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Friday, February 21, 2014

Blog Tour: Full Steam Ahead by Valerie Chase - Review & Giveaway

Full Steam Ahead

Valerie Chase

New Adult Contemporary Romance
January 14, 2014

Available at Amazon

Blurb

Seven days aboard a luxury cruise.
The perfect getaway from it all.
At least, that’s what Georgia Cantwell is hoping for...

With her inbox filling with menacing emails, Georgia just wants to run away from her shattered life on her sorority's winter break cruise. What she doesn’t need is green-eyed Jace McLaren seeing through her tacked-on smile and stealing her breath away with each tantalizing kiss.

Growing up with a father in jail, Jace knows from experience that if you’re going through hell, there’s no way out but through. He has always steered away from girls like Georgia with her ice-queen attitude, but she’s in real trouble, and despite himself he pushes past her walls.

As much as Georgia tries to ignore it, Jace won’t let her pretend with him. But she can’t tell him the truth. Her past would ruin his trust, her family, her future—everything.

But out on the open ocean, there’s nowhere to hide. And when Georgia’s secrets come tumbling out, it might take more than Jace to get her through the storm.

My Review: I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Seven day cruise to paradise with a bunch of sexy frat guys. Yes, please. Seven day cruise with an ex-boyfriend who crushed your heart when he dumped you for a past mistake. No thanks. To make matters worse, she was originally supposed share a room with said ex. Forced to switch rooms, she's stuck with hot player, Jace.

I couldn't help but feel sorry for Georgia. She's from old money that's now gone. Her parents are almost bankrupt from trying to keep up appearances. They use Georgia, expect her to marry money to save them. She was raised to be a society lady, not herself. I like the girl who enjoys zombie novels and works at J.Crew to make ends meet. She's a much better person than her snobby mother could ever hope to be.

Jace is misunderstood and his frat brothers love to make up incredible stories about his sexual prowess. But he's easygoing and just accepts it. He's a bit surprised though when Georgia seems to despise him. Jace sees the hurting girl beneath her facade and vows to break down the barriers she's erected around her. Georgia doesn't stand a chance since she's rooming with him. I loved Jace. He's had a hard life. His father was a drunk who was also abusive and is now in jail. Jace is a family man who visits his mother and sister, and works hard in his pursuit of a better life.

Full Steam Ahead is an enjoyable read. It's fast-paced with fun characters and lots of romance. I love books set on cruise ships—the perfect place for a steamy romance. In fact this novel would make a good summer or vacation read. It definitely made me want a romantic cruise vacation.

About the Author

Valerie Chase is a author of New Adult Romance. She currently lives in the Washington, DC area. Full Steam Ahead is her debut novel.

As for her writing style, Valerie loves sexy banter and guys whose hearts are in the right place, even if their heads sometimes aren't. She loves discovering strong, awesome characters, putting them in entertaining situations, and watching them argue their way to love.

valeriechase.blogspot.com
twitter.com/val_chase
facebook.com/pages/Valerie-Chase/324942107643538

Giveaway!

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Saturday, January 18, 2014

Book Blitz: Full Steam Ahead - Excerpt & Giveaway

Full Steam Ahead

by Valerie Chase

Release Date: 01/14/14
New Adult Contemporary Romance

Summary from Goodreads:

Seven days aboard a luxury cruise. The perfect getaway from it all.

At least, that’s what Georgia Cantwell was hoping for.

Georgia wishes she could run away from the nightmare that has consumed her life, but she can’t. With her inbox filling with menacing emails, all she can do is try to get through her sorority’s winter break cruise without anyone realizing how wrecked she is. So she really doesn’t need Jace McLaren seeing through her tacked-on smile when no one else seems to notice.

Growing up with a father in jail, Jace knows from experience that if you’re going through hell, there’s no way out but through. He has always steered away from girls like Georgia with her ice-queen attitude, but she’s in real trouble, and despite himself he pushes past her walls.

As much as Georgia tries to ignore it, Jace won’t let her pretend with him. But she can’t risk telling him the truth. Her past would ruin his trust, her family, her future—everything.

But out on the open ocean, there’s nowhere to hide. And when Georgia’s secrets come tumbling out, it might take more than Jace to save her.

Excerpt

The club stops spinning for a moment. Jace’s mouth is soft, much softer than I’d have thought given the roughness of his jaw under my fingertips. He doesn’t move for a heartbeat, and it’s like we exist in a quiet bubble outside of this dance floor, outside of time.

But he pulls away from me. “What’s gotten into you?” He breathes, our mouths only inches apart. “I thought—”

I kiss him again. I need to forget about those emails, forget about my parents, forget about Hunter and Kelsey. I need to lose myself tonight, and Jace hooks up with lots of girls, so I’m sure he’ll know how to take my mind off of my problems. I’ve seen how he looks at me, so I know he’s interested. We’ll have some fun, and both get what we want.

My tongue traces along Jace’s mouth and then I gently bite his bottom lip, tugging it teasingly. I dip my thumbs into the waistband of his jeans and feel the warm flesh of his stomach, so hard and smooth. I moan before I can stop myself.

Whatever I’m doing must be working, because Jace starts to kiss me back. His hands settle at my waist, trailing down toward my hips. Our kiss deepens and his tongue circles around mine, once, twice. Soft as a whisper. I’m lost in a rush of feeling, and I wrap my arms around his neck to draw him closer. I need him closer.

I push us toward the outskirts of the room.

The lights move dizzyingly in the dark, and the music throbs through my limbs. Jace and I reach an empty spot by the wall. Here, we’re hidden from the dance floor by a tall potted fern decorated with white twinkling lights. The tiny lights reflect in Jace’s eyes, which take me in hungrily.

His hands move over my tank top to the bare skin of my shoulders, and I shiver as heat spikes through my limbs. My own fingers roam across his skin again eagerly: his waist, his back, across his hard stomach that tightens at my touch… It has the temperature of a fever.

Jace dips his head to kiss my neck, and those dangerous lips make my whole body tingle. My thoughts go wild as I imagine him kissing down my belly, past my hips, and lower still. For a while we are a whirlwind, hot and spinning, and I haven’t felt so alive in months. Maybe years. I can’t help but think that it never felt like this with Hunter—this heat, this need. Not even when we first started dating.

I had no idea what I was missing.

And I don’t want it to stop.

About the Author

I'm Valerie but please feel free to call me Val. I live in the Washington, DC area; and I write New Adult romance. I'm hoping to publish my first novel (set on a cruise ship!) in late 2013.

As for my writing, I love sexy banter and guys whose hearts are in the right place, even if their heads sometimes aren't. I love discovering strong, awesome characters, putting them in entertaining situations, and watching them argue their way to love.

Author Links:

photo iconfacebook-32x32_zps64a79d4a.png

***GIVEAWAY***

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Book Blitz Organized by:

Monday, December 23, 2013

Blog Tour: Sail Away With Me by Kate Deveaux - Review, Excerpt & Giveaway

Welcome to my stop on the Sail Away with Me blog tour, hosted by Literary Nook Book Promos. Below you'll find a great excerpt, the recipes to 2 awesome drinks provided by Kate Deveaux, and my review. Don't miss the giveaway at the end of the post!

Sail Away with Me

Kate Deveaux

Contemporary Romance
Heat Level: Steamy to scorching
Red Sage Publishing

Available at Red Sage * Amazon * B&N

THESE TWO REALLY KNOW HOW TO

ROCK THE BOAT...

“Sizzling shipboard romance —Jody throws

caution to the wind as she lets go of her

inhibitions and indulges in one magnificent

week of pleasure. Passions surge, lovers

tangle and two lives will never be the same again.”

Before Jody Carter and her three best friends ever set foot aboard the luxury cruise ship,

Jody falls into the arms of uber hunky celebrity guest Taggart Keith, when he saves her

shoe from falling to the depths of the sea. Their attraction is undeniable, but the recently

divorced single mom knows the last thing she needs is to complicate her life in just seven

short days. But that’s exactly what happens when Jody throws caution to the wind for

once in her life and gives into a week of sensational pleasures. Taggart helps her discover

her more sensual side — one tantalizing night at a time.

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

My Review: I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

*Sigh*. Sail Away with Me is such an entrancing romance. I absolutely love a story where everything seems to work out for everyone involved. What better place than a cruise ship to find true love. Thank goodness I'm getting on a cruise ship in less than a week, or I think I might have died of jealousy! Ms. Deveaux has created two great characters and written them into a wonderful love story.

Jody is newly divorced, but it sounds like her marriage was over long before the papers were finalized. With a twelve-year-old son to care for, she doesn't think she has time to even look for another love. Fortunately, her flying shoe thought differently and flew straight to sexy Taggart. Such an amusing way to meet a guy. What follows is a whirlwind romance full of fun and late night passion aboard a glamorous cruise ship.

Taggart is a hunky self-help guru who is on the cruise hosting a series of lectures. He comes off as a player the was he's so smooth with Jody. This guy really has the right moves. I doubt there's a woman out there who could resist a full blast of his charm aimed at them. He falls hard for Jody. But the two soon discover that life on land isn't as magical as it is at sea. Real life intrudes, serving up some major conflict in their budding relationship. For a self-help guru, Taggart certainly is blind when it comes to his own life.

The first half of the story takes place during the cruise and the second part is the aftermath. I loved all the romantic scenes on the cruise ship. Taggart and Jody were sizzling. The secondary characters were a lot of fun. Each one had just enough back story to make them interesting. If you're looking for a fast-paced, sweet romance with lots of sizzling encounters, be sure to add Sail Away With Me to your TBR list.

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

SAIL AWAY WITH ME and these recipes bring a whole new
meaning to “I’ll have what she’s having!”

COCKTAIL RECIPES:

Orgasm recipe:

1/2 oz white crème de cacao 1/2 oz amaretto almond liquor 1/2 oz triple sec 
1/2 oz vodka 1 oz light cream

Shake all ingredients with ice, strain into a chilled cocktail glass, and serve.

Screaming Orgasm recipe:

1 oz vodka 1 1/2 oz Bailey's® Irish cream 1/2 oz Kahlua® coffee liqueur

Pour first vodka, then Bailey's, then Kahlua into a cocktail glass over crushed ice. Stir.  

Cheers!

Kate

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

Excerpt

“Hey there, Jody,” he called out.

“Oh, hi….Taggart,” she said with surprise, pretending she hadn’t seen him.

“We really have to stop meeting like this.” He smiled and walked towards her down the narrow hall
dotted with luggage.

She laughed nervously at the cliché that was proving all too true if she was to keep her sanity. “I guess so. Well, this is my room.” She fidgeted with her keycard as he came up beside her.

“Mine’s just down the hall.” Taggart pointed behind him, but he just stood there, his tall frame close to
her. She looked up at him, overly aware of the scent of sandalwood, one of her favorites. Very masculine.

“Mmm...coincidence,” she said, the hallway becoming smaller by the minute when he flashed that boyish smile, with one corner of his mouth raised. Cocky, but undeniably sexy at the same time.

Unable to break the gaze, she tried to insert the keycard into the lock, not paying attention to what she
was doing. The card grazed the slot and she forced her eyes away from his.

“I guess you didn’t find your friends after all?” he inquired, leaning casually against the wall, as she slid the keycard all the way in the lock.

Caught red handed at her own lie, she smiled down at her shoes. “No, I didn’t.”

“So you can have that drink with me after all,” he stated flatly, placing his hand over hers as she held the
key in the lock.

Her heart pounded in her chest. She couldn’t move a muscle. “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she said.

He frowned but left his hand on hers. “Because?”

Because? Her mind raced. She couldn’t tell him it was because she was afraid. Afraid how her body trembled when he was near, how her cheeks burned and her sex thrummed.

“I’ll wait,” he said with a devilish grin eyeing the keycard still in the lock.

“I really don’t think it’s a good idea, is all.”

“You already said that,” he said straight faced, but she could see the playful look in his eyes. As he
removed his hand, he continued to lean easily on the doorframe, his face close to hers as if he had all
the time in the world to wait for her to be ready. He was close enough she could see the barely visible
laugh lines when he smiled and the slight five o clock shadow on his chiseled jaw.

“Look Taggart,” she said, just saying his name made her heart beat faster. “I’m not ready for…” her
heart beat rapidly thinking about just what she wasn’t ready for… to be intimate with a man.

“Ready for what?” he teased. A flush of desire rushed through her. He was playing with her, flirting with
her.

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About the Author