Blog Tour: Summer Rush by Ashley Wilcox

Hope Taylor is your typical down South, small town girl. She loves to surf; it's the one aspect of her life that is just for her. She's a waitress at one of the local restaurants, and is taking online college courses. Hope helps take care of her disabled mother, who due to a drunk driver has been paralyzed from the neck down. She has a very sweet and hardworking boyfriend, Trent. She shouldn’t want anyone else...that is, until Joey Puccino, and his rude and obnoxious friends walk into the restaurant one afternoon.  Now she just can’t stop thinking about him.

Joey Puccino drives Hope insane when he comes into the restaurant.  He is arrogant and constantly flirting with her.  There is something about him though, something that makes Hope think about him more than she should.  Her thoughts of him are making her question her feelings for Trent.  

A year passes before Hope sees Joey again.  Something has changed with him and he isn’t the same anymore.  He seems more mature and isn’t the obnoxious ass he was the summer before.  The attraction between them is still there, but will Hope finally act on it and break things off with Trent to explore what could be?  Or, will Hope stay with Trent and try to forget about Joey?  

"I couldn't fathom being with anyone other than Trent- he's the perfect boyfriend, and would make the perfect husband, and someday the perfect father to my children. I can see it. I just can't feel it."

“Although I know I shouldn’t want him, I do.  I crave him and want just one taste to see what he’s like, if he’s worth the rush I get from him.  Joey’s my drug in the worst possible way.”

Hope is torn. The connection between her and Joey is not one she can deny, or wants to.  She knows that she isn’t happy with Trent anymore. When she sees Joey again coming in for dinner with his family, that intense attraction is still there.  Spending time with Joey and letting him into parts of her life that she has never let anyone before, she knows that she is falling hard for him.

Something happened to change him, something he hasn’t really talked about, but Hope tells him everyone makes mistakes at some point in their lives.  When Hope discovers what that mistake was, can she move past it and allow Joey into her life or will she be with Trent, the safe bet? 

I really liked Summer Rush.  I think at one point we have all felt what Hope felt, wondering if the person she shouldn’t want to be with could be the perfect one for her.  Everyone has made mistakes in their lives, some pretty major ones.  What counts is what you do to fix that mistake and take steps not to continue making those mistakes in the future.  When it is a person that is making you want to change, sometimes that is the best motivation in the world, especially when that person is someone you love.  Summer Rush is a book about second chances and following your heart.  I hope that there will be more from this series in the future.

Ashley is giving away an ebook of Summer Rush at each stop. Please leave a comment and your email address to be entered in the contest. Thank You & Good Luck!!

Review: A Table For Three by Lainey Reese

Whew!  Riley found a heck of a way to be introduced to NY and spend her first night.  Both Cade and Trevor are such lovable characters, so I can see why she was so on board.  They’re so dominant, but with a tender edge, and I particularly loved seeing their aftercare.  It should always a part of a proper D/s relationship, but is not always shown in books, so it was refreshing to see it.  It was just sublime to see her boys be so firm with her, then so sweet.

I absolutely fell in love with Cade and Trevor, and Riley is such an endearing contradiction.  She’s sweet and innocent, but so open minded and adventurous and normal – I love it!  Ann is almost over the top awful and so easy to hate for too many reasons to go into. 

The ending was heartwarming, the scene with Brice was scorching, and I was on the edge of my seat throughout.  Overall I completely loved this book and look forward to the next!  I will definitely be keeping my eye out for this author.

Blog Tour: Rock the Band by Michelle A. Valentine

Have you ever wondered what the author saw when they're writing a book? I have. I've always wondered where they got the inspiration from...how the scene formed. Of course we conjure a portion of our own image up in our mind, but if we're given a descriptive scene, it makes it much each to paint. Here is what Michelle A. Valentine imagined when she was writing my lover, Noel Falcon's house. 

Noel wanted a house similar to the one back home in Texas on Cedar Creek Lake. A secluded place where no one could bother him. He wanted it peaceful and serene. There isn't another home, except for trees and woods as far as the eye can see. I have to say, I think I would love something like this myself. 

Today we have Noel giving us a personal look into his home. A walk through tour of his place, MTV Cribs Style!!

 Hey, guys. What’s up? Welcome to my humble abode.

First stop is my living room. I just like that warm country feel since this is a cabin and all. I keep it just earthy, you know. I did all the decorating myself, and just tried to make it as non-rockstarish as possible since when I’m here I just want to forget about all that stuff for a while.

This, as they say, it where some of the magic takes place. If you’ve read Michelle A. Valentine’s books about me you know I like to get a little crazy outside the bedroom as well. *Laughs*

This is my kitchen. I do a lot of cooking in here. I like to catch fresh fish down at the lake and bring it back here and prepare it. There’s nothing like fresh, catch your own, meals. *walks over to the island and smirks* And here is where baby Falcon was conceived in Rock the Band. Sorry, future son or daughter. You probably didn’t want a mental picture of me banging your mom here, but I couldn’t help it. Have you seen your mother? 

 Alright, time to head outside.

My most favorite place on the property—the dock. Docks like this have a special place in my heart. My lady and I sit out here a ton. I even proposed on a dock very similar to this. I gave the camera crew a picture of the dock the night I popped the question to my angel, Lane. Hopefully they can show that to you guys.

Last, but not least, my car. I love this thing. Spent many nights in it as a struggling musician. After I signed my first record deal, I gave her a face lift. Isn’t she beautiful.

 

Okay, guys. You’ve seen my house, my docks, and my cars. Thanks for dropping by and checking out my place, but now you’ve got to go. I’ll tell Lane you said hi!

Review: Bad Rep by A. Meredith Walters

I could not put this book down! It has angst, drama, back stabbing, sex, love, friendship, and consequences all in one book. This one should be on your TBR pile for sure.

Maysie Ardin is enjoying her life in college. She is a member of the sorority Chi Delta. She is popular and liked within the sisterhood. She has an apartment with her best friend Riley. She is happy and having fun. When she racks up a credit card, she must get a second job to pay her parents back. In her eyes her life is going great, but what happens when all of a sudden you are the most hated person on campus.

Jordan is the bartender where Maysie has just applied for a waitress job. He is smoking hot, tattooed and the drummer in a popular local band. He is also dating the President of Chi Delta, the same Sorority Maysie is in. Jordan likes Maysie from the minute he lays eyes on her and pursues her even when she has made it clear that as long as he is still involved with his girlfriend she won’t go out with him.

What would you do if one day your life is heaven and the next day it is hell? What if one mistake could begin a snowball effect faster than ever thought possible? Would you risk your friends and your reputation to have a taste of what could be?

I felt so bad for Maysie, but only to a point. While she did not deserve the absolute hell that she suffered after being caught with Jordan, I hated how she would always run or push him away when something happened. I could not imagine feeling what she did, when she honestly did try to not follow through on the feeling she had for Jordan. All the shit she went through really messed with her head and her relationship.

Now Jordan on the other hand I fucking LOVED. Hello he is a drummer, so you know he has rhythm hehe lol. Even though he messed up, he honestly had a good heart in him. He has the bad boy look, but is the good guy. He tried to be there for Maysie and show that it was her that he wanted, not his ex. He was romantic and loving towards Maysie. He even won over her best friend, who is a moody bitch at times. He just wanted the relationship between himself and Maysie to work, and for her to love him as much as he loves her.

I can’t honestly say if I were in this situation how I would react. Having your reputation completely trashed by heartless back stabbing liars is bad enough. When those heartless backstabbing liars are the sisters in your Sorority, and the brothers in Jordan’s fraternity that just makes it a million times more painful in my eyes.

Wicked Winter Saturday's: Damaged Goods by Lainey Reese

Wicked Winter Saturdays is our weekly post created by:
The Autumn Review
The Bookish Babe 
Hackaroos Reviews
Insightful Minds Reviews 
Paranormal and Urban Fantasy Reviews  
Sim-Sational-Books

Feel free to join in. (let us know so we can add a link to your post that week) 

Baby, it's cold outside! Time to snuggle up with a mug of hot chocolate (or a glass of wine!) and fall into a steamy, sexy book.

There are so many wonderful words that can be used to describe this wonderful story. It’s a mystery, suspenseful, erotic love story between a Dom and his sub. Brice is a homicide detective trying to figure out who’s killing the single women of New York. Terryn is Brice’s new sub and he desperately wants to keep her safe.

This was a wonderful love story between Brice and Terryn. Surrounding that story is the mystery of the serial killer. Brice is assigned to the cases and he’s determined to find the psycho and put him behind bars. Terryn, unfortunately, knows all the victims and is being crushed by her grief. Brice helps her through that grief. At the same time, he’s teaching Terryn what it means to be his submissive. While Terryn is a new subbie, the story doesn’t focus on Brice’s training of her. Instead it focuses on their love story and time together.

The connection between Brice and Terryn is strong. Part of that is the threat that comes to Terryn and her friends. Brice is a Dom and a cop. He feels the need to protect those around him. He keeps Terryn close and keeps her busy! The scenes between them are hot and sexy!

Lainey Reese managed to write a hot erotic story and a wonderful mystery all in one. I’m loving this series and I can’t wait to read more. I think we have met the next Dom to get his story. I hope so, cuz he was HOT in this story, so I can only imagine how hot he’ll be in his own story!

***This book is on sale right now from Amazon!! Use the link below to get it!!***

Blog Tour: Running on Empty by L.B. Simmons

Oh My Goodness!

This is a bring your own box of Kleenex book. I cried and cried. It was wonderful, it was sad, it was sweet, it was bittersweet. It broke my heart and filled me up at the same time.

Growing up Blake and Alex were best friends. Then Derek moved to town and Alex left Blake behind. But Blake continued to love Alex. He never stopped. He walked away from Alex and left her to Derek, because he loved her.

Three years ago Derek died and left Alex with three beautiful girls. She’s been running on empty ever since. She takes care of her three girls and goes through the motions of living life.

Then Blake rides back into her life. And slowly, over time, Alex starts to feel again. The numbness starts to fall away and it’s all because of Blake. But Alex isn’t ready for this. At least that’s what she tells herself. She keeps Blake at arms length. But her girls welcome him in. They recognize that he makes their mom happy and they’re all for her being happy again.

Will Alex let Blake in? Will Alex let herself be happy?

Even though I cried through almost the entire book, I loved the whole thing! It was wonderful. It makes you sit up and take notice that life is short. Live it to the fullest. Grab life by the horns and enjoy it.

This is one of those books that’s powerful and sticks with you long after you put it down. I know I’ll be thinking of it as I crawl into bed with my DH and as I look in on my kids as they sleep at night.

 L.B. Simmons is giving away one copy of her book-signed-to one lucky person. Please leave a comment for L.B. and your email address so I can contact the winner. Thank you and Good Luck!

Review: Crossing Lines by Alannah Lynne

Kevin Mazze, owner of Mazze Builders hasn’t been happy in his relationship for a very long time. He knows he needs to let Lizbeth know that things between them are over, but he needs to wait for 2 more weeks so that their break up doesn’t ruin the wedding they are both a part of. Needing the certificate of occupancy for the current project he is working on, he meets the building inspector who is holding him up. Once he meets the building inspector Kevin can’t stop thinking about her, and not just for the CO he is waiting for.

Samantha “Sam” Wallace can’t stop thinking about the sexy Kevin Mazze. Her toy drawer may end up getting a work out with the naughty thoughts she thinks of Kevin. When Kevin insists on taking care of Sam and her daughter one weekend, Sam is hard pressed to say no. She only wants Kevin for a fling, she never wants to be hurt again like she was when her ex-husband left. Can Sam just have her fling, or will she want a lot more from Kevin?

Ok where is the fire extinguisher?! I swear my kindle is on fire after reading this book! Holy hotness, Kevin is smoking in the bedroom! Kevin actually surprised me. When we first met him in Savin’ Me, I honestly thought there would be nothing more to him then being a playboy. He is actually the nice guy who would rather suffer and be miserable, than to possibly ruin a friend’s wedding by breaking up with Lizbeth, who is in the wedding also. He never wants to set out to hurt Lizbeth, but he has known for a while that things were over, and once he meets Sam he knows he wants her, not just for sex but for more.

Sam is hesitant to get fully involved with Kevin. She doesn’t want her daughter to become too attached to Kevin if things don’t work out between them. Sam also needs to deal with some personal issues that she has held onto for a while now. She deserves some happiness, and wants to explore some of her fantasies with Kevin. When the truth about Kevin and Lizbeth’s relationship comes to light, what will the future hold for Kevin and Sam?

This is my favorite book of the series so far. It was hotter than the other two in my opinion, and the series is coming together nicely. There is just something about seeing or meeting someone for the first time and knowing that they are the other half of your soul and that you want them in your life that makes me love a book even more. Add to it a sexual attraction that can ignite into flames at a moment’s notice and you have a book that will not disappoint.



Interview & Giveaway with Alannah Lynne

Hi everyone! Please welcome author Alannah Lynne to My Secret Romance Book Reviews!

Alannah, thank you for allowing me to interview you and I am so happy to have you with us today. Thank you so much for having!!!

Can you tell us a little about your background?

It’s not writing! LOL I have a degree in accounting (which I hate), and I worked in advertising/marketing for over 10 (that, I love). When I was in college, my dad made me promise I would get a degree in something. I didn’t go to school for the first two weeks of the semester and I didn’t go the last month, but I somehow still managed to pass my accounting class. And that’s how I picked my degree! :-D Sad, but true. I’m definitely much more suited to creative careers than accounting.

Besides writing, what are some of your favorite things to do? Do you have any hobbies?

I used to do a lot of ceramics and faux painting, but since we moved into a smaller house, I don’t have room for any of my supplies. I’ve tried working with polymer clay, but haven’t really mastered that. I like scrapbooking, and I’m starting to get into beading. I want to make book thongs for my street team.

How would you describe the Heat Wave series to a new reader?

Hot!! :-D All of the stories take place in coastal locations, mostly North and South Carolina. I’m not sure if future books will be located elsewhere, but for now, they’re all in the Carolinas. They’re stand-alone (meaning you can read them out of order and you won’t miss anything), but they’re all loosely connected, and the characters do make appearances in subsequent books. I like to be able to check in with them and see what’s going on in their lives, even after we’ve moved on to other stories.

How many books are you planning for the Heat Wave series?

I’m not sure yet, but I know there will be at least 5 more.

Who or what was your inspiration to begin writing this series?

I’m not really sure where the inspiration came from, but Erik talked to me for years before I figured out what I was supposed to do with him. (There’s plenty I would’ve LOVED to do to him, if I could’ve figured out how to get him out of my imagination! LOL) I kept seeing him in all these different scenes (most of which didn’t end up in the book), but I wasn’t writing at the time –I hadn’t even considered being a writer because I thought I had to be something... more, I guess, than what I was (I thought I needed an English degree, or writing degree, or something)... so I didn’t know what to do with him. :-D I live along the coast, and love the beach, so once I started writing, that just sort of ended up being the backdrop for my stories. When I decided to self-publish, I wanted a series, so I got my rights back (it had been previously published), I used “Savin’ Me” as the launching point, and figured out a way to tie the other books in with it.

We have been introduced so many different characters so far in the three books; Steve, Elise, Lizbeth and Callie to name a few. Will they be having their own books in the future?

Definitely! Callie (“Last Call”) is up next. Her book will be out sometime in 2013 (maybe late summer/early fall). I thought Steve would’ve already had his HEA by now, but I keep putting it off because I’m a little nervous about writing his story. I already know how his story starts, and he’s NOT in a good place. Robbie (Sunny’s brother from “Last Call”) will also have his own book. Kevin’s sister, Marianne (“Crossing Lines”) will have a story. I’m not sure yet what to do with Elise and Lizbeth. LOL I imagine they will end up with their own stories (I’ll feel bad if they don’t redeem themselves and get their HEA’s too), I’m just not sure yet how that will happen for them.

Which book has been the hardest for you to write so far?

“Savin’ Me!” I rewrote it from start to finish four times! I rewrote it three times before it was published the first time. Then, after I got my rights back, I retyped the entire thing, updating it with my current voice as I went. I wrote “Last Call” for the Kensington Writing With the Stars Contest in two months. That wasn’t easy, but writing the book itself wasn’t hard. “Crossing Lines” was hard because of the pressure I put on myself. The reviews of both “Savin’ Me” and “Last Call” have been so great, I was terrified of it not living up to those previous stories. But it wasn’t torturous like “Savin’ Me.”

Are you working on anything currently?

I think I shared some of this with you the other day, but yeah... I’m always working on something! LOL I’m currently working on a BDSM series and hope to release the first three short stores in that series in the late spring/early summer. Callie’s book is simmering in the back of my mind. I also have a mystery that I’m determined to get written by the summer. I had started writing it with my uncle and when he passed away, I sort of lost the passion for it. But I want to finish it, and so this is the year! Dammit!!

What are some of your favorite authors and/or books?

Janelle Denison is my all-time favorite, and the reason I write. I was a late bloomer to romance, and her book, “The Wilde Side” was the first romance I ever read. I was instantly hooked and gobbled up everything of hers I could find. She was also my inspiration for becoming a writer. I always joke and say I want to be Janelle when I grow up. JR Ward and the Black Dagger Brotherhood series is also at the top of my list. Recently, I’ve really gotten into Shayla Black and Lexi Blake’s Virgin series. I don’t have much time to read anymore, and I really miss it.

Please state one random fact about yourself that no one would have guessed about you.

Oh gosh... Hmmm... Well, there’s a lot of me in Sam (“Crossing Lines”). My dad owned a construction company and I hung out with him whenever I could. He taught me to drive when I was ten, and by the time I was thirteen, I was driving his dump trucks around. We lived in a rural area, so I even drove on the roads when I was that young. It wasn’t right, but if I wanted to run to the little country store out on the highway for a Pepsi, I’d jump in the dump truck, drive it about 5 miles down the road to the store, pull off the side of the highway and park with the other truckers. I’m pretty sure I was their entertainment! LOL

Thank you again for the interview, I hope that our readers will love your Heat Wave series as much as I have.

I hope so too!!! I’m glad you enjoyed the books, and thank you, again, for the invitation!

Alannah has decided to give a copy of one of her Heat Wave books away to one lucky reader.  The book will be your choice! Please leave your email address in the comment to win!!