Carver's Book Cravings

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Monday, December 16, 2013

Cover Reveal: The Do Over by A.L. Zaun

~ Synopsis ~

Life doesn't look like it's supposed to for Dani Ruiz, a hopeless romantic. After a painful and sudden break-up with Rick Marin, Dani hides away from reality, retreating to a world of fiction where she prefers book boyfriends over the hassles of a relationship.

Almost two years later, Dani's friends are tired of watching her in a holding pattern, so they stage an intervention, forcing her back into the real world of dating.

Unexpectedly, Dani meets Liam Lucas, a down-to-earth firefighter. He might be the person to show her she's still worth something. Dani's hesitant to trust her heart with another man, but their instant and electric chemistry is something she can't deny.

As Dani starts to believe that she's found her real-life book boyfriend, Rick decides that he'll go to any lengths to get her back. Seeing Rick as a changed man makes Dani question everything.

~ Buy Link ~

Amazon

Cover Reveal and Giveaway: Discovering Lucy by Laura Dunaway

Title: Discovering Lucy

Author: Laura Dunaway

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Expected Release Date: February 2014

Hosted By: Love Between the Sheets

~ Add to Goodreads ~

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18756985-discovering-lucy

~ Goodreads Giveaway ~

https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/71496-discovering-lucy

~ Synopsis ~

After three long years of living in a hell she never could have imagined, Lucy Jane Simmons courageously escapes to New York City for a fresh start. A new beginning...

When Lucy meets Knox Taylor, the intoxicating man in the business suit, everything she thought she knew about relationships changes. He is strong, seductive and makes her feel safe. But can she open up enough to let him in?

Will Lucy Jane escape the scars of her past? Can Knox give her the future she ultimately deserves? A story of rediscovery...

~ About the Author ~

Laura Dunaway has been married to her prince for 17 years and together they are raising three amazing kids. While she's always had a passion for reading and writing, it wasn't until this past year that she finally realized she should pursue her dream of writing a book. After many many attempts at starting one, Distorted was finally the one that flowed and before she knew it, she'd written The End. When she's not busy shuttling her kids to lessons and practices and making dinner, she's busy behind her computer writing her next book, Discovering Lucy, which will be out winter of 2014.

~ Connect with Laura ~

Facebook | Goodreads

~ Other Books by Laura Dunaway ~

Distorted

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

~ Giveaway ~

(1) $10 Amazon Gift Card

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Release Day Blitz: Surrender to Me by Ashley Piscitelli

~ Synopsis ~

Rebecca Chase has never been interested in dating, and definitely not in relationships. She only had two goals in life, to get her college degree and to get the hell away from her house. When she meets Lucas everything that she thought she had wanted was now turned upside down.

Lucas Masterson has it all money, fame, and his dream job of being in the music industry. He knows that most people are just out for themselves and will use him as much as they can. When he meets Becca he realizes that he never really knew what he wanted. He thinks that she is the most amazing person he has ever met, but can he balance her and his crazy life?

Can two people who come from completely different worlds make it work? Can Becca let Lucas in before it’s too late? Will the people trying to tear them apart succeed?

Get ready to get lost in this crazy romantic adventure and surrender yourself to Lucas and Becca.

**Surrender To Me is for mature audiences only—strong language, and explicit sexual content are apparent.**

~ Buy the Book ~

Amazon

~ Teaser ~

~ Author Bio ~

Ashley Piscitelli lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with her husband, two kids, and two dogs. On top a writing career, she is a full-time student and a full-time mom. She loves spending time with her kids, although she has to hide the computer from them when she is writing! She love being active and being outdoors, especially if it involves any kind of shopping.

She has always been passionate about writing. She loves to read romance books and feels like being able to lose yourself in a book is one of the more exciting aspects. The books she loves to read and write will be ones that make you feel for the characters. Ashley believes that you should have an opinion on every character in a book whether you love them, hate them, or think they are up to something.

She also believes that the most important critic is your reader, so she loves to hear from the readers. She want her fans to be open & talk to her about what they want for the characters in the story, and what they would like to see happen.

~ Social Media Links

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAshleyPiscitelli

You can also email me her thoughts or questions at:

ashleypiscitelliauthor@gmail.com

You can also follow her on twitter at:

AshPiscAuthor

1 day Countdown to Pieces For You by Genna Rulon

Title: Pieces for You (For You #2)

Author: Genna Rulon

Genre: New Adult 18+

Publication Date: December 17, 2013

Event organized by: Literati Author Services, Inc.

~ Synopsis ~

"The phoenix hope, can wing her way through the desert skies,
and still defying fortune's spite; revive from ashes and rise.” -Miguel de Cervantes

Samantha Whitney survived unimaginable tragedy only to discover she had been betrayed by a man who claimed to love her. Shattered, Sam spends months at a safe haven trying to piece herself back together. Ready or not, the time has come for her to return home.

As Sam struggles to resume a life that no longer feels familiar, she finds unwavering support in an unexpected, familiar face. Confronting Sam’s raw emotions and open wounds head-on, Griffin manages to take two steps forward for every step she retreats.

But when Sam is once again threatened, Griffin must decide how far he is willing to go to protect the woman he wants…knowing the cost of her safety is the risk of losing her.

Pieces For You is a captivating journey of survival, healing, and sacrifice—teeming with honesty, humor, unexpected twists, and love’s unsurpassed endurance.begin to plague Sam, it is Griffin she is forced to turn to.

*Though Pieces For You is a part of the For You Series, the book can be read as a stand alone.

Add to Goodreads

~ About the Author ~

Genna Rulon is an up and coming contemporary romance author.
During her 15 years in the corporate world, Genna, inspired by her love of reading, fantasized about penning her own stories. Encouraged by her favorite authors, many of whom are indie writers and self-published, she committed to pursuing her aspirations of writing her own novels.
Genna was raised in Long Island, New York, where she still resides, surrounded by the most amazing family and friends. Married to a wonderful man, who patiently tolerates her ramblings about whichever book she is currently working on, even feigning interest relatively convincingly! Genna is blessed with two little boys who do their best to thwart mommy’s writing time with their hilarious antics and charming extrapolations.

~ Connect with the Author ~

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Blog Tour: Return of the Assassian by Donya Lynne

~ Synopsis ~

Malek and Gina are two vampires with big problems and pasts they can't let go of. Malek has never dealt with and accepted the death of his first mate, Carmen, and Gina has never been able to let go of the pain she suffered at the hands of her first mate, an abusive half-Dacian named Arman. But now that Malek and Gina have met, they had better start getting over their pasts, and fast, because Gina is Malek's new mate, and she's on the run from a pair of Dacian hunter-assassins out for blood vengeance.

Neither Gina nor Malek are eager to see her fill the role of mate, but biology and Mother Nature don't want to hear their excuses. The longer Malek and Gina fight the bond between them, the more they will suffer. Will they be able to get over their painful pasts and accept the healing they can give to each other before it's too late, or will they wait too long and lose each other forever?

~ Buy Links ~

Rise of the Fallen: Amazon

Heart of the Warrior: Amazon

Micah's Calling: Amazon

Rebel Obsession: Amazon

Return of the Assassin: Amazon

~ Our Review ~

4 Star Review by Melissa

Return of the assassin is book 5 in ATKM series . In this book we focus on Malek and Gina. They both have very problematic pasts, but with each other's help can they finally start to heal?

Assassin Gina Carson isn't looking for love especially not a mate. That is until she meets sexy Malek, an ATKM enforcer. She can't seem to get him out of her head. After she leaves him she begins to have debilitating panic attacks, leading her to believe it has something to do with Malek.

Malek has never gotten over the death of his first mate centuries ago, that is until he meets Gina and mates with her. Still dealing with the grief and despair of his first mate and the pain of being apart from Gina he is left with two halves of himself ( figuratively speaking ).

While trying to decide between his past or his future with Gina, she returns to Chicago fleeing a botched hit. Now the clock is ticking and a decision must be made before malek loses a second mate and himself.

All in all this has been an amazing series thus far. The only reason I didn't like this book as much as the last was I felt like I knew exactly what was about to happen throughout. That being said it doesn't take away from the wonderful story too much. I love how Donya's writing allows you to feel emotion the characters are feeling, it makes for such an enjoyable and sexy read.
I recommend this book for all fan of erotic and paranormal romance.

~ Special Holiday Scene ~

Sam nestled into Micah's body as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and settled against the arm of the couch. The fire in the fireplace sent warm, flickering light throughout the room, which went nicely with the colorful twinkle lights of the seven-foot Christmas tree in the corner.

Micah sipped his wine then kissed the top of her head. "I had fun tonight."

"Me, too." She smiled.

In the last twenty-four hours, almost ten inches of snow had fallen, and she, Micah, and the others had built snow forts in the backyard and had the snowball fight to end all snowball fights. More like a snowball war. Of course, she and Micah had been on opposite sides. It had been his brilliant idea to pit mate against mate for those who were mated. Miriam against Io, Malek against Gina, Sev against Ari, and her against him. He thought it made things more exciting and fun. He was right. The males were torn between protecting their mates and snow-bombing the hell out of them, and it ended up being a powdery white free-for-all until Trace went Power Ranger with that hand of his and destroyed one of the forts, and then all hell broke loose. In a good way, but definitely in a physical one. Never get into a snowball war with a bunch of vampire warriors whose job it is to protect both the human and vampire races. They tend to get a little ultra competitive.

"You didn't have to throw me in the snow, you know," she said, sipping from her mug of cocoa. Her toes were still cold, despite having changed into dry clothes, putting on a pair of fuzzy slippers, and covering her feet with a blanket.

He nibbled her neck. "I've always had this fantasy of doing it with a snow woman." He snickered.

She playfully slapped his arm. "You're bad."

"You did look mighty cute covered in snow," he said, chuckling.

"I'll bet." She tossed him an over-the-shoulder glance.

He snuggled her closer. "Besides, I like getting you riled up. It makes for incredible makeup sex."

"You are such a man."

"Male," he corrected. "And, yes I am, but only because you are such a marvelous female." He grew serious. "I wouldn't be half the male I am now if not for you, baby."

He always said the sweetest things…always knew just what words to say to make her melt a little bit more in love with him.

For a while, they sat in silence, him drinking his wine, her sipping hot cocoa, listening to the Nutcracker Suite soundtrack as the fire crackled. Sam stared at the Christmas tree and its winking lights and shimmery glass bulbs, the silver garland that looked like ice, the angel on top of the tree. This was her first Christmas as Micah's davala, his once-human-mate-turned-immortal through his bite.

"Why do vampires celebrate Christmas?" Did vampires believe in God the same way humans did? Well, most humans. Some didn't believe in any god at all, and others worshipped different deities altogether.

Behind her, Micah shrugged. "I don't know."

She thought about it. "Are you trying to fit in with human cultural behavior?"

"Maybe." He brushed his fingers up and down her arm. "Most humans in the United States celebrate Christmas, so it seems the right thing to do for those of us who live here." He dipped his head against hers. "And Christmas decorations are pretty, don't you think?"

"Yes, but it's about more than that, you know."

He smiled against the back of her head. "I know."

"It's about God, and Jesus sacrificing himself for us. It's about family and giving."

Micah shifted on the couch, slid his leg under and around her, and pulled her back into the cradle of his body. "Are you going to start preaching to me, female?" He set his empty wine glass on the end table and hugged her close.

Sam laughed. "Preaching? To you? I wouldn't dream of it," she said sarcastically.

"Now you're just being little Miss Sassy Pants." He kissed the back of her neck.

Micah was always so touchy-feely with her. He never seemed to get enough of holding her or kissing her, and she loved it. If this was what being a vampire's mate was like twenty-four seven then she was down with that.

She laughed at him. "I am not. I'm simply trying to have a serious conversation about the meaning of Christmas while trying to understand this new world I've landed in with you." She sat up and faced him. "I mean, do vampires even believe in God?"

His dark, navy blue eyes sparkled against the firelight. "We believe in God," he said, smiling. He looked amused.

"You do?" This was news to her. "Really? Do you believe God created vampires the same way He created humans?" Now they were talking.

Micah held his hands out in front of him. "Now, don't get carried away. We believe in God, but not necessarily the God Christians do."

"How so?"

"Our mythology is different, and our ancestors did a better job of preserving the truth than early Christians did." He sat up. "Vampires generally don't subscribe to an Adam and Eve type of story."

Sam tilted her head curiously. "How come?"

"Because vampires came to this planet from elsewhere."

Sam waited for the punch line, but Micah was dead serious. "What? Like aliens?" she said.

He nodded. "I suppose you could say that. The mythology that was passed down to my father, and that he passed down to me, stated that we came to Earth thousands of years ago as part of galactic exploration or some shit. This planet had an atmosphere similar to that of our home planet, and we resembled the dominant species, humans, which meant we could fit in without being obvious. By the way, according to the elder archives, there are a lot of planets which sustain humanoid life." He shrugged. "At any rate, we found that Earth could sustain us as long as we stayed out of the sunlight, which is much stronger here than on the world we came from."

Sam stared at him in disbelief. Was he seriously telling her she was sleeping with an alien? Talk about your alien abductions! "Where is this 'home world'?"

Micah shook his head. "I have no idea. Who knows how much of the story is true. This is the mythology, and even though it's purported to be strictly maintained and translated, who knows how much remains true to the original scrolls. Much like Christianity, how much is manmade? And how much is actual truth?"

All she had wanted was a conversation about Christmas beliefs, and yet another wrinkle of this new world Micah had brought her into unfolded, revealing that she still had a lot to learn about vampires, her role in their race, and how they fit into humanity.

He seemed to sense her dismay, because he slid his arms around her and pulled her back down with him as he leaned back against the cushions and said, "Enough talk about God and where vampires come from." He pressed his lips against her hair. "The point is, vampires believe in God, and we're integrated into all of humanity's traditions, Christmas included. We understand the spirit of the season, and we realize that it's about more than presents, decoration…and twinkle lights." He waved toward the tree.

"Twinkle lights rock," she said.

"Damn straight." His hands crossed over her stomach, and she felt his chest rise and fall against her back. "Have your feet warmed up, yet?"

She wiggled her toes in her fuzzy slippers. "Not yet."

His hands drove a little lower on his stomach and played with the waist of her flannel pajama bottoms. "I know a way to warm up your whole body." She heard the hint of mischief she'd come to recognize in his voice when he was feeling naughtily playful.

A flash of heat rolled down her spine. "Does it involve snowballs?"

He nuzzled the back of her neck then nipped her shoulder. "Not snowballs."

Sam turned over and lay down on him, facing him. "You're being naughty, Mr. Black."

"Yes, but my naughty is very, very nice." He kissed her. "So Santa won't mind."

She kissed him back and slid a hand up his shirt. "Neither will Mrs. Claus."

Whatever else she had to learn about the world of vampires, Sam knew one thing for sure. She was hopelessly, deeply, and forever in love with this powerful male who held such sway over her, and who seemed to live to please her, make her happy, and take care of her. For now and for every Christmas for the rest of her life, she would be thankful that they had found each other. Whether he and the others of his race believed in her God, their god, or no god at all didn't matter. She loved him. He loved her. And they would spend the rest of their lives believing in and helping each other.

And really, wasn't that the true spirit of Christmas? Or at least part of it?

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year from the entire gang from the All the King's Men Series. May you and the one you love get caught under the mistletoe this year.