanted her to lower her guard.

She rubbed her arm and he looked away from her, glancing down at the ground beside his bare feet.

Giving her one hell of a golden opportunity she wasn’t about to waste.

She made a break for it, her boots eating up the black ground between her and the cave mouth.

“No!” His roar deafened her and echoed around the cave and the mountains beyond.

Strong arms banded around her waist from behind before she could reach the exit of the cave. She caught a glimpse of a green-black world as he lifted her off the ground—a swath of thick forest that covered the valley below the side of the mountain she was in and the forbidding black mountains all around her. That view disappeared as he turned her in his powerful arms, twisting her to face him, and shocked her by pinning her to his very solid chest.

“Do not go that way, Little Amazon,” he husked, his deep voice strained and thick with emotion.

Anais shoved at his chest as panic burst through her, sending her pulse racing, and her mind screamed at her to escape his hold.

He didn’t fight her. He turned so she was closest to the fire and set her down. The moment he released her, she backed off, placing some distance between them again and breathing hard to quell the dizzying rush of her heart.

He remained where he was as she slowly pulled herself back together, towering over her, and she found herself staring up at his handsome face. He looked as raw with emotion as his voice had sounded. Why?

As much as she wanted to know the answer to that question, she wanted her freedom even more.

She tried to get around him again but he countered her each time, moving left or right to block her path, keeping her contained in the back half of the cave, away from the mouth.

“You cannot leave.”

Those three words chilled her to her bones and panic and fear surged back to the surface, an unstoppable force that she could no longer control. They shook her and she couldn’t stop them from chipping away at her strength, breaking down her courage and filling her mind with a thousand horrific scenarios she didn’t want to entertain but was powerless to shut out.

“What do you want with me?” she whispered, unable to find her voice as she stilled and stared at him, her heart hammering against her chest and her hands shaking. She curled her fingers into fists and drew down a deep breath, trying to steady herself when all she really wanted to do was collapse onto her knees and maybe even cry. “Why won’t you let me leave?”

“Others cannot see you.” He looked back over his bare shoulder, towards the cave mouth. “It is not safe for you out there, Little Amazon.”

“It’s not safe for me in here either.” She clenched her fists and narrowed her eyes on him.

He turned back to face her, his expression soft and a touch wounded. Bloody hell, she wasn’t sure what to make of him.

“What do you want with me?” She tried again, needing an answer this time, because she feared he intended to do something terrible to her, even when there was a part of her heart that said it was never going to happen.

He had been upset and had apologised when he had hurt her, and that reaction had been genuine. She had met enough good guys and enough bastards in her life to know them apart. A man who reacted in such a manner as he had wasn’t the sort of man who would then resort to physical abuse.

“I want to keep you safe.”

Of course, men who didn’t want to hurt women could also be dangerously possessive of them. He might be the type who was acting out an obsession, a deep need to nurture and take care of another person, despite how much it terrified that person or how little they wanted to be there with them.

“It’s hard for me to believe that when you kidnapped me.” She backed off another step and did a quick scan of the cave again, checking her options.

He had left the back of the cave open to her, which meant he didn’t think she could escape that way. Her only option was getting past him. Her hope tried to deflate but she refused to let it happen. She would get out of here and away from him.

It just might not be this instant.

His face softened again and he held his right hand out to her as his blue eyebrows furrowed. Like hell she was going to take it. He could want to comfort her all he liked, but she didn’t have to let him fulfil that need.

A flicker of resignation crossed his expression and he looked at his hand, smiled briefly, and lowered it to his side. “I had to. If I had not—”

Dread went through her like shards of ice.

“If you hadn’t… what?” Anais couldn’t stop herself from advancing a step towards him. She didn’t like how he had cut himself off or the flash of fear that had touched his face.

He dropped his gaze to the patch of ground between them and it turned distant. “Dragons have the gift of foresight. What I saw…”

A chill ran through her as she remembered how he had looked at her on the battlefield and how she had felt in that moment. A deep sense of connection had bloomed inside her and he had looked as if he had shared it, and then he had changed. The heat in his eyes had turned to darkness that had coloured his expression, making it grim. She had felt that same sharp stab of dread in that moment, a sickening sensation of her life draining from her.

A heartbeat later, he had grabbed her. No longer a man. He had been an enormous, and breathtakingly beautiful, blue dragon. He had tucked her against the paler blue plates of his chest, holding her gently in both huge front paws, as if he had wanted to shield her, and then he had attacked everyone.

Her side.

His.

He had driven them all away from her.

Because of what he had seen?

“I cannot let you leave. Please, Little Amazon.” His blue eyes implored her to listen to him, flooded with sincerity, hope and a dash of fear. “I will return you… when I am sure you will be safe.”

Anais shook her head, reeling and trying to make sense of everything. It crashed over her, muddling her feelings and leaving her shaken.

“We were in a battle,” she said and shook her head again. “I knew the risks. You had no reason to save me. I wasn’t a damsel in distress. I was there to fight. Why save me? I was… am… your enemy.”

He stared at her, blinking slowly, unmoving as silence stretched between them. She couldn’t read him at all. She had no clue about how he felt or what he might say. His expression gave nothing away.

He held her gaze, his blue eyes locked with hers. “I did it because I had to.”

“That isn’t an answer.” She took another step towards him, growing frustrated with him and with herself. What was she doing? Did she want him to give her an answer that would sway her? Did she want him to say something that would make her trust him?

Hell, maybe she had been right on coming around. She had passed out from lack of oxygen and her brain had been starved of it, because nothing she was thinking or feeling was making any sense to her logical mind.

Something about the man standing before her had her throwing logic and all of her training out of the window, and listening to her heart over her head.

Anais shut down the softer part of herself and forced herself to focus again. She needed to get away from the dragon and this cave, but he was right. It was probably more dangerous out there. She needed to know what she would be up against and where she was in Hell. She needed a plan, or she would end up in an even worse position than she was now.

“It is the only answer I have,” he whispered and he looked as if it didn’t make sense to him either, but he had been unable to find another one to give to her. “I had a vision, and I responded to it. I had no choice. It was instinct. I wanted to protect you.”

Another sensation went through Anais, this one not altogether pleasant either, and it frightened her a lot more than the thought of dying.

She had seen how King Thorne of the demons had acted around Sable, driven by instinct to protect her at any cost because she was his fated mate. Some of the species of Hell had such mates, a person fated for them.

One in a lifetime.

She stared at the dragon where he stood with his back to the cave mouth, cragged black mountains as his backdrop and the light from the fire behind her shining on him, turning his skin golden as it flickered across his honed bare chest and arms, and his blue-leather-clad legs.

He was every bit as stunning as he had been on the battlefield.

A dark and alluring warrior who spoke to her on a deep and primal level.

The sense of fierce attraction and connection returned.

This time it filled her head with flashes of Sable and Thorne, of how they behaved around each other, driven by a possessive need of each other, a hunger that went beyond mere attraction and desire, defying all logic and reason.

Bloody hell.

She refused to allow herself to believe that the man standing before her, a dragon shifter, was such a thing for her. He was a means to an end. A source of information. She would bide her time, gather knowledge, and once she was ready she would escape and return to her world, the one that made sense to her. The one filled with logic and reason, just how she liked it.

“Swear you won’t hurt me and that you’ll return me to my people.” It never hurt to have a few assurances that she could use to quell her fears. He was a warrior. He wasn’t a team player by his own admission, but warriors always had a code. He would keep his vows.

He pressed his left hand to his bare chest and bowed his head. “You have my word. In return, you will swear you will not attempt to leave.”

Anais nodded. “You have my word.”

His hand drifted downwards, drawing her gaze with it, over honed muscles that delighted her eyes and heated her insides. His voice was rich and warm, as deep as an ocean as he spoke to her, cranking her temperature up another few degrees and making her forget she was meant to be afraid of him not attracted to him.

“Will you stay, Little Amazon?”

Anais raised her eyes back to his. They were bright, spotted with gold fire, entrancing her as much as his voice and his body.

She nodded, and for some reason it wasn’t as reluctant as it should have been.

Heaven help her.

She wasn’t sure it was such a great idea after all, because she was certain there wasn’t enough willpower in the entire planet that she could draw on to stop herself from succumbing to the desire that swept through her whenever she looked at him.


 
Taken by a Dragon is available from Amazon Kindle, Kobo Books, Barnes and Noble Nook, Apple iBooks stores and other retailers. Also available in paperback.

Find all the links, a fantastic 6 chapter downloadable sample of the book, and also how to enter the giveaway and be in with a shot of winning a $75, $50 or $25 gift certificate at her website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/taken-by-a-dragon-paranormal-romance-novel.php

 

Books in the Eternal Mates paranormal romance series:

Book 1: Kissed by a Dark Prince
Book 2: Claimed by a Demon King
Book 3: Tempted by a Rogue Prince
Book 4: Hunted by a Jaguar
Book 5: Craved by an Alpha
Book 6: Bitten by a Hellcat
Book 7: Taken by a Dragon
Book 8: Marked by an Assassin – Coming in spring 2015!

 

about the author

Felicity HeatonFelicity Heaton is a New York Times and USA Today international best-selling author writing passionate paranormal romance books. In her books, she creates detailed worlds, twisting plots, mind-blowing action, intense emotion and heart-stopping romances with leading men that vary from dark deadly vampires to sexy shape-shifters and wicked werewolves, to sinful angels and hot demons! If you’re a fan of paranormal romance authors Lara Adrian, J R Ward, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Gena Showalter and Christine Feehan then you will enjoy her books too.

 

If you love your angels a little dark and wicked, the best-selling Her Angel series is for you. If you like strong, powerful, and dark vampires then try the Vampires Realm series or any of her stand-alone vampire romance books. If you’re looking for vampire romances that are sinful, passionate and erotic then try the best-selling Vampire Erotic Theatre series. Or if you prefer huge detailed worlds filled with hot-blooded alpha males in every species, from elves to demons to dragons to shifters and angels, then take a look at the new Eternal Mates series.

If you want to know more about Felicity, or want to get in touch, you can find her at the following places:

Website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk
Blog: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/blog/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/felicityheaton
Twitter: http://twitter.com/felicityheaton
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/felicityheaton

giveaway

Felicity is graciously offering an ecopy of any ONE book in her Eternal Mates Series of
either *Kissed by a Dark Prince*, *Claimed by a Demon King*, or *Tempted by a Rogue Prince* (international) to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.

 

1. If you have not previously registered, please register using the log-in at the top of the page (side bar) or by using one of the social log-ins.

2. If you are using a social log-in such as Twitter or Facebook, please post your email address with your comment.

3. LIKE Felicity Heaton on TWITTER

4. Sign up for Felicity Heaton’s NEWSLETTER

5. LIKE Felicity Heaton on Facebook

6. LIKE us on FACEBOOK and then click GET NOTIFICATION under ‘liked’ for an additional entry.

7. LIKE us on Twitter for an additional entry.

8. Please FOLLOW us on TSU for an additional entry.

9. Giveaway open Internationally

10. Giveaway runs from March 17-20, 2015

Share

Stealing Rose (The Fowler Sisters 2) by Monica Murphy-Review and Book Tour

Stealing Rose (The Fowler Sisters 2) by Monica Murphy-Review and Book Tour

Stealing Rose Banner

Stealing Rose
The Fowler Sisters #2
by Monica Murphy
Genre: new adult, contemporary, erotic romance
Release Date: March 3, 2015

Stealing Rose

Amazon.com / Barnes and Noble / KOBO / The Book Depository

STEALING ROSE (The Fowler Sisters #2) by Monica Murphy

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date March 3, 2015

People say the youngest child has it easy, but nothing can be further from the truth. Unlike my two sisters, Violet and Lily, I’m never in the limelight. I just work my butt off for Fleur Cosmetics and get little to no thanks for it. I’ve been pushed too far one too many times, and I’m finally brave enough to do something about it.

Maybe my newfound courage has something to do with the amazing pink and white diamond necklace I wear to the party in Cannes. The instant those dazzling heirloom jewels touch my skin, they excite some deep, aching need inside. And when that guy—that totally gorgeous guy—locks eyes with me, I know this nice girl is going to be naughty.

For once it’s my turn. My turn to say no to my father, to outshine my sisters, to walk away from it all—straight into the arms of a mysterious stranger. But what if Caden is much more than I bargained for? Sure, he makes me feel sexy and free in a way I never have before, but there’s something else I can’t quite place—something dangerous. Maybe our “chance” meeting wasn’t so random. Maybe he was looking for me for a reason. Whatever his motive, there’s no going back now.

And maybe I don’t want to.

•••••••••••••••••

REVIEW: STEALING ROSE is the second installment in Monica Murphy’s new adult, contemporary The Fowler Sisters erotic romance series focusing on the three sisters-Violet, Rose and Lily Fowler-heirs to the Fleur Cosmetics Company. This is the younger Fowler Sister- Rose Fowler and Caden Kingsley’s storyline. STEALING ROSE can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty but saying that I would have liked to see more of Forrest Fowler (the sisters’s father) and his new lover Pilar-the bane of the Fowler Sisters existence-the relationship is important to the understanding of the sisters’s emotional upheaval.

Similar in nature to OWNING VIOLET (Book 1) STEALING ROSE focuses on a ruse against one of the Fowler sisters-in this case-Rose Fowler. Caden Kingsley is a man determined to get what he wants but falling in love is the last thing on his mind. Caden flirts and seduces his way into Rose’s bed and her heart all the while keeping his eye on the ultimate prize. Caden is a professional thief and Rose has something he needs and wants. With the Fowler family matriarch hosting a Fleur Cosmetics event in London, England Caden finds himself drawn to the youngest Fowler sister even though he had targeted her older sister Lily in a game of winner takes all.

Rose is determined to leave Fleur Cosmetics. Her sense of self worth and ability to succeed has been undermined by her father’s newest relationship. As the youngest daughter, Rose feels displaced in her father’s heart; his acceptance of her choices is less than comforting when his own choices have placed his daughters in a precarious position within the company.

The relationship between Caden and Rose is quick to develop. Rose is immediately entranced by Caden’s good looks and charm. Caden is a man on a mission and seducing Rose is the first step in getting what he wants. The $ex scenes begin as a playful tease moving into full fledged seduction and possible love. When the truth about Caden’s motives is revealed, a broken hearted Rose will return to America with a secret she will have a difficult time to hide.

The world building focuses more on Rose and Caden’s relationship than the Fleur Cosmetics Company. As I said previously, it would have been nice to get a more personal look at Forrest Fowler and Pilar as their relationship is the catalyst for the Fowler Sisters’s slow departure from Fleur Cosmetics.

The secondary and supporting characters include Violet and Lily Fowler as well as Violet’s boyfriend Ryder McKay; Grandma Fowler is a forced to be reckoned with; Caden’s mother Cora is an interesting character- a little lost in her own world but a mother who loves her son. Caden’s friends Whitney, and Mitchell Landers whose foray into the London night life leave a little bit to be desired; and Cash-a man who has taught Caden an alternative way to earn a living.

Monica Murphy knows how to tell a story. The Fowler sisters endeavor to hold their place within Fleur Cosmetics but along the way betrayal and heartbreak must be confronted. Our heroines are fallible; the heroes untrustworthy; their storylines not to be missed. Let’s hope Lily can find her happily ever after. Everyone deserves a little love and romance in their lives.

Reading Order and previous reviews:
1. Owning Violet
2. Stealing Rose
3. Taming Lily (July 2015)

Copy supplied by Netgalley.

Reviewed by Sandy

Excerpt Black and Hot Pink

Tonight is open game. The security is loose. The jewels are large and everywhere. The owners of said jewels are careless. More intent on showing off than protecting them, which is fine by me. I’m like a kid in a candy store—I don’t know which way to turn, what to check out next. I want to sample it all, take it all, too, but I need to be discreet. Particular. I need to make the most of this visit and choose the pieces that’ll take us the furthest.

Like the Poppy Necklace curled around Rose Fowler’s beautiful neck. I want it. So does my contact, an old client I haven’t worked for since forever. I’ve been warned off this guy, but the payout is too large to resist. My fingers literally itch to snatch the necklace off Rose’s neck. But how? It’s not a subtle piece and this won’t be easy.

But I love a good challenge. I’ve kept my eye on her from the moment I spotted her at the party. Always staying in the background, calculating every which way I could get the necklace from her.

Then I go and make the biggest mistake of all—becoming heroic and telling that piece of Eurotrash to get his paws off her. I’d been tempted to kick his ass but Rose had stopped me, thank Christ. I don’t know what the hell got into me.

Fine. I know. Seeing the marks on her skin from his slimy fingers pissed me off. I don’t know her, don’t care to know her, but I get all caveman and ready to defend her honor? Makes no sense. She’s pretty, yeah. Sexy as hell in that damn dress, her long, hot-as-fuck legs on blatant display and fueling my imagination.

Which I have no business fueling. I’m here for one purpose—and sex isn’t it.

So I ignored the look we shared when I caught her staring at me from across the room. I broke eye contact first, turning away from her and stepping up to the bar so I could order us two glasses of Champagne. I then made my way across the room, ignoring everyone, not making eye contact. I don’t want a single person to remember me tonight.

 

Saving Rose Teaser

 

Series Spotlight

Owning Violet
The Fowler Sisters #1
by Monica Murphy
Genre: adult, contemporary,erotic, romance
Release Date: December 2, 2014

Owning Violet Dec 14Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/ Barnes and Noble / KOBO / The Book Depository

OWNING VIOLET (The Fowler Sisters #1) by Monica Murphy

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date December 2, 2014

New York Times bestselling author Monica Murphy begins a sexy new contemporary romance series—perfect for fans of Christina Lauren and Emma Chase—that introduces three sisters born to wealth, raised to succeed, ready to love, destined to make waves.

I’ve moved through life doing what’s expected of me. I’m the middle daughter, the dutiful daughter. The one who braved a vicious attack and survived. The one who devoted herself to her family’s business empire. The one who met an ambitious man and fell in love. We were going to run Fleur Cosmetics together, Zachary and I.

Until he got a promotion and left me in the dust. Maybe it’s for the best, between his disloyalty and his wandering eye. But another man was waiting for me. Wanting me. He too has an overwhelming thirst for success, just like Zachary—perhaps even more so. He’s also ruthless. And mysterious. I know nothing about Ryder McKay beyond that he makes me feel things I’ve never felt before.

One stolen moment, a kiss, a touch . . . and I’m hooked. Ryder’s like a powerful drug, and I’m an addict who doesn’t want to be cured. He tells me his intentions aren’t pure, and I believe him. For once, I don’t care. I’m willing to risk everything just to be with him. Including my heart. My soul.

My everything.

___________

Taming Lily
The Fowler Sisters 3
by Monica Murphy
Genre: adult, contemporary, erotic, romance
Release Date: July 7, 2015

Taming LilyPre Order:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo

I’m in trouble. Again. And instead of facing my problems head on, I’ve run away. Far away this time, and no one can catch me—not my two younger sisters, Violet and Rose, not my father, my grandmother, or that witch Pilar who wants to take control of my family’s cosmetics company. Now I’m in Hawaii, enjoying the sun and the sand and water, where nobody knows the hot mess known as Lily Fowler. And I’m loving every minute of it.

But someone is watching me. Following me. He’s gorgeous. And soon we’re talking, and against all my instincts, I reveal bits and pieces of myself to Max. It feels good, though I know he can’t be the man for me. These sudden feelings we share are way too complicated, too fraught, too intense.

Then everything explodes and I’m forced to return home. My intentions have always been true, but now everyone’s mad at me. I don’t know who to turn to anymore . . . except to Max. He’s who I want to trust. But I’m not so sure I should. Maybe it’s worth the risk—and what-ifs be damned. . .

 

About the Author Black and rose

Monica MurphyNew York Times, USA Today and international bestselling author Monica Murphy is a native Californian who lives in the foothills below Yosemite with her husband and three children. She’s a workaholic who loves her job. When she’s not busy writing, she also loves to read and travel with her family. She writes new adult and contemporary romance and is published with Bantam and Avon. She also writes romance as USA Today bestselling author Karen Erickson.

FOLLOW: Goodreads/ Website/ Facebook/ Twitter

rafflecopter giveaway

NOTE: The Reading Cafe is NOT responsible for the rafflecopter giveaway. If you have any questions, please contact the tour promoter

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wordsmith logo

Share

Vampires Never Cry Wolf (Dead in the City 3) by Sara Humphreys-Review and Book Tour

Vampires Never Cry Wolf (Dead in the City 3) by Sara Humphreys-Review and Book Tour

VampiresNeverCryWolfTeaser

Vampires Never Cry Wolf
Dead in the City 3
by Sara Humphreys
Genre: adult, paranormal, romance
Release Date: March 3, 2015

Vampires Never Cry Wolf

Amazon.com / Barnes and Noble / KOBO / The Book Depository

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date March 3, 2015

Sadie Pemberton is the DJ at the hottest vampire club in New York City, and she loves her freedom almost as much as she hates werewolves. She has no desire to tie herself to anyone for eternity—even the deliciously sexy Killian Bane—werewolf prince and heir apparent who has been sent to patrol the city.

But Sadie bears the mark of the moon—the mark that Killian has been looking for, the mark that’s meant to reveal his perfect mate. How can the fates be so cruel? Even more importantly, how is he ever going to change her mind?

••••••••••••••

REVIEW: VAMPIRES NEVER CRY WOLF is the third installment in Sara Humphreys’s adult, contemporary Dead in the City paranormal romance series. This is heir to the werewolf throne Prince Killian Bane, and vampire Sadie Pemberton’s-owner of the supernatural nightclub The Coven-storyline. We were first introduced to our leading couple in the previous storylines. Although VAMPIRES NEVER CRY WOLF is the third book in the series, it can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information and history are revealed where necessary.

Told from alternating third person points of view the storyline follows Sadie and Killian’s building relationship as well as uncovering the identity of the person threatening Killian’s up and coming New York nightclub- The Loup Garou. As heir to the throne, thirty year old Killian must find a mate before his thirty fifth birthday but something about Sadie pulls at Killian’s heart. He has always dreamed about a beautiful woman with the ‘mark of the moon’ but mating with a vampire is forbidden-until the moment Killian sees a moon shaped scar on Sadie’s shoulder. What ensues is Killian’s pursuit of Sadie and Sadie’s need to push Killian away. Finding one’s bloodmate means losing the psychic connection with everyone in her family and coven. Sadie fears the loss of contact with her sire and progeny.

The relationship between Sadie and Killian is a story of forbidden love. Killian is immediately attracted to Sadie and pursues the woman under the guise of gathering information for his, as yet, unopened nightclub. Sadie knows that to drink from a werewolf is forbidden but her need increases with the bloodmate bond that ties our couple together. The sex scenes are intimate, provocative and intense.

Meanwhile, threatening letters against Killian and his club continue to pile up. When the latest note threatens physical violence, Killian and Sadie take matters up with the Presidium (ruling supernatural council) and an investigation unfolds into the who and why. It is not until Killian’s father goes missing does the need increase to put an end to the intimidation and menace.

The secondary and supporting cast includes the previous storyline couples -New York Coven Czars Doug and Olivia, and Maya and Shane, as well as Sadie’s friends and coworkers from ‘The Coven’. We are introduced to Killian’s guards Ivan and David, as well as a woman who believes she is Killian’s intended mate. Killian’s father is a bit of a surprise-not only is the man the most powerful in the werewolf kingdom but he knows a thing or two about love and finding one’s mate.

The world building continues to draw on the nightlife of The Coven; the vampires, the shifters and their tempestuous relationship. The waters are tepid; the alliance is on shaky grounds but the mating between Sadie and Killian may be the glue that holds everything together.

Sara Humphreys pulls the reader into a fascinating, complex and imaginative world of the supernatural.The writing style is engaging with a compelling and enjoyable plot-supernatural politics just became a little more confusing. Her stories will entertain, compel and arouse the curiosity in every lover of the paranormal romance. Sara’s stories are always a pleasure to read.

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley.

Reviewed by Sandy

excerpt

 

 

Sadie forced herself to look Killian in the face, and the instant she did, she knew
it was a colossal mistake. His eyes looked like pools of liquid gold, and she could
swear he saw straight through to her very soul. A growl rumbled in his chest and
Sadie gasped. His eyes flickered and shifted into the glowing amber eyes of his
wolf. The sudden and instinctive change was a glaring reminder of who he was…who
they both were.

In a remarkably steady voice, Sadie whispered, “Last night should never have happened.”

“The only thing about last night that shouldn’t have happened was the way it ended,”
Killian rasped.

Sadie stilled when his large hand cradled her cheek. Despite her best efforts to
resist him, her body quivered uncontrollably as he surrounded her in every way a
person could be surrounded. When the heat of his palm seared against her skin, a
needy moan escaped her lips. She sagged against the stack of boxes. Desire curled
inside her like smoke, and regardless of the litany of warnings that ran through her
head, Sadie’s hands found their way to the front of Killian’s shirt. She grasped the
fabric, still warm from the heat of his body, and pulled him closer. The evidence of
his desire pressed against her hip, and images of him in all his naked glory came
roaring back into her mind. Sweet Jesus, the man had a body that looked like it had
been hand carved by the gods themselves.

“Is that so?” Sadie pulled his shirt loose from his jeans and slipped her fingers
underneath before trailing them along the hard planes of his stomach. Arching one
eyebrow, she held his heavy-lidded gaze and unsheathed her fangs. “How do you
suppose it should have ended?”

“The same way it should end every night from now on,” he growled. Killian slid both
hands into her long hair. Sadie shivered when his fingertips grazed her scalp. He
pressed his hips against her before slipping his thigh between her legs. Sadie
gasped with pleasure as he put pressure on just the right spot, and when a moan
escaped her parted lips, a cocky grin emerged on his. Killian tightened his grip on
her hair and leaned in so his mouth was just a breath away. “Every single night
should end with me buried deep inside you.”


 

 


series spotlight

Tall, Dark and Vampire
Dead in the City #1
by Sara Humphreys
Genre: paranormal, romance, adult, contemporary
Release Date: August 5, 2013

Tall Dark and VampireAmazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/ Barnes and Noble / KOBO / The Book Depository

Click HERE for Sandy’s review of TALL, DARK and VAMPIRE

RELEASE DATE: August 5, 2013

The last person Olivia Hollingsworth expected to see at her Greenwich Village vampire club was her one true love, Doug Paxton—whom she believed to be dead for centuries. Olivia thought she had moved on, but when Doug reappears, her heart knows she’d rather die than lose him again.

Ever since Doug can remember, a red-haired siren has haunted his dreams. He never thought she could be real until he goes to investigate a murder at Olivia’s night club. However, as the bodies keep piling up at her feet, he must fight to prove her innocence—even if it costs him his life…

_____________________

Vampire Trouble
Dead in the City #2
by Sara Humphreys
Genre: paranormal, romance, adult, contemporary
Release Date: July 1, 2014

Vampire TroubleClick HERE for Sandy’s review of VAMPIRE TROUBLE

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/ Barnes and Noble / KOBO / The Book Depository

Shane Quesada, a four-century old vampire sentry, is known for cold, unemotional precision when hunting rogue vampires.

Maya Robertson is a youngling vampire who will not be controlled—and to prove it, she rejects Shane’s protection—only to find herself in over her head with an alpha werewolf.

Soon, a war between the coven and the werewolf clan ignites, and Maya and Shane flee to Louisiana, where their passion for each other grows—as does Maya’s power. When she finds herself at the center of the conflict, will she finally trust Shane with her life—and her heart?

about the author

FOLLOW: Website /Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads/ TSU

Sara HumphreysSara is a graduate of Marist College, with a B.A. Degree in English Literature & Theater. Her initial career path after college was as a professional actress. Some of her television credits include, A&E Biography, Guiding Light, Another World, As the World Turns and Rescue Me.

In 2013 Sara’s novel UNTAMED won two PRISM awards–Dark Paranormal and Best of the Best. Sara has been a lover of both the paranormal and romance novels for years. Her sci-fi/fantasy/romance obsession began years ago with the TV Series STAR TREK and an enormous crush on Captain Kirk. That sci-fi obsession soon evolved into the love of all types of fantasy/paranormal; vampires, ghosts, werewolves, and of course shape shifters.

Sara is married to her college sweetheart, Will. They live in New York with their 4 boys. For a full list of Sara’s books and reading order, please visit her Website.

rafflecopter giveaway

NOTE: The Reading Cafe is NOT responsible for the rafflecopter giveaway. If you have any questions, please contact the publisher.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Share

Blood Legacy (The V.V.Inn #4) by C.J. Ellisson-review and book tour

Blood Legacy (The V.V. Inn #4) by C.J. Ellisson-review and book tour

 Blood Legacy Banner

Blood Legacy
The V.V. Inn #4
by CJ Ellisson
Genre: adult, contemporary, paranormal, UF
Release Date: February 25, 2015

Blood Legacy

Amazon.com / Barnes and Noble / KOBO /

BLOOD LEGACY (The V.V.Inn #4) by CJ Ellisson

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date February 25, 2015

Despite surviving silver poisoning, Vivian isn’t out of the fire yet. Rolando is still alive, as is his desire to eliminate all manipulator vampires like her. The streets of Buenos Aires prove to be a tricky hunting ground for Vivian and her husband Rafe, especially when a paranormal serial killer starts leaving bodies behind.

Overwhelmed amidst the city’s chaos, they seek help from Jon, Vivian’s werewolf servant and the couple’s right-hand man. As the deaths continue, a local alpha under scrutiny for the crimes threatens to blame Jon and reveal his master’s daytime location—if they don’t find the real culprit.

It’s a race for the trio to stop the killings, uncover the truth, and catch the vampire responsible for Vivian’s torture—before the supernatural locals pick up their proverbial pitchforks and stop them all, for good.

Warning: This book contains adult content (violence, blood, and sex) and is intended for readers over 18.

•••••••••••••

REVIEW: BLOOD LEGACY is the fourth full-length installment in CJ Ellisson’s adult, contemporary The V.V.Inn paranormal, UF series focusing on Vivian Alexandria (Dria)- a 580+ year old ancient vampire with a special ability known only to a few. BLOOD LEGACY begins immediately after the events of book three-THE BIG GAME.

Told from three alternating points of view (Vivian, Rafe, Jon) their continuing story finds Vivian, her husband Rafe, and Vivian’s werewolf servant Jon remaining in Buenos Aires following an attempt on both Vivian and Rafe’s lives. While the vampire Tribunal takes no responsibility for the attack against the couple, Vivian sets out with Rafe and Jon to uncover the who and why. What ensues is a game of cat and mouse with witches, warlocks, mythological demons and shape shifters of all kinds. A trail of dead ‘supernatural’ bodies finds our trio following the clues to an unknown assassin.

The relationship between Vivian and Rafe is sensual and erotic. This is a couple who are madly in love with one another; there is no denying their attraction. Jon, Vivian’s servant, is slowly pulling away from his all consuming need of Vivian-Jon’s new love interest is unknown to his vampire master. Rafe and Jon’s relationship is combative, energetic and quarrelsome; the bickering duo continue to push one another’s buttons.

Because the focus of the storyline remains in Buenos Aires, there is little to no mention of The V.V.Inn and the other members of Vivian’s Seethe. We hope to read more about the other werewolves and vampires upon Vivian’s return to Alaska.

CJ Ellisson blends a paranormal storyline with a contemporary setting where the sights and sounds of Buenos Aires are the playground for many supernatural beings. We are taken on a journey through the back alleys, back yards and sewers in the search for an ancient creature, once thought only to exist in stories. BLOOD LEGACY is another fascinating and action packed installment in CJ Ellisson’s THE V.V. Inn paranormal, urban fantasy series.

The V.V. Inn Series

Reading Order and Reviews
Death’s Servant
Just One Taste is a FREE read on CJ’s website-> CLICK HERE
Vampire Vacation
Another Sip
The Hunt
Big Game
Death Times Two
Blood Legacy

Copy supplied by the author.

Reviewed by Sandy

 

Excerpt

 

After being almost killed by silver poisoning, I’m recovering nicely. Most people think vampires are immortal, and I can understand why with how long our kind can normally exist. But if you can be killed by any means, then you aren’t technically immortal, right? I prefer the term semi-mortal. Lord knows I’ve certainly killed more than my fair share of vampires, and I can attest that we are not immune to death.

I stretch on the chaise lounge, gazing up at the late afternoon cloud coverage revealed by the clear atrium panels above me. It’s a nice winter day in late June, three weeks after I escaped from capture, off the southeastern coast of Argentina, and a semblance of peace finally fills me.

Drew, one of the vampires in my seethe, or vampire family, strides into the inner garden of our large Spanish-style hacienda and clears his throat. “Vivian,” he says, calling me by the nickname most everyone uses instead of my real name, Dria, short for Alexandria. “Do you really think shipping us home to Alaska is the best idea? We all want to stay and help.”

I glance up at the tall, slender man, noting his healthy hue and the sexually satisfied air about him. Judging by the noises drifting from his suite every night since our return to the island, he and Chelly have been exploring their new relationship status, vampire and servant, every chance they’ve had.

“You’re not strong enough for this fight, Drew, and neither are the others. I appreciate your loyalty and decision to stay to see things through, but I won’t risk your safety for my own.”

Frustration appears to simmer beneath his smooth facade. “I take it there’s nothing I can say or do to prove we’d be an asset?”

I rise from my comfortable spot on the lounge chair. “Think about it—you might be a help, but what about the others? Can you say the same for any of them?” I angle my head and go for a low blow. “Could you live with yourself if your desire to protect your master led to their deaths? Would you sleep well during the day knowing Chelly died before she had to?”

Drew’s handsome face crumples, his noble intent twisting within. “Not fair, Viv. Not fair. Dammit!” He paces away before whipping around to face me again. “Deep down, I know you’re right, but that doesn’t mean I have to accept it without complaint.”

I walk toward him, reaching out a hand in comfort. My grip rests lightly on his forearm as I push my will into him, not quite using my full manipulator traits that can sway any vampire to my way of thinking, but I give him a mental shove past his immediate anger to offer clear thinking. “I know where your heart lies, and I don’t mean regarding Chelly. I know you would fight to the death beside me, without hesitation. But I have need of you elsewhere.” His brow quirks up in question. “You will be the one to protect all I hold dear. You will be the strongest left in Alaska should trouble befall them while I’m gone.”

Irritation at my words spills into his tone. “What good will I be in Alaska during the summer? I’d be living indoors and traveling via the tunnels the entire time.”

“Do you really think a vampire weakened by the sun is still not strong enough or clever enough to protect those who matter to him? Do you think a man, or group of men, could outwit you at your lowest? You are over a century and a half old, Drew. By no means are you on the same level—in any sense—as Paul or the werewolves.”

He smiles. “I see exactly what you’re doing, you conniving woman. Building me up to make me feel important with what you want me to do. All right, I’ll go quietly—whether I agree with you or not about how much good I’ll be while cooped up inside.”

“Good. Now, onto the more important question: Do you trust Paul to share the flying duties home with you?”

“Uh… no, not yet. But either way, we can’t fly during the day.”

I smile, glad the issue of them leaving will be dropped. “Not to worry. I’ve arranged for several top-notch pilots you can pick up in Buenos Aires.”

Once Drew departs, I return to the personal suite I usually share with my human husband, intending to do some yoga. The stretching and muscle work has helped realign my spiritual balance with the physical healing. Thanks to Rafe, I’ve fully regained my strength from the silver trauma a few weeks ago.

The ones responsible for my imprisonment and torture, Coraline and her cohorts, were killed by my husband in a brutal display of his defensive nature. Only one man—Rolando—remains for us to track down in Buenos Aires. Hopefully, finding him will put an end to the hunt for other manipulator vampires like me. As far as I know, I’m still the only one who has escaped extermination over the last few centuries.

While I rested and recovered, Rafe explored the underbelly of the Argentine city extensively, making sure his casual occupation stayed unnoticed by the ruling Tribunal of Ancients. His protective instincts toward me have barreled to the surface, and I’ve found I rather like this side of him.

After the worst of my damage was healed through copious amounts of blood and lots of deep restorative sleep, the dead-to-the-world type only the undead can take, we split up—him staying in the city to investigate, and me journeying back to our island off the coast of southeastern Argentina to tend to the family of caretakers. Their minds needed delicate fixing from the damage done by the same people who tried to kill me.

The island caretakers were not harmed permanently, and I have to admit, what was done to their minds was so subtle it didn’t require much effort on my part to repair. The island hideaway they help keep in tip-top shape is where we spend most of the Argentine winter, only venturing to Buenos Aires when there’s a big Tribunal shin-dig.

But this year was different.

Not only did we initially arrive weeks earlier than normal, with most of our new seethe traveling with us, but now we’re sending Drew, Chelly, and the others home to Alaska during the region’s summer months—which is typically singe and die season for vampires above the Arctic Circle. The extensive tunnels and safeguards built into the resort will keep the returning vampires alive, so I’m not worried on that end. They’ll be safe and—by the end of the long stretches of seemingly never-ending daylight—bored with cabin fever.

I’m sure Asa, the ex-military vampire responsible for the resort’s security, will be happy to have them back. Recently, he’s had his hands full with helping to exorcise ghosts at the inn. The apparitions were of the humans and supernaturals who’d died during the past year’s adventures. By the lighter lilt in his voice during our last conversation, it sounded like Asa may have found a female diversion this summer, too. Good, the man needs to let someone in.

Sending them home while Rafe and I get to the bottom of things here is the smartest solution. I will not let guilt sway me.

In the end, it was the others and not Drew who protested nonstop about returning home last night, tempting me beyond belief to force them to my will, but I managed to resist and smile benignly during their blathering.

Above all, Rafe and I need to focus on finding Rolando and putting an end to this drama. Having the others here, even if they stayed on the island and not in the direct path of my enemies, could be dangerous—not to mention a distraction I don’t want to take on. I’d worry about their safety.

Someone could succeed in finding them again, even on our tiny middle-of-nowhere island, to use against me. In comparison, the inn is more of a secure, secluded fortress than many of them realize. It’s the perfect place to await an enemy, especially when you know the property as well as we do.

Doubt creeps into me and I squash it, determined not to second guess my resolve regarding Jon and our plans to fly him down. As an alpha werewolf, he would be the best choice to stay and safeguard the seethe at the inn. But, whether I like it or not, I need him here by my side, to hunt down Rolando.

What prompted a hidden sect within the Tribunal—one hell bent on tracking and killing manipulators, a rare breed of vampire thought long exterminated—to hunt me down?

Has the story of Coraline’s tampered memories, which I was responsible for on her last visit to Alaska, spread among their supporters? Did I reveal myself unknowingly through another channel? Has my arrogance in always assuming I could handle anything thrown my way with a simple bending of my will finally backfired on me?

How did they know to look for me? Who pointed them in my direction? Have others, vampires older than me, suspected my secret for centuries and yet never acted to eliminate me? And if yes, why? Was it out of fear, or with the hope to someday use me and my skills to their advantage?

I shake my head, eager to dispel the uncharacteristic self-doubt. The wondering of why and how my hidden traits have been discovered is not important. Tracking down those who wish me harm and killing them is.

Resolve swells within me, strengthening with the deep breath I draw into my lungs. I will find those responsible. I will secure the safety of those pledged to me. I will—

My cell rings, cutting off my internal diatribe.

The screen reveals it’s Rafe. I grab the device and answer it. “Yes? Why are you calling me on the phone?” Referring to his choice to use technology rather than connect with me telepathically, as he usually does.

“Your thoughts were all over the place. And growing rather dark, truth be told. I thought calling you might snap you out of it better than rudely barging into your private musings.”

“Fine. I was also thinking of Jon—did you catch those thoughts, too?”

“Yes, and you’re right. We do need him here. He’ll be an asset more than a hindrance, I think. When can he get here? And will you have him fly to the city or the island?”

I bite my lip, ruminating on his questions. “He’s schedule to leave in a few hours, and will arrive late tomorrow. I think having him journey directly to Buenos Aires would be the smartest use of time. I’ve chartered a plane and will fly in tonight.”

“Good. Did the others leave already?”

“Yes, last night, right as the sun went down. They had a brief stop in the city to pick up more pilots.”

“Time to do what we mentioned months ago—‘beard the lion in his den.’”

I snort, unable to contain the sarcasm waiting to escape. “Oh yes, that worked so beautifully for us last time, didn’t it?”

“Hey, things didn’t go as planned, I’ll grant you that, but any battle you can walk away from with your life is considered a win, trust me.” A teasing note enters his voice. “Are you sure you’re not more annoyed that I did most of the killing and maiming this time?”

Flashes of blood and dismembered bodies skitter across my mind, small glimpses of what I recall from when I awoke in the underground rooms beneath the Tribunal headquarters, also known as the Seat of Darkness and the base of all vampire kind.

Rafe’s actions may have surprised our new seethemates who were with him, Drew and Paul, but I’ve known what my husband is capable of for a very long time. “I don’t think that’s it. Or more accurately, I don’t think that’s the only thing.” A sigh escapes me. “I think we walked into a bigger mess than we bargained for, and I’d rather make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

“We can’t begin to formulate a plan of attack until we’re well aware of who our enemy is and where they’re located. The basic knowledge of where the Tribunal lies is not enough. Who else is visiting this season? Are all the ancients in attendance or are some traveling? Where do they stay during their restorative sleep—meaning a private residence or in the extensive underground holdings of the Tribunal?”

He’s not saying anything we haven’t discussed before, so I redirect and ask about recent developments. “Have you had any luck in tracking down Rolando?”

“No, none. And it’s damn frustrating, I can tell you that. The big bastard didn’t up and disappear, that’s for sure.”

“What about Justin? Have you discovered where he lives yet?”

“I’ve narrowed the wizard’s location down to a diverse barrio on the outskirts of San Telmo, one of the city’s older neighborhoods. But no set address. The area has lots of herbal shops with hard to find magical ingredients.”

“That sounds more like an ideal location for a coven of witches than a wizard.”

“Well, where would you have me start looking? Should I knock on the Tribunal’s door and ask where they hide their pet wizardling?”

A grunt of frustration seeps past my lips. “No. You’re fine. I almost hate to admit it, but tracking is better suited to Jon’s natural abilities than yours.”

“Oh yes, the furball. Do you plan to have him take his wolf form and sniff like a dog to track?”

“Come now, dear, don’t make this harder than it needs to be. He is a strength. He is a valuable asset to us.”

His voice tightens, showing his inner turmoil and anguish. “Who are you trying to convince—me or you?”

“You, you dork. I know I need him. Now more than ever. Suck it up, buttercup.” My voice deepens, taking on a husky tone. “It’s not like I want him the way I want you. He’s not the one I dream of every time I close my eyes. It’s not his love, his very essence of life, that brought me back from the edge of insanity and darkness,” I say, referring to the moment I nearly died and Rafe’s devotion and love saved me.

“Okay, you’ve made your point. I’ll play nice with the werewolf. Any hint or rumor he may have found a mate during last month’s big game hunting fiasco with all the werewolves?”

I shrug, realize he can’t see my movement, and say, “I’m not sure.”

“What? How can that be? How could you not be sure of what your vampire servant is doing at any given time?”

“You know I gave him distance when we left—and I don’t mean physically, I mean with our mental connection. He’s still there, in the back of my mind. But I’ve given him privacy, not wanting to intrude when he has the chance to be free of my influence for once.”

“Is that the best course of action when you claim to ‘need him’ now?”

“I’ll allow the connection to strengthen when he journeys here, but I want to keep some mental distance in place for him. He needs it. His uncontrollable obsessive desires were overcoming his waking thoughts, he needed the break to heal and find himself again.”

“All right, enough about the poor lost puppy. When did you say he’ll arrive?”

“Tuesday night. We’ll meet him at the airport in the city. How is the house hunting coming along?”

I hear the happiness in his voice. “I’ve found several suitable accommodations,” he says. “You’ll like them, I’m sure.”

A rush of images floods my mind. Stately residences in the posh neighborhoods near the heart of the city, rooms with high ceilings and ornate moldings, and hearths with big roaring fires.

“Good. I miss you, my darling. It’s only been two weeks and I still think it’s too long.”

“You’re just hungry for my blood, aren’t you?”

“Among other things…”

A gentle tingle of sensation indicates my husband’s mind reaching out to mine. And I miss you too, liebling. We’ll be together soon. Not to worry.

 

BL blog tour button 2

About The author

Follow: Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

CJ EllissonC.J. Ellisson is the USA Today Bestselling author of the New York Times Bestselling book, Vanilla on Top, the bestselling V V Inn series, and several erotica shorts. She lives in northern Virginia with her husband, two children, three dogs, and a fluffy black cat who makes her sneeze.

Unlike most full-time authors, she’s also battling severe chronic illness. C.J. works daily to put her Lupus into remission and continues to fight numerous bacterial infections while her immune system slowly attacks her body. She turned to writing when she could no longer work outside the home and claims the escape of penning contemporary fantasy, erotica, and erotic romance has helped save her sanity.

Rafflecopter Giveaway

NOTE: The Reading Cafe is NOT responsible for the rafflecopter giveaway. If you have any questions, please contact the tour provider.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Share

His Million Dollar Risk (Take a Risk #3) by Robin Bielman-Review and Book Tour

His Million Dollar Risk (Take a Risk #3) by Robin Bielman-Review and Book Tour

Robin Tour Banner2

His Million Dollar Risk
Take A Risk #3
by Robin Bielman
Release Date: February 9, 2015
Genre: adult,contemporary, erotic, romance

His Million Dollar Risk

ebook only .99¢: Amazon.com / Barnes and Noble / KOBO /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date February 9, 2015

Determined to make his latest preservation project on Route 66 a success, Connor Gibson will take any good press he can get. Even if it means spending a week with a reporter. And even if it’s one from a publication he has good reason to hate. Connor certainly isn’t expecting a spontaneous and undeniably attractive blonde who makes him seriously hot for the press…

Charlize Beckett is in deeeep trouble. This is her one chance to prove to her publisher dad that she’s a serious journalist, even if she has to pretend she’s someone else. Worse though, is trying to maintain any objectivity with the way too charming Connor. She can’t help but get into all kinds of sexy trouble with him. But by going off the record, Charlie is putting both her reputation and her heart on the line.

••••••••••••••••••••

REVIEW: HIS MILLION DOLLAR RISK is the third installment in Robin Bielman’s adult, contemporary Take a Risk romance series focusing on a tight knit group of friends. This is sexy millionaire and preservationist Connor Gibson and journalist Charlize (Charli) Beckett’s storyline. HIS MILLION DOLLAR RISK can be read as a stand alone.

Told from third person point of view, the storyline follows Charli as she sets out on a cross country journey along the infamous Route 66 with Connor Gibson. When Charli’s best friend and fellow journalist Ashley becomes ill, and is unable to travel, Charli jumps at the chance to fill in for her best friend’s assignment with Connor Gibson-an assignment that finds Charli impersonating Ashley in a case of mistaken identity. As Connor and Charli set out on their journey along Route 66, Charli will discover that her connection to Connor goes much deeper than an interview for a magazine. There is a tainted connection and history between our couple-one if discovered by Connor-could very well destroy Charli’s career and their building friendship.

The relationship between Charlize and Connor begins tentatively. Connor abhors journalists; his family history with the media predisposes his dislike for all things relating to interviews and journalism but his desire to promote the preservation of Route 66 finds him reluctantly allowing Charli along for the ride. Charli’s interview with Connor will reveal some secrets that hit too close to home. The developing friendship will quickly turn to lovers when our couple is confined with one another 24/7 but Charli’s continuous lie about her true identity is about to come crashing down and destroy her hopes for a future with the man with whom she is falling in love. The $ex scenes are passionate and moving.

The secondary and supporting characters include some of the colorful people Charli and Connor meet along Route 66. Charli’s BFF Ashley is but one phone call away at all times; and Connor’s friends will reveal Charli’s true identity.

HIS MILLION DOLLAR RISK is a fast paced, sweet but predictable read with a little bit of fun and romance, a little bit of $ex, and a little bit of historic scenery. Robin Bielman will captivate your imagination as you travel along with Charli and Connor down the infamous Route 66.

Copy supplied by the publisher/Author’s Pal/Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

Series Spotlight Black and White

Worth the RiskWorth The Risk
Take A Risk #1
by Robin Bielman
Genre: adult, contemporary, romance
Release Date: April 26, 2012

ebook only .99¢: Amazon.com / Barnes and Noble / KOBO /

Their love was ancient history…until their paths crossed again.

Samantha Bennett put Dean Malloy out of her mind five years ago, when he broke her heart after a summer fling. But now he’s back in her life, and ready to steal a heritage protection contract that could make or break her career–if he doesn’t steal her heart first. Samantha’s vowed to hate him, but it’s more than anger heating the competition between them.

With sparks flying across the conference table and sizzling in every touch, Dean proposes a weekend liaison. Anything to have Sam again; anything to get her out of his system. But the unresolved feelings between them complicate both their personal and professional lives, and one wild weekend could turn into a disaster that would destroy the one job that means more to Samantha than anything. For a shot at love…is it worth the risk?

__________________

Risky SurrenderRisky Surrender
Take A Risk #2
by Robin Bielman
Genre: adult, contemporary, romance
Release Date: August 26, 2013

ebook only .99¢: Amazon.com / Barnes and Noble / KOBO /

Archeologist Lucy Davenport made a promise to retrieve an elusive piece of history buried in the walls of an iconic Indian village. But when she draws unwanted attention that interferes with her secret plans, she’s forced to risk it all with a man who threatens not only her goal, but the walls she’s carefully constructed around her heart.

Keats McCall is an environmental preservationist navigating the globe on behalf of heritage protection. When he catches Lucy at his latest project, he suspects she’s up to something. She’s secretive, sexy as hell—and has trouble written all over her. He devises a plan to keep her close so he can keep an eye on her. But what he isn’t prepared for is just how close he wants to get.

About The Author Black and White

Website /Facebook /Twitter /Goodreads

Robin BielmanWhen not attached to her laptop, USA Today Bestselling Author Robin Bielman can almost always be found with her nose in a book. A California girl, the beach is her favorite place for fun and inspiration. Her fondness for swoon-worthy heroes who flirt and stumble upon the girl they can’t live without jumpstarts all of her story ideas.

She longs to go on adventures and there are many places she really wants to visit – Paris, Ireland, Costa Rica, Italy, London, and so many more. She wouldn’t mind indulging her sweet tooth along the way either! In her spare time she tries to put her treadmill to good use while watching her favorite TV shows, loves to frequent coffee shops, and plays a mean game of sock tug of war with the cutest dog on the planet, Harry.

Writing is a dream come true, and she still pinches herself to be sure it’s real. She cherishes her family and friends and loves to connect with readers. If you’ve got a minute, come hang out with her at her other online spots:

________________

YOURS AT MIDNIGHT
by Robin Bielman
Genre: adult, contemporary, romance

ebook only .99¢: Amazon.com / Barnes and Noble / KOBO / iTunes

Yours at MidnightLyric Whetsone only had eyes for Quinn Sobel’s brother Oliver, until a car crash took Oliver’s life on New Year’s Eve. Then, a moment of shared grief between Quinn and Lyric became something more impassioned, something that frightened Quinn so much he ran from Lyric’s bed and her life, disappearing for four long years.

Now Quinn’s back for another New Year’s Eve, struggling for closure, desperate to leave his grief in the past and make amends with the girl of his dreams.

But Lyric has a secret–one that could drive Quinn from her life forever. Will Quinn run away from the love and acceptance he’s always wanted…or will he claim his New Year’s kiss and make her his at midnight?

Rafflecopter Giveaway Black and White

NOTE: The Reading Cafe is NOT responsible for the rafflecopter giveaway. If you have any questions, please contact the tour provider

a Rafflecopter giveaway

author's pal

Share