Monday, November 30, 2015

A Brooklyn Love Affair by Tya Marie


About the Book
Title: A Brooklyn Love Affair:  Vixen and Gino’s Story
Author: Tya Marie
Genre: African-American urban fiction
                
                Vixen Williams has always been known as a woman of many faces. The fiercely devoted one she uses for her best friend, the one of a lover and confidant to her fiancé, and the real one she keeps reserved for looking in the mirror and battling her inner demons. Life is fairly normal for Vixen until her verbally abusive mother reenters her life, dredging up traumatic childhood memories, and bringing a handsome stranger into the mix with her devious antics causing Vixen to reprise her role as caregiver and bread winner.
                Gino Romano is infamous for many reasons: his notoriety for being one of the youngest king pins in New York City, the cold manner in which he handles business and the notable political ties he's managed to create along the way through “profit sharing.” However, the most prominent thing he is known for is the ice fortress he has built around his heart. Because of his past, Gino keeps women at an arms length, believing it hard to find one who could accept the scarred past he comes with. Until he lays eyes on Vixen.
                Brought together for all the wrong reasons, Vixen and Gino find a common ground that not only develops into a budding friendship, but sparks a love affair. From the moment they become one they must fight to protect their love from those who plan to destroy it by any means necessary, one of which being the very reason Vixen ran away from home ten years ago in the dead of night.
                Will the forces that are determined to see Gino and Vixen destroyed win? Or will their love prevail?
                Set in a spicy Brooklyn backdrop, A Brooklyn Love Affair brings to life pain, forgiveness, and the never ending possibility of finding love.

Author Bio

Born and raised in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, Tya Marie has always had an overactive imagination. So much that she would daydream and make up “movies” in her head, which would eventually turn into the stories she would later pen. By the age of twelve Tya decided it was time to take her daydreams to life and began writing young adult novels which helped her hone her skills and provided the literary fix she needed after plowing through her entire book collection. It wasn’t until she reached sixteen that she became intrigued by urban fiction and related to it more than she did the mainstream fiction she binged on. Deciding that she wanted to bring her own heart and soul into the urban fiction genre she penned countless novels and has continued to do so over the past eight years with A Brooklyn Love Affair: Vixen and Gino’s Story being her first published piece. Tya still resides in Brooklyn where she continues to create new love affairs.


Links



Book Excerpt

           I was halfway up the stairs to the co-op Trey and I shared with two other families when I heard a heavy click clacking of heels followed by a smoke stained cough. Rolling my eyes I turned to find my mother, Mahogany, standing in front of me, hands on her bony hips. She looked fifteen pounds lighter in the loose zebra print dress that swathed her small frame. My lips formed a thin line as I walked back down the stairs to talk with the woman who was responsible for making my early years a living hell.
         “What are you doing here?” I hissed, looking around to make sure no one I knew was walking by.
         Mahogany adjusted the cheap blonde wig she wore. “I need some money.”
         “You need money?” I repeated incredulously. “I gave you money last week.”
         “Vixen, that wasn’t nothing but some change.”
         “You call five hundred dollars ‘change’?”
         “It lasted me only a week; so yes, I call that ‘change.’”
         “Well then here’s a couple pennies,” I said, pulling out a twenty and tossing it to her.
         “What the fuck is this supposed to do?” she asked loudly.
         I could see Mark, my neighbor, a few blocks down, squinting in our direction. I sucked my teeth and grabbed her arm, pulling her out of his view. “Make that last you tonight and I’ll see what I can do tomorrow,” I said through gritted teeth.
         Mahogany sneered at me, yanking her arm from my grip with surprising strength. “You better make something happen unless you want me to come back over here scaring all your neighbors.”
         “Stay the hell away from here.”
         “It’s not my fault you’re scared, Vixen,” she continued as if I hadn’t spoken. “You’re scared that all these people in this neighborhood will see you for who you are. ‘Cause no matter how nice your clothes are or how good you look, you ain’t nothing but a whore like me.”
         I walked away from her and shoved my key into the front door. After a few seconds I heard the sound of her cheap heels click-clacking down the street and knew she was gone.
         “Hey,” Trey said the moment I entered the apartment.
         My heart dropped when I saw where he was sitting. Putting on my brightest smile, I managed a bright, “Hey.”
         “So,” he said lightly as he got up from the seat we kept by the window. “Who was that?”
         “Just some stupid crackhead bothering me.” I said lightly, walking into the bedroom so he couldn’t see the tears pouring down my cheeks.
         “She was there for a while.”
            I slammed the bathroom door shut, turning on the shower to drown out the sobs that racked my chest. Trey knocked on the door, calling my name. I ignored him, too hurt by my mother’s harsh words to be bothered. The steaming hot water streamed down my face, mixing with my tears as I let go of the tidal wave of emotions that overcame me. My mother was right: behind my expensive clothes I was nothing but a whore and undeserving of a decent man like Trey. He loved me now, but I was sure once Trey knew the real Vixen he would treat her as such.

Saturday, November 28, 2015

We Never Left You Authored by Beth and Rick Olsen with Andrea Cagan


About the Book
Title: We Never Left You
Authors: Beth and Rick Olsen
Genre: Non-Fiction / Memoir / Inspirational
After unspeakable tragedy, one couple must forge their own path to healing in the bittersweet true story, We Never Left You.
One moment, Beth and Rick Olsen were enjoying an ordinary life filled with all the joys and frustrations of raising their two children, Jessica and Joshua. The next moment, a drunk driver plowed through a red light at eighty miles per hour, hitting their van and changing everything.
The death of both their children launched Beth and Rick down a long and winding path toward simple survival—and eventual healing. As shock gave way to the cruel reality of their loss, they began receiving messages that proved the existence of life after death—a welcome sign that aided them in moving forward.
The Olsens soon attempted traditional healing methods but quickly found that counseling did nothing to help them get a grasp on their monumental loss. They then turned to nontraditional approaches—a decision that led them to Peru. It was there they finally began to undergo the immense physical, mental, and emotional changes that allowed them to understand everything—including the accident—happens for a reason.


Author Bio
Beth and Rick Olsen

Happily married since 1987, Rick and Beth Olsen survived the death of their two children from a drunk driver in 1999. Now, in 2015, they have written their first book about their experiences in an attempt to help other people undergoing the same kind of tragedy. Beth and Rick live in Glenbeulah, Wisconsin with their three children.  
Andrea Cagan
Andrea Cagan has been writing, ghost writing, collaborating and editing for over two decades, with more than a dozen books appearing on the best seller lists, including four #1 NY Times and LA Times best sellers. She focuses on topics of social value, and has worked with such celebrities as Magic Johnson, Marianne Williamson, Grace Slick and many more.

Links
Twitter @wnly99
Pinterest  https://www.pinterest.com/weneverleftyou/

Friday, November 27, 2015

The Idea of You by Darcy Burke







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Digital Download of THE IDEA OF YOU


(BlueFire App Required)








THE IDEA OF YOU


Ribbon Ridge #4


Darcy Burke


Releasing November 17th, 2015


Avon Books







Evan Archer has always preferred peace and solitude to the loud antics of his large, hard-to-navigate family. But when Archer Enterprises needs a new creative director, Evan jumps at the chance to claim the job he’s always wanted. Moving home is easier than he expected, but Evan isn’t prepared for the stunning A-list celebrity hiding out in his family’s garage apartment.


Following a major tabloid scandal, movie
star Alaina Pierce escapes to Ribbon Ridge. She’s immediately drawn to the
quiet, picturesque town and the incredibly sexy—if a little quirky—Evan. He may
be built like a Greek god, but he’s honest and straightforward… so different
from the Hollywood types she normally dates.







Their attraction is undeniable, but Alaina
can’t elude the paparazzi forever, and Evan has no interest in being in the
limelight. When the secret she’s been keeping is exposed, the idea of Evan—of
real love and a family like the Archers—could vanish in an instant.






Buy Now


















Darcy Burke is the USA Today
bestselling author of hot, action-packed historical and sexy, emotional
contemporary romance. Darcy wrote her first book at age 11, a
happily-ever-after about a swan addicted to magic and the female swan who loved
him, with exceedingly poor illustrations.








A native Oregonian, Darcy lives on the
edge of wine country with her guitar-strumming husband, their two hilarious
kids-who each seem to have inherited the writing gene in some form-and two
Bengal cats. In her "spare" time Darcy is a serial volunteer enrolled
in a 12-step program where one learns to say "no," but she keeps
having to start over. Her happy places are Disneyland and Labor Day weekend at
the Gorge.













The Torment of Rachel Ames by Jeff Gunhus



About the Book


Title: The Torment of Rachel Ames
Author: Jeff Gunhus
Genre: Thriller / Horror
Suffering from writer's block, novelist Rachel Ames escapes to a lake cabin to calm her mind and regain a sense of herself. The location is perfect. Isolated. Beautiful. Inspiring. It even comes with a good-looking landlord who shows an interest in her. But she can't shake the sense that something terrible has followed her to the lake, something just beyond her consciousness, something out on the edge where the sounds of a raging fire and sirens linger whenever she slows down to listen. Determined to make the cabin work, she tries to settle in and give her new life a chance. But when strange things begin to happen around her, she wonders if she's made a terrible mistake. As the darkness that's followed her manifests itself in inexplicable ways, her concept of reality is stretched thin and she realizes nothing at the lake is what it seems. As she fights to survive with her sanity intact, she understands too late that the location she's chosen for herself is far from perfect.


Author Bio

Jeff Gunhus is the author of thriller and horror novels for adults and the middle grade/YA series, The Jack Templar Chronicles. The first book, Jack Templar Monster Hunter, was written in an effort to get his reluctant reader eleven-year-old son excited about reading. It worked and a new series was born. His books for adults have reached the Top 100 on Amazon and have been Foreword Reviews Book of the Year Finalists and Gold Medal Winners.

After his experience with his son, he is passionate about helping parents reach young reluctant readers and is active in child literacy issues. As a father of five, he leads an active lifestyle in Maryland with his wife Nicole by trying to constantly keep up with their kids. In rare moments of quiet, he can be found in the back of the City Dock Cafe in Annapolis working on his next novel.

Links

Author Site: www.Jeffgunhus.com
Twitter: @jeffgunhus


Book Excerpt


Rachel Ames knows she’s making a terrible mistake, but that’s never stopped her before. Even as she speeds down the empty highway, she’s certain nothing good will come of this trip. She can’t say why she has this belief, only that it’s deeply rooted, part of a visceral animal instinct clawing away at her insides. Call it intuition. Or call it common sense, doesn’t matter. Can’t change the fact that it’s the truth.
She refuses to change her destination, even if the rising sense of dread causes her heart to beat right out of her chest. She’s committed, this much is a fact, so she pushes aside all thought of turning around and focuses on the road ahead.
She checks the map on her phone, taking comfort in the little blue dot on the screen that symbolizes the exact spot in the world occupied by her aging Honda Accord with faded red paint, bad muffler and squeaking brakes. The dot sails along a straight white line surrounded by an ocean of green. She appreciates the simplicity of the image, the perfection of it. An object moving at a steady rate along a direct path toward a specific destination. No hurdles. No obstacles to navigate. Not even an intersection or a fork in the road. There are only two decisions to make. To continue forward or stop the car and go back.
And there’s no chance in hell she’s going back.
Her two gentlemen passengers are the perfect companions. Silent, good-looking and only there to cater to her whims and needs. They sit together in the seat next to her, sharing the seatbelt. That might have been overdoing it, but strapping them in together makes her laugh, so she forgives herself the indulgence. This is her journey, her time, so acting odd is her prerogative.
Besides, the two of them are the perfect complements. Daniels and Underwood. Booze and typewriter. Soul mates bound by common history and mutual reliance.
The Underwood typewriter was a great find her sophomore year in college, given to her by Professor McNeely’s widow soon after his very public death from a massive aneurism. It’d happened right in the middle of her creative writing class, just as the old bastard was finally saying something nice about her novel-in-progress. Mid-sentence, he’d slapped a hand to his head, made a small grunt and rolled his eyes back in their sockets. At first, she’d thought he was mocking her work, but then his back arched and he collapsed to the floor. After that came the convulsions, followed by the shit and urine filling his pants as her classmates screamed. Then, as the good book says, the lights went out and Elvis left the building.
But unlike Elvis, the man wasn’t much loved. A taskmaster who hated any writer beside himself, he used critiques as an assault rifle to mow down any young soul with the temerity to attempt the art that, in his mind, belonged only to him and a handful of his peers. Sure there were the appropriate candlelight vigils and the church service to honor the brave soul who died fighting the good fight in his ivory tower, but right under the surface, the humor rolled dark and furious.
I heard that the last pages he read really blew his mind.
You know that saying, would it kill you to say something nice?
Rachel guessed it had. 

Sunday, November 22, 2015

Flamingos, Dust, and Occasional Leopards by Sarah Knipping


About the Book



Title: Flamingos, Dust and Occasional Leopards
Author: Sarah Knipping
Genre: Women’s Fiction
After a painful breakup Iris finds herself standing outside her mother’s doorway, her feet six inches deep in the Kenyan dust. A bra-less hippy version of her mum embraces her and so begins Iris’s
adventure in Kenya…

Can Iris fix her broken relationship with her mum?
Can she mend her wounded heart?
Will an adventure in Kenya prove to be just what Iris needs, or will it prove to be all too much?





Author Bio

Sarah Knipping is a Wellington based author with a passion for reading, travel, and coffee. Having wandered her way across 37 countries, Sarah is now New Zealand based and focused on her writing
(when she’s not busy in her wonderful day job, teaching).






Links
Book Excerpt


"‘How did you sleep?’ Sylvia was wrapped in a loose dressing gown. She
settled herself into the couch opposite Iris and tucked her legs up
under her bum, her feet disappearing into the folds of her robe.

Iris laughed. ‘Honestly, not all that well. How the hell do you sleep
through the racket those dogs make? They were barking all night long!’

Sylvia grinned. ‘I call it the neighbourhood chorus! It only takes one
of them to get going and suddenly everyone’s dog is barking and
howling into the night.’

‘At one point I thought I heard a bloody cow join in,’ Iris rubbed her
eyes. They were hot and sore from fatigue and dust.

‘I know, it’s terrible. But eventually you don’t even hear it anymore.’

Iris shrugged. ‘I’m not so sure that’s possible. It was so loud I
thought they were all inside my bedroom at one stage.’

Sylvia laughed again. ‘Come on. Get that coffee in you and get in that
shower! I want to show you around town.’

Iris let herself be guided to the bathroom as towels, shampoos, and
lotions were loaded into her arms. It felt nice to be mothered a
little bit. This was exactly what she needed. A little TLC and someone
telling her what to do for a while. Being reminded to shower and eat,
being reminded to smile and laugh.

She had to stifle a gasp as her mother opened the door into the
bathroom. In her tired stupor the night prior, Iris had collapsed into
bed without even seeing the rest of the house. The bathroom, as it
turned out, was even smaller than her bedroom. It was a closet. A
squat toilet was built into the floor and a shower head hung over the
top.

‘I shower on the toilet?’ she asked.

‘Yes, well, over the toilet anyhow,’ Sylvia said, seemingly unaware of
Iris’s surprise. ‘I usually find it easier to keep my towel outside
the door, else it gets soaked! I’ll leave you to it. Come into the
lounge when you’re finished and I’ll have breakfast ready for us.’

Iris grabbed her mother’s wrist as she turned to leave. ‘Thanks, Mum,’
she said quietly.

Sylvia paused. ‘For what?’

‘For being my mum and letting me come and recover here for a while.’

Iris felt herself being wrapped tightly in her mother’s arms, her
faced squashed into the nape of her neck, and that eternally familiar
smell of her mother’s scent filling her nostrils.

‘Baby girl, even if I am a million miles away, I’m still your mum, and
my most important job will always be looking after you.’ "

Friday, November 20, 2015

I Do by AJ Pine

I Do Tour Banner
I Do
by AJ Pine
If Only #3
Publication Date: November 16, 2015
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

I Do Cover

Buy: Amazon • Print • Amazon UKAmazon CAB&NKoboiBooks

Synopsis: A new adult romance from Entangled's Embrace imprint...
Sometimes you have to trust your heart to find out what home really means.

Duncan McAllister is marrying Elaina Tripoli tomorrow. Except--he's missing. Jordan, Noah, Griffin, Maggie, and Miles arrive in Greece for the festivities to find frantic messages from both the bride and groom. Noah and Griffin set off to find Duncan while Jordan, Maggie, and Miles try to salvage what should be a day of celebration before the wedding.

But the Americans have their own baggage. Noah's got a surprise planned for Jordan that has to go perfectly. Griffin's keeping life-changing news from Maggie. And Miles--well, he wasn't looking for love on this trip until a Greek sous chef named Alex rocks his world.

The race is on for Duncan to make it back to Elaina before she decides not to take him back at all. For Noah to make sure his monumental plan goes off without a hitch. For Griffin to tell Maggie the truth without losing her. For Miles to admit that letting himself fall in love is worth the risk.

Happily Ever After waits at the finish line…if the four couples can make it on time.



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Other Books in the If Only series...

If Only #1 Cover

Buy: AmazonPrintAmazon UKAmazon CAB&NKoboiBooks

Synopsis: Sometimes it takes crossing an ocean to figure out where you belong.
It's been two years since twenty-year-old Jordan had a boyfriend—which means it's been forever since she, well, you know. But now she’s off to spend her junior year in Aberdeen, Scotland, the perfect place to stop waiting for Mr. Right and just enjoy Mr. Right Now.

Sexy, sweet (and possible player) Griffin may be her perfect, no-strings-attached match. He’s fun, gorgeous, and makes her laugh. So why can’t she stop thinking about Noah who, minutes after being trapped together outside the train’s loo, kisses Jordan like she’s never been kissed before? Never mind his impossible blue eyes, his weathered, annotated copy of The Great Gatsby (total English-major porn)…oh, and his girlfriend.

Jordan knows everything this year has an expiration date. Aberdeen is supposed to be about fun rather than waiting for life to happen. But E. M. Forster, Shakespeare, and mistletoe on Valentine’s Day make her reconsider what love is and how far she’s willing to go for the right guy.

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What If #2 Cover

Buy: AmazonPrintAmazon UKAmazon CAB&NKoboiBooks

Synopsis: Sometimes it takes letting go of the past to find out who you want to be.
During his semester abroad, Griffin Reed almost gave his heart to a girl who loved someone else. Lesson learned. Now he’s home, where following in his father’s footsteps may not be what he wants, but it’s what his parents expect. It might be taking the easy road, but he doesn’t see a way out.
Something that could have killed Maggie Kendall took away the person she used to be instead. Her condition makes her dependent on sticky notes, photos, and medication just to get through each day. The last thing she needs is a distraction—or someone new to disappoint.
What they refuse to see is they are perfect for each other. Maggie makes Griffin want to be a better man, and he makes her believe a future is possible. But these two have to find a way to share the secrets ripping them apart, if they’re ever going to have a chance at happiness.

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Excerpt (supporting characters in If Only and What If?)
Elaina McAllister.
The first time she’d kissed Duncan—on his birthday more than three years ago—Elaina Tripoli had said
the name to herself. Silently, of course, because admitting to such a thought would have meant betraying her trademark Greek stoicism, and lovesick puppy she was not. At least not in public.

Never mind that the boy in the skirt, the Scotsman who never hid how he felt, probably didn’t remember that first kiss, thanks to enough whisky and pints to sedate a highland bull.

But Elaina hadn’t forgotten, not the kiss nor the sound of her future name echoing between her ears, the name that would be hers before tomorrow was done.

“Elaina, eísai xýpnios?”

The door swung open before Elaina had a chance to reveal that she was, in fact, awake. She rolled her eyes.

Eláte se, Theodora.”

Come in.

Thea waved a hand in her cousin’s face and pushed her down in the chair in front of the vanity.

“Look at you, exádelfos. You didn’t sleep last night?” Thea swiped a thumb under Elaina’s eye, proving the
purple tint to her skin had nothing to do with smudged makeup.

Elaina huffed. “Everyone is supposed to speak English today…tomorrow. The McAllister family does not know
Greek.”

Again with the waving, as if Elaina were an annoying mosquito Thea merely had to swat out of the way rather
than a bride-to-be who didn’t need reminding about the bags under her eyes.

Exádelfos. Cousin. Why does this matter when the McAllisters aren’t in the room?”

Elaina’s face broke into a smile that surprised even her.

Thea looked her up and down. “You have gone soft, Elaina.”

On instinct, Elaina’s hand wrapped around her torso, and her stomach muscles contracted. It was her father’s
fault, really. His and his assistant chef’s. They always made too much food, but that was what happened when your father owned a restaurant. And when they left her all the extras in the refrigerator, well? A belly was bound to go a little soft.

You need to sample, Elaina. Taste before the guests do. Make sure everything is nóstima.

“Not soft there,” Thea said, pointing to Elaina’s belly. “Here.” Thea’s finger rested above Elaina’s heart, and the bride-to-be couldn’t contain her grin.

Elaina sighed. “You are right. But if you tell him, I will hunt you down and kill you.”

Her cousin laughed. “Your secret is safe with me. All the world will still fear you; only I will know you have a
marshmallow heart.”

ABOUT AJ PINE

A.J. Pine

AJ Pine writes stories to break readers’ hearts, but don’t worry—she’ll mend them with a happily ever after. As an English teacher and a librarian, AJ has always surrounded herself with books. All her favorites have one big commonality–romance. Naturally, her books have the same. When she’s not writing, she’s of course reading. Then there’s online shopping (everything from groceries to shoes) and, of course, a tiny bit of TV where she nourishes her undying love of vampires and superheroes. And in the midst of all of this, you’ll also find her hanging with her family in the Chicago burbs.