BLOG TOUR & GIVEAWAY: Addicted to you by Colina Brennan

Book Info

Addicted to you

by Colina Brennan

Publication Date: June 25th, 2013

When twenty-one-year-old Leah Carter’s latest one night stand burglarizes her apartment, her roommate forces her to attend therapy for sex addicts. Leah insists she isn’t a sex addict; she just doesn’t do relationships. After all, sooner or later, everyone lets you down.
At first, the group sessions are little more than an education on how to be promiscuous. Until she meets the newest addict—blue eyes, killer body, and a smile that tempts relapse.
Psychology student Will McLean is posing as a fellow addict while researching a case study on unusual addictions. But the more he learns about Leah, the more certain he is that his desire to break through her walls and unearth her secrets has nothing to do with his assignment.
As the uncertainties spike alongside the sexual tension, the only thing Leah knows for sure is that falling in love would be disastrous. Too bad love might be one addiction she can’t kick.

Excerpt 

At random points in the past seven days, moments from last week’s session had surfaced in her mind, completely steering her thoughts away from whatever she’d been doing at the time. It had been extremely confusing when she’d been vegging out watching a late night documentary on the migration of wildebeest, and then suddenly, she was thinking about the way Blue Eyes had stood up for her. About the genuine indignation in his voice that had caught her so off guard.

Or the next day when she’d been decorating cake pops with Helena, and suddenly she was remembering the way Blue Eyes had looked at her when he handed over her jacket. Not with the lust of a one night stand or the disgust of some of her classmates or even with the disregard of the other addicts.

He had just looked … thoughtful. Like he wanted to ask her something, and he might actually care about how she’d answer.

Or maybe it was just her imagination twisting the moment into something else.

She sensed him settle into the chair next to her, which made her stomach tighten with excitement. She should just get that apology out of the way, but she wasn’t very good at saying she was sorry. She’d probably screw it all up. So instead, she focused on the counselor as he walked in, maintaining her glare, and determined not to acknowledge the guy beside her. Even though the side of her body nearest to Blue Eyes burned with awareness.

He was close enough that she could lift her hand if she wanted and bridge the distance between them, feel the warmth of his skin against her fingertips. Her resolve weakening, she stole a quick glance in his direction. He looked just as good as she remembered. Better even. This time, his sleeves were short, and the way he stretched his arms back to lace his fingers behind his head made the thin cotton stretch across his chest and his biceps bulge. Her throat went dry. Her pulse quickened.

His gaze shifted, met hers, stayed. There was a question in his eyes, the exact look she’d recalled during her wildebeest documentary, and she wanted to know what it meant.

She drew slow, deep breaths through her nose to steady her heart rate. Just faintly, she caught the scent of what must have been either his cologne or his soap. Fresh sea. Warm sun. Rich earth. It made her want to press her face into that tiny dip at the base of his neck and inhale deeply.

Geez, maybe she really did need help. 

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Review: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

City of Bones
by Cassandra Clare
Publication Date: March 27th, 2007

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder -- much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing -- not even a smear of blood -- to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?
This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know. . . . 
Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare's ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride that they will never want to end

Review 

So, I know like everyone in the book blogging world has read this book but me.  I could never bring myself to read this book.  The synopsis was just so not me and honestly, the cover also deterred me.  But, my boyfriend recently started reading this series because of the movie that came out Wednesday, so I decided to give it a chance to.  And it was pretty good.

I really didn't get into the book until about half way through it.  The beginning I thought was sort of slow and I found myself skipping parts and having to go back and reread what I thought I had already read.  But from the half point of this book on was so fast paced and exhilarating that I couldn't stop reading!

I love Clary, she's snarky and so brave.  She's like one of the best main characters I've read about.  She changed so much throughout this book and I loved watching her change.  And I loved Jace and Clary together.  Jace and Clary just match perfectly.  I love Jace's personality all around.  There is like nothing I would change about him.  I really liked Simon too, buttttttttt I have to pick Jace!

COVER REVEAL: That One Summer by CJ Duggan

Loving Chris Henderson would be wrong. Diabolically disastrous. I mean, what is there about him to love? He’s moody, bossy, brooding, a control freak, and that’s on a good day … but there was one achingly obvious fact that haunted my every thought, every minute of every day …

He sure could kiss.

As the countdown to the new millennium begins, there is one thing everyone agrees on: no one wants to be in Onslow for New Year’s Eve.

So that can only mean one thing: road trip!

No longer the mousey, invisible, shy girl from years ago, Tammy Maskala is finally making up for all those lost summers. A new year with new friends, which astoundingly includes the bossy boy behind the bar, Chris Henderson.

She likes her new friends (at least most of them), so why does she secretly feel so out of place?

After chickening out on the trip, a last-minute change of heart sees Tammy racing to the Onslow Hotel, fearing she’s missed her chance for a ride. The last thing she expected to meet was a less-than-happy Onslow Boy leaning against his black panel van.

Now the countdown begins to reach the others at Point Shank before the party is over and the new year has begun. Alone in a car with only the infuriating Chris Henderson, Tammy can’t help but feel this is a disastrous start to what could have been a great adventure. But when the awkward road trip takes an unexpected turn, Tammy soon discovers that the way her traitorous heart feels about Chris is the biggest disaster of all.

Fogged up windows, moonlight swimming, bad karaoke and unearthed secrets; after this one summer nothing will ever be the same again.

WOW #37

Biggest Flirts (Superlatives #1)

by Jennifer Echols

Publication Date: May 2014

The "Superlatives Series" is about seniors at a Florida high school who are selected for their class Who's Who categories, and how the labels change the way they view themselves and alter the course of their lives.

BLOG TOUR & GIVEAWAY: Unteachable by Leah Raeder

Book Info

Unteachable

by Leah Raeder

Publication Date: August 1st, 2013

I met him at a carnival, of all corny places. The summer I turned eighteen, in that chaos of neon lights and cheap thrills, I met a man so sweet, so beautiful, he seemed to come from another world. We had one night: intense, scary, real. Then I ran, like I always do. Because I didn’t want to be abandoned again.
But I couldn’t run far enough.
I knew him as Evan that night. When I walked into his classroom, he became Mr. Wilke.
My teacher.
I don’t know if what we’re doing is wrong. The law says one thing; my heart says screw the law. I can’t let him lose his job. And I can’t lose him.
In the movies, this would have a happy ending. I grow up. I love, I lose, I learn. And I move on. But this is life, and there’s no script. You make it up as you go along.
And you don’t pray for a happy ending. You pray for it to never end.

Review

Gosh, this  book was freaking fantastic.  Beautiful.  Delightful.  Mesmerizing.  There are so many words that could describe this book.  We've all read about forbidden romances, with either teachers or for some other reasons.  But Leah Raeder takes that forbidden romance to a whole new level.

I love the allure to forbidden love and that is what ultimately drove me to read this book.  I've also had my own forbidden romance and I love reading about other peoples.  There's just something so thrilling about it and irresistible that a lot of people want to or have had one.

Maise O'Malley made this whole book.  Raeder captured her voice perfectly.  I automatically just wanted to be her best friend.  I wish I knew someone like her in real life.  She is just utterly fantastic.  So witty and brave and just perfect all around.  Her life growing up may not have been perfect but that shaped her into the character she was in the book.  Raeder's writing made Maise come alive and I felt like I was actually living this whole story out with her.  

Evan wasn't too bad himself either.  I wish I knew someone like him.  Maybe a little younger then he was but he was so perfect.  He cared so much for Maise and was just so captivating.  The steamy scenes between him and Maise were to freaking die for!

I must must must say that I LOVE Raeder's writing.  Everything about it was so captivation and poetic. I've never seen a writing style quite like hers and I WILL read anything else that she comes out with.  

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BOOK BLITZ: Repossession by Rachael Wade

Book Info

Repossession

by Rachael Wade

Publication Date: June 21st, 2013

Skylla only knows that she has been kidnapped and held prisoner by the foreign invaders and their human allies. And that the world is ending. Or so the humans think. The invaders have made it clear that their arrival is one of hostile intent, and as their takeover spreads, so does the panic across the globe. No one knows how to defeat them, or if it’s even sane to try.
Jet, Skylla’s human captor, is up for the challenge, though. A traitor in Skylla’s eyes, he is working with them. But Jet has his own agenda; one that doesn’t include babysitting Skylla or helping the enemies. And as the human race struggles to keep the invaders from achieving their goal, Jet and Skylla’s paths collide to reveal the truth behind Skylla’s abduction.
The invaders are headed for the water. Jet is headed for the water. But that’s the last place Skylla wants to be. That’s where the future of humanity lies, and where the bridge to their yesterdays was burned. On a mission to take back what is rightfully theirs, Earth’s population is determined to make sure this isn’t the end. But some endings were never theirs to begin with.

Excerpt 

The quiet drone of a train’s chugging grew louder as it approached but was still eerily muted, a graceful ghost passing in the night. Minimal light shone from the front car as Jet stepped forward to align himself with its path.

“How do we know where it stops?” I asked, positioning myself next to him.

“We don’t.”

“So …”

“So we have to make a run for it.”

“You mean jump?”

“Yup.”

“As in … jump onto a moving train.”

“Yup.”

“This is crazy.”

“A dangerously disturbing level of crazy. No worries, baby.” He patted my shoulder with a smartass grin. “It’s just your area of expertise.” I narrowed my eyes at him, storing that one away for a future retaliation jab of my own.

Adrenaline spiked as the train grew closer, every nerve ending a live wire to the heart pounding violently in my chest. Jet grabbed my hand, glancing at my gun. “I’ll go first. Once I get a good grip, I’ll haul you up. Whatever you do, don’t stop running. And don’t let go.”

“I should go first,” I raised my voice to speak over the rumbling of the track. “You’re hurt. You’re going to need upper body strength.”

“I’m fine. Don’t fight me on this.”

Blood pounded hot in my ears, my heart rate jumping and hair blowing wildly around my cheeks as the train began to whizz by. The rush in my veins propelled me forward the moment I spotted an opportunity, and I launched into a controlled sprint. Springing upward, I lunged forward and latched on to the side of the car, the metal handle slipping beneath my sweaty grip. I shrieked and latched on harder, hearing Jet’s voice thunder behind me. The train’s vibrations rattled against my chest, sending my senses on high alert.

Clenching the handle until my knuckles hurt, I bit down on my lip to ease the tension and yanked hard to the right, feeling a heavy latch click and shift beneath my fingers. The door slid open and I hauled myself up and inside, grabbing onto the side of the frame to steady myself before flipping around to reach for Jet. He was running full speed after me, his arms pumping tight and sharp at his sides as he tore forward.

“Come on!” I yelled, extending one arm. It only took him a few seconds to catch up, his agile form sending his body off the ground and up onto the car before I could blink. With a loud shout, he clamped onto my arm, his other hand flying over his chest to cradle his gun. I was thrown onto my back with a thud before I knew what hit me, his body covering mine with a crash that left me seeing stars.

“Fucking crazy woman!” he shouted over the rail’s relentless roar, louder now that we were level with it. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” His heat pressed into me, his arms caging me in as he stared down into my eyes, his nose aligned with mine.

“Fulfilling my sole purpose to drive you mad, it seems.” I couldn’t help it. The rush sent me sky-high and an explosive laugh escaped my lungs. I shook beneath him, my breath heaving against his chest.

“Damn it, Skylla!” He dropped his head as he gasped for air. “Seriously!” he added for effect, but there was nothing serious in his voice now. He was laughing too, just as deep, just as euphorically as I was, and I decided right then that the sound of Jet’s laugh was almost as sexy as his full lips and ripped body.

“Wanna go again?”

“You’re reckless. I can’t even look at you.”

“You’re crushing me.”

His head lifted, those blue eyes settling on me as his laughter slowed. “You deserve it.”

My hand shifted and found his injured hip; my fingers brushed the bandage through his shirt. He flinched. “And you need to admit when you need help.”

Pushing himself up, he rolled off me and sat back on his heels, wincing and gripping his side, his lips pulling back and teeth visibly grinding with the motion. I sat up and scooted forward, mindful of the gaping railcar door. I reached up and slid it shut, slamming it with a loud grunt until I felt it lock into place. The loud rumble of the wheels hitting the track was muted now, but the rattling hum still thumped away from outside, filling the dimly lit car with a shaky buzz.

“I’m fine,” he said.

“Fine. Play it your way. I’m going to see if I can find you some medicine.”

I helped push him backward to prop him against the wall, peeling his backpack from his shoulders first. “Try and rest, I’ll see what I can find out.”

“I’m not letting you wander around these cars alone. Not fuckin’ happening.”

“If you don’t rest and get medicine for that wound soon, I’ll be stuck wandering everywhere alone. That ointment won’t cut it. You’re going to need antibiotics. It’s starting to get infected.”

His gaze snapped up to mine and held my stare. “Finger on the trigger.”

“Fire on your mark.” I smirked. 

BOOK BLITZ & GIVEAWAY: Nice Girl to Love by Violet Duke

Book Info

Nice Girl to Love

by Violet Duke

Publication Date: July 31st

The • Nice • Girl n. 1. female of the species who never does anything or anyone bad: Hands-off, she’s a nice girl. 2. the woman that men take home to meet mom: Find my son a ‘nice girl to love.’ SEE ALSO: a good girl; girl scout; Abby Bartlett
This is the complete Nice Girl to Love serial romance collection, which contains: Resisting the Bad Boy (Book One), Falling for the Good Guy (Book Two), and Choosing the Right Man (Book Three).

THE ONE SHE NEVER THOUGHT SHE COULD KEEP…
Abby Bartlett is the quintessential nice girl. Between teaching, volunteering, completing her PhD, and helping her best friend raise his daughter, Abby never gets the chance to be anything but nice. That is, until the all-wrong-for-her man she’s only ever known from afar starts daring her to simply take that chance for herself. His sage advice? Try something wild and fast.  Preferably him.
An unbridled, hotshot attorney with a not-so-little black book, Connor Sullivan has earned himself quite the bad boy reputation. But in his defense, he’s a very conscientious one. He knows far too well that sometimes in life, love isn’t enough…or worse, not even a factor at all. To avoid that misery–and repel the drama–Connor has a firm ‘nothing over a month’ rule.  Who knew a nice girl would be the one to make him want to break all his rules?

THE ONE SHE NEVER HOPED SHE COULD HAVE…
Abby is well aware that everyone thinks she’s in love with her best friend Brian. He is, after all, the type of man a nice girl should be with—the polar opposite of the bad boy—the kind of guy who didn’t let his wife’s decade-long illness stop him from showering her with a lifetime of love every second until her dying day. But everyone’s wrong; she couldn’t possibly be in love with him.  Because she’s never once allowed herself that option.
It’s taken a while but Brian has finally come to terms with surviving the woman he spent half his life loving, a third of it losing. Truth is though, he wouldn’t have ‘survived’ any of it really had it not been for Abby—sweet, incredible Abby—the woman he’s never once had to picture his life without, never realized he couldn’t truly live without. Until now. Now that he’s finally able to love her the way she deserves, the way he knows she wants to be loved…by his brother.  Who’s giving him exactly one chance to speak now or forever hold his peace.

A DECISION SHE NEVER DREAMED SHE’D HAVE TO MAKE…
And now it’s up to Abby to decide between the bad boy wanting to start a life with her and the good guy fighting for the life they’ve already built.

Excerpt 

 Abby went mute as she felt Brian’s tongue lash across her skin, sensitizing the nerves to levels beyond pleasure.

If he didn’t stop, there was a good chance she’d pull the towel he was wearing right off.

“Do you want me to take it off?” he asked, his words tickling her skin.

Yes.  “No,” she stammered, unable to take her eyes off the portion of the towel that was tucked at his hipbone.  Just one good tug—

“I was talking about the ice, sweetheart.  But if you have other things in mind…”

Ice?  What ice?  “Oh!  Ow.”  The burning of the ice at her ankle finally filtered through to her brain.  “Yes, actually, can you take it off?  I’m a wuss when it comes to icing my injuries.”

Brian quickly pulled off the ice and rewrapped her ankle before resuming his massage.  “So back to the other things you wanted me to take off,” he teased.

Okay, seriously?  It was a really good thing the man had never flirted with her before because she was certain she’d never have survived it, especially not when his hands were kneading her muscles into butter.

“You’re impossible,” she complained thickly, though it came out more like a purr.  His massages should be illegal for how good they felt.

She blinked slowly at him and started wondering idly what was so wrong with him losing the towel.  A fuzzy smile drifted across her face.

“Damn, you’re going to fall asleep on me aren’t you?”  Brian’s voice floated over her hair softly as he pressed a smiling kiss to her forehead.  “Go ahead and rest, sweetheart.  You had a pretty eventful afternoon.”

With that, he stood and walked over to the linen closet for some clothes.

Shame.

He was heartbreakingly handsome.  Always had been.  But ever since he’d gone back to coaching afterschool to supplement his teaching income, he’d gotten even burlier from the added lifting sessions before practice.  It was almost unfair.  Superhuman, really.  His build was now more impressive than the average underwear model’s physique—a standard issue Sullivan trait it seemed—though every other aspect of him remained far gentler and way more mellow than Connor.

She’d never thought of mellow as being the new sexy.  But it so was. 

And nice was the new hot.  With two T’s.

Hearing Brian’s soft chuckles echoing in the room, she realized she must have said the last couple of sentences out loud.

“I think you’re ‘nice with two T’s’ too, Abby,” he whispered before kissing her on the cheek.  “Sweet dreams, honey.”

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