{Book Tour} Collision by Evie Harper

Title: Collision (Portland Street Kings #1)

Author: Evie Harper

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: March 24, 2015

Synopsis

When I was fourteen years old, I killed for the first time. That day I learned cruelty wasn’t only within the walls we had just escaped. It hasn’t been easy growing up in the middle of a war. A struggle to find shelter. Fighting to protect our bodies against the corruption of the streets. Nobody cared about the street kids who had to beg and steal to eat. We are the Portland Street Kings – A family forged through loyalty not blood. To get through this life of broken dreams alive, we’ve become hard, uncaring and merciless. We do what must be done to keep our family safe, we will harm those who stand against us. We have it all, feared and respected by those on the streets. Then she collided into my world, and with her came demons from my past, back to haunt us all.

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Excerpt

“What if I already have, brotha? What if she’s already dead?” Rex’s grin is devilish, one I know all too well. He got to her. I push off him, hard, causing Rex to slump to the ground roughly. My chest explodes and my whole world falls apart. I look around me at the people staring, at the dust in the air, at the cars in the distance. Piper. I grab for my chest at the exact moment I know my heart plummets to my stomach, as if I thought I could catch it first. My mind is screaming at me to get to Piper to try to save her, but my panic is holding me back. Laughing at me, taunting me, reminding me that I actually thought I could let her go when really I can’t even bear the thought of living in a world where she doesn’t exist. In a blur, I hear Pace yelling that the home phone isn’t connecting. I look to see Rex on the ground, laughing, almost cackling. In a split second, the harsh world comes back into focus and I see everything for what it is: a world where I never win, where I’ll always be the underdog. I look to Rex and growl, "I told you why I did it! Why your father had to die. He was a rapist, and he deserved to die. Now you've gone after my girl? I can't let you walk away from this." I look down to him with what I'm sure are black eyes, murder running through my veins. I feel it pumping through my blood like worms sucking me dry. "If you’ve gone after her, if she’s hurt, you better run," I growl. "You better run fucking fast, because I'm coming for you. I'm coming for you and your whole fucking crew. By the end of the day, I'm gonna to be washing your blood from my body and laughing. Laughing because your daddy still controls you even after his death. You won't take off your fucking rose-colored glasses and see him for what he was, a fucking sadistic asshole!" I end on a roar.

About The Author

Evie is an Australian author whose passion for reading lead her into writing. Evie spends her days writing angsty, heartbreaking love stories and creating happily ever afters. When Evie isn't writing you can find her reading or spending time with her husband and two children. Evie released her debut novel You Loved Me At My Darkest in August 2014 and it was quickly followed by Book #2 You Loved Me At My Weakest which released in November 2014. Book #3 You Loved Me At My Ugliest will be releasing mid-2015.

Book #1 in the series is called COLLISION and will be releasing 24th March 2014.

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Book Look: Dating Down by Stefanie Lyons

Dating Down -Book Look- by nobentspines featuring leather gloves

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When a good girl falls for a bad boy

She thought she loved him. She thought she could change him. She thought if she just believed in him enough, his cheating and his drugs and his lying would stop, and she'd be his and he'd be hers and they'd love each other forever.

But for Samantha Henderson, X-the boy she will not name-is trouble. He's older, edgier, bohemian . . . and when he starts paying attention to Sam, she can't resist him. Samantha's family and friends try to warn her, but still she stays with him, risking her future and everything that really matters.

As moody and vivid as it is captivating, Dating Down is told in scenes and bursts of poetry that create a story filled with hurt, healing, and hope.

{Release Day Launch} Nova and Quinton: No Regrets by Jessica Sorensen

NOVA AND QUINTON: NO REGRETS by Jessica Sorensen (April 7, 2015; Forever Trade Paperback; $12.00)

First time in print! The third book in the Nova and Quinton series by #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jessica Sorensen.

The toxic guilt of his past left Quinton Carter in pieces-until one girl unexpectedly put him back together. Thanks to Nova Reed, Quinton sees the world with clear eyes. And though he'd eventually love to hold her in his arms every day... he's not ready yet.

Playing drums in a band and living with her best friends are just some of the highlights of Nova's life. But the best new development? Talking to Quinton on the phone each night. She wishes she could be with him, but she knows he needs time to heal. Yet, shocking news is on the way, and Nova will need Quinton like he once needed her. Is he strong enough to leap out of his broken past...and into Nova's heart?

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About the author:

Jessica Sorensen is a #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who lives with her husband and three kids in Idaho. When she's not writing, she spends her time reading and hanging out with her family.

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Prologue

Nova

December 28, the day of the funeral

It’s a strange feeling, getting ready to watch someone get put under the ground into their final resting place. I’ve been to enough funerals to know that my senses always become hyper-aware of everything going on around me: the touch of the wind seems stronger, the sun a little more blinding, the smell of the leaves, grass, and fresh dirt overpowering. It’s like my mind is reaching out and trying to grasp each aspect of the moment, when part of me wants nothing more than to forget.

I’m actually at the church earlier than I’m supposed to be and I don’t even know why, other than that sitting home for a second longer just didn’t seem possible. So I left the house without telling anyone and got in my cherry-red Chevy Nova, the car my dad left to me when he died, and drove it to the church where my dad’s and Landon’s funeral took place. And in just a bit, I’ll say good-bye to another person I once knew and will never see again.

Now that I’m here, staring at the brick building with a white tower pointing to the sky, I’m not sure what I should do. I’m three hours early to a funeral, which might say a lot about me. A lot of people would likely show up late, wanting to avoid death for as long as possible, but I’ve become so familiar with it it’s unsettling.

After sitting in the car for about ten minutes, watching snowflakes fall from the sky and frost the grass and the windshield, I decide to take video instead. I didn’t bring the fancy camera my mom gave me, but the one on my phone works and honestly I use that one a lot more because it’s handy for sporadic recording, which seems to be my specialty.

I blow out a deep breath as I sit back in the seat, aim the camera at myself, and hit record. I have the screen flipped to me and my image immediately pops up. I look tired. The bags under my eyes are pretty obvious, even though I’ve tried to cover them up with makeup, and my brown hair wasn’t being cooperative so I ended up pulling it up into a ponytail. I’m wearing a black dress and earrings and the contrast with my fair skin makes me look pallid.

“It’s amazing how everything can seem so perfect one moment and then suddenly it’s not. How quickly perfection can evaporate… how rare it is.” I pause, gathering my thoughts. “I’ve seen a lot of death. More than the normal person, probably. I watched my father’s life vanish in front of me within minutes. Found my boyfriend’s body right after he took his own life. Too early. Too suddenly. Both of them. I never had time to prepare myself and I thought it was the worst feeling in the world. I always wondered how different it would be, if it ever happened again. If maybe the third or fourth time around, I wouldn’t hurt so badly. If it’d be easier letting someone go now that I’ve had so much practice.” I tuck a fallen strand of my bangs behind my ear and swallow the lump in my throat. “And maybe it has gotten easier… but it still hurts. I still shed tears… it’s still agonizing… painful…” I trail off as a few tears slip from my eyes and roll down my cheeks. “Even now, just thinking about some of the stuff I saw… I should have stopped it… should have done things differently…” I trail off, staring at the window. “But I didn’t… and now they’re gone forever.”

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ARC Review: The Truth About Jack by Jody Gehrman

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Published: April 14, 2015

Dakota McCloud has just been accepted into a prestigious art school. Soon she'll leave behind the artists' colony where she grew up―hippie dad, tofu since birth, yurt―and join her boyfriend and best friend on the East Coast. It was the plan…until Dakota finds out her boyfriend and best friend hooked up behind her back. 

Hurt and viciously betrayed, Dakota pours out her heart on a piece of paper, places it in a bottle, and hurls it into the ocean. But it doesn't quite go where she expects…

Jack Sauvage finds the bottle washed up on the shore and responds to Dakota's letter. Except what if his straight-laced life doesn’t jive with the free-spirited girl he’s only seen from afar? As Jack creates a persona he believes she’ll love, they slowly fall for each other with each new letter. Now Jack is trying to find a way to make this delicate, on-paper romance happen in real life…without revealing his deception.

Turn out that whole message in a bottle thing really does work. Who’d of thought that message stuffed in the bottle like sardines in a can could actually return to you with hope and promises and dreams written in the handwriting of another. Especially written in the handwriting of a boy called Jack. Jack of all trades? More like Jack who needs some independence. Jack who needs to grow a back bone. Jack whose super sweet. Jack who is really adorable. Jack who may not be my book boyfriend but is for sure my friend. Although, he does have a bit of a problem with just being himself. He’s so awkward it’s adorable.

After Dakota finds out through email (like it wasn’t already bad enough) that her boyfriend is cheating on her with her best friend, she’s basically doubting her personal ability and her own self-worth. On a whim (after tears and anger and betrayal) she writes a letter and throws it into the ocean. Jack, being all creepy, followed her to the beach and picked up the bottle after she was gone. And wrote back. As a different person. A person he thinks she’ll like. Then they meet in real life. And she doesn’t know that he is the one who’s been writing the letters because in real life she meets him as his real self. With is rather rad backup team. His wingmen.

Overall, I seriously am in love with the music community with people who live in tents. It’s all so enticing.  Is it worth reading? Yes. Because a message in a bottle says it all.

#Interview with Sue Duff: Let's talk about Mardi Gras and Saving the World

Hello there my lovelies! Do I have a treat for you!. Sue Duff, the author of Masks and Mirrors and Fade to Black is here to tell y'all a bit about herself and a bit about her books.

Let's just imagine we're on top of the world having a tea party and talking. . .

So, I know Mardi Gras was in February. Let's say you were going though- what color(s) would your mask be? What would it look like?

            It’s ironic that this is your first question! In Masks and Mirrors, there is a “Mardi Gras” themed charity ball where my protagonist, Ian, is scheduled to perform. He has his costume designer create a gown, complete with mask, for his one true love, Rayne, so she can attend. It’s designed with peacock feathers (to know why, you’ll have to read the book) with iridescent blues and greens. Rayne’s gown and mask would absolutely be my choice!

For the book- is there a playlist? Whenever I read, I always hear music in my head- do you do that too?

            Sometimes I listen to music to help me break out of writing slumps, or if I’m struggling with imagining scenes. This is especially true when I create and write Ian’s performances. Upbeat and lively for some of his acts, but slower and more brooding for dramatic scenes. I love to listen to a wide variety of music from Maroon 5 to PitBull or Usher, to some of Seal’s older work. I’m all over the place. I especially love Latin guitar music. It warms my blood. I often listen to that when I write love/sex scenes. I especially enjoy listening to Kelly Clarkson’s single, “Dark Side.” It could have been written as the theme music for Ian and Rayne, my tragic lovers.

Okay, one food for the rest of your life. What is it?

French Fries, hands down. I get god-awful cravings for them and sometimes will pull into a fast food establishment just to pick them up, and nothing else. When healthy thoughts kick in, I’ll make my homemade, baked sweet potato fries with a touch of honey and kosher salt. Yum!

If the world was taken over by mythical creatures tomorrow, who's side would you take? The humans or the creatures?

            Huh, I’m not sure I have enough details to make that call. I like to see myself as heroic and would defend the human race, but to be honest, if the mythical creatures had the best interest of the planet and mankind in mind, I might fight alongside them. I’m all about change, although I know that can bring good and bad. As my series progresses, that’s what happens to the planet and to my characters. I don’t believe we ever stop growing and developing. Being open to change is key to that. Of course, it might depend on who has the best, kick-ass weapons or powers!

Let's talk about your book some more. Let's talk about love. And romance. How much is there and what can we expect?

            My series isn’t an actual romance, but I can’t leave it out of anything I write! The underbelly of the series is layered with it. One of my favorite lines from the first book, is “love is what feeds the earth.” I honestly believe that. Heck, listen to most songs, watch TV or movies, or check out advertising across the world! Ian and Rayne (spoiler alert if you haven’t read Fade to Black, Book One) can’t touch. It not only builds angst, but something exhilarating and forbidden at the same time. They (and I) have to get creative about finding a way to be intimate. It’s been a challenge for me as a writer, and a woman, to define what that means. Hopefully, others can connect with what I’ve come up with.

Choose a character from your book you'd want to be.

            This is the toughest question of all! Every one of my primary characters has at least a piece of me. Milo loves to cook, teach and care for others. Patrick is the common man with a superhero desire. It took personal tragedy for Jaered to discover his strength and convictions. Ian and Rayne are victims of how they came to be and disappointments with how they turned out. Yet they find a way to rise above and be heroic. If I had to choose just one of them, it would be Patrick. His humor and outlook on life are closest to mine and I would LOVE to hang with a superhero best friend. I guess I was born to be the “sidekick.”

Sue has been writing since high school but never became serious about it until a skiing accident laid her up for an entire summer and she turned on the word processor to combat the boredom. A couple years later, her first urban fantasy novel, Fade to Black, was a finalist in the RMFW Colorado Gold Writing Contest. By day, she’s a dedicated speech-language therapist in an inner city school district to pay the bills but her life as a writer is her true passion and the creative outlet keeps her sane.

Sue is a member of the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers and The Pikes Peak Writers. Her creativity extends into her garden and the culinary arts. She is the second oldest of six girls with an avid reader mom and her dad, the family’s single drop of testosterone in a sea of estrogen. Fate thought it hilarious to give her a son but maternal instincts swing both ways and she didn’t break the little bugger. She lives in Colorado with her miniature dachshund, Snickers and hears from her son, Jonathan whenever he needs something.

To get the latest news, updates on events or the scoop on future novels in The Weir Chronicles series, subscribe to her email list.

Release Week Blitz: "It's Always Been You" by Jessica Scott

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She plays by the rules . . . 

Captain Ben Teague is many things: a tough soldier, a loyal friend, and a bona fide smart-ass. He doesn't have much tolerance for BS, which is why he's mad as hell when a trusted colleague and mentor is brought up on charges that can't possibly be true. He's even more frustrated with by-the-book lawyer Major Olivia Hale. But there's something simmering beneath her icy reserve--and Ben just can't resist turning up the heat . . .

. . . and he's determined to break them

The only thing riskier than mixing business with pleasure is enjoying it . . . and Olivia can't resist locking horns--and lips--with Ben. He's got more compassion in his little finger than any commander she's ever met, a fact that makes him a better leader than he realizes. But when the case that brought them together awakens demons from Olivia's past, she will have to choose between following orders--or her heart . . .

Want to know more?

Olivia looked away. The first packet was heavy in her hand. “The quick summary is that you have five drinking and driving, two assaults, three hot urinalysis tests and five soldiers caught with other intoxicating substances.”

“Define ‘other intoxicating substances’? What the hell does that mean?”

“Huffing, spice, bath salts.”

“Bath salts? What the hell are bath salts?”

Olivia pulled out her phone and pulled up a website explaining the drug. “They’re really new but we’re starting to see more of them. They’re meant to be a synthetic drug that mimics cocaine and ecstasy but they’re really bad stuff. Some of it is variants of plant food.”

Ben reached for her phone and angled it so he could see. His hand was big and rough against hers. Hot where their skin met. If he noticed, he didn’t give any indication. “Plant food?”

Olivia tried to ignore how his hand felt against hers. Because, oh yes, she’d noticed. Heat spread across her skin, sliding up her forearm and tingling down her spine. “Soldiers will smoke anything these days,” she said quietly.

“Why?”

“That’s a whole ’nother discussion,” she said, easing her hand out of his. “The short version is that intoxicating substances are prohibited by regulation and I advise you to do two things with these kids: send a strong message that this behavior won’t be tolerated but also enroll them into drug abuse counseling to send a message that you’ll help those who want it.”

Ben studied the paperwork in front of him. Tormented emotions flickered over his face and it was everything she could do not to ask him what was on his mind. She didn’t have time or reason to go crawling around Ben Teague’s head but that didn’t stop the want pulsing warmly over her skin.

“I know this kid,” Ben said quietly. “I served with him downrange last deployment but ever since he’s come home, he’s been nothing but trouble to the old commander. Zittoro has three previous drug charges,” he said.

“Private Zittoro is a different case. I recommend you separate him from the military under a chapter nine, rehab failure.”

She heard his quick intake of breath. Saw the conflict flicker over his sharp features.

He cleared his throat roughly in the awkward silence. “Zittoro… he’s got nowhere to go. He’s got a deadbeat dad and his mom is… well, she’s not winning any parent of the year awards.” His fist clenched on the table in front of her. “If I throw him out of the army, what happens to him? He’s an addict.”

She flinched at the pain in his words. Ben had only been a commander for a couple of hours but the strain was already obvious in his voice.

“You can’t save everyone,” she whispered. She waited until his eyes met hers.

“You know that, right?”

“Yeah. Sure.”

There was no comfort she could offer. This was the burden of command: to balance the needs of the army over the needs of the individual. A tightrope he had to walk alone.

All she could do was give him the facts and her opinion. But in that moment, she had the sudden urge to save him from this. “If you keep him, do you have the manpower to keep going to his room and making sure he hasn’t overdosed every night? Do you trust him enough to give him a weapon and believe he’ll do his job?”

Ben’s throat moved as he swallowed. “Guess not,” he said quietly. He leaned back and it was as if a wall of glass crystallized between them. “What other fun things do you have in there for me?”

Olivia wasn’t convinced by the sudden shift in Ben’s mood but now wasn’t the time or the place for digging any deeper. She reviewed the rest of the drug packets, watching him tense more with each one. She stopped after the last driving under the influence.

“Why is this bothering you so much?”

He offered a half-assed cocky grimace that failed to mimic the smile he was going for. A pretty shitty attempt to cover the darkness twisting beneath the surface. He took a deep breath. “I’m a big boy. I’ll do what has to be done.”

“I didn’t imply that you wouldn’t. But that doesn’t mean it’s not bothering you.”

He drummed his fingers on the table. “Let’s finish this up. I’ve got to get down to my company and start digging out from the mountain of crap that my predecessor left me.”

He brushed her off. The action was as insignificant as a paper cut.

She leaned back and picked up the next packet and wished it didn’t sting like it did. Then she made the mistake of meeting his gaze. There was such a dark lack of hope in his eyes. A bleak resignation to the things he was forced to confront. She almost reached for his hand. It would have been a simple gesture of support. But he looked at her as though a single touch might have shattered him.

He was not her problem. She didn’t do damaged and introspective.

Because there were people counting on her not to get distracted.

But looking at him now, she wondered about the glimpse of the tired warrior she saw behind those tormented brown eyes.

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USA Today bestselling author Jessica Scott is a career army officer; mother of two daughters, three cats and three dogs; wife to a career NCO and wrangler of all things stuffed and fluffy. She is a terrible cook and even worse housekeeper, but she's a pretty good shot with her assigned weapon and someone liked some of the stuff she wrote. Somehow, her children are pretty well-adjusted and her husband still loves her, despite burned water and a messy house. She's written for the New York Times At War Blog, PBS Point of View: Regarding War Blog, and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. She deployed to Iraq in 2009 as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom/New Dawn and has served as a company commander at Fort Hood, Texas. She's pursuing a PhD in Sociology in her spare time and most recently, she's been featured as one of Esquire Magazine's Americans of the Year for 2012.

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Review: Wild Nights by Tina Wainscott

Wild Nights by Tina Wainscott
Goodreads
November 4, 2014
ARC via NetGalley

The only commitment Saxby Cole has ever made is to the SEALs. He follows a long line of Southern charmers who swear monogamy isn’t in their blood. He’s never met a woman who made him want to swear his allegiance—until, while undercover for a Justiss Alliance assignment, he finds a woman who makes him think twice.

When Jennessy Shaw’s boyfriend dumps her right before their vacation to a hedonistic Caribbean resort, she goes without him to explore her wild side. Throwing caution to the wind, she propositions Saxby—only to suffer his gentle rejection.

When she wakes in Saxby’s room with no memory of the night before, Jennessy discovers his real purpose: to sniff out an operation where women like her are drugged and prostituted to resort guests. She goes from victim to his investigative partner . . . but getting too close to the sexier-than-sin Saxby may be her wildest move yet.

Oh sweet baby Jesus. Here, I’ll make this super simple for you. What do I mean by that first phrase? Is it good? Bad? That ‘sweet baby Jesus’ roughly translates to *muscle twitches* *pupils dilate*  *sudden need for adventure* *sudden need to take down bad guys* *sudden need to find a hot Southern boy who is set to inherit an empire to take down bad guys with* *must be selfless* *did I mention hot?* So you wanted to know my thought process through the book? Well there you go. If you want to know more, I’d advise you to keep reading.

Wild Nights is a story of self-discovery, hope, taking down the real bad guys, and a bit (okay a whole lot) of romance and chemistry. This book was freaking wonderful. Reading this novel was a delightfully satisfying experience. Why? Wow, you ask a bunch of questions. That’s fine. I love questions. It was satisfying because everything made sense. The writing was perfect for this type of book. The characters were amazing. Saxby (holy crap. hot name much?) is a Southern boy with a cheating father and sisters that he adores. He also is set to inherit a Louisiana empire. And he can fight good.

After he get thrown out after a super-secret mission he joins the Justiss Alliance. This Alliance is basically a collection of too beautiful to exist people who want to save the world but the army or SEALS (or any of those government people who can fight good) won’t let them or they just feel like being awesome after retirement. Saxby gets sent on a covert mission for a date rape operation at an adult-only hotel where he happens to run into our main girl. Jennessy is there to run her cheating ex’s face in the fact that they’re no longer together. After cancelling her ex’s plane ticket she decides that in order to embrace this new her she has to let loose a bit. Some things happen and she basically becomes his side kick. It’s all rather exciting and I’m smiling writing this because these two characters rock.

I have a confession, y’all. This is the third book in the series, but the first one that I’ve read. So, they can be read as a standalone. Another confession? I want to read them all. Nowwwww. Got it?

The twists and turns in this novel didn’t alleviate the predictability of it. I mean, yes, I guessed what was going to happen and the whole whodunit-ness thing, but (surprisingly) this didn’t take away from the enjoyability (not a word, I know) of the book even a bit.  

What I’m trying to say is read it. This is a ‘can’t miss’ with the romance and kick-butt of the entirety of the whole story.