Release Day Launch: Excerpt + #Gvieaway: All Things Pretty by M. Leighton

 

We are so stoked to bring you the Release Day Launch for M. Leighton's ALL THINGS PRETTY!

 

ALL THINGS PRETTY is a Contemporary Adult Romance and the third novel in M. Leighton’s Pretty Series. Sig's book is here!

 

 

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Pretending to be something they’re not, afraid to trust anyone completely, destined to tear each other apart– this is the story of unlikely love and unbearable consequences.

Sig Locke is a cop. He was raised by a cop and all his brothers are cops. He bleeds blue, believes in right and wrong, and sees in black and white, never in shades of gray.

But that was before he met Tommi.

Tommi, with her long legs and bright green eyes, she captured Sig’s interest from the moment he saw her. Even after he discovered who she was–the girlfriend of a drug dealer, the beauty behind a criminal–he still found her utterly irresistible. What Sig doesn’t know, however, is that she has a secret even a cop can’t uncover.

Tommi Lawrence hasn’t had an easy life, and it only got more complicated the day she met Sig. She learned long ago that she can’t trust anyone. Her gut tells her that Sig is no exception, her heart tells her that he is. But that was before she found out his real identity.

Can love be forged in a fire of lies? Or will the truth destroy them both?

EXCERPT

Her lips are still curved when she turns her attention back to me.  Something about the moment hits me like a punch to the gut.  I think for a second that I could stand here and stare at her, just enjoy her smile and her happiness for hours.  Days, maybe.  But I can’t.   We can’t. So, instead, I brush a clump of mud from the end of her nose. “Have fun?”

 

“I did. Thank you. This was so good for him.”

 

“And you.”

 

“And me,” she concedes.

 

“You can be the real you around me anytime.  I won’t tell a soul.”

 

“So you prefer this?”

 

“Oh, hell yeah!  I don’t need glamorous. Or proper.”

 

“I’m not proper.”

 

“You forget that I heard your…expressiveness that day on the side of the road.  And it didn’t consist of ‘darn’ or ‘golly gee’.  But I haven’t heard anything like that come out of your mouth since then.”

 

“Ladies aren’t supposed to talk that way, according to Lance.”

 

“I don’t want a lady. I want a woman.  One who knows her own mind. One who wears what she’s comfortable in, one who says what she’s thinking.”  I take a step closer. I can’t help myself. Her scent draws me in.  Even covered in mud, she smells like sexy sunshine.  “I want the woman who kisses like she’s on fire and makes me feel like I’m the only one who can put her out.”

 

“Sig,” she begins.

 

I break in to cut her off.  I know her objections.  And I know how much I don’t want to hear them.  “I’m just being honest.  I’m not even touching you.”

 

Her eyes are glued to mine, a damn near irresistible gravity pulling us together.  “It’s not like you can anyway.  I mean, we’re in public.  With my little brother.  What could you possibly touch?”

 

I reach down and smear my hand in mud.  With her eyes locked on mine, I reach between us and flatten my palm on her chest, right over her heart.  “This.  I’d touch this.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author, M. Leighton, is a native of Ohio. She relocated to the warmer climates of the South, where she can be near the water all summer and miss the snow all winter. Possessed of an overactive imagination from early in her childhood, M. Leighton finally found an acceptable outlet for her fantastical visions: literary fiction. Having written over a dozen novels, these days M. Leighton enjoys letting her mind wander to more romantic settings with sexy Southern guys, much like the one she married and the ones you'll find in her latest books. When her thoughts aren't roaming in that direction, she'll be riding horses, swimming in ponds and experiencing life on a ranch, all without leaving the cozy comfort of her office.

 

A note from M. Leighton: I love coffee and chocolate, even more so when they are combined. I'm convinced that one day they could be the basis for world peace. I also love the color red and am seriously considering dying my hair.



 

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Release Day Launch: Excerpt + #Giveaway: As Long As You Love Me by Ann Aguirre

 

We are absolutely ecstatic to bring you the Release Day Launch for Ann Aguirre's AS LONG AS YOU LOVE ME!

AS LONG AS YOU LOVE ME is the second novel in Ann's New Adult Contemporary Romance 2B Trilogy Series, published by Harlequin HQN!

 

If you haven't already read I WANT IT THAT WAY buy it NOW. We can't wait for you all to read it so you can dish with us about it!

Amazon | B&N | BAM | IndieBound | Vroman’s | Book Depository | Powell’s| iTunes

 

Most people dream about getting out of Sharon, Nebraska, but after three years away, Lauren Barrett is coming home. There are the justifications she gives to everyone else—missing her family, losing her college scholarship. And then there’s the reason Lauren can’t admit to anyone: Rob Conrad, her best friend’s older brother.

Football prowess and jaw-dropping good looks made Rob a star in high school. Out in the real world, his job and his relationships are going nowhere. He can’t pinpoint exactly what’s missing until Lauren comes back to town, bringing old feelings and new dreams with her. But he’s the guy that women love and leave—not the one who makes them think of forever.

Though she’s terrified of opening up, Lauren’s ready to take that chance. Because the only thing more important than figuring out where you truly belong is finding the person you were meant to be with.

 

 

 

AS LONG AS YOU LOVE ME on Goodreads

 

 

 

 

 

 

EXCERPT

 

Mom was asleep, so I checked my email. I had the usual spam, plus notes from all my former roomies, which made me happy. I missed all of them, even Max, though things were unspeakably awkward between us at the end. I opened Nadia’s first:
 
LB! You know I miss you like crazy, right? Courtney’s in your bed right now, and she has completely alphabetized my books. I’m pretty sure there will be a lending library program implemented the next time I get home from work. So how’s Nebraska? Did you find a job yet? Have you started applying to any schools? I have like ten more questions but you’ll get grumpy if I dump them on you all at once. Hug and kiss my family for me, okay? Write back soon or I’m sending my brother to track you down.
 
She didn’t mention the hot single dad she’d broken up with right before I left. Mr. Hot Ginger had dumped Nadia for her own good, which would drive her quietly crazy. I’d felt horrible about the timing, but there was little I could do about it. I hadn’t gotten to know him well before I left, but Ty seemed like a good guy. He was only a few years older than us, but already had a four-year-old. That was the crux of the conflict.
Writing back, I didn’t quite nail the tone, talking about Rob too much and inventing interesting anecdotes because there was so little going on. I could’ve mentioned Krista, but Nadia had never been as close to her, and there was some tension by the time she moved. Mostly I didn’t want Nadia to worry; things would be fine once I got a job and had less time to fret about whether I’d made the right decision.
I opened Angus’s email next:
 
Hey, you. Got your check. It appears not to be rubber, but I said you didn’t have to pay me back. I hate you for leaving. Come back right now. I’ll wait. This is me, waiting. It’s been at least five minutes. You’re shattering my faith in humanity, Lauren. Take responsibility for it! Not sure what you’ve heard from Nadia, but she’s such a hot mess. I can’t believe you abandoned us. All the light has left my life. All of it! Okay, enough drama. I’m working on getting over Josh. Classes suck but I will survive. (You’re singing it now, aren’t you?)
 
“Damn you, Angus Starr. You know me too well.” I got up on my bed with a hairbrush and sang two verses before reading on.
 
In all seriousness, there is a Lauren-sized hole in my life. Please don’t lose touch. Write soon. Love and hugs, Angus.
 
It was simpler writing back to Angus; our friendship was sweet and uncomplicated. Briefly I considered deleting Max’s email without opening it, but that seemed like an asshole move. In the end, I read it, two lines only:
 
I’m sorry about everything. Take care of yourself.

 

Grab the whole series today!

 

 

I WANT IT THAT WAY

AS LONG AS YOU LOVE ME

THE SHAPE OF MY HEART

 

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

   

Ann Aguirre is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling author and RITA winner with a degree in English Literature; before she began writing full time, she was a clown, a clerk, a voice actress, and a savior of stray kittens, not necessarily in that order. She grew up in a yellow house across from a cornfield, but now she lives in sunny Mexico with her husband, children, and various pets. Ann likes books, emo music, action movies, and she writes all kinds of genre fiction for adults and teens, published with Harlequin, Macmillan, and Penguin, among others.      

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Book Blitz + #Giveaway: The Last Thing You See by Emma South

 

 

The Last Thing You See 

by Emma South 

 

Publication date: September 26th 2014
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult

 

Harper Bayliss is about to pay the full price of fame. That is, if her stalker’s plans work out.
Hollywood’s new favourite starlet is already feeling overwhelmed by the insecurity of her past, a family that controls her every move, and the stresses that come with her job when a brutal attack from a madman takes that stress to a whole new level. But what neither Harper nor her attacker saw coming was the 6’4”, heavily muscled ex-Marine, Nick Martell, throwing himself in harm’s way to save her. After she visits him in the hospital to offer her thanks, she can’t help but be intrigued by the man she finds beneath the bad boy exterior.

Plagued by guilt over his failure to protect the one person that mattered the most, all Nick wants is to find some peace. The tattooed former Marine is scarred, inside and out, but saving Harper Bayliss might be his first step toward redemption. What’s more, her answer to his heartfelt question is about to send them both down a path of scorching passion…and maybe even love.

With the pressures of Harper’s fame and Nick’s guilt working against them, will their feelings be enough to overcome all the obstacles, including the stalker that’s still out there? If he gets his way he’ll show them that, even if they choose each other, you seldom get to choose the last thing you see.

The Last Thing You See from USA Today bestselling author Emma South is a New Adult Romance about letting go of the past to find unconditional love in the present.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EXCERPT

 

"My face maintained perfect innocence when I saw him glance down my body, the lapels of my jacket were open enough to show a bit of skin after all.  Nick looked back up and smiled, and that broke my concentration enough that I smiled back.

“Your belt is tied up wrong,” he said.

“It is?”

“Yeah, a knot like that sticks out too much, and when you’re down on the ground it can dig in and be uncomfortable.  The ends are too long and loose, not to mention it’ll probably come undone a lot.  Of course belts are always coming undone when you roll.”

“Roll?”

“When you spar.”

“Oh.”

“Here, this is how it’s done.”

Nick tugged at my white belt and undid the simple knot I had tied and then moved behind me with the belt in his hands.  Was he putting the moves on me?  I turned my head to the left and kept him just in the corner of my eye.  Was this the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu equivalent of the chivalrous man helping the love interest with her pool shot or her golf swing?

“Left side over right,” he said.

“Huh?”

“Your jacket, left side over the right side, nice and tight.”

“Oh, right.”

My jacket hung loose without the belt to hold it closed and I pulled the right side over my torso before pulling the left side over the top of it.  Nick lifted the belt over my head from behind and brought it down to waist-level.

“OK, watch.  You pull both sides around the back and then to the front again, the belt goes around twice, see?”

“Yeah.”

Nick was close behind me and I leaned back an inch or so, feeling the rear of my shoulders touch his chest as he bent down to tie my belt.  My eyes were on my belt, but my mind was on him."

 

 

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Now a USA Today Best Selling Author!

Please visit http://emmasouth.com/?page_id=31 to sign up for my newsletter.I'm in my thirties and living in New Zealand. About 2 years ago I lost somebody very close to me. I was lucky in a way, I was given enough time to make a promise. My promise was that I would never forget our young and innocent love, and it's a promise I intend to keep.

My writing is a way to help me keep that promise. I've always enjoyed writing but was forced into being 'prudent' and giving myself over to soul-crushing office work for the sake of a steady salary. Recent events forced me to re-evaluate my priorities and I decided to take a chance. I like to put little pieces of 'us' into my writing, from funny conversations we had, to apocalyptic arguments, to that special feeling you get when you hop into bed fully aware that your feet are freezing but your partner doesn't kick you away.

Even though these things are set in fictional worlds and attached to fictional characters, in a way it feels like I'm doing something that will make our love live forever. If somebody reads one of my stories and likes a joke or sheds a tear, then our love has lived on, and I thank any readers I might have for that.

Author Links:

http://emmasouth.com/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7304575.Emma_South

https://twitter.com/EmmaSouthAuthor

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GIVEAWAY 

Blitz-wide giveaway (INTL)

• 1x $15 Amazon Gift Card
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• 5x $5 Amazon Gift Cards

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Release Day Launch: Excerpt + #Giveaway: The Fine Art of Pretending by Rachel Harris

 

We are so excited to bring you the Release Day Launch of Rachel Harris' THE FINE ART OF PRETENDING!

 

THE FINE ART OF PRETENDING is the first book in Rachel's The Fine Art of Pretending Series published by Spencer Hill Contemporary.

 

Barnes & Noble | iTunes | Kobo | Amazon | Amazon UK | IndieBound

 

According to the guys at Fairfield Academy, there are two types of girls: the kind you hook up with, and the kind you're friends with. Seventeen-year-old Alyssa Reed is the second type. And she hates it. With just one year left to change her rank, she devises a plan to become the first type by homecoming, and she sets her sights on the perfect date—Justin Carter, Fairfield Academy’s biggest hottie and most notorious player.

With 57 days until the dance, Aly launches Operation Sex Appeal and sheds her tomboy image. The only thing left is for Justin actually to notice her. Enter best friend Brandon Taylor, the school’s second biggest hottie, and now Aly’s pretend boyfriend. With his help, elevating from “funny friend” to “tempting vixen” is only a matter of time.

But when everything goes according to plan, the inevitable “break up” leaves their friendship in shambles, and Aly and Brandon with feelings they can’t explain. And the fake couple discovers pretending can sometimes cost you the one thing you never expected to want.

 

EXCERPT

An exhale of breath leaves Brandon’s lips, almost like a laugh, and he scoots closer to me on the blanket. I twist my legs under myself, sitting tall as I face him. He cups my chin and tilts it toward him, drowning me in the now dark-green depths of his eyes, the cologne I gave him for his birthday filling my head. It’s woodsy and yummy and I always loved how it smelled on the store testers, but on Brandon, it’s even sexier. My eyes flutter closed, and I inhale again, this time slowly. Goose bumps prickle my arms, and my head gets fuzzy.

Brandon slides his hand down the column of my neck and brings the other up, threading his fingers through the hair at my nape. His breath fans across my cheek, and everything south of my bellybutton squeezes tight. 

When his mouth first meets mine, it’s hesitant, questioning. But as I move my lips with his, he quickly grows bolder, coaxing them apart.

Desire, pure and raw, electrifies my veins as his tongue sweeps my mouth. A whimpering sound springs from my chest, and instinctively, I wrap my arms around his neck, tugging him closer. Needing more. My teeth graze his full bottom lip, and I pull it, sucking on it gently.

He moans and knots his fingers in my hair, and a thrill dances down my back.

Brandon is an amazing kisser, just as I knew he would be. I have no control over my body’s reactions. I lose myself in his lips, his tongue, and his strong arms, forgetting time and space and even my surroundings—until Gabi’s snicker brings reality crashing around us, reminding me we have an audience.

And that I’m kissing Brandon.

We break apart, out of breath, and stare into each other’s eyes.

That was unexpected. 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 

Award-winning and Bestselling author Rachel Harris writes humorous love stories about sassy girls next door and the hot guys that make them swoon. Emotion, vibrant settings, and strong relationships are a staple in each of her books...and kissing. Lots of kissing. An admitted Diet Mountain Dew addict and homeschool mom, she gets through each day by laughing at herself, hugging her kids, and watching way too much Food Network with her husband. She writes young adult, new adult, and adult romance, and LOVES talking with readers.  

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Release Day Launch: Excerpt + #Giveaway: Bone Deep by Brooklyn Skye

 

I am so excited for this book. I adore Brooklyn and am thrilled to pieces with her newest novel.

 

Check out this amazing book and be sure to enter Brooklyn's giveaway!!

 

 

 

The boy who wants forgiveness…

Haunted by the train accident his father instigated, college freshman Krister Ledoux is obsessed with finding the person sending him cryptic hate mail. He knows it’s one of them—a family member of one of the accident victims, and he’s willing to go to hell and back to find out which one.

The girl he can’t forget…

She was a stranger who kissed him in the middle of the train station, and now she’s the girl who pleads with her eyes for Krister to be the distraction she’s so desperate for. Krister doesn’t know what it is about her, why he’s sucked into playing Cambria’s game… All he knows is that when he’s with her, he isn’t consumed with thoughts of the crash.

The collision that can’t be avoided…

Cambria doesn’t know who Krister is—that he’s the son of the town’s most infamous killer, and he knows if his true identity surfaces he’ll lose her forever. However secrets can’t stay buried forever, and now Krister must fight to prove that their bone-deep connection is far more powerful than the hatred she now has toward him.

EXCERPT

She stares at me, tracing her finger over my face, my eyebrows, the two-day-old stubble on my jaw. I catch her hand and kiss her knuckles, then wrist. “It’s just…” Jesus, how do I say this? “My life’s a little complicated right now, and I’m trying not to drag you into the middle of it.” The look she gives me is one I’m starting to recognize. The one that makes it seem like she understands there’s something more I want to tell her, but can’t. Or don’t know how. “On top of that…I’m a dickhead. And being with me will ultimately result in me hurting you, and I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Actually…” She lowers my palm to her thigh, narrowing her gaze onto mine. “…you being concerned about hurting me is very non-dickhead-ish of you.” Little by little, she slides my hand up her leg and around her ass. “Besides, what if I want to be in the middle of it?”

I slam my eyes shut, my fingers burning at the touch of her. She doesn’t know what she’s asking for. Being with me—being constantly reminded of her dead mother—will slowly but surely kill her inside. And I’m not a murderer like my father.

 

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Bone Deep Goodreads

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 

Brooklyn Skye grew up in a small town where she quickly realized writing was an escape from small town life. Really, she’s just your average awkward girl who’s obsessed with words. She writes young adult and new adult fiction. You can follow her on Twitter as @brooklyn__skye or visit her web site for updates, teasers, giveaways, and more. www.brooklyn-skye.com She is the author of FRAGILE LINE, STRIPPED, Without You, and STRIPPED Without You

 

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#BasteiEntertainment Publisher Collection: Review: Island of a Thousand Springs by Sarah Lark

London, 1732: Nora Reed, the daughter of a merchant, falls hopelessly in love with her father's clerk, Simon. Despite their differing social class, the star-crossed lovers dream of a future on a tropical island - until tragedy strikes, and Nora must face a life without her soulmate. Hopeless, Nora enters a marriage of convenience with Elias Fortnam, a widower and sugar planter in Jamaica. Even without Simon, she is determined to somehow fulfill their tropical fantasy. But life in the Caribbean doesn't turn out as Nora had dreamt.

Nora is deeply shocked by the way plantation owners treat the slaves and decides to shake things up on her own sugar cane plantation - for the better. Surprisingly, her adult stepson Doug supports her in this endeavor when he arrives from Europe. However, his return also puts things into a state of turmoil - especially Nora's feelings.

Just as Nora seems to be settling into her role as lady of the house, one harrowing event rips everything from her but her life...
A gripping tale of love and hate, trust and betrayal, and a thrilling destiny set against the pristine beaches and swaying palmtrees of the tropics.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:

Marissa Curnutte

347.574.3136

marissa@jkscommunications.com

 

GERMAN POWERHOUSE BASTEI LÜBBE UNLEASHES LITERARY PROJECTS, APPS IN THE U.S. FOR THE FIRST TIME

With finesse in digital publishing, the company shares stories across various platforms

 

After more than 60 years of success in the European literary market, German publishing giant Bastei Lübbe is venturing into brand new territory and launching projects in the United States for the first time.

The revolutionary publishing company is expanding with the introduction of new book series and digital apps beginning this spring. Making its American debut, Bastei Lübbe has a strong reputation for issuing popular fiction titles by esteemed authors and up and coming writers.

Bastei Lübbe has proven to be a master of innovation by taking on projects beyond traditional publishing. The company is rolling out its fact-based, cross platform project “Netwars – Out of CTRL” starting this spring, which includes a graphic novel app simultaneously made available in five languages, an e-book series, audio book series and several interactive video documentaries for television and the web. Netwars will be available on IOS, Google Play, Amazon and Samsung.

“These are exciting times for digital publishing and especially for our team at Bastei Entertainment,” said head of international sales Colin Lovrinovic. “Netwars is a great example of how we work. It’s a gripping story told through various channels, which gives you the possibility to dive incredibly deep into it – or to just choose your favorite medium.”

A successful IPO and tirelessly working to develop engaging cross vertical products puts Baste Lübbe in a unique strategic position regarding the early digital capture of new markets.

Bastei Lübbe is the publisher behind “Cotton FBI,” the most successful crime series in Germany with 1 billion copies sold. And after only 11 weeks, its e-book series “Apocalypsis” by German author Mario Giordano hit the 1 million mark for downloads in China. Its “Laura’s Star” app for children hit No. 1 in iTunes in three separate categories.

Bastei Lübbe is based in Cologne, Germany but will be launching several hundred foreign language titles over the next months through its digital publishing arm Bastei Entertainment. The company is the largest independent trade publisher in the country and a major player in the audio book industry.

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REVIEW

 A compelling and heroic adventure story of one girl’s journey into womanhood, this book was exciting, heart-breaking and enthralling.

It started off at a slow pace, but the more the story developed and the more I got to know the characters, the more and more intrigued I was. Nora was such an amazingly strong character who faced so much adversity but continued to reach for the dream she shared with Simon. Unfortunately it came with many consequences and even more tragedy.

In many ways I think Nora felt a kinship with the slaves she met on her journey, because she herself was trapped and forced into a role she always seemed to be trying to break free from. Although she had kind of used Elias as a means to fulfil her dream of leaving England, his demands and expectations wore her down many times. I liked her rebellious and inquisitive nature, even though it seemed to draw her into a perilous situation.

This story was filled with love and friendship, lust and desire, heartache and joy, hope and freedom. With many ups and downs it was an emotional ride through an exotic but somewhat precarious land. A great read.

For more about Bastei Lübbe's current and upcoming releases go to the JKSCommunitcations Virtual Tour Page