COVER REVEAL FOR TRUTH BY SHERRI HAYES

Finding Anna, Book 4 Cover Reveal

 

It is my pleasure and honour to be part of the Cover reveal for "Truth", the much anticipated fourth and final title in the Finding Anna series by Sherri Hayes. Links to my reviews of the previous three titles can be found below.

Book 1

Stephan has lived the lifestyle of a Dominant for five years. After several rebellious teenage years, it gave him the stability and control he had been seeking after his parent’s death.

As president of a not-for-profit foundation, he knows what his future holds and what he wants out of life. All that changes when a simple lunch with his college friend and Mentor, Daren, leads him to buying a slave.

Thrust into a situation he never thought he’d be in, Stephan can’t walk away. He is compelled to help this girl in the only way he knows how.

Brianna knows only one thing, she is a slave. She has nothing. She is nothing.

Can Stephan help Brianna realize that she is much more than just a Slave?

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Book 2

As Brianna comes to terms with the realization that she is no longer a slave, she must figure out what she wants for her life. Forgetting her past isn’t an option. It is an integral part of who she is now, and it will forever shape her view of life. The one thing she knows is that she cannot imagine her life without the man who saved her, but can she be what he needs? 

Stephan never imagined falling in love with the woman he rescued, but the thought of her no longer being part of his life is physically painful. The scars from her past continue to haunt her, and he is helpless to stop them. All he can do is try to help her work through the traumas of her past. Can he be everything she needs and help her move on?

The two must figure out how to navigate not only their relationship with each other, but also the outside world. A friend from Brianna’s past shows up where she least expects them, and Uncle Richard continues to enforce his well-meaning agenda to get Brianna more traditional help. As forces, both friend and foe, threaten to tear them apart, Stephan and Brianna have to navigate the turbulent waters and find what they need in each other.

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Book 3

For the last two months, Brianna has discovered something she never thought she would again. Hope. After the horror of being Ian’s slave for ten months, a fate she never imagined she’d escape, it feels as if she is living a dream. She has freedom she hadn’t expected to have again, and she wakes up every morning not fearing what the day will bring.

There is also Stephan. The man who saved her from the daily torture she had to endure at the hands of Ian and his friends. The same man who makes her heart race with just the thought of him. Life is good.

Outside forces are determined to conspire against them, however. When Brianna’s father shows up on her doorstep, it sends her world spiraling out of control. He brings with him new information about how Brianna ended up in Ian’s clutches, but will it make a difference? Will Stephan be able to find a way to make Ian pay for all he made Brianna suffer?

As Brianna and Stephan try to find out the truth, their relationship is tested. She is forced to face her past head on and deal with the ugly reality of what happened to her. Will Stephan’s love be enough to see her through her newest challenge, or will the fragile trust they’ve built come crumbling down around them as the truth makes itself known.

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Book 4 - Available March 20, 2014

 

CHRISTMAS WITH CADEN: A REVIEW

TITLE: CHRISMAS WITH CADEN

AUTHOR: NIKKA MICHAELS

Pages: 29

Date: 19/12/2013

Grade: 4+

Details: Short Story

              Proof received from author

Own/Kindle

The blurb:

“Paige Anthony is annoyed at spending Friday night at the company Christmas party. She’s bored until she spots the son of the boss, Caden Davis dancing and is intrigued.

When Caden saves Paige from the advances of his brother, she looks at him in a new light. A few sexy dances later, she manages to forget the horrible beginning of the night. When she decides to leave, he offers to walk her home and admits he’s wanted her for a while. Will Paige’s attraction be enough to make her forget about holidays past and consider Christmas with Caden?”

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Seasonal, romantic and sexy this was a perfect story to read on a cold winter’s afternoon. I liked Paige Anthony. In fact, she reminded me a bit of me, especially in her dislike of the office party she felt she had to attend for at least a little while.

It was good to see that despite this being a short story, Nikka Michaels had taken the time to build up to the steamy scenes. Too often in books, especially short ones, I end up wondering how on earth the two characters managed to end up in a bed together. In this story it actually felt natural. Between Caden’s pre-existing feelings for Paige and Paige’s growing attraction for her boss’s youngest son it made sense for the two of them to end up exactly where they did.

If I’m honest I have to admit that for me the dance scene was at least as hot as the more intimate ones later on.

“To Paige, nothing was sexier than a man owning his body and knowing how to move it.”

And I always adore a story in which the female lead is at least as strong and self-assured as her male counterpart. Paige is no damsel in distress; she can handle herself and does so quite effectively. She also knows exactly what she wants and how to go about getting it.

“I deserve to take what I want, Caden. What I want right now is to kiss you.”

Did I mention that this is a hot story? Well, it is. It may be short, and I may have wished to spend more time with these two characters but I can’t deny that this story hit all the right buttons for me.

“She wanted nothing more than to make Caden feel good, feel as good as he’d made her feel this whole evening, from cared for to the bone-melting, soul-melting connection they’d had so far.”

I seem to be saying it a lot lately, but Nikka Michaels is yet another author I’ll be keeping a close eye on. I loved ‘Chasing Matt’ the book she co-authored with Eileen Griffin and with this book she has shown herself to be not just a wonderful writer but also a versatile one. I can’t wait to see what might be coming next.

Buy links:

Cobblestone Press

Amazon US

Amazon UK

All Romance eBooks

Barnes and Noble

 

CAPTURE & SURRENDER

TITLE: CAPTURE AND SURRENDER

AUTHORS: L.A. WITT & ALEKSANDR VOINOV

Pages: 216

Date: 18/12/2013

Grade: 5

Details: No. 5 Market Garden

              Received from Riptide Publishing

              Through NetGalley

Own/Kindle

The blurb:

“Ever since his partner died, Frank has resigned himself to staying single. He wards off the loneliness by spending time with friends on the paintball field and running his high-end brothel, the Market Garden.

After one of his most lucrative rentboys quits, Frank is thrilled when a gorgeous replacement walks through the door. A former US soldier, Stefan is hot, bold, and perfect for the Market Garden’s clientele, especially those with a thing for camouflage and drill sergeants. He's perfect for Frank, too, except Frank has a rule about not getting involved with his own rentboys.

During a frisky game of paintball, Stefan makes it clear that he doesn't care about the rules. Not the rules of the game, and definitely not Frank's refusal to get involved. He captures Frank on the field using stealth and cunning, and makes it clear that he’ll do anything to keep a hold of him off the field too.”

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I guess it’s time for another gush-fest. Once again I have fallen in love with a story and the characters in it. This story had everything you could possible want from a good erotic romance; a seemingly impossible attraction, justifiable angst, incredibly hot encounters, characters that are easy to identify with despite the setting, laugh out loud humor and issues to make you think.

Frank’s reasons for not being intimate with the men who work for him in The Market Garden are, as far as most people can tell, simple; he doesn’t do relationships with those  who work for him. His other reason – the far more pressing one – is only known to those closest to him and is, on the surface at least, even more legitimate than the explicit one.

All of his reasons don’t stop Frank from being attracted to Stefan the moment he sees him though. Stefan pushes all of Frank’s buttons, and then some, and staying away from the very persistent rentboy is getting harder with every day that passes.

“A seductive top who was into pain and wanted him? This had to be some sort of cosmic practical joke.” – Frank

Stefan’s feelings appear to be the same. From the moment Frank hires him to work in The Market Garden, the younger man seems determined to get close to his boss, refusing to take no for an answer. Even when Frank reveals his real reasons for not being able to get involved, Stefan refuses to back down.

Stefan makes his move during a game of very kinky paintball. It isn’t until he and Frank are alone together that he allows his other side, the one named Brandon, to surface. I loved that distinction between Stefan, the rentboy and Brandon, Frank’s lover and adored the way Frank reacted to both of them.

“You were the only one I set my eyes on before I went out on the field.” – Stefan/Brandon

When Stefan sweeps Frank’s concerns aside, the older man is at first incapable of giving in to the feelings assaulting him; emotions he thought he’d never feel again.

“But even if he was headed for the mother of all car crashes, he couldn’t bring himself to hit the brake with everything he had, not for his sake, not for Brandon’s sake, or Market Garden’s, or sanity or morality, or because it wasn’t fair or even very balanced.” – Frank

But it isn’t long before Frank can no longer deny all the good reasons he has for not getting into a relationship with anyone. And those reasons are even stronger when it comes to Stefan and everything the young man has gone through in the past. My heart broke when Frank decided that it would be easier to end his affair with the man he’s grown to love now, while the relationship is still in its early stages, rather than wait for the pain that seems inevitable if they do stay together.

And here is where I have to admit that at least some of my love for this book has to do with how much I could identify with Frank’s feelings. I was that person telling the one I loved – the man who loved and still loves me – to walk away. I have gone through the thought process that bring you to that conclusion and have felt the relief that follows when all your concerns are swept aside. I know I would have loved this book if I didn’t identify with one of the characters to such an extent; I’m equally sure that the recognition added a shine to my affection for this book and its two main characters.

“The tenderness, the humour, the banter, that caring, all of that swirled in his head and soul and body with the lust, the need, the relief, and the sheer joy of it. Love. Love could be all those things, and it was as real as truth, as real as breath.”

Just in case I’ve made this sound like a heavy and depressing story filled with kinky sex and angst, let me put your mind at ease. There are quite a few tender moments in this book and scenes depicting wonderful friendships. Add to that a good dose of humor as well, and you have a book that takes you from heart-wrenching angst to laugh out loud funny; the best possible combination. And there was one line I may well have to memorize:

“You say grace to anyone, it’s Saint Emily O’Malley of the Sisters of Infinite Patience with Obnoxious Men.”

In fact there is only one downside to this book, a drawback directly related to how much I loved this story; now I have to go back and read all the previous titles. As if I haven’t enough ‘must read as soon as possible’ titles and authors on my list.

“Remember what it felt like to love someone so much it hurt? Yeah. That.”

DINNER FOR TWO

TITLE: DINNER FOR TWO

AUTHOR: EILEEN GRIFFIN

Pages: 37

Date: 17/12/2013

Grade: 4+

Details: A ‘Romance on the Go’ short story

              Proof received from author

Own/Kindle

The blurb:

Sonia Davenport has dreams of coordinating and planning special events. When she’s given the opportunity to plan a dinner for her boss and his shareholders, she jumps at the chance to make everything perfect. Helping her plan the special night is the head chef of the restaurant, Tony Mancinni, who is not only charming but goes out of his way to make Sonia feel special during the entire planning process.

The dinner party almost turns disastrous when an employee mixes up the orders and sets out the wrong food. In a mad rush to save the dinner, Sonia and Tony realize their attraction to each other when things heat up in the kitchen. However, Tony has to convince Sonia that he wants more than just an extra set of hands in his restaurant – he wants her to stay the night so he can convince her to stay for good.

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Dinner for Two is best described as short, sweet and hot. With less than 40 pages to work with, Eileen Griffin managed to tell a complete story. Everything the reader needs to know about Sonia, the dinner party she is organizing and the reasons she has for desperately needing it to be a success are revealed in just enough detail without slowing the story down. The same is true for Sonia’s obvious attraction to Tony, the hot chef she’s been working with for the past few months.

“Sonia sighed and swallowed, pushing away any thoughts of the other Italian sausage she’d had naughty dreams about since their first meeting.”

I loved the interactions and conversations between Tony and Sonia. They were witty and smart and felt natural while they were combining their efforts to save the dinner party, and sensual and hot when they found themselves alone.

“I want to watch you fall apart for me. Show me how beautiful you are when you come, Sonia.” – Tony

And at times the banter between these two characters is just plain old funny.

“I love a mean frittata. I love friendly ones too.” - Sonia

In fact this book has it all; there’s wonderful food, a sexy chef, a sizzling attraction, and a little bit of angst. Not to mention a rather steamy encounter in the bedroom and a happy ever after.

In fact, if I have one regret it is that this story wasn’t a few pages longer. I think the love scene in the bedroom could have been a little bit longer, a little bit less rushed. Other than that, Dinner for Two was pure enjoyment; 45 minutes of reading bliss. I may have mentioned this in my review of Eileen Griffin’s previous book – Chasing Matt – but I’ll say it again; I’ll be keeping an eye on this author.

BUY LINKS:

Evernight Publishing: 

Amazon US:

Amazon UK: 

All Romance eBooks: 

Bookstrand: 

Related posts: Chasing Matt

                       

BLUE RIVER

TITLE: BLUE RIVER

AUTHOR: THEO FENRAVEN

Pages: 70

Date: 17/12/2013

Grade: 4+

Own/Kindle

The blurb:

Photography genius Ethan Mars is out and living the fast life in Los Angeles until a mysterious mist in Topanga Canyon sends him back in time. There he meets Quinn Parker, a farmer who has hidden his homosexuality from everyone, even Margaret, his fiancée. Falling in love is the last thing Ethan expects, and the last thing Quinn can allow—in 1863, being gay can get him killed. When Ethan is unexpectedly offered a way home, he faces an impossible decision: go back... or stay?

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I do like a good time-travel story, especially when the author keeps the story realistic. There is nothing more frustrating than a modern character travelling back to earlier times – like in this case 1863 – and seamlessly falling into the way of life they find there. Of course such a character would miss modern conveniences, and have huge issues fitting in and getting used to the morals and traditions.

This story adds an extra consideration to that dilemma. Not only does Ethan find himself in a time where personal hygiene is still frowned upon, where he doesn’t trust the water and finds himself having to use an outhouse that gives him the creeps, he is also facing a time and place where homosexuality is still considered a crime as well as a sin. While completely equal rights may still be a goal to aim towards in Ethan’s world, he is used to living in a time and place where he can be who he is without having to hide anything.

My heart broke for poor Quinn. After years of more or less successfully suppressing his desires he suddenly finds himself face to face with a man who openly admits he is attracted to him. Within minutes of meeting Ethan all Quinn’s certainties have been destroyed. The future Quinn knew he was destined for – marriage to a woman he’s known for years, followed by children – and was ready, although not happy, to face suddenly appears impossible. And the more he gives in to his attraction to Ethan the more impossible the idea of ignoring his needs seems. And yet, what is the alternative? Ethan has to return to his own time, to live his own life just as Quinn has to face his destiny.

There was one paragraph in this book that took my breath away; a statement that should be made into one of those Facebook photo-quotes by somebody who knows about these things.

“But if it was so bad, why then did he want it so? Why had God made him this way if it went against his will? God didn’t make mistakes. Quinn was not a mistake.” - Quinn

This was an interesting and charming story; a quick read I thoroughly enjoyed even if the ending left me feeling all sorts of worried for these two characters. That’s not necessarily a bad thing though. I love it when a story ends in such a way that my imagination can play with what might happen next. That imagination of mine will have a field day coming up with possible scenarios for these two characters.

HEAVEN'S FALL

TITLE: HEAVEN’S FALL

AUTHORS: DAVID S. GOYER & MICHAEL CASSUTT

Pages: 415

Date: 16/12/2013

Grade: 4+

Details: no. 3 Heaven’s Shadow

             Received from Tor through Nudge

Own

The first thing you need to know about this book is that it is the third and final title in a trilogy. While I won’t go so far as to say that this book can’t be read without having read the first two instalments I would strongly recommend against such a course of action.

The story:

Twenty years have passed since the Near Earth Object christened Keanu – and I still like that play with words – took several hundred humans from the only home they ever knew and forced them to create a community for themselves in space. Over the course of those years the people on Keanu have travelled through space while learning to live with and within Keanu’s confines. Now Keanu is on its way back to Earth with a mission that needs to succeed in order to save not only all human life but also the home planet of those who create the NEO.

Reivers, the semi mechanical enemies of Keanu’s creators, have successfully established themselves on Earth after being forced to flee the NEO and have started a process that will destroy the planet if they manage to bring it to a successful conclusion.

Rachel Stewart is in charge of the small group of humans and one alien whose only goal is to find a way to stop and destroy the Reivers before they can finalise their programme. But alone on a planet they don’t really know anymore, in a world most of which is controlled by those Reivers, it appears their mission may be doomed to fail before it has properly begun. It will take help from unexpected quarters as well as some startling developments on Keanu to provide any hope for our heroes as well as the billions of lives they are trying to save.

My thoughts:

This story is told from several perspectives in alternate chapters which worked very well for me because it separated the science chapters from those concerned with emotions and impressions. The result of the multiple voices is that even a reader like me, who often gets bogged down in the scientific aspects of a Science-Fiction novel, has no problem staying with the story. Whenever the narrative appeared to be getting too technical for my liking the perspective would change and take me, for example, from a mechanical creature with thought process I could barely follow into the mind of a 14 year old girl whose emotions where all to recognisable.

What I really liked is that this book forced me to think about certain things. For example, you would think that returning to Earth after twenty years would be a dream come true for the humans on Keanu and that a girl who was born on the NEO and had only ever heard about life on her parent’s home planet would be delighted to go there. It took me a while to realise that it made sense for those same humans to yearn for a return to the NEO; earth wasn’t home anymore because home is, after all, where the heart is. And after twenty years, the heart was firmly established on Keanu.

It is clear from the way this book is written that the authors are screenwriters. The story is told in scenes; each chapter having a different narrator and its own set-up. While I know nothing about screenwriting it is easy to imagine that it wouldn’t take too much work to transform the three novels in this trilogy into scripts. That doesn’t mean this book is harder to read than most novels though; quite the opposite in fact. All three of the books in this series are quick to grab the reader’s attention and easy to read. Having said that, I have to admit that the first book in this series was by far my favourite.

Overall I would have to say that this trilogy impressed me. The story is original, manages to create a fantastical yet easy to believe environment and gives the reader a fascinating combination of all too recognisable human behaviour and imaginative alien creations. And it doesn’t hurt at all than in the middle of all the danger and action there is time for a philosophical observation or two:

“Assuming anything that had happened in the past twenty years was an adventure. Yes, she’d had had unusual experiences – but so had those she left on Earth. Love was a unique experience. Parenthood. Work. Accomplishment. Failure. Death. Adventure was really just life, the days flowing into and out of each other.”

While this book concludes the ‘Heaven’s Shadow’ trilogy, I won’t be surprised if the authors decide to revisit these characters in the future. The way the book ends allows for a whole new story-line in a brand new universe. If that story becomes available one day, I will be among the first readers to dive into it.

DINNER FOR TWO, DAY TWO

 Yesterday I tried to tempt you with the very appetizing cover for Dinner for Two by Eileen Griffin.

If the cover by itself wasn’t enough to wet your appetite for this story, the following blurb and excerpt might just do the trick.

Dinner For Two

by: Eileen Griffin

Genre: Erotic Romance

Length: Romance On The Go – Short Story

Published: December 17, 2013

Publisher: Evernight Publishing

BLURB:

Sonia Davenport has dreams of coordinating and planning special events. When she’s given the opportunity to plan a dinner for her boss and his shareholders, she jumps at the chance to make everything perfect. Helping her plan the special night is the head chef of the restaurant, Tony Mancinni, who is not only charming but goes out of his way to make Sonia feel special during the entire planning process.

The dinner party almost turns disastrous when an employee mixes up the orders and sets out the wrong food. In a mad rush to save the dinner, Sonia and Tony realize their attraction to each other when things heat up in the kitchen. However, Tony has to convince Sonia that he wants more than just an extra set of hands in his restaurant – he wants her to stay the night so he can convince her to stay for good.

EXCERPT:

Tony gently rubbed his finger along her bottom lip. "I had hoped everything would be perfect tonight because I wanted to impress you. When you came in for brunch that first Sunday and laid out your plans, not only were you beautiful, but you had a detailed description of what you wanted. On the catering side of things, you have no idea how attractive that is. Then, when you came in for your tasting, I didn't think I was going to make it through the afternoon without asking you out. But I have a strict rule: Don't date the clients until after the function is over. So I waited. Do you have any idea how hard it was to wait?"

Sonia shook her head slightly, then let her lips part. Instead of replying to him, she slid her tongue out to meet his finger, gently caressing the tip. He hissed in a breath, his eyes fixated on her tongue and lips. Feeling emboldened by his words, she leaned closer and drew his finger deeper inside her mouth, wrapping her lips around it as she laved it with her tongue.

"Sonia," he whispered. "You're so beautiful. But I didn't ask you up here for this."

She leaned back, his finger sliding out of her mouth. All the nerves and doubts she'd felt earlier were replaced by a heat that was coursing through her. She'd felt it all night in the kitchen with him and it was stronger now that she knew he wanted her as badly as she wanted him.

"I'm glad you asked me up here, Tony. But if we're being honest with each other, I think dinner can wait. You see, I've lost my appetite. For food, that is."

EILEEN GRIFFIN BIO:

Eileen Griffin lives in the Southwest but loves to travel and has spent many summers crossing Europe with nothing but a backpack on her back. She enjoys TexMex, lives for good wine, and has a certain penchant for purple unicorns. She loves reading all genres of books, but her current obsession is writing M/M with lots of boykissing.

Blog:  http://www.eileengriffin.wordpress.com

Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/eileengriffin77  @eileengriffin77

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/eileen.griffin

Evernight:  http://www.evernightpublishing.com/eileen-griffin/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7231778.Eileen_Griffin