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Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Where There's Smoke by Cari Z Blog Tour Review








Blurb
Panopolis is a rough place to be an average Joe. I came here looking for adventure and excitement, but nobody cares about one more normal guy in a city filled with super-powered heroes. The closest I’ve come to glory is working in a bank that villains often rob.
But then I maybe accidentally-on-purpose helped a villain escape the hero who was trying to save the day. Imagine my shock when, a week later, that villain asked me out for coffee. One date turned into more, and now I’m head over heels in love with Raul.
Falling in love with the guy dubbed the Mad Bombardier isn’t without its downsides, though. I’ve had to deal with near-death encounters with other villains, awkwardly flirtatious heroes who won’t take no for an answer, and a lover I’m not sure I can trust. It’s getting to the point where I know I’ll have to make a choice: side with the heroes, or stand fast by my villain.
Either way, I think my days as a normal guy are over.
Author Bio
Cari Z was a bookworm as a child and remains one to this day. In an effort to combat her antisocial reading behavior, she did all sorts of crazy things, from competitive gymnastics to alligator wresting (who even knew that was legal!) to finally joining the Peace Corps, which promptly sent her and her husband to the wilds of West Africa, stuck them in a hut, and said, "See ya!" She also started writing in earnest then, because when you have no television, no car and nothing to read other than a French translation of Twilight, you find ways of entertaining yourself. She’s been back in Colorado for a while now, but stuck with the writing.
Cari posts a free weekly serial on her blog at carizerotica.blogspot.com. Come read, come say hi, or check out her other works at cari-z.net.
Twitter: author_cariz


Giveaway

Every comment on this blog tour enters you in a drawing for a paperback copy of Rules To Live By. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on May 2. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Don't forget to add your email so we can contact you if you win!


REVIEW


Where There's Smoke (Panopolis, #1)
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This story is about villains and heroes. It does things a little differently than many superhero tales. The main character is a human man in love with a villain. There are a lot of grey areas. Instead of the standard supervillain most of us are used to seeing, we get a guy who is not good but still has morals. He isn't out with some big ruthless plan for world domination, but he isn't using his powers to help others either. In fact, the lines are very blurred throughout on which characters would be considered righteous or evil.

This is the first book or comic of this type that I have read where the leads are gay. Definitely a welcome change for me. It contains dark comedy which kind of pokes fun of stereotypes. Some details of gore are present. Romance and love are a heavy point also. I easily dug into the plot, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.



***copy given in exchange for an honest review***
toni






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Tuesday, April 28, 2015

THE MISTAKE by Elle Kennedy Review






THE MISTAKE
OFF CAMPUS BOOK 2

Release: 4/28

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25031450-the-mistake






He’s a player in more ways than one…


College junior John Logan can get any girl he wants. For this hockey star, life is a parade of parties and hook-ups, but behind his killer grins and easygoing charm, he hides growing despair about the dead-end road he’ll be forced to walk after graduation. A sexy encounter with freshman Grace Ivers is just the distraction he needs, but when a thoughtless mistake pushes her away, Logan plans to spend his final year proving to her that he’s worth a second chance.



Now he’s going to need to up his game…


After a less than stellar freshman year, Grace is back at Briar University, older, wiser, and so over the arrogant hockey player she nearly handed her V-card to. She’s not a charity case, and she’s not the quiet butterfly she was when they first hooked up. If Logan expects her to roll over and beg like all his other puck bunnies, he can think again. He wants her back? He’ll have to work for it. This time around, she’ll be the one in the driver’s seat…and she plans on driving him wild




Excerpt

I don’t live in a magical bubble where orgasms fall from the sky and land in a woman’s bed every time she has sex. I know they fake it sometimes. But I’m fairly confident I speak for most guys when I say that I like to think they don’t fake it with me.



Links









Elle Kennedy links



GIVEAWAY
a Rafflecopter giveaway







REVIEW



The Mistake (Off-Campus, #2)


My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Mistake is the second book in a new adult series about college hockey players finding love. It is told in the POV of both the male and female leads. This book totally had me wrapped up in it's words.

It has the funny make out scenes.
Oh shit. Boob groping alert.

Oh crap. Downstairs action alert.

I don't have enough experience to consider myself an expert penis-wrangler or anything.

Lots of LOL parts.

The chemistry between the couple is perfect. It feels so real. They play around and joke giving really cute scenes. They fight and love giving heart moments. It's all very believable and very well written.

I really like both main characters also. The lead female isn't a pushover. She has self-respect and a special combination of calm and fierceness. The male lead is a sexy and popular playboy, but inside he's just wanting to find a true relationship. He's honorable and trustworthy and so sweet. Their sarcastic sense of humor and playfulness mesh together perfectly.

The Mistake deals with hard issues too—the responsibility of family, the pain of having a loved one with an addiction problem, the sense of having to grow up and make tough decisions, the understanding to be oneself and not be led by friends.

The writing is fantastic. No scenes felt over played. I don't remember reading any of the words or phrases that make me cringe because of awkwardness or because they've become so overused. The words flowed smoothly and held my interest for the entire book.




 ***copy given in exchange for an honest review***
toni






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OVERRULED by EMMA CHASE Review










Overruled by Emma Chase Coming April 28th


SUMMARY:

Emma Chase, New York Times bestselling author of the Tangled Series, returns with the first installment of the Legal Briefs Series. 

As a DC defense attorney, Stanton Shaw keeps his head cool, his questions sharp, and his arguments irrefutable. They don’t call him the Jury Charmer for nothing – with his southern drawl, disarming smile and captivating green eyes – he’s a hard man to say no to. Men want to be him and women want to be thoroughly cross examined by him.
Stanton’s a man with a plan. And for a while, life was going according to that plan.
Until the day he receives an invitation to the wedding of his high school sweetheart and mother of his beloved ten-year old daughter. Jenny is getting married — to someone who isn’t him.
That's definitely not part of the plan.

Sofia Santos is a city raised, no-nonsense litigator who plans to become the most revered criminal defense attorney in the country. She doesn’t have time for relationships or distractions.
But when Stanton, her "friend with mind-blowing benefits" begs for help, she finds herself out of her element, out of her depth, and obviously out of her mind. Because she agrees to go with him – to The-Middle-Of-Nowhere, Mississippi – to do all she can to help Stanton win back the woman he loves. 
Her head tells her she's crazy...and her heart says something else entirely.

What happens when you mix a one stop-light town, two professional arguers, a homecoming queen, four big brothers, some Jimmy Dean sausage and a gun-toting Nana? 
The Bourbon flows, passions rise and even the best laid plans get overruled by the desires of the heart.



“No one writes a sexy comedy like Emma Chase!”  
- #1 New York Times bestselling author Jodi Ellen Malpas






Links:





Amazon —> http://amzn.to/1DT2ot1
B&N —> http://bit.ly/1wnxxGF 
iTunes —> http://apple.co/1zNvXLT
Books A Million —> http://bit.ly/1KnG9AO
IndieBound —> http://bit.ly/1PSxJVc
Audible —> http://adbl.co/1baeA1j



REVIEW


Overruled (The Legal Briefs, #1)


My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed reading Overruled. It's a romance containing lots of heat with a side of comedy and cuteness.

Stanton had one girlfriend from elementary school until graduation. When he went away to Columbia to school and she stayed back home with their daughter and community college, they agreed to have an open relationship. They are considered together, but they both see other people while apart with a don't ask, don't tell policy. Ten years later, this is still the set up while Stanton works as a high powered attorney in D.C. and Jenny chooses to stay in their hometown in Mississippi.

When Stanton learns that Jenny is planning to marry someone else, he hightails it back with his co-counciler to try to stop the wedding. This is where the fun really begins.
"Well, that was interesting," she says.
"That was nothin'—it's still midday. The real interestin' comes out after dark."
"Everyone turns into sparkly vampires?"
I shake my head. "Rednecks."


Tales of not recognizing what is in front of you have been told time and again, but all the little ins and outs of this eye opening journey for Stanton are pretty unique. Obviously there is major chemistry between Stanton and Sofia, but he's almost on a tirade about Jenny's upcoming nuptials. The families are a trip. The manly competitions with farm equipment are crazy. Everyone is so close and the feelings and emotions are running high.
"It's an echo. Of who we were, the promises we made, the passion we had. But an echo's not real—you can't build a life on it. It's just a memory of a sound."


One of the best aspects in my opinion is given the situation, it doesn't actually get too ugly. I appreciate maturity from characters when reading a book. I like when someone can admit selfish behavior and make changes. Even though there is pain, no one is purposely devious in inflicting it. Especially with a child being aware, I value things not turning nasty. It's a learning experience for everyone involved with a really close family feel to it.

I love this author's writing style. I have since I first met Drew Evans, who actually has a couple of parts in this book. *smile* I totally felt the connection that readers get when a piece fits them. I recommend Overruled, and I can't wait for the next book.





 ***copy given in exchange for an honest review***
toni






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Monday, April 27, 2015

BINGE by Jennifer Foor Blog Tour Review




RELEASE DATE: APRIL 27
Synopsis:
Flynn & Aria Roberts have had plenty of ups and downs during their seven year marriage. Everyone warned them not to wed so young - that they'd be missing out on the key years when people grow from young adults to mature individuals.
The only thing holding them
together now is their
love for each other,
and even that is becoming questionable.
To save the marriage, and the family they've already started, Flynn and Aria come up with an unconventional solution to help them find what's missing in their relationship.
The only problem is doing so involves rediscovering themselves completely, even if it requires them to be unfaithful.
Can a marriage survive
when vows are broken, or will chance encounters prove they've been missing out all-along?
Fulfill your
deepest Desires
Give in to
Temptation



EXCERPT:
Caroline led me upstairs to the guest room. We both sat down on the bed and she started on me right away about it.  “Look, I’m not trying to push you away, I just think there’s more to your problems than sex. I’m afraid we’re going to complicate your situation if we go through with something tonight. I need you to really think about what’s at stake here.”
“You said it yourself. It’s just sex. I want to have fun, feel alive, and be able to have sex that isn’t the same every single time. I want to witness two people connect in ways I never knew possible. I want to be able to know how to seduce someone without worrying they’re appalled by my appearance. I need something fresh and new. That’s why I’m doing this.”
“I don’t know, Aria. It might be a bad idea to add fuel to the fire.”
“Don’t back out now. Please. I’ve come this far. I want to do it.” She was wrong about me. Nothing could stop me from going through with it. I'd pumped myself up for the occasion.
“Do what? You said you wanted to watch, but I don’t think you really do. I feel as if this is some way to secretly pay your husband back without screwing a stranger. It’s wrong. Revenge will give you nothing but regret.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I do. It’s obvious.” She fidgeted with her hands as she spoke. I was feeling angry. This wasn’t the friend who wanted to help me. She was pushing me away like everyone else had in my life. “Aria, you don’t want to be a swinger. You’re intrigued by the idea of it. I think you struggle from a chemical imbalance that causes you to be confused. All the signs are there. You’re indecisive, compulsive, and sometimes depressing to be around. I adore you. You know that. I’m just telling you how I see it. I want to help.”
“No, you don’t know me at all.” I stood up and backed away from her, crossing my arms over my chest. I didn’t want to feel this way. I hated thinking about my past and what my childhood was like. “My mother is bipolar. She was always depressed and her mood swings were unbearable,” I admitted in a whisper. “She’d leave for days and come back acting as if nothing happened. When she was off her meds it was worse. I never knew what to expect, and I couldn’t count on her for anything. I’m not like that. I’m a good mother. I’d never leave my daughter.”
“You know that’s hereditary, right?”
I shrugged. “It can’t be true. I’m nothing like her.” As the words exited my lips I knew I was fooling no one. The truth was more obvious than ever before. “I’m twenty five years old and I want to learn more about sex and my body. That’s all this is, I assure you. I have fantasized so many times about watching and being watched. I want to experience it at least once in my life. I want to know if it’s as pleasurable in person. Is it wrong to want to be naughty for once in my life? How long do I have to play the role of being perfect and innocent? Maybe I have desires I need to fulfill. Maybe it’s time I have a sexual bender and get it out of my system. Now, I appreciate you caring about me, but you have nothing to worry about. I’m all in for tonight. You’ll see. I need this, Caroline. Please don’t back out on me. It’s not like I can ask someone else. I don’t want to wait and do it later, because I’ll either chicken out or take Flynn back and feel horrible for cheating. I feel like something inside of me is broken. I’ve never been good enough in my own eyes. Right now I’m prepared, I’m ready to explore my sexuality. I’m comfortable with you. I trust you. I know you won’t let me take it too far. You’ll keep me safe, and that’s why I’m ready for this.”
Caroline stood up and walked toward the door. “I’ll do whatever you need me to do. I value our friendship. I just don’t want you to have regrets, Aria. You don’t have to do this to be my friend. I like the person you are, and I’m here for you no matter what. I hope you’re not mad.”
“No, it’s fine. I’m just nothing like my mother. She wouldn’t have stuck around with Flynn like I have. She would have given up. I just know I’m never going to be satisfied until I know for sure he’s all I want.”
“Okay, then it's settled. See you in a bit,” she replied with a fake smile.
I didn’t frown until the door was closed. I wasn’t about to let her back out of our plans tonight. Even if it was revenge, I was still going through with it. I was tired of being the only person who felt inexperienced. Flynn cheated on me. Why was it so wrong for me to have some fun too? If I didn’t like it I’d stop. It was that simple.



AUTHOR INFO:



Jennifer Foor is an award winning Contemporary Romance Author. She's best known for the Mitchell Family Series, which includes ten books.

She is married with two children and spends most of her time behind a keyboard, writing stories that come from her heart. 








REVIEW


Binge (7 Year Itch, #1)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was not what I expected. I thought it was going to be more superficial and smutty fantasy, but I found it to be so realistic and true to life. A lot of the contemporary romance books that I read are full of things that most people will never experience. This book will call to the hearts of so many who may feel they are in a similar situation.

Aria and Flynn got together in high school. When Aria became pregnant, their entire future changed. Instead of having the time to find themselves and sow their wild oats, they become newlyweds and then parents when they should have been graduating high school and attending college. Although they did a good job of putting a home together and are mature in many areas, they haven't grown as a couple. Aria is full of insecurities which turn her in to something she doesn't want to be. This causes chain reactions that lead to Flynn making unwise decisions. Everything just continues to escalate and spiral. After seven years of marriage, it's uncertain if there is anything to salvage.

This couple went round after round with each other. Nothing was romanticized. I like how the author kept it real. I could totally understand how everything progressed, and I felt the struggle. There are many heightened emotions and some sexy scenes, but what I liked best is how lifelike it is. Sometimes I can't quite understand circumstances in something I read, but comprehension came easily with this storyline.



***copy given in exchange for an honest review***
toni






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