Friday, April 25, 2014

Dual Reviews: PHENOMENAL X by Michelle A. Valentine


PHENOMENAL X
By Michelle A. Valentine
Release Date: April 22, 2014
Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance
Book #1 in the Hard Knocks Series

Synopsis
Good Girl. Notorious Bad-Boy. One Phenomenal Love. 

From the mean streets of Detroit rises the newest superstar of professional wrestling, Xavier Cold, better known as Phenomenal X. His muscular physique makes men cower before him and women lose their minds with desire.

Anna Cortez is fresh out of college and naive to the harsh realities of the real world. Tired of living under the thumb of her conservative family, she defies them when she accepts a job as the assistant to wrestling’s most notorious bad-boy. Phenomenal X has an animalistic nature that even good girl Anna finds hard to resist.

One night forced to share a bed in a sold-out hotel, lines blur between them and they quickly learn that one lustful night changes everything and neither one of them will ever be the same.



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REVIEWS

I think this has to be my all time favorite book by this author. The storyline was brilliant and I loved how fast I connected with the characters.

X is strong, demanding and when he sees something he wants he won't stop until he gets it. I fell in love with him right away. Anna was the perfect match for him. She didn't fall at his feet like all the other women have in the past.

There were parts to this story that quite frankly ripped my heart out. Seriously, I just wanted to scream because it was so painful to read.

Overall I loved it and can't wait to see how X and Anna's story ends. 4.5 Stars   ~Christy


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Where do I begin? How about telling you how much I freaking LOVED this book. Even that sentence seems weak compared to how I feel right now. This is by far the best book Michelle A. Valentine has written. I love all her work, but this one grabbed me and didn't let go. The tension inside me from 60% until the end was incredible. I was not prepared after seeing the teasers for this epic story. I have always been a wrestling fan and I'm married to an even bigger one, so I was more than elated to start this book. I just wasn't prepared for Xavier Cold! 

Xavier wants to hide his past from everyone, even himself. He doesn't want to face his demons and sure as Hell doesn't want Anna to see them. "Believe me, beautiful, I'm bad fucking news. A nice girl like you should run away from me as quick as you can." If only it was that easy. 

Anna is running from a sheltered life with an overprotective father. What she didn't expect to find was X. Xavier Cold is different than she expected, but she has only seen the huge heart he has, she doesn't see the darkness he hides inside. He tells her that they can only be friends. She tries fighting her feelings in the beginning. But jealousy sometimes rears it's ugly head even when we don't want it to. Can she break down that huge wall he's built to protect himself and her? 

This book had me enthralled the entire time. I cried at the halfway mark when she wrote Xavier's past from his POV. My heart was breaking for him every time she took us back to his past. I wanted to reach into my Kindle and hug him. I love Anna, she is strong, territorial and a truly lovely female lead. I was cheering for her and Xavier the entire time. This book has some amazing moments. I was grinning like a Cheshire cat and I think I giggled a handful of times. Xavier is my book boyfriend of the year! I can't wait, and I mean CANNOT wait for the next book in this series. I'm on pins and needles waiting to see what happens next. Michelle A. Valentine, you did a "Phenomenal" job on this book. I love it so much that 5 Stars isn't enough. To satisfy the rating system, I give this book 5 Stars! ~Jen

"You're my addiction" ~Xavier Cold aka Phenomenal X 


About the author...


Michelle A. Valentine is a Central Ohio nurse turned New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of erotic and New Adult romance. Her love of hard-rock music, tattoos, and sexy musicians inspired her erotic BLACK FALCON series.

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Thursday, April 24, 2014

The Regret Series ( by A.L. Jackson) Cover Reveal and Box Set Release & Sale

Check out the stunning new covers to the New York Times bestselling novels, The Regret Series by A.L. Jackson. Regina Wamba of Mae I Design has given them a fresh new look and to celebrate, the entire series is now available as a bundled set for a limited-time sale of $1.99! Grab your copies now or gift them to a friend!

Lost to You - NEW

Lost to You
The prequel to the bestselling romance, Take This Regret. People come into our lives. Some stay, and many go. Some build us up, while most tear us down. They become our friends, our enemies, our lovers, our tormentors. Christian Davison came into mine, and I knew I’d never be the same. To Elizabeth Ayers, New York City had always been a dream. She’s worked her entire young life to make it here. Groomed to one day take over his father’s law firm, attending Columbia University was Christian Davison’s only option. Neither wanted anything more until they sat across from each other at a cafĂ© table after being paired as study partners. Christian wants her, but Elizabeth knows better than to give into their intense attraction. Yet there is little she can do to stay away.



Take This Regret - NEW
 
Take This Regret
There are some mistakes we make that we will regret for the rest of our lives. For Christian Davison, it was the day he betrayed Elizabeth Ayers. For five years, Christian has regretted the day he walked away from his family and will do anything to win them back. Can Elizabeth forgive someone who has committed the unforgiveable? Or are there some wounds that go so deep they can never heal?



If Forever Comes - NEW
 
If Forever Comes
If Forever Comes, the final chapter in the New York Times Bestselling novels, The Regret Series. Christian Davison’s life is complete. With a ring on Elizabeth’s finger and his daughter at his side, he’s ready to run headlong into their future. Elizabeth Ayers never believed she would again find this kind of joy—the joy of a family and the wholeness found in the touch of the man she’s always loved. Their love is intense and their passion only grows as they set out to rediscover each other. But life is never easy. Rocked by the unforeseen, Christian and Elizabeth will find themselves fighting for the one thing they hold most important—family.


Reading Order and Purchase Links
Lost to You - NEW Take This Regret - NEW If Forever Comes - NEW
regret series sale
Lost to You: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes Take This Regret: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes If Forever Comes: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes NEW Bundled Set ($1.99): Amazon


About A.L. Jackson
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A.L. Jackson is the New York Times bestselling author of Take This Regret and Lost to You, as well as other contemporary romance titles, including Pulled and When We Collide. She first found a love for writing during her days as a young mother and college student. She filled the journals she carried with short stories and poems used as an emotional outlet for the difficulties and joys she found in day-to-day life. Years later, she shared a short story she’d been working on with her two closest friends and, with their encouragement, this story became her first full length novel. A.L. now spends her days writing in Southern Arizona where she lives with her husband and three children. Her favorite pastime is spending time with the ones she loves.


Don’t miss The Regret Series Box Set Release and Cover Reveal Giveaway! Grand Prize ~ A.L. Jackson Prize Pack Second Prize ~ $50.00 Amazon Gift Card Third Prize ~ $25.00 Amazon Gift Card

Giveaway

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

NOVA AND QUINTON: NO REGRETS by Jessica Sorensen ~ Release Day Event/Review/Giveaway



Title: Nova and Quinton: No Regrets
Author: Jessica Sorensen
Release Date: April 15, 2014

Synopsis
Today is the first day of Quinton Carter's new life. The toxic guilt of his past left him in pieces-but one girl unexpectedly put him back together. Thanks to Nova Reed, Quinton can finally see the world with clear eyes. She's the reason his heart is still kicking behind the jagged scar on his chest. And he would love to have her in his arms every minute of the day . . . but he's not ready yet.

Playing drums in a band and living with her best friends are just some of the highlights of Nova's life. But the best new development? Talking to Quinton on the phone each night. She wishes she could touch him, kiss him, though she knows he needs time to heal. Yet shocking news is on the way-a reminder of life's dark side-and Nova will need Quinton like he once needed her. Is he strong enough to take the final leap out of his broken past . . . and into Nova's heart?


BUY LINKS
Amazon / B&N / iTunes

EXCERPT
“I have to tell you something else, but it’s not good—it’s bad.” Before I can chicken out, I hurry and sputter, “Someone gave me a bag of meth today and I have it underneath my mattress.” As soon as I say it, I wonder why the hell I thought this was a good idea, throwing this on her. I need to stop relying on her so much—need to stand on my own two feet.
I’m about to hang up, because really it’s the only choice, but then she says, “Did you do any of it?”
“No.” My voice shakes as I grip the side of the mattress and battle to breathe evenly.
“Do you want to?” she asks calmly.
“Yes.” My voice is full of desperation.
“Are you… are you going to?” There’s a hint of worry in her tone.
“I’m not sure,” I admit. “I want to, but I also want to throw it away.”
“Then throw it away,” she says, as if it’s the easiest thing in the world to do.
“I don’t think I can.” My hands quiver just at the thought of it and I rest my forehead on the mattress, still on my knees “It feels fucking impossible.”
“Yes, you can.” She sounds so certain and I have no idea how she’s doing it—managing to sound so calm when I know she can’t be. “Just take it and dump it down the toilet. You can do this. I know you can.”
“You have too much faith in me,” I say, slipping my fingers between the bed and the mattress, fighting the urge to hang up on her and turn to what’s only inches away from my fingertips.
“No, I have the right amount,” she replies. “Now let me know when you have it and you’re headed to the bathroom. And don’t hang up on me.” It’s like she can read my mind.
I sit there forever, going back and forth with what I want and need to do. At one point I grab the bag of crystal and put it back. Then pull it out again and open it, staring at the white crystals so close I can almost taste them. But I can also hear Nova breathing on the other end. Soft and full of concern. Acting calm, when I’m sure she’s freaking out. I want to throw them away just for her, but I have to wonder if it’s possible to care for someone so much that I’d give this up. Do I care for her that much?
After a lot of deliberating, I come to one simple answer.
Yes. I care about her that much.
I get to my feet and make my way to the bathroom, not speaking. Then I lift up the toilet seat and, shutting my eyes, I tip the bag over, pour the contents into the water, and flush them down.
“Did you do it?” Nova asks at the sound of the flushing.
I press my lips together, resting back against the bathroom wall, realizing how sweaty I am and how much I’m gasping for air. “I did.”
“See, I knew you could do it,” she says with relief in her voice. “I knew you’d do the right thing.”
The right thing? Is that what I just did? Sometimes it feels like it is, but there are other times when it feels like what I’m doing is so wrong and disrespectful to Lexi. But through the right and wrong, there’s always one thing that gives me hope and that’s Nova. She’s what keeps me going.


REVIEW
I was so happy to get my hands on the rest of Nova and Quinton's story. The first 2 books were amazing but they definitely took me to a dark place emotionally and just kind of left me there. With this third book I finally got an ending to this heartwrenching story.

Quinton's struggles with his addiction read true to life. It was not glossed over as if sobriety was something easily obtained or kept. He wasn't miraculously cured of all that ailed him by the love of a good woman. It was a long road to recovery and I felt every painful moment with him.

As if I expected any less, it was the perfect ending for a perfectly imperfect couple. 5 stars ~ Christy



About the author:
Jessica Sorensen is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author from the snowy mountains of Wyoming. When she's not writing, she spends her time reading and hanging out with her family.

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Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Cover Reveal: BLURRED by Kim Karr


Title: Blurred (Connections #3.5)
Release date: August 5, 2014

Synopsis
The story before the love story….

When he lost the only woman he’d ever loved, it seemed there was nothing left to live for.

Even as a boy, all Ben Covington ever wanted was to spend forever with Dahlia London, the beautiful girl next door...then one life-altering decision tore them apart and he was forced to leave her.

Now, despite having returned to win her back, he’s still alone. She’s with someone else—someone she’s never going to leave.

Resigned to a future without his former girlfriend, Ben numbs his broken heart in a haze of liquor and women. But then the only woman who ever even turned his head while he was with his girl reappears unexpectedly. And he’s never forgotten their one incredible night together. But will Ben’s destructive behavior destroy his future with her before it even begins?


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Author Links


Sunday, April 6, 2014

Review of The Pulse (#1 in the Pulse Trilogy) by Shoshanna Evers




AmazonBarnes and Noble 


Review 

I wasn't sure when I started this book if I was going to like it. I had never read a Dystopian Erotic novel before. Let me tell you, Shoshanna has changed my outlook on that genre. I found myself so intrigued with thoughts of, "Wow, what if this really happened today." That is one scary thought, and Emily and Mason lived it. 

I love that she wrote it in dual POV. I really like getting into the minds of both the characters. It felt so real, like it was happening right now. Her writing is smooth, and flows nicely. This woman can write some of the hottest sex scenes in the most peculiar times. I could not help but be turned on by Mason and his Alpha overprotective ways. 

Mason, what can I say? His back story was sad. The way he protected Emily was sweet. I could have smacked him at one point for leaving her, but he rectified it in my eyes. I felt so bad for him in the beginning. I hope they never find him, he deserves to be free. You will understand that more after you read the book. I like to keep you guessing and not spoil it for others. 

Emily was so strong for what she did to escape. I don't know if I would have that in me. It's crazy to think of that happening to woman, yet it does. She was sweet in the way she took care of Mason. I'm so glad she's a fighter and she never gave up. 

Overall, this book grabbed my attention and curiosity and never let go. The Erotic moments were on Fire. I am looking forward to the rest of this series, and more from this author. 

I give this book 4 Stars! ~Jen