Cover Reveal: Flirting With Love By Clara Stone

Hudson Lovelly leads a charmed life-successful career,loving family, beautiful wife. And on the eve of his daughter’s birth, he’s counting his blessings. Life wasn’t always so generous . . .

Seventeen-year-old Blake never expected to fall for the pretentious, golden-haired boy on the opposing debate team. But she soon learns that looks can be deceiving, and not all men exist to disappoint. When a harmless prank starts to turn into something more, she discovers that sometimes, all it takes is a little Hope for love to find it’s way.

The day she walks into his life, exploding on the scene like a firecracker, is the day eighteen-year-old Hudson knows everything is about to change. Quick-witted, Blake is a prankster with a heart of gold, ensnaring him more than any girl ever has. He’ll do anything to be with her, even if it means pretending.

But when danger threatens Blake, he can’t conceal his growing affection. Pretending is no longer an option. They never planned for their friendship to grow into a love story. But it did. This powerful companion to Forever Kinda Love tells the history of Hudson and Blake’s love. Laced with haunting emotion and beautiful sentiment, this is a tale about overcoming even the darkest moments, reminding us all to love more. Give more.

Without regrets.

Excerpt

I nod and study each of them, until my glance lands on Golden Boy. I narrow my eyes, glaring at him in the scariest way I can muster. At least, I hope so anyway.

He stares back, the earlier smile completely vanished. He jumps to his feet and saunters forward. I gulp, feeling uncertainty stirring in the pit of my stomach, and my palms sweat from nerves. I don’t know if it’s because of his godly good looks, the fact he’s towering well over six feet on my five foot seven inches height, or because I can’t read his all too calming features, but suddenly, I feel like coming over here wasn’t my best idea.

I watch him as he approaches, slow and confident, like a lion unconcerned by the presence of a cheetah. His pressed, white button-up shirt stretches across his chest, and the loose tie around his neck hangs over his unbuttoned collar. His expression is stoic, but there’s something in his hazel eyes that makes me feel awkward and on display. He doesn’t exactly scream “bad boy,” but I know there’s something in him that sizzles just under the surface, a wildness.

He runs his fingers over his perfectly-combed, golden locks and extends his hand for a handshake, the tendons on his forearm popping below his rolled up sleeve. I stare at his arm and blink.

“Pleasure to meet you,” he says. His voice is incredibly warm, amused.

When I look up at him, his lips stretch wide in a wicked grin that shines right to his eyes. I feel light on my feet, like I’m on cloud nine or something.

“Hudson, Blake. Blake, Hudson,” Hope introduces us, reminding me that we aren’t alone.

“Blake,” Hudson says, like he’s tasting my name on his tongue. “That’s an odd name for a girl. Don’t you think, Hope?”

That brings me back to earth and lands me on my butt—figuratively speaking, of course.

“Hudson!” Hope squeals disapprovingly, backhanding him across his chest.

I glare sharply at him, thinning my lips. “Remember this moment, Golden Boy. Because karma is mighty pissed, and she pays back with interest.”

I don’t give either of them a chance to respond before I pivot and head back toward my teammates.

Wesley meets me halfway and leans down, asking, “What did you say to them? He looks like he got hit by lightning.”

I throw a glance over my shoulder and smile at the stunned expression on Hudson’s face. Good. When I turn back to Wesley, the rest of the team has caught up to us. “It’s time to bring out the big guns. You guys up for it?”

Murmurs fill the air, almost all in agreement, until Wesley speaks.

“We can’t risk getting caught, Blake.”

I grin. “Oh, trust me, there’s no way we’re getting caught.”

Excitement fizzles around us as the team starts tothrow out ideas. Golden Boy and the other stuck-up douche-nuts won’t know what hit them.

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About the Author

Clara Stone lives in the beautiful city of Boise, ID. Unlike what most believe about Idaho, it’s more than a sack full of potatoes. When she’s not writing, you’ll catch Clara reading YA and NA books, mostly romance, and enjoying time with her family. She is a proud CW T V addict.

Connect with the Author:  Website | Newsletter | Twitter | Facebook | TSU

Houston Author Event Interview & Giveaways: Day 5 Spotlight on Amanda Bennett

I was given the incredible opportunity to sit down and have some one-on-one face time with the attending authors at the recent Houston event. It was a blast! I got to pick their brains for five minutes each. Thanks to all of you who submitted questions, I was armed and prepared. ~Nadine 

We’ll be featuring a different author and their interview here for the next several days. Make sure you scroll to the bottom and enter the AMAZING Rafflecopter for your chance to win a SIGNED paperback from each attending author and keep scrolling for another chance to win various swag from the event. If you submitted a question on either My Secret Romance’s Facebook page or Oh Whimsical Me’s Facebook page, you get extra entry points.

Today’s spotlight is Amanda Bennett! You asked the questions, she answered them. Enjoy!

What inspired you to start writing?

I’ve always loved writing since I was probably 12 or 13. I wrote a lot of poems and then from there I just decided 'oh I’m going to write books'. And then luckily enough the self-publishing thing came along. I had a lot of really bad past relationships that fed my desire to start writing. That’s what started it for me.

What are you planning to do next?

I have two books in the works. I have The Likeness Within which is more of a supernatural. It’s vampires, but it’s not your basic vampires. Then I have Protecting Lindley which is more of your typical romance, but it’s fun. It’s about a U.S. Marshall and he’s super yummy. I’m excited for that one. I’m half way through writing it. That one will be out in May.

You have a paranormal. You write contemporary romance. What other genres do you have?

I have New Adult and college age.

Any genres you’re wanting to dip into?

The supernatural and all that stuff is what I definitely want to get into. I’ve always wanted to do it, so I was like let’s try it. So the story is just like coming. So it’s next. It’s exciting.

If you could turn one of your books into a TV series or a movie, which one would you choose?

Probably the Raine series. It’s my favorite. I like it cause it starts out more in the YA genre, then it moves in to the New Adult and all that stuff. The storyline I think is really fun and easy for younger people, and older people, to relate to.

Do you have a dream cast?

I use to. The guy that I actually pictured for him was the guy in Dolphin Tale. He’s not well known. He’s so adorable. So adorable. Love him. So I see him for sure. Girl wise, I don’t know, I really don’t. (Note: I goggled and I am now a fan! His name is Austin Stowell people. Austin Stowell. 6'2". Hot!)

When you write and you picture these characters in your head, what do they look like to you?

A lot of it is, some of the main characters have my attributes like physical and stuff. It’s easier for me to go off of that for the main character. But then a lot of the secondary characters are friends or ex-boyfriends. Some of the guys are a mixture of my husband and just random stuff. I tend to picture who I would like to play that part famously people wise. But I don’t know them personally, so it’s kind of hard. I take people from my everyday life and just oh I’ll add that there.

Coming up with character names and book titles has to be hard. How do you do it?

It’s so hard. Titles, I usually will start writing the book and then I just let it kind of come to me. The newest book coming out is called Protecting Lindley and it was originally called Hiding Desire, but I changed it cause to me sometimes if it sounds to romancy I want to change it so it fits the characters. Character names, I go with uniqueness. I try to think of the most unique names that other people haven’t heard.  

What was the time frame from start to finish for your first book?

It took me a year and a half to write my very first book.

Which one was your first?

Time to Let Go and it’s based on actual life.

Who do you fangirl over?

I would have loved to have met the Bronte Sisters and stuff like that. All the people I love are dead. 

The chiming of the bells signaled it was time to move on again. I had so much fun meeting Amanda. She's a sweetheart!

About Amanda

Amanda currently lives in Utah with her many men (her husband, two little boys, and two dogs). She is an avid San Francisco 49ers and Dexter fan. In high school she developed a love for writing and story telling, and in the past couple years has made it her passion, as she just released her ninth book.

Connect with Amanda Bennett: Facebook | Website | Goodreads

 

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Blog Tour & GIveaway: Hell's Hollow by Summer Stone

When Seraphina was younger, she healed her best friend's injured hand. Terrified by the inexplicable cure, the girl shunned her. From that day on, Seraphina found herself without friends, a freak and an oddity. And so she obeyed her mother’s rule to refrain from using her innate ability, heeded her mother's warning that its use could land her in the local mental health facility alongside her aunt and grandmother.

But when sixteen-year-old Seraphina finds a mysterious, wounded boy hiding in the hollow in the woods behind her house, she can't hold out against the overpowering urge to help him. She is drawn to him each night, and as they come to know one another, their irresistible attraction blooms.

She longs to uncover his secrets — where he comes from and why he's hiding and how he came to be so wounded — and to share her own, though she knows it's forbidden. And while her healing touch seems to be helping him, it's hurting her. When the symptoms of psychosis — experienced by the women in her bloodline who used their powers — begin to plague Seraphina, she is faced with the unbearable choice of saving her sanity or the boy she’s come to love.

Here are five fun facts about Hell's Hollow. They're hidden secrets or information that we wouldn't know about the book or writing process. A lot more goes into the writing than we think!!

1. I did a ton of research for this book on many different topics. The most fascinating to me was learning more about psychosis and schizophrenia. I watched hours of video and read many articles to get a better understanding of these types of mental illnesses so I could accurately portray them through the characters of Seraphina's aunt and grandmother.

2. Usually when I write, I feel like the main character guides the process, carries me through the story. But with Hell's Hollow, I felt like the story itself was guiding me. I'd meet my husband for coffee and say things like, "You're not going to believe what happened today!" And I'd tell him some new plot point that I didn't see coming, and he'd get all excited about it. It was super cute :)

3. In the book, Sera's mom is the town baker, and Zach, who is forbidden to eat sweets has a serious sweet tooth. This allowed me to write about food :) I, too, have a serious sweet tooth, and I loved describing the baked goods Sera's mom made. And I loved choosing the treats Seraphina brought to Zach.

4. While I was writing the book, I went up to the Sierra Nevada foothills, where it takes place. I spent time sitting by the giant trees that populate the area and really immersing myself in the setting. I even brought home a piece of bark from a giant sequoia to help remind me what it's like there.

5. One of the things I love about this book is the relationship between Sera and Zach. I love how it builds from strangers to friends to something more. I love the ways in which they care for one another. I really enjoyed watching their relationship grow from one day to the next, and I especially loved the way some of their issues surprisingly overlapped.

Thanks so much for having me!

Hell's Hollow is on sale for 99 cents at the moment!! Make sure to grab it while you can!

Summer is giving away 3 ebooks of HELL'S HOLLOW at each stop. Please leave a comment and your email address to be entered in the giveaway. Thanks and good luck!!


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Review: Taking Chances by Molly McAdams

To sum it up: Eighteen year old Harper has grown up under her career Marine of a father's thumb. Ready to live life her own way and experience things she's only ever heard of from the jarheads in her father's unit; she's on her way to college at San Diego State University. 

Thanks to her new roommate, Harper is introduced to a world of parties, gorgeous guys, family and emotions. Some she wasn't expecting yet, and others she never knew she was missing.

She finds herself being torn in two as she quickly falls in love with her boyfriend Brandon, and her roommate's brother Chase. Covered in tattoos, known for fighting in the Underground and ridiculously muscled...they're exactly what she was always warned to stay away from, but just what she needs. Despite their dangerous looks and histories, both adore and would do anything for Harper, including stepping back if it means she's happy. 

Her first year away is turning out to be near perfect, but one weekend of giving in to heated passion will change everything...



★★★I’d say this book deserved 3 ½ stars! ★★★


I have to admit, this is probably one of the toughest reviews that I’ve ever written- my emotions are all over the place right now, and I feel so conflicted with how I really felt about this story. If I had written this review while reading the first half of the book, I probably wouldn’t have had too much good to say- but after finishing the book, my feelings have definitely changed for the better.

FYI: There won’t be any spoilers in this review- I wouldn’t want to ruin the reading experience for anyone by giving anything in this book away…

Harper: I may as well go ahead and admit that I wasn’t a big fan of the heroine. There wasn’t one redeemable quality about her in my opinion that made every guy she came into contact with, fall head-over-heels in love with her. Never once throughout this entire book did I ever understand what was so special about her character- could it be the fact that she was a virgin? Or maybe it was because she was inexperienced… with everything. Whatever the reasoning, I never did end up understanding it. 

Brandon: I loved him right away- I’m probably in the minority here, but I was a big fan of him. He had so many wonderful qualities, and is most definitely the type of man any woman would be lucky to have. Not only did he have the looks to kill, but he was also selfless and forgiving- a man who never backed down, even when life knocked him to his knees. Unfortunately though, his honesty and faithfulness was taken advantage of in the worst kind of way. I really respected his character though, and commended him for being such a strong person through everything and for everyone- although, his use of the word “sweetheart” was a bit over the top. I know that perhaps it was just a quirky thing that probably only I noticed, but I couldn’t help but feel like it was a bit over-the-top and caused more eye rolling than swooning.

Chase: It was hard for me to grasp why he fell for Harper- from her initial first meeting with him, she was nothing but rude. Perhaps what drew her to him most was the fact that she was always out of reach to him. As much as I eventually got to know Chase, I just never connected with him on the personal level that I connected with Brandon. His character just seemed to be thrown from page to page, where he was either trying to keep his distance from Harper for one reason or another, or he was throwing himself at her. He was willing to be a completely different man and everything Harper would want him to be, but I never understood why.

I think what it all comes down to when it comes to the characters in this story, is that it was just missing a lot of depth for me. There was just so much that I felt was missing. I’m also not one to complain about the length of a book at all, but this story definitely just kept going… and going… and going… I felt like the book could have easily ended at so many different parts, but instead I felt like the author tried her best to wrap everything up in a nice and pretty bow- I can understand that there were many lose ends that needed to be wrapped up, but there were also some unnecessary situations added into the story towards the end that I didn’t feel were needed. 

With that being said though, I’m sure many of you who have read reviews or status updates on this book know that there’s a big jaw-dropping scene that will throw you into a frenzy. And I have to admit… after reading it and suffering through a complete shock, I pushed through and made myself continue on with the rest of the story- and I’m definitely glad that I did, because I felt like the ending and everything that happened after that incident really helped to get my mind off of the sheer horribleness of what had happened. I’m all about happy endings, and the author definitely did a good job wrapping the story up in the best way possible after what had happened.

While reading this story, I never really chose a “guy team” that typically happens when reading a book revolving around a love triangle theme. At times I felt like I was leaning towards one guy, and pages later I would be leaning towards the other- but while I can understand the reasoning for what the author did in the story… I just didn’t think it was necessary and I felt like it made readers feel forced to feel a certain way.

One down-side for me was the similarity between this book and Beautiful Disaster. (Which I wasn’t a fan of.) …And although I did become invested in this book and the characters, I just didn’t really feel a connection to them- The lovey-dovey stuff that we all live for in our romance novels definitely went over-board for me at times, and something always continuously felt lacking for me, which had me feeling like so many things were poorly developed. 

I know I’m in the minority here when I say this, but what started off on a bad note for me ended on a good one, despite a few things I could have dealt without. This is definitely an emotional story and not one that I regret reading. After reading this, I’ve looked at the fragility of life and second chances in an entirely new perspective …And as much as this novel broke my heart, it did eventually mend, and took me on an emotional and moving journey that I definitely won’t forget. 

”People mess up and make mistakes all the time. Everyone deserves a second chance, right?” -Taking Chances