Saturday, October 29, 2016

The Devil Of Nanking ~ Mo Hayder

The Devil of NankingThe Devil of Nanking by Mo Hayder
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

6+ rocket ship to the top of my all time favorite book list, stars.

If ever there were a book that i could describe as life-changing...it would be this one.

Is it for everyone? Absolutely not.
There are sections of this book that are brutal. That are intensely hard to read. And there are themes throughout the book that might be triggers for some people.

But, for me this was easily one of the most beautifully written books i have ever come across in my life. I literally ran out of my trusty small post its due to all the sections I marked.

I am still trying to process my thoughts after finishing this several hours ago, but i do hope at some point to be able to come back and write a proper review to try and express just how much this book effected me.

These characters and this story will stay with me for the rest of my life. And i feel fortunate to have decided to take a chance on a book so far outside my comfort zone.

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Head Full Of Ghosts ~ Paul Tremblay

A Head Full of GhostsA Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I'm kind of at a loss as to how to start this review/rant.
For the first half of this book, i was completely blown away by how much i was enjoying it. It takes a lot...A LOT...to freak me out/make me uncomfortable while reading a book, and this book...in the beginning at least, did both those things big time.
Around the 50% mark though, i started to get a weird feeling. A feeling that told me that this book was possibly going to start to go down a path I was not happy with. One that would have left me feeling both annoyed and have me rolling my eyes at the sheer predictability of it all. Well, what i ended up feeling by the end of this book was out and out anger. Angry at the fact that the book showed so, so much promise, only to have it turn into this massive, silly train wreck that made me feel like pounding my kindle into a wall when i turned the last page.

*deep breath*

Okay, i might sound a bit melodramatic here, but honestly....there is nothing i love more than a good, scary read. And because i am a huge horror movie fan, and have basically grown up watching any horror movie i come across, i tend to be more cynical when it comes to horror/suspense fiction. I can count on one hand the times i have considered myself to be unsettled by a book...and have yet ever really find myself being scared by one. But, the beginning chapters of Head Full Of Ghosts knocked me on my butt with how well the author set a genuinely creepy tone. There are scenes early on (especially between the 2 sisters) that were so well done, that i nearly had to stop reading because i felt like it was a bit too unnerving to take in all at once.

As i mentioned above, around the half way mark i started to get the idea that the story was going to take a turn i would have been very disappointed in. But, I was still enjoying the overall story so much that i tried to put it out of my head, and just kept going. It's worth mentioning that all of my issues with the book actually started around the time that the family started to film their reality tv show. I thought that might be an interesting aspect to the story, but it just came off as gimmicky....which might or might not have been intentional.

With the exception of one scene, the entire last 25% of the book turned into a completely ridiculous hot mess. It is almost mind boggling to me how much of a complete turn around this book took in my opinion. It's hard to get into the specifics of what happened that drove me crazy without giving away huge plot elements, so....

::MASSIVE SPOILER WARNING::







First off all....I got the impression that it was going to turn out that Marjorie faked being possessed. Which was the first thing that i wasn't happy about, because the book was so much more effective when it seemed like all the supernatural elements were true. Once the idea of her pretending started to creep into the story, it lost a lot of it's punch.
Also, it was VERY obvious that Merry had a lot of emotional and psychological problems. And it wasn't surprising in the least that she ended up being this mysterious blogger who posted her cynical observations on the authenticity of the reality show and the supposed exorcism. Unfortunately, that entire sub-plot of why Merry acts the way she does...why she seems almost childlike in her manner of speaking and the way that she interacts with the woman hired to help write her book....just ends up being one of the many loose ends that the book throws at us.
The actual ending of the book...the last 20-30 pages...is where i have my biggest problems. I'm okay with an author deciding to leave a book open ended, or up to interpretation, but this was just a case of a sloppy, poorly constructed conclusion. In fact it didn't even feel like any kind of conclusion...open ended or not. It felt like the author got to the end of a sentence and said, "You know what? I think that's a good enough place as any to end this." Are we to assume that Merry made up a lot of her story...the parts that didn't air on the reality show at least? That she in fact was the one who poisoned her family and it was just more convenient to let her poor, mentally unstable sister (or father) take the blame for it? Based on the reaction of the writer after she listened to Merry tell her "true" account of the story, i am also wondering if the writer herself wasn't a figment of Merry's imagination as well.

I am truly sick of the "unreliable narrator" trope being used these days. Very rarely, if ever have i come across a story that actually works well when this device is used and i for one hope to never find myself reading something along those lines again.

I hardly ever write reviews that are this negative, and i realize i have an unpopular opinion based on all the glowing reviews this book has received. I wish things had turned out differently. I wish this book had stayed on the course i thought it would...or would have at least found a way to resolve SOMETHING by the end of the book. I feel both cheated and angry that a book that showed such promise ended up being so cliched and so melodramatic .

Thursday, June 16, 2016

The Fiery Cross ~ Diana Gabaldon

The Fiery Cross (Outlander, #5)The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3 1/2-4 stars.

As with the previous Outlander books, there were aspects that I loved, and some that I didn't really care for.

Pros:
I loved that the focus was on Roger a lot of the time. He is such a wonderful character and it was nice to see him shine a bit.
I loved the quiet moments between Jamie and Clare. I never get tired of their love story, and the love scenes, while fewer in number in the last couple of books, are always just the right mix of sweet and steamy.
The return of a beloved character...did my heart good. <3 br="">
Cons:
I have stated this before and will probably say it again after reading the rest of the books in the series....but DG seems to take an absurd amount of pleasure in torturing her characters. And in this book, the main object of her wrath was Roger. How many horrible things can happen to one character over the course of ONE book?
Some sections...especially towards the end...seemed dragged out to the point where i nearly started skimming. The cat and mouse game involving Bonnet is taking far too long to conclude. Although i really enjoyed the bit of revenge that Bree managed to get on him this time around.
Other readers have mentioned this in other reviews, but i can't help but throw my hat in the ring as well....the constant descriptions of Bree needing to breastfeed Jemmy. Of her leaking breastmilk....of changing Jemmy's diapers. It was all too descriptive and repetitive. Just...too much. DG seemed intent on making sure the readers understood how much a wee brat baby Jemmy could be. Message. Received.

This obviously wasn't my favorite book in the series. But, even with the issues that i have with certain aspects of the story...the Outlander universe is still one of my all time favorites. 



Tapping Her Teaser #2!!!!



Thursday, June 9, 2016

Untouched ~ Alexa Riley Release Day Blitz!!!!

 



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Amazon US   Amazon UK   Amazon CA  Amazon AU
















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When Alexander buys the land for his new airstrip, he never imagines the home on it is still occupied. But after he lays eyes on Liliana, he decides she’s his property now.

Eighteen-year-old Liliana has been tucked away her whole life. After her grandmother dies, she’s left alone with only her romance books to keep her company. She’s been surrounded by females her whole life, but when Alexander walks in the door, she knows he’s there to save her.

He’s claiming her, no matter how untouched she is.

Will Liliana fight or let Alexander have his way? Will Alexander keep her locked away or set her free? Will there be enough steam in this book to start your own sauna? Only one way to find out!


Warning: Are we still doing these? This is Alexa Riley. You should know the drill by now. This is going to be over-the-top dirty with all the sticky bits you like. Get in here already!













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Chapter 1 *Alexander*

“I just want it torn down,” I tell Matt, the agent I bought the estate from, as I exit the car. I toss my suit jacket into the back seat, then roll up my sleeves. The house¾if you can even call it that¾looks like a fucking castle. It sits twenty miles outside of Chicago, and it’s the perfect spot for my planned private landing strip for the Boeing 747 I bought last month. I like privacy and this will give me that. The fewer people I have to deal with, the happier I am. I like to go to work and back home, but sometimes travel is unavoidable.

There’s enough space here to build the landing strip and keep the house, but there’s no need for it. I’d just have to hire people for its upkeep and I’d never use it. Might as well rip the thing down. Not like I have a need for a place like this. It’s breathtaking with an old-school feel, but my condo in the city is all I need. I live alone and I’ve never met a woman who tempted me to change that.

I’m doomed to be alone and I’ve settled into that. Work is my life. The thoughts of ever having a family of my own are long forgotten, though my mother still thinks there’s hope. I can’t even count how many times she’s told me the story of when my father found her working in some small coffee shop and practically picked her up and carried her out and he’d never let her go. Which is true. He has her tucked away on a nice little island right now, enjoying retirement.

“I thought maybe you should look inside first. You bought the whole estate as is, and I’m guessing there are still a lot of personal items inside. Maybe even art.”

I glance around the property. I hadn’t even looked at a single picture before I bought it. Just found out the land size and purchased it unseen. But looking around now, I can tell the place has a history to it. A stone wall surrounds the home, which is located in the center of the property. It looks like a fortress. It’s beautiful, but more than one man would ever need.

I run my eyes along the front, counting the windows and sizing up just how big it might be on the inside. Then I catch something out of the corner of my eye. Movement.

“It’s empty?” I ask, looking back over at Matt.

“Yes. There had been some staff still servicing the property, but they were informed that yesterday was their last day,” Matt says.

“I saw it, sir,” Black, my head of security, says, coming to stand next to me.

“Let’s go find our trespasser then.”

We head for the front door, my interest now piqued. Might as well take a look around if I’m going inside. I’ve already come all this way, and I cleared my morning schedule for this little trip.

“Sir, maybe I should¾

I cut Black off by just holding up my hand as I continue walking towards the front door. He might be my head of security, but I still do what I want, even when he advises otherwise.

“Keys,” I snap, turning a little for Matt to throw them to me. I catch them and slide the key into the lock and the door pops open with a loud creak.

Then all the air leaves my lungs at the sight before me.

Standing at the top of the stairs is a young woman. The sunlight streaming in through the open door hits, and it creates a halo of light around her. Her hair is dark as chocolate and such a contrast to her creamy white skin. And even from this distance, I can see she has the brightest blue eyes I’ve ever seen. Her full, lush lips part just a little as she stares at me. My eyes travel down her body to the white nightgown that looks transparent in the light, showing off all her curves.

I feel myself harden at just the sight.

“Shit,” I hear Black say from behind me in awe.

It makes blood rush to my ears and jealousy course through my body like I’ve never felt before. It wraps around my heart, making me clench my fists.

Mine.

The word pounds though my head. I’ve bought the estate and everything in it. As of yesterday it’s all mine. That makes her mine, too. I can’t stop the irrational barbaric thought from forming.

“Out!” I shout to the room, making Matt jump and Black pull his eyes from the girl and take a step back. “Out.” I growl it this time, and both turn and step out of the door. I slam it shut and click the lock back in place.

I can’t bring myself to turn around. She looked like a fucking angel. Maybe she isn’t real. She looked too perfect to be real. The thought makes the air leave my lungs again. Slowly, I turn, and this time she’s closer than before, having come down the stairs. Her head is cocked to the side like she’s studying me.

I find myself taking the ten steps to get closer to her, stopping at the bottom of the stairs. It brings us eye level with each other. She just stares at me. Her eyes seem so big and bright now, her long black lashes giving her a doe-eyed look.

Her hand comes up, reaching out and touching my face. She runs it along the stubble on my jaw, and her mouth parts a little as her tongue comes out, wetting her bottom lip. It takes everything in me not to groan at the simple action. I want to taste her plump bottom lip for myself, then push my tongue into her mouth.

“You came,” she says, her voice filled with wonder. The sound is soft and sweet.

“I came?” I ask, not understanding what she means. She just nods her head, her dark curls bouncing with the movement. I can’t stop myself from reaching out and grabbing one. She doesn’t flinch like a lot of people do around me. I’m a big guy and my size can be intimidating. The scar running from the top of my left eyebrow down to my jaw doesn’t help, but she doesn’t seem scared at all. No, she’s looking at me like I’m looking at her. I’m no angel, far from it. But I like her eyes on me.

“Like in my books. You look just like I thought,” she says. Then she throws herself at me. She wraps her arms around my neck, taking me by surprise.









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Alexa Riley is two sassy friends who got together and wrote some dirty books. They are both married moms of two who love football, donuts, and obsessed book heroes.

They specialize in insta-love, over-the-top, sweet, and cheesy love stories that don’t take all year to read. If you want something SAFE, short, and always with a happily ever after, then Alexa Riley is for you!

Author Links

Twitter  Facebook Website  Goodreads  Amazon Page  Instagram







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Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Cherish ~ Dani Wyatt Excerpt Reveal!!!!

 

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Coming June 18th

Add to your Goodreads shelf now.


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Retiring from the military was the right decision for Beckett Fitzgerald. He’s landed the girl of his dreams, the ring is on her finger and the only other mission he’s interested in is putting a baby in Promise’s belly by the time they get back from the honeymoon. Simple, right?

Swept off her feet by Beckett, with his scarred face and Monet blue eyes, Promise is finally learning that true love isn’t just for fairy tales. With her brother finally free from the horrors of foster care and her own personal hero hell-bent on teaching her all the magical ways her body belongs to him, her once-in-a-lifetime feels so real.

But, before their honeymoon suitcases are packed, a knock on the door and a best friend’s betrayal threaten to tear them apart. Beckett will cross oceans and leave a path of destruction behind to protect what is his, but when promises are broken, and the truth is revealed, will their all-consuming love be enough to carry them through?

Author’s Note: You receive both books! Cherish is the conclusion to the best-selling, Promise which is also included here as free bonus content so you can read Beckett & Promise’s story from beginning to end. This book will give you a sweet happily ever after, an insatiable head-over-heels in love alpha hero, panty melting yumminess and no cheating.














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God, Beck, please, that’s enough, I can’t cum anymore—” My voice breaks and cracks when I try to say his name one last time.
As soon as the words leave my lips, I know it’s a mistake. Beckett halts his movements for a moment and I can almost hear the cogs whirring inside his head. His eyes raise to look at me, and I realize I’ve just challenged him.
“We’ll see about that, babe.” He smiles before he attacks me again.
One finger, then two push deep inside me, slipping easily in and out with the slick juice he’s created between my legs. I can feel it running down the insides of my thighs, pooling on the white duvet below my butt.
The tension between us tangles until it’s like we’ve melded together. My pleasure is his pleasure. He moans into my folds, sounding lost in the moment, just like me.
I look down just as he looks up. This is the moment that always slays me. Seeing the desire in his face. His desire to watch me; to know he’s giving me pleasure is enough to push me over the edge again.
The tension gathers low. I keep my eyes on his as he locks them onto mine. His tongue spins around my clit. Then down. Then back. Fingers moving faster and faster, ramming in my cunt until the tingling tightness starts. The last thing I see before my eyes close is the hint of his smile. A flash of that chipped front tooth and then I’m lost again in a climax that jerks my thighs together, slapping and trapping his face between my legs.
I make sounds I’ve never made before. Like an animal in the midst of some perfect torment, a sensual pain that elevates me to something above this plane of existence.
I lose complete control over my muscles. My body jerks and my hips gyrate on his face. My fingers pull at his hair and my brain completely shuts off.
Just the way he planned.
I feel the vibration of his words as he growls into my body. I cum on his face.
“My pussy. My cum. My good girl.”
He talks into me like this often. At first it felt strange.
He’s talking into my pussy.
But Beckett is so unflinchingly confident. So unaffected. So completely alive in every moment. I find it beautiful now, and it makes me feel incredibly cherished.
Besides, it just feels good. Those low baritone vibrations spoken into my soaking girl parts are not without their own sort of tingle.
My eyes begin to focus as he crawls up on top of me. I turn to melted butter at the mere sight of his magnificence. My hands were born to be on his body. I love the contrast of his smooth, soft skin over a hardness that radiates pure physical power. The way the burned skin feels slick, different from the rest.
He is a man in ways I didn’t understand until I met him. Power does not come from bravado nor arrogance nor boisterous frat boy stupidity.
Beckett is power. A true, masculine power that is as loud as it is silent. His calm, unflappable countenance draws me to him like light into dark. I want to tuck myself under his wings, to crawl inside him and feel the peace that he brings me.
His body bridges over me. My hands draw up from his shoulders. I feel the movement of each tendon under sweat slick skin as the head of his enormous cock presses upward between my legs.
“Open,” he demands. “Spread your legs, babe. Open those knees and show me what’s mine. Only mine.”
I do as I’m told, the tingling tightening into a knot in my core as he rears back, licks his lips and shakes his head, looking at my open snatch.
“That’s my horny cunt, isn’t it?” He licks his lips and waits for my nod. “That’s right.”  He sinks two fingers into my dripping opening in one solid movement and brings them, soaking wet, to his lips. “You’ll never get wet for anyone but me. Only me.”
I lay open for him, and after a long silence he shifts down lower. I raise my own body, wanting him inside me even after he’s made me cum at least four times with his mouth. Wanting him fully. Completely.
His brow knits together as he brings his face down to mine. I feel the warmth of his breath on my lips before he takes my mouth. Tasting my own arousal on him makes my belly flutter. I let out a whimper into our kiss.
He pulls back, his face intense, those eyes that could melt candles lock onto mine and my hands cradle his cheeks while his cock dances at my opening.
I want him inside me, more than I want my next breath. But somehow he holds steady, watching me.
“What? Please.  I want you, now.” I whine and wiggle my hips up toward him but he counters backward and I whimper in frustration.
I smell the hint of his clean aftershave as he brings his lips down to my ear.
“Do you have any idea how much I love you?”
He pushes forward. The first brush of his cock sends electricity pulsating over my skin. I draw in a sharp breath and he glides inside, spreading me, pushing his cock slowly where I want all of him right now.
“How much?” I mutter as he draws back, making me gasp. How can a body crave something so deeply? I don't just want his cock inside of me. I feel like I may die if I don't get it.
He’s playing with me. “I love you past the stars. Out there in the universe where there is no time, no measure of things in this world. I love you in a way that no one else on this earth can.  Not in this life and not after.”













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Dani Wyatt loves her alpha men; make them military, cowboys, MMA -- any uber alpha with a wicked possessive streak and an insatiable libido. Receive a free exclusive unpublished title when you join Dani's private readers group for updates, free chapters and discounts.

She's a 40 something regular lady who just happens to love badass alpha males who pull your hair and love their women with a lethal passion.

When she's not writing (which is not often) she is probably laughing about some irony (like A-1 Steak Sauce is vegan), riding her horse, wondering why The Walking Dead can't have a new episode every night, or looking cross-eyed at some piece of technology sent to ruin her day.
Author Links




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Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Luka ~ Jane Harvey- Berrick






#Preorder #RhythmSeries #ComingSoon #OneClick
#Standalone #MustRead #JaneHarvey-Berrick

Luka

Sunday, June 5, 2016

White ~Aria Cole Tour Blitz !!!



Eve White is about to be sold to the highest bidder.
Desperate to escape a life she didn’t choose, she’s sent away from her foster home one fateful night to be sold as another man’s property. Determined to survive by any means necessary, she makes it her goal to cash-in on her circumstances and run, because Eve’s only focus is her boys. The foster brothers she grew up protecting are her only concern—sheltering them and herself, the best that she can. But a half a million dollars for two years of her time paid by a sweet, silent, dashing man is one wild card Eve didn’t see coming.

Asher Strong has spent his life with one solitary focus: her.

Haunted by a single night from his past, Asher has made it his life’s work to right the wrongs, but from the moment he lays eyes on the raven-haired beauty, everything changes. He becomes obsessed with protecting her, showering her in the love she never had as a child, and welcoming her into his home and his life forever. It isn’t long before the sexual tension between them ignites into a blaze that they are powerless to contain, until one more fateful night threatens to shatter it all.






“I can’t wait to be buried inside you,” I whispered in her ear.

“I'm ready, but I’m scared,” she said softly with her eyes averted to the trees shrouding us.

“Hey, beautiful, look at me,” I whispered in the darkness. Her eyes opened slowly and she pushed one hand through my hair. Just her touch calmed every last ragged nerve I had. “Sweetheart, this is my first time, too. I waited a long time for you, for this. I couldn’t imagine being with anyone else but you. This is the beginning for us, baby. This is my forever,” I breathed and soothed her anxiety with a slow kiss on the lips. She cupped my stubbled jawline and reassured me with every stroke that she felt this, too. This thing between us was alive and real and pulsed just as steadily as the beat of our hearts. She was ready.



I returned her kiss slowly as I eased my cock into her, inch by slow inch. I wanted to make this feel as good for her as it already did for me. Nerve endings sizzled, and all the sense I had left my brain as I tried to control myself in those first few moments. Time stopped, and the cool breeze whistled through the trees as we kissed and I eased myself inside her body, reveling in the feel of her skin on mine. I pushed myself to the limit. With her, I pushed myself home.




White by Aria Cole is NOW LIVE!