Saturday, 17 December 2016

REVIEW: Upending Tad Bundle (Volume 1,2,3) by Kora Knight

With Revived, the 2nd book in the Unearthed Duology, the continuation of Max and Sean's story, coming out soon, it occurred to me that I didn't post my GR reviews of the Upending Tad series in here, the series that spawned the Unearthed one. So just rectifying that...

AMAZON

Blurb

Volumes One, Two and Three of the Up-Ending Tad series:
Loser Takes All
Test of Endurance
Sideline Submission

Warning: Contains gloriously explicit gay sex.
Intended for mature audiences only.

Review

(All reviews originally posted on Goodreads)

Volume 1: Loser Takes All

RATING:

Not really an m/m romance gal but I gave this a try because when a Goodreads friend says it’s good, it’s gotta be good:D This is only the 2nd m/m story I’ve read. The 1st one was more of a novelty for me, just so I can say I’ve read one O.o But I think that was also meant for non m/m readers like me, ie, meant to break one in gently into the m/m rom world. Now this, when I say it pushed my limits, it quite pushed my limits. Hello, BDSM too! But I also have to say that this is all kinds of holy hotness, ooof!

Now is there is a story? I didn’t think there is one per se but I guess there will be if one continues with the series. Yes, yes, it all started with the bet, and of course, not a word wasted in getting into the smexy times immediately, all in a span of hours at that. Then it just kinda’ stops. There is the inner struggle that Tad, in particular, was going thru as the event unfolds, and to me, it felt real. And a little uncomfortable, if that makes sense. Now, Scott, I’m curious to find out where he’s coming from…

Volume 2: Test of Endurance

RATING:

Like that song said, "It's getting hot in here..." LOL

Seriously, if all m/m romance are like this one, then heck, I'll take em all! Ok, maybe not. While I'm still not fully into this genre, let's just say if it's Kora Knight, then I'll take em all! There! *grins*

Tad and Scott's story continues, or should I say more like the study of Tad's character continues. It's all about Tad not understanding what's happened in Loser Takes All yet not being able to help himself to see that something else is happening. It's endearing and I did feel empathy for him as he tries to make sense of things. Poor Tad, such confusing times! I can't even get annoyed at his conflicting thoughts as I can feel it's a huge deal for him. Notwithstanding the smexy time, if I may so myself...*g*

I've started the 3rd book, Sideline Submission, as I'm writing this because how can I not, with a non-ending ending like that (and that's a beef I had, if any, Kora, sorry), just like how the first one ended (or non-ended) too. And Scott, I still wish to get to know him more. I'm getting him, but not getting him fully at the same time. But hey, this is Tad's "story" after all...

Volume 3: Sideline Submission

RATING:

HOLY H-E-double-hockey-sticks!!

And I mean that in the hottest way! And umm, in a confused way too...

It was definitely nice to see Tad starting to at least acknowledge this thing that's happening between him and Scott beyond the bedroom... well, so to speak, seeing that they actually haven't done it in an actual bed, let alone a bedroom. Hah!

I thought it was nice to see them interacting without all the awkwardness from Tad, feeling their connection outside the "act" itself. But then it veered into BDSM land courtesy of Scott's roommate, and we're not talking vanilla-ized BDSM. I admit it was a tad uncomfortable and definitely pushed my limits (even past how this genre is pushing it). Having said that, I thought it was interesting to see how that was used as a vehicle to move their relationship (half?) a step forward.

I keep searching for a deeper layer to Scott but I'm seeing only what Tad sees, and I realize that's ok. It did feel like I saw more of him here, for sure. And Tad, in similar fashion as in the previous books, drives away again at the non-end. Only this time, it feels hopeful and not as confused...

Now I just have to wait for the next book...

Stay tuned for the rest.

Thanks for dropping by!

~Leftie

Friday, 16 December 2016

COVER REVEAL: Revived by Kora Knight

Revived

The Dungeon Black Duology (Book 2)

Preorder On Amazon

Coming 12/30/2016

Title: Revived

Series: The Dungeon Black Duology (Book 2)

Author: Kora Knight

Release: December 30th

Cover Artist: Jay Aheer

If you missed it

Grab Unearthed on Amazon

And don't miss the series that introduced Max and Sean:

Upending Tad Bundle (Volumes 1,2,3) on Amazon

Upending Tad Bundle (Volumes 4,5,6) on Amazon

The Author

Stalk Kora Here:

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS http://www.koraknight.com/ https://www.facebook.com/authorkoraknight/ https://twitter.com/KoraKnight_Auth https://www.instagram.com/koraknight/ https://www.pinterest.com/valgirld/kora-knight/ https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8529860.Kora_Knight https://www.amazon.com/Kora-Knight/e/B00OBYLP8W/ https://plus.google.com/u/0/117558623135317111788

Thanks for dropping by!

~Leftie

Thursday, 15 December 2016

COVER REVEAL: Separation Games by CD Reiss

Separation Games (The Games Duet #2)

CD Reiss

Publication Date: January 3, 2017

Genre: Contemporary Romance/Erotic Romance

"CD Reiss writes the best erotica I have ever read." ~ Meredith Wild, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Hacker Series

Synopsis:

The stunning conclusion to the New York Times Bestseller.

There’s one, unbreakable rule in the game.

Stay collected. Compartmentalize. Think your next move through. Never let your heart dictate your tactics.

The heart is impulsive.

The heart makes bad decisions.

The heart doesn’t see the long game.

Because the heart may have decided to get Adam back, but when the endgame comes, the heart’s going to be the first thing to break.

Preorder Today!

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2gJleSl Amazon UK: https://goo.gl/vdckZE Nook: http://bit.ly/2h0oV3L iBooks: https://goo.gl/T4O9L0

Kobo: https://goo.gl/WNtLb7 Google Play: https://goo.gl/7QK35V

Begin the Duet with Marriage Games

Available now!

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2ellZAo iBooks: http://apple.co/2dW9o4l Nook: http://bit.ly/2dII5ga Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2dA3E3u Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/2dwsbVP Audible: http://amzn.to/2dwrtrz

Add to Goodreads

http://bit.ly/2huFeab

About the Author

CD Reiss is a New York Times bestseller. She still has to chop wood and carry water, which was buried in the fine print. Her lawyer is working it out with God but in the meantime, if you call and she doesn't pick up she's at the well hauling buckets. Born in New York City, she moved to Hollywood, California to get her master's degree in screenwriting from USC. In case you want to know, that went nowhere but it did give her a big enough ego to write novels. She's frequently referred to as the Shakespeare of Smut which is flattering but hasn't ever gotten her out of chopping that cord of wood. If you meet her in person, you should call her Christine.

FOLLOW CHRISTINE Amazon: http://amzn.to/1IW7TQU

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CDReiss.writer/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/cdreisswriter

Instagram: https://instagram.com/cdreiss/

Website: www.cdreiss.com

Newsletter: https://cdreiss.com/cd-reiss-mailing-list-signup/

Wednesday, 14 December 2016

REVIEW: Scarlet Stone by Jewel E Ann

Title: Scarlet Stone

Author: Jewel E Ann

Genre: A romantic suspense standalone

Release Date: December 10^th, 2016

Synopsis

“My name is Scarlet Stone, and my biggest fear is that someday I will find what I want most in life, and it will be impossible to steal.” What happens when life just stops? When one moment makes you question your entire existence? Scarlet Stone is a third-generation thief who has everything: a doting fiancé, a spacious London flat, and a legitimate job offer. In a single breath, everything becomes nothing, and she finds herself on a plane to Savannah, Georgia in search of the meaning of life. After securing a six-month lease for a beachfront house on Tybee Island, Scarlet changes the way she looks, thinks, eats—basically her entire outlook on life. She needs peace, but what she gets is a housemate who looks like Thor, acts like a warden, and smells her proximity like a Bloodhound. Theodore Reed is a carpenter and perfectionist with a body built of steel, a black, hollow heart, and a hunger for revenge. He doesn’t like company, girly-smelling crap, and British accents. He resents every breath she takes. She’s fascinated by his every move. In time, they discover their coexistence is toxic, their physical attraction is electric, the secrets they keep mean the difference between life and death, and the only truth they share is that everything is a lie. “Over eighty-five percent of the world's population believes in a higher power, yet, very few people believe in miracles.” Do you believe?

Add to Goodreads

GoodReads

Purchase links

Special preorder pricing of 2.99 - regular 4.99

Amazon / iBooks / Nook

REVIEW

RATING:

There’re a few things I learned right from my first Jewel read. First, her blurb always has the right hook; at least, for me. Second, her blurb only touches the surface of the story, in a good way. Third, expect the unexpected with her characters….

In Scarlet Stone, I got all of the above, as usual. And with what this book took on, what I got is one exquisite read… At this point, I cannot be any more in love with this book… SIGH…I just know my review will not do this book or how I feel about this justice. It's taken me a long time to begin with writing this, just because... SIGH...

From the first few lines, I knew I was gonna be in for one distinctive ride. Immediately, I wanted to know Scarlet’s story. Scarlet moved far away from home to… hmmm… to escape? To search? To discover? To learn? And as soon as she got there, she meets these interesting people and most interesting of all is Theo. Immediately, there's this caustic energy between them that manifested in the most electric way.

As the story opens up, you learn Scarlet's true purpose. Theo was the unexpected "monkey wrench" in Scarlet's plan...

This is really best read by just diving in. I feel like if I keep talking about the story itself, I'd give it all away bec I won't be able to help myself and I'll just keep going. So I'll just say this. All along, what I really can't shake off is how this story moved me. From Scarlet's journey to Theo's pain to this bond that formed between them. Practically every other line causes pause for contemplation.

Scarlet will definitely go down in my reading history as a top fave h. Everything about her quietly screams strength. It's the kind of strength I know I would aspire to possess should I find myself in any tough situation. Her pragmatic approach is spiritual on its own, if that makes sense. And more so, as typical with Jewel's h, she's quirky and hilarious, appropriately non-apologetic. As far as I'm concerned, she alone gets all the stars I can give.

Theo was easy and difficult to love all at once, the kind of H you want to hug and punch at the same time, then hug again. It's frustrating and endearing how much he fought Scarlet off. Despite his gruffness, you get a sense of a man who feels quite a lot. I think Scarlet made him shine and in doing so, I fell just as hard for this broken man.

The story took turns that I didn't expect. At first, I thought it was going to distract me from Scarlet and Theo's story, but eventually, I understood. It's a story about love, no matter what the future holds. By the end of the journey, there was the love a parent has for a child, the love a child has for a parent(s), there was the love that's true but not meant to be, and then there was the love that was meant to be regardless of anything and the love that you know can and will transcend time.

I want to say that this is unlike any of Jewel's books, but then again, every one of her books is really unlike the one before... I truly feel Jewel's books are like hidden gems that really shouldn't stay hidden. That's just not right. So if it's still not clear at this point, I highly recommend this.

About the Author

Jewel E. Ann

Adult Contemporary Romance Author

Jewel is a free-spirited romance junkie with a quirky sense of humor. With 10 years of flossing lectures under belt, she took early retirement from her dental hygiene career to stay home with her three awesome boys and manage the family business. After her best friend of nearly 30 years suggested a few books from the contemporary Romance genre, Jewel was hooked. Devouring two and three books a week but still craving more, she decided to practice sustainable reading, AKA writing. When she’s not donning her cape and saving the planet one tree a a time, she enjoys yoga with friends, good food with family, rock climbing with her kids, watching How I Met Your Mother reruns, and of course . . .heart-wrenching, tear-jerking, panty-scorching novels.

Social Media and Contact Info

Keep up with Jewel & Sign up for her Newsletter

All newsletter subscribers get a free book on sign up!

Thanks for dropping by!

~Leftie

RELEASE BLITZ: Love in Rewind: The Complete Series by Tali Alexander

You’ve been warned—once you start reading you won’t be able to stop...so clear your life and REWIND.

LOVE IN REWIND: The Complete Series by Tali Alexander is NOW ONLY $0.99 and FREE on Kindle Unlimited!

(limited time only)

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2gybXct

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2gyfl74

Blurb

In Tali Alexander's best-selling trilogy, the lives of six individuals become entangled in betrayal and deceit as the truth about their pasts threaten their futures.

As secrets come tumbling forth,

Lives suffer and hearts break

Leaving nothing,

But FOOLS

To drown in the wake.

Enjoy this thrilling, suspenseful, and romantic ride through the decades and across two continents as Alexander pulls you into a world of passion, desire, betrayal, and redemption. Get ready to fast forward your way through Love in Rewind, Lies in Rewind, and Lost in Rewind.

Only the past will tell you what the future holds...

Meet Tali

Tali Alexander is a Jill-of-all-trades—married mother of three, doctor of pharmacy by day and romance novelist by night. Tali has fulfilled her passion of writing with her debut romance novel LOVE IN REWIND (first book in the Audio Fools trilogy). Since its debut, fans have embraced the unconventional love story of Emily and Louis Bruel making LOVE IN REWIND #1 on Amazon Kindle charts (September 2014). With an increasing demand from her fan base for the next installment, Tali has recently released the next story in the Audio Fools trilogy…LIES IN REWIND, out now!!!

Stalk Tali at: Website / Twitter / Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram | Pinterest

THANK YOU!

Thanks for dropping by!

~Leftie

Saturday, 10 December 2016

RELEASE BLITZ: Scarlet Stone by Jewel E Ann

Amazon / iBooks / Nook

Title: Scarlet Stone

Author: Jewel E Ann

Genre: A romantic suspense standalone

Release Date: December 10^th, 2016

Synopsis

“My name is Scarlet Stone, and my biggest fear is that someday I will find what I want most in life, and it will be impossible to steal.”
What happens when life just stops? When one moment makes you question your entire existence? Scarlet Stone is a third-generation thief who has everything: a doting fiancé, a spacious London flat, and a legitimate job offer. In a single breath, everything becomes nothing, and she finds herself on a plane to Savannah, Georgia in search of the meaning of life.
After securing a six-month lease for a beachfront house on Tybee Island, Scarlet changes the way she looks, thinks, eats—basically her entire outlook on life. She needs peace, but what she gets is a housemate who looks like Thor, acts like a warden, and smells her proximity like a Bloodhound. Theodore Reed is a carpenter and perfectionist with a body built of steel, a black, hollow heart, and a hunger for revenge. He doesn’t like company, girly-smelling crap, and British accents.
He resents every breath she takes.
She’s fascinated by his every move.
In time, they discover their coexistence is toxic, their physical attraction is electric, the secrets they keep mean the difference between life and death, and the only truth they share is that everything is a lie. “Over eighty-five percent of the world's population believes in a higher power, yet, very few people believe in miracles.”
Do you believe?

Add to Goodreads

GoodReads

Purchase links

Special preorder pricing of 2.99 - regular 4.99

Amazon / iBooks / Nook

About the Author

Jewel E. Ann

Adult Contemporary Romance Author

Social Media and Contact Info

Keep up with Jewel & Sign up for her Newsletter

All newsletter subscribers get a free book on sign up!

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My review up soon! Thanks for dropping by!

~ Leftie

Friday, 9 December 2016

EXCERPT REVEAL: A Veil of Vines by Tillie Cole

To most people, princes, princesses, counts and dukes are found only in the pages of the most famous of fairytales. Crowns, priceless jewels and gilded thrones belong only in childhood dreams.

But for some, these frivolous fancies are truth.
For some, they are real life.
On Manhattan’s Upper East Side, people have always treated me as someone special. All because of my ancestral name and legacy. All because of a connection I share to our home country’s most important family of all.
I am Caresa Acardi, the Duchessa di Parma. A blue blood of Italy. I was born to marry well. And now the marriage date is set.
I am to marry into House Savona. The family that would have been the royals had Italy not abolished the monarchy in 1946. But to the aristocrats of my home, the abolition means nothing at all.
The Savonas still hold power where it counts most.
In our tight-knit world of money, status and masked balls, they are everything and more.
And I am soon to become one of them.
I am soon to become Prince Zeno Savona’s wife…
… or at least I was, until I met Achille.
And everything changed.

Caresa

I closed my eyes as the music pounded through my body. The air was sticky from the mass of bodies on the dance floor. My body swayed to the beat, my feet ached from the five-inch Louboutin heels I was wearing, and my skin was flushed from the copious amounts of 1990 Dom Pérignon I had consumed.
“Caresa!” My name split through the harsh sound of drums and synthesized piano notes. I rolled my eyes open and looked across our cornered-off section of the club at my best friend.
Marietta was sitting on an oversized plush couch, waving a new bottle of champagne in my direction. Laughing, I followed my throbbing feet to where she sat and slumped down beside her. In seconds, a champagne flute was in my hand and the bubbly was flowing once more.
Marietta sat forward, swishing her long blond hair over her shoulder. She raised her glass as though she was going to make a toast. But instead, her bottom lip jutted out into a pathetic pout.
I tipped my head to one side, silently asking her what was wrong.
“I was going to make a toast to the Duchessa di Parma, my very best friend,” she shouted over a new but similar-to-the-last song. “To my best friend leaving me here in dull old New York to go marry a real-life godforsaken prince in Italy.” Marietta sighed and her shoulders slumped. “But I don’t want to. Because that would mean this night is almost over, and tomorrow I lose my partner-in-crime.” A sudden sadness bloomed in my chest at her words. Then, when her eyes filled with tears, those words became a punch in the gut.
Placing my glass on the table before us, I moved forward and put my hand on her arm. “Marietta, don’t get upset.”
She put down her own drink and grabbed my hand. “I just don’t want to lose you.”
My stomach rolled. “I know,” I said. Then I didn’t say anything else, but I could see Marietta register my unspoken words. I don’t want to go either.
Keeping my hand in hers, I slumped back against the couch and let my eyes drift over the busy dance floor below. I watched the throng of Upper East Siders losing themselves in the music. A pang of fear swept through me.
This really would be my last night in New York. In the morning, I would fly to Italy, where I would live from that day on.
Marietta shuffled closer to me and cast me a watery smile. “How are you doing?” she asked as she squeezed my hand.
“I’m okay. Just nervous, I guess.”
Marietta nodded her head. “And your papa?”
I sighed. “Ecstatic. Overjoyed that his precious daughter will be marrying the prince he chose for me as a child.” I felt a pang of guilt for speaking about him so negatively. “That was uncalled for,” I said. “You know as well as I do, Baroness von Todesco” —Marietta scowled playfully at my use of her title— “that we don’t really get a choice in whom we marry.” I leaned forward and picked up my champagne. I took a long swig, enjoying the feel of the bubbles traveling down my throat. I handed Marietta her glass and raised mine in the air. “To arranged marriages and duty over love!”
Marietta laughed and clinked her glass with mine. “But seriously,” Marietta said, “are you okay? Truly okay?”
I shrugged. “I honestly don’t know how to answer that, Etta. Am I okay with the arranged marriage? I suppose so. Am I okay with moving to Italy permanently? Not really. I love Italy—it’s my home, I was born there—but it’s not New York. Everyone I know is here in America.” Marietta’s eyes softened with sympathy. “And am I okay with marrying Zeno Savona? The infamous Playboy Prince of Toscana?” I took a deep breath. “I have no idea. I guess that will become apparent in the next three months.”
“In your ‘courting period,’” Marietta said using air quotes, and snorted with laughter. “What a joke. What twenty-three-year-old woman and twenty-six-year-old man need a courting period?”
I laughed at her sassy tone, but then soberly replied, “Ones who don’t know each other at all? Ones who have to see if they can stand each other’s company before sealing their marital fates forever?”
Marietta shuffled closer. “You know as well as I do that you could hate this so-called prince, detest everything he is—and he you—and I’d still be your maid of honor at your wedding on New Year’s Eve.” She sputtered a laugh. “The very fact that the date has been set says it all. This marriage is happening.” Marietta held up her glass, got to her feet and, with arms spread wide, shouted, “Welcome to the life of the European blue bloods of the Upper East Side! Drowning in Prada and Gucci, dripping in diamonds, but having no free will to call our own!”
I laughed, pulling her back down. She broke into hysterics as her ass hit the couch, spilling champagne all over the expensive upholstery. But our laughter waned as the house lights came on one by one. The last of the dance music drifted into silence, and the rich patrons of Manhattan’s most exclusive nightclub began making their way to their limos and town cars. It was three o’clock in the morning, and I had six hours left in the city I loved beyond measure.

Tillie Cole hails from a small town in the North-East of England. She grew up on a farm with her English mother, Scottish father and older sister and a multitude of rescue animals. As soon as she could, Tillie left her rural roots for the bright lights of the big city.

After graduating from Newcastle University with a BA Hons in Religious Studies, Tillie followed her Professional Rugby player husband around the world for a decade, becoming a teacher in between and thoroughly enjoyed teaching High School students Social Studies before putting pen to paper, and finishing her first novel.

Tillie has now settled in Austin, Texas, where she is finally able to sit down and write, throwing herself into fantasy worlds and the fabulous minds of her characters.

Tillie is both an independent and traditionally published author, and writes many genres including: Contemporary Romance, Dark Romance, Young Adult and New Adult novels.

When she is not writing, Tillie enjoys nothing more than curling up on her couch watching movies, drinking far too much coffee, while convincing herself that she really doesn’t need that extra square of chocolate.