Monthly Archives: April 2013
Stormy Surrender Book One of the New Hope Series by Nicole Andrews Moore @thenicknick *Review*
The Review:
The great thing is I was in on book one, the bad is..Where the hell is book 2. How long do I need to wait? The torture! The book started out so nice and fluffy. I was as happy as a clam, then the angst set in. Martha poor Martha! She married a schmuck named Blaine. How they lived in Vermont I don’t know, I would have stuffed his ass on a chair lift in St Johnsbury and pushed play! Maybe when mud season arrived in April they would find him. He was a plastic surgeon who “did” his office assistant. Typical d bag. The spoiler is here, I won’t say a peep! Anyways the story was one of redemption and healing. Poor Martha I knew she was fragile and in need. She just picked up to go to North Carolina and started a new life. Well maybe not so new, she expected Blaine the big *** to follow and move his practice.In other words she was HOPEFUL.
The small town feel of New Hope and the towns people who befriend her were so sweet. I loved the Inn keeper Keely and Laurel who ran the fave lunch spot in town. When she gets there and begins to get a feel of the town, quickly decides that she wants to buy a house and move there. Now feeling inspired and somewhat HOPEFUL she begins a new venture. She meets Joe the local lady’s man and they form a working relationship. Joe is totally HOPELESS and probably in just as much need.
The reason why he lives there and how he got his house are spoilers and I have HOPE it will come as a surprise.
It was a touching story with four, count them 4, reveals. One is sort of sad, but funny and that is where the title comes from. You will feel New Hope gives HOPE. I loved it and I am going to read the author’s other books for sure. Now I am so in love with Hope and being HOPEFUL I am giving away a few copies of Stormy Surrender the New HOPE Series. I will of course ask that Laurel and Keely get their books.I liked them both so much and their no-nonsense approach to Joe was a high point for me. Enjoy
Meet the author …
Nicki has lived in Charlotte, North Carolina with her children for the past eleven years and her husband for the past three years. Her journey has barely begun and she loves every minute of it. Every day of her life seems to bring new adventures, some bigger, better, shinier and prettier than others. She’s still getting used to that new life smell she’s experiencing, a combination of hope, love, and happiness. (The perfect scents to build a new life on…)
For fun, she spends time with those she cares about, cooks, reads, writes, and especially lives to travel. The current travel goal: visit every Margaritaville. Two down! (Eleven to go?)
In addition to writing on Suddenly Single Journey, Nicki is a contributor for Project Underblog. Her writing can also be found on Shine, where she is a Shine Parenting Guru and an award winning Yahoo! Contributor on YourWisdom as the relationship and dating expert. And she has been published by McClatchy News in their syndicated papers.
Buy Links:
#FeatureFriday- The Depot by Carmen DeSousa is FREE!!!!
Bestselling author Carmen DeSousa’s Romantic Suspense short story is FREE on your favorite eReader! Grab your copy today and get a taste of her 5 Star selling books!
They say The Depot is haunted. But in all the years homicide detective Mark Waters has visited the ancient train station turned restaurant, he’s never seen proof. Until now.
As he investigates a supposed suicide by train, he learns secrets of a murder that took place eighty years ago may directly affect his case.
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Check out more of Carmen’s 5 Star Rated novels today!
Carmen characterizes her stories as modern-day fairytales, as they overflow with romance, mystery, suspense, and of course, tragedy. After all, what would a fairytale be without a tragic event…
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Surviving Raine by Shay Savage @Savage7289 **Excerpt** @CBL_Blog
Teaser of Surviving Raine:
“What’s your problem?” I snapped again. I hadn’t really meant to, I was just tense and pissy.
The smoke was helping, but what I really wanted was a drink. I didn’t suppose anyone packed any of those little tiny airplane-sized booze bottles in the survival kits.
“I…um…” she stumbled over her words and looked away. Even under her darkened skin, I could see red creeping into her cheeks.
“What?” I was annoyed now. If she was going to complain about my smoking, I was going to lose it.
“I…have to go to the bathroom.”
I laughed. I took one last long drag, getting it all the way up to the filter before I tossed the butt out onto the waves.
“Then fucking go!”
“Where?”
“Didn’t you notice the en suite bath?” I laughed again, and then took a smidgen of pity on her. “Over the side, where do you think?”
“Well…how?”
All right, she did have a point there. Or rather, she didn’t have a point. Or a pointer. I had to laugh again at my internal joke.
“Just…I don’t know…hang your ass out over the edge. Or get in the water.
Whatever.”
“I’d have to take off my suit.”
“So?”
She blushed again.
“What? You want me to hang out in the next room for a few minutes? I promise I won’t gawk at you.”
She didn’t move. Well, actually, she was still fidgeting around; she just didn’t make a move to actually solve her dilemma. If she kept this up, she was going to pee in the fucking raft.
“If it makes you feel any better, I’ve already checked you out front and back, had my mouth on yours and my hand on your tit, so it’s not like…”
She gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. I realized how what I had said sounded, considering she had been unconscious the entire time. I shook my head.
“I didn’t mean…ah, fuck.” I grabbed my shirt and flopped down on my back, covering my whole face up with the garment. I lay there for a moment but didn’t hear her moving at all, so I yelled at her again. “Get on with it!”
She moved. I could hear her shuffle over to the front of the raft and then move around in one place, presumably taking off her shorts and her bathing suit.
“If you are going to get in the water, put the life preserver around your waist first and hold on to the fucking ladder. I don’t want to have to dive in after your ass again.”
“Okay,” she said. “Um…where is it?”
“Right outside the opening – on the left.”
“Thank you,” she said.
“Whatever.”
I listened to her move around a bit more and then felt her move closer to the opening and off to the side. There was a soft splash, and a minute later I heard her pulling herself back up onto the raft.
“There’s something similar to a towel over there,” I said – flinging my arm out in the
direction of the back of the raft and waving my hand around. “Make sure you dry off the floor, too.”
“Thank you,” she said.
“Whatever.”
I listened to her move around some more, getting pretty fed up with just lying there, baking, with my fucking shirt over my head.
“Are you done yet?”
“Almost,” she said quietly. Her voice still sounded scratchy. “Okay, I’m done.”
I grabbed the shirt off my face and sat up, looking over at her. She was adjusting the straps on her suit and still blushing.
“Do you know why my…um…throat hurts?”
“Yeah,” I said. I didn’t elaborate. After a minute she finally asked.
“Why does my throat hurt?”
“Because you inhaled a shitload of salt water,” I stated. “It fucks up your throat and your vocal cords. Give it a day; it’ll be better.”
“Thank you,” she said, again.
“Whatever,” I replied, again.
I shoved my hand down into the sealed up container for rations and pulled out a carb bar. I tore it in half and threw one of the pieces at her.
“Eat it,” I instructed. “You can have the other half in six hours.”
“Six hours?” she repeated.
“Are you a fucking recorder? Yes, six hours.”
I knew I was being a bastard, but my brain was working overtime trying to figure out what our best course of action might be. Having her here made it ten times more difficult. If it was just me, I was pretty sure I would be fine. There was plenty of food and water for just me. I could fish, I could take care of myself, and I could stay alive under pretty extreme circumstances.
Having her here with me just…complicated everything.
Author Bio:
Shay Savage lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with her husband, two children, and a variety of household pets. She is an accomplished public speaker, and holds the rank of Distinguished Toastmaster from Toastmasters International. When not writing, she enjoys science fiction movies, and loves soccer in any and all forms. During the fall, she coaches her daughter’s soccer team. Though she currently works in the technology field, her school background is in psychology, and she brings a lot of that knowledge into the characters within her stories.
Author Contact Links:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AP5NNWC/
Surviving Raine by Shay Savage @Savage7289 **cover reveal** @CBL_Blog
Summary:
As the captain of a schooner catering to the elite on the Caribbean Seas, Sebastian Stark does his
best to avoid any human encounters. Interacting with people isn’t his thing, and he prefers the
company of a bottle of vodka, a shot glass, and maybe a whore. There’s no doubt he’s hiding
from a checkered past, but he does well keeping everything to himself…
…until the night his schooner capsizes, and he’s stuck on a life raft with one of the passengers.
Raine’s young, she’s cute, and Bastian would probably be into her if he wasn’t suffering from
alcohol withdrawal. As the days pass, DTs, starvation, and dehydration become the norm. Even
the most closed person starts to open up when he thinks he’s going to die, but when she realizes
their traumatic pasts are connected, it’s no longer the elements that have Bastian concerned.
He has no idea how he’s going to Survive Raine.
***
Bastian isn’t the most pleasant guy Raine could have ended up with in the middle of the ocean
with no chance of rescue, but he has an uncanny knack for survival. As she digs through the
walls surrounding the stubborn and challenging man, she finds something surprisingly different
buried inside…
…and he can answer the question she’s asked for years.
As she learns more about what has brought him to this fate, Raine is determined to drag this self-
destructive man back from the edge of the wave. Isolation is her only chance to tear the man out
from inside of the animal, but this one has been abused for a long time.
She also has to live long enough to get through to him.
Goodreads Link: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17447588-surviving-raine
Genre: Adult Romance
Release Date: May 21st, 2013
Author Bio:
Shay Savage lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with her husband, two children, and a variety of household pets. She is an accomplished public speaker, and holds the rank of Distinguished Toastmaster from Toastmasters International. When not writing, she enjoys science fiction movies, and loves soccer in any and all forms. During the fall, she coaches her daughter’s soccer team. Though she currently works in the technology field, her school background is in psychology, and she brings a lot of that knowledge into the characters within her stories.
Author Contact Links:
Under Her Spell by Eliza Daly @ElizaDalyAuthor **Feature Spotlight**
Under Her Spell
By: Eliza Daly
Book Blurb for Under Her Spell
When a series of failed relationships and business ventures have Monica Jackson doubting her self-worth, she turns to spell casting to attract positive energy and the opportunities needed to achieve her goals. But can Monica’s belief in spells restore her belief in herself?
Monica creates a spell to find her soul mate, and one to ensure the success of her new romantic event planning company, Enhance Your Romance. Monica is confident she has found her niche until divorce lawyer Reed Walker opens a practice next door to her office. The anti-marriage slogan plastered on his office window, and his down-on-love clients, quickly prove detrimental to Monica’s business. When his arrival appears to trigger a string of bad luck, Monica fears one of her spells sent negative energy into the universe and it has returned to her threefold. Although Reed is beyond sexy, and she admires his self-confidence, she’ll do whatever it takes to get the universe back on her side, and Reed out of her life. No way is she losing another business.
Reed finds himself attracted to Monica’s beauty and her optimism. His job and his parents’ divorce have made him a pessimist, especially when it comes to love. However, he soon finds that Monica’s pro-love attitude is rubbing off on him, causing him to lose his edge. If Reed doesn’t distance himself from Monica, he’ll likely destroy his reputation as a pit bull divorce lawyer.
Can Monica and Reed look past what they might be losing to realize the love they have found?
Under Her Spell is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, All Romance, Kobo, and eBooks.com
Excerpt
Prologue
“A spell … ” Hope mused, then her face lit up. “If there’s a spell to attract a man to a woman, there must be one to repel women from a man. Right?”
“Spells shouldn’t involve negative energy. Sending out negative energy can cause it to return threefold. They aren’t intended to harm someone or make them do something against their will.” Jordan had drilled this into her head.
“I wouldn’t be making Kyle do anything against his will. I’d be warning women to stay away from him.”
Sounded borderline.
“Please,” Hope whined, picking a clump of batter from her long, wavy hair.
Monica let out a defeated groan. “All right.” Hope would never actually cast the spell anyway. When they were young, Hope refused to wear a Casper costume for Halloween because she didn’t believe in ghosts. She was closed-minded when it came to paranormal or New Age beliefs. And you had to truly believe in a spell for it to work.
Monica set down the bowl of salt and grabbed a pencil and pad of paper off her desk and handed them to Hope. “Write this down. It’s called,” she tapped a hot pink nail against her lip, “the dirtbag spell. Take one of Kyle’s socks, fill it with dirt, and add a photo of him. It’s critical you aren’t in the photo.” Monica paced, tightening the sash on her lavender silk robe. “Include something of his like … ”
“His new Rolex?”
Personally, Monica would list the watch on eBay and pray for a bidding war. But Hope, no matter how ticked off, was too timid to sell Kyle’s precious watch, and too frugal to risk damaging it by mixing it with dirt.
“That’s fine. Sew up the sock and bury it in your front yard. It’ll warn all women he’s a dirtbag.”
Hope poised the pencil against her lower lip, reviewing the spell. “Don’t I have to say something when I bury it, like a chant?”
What happened to being spell ignorant?
“Bury it in the moonlight while saying … ” Monica scrambled for a few rhyming lines, “moonlight, glowing bright, warn all women in your sight, the man who lives in this house, is a dirtbag and a total louse.”
“Perfect.” Hope sprang from the bed, looking inspired. “Kyle’s at work. I’m going over to the house right now to bury that sock.” She turned and marched out, a woman on a mission.
Monica nibbled nervously on her fingernail. Hope wouldn’t seriously go through with casting the spell, would she? A big part of spell casting was psychological, focusing all your energy on making something happen. Monica had never seen Hope look so determined, or vindictive. Hopefully, if she did cast the spell the negative energy didn’t return threefold.
What was the worst that could happen?
Author Bio
Eliza Daly’s first attempt at creative writing was in fourth grade. She and her friends were huge Charlie’s Angels fans and she would sit in her bedroom at night writing scripts for them to act out at recess the following day. She was Kelly Garrett. Fast forward to the present, she’s still writing stories about beautiful women who always get their men. The journey from fourth grade script writer to published author wasn’t an easy one, but it was always an adventure and the final destination was well worth it.
When Eliza isn’t traveling for her job as an event planner, or tracing her ancestry roots through Ireland, she’s at home in Milwaukee working on her next novel, bouncing ideas off her husband Mark, and her cats Quigley, Frankie, and Sammy.
You can find Eliza on the web at Website, Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.
Giveaways Updated
All the giveaways are listed here
I want to make it known this is a gift from me. If I like a book and want to share it, I do it from my heart. That being said, the only reviews I will post are really good books that I personally have read and want others to enjoy. If you don’t want the book, then don’t enter to win a copy and cash it in for Amazon credit. This has caused me to again think of another way to show support to authors I love. When you do that it is a “return” and Amazon deducts from the author, not me.
CELEBRATE another California Theme giveaway
a Kindle copy of Talania by Crystal D Spears and A special Talania mug, postcards and magnets
ENTER to win
To celebrate the debut from Crystal Donahue
I made some adorable note pads and note books with her book as the cover
Enter HERE
====[[[[====[[[====]]]====
Talania A Trip Down Memory Lane by Crystal D Spears
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Enter to win a copy of both her books!
She graciously offered to provide a few copies
and I am giving her first book away as a bonus!
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
The Color of Loneliness and The color of Forgiveness
2 Kindle copies of these books and a matching notebook
Gemini of Emreiana (Gemini Series Book #1)By Kristen DaRay @KristenDaRay
Blurb-
My entire life has been a lie: My parents didn’t die in a car accident. They’re not even dead. I’m not American. I’m not even human. I have strange powers, and I’m the heir to the throne of the planet Emreiana.
If I take the crown, I have to leave behind everything I have known here on Earth. I would have to say goodbye to my friends and leave behind Kyle, the boy I’ve loved since I was five. If I don’t, then I risk the Bremoir finding me here on Earth and destroying everything I love.
You can find Gemini of Emreiana:
Author Bio-
Kristen was born in Alabama in 1991 and still resides there today. She has been writing since the 6th grade. However, she did not begin to write fiction until she was 15. In 2009, Kristen had an idea that would spark the concept for Gemini of Emréiana that she would later write in 2011. During that time, she met her husband. They married in August of 2012. When Kristen is not writing, she spends time watching Korean Drama’s or creating SIM’s 3 stories. Kristen continues to write the next novels to the Gemini Trilogy. She also plans to release a new series later on in the year.
Author Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kristendaraybooks
Author Blog: http://www.KristenDaRay.blogspot.com
Goodreads- http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6967107.Kristen_DaRay
Twitter-https://twitter.com/KristenDaRay
Sound Bites: A Rock & Roll Love Story by Rachel K. Burke @rachelkburke
This is the first book for Rachel and I loved it! The genre of course is what I loved to read so I always favor chick lit over others. For the record a main character named “Renee” what an I say? bingo!
To just give my opinion on the story first. So Rachel does a great job setting Renee and her BFF Justine up. They are friends, go to UCLA, live together and are inseparable for about 10 years. Then Justine sleeps with David, Renee’s boyfriend while she is out of town. OK BAD enough but the girl goes to Boston because her grandfather dies and he sleeps with her room mate. What kind of imbeciles are they? Both very bad characters and this is what creates the current situation. Seriously need a virtual slap for both of them and maybe Justine a hair pulling too!
Enter Dylan Cavalleri, she bumps into his car, he lives in the new building she is moving to, and he is not the typical type for her. So there you have it. Enough said! It was a very real and emotional tale. All about growing up, trust, family, and friends. The lessons of life and life goals are there so read it and don’t miss them. What I loved was Dylan and Renee. I liked the band guys, Beth and Boston. What I did not like …. it was too short. I needed more, maybe I am on a greedy trip but I find myself asking for sequels and secondary POV’s lately. I want Beth to get a story and maybe Justine, give her a POV so I can hate her a little more.
I LOVE this description it is SO true!
Sound Bites dramatizes what happens when Renee finds herself caught between a painful past and an uncertain future. Happiness turns out to be within her grasp, but it all depends on whether she can trust herself enough to make the right decisions. Sound Bites is a novel about love, friendship, betrayal, forgiveness, and the power of music to help you find your way.
twitter rachelkburke @RachelKBurke
http://facebook.com/rachelkburkebooks
BUY it AMAZON
Rachel was born and raised in Boston, MA. She currently resides in Los Angeles, CA.
She graduated from Bridgewater University in 2011 with a B.A. in Communications and Media Studies.
Rachel’s work has appeared in Prevention Magazine, Worcester Magazine and Starpulse News Entertainment.
For more information on Rachel and her upcoming fiction, please visit http://www.rachelkburke.com
Sound Bites: A Rock & Roll Love Story by Rachel K Burke @RachelKBurke **spotlight**
Sound Bites: A Rock & Roll Love Story (Literature & Fiction) Goodreads
Description: Renee Evans has a knack for trouble. After walking in on her best friend and boyfriend in bed together, twenty-five year-old Renee flees sunny Los Angeles and her dream job as a music journalist and returns to her hometown of Boston – only to meet Dylan Cavallari, the mysterious, aspiring musician who lives in her apartment building. Dylan’s piercing gaze and womanizing demeanor make him exactly the type of guy that Renee should steer clear of – which is most likely the reason she falls for him. But when Renee’s troublesome ex comes back and threatens to drive her and Dylan apart, Renee is forced to face her past and save her relationship with Dylan before it’s too late. Sound Bites dramatizes what happens when Renee finds herself caught between a painful past and an uncertain future. Happiness turns out to be within her grasp, but it all depends on whether she can trust herself enough to make the right decisions. Sound Bites is a novel about love, friendship, betrayal, forgiveness, and the power of music to help you find your way.
Finding Mia (Literature & Fiction)
Description: Intelligent and fiercely independent, sixteen-year-old Mia Marchette has never had a childhood. After her father’s disappearance when she was six, she has alone borne the burden of her mother’s bipolar disorder. When her mother is institutionalized after a failed suicide attempt, Mia is abruptly forced to live with the estranged father she has not known for ten years. She is shocked to discover that he has created a new, picture-perfect life for himself, and is now living with a stepmother and a half-sister Mia never knew she had. Together, Mia and her new family must face the bitterness, mistakes, and long-hidden secrets that threaten to destroy their precarious happiness. Finding Mia follows Mia’s journey as she searches to find the unanswered questions from her past, leading to her own self-discovery. Ultimately, this is a story of confronting pain and finding freedom, of letting go and learning to search for love in unexpected places.
Reading Renee 
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