February 5, 2015

((*))BOOK BLITZ & REVIEW ((*)) ALL OF IT BY KIM HOLDEN

Title: All of It
Author: Kim Holden
Release Date: Nov 24, 2013
Find on Goodreads
 
 
Seventeen-year-old VERONICA SMITH has it all: a loving family, a funky car named Jezebel, and a plan to go to college after graduation.
On the first day of senior year, she meets DIMITRI GLENN–a mysterious transfer student with gray eyes and a mischievous smile who seems determined to win her heart. But there’s something odd about Dimitri, leading Veronica to wonder if there’s more to him than meets the eye.
Before long she finds herself in a whirlwind romance that seems too good to be true–until a series of devastating events leaves her questioning everything.
It’s not until she chooses to think with her heart instead of her mind that she can rise from the ashes to learn the truth of their connection.
 
 
 My Review



I went into this book completely blind.  Some people hate doing that, but I love the thrill of the seeing the book play out before my eyes.  All of It is a story about love.  It is also a story about life, and all of its unexpected glory.
Kim Holden does a very good job at bringing her characters to life!  The story line was so original and I was sucked into every page.  All of It makes you feel all of the feels, and everything that the characters are going through.  I loved the dynamic between Veronica and Dimitri!

You guys definitely need to pick up this book and read it!  It is amazing, and I can’t wait to read more from Kim Holden!




Dimitri’s face is peaceful and angelic as he rises to help me put my coat on. “Thanks for coming over tonight, Ronnie. You don’t know what it meant to me. I feel like this is the first time I’ve been able to breathe in months.” He lifts his hand, but hesitantly stops just short of brushing my cheek. He smiles and lowers it. “Can I walk you to your car?”
My heart is soaring and my palms are sweaty. “I’d like that.”
We walk slowly down the long driveway, our bodies so close that our arms brush against each other. I think back to the first day of school and smile; personal space is so overrated.
He opens the driver side door and stands behind it at a safe distance so as not to make the situation awkward. I throw my bag through onto the passenger seat and stand with one hand on the door and the other on the steering wheel. When I look up at him he’s staring down at me. His eyes glitter in the streetlight.
It’s at that moment that my life comes into focus, like flipping a switch. The entire world tilts back onto its axis. Call it an epiphany; the rare type of realization that changes your life absolutely. I need this man in my life. I need him like I need air and water. He is part of me—my past and my future. Since the day we met I’ve given my heart to him ... piece by piece. And it’s at this exact moment that I realize he has all of it. My heart is no longer mine; it belongs to him and always will.
I can’t help but smile.
He returns the smile—his beautiful smile. “What?” he asks softly.
“Thank you for being you, Dimitri.”
Not much escapes him and I know from the look in his eyes that he understands. He nods humbly. “You’re welcome.”
I duck down into the driver’s seat and look back up at him. “Maybe I’ll see you tomorrow.” I don’t know if it’s a question or a declaration, but it’s hopeful.
He winks. “You can count on it.”
Slowly he shuts the door and moves to the sidewalk. I wave and pull away, watching him in my rearview mirror as he begins to fade into the distance. He stands there glowing under the streetlight like an angelic statue. When I turn the corner, he’s gone.
Life is sometimes … an epiphany.
 
 Some of my favorite things: reading, writing, the two coolest guys on the planet (my husband and son), my bicycle (my husband built it for me), Facebook (I'm fairly certain it's an addiction at this point), iced coffee (hazelnut), and music (LOVE the 1975, Dredg, the xx, Haim, Manchester Orchestra, Teenage Bottlerocket, and 30 Seconds to Mars).  I also love dreaming. Big. Writing a few years ago was an elusive dream until I grabbed ahold of it with both hands and refused to let go. Keep following YOUR dreams. Be brave and do epic!



*(SPECIAL EXCERPT REVEAL)* Forbidden Nights by Lauren Blakely

 


WIN AND CREATE YOUR FORBIDDEN GETAWAY!
Lauren Blakely does it again and brings readers more smoldering, sexy nights in her Seductive Nights Series with her newest novel, FORBIDDEN NIGHTS.
In Lauren Blakely’s newest Seductive Nights novel, Nate Harper knows exactly how to please a woman. And Casey Sullivan is convinced Nate is the one to give her some hands-on guidance. Lauren wants to deliver with some pleasure for her readers too -- so she’s offering an extra special Forbidden Getaway GIVEAWAY with this novel!
Back by popular demand, Lauren Blakely has put together an extra special Forbidden Giveaway for her readers-The chance to win your very own Forbidden Night, Seductive Nights Style! This is your chance to create your own Forbidden Getaway! You'll have the opportunity to win a night at your favorite hotel and dinner at your favorite restaurant, and all you have to do to enter is take the Be Seduced Trivia Quiz about the Seductive Nights Series in the back of the novel! This is your chance to discover a Forbidden Night of your own!* Readers can access the quiz in the eBook version of FORBIDDEN NIGHTS, and will have until February 21st to enter the quiz. To be clear, the back of the FORBIDDEN NIGHTS eBook is the ONLY location with the link to the quiz.**
FORBIDDEN NIGHTS is the next novel in the Seductive Nights Series and can be read as a standalone.
 *Forbidden Getaway giveaway is for a value of up to $500 only.
**Paperback only readers can contact Lauren Blakely directly about how to enter the contest.
 
 Excerpt

An excerpt from FORBIDDEN NIGHTS by Lauren Blakely

        He stood in the hallway wearing charcoal slacks, a crisp white shirt, and the navy tie. Her fingers itched to unknot that tie. He was rolling up the cuffs on one of the sleeves. A businessman at the end of the workday—that’s what she would’ve named this photograph of him that she took in her mind’s eye.
“Did you open the box?”
She shook her head. He entered her apartment and she let the door fall shut behind them with a click.
He strolled casually to her kitchen, leaned against the counter, and tapped the wood.
She understood. The game was on. They were playing their parts. Joining him in the kitchen, she grabbed the bottle of whiskey and poured him a glass, doing her best to keep her hands steady. She watched his every move as he knocked back the amber liquid. She imagined the burn in his throat. He set the glass down. It was nearly empty.
She stood near him, keenly aware that it was his move next.
This was a chess game, and she barely knew how to play. She swallowed dryly. Waiting. Uncertain.
She wanted a burn in her throat too. That would be better than all these nerves. She grabbed his glass and finished it.
“Do you want to open the box now?”
She nodded, grateful to have been given his direction. “Yes. I do.”
He tipped his forehead to the L-shaped couch in the living room.
She nodded briefly, and walked over to the couch. She sank down into the soft material, stretching her legs out in front of her on the lounge section, crossing them at the ankles. He joined her in the living room, choosing to sit on an ottoman, his knees spread, his hands resting on his thighs. “Open it now, Casey.”
Leaning forward, she reached for the black box and untied the bow, letting it fall to the floor. Gingerly, with nervous fingers, she lifted the top, shimmying it off. In seconds, she’d know what he’d planned, and a ribbon of excitement unfurled inside her from the possibilities. She wanted to say something, but words escaped her at that moment. She wasn’t sure how to vocalize all these unsteady feelings thrumming through her body.
Or if he would even respond.
Nate had always been easy to talk to. He’d always been chatty. But the man was wearing steely silence like a new coat. All his moves were measured, chosen carefully, designed to keep her guessing as to what he had in store for the evening.
She put the top of the box on the table, and the guessing game ended when she dipped her hands inside the box and withdrew a long, silky scrap of fabric—a blindfold. Next, she reached for a soft object, retrieving a feather tickler from his collection of goodies. Finally, there was a small riding crop, as if it had been made in miniature. Perhaps, so it didn’t seem so scary. She glanced up at him. His eyes seemed dark brown tonight. Gone was that warm golden color, replaced with a heat, a sensuality and blazing desire for her.
She trembled. “What do you want to use first?”
He didn’t answer her question. Instead, he issued an instruction. “Lie back. Close your eyes.”
She did as told, scooting into the couch. She hadn’t even turned on music, so she was keenly aware of every sound. Of the low hum from the refrigerator, of the far-off din of traffic, of the stirrings of a breeze. But there were no words from him. The silence vibrated between them as she waited, the world dark behind her eyelids.
His fingers found their way to the top of her stockings. Gently, he rolled them down, one by one, removing them, along with her shoes. “Don’t get me wrong. These are unbearably sexy, but I need your bare skin.”
Her world went pitch black. He had pressed the silk blindfold over her eyes. “This is about you. About all the things you can feel if you let go. With this on, all you can do is feel,” he said, low and husky, near her ear. Oh God, she was feeling everything. She was feeling the tight coil of desire deep inside her, and the fervent hope that he’d take her to the far edge of pleasure. That’s what she was feeling.
She drew a quick breath at the soft fluttery touch from a feather running along the inside of her calves. The feather brushed across her knee. Goosebumps rose on her flesh. Her skin felt electric as the feather travelled across her body, visiting her belly, teasing her breasts, trailing along her sides. When the sensations stopped briefly she wanted to ask what happened, until she felt the feather once more.
He was tracing the shell of her ear, and she gasped.
Warmth spread inside her body. She had no idea that being touched on her ear would be such a turn on. She had no notion either that she’d arch her back, seeking closeness, willing him to touch more, when he ran the feather down her arm, inside her elbow and across her wrist. “Your whole body is a playground,” he instructed. “For now, until you learn to thoroughly give up control, it will be my playground. Isn’t that right, Casey?”
She nodded and moaned her agreement in a voice she didn’t even recognize as her own.
“Then hike up your skirt for me,” he told her.
Instantly, she responded to his request. She reached for the hem, pulling it up. Her skirt was now bunched at her waist. He stopped, and hissed in his breath. His audible reaction to her body drove her arousal. They were a feedback loop of desire. She’d move; he’d admire. He’d say a dirty word; she’d heat up. They fed each other with this fevered kind of lust. She pictured him drinking her in, memorizing the way she looked half-undressed on her couch.
Then, she was alone again as she heard him rustling through the box. She knew what was in the box: three things. She was wearing one of them. The other one he had already used. That left only the one she feared. She tensed, waiting for soft to change to hard. For tenderness to turn to a sting.
She emitted a small cry at the first smack. He had flicked the crop once against the flesh of her outer thigh. He shifted to the other, flicking her there. She let out a tiny yelp. Reflexively, she closed her legs. She wasn’t sure if she liked the crop. She parted her lips to speak, but then his fingertip pressed softly against her mouth. “Shhh,” he said. “I can tell you don’t like it.”
In a second, he was trailing the crop down her chest, underneath her bra, and along her rib cage.
Then it was gone.
He must have lifted it in the air again, and she waited nervously for him to swat her. But instead, she felt something hard against the wet panel of her panties. He was using the riding crop against her clit, like a toy, turning something she hadn’t liked into something she enjoyed immensely now. He rubbed one end across her throbbing bundle of nerves, stroking her, sending the temperature inside of her through the roof. She sought more friction, more contact, lifting her hips closer. When he stopped, she heard a whooshing sound in the air, then a smack against the hardwood floors. He’d tossed it away.
Next was the weight of his body on hers, his soft voice in her ear, him whispering, “I never ever want to do something to you that you don’t like. Do you understand that?”
“Yes.”
“You should only feel pleasure with me. You should never feel anything less than desire,” he said, and he was Nate now, the man she trusted inside and out.
The next thing she knew the blindfold was falling loose, dropping to her nose, giving her sight again. There he was, raised on his arms above her, and smelling like sex.
Tonight. God, she hoped he’d take her tonight. Reaching behind her head, he untied the blindfold all the way, then brought it to her wrists, wrapping it around them in a circle, and binding them together in a tight knot.
“I’m going to undress you now.”
He laced his hands around her back, unhooked her bra, and freed her breasts. Then he unsnapped her skirt, tugged it down her hips, to her knees, and over her ankles, laying it neatly on the couch.
His eyes roamed her body, drinking her in from head to toe.
“The panties must go,” he said, a clear command, now back into character.
She held up her bound wrists as if to say you’re going to need to be the one to take them off.
In one swift move, his hands were on her hips, practically tearing them off, like a hungry, greedy man eager for the prize.
He stood and stepped away from her. He crossed his arms over his chest. “I want to watch you spread your legs for me. Do it nice and slow. Like a tease. Make me so fucking hard, harder than I already am, from the way you open your legs.”
 
COMING SOON!
Pre-order sale $3.99
AMAZON US
AMAZON UK
 Release Date:  February 17th
  A red-hot, scorching, sexy standalone romance novel from NYT and USA Today Bestselling author Lauren Blakely...
She has been the star of his dirty dreams for years.
Sexy hotel CEO Nate Harper has lusted after his good friend Casey Sullivan for a long time, and she's cried out his name in pleasure countless times in his fabulously filthy fantasies. But even though he's quite skilled at pleasing a woman, he won't act on his intense desire because he knows he's no good for her. After the kind of hurt his ex inflicted on him, he's a committed playboy for life, and Casey only wants true love.
All that changes one hot night when she comes to him with a proposition he can't resist -- she wants him to teach her to be submissive in the bedroom. Casey soon learns how very much she likes letting go of control to him. She's never been more turned on in her life than she is in Nate's arms. And he's never been more taken by a woman.
The only trouble is as she experiences what it means to let go, he starts to experience what it means to feel again...And the lessons in seduction threaten to turn into so much more than either one bargained for...
What happens when years of desire and lust ignite a passion that can't be denied?

*FORBIDDEN NIGHTS is a standalone full-length novel in the bestselling SEDUCTIVE NIGHTS series following the love affair of Nate and Casey. There is no cliffhanger in this book! You can read FORBIDDEN NIGHTS on its own, but you would likely enjoy the other books too.*
 
 A Night of Seduction:  a teaser of Forbidden Nights
 FREE!
AMAZON US
AMAZON UK
"I don't want lessons in seduction. I want lessons in submission."
The offer is too tempting to let slide through his fingers. Having been the star of his fantasies for years now, the chance to guide Casey Sullivan step-by-step, night-by-night, O-by-ecstatic-O in how to let go of control is a dream come true for Nate Harper. The hands-on training begins tonight, in the first night of seduction.
The only problem is, how will these two best friends face each other in the morning after that kind of mind-blowing night?

*A NIGHT OF SEDUCTION is a free prequel novella that offers a glimpse of the first hot night in the soon-to-be-released full-length novel FORBIDDEN NIGHTS. This short novella will only be available until February 16. After that it will be included in the novel! THIS IS A VERY SEXY STORY WITH HOT HOT HOT SCENES!*

 About the Author:
Lauren Blakely

Lauren Blakely writes sexy contemporary romance novels with heat, heart, and humor, and her books have appeared multiple times on the New York Times, USA Today, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iBooks bestseller lists. Like the heroine in her novel, FAR TOO TEMPTING, she thinks life should be filled with family, laughter, and the kind of love that love songs promise. Lauren lives in California with her husband, children, and dogs. She loves hearing from readers! Her bestselling series include Caught Up in Love, Seductive Nights, and Fighting Fire. She recently released Nights With Him, a standalone novel in her New York Times Bestselling Seductive Nights series that became an instant New York Times Bestseller. Her next book in that series is Forbidden Nights, releasing in early 2015. She also writes for young adults under the name Daisy Whitney. To receive an email when Lauren releases a new book, text BLAKELY + your email address to 678-249-3375 (please use the actual + sign)
 Stalk Her: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
 Giveaway
 Signed Paperbacks of the Seductive Nights Series (One Winner - 3 books)

^^^COVER REVEAL^^^RICOCHET: LOCKED AND LOADED by Heather C. Leigh

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Ricochet: Locked and Loaded (Ricochet, #1)
Heather C. Leigh
Releasing March 30, 2015
goodreads
 
Rick "Ricochet" Brennan served eight years as an elite Marine special ops Force Recon soldier. After an injury, and the terrible memories from that night, he retires and goes to work for his former Command Officer, Howard "Mack" McEvoy, at his training center in Atlanta. Sanctum MMA appears on the surface to be a normal gym, training elite fighters to be the best. Except each trainer, hand-picked by Mack, possesses a special background that allows Mack to run one of the best-kept secrets in the country. When twenty-four year old Quinn Wallace finally escapes her abusive husband, she turns to her father’s old Marine Corps buddy, Mack, for help. Broken and skittish, Quinn finds herself surrounded by large, intimidating men— men who could easily overpower her. She avoids them the best she can, but when Rick turns out to be more than just a rough fighter with bruised knuckles, she finds herself wondering if she can allow herself to trust again. Ricochet is a full-length novel to be released as three parts. ***This book contains hot sweaty men, sexy scenes for those over 18, and uncomfortable, sometimes violent scenes.***  
Ricochet: Friendly Fire (Ricochet, #2)
RicochetFriendlyFire2
  Ricochet: Extraction Point (Ricochet, #3)
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  10900059_1571780689700518_2425714645475814743_o  
Heather Leigh 
I grew up in New England and currently live outside Atlanta, GA with my husband, two kids, a French Bulldog and a pug. I'm a full-time procrastinator and a part-time everything else. I love the Red Sox, chocolate, and traveling. When I'm not writing, I'm dealing drugs legally as a pharmacist.  
Connect with Heather
 
Also by Heather C. Leigh
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This is NOT your typical Hollywood romance. There are NO virgins falling for actors. There are NO celebrities falling for the girl next door. What there IS, is a damaged girl who is rescued by the sexy Drew Forrester. Can they get past her secret? Or his?
Sydney Allen is trying to be your average 24 year old New Yorker. It’s hard to be average though when your mother is Evangeline Allen, an Oscar winning actress known as “America’s Sweetheart” to moviegoers across the globe. It’s even harder to be average when your dad is Reid Tannen, Hollywood Bad Boy and one of the highest paid actors in the world.
Their divorce when Sydney was 12 years old was set off by a series of haunting incidents that left Sydney scarred mentally and physically. Hollywood destroyed her parents’ marriage and almost destroyed her. She hasn't owned a TV, read magazines or watched movies since the divorce, refusing to take part in an industry that brought her so much pain.
Now 12 years after her mother took her from LA and hid her in New York to keep her safe, no one but her best friend Leah knows who Sydney is or that her parents are famous movie stars and she’s determined to keep it that way. She guards her identity fanatically, not letting anyone get close enough to her to find out who she is.
When Sydney meets the gorgeous but mysterious Drew Forrester at a run down gym in Hell's Kitchen, her life changes. It’s time for her to decide if he’s worth sharing her secret with, or if she’s better off being alone forever. Or maybe she’ll find out that she’s not the only one hiding something. Dating Drew, Sydney is forced to confront all of her fears at once; celebrity, fame, tabloids, stalkers. Can she survive another high profile exposure to the world?
***This is the Famous Series Box Set. It contains all 4 books- Relatively, Absolutely, Extremely, and Already Famous.***   

^*^BLOG TOUR PROMO STOP^*^ALL OF ME BY LISA RENEE JONES



 ALL OF ME, the sixth and final novel in the
INSIDE OUT series is
NOW AVAILABLE
 Passion. Mystery. It all collides in the breathtaking conclusion to the New York Times bestselling INSIDE OUT series, ALL OF ME.
He's rich and famous, his past dark, but so is hers. Can they save each other? Or will the darkness tear them apart?
 
 Excerpt from All of Me (Inside Out #6) by Lisa Renee Jones. Copyright 2014
We say a quick goodbye, and to my shock, the instant I push the “end” button, Chris pulls the 911 to the shoulder of the road, puts it in park and turns to me. “Talk to me. What just happened?”

“You stopped to ask me what happened?”

“Yes. I stopped to ask what happened. Now, tell me.”

My lashes lower a moment as I savor just how good this man is to me. I curl my fingers on my cheek. “Thank you for stopping, but really, there was nothing worthy of concern. Let’s go to the chateau.”

“After you tell me what happened,” he orders, but the tenderness lacing the stubborn determination of his tone wins me over, as does his sincerity. He really cares and I am truly not alone anymore.

“When Katie wanted to know if there was anyone on my side of the family to coordinate with, it hit a nerve. I started worrying about Ella, and thinking about my father, who I don’t want to come to our wedding. I truly don’t, yet somehow, the very fact that I don’t gives him the power to twist me in knots.” 

Chris nods. “As did my father to me, no matter how much of a bastard he became. Sometimes I think the worse he treated me, the more I wanted to win back his affection.”

I’d seen glimpses of these feelings before now, but this is the first time he’s spoken them aloud. “Maybe it’s some inborn need to feel close to a parent?”

“That’s the only conclusion I could come to when I couldn’t let him go. I still can’t. He’s always with me, making sure I stay just a little more fucked up.”

“If you’re fucked up, it’s all kinds of right, Chris Merit. That charity work Tristan talked about? You don’t just throw money at it. You give pieces of your soul to those kids and their families. You make a difference and I’ll be honored to help you do it.”

He pulls my hand to his mouth and kisses my fingers. “Let’s elope. Anyplace you want to go. Say the word and as far as I’m concerned we’ll go tomorrow.”

“What? No. We decided on Katie and  Mike’s place together. And my ring isn’t even done.”

“This isn’t about a ring. Or Katie and Mike, or anyone else. It’s about us and I don’t want you worried about your father or the guest list. You know I’m not big on attention anyway.”

I lace my fingers with his. “You’re trying to protect me and I appreciate that, but I want to get married under those hanging rose your mother inspired Katie to plant.”

“Don’t do this for me, baby. I just want to spend the rest of my life with you. That’s all I need.”

“It’s for us. You know my father is just a hot button for me. I’ll get by it. And truth be told, I’m a little raw over Amber, too. That night here in Paris when I went to the club I had this sense I needed to save her. I shouldn’t have listened to that feeling.”

“Don’t do that to yourself. You barely knew her.”

“Yet, on some level I felt her screaming for help. But I second-guessed myself and thought it was Rebecca and Ella influencing my feelings.”

“You were a lot of the reason I pushed to get Amber help, Sara. It was just too little too late. That’s on me, not you.”

“No-”

“Yes,” he says, stroking the hair out of my eyes, his hand staying at the back of my head.

“Now here’s what’s going to happen. We’re going to leave this all right here and I’m going to drive us the fifteen minutes we have left to get to the chateau, where we’re going to fuck like rabbits. Then, we’re going to eat and fuck some more. After we sleep, we’ll set some rules with Katie about the wedding so you won’t worry about it and then we’ll fuck some more. And since I had the caretaker that lives in the house behind the chateau stock enough food to last us a week, we can stay in bed for days on end. Any objections so far?”

I smile and not just at his words, but at his rapid shift from dark Chris, to playful, sexy Chris. “And if I do?”

He, leans closer to me, his breath on my ear. “I’ll just tie you to the bed.”

Yes. Please. My list of objections begins to form.
 If I Were You (bk 1)

Being Me (bk 2)

Revealing Us (bk 3)
AMAZON

His Secrets (bk 3.1)

Rebecca’s Lost Journals Box Set
(bk 3.2 & 3.3 and includes Master Undone

My Hunger (bk 3.4)

No In Between (bk 4.5)

My Control (bk 4)

I Belong to You (bk 5)
iTunes

All of Me (bk 6)
 
 New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Lisa Renee Jones is the author of the highly acclaimed INSIDE OUT SERIES, and is now in development by Suzanne Todd (Alice in Wonderland) for cable TV. In addition, her Tall, Dark and Deadly series and The Secret Life of Amy Bensen series, both spent several months on a combination of the NY Times and USA Today lists.

Watch the video on casting for the INSIDE TV Show HERE

Since beginning her publishing career in 2007, Lisa has published more than 40 books translated around the world. Booklist says that Jones suspense truly sizzles with an energy similar to FBI tales with a paranormal twist by Julie Garwood or Suzanne Brockmann.

Prior to publishing, Lisa owned multi-state staffing agency that was recognized many times by The Austin Business Journal and also praised by Dallas Women Magazine. In 1998 LRJ was listed as the #7 growing women owned business in Entrepreneur Magazine.

Lisa loves to hear from her readers. You can reach her at on her website and she is active on twitter and facebook daily.