6/30/14

Giveaway Spotlight THE HOUSE ON MERMAID POINT by WENDY WAX @Wendy_Wax @PenguinUSA





 In this new novel from the author of Ten Beach Road and Ocean Beach, three unlikely friends who were thrown together by disaster get a do-over on life, love, and happiness . . . 
Maddie, Avery, and Nikki first got to know one another—perhaps all too well—while desperately restoring a beachfront mansion to its former grandeur. Now they’re putting that experience to professional use. But their latest project has presented some challenges they couldn’t have dreamed up in their wildest fantasies—although the house does belong to a man who actually was Maddie’s wildest fantasy once . . .

Rock-and-roll legend “William the Wild” Hightower may be past his prime, estranged from his family, and creatively blocked, but he’s still worshiped by fans—which is why he guards his privacy on his own island in the Florida Keys. He’s not thrilled about letting this crew turn his piece of paradise into a bed-and-breakfast for a reality show . . . though he is intrigued by Maddie. Hard as that is for her to believe as a newly single woman who can barely manage a dog paddle in the dating pool.

But whether it’s an unexpected flirtation with a bona fide rock star, a strained mother-daughter relationship, or a sudden tragedy, these women are in it together. The only thing that might drive them apart is being trapped on a houseboat with one bathroom . ..


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About the Author

Wendy Wax, a former broadcaster, is the author of nine novels including Ocean Beach and Ten Beach Road. The mother of two college-age sons, she lives in the Atlanta suburbs with her husband, and is doing her best to adjust to the quiet of her recently emptied nest.


Wendy's Website HERE
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6/29/14

Giveaway Excerpt THE WAGER by RACHEL VAN DYKEN @RachVD @ForeverRomance



THE WAGER by Rachel Van Dyken (July 1, 2014; Forever Trade Paperback; $12.00)
Lose a bet, lose your heart...

What is it about a junior-high crush that can send an otherwise intelligent woman into a tailspin? TV reporter Char Lynn wishes she knew. Jake Titus is too rich, too handsome, too arrogant: a trifecta that once lured Char into the best night-and worst morning-after-of her life. Now they've been thrown together in a wedding party. It's awkward, but survivable . . . until Jake stops acting like a jerk, and starts acting like the man she'd always hoped he could be.

If watching your brother marry your best friend is weird, being attracted to your best friend's otherbest friend is downright bizarre. Unfortunately for Jake, Char hasn't forgotten how he once tossed her aside. Worse still, Jake's already-nutty grandma is even crazier about Char. Cue meet-cute shenanigans and all manner of meddling, and somehow, Jake's falling. For Char. Now all he has to do is make her believe it . . .
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EXCERPT 




JAKE PACED IN front of the door. Char had texted and said she’d stop by around noon. It was officially five minutes past. Where was she? He needed to find a way to get back his job and his manhood, preferably in reverse order.
The morning had started off normally enough, with Grandma doing her damn yoga and then demanding he drop her off at her bridge group. But even when Grandma asked for one thing, it was never just one thing. No, she’d demand you do something else, fail to give an explanation, and then look at you like you were an idiot if you asked why.
He felt like a kid again, like he had the time Grandma caught him stealing M&M’s from the convenience store and then bought him a five-pound bag and demanded he sit and eat the entire bag in front of her.
Her reasoning was that it would keep him from stealing again. Because if she ever caught him with sticky fingers, he’d either have to consume said object or wear it around the house.
In high school it had happened again with beer. She’d given him a six-pack and told him to chug until he got sick. It took him three before he was puking. Naturally, Grandma had finished the rest of the pack.
Suffice it to say, it was always wiser to agree with the woman than to tempt fate. So he drove her around town, played the nice grandson, and then prayed to God she would finally hire him back so he could stop playing chauffeur and wedding planner.
Good God, he was going to turn into a woman waiting for that damn irritating girl.
The doorbell rang.
He ran to it. Then stopped and took a few deep breaths. Yup, definitely turning into a woman. He was acting like this was a first date or something! It was Char! Char! He had to repeat her name several times out loud before he was able to finally pull the door open.
Her smile lit up his dark mood, and suddenly he remembered all over again why he stayed away from girls like her.
They were trouble.
They promised you pleasure and in the end wanted commitment, something any guy would run from—especially a guy like him. He didn’t deserve anything like it—he wasn’t that much of an ass to not know that a girl like Char, well, she deserved one of the good ones.
Not him. Definitely not him.
Her eyes lit up when he smiled.
Shit. He was going to have to stop flirting with her. She was going to get the wrong idea, and he was going to lose his mind if he had to partner up with her for the entire wedding week, wondering if she was just waiting for the right time to pull a knife on him.
“Come in.” He opened the door wider and fought hard not to stare at her backside as she walked past him and her heels clicked against the marble floors. Clearly she’d been at work. She was wearing a tight pencil skirt, white blouse, and red heels.
Poor choice.
Because now he was thinking about Grandma and her stupid airport story and…
“Jake?” Char’s soft voice brought him back to the present. “Did you hear anything I just said?”
“No.” He laughed awkwardly. “I was, um, just admiring your shoes.”
“My shoes?” Her eyebrows arched in amusement. “You have a thing for heels?”
“On you?” He nodded. “I think I just might.”
Shit, there he went again. What was wrong with him? It was like second nature with Char, as if he couldn’t help but be drawn to her. His body involuntarily moved toward her. Was it her eyes? Her hair? A little voice, one he hadn’t listened to in a long time, told him no. It wasn’t physical; it was something completely different, something foreign. Something he really didn’t want to think about or dwell on too much, because then he’d have to admit to actually having a heart, which meant only one thing… Eventually it would break, only this time he wouldn’t have anything to fall back on, just air and nothingness.






About the author:
Rachel Van Dyken is the New York Times 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.rachelvandyken.com

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6/26/14

Giveaway Excerpt 5 Tour IN YOUR CORNER by SARAH CASTILLE @sarah_castille @SourcebooksCasa



 IN YOUR CORNER by SARAH CASTILLE

 "You have to go. I won't be able to control myself. I've wanted you so bad for so long and after I've been in the cage...I can't think straight." He gives a guttural groan and his fist clenches on my hip.

Primitive. Primal. His need speaks to me. I tighten my grip on his neck and rock up to kiss him. He takes over. His kiss is hard and demanding.

"Mine." His voice is raw, savage and for a moment I truly believe he may lose control.

He rules in the ring

Two years ago, Jake and Amanda were going hot and heavy. But when Jake wanted more, Amanda walked away. Jake immersed himself in mixed martial arts, living life on the edge. But that didn't dull the pain of Amanda's rejection-until a chance encounter throws them together.

A high-powered lawyer, Amanda was a no-strings-attached kind of girl. But two years after her breakup with Jake, she still hasn't found anyone who gets her heart pumping the way he did. And then he shows up in her boardroom, hot as sin and needing help...

But can he rule her heart?

Jake is darker, sexier, and impossible to resist. As their chemistry builds, Amanda's not sure if she can stay in control, or if she's finally willing to let him claim her body and soul.




EXCERPT NUMBER FIVE 


With a nod to the team of receptionists, all wearing their matching navy blue and teal Farnsworth & Tillman uniforms, I check the TV monitor for the room number and then turn in to the maze of marble corridors, stilettos clacking as I head toward unlucky room thirteen.

The murmur of voices drifts up the hallway, and two men round the corner walking toward me. As they get closer, my heart lifts and then sinks.

Ray, my favorite private investigator contracted by the firm, is wearing his usual commando attire: dark khaki cargo pants and a tight gray T--shirt that highlights every plane and angle of his muscular torso. His dark hair is military short and he walks with an easy grace that belies his height. Powerful was the first word that came to mind when we met. Dangerous was the second. He catches my gaze and gives me a wink.

Beside him, in startling contrast, is Farnsworth’s protégée and my least favorite senior associate in the firm, Evil Reid, aka Reid Cravath. Evil Reid and I crossed swords the day I joined the litigation department. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize he was in charge of the weeklong induction for new associates or that I was supposed to drool over his shoes and smile when he pinched my ass. After I slapped his hand away, we fought over the last croissant at the new associate breakfast, and things quickly went downhill from there. After I turned down his offer for a quick drunken hookup in the firm sleeping pods during a firm party, I thought that was the end of it.

Unfortunately, like his mentor, Evil Reid never gives up.

Even now, as I approach, his gaze slimes over my body and his thick pink tongue darts out to lick his full lips. Evil Reid is tall, rich, handsome, suave, and…well, evil. His dark hair is thick and neatly cut. His eyes are two black holes in a broad, smooth face. Not a day goes by that someone doesn’t suffer from the bite of his sharp tongue or the seemingly inadvertent brush of his roving octopus tentacles.

Ray nods as I draw near. “Had a great time at that Giants game, Amanda. Thanks for the tickets.”

“My pleasure. Just wanted to thank you for all the great work you do for me.”

Evil Reid huffs his annoyance and stalks past without so much as a shoulder brush or ass pinch. Although I’m years away from partnership and no threat to him, he doesn’t like to be shown up. I guess he didn’t buy Ray any Giants tickets.

Moments later, I reach room thirteen. Taking a moment to compose myself, I push open the ten--foot--high door—-yet another example of the ridiculous ostentation that is Farnsworth & Tillman—-and step into the room, ready to meet the man who could make or break my career with his damned multimillion--dollar lawsuit.

Light floods across the plush, royal blue carpet through floor--to--ceiling glass windows. Dust motes dance in the sunbeam. A large mahogany table surrounded by eight black leather chairs dominates the center space. I inhale the scents of leather and furniture polish and a whiff of something else, sharp and clean like an ocean breeze.

Familiar.

To follow the tour, visit BOOKS, MOVIES, REVIEWS, OH MY!  


 





About the Author

Recovering lawyer, karate practitioner, and caffeine addict, Sarah Castille worked and traveled abroad before trading her briefcase and stilettos for a handful of magic beans and a home near the Canadian Rockies. Her steamy, contemporary romantic tales feature blazingly hot alpha heroes tormented or tattooed for your reading pleasure.










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6/25/14

Giveaway Interview SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER by SARAH MORGAN @SarahMorgan @HarlequinBooks

suddenly (2)






About the Book:
USA TODAY bestselling author Sarah Morgan introduces another irresistible O'Neil brother who's more tempting than dessert and twice as sinful!
Fiery French chef Élise Philippe is having a seriously bad day. Not only have the grand opening plans for her beloved café fallen apart, but Sean O'Neil is back in town and looking more delectable than ever. Memories of the electrifying night they shared last summer leave Élise very tempted, but she knows all too well that eventually Sean will be leaving…again.
Being back in Vermont—even temporarily—is surgeon Sean O'Neil's worst nightmare. Returning home to the Snow Crystal Resort means confronting the guilt he feels about rejecting his family's lifestyle years ago. But discovering that Élise is still in Vermont and still sets his blood racing is a very welcome distraction! Remembering last summer and how good they were together is going to make walking away more difficult than he could imagine….




About the Author:
USA TODAY bestselling author Sarah Morgan writes hot, happy contemporary romance and her trademark humour and sensuality have gained her fans across the globe. She has been nominated three years in succession for the prestigious RITA© Award from the Romance Writers of America and has won the award twice, in 2012 and 2013. RT Book Reviews has called her 'a magician with words' and she has made numerous appearances in their 'Top Pick' slot. Sarah lives near London, and when she isn't reading or writing she loves being outdoors, preferably on vacation so she can forget the house needs tidying. She loves chatting with readers by email and on Facebook and Twitter. More information can be found on her website.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads





PLEASE WELCOME SARAH TO BOOKHOUNDS 


1. What is the first book you remember reading by yourself as a child?
 
Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter


2. What are you reading right now?
 
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion


3. How does your garden grow?
 
Too fast while I’m on a deadline! It’s like a jungle out there.


4. What is the last thing you Googled?
 
How to fix a snowmobile. Research for my final O’Neil Brother book, Maybe This Christmas.


5. What makes you cringe?


Watching my sons do martial arts. I’m always braced for injury and spend most of the time watching with my hands over my eyes.





Giveaway:

Grand Prize includes a La Bonne Vie Cupcake necklace,  Sleigh Bells in the Snow (first book in the series), Suddenly Last Summer and a bookmark
Second prize is Sleigh Bells in the Snow, Suddenly Last Summer and a bookmark
Prizing provided by Harlequin
Open to US/CA only
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This event was organized by CBB Book Promotions.



6/24/14

Giveaway Launch Day Blitz SWEET DREAMS by KRISTEN ASHLEY @KristenAshley68 @ForeverRomance





SWEET DREAMS by Kristen Ashley 
(June 24, 2014; Forever Mass Market)
She's ready for the ride of her life . . . 
Lauren Grahame is looking to reinvent herself. After leaving her cheating husband, Lauren moves to Carnal, Colorado, and gets a job as a waitress in a biker bar called Bubba's. It's a nothing job in a nowhere joint . . . until Tatum Jackson walks in. Lauren has never seen a man with such good looks, muscles, and attitude. But when he insults her, Lauren doesn't want anything to do with him. Too bad for Lauren he's also the bar's part owner and bartender.

When the rough-around-the-edges Tate meets the high-class Lauren, he thinks she won't fit in at Bubba's. Yet there's more to Lauren than meets the eye, and Tate soon sets his mind on claiming her as his own. Before long, the desire burning between them is heating up the cold mountain air. But when violence strikes the town, Tate must reveal a dark secret to Lauren-one that may put an end to their sweet dreams.

Buy Links:
EXCERPT


That beautiful man’s words ricocheted around my head causing damage that was so excruciating I knew the way it was inflicted it would never, never heal.
Okay, I was forty-two, not exactly a spring chicken. Okay, I wasn’t svelte by a long shot and had a body that just couldn’t be svelte and never would even if I tried (though I could stand to take off a few pounds, or more than a few). But I wasn’t sorry-ass. And I’d lived in suburbia but I’d never liked it. I just told myself for Brad, because I loved him, that I did. But it wasn’t me and the minute I got my chance, I left.
And forty-two wasn’t eighty-five. I was over twenty years away from retirement. That was hardly old.
What a jerk!
This was my life as I wanted to lead it. This was the place I wanted to live it. I’d been on the road driving through towns and cities looking for what I needed and after four and a half months, this was the only place that felt right. And Bubba’s felt right too. Even though it wasn’t much and the people weren’t nice, it still felt right.
And I didn’t care if they didn’t like me. I didn’t care if they didn’t think I was one of them. I didn’t care that my jeans cost twice as much as theirs and my t-shirt was designer and they saw it, knew it and didn’t like it.
Fuck them. Both of them.
I walked out of the storeroom and back into the bar. I found a sheet of paper, took stock of what was needed and went back to the storeroom to search through the shelves and find it. I was on trip three and squatted down rotating bottles of Bud and Coors Light when I heard them come back.
I sucked in breath, looked up and when I did I looked right at Tate. When my eyes caught his, I watched his face change sharply and it did this with a small head jerk and wince.
He knew I’d heard him and at least that jerk had the good grace to react.
I put in the last bottles, stood, pushed the fridge door to and walked toward them both, saying, “One more trip and re-stock should be done. I made notes of what I took and I’ll mark it on your clipboard. Then I’ll wipe down the tables.”
Then I walked by them, down the hall and into the storeroom.
Fuck them.
Both of them.
I had a job to do.



About the author:
Kristen Ashley grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana, and has lived in Denver, Colorado, and the West Country of England. Thus she has been blessed to have friends and family around the globe. Her posse is loopy (to say the least) but loopy is good when you want to write. Kristen was raised in a house with a large and multigenerational family. They lived on a very small farm in a small town in the heartland, and Kristen grew up listening to the strains of Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon, and Whitesnake. Needless to say, growing up in a house full of music and love was a good way to grow up.  And as she keeps growing up, it keeps getting better.

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Rafflecopter Giveaway: One winner gets a copy of the book with signed bookplate and an OPI nail polish set. Five winners get a copy of the book with signed bookplate. This giveaway runs through July 22 and is open to US/Canada only.


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6/23/14

Blog Tour & Excerpt UNTIL WE TOUCH by SUSAN MALLERY @HarlequinBooks @SusanMallery @BookTrib






UNTIL WE TOUCH  By Susan Mallery
After a family tragedy, former football hero Jack McGarry keeps the world at arm’s length— a challenge now that his PR firm has moved to neighborly Fool’s Gold, California. Larissa Owens knows where she stands—Jack sees her as just another one of the guys. No matter what her heart

wishes, Jack’s her boss, not her boyfriend. But then Larissa’s big secret is revealed—by her mother!

When Jack discovers the truth about Larissa’s feelings, her touch suddenly becomes tantalizing, and he’s not sure he wants to resist. But if he gives in to desire, heartache is sure to follow. Friendship or true love—will Jack go for the ultimate play? 




SUSAN MALLERY is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who has entertained millions of readers with her witty and emotional stories about women and the relationships that define their lives. She has published more than 100 romance and women’s fiction novels beginning with two books the same month when she was just out of college. Susan has a bachelor’s degree in accounting and went on to get a master’s in writing popular fiction and has extensively studied story structure in screenwriting courses. Her goal, always, is to give readers a story that will move them, populated with characters who feel like real people. Born and raised in California, Susan now lives with her family in Seattle, where she survives the dreary days of winter with the help of a “happy lamp” and plenty of coffee.

 


Excerpt
from
UNTIL WE TOUCH
by Susan Mallery

Jack hadn't known how Larissa was going to react when he told her what her mom said, but he'd guessed it would be a show. She didn't disappoint. Her face went from red to white and back to red. Her mouth opened and closed. With her jaw tightly clenched, she muttered something like, "I'm going to kill her," but he couldn’t be sure.
Nancy Owens' words had hit him like a linebacker. Larissa in love with him? Impossible. For one thing, she knew him better than anyone except Taryn and to know him was to understand he was all flash and no substance. For another, he needed her. Love meant a relationship and having a relationship meant she would eventually leave. No. There was no way Larissa could be in love with him.
But he'd been unable to shake the words and had realized he had to get the truth from the only person who actually knew.
Larissa drew in a breath. "I don't love you. We're friends. I like working for you and the charity work is terrific and I know you have my back, but I'm not in love with you."
Relief eased the tension in Jack's always aching right shoulder. He kept his expression neutral.
"You sure?" he asked.
"Yes. Positive."
He shook his head. "I don't know. I'm pretty hot. I could understand you having a thing for me. You've seen me naked. Now that I think about it, your reaction is inevitable." He sighed. "You love me. Admit it."
Larissa's mouth twitched. "Jack, you're not all that."
"But I am. Remember that fan who had my face tattooed on her breast? And the one who begged me to father her child? And the woman in Pittsburgh who wanted me to lick her—"
Larissa rested her arms on the desk and dropped her head to her arms. "Stop. You have to stop."
"Stronger women than you have been unable to resist my charms."
"In your dreams."
"No. Apparently in yours."
She looked at him then, her blue eyes wide, her mouth smiling. "I give."
"In the end, they all do."
The smile faded. "I'm sorry about my mother. She shouldn't have said that. I swear, I am not, nor will I ever be in love with you. I love my job and you're a big part of that. But we're friends, right? That's better. Besides, you have terrible taste in your 'let's end this now' gifts."
"Which is why I let you buy them." He hesitated a second. "We're good?"
"The best." Her smile returned.
The last of his worry faded. This was the Larissa he knew. All funny and earnest. Hair pulled back in a ponytail and not a speck of make-up on her face. She wore yoga pants and T-shirts and always had some cause to discuss with him. She believed the world was worth saving and he didn't mind if she used his money to try. They made a good team. He didn't want to have to do without her and having her love him... Well, that would have changed everything.

Excerpted from the book UNTIL WE TOUCH by Susan Mallery.  Copyright © 2014 by Susan Macias Redmond.  Reprinted with permission of Harlequin.  All rights reserved.