Saturday, January 31, 2015

Favorites Blog Hop Giveaway

Waves of Fiction is excited to join the lovely Valerie at Stuck in Books for another fun Blog Hop Giveaway!

For this give-away, I'd like to feature Never Never by Colleen Hoover and Taryn Fisher. The book packed a powerful punch by this dynamic duo! You can check out our reviews and giveaway HERE.

And now for Waves of Fiction's INTERNATIONAL giveaway. Be sure to fill out the rafflecopter and follow Waves via GFC and Bloglovin, and share with us your favorite book! One winner will receive a US$10 Gift card to either US Amazon, US Barnes & Noble or The Book Depository. For The Book Depository, the purchase is not to exceed US $10. Good luck!
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Be sure to visit the other bloggers on this hop for more chances to win!

New Release: The Lover's Promise by J.C. Reed




The Lover's Promise
Author: J.C. Reed
Genre: Mature New Adult/Adult Contemporary Romance
Release Date: January 26th, 2015
Length: 300 pages

Book Description:

Meeting Jett was like lighting a match. Dangerous. Scorching. And better left untouched. In his game, some secrets can be deadly.

Brooke Stewart, a realtor in New York, is sure of one thing. She has to stay away from the one man who betrayed her. He fooled her once, and she won’t let it happen again. When her loans are settled by the very man who’s a murder suspect, little choice does she have than to confront him and risk falling for him again.

Dangerously sexy and arrogant millionaire Jett Mayfield knows his secrets destroy trust. However, when they serve to protect the woman he loves, he has no intention of risking Brooke’s life. When Brooke seeks him to get an explanation, little does he know that there’s something worse that threatens to destroy their lives. Soon there’s only one choice: break or get broken. When everything is spiraling out of control, will his promise keep her by his side…or will he lose her forever?

A man who will never forget her
A woman who can’t trust him
Both are on the run
2 Lives. 2 Destinies.
One Promise
Connect with Author
Available now:  worldwide, print and ebook
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, Kobo

GIVEAWAY

$100 Amazon Gift Card+ The Lover's Promise print copy
(This giveaway is open worldwide)



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Thursday, January 29, 2015

Blog Tour, Review & Giveaway: Better When He's Bold by Jay Crownover


I'm (Rachel) a big fan of Jay Crownover so I jumped at the chance to be part of the Review & Excerpt Tour for Better When He's Bold the second story in the Welcome to the Point series.  If you haven't had a chance to pick up this series, you're missing out!  For my stop today I have my review, an excerpt and a giveaway so make sure to scroll down to the bottom of the post to enter!


Publication Date: February 3rd 2015 by William Morrow & Company

Purchase Links: 
Amazon ** Barnes & Noble ** iBooks ** Kobo ** IndieBound ** Other

About the book:

There is a difference between a bad boy and a boy who is bad...
Welcome to the Point...
In a dark and broken kingdom, a ruler has to be fearless to control the streets and the ruthless people who run them.
Race Hartman is just bold enough, just smart enough, and just lost enough to wear the crown. Places like the Point will always have bad things and bad people, but the man in control of all that badness can minimize the devastation. Race has a plan, but can he prevent total annihilation without destroying himself?
Brysen Carter has always seen her best friend's brother for what he is--too pretty, too smooth, and way too dangerous to touch. Basking in Race's golden glow is very tempting, but Brysen knows she'd eventually get burned.
When she starts receiving threatening texts and someone tries to take her out in parking lot, the only person interested in keeping her safe is the one man she can't allow herself to have.
Sometimes being bold is the only way to stay alive. But can she let Race save her life . . . if it means losing herself to him?

My Thoughts:
Better When He’s Bold is the second installment in the Welcome to the Point series, a series with lots of moral gray areas.  These are truly “bad boys” (with big hearts) who are trying to keep the underbelly of society as “good” as can be by controlling their vices.  Like Bax in Better When He’s Bad, Race is a sexy anti-hero. Brysen was helpless to resist his pull, especially when he turns out to be her white dark knight in shining armor. 

Brysen has been attracted to her best friend’s brother, Race, for some time.  He’s gorgeous with charisma to spare, attracting any female with eyes!  Brysen fights this attraction because her life is complicated enough without adding Race into the mix. He’s involved in shady dealings in the Point, in fact he’s sort of the King in that tarnished kingdom. Brysen may look like she’s from a typical, privileged, upper middle class family, but appearances aren’t what they seem. Behind closed doors her family’s life is a mess.  Brysen’s moved back while she works a job and attends college to help provide stability and care to her high school aged sister, Karsen, until she graduates.  Her parents are too selfish and involved in their own problems to notice Brysen or Karsen.  Brysen keeps her nose to the grindstone until Race’s help and protection become necessary.  The more he’s in her life, the more she can’t resist.

Race is taken with Brysen.  She’s the first girl who doesn’t just fall at his feet whenever he flirts or tries to charm her. She’s from the privileged side of town, The Hill, but appearances are deceptive. As he gets to know her he admires her selflessness when it comes to those she loves.  When it becomes apparent Brysen that she’s in danger from a crazy stalker, Race is determined to keep her safe.

Jay Crownover writes additive, captivating stories, and brings her imperfect characters to life, making you care for them and their problems.  Better When He’s Bold was no exception.  Even though Race is really not a good guy in the classic sense, we get to see the reasons for his decisions and actions, making it hard not to love him in spite of the sketchy things he’s involved in. I swoon when a guy is concerned about his woman and will make every effort to keep her safe and happy. Race was that guy for Brysen, but it wasn’t just a one way street.  Brysen was a reminder of all the good in life, helping him keep his moral compass while dealing with the darker parts of The Point.

While Dovie and Bax’s story continues to be my favorite romance, Race and Brysen’s was compelling and smoking hot, as well!  I’m addicted and invested in this series and will gobble up any future stories.  I can’t wait to read Titus’ story!  He’s Bax’s brother who walks on the right side of the law; a policeman in need of some loving!  As a side note, I’d love to have a romance with Karsen and Booker.  Sometime would need to pass, obviously, but there’s definitely chemistry a-brewing between those two!


4 Suns







Excerpt:

“I should go home.” My voice was strained to my own ears. I couldn’t have sounded less convincing if I tried.
“There are always other things we should be doing. Come back to my place with me, Brysen.”
It wasn’t a question, it was almost an order. It shouldn’t sound as hot as it did.
“I don’t really think that’s a great idea. Besides, we haven’t even touched on the fact that I do officially have a stalker.”
He took a step even closer and the finger he had used to rub my cheek he now used to push some of my hair back behind my ear. It was probably the most kind, most reverent touch I had felt from another person in my life. That it was coming from this complex and troubling man hit me in all of my warm and squishy places.
“You have a stalker until I can get my hands on him. And it might be a bad idea, but it’s a bad idea that is going to happen one way or another, so fighting it seems stupid and takes energy I can sure as hell put to better use. Let me take care of you for one night, Brysen. I promise you won’t regret it.”
Of course I wouldn’t regret it. I wanted him, was entrapped by him, and after I ate it all up, took everything he had to give, lived in the pleasure and passion he broke loose inside of me, it would for sure kill me to know I would never be able to have it again. I blew out a breath, lifted a hand to wrap around his thick wrist, and fully intended to tell him no, that it just wasn’t worth the impending heartache, but what came out of mouth was:
“I don’t know what to do with you, Race.”
His warm hand slid under the fall of my hair at the back of my neck and his head lowered toward mine. His mouth hovered right over mine and my lips parted in their own invitation.
“Yes, you do.”
When he kissed me, my mind was made up. I wanted this—wanted him—and I hadn’t had anything just for myself in far too long. I knew it was bound to lead to really bad things, but on the way there I really, really wanted to enjoy everything that came with him. Including the way he pulled me close. The way he slid his hands down over the curve of my ass. The way his tongue lured mine out to play, and maybe mostly the way he made everything else that was always hounding me fade away. With his mouth on mine, with his hands roving over me, there was no crumbling home life, there was no failed math class there was no lurking and unidentified threat … all I could feel was heat, burning, desire, and desperation. It was such a welcome reprieve from what I usually felt that there was no way I could tell him no.
He took a step back and squeezed the back of my neck. I was breathless and his eyes had shifted to that sexy, deep, opaque forest green.
“I can’t offer you anything fancy. You’ve been on my mind and under my skin for a minute now, but I promise that I’ll make it worth your while.”
I breathed out a sigh and took the hand he offered me.
“You already have, Race.”
He flashed that dimple at me again and inclined his head toward the mouth of the alley.
“Where did you park?”
“Around the corner.” He gave me a look that indicated I would be lucky to find the BMW in one piece once we reached it.

And don’t miss the previous books in The Point Series!


Better when He's Bad (Welcome to the Point, #1)

About the author:
Jay Crownover is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Marked Men and The Point series. Like her characters, she is a big fan of tattoos. She loves music and wishes she could be a rock star, but since she has no aptitude for singing or instrument playing, she'll settle for writing stories with interesting characters that make the reader feel something. She lives in Colorado with her three dogs.

Connect with Jay Crownover:




                            BETTER WHEN HE’S BOLD Goodreads ** Jay Crownover Goodreads

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Review: Cry No More by Linda Howard


Cry No More by Linda Howard
Publication Date: November 4th 2003 (? Lots of dates) by Ballantine Books
Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

About the book:

Fueled by an obsession to fill the void in other people’s lives, Milla Edge finds lost children—all the while trying to outrun the brutal emotions stemming from a tragedy in her past. Traveling to a small village in Mexico on a reliable tip, Milla begins to uncover the dire fate of countless children who have disappeared in the labyrinth of a sinister baby-smuggling ring. The key to nailing down the organization may rest with an elusive one-eyed man. As Milla’s search for him intensifies, the mission becomes more treacherous. For the ring is part of something far larger and more dangerous, reaching the highest echelons of power. Racing into peril, Milla suddenly finds herself the hunted—in the crosshairs of an invisible, lethal assassin who aims to silence her permanently.

My Thoughts:
Cry No More was published more than ten years ago, but that hasn’t diminished the appeal at all! It brought out a range of emotions in me. It was a heartbreaking tale, any mother would probably gasp after the first chapter, but it was also an exciting, action packed read!  Let’s not forget the romance, because as usual, it’s my favorite part! 

Milla’s life was forever changed ten years ago, and since then she’s been a women with a mission.  For the last ten years Milla has been the front woman for Finders, an organization that helps locate missing people. She’s been relentless in her pursuit, and driven by a past tragedy to the point that her personal life has basically become nonexistent.  That is until the mysterious and enigmatic Diaz comes into the picture.  She’s been on his tail for years after hearing he possesses the information she’s been tirelessly searching for. 

I can totally understand why Milla would basically let her entire life go to focus on her goal, but I was sad to see her lose such a happy situation.  Seeing others move on broke my heart and it did break Milla’s heart when she allowed herself to dwell on it, so I was thrilled with Diaz coming into the picture.  Their romance wasn’t planned by either of them, but isn’t that when you find the absolute best, when you’re not looking for it?  These two just fit.  I love how the character weren’t the most beautiful, gorgeous, rich people around.  Milla is described as pretty but not in a typical way, possessing something about her that made her graceful, and attractive; a certain intangible quality that would drew people to her instantly. Just the presence of Diaz made people wary and scared. His remote, cold gaze, set alarm bells ringing, but there was something very compelling about him to Milla, and from the moment they meet there’s chemistry. He’s very male and exudes the kind of power where people take notice.

The romance was just part of the story and Milla’s relentless pursuit of the truth has put her in danger now that she’s come so close to discovering it. I had suspicions early on and when they were confirmed I wanted to shake these people I was so angry!

Linda Howard has written many stories, but she is a new author to me.  This is the second book I’ve read by her, and while I did love After the Night just a little more, Cry No More was an outstanding, compelling story! Romantic suspense at its best! 

5 Suns



Cry No More was first published in 2003, so it fulfills my Waves of Fiction 2015 reading challenge to:  
“Read a book published more than ten years ago” 







Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Waves of Fiction 2015 Reading Challenge - Team Update

It's time for our Waves of Fiction 2015 Reading Challenge Update!
Several of us at Waves of Fiction started this reading challenge at the beginning of the year. To learn more about it, you can go HERE for the details. 

Well, this month started off pretty good, so let's share with you how much we've accomplished.
I was able to complete 5 books towards this challenge so far, including:
A book set in the Summer - Love Irresistibly by Julie James
A book with a rating higher than 4.25 on GR - Never Never by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher
A book by a new-to-you author - The Tyrant's Daughter by J.C. Carleson
A book with a military theme - Full Measures by Rebecca Yarros
A book with more than 300 pages - All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

At this pace, I might be able to make a decent dent in my board by the summer time! 

In February, I'd really like to try knocking out some of the challenges in the "Place" category. I've been wanting to reading Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. I'd also like to tackle a historical fiction book that would fall under "a book set in the past." If you have any good recommendations, please let me know! 
I completed only one category this month.
A book with a one word title - Forbidden by Kimberley Griffiths Little
Next month I plan to really get my reading bookies in gear and knock off at least three more categories.  A few categories are stumping me and are really going to make me venture into different reading genres which is a good thing I think!  I'm really excited to tackle more of this challenge and see where all my blog partners are with theirs!


So I was able to get three categories knocked off:

A book set in a small town - Sweet Surprise by Candis Terry
A book set in Scotland/Highlands - Unbound by Cara McKenna
A book published more than 10 years ago - Cry No More by Linda Howard
I loved all three books, my review for Sweet Surprise is already up, and my review for Cry No More will be up next week. I like this challenge because it's making me look for reads in my TBR that I may not have picked up otherwise!





Monday, January 26, 2015

Review: After the Night by Linda Howard


After the Night by Linda Howard
Publication Date: November 24th 2009 by Pocket Star
Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

About the book:

FAITH DEVLIN: A poor, outcast child in Prescott, Louisiana, she'd always adored the town's golden boy from afar. But he called her white trash that sultry Southern night when his rich, respected father disappeared, along with her pretty Mom. Now Faith wanted to hate Gray Rouillard...not to feel a powerful surge of desire. But she couldn't quench her passion, any more than she could hide the truth about the past she had waited so long to unravel.
GRAY ROUILLARD: Even when he raised hell, he did it with style. Reckless, charming, and backed by Rouillard money, Gray controlled the town of Prescott -- and Devlin was a name he never wanted to hear again. But when he gazed at Faith Devlin, all he saw was a swirl of tangled sheets and her silken flesh beneath him. To care for her was impossible, unthinkable...because Gray Rouillard planned to use all his power to ruin her.

My Thoughts:
After the Night was my first Linda Howard book, and I absolutely LOVED it!  It’s a riveting read, with a stormy and sizzling romance!

Faith Devlin has come back to Prescott, Louisiana after twelve years away. She was cruelly thrown out of her home at the young age of fourteen.  Though it was no fault of hers, Faith suffered the disgrace her mother, Renee, had brought down on them. Being regarded as white trash and suffering the stain her mother’s reputation made Faith determined to never be like any of her family so she made something of herself, but has never truly been able to move past the jarring events of the past:

At the age of fourteen she had literally been thrown out into the night like a piece of trash, and she had lived with that pain ever since.

Where is her mother and her mother’s lover, and why did they leave never to be heard from again? Their actions left two families very nearly destroyed, and Faith is back to find out some answers and closure. However, bringing up the past doesn’t sit well and soon Faith is facing threats and danger that may silence her forever.

Faith fell in love with Gray Rouillard, the admired son of the most powerful and wealthy family in Prescott, from afar when she was just a little girl.  Unfortunately, the years have done little to diminish her attraction, but if Gray Rouillard thinks he can bully her out of town again, he’s got another thing coming! Faith is no longer a little helpless girl, and I loved her determination.  Even in the face of her blinding attraction to Gray, she didn’t let him distract her from her goals. 

I adored Faith! She was a woman who came from nothing with zero advantages and still managed to have a strong, positive spirit without being overcome by bitterness over the past.  The cruel way in which Faith was treated because of the action of others angered me so much!  At first I hated Gray! His actions tore Faith’s life apart in such a humiliating way I wanted to kick him in the teeth!  But after getting some of his perspective I eased up on my feelings.  Be patient with Gray and you’ll fall for him every bit as much as I did!

Gray can’t help the attraction he feels for Faith.  At the age of fourteen she possessed unmatched beauty; as a grown woman she’s gorgeous, but she’s the image of her mother and reminds Gray of the pain heaped on his family.  Still, he can’t help himself; can’t stop pursuing her to the point of obsession. Even though I wanted Gray and Faith together, I was happy she didn’t just fall for him or let her guard down even though she was wildly attracted to him.  I love a smart heroine!  Faith kept her goals in place, and her resolve meant that Gray had work to prove himself, to gain her trust.  Their romance was hot, lusty, and tumultuous, and I loved every battle they fought! 

Linda Howard wrote an epic, captivating story, and soon after finishing After the Night, which by the way, was published over sixteen years ago (!!), I went through her backlog of titles and added several to my TBR.  I highly recommend her addictive writing!

As a side note, I bought the Kindle/e-Copy version and then added the audio version for an extra $3.49.  It was totally worth it because Natalie Ross' narration is excellent!! If you're cramped for reading time like I am this is an excellent way to read a book by switching back and forth between e-copy to audio. I listen on my commute back and forth to work, when I'm getting ready and when I cook dinner.  

5 Suns







Sunday, January 25, 2015

Review: Full Measures by Rebecca Yarros


Full Measures by Rebecca Yarros
Published February 10th 2014 by Entangled Publishing (Embrace)
A new adult novel from Entangled's Embrace imprint…

Three knocks can change everything…

"She knew. That’s why Mom hadn’t opened the door. She knew he was dead."

Twenty years as an army brat and Ember Howard knew, too. The soldiers at the door meant her dad was never coming home. What she didn’t know was how she would find the strength to singlehandedly care for her crumbling family when her mom falls apart.


Then Josh Walker enters her life. Hockey star, her new next-door neighbor, and not to mention the most delicious hands that insist on saving her over and over again. He has a way of erasing the pain with a single look, a single touch. As much as she wants to turn off her feelings and endure the heartache on her own, she can’t deny their intense attraction.

Until Josh’s secret shatters their world. And Ember must decide if he’s worth the risk that comes with loving a man who could strip her bare.

My Thoughts
Very emotional and truly heart-felt story. Loved the characters in this novel!

In Full Measure, December Howard’s life changed the day she decided to open the door early one morning to a knock that ultimately turned her life upside down. That’s when the US Army brought the fateful news that her father was killed in combat. As her world falls apart around her, she takes center stage at keeping her family together since her mother retreats into a catatonic state leaving her to care for her little brother and teenage sister. She transfers to a closer university, takes on the household; and if things weren’t bad enough Ember breaks up with her boyfriend when she finds out he’s been unfaithful.

What else can this poor girl handle? Well thankfully Josh Walker tends to be at the right place at the right time when Ember needs someone to lean on.

Ember has pined for him since her freshman year in high school, when she was a quiet but confident girl and he was the star hockey player. Five years later, their paths cross and she finds herself struggling to keep her emotions in check. What she doesn’t know, though, is how deeply he’s been a part of her life since she left for college.

Full Measure by Rebecca Yarros brings to light the pain and struggle military families battle with when they lose someone they love. The honesty and integrity of Yarros’s writing leaves nothing unturned when it reveals how some families might feel about the war and the costs that come with sending our troops to fight in foreign lands. I’d love to read more novels that are this bold and honest.

It’s refreshing to know some authors don’t mind reflecting and writing about those families that aren’t willing to sacrifice their loved ones for a war that doesn’t make much sense to them. Brutally honest!

I have to say that for the first few chapters I was on the verge of tears for the entire time. I can’t imagine going through what Ember did and Rebecca Yarros did a great job at conveying the right emotions and reactions to make me feel in the moment and truly vested. Very well written novel with that added sense of honesty that has me applauding Rebecca Yarros. ~claps enthusiastically~
4 Suns

Waves of Fiction 2015 Reading Challenge
- Read a book with a military theme. The Secretary of the Army has asked me to express his deep regret that your husband, Justin, was killed in action in Kandahar, Afghanistan, earlier this morning, the nineteeth of December...

Friday, January 23, 2015

Blog Tour, Review & Giveaway: Sweet Surprise by Candis Terry


I'm excited to be part of the Blog Tour for Sweet Surprise by Candis Terry because I loved this story! For my stop I have my review, an excerpt and a super sweet giveaway, so be sure to scroll down to enter for a chance to win! 


Publication Date: January 27 2015 by Avon
Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

About the book:

Playing naughty or nice...

Fiona Wilder knows all about falling in lust. Love? That's another story. Determined not to repeat past mistakes, the single mom and cupcake shop owner is focused on walking the straight and narrow. But trouble has a way of finding her. And this time it comes in the form of a smoking hot firefighter who knows all the delicious ways to ignite her bad-girl fuse.

Can lead to heartbreak...

Firefighter Mike Halsey learned long ago that playing with fire just gets you burned. He's put his demons behind him, and if there's one line he won't cross, it's getting involved with his best friend's ex. But when fate throws him in the path of the beautiful, strong, and off-limits Fiona, will he be able to fight their attraction? Or will he willingly go down in flames?

Or a sweet surprise!

My Thoughts:
Sweet Surprise book four in the Sweet, Texas series and focuses on Fiona and Mike, two people cautious with their hearts after past mistakes.  I haven’t read the past books, but it’s not necessary to enjoy their sweet, very sexy romance!

Fiona is a single mother working to provide a stable, happy life for her and her daughter Isabella.  She’s guarded with her heart after jumping recklessly and too fast and ended up marrying someone who wasn’t in love with her.  Fiona gained a best friend (her ex-husband, Jackson Wilder), his family who love her like their own, and her daughter who she loves more than her own life, but she’s determined to take things slow and with only someone she’s serious about. I felt for Fiona, even though her life is mostly happy, being surrounded by several couples who are blissfully in love, one of them being her ex-husband, and it makes her feel a little lonely.  Fiona yearns for her own special love.

Could Mike, the gorgeous, sexy firefighter be that man? Her hormones scream a big fat YES!! because she is powerfully attracted to this man!

Mike has got it bad for Fiona, but she’s his best friend, Jackson’s ex-wife, so that makes her off-limits, right? Doesn’t matter, he can’t stop obsessing over her:

Aside from the sheer sexiness level, Fiona was the kind of woman a man wanted to adore and savor. To possess and protect. To make her his very own and never let her go. Crazy talk coming from a guy like him. But for whatever reason, he couldn’t stop himself.

Mike also has past that makes a future loving someone feel impossible. However, a serious of events force Mike and Fiona to spend long hours together, in close quarters and make his desire for her impossible to set aside or ignore. Jana, the Wilder matriarch, had a hand in some of these events, nudging things along and her well-meaning meddling made me smile!

Mike and Fiona spend a lot of the book working together while secretly stealing glances, lusting internally, and ramping up their attraction to the point of combustion! They try to keep things platonic but “resistance is futile”.  Candis Terry excelled in building up sexual tension! But there was more between Mike and Fiona than just lust, and I appreciated they got to know each other before mindlessly jumping into anything.  It made their steamy journey to a HEA all the more sweet and meaningful. 

4 Suns



Sweet Surprise fulfills a box on The Waves of Fiction Reading Challenge:
Read a book set in a small town:
“The little town of Sweet looked like it stepped right out of a storybook. Like the cuteness fairy fluttered down Main Street, touching her magical wand to all the storefronts, and blessing them with glittery fairy adorableness.”




Excerpt:
"Fiona swallowed. Something warm and forbidden swirled in the pit of her stomach, then wound its way into her heart and other vital parts of her body. In the old days she’d tug him closer and take what she wanted. But this was a new day. A new Fiona. A more responsible Fiona who, unfortunately, couldn’t seem to get this man off her mind.
“Then maybe this won’t work out.” She eased her hand from his and instantly missed the fire in his touch.
“Maybe.” Those broad shoulders beneath that fresh cotton T-shirt lifted in a nonchalant shrug. “I’m willing to give it a shot if you are.”
Give what a shot, she wanted to ask. The actual work? Or the sexual tension that ignited between them like gasoline and matches?
A sigh expanded her chest. “If you’re going to work for me there can’t be any flirting. Or touching.”
His smile widened to a grin. “It’ll be a pleasure working under you.”
Oh boy."-- Candis Terry, Sweet Surprise

About the Author:
Candis Terry was born and raised near the sunny beaches of Southern California and now makes her home on an Idaho farm. She's experienced life in such diverse ways as working in a Hollywood recording studio to scooping up road apples left by her daughter's rodeo queening horse to working as a graphic designer. Only one thing has remained constant: Candis' passion for writing stories about relationships, the push and pull in the search for love, and the security one finds in their own happily ever after. Though her stories are set in small towns, Candis' wish is to give each of her characters a great big memorable love story rich with quirky characters, tons of fun, and a happy ending.
Connect with Candis Terry:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads



Thursday, January 22, 2015

Book Blitz: Gable by Harper Bentley

Title: Gable (The Powers That Be #1)
Author: Harper Bentley
Release Date: Dec 31, 2014
Find on
Goodreads
Gable Powers had all the makings of everything my father had ever warned me about: a reputation that was anything but stellar, a dirty mouth that had me shivering at the things he uttered in my ear, and a body (oh, God, that body) that was covered in tattoos, all of which added up to a solid ten-point-oh on the bad-boy scale.
The first time I met him, I instantly loathed him.
The second time was even worse.
He was a jerk. He was an ass.
He had secrets.
He was nothing I thought I ever wanted.
So why couldn’t I resist him?
New adult. Not recommended for readers under 17.
“I miss the white outfit,” he stated then put his hands on my hips, moving them down to where his fingers skimmed along the hem of my shorts then started moving them slowly back toward my bottom. “But these hot pink shorts make you look completely fuckable too.”
That brought me out of my stupor and I spun around, glaring up at him. “You can’t talk to me like that!” I hissed under my breath, glancing around self-consciously to make sure no one was watching our exchange.
He peered down at my chest where my nipples were standing at full attention under my t-shirt. “From the looks of it, I think you like me talking to you like that.” Then he leaned in closer. “What’s the matter? Never been talked dirty to before, Priss?” When he pulled back, I saw that the half grin was now going strong and his luminous brown eyes were dancing with humor at his having riled me.
Holy hell.
As I kept glowering at him, having no response to that, I noticed a girl next to us gawking at us, and embarrassed, I smiled shyly at her, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear, trying to act normal. When she turned away, I whisper-hissed at him, “Are you kidding me right now? Just who do you think you are?”
He bent again to get close to my ear. “I’m the guy who’ll have you coming hard before the semester’s over,” he answered evenly, his eyes shimmering with cockiness as they burned into mine when he stood straight again.
Mesmerized, I gazed back at him, lost in him, wanting what he was selling, God, how did he do that, until it hit me that I should be offended by his boldness and I suddenly frowned. “What is your deal?” I screeched making several students look at me and felt my face burning even hotter than it already was at his inappropriate comments. I turned to get away from him mumbling, “Oh, my God,” but he grabbed me by the arm pulling me in close.
“You don’t  have to call me God. Gable works, but I’m sure I’ll be making you scream both soon,” he whispered close to my ear.
I pushed against his chest (of course he didn’t budge at all) and jerked my arm from his grasp with a scowl then moved as far away from him as I could, going to the back of the line to wait until he left. Standing there, I closed my eyes trying to get a hold of myself but could still see his seductive gaze searing into mine as he smirked while saying those things to me, as if he was so confident that they’d happen regardless of what I had to say about it.
And the really bad thing about it? As I stood there, a complete emotional mess from what’d just happened, I found I actually wanted those things to happen, which served to embarrass me even more not to mention just totally baffle me. I mean, I’d only slept with one guy, Hayden, my first and only boyfriend, and that’d been after we’d dated for almost a year so it wasn’t like I got around much, so what was wrong with me that I was all in for having sex with someone I barely knew? Someone who’d been an ass to me from day one. Someone who obviously had way more experience than I had.
As I stood behind everyone, I swallowed thickly, my cheeks still on fire, wondering who the hell I was, and when I moved my eyes to the front I saw Gable write his person’s number down in his notebook, smile at a girl who was gazing up at him like he was a damned rock star then he left without even a glance back at me.
When I finally got to the front, I wrote my person’s number down quickly and got the heck out of there because a few people were still watching me curiously. As I walked outside the building, I cautiously surveyed the area making sure Gable hadn’t hung around wanting to torment me some more but saw that he was off to my right talking to his friend, Mr. Tactful, and they were near the parking lot which was a good twenty yards away. I also saw that Gable was smoking. Well, total turnoff right there. Good. At least he had something about him that repulsed me (other than his cocky attitude, that is), and when I saw the coast was clear, I let out the breath I was holding, relief flooding over me along with a bit of disappointment at his unhealthy habit, and headed away in the opposite direction from him, going to my next class.
Harper Bentley has taught high school English for 22 years. Although she’s managed to maintain her sanity regardless of her career choice, jumping into the world of publishing her own books goes to show that she might be closer to the ledge than was previously thought.
After traveling the nation in her younger years as a military brat, having lived in Alaska, Washington State and California, she now resides in Oklahoma with her teenage daughter, two dogs and one cat, happily writing stories that she hopes her readers will enjoy.