Thursday, February 20, 2014

~Deviant

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Synopsis:

SloaneI'm not proud of the things I've done. The things I've had to do. The things I've given away. but I'd give it all over again to find her.Even if i die trying, I have to find Alexis.Zeth She wants me to help her, But I won't. She wants me to save her sister, But I can't. She wants me to be her hero, But I'm not a good man. I am her damnation.
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Excerpt:

“You’re sick, you know that?” I say into the darkness. A soft rustling sound greets me, followed by the shift of movement. Yes, the lights are off but the corridor is lit behind me so it’s not like last time. I can see enough to make out the looming figure that slowly paces toward me. “I know I’m not normal, if that’s what you mean.” A terrible devil’s mask appears before me, two feet away; Zeth is dressed entirely in black, the suit he wears obviously a thing of beauty even in the half light. His dark eyes shine from within the mask, sharp and hungry. “You’ve surprised me, Sloane. I like being surprised,” he rumbles. “Well you’ve surprised me, too. Although I can’t say the feeling is mutual.” He laughs, his voice so deep and powerful I can feel it in the soles of my feet. “You should open up a little. You never know what you might enjoy until you try it.” “I know exactly what I enjoy, Zeth, and standing around watching fifty naked people grind on each other isn’t it.” The eyes behind his mask flicker with annoyance when I say his name. He stalks toward me and reaches out, tracing his fingertips across my jawline. He seems pensive, intrigued by my stillness—I can’t freaking move—as he touches my skin. “If you don’t like watching, Sloane, you can always join in.”

About The Author:

Callie Hart is a bagel eating, coffee drinking denizen of the greatest city on this earth. Born in Colorado, she moved to The Big Apple to study and undertake the Bar exam, and in the meantime she wrote this book! She lives on a ridiculously high floor in a way-too expensive building with her fiancĂ© and their pet goldfish, Neptune. Deviant is the first instalment in her Blood and Roses series. The next instalment, Fracture, is scheduled to be released in April. Stalk the Author: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calliehartauthor Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7771953.Callie_Hart Twitter: https://twitter.com/_callie_hart    

Purchase the Book:

iBooks: http://buff.ly/1cydPNI Amazon US: Amazon UK: tie   own me   mask   fin you  

Giveaway:

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J. Bailes Spotlight


Blurb: 

Walking away from her was the hardest decision I ever made. Leaving her without an explanation broke us both. Our hearts have been left shattered. I could make excuses. I could lay the blame on others, but still I made the decision. I had to. It was the only way to protect the both of them.
After all of Allie’s loss, my thought was only on her and her happiness. On her love and need for her big brother. I was replaceable, Kyle wasn’t. I wouldn’t allow him to crush her heart with his death. I knew I had to follow him. I would throw myself on top of bombs, in front of bullets, whatever it took to get him home to her, alive. There are two sides to every story, and you’ve only heard one. Don’t be so quick to judge; I hate myself for what I’ve done. But all that I did, it was all for Allie.




***Mature Audience Only 18+***
Blurb:
Allie Anderson has encountered more heartache than any one person deserves. She's lost her father to cancer, her brother to war, and the love of her life –Wyatt - took her most prized possession and vanished without a trace. She’s left crushed and heart-broken.
Blake, Allie's best friend, is everything she needs; he'd give her the moon if she asked for it, but there's one problem - he wants Allie entirely. How can Allie give herself to anyone when she's not sure there’s enough left of her heart to give away?
Allie's life begins to fall into place. Her heart begins to heal. Being happy is no longer a foreign emotion. That is until the man who broke her years ago returns, shattering her fragile heart all over again.
Allie soon discovers that hearts are like broken glass; you can put it back together again, but it will never be the same.


About the Author:
J.Bailes


Review:
Fell in love with these books the first one is Shattered and Shaken a girl who lost her dad, brother, and the love of her life only to have a new love to help her through all the tragedy. Allie is strong loving girl who wants to get past what she has been through and Blake her best friend will help her do that as their love blossoms and she comes to terms with the loves she has lost she starts to find herself. Just when the shock of her life happens so does seeing the once love of her life return to her only to be heart broken. In All for Allie is Wyatt's version of what happen and how he felt when he left Allie and what his life was like. Please read this series it is one of the best. 


















Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Meant for Me




Title: Meant For Me
Author: L.P. Dover
Release Day: December 30, 2013


Synopsis:

After a night of raw passion with the man Claire O’Briene had been secretly admiring for years, she thought their time together had come once and for all. Fate had finally brought them back to each other, but unfortunately nothing had changed. He was still the same man who ran away from relationships. Against his better judgment, Mason Bradley gave in to the temptation and allowed himself one night with the one woman he’d been too afraid to want … too afraid to need. 

Six months after leaving Claire and regretting every minute of it, Mason gets called in for an undercover mission that’s not only dangerous, but brings back a past he spent years trying to forget. A past of fighting … of getting in the ring and using his fists to get what he wanted: money, women, and drugs. Now there are fighters turning up dead, and it’s Mason’s job to find out the truth. 

Knowing he might not come out of the mission alive, Mason seeks out Claire to tell her how he truly feels, only to find another man competing for her love as well. Fighting is what he’s good at, and for once he will be fighting not only for justice … but for love.


Author Bio:

USA TODAY Bestselling author, L.P. Dover, is the author of the Forever Fae series, as well as the Second Chances standalone series, and her NA romantic suspense standalone called Love, Lies, and Deception. She lives in the beautiful state of North Carolina with her husband, her two wild girls, and her rambunctious kitten Katrina.

Before she began her career in the literary world, L.P. Dover spent her years going to college and then graduated to cleaning teeth, which she loved doing. At least until the characters in her head called her away. She has never been the same since.




 Social Media Links:


Excerpt:

The door to the arena room was open, and the moment we stepped in Claire gasped and I stared, wide-eyed at all the people. "Holy shit," I breathed in awe. "It's packed." 

Every single chair around the cage was occupied and there were people standing around everywhere. There were two guys already in the cage battling it out, except they looked to be part of the Lightweight division. When I fought several years ago, I was competing for the Heavyweight title. If they did fights in order of division then I would be going up there last."Hey, guys," Tyler exclaimed, carrying a beer in his hands. 
Disapprovingly, I glared at the beer and then back up to him. "You should know better than to get drunk before a fight. It makes you sloppy," I scolded him. 

I really didn't care either way what he did, but I knew better than to drink when I had to compete. Tyler chugged his beer and threw his cup in the trash a little too roughly. 

"I do know better than to drink when I have to fight, but unfortunately, I'm not fighting tonight," he announced. 

"Wait, what?" Claire cut in. "What do you mean you're not fighting? If you're not the one fighting Mason then who is?" 

Tyler glanced around the room with narrowed eyes until he found the person I was to fight and pointed to him. "That's the guy over there with the blue mohawk. I think you might know him. He said he owed you for something you did a long time ago. Care to explain," Tyler inquired curiously. 

Following the direction of Ty's pointed finger, I groaned when I saw the guy with the blue mohawk. Fuck, I knew who he was, or better yet, I knew his wife ... very well. 

"What is it Mason?" Claire asked worriedly. "Who is he?"

His name was Chase Benfield and I did the unthinkable by fucking his wife. Blowing out a frustrated breath, I lowered my head and began to explain, "Do you remember when I mentioned I had a dark past?"

"Yeah," she said, drawling out the word. "Let me guess, you fought him back in the day?"

I nodded. "Yes, but that wasn't just it." I didn't want to tell her what I did because I was ashamed of the way I acted and the way I did things. I was sure she would understand, hopefully, but I didn't want her thinking less of me.

Claire let go of my hand and crossed her arms over her chest defiantly. "Dammit, just tell me already. You did this same shit to me when I was keeping something from you."

"Fine," I gave in, "but I need you to know it was a long time ago and it was before I even met you. I was stupid and did lots of stupid things that I shouldn't have."

She rolled her eyes. "Let me guess, you slept with his girlfriend," she guessed blandly.

Sighing, I regretfully nodded my head and waited for the angry words to come spewing out of her mouth. Instead, she said, "So, what's the big deal? You slept with her. That shit happens all the time. Why would he be angry about that still?"

"Well," I began, "it was actually his wife and I hooked up with her in my prepping room during his fight for a spot at the Heavyweight title. His trainer had come looking for her and found us. Needless to say, word got back to Chase awfully fast."

Claire groaned and hung her head. "Oh, hell, this isn't going to be good."

Chase finally spotted me from across the room and snarled his lip. No, I thought to myself, this definitely wasn't going to be good. 

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Review:

Now I have read reviews by other's who may not have liked this book however I am not one of them. I flipping loved this book. I couldn't put it down. The chemistry between Claire and Mason is hot not to mention fighter, cop, and all around hunky man. Claire and Mason met through Claire's best friend who happens to be Mason's cousin Melissa it was lust between the two of them. But one night ruined it all. Clarie moved on with football player Caleb however her heart will always be Mason's. When devastation in the fighting community happens it's Mason who goes undercover to try and find out what is going on. However he's not alone in this as Claire's past comes into view and she is there to help Mason. Follow their steamy romance on top of finding out who the killer is. This book has sex, violence, and WTF moments you will not believe. Enjoy I did.


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<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large; color: #000000;">After a night of raw passion with the man Claire O’Briene had been secretly admiring for years, she thought their time together had come once and for all. Fate had finally brought them back to each other, but unfortunately nothing had changed. He was still the same man who ran away from relationships. Against his better judgment, Mason Bradley gave in to the temptation and allowed himself one night with the one woman he’d been too afraid to want … too afraid to need.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large; color: #000000;">Six months after leaving Claire and regretting every minute of it, Mason gets called in for an undercover mission that’s not only dangerous, but brings back a past he spent years trying to forget. A past of fighting … of getting in the ring and using his fists to get what he wanted: money, women, and drugs. Now there are fighters turning up dead, and it’s Mason’s job to find out the truth.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large; color: #000000;">Knowing he might not come out of the mission alive, Mason seeks out Claire to tell her how he truly feels, only to find another man competing for her love as well. Fighting is what he’s good at, and for once he will be fighting not only for justice … but for love.</span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large; color: #000000;">The door to the arena room was open, and the moment we stepped in Claire gasped and I stared, wide-eyed at all the people. "Holy shit," I breathed in awe. "It's packed." </span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large; color: #000000;"> Every single chair around the cage was occupied and there were people standing around everywhere. There were two guys already in the cage battling it out, except they looked to be part of the Lightweight division. When I fought several years ago, I was competing for the Heavyweight title. If they did fights in order of division then I would be going up there last."Hey, guys," Tyler exclaimed, carrying a beer in his hands. </span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large; color: #000000;"> Disapprovingly, I glared at the beer and then back up to him. "You should know better than to get drunk before a fight. It makes you sloppy," I scolded him. </span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large; color: #000000;"> I really didn't care either way what he did, but I knew better than to drink when I had to compete. Tyler chugged his beer and threw his cup in the trash a little too roughly. </span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large; color: #000000;"> "I do know better than to drink when I have to fight, but unfortunately, I'm not fighting tonight," he announced. </span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large; color: #000000;"> "Wait, what?" Claire cut in. "What do you mean you're not fighting? If you're not the one fighting Mason then who is?" </span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large; color: #000000;"> Tyler glanced around the room with narrowed eyes until he found the person I was to fight and pointed to him. "That's the guy over there with the blue mohawk. I think you might know him. He said he owed you for something you did a long time ago. Care to explain," Tyler inquired curiously. </span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large; color: #000000;"> Following the direction of Ty's pointed finger, I groaned when I saw the guy with the blue mohawk. <i>Fuck, I knew who he was, or better yet, I knew his wife ... very well. </i></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large; color: #000000;"> "What is it Mason?" Claire asked worriedly. "Who is he?"</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large; color: #000000;"> His name was Chase Benfield and I did the unthinkable by fucking his wife. Blowing out a frustrated breath, I lowered my head and began to explain, "Do you remember when I mentioned I had a dark past?"</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large; color: #000000;"> "Yeah," she said, drawling out the word. "Let me guess, you fought him back in the day?"</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large; color: #000000;"> I nodded. "Yes, but that wasn't just it." I didn't want to tell her what I did because I was ashamed of the way I acted and the way I did things. I was sure she would understand, hopefully, but I didn't want her thinking less of me.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large; color: #000000;"> Claire let go of my hand and crossed her arms over her chest defiantly. "Dammit, just tell me already. You did this same shit to me when I was keeping something from you."</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large; color: #000000;"> "Fine," I gave in, "but I need you to know it was a long time ago and it was before I even met you. I was stupid and did lots of stupid things that I shouldn't have."</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large; color: #000000;"> She rolled her eyes. "Let me guess, you slept with his girlfriend," she guessed blandly.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large; color: #000000;"> Sighing, I regretfully nodded my head and waited for the angry words to come spewing out of her mouth. Instead, she said, "So, what's the big deal? You slept with her. That shit happens all the time. Why would he be angry about that still?"</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large; color: #000000;"> "Well," I began, "it was actually his wife and I hooked up with her in my prepping room during his fight for a spot at the Heavyweight title. His trainer had come looking for her and found us. Needless to say, word got back to Chase awfully fast."</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large; color: #000000;"> Claire groaned and hung her head. "Oh, hell, this isn't going to be good."</span>
<span style="font-size: large; color: #000000;"> Chase finally spotted me from across the room and snarled his lip. <i>No, </i>I thought to myself, <i>this definitely wasn't going to be good. </i></span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large; color: #000000;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6526309.L_P_Dover" target="_blank">GOODREADS</a> / <a href="https://www.facebook.com/lpdover" target="_blank">FACEBOOK </a>/ <a href="http://authorlpdoverbooks.com/" target="_blank">WEBSITE</a> / <a href="https://twitter.com/LPDover" target="_blank">TWITTER</a></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large; color: #000000;"><em>USA TODAY Bestselling author, </em>L.P. Dover, is the author of the Forever Fae series, as well as the Second Chances standalone series, and her NA romantic suspense standalone called Love, Lies, and Deception. She lives in the beautiful state of North Carolina with her husband, her two wild girls, and her rambunctious kitten Katrina.</span></p>
<span style="font-size: large; color: #000000;">Before she began her career in the literary world, L.P. Dover spent her years going to college and then graduated to cleaning teeth, which she loved doing. At least until the characters in her head called her away. She has never been the same since.</span>
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Thursday, February 13, 2014

~The Problem with Crazy



  

Title: The Problem With Crazy
Author: Lauren K McKellar
Genre: NA Contemporary Romance
Cover design: Rebecca Berto, of Berto Designs
Release Date:  February 13, 2014
 
 
The problem with crazy is that crazy, by itself, has no context. It can be good crazy, bad crazy . . . or crazy crazy—like it was when my ex-boyfriend sung about me on the radio.

Eighteen-year-old Kate couldn’t be more excited about finishing high school and spending the summer on tour with her boyfriend’s band. Her dad showing up drunk at graduation, however, is not exactly kicking things off on the right foot—and that’s before she finds out about his mystery illness, certain to end in death.

A mystery illness she is likely to inherit.

When your whole life goes from adventure and ecstasy to sad and suicidal, what’s the point? Not knowing who to love, and who to trust . . . where does it end?

The Problem With Crazy is a story about love and life; about overcoming obstacles, choosing to trust, and learning how to make the choices that will change your life forever.

*A portion of sales from this book will be donated to a Huntington’s disease-related charity (details TBC)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Review 
What can you say about a book that sucks you in, chews you up and spits you out?
From the very beginning I could not put this book down..... 18 year old Kate is one of those characters that you cant help but feel EVERY emotion for, from what she thought was her drunken dad to facing a disease that she had NO idea about to being dumped because of it. I wanted to just hold her hand and tell her it would be alright.  
The synopsis says
 
"The Problem With Crazy is a story about love and life; about overcoming obstacles, choosing to trust, and learning how to make the choices that will change your life forever."
 
 I honestly could not have summed this book up better, this book is a SOLID 5 STARS... I will promise you that you will need a box of tissues as you read this book but it is ABSOLUTELY worth it!!
 
FIVE FACTS WITH LAUREN K. MCKELLAR
 
Where did you get your inspiration? I was inspired to write this story when I met a friend of mine’s father, who unfortunately, has the disease. I didn’t go through the struggle with him when he got tested, or anything, but meeting someone who suffered from such an obviously horrible illness was really sad.
 
My cousin suffers from a mental illness, and one of the things I dislike most is the special treatment, and the frequent use of the term ‘crazy’. And so, The Problem With Crazy was born.
 
Was writing about such a horrible illness difficult? I think writing about any illness is difficult. When you create fiction about something that not only alters people’s lives, but can kill them, you’re treading on sensitive ground.

That’s why I did a lot of research; I interviewed victims, spoke to state bodies, and observed people who weren’t affected, but who knew people who were. I hope this means I’ve done the subject matter justice.
 
Why New Adult? This illness is all about change in life, and for me, New Adult, or Upper YA, is one of the biggest change periods a person will go through. It’s coming of age, it’s defining life moments, and I couldn’t think of a time when people are more socially aware and conscious, and yet still at a period when life- and person-making choices are made. For me, eighteen years was the ultimate age to set this story with maximum impact.
 
So is the moral to the story to not get Huntington’s disease? No. This disease isn’t contagious. It’s hereditary, which is horrid enough.

However, the moral isn’t to do with this particular illness. It’s twofold; it’s partly to do with the literal use of the term ‘crazy’, and, more importantly, to do with living life to the fullest. To not knowing when or where you could die, but to living life anyway. To trying, and persevering, and working, and laughing, and smiling, and loving, and living—it’s to being. To being as if each day is your last—and in spite of the fact.
 
So, heavy stuff. Let’s talk about romance. Is there some lovin’ in this book? Well, you know what? Love is a central theme, as it is in most of our lives. Loving, however … well, let’s just say, it’s certainly not an erotic romance. Still, I don’t know that I could write and not include love to help bind the elements together.
 
For me, love has always been a part of my life. I’d dream of finding ‘the one’ when I was younger; and now that I’ve finally found him, it’s everything I could have wanted, and more. To write a story and not incorporate a part of that, a fragment of something I probably feel strongest about—I don’t know that I could do it.
 
Finally, the dedication. Tell us about that. Well, I dedicated this book to the person who inspired me to write it. I wanted to raise awareness about something that struck someone so cruelly.

Also, that person is someone’s father. While my father never had Huntington’s, he did pass away from cancer when I was in my late teens, and I feel like the altering of a father figure is something that’s personal. This book is being released on the anniversary of my father’s death; so it’s for dads everywhere. Happy, healthy, loving, paternal, diseased, and healthy. Because who can argue with that?
 
 
 
 
 

I raised my hands to my sides and lifted up my T-shirt, throwing it over my head and letting it land on the floor next to me. Swaying my hips to the side, I threw my hands out in a ta-da movement, like I was the host on a game show.
 
“And the jeans.” Dave nodded and took a few steps back to the bed, sitting down and crossing his arms. His face was blank, and his eyebrows were raised. I’d never seen him look so unimpressed.
 
I flipped the button and undid my fly, slowly pulling my skinny jeans over my thighs, my knees, my calves, and finally my ankles and feet. There was no way to do it and be sexy, so I settled for not falling over. I stepped out of my pants and stood up straight, in only my underwear.
 
Dave checked his cell for messages.
 
I felt sick.

 
 
 
 

Lauren K. McKellar is a writer and editor of fact and fiction. She has worked in publishing for more than eight years, and recently returned to her first love: writing books that make you feel.

Lauren loves to write for the Young and New Adult markets, and blogs with Aussie Owned and Read, as well as vlogging with the YA Rebels.

In her free time, Lauren enjoys long walks on the beach with her two super-cute dogs and her partner-in-crime/fiancé.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

WRITING ABOUT ILLNESS

 
Writing about illness and disease is obviously dancing with danger. After all, when you're talking about a condition that can change, and eventually, strip someone of their life, it's important to treat the topic with sensitivity and do it justice. Stuffing up things like symptoms, treatment and other conditional specifications can not only leave you labeled a liar, but also leave you responsible for potentially causing a sufferer insult and/or injury.
 
The Problem With Crazy deals with Huntington's disease, a neurodegenerative disorder that results in a loss of brain function and, approximately 15-20 years after onset, death. And that's putting it in simple terms.
 
When writing about this disease, I wanted to keep as close to the facts as I could. Being a lesser-known condition than, say, cancer, or Parkinson's, it was difficult at first to gather facts.
 
Eventually, I approached a few organisations, state bodies for sufferers of this illness, to fact check and gather information. This was difficult as a writer; asking people to give up their time for something that may never be published is hard, especially when you're asking such personal questions. Still, I was lucky enough to speak with a person at the Huntington's foundation in Victoria, and they helped me a lot.
 
I also learnt a lot from talking with sufferers and relatives of sufferers. They showed me a unique angle to the disease I hadn't at that point considered: a compassion, and positive focus I may not have been aware of otherwise.
 
In the end, I asked another state body to read through the book for any factual errors. At the end of the day, this illness isn't my story to tell--it's theirs, and I don't want to misrepresent it. Still, I do expect there to be an element or two of information that perhaps isn't quite accurate. When it comes down to it, I haven't suffered from this illness, nor has anyone in my family, thank goodness. It is for this reason that I hope you, as a reader, understand that this is a work of fiction, and for more information on this disease