Saturday, August 2, 2014

Book Blitz: Forever Sheltered by Deanna Roy




Forever Sheltered by Deanna Roy 

(The Forever Series #3) 
Publication date: July 23rd 2014
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance


Tina would rather sew up her girl parts with dental floss than go on a second date with a man. She’s been dumped enough to know not to get attached.


But when Dr. Darion Marks comes into her art therapy room to ask a favor for a special patient, Tina recognizes the haunted look he buries beneath his stoic professionalism. So rather than be forced to ditch the handsome doctor after a single night, she decides not to date him at all.

So how exactly DO they end up half-naked in Surgical Suite B?

Dr. Darion has a lot to hide. His baby sister is the only family he has left, and he’s not leaving her treatment to some incompetent hack.

But now he’s breaking every hospital rule imaginable. He lied about his sister so he can manage her care, and now he’s banging the art therapy teacher between patient rounds like a fraternity boy at a keg party.

Nobody believes this can end well, not Tina’s friend Corabelle, who is overcoming a tragic history much like Tina’s, or even pink-haired Jenny, who thinks sex with strangers is good for your metabolism.

But Dr. Darion and Tina have one thing going for them – a fierce passion for each other that just might obliterate all their doubts, and solve all their problems.

Forever Sheltered includes many favorite characters from Forever Innocent and Forever Loved, as well as the much-anticipated wedding of Gavin and Corabelle.

It is a standalone HEA that does not require reading any other parts of the Forever series.


   


Today we’re going to learn more about Dr. Darion Marks, a pediatric oncologist in San Diego who sometimes finds himself examining his new love in Surgical Suite B, when he’s not fixing her torn panties with duct tape.

Dr. Darion can be found in Forever Sheltered by USA Today bestselling author Deanna Roy.

Q: So Darion, why a doctor?
A: It’s called parental pressure. No pre-med, no money for college. But I like it. It was a good call. I hate it when parents are right.

Q: What’s the best part of your job?
A: Watching kids with cancer walk out of the hospital in remission. I’m still hoping we’ll get my little sister there. We’re working hard.

Q: So tell me about Surgical Suite B.
A: (Coughs.) It’s an unused room –

Q: You know what I’m talking about.
A: Some … things have happened there. Tina and I have sort of, well, broken it in, you might say.

Q: What’s the best thing about Tina?
A: You mean other than her willingness to meet meet me in Surgical Suite B?

Q: Dr. Darion!
A: You started it.

Q: Okay, okay. What’s one thing about her you would never change?
A: It’s an odd answer, I know, but her sadness. It connects her to her art. It’s the pulse point of her life. She lives life fully, even carrying that grief around. I admire her for that.

Learn more about this hot doctor and his new love, Tina, in Forever Sheltered, just released July 23.

The voice that came from the door was like an icy blast. “Do you have any more personal questions that are completely out of line for your relationship with my patient?”
I whipped around. Dr. Darion stood in the door, glowering like a gargoyle.
“I—I was just asking about a song Cynthia performed for me yesterday.”
His eyes narrowed. I wondered what I possibly saw in him before, because now he was clearly the biggest jerk in the universe.
He snatched my arm and dragged me from the room.
I tried to wrench free as he moved us down the hall. “What is going ON with you?” I asked.
“Hush,” he said.
We turned down a narrow corridor, and he buzzed us through a door with his ID. I had never been in this part of the hospital and tried to figure out where we were. The back side of ICU, maybe.
He shouldered open a door marked Surgical Suite B. The room was dim and empty. Boxes were stacked along one wall, and it had an unused smell to it, stuffy and antiseptic. A pair of gurneys were pushed together next to a line of cabinets.
“What is this about?” I asked, jerking my arm out of his grasp.
“Why were you in Cynthia’s room asking questions?”
“Why are you dragging me through the hospital like a lunatic?”
We were only inches apart, me defiantly on my toes to try to eliminate the advantage of his height.
“You have no business questioning my patients or their family.”
Oh, I wanted to punch him. My hand curled into a fist. “You are an awful man, Darion Marks.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed up, then down, like he had swallowed something nasty. “I’m sorry I dragged you down here,” he said.
I shoved at his chest. “Sorry? You just embarrassed the hell out of me! No telling who saw that.”
I pushed him again. I was really in a fury. “Are you TRYING to get me fired?”
The contact between us sparked, like a match being lit. I forgot why I was mad. He was so freaking close. He wore cologne, just a hint of it. He smelled like heaven. My heart sped up. Crap.
I tried to think how to get out of this. I needed to just walk away. We were alone in a dark room.
Shoot. I could already tell my body was getting ahead of my head. It was calculating distance. Seeing how far I could push this man. How close I could get.
Remembering how long it had been since my last tryst with anybody.
I would have to do the one-and-done with Dr. Darion after all.
I leaned in, just to see what he would do.

WHEW! See what happens in Surgical Suite B in Forever Sheltered by USA Today bestselling author Deanna Roy.





Deanna Roy is a passionate advocate for women who have lost babies. She founded PregnancyLoss.Info in 1998 and runs many online and in-person support groups. She is the author of several two-hankie reads, including Forever Innocent, Stella & Dane, and Baby Dust.







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Book Blitz: Tortured by Kate Givans



Tortured (Tortured Soul Series, #1)


Tortured by Kate Givans 
Publication date: July 2014
Genres: Adult, Contemporary

A contemporary romantic drama about loss, healing, and love's ability to reach beyond scars and secrets, no matter how deep or hidden.

WARNING: This book is intended for 18+ readers ONLY. Potentially triggering content and concepts in books to follow. 

More than a year after the death of his best friend, Josh is still tormented by the past. Everything changes when free-spirited Willow barges into his life. She challenges him, helps him feel something other than the overwhelming pain, sadness, and anger. 

There’s just one problem. 

Underneath that carefree spirit, Willow is elusive and secretive. Josh believes she may be fighting a few demons of her own, but he harder he tries to uncover the truth, the more she pushes him away. 

Can Josh get her to open up before it’s too late? Or will he discover that some secrets are better left untold?





I first met Willow out on Old Mill Road. Standing on the ledge of the arched concrete bridge, her arms spread wide, she looked like a bird about to take flight. I probably would have taken more time to admire the absolute freedom she embodied in that moment, the auburn curls whipping around her upturned face, the way the moonlight made her porcelain skin shimmer…but it looked like she was about to jump.   
I remember my hesitation, how desperately I wanted to turn back the way I’d come and pretend I’d never seen her. I know it makes me sound like an insensitive prick, but I wasn’t exactly thrilled at having the life or death of some crazy chick thrown in my lap. Not that I didn’t understand, at least on some level, what might be going through her head. Hell, I knew, better than most, what it meant to feel like life would never get better.
It’d only been six weeks since my release from Shady Oak’s mental facility. I wasn’t the person to talk her down; I didn’t know the first thing about helping someone find the light at the end of the tunnel. Hell, I still had days that I’d much rather jump right along with her than try and brave another day.
Thankfully, that particular day hadn’t been one of them.
I stood there a few moments longer, considering my options. I could turn around and go back the way I came, but I wasn’t exactly up for that. I could go past her and risk spooking her, but the last thing I needed was the aftermath of watching her plummet to her death – calling the police, filing a report, explaining what had happened. It wouldn’t hurt to at least try and talk her off the ledge, right?
Having made my decision, I edged cautiously along the gravel path, taking slow and calculated steps towards bird-girl. Stopping just feet away from her, I weighed the risk of grabbing ahold of the oversized sweater jacket she was wearing. My luck, the damn thing would come clean off and she’d end up in the water anyway, so I decided against it.
I was still trying to decide how to go about helping her when she spoke, voice confident as she kept her face upturned towards the night sky. “I’m not going to jump.”
I cleared my throat and hoped to God the irritation didn’t seep through. “No offense, miss, but that’s not what it looks like from here.”
Her head tilted slightly, as if she were trying to shrug, but the movement came up short. I waited for some other response, but the uncomfortable silence stretched on, giving me the impression that my presence was both unwanted and unnecessary.   
“Well, you…uh, have a nice night,” I finally said, taking a couple backward steps towards town.
“You could join me.” Her words, prying and inquisitive, stopped me dead in my tracks.
“Yeeaaah….Thanks, but I prefer to keep my feet on the ground.”
She chuckled. The light, carefree sound intrigued and, for some unknown reason, annoyed me all at once. Maybe because I’d never laughed like that. Hell, I didn’t know anyone that had. It left me questioning what the hell she was doing up there in the first place.  
Crazy. Definitely crazy.   
Determined to get as far away from her as possible, I started backing away. I didn’t make it but a few steps when she glanced over her shoulder at me. The wide-eyed conviction in her sparkling, crystal blue eyes ensnared me, rooted me to the ground beneath my feet.      
“How will you ever learn to fly if you don’t take time to spread your wings?” she asked.
And just like that, the pull I’d felt just seconds before shook free, floating away with the cold, bitter wind. I’d taken enough rides on the crazy train to last a lifetime. “Well, anyway. It was, uh, nice meeting you.”


Get Scared, Built for Blame: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k82La8Lkra8
The Fray, How to Save a Life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjVQ36NhbMk
Jasmine Thomspon, Everybody Hurts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWGL3SbhLDQ
Goo Goo Dolls, Before It’s Too Late: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtSAIhP1-5s
Sick Puppies, All the Same: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cs72v-2zjsg
Evanescence, Bring Me to Life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YxaaGgTQYM
Little Green Cars, The John Wayne: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJEVkuNsEi0
Breaking Benjamin, Diary of Jane: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWaB4PXCwFU
Goo Goo Dolls, Here is Gone: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNtN83-vQmw


What made you decide you wanted to be a writer?
Deep down, I think I’ve always known. I started reading at four. When I was seven, I wrote my first book. It was a short, adorable little thing that I wrote for my mom. Along the way, I lost sight of that – maybe it was the responsibility of being a mom, or the idea that I was supposed to grow up and do the responsibility thing. Whatever the case, it kind of got buried in day to day life. Then, after my mother passed away, I found my book in her things. It all came flooding back, but again, I tossed it aside, figuring it was just too late. It wasn’t until I met my best friend that all that changed. I learned about Indie publishing and fell in love instantly.

How would you describe your books, in a nutshell?
Dark, twisty, angsty, with a lot of heart and a peppering of romance. That may change as I go along, but it definitely fits most of my current writing.

What has been your biggest struggle when it comes to writing and publishing?
I have to say my biggest struggle has been believing in myself enough to actually do it. At first, I wasn’t really sure I could tell a story that anyone else would enjoy. Plus, I’ve always been oversensitive, so the fear of rejection kind of kept me frozen for a few years. Thankfully, I’ve had some pretty amazing people in my life that believed in me until I could do it for myself.

Where do you draw your writing inspiration from?
Honestly, there’s not any one place that I find inspiration. It’s more of a conglomeration of personal experience, music, cinema, pop culture, books, and random ideas that seem to come out of nowhere. Each piece of the puzzle seems to play its own little role in the writing process for me.  

Do you share any traits, characteristics, or traits with any of your characters?
Admittedly, I do. While each and every one of them is different, I find that I share certain struggles, personality traits, or nuances with most of my characters. And in so many ways, they teach me lessons about myself. I learn from them - the things they endure and somehow manage to overcome, the truths that they come to see and believe about the world around them or themselves. It’s a very interesting process, to say the least.  

Do you have any favorite authors?
I do! But I have entirely too many to mention! Not just because I don’t want to exclude anyone, but also because I don’t read just one particular genre of book. I have my dark and twisty, contemporary, my guilty erotica reads, romance, zombies…needless to say, I’m extremely eclectic in my reading tastes.


Quirky, clumsy, and always a little off-key, Kate Givans has always loved books and the words contained within. Now that she’s writing the stories, she’s filling them with broken characters, angst, and even a few of those happily-ever-afters that seem to evade us in real life.
When not writing, this gypsy-hearted wife and mother of five can be found guzzling coffee, day-dreaming, dancing for no reason at all, playing with the voices in her head, watching her favorite shows (Originals, Grey’s, OUAT, The Following), listening to music, and reminding herself to “breathe.”

Friday, August 1, 2014

Book Blitz: Found In Us by Layla Hagen





Found in Us by Layla Hagen 

(Lost #2) 
Publication date: July 24th 2014
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance


**This can be read as a STANDALONE. The second book in the Lost series tells Jessica and Parker’s story.**
All Jessica wants -as a college graduate — is to be a good girl. She landed the job of her dreams at a museum and is trying to eliminate temptations. No more short skirts (when she can help it). No wild parties. And no men.
She particularly excels at that last thing. . .
Until her path crosses Parker’s. Again. Jessica remembers the last time their paths crossed very well. She was left with a seriously bruised ego. She knows it would be best to avoid him altogether. But the charming Brit makes it hard for her to elude his electrifying pull. He is as irresistible as he is captivating.
And enigmatic.
Because underneath the sleek Armani suit and the sweet British accent that makes her crave his touch, Parker isn’t the perfect gentleman everyone thinks he is.
He’s exactly what Jessica doesn’t want, but desperately needs.
A bad, bad boy.


    





My name is Layla Hagen and I am a New Adult Contemporary Romance author.

I fell in love with books when I was nine years old, and my love affair with stories continues even now, many years later.
I write romantic stories and can’t wait to share them with the world.
And I drink coffee. Lots of it, in case the photo didn’t make it obvious enough 




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Cover Reveal: Picking Up The Pieces by Shelby Reeves





At twelve years old, Kaylee Harper’s life took a heartbreaking turn when her father was murdered and she was left for dead.
Now seventeen, Kaylee’s still living with the unbearable guilt from that night. Things now seem to be looking up for Kaylee. She has Alexis Collins, her best friend who is practically her sister, and Riley Thompson, her boyfriend who is the star running back on their high school’s football team.
Kaylee is starting to see that Riley isn’t all that great, but is it too late?
Adam Thomas has everything a teenager could wish for, two loving and caring parents, friends, a nice truck, and a starting spot on the school’s varsity basketball team. Now he just wants the perfect girl and he has his sights set on Kaylee.
After Adam takes her home one night he has no intentions of staying away, but Riley has different plans and he is not about to let her go.
Kaylee’s life is once again turned upside down and this time it’s more than just her that she has to worry about.
Can Adam help Kaylee wash away the guilt she carries around and get her to see that she can trust him? Can he make her see that she is not alone?
As more secrets are revealed will she finally let Adam in so he can protect her?



Wife. Mother. Customer Service Supervisor at Walmart. Obsessions: Alabama Football and Harry Potter. Loves to spend time with family and friends. Born a Yankee, raised in Sweet Home Alabama.