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Tuesday, June 30, 2015

"Loving Lexi" (Lisa Survillas) ★★★★★ with GIVEAWAY!!

Loving Lexi - Revised Banner

BOOK INFORMATION

TITLE – Loving Lexi SERIES – The Lexi Series AUTHOR – Lisa Survillas GENRE – New Adult PUBLICATION DATE – January 16, 2016 LENGTH (Pages/# Words) – 246 pages PUBLISHER – Lisa Survillas COVER ARTIST – Robin Harper with Wicked by Design

Loving Lexi - Book Cover

BOOK SYNOPSIS

Lexi Reliving my past. Confronting my mother. Finding my family.
The summer before my senior year is a roller coaster of emotions, but I make it. I come out on the other side, stronger and ready to face my last year of San Francisco State University, when life takes another direction. The rock I’ve come to count on disappears emotionally and leaves me reeling. Will we find our way, or will I be lost and alone again?
Derek Watching her pain. Lifting her up. Loving her strength.
The summer before my senior year is better than I could’ve imagined. Her strength knows no bounds and is truly inspiring to everyone around her. Then the phone call from my past comes and knocks me off my feet. Unable to look at her while dealing with this, I hide, like a coward. Will I get over this moment from my past, or will it drive a permanent wedge between us?

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Loving Lexi - Full Wrap

EXCERPT

“You don’t know how happy it makes me to leave here with no reason to look back. Knowing I left everything behind feels like I’ve lifted a huge weight off of my shoulders. I feel so much lighter, like I can breathe freely again. The clamp around my lungs is gone.”
In that moment, the joy on her face touches me in a way I can’t even explain, and I can’t help but pick her up and twirl her around, sharing in her excitement. I hope the expression on her face is here to stay. My stomach has been in knots for days wondering what she would have to deal with here, but this ending is more than I could’ve ever imagined.



Cat's Review
"Loving Lexi" by Lisa Survillas - Wow!  This one tugs at the heart!  Ms. Survillas does an incredible job of brining the characters' emotions to life.  I loved Lexi and Derek!  Lexi - struggling with her pain yet a true person that I couldn't help but love.  Derek - how could I not love Derek!  He's her rock yet holds so much of his own pain inside.  This one is an emotional roller coaster that had me wishing it would end but also wanting it to go on and on.  This story has some deep emotions and situations that are dealt with, but it also has happy times and a love so sweet and true that I was swept up in the story and craved to read more and more.  Now, I cannot wait until the next book!  Thank you Ms. Survillas for creating such a wonderful pair of characters and a storyline that keeps the reader involved and entranced!  (received copy for honest review)



★★★★★



Loving Lexi - Author Photo

AUTHOR BIO

Hi! I'm Lisa. I live in SUNNY SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA with my wonderful husband and two teenage children. With two kids in high school and involved in activities both inside and outside of school, I have a lot to juggle. When home, I lock myself inside the office to write. I've always loved to write, but life always seemed to be too busy.
When inspiration finally hit, I made the most of the time hubby and kids were busy and published my first book in February 2014. I've published a total of 4 books in the past year and am hoping to bring you a few more before 2015 ends.

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Instagram – @authorlisasurvillas

GIVEAWAY PRIZES

$5 amazon gift card Signed copy of Loving Lexi 2 kindle copies of Loving Lexi
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Wednesday, June 24, 2015

"Safe At Last" (Maya Banks) ★★★★ AVAILABLE NOW!!!


BOOK SUMMARY
The third book in the beloved #1 bestselling author’s sexy, romantic suspense Slow Burn series…
They say young love doesn’t last, but a girl from the wrong side of the tracks with unique abilities and the hometown golden boy were determined to defy the odds. For Zack CovingtonAnna-Grace—his “Gracie”—was the one. Until one night forever alters the course of their future, when a devastated Gracie disappears without a trace, leaving Zack to agonize over what happened to the girl he loved. As the years pass, his desperate efforts to find her uncovered nothing.
Now working for Devereaux Security, he stumbles across a painting featuring a special place only he and Gracie would know. The image is too perfectly rendered for it to be coincidence. His Gracie must be alive. When he finally tracks her down, he is shocked—and heart-broken—to discover the wounded shell of the girl he once knew and still loves. Her psychic gifts are gone, and worse, she believes he betrayed her all those years ago.
Zack has enemies, and once his weakness is discovered, Gracie becomes a target for revenge. He’ll have to save her before he can earn her trust and her love. And he vows they’ll never be torn apart again.
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AMAZON

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Cat's Review
"Safe at Last" tells the story of Zack and Gracie.  Wow!  And what a story they have to tell too!  Zack and Gracie were in love but lies and betrayal separated them for twelve long years.  When Zack stumbles upon Gracie, he's shocked.   More shocking is her reaction to him.  My heart broke for both of these characters, but I have to say, even more so for Zack.  Yes, Gracie suffered terribly but he truly is devastated by her fear of him.   This story is not a light and fluffy romance - there is danger and heartache and brutality.  I have to be honest and say, that at times, I thought it was a bit redundant - over and over about what and why each one thought the other did, but I suppose it was done for the build up.   I wasn't overly thrilled with the last part of the book - I was a bit surprised by Gracie's actions and thought the three women banding together was just a bit much.  Although I don't disagree with their feelings about being locked away to be kept safe, it was just a bit of a stretch for me.  I have read all three books and highly recommend the reader to do the same.  There is a lot of background that you won't necessarily understand if you don't.  I have enjoyed this series and Ms. Banks' style of writing.  This, as the other two were, is a tale filled with danger and love, angst and rejoicing.   I hope that Ms. Banks continues this series as I would really like to see some of the other characters get their HEA.  (received copy from Edelweiss for honest review).

★★★★



AUTHOR INFO

Maya Banks is a #1 USA Today and New York Times bestselling author whose chart toppers have included erotic romance, romantic suspense, contemporary romance, Scottish historical romances. She is the author of the Breathless Trilogy, the KGI novels, the Sweet series, and the Colters Legacy novels.
She lives in the South with her husband and three children and other assorted babies, such as her two Bengal kitties and a Calico who’s been with her as long as her youngest child. She’s an avid reader of romance and loves to dish books with her fans and anyone else who’ll listen! She very much enjoys interacting with her readers on Facebook and Twitter as well as in her Yahoo! Group.



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Tuesday, June 23, 2015

"Summer at the Shore" (V.K. Sykes) ★★★★ with GIVEAWAY!!


BOOK INFORMATION
Summer at the Shore
Seashell Bay # 2
By: V.K. Sykes
Releasing June 30, 2015
Grand Central: Forever


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BOOK SUMMARY
JUST A SUMMER FLING?

Morgan Merrifield sacrificed her teaching career to try to save her family's bed-and-breakfast and care for her younger sister. She can't let herself get distracted by Ryan Butler. After all, the rugged ex-Special Forces soldier is only in Seashell Bay for the summer. But her longtime crush soon flares into real desire-and with one irresistible kiss, she's swept away.

Ryan values his freedom. As much as he wants Morgan, he's not ready to settle down with anyone, much less in sleepy Seashell Bay. But his code of honor doesn't allow him to leave a woman in distress-and she's in desperate need of help to fix the inn. It only takes one day working under the same roof and Ryan is already hoping for a lifetime of hot summer nights . . .


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EXCERPT
Ryan followed her up the porch stairs and into the center hallway. If Morgan didn’t miss her guess, his gaze was probably glued to her butt. A few minutes ago, that same gaze had made a slow perusal of her entire body, which had sent the blood rushing from her head directly to points south. He was clearly appreciating her outfit. Or more likely, what he imagined was underneath it.

Then again, she’d made a little more effort today, unlike her usual and decidedly more casual early morning routine. Her top was kind of tight and showcased her cleavage without being trashy, while her capris were a snug fit. A little understated makeup had been in order too. She kept telling herself that she was simply making up for her sweaty, harassed, and rumpled appearance on the boat yesterday. After all, she didn’t want Ryan to think she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown or anything.

Ha, ha. Nice try, Merrifield.

Besides, how could she object to him giving her a few once-overs when she’d been doing exactly the same thing to him? When he got out of the golf cart, it had hit her all over again that Ryan was truly a prime piece of rampant masculinity—more so every time she saw him. His soft, form-fitting Red Sox T-shirt and cargo shorts displayed a fabulous expanse of carved, tanned muscle, enough to make her start mentally fanning herself. Add in ruggedly handsome features and a dark, mysterious gaze, and everything about him screamed hot, powerful male, a guy who knew exactly what he wanted and how to take it.

And it looked like he might just want to take her.

Morgan knew her self-control was in for a very rocky time. Keep him busy all summer? Yeah, her suddenly filthy mind could pull up about a thousand ways to do that—some of them probably illegal and all of them insanely stupid, at least when it came to protecting herself from hurt.
But she knew the wild ride would be worth it.


Almost.
Passing the parlor and dining room on the left and the sitting room/library on the right, she led Ryan back to the junction between the house and the annex. Only when she reached the door to the kitchen did she realize he’d stopped and crouched, carefully inspecting an electrical outlet. He made a note, then rose and strode down the hall to join her.

“Morgan, just how old is the wiring in here?”

Her lovely Ryan fantasies crumbled under the onslaught of reality. “All I know is that everything passed inspection when Dad bought it.”

“Getting through a home inspection doesn’t necessarily mean that much, and that was years ago anyway,” he said in a somber voice. “If the rest of the house is like this, you need to fully upgrade as soon as possible.”

Morgan stifled a pathetic whimper. “That would cost a fortune.”

“It would cost a lot more if the place went up in smoke.”

Crap. She couldn’t possibly afford new wiring now, but she’d build it into her already awful calculations of what she’d have to spend at some point to keep her increasingly bloated whale afloat.

After a quick nod of acknowledgment, she headed into the kitchen, where her sister was working at the center island, cutting up vegetables for a country-style soup. Ever deliberate, Sabrina would probably take a good half hour or more to work her way through the carrots, beans, onions, turnips, butternut squash, and celery. Though Morgan always offered to help, her sister tended to push her away more often than not. Cooking was one of the few things Sabrina felt comfortable doing, and it gave her a much-needed measure of pride.

“Sweetie, say hello to Ryan,” Morgan said with an encouraging smile.

Her sister wore a white chef’s apron that covered her from her chest almost down to her knees. Underneath was a blue T-shirt, faded jeans, and black Converse running shoes with purple trim.

“Hi, Ryan,” Sabrina said without looking up.

He extended his hand across the island countertop. “It’s really good to see you again, Sabrina.”

Sabrina wiped her right hand on her apron. Morgan had little doubt her sister’s palm was damp since all through breakfast she’d been as nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs. After some hesitation, during which Ryan patiently waited, Sabrina extended her hand for a tentative shake. Thank God he’d remembered Sabrina’s aversion to hugging—hugging men anyway—and hadn’t tried to embrace her.

“Uh, thanks for helping us out,” Sabrina said.

“Those are great shoes,” he said, glancing at her feet. “That purple trim is totally cool.”

Sabrina looked down, then managed a shy grin. “Thanks.”

Morgan started to relax a little now that the ice had been broken. She crossed the kitchen and reached down into a cupboard for an iron skillet. “Bacon, sausage, and eggs okay, Ryan? How do you like your eggs?”

Ryan moved around the island to stand next to Sabrina. “Any way is fine.”

“Coming right up.” Morgan grabbed her pink apron from a hook on the back of the pantry door.

“Sabrina, how about I give you a hand with those veggies?” Ryan said.

Sabrina glanced over at Morgan, looking uncertain.

“If he insists, I say we put the man to work,” Morgan said.

Sabrina extracted a wide-bladed knife from a butcher block on the counter and handed it to Ryan, who carefully ran his thumb along the edge. Then she reached down and pulled out another cutting board. “Would you mind doing the onions? They burn my eyes something fierce.”

Ryan grabbed the pair of big red onions. “When you cut into an onion, it releases a gas that combines with the water in your eyes to form an acid. People have come up with a lot of ideas to avoid burning tears. I’ve only found a couple of things that help though.”


Morgan stared at him. He was the last guy on Earth she thought would be talking about cooking tricks.


CAT'S REVIEW
"Summer at the Shore" by V.K. Sykes is a true romance - it's a feel good story that has little outside angst.  The heart of the story are the characters themselves - Ryan and Morgan.  They are old friends that fight the spark between them.   Ryan, a true hero that is all alpha and sexy, doesn't believe he can settle down.  He fights his feelings for Morgan as she does for him too.  Morgan is an honorable person that is also full of life, yet life has a way of stomping on people and Morgan is definitely feeling a bit overwhelmed.  Of course, this is where our hero steps in to save the day!  I loved the sleepy summer town and the residents that live there.  Ms. Sykes had done a commendable job of bringing the reader into the story by her descriptions, both of the Island and the characters' thoughts.  I always enjoy "reading" the inner thoughts of the characters and what leads them to believe and act on their feelings.   This is the second book of the series yet a reader can easily follow along if they haven't read the first one yet.  This book was perfect for a nice, easy read that had romance and love and that feeling of small town family.  Another terrific read just in time for beach season.  (received copy from NetGalley for honest review)

★★★★

AUTHOR INFO
V.K. Sykes is really two people – Vanessa Kelly and Randy Sykes, a husband and wife team who write USA Today Bestselling contemporary romance and also romantic suspense. Randy excels at plot and characterization, but tends to fall down on the job when it comes to that pesky old thing called emotion. That’s where Vanessa steps in. She usually writes the sex scenes too, since Randy is a bit uncomfortable when it comes to that sort of stuff. Vanessa also writes award-winning Regency-set historical romance for Kensington Zebra under her own name. You can check out Vanessa’s bestselling historical romances at www.vanessakellyauthor.com 

   
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