**Cover Reveal ~ The Fall of January Cooper ~ Audrey Bell**

I'm thrilled to be a part of the reveal of Audrey Bell's 

The Fall of January Cooper.

The Fall of January Cooper

Age group: NA/Adult

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Cover designer: Audrey Bell

Hosted by: Wordsmith Publicity

Synopsis

How do you lose everything?

Ask January Cooper.

She was the daughter of a Dallas multimillionaire, the debutante of the year, and the girl most likely to get whatever she wanted.

But when her father is arrested for securities fraud, the girl who had everything starts to lose everything. And once she starts falling, she can't seem to stop.

When she walks into Christian Cutlass's bar, she meets the first person who sees all the way through her. And Christian Cutlass meets the first girl who doesn't care about who he used to be and what he lost one night when he was nineteen years old.

She's gorgeous and hurt. He's twisted in too many ways to count. She's the girl with nothing left to lose. 

He was the boy who lost everything he lived for.

How do you lose everything? You start by falling.

Audrey Bell is a writer living in New York.

Titles include: Love Show and Carry Your Heart.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | GoodReads

**Review ~ The Second Shadow ~ Elizabeth Arroyo**

The Second Shadow by Elizabeth Arroyo
Series: Second Sign #2
Release Date: September 5, 2013
Genre: YA, Paranormal, Horror
Source: I received an e-review copy, through Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review
Rating: 3.5 Bookworms

Synopsis
Jake thought being demon meant a shredded humanity, stripped of all human emotion. Chaos and self-preservation dominates a demon’s instincts. But Jake feels every ounce of pain and despair around him. 

And it’s driving him deeper into Hell.

Gabby’s choice to save him last summer left a fissure in Hell’s gate that released a malevolent evil. When Jake’s given a mission by the demons to shadow a human girl who may know the whereabouts of an ethereal weapon, he doesn’t expect to see Gabby. But Fate has her own agenda.

When Jake and Gabby are thrown together on a camping trip with a group of delinquent teens, Jake begins to grapple with the haunting choices he made in the past. When the evil finds them, the group begins to battle for their lives, alliances are made, and truths revealed. 

As the evil begins to influence Jake, he questions his link to the demons, his purpose, and his love for Gabby. 

But the answers to those questions are only found in Hell. And it may cost him his soul.

The Second Shadow picks up where the The Second Sign left off. It's an intense ride towards the end of the world. And the end left me gasping.

Gabby and her brother, Max, are once again in hiding. Now that she knows the truth of what she is, she's trying to deal with all that entails. Max is by her side, protecting her. However, Gabby isn't able to stay out of trouble in her new school. An altercation with another student lands Gabby in a weekend-long detention. It also finds her face-to-face with Jake.

Jake, having accepted his demon side, has been given his first assignment. He, and Pat, find themselves in detention camp as well. And Jake is surprised at seeing Gabby there. Although Gabby isn't part of his assignment, Jake and Gabby learn that the choices they've made have begun the march towards the apocalypse.

The Second Shadow imparts the tale of Gabby and Jake as they try to save humanity. They each know their expected roles, yet they still have free will. The angels and demons, on the brink of war, are awaiting the decisions that Gabby and Jake will have to make. Jake thought embracing his demon would wipe away his humanity. But he finds himself still caring - especially about Gabby. Gabby wants to save the world - but she also wants Jake's forgiveness and the ability to save him as well. And neither the angels nor the demons realized the strength of the bond shared between Gabby and Jake. 

I think The Second Shadow's main themes are forgiveness and redemption. There are many characters looking for these. Ms. Arroyo once again delivered a wild, graphic, and pulse-pounding story. I was never quite certain what was going to happen next. There were several shocking revelations that only added to the excitement. And the ending - Ms. Arroyo knows how to knock you in the gut with her conclusions.

My only complaint is that there were times when I felt the story's focus meandered too much. I was unsure of where the story was going and it detracted from my enjoyment .

Overall, The Second Shadow was a thrilling and satisfying read. I thought this was the conclusion and maybe it is, but the ending is definitely open-ended.

You can read my review of the first book of the series, The Second Sign, by clicking here.

Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, the youngest of five, Elizabeth spent most of her younger years as an avid reader with a wild imagination which led her to write her first manuscript at the age of fourteen.

Her fascination with the paranormal was influenced by the vivid ghost and demon stories of her father, scaring the crap out of her. It also led her to ask the "what if" question that propelled her down the path of the fantastical.

But, life got in the way. Elizabeth completed a Bachelors degree in Psychology with a minor in Criminal Justice at Northeastern Illinois University and works in the community strengthening families.

But her love of stories held, and in 2008 she found herself back into her storytelling roots and began writing again. Since then she's published a short story in SQ Magazine, countless musings on her blog - Chandara Writes (her muse), and completed three manuscripts.

In 2012, Elizabeth signed with Sapphire Star Publishing to release her debut novel, THE SECOND SIGN, a Dark YA Paranormal Romance, slated for an early 2013 release.

Elizabeth still resides in Chicago’s south west side with her family, a household of kids, and the bliss of chaos. The good kind. She continues to work in the community. You can follow her journey on her Blog chandarawrites.blogspot.com

Website ~ Twitter

**Teaser Tuesdays #5**

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

***

Enticing Interlude by Michelle Mankin
Tempest Series #2 

To the talented vocalist Justin Jones, love is merely a game that he plays by his own rules.

But to Bridget Dubois, love and heartache are one and the same.

Broken too many times before, the delicate beauty keeps her emotions carefully concealed. Bridget has her own set of rigid rules when it comes to men. She prefers to avoid them altogether, especially dangerously seductive auburn haired emerald eyed players like Justin.

But the new lead singer of the rising rock band Tempest doesn’t like to be ignored. Justin is used to getting what he wants, and now he’s set his sights on Bridget.

Suddenly, it’s no longer a game.

What do you do when the one you can’t have turns out to be the one you can’t live without?

As the pressure builds, will it temper them or will it shatter them both like fragile crystal?

*Each book in the Tempest series focuses on a different band member so technically they could be read alone, BUT would be much more enjoyable if read in order because of character back stories & continuing story lines*

**TEASER**

"I was completely out of my element with her. I knew how to get women quickly in and out of my bed, but I didn't have the foggiest clue how to get one to want to stay there. And that's what I wanted with her. What I'd been thinking about since I'd looked deeply into her eyes when she'd stood in the hall in Black Cat proudly defending her love for her son and making me want, more than a little bit, to be on the receiving end of that kind of love and passion." -Justin

**Spotlight ~ Playing Cupid ~ Christine S. Feldman**

Today, I'm spotlighting the last novella in Christine S. Feldman's Heavenly Bites series, Playing Cupid. This series sounds like a lot of fun and with Valentine's Day right around the corner, Playing Cupid sounds like a perfect read!

***

Playing Cupid by Christine S. Feldman

Heavenly Bites Novella #3

Release Date: January 18, 2014

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Synopsis
Much as she loves her meddling matchmaker of a grandmother, free-spirited Aimee Beasley is tired of dodging the dull and downright tiresome dates the older woman keeps trying to arrange for her. So when she notices her beloved Gran preening in the presence of a distinguished elderly gentleman who’s been visiting their apartment building, Aimee is delighted at the prospect of turning the tables on her.

But her plans to match her grandmother up with the gentleman in time for Valentine’s Day hit a snag when Aimee realizes he’s the uncle of their downstairs neighbor, a stodgy thirty-something history professor named Doyle with whom she butts heads on a regular basis. She’ll need to find a way to make nice and enlist his help, or her plan to see her long-widowed Gran happily matched again will never work.

For Gran’s sake, she’s determined to find a way. In the process, she starts to realize that her cranky downstairs neighbor has a softer side she never suspected existed.

And when it comes to romantic heroes, history professors may not have gotten a fair shake…

Aimee Beasley held the door open to their apartment building’s lobby for her beloved and bespectacled Gram as the older woman listed the many wonderful qualities possessed by her pharmacist, starting with his full head of hair and ending with his detailed knowledge of the common side effects of every medication known to humankind. It was a surprisingly long list, so either Gram had spent a great deal of time compiling it, or she had simply made half of it up. Either way, her dedication to her cause was admirable.

“So?” said Gram, expectant and finally pausing to draw breath as she peered at her granddaughter through tortoiseshell glasses that seemed to dwarf her face.

Aimee shook her head.

“But he’s such a nice young man—“ her grandmother protested.

“Nope.”

“I’m sure the two of you would have a lovely time getting to know each other.”

“Nope.” This was becoming an all too familiar conversation between them, and it was usually sparked by whatever “suitable” prospect had happened to catch Aimee’s matchmaking grandmother’s eye most recently. Today, of course, it had been her pharmacist, a man who Aimee was quite sure had as little interest in dating her as she did in going out with him.

Gram held a quivering hand to her heart and sighed dramatically.

“Nice try, Gram,” Aimee said patiently, unperturbed and shifting the bag of groceries she carried to one hand so she could dig in her pocket for her keys with the other. “You know that won’t work on me.”

The older woman scowled, but the quiver in her hand abruptly disappeared. 

“I don’t know why you insist upon turning down every young man I find for you. I’d appreciate it if you’d keep an open mind about this sort of thing, Aimee.”

“And I’d appreciate it if you’d stop trying to pimp me out.” Aimee finally found her keys and pulled them out to shove the right one into their mailbox. Pulling out the handful of envelopes and flyers inside, she closed it again and led the way to the elevator.

“But, dear, my pharmacist is really very charming.”

“Then you go out with him.”

Gram frowned at Aimee again and took the mail from her so Aimee could better balance the groceries. “He’s barely thirty.”

Aimee let out a wolf whistle. “My Gram, the cougar!”

“The what?”

The elevator opened, and both women stepped inside. “It’s an older woman who likes to play with young boy-toys, Gram. But if you do decide to bring your pharmacist home with you one day, do me a favor and put a sock on the door or something so I know not to go barging in, okay?”

“Young lady—“ Gram began, sputtering at her granddaughter as the elevator carried them up to the fourth floor.

Aimee gave her a cheeky grin.

The older woman’s eyes narrowed, and she recovered her composure. “Don’t think I’ll give up that easily. I’ve got plenty of time on my hands and little else to do besides think about these kinds of things, you know.”

“Bring it, lady,” Aimee returned, and then planted an affectionate kiss on top of the other woman’s headful of white curls as the elevator doors opened. “So, turkey or tuna today?” she asked as they reached their apartment door and she juggled keys and groceries again.

“Tuna.”

“Melt or mayo?”

“Melt, I think,” Gram decided, following Aimee into the apartment. “With the cheddar, if you don’t mind.”

“Cheddar it is. Give me five minutes to put this stuff away, and I’ll fix it.”

“Oh, dear…”

“Okay, three minutes.” Aimee pulled open the refrigerator door and began stuffing groceries inside. “Are you really that hungry?”

“What? Oh no, it’s not that.” Gram waved an envelope. “It appears we’ve gotten another piece of Mr. Berkley’s mail mixed in with ours again. Fifth time this month, I think.”

Aimee twitched at the sound of his name. Actually, it was the sixth time this month. Not all that shocking considering D. Berkley lived in apartment three-twelve and D. Beasley lived in four-twelve, but it was unfortunate all the same, because each time it meant Aimee had to go downstairs, knock on Doyle Berkley’s door, and then—she grimaced—speak to the man. Judging by the expression on his face every time he opened the door and saw her standing there, he enjoyed these little mail exchanges about as much as she did.

But this particular piece of mail didn’t look all that thick. Maybe she could shove it under the door and make a break for it. Sort of like pulling the pin from a grenade and then running.

“Dear, would you mind…?” Gram held the letter out to her.

“Sure, Gram,” Aimee agreed, forcing a smile as she took it and turned to go.

“Wait—here, take some scones,” her grandma said, hastily reaching into the grocery bag for the pastries they’d picked up at the bakery minutes earlier and arranging some on a small plate. “It’s the polite thing to do when calling on a neighbor.”

So much for shoving the mail under the door. “I’m not ‘calling’ on him—“

“Manners, Aimee. You can’t go empty-handed.”

“I’m not empty-handed. I’ve got his mail.”

But her grandma thrust the plate of scones at her anyway. “Good neighbors are hard to come by, and Mr. Berkley is a good neighbor.”

Aimee snorted.

“He is! He’s been very helpful to me in the past. I don’t know why you dislike him so.”

“Because he walks around like he’s got a stick up his—“

“Aimee Elizabeth Beasley!”

“I was going to say backside,” Aimee returned piously.

“No, you were not.”

No, she wasn’t, but all Aimee said in response was, “Be back in a minute,” and then she slipped back out the door.

The third floor was virtually identical to the fourth, and both showed their age. The pinstripe wallpaper must have been an update from whatever had covered the walls originally, but it was well-faded now itself, and the plain brown carpet in the hallways was worn so thin that it hardly looked like carpet anymore. No, the Belmont was not exactly the most cutting edge when it came to apartment complexes, although it might have been fifty years ago when it was first built. It was, however, the place where Ms. Delia Beasley had lived quite happily for the past three decades, and she had made it quite clear that she had no intention of moving.

Naturally, her son—Aimee’s father—was less than thrilled about his elderly and widowed mother living on her own, and the difference of opinion had caused no small amount of tension between the two. Tensions had continued to rise until one day Aimee had taken matters into her own hands and simply suggested she move in with her grandmother, split the expenses down the middle, and voilà—everybody’s problems had been solved.

Well, except for the mail delivery, she thought as she approached apartment three-twelve.

Aimee raised her hand that held the envelope in order to rap on the door, and then the plate of scones wobbled in her other hand. Reacting on impulse, she shoved the piece of mail between her teeth so she could rescue falling scones and grab the plate with both hands—which was, of course, precisely the moment when Doyle opened his front door.

Doyle Berkley always seemed to have an aura of grimness about him, and today was no exception. True, he lightened up somewhat when speaking with Gram if they happened to pass each other in the lobby, but even then Aimee didn’t think she could exactly call him cheerful. Only less grim. Dark hair and shadows under his eyes did nothing to combat the somberness of his overall aspect, and he gave the impression of a man who did not care much for the company of others.

Likely as not it came from spending all his time with history books instead of living, breathing people. Memorizing dates and details about wars throughout the centuries—and then forcing university students to regurgitate them—couldn’t be healthy for anyone. Which was probably why Aimee had flunked history in high school; it was on principle.

They stared at each other for a moment, Doyle’s grey eyes cool as they narrowed and took in the young woman standing on his doorstep with the envelope between her teeth.

“We got some more of your mail,” Aimee said matter-of-factly around the edges of the item in question, the words slightly garbled because of the obstruction.

“So I see,” Doyle returned, reaching for the envelope and eyeing the faint teeth marks on it with obvious displeasure. “And you decided to eat it?”

“In my defense,” said Aimee. “It is lunchtime.”

She got no response, not even a twitch of an eyelid.

Had this guy ever been fun? He couldn’t be past his mid-thirties, and yet more often than not it seemed like he was channeling his inner curmudgeon. “Oh, come on. Lighten up. It wouldn’t kill you, would it?”

He said nothing, but she could have sworn his eyes narrowed even further, if that was possible.

“Brr. Did you feel that?” She made an exaggerated shiver. “I think the temperature in this hallway just dropped by about thirty degrees. Happens every time I come by here. How do you do that?”

“Thank you for my mail. Are we done here?”

“Almost.” Aimee thrust the plate of scones at him. “These are from Gram. She insisted.”

For a moment she thought his cool exterior thawed. “Please thank her for me.”

“I will.”

“Good.”

“Okay, now we’re done here.”

Without another word, Doyle closed his door, leaving Aimee alone in the hallway.

“Ah, there we go,” Aimee said aloud as she turned to go. “Warmer in here already.”

***

Other Novellas in the Heavenly Bites Series

Christine S. Feldman writes both novels and feature-length screenplays, and, to her great delight, she has placed in screenwriting competitions on both coasts—and has even won a couple of them. In 2012 one of her screenplays was featured as a staged reading in New York City at the Gotham Screen International Film Festival (http://www.gsiff.com/content/staged-screenplay-reading-1), and later that same year she signed her first publishing contract. When she is not writing, she is teaching kindergarten, puttering around in her garden, ballroom dancing with her husband, or doing research for her next project. Please visit her at:

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter

**Bought, Borrowed & Bagged ~ #6**

Bought, Borrowed, & Bagged is a weekly meme, hosted by TalkSupe, where I share with you the books I have bought, borrowed, or bagged (gifted or won) plus a recap of the previous week's reviews, upcoming reviews, and any other bookishness I want to share. :)

Here's what was added to my ereader, and my physical library, this week:

BOUGHT


I picked up Such Sweet Sorrow and Scintillate for 99 cents each. I bought physical copies of Disarm (Braine made me do it! ;) and Unravel Me. 

BAGGED

I received Come Home to Me from the author for review. And I received Don't Even Think About It through Netgalley. I've read this Ms. Mlynowski before and enjoyed her writing.

Last Week's Reviews

The Replacement by Rachael Wade
Taut by J.A. Huss

Upcoming Reviews
Enticing Interlude by Michelle Mankin
The Second Shadow by Elizabeth Arroyo
Forever Loved by Deanna Roy

**Sidekick Showcase #31 ~ Book Boyfriends**

Sidekick Showcase (previously known as Sidekick Saturday) is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Jaclyn at JC's Book Haven. There are many secondary characters that are as great as the primaries. In some cases, the sidekicks actually steal the show and you like them better than the heroine or hero. Maybe they didn't have enough page time for how great they were. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Choose a sidekick *or someone other than the hero or heroine* that you would like to put in the spotlight that fits in this week's type
• Share a picture (if possible) and information about the character
• Give the title and author of a book the character can be found in
• Please don't include too many spoilers when describing why the character is such a great sidekick
• Put your link in the Linky thing and comment

**********************************
For this month of LOVE, our sidekicks will be of the romantic persuasion...or just plain HOT! Yep, that's right. I'm gonna share my book boyfriends this month. Enjoy it because I don't really like to share. *grins*

My pick is
Fitzwilliam Darcy
from Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice

Y'all know I love P&P and Mr. Darcy. For me, Mr. Darcy is the epitome of a romantic hero. He was my first love. :) Instead of giving quotes from P&P, I thought I'd share some of my favorite books that have tried to emulate or capture the essence of Mr. Darcy. These are continuations, re-tellings, or just thematically similar stories. You can click on the images to go to Goodreads for synopses. :)