{Tour with Review} Tori Centanni's "IN THE DEMON'S COMPANY" with CBB promotions!

Welcome to my tour stop for In the Demon's Company by Tori Centanni. This is the second book in The Demon's Assistant series and is a young adult urban fantasy. The review tour runs August 17-28th. Check out the tour page for more information.

{Blitz} AMPLIFIED by Alexia Purdy

{Blog Tour} SUMMONED by Rainy Kaye -- with review and giveaway!

Book Title: Summoned
Author: Rainy Kaye
Cover Design: Kris Wagner https://www.facebook.com/digitalgunman
Model: Adam Jakubowski https://www.facebook.com/LadyJakubowsky
Photographer: Marcin Rychły https://www.facebook.com/karrdepl

Twenty-three year old Dimitri has to do what he is told—literally. Controlled by a paranormal bond, he is forced to use his wits to fulfill unlimited deadly wishes made by multimillionaire Karl Walker.

Dimitri has no idea how his family line became trapped in the genie bond. He just knows resisting has never ended well. When he meets Syd—assertive, sexy, intelligent Syd—he becomes determined to make her his own. Except Karl has ensured Dimitri can't tell anyone about the bond, and Syd isn't the type to tolerate secrets.

Then Karl starts sending him away on back-to-back wishes. Unable to balance love and lies, Dimitri sets out to uncover Karl's ultimate plan and put it to an end. But doing so forces him to confront the one wish he never saw coming—the wish that will destroy him.

Summoned is represented by Rossano Trentin of TZLA.

Find out more at http://www.summonedtheseries.com

 There is no other way to say this...Dimitri is freaking hilarious. He is snarky and has some fantastic one-liners that are gonna make you snort with laughter. Sure, he's evil, but he's also got that gooey center that peeks out once in a while, just enough to keep him likable. And really, you shouldn't like him. He's kinda reprehensible, but you do and you can't help it!

This was a really good paranormal fantasy. Gritty, dark, a touch disturbing, with a character (or two)that is kinda off her rocker (*waves at Syd*), mystery, suspense, insidiousness just begging to be read. The words that often get tossed around in reviews are world-building, character development, etc. And if you want to add the adjectives brilliant and well-developed to those, you'd be right on the money. I really liked this original idea of a genie who is bound to a family and can be inherited. That is the first time I've read something like that and it was truly captivating in that my mind started asking a bunch of what-if's!

The beginning of the book was a little bit of a rough start for me, but I quickly got into it. When you read this, if you feel the same way, I urge you to keep trying. Keep going. Just a little more! And...while there IS a sequel, I think you'll be happy with the ending of this book. Well done, Ms Kaye! 

Rainy Kaye is an aspiring overlord. In the mean time, she blogs at RainyoftheDark.com and writes paranormal novels from her lair somewhere in Phoenix, Arizona. When not plotting world domination, she enjoys getting lost around the globe, studying music so she can sing along with symphonic metal bands, and becoming distracted by Twitter (@rainyofthedark). She is represented by Rossano Trentin of TZLA.
Author Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/rainyofthedark
Author Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/rainyofthedark
Author Blog: http://www.rainyofthedark.com

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{Book Review with Giveaway} DRAGON CRAVING by Livia Olteano

Dragon Craving (Otherworld Summons #2)

by Livia Olteano

Length: 230 pages

Edition: ebook

Self-published

Part of a series; can be read as stand-alone

The world holds few secrets for Oracle Elana Anderson, or as her fans know her, Ela Deville. Successful author of paranormal romance, Ela has a secret: not all her paranormal characters are quite that fictional. She hardly expected she'd trigger a chain of events that might bring about the end of the world via a pesky dragon. Rendered blind to visions of him, Ela’s only way to save her world is to keep the dragon close…very close.

Obitus, the only awake dragon in the Otherworlds, is determined to get back the magic that was stolen from him and secure his position for a good thousand years. Becoming Akai’s new guardian after getting rid of the current one is the best way to it. But that means getting Ela on his side. He’ll bargain and maneuver his way there if he has to, but ends up tormented by the desire to have her for real.

In a game of deals, half-truths and irresistible cravings, does one heart have to break in order for the other to save the world?

 I had read the first book in this series, GARGOYLE ADDICTION, earlier this year. (See my review here). I really enjoyed it and enjoyed the cast of characters as well. I was excited to be offered a chance to read DRAGON CRAVING from the author directly and I enjoyed this book just as much, if not more, than the first!

The Otherworld Summons series is great in that you can read each book as a stand-alone. While the characters cross over into this second book, I could envision someone reading it and enjoying it just fine without having read Karla & Kann's story.

This book focuses on Obitus, the dragon Karla summoned and released from his prison in order to save her own life. Back in our human realm, Obitus and Karla have a friendship going on that Kann and Ela, Karla's favorite author who happens to be the Oracle of Akai (human realm), just cannot seem to understand. In fact, Ela is constantly fighting her own attraction to him, believing him to be the worst sort imaginable. Obitus...the Destroyer of Worlds. He must've been imprisoned for SOME reason, right?

Obitus meanwhile is searching for magic, his magic, so he can wreak revenge on Naum, the person he trusted who betrayed him and imprisoned him. We learn a lot from Obitus about what really happened, about what the guardians TRULY are, etc. A lot of information without being lectured; it all unfolds in the course of the story.

The sexual tension and pulling of heartstrings between Obitus and Ela is wonderfully written as is the pace of this novel. Once I was able to get a little time to myself to read, this was a fast, enjoyable nugget of a book that made me smile as the ebb and flow of relationship woes and highs pulsed.

I cannot wait for another book in this series; something tells me we're going back to gargoyles. Maybe? Hopefully? ;) 

The author is graciously giving away one ebook set of both novels, mobi/epub only. Good luck! 

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{Blog Tour} SOUL RESURRECTED, Sons of Wrath #2, by KERI LAKE

As if it wasn't enough to get the next SONS OF WRATH book, this tour also has an amazing giveaway, a Scavenger Hunt, an excerpt, annnnnnnd a guest post! AHHHHH OVERLOAD! 

If you recall, I was snowed in earlier this year and had the opportunity to read SOUL AVENGED, book one of the Sons of Wrath series. Click HERE to read my review of that book so that you will understand how excited I was to be reading Logan's story. (And forgive the lameness of the post. I was brand spanking new to book blogging and was just copying from goodreads to the blog at the time!) *happy smile* I am a total Urban Fantasy junkie and Keri Lake's Sons of Wrath hit the spot! 

SOUL RESURRECTED (Sons of Wrath, #2)
By: Keri Lake
Release Date:  October 31, 2013
Genre:  Adult Paranormal Romance/Dark Urban Fantasy

ISBN:  978-0-9848517-5-1

As Wrath’s fiercest son, Logan carries the scars of fifty years spent in the most dreaded prison of the underworld, for a sin he’d kill to keep secret. Enduring decades of gruesome torture has left Logan feared by and detached from others, until a female Alexi’s blood resurrects his soul from death and, with it, the pleasures he’s been denied for so long.

Plagued by shame of her own, Calla is drawn to the ruthless demon, Logan, whose insatiable craving for her touch rouses buried passions and, for once, leaves her feeling desired.

A dark and dangerous evil has been reawakened, however, and when Calla is drawn too close to its breeding grounds, Logan vows to summon the violence of Wrath in order to keep her safe. First, though, Calla must save him from a past riddled with deceit and corruption … but only if she can accept the chilling consequences of unearthing his vilest skeleton.

Amazon (Kindle) | Amazon (Print) | Barnes & Noble (Nook) | Signed Print Copy

 BEFORE I GET INTO THE REVIEW...Soul Avenged, book 1, is only 99c for a limited time to celebrate the release of SOUL RESURRECTED! WHEEEE! Click here!

This is Logan's story and it picks up right where we left off with Soul Avenged. It just changes focus from Ayden and Kane to Logan. Logan's background is heartwrenching, ache-inducing, and sad. Despite being a demon, he was saddled with a mother (and I use that term loosely) who abused him when he was vulnerable and basically made his life a living hell, twisting him on the inside until he cannot recognize love. He has a bond with his brothers for sure and respects them and cares deeply for them, but he doesn't use the word love.

At the end of SOUL AVENGED, Logan is on his deathbed and the brothers are freaking out and worried about him. Being fed the blood of a virgin Alexi female demon is what saves his life --- Calla. They get a little more than they bargained for with the blood exchange and it makes for a delicious story.

Gritty and action-packed, Keri Lake has done it again with a book that I just could not put down. Soul Avenged hooked me in the middle of Blizzard Nemo earlier this year. Soul Resurrected had me wishing for a blizzard so that I didn't have to go anywhere or do anything other than devour each page. The wealth of emotions these tough, hot, sexy hunks have just simmering under those tough guy personas will pull at any girl's heart.

This is how I like my urban fantasy - constantly moving, totally gritty, insanely dangerous, with strong male and female characters that have a hidden squishy center, and seem to leap right off the page. Like all the ladies sporting Naamah tattoos from the Kushiel series, I think that pretty soon we'll be seeing Sons of Wrath tattoos everywhere! I'm worried about Gavin, my heart hurts for the Z twins, I can't wait to get to know Ferno, etc. I am fully entrenched in this series and cannot wait for more.

And as if that wasn't enough...I found my name in the Special Contributors section! HOLY CRAP COOLNESS! Thank you, Keri! <3 p="">

About Keri Lake

Keri Lake is a married mother of two living in Michigan.  She writes paranormal romance, urban fantasy and loves a good, tragic love story.  Though novels tend to be her focus, she also writes short stories and flash fiction whenever distraction manages to suck her in to the Land of Shiny Things.

When she isn’t toiling away on plots and protagonists, she enjoys reading, music and travel.  If she could create mystical powers for herself, she’d have the ability to flash to anywhere in the world.  And if she could flash to anywhere in the world at this very moment, she’d be staring at the ocean from her adirondack chair on the shores of North Carolina.

Website: http://www.kerilake.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/KeriLake
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/KeriLakeAuthor
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/kerilake/
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5335601.Keri_Lake
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Keri-Lake/e/B006VY7EM6

SCAVENGER HUNT

Throughout the tour, participating blogs will be posting a question for readers to hunt down on Keri Lake’s website.  Questions can be found throughout the site:  book pages, snippets, blog posts and glossary.  Most questions will be related to the Sons of Wrath series.  A few bloggers will have added bonus questions taken directly from Soul Avenged.  

You can visit Keri Lake’s Scavenger Hunt page by clicking on the button.  Record your answers on the Answer Sheet.  At the end of the tour, you’ll be able to submit your responses via Google Doc right on the Scavenger Hunt page.  The individual with the MOST correct responses will win a MYSTERY PRIZE, valued at $125.

Here is the question assigned to this blog: 

Which brother was sentenced to time in the most feared underworld prison?

CHAPTER 1

Some lives just weren’t worth the trouble of saving …

The dark room swallowed Logan, as he lay sprawled on his bed—just as he’d been left after ditching his date with death. A stomach-turning sensation of thickened skin and tingles swathed his body, closing in on him, phantom sensations crawling over his flesh that kept him awake. Every five minutes or so, he willed an arm or a leg to move. No go.

Shadows danced across the wall on the occasions that one of the Catatones guarding the mansion passed through the floodlight below his window. He focused on them only because his neck had been propped in that direction and he had no choice. Good thing, though. She had been assigned to watch over him and slept somewhere beyond his periphery, the reminder heating his blood every time her sleepy moan drifted across the room.

The fury could’ve split him right down the middle.

Her blood ran through him—pumping in his veins, feeding his heart, keeping him alive.

Calla’s.

The woman who’d gotten him stabbed with Demortis, the only element capable of taking down a demon, now swam through his body as the only element capable of saving him. Her blood. Pure. Probably the closest he’d ever come to being righteous.

The irony was enough to leave him scratching his own eyeballs out of his head—that is, if he could reach the damn things. Like a bitch slap from the gods, who probably sat around drinking beers over the shit, poking fun at him.

The side effect of returning from the dead?

Feeling like the fucking dead.

Logan tightened his lip, wishing he could kick his own ass for being so stupid. Not like he’d had to save her or anything. Hell, being a demon meant being the exception to human rules.

And being a son of Wrath meant never having to play by any species’ rules.

Yet for some reason, one lodged so deep inside his brain he couldn’t even begin to explain, he’d felt the need to intervene. Not so much for her sake, but because the little prick trying to rape her had taken a jab at the psychopath buried in Logan’s bones. Taunted him.

Then finally tripped his kill-switch.

Yeah, that’s what Logan told himself, anyway, because no other excuse could possibly justify why he couldn’t stir a single muscle in his body for anything having to do with her—Calla. The girl they’d picked up at some underground party, so high on Shine she’d have probably let every one of the brothers have a go at her if they’d been the ravaging bastardly types.

Lucky for her they weren’t.

“Should’ve walked away,” he muttered, his voice the only part of his body he could control. 

A zing of pain shot through Logan’s feet, flexing them into an unnatural, paralyzed position. “Ah, shit!” Hadn’t his feet been numb just seconds ago?

Not even forcing his muscles to relax shook the sting away, one like a strike to the level of his bones, as if they shattered with impact.

He held his breath and clenched his teeth while the pain crept up his leg. “Motherfucker!” He spoke past gritted teeth, keeping his voice low to keep from rousing his babysitter, but damn, his back arched like one of those tetanus-infected bastards, his eyes squinting so hard they could’ve popped backward into his brain.

Black smoke curled behind his lids, and a deep laughter mocked him as the agony reached his spine. Trembling in the bed, Logan clamped his mouth shut and allowed the convulsions to run through him.

In silence.

He’d known pain—gut-turning, put-me-out-of-my-fucking-misery pain. Nothing compared to what wracked him at that moment, as if nightmares could invade the body and inflict injury. The burn, like molten lava oozing in his veins, seeped into his every cell, searing him from the inside. Sweat trickled down his temple at the same time as a chill burst deep inside his bones and swept through his limbs, leaving behind a wake of nausea.

That black smoke carried the familiar sensation he’d felt once or twice in his life—from the quick witted son of a bitch that brought the toughest demon males to their knees: absolute death. Stygius. The place in the underworld from where no soul ever returned.

With shallow panting breaths, he allowed the blackness worming its way into his mind to take over as something dark and wicked laid claim.

All Logan could do was let it take him.

Guest Post

“I hate these fucking drinks.”  Ayden stood up from the bar she’d been leaning against and turned to face Calla, pulling the colorful umbrella out of a frothy, bright red beverage that looked like something she’d scored at a 7-Eleven.  

Calla stared down at her own colorful concoction.  “I dunno.  Tastes fruity.  What’s in it again?”

“Not enough alcohol.”  Ayden twirled the straw through the frozen layers.  “The clothes, the drinks, this is why I hate going undercover.”  She glanced down at the skirt and flowy top that allowed a peek at half her breast.  “Ridiculous trends.”  Her lip curled.  “Shit looks like something Annabelle wore back in her heyday.”

“A pitbull dressed like a poodle.”  Calla laughed as her gaze swept the bar, confirming that both Calla and Ayden fit in with the fashionable females that packed the place.  “But yeah, this top is going to be the first to go when we get back.”  Her skin prickled with the exposure of the back and the thin crisscross wrap that covered it.  In front, a black sequined hanging v-neck gave a nice flash of cleavage.  

“C’mon.  I’m sure they’re somewhere on the dance floor.”  

They were a group of male lycans who traveled in packs to the higher-class bars in the nice hoods.  Underground slave trafficking. Ayden had decided the only way to find the bastards, was to make herself a victim and go undercover.  They needed someone to spill the location of where the girls were being kept, but up until that point, all Ayden managed to spill in her haste for information, was a lot of blood.

A glint of silver from below caught Calla’s attention.  

“Hey, lift your holster, it’s peeking out of your skirt.”  

A downward glance and Ayden hiked up her skirt, adjusting the dagger strapped to her thigh.  “Thanks,” she said over her shoulder.  “Let’s get this shit over with.  Gavin’ll have my ass for going solo on this.”

Bodies gyrated around them as they made their way onto the dance floor, the heady scent of arousal and sweat crinkling Calla’s nose as she dodged flailing arms and hips pumping in the same rhythm as couples engaged in sex.  It wouldn’t surprise her if some were getting it on right there on the dance floor.  The club, so packed on the weekends, boasted a heavy crowd of Shiners, meaning they were all lost to the hallucinogenic effects that made them horny as hell—a very dangerous place for any other girl.  

In the thick of the swarm, they reached a small circle of about a half dozen males—all of them young, handsome, muscular—traits sure to lure an unsuspecting female.  The smell of wolf had Calla looking away to keep her blue eyes from turning gold, as she and Ayden approached.  In the center of the circle, four clearly messed up females stumbled over each other, dancing themselves into a stupor.

Ayden leaned into the tall, dark-haired one with a flashy red shirt, whispering something in his ear.  A grin spread across his face and he patted the blond beside him.  From inside his pocket, the blond pulled a plastic bag, quarter filled with silver capsules.  Shine.

That’s how they operated.  Taking girls out back, giving them drugs and kidnapping them.  At least a dozen girls had gone missing from Detroit alone in the last two months.  

Ayden passed her drink back to Calla, who set them down on a nearby pedestal table.  As Ayden reached for the bag, the blond snatched it back.  “Shit ain’t free, baby.”  He grabbed himself through his leathers.  “I need a favor, first.”

The two males signaled Ayden and Calla to follow, and led them through the crowd, down a hall and out a back door to the alley.  Winter chill brushed across Calla’s skin, forcing her to cross her arms over her chest as she stifled a shiver.  

As the four gathered beside the brick wall of the building, the scent of wolf mixed with garbage from the dumpsters turned Calla’s already sickened stomach.

The dark-haired male placed a capsule to his tongue and raised his brow at Ayden.  She gave a demure smile, leaned in and kissed him, taking the capsule in her mouth.  He stepped toward her, backing her against the alley wall and slipped his hand inside her jacket, presumably fondling her breasts, though Ayden didn’t make much sound to indicate he’d hit the spot or anything.

Calla bit her lip and turned her attention back on the blond who held the silver capsule between his thumb and forefinger.  She drew in a deep breath and opened her mouth for the offering.  The tiny capsule hit her tongue and, eyes riveted on her mouth, he rubbed it with his index finger, forcing her to close her mouth around his finger as he pushed it in and out of her lips.  Another hand slid up her thigh and Calla mumbled a gasp.

Once his finger slipped out of her mouth, she drove the capsule between her back teeth and cheek with her tongue, to avoid swallowing it.  

He leaned in to her ear and whispered, “Wanna go somewhere and get warm?”  His breathy voice held an urgency that had Calla wanting to punch him in the face.

She forced a smile and nodded.

The blond pushed off of the wall and grabbed tight to her wrist, leading her through the alley.  

Calla threw a glance over her shoulder at Ayden who’d knelt to the ground and was unzipping the leathers of the dark-haired male.  

Crap.  She’d need to spit the capsule out soon or risk falling prey to its affects before the thing completely dissolved and then she’d be screwed—in more ways than she cared to imagine.  Already her vision had begun to fog.  

Before he seemed to notice, she prodded her finger up into her gums and scooped out the capsule, lowering her hand to her side before she flicked it discretely into the side of the building.

As if he sensed something, the blond craned his head, frowned as she greeted him with an over the top smile, and faced forward again.

Calla’s heart thrummed in her chest.  Her head felt light and her eyes could hardly focus on the white cargo van across the parking lot—the one they were headed toward, with no windows, that screamed nobody would know what went down inside.  

No doubt, the guys ‘tested’ the goods before delivering them.

The blond opened the side door and offered a hand to her.  “It’s much warmer in here.  I’ll crank up the heat.”  His hand rubbed along her arm, intentionally too close to her breast.  “You’re nearly frozen.”  He licked his lips, his eyes cast downward somewhere along her gaping cleavage.

An outcry hit the night and the blond startled at what was clearly the agonized cry of a male, followed by the distinct rip of a growl that’d become something of a trigger for all Alexi soldiers.

When the blond turned back to Calla, a swirling silver coated his eyes.  “What’s this shit?  A trick?”  His fingers dug into her jaw as he gripped tight to her chin.  “Who the fuck are you?”

Gold glowed in Calla’s periphery and she couldn’t help but smile.  Revelations were always something of a big moment for Alexi soldiers.  Like having to come clean and confess a lie.  

Before he could react, she kicked up her knee, knocking his nuts, forcing him forward, as she drew her dagger from her boot and held it to his stomach.  “You’re going to tell us where to find the girls,” she said, very happily seizing the upper hand.  A lightning flick of the knife and she jabbed the blade into his shoulder, taking in a moment of pleasure as he cursed and fell to his knees.  

“Fuck … you.”  He rasped as Calla yanked another dagger from her second boot and propped it below his chin.  

An object rolled across the parking lot, landed at his bended knees and Calla allowed him to look down at it.  

Snarls accompanied the tight quiver of his muscles as the head of his buddy, in wolf form, stared back with a glossy, vacant shine to its otherwise menacing eyes.  A nice smooth cut at the neck meant he didn’t stand a chance of fighting.  The blond lurched against the dagger at his throat.  

Ayden approached, casually wiping the blood off her dagger with what looked like a torn piece of dark-hair’s flashy shirt.  “Unless you want to meet the same fate, I suggest you talk.  Bitches don’t fuck around, dog.  I’m not in the mood to play games.”  Ayden crossed her arms, staring down at him.  “Where are the girls?”

“Sold.  Every one of them.”  The smugness in his voice taunted Calla’s fist.  

Ayden obliged, forcing Calla to lower the blade from his throat as she knocked the male’s head to the side with a powerful punch to his face.  “To?”

He spat blood and licked his split lip.  “Our best fucking customers.”

Calla gripped his sweat-slick hair and pushed the dagger into his throat.  With his head tugged back, neck taut for slicing, his nostrils flared with each heaving breath he exhaled. 

“Go ahead and kill me.  Both you cunts are dead when our pack brothers find out.”

A grin stretched Ayden’s lips.  “Oh I don’t plan to kill you.  I’ve got some very persuasive friends who will surely get you to talk.  By any means necessary.”

Calix’s Bentley rolled up at that moment, and the black-tinted passenger window rolled down, revealing Gavin’s handsome smile.

“Good evening, ladies.  Might I take this shithead off your hands for you?”

At the flash of red in Gavin’s eyes, the blond squirmed in Calla’s grip.  “Let me go!”  

Calla placed a hand over his mouth, muffling his demand.  

“With pleasure.” Ayden opened the trunk of the car as Calix rounded the vehicle, helped Calla drag the blond along and threw him inside.  She held him down and cranked the knife into his shoulder then yanked it out.   

“Ah fuck!”  The blond twisted inside the trunk and sat up at the same time Calix slammed it shut.  The thunk made Calla’s shoulders bunch a moment, nose scrunched at the thought of what he’d hit.

“Stay warm, asshole,” Calla said, wiping her hands together.

Both women stood watching as Calix hopped into the driver’s seat and gave a salute through the window before the Bentley drove off.

“Feel like finishing off the other four?”  Ayden asked beside her.

“How bout a drink first?  My head’s still a little foggy from the Shine.”

“As long as it’s not that fruity shit, I’m game.”  Ayden jerked her head and Calla followed her back inside the bar.

Check out the other stops on this tour by going to Keri Lake's site HERE

Holy amazing giveaway!

1st Prize:  

1-$30 Amazon Gift card

1-Signed Paperback Soul Resurrected (Sons of Wrath, #2)

1-Limited Edition Print signed by Julian Christian & Keri Lake

1-Property of Logan T-Shirt

1-Soul Resurrected Tote Bag

1-Soul Resurrected Notebook & Pen set

1-Sons of Wrath Wine Glass Charm set

1-Soul Resurrected Book Mark

1-Soul Resurrected Coffee Mug

2nd Prize:  

1-$20 Amazon Gift Card

1-Signed Paperback Soul Resurrected (Sons of Wrath, #2)

1-Soul Resurrected Tote

1-Soul Resurrected Notebook & Pen set

1-Soul Resurrected Purse Clip

1-Sons of Wrath Wine Glass Charm set

For those participating in the Scavenger Hunt: 

1-MYSTERY PRIZE (valued at $125)

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{Book Review} DARK ANGEL by T.J. Bennett

DARK ANGEL - A Gothic Fairy Tale
by T.J. Bennett
Publisher: Entangled Edge
Published: October 21, 2013
Edition: ARC
Source: Publisher for an honest review

When young widow Catherine Briton is washed ashore, the sole survivor of a violent shipwreck, all she wants is to go home to London. But injured as she is, she can’t escape when a shadowy stranger rescues her and takes her to his castle—where she’s healed with suspicious, almost magical speed.

The more time Catherine spends in the castle, the more her curiosity rises where her fiercely handsome new "master," Gerard, is concerned. As she begins to investigate, though, her discoveries only bring more questions. It seems Gerard isn't the only one on the island keeping secrets…

The small town is full of strange mysteries and townspeople who know more than they should about her. And when a hulking beast that stalks the nearby hills and valleys catches up to her, Catherine must figure out what’s going on before it’s too late.

 Have I told you yet how much I love Beauty & the Beast? My first encounter with Beauty & the Beast was NOT the Disney movie. It was from the collection of fairy tales my dad would read to me every night as a child. And then, I discovered Robin McKinley's "Beauty" when I was in middle school, an excellent re-telling that captured me with not only the story, but the Beast's magical library that held all the books ever published and even those which have yet to be published. And since then, I've enjoyed many twists on the tale, including this one by T.J. Bennett!

I immediately liked the feisty, plucky heroine as she stands up to a man in a time when women just did not do that. When she washes ashore and is the lone survivor of the shipwreck, you can feel her panic as she looks for her purse, holding all the money she has in the world for her cause.

Gerard is devilishly handsome and appealing, but lacking manners as he is used to just demanding and getting his way. He has that tortured soul thing going for him that enchants nearly every woman; why we all go for that, I have no idea but we do!

I thoroughly enjoyed this suspenseful, gothic tale of Beauty & the Beast. As always, the scariest monster/beast out there is mankind as opposed to animal kind. As Catherine discovers the sad truth about the island and the islanders, she and her newfound friends are threatened by one of their own. What lurks in the shadows may not be a beast at all! Restrained passion given the time (1859) and slow building romance was appropriate and delicious to read, and when they finally come together it's a tumultuous experience.

T.J. Bennett's writing was spot-on for the time period and despite the setting, made me think very much of Wuthering Heights. Well-written and weaving intrigue and suspense, it gets its hooks into you as you read, pulling you further in. I love it when a book does that!

Happily Ever After? What do you think? :) 

{Book Tour} RBTL presents: GIVE ME REASON by Zoey Derrick

Title: Give Me Reason
Author: Zoey Derrick
Series: The Reason Series (#1)
Genre: Paranormal Romace/Fantasy
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: Sept 24 2013

Blurb/Synopsis:

Vivienne Callahan has known only hardship. As if growing up with an alcoholic, drug addicted mother wasn’t traumatic enough, she’s escaped from her physically and verbally abusive boyfriend only to struggle every day to make ends meet as a waitress in a Minneapolis diner.

Along comes Mikah Blake, a handsome stranger who quickly takes an unexpected and persistent interest in her. On the surface, “Mr. Suit” seems to be Vivienne’s opposite: rich, well-fed, successful. As Vivienne will learn, Mikah is more than he seems, and for reasons unknown, he’s determined to be her knight in shining armor. But after having finally found her own two feet after years of abuse, it’s difficult for her to accept Mikah’s help.

Will her body’s unexpected response to Mikah’s touch be reason enough to overcome her pride and traumatic past and learn to love and trust? Or will her past, refusing to be left behind, come back to claim her?
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Disclaimer: I received an ARC copy for review for this tour. This has not affected my review in any way and I was not compensated for my review.

Warning: Cliiiiiiiiiiffhaaaaaaaaaanger

Man! This story rolled smoothly and fascinates you from the beginning with the tale of Mikah and his "unusual markings" that would change and develop over time. They're on his back and the lines would move and change. He feels the familiar burning and follows his instinct until he lands at a little diner where he fixates on Vivienne, only knowing that he MUST help her.

Why is it that those most in need are always the ones too prideful to accept help? I know it's weird to have this benefactor out of nowhere, but when you have to worry about someone other than yourself, I think it's okay. Phew. As the story unfolds, bit by bit, it's all in present time with a few flashbacks to her time in hell with her ex. As Mikah hangs around, Viv is unwittingly growing attached. You can tell as she reaches for him, as she allows him in during a private examination, as she looks up with every door opening at the diner.

Just as you think all will be well, the story comes to an abrupt, violent end that leaves you gnawing on your lip. Holy cliffhanger! 

It is from Glendale, Arizona that Zoey Derrick, a mortgage underwriter by day and romance and erotica novelist by night, writes stories as hot as the desert sun itself. It is this passion that drips off of her work, bringing excitement to anyone who enjoys a good and sensual love story.

Not only does she aim to take her readers on an erotic dance that lasts the night, it allows her to empty her mind of stories we all wish were true.

Her stories are hopeful yet true to life, skillfully avoiding melodrama and the unrealistic, bringing her gripping Erotica only closer to the heart of those that dare dipping into it.

The intimacy of her fantasies that she shares with her readers is thrilling and encouraging, climactic yet full of suspense. She is a loving mistress, up for anything, of which any reader is doomed to return to again and again.

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(*** This excerpt is unedited or is subject to change at any time. ***)

He’s looking down at me, making me feel small at five feet two inches. He has to be at least six feet tall. Broad shoulders. His suit today is gunmetal grey with blue or black pin striping—I can’t tell which. His shirt is a beautiful lavender color with a darker purple tie.

"How do you know I'm not an addict?" I ask, softly.

He smiles at me, warm, genuine. "Because, you've come to return the money I left you last night as a tip." My jaw falls open.

"How"—I swallow hard—"did you know?"

His smile fades a little. "Because, why else would you come down here?"

I close my mouth and look down at the floor. His ability to read me is really scary.

"Since you haven't eaten since last night, I'm going to take you to lunch."

I feel my face flush bright red, both in anger and complete irritation. "That is not why I'm here. I've survived for my entire life fending for myself, I don't need some rich hot shot business mogul buying me food." I reach into the pocket of my bag and pull the folded up paper from it. I thrust it towards him. He refuses to take it. Tears of frustration trickle down my cheeks. "Damn it Mikah, take it." I push it at him again and again he refuses. "I'm not a damn charity case. I don't need your money or your food."

The bell chimes. We’ve finally reached the skyway. As soon as the doors open, I drop the folded up paper with his money in it and bolt from the elevator, turning left, hoping and praying I can get away.

"Vivienne, stop." I hear him say behind me. I keep going, walking quickly but not running. Yet. I'm trying hard to not make a scene.

But he doesn’t seem to care about that. He catches me quickly, spins me around. I grab hold of his arm to catch my balance so I don't go sprawling onto the floor.

{RBTL Presents} HUNTERS AND PREY by Katie Salidas, Book 2 of the IMMORTALIS series (Review & Giveaway)

Title: Hunters & Prey
Author: Katie Salidas
Series: Immortalis (Book #2)
Genre: Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Rising Sign Books
Release Date: Nov 2010
Blurb/Synopsis:

Rule number one: humans and vampires don't co-exist. One is the hunter and one is the prey. Simple, right? Not for newly-turned vampire Alyssa. A surprise confrontation with Santino Vitale, the Acta Sanctorum's most fearsome hunter, sends her fleeing back to the world she once knew, and Fallon, the human friend she's missed more than anything. Now she has some explaining to do. However, that will have to wait. With the Acta Sanctorum hot on their heels, staying alive is more important than educating a human on the finer points of bloodlust.

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About the Author:

Katie Salidas is a Super Woman! Endowed with special powers and abilities, beyond those of mortal women, She can get the munchkins off to gymnastics, cheerleading, Girl Scouts, and swim lessons. She can put hot food on the table for dinner while assisting with homework, baths, and bedtime… And, she still finds the time to keep the hubby happy (nudge nudge wink wink). She can do all of this and still have time to write.

And if you can believe all of those lies, there is some beautiful swamp land in Florida for sale…

Katie Salidas resides in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mother, wife, and author, she does try to do it all, often causing sleep deprivation and many nights passed out at the computer. Writing books is her passion, and she hopes that her passion will bring you hours of entertainment.

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 She's baaaaaaaaaaaaack! It's been a few months since they survived the Acta Sanctorum attack, and Alyssa is still having daymares where Santino, the Acta Sanctorum's vicious vampire who kills his own kind, is stalking her! Lysander kinda dismisses her concerns as does Nicholas, claiming it's PTSD, but Alyssa just KNOWS he's out there...

And she's right! Of course, Alyssa does the not so smart thing of involving her BFF, Fallon, whom she hasn't been in contact with since she was turned. She places Fallon in grave danger, but you have to admire her loyalty!

Alyssa is not as brash and stupid in this one, although she still does not think things through. Her entire clan realizes this and are all warning her about it. This was a fabulous follow up to IMMORTALIS CARPE NOCTEM with lots of action, so well choreographed you can see it in your head as you read, and a couple delicious steamy sex scenes with Alyssa and Lysander. I love how much they love each other without it being a snooze-fest of lovey dovey-ness. She questions in her head how she can love someone who won't give her the benefit of the doubt, who won't care for the people she does, and Lysander responds to this and does his best to change and listen to her. It's lovely watching all of these friendships and relationship develop. Onto Pandora's Box! 

The door opened, and from the corner of my eye I saw the dark hair and athletic figure of Lysander. There went my relaxing shower.

“I don’t want to talk to you right now,” I shouted.

I turned around and let the water run down my back and busied myself by opening a bottle of citrus-scented shampoo. I didn’t feel like being lectured by him anymore and hoped he’d take the not-so-subtle hint to go away.

“I do not wish to fight with you. But you must understand my position.” His voice carried that annoying hit of authority he used when he wanted things done his way.

I ignored him, spreading the shampoo into my long hair, massaging it into my scalp, creating a foamy mountain of lather on top of my head.

“Alyssa, stop acting childish and listen to me.”

His choice of words were far from endearing and had the opposite effect on me. I turned my back, facing the water, letting it wash away the bubbles. The rushing cascade muffled Lysander’s words.

The shower door opened and Lysander stepped inside. His hand grasped mine, pulling it from my hair. With one twirling motion, he forced me around to look at him.

 “You will not ignore me,” he said, a note of frustration in his voice. He stood naked before me, holding me, crushing me against his hard body.

“I have nothing to say to you.”

I didn’t need another lecture. I had done what I thought best at the time, for better or worse. There was no way to go back and change those actions. Harping on me wasn’t going to solve anything. I tried wedging my hands between our bodies, but he wouldn’t allow it.

“You endangered us all. Don’t you see that?”

“No. I endangered myself,” I snapped at him. “Do you think I would have willingly done things to hurt the clan?” I pushed again at his body, trying to free myself from his grasp. “You think I’m so naive, that I have no sense at all, don’t you?”

He looked down, locking his eyes on mine. I felt the odd press of his mind, trying to delve into my own. I knew he was trying to use his power to subdue my anger, and I didn’t want that. I had every reason to be angry with him, and that anger helped me focus enough to break his stare. I turned my head away from him—the only real defense I had. I was no match to play mental games with a two-thousand year old vampire, and I knew it.

A low growl rumbled in his throat. I could feel the rage like an electric current, vibrating inside of him. A small voice in the back of my head told me to just be quiet and let him say his piece, but anger consumed my better judgment.

“I left you at the hotel. I went after Fallon, alone. I never once involved you or the clan in my attempt to save her. When we escaped, I brought Santino to a neutral spot. Never once did I contact you or give you or the clan’s location away. So you tell me, how the fuck I endangered anyone but myself?” I slammed my fist into his chest, punctuating the anger in my words.

He stood silent for a moment. Against my better judgment, I looked up, intending to demand his answers and apology. Our eyes met, but I didn’t see anger there. Pain was etched across his face. My rage faltered. The hypnotic pull of his twilight eyes caught me in my momentary weakness. His voice whispered in my mind. I thought I had lost you.

My head began to swim, feeling heavy as his power invaded. Fear crept into my mind—not a fear of Lysander or of death, but of the all-consuming emptiness of a broken heart.

I never want to lose you, Alyssa. He whispered in my head. I was so afraid for you. You are my reason to continue living. You ended my loneliness. Be angry with me for acting as a leader and reprimanding you, but please do not endanger yourself. I could not bear that loss. I need you at my side.

He wanted me to feel everything: the fear, the pain, the sadness, the loss. He wanted me to feel how hurt he had been when I left him there in the hotel. And I did. The crushing weight of those devastating emotions enveloped me. For a brief moment my own heart ached as if it were being slowly ripped from my chest. A lump formed in my throat, and tears welled in my eyes. It felt like my world had fallen apart.

He released me from his mental hold, and I collapsed into him.

“Please do not make me worry like that again.” His tone gave away the emotions he felt. He sounded so wounded. So lonely.

My head cleared and the tidal wave of heartache receded. I understood his anger and pain, and felt terrible for causing him to feel that way; but he needed to understand my motivations. “I’m sorry, but I had to. You wouldn’t have let me save my friend.”

“Alyssa, you will always bring trouble, won’t you?” He reached a hand up and stroked my hair.

I buried my head into his hard, muscular chest, unsure how to take his words. Did that mean he understood? It certainly didn’t refute the fact that he wouldn’t have saved her.

“I don’t know,” I whispered. “Probably. Trouble loves me, right?”

Lysander wrapped his arms around me. “It seems you live only to attract danger. You are my heart, Alyssa. You allowed me to feel for someone again. You could have been killed. I don’t know that I could survive that.”

“It was my life at risk, and it was a risk I was willing to take. I couldn’t let them harm my friend.”

“Your life is not something I want to risk. You are young, and though immortal, you are not invincible. I do not want to lose you.”

“But I brought her into this. I had to save her.” I felt like I would have to drill the point into his head to get him to understand.

“You did not have to bring her into this.”

“What’s done is done. I can’t change what’s already happened, and you have harped on me long enough for this.”

“You are right. I know your intentions were good. As the leader of this clan, I cannot condone your actions, but as your mate, I’m glad that you did what you felt you had to in order to survive, even if that meant bringing a mortal into this.”

I smiled, my face still buried in his chest.

He’s never called me his mate before. “You consider me your mate?”

His hand trailed up my back. Long soft fingers twisted into the hair at the base of my neck. I breathed a deep sigh, enjoying the gentle caress of his touch.

He slowly pulled me away from his chest, urging me to look up at him.

“Yes, Alyssa, how could you think we were anything less? I love you. I want us to share immortality as mates, like Crystal and Drew, or Nicholas and Rozaline. You are my heart.”

I melted as his words sunk in. He loved me. He cherished me. Underneath that hard, aloof exterior his heart beat for me.

“I love you too, Lysander,” my voice was barely a whisper, but I saw the acknowledgement in his eyes.

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BOOK BLAST: Phantom Eyes by Scott Tracey -- with giveaway!

Every child in Belle Dam is taught about the feud from an early age. There are ‘our’ people and ‘their’ people. Friends and enemies. Associates and strangers. It’s the kind of town where eyes are always watching, and you don’t need a reason to sell out your neighbors.

But the feud is a lie. As a new wave of fury sweeps through the town, creating a third front to an already overtaxed war, Braden has been broken worse than ever. His innocence? Shattered. His heart? Crushed. His magic? Gone. His new life? Ruined. And this is only the beginning.

Beneath the city lay deep wellsprings of power. The one who controls them is the one who will win the feud. In a city filled with puppet masters, Braden must elude their strings and end the feud once and for all. But first, he must outsmart his father, evade Catherine’s dark magic, regain what was stolen from him, trick a phantom who refuses to die, and foil a demon’s master plan.

Even then, he may not survive. Because power is a problem, and victory comes with a cost…



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Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12923534-phantom-eyes?from_search=true
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Phantom-Eyes-Witch-Scott-Tracey/dp/0738736597/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1380739966&sr=8-1&keywords=phantom+eyes
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/phantom-eyes-scott-tracey/1114856266?ean=9780738736594

Scott Tracey
Scott wrote his autobiography at age six, and its all been downhill since then. He traveled the country on a Greyhound for a month, devoted a semester of school to starting a series of urban legends, and spent five years perfecting how to say “would you like fries with that” for a short story. Or so he claims.

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