How to Create a Swoon-Worthy Warrior

 

 

I found this cute idea by an author that I love and admire, and I thought, hey, why not make it my own...with a twist? 

 

Have you ever wondered, what goes into making a warrior so incredibly dreamy, so swoon-worthy you wish you could crawl into that book and claim them for yourself? Today I would like to share my personal recipe for a swoon-worthy warrior passed down for generations with some slight changes. 

 

 

The 2nd book in the Brotherhood series is coming soon! 

 

About the book...

 

Forbidden desires...Being a Brother and a caretaker isn't an easy job, especially when you find yourself coveting the one person you were meant to protect but never have- your brother's woman. That is exactly where Behr finds himself- in love and out of luck. Nothing a little killing can't remedy. While looking for a little trouble to take his mind off what's brewing at home, Behr finds the perfect distraction: hunting down the mythical Rage demon prowling his city's streets.

Lost and alone...

Cheyenne doesn't know what to do with herself. Weeks have passed with no sign of Erias, and as far as she knows, he's dead. Just when she resigns herself to the difficult task of moving on with her life, he reappears, but the Erias she knew no longer exists. He's a demon, the very thing he and his brother's hunt each night. Can Erias overcome this transformation and find the strength to make it back to Cheyenne and the Brotherhood, and if he does, will they accept him? In a world plagued with uncertainty, only one thing is definite: no matter how it ends, someone's heart is bound to get ripped to shreds.

 

 

Add A Warrior's Betrayal to your Goodreads today!  

Review of Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal.But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.

Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

***

 Echo's lack of memory is a pretty good indicator of exactly how traumatic her attack was. The author never made any secret of who did it and from the bits of history we are provided with, you can pretty much form an accurate picture of why it happened. I was appalled at the high school dramatics surrounding Echo, the fact that the people who were supposed to care so much about her--her friends and her boyfriend--were all talk, with the exception of one. Basically, when the going got tough, they hit the road and left her to deal with her issues alone. Her ex boyfriend played some game where he wanted her back, but he didn't. When Echo played the game right, it was worth his while to be with her again, but when he saw her scars, he couldn't handle it.

Noah Hutchins has his own drama to deal with since his parents died in a terrible fire and left him and his brothers to fend for themselves in foster care. Separated by the state, Noah has experienced nothing but abuse and poverty, and so he can't wait to turn eighteen so he can rescue his brothers, but he has a long way to go himself. Seeing the same school counselor as Echo, he finds himself dropped into her lap as she is hired to tutor him. Their connection pretty much fails right off the bat, but when Noah realizes their friendship can benefit them both if they work together, they form a loose connection.

I was pleased to see how these two came together. It was slow and methodical, neither one wanting to become too involved with the other and yet it crept up on them anyway. Both holding onto their secrets, Noah doesn't really think past the moment when it comes to Echo, he just focused on his brothers and one day becoming a family again, while Echo is struggling to keep herself from falling apart mentally as she is subjected to counseling sessions that threaten to break her last shred of sanity. If anyone was pushing the limits here, it was definitely Echo. Noah was the glue that held her together. The story was perfect for a teen romance. It was the definition of how far people will go to protect those they love, and how blind a person can be when that love it reflected back at them.

I really enjoyed this story, and the high praise reviews pretty much say it all.

 Pushing the Limits is rated 4.6/5 and is available on Amazon.

Teaser Tuesday!

This week's teaser is from Breathless, the first book in the Blue Fire Saga by Scott Prussing. It's a nice, enjoyable read with a steady pace and an air of mystery. 

Here is a quick synop to make you "Breathless":

 Breathless is the first book in the Blue Fire Saga, a paranormal romance series set at a small college in present day Connecticut. There are currently four books in the series.
Weston College freshman Leesa Nyland has been fascinated by vampires since she was three years old. That's when her mom started acting weird, insisting sunlight hurt her skin because she'd been bitten by a one-fanged vampire.
But fascinated doesn't mean Leesa believes. Any more than she believes in blue fire, people who live for centuries, and kisses that can kill. But when her beloved older brother suddenly disappears, she is forced to consider all these and more. She also has to figure out what to do about her mysterious new boyfriend. She knows Rave likes her a lot--so why won't he kiss her?
As Leesa draws closer to finding her brother, she faces some gut-wrenching decisions. Should she risk her mom's life trying to "cure" her? Should she continue seeing Rave, after he reveals his dangerous secret? And most terrifying of all, should she make the ultimate sacrifice-give up her humanity-to save her brother?

Teaser #1 

"...Stefan was a vampire. He certainly looked the part--as if she had any idea what a real vampire looked like, she reminded herself--but sitting here next to him in class, the idea seemed ridiculous. Now, if he's popped up at midnight in some dark place..."

Teaser #2

"I see you have a special interest in vampires," Stefan said, his eyes beginning to take on that same bottomless look Leesa remembered from the party. She felt herself being drawn into them. "I'm curious," he continued. "Where did you hear about the one-fanged kind?" 

If that was enough to entice you, I invite you to read along! You can pick up your copy of Breathless here.

Review of Beauty and the Feast by Julia Barrett

Eva Raines grew up as a simple farmer's daughter with a passion for food. After moving to Napa, she uses her culinary skills to help busy families and people in need as a rising talent in the ATAP business.When the very wealthy Gabriel Abbott hires Eva to cater a romantic dinner for two, the outcome for the evening is vastly different than either of them could have imagined.

Food is the central focus here, and the sensuality of it when applied to the right situation. Eva's passion for her job shines, but so does her warm and endearing personality. Everyone likes her. Gabriel, who is basically in danger of becoming what his sister termed a "Lothario" certainly isn't immune to her charms either. In fact, he is pulled right in from a simple phone call.

This book was listed as a comedic romance, but to me it was romance through and through. There was a touch of humor, yes, but no more than any other book I have read. The connection between the characters (all of them) was strong and well-developed, easily believable. It had just the right amount of passion, romance, drama, and touching moments to make a well-rounded story come alive. I loved the food moments almost as much as I love the steamy moments. I just can't find anything to complain about. This was a very satisfying read, and when you couple that with the recipes for all those delicious meals and deserts that made your mouth water throughout the book, well, that just elevates it to superstar status, IMO!

Beauty and the Feast enjoys a 4.3/5 start rating and is available on Amazon.

A Lovely Treat Worth Bragging About!

Blogging started out as a adventure of the blind leading the blind. I had no clue what I was getting myself into, but I must say, I have grown to LOVE it!

A great big thank you to Antonietta at Nette's Bookshelf Reviews for nominating me for the One Lovely Blog award! Words can't express my delight in knowing that others recognize and appreciate my efforts.

I was also awarded the Beautiful Blogger Award by Aditi over at READioactive Book Blog! Thank you so much! If you haven't checked out these two wonderful blogs yet, then please do! 

The rules here are simple and since they are the same for both awards, so I am combining them into one :)
 


Here are the requirements for the award:

• Include the pic in the post
• Thank the person who nominated you
• nominate at least 15 other blogs
• and give 7 random things about yourself

So, 7 random facts....

• I don't like sweets...much
• Fall is my favorite time of year
• I hoard books to an unhealthy degree
• I crush on nearly every male character in every book I pick up
• The bad ones are my favorite
• I'm kind of a neat freak
• I love Jersey Shore. That's right, I said it! Don't judge me. 

The lovely bloggers I nominate are: 

Bitten by Paranormal Romance

Little Library Muse

Reading and Writing Urban and Paranormal Romance

Always YA at Heart

Endless Days of Books

All the Fun Starts After Dark

That Radioactive Book Blog

Natasha Blackthorn

A Daydreamer's Thoughts

The Reading Diaries

Jean Book Nerd

Fiction Freak

Review of Clash by Nicole Williams

In the second installment of the Jude and Lucy love story we find the two lovebirds firmly set in their respective colleges, fully in love and trying their darnedest to make it all work. Until Jude gets a "Spirit Sister" from hell and everything takes a nose dive.

Let me just say, I LOVED Crash and I had no idea when or if there would be a follow up, so when I decided to do a search and see if Miss Williams had anything for me to read, I nearly fell over myself with glee! I may have even squeed a little. Okay, I did. Clash was everything I could have imagined it to be and then some. It was filled with angst (so much angst!) and love and despair and devotion and Jude (OMG, Jude!). I felt like a teenager again reading this. The writing is perfect for drawing the reader in and getting them good and lost, so warn your family, it's a fend for yourself kind of night 'cause once you pick this baby up you're not going to want to put it down!

Okay, enough gushing.

So Lucy is convinced that she and Jude are going to make it, in spite of his tendency to go into raging fits at the drop of a hat (seriously, if he ever dropped his hat, he'd probably flip). But she's got this! She knows Jude and she knows how to bring him down and balance him out. Or does she?

Enter the evil, maniacal, cheerleader from hell, Adriana, a.k.a. Jude's Spirit Sister. Adriana is everything a man could ever want in a girl. She'll wash his clothes, clean his personal space, do just about anything he wants (and I mean ANYTHING), and she's hot to boot. Plus, she isn't opposed to swiping another girl's man out from under her. And she's got her sights firmly set on Jude and she's making it known. Now, Lucy isn't so sure she can trust her boyfriend who lives four hours away and is in constant contact with her new arch nemesis. Plagued with insecurity and it threatens to ruin everything. Can she trust Jude? Can she trust that their love is enough to pull them through anything? Or will she lose him, because, let's face it, love isn't always enough and with their history it's pretty much doomed. Right?

I'll just say this: The beginning was entertaining, fun, and sexy. The middle was nerve wracking, tension building, make-you-wanna-pound-a-fictional-character-in-the-face mess of hatred and anger, and the ending was chock full of happiness and daydreams of more happiness. Williams doesn't paint a pretty picture in the roses and sunshine kind of way. Instead, she takes an honest approach that, although life can be gritty and difficult to find your way through, with love in your heart and the right person at your side, you'll get through almost anything. I love it, and I love her writing, and I love this book! What more can I say?

Oh, yeah, go buy this thing!

Clash is available on Amazon 

And if you haven't read the first book, you can pick it up here.

Teaser Tuesday!

Sorry guys! It's been a couple weeks since the last teaser was posted. Between finishing up A Warrior's Betrayal, getting my little ones off to school and starting a semester of my own, things have been hectic to say the least. It's time to get back on track!

This week's teaser comes from one of my favorite authors, Lauren Kate. Some of you may be familiar with her Fallen series. For those of you who are not, you don't know what you are missing! Allow me to introduce to you Fallen in Love, a collection of short stories featuring some of the Fallen characters we know and love--because you can't possibly hate any of them, no matter how bad they may be!

Teaser #1

"Miles?"
"Yeah?"
"Have you ever been in love?" 
Miles plucked a brown blade of grass and twirled it between his palms. He flashed her a grin, then gave an embarrassed laugh. "I don't know. I mean...probably not." He coughed. "Have you?"
"Not even close." 
Neither of them seemed to know what to say after that.  

Teaser #2

Roland's body ached when he saw her look so sad. He did not want to lie to her, but he could not find the words. 
"Oh, Rosaline, there is so much I could tell you--" 
Then, as if Rosaline remembered his loquacious poems, she demanded: "Answer me in one word. What does our future hold?"
That had been more than a thousand years ago. And still, Roland cringed now, thinking back on what he'd told her. He wished he could smash his memory and the moment with it. But it had happened. And you couldn't change the past. 
He had given Rosaline her one word:
"Farewell." 


Oh! Wasn't that delightful?! For those of you who want to read more, you can pick up you copy of Farewell on Amazon.

Labor Day Giveaway!

I love to read and I love to write. No genre is off the table. I love being sucked into another world where I can experience what the character is experiencing--angst, passion, desperation, first love, loss...Sometimes, it can be a wild ride. 

So on to the prizes! 

I have put together a package that includes two of my latest novels, Buried Secrets and Spring Cleaning, and an Amazon gift card. For those of you who are not familiar with these titles, you can read about them below. This giveaway is INTERNATIONAL, so it is open to everyone. There will only be ONE winner in which ALL prizes you see below are awarded.

 

 Sometimes, relationships can be deadly.

Terri thought she was marrying a strong, loving man, only to find that beneath that handsome face lies something cold, brutal, and dangerous. After years of abuse, Randy takes things a little too far, and Terri finally summons the courage to take matters into her own hands and make her escape. But freedom comes at a price.

Forging a new life, Terri tries to forget her past, but she can't help looking over her shoulder at every turn. When prison bars can no longer hold Randy, and her past comes knocking, Terri finds that the strength to trust again may be her only salvation.

Available for purchase on Amazon.

 How do you live with yourself when you don't even know who you are?

On a chill October night, a girl goes missing setting the small town of Oakridge on edge. James has spent the last five years running from a past that still haunts him to this day. Now he finds himself thrust back into a life he thought he left behind. Finding out his new home may be haunted and reconnecting with an old friend while being thrust into a murder mystery, James finds himself trying to figure out which end is up while questioning his own sanity.

Available for purchase on Amazon.  

The third prize is a $10 Amazon gift card! 

 There are several chances to win, but only one person will take it all home.

Have fun and good luck!

 
***IMPORTANT: You must leave your email address to ensure delivery of your prizes!***

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