Tag «excerpt»

Blitz + Review: The Scot’s Bride by Paula Quinn

I’m a little embarrassed that this is the first time I am talking about Paula Quinn on my blog. Because she is the standard for me when it comes to highlander romances. I fell in love with the MacGregor Duology and I devoured the Children of the Mist Series soon after. It’s so, so cool to follow generations of the same family and read about their unique adventures and swoon-worthy romances. I love returning to this world time and time again.

Below you will find a link to an exclusive excerpt, my review as well as a giveaway for a copy of the book courtesy of Forever. So if you’d like a chance to win, enter in the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post!

Title: The Scot’s Bride

Author: Paula Quinn
Series: The MacGregors: Highland Heirs #6
Pub. Date: October 31, 2017
Publisher: Forever
Format: Mass Market Paperback & eBook
Find it: Goodreads | Kobo | Amazon

AN IRRESISTIBLE SCOUNDREL
Highlander Patrick MacGregor likes his life just the way it is. Fighting for his coin, enjoying a woman’s charms, and bearing no responsibility at all. Aye, that’s the life for him. That is, until Patrick sees her-a raven-haired beauty with eyes as dark as midnight. Patrick swore never to fall in love. Not even with a lass as wild as he…especially when she’s from a rival clan.

AN UNDENIABLE DESIRE
Charlotte Cunningham knows Patrick is trouble the moment she sets eyes on him. Her only goal is to escape the possibility of marriage. Any marriage. But as the summer days turn into sultry nights, enticing her beyond reason, Charlie is forced to choose between the freedom she craves and the reckless rogue she can’t forget.

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Read an Exclusive Excerpt Here!

Patrick’s parents are the leads from one of my favourite highlander romances EVER, Seduced by the Highlander. So I couldn’t wait to read about Patrick and the lady who would knock him off his feet!

My favourite aspect of this book is the slow burn romance. All too often in historical romances, the leads jump into their passionate affair and the rest gets left behind. So not the case here! Their attraction is palpable from the start but watching that connection grow into something more was fabulous. These two are a great pair who complement each other wonderfully and seeing them discover that was such a treat.

My only wish is that the ending didn’t feel as rushed. The vast majority of this book is Charlie and Patrick fighting their budding feelings and Patrick keeping his true identity a secret. But there are so many other things at play (like the clan rivalry and past events) and I feel like they don’t reach their peak until the last 20%. I think some of that could have been brought out earlier and played out a little more to enhance this story.

Nevertheless, highlander fans will love this one! This book reminded me why I love highlander romances and why I should be picking them up more often!

My Rating: 4/5

Paula Quinn

New York Times bestselling author Paula Quinn lives in New York with her three beautiful children, three over-protective chihuahuas, and a loud umbrella cockatoo. She loves to read romance and science fiction and has been writing since she was eleven. She loves all things medieval, but it is her love for Scotland that pulls at her heartstrings.

Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

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Trust, me this is another good one!

What about you? Do you enjoy Highlander romances?

Release Blitz: Hot Cop by Laurelin Paige & Sierra Simone

Laurelin Paige is one of my auto-buy authors–I devour her books every chance I get. And I absolutely adored her novel with Sierra Simone last year, Porn Star. It was one of the smartest, sexiest contemporary reads I’ve ever read and I couldn’t wait to see what these two would do next!

Learn more about this release, these fabulous authors and read an excerpt below:

Title: Hot Cop

Author: Laurelin Paige & Sierra Simone
June 13, 2017
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Find it: Goodreads | Amazon

You have the right to remain sexy.

Anything you say can and will be used to get you in my bed.

You have the right to use my body to give yourself a delirious, life-changing orgasm.

If you have trouble…don’t worry, I’m a bit of an expert in that department.

There’s nothing ‘thin’ about my blue line, if you catch my drift, and trust me, I know how to put those handcuffs to good use.

***

Livia Ward wants a baby before she’s thirty. And even though Officer Chase Kelly is exactly the kind of cocky jerk this librarian has sworn off, he is undeniably hot. Both of them think they can give each other what they want–a few nights of fun for Officer Kelly, a no-strings baby for Livia–but this hot cop is about to learn that sex, babies, and love don’t always play by the rules.

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I’m at the steakhouse fifteen minutes early, which is on time in Chase Kelly’s book. I’ve never been late for work or a date a single time in my life; in fact, I’ve always been early, which is a point of pride for me. And Livia walks in at seven on the dot, something that endears me to her immensely, although the moment I register that I, Officer Kelly, am charmed, my mind goes blank.

Just blank.

There is nothing but her.

She walks in on heels that make her legs a mile long, her long hair down in a tumult of soft waves. The maître d’ helps her take off her checkered wool coat, and then I.

Am.

Speechless.

My heart hammers up in my throat as the blood pools deep in my groin. She’s wearing a bright red dress—so fucking short that I’d be able to finger her easily if we were in a booth, which we tragically aren’t. The red sets off the warm undertones of her bronze skin, highlights the deep brown of her eyes. The lines of it hug the delectable curves of her tits, which are just small enough that she can get away without wearing a bra.

My cock thickens as she begins walking toward me, and I can verify that she is definitely not wearing a bra. Oh God, what if she’s not wearing panties either?

I bite back a groan and push back my chair to greet her as she comes to our table, tugging the hem of my sweater down in one smooth move as I unfold myself to help disguise the effect her presence has on me.

As I step forward to greet her, I notice the color high in her cheeks and the way her teeth dig into the soft coral of her bottom lip.

She looks nervous.

That gives me pause. I don’t mind a woman meeting me cold or shy or overly eager, I don’t even mind a case of the first date jitters—since first dates are pretty much all I go on, I see a lot of those.

But nervous—truly nervous—that bothers me a little. Do I make her feel unsafe? Is it my size? My job?

In a split second, I change gears. I can be patient when it comes to the Kelly Trio, and I find that the idea of wooing my nervous little librarian on date after date doesn’t sound tiresome at all…it sounds delightful, actually. A challenge. A test to see if I’m worthy enough to remove all traces of trepidation from her face and fill her expression with eagerness and surrender instead.

And get more time with this fierce, sweet bookworm all to myself.

I lean in to kiss her cheek, careful to angle our bodies so that I don’t press against her with six feet, two hundred pounds of hungry cop. Instead, I anchor her with a firm hand at her elbow, pleased to feel the goose bumps that spread underneath my touch. And then I brush my lips against her cheek, making sure she can feel them, making sure she gets just the tiniest brush of my scruff as I accidentally-on-purpose slide my jaw against hers as I pull away.

She shivers.

I look down into her eyes as I straighten up, and I’m suddenly aware that I’m supporting a lot of weight in my hand, as if her knees are weak from my kiss.

Well done, Officer Good Times!

Her eyes are wide, the pupils so blown and her irises so dark that her eyes are just huge liquid wells of want, and I feel a familiar tug in my groin knowing that I put that look there.

“I forget how big you are,” she murmurs, her head tilted up to look into my face.

I give her my biggest grin and open my mouth, but she cuts me off before I can say it, shaking her head. “I know, I know. I walked right into that one.”

But the ghost of a smile flits across her lips as I help her into her seat and push in her chair.

When I sit across from her and we start looking at our menus, I notice the smile has vanished and the nervous look is back, along with a determined set to her shoulders. The combination of uneasiness and backbone intrigues and worries me at the same time.

“I don’t know what Megan told you,” I say, “but I don’t bite.”

She looks up from the menu, her teeth back to digging into the plump flesh of her bottom lip.

“Well,” I amend, staring at her mouth, “sometimes I do bite. But only when I really, really want to.”

Laurelin Paige

USA Today and New York Times Bestselling Author Laurelin Paige is a sucker for a good romance and gets giddy anytime there’s kissing, much to the embarrassment of her three daughters. Her husband doesn’t seem to complain, however. When she isn’t reading or writing sexy stories, she’s probably singing, watching Game of Thrones or The Walking Dead, or dreaming of Michael Fassbender. She’s also a proud member of Mensa International though she doesn’t do anything with the organization except use it as material for her bio. She is represented by Rebecca Friedman.

Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon

Sierra Simone

Sierra Simone is a former librarian who spent too much time reading romance novels at the information desk. She lives with her husband and family in Kansas City.

Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter

I am so excited to start this!

Blog Tour Excerpt: To Betray My King by Kayla Lavan

Synopsis for To Betray My King (from Goodreads):

Would you choose to save your kingdom or follow your heart?

Brave and kindhearted, Arianna is a princess of a kingdom that nobody wants. The magicless. Marrying the charming, flirtatious, and egotistical Prince Roland was the last thing either of them wanted, but for the sake of their people they agreed. War breaks out with the neighboring kingdom, forcing the prince’s hand to join in the fight. He leaves his new wife with the only man he trusts, his childhood friend, a dutiful, strong, and handsome knight.

A sweet romantic tale of forbidden love in a dark fanatical world.

Other books in the series:

Series: The Betrayal Legacy
Author: Kayla Lavan
# of Books: 3 (To Betray My King, To Betray My Kingdom, To Betray Myself)
Book Order: Chronological
Complete?: No, there are sequels planned
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Heat Rating: warm **suggestive content**
Point of View: Third Person, Multiple
Publication Date: May 1, 2017 – ongoing

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The next morning Conrad went to Roland’s room, only to find the prince sitting outside of the door, sleeping. Conrad smirked. With swift kick against his shoulder, the prince fell onto the floor with a thud. Roland groaned, rubbing his face as he sat up.

“I see the princess has been keeping true to her vow to punish you whenever you do something stupid.”

“Quite the jester you are this morning.” He gave a slow mocking laugh and got to his feet. “Her being so jealous was rather adorable, but last night she wasn’t cute at all.” He rubbed his sore back. “She kicked me out of my own bed and threw me in the hall!”

“Good.” Conrad’s smirk grew, enjoying his pain. “Maybe it will teach you a lesson, and remind you that you are a married man.”

“I might be married, but it doesn’t mean I have to ignore every woman for the rest of my life.”

“That’s exactly what that means.”

“That’s absurd–” The door opened, smacking the prince in the face. Roland groaned, bringing his hand up to his nose.

The princess smiled. “Hello Conrad.”

He greeted back with a nod. “Princess.”

She noticed Roland. With an angry huff, she stuck her nose in the air and went down the hall. Conrad patted Roland on the back. “You are married now, get used to unfair things.”

Kayla Lavan

I’ve been writing half of my life, starting at the ripe old age of 13. Back then my favorite pass time was doodling in class, sleeping in class, and studying tests or homework that was due the next class period. But by night I lead a secret life. I would go home, turn on my computer, and get on my dial-up Internet (which makes me sound really old) and I would write. At first it was for fun. I was brave back then and posted everything online. In the 14 years I have been writing, I have posted over 1.5 million words, all of which is still available to read for free. My most well known story being “Fun ‘N’ Games at Ouran”. A year or so ago I posted a one-shot that was 50k-60k in words. Afterwards, I looked at it laughing, and said to myself “I think I would like to get paid for this now” and then ‘To Betray My King’ was born. It seems so simple as I’m sitting here, typing this for you to read, but it’s the truth. ‘Betray’ is my first book, but it won’t be my last. I love writing. I would never give it up for anything in the world.

Author Links: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

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Book Tour Organised by:

Blog Tour Excerpt: Autonomy by Jude Houghton

Synopsis for Autonomy (from Goodreads):
Balmoral Murraine works in a Battery, assembling devices she doesn’t understand for starvation pay. Pasco Eborgersen is the pampered son of an Elite, trying to navigate the temptations of the Pleasure Houses, the self-sacrifice of the Faith, and the high-octane excitement of Steel Ball. They are two strangers, who never should have met, and now they will rip apart the world.

What happens when ninety percent of the world lives on skaatch – a jellyfish and insect composite?

What happens when mankind spends more time in alternative life sims instead of in the “real” world?

What happens when economic interest is the sole determinant of global decision making?

What happens when a single secret is discovered that calls into question everything we have ever believed?

Welcome to the Autonomy. Welcome to your future.

Author: Jude Houghton
Genre: New Adult, Dystopian, Science Fiction
Point of View: Third Person
Publication Date: July 26, 2016

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Sector 2, Churin

Li Bao felt a pop between her legs followed by wetness. It was her fourth child, about to nose its way into the world. Silently cursing, she glanced across the Battery floor. A thousand pairs of hands worked in unison, but no Supervisor patrolled the lines.

Thank the Faith.

She had to get to the end of the shift. There was a bonus if they hit quota, and with the baby coming, she needed the credits. She gritted her teeth. The baby would have to wait.

The contractions came in short, agonizing bursts. Every time one peaked she had to stop, breathe and wait for the pain to pass. Twice a red warning light flashed in the corner of her viewer, telling her to speed up. The line could only move as fast as its slowest worker.

For almost ten years, Li had sat in the same seat assembling microchips. The components were something to do with iNet, but she had no idea what. Not that it mattered. Her function was to lay thirty-seven parts into the correct chip beds, each colour coded and thinner than a human hair.

The tricky part was manipulating each piece into exactly the right spot. Her iNet glasses magnified the components while her hands, enveloped in a rubbery gel, controlled robotic pincers. She didn’t know what the gel contained and she hardly ever thought about it. She thought about it now as another contraction ripped through her body.

What if the chemicals penetrated her skin and travelled down the umbilical cord to infect her baby? Her other children were fine, but Li had not been on the line as long when they were born. The air was worse now too, not inside the Battery, where it was filtered, but outside where it was not safe to walk without a respirator, every breath filled with poison.

She shook away the thought.

Do not dwell on what you cannot change.

The teaching of the Faith gave her solace. To endure hardship was part of life; a small sacrifice when compared to the eternal bliss that followed. As she laid in another component, her mind wandered to a more practical problem.

Would she be able to hold her baby?

Li had held her other children, even if she couldn’t nurse them, but recently her hands had become little better than claws, conditioned by daily shifts of at least twelve hours. She had the tell-tale folding-over of the wrist, the pincering of the fingers, the chapped red skin eroded by chemicals; what the workers called crab hands.

In the Stacks you could tell where someone worked by their particular deformity; the missing limbs of the machinists, the racking coughs and weeping eyes of the sterilization groups, the permanent hunch of the technicians and the crab hands of the assembly lines.

Her grip was poor and sometimes she dropped even the lightest loads. Perhaps it didn’t matter. Their amah would look after the child while Li worked in the Battery.

She was not angry about her hands; neither did she blame her employers. The same repetition that curled her wrists made her efficient, and that meant she was allocated to a highly productive line, one that often qualified for quota bonuses. Li could lay a batch of components in less than fifteen minutes. Only enhanced workers earned more, those who had productive surgery such as a drill gun instead of a hand, a microscope instead of an eye.

Another contraction racked her frame and Li felt the baby’s head push against her cervix. Sweat poured down her face as she struggled to keep her fingers steady. Singing under her breath, she rode the wave of pain, “A Grey, B Green, C Black bean . . .”

Jude Houghton

Jude developed a love of fantasy from a relatively early age after realising an innate talent for making stuff up could result in something other than detention. Working across the globe in fields as diverse as journalism, data entry, sales, management consultancy and babysitting, Jude has partially succeeded in putting an English and History degree from Oxford University to good use. A somnambulist, insomniac, lover of letters, Jude writes late into the night, most nights, tumbling down the rabbit hole to dream of other lives. Jude currently lives in Pennsylvania with an over-enthusiastic family and absurdly entitled dog.

Author Links: Goodreads