Saturday, October 12, 2013

Book Blast: Liar Liar by Dawn Pendleton + Giveaway!!




Hazel is a freshman at Coastal Carolina and looking forward to making new friends. When she meets Roman, she’s head over heels for him. There’s one problem, though: he’s still hung up on Hazel’s roommate, Cheyanne. But Cheyanne has a secret, one that has the potential to ruin her life in college. When Hazel learns the secret, she’s determined to use it against Cheyanne to win over Roman. She never imagines her plan could backfire, leaving her as a pariah among her new circle of friends.

The BFF series follows the lives of new adults, Hazel, Miranda, Cheyanne, Destiny, Audric, Nolan, Andre, and Roman. Follow their stories as the first season of novellas are released once a week from September to March.



Get your FREE copy today!
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Friday, October 11, 2013

Book Blast: Alchemy by Sheena Boekweg, Melanie Crouse, and Sabrina West + Giveaway!!

Alchemy

Sheena Boekweg, Melanie Crouse, and Sabrina West

457 pages
YA Paranormal 

Synopsis:
"Do you want me to be dangerous?" he asked, his voice husky and low.
I gulped, and for a moment I was incapable of speech. But he was quiet, waiting. "No. I don't."
"Then I'm not dangerous at all," he murmured. His gaze moved from my eyes to my mouth. "You've never been safer than you are at this moment." I shivered as his breath tickled my skin. Our lips were mere millimeters apart when the sky shattered in a kaleidoscope of colored light.


We didn’t know how much we had to lose until we were infected with magic. Sam was in love, Juliette was the main caretaker for her siblings, and Ana and her dad planned the best parties in New York. But we lost it all when we were shipped to Chebeague, an exclusive school for newly infected mages.

Everyone knows about the mages, those who survive the infection and end up with magical abilities. We’ve seen the power of magic, the high-paying jobs, and the world fame. But we never saw the cost. We didn’t know we’d be forced to give up everything: sanity, family, even the right to talk on the phone.

We didn’t know mage was just another word for prisoner.

 
Amazon
 


How we came to write Alchemy: 

Once upon a time, there were some aspiring authors who wrote on a blog called The Prosers. (theprosers.blogspot.com) One day, Sabrina wrote a blog post about a book called Sorcery and Cecilia. Sabrina explained that:  

"The authors wrote the book entirely by sending letters to each other from the point of view of their characters. The picked a setting ahead of time… and then were not allowed to discuss plot at all, just let it develop naturally. And yes, it has to be real letters, or else it's not quite so fun to get the story in the mail."

Sheena was delighted with the idea, and asked if anyone wanted to try it with her. Both Sabrina and Melanie volunteered, and there we hit our first snag. How on earth does one write a cohesive story via letters sent between three people? 

So we got together for a facebook chat where we brainstormed solutions. It took a few weeks, and false starts, but eventually Melanie mentioned a real boarding school for rich, troubled teenagers where they were required to write journal entries to their therapists in exchange for privileges, and everything took off from there.

We each picked a character. Sabrina chose Juliette, an angry, scared girl who just wants to go home. Sheena created Sam, a sexy but broken boy who doesn't know how to function without his girlfriend, and Melanie created Ana, a gracious, yet opportunistic beauty who doesn't have anything worth missing back home.

We added some secondary characters and a rich magical world, and began. For most of the book, we truly did send the letters via snail mail (although thank heavens we knew not to start anticipating them until we got a message on facebook saying they were on their way! How did people survive doing it the other way???) As the action started heating up at the end, we started sending our sections via internet, and that’s when we really hit our stride. 

On the one hand, it is pretty frustrating when you think you know where you are going with a story, and someone (cough, cough, Sheena) careens off the path and turns the whole story line on its head. On the other hand, some of best parts of the book came when we were trying desperately to get the story back on track.The explanations we all had to come up with about why the stories turned out the way they did were so much fun! For example, if Sheena hadn't had the characters try to escape, we would never have realized they were prisoners. Sometimes the ripples created waves that were better than what we had originally planned. It was exhilarating and magical, and it didn't take long before we realized that this book wasn't just fun, it was also going to be awesome enough to share with the world! We hope you love it as much as we do. 

What is Alchemy about?

There are three main characters: Sam, a former baseball player who uses girls as a kind of medicine, Juliette, whose past has made her react to the world with clenched fists, and Ana, who is so normal that there is no way she’ll ever be able to fit in at this school for freaks.

Imagine a cross between Harry Potter, Ender’s Game, and Gossip Girl. Sam, Juliette and Ana have just been sent to a magical school, and have been told they will never see their families again. One of the biggest things that makes our book different from the usual paranormal romance, is that magic isn't a secret. Once they have survived infection with a magical virus, and managed to retain their sanity, they will be used by the government as a weapon, similar to nuclear armament.  Mages aren’t allowed back into polite society. They are too unstable, and definitely too dangerous.  But Juliette, Ana, and Sam are still teens, and none of that is half as important as their friendships and crushes.

Shy, awkward Seb is in love with Ana. Can Sam teach him the right moves to pull Ana’s attention away from the sexy janitor, James? Juliette hates Zach, the snarky leader of the Elite. So why can’t she get him out of her head? Even though Sam will never be allowed to see his girlfriend Katie again, his love for her is unfailing. Except, there’s this girl...



Sheena Boekweg (writing as Sam) is the author of the award winning novel Funny Tragic Crazy Magic. Look for her next novel, Waxling in 2014. She is a mom of three living in West Jordan, Utah. You can find Sheena on Facebook, Twitter, and her website

Sabrina West (writing as Juliette) is a writer and wildlife biologist living in San Diego, California. There, she wanders the streets searching for rare shorebirds, quality espresso, and elusive snippets of dialogue and imagery. Her short fiction has appeared in markets such as the Santa Clara Review, Cover of Darkness, and Strange, Weird and Wonderful Magazine. She also has a story upcoming in Kayelle Press's Night Terrors Anthology.

Melanie Crouse (writing as Ana) lives in the gorgeous state of Maine with her (usually) delightful family. She wishes with all her heart that her teenage children weren't so embarrassed that their mom writes "kissing scenes". With any luck, her first solo book, Hidden Magic, will be out in early January, 2015. You can find Melanie on Facebook and her website.

Meet all of us at: 



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Book Blitz: More by T.M. Franklin + Giveaway!!




More (More #1)
Release Date: 10/04/13

Summary from Goodreads:
Ava Michaels used to think she was special.

As a child, she fantasized about having magical powers . . . making things happen. But Ava grew up and eventually accepted the fact that her childish dreams were just that, and maybe a normal life wasn't so bad after all.

Now a young college student, Ava meets Caleb Foster, a brilliant and mysterious man who’s supposed to help her pass Physics, but in reality has another mission in mind. What he shows Ava challenges her view of the world, shaking it to its very core.

Because Caleb isn't quite what he seems. In fact, he's not entirely human, and he's not the only one.

Together, the duo faces a threat from an ancient race bound to protect humans, but only after protecting their own secrets—secrets they fear Ava may expose. Fighting to survive, Ava soon learns she's not actually normal . . . she's not even just special.

She's a little bit more.

Available from:

Check out the FREE short story!

Excerpt:
 
“Okay,” Ava said. “Now what?”
 
Caleb pulled out his phone, tapping away on it.
 
“Wait a second,” Ava said, stilling his hand. “Is it safe to use a cell phone? Can’t it be traced?”
 
Caleb shook his head. “Not this one.” He glanced up at her. “Do you have one?”
 
Ava pulled her phone out of her backpack, and Caleb cursed under his breath.
 
“It’s not on,” she said.
 
“It doesn’t matter.” He grabbed the phone. “I could take out the battery, but they’d still know this was our last location.” Caleb thought for a moment then grabbed Ava’s hand, turning to walk quickly down the block.
 
“Where are we going?” she asked.
 
Caleb pointed to a Greyhound sign across the street. They walked into the small bus station, coming to a stop in front of the departures board. “Wait here,” he said after a moment, glancing around the station before heading out the back door. Ava paced nervously, her eyes darting around, before she took a seat on one of the hard plastic chairs. Caleb returned a few minutes later, motioning for her to join him as he walked back out the front entrance.
 
“What was that all about?” Ava asked with an irritated wave of her hand.
 
“Couldn’t risk leaving it here in town, even if we took the battery out,” Caleb said. “We’ve been monitoring your movements for quite some time. It’s good that you turned it off, but even then, it’s not impossible to track. I put it on a bus to New York, just in case.”
 
“New York?”
 
Caleb nodded. “It leaves in a few minutes. With any luck, it’ll throw them off the trail. At least long enough for us to get to the safe house.” He looked back down at his phone and pulled out a small piece of paper from his jacket pocket.
 
“What are you doing?”
 
“The location is encoded. I just have to figure out . . .” He looked back and forth between the paper and phone for a moment, and Ava leaned in, scanning the strange combination of symbols, letters, and numbers.
 
She tried to make sense of it, biting her lip as she leaned in a bit closer. Caleb’s breath ruffled the hair at her temple, and Ava stiffened, suddenly very aware of how close they were standing. She swallowed thickly, fighting the urge to jump back like a frightened kitten.
 
Then—so slightly that she thought she might have imagined it—Caleb’s breath hitched. A prickle of awareness ran along Ava’s skin, her heart thudding heavily in her chest, and she stepped back purposefully, looking away down the street.
 
What in the world was that?
******
 

About the Author
T.M. Franklin started out her career writing non-fiction in a television newsroom. Graduating with a B.A. in Communications specializing in broadcast journalism and production, she worked for nine years as a major market television news producer, and garnered two regional Emmy Awards, before she resigned to be a full-time mom and part-time freelance writer. After writing and unsuccessfully querying a novel that she now admits, “is not that great,” she decided to follow the advice of one of the agents who turned her down—write some more and get better at it. Her first published novel, MORE, was born during National Novel Writing month, a challenge to write a novel in thirty days.

She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, Mike, is mom to two boys, Justin and Ryan, and has an enormous black dog named Rocky who’s always lying nearby while she’s writing. Whether he’s soothed by the clicking of the computer keys or just waiting for someone to rub his belly is up for debate.

In addition to MORE, Franklin penned the Amazon best-selling short story, Window, as well as another short story, A Piece of Cake, which appears in the Romantic Interludes anthology. The sequel to MORE, The Guardians, will be released November 7, 2013.

Connect with T.M. Franklin
Website | Facebook | Twitter  | Goodreads    

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Thursday, October 10, 2013

Release Day Blitz: Seeing Light by Michelle Warren + Giveaway!!


Seeing Light
The Seraphina Parrish Trilogy # 3
Genre- YA Fantasy/ Time Travel
Publication Date- October 10th, 2013 
Available at Amazon

As the corruption of the Society intensifies and the questions surrounding her mother mount, Seraphina Parrish embarks on a journey to find Terease in the terrifying Wandering city of Nocturna. But the information she learns there only sends her team on a dangerous mission to fulfill an ancient prophecy. Delving deep into the disturbing secrets of their world, the revelations quickly unravel, revealing shocking truths about the Society and Sera’s life. In the end, power and courage clash in a mission for freedom that may shatter the Wandering world completely.

  

Cover Reveal: What Remains by Nicole R. Taylor




What Remains

Nicole R. Taylor

Adult Post-Apocalyptic

Available at  Amazon  Smashwords
Cover by: Paper & Sage Designs



Synopsis:

I’d never known true darkness until the lights went out.
I had never known what it was to be hungry.
Everyone I ever knew was dead. If they weren’t, then they wished they were.
I know I did.

Prue Ashford has been surviving alone in the Australian bush for the last three years. After an unknown virus wiped out most of the human population, she escaped the chaos and hid. Every town and city was locked down into quarantine, but that only led to the inevitable. Death.
 
Living off the land, avoiding other survivors turned bad, she’s led a lonely life, surviving on the edge of a very narrow cliff. The moment she begins to lose hope is when she meets the handsome and enigmatic, Shaw.
 
He’s the first human being she’s seen in three years that hasn’t tried to kill her and she doesn’t dare to hope. She’d given up finding anyone alive that still had goodness inside of them.
 
Her only option if she wants to live is to trust Shaw and he takes her to the isolated community he calls home. Being among people again is it’s own challenge and Prue finds herself tested on every front. Making friends was never easy for her and making them after an apocalypse is even harder.
 
Hannah, the town’s apprentice doctor, becomes the closest thing Prue has to a best friend and Nan fast becomes her surrogate mother. Shaw brings feelings to the surface that she would rather forget and Eva, the mayor’s daughter, seems hell bent on making her life a living hell.
 
In the end, Prue must make a decision. Stay in the town at the end of the world and learn how to love again, or go back into the wasteland of human civilisation and go it alone.
*
What Remains is a gritty story of human survival. When society crumbles and chaos reigns, people become desperate. They turn to violence and resort to extreme measures to go on living. Parts of this story may be confronting for some people. It contains violent situations staged by desperate people, the extremes that people go to to show their love and a dose of bad language. It’s recommended for readers 18 and up.

 
 
 
 

 
 
Nicole R. Taylor is a Paranormal, Urban Fantasy and Contemporary Romance author from country Victoria, Australia.

Previously, she has written for various small street press music and entertainment publications as a gig and album reviewer before publishing her first Urban Fantasy novel in early 2013.

When she isn't writing, Nicole likes to spend time curled up with a good book and her 3-year-old rescue cat, Burger. She gets itchy feet more often than not and has lived in three countries and travelled to three times as many.

Author links:
Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter



 

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Book Blast: Bronze by B.B. Shepherd + Giveaway!!

bronze
 
 
 
Bronze The Glister Journals: Bronze

Allison Anderson knows she's a little different, but it hadn't bothered her too much-until now. Moving away from everything she's ever known to a new house, new neighborhood, and new school is bad enough, but it's her first year of high school too, making it even more intimidating. She's more aware of her social and physical limitations than ever before. And then there are the new people she meets: the tough-looking girl in her home room; the cute but dangerous-looking boy she first saw before school even started; the quiet, older girl who keeps to herself; the sullen-looking, seemingly isolated junior that doesn't seem to trust or like her at all. Can she trust them? While the peaceful situation of her new home only amplifies the sound of her own doubts, she begins to learn that things are not always what they seem, and her world is turned upside-down by these new friends, two-legged and otherwise. Life soon becomes more complicated, and much more interesting!   About The Glister Journals series: The Glister Journals series is told from the perspective of a normal but not average teenage girl. It is not obvious, but Allison has a mild pervasive developmental disorder (autism spectrum). She thinks and experiences things a little differently from most of the other kids. In the past it has caused her to be alienated at best and bullied at worst. After the family moves, she becomes involved with a group of teens that open up new worlds to her. The four book series follows her through high school but is equally about her friends who have their own problems, fears, and aspects of their lives they’d rather keep quiet. There is action—mostly in the form of equestrian and extreme sports—and though there are only hints of it in Bronze, there is a love story which will play a more prominent part as the series progresses. The main story is about assumptions, acceptance, love, and friendship, though there are other themes running throughout the series.
 
 
 
  Praise for Bronze Allison narrates a gentle coming-of-age story that has a strong equine subplot…undeveloped plot points hint at future complications and will likely keep readers looking for the next entry. — Cindy Welch Booklist Online Written with intelligent humor, this tale follows an awkward girl as she enters a new school...This is a strong first book, both for Shepherd and for the series. The friendships the characters build are realistic and lifelike, strong, and durable, just like bronze. — Beth VanHouten ForeWord Reviews The story is well-written and sweetly told. Allison’s anxieties and insecurities are true-to-life, and so affectionately and clearly portrayed as to make anyone who’s ever been through adolescence wince in sympathy. Dave, Robin and Chris are complicated, intelligent, three-dimensional characters whom the reader enjoys getting to know, and all of the minor characters are vividly drawn and believably real. The author is adept at setting a scene, both external and internal, bringing Allison’s mind and world to vivid life. — Catherine Langrehr IndieReader "Bronze: The Glister Journals" is a well-written novel of teenagers and their world. It is also a story of horses and teenage horsemanship. The main character Allison is a totally delightful fourteen year old girl whose innocence and awkwardness is refreshing. — Alice DiNizo Readers' Favorite  


indie reader
 
 
BBAuthor B.B. Shepherd A graduate of Cal Poly with graduate work at Chapman and U C Santa Cruz, B. B. Shepherd has lived most of her life in California and loves the diverse beauty of its many landscapes. Music, horses, literature, and art have been her passions as long as she can remember. She enjoys road trips, almost all horse sports and extreme sports (as a spectator), and is addicted to research. As a writer, Shepherd enjoys exploring emotions and motivations: why do people do what they do? She also likes trying to find the funny side of things. She admits to being a hopeless romantic and often gets in trouble for her sense of humor. Bronze is her debut novel, the first in a series of four called The Glister Journals. She currently works full time as a music professional and educator, and lives in the San Francisco Bay area with her youngest daughter and a very silly cat.

 
 
$100 BookBlast Giveaway $100 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 10/18/13 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
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Two Exclusive Houston Area Events!



BIKERS-BABES & BOOKS is a themed book signing taking place at STUBBSHARLEY-DAVIDSON in Houston Texas. This event will feature multiple authors whose books are biker themed or have a main character who rides a motorcycle. 

AUTHORS
Subject to change...
more to come!!

Get your FREE ticket here!

*********************************************

When: Sunday, November 10, 2013 12:00pm - 4:00pm
Where: Buca di Beppo 19075 I-45 South Conroe, TX 77385
This is the Houston/Woodlands Area

Ticket Price: $70.00
Ticket Price Includes
Paperback copies of
(1)One Week Girlfriend, (1)Second Chance Boyfriend, & (1)Crave by Monica Murphy
Exclusive Tote Bags with goodies and swag
Dinner is included in the price. 
Insalate  (Served with House Bread)
Pasta/Baked Pasta
Entrée 
Dessert
Beverages - Unlimited Soft Drinks, Coffee & Tea
Only 30 tickets available so get yours fast!

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Review: Judging Covers by Kristen Beairsto

Judging Covers

Kristen Beairsto


Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Released: August 1, 2013
Heat Level: Steamy
206 pages

FREE at Amazon 10/7 & 10/8/13

Synopsis:

Warning: This title is intended for readers over the age of 18 as it contains adult sexual situations and/or adult language, and may be considered offensive to some readers.

Books have always been Juliet Marlowe's sanctuary; the one place she would never be judged or made to feel like an outcast.  But when tragedy strikes, she has to get her nose out of the antique tomes she prefers and become the guardian of her five younger brothers and sisters.


Jules struggles to make ends meet.   And with the constant threat of losing custody of her siblings if she doesn't maintain the standard of living previously set by her parents, she finds herself forced to make tough decisions and take risks.
 
One thing she knows for certain is she definitely does not have room in her life for a relationship.  Especially with a man who's trying to readjust to civilian life and who once held a starring role in her secret fantasies.  No, absolutely not, she does not have any room in her life for Roman Price and his smoldering gaze that triggers her irritating blushes with only a thought.
 
But when everything Jules has built threatens to collapse on her, she finds herself not only accepting Roman's offer of help, but starts to question whether or not she misjudged the situation from the beginning.
 
 
My Review:
 
As soon as I read the synopsis and excerpt featured on my blog yesterday, I knew I'd be reading this book. The fact that Judging Covers is free on Kindle 10/7 & 10/8/13 just made it that much easier to add it to my list. I'm always up for a fun, lighthearted romp, and this novel didn't disappoint. It's a quick read, 206 pages, which amounts to only a couple hours for me so I read it in one sitting.
 
Frankly, I find main character Jules awe inspiring. Her parents died in an accident when she was twenty-one, and for the last five years she has worked her butt off supporting her five brothers and sisters. There is nothing Jules would not do for her family, which of course comes back to bite her. If anyone deserves a break, it's Jules.
 
That break comes in the form of Roman Price, who has recently returned home after an honorary discharge from the Navy due to an injury in Afghanistan. Roman is really too good to be true, but that works just fine for this lighthearted story. He falls for Jules immediately, and is more than happy to help with her siblings, as well as anything else she needs.
 
I enjoyed the interactions between the characters, especially between Jules and her siblings. There was just something so real about it. The plot is intriguing and lightning fast, no lulls whatsoever. The relationship between Roman and Jules progresses fast too, which is fine by me. I really liked the ending. It's sweet, wonderful, and just left me feeling good. This story is recommended ages 18+ due to sexual situations. If you enjoy lighthearted romantic suspense, add Judging Covers to your to-read list. I think you'll like Jules and Roman as much as I did.

Book Blast: Phantom Eyes by Scott Tracey + Giveaway!!

 
 
 
Phantom Eyes

Scott Tracey

YA Urban Fantasy

Available at Amazon  B & N

 

Synopsis:

Every child in Belle Dam is taught about the feud from an early age. There are ‘our’ people and ‘their’ people. Friends and enemies. Associates and strangers. It’s the kind of town where eyes are always watching, and you don’t need a reason to sell out your neighbors.

But the feud is a lie. As a new wave of fury sweeps through the town, creating a third front to an already overtaxed war, Braden has been broken worse than ever. His innocence? Shattered. His heart? Crushed. His magic? Gone. His new life? Ruined. And this is only the beginning.

Beneath the city lay deep wellsprings of power. The one who controls them is the one who will win the feud. In a city filled with puppet masters, Braden must elude their strings and end the feud once and for all. But first, he must outsmart his father, evade Catherine’s dark magic, regain what was stolen from him, trick a phantom who refuses to die, and foil a demon’s master plan.

Even then, he may not survive. Because power is a problem, and victory comes with a cost…




About the Author:




Scott wrote his autobiography at age six, and its all been downhill since then. He traveled the country on a Greyhound for a month, devoted a semester of school to starting a series of urban legends, and spent five years perfecting how to say “would you like fries with that” for a short story. Or so he claims.




Giveaway!!

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Book Blitz: Endless by Amanda Gray + Giveaway!!


 


Endless
Release Date: 10/08/13
Month9Books

Summary from Goodreads:
Jenny Kramer knows she isn’t normal. After all, not everybody can see the past lives of people around them. When she befriends Ben Daulton, resident new boy, the pair stumble on an old music box with instructions for “mesmerization” and discover they may have more in common than they thought. Like a past life. Using the instructions in the music box, Ben and Jenny share a dream that transports them to Romanov Russia and leads them to believe they have been there together before. But they weren’t alone. Nikolai, the mysterious young man Jenny has been seeing in her own dreams was there, too. When Nikolai appears next door, Jenny is forced to acknowledge that he has traveled through time and space to find her. Doing so means he has defied the laws of time, and the Order, an ominous organization tasked with keeping people in the correct time, is determined to send him back. While Ben, Jenny and Nikolai race against the clock -- and the Order -- Jenny and Nikolai discover a link that joins them in life -- and beyond death.


Available NOW:
 photo B6096376-6C81-4465-8935-CE890C777EB9-1855-000001A1E900B890_zps5affbed6.jpg  photo KoboIcon_zps515cdc1a.jpg  photo B1426D4C-9EEC-4C0B-A1FB-90524B03C0CA-1855-000001A1E82B3B3E_zps17d98f4d.jpg
 

About the Author
Amanda Gray believes in magic and fantasy and possibilities. She is a team of two bestselling authors who live only miles apart but have never met in person. They talk on the phone and are the best of friends and between them have written more than a dozen novels and novellas and have had their work appear on television.

GIVEAWAY:
$10 Starbuck Gift Card and 1 e-book of Endless (INT)
 
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Monday, October 7, 2013

Blog Barrage: Judging Covers by Kristen Beairsto -- Book is FREE 10/7 & 10/8/13

 

Judging Covers

Kristen Beairsto

Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Released: August 1, 2013
Heat Level: Steamy
206 pages

FREE at Amazon 10/7 & 10/8/13

Synopsis:

Warning: This title is intended for readers over the age of 18 as it contains adult sexual situations and/or adult language, and may be considered offensive to some readers.

Books have always been Juliet Marlowe's sanctuary; the one place she would never be judged or made to feel like an outcast.  But when tragedy strikes, she has to get her nose out of the antique tomes she prefers and become the guardian of her five younger brothers and sisters.


Jules struggles to make ends meet.   And with the constant threat of losing custody of her siblings if she doesn't maintain the standard of living previously set by her parents, she finds herself forced to make tough decisions and take risks.

One thing she knows for certain is she definitely does not have room in her life for a relationship.  Especially with a man who's trying to readjust to civilian life and who once held a starring role in her secret fantasies.  No, absolutely not, she does not have any room in her life for Roman Price and his smoldering gaze that triggers her irritating blushes with only a thought.

But when everything Jules has built threatens to collapse on her, she finds herself not only accepting Roman's offer of help, but starts to question whether or not she misjudged the situation from the beginning.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Excerpt:

A headache of epic proportions pounding behind her eyes, Jules maneuvered the Camry on to her street and felt a little relief when she spotted the work truck parked at the curb of the house.

Just as quickly, the relief turned into a nagging worry that the deck might be beyond repair and her father’s old friend might have to rebuild it from scratch.

The headache spread to tighten the knots in her neck.

Parking the car beside the equally ancient minivan, she removed her prescription sunglasses and replaced them with her wire-framed glasses.  Pushing them up her nose, she caught sight of the mustard stain on her blouse and rolled her eyes.  Today had definitely not been her day.

She spent her day dealing with computer crashes, angry patrons, and her supervisor calling every twenty minutes to find out the status on a variety of projects.

Now, sure Mr. Price would be telling her the deck repairs would be beyond her budget, she tried to prepare herself for the worst.

Blowing out a frustrated breath, she gathered her bags and moved out of the car.

Reaching the door, she could hear the riot of noise from within signaling all the kids were home from school.

She stepped inside and found herself in the path of a charging bullet in the shape of Orlando wearing a devilish smile on his lips and a large open bottle of bubbles in his hands.  Since the house rules dictated any and all bubble play needed be conducted outside, Jules dropped her bags and waved her hands in front of her to stop him.

Orlando came to a halt, barely saving the bubbles from toppling from his hand.  A giggle escaped when he finally looked up at her.

Giving him a stern look as she put her hands on her hips, “You know the rules,” she pointed towards the bubbles in his hands.

Sending her a wide grin, his bright sapphire eyes twinkling, “Just trying to pay Mark and Edgar back.”

Shaking her head, “Well, why don’t we just go find them and talk to them instead?”

Orlando slipped his small hand in to hers easily and grinned widely, “I learned about poems today at school.  We’re making poems to go with our pictures for Mother’s Day,” he informed her and then frowned.  “But don’t say anything, you’re not supposed to know.”

Fighting to suppress a smile, Jules nodded solemnly, “I don’t even remember what you just said,” she replied as she pushed the door open into the kitchen.

Holding the door open and smiling down at her youngest brother, Jules spotted movement from the corner of her eye.

Before she could react, the twins popped up from behind the counters on the other side of the room and pelted both her and Orlando with their beloved super soakers.

Within seconds, her blouse clung to her skin, the front thoroughly soaked.  Holding up her hands in a lame attempt to block the streams of water rushing at her, “Edgar William, Mark William!”  She yelled above the din of the boys’ laughter.

At her stern tone, the boys seemed to realize their dire miscalculation as they ceased fire and stared at her.  Taking a deep breath, fists clenched at her sides and water dripping down the lenses of her glasses on to her cheeks, Jules took two steps towards her brothers and landed on her butt.  Hard.

Pain radiating up her tailbone, Jules looked up to see Orlando had dropped the bottle of bubbles in the mêlée.  A giant puddle of soapy liquid covered not only the floor, but now also soaked into her skirt.

Today has definitely not been my day, she decided silently, closing her eyes and taking another deep breath.

In the silence, Jules tried to assess whether she sustained any serious damage.  Not that I had money to go to the hospital if I did.

The back door opened and the sound of heavy booted feet stepped into the room.

“Hey, are you okay?”

At the unknown deep male voice, her eyes snapped open.

Humiliation gripped her.  Roman Price made his way towards her, a concerned expression on his face, and Jules wanted nothing more than for the floor to open up and swallow her whole.

Broader than she remembered, the vivid emerald gaze remained the same, maybe with a little more of an edge to it.  A red paisley bandanna tied around his forehead let her easily see that the blond hair causing hearts to flutter all those years ago still held a sun streaked quality although not as long as she remembered.  The soft edges of youth were gone, replaced by sharp chiseled features carved out of life.

Oh.  My.  God, were the only coherent words sliding through her suddenly incapacitated mind.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

About the Author:



In between her to-be-read pile and trying to bring the characters in her head alive, Kristen spends as much time as she can with family and friends.  Much to her husband’s dismay, she enjoys collecting purses, shoes, and jewelry.  During those rare times she’s not working at her day job, rushing her daughters somewhere, watching movies with her husband, and trying to meet a deadline, she can usually be found energetically cheering for one of her favorite New York sports teams.

As with just about every other writer on the planet, Kristen grew up an avid reader.  She started with young adult before she technically hit the age range and moved on to sci-fi classics by Isaac Asimov and Ray Bradbury.  At fifteen, her best friend gave her a book she just had to read!  The book was Honest Illusions by Nora Roberts.  Always a sucker for a happy ending, she was a goner and fell in love with the romance genre.  Having started writing novel length stories at the age of eleven, Kristen’s stories all took a romantic turn from that point on.

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