October 20, 2016

Happy Release Day to Adriana Locke with Written In The Scars!




Title: Written in the Scars
Author: Adriana Locke
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Release Date: October 20, 2016




Falling in love is easy.

Falling out of love is the hardest thing in the world.

And Elin and Ty Whitt are terrible at it.

The first time the local basketball star smiled at Elin, she was a goner. It was just so damn easy to fall for the dark-haired hometown hero with his charming smile and strong, athletic build.

Thousands of sleepy smiles, aimless drives down country roads, and squeaks of the backdoor after a swing shift later, reality hits. And it hits hard. Falling in love was definitely the easy part. Watching it break apart was impossible.

Through the tears, the second-guesses, the memories of a life built together, the world keeps spinning. With each turn comes clarity and hope—sometimes in the form of a pair of muddy boots by the back door or from the words of a wise friend.

When Ty shows back up with a new found determination to put his family back together, Elin's torn between the fights of the past and the possibility of a new start. This is the man that holds her heart, the man she loves beyond anything else. But this is also the one person in the world that can cause her the most pain.

Life’s not always easy. Love’s not for the faint of heart. But with life comes lessons and Ty and Elin have the scars to prove it. But it's their love written in those scars that will hold them together … or break them apart.






Don't miss these release week events!!!

Join some of your favorite authors LIVE on Adriana’s Facebook Page to celebrate this release! On Friday, October 21st, authors will hop on and chat with you. Don’t miss it!

Lots of fun things and giveaways will be happening in Adriana’s Facebook Group. Make sure you join the festivities!
 


Check out Adriana’s website for a Week of Giveaways, starting Monday, October 24th. You don’t want to miss this!



AMAZON US / UK

Available in Kindle Unlimited






I pull her into me, trying to put her, me, our life back together with my embrace. Her arms find my waist, and I hold her in the middle of the driveway, swaying back and forth in a moment I’ll never, ever forget. The feeling of my world careening back into focus, into the places it should be, nearly drops me to my knees with my girl in my arms.

“I should go in,” she says, looking up at me.

“It’s cold in there.”

She shrugs and I see her start to slip away from me again. Frantic, I struggle to find a way to stop it.

“Let’s go for a drive,” I suggest.

She looks at me warily.

“It’s just a drive,” I promise. “The house can warm up and then I’ll drop you back off, if that’s what you want. What can it hurt?”

“You won’t try to make out with me or anything, right?” she teases. “Because I know that look in your eye, Tyler Whitt.”

“Only if you ask,” I wink, opening the door to my truck and watching her climb in. Before I shut it, I lean in and whisper into her ear. “Hey, E.”

“Yeah?”

“Please ask.”


It is often said that when you write and speak what you know the people on the receiving end of such words will always be moved. When I look back to my time reading Written In The Scars, I can say with 100% certainty that I felt the passion of a writer leap off the pages and I was commanded to feel and “see” each and every word that makes up this story. Personally, I have never had a book grip me so intensely that I failed at maintaining “the real world” because I was so in tuned to what was being “said”. Written In the Scars spoke to me on a level that was intense, beautifully heartbreaking, and full of so much love that even as I sit here typing my own words, my heart clutches with the need to scream at every reader, 

“Written In The Scars must be on your shelf; it must be read and enjoyed and remembered.”

The story between Ty and Elin is so sweet with first love growing into a mature and stable relationship to rocky roads, in the mining town of Jackson, Indiana. Ty being the former basketball state star and Elin the ever loving teacher, this couple is portrayed like a lot of couples in the real world. Just living day to day lives and trying to make it work for them. Ty and Elin have a wonderful support system with siblings and friends who are most important to them. The crew. They’ve done everything together and would do anything for each other. Even through the bad times, never giving up. A story that should be the normal boy meets girl, falls in love and they live happily ever after.
Doesn’t sound so remarkable right? So why am I ranting that this is a must read story?

What makes Written in The Scars stand apart from those other stories is in the details. You’ll come to find the struggles of recovery, of trying to push through until you see the light. As a reader you’ll be pulled along a point in life of these fictional characters [that feel as real as the person next to you] that has had a series of misfortunes that make you question their path but also beg you to never stop loving them while they find their way. Adriana Locke has written a story that will hit so close to home to hundreds of readers that she wills you to see just a glimpse of small town living that is big on family values, self-morals, and how sometimes the right thing to do is not always how you want it, but how it must be.

Beautifully written with brilliantly flawed characters when you hit the end of this story you’ll be filled with love and wounded for days. Only great words filled with true passion can do that.  Written In The Scars is not your typical contemporary romance but it couldn’t be any other way than what it is…

You next favorite read. 







USA Today Bestselling author Adriana Locke lives and breathes books. After years of slightly obsessive relationships with the flawed bad boys created by other authors, Adriana has created her own.

She resides in the Midwest with her husband, sons, and two dogs. She spends a large amount of time playing with her kids, drinking coffee, and cooking. You can find her outside if the weather's nice and there's always a piece of candy in her pocket.

For sneak peeks, giveaways, and more, please join Adriana's Facebook Group, Books by Adriana Locke, or her Goodreads group, All Locked Up.



October 19, 2016

New release and Review with Kandi Steiner




Title: A Love Letter to Whiskey
Author: Kandi Steiner
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: October 13, 2016


PRAISE FOR AMAZON BESTSELLING
A LOVE LETTER TO WHISKEY

"Ten stars for this brilliantly written love story. It's raw. It's real. It's flawed. It's simply perfection." - New York Times Bestselling Author Kim Karr


"A Love Letter To Whiskey starts out with a slow burn, but before you know it you are intoxicated and unable to stop until you reach the end. Once you hit the end, you are completely drunk in love with Steiner's words. Her best work to date and my favorite read of 2016." - Brittainy C. Cherry, Amazon #1 Bestselling Author


"You will savor Whiskey to the very last drop, and the hangover will be worth every heart-wrenching second. Steiner's writing is as smooth as scotch, as heady as whiskey, with a sweet afterburn that will leave you addicted." - Bestselling Author Staci Hart

"A Love Letter to Whiskey will get you drunk on feels. Wildly intoxicating, I could not put it down. An absolute masterpiece for angst lovers." - Angie, Angie's Dreamy Reads







It’s crazy how fast the buzz comes back after you’ve been sober for so long.

Whiskey stood there, on my doorstep, just like he had one year before. Except this time, there was no rain, no anger, no wedding invitation — it was just us.

It was just him — the old friend, the easy smile, the twisted solace wrapped in a glittering bottle.

It was just me — the alcoholic, pretending like I didn’t want to taste him, realizing too quickly that months of being clean didn’t make me crave him any less.

But we can’t start here.

No, to tell this story right, we need to go back.

Back to the beginning.

Back to the very first drop.


This is my love letter to Whiskey. I only hope he reads it.





Purchase Links

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU





“Words don’t get written from a heart that’s never felt. They come from pain, from love, from unspeakable depths – and they were my only release.”

This quote pretty much sums up the rollercoaster ride you (the reader) will be on while you lose yourself in these smooth words from Kandi Steiner. A Love Letter to Whiskey is so very different from any other Kandi Steiner books I’ve read. From the first page I knew I was going to be pulled into a world where I was going to fall in love, what I didn’t know was how untraditionally hard it would be to get there. I was on a journey in two people’s lives as they make their way through choices that at times have horrible consequences and other times where the outcome hits you full force with emotions.
Jamie and B’s first meeting was a collision course (literally) of stumbling heartbeats. The next thing you know B is thrust into the “friend zone” and being “third wheeled” while she simultaneously tries to deal with a home life that would make any young adult question love.  From this time on through adulthood the instant connection that is kept buried between the both of them slowly rises and settles causing the people around them to get hurt in the process. You come to find the addiction starts off at a simmer for the first few years but when Jamie and B have their first slip, all bets are off.
Push and Pull. Stop and Go. Hurting and Bliss. Tears and Laughter.
What happens when the one thing you truly want ends up hurting you?
I fell hard for this book. It felt as if I was growing up right beside B and Jamie feeling their hurt or excitement. Kandi Steiner successfully squeezed my heart and made my lungs need more air. I lived for their kisses as I sat cuddled in my reading chair desperate for these two to come together yet wanting to strangle some sense into them when they made wrong choices. What I love most about A Love Letter to Whiskey is that it’s raw and real and unapologetically, perfectly,
Flawed
With brilliant words.





The first time I tasted Whiskey, I fell flat on my face.

Literally.

I was drunk from the very first sip, and I guess that should have been my sign to stay away.

Jenna and I were running the trail around the lake near her house, sweat dripping into our eyes from the intense South Florida heat. It was early September, but in South Florida, it might as well have been July. There was no “boots and scarves” season, unless you counted the approximately six weeks in January and February where the temperature dropped below eighty degrees.

As it was, we were battling ninety-plus degrees, me trying to be a show off and prove I could keep up with Jenna’s cheerleading training program. She had finally made the varsity squad, and with that privilege came ridiculous standards she had to uphold. I hated running — absolutely loathed it. I would much rather have been on my surf board that day. But fortunately for Jenna, she had a competitive best friend who never turned down a challenge. So when she asked me to train with her, I’d agreed eagerly, even knowing I’d have screaming ribs and calves by the end of the day.

I saw him first.

I was just a few steps ahead of Jenna, and I’d been staring down at my hot pink sneakers as they hit the concrete. When I looked up, he was about fifty feet away, and even from that distance I could tell I was in trouble. He seemed sort of average at first — brown hair, lean build, soaked white running shirt — but the closer he got, the more I realized just how edible he was. I noticed the shift in the muscles of his legs as he ran, the way his hair bounced slightly, how he pressed his lips together in concentration as he neared us.

I looked over my shoulder, attempting to waggle my eyebrows at Jenna and give her the secret best friend code for “hot guy up ahead”, but she had stopped to tie her shoes. And when I turned back around, it was too late.

I smacked into him — hard — and fell to the pavement, rolling a bit to soften the fall. He cursed and I groaned, more from embarrassment than pain. I wish I could say I gracefully picked myself up, smiled radiantly, and asked him for his number, but the truth is I lost the ability to do anything the minute I looked up at him.

It was an unfamiliar, warm ache that spread through my chest as I used my hand to shield the sun streaming in behind his silhouette, just how you’d expect the first sip of whiskey to feel. He was bent over, hand outstretched, saying something that wasn’t registering because I had somehow managed to slip my hand into his and just that one touch had set my skin on fire.

Handsome wasn’t the right word to describe him, but it was all I kept thinking as I traced his features. His hair was a sort of mocha color, damp at the roots, falling onto his forehead just slightly. His eyes were wide — almost too round — and a mixture of gold, green, and the deepest brown. I didn’t coin the nickname Whiskey until much later, but it was that moment that I saw it for the first time — those were whiskey eyes. The kind of eyes you get lost in. The kind that drink you in. He had the longest lashes and a firm, square jaw. It was so hard, the edges so clean that I would have sworn he was angry with me if it weren’t for the smile on his face.He was still talking as my eyes fell over his broad chest before snapping back up to his sideways grin.

“Oh my God, are you fucking blind?!” Jenna’s voice snapped me from my haze as she shoved Whiskey out of the way and latched onto my hand, ripping me back to standing position. I’d barely caught my balance before she whipped around to continue her scolding. “How about you brush that long ass hair out of your eyes and watch where you’re going, huh champ?”

Oh no.

I didn’t even have time to call dibs, I couldn’t even think the word, let alone say it, before it was too late. I watched it, in slow motion, as Whiskey fell for my best friend before I even had the chance to say a single word to him.

Jenna was standing tall, arms crossed, one hip popped in her usual fashion as she waited for him to defend himself. This was her protocol — it was one of the reasons we got along. We were both what you’d call “spitfires”, but Jenna had the distinct advantage of being cripplingly gorgeous on top of having an attitude. She flipped her long, wavy blonde ponytail behind her and cocked a brow.

And then he did, too.

His smile grew wider as he met her eyes, and it was the same look I’d watched fall over guy after countless guy. Jenna was a unicorn, and men were enamored by her. As they should have been — she had platinum blonde hair, crystal blue eyes, legs for days and a personality to boot. Now, before you go thinking that I was the insecure best friend - I had it going on, too. I worked hard, I was talented - just not at the things traditional high school boys valued.

But we’ll get to that.

“Hi,” Whiskey finally said, extending his hand to Jenna this time. His eyes were warm, smile inviting — if I had to pick the right word for him, just one, I’d say charming. He just oozed charm. “I’m Jamie.”

“Well, Jamie, maybe you should make an appointment with the eye doctor before you run over another innocent jogger. And you owe Brecks an apology.” She nodded to me then and I cringed at my name, wondering why she felt the need to spill it at all. She always called me B — everyone did — so why did she choose the moment I was face to face with the first boy to ever make my heart accelerate to use my full name?

Jamie was still grinning, eying Jenna, trying to figure her out, but he turned to me after a moment with that same crooked smile. “I’m sorry, I should have been watching where I was going.” He said the words with conviction, but lifted his brows on that last line because he and I both knew who wasn’t paying attention to the trail, and he wasn’t the guilty party.

“It’s fine,” I murmured, because for some reason I was still having a difficult time finding my voice. Jamie tilted his head just a fraction, his eyes hard on me this time, and I felt naked beneath his gaze. I’d never had anyone look at me that way — completely zeroed in. It was unnerving and exhilarating, too.

But before I could latch onto the feeling, he turned back to Jenna, their eyes meeting as slow smiles spread on both of their faces. I’d seen it a million times, but this was the first time I felt sick watching it happen.

I saw him first, but it didn’t matter.

Because he saw her.





Kandi Steiner is a Creative Writing and Advertising/Public Relations graduate from the University of Central Florida living in Tampa with her husband. Kandi works full time as a social media specialist, but also works part time as a Zumba fitness instructor and blackjack dealer.

Kandi started writing back in the 4th grade after reading the first Harry Potter installment. In 6th grade, she wrote and edited her own newspaper and distributed to her classmates. Eventually, the principal caught on and the newspaper was quickly halted, though Kandi tried fighting for her “freedom of press.” She took particular interest in writing romance after college, as she has always been a die hard hopeless romantic (like most girls brought up on Disney movies).

When Kandi isn’t working or writing, you can find her reading books of all kinds, talking with her extremely vocal cat, and spending time with her friends and family. She enjoys beach days, movie marathons, live music, craft beer and sweet wine – not necessarily in that order.


Author Links

WEBSITE
GOODREADS
TWITTER






New Release with Claudia Burgoa


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Finding My Reason by Claudia Burgoa
Cover Design: By Hang Le
Release Date: October 19, 2016

Hudson It was only supposed to be a one night stand at a wedding. I was supposed to have fun and move on. But she infused my life with light and laughter. Now I can’t breathe at the thought of her ever being out of my life. Being apart from her suffocates me. We agreed to stay together, until we didn’t make each other happy. I wasn’t afraid of and, I was afraid but. But what if I’m not enough for her to stay?  
  Jade I met this guy I really wanted to kiss. I thought he was going to be just a crush who became my dream boy. A perfect, delusional dream I would keep in my heart until I had my life in order. He made me feel like I could take over the world. I wasn’t supposed to fall in love. We agreed to stay together, until one of us wanted something different. I wasn’t scared of but, I was scared of and. And what if he leaves?   And our fairy tale came to an end. But did it have to end or can we find a reason to stay?  





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$10 Amazon Gift Card & a Signed Paperback of Finding My Reason
 
 


Born on the mystical day of October 30th in the not so mystical lands of Mexico City, Claudia grew up with a childhood that resembled a caffeine-injected soap opera. Seventeen years ago she ventured to the lands of her techie husband—a.k.a. the U.S.—with their offspring to start a new adventure. She now lives in Colorado working as a CFO for a small IT company, managing her household filled with three confused dogs, said nerd husband, two daughters wrought with fandoms and a son who thinks he’s the boss of the house. To survive she works continually to find purpose for the voices flitting through her head, plus she consumes high quantities of chocolate to keep the last threads of sanity intact.  


Facebook Author Page: http://bit.ly/2dq1gfX

aFacebook Reader Group: http://bit.ly/2dxrwBo




Goodreads Author Page: http://bit.ly/2d1A9F8

Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.to/1sgav4Q

BookBub Author Page: http://bit.ly/2dpIK2X

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October 18, 2016

New Release Blog Tour and Review with Staci Hart ~~ Tonic

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Tonic by Staci Hart 

Release Date: October 13th

Genre: Contemporary Romance

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Joel Anderson doesn’t take anything seriously.

Not his relationships, which have been few and far between since his brutal divorce. Not the drama of working in a tattoo parlor, which seems to be around every corner. When things get him down, he smiles and cracks a joke. But he’s not the kind of man you cross, or you’ll find yourself at the wrong end of his fists. Annika Belousov takes everything seriously. Like her job as a reality television producer, given that she typically has something to prove. Or her love life, which is defined by a series of requirements — affluent, ambitious, accomplished, to name a few. Definitely her family, who worked their whole lives to afford her every opportunity, a sacrifice she doesn’t take lightly. When she’s tapped to produce a reality show at Joel’s shop, she doesn’t think twice, just goes in for the kill, as if there were any other way. The second Annika walks into Joel’s shop, he makes it his mission to crack her open, but she’s not having it. He’s all wrong — too crass, too hairy, too un-serious. But it doesn’t take her long to find out there’s more to him than smirks and tattoos. And what she finds could put her career and his heart on the line. Not that Joel cares. Because for the first time in a long time, he’s found his tonic.

“Let me see it.”

“What?” I blustered, caught off guard. “Stand up and turn around. I want to see it.” I was too surprised and caught up in the moment to refuse, so I stood and turned, laying my palms on the armrests as I faced the back of the chair.
One hand rested on my hip.
My heart stopped as I wondered what the hell I’d gotten myself into. I glanced over my shoulder, my gaze bouncing between his face —turned down too much to read —and his reflection in the speckled, antique mirror, which I couldn’t see much of either. His free hand moved to the waistband of my tailored pants, and his fingers hooked and tugged, pulling the band down low. His thumb ran over where I knew the tattoo was, and I felt his breath. Every place where we connected spoke to me of ownership. “You got this done here? In New York?” His voice was rough. Mine wasn’t much better. “Yeah. In Brooklyn.” “Let me cover it up for you. Give you something you’re proud of. Your skin …” He paused, and I wished I could see his face, read his mind. “This shouldn’t be here, not on you. Let me … I want to …” He had moved closer, his hand on my hip pulling me back into him slightly enough for me to not have noticed that the backs of my thighs were touching his, my back arched just enough, his breath hot. And then, he disappeared. I stood, finding my hands were trembling, wondering where I was and how I’d gotten there. The shop was mostly empty —no one had seen, not that it would have looked like much from the outside. But from where I stood, I felt every single deliberate move like a telegraph, telling me exactly what he wanted to do without him having to finish the sentence. His back was to me when I turned around, his face down —I couldn’t see it in the mirror over his cabinet of ink and needles as he dug around in the drawers, seemingly for nothing in particular. “Let me know if you want me to draw something up.” “Okay, I will.” I paused, not knowing what else to say, feeling like I should say something. But there was nothing that I could say. “Well, have a good night, Joel. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He nodded, glancing at me in the mirror. “See you, Annika.” I tried not to bolt out of the shop, but once outside, I admit it —I took off. I hauled up the stairs and into the office to grab my bag, grateful that Laney was already gone, and I texted my driver, asking him to pick me up a few blocks away so I could walk, put some distance between me and Joel, get the energy out of my body, through my legs and feet, into the pavement.

Add to Goodreads

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Amazon US / Amazon UK

FREE on Kindle Unlimited

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Staci has been a lot of things up to this point in her life -- a graphic designer, an entrepreneur, a seamstress, a clothing and handbag designer, a waitress. Can't forget that. She's also been a mom, with three little girls who are sure to grow up to break a number of hearts. She's been a wife, though she's certainly not the cleanest, or the best cook. She's also super, duper fun at a party, especially if she's been drinking whiskey.From roots in Houston to a seven year stint in Southern California, Staci and her family ended up settling somewhere in between and equally north, in Denver. They are new enough that snow is still magical. When she's not writing, she's reading, sleeping, gaming, or designing graphics.

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