Unused Napkin

Monday, 8 December 2014

EXCERPT REVEAL (Part 2): Ripped by Katy Evans

Well, how about starting the week right and get another EXCERPT REVEAL, eh? How fun, no?

Please enjoy!

Sneak Peek Excerpt

The big dose of reality hits me when I wake up and he is sprawled, in all his muscular glory, across my hotel bed. It takes a second for me to remember that I, uh . . . I let Mackenna stay over?

I groan and slap my palm against my forehead. Fuck. Why why why does he weaken my willpower? The mattress squeaks as he shifts in bed, one arm reaching out as he groans in his sleep and seems to search for me. I roll away quickly and watch his hand settle on a pillow.

“Mackenna,” I say, toeing his side with my foot. “Mackenna!” I hiss.

He rolls around and sits up, and thank god the covers are halfway around his waist, because if I see one more inch of bare flesh I might explode from the heat spreading through me. I feel myself blush even deeper when his muscles bulge as he pushes himself up with his arms. His eyes adorably heavy, he blinks to adjust to the light, his mouth as perfect and generous as it was yesterday. And then he looks at me. That gaze is softer silver in the morning, not as sharp or as intimidating, almost . . . intimate when he sees me. Glimmering playfully.

And too late, I realize why he’s fucking grinning. My T-shirt got caught on the waistband of my panties. And he’s taking me in, in one quick sweep. “Well, fuck, someone woke hungry this morning,” he says, his voice bedroom sleepy as he looks at me, and I grab the pillow to cover myself.

“I’m not hungry,” I say.

“I was talking about me. Come over here.”

“No, Mackenna! Come on. Get out of my room already. I told you to leave!”

He grins and gets up, and I toss the pillow and flush as I pull down my T-shirt while he heads to the bathroom. It only takes him a minute to come out. Not enough to comb all my fingers through the tangles in my hair. If I were into that and cared what the asshole thought. Which I don’t.

His eyes run up the length of my legs, continue from the hem of my T-shirt to my neck, then land on my head. “Leave your hair, it looks all right,” he says huskily, stopping to loom before me.

Heat flows through my body as he looks down at me with blatant need. What is wrong with him? With us?

“Nothing’s wrong,” he murmurs.

“I said that out loud?” I groan.

“You’ve been . . . vocal, all night. I like it.”

God. I dreamed. I dreamed . . . I’m not even sure what. I dreamed about the closet again. I dreamed we were in bed. I dreamed he tried to kiss me, and when I turned away, he set a thousand shivery kisses up and down my neck.

The memory makes me flush cherry red. Did that happen during the night? By the intimate way he looks at me, I think he wanted inside me real bad. I didn’t let him, thank god. He fingers the collar of my tee, then watches me as he slowly drags his finger up my neck, his thumb caressing my bottom and top lip. Even though his hold is loose and he’s not physically holding me down, I feel trapped. His gaze alone holds me motionless.

He used to look at me with this same proprietary gleam when he was my boyfriend. My secret boyfriend, who nobody knew about . . . except me. I guess, in the end, my mom knew.

But while the secret lasted, we hid in the janitor’s closet in school and made out until I could hardly walk, my legs unsteady as I headed for class with his taste in my mouth, the scent of his soap clinging to my clothes.

I’m fighting the urge to smell his neck now. It’s a war to just stand here motionless, tracing every inch of his masculine face with my eyes when I want my fingers to do the same. The years become nothing.

The hum between us is just like in the old days, when I was the center of his galaxy. When the girls in school would stare longingly at him when he walked past my locker, having eyes only for me. Sometimes, when the halls were vacant enough, he quickly leaned over me and kissed the back of my ear and every part of my body, from my toes up to the back of my ear. I’d grow hot, and the place between my legs would start pulsing.

Too easily I remember coming home and squealing.

Me—squealing.

I would play love songs, only to replay the words he said to me and the ways he touched me. I would shower, eat, and sleep Mackenna Jones. . . .

But deep down, my mother’s bitterness and my father’s infidelity poisoned me. I kept all these feelings to myself—kept them from my mother so she wouldn’t take Mackenna from me. But because I didn’t want to lose him, because I feared it wasn’t real, I also kept my feelings from him, and now I’m used to saying nothing. Keeping it bottled up.

Why do I feel like I’m about to burst now?

“Don’t, Kenna,” I say when he uses his thumb to open my lips. He stands dangerously close—his height, his breadth, his size, his do-me-now-woman sex appeal intimidating the hell out of me.

He grins wickedly and strokes a hand over my hip.

“Why not?”

“Because it’s not going to happen,” I say breathlessly.

“Yeah, it will.” His smirk says, It definitely will.

He pats my butt slowly, and the familiar way he brushes his lips over mine brings my temper to a boil. Who does he think he is? Does he think because we made out by mistake he gets to play my boyfriend? When I growl and slap his hand away, he chuckles and heads back to the bathroom.

Soon I hear the shower, the sound of the water slapping his delicious man-flesh. Then I hear him hum a tune, a tune I’ve never heard before. My chest moves when I remember he used to do that when we were teens. God, no, stop thinking of those moments. It hurts. Truly it does. Think of the bad ones. When he left. When he left me on my own after making me need him and believe I couldn’t live without him.

Refusing to get all sappy with memories, I grab my phone and think of Melanie.

She’s probably at the office, missing the delightfully bitter morning company that is me.

I quickly text, I kissed him

Every second I wait for her answer, I feel worse and worse, not only about the closet incident but also about falling asleep with him around. When I woke up, the bastard was almost spooning me.

Melanie: What?

Me: I kissed the bastard! He spent the night. Oh god!!!!! This is suicide!

Melanie: Why? Was he into it? You know what they say about where there was once fire . . .

Me: He was into the kissing, into using me for his selfish reasons and I was selfish too.

Melanie: So what’s the problem?

Me: The problem is he’s going to think he WON!

And he will. He really, really will, because he’s so full of himself I’m surprised he fits inside this building.

PRE-ORDER AVAILABLE

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1Bfzsis

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1yia714

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/11X9CAG

iTunes: http://bit.ly/1ynQ9FV

RELEASE DATE: December 9th

Blurb

A ripped rock star with attitude. An ex-girlfriend with a reckless plan.

Pandora assumed getting her heartbroken by her bad boy ex could only happen once--until Mackenna Jones comes back to town for the biggest concert of his career. They say girls are getting pregnant just thinking about the Crack Bikini tour and it's destined to be a huge hit.

Oh, it'll be a hit alright--when Pandora comes out swinging. She and her friend Melanie are determined to humiliate him onstage. But when they're caught by security and her ex is summoned, Mackenna decides not to press charges if she'll join him on tour and follow certain conditions--rules designed to give him the upper hand and keep her in close contact with him once again. Soon, the passion they once shared is reignited, and no matter how much Pandora wants to hate him, her hard exterior starts to crack.

And worse: Mackenna knows it, too. But he hasn't uncovered all her secrets...

Series Reading Order

Real (bk 1)

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1CHl6sS

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1w35g8N

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1zT7J31

iTunes: http://bit.ly/1tHrTct

Mine (bk 2)

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1I2nbzy

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1tHrdns

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1zmq1cT

iTunes: http://bit.ly/1yhymBF

Remy (bk 3)

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1vOn8T2

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1w35lcN

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1ynVnBv

iTunes: http://bit.ly/1vlqhom

Rogue (bk 4)

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1vOnjh8

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1FOFfJy

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1wvpqI6

iTunes: http://bit.ly/12xnylU

Ripped (bk 5) 12/9

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1Bfzsi

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1yia714

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/11X9CAG

iTunes: http://bit.ly/1ynQ9FV

About the Author:

Hey! I’m Katy Evans and I love family, books, life, and love. I’m married with two children and three dogs and spend my time baking, walking, writing, reading, and taking care of my family. Thank you for spending your time with me and picking up my story. I hope you had an amazing time with it, like I did. If you’d like to know more about books in progress, look me up on the Internet, I’d love to hear from you!

Website: www.katyevans.net

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKatyEvans

Twitter: https://twitter.com/authorkatyevans

Email: authorkatyevans@gmail.com

THANK YOU!

~Leftie

Friday, 5 December 2014

EXCERPT REVEAL: Ripped by Katy Evans

I'm excited for this!

So, definitely a pleasure to participate in this EXCERPT REVEAL. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Sneak Peek Excerpt

Rage bubbles up inside me full force.

“Now?” Melanie keeps asking me.

I. Loathe. Him.

“Now?” she asks again.

I loathe him. He’s the only boy I’ve ever kissed. He took kisses that meant everything to me and turned them into a joke of a fucking song. A song that turns me into some sort of Eve, torturing and teasing him to sin. He is the sin. He is the penitence, the hell, and the devil, all in one.

I reach into my bag, nicely tucked under my poncho, and grab the first thing I find.

“Now,” I whisper.

Before Mackenna knows what hit him, Melanie and I have sent three tomatoes and a couple of eggs flying through the air.

The orchestra music isn’t enough to drown out his muttered “fuck,” audible through the microphone.

His jaw clamps and he yanks the mic down over his chin as he jerks his eyes around to find the source of the attack. I feel delirious when I see the genuine anger on his face. I squeal, “The rest!” and grab the remaining things we brought and just keep throwing. Not only at him, but at anyone who tries to get in the way—like the stupid dancers who rush to protect him. One of them makes a whimpering noise as an egg hits her face, and Mackenna jerks her back by the arm so he can take the hits himself, his furious eyes trying to find us in the crowd.

Then I hear Melanie shout, “Hey! LET GO, asshole!”

My arms are yanked behind me, and I’m suddenly shoved and pulled out of my place and down the aisle.

“Let go of us!” Melanie cries, struggling as two burly guards drag us away. “If you don’t let go of me right now, my boyfriend’s going to find your home and kill you in your sleep!”

The guard yanks me back harder, and I catch my breath as pain rushes up my arm.

“Asshole,” I hiss, but I don’t even bother to struggle. Melanie’s getting nowhere and I know it.

“She knows them! She knows the band! Who do you think he was singing about just now, asshole?” Melanie kicks into the air. “She’s Pandora! Let us fucking go.”

“You know Mr. Jones?” one guard asks me.

“Mr. Jones!” I scoff. “Seriously! If Mackenna’s a mister, I’m a unicorn!”

They seem to chuckle among themselves as they lead us past more security, around the stage, and to a small room in the back. One guy starts speaking into a radio as he unlocks the door.

Melanie struggles and tries to kick out, but the enormity of what could happen starts settling on me, and I grow quiet.

Holy. Shit. What have I done?

“You don’t have to look so happy, dickface. My boyfriend will find your home too and kill you next!” she tells the other guard.

They yank a door open and shove us inside. I stumble as I take a step, fighting for some dignity as I wiggle free of his grip. “Let go,” I grit, and he finally releases me.

The radio transmitter on his hip emits a sound. A voice says something I can’t make out, but it sounds a lot like cursing.

“Remove these,” one of the guards commands, pointing at our ponchos.

I pry the plastic off my body and Melanie does the same, then we watch helplessly as they strip us of the bags we’d hidden underneath the ponchos.

Melanie groans when they set our things on a table to the side. Cell phones. Two more tomatoes. Car keys.

“Wow. You guys can’t take a little joke now, can you?” Melanie asks them with a haughty little scowl.

I close my eyes and try to quell the panic rising in me.

Fuuuuck. What was I thinking?

I haven’t done anything this reckless in years.

And it felt good.

Also wrong. Very, very wrong.

But good. Great, in fact.

Hell, I can still picture the pissed, disbelieving look on Mackenna’s face. It gave me intense pleasure. Orgasmic pleasure. But now the intense feeling I’m experiencing is more along the lines of paralyzing fear.

What if the guards call him into the room to ask if he does, indeed, know me?

What if I have to stand here in this small stuffy room and look at him from thisclose!

I feel sick to my stomach. Later, Melanie’s going to want explanations. Big-time explanations; more than what I’ve told her so far. She’s going to have to tell Greyson what happened, and he’s going to want to know everything, because these stupid security guards messed with his girl. I don’t even know if I can explain to her the kind of past Mackenna and I share. January 22: the day I unfailingly get drunk and don’t bother to even see the light of day—I’d sworn to myself I’d never discuss that day. But Melanie and Greyson? They will want me to open my box of secrets. Of me and Mackenna Jones.

Hot, wet mouths melding . . .

Him, pushing into me, stretching me, taking me, loving me . . .

Promises.

Lies.

Loss.

Hatred.

The kind of hatred that’s only born of an intense, out-of-this-world love that went woefully wrong.

What am I going to say to him if I see him?

What am I going to do?

Please god, don’t punish me by making me look at him thisclose.

I pace and pray, pace and pray while Melanie studies her nails, the wall, and me, sighing with the bored confidence of someone who knows she’s getting out of here intact. If I see Mackenna, I really doubt it'll be so easy. My stomach’s already in knots, and I’m having the most awful urge to vomit right now.

The concert seems to last forever. One of the guards comes and goes while the other opts to stand a few feet behind Melanie, standing all military-like, as if waiting for something.

Oh god, please let that something not be Mackenna.

I’m wearing off a layer of my boots’ soles when, a century later, the door swings open and a chubby man in a suit and tie steps in. My blood pools in my feet from my nervousness. Lionel Palmer, the band manager, also known as “Leo.” I saw his face and interview in this morning’s paper, but I have to say he looked much happier in that picture.

He glares at us—Melanie glaring back, me standing motionless—and his hands make meaty fists at his sides.

“Have you any idea what you just did?” he grits out, chubby cheeks blazing red. “How long we could keep you two cozy in a fucking lady prison? What kind of fucking fans are you?”

“We’re not fans,” Melanie says.

The door swings open and the twins, in all their male glory, join the melee. They look intimidating all the time, but now—with their blond hair, odd-color eyes, and perfectly pissed-off scowls—they’re a force to be reckoned with.

I can’t breathe.

“Who the fuck are these bitches?” the one with the snake tattoo demands.

“I’m getting to that, Jax,” Lionel says.

So the other one must be Lexington. He charges forward and looks at me, eyebrow piercing and all, then he looks at Melanie. He points his index finger, swinging it from her to me. “I hope you two have a lot of money, because one of our dancers is injured. If she’s screwed up for Madison Square Garden—”

“Don’t worry, Pandora, Greyson will take care of this,” Melanie says easily.

“Pandora,” Lionel repeats suddenly. He grows still, his eyes sliding back to me. “Your friend called you Pandora. Why?”

“Because it’s my name? Duh.”

I’m in the middle of rolling my eyes when the door swings open and a figure fills the space. I don’t think my heart is beating anymore. I feel like someone is strangling me and punching me on the inside.

Mackenna.

A few feet away.

In the same room as me.

Bigger and manlier than ever.

He kicks the door shut behind him. He’s wearing aviators, so I can’t see his eyes, and ohmigod, I hate him with a passion. I came here to hurt him, but I’m so overcome by my anger, I can’t seem to do anything but stand here with my breath getting trapped in my lungs, my heart squeezing in my chest, my body trembling as all my suppressed anger bubbles up inside me.

He is tall and dark, and the remains of a red gooey liquid trickle down his chest.

But what a perfect chest, with its thin trail of hair that leads the way from his navel to his dick. Tight leather pants mold to his bulging thighs. A bulging cock too. I swear girls might think he sticks a loaf of bread down his pants, but I can assure you that fucker is real. As huge as his fucking ego, and I remember it used to get as hard as his fucking head.

Not everyone can pull off a buzz cut, or a diamond stud earring, but he has a perfectly shaped head that makes you want to curl your hands around it and trace the curves with your lips. The diamond glints almost menacingly in his right ear, and when he takes off the sunglasses with an angry jerk, I see his brilliant, furious silver eyes, and I swear that it feels like coming home.

To a home that was wrecked, and burned, and there’s nothing left, but it’s still your home.

How fucked up is that?

God, please let him not be real. Let this be a nightmare. Let him be on the other corner of the world while I hate him safely from my corner in Seattle.

“She’s fucking Pandora?” Lionel asks Mackenna.

When Mackenna’s hard jaw only tightens, Lionel turns slowly around to study me. My brain is a tangle of confusion because Mackenna is staring straight at me like he can’t believe I’m standing here.

I can barely take his steely gaze. I thought this night would give me closure. That I could make him feel in front of his fans like I felt when he left: humiliated. Instead he stands there, every inch the rock god, even with tomato puree on his chest. He owns the room, carrying that unnamable X factor that nobody can pinpoint but that he has in spades, that tells you he owns this room and everyone in it.

And that fact only serves to piss me off further.

“Lionel,” he says in a low, warning tone.

Just one word makes Lionel ease back. Now nothing stops Mackenna from staring straight at me.

My face burns as I remember how I loved him. Deep, hard, completely.

Don’t think about that. You hate him now!

“Nice hair.” He shoves his glasses into the belt loops of his pants.

His voice, oh god.

His eyes run down the length of my hair, and Melanie offers, “I suggested she add a little spirit to her hair, so at least she looks happy.”

He doesn’t even look at Melanie. He looks at me in the most intense way, specifically the pink strand in my hair, waiting for me to answer. I loathe that pink strand, but not as much as I loathe him.

“Nice tights,” I return, and gesture to his leather pants. “How’d you get into them? From the top of a building and with a pound of butter?”

I refuse to let his chuckle move me, but I feel it run down my legs as he starts approaching. “No need to use butter anymore. These pants are a part of me.” He holds my gaze helplessly trapped. “Like you were a part of me once.”

He’s coming closer, and every step affects me. My cheeks burn. The gall of him to remind me. I’m so angry. Years of hurt simmer in me. Of loneliness and betrayal.

“Fuck you, Mackenna.”

“Already done, Pandora.”

http://youtu.be/cy7W_QO34y0

PRE-ORDER AVAILABLE

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1Bfzsis

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1yia714

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/11X9CAG

iTunes: http://bit.ly/1ynQ9FV

RELEASE DATE: December 9th

Blurb

A ripped rock star with attitude. An ex-girlfriend with a reckless plan.

And worse: Mackenna knows it, too. But he hasn't uncovered all her secrets...

Series Reading Order

Real (bk 1)

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1CHl6sS

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1w35g8N

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1zT7J31

iTunes: http://bit.ly/1tHrTct

Mine (bk 2)

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1I2nbzy

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1tHrdns

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1zmq1cT

iTunes: http://bit.ly/1yhymBF

Remy (bk 3)

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1vOn8T2

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1w35lcN

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1ynVnBv

iTunes: http://bit.ly/1vlqhom

Rogue (bk 4)

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1vOnjh8

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1FOFfJy

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1wvpqI6

iTunes: http://bit.ly/12xnylU

Ripped (bk 5) 12/9

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1Bfzsi

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1yia714

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/11X9CAG

iTunes: http://bit.ly/1ynQ9FV

About the Author:

Website: www.katyevans.net

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKatyEvans

Twitter: https://twitter.com/authorkatyevans

Email: authorkatyevans@gmail.com

THANK YOU!

~Leftie

Wednesday, 3 December 2014

COVER REVEAL: Overruled by Emma Chase

We have a cover, wheeee!!!

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. (Via Goodreads)

PURCHASE HERE:

Amazon ~ B&N ~ Kobo ~ iBook

FIND EMMA CHASE HERE:

Twitter ~ Web ~ Facebook

SUPER excited for this, no doubt!

~Leftie

Tuesday, 2 December 2014

Top 5 Book Boyfriends

To say that my guilty reads, aka romance novels, have dominated my TBR list lately is such a gross understatement. Now, now, no need for eye-rolling. Hah! Got me thinking then which of these heroes (H) in my guilty reads lately have left a mark in my brain enough to make me swoon at the mere thought of "him"....

1.) Gideon Cross (Crossfire series by Sylvia Day)
FSoG may have re-introduced me back to this genre but I say Gideon "(re-)popped my cherry" hehe I think Gideon represents the new breed of alpha H. Swooooon!!! *g*

2.) Jonathan Drazen (Songs of Submission series by C.D. Reiss)
Another billionaire alpha H like Gideon Cross with more money than god, knows how to get what/who he wants when he wants it/her, need I say more?

3.) Kane "Tack" Allen (Motorcycle Man by Kristen Ashley)
Tack, first of all, did it for me as far as becoming a KA fan. If you like motorcycle club (MC) romance, Tack cannot be any more perfect. Rough around the edges but oh so sweet!

4.) Jessie Ward (This Man series by Jodi Ellen Malpas)
He's by no means perfect, NOT at all! He's controlling, made stupid mistakes, will drive you crazy, BUT... that's all I'm gonna say... LOL

5.) Dominic Knight (All or Nothing series by CC Gibbs)
How can you go wrong with another OTT billionaire, am I right, or am I right?

This very well could be a Top 10, Top 20, heck Top 50 list (hey, I told you I've read quite "a few" *grins*) so to narrow it down to these 5 gentlemen?!? Just too darn difficult, I tell ya! But there you have it!

(Hmmm, only one non-bajillionaire? And he's from a standalone story at that? How can that be? Hmmm...)

So, who's on your list?

~Leftie

Wednesday, 26 November 2014

Black Friday Sale Alert, Entangled Publishing

First of all, Happy Thanksgiving to our neighbours south of our border!!!=)

(courtesy of novelescapism via Google images)

Some good sale stuff happening for romance readers out there, yay!

...just spreading the love, that's all... the love of reading...

Gobble, gobble!

~Leftie

Tuesday, 25 November 2014

Review: Perfect Chaos ((Unyielding Series, Book 1) by Nashoda Rose

RATING: 3.5 napkins

Georgie
I lie to survive.
Have since I was sixteen and my world fell into chaos. But I found a way to endure, or rather it found me. Now I’m a prisoner of my own doing, hiding behind a false mask so no one sees the truth. Not even the man I want but can’t have—Deck. But I messed up and the lies are spilling over, out of control.
Deck is unrelenting and will settle for nothing less than the truth. He demands everything from me—EVERYTHING—even if it rips me apart.
DECK
I kill for a living.
Unyielding—It’s how I survive in my line of work. I bend people to my will…except Georgie.But that ends now.I've played her game for far too long. Now I think it's time we play mine.

Via

**Complimentary ARC received from author via Netgalley**

(Originally posted on Goodreads)

First Nashoda Rose read for me, and won't be the last... Quite glad I got the chance to read this. I've read reviews, I read the blurb, I was intrigued, I requested an ARC thru Netgalley, and fortunately was approved. And ever after reading the blurb, I still wasn't quite sure what to expect.

Reading this felt like reading a KA book and watching a Nicholas Spark movie at the same time (2 of my guilty pleasures if I may add), peppered with some other NA books I've read and with some twist, if that makes sense at all.

So we have a story of a broken h and a H who's been protecting her while fighting off his attraction to her bec of a promise. And while this is happening, you find that there are more to the h than meets the eye, that there are bigger forces at play as to why events have occurred or keep occurring.

And I really did like it but itty-bitty things felt off.

What worked:
For starter, I thought the sexual tension b/w these 2 was thru the roof; then came the heat after, of course.*g* 2nd, for a change, the dirty talk is not just coming from the H but the h as well, so I thought that was diff (some readers might find that off-putting, but I didn't, for whatever reason). 3rd, the H was a decent alpha. 4th, love how the story really opened up the more I read, esp the last 15% or so. 5th, the secondary characters are just as defined as the MCs. 6th, the interaction did not feel forced. And 7th, it's in a Canadian setting (yay, TO), albeit it was done very peripherally.

What felt off: (granted this is all personal taste)
The pace felt quite slow in the beginning. Although I realized everything was being put in context, it felt like it dragged for a few moments there. Also, not sure why, I expected something darker. Maybe others will find it dark and I've just read darker, that's all. The h did get to me with some of her angst, esp in the beginning, but I did get it in the end. And I admit, the writing in some parts came across as too flowery for me.

Like I said, very subjective concerns...

I'm def looking forward to the rest of the series, and can't wait to get a chance to read the Tear Asunder series as well.

~Leftie

Tuesday, 18 November 2014

BLOG TOUR: Body (Trinity Series, Book 1) by Audrey Carlan

RATING: 3.5 napkins

Hi, Leftie here! May I just say this is quite exciting for me as this is a first for me, signing up for a blog tour? How fun!

Title: Body (Trinity Trilogy, Book 1)
Author:   Audrey Carlan
Genre:   Erotic Romance
Release Date:   November 17, 2014
Hosted By:   DRC Promotions

SYNOPSIS

Men ruin women.
Especially men like Chase Davis. Good looking, intelligent, rich and powerful. I never stood a chance.

I didn’t want to want him.
I didn’t want to need him.
I didn’t want to fall for him.

He wouldn’t take no for an answer, and I let him consume me. Arrogant, confident, controlling, demanding … intense.

When he entered my life, I was finally healing after having barely survived the men of my past. My soul sisters told me to take a chance. To let someone in. I let him in, and he surrounded me with a light so bright I was blinded by the truth...

Men don’t ruin women.
They devour them in every way that counts.

Warning: This book is designed for audiences 18+ due to language, graphic sexual content, and themes that some may find disturbing. BODY is book 1 of a three-part trilogy. Book 1 has a “Happy for Now” type ending.

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REVIEW

Before anything else, I WANT BOOK 2 NOW, PLEASE!!!!

Now that’s out of the way…

I just want to say what I've come to realize as I was reading this. Sylvia Day’s Gideon has New York, CD Reiss’ Jonathan has Southern CA, EL James’ Christian has Pacific Northwest, CC Gibbs’ Dominic has Europe, Jodi Ellen Malpas’ Jesse has England, but now we also have Audrey Carlan’s Chase who has Northern CA. Just saying… These bajillionaires, I tell ya…

This book, in some ways, reminds me of FSoG. Some people may see that as good and some may not. Regardless, I say pls read it. Because if you like FSoG, I think you’ll like this just as much. And if you didn’t like FSoG, I think you’ll like this at least. For me, it’s like FSoG without the BDSM-lite but with more depth and substance, writing- and story-wise.

We have Gillian recovering from an ugly past and Chase with just as ugly a past. They meet, have this fiery attraction, and you see this play of control between the 2 with each of them motivated by opposing factors.

I thought Ms. Carlan did a good job portraying the mind of someone with Gillian’s past. For all of Gillian’s actions that typically would make her sound TSTL, whether I agree or not, I understood, at least, or saw where she’s coming from, and as frustrated it made me, I couldn’t really blame her for acting or feeling a certain way. Whether we acknowledge it or not, that can be the mind of such person, sadly. As the saying goes, walk a mile…

And Chase… Chase deserves the hero role, every bit of him... *sigh*… Thanks to Ms. Carlan, I got Chase who's imperfectly perfect. In Ms. Carlan's words, Gillian's own "Superman" and "Knight in Shining Armani". Need I say more?

I have to add as well that the friends' angle was a nice touch. Their dynamics highlight what it truly means when one is fortunate enough to be surrounded by real friends, which I hope all women are.

Towards the end, an ugly thing/person started rearing in from Gillian’s past and that’s where we’re left at the end of this book. I think I’m meant to think of this one antagonist as the most logical choice but I’m hoping to be surprised still.

I say this was more than an enjoyable read. Some parts were way too sugary for me but that’s a personal taste.

Like I said, I WANT BOOK 2 NOW, PLEASE!!!!!

Ten Fun Facts About Body(Trinity Trilogy - Book 1)

by Audrey Carlan

1. Gillian (Gigi) is the name that my husband and I would have named a child had we ever had a little girl. Alas, I am surrounded by men but loving it!

2. The three soul sisters are loosely based on my very own three best friends. They enjoy seeing what I put their character through. For example, Maria’s character is very different from my best friend Dyani, but they do have core similarities. My girl is fiercely protective, was an incredible contemporary dancer, is Italian and does speak Spanish, even though it’s not her heritage. She however, does not have a potty mouth and was not a victim of domestic violence like her character.

3. The three men aside from main character Chase Davis are loosely based on my soul sisters husbands.

4. My mother was a victim of domestic violence and writing this novel was something very cathartic for me, and I hope it gave the issue a bit more light. Young women, just out of high school can easily fall victim to domestic violence and being so young and impressionable are, in my opinion, often easier to manipulate into believing it’s there fault or they deserved the treatment they received.

5. San Francisco is very near and dear to me as it is less than a two hour drive from my home. Plus, I’ve personally not read a trilogy set in San Francisco.

6. The trinity symbol is extremely prevalent in my life and always has been. My soul sisters and I plan to get a tattoo with it, however, one sister is dragging her feet. The compromise is, if this trilogy makes it onto the New York Times bestselling list one day, she’ll get the tattoo. <crossing fingers> Not sure what I want more, the tattoo or the list! Both would be incredible.

7. Fun fact about this novel is it’s actually the first book I ever wrote but the fourth being published. This novel in particular holds more of my life and heart than anything I’ve written to date. During the developmental edit process I just had a really hard time separating myself from the book and couldn’t be objective. I took the advice of my mentor author Jess Dee and set it aside…for a YEAR! Then after I wrote the Falling Series (3 full length novels) I then was capable of going back to it. I think it’s a better book because of it.

8. I’m a pantser. The extent of my plotting is a one liner for each chapter but not usually until I’m halfway through writing it. Body was entirely written with very little plotting. I just let the muse go crazy and this is what happened!

9. The main character Chase has family members that names all start with a “C.” Chase, Carson, Cooper, Craig, Colleen, Chloe, Charles.

10. Heat level in this book runs at about an 8 out of 10. I like to write erotic sex scenes that make you feel something. I think you’ll find them so hot you’ll need your mate at the ready. <wink>

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Audrey Carlan is a professional fundraiser for an international healthcare related charity by day, and a sensual and erotic contemporary romance writer by night. She lives in the sunny California Valley two hours away from the city, the beach, the mountains and the precious…the vineyards. She has been married to the love of her life for 10 years and has two young children that live up to their title of “Monster Madness” on daily basis. When she’s not raising money, sipping wine with her “soul sisters”, three incredibly different and unique voices in her life, she can be found with her nose stuck in book or her Kindle. A hot, smutty, romantic book to be exact!

In life she believes that all things have their purpose even if we are unable to determine the purpose immediately.