Wednesday, September 21, 2016
Tuesday, September 20, 2016
Book Review: THE GLORIOUS HERESIES by lisa McInerney
Title: THE GLORIOUS HERESIES
Author: Lisa McInerney
Category/Genre: Adult Contemporary
My Star Rating: 4/5
Goodreads Blurb:
One messy murder affects the lives of five misfits who exist on the fringes of Ireland's post-crash society. Ryan is a fifteen-year-old drug dealer desperate not to turn out like his alcoholic father Tony, whose obsession with his unhinged next-door neighbour threatens to ruin him and his family. Georgie is a prostitute whose willingness to feign a religious conversion has dangerous repercussions, while Maureen, the accidental murderer, has returned to Cork after forty years in exile to discover that Jimmy, the son she was forced to give up years before, has grown into the most fearsome gangster in the city. In seeking atonement for the murder and a multitude of other perceived sins, Maureen threatens to destroy everything her son has worked so hard for, while her actions risk bringing the intertwined lives of the Irish underworld into the spotlight . . .
Biting, moving and darkly funny, The Glorious Heresies explores salvation, shame and the legacy of Ireland's twentieth-century attitudes to sex and family.
My Review:
Filled with betrayal, dark grumblings and profane truth, The Glorious Heresies is a book that will stick out in my mind for a long time. The dialogue was striking, while the characters and story crept into the deepest parts of humanity and left you there wondering if these are the type of twisted people living right down the street. Spoiler alert: they probably are. One single act of perceived self-defensive sets off a chain reaction in the lives of so many, and like a train wreck you will find yourself unable to look away. Maureen was blunt, wise and frankly honest. I loved her. Much of my husband's side of the family is Catholic, and while I could see them throwing their arms about in fury if they read many of the old lady's ramblings, as a non-religious heretic (or Buddhist, as I prefer) I found them hilarious. Reader beware: one should not pick up this book if you're easily offended.
**I received a free copy of this book from the publisher and Blogging For Books in exchange for a honest review**
Author Spotlight: AJ ADAMS
`*•.¸(`*•.¸(`*•.¸(`*•.¸¸.•*´)¸.•*´)¸.•*´)¸.•*´
••••••★★★AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT★★★••••••
¸.•*´(¸.•*´(¸.•*´(¸.•*´`*•.¸)`*•.¸)`*•.¸)`*•.¸
📖📖 AJ ADAMS📖📖
AJ Adams novels are all self-standing and although some feature the same families, you need not read them all - although it would be awesome if you did!
The Degas Girl
Organized Crime. Dark Romance
Serenity Bishop is a work of art. Her skin a canvas, decorated with the scars of her evil captor’s twisted abuse. But her tormentor, Angelo, is about to lose control.
Zachary Schiavelli is an art thief and forger. His handsome face is merely the mask that hides a cold, calculating man whose own childhood of abuse has honed him into a remorseless killing machine.
Zachary is about to take an intense disliking to Angelo.
In a violent tale of mob rule where violence begets violence, an unlikely alliance between two forces of nature is about to change the face of organized crime. When Serenity and Zachary collide, it’s an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object, and everyone around them is about to get caught in the crossfire.
A complete novel with no cliffhangers.
A violent tale of mob rule and dark romance. Warning contains explicit scenes of dubious consent, graphic violence and sex. Adults only.
He wore jeans and a turquoise T-shirt. The colour made his eyes look blue instead of green. I wasn’t fooled by his looks and his gentle ways. This man had a will of iron, and by the way he looked at me, I could see he was just as determined to control me as Angelo. He just used his tongue instead of his fists.
I’d go along with it, because anything that kept me out of the hole meant I had a chance to escape. I’d pretend to be docile, and as soon as he fell asleep or took his eye off me, I’d make a run for it.
He looked me over, frowning slightly. Suddenly I wondered if he was changing his mind. Maybe he wasn’t going to let me eat. Maybe it was a game. Maybe he’d show me the food, and then tie me up and leave me to starve while he stuffed his face. I was trembling at the thought.
Beast
Fantasy, Dark Romance
He stuck the knife in the ground and stripped off his leathers. The tunic came off, revealing a long, lean, muscled torso, covered in tattoos. Snakes ran up and down his arms, his pecs and his shoulders. A skull blazed on his chest.
Then he was pushing apart my legs, settling between my thighs, leaning over me. He smelled of smoke, leather and musk. It was terrifying, like being at the mercy of an animal.
Falsely accused, Wynne is determined to clear her name. However, a trip to petition the Steward at Brighthelme turns disastrous when the Beasts, fearsome warriors from the frozen north, raze the city. When Wynne is carried away, she’s determined to regain her freedom but Rune, her captor, has other ideas.
Beast is set in Prydain, an imaginary place that combines Anglo-Saxon England with Medieval England, the Teutonic Kingdom and the Viking Age. This story contains kidnapping, dubious consent and graphic violence, however, it is a love story rather than a dark romance. It is a standalone novel; no cliff-hangers.
Warning: This book contains explicit scenes of dubious consent, graphic violence and sex.
Helpless
A Belial MC novel
Fracas Macintyre has been in and out of trouble all her life but this time it’s worse than ever. In debt to a loan shark, she’s caught up in a war between the Alistairs, nicknamed The Irish Mob, and Belial’s Disciples, England’s nastiest MC. Kidnapped and at the mercy of Caden Winslow, Fracas is convinced that life is going to get very nasty indeed.
Caden Winslow is an ex soldier used to taking care of business. When an Alistair henchman steals his beloved Busa, he simply takes one of theirs hostage and expects a simple trade will solve the problem. However, Caden is about to be pulled into a war.
Warning: This book is a dark romance. It contains explicit scenes of dubious consent, graphic violence and sex. It is for adults only.
I opened the boot, and at the sight of the girl, Crush began grinning. “Hey, is that for me, too?”
“You can go fuck yourself!” The little tart blew up instantly. “You evil bastard, let me go!”
“Whoo! I like her!”
Crush is a man who enjoys performing to the stereotypical outlaw biker image. This time I could see he meant it, and so did the girl. She opened her mouth, spotted Crush’s cut and went very quiet.
“You can’t have her. She’s my collateral.” I pulled her towards me, snapped through her ankle ties with the box cutter and threw her over my shoulder. She muttered furiously, but she’d stopped fighting. I could feel her raise her head and look over the crowd of gathering Disciples. She shivered and went limp. I guess she didn’t like the look of the party.
Crush was still curious. “Collateral for what?”
“Alistair’s man took my Busa.”
“You’re shitting me!”
The Bonus
A Zeta cartel novel
Organized Crime. Dark Romance
Chloe is a seasoned drug courier who finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Facing a lingering and painful death at the hands of the Zetas, Mexico’s most brutal cartel, she persuades their enforcer to claim her. Has Chloe made a huge mistake, or will her choice prove her salvation - and his?
Warning: This book contains explicit scenes of dubious consent, graphic violence and sex.
Deliverance
Action, adventure, Organized Crime.
Dark Romance. BDSM
Mac is all set for an undercover job when an old friend lands him with Pepper, a human trafficking victim of a Moroccan-Turkish crime syndicate. Unable to turn her away, Mac now has two missions: to infiltrate a terrorist training camp in the Sahara and to be a Master for Pepper.
Warning: contains graphic violence and sex.
Standalone novel, no cliffhangers
Songbird
A Zeta cartel novel
Organized Crime. Dark Romance. BDSM
When cartel boss Artur
o Vazquez discovers his girlfriend Gina is a DEA rat and his deputy Escamilla is staging a take-over, Arturo fixes his problems by killing everyone - except for Solitaire, Escamilla’s unwilling mistress. Solitaire is intelligent, tough, and shares Arturo’s interest in BDSM. Arturo falls head over heels but someone is leaking information - and the evidence point at Solitaire.
o Vazquez discovers his girlfriend Gina is a DEA rat and his deputy Escamilla is staging a take-over, Arturo fixes his problems by killing everyone - except for Solitaire, Escamilla’s unwilling mistress. Solitaire is intelligent, tough, and shares Arturo’s interest in BDSM. Arturo falls head over heels but someone is leaking information - and the evidence point at Solitaire.
“I told José he was a fool to try and cheat you,” she said. “I wasn’t part of it, and I don’t work for you. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
She’d heard about our policy protecting bystanders. Of course it doesn’t apply to anyone whose eyewitness testimony can put me in a courtroom. Well, try to put me in a courtroom. In Mexico nobody would dare accuse me, and I’ve enough resources in England to guarantee a police investigation would come to nothing, but it’s not my style to take chances. Solitaire would be going into the ground along with Escamilla.
“Mr Vazquez,” Solitaire gave me her best smile. “I don’t expect something for nothing.” She dropped her voice. “You’d like me,” she whispered. “I’ve heard about you. We’re the same.”
“Are we?”
“Yes, I can make you very happy.” She brushed my hand over her cheek and then kissed my palm. “I’m a very good girl,” she said quietly. “Unless you prefer a naughty one?”
She sucked my thumb, and I was instantly rock hard.
Dirty Dealings
A Zeta cartel novel
Organized Crime. Romance
I could’ve fucking strangled her. She knew it too because she stepped away quickly. “Touch me and I’ll have you!” she snarled.
“Bruja mala leche! What the fuck do you think you’re playing at! You can’t push me around!”
“Sure I can.” Her eyes were slate grey, the same colour as the sky, and just as cold. “I need help, and you’re going to give it.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“I’ve got a situation. I need someone who isn’t afraid of murder and mayhem.”
I should have charmed her, offered to help and maybe it would have settled it, but I was too mad to even consider it. “Help you? Over my dead fucking body!”
She shrugged. “We can do it that way, too.” She took out her phone. “I’ll call you soon, hopefully within the hour. If you still refuse, I call Smith.” The eyes were hard. “I’d rather not shop you, because I hate that bastard, but I will if you make me.”
I gave her my number. I mean, I wanted to kill her, but in London they notice things like bodies in the street. Especially if you’re careless enough to do it in broad daylight next to a cop shop.
Quique is having a bad time. Back in Mexico his marriage has fallen apart and his wife has made him a laughing stock by cheating on him. Now he’s in London and finding himself out of his depth with a complex commercial deal. To make things worse, Natalia Truelove, a chef and pub manager, is blackmailing him. Quique is ready to commit murder and he’s pretty sure who his first victim will be.
Warning: Dirty Dealings contains strong adult language and themes as well as graphic violence and fully depicted love scenes.
I write cartel and crime romances, with twisted dark heroes and feminist arse kicking heroines.
My real name is Ellen Whyte. In my non-novel life I'm a syndicated author who has published roughly 3500 articles and 10 non-fiction books with publishers that include Pearson and Marshall Cavendish.
Monday, September 19, 2016
Sunday, September 18, 2016
Release Blitz: STITCHED UP HEART by Tarina Deaton
Title: Stitched Up Heart (Combat Hearts #1)
Author: Tarina Deaton
Genre: Military Romance / Romantic Suspense
Release Date: September 18th
Synopsis
As an Air Force medic, Bree Marks saw the worst the War on Terror had to dish out. Now a physical therapist, she uses her experience to help other veterans heal from their physical wounds; while she battles her own emotional damage.
Blaming himself for his best friend’s suicide, former Army Ranger Jase Larken, retreated from life. To honor his best friend’s memory and assuage his guilt, he started an outdoor adventure company to help veterans with PTSD.
Bree had better things to do than catch her cheating fiancé in bed with another woman. Jase is something better - for a night at least. For the first time in years, Jase wanted more. When he finds her again, he doesn’t give her another chance to run.
Jase’s possessiveness grates on Bree’s independent nature. She’s dealt with her fair share of alpha-male, door kickers and doesn’t need one telling her what to do now. But as a new danger emerges, Bree and Jase must face their pasts, before someone's obsession with Bree destroys any chance they have of a future.
Order your copy today!
Excerpt
She left the restroom after drying her hands. Jase caught her in the hall leading back to the bar. He backed her against the wall and braced his forearms slightly above her head, caging her in but holding himself away from her. He leaned down and brushed his lips gently against hers, then stopped.
Was he asking permission? Bree grasped his hips and hooked her middle fingers in the belt loops of his jeans. She bit the corner of her lip.
“You’ve been biting your lip all night, Bree. It’s my turn.” Bree’s gaze darted from his mouth to his desire-filled eyes, just before his tongue laved the center of her bottom lip. She pulled her fingers out of Jase’s belt loops and stepped closer. She slid one arm around his back and the other around his head, her fingers threading through his hair. Jase wrapped his arms around her, bending at the knees and pulling her up onto her toes. He pushed her against the wall, fitting their bodies so close together Bree could feel the hard press of his cock against her abdomen. The kiss quickly turned carnal, tongues dancing together in an intimate tango as their breathing became heavy. Had she ever been kissed with that much heat…that much passion…that much desire?
The clearing of a throat broke the spell. Jase pulled away slowly, sucking on her bottom lip as he lifted his head. They stared at each other a moment before turning their heads to see Denise standing a couple of feet away trying to look anywhere but directly at them.
“Hey, sweetie.” Bree pushed at Jase trying to create some space between them. He was reluctant to let go, but he released the tight hold he had on her.
“Sorry to interrupt. Got a sec?”
“Sure.” Bree looked at Jase. “I’ll meet you back at the table?”
Jase stared, still holding the back of her neck. “Yeah.”
He bent down and gave her a quick, hard kiss before nodding to Denise and leaving them in the hall.
“Holy hell, that was hot and I wasn’t even the one being kissed,” Denise said. “I’m not sure if I should high-five you or hose you down.”
“No need. My underwear is already soaked.”
Book Trailer
About The Author
Tarina has spent the last 21-plus years in the Air Force trying to figure out what she wants to be when she grows up. Currently stationed in Washington DC, she will soon be packing up her twin heathens (i.e. 4-year-olds) and moving to the Middle East for a 2-year assignment. As a single mom, her favorite pastimes include repeating the word 'no', the phrase 'not right now', and napping. Oh, and writing in her "spare" time.
Having never lived in one place for more than four years, her roots aren't deep, but the friendships she's formed over the years are.
Verbal contact is not recommended before her first cup of coffee in the morning, but feel free to stalk her: Facebook, FB Author Page, Twitter, Email. Sign up for her newsletter to receive all the latest news, sneak peaks, and find out how she's coping in the hot, hot desert.
Facebook | Twitter | Email | Newsletter
Giveaway
Friday, September 16, 2016
Pre-Release Blit: JAMISON by Niquel
Title: Jamison
Series: Spasm Rockers #1
Author: Niquel
Genre: New Adult
Release Date: September 21, 2016
Some people call it puppy love,
But I know the truth.
Even though we were kids, too young to know better,
I knew.
I was absolutely head-over-heels in love with Cody Jamison.
There wasn’t a moment in my life that he wasn’t a part of.
There wasn’t a part of me that didn’t belong to him.
And just as I was about to tell him…
He left.
Left town.
Left me.
Shattering my heart into pieces.
But now, he’s back.
Just like that.
But, we’re no longer those bright-eyed little kids we once were.
He just re-emerged,
Claiming a spot as the lead guitarist in my brother’s band,
As if nothing ever changed.
But it did.
Everything's different now.
And I won't let this asshole strum his way back in,
Reclaiming my heart,
Not without an explanation.
He’s going to have to work for it,
For me.
Cody Jamison can’t have me,
Until I have the truth.
CJ led me down the spiral staircase and back onto the first floor. We found a room down the hall that was away from all the noise and not nearly as crowded. It felt more private and comfortable. There was a small bar in the back of the room and CJ sat me down on the plush couch as he went over and ordered our drinks. Things were getting a little hazy and I hoped I didn’t embarrass myself again by drinking too much.
As he strode back to me, heat flared from in between my thighs. It’d been a while since I’d had sex and my body was quickly reminding me of the deep attraction I had to Cody Jamison. He shot me his infamous smirk and I almost melted on the spot.
“Someone will be over with our drinks shortly. So what did you really think about the performance tonight?” He inched closer to me on the couch and his fingers lightly brushed the hem of my dress.
“Um, it was really good. I love when Alexis leads, especially with something as powerful as “Liar.” It really touches a spot deep down in my soul, makes me feel invincible.”
“Good to know. Well, I’ll let you in on a little secret, we’ve written three more songs and I hope you can come to our practice tomorrow at Reg’s so you can hear them and give me your honest opinion. You keep shit real with me, Shan. I really appreciate that about you.”
Omg he wants to know what I think about his music? I think the alcohol in my system was causing my brain to malfunction and overreact.“Well, I like things about you too; just wish I could get to know you better. Get to know this CJ.” Crap, did I just say that out loud?
“Here are your drinks, sir.” The waiter handed CJ a glass of amber liquid, whiskey I assume, and handed me a fruity frozen drink with a purple umbrella and a fruit kabob. I took a sip and it tasted like paradise. I tried to inhale it and a pain struck me in the head.
“Owwwwww!”
“Slow down, killer. You’re not invincible to brain freeze.” He laughed. His voice was raspy and deep. I wish his laugh would never stop.
I rubbed my temples for a moment, and then slowly sipped paradise again. I uncrossed my legs, then slowly re-crossed them, as he watched my every move. “Shannon, I’m not gonna beat around the fucking bush. I want you. There are things I’d like to do to you, that you probably wouldn’t be able to handle.”
In shock, I slouched back on the couch, mouth agape, trying to find the words to say, but I froze. He slid closer to me and ran his fingers over my thighs, discreetly lifting the cotton material as he bunched it up on my lap. His fingers grazed the inside of my thigh, and then swiped across the lace material covering my mound and I suddenly tensed. “CJ—”
“Tell me no, and I’ll stop, Shannon.” His eyes darkened with desire as he carefully searched mine for a response. “Good, don’t move.”
Niquel is a self diagnosed coffee addict, lover of rice and beans, and chocolate—preferably not all together. She’s the creator of multiple stories full of love, passion, and power. She may toss in a ghost story every once in a while.
When she’s not busy taking care of her two little girls, she's writing or creating graphics or you can find her binge watching TV with her significant other.
Boston born and raised, she’s always been a creative soul: attending multiple colleges to develop her love of the visual arts.
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