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Showing posts with label rock romance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rock romance. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Cover Reveal - Wreck by Heather C. Leigh

Meet Hawke and Abby in the newest standalone in the Sphere of Irony Series.

PRE-ORDER NOW AVAILABLE
ONLY $0.99


Add WRECK to your TBR list at: http://bit.ly/1KOkz7y 

RELEASE DATE: October 25th, 2015

Blurb
Hawke Evans is the drummer for the Grammy winning Sphere of Irony. The quiet, tattooed and pierced hottie behind a pair of geek chic glasses is hiding a seriously troubled adrenaline junkie with a death wish.

Abby Kessler is studying psychology at UCLA. Her desire to help those fighting mental illness stems from a life-changing incident in her past.

When Abby meets Hawke backstage at a local club, she’s instantly attracted to his bad boy good looks. But when she discovers the damaged man beneath the beautiful exterior, she’s compelled to make up for past mistakes.

How long will it take for Hawke to realize his reckless behavior isn’t only endangering him, but the hearts of those around him? How long will it take for Abby to see that she can’t help someone who has no desire to be fixed? 

***This is book 4 in the Sphere of Irony Series. It can be read as a standalone. This is a spin-off of the Famous Series*** 

Check out the Beautiful NEW COVERS!


Incite (Book One) The Sphere of Irony Series
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1ALgfkw
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1dNhavT
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1GTREwg
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1ImHvOr
iBooks: http://apple.co/1LxdzPv
Google Play: http://bit.ly/1ImHM3N

Strike (Book Two) The Sphere of Irony Series
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1HaMtNW
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1HaMTE2
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1KfjR7v
iBooks: http://apple.co/1Gp8DfF
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1APfX1J
Google Play: http://bit.ly/1L0h80W

Resist  (Book Three) The Sphere of Irony Series
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1GuqFq1
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1CQKs88
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1KFDuUc
iBooks: http://apple.co/1DzOfHo
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1HvCMnv
Google Play: http://bit.ly/1QIGP6i


About the Author:
Heather C Leigh
Heather C. Leigh is the author of the Amazon best selling Famous series. She likes to write about the 'dark' side of fame. The part that the public doesn't get to see, how difficult it is to live in a fishbowl and how that affects relationships.

Heather was born and raised in New England and currently lives outside Atlanta, GA with her husband, 2 kids, and French Bulldog, Shelby.

She loves the Red Sox, the Patriots, and anything chocolate (but not white chocolate, everyone knows it's not real chocolate so it doesn't count) and has left explicit instructions in her will to have her ashes snuck into Fenway Park and sneakily sprinkled all over while her family enjoys beer, hot dogs, and a wicked good time.


Stalk Her: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
Monday, September 28, 2015

New Book Release: Desperate Chances by A. Meredith Walters is LIVE




Desperate Chances is the 4th Book in the Bad Rep series- can be read as a stand alone but includes characters and story lines from the first three books.

Happy release day A. Meredith Walters!  I can't wait to read this rock romance.

Title: Desperate Chances
Author: A. Meredith Walters
Release date: September 28, 2015

Sex changes everything.
And love can turn into an enemy…
Mitch Abrams, the bassist for the popular rock band Generation Rejects, has been in love with Gracie Cook for years. But Gracie, a complicated girl with a lot of baggage, was too blind to see how she felt about the man who had always stood by her.
Until one night of passion brought them closer than they had ever been before.
Feeling off balance and out of control, Gracie does the only thing a girl with self-destructive tendencies can do: end things with Mitch before they can really begin.
So Mitch moves on. With his band, his friends, and a new girlfriend.
Yet he can’t seem to forget about the girl who threw his heart away.
Gracie, who is still struggling to build a life after crashing to the bottom, finds it hard to forget about her one night with Mitch. And even as she tries to convince herself it was only sex, her heart knows differently.
But life is full of chances and desperate moments. And when Mitch and Gracie are thrown back into each other’s lives, will they seize at the opportunity to do things right?

Or will the rock star and the less than ordinary girl crash and burn?

Buy Links:
Other retailers to come soon!


About The Author:
The New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Contemporary and Paranormal romance including The Find You in the Dark and Bad Rep series as well as the upcoming stand alone romance, Reclaiming the Sand, and a dark new adult series for Gallery Books.

A. Meredith spent ten years as a counselor for at risk teens and children. First working at a Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault program and then later a program for children with severe emotional and mental health issues. Her former clients and their stories continue to influence every aspect of her writing.

When not writing (or being tortured with all manner of beauty products at the hand of her very imaginative and extremely girly daughter), she is eating chocolate, watching reality television that could rot your brain and reading a smutty novel or two.

A. Meredith is represented by Michelle Johnson with the Inklings Literary Agency.

LINKS:


Bad Rep series reading order

Friday, September 25, 2015

Cover Reveal & Giveaway: Cadence (Ruby Riot #1) by Lisa Swallow

I just added this rock romance to my reading list! 

Cadence is the first standalone book in a new rock romance series, 
Ruby Riot. The series is a spin-off from the Blue Phoenix books but you do not need to read the Blue Phoenix series first.
Cadence (Ruby Riot #1)
Lisa Swallow
Contemporary Romance
Release Date: November 5th
Photo by Lindee Robinson Photography
Cover Designed by Najla Qamber Designs
Models: JJ Butts & Meagan Pacholski

Tegan Hughes joins Blue Phoenix and Ruby Riot on tour, and drummer Bryn isn’t the only one who notices his little sister isn’t a kid anymore.

Jax Lewis is the guitarist for Ruby Riot and the band are rising to success. He’s hot property and loving every minute of his new found fame. Now, he’s on tour supporting Blue Phoenix and living his rock star life to the full. Until Tegan walks into his world and puts the brakes on. 

Tegan Hughes is taking a year out and has her sights set on touring Europe with her big brother’s band. Blue Phoenix drummer, Bryn isn’t happy when his sister arrives unannounced at his hotel in Lisbon, but Tegan isn’t the type of person to take no as an answer. 

With her big brother breathing down their necks, Jax and Tegan attempt to keep a handle on their growing attraction but that proves harder than they thought. Jax is used to getting whoever and whatever he wants and after kissing Tegan once, he knows one thing…he wants more. 

The problem is, Tegan isn’t rock star girlfriend material. She has ambitions of her own and refuses to let anything stand in the way of her plans. But when Jax and Tegan’s relationship becomes public knowledge life becomes a hell of a lot more complicated.

Cadence is the first standalone book in a new rock romance series, Ruby Riot. The series is a spin-off from the Blue Phoenix books but you do not need to read the Blue Phoenix series first.

AUTHOR BIO: 
Lisa is an author of new adult romance and writes both paranormal and contemporary, often with a side of snark.

Lisa is originally from the UK but moved to Australia in 2001 and now lives in Perth in Western Australia with her husband, three children and dog.

AUTHOR LINKS: 
Website: http://lisaswallow.net
Facebook: www.facebook.com/lisaswallowbooks
Twitter: www.twitter.com/lisa_swallow_au
Newsletter sign up: http://eepurl.com/Po81D
Amazon page: amazon.com/author/lisaswallow

Blue Phoenix Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/BluePhoenixSeries

GIVEAWAY
Win an ebook copy of RISING and a swag pack. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Excerpt:

“Tegan!”
I stop at the sound of Jax’s voice and turn as he approaches. His face shines, and the salty scent of his damp skin digs further into the primal part of me aroused by this guy. We’re nowhere near as close as in the elevator earlier, but my nerve-endings tingle as if we were touching. Jax wipes his damp hair from his face and turns the smile to me he’s used many times before. This time it works, ramping up my heartbeat.
“Thanks for watching us,” he says.
“You were good.”
He grins. “I know.”
“Conceited!”
“Yeah, but it’s true. If I don’t believe in myself and the band to that degree, we won’t be as good as we are.”
“Now I believe what you’ve been telling me. You certainly are a rock star, Jaxon.”
He purses his lips. “Jaxon isn’t a rock star, Jax is.”
“Who’s Jaxon then?”
“A wannabe kid who’s not around any more.”
“I think I’d like him.”
Jax tugs his bottom lip between his teeth and looks at my mouth. “Do you like me, Tegan Hughes?”
A couple of guys head down the hallway towards us, talking into radios and I move to one side. Jax matches, blocking my way. Instead, I rest against the wall and put my feet out so he can’t move closer. Any nearer and I won’t be responsible for my actions.
“Big party tonight, huh?” I ask.
“Yeah. You didn’t answer my question.” His sapphire blue eyes search mine and I concentrate on hiding the reaction I’m having to him. I can’t blame my pink cheeks and breathlessness on dancing to Ruby Riot anymore.
“Do I get an invite?” I ask.
“To me or the party?”
I give a small smile. “The party. Why? What are you inviting me to do?”
“Anything you want.” His voice is low and despite my attempt at distance, his face is close to mine. Yesterday, I’d have scorned him for a comment like that, rolled my eyes at his moves but in a short space of time he flipped my brain to standby. 
I don’t know how long we stand with faces centimetres apart, challenging each other to be the first to make a move in this power play. Each second that passes with Jax’s warm breath touching my mouth, darkened eyes holding me in place, and I'm a step closer to surrender. I moisten my lips, body buzzing with a need I don’t want.
“Five minutes!” yells a voice and I twist my head away, breaking the invisible thread pulling me to him.
The stage manager glances at us as he passes.
Jax touches my lip with his rough thumb and I jerk, caught off-guard. “I think you answered my question.” He steps back. 
I dig my hands into the back pockets of my jeans in case he sees them shaking. “Don’t be so sure of yourself.” 
The intensity in his eyes doesn’t drop and I match his look. Jax may have enchanted me with his brand of rock star, but I won’t make this easy for him. As soon as I walk away from the heated evening, I’ll regain some of my senses. Hopefully.
“This morning, in the elevator, I forgot to tell you something,” he says.
“What?”
“Don’t play games with me, Tegan, because you’ll lose.”
Before I have a chance to respond, Jax moves away and I watch his swagger as he heads back to the noisy dressing room.
Oh, yeah? Game on.

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

$100 Gift Card Giveaway - My Kind of Forever by Heidi McLaughlin is LIVE!

Check out my review of My Kind of Forever by Heidi McLaughlin.  I love this rock romance series.  Also don't forget to enter for a chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card below!

Title: My Kind of Forever
Author: Heidi McLaughlin
Release date: September 8, 2015

Life is good for the Westbury family, until Liam is called back to Los Angeles and the place where it all started for him.

Liam and Josie’s story continues in this last installment of The Beaumont Series.

Spoiler Free Mini Review:
My Kind of Forever (The Beaumont Series, #5)My Kind of Forever by Heidi McLaughlin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

4.50 stars!

My Kind of Forever is my kind of book. Heidi did it again! This rock and roll romance pulled on my heart strings in the latest installment in this fantastic series.  Liam, Josie, and 4225 West fans do not want to miss this one!

This review appears on www.kindlecrack.net, www.facebook.com/kindlecrack, Goodreads, Amazon, Google+ and Twitter. A review copy of this book was kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.




Excerpt
The way the mirror on my dressing table is angled gives me the perfect opportunity to watch Liam undress. This is my favorite ritual, morning and night. I’ll take the chance anytime I can to watch him methodically peel off his clothes. He’s a man who unties his shoes first, placing them back on the shoe rack. His socks are next, followed by his shirt. My peeping tom ways are often rewarded when he’s wearing a dress shirt. Not only do I get to watch the muscles in his back flex as he pushes each button through the ridiculously small hole, but his undressing is prolonged. He takes his t-shirt off the same way every time and when he pulls the collar from behind and the shirt slowly lifts inch by inch, my mouth waters. My lips become dry and my knuckles ache from my hand clutching my hairbrush. The clank of his belt buckle and the almost too silent pop of the fabric from his button down jeans have me staring intently into the mirror. My make-up is only half off, my mouth wide open and I’m the picture of someone who needs serious help. And let’s not get started on the way he gets dressed...
He knows I watch him. This is a game to him. He could sleep in or stay up late, but he doesn’t. Liam gets up with me in the morning and goes to bed when I do at night and I’m starting to think it’s because his intention is to have me committed. I may or may not have a drooling issue when it comes to staring at my husband. You’d think that after watching him grow up that I’d be used to his body, but the truth of the matter is, he didn’t fully grow until he left Beaumont. I missed the transformation from teenage boy to man. Sometimes I think I’m happy that I did, but other times, I think about all the other women out there that have experienced his transformation. I hate them all. I’m jealous of them and I don’t know why. I have him now. He chose me.          
His jeans drop to the ground and he kicks them aside, depriving me of the chance to watch him bend over to pick them up. I find myself leaning into my vanity to get a better look as his thumbs dip into the waistband of his boxer briefs. Men find women's lingerie sexy and appealing. It turns them on. The look and feel teases them and they love it. I never thought about men in their underwear until I saw Liam in his. Over the years he’s maintained his muscles, yet has a more defined physique. His boxers aren’t sagging in places they shouldn’t. My husband could be an underwear model with his form fitting briefs, although I don’t know if I’d want the world to see what he only shares with me. The cotton fabric pools at his feet. He steps out of them and turns around, showing me his naked body... a body only for my eyes, my hands, my lips and any other part of me.  
“How long are you going to stare at me?” I swallow hard as my eyes flash to his and a wicked grin plays across my lips.
“Until my eyes no longer work,” I tell him. “Or until you tell me to stop.”
“Hmm that’ll be never,” he says as he walks near me.



Author Bio
Heidi is a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author.
Originally from Portland, Oregon and raised in the Pacific Northwest, she now lives in picturesque Vermont, with her husband and two daughters. Also renting space in their home is an over-hyper Beagle/Jack Russell, Buttercup, and their newest addition of a Highland Westie/Mini Schnauzer, JiLL.

During the day Heidi is behind a desk talking about Land Use. At night, she's writing one of the many stories planned for release or sitting courtside during either daughter's basketball games.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest

Buy Links for My Kind of Forever
Amazon: http://bit.ly/MKoF5
BN: http://bit.ly/BNMKoF
iTunes: http://bit.ly/MKoFi
Kobo: http://bit.ly/MKoFkobo

♥ Series reading order & other books by Heidi McLaughlin ♥

Forever My Girl - The Beaumont Series #1
My Unexpected Forever - The Beaumont Series #2
Finding My Forever - The Beaumont Series #3
Finding My Way - The Beaumont Series #4
My Kind of Forever The Beaumont Series #5
My Everything - A Beaumont Series Novella
12 Days of Forever - A Beaumont Series Novella
Lost in You
Lost in Us - A Lost in You Novella

The Archer Brothers
Here with Me
Choose Me

The Reeducation of Savannah McGuire



Giveaway
The Author is giving away a $100 Amazon Gift Card
Heidi McLaughlin's MY KIND OF FOREVER Release Day Blitz Giveaway
Friday, July 31, 2015

NEW BOOK REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: Finding Us by Debra Presley

★★ RELEASE BLITZ ★★
#NewRelease #ContemporaryRomance #DebraPresley #BEP
Finding Us by Debra Presley Release Blitz @Debra_Presley_
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: July 31, 2015
Hosted by: Book Enthusiast Promotions (http://bookenthusiastpromotions.com @BookEnthuPromo
#Playlist   ➜ ➜   http://bit.ly/1KLJydZ 
Add the book to Goodreads ➜ http://bit.ly/1JiUQCC 


#BuyNow

#Synopsis:
Pop star Abby Murphy is living every girl’s dream. She has fame, fortune, and a handsome boyfriend, a guitar player named Sean. That changes the night she finds him in the arms of another woman. Hurt and betrayed, Abby ends their relationship. But Sean won't accept the breakup, and she soon learns that he’s had a hidden agenda all along. Overnight, Sean transforms from loving boyfriend to dangerous adversary, and Abby no longer knows who she can trust among her friends and family.

Abby turns to her bodyguard, Danny Nucci, a man who will do everything in his power to keep her safe. But when Abby realizes her feelings for Danny run much deeper than she thought, she refuses to give in to her attraction in order to preserve her new found independence as well as protect Danny from Sean's machinations.

When Abby finally finds the strength to reclaim her life and acknowledge her growing love for Danny, will she be able to let him in? And will Danny be able to overcome his own demons to be the man she needs him to be? Or will she be forced to let him go forever?

#Review of Finding Us
Finding Us (Nucci Securities, #1)Finding Us by Debra Presley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Rating: 4 stars
Spoiler-free review
Title: Finding Us (Nucci Securties #1)
Author:  Debra Presley
Release Date: July 31, 2015
Cliffhanger: No

Fantasy: Abby is a megastar pop princess and looks like she has it all.  The fame, fortune and a hot boyfriend who plays in her band.  Reality: Her uncaring, negligent “Momager” only cares about herself and not what’s best for daughter’s well-being.  Her boyfriend is a manwhore and almost no one around her can be trusted except for her friend Sophie and Abby’s hot bodyguard, Danny.  Danny has his own demons to deal with while protecting Abby.  Will this rock and roll fantasy turn into a fairytale or nightmare?
Debra’s debut book was seriously good. Finding Us reminded me a little bit of the movie “The Bodyguard”.  I loved the characters, the angst, and drama filled twists and turns.  I hope the next book is about Abby’s friend Sophie.  Bravo, Debra!

This review appears on www.kindlecrack.net, www.facebook.com/kindlecrack,
Goodreads, Amazon, Google+ and Twitter. A review copy of this book was kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.





#MeettheAuthor
Debra is a native New Yorker who made her escape to the suburbs. She often returns to her hometown to visit her favorite deli for a bagel with butter, because there’s no better bagel than a New York bagel. When not in search of bagels, Debra spends her time running Book Enthusiast Promotions, an online promotions company that helps indie authors spread the word about their books. She’s also the owner of The Book Enthusiast blog.
She started writing lyrics in her wall-to-wall NKOTB bedroom at the tender age of thirteen while dreaming of the day she’d become Mrs. Jordan Knight.  That dream never came to fruition, but she has continued to write. Now she’s working on her first novel. 
#SocialLinks
Instagram: https://instagram.com/thebookenthusiast/ 
Street Team: http://on.fb.me/1AlC2Sk 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorDebraPresley?ref=hl 
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7778350.Debra_Presley 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Debra_Presley_
Website: http://authordebrapresley.com 
Blog: http://thebookenthusiast.net/ 
Newsletter: http://on.fb.me/1O1Li39 
Pinterest: http://bit.ly/149Wav2 



Giveaway:
a Rafflecopter giveaway


Friday, July 24, 2015

Vanni: A Groupie Saga Prequel by Ginger Voight is LIVE - Free Books & Giveaway


 Vanni: A Groupie Saga Prequel by Ginger Voight is LIVE!  I absolutely LOVE this rock romance series.  I am reading Vanni right now.  Look for my review later this week.  

Check out Ginger's FREE book offerings and giveaway below!  




Blurb:

Before the groupies. Before the stardom. He was, simply, Vanni.

Giovanni Carnevale knows what it means to struggle. Since his father abandoned the family when he was a child, Vanni’s been in and out of trouble, trying to carve his place in the world. That all changes when he moves to Brooklyn, to live with his beloved great Aunt Susan.

After introducing Vanni to music, Susan realizes his talent and pushes him to reach his full potential. But her sudden death leaves him adrift, unable to connect with anyone, friends and girlfriends alike. His personal life slowly deteriorating, Vanni focuses on his music and dream of being a rock star. After so many betrayals, he’s determined to keep everyone who might hurt him at arm’s length—at the time people want him the most.

You already know how his story ends. Now read how it begins with VANNI: A PREQUEL.

Ginger Voight takes us back to where it all began, with an intimate look at one of your favorite book boyfriends—from his perspective.

Vanni Buy Links:
Amazon:  http://amzn.to/1LsZ7Zf
itunes: http://apple.co/1eieDtl
smashwords: http://bit.ly/1Km2hvQ
kobo: http://bit.ly/1GF5PUY
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1NkWec1
B&N: not available yet

Facebook Event:  http://on.fb.me/1LyhY69

FREE BOOKS FROM GINGER!
1st Books in these Series are FREE!
Groupie: http://amzn.to/1ApRpZt  - FREE
Fierce: http://amzn.to/1DxVazM - FREE
Southern Rocker Boy: http://amzn.to/1EZGtlW - FREE
Enticed: http://amzn.to/1FAhtWe - FREE


Ginger Voight is a screenwriter and bestselling author with over twenty published titles in fiction and nonfiction. She covers everything from travel to politics in nonfiction, as well as romance, paranormal, and dark, “ripped from the headlines” topics like Dirty Little Secrets.
Ginger discovered her love for writing in sixth grade, courtesy of a Halloween assignment. From then on, writing became a place of solace, reflection, and security. This was never more true than when she found herself homeless in L.A. at the age of nineteen. There, she wrote her first novel, longhand on notebook paper, while living out of her car.
In 1995, after she lost her nine-day-old son, she worked through her grief by writing the story that would eventually become The Fullerton Family Saga.

In 2011, she embarked on a new journey–to publish romance novels starring heroines who look more like the average American woman. These “Rubenesque” romances have developed a following thanks to her bestselling Groupie series. Other titles, such as the highly-rated New Adult series, Fierce, tap into the “reality-TV” preoccupation in American entertainment, which gives her contemporary stories a current, pop culture edge.

Known for writing gut-twisting angst, Ginger isn’t afraid to push the envelope with characters who are perfectly imperfect. Whether rich, poor, sweet, selfish, gay, straight, plus-size or svelte, her characters are beautifully flawed and three-dimensional. They populate her lavish fictional landscapes and teach us more about the real world in which we live simply through their interactions with each other. Ginger’s goal with every book is to give the reader a little bit more than they were expecting, told through stories they’ll never forget.

GIVEAWAY:  
Signed paperbacks of The Groupie Trilogy -- Ships to US only

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Excerpt:
When I get back to the neighborhood, I can’t even go home. I head to my local haunt, Fritz’s, for a beer. The cute black waitress is there, as is a heavier girl with a shock of red hair and tattoos along her chest and arms. She wears black-framed glasses, and when she smiles it makes me smile too.

As different as she is from her bartender, I find this other girl just as cute. Of course, that’s 
usually how it is with me. Call me a romantic, but I’ve always found women fascinating, like mysterious puzzles that are so much fun to unlock. I’m an Italian, for fuck’s sake. This is what we do. We appreciate the finer things in life, those beautiful things that make life worth living. For me that has always been wine, women and song.

Like ol’ George Thorogood, I like ‘em all. Tall girls. Skinny girls. Curvy girls. Blondes, brunettes and redheads, and girls of every race. They can be tattooed or plain, serious or silly, but every single one of them shines like a diamond when they smile, or their eyes flash, or they walk by in a perfume-scented breeze. Their curves invite to be held. Their voices invite to be heard. Their skin begs to be touched. Far too many guys don’t get this. They see women as paper dolls to collect, pretty or perfect little badges of honor they wear with pride.

The way I see it, every single woman is pretty if you know where to look, and I don’t mind 
looking. Nothing has ever meant more to me than finding that treasure everyone else forgot. I was the kid who would send anonymous valentine’s cards to the girls in my class I knew wouldn’t get any otherwise. Their smile was often reward enough. A girl is always prettiest when she knows she’s appreciated.

This new girl takes my order as I perch on one of the barstools. I get the feeling she hasn’t been appreciated for a long, long time. “You’re new here,” I say, still wearing my smile from before.

I can tell from the sparkle in her eye that she likes what she sees. “Not so new. It’s my dad’s bar. He’s finally decided I’m old enough to work in it. Happy thirtieth birthday to me.”
I laugh as I reach across the bar. “Nice to meet you. I’m Giovanni. Friends call me Vanni.”

“Pam,” she says. I like the way that sounds. Sweet and simple, like swinging on a hammock on a 
perfect summer afternoon. “What can I get you?”
I lean forward, my arms crossed over each other. “Let’s test your muster behind the bar. Guess.”

She laughs. It’s a hearty, robust sound. Like music. “Challenge accepted.” She turns her back for a moment and then returns with my favorite beer on tap.

I take a sip. It’s right on the money. “Okay, I was kidding. How did you do that?”
She shrugs with another smile. “No big deal. That’s our most popular beer with the regulars. Local brewery and all that.” 

“And here I thought you were psychic,” I say as I bestow a cocky smirk. “I was going to ask you what to do with my future and everything.”

“Oh yeah?” she says as she leans across the bar to face me. “Life got you down, gorgeous?”

I shrug. “Torn by what I want to do and what I need to do.”

She laughs. “I know what that’s like,” she says. 

“Oh yeah?” I echo. She nods. I rest my chin on my hand. “So what did little Pam want to be when she grew up?” She laughs more. I love the sound. It makes me happier just to hear it. “First of all, I’ve never been little. Secondly, I’m not telling you because it’s silly.”

“Well, now I gotta hear it.” She shakes her head, giggling to herself. “Tell me.”

She leans towards me, to whisper as loud as she can over the jukebox in the corner. “Fine. But if 
you laugh, I’ll charge you double.” I lock my lips with an imaginary key and toss it over my shoulder. 
She glances both ways before she leans even closer. She smells like peonies. “I wanted to be a Rockette.”

I immediately purse my lips so that I don’t laugh. She reaches for her water nozzle and sprays me. 
I laugh as I reach for a stack of napkins to dry myself. 
“Okay, hot shot. What did you want to be?” 

I smile. I’m having a good time. The best time I’ve had in quite a while, in fact. “Guess.”

Her big green eyes travel over me. “Well, lemme see. You’re dressed like a corporate flunkie, but 

you have hair straight out of the 1980s. Those soulful brown eyes tell me you’re generally up to no good.” I can’t help but chuckle. “And that mouth is pure sex. I can so see it just behind a microphone.”
My eyes widen. “Okay, you’re kind of freaking me out a little, Pam.”

“Come on, dude. Look at you. Who would you be if it wasn’t a rock star?”

I sigh and take another swig of beer. “That’s what I keep asking myself.”

“So what’s stopping you?”

I shake my head. I can’t even remember anymore. I open my mouth to talk about my aunt, but I can’t yet. The pain is too fresh. “I’m twenty-six. I have a house. I have two jobs. I have a girlfriend.”She nods. She gets it now. “Let me guess. Your girl doesn’t want to share you with the world.”

“My girl doesn’t think I’ll get that far.”

“Well, that’s kind of shitty.” 

My eyes dart to hers. I’m surprised by her reaction. “She just wants us to be practical. It’s really hard to make it. I mean, when did you give up on your dream to be a dancer?”

She shrugs. “I’m not sure that I ever gave it up entirely. It’d be a sad existence if we give up hope in our dreams.” I continue to stare at her, waiting for her answer. “I don’t know,” she finally says. “It just 
ceased being a priority, I guess. It just fell further and further down the list until it slipped off of it entirely. I don’t think I even noticed. In fact, I kind of forgot about it until you asked.”

That instantly depresses me to hear it. “So what are you going to do about it?”

“Depends. What are you going to do about it?”

I smile. She reminds me a lot of my aunt, but for once it doesn’t hurt. I hold up a finger, 
indicating I need a minute. I reach into my pocket and pull out some money for the jukebox. She watches 
as I peruse the selection, and then Queen’s ode to fat, luscious bottoms blasts from the speakers. She 
laughs as she realizes what I pick. I wear a smile as I walk back to the bar, my hand outstretched. “I’m going to ask you to dance.”

Thursday, July 9, 2015

NEW RELEASE REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: Insider (Exodus End #1) by Olivia Cunning

Insider is here!  Read my review and enter for a chance to win TEN signed books from Olivia's Sinners, Sole Regrets, and Insider series!
Title: Insider (Exodus End #1)
Author: Olivia Cunning
Release Date: June 30, 2015
Find on Goodreads


Synopsis:

Toni wants to be an insider.
Logan just wants inside her.

She’s finally ready to rock...
Toni Nichols set aside her dreams to raise her little sister, but now she's reaching for the stars as the creator of a revolutionary interactive biography about Exodus End. She’s on tour with the rock band to immerse herself in their world, but how will she ever gain the trust of four veteran superstars who've been burned by the media before? Nobody said this was going to be easy. Then again, good things can come in hard packages.

He's always ready to roll…
Adrenaline junkie Logan Schmidt lives for the rush of playing his bass guitar before thousands of screaming fans. When he's not performing onstage or in the bedroom, he's looking for his next thrill in extreme sports. So why does a sweet, innocent journalist get his heart pumping and capture his full attention? Is Toni the real deal or just digging up dirt on his band? Logan’s eager to rock Toni’s world and roll her in the sack, but when she starts to get too close to his heart, she takes her insider look to a place he may never be willing to go.


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Excerpt:

“Have a seat, Toni,” Dare offered. He stood and took a gym bag from her hand. He set it on the floor next to the spot he’d vacated, making it clear that Toni should sit next to Logan on the sofa. Logan loved the guy. Such a thoughtful son of a bitch. Toni’s dark eyes, hidden behind a pair of thick-rimmed glasses, scanned the interior of the bus as if searching for refuge. Apparently the seat next to Logan was not it. Dare plopped himself down in the only available recliner and extended the leg rest, as if he had no intention of moving for the night.

“Th-thanks,” Toni said, pushing her glasses up her nose with one trembling hand.

Logan wasn’t sure what she was so nervous about all of a sudden. She’d seemed perfectly at ease when they’d been interacting with their fans. Perhaps she’d taken his comment about a lamb in a den of wolves to heart. He’d only been teasing, but he found her skittishness endearing in a world where most women threw all inhibitions to the wind when in the presence of any member of his band, much less all four of them.

The bus rumbled as it rolled forward. They were on the road again. Toni’s hands flew out as the unexpected movement threw her off balance.
She plopped down beside Logan, perching on the edge of a cushion as if the sofa’s back was made of shards of glass. Logan was pretty sure she was looking for the emergency exit. Her gaze settled on Butch, who was standing next to their driver and running over a strict schedule detailing how to get them to their next show in time while making a promotional stop between venues. Their schedule never had an inch of give. Their manager, Sam, was a genius when it came to getting the band the most exposure, but he had the tendency to believe that because they were a metal band, they were made of iron. They didn’t require useless things like down time and rest.

“So tell us more about this book,” Dare said, which was apparently the exact right thing to say to Toni, because her unease evaporated instantly.

“Have you seen the new interactive electronic textbooks?” she asked, her eager gaze moving from Dare to Max to Steve.

Logan was very conscious of the fact that she didn’t look at him once. He’d thought their attraction was mutual, but maybe not. He scooted several inches closer to her because he saw something he wanted and wasn’t one to sacrifice his personal needs for the greater good.

“Textbooks?” Steve asked. “Like for school and shit?”

“Yeah, that’s usually where textbooks are used,” she said, a teasing grin on her lush lips. When no one laughed, her face fell. Logan forced a guffaw about five seconds too late. That got his bandmates laughing. Not at Toni’s understated joke. They were laughing at his blatant stupidity. Nothing new there.

“I can’t say I’ve even seen a textbook since high school,” Steve said.

“These new interactive ones are amazing. Each topic has videos and pictures and links. It presents the information in a way that gets students who are used to constant entertainment excited about learning.”

“So you’re writing a textbook about us?” Dare asked, brows drawn together in a confused scowl.

“What kind of textbook would that be? A manual on mayhem and debauchery?” Toni cringed when no one laughed at that joke either.

Logan guffawed five seconds too late again. He was going to have to pay really close attention to what she said to figure out when she was joking. He didn’t think she lacked a sense of humor, she just looked serious. She’d definitely fit in better at a library than at standup-comedy night.

“The publishing company I work for designs and distributes these interactive textbooks,” she said. “Samuel Baily approached us to make an interactive book about the band, the first of its kind. He’s very forward thinking.”

That got the band laughing. “You might say that,” Max said. “Sometimes he’s a bit too forward thinking. He’s got every minute of our schedules booked for the next eighteen years. He thinks we’re robots or something.”

Toni’s eyes bulged. “Eighteen years?” she muttered under her breath.

Surely she knew Max was joking, so why did she look so unsettled? Wondering if he could make her blush again, Logan scooted a few more inches closer to her. His knee brushed her thigh, and she yanked on her skirt. Other than her hands and face, not an inch of bare flesh was showing. He wasn’t sure exactly what she was trying to conceal. Maybe she wasn’t open to his attempts to seduce her. Which made her a challenge. Which, like her tits, he couldn’t resist. Or maybe she had a nice boyfriend at home. His loss.

“Speaking of robots,” Steve said. “How are the prototypes of our androids coming?”

“Good until they tried to replicate my dick and ran out of materials,” Logan said.

Toni’s sudden intake of breath made him grin. That shocked her? Seriously? Too easy.

“If they ran out of materials, it had to be due to Max’s giant forehead,” Steve said.

“Or your enormous feet,” Max countered.

Toni grabbed a pad of paper out of her bag and started writing furiously. Logan leaned against her shoulder to read what had her so excited. She was writing down their conversation. In the margin, she wrote: Keep video camera close at hand when all band members are together. They’re hilarious.

He was close enough to feel her body heat and inhale the sweet fragrance of her fruity shampoo. He wondered if she tasted as sweet as she smelled.

“For the record,” Logan said in her ear as he pointed toward her notes, “I was the one with the big dick.”

Toni leaped from the sofa as if it were on fire. Her gaze darted from one guy to the next, and she pushed her glasses up her nose with the back of her wrist. God, he wanted to take those glasses off, take those clothes off, and do things to her. Naughty, devious, delicious things.

“Um . . .”

The twin bumps poking against her shapeless turtleneck drew Logan’s attention.
Hard nipples? Did his crassness turn her on? That was all the encouragement he needed to behave inappropriately. Visible nipples also meant that her bra was not padded. There was so much win in that, he should have her name engraved on a trophy.

“What’s wrong?” Logan asked. “I won’t bite. But I will nibble. And suck. And lick.”

She stared at him with her mouth agape and her eyes wide. Her nipples strained against her sweater, begging him to do all those things and more to the tips of those luscious melons.

She glanced down at her tits and immediately crossed her arms over her chest. “Is, um, there a bathroom I can use?”

“At the back of the bus,” Dare said, nodding his head toward the end of the corridor.

“Don’t take a dump in there,” Steve said. “We stop at rest areas to do that business.”

Face flaming, she sucked in a deep breath, turned, and sprinted to the back of the bus. She fumbled with the closet door and when it popped open, a stack of towels that had shifted during transit tumbled out and pummeled her in the face.

Logan climbed to his feet to rescue her. He decided to take it easy on her for the moment. He wouldn’t want to traumatize her so much she decided to leave. They both bent to pick up the same towel at the same time and bumped heads. They jerked apart and rubbed their heads in unison. Toni looked up at him, her brown, doe-like eyes watery with tears. He wasn’t sure if they were tears of pain or humiliation, but seeing them in her eyes did strange things to his chest. He wasn’t sure why it was suddenly tight.

“It’s okay,” he said, deciding that though it was fun to tease her, he’d better tone it down a bit. She obviously wasn’t used to it, and he didn’t want to harass a woman who wasn’t receptive to provocative flirting. He hadn’t intended to upset her, just wanted to have a little fun and get under that conservative skirt of hers. “I’ll get the towels, Toni. You go ahead and do your business.” He opened the bathroom door for her.

She lowered her hand from her forehead to reveal a large reddened bump.

Logan winced and leaned forward to press his lips to the lump. She sucked a startled breath into her chest. Shit. There he went crossing the line again.

“Sorry,” he murmured. “I always kiss boo-boos.”

“I have a pimple on my ass that needs kissing,” Steve called.

Logan closed his eyes and shook his head. “One of the things you should consider stressing in your book is how little fucking privacy a man has while on tour with his band.”

“I can include that,” she said, “but I think fans are more interested in the size of your dick.” She backed into the bathroom. “I know I am.” She bit her lip before closing the door in his face.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Rating: 4 stars
Spoiler-free review
Title: Insider (Exodus End, #1)
Author:  Olivia Cunning
Release Date: June 30, 2015
Cliffhanger: No

What happens when a geeky virgin writer goes on tour with a rock band?  You guessed it-- she doesn’t stay a virgin for too long (maybe an hour).  I liked this sexy rock and roll fantasy with a geek mix. Go on tour with Exodus End and hop on a tour bus ride you won’t forget anytime soon. This sizzling hot new series will rock your world or at the very least fog up your Kindle screen for sure.

This review appears on www.kindlecrack.net, www.facebook.com/kindlecrack, Goodreads, Amazon, Google+ and Twitter. A review copy of this book was kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.


Author Info:

Combining her love for romantic fiction and rock 'n roll, USA Today Best-Selling Author Olivia Cunning writes erotic romance centered around rock musicians.

Raised on hard rock music from the cradle, she attended her first Styx concert at age six and fell instantly in love with live music. She's been known to travel over a thousand miles just to see a favorite band in concert. As a teen, she discovered her second love, romantic fiction -- first, voraciously reading steamy romance novels and then penning her own. 




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