Monday, July 31, 2017

New Release & Giveaway ~ Project Pandora by Aden Polydoros





Project Pandora
(Assassin Fall #1)
by Aden Polydoros
Publication Date:  August 1, 2017
Publisher:  Entangled Teen
  

Tyler Bennett trusts no one. Just another foster kid bounced from home to home, he’s learned that lesson the hard way. Cue world’s tiniest violin. But when strange things start happening—waking up with bloody knuckles and no memory of the night before or the burner phone he can’t let out of his sight— Tyler starts to wonder if he can even trust himself.

Even stranger, the girl he’s falling for has a burner phone just like his. Finding out what’s really happening only leads to more questions…questions that could get them both killed. It’s not like someone’s kidnapping teens lost in the system and brainwashing them to be assassins or anything, right? And what happens to rogue assets who defy control?

In a race against the clock, they’ll have to uncover the truth behind Project Pandora and take it down—before they’re reactivated. Good thing the program spent millions training them to kick ass...

Click HERE to add to Goodreads



Aden Polydoros grew up in Long Grove, Illinois, the youngest of three children. Aden’s family moved to Arizona when he was in second grade. As a kid, he spent much of his time exploring the desert near his home. When he wasn’t searching for snakes and lizards, he was raiding the bookshelves of the local library. As a teenager, Aden decided that he wanted to be a writer. He spent his free time writing short stories. He was encouraged by his English teacher to try his hand at writing a novel, which inspired him to begin PROJECT PANDORA. The YA thriller is set for publication with Entangled Publishing in Summer of 2017. He is represented by Mallory Brown of Triada US.

Project Pandora Prize Pack (US) or a $10 Amazon Gift card (INT)

Sunday, July 30, 2017

Book Review ~ The Punch Escrow by Tal M. Klein


The Punch Escrow
by Tal M. Klein
Published July 25th 2017 by Geek & Sundry

"An alt-futuristic hard-science thriller with twists and turns you'll never see coming. I couldn't put it down." -Felicia Day, founder of Geek & Sundry

It's the year 2147. Advancements in nanotechnology have enabled us to control aging. We've genetically engineered mosquitoes to feast on carbon fumes instead of blood, ending air pollution. And teleportation has become the ideal mode of transportation, offered exclusively by International Transport—a secretive firm headquartered in New York City. Their slogan: Departure... Arrival... Delight!

Joel Byram, our smartass protagonist, is an everyday twenty-fifth century guy. He spends his days training artificial intelligence engines to act more human, jamming out to 1980's new wave—an extremely obscure genre, and trying to salvage his deteriorating marriage. Joel is pretty much an everyday guy with everyday problems—until he's accidentally duplicated while teleporting.

Now Joel must outsmart the shadowy organization that controls teleportation, outrun the religious sect out to destroy it, and find a way to get back to the woman he loves in a world that now has two of him.

Click HERE to add to Goodreads

It’s 2147 and the world is a fascinating place to live.  Don’t want to age?  No problem as due to nanotechnology, humans can live as long as their heart desires.  Hungry?  Just ask your fancy 3D printer to whip you up a meal.  Need to take a trip across the world?  All it takes is a blink of the eye due to teleportation.  Yes, the world is a perfect place for those looking for instant gratification.

But not everyone is excited about all these advancements that science has given them.  There is a religious group that is opposed to teleportation, believing that it basically is playing God and that when people use the teleportation device, they are dying in one place and resurrecting in another.  And these thoughts aren’t as farfetched as one might believe.

Enter Joel Byram.  Joel’s a smart guy.  His job is to train artificial intelligence to act more human and he is really good at what he does.  His marriage however is not the best.  His wife, Sylvia, is never at home as she is working on a top-secret project that she can’t discuss, but it’s big and will change the world. Determined to rekindle the romance that they once knew, Joel and his wife plan a trip to Costa Rica.  Sylvia leaves before Joel and they are to meet up once Joel arrives.  Those plans are destroyed however when someone blows up the teleportation center that Joel was in. But due to a glitch, Joel is still alive……in two different places

And that my dear reader is when the action ramps up and this story gets exciting.  I’m not going to say anymore for fear of giving anything away, but there are some serious twists and turns that will keep you turning the pages until the very end.

If you are a fan of hard science fiction, then you’re going to love The Punch Escrow, a new and exciting novel by Tal M. Klein.  I’m not even going to pretend that I understood some of what was going on while reading this story, but I can appreciate the author’s writing and his talent for storytelling, and the research that went into writing this book.  The characters are believable and the suspense is gripping.  Most of the story moved along at a steady pace.  I say most because there are a few footnotes throughout that slowed down my reading somewhat.  I can understand the importance of having the added information, it just slowed me down a bit.

Mr. Klein did a fantastic job telling this story which will instantly hook readers from page one and with its compelling narrative, keep them captivated until the very end. 

Pick this one up…..you won’t be disappointed!

4 stars 




 


Friday, July 28, 2017

Book Review ~ Hold You Close (Fight for Me #2) by Jessica Linden



Hold You Close

(Fight for Me #2)
by Jessica Linden
E-Original published by Swerve
Publication Date: July 25, 2017

Tony Adamo, billionaire heir to a massive corporation, has no interest in the money and prestige his title brings. What he does want? To stay sharp so the other MMA fighters don’t pummel him in the ring, and to keep his unworthy father from sullying the name of the company his grandfather so lovingly built. But when he locks eyes with the woman he's never forgotten, Tony needs her like he’s never needed anything before.

Ginny Frazier hasn’t seen Tony since the soul-shattering kiss they shared years ago. Ginny was always the good girl, the kind girl—but something about the hot as hell man with a smile to die for that her older sister brought home made her melt in a way no one ever had before. Despite their scorching kiss the night of her cruel sister’s breakup with Tony, they never amounted to more. Until now.

Tony was stupid to let Ginny go, and now that she’s back in his life, he plans to hold onto her forever. The one problem? Ginny is engaged to a powerful, deadly man—a man who holds a dark secret that could shatter the Frazier family if it ever came to light.

Will Tony be able to keep from losing Ginny all over again? And can Ginny save her family, and still have true love?


Click HERE to add to Goodreads

Hold You Close is the second book in the Fight for Me series but can be read as a stand-alone without any problems whatsoever.  This was a great story of two people, each battling their own family issue, which brings them closer together and finding love along the way. 

There is not a ton of hot and steamy scenes in this story, but there is a lot of drama and suspense which kept my interest throughout.

Jessica Linden is a great storyteller and her words flow almost effortlessly, making Hold You Close a satisfying and wonderful read.  With a happy ending and no cliff hanger, I would most definitely recommend this book to any fan of romance novels laced with a dash suspense and filled with intriguing drama.


3 ½ stars
         


JESSICA LINDEN lives in Virginia with her college-sweetheart husband, two rambunctious sons, and two rowdy but lovable rescue dogs. Since her house is overflowing with testosterone, it’s a good thing she has a healthy appreciation for Marvel movies, Nerf guns, and football. Her books include Fight for Me.

Tuesday, July 25, 2017

Release Day Blitz & Giveaway ~ SUMMER ON FIREFLY LAKE (Firefly Lake #2) by Jen Gilroy


SUMMER ON FIREFLY LAKE
Author: Jen Gilroy
Series: Firefly Lake, #2
On Sale: July 25, 2017
Publisher: Forever
Mass Market: $7.99 USD
eBook: $6.99 USD
Audio: $21.98 USD

Sometimes love is better the second time around . . .

Mia Gibbs spent her marriage putting her husband's needs before her own. And now, after a painful divorce, she's building a new life for herself and her two daughters back home at Firefly Lake. The last thing she needs is a man to complicate things. But former bad boy turned friend Nick McGuire—and the one kiss they've shared-has turned everything upside down . . .

Attorney Nick McGuire wasn't meant to be a family man. His career has always been his focus and after taking time out to help his mother, he's ready to get back to the city . . . until Mia and her daughters arrive at Firefly Lake. Mia is beautiful and intriguing, and it doesn't take long to realize being "just friends" will never be enough. As the summer nights turn colder, Nick will have to choose between the life he's always wanted . . . and the woman he can't live without.


“Did you enjoy the play?” Nick leaned over to speak into her ear.
She jumped and then blinked as the overhead lights went on. “It was nice.”
“Nice?” He raised one dark eyebrow and grinned. “It was a murder mystery where the villain killed his so-called friends with poisoned martini olives. Nice isn’t the first word that comes to my mind.”
“I meant it had a good plot. I didn’t guess who did it until the end.” Probably because she hadn’t paid attention.
“I knew it was the town clerk all along.”
“The town clerk? I thought it was the caterer.”
“When he isn’t on the boards, the actor who played the caterer is the town clerk over in Kincaid.” Nick chuckled. “He’s always cast as the villain in local theater productions. Cat says it’s because he has evil eyes. He grew up in Firefly Lake, and every Halloween when we were kids, he dressed as a monster and scared her half to death.”
“I’m a city girl, remember?” Easy banter, keep it light and pretend everything was like it had always been between them. “I’m still not used to the kind of community here and how everyone seems to be connected to everyone else.”
“There’s a lot that goes along with that community.” Nick got to his feet and shepherded Mia through the crowd to the exit. His big frame sheltered her and made her feel safe and protected. “People know your business and think they have a right to talk about you because their grandmother’s second cousin was related to your great-aunt by marriage three times removed. They post pictures of you on Facebook.”
Mia’s face heated. A copy of that Facebook picture had appeared on Gabrielle’s kitchen table. She should have gotten rid of it but instead, Mia had taken it upstairs and tucked it into the bottom of her suitcase. Then ignored Gabrielle’s pointed looks.
“Do you want to get ice cream? Simard’s Creamery has a stand across the street from where we had dinner.”
The intimate bistro with tables for two, where the muted candlelight had softened the planes of Nick’s face, and they’d bumped knees under the small table to send jolts of awareness through her.
“You like your tiger tail ice cream, don’t you?” Although Nick’s voice held a teasing note, something hot and elemental sparked in his eyes. Then his expression changed again, and he was the Nick who’d helped her with her mom’s foundation on all those late-night phone calls last winter. The friend she called when she wanted to talk about anything and everything.
Mia stopped in the middle of the rutted track in the field where they’d left the car. The long grass tickled her bare legs below her sundress, and she shivered in the cool night air. They’d go for ice cream and then Nick would take her home. They’d drive the familiar highway back to Firefly Lake and talk about the play and how well Charlie and Lexie were doing. Safe, easy topics.
He’d drop her off at Harbor House, and she’d go upstairs and get into Georgia’s single bed beneath the tattered travel posters. Alone. Like all those other nights she’d spent alone, denying what she wanted and making excuses.
“I changed my mind. I don’t want ice cream.” Her voice shook.
“Mia, I—” He made a choked sound.
“I thought about what you said.” If she didn’t go for this, she’d always regret it and wonder about what might have been. And maybe a fling with Nick was exactly what she needed to put the last ghosts of her marriage behind her. “You’re right. We’re both single and neither of us wants something the other one can’t give.”
“Are you sure?”
She tried to laugh. “We’d have to be discreet.”
“Of course.” The raw desire on his face was replaced by a glimpse of what might have been vulnerability.
“I like you, and I know you won’t hurt me.” Because she’d locked the part of her that could be hurt deep inside. “We both have needs.” She kicked the grass with her sandals and rubbed her bottom lip.
“I like you, too. What Jay did was wrong, and I want to make sure you understand I’d never do anything like that.” A pulse fluttered in Nick’s throat. “We might not have a relationship, but I wouldn’t sleep with anybody else if I slept with you.”
Mia looked at the night sky, where stars twinkled above the forested hills. When she was little, she’d wished on stars and believed in a happy-ever-after. But she was an adult, and life had made her wiser and destroyed her childish belief in magic and wishes. “Where do we go from here?”
“I’ll take you back to Mom’s if you want me to.” Nick’s arm brushed the curve of her shoulder through her light sweater, and the tremble inside her kicked up. “If you’re not ready.”
She was ready all right and had been even before he kissed her the first time. “I want this.” She lifted her face to his as a cloud scudded across the moon. “I want you.”

THE FIREFLY LAKE SERIES

THE COTTAGE AT FIREFLY LAKE, #1
SUMMER ON FIREFLY LAKE, #2
BACK HOME AT FIREFLY LAKE, #3






Jen Gilroy grew up under the big sky of western Canada. After many years in England, she now lives in a small town in eastern Ontario where her Irish ancestors settled in the nineteenth century. She's worked in higher education and international marketing but, after spending too much time in airports and away from her family, traded the 9-5 to write contemporary romance to bring readers' hearts home.

A small-town girl at heart, Jen likes ice cream, diners, vintage style and all things country. Her husband, Tech Guy, is her real-life romance hero, and her daughter, English Rose, teaches her to cherish the blessings in the everyday.

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Release Day Blitz & Giveaway ~ CAN'T STOP LOVIN' YOU (Maverick Junction #3) by Lynnette Austin



CAN’T STOP LOVIN’ YOU
Author: Lynnette Austin
Series: Maverick Junction, #3
On Sale: July 25, 2017
Publisher: Forever
Mass Market: $7.99 USD
eBook: $4.99 USD

Maggie Sullivan can't wait to get out of Texas. Luckily, she just got the break she needed to make her big-city dreams a reality. But then Brawley Odell swaggers back into Maverick Junction, looking hotter than ever in his dusty cowboy boots and well-worn jeans. He's the guy she still dreams of at night. The guy who broke her heart when he left her behind.

Fed up with city life, Brawley jumps at the chance to return home and take over the local vet's practice—and get back to the smart, sassy woman he's never been able forget. He couldn't be prouder of Maggie's new wedding-dress business... until he realizes it may mean losing her all over again. Determined to win her back, Brawley must find a way to convince Maggie that their one true home is with each other. 



“You’re staying,” Maggie whispered.
“I am.”
“You’ll be happy here, Brawley.”
“I’ll miss you.”
“You’ve lived without me for a long time.”
“But I always knew you’d be here. That I could get my Maggie fix whenever I needed it with a couple hours’ drive.”
“Brawley—”
“I know.” He held up a hand. “Not fair. I won’t ask you to stay. I know better than that. This is something you have to do.”
“It is.”
“Once you’re in New York, though, if you don’t like it, I’ll be here.”
 “That’s not going to happen.”
“Red, if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s never say never.”
“Fine.” Her heart hammered in her chest. She moved to the leather love seat, her hand stroking it. “This is yummy.”
“So are you.” The thought tumbled out before he could stop it.
She turned, so close he could feel her breath on his face.
He hadn’t meant for it to happen. He hadn’t brought her here to make a move. But damn if he could keep his hands, his mouth, off her.
He’d watched her all day, that gorgeous red hair done up in a tumbled mass, curls escaping and trailing down her neck. He’d itched to pull out whatever pins held it and spill the fiery strands around her. Wanted to run his hands through it, feel the silky softness.
More, he wanted to unzip that swath of silk and let it slide to the floor. Wanted to touch the creamy white skin beneath. Needed to taste her. Her lips, the back of her knees, her stomach.
Needed to know if she still wore the little silver ring through her belly button.
Needed almost more than his next breath to hear her quiet little sighs, her cries of delight as they made love.
His gaze drifted to her red, red lips when her tongue peeked out between them.
“Maggie—”
“Brawley?”
“Yeah?” He raised his eyes back to hers. They always reminded him of a Texas meadow right after a spring rainstorm. What man could resist? Sure as hell not him. He caved. Pulled her to him. Felt her heat.
The first kiss was tentative. After that initial foray, though, he lost sight of his good intentions, of right and wrong.
Soft. So very soft.
His hand moved to the back of her neck, drawing her closer still. Inching into that silken mass of hair, he removed the pins one at a time, sighed when the strands spilled loose over his fingers, his hand, his arm.
His mouth left hers, traced a path along her chin, over her cheek. He buried his face in her hair and breathed deeply. God, she smelled good.
Maggie gave him those little sighs, those moans he’d been craving.
His lips trailed back to hers. When they parted, he slid his tongue inside to dance with hers. He backed her up till she was against the sofa.
Sliding a hand beneath her knees, he scooped her up and laid her on the soft leather, then followed her down. His hands ran the length of her, his fingers trailing beneath the hem of her dress.
He felt her cool hands on his heated flesh. Somehow she had his shirt out of his pants and half unbuttoned. Her head lowered, and she trailed a line of kisses across his bare chest. She stopped at the small scar just above his navel, flicked her tongue over it.
Brawley sucked in his breath. Maggie had been the one to mark him there with a stick when they’d been eight-year old pirates fighting it out with pretend swords. He put a finger beneath her chin and raised her head to taste her lips again.
She had matured, ripened. Was everything the eighteen-year- old Maggie had been and more. Much more.
“Oh, Mags,” he whispered into her ear. “You’re killing me.”
She answered with a long, deep kiss.
He groaned. “I want you so badly it hurts.”
“Shut up and kiss me, cowboy.”


THE MAVERICK JUNCTION SERIES

SOMEBODY LIKE YOU, #1
NEAREST THING TO HEAVEN, #2
CAN’T STOP LOVIN’ YOU, #3




Lynnette Austin loves Starbucks, peppermint patties, and long rides with the top down and the music cranked up! One of the great things about writing is that daydreaming is not only permissible but encouraged. She grew up in Pennsylvania, moved to New York, then to Wyoming, and presently divides her time between Florida's beaches and Georgia's mountains. She's been a finalist in RWA's Golden Heart Contest, PASIC's Book of Your Heart Contest, and Georgia Romance Writers' Maggie Contest. Having grown up in a small town, that's where her heart takes her-to those quirky small towns where everybody knows everybody...and all their business, for better or worse. 



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