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REVIEW BY VICTORIA! HIDING FROM HOLLYWOOD BY ELLIE DARKINS
Abby has succumbed to a life as a Hollywood cliché: the actress/waitress. But unlike most she’s keeping the “actress” part buried in her past. After a traumatic start to her life in Hollywood she’s decided to disappear from the limelight.
When movie producer Ethan Walker walks into her diner, she’s terrified. There’s nothing she wants more than to run and hide; the last thing she wants or needs is for her name to be connected with his. That way leads to tabloids, journalists, and exposure.
But Ethan has thought of nothing but Abby for months: the beautiful, talented actress who will save his career when she agrees to take the lead role in his movie. The project’s on the rocks already, and without her, it will certainly be canceled and his career will be over.
When a shooting in Abby’s apartment block leaves her without a safe place to stay, Ethan offers her sanctuary in his home—but she knows it cannot come without strings attached. And so, with her attraction to him growing, Abby must decide whether she can finally stop running and trust Ethan with her secret.
Hiding From Hollywood by Ellie Darkins was a wonderful story. This was a book that I had a hard time putting down. Abby was a successful actress in England. She went to make her big move to Hollywood but one wrong decision has forced her to leave acting behind. She uses her real name and keeps any and all connections to her past buried. Abby is a smart and careful woman. She has learned the hard way not to trust anyone.
Ethan Walker is a movie producer who is in search of Abby. Ethan saw her in an older film and wants her for his next film project. Ethan is stubborn and thickheaded man. He is willing to pull every trick to get her to read the script. Ethan is also falling in love with Abby and is fighting it as well.
The chemistry between Abby and Ethan is scorching. Ethan is the one person who is on her side. He wants to fix her problems rather than let her keep running from them. I admire him for that. The sex scenes were steamy. It’s easy to see even if they don’t talk about their feelings that they cared for the other.
This story was well written. The main and secondary characters were interesting and realistic. I hope there is a sequel. I would love to know more about Candy, Abby’s best friend. Overall, this was fabulous story. One I can see rereading again in the future.
My blog: http://elliedarkins.blogspot.co.uk/p/the-book.html
Crimson website: http://www.crimsonromance.com/upcoming-releases-romance-ebook/hiding-from-hollywood/
BLOG TOUR STOP! BEST FAKE DAY BY TRACEY ROGERS (@TastyBookTours)
Faking it never felt so good.
Wedding photographer and romance lover Izzy Latham dreams of finding her own happily-ever-after. When her former teenage crush arrives at her doorstep, looking sexier than ever, and asks to marry her, it should be her dream come true, right? Wrong. It turns out he doesn’t want to actually marry her—he only wants to pretend to marry her.
Marriage hater Jack Carter will do anything to close his latest business deal, including finding a wife. The only person who can help him is his childhood friend, Izzy. Except Izzy isn’t a little girl anymore. She’s definitely all woman, and there’s an attraction between them that’s hard to ignore.
Jack has to convince Izzy to fake it, but the problem is that she hates to lie. However, she can’t deny her feelings for him either. So when Jack makes her an offer she can’t refuse, she reluctantly agrees to help him out.
Faking it is the easy part. But what happens when fake starts to feel so real?
Content Warning: contains sensual sex and occasional strong language
AmazonUK| Amazon.com | Nook | Beachwalk Press
Link to Follow Tour: http://tastybooktours.blogspot.com/2013/10/now-booking-tasty-review-tour-for-best.html
Izzy Latham is a wedding photographer with a love for romance. She works hard at taking care of her father and his home, which has damages, leaving little time for anything else. She is a stubborn woman. Izzy’s biggest issue for Jack is she hates to lie.
Jack Carter is a hot and sexy man who is on a mission to buy a piece of property. The current owner wants Jack to be married so Jack with Ellie’s help was to fake a marriage. He recruits Izzy in her place when Ellie disappears. Jack also hates marriage, which makes his idea funny.
The chemistry between Izzy and Jack is blistering. The air between Izzy and Jack practically sizzles. They are a great match if they would only acknowledge it. It does make you wonder how close love and happiness is if we only open out eyes to it. The sex scenes were hot. I loved that they did not fall into bed together right away.
I found this story to be well written. The main and secondary characters were interesting and realistic. It amazing the power that love has to heal. This book was a great combination of heat, sex, and chemistry. Overall, this was a fabulous story. Ms. Rogers writes great stories I have yet read a bad story by her. I hope a sequel to this book is written and we get to know more about Ellie.
To be honest, I hated Jack at first. He was cocky, demanding, and seemed not to care anything about the predicament he was putting Izzy into. Of course, as the truth began to unfold, he grew on me. Life can harden your heart, and he was almost to the point of no return when he showed up on Izzy’s doorstep.
Izzy couldn’t see past the infatuation that still lingered for her childhood crush, even after a cold dose of the truth. I admired this heroine for her kindness, forgiveness, and especially her naughtiness. She saw through Jack’s exterior and refused to give up on him.
This was a turbulent story that infuriated me one minute, and melted my heart the next. There’s a lot more involved than what it seems, and it’s actually quite complex. The characters were very interesting, the story-line fast paced, and the ending wrapped up everything beautifully.
A devourer of books from an early age, I spent much of my childhood stepping into wardrobes, searching for that magical snowy world where conversing with animals would be expected. When I wasn’t searching for those worlds, I wrote about them instead. My first step into the world of romance was when I stole sneak peeks into my nana’s books. I’m still in that world and refuse to leave.
I live in Staffordshire, UK, with my husband and three wonderful children. An avid reader and writer of romance, I strongly believe that words make the world go around.
You can find me here: http://traceyrogers.wordpress.com/
On twitter: https://twitter.com/TraceRbookworm
Or email me at: traceyrogersaut@gmail.com
Or visit my author page here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tracey-Rogers-Author/197643867052117
Link to Rafflecopter Page, http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/NTIxYWM0YzhjYmFkNDc1MDkxYzA3ZDNmMjhhM2RjOjIyMg==/
“Let me work off the money,” Izzy said.
She felt Jack’s gaze rake over her body, watched the clench of his jaw. “And how are you planning to work it off, Isabel?” he almost growled. “Is that what all of this is about?” he asked as his hand made an indicating sweep over her body. “Dress to impress so you can pay me in kind?”
“Oh God, no,” she spluttered. “This is me showing you I’m not the weak, naïve girl I used to be and I won’t be pushed around!”
The hard glint in his eyes softened slightly. “You were never weak. Naïve…” He trailed off. “So how exactly were you planning to pay me back?”
“Working here for you for free until I pay you back. I could collect glasses, work the bar, or clean.”
“And you have experience in any of those roles?”
“No. But I could learn.”
“But what about the house repairs?”
She shrugged. “I could do that during the daytime and work here at night. Then when I’m earning again from my day job I’ll pay you back.”
“And what exactly is your day job?”
“I’m a photographer. I could even do that here. Take photographs of the patrons and sell them for you.”
“You work freelance?”
“I have my own business.” She hesitated before elaborating. “As a wedding photographer,” she said quickly, hoping he wouldn’t snag the teasing opportunity.
Too late. The corner of his mouth quirked until it bloomed until a grin. “A wedding photographer. How appropriate. I knew playing dress-up with your mother’s veil and having teddy bears as your guests would have an influence on you one day.”
“You mean like wanting to have a traditional wedding where the groom doesn’t have to bribe the bride? Yeah, my childhood messed me up real bad,” she said with sarcasm.
“You’re not working here, Izzy. And this conversation is over.”
“No, it’s not. I’m giving you a solution to paying off what I owe. I’ll work off the amount Ellie paid for our debts and the rest you get from her. So when do I start?”
“You are not working here.”
“Why?”
“Do you really want to have some guy groping you as you serve drinks? Or a group of guys? I run a tight ship and look out for my staff, but sometimes it happens.”
“I can look after myself. I have been groped before, you know. I can deal with it.”
He slid his chair closer, bending his legs so hers surrounded him without touching, but close, very close. He looked up at her under dark lashes. “So if some guy puts a hand on your leg you wouldn’t mind?”
She shook her head.
“And if that hand strayed beneath your dress?” he asked as his hand reached out to graze the sensitive skin of her inner thigh, making her shudder.
She shook her head slowly, earning a dark look. Of course she would mind. But this was Jack.
He stood abruptly, stepping into the v of her thighs. “And if a guy tried to kiss you?”
“I have been kissed before, remember?” she said, inwardly cringing at how breathless she sounded.
“I remember being a boy kissing you as a girl. If I were to kiss you now I wouldn’t be holding back and I wouldn’t be kissing you as a boy—I’d be kissing you as a man.”
“Then do it,” she demanded.
PROMO! DANCE THE MOON DOWN BY R.L. BARTRAM
In 1910, no one believed there would ever be a war with Germany. Safe in her affluent middle-class life, the rumours held no significance for Victoria either. It was her father’s decision to enroll her at university that began to change all that. There she befriendes the rebellious and outspoken Beryl Whittaker, an emergent suffragette, but it is her love for Gerald Avery, a talented young poet from a neighbouring university that sets the seal on her future.
After a clandestine romance, they marry in January 1914, but with the outbreak of the First World War, Gerald volunteeres but within months has gone missing in France. Convinced that he is still alive, Victoria’s initial attempts to discover what has become of him, implicate her in a murderous assault on Lord Kitchener resulting in her being interrogated as a spy, and later tempted to adultery.
Now virtually destitute, Victoria is reduced to finding work as a common labourer on a run down farm, where she discovers a world of unimaginable ignorance and poverty. It is only her conviction that Gerald will some day return that sustaines her through the dark days of hardship and privation as her life becomes a battle of faith against adversity.
Born in Edmonton, London in 1951, Robert spent several of his formative years living in Cornwall where he began to develop a life long love of nature and the rural way of life. He began writing in his early teens and much of his short romantic fiction was subsequently published in various national periodicals including “Secrets”, “Red Letter” and “The People’s Friend”.
His passion for the history of the early twentieth century is second only to his love of writing. It was whilst researching in this area that he came across the letters and diaries of some women who had lived through the trauma of the Great War. What he read in them inspired him to write his debut novel “Dance The Moon Down” and the rest, as they say, is history.
Robert is single and lives and writes in Hertfordshire, England.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B00A4E7JGA
www.goodreads.com/author/show/5858365.R_L_Bartram/blog
REVIEW BY BRANDY! KEPT BY TRACEY LAMPLEY
No nonsense Kate Mercer never thought she’d become a kept woman, but when she wants out of the arrangement with Carrington Grant, a powerful man, she finds herself and her unborn child in deadly danger. So Kate flees into arms of Lamar, her ex-lover and an ex NFL linebacker with his own secrets and misgivings. Will Kate lose her life because of her choice?
I was contacted by the author and asked if I would review this novella. I purchased the book on Amazon in order to read it. This was an interesting concept. I have read a few books about kept women and I liked the idea the author has for this series. There were a few points in the story that I stumbled on involving Kate’s relationship with Lamar. The suspense aspect was a great idea. I didn’t see the end coming the way it did and I think the author put a nice spin on things. I would like to see how she develops the series in the future.
What does it mean to be kept? When a woman becomes a long term sex partner to a man to whom she is not married, she is kept if he provides for her. Usually he is married to another woman.
If you could pick any actor to be your sugar daddy, who would it be? There are two actors I’d pick. Denzel Washington is one, and the young Sean Connery (When he was James Bond) is another.
Why did you pick that actor? Denzel is sexy in an understated way, and Sean Connery radiates a power and sexiness unmatched by another.
What made you choose this theme? I wanted to try my hand at romance writing, and since I know two people who’ve been kept by a man, I decided to write about it. I included the suspense part to portend the potential dark side of being kept.
Have you ever been kept? I’d never tell if I was.
Was it difficult to write the sex scenes? Very, and I’m still not certain I’ve written them with the taste they deserve.
Tell us about the character, Kate Mercer. She’s a vulnerable woman who got caught up with her sugar daddy, Carrington Grant who is totally controlling. So she decides to take her life back, and along the way she reconnects with her ex-lover, Lamar Burton. It’s then that she realizes she’d made a mistake and should be with Lamar, but she’s being stalked and has to fight for her life.
Is this novella a series? Yes, it will be, but with different characters populating each novella.
When will you release the next novella in the series? February 1, 2014. Just in time for Valentine’s Day
BLAST POST! TANGO LOVE BY NICOLE FLOCKTON (@TastyBookTours)
A sexy short story about being in love with your best friend — and discovering it takes two to tango.
Melinda Jones has been in love with her housemate, James Brady, since he moved in…but she has no intention of ever telling him. Except it seems James has his own plans…and they include asking her to share a sexy tango — then a little dirty dancing in his bed.
For Melinda, it’s the best night of her life…until she wakes up alone the next morning. Is she destined to spend her life dancing by herself, or will James step up to be the partner of her dreams?
“What’s a pretty girl like you sitting at a bar all by herself?”
That voice. So smooth, like warm chocolate sauce sliding down your throat. Such a shame it was the lamest pick-up line in history. That voice deserved something so much better.
Melinda Jones turned, a light shiver tingling down her spine as she locked eyes with a pair of deep blue ones.
“Please tell me you don’t use that line all the time.”
His laughter rumbled through her soul, and gooseflesh rippled down her arms. She was in serious trouble. The man should be locked up. No woman was safe from his voice or his laugh. No wonder he had such a good success rate with the opposite sex.
“Only for you, babe, would I use a line like that. I know I’m pretty safe from getting a swift hit in the ribs with your elbow.”
“It just gets better and better. I’m going to dance, excuse me.”
And with that, Melinda dumped her wine glass on the bar, slipped off the chair and headed for the dance floor to join her friends. It was stupid to feel so hurt but she did. James didn’t know she had feelings for him, so she really had no reason to be angry. To him, she was just his housemate; the girl he could joke around with and test his pick up lines on.
The fact that she’d fallen in love him was her problem. He was the perfect housemate. He cooked, cleaned, ironed and listened. He even watched chick flicks with her sometimes.
He was the perfect guy and to him, she was just Melinda; the girl whose house he shared. He’d never once batted an eyelid when she’d brought guys home. In the beginning, she hadn’t batted an eyelid when he’d done the same and bought girls home. The fact that she hadn’t gotten laid in over six months wasn’t his issue. It was totally hers.
The realisation she’d fallen for him had been one Friday night when they’d been sharing Chinese. He’d said something and she’d looked over at him and WHAM that was when it had hit her. She’d fallen for him.
Mooning over a guy who wasn’t into you was the least attractive trait in a woman. How many times had she’d told her friends that? Now it was time to take her own advice and get over her feelings for James.
Melinda danced with her friends. She laughed at their jokes and gave the impression she didn’t have a care in the world.
“I’m getting a drink!” She shouted to her friends over the incessant thump of bass. They nodded and continued to dance.
Melinda headed towards the bar, wishing she’d worn her favourite, comfortable Jimmy Choos, instead of the new ones she’d bought that day. The shoes may have had sex written all over them, but they were pinching her toes.
She sat down on a recently vacated bar stool and ordered a fresh glass of white wine. Waiting for the bartender to return with it she looked around the club. The crowd had built while she’d been dancing. The testosterone level had risen tenfold.
As she gazed around, her eyes stopped at a pair of broad shoulders. His t-shirt fit him like a second skin.
Now that was the type of distraction she was looking for. She wanted—no needed—a body that night. Anything to take her mind off the one body she couldn’t have. It didn’t really matter that he wasn’t the hottest guy on the earth. At that moment Mr Heavenly Shoulders turned in her direction and locked eyes with Melinda.
Yes the night was definitely looking up, she thought.
Melinda gave him her come-hither smile. The invitation she was sending his way was very clear. The wink he gave in return told Melinda he was interested in taking her up on her offer.
The bartender arrived at that moment with her fresh drink. She reached for it, bringing it slowly to her lips, all the while watching and waiting for Mr Heavenly Shoulders to make his way to her. He’d taken two steps when he stopped abruptly, the flirty look stripped from his face.
He shrugged the heavenly shoulders she’d been imagining wrapping her arms around as if to say, “Thanks but not tonight.” He turned back to his friends.
“What the…?” There was no possible way she’d misread that look in his eye.
“He was only after one thing, you know.”
Melinda whirled around and faced the owner of the voice. The last voice she’d expected to hear warning her off a man. “Of course I knew exactly what he wanted. I invited him. I wanted to have wild animal sex with him.”
Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/tango-love-novella
Link to Follow the Tour: http://tastybooktours.blogspot.com/2013/11/now-booking-release-day-tasty-book.html
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18805750-tango-love?ac=1
On her very first school report her teacher said ‘Nicole likes to tell her own stories’.
It wasn’t until after the birth of her daughter and after having fun on the community board of eharlequin.com that she finally decided to take the plunge and write a book.
The stories she writes are contemporary romances with either a medical setting or in the boardrooms of high powered business. Nicole enjoys taking two characters and creating unique situations for them.
Apart from writing Nicole is busy looking after her very own hero – her wonderfully supportive husband, and her two fabulous kids.
http://www.nicoleflockton.com/
https://www.facebook.com/NicoleFlockton
https://twitter.com/NicoleFlockton
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6479388.Nicole_Flockton
Link to Page: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/NTIxYWM0YzhjYmFkNDc1MDkxYzA3ZDNmMjhhM2RjOjIxOA==/
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Thank you seems like such a small thing to say but know that it comes from my heart. I am grateful to all of you that have embraced my debut novel, Everlasting Hunger and brought it into your lives. I read every review and I appreciate them all. They will help me continue to bring stories to life.
Tomorrow, The Stroke of Midnight will be released. This is an anthology that has some amazing stories in it from some awesome authors and it is FREE!! I wrote a short novella called Eternal Beginnings to be included. I would love to know what you think. Keep in mind that it helps if you have read Everlasting Hunger first.
I hope you will continue to follow me throughout the new year. I have some great things coming in 2014 and I am excited to share them with you!
Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year!
BLOG TOUR SIGNUP AND ARC REQUEST!
Did you know that I have a short story coming out on December 26th? It is called Eternal Beginnings and it is a novella that follows Everlasting Hunger. I was so excited to be included in an amazing anthology with some awesome writers. We would love to have you guys sign up for the blog tour and/or request an ARC and leave a honest review for us.
Check out the following links and feel free to share!
The tour (12/26 – 1/8)
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/14skZCQ-pm7mXUD9NgoQq4l1rR-ZGhBWSjELsBHO88yw/viewform
Review Copy Requests
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1qaF6xbHaoygsvk1lxFllphFrRaWLiQncMplrS4SRyEw/viewform
News!
Recently, I was looking for a review that I had done a while ago when I realized something. I have been active for a YEAR!!! I started this blog in 2011, a year after I lost my daughter. I thought I would use it as an outlet but never really did anything with it.
A little over a year later, I was selected to be a part of an amazing group of woman that reviewed for Avon Publishing. I had officially become an Avon Addict. I decided to do my reviews on the blog that I had created. I figured it would give me somewhere to post them. In November, those same awesome women convinced me to do National Novel Writing Month. While doing that I got introduced to blog tours and my little tiny insignificant blog started doing a little more. I went from 3 followers a year ago to thousands on multiple sites. Who knew anyone would like what I had to say? 😀
I have met some of the most amazing readers, authors and blogger in the world and I am honored to be a part of their world. So in sticking with anniversary tradition, I am doing a giveaway. I am looking for donations of any kind from anyone. Authors, bloggers and readers are welcome to join in. You can sign up here.
Also, I am looking to put together a master list of emails and names. This will be used for a newsletter that I want to put together for the blog and my books. If you are interested, you can sign up here. Keep in mind this is for my use only and will not be sold or distributed to anyone else.
I want to give a special shoutout to Jena over at PureTextuality. She has been an amazing behind the scenes person. She helped me build RBW (literally, she is the theme genuis) and never hesitates to answer any off the wall question that I come up with.
Thank you to all of the amazing people that have supported and continue to support RBW!
Love,
Brandy
P.S. I am looking for someone who would like to become an admin on the blog. Familiarity with WordPress is a plus. If interested or have any questions, shoot me an email to romancebookworm@gmail.com
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