Blogging by Liza: May 2015

Sunday, May 31, 2015

WITCHES BE BURNED

In Stacey Kennedy’s steamy paranormal romance novel, a rookie guardian sworn to combat the undead risks life and love in a world of violence, witchcraft, and seduction.

Trained as an Elite Guardian and witch, Nexi Jones has lost her family and she’s hell-bent on making sure she doesn’t lose anyone else. At least she has Kyden, her smoldering hot partner who’s been there for her every step of the way. But just as Nexi thinks she’s done mourning, tragedy strikes the Otherworld when a fellow guardian is murdered by a group of rogue vampires. Drawn into their dangerous games, she and Kyden trek into the Earthworld to hunt down a killer—and Nexi alone will be put to the ultimate test.

Although Kyden knows that Nexi must fight her own battles, his guardian instincts are raging as he struggles to keep her close. The ruthlessness of these vampires is like nothing he’s ever seen. And at their helm is the black witch Astoria, a demon with one burning desire: to shed blood in the name of vengeance. What troubles Kyden even more, though, is the warlock lurking in the shadows. Let the devil do his worst . . . all Kyden can do is love and protect Nexi until his last breath.

Release Date May 19, 2015

Magic & Mayhem Book 2

Random House Loveswept

I was lucky enough to receive a review copy from the publisher through NetGalley. I really enjoy Stacey Kennedy's books and was excited to try a new-to-me series. Witches Be Burned is the 2nd book in the Magic and Mayhem series, yet I didn't feel lost at all starting with this book. I felt like Ms. Kennedy did a great job of catching up her readers on what all had happened in the first book.

I enjoyed Witches Be Burned and absolutely loved many of the characters, Kyden especially. I liked Nexi, but honestly felt like she was a bit too whiny at times and sadly this happened way too often during Witches Be Burned. I loved the chemistry between Kyden and Nexi and they totally work as a couple for me, even when Kyden is acting super over protective of Nexi. It was almost endearing to see this huge warrior have the ability to be tender with Nexi when needed. I did have issues that Kyden didn't seem to respect the power Nexi had as both a witch and a guardian.

I loved all the guardians, witches and vampires coming together for the battle. I will say felt completely chaotic as I tried to keep up with all the main players in the battle. As I'm still learning about the various worlds within the series, I will attribute my confusion to that rather than any fault of the author. I find myself having a hard time distinguishing this book as either a paranormal romance or an urban fantasy book. There were elements of both within the story, and the multiple point-of-views for the story read a bit more like an urban fantasy story for me. I did feel that by the end of the book, Kyden saw Nexi as not only his lover, but as a capable warrior who can handle herself in difficult situations. I felt like Kyden and Nexi's characters both matured a bit and hope they continue to grow and progress in the next book in the series.

Witches Be Burned was really did read well as a stand-alone story. However, as I'm a fan of reading all the books in a series, I've already added book 1 to my kindle and my ever-growing To Be Read list. I look forward to reading the 3rd book in this series to see where Ms. Kennedy takes the characters in the future.

Saturday, May 30, 2015

RESCUING THE BAD BOY SPOTLIGHT & GIVEAWAY

About RESCUING THE BAD BOY

Not All Scars Heal

For Donovan Pate, the lake town of Evergreen Cove is a minefield of tough memories-including the day he had to let go of Sofie Martin. Years later he still can't forget the taste of her lips and the feel of her killer curves. He knows he's too damaged, that he should stay away for her own good. But what the head says and the heart wants are two very different things . . . Seven years ago, Donovan broke Sofie's heart. Now her career depends on playing nice in order to pull off the charity fund-raiser of the decade. She vows to keep things professional . . . yet working by his side every day doesn't make it easy to fight temptation, and it isn't long before she finds herself falling for this bad boy all over again. But loving Donovan means helping him face his past-so they can fight for a future together.

Buy links

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1zCPTpP

B&N: http://bit.ly/1zNqz0L

iBooks: http://apple.co/1FeFwsw

GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/1EQYODa

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1AoXDFM

BAM: http://bit.ly/1EasqsC

Indiebound: http://bit.ly/1GvHtyT

About Jessica Lemmon

A former job-hopper, Jessica Lemmon resides in Ohio with her husband and rescue dog. She holds a degree in graphic design currently gathering dust in an impressive frame. When she's not writing super-sexy heroes, she can be found cooking, drawing, drinking coffee (okay, wine), and eating potato chips. She firmly believes God gifts us with talents for a purpose, and with His help, you can create the life you want.

Jessica’s SM

http://facebook.com/JessicaLemmon

https://www.goodreads.com/jlemmony

www.jessicalemmon.com

@lemmony

Excerpt

Her soft touch landed on Donovan’s arm, and the anger shuddering inside him shifted into an ache. She stepped closer, the warmth between them radiating enough heat to set him on fire. But like the fireplaces he built, he could handle it. He could handle the heat from her, not because he was impervious, but because he was strong enough to soak her in and not burn to ash.

She turned his arm where paint was drying. She swiped at it with her sleeve. “I made a mess.”

He’d forgotten about the paint. “Don’t… I can… There is a shower in the…” He lost his train of thought when she turned those emerald green eyes up to him. He watched her delicate throat work as she swallowed. His eyes traveled up her neck and landed on her mouth. Needing her mouth, he lowered his face, watched her eyes grow dark and wide, watched her lift her chin to meet him.

Heat. He wanted more. If only to test his own strength.

He moved his lips gently against hers, but resisted holding her to him. She held onto him though, grasping his forearms with both hands, her fingers wrapped around his elbows. Pressing her body against his, pressing her tits against his ribs.

Hell, sounded like an invitation to him. Deepening their connection, he thrust his tongue into her mouth, reached around, and grabbed her ass with both palms. When he squeezed, she sucked in a breath.

“Told you,” he rumbled.

“Told me?”

“Not a complaint, Scampi.” He squeezed again. “Perfect.”

A choked laugh left her throat. “Big.”

Still moving his hands over her backside, he said, “First thing I noticed about you at the Wharf.” He’d been plating up a chicken scaloppini when the manager walked in to show around a few new servers. Two he couldn’t remember, and Sofie. Bent over the plate, he’d peeked between the metal shelves framing that perfect ass . He’d stood to get a better look, and she’d pegged him with those moss-greens.

“Second thing I noticed was your eyes.”

Her lips parted slightly. “And the third thing?”

He kissed her. She tasted incredible. “The first time you talked to me.”

She rolled her eyes. “And what did I say?”

She didn’t think he remembered. She was wrong. “‘Can I get a side of cock?’”

Laughing, she shook her head.

He smiled back at her, unable to help himself. “Then you cleared your throat and said, ‘cocktail sauce’.”

Shaking her head, she said, “Worst abbreviation ever.”

“Kitchen guys are immature.”

She blinked up at him, studying him, like she was trying to piece him together. He didn't want her to. Once she pieced him together and had the whole picture, she wouldn’t like what she saw.

He kissed her again, keeping his hands on her body.

“Are you testing my boundaries?” she asked, her tone teasing. He recognized that comment from the night he rescued her from Torsett.

“Mine,” he corrected.

Sofie bit her lip. “I don’t date much.”

“Me either.” At all, actually.

She shook her head, more in thought than in argument. “I don’t think I have any boundaries with you.”

He was beginning to think he had none with her, either.

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Friday, May 29, 2015

FLIRTING WITH SCANDAL (CAPITAL CONFESSIONS)

The author of I See London sets her sights on Washington, D. C., with a sexy new series about three sisters, the secrets they keep, and a powerful blog with a knack for exposing scandals...

Jackie Gardner knows all about dirty little secrets. The illegitimate daughter of one of the most influential senators in Washington, D.C., she grew up surrounded by the scandals and shadows of politics. Now that she's landed an internship with a powerful political consulting firm, she's determined to launch her career and take this city by storm.

William Andrew Clayton was born for politics. He knows the drill: work hard, play discreetly, and at all costs, avoid scandal. At twenty-six, his campaign for the Virginia State Senate is the first step to cementing his future. It's time for him to settle down, to find the perfect political spouse. He needs a Jackie Kennedy, not a Marilyn...

When Jackie meets Will in the bar of the Hay-Adams Hotel, sparks fly. But the last thing Will needs is to be caught in a compromising position, and an affair with a political candidate could cost Jackie her career. When what began as one steamy night, becomes a passion neither one of them can walk way from, they must decide if what they have is really love, or just another dirty little secret...

Release Date May 19, 2015

Penguin Group InterMix

Capital Confessions #1

Chanel Cleeton is a new-to-me author and I was really excited to receive an ARC of Flirting with Scandal from the publisher through NetGalley. While Flirting with Scandal was the first book I read by Chanel Cleeton, it won't be my last.

I really enjoyed Flirting with Scandal. While it took a little bit for the story to get moving, once it got going, I couldn't put the book down. I absolutely loved how smart both Jackie and Will are in Flirting with Scandal. I felt like Jackie's beauty made others not always see how smart she was, yet Will picked up on it from the very beginning. The chemistry between Jackie and Will was smoking hot from the moment they first saw each other at the Hay-Adams Hotel. Will and Jackie seriously couldn't seem to keep their hands off one another if they were ever alone.

While I loved the chemistry between Will and Jackie, I knew Jackie keeping secrets about her past would be an issue in the long run. The age difference between Will and Jackie didn't seem like a big deal much of the time, though I did feel that Jackie was very immature when it came to relationships. While I totally understood her lack of relationships thanks to her mother and her father and her trust issues, my only issue with the story was Jackie colored everything Will did based on her past.

Of all the characters in Flirting with Scandal, I felt Jackie grew more as a character than any other. Will was already pretty mature at the beginning of the book and he was willing to do anything to make their relationship work. It took Jackie having everything in her life turned upside down for her to finally find the inner strength she had all along and fight for what was important.

Flirting with Scandal was a sexy and funny political romance. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the books in the Capital Confessions series.

Thursday, May 28, 2015

AFRAID TO FLY RELEASE BLITZ

Meet Dirty Dom in this fantastic stand-alone!

AVAILABLE NOW!

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1PKCcwq

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1cgpYcq

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/AfraidToFly_BN

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1F8nbsV

Blurb

I’d like to tell you that I’m ok.

That the meaningless sex with countless women has somehow numbed the pain. That it’s deciphered the constant confusion in my head. Eased the self-hatred that sinks into my gut every time I look in the mirror.

I’d like to tell you that time heals all wounds.

That we evolve and grow into well-adjusted, stable adults, set on a path to right the world’s wrongs. That we are not our past…we are not our pain.

I want to tell you all those things. Hell, I want to believe all those things. But I’d be lying. I’m good at that. Living a lie is the only way I truly know how to survive.

But the day I saw her, I stopped surviving. I stopped existing. And for the first time in 24 years, I started living.

She brought me back to life. Set me free and sent my soul soaring. Made this useless shell of a man feel like…something. Something whole and real and good.

She saved me.

Although she believes I wasn’t even worth saving.

This story chronicles the journey of Dominic Trevino, a character from Fear of Falling. However, it can be read as a standalone.

Excerpt #1

I approached her slowly, letting my eyes take in her soft, feminine curves. That’s what I loved the most about women—their softness, their delicateness. It made them appear breakable, just like me. And it made me appreciate that vulnerability, in hopes that someone could—and would—one day, appreciate mine.

That’s why even though I never offered more than a few hours of toe-curling pleasure, I assured each second was spent tending to their sexual desires and making them feel treasured. Just because I was a whore, it didn’t make me callous or uncaring. If anything, it made me more aware of my humanity.

I pushed it all away, trading my own hang-ups and idiosyncrasies for the mental numbness that sex could provide and did what I do best: Fuck. I was good at this part—touching, kissing, licking. And when we were both ready—too ravenous with desire to consider my aversions—I drove into her slowly, all the way to the hilt. Until her body completely covered mine and soothed the ache of loneliness with wet warmth. This was the feeling I had been chasing since I was just a child, barely a man. That sweet oblivion that only mindless sex could provide. I was made whole by emptying myself into another, and for the barest of moments, I became separate from my pain and anger. I became the type of man that could look himself in the mirror and not see the horror of his past standing behind him, its razor sharp claws cutting into the skin of his shoulders while it smiled in that sinister way that still made my skin crawl.

I had seen that malevolence in my dreams every day since as long as I could remember. Sometimes it was in the form of a smile, a laugh. Sometimes it wore the face of ecstasy and passion. But it was always terrifying.

I lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling long after Alyssa had passed out in blissful exhaustion. She came twice, once by my tongue, the other with her ankles on my shoulders. She was a screamer, and I kept wondering if Angel would bust in here, wondering if I was fucking or killing the girl. Then, if Alyssa was up for it, she’d join, like she had just this past weekend with Cherri. It wasn’t that we wanted each other in that way—oh hell no. We were just better…together. It made it even easier to get out of our heads and lost in the movement of our bodies.

It was co-dependent like a motherfucker. And unhealthy. And unconventional. But it was all we knew.