Thursday, May 30, 2013

Review: Deer in Headlights

Deer in Headlights by Staci Hart
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

We should all be thanking our lucky stars that our lives are not decided by the whims of the Greek gods the way it is in DEER IN HEADLIGHTS.

DEER IN HEADLIGHTS is really several stories in one. The first layer of the story is that of the Greek gods – they love to host competitions to keep things entertaining and this time its Aphrodite (Dita) versus Apollo. Apollo wants to win for much more than the simple token he will be rewarded if he can beat Dita; he wants to win so that he can turn his love (Daphne) back from a tree.

While I studied Greek mythology many years ago, I really couldn’t tell you more than the simplest of basics. So whether or not Staci Hart’s version is accurate I have no idea, but she definitely explained it in such a way that it not only felt accurate, but felt like I was learning a TON about Greek mythology in the process. She covered everything from Adonis’ background to Aphrodite’s relationship with Hephaestus, Ares, Apollo, Persephone, Zeus, etc. And she told it all in flashbacks that made it understandable and interesting, not just mythology education.

Then we meet the pawns – Lex and Dean. Lex and Dean are both emotionally damaged from their parents’ problems (which ironically Aphrodite played a role in as well). Lex and Dean meet and are immediately attracted to each other, but for a plethora of reasons they do everything in their power to avoid each other like the plague.

I loved that the author was able to include so much mythology into the story and keep it entertaining all at the same time. What I would say that kept me from rating it higher was actually the very same thing I was impressed by. There was SO much going on between the Greek gods’ games, flashbacks that were explaining the gods’ relationships with each other, and then the humans and their journey that it made it hard for me to truly invest myself in any one thing. I was just spread too thin and despite finding it entertaining throughout I never got swept up in the romance of Lex and Dean because of all the distractions.

That being said I think Staci Hart has an amazing voice and writes beautifully and I definitely see promise in future books by her. I think she has a great knack for writing about Greek gods and keeping it entertaining and if I see a future book by her that focuses on either gods or contemporary romance, I’ll definitely pick it up!

**Copy provided by the author/publisher for an honest review.

**Reviewed by preppea on I ♥ Bookie Nookie Reviews.


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Beauty From Surrender! It's Here!



GET BEAUTY FROM SURRENDER NOW! - Amazon - $3.99 


How do you move on when he’s every song you sing?


After Laurelyn Prescott walks away from the love of her life, she returns to Nashville to pursue the only dream she has left. Determined to find a distraction from the pain of losing Jack Henry, she immerses herself in her music. But with her old life comes old acquaintances and new expectations. When Laurelyn refuses her record producer’s outrageous demands, she finds herself without a career—until an unforeseen opportunity presents itself. From there it’s a rocket ride straight to the top where Laurelyn finds the success she’s always dreamed of. Will it be enough to bring her the happiness she so deserves, or will the absence of Jack Henry leave her wanting more?

Jack Henry McLachlan never expected to fall in love with Laurelyn Prescott—but he did. After he foolishly let her slip through his fingers, he spends three months searching for her, but their reunion doesn’t come easy. The woman he finds isn’t the same one who drifted away without a goodbye. No longer an insecure girl on an Australian adventure, this Laurelyn is a successful musician with a promising career. Her dreams are becoming a reality, and Jack is terrified his American girl won’t have a place for him in her new life. With only a month to convince her otherwise, will it be enough time to make her visualize a life beyond the glitz and glamour, a life that includes him?

Beauty From Surrender is an adult contemporary novel and is not intended for younger readers due to mature content.



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Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Review: The Collector


The Collector
The Collector by Victoria Scott

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



❝Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly is to the bone.❞

There are different ways to interpret that old adage; I suppose it all depends on who you are talking to.

Dante Walker is flippin’ awesome...

In his own mind! Wow! Talk about a character that LOVES himself! Dante is a beast from Hell, literally, but the dark side is hidden beneath a handsome exterior and healthy dose of honest charm. That pretty little package makes for a lethal combination for those who own the souls he plans to steal.

THE COLLECTOR is a surprisingly humorous story, told in the first person – meaning the reader really gets a good look into the mind of the wicked, but charming soul collector, Dante. If you are looking for a “love at first sight” type of book, then keep it movin’, because you aren’t going to find it here!

My eyes widen at the sight of her. This is the girl Boss Man is after? She looks like a porcelain doll... beat three times with an ugly stick.

Dante has been sent to collect the soul of the good girl geek named Charlie. We learn straight away that he harbors no warm and fuzzy feelings of love and lust for the Plain Jane.

Charlie proves to be a much bigger challenge to influence than he originally anticipated. Dante thought he could just swoop right in with his dazzling good looks and demon enhanced charm and quickly and easily lure Charlie to the dark side… Errrrrrkkk! Not so fast hot stuff! Charlie is good, through and through and it’s going to take a heck of a lot more to lure her through the gates of hell!

Steal is an ugly word, Charlie. What we’re doing is letting
loose. Something you should do more often.


I was really into this book right away, but was ultimately disappointed when the story began to lag about half way through. The first person point of view was a major downfall, in my opinion. I felt like the story was a bit watered down with a lot of internal dialogue, that I felt, could have been eliminated. Although I typically love the super alpha male character, Dante's personality walked a fine line that bordered on being very unlikeable. There is a difference between a confident alpha male and a cocky arrogant prick, Dante leans more towards the latter. He was just a bit too full of himself and over the top with is self-admiration for my taste.

Even though I’m half asleep, I wonder if she’s checking me out in my boxer briefs. Then again, who wouldn’t check this out?

THE COLLECTOR was entertaining enough to hold my attention, but it certainly didn’t WOW me. If you are only interested in paranormal reads that sure to blow your mind, then this might not be the book for you. On the flip side, die-hard fans of the paranormal genre will likely love this book


✳✳ Copy provided by the author/publisher for an honest review.

✳✳ Reviewed on I ♥ Bookie Nookie Reviews

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Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Review: Dare You To

Dare You To by Katie McGarry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Katie McGarry has done it again – DARE YOU TO is an amazing combination of tearjerker and uplifiting love story. She writes characters that are so broken inside – then gives them the perfect match to build them up and help them be a better them.

After reading PUSHING THE LIMITS, I couldn’t imagine a Beth story that didn’t have Isaiah as the love interest – but a few chapters into DARE YOU TO I and I wanted no one but Ryan for her. He was the perfect compliment to her and just what she needed to bring her out from under the chains that held her down.

One of my many favorite things about Katie McGarry’s stories is that she gives characters obstacles that even the reader can’t see an easy way out of. In PUSHING THE LIMITS, that obstacle was Noah’s brothers and in DARE YOU TO, its Beth’s mom. Both times I rooted for the main characters while sometimes feeling as hopeless as they did. Then when you’re almost at rock bottom, Katie McGarry finds a way to save it all. DARE YOU TO is an incredible young adult love story and I can’t wait to read Isaiah’s story next in CRASH INTO YOU.

**Reviewed by preppea on I ♥ Bookie Nookie Reviews.


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Monday, May 27, 2013

Review: Waiting on the Sidelines

Waiting on the Sidelines by Ginger Scott
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

WAITING ON THE SIDELINES is a beautifully written coming-of-age love story.

Nolan Lennox has been a tomboy her entire life and has always been perfectly happy being perceived that way – until she meets Reed Johnson that is. Reed Johnson comes from a family of football players, a family that is well known in Nolan’s small community. He is immediately a fan favorite at Coolidge High School and Nolan suddenly realizes that baggy t-shirts and boy’s soccer shorts might not be the quickest way to catch Reed’s eye. When Nolan and Reed are paired up in class, a joint project quickly turns into an easy friendship. And when Nolan refuses to be a pushover, Reed proves that it’s not just an easy friendship, but also a strong one.

There were so many things I loved about WAITING ON THE SIDELINES:

Nolan:
I love that while Nolan doesn’t seem to think she’s beautiful, she’s also not written as an awkward or perfectly average girl. In so many books the main character will describe herself so self-deprecatingly that even the reader is wondering why such a hot guy fell for her. In WAITING ON THE SIDELINES, you can tell Nolan is pretty, smart, and athletic by the way the other characters react to her – even when she doesn’t see herself that way.

Nolan is a loyal friend; she’s humble, kind, and she’s also not afraid to speak her mind and stand up for herself. That was another thing that stood out to me in this book; even though WAITING ON THE SIDELINES is very clearly a coming-of-age story, I felt like from early on Nolan would stand up for herself and do things that it took me all of high school before I could do. So yes, it was coming-of-age; but with a main character who is mature throughout. I never cringed, shook my kindle, or felt the need to shout at Nolan to hurry and grow up!

Reed:
Reed is the perfect combination of good and bad – he’s hot, sweet, loving and kind to Nolan; but boy, does he know how to screw up, too. He’s every girl’s dream guy and worst nightmare. You’ll fall madly in love with him and he’ll be the first to break your heart. But even still, you’d do it all over again, just for that chance to be with him.

Minor Characters:
Ginger Scott writes some amazing minor characters. Her bad characters (Tatum and Reed’s mom) are so awful—but in a good way—they are the characters you love to hate. And Buck, Reed’s dad, he rocks! He is so lovable, generous and caring and I just want to hug and squeeze him. Nolan’s best friends, Sarah and Sienna, both have their own very distinct roles in Nolan’s life and they are well-defined in who they are. Even Nolan’s boyfriends during her high school experience don’t feel like filler characters—they are well described and serve a purpose in Nolan’s growth as a person.

Pace:
Another thing I really enjoyed about this book was the pace—it’s smooth and even-keeled. It’s also evenly matched between being a coming-of-age story and a love story. We follow Nolan and Reed from the first day of freshman year through the beginning of college¬¬—and it is very much their story from start to finish. Even though it takes a while for Nolan and Reed to actually date, it is very clear from the beginning that they mean a lot to each other. And this is also not one of those books where you have to read the entire book before the two get together—you actually get to experience what the two are like as a couple and see them grow together through the years. The only part that I felt like was not as smooth was perhaps the ending—the book never rushed anything from freshman year through senior year—but the beginning of college was perhaps one of the biggest moments of all and it wasn’t ENOUGH! I wanted so much more—more explanation from Reed, more questions from Nolan, and most importantly, more time with them both! If I can spend four years slowly getting to know them, surely I deserve another chapter or two of them at the end?

Teens and adults alike will relate to this fantastic debut novel by author Ginger Scott. Young adult readers and fans of coming-of-age stories like Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld will love WAITING ON THE SIDELINES!

**Copy provided by the author/publisher for an honest review.

**Reviewed by preppea on I ♥ Bookie Nookie Reviews.


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Sunday, May 26, 2013

GIVEAWAY & SPOTLIGHT: POLISHED by Alyssa Turner





Title: Polished
Author: Alyssa Turner
Publisher: Etopia Press
Release: May 24, 2013
Novel genre: MMF contemporary romance
Buy Link:  Amazon - Polished


Blurb:
It seemed like they had everything, but they didn’t have Jack.

Without question Spencer Hartley burns hot for his girlfriend, Rory, but his other desires are hidden down deep. He might blow things up for a living and climb mountains for kicks, but the scariest thing in his life is the truth about his sexuality. 

Jack Rothman works hard and plays dirty. After long, demanding days in his family's engineering firm, he indulges in the pleasures of silk restraints and fine wine. Lots of hot meaningless sex helps him forget that he’s suffocating, with no one to give him a reason to breathe.

When a catastrophic accident traps Spencer in a flooded subway tunnel with Jack, they need each other to survive. But something strong stirs down there in the darkness, and it’s more than their desperation to live. There’s a spark between them that’s impossible to ignore.

Rory Campbell would love to give Spencer the one thing he doesn’t have, the freedom to explore his secret desires. But how does that fit into her picture-perfect relationship? When Jack invites the couple to his sprawling Hamptons beach house, Rory realizes that she has secret desires of her own—the kind only Jack’s Dominant hand across her bare bottom can satisfy.

It’s not conventional, it’s not easy, but fate has brought the three of them together. Will real life tear them apart or can they let their special connection shine?


Contact Info:



Excerpt:
Somewhere beneath consciousness she heard the men’s voices bouncing back and forth, seeming like a serenade of bass surrounding her. She drifted in and out of sleep on the lounger, matching voice to face and face to body…then body to body.
“Huh, what?” Rory jumped at the sudden cold on her chest.
“Babe, you spilled some of your drink,” Spencer said, reaching over with Jack’s beach towel. “What was that you gave my girlfriend, Jack?”
Rory helped him dab at the rosy-colored liquid splashed across her collarbone and staining the top of her sundress. Her eye caught Jack’s over Spencer’s shoulder.
“Sex on the Beach.” Jack blushed. “Guess it was kind of strong.”
Spencer’s gaze hadn’t left her. Mild concern knitted his brow and Rory smiled back at him. “It was good.”
“Looks like it,” he said with a tap to her nose, looking satisfied that she was okay—looking also mildly entertained by the double entendre.
“Dinner will be ready in a few. Thought we’d make a fire and eat picnic-style on the beach.”
“I could start to complain that you’re going to too much trouble—” Rory started.
“But I’d have to find a way to banish that idea from your head,” Jack interrupted. “It’s my pleasure, really. I’m returning the favor to you guys for taking me in.” He held up his hand, oddly close to Spencer’s parted lips. “And I know I don’t have to. I want to.”
Rory flashed her eyes at Spencer. Returning the favor? Was that all there was to it?
With flashlights in hand for later, they all helped bring the party down to the well-used fire pit on the beach. Rory wondered how many charred beer caps lay at the bottom of it and imagined Jack sitting with his thoughts, tossing them into the flames. He placed a few strategic pieces of driftwood and sea grass and lit a match to set a warming glow upon them in the night air.
The shish kebabs of chicken and shrimp with the chili and lime marinade Jack had whipped up were amazing—not to mention his mixology skills. Rory finished off her second cocktail with the last of her meal.
“More Sex on the Beach, please.” She giggled, waving her plastic cup in the air.
“Oh man, she is toasted,” Spencer said, easing his hand onto her knee. “Maybe I should have some too.”
Rory liked the way Jack licked his lips when Spencer said that. She felt like she could read his mind, see the flash of something thick and hot pass his face in the firelight. He sucked in a slow breath and stretched the muscles in his neck with a bit of exaggeration. “I’ll be right back with a pitcher.”
Somewhere under the haze of alcohol Rory knew exactly what she hoped would happen if they all got drunk enough. They’d all have to be deaf, dumb, and blind not to notice the energy filling the air around them, bouncing from one to the other.
She wouldn’t have called it a suspicion. That would have implied guilt, and there was nothing guilty about admitting desire as far as she was concerned. Still, it had been there, sleepily coursing beneath her happy relationship for months now. Spencer was also attracted to men. Even if neither of them knew what to do with that fact, it was there, staring both of them in the face in low-hung board shorts and holding a pitcher of Sex on the Beach.
Jack dropped to his knees on the blanket and filled her cup. With her gaze darting from Jack to Spencer, she took a heavy gulp. Firelight danced over all of them in the dark, while the waves crashed on the shore just feet away. Everything else was still around them, hugging the moment with anticipation of what she was going to do about it.
“We look like pagans out here,” Rory whispered.
“At least one of us isn’t just pretending,” Jack responded, reaching over her to hand Spencer his cocktail.
“What? You think we don’t get a little wild?” Spencer said and took a sip.
Jack paused as if contemplating his next words.
The silence called out to be filled. Rory swallowed another mouthful of liquid courage and went for it. “Maybe sometime we’ll show you just how wild we can get.”
Jack nodded, with a guarded smile on his lips. “I’d love to see that.”
Heat flushed Rory’s entire body and she turned to search out a reaction on Spencer’s face since he’d said nothing in response. Tucked into the corner of his mouth was the sexiest smirk she’d ever seen him wear. Then Spencer reached behind her head and pulled her into a searing kiss.
Rory lost her breath within the thunder of her pounding heart. Was she about to do this? Really? And the truth whispered to her from behind the fuzzy cloud of inebriation: You want this. She wanted to show Jack how perfect they were together, to show him what an amazing lover Spencer was. But also she wanted to find out how another man could possibly fit into their pretty little picture, because at her core she knew keeping his desires in the closet was eating Spencer alive.
Spencer set her mouth free and stared into Rory’s eyes. If she pushed, he would run. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind about that. One step at a time, and a weekend of show-and-tell with Jack seemed like a good start. It all made perfect sense within the swirling logic of one-hundred-proof rum.
“Rory doesn’t mind if you watch.” Spencer didn’t look away from her, though he was talking to Jack. Rory guessed he was probably talking to her too. He flicked his tongue against her top lip. “Do you, baby?”
Maybe she knew his secrets, but he had all of hers tucked into his pocket as well. She wasn’t the type to dance on top of tables and flash the crowd her thong. Nothing about being the center of that kind of attention appealed to her in the least. But offering an intimate spectacle in the open air of the firelit beach for a man who already had a hold over both of them—yes, that was exactly the right kind of audience.
Her gaze flitted toward Jack, just to check if he was at all embarrassed by the sudden turn of events. He lay on his side, his eyes hooded yet direct. His cup rested on his lip, as if forgotten there, and his tongue danced absently on the rim.
“Do it.” It was all he said—direct and forceful in his tone. They were only two small words, but the weight he placed upon them was exactly what she needed to hear.
Her back straightened with a tingling chill of excitement on her skin. She turned herself around to face Jack and hitched her dress up so that she could straddle Spencer, careful not to jostle his healing ankle.
Jack had a front and center view. She could catch his expression in the random flickers of firelight. Rolling her hips on top of Spencer, she stared at Jack as he stared back. A moan erupted from her lips at the sight of him watching her so intently. Her pussy grew more slippery under her panties as they raked across Spencer’s cargo shorts. Jack liked what he saw all right. She liked being the reason. In that moment she forgot who she was doing all this for in the first place.
Spencer gripped the hem of her dress in his fists, threatening to expose her lacy pink panties. Rory wrapped her fingers over his knuckles and pulled his hands up her thighs, the dress retreating with them. Under her, Spencer’s cock strained against his fly. She could help him with that. Leaving his hands to wander onto her breasts, she slid down his zipper and pulled his cock from his shorts.

Author Bio:
If you asked her, she’d say it all started with her vast collection of paper dolls.  That’s how long Alyssa Turner has been crafting intricate story lines full of twists and turns and memorable characters.  Thirty years later, her stories are now quite grown up. 

She writes erotica and erotic romance in all lengths, having been featured in the notable anthologies of Best Women’s Erotica, edited by Violet Blue and several from Rachel Kramer Bussel.  With her proclivity for the ménage genre, Alyssa is often recognized for weaving complexity and emotional depth into her characters and plots.

Alyssa has more than several full length novels under her belt and no two stories are the same. For Alyssa, it’s much more fun to try something new.   Read more about Alyssa Turner and preview her published works on her blog.  http://alyssaturnerwrites.blogspot.com


Rafflecopter giveaway:  ENTER HERE: Rafflecopter giveaway

Giving away a copy of Polished, Alyssa Turner Magnet Swag Set, One Collectible Purple Nail Polish, Signed Copy of Surprised by Seduction in Print and an Alyssa Turner Bling Do Not disturb Door Hanger.


Giveaway Swag:






I was lucky enough to Beta Read for POLISHED.  I am in the process of reading the final version and my initial thoughts are:

Jack is a super hot DIRTY TALKER! 
Favorite quote so far:
First you’re going to get your sweet little ass down from there and bend over the counter while I show you who the fuck is the boss around here.


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Friday, May 24, 2013

Review: Driven


Driven
Driven by K. Bromberg

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I bet he fucks like he drives—a little reckless, pushing all the limits, and in it until the very last lap.

Oh yeah! That is exactly what it’s like! DRIVEN was a fast paced ride with lots of bumps and turns that had me guessing until the very last second. If you are looking for a happily ever after, you are not going to get it in this book, you are just going to have to buckle up and wait until the second installment for that!

But here’s what you are going to get: a strong and independent heroine with a tortured past, a sexy and somewhat mysterious hero and a great story all the way up to the cliff-hanging end. Relax! The cliffhanger is manageable and you are not going to be freaking out, but trust me when I say that you will definitely be waiting with bated breath for more of what author, K. Bromberg has to dish out.

Life begins at the end of your comfort zone

Rylee Thomas is that good girl who never really lets go to enjoy the moment. Sure, she is happy with her life, but she has sworn off men… it’s complicated. Structure and order make her happy. Rylee has great friends, loves her job, but her life is sorely lacking in the love department. She’s okay with that. Well, she WAS okay with that until the playboy racecar driver, Colton Donavan zoomed right into her life and snatched every last bit of her control. Is she ready for the complications that come with dating a man like that?

The bad boy with a touch of vulnerability who leaves you breathless and steals your heart.

Colton Donavan has issues of his own, but the attraction he feels for Rylee is undeniable, but she is so different from any of the women he usually sets his sites on. Colton and Rylee are opposite in so many ways; ways that compliment each other and make them a perfect fit. Colton must battle his own demons before he can wrap his mind around the strong emotional connection he feels with Rylee.

Although I was disappointed that Colton and Rylee didn’t get the happily-ever-after I was hoping for, it made the story more realistic. So, after I threw my kindle across the room and slapped my husband for being a man because Colton wasn’t around for me to slap ☹, I took a step back and realized I quite enjoyed the way it ended. I enjoyed that it was a little messy, because life is not always neat and wrapped up in a perfect little package.

So, if you have a soft spot for bad boys and love a strong heroine who gives as good as she gets, then DRIVEN is just the read you have been looking for!


✳✳ Copy provided by the author/publisher for an honest review.

✳✳ Reviewed on I ♥ Bookie Nookie Reviews

___________________________________________________
If you like this type of book, you might enjoy one of these groups. Check us out!

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Bookie Nookie's Erotic Lending Group



View all my reviews


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Leah Kaye, Graphic Designer & Cover Artist - See What She Can Do For You!


Leah Kaye is a freelance Graphic Designer and Cover Artist.  Although she loves working with a variety of media, her true passion is with graphics, for print and on the web.  When it comes to designing, she is open to working with any genre and on any design project.  No matter what you are looking for, she can help bring your vision to life!  She certainly helped bring my vision to life!

If you are interested in kick starting your blog or promotion, or looking for an amazing cover for your new book, I'm sure she can conjure up something fantastic!  If you are thinking you can't afford a graphic designer, THINK AGAIN!  Leah is incredibly affordable and equally talented.

Check out this futuristic new book cover design she created for publisher L&W Books:





Keep an eye out for more samples of Leah's work right here on I ♥ Bookie Nookie Reviews.  

Leah Kaye Suttle
Graphic Designer & Book Cover Artist

Facebook: MsLeahKaye • Goodreads: MsLeahKaye • Twitter: LeahKaye_