**Teaser Tuesdays ~ #9**

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!

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Synopsis

"I dare you." Those words would change adrenaline junkie, Alice Harrison's life forever. She's a party girl that doesn't believe in love until she meets a man that only writes about it. Seth James escaped his overbearing father and moved into one of the James family's vacant condos, hoping to create the music he loves in peace. But the fragile calm he's envisioned shatters when a tiny woman with a world full of energy bounces out of the elevator and nearly takes him out. With the patience of a saint, Seth seeks the dark that keeps Alice from enjoying life. He challenges her to exorcise the demons in her past in order to discover the true meaning of love. But when the walls fall down, the hidden deceptions will bare the ugly truth about a woman drowning in sorrow and a man who may not know how to be her hero.

**TEASER**

"I can't explain this fear I have in letting her go. It's an irrational theory that she'll always run if I don't make her stay."  -Seth

**My review of Drowning posts tomorrow.**

**Blitz & Giveaway ~ Dust to Dust ~ S.P. Cervantes**

I'm thrilled to be a part of the blitz for S.P. Cervantes' Dust to Dust. I have all the pertinent details about the book for y'all, plus a giveaway!

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Dust to Dust (A Broken Fairy Tale 1) by S.P. Cervantes

Age group: Adult

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Cover designer: Kelly Walker

Release Date: March 4, 2014

Tour organized by: WordSmith Publicity & AToMR

Synopsis

If faced with your worst fear, what would you do? Would you run or would you fight? 

A thirty-something mother of two, Camryn appears to have it all: a husband, plenty of money, and children she adores. When she returns home to spend Christmas with her family, her perfect world she has created begins to crumble, thrusting her face to face with the only man who truly knows her.

A powerful, handsome attorney, Holden left town after his adoptive parents’ death. In his time away he almost managed to forget the girl who ran away with his heart. At least until a turn of fate brought him back to Mantoloking, and back to Camryn.

But are they willing to fight for each other?

Faced with a tragic past that they both wanted to forget, they struggle to protect their hearts from being broken again. Will their love be enough to get them through another tragedy, or will they close themselves off and run away again?

a rafflecopter giveaway

S.P Cervantes lives in Orange County, California with her loving husband and three children, where she is a teacher.

She enjoys spending time with her family, writing, and reading, but is always thinking of an idea for her next novel.

S.P. Cervantes graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from California State University Fullerton, and has a Master’s Degree in Education.

S.P. Cervantes recently has completed the second novel in the Secrets of Shadow Hill Series, Secrets of Shadow Hill: Prophecy, and is currently writing the third novel in this exciting series.

Website | Twitter | Facebook

**Blitz ~ Love TKO ~ Selene Chardou**

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Love TKO (A Love Unexpected Novel, #1)

by Selene Chardou

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Synopsis

An Irish Mixed Martial Artist who is fighting for the UFC Championship in Las Vegas.

A beautiful hustler who is counting the clock down to her twenty-eighth birthday when she can finally retire and enjoy her life.

A chance encounter that changes both of their lives forever.

“I can’t allow what I feel for him to stop me from seeing the end goal. I never wanted this to be my life and in six months, it no longer will be.

“But there is something about Torin Duffy that makes my heart race, and creates a shortness of breath I have never felt in my life.

“I’m jaded; part of me feels like I am unlovable but when I am with him, he makes me feel wanted, needed, protected and it’s a slow burn that is leisurely turning me inside out and my emotions upside down.

“We both know how dangerous this is but nothing can stop the hurricane of emotions we make each other feel, and his touch is so dangerous, I know he could leave me broken beyond repair.

“How do we stop something that can destroy us both? Why should he risk what he’s wanted his whole life over me?

“We both know where this is leading but how can we stop it when it’s too late to turn back now?” – Chiara Bassi

Selene Chardou is a world traveler and the alter-ego of Elle Chardou. 

Ms. Chardou’s writing is all about hot romance and exciting times with the rich and famous set in the New Adult realm. 

She is currently working on Falling into Love (One More Night Trilogy).

There will also be a spin-off series titled simply the Scarlet Fever Series which will chronicle the relationships of all four band members in separate novels. 

She also has a pop stars series planned titled Young, Rich & Talented, which will also be a trilogy.

Ms. Chardou has lived abroad in Stockholm (Sweden), Manchester (England), Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area and Portland. She currently resides in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Facebook ~ Goodreads

**Bought, Borrowed, & Bagged ~ #10**

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/or my physical library this week:

BOUGHT



I picked up More than This after reading Naomi @Nomi's Paranormal Palace's review. I'm thinking I had a good week since I managed to purchase only ONE book. :)

BAGGED

I received all these books for review, either for blog tours 
or from NetGalley.

Last Week's Reviews

Astral Tide by Anna Silver
Eyes Wide Open by Raine Miller
Rare and Precious Things by Raine Miller
Enraptured by Ginger Voight
Fearsome by S.A. Wolfe

Upcoming Reviews
Dear Emily by Trudy Stiles
Drowning by Rachel Firasek
He Belongs With Me by Sarah Darlington

**A Playlist for Life ~ March**

My pal, Robyn, over at robgirlbooks, has issued a challenge. She wants us to come up with a song - one a month - that we turn to when life is getting us down...when we need a pick-me-up...the song we turn to when trying to get motivated for cleaning the house...the song we hear when we need inspiration...well, you get the picture. :) At the end of the year, we'll have quite the playlist for life!

This month, the theme is 'musical'. 

My choice is:


Sky's choice:


In case you were curious about how I spend my Saturdays ;), this is an example, on a grand stage, of what my girls do every weekend during winter. Sky plays bells and chimes in the 'pit', which is where the marimbas, xylophones, etc., are located. Berk is on winter guard/color guard, which are the people dancing and throwing flags and rifles. The difference, right now, is that my girls perform separately as a percussion ensemble and a winter guard. But they aspire to perform in drum corps one day. :)

Berk's choice:



Jax's choice:




What are some of your favorite songs from musicals?

**Sidekick Showcase #34 ~ Achievement**

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

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March's themes revolve around the Oscars and St. Patrick's Day. I managed to come up with another Oscar-related theme. 

My theme is Lifetime Achievement ~ in Bitchiness 

My choice of character: 
Queen Andais
from Laurell K. Hamilton's Meredith Gentry Series

Queen Andais is one ruthless ruler. Also known as the Queen of Air & Darkness, she is said to be able to hear anything said in the dark as well as being able to suck the air from a room. She placed a geas of celibacy on her Ravens (her guard). They have, therefore, spent hundreds, even thousands of years celibate. She is a sexual sadist and loves to torture and draw blood. Andais is most likely insane and most of the fae fear her rather than respect her.

Queen Andais is Merry Gentry's aunt. Andais, since she's infertile, promised her throne to whichever of her heir produces offspring first. She has a preferred heir, and it's not Merry. 

She pulled his head back until his spine bowed and I knew she could snap his neck with just a little more pressure. "That is hardly punishment enough, niece, He disobeyed a direct order of mine. That is not allowed." - Queen Andais, A Kiss of Shadows

"Begging is not done on your feet, Meredith." - Queen Andais, A Stroke of Midnight

"I had not felt such a rush of battle madness for centuries. It felt so good. Every wound, every harm I caused made the bloodlust grow. I'd forgotten how amazingly good it felt to slaughter, not for effect, or information, or to invoke fear, but simply for the love of it. Whoever did the spell knew my powers intimately." -Queen Andais, Seduced by Moonlight

**Blogger 'Duel" Review ~ Fearsome ~ S.A. Wolfe**

Fearsome by S.A. Wolfe

Publication date: October 2013

Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

Source: I received an ecopy from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis
Fearsome

Jessica Channing’s big city life should be more exciting than sixty-hour work weeks and popcorn nights with her girlfriends, but it’s not. She has worked hard fulfilling her role as a child prodigy and graduating college years before her peers. She’s the good girl, the brilliant girl.

Unfortunately, she’s also the dateless young woman.

That all changes with one phone call. Jess’s rigid, predictable life upends when she must visit a small, obscure town to deal with a relative’s death. This isn’t just any little speck of a town, though. Long lost memories come crashing down on Jess’s world when two men, the Blackard brothers, seem to lure her in.

Dylan is cover model handsome, and pursues Jess the minute she comes to town. Then there is tall, dark and gorgeous Carson, who hides his own secrets behind his hardened reserve.

For someone who has been governed by her own obsessive behaviors and fears, Jess lets her guard down and jumps at the opportunity to have an affair with a man she actually finds attractive for a change.

There’s just one problem. Jess discovers that she can’t have a simple romantic fling because true passion does indeed come with some very big strings attached to it. She will have to own up to her own truths about love and face the two extraordinary men; both troubled in their own ways and both determined to have her.

I'm thrilled to be 'dueling' with Lexxie @Unconventional Book Views over this book. We actually read it awhile ago, and while we both enjoyed it, we also had a few issues with it.

My initial reaction to this book was that overall, I really enjoyed it! I gave it 4 Bookworms because I liked the characters, the story and the small town camaraderie of Hera. But the more I thought about it, and talked with Lexxie about it, the more I waffled on my rating. 

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Our heroine, Jessica, is very logical and analytical. She's come to Hera to deal with the house she's inherited from her aunt - an aunt she only vaguely remembers. While in Hera, she becomes reacquainted with the Blackard brothers, whom she spent time with as a child. Dylan is affable, gorgeous, and relentless in his pursuit of Jessica. Carson is serious, intense, and just as gorgeous as his brother. Jessica, not have much experience with boys, finds herself torn between these two brothers.

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Here's a little of what Lexxie and I chatted about:

I liked it but there were things that could have been fleshed out better...like I didn't ever 'feel' that Jessica was a math genius.

LOL, me neither! We were told several times how smart she was, but she didn't show it to us that much. The same with her programming skills -- we were told she did it, but we never actually saw her do anything special.

Exactly! I liked her though, despite that. Some of her decisions were questionable, but then, I have to remember her age.

And how sheltered she has lived up until she arrives at her aunt's house. I liked her too, but I thought it was a little icky that she got it on with both brothers.

Oh yeah, that too.

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I've edited our conversation because I don't want to be spoiler-y. I will say there were some literary devices used by Ms. Wolfe that we both took issue with. 

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It was like she wanted to try different things but didn't have the guts to go through with her choices completely. I did enjoy the story though.

I wanted to know more about her aunt and why there was a rift in the family - that wasn't explored to my satisfaction.

Yeah, some of the storylines weren't completed, and some information just got thrown in there without any followup.

I was looking over my notes and remembering my frustration over Jessica's inability to make a decision. I understand that feeling of having had all your decisions made for you - but if she's such a math whiz, shouldn't she approach things a bit more logically?

Yes, she should have made a spreadsheet or something. :) Or an equation.

LOL

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My finals thoughts ended up as this:

Jessica has led a very sheltered life and was raised by very controlling and stoic parents. Her father made almost all her life decisions for her, even those dealing with college. Fearsome essentially chronicles the beginning of Jessica's journey towards being fearsome...making her own decisions, figuring out what she wants in life. 

Fearsome has a great cast of characters. I delighted in seeing Jessica's friendships with Lauren and Imogene, girls from Hera, blossom. I liked both Carson and Dylan, but for different reasons. And I look forward to getting to know them even better.

Despite my issues with some of the plot devices and feeling as though parts of the story weren't explored enough, I still liked Fearsome. And, since it was the first in a series, I'm hoping eventually all my questions will be answered. :)

**Feature & Follow ~ #43 **

Happy Friday and welcome to the Blog Hop! 

Feature & Follow is a weekly blog hop hosted by the talented ladies behind AlisonCanRead and Parajunkee's View. The intent of this blog hop is to get out there and meet other bloggers and gain new followers yourself. What sets this blog hop apart is the Feature. Each week, two blogs are featured, one at AlisonCanRead and one at Parajunkee's View. So make sure to hop over to those blogs to check out this week's Features.

This week's Features are:
Chapterbreak.net
Pottermorebooks


This week's question is:
Recommend some of your favorite back-list books.

Okay y'all, I have mentioned before that my reading tastes are eclectic. :)  Here are a few of my favorite books 
from the past 20(?) years:

The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris
A Time to Kill by John Grisham
The Same Sweet Girls by Cassandra King
Tara Road by Maeve Binchy
Bridget Jones' Diary by Helen Fielding

I really, really enjoyed the psychological aspect of The Silence of the Lambs. Grisham's A Time to Kill is my very favorite of his books. I read The Same Sweet Girls in a book club in ~2000 and I love the friendship between these 4 women. As for Bridget Jones...well, I am an Austen fan, so what can I say?!? ;)

What are some of y'alls back-list favorites?