Yay! The weekend is finally here. Time to dive into another book. I find there are too many good books to pick from that I can’t decide what to read. What are you reading?
New Release – Furious Fire by Shiloh Walker
The Grimm are coming to an end…the second to last book
He is the love of all her lives…
Thomas Finn, troublemaker, gunslinger, guardian angel…loner. More than a hundred and fifty years ago, he was shot in the back then brought back to life just in time to watch a demon masquerading as his best friend kill the love of his life.
Now, as a Grimm, he satisfies his need for vengeance hunting down demons like the ones that took Rebecca from him. His mission: kill as many as he can, then, when the time comes, go down in a blaze of glory. But with each kill, he comes closer to a line no angel should cross.
Her name was Rebecca. Then it was Tilly. Then Ada. Now, Kallypso. She’s lived so many lives, she can’t even remember when or why it started. All she knows is, she’s always searching for a man with golden eyes that make her burn. And when she finds him—as she always does—she knows that spark of joy means she’s only seconds away from death…again.
This time will be no different…unless something breaks the cycle once and for all.
Warning: Contains the Groundhog Day of star-crossed lovers, a pissed-off guardian angel, a demon-hunter with an axe to grind, and the battle to end all battles. Be warned…there’s pain ahead in this book. Oh, and that HEA finally happens. For these two, anyway.
Excerpt:
In that moment, I came awake, my body shuddering as pain gripped me.
I gasped and in a blink, two men stood over me.
One was Will and I glared at him balefully.
Okay, yeah, I’d been the one to pounce on his back and send the two of us tumbling to the ground—or…through it?
I still didn’t know.
But whatever had happened, it resulted in me hurting more than I could remember hurting, short of dying.
And I didn’t think that was happening just yet.
But then my gaze skipped over and hit the other man.
Open your mouth now…
I sucked in a breath and that very action brought tears to my eyes, but it wasn’t enough to make me look away from him.
Silvered moonlight washed the color from his eyes, from his hair, leaving him cut with swathes of pale light and deep shadow.
His face was harder.
But…
My throat locked.
A name sprung to my lips, but instinct had me locking it back.
Thom…
Open your mouth now.
Shaken, I tore my gaze away. Unable to find a single thing to look at, save for his profile or the star-studded sky overhead, I closed my eyes.
Thom. His name was Thom. Thomas. It connected in my head. Reflexively, I clenched my hands into fists.
“Do you remember what happened?”
The low, cool voice forced my attention away from Thom and I found myself looking at Will.
Oh, bite me. The comment burned on the tip of my tongue, but I held it back. It was my own damn fault, I was lying there, feeling like I’d been worked over by a couple of the meaner demons—there were some who liked to eat people. Literally. They were vicious and once I’d stumbled across a group of them, interrupted the meal time. If I hadn’t had the Colt I coddled like a baby, I never would have made it out of that alive.
Two of them had still gotten their hands on me and I’d spent two weeks pissing blood and eating nothing any harder than mashed potatoes while healed up over the damage they’d done me.
It was the most damage I’d ever taken.
Right now? I didn’t feel quite that bad. But it was close.
“Remember?” I curled my lip at him as I slowly worked on getting my arms under me. That hurt. I eased upright. That hurt worse. Something ground inside me and I gasped. Okay, broken ribs. Lovely. Panting, I made it upright and saw that Will was watching me with unsympathetic eyes. Off to the side…I swallowed, tried not to let myself think about him, his name…his hands on me. I remembered that. Bits and pieces of a life I’d suspected but never really remembered. That had changed now.
Up by Five Winner
The winner is Lori Meehan. I’m also giving you a copy of She’s the One, which is the first in the series. Lori, email me at livelaughromance @ gmail . com (without the space) so I’ll know what email address to use. Thanks!
Up by Five Release Day with Excerpt and Giveaway
Up by Five by Erin Nicholas
Counting on Love, Book 5
He’s in the middle of the last thing he wanted… and the best thing to ever happen.
Ace paramedic Conner Dixon has sworn to never live with another woman after raising his four younger sisters. They have been giving him gray hair since they lost their father fifteen years ago. Now they’re all in love and Conner’s ready to retire– from worrying, fixing problems and cleaning up messes.
Of course, when his fellow paramedic, Gabrielle Evans, needs a place to stay after her apartment burns down, Conner can’t say no. But it’s no problem– Gabby’s just one of the guys.
Gabby’s penchant for poker and her ability to overhaul a transmission definitely make her different from Conner’s usual women. She also has no interest in getting involved with him. Conner’s crazy mix of family and friends is the last thing Gabby needs right now. She has her sights set on medical school in the fall and knows success depends on focus and commitment.
But within forty-eight hours of moving in, Gabby’s in the middle of a family crisis that could disprove all her I-don’t-need-anyone bluster and Conner’s in the middle of the last thing he wanted-a girl and all her stuff, all over his stuff. Still, the more she makes herself at home, the more he thinks that’s maybe exactly where her stuff should be. For good.
Warning: Contains a girl who thinks she wants to be just one of the guys, a guy who happily proves why that won’t work, and a very good reason to buy cinnamon roll icing-you know, other than for use on cinnamon rolls.
Excerpt:
“It’s usually more difficult for a woman to get me wound up than just saying one word.”
“So, what’s going on here?”
“I’m going to chalk this up to the damsel-in-distress thing.” He was staring resolutely at the road in front of them.
“The damsel-in-distress thing?” she repeated. Then her eyes widened. “Are you referring to me as the damsel?”
He lifted a shoulder. “Yeah. A woman I know and care about is in trouble and I get all protective.”
There was a crazy warm feeling that filled her stomach at that. She frowned. That was a bad idea.
“Protective and turned on aren’t the same thing,” she pointed out. “And I wasn’t in distress the other day when I said—”
“We both know what you said,” he broke in. He gave a disgusted sigh. “If it’s not that, then it’s simply that I finally realized you have boobs. And that does kind of make me an asshole.”
She couldn’t help her grin. “You’re an asshole because you just now realized I have boobs—”
“It would also be great if you didn’t say boobs.”
Her grin grew. “Or you’re an asshole because you’re all worked up simply because I have…those.”
He shifted on his seat again. “Yes.”
She laughed at that. “In all fairness, I’ve been hiding…them…from you. So it’s not totally your fault that you didn’t notice.”
He glanced over. “What do you mean?”
Did she want to get into this? It seemed like they were putting it all out there and maybe that was a good idea. They were going to be living together and she did not need Conner to hit on her now. She did not need any further complications in her life. She was trying to simplify. Nothing about being involved with Conner Dixon would be simple.
“I’ve been downplaying the whole girl thing. I dress down, avoid makeup, wear my hair up.”
His gaze went to her hair. “I do like your hair down.”
“Exactly. I’ve kept you from noticing that.”
“Why?”
“Because I didn’t want you hitting on me.”
“And all it takes to keep me from hitting on a woman is her hair up and no lipstick?”
She smirked at him. “Apparently.”
He narrowed his eyes at her, then looked back to the road. “And you were so turned off by me that the idea of me flirting was disgusting.”
Gabby wondered if any female, anywhere, would find Conner disgusting. “No,” she said honestly. “I knew if you flirted, I’d flirt back and it would be distracting. We work in situations that require our full concentration and dedication. And I definitely didn’t want to deal with working with you after we broke up.”
He looked over again, his eyebrows up. He looked mildly amused. “How do you know it would have gone beyond flirting?”
“It would have.” She couldn’t say exactly how she knew, but she did. She’d been around men all her life. All of her brothers and cousins had friends. She’d been flirted with plenty. And it was very rare to feel a spark like she felt with Conner.
His smile grew. “Then how do you know it would have gone beyond just a one-night thing?”
She gave him a look. “You would have never been able to keep it to one night.”
He chuckled. “You might be right about that. I like you. I don’t always really like the women I take home.”
She didn’t say anything, but she did roll her eyes.
“I know how that sounds,” he said, even with her lack of response. “What I mean is, I don’t really know them. I know you. We probably would have dated for a while. If you were my type.”
“I thought we just established that I do have boobs.”
“Touché,” he said with a tip of his head. “But I’m not into tall brunettes. I like curvy blondes.”
Uh-huh. It did seem that way.
Gabby didn’t analyze her actions. She simply let the blanket fall away from her shoulders as she reached for the Carl-Mart bag.
Conner glanced over and she felt the truck swerve slightly. “What are you doing?”
“I realized you were right,” she said, pulling the candy bar from the bag.
“Right?”
“I’m not your type. So there’s no reason to worry about being modest.”
“Put the sweatpants on.”
She looked at him as she bit into the chocolate. “No. I’m warm now.”
He hit the button to turn the AC on.
Available at Kindle Nook Samhain
Giveaway:
To celebrate another amazing read in the Counting on Love series, I’m giving away a Kindle version of Up by Five. Just leave a comment telling me your favorite Erin Nicholas’ book. If you haven’t read one yet, check out Erin’s books and tell me the one you want to read most. I’ll pick a winner tomorrow night.
Sapphire Falls Cover Reveal
Sapphire Falls has few good memories for Mason Riley. So what’s he doing in the middle of the annual town Festival/class reunion eleven years after leaving town without a look back?
Letting the most popular girl in town—then and now—kiss up to him.
Mason has come a long way from the nerdy outcast Sapphire Falls remembers. His genius IQ has helped him make a name for himself with everyone from the World Health Organization to the White House. He’s also got the bank account to make the Mayor of Sapphire Falls herself—the girl who broke his heart in high school and the one who now wants him to donate to the town’s big building project—take notice.
He can’t wait to tell her no in person.
Adrianne Scott loves Sapphire Falls. The sleepy little town where her college roommate was elected Mayor has been the perfect place to escape the fast-paced, high stress sales job she had in Chicago. She’s happy, healthy and the new project means her dream candy shop can now become a reality. Everything is good in her quiet life. Until Mason Riley comes home.
Mason sure doesn’t look—or kiss—like a socially awkward geek. In fact, he makes Adrianne’s heart pound like nothing she’s ever experienced. Which means she needs to stay far away from him.
A great plan, until her friends inform her that Mason’s donation to the project is dependent on keeping him away from the Mayor while he’s in town.
Now all Adrianne has to do is keep Mason busy, distracted and feeling good about—and generous toward— his hometown… oh, and avoid falling for the world-saving, nerd-turned-hot-guy in the process.
Phoebe Sherwood is in love with the perfect man. Well, except for the fact that he’s in love with another woman.
But Phoebe isn’t the type to let a little detail like that keep her from getting what she wants. Now that Matt’s preparing to propose to someone else, Phoebe does what she does best—she starts plotting. And as she’s forming her plan, she’s presented with the perfect addition—Joe Spencer.
Joe is in town to retrieve his… sort-of… fiancée. Who has, inconveniently, fallen in love with another guy. And with Sapphire Falls… and decided to stay.
But Joe and Nadia have been friends since childhood. Plus she promised to marry him to save him from his wicked ways. With his wicked ways on the verge of ruining his life, he’s here to remind her of that.
Bright and sparkly. That’s Joe’s first impression of Phoebe. He’s always been attracted to sparkly things—like neon casino signs, sequined evening gowns and Porsches. In fact, his affinity for those things—and the trouble they can cause—are exactly why he’s determined to change his habits. So his first order of business is staying away from Phoebe.
But when she announces that Joe has a starring role in her plan to break Matt and Nadia up, ignoring her becomes impossible.
It’s clear that Joe’s a great guy, but if he’s going to get Nadia back, the city boy is going to need to learn a new way of life. If country line dancing, guzzling homemade moonshine and getting rid of his custom-made suits is what it takes to fit in… he’s got some work to do.
Good thing Phoebe knows everything there is to know about life in Sapphire Falls.
And everything will be just fine… as long as they can keep their hands off of each other and remember which hearts they are trying to win over.
Available at all e-retail sites, July 2014!
Travis Bennett is exactly the kind of guy Lauren Davis has been avoiding for the past nine years. Religiously. Stubbornly. Successfully. She knows too well how easy it is to let love and lust ruin perfectly laid plans. And a good-looking, sexy small town farmer who has no plans or ambitions beyond the borders of his corn field is not going to get in her way. She’s got important stuff to do. Her company is doing ground-breaking research and literally changing the way poor countries in the world are producing food. Not exactly something she can turn her back on. Not to mention the travel, the excitement and the adventure.
Travis has everything he wants or needs—a quiet, simple life in his tiny hometown of Sapphire Falls, a successful farm and his friends and family all around. A hoity-toity city chick who looks down on everything from the local coffee to his favorite music is the last girl he’s bringing to Sunday dinner with his grandma. No matter how good she looks in the cut off denim shorts that are supposed to pass for her “country wear”. So why can’t he stop thinking about how fun it would be to get Dr. D dirty?
Lauren doesn’t do casual sex-only relationships and she and Travis could never make something work long-term, but she can’t kick her crush. The guy is exactly her type—except for the never-wanting-to-leave-Sapphire-Falls thing. But she made the mistake of choosing a guy over her dreams and plans once before. Never again.
One possible solution? Spending more time with Travis in his “natural habitat”— experiencing of the country life in Sapphire Falls—during the two weeks she’s stuck here. Bingeing on all of the things she craves but that are counterproductive to her plans may be the fastest way to remember what she wants… and what she doesn’t.
Travis wants to be over his stupid fascination with the stuck up city girl too, so he goes along with her plan, giving her a hefty dose of life in his world. They have nothing to offer each other and after a couple of weeks of having that thrown in his face over and over again, surely it’ll be good riddance when she finally goes back to the city.
Probably.
Hopefully.
Available at all e-retail sites, August 2014!
Come join the Sapphire Falls Cover Reveal Party on Facebook.
Getting Out of Hand: June 19
Getting Worked Up: July 17
Getting Dirty: August 21
I Belong to You Cover Reveal
I Belong to You – Inside Out Series – Book 5
Master…
Being that person, that man, is how I define myself, how I allow the
rest of the world to define me as well. And now, with a terrible loss
shredding me inside out and someone trying to destroy my family to
punish me, control is more important than ever. It is everything. It is
what I need. It is all I need. Or maybe I just need…her.
Will be available at all retailers soon.
Now optioned to STARZ for cable TV — read about it HERE
ABOUT LISA RENEE JO
NES
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Lisa Renee Jones is the author of the highly acclaimed INSIDE OUT TRILOGY which has sold to more than ten countries for translation with negotiations in process for more, and has now been optioned by STARZ Network for a cable television show, to be produced by Suzanne Todd (Alice in Wonderland).
Since beginning her publishing career in 2007, Lisa has published more than 30 books with publishers such as Simon and Schuster, Avon, Kensington, Harlequin, NAL, Berkley and Elloras Cave, as well as crafting a successful indie career. Booklist says that Jones suspense truly sizzles with an energy similar to FBI tales with a paranormal twist by Julie Garwood or Suzanne Brockmann.
Prior to publishing, Lisa owned multi-state staffing agency that was recognized many times by The Austin Business Journal and also praised by Dallas Women Magazine. In 1998 LRJ was listed as the #7 growing women owned business in Entrepreneur Magazine.
Lisa loves to hear from her readers. You can reach her through her website and she is active on twitter and facebook daily.
—
If I Were You Read Along with Lisa Renee Jones
Join the read along fun as we read If I Were You chapter by chapter. It’s a great chance to re-read or read If I Were You and to interact with Lisa Renee Jones. This series is simply amazing! Go join the group on Goodreads and get ready for tons of fun on April 1.
It’s Cover Reveal Time for Taste Me Deadly – With Prizes! from Nikki Duncan
TASTE ME DEADLY is the 5th book in Nikki Duncan’s Sensory Ops series, and it releases digitally next Tuesday! To celebrate, we’re having a cover reveal blog hop, and Nikki is giving away prizes. Don’t miss the Rafflecopter below.
I describe this cover as: Guarded
Visit these blogs, make note of the word used to describe the cover, and then enter the RaffleCopter contest.
~ Reading Room Blog
~ Saph’s Book Blog
~ Book Liaison Blog
~ Book Sniffers Anonymous Blog
~ Julie’s Blog
~ The Revolving Bookcase Blog
~ Live Laugh Romance Blog
Here’s the contest!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
New Release & A Must Read – Going for Four by Erin Nicholas
Counting on Love, Book 4
It’s either true love…or the biggest mistake they’ve ever made.
Hot firefighter Cody Madsen has stayed away from Olivia Dixon for almost two years-technically. Even though he talks to her every day and sees her every weekend. But there’s no kissing, touching, or telling her how he really feels. Because they’re just friends. Anything more than that would mean crossing the line that Olivia’s older brother has firmly drawn between them.
Olivia wants what her three sisters have-true love. She could almost believe she’s found it with Cody, if it weren’t for the fact that he’s her older brother’s best friend and her brother won’t have it. And he’s never steered her wrong before. Her head is telling her to trust her brother, but her heart won’t let go of Cody.
Her solution? A dating site where she and Cody can each find their “Perfect Pick” once and for all.
But when the site yields some unexpected results, their real feelings come front and center. And they have to decide if it’s worth the risk to cross the line from friendship to love after all.
Warning: Contains a starry-eyed romantic, a wannabe knight in shining armor, and chocolate chip cookies. A lot of chocolate chip cookies.
Available at Kindle Nook Samhain
His Hometown Girl Book Blitz
He’d always managed to best her…
Jodi Chapman will do whatever it takes to get top care for her autistic son. If that means going home and convincing local farmers to sell their land, so be it. Even if her biggest opponent, childhood rival Daniel Gleason, is equally determined to convince farmers to buy into his co-op plan. And he’s not playing fair.
Facing off against Daniel is the last thing Jodi wants. The attraction that’s always fueled their competitiveness is as strong as ever and just as distracting. But with both their futures on the line, and years of distrust between them, how can they ever be on the same side?
PREORDER
The sliding doors opened with a hiss and they stepped out into the cool, midmorning drizzle. Daniel breathed in the smell of exhaust and couldn’t wait to get home, away from all this concrete. He needed to strategize. Regroup and think about how he’d handle this new, unflappable Jodi.
She raised an eyebrow and gave him a measured look. “Where are you parked?” Her stroller’s plastic wheels swerved along the parking lot’s asphalt.
So she was letting his accusation go, her self-possession unnerving him. Gone was the girl whose passion had once swept him away from his everyday life, her white-hot temper later imploding it. How things had changed. At least the temporary cease-fire meant he could find out her plans. Stop them before she put them in place. For that matter, the drive home might soften her up with a tour down memory lane.
“I’ve got a ground-level spot,” he said, raising his voice so it’d be heard over a plane’s roar.
“Great. The sooner Tyler gets his nap the better.”
“Are you working right away or having some R & R first? I’ll show you some of the old sights.”
“I have to check in with my boss, then I plan to—” She stopped and shoved wet, frizzing hair from her face. “Why am I telling you this?” Her eyes roamed over him, mystified. Suddenly she looked like the girl he’d known years ago, the one who’d once worn her heart on her sleeve and had captured his.
“Because we used to be friends, Jodi Lynn.”
“Friends?” She snorted and shook off the water collecting on the stroller’s canopy. “And don’t call me Jodi Lynn.”
“Would you prefer ‘ma’am’? Is that what country folks are supposed to say when a city girl comes to town?”
“Knock it off, Daniel.” She nudged him, and the warmth of her bare shoulder through his thin shirt nearly burned.
“That’s Mr. Gleason to you,” he joked to hide the response her touch ignited. Careful, he warned himself.
Jodi shot him a level look, then picked up speed when her son started to kick again, his voice sounding like a teakettle about to boil. No wonder. Daniel would scream, too, if he was strapped in when he could walk instead. Parking lots were unpredictable, but with a firm hand and a sharp eye the little guy could have had his freedom.
“So why are you here instead of one of my aunt’s neighbors?” she asked once they halted beside his muddy blue pickup. The misting rain had only streaked the dirt.
“We’re all neighbors, and neighbors help each other.” He tossed her expensive-looking suitcases into the open bed, an echoing thunk sounding when plastic met metal. “In case you forgot.”
“I haven’t. I’m helping my old hometown get a fair deal that will improve their lives.” She spoke without looking up at him, her movements practiced and efficient as she swept up her thrashing son and secured him in the child seat she’d detached from the stroller, buckling him into the center of the truck’s continuous front seat.
“If you want something, use your words, Tyler,” she told her son.
The boy screamed and pounded his fists against the dashboard, but Jodi slid in beside him, looking as if it was any other day. And for her, maybe it was.
Daniel felt his resistance weaken until he caught himself. Her “fair deal” would only benefit Midland, not her former community. They’d either have to abandon their land or become corporate drones, working for a Midland paycheck. No. Jodi was the enemy. No matter that she made him remember good times he’d rather forget.
If he couldn’t convince her that this was personal, not business, remind her of the good times she’d had here and the people she’d cared about, then he needed her gone before she wrecked havoc on his home and his heart.
She’d done the latter the last time she’d left town. He’d be a fool to let her do it again. He wouldn’t let himself, or his town, fall for Jodi Lynn Chapman.
No ma’am.
Karen Rock has adored romance since receiving Harlequin Presents books from her grandmother each summer. She formed her Young Adult writing partnership, J.K. Rock- pseudonym for the CAMP BOYFRIEND series, with her sister-in-law and Blaze author, Joanne Rock in 2011. When Karen heard of a call for submissions to Heartwarming, Harlequin’s latest line, she was inspired by the possibilities of writing unforgettable, deeply romantic, tender love stories that mothers would feel comfortable sharing with their daughters. When she’s not writing, Karen loves scouring estate sales for vintage books, cooking her grandmother’s family recipes, hiking the ‘high peaks’, and redesigning her gardens. She lives in the Adirondack Mountain region with her husband, daughter, and two Cavalier King cocker spaniels who have yet to understand the concept of “fetch” though they know a lot about love.
For more information about Karen’s upcoming books, check out her website at http://www.karenrock.com, Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/karenrockwrites or follow her on twitter at http://www.twitter.com/karenrock5 . She’d love to hear from you!
GIVEAWAY #1
GRAND PRIZE WINNER
-$50 Amazon Gift Card
-SIGNED copy of HIS HOMETOWN GIRL by Karen Rock
2nd & 3rd PRIZE WINNERS
-SIGNED copies of HIS HOMETOWN GIRL by Karen Rock
GIVEAWAY #2
GRAND PRIZE WINNER
-$25 Gift Card (Amazon or B&N)
-Shadow’s Curse by Alexa Egan
-A Cursed Embrace by Cecy Robson
-His Reluctant Rancher by Roxanne Snopek
-Free Fall by Karen Foley
To enter: Pre-order a copy of HIS HOMETOWN GIRL on Kindle http://amzn.to/1eveD3C or Nook http://bit.ly/1ktNqWq!
Email a copy or picture of your receipt to karenrock@live.com along with-
Your name:
Your email address:
Blog you found the contest on:
You’ll be entered to win a $25 gift certificate to either Amazon or Barnes and Nobles (your choice) as well as the four books in the prize picture.
LAST DAY TO ENTER IS FEBRUARY 28!
Live. Laugh. Romance. 