Waves of Sunday #36 & Giveaway

Welcome to our weekly edition of Waves of Sunday where each Sunday we spotlight a book that has been making waves in the book scene or has simply caught our attention causing a riptide on our TBR. Don't forget if you let us know which book has caught your attention this week, you have a chance to win our new feature giveaway! Just leave us a comment or quote in the comment section. All new suggestions in the comments below will be considered for June's Winner, so please leave us your most anticipated ADULT read. Please refer to our "about" and "rating and review" page to see what genres are appropriate for choices. No Young Adult picks or previously reviewed picks. Thank you. 

Today we are spotlighting:

Killing Sarai by J.A. Redmerski

Published on June 19, 2013

About the book

From the author of the New York Times, USA Today & Wall Street Journal bestselling novel, THE EDGE OF NEVER, comes a story of passion and survival…

Sarai was only fourteen when her mother uprooted her to live in Mexico with a notorious drug lord. Over time she forgot what it was like to live a normal life, but she never let go of her hope to escape the compound where she has been held for the past nine years.

Victor is a cold-blooded assassin who, like Sarai, has known only death and violence since he was a young boy. When Victor arrives at the compound to collect details and payment for a hit, Sarai sees him as her only opportunity for escape. But things don’t go as planned and instead of finding transport back to Tucson, she finds herself free from one dangerous man and caught in the clutches of another.

While on the run, Victor strays from his primal nature as he succumbs to his conscience and resolves to help Sarai. As they grow closer, he finds himself willing to risk everything to keep her alive; even his relationship with his devoted brother and liaison, Niklas, who now like everyone else wants Sarai dead.

As Victor and Sarai slowly build a trust, the differences between them seem to lessen, and an unlikely attraction intensifies. But Victor’s brutal skills and experience may not be enough in the end to save her, as the power she unknowingly holds over him may ultimately be what gets her killed.

This is their story…

Crystal's Thoughts:

I have seen a lot of great reviews for this and when Arlene brought it to my attention I knew I had to read it.  I loved The Dark Duet and this has the same kind of feel to it.  I don't know what it is lately about this type of dark book, but I am completely sold when I see one!  I can't wait to see what happens with Victor and Sarai!  Plus I kind of have a thing for assassins...yes I know that is strange but what can I say LOL!

  
Rachel's Thoughts:
I thought the same thing as you, Crystal! It really reminds me of The Dark Duet series, which btw, I loved how things turned out in Epilogue!! I can't wait to get my hands on this but at the same time I'm very nervous because The Dark Duet series took me down a very twisted and dark path, one that I'm not sure I could do again. We shall see because we're supposed to read this together this week!  At least I won't be getting the blame this time if it's a total mind screw! *stares pointedly at Arlene* Lol!

Review: Epilogue (The Dark Duet #3) by C.J. Roberts

Epilogue (The Dark Duet #3) by C.J. Roberts
BOOK 3 OF THE DARK DUET

Published June 11th 2013 by Neurotica Books, LLC

About the book
I’m writing this because you begged. You know how I love the begging. In fact, you probably know too many things and know them far too well.

Who am I?

Well, that’s what I’m trying to figure out. I was a whore in my youth, a killer since my adolescence, and a monster as a man. I am the man who kidnapped Livvie. I am the man who held her in a dark room for weeks. But, most importantly, I am the man she loves.

She loves me. It’s quite sick, isn’t it?

Of course, there’s more to our story than can be surmised in a few short sentences, but I’m at a loss for justifying my behavior back then. I assume if you’re reading this, I don’t need to make those justifications. You’ve already made your own.

You’re reading this because you want to know about the rest of the story. You want to know what happened that warm summer night in September of 2010, the night I met Livvie at The Paseo. It was the night my life changed all over again.

It didn’t happen exactly as Livvie said. She’s been very kind to me in the retelling of our story. The truth is far more…complicated.

My Thoughts
“I wasn’t sure what I would do if Livvie didn’t want to be with me. I didn’t necessarily having anything to go back to except killing and smuggling. Was I a better person? Maybe not. I was only better when I was living for her. I felt like a time-bomb.”

Wow! Epilogue is edgy, twisted, and sharp-witted disguised with a delicate veil of seduction. I was absolutely glued to the pages of this dark tale of redemption that served as the continuation of Livvie and Caleb’s love story.

Where Livvie’s account in Captive in the Dark and Seduced in the Dark were one of survival, Caleb’s story in Epilogue is one of redemption and the hope for forgiveness. I’ll admit up front, I was ready to forgive Caleb in book one… well before he displayed any redeemable qualities. There was something about this character where I felt not only drawn to his struggles but also sympathetic to his dark soul. In Epilogue, I feel he truly displayed the desire to become a better person and I was willing to give him a chance despite his past actions.

“Everything is in the process of becoming something else. It’s the law of change…I’m in the process of becoming something else Livvie. I hope it’s something good, something far removed from the monster you knew.” ~Caleb

It was clear how much he hoped to gain Livvie’s forgiveness for what he put her through, and their attempt at a new beginning was marred with obstacles, including Caleb’s self-doubt that he’d be able to change completely.

“Personally, I’d like to think a person can change for the better…a person has to have a reason to change. They have to believe their situation will be made better by changing. Otherwise, that person is at the disadvantage…”

Overall, I have to admit that I appreciated Caleb’s account in this book. He made me laugh with his crass, yet seductive narrative, and I was easily lured by his direct voice to the reader. Livvie and Caleb’s attempt at normalcy was imperfect to say the least, but at the end you can’t deny the obvious attraction and love they felt for one another. Was this a Prince Charming fairy tale? Hell no, but did it achieve the best possible Happily Ever After? I think Livvie and Caleb came as close as they could despite their horrific beginning.

As Caleb said, "there is no real ending, but only a place where you stop the story," and Epilogue achieved a conclusion where I never imagined one was possible. Well done! I'll never forget these two characters.

4 Suns

Review: Being Me (Inside Out Trilogy) by Lisa Renee Jones

Being Me by Lisa Renee Jones

Published June 11th 2013 by Gallery Books

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

About the book:

The sexy second installment in the Inside Out erotic romance trilogy, following If I Were You.

Fascinated by the dark fantasies in the journals she’s discovered, and the two men who have now found a place in her life, Sara McMillan finds herself torn between her new life and her past. Now, more than ever, Sara identifies with the lost journal writer, Rebecca, and is certain that something sinister has happened.

In the arms of the sexy, tormented artist Chris Merit, Sara seeks answers about Rebecca and ends up discovering things about herself she never knew existed. Chris forces Sara to reconsider who she is and what she truly wants from life, but not before his dark desires threaten to tear them apart. Her boss, Mark Compton, offers her the shelter to understand just what those needs mean to her, and what they might have meant to Rebecca, but can she trust him to lead her to a final conclusion to Rebecca’s story?

 

Brandie's Review:

Wow - book one left me with my jaw on the floor from a major cliffhanger and I was so glad I could immediately jump into this book. I loved this book even more than the first, and that’s saying a lot. Normally sequels rarely live up to my expectations, but I’m happy to say this one was everything and more than I expected!

We pick up right where we left off in the first book, with Sara and Chris trying to figure out what happened to Rebecca. But along the way, they are also trying to figure out their relationship and how they can make it work. Sara doesn't want to be controlled, due to issues with her past, and Chris has his own demons keeping him from being truthful and being himself with her. They have to overcome a lot, which is part of the beauty of this story. It’s full of passion, suspense, mystery – but most incredible is their love story. They have an amazing love and connection and I absolutely LOVE them as a couple. There is no shortage of drama that will challenge their relationship – but it makes the story all the more amazing.

Thankfully, this book doesn't end on a major cliffhanger like the first. You will get your answers about Rebecca and some closure. It will, however, leave a lot of unanswered questions that will keep you anxious for the third book to be released! I can’t wait to read it!

5 Suns

Rachel's Review:

Being Me was a suspenseful and erotic sequel to If I Were You.  I was left with so many questions and on a painful cliffhanger with the last book, so it was nice to pick right up where things left off!

 

I immediately started reading this after finishing If I Were You and the situation with the cliffhanger is quickly resolved. Solving the mystery behind Rebecca’s whereabouts becomes more urgent given recent events, and growing concern for Sara’s and Rebecca’s safety.

 

The relationship with Chris and Sara is extremely intense, and HOT, but there’s always a push and pull with these two:

 

I try to resist the lure that is Chris, but the taste of him, familiar and almost brutally male, mixes with his anger and mine, and the effect is explosively passionate.  I want to shout at him, push him away, pull him close, strip away his clothes, and punish him for what he is doing to me, what he takes from me. What he makes me need.

 

I started to get a little whiplash with this back and forth.  For the most part it doesn’t last long, but still it was a little frustrating.  I do love the intensity and possessiveness Chris shows towards Sara, but he let me down a little in this installment, so I’m hoping he turns things around in the next book. 

As for Sara, I wish she would’ve shown a little more backbone with Chris. But you can tell they’re both madly in love with each other, and their passion explodes off the pages! Definite panty warning to be headed here: may cause them to ignite!!

 

I was really pleased to get some satisfying answers.  One huge one is the fate of Rebecca! But also, the reason why Sara is estranged from her father is revealed, and a little bit about Chris’s past also comes to light.  There is still quite a bit to figure out, so I’m counting down the days to Revealing Us which comes out September 10^th. Can’t wait!  

 

The Inside Out Trilogy is not to be missed.  Lisa Renee Jones has a way of pulling you into to her intense world, holding you captive, and making you want more.

 

A copy of Being Me was provided by Gallery Books through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 Suns

 

 

 

Blog Tour & Giveaway: Come Alive (An Experiment in Terror novel) by Karina Halle

 

 

 

Hello readers.  Today I'm so excited to be part of the Blog Tour for Karina Halle's latest installment in her Experiment in Terror series: Come Alive (Book #7).  Both Arlene and I LOVED her Artist Trilogy novels, Sins & Needles and On Every Street.  I have the first book in this series locked and loaded on my Kindle and I'm sure you'll be reading my review here soon.  Be sure and scroll down for details on the amazing giveaway of this fabulous tour hosted by The Book Asylum & Reading Books Like a Boss.  Thank you ladies for allowing us to partipate!! You can find the complete tour schedule HERE.

 

 

Come Alive by Karina Halle

Publication Date: June 23rd 2013

Genre: Romantic Suspense/Horror

Age Group: General adult 17+

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble 

About the Book: It’s one thing to bring the woman you love back into your life. It’s another to try and keep her there. For Dex Foray, con­vinc­ing Perry Palomino to open her­self to their bur­geon­ing rela­tion­ship has been more chal­leng­ing than hunt­ing ghosts, bat­tling demons and stalk­ing Sasquatch com­bined. Add in the fact that the only way they can keep their Exper­i­ment in Ter­ror show run­ning is to take on a third part­ner in the form of the mys­te­ri­ous Max­imus Jacobs — all while inves­ti­gat­ing a sin­is­ter voodoo sect in New Orleans — and you’ve got the per­fect South­ern storm and a recipe for dis­as­ter. Luck­ily, Dex has never been one to back down, even when his life –and heart — are on the line.

Come Alive is told from Dex’s POV.

 

 

Below you'll find an excerpt and after reading this I'm wondering why I haven't picked this series up sooner!! Oh my!
 

 

EXCERPT

 

I whipped around and pulled out the elevator’s STOP button. The elevator lurched then came still.

“What are you doing?” she screeched, wild-eyed.

“Nothing you need to worry about, baby,” I told her, placing both hands on either side of her head and kissing her hard, hard enough that she was flattened against the wall. We didn’t discuss it, but we naturally played our relationship cool in front of Jimmy. Now I was making up for lost time.

I bit her lower lip, pulling it between my teeth. She moaned and I smiled.

“You ever had sex in an elevator?” I asked, taking my mouth to her sweet neck and alternating between wet licks and fierce sucks. I didn’t care if she ended up with a million hickeys. The more the better.

“No.”

“Anywhere in public?”

“Does a Canadian national park count?” she whispered, sounding both turned-on and uneasy.

“No, it doesn’t,” I murmured, my hands cupping her breasts now. “Sounds like something we have to fix, doesn’t it?”

“Isn’t this illegal?”

I pulled away and looked at her. “Elevator malfunction. Living it up while I’m going down.”

She smiled and then arched her back to give me more access to her fantastic breasts. “You can’t use Aerosmith as an excuse.”

“I can do anything I want,” I grunted, pressing my erection into her hip.

“My goodness,” she exclaimed at the pressure.

I grinned, my hands folding down her bra and rolling her nipples between my fingers.

“I told you. I’m always hard for you, I’m just good at hiding it. Which, actually, isn’t easy when your dick is the size of your leg.”

She laughed and lowered my head to her breasts, my mouth yearning, searching.

“Hello?” a voice said from behind me.

Startled, I turned around, expecting someone in the elevator with us. I was probably expecting it to be inhuman as well.

But the voice repeated. “Hello? Are you okay? Is this car two? I have reports you have stopped.”

Shit. It was the security on the speaker. In some elevators, pulling out the stop button just stops the elevator. I guess in this one it alerted security. Cockblockers!

 

About the author:

The daughter of a Norwegian Viking and a Finnish Moomin, Karina Halle grew up in Vancouver, Canada with trolls and eternal darkness on the brain. This soon turned into a love of all things that go bump in the night and a rather sadistic appreciation for freaking people out. Like many of the flawed characters she writes, Karina never knew where to find herself and has dabbled in acting, make-up artistry, film production, screenwriting, photography, travel writing and music journalism. She eventually found herself in the pages of the very novels she wrote (if only she had looked there to begin with).

Karina holds a screenwriting degree from Vancouver Film School and a Bachelor of Journalism from TRU. Her travel writing, music reviews/interviews and photography have appeared in publications such as Consequence of Sound, Mxdwn and GoNomad Travel Guides. She currently lives on an island on the coast of British Columbia where she's preparing for the zombie apocalypse. 

Karina is represented by Scott Waxman of the Waxman Leavell Literary Agency

Author social links:

Experiment In Terror Series | Experiment In Terror Facebook | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

 

 

Reading Books Like a Boss & The Book Asylum are giving away signed books.  US ONLY!  This is NOT an international giveaway.

·         (1) And With Madness Comes the Light – 1 winner

·         (1) Into the Hollow – 1 winner

·         (2) Darkhouse – 2 winners

·         The entire Experiment in Terror series in e-book format

Review: Tatiana and Alexander (The Bronze Horseman #2) by Paullina Simons

Tatiana and Alexander (The Bronze Horseman #2) by Paullina Simons
Published July 29th 2010 by Avon

About the book
The epic saga of love and war continues—the heart-stopping sequel to Paullina Simons's beloved international bestsellerThe Bronze Horseman.

Tatiana is eighteen years old, pregnant, and widowed when she escapes war-torn Leningrad to find a new life in America. But the ghosts of her past do not rest easily. She becomes consumed by the belief that her husband, Red Army officer Alexander Belov, is still alive and needs her desperately.

Meanwhile, oceans and continents away in the Soviet Union, Alexander barely escapes execution, and is forced to lead a battalion of soldiers considered expendable by the Soviet high command. Yet Alexander is determined to take his men through the ruins of Europe in one last desperate bid to escape Stalin's death machine and somehow find his way to Tatiana once again.

My Thoughts

Tatiana and Alexander, by Paullina Simmons, is a great sequel to The Bronze Horseman. Absolutley perfect! I could not have asked for anything more as I sought to complete my journey with these two characters. The story is about two protagonists that share a love so strong that even fate and a world war can't keep them apart. The story continues to paint a vivid picture of a heroic and strong Red Army officer and a girl who refuses to let a war torn country keep them apart.

After inevitable events force Tatiana and Alexander to go their separate paths, a pregnant Tatiana flees to America, leaving Alexander to face the grim circumstances and brutality of a corrupt communist Russia. In this book, the reader learns about Alexander's back story along with the anguish these two characters face in their separation. The story provides a different perspective to the suffering of soldiers in World War II, and the violence and betrayal many of them faced, including Alexander, as they fought for a country that was determined to punish them for their courage and loyalty. Simmons paints a painful account of the Russian war against Germany and fills her storyline with a love between two people that refuse to let a corrupt government and a senseless war come between them, no matter what the costs may be.

The novel Tatiana and Alexander ended perfectly in my opinion. I don't know what else the author could add to their story to make it more complete for me. I am hesitant to move on to the sequel Summer Garden because I've been victim of continuing on with a series for the love of the characters and finding myself extremely disappointed by the author for not ending it when the characters had completed their journey. I highly recommend the sequel to The Bronze Horseman, but the jury is still out as to whether I will read the final installment to this series. The Bronze Horseman and Tatiana and Alexander have moved up to the top of my list as my favored series. Great story of love, triumph and sacrifice. Bar none IMHO.

5 Suns

Cover Reveal: A Brutal Tenderness by Marata Eros

A Brutal Tenderness by Marata Eros
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Digital Sales
Expected release date: August 26, 2013
Cover Designed by: Phatpuppy Art
Purchase Links:  Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks

About the book
There are two sides to every story. In this dark and sexy companion novel to the New York Times bestseller A Terrible Love, experience the sizzling passion and pulse-pounding suspense through FBI agent Cas Steele’s eyes as he hunts down a psychopath...and falls for the killer’s prey.


Cas has been charged with an unsavory task: manipulate the hauntingly beautiful Jewell MacLeod—a woman he has every reason to hate—and slowly gain her trust in order to use her as bait to lure in a killer. But as the killer draws closer, Cas realizes that he can’t deny the scorching chemistry that ignites between him and Jewell, even if giving into his physical desire for her means jeopardizing his mission...and opening himself up to the possibility of a real and terrible love...

About the Author

Marata Eros is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of dark, romantic new adult novels, including A Terrible Love and its companion novel A Brutal Tenderness. A passionate writer who loves interacting with her readers, Marata lives in South Dakota with her husband. 

Follow this Author

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New Release & Giveaway: Damaged 2 by H.M. Ward

Damaged 2 by H.M. WARD
Publisher: Laree Bailey Press
Release date: June 24, 2013
Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance
Purchase Link: Amazon

About the Book

The steamy sequel to the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling New Adult novel DAMAGED by H.M. Ward.

Home isn't supposed to be dangerous, but for Sidney it is. Returning home means that she has to face her past. It's not just the man who hurt Sidney that makes it horrible, but the family that didn't believe her. They were dead to her, but now that her mom is really dying things seem different. It's a chance to set things right.

What Sidney doesn't realize is that she's dragging Peter into a collision course with his past. Peter must deal with the demons haunting him if he wants to move forward with Sidney. He's willing to give up everything for her, even wade deeper into his past life to help her move forward. But, Peter isn't sure if he can get over what happened to him in New York.

Book Excerpt:

Dean’s grinning ear to ear. “I can fix that, and buy you pretty ladies lunch if you like.”
“No. Go away.” I’d planned on ignoring him, but Dean won’t leave me alone. He keeps brushing into me, touching me, like it’s an accident. He follows me back to the hood and shoves in between me and Millie.
“We’re fine,” Millie tells him. “You should be on your way.”
“Awh, how sweet. Your little friend thinks she can protect you. What happened to the teacher?”
“Fuck off, Dean.” I’m mad now. I hate him. I hate everything about him, everything he’s done to me. My life would have been so different if Dean never came along. I’d run him over with the car if it would reset everything, but it won’t.
Dean feigns offense. “Who taught you to talk like that? Such a dirty mouth on such a pretty girl. Just the way I like it.” He gives me a wolfish grin. Millie makes an annoyed sound, but Dean ignores her. While I’m under the hood, Dean slips his hand onto my back. His fingers tease at the edge of my shirt and brush against the bare skin at my waist. The touch makes me jump.
I don’t think anymore, I just act. I swing my fist at his face and scream, “Leave me alone!”
Dean is smiling, acting like this is a game, until I land the punch on the side of his cheek. Anger flashes in his eyes. He backhands me before I can blink. The wrench goes flying out of my other hand and I stumble back. Millie screams, and I can hear the old guy yelling, but there are no words, just blurred sounds as pain shoots through my face.
Dean grabs my wrist and starts pulling me across the parking lot. “Walk or I’ll make you wish you had.”

About the Author

NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY, & WALL STREET JOURNAL Bestselling author H.M. Ward recently appeared in FORBES. Ward was also featured in the Washington Post for her debut novel. Romance series by H.M. Ward include Secrets, Scandalous, The Arrangement, and The Secret Life of Trystan Scott.

Follow this Author

Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Blog 

The author is offering the below event giveaway. To enter fill out the rafflecoper for a chance to win:

(1) Kindle Fire Prize Pack: Contains 1 Kindle Fire, a Signed copy of DAMAGED 2, plus all of H.M. Ward’s romance ebooks: DAMAGED 2, New York Times & USA Today Bestsellers: DAMAGED & SCANDALOUS, SCANDALOUS 2, New York Times & USA Today bestselling series: THE ARRANGEMENT VOL 1 -7, SECRETS 1-5, THE SECRET LIFE OF TRYSTAN SCOTT 1-4, and CHRISTMAS KISSES. (Value is $240 USD) 

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Review: Lost Without You by Heather Thurmeier

Lost Without You by Heather Thurmeier
To Be Published on July 1, 2013 by Crimson Publishing
Purchase Amazon

About the Book
Zoe Oliver never wanted to be on another reality TV show… until Chip Cormack made an offer too good to refuse. He’s guaranteed her a payday this time and a chance to redeem herself in America’s eyes. But Zoe worries she won’t be able to focus as her desire for Chip grows and her strength to resist him weakens. When she learns she’ll be roughing it in the woods with Chip and without luxuries like indoor plumbing and electricity, she’s instantly on edge, feeling naked and terrified that her scars will be exposed and her secrets revealed. When Zoe’s past turns up on the show, she fears she’ll lose not only the life she’s sacrificed everything else to have, but also the affections of the only man she’s ever trusted with her heart.

My Thoughts:
I have really enjoyed this series.  This first book Falling for You was so much fun and every installment after has been just the same.  With Lost Without You we finally get Zoe's story!  I was beyond excited when I saw that she was going to be the star because she has been in every book and I really and I mean REALLY wanted her to have a HEA  Heather Thurmeier does not disappoint and Zoe's story was everything I hoped it would be.

If you have read the previous books then you know Zoe is a little well lets just say that she has no filter.  She says what she thinks and doesn't care what anyone thinks about her.  I won't lie in the first book I couldn't stand her, but after reading the second one Stuck on You I was a fan.  There is just something about her that makes you want root for her.  Lost Without You brings the reality tv setting back only Zoe isn't a contestant, she is the host. This is news to her, but Chip the producer has ulterior motives by bringing her on as the host.  Chip has had a thing for Zoe ever since she was a participant in The One, the reality show that brought her into his life.  He knows there is something beneath her perfectly styled hair and make up and he hopes that being in the wilderness away from everything will make Zoe bring down her walls and let him in.  Things don't go as planned as you can guess and Zoe has a secret what that secret is you will have to read and find out, but this secret is the thing keeping her from getting close to anyone and it just might cost her Chip.

I really enjoy this authors writing.  It is fun and the banter always has me laughing out loud.  Her characters always manage to be perfect for each other in spite of their flaws.  Zoe is not perfect and neither is Chip, but together they are perfect and made for each other.   I did feel that Zoe wasn't as quick tongued and sarcastic as the previous books, but I am thinking that is just due to her growing up.  At some point we have to let things go a little easier and accept things and maybe Zoe was just at the point. I also liked watching her as the host. It was fun seeing her in this new element and I think it suits her way more than the playing the game.  Chip was great also.  I love the male characters in this series and he was definitely a great addition.  He was there for Zoe and took charge when he needed to because lets face it if he didn't then Zoe would run him into the ground.  She needed someone stronger than her to accept her insecurities and he was the right person for the job.

I also really liked that the game took a backseat this time around.  It felt like it the past 2 books the reality game was front and center and that I know was because the characters were playing the game, but I enjoyed it being more in the background this time around.  Zoe deserved to have all the spotlight.

What started out as just a book about a reality show has turned into a series about love and what it means when you find it in the most random of places.  I have been a fan of this author from the get go and I can promise you that I will read anything that she publishes.

One more side note I loved the epilogue!  I kept wondering if we were going to see past characters and Ms. Thurmier didn't let me down!

4 Suns

Review & Giveaway: Officer Off Limits by Tessa Bailey

Officer Off Limits by Tessa Bailey

Publication Date: June 10th 2013 by Entangled Brazen

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

His need to possess her is non-negotiable.

Story Brooks’ fiancé just called off their wedding two weeks before the happy day. As if that isn't bad enough, her semi-estranged father, an infamous NYPD hostage negotiator, has suffered a heart attack. Not wanting to examine her lack of emotion over the broken engagement, she hops on a plane to reconnect with her father before it’s too late.

Playboy hostage negotiator Daniel Chase has never, not once, been refused by a woman, so when a debate over hospital snack foods with a delectable kindergarten teacher ends in flat-out rejection, he makes it his mission to seduce her. His only obstacle? She’s the daughter of his mentor who implicitly forbade Daniel from pursuing her.

Despite her father’s warnings and Daniel’s troubled past, Daniel and Story can’t resist their intense attraction to one another. But when the reason for her fiancé’s abrupt wedding cancellation comes to light, can Story and Daniel's already forbidden relationship survive?

My Thoughts:

Tessa bailey has become my new go-to-author if I want a story to light my insides ON FIRE and capture my heart with a sweet romance, as well. 

Story Brookes flies out to New York from California when she gets the call that her father, a big time hostage negotiator, suffered a heart attack. Leaving California is not a hard decision because her fiancé has just dumped her two weeks before the wedding (jerk!). What she doesn’t count on is instant attraction and chemistry with her father’s protégé, Daniel. He’s the good at his job, being a cop and brilliant hostage negotiator, but he’s also a notorious womanizer.  Story has no plans of getting involved but the instant sexual tension Daniel ignites is impossible to ignore.  She’s only in New York for a short time, so what’s the harm in taking advantage of Daniel’s well-honed skills? She deserves pleasure and excitement after being dumped by her fiancé.  She wonders how come that doesn’t hurt more.

Daniel has had meaningless one-night stands for as long as he can remember.  When he meets his mentor’s daughter, Story, he can’t explain the way she affects him.  The way she gets him and the all consuming passion she ignites in him. Story is about to knock his socks off and shatter all his walls of protection, too. When Jack makes it abundantly clear he stay away from Story or face the removal of *ahea* certain appendages, Daniel tries to comply. 

Have a mentioned Tessa Bailey is my new queen of Alpha Males?! When I want a bossy, possessive hot Alpha male, I just need to pull up one of her stories and my wish is granted! Daniel was all of that with a sad past and vulnerability that will make you want to kiss it all better! Story was a girl after my heart, too. Being dumped by her fiancé two weeks before the wedding!! Who does that?!! That’s okay, because she has Daniel to make her forget!

This was a quick, read only about 200 pages but boy does it pack a punch. Fiery hot spice and a sweet romance neither wants to acknowledge. This Story is oh-so-good! Oh-so-scrumptious!!I’m putting Tessa Bailey on my “auto-buy” list.

 4 Suns

About the Author: Tessa lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and young daughter. When she isn't writing or reading romance, Tessa enjoys a good argument and thirty-minute recipes.

Website | Twitter | Goodreads

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Waves of Sunday #35 & Giveaway

Welcome to our weekly edition of Waves of Sunday where each Sunday we spotlight a book that has been making waves in the book scene or has simply caught our attention causing a riptide on our TBR.

Don't forget if you let us know which book has caught your attention this week, you have a chance to win our new feature giveaway! Just leave us a comment or quote in the comment section.

All new suggestions in the comments below will be considered for June's Winner, so please leave us your most anticipated ADULT read. Please refer to our "about" and "rating and review" page to see what genres are appropriate for choices. No Young Adult picks or previously reviewed picks. Thank you.

Today we are spotlighting:

Search Me by Katie Ashley

Expected Publication Date: June 30th 2013

About the book: Twenty year old Lane Montgomery never imagined her usually boring summer in the boonies would require her to trade her toe shoes for hunting boots or her monotonous college textbooks for treasure map deciphering. Never would she have imagined after breaking her grandmother’s precious Native American statue, danger, a lost treasure of Cherokee Gold and a hostage situation would arise. Nor could she predict that the one man destined to protect her and her family was her childhood nemesis and former crush, Maddox Diaz.

Returning after three years in the Army, twenty-three year old Maddox Diaz is confronted with more than he bargained for when agreeing to help his childhood buddy and deepest regret, Lane. Suddenly he is thrust into a dangerous game of cat and mouse with armed and ruthless treasure seekers that results in car chases and gun battles all in the presence of the one girl who still manages to haunt his dreams and drive him wild with desire.

Lane is determined to deny the sizzling chemistry with the man who stole her virginity and broke her heart. She just wants to stay alive with her heart intact. Will she be able to resist the man whose body sets fire to all her senses?

Rachel's Thoughts:
Eeeek! Just look at that cover. I almost wish it was a scratch and sniff, lol! I love excitement, danger and a second chance at romance!  A combination with a sure fire guarantee to get your heart racing!

Crystal's Thoughts:
HAHA!  I have to agree with you Rachel and I think we should market this whole scratch and sniff idea LOL!  Yes this cover definitely popped out at me and I LOVE adventure stories like this. I know I will be on the edge of my seat with anticipation and not just from the cat and mouse game!  Want want want!!