Sunday, March 3, 2013

Entice Me by Melanie Toye

Miranda Burke
What is your name?
Miranda Burke

What is your birth date and current age?

17 March 1986. 26 years old.

How much pride do you take in your appearance?

Appearance is everything, as a recruitment consultant I have to ensure I dress professional and immaculately at all times.

Do you have any irrational fears / phobias?

Going on a date. I have been so career focussed, finding love has been low on the list. Not because I want it to be purely because I have limited time for a life outside of work.

Are you shy or social? How do you feel about attending parties?

Parties are fun but I have such limited time due to my career, that it is rare if I attend any. Yet I love to be social, I just feel I am losing my connection with that part of me.

What makes you blush?

A romantic man … possibly French … kisses me in the middle of the street as strangers pass us by.

What do you both most agree on?

Our life happiness is much more important than our careers.

What song reminds you of him? Title & Artist?

Taylor Swift – Love Song


Grace Sky
What is your name?

Grace Sky

What is your birth date and current age?

28 May 1989, 23 years old.

How would you treat yourself if you came down with the flu?

I go into full zombie mode, tissues in bed, closed minded to the happenings of the outside world and stare at the TV all day.

What was your first impression of the hero?

My first impression was that ‘he is incredibly hot, easy to read, a dog lover and is flirtatious.’ Oh, I feel like the luckiest woman on earth.

What revelation surprised you most about him?

That he loved me back.

What makes him the best possible partner for you?

Because he is perfect. He would not be called Mr Perfect if he didn’t stand up to his name. He is charming and sweet, heroic and will do anything to make me smile.

What do you doubt you could ever agree on?

How he ever dated his ex.

What adjective do you think he would choose to describe you?

A free spirit.


Louise Gemfield
What is your name?

Louise Gemfield

What is your birth date and current age?

24 June 1974, Aged 38

Who is your biggest rival / enemy? Describe them briefly.

Sadly I work in a male dominated environment, so men in lower positions in the company are always targeting my position, as they believe it is easiest to acquire.

Do you have any irrational fears / phobias?

I am afraid of my boss and hence titled him, scary Ray. Obviously I do not call him this to his face.

What is your worst habit / vice?

I have an eating disorder that is linked with my nervousness.

How do you feel about being the center of attention?

I loathe it. I am the only female Director in a male dominated company. Yet, I avoid public speaking at all costs. It is those rare occasions where I am forced to provide a presentation to a group of men that terrifies me.

What defining adjective would you use to describe your hero?

Alluring.

What would you most like to change about him?

His eyes for other women.


Blurb
Miranda is the top recruitment consultant for Entice Consultancy, working long hours to achieve great results. From the outside she appears to have her life in order as a successful career woman. Yet a jealous rival is determined to do anything to take her down and soon Miranda’s life turns problematical.

Grace and Louise both met Miranda through work and lead interesting lives of their own. Grace a free spirit, falls in love with a man that appears to be perfect. When her true love goes missing her world soon falls apart. Louise’s eating disorder is pushed to the limit as is her marriage with Mike. Retirement and a new relationship seem like bliss until one night’s event changes everything.
Entice Me is a journey that explores life changing events that forces each woman to rediscover themselves and what they are seeking from life. Meltdowns, break-ups, love and laughter make Entice Me into an entertaining read.


Excerpts from Entice Me

A scene from Miranda’s trip to Spain with her French Lover:

Miranda walked into their apartment and entered the main en suite to freshen up. She discovered the bath had been filled, with delicate rose petals floating on top of the water. Candles surrounded the bathroom. Miranda ran out to the lounge room where Grant had already sat down to read a book. “Grant, have you? Did you?” The words were not coming out properly. “Come see this.” Miranda let out with a squeal.

Grant followed and smiled at Miranda. “Isn’t it beautiful?” Miranda whispered admiring the romantic lay out of the bathroom.

“It is beautiful, just like you.” Grant replied in a charmed tone.

A tense scene between Louise and Mike:

“How many other men have you been seeing since we have been together?” He demanded.

“I have not had any affairs Mike.” Louise proclaimed wide-eyed. Terrified of where Mike was going with this. In a fury rage, Mike kicked the car tire and then drew in close to Louise standing only inches apart.

“Go home, if you feel you have to. I might see you there.” He stomped off in anger, not once looking back.

Louise felt sick. She looked around nervously hoping that nobody saw the wild commotion. She opened the car door and sat behind the car wheel, her hands trembling. She drives to a nearby alley, parks and then bursts into tears. She did not want anyone to see her crying. She had never seen Mike so angry. She rummaged through the series of events in her head, starting with Ray then Mike exploding. What if Mike left her? More tears cascaded down her cheek.

An awkward moment for Grace:

A man walked past Grace, and he was hot. Grace could not see a default on him. As Grace intensely watched him she noticed him walk over to her table. He sat down and even moved her drink. Grace quickly walked over, “Excuse me,” she said.

The good looking man looked up, “I would like a vanilla latte, thank you.” He said and placed a ten dollar note in her hand. Grace laughed out loud.

“What’s so funny?” He asked and looked around; noticing people were beginning to stare as they watched the scene play out.

“I am not a waiter and you are sitting at my table, this is my drink and that is my hand bag on the seat.” Grace said as she pointed to each object like she was a game host who showcased each prize to be won. 

Review

What can I say about the amazing book that took me on a journey with three amazing ladies. The roads they were on to start with and coming into their own. I totally connected with a part of each of them. There was at least one thing about them that I could relate to. Miranda with her work work work, obsessive habit when it comes to an idea or goal. Grace with her care free spirit, because I do try not to let things get to me and just go with the flow. Louise with her wanting to be loved and yet it seems so far away. I can't help but see a bit of myself in all three of these ladies. There were times when I would laugh out loud and other times when I wanted to strangle the man for being such a crazy lunatic. There were times when I couldn't help but smile because I would have loved what had happened in the story to have happened to myself as well. These ladies take on a journey that every woman goes down.

The story starts out with Miranda and as the story continues you get to know Grace and Louise as Miranda brings them together and their lives cross paths. They bond with each other and get to know each other, becoming close friends. They tend to look out for each other as well as the story continues, bonding even more. The men in their lives is one thing but the woman trying to destroy everything, Sally, is such a pain in the bottom. I tell you if women could just avoid drama that comes with High School in their adult life then life would be so much easier. Though it is Miranda that Sally is out to get, she uses Grace and Louise to get to Miranda. She is jealous of everything Miranda has and wants to destroy her throughout the entire story. Miranda dodges most of the hits as Sally throws curve balls her way. I was surprised at the way the story ends with such a lovely HEA that I wanted to throw my hands up and say, “HA that's what you get!!!” Pfft...

Author Bio
Melanie Toye is a writer set to inspire people through her writing and help motivate readers to chase their own dreams. The love for writing has always co-existed in Melanie's life through writing letters, creating play scripts to her found dream career as a story-teller. With an inspirational blog, frequent freelance writing gigs and her first novel release, Entice Me, Melanie is well on her way to achieving her dream career as a writer. Melanie lives in Australia with her family. 





Book Links
Smashwords
Amazon
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Other online shops include – Sony, Diesel, Apple, Kobo and Page Foundry. 

Author Links
Personal blog

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Miranda Burke image is from the portfolio of "marin".
Image courtesy of marin at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Grace Sky image is from the portfolio of "adamr".
Image courtesy of adamr at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Louise Gemfield image is from the portfolio of "imagerymajestic".
Image courtesy of imagerymajestic at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Saturday, March 2, 2013

Impromp-Tour / Never Say Never by CM Stunich



Book 1: Tasting Never 
Book 2: Finding Never 
Book 3: Keeping Never 
Author: CM Stunich 
Genre: New Adult

**Not appropriate for people under 18. Lots of hot sex!!!**


Tasting Never Synopsis: 


"Never Ross wants to be loved.
It's that simple, but it's not that easy."

Never is a girl with a broken soul who doesn't date nice guys and can't seem to go to bed at night without crying herself to sleep. She doesn't need any complications in her life, especially not when they're attached to a man that could be her emotional twin.

Ty McCabe can't stand Never the first time he meets her. He's aware that the feeling's mutual and the two don't think they'll ever see each other again, but when fate takes a hand and puts them both in the wrong place at the wrong time, Ty and Never form a tentative friendship that opens the door on their dark sides and shows them what it's like to live in the light.

"Sometimes, the only way to go forward, is to take a few, careful steps back."



TASTING NEVER EXCERPT:

Ty's hot mouth is on my neck, and I find myself taking short, sharp, little breaths as I press my shaking hands to his chest. If I sleep with him again, I'll be making the biggest mistake of my life. He's the first real friend I've ever had, and I don't want to cheapen the feelings that are simmering between us. We made that mistake once before, and we survived. We've been through a lot since then, and I know that if I lose him now, I will never be whole again. Ty is my other half, lover or no, and just being around him is enough for me.

“Ty,” I say, trying my best to sound stern. Instead, my voice comes out like a butterfly, flutters against Ty's hair and swirls it gently against my lips. I moan and find that my fingers are now curled in the fabric of his T-shirt.

“Never,” he says back to me, the word like fire against my skin. In those two syllables, I hear how he feels about me. He thinks he's in love. Ty McCabe thinks he's in love with me. He doesn't say it aloud, but I can tell. Sex isn't the best way for me to show my feelings; I've abused it for far too long that it has somehow lost some of its meaning. I try to tell Ty this, but I can't speak with his lips on my throat and his hand sliding across the nape of my neck.

I run my own hands down his chest and put them beneath his shirt, on the hard plane of his belly. His muscles contract as I press my fingers into them, touching, feeling, absorbing the man, the complication, that is Ty McCabe. All the while, my mind is racing in circles trying to talk me out of this.

“Kiss me,” Ty says and it's not a question, it's a request, albeit a gentle one. His voice is softer than I've ever heard it. His words are naked, stripped of all the bullshit that's happened to him, all of the horrible things that mirror my own life. Ty and I are like twins, like two halves of the same whole. They say that opposites attract, but Ty and I are very much the same and the attraction between us burns brighter than the sun. “Kiss me,” he says again and I do. 

Finding Never Synopsis:

Finding Never, a New Adult Novel Recommended for Ages 18 and Up
Never say Never Trilogy: Book Two. Book One, Tasting Never, is available now!

"Tell me, Never, do you still love him?"

Never Ross and Ty McCabe have come a long way – but they can't stop now. Their pasts are still there, ready to sweep over and consume them if they don't confront them. A visit to Never's family seems like the first logical step, but will it make things better or worse? And what about Noah Scott? Ty is Never's tortured other half, but can he also be the healing balm that she so desperately needs? With McCabe's past still a virtual unknown, Never is going to have to make more than one decision capable of breaking both their hearts.

"Ty has changed; I have changed, and things are not always what they seem."

FINDING NEVER EXCERPT:

“Before you say whatever it is that you're going to say, can I show you something?” he asks as the fog of his breath tangles and dances with mine in the crisp winter air.

“Ty, you don't – ”

He cuts me off.

“Please.” He says the word like it's a question, but it's not. He's not asking my permission. Ty is telling me that he's going to show me whether I like it or not, so I better be ready for it. “I need to show you how much you rock my f*cking world.” And then Ty is kissing me hot and hungry, down my neck and back up again. He's biting my lip and making me bleed, brushing his lips across the beating pulse in my neck, the one that throbs like crazy when he's around.

“Ty, stop,” I say because we're on a playground for God's sake, but he doesn't. He doesn't stop. He adjusts my wrists so that he's holding them with one hand, and although I probably could fight him if I wanted to, I don't. I don't want him to stop, not now, not ever. 


KEEPING NEVER OFFICIAL BLURB REVEAL!

Never's past might be under control, but Ty's is just starting to unravel. After receiving a phone call from his broken past, tensions run high between Never and Ty, especially with Never deciding to do something she's never done and keep her pregnancy a secret.

While visiting a skeleton in his dark, dark closet, Ty is threatened by all that he once was and all that he thought he'd overcome. With his pain about to consume him, Never is the only one who stands between Ty and relapse, who can help him control his emotions and find peace, but is she up to it? After all, with two tortured souls desperate for a healing touch, are they more of a hindrance to one another than a help?

Love, marriage, and a baby. Three things that Ty and Never saw coming. It's judgment time for both of them, time to see if the light really can overcome the dark. Here's to hoping.

About the Author: 

C.M. Stunich was raised under a cover of fog in the area known simply as Eureka, CA. A mysterious place, this strange, arboreal land nursed Caitlin's (yes, that's her name!) desire to write strange fiction novels about wicked monsters, magical trains, and Nemean Lions (Google it!). She currently enjoys drag queens, having too many cats, and tribal bellydance. 

Always a fan of the indie scene and 'sticking it to the man,' Ms. Stunich decided to take the road less traveled and forgo the traditional publishing route. You can be assured though that she received several rejections as to ensure her proper place in the world of writers before taking up a friend's offer to start a publishing company. Sarian Royal was born, and Ms. Stunich's books slowly transformed from mere baking chocolate to full blown tortes with hand sculpted fondant flowers. 

C.M. is a writer obsessed with delivering the very best and scours her mind on a regular basis to select the most unusual stories for the outside world. 

Ms. Stunich can be reached via e-mail or by post and loves to hear from her readers. Ms. Stunich also wrote this biography and has no idea why she decided to refer to herself in the third person. 

Come visit me at www.cmstunich.com ! 

Happy reading and carpe diem!

Tasting Never Links:

Finding Never Links:

CM’s Links!

Friday, March 1, 2013

Cover Reveal / Lost and Found by Trish Marie Dawson

Title: Lost and Found
Series: Find Me Series
Author: Trish Marie Dawson
Genre: Urban Fantasy with a Paranormal Twist
Length: 80k Words
Release Date: March 15 
Presented by: As You Wish...

Blurb

She survived the World's worst global pandemic. She learned how to cope with the City's roaming dead. She struck down the living who tried to kill her. Now Riley fights a new battle - the one within herself. Wracked with survivor's guilt and an almost crazed sense of duty that takes her out of the solitude of the Southern California mountains and into the heart of Orange County, she makes a series of choices that can lead to the destruction of everything she's managed to save.

In the end, will it all be worth it? What will be lost? What will be found? And which questions will be left unanswered?

 

Book Blurb

Life for Riley ends when her young children die in her arms…victims of a global viral outbreak that claims the lives of everyone she’s ever known. Left to fend for herself with only a dog as her companion, she sets out on a journey to find others, leaving notes everywhere she goes…hoping that one day someone will come looking for her. When Riley meets the handsome yet mysterious Connor on the streets of Downtown San Diego, they form a bond unlike either has experienced before. When the things that go bump in the night turn out to be more than nightmares, the trio sets off for the mountains in search of an isolated resort where they can hunker down, away from the ominous shadows of the dead city streets. The peace and tranquility of the woods isn’t enough to keep the darkness away for long though and soon Riley and Connor are forced to accept that the World and the few people left alive in it will never be the same. The shadows of their past may haunt them forever…threatening to destroy what little dreams they have left of a future unless they fight to stay in the light and never lose their hope.

1/9
Family and Friends: The dog and I have left to find my Mom. Most of you know where her place is, the corner of 9th and F. I’ll leave a note there before I move on. Everyone here is…gone. I can’t stay. I’m not sure when or if I will come back here but leave a message anyway.
I hope you find me. – Riley



Review

What can I say that has not already been said about this amazing book. I felt the characters emotions, the tears would not stop as I slipped into Riley's shoes. The characters bonding moments were just amazing. There were times when I screamed along with the characters in my head, and teared up when I couldn't hold back the emotions threatening to take over which caused me to stop reading. Till the emotional wave subsided did I pick up the book again and continue reading.

The title of this book had me totally mislead, I must say, though I guess if I had read the description before picking up the book to read then I would have had a better understanding... That's where I tend to get into trouble with books by authors that I would read regardless of the description or their book cover.
8.0%       "Well now this is turning out to be quite interesting... You never know what to expect from a title but I had not expected this..."
I wanted to strangle a few characters off an on through out the story, and there were other times when I laughed, times when I covered my mouth, other times when I just couldn't read fast enough.  Mind you I read on a Kindle and update my reading progress on Goodreads as I devour a good book! Here are just a couple of my % updates I thought I would share with you today!
14.0%       "Mystery #1 - Who is Conner? hmmm..."

20.0%       "Totally loving Riley right now... She is cracking me up!"
39.0%       "Good I didn't like Matt anyways..."

59.0%       "Damn straight." says Riley! ROFL I love it!"

66.0%       "And you better keep your clothes on. I catch you walking around the place naked--I'll shoot you myself" ~ Fin - ROFL Oh yeah, that was funny!"

93.0%       "NO NO NO NO NO!!!!!!!"

I am already itching to get my fingers on Lost and Found, knowing it's just around the corner from being released makes it that much more exciting and frustrating all in one.  I must know what happens next!  At least this time I read the book description before picking it up, though not before I started or finished I Hope You Find Me...


About the Author
Trish was born and mostly raised in San Diego, California where she lives now with her family and pets. She's been writing short stories and poetry since high school after an obsession with Stephen King's 'The Stand'. After over fifteen years of crazy dreams and an overactive imagination, Trish began her first book 'I Hope You Find Me' in December of 2011. When Trish isn't writing, she's homeschooling her amazing daughter and mildly autistic son, reading whatever she can get her hands on, or enjoying the Southern California sun. As a strict Vegetarian, Trish holds a special place in her heart for animal rights and dashes into the backyard weekly to rescue lizards and mice from her mini-lab/cocker spaniel mixed dog, Zoey...who is always getting into some sort of trouble.

Links
Amazon
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Goodreads
Blog

Cover Reveal / Of Gaea by Victoria Escobar



Of Gaea
 Book #1 in the Of Legacies Series 
By Victoria Escobar 
Publication Date: March 20, 2013
Cover Design by: 

Blurb

Her choice will change the world. 

She hated the wheelchair. Hated the way it made her feel less than what she was. Most of all she hated not being able to do all the things she used to. Ari had been a track and field star, an archery champion and an Eskrima pro. Now she was confined to a wheelchair slowly dying inside from its restraints. 

Medical science wasn’t working. The tests, the drugs, the therapies were all useless and a waste of time. She was tired of wasting her time; she was tired of failure. It was time to look away from the obvious and try something unconventional. 

Nothing was ever free and that included miracles. Abruptly, Ari finds herself tangled in a web of lies, questioning everything she’s ever known as truth. Never had she believed she’d be thrown headfirst into a world of good and evil, magic and Gods. 

Trapped in the middle of a war she had never known existed both parties demanded her allegiance. Ari was a catalyst that could change all the rules of the Earth. But when the time comes to make a choice will she be strong enough to know right from wrong? 

Author Bio:

Once upon a time, long, long ago, Victoria was born in sunny Florida, except it wasn’t sunny; it was the middle of the night. Midnight actually, well, two minutes past, but she tried really hard for midnight.

Victoria has been to twenty one schools in her lifetime. With all the continual switching around, she’s relied on her imagination for friends and books for close companions. In high school she remained apart from the whole and spent most of her time in the library either reading or writing. 

Currently, Victoria has set down roots in New York with her family. She still reads and writes every day. She finished her debut novel Of Gaea in the winter of 2012 and is working on the sequel and many other projects.

Book Links:

Author Links:

Thursday, February 28, 2013

The Rise of Bob McDoogal by JM Gutierrez / Tour


Synopsis

Book One: The Rise of Bob McDoogal is science fiction at heart, but is also filled with romance, suspence, dark humor, and much more! It is a fast-paced action novella guaranteed to be a "guilty-pleasure" read. Be prepared to laugh, cry, and find yourself thinking 'damn, did he really just say that?'


Excerpt

Fuck, six o’clock already? So… Tired. Another day of school. Last year, thank God. I begin to stretch and get up from the damn twin mattress which is supposed to pass for a proper bed. So much pain. Like every other morning though, nothing new. I’m six-two; this bed is too small. Between that and the Cerebral Palsy, it takes a few minutes for the cockroaches crawling around inside my feet and the pains shooting up my legs to dwindle to a tolerable ache.

Looks like Grandma Anne isn’t up yet. Hopefully she never wakes up. The clothes on the line outside should be dry. Time to stand, ARGH! I Ping-Pong off the walls down the hall and open the nicotine-stained door as quietly as possible. I don’t wanna wake Grams; she can be such a bitch first thing in the morning.

Despite the pain, I struggle through my morning routine, shower, do what lonely eighteen-year-old boys do best, and tend to my rodents. Well, seventeen going on eighteen in a month, anyway.

I keep nine, ten-gallon aquariums with rats and hamsters for breeding. As a way to make money, I sell their young to local pet shops. It sucks to eat the dumpster food my Grandma gets from her church friends, so I use my money on take-out food almost every night. She uses all the foster care money she gets for me, and all her disability money to get high and escape the harsh reality that her life isn’t, and never will be, going anywhere. All she does is lay in bed all day, wasting taxpayers’ dollars. She sets such a good example! Shit…

I load my backpack with everything I need and slam the door as I leave. That oughta wake her ass up. I limp to the front of the rinky-dink apartment complex to wait for the bus.



 Review 
This book had me riding a roller coaster throughout the entire book!  Bob cracked me up with his thoughts and commentary, while Lusha was the perfect heroine for Bob.  There were times when I wanted to laugh out loud and other times when I did.  There were times when I blushed during the "Oh My" moments in the story!  I just couldn't help it, if only I could have swapped places with Lusha for just a scene or two!  ::giggles::  Yes it was not only that exciting during these out of body moments when I wanted to jump into the book but it was totally HOT, HOT, HOT!!!  ROFLMSAO

Okay yes the story had it's moments of one moment here the next moment there, and the two main characters the author wrote in first person.  That didn't bother me so much for I was able to follow it and know who's POV started and ended where and when.  I actually liked getting inside of Lusha's head along with Bob's, needed some moments with the female heroine of the story.  lol  It was such a fast paced story that it didn't take me long before I was over 75% through the book wondering oh wow, what will happen next, how is this author going to finish off the story.  I was not disappointed in the ending...  instead was left wanting more of Bob and Lusha wondering what kind of journey the author will take me on with his next book in Bob McDoogal's Series!!!


The Author
Juan Gutierrez is a 27 year old living in Dallas, Texas. He grew up in Torrance, California. He is a Fantasy/Science Fiction writer. Inspired both Star Wars and Star Trek, he is determined to make a Galaxy Cluster all of his own. In 2012, he began his work on the character Bob McDoogal. Think The Mask with Jim Carrey (another major influence), mixed with Star Wars. That is the best way to describe his Dark humor Science Fiction Fantasy writing. He is currently working on book two of the series, aiming to have it done by the close of 2013.


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