*RELEASE DAY* RECKLESSLY ROYAL by Nichole Chase - EXCERPT + GIVEAWAY

I'm so excited to celebrate RECKLESSLY ROYAL's release day! This is definitely going to be a fun one. Get ready and meet Cathy and David!

Recklessly Royal by Nichole Chase
Genre: New Adult Contemporary
Publication Date: March 25th, 2014

Catherine has spent her life being the perfect princess. She’s kept her hands clean, her head down, and most importantly-men at arm’s length. After all, most men are after only one thing, and for Cathy there’s a lot more at stake than her bed; she has to worry about the fate of an entire nation. But at the rate she’s going, Cathy is afraid she’ll give the Virgin Queen a run for her money. She is tired of waiting for someone good enough to come along. She has a plan, and it all hinges on seducing the one man who seems utterly unimpressed by all things royal. The one man she is tempted by more than any other . . .

When David arrives at the royal wedding of his friend, the newly ordained Duchess Samantha Rousseau, he expected to feel uncomfortable and out of his element, but he wasn’t prepared to be targeted by Prince Alex’s gorgeous younger sister. With Cathy’s giant blue eyes, killer figure, and sense of humor, it won’t take long before he gives in. But when he finds out just how innocent the crown princess really is, will he play the part of knight in shining armor or the dashing rogue?

And now....an EXCERPT:

* * * * * * * EXCERPT * * * * * *

I was a bit sloshed, but I wasn’t going to tell Sam that. My legs slipped and I slid the rest of the way to the ground, my head stopping my fall. Maybe I was drunker than I thought. The doorbell rang as I scrambled up from my spot on the floor.

“I’ve got it!” Chadwick took off to the front door, his steps a little too loud.

Backing away from the pole, I took a running jump and grabbed directly in the middle. I used my momentum to swing my legs high in the air. Making sure I had a good grip on the pole, I spread my legs into a split.

“Wow.” A deep voice broke into my thoughts and I looked up. A man was standing next to Chadwick, wearing a backpack and carrying a large duffel bag. His dark eyes ran over my body and I shivered, which was a bad thing. My hands slipped and I fell, crashing to the floor with a loud oof.

“Are you okay?” Sam ran over and helped me stand up, but I wasn’t feeling any pain. In fact, I was feeling awesome. Looking past Sam’s shoulder, I smiled at the hottie and waved. He was perfection, from his messy dark hair down to his scuffed boots. And exactly what we needed to end the night with a bang.

“Heeeyyooou. I don’t remember hiring a stripper, but boy am I glad you showed up.” I let Sam help me up to my feet and wondered why she was making a choking sound. I slapped her on the back, worried. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Fine!” Sam barked a laugh. “That’s not—”

“Good! Because it looks like I outdid myself!” I turned her around with a flourish to look at the delicious man standing on the stairs. His shirt strained across his chest as he shifted his feet and I found myself thinking about tracing my fingers across those hard lines. I let my eyes run over him instead, taking in the tight plaid shirt, worn jeans, and work boots. There was nothing polished or metropolitan about him. Everything screamed outdoors. And I liked it.

“Cathy,” Sam tried to stop me, but I shrugged her off and skipped up the steps.

“What are you supposed to be? A lost lumberjack?” I pulled the heavy bag out of his hands and set it on the ground.

“We’ll, c’mon! Someone start some music.” I gyrated my hips a little and wiggled my eyebrows. “Take it off, bab-ay!”

“If you insist, gorgeous.” His American accent gave me pause as a dim memory tried to fight through the fog in my brain, but it didn’t last long. His eyes stayed locked on mine as his calloused fingers worked the top couple of his buttons free. I wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol, or just his deep brown eyes, but I was entranced. I didn’t even notice when Sam climbed the stairs.

I couldn’t look away from him as he slowly unbuttoned his shirt and exposed the skin underneath. The need to touch that tantalizing bit of flesh raced through me and my fingers twitched. Hypnotized by eye the color of melted chocolate, I leaned forward. One corner of his mouth turned up into a smirk and it only added to his appeal. Where it might have been a turn off in another man, It simply added to this strippers appeal. I smiled in response, eager for him to continue.

“God, please don’t, David. I’ll never be able to look at you again.” She covered his hands with her own and laughed, her cheeks a bright red.

“David?” I looked at him, confused, before looking over my shoulder at Jess. She was nodding her head with wide eyes like I was supposed to remember something. “David?” I said the name again, mulling over what that could mean. I looked down at the bag I had taken from him and my eyes landed on his boots. It was then that a moment of clarity surged through my mind like a stampede of wild horses and I covered my mouth.

“Oh God.” A wave of nausea hit me. “You’re Sam’s friend.”

I promptly turned around and threw up into a potted plant.

About the Author: 
Nichole Chase is a daydreamer. No, really, just ask any of the math teachers that had the misfortune of seeing her name appear on their class schedule.

For years she has had story lines and characters begging for attention, but she resolutely pushed them aside to focus on more normal (read, boring) jobs.

Well, no longer! She is currently heeding the voices in her head and frantically writing their stories. Ms. Chase is the author of the Dark Betrayal Trilogy, Flukes, and Suddenly Royal (including several short stories).

Nichole resides in South Georgia with her husband, energetic daughter, dog, tortoise, and two cats. When not devouring novels by the dozens, you may find her writing, painting, crafting, or chasing her daughter around the house while making monster noises.

Where to purchase & learn more:

AVAIL FOR ORDER NOW!


Well, don't just sit there! Those buy links up there are SO Convenient! *wink*

And now, here's the giveaway for you!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE! =) Who wants a SIGNED SUDDENLY ROYAL bookmark?


a Rafflecopter giveaway

This release day launch is brought to you by the FAB:

all the best, dear readers!

 

*COVER REVEAL* Denise Grover Swank's BUSINESS AS USUAL (+Excerpt + GIVEAWAY)

Welcome to the cover reveal for the third installment of the Off the Subject series by Denise Grover Swank! I can't wait to read this one!

Yes yes yes yes yes

Business as Usual by Denise Grover Swank
Genre: New Adult Contemporary
Expected Publication Date: April 10th, 2014

Lexi Pendergraft has given up on finding love after a disastrous encounter with her last boyfriend. Instead, she focuses on two things: One, setting up a summer program for underprivileged middle-school aged students. And the second, getting to the bottom of her brother Reed’s recent strange behavior. His secret is destroying his relationship with his fiancée Caroline, and Lexi will do anything to help him save it. Especially after he gave up his dream to give Lexi a chance at a semi-normal college experience, something her parents threatened to steal from her after her rape a year ago.

Ben Masterson is determined to make it through his final semester of his senior year at Southern University. After recently losing his full ride scholarship, he’s suffering from sleep deprivation while trying to keep up with his mechanical engineering courses and working three part time jobs. He thinks he’s lucked out getting a job in the university math lab. The only problem is his boss—Reed Pendergraft.

As part of a role in a community theater play, Lexi wears a black wig and feels a confidence she hasn’t experienced in over a year. When she wears it to a bar close to the theater, she doesn’t think Ben, a bartender there, recognizes her. While Ben’s intrigued about what she’s up to, he’s smart enough to stay far away from his overprotective boss’s sister. Until fate forces him to help her, but why won’t she tell him her real identity?

And now....an EXCERPT:

* * * * * * * EXCERPT * * * * * *

Ben’s POV

Now that we’re here on the dance floor, now that she’s in my arms, everything flees from my head and all I can think about is holding her. I breathe in her scent, a combination of apples and honey, and I realize I’ll never smell this scent again without thinking about her. I’m the furthest you can get from a romantic, so the thought catches me by surprise.

“Thank you,” she finally says.

Her words bring me back to reality. “Why are you with Tina when you obviously don’t want to be?”

“It’s a long story.” She sighs and rests her cheek against my chest.

Her touch is electrifying and I suck in a deep breath. What the fuck is wrong with me? “I can wait you out all night,” I say, “but I’m not letting you go back until you tell me.” I’m not sure this is the right way to handle it, not after watching her threaten Tattoo Guy. She obviously bites when backed into a corner, but she has to know that I’m on her side.

She relaxes into me a bit and stumbles. My grip tightens on her waist to keep her upright.

“Sorry,” she says. “Tina tried to get me drunk before we even left her apartment.” She looks up at me, her blue eyes wide with gratitude. “Thanks for not putting very much rum in my drink.”

I stare down at her, lost in the depth of her eyes. I give myself a mental shake. “You seem too classy for Tina and her group, so what’s this all about?”

She continues to study my face as though she’s trying to determine my trustworthiness. “She has something I want. Apparently, I have something she wants. Mutual need is the cornerstone of all business transactions.” Her face has changed with this statement, as though she’s weary.

“I know her from working with her in the math lab. Maybe I can help you and save you the grief.”

Hope flickers in her eyes before resignation replaces it. “If it were that easy, I’d jump at the chance.” She won’t tell me what she wants, so I decide to find out what Tina wants. “So she’s giving you something in exchange for getting you drunk?” I ask. “That seems bizarre, even for someone like her.”

Alexa looks away, her cheeks turning pink. “She thinks I’m repressed and wants to loosen me up. Why she cares, I have no idea. I’m not sure she knows either, other than that it’s a game to her.”

“What else does she want?”

The pink in her cheeks darkens. “I have to make out with some guy tonight. She has to see it.”

“Why?” I knew Tina was sleazy, but this is unbelievable. Then a new thought bursts into my mind. “Who with? That guy you just told off?” My rage catches me by surprise.

She shakes her head. “No. I insisted it had to be a guy of my choosing. If it was him…” her voice softens. “I want this information, but I don’t want it that bad.”

I place a finger under her chin and tilt it up so I can study her face. “What makes this information so valuable to you that you’ll go through with so much humiliation to get it?”

She hesitates. “Have you ever loved someone so much you’d give up everything for them?”

Have I? No, it’s a sad fact, but there it is. I never really loved Sabrina. She forced the relationship on me, not that I fought it after we slept together at the frat party. She was good in bed and it was easy in the beginning, before her true colors started showing through the cracks of her perfect persona. Later, I ignored the neediness and the constant bitching, expecting her to break up with me when I no longer seemed to fulfill her expectations of partying and socializing. And then when I ended it, I paid the price for all those months of complacency. But when I look into Alexa’s face, I realize I want that kind of love for someone. The all-encompassing, all-consuming, you can’t think about anyone or anything else kind of love. This girl makes me think that kind of love is possible, especially with someone like her. And that scares the shit out of me. “No.”

“Neither have I. I’d like to think I do, but honestly I don’t think I would have done what he did for me. He gave up everything and this is my chance to make it up to him. So one night of humiliation is nothing. I can endure it to help him.”

My chest constricts and I feel like I’m drowning.

She loves someone else.

About the Author:
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Denise Grover Swank was born in Kansas City, Missouri and lived in the area until she was nineteen. Then she became a nomadic gypsy, living in five cities, four states and ten houses over the course of ten years before she moved back to her roots. She speaks English and smattering of Spanish and Chinese which she learned through an intensive Nick Jr. immersion period. Her hobbies include witty Facebook comments (in own her mind) and dancing in her kitchen with her children. (Quite badly if you believe her offspring.) Hidden talents include the gift of justification and the ability to drink massive amounts of caffeine and still fall asleep within two minutes. Her lack of the sense of smell allows her to perform many unspeakable tasks. She has six children and hasn’t lost her sanity. Or so she leads you to believe.

Where to purchase & learn more:

AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER NOW!


Well, don't just sit there! Those buy links up there are SO Convenient! *wink*

And now for the GIVEAWAY!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This cover reveal is brought to you by the FAB:

all the best, dear readers!

 

*AMAZING TOP SECRET NEWS* from K.A. Tucker + Signed Swag #Giveaway

Hi. My name is Christine, and I am a K.A. Tucker addict.
I'll admit it...when I heard the announcement that I'm about to share....I squealed, I giggled uncontrollably, and then I promptly sent an e-mail to K.A. in all SHOUTY CAPS about how excited I am.

So, I won't keep you in any more suspense:

On September 1, 2014, Atria Books is releasing a PREQUEL NOVELLA to Ten Tiny Breaths that tells the story from Trent's point of view! It's called IN HER WAKE, and I cannot wait one more breath to read it!

Even better? It's going to be available for only $0.99!! 99 pennies!!

YAAAAAY!!! TRENT!!!! Happy Muppet flails!!!

Ahem, now, let me tell you about the book:

In Her Wake by K.A. Tucker
Genre: New Adult Contemporary
Publication Date: Septemeber 1st, 2014

Before you knew him as Trent in Ten Tiny Breaths, he was Cole Reynolds—and he had it all. And then one night he makes a bad choice... and loses everything.
Cole Reynolds had it all. And then one night he makes a bad choice... and loses everything.

When a drunken night out at a Michigan State college party results in the death of six people, Cole must come to terms with his part in the tragedy. Normally, he'd be able to lean on his best friends. The best friends that have been in his life since he could barely walk. Only, they're gone. Worse, there's the shattered body of a sixteen-year-old girl lying somewhere in a hospital bed, her entire life ripped from her because of a case of beer and a set of keys.

Everyone assures him that they know it wasn't intentional and yet he can't ignore the weight of their gazes, the whispers behind his back. The all-consuming guilt he feels every time he thinks of that girl who won't so much as allow him near her hospital room to apologize. As the months go by and the shame and loneliness festers, Cole begins to lose his grip of what once was important-college, his girlfriend, his future. His life. It's not until Cole hits rock-bottom that he can begin to see another way out of his personal hell: forgiveness.

And there's only one person who can give that to him...

AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER NOW!

About the Author: 
Born in small-town Ontario, Kathleen published her first book at the age of six with the help of her elementary school librarian and a box of crayons.

She is a voracious reader and the farthest thing from a genre-snob, loving everything from High Fantasy to Chick Lit.

Kathleen currently resides in a quaint small town outside of Toronto with her husband, two beautiful girls, and an exhausting brood of four-legged creatures.

Until In Her Wake Releases, get your K.A. Tucker fix by pre-ordering her latest novel, Four Seconds to Lose!!

Four Seconds to Lose by K.A. Tucker
Genre: New Adult Contemporary
Publication Date: November 4th, 2013

Owning a strip club isn’t the fantasy most guys expect it to be. With long hours, a staff with enough issues to keep a psych ward in business, and the police regularly on his case, twenty-nine year old Cain is starting to second guess his unspoken mission to save the women he employs. And then blond, brown-eyed Charlie Rourke walks through his door, and things get really complicated. Cain abides by a strict “no sleeping with the staff” rule. But being around Charlie challenges Cain’s self-control…and it’s been a long time since any woman has done that.

Twenty-two-year old Charlie Rourke needs a lot of money, really fast, in order to vanish before it’s too late. Taking her clothes off for men makes her stomach curl but Charlie tells herself that at least she’s putting her acting and dancing skills to good use. And though her fellow dancers seem eager to nab their sexy, sophisticated, and genuinely caring boss, she’s not interested. After all, Charlie Rourke doesn’t really exist—and the girl pretending to be her doesn’t need to complicate her life with romance.

Unfortunately, Charlie soon discovers that developing feelings for Cain is inevitable, that those feelings may not be unrequited—but losing him when he finds out what she’s involved with will be more painful than any other sentence awaiting her.

Where to purchase & learn more:



Well, don't just sit there! Those buy links up there are SO Convenient! *wink*

And now for the giveaway of 5 SIGNED EXCLUSIVE Ten Tiny Breaths, #TeamTrent bookmarks that I designed for the NA Crush Tourney? K.A. Tucker was kind enough to sign these for me to give away to her fans!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/01990417/

If you HAVEN'T discovered this series yet, what are you waiting for?!? To learn more, check out my Review for Ten Tiny Breaths HERE and then my Review for One Tiny Lie Here

Ten Tiny Breaths                One Tiny Lie 

This Announcement is brought to you by the FAB:

all the best, dear readers!

 

*COMING SOON* a new feature...

all the best, dear readers!

*REVIEW* Katja Millay's THE SEA OF TRANQUILITY

Hi readers....so, I'm finally getting around to posting this review that I wrote last year. I know I should've posted it earlier, but I wrote it during a really rough time, and I wanted to make sure I still felt the same way once I was ready to share my thoughts with you all...If anything, I've realized that this book means even more to me now that what it did then....so here we go:

The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay
Publication Date: September 5th, 2012
Publisher: Atria Books
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Romance

Synopsis:
I live in a world without magic or miracles. A place where there are no clairvoyants or shapeshifters, no angels or superhuman boys to save you. A place where people die and music disintegrates and things suck. I am pressed so hard against the earth by the weight of reality that some days I wonder how I am still able to lift my feet to walk.

Former piano prodigy Nastya Kashnikov wants two things: to get through high school without anyone learning about her past and to make the boy who took everything from her—her identity, her spirit, her will to live—pay.

Josh Bennett’s story is no secret: every person he loves has been taken from his life until, at seventeen years old, there is no one left. Now all he wants is be left alone and people allow it because when your name is synonymous with death, everyone tends to give you your space.

Everyone except Nastya, the mysterious new girl at school who starts showing up and won’t go away until she’s insinuated herself into every aspect of his life. But the more he gets to know her, the more of an enigma she becomes. As their relationship intensifies and the unanswered questions begin to pile up, he starts to wonder if he will ever learn the secrets she’s been hiding—or if he even wants to.

The Sea of Tranquility is a rich, intense, and brilliantly imagined story about a lonely boy, an emotionally fragile girl, and the miracle of second chances.

And now for my review:
*Spoiler-Free* REVIEW: The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay
Publication Date: September 5th, 2012

*DISCLOSURE: ARC was provided in exchange for a fair and honest review

Review:
Catharsis. If I had to write a one word review for The Sea of Tranquility, it would consist of that one word.

This is a story of life and death. Being lost and being found. A story of heartbreak and hope. A story of second chances.

Like your first time riding a bike without training wheels, like that first gulp of air after a long dive under water, like your first kiss, like falling in love for the first time...my first time reading The Sea of Tranquility was overwhelming, incredible, and something that I won't forget. It's the kind of book that evokes jealousy within me when I know someone is reading and experiencing it for the first time.

I read this book shortly after losing a loved one. I was having trouble coping, I was in shock, couldn't cry and couldn't shut off my mind. My experience with this book will be so much different than others, but at the same time, its ability to suck you in, make you forget, fall madly in love with these characters are cathartic and rewarding to any reader.

There were twists and turns in this novel, but what drives this book into one of the top spots on my shelf are the heartbreakingly beautiful characters. Delving into the minds of the two main characters that have so much to say within their own heads but the unwillingness to speak them outloud struck a chord with me.

A beautifully crafted untraditional story of a boy meets girl. Two people so lost in tragedy, in anger, in resignation that there doesn't seem the possibility of a new day until they find recognition and a kinship within each other. They find salvation and a chance to begin again.

The Sea of Tranquility is a unique, once in a lifetime novel. It captivated me with every single word and left me with an overwhelming sense of peace, an aura of hope. This is a book that I truly felt blessed to read. Katja Millay has found a forever place on my shelf and in my heart.

Rating:

About the Author:

Katja Millay grew up in Florida and graduated with a degree in film & television production from Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. She has worked as a television producer, and a film studies and screenwriting teacher. Currently she resides in Florida with her family. The Sea of Tranquility is her first book.

Where to purchase & learn more:

AVAILABLE FOR ORDER!


Well, don't just sit there! Those buy links up there are SO Convenient! *wink*

all the best, dear readers!