Category Archives: Recommendations
SPOTLIGHT ~ HER ANGEL Series by FELICITY HEATON
SPOTLIGHT ~ HER ANGEL SERIES
BY FELICITY HEATON
As you probably know, Rebecca and I are Paranormal lovers (well, more like complete #parawhores!!!)
It’s our go-to genre of choice!!
One of the first #PNR author books I picked up was from Felicity Heaton.
I love how she builds her worlds and the characters she brings to life!!!
Her latest release is book HER AVENGING ANGEL, story #7 in the HER ANGEL series.
Here’s a little more about each book. If you love paranormal and angel in particular, this is a great series that you should check out!!
CHECK OUT THE ANGELS
An angel trapped in Hell for centuries, Apollyon is tired of guarding the Devil. He longs to break free and feel the wind in his feathers, but he cannot leave the endless darkness without permission from above. When he senses someone calling him, he seizes his chance for freedom, but soon discovers the call came from a beautiful woman he has watched over from Hell, a woman who casts a spell on him and awakens the darkest desires of his heart.
Serenity is shocked when a wickedly sensual black-winged angel shows up in her city of Paris claiming that she called him when she was only casting a simple vengeance spell. He’s no other than the angel of death! When the lethally handsome warrior offers to obey her and give her revenge, Serenity can’t resist the temptation, but can she resist the forbidden hungers the dark angel stirs in her?
Intense and passionate, Her Dark Angel is a tale of desire and deepest forbidden love guaranteed to set your heart racing.
An angel accused of a crime he didn’t commit, Lukas has been cast out of Heaven and sentenced to live in the mortal world. For three years, he’s searched for a way to prove his innocence, and for three years, he’s been falling for a beautiful mortal female. When Heaven strips him of his wings, Lukas seeks solace in alcohol, but finds it in Annelie’s arms.
Annelie fell for Lukas the moment he walked into her bar. The tall, sensual blond sets her heart on fire with his otherworldly green eyes and wicked smile, but he’s seriously out of her league. A single heated kiss unleashes Annelie’s passion and she seizes her chance and Lukas with both hands, but in the light of day she discovers that he’s not the man she thought he was—he’s an angel.
Lukas will stop at nothing to prove both his innocence and his love for Annelie, but when he discovers who framed him and she ends up caught in the crossfire, will he be strong enough to protect the woman he loves and fly away with her into their forever after?
One of Heaven’s top hunters, Einar is on a mission to uncover why an angel was working with demons. When he finds the first demon fighting a beautiful woman, he intervenes and saves her life, even when he knows Heaven will hold it against him. The alluring, lethally seductive female is half demon.
There is no love in this world more forbidden than that between an angel and a demon.
Taylor vowed long ago to protect her city from the lowest demons and she isn’t about to let an angel waltz in and take over, and she’s certainly not about to fall in love with him, even if he is gorgeous. Determined to do her job as a hunter, she convinces the dangerously sensual warrior to team up with her, but as the mission leads them deep into the city’s demon underworld, desire flares white-hot between them and not even fear of the consequences can stop the flames of their passion from consuming them both.
Can a love so forbidden ever have a happy ending or are they destined to break each others hearts?
A love so strong it will shake Heaven and Hell.
A guardian angel dedicated to his duty, Marcus will do whatever Heaven asks of him, but even his loyalty has its limits. When his superior orders him to gain Amelia’s trust through seduction, Marcus starts to question his mission and his feelings for the beautiful woman he has watched over since her birth.
Amelia has gone from one bad relationship to another, so when a gorgeous guy moves in next door looking like Mr Right, she hopes he doesn’t turn out to be another black knight in disguise. But there’s more to Marcus than meets the eye, and when he rescues her from three demonic men, Amelia is thrust into his nightmarish world. On the run from demonic angels and the Devil himself, aided by warrior angels and their amazing women, Marcus and Amelia discover a love that will last forever.
When the strength of that love is put to the test, will Marcus and Amelia win their fight for survival against the odds or will they lose in a deadly eternal game between Heaven and Hell?
A demonic angel with a heart of ice, Veiron walks a dark path with vengeance on his mind. Nothing will sway him from his mission to destroy his master… until he risks his life to enter Hell once more to save a mortal female. The fiery beauty makes him burn with hungers he must battle and needs he cannot deny, tempting him to surrender body and soul to her.
Erin is convinced her refusal to do the Devil’s bidding will see her die in a terrifying realm straight out of her nightmares. The last thing she expects is the lethally sensual warrior who breaks into her cell and awakens the darkest desires of her heart and a fierce longing to know the heat of his caress.
Pulled into an incredible world where war is set to ignite and darkness is on the rise, Erin races with Veiron to escape the Devil’s legions in a journey fraught with danger and filled with passion that flares white-hot.
When Erin is faced with a life-shattering realisation and an extraordinary destiny, will their love give them the strength to battle both Heaven and Hell or will they be parted forever?
The King of Demons and the Devil’s right hand man, Asmodeus is a dark angel born of evil and created for destruction. When his master orders him to venture into the mortal world and retrieve a female for him, he seizes the chance to leave Hell for the first time, uncaring of what the Devil has planned for her… until he sets eyes on the most beautiful woman he has ever seen—a female who awakens new feelings within his black heart, unleashing passion so intense that it controls him and desire he cannot resist.
He will not let his wretched master have her. She will belong to him.
Liora is a witch with a bad reputation and an obsession with fighting demons. A mission gone wrong sees her sent to Paris to cool off, but when a dark and deadly warrior with a gaze of golden fire lands in her life, she ends up burning hotter than Hell for the wicked angel. Nothing will stand between her and the immense, forbidding male. Not her cousin. Not Asmodeus’s sworn enemy and twin, Apollyon. And certainly not the Devil.
Caught up in a tempest of danger and soul-searing passion, can they survive against the odds and seize their forever after?
Once a proud angel of Heaven, Nevar is now a servant of Hell, bound to a new master—the King of Demons. Consumed by darkness and driven to seek revenge, he set in motion a series of events that awakened the Great Destroyer, a force that will bring about the apocalypse. Now, he is the creature’s master and the fate of our world rests in the hands of an angel with only darkness in his heart.
Lost in the mortal realm without any recollection of how she came to be there, Lysia is only aware that she has survived a great battle. When she stumbles into a demon bar, she finds more than a chance to discover what happened to her—she finds a dark and deadly angel warrior who stirs fire in her veins and awakens soul-searing passion she cannot deny.
With the mounting threat of the Great Destroyer, the forces of Heaven and Hell against him, and a band of dangerous angels intent on capturing Lysia on his heels, can Nevar protect the beautiful woman who is light to his darkness and find the strength to save the world?
Read more about the series, including excerpts, and find buy links at Felicity’s HER ANGEL PAGE
ABOUT THE SERIES ~ by FELICITY
When I set out to write the Her Angel romance series, I knew that I wanted to write about angels who were still working for a higher power, and that most of them would reside in Heaven, and some of them have turned and joined Hell. I didn’t want to write your typical fallen angel stories. I wanted that added complication of them being still in active service. I feel it adds to a story and gives it a unique twist that other angel romances lack, and also gives it a dash of the forbidden, which I love to write in a story.
Because my angels are still working for the man, I had to think a lot about how they would work and what Heaven would be like. I considered that there would be angels who did different duties and eventually formed several divisions of angel, and decided that each of those divisions would be identified by their appearance. All angels wear armour under normal circumstances. They have a short breastplate and back plate covering their upper torso, and vambraces that cover from their wrist to elbow, as well as greaves that protect their shins and also their boots. Around their hips they wear a loincloth and an armoured skirt type affair, a little like Roman soldiers. The armour of each division is a different colour, as are their wings.
In the Her Angel series, there are four main divisions of angel serving in Heaven. The angels of death all wear black armour with gold edging and detailing, and have beautiful black wings. The angels responsible for intervention and mediating, sort of like what we think of as a regular angel, all have white armour with gold detailing, and white wings, and often use white and gold spears as their weapons of choice. The hunter angels, those responsible for tracking demons and killing them, have tawny wings and brown armour with dull gold detailing, and prefer swords. And finally, the guardian angels have blue armour with silver detailing, and silver-blue wings, and often use spears to fight with too.
Each division has different responsibilities, although all of them are obvious from their division titles, with the exception of the guardians. They do more than just guard. The guardians are split into subdivisions of those who watch over mortals, those who guard Heaven against intruders and act as wardens in the containment facility where demons are kept for questioning, and those who escort mortal souls through Heaven or to Hell on death. Marcus in Her Guardian Angel was the sort of guardian who did many duties, including helping out the other divisions when they were short on staff, and shepherding souls, and then ended up watching over mortals when he lost his wings to a curse, which is how he ends up being Amelia’s guardian angel.
The angels all have different abilities too, although they all share certain common skills such as being able to cast a glamour on themselves to hide their wings and change their appearance to mortal eyes so we don’t see them as angels, and making themselves invisible to mortal eyes during flight, or materialising their weapons and armour from thin air, or making objects appear or disappear in the same fashion. They are all very powerful and otherworldly beings, although some are far more powerful than others, and that all depends on how old the angel in question is.
Age doesn’t necessarily mean the same thing to them as it does to us though. Age to an angel is about the time of their creation, not about when they were last reborn. There are the original angels, and those are the most powerful, and then the other leagues of angels who were created over the centuries after them. Angels can die but they’re reincarnated back into Heaven in their usual physical appearance, always looking the same age and same hair colour, eye colour, etc as before. The only thing that can change about them is their division. Sometimes angels are born into a different division, so they have different wing colour and a different role from before. This isn’t normally a problem because an angel forgets everything about their past life upon rebirth, and learns everything from scratch again, essentially living a whole new life. There are some exceptions though. Apollyon, from my story Her Dark Angel and who also appears and plays a major role in Her Fallen Angel and Her Guardian Angel too, is one of the oldest angels in existence and is forever reborn into the role of angel of death.
Of course, there are also fallen angels, and then there are fallen angels who have gone one step further and have pledged themselves to the Devil. The angels who serve the Devil have a dual appearance. While they often appear like their Heavenly counterparts, human in appearance with the exception of their scarlet wings, they have a more sinister demonic side too. When they change, they grow in stature and size, gaining almost three feet in height. Their skin turns as black as midnight, and their eyes glow red with the fires of Hell, and their teeth turn red and all sharpen into rows of fangs. The crimson drips from their wings like blood to reveal black feathers, which then fall away to reveal dark leathery dragon-like wings. The Devil’s angels, or Hell’s angels as they’re often called, wear obsidian armour with scarlet edging, and often fight with twin curved blades or a double-ended spear. They retain the same powers they had as an angel of Heaven, but can also cast portals too, allowing them to travel from Hell to the mortal realm in the blink of an eye. Veiron in Her Demonic Angel is such an angel.
The angels in my Her Angel series are very complex and live in an equally complex world. They’re eternal, always reborn on death, and are extremely powerful, although each has a different fighting style and they can all have a special power on top of their normal ones, such as healing, and they live in a society split into divisions and are loyal to their duties and their master. But they’re also men, and are passionate about the women they fall in love with, fiercely protective and possessive, and will do anything to ensure the safety of their woman, even if it means turning their back on their duty forever.
I hope this post has given you a little insight into the angels of my Her Angel series and how they differ from other angel romances
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COVER REVEAL ~ Hundred To One by Freya Barker
Hundred To One
(Cedar Tree #2)
by Freya Barker
Release date: December 29, 2014
Cover Model: Steve Gehrke
Photographer: Ivan Avila
Cover Design: Rebel Edit & Design
Goodreads link:
Synopsis:
Arlene Bowers is as tough as nails. She has survived a less than perfect marriage, managing to move past it to run her own diner. Her abrasive exterior has always been a way for her to hide behind the darkness and pain that she has endured, but a recent, violent attack and several disturbing phone calls have that tight hold on her emotions wavering.
Seb Griffin showed up in Cedar Tree eight months ago and was hired on at Arlene’s Diner as a cook. An ex-con with secrets of his own, Seb walks a fine line. Since he began working at the diner, he’s developed feelings for his fierce, stubborn boss, and the need to keep his distance from her, to protect her, is a daily struggle.
When it appears that Arlene’s past has come back, rearing its ugly head while her defenses are low, Seb steps up and claims responsibility for Arlene, praying that he can keep her safe from whatever is coming her way.
**Due to content of a sexually explicit nature, this book is recommended for a mature audience only.**
Author Bio:
Freya Barker has always been creative. Involved in music and dance when she was younger, she followed it up with cake design, quilting, and has most recently added cover design, the Dutch-born Canadian mother of two now has found her voice – writing.
Freya Barker is the pen name for a well-respected reviewer/blogger, who has a strong following on her blog, Facebook and Goodreads. As an avid reader, the next step to pen a book of her own seemed natural.
Driven to make her story about ‘real’ people, Freya writes about people who are perhaps less than perfect, but just as deserving of romance, hot monkey sex and some thrills and chills in their lives!
‘SLIM TO NONE’ ~ Cedar Tree Book #1
Since moving to beautiful Cedar Tree, Colorado, Emma Young, mother of one adult daughter, has worked from home doing some online bookkeeping and baking for her best friend’s diner to supplement her disability pension. Life has been pretty good, that is until she received a strange phone call that starts an alarming chain of events.
Investigator Gus Flemming is hot on the trail of a bail skip with organized crime connections that bring him to Cedar Tree. Once there, the focus of his investigation lands squarely on the gently rounded shoulders of a vivacious red haired Emma, whose physical limitations have done nothing to damped her zest for life.
When it becomes clear that Emma is at risk, Gus does’t hesitate to step in and protect her. Call it a job with some very hot benefits……
**Due to content of a sexually explicit nature, this book is recommended for a mature audience only.**
Sales links:
BLP Review of ‘Slim to None’ ~ Tracy
When I discovered that this book was being released by someone I really liked but had no idea was a writer I was delighted for her while at the same time quite intrigued. I have to admit, before I read the book I had some trepidation, what if I didn’t like it… How could I possibly tell her and hopefully not upset her? Well… I have to say that my worry was totally unnecessary, I honestly loved Slim to None.
Freya’s writing and storytelling had me pulled me in from the start…. As I was reading I could clearly picture the people, the places and the things that were happening.
Being a not so young gal myself, I do love a book with an older H/h and that’s what we got with Gus and Emma. Our heroine was a feisty, determined, strong-willed woman who had a lot of issues to deal with but didn’t let them get her down. I felt for her at times when she experienced confidence blips, for me, this and and a few other things made her feel like a very real character… She wasn’t a slinky, skinny, constantly glammed up slip of a girl as we often encounter in a romance novel and I could relate to her because of that.
Gus, ahhhh Gus…. Hot, sexy, knows what he likes and what he wants. He’s a guy with a good heart, he’s thoughtful, patient, protective and loving but has his own demons to deal with!!
I liked this pair together, they worked for me – from their initial encounter, to their developing relationship, I could see it happening….. I enjoyed the intimacy between them – the sex scenes were hot but, best of all, they were believable!!
The storyline was good and kept me engaged. There was mystery, suspense, some twists and turns and a fair bit of action! The supporting characters were likeable – from Emma’s friends and family, Arlene, Kara and Seb to Gus’s team, Dana, Caleb, Neil and Katie, they gelled and bounced off each other well.
I’d definitely recommend that you give Slim to None a try. It gets a solid 4.5* and I can’t wait for more in this series!
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BLOG TOUR ~ DELICATE INK (Montgomery Ink #1) by CARRIE ANN RYAN
CARRIE ANN RYAN BLOG TOUR FOR:
Delicate Ink
A Montgomery Ink Novel, Book 1
BLURB:
On the wrong side of thirty, Austin Montgomery is ready to settle down. Unfortunately, his inked sleeves and scruffy beard isn’t the suave business appearance some women crave. Only finding a woman who can deal with his job, as a tattoo artist and owner of Montgomery Ink, his seven meddling siblings, and his own gruff attitude won’t be easy.
Finding a man is the last thing on Sierra Elder’s mind. A recent transplant to Denver, her focus is on opening her own boutique. Wanting to cover up scars that run deeper than her flesh, she finds in Austin a man that truly gets to her—in more ways than one.
Although wary, they embark on a slow, tempestuous burn of a relationship. When blasts from both their pasts intrude on their present, however, it will take more than a promise of what could be to keep them together.
CARRIE ANN WEBSITE – Delicate Ink
Delicate Ink on GOODREADS
EXCERPT:
That first person had wanted a dragon on his back. Sure, Austin could have done it, but the kid had wanted to start right then. A full dragon piece would take at least three or four sessions of three hours each. Probably more considering the kid kept shifting from foot to foot as if he couldn’t sit still. Moving during a tattoo meant Austin had to stop and start numerous times or bash the kid’s head in.
Not that he’d ever do that, but he’d thought about it.
So the kid had yelled and bitched about time and demanding it right then for a hundred bucks. Yeah, totally not happening. The next one that came in was some really skinny chick who wanted the undersides of her obviously man-made breasts inked up with Playboy bunnies.
Austin wasn’t even going to touch that one.
Well, to be sure he wouldn’t have to deal with her, he showed her what he’d be working with. The woman freaked out when she saw the needles and left. Considering all the needles that must have touched her skin when she’d had the surgeries to make her body the way it was, her phobia made no sense.
Besides, what did she think they used, Paint By Numbers?
It had continued on like that with idiot after idiot until Austin said enough and locked himself in the back. He would just sketch until lunch and then deal with his scheduled clients.
BUY LINKS:
AUTHOR BIO:
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Carrie Ann Ryan never thought she’d be a writer. Not really. No, she loved math and science and even went on to graduate school in chemistry. Yes, she read as a kid and devoured teen fiction and Harry Potter, but it wasn’t until someone handed her a romance book in her late teens that she realized that there was something out there just for her. When another author suggested she use the voices in her head for good and not evil, The Redwood Pack and all her other stories were born.
Carrie Ann is a bestselling author of over twenty novels and novellas and has so much more on her mind (and on her spreadsheets *grins*) that she isn’t planning on giving up her dream anytime soon.
Get in touch with Carrie Ann Ryan!
Website:
Blog:
Facebook, Author Page:
Facebook, Friend:
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Email:
BLP REVIEW ~ TRACY
TOUR WIDE GIVEAWAY:
This giveaway will be a Carrie Ann Ryan signed paperback and a $15 Amazon gift card
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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BLOG BARRAGE ~ HER AVENGING ANGEL (Her Angel #7) by FELICITY HEATON
Her Avenging Angel, the seventh book in New York Times best-seller Felicity Heaton’s hot paranormal romance series, Her Angel, is now available in eBook and paperback. To celebrate the release, she’s holding a FANTASTIC GIVEAWAY at her website.
Find out how to enter the Her Avenging Angel international giveaway (ends October 26th) and be in with a shot of winning a $75, $50 or $25 gift certificate at her website, where you can also download a 6 chapter sample of the novel.
Here’s more about Her Avenging Angel, including an excerpt from this paranormal romance novel.
Her Avenging Angel (Her Angel Romance Series Book 7)
Felicity Heaton
Once a proud angel of Heaven, Nevar is now a servant of Hell, bound to a new master—the King of Demons. Consumed by darkness and driven to seek revenge, he set in motion a series of events that awakened the Great Destroyer, a force that will bring about the apocalypse. Now, he is the creature’s master and the fate of our world rests in the hands of an angel with only darkness in his heart.
Lost in the mortal realm without any recollection of how she came to be there, Lysia is only aware that she has survived a great battle. When she stumbles into a demon bar, she finds more than a chance to discover what happened to her—she finds a dark and deadly angel warrior who stirs fire in her veins and awakens soul-searing passion she cannot deny.
With the mounting threat of the Great Destroyer, the forces of Heaven and Hell against him, and a band of dangerous angels intent on capturing Lysia on his heels, can Nevar protect the beautiful woman who is light to his darkness and find the strength to save the world?
Her Avenging Angel is available from Amazon Kindle, Kobo Books, Barnes and Noble Nook, Apple iBooks stores and other retailers. Also available in paperback. Find the links to your preferred retailer at Felicity’s website.
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Her Avenging Angel – Excerpt
Nevar silently cursed the black-haired beauty for the millionth time and followed it up with a prayer for control and patience. He downed his drink, keeping him one step away from sober for the next minute at least. It constantly chased on the heels of each drink, his angelic constitution making it difficult for him to get tipsy, let alone drunk. The boss of Cloud Nine had made it the law that the bartenders were to cut him off if he made it past tipsy. She hadn’t appreciated him setting up home in her club and drinking her dry in order to remain drunk, chasing her patrons away.He needed another drink, if only to cope with the head fuck that was the woman beside him.
He had intended to leave the packed noisy club after his previous drink, having already downed twenty glasses rather than the one he had sworn he would have.
She had chosen that moment to walk into his life, drawing the eyes of everyone in the room, including his.
He could lie and say that the first thing he had noticed as the crowd had parted to reveal her was that she wasn’t a mortal, but he was still feeling honest with himself, despite his best attempts to kill that part of his brain with alcohol.
The first thing he had noticed? That was how beautiful she was, with rich hazel eyes and sleek black hair. The second thing he had noticed was how that black hair reached down to her navel, two thick streams of it covering her breasts, but not concealing their dusky peaks.
The third thing had been that she had curves in all the best places, and that he had gone too long without a woman, because just the sight of her had had him steel-hard beneath his loincloth and armour.
That she wasn’t a mortal had been the fifth thing he had noticed about her.
The fourth?
It had been the purity that shone from her, a touch of innocence that showed in how she reacted at times to the men around her and to him. Whether it was a stolen glance or a blush from her, it had him enthralled. Completely enchanted.
Utterly bewitched.
He had noticed many things since then, including that appearances were deceiving and she was powerful beneath that slender feminine exterior. The latest thing he had noticed was that she brought out a dangerous side of himself, one he had never realised the depth and strength of before tonight.
Since her confession that she felt the men here wanted to hurt her, he had found himself wanting to kill any male who so much as looked at her. He couldn’t stop himself from contemplating tearing their heads off or gouging their eyes out with his thumbs. He wanted them all away from her, wanted to take them all down, all to ensure one thing.
That she would feel safe.
Somewhere in the middle of the rollercoaster ride of feelings that had started the second he had set eyes on her and had been sending him hurtling up and down and throwing him for a loop ever since, he had realised something.
He could understand her and no one else in the bar could.
That disturbed him.
It unsettled him almost as much as the feel of her gaze boring into his throat and the need it stirred, a deep consuming desire to feel her teeth pressing into his flesh.
Blood.
He was hungry and that was the only reason he was fantasising about letting the female take a bite out of him. He wanted to do the same thing to her. He wanted to devour her.
He pushed that wicked tempting thought out of his head, replacing it with ones about her language. He was one hundred percent certain that he didn’t have a clue what she was saying and didn’t know her language, but it seemed to filter into English in his head. It wasn’t a power she held, because no one else could understand her.
Was it a power he held?
He was still discovering ones that Asmodeus had passed to him when they had formed a master-servant bond.
Maybe he would ask the bastard about it later, when he returned.
Whenever that would be.
He wasn’t in a hurry. He didn’t give a flying fuck about his duty right now, when in the presence of the immortal beauty beside him. Hell seemed like a million miles away, nothing more than a distant memory, and he liked it that way. For the first time in what felt like forever, the weight of the world and his sins wasn’t resting heavily on his shoulders. What was it about her that chased all his cares away?
Was it just because he was so absorbed in studying her, had all of his focus pinned on her and turned away from himself, or was it something else at work?
The female was taking her time with her glass of blood. Savouring it. Fuck, how he would do the same. He would treat it like ambrosia, manna, a gift from the highest power. He would taste every drop, savour every molecule, and relish every trickle of heat that would flow through his veins as his body absorbed it.
Nevar growled and closed his eyes, fighting the urge to swipe the glass away from her and down its contents.
He wouldn’t touch the blood. He was stronger than the curse the sorceress had placed on him. He would overcome it.
The little beauty next to him shifted on her seat, stealing his focus away from himself again and back to her. He opened his eyes and slid them towards her, studying her as she leaned on the bar and sipped her drink, her eyes pinned on the dark surface now.
Her black hair had fallen forwards with her, revealing a dark streak on her skin that cut down under the collar of the robe.
He reached out with his right hand and brushed the black material aside, revealing her creamy shoulder. He traced his fingertips lightly over the deep healing wound on her left shoulder.
A dark rosy hue climbed her cheeks and she shied away from his touch, bringing her right hand up to catch her robe.
Enthralling.
She had walked in here naked as the day she had been born, brazen and bold, yet him seeing her bare shoulder had turned her shy.
She had tossed Villandry across the room when he had attempted to touch her, yet him laying his fingers on her caused her to blush.
“Who did this to you?” Whoever it had been, he wanted to kill them and avenge her. That dark urge swirled in his chest, malevolent and powerful, a force that felt as if it was strong enough to seize control of him by spreading through his limbs, twining tendrils around each bone, and hijacking command of his body.
Although, this time he would willingly hand control over to his darkness, embracing it in order to strike down whoever had harmed her.
He studied the healing mark that looked as if it had been done with a blade, his mood darkening as he recalled that it wasn’t the only one her body bore. Someone had hurt her, lacerating her pale smooth skin, and they would pay for it.
A brief shadow of panic crossed her hazel eyes and she looked away. “I cannot remember. I woke not far from here.”
“Naked?” he offered.
She nodded, but didn’t seem concerned by it. It concerned him.
He looked her over and the darkness stirred within him, roused by the insidious words whispering through his mind.
“You were not touched there?” His anger spiked at the thought that such a pure female might have been sullied in such a fashion.
That her fear of the males in the bar might stem from such a horrific act of abuse.
His claws elongated as the black writhed up his arms, gaining ground, his darker self pushing for freedom. His fangs punched long from his gums and he had to fight hard to tamp down the urge to call one of his black blades to him.
She didn’t seem to understand.
He looked down at her hips.
Her blush deepened. “No. It was a battle.”
That drew a frown from him. “You were naked though.”
She nodded.
His frown hardened. “How did you come to be naked?”
She looked into his eyes, hers as flat and emotionless as her face, and said, “I never had robes on.”
She touched the one she wore, glancing down at it and then back at him.
A smile curved her rosy lips. “It’s beautiful.”
It wasn’t. It was plain and black, but she treated it as if it was precious, stroking her fingers over the material, a smile on her face and a sparkle in her hazel eyes.
It made him wish he had manifested her something worthy of being called beautiful just so he could see how she would react to it.
So she was wearing something worthy of her.
She raised her eyes back to his and he knew he was about to sound like an idiot, but he needed to be sure he understood her.
“You fight naked?” He waited for a reaction to that, sure she would laugh at him.
She nodded. He looked her over again, recalling her curves and how they had inflamed him. Still inflamed him.
Fighting naked would certainly give her an advantage over a male opponent, but it provided no protection for her too.
“I can highly recommend armour.” He regretted it the moment it left his lips and she looked down at his, making it clear that she could see straight through his glamour to his real appearance. Her eyes danced over every piece of it, studying it so closely that he squirmed under the scrutiny.
He had loved his armour once, when it had been blue edged with silver, the colours of a guardian angel, and his wings had been stunning silvery-blue.
His contract with Asmodeus had turned it obsidian edged with violet and had corrupted his wings, turning them as black as Hell.
He could do nothing about either of them, no matter how deeply he wished he could.
So he kept his wings hidden so he didn’t have to see them and did his best not to look at his armour. He had once considered giving it up and disposing of it somehow, but it provided protection, and he didn’t think he could fight like the delicate-looking female currently staring in absorbed fascination at him.
Naked.
Maybe he could fight naked with her.
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Her Avenging Angel is available from Amazon Kindle, Kobo Books, Barnes and Noble Nook, Apple iBooks stores and other retailers. Also available in paperback.
Find all the links, a fantastic 6 chapter downloadable sample of the book, and also how to enter the giveaway and be in with a shot of winning a $75, $50 or $25 gift certificate at her website:
Books in the Her Angel paranormal romance series:
Book 1: Her Dark Angel – FREE in ebook at selected retailers
Book 2: Her Fallen Angel
Book 3: Her Warrior Angel
Book 4: Her Guardian Angel
Book 5: Her Demonic Angel
Book 6: Her Wicked Angel
Book 7: Her Avenging Angel
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About Felicity Heaton:
Felicity Heaton is a New York Times and USA Today international best-selling author writing passionate paranormal romance books. In her books, she creates detailed worlds, twisting plots, mind-blowing action, intense emotion and heart-stopping romances with leading men that vary from dark deadly vampires to sexy shape-shifters and wicked werewolves, to sinful angels and hot demons! If you’re a fan of paranormal romance authors Lara Adrian, J R Ward, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Gena Showalter and Christine Feehan then you will enjoy her books too.
If you love your angels a little dark and wicked, the best-selling Her Angel series is for you. If you like strong, powerful, and dark vampires then try the Vampires Realm series or any of her stand-alone vampire romance books. If you’re looking for vampire romances that are sinful, passionate and erotic then try the best-selling Vampire Erotic Theatre series. Or if you prefer huge detailed worlds filled with hot-blooded alpha males in every species, from elves to demons to dragons to shifters and angels, then take a look at the new Her Angel series.
If you want to know more about Felicity, or want to get in touch, you can find her at the following places:
Website:
Blog:
Facebook:
Twitter:
Goodreads:
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Fancy winning an eBook from the HER ANGEL series?
Enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway below…..
Her Angel eBook Giveaway
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BLP REVIEW ~ TRACY
We met Nevar previously in the series when he was Erin’s guardian angel. Following an altercation in hell with Asmodeus, he was bound in a contract to the King of Demons after which he fell from grace and became lost & kinda evil, though lets face it, a lot of that was his own doing as he embraced the darkness that was taking him over and through this he became fairly self-destructive ….
I have to admit that I wasn’t the biggest fan of Nevar in either ‘Her Demonic Angel’ – due to the fact that for most of the time he was an annoying goody-two-shoes angel – or in ‘Her Wicked Angel’ – as he was a total git, so twisted and set upon revenge that he would stop at nothing to get to his ‘Master’ regardless of what he had to do or who he had to hurt in the process….
Which lead us to where we meet him in Her Avenging Angel . Having stirred the Great Destroyer, Nevar now needs to guard the chamber under which it rests, keeping watch to see if the beast wakes – not forgetting that this awakening would signal the apocalypse and the beginning of the end for all 3 realms – which he does, of a fashion, until he gets bored and hits the mortal realm for sustenance and escape (with the added bonus of really hacking off Asmodeus into the bargain!!). While he’s out of hell he meets Lysia in a demon bar – and wow, what a meeting that is!!
Those who have read Felicity’s books before know that she has a way of making you fall for the bad boys – especially the busted and broken ones and boy does she succeed with Never.
Within about 4 pages of starting HAA I found myself liking the fallen angel and hoping that things worked out for him.. Didn’t count on that happening – at least not so quickly!
Throughout the book we see Nevar battle his demons while trying to regain some of the angel/man he was.
Lysia is adorable, in a badass, oh hell kinda way.. She has no recollection of where she has come from or who she is but she is drawn to Nevar and trusts that he will help her.
There is a spark between these 2 from the outset and I loved how their story and relationship developed. It didn’t come as a great surprise to find out what role Lysia played in the story but that, for me, didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book in any way.
We meet up again with the rest of the gang as they try to decide what to do about Lysia and how best they can (or even if they should) help her. Once again they do battle with good & evil and show us just what a formidable force they are.
The Devil himself makes an appearance (I really do like him – even if I shouldn’t – I especially enjoy his verbal sparring with Veiron!) and there’s a new demonic body that I was delighted to be introduced to!!!
We are also introduced to some new angels who are very interesting and have me torn as to how I feel about them – least said about them the better – you’ll get to make up your mind about them soon enough.
Her Avenging Angel is my 2nd favourite book in the series – Her Demonic Angel is in top spot as Veiron and Erin are always gonna be my #1 couple.
With great writing, some gut wrenching & emotional events, a healthy dose of red hot sex, more trouble-making and meddling from both heaven and hell, some laugh out loud interactions and as ever, a terrific cast of characters, Her Avenging Angel is a fantastic action packed adventure that culminates in a heart stopping battle and is a great way to round off the series. A solid 5* read and a book that I will definitely go back to again in the future!!!
If you haven’t yet read the other books in the Her Angel series I would say that you should do so before you read Her Avenging Angel to allow you to fully understand and enjoy the story.
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HER AVENGING ANGEL Blog Tour Schedule
October 11:
Isalovesbooks
Page Flipperz
Words, Words, Words
Feeling Fictional
Book Loving Pixies
October 12:
Barbara Book Review
Archaeolibrarian
Calling All Bookaholics!
Kristina’s Books & More
October 13:
Aly’s Miscellany
Monlatable Book Reviews
My BookMine
Romancing the Dark Side
The Jeep Diva
October 14:
thehellviscompendium
Yeyas Ramblings
Angel’s Guilty Pleasures
Rantings Of A Reading Addict
Indy Book Fairy
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October 15:
Book Lovin’ Mamas
I Smell Sheep
A_TiffyFit’s Reading Corner
Proserpine Craving Books
deal sharing aunt
Sharing Links and Wisdom
October 16:
Literary Escapism
Book Reviews by Lynn
Mo_Books
Booked & Loaded
We All Make Mistakes In Books
October 17:
She Hearts Books
Adria’s Romance Reviews
October 18:
Smexy Fab Four
Bex ‘n’ Books
Corazones Literarios
Book Nook Nuts
October 19:
BookSkater
Book Lovers Life
Satins Bookish Corner
My Favorite Things
October 20:
Warrior Woman Winmill
Spicy, Small Town Romance Served Here
The Heart of a Reader
Celestial Reviews
t’irla’s talk
October 21:
Novel Addiction
Pearls Cast Before A McPig
Secret Realm Book Reviews
MsRomanticReads
October 22:
The Reading Cafe
EBook Obsessed
Yolanda Ashton
Bitches n Prose
October 23:
Paranormal Pleasures
Mad Hatter Reads
Fang Freakin’ Tastic Reviews
Eskimo Princess Book Reviews
October 24:
KT Book Reviews
Urban Fantasy Investigations
Reading Between the Wines Book Club
October 25:
Vampy and racey
Totally Addicted to Reading
Inner Goddess
Becca Anne’s Book Reviews
October 26:
The Book Nympho
EndlessReading
Sportochick’s Musings
Girl with Pen
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New Release, Review & Recommendation: The McCauley Brothers series from Marie Harte
INTRODUCING…THE McCAULEY BROTHERS
Welcome to the rough-and-tumble McCauley family, a tight-knit band of four bachelor brothers who work hard, drink beer, and relentlessly tease each other. When three independent women move in next door, all hell breaks loose.
ADD the series to your TBR list on GOODREADS
SHE’S SWORN OFF MEN
It’s been the day from hell for Maddie. Instead of offering a promotion, her boss made a pass. She quit, then got dumped by her lukewarm boyfriend. As the fiery redhead has a foul-mouthed meltdown, her green-eyed neighbor Flynn McCauley stands in her kitchen…completely captivated.UNTIL HE THROWS A WRENCH INTO HER PLANS
He was just there to fix the sink as a favor. He’s not into relationships. She’s done with idiots. But where there are friends…sometimes there are benefits. And sometimes the boy next door might be just what you need at the end of every day.TTND – BUY LINKS:
HE CAN’T GET HER OUT OF HIS HEAD
It’s lust at first sight when Brody Singer first lays eyes on Abby Dunn. The dark-haired beauty looks a lot like a woman he once knew, who died years ago. At first Brody fears his attraction is a holdover from that secret crush, but Abby’s definitely different. She’s a lot shyer, a lot sexier and, despite her attempts to dissuade his interest, absolutely mesmerizing.SHE CAN’T GET HIM OUT OF HER BOOKS
Abby isn’t having it. She’s still trying to put her last disastrous relationship behind her and overcome the flaws her ex wouldn’t let her forget. But somehow Brody isn’t getting the hint. It doesn’t help that when writing her steamy novels, she keeps casting Brody as the hero.Brody is more than happy to serve as her muse and eager to help make sure her “research” is authentic. But when their research turns into something real…will she choose her own happily ever after?
HTHAH – BUY LINKS:
IT’S NOT EASY BEING RIGHT
Vanessa Campbell is a CPA by day and a perfectionist by night. She’s fit, successful…and decidedly lonely. She can’t stop thinking about the youngest McCauley brother, Cameron. He’s just like her: smart, attractive, and usually right-except when dealing with her.…BUT SOMEONE’S GOT TO DO IT
Cameron McCauley likes Vanessa a little too well. She’s a blond goddess with a razor-sharp tongue. She hates to be wrong, just like him. But she can hold a grudge and is stubborn to a fault-also like him.A past misunderstanding has them rubbing each other the wrong way. Cam is dying to shake Vanessa up-get her to let loose. But if he succeeds, can his heart handle it?
RMP – BUY LINKS:
……. and due for release on 4 November ’14
WHAT IS WITH MIKE McCAULEY?
Every time Delilah Webster runs into Mike McCauley, he practically bites her head off. The rough-and-tumble contractor clearly has baggage. Del has her own emotional scars and knows she’s better off keeping her distance, but Mike’s temptation in jeans and a T-shirt and she’s always been good with her hands…
There’s something about the strong-willed mechanic that sets Mike’s motor running–and scares the hell out of him. Mike has loved and lost and will never hurt like that again, even if that means walking away from a woman who makes him feel alive for the first time in years.
When a simple kiss turns hot and heavy, Mike discovers he can’t stay away, no matter how certain he is they’re destined to crash and burn…
PRE-ORDER LINKS
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Author Bio ~ MARIE HARTE
I’ve been writing as far back as I can remember. Interest in the written word, no doubt spawned by my English teacher father, continues to this day. I’m a voracious reader, gobbling everything from romance to horror to fantasy and more. I’m in love with the art of putting pen to paper…so to speak.
I majored in English from Penn State University, earning a B.A. in Liberal Arts, as well as a commission in the United States Marine Corps. Five years later, after serving as a communications officer, I left the service to focus more on family. After going through an assortment of jobs–the Marine Corps Reserve, an IT representative, a middle manager for a Fortune 500 transportation company–I stopped working to raise two new additions to the family–my youngest sons. During this period, I decided to stop dreaming and start seriously writing.
In December of 2004 my first story was published, and I haven’t looked back since. I currently have over a hundred titles (yeah, shocked me too!) with Carina, Ellora’s Cave, Fated Desires, Loose Id, Samhain, Sourcebooks, and Totally Bound.
I’ve received several awards to include: the 2005 Passionate Plume for Scifi/fantasy romance, the 2006 Amber Quill Heat Wave contest winner, 1st Place in Steamy Erotic romance for the 2006 Lories, finalist in the 2007 Linda Howard Award of Excellence, finalist in the 2008 Reveal Your Inner Vixen MRWA contest, and finalist in the 2012 Reveal Your Inner Vixen MRWA contest. (Photo courtesy of Aliona O’Brien Photography)
Some facts about me
- I’m a mood reader. If I read a book with a bad ending, it throws me into a funk for days.
- If it’s paranormal, I’m digging it.
- I majored in English but never read Charles Dickens until a few years ago. I have yet to read Jane Austen. Seriously.
- I’m naturally lazy but perform best under deadlines.
- I’ve fired a 9mm pistol, a Squad Automatic Weapon, an M16A2 rifle, an M203 grenade launcher, and have thrown live grenades. And I loved it!
- Grammar is my rock. I respect those who know when to use their, there and they’re correctly.
- I’m definitely a night owl.
- I love books. I’ll read until they bury me, and then I’ll haunt libraries.
- I can’t write to music or television. I need perfect quiet.
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BLP Reviews:
REBECCA:
Usually when an author does a sibling series you have a favourite, one that you connect with for whatever the reason more than the others. Well not this time with these gorgeous boys. Each one I thoroughly enjoyed although if I’m honest all bets are off for Mike and Del’s book as I do have a soft spot for them. Let’s face it tall, built, and good with his hands, she’s tattooed, pierced and has attitude in spades so they could be made for me!
However I digress so let’s start with The Troublemaker Next Door (McCauley Brothers #1)
Flynn and Maddie’s Story
When Flynn McCauley meets Maddie Gardner, sparks fly. She hates men. He’s not into relationships. She lost her job. He fixed her sink – but that’s not all he wants to fix. When a ride home turns into a lot more, Maddie and Flynn decide to keep things strictly casual. Strictly sexual. They won’t date. And they end up not dating…a lot. But soon Flynn wants more from the wary redhead. If he can just keep her distracted long enough to burrow under her skin, Flynn might convince Maddie they have a shot at real happiness. That’s if Maddie can overcome her past to take a chance on the future.
PRODUCT WARNINGS
When a woman wronged tangles with a sexy plumber, his three hot brothers, and his conniving nephew, shenanigans ensue. Not to mention the man clearly has no concept of what the word “casual” means.
Flynn is fabulous (yes, I know I overuse the word but he is!), flirty, funny with a dash of the most delicious naughtiness. Maddie is my kind of kind of high maintenance girl with a penchant for drama.
They are attracted instantly but go for the tried and tested (though rarely actually works) ‘Friends With Benefits’ route rather than an actual relationship.
ALLEDGEDLY!!
In reality they are never casual.……..
I love that Maddie is sassy and strong but that Flynn is not put off by any of it, the attitude or the drama, he rolls with it and knows this is his girl if he can convince her. Their chemistry together is ridiculously hot, this is not a chick lit and he kissed her book. It’s a hot sexy steamy read without any bikers, rockers, billionaires or darkness, it’s REAL, yes, caps lock REAL. The men, women, family, jobs, relationships and the incredible banter, humour and sex that ties it all together into is real, and there’s not enough just plain feel good real romances out there. A cracking start to the series.
How to Handle a Heartbreaker (McCauley Brothers #2)
Brody and Abby’s Story
Brody Singer took one look at Abby Dunn and fell in instant lust. Abby looks a lot like a woman he once knew, one who died years ago. But is his attraction merely a holdover from a secret crush from long ago? But Abby’s definitely someone different. She’s a lot shier, a lot sexier, and despite her attempts to dissuade his interest, mesmerizing.
Abby isn’t having it. She’s still trying to put her last disastrous relationship behind her and overcome the flaws her ex so kindly pointed out. She’s too short, too plump, too boring, too blah. But somehow Brody isn’t getting the picture that someone as handsome and built as he is should be with a woman far prettier. It doesn’t help that when writing her steamy books, she keeps casting Brody as the hero.
Only Abby can write her own ending. She just has to decide which version to keep: the one where she shows Brody she’s a woman worth keeping and he’s a man worth loving? Or the one where she settles for a rough draft of a life, alone and safe from ever getting hurt again?
PRODUCT WARNINGS
This book involves a charmingly sexy plumber, a slightly neurotic writer, one God-ugly dog, a crafty six-year-old, meddling family, a tragic past, card cheats, and some wily action between the sheets–compliments of two people fighting against falling in love.
Brody and his hound are both loveable rogues of the best kind, both need discipline and love. Abby is a nerd with a secret, she writes steamy books with all the steam happening in her head not her bed.
When we met Brody in Troublemaker I had no idea how many layers there were going to be to this man and how much that rogue persona was him yes but hiding so much. Not a McCauley by blood but in every other way Flynn and Brody are like twins. Incredibly close, they are hilarious and their escapades make you laugh, blush and sob!
Abby has confidence issues after an ex did a number on her. Brody offers to show her some of his moves with a touch of kink thrown in and give her a man’s perspective purely as research for her books!
The back and forth between these two was a far more emotional read than #1 but just as enjoyable. They both have demons, both believe themselves not worthy of the other and their journey is very different to Flynn and Maddie.
I like a heroine who is curvy and petite not thin and willowy all the time, again with the real factor and I love that Brody adores her for her. They bring the best out in each other and the way they fiercely defend the other made me smile. Both Colin and Mutt gave me many laughter moments, I may adopt both.
Ruining Mr Perfect (McCauley Brothers#3)
Cameron and Vanessa’s Story
IT’S NOT EASY BEING RIGHT
Vanessa Campbell is a CPA by day and a perfectionist by night. She’s fit, successful…and decidedly lonely. She can’t stop thinking about the youngest McCauley brother, Cameron. He’s just like her: smart, attractive, and usually right-except when dealing with her.
…BUT SOMEONE’S GOT TO DO IT
Cameron McCauley likes Vanessa a little too well. She’s a blond goddess with a razor-sharp tongue. She hates to be wrong, just like him. But she can hold a grudge and is stubborn to a fault-also like him.
A past misunderstanding has them rubbing each other the wrong way. Cam is dying to shake Vanessa up-get her to let loose. But if he succeeds, can his heart handle it?
Cameron is the oddball McCauley. Intelligent, driven and makes his living with his brain rather his hands. He knows his family loves him but also don’t always understand him.
Vanessa is intelligent, driven and understands numbers, they don’t lie or have emotions which, to her, equates to safe. Her family is cold and focused on her academic and business achievements so a busy interfering loud but loving family is foreign to her.
Vanessa is attracted to Cameron but wary of involvement as she knows relationships are not her thing. Her friends are so happy with Cameron’s brothers she doesn’t want to upset the balance.
I didn’t expect to like Cameron and Vanessa but oh I was so wrong, again they are completely different from the previous couples but still so enjoyable. I also loved the side story with Beth and James, to see that time does change things but fight hard enough for what you want and you can save and better it.
SO……………………………..
What do I want to say about this series as a whole?
The overwhelming factor for me that makes these such an enjoyable read is the amazing banter between all the characters, primary and secondary. The affection, humour and love shines through, the teasing, flirting, arguing, dirty sexy talk and insults flung around through these books make them a pleasure to experience. Like every family they will frustrate and exasperate you – you will be rooting for them while screaming at them!
In a world full of angsty contemporary romance where you sometimes want a palate cleanse these are a joy, they remind me of the reasons I love Jennifer Crusie, Rachel Gibson, Susan Anderson just to name a few. Authors I read in paperback but with the advance of the E-Reader and therefore the popularity of indie writers have not touched in a while. Marie Harte writes a steamy sexy damn fine romance but throw in this gift for the humour and banter and they are a winner for an easy read that will leave you with a smile, a warm heart and tingles in places!
I commented previously that another factor was they are “real “no billionaires, no rock gods, no MC bikers, just normal real men with strong family values who want a good woman and a good life. Simple things that in reality we all want and while I read contemporary romantic fiction and don’t mind the plausibility being stretched a tad it’s a pleasant change of pace to read real, that could be any family anywhere with its ups & downs, tragedies and celebrations. Just trying to get by day to day, working hard and playing hard.
It’s an engaging series, well written with a fabulous quota of panty melting scenes all wrapped up in humour.
I’m looking forward to What to Do With a Bad Boy.
TRACY:
The Troublemake Next Door
I’ve been a huge fan of the Warren brothers since Marie’s first book in the Wicked Warren series but after reading The Troublemaker Next Door, I can honestly say Gage and his brothers have serious BBF competition in the shape of those fabulous McCauley brothers…
TTND was a fun, flirty, hot read and I loved every minute of it.
I liked both the main characters, though I could have slapped Maddie silly a time or two. Flynn was a surprise, alpha without being OTT and his reactions to Maddie & her behaviour had me falling for him more!!!
The story kept me interested and the characters, including the family and friends we were introduced to, kept me amused!!
Laughs, love & lots of heat…. A really great read and I cannot wait for more in the series!!! ❤
How to Handle a Heartbreaker
I have been looking forward to Abby & Brody’s book ever since reading The Troublemaker Next Door .
Brody is a fun, easy going character who is secretly hiding things about his life that his adopted family know little or nothing about.
Abby is a steamy romance writer who hasn’t had the best of times when it comes to relationships and has low confidence and esteem when it comes to men!
Both have issues that they need to talk about and address but, when they get together some things are left unsaid, which of course leads to upset, hurt and misunderstandings (jeez, at times I had such a desire to slap both of them and give them a shake to make them see sense!!!)
I LOVE the McCauley Brothers series. All of the brothers and the rest of the family appear in the books – they are a fun, loving and very likable cast. I love Mutt – he’s such a crazy pooch!!
I would warn you that a supply of tissues is a necessity when reading How To Handle A Heartbreaker… It really tugs at your heart and you can’t help but feel for Brody and how he thinks because of the things that he’s hiding!
Ruining Mr. Perfect
I wasn’t sure that I was gonna like Vanessa as much as I liked her room-mates, but in reading Ruining Mr. Perfect, I found her to be more likeable that I expected. She’s more than the sarcastic, blunt talking OCD accountant that we’ve met so far!
I really liked Cameron ~ he’s sweet and kinda sensitive. When he sets his mind to something he’s very focused and doesn’t stop until he gets what he wants. He’s got a tougher side than I’d thought he would have and he and V are definitely a well suited pair.
As ever, it was fun to catch up with the rest of the brothers and their girlfriends. Colin & Mike make me laugh and I’m intrigued as to how things will work out in What to do With a Bad Boy (Book #4 which focuses on Mike & Del)
I must admit that while I enjoyed RMP it’s not as big a fave as How to Handle a Heartbreaker (book #2) is for me.
The side story about the brothers’ parents was good but I’d have happily read more about Cam & Vanessa rather than read as much about Bitsy and Pop… saying that, the storyline about their parents didn’t in any way detract from V & C’s story.
I would recommend Ruining Mr. Perfect to those who have already read the other books in the McCauley Brothers series and to all fans of Marie’s books!!
**I received an ARC copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**
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NEW RELEASE – ADDICTIVE (DEADLY LOVE#2) BY JESSICA PRINCE
ADDICTIVE (DEADLY LOVE#2)
BY
JESSICA PRINCE
*Gabriel and Marley’s story concludes in Addictive*
The past always comes back to haunt you.
Well my past is worse than most, and it hasn’t come back solely to haunt me.
It’s returned to annihilate me and everyone I love.
Now I know our pasts are tied together.
I should have stayed away. I should have continued to run.
But I couldn’t.
Gabriel is my addiction.
No matter how hard I fight it, I just can’t let him go.
My love for him is all consuming. I want him with everything I am.
He gave me light when I’ve lived in a world of nothing but darkness.
But the other shoe has finally dropped.
Our pasts have returned.
And they’ve set out to destroy us both.
Addictive: http://amzn.com/B00NA5SJ4Q
CATCH UP ON THE FIRST DEADLY LOVE FOR 99 CENTS
DESTRUCTIVE (DEADLY LOVE#1)
Men cause nothing but pain.
I live my life by these five words. For me, they have always proven to be true. Men have only brought hurt and suffering my entire life, leaving nothing but devastation in their wake.
I fear them. I hate them.
Until him.
Gabriel forced his way into my life, ripping down the walls I’ve built around myself. He wants me, and he’ll stop at nothing to have me. I should be terrified of what he makes me feel. So why do I crave him anyway?
I see the red flags and warning signs, but I just can’t help myself. I’m his obsession. I thought he was my salvation. But now I know his love could destroy me.
Destructive: http://amzn.com/B00L1RS34Q
AUTHOR BIO
I’m a wife, mother, wino, coffee addict and avid a lover of all types of books, but romances are my main favs. My husband likes to say reading is my obsession but I just say it’s my passion… there’s a difference.
I’ve been writing since I was a little kid and I finally decided to take the leap and actually publish when Picking up the Pieces came to me. Now that I’ve been bitten by the writing bug I just can’t seem to stop.
OUR REVIEWS TO FOLLOW SOON BUT WE CONSIDER JESSICA PRINCE A MUST READ SO HIGHLY RECOMMEND
REBECCA & TRACY
*******
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BLOG TOUR ~ SEPARATION (The Kane Trilogy #2) by Stylo Fantome
Can the Devil be Forgiven?
Everything is fun and games till someone gets hurt, and what Jameson Kane did to Tatum O’Shea goes so far beyond hurt, he is well into the realm of unforgivable. Tate says she wants him gone for good, and he quickly learns that the old saying, “you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone”, is most definitely true.
But Jameson has never been very good at following instructions, and when Satan decides to seek redemption, he’ll go to great lengths to get it. He proposes one last game – one to end them all, if she agrees to play. He is very confident that he can win, but Tate warns him that’s not possible; she will not lose again. Little does she know, Jameson is prepared to do whatever it takes. Prepared to lay the entire world at her feet. Prepared to bear his soul.
What he didn’t count on, though, was handing the damn thing over.
Now he can only pray that his evil ways haven’t rubbed off on Tate too much. Sometimes, it’s very difficult to tell who the Devil really is …
WARNING: contains a semi-reformed devil, a woman scorned, and more Sanders than anyone has a right to witness. Also graphic sexual situations and strong language.
Crazy woman living in an undisclosed location in Alaska (where the need for a creative mind is a necessity!), I have been writing since …, forever? Yeah, that sounds about right. I have been told that I remind people of Lucille Ball – I also see shades of Jennifer Saunders, and Denis Leary. So basically, I laugh a lot, I’m clumsy a lot, and I say the F-word A LOT.
I like dogs more than I like most people, and I don’t trust anyone who doesn’t drink. No, I do not live in an igloo, and no, the sun does not set for six months out of the year, there’s your Alaska lesson for the day. I have mermaid hair – both a curse and a blessing – and most of the time I talk so fast, even I can’t understand me.
Yeah. I think that about sums me up.
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September 29
Christy Herself! | Mad Love Book Blog |
Stories & Swag | we stole your book boyfriend |
Best Book Boyfriends | Nice and Naughty Book Club |
Trina and Taylors Bedtime Stories |
SBM Book Obsession | Til The Last Page Book Blog |
macs book blog | Book Groupies
September 30
She Hearts Books | Whispered Thoughts |
Smile Somebody Loves You | Books and Beyond Fifty Shades |
Just another girl and her books | ♥The Romance Vault♥ |
Monlatable Book Reviews | My Book Inspired Ramblings |
Craves the Angst | Book Loving Pixies
October 1
my midnight fantasies| Author Sandra Love |
Bookworm Betties | Triple B’s Badass Book Boyfriends |
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Turn the Page
Jameson hadn’t seen how it had started, just how it had ended. When he’d walked into Sanders’ room and saw a man in a suit bent over Tatum, he had thought it was actually Sanders himself, at first. Talk about upsetting. Sanders was like a son to Jameson, he didn’t want to have to kill him.
But it wasn’t Sanders. It was Dunn, Jameson’s business partner there in Boston. A man Jameson had gone to school with, a man he had known for a long time. Dunn knew that Tate was off limits. Tate knew that Jameson didn’t want her to sleep with any of his friends or colleagues. Breaking rules was apparently par for the course that night. Jameson had wanted to murder them both, but he’d settled for beating the shit out of Dunn, and then kicking Tatum out of the house. He hadn’t bothered to look in the bathroom. He never bothered to look at anything, ever. He didn’t have to – he didn’t care. Right? Right?
She had bled. How could I not notice that she was bleeding? Even I never made her bleed.
Jameson pressed his back against the door, then slid in to a sitting position. Put his head in his hands. He was a Yale graduate. He owned multiple businesses, in multiple countries. He played the stock market like he’d invented it, and owned real estate so pricey, even Donald Trump was interested. He was considered by many to be a very smart, calculating man.
But suddenly he felt very stupid. Brought down by a woman with black hair and dark eyes. A sexy wit and a sexier body. A bartender, coupon clipper, temp worker. A college drop out turned party girl, with loose morals and legs that rarely closed.
So much better than him, in every way, shape, and form.
Her only downside was thinking she could use sex as a weapon. She’d always been too naive to realize that sometimes, weapons could backfire.
It had certainly backfired on him.
***********************
“How about just one last game. No-holds-barred, winner takes all,” Jameson offered.
“How about that’s a really bad idea,” Tate replied, but he could tell that she was intrigued.
“Give me a month,” he started. Her eyebrows raised above her glasses and she turned towards him.
“A month to what?” she asked.
“One month to convince you that I’m not the devil,” he stated. Tate burst out laughing.
“A leopard can’t change his spots, Jameson. But go head, explain your little game. I could use some cheering up,” she snickered.
“One month to convince you that I’m not the devil, that things can be as good between us as they ever were,” he continued.
“Hmmm. Not very appetizing, I’m not really winning on this deal,” Tate pointed out, still smiling to herself.
Jameson got up from his chair. Slowly walked around the table. She stiffened up when he got next to her, but she didn’t move away when he leaned down close to her head. Pressed a hand to the side of her face to bring her in close to his lips.
“One month to make you forget that your ballplayer even exists,” he whispered against her ear. Oh yes, he knew all about the ballplayer; Jameson had an online subscription to The Boston Globe.He could feel something. Her body was connected to his, in some inexplicable way. It always had been, ever since their very first time together. She didn’t move at all, but he could feel her skin come to life. Like it was vibrating, humming with energy.
“It’s cute that you even think that’s possible,” Tate whispered back, but he was already grinning. He knew she was bluffing. He let go of her and stood upright.“One month, Tatum. Here, with me and Sanders.”
“Ooohhh, I get Sanders in the deal, too?”
“Looked to me like you already had him.”
“Jealous?”
“Don’t be stupid.”
“But what do I get out of this?” she pressed him. Jameson sighed.
“If after one month, you still don’t want anything to do with me, you have my promise that I’ll leave you alone. No showing up at your home, or your job, or talking to your friends. Any of that bullshit. I’ll even do split custody with Sanders. I’ll let you go. Once and for all. We let this go, whatever this is,” he told her, gesturing between them.
Tate was silent for a long time. If it hadn’t been for the stern set of her mouth, he almost would’ve thought she’d fallen asleep.
But after a long time, she opened her mouth. Closed it. Thought for a second longer. Opened it again.
“You have to know, you won’t win,” Tate warned him.Looks like I already have.
“Won’t know for sure until I’ve tried. But you have to be honest with me, you can’t fake anything or lie. You have to let me do whatever I want,” Jameson amended the deal.
“I was always honest with you, and you should never be allowed to do whatever you want,” she replied. He laughed.
“Fair enough. Do we have a deal? One whole month, starting today?” he asked.
“You won’t win,” she warned him again, but she held out her hand. He took it in his own.
“Baby girl, I never lose.”
PROLOGUE:
~Sanders~
People often thought “Sanders” was Sanders’ last name; it wasn’t – his last name was Dashkevich. Sanders was the name of some long forgotten relative. Kind of exotic, really. But he never explained this story, he just let people think what they wanted. That always seemed to work out best for him.
He was thirteen when Mr. Jameson Kane found him, starving on the streets of London. He had tried to steal from Jameson. He had been very bad at pickpocketing, and Jameson had grabbed him by the collar, held him against a wall. But then he’d looked at Sanders in the strangest way, and instead of getting angry, he had offered to buy Sanders lunch.
After the meal, Jameson informed him that if Sanders was at the same spot every day, he would continue buying meals for him. Sanders was sure to be there, every day. After two weeks, they finally got to talking. Jameson asked why he was starving, living on the streets.
“I ran away from home,” Sanders had replied. Jameson had nodded.
“I know how you feel.”
“You ran away, too?
“Sort of. I did something very bad to someone back home.”
“And you felt bad, so you ran away?”
“No, I didn’t feel bad, and that’s why I ran away.”
They kept meeting for lunch. Jameson would have him run the odd errand, then pay him for it. Jameson would laugh – “you’re my assistant now, Sanders, so we have to work out a salary.” Rented out a hotel room for Sanders to stay in, bought him new clothes.
Sanders couldn’t figure it out. Who was this guy? What did he want? For a long time, Sanders thought it was sex. He kept waiting to hear his hotel room door open, see a silhouette in the light. It’s what had always happened to him, in his old home. But it never happened with this man. It became very obvious, very quickly, that Jameson was not attracted to him, at all. Sure, Jameson was very adventurous, and Sanders could see that he lived by a “I’ll try anything once” kind of creedo – but he wasn’t gay. Jameson loved women.
“The perfect woman, Sanders. That’s what I’m on a quest for – the perfect woman. Don’t know if I’ll ever find her,” he had slurred late one night, very drunk.
“Have you ever met a perfect woman?” Sanders asked. Jameson thought long and hard about it.
“I think I might have. But I didn’t know it at the time. And she wasn’t quite perfect yet.”
“Was it a long time ago?”
“Not long enough.”
Sanders wasn’t gay either, but he didn’t really have any interest in sex. He’d never done it. Well, at least not consensually; and never with a girl. He had always been too busy hiding his secret. Then after Jameson came along, Sanders had been too in awe of his new world, too in shock, to think about girls.
He told Jameson about the family he’d grown up with – his aunt’s family, in South London. Sanders was originally from Belarus, but his parents moved to England when he was five. His family got deported, but they managed to leave him at his mother’s sister’s house. He never heard from his mother or father again. His aunt’s husband was an Englishman, and not a very nice one. Sanders didn’t want to tell Jameson that whole story.
So how could Jameson have known?
He had wanted to surprise Sanders. Wanted Sanders’ family to see how well their nephew was doing, the kind of life he was now leading. Let Sanders show off a little. His family owned a small bed and breakfast, and Jameson surprised him by getting them rooms there for a night.
Something snapped in Sanders. When his uncle came to his room, tried to hold him down, tried to tell him that he would never be more than what he was in that moment, Sanders fought back – the first time he had ever done so. He wasn’t a large man, but rage completely overtook him. It wasn’t until Jameson was standing over him, pulling him away, that Sanders even realized he had completely beaten his uncle’s head in against a radiator.
His life would be over. He would at best be deported back to Belarus. At worst, and most likely, spend the rest of his life in prison. Sanders sat in the middle of the blood and gore, and just sobbed. Jameson knelt down and grabbed onto him, held him still against his chest. Told him everything would be okay, that he didn’t have to worry, that Jameson would take care of everything. And when Sanders finally calmed down, Jameson kept his promise. He magically managed to have the body disposed of; cleaned up the room. Left a large sum of money with Sanders’ aunt, who never even seemed to question her husband going missing. Apparently he wasn’t a nice man to anyone else, either.
They never spoke of that night again. Jameson didn’t even ask, just arranged for Sanders to come back to America. Paid for him to attend the best private schools. Sanders was very smart, it turned out. He spoke fluent English, Russian, Belarusian, Polish, and German; as well as conversational French and Spanish. He could play the piano, and got as high as a Master level in competitive chess, before he gave it up. Took classes in sharp shooting. Learned how to rebuild automobile engines.
While in school, Sanders was also diagnosed with a mild form of Asperger’s syndrome. It explained some of his intense focus, why he never really wanted to talk, and his minimal OCD. He hadn’t thought much of it, and Jameson had just laughed, said it would give him a leg up in the world.Because of Jameson, Sanders was able to do anything he wanted; was allowed to do anything he wanted. Jameson never questioned his choices. When Sanders turned eighteen, Jameson offered to pay for him to go to college, but he declined. He wanted to stay with Jameson. He wanted a real job with him. He wanted to be wherever Jameson was, and the best way was to take a real position as his assistant.
They’d never had an entirely normal relationship, anyway. Jameson was more comfortable, in general, treating everyone like they worked for him. That appealed to Sanders’ meticulous and cold nature. Their relationship worked for them. They didn’t speak a whole lot, and even when they did, they weren’t prone to long conversations. But there was a bond that no one could possibly understand. Sanders loved him. Hadn’t known it was possible to love a person as much as he loved Jameson Kane.
That’s why it killed him to see Jameson so unhappy. Jameson didn’t realize he was unhappy, but Sanders could tell. All the women, all the sleeping around, all the debauchery. Something was missing in Jameson’s life, that much was clear.Girls came and went. Some stayed a little longer than others. Most ignored Sanders. He ignored all of them. There was an opera singer from Rio that he had almost considered liking, but before he could make up his mind, she was let go. She hadn’t been up to Jameson’s speed, anyway. None of them were, when push came to shove.
Then Petrushka Ivanovic entered the picture. How Sanders had hated her. She was the only one who ever truly got under his skin. They would have arguments in Russian – so Jameson couldn’t understand what they were saying. She called Sanders a useless, dirty, immigrant who was just leeching off of Jameson. He called her a tasteless, fake, bitch who was just another notch on Jameson’s very well marked bedpost. It took a lot longer, but eventually she went away, too. He was very glad.
It wasn’t too much longer before Tatum O’Shea came along. Jameson had mentioned her a couple times, usually after many late night drinks. It was obvious that she had been the reason he had run away so many years ago, that she was that “not quite perfect yet” woman. It was also obvious they hadn’t known each other well – they hadn’t seen each other in over seven years. It was a while before Jameson explained the history to him.
Sanders wasn’t sure what to make of Tatum, at first. He had expected just another silly girl. Another woman who thought she could keep up with Jameson, but ultimately wouldn’t be able to keep up at all. Or one of those types of women who only wanted Jameson for his status and money.
Not Tatum. She took everything Jameson threw at her and rolled with it. Asked for it. Wanted more of it. And she seemed oblivious to, and uncaring of, the fact that he had more money than God. For a short while, and by mutual agreement, the relationship was purely physical, and she actually seemed to like it that way.
Unusual girl.
She also completely ignored Sanders’ weird, awkward, social habits. He didn’t like to talk very much. Tatum liked to talk a lot, and just talked to him anyway. She paid attention to him, asked him how he was doing, what he was doing. Seemed to look right into him sometimes.
She also touched him – no one ever did that. Sanders usually hated to be touched, and it had bothered him a lot, at first. But Tate was very persistent. She held his hand, hugged him, tried to tickle him. It almost seemed as if she touched him more just because she knew he didn’t like it. She was so comfortable with him, right off the bat. The same way Jameson had been. One day, she even kissed Sanders. It was a joke, a ruse, but something snapped in him. Sanders was twenty years old and had never kissed a girl, and here was a girl, laying one on him. He took the opportunity and kissed her back.
But Sanders wasn’t attracted to Tatum, not like that. He could recognize that she was a very, very sexy woman. She was not shy about her body or her sexuality, and she flirted shamelessly with just about anything that moved. He wasn’t entirely immune to her charms; he was heterosexual, after all. But for the most part he didn’t view her that way. She was something different to him. Something special.
On top of that, it was clear from day one that she was different to Jameson, too. Also something special. No one else would have been able to tell, but Sanders could tell. She made Jameson happy. She made Sanders happy. He grew very attached to her.
When the relationship between Tatum and Jameson started to become strained, she would seek Sanders out. Their bond grew stronger. She would come into his room late at night, play chess with him, talk with him. She never rushed him to talk, just waited for the words to come out. Eventually, they did. She never asked questions, never judged anything he had to say. He fell a little in love with her. Not romantically, not sexually. He didn’t know how to explain it. He just loved her.
If necessary, he would probably kill for Jameson Kane.
If asked, he would probably die for Tatum O’Shea.
When the relationship between Jameson and Tatum ended – and it ended badly – Sanders had mourned it. Jameson had been in the wrong. It was the first time he had ever asked Sanders to do things that made him uncomfortable. Things that he found repugnant. He didn’t like lying. It all went to hell. He thought Jameson would admit his fault, admit he’d been wrong, then apologize. But Jameson wouldn’t. It had shocked Sanders. He held Jameson to a very high standard. It was like hearing his father damn himself to hell. Sanders would have to save him.
Sometimes, Sanders felt like he had to fix everything.
BLP REVIEWS
Rebecca
When I read Degradation (#1 The Kane Trilogy) I titled that review ‘THE DEBUT OF THE YEAR? ABSO –FUCKING – LUTELY’ therefore when I started Separation (#2 The Kane Trilogy) I did wonder if Stylo Fantome could possibly match or even come close with this second outing to the impact and impression that her first book had in spades.
The answer – HELL TO THE FUCKING YES!!!!!!
Separation (#2 The Kane Trilogy) – Who knew the Devil had a soul?
If the Devil had a fucked up contemporary fairy tale it would be this was how I described Degradation, well with Separation the fairy tale is fucked six ways till Sunday, sideways with a cherry on top. Forget every single feeling and emotion you had in the first because Stylo Fantome twists it, lubes it, fucks it and spits you out the other side knowing you had a fucking amazing bookgasm and rendered completely speechless and incoherent in the process, satiated and dazed……..
Houston, we’re so far beyond having a problem that we’re just completely fucked.
Separation picks up from that huge cliff hanger at the end of #1 where this train wreck of a relationship had crashed and burned with actions and consequences no one foresaw when the game started. It is a completely different pace and far more emotional read than Degradation but that, for me, was the sheer beauty of it.
Can the Devil be Forgiven?
Everything is fun and games until someone gets hurt, and what Jameson Kane did to Tatum O’Shea goes so far beyond hurt, he is well into the realm of unforgivable. Tate says she wants him gone for good, and he quickly learns that the old saying, “you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone”, is most definitely true.
But Jameson has never been very good at following instructions, and when Satan decides to seek redemption, he’ll go to great lengths to get it. He proposes one last game – one to end them all, if she agrees to play. He is very confident that he can win, but Tate warns him that it’s not possible; she will not lose again. Little does she know, Jameson is prepared to do whatever it takes. Prepared to lay the entire world at her feet. Prepared to bear his soul.
What he didn’t count on, though, was handing the damn thing over.
Now Jameson can only pray that his evil ways haven’t rubbed off on Tate too much. Sometimes, it’s very difficult to tell who the Devil really is …
WARNING: contains a semi-reformed devil, a woman scorned, and more Sanders than anyone has a right to witness. Also graphic sexual situations and strong language.
The stand out line in that blurb for me is “Sometimes, It’s very difficult to tell who the Devil really is.”
Understatement Ms Fantome. HUGE FUCKING UNDERSTATEMENT. I knew who the Devil was. Jameson. Satan Incarnate. Bad to the bone. But the calibre of your writing means I sat after finishing Separation (speechless and incoherent) feeling sorry for the Devil. WTF?? How did that happen? Talk about a 180. I hated him with a fiery vengeance through most of #1 yet I finish #2 sympathising and feeling sorry for him. He’s the Devil, he threw a tantrum of epic proportions with a cruel disregard for the hurt or devastation it may cause, he is using covert sneaky tactics to get what he wants.
I shouldn’t be cheerleading for him, wanting him to get a second chance yet you turn me inside out and upside down so that is what I end up doing. Satan grows up in this book, make no mistake he’s still the Devil but with an unexpected vulnerability, sorry enough for the consequences of his actions to apologise, to ask for that second chance. When refused he’ll manipulate, cajole and use any means he has to get Tate back, but this has ceased to be a game, if indeed it ever was……
“This is most definitely not a game anymore. This woman… she owns me.”
Tate, who I adored previously, I finished wanting to slap into oblivion. Again with the WTF? She’s in a really bad emotional place at the beginning of this book and is woefully ill equipped for seeing Jameson again.
“I’m in hell. I died in that pool and I’m in hell. That’s why I’m so hot. That’s why I’m sitting in front of Satan.”
Their chemistry together is as explosive and hot as previously – while not as much sex features in this one the quality is just as outstanding but, having lost the confidence to trust in her decisions and instincts, Tate has closed herself off to all but a few and as Jameson is so not on that list his only way to try and sort this clusterfuck is to convince her to play one last game with him.
“You can’t hurt Satan. This is all part of his game. Note that he said he didn’t care about her – but he never said anything about caring for you. Do not lose to him again.”
Tate’s feelings are so torn, confused, battered and bruised that I should be cheerleading for her, sisterhood and all that shit but no, the Devil has me in his thrall and I was shouting at my kindle for Tate to grow a pair, give him a chance and move it along. My sisterhood card is revoked. Probably permanently….
“I wanted to learn about him so I could hate him more. I didn’t expect his answer to make me want to forgive him. Cheating bastard.”
“Stupid Satan, don’t you know you’ve ruined me for other men?”
My one and only constant from #1 to #2 was Sanders. He features far more heavily in this book and the more you learn as the layers peel away the more you can’t help but love and adore him. He is like a child caught in the crossfire of a divorce with divided loyalties. Tate has closed herself off from almost everyone, her friendship and attachment to Sanders is one of the only exceptions and the development of this relationship is a joy to watch unfold.
“If necessary, he would probably kill for Jameson Kane; if asked, he would probably die for Tatum O’Shea.”
Ang on the other hand I could cheerfully murder. Creatively. Slowly. Painfully. I thought he was freaking fabulous in #1 but could Ms Fantome leave me with my BFF dream, no fucking way. Total 180 again. When you read it you’ll see why.
Separation is fabulous. This train wreck of a relationship is just as passionate, destructive, tragic and broken as the previous book. The absolute sheer beauty of it is that while on the emotional journey of this one the author can change every single thing we thought we knew or felt from the previous one. That’s a special kind of talent.
I am now totally convinced she will stop my heart with Reparation.
Oh and she is in fact the Devil…………………….
Tracy
Well hell…… after all that happened in Degradation, going into Separation I was not expecting the turn around we got ….. Talk about a role reversal!!!
I know what I used to think about who the baddie was in the Kane Trilogy, now…… now, not so much!!!
I loved Jameson in book #1, after reading Separation I bloody LOVE him!!!
“How can someone who bears such a striking resemblance to Satan be so loveable?”
How…. because Stylo has such a way with writing this big kinky bugger that she has me flipping out over him!!!
He went from being a cold, selfish, self-centred, calculating & ruthless git to someone kinda thoughtful, sorta caring, slightly less calculating and, dare I say, semi-human!!!
Tate on the other hand had my hackles up for a lot of the book. Ok, I know when we left her at the end of Degradation things were a great big feckin mess, but gods, she needs to let go and start living again…. (yeah, harsh I know but FFS girl, move along!)
Who knew that I’d be rooting for the devil and not his kinky little plaything!!
Tatum’s attitude towards some situations going on around her in this book had me wondering WTFH she’s about?!
She’s got issues with just about everyone (except Sanders, but come on, that’s to be expected, right…. who could have issues with the loveable Sanders!!?)
The gal is a complete mess – she claims to want one thing but says and does another. I was frustrated a lot during my read of Separation – Tate had me wanting to throw the kindle out a window more than a time or 20…. and where we left her at the end of the book has me kinda stressing about what shit she is gonna pull next…. Gods, I so need Reparation to see how (jeez, maybe that should be if!!) this game (if it is indeed still a game!) works out for them!
Once again we come across our supporting cast of characters.
Ang is an excellent character – I liked him in Degradation, well up until near the end and then I really wanted to beat him… – to be honest, he’s still not winning votes here at the minute. Maybe he’ll turn that around in book #3, time will tell!
Petruska – man, I don’t think I’ve EVER wanted to bitch-slap another lass the way I want to set about her!!! You’ll get what I mean when you read the book!!!
Sanders, oh, Sandy!!! I adore him. He gets better and better as the series goes on.
The story had some laugh aloud moments, Jameson has a very droll sense of humour which I get. Reading through the story I was exasperated, hurt, confused and pissed off – as through the wringer with Separation as I was with Degradation but with a whole different range of emotions!! A saving grace is that at least I wasn’t sobbing like a baby this time round!!
I love Stylo’s writing style and her ability to pull you into her story. I cannot wait for book 3 and more of this thoroughly engaging & entertaining trio – December can’t come quick enough!!!
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IT’S RELEASE DAY!!! SEPARATION by STYLO FANTONE….
Book Title: Separation
Author: Stylo Fantôme
Genre: Erotica
Release Date: September 22, 2014
Hosted by: Book Enthusiast Promotions
Can the Devil be Forgiven?
Everything is fun and games till someone gets hurt, and what Jameson Kane did to Tatum O’Shea goes so far beyond hurt, he is well into the realm of unforgivable. Tate says she wants him gone for good, and he quickly learns that the old saying, “you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone”, is most definitely true.
But Jameson has never been very good at following instructions, and when Satan decides to seek redemption, he’ll go to great lengths to get it. He proposes one last game – one to end them all, if she agrees to play. He is very confident that he can win, but Tate warns him that’s not possible; she will not lose again. Little does she know, Jameson is prepared to do whatever it takes. Prepared to lay the entire world at her feet. Prepared to bear his soul.
What he didn’t count on, though, was handing the damn thing over.
Now he can only pray that his evil ways haven’t rubbed off on Tate too much. Sometimes, it’s very difficult to tell who the Devil really is …
WARNING: contains a semi-reformed devil, a woman scorned, and more Sanders than anyone has a right to witness. Also graphic sexual situations and strong language.
Crazy woman living in an undisclosed location in Alaska (where the need for a creative mind is a necessity!), I have been writing since …, forever? Yeah, that sounds about right. I have been told that I remind people of Lucille Ball – I also see shades of Jennifer Saunders, and Denis Leary. So basically, I laugh a lot, I’m clumsy a lot, and I say the F-word A LOT.
I like dogs more than I like most people, and I don’t trust anyone who doesn’t drink. No, I do not live in an igloo, and no, the sun does not set for six months out of the year, there’s your Alaska lesson for the day. I have mermaid hair – both a curse and a blessing – and most of the time I talk so fast, even I can’t understand me.
Yeah. I think that about sums me up.
~Sanders~
People often thought “Sanders” was Sanders’ last name; it wasn’t – his last name was Dashkevich. Sanders was the name of some long forgotten relative. Kind of exotic, really. But he never explained this story, he just let people think what they wanted. That always seemed to work out best for him.
He was thirteen when Mr. Jameson Kane found him, starving on the streets of London. He had tried to steal from Jameson. He had been very bad at pickpocketing, and Jameson had grabbed him by the collar, held him against a wall. But then he’d looked at Sanders in the strangest way, and instead of getting angry, he had offered to buy Sanders lunch.
After the meal, Jameson informed him that if Sanders was at the same spot every day, he would continue buying meals for him. Sanders was sure to be there, every day. After two weeks, they finally got to talking. Jameson asked why he was starving, living on the streets.
“I ran away from home,” Sanders had replied. Jameson had nodded.
“I know how you feel.”
“You ran away, too?
“Sort of. I did something very bad to someone back home.”
“And you felt bad, so you ran away?”
“No, I didn’t feel bad, and that’s why I ran away.”
They kept meeting for lunch. Jameson would have him run the odd errand, then pay him for it. Jameson would laugh – “you’re my assistant now, Sanders, so we have to work out a salary.” Rented out a hotel room for Sanders to stay in, bought him new clothes.
Sanders couldn’t figure it out. Who was this guy? What did he want? For a long time, Sanders thought it was sex. He kept waiting to hear his hotel room door open, see a silhouette in the light. It’s what had always happened to him, in his old home. But it never happened with this man. It became very obvious, very quickly, that Jameson was not attracted to him, at all. Sure, Jameson was very adventurous, and Sanders could see that he lived by a “I’ll try anything once” kind of creedo – but he wasn’t gay. Jameson loved women.
“The perfect woman, Sanders. That’s what I’m on a quest for – the perfect woman. Don’t know if I’ll ever find her,” he had slurred late one night, very drunk.
“Have you ever met a perfect woman?” Sanders asked. Jameson thought long and hard about it.
“I think I might have. But I didn’t know it at the time. And she wasn’t quite perfect yet.”
“Was it a long time ago?”
“Not long enough.”
Sanders wasn’t gay either, but he didn’t really have any interest in sex. He’d never done it. Well, at least not consensually; and never with a girl. He had always been too busy hiding his secret. Then after Jameson came along, Sanders had been too in awe of his new world, too in shock, to think about girls.
He told Jameson about the family he’d grown up with – his aunt’s family, in South London. Sanders was originally from Belarus, but his parents moved to England when he was five. His family got deported, but they managed to leave him at his mother’s sister’s house. He never heard from his mother or father again. His aunt’s husband was an Englishman, and not a very nice one. Sanders didn’t want to tell Jameson that whole story.
So how could Jameson have known?
He had wanted to surprise Sanders. Wanted Sanders’ family to see how well their nephew was doing, the kind of life he was now leading. Let Sanders show off a little. His family owned a small bed and breakfast, and Jameson surprised him by getting them rooms there for a night.
Something snapped in Sanders. When his uncle came to his room, tried to hold him down, tried to tell him that he would never be more than what he was in that moment, Sanders fought back – the first time he had ever done so. He wasn’t a large man, but rage completely overtook him. It wasn’t until Jameson was standing over him, pulling him away, that Sanders even realized he had completely beaten his uncle’s head in against a radiator.
His life would be over. He would at best be deported back to Belarus. At worst, and most likely, spend the rest of his life in prison. Sanders sat in the middle of the blood and gore, and just sobbed. Jameson knelt down and grabbed onto him, held him still against his chest. Told him everything would be okay, that he didn’t have to worry, that Jameson would take care of everything. And when Sanders finally calmed down, Jameson kept his promise. He magically managed to have the body disposed of; cleaned up the room. Left a large sum of money with Sanders’ aunt, who never even seemed to question her husband going missing. Apparently he wasn’t a nice man to anyone else, either.
They never spoke of that night again. Jameson didn’t even ask, just arranged for Sanders to come back to America. Paid for him to attend the best private schools. Sanders was very smart, it turned out. He spoke fluent English, Russian, Belarusian, Polish, and German; as well as conversational French and Spanish. He could play the piano, and got as high as a Master level in competitive chess, before he gave it up. Took classes in sharp shooting. Learned how to rebuild automobile engines.
While in school, Sanders was also diagnosed with a mild form of Asperger’s syndrome. It explained some of his intense focus, why he never really wanted to talk, and his minimal OCD. He hadn’t thought much of it, and Jameson had just laughed, said it would give him a leg up in the world.
Because of Jameson, Sanders was able to do anything he wanted; was allowed to do anything he wanted. Jameson never questioned his choices. When Sanders turned eighteen, Jameson offered to pay for him to go to college, but he declined. He wanted to stay with Jameson. He wanted a real job with him. He wanted to be wherever Jameson was, and the best way was to take a real position as his assistant.
They’d never had an entirely normal relationship, anyway. Jameson was more comfortable, in general, treating everyone like they worked for him. That appealed to Sanders’ meticulous and cold nature. Their relationship worked for them. They didn’t speak a whole lot, and even when they did, they weren’t prone to long conversations. But there was a bond that no one could possibly understand. Sanders loved him. Hadn’t known it was possible to love a person as much as he loved Jameson Kane.
That’s why it killed him to see Jameson so unhappy. Jameson didn’t realize he was unhappy, but Sanders could tell. All the women, all the sleeping around, all the debauchery. Something was missing in Jameson’s life, that much was clear.
Girls came and went. Some stayed a little longer than others. Most ignored Sanders. He ignored all of them. There was an opera singer from Rio that he had almost considered liking, but before he could make up his mind, she was let go. She hadn’t been up to Jameson’s speed, anyway. None of them were, when push came to shove.
Then Petrushka Ivanovic entered the picture. How Sanders had hated her. She was the only one who ever truly got under his skin. They would have arguments in Russian – so Jameson couldn’t understand what they were saying. She called Sanders a useless, dirty, immigrant who was just leeching off of Jameson. He called her a tasteless, fake, bitch who was just another notch on Jameson’s very well marked bedpost. It took a lot longer, but eventually she went away, too. He was very glad.
It wasn’t too much longer before Tatum O’Shea came along. Jameson had mentioned her a couple times, usually after many late night drinks. It was obvious that she had been the reason he had run away so many years ago, that she was that “not quite perfect yet” woman. It was also obvious they hadn’t known each other well – they hadn’t seen each other in over seven years. It was a while before Jameson explained the history to him.
Sanders wasn’t sure what to make of Tatum, at first. He had expected just another silly girl. Another woman who thought she could keep up with Jameson, but ultimately wouldn’t be able to keep up at all. Or one of those types of women who only wanted Jameson for his status and money.
Not Tatum. She took everything Jameson threw at her and rolled with it. Asked for it. Wanted more of it. And she seemed oblivious to, and uncaring of, the fact that he had more money than God. For a short while, and by mutual agreement, the relationship was purely physical, and she actually seemed to like it that way.
Unusual girl.
She also completely ignored Sanders’ weird, awkward, social habits. He didn’t like to talk very much. Tatum liked to talk a lot, and just talked to him anyway. She paid attention to him, asked him how he was doing, what he was doing. Seemed to look right into him sometimes.
She also touched him – no one ever did that. Sanders usually hated to be touched, and it had bothered him a lot, at first. But Tate was very persistent. She held his hand, hugged him, tried to tickle him. It almost seemed as if she touched him more just because she knew he didn’t like it. She was so comfortable with him, right off the bat. The same way Jameson had been. One day, she even kissed Sanders. It was a joke, a ruse, but something snapped in him. Sanders was twenty years old and had never kissed a girl, and here was a girl, laying one on him. He took the opportunity and kissed her back.
But Sanders wasn’t attracted to Tatum, not like that. He could recognize that she was a very, very sexy woman. She was not shy about her body or her sexuality, and she flirted shamelessly with just about anything that moved. He wasn’t entirely immune to her charms; he was heterosexual, after all. But for the most part he didn’t view her that way. She was something different to him. Something special.
On top of that, it was clear from day one that she was different to Jameson, too. Also something special. No one else would have been able to tell, but Sanders could tell. She made Jameson happy. She made Sanders happy. He grew very attached to her.
When the relationship between Tatum and Jameson started to become strained, she would seek Sanders out. Their bond grew stronger. She would come into his room late at night, play chess with him, talk with him. She never rushed him to talk, just waited for the words to come out. Eventually, they did. She never asked questions, never judged anything he had to say. He fell a little in love with her. Not romantically, not sexually. He didn’t know how to explain it. He just loved her.
If necessary, he would probably kill for Jameson Kane.
If asked, he would probably die for Tatum O’Shea.
When the relationship between Jameson and Tatum ended – and it ended badly – Sanders had mourned it. Jameson had been in the wrong. It was the first time he had ever asked Sanders to do things that made him uncomfortable. Things that he found repugnant. He didn’t like lying. It all went to hell. He thought Jameson would admit his fault, admit he’d been wrong, then apologize. But Jameson wouldn’t. It had shocked Sanders. He held Jameson to a very high standard. It was like hearing his father damn himself to hell. Sanders would have to save him.
Sometimes, Sanders felt like he had to fix everything.
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SPOTLIGHT ~ RUINING MR. PERFECT by MARIE HARTE
Ruining Mr. Perfect Spotlight
IT’S NOT EASY BEING RIGHT
Vanessa Campbell is a CPA by day and a perfectionist by night. She’s fit, successful…and decidedly lonely. She can’t stop thinking about the youngest McCauley brother, Cameron. He’s just like her: smart, attractive, and usually right—except when dealing with her.…BUT SOMEONE’S GOT TO DO IT
Cameron McCauley likes Vanessa a little too much. She’s a blond goddess with a razor-sharp tongue. She hates to be wrong, just like him. But she can hold a grudge and is stubborn to a fault—also like him.A past disagreement has them rubbing each other the wrong way. Cam is dying to shake Vanessa up—get her to let loose. But if he succeeds, can his heart handle it?
Caffeine addict, boy referee, and romance aficionado, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Marie Harte is a confessed bibliophile and devotee of action movies. Whether hiking in Central Oregon, biking around town, or hanging at the local tea shop, she’s constantly plotting to give everyone a happily ever after.Visit http://www.marieharte.com and fall in love.
An Excerpt
“Colin,” Cam tried again. “You know dumping water on someone in the shower is a no-no. And especially Ubie’s new girlfriend.” Ubie—short for Uncle Brody. Brody Singer, the blond “adopted” McCauley who had grown up as part of the family
“But he told me to do it.”
Cam blinked. “He did? Well, you should never—”
“Dad thought it was kind of funny after he yelled at me.” Colin gave him a sharp nod, then added with a smirk, “Dad said he used to do that to you, and that you cried like a girrrl.” Considering Colin’s anti-girl phase, that was a high insult.
“Is that right?” Cam frowned, remembering being the butt of too many jokes while growing up. “Mike has no idea what he’s dealing with. You think your dad’s tough? Watch Uncle Cam.” Knowing he shouldn’t encourage the mischief in his nephew’s eyes but unable to stop himself from the unspoken dare, Cam hurried to the kitchen, found a large glass and filled it with ice-cold water. Considering the freezing January wind outside, Mike would be basking in a hot shower to warm up. Cam grinned, looking forward to his brother’s howl of misery.
Colin trailed him like a puppy. “Oh wow, Uncle Cam. Are you going to get Dad?” He clapped.
“Shh.”
“Oh, sorry.” Colin’s big grin showed a missing front tooth.
Cam walked down more ugly brown carpet that looked as it if had been vacuumed to death—Mike and his obsession with cleanliness—and tiptoed into the big guy’s room. He made sure he had a clear exit. If his goliath big brother caught him, he’d be toast. Fortunately, he could move like a gazelle.
Gliding into the master bathroom, he readied himself. One, two…three. He yanked open the curtain and tossed the cold water at…Vanessa Campbell?
He stared in shock at the sexiest woman he’d seen in a long, long time. Naked, her creamy skin glistened with water as she gaped at him in horror. Which quickly turned to anger.
“Cameron McCauley!”
“Oh, wow.” He couldn’t look away
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MY REVIEW ~ TRACY
I wasn’t sure that I was gonna like Vanessa as much as I liked her room-mates, but in reading Ruining Mr. Perfect, I found her to be more likeable that I expected. She’s more than the sarcastic, blunt talking OCD accountant that we’ve met so far!
I really liked Cameron ~ he’s sweet and kinda sensitive. When he sets his mind to something he’s very focused and doesn’t stop until he gets what he wants. He’s got a tougher side than I’d thought he would have and he and V are definitely a well suited pair.
As ever, it was fun to catch up with the rest of the brothers and their girlfriends. Colin & Mike make me laugh and I’m intrigued as to how things will work out in What to do With a Bad Boy (Book #4 which focuses on Mike & Del)
I must admit that while I enjoyed RMP it’s not as big a fave as How to Handle a Heartbreaker (book #2) is for me.
The side story about the brothers’ parents was good but I’d have happily read more about Cam & Vanessa rather than read as much about Bitsy and Pop… saying that, the storyline about their parents didn’t in any way detract from V & C’s story.
I would recommend Ruining Mr. Perfect to those who have already read the other books in the McCauley Brothers series and to all fans of Marie’s books!!
**I received an ARC copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**
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DEBUT OF THE YEAR? ABSO-FUCKING-LUTELY…… DEGRADATION by Stylo Fantome
DEGRADATION by STYLO FANTOME
Eighteen year old Tatum O’Shea is a naive, shy, little rich girl. Twenty-three year old Jameson Kane is smart, seductive, and richer. They come together for one night, one explosion, one mistake, and Tate is hurled into space – no family, no money, and no Jameson.
Seven years later, life is going pretty good for Tate, when she runs into Jameson again. This time, she thinks she’s ready for him. She doesn’t have a naive bone left in her body, and she can’t even remember what shy feels like. Jameson has evolved into Satan – sharp teeth, sharper claws, and a tongue that can cut her in half. It all sounds like fun to a girl like Tate, and she is ready to play, determined to prove that she isn’t the same girl he conquered once before. A series of games start, each one more devious than the last.
But the devil likes to play dirty, and she learns that playing for souls is playing for keeps. The lines between games and reality, heaven and hell, get blurry. Can she beat Jameson at his own game before someone gets hurt? Or will he leave her soulless, making him the winner, once and for all?
WARNING: contains a wannabe B-rate porn star, an impersonal personal assistant, and the F-word, A LOT. Also graphic sexual situations and sadomasochistic themes
REBECCA’S REVIEW
THE DEBUT OF THE YEAR?
ABSO – FUCKING – LUTELY
I haven’t read in a long, long time a book that I so loved and hated simultaneously, as fascinated as I was horrified. A train wreck of a relationship, as beautiful as it is broken, brutally raw, poignant, passionate, tragic and destructive. If the Devil had a fucked up contemporary fairy tale it would be this and the ride has only just begun…
Eighteen year old Tatum O’Shea is a naive, shy, little rich girl. Twenty-three year old Jameson Kane is smart, seductive, and richer. They come together for one night, one explosion, one mistake, and Tate is hurled into space – no family, no money, and no Jameson.
Seven years later, life is going pretty good for Tate, when she runs into Jameson again. This time, she thinks she’s ready for him. She doesn’t have a naive bone left in her body, and she can’t even remember what shy feels like. Jameson has evolved into Satan – sharp teeth, sharper claws, and a tongue that can cut her in half. It all sounds like fun to a girl like Tate, and she is ready to play, determined to prove that she isn’t the same girl he conquered once before. A series of games start, each one more devious than the last.
But the devil likes to play dirty, and she learns that playing for souls is playing for keeps. The lines between games and reality, heaven and hell, get blurry. Can she beat Jameson at his own game before someone gets hurt? Or will he leave her soulless, making him the winner, once and for all?
WARNING: contains a wannabe B-rate porn star, an impersonal personal assistant, and the F-word, A LOT. Also graphic sexual situations and sadomasochistic themes.
Degradation is Pretty Woman with a hint of Coyote Ugly having a psychotic episode and starring the Devil. I bloody loved every minute of it and yet it’s so far outside my usual comfort zone it’s ridiculous. Stylo Fantome engaged me such that I could not put it down even when uncomfortable, even when screaming “Hell No” in my head. Her writing is flawless and captivating, her characters have so much depth. It’s emotional, funny and sad and a total page turner the whole way through.
Jameson – yeah, hated him with a fiery vengeance most of the time! He’s everything I usually avoid, billionaire playboy with a kink, all I can say without giving spoilers is that this is such a fresh take on that whole overdone genre that it’s in a class of its own. This is not the alpha with virgin who doesn’t know what she wants till he shows her bullshit. This is two adults having a totally consensual, bizarre to most of us, sexual relationship/game that goes so far off the plan the question is where will it end and how??
Tate – the very first explosive mistake with Jameson has profound and far reaching consequences for Tate – totally alters the course of her life and the person she becomes. Seven years later when she runs into him again she believes she’s ready for him. Where’s the harm? She’s all grown up, a woman not a naïve girl, she can have him on her terms and walk away unscathed, right?
“I like sex. I like having sex, I like being sexy, I like being single. I like being me, and fuck anyone who doesn’t like it.”
The lines and rules between these two as this game progresses become so blurry, convoluted and confused that Tate stops knowing right from wrong, up from down and is so far out of depth will she find her way back?
I adored Tate even while not understanding her, she’s a contradiction in a good way. The chemistry between her and Jameson is off the charts and explosive, and even knowing that this train wreck is not going to end well they are fascinating to read.
The supporting cast has a couple who stand out for me – Ang and Sanders – so different and yet both I loved. The banter and interactions with these two was a pleasure – both more complex than you may initially think and much more to come I hope….
Degradation is the first of a trilogy. Separation is out next week and Reparation will be out in December so, even though it’s a massive cliff hanger, there is no long wait to find out what happens next.
I have already read Separation and that review will follow on release day, what I will say is that it is a different pace, a very emotional read and if Ms Fantome can start with a debut book of this calibre, up the game with the sheer beauty of Separation, then she may just stop my heart with Reparation and I can’t wait.
Five Fucking Fabulous Stars
PURCHASE LINKS
AMAZON US
AMAZON UK
AMAZON CA
BARNES & NOBLE
AUTHOR BIO
Crazy woman living in an undisclosed location in Alaska (where the need for a creative mind is a necessity!), I have been writing since …, forever? Yeah, that sounds about right. I have been told that I remind people of Lucille Ball – I also see shades of Jennifer Saunders, and Denis Leary. So basically, I laugh a lot, I’m clumsy a lot, and I say the F-word A LOT.
I like dogs more than I like most people, and I don’t trust anyone who doesn’t drink. No, I do not live in an igloo, and no, the sun does not set for six months out of the year, there’s your Alaska lesson for the day. I have mermaid hair – both a curse and a blessing – and most of the time I talk so fast, even I can’t understand me.
Yeah. I think that about sums me up.
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