Tuesday 28 March 2017

Release Day Blitz: Excerpt + Review: Stripped Bare by Heidi McLaughlin



Author: Heidi McLaughlin
Title: Stripped Bare
Release Date: March 28th 2017
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Number of Pages: eBook
Publisher: Love Swept


 










What readers are saying about STRIPPED BARE:

Stripped Bare is one of those stories that you know is going to be great from the first page. It's funny, extremely sexy, emotional and heartbreaking which all combine for a sensational second-chance romance read.

This is a modern day Pretty Woman but so much better! Richard Gere has nothing on Finn McCormick!!

Oh wow. I have been in love with McLaughlin's writing since the start but this one could very much be my favorite book now by her.




 



They don’t call it the Strip for nothing. . . .

In this sinfully sexy Las Vegas romance from bestselling author Heidi McLaughlin, a man who has it all reunites with a woman who takes it all off.

Living in Sin City, Finn McCormick is no stranger to one-night stands, but the last person he expects to find losing big on the casino floor is a former high school fling. Even though Macey Webster’s clearly down on her luck, she’s still a knockout, and she’s dressed like a stripper—because she is one. Drunk off an unfamiliar cocktail of lust, pity,
and compassion, Finn offers to pay Macey’s debts if she cuddles up to him around town . . . and does whatever he wants between the sheets.
 

Macey came to Vegas for one reason only: money. She’s got a young daughter to support, and the tips really are bigger in Vegas. But when she blows her earnings on blackjack, her guardian angel is the rich boy who once stole her heart and never called her back. Although Macey would love to turn the tables on Finn, she can’t afford to refuse his proposition—and soon she’s enjoying herself much more than she cares to admit. Macey’s used to baring her flesh, but baring her soul will take far more courage.

 




Stripped Bare
Text Copyright © 2017 Heidi McLaughlin
All Rights Reserved

Chapter 1
Macey
The stench of deep fry emanates from my clothes. I hate the smell and I know the other girls can smell it, but I ignore the looks they’re giving me and hustle through the dressing room to my locker. The older women and the ones that have been stripping here longer always look down on the younger girls and the newbies. I’m somewhere in the middle. I stripped here when I was younger, during my first trimester with my daughter, and then again after she was born when I had my figure back. Actually, stripping helped me tone as a result of all the pole work that I had to do. I took some time off after that, but I always come back because the money is fast and somewhat decent. Each time I leave, though, I say that it’s for good and that was the last time and yet a few months later, I always find myself back again, knocking on Lew’s door, and asking for my spot in the rotation back. Girls come and go around here and in this business you can’t expect to make a lasting connection with anyone.

I strip down and throw my dress, apron and nylons into my bag as quickly as possible before the stench of grease becomes any more noticeable. I change into a thong and bootie shorts, add tassels to my nipples and cover them with a bra before slipping a tank top over my head and stepping into an old pair of cowboy boots that I picked up

at the secondhand store. I have an array of costumes meant to hit the mark on every fantasy a man can have. Cowboys, librarian, naughty schoolgirl . . . you name it I’m doing it. I need the money. More so now than ever. My kid is getting older and she’s seeing things she shouldn’t, like her grandmother being so drunk that she can’t get up to answer the door, or strange men in the house. She’s ten and shouldn’t have to babysit an adult. Nor should she

have to live in the slums, but that’s on me.

Seventeen and pregnant isn’t how I saw my life. I had had enough of living with barely any food, no new clothes and the strange looks, so I swore that I was getting out. I was smart, got good grades in high school, but none of that mattered once I found out I was knocked up and the baby daddy had already left town. I tried to tell his mother, but she took one look at me and shut the door. Back then I didn’t, but I do now. I’d take that money and run right across the tracks, under the bridge and through the fucking blueberry bushes if it meant my kid wasn’t going to be a victim of a drug deal gone wrong or end up with a drinking problem by the time she’s a teen.

Morgan though, she’s a good kid who loves to read and is a whiz at math. She’s all I have in this world and I’ll do anything I have to, to make sure she has food and clothes.

So I strip at night and wait tables during the day. Depending on the day or night, one pays better than the other, but they’re jobs that I need. I have a goal. I want to move Morgan and I into a better neighborhood. One where kids want to play and not sell drugs. I want her to live in a place where she feels safe and doesn’t need to hide in the closet of our bedroom because my mother invited one of her friends over.

My dreams for Morgan are unreachable, I know this, but I try every day to make them happen. I want such a different life for her that sometimes when I look out the window of the city bus I’m on and I see other kids her age walking along the street without a care in the world, I imagine her being one of those kids. If only . . .

Stripped Bare is a work of fiction. Names, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

 


Review

From the very first page, this book had a 'Pretty Woman' feel to it, and because that is one of my fave movies, I couldn't wait to see where this Cinderella story would lead.

I enjoyed getting to know Macey. She was a sweet, heard-working woman who would do just about anything for her daughter; stripping was a means to an end, agreeing to Finn's proposition was a way to get there faster. It was obvious that Macey didn't enjoy what she did for a living, the thought of taking it a step further was even more unappealing, but Macey's fairy godmother was looking out for her and gave her the opportunity in the form of Finn. He may be a player with commitment issues, but he was the boy who first stole her heart, which kinda made it okay.

I'm still on the fence about Finn. He is definitely all alpha male with plenty of charm and cockiness, and at times that rubbed me the wrong way. He seemed to think that sex was the answer for everything and it felt like he was using Macey, even after their week together was done. I looked for every redeeming quality I could find so that I could overlook the things that I disliked about him, and thankfully I found them during the "Morgan revelation". Perhaps Sin City had hardened him; made him cold and calculating, but there was warmth below the surface and it just needed to be unearthed.

This story was a fairytale romance filled with sensuality and heartache. I could only hope that the characters would find their HEA, but for a while there I thought it wasn't meant to be. I'm glad I was wrong.









Heidi is a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author.
 
Originally from Portland, Oregon and raised in the Pacific Northwest, she now lives in picturesque Vermont, with

her husband and two daughters. Also renting space in their home is an over-hyper Beagle/Jack Russell, Buttercup and a Highland Westie/Mini Schnauzer, JiLL and her brother, Racicot.
 
When she isn’t writing one of the many stories planned for release, you’ll find her sitting courtside during either daughter’s basketball games.

Heidi’s first novel, Forever My Girl, is currently in production for a major motion picture.


 







Release Blitz + Review: Truth Revealed by KD Robichaux @givemebooksblog @kaylathebiblio







Title: Truth Revealed
Series: Confession Duet #2
Author: KD Robichaux
Genre: Erotic Romance/BDSM
Release Date: March 28, 2017



Blurb

It’s been a decade since I divorced the love of my life, after her confession while I was deployed. 

 Ten years since I spoke to Vi, my soul mate, the girl who had brought me to life only to stab me in the heart, sending me into an even darker state than where I was before I met her.
Ten years, I’ve been watching her from afar, keeping tabs.


 After a decade in the Army, two Purple Hearts and a Medal of Honor under my belt, I was kicked out with an honorable discharge, knowing no other skill than One Shot One Kill. Two years later, I’m part of a group of mercenaries who carry out justice. Criminals who hide behind their fancy lawyers and power—we take care of them and make it all look like karma. And with intel from our founder, Dr. Walker, a therapist with a long list of predators whose victims were too scared to turn them in, work is plenty and fulfilling. Until Vi begins her sessions and I discover the reality I’ve lived the past ten years was nothing but a lie, when the truth is revealed.










Purchase Links

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU




 
 
Review
 
Vi and Corbin's story tore at my heart in the first book, and that ending was almost my undoing, so I was thrilled to get to read the second book in this duet. I needed closure on the whole ordeal, and this book was sure to give it to me, at the same time giving these two amazing characters back the happiness they so deserved.
 
Where BEFORE THE LIE was all about Vi and Corbin and the sweet romance that blossomed between them, this book was slightly darker and way more sexier. Vi is no longer the girl she was when Corbin first met her. She is living with the demons that haunted her ever since she told the lie and it has had a major impact on her life. Corbin is very much the same as he was in the first book, but he too carries the ghosts from his past with Vi; his stalkerish ways are testament to that.
 
Seeing the BDSM lifestyle through Vi's eyes was fascinating, and the way in which it was more of a therapy was intriguing. BDSM is portrayed in so many different ways in fiction and this was an interesting take on it. I love that KD added a note at the beginning on the book explaining her research, which gave scenes in this book more authenticity, rather than them just being something pulled from the author's imagination.
 
Of course, the big question was what would happen when Corbin found out the truth, and added to that was, what would Vi do when she found out the truth about Seven. But, unlike the usual romance read, things moved a long pretty seamlessly for the characters. I'm not saying they weren't rocked with emotions when all was revealed, but they had spent so much time apart that they weren't prepared to let anything separate them unnecessarily. This also spoke of how much they'd matured in the years spent apart.
 
I enjoyed this book from start to finish. It was sensual and steamy, but also emotionally charged with angst and heartache. The scene where Corbin and Vi officially meet again for the first time since the lie made my heart bleed. It was beautiful, and had me tearing up. A great conclusion.
 
 
 


Also Available


AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU





Author Bio


KD Robichaux wanted to be a romance author since the first time she picked up her mom’s Sandra Brown books at the ripe old age of twelve. She went to college to become a writer, but then married and had babies. Putting her dream job on hold to raise her family as a stay at home mom, who read entirely too much, she created a blog where she could keep her family and friends up-to-date on all the hottest reads. From there, by word of mouth, her blog took off and she began using her hard-earned degree as a Senior Editor for Hot Tree Editing. When her kids started school, and with the encouragement from her many author friends, she finally sat down and started working on her first series, The Blogger Diaries, her very own real life romance.


Author Links

Monday 27 March 2017

Blog Tour: Review + #Giveaway: When Two Hearts Collide by Sonya Loveday and Candace Knoebel

When Two Hearts Collide

by Sonya Loveday and Candace Knoebel
A Game of Hearts Novel
Publication Date: March 23, 2017
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
 
 
Purchase: Amazon US | Amazon UK
 
Charlie Williams’ view on relationships is simple—one night, no strings, move on. But when the opportunity to see a girl from his past comes up, Charlie finds himself breaking all his own rules. Ever since the night he’d turned her away, Charlie hasn’t been able to get Charlotte off his mind. A break from his pub for a vacation across the pond should be enough to cure him of his curiosity and get her out of his system. At least, he hopes… Charlotte Mackay channels love through coffee. Running her fandom-themed store and specialty coffee bar keeps her nerdy heart busy after one too many relationship disappointments. Until the man she can’t manage to forget calls. Charlie’s coming to The Hamptons for a two-week vacation. She’s going to be his host—nothing more. She’d fallen under the spell of his bedroom eyes and roguish charm once before, and it nearly wrecked her. Charlotte can’t risk the same mistake twice. But love knows no boundaries when two hearts collide.


 
 



REVIEW
Charlie and Charlotte's story was beautiful and heartrending. Two amazing characters who instantly stole my heart, I was cheering for them every step of the way.

Charlie may be portrayed as a womanizing player, but he's the type of guy who has a heart of gold and is so damn irresistible that you can't help falling for him, flaws and all. He is what ever romance reader wants from a male lead - the "bad boy" just waiting for the right woman to come along (and, of course, that sexy accent warrants special mention, too!). Not that he needed rescuing, per se, it was just that Charlotte offered him everything he needed and wanted, and the experience took him completely by surprise. I loved the moment when he realized that there was more to this stunning woman.

Charlotte was adorable. I loved everything about her, especially the fact that she wasn't afraid to be who she was. She was dorky, fun and sweet. I loved how she stood up for her dreams and wasn't going to let anything, not even love, stand in the way of them.

When things started to go south, my heart was in my throat. Watching Charlie fall to pieces pained me so much and I just wanted to reach into this book and give him the biggest hug. Charlotte went through her own turmoil but I think it devastated Charlie in ways he never knew were possible. Thankfully they both had amazing friends in their corners, ready to help them pick up the pieces, and just waiting to give them a swift kick up the rear when they needed it most.

This book was filled with sexual tension and the chemistry between Charlie and Charlotte was all fiery passion, but in a way that was real and believable. The emotion and angst was relatable which only sucked me further into this story and made the characters more endearing. Knoebel and Loveday didn't make things easy for either of them, even at those moments when I though "Yes! Finally, this is when everything will fall into place and all will be right in the world again.". They proved that love can be messy, it can be hard, and it's all about compromise, understanding and acceptance - It's also about not letting go, even when it seems like everything has gone to hell.

P.S. If you're not all about hearts and romance, this book is worth the read just for The Raven's Den alone! Please tell me a place like this really exists!!! If not, we need to rectify that STAT!

 



 
 
 
 

About Sonya Loveday

Sonya Loveday is a full time author. Mother of two teenagers. Wife to an amazing man for 18 years. Dog lover. Cat lover. COFFEE addict. Night Owl. She’s a sucker for a good book. Loves the quiet life. Has the bestest best friend in the whole world. Her imagination never shuts off which makes it hard to sleep. The worst cook. Seriously. To see what’s coming up for releases be sure to follow Sonya on her author page at http://www.facebook.com/sonyalovedayauthor

 
 

About Candace Knoebel

Candace Knoebel is the award-winning author of Born in Flames-book one in a young adult fantasy trilogy. She discovered in 2009 through lunch breaks and late nights after putting her kids to bed, a world where she could escape the ever-pressing days of an eight to five Purgatory. And an outlet for all the voices residing in her head. Published by 48fourteen in 2012, Born in Flames went on to win Turning the Pages Book of the Year award in February of 2013. In January of 2014, the last book in the trilogy, From the Embers, was released, thusly completing the trilogy. She now works on the Night Watchmen Series, while guzzling Red Bulls and pretending to be a ninja on Heelys.

 
 
 
 
 

Friday 24 March 2017

Blog Tour: Excerpt + #Giveaway: Redux by A.L. Davroe





 

Redux (Tricksters, #2) by A.L. Davroe
Published by Entangled Teen
Published on March 21st, 2017
Genre: YA Sci-Fi / YA Science Fiction
 

The domed city of Evanescence is in ruins. With nowhere to go, prodigy hacker Ellani “Ella” Drexel and a small band of survivors flee to the Undertunnel below their city.
To escape the wasteland she unknowingly created.

But sanctuary is hard to find. With malfunctioning androids and angry rebels at their backs, the group hopes to press on for the neighboring city of Cadence. But Ella’s chosen path is challenging…life-threatening, even. Worse, the boy she loves is acting distant, and not at all like the person she first met in Nexis.

But then Ella learns a secret…and it changes everything.

Ella knows she needs to turn back and make a stand to reclaim her home. She’s determined to bring a new—and better—life to all who’ve suffered.

Or die trying.
  
 EXCERPT


I sag to the floor, a shaking mess.
            Slowly, Quentin gathers the rope up once more, coiling it around his arm. Then he’s still for a long minute. I can tell he’s staring at me, waiting. “Elle?”
            I shake my head. “I-I can’t.”
            He crouches down in front of me, meets my haunted eyes. I feel him take up my hands, hold them against his chest. “You’re shaking.”
            Of course I am. I don’t want to die.
            “You can do this,” he whispers.
            Mute now, I shake my head again.
            “Hey.” Shifting both my hands to one of his, he reaches out with the other, stills my head with a palm to my cheek. “Look at me.”
            I do, only because I don’t have a choice. He has me trapped.
            His expression is calm. Serene, like the boy who shot my uncle in the head. I wish I could turn off like that, become cool and calculated and unfeeling. “I will not let you fall. You need to trust me. You need to trust yourself. Stand up.”
            Swallowing hard, I get to shaking legs. I don’t know how I’m going to go down on such unstable things. One is injured as it is.
            “Shoes,” he prompts.
            I slip out of my heels, let the cold stone touch my synthetic skin. It feels strange being on flat feet. I’ve grown up on heels. Without them he seems like a giant as he bends and comes around to my back, putting them into my pack as I stand like an idiot. Seeing that I’m being useless and silly, he bends at my hip and I feel him tugging my skirts. I wince as I hear the tearing noise of him splitting my beautiful dress from hem to seam.
            Four times, like Violet did with hers.
            And then he’s winding the strips around my thighs, his fingers passing in and out like butterfly wings. My legs go from shaking to jelly and I have to hold the wall to keep myself upright.
            When he’s done, he stands in front of me, stares at me, and frowns. After a thought, he unbuttons his jacket and slides it off his shoulders.
            I blink at him, confused.
            “Put it on.”
            I do as I’m told. It’s big on me, stiff in the shoulder from all the dried blood. It smells like him and the weight of it makes me feel like I’m being held. My fingers fumble on the buttons and he steps into my space to help, his knuckles grazing my hitching chest. The warm certainty of his presence disappears for an instant as he bends to retrieve the rope and then he’s back, tying it under my arms.
            When he finishes with the knot, he just sort of goes still, his body close to mine and me wavering against the solid weight of him. His fingers slide from the knot, inch up, flutter along my clavicle, against my neck. One hand slips back behind my neck and into my hair, tugging just slightly, as the other tips up my jaw.
            His breath is warm and minty as he breathes something that seems like relief, and if it’s possible, something about him—his expression, his body—eases me. He stares down, his eyes clear and true, and that melts me into his body and his touch.
            And then he’s kissing me again. And I’m kissing him. It’s just like it was in the aerovator during our escape. That heat, that familiarity. That instant awakening and settling inside of me—like a flock of birds and a lazy pool of molten heat exploding through my veins and muscles at the same time. That feeling like it’s perfect and sound. It’s everything I ever wanted of a kiss from Quentin Cyr before…before…Gus.
            I shove at him, step away from him, gasping. “What are you doing?” I demand. “You can’t keep kissing me, you’re-you’re in love with someone. I heard you tell Carsai.”
            Unapologetic, he grins at me. “Hmm, that’s something to think about, isn’t it?”
            “You’re a cad.”
            He shrugs. “You’re not scared anymore, though, are you?”
            Heaving in confusion, glaring in heat, I growl as I have to admit that no, I’m not scared anymore.
            “I’m not sorry,” he says, voice quiet. “I like kissing you.”
            Gritting my teeth, I march over to the ropes and pass them around myself as I saw Violet and Bastian do before. I shore up my grip on both ends of the rope and I don’t look down. To look down would be to see where I’m going and right now, I don’t want to.
            “Hey,” Quentin calls to me from where he’s standing, lifting the security rope around him as he backs his weight against it. I feel it tug a little against my chest, like he’s drawing me back to him.
            I pause, look at him even though I don’t want to make eye contact.
            “Go easy,” he says, voice like honey. “Just breathe.”







Nexis (Tricksters, #1) by A.L. Davroe
Release Date: Dec. 1, 2015
Genre: YA Sci-Fi / YA Science Fiction
Published by: Entangled Teen
 

In the domed city of Evanescence, appearance is everything. A Natural Born amongst genetically-altered Aristocrats, all Ella ever wanted was to be like everyone else. Augmented, sparkling, and perfect. Then…the crash. Devastated by her father’s death and struggling with her new physical limitations, Ella is terrified to learn she is not just alone, but little more than a prisoner.
Her only escape is to lose herself in Nexis, the hugely popular virtual reality game her father created. In Nexis she meets Guster, a senior player who guides Ella through the strange and compelling new world she now inhabits. He offers Ella guidance, friendship…and something more. Something that allows her to forget about the “real” world, and makes her feel whole again.
But Nexis isn’t quite the game everyone thinks it is.



About the Author

 
A.L. (Amanda) Davroe writes both YA and adult speculative fiction. She prefers revisionist tales in paranormal, romance, Steampunk, and fantasy. She is the author of Salvation Station (adult psych horror), The City Steam Collection (adult psych horror), For Your Heart (YA Paranormal Romance) and her YA Sci-Fi novel, Nexis, is coming out with Entangled Publishing  December 1, 2015!
By day, Amanda lives in Connecticut with her two feline hench-creatures and makes cheese.  She’s a terrible blusher, has a weak spot for cuddly animals, loves Laffy Taffy and Cadbury MiniEggs, and she’s a huge advocate of alternative healing methods.  Amanda also wears purple shoes and corsets…Though not always in the same ensemble.  She’s a Capricorn, a Hufflepuff, a bit gothic, and a few nuggets short of a Happy Meal.

Author Website: www.ALDavroe.com
Author Blog: www.ALDavroe.com
Author Twitter:  @ALDavroe
Author Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ALDavroeFanPage
Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5212441.A_L_Davroe
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/RBlXP



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