September 8, 2014

~+~ Promo Post ~+~ The Rental and The Masquerade by Rebecca Berto



Title: The Rental

Series: The Rental (book #1)

Author: Rebecca Berto

Genre: Erotic Romance

Release Date: September 22, 2014







At first, Rick Delaney watched Vee Wyland with the hungry eyes of a fox as if she were a rabbit 

... his rabbit. But one day, he slunk away without notice.

Months away from graduating high school, Vee’s life is on the verge of crumbling. At home, 

dire finances and long hours test her family. Her boyfriend hardly pays attention to her. And she 

can’t shake her feelings for his older brother, Rick. 

Then, all in one night, tragedy tears her teetering life into shreds. 

When Rick and Vee reunite, the sparks fly. However, she unwittingly signs away a future for 

both of them. In his world, a place called The Rental, she becomes Victoria and Rick becomes 

Rhett. One part of her watches with fascination, while the other unfurls and embraces her sexual 

awakening. It began as a game, but the consequences are real.

Following their heart’s desire is forbidden, but walking away could strip their hope for a future.

The Rental is an erotic romance that explores how sex isn’t purely physical; sometimes, it’s a gateway to your soul.






At the entry, I met Rick. Looking up, I took in his clean-shaven jawline; 

crisp, fitted shirt; sleeves rolled at his elbows. How could the guy be more 

gorgeous every time I saw him? I glanced down at his black jeans and 

leather-tapered shoes. Holy shit. 

I let out a breath and tried smiling at his face, but I couldn’t hold the 

intense gaze of his for more than a split second, so I looked down to my 

boots. I slid past him, and déjà vu slammed into my chest.

Not ready for a laundry encounter like last week, I took a cup and focused 

on steadying my trembles as I reached for the tap. I dared to look at him and 

he was fixated on my fingers. Not a moment later, his big hands engulfed 

mine. My trembles disappeared at his touch. 

Rick had a presence around people, but around me, his gravitational pull 

was overwhelming. And right now, it scared me—wanting to run away, yet 

also wanting to fall deeper into this moment.

I was with Justin.

Justin was Rick’s brother.

“You okay?” He looked into my eyes and felt my forehead with the back of 

his hand. “You’re burning.”

I blushed and looked away to hurry some ice into my cup. “It’s damn hot 

in that garage. It’s crazy.”

“Ah.” He paused for so long that I felt the air thicken in my throat as I 

swallowed. “It is. But you’re okay?”

Was I? The right answer was yes, but I sure as hell didn’t feel that way. 

He was my whirlwind, and he’d swept into my world with all-encompassing 

force, spinning me again and again with our meetings. The hairs on my skin 

stood on end. “Oh, totally,” I said lightly. “Go on and enjoy your party.”

He remained and looked at me. The corner of his lips turned up, but it felt 

forced and weighed down by the other downturned corner. His eyes, once 

warm, were now dreary. Even his body seemed to be slumping. 

He turned, but caught himself on the door and smiled. “I am. Trust me, 

I am.” Like that, he flipped his mood. I didn’t know what caused it or why. 

Maybe Justin’s whacky behaviour had plagued Rick all week too, and my 

mention of ‘enjoying’ himself reminded him of that.

“You staying past midnight?”

“Yeah. I mean, maybe, maybe not. Might just leave a tip for your show. I 

heard they’re all putting in.”

“You want to see the show, Vee?”

I shuddered hearing him say my name. Damn it, the guy’s voice was 

smooth, yet coarse enough to rough up my insides. I smiled, confident. I 

wasn’t going to let my stupid drunken head get the better of me. And stuff the 

water! I was going to grab another Cruiser. I dumped the water and ice down 

the drain, grabbed a bottle from a pack, and stepped between Rick’s body 

and the nearby bench. 

“Yeah,” I said. “I wanna see it.”

“Before you go ...”

I halted, holding my breath, and the sensation of the icy bottle slipped 

away. I let my eyes roam, and drank him in the way I intended to with my 

drink. Passionate, private, and poisoning me to sweet surrender.

No touching anywhere wrong. No acting out. No worries.

He opened his mouth to speak, but it hung there, gaping. Rather than 

exude sexual vibes, it had flipped back to distraught, and it made him look like 

a big boy. A fragile boy. Like I had to hold him together.

He seemed broken and sad underneath, except as the birthday boy, he 

wore a cool smile and held his shoulders high—a facade to the rest of the 

world. Only here, Rick and I were in our own world, one where no barriers 

existed. Beneath skin deep, I felt the darkness occupying him.

“Birthday hug?” he asked and I answered, “Yes,” at the same time from 

his previous question.

He leant over me. I watched it in slow motion and my stomach swirled 

with anticipation. His arm brushed my shoulder and he flicked the laundry 

door shut. The space was technically the same size, but the room had 

shrunken. I tilted my head down and inhaled, my nose near his collarbone. 

My nerves spurred me on while my thoughts screamed at me to stop making 

a fool of myself. The spice smelt of cologne, but mostly the freshness of 

frangipani-scented laundry detergent. It was sweet enough I wished I could 

cuddle up and drift away with it. 

Somehow, that whole minute in my head must have only taken a second 

or two. Rick stepped the other way and yanked down the cord to cover the 

door window, a view leading to the backyard.

When the blind fell, it was done. The room was closed off. We were 

alone. For what? This ‘birthday hug?’

I wanted him. Alone. Unseen. But I had no desire to cheat.

He captured me inside his space, his arms around my waist like butterfly 

wings. My body melted as if he was my heat source and I moulded my chin 

to the crook of his neck. My hands connected with his chest, feeling his life 

source beating madly beneath me. I quaked at the touch. Hands gliding, I 

felt around his contours, up his back until I run out of muscle, then linked my 

hands over each other and flattened them.

He hummed. Not a moan, nor a plea of pleasure. And it thrilled a spot 

inside me. Where I was a puzzle piece before—incomplete and in search—

our reunion connected it. I had been lonelier than I was aware. My boyfriend 

hadn’t been there for me for weeks now. He’d been there, oh, yes, how he’d 

been here, there, and everywhere, but not around me. 

Supported by Rick, I felt like a blossoming seed—I’d attached to solid 

ground and now I was growing with life. I couldn’t recite Rick’s middle name 

or his favourite dessert, but I could feel his heart against my chest. I could feel 

the thrum and beat of our bodies in sync. Could feel the residual emotion and 

heat we’d once had—unsaid and assumed—coming together as one.

Rick parted and hooked my chin in his big, yet soft grasp. His dark eyes 

held mine, and I couldn’t tear them away. Softly, he said, “Sorry. I mean, 

I’m not sorry for you, but I am for everything else. So thanks. Thanks for 

everything when you didn’t have to do anything.” I couldn’t quite focus on his 

words, as if I was waiting for the punch line to bring it all together, but I felt the 

emotion behind his voice.

“Thanks,” I said. I didn’t know why I said it back, but it felt right, like the 

inherent knowledge that simmered to the surface when getting back on a 

bicycle. There the whole time—understood by the body, even if not by the 

mind.

Reality sunk on me then, reeling me in. I blinked. Party, blinds, door. Us 

alone. I yanked the blind up, and Rick turned the doorknob, releasing our 

privacy. 

“Sorry for acting strange,” he admitted. “Like you said, it’s pretty crazy in 

there and I needed ... I needed a break. I’m drunk. I’m ... going.” He gave me 

a parting smile, and it wrapped around my skin, now full of goosebumps in the 

wake of his departure.




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Announcement message:

When I wrote The Rental, the characters came to me like ready-formed people with memories, 

wants, and feelings. I wasn’t ready to move onto the sequel without more. And so was borne the 

short prequel: The Masquerade.

This little story, although set years before the kinkiness of the place called The Rental still 

explores the same topics: love, pain, and sexuality. The tricky part was deciding how to handle 

a sensitive issue: my main girl is still fifteen when this prequel begins, and my male lead has just 

turned nineteen. Although nothing illegal occurs between them sexually, I wanted to keep the 

heat level that the series is about. In the end, I love how I straddled the line closely to explore 

their relationship and individual wants and needs. 

To say the least I am bursting with excitement to share this story with you. I hope you are 

excited too! It’s going to be a free download, too—yay, who doesn’t love a freebie—so you 

can start this series at absolutely no risk (well, except for the hazard of your panties melting). 

And better yet, you can read this prequel before or after The Rental as there are no spoilers. It’s 

coming in September just before The Rental goes live on the 22nd

Love and hugs,

Rebecca Berto




Title: The Masquerade: a prequel short to The Rental

Series: The Rental (book #0.5)

Author: Rebecca Berto

Genre: New Adult Romance

Length: 30-35 pages (will be a FREE download)

Release Date: September 2014





Nineteen-year-old Rick Delaney is at a masquerade party when temptation dangles in front of 

his eyes in the form of fifteen-year-old Vee Wyland. Not only is she too young for him, but 

she’s too pure to taint with his wild ways and—worst of all—the crush of his reckless younger 

brother’s eyes.

Beneath their masks burns a fiery hunger for each other; however, it’s a desire they must quell. 

Their situations are fraught with risk. But age isn’t the only obstacle. Dark secrets brew between 

their ongoing game of masquerades. And it might just spell the end before they get a proper 

beginning.

* This book does not contain underage sex, but it is sexually explicit. It is a short prequel and can be read before or after reading The Rental. *





Rebecca Berto writes stories about love and relationships. She gets a thrill when her readers are 

emotional reading her books and gets even more of a kick when they tell her so. She’s strangely 

imaginative, spends too much time on her computer, and is certifiably crazy when she works on 

her fiction.

Rebecca Berto lives in Melbourne, Australia with her boyfriend and their pets.



~+~ Blog Tour & Review ~+~ Kings of Asphalt by Alexx Andria

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Title: Kings of Asphalt (Club Chrome) 
Author: Alexx Andria 
Genre: Steamy romance (Motorcycle club romance) 
Cover by Kim Killion
Publish Date: June 27, 2014






  USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR!   Alexx Andria delivers a motorcycle club romance between two very bad, yet sexy men and a woman with enough curves to satisfy them both.   My name is Zoe Delacourte. I thought I was going to build my future on the backs of Jax Traeger and Hunter Ericksen -- bad boys from the wrong side of the tracks, running the notorious motorcycle club, the Kings of Asphalt -- in my mind, the story had practically written itself. I was so naive. Little did I know they were going to change everything I ever knew about myself. Jax and Hunter. I can't even say their names without trembling. They don't see a fat girl or a girl who might be pretty if only she'd lose some weight. No, from the moment I walked into their club, they saw a hot, sexy woman with curves for days -- and they couldn't wait to get their hands on me. Some people call them bad men. They see the rides and the rap sheets and they slap a label on them. I don't care what they've done -- all I care about is what they're going to do to me next. But loving them is dangerous. In fact, loving them might just get me killed. *The following MC romance is approximately 41,000 words featuring a strong central love story, danger, and the rough, seedy world dominated by two bad boys and their curvy woman. 


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Zoe played with her lip and nodded shyly. A roar of lust ripped through him and he was tired of resisting the urge to bend her over the nearest surface. “You’re pretty smart,” he said, glancing at Jax. “But we’ll take it from here.”
“No!” Her sharp refusal didn’t surprise him but the fire in her eyes did. She came alive, replacing the shyness from only moments before with a ferocity that was as arousing as it was foolish. “You’re not going to pat me on the head like a dog and tell me to go sit in the corner. This is my story. I’ve done all the fieldwork and I’m going to write the damn story!”
“Damn it, Zoe!” Jax roared, startling her when he jerked her off the sofa and into his arms. “You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into. You say you don’t want a pat on the back for your work but you’re wrong, that’s all you crave! You want someone to recognize that you’re talented and worth more than you’ve been credited for but that need for validation is going to land your pretty ass in hot water!”
“What do you care! Until two days ago, you didn’t even know I existed. Just because we’ve had sex doesn’t mean you get to run my life!”
She was right. Why did they care so much? They didn’t know her, not really. How was she any different from the scores of women they’d bagged and forgotten? Just another pussy in the dark, right? He and Jax had gotten to where they were because they kept their circle of trust tight — as in airtight — no one got in. But Zoe…for fuck’s sake, why her? They ought to leave her to her fate. They’d tried to warn her, they’d satisfied whatever latent chivalry still existed inside them. If she got herself killed, that was on her. But as he watched her struggle against Jax, watched as Jax’s callused hands touched that soft, sweet flesh, he knew they weren’t fucking leaving…not yet.
They were all going to hell anyway. Might as well bring along a scorching memory to add to the heat.


Zoe is working as a reporter and is sick of doing boring fluff stories, her boss is a jerk and continuously cracks fat jokes and considering Zoe is a plus size woman it’s pretty damn offensive. She decides to take matters into her own hands and dig into a story that everyone seems to be avoiding… an execution style murder involving two biker gangs.
She shows up outside the Kings Clubhouse and decides she is going to go undercover to try and find out what is going on with between the two clubs and is let into the club under the premise that she is one of the “girls” sent to entertain the guys when she is greeted by Jax and Hunter the presidents of the Kings.  They know she is not one of the normal girls that are sent for entertainment but find themselves attracted to her and show her just how much! Zoe eventually finds herself in a boatload of trouble and it takes the guys to help her out of the situation.
First let me say this was a quick book to read but it did not disappoint! I was sucked in from the start and loved that the heroine was a plus sized woman and that not one but two hot men wanted to be with her! That being said the story was good and the interactions between the characters was great, they definitely had an attraction to each other and you could sense it. The sex scenes were amazingly HOT and had me thinking of a cold shower!
I’m looking forward to reading more by Alexx Andria and will definitely recommend this quickie!

**** 4 Stars ****


USA Today bestselling author Alexx Andria is the pseudonym for RITA-nominated contemporary romance author, Kimberly Van Meter. Born in a small town with a flair for the dramatic, Alexx Andria has a delightfully perverted nature that she hides behind a mischievous smile. Alexx loves being the life of the party and doesn't mind one bit being the center of attention (just ask any of her friends or family!) She loves to write about Alpha men who are wonderfully flawed and just a little dangerous and heroines who are smart and sassy, but just a little vulnerable, too.


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3 $10.00 Amazon Gift Card and 2 Backlist Ebooks

~+~ Blog Tour & Review ~+~ Wherever You Will Go by Stephanie Smith

Wherever you will go-TOUR BANNER

Title: Wherever You Will Go
Author: Stephanie Smith
Publication Date: August 7, 2014
Genre: Contemporary Romance

goodreads

  Wherever you will go-ebooklg




Brooke Willis had everything she ever wanted: a happy marriage, volunteer placement at the art gallery, and the promise of starting a family with the man of her dreams.

Saxon Reed had everything he ever thought he needed: a successful career, nice cars, expensive apartment, and more money than he knew what to do with.

After losing her husband Brooke insists on taking over his company to keep his dreams alive. Struggling in an industry she knows nothing about, Brooke turns to Saxon, her husband’s best friend and business partner, for guidance and support. Their mutual grief, and Saxon’s need to look after his best friend’s wife, creates a connection beyond just business.

Can Brooke take over the company and find a new life without saying goodbye to the past? Can Saxon protect and care for Brooke without scaring her away?

What happens when your heart doesn’t listen to your head? When lines are crossed and boundaries are pushed?

“Life goes on, whether you choose to move forward and take a chance in the unknown or stay behind, locked in the past, thinking of what could've been. I don’t want to live in the past anymore. I’m so lonely; there’s nothing for me here.”  



 



I head to the door, still clutching at a piece of peppermint chocolate and trying to dissolve the large piece in my mouth. Swinging open the door I yell, “What the hell, bitch?” Saxon’s eyes are wide and he has an amused grin on his face. “Well, good morning to you too.” My mouth is hanging open, and I know all the blood has rushed from my face. I’m shocked and not only because Saxon is here, but because he stands before me in dark wash jeans with a tight black t-shirt. It has been years since I’ve seen him in anything but a suit or tuxedo. He looks so much younger dressed casually. Less stressed and almost more… carefree. Shaking those thoughts, I meet his eyes. “I thought you were Rach. What do you want?” My words come out more harshly than I intended, and Saxon’s smile turns to a frown, his eyes losing their sparkle. My stomach twists and there’s something about him frowning which turns my gut. I don’t like it. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. I’m just surprised to see you. What’s up?” I ask in a much more friendly tone. He looks up at me, nervousness shining in those bright green eyes. “I wanted to see if I could take you out today?” The confident, cocky Saxon is gone, and I would’ve never believed this insecure one existed underneath. He wants to take me on a date? Hell no. “Bugger, I’m actually just on my way out,” I say with fake disappointment. Saxon raises his eyebrows at me, and the cocky bastard is back. “Really?” he says as he looks me up and down. I follow his eyes down to my outfit. Sometimes even I can’t believe how stupid I am. I roll my eyes and cross my arms over my chest in defiance, as I also remember not only am I in my flannel pyjamas but I don’t have a bra on. He smiles a cocky smile while looking at my chest, clearly letting me know he caught that also.   




Brooke and Nate have everything each of them could ever want, blissfully married to each other he has a successful business that he runs with his best friend Saxon, while she gets to volunteer at the art gallery. Out of the blue Nate tells her he is ready to start the family she has always dreamed of with him and she is thrilled, however that fateful day ends up turning out to be tragic before it is through.

Brooke now has to learn how to pick up the pieces of being left behind and go on with life without her best friend and love of her life, however she is definitely not coping well. Saxon now must run the business that Nate grew into a success and find a way not only to deal with his grief in losing his best friend but to help Brooke with the same.

This book was a tear jerker at times, not one of those bawl your eyes out kind of tear jerker but one that sneaks up on you. I found myself immersed in the story so much that even having to put it down to drive home that day was far too long to be without it. I loved Nate’s character and how he was part of the whole story even though he was gone far too soon. The connection between Sax and Brooke was always a close one and I thoroughly enjoyed their banter and how things just seemed to evolve. This was the first book I have read by Stephanie Smith and now I can’t wait for part 2 of this amazing series to come out… Harper's story is going to be great and I am secretly holding out for more Sax and Brooke!!!
 
** 5 Stars**










 

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I'm first & foremost a reader & fangirl, I will always be first & foremost a reader & fangirl. I am on street teams, I pimp and I brag. I LOVE my Authors!!

I have recently started writing as a way to relax and spend some time for me. My first novel Wherever You Will Go is due to release later this year. I'm having so much fun writing my first story and I'm looking forward to the journey it is taking me on.



 





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~+~ Book Tour & Review ~+~ Martyr by Rory Clements

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Title: Martyr
Series: John Shakespeare
Genre: Historical Thriller
Author: Rory Clements
Publish Date: Sept 9, 2014
Publisher: Witness Impulse


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  In this ingenious debut, Rory Clements introduces John Shakespeare, Elizabethan England’s most remarkable investigator, and delivers a tale of murder and conspiracy that succeeds brilliantly as both historical fiction and a crime thriller. In a burnt-out house, one of Queen Elizabeth’s aristocratic cousins is found murdered, her young flesh marked with profane symbols. At the same time, a plot to assassinate Sir Francis Drake, England’s most famous sea warrior, is discovered--a plot which, if successful, could leave the country utterly defenseless against a Spanish invasion. It’s 1587, the Queen’s reign is in jeopardy, and one man is charged with the desperate task of solving both cases: John Shakespeare. With the Spanish Armada poised to strike, Mary Queen of Scots awaiting execution, and the pikes above London Bridge decorated with the grim evidence of treachery, the country is in peril of being overwhelmed by fear and chaos. Following a trail of illicit passions and family secrets, Shakespeare travels through an underworld of spies, sorcerers, whores, and theater people, among whom is his own younger brother, the struggling playwright, Will. Shadowed by his rival, the Queen’s chief torturer, who employs his own methods of terror, Shakespeare begins to piece together a complex and breathtaking conspiracy whose implications are almost too horrific to contemplate. For a zealous and cunning killer is stalking England’s streets.And as Shakespeare threatens to reveal a madman’s shocking identity, he and the beautiful woman he desires come ever closer to becoming the next martyrs to a passion for murder and conspiracy whose terrifying consequences might still be felt today... 

  



 



ROSE DOWNIE SAT on the cold cobbles, cradling a swaddled baby that was not hers. She leant her aching back against the wall of the imposing stone house, close to its arched oak door. Under any other circumstance nothing could have brought her near this building where baleful apprehension hung heavy in the air like the stink of tallow, but the man who lived here, Richard Topcliffe, was her last hope. She had been to the court of law but the justice had merely shaken his head dismissively and said that even had he believed her – which, he said, with a scowl, was as unlikely as apple blossom in November – there was nothing he could do for her. The constable had been no more helpful. ‘Mistress Downie,’ he said, ‘put the baby in a bag like a kitten and throw it in the Thames. What use is it alive? I promise you, in God’s name, that I will not consider the killing a crime, but an act of mercy, and you shall never hear another word of the matter.’ Now, outside Topcliffe’s house in the snow-flecked street, close by St Margaret’s churchyard in Westminster, Rose sat and waited. She had knocked at the door once already, and it had been answered by a sturdy youth with a thin beard who had looked her up and down with distaste and told her to go away. She had refused and he closed the door in her face. The intense cold would have driven anyone else home to sit at the fireside wrapped in blankets, but Rose would not go until she had seen Topcliffe and begged him to help.        


 

A well-researched, well described historical murder mystery with intrigue and compelling descriptions. I enjoyed reading Martyr while I found the pace a bit slow at times and some scenes rather unnecessary I did revel in the crime-solving taking place in this book. Martyr has a very unique flavor of a Sherlock Holmes-esque mystery, mixed with some brutality reminiscent of Jack the Ripper all while taking place in a very religiously tense time period of the late 16th Century more specifically 1587.
John Shakespeare is our lead character, the fictional brother of the great William Shakespeare . John works for Secretary Walsingham and is his #1 agent. John is confronted with the despicable murder of Lady Blanche Howard which as it unravels becomes a much bigger conspiracy then initially thought. The crime sets off a series of movements and players that all connected to ultimately solving of the case. I loved piecing together the clues in this book, every character that was introduced made choices that put them on certain paths that interconnected and intertwined to create this very intricate crime leading up to one conniving individual that you didn’t really expect.
There is drama, murder, prostitution, witchcraft, danger, suspense and a bit of romance in the novel. It kept me entertained and interested throughout. John as well as the supporting cast of characters are all believable in their convictions regardless of how extreme and you get a good sense of how the tensions and conspiring ran rampant in those times; with those believing in Queen Elizabeth and those opposed to the “Usurping Bastard” Queen as described in the novel. The characters go to great lengths to do what they believe is right even if it’s criminal or inhumane. I also enjoyed the dichotomy of John’s character while he had allegiance to the Queen it was easy to see how uncomfortable and outright opposed he with some of the methods used to exert her dominion and order over those who would disagree or cause dissension.
I would have to say, though the relation to the might playwright William is not really important in the novel, one of my favorite scenes is when William utilizes his acting skills and troupe to protect those under John’s care, it was a short scene but it was both a tender and comical moment.
For those readers who are avid fans of historical crime, conspiracy mysteries this is a good book to pick up. It’s a good read and will keep you interested till the end. 4 Stars from me!


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After a career in national newspapers, Rory Clements now lives in a seventeenth-century farmhouse in Norfolk and writes full time.


   



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