Fairest Of All Book Reviews

 

Vandal Synopsis

She takes my breath away; she is so beautifully damaged.

Yes I had broken her, ravished her life, destroyed her happiness. I brought her to ultimate despair. I was responsible for all the pain and suffering that now brought her to her knees in front of me.

Broken.

Hopeless.

Reckless in her agony.

She is a mirror of my own tortured soul.

But what I took away I can give back.

In ways she cannot even begin to imagine.

She is everything right in all my wrongs.

She loves me. She needs me.

She has no idea I’m the one who wrecked her life.

Amazon

Storm, book 1 in ASHES AND EMBERS

Amazon | Barnes and Noble

 

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IinYhBwcHEY

Review

Destroy. Desecrate. Damage. Wreck. Ruin. Sabotage.

All of these terms explicitly describe the lifestyle choices Vandal Valentine has made for most of his life due to his poor upbringing as well as a darkness that seems to consume him.

Van is an “eater of souls”; someone who wants to corrupt, control, and manipulate and seems to be unable to form any kind of meaningful relationships. He’s a damaged and dominant man who feeds on darkness and gets off on submission – it’s about the only thing that makes him feel alive in the godforsaken life he finds himself in and blames himself for.

Tabitha Bennett is just as damaged and hollow as Vandal, but the difference between them is that her destruction was not created by her own choices. Her happiness was taken from her and now she’s a shell of who she used to be, and she doesn’t feel like there’s a way out of the darkness – until Van gives her one.

Carian Cole does a fabulous job of illustrating the conflicting feelings that both Van and Tabitha feel as she submits her body and mind to him without truly knowing anything about him. Both characters need to feel something else besides the devastating feelings that consume them, and Van offers them both a way to do that, but at what cost? Both are keeping secrets from each other that could derail any progress either of them have made, and there’s no way to remain in the bubble that Van has created for them at the cabin.

As Van and Tabitha’s story continues, Cole takes readers on an incredibly tortured journey – one that uses pleasure and pain for release and one that embraces the darkness that surrounds not only their hearts but their souls as well and looks to repair them both regardless of how unfixable Van and Tabitha may appear to be.

Vandal is a well written story that will garner a multitude of feelings from its readers. It’s a text whose characters may not elicit all positive feelings from those who encounter them, but it also adheres to the idea that imperfections are what make people who they are and an author shouldn’t sugarcoat or force character transformations when at their core, they remain the same. So even though I didn’t completely understand Vandal and his methods of fixing Tabitha without truly examining himself, it fits how Carian Cole portrayed him throughout the story and while I am usually the type of reader who looks for the main characters to completely evolve, there are times when the subject matter or presentation of the characters would seem contradictory if there were to happen, which is the case, at least in my perspective, in Vandal.

A complimentary copy was presented in exchange for an honest review.

4 poison apples

 

Exclusive Excerpt

I slowly walk down the dark hallway and stop at Katie’s doorway. Her pink nightlight is on, illuminating the room. I don’t want to go in, but I can’t stop myself. The mix of her presence and her void is completely overwhelming, and I fall to my knees in the middle of the room. The pain in my chest is like nothing I have ever felt before, as if my heart is being ripped from my body and sliced into tiny pieces. I want her back so bad. I want to just feel her tiny hand in mine and tuck her into bed.

Lifting my head, my eyes fall on Teddy, Katie’s coveted bear that she left here to ‘take care of me’. I crawl to the small bed and lie my head next to the little bear that, just a few days ago, we tucked into her blankets together until she’d be back. Pressing my face against the little bear, I can’t hold back my tears anymore.

 

Carian Cole Bio

I have a passion for the bad boys, those covered in tattoos, sexy smirks, ripped jeans, fast cars, motorcycles and of course, the sweet girls that try to tame them and win their hearts. My debut series, Ashes & Embers, follows the lives of rock band members as they find, and sometimes lose, the loves of their lives.

My first novel in the Ashes & Embers series, Storm, published on September of 2014. Vandal, the second novel in this series is publishing in February of 2015. I currently have approximately nine books slated for this series, as well as an MC series in the works, and a few stand-alones coming in 2015 onward.

Born and raised a Jersey girl, I now reside in beautiful New Hampshire with my husband and our multitude of furry pets and spend most of my time writing, reading, and vacuuming.

Facebook | Website | Amazon Author Page | Pinterest | Goodreads | Twitter | TSU

Enter Carian’s giveaway!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Copyright © 2015 Corinne Michaels

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written consent of the author.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author or publisher.

Excerpt

Aarabelle sits in her highchair as I feed her dinner. She’s growing so fast. Already she’s eating cereal and a little baby food. Soon she’ll be crawling and I have no one to celebrate with. Her father will never see these milestones and it breaks me apart.

“You should really lock the door,” Liam huffs as he throws his coat over the chair.

“But then I’d have to get up to let you in,” I state matter-of-factly and go back to feeding the baby, trying to put aside my worries. The fact is…this is reality. I have to deal with it.

“Uh huh. Hey, Pumpkin,” his eyes alight as he crouches down by Aara. It’s adorable hearing grown men use a baby voice. It gets a little softer and higher pitched.

The corners of her mouth lift and she throws her arms in the air when he gets close. My heart sputters seeing how happy she gets seeing him. Liam kisses her head and she giggles.

“At least someone is happy to see me,” he says playfully.

“I’d be happy if you brought me a present,” I joke.

He laughs and goes into the pocket of his coat. “Just so happens I did, but since that’s the only way you’ll be nice, I’ll hold on to this until you’ve earned it.”

Practically leaping out of my chair, I rush over. “What is it?” I try to peer around his back as he holds the mystery item.

Liam’s lips curl as he sees how much I want this. I don’t even know what it is. Jeez, I’m an idiot. “Nope. We eat first, then maybe you’ll get it.”

“Watch, it’s a freaking Pez dispenser or something stupid.”

“Guess you’ll have to be nice to find out.” He shoves the item into his back pocket and I fight the urge to reach and get it. “How was work?”

We spend the next thirty minutes going over my day and Jackson’s return. Liam never mentioned that they spoke, but he’s surprised to hear he’s in Virginia. After we finish the pizza, Liam somehow convinces me we should watch a movie. I get Aarabelle to bed and come down to find him sprawled out on the couch.

“By all means, make yourself comfortable.”

Liam pulls his beanie higher on his forehead and his eyes glimmer with amusement. He sits up and puts the TV on. “I picked the movie.”

“What?” I ask with mock incredulity. “It’s my house. Why do you get to pick the movie?”

“Ummm, I’m the guest.” He shrugs as if this should be an obvious answer.

I groan and lean back. “What crappy, shoot-‘em-up movie do I have to endure?”

“You’ll see. It’s a classic.”

Meet Liam in Consolation!

iBooks ➙ http://bit.ly/16nXT0k

Barnes & Noble➙ http://bit.ly/1E9Krf4

Kobo ➙ http://bit.ly/1GHHL6G

Add to Goodreads ➛ http://bit.ly/1wMUa4a

Blurb

Liam wasn’t supposed to be my happily ever after.

He wasn’t even on my radar.

He was my husband’s best friend—forbidden.

But my husband is dead and I’m alone. I ache for him and I reach for Liam.

One night with Liam changed everything. Now I have to decide if I truly love him or if he’s just the consolation prize.

 

About the Author

Corinne Michaels is an emotional, witty, sarcastic, and fun loving mom of two beautiful children. She’s happily married to the man of her dreams and is a former Navy wife. After spending months away from her husband while he was deployed, reading and writing was her escape from the loneliness.

Both her maternal and paternal grandmothers were librarians, which only intensified her love of reading. After years of writing short stories, she couldn’t ignore the call to finish her debut novel, Beloved. Her alpha Navy SEALs are broken, beautiful, and will steal your heart.

Contact Corinne

Website: http://www.corinnemichaels.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CorinneMichaels

Instagram: http://instagram.com/authorcorinnemichaels

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorCMichaels

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7753662

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/corinnemichaels/

We have a fantastic announcement from Nichole Chase today, and we cannot wait to share it with you! Are you ready?

HERE’S THE SCOOP!

Fans of Nichole Chase’s Royal Series, get ready to cheer!

The American Royalty Series is coming!!!

HarperCollins will be publishing Nichole’s new series The American Royalty Series in Winter 2016, and you are NOT going to want to miss what Nichole has up her sleeve!

Things to Expect from The American Royalty Series:

• Humor and witty banter
• West Wing meets Scandal meets Suddenly Royal Mashup, anyone?
• A cameo (or two) from the Royal Series
• Drama
• Jake. Jake. Jake.
• Um….did I mention Jake?
• The easy and beautiful writing you’ve come to know and love from Nichole Chase

A Message from Nichole:

I’m very excited to be working with HarperCollins to bring the American Royalty series to life. I’m very interested in the life of politics–there is so much that goes on behind the scenes that most people never hear about and it intertwines with our daily government and in some ways, affecting everyone. As I was thinking about that fact, Jake and Maddie’s story began to take form and I found myself enthralled by the challenges they would face and just what their happy-ever-after would entail, if there could *be* a happy-ever-after.

About Book 1 (Title To Be Announced) in The American Royalty Series:

Color me jaded, but coming home just isn’t the same when you have to go through security before you can see your dad. Don’t get me wrong, everyone had to go through security to see my dad. Even Kings, Queens, celebrities, my step-mother and half-brother we’re given the metal detector treatment. It wasn’t like I was a hooligan being singled out. It’s just part of life when your father is president. Go figure.

Maddie’s father is in his second term as president and she could care less. Being a politician’s child has made her world weary and leery of being manipulated. When she comes home from college for her summer break, she thinks it’s the last time she’ll be in the white house. Her father’s term is almost over and she’ll finally be able to live the life she wanted. What she doesn’t count on is facing her nemesis, Jake Simmon, back from the war. As the son of the Vice President, she had constantly been paired with him for events and during campaign tours. The tabloids loved to speculate about a possible relationship, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Jake was the perfect politician’s son. He always did as he was asked, always smiled, and to her absolute horror always looked dreamy.

In other words, he was her exact opposite.

Jake was finally home, but he couldn’t wait to escape. Instead of searching for peace and quiet after losing his leg in Afghanistan, he was sitting in on campaign meetings and giving interviews. He had never felt so helpless in his life, not even after waking strapped to a table in a blistering hot med tent. His mother was intent on using his brand new disability as a campaign tool. Show off her wounded son so people would find her relatable. The only positive thing he had to focus on was the fact that he would get to see Maddie again, which was pathetic when you considered that they hated each other. She’d always gotten under his skin, throwing caution to the wind and doing what she’d wanted while he had walked the line. In a world where everyone looked at him with sympathy, he knew she wouldn’t hold back. And though he was loathe to admit it, one of his favorite past times was verbally sparring with the spunky brunette. What he isn’t counting on is how much they have both changed over the last two years.

About Nichole Chase

Nichole Chase is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Suddenly Royal, Flukes, The Dark Betrayal Trilogy, and several short stories. She is also the instructor of Say What? a dialogue class at the Romance Academy.

Nichole lives in Georgia with her husband, energetic daughter, superhero dog, Sulcata tortoise, and two cats. When not writing, you may find her reading, painting, crafting, or chasing her daughter around the house while making monster noises.

Website ** Twitter ** Facebook ** Author Goodreads

Instigation, Book 1 in The Clandestine Affairs Trilogy

Tessa Teevan

Genre: Contemporary Romance/ Romantic Suspense—Full Length Novel

Release Day: April 20, 215

 

Synopsis

Breaking up is hard to do.

Three years after her life changed forever, Gabriella Latham finally has it all. Killer job [if working for her boyfriend counts]. Killer closet [even if she doesn’t technically own any of it]. Killer boyfriend [who refuses to let her leave him, even when she tries]. Unfortunately for her, the last part isn’t hyperbole. She just doesn’t know it yet.

Adrian Morningstar was a dream come true. No one had ever loved her more, and for the first time, in longer than she could remember, she was no longer alone. He was the Prince Charming to her Cinderella, until suddenly he became the Beast from whom she could not escape.

Until him.

When Rafe Matthews is hired to oversee the guest home construction of one of the most powerful businessmen in the country, he finally has his in. Nothing will get in the way of what he sets out to do.

Until her.

Watching from the shadows, he’s drawn to the beautiful, isolated woman of the house. His curiosity is piqued and he has to have her. She may be taken by the boss, but that’s not enough to stop him. Or her.

It leads to a game of cat and mouse. But who is the true predator? And who is the prey?

Nothing is quite as it seems.

Passions ignite. Tempers flare. Secrets kill.

 

Playlist

 

Teeny Tiny Teaser

“You know too much as it is. It’s too late. God, I’m so fucking sorry for this. Sometimes I wish I’d never laid eyes on you that day. That I’d just kept going. And yet, no matter what happens, I’ll cherish the memories we had for the rest of my life. I couldn’t live without them, as selfish as that sounds. But then again, I think you’ve found I’m a selfish man.”

 

Pre Order Instigation Today!

Pre-Release Pre-Order Sale 99 cents! Will be $2.99 once it goes live

Amazon US | UK | CA | AU

 

About the Author

I’m a twenty something book junkie who is also obsessed with sports. Bengals, Buckeyes, Reds are my teams! I work for the government during the day, hang out with Air National Guard on the weekends, and have been married to my own book boyfriend for over seven years. We currently live right outside of Dayton, OH with our two cats.

If I’m not writing or looking through tons of photos of hot men, all in the name of research, then you can probably find me curled up with my Kindle, ignoring the rest of the world. I love my sports almost as much as I love my books. My other obsessions include red wine, hot men, country music, and all things Grace Potter.

 

Connect with the Author

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Email | Goodreads

 

Giveaway

5x $5.00 Amazon Gift Cards

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

 

 

Single: Volume Two

Lyra Parish

Erotic Romance Serial

March 9, 2015

 

Blurb

Sometimes love can be cruel. Not that Roxane has fallen in love but the one man she found interesting has crossed from her personal life into her professional one which makes life complicated.

Parker Williams doesn’t take no for an answer, not that Roxane would deny him anyway.
He has his own set of rules that must be followed while hers are being crossed through like a to-do list.

When a person falls in love, it’s supposed to be easy but it’s much more complex than either realized it could be.
Roxane’s control is slipping along with every opinion she had about love. This time, it feels different. This time, it finally feels right.

Slowly she realizes how much is at stake, but she is only concerned about losing one thing—her heart.

 

Amazon US | Amazon UK

Review

Roxanne VanBuren is all about control. As a businesswoman and a single woman, she prides herself on letting her head rule her heart regardless of the situation.

Parker Williams has one mission – unravel and unlock Roxanne’s control and force her to see that letting go and opening up to him can set her free in limitless ways.

She has rules but so does he, and as things continue to heat up between them in more than just a physical way, it will be interesting to see who overrules the other one and to what extent Roxanne’s single minded focus will prevent her from committing.

In Volume 2 of Single, complications arise that have both Roxanne and Parker questioning what they truly want from each other. The tables get turned on Roxanne on more than one occasion in Volume 2, and she finds herself in a situation that she never thought she’d be in again. Lyra Parish does a good job of illustrating Roxanne’s struggle and discomfort with wanting and ultimately needing Parker. Her heart’s on the line again and that worries her because there’s a business aspect to her relationship with Parker that could ruin various aspects of her life.

Parker Williams is a complex man, and I don’t think readers are privy to everything about him just yet. He’s a perfect book boyfriend because he exudes alpha male sexiness and he knows how to handle his woman and make no mistake, Roxanne is his woman. Roxanne definitely makes him work for every encounter with her, but Parker remains steadfast in his pursuit and his rules in doing so.

It will be interesting to see where Lyra takes Roxanne and Parker in Volume 3 with what went down at the end of Volume 2. I can definitely see some complications heading their way due to the complexity of their personal and working relationships. I can’t wait to see if Roxanne remains single or allows her heart control for once and gives into what Parker wants.

A complimentary copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

4 poison apples

 

Excerpt

“Are you fucking kidding me, Rox?” Stacey screamed into the phone. There was music blaring in the background, and I heard the clicking of a camera lens and loud flashes. I could only imagine how many umbrellas were set up for the shoot. She was at her next spread for Cover Girl, but decided to stop the presses just for me.

“I wish I were,” I said, remembering his lips on my thighs and the taste of him in my mouth. “He’s intoxicating.” My words seemed to drift away into the open space of the car as I accelerated onto the 610 Loop.

“Oh my god,” she said. “The airiness in your tone, the pauses between your sentences—you fucking liiiiiiiiike him, don’t you?”

I couldn’t admit that, not right now. It was too soon, way too soon. Actually, only hours after the incident, as I now termed it. I couldn’t even tell Stacey what exactly had happened, just that something had happened. Her imagination was dirty, so I’m sure she could figure it out with just a few hints. Honestly, if I even said a peep about it, or about how Parker Williams made me feel, she would be declaring her victory. I might as well just hand her the crown.

The incident had shifted everything I once thought I believed, and everything I had tried to avoid. I couldn’t deny that when I closed my eyes, his face was the one I saw. Those piercing blue eyes were burned into my retinas. I knew the smile permanently attached to my lips existed for one reason. Or if one wanted to get technical, it was the messy brown hair, blue eyes, and that sexy voice that almost made my knees go weak.

Oh my god.

Was I having a revelation?

Yes, I was having a revelation. Maybe I wasn’t in control of how I felt anymore? But that couldn’t be. Not after being with someone only once. The chase was over, wasn’t it? Fuuuuucccckkkkkk me! The heart was trying to control me, but I couldn’t let it. Even the heart had weaknesses. Love was the equivalent of stabbing a dagger into a heart and twisting. Okay, maybe it wasn’t that dramatic, but it felt like it to me.

“No. Of course not,” I said after a long pause. I was lost in my thoughts, and Stacey, being the way she was, noticed.

“I wish I could see your face right now, because I know you’re lying. I know you are trying to feed me lies, Roxane VanBuren, and I’m not having it. I want every single dirty little detail of what happened, and not just, ‘we moved to second base,’ got it?”

A man’s voice yelled in the background about how models should get off their damn phones and actually work today.

“I’ve got to go. Darrell is being such a douche. I swear his glitter panties are in a knot right now … but this isn’t over.”

More yells followed, and she said her goodbyes after cursing loudly that it was an emergency and people needed to shut the hell up.

My heart raced at the thought of what was happening to me. I had to deny this at all costs. I couldn’t be in like. I had never fallen for someone so soon. No way. And if I started admitting it, even to myself, it would be trouble.

I knew it sounded so silly to be in like, but it was the first step to love. All I could think of was that stupid childhood chant that we all sang to agitate people who were in like. Roxy and Parker sitting in a tree … next thing there would k-i-s-s-i-n-g, love, then a baby in a baby carriage. Hell no. No. There were no babies in my future.

 

Single, Volume One

Amazon | B&N | Kobo

After failing miserably at love, Roxane VanBuren swears off men but not before her determined best friend shows her all the advantages of being single. After a wild weekend full of sex, old-flames, and secrets, Roxane is desperate to forget it ever happened. But she learns it isn’t that easy.

Since becoming the President of VanBuren Investments, she knows how important it is for her professional and personal life to remain separate from one another. If the two were to mix, the rumors could possibly ruin her reputation, which is bad for her and bad for business. To avoid that, Roxane allows rules to define and guide her every move. Unfortunately for her, Parker Williams is determined to break them all, one at a time.

 

About the Author

Lyra Parish loves to write, travel, and sing obnoxiously loud at the top of her lungs in the shower. Sweet love stories (along with the dirty ones) make her gush. She is a firm believer that a person can never have too many cats, cups of coffee, or read too many happily ever afters. When she isn’t busy writing, she can be found sipping various beverages from her non-alcoholic drink buffet, pimp slapping excel spreadsheets, or riding her bike. Lyra currently resides in Texas with her glass blowing, guitar playing hubby and black cat.

 

Connect with Lyra

Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon | TSU | Website

 

Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

We are so incredibly excited to bring you the cover reveal for M.S. Force’s The Quantum Trilogy!! The Quantum Trilogy is an Erotic Adult Contemporary Romance story made up of three full-length titles. You get to see all three covers at one time! VIRTUOUS is the first novel in the Quantum Trilogy and releases on April 14. Book 2, VALOROUS, releases one week later on April 21, and VICTORIOUS releases on April 28! Pre-order this amazing new trilogy for only $3.99 each while you can!

 

ABOUT The Quantum Trilogy

New York Times bestselling author Marie Force writing as M.S. Force…

He’s a sexual dominant. She’s sworn off sex. There’s no way they can make a relationship work—or can they?

After surviving a traumatic event at age fifteen and the ensuing estrangement from her family, Natalie Bryant has worked for years to reinvent herself into the woman she is today—a happy teacher fresh out of college and enjoying her first winter in New York City with her faithful dog, Fluff, by her side. Natalie isn’t expecting her life to change completely during a routine stroll through Greenwich Village on a blustery January day. But when Fluff breaks loose and charges into a park, Natalie gives chase and crashes into her destiny. Only after Fluff bites and draws blood from the man who accidentally knocked Natalie down does she realize Fluff has bitten the biggest movie star in the world.

He has no business being enthralled by the gorgeous, young, innocent teacher…

Natalie captivates Flynn Godfrey from the first moment their eyes meet while she is lying on the ground and he’s fighting off her ferocious little beast of a dog. The only thing Flynn knows for certain is if he lets Natalie get away, he’ll regret it for the rest of his life. After only a short time in her presence, Flynn is prepared to change who he is to be what she needs. He knows he’s in big trouble when she says she won’t sleep with him and he doesn’t care if it means he gets to keep her in his life. But can he turn his back on the lifestyle that has defined him? Can he deny the desires that drive him to give Natalie the introduction to love and romance she so deserves? And most of all, can he keep his truth hidden from her long enough to have forever with her?

Join Flynn and Natalie as their story unfolds in three full-length books released three weeks in a row: VIRTUOUS, VALOROUS and VICTORIOUS. From New York to Los Angeles, from Hollywood to Las Vegas, Flynn and Natalie’s whirlwind love affair has it all—romance, passion, steamy hot sex, relentless paparazzi and a murder that could be their undoing.

If you hate dirty-talking heroes who put it all on the line for the women they love, who leave no desire unfulfilled, who will do anything it takes to protect what’s theirs…If elements of BDSM make you queasy, if smoking hot sex isn’t your thing, if cliffhangers make you rage, if you hate first-person points of view from the heroine AND the hero… this trilogy is NOT for you! You’ve been warned…

 

Click here to read an excerpt of the first two chapters of Virtuous.

 

Each title in the Quantum Trilogy is currently $3.99 for pre-order only.

These prices will go up to $5.99 one week after release.

Amazon ** Barnes and Noble ** iBooks ** GooglePlay ** Kobo

Amazon CA ** Amazon UK ** Amazon Australia

Amazon ** Barnes and Noble ** iBooks ** GooglePlay ** Kobo

Amazon CA ** Amazon UK ** Amazon Australia

Amazon ** Barnes and Noble ** iBooks ** GooglePlay ** Kobo

Amazon CA ** Amazon UK ** Amazon Australia

ABOUT M.S. Force

M.S. Force is the erotic alter-ego of New York Times bestselling author Marie Force. The Quantum Trilogy is M.S. Force’s first foray into erotic romance, but it won’t be the last!

With more than 3.5 million books sold, Marie Force is the New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling, award-winning author of 40 contemporary romances. Her New York Times bestselling self-published Gansett Island Series has sold more than 1.8 million e-books since Maid for Love was released in 2011. She is also the author of the New York Times bestselling Fatal Series from Harlequin’s Carina Press, as well as the New York Times bestselling Green Mountain Series from Berkley Sensation, among other books and series, including the new Quantum Trilogy, written as M.S. Force.

While her husband was in the Navy, Marie lived in Spain, Maryland and Florida, and she is now settled in her home state of Rhode Island. She is the mother of two teenagers and two feisty dogs, Brandy and Louie.

Join Marie’s mailing list for news about new books and possible appearances in your area. Join one of Marie’s many reader groups at marieforce.com/connect. Contact Marie at marie@marieforce.com.

Follow her on Facebook at Facebook.com/MarieForceAuthor, on Twitter @marieforce and Instagram at marieforceauthor.

 

Website **Facebook**Twitter**Instagram ** Goodreads

Pinterest ** Newsletter Sign-Up

Reckless & Real, #2

Adult Contemporary

Release: March 3, 2015

After everything blew up on Christmas, Liz walked away from me, and I let her. She said she needed space and a chance to pursue her dreams. But we both knew she was running from the mess she made. Now the political campaign she used as an ex- cuse to leave is bringing us back together and I’m proving to her what she really needs—not just the hot nights, greedy hands, and undeniable physical chemistry. What she really needs is something real. What she really needs…is me.

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1Jx0yXs

B&N: http://bit.ly/1Ag7WAm

iBooks: http://bit.ly/1EgOvJ8

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1zWs6dI

Google Play: http://bit.ly/1MIw3g8

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1FaNfVX

 

Review

How can something real come from a relationship that’s been filled with secrets and lies from the very beginning?

How can a love exist with the all-consuming feelings of betrayal, guilt, and shame that surround it?

Amidst scandals, public perception, and hurt feelings, Sam and Liz try to figure out what they truly want, and if they can let go of a past and a present riddled with duplicitous people and heartache and become something worth fighting for regardless of who or what tries to get in their way.

I’ve been waiting for the conclusion to Sam and Liz’s story ever since the big reveal at the end of Something Reckless. The obstacles that have been in their way from the start of the series have both brought them closer and torn them apart, and when book two begins, Sam and Liz are definitely not on the same page – they aren’t even in the same town. Both are licking their wounds and trying to get over each other because the scandal that rocked their lives tore more than just their relationship apart. But while they both attempt to move forward, they can’t. There’s unfinished business between them and hard truths to face, especially on Sam’s side. But it’s clear, earlier on in Something Real, that regardless of how much Sam and Liz miss one another, there are multiple people and issues working against them, taking them two steps forward and one step back on more than one occasion.

I have to admit…I didn’t see things playing out this way for Sam and Liz, especially in the final book of their story. Their lives are riddled with drama, some caused by their own decisions but most due to a few obnoxious people and their selfish acts. Being in the public eye is a huge hindrance for Sam and Liz working things out, and it makes for a plethora of hurt feelings and moments of extreme jealousy and secret and sizzling encounters…all leaving both of them wondering if it will ever be more than that.

I was a bit frustrated throughout much of the book because I wanted Sam to get his shit together and understand how he was being manipulated. I can’t blame Liz’s reactions to the whole situation. I’m not sure I would have been able to see past the pain and put everything together like she does. But that only goes to prove how much people refuse to truly see the real Liz, not the one who everyone thinks they know due to her social interactions and public perception.

Overall, I really enjoyed Something Real. Lexi Ryan continues to be a writer who captures my attention in every book that she writes and characters she creates. I loved watching Sam and Liz’s relationship grow despite what was being thrown at them, and while the overabundance of drama in the text was a bit of an issue for me, the payoff was getting  to the end and witnessing those who deserved it get theirs and Sam and Liz realize what they truly mean to each other, and the small tidbits of information readers get about the couple in Ryan’s next book definitely has my interest piqued.

Bring on Max’s book!

A complimentary copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

4 poison apples

Excerpt

Sam

Security had better not have let one of those asshole journalists from downstairs up to my floor. I swear, those soul suckers would do anything to get a new detail to add to their nothing stories. I open the door without removing the chain and feel as if I’ve been punched in the gut when I see the woman on the other side.

Liz is worrying her lower lip between her teeth and watching down the hall. Is she looking for Sabrina or trying to make sure no one sees her coming to my room? My insides twist at the sight of her—an internal tug-of-war between conflicting emotions. I want to pull her into my room and kiss her until she can’t see straight, touch her until she promises never to leave me again, and at the same time, I want to demand that she go back to her room because having her close makes me hope for things I can’t have.

I remove the chain and tug her inside by the arm before closing the door behind her.

“No one saw me,” she says, her eyes locked on the floor. “I made sure.”

“I saw you,” I growl. It’s painful to be this close—to breathe her air, to smell her perfume. I never knew how much it could hurt to want and be denied.

She swallows and avoids my eyes. “Is she here?”

“What do you want, Liz?”

She lifts her head and stares at me. “Is she here?”

“Sabrina’s on her way to meet her mom in South Dakota for a campaign stop.”

Her gaze dips to my bare chest and back up. “I’m surprised they didn’t ask you to go with them.”

“They did. I declined.” I sound like a fucking dickhead, and I make myself take two steps back so I don’t do something equally dickish. Like kiss her until she melts in my arms and forgets about the other guy, until we both forget that this is hopeless.

“I’m sorry that video was leaked. You didn’t deserve that invasion of your privacy.”

She has red lipstick on, and it matches her shoes. Ever since I saw her tonight, I’ve been picturing her on her knees in nothing but those shoes, those red lips stretched around my cock. I can’t help myself, and I skim my thumb over her bottom lip.

The second I touch her, she draws in a ragged breath. “You came to my apartment yesterday.”

“I did.”

“Why?”

I trail my thumb down her neck and over the red strap of her dress. “Probably for the same reason you came here tonight.”

“To talk about Sabrina?”

“You knocked on my door in the middle of the night to talk about Sabrina?” I follow the strap down and graze my fingers across her cleavage. “Is this about her, or is it about you and me?”

“There is no you and me,” she says. “We both know that.”

“There’s so much you and me, there’s no air left when we share a room. There’s always you and me.”

“Even when you’re making sex tapes with someone else?”

“And even when you’re keeping warm in another man’s arms.”

 

 

Something Real Playlist

From Lexi:

Because I so frequently have to switch gears at the drop of a hat—from Mom to writer, from the business side of writing to drafting an intensely emotional scene—I rely on music to quickly plant me in the zone for any given book. Every time I start to write a book, I create a playlist that makes me think of the characters and I listen to it and add to it as I write. Here’s what I was listening to while I was writing Something Real. I hope you like it!

Amnesia—5 Seconds of Summer

Over You—Ingrid Michaelson (feat. A Great Big World)

How Long Will I Love You—Ellie Goulding

You Ruin Me—The Veronicas

Don’t—Ed Sheeran

All You Had to Do Was Stay—Taylor Swift

Changed by You—Between the Trees

Thinking Out Loud—Ed Sheeran

Crazy in Love—Sofia Karlberg

Love Me Like You Do—Ellie Goulding

SOMETHING RECKLESS is on sale for .99 cents until March 14!

Reckless & Real #1

Release: December 22, 2014

 

He talks dirty to me, but I don’t know his name.
He wants to tie me up, but I don’t know his face.
He turns me on, but I couldn’t point him out in a crowd.
I’ve fallen for an anonymous stranger, and tonight the anonymity ends. Tonight I want more than typed secrets and texted promises. I want something reckless. Heat. Passion. The thrill of being entirely possessed.
Because I suspect this anonymous stranger isn’t a stranger at all.

Lizzy Thompson met riverrat69 online through Something Real, a service promising to deliver meaningful relationships by forbidding its users to share names or photos until they’ve reached a certain benchmark. She was looking for love. He was researching an investment. They hit it off. Talked and flirted, hid behind screen names and cartoon avatars.
Now they’re breaking the rules and meeting in person. But Liz is prepared. She’s picked up hints and followed clues.
She’s ninety-percent convinced she’s discovered the identity of her dirty-talking online friend.
She wonders if her ex-lover Sam Bradshaw knows her identity too.
When she rolls the dice on one reckless night, her chance at something real could crumble.

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1AgaZse

B&N: http://bit.ly/1D2Wxna

iBooks: http://bit.ly/1B1scI7

Kobo: http://bit.ly/18dSSZA

Google Play: http://bit.ly/1rcGtNp

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1ByJTOL

About the Author

Once a college English professor, I now write full time. I live in rural Indiana, where, when I’m not writing, I get to hang out with my husband and two kids–a six-year-old boy and

a two-year-old hellion, er, girl. Not surprisingly, reading and writing remain my favorite activities, though both come in bits and pieces these days, not the big hunks of time I en- joyed before I had children. When I’m feeling virtuous, I like to go running (I use that word liberally. I’m really, really slow) or do yoga. Don’t worry, I’m always careful to balance out such activities with a hearty serving of ice cream or a chocolate martini.

Website: http://lexiryan.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexiryan

Twitter: @writerlexiryan; https://twitter.com/writerlexiryan

 

 

PRE-ORDER AVAILABLE!

iBooks: http://bit.ly/1FgI478

Nook: http://bit.ly/1EkPwju

Google: http://bit.ly/1LvqUXl

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1LsmYVo

Release Date: March 18th

 

 

Blurb

Did you want a pat little ending about Jonathan and I riding off into the sunset? Did you want flowers and stars? Man, I wish it was all soft filters and violins. I wish we could fight about who cleaned the bathroom or who was cooking dinner. But I knew I was never destined for simple contentment.

I almost committed murder for him. I almost tore us apart to save him. How do you get back on the horse after that? Because, I promise you, nothing is the same. Nothing.

I’ve earned our happily ever after. Now I have to survive it.

The Complete Submission Series

Eight book bundle of the Submission Series…

ONLY $3.99

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1akAleP

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1wp5gRo

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1DXdDG1

Google Play: http://bit.ly/1Arm1Lj

 

About the Author

CD Reiss is a USA Today and Amazon bestseller. She still has to chop wood and carry water, which was buried in the fine print. Her lawyer is working it out with God but in the meantime, if you call and she doesn’t pick up, she’s at the well, hauling buckets.

Born in New York City, she moved to Hollywood, California to get her master’s degree in screenwriting from USC. In case you want to know, that went nowhere, but it did embed TV story structure in her head well enough for her to take a big risk on a TV series structured erotic series called Songs of Submission. It’s about a kinky billionaire hung up on his ex-wife, an ingenue singer with a wisecracking mouth; art, music and sin in the city of Los Angeles.

Critics have dubbed the books “poetic,” “literary,” and “hauntingly atmospheric,” which is flattering enough for her to put it in a bio, but embarrassing enough for her not to tell her husband, or he might think she’s some sort of braggart who’s too good to give the toilets a once-over every couple of weeks or chop a cord of wood.

If you meet her in person, you should call her Christine.

Stalk Her: Facebook | Twitter | Website | Goodreads | Pinterest | Intagram