Friday, October 3, 2014

Blog Tour: Shame by Rachel Van Dyken

~ Synopsis ~

Everything done in darkness, will eventually be brought into the light.
I ran, but all it did was keep me one step ahead of my past. I tried to start over; new name, new identity. But you can't change your soul.
A fresh start at college was just what I needed. For a while, it worked. I was the party girl, the one that seemed confident, but it was a lie.
When guys kissed me--I felt only pain.
When they touched me--Nothing but fear.
Deep inside, every girl wants to be the beauty in the story, to find someone that will see you as their world.
But the truth? I was the beast. And as much as I wanted redemption, I wasn't fool enough to think I'd ever get it.
Until he walked into my life.
I wasn't prepared to fall for someone. My scars were too deep, the wounds too raw. But he offered me peace, he offered me security. I should have known it was just another lie--I should have known that falling in love with my professor was a bad idea.
But I was powerless to stop myself from falling.
And he was powerless to catch me.
Because the darkness finally caught up to me, and as fate would have it, a cruel twist almost bled me dry. But I'm stronger than I knew. I'm stronger than you think.
You think you know my story, but you don't....after all everyone has Shame in their lives-- and I'm no longer afraid to show you mine.


~ Book Links ~




~ Review ~
4 Stars

I was really looking forward to this book.  But it was really hard for me to get into.

Lisa is trying to finally come out of the lie she's been living since her true identity came out.  People don't know the real reason she is in hiding.  Only Gabe does.  Even now he doesn't know everything because Lisa doesn't want to bother him now that he is happy and married.  She wants what all her friends has, but she can't let guys get close to her.  What happens when the one guy she lets close is forbidden?  Can she finally be happy?

Tristan is out to find the truth.  But the truth to what?  Does he even know?  All he knows is once he sets his eyes on Lisa he wants to know everything about her.  He is hiding a huge secret though.  He doesn't know how to tell her and if she finds out it may destroy her.  Can he keep it from her?  Will he tell her?

This book is a lot to do with bullying. It was a good read, but it kist wasn't something that pulled me in for some reason.  I recommend that you read it though.  It may speak to you.






~ Excerpt ~

I closed my eyes and leaned my forehead against hers. A shaky breath escaped her lips. “I’m going to kiss you now.”
“Are you trying to prepare me or ask permission?” she whispered, her voice beckoning me like a siren’s call.
“Both.” My lips hovered near hers. “I figure it’s only fair.”
“Fair?” She pulled back slightly. “How so?”
“Ten thousand.” I angled my head and watched the pulse jump on her neck. “That’s how many nerve endings, on average, are in your lips. Consequently, when your body anticipates pleasure, the build-up is the best part. Imagine, those ten thousand nerves are swelling, allowing blood to surge through them in anticipation of… what?” I swept my tongue across her lower lip and whispered, “Of being touched. I ask permission, not because I’m being a gentleman. It’s actually the complete opposite. I ask permission so your brain anticipates the pleasure before I’ve ever even touched you.”
I tasted her lower lip again and abruptly dipped my tongue into her mouth. Then just as quickly retreated. “The human body is an instrument. Know how to master it… and well…” I let my voice drop as I moved my hands slowly to her shoulders and tugged her body flush against mine. Our mouths met softly at first. I deepened the kiss, memorizing her taste, knowing I wouldn’t experience a kiss like this again in my lifetime. The way her scent, her soft moans destroyed my body, wrecked me from the deepest part of me, was nothing short of life-altering.
And I’d like to think I’d kissed a lot of women.
I’d studied the psychology of sexuality.
I was an expert in pleasure.
But she was schooling me, absolutely wreaking havoc on every logical thought as her soft whimper cascaded over me. Blood surged through my body as it tightened with awareness at her proximity.
She pulled back, her lips swollen. “That was… not a good enough warning.”
Laughing softly, I cupped the back of her head and gently drew it toward mine and kissed her again, angling my lips differently, searching her, consuming her, drawing pleasure from her lips as if it was my life goal to discover every single secret she owned.
Her arms wrapped around my neck. She was shy; she didn’t push against me, didn’t wrap her legs around me or moan into my mouth like I was having sex with her rather than kissing her.
My hands moved down her corset to her hips, and I lifted her into the air and walked her backward toward the brick wall. The whole time, our masks collided. In frustration, I ripped hers off, then mine. The shadows of moonlight hid our faces as I kissed her harder, losing myself in her.
Her nails dug at the back of my neck as she jerked my head harder. Groaning, I let her fall to the ground as I placed my hands on the brick wall to keep myself from ripping the dress from her body.
Shouting started from the ballroom.
“Ten, nine…!”
“Eight,” I whispered against her mouth. “Seven.”
“Six.” She sighed, her breathing labored as her tongue found mine again. “Five.”
“Four, three.” I pulled back and trailed kisses down her neck.
“Two.”
We broke apart, both breathing heavy. “One.”
People burst out onto the balcony as the fireworks started, lighting up the sky. And our faces.
And the only thing I could say as she gasped in horror was “Oh, shit.”


~ Author Bio ~ 

Rachel Van Dyken is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of regency and contemporary romances. When she's not writing you can find her drinking coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The Bachelor.
She keeps her home in Idaho with her Husband and their snoring Boxer, Sir Winston Churchill. She loves to hear from readers! You can follow her writing journey at www.rachelvandykenauthor.com















~ Social Media Links ~









Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Release Day Blitz and Giveaway: Playing it Safe by Barbie Bohrman

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Happy Release Day to Barbie Bohrman and her new book PLAYING IT SAFE! Make sure to enter the giveaway below for a chance to win an ebook copy of this book or a $50 Amazon Gift Card! Good luck!!
Playing It Safe - cover
Synopsis
Julia Boyd has dated more than her share of jerks, and she’s done even pretending to like them. Putting her dating life on hold and focusing on her event planning career is a much safer bet for the blue-eyed blonde…until she meets her newest client. Organizing the opening for an art gallery should be a breeze for Julia, but gallery owner Alex Holt is becoming very distracting. Tall and muscular with enough charisma and sexy dimples to make Julia swoon, Alex could be the perfect man. The two of them click immediately, creating enough witty banter to ignite sparks. But just before flames of passion can erupt with Alex, Julia begins planning an engagement party…and learns the groom is Aiden, the man who broke her heart years ago. When Aiden admits that he still has feelings for Julia, everything changes. Should she seek shelter in the familiarity of the past, or should she risk everything on a brand-new love?
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   PiS_Teaser_1_2014Excerpt
I stare at the phone as if it’s about to sprout wings and fly away at any moment. “Don’t be such a chicken shit,” I mumble out loud to myself. Then I pick up the receiver and angrily start pressing buttons as if I have a personal vendetta against the phone. Alex picks up on the second ring. “Julia,” he says. His voice, deep and lush this early in the morning and a shiver runs through me remembering his words from yesterday: I'm going to make you come so many times, blah blah blah . . . I've taken the liberty of just focusing on this piece of his threat because well, honestly, who the hell cares what else he said? It's not important. “Julia?” he asks. “Yes?” He laughs a delicious low rumble from his chest. Muted, but sexy as hell. “You called me. Is there something you wanted?” he asks. The question is laced with possibilities. And for once, I’m not going to tuck my tail between my legs and run. “Yes,” I say trying to contain the smile threatening the corners of my mouth. “I was wondering if you wanted to get together or something.” “Are you asking me out on a date, Julia?” “It’s not a date… technically.” It’s soooo a date. “It’s not?” he asks amused. “Then what would you call it?” “Two friends who obviously are very attracted to each other and-“ “-Obviously,” he interrupts. “Go on.” “As I was saying… two friends who are very attracted to each other and would like to get to know each other better.” “A date,” he says. “It’s not a date, Alex.” “When would you like this not a date but very much so a date to happen?” he asks playfully. I like playful Alex. Too much. But I don’t want to let that show while on the phone. I’d rather play it cool, safe, and slow. It’s also a bit of a torture trip for both of us, which in the long run makes the chase that much more exciting. I mean, who doesn’t love a good slow burn? I know I do. “How does tomorrow after work sound for our very much not a date sound?” I ask. “Fox’s? Say around six o’clock?” He’s smiling when he answers. “It’s a date. Shall I pick you up at your office?” “I’ll meet you there.” “Of course you will because it’s not a date, right?” he asks. “Just two friends who are very attracted to each other and want to get to know each other better?” “You’re catching on,” I answer. “I’m a fast learner, Julia,” he says with a light chuckle. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
AboutTheAuthor Barbie Bohrman was born and raised in Miami, FL and ultimately moved to the Garden State where she currently resides with her husband and two children. Life, and all that comes along with it and having long since given up on her dream of pursuing anything in the writing world, a prologue contest in a book club garnered her interest enough to throw her hat in the ring to see what, if anything, would come from it. From that contest came the roots of her debut novel, Promise Me. When she is not writing you can find her trying to get through the 1000+ books on her Kindle, or watching Lost or Seinfeld. add-to-goodreads-button  

Giveaway
READ THE BOOKS
**Both Books Sold on Amazon**
Book 1 - Promise Me
Book 2 - Playing It Safe

Cover Reveal and Giveaway: Songbird Freed by Lisa Edward


Blurb
My name is Tara O’Connell, and I’ve always believed we control our own fate. That life is a journey with many roads, and the choices we make can shape our future.

Life has presented me with two paths and I’ve chosen one.

Was it right? Did I make the best decision?

After the uncertainty of the last twelve months, my destiny is now crystal-clear to me. I have a man I love more than words can express, a thriving business, and the best friends anyone could ask for. But just when I thought I could put the turmoil of my past behind me and move on, a life-changing phone call has rocked me to the core and turned my life upside-down once more.

To make matters worse, influences outside my control have taken hold and are shattering my perfect world.

But some things are worth fighting for.

Dreams can come true and I’ll do everything in my power to make them happen. But dreams can also be smashed into tiny pieces, and no matter how hard we fight or how hard we wish for something to be, sometimes with the hand we’ve been dealt, we can never win.




About the Author
While Lisa Edward has called Melbourne Australia home for her entire life, she has lived and worked in England, and travelled through most parts of Europe and the United States. She loves nothing more than spending time with her husband and beautiful daughter, or curling up into the early hours of the morning with a great novel. By day, Lisa works in the analytical IT field, so relishes the opportunity to foster her creative side through writing. Her deep appreciation for literature was nurtured from a young age, being taught to respect books and get lost in their stories. She enjoys reading honest and realistic novels that are relatable, thought provoking and leave a lasting impression. She can’t write without music playing, using the emotions from different songs to invoke that of her characters. Lisa takes inspiration from her own life experiences, the people around her and those she has met in her travels.

 Other Books in the Series
Book 1: Songbird

Book 2: Songbird Caged

Giveaway