Thursday, May 5, 2016

ARC: Dare to Take - Carly Phillips (Dare to Love #6)



Dare to Take by Carly Phillips
Publication Date: May 3, 2016
Genre: Romance

Blurb

She was off limits,
But he couldn't resist.

There are just some guys you don't touch--even someone as innocent and inexperienced as Ella Shaw knows that. But when her brother's best friend is up for grabs and willing, she can't resist. After all, she's wanted him for years...
On leave from the army, Tyler Dare WAS just looking for a little fun, but his best friend's sister is off limits. Yet unable to deny how sexy and alluring she is, he finds it all too easy to succumb to a night of passion and heat that ends the next morning in the worst way possible.
Now years later, Ella is stranded on a tropical island with a hurricane bearing down, and only Tyler can save her. It's his chance to make amends for the past and show the woman he's never forgotten that he's coming after her . . . in more ways than one.

Available From


About Carly Phillips



After a successful fifteen year career with various New York publishing houses, and over 40 sexy contemporary romance novels published, N.Y. Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Carly Phillips is now an Indie author who writes to her own expectations and that of her readers. She continues the tradition of hot men and strong women and plans to publish many more sizzling stories. Carly lives in Purchase, NY with her family, two nearly adult daughters and two crazy dogs who star on her Facebook Fan Page and website. She's a writer, a knitter of sorts, a wife, and a mom. In addition, she's a Twitter and Internet junkie and is always around to interact with her readers. You can find out more about Carly at www.carlyphillips.com.

Find Carly Phillips Online

Teaser

The sun shone overhead, the temperature neared ninety, and the humidity was hair-curlingly high on the Caribbean island of St. Lucia, making it hard to believe a hurricane was coming soon. Ella Shaw glanced up at the blue sky, knowing it wouldn't remain pristine for long.
The calm before the storm.
She pulled her hair into a high ponytail and headed out of her hotel, determined to hit the local gift shop she'd caught sight of on her way to the photo shoot yesterday. She'd seen long, draping, blue-beaded necklaces from the storefront window, but she hadn't had time to stop. Her boss was a stickler for getting the right shot in the exact light, and they'd worked well past dark. By the time they'd wrapped for the day, the store had been closed.
As an assistant for Angie Crighton, a fashion designer based in Miami, Ella was responsible for the little details involved in a photo shoot. And though Angie, the photographer, and models had left the island this morning, Ella had stayed to make sure the shooting site was clean, the hotel pleased enough to allow them back another time. And if she were honest with herself, she liked the downtime after the craziness of a photo shoot, the rushing around of the crew, the bossiness of some of the models and, of course, of Angie herself.
Ella appreciated the fact that she had time to souvenir shop for her best friend, Avery Dare. How ironic was it that the two girls from very different worlds had met at all? But they had. And it was Avery who'd introduced Ella to the finer things in life, leading her to seek out a job with an haute-couture designer. Whereas Avery came from a wealthy family, Ella had been raised firmly middle class, but the two girls had bonded instantly. They'd even shared an apartment until recently, when her best friend had moved in with her rock star boyfriend, Grey Kingston.
Yep, two different worlds, even now, Ella thought wryly. But their friendship was solid. Which reminded her, she needed to let Avery know she might not make it back to the States tomorrow as planned.
When Ella had heard about the storm changing course, she'd tried to book an earlier flight out, without success. She shivered at the possibility of being stranded here alone during a hurricane and knew Avery would like the news even less. Her best friend suffered from severe anxiety, and Ella didn't like to make her worry.
She'd just buy Avery an extra gift to make up for it, she thought, walking into the shop. She immediately headed to the turquoise-blue beads she'd seen through the window. The shopkeeper claimed they were Larimar beads. Even if they were fake, the beads, popular in the Caribbean, were said to have healing powers. Ella purchased two dozen, a mix of bracelets and necklaces, so she could share with the children at the cancer treatment center where she and Avery volunteered.
Avery had been nine, Ella ten years old when they'd met at a Miami hospital, both donating bone marrow, both there at the behest of a parent. Neither of them really understanding what was happening. All Ella had known was that she was doing a favor for her father, helping the stepmother Ella didn't like all that much to begin with. Even at a young age, Ella had been a good judge of character, a better one than her father, obviously, because shortly after Janice had gotten well, she'd left Ella's dad. And both her father and Ella's life had gone downhill from there. Ella shook off the thoughts of her past before she could go deeper and darker, and focused on the pretty jewelry.
She spent some time choosing a thick turquoise bracelet for Avery and a similar one for herself before paying for everything and waiting for the shopkeeper to wrap things up.
Bag in hand, she started back to the hotel, cutting through side streets and looking into the windows of the stores, soaking up the culture along the cobblestone streets before heading back to Miami tomorrow. At least, she still hoped she'd be home. Knowing she couldn't change the outcome, she pushed her worrisome thoughts aside. She'd deal with the situation as it came.
Sweat dampened her neck from the humidity of the island, and she contemplated taking a cab back to the hotel. She reached into her straw bag and pulled out her cell phone to make the call, when, without warning, she felt a hard jerk on her purse.
"What the—?" She spun around, but whomever wanted her purse was quicker.
She barely caught a glimpse of a tall guy with dark hair as he yanked harder, nearly pulling her shoulder out of its socket before slamming her against the nearby building with his other hand.
Her head hit the concrete wall, and spots immediately appeared behind her eyes from the impact. As she struggled not to pass out, the man grabbed her purse, along with her cell phone that had fallen to the ground.
She opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out. Her legs collapsed beneath her, and she fell to the ground, her head smacking the sidewalk before everything went black.
Hosted by:

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Promotion: Dare to Take - Carly Phillips (Dare to Love #6)




Dare to Take by Carly Phillips

Publication Date: May 3, 2016

Blurb

She was off limits,
But he couldn't resist.

There are just some guys you don't touch--even someone as innocent and inexperienced as Ella Shaw knows that. But when her brother's best friend is up for grabs and willing, she can't resist. After all, she's wanted him for years...
On leave from the army, Tyler Dare WAS just looking for a little fun, but his best friend's sister is off limits. Yet unable to deny how sexy and alluring she is, he finds it all too easy to succumb to a night of passion and heat that ends the next morning in the worst way possible.
Now years later, Ella is stranded on a tropical island with a hurricane bearing down, and only Tyler can save her. It's his chance to make amends for the past and show the woman he's never forgotten that he's coming after her . . . in more ways than one.

Available From


About Carly Phillips



After a successful fifteen year career with various New York publishing houses, and over 40 sexy contemporary romance novels published, N.Y. Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Carly Phillips is now an Indie author who writes to her own expectations and that of her readers. She continues the tradition of hot men and strong women and plans to publish many more sizzling stories. Carly lives in Purchase, NY with her family, two nearly adult daughters and two crazy dogs who star on her Facebook Fan Page and website. She's a writer, a knitter of sorts, a wife, and a mom. In addition, she's a Twitter and Internet junkie and is always around to interact with her readers. You can find out more about Carly at www.carlyphillips.com.

Find Carly Phillips Online

Teaser

The sun shone overhead, the temperature neared ninety, and the humidity was hair-curlingly high on the Caribbean island of St. Lucia, making it hard to believe a hurricane was coming soon. Ella Shaw glanced up at the blue sky, knowing it wouldn't remain pristine for long.
The calm before the storm.
She pulled her hair into a high ponytail and headed out of her hotel, determined to hit the local gift shop she'd caught sight of on her way to the photo shoot yesterday. She'd seen long, draping, blue-beaded necklaces from the storefront window, but she hadn't had time to stop. Her boss was a stickler for getting the right shot in the exact light, and they'd worked well past dark. By the time they'd wrapped for the day, the store had been closed.
As an assistant for Angie Crighton, a fashion designer based in Miami, Ella was responsible for the little details involved in a photo shoot. And though Angie, the photographer, and models had left the island this morning, Ella had stayed to make sure the shooting site was clean, the hotel pleased enough to allow them back another time. And if she were honest with herself, she liked the downtime after the craziness of a photo shoot, the rushing around of the crew, the bossiness of some of the models and, of course, of Angie herself.
Ella appreciated the fact that she had time to souvenir shop for her best friend, Avery Dare. How ironic was it that the two girls from very different worlds had met at all? But they had. And it was Avery who'd introduced Ella to the finer things in life, leading her to seek out a job with an haute-couture designer. Whereas Avery came from a wealthy family, Ella had been raised firmly middle class, but the two girls had bonded instantly. They'd even shared an apartment until recently, when her best friend had moved in with her rock star boyfriend, Grey Kingston.
Yep, two different worlds, even now, Ella thought wryly. But their friendship was solid. Which reminded her, she needed to let Avery know she might not make it back to the States tomorrow as planned.
When Ella had heard about the storm changing course, she'd tried to book an earlier flight out, without success. She shivered at the possibility of being stranded here alone during a hurricane and knew Avery would like the news even less. Her best friend suffered from severe anxiety, and Ella didn't like to make her worry.
She'd just buy Avery an extra gift to make up for it, she thought, walking into the shop. She immediately headed to the turquoise-blue beads she'd seen through the window. The shopkeeper claimed they were Larimar beads. Even if they were fake, the beads, popular in the Caribbean, were said to have healing powers. Ella purchased two dozen, a mix of bracelets and necklaces, so she could share with the children at the cancer treatment center where she and Avery volunteered.
Avery had been nine, Ella ten years old when they'd met at a Miami hospital, both donating bone marrow, both there at the behest of a parent. Neither of them really understanding what was happening. All Ella had known was that she was doing a favor for her father, helping the stepmother Ella didn't like all that much to begin with. Even at a young age, Ella had been a good judge of character, a better one than her father, obviously, because shortly after Janice had gotten well, she'd left Ella's dad. And both her father and Ella's life had gone downhill from there. Ella shook off the thoughts of her past before she could go deeper and darker, and focused on the pretty jewelry.
She spent some time choosing a thick turquoise bracelet for Avery and a similar one for herself before paying for everything and waiting for the shopkeeper to wrap things up.
Bag in hand, she started back to the hotel, cutting through side streets and looking into the windows of the stores, soaking up the culture along the cobblestone streets before heading back to Miami tomorrow. At least, she still hoped she'd be home. Knowing she couldn't change the outcome, she pushed her worrisome thoughts aside. She'd deal with the situation as it came.
Sweat dampened her neck from the humidity of the island, and she contemplated taking a cab back to the hotel. She reached into her straw bag and pulled out her cell phone to make the call, when, without warning, she felt a hard jerk on her purse.
"What the—?" She spun around, but whomever wanted her purse was quicker.
She barely caught a glimpse of a tall guy with dark hair as he yanked harder, nearly pulling her shoulder out of its socket before slamming her against the nearby building with his other hand.
Her head hit the concrete wall, and spots immediately appeared behind her eyes from the impact. As she struggled not to pass out, the man grabbed her purse, along with her cell phone that had fallen to the ground.
She opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out. Her legs collapsed beneath her, and she fell to the ground, her head smacking the sidewalk before everything went black.
Hosted by:

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Twice Upon A Time - Hope Irving

Published Date: October 31, 2015
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Synopsis: Once upon a time, there was the wandering soul of Morgann, an 8th century Irish calligrapher-monk longing to be reunited with his soul mate. Deirdre was his forbidden love, a witch with whom he wrote a coveted book.

Under her spell, the souls of the star-crossed lovers travel from bodies to bodies until they find each other. Eventually.
That became his quest: unearth her new body and trigger her memory, for she is clueless about whom she once was. Unfortunately their story didn't get a chance to become a fairy tale yet it still turned out as a famous urban legend referred as The Black Angel Book. 


Twice upon a time, not so long ago, there was me, rational and devastated Rose. I needed to get a grip, said my French mum after my year of numbness due to a painful break-up that led me to cut my wrist daily, to feel something, anything.

So she sent me off to the free-spirited village of Provincetown, Massachusetts, to spend the summer with my American relatives. And just like that, I wasn’t myself any longer. Because someone pulled me out of the darkness and bewitched me, somehow.

I couldn’t wait to jump his bones… but why was he holding back?
He couldn’t wait to welcome me into his world… but was I ready to question my convictions and acknowledge that my self-inflicted cuts were now healing in record time?

How could I have imagined he was longing for his own unorthodox fairytale to come true? Frantically.


Twice upon a time is really anyone could have wanted. Second chances are the best especially when they are the ones that you crave for. For me, Twice Upon a Time was not the best fantasy paranormal book that I have read.

I got about a quarter way through before I had to close my book and not finish... I love paranormal romances because it just gives life some hope that there is something to it. More than just ordinary people.

The beginning was confusing and I think that is what turned me off. There were no formatting issues... I just felt like there could have been a better explanation. In some way, somehow. You know? This book isn't what I expected but there is also the fact that I was also extremely disappointed that I didn't finish this book. 

I hope that I will come back and read this again. With more open eyes. 

So with a rating of 3 out of 5 stars, I hope this will be a future book that I can get back to it. 

Blog you later, awesome book nerds. 

Thursday, March 10, 2016

Guest Post: Justice for Corrie - Susan Stoker (Badge of Honor: Texas Heroes #3)

Today is more or less a small post and I just wanted to share how amazing this response was when I asked Susan about this. 

Susan Stoker brought me Justice for Corrie and now added on more books onto my TBR list but I got the chance to talk with her and I asked if she knew how her stories developed and if she knew them right away.

Here is what I got. :)

STOKER: I get asked a lot if I know what’s going to happen in my books before I start them. The answer is “sort of.”. I have the basic idea of how the couple meets and then what the “drama” is going to be about three fourths of the way through the book, but otherwise I just let it flow as I write.
I also write way ahead of schedule…so by the time the book comes out, it’s been written and waiting for several months. This allows me to re-read it when it gets time to publish, and make it better. I can add in things that have come up with preceding books, and add in some “easter eggs” for the readers. (i.e. things to link the current book to past books, or even future ones).
It’s a process that works for me, but certainly doesn’t for all authors. I always tell people when they ask “how to write,” that they will have to come up with what works for them. You can’t do what others do, you can only do what is best for your creativity. And that is true for anything. 

Now personally I think that is not only inspirational but it is really deep and makes you want to strive and bring joy to people like she does. 

Blog you later, awesome book nerds and thank you Susan Stoker and Rock Star PR. 
 
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