Release Day Blitz + Excerpt: Sweet Forty-Two by Andrea Randall

Sweet Forty-Two by Andrea Randall

Regan Kane arrived in San Diego with nothing but a violin, his car and what feels like a lifetime of grief. Although he’s surrounded by friends and music, one delivery from the post office reminds him that the past is always just around the corner. When he befriends a local bartender, Regan wonders if letting go is what he wants to do at all.

Georgia Hall has spent most of her life in the shadows of her mother’s mental illness. Pushing away those around her ensures they won’t get hurt when she succumbs to the same fate.

All of that unravels when she meets Regan. As her life spins out of control and the line between reality and fairytale blurs, she has to make a choice to trust or fall.

Regan and Georgia are searching for healing among the wreckage. Will doing so together make moving on all the more sweet?

Or will the secrets and darkness of the past drive them apart?

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Excerpt

Just one more locked door separated me from the visiting area. Another nurse greeted me at the door and escorted me in.

“How is she today?” I checked my backpack and jewelry at the nurses station before going further.

Daniel, the nurse who seemed to always be here, gave a stern nod. “Not excitable. We’re not sure yet if the sedatives haven’t fully worn off or or if she’s back on the immobility end.”

I swallowed hard as we entered the large, bright space, gilded with damaged dreams, disappointment, and fear. The sign out front scribbled something about hope, but I’d only ever been in here when hope failed.

Daniel started discussing some of the protocols they’d put in place over the last twenty-four hours, but as soon as I saw her slender figure in the wheelchair by the window, all other attention fled my body as I walked toward her. She was facing me, and I mumbled a small prayer under my breath that she’d recognize me.

“Mama,” I whispered, kneeling in front of her, trying to find the focus of her eyes.

Her head didn’t move, but her eyes did. The empty brown holes fluttered over my face before settling on my eyes. They opened a little wider, just as her lips parted.

Please, please let her say something.

She titled her head to the side, her greying brown hair laying over one shoulder, and with a slight smile she quietly spoke. “Baby.”

Tears clouded my view of the far-away woman I still called mama. Taking her hand, I smiled and nodded.

“I’m here.”

about the author

Andrea RandallAndrea is a 2005 graduate of Cornell University and does not currently use her degree in Development Sociology. She does, however, use her people skills and love for writing every day. She and her partner, Charles Sheehan-Miles, live and write together in Massachusetts

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Blog Tour + Excerpt & Giveaway: Elect by Rachel Van Dyken

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Elect by Rachel Van Dyken

Elect by Rachel Van Dyken
Genre: New Adult
Series: Eagle Elite #2 (full reading order below)
ISBN: 978-1-4555-5422-5
Price: $2.99
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Would you die for the one you love?

Nixon Abandonato made his choice. And now he has to pay the price. Tracey is the love of his life, but being with him has made her a target of his family’s enemies. The only way to keep Trace alive is convince the world she means nothing to him.

Trace Rooks has fallen irrevocably in love with the son of her family’s sworn rival, and she knows in her bones nothing can tear them apart. Until Nix suddenly pushes her away and into the arms of his best friend… But Trace isn’t ready to give up on a future with Nix–and if he won’t fight for them, she will.

In the end, a sacrifice must be made. A life for a life. For what better way to cover a multitude of sins than with the blood of a sinner . . .

Buy Links:
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Today we have a fantastic excerpt from Elect (Eagle Elite #2) by Rachel Van Dyken! I loved this book (read my review) and I’m so excited for everyone to read it!

excerpt

“Let’s make a pact.” Chase put his hand on my shoulder.

“A pact?” I sniffled and turned to him. “What kind of pact?”

“One that’s forever. One that protects people rather than hurts them.”

“How do we do that?” I was suddenly interested. What if I could make all the hurt go away? What if I could save everyone!

“We do this.” Chase pulled out his pocketknife and cut open his hand, then nodded to me to do the same thing. Without pausing I cut open my hand and handed back the knife. “Blood brothers. We’re never gonna hurt each other and we’re gonna save those like your ma, Nixon. Ones who can’t save themselves. We’re going to protect them.”

“How?” I watched as the blood dripped from my open palm.

“Rules.” Chase shrugged. “They keep people safe, right? At least that’s what my mom says.” He smiled. “We make rules and we start our own club. That way, we don’t have to listen to anyone but us.”

I liked it. I chewed on my lower lip. “What do we call ourselves?”

“The chosen?” Chase offered.

“No, that sounds lame. We have to sound… more powerful than that.”

My eyes flickered to the road, and a sign poked into the ground. It said election. “Elect.” I pointed. “Let’s call ourselves The Elect.” It made sense; after all, the president was elected, wasn’t he? We weren’t exactly chosen, but we were making the choice, we were electing ourselves protectors. That’s what we were.

“Who else can join?” Chase asked.

“Tex and Phoenix. They’ll want to.” A weight suddenly felt like it was being lifted off my twelve-year-old shoulders. “Should we shake on it?”

“Yeah.” Chase smashed his hand against mine as our blood mixed. “No going back, Nixon.”

“No.” I shook my head. “No going back.”

I pressed my fingers to my temples and watched, replaying that moment over and over again in my head as the outline of Chase and Tracey flickered in the moonlight. Would he really do this to me? After all the shit we’d been through?

I gauged her reaction, hoping that I would be wrong. Praying to God that Trace would just this once listen to me. Her eyes flickered with interest for a few brief seconds before she looked down at the ground.

“Shit.” I waited in the shadows. A part of me knew this would happen. The part that told me to damn my feelings to hell and ignore all the warning signs that I’d been seeing. But now it seemed like it was too late. I stayed, planted where I was, watching, waiting.

“Chase, you can’t…” Trace shook her head. “You can’t be like this. We can’t do this!”

“We aren’t doing anything,” Chase said in low tones, reaching for Trace’s hand. “Don’t you?” He looked directly at me, although all he saw was a shadow. I knew I was well hidden. “Don’t you feel the same way?”

Trace jerked her hand away from Chase’s. “It doesn’t matter what I feel. It’s not about me, Chase.”

“But it is.” Chase reached for her again. This time her hand grasped his in such an intimate embrace I thought I was going to vomit all over the ground. The outside air was cold as hell as little pieces of ice tried to find their way into my wool coat.

“It isn’t.” Trace sighed. “It never was.”

Chase jerked her toward him. She fell against his chest and looked up into his eyes. “What are you doing?”

Chase sighed. “What I should have done a long time ago.” He grabbed the back of her head and pulled her in for a kiss. Their lips touched.

I had to look away.

The only sound in the night was that of my soft footsteps as I walked away… leaving my heart in broken pieces where I’d last stood. She was lost to me; it wasn’t even the Sicilians that had taken her, but my best friend.

A gunshot rang out loud and clear in the night air. I turned back around just in time to see Trace collapse into Chase’s arms.

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Reading Order: Eagle Elite series

Elite by Rachel Van Dyken Enforce by Rachel Van Dyken Elect by Rachel Van Dyken
Entice by Rachel Van Dyken Elicit by Rachel Van Dyken Ember by Rachel Van Dyken

#1 ~ Elite: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#1.5 ~ Enforce: Goodreads (Dec. 2014)
#2 ~ Elect: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#3 ~ Entice: EbookPaperback • Goodreads
#4 ~ Elicit: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#5 ~ Ember: Goodreads (Feb. 2015)

about the author

Rachel Van DykenRachel Van Dyken is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of regency and contemporary romances. When she’s not writing you can find her drinking coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The Bachelor. She keeps her home in Idaho with her Husband and their snoring Boxer, Sir Winston Churchill. She loves to hear from readers! You can follow her writing journey at http://rachelvandykenauthor.com/

Blog • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads

giveaway

–5  WINNERS: SIGNED Forever gift bag, Signed PRINT copy of ELITE (to catch you up on the series!)
–5 WINNERS: 5 digital copies of ELITE

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Best of 2013 Giveaway Hop

Best of 2013 giveaway hop

Welcome to the Best of 2013 Giveaway Hop, hosted by Bookhounds and I Am A Reader!

Here are your choices! One winner will choose one of the following books:

Mine by Katy Evans Losing Hope by Colleen Hoover UK Fragments by Dan Wells

Mine by Katy Evans
Losing Hope by Colleen Hoover
Fragments by Dan Wells

The Elite by Kiera Cass Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers Earthbound by Aprilynne Pike

The Elite by Kiera Cass
Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers
-Earthbound by Aprilynne Pike

The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White Don't Look Now by Michelle Gagnon Ten by Gretchen McNeil

The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White
-Don’t Look Now by Michelle Gagnon
Ten by Gretchen McNeil

Giveaway is US ONLY! Ends December 18th.

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Click here to enter other giveaways in this huge hop!

Book Blitz + Excerpt & Giveaway: At Any Price by Brenna Aubrey

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At Any Price by Brenna Aubrey
(Gaming the System #1)
Publication date: December 9th 2013
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
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Achievement Unlocked: Geek Virgin

When Mia Strong, proud geek-girl and popular gaming blogger, auctions off her virginity online, she knows she’ll make waves. But what she will not be making is a love connection. Her rules are set in stone: One night. No further contact.

It’s a desperate step, but it’s the only way she can go to medical school and pay her mother’s mounting hospital bills.

Difficulty Level: Millionaire CEO

Adam Drake, the enigmatic auction winner, is a software prodigy who made his first million at seventeen. Now, in his mid-twenties, he’s sexy, driven and–as CEO of his own gaming company–he’s used to making the rules. Before Mia knows what’s happening, he’s found the loophole in the rules of her auction. Every stipulation she’s made to protect her heart gets tossed by the wayside.

She can’t tell if he’s playing her…or if he’s playing for keeps.

This New Adult book is intended for audiences over the age of 18 due to adult language, sexual content and adult situations.

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Excerpt

“I’m quite capable of understanding sexual attraction, Mr. Drake.”

“Adam,” he said quietly, his eyes lowering to focus on my mouth. My heart skipped a beat in its frenetic pace.

“Adam.”

“Why does it make you uncomfortable to call me by my first name?”

I locked gazes with him, suddenly intensely aware of how close we were standing. I could smell him—a subtle scent, masculine, clean, like the ocean and the hint of peppermint candy on his breath. I could almost feel the heat and power oozing off of him in waves. I swallowed in a suddenly dry throat.

“I don’t know.”

“I want to give you one more thing to think about.”

“And what is that?”

He leaned closer, his head approaching mine. I didn’t have the time to step back nor, I think, the willpower to do it even if it had occurred to me. His mouth met mine in a firm, sure kiss.

It wasn’t overpowering. That was the first thing that surprised me. It was a subtle give and take—gentle, at first, a warm pressure of his lips on mine. Then he took a step closer and slid a hand around my waist, the other going to my back.

He retreated, just slightly, just enough to allow me to pursue him. His mouth moved against mine, teasing, pressing it open. Now his body pressed against mine, his head angled down to reach me, for I was at least five inches shorter than him.

I opened my mouth to him then and his tongue slid in easily. Nothing tentative in this kiss. He knew exactly what he was doing. He was telling me I had the control, declaring the decision mine and then swooping in and taking no prisoners.

His hands stayed put. I was glad of that though I wanted his touch everywhere—my aching breasts, the throbbing between my legs. Goose bumps prickled up and down my arms. His tongue explored my mouth with surety, easy possession. And—to my utter humiliation—I let loose a small whimper at the back of my throat.

The arm around my waist tightened when he heard it, responding immediately, almost instinctively. He pulled his tongue back, as if inviting me to follow him with my tongue. And tentatively, I did.

I’d been kissed before—back in high school when I was normal and I actually dated. But it had been years, now, and I’d never, ever been kissed like this. My tongue entered his mouth and he made a noise at the back of his throat, not quite a growl, kind of more like a huff. It emboldened me. Empowered me. I thrust my tongue, lacing my hands around the back of his neck. Our heads moved together for long minutes and I felt like I hadn’t breathed in a lifetime.

Everything was spinning around me and I—I was spinning too, delirious with want. Like a woman drowning in the middle of stormy sea, in desperate need of a life raft. That sea was Adam Drake and he was pulling me adrift, stranding me in some strange and forgotten land.

When finally he ended it, he pulled away so slowly that I could hardly tell our lips had parted until cool air passed between us. It was then that I saw that he was as affected as I was—flushed cheeks, his breath coming fast, his eyes dark and drunk with desire.

Fashion portrait of young man in black shirt

about the author

Brenna AubreyBrenna Aubrey is an author of New Adult contemporary romance stories that center on geek culture. Her debut novel, AT ANY PRICE, releases in December, 2013.

She has always sought comfort in good books and the long, involved stories she weaves in her head. Brenna’s favorite author is Jane Austen and favorite novel is PERSUASION.

Brenna is a city girl with a nature-lover’s heart. She therefore finds herself out in green open spaces any chance she can get. A mommy to two little kids and teacher to many more older kids, she juggles schedules to find time to pursue her love of storycrafting.

She currently resides on the west coast with her husband, two children, two adorable golden retriever pups, two birds and some fish.

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Prizes (open internationally):
(3 winners)
1 $25 gift card to Amazon or BN or other book retailer of choice,
1 autographed print copy of the novel,
1 ebook copy of novel

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Release Day Blitz + Excerpt: Starfire by Mimi Strong

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Starfire by Mimi Strong

Title: Starfire (Peaches Monroe #3)
Author: Mimi Strong
Release day: December 10, 2013
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Peaches Monroe works at a bookstore in small town Washington. She’s also a plus-size lingerie model, and the former girlfriend of Dalton Deangelo. He’s the sexy, smoldering actor who plays TV’s hottest vampire.

Now Dalton is back in town, hiding out from his past and a ton of bad publicity.

He can’t keep his hands off Peaches, even though she’s dating someone else.

Peaches knows that being friendly with Dalton always ends up in complete disaster, but he does have an interesting proposal for her–a wedding proposal. He says a fake wedding will save his career, and he needs her.

As much as she’d love to run into the arms of the incredibly hot, deliciously sexy actor, she’s also afraid. He keeps hinting that he loves her, but he won’t say the words.

Even if he did profess his love, can you ever really trust an actor?

Buy Links

Starfire (Peaches Monroe #3)
Amazon US | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

Other books in the series:

Stardust (Peaches Monroe #1)
Amazon US | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble

Starlight (Peaches Monroe #2)
Amazon US | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble

Excerpt

I pulled the cord to shut the curtains, then slipped off my bra and walked over to the bathroom.

He met me at the door, a towel slung around his waist.

Kissing my neck, he said, “Don’t think I’ve forgotten about you. I want to make you come tonight. Many times.”

“It’s been a long day.” I looked over at the tub, which was the size of a multi-person jacuzzi. Dalton had turned the water on and it was filling via multiple spouts. “Let’s pace ourselves,” I said.

As the tub filled, I carefully removed my beautiful new watch and set it on the counter.

I climbed into the hot, welcoming bath, and soon we were bobbing around in sudsy, fragrant hot water. (Okay, one of us was “bobbing” a little more than the other, and I do mean my peaches.)

I’d never been in such a fancy hotel room before, and I wouldn’t have been surprised to learn Presidents had stayed in that suite. The bathroom alone was bigger than should be legally allowed, on account of spoiling people forever. After a night there, how could I ever go back to my own hovel of a bathroom? With the sink and the tub and the toilet all sharing the same room? (This fancy bathroom had a separate enclosed space for the potty, in case you’re wondering, and, yes, there was a bidet, too.)

We took our time soaking in the tub, playing footsies and making eyes at each other from opposite sides of the tub.

“Does this hot tub remind you of anything?” Dalton asked.

“Do you mean the time we almost got shot by some crazy guy with a shotgun?”

“That was a good day.” He took a breath and disappeared down into the water. His hands pulled my knees apart, and he dove at my pussy with such speed, I practically screamed, but it turned into a sigh when he just gave me a gentle, underwater lick.

He surfaced in front of me, wiped the water from his eyes, and kissed me.

It had been too long since I’d felt his lips on mine, but now that we were kissing, the time and distance disappeared.

After a moment, he pulled away.

“That was a great kiss,” he said.

“You’re welcome.”

He smiled, looking almost shy. “Earlier today, at the airstrip, you made me a promise.”

I gazed into his beautiful green eyes, made brighter by the hot water of the tub. “I did? That doesn’t sound like me, because I make threats, not promises.”

He grinned wider. “I said that if I kissed you, everything would get complicated. You agreed with me, and promised me nothing short of disaster.”

That did seem familiar. “How do you have such a good memory? Oh, duh. From memorizing scripts. Wow, I’m going to have to be careful what I say around you.”

He kissed me again, then settled onto his knees before me in the enormous tub. “I do remember things. You and Shayla rented an apartment, sight-unseen, when you went away for college. You said the landlord must have taken the photos from a ladder, outside the windows, to make the place look bigger.”

I splashed some water his way jokingly. “Showoff. Let me think about this. Your first apartment had rats and a toilet in the kitchen.”

He laughed. “A tub, but close enough.”

“And look at us now, in this fancy-schmancy hotel bathroom. It’s a good thing one of us has talent and good looks, and the other is great at playing a vampire.”

His eyes flew open in mock anger. “Someone’s going to pay for that horrible joke.”

I was running through a few comebacks in my head when I noticed his attention drifting down to my breasts, looking like pale, flesh-colored islands in a sea of bubbles. I ran one hand down the middle of my breasts seductively, then cupped both of them and pinched my nipples to firmness.

His eyes didn’t stray from the waterline. I continued to stroke my fingertips around my breasts, enjoying the look of concentration on his face.

He swept the surface bubbles aside so he could see all of my body.

“That’s new,” he said, looking down at my new tattoo, on the inner edge of my hip bone.

“Oh, that. I had a lapse of judgement in LA.”

He traced the tattoo with his finger. “You had more than one lapse of judgement in LA.”

“But it’s cute, right? My tattoo?”

Doves Cry. Of course it is. Everything’s cute on you.”

I smiled, and then relaxed in the warm water as he ran his hands along my thighs.

“Touch yourself,” he said, and I knew he meant further down than my breasts.

He waved more bubbles aside, so the water was clear. I settled down into the tub further, and I parted my legs so he could see everything. I slid my hand down my front and theatrically ran my index finger up and down over my clit. Damn, but that felt good, especially with him watching.

I could feel my cheeks flushing, but I couldn’t tell if it was from embarrassment, or arousal, or both.

His voice deep and thick, he said, “Keep going.”

I opened my mouth to say something lippy about me doing his job for him, but the expression on his face was so serious. I slid down further, curving my spine to a comfortable shape. Self-conscious of how much I was hunching, I rolled my shoulders back and adjusted my position so my arm wasn’t squashing my right breast in half, but angled underneath. That small change, however, put my hand in an awkward position.

Dalton must have sensed this, because he said, “Don’t worry about a performance. I don’t want porn. I want to see the truth. Do you trust me enough to show me your true beauty?”

“I don’t know. Can you kiss me some more?”

“Yes,” he breathed, and he moved in close again, licking and sucking my lips, then kissing me as we shared one breath, back and forth.

Mimi has some very talented musician friends that created an original song for the Peaches Monroe Series!

about the author

Mimi StrongBestselling author Mimi Strong thinks life is too short to be anything but outrageous.

She’s the author of 3 USA Today Bestsellers, STARDUST, FOR YOU, and BORROWED BILLIONAIRE, as well as STARLIGHT, HER TEDDY BEAR, BILLIONAIRE NOVELIST, KISSING COACH, and PRETTY GIRLS.

Mimi lives on the west coast with her green-eyed husband and two ginger cats. She loves her beautiful readers and sends you all big hugs in the form of awesome books full of sex, humor, and heart.

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