Friday, November 28

Blog Tour Review: Being Nobody by H. D"Agostino


Title: Being Nobody - Book 1 in The Witness Series
Author: H. D'Agostino
Genre: New Adult Romance/Suspense
Cover Design: K23Designs
Photography: K. Keeton Designs
Cover Model: Cameo Hopper
Release Date: November 3rd, 2014





Samantha Connelly has been on the run since she was seven years old. Forced into Witness Protection after her father saw something he shouldn’t has caused her to learn to blend in. She’s moved, changed her name, and her appearance more times than she can count over the last nineteen years all along wondering if it will ever end. Her handler, Kevin, along with her parents have assured her that it won’t be forever, but as the years tick by she’s slowly given up hope that she’ll ever be normal.

Now at 26, Sam has moved to Chicago and is working at the Rusty Nail as a bartender calling herself Mallory. Her father passed away two years before leaving her to finish what he started…put away the ‘bad guys’. Living on the run in hiding has been harder than she ever imagined, and finding love has always been out of the question. Who would want to be with someone they couldn’t be honest with? She’s resigned herself to being alone, until… Brian walks in.

Brian Sellers is everything Sam has been trying to avoid her entire life. He’s clad in leather and torn jeans, donning several tattoos…all-in-all a bad boy. When their eyes connect one evening, everything she’s ever told herself falls to the wayside as an indescribable draw pulls her to him. He’s sexy and domineering, and something about him reminds her of a boy she used to know.

The more time she spends with Brian, the more she wants him, but…Brian is not everything he seems to be. When Sam happens to see the tat on his wrist, the same tat that her father saw all those years ago, she realizes she’s flirting with the enemy. Brian has no idea that he’s hanging out with the one girl his boss wants dead.
Can Sam hide her identity from the first man she’s had real feelings for? What will Brian do when he finds out who she really is? Can love really conquer all?

Being Nobody is the first book in The Witness series.




Amazon bestselling author of the Second Chances series and the Shattered Trilogy, Heather D’Agostino writes contemporary and new adult romance set in Boston, New York, and North Carolina. Heather has always enjoyed creative writing, but never pursued it as a career option. Born and raised in Harrisburg, NC she received a BA in Elementary Education from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. After teaching for six years, she decided to leave the profession to be a stay-at-home mom. After finding the world of Fan Fiction, Heather decided to “get her feet wet” in the literary world. With much encouragement and inspiration from the Fan Fiction world, she made the decision to publish her work. Heather prides herself in the fact that her books have real life situations with believable characters. These characters could be your best friend or your next door neighbor. Her first book, Unbreak Me, has been welcomed with open arms into the self-published community giving her the encouragement needed to continue to pursue this dream. Heather currently lives in Syracuse, NY with her husband, two children, two dogs, and three cats. She enjoys spending time with her family, watching sports, and playing chauffeur for all her children’s activities.
You can follow Heather at https://www.facebook.com/H.DAgostino.Author or http://hdagostinobooks.weeby.com.

WEBSITE ☆ FACEBOOK ☆ AMAZON ☆ GOODREADS ☆ TWITTER



Sam's Dad was definitely at the wrong place at the wrong time. This story is a very powerful summary with Sam's entire family running from these band of criminals for her entire life. At this point in her life it is beginning to feel hopeless seeing as how she lost her father two years prior.  It is no one in particulars fault that this dirty hand has been dealt them, but the fact of the situation is that she may never know a normal life again. One hopeful moment at seventeen left her will the realization that this life of secrecy is a sentence she could very well spend forever facing alone. The relationship of this story is rather immediate and predictable. I left me a little reluctant to feel the intensity of this story, and remained for much of the remainder of the story. Overall this is an enjoyable adventure, but it has some room for improvement. 

Thursday, November 27

Review: The Future Without Hope by Nazarea Andrews

Title: The Future Without Hope
By: Nazarea Andrews
Series: The World Without End #3
My Copy: Ebook from Publisher
BookWhisperer's Rating: 

The highly anticipated third book in The World Without End series.
Separated from Finn, captive of the Order, Nurrin has no hope left. But she has survived twenty years of zombies--and she has the unshakable faith that Finn will find her.

But Finn is a long way away. The Order's influence runs deeper than was ever suspected, and politics are shifting--and zombies may not be the most dangerous thing she's facing.

Finn always thought the war stripped him of all he had to lose. But with Nurrin missing and doors closing in his face, he realizes there is always more for the world to take--and he will drag the remains of civilization down with him before he gives up on the only promise that matters.


Whoa…I loved every bit of this third installment as I did with the first and second. Again, this is an action packed thriller with a little romance thrown in to spice things up.  We left Ren in the last book separated from Finn but she has finally found her brother but he is infected.  Now, she is at the mercy of her captors and singled out as a first with no help from Finn or sick Colin.  Her only hope for survival is Finn – who has no idea where she is.

So that is why you got a “whoa” at the beginning of the review.  This book was amazing at keeping up the intense pace of action, deceitfulness, romance, surprises, and losses.  There is no one that you can trust in this series besides just a few characters – all are pretty much shady.  But Finn does whatever he has to do to find Ren and get her back to safety and it is pretty hardcore, which surprised me.  It showed me who Finn really was and how committed he is to keeping his promise to Colin and keeping Ren safe.  Also, it was fantastic to see Finn open up a little in this book.  It wasn’t a lot but it was this small glimmer of hope that feelings actually exist in that hard exterior before the walls came back down again. 


And the end…why, oh why, would Andrews leave it like that?  I can’t believe where it stopped and I can’t believe that I don’t know when the fourth book is going to come out.  Out of all the things that could have happened, it ended with that shocker.  Do I have you interested now? J

Review: Light Her Fire by Samanthe Beck

Title: Light Her Fire
By: Samanthe Beck
Series: Private Pleasures #2
My Copy: Netgalley.com
BookWhisperer's Rating: 

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…


Oh, I liked this one.  There was something about Josh that just made my toes curl.  He’s a fireman first of all and he wants Melody Merritt but he has heard that she is too prim and proper for his taste so he admires from afar and doesn’t touch.  Melody, on the other hand, wants Josh but can’t seem to get him to make his move until one day she does it for him.  That starts off this whole, lust worthy relationship between the two. Let me just say: the office, the porch, the kitchen, the truck, basically the everything was hot. 

It was a great steamy book but it also had some really good laughs in throughout the pages.  The relationship between Melody and Josh was not only hot but also funny and Melody’s friends brought a few laughs on their own.  I am especially excited that the next book is about Ginny and the mystery man that has been seen in the town of Bluelick.


What I didn’t see coming was the end.  I’m talking about the confession at the end that Beck had me thinking it was someone else the whole time; it was definitely not what I was expecting.  Also, I thought the sweet ending to their story was absolutely perfect for these two characters. 

Review: Causing Havoc by Lori Foster

Title: Causing Havoc
By: Lori Foster
My Copy: Amazon.com
BookWhisperer's Rating: 

Orphaned and torn from his sisters as a boy, sexy extreme wrestler Dean "Havoc" Conor gets a letter revealing how much his siblings want him back in Harmony, Kentucky. To stop his sister from marrying a sleazeball, Dean finds himself teaming up with her pretty-but-smart-mouthed friend Eve-who's heard of Havoc's reputation and doesn't need some hunk trampling on her heart. Now all Dean has to do is protect his sisters, win Eve over, and expose a devious criminal. And he thought winning the heavyweight belt was hard.


I have read other Lori Foster books and have loved them but this book did not fall in that category.  I feel as if the plot was common and then to throw the readers off, Foster ended the story with a twist that just didn’t seem to make sense to me. 

Havoc and Eve were good characters but they weren’t great in my eyes and I just had a hard time really rooting for them to have any kind of relationship.  I rooted more for Jacki and the guy she runs into (I won’t say his name so it can be a surprise) than Havoc and Eve.  I also didn’t see any appeal that Roger brought to the relationship with Cam, Havoc’s sister.  He seemed like such a jerk throughout the whole book but she still loved him.  Roger never treated her nicely for her to love him.  That was confusing for me.

Also, I get where the money went but I feel like it could have been a little more thought out than where it ended up.  Like, maybe someone was sick and that is where all the inheritance went instead of the aunt spending it all before the girls realized that they had trust funds. 


I don’t know…

Tuesday, November 25

Mcguire Stalking

So I was just taking a little stroll through Jamie McGuires' page a came across this little til bit of information. Which I might add makes me a awesome predicted of the future.

Beautiful™ Redemption
(Maddox Bros #2): January 2015. The second of four novels chronicling the exciting, romantic, and sometimes volatile road to love for the Maddox brothers. The loves and loss of Thomas Maddox, the eldest Maddox brother, is told from the point-of-view of Liis Lindy, a no-nonsense agent of the FBI. (From Jamie Mcguire Upcoming Projects Page)

Hopefully I will not die before January due to the anticipation of waiting.

Review: Beautiful Oblivion by Jamie Mcguire

Title: Beautiful Oblivion
By: Jamie Mcguire
Series: Beautiful #3
My Copy: Bought from Amazon
BookWhisperer Rating: 

The Beautiful Disaster and Walking Disaster phenomenon continues in the first heart-pounding new adult romance in The Maddox Brothers series.
Fiercely independent Camille "Cami" Camlin gladly moved on from her childhood before it was over. She has held down a job since before she could drive, and moved into her own apartment after her freshman year of college. Now tending bar at The Red Door, Cami doesn’t have time for much else besides work and classes, until a trip to see her boyfriend is cancelled, leaving her with a first weekend off in almost a year.
Trenton Maddox was the king of Eastern State University, dating co-eds before he even graduated high school. His friends wanted to be him, and women wanted to tame him, but after a tragic accident turned his world upside down, Trenton leaves campus to come to grips with the crushing guilt.
Eighteen months later, Trenton is living at home with his widower father, and works full-time at a local tattoo parlor to help with the bills. Just when he thinks his life is returning to normal, he notices Cami sitting alone at a table at The Red.
As the baby sister of four rowdy brothers, Cami believes she’ll have no problem keeping her new friendship with Trenton Maddox strictly platonic. But when a Maddox boy falls in love, he loves forever—even if she is the only reason their already broken family could fall apart.


Let's just say that this would have been a one sitting read if I didn't have to take care of all the pesky things life offers like FAMILY, CHILDREN, and a JOB! I have slacked leaving this book in my arsonal for many many moons, and now I am kicking myself in the butt for not dropping everything and reading it RIGHT AWAY! Yes, capitalization is helping me silently relieve a tad of the stress that this book has just caused me. Trenton Maddox I just might be even more in love with you than I was your brother. His character is the alpha dominant character that we are learning runs in the Maddox line, but he is also so caring and soft. The Olive and Trenton relationship really turns the tables in this story giving him a much more relaxed side that was absent with Travis. No one would ever have thought Travis and a five year old would compliment one another it would have been unnatural, but Trenton it was absolute wonderful and a spectacular fit. Camielle on the other hand is a fresh beat to the series. Her character is all rough and tough, yet sexy as hell. I loved the star bartender, and then the later addition of the tattoo shop eye candy. It is a very different feel for the female lead, but one that I highly enjoyed complimenting a Maddox brother. I followed this whole story enjoying every twist and turn, and even watching the highlight moments from the first two books from afar. The highly anticipated friction that McGuire stories hold was ever present here giving me everything I expected with another Maddox book. Everything about Beautiful Oblivion proves to be what I was anticipating except for the mack truck ending the knocked it out of the park. I mean really, who actually saw this coming and noticed all of the markers along the way that would have had readers anticipating the direction we would all fall of this cliff????? None of you! That is right Jamie McGuire is a tricky little sneak, and just left me speechless. Well, not entirely speechless by the looks of this review, but you get the idea. I can not wait for more of the Maddox brothers, and I now have suspicion of who will be next.

Release Day Launch: Hard To Come By by Laura Kay

HTCB RDL Banner  

We are beyond thrilled to bring you the Release Day Launch for Laura Kaye's HARD TO COME BY! HARD TO COME BY is the third full length novel in Laura's Hard Ink Series, published by Avon Romance. As a special treat, through December 2, pre-order Hard to Come By or purchase it during release week, and receive exclusive bonus content! Just fill out the quick form here!

 

Hard To Come By Cover

Buy at Amazon | Amazon.ca | Amazon UK | B&N | iTunes| Kobo

Hard to Come By on Goodreads

Pre-order or purchase before December 2, and get awesome bonus content!

Excerpt: Marz was playing with fire. He damn well knew he was. But that didn’t make him want to pull away. He just wanted more of the heat. Marz nuzzled the side of Emilie’s face with his nose, his lips. She turned her face toward him and offered her lips. He couldn’t refuse. Capturing her mouth on a tortured groan, Marz poured every ounce of his longing and confusion and desire into the kiss. They grasped at each other and Emilie turned in his arms. He pinned her against the railing and planted his hands in her hair. She opened to him and accepted his tongue, sucking him in until Marz’s blood ran hot and his hard-on ached. He ground himself against her and devoured every little moan and whimper and gasp she spilled. Trailing kisses from her mouth to her jaw to her ear, Marz dragged a hand down her body and grasped her breast in his palm. She cried out and her head dropped back, drawing his mouth to her neck, where he licked and sucked and nipped as he kneaded her soft flesh. “You are so damn sexy.” Her hand flew to his hair and grasped the back of his head. “Touch me,” she said. “Don’t stop touching me.” Marz pulled away long enough to do a three-sixty scan. The lighthouse cast a dark shadow over them, and the pier was otherwise empty. His heart raced and his pulse hammered. He dove back in, trailing kisses down her neck to her collarbone, which he traced with his tongue. Her nails scratched deliciously at his scalp and her grip urged him down. Through the thin material of her blouse and bra, he mouthed and flicked at her nipple. He shifted the deep vee of the neckline to reveal a lacy royal blue bra. He tongued her through the lace until she was panting and moaning and writhing against the railing. “Oh, my God,” she rasped as he shifted her shirt and moved to her other breast. This time, he tugged the lace down to bare the deep pink of her nipple. She tasted and smelled like something fruity and sweet, and it made Marz hunger for more. “Derek,” she gasped. “Yes, yes, yes.” Her palm cupped and squeezed the bulge of his erection through his jeans. His hips jerked into the touch, craving more of her, all of her. He groaned and it seemed to egg her on, because she pressed and rubbed her hand against his trapped cock until he was panting and imagining taking her down to the ground. “Jesus, Emilie, you’re driving me fucking crazy,” he said as he worked kisses back up her body to her mouth. “I know just what you mean,” she said. Her molten hot gaze met his. Eyes hooded, lips shiny and swollen, cheeks flushed, she was a freaking goddess standing under the moonlit sky. He felt the force of her beauty every bit as much in his chest as in his cock. “You sure about that, babe?” he asked as he took her mouth in a deep, wet kiss. “Because my imagination has me stripping you of those fuck-hot jeans.” “Yeah?” She rubbed his cock in a long stroke with the heel of her hand. “Mine has us getting a room at the hotel back there. So I’m sure,” she said with a smile. Marz’s heart hammered against his breastbone and his cock jerked, clearly liking her idea, too. Except, if he took her up on it, he was going to end up buried inside her for as long as she’d have him. And so long as this clusterfuck of a situation defined their relationship, he couldn’t take things that far. Could he?   HTCB Available Now About HARD TO COME BY: Caught between desire and loyalty... Derek DiMarzio would do anything for the members of his disgraced Special Forces team--sacrifice his body, help a former teammate with a covert operation to restore their honor, and even go behind enemy lines. He just never expected to want the beautiful woman he found there. When a sexy stranger asks questions about her brother, Emilie Garza is torn between loyalty to the brother she once idolized and fear of the war-changed man he's become. Derek's easy smile and quiet strength tempt Emilie to open up, igniting the desire between them and leading Derek to crave a woman he shouldn't trust. As the team's investigation reveals how powerful their enemies are, Derek and Emilie must prove where their loyalties lie before hearts are broken and lives are lost. Because love is too hard to come by to let slip away...
 

And don’t miss the other Hard Ink books, now available:

Hard As It Gets

Hard As You Can

Hard to Hold On To

Praise for Hard to Come By: "Rough sex and explosive fights power Kaye's third Hard Ink novel, a thrilling adventure that feels more like an action movie with a romantic subplot than a typical contemporary romance. New readers will head straight for Kaye's backlist after powering through this installment." ~Publishers Weekly Starred Review "TOP PICK! If you're looking for danger, gritty action, and sizzling passion, then Kaye has just the book and the series for you." ~RT Book Reviews Magazine HTCB Teaser 2   Author PhotoAbout Laura Kaye: Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over a dozen books in contemporary and paranormal romance. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.        

Review: Hard To Come By by Laura Kaye

Title: Hard To Come By
By: Laura Kaye
Series: Hard Ink #3
My Copy: Ebook from Publisher
The BookWhisperer's Rating: 

Caught between desire and loyalty…

Derek DiMarzio would do anything for the members of his disgraced Special Forces team—sacrifice his body, help a former teammate with a covert operation to restore their honor, and even go behind enemy lines. He just never expected to want the beautiful woman he found there.

When a sexy stranger asks questions about her brother, Emilie Garza is torn between loyalty to the brother she once idolized and fear of the war-changed man he's become. Derek’s easy smile and quiet strength tempt Emilie to open up, igniting the desire between them and leading Derek to crave a woman he shouldn’t trust.

As the team’s investigation reveals how powerful their enemies are, Derek and Emilie must prove where their loyalties lie before hearts are broken and lives are lost. Because love is too hard to come by to let slip away…


To me, this was the best book in the series so far.  Two thumbs up to Laura who kicked some butt writing Derek and Emilie’s story.

We all know that I am a huge fan of the Hard Ink series so I kind of gobble up the stories when they become available, so when I say that I read this book in less than 24 hours…I mean it.  It became a live and breathe kind of book that I could not put down. 

Derek’s character was amazing!  There was just something about him that kind of made me love him more than the rest of the Hard Ink guys *gasp, I shouldn’t say that.*  I think he was more of a person to me than a character.  Maybe I just read more into him than I did with the past characters, but he seemed real.  There is also the fact that once he saw Emilie, he knew that he wanted her and he would fight for her until his death. 

Emilie’s character was amazing as well!  She wasn’t the kind of girl that broke down; she really did keep wonderfully strong through all of the action and drama.  Emilie also had some major guts to be able to try to take care of her brother when she knew something was off and have a trust in Derek even though she basically just met him. 


Their story was wonderful and the big reveal that Laura gave us redefined the entire series and left the next book open for a lot more answers.