Review and Excerpt Tour: Z by Larissa Ione

   

Z is the latest in Larissa Ione’s incredible Demonica Underworld Series brought to you by the amazing team at 1001 Dark Nights! Be sure you grab your copy of this sexy new novella today!

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Zhubaal, fallen angel assistant to the Grim Reaper, has spent decades searching for the angel he loved and lost nearly a century ago. Not even her death can keep him from trying to find her, not when he knows she’s been given a second chance at life in a new body. But as time passes, he’s losing hope, and he wonders how much longer he can hold to the oath he swore to her so long ago.

As an emim, the wingless offspring of two fallen angels, Vex has always felt like a second-class citizen. But if she manages to secure a deal with the Grim Reaper — by any means necessary — she will have earned her place in the world. The only obstacle in the way of her plan is a sexy hardass called Z, who seems determined to thwart her at every turn. Soon it becomes clear that they have a powerful connection rooted in the past…but can any vow stand the test of time?

When I heard that we got the ARC for Z by Larissa Ione, I squealed. I’m a huge fan of hers and have almost all of her books in print when it comes to her Demonica and Horseman series. That being said, while I loved the story, I felt it wasn’t completely up to par with her other books. Still a great story, but missing a little something. Maybe because it is a novella and not a full length novel. Plus, Z was kind of a bonehead many times. LOL.

Z is a fallen angel that works for the grim reaper and is searching for his soul mate, Laura. They were angels together in heaven and she was kicked out. Killed before he could find her, he fell too and has been searching for her ever since. He only knows that 30 years ago she was reborn into another body.

Vex attracts the souls of demons and needs to get rid of them, but no one is buying. Told to go visit Azagoth, the grim reaper, she arrives and hopes they can strike a deal. What she didn’t expect was the instant connection to the grim reaper’s minion who greets her at the entrance gate. Through talking to him, although it was more like pulling teeth, she finds out his story and then learns Laura’s soul is in her. Is it one of the souls she collected, or something else?

Like I said, there were multiple times that Z was a bonehead, but he is a good guy and has his reasons…sort of. No one can deny the connection and sizzle between Z and Vex though, and in that, it is typical Larissa Ione – spinning her otherworldly tales and pulling us in. I love the world she has created! I will say that there are some repeating characters from her other books, however, it can be read as a standalone. If that doesn't bother you, then jump right in. Even with all of that, I would still give the book 4 stars.

A lost soulmate...

A second chance at an eternal love....

Is it destined to happen?

Zhubaal is a fallen Angel who now works for Azogath (the Grim Reaper) but Z has been on the lookout for his eternal love... another fallen Angel Laura, for hundreds of years.

Vex is an offspring of two fallen Angels who has the unfortunate ability to capture souls inter her body. She has made a living off selling these souls back to the underworld. But one soul who slips through a fissure in the underworld is trying to take over her body. Trying to rid herself of it she finds herself in front of Azogath.

One of the souls inside her happens to be the one Z is looking for...what happens next?? Well you will need to read.

I liked this book. I was able to imagine the world Larissa created and I look forward to reading more of her series. One click this. You won't be disappointed.

      About Larissa Ione: Larissa Ione is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. An Air Force veteran, she traded in a career as a meteorologist to pursue her passion of writing. She now spends her days in pajamas with her computer, strong coffee, and supernatural worlds. She believes in celebrating everything, and would never be caught without a bottle of Champagne chilling in the fridge…just in case. She currently lives in Wisconsin with her U.S. Coast Guard husband, her teenage son, a rescue cat named Vegas, and her very own hellhound, a King Shepherd named Hexe.

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Release Blitz and Giveaway: Leave a Mark by Stephanie Fournet

Title: Leave a Mark
Author: Stephanie Fournet
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Blue Tulip Publishing

She’s pierced, and dyed, and covered in tattoos—and she’s everything Dr. Lee Hawthorne wants.

Dyed, pierced, and covered in tattoos, Wren Blanchard is the exact opposite of everything Dr. Lee Hawthorne thought he wanted.

His residency is almost finished. With the perfect job, the beautiful house, and the polished girlfriend, he knows he should be happy, yet he isn’t.

But once Wren lands in his ER with her sharp tongue and artist’s soul, she leaves a mark on him that just won’t fade.

Wren knows the good doctor is way out of her league. To people like him, she’s a circus freak. Besides, she’s not the type to get hung up on guys, especially ones with midnight blue eyes—ones who know all about antiques, crack bad jokes, and love Joss Whedon.

No. She doesn’t need that.

After all, she has friends, a psychotic cat, and a promising career as one of the best tattoo artists in town. And it’s enough.

Really, it is.

Or it would be if Lee weren’t there every time she turned around.

One kiss seals their fate.

Their attraction is undeniable–but Wren’s past is full of ghosts. Is their bond strong enough for a solid future? Or will their new relationship crumble beneath the weight of all she carries?

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Wren seethed.

A part of her had been secretly elated to see him again after their morning encounter. This wasn’t an accident. He’d come to her.

But the other part told her she’d be a fool to trust him. He might, indeed, have ended things with Marcelle, but once a cheater, always a cheater. And even if it had just been one kiss, Lee Hawthorne was bad for her. It had been so hard to walk away from him just a few hours ago. And she barely knew him. What would happen if she let him in?

“Well? What do you want?” she snapped, glad that her resentment sounded convincing.

Lee blinked, and Wren held her breath, hoping that the question would be enough to call his bluff. Nobody as buttoned-up as Lee came in and got tattooed on a whim. She crossed her arms and waited, giving him a look of supreme impatience. He’d call it off. She knew he’d call it off.

If he goes through with it, I’ll give him my number.

The moment she placed this bet with herself, Lee reached into his back pocket and drew out his wallet.

“I know what I want.” He opened the brown leather wallet and pulled out an antique brass skeleton key.

“What’s that for?” Wren asked, completely surprised.

One side of Lee’s mouth turned up, but the corners of his eyes angled down just a little. “It was my mother’s.”

She stopped her line of questions right there. The look in his eyes had the power to melt her defenses. It was so far from the cocksure grin he’d worn when he’d declared she’d kissed him back or the amused smile that sat on his lips whenever he was laughing at her. This look was innocent. This was the look of a boy.

Without a word, she held out her hand for the key, and Lee placed it on her palm. It was short, perhaps three inches long with a decorative head and a bit that was notched in the shape of a cross. The head bore three perfect circles just above the shaft with kidney-shaped loops on either side. She could only guess at its age, but it was beautiful, and she knew inherently that the piece it opened had to be beautiful, too.

Wren steeled herself. She could do this. She could let him make his play and be the professional she always was. The key was cool, and it would make a kickass tattoo. And that would give her confidence.

“You want it life-sized?” She glanced back up at him, all business.

He considered the key a moment. “Yes. Just like that.”

“Color or true black?”

Lee’s eyebrows drew together. “What do you think?”

Wren turned the key over in her hand. It was tarnished in places and buffed into a high shine in others.

“If you want it to look just like this, I could do mustard for the brass and platinum for the shadows. And a thin outline in black, of course.”

The left side of Lee’s mouth curled in a grin again, and his eyes danced. “Yeah, that’ll work.”

Wren pulled her eyes away. “Lemme make a copy of this to use as a stencil.” She turned and ducked into Rocky’s office without another word and took her time centering the key on the thermal copier’s glass and loading the feed tray with a sheet of transfer paper. Wren wasn’t about to take any chances with the perfect lines of the key’s shaft and bit. The overhead light in the office was off, and the space was a little cooler, so she drew in a slow breath to calm herself.

When she returned with key and stencil in hand, Lee had sat himself on the end of her table, and Rocky was finishing up with Dallas.

“Okay, doc, where do you want it?” she asked, sounding as detached as she could.

Lee’s eyes narrowed slightly on hers, and he drew a finger up to his chest. “Right here.” His fingertip brushed across his left pec, and Wren had to shift the weight on her feet and concentrate on keeping her expression even. She moved past him and raised the head of her table just a little.

“Okay,” she breathed. “Shirt and tie off. Lie back on the table.”

She turned away to her ink cart and felt her face heat when she heard the whir of silk on silk as he pulled open his tie. She busied herself setting up a fresh razor, her green soap, her alcohol wipes, and gauze. With her sterile scissors, she cut around the stencil and set it aside. Wren laid out two sterile grips, her liner and shader tips, and got her colors ready.

Knowing he’d be shirtless, Wren schooled a bored look on her features before she turned. She met his eyes first, and it would have helped if he’d looked back at her with that smug grin. Feeling pissy was a good defense, and his grin pissed her the hell off.

But the look he gave her was far from it. He lay back, watching her with a mix of wonder and… What was it? Hope? Whatever it was, it made her cheeks burn again.

Okay, so this may be the most unusual playlist ever assembled. This is largely due to the fact that Dr. Lee Hawthorne has both a jukebox and a sense of humor, so why can’t we mix Simon and Garfunkel with a little Pitbull? The Wurlitzer, naturally, only holds 45s, so most of the songs that come up in the novel are much older than Lee and Wren, but I can see Wren punching “Under Pressure” and Lee following with the confidence of Sam and Dave and whimsy of The Police. Lee and Wren both love antiques, after all, so why wouldn’t they share a love of old music? And with as many self-doubts as Wren carries, who else but Hozier would she have on her playlist? The list ends with Diana Krall’s version of “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” for obvious reasons. (Make sure you read the Epilogue.)

This is the first time I've read anything by Stephanie. I love when I get a chance to read from a new to me author.

Wren and Lee's story is not typical in any way. In fact, I have to admit, I was a little skeptical at first. Especially when it came to the way they met. And how Lee pursued her after. Something about that just sent off all kinds of red flags to me. There also seemed to be a case of insta-love, which I'm not always fond of.

Wren is a tattooed raven, Lee is a suit and tie doctor with a lot of compassion. I 100% understand Wren's apprehension, even without her past. I mean, Lee was her physician in the middle of a medical crisis. Next thing you know, he's helping her get home and wants to carry her up the steps. Seemed to have crossed the bounds of DR/Patient.

I wondered throughout if his attraction to Wren was simply because she was so far from his norm, but as their relationship developed I found a great respect for Lee. He doesn't run when things get tough and he pursues Wren relentlessly. When he gets her to expose her past, and then helps her work through it, my heart swelled for them.

I'm giving this 3.5 stars, based on the insta-love and the whole DR/patient thing. I would have liked to see a little more of their relationship development, but I enjoyed this book nonetheless and would recommend it if you're looking for a mostly light read -- though it also included some triggers regarding child abuse.

Stephanie Fournet, author of Fall Semester, Legacy, Butterfly Ginger, and Leave a Mark, lives in Lafayette, Louisiana—not far from the Saint Streets where her novels are set. She shares her home with her husband John and her daughter Hannah, their needy dogs Gladys and Mabel, and an immortal blue finch named Baby Blue. When she isn’t writing romance novels, she is usually helping students get into college or running. She loves hearing from fans, so look for her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, and stephaniefournet.com.

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Release Blitz: Love Me, Love Me Not by SM Koz

TITLE: Love Me, Love Me Not

AUTHOR: S.M. Koz

GENRE: New Adult Romance

RELEASE DATE: April 29, 2016

     Seventeen-year-old Hailey Brown never wanted to be popular or rich or even successful. All she ever wanted was to feel loved by someone, anyone.

     Eighteen-year-old Brad Campbell doesn't know anything but popularity, wealth, and success thanks to his affluent family and unmatched talent on the football field.

     When Hailey and Brad are unexpectedly thrown together, will sparks fly or will their differences and unconventional situation prove to be too much of an obstacle?

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SM Koz was born in Michigan, but moved to North Carolina for college and never left.

She enjoys traveling, camping, hiking, photography, reading, spending time with foster kids who temporarily call her house home, and learning new things. When she’s not creating online training for pharmaceutical companies (her day job) or writing, Koz can be found at the local community college taking courses on various topics ranging from digital art to HTML to desktop publishing. Next in line are auto mechanics and cake decorating.

Being trained as a veterinarian, it’s not surprising that Koz and her husband were recently told they have a mini-zoo with their two dogs, fish, cockatiels, and foster cats. In the past, they have also had parakeets and a snake. Other than the fish, all the animals were acquired through rescue organizations, something Koz wholeheartedly supports.

Koz loves interacting with readers and other authors, so check her out on FB, Twitter, or Goodreads links below! 

          

S.M. Koz has written six novels, but this is only the third to be published. She also designs all her book covers. Each novel has a beautiful cover that captures the reader's eye immediately.

Her first release, Breaking Free, is a YA contemporary romance/realism story about a teenage girl who struggles with cutting.

Pangalax, is a YA romance/light sci-fi story about a girl forced to abandon her homeland and make a new life on a US space station.

Love Me, Love Me Not, Koz's newest release, is a NA romance about a 17 year old foster teen named Hailey, who feels she's doesn't have a place in the world. All she ever wanted was to feel loved by someone, anyone.

Find all SM Koz's books on Amazon: http://Author.to/SMKoz

Release Blitz: Return of the Bad Boy by Jessica Lemmon

Return of the Bad Boy by Jessica Lemmon

Date of Publication: April 26, 2016

He's a mess...

Asher Knight has three constants in his life: music, beautiful women, and a bottle of Jack. He lives for the next gig, the next city, and dreams only of a life spent in front of an arena full of screaming fans. But Asher's nomad ways come to a sudden stop when he learns he's the father of a three-year-old from a past relationship and suddenly this rock star bad boy is forced to put down roots.

Only she can clean up

Gloria Shields is no one's fool. Sure, the sexual chemistry between her and Asher has always been intense, but she'd never risk giving her heart to a man who has a perfect record for breaking them. Except the man desperate to make things right with his newfound son is nothing like the rock god she's guarded her heart against for years. And it isn't long before she starts to wonder if life with this bad boy might be the best thing that's ever happened to her.

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Gloria nodded at Evan, and he and Brice made their way through the crowd—which hadn't thinned even a little despite the band leaving the stage—and walked in the direction of the bar. Gloria figured they'd get back about the time the band took the stage again, which left her with Asher in the interim.

"I didn't realize you were invited," she said over the melee.

"I see that." The corners of his mouth turned down.

"Why did he invite you?" she asked, curious.

"He wants me," Asher said, a bored expression on his face.

"No. He wants me." She pressed her fingers into her chest.

Asher leaned closer to speak to her and it took everything in her not to back away a step. Him close had a way of messing with her equilibrium...even more than the whiskey.

"I meant he wants to sign the band, Sarge. He's probably buttering you up to get to me."

"What?" she asked, slightly offended. "How egotistical are you?"

"I'm not being egotistical," he said. "That's a fact. And you're welcome."

Oh, he was too much. "I'm welcome?"

"Yeah. Now that I'm here, you won't have to touch him. He won't get within three feet of you." Stubble lined his jaw, fire burned in his eyes, and he stood close enough that his body heat blanketed her. "Promise."

"Listen, Asher"—she cleared her throat and tore her eyes away from his biceps, which were absolutely delicious and testing the limits of his T-shirt in the most distracting way possible—"I don't know what you think you're doing—"

"No, you listen." He palmed her hip much like Brice had earlier, but unlike Brice, when Asher touched her, her nipples perked up and every inch of her grew warm. Asher's nearness, one hand gripping her firmly as he looked down at her with dark hunger in his eyes, was so hot she couldn't think.

The crowd milling around them were having loud, drunken conversations, so he lowered his face to her ear to speak.

"I'm coming for you, Sarge." His hand moved from her hip to her lower back, his fingers splaying wide and slipping beneath the material of her shirt. "Bet you've never had anyone come for you, have you?" His nose moved along her ear, warm breath tickling her skin. "Bet you were a rebellious teen with a nose ring and a bad attitude and all you wanted was to feel good."

No nose ring, but the rest was scarily accurate.

"Well, guess what, honey?" he continued, his fingertips sizzling on her bare skin. "I'm going to make you feel good. I'm the only one who can."

He pulled his face away and she had to will her mouth to close. Her teeth clacked together as her brain scrambled to figure out what part she should argue with first. Wrenching a fist around his T-shirt, she tugged him close. A small smile played on his mouth, and his hand went higher beneath her shirt. He was anticipating a kiss, but she wasn't going to kiss him.

"Listen up, you arrogant bastard." Anger vibrated through her arms and a charge shot from her toes to the crown of her head. "You don't get to claim me. I'm not your property. I can do whatever I want." Because she wanted to wipe that stupid smirk off his face, she added, "And I can do whomever I want."

His lips flinched, but he didn't back away, stepping even closer and touching the tip of her nose with his. Her vision was now swimming in dark hair, dark eyes, and the sexiest smirk she'd ever seen.

It's not sexy. It's stupid, remember?

But it wasn't. And the rest of her knew it. Her nipples tightened, her body tingled, and the hand she'd wrapped around his shirt began to sweat . . .

A former job-hopper, Jessica Lemmon resides in Ohio with her husband and rescue dog. She holds a degree in graphic design currently gathering dust in an impressive frame. When she's not writing super-sexy heroes, she can be found cooking, drawing, drinking coffee (okay, wine), and eating potato chips. She firmly believes God gifts us with talents for a purpose, and with His help, you can create the life you want.

Jessica is a social media junkie who loves to hear from readers. You can learn more at:

JessicaLemmon.com

Twitter @lemmony

Facebook.com/AuthorJessicaLemmon

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