Wednesday 25 February 2015

Broken Souls by Laurie Olerich - Book Blitz & Giveaway!

BROKEN SOULS (Primani #4)
by Laurie Olerich
Dark Urban Fantasy Romance
Published on September 2014


This is the first standalone book in the Primani series. It’s a dark romantic suspense that layers a decades-old murder with chilling demon possession on top of two broken people who must somehow heal wounds too deep to see the light of day.

Stalked by evil... Psychic Rori Austin’s life is over. She just doesn’t know it yet. Suffering from recurring nightmares and terrifying fugues, she’s hanging on by a thread. When she blacks out and wakes up in 1969, she knows she’s out of control. Broke and alone in the city that never sleeps, she’s desperate to find someone who can hold back the darkness in her mind. When gorgeous Declan shows up out of nowhere, she’s thrilled until he starts asking questions she has no intention of answering.

Haunted by guilt... Declan Manning is a ruthless killer and a renowned healer. Demons fear him. Humans love him. Life is good. The last thing he needs is a human woman. After saving Rori’s life, he walks away but can’t forget the fear in her exotic eyes. It haunts him, dredging up memories better left buried deep. Intrigued by her secrets, he uncovers the horrifying truth: She’s marked for Hell, and her time is almost up.


SPECIAL OFFER:

The first book in the series, Primani, is currently FREE! 



Broken Souls Excerpt

Moving carefully so he wouldn’t startle her, he pulled the shirt over his head. Turning to the side, he dropped his eyes over his shoulder. At his nod, she reached for him. Slowly, softly, she explored him with feathery strokes that tickled yet sent his blood racing.

“Go ahead, darlin’. Look. Touch. Find your answers.”

Rori was treading on shaky ground, she knew that. He was beautiful. Perfect. His face was like a painting, a sculpture. The hard planes could seem cruel, but right now were softened by his emotions. Love? Patience? She didn’t know, but she knew one thing for sure. He wasn’t trying to hide now. 

He’d taken his shirt off, and she’d lost the use of her vocal chords. He was beautifully made; muscular without being massively huge, golden skin that begged for kisses… he turned so she could see him, and she froze. What would she do if he had wings sprouting from his shoulders? 

“No wings?”

Grinning like a naughty little boy, he shook his head. “Sorry. No wings.” He captured her roaming hand and kissed it. “I have other mad skills though if you’d like me to demonstrate. For instance, I can make you hot.” 

He placed her hands on his shoulders and busted out laughing when she snatched them back with a horrified gasp. What the hell? He was glowing! The harder he laughed, the more obvious the light became. She was trying to put some distance between them, but he wouldn’t let her. Instead, he reclaimed her hands and forced them flat against his chest.

He scolded, “Uh-uh. You wanted answers. Man up and get them. The light is my saol. It’s our life force, technically. You might consider it the source of my powers. You have one too; but yours isn’t strong like mine is. Yours is human.” The teasing smile vanished. “Mine isn’t. Anymore.”

He wasn’t human? This was getting better and better! She seriously needed to put some space between them. She couldn’t think straight. 

He pressed her hand harder against his chest. “Do you feel that? That’s my heart beating just like yours does. Don’t be afraid of me, Rori. I’m here to protect you. It’s what I do. I tried to tell you that before, but you didn’t want to trust me then. Do you trust me now?”

That was a good question. Did she?

She studied the trees in the distance while she considered her answer. After all of the crazy things that had happened in the past few months, she had to admit he’d been there for her without asking for payment. Strangely enough, she didn’t think he was insane anymore. “I do.”

“I’m sensing a ‘but’.”

He was really, really hard to resist. She brushed his bangs back from his eyes. His mouth curled into a lopsided, sexy as all hell grin. The impact slammed all the way to her toes.

“You could melt butter with that smile. How do we mere mortals resist you?”

Flushing an adorable shade of pink, he choked on his snappy comeback before clamping his lips together in a line. Was he embarrassed? How cute was that? Grumbling under his breath, he reached for his shirt, and she shocked them both by stopping him.

“Wait! I want to look at you.” Did I say that out loud? Crap.

He shot her an incredulous look before dropping the shirt and pushing gracefully to his feet. He moved so fast she scooted backwards with a girly cry of alarm. The grin he wore this time was all heat, no humor. Slow, sexy… forget butter, her entire body might combust. Before she could squeak out a protest, he unsnapped his jeans and dropped them in a pile. Kicking out of them in a movement that was so smoothly done he must’ve practiced it, he hauled her upright with her mouth hanging open.

Not an ounce of material in sight.

“Uh… uh, Dec… I’m not sure--” She kept her eyes pasted on his chest. His muscles were nicely shaped, hard, tanned... flat nipples begged for a kiss.

Oh, yeah, he certainly looked human!

He stood in full naked glory, daring her to look lower. He gave her that sexy grin again. She backed up. He stalked forward until her back came up against the granite boulder. His bare chest brushed her breasts. Something hot and velvety brushed her belly. With her heartbeat pounding in her ears, she swallowed hard and placed her hands on his forearms. The hard muscle blazed at her touch. He had fine golden hair dusting across skin that she couldn’t resist caressing. Soft…

“Admit it. You wanted to know if I had all the correct equipment.” He was teasing her. She could tell by the humor in his voice, but he was so right. At that moment, she wanted to look down more than anything in the world. 

He turned around and said over his shoulder, “I’ve been told I have a nice ass. What do you think?”
“Dec! You’re horrible! I am not looking at your ass!” But she couldn’t resist bursting into giggles at the lift of his eyebrows.

“Are you sure? I can stand here all day.”

“I’m sure you can.” A wistful sigh slipped out when she snagged a peek at his butt. Yum!
He was beside her so fast he was a blur. Lifting her chin, he winked before dropping a sweet kiss on her open mouth. “Don’t be so obvious. There’s time for us to get naked and hump like bunnies later. Right now, you need to recover your strength so you can keep up.”

With that he stepped into his jeans while she focused on his hands. Capable. Smooth. Hard. Those hands had nursed her, held her. How would they feel making love to her?


ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Laurie Olerich is the author of the urban fantasy romance series Primani. She loves to create guilty pleasures full of exciting locations, roller coaster action, strong, quirky heroines, and steaming hot heroes who’ll raise the temperature in any room you’re in! Paranormal romance? Check! Urban fantasy? Check! Romantic suspense? Check! Her Primani series combines the best of the three. When not plotting, writing, or fantasizing about her next hero, she’s planning parties, traveling the world, and spending lazy nights with her son, her Dal pals, and friends. Laurie spent most of her life in the Northeastern United States and in Germany. She now lives in San Antonio, Texas, with her son and Dalmatian duo, Domino and Rambo.  Before throwing caution to the wind and diving into a writing career, Laurie dedicated 20 years to a career spent around men with guns and cool toys...this explains her obsession with both!



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Thursday 12 February 2015

All Fired Up by Madelynne Ellis - Book Blitz - Excerpt & Giveaway!!

ALL FIRED UP (Black Halo #2)
by Madelynne Ellis
Contemporary/Erotic Romance
Published by Mischief on December 18th, 2014


Book Description:

All Fired Up is the follow-up to New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author Madelynne Ellis’ scorching rock star romance novel, All Night Long, and is the fourth novel about the band Black Halo.

Ginny Walters always knew her weakness for bad boys would get her into trouble. Her one night stand with Black Halo’s lead guitarist, Ash Gore, was only supposed to be a fun, not the prelude to the sort of relationship that’d scorch holes in her heart as well as her bed sheets. She’d be the happiest woman in the world if Ash wasn’t so determined to keep their connection off radar.

Ash Gore knows girlfriends are bad news for bands, which is why he’s resolved to keep his attachment to Ginny a secret. He and the guys have enough on their stages as they try to piece themselves back together after the band’s split. But when new drummer, Iain Willows, starts taking an active interest in Ginny, tensions quickly mount. Soon, Ash is not only at risk of losing Ginny, but everything he holds dearest–including life itself.


Suggested reading order:
Come Undone (Rock Hard #1)
All Night Long (Black Halo #1)
Remastered (Black Halo #1.5)
Come Together (Rock Hard #2)
All Fired Up (Black Halo #2)


Excerpt - ALL FIRED UP (Black Halo #2)

Ash decided he liked holding hands. OK, so their height difference meant his shoulder ached after about twenty minutes, and he had to go for the alternative of wrapping his arm around her back so they could show off their couple like status, but he definitely liked the whole togetherness thing. They explored the banks of the river Scheldt first, then some of the older parts of the city, stopping to enjoy a round of Bolleke, an amber beer from the local De Koninck Brewery—he only knew because he read it off the bottle label—at a congenial antiquated bruin café full of grizzled locals. The best part of the experience being that nobody bothered them. Sure, he caught a few glances, he was a good looking guy and Ginny was an absolute bombshell, but most of those looks were from ladies his mum’s age, obviously appreciating the signs of young love. Not a single blessed fan girl came at him with their arms outstretched, and he wasn’t obliged to sign anything for the whole afternoon other than a debit card receipt. It was absolute bliss.

All right, so he wouldn’t want to live like this all of the time. He knew he was an attention junky, but as an afternoon of normalcy went, it rated pretty well.

‘I suppose I’m going to have to give you back soon,’ Ginny moaned as she consulted the tourist information leaflet she’d picked up from a stand inside the café-bar. That’s a shame, it might have been nice to go and check out Rubens house. The artist,’ she clarified, in response to his puzzled look. ‘He lived here. His house looks gorgeous,’ she showed him a picture.

‘We might not have time for that, but we should have time to do something else Antwerp is famous for.’

‘What’s that?’ she asked.

Ash turned over the leaflet she held. ‘Let’s go shopping.’

‘Shopping?’ She stared at the square box that he tapped his finger against, which show a single exquisitely cut diamond. ‘Ash, you’re not serious.’

‘What else would we go shopping for in the diamond capital of the world? 

Maybe I can buy you something sparkly to wear in my favourite intimate piercing.’

Her eyes widened; they caught the sun and glittered like diamonds, or at least two spectacular pieces of golden jade. ‘I hardly think they sell that type of jewellery.’

‘Oh, I don’t know, I bet they do. I can’t be the only man on the planet that appreciates sparkly things in sparkly places.’

‘I don’t remember my pussy being covered in fairy dust.’

‘No, but it makes me feel as if I’m covered in fairy dust when I’m fucking it.’ She prodded him in the elbow to silence him, but he knew she liked it when he was crude. It turned her on. Hey, it turned him on too. 

It didn’t take long to find the specialist diamond dealers among the mediaeval streets. Ginny snatched the sunglasses off Ash’s nose as they peeped in through the window, and put them on herself.

‘You remember those aren’t mine,’ Ash reminded her.

‘Yeah, but I don’t mind you getting the blame for having half inched them, and I think I might need something to help obliterate the price tags so I don’t faint. You honestly want to do this?’

‘Yeah. Now, serious face on, and make like we’re totally in love or something and we’re shopping for an engagement ring.’
***

If he actually made her try on engagement rings she was going to have ruddy heart attack. Not that she wouldn’t be thrilled and flattered, and a whole lot of other things, but no. Just no. Not yet. It was way too soon.

For Christ’s sakes he wouldn’t even acknowledge their relationship publically, and there were reasons she’d have to turn him down that she really didn’t want to get into.

Ginny stayed as close to Ash as she could get as they ventured inside the shop. This sort of high-end boutique always made her feel like she was a speck of lint on the floor, so much so that she actually found it difficult to admire the items for what they were. Ash, bastard that he was, cooed over things with eye melting price tags and actually made her try things on. Ginny decided he just liked making the assistants’ hearts flutter. They got a kind of crazed looks in their eyes whenever he inspected a particularly pretty rock. Hopefully they were thinking about the commission they’d make and not how much they’d like to do him.
‘Seen anything you like?’ he asked. 

She shook her head. 

‘What we’re really after his a J-curved diamond tipped barbell.’
He was a devil. An absolute stinking fiend. The assistant, bless her, gaped at him obviously clueless.

‘Case 233,’ remarked the manager, sending the assistant off to fetch it with a flick of her wrist. She returned a moment or two later, with a small display case that she unlocked.

‘I like this one,’ he said, tugging her closer. ‘What about you?’

‘Ash, don’t. This isn’t necessary.’ She tightened her fingers around his fore-arm. ‘It’s too much for something that tiny that nobody’s ever gonna see.’

‘I’ll see it.’ He quirked his eyebrows significantly. ‘And what’s the point in having money if you can’t spend it on making the people you care about smile.’

‘You bought me beer and cake. I’m happy with that. If you want to spend money, buy your mum a gift.’

‘I’m not sure she’d know what to do with this,’ he said, holding the piece aloft.’ He smiled at the shop assistant. ‘It’s exquisite.’

‘Ash,’ Ginny squeaked, but her protest fell on deaf ears. He was already reaching for his wallet.

He leaned close to her and moved her hair away from her ear so that he could whisper into it. ‘Accept it, say thanks, and you can fuck me outside round the corner if you feel you need to express any more gratitude than that.’

‘We’ll take it,’ he told the assistant. He left Ginny starring at the glittering asscher cut diamond while he settled the bill.

About the Author:
Madelynne Ellis is a New York Times & USA Today Bestselling author of erotic romance. Her novels and short stories have been published by a variety of houses including HarperCollins, Harlequin and Random House, and have been translated into several languages. She lives in the UK, not far from the Welsh border with her partner of 20 + years, their two adorable children, and a crazy cavachon puppy. Madelynne drinks decaf out of preference, and has a healthy obsession with a certain Japanese rock star. Her aim is to deliver scorching, character-driven stories that enchant, torment and don’t shy from darker aspects of life.





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Troll Cross
Black Halo Mini Cards set
RUNNER-UP:
Black Halo Mini Cards set


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Tuesday 3 February 2015

Racing Hearts: Book One (Racing Hearts #1) by Laura Lascarso - Blog Tour, Review, Guest Post & Giveaway!!

RACING HEARTS (Book One) 
by Laura Lascarso 
SHINE /Leap Books, LLC 
eBook Novella

Book Description:

Start your engines…

Eighteen year-old Jesse Copeland learns of a local car race sponsored by his father’s nemesis, Shep Bradley, and the prize money might be enough to keep his family from losing their home – if he can win. 

Brooke, Shep’s daughter, is also aiming to compete, with or without her father’s approval. She’ll do whatever it takes to persuade Jesse to make her car race ready. Both are driven, both are risk-takers, and soon it’s more than engines getting fired up. Jesse tells himself their relationship is strictly business, until it isn’t. 

Can two star-crossed lovers overcome a family feud as old as Ford vs. Chevy, or will the competition become too explosive for these racing hearts?

Add the book to Goodreads

Read deleted scene on WattPad 

My Review:

Racing Hearts: Book One  (Racing Hearts #1) is a novella written by Laura Lascarso.  I found this novel is easy to read and the story flowed quite well, the character's are well written and you get to know Jesse and Brooke right away.

I won't say to much about the story but it is well written, great story line and in the end you want book 2 right away so you can see what happens to these two characters. Because who doesn't love cute guys and fast cars!!!

Laura Lascarso writing is excellent, her story flows and you want to read more.  I am very excited to see where this story goes and what happens with all the character in her story.

I have rated it a 4 star's and cannot wait to read book two in this series.

Guest Post:

Why do you write YA?
By Laura Lascarso

In presenting to classrooms and at conferences, I get asked this question a lot. While it’s an easy question for me to answer, I never feel as though I address it in its entirety. Because there are a lot of reasons why I write YA. 

One reason is because I like the conventions of YA where characters feel emotions deeply, take control of their own destinies, and generally kick ass. The structure of YA has a relatively short timeline, which lends to more action and plot twists.  YA writers take chances with the subjects of their stories and the way they in which they tell them. I believe in taking risks and challenging yourself to strike out on new paths.

But far and above the mechanics, I write YA because I believe in my audience. Teens and young adults have the capacity to change the world in a positive way. And I believe that it’s my mission and life’s work to empower them to do so.

When I was a teen I thought I knew everything about the world. But now, in my mid-thirties, I realize just how much I didn’t know back then—how painful it is to have your heart broken, how people you think are your friends might not have your best intentions at heart, how money and politics rule the world, and perhaps most importantly, how to take all that anger and frustration and funnel it in a positive, action-oriented direction. My teen self is my adult self, only with a little more knowledge of the world around me. As a writer, I want to share what I’ve learned with teen readers. Not in a preachy, I-know-what’s-best-for-you sort of way, but in a way that encourages the reader to ask questions about their own lives and the lives of others. I do not propose to have the answers, but I do know that the only way to get answers is to ask hard questions, of yourself, your friends and family, and your world.

There’s another reason that I write YA. It’s because I believe in books. Books are a way to experience another life, live in another person’s skin, learn about their challenges and heartaches, and see the world from a different point of view. Many of the problems facing our world right now are because people don’t understand each other—cultures, nations, generations. We make assumptions about others, which leads to prejudice, which leads to hate and violence. In our society there’s a lot of talking but not a lot of listening. When you read about another person’s life experience, you become the listener. Reading teaches you compassion and it allows you to travel to worlds you might not otherwise experience.

In fiction there are heroes and there are villains. In the real world it’s not always so easy to determine who is who, and the slope from good guy to bad guy is a slippery one. This is why it’s so important to know thyself. When I write characters, I see myself in every one of them, villains included. Because every person has the capacity for good and bad. There’s an old Cherokee tale and it goes like this: 

One evening an old Cherokee Indian told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, ‘My son, the battle is between two ‘wolves’ inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other is good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.’

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: ‘Which wolf wins?’

The old Cherokee simply replied, ‘The one you feed.’

I believe that each and every one of us has the potential for good. I believe that books feed the good wolf inside of us. And that is the reason why I write YA.


About the Author:
Laura Lascarso strives to craft stories that are honest and real with characters who must overcome great odds. Her debut novel Counting Backwards (Atheneum 2012) won the Florida Book Award gold medal for YA literature. RACING HEARTS is Laura’s first e-series with Leap Books. She lives in North Florida with her darling husband, two children and a menagerie of animals.
Watch for Laura’s series with Shine which follows a pair of star-crossed lovers. He wants to honor his father’s legacy; she wants to prove her father wrong in this modern-day Romeo & Juliet set in the world of competitive car racing. (ETA. Fall 2015)

Visit Laura on Twitter, Facebook, and her website.


Where to Buy!

Kobo 




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