~REVIEW~ Poughkeepsie by Debra Anastasia

Synopsis

He counts her smiles every day and night at the train station. And morning and evening, the beautiful commuter acknowledges him—just like she does everyone else on the platform. But Blake Hartt is not like the others . . . he’s homeless. Memories of a broken childhood have robbed him of peace and twisted delusions into his soul. He stays secluded from the sun, sure the world would run from him in the harsh light of day.

Each day, Livia McHugh smiles politely and acknowledges her fellow commuters as she waits for the train to the city. She dismisses this kindness as nothing special, just like her. She’s the same as a million other girls—certainly no one to be cherished. But special or not, she smiles every day, never imagining that someone would rely on the simple gesture as if it were air to breathe.

When the moment comes that Livia must do more than smile, without hesitation she steps into the fray to defend the homeless man. And she's surprised to discover an inexplicable connection with her new friend. After danger subsides, their smiles become conversation. Their words usher in a friendship, which awakens something in each of them. But it’s not long before their bond must prove its strength. Entanglements from the past challenge both their love and their lives.

Blake’s heart beats for Livia’s, even if her hands have to keep its rhythm. Love is patient. Love is kind. Love never fails. Love never fails, right?

In an interwoven tale of unlikely loves and relationships forged by fire, Debra Anastasia takes readers into the darkest corners of human existence, only to show them the radiant power of pure adoration and true sacrifice. Complicated families and confused souls find their way to light in this novel, which manages to be racy, profane, funny, and reverent all at once.

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~MY REVIEW~

OMG! This is one of those stories that I am glad I did not listen to the reviews. I have wanted to read this for a while but was put off by the "multiple POVs" reviews. I am not a fan of a book having more then two POVs so I put this one off. For some reason it just kept calling me back so I took a chance. I am so freaking glad I did!! 

Poughkeepsie blew me away! It was filled with so much love! Love between man and women, love between family, and love between friends. Every character brought a richness and purity to this story that just took my breath away. 

The story centers primarily around Livia and Blake. Blake has watched Livia from his spot on the train platform since the first day he saw her. He has counted every smile she has thrown his way as well as everyone she encountered. But he has stayed in the shadows because no one notices a homeless man.  That is until the day Livia interferes and stops the bullying inflicted on Blake. That day fate intervened. 

What starts off as a friendship between the two quickly turn into so much more. Blake and Livia paths are finally woven together.But all isn't easy in their relationship. Blake comes with a very dark past. A past that has made him afraid of the world. As Livia learns to break his walls she also meets his brothers. 

Beckett and Cole have been the only family Blake knows. Thrown together at a young age they've grown up thick as thieves. But they are complete opposites. Beckett is the protector of them, Cole seeks to save them, and Blake is the gentle soul in the group. The three have a bond that is unbreakable. And when harm comes to Blake and Cole, Beckett will stop at nothing to get his revenge. 

While Poughkeepsie is Blake and Livia's story, it is intertwined with Cole and Beckett's. We see them all find love, and for two a semblance of an HEA. The multiple POVs were done in such a way that did not confuse you or remove you from the story. As I said all of their stories are woven together beautifully.

I can sit here and talk about this story FOREVER! But I encourage you all to pick up a copy! I for one cannot wait to move on to book 2 for Beckett's story!

FAVORITE QUOTES:

“I think it was smile two hundred eighty-six that drove me the most crazy. It was the night train. Blake was so sick, feverish. Honestly, I was considering taking him to the hospital. But no. He didn’t want to miss a smile. He wouldn’t even let me drive him. Blake walked the whole way in the pouring rain for number two eighty-six.”

“Safe! All I wanted to do was keep them safe. How do you protect your brothers at eight-fucking-teen? How do you make enough money, get enough respect to do that? I wasn’t smart, Eve. I’m a big, dumb fucking bastard. I couldn’t even get a job as a bagger at the A&P. I wanted to make their lives worth living. That’s what they’d done for me—made my life worth living. They’re my family. I can’t…I just can’t.” Beckett pounded his chest.
“They would’ve been better off without me,” he continued. “Blake would still be homeless, but Cole made his own damn way. But I wanted in. I wanted to belong. I was too fucking selfish to walk away. I should have walked away. But I didn’t and now—” Beckett choked on a deep, angry sob. “Now, they’re paying for it. All my stupid decisions. They’ll die tonight. They’ll both die, and I can’t stop it. I can’t plug it with money. I can’t bring them back from the dead, even if I act tough or kill more people.”  

“Don’t put off happiness you can have today. Tomorrow is a hope, not a promise.”

“I’ll make mistakes. I know I will,” she continued. “I want to be perfect for you. But I’m human. I can only be me. That probably isn’t enough for a soul as beautiful as yours. But if I hurt you by accident, can’t we stay and hold hands until we fix it? Can’t we fix it?”

"I can’t turn back now. My life leads to his. It’s as simple as that.”

"Love is sacred. Hold onto it. I know a lot at my age. Everything else fails you—money, possessions, sex. But love never fails.” 

“Yes. Absolutely. Don’t you know, gorgeous? Mothers are some of the most vicious killers out there, if their kids are threatened. You just have more practice."

HAPPY READING!!

~BLOG TOUR~ REVIEW: Sempre: Redemption by J.M. Darhower

Title: Sempre: Redemption
Author: J.M. Darhower
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Suspense, Mystery

Purchase links: Simon & Schuster ~ Amazon ~ B&N ~ iStore

Purchase Sempre:  AMAZON

Synopsis

In this thrilling and sexy follow-up to Sempre, two young lovers struggle to keep their relationship intact after they become deeply enmeshed in the dangerous mafia-run crime ring they once tried to overthrow.

Haven Antonelli and Carmine DeMarco have been through a lot. Haven was taken in by Carmine’s father, and with his family’s help, she escaped a gruesome fate. However, saving Haven from the dark intentions of a mafia family cost Carmine a steep price: he was forced to swear loyalty to them.

Now, still passionately in love, Carmine and Haven must face the fall-out of Carmine’s forced service, as Haven discovers terrifying secrets about the family that enslaved both her and her mother—and why she matters so much in this intricate web of lies.

~MY REVIEW~

“You’re not asking me to choose you. It’s always been you. Your father once told me that we always have a choice, but I think he was wrong. I think sometimes things choose us. It’s like breathing. It’s natural. It’s a part of us. It just happens. We can hold our breath and try not to breathe anymore, and it’ll work for a few minutes, but we’ll eventually pass out and nature takes over. We can’t just not breathe, just like I can’t just not love you.”

Okay guys so after the long wait we finally get our sequel to SEMPRE! And what a sequel it was!! Let me tell you that after I got this on my Kindle there was no holding me back. No "I’ll leave it for later" or "I’ll read this next week". Nope. I quickly began Sempre: Redemption and was sad when I had to put it down! This book was filled with EVERYTHING Sempre had! It was beautiful, it was sad, it made me angry, but most of all…it gave us the most beautiful ENDING.

Sempre: Redemption starts off weeks after the devastating closing scenes of Sempre. Corrado has defeated death and Carmine belongs to La Familia now. Haven is once again condemned to life where she AND Carmine aren't free. But Carmine has other plans. After an excruciating decision is made both lovers find themselves apart. Carmine now belongs to Sal and La Familia while Haven is finally given the chance to find herself. During their time apart both make new friends and both learn to deal with their separation. One in a good way and the other in a destructive way.

Along the way both will have to deal with the circumstances thrust upon them. They will have to make choices, which will either benefit them or kill them. And during their struggle Vincent, Dominic, Celia offer some compassion to these two lost souls. But the man of the hour in this book was definitely Corrado. I can’t say enough how much I’ve come to have mad respect and love for him. If it weren’t for him, Haven and Carmine wouldn’t have made it in the fucked up world they were thrown into.

I won’t say anymore. I can’t go into details about this book without giving away something so I’m keeping this short. Haven and Carmine’s story didn’t end in Sempre. Their struggle with Carmine’s choice is our next stop on their journey. A journey that will rip your heart out and have you wondering if these two will ever get their HEA. I won't lie, this book is not all love and romance. J.M. takes these characters in a direction that will have some upset. I was upset with a little of it but over all thought that the direction the author took gave Haven what she needed. A chance to have what she never had.

Don’t waste anymore time, Pick this up and jump back into Haven and Carmine’s world!

HAPPY READING!

~EXCERPT~

Carmine sat in his usual chair in the library, casually strumming his guitar. A sliver of light filtered in from the large window, illuminating his somber expression in the darkness. She called his name but he remained still, continuing to pluck at the strings almost as if he hadn’t heard her. She took a step toward him and was about to say his name again when he let out a long, deep sigh.“I had a dream.”

“Another nightmare?” she asked, walking over to him. He glanced up at her as his fingers stilled, the music stopping, but Haven barely noticed. She couldn’t focus on anything but the green eyes boring into her. Once so alive with passion, she saw nothing but deep sadness marring the bright color.
Carmine set the guitar aside and moved his legs to make room, motioning for her to join him. She climbed into his lap and he wrapped his arms around her.

“Not a nightmare this time,” he said. “It was a good dream.”

“What was it about?”

“You,” he said quietly. “You made a painting—some abstract shit, I don’t know—but it was so good they hung it in a museum and raved about how talented you were. It was like you were the next fucking Picasso, tesoro.”

She laughed. “I don’t even know how to paint, Carmine.”

“You could learn,” he said. “Would you want to?”

“Maybe, but I don’t know how good I’d be.”

“Oh, you’d be good,” he said confidently. “You shouldn’t doubt yourself. You can do anything you set your mind to.”

“Except for play the piano,” she said playfully. “Or the guitar.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, for the sake of everyone’s ears, we ought to leave music to me, but the rest is all you. You can probably do all of that, you know. Draw, paint, sculpt shit into weird shapes and tell people it’s something it doesn’t look anything like. That takes talent.”

She smiled. “And you think I have that kind of talent?”

“Of course,” he said. “There’s gonna be no stopping you once you get started.”

“Thank you,” she whispered, a swell of emotion surging through her at his words. “It means a lot that you believe in me.”

“I’d be an idiot not to,” he said, kissing the top of her head.

~About the Author~

JM Darhower is the author of countless stories and poems, most of which only she has ever read. She lives in a tiny town in rural North Carolina, where she churns out more words than will ever see the light of day. She has a deep passion for politics and speaking out against human trafficking, and when she isn't writing (or fangirling about books) she's usually ranting about those things.

Chronic crimper with a vulgar mouth, she admits to having a Twitter addiction. You can usually always find her there.


Connect with JM: TWITTER ~ FACEBOOK ~ WEBSITE

~COVER REVEAL & GIVEAWAY~ A Tragic Wreck by T.K. Leigh

Book Title: A Tragic Wreck
Author: T.K. Leigh
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release Date: February 4, 2013
Hosted by: Book Enthusiast Promotions

Synopsis

How can you continue living when you’re living a lie? How can you convince your body to stop feeling, your soul to stop caring, and your heart to stop beating?

Haunted by her past, Olivia Adler flees Boston for a beach in Florida, leaving everyone behind, trying to shut the world out. Remaining a relative recluse in her self-imposed prison, she tries to turn everything off, wanting to feel nothing. But a new acquaintance won’t let that happen. After being away from Alexander for a month, his voice constantly ringing in her head, reminding her that her inability to confront her demons will not only destroy her, but also him, can she really be expected to want to feel again when it brings nothing but pain?

Back in Boston, everywhere he turns, Alexander Burnham is reminded of Olivia… His Olivia… He tries to dull the ache left in his heart the only way he knows how… in the bed of a beautiful woman. But Alexander isn’t about to lose his Olivia. After a clue comes to light regarding Olivia’s whereabouts, can he convince her to return to Boston with him? When a force that has laid dormant for months resurfaces, can Alexander still protect her from the unknown danger? And when Alexander comes face to face with a shadow of both his and Olivia’s past, will he be able to tell her the secret that is threatening to tear them apart?

A Tragic Wreck is the continuation of T.K. Leigh’s heart-breaking Beautiful Mess series.

~EXCERPT~

“Well, then, what do you want from me, Olivia?” he asked loudly, watching her walk away.

She spun around abruptly and searched his eyes. “I don’t want you to always feel like you have to come and help me, Alex,” she whimpered, her throat beginning to close up again, thinking about the man who was no longer hers. “I just want you to stand by my side while I try to help myself.” Her eyes narrowed, staring at him as he remained silent on the busy Boston street. “Do you think you can do that?” She looked at him as snow continued to blanket the sidewalk, desperately wanting him to say that yes, he could do that. That he would stand by her side. That he would forget all about her running out on him. And that he would do anything he could to make sure she never did the same thing again.

But instead, Alexander just stood there and stared, not saying anything.

Several moments passed, the silence deafening. “That’s what I thought.” Her eyes fell as she turned and continued to walk, shivering from the snow and the last shattered pieces of her heart being stomped on.

~BUY Book #1, Beautiful Mess

~ABOUT THE AUTHOR~

T. K. Leigh, otherwise known as Tracy Leigh Kellam, is a producer / attorney by trade. Originally from New England, she now resides in sunny Southern California with her husband, dog and three cats, all of which she has rescued (including the husband). She always had a knack for writing, but mostly in the legal field. It wasn’t until recently that she decided to try her hand at creative writing and is now addicted to creating different characters and new and unique story lines in the Contemporary Romantic Suspense genre.

When she’s not planted in front of her computer, writing away, she can be found running and training for her next marathon (of which she has run over fifteen fulls and far too many halfs to recall). Unlike Olivia, the main character in her Beautiful Mess series, she has yet to qualify for the Boston Marathon.

Connect with T.K: FACEBOOK | TWITTER | WEBSITE | GOODREADS AUTHOR

~GIVEAWAY~

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Uncorked by Rebecca Rohman Christmas GIVEAWAY!

Title: Uncorked

Author: Rebecca Rohman

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Suspense

Purchase: Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble

Synopsis

Chella Noon’s life isn’t her own. Her success as a Marketing Executive in the cosmetic division of an international conglomerate is overshadowed by a series of tragic events from a decade ago. With no family, few trusted friends and years spent on the run, she opens herself up to the possibility of a future with a sexy new real estate investor despite escalating threats from a psychotic ex determined to torment her.

Mitch Mariani never met a deal he couldn’t close. So when Chella walks into his life, he will stop at nothing to prove he is worthy of her trust. But as Chella’s past catches up to them and danger exposes his well-guarded secrets, his heart may not be the only thing at risk of a tragic end.

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~US Giveaway~

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~International Giveaway~

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~COVER REVEAL~ Charity's Secrets by Maya James

Title: Charity's Secrets

Author: Maya James

Genre: Romantic Suspense

 
 Synopsis

The unbridled heat continues between the beautiful Charity Powers and her gorgeous and passionate assassin for hire, Justin Collins. He exists only to love her and keep her safe, but that’s not so easy when she is such a force of life.
Charity makes it her mission to heal Justin’s wounded path, but to do it, she must hide terrible, dangerous secrets from him that risk their entire relationship.

The holidays arrive filled with wonderful sentiments that leave each of these lovers closer than ever, but just as the celebrations come to a close, one of their dearest friends is brutally attacked. There needs to be retribution, and both Justin and Charity deliver it. In the process, evidence of a traitor is discovered on the Panther team, jeopardizing not just everything they’ve worked for—but their very lives.

Discovering Charity’s secrets devastates Justin, but his broken heart is no rival to the fury of learning that his beautiful obsession is being hunted. Rescuing her leads him to the truths of this past.

Nothing can contain Justin’s devotion and intensity. Charity has to be kept safe. The traitor and their enemies, personal and political, must be eliminated if they are going to survive.

Buy book #1, Charity's Warrior Now: Amazon / Amazon CA / Amazon UK / Barnes & Noble

~Excerpt~

The sound of his footfalls fill the small space, approaching on me slowly, deliberately, until I see his feet on the floor between mine, his bare feet and bare legs. Strong hands lift the heavy coat off me and toss it to the floor beside us and then return to my shoulders where they begin to coil up my hair. A familiar hardness presses into the small of my back.


"I've been thinking about you all day," Justin whispers into my ear, making my knees weak.

"And what, exactly, were you thinking about?" I breathe, praying for his magical hands.


His left hand pulls my hair, turning my face toward his. "I thought about making you cry with pleasure. It's the only way I can tolerate your devastating absence." He quickly bites my lower lip, tempting me. "I love you, Warrior. And I need you."

~ABOUT THE AUTHOR~

Indie Author with my first Romance novel, Charity's Warrior, and now the second in the series, Charity’s Secrets, publishing on Amazon Kindle, Creatspace, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords.

I'm very passionate about writing stories full of love, lust, eroticism, and strong characters entwined around each other in an interesting, suspenseful journey.

East coast born and raised, I'm married, extremely happily, with 4 kids, 3 of which are now young adults (not sure when that happened).

I’m a COO in my technology-based "day job,” which requires a mix of technical and creative writing for both internal and client-facing materials, but it was not satisfying my artistic spirit. Writing the “Charity” series has been absolutely fulfilling and exciting.

My favorite writing takes place on my phone while lying on the Southernmost Beach in Key West, where I try to go at least twice a year.

Connect with Maya: Facebook / Goodreads / Amazon / Twitter

~RELEASE DAY~ New Release & Giveaway: Lussuria by S.J. Molloy

Book: Lussuria - The Luminara Series

Author: S.J. Molloy
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Release Date: November 26, 2013
Hosted by: Book Enthusiast Promotions

Synopsis

Lussuria (Lust)

An emotional erotic heart-wrenching story of lust, love and light.

Alexis Evangeline Robertson is a beautiful insecure woman who is daunted with painful memories from her past. She has rules, and she has boundaries.

She never lets anyone too close.

An internal Mental Filing System allows her to sustain order in her complex life and help her cope.

What she didn’t expect was her past coming back to haunt her, and she must stay strong.

Lucca Caruso has the most mesmerizing crystal azure blue eyes and a heart of gold. When Lexi meets this Italian God, she doesn't expect to see him again.

But fate intervenes.

While on vacation at a Villa in Val D'Orcia, near the Chianti hills outside of Florence, she is more than surprised to see Lucca arrive at the very same villa. Lexi begins a journey of self-discovery, helplessly folding, melting and crumbling to the temptation of her heart’s desire.

He is a gentle lover and he is a wild lover, he's the man that we all want and can’t get enough of.

After the desires of lust ...

And the sweetness of love ...

Lexi will spread her wings towards the light ...

This is the story of one woman’s destiny to find her light from her sinister, dark, harrowing past and the one man who can take her there. An intriguing hot, sexy expressive story of learning to accept, trust and believe
Welcome to the Luminara Series

~EXCERPT~

When I saw your eyes filled with dread and fear, my heart nearly stopped, I thought I would lose you, I need you and want nothing more, please trust me Doc, I ….I love you, I love you Dolcezza”.

He claims my mouth with profound longing and as soon as our lips meet the chemistry and energy ignites a burning desire deep in my soul and heart. My body submits to him with his sensitive words.

I’ve folded yet again!

Another tidal wave of water is flooding from my eyes cascading down my cheeks, he has me…

“You love me?” my voice is breaking, my eyes weeping.

“Yes, I love you; I’m very much in love with you. You are mine forever and my something special baby”

My body and mind become weak. I stare into his wide wet azure blue eyes,

“Lucca I…….I don’t know what to say”.

“Then don’t, write it in your journal”.

With these words we melt into each other, passionately kissing in a tight embrace filled with love and traces of uncertain fear.

Lussuria - Book 1 of The Luminara Series

~ABOUT THE AUTHOR~

SJ Molloy, first time British Author of ‘The Luminara Series’ was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. As a young child, her family moved and raised her in Lanarkshire, Scotland where she currently resides with her husband, two daughters and her energetic, hyperactive loving gun dog who is utterly spoiled.

SJ is a qualified Fitness Instructor and Health & Fitness Motivator of various fitness styles and disciplines. Music and dance aerobics have always been a pleasure and passion for her. SJ will sporadically make up dance style routines at any hour of the day when a move comes to her or piece of music moves or inspires her. Currently not teaching classes she is focusing her time into nurturing her yearning passion for creative writing, exchanging one visualization for another.

As a child, SJ loved to write in journals and make up short stories and has a flare for all things creative. With an overactive imagination at times, SJ adores to make notes, visualize scenes and settings to create characterizations.

While on holiday with her family one summer reading book after book, she had a flash of inspiration and has had various ideas whirling around in her mind ever since. It was not until she pulled back on teaching classes that she found the courage, time and insight into actually bringing these ideas to life.

In February 2013 she decided to bring that imagination to light by beginning her writing journey with ‘Lussuria’ the first installment in ‘The Luminara Series’ available from late October 2013.

Being a self-confessed book junkie, she loves nothing better than to get lost in an emotional and moving book. A true romantic at heart, her guilty pleasure is reading heart-warming, passionate stories and falling in love with her favorite fictional characters.

With five books already mapped out in ‘The Luminara Series’, SJ’s busy creative mind has already planned two more fictitious novels, both stand-alone romance books and very different in their own right.

When she is not writing or reading, spending time with family and friends or exercising and walking her dog, SJ loves all things practical and creative. Dancing, music, cooking, travelling, good food and wine and painting are her favorite past times along with laughter, lots and lots of laughter.

 Connect with SJ: FACEBOOK | TWITTER | GOODREADS AUTHOR | WEBSITE | PINTEREST

~GIVEAWAY~

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~COVER REVEAL~ Passion Fish by Alison Oburia & Jessica McQuinn

Title: Passion Fish
Author: Alison Oburia & Jessica McQuinn
Genre: Romantic Suspense 18+
Publication Date: February 16, 2010
Published By: Omnific Publishing
Event organized by: Literati Author Services, Inc.
Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble


Synopsis

With $3 million for the Santa Barbara Museum of Art on the line, curator Eve Carwyn hardly has time to focus on the state of her love life. Struggling to escape the clutches of a creepy ex and looking to add some adventure to her personal life, Eve is off on a much needed escape, and a business trip to Boston. But before she goes, her pack of dedicated girlfriends plan a send-off party that includes mind-bending kisses from not one, but two, sensational -- yet anonymous – partners. Will a chance encounter and a searing kiss somehow end in a love match? Will her career take off or lie in ruins when the grant results are in? Join Eve on her whirlwind journey through intrigue and ingenuity, terror and true love. Once the passion fishing starts, her life will never be the same.

Passion Fish is one part romance and one part heart pounding thriller. An innocent game of sexy distraction ignites a spark of love and a dangerous obsession in this exciting debut novel from Alison Oburia and Jessica McQuinn. Oburia and McQuinn offer an intriguing, suspenseful spin on the games people play when it comes to love, and the surprising lengths to which they’ll go to earn it... and to keep it.

Note: In addition to the cover, Passion Fish is currently undergoing to content makeover as well.

Add to Goodreads

~About the Authors~

As a stay-at-home mom to two beautiful children, Jessica found that she had lost herself a little in being a mom and a wife. Writing is where she found herself again. Her first novel, Passion Fish, written with Alison Oburia was published in 2010. While she loves all the characters her favorite is Gage. There’s nothing better that Jessica loves than a strong, smart, protective man!!

Which bring us to her second novel, Indivisible. Published in 2011, the struggles of a young married couple are complicated when Gideon, a Navy SEAL is sent on assignment for six months. Gideon’s bride, Charlie is left to find her own strengths and learn about the importance of trust and love.

As a self-employed editor, Jessica has been busy the past few years, but is needing to let the crazy SWAT men in.

Connect with Jessica: Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest

Sometimes a dream is big and time is short. Alison Oburia was working on her PhD when the idea for her first novel, Passion Fish, came to her in a dream. Instead of finishing her dissertation, she turned all of her energy toward writing her first novel with co-author Jessica McQuinn. Her second effort, a short story called “The Bridge,” was published in a collection of short stories available in Omnific’s A Valentine Anthology. Now that the author bug has bitten, Alison spends nearly every night writing. Her next novel, a story of international intrigue, murder, and romance, is nearly complete, and following that is a planned trilogy about four people struck by tragedy all learning to live and love again.

Alison lives in Tampa with her husband and two teen-age sons.

Connect with Alison: Blog | Facebook | Twitter

~REVIEW~ Bad Behavior (Conduct #2) by Jennifer Lane

Title: Bad Behavior (Conduct #2)

Author: Jennifer Lane

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Suspense

Purchase Links: AMAZON ~ B&N

Synopsis

Grant Madsen’s got issues. He’s still battling his Mafia family and doing everything possible to keep his loved ones safe. With the cruising season coming to an end, he has to find another job soon or he’ll rejoin his father in prison. And he’s trying to convince his rebellious teenage nephew to stay away from their criminal relatives (you can imagine how that’s going). But worst of all, Grant’s parole officer has mandated that he attend therapy.

The only saving grace is that they’re couples sessions with his girlfriend, Sophie Taylor, a fellow parolee who’s struggling with a few issues of her own. Sophie desperately hopes her past with Grant’s brother won’t destroy her future with him. There’s a sleazy professor at work who revels in sexually harassing women in the psychology department. And her father still hates Grant.

Their psychologist has his work cut out for him.

When Grant’s ruthless father hints at a plot to get out of prison, Grant must use everything he’s learned in therapy and beyond to try to stop him. It’s a race against time -- and a race to rescue Sophie from the Mafia’s clutches once again. But this time McSailor and Bonnie refuse to play victims. This time the cuffs are coming off.

~MY REVIEW~

“Sometimes I feel like a normal person. Sometimes I forget I’m on parole, that I’m not really free.”

 (Thank you to Jennifer Lane for providing me with an ecopy for review.)

In Bad Behavior, Grant and Sophie still have a lot to work through as they learn to deal with the loss of Logan and the constant threat of the Barbari family. When they are ordered to attend couples counseling, the two set out on a journey of sharing their past with each other. Unknown secrets  and horrific past events come to light that make these two realize just how much they don't know about each other. 

Grant has a past that makes him vulnerable and hesitant to open up in therapy. With the help of Hunter, their psychologist, Grant worked to confront his demons and open up to Sophie about the horrors of his childhood. A process that took the whole book to accomplish, but when it did, set him free.  Even with the meddling of his family, Grant was able to overcome his father’s sadistic hold over him and to find himself.

All the while he was also watching over his nephew Ben and trying to keep the young Barbari on the straight and narrow. As he learned to be an uncle to Bean we got a glimpse into Grant’s compassion and his potential to be a wonderful father. The relationship between those two has me smiling and laughing throughout. And when push comes to shove you see the wonderful growth in Ben. One that had me wishing for a story of his own. :)

As for Sophie, I have to say that although the story was about both Grant and she I felt as though the focus wasn’t on her. This book, to me, was about Grant and his journey in healing. Sophie was there to support him throughout and to help him see the good in himself but didn’t have the problems that Grant had.  She did have her own issues but they were quickly resolved and the focus turned back to Grant.

The thing that made this book so difficult to read was that practically the whole book was spent inside the Hunter’s office. I understood that they needed the counseling but it felt kind of bland to read after a while especially because of Sophie’s hand holding. The way she always rescued Grant made it a bit annoying. I felt like Grant needed to be able to take this next step for himself, without the rescuing. I think it would have been better if the two had some counseling sessions separately. 

So all in all this was a good book. I will read the final book to see what comes of these and encourage you all to read the series!

Happy Reading!

~About the Author~

People fascinate the psychologist/author (psycho author) known as Jennifer Lane. Her therapy clients talk to her all day long about their dreams and secrets, and her characters tell her their stories at night. Jen delights in peeling away the layers to scrutinize their psyches and emotions. But please rest assured, dear reader, she isn’t psychoanalyzing you right now. She’s already got too many voices in her head!

Stories of redemption interest Jen the most, especially the healing power of love. She is the author of The Conduct Series—-romantic suspense for adult readers—-and recently completed the third and final installment: On Best Behavior. Streamline is her first foray into writing for young and new adults, but she’s found this sort of writing even more fun. A former college swimmer, Jen was able to put a lot of her own experiences into this book.

Whether writing or reading, Jen loves stories that make her laugh and cry. In her spare time she enjoys exercising, attending book club, and hanging out with her sisters and their families in Chicago and Hilton Head.

Connect with Jennifer: WEBSITE ~ FACEBOOK ~ TWITTER

~COVER REVEAL~ Sempre: Redemption by JM Darhower

I'm so excited to be sharing with you all the cover to the sequel of Sempre, Sempre: Redemption!! 

Title: Sempre: Redemption
Author: JM Darhower
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Suspense, Mystery

Release date: December 23rd, 2013

Pre-order links: Simon & Schuster ~ Amazon ~ B&N ~ iStore

Synopsis

In this thrilling and sexy follow-up to Sempre, two young lovers struggle to keep their relationship intact after they become deeply enmeshed in the dangerous mafia-run crime ring they once tried to overthrow.

Haven Antonelli and Carmine DeMarco have been through a lot. Haven was taken in by Carmine’s father, and with his family’s help, she escaped a gruesome fate. However, saving Haven from the dark intentions of a mafia family cost Carmine a steep price: he was forced to swear loyalty to them.

Now, still passionately in love, Carmine and Haven must face the fall-out of Carmine’s forced service, as Haven discovers terrifying secrets about the family that enslaved both her and her mother—and why she matters so much in this intricate web of lies.

~BUY THE BOOKS~

Sempre, book #1(re-releasing on November 25th)

  AMAZON

~About the Author~

JM Darhower is the author of countless stories and poems, most of which only she has ever read. She lives in a tiny town in rural North Carolina, where she churns out more words than will ever see the light of day. She has a deep passion for politics and speaking out against human trafficking, and when she isn't writing (or fangirling about books) she's usually ranting about those things.

Chronic crimper with a vulgar mouth, she admits to having a Twitter addiction. You can usually always find her there.


Connect with JM: TWITTER ~ FACEBOOK ~ WEBSITE

~REVIEW~ Bold Tricks (The Artists Trilogy #3) by Karina Halle

Title: Bold Tricks (The Artists Trilogy #3)
Author: Karine Halle
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Suspense
PURCHASE LINKS: AMAZON ~ B&N


Synopsis

With more lives at stake and games in motion, Ellie, Camden and Javier form an uneasy alliance that will take them from the treacherous streets of inner-city Mexico to the wilds of the Honduran jungles in order to find their freedom. But with liberty just on the horizon, the cost might come at their own redemption.

~MY REVIEW~

“My real nature, my real self, wanted that person to believe in me, to see the good, ignore the bad, and make me feel like I had a future.”

As we start off Bold Tricks we are in the midst of the storm that was unleashed in Shooting Scars. Javier, Ellie and Camden are all on the run from Travis's henchmen. But Ellie and Camden need to save Gus and Javier needs to keep his sister safe.

In the conclusion to this thrilling series Ellie and Camden are finally together. But all is not well between them. Ellie was weak and Camden cannot forgive her for succumbing to Javier's mind games. So throughout their mission both learn to find their way back to each other, all the while fighting off the evil that surrounds them. 

“When I saw you I fell in love,” he said to me as I lay back against the bed and he crawled on top of me on all fours. “And you smiled because you knew.”

Ellie loves Camden and there is nothing that stops her from showing him how much. She has grown throughout the series and she finally learns to let go of her past. But with Gus and her mother in the hands of Travis she knows her only chance to get to them is with the help of Javier. So, while she is put through hell in this last installment, she shows us just how fierce Ellie Watt can be. And gets the awakening of a lifetime when she realizes that its time for her to fight for herself and for her future.

“That man would kill for me. He would die for me. And he would fuck me to death if I asked him.
I was tempted. What a way to go.”

Then there is our darling Camden. *sigh* If you read Shooting Scars and thought "damn this man is a badass" then you are in for quite the ride. His fierce protectiveness for those he loves is what empowers him to be the man he becomes throughout Bold Tricks. A man that has everything to lose but so much more to gain. He would do anything to keep Ellie, Gus and Ben safe. Even kill without a second thought. He isn't the sweet innocent man we meet in Sins & Needles. He is a man scorned by love and hardened by "war". But what never wavers his is unfailing belief in Ellie and her goodness.

“Ellie, he doesn’t have a very big heart.” He gave me a pointed look. “But I’m sure in his fucked-up mind, he was being noble. I’m at least grateful for that.”

Which leads us to Javier. In every story comes a Villain. My goodness what can I say about this man that hasn't been said before? Javier does his own growing in this series...not in a good way. He grows from little time VILLAIN to a big time MONSTER. He takes everything you liked about him and smashes it up in little bitty pieces. He is a man on a mission and he does not take any prisoners. What Bold Tricks did that no other book in this series did was make me understand where he is coming from. A little. His love for Ellie was so great and so rich that he wanted to hold onto that. But in the end, to him, POWER is so much greater than LOVE.


This is the last chapter in this threesome's adventure. Lives are lost, loved ones are betrayed, traps are set, new allies are made and LOVE will be the one thing that leads them through this storm. I will dearly miss this series and its characters. So much so that at the end I felt empty knowing that their journey had ended. :-(


I do look forward to reading more from Karina Halle and will continue to recommend this series to those who haven't had the luck to read it.


Buckle up for the last adventure with Jose and the gang! :)

HAPPY READING!

~ABOUT THE AUTHOR~

Karina is represented by Scott Waxman of the Waxman Leavell Literary Agency

The daughter of a Norwegian Viking and a Finnish Moomin, Karina Halle grew up in Vancouver, Canada with trolls and eternal darkness on the brain. This soon turned into a love of all things that go bump in the night and a rather sadistic appreciation for freaking people out. Like many of the flawed characters she writes, Karina never knew where to find herself and has dabbled in acting, make-up artistry, film production, screenwriting, photography, travel writing and music journalism. She eventually found herself in the pages of the very novels she wrote (if only she had looked there to begin with).

Karina holds a screenwriting degree from Vancouver Film School and a Bachelor of Journalism from TRU. Her travel writing, music reviews/interviews and photography have appeared in publications such as Consequence of Sound, Mxdwn and GoNomad Travel Guides. She currently lives on an island on the coast of British Columbia where she's preparing for the zombie apocalypse with her fiance and rescue pup. 

Connect with Karina: Goodreads ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Website