Monday, April 30, 2018

Release Blitz and Giveaway: I Dare You by Ilsa Madden Mills


Title: I Dare You
Author: Ilsa Madden-Mills
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: April 29, 2018
Model: Travis S.
Photographer: Wander Aguiar
Cover Designer: Shanoff Designs

Wall Street Journal bestselling author Ilsa Madden-Mills brings you a brand-new heartfelt, sexy contemporary romance with I DARE YOU.
Bad Ass Athlete: I dare you to…
Delaney Shaw: Who is this?
The late night text is random, but "Bad Ass Athlete" sure seems to know who she is…
Delaney Shaw. 
Good girl.
Lover of fluffy kitties and Star Wars. 
Curious.
His dare? Spend one night in his bed—a night he promises will be unforgettable—and she can solve the mystery of who he is. 
She knows she shouldn't, but what else is she going to do with her boring Valentine's Day?
One sexy hook-up later, her mind is blown and the secret's out.
Maverick Monroe.
Bad boy.
The most talented football player in the country.
Just ask him.
Too bad for him Delaney's sworn off dating athletes forever after her last heartbreak.
But Maverick wants more than one night and refuses to give up on winning Delaney’s heart. She isn’t one to be fazed by a set of broad shoulders. 
After the semester ends, will the bad boy land the nerd girl or will the secrets they keep from each other separate them forever?
"Ilsa Madden-Mills scores BIG with this swoony, sexy, heartfelt and highly entertaining sports romance featuring two endearing opposites, who complement each other perfectly." Mary at USA TODAY HEA

Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and USA Today best-selling author Ilsa Madden-Mills writes about strong heroines and sexy alpha males that sometimes you just want to slap. She's best known for her angsty, heartfelt new adult college romances. 
A former high school English teacher, she adores all things Pride and Prejudice; Mr. Darcy is her ultimate hero. 
She's also addicted to frothy coffee beverages, Vampire Dairies, and any kind of book featuring unicorns and sword-wielding females.
Join her Unicorn Girls FB group for special excerpts, prizes, and snarky fun!


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Blog Tour and Review: Outcast by Denise Jaden

Title: Outcast
Author: Denise Jaden
Genre: YA Contemporary (with romantic suspense elements)
Publication Date: April 20th, 2018

She’s not crazy.


Kass Bateman may be a lot of things, but she swears she's not crazy—even when she wakes up strapped to a wheelchair in a psychiatric hospital and can't remember how she got there.

When Kass's family members go missing one by one, she enlists the smartest guy she knows to help find them. Unfortunately for her, underneath his brains and indifference are some dark secrets and a whole lot of distracting sexy.

Can Kass keep her head together long enough to rescue her family members from their captors—the truly dangerous and crazy ones?

Gritty, steamy, and rife with secrecy, Outcast is the first book in a new upper YA/NA crossover series for fans of Gayle Forman and Rainbow Rowell.

Outcast by Denise Jaden was interesting and the premise great. Intrigue, a plot that pulls the reader in, suspense, and so much more, however, there were parts that I felt dragged and the end fell flat. Now, this is a book one of a series and there are loose ends that need to be tied up, so the next book should bring more to the table. 

People are missing from Kass's life. One by one they are disappearing, but she has to convince everyone that it really is happening and that she isn't crazy. Sounds like a great plot, and it is, but I feel like I needed more. That said, I did have a hard time putting the book down because I wanted to see what happened next. The end felt rushed and I'm going to have to wait until book two to see what happens next. 3.5 stars and I suggest you one click this one today. I will be reading the next book in the series when it comes out. 
Kass isn't crazy...or is she? Kass wakes up tired to a wheelchair. As her family disappeared one by one (told in memory), she and a boy from school try to find them.

I liked the premise of this book. I really couldn't stop reading to find out what happened. The first in a series, and this book ends with loose ends.

Kass wakes up strapped to a wheelchair. At first, she can't discern what is going on but she knows that this is wrong. That she is not crazy. You see a half-sister, Hope. shows up about their mom missing. Then all of a sudden Kass' dad goes missing. The only person who can help her is Eli. 

Can she convince him and her best friend, Liz, that she isn't insane? That something sinister is really taking place?

This was going great until the ending. It felt abrupt and not much on what will happen afterward.


Denise Jaden’s novels have been shortlisted or received awards through the Romance Writers of America, Inspy, and SCBWI. The first draft of her debut novel, Losing Faith, was written in 21 days during NaNoWriMo 2007 and she loves talking with writers and students alike about her Just-Get-To-The-End fast-drafting process. Jaden’s other young adult novels include Never Enough, Foreign Exchange, A Christmas Kerril,  and Avalanche. Her non-fiction books for writers include, Writing with a Heavy Heart, Fast Fiction, and Story Sparks. In her spare time, she homeschools her son, acts with the Vancouver film industry, and dances with a Polynesian dance troupe. Find out more at denisejaden.com.
Author Links:

His lips kiss me back, angrily. He’s so forceful, it hurts my mouth, but I won’t stop, and I slide my tongue through his lips to shock him. His mouth opens and his tongue reaches for mine, reaches past mine, and I don’t know if it’s angry or…hungry.
I fight for my balance. My hand is still on the back of his head and I grip the ends of his short hair. He moves toward me until I’m backed into the trunk of the nearest tree. The bark scratches through my cotton shirt, but I can barely feel it. The heat of his chest against mine is extraordinary—his hips shift against mine, his lips and tongue and whole face devour my mouth, my face, my ear, my neck.
And the worst part? I don’t want him to stop. I desperately don’t want him to stop.
But I need control here.
My free hand slides around his waist, gripping his shirt. Both of his hands reach into my hair. He grasps it at the roots and lets out a breathy groan as he turns his face to a new angle on my neck. He’s done this before. He’s probably done this many times before. The whole length of his body pushes me harder against the bark of the tree. It’s all I can do to keep breathing, to not slide my hands all over him. I ball my fist behind his head and notice how totally still I’ve become. He’s devouring me and I can’t stop him. I’m his paralyzed prey, and it freaks the shit out of me.
All at once, I pull back, put all my power behind my right arm, and knock my fist into the side of his jaw. Being so close, I hardly have any force behind it, but it still hurts like hell and I shake out my hand angrily.
“What the hell was that?” he says, stumbling back from me, and then leaning forward and cupping his jaw. He clears his throat harshly.
In that second one thing is clear: He still has complete control over himself. He’s not caught up in this at all, though, by the looks of things, I at least put him in a little bit of pain.
He tilts his head up so we can look at each other. Except he doesn’t look at me, and I wonder if that’s another power move. He scowls, looking into the distance like he’s thinking it over and his hand moves from his jaw to his lips. He clears his throat again. It occurs to me maybe that wasn’t his first beer. Maybe he’s messed up. Did he even know what he was doing or how he was talking to me? What do they call it—liquid courage?
Welcome back, Control. Sorry I let you go for a few minutes there, but it won’t happen again.
Eli’s eyes widen, and at first I think I’ve said the words out loud. But his hand moves down to his throat, grips around it, and something looks wrong.
“I didn’t hit you that hard,” I say.
He clears his throat yet again and grips harder like he’s choking.
“Are you…OK?” It’s not like I’ve done a whole lot of drinking or drugs, and I’ve certainly never OD’d or anything, but the dude wasn’t even slurring. I look from side to side, and no one is within yelling distance, especially over the loud music.
Eli’s free hand fumbles to his belt, to that navy blue pencil case. I stand there looking at it. If he wants to show me what kind of drugs he’s on, I still won’t know how to help him.
He fumbles with the zipper, and finally it rips open and a cylinder of some sort springs out into the overgrown grass and oak leaves. He falls to his knees and rummages frantically with his hands.
“What? What do you need?” I yell at him.
He whimpers and says something I can’t hear. I drop down to get closer. “Nuts. Peanuts,” he chokes out, and I can still taste the remnant of my peanut butter cup in the back of my teeth.
I stare at him and all of a sudden the pieces click into place.
No way. Nobody’s this allergic to peanuts. Are they?

Friday, April 27, 2018

Blog Tour / Review: Co-Ed by Rachel Van Dyken

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Co-Ed by Rachel Van Dyken Publication Date: April 24th, 2018 Genre: Contemporary Romance


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Four guys.
Constant moaning.
And a revolving door across the college suite I somehow ended up in because my first name is Shawn.
They don't discriminate. Girls. Guys. Grandmas. Plants (okay maybe not plants) all walks of life stroll in stressed to the brim, and leave so satisfied I'm wondering what sort of talents lie behind that door.
My roommate calls them the pleasure ponies.
But the rest of the college campus?
They just call them the new face of Wingmen Inc. A paid for relationship service that makes big promises.
Breakup? They'll glue you back together again.
Depressed? They have the magic pill.
Lonely? Just spend a few minutes while they rub you down and you'll forget all about it.
And broken hearts? Well, that's their specialty. They'll fix you
For a price…
I swore I wouldn't get involved.
But apparently they like a challenge, and a girl who doesn't put up with their BS is basically like waving a red flag in front of a bull.
They. All. Charged.
But one holds my attention above the rest.
Knox Turner looks like a Viking — and getting pillaged is starting to look more appealing by the day. Though he's hiding something — all of them are. And the closer I get. The more I realize that some things are left better in the past.
You've read reverse harem books before — but you've never read one like this. It's not what you think, or is it? Dive in and find out…
Knox, Leo, Finn, and Slater are waiting, and they aren't patient men.
Welcome to the new face of Wingmen Inc — You're welcome.


So many thoughts after only just finishing this.

Shawn transfers in and get pairs in a suite with 4 guys. She thinks it is because of her guy sounding name. When she hears moaning night after night, she realizes that 3 of her roommates are running some sort of need fulfillment service. Not sex, but clearly sexy. Adding to her confusion, her other room, Slater seems to hate these guys.

But these guys are like the sun, pulling Shawn further and further in, especially Knox. He clearly has demons to conquer, butShawn can't stay away.

This book sucked me in and made me want more from the very beginning. Steamy hot and great plot!
I was so excited to read this spin off of the Wingmen inc series! I loved everything about this.. maybe even more than the originals.. yeah I said it.. this felt to me it had more depth to it and not just the chemistry and boy meets girl and woo's here kind of story with a touch of humor like the Wingmen Inc series-- not to say I didn't love them as well-- just this just touched me more and made me reallly want some more out of these new and exciting characters. Please don't get me wrong it still has the swoony men-- 3 to be exact-- and the chemistry, humor and steam we have come to love from RVD just a twist I wasn't expecting but made me love it even more. I would give it a 5 stars and highly recommend to others.

Finn, Leo and Knox.. 3 dangerously hot men... Shawn... One woman mistakenly placed in the boys dorm because of her name.. and what an explosion that come to light... Oh and lets not forget Slater the roommate... this story will make you hum with please and cry some tears so get ready for an epic ride.. believe me you don't want to miss it! The ultimate question who gets the girl??

I can't wait to see what is in store next for this series!! Get to one clicking!
Woohoo for some more Wingmen Inc.!

Shawn transfers colleges and because of the abrupt change they never find out that she's a girl, and subsequently is housed with boys. Her roommate seems decent until she hears the going-ons from her suite mates.

Her roommate warns her to stay away and she is determined to do so. But they like a challenge and go out of their way to draw her in. They are equally gorgeous and have these amazing enigmas but Knox shines just a little brighter for her. He is deemed the "bad boy" of the bunch with his leather jacket and long hair.

But there is something underneath their façade. And the more she gets to them, the more the past starts to rise to the surface.

What happens? You definitely need to one click.

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Add to Goodreads: http://bit.ly/CoEdGR


It was happening again. The moaning. I put a pillow over my face and screamed. Not because it was too loud. But because I kept wondering who was causing it. One? Two? All three? Leo and Finn had both tried to talk to me in class and at the coffee shop again. I’d brushed them off but been polite. And Knox? Well, let’s just say that Knox had suddenly turned over a leaf that said, “Go out of my way to make Shawn’s life miserable.” He was suddenly everywhere. And with a different female every single day. It drove me insane. Bat-shit crazy. And he wasn’t even mine to go senseless over! The moan happened again. “That’s it!” I got up from my bed, stomped over to the door, and jerked it open. Then I pounded my way over to their room and almost took down the door with my knock . When Leo answered, he grinned down at me. “Come to play?” I gave him the finger. His eyes narrowed. “I’m confused. Is that yes or no?” “Agh!” I threw my hands up in the air. “I have practice tomorrow at five a.m. It’s three. I’ve had one hour of sleep. Can you please keep the moaning to a minimum?” “You seem stressed.” He tilted his head just as Finn joined him in the doorway. “Doesn’t she?” “Very.” Finn nodded then reached out and started massaging my right trap while Leo grabbed my hand and worked my fingers. It felt so damn good that I forgot I was pissed for about two seconds before I pulled away. “No.” I jabbed my finger at each of their chests. “Shame on you. Stop using your skills to make me less crazy. I need sleep.” “I could not agree more.” Leo put his hand over his chest. “If you want, I can come over and—” “No!” I made a fist with my hands. “I don’t need you to help me sleep. I need you to keep your clients quiet so that I can sleep. Big difference.” Knox appeared then and held out a pair of Bose noise-canceling headphones. “You can borrow them every Friday as long as you don’t set them on fire when you’re done.” “Do you think I really want whatever STDs are crawling around the surface?” I hissed. His eyes turned lethal. “Then I guess you won’t sleep.” “Dun, dun, dun,” Finn sang in a low voice, just as a small lady who could pass as my grandmother made an appearance and shoved a fifty-dollar bill in Knox’s pants then patted him on his rock-hard six-pack. She had a full-on red wig perched backward on her head and cherry red cheeks with black glasses that she kept shoving up her nose. And her purse looked like something I would have seen on I Love Lucy. It was this giant black clutch that probably held cough drops and prunes. “Thanks, boys.” “Love you, Edna!” Finn called while Leo brushed a kiss across her hand. She finger-waved at Knox and straight-up waddled out of the suite. I stared after her, my jaw dropping with each step she took until she was out of eyesight. “What…” I shook my head. “…I mean, seriously, guys, what?” Finn’s eyes got serious. “She’s lonely.” “She’s at least eighty!” I yelled, so exhausted I was actually arguing with crazy. Knox got all up in my business and said through clenched teeth, “Her husband died a year ago. She’s not comfortable with internet dating yet. We’re easing her in because she wants a partner for life, someone she can laugh with, so if we can give her that one laugh, that nice touch once a week, we’re going to fucking do it. Now jump off that pedestal, take the damn Bose, and go to sleep.”


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Rachel Van Dyken is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of regency and contemporary romances. When she's not writing you can find her drinking coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The Bachelor.
She keeps her home in Idaho with her Husband, adorable son, and two snoring boxers! She loves to hear from readers!


Goodreads: http://bit.ly/RVDGR 
Rachel's Rockin' Readers: http://bit.ly/RachelsRockinReaders