Sunday, May 31, 2015

Book Spotlight for Love Cubed by Eddy LeFey (Review & GIVEAWAY)


As a fan of sports-themed romances I was drawn to the internal struggles of three young men as they try to live their lives to the fullest.  Keep reading to get a glimpse of Love Cubed by Eddy LeFey, along with my impressions of it.  To celebrate the release of this book make sure to fill out the form below for the chance to win a $20 Wayward Ink GC and a digital copy of this book too!

Three very different young men meet at St-Frederick’s University.
Francis, haunted by his past and seeking a new life.
Andrew, the introverted football jock.
And Sebastian, the charismatic and confident hockey star.
Francis, wary and troubled, didn’t count on meeting anyone he could care for.
Andrew, closeted and lonely, didn’t think anything would matter more than his football career.
And Sebastian, content to float from conquest to conquest, never believed he’d meet someone who could hold his interest.
An encounter with a journalist causes consequences for all three.
Will they be able to take what they need from one another in order to cope?

 ***Love Cubed is 30% off on the WIP website till the end of May HERE.

BUY LINKS:  AMAZON (US)  |  AMAZON (UK)  |  AMAZON (AU)  |  AMAZON (DE)  |  ARe  |  BN



MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:

Into the crowded m/m genre comes this debut story of three young college men drawn together in support, understanding, and love.  As a debut work the premise immediately draws you in but the execution is a bit rough around the edges, the flow a bit choppy, and some of the actions a bit lacking in believability.  It shows great promise though with its likable characters and thoughtful handling of serious social issues.

Pretty yet emotionally damaged Francis has left home along with a painful past of abuse, ostracization, and betrayal behind.  Arriving at a small college he just wants peace, quiet, and to be left alone in anonymity.  His arrival though catches the interest of the sweet and kindhearted closeted football player Andrew and the snarky and confident hockey player Sebastian, who wage a subtle battle to claim his battered heart.  Francis may start out timid and unsure but the attentions and support of these two sexy men, along with the support of two other memorable friends, has him coming out of hiding and taking what he wants when it comes to Andrew and Sebastian despite what others think.  Even when his past comes back to haunt him in an over-the-top and questionable way, his newfound family have his back in a way not usually seen in college-aged people.

Andrew is a sweet and understanding soul hiding his sexuality for fear of his future in football.  Meeting Francis though has him divulging all, including his affections, soon after meeting him in a moment of insta-love.  It made him a bit one-dimensional and too good to be true at times.  Sebastian has a bit more depth as he struggles with his feelings.  He's always been fluid in his sexuality but never wanted to commit until meeting Francis, but once he does he does so wholeheartedly.  Into this tight-knit circle readers also get to know the outspoken Heather who tells it like it is and protects those she cares about with sharp language and angry glares.  The final member of The Gang is the nerdy John who can always be counted on for humor and easing of awkward moments.  Coming from no friends at all, Francis now has a large group of supporters that he'll need as an unscrupulous reporter comes poking into his new life and jealousy and prejudice have others trying to hurt him and those he cares about.

On a whole this was an entertaining story with likable characters.  The actions and dialogue didn't always ring true though.  At times the characters talked too maturely and flowery that pulled me out of the story.  The romance between Francis, Andrew, and Sebastian was sweet with bits of sensuality but the culmination of their affections was a bit extreme considering everything Francis had been through in the past.  Readers looking for a new voice in this genre though will want to keep an eye on Mr. LeFey as this work left me wanting more.

My rating for this is a C+

*I got this book from the author for review in exchange for my honest opinion.

AUTHOR INFO:

Eddie LeFey started reading m/m romance fan-fiction a few years ago. At one point, during a crucial point in the soap opera storyline of his favorite gay couple, the story went on hiatus. He needed a fix and decided to write his own version of what he wished would happen. Friends wanted to read it, so he plucked up his courage. Pressing the submission button was nerve-wracking, but he did it. People liked it. He wrote a few more.
Up until that point Eddy had tried his hand at writing many times. The delete button was his friend, as was starting over, and over, and over, but he could no longer do that if he wanted people to read his works.
A few of his writing friends decided to create original stories, and feeling brave, Eddy did the same. The stories were shared among a select few. They encouraged him to submit one of them. Low and behold, it is now being published.
Eddy lives in Canada with his husband Ken and his cat Oscar Wild. He is busy writing many more stories.


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Saturday, May 30, 2015

Book Spotlight for The Summer House by RJ Scott (Review & GIVEAWAY)

Fans of the m/m genre rejoice as we spend the day celebrating the just-released The Summer House by RJ Scott, the first installment in the English Hearts series.  Keep reading to get a tantalizing taste of this sensual tale of opposites attracting along with my impressions of it.  To further celebrate the release of this book make sure to fill out the form below for the chance to win a $15 Amazon/ARe GC too!

Ashby Sebastian Sterling-Haynes has had a lot of boyfriends, but he's never found the one.
The only person he can form an attachment to is his fourteen year old niece, and even that is in jeopardy when babysitting her cat goes all kinds of wrong.
Veterinarian, Connor Lawson is much happier working with animals than with people. He has deliberately returned home and to the Summer House he recalled from childhood holidays for peace and quiet and the chance to heal from wounds no one would ever see.
When his next door neighbor comes into the practice with a cat that has been in a fight he hides in his office because this Ashby guy is all kinds of dangerous. Too hot, too rich, too titled, and way too sexy for his own good.
Can two men who refuse to believe in love ever learn that love is the easy part of the journey to forever?

EXCERPT:

Buoyed by the support, Connor focused in immediately on the bleeding cat in someone’s arms. He and Rachel took the poor animal straight into the examination room, aware that the person who’d carried it in followed.
“What happened?” Connor asked. He was examining the cat, which looked to be covered in a lot of blood, and noted several deep gashes at the back of the neck and lesser cuts to his belly.
“I didn’t see,” the owner said. “A cat fight, I think.”
Connor immediately looked up and was faced with the very man he needed to apologise to. Seemed Ash was as shocked to see him as he was Ash.
“Did you see the other cat?” The knowledge this was a fight made sense of the fact there was no visible broken bones, but a lot of cat claw cuts and bites.
“Big,” Ash said helplessly. “Ginger.” He waved his hands to indicate a large cat.
“Muffin,” Rachel said with a shake of her head.
“Bloody menace,” Connor said. He wasn’t lying, the cutely named Muffin was a neighbourhood terror, a cat with nothing better to do with its time than pick fights. Old Mrs Flaherty, who had been owned by Muffin for going on ten years now, was about the only person or animal Muffin seemed happy to be with.
Ignoring the fact that Ash looked like he was going to cry or shout or both, Connor rounded on him. “You need to leave. Let us do our job.”
“It’s my niece’s cat. His name is Tux. He’s… I’m in charge… Please don’t let him die.” Ash backed out of the room.
“Wow, your bedside manner sucked,” Rachel murmured. Connor ignored her. The cat would need to be sedated, and then Connor could have a proper look at what was going on.
Once Tux was out, he concentrated on clipping the hair all around the wounds, cleaning them, and stitching the really bad ones. There were two deep scratch-bites across the cat’s shoulders, but they weren’t quite deep enough to necessitate a drain. Seemed like Tux and Muffin were evenly matched.
Finally Connor placed Tux in a recovery cage and stepped back to check all looked okay. There wasn’t anything else to do now except the bit that Connor was dreading: talking to the owner, in this case, because the owner was Ash.
He washed his hands, then stripped off his white coat, which had way too much of Tux’s blood on it, and replaced it with a clean one. Then he washed his hands again and realised he was delaying the inevitable.
“Try and be nice,” Rachel warned as Connor left the surgery and moved into the consultancy room. He ignored her and instead waited until Evan the receptionist showed a shell-shocked Ash into the room. He looked oddly vulnerable, his dark hair messy and his white T-shirt bloody and loose out of his board shorts.
“Okay, surgery went well,” Connor said immediately. “Follow-up will be antibiotics, pain medication, and probably a cone to keep the cat from messing with the wounds.”
Ash merely nodded. He looked to still be in a state of shock, and at one point he opened his mouth to speak, then shut it again.
Connor began to feel sorry for him, his normal compassion for animals and their owners pushing through the awkwardness he was feeling and the animosity he couldn’t help creating inside to balance the embarrassment.
“Tux will be fine.”
Ash visibly relaxed. “Really? He was the only thing I was supposed to do right and I fucked it up.”
“Started up a cat-fighting ring, did you?”
Ash blinked. “What?”
“Unless you’re in the game of setting up cat-fighting events, this wasn’t your fault. Cats fight, particularly over territory.”
“They do that?”
“Fight, yes.”
“No I mean, is there such a thing as cat-fighting events?” Ash looked horrified. “Like the dog ones?”
“No, of course not, or well… anything happens, I guess, but not here.” Suddenly Connor felt like an idiot. He’d been trying for dry humour and ended up starting a conversation about something he hadn’t wanted to. Because conversation meant talking to Ash, and while at some point in the future, he did want to do that, he didn’t want to do it now. Here.

FIND A LISTING OF THE BUY LINKS ALONG WITH ANOTHER EXCERPT here.

MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:

Readers who enjoy watching opposites attract will be drawn to the complex relationship between veterinarian Connor and rich boy Ash in this sweet and sensual read.  Over the course of one summer these two men will find themselves at crossroads that will not only push them together but pull them apart as they discover who they really are and what they really want.  The quietness of village life is the backdrop to this relationship that is antagonistic at first but slowly becomes more profound as they deal with their pasts, prejudices, and expectations and readers will find themselves quickly caught up in the drama.

As a youngster Connor's sweetest memories were of summers spent at a cottage in Upper Fordham and it's where he came to heal after a very painful relationship left him bruised and battered inside and out.  This painful past also left him fearful, doubtful of his feelings, and prejudice against those with money.  His existence now revolves around his vet work and the very small group he allows into his heart...the sweet Rachel and the wise old man who owns the cottage that has always represented happiness, safety, and love.  At first this all seemed fulfilling enough but meeting rich boy Ash has his heart racing and his hormones awakening.  His fear and anger weigh heavily on him though and it takes a lot for Ash to finally break through his emotional walls but the journey is one that shows Ash in an unexpected way and has Connor growing stronger within himself and healing from the past.  I enjoyed seeing Connor come out of his shell as he's a truly kindhearted person who deserved some goodness after being betrayed.  His emotions were believable and had me aching for him early on but smiling as he and Ash grew closer.

Ashby comes from a well-established and wealthy family and with that comes many expectations that are slowly smothering him.  He's always been the fun-loving brother flitting from one short-lived relationship to the next but meeting Connor has him wanting something more.  At first he just enjoys the challenge but as they spend more time together he discovers a more meaningful bond forming between them.  Getting rid of Connor's preconceived notions has Ash discovering things about himself he didn't want to admit before, but wanting Connor has him embracing the more mundane things in life that are more fulfilling to him.  Throughout his own journey of self-discovery he and Connor grow closer in a relationship that starts out sweet and slow but quickly combusts in sexy and playful encounters.  From start to finish I found Ash an enjoyable, larger-than-life character who was utterly charming.  He wasn't afraid to go after Connor and that carried over into his embracing of a new stage in his life that was far more rewarding for him.

Though this story was very slow at the start it allowed the romance to progress in a believable way as Connor and Ash morphed from enemies to friends to lovers.  The narrative sometimes got caught up in the history of the town too which left me clamoring for them to finally get together.  When they finally gave in though it was a richly rewarding moment that was sweet, steamy, and playful.  With two strong lead characters there was an equally memorable cast of secondary characters that were charming and supportive.  The depictions of the quaintness of the town and its denizens created a safe and idyllic environment from which these characters could find themselves without judgement.  The brotherly interactions between Ash, Ben, and Landon were also heartwarming and showed a different side to Ash that gave us our first glimpse of the substance behind his style.  Ultimately Connor and Ash had a lot of intense personal baggage to work through and I found myself captivated by their journey and recommend this to fans of the m/m genre and all lovers of romance.

My rating for this is a B+

*I got this book from the author for review in exchange for my honest opinion.

AUTHOR INFO:

RJ Scott has been writing since age six, when she was made to stay in at lunchtime for an infraction involving cookies. She was told to write a story and two sides of paper about a trapped princess later, a lover of writing was born.
As an avid reader herself, she can be found reading anything from thrillers to sci-fi to horror. However, her first real true love will always be the world of romance where she takes cowboys, bodyguards, firemen and billionaires (to name a few) and writes dramatic and romantic stories of love and passion between these men.
With over seventy titles to her name and counting, she is the author of the award winning book, The Christmas Throwaway. She is also known for the Texas series charting the lives of Riley and Jack, and the Sanctuary series following the work of the Sanctuary Foundation and the people it protects.
Her goal is to write stories with a heart of romance, a troubled road to reach happiness, and most importantly, that hint of a happily ever after.

WEBSITE:  www.rjscott.co.uk/

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Friday, May 29, 2015

Book Tour for Delivered Fast by Annabeth Albert (Review & GIVEAWAY)


The Portland Heat series keeps getting hotter as seen in this third installment of Delivered Fast by Annabeth Albert.  Keep reading to get a tantalizing taste of this sweet and steamy m/m read, along with my impressions of it, and learn even more about this book by visiting the other sites hosting this tour.  In celebration of this release fill out the form below for the chance to win a $25 Amazon GC too!

Portland, Oregon, aka Hotlandia, where the coffee shops, restaurants, and bakeries are ready to serve everything piping hot, fresh, and ready to go—like the hard-working, hard-bodied men behind the counters—with no reservations…
Sure, Chris O’Neal has problems. His restaurant is still co-owned by his ex. His flannel-and-tattoos style is making him accidentally trendy. He can’t remember the last time he went out and had fun. But he’s not lonely, he’s driven. And the hot bakery delivery boy is not his problem, no matter how sweet his buns.
Chris is old enough to know Lance Degrassi’s sculpted good looks and clever double entendres spell nothing but trouble. Lance is still in college—he should be hitting the clubs and the books, chasing guys his own age, not pursuing some gruff motorcycle-riding workaholic. Especially when he’ll be leaving for grad school in a few months. But Lance keeps hanging around, lending a hand, charming Chris to distraction. Maybe some steaming hot no-strings indulgence won’t hurt.
Then again, maybe it will…

EXCERPT:

The delivery boy had sweet buns. Not to mention prize-winning  rolls. He wore a pair of those fancy over-the-ear headphones and shimmied around the white bakery truck, his hips and ass working in time to what was apparently a killer beat. Even the way he climbed into the back of the truck was a choreographed dance. I wasn’t usually one to get distracted by eye candy, but that ass . . . 
I’d propped open the service door at the rear of my coffee shop about fifteen minutes earlier, hoping to coax a cool breeze into the stuffy storeroom where I’d been working. I leaned against the door frame, appreciating the unexpectedly fine view in the alley.
When the guy emerged from the truck—headphones around his neck, carrying a stack of pink boxes—I pushed away from the door and met him at the edge of the concrete steps. I tried to play it cool, like I hadn’t spent the last five minutes perving on his world-class bubble butt.
“You’re not Vic,” I said as I ushered him into the hallway that led back to the kitchen and storeroom. 
“Nope. I’m Lance, Vic’s cousin. I’ll be handling your deliveries from here on out.” His smile—a wide, toothy grin—was almost as adorable as his butt. The only resemblance he had to my usual beefy delivery guy was in the chiseled facial features and light olive skin. He looked like he’d be right at home playing World Cup soccer for Italy with his wide shoulders, lean torso, muscular thighs and legs. And that ass. 
Which I was going to stop thinking about right the hell now. He was too young—I could see that even more clearly under the fluorescent lights of my kitchen. Early twenties, if that. His gelled-up black hair fell across his forehead in artfully bleached strands. Too high maintenance for my taste. 
“I’m Chris O’Neal. Here, let me help you with those.” Taking part of the stack from him, I showed him the metal racks where I stashed recent deliveries. 
“Nice setup you’ve got here.” Lance looked around the cramped but efficient kitchen area. 
“Thanks.” Most of The People’s Cup square footage was devoted to the coffee bar and seating area in the front, so I made do in the back with my organization system, which bordered on the obsessive. I’d installed floor-to-ceiling shelving on every wall, including over the cooktop and counters. The center prep table was where most of the action happened, and its broad expanse was covered with the beginnings of several dishes for tomorrow’s Sunday brunch.
“I’ve been here before with friends from PSU—for your Sunday thing. And during the week once or twice to study.” 
I made a noncommittal noise. Great. A college kid. As if I needed to feel like more of an old, cranky perv. 
“Let’s get the rest of the boxes.” I herded him back out to the alley. I was eager to get him and his distracting ass on his way. I had several more hours of staging work ahead of me to prepare for Sunday’s buffet. During the week we were just another coffeehouse, but we were known all over Portland for our Sunday brunch. 
“So are you the owner? This all yours?” Lance asked as he got another load of boxes from the truck. 
“Yeah. Mine and my partner’s. Business partner.” I fumbled the stack of boxes he handed me. Why had it felt so necessary to make that qualification? Like the kid would be in any way interested in my messed-up business relationship with my stubborn bastard of an ex. 
Despite his pretty-boy looks, the kid was probably straight; he had a confident swagger girls his age likely found irresistible. 
“I’ve been to your other place, too—the one in Northwest. Did the delivery there earlier. I like this location better.” 
“Me too,” I said, my voice drier than gin. “Randy give you any issues?” 
Randy had his location; I had mine. Our relationship had turned into something out of a bad chick flick, except there wasn’t any cute ending coming. 
“Randy? Nah. It was some girl named Becky, with a nose ring and huge gauges.” 
I nodded. That sounded about right for Randy’s taste. And I was not going to care whether he was banging her or how long she’d last as an employee. His shitty employee turnover wasn’t my problem. I’d washed my hands of what happened at the 23rd Street store. 
“You want a cup of coffee for the road?” I asked before I could stop myself. It was the same courtesy I’d always extended to his cousin and to most of our other delivery people, but somehow my offer felt tinged with more than politeness. 
“What do you have on offer today?” His grin was more than a little wicked. 
Wouldn’t you like to know? I bit back the flirtatious retort. And what the hell was up with that? I did not flirt. Hell, anything other than bitter and grumpy hadn’t been my MO for months now.

FIND THIS BOOK ON GOODREADS here.

FIND THIS BOOK SERIES ON GOODREADS here.

BUY LINKS:  AMAZON | BN | iBOOKS | KOBO

MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:

Since the release of the first book in the Portland Heat series, Ms. Albert's talent has become clearer with each successive book.  On a whole this is a series defined by its storylines and characters that has given me hours of enjoyment.  With this latest installment though, my favorite of the three, I was given a sweet and memorable read with characters who jumped off the page as they claimed my heart.  Though the emotions being dealt with here were intense the action never devolved into uber-angst nor went over-the-top, the characters and their feelings remained human which fully immersed me in the story from the very first page to the last.

Upon getting our first glimpse of college student Lance in his Uncle Vic's story he'd left an indelible impression with his exuberance for life, perpetual optimism, and fun and flirty nature.  In this romantic tale Lance shows that he's wise beyond his years as he subtly tries to get the reserved and overly serious Chris to look past age and focus on the love growing from their friends with benefits relationship.  Lance was immediately drawn to Chris but had to work to gain entrance into his life because of Chris' fears over age and lost dreams.  Lance ultimately had to wage a battle of charm, playfulness, and sensuality that was immensely entertaining before Chris finally gave in with a scorching one-night stand that caught both of them off guard.  Their burgeoning relationship was sweet yet sexy and despite their plan to keep things casual their connection reached surprising depths with Lance opening Chris' eyes to living life instead of hiding away.  He was clearly more in touch with his feelings and willing to put his heart on the line to make their relationship work long-term which, combined with his upbeat and open aiitude, kept a perpetual smile on my face.

Chris has been hurt numerous times in the past and had his dreams crushed repeatedly.  It's left him weary and afraid to put his heart on the line again.  With an ex-boyfriend whose existence irritates him and with his life passing him by he feels jaded, but seeing Lance awakens his heart and has him wanting to bask in the sunlight of Lance's soul.  Though he can think of many reasons why they shouldn't be a couple, which are discussed throughout the story, Chris can't deny how good they are together.  Being with Lance has him embracing life once again, it has him reaching for new possibilities, and finding fulfillment in making others happy by opening his heart.  With the clock ticking down until Lance leaves for grad school, will Chris go back to being alone or will he take a chance on love?

This story had a wonderful flow which allowed Lance and Chris' closeness to evolve believably.  Though lust drew them together initially, things quickly grew more serious through heartfelt conversations and Lance's charm and big heart.  Chris was a broken man just going through the motions until Lance came into his life and I loved seeing Chris evolve into a more kindhearted and self-sacrificing person.  Though the emotions were intense there was very little angst, and difficulties that arose were dealt with quickly and maturely.  Along with a strong personal connection between them were numerous hot and heavy scenes that were at times playful but always sensual.  These scenes were nicely balanced though with interactions outside the bedroom which showed the fun and flirty banter growing between them.  On a whole this was a well-crafted story with an immensely likable main couple.  There were very few extraneous characters to get in the way of the wonderful relationship burning between Lance and Chris which meant plenty of time spent in their hearts and minds to fully immerse me in their chosen endings.  Fans of the m/m genre will fall in love with Lance just as much as I did and will easily get caught up in this older man/younger man romance with surprising depth and emotions.

My rating for this is an A-

*I got this book from NetGalley for review in exchange for my honest opinion.

AUTHOR INFO:

Annabeth Albert grew up sneaking romance novels under the bed covers. Now, she devours all subgenres of romance out in the open—no flashlights required! When she’s not adding to her keeper shelf, she’s a multi-published Pacific Northwest romance writer.
Emotionally complex, sexy, and funny stories are her favorites both to read and to write. Annabeth loves finding happy endings for a variety of pairings and is a passionate gay rights supporter. In between searching out dark heroes to redeem, she works a rewarding day job and wrangles two toddlers.
Represented by Saritza Hernandez of the Corvisiero Literary Agency.


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Thursday, May 28, 2015

Release Week Blitz for Nowhere But Here by Katie McGarry (GIVEAWAY)


YA fans will find themselves drawn to Nowhere But Here by Katie McGarry, the first installment in the MC-themed Thunder Road series.  Keep reading to get a tantalizing taste of this tale of a good girl getting a glimpse of the wild side and then add it to your bookshelf.  To celebrate its release make sure to fill out the form below for the chance to win a signed copy of this book and a t-shirt too!

An unforgettable new series from acclaimed author Katie McGarry about taking risks, opening your heart and ending up in a place you never imagined possible.
Seventeen-year-old Emily likes her life the way it is: doting parents, good friends, good school in a safe neighborhood. Sure, she's curious about her biological father—the one who chose life in a motorcycle club, the Reign of Terror, over being a parent—but that doesn't mean she wants to be a part of his world. But when a reluctant visit turns to an extended summer vacation among relatives she never knew she had, one thing becomes clear: nothing is what it seems. Not the club, not her secret-keeping father and not Oz, a guy with suck-me-in blue eyes who can help her understand them both.
Oz wants one thing: to join the Reign of Terror. They're the good guys. They protect people. They're…family. And while Emily—the gorgeous and sheltered daughter of the club's most respected member—is in town, he's gonna prove it to her. So when her father asks him to keep her safe from a rival club with a score to settle, Oz knows it's his shot at his dream. What he doesn't count on is that Emily just might turn that dream upside down.
No one wants them to be together. But sometimes the right person is the one you least expect, and the road you fear the most is the one that leads you home.

EXCERPT:

The motorcycle accelerates and the few inches I had established between me and Oz: gone. My body slides forward, colliding into his, and we click together like two puzzle pieces. Heat rushes up my neck and onto my cheeks. My thighs are too close to his, too tight against his body and this is way more intimate than I have been before with a guy.
Even when the two of us kissed.
Oz veers left, away from Olivia’s, away from the main road, and the entire motorcycle pitches to the side. My heart thun­ders and my fingers clutch not only at Oz’s belt loop, but at the material of his jeans, and his hips.
Oz glances at me over his shoulder as the bike straightens out. “Lean with it, Emily.”
Right. Lean with Oz and the bike. Got it. The narrow road curves ahead and this time when Oz and the bike tilt, I move along with it. Oz releases one of the amazingly high handlebars and massages my knee before returning his hand to the grip. Whether in reassurance or to affirm I mastered the curve I don’t know, but either way, I sit higher.
The wind whips through my hair and onto my face and I shut my eyes for a brief second and pretend that I’m flying. There’s something energizing, something hypnotic, something inside me that begs to burst out of a cage in search of freedom.
The motorcycle kicks forward and our speed increases. Beams of sunlight filter through the towering trees and green foliage blurs together as we fly over the road. From head to toe, my body vibrates with the loud growling of the power­ful machine.
My knee still tingles from where Oz laid his fingers on me and I’ve never been more aware of my hands in my life. I should let go of Oz’s body, but I can’t. Belt loops weren’t enough and my fingers have somehow edged up and onto his sides. Oz is solid. Yes, definitely solid. Every inch of him that I touch is tight muscle.
Oz is a year older than me, but somehow he seems older, wiser and hotter than any other guy I’ve known. Just the way he rides his bike creates this overabundance of confidence.
Warm sensations I’ve never experienced before blossom through me. We enter another curve and I lean with him. I like how in sync I’ve become with Oz and the motorcycle. Like we’ve merged into one.
The purr of the engine deepens and Oz eases the bike to a stop. His feet hit the ground and he turns the machine off. It’s as if all sound in the world ceased, or maybe I’ve gone deaf because there’s no way anything can be this still or silent.
The wind picks up and the silence is frightened away with the roar of the trees bending. Both Oz and I shift with the flow of air and Oz doesn’t move the bike until the breeze gentles.
Oz kicks down the stand and the bike tilts, but not too much. He sets a hand over the fingers that I laced together across his stomach. Oh, hell, I’m plastic wrapped to him. I drop my head onto his shoulder and it places me closer, and closer is not what I need.
I go to unglue myself, but Oz squeezes my fingers, send­ing a jolt of electricity up my arms. “You okay?”
I have to clear my throat to speak and that just sucks. “Yes.”
Oz slides his fingers against mine and a fluttering occurs in my stomach. It’s a light fluttering. Ticklish even, and my survival instincts scream at me to get off this motorcycle.


FIND AT GOODREADS here.

BUY LINKS:  AMAZON  |  KOBO  |  BOOKS-A-MILLION  |  BN  |  iBOOKS  |  INDIE BOUND


AUTHOR INFO:

Katie McGarry was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan.
Katie is the author of full length YA novels, PUSHING THE LIMITS, DARE YOU TO, CRASH INTO YOU, TAKE ME ON,  BREAKING THE RULES, and NOWHERE BUT HERE and the e-novellas, CROSSING THE LINE and RED AT NIGHT. Her debut YA novel, PUSHING THE LIMITS was a 2012 Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction, a RT Magazine's 2012 Reviewer's Choice Awards Nominee for Young Adult Contemporary Novel, a double Rita Finalist, and a 2013 YALSA Top Ten Teen Pick. DARE YOU TO was also a Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction and won RT Magazine’s Reviewer’s Choice Best Book Award for Young Adult Contemporary fiction in 2013.


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Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Book Tour for The Likelihood of Lucy by Jenny Holiday (GIVEAWAY)


As a fan of historical romances I'm thrilled to introduce you to The Likelihood of Lucy by Jenny Holiday with its memorable premise and charming tale of love.  Keep reading to get a tantalizing taste of this book and learn even more about this book by visiting the other sites hosting this tour.  In honor of this book fill out the form below for the chance to win a $25 Amazon GC too!

London, 1815
Trevor Bailey is on the cusp of opening the greatest hotel in London. His days as a gutter snipe are behind him, as he enjoys a life of wealth, society, and clandestine assignments as a spy in the service of His Majesty. Until one tumultuous night churns up the past he'd long left behind...
Turned out by her employer for her radical beliefs, Lucy Greenleaf reaches out to the man who was once her most beloved friend. She never expected that the once-mischievous Trevor would be so handsome and gentleman-like and neither can deny the instant attraction.
But Lucy's reformer ways pose a threat to the hotel's future and his duties as a spy. Now Trevor must choose between his new life and the woman he's always loved…

EXCERPT:

Who was this man? He was the Trevor of her youth, yet he was not. The boy would not have touched her like that. Would not even have noticed her face long enough to bother with a dab of pudding gone awry. The boy had reserved that sort of intense scrutiny for lock picking and cake filching.
The man, by contrast, was causing her stomach to feel like little wings were fluttering inside it.
It was almost as if she wasn’t in the room, which was ridiculous because of course she was. It was her lip he caressed. But he stared so intently at her mouth that the encounter seemed somehow to be unfolding between him and it without her presence mattering at all.
She lifted herself onto tiptoes, and the tiny birds inside her took off, a great flapping flock of them. They were propelling her toward him, and she wasn’t in charge anymore. She pressed her lips against the spot of chocolate near the corner of his mouth. If she’d thought the chocolate tasted sinful before, she’d been naive. The tang of his skin magnified it, made it magnetic.
“Lucy,” he rasped, his lips moving against her skin as he spoke her name. She waited for more, for him to cry halt. He did not. So she remained where she was, her lips pressed against the corner of his mouth but not moving, the roar of blood in her ears a rushing waterfall.
Beneath her mouth, his jaw clenched, became hard like iron, and his breath, already short, took on a ragged quality. Warmth pooled low in her belly like that chocolate, liquefied and hot. Every second they stood there, unmoving, something coiled more tightly inside her. It was almost painful, but it was impossible to imagine stepping away.
He moved only an inch. Less than an inch. His lips grazed hers, and though they barely touched hers, the warmth in her belly became fire. How was that possible? They weren’t even kissing, not really, and yet she felt as if she were at the gates of Bedlam.
A thought crept in. She tried to push it away, but it persisted. This is why Mary had fallen victim to her bouts of suicidal behavior. This—this unnamable compulsion—would grow and grow until it took over, displacing everything else, everything that made her herself. Unlike Mary, she wasn’t capable of producing great works of philosophy with the potential to change the world, but she did have a life. A hard-won life she’d made for herself through sheer force of will. Trevor was helping her—she’d had no choice but to permit it given his logical argument that their arrangement would benefit them both. But she needed to remember why she had agreed to stay only for six months. Because men were dangerous—even him. Even Trevor. Perhaps especially him.
So she stepped away.
BUY LINKS:  AMAZON  |  BN
AUTHOR INFO:

Jenny Holiday started writing in fourth grade, when her awesome hippie teacher, between sessions of Pete Seeger singing and anti-nuclear power plant letter writing, gave the kids notebooks and told them to write stories. Most of Jenny's featured poltergeist, alien invasions, or serial killers who managed to murder everyone except her and her mom. She showed early promise as a romance writer, though, because nearly every story had a happy ending: fictional Jenny woke up to find that the story had been a dream, and that her best friend, father, and sister had not, in fact, been axe-murdered. From then on, she was always writing, often in her diary, where she liked to decorate her declarations of existential angst with nail polish teardrops. Eventually she channelled her penchant for scribbling into a more useful format. After picking up a PhD in urban geography, she became a professional writer, and has spent many years promoting research at a major university, which allows her to become an armchair astronomer/historian/particle physicist, depending on the day. Eventually, she decided to try her hand again at happy endings--minus the bloodbaths.

TWITTER:  @jennyholi and @TropeHeroine

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