Hey all,
A friend of mine has started a website talking about her up and coming book and has included a lot of information on how to become published. She has just started so sign up to follow her page and learn what is best for you. She will be gathering as much information on Self-Publishing/Indie writing, and Traditional publishing as she can to give everyone the best option for their style of writing. I just did a short interveiw with her and would love for you to check it out!
Get lost in a book today!
Interview on Brain to Books
Book Reviews, Blog tours, Giveaways, learn about my books, and life events...
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Keep Me Safe by Maya Banks
Spotlight Blog Tour:
Keep Me Safe
Keep Me Safe
Slow
Burn # 1
By: Maya
Banks
Releasing October 7th,
2014
Avon
Blurb
A sizzling story of a woman
who risks her life and her heart to find a wealthy man’s missing sister—the
first novel in a sexy new romantic suspense series from #1 New York Times
bestselling author Maya Banks
When
Caleb Devereaux's younger sister is kidnapped, this scion of a powerful and
wealthy family turns to an unlikely source for help: a beautiful and sensitive
woman with a gift for finding answers others cannot.
While
Ramie can connect to victims and locate them by feeling their pain, her ability
comes with a price. Every time she uses it, it costs her a piece of herself.
Helping the infuriatingly attractive and impatient Caleb successfully find his
sister nearly destroys her. Even though his sexual intensity draws her like a
magnet, she needs to get as far away from him as she can.
Deeply
remorseful for the pain he’s caused, Caleb is determined to make things right.
But just when he thinks Ramie's vanished forever, she reappears. She’s in
trouble and she needs his help. Now, Caleb will do risk everything to protect
her—including his heart. . . .
Link
to Follow Tour: http://www.tastybooktours.com/2014/08/keep-me-safe-slow-burn-1-by-maya-banks.html
Review:
HOLY CRAP! That was so good, amazing, fantastic, hmm none of those words quite
work. I just finished the start to the new Slow Burn series from Maya Banks and
was blown away. From the opening sentence to the last I was hooked and hated to
put the book down. Maya sure knows how to write a book to capture her audience.
Ramie is unique in many ways but the one that matters most to Caleb Deveraux is
her ability to find the missing. His younger sister has been kidnapped and no
one can find her, Caleb and his brothers are desperate and will do anything
even force Ramie to help. What he wasn’t counting on was the overwhelming
attraction he would feel for this fragile and beautiful women. Even after she
helps find his sister Caleb can’t stop thinking about her, wanting to make
amends for the pain she went through and needing to thank her for her help.
Ramie may have not been able to stop thinking of the sexy multimillionaire that
wrecked her hiding place but that didn’t mean she had to stay around for him to
come back for her. With her past haunting her she can only do one thing- RUN.
She keeps running until she runs right into the person she fears most. Barely
escaping with her life and sanity intact she calls Caleb. They are drawn
together against Ramie’s best laid plans; will she be able to stay strong? Can
Caleb protect her or has she just made the worst decision of her life?
Excerpt
(Complete Chapter One)
Chapter 1
Caleb Devereaux turned out of the sharp
switchback and onto the driveway leading up to the tiny mountain cabin, swearing
when he hit pothole after pothole. Fury and impatience simmered in his blood
but the anticipation of having finally found Ramie St. Claire after an
exhaustive search kept his mood from being completely black.
Ramie was his sister, Tori’s, only hope.
The
moment Tori was kidnapped, Caleb had begun his search for Ramie St. Claire. She
certainly wasn’t the first person on most people’s go-to list when looking for
a loved one. Ramie was psychic and had been helpful in locating victims in the
past. While many would be skeptical, Caleb absolutely believed in Ramie’s
abilities.
His
own sister had psychic abilities.
He
and his brothers, Beau and Quinn, had always been extremely overprotective of
their baby sister. With good reason. Caleb was the head of a veritable empire.
Security was always top priority. They’d always feared kidnapping for ransom,
but in their worst nightmares they’d never imagined that Tori would simply
disappear and be at the mercy of a madman.
There’d
been no ransom demand. Simply a video of Tori bound hand and foot and the
maniacal laughter of her captor as he told Caleb to kiss his sister goodbye.
He
just prayed he wasn’t too late. God, don’t let it be too late for Tori.
It
infuriated him that Ramie St. Claire had simply dropped off the map three
months ago. No trace of her, no forwarding address. No evidence that she even
existed. How could she simply disappear when she was such an invaluable aid in
finding kidnap victims and missing persons? How selfish of her to simply refuse,
by her actions, to help anyone?
He’d
worked himself into a rage by the time he finally pulled up to the small cabin
that looked as though it wouldn’t weather the upcoming winter at all. He wasn’t
even certain there would be electricity. Only a person determined not to be
found would live in a place like this.
He
got out and strode to the ramshackle front door, his fist up and pounding. The
door shook and rattled under the force of his knock. Only silence greeted him
and it sent his blood pressure soaring.
“Miss
St. Claire!” he roared. “Answer the goddamn door!”
He
beat on the door again, shouting again for her to answer. He likely looked and
sounded like the madman holding his sister, but at this point he didn’t care.
He was beyond desperation. It had taken every resource available to him to
finally track Ramie down. No way in hell he was leaving until he’d gotten the
information he’d come for.
Then
the door swung open and he was greeted by the sight of a petite woman with
wary, gray eyes. He was momentarily taken aback, going silent as he stared at
Ramie St. Claire for the first time in person.
The
photos he’d seen of her didn’t do her justice. There was a delicate air to her
as though she were recovering from an illness, but it in no way detracted from
her beauty. She looked…fragile. He felt a brief moment of guilt for what he was
about to ask her to do, but he brushed it away. There was no price too high to
pay for his sister’s life.
“I
can’t help you.”
Her
softly spoken words slid like velvet over his ears, a direct contrast from the
anger her refusal caused. He hadn’t even made his request yet and she was
already giving him the brush-off.
“You
don’t even know what it is I want,” he said in an icy tone that would wither
most people.
“It’s
rather obvious,” she said wearily, fatigue drooping her eyelids. “Why else
would you come all this way? I don’t even want to know how you found me. It’s
obvious I did a piss poor job of covering my tracks if you managed to find me
here.”
Caleb
frowned. Had she been ill? Was that why she’d dropped out of sight so she could
recover? It didn’t matter why now that he’d found her. He didn’t care what her
reasons were.
“With
your abilities why would you purposely make yourself difficult to find?” he
demanded. “My sister’s life is at stake here, Miss St. Claire. I’m not merely
asking you to help me. I’m not leaving until you do.”
She
shook her head adamantly, fear chasing the lethargy from her eyes. “I can’t.”
There
was quiet desperation to her words that told him there was more to her refusal
than what appeared on the surface. Something was wrong and yet he couldn’t
summon any regret for forcing her compliance. Not when Tori’s life hung in the
balance.
He
reached inside his jacket and pulled out Tori’s scarf. The one item they’d
found at the sight where she must have been taken. In the parking lot of a
grocery store beside the open door of her car. He should have never let her go
alone. He’d failed her. Failed to protect her. Failed to ensure proper
security.
Ramie
immediately backed away, a desperate cry on her lips. He shoved forward,
forcing the scarf into her hands and holding her and the scarf so there was no
escape. She emitted a broken sob and she looked up at him, stricken, her face
going unnaturally pale. Her pupils flared and then clouded, pain and
devastation clearly outlined on her features.
“No,”
she whispered. “Not again. Oh God, not again. I won’t survive it.”
Her
knees buckled and she would have gone down, but he caught her, ensuring the
scarf never lost contact with her hands. He watched in horror as Ramie’s body
sagged, slipping from his grasp despite his best effort to support her weight.
She was simply lifeless, as limp as a rag doll. He quickly followed her down to
the floor, determined that she not lose her grip on Tori’s scarf. But it didn’t
seem to matter now. Ramie was somewhere else.
Her
eyes glazed over and her body began to twitch spasmodically. She curled into a
fetal position, the fragility of such a self-protective measure gutting him. She
moaned softly and then began to weep.
“Please
don’t hurt me again. Please, I’m begging you. I can’t take any more. If you’re
going to kill me, just do it. Quit torturing me.”
Chill
bumps spread rapidly up Caleb’s nape as Ramie’s voice, which sounded nearly
identical to Tori’s, filled his ears. Dear God, was he witnessing what was
happening to his sister through Ramie?
The
scene Ramie was painting was horrifying. Not only for the fact that his sister
was even now enduring the absolute worse. But from all appearances, Ramie was
suffering with her.
He’d
certainly done his research on Ramie St. Claire’s abilities but there was
little information beyond her astonishing success record. No mention of how she
managed to help victims or what it did to her. God help them all. What had he
done?
Her
body jerked and it took only a moment for Caleb to realize what was happening.
It was too unmistakable. Bile rose in his throat and he had to suck in
steadying breaths to keep from heaving the contents of his stomach on the
floor. Tears burned his eyelids as he helplessly watched his sister being raped
through the window of Ramie’s awareness.
Ramie’s
weeping tore at his heart and he gathered her into his arms, not knowing what
else to do but rock her gently. “Tori?” He whispered his sister’s name
experimentally, not knowing if a link had been established through Ramie. “Can
you hear me? It’s Caleb. Tell me where you are, honey. I’ll come for you. Hold
on please. Don’t give up, no matter how bad it is.”
Ramie’s
head jerked sideways and the imprint of a hand immediately appeared on her
cheek. Caleb was horrified, unsure of what to do now that he’d crossed a line
he couldn’t come back from. He tried to push back his guilt, telling himself
that anything that helped him recover his sister was worth it. But was
torturing an innocent woman worth it?
He
hadn’t given her a choice. She’d told him no and yet he’d forced this on her
not knowing the heavy toll it would take. He had no idea how her powers worked
and now that he did he was sick to his soul. No wonder she’d been so resistant.
No wonder she’d told him she couldn’t do it anymore.
“Ramie.
Ramie!” he said in a more forceful voice. “Come back to me, Ramie. Come back so
you can tell me how to find her.”
Ramie’s
eyes were opened but so distant that he knew she wasn’t here. The imprint of
the hand on her face was bright and vivid, red against deathly white skin.
There was a look of such defeat and despair in her eyes that once again he
found himself battling tears.
Suddenly
she hunched inward, her entire body jolting as though absorbing a blow. She
wrapped her arms around her stomach and he realized that she’d been kicked. Or
rather Tori had been kicked. It was a horrific, helpless feeling to know that
two women were being victimized, one because of him.
Then
she simply rolled away, her cheek lying against the cold floor, her eyes fixed
and vacant. She was completely still and terror gripped him. Was Tori dead? Oh
dear God! Had he just witnessed his sister’s murder?
“Ramie!
Wake up! God, please wake up. Tell me how to find her. Tell me that she’s still
alive!”
He
picked Ramie’s slight weight up, swearing because she was so thin and fragile,
weighing nothing in his arms. He carried her to the worn sofa and carefully laid
her down, not wanting to hurt her any more than she’d already been hurt.
He
sat on the edge, gathering her icy hands in his, rubbing, trying to infuse
warmth. He had no idea what to do. Should he take her to a hospital?
Then
after several long moments, she blinked and seemed to come out of her trance.
Pain immediately swamped her features and she began to silently weep again,
each tear cutting him to ribbons.
“Is
she still alive?” he asked anxiously. “Do you know how to find her?”
“Yes,”
Ramie said dully.
Hope
surged in his heart and he found himself nearly crushing her hands in his.
“Tell
me where,” he urged.
Slowly
and painfully she whispered the location down to the minutest detail. Chills
once again slithered up his spine at the precision in which she described not
only the location but the kidnapper. She even provided a license plate number.
He
picked up his phone and immediately called his brother, relaying the
information that Ramie had provided. When he was done, he stared helplessly
down at Ramie, grateful and yet deeply regretful for what he’d just subjected
her to.
“What
do I need to do to help you?” he asked softly.
Resignation
dulled her eyes even further. “There’s nothing you can do,” she said in a flat
voice. “Just go.”
“The
hell I’ll just leave you here!”
He
was already calculating in his head that he could simply bring her with him. He
could get her the care she so obviously needed at the same time Tori was
receiving what she needed.
“Your
sister needs you. Just go. I’ll be fine.”
The
lie was so obvious, but it seemed to be all she could muster. He was torn
between rushing to be with Tori and staying to ensure Ramie would be all right.
But how could she be? Two women would live with this for the rest of their
lives. His precious sister and the woman he’d forced to help him never knowing
the price she’d pay.
“Please,”
she begged, her voice breaking. “Just go and leave me be. I gave you what you
wanted. I helped you, now go. It’s the least you can do.”
Caleb
stood, wiping a hand over his hair and down the back of his neck in agitation.
“I’ll go, but I’m coming back, Ramie. I’m going to make this up to you.”
“You
can never take this back,” she whispered. “There’s no making up for what’s been
done. Just go and take care of your sister. She needs you.”
She
closed her eyes, tears seeping from her eyelids. How could he just leave her
like she asked? And yet how could he not go and ensure that his sister was
safely recovered? He’d never felt so torn in his life.
“If
you have any humanity whatsoever, you’ll leave and never tell anyone where you
found me,” Ramie said hoarsely. “Please, I’m begging you. Just go. He plans to
kill her tomorrow. At dawn. You don’t have much time.”
Her
words proved to be the impetus, driving him to action. But goddamn it, he would
make this up to her. Somehow, someway.
Regret
swamped him. Worse was the fact that even knowing now what he hadn’t known
before, he couldn’t say he would have done anything differently. Not when it
meant the difference between Tori’s life and death. But at least now he better
understood Ramie’s resistance. No longer did he look at her and think she was
selfish and cruel. Now he realized her disappearance had been
self-preservation. He didn’t know she’d survived this in the past. He just
prayed he wasn’t the tipping point in pushing her so far over the edge she’d
never recover.
Caleb
closed his eyes and then gently touched her cheek. “I’m so sorry. You’ll never
know how much. My family and I owe you more than I can ever repay. I’ll go for
now and pray to God I’m not too late. But I’m coming back, Ramie. Count on it.
I’ll make this up to you if it’s the very last thing I do.”
Win
a Copy of this books!!
Rafflecopter Giveaway: 5 print copies of Keep Me Safe(enter at top of page)
Buy
Keep me Safe:
Author
Info:
Maya Banks is a #1 USA Today and New
York Times bestselling author whose chart toppers have included erotic romance,
romantic suspense, contemporary romance, Scottish historical romances. She is
the author of the Breathless Trilogy, the KGI novels, the Sweet series, and the
Colters Legacy novels.
She lives in the South with her husband and three children and other assorted babies, such as her two Bengal kitties and a Calico who’s been with her as long as her youngest child. She’s an avid reader of romance and loves to dish books with her fans and anyone else who’ll listen! She very much enjoys interacting with her readers on Facebook and Twitter as well as in her Yahoo! Group.
She lives in the South with her husband and three children and other assorted babies, such as her two Bengal kitties and a Calico who’s been with her as long as her youngest child. She’s an avid reader of romance and loves to dish books with her fans and anyone else who’ll listen! She very much enjoys interacting with her readers on Facebook and Twitter as well as in her Yahoo! Group.
Author Links:
Website: http://mayabanks.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMayaBanks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/maya_banks
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/24978.Maya_Banks
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMayaBanks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/maya_banks
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/24978.Maya_Banks
Saturday, October 25, 2014
What’s Left of Me by Amanda Maxlyn
Amanda
Maxlyn writes with an impact, her story has real life issues and emotion mixed
with something we all are drawn to – Love. When I first read the description to
this book I will be honest and say I wasn’t sure I could read it. Some of you
know from past posts that I recently lost my step-father, a man who taught me
to reach for my dreams, to cancer. I have avoided movies where I knew the
person had it for fear of the worst. When I saw that the main girl had cancer I
was very leery and to anyone else who has not read this for that reason, I say
read it anyway. I did read What’s Left of Me; it was fantastic from start to
finish. Yes, Aundrea McCall is ill, but she is fighting! This is a story we
should not avoid but embrace.
Aundrea McCall is twenty-one, she is smart, beautiful, has
plans for her future, and wants to be treated like everyone else. She is in a
new town where very few know about her medical history and has plans to keep it
that way. When her best friend comes to visit and convinces her to have a night
of fun, she does. Finding a hot guy she is drawn to they leave for what she believes
to be a one night stand (her first ever). What she doesn’t realize is the Hotty
has just signed on to be a partner in her brother-in-laws Veterinary practice! Parker
(hotty) has made it clear he wants her in his life, but she doesn’t want to get
serious. Relationships lead to sharing secrets and Aundrea isn’t ready to see
the passion leave Parkers eyes to be replaced with pity. She has a decision to make, tell him or let
him go… Can Aundrea trust the one person that has the power to break her heart?
Trust me you need to read this book and DO not STOP reading until the last page.
Having a mom that is a nurse and a step-father that was a brilliant
doctor I was able to see that Amanda did her research very well. She shows how
emotions are fragile and strong, we can build each other up and that gives
amazing strength to fight anything thrown at us. Look for Amanda’s second book
to this one What’s left of Us, coming out Nov. 14th. I will have an
excerpt to post on the 4th and will be posting a review on the 14th.
Tell me what you think of this book? Was it something you
liked right away or had to get into?
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Light Her Fire by Samanthe Beck *** Brazen Romance***
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Light Her Fire(book 2) by Samanthe Beck
Release Date 10/20/2014
Book Blurb:
He’ll show this good girl the thrill of being bad…
Good girl Melody Merritt is ready to be bad.
Fresh out of an unsatisfying ten-year engagement to the town golden boy, she’s
determined to make up for lost time. And who better to burn her sterling reputation
to the ground than Bluelick’s sinfully sexy new fire chief whose wicked gaze
promises complete and utter domination? Yes, please.
Corrupting the prim and proper Little Miss
Bluelick is the most action Josh Bradley’s seen since he transferred from Cincinnati
to fast-track his career. He won’t let anything or anyone—not even the
delectable Melody Merritt—trap him in this Kentucky-fried Mayberry, but when
their searing chemistry yields an unexpected result, he realizes he’s started a
blaze that's completely beyond his control…
Long Excerpt:
I don’t know about the rest of the men in Bluelick, but you took
care of me in half a lap.
She laughed and then looked
back at the fire station to see if she could spot him anywhere. Nope. Still
grinning, she typed, You dirty pervert.
Get your head out of your pants.
He texted back immediately. Wasn’t my head in my pants. It was something
a bit more…handy.
The thought of him, watching
her and…ahem…handling himself, sent her head straight into her pants. Don’t you have an engine to buff?
The engine is buffed. I buffed it for the better part of 3 minutes,
thanks to you prancercizing in that outfit.
Red tank top over a jog bra
and red running shorts? This is a
perfectly ordinary running outfit.
Her incoming text signal
dinged immediately. From the Nike “Cock
Tease” collection. I sat here in all kinds of agony watching your tits bounce
while you jogged around the square, remembering how it felt to be lodged
between them. I’m not even going to tell you what the sight of your ass in
those running shorts does to me. It’s begging to be spanked. I counted 5 laps. You
do the math.
She tripped over her own foot,
caught her balance, and looked around again. Still no sign of him, but she felt
the heat of his gaze as profoundly as a touch. Her skin tingled. Her system
hummed. She fought off a naughty urge to run five more laps. Not that she
could. This time she’d know he was watching—which brought a whole new meaning
to the term “runner’s high.”
The firehouse stood to her
right, in all its historic redbrick glory. She boldly faced the building, put
her hand on her hip, and sent the structure a defiant stare. When that didn’t
produce any response, she typed, I feel
so objectified. Is that all you see when you look at me? Tits and ass? Fine
with her. High time someone did.
He sent a new picture over—of
her staring at the firehouse. I notice
every goddamn thing. Look at your long, toned legs. I might actually get
bruised when they’re wrapped around my waist and you’re losing control. I’m
also thinking, just for once, you be the firefighter and I’ll be the citizen in
distress.
It took a lot not to laugh
out loud, but she didn’t want to stand there laughing to herself in the town
square like a crazy lady. Keeping her eyes on the screen, she typed, Is this before or after the spanking?
My shift
ends at midnight. I’ll be on your doorstep at 12:05 and then you’ll find out.
My Review:
Smoking HOT firefighter, steamy love scenes, and secrets in
a small town, how can you go wrong? Samanthe Beck did an amazing job pulling me
in and making me not want to stop reading. There are some books that as much as
I try I just can’t find a stopping point and I have to keep reading. This
happened to me last night, I read until four am and with two chapters left I
forced myself to go to sleep. I couldn’t stop my brain however and I had some
very good dreams, lol. After getting up not two and a half hours later to bring
my daughter to school I slept a little more then gave up and kept reading.
Samanthe if you read this, keep up the great work, I love when I read a book
and it consumes my brain!
So this is
the second book Samanthe’s a Private Pleasure novels, and better than the first
which I didn’t think was possible. You start to see something going on with
Melody Merritt and Chief Josh Bradley in Private Practice, especially after a particularly
sexy scene but I won’t give too much away to those who have yet to read it.
Samanthe overlaps the books a bit and I really liked that, when you read the
two you can see everything intertwined. I have never read one that did this so
well! The only other books I have read where the books overlap are written by multiple
authors. As I said she did a flawless job bringing her pots to completion.
Melody and
her long time fiancé have come to the conclusion that they are not right for each
other, truthfully a decision that should have been made years ago. She has gone
her whole life being the “good girl”, never causing trouble or having her
reputation tarnished. The thought never crosses her mind to be bad until she
sees the Blazingly Hot new fire Chief. She can’t help but feel starks and she
knows they could start a few fires together. She keeps her distance until
finally her good girl straw snaps.
Chief Josh
Bradley is shocked when the women he has been hot for, good proper Melody propositions
him in the small town store. He has been watching her for a long time, and
nicknamed her ‘Bluelick’ after the small town be was being forced to reside in.
The town gave him the job he wanted but not the action he craved. One look at
Melody told him she could provide a very good distraction. One touch, one kiss,
and that look, is all it took! He forgets about all his reservations about
getting involved with her, but they are not the only ones starting a blaze in
town. Between his growing addictions to Melody, butting heads with small town politics,
and all the fires going up in town… Josh has begun to get that excitement he
wanted. Who is starting the fires, will Josh get his dream job in the city, and
will Melody and Josh be able to keep their encounters casual. You will have to
buy this book to find out!!
About the Author:
Wine lover, sleep fanatic, and USA Today Bestselling Author of sexy
contemporary romance novels, Samanthe Beck lives in Malibu, California, with
her long-suffering but extremely adorable husband and their elementary-aged
turbo-son. Throw in a furry ninja named Kitty and Bebe the trash talking
Chihuahua and you get the whole, chaotic picture.
When not clinging to sanity by her fingernails or dreaming up fun,
fan-your-cheeks sexy ways to get her characters to happily-ever-afters, she
searches for the perfect cabernet to pair with Ambien.
Keep Up With Samanthe:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SamantheBeck1
Buy this book:
Giveaway
Info:
$25.00
Amazon Gift Card, a rare print copy of Private Practice, and a Skull Bracelet –
International ***Enter Giveaway at the top of this blog***
Or click here: Giveaway
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