Tuesday, February 28, 2017

CHAIN REACTION RELEASE DAY BLITZ

Title: Chain Reaction
Author: Tara Wyatt
Series: Bodyguard #3
On Sale: February 28, 2017
Publisher: Forever
Formats: Mass Market
Price: $7.99 (mass market)

SHE NEEDS A LOVER AND A FIGHTER

Blonde. Beautiful. Talented. Alexa Fairfax is practically Hollywood royalty. But growing up in a family of legendary movie stars also puts her in the spotlight for danger. And after she discovers a plot more deadly than any movie script, Alexa desperately needs a bodyguard. A man like Zack De Luca. A true friend with a good heart, a protective nature-and the hard, chiseled muscles to back it up.

 Zack has always been wildly attracted to Alexa. But since he's training day and night to be an MMA fighter, he's afraid his gorgeous friend will only distract him from his goal. Indescribably sweet and irresistibly sexy, Alexa needs Zack to pretend to be her boyfriend after her life is threatened. Now this fighter-in-training will have to fight his own intense feelings-to keep their little charade from turning into a major disaster . . .

BODYGUARD SERIES

Bodyguard #3


BUY THE BOOK HERE


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tara Wyatt has been making up love stories ever since she fell head over heels for the Backstreet Boys almost twenty years ago. Winner of the Unpublished Winter Rose Award, Linda Howard Award of Excellence and the Heart of the West Award, Tara lives in Hamilton, Ontario with the cutest dog in the world and a husband that makes all of her heroes look like chumps.


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RAFFLECOPTER



Excerpt

She leaned her back against the door and shut her eyes, her face ghostly white. Her hands shook as she adjusted the strap of her purse on her shoulder.
Frowning, Zack shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans and headed toward her. She smiled weakly when she saw him, her lips twitching up for a second, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes. Her fingers curled around the strap of her purse, her knuckles going the same shade of white as her face. Something hot and protective tightened his chest, and for a crazy second, he wanted to reach out and pull her into his arms, to promise her that, whatever it was, she’d be okay.
Instead he stopped a few feet in front of her, his hands still in his pockets. “Alexa? You okay?”
Her eyes met his, and she sucked in a shaky breath. “I...Oh God.” She pressed her hands to her face and let out a soft sob, her shoulders trembling.
Zack yanked his hands from his pockets and pulled Alexa into his arms, cradling her against his chest. She felt so tiny, so vulnerable. She barely reached his shoulder despite the fact that she had heels on.
“What happened? Did someone hurt you?” he whispered into her light-blond hair, so fine and soft under his fingers as he stroked the back of her head. So help him God, if someone had hurt her, he would make them bleed.
She pulled back, just enough to look up at him, and he noticed the mascara smudged under her eye. He left his arms around her. It would’ve felt wrong to take them away.
She shook her head slowly, her bottom lip caught between her teeth. “I...don’t think...I can’t.”
“Do you want to go outside? Get some fresh air?” Maybe if she calmed down a little, she’d be able to tell him what the hell had her so...It was more than upset.
The poor girl was fucking spooked.
She hesitated a second before nodding. Without a word he tucked her under his arm, shielding her from the view of the other party guests. He led her down a hallway off the foyer and into the garage, where a side door led into the quiet, dark backyard. The noise from the party filtered out through the open windows, mingling with the soft gurgle of water from the pool. A cool spring breeze rustled the palm fronds and teased Alexa’s shoulder-length hair around her jaw. She brushed it aside as he led her to a stone bench off to the right, their backs to the house.
For several moments they just sat, Alexa sniffling and staring blankly at the still water of the pool. Zack stroked a hand up and down her back, hoping to comfort her in some way. He’d spent the past year as a bodyguard honing his protective instincts, and they now came to life, alarm bells ringing through his skull. Something was very, very wrong.
When she finally spoke, she surprised him with her question. “Who’s the party for? Sierra was cagey about it on the phone earlier.”
Zack glanced back at the house. “Oh. Uh, for Taylor and Colt. They got married in Vegas last weekend.”
Alexa’s head whipped around. “What? But didn’t they just get together?”
“Yeah.”
“They’re crazy.” She shook her head, but he could hear the smile in her voice.
“That’s what I said.”
Gently, she laid a hand on his arm, the tips of her fingers warm against his skin. “Are you okay?”
Fuck, she was so sweet. He was supposed to be comforting her and finding out why she’d suddenly burst into tears, and she was worried about him because his ex-girlfriend had eloped.
He laid a hand over hers, allowing himself the luxury of tracing his thumb over her delicate knuckles. “I’m fine. Just surprised, like everyone, I think. You gonna tell me what’s wrong?”
She sighed heavily. “I don’t even know where to start.” “Beginning’s usually a good place.”

She scoffed out a laugh. “That would take too long.”
He turned to face her. “Did someone hurt you? What happened, Alexa?”
A tremble coursed through her, and he wished he were wearing more than a T-shirt and jeans so that he had a jacket or a sweater to offer her. But he didn’t, so instead he pulled her close and tucked her against him. “Please tell me. I want to help.”
She swallowed thickly and looked up at him, meeting his gaze. “I...I think my dad’s a murderer and that I might be in a lot of trouble.”

Excerpted from CHAIN REACTION by Tara Wyatt. Copyright © 2017 by Tara Wyatt. Reprinted with permission of Forever. All rights reserved.  


JORDAN RECLAIMED

Jordan Steele’s life began when he was ten. When he was taken from his parents and a house that was never a home. When he met his brothers, the other lost and abandoned boys in his group home. When he learned what friendship and family and love looked like.

Now he’s made good, touring the world with the band he and his brothers formed in that crowded group home. No one but his found family really knows the man under the fame and fortune, the scars he hides behind the rockstar lifestyle. Until he sees her through the windows of the National Ballet, dancing, and suddenly the world doesn’t seem so dark.

Aleksandra Artemov ticks all the ballet boxes. Father a legendary Kirov dancer. Check. Prepping since birth for classical ballet. Check. Compulsive control over the food she eats. Check. Principal dancer at The National Ballet of Canada. Check. But what she craves is freedom.

She craves Jordan.

Everything about him should terrify her. His size, his tattoos, his edge. But he doesn’t. He stirs her very soul. Jordan has nothing but himself to offer her, and he's never been good enough for anyone. Can he figure out how to face his own demons before he loses his light for good?

Release Date: February 28, 2017
Swerve
Preload Series #1
Contemporary Romance
Review copy provided by publisher

Nikki’s Review:

Sometimes a book comes along that just wrecks you. It pulls all your heartstrings, and drags every emotion from the depths of your soul. And sometimes you aren't sure you can get through it. You want to because the writing and story are brilliant, but the wreckage is almost too much to handle. This was one of those books for me.

I first "met" Jordan in, The Second Circle Tattoos series. From the moment he showed up on the page I knew he was special. I also knew that he was hurting...a lot. I was desperate to know his past and what his secrets were. Alas, I had to wait for his book, but I thought of him each time I read a Second Circle book. 

Jordan has been to hell and back. And in some sense he still exists in that hell. He is rocked and dragged down by his memories on daily basis. I've read some pretty heavy books where the characters are survivors of child abuse, but this shredded my heart. I won't go into details because I think you should learn those from Jordan. It's his story to tell after all. 

The moment Jordan spots Lexi dancing through a studio window he is transfixed by her beauty and grace. I could sense his curiosity of this almost ethereal creature. It was like a little of the heavy burden on his shoulders was lifted...just a little.

Lexi is a dedicated ballet dancer, a Principal Dancer for a prestigious Canadian company. She's pulled in many directions. Her heart yearns for something different in her career, but her sense of responsibility to her father and his idea of what her career should be is a constant battle. 

I talk about chemistry between characters a lot in my reviews. It's an important component that I need in romance novels. But I think chemistry is too simple a word to describe what happens between Lexi and Jordan. Maybe it was fate. But even that seems inadequate. Whatever it was, it was beautiful to witness. 

The path to their happiness is long and arduous. While I typically love a book that throws the characters into the sack very quickly, I loved watching the romance build. I loved watching Jordan pull at all his layers and discover things about himself that were buried deep. Jordan had to, in a sense, grow up. He was robbed of so many years and experiences. I had a huge smile on my face when he decided he needed a cell phone. It should have been a simple decision, but it wasn't. And the moment itself is pivotal in his healing. Not to mention the scene that followed his epiphany was hilarious!

Scarlett Cole wrote Lexi in such a way that I felt I could really see into the mind of a dancer. Her struggles with food and her weight felt real to me. I believed that she was a real person with these struggles. And you know what? She was! So many professional dancers, and ordinary everyday people, struggle with eating disorders and body image issues. So maybe Lexi isn't real, but there are people just like her in the world. 

These two are struggling to find their footing in a relationship when their internal battles are eating them alive. It seemed like a recipe for disaster. I adored their strength. The determination to grab life by the balls was admirable. 

The love scenes were, at times, heartbreaking. Jordan needed the physical connection to know that something in his life was good and beautiful. Don't get me wrong, Jordan is crazy hot and sexy in bed! It's just that the love scenes were something more. More than Pleasure. Does that make sense? It was a testament to survival.

The supporting characters in this book are so interesting. They leave me curious about their pasts. You get a wee glimpse of their stories, enough to make me hunger for more...Scarlett's good at that!
I know I'm going to be torn up by each of their books, too. These brothers by choice grew up in the foster care system. And we've all heard the horror stories of what growing up in the system can be like. Not everyone is lucky to end up in a home with caring adults...far from it. I can hardly wait to walk along on their journeys.

This book was dark. No doubt about it. But there's always an underlying feel of hope. One of my favourite things about this book was watching Lexi and Jordan blossom. It was exciting to see them really embrace life and fight for the happiness they wanted and so rightly deserved. 

I have to have a happily ever after in my romance novels. It's a requirement or I feel cheated and left hanging. Jordan and Lexi definitely get that, but everything wasn't tied up in a neat bow. You know they're going to be together, that's a given. But I loved that there was room and a need for more growth, and most importantly, more healing. 

I feel like these words I have written aren't enough. But until you go on this journey with Lexi and Jordan, you won't understand the struggle. They're love was beautiful, and that may sound hokey, but it was. It was a real privilege to read this book and I hope you'll give it a chance. I hope you'll let Jordan teach you what it's like to really live after a life in darkness. 

Rating: 5 Stars (A+)

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Monday, February 27, 2017

DANGEROUS INTERFERENCE SPOTLIGHT


Dangerous Interference by BJ Wane

Date of Publication: January 6, 2017

Blurb


After her sister goes missing, Alena Malloy travels to Blue Springs, Maine—her sister's last known location—to track her down. As she begins her search, however, Alena's efforts quickly bring her into conflict with Randy Janzen, the local sheriff, and Nash Osbourne, a Scotland Yard detective involved in the case due to its similarity with a recent disappearance in the UK.
Randy and Nash make it quite clear to Alena they expect her to avoid interfering with their work, and when she defies them one time too many she earns herself a painful, embarrassing spanking. The humiliating punishment ignites a powerful desire in Alena, and despite her sore backside she finds herself yearning to be mastered more thoroughly.
The two stern, handsome lawmen agree to share Alena, and soon enough she is begging for more. But when Alena's continued meddling in the investigation puts her life in grave danger, will Randy and Nash be able to protect her?
Publisher's Note: Dangerous Interference includes spankings and sexual scenes. If such material offends you, please don't buy this book.

Available From

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About BJ Wane

I live in the Midwest with my husband and our two dogs. I love dogs, enjoy spending time with my daughter, babysitting dogs and kids, reading and working puzzles. We have traveled extensively throughout the states, Canada and just once overseas, but I much prefer being homebody. I worked for a while writing articles for a local magazine but soon found my interest in writing for myself peaking. My first book was strictly spanking erotica, but I slowly evolved to writing erotic romance with an emphasis on spanking. My favorite genre to read is Romantic Suspense.

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