Tuesday, March 4, 2014

**Review ~ Eyes Wide Open ~ Raine Miller**


Eyes Wide Open (The Blackstone Affair, #3)

Eyes Wide Open by Raine Miller
The Blackstone Affair #3
Release Date: May 14, 2013
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance
Source: Purchased on Amazon
Rating: 4 Bookworms

Synopsis
The third part in The Blackstone Affair series: A love on the brink of being destroyed. The fight of a lifetime to keep it alive.
Big surprises are on the horizon for Ethan and Brynne as they struggle to adjust to what life has thrown at them. Demons from the past are threatening to destroy the passionate bond they’ve forged despite their vow that nothing will ever keep them apart. A truly devastating loss coupled with the promise of a new hope opens their eyes to what is most important, but is it possible for the lovers to move on from the painful histories that continue to haunt them? A stalker is still lurking in the shadows, plotting evil amidst the distraction of the 2012 Olympic games in London. Brynne and Ethan are on the cusp of losing everything as the stakes rise. Will they yield to circumstances beyond their control or will they give every ounce of fight they have left to save each other and win the ultimate prize of a life together?
Eyes Wide Open is a passion-wrought story that shows us what pure love can achieve when tested and what the heart can accomplish despite danger and adversity.



I've been intending to read Eyes Wide Open since it's release but hadn't yet. When Rare and Precious Things, the fourth book in the series, came up for review, I decided this was the perfect time to catch up on this series.

Reading Raine Miller is a guilty pleasure of mine. I love how she makes me feel the powerful emotions between Brynne and Ethan. I admire her writing style and ability to impart so much about them, their pasts, their families, etc., while having them spend so much steamy time in the bedroom. Truly, Brynne and Ethan spend A LOT of time shagging yet I still feel as though I know them so well.

Eyes Wide Open continues Brynne and Ethan's story. Ethan is still busy making preparations for the royal family's security during the upcoming Olympics. He's also working at ensuring Brynne's safety. He and his team are still no closer to figuring out who's threatening Brynne, so Ethan formulates a few plans to ensure she's safe. Certain things come to light which enable him to move forward with all his plans, where Brynne is concerned, a little more quickly and easily.

Ethan and Brynne have to face a few tragedies before they can breathe easy about their future. I liked the tension that Brynne's stalker added to the story but I must admit that I'd figured out the mystery and felt the conclusion to that part of the storyline was a bit anticlimactic. But that's okay because the real story was the love story. And it's an epic one.

What I most enjoy about this series is that both Brynne and Ethan are strong people but they each have their weaknesses - their vulnerabilities. Together though, they make each other stronger and whole. That's a beautiful thing to witness.


Monday, March 3, 2014

**Cover Reveal ~ Night Owl ~ M. Pierce**

The publisher for M. Pierce's Night Owl Trilogy redid the covers for the paperback release and I'm excited to be a part of the cover (re)reveal. I have to tell y'all that I read Braine @ Talk Supe's review of Night Owl and immediately one-clicked it! ;)

Night Owl (Book #1, Night Owl Trilogy) by M. Pierce
Genre:   Contemporary Erotic Romance
Paperback Release Date: July 1, 2014
Ebook Release Date: February 11, 2014
Cover Designed by: Kerri Resnick

Synopsis:
"Tautly written, complex, and vibrating with a dark sensuality that will have you at once blushing and anxious. You'll think you have this book pegged . . . but you'll be wrong."—Christina Lauren, New 
York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling authors of The Beautiful Bastard series

From bestselling ebook author M. Pierce comes the first novel in a provocative erotic trilogy where an anonymous online writing partnership turns into an uncontrollable, passionate obsession

At twenty-eight, Matt Sky has the perfect life. He has a beautiful girlfriend, a massive inheritance, and four national bestsellers -- all penned under his airtight alias, M. Pierce.

At twenty-seven, Hannah Catalano is a train wreck. Her boyfriend is a deadbeat and her job is abysmal.

Matt and Hannah meet online as writing partners. Their relationship is safe, anonymous, and innocent...

Until Matt sees a picture of Hannah. Hannah's picture sparks an attraction Matt is powerless to ignore. When circumstance brings Matt and Hannah together, the strangers begin a love story that's passionate, poignant, unforgettable, and unstoppable.




Night Owl can also be purchased here:
Kobo 



Last Light Goodreads Link




After Dark Goodreads Link 




M. put together an awesome giveaway to celebrate the paperback cover reveals – 10 prizes being given away! 1 Signed paperback, 4 signed bookmarks, 1 Night Owl inspired charm keychain (designed by For the Love of Sparkles & Charms) and 4 ebooks. (The paperback will be delivered after the release date).




a Rafflecopter giveaway



M. Pierce is the bestselling author of Night Owl, book one in the erotic Night Owl Trilogy. The author lives in Colorado and owns a rabbit named Laurence. 




**Blog Tour Review & Giveaway ~ Astral Tide ~ Anna Silver**


Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Anna Silver's Astral Tide. This is the second book in the Otherborn series. You can read my review of Otherborn, the first book in the series, here. My stop includes all the important details for the book, a trailer, my review, and a giveaway.

FYI, Otherborn is currently available for ONLY 99 cents.


***
Astral Tide by Anna Silver
Series: Otherborn, #2
Release Date: February 28, 2014
Genre: YA, Dystopian, Science Fiction
Source: I received an eARC from the author in exchange for an honest review
Rating: 4 Bookworms

Synopsis
London and her friends are fugitives in a reprocessed world where anything New is illegal. But as Otherborn, they’re different. They can dream and create, which hasn’t gone unnoticed. After fleeing Capital City with an assassin on their heels, the Otherborn found nothing went according to plan. Now, they are down by two and on the run in the Outroads, but the Tycoons keep mysteriously gaining on them. And seven months later, London is no closer to her promise to go back for Rye, if there is anything left to go back for. But Zen is teaching London that there may be more to her heart than the pieces she left behind, and London can’t help but feel guilty about not looking back since they fled New Eden. Should she hold on to hope that Rye is more than just a memory, or embrace a new life and love with Zen?

In their race to outrun their enemies, one thing is becoming increasingly clear: they can only run for so long. Eventually, they’ll have to face what waits when the road runs out. Eventually, their fates will catch up to them.



Astral Tide can also be purchased here:


 **TRAILER**






Astral Tide is an exciting sequel to Otherborn. It resumes where Otherborn left off. I was thrilled to find I was right in assuming that since the initial world building was complete, the sequel would be even better than the original. Astral Tide is well-written and compelling. I only wished more had happened in London's fight against the Tycoons.

London and her friends, Zen, Kim, and Tora, are still evading the Tycoons and their guards. We journey with them as they run from one Outroad  camp to another. While on the run, they each learn more about their Other and how to use the Astral in their world in beneficial ways. This was a fascinating element to the story, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. The group is working towards a plan to save Rye and to take down the Tycoons. There is intrigue along the way and they find they've been betrayed once again. They do find a new ally though and he's able to teach London more than anyone else has so far. London and her friends were also able to ferret out what the Tycoons are up to now. 

I truly enjoyed Astral Tide - all the fantasy elements are very well done. The trips to the Astral, learning how to warp and shift, and understanding the fact that they were each one with their Other, were captivating. I appreciated the group's journey because as London realized 

"All this running and hiding, it feels like it was a waste of time, but it hasn't been. It's been buying us time."
However, I felt like the not much happened toward their ultimate goal. If Otherborn was the book for initial world building, Astral Tide was the book for preparing for the upcoming battle. At the end, I was left questioning where they were going to go from here. Especially so because of the ending which had me saying aloud, "Really?"


I will, of course, be reading the next installment as I must know where London and her group go from the final scene. I want to see them defeat the Tycoons and thereby save the world.






a Rafflecopter giveaway





Anna Silver is an author and artist living in the greater Houston area with her family, pets, and overactive imagination. Her art has been featured in the Houston gallery Las Manos Magicas. She studied English Writing & Rhetoric at St. Edward’s University. She's freelanced for private clients and small publications like the Hill Country Current. OTHERBORN, her first published novel, has been featured on 2 of Amazon's "Bestsellers" lists. She is represented by Rebecca Podos and Nicole LaBombard of Rees Literary Agency.


Sunday, March 2, 2014

**Bought, Borrowed, & Bagged ~ #9**


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

The Harder I FallLash (Broken Angel, #1)Tattoo Thief (Tattoo Thief, #1)Be All (All, #1)A Date with Fate (The Adventures of Anabel Axelrod)Defining Destiny

I picked up The Harder I Fall after I did the release blitz - it was only 99 cents and sounds great! I picked up Tattoo Thief after reading Naomi @Nomi's Paranormal Palace's review. She said it was wonderful and it was only 99 cents. I picked up Defining Destiny after reading Lexxie @Unconventional Book Views' review. She raved about it and it was only 99 cents. (Hmm, perhaps I should stay away from other bloggers' reviews...I see a trend! ;) Lash, Be All, and A Date with Fate were all Amazon FREEBIES!


BAGGED

The Arrangement: The Ferro Family (The Arrangement, #1)Catch MeTouched with Fire

I received The Arrangement from Reese @Reese's Reviews, who so kindly offered to gift it to me after torturing me with all the wonderful reviews of this series. Thanks again, Reese! I WON Catch Me from The Autumn Review. AND I also WON Touched with Fire from a giveaway on Reese's blog. :)


Last Week's Reviews


Upcoming Reviews
Astral Tide by Anna Silver
Rare and Precious Things by Raine Miller
Enraptured by Ginger Voight
Fearsome by S.A. Wolfe


**Bookishness**


As promised, here are a few of the bookmarks that I make. Nothing too fancy, but I enjoy making them and as I said, one can NEVER have too many bookmarks. :)


**Sidekick Showcase ~ #34 ~ Snubbed**



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


**********************************
March's themes revolve around the Oscars and St. Patrick's Day. Since the Oscars are this weekend, I'm going with that theme. I came up with something I thought was an awesome theme - but I had a hard time coming up with a character.

My theme is SNUBBED 
My choice of character: 

Jacob Black
from Stephenie Meyers' Twilight Saga

Jacob was a pretty obvious choice, no? He's kinda like Leonardo DiCaprio...it doesn't matter the caliber of performance he gives, the Academy still snubs him. Jacob did everything he could think of to try to win Bella. He was always there when she needed him, to lend a shoulder to cry on, to share information - sometimes unwittingly - to build a motorcycle with. And every single time, he was snubbed.




Saturday, March 1, 2014

**Release Blitz & Giveaway ~ Spark ~ Jennifer Ryder**


Happy Release Day, Jennifer Ryder!


Spark 
(Spark Series #1)
Author: Jennifer Ryder
Release Date: February 28, 2014


Synopsis
Not many people know that I, Eevie Lawson, have a problem. An addiction to romance novels. I eat them for breakfast. I hide it the best I can, but I need them to breathe. It’s how I cope.

I’ve had a swag of book boyfriends, but now that I’m free from the responsibility of caring for my three younger brothers, it’s time to find one in the flesh.

In real life, no girl meets their hero on page one, or even at the end of chapter one. I should know.

My journey is real. It’s not perfect, and it sure as hell isn’t easy—but the fight for something worthwhile never is.



 **TEASER**







New Adult and erotic romance writer. My debut novel 'Spark', part of a four part romantic suspense series will be released on 28 February 2014!

A sexy imagination, a life-long love of books and a sucker for romance, Jennifer Ryder couldn't stifle her creativity any longer.

Writing steamy adult romance has become her new focus. Living on a rural property in New South Wales, Australia, she enjoys the best of city and country.

Her loving husband is ever willing to provide inspiration, and her two young cherubs, and sheep that don't see fences as barriers, keep life more than interesting.

Jennifer placed third in the International Stringybark Erotic Short Fiction Award 2013.


Connect with Jennifer