RELEASE DAY LAUNCH: Bone Deep by Brooklyn Skye

Bone Deep

by Brooklyn Skye

Published:

September 30th 2014

Genre:

New Adult

Contemporary

Romance

Summary:

The boy who wants forgiveness…

Haunted by the train accident his father instigated, college freshman Krister Ledoux is obsessed with finding the person sending him cryptic hate mail. He knows it’s one of them—a family member of one of the accident victims, and he’s willing to go to hell and back to find out which one.

The girl he can’t forget…

She was a stranger who kissed him in the middle of the train station, and now she’s the girl who pleads with her eyes for Krister to be the distraction she’s so desperate for. Krister doesn’t know what it is about her, why he’s sucked into playing Cambria’s game… All he knows is that when he’s with her, he isn’t consumed with thoughts of the crash.

The collision that can’t be avoided…

Cambria doesn’t know who Krister is—that he’s the son of the town’s most infamous killer, and he knows if his true identity surfaces he’ll lose her forever. However secrets can’t stay buried forever, and now Krister must fight to prove that their bone-deep connection is far more powerful than the hatred she now has toward him.

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Excerpt:

She stares at me, tracing her finger over my face, my eyebrows, the two-day-old stubble on my jaw. I catch her hand and kiss her knuckles, then wrist. “It’s just…” Jesus, how do I say this? “My life’s a little complicated right now, and I’m trying not to drag you into the middle of it.” The look she gives me is one I’m starting to recognize. The one that makes it seem like she understands there’s something more I want to tell her, but can’t. Or don’t know how. “On top of that…I’m a dickhead. And being with me will ultimately result in me hurting you, and I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Actually…” She lowers my palm to her thigh, narrowing her gaze onto mine. “…you being concerned about hurting me is very non-dickhead-ish of you.” Little by little, she slides my hand up her leg and around her ass. “Besides, what if I want to be in the middle of it?”

I slam my eyes shut, my fingers burning at the touch of her. She doesn’t know what she’s asking for. Being with me—being constantly reminded of her dead mother—will slowly but surely kill her inside. And I’m not a murderer like my father.

Giveaway:

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About Brooklyn Skye:

Brooklyn Skye grew up in a small town where she quickly realized writing was an escape from small town life. Really, she’s just your average awkward girl who’s obsessed with words. She writes young adult and new adult fiction. You can follow her on Twitter or visit her web site for updates, teasers, giveaways, and more. She is the author of Fragile Line, Stripped, Without You, and Stripped Without You.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

This book was amazing. If you like emotional reads I can't recommend this one enough. My review goes up on October 3rd as part of the blog tour being hosted by InkSlinger PR so stop back by and see what I had to say about this book! Why not grab a copy and get to know Krister and Cambria yourself :)

RELEASE DAY LAUNCH: The Fine Art of Pretending (The Fine Art of Pretending #1) by Rachel Harris

The Fine Art of Pretending

(The Fine Art of Pretending #1)

by Rachel Harris

Published:

September 30th 2014

by Spencer Hill Contemporary

Genre:

Young Adult Contemporary Romance

Summary:

According to the guys at Fairfield Academy, there are two types of girls: the kind you hook up with, and the kind you're friends with. Seventeen-year-old Alyssa Reed is the second type. And she hates it. With just one year left to change her rank, she devises a plan to become the first type by homecoming, and she sets her sights on the perfect date—Justin Carter, Fairfield Academy’s biggest hottie and most notorious player.

With 57 days until the dance, Aly launches Operation Sex Appeal and sheds her tomboy image. The only thing left is for Justin actually to notice her. Enter best friend Brandon Taylor, the school’s second biggest hottie, and now Aly’s pretend boyfriend. With his help, elevating from “funny friend” to “tempting vixen” is only a matter of time.

But when everything goes according to plan, the inevitable “break up” leaves their friendship in shambles, and Aly and Brandon with feelings they can’t explain. And the fake couple discovers pretending can sometimes cost you the one thing you never expected to want.

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Excerpt:

An exhale of breath leaves Brandon’s lips, almost like a laugh, and he scoots closer to me on the blanket. I twist my legs under myself, sitting tall as I face him. He cups my chin and tilts it toward him, drowning me in the now dark-green depths of his eyes, the cologne I gave him for his birthday filling my head. It’s woodsy and yummy and I always loved how it smelled on the store testers, but on Brandon, it’s even sexier. My eyes flutter closed, and I inhale again, this time slowly. Goose bumps prickle my arms, and my head gets fuzzy.

Brandon slides his hand down the column of my neck and brings the other up, threading his fingers through the hair at my nape. His breath fans across my cheek, and everything south of my bellybutton squeezes tight.

When his mouth first meets mine, it’s hesitant, questioning. But as I move my lips with his, he quickly grows bolder, coaxing them apart.

Desire, pure and raw, electrifies my veins as his tongue sweeps my mouth. A whimpering sound springs from my chest, and instinctively, I wrap my arms around his neck, tugging him closer. Needing more. My teeth graze his full bottom lip, and I pull it, sucking on it gently.

He moans and knots his fingers in my hair, and a thrill dances down my back.

Brandon is an amazing kisser, just as I knew he would be. I have no control over my body’s reactions. I lose myself in his lips, his tongue, and his strong arms, forgetting time and space and even my surroundings—until Gabi’s snicker brings reality crashing around us, reminding me we have an audience.

And that I’m kissing Brandon.

We break apart, out of breath, and stare into each other’s eyes.

That was unexpected.

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About Rachel Harris:

Award-winning and Bestselling author Rachel Harris writes humorous love stories about sassy girls next door and the hot guys that make them swoon. Emotion, vibrant settings, and strong relationships are a staple in each of her books...and kissing. Lots of kissing. 

An admitted Diet Mountain Dew addict and homeschool mom, she gets through each day by laughing at herself, hugging her kids, and watching way too much Food Network with her husband. She writes young adult, new adult, and adult romance, and LOVES talking with readers.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

So happy to be part of the release day launch for this book. That excerpt is one of my favorite scenes in the book. I say one of because there are just so many. I highly recommend it!! My review will be posted on October 6th as part of a blog tour being hosted by InkSlinger PR so be sure to check back and see what I had to say. Until then click one of the links above and get yourself a copy today and see what all the fuss is about! You won't regret it ;)

ARC REVIEW: Dead Over Heels by Alison Kemper

Title/Series: Dead Over Heels
Author: Alison Kemper
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Published: September 29th 2014
Format: eBook | Pages: 269
Genre: YA, Sci-Fi, Romance
Source: Publisher
★★★✩ (3.5/5) Stars!

Alison Kemper | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

The end of the world just might be their perfect beginning…

Glenview, North Carolina. Also known―at least to sixteen-year-old Ava Pegg―as the Land of Incredibly Boring Vacations. What exactly were her parents thinking when they bought a summer home here? Then the cute-but-really-annoying boy next door shows up at her place in a panic…hollering something about flesh-eating zombies attacking the town.

At first, Ava’s certain that Cole spent a little too much time with his head in the moonshine barrel. But when someone―or something―rotted and terrifying emerges from behind the woodpile, Ava realizes this is no hooch hallucination. The undead are walking in Glenview, and they are hungry. Panicked, Ava and Cole flee into the national forest. No supplies, no weapons. Just two teenagers who don’t even like each other fighting for their lives. But that’s the funny thing about the Zombpocalypse. You never know when you’ll meet your undead end. Or when you’ll fall dead over heels for a boy…

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. In no way did this sway my review or my rating!

I have now officially read my first zombie book! My first thought is...I can't believe how much I liked it! The way I see it is books dealing with zombies can go two different ways. They could take the Walking Dead route and be serious and filled with heart pounding excitement. Or they can go the complete opposite direction and aim for the funny/cheesy like Zombieland. Dead Over Heels takes the best of both of those and weaves them together in a story that had me rolling my eyes, laughing, sitting on the edge of my seat practically hyperventilating from the danger and excitement and yeah, even a bit swooning. Color me surprised!

I'm having one of those rare moments where I finish a book and immediately feel the need to start getting some thoughts down. I feel like a huge part of that is because as I sat there reading the last words on the page, my mind was screaming, "No! I don't want it to end yet!" Had it been a movie I would have immediately hit play and watched it all again. So if I loved it so much why doesn't my rating reflect that? Here's the thing. I felt like there was enough going on with, of course, the zombies and then there was the fact that it was set in the forest at the beginning of winter. We're talking like a thirty minute drive from the nearest town. Then you also add to the fact that a huge chunk of the forest they're trekking through is a bear preserve (hunting country) and you've got an entire book's worth of things you could do to make for a nail biting read. But it went a step too far with a psychotic (ex)girlfriend. Those moments with Bethany filled me with irritation. Otherwise it would have been pretty close to perfect.

Even though I was intrigued by the plot, I put this one off as the last review book I read because I was truly afraid I wasn't going to like it. I sort of feel like I was trying not to in the beginning. It's in first person dual POVs and Cole is...well, he's a country boy. And I don't mean in the "Hey there cowboy!" kind of way it's more like "I ain't got no time for some dadgum city girl!" sort of way. Since it's first person even his thoughts are like that, so I was ready to be annoyed with him from the start. Those feelings didn't stick around for long, Cole was seriously such a great character. Ava was too for that matter. Very well written main characters. Though the summary is for the most part right...it's not exactly how things go down. Actually the way it goes down in the book with these two is way better than it was described, in my opinion.

I am not kidding with the danger and excitement, it literally had my heart thumping. And much to Cole's dismay if there was even the smallest chance of landing into a troubled, dangerous spot, Ava was going end up doing it. I could not put this one down! I definitely feel like I could read this one again and I'm going also going to have to get her other book Donna of the Dead and give it a try as well as soon as possible! I keep wanting to laugh at myself for how surprised I am about how much I enjoyed this book, but really I shouldn't be at all. I mean if I can fall in love with a series about aliens why not funny, cheesy, action packed zombies?

Thank you Entangled for the opportunity to review this book!

ARC REVIEW: Sicilian Engagement by Rachel Lyndhurst

Title/Series: Sicilian Engagement
Author: Rachel Lyndhurst
Publisher: Entangled Indulgence
Published: September 29th 2014
Format: eBook | Pages: 193
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Source: Publisher
★★★✩ (3.5/5) Stars!

Rachel Lyndhurst | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Money buys the perfect woman …

Billionaire Sicilian, Lorenzo Ferrante, needs a fake fiancée, and fast, in order to close a deal that will set him free from ties to a sordid past he never wanted any part of. Starting fresh somewhere else is all he wants for himself and his little girls...

Lora Pryce-Howard has been conned into playing Ferrante's fiancée thanks to her low life brother. And if she wants to keep her business, a roof over her ailing mother's head, and her brother alive she'll play along. She refuses to be seduced by a luxurious Mediterranean lifestyle, but Ferrante's soft words and burning kisses make leaving all the more difficult...

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. In no way did this sway my review or my rating!

I requested quite a few ARCs from Entangled this month. Normally when I get the emails of available review copies I find three or four that pique my interest and even then I only receive one, maybe two of those if I'm lucky. This month I ended up with around ten I think. I've loved some, a few of them I wasn't feeling at all, but there were also a couple that, like the porridge that Goldilocks ate, were just right. Somewhere in the middle. This book was one of those that was in the middle. Which isn't exactly a bad thing! I mean while no, I wasn't doing cartwheels, it still pulled me in right away and kept me entertained 'til the end.

I normally tend to avoid the Indulgence line, which is weird coming from me I know. I mean alpha males are like...chocolate cake. I know it's bad for me but I crave it...err them. And that's what they're all about. Powerful men. Alphas. But the thing is most of the ones I've run across are about rich tycoons, billionaire playboys, hard businessmen. Which isn't bad but...they all tend to be cold and like I said hard. It's all about making money and getting all the power. I have a hard time swooning over these guys. But there was something about this one that made me want to risk it. While Lorenzo was a lot of those things, he was a hard, powerful and a bit of a control freak, he was also very likable. I was pleasantly surprised. I expected the worst and I was proven wrong.

There were some things that bugged me though characters weren't part of that, well except for one really. Lora's brother was just...odd and a horrible, horrible person. I found it sort of uncomfortable that he called his own sister; sweetie pie, petal, sugarplum and honeybee. Is this like a UK thing? Because if my brother ever called me anything like that except sarcastically to push my buttons I'd probably punch him and tell him to quit being so creeptastic. Thankfully he was only in the beginning so I didn't have to put up with him for long. But that wasn't really a thing for me because he was such only physically around for about 40 pages or so after that he was only mentioned in conversations or in thoughts. 

What did get to me was sometimes I felt like the book was trying to hard. Words or phrases were in it that disrupted the flow for me. Two I actually had to look up and it's not exactly like I'm stupid or anything. Honestly detritus? In the situation in pertained to in the book I feel like most people would have just said volcanic debris or something along those lines. And oligarch? It was just a bit much for me. I don't want to read a book to be impressed with someone's vocabulary, I want to get lost in it. Which becomes more difficult when I have to stop and look something up. Keep it simple, it can still be beautiful without all the flowery words. Maybe it's just me and I'll be alone but there it is.

I mean there were other little things as well, but at the end of the day the storyline was great, though there was a missed opportunity to add a bit more danger to it but that's not a complaint, just an observation. The characters were fun and surprising. I took a risk and I'm good with saying I feel like it paid off. It's definitely changed my attitude about avoiding the books about these types of alpha males because Lorenzo was definitely worth a swoon or two. 

Thanks Entangled for the opportunity to review this book!

ARC REVIEW: Reforming the Rock Star (Head Over Heels #2) by Christine Bell

Title/Series: Reforming the Rock Star | Head Over Heels #2
Author: Christine Bell
Publisher: Entangled Indulgence
Published: September 29th 2014
Format: eBook | Pages: 220
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Source: Publisher
★★★★ (4/5) Stars!

Christine Bell | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

When Sydney Metcalf's bestie asks her to cater her wedding, Syd can't say no, even though the thought of going back to her hometown makes her break out in hives. She's off to a great start until best man and rock god Lazlo Stone calls with a request for her to cater the bachelor party too. Petit fours adorned with rose petals, she can handle. A cake shaped like boobs for the sexiest guy in the universe? She's not so sure. But this is the chance of a lifetime and she refuses to screw it up by being a prude...

When a sexy stripper dressed as a Plain Jane crashes the bachelor party, Laz is all about getting vertical and making some music with her. Too bad his stripper is really the caterer and the bride's best friend. After a kiss between them blazes out of control, he can't seem to stop thinking about sweet little Syd.

But everybody knows, life on the road and love don't mix...

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. In no way did this sway my review or my rating!

Christine Bell is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors to read. With two of her adult books and one of her YA books under my belt, I feel confident that if I buy a book with her name on it, it's going to suck me in, it's going to be fun, and I'm going to love it. It's been true three times now and I can't wait to buy and read more.

I instantly liked Sydney. In the kitchen she's confident and alive, strong and talented. Outside of the kitchen she's a bit awkward and a whole lot of no self worth. She doubts herself in all areas in life stemming from how her and her two best friends grew up, the type of childhood they had. She puts on a smile and tries fool everyone but really she only fools herself. She hides behind, what she views, as being plain, baggy clothes, no makeup, that sort of thing. Her transformation made me smile.

Laz was all sorts of sexy. When I think rock star I always expect the guy to be cocky, maybe a bit of a jerk and of course a huge male slut. Sure Laz is confident and sure of himself but he's also sweet and protective and caring. With everyone. He thinks about everyone's feelings before he acts including his friends and band mates. There wasn't an ounce of jerk in him and he really wasn't even a slut. It was just a case of due to a really bad past experience he felt like his career and lifestyle just didn't work with relationships. He hadn't and didn't think he ever would meet a woman that would make it worth the risk. I really, really liked this guy.

There was a slight bit of...well I guess I can't really say all out insta-love, but these two did fall fast. I feel like a week was just too quick. Granted they were hauled up at an estate for two weeks so during that week they were around each other a lot. There was time to get to know each other a bit but I felt like a lot of the alone time was spent hooking up, not all of it just a chunk. Don't get me wrong the romance between these two was seriously sweet and it had me giving happy little sighs more often than not, my only complaint would be how quick it got from 'this will just be a fun hookup' to 'I love you' you know?

This book was funny and sweet and very hot and steamy. I couldn't put it down once I cracked it open. I'm not sure how I feel about reading the other books in the series since each book in the trilogy is by a different author. I'm definitely intrigued by the other characters they're going to be about but I just don't know. Had they all been by Christine Bell I'd have been right on top of it. I definitely recommend this one for those of you looking for a quick and steamy read. Sure they fall fast but it's totally worth the read. 

Thank you Entangled for approving this book for me! 

ARC REVIEW: Owned By Fate (Serve #1) by Tessa Bailey

Title/Series: Owned By Fate | Serve #1
Author: Tessa Bailey
Publisher: Entangled Brazen
Published: September 29th 2014
Format: eBook | Pages: 200
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Erotica
Source: Publisher

Tessa  Bailey | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Her mind rejects his world. But her body knows its master.

Journalist Caroline Preston arrives at Serve, New York City’s hottest BDSM club, with one goal—to hate it. If her brother wasn't trying to turn the family’s respectable financial magazine into a publication that features “lifestyle” pieces for the wealthy and adventurous, she wouldn't even be there, trying to write an article about a world she doesn't understand. But then she sees him.

Jonah Briggs doesn't leave his post for just anyone. As the owner of the club, his sole purpose is to ensure that his clientele get everything they need, but when he sees Caroline, his only thought is what he wants—to dominate the sexy little reporter and give the most exquisite pleasure she’s ever experienced.

Caroline has no intention of entering that particular lion’s den—not with her family’s reputation at stake—no matter how dark, sexy, and complex the lion in question may be. But with every encounter, she craves more, and with every slide of his lips, she realizes Jonah might just be the man to break down all her defenses…if she’ll let him.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. In no way did this sway my review or my rating!

I'm having a difficult time rating this one. It had a very strong start, went downhill a bit towards the middle, and finished with a strong ending. So everything is still up in the air and I'm not sure yet what to do. Though it's not completely out of the question three stars sounds a bit too low being as bold and fun in the beginning and end as it was. Three and a half stars would work but is it enough? This book hooked me almost instantly and I couldn't stop smiling with the end, but did that middle trip my feelings up enough to make a four completely out of the question? Sigh. I've never been so conflicted. I guess the only solution is to type out this review and hope it inspires me.

Like I said the start was awesome. Caroline was great. She was very strong and confident, when she was in her element that is. From the opening of the book when she's entered Jonah's BDSM club for the first time I had the feeling she was going to be lots of fun in this book. She wasn't at all comfortable and I couldn't wait to see what was in store. Jonah was every bit the delicious alpha male. From the moment he appears on the pages he just oozes confidence, dominance and sex. I was in pure testosterone heaven.

Normally when characters jump right into something it kind of kills the book for me. I mean come on play a little bit hard to get guys! But seeing as how I knew this would be starting out in Jonah's BDSM club, Serve, it was kind of expected and oh my word, the heat between these two? I'm surprised my fingers didn't burn as I scrolled through the pages. It was pretty intense. Like I also said earlier though the middle sort of went downhill for me. The relationship between these two started to dip into the unhealthy territory for a while. Between Caroline's guilt, denial and shame, and Jonah's fascination and borderline obsession I went through bouts where I wanted to knock their heads together and say, "Get it together!"

All in all though by the end I really do think I kind of loved it you know? It was sexy, it was fun, it was even a bit heartwarming. In going for complete honesty here, this has been the second book I've read by Tessa Bailey and while I wasn't really into the first one, Owned By Fate is the perfect example of why I like to give authors a second chance and not write them off completely. I'm really looking forward to reading more from her now! And if the signs I saw in this book really were signs and not just my hopeful imagination, I think I know who the next book will be about in this series and I'm excited for it!!

Thanks Entangled for giving me a copy of this book to read and review!

The verdict.... 

★★★★ (4/5) Stars!!

Yeah I liked it too much for the middle to bring it down far :)

Top Ten Tuesday #33

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish!

This weeks topic is...

Top Ten Books That Were Hard For Me To Read

Even though, for one reason or another, each one of the books on this list ripped out my heart and stomped all over it and I had to struggle through tears to read them, some of them more so than the others, I love them all very much. Sure they were hard to read but something in each one made them worth all the heartache for me. Sometimes all I want is a book that puts me through the emotional wringer. These were perfect for that.

(Click the covers to go to their Goodreads pages)

One:

Thirteen Reasons Why - Jay Asher

I still get chills just thinking about this one. I currently have goosebumps just from trying to take a moment to put down my one reason why this book touched me so much. I mean it deals with the tough issues of bullying and suicide in a way that makes this story both haunting and beautiful. Awesome. I'm tearing up. Moving on!

Two:

Hopeless (Hopeless #1) | Losing Hope (Hopeless #2) - Colleen Hoover

Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. I can't even. Losing Hope most especially.

Three:

Archer's Voice (A Sign of Love) - Mia Sheridan

10 months. That's how long it took me to read this one. 10 freaking months. I kept having to put it down and then try to restart it again. So much love for this book.

Four:

The Fault In Our Stars - John Green

I'm pretty sure this one had a lot of people shaking in their boots before they finally picked it up and gave in just like me. It was so hard and beautiful and just....everything. So glad I read it.

Five:

Making Faces - Amy Harmon

I cried so much with this book. For so many different reasons. One of the major ones was because of a secondary character. You fall in love with everyone in this book and yes, there is a lot of loss but it's absolutely beautiful and ugh I need to move on again because now I'm about to cry just thinking about the characters! Sigh.

Six:

Left Drowning - Jessica Park

I found this one on NetGalley back in 2013 and I thought the title was brilliant and it had my attention so I requested it. I had no idea what I was getting myself into but I'm so glad that I did. A lot of messed up and broken people in this book. Such a good storyline. Just thinking about it makes me feel the urge to have a reread as soon as possible.

Seven:

Before I Fall - Lauren Oliver

I always think of this one as being like a very, very dark version of a favorite old comedy of mine Groundhog Day. Except unlike Bill Murray who relives the same day of his life over and over and eventually turns himself into a better person in a very comical way, Samantha relives the day she dies over and over, 7 times. It's gets hard when it really hits you that no matter what, even though there are some things that she fixes the one thing she won't be able to fix is her death. So sad yet I loved it. Don't go all, "omg spoiler Sheri!" on me you can learn every single thing I said just from reading the blurb.

Eight:

Easy (Contours of the Heart #1) - Tammara Webber

While this one only brushes on some heavy issues it's still a tearjerker. And I love how the main character empowers herself instead of staying a victim. I really need to read Lucas' book now.

Nine:

Real (Real #1) - Katy Evans

Oh Remy, my beautiful broken boy. He's the one to blame for how emotional this book made me. I fell hard for this guy. The need I feel right now to reread this book...

Ten:

Torn (Torn #1) | Twisted (Torn #2) - K.A. Robinson

Great big hot mess. I really do mean that in a good way. I got both of these through NetGalley back in 2013 and it was cover love at first sight. These books were crazy and they toyed with my emotions so much. I loved the characters but they were so messed up and screwed up so much it just got really hard to read at times. I still enjoyed them both a lot and plan to eventually finish the series, but they both left me so emotionally drained after that I'd just have to sit there and wonder, "What the hell was that?!"

*****

So that's it! These are the books that have been the hardest for me to read up to this point. Even typing up and formatting this post made me tear up and even cry a bit just from thinking about them. Have you read any of these? What books did you find difficult to read? Post your links for me :)