Spotlight Feature & Giveaway: Hell or High Water by Julie Ann Walker

Hello readers! I'm excited to be part of the Spotlight Feature for Hell or High Water by Julie Ann Walker hosted by Sourcebooks Casablanca because I've heard great things about Julie Ann Walker's writing.  As part of my stop I have a few teasers, and a giveaway! Be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the post to enter the rafflecopter for a chance to win. 

Hell or High Water (Deep Six #1) by Julie Ann Walker

Publication Date: July 7th 2015 by Sourcebooks Casablanca

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | iBooks

About the book:

In a world on the brink...

Six men. One sunken Spanish galleon. Millions in gold and silver coins lying on the ocean floor. And a past that refuses to let the guys of Deep Six Salvage forget the Navy SEAL motto: the only easy day was yesterday...

There's more than one kind of treasure...

The nation's security has always been CIA agent Olivia Mortier's top priority. But a mission-gone-wrong has begun to make her wonder if there's more to life than risking hers.

And more than one secret at the bottom of the sea...

Only two things could make Leo Anderson abandon his hunt for the legendary lost ship, La Santa Christina, and return to the world of weapons and warfare he swore to leave behind: a capsule of enriched uranium, lost on the ocean floor, and a plea for assistance from the one woman he can't seem to forget...

About the author:

Julie Ann Walker is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of award-winning romantic suspense. She has won the Book Buyers Best Award, been nominated for the National Readers Choice Award, the Australian Romance Reader Awards, and the Romance Writers of America's prestigious RITA award. Her latest release was named a Top Ten Romance of 2014 by Booklist. Her books have been described as "alpha, edgy, and downright hot." Most days you can find her on her bicycle along the lake shore in Chicago or blasting away at her keyboard, trying to wrangle her capricious imagination into submission. 

Connect with Julie Ann Walker:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

The amazing people with Sourcebooks Casablanca have provided this generous giveaway. Simply fill out the rafflecopter for a chance to win. May the odds be with you!

Review: Down London Road (On Dublin Street #2) by Samantha Young

Down London Road (On Dublin Street #2) by Samantha Young 

Published May 7th 2013 by NAL (first published January 1st 2013)

Johanna Walker is used to taking charge. But she’s about to meet someone who will make her lose control…

It has always been up to Johanna to care for her family, particularly her younger brother, Cole. With an absent father and a useless mother, she’s been making decisions based on what’s best for Cole for as long as she can remember. She even determines what men to date by how much they can provide for her brother and her, not on whatever sparks may—or may not—fly.

But with Cameron MacCabe, the attraction is undeniable. The sexy new bartender at work gives her butterflies every time she looks at him. And for once, Jo is tempted to put her needs first. Cam is just as obsessed with getting to know Jo, but her walls are too solid to let him get close enough to even try.

Then Cam moves into the flat below Jo’s, and their blistering connection becomes impossible to ignore. Especially since Cam is determined to uncover all of Jo’s secrets... even if it means taking apart her defenses piece by piece.

My Thoughts

I enjoyed this one quite a bit, especially because we got to see a complete transformation of a character that was first introduced On Dublin Street.

In this novel, Johanna Walker takes center stage as we learn about her back story and the hardships she's endured as a child. Coming from an abusive family where she currently cares for her alcoholic mother and younger brother, it's hard not to immediately care for Jo. She works two jobs and as a means of security, she dates rich men that offer her the sense of a possible future. However, her constant quests to land a man that she hopes will someday be her protector and provider seems to constantly fall flat.

That is until she meet Malcolm. He's rich, kind and older, and it's no doubt Johanna care for him despite the lack of chemistry. This becomes fully evident when she collides with Cameron and she begins the see the possibility of a fulfilling romance. However, is she willing to sacrifice the security of Malcolm that could mean a good future for her little brother in order to have a romance that will possibly leave her broken hearted?

I really liked Johanna from the beginning. I admired her strength and how protective she was of Cole. It was hard to immediately like Cameron especially when he judged her without knowing her. Throughout the novel, he said and did a few things that kept me from connecting with him all the way, but in the end, he proved worthy.

Great story that's filed with heated chemistry and a likable main character. I enjoyed it much!

4 Suns

Review & Giveaway: Call on Me by Roni Loren

Call on Me (Loving on the Edge #8) by Roni Loren

Publication Date: July 7th 2015 by Berkley

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

About the book:

The new Loving on the Edge novel by the New York Times bestselling author of Nothing Between Us and Need You Tonight…

Oakley Easton wants two things: to be a good mom to her daughter and to ditch her less than ideal night job. Hooking up with bad boy drummer Pike Ryland? Not on the agenda. She needs a promotion. Not sex, tattoos and rock ’n’ roll.

Pike isn’t about to let Ms. Prim and Proper shut him down so easily, especially when he stumbles upon Oakley’s sexy night job. She’s only playing a role on those late night calls with strangers, but when he gets her on the line, all bets are off. He won’t stop until that sultry voice is calling his name for real.

But as they move from anonymous fantasies in the dark to the flesh-on-hot-flesh reality of the bedroom, the risk of falling in love becomes all too high. And the safe, quiet world that Oakley’s worked so hard to create is about to be exposed to the one person who could ruin it all.

My Thoughts:

Pike Ryland is a rock groupie’s dream: gorgeous, on the cusp of fame, and a hot as heck hookup.  But groupies and casual sex aren’t holding the appeal for Pike like they used to.  But Pike can’t imagine being in a relationship least of all finding the right one.  That is until he meets the prim, proper and not very impressed, Oakley.  She’s a single mom devoted to raising her eleven year old daughter, and when Pike tries to turn on the charm with her, Oakley turns on the scowl. 

From outward appearances Oakely Easton is a straight-laced model of a single mother. Her whole world revolves around raising her daughter, which is why Oakley has taken on a less than conventional nighttime job as a phone sex operator when her day job wasn’t paying the bills.  Pike Ryland is a bad boy rocker, with charm and confidence to spare, but she can’t let herself get involved with someone who isn’t looking for something serious.  She has a daughter and a sensitive heart to consider.

Working together puts them in close contact and Pike starts to suspect that Oakley might be hiding a naughty secret, and when his suspicions turn out to be true, Pike can’t resist calling. What begins as hot “harmless” late-night calls inevitably turns physical, because Oakley and Pike can’t keep their hands off of each other!

Pike and Oakley don’t seem to make sense as a couple at first, and I appreciated that they were mature and honest with their wants, and feelings. At first Oakley resists anything sexual with Pike because she knows deep down, she can’t do casual:

“But I know myself. The minute I take this a step further, my emotions are going to get involved. I’m not--” She looked around at the others backstage. “I’m not like these women. I don’t judge them for taking what they want and having a good time. I just can’t relate.—I’m not built for what you’d want from me.”

Even though Pike thought he was only suited for meaningless hookups, getting to know Oakley makes him yearn for more.  He admires her strength, raising a daughter on her own at such a young age.  Her spunk and spirit with him just make her all the more enticing. The have off the charts chemistry! Pike’s never felt the urge to share his sad family tales, or his innermost thoughts with another woman, and he’s never felt the darker sexual urges to dominate a partner like his friends from The Ranch do. Being with Oakley changes all of that.

While the BDSM lifestyle is utterly hot to me in a story, I sometimes feel it’s pure fantasy, but Pike’s kink felt a little more accessible to a “normal” (lol, yeah, right!) girl like me. Pike turned Oakley into a bit of an addict, tapping into her unknown darker desires, and oh my, did their encounters light me up!

Roni Loren again created a story that just about incinerated my panties right off of me! Call on Me was fiery hot! To me, writing a story with believable emotions, characters with depth, and layering it was a gradual build of sexual tension is key to making erotica more than just mechanical sex, and Ms. Loren completely nails that!  I highly recommend her Loving on the Edge series!

As if Call on Me wasn’t enough, there is a bonus novella at the end, House Call. In the past, a story about a female dominant has never held much attraction for me, so I was surprised that I enjoyed it so much. Theo and Maggie were two vulnerable hearts just perfect for each other.  Ms. Loren cleverly avoids insta-love in spite of the short amount of pages to work with, making this novella sweet, satisfying and of course, HOT!!

5 Suns

Connect with Roni Loren:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads

The lovely people at Berkley have generously provided this amazing giveaway. Awesome, right?! Simply fill in the rafflecopter for a chance to win. Good luck!

Waves of Sunday #64

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. 

Today we are spotlighting:

The Bourbon Kings (The Bourbon Kings #1) by J.R. Ward

Expected publication: July 28th 2015 by NAL

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Black Dagger Brotherhood delivers the first novel in an enthralling new series set amid the shifting dynamics of a Southern family defined by wealth and privilege—and compromised by secrets, deceit, and scandal.... 

For generations, the Bradford family has worn the mantle of kings of the bourbon capital of the world. Their sustained wealth has afforded them prestige and privilege—as well as a hard-won division of class on their sprawling estate, Easterly. Upstairs, a dynasty that by all appearances plays by the rules of good fortune and good taste. Downstairs, the staff who work tirelessly to maintain the impeccable Bradford facade. And never the twain shall meet.

For Lizzie King, Easterly’s head gardener, crossing that divide nearly ruined her life. Falling in love with Tulane, the prodigal son of the bourbon dynasty, was nothing that she intended or wanted—and their bitter breakup only served to prove her instincts were right. Now, after two years of staying away, Tulane is finally coming home again, and he is bringing the past with him. No one will be left unmarked: not Tulane’s beautiful and ruthless wife; not his older brother, whose bitterness and bad blood know no bounds; and especially not the ironfisted Bradford patriarch, a man with few morals, fewer scruples, and many, many terrible secrets.

As family tensions—professional and intimately private—ignite, Easterly and all its inhabitants are thrown into the grips of an irrevocable transformation, and only the cunning will survive.

Arlene's Thoughts

I seem to have a rocky relationship with this author, but I can’t release myself from her madness! I feel for the last five or six installments of the Black Dagger Brotherhood, I’ve complained about J.R. Ward’s filler books. I’ve pitched fits about her dragging the series out needlessly and swearing not to pick up another BDB book. So when The Bourbon King popped out of nowhere, I thought… okay well I can still dapple with J.R. Ward’s storytelling, but not feel tortured by a series that’s clearly come full circle. So I am shamelessly admitting that I’m both curious and eager to try her new series The Bourbon Kings. It sounds like a fresh turn down an exciting alley. If I read the description correctly, it’s not paranormal, so I’m curious how Ward will handle her world building in a contemporary setting. Bring it on!

Rachel's Thoughts:
I have read three of the BDB series and I have enjoyed that series. I'm curious about The Bourbon Kings because it sounds so different from anything I've seen from J.R. Ward. This series is being compared to the epic TV shows, Dynasty and Dallas in the way that it's a big successful family with a lot of drama and secrets with many different family members. I'm thinking that each book will focus on one family member with one romance, but we'll be introduced to all the characters, and get to know them a little before we get their story.  I can't say I'm thrilled to hear Tulane is married when he comes home, at least that's what I take from the description, but I guess we'll see how that plays out. It hints that his wife is a nasty piece of work, so I'm sure no tears would be shed if Tulane dumps her. I just hope they don't have kids.

Giveaway for our Fourth of July Celebration

Our apologies for the Rafflecopter not working on our Fourth of July post. It's all fixed now! So if you'd like a chance to win one of the following eBooks, be sure to enter!

Enter to win one of the above eBook titles through US Amazon Kindle or US Amazon Barnes & Noble. Purchase not to exceed US $5.  Open to Waves of Fiction followers that can receive an eBook from either US Amazon or US Barnes & Noble.

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Happy Fourth of July of Giveaway!

Waves of Fiction would like to wish our blog followers and fellow readers from the States a Happy 4^th of July! Most importantly, we’d like to thank our service men and women for the sacrifices they make for our country.

In the spirit of honoring our service men and women on our book blog, we’d like to spotlight a few military theme books our readers can enjoy. If you’re in the mood for a man-in-uniform type book, be sure to check these out!

Enter to win one of the above eBook titles through US Amazon Kindle or US Amazon Barnes & Noble. Purchase not to exceed US $5.  Open to Waves of Fiction followers that can receive an eBook from either US Amazon or US Barnes & Noble.

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Review: Chase Me by Tessa Bailey

Chase Me (Broke and Beautiful #1) by Tessa Bailey

Publication Date: March 17th 2015 by Avon Impulse

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

About the book:

College drop-out, Roxy Cumberland, moved to New York with dreams of becoming an actress, but her dwindling bank account is quickly putting the kibosh on that fantasy. To make some quick cash, she signs up to perform singing telegrams. Her first customer is a gorgeous, cocky Manhattan trust-funder if she ever laid eyes on one. And what could be more humiliating than singing an ode to his junk, courtesy of his last one night stand? Maybe the fact that she’s dressed in a giant, pink bunny costume...

After a night out to celebrate winning his last case, lawyer Louis McNally II isn’t prepared for the pounding in his head or the rabbit serenading him from the front door. But the sassy wit and sexy voice of the girl behind the mask intrigues him, and one look at her stunning face—followed by a mind-blowing kiss against his doorjamb—leaves Louis wanting more.

Roxy doesn’t need a spoiled rich boy who’s had everything in life handed to him on a Tiffany platter. But there’s more to Louis than his sexy surface and he’s determined to make Roxy see it...even if it means chasing her all over NYC.

My Thoughts:

Roxy has hit rough times and is the cliché starving actress struggling to land a job. In order to make ends meet, she takes a job singing telegrams, but never thought she’d have to sing a song in honor of a man’s, ahem, manliness, in a bunny suit, no less! No, that’s not humiliating at all…

When Louis opens the door and sees a hot bunny on his doorstep, he at first thinks he’s hallucinating. He gets a song of praise for his endowments, and you’d think that make a guy happy, but not so much when it’s a judgmental, sexy bunny singing the song. And not so much when you’re instantly attracted to the sexy, sassy bunny because having your one night stand send a singing telegram to your manhood doesn’t exactly make the best first impression:

"Why? If you like what you see, will you invite me inside? You haven't even showered off the last girl yet."  He actually had the grace to look a little ashamed. “I—“

Roxy didn’t give a shit about his answer. “Would you expect me to be flattered?” She clutched her chest dramatically. “Please, oh keeper of the golden penis, let me worship at your flawless phallus.”

Lol!  So, yes, not the best first impression there, but they do manage to share a smoldering kiss. Sounds like a weird thing to happen, but it works in this context, and Louis can’t get Roxy out of his mind.  Soon he’s chasing her all over the city to win her over and make her give him a chance.

Roxy doesn’t want to get hurt, and Louis definitely seems like a love-them-and-leave-them type of guy, so she keeps her shields up just in case. That’s a little difficult when she starts to realize he’s not the manwhore she thought, but actually a nice guy.  I laughed at the whole roommates “syncing” scene where Louis came in and handled things like a pro with two broody and emotional females:

“What else you got in that bag, Mary Poppins?” Roxy’s curiosity got the best of her, so she hopped up on one of the kitchen stools and reached into the bag. “Three…no, four Snickers bars,” she announced. “A bottle of wine. Tylenol. People magazine.” She peered further into the bag. “And Bridesmaids on DVD.”

Louis realizes that the way they met would make Roxy doubt his intentions, but he’s determined to change her opinion.  He wants to get close, get to know Roxy, wedge himself into her heart bit by bit, because no one has ever affected him the way she does.

I adored Chase Me! It was such a fun and sexy story. The clever banter, the deeper emotions and the amazing sexual tension all added up to a satisfying romance. Roxy and Louis get to know each other better, all the while sharing lusty kisses, and passionate encounters. Tessa Bailey excels at writing super hot sex scenes, but she definitely built up my anticipation, making me hot and bothered in the process!

I love Tessa Bailey’s writing and I’ve already got the next installment, Need Me, locked and loaded on my kindle!

4 Suns

Connect with Tessa Bailey:

  Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads