Saturday 27 June 2015

Sale Blitz - Riding Rebel by Kiru Taye


Riding Rebel is on a 99 cents/pence/euros SALE for a limited time.

֍֍֍Riding Rebel SALE Blitz֍֍֍

Title: Riding Rebel
Author: Kiru Taye
Series: The Essien Trilogy #3
Genre: Erotic, Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
Publication date: January 26, 2015


#99cents #bookblitz #erotic #romance #AfricanAmerican #1click

Thursday 25 June 2015

Review of Fifty Shades of Grey Movie

Take note, this blog post contains spoilers.

I never read the Fifty Shades of Grey book series. For some reason, it didn't appeal to me. One day, curious at all the hype about the books, I read the sample on Amazon to see what it was like. I didn't really take to her writing and didn't even complete it. Maybe it's because I'd heard so many negative things about the book, I don't know. I mean, some of the quotes and comments have made me laugh at their ridiculousness.

Anyway, when the movie came out, I thought, mmmh, I'm keen on watching that. A movie is shorter to get through than a whole book which isn't written well in my opinion, and I'd love to see what drew people to this story so strongly. I think the thing that's so amazing is people either love or hate the book. It creates strong reactions. So, we bought the movie. And we watched it in three stages as we were quite busy at the time and could only do it when the kids weren't around.

I decided to watch this movie with an open mind. When it first came out in the cinemas, there was such an outcry against it saying that it promoted abuse of women and that Christian Grey is an evil, sadistic monster, etc. I thought maybe this movie was a bad thing. Yet, I still wanted to watch it for myself. I wanted to judge it with my own eyes. It was hard to cut out all the opinions but I did and I've decided to review the movie on my blog.

First, I have to say, I love the music. I think it's so romantic and beautiful and would love a CD of it. The acting was top class as were the directing, props, plot. It flowed, it kept me hooked, it had just the right appeal. People have said the movie's not romantic and it's not a love story. Really? Have they watched it? With every love story, there's that initial spark, then the conflict, and finally the happy ever after. Okay, this movie didn't end happily because they want us to watch the next one and the next, but it had all the other markings of a good romance - plenty of chemistry, that falling in love feeling, and plenty of conflict.

Let's talk about the conflict and the idea that Christian is abusive.

I think to a degree, Christian appears to be a strange guy. He's not your usual romantic hero, but he's sexy and he meets a need deep inside of Anastasia to be seduced. She's a virgin and has never had a sexual relationship before. She's pretty innocent, but she's hungry. Very hungry. And Christian fills that hunger. He teaches her things and he makes her feel sexy and feminine and needed. He meets that dormant but strong sexual desire within her. Don't we all want that? And in the movie, most of the time, he's incredibly gentle and sexy. Nothing off-putting about his love-making methods.

I kept on waiting for him to do something really evil, but every step of the way, the only bad things were his inability to connect emotionally with Anastasia. I don't know about you, but I think a lot of men struggle with that to a certain degree. Men are taught to be strong and not to cry, not to express weakness. Especially those who are high up in the business world like Christian. That conditioning causes problems. They battle to talk about it when they're down. They struggle to let go and let their women know all their fears and weaknesses. Anastasia changed that in Christian. She stirred a desire in him to have intimacy. Isn't that what a true love story is about - how love changes us? Christian fought with himself and she began to win. But not enough. How sad!

In the end, he does do something to Anastasia that's clearly disturbing. And she runs! But it wasn't nearly as bad as I expected. Yes, his behaviour was not indicative of a safe dom/sub relationship at all. It was hurtful and abusive, but not seriously so. I don't know what he did in the book, but the movie must have played it down significantly.

The message I get from the movie is that love is often unconditional. Anastasia loved Christian, despite his hurtful behaviours. Being in a long-term relationship, you realise that the person you love does have faults (don't we all?) and sometimes may hurt you deeply. Maybe not intentionally, but still it happens, because we are both flawed human beings, individuals with different ways of seeing the world. Do we stop loving a person because they hurt us? Seldom. It does happen when the hurt is excessive. I see in this story that Anastasia falls in love with a wounded man. She doesn't know how to deal with the hurts that he gives her. Maybe he is controlling, but it doesn't seem like severely so. I'm not condoning abuse. I think I may have run too if I had been faced with the man. I worry that young women will think that they can change an abusive man to a good man by just loving him. But I do see the pull of the story, and overall, it was a thoroughly entertaining movie to watch. For mature adults, who know the difference between an abusive or safe relationship, this movie is worth viewing. (And for those who aren't offended by explicit sexual images and speech.)

I think the script-writers and directors made a diamond out of the rough of E.L. James' book. I'm looking forward to the next movie.

Oh, and Jamie Dornan was so-o-o cute. His acting was superb! He portrayed Christian's internal struggles perfectly and made him appealing to the critics. That's what I think. Have you seen the movie and what did you think?






Wednesday 17 June 2015

Spotlight on Just Desserts Boxed Set

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Feast on this collection of 22 Contemporary and Paranormal/Sci-Fi/Fantasy Erotic stories from bestselling, award-winning and multi-published authors, in this limited-time anthology. All stories are exclusive new content and can be read without reading the series, but will be icing on the cake for readers loyal to each saga.

JUST DESSERTS - A Collection of Bite-Sized Delights

22 Bestselling, award-winning and multi-published authors bring you the naughtiest delights.

Michele Bardsley ~ Honey Bear ~ The Pearson’s Security Series Renee George
Alpha-Bites ~ The Cull: Claimed by the Alpha
Jodi Redford ~ Perfect Passion ~ Perfect Chemistry
Zara Cox ~ Indigo Velvet ~ Indigo Lounge Series
Renea Mason ~ Tasting Paris ~The Good Doctor Trilogy
Piper Denna ~ Confidential Craving ~ Fantasies Inc. Serie
Erzabet Bishop ~ Black Magic Café
Iyana Jenna ~ Strictly Professional Anne Lange ~ Blind Taste Test
S.J. Maylee ~ Common Grounds Terri George ~ Feast on Me
Lee Rene ~ The Sweetness in the Pudding
Mindy Larson ~ Sweet Tooth
Felicity Kates ~ Super-Sex Me ~ The Little Miss Kick-Ass Series
Emma Nichols ~ Sinfully Sweet ~ The Sweet Series
Libby Sinclair ~ Cake Topper ~ The Incarnation Chronicles
Rissa Blakeley ~ A Little Taste of Naughty ~ The Shattered Lives Series
Mariah Kingsley ~ Sugar and Spice
Rosemary Rey ~ Always the Last One
Persephone Jones ~ Cherry Tart Christine Severin ~ Cherry Lips
J.S Snow ~ Claiming      

Book Trailer:




Buy Links:

100_kindle 100_nook 100_ibooks100_kobo

    Join the Just Desserts Release Party on June 20th on Facebook… to meet with the authors and for a chance to win prizes… https://www.facebook.com/events/961976683826844/ 



Story and Author Bite:

I'm going to feature Rosemary Rey and her story, Always the Last One



When writer Elyce Fielding last saw Griffin Belanger for their last sexual tryst, Elyce had an epiphany that she could no longer continue having a “no strings attached” relationship with Griffin, who was her best friend in college. The curvy, young woman could no longer live in the background of the handsome actor who was in the city for his film premiere. Elyce had tried everything to forget about his presence in Boston by getting her favorite take-out and raided her small studio apartment for a sweet treat. When Griffin calls in the middle of the night, can Elyce deny him the very thing which kept them connected all the years since graduating from college?
About the Author
After years of making little money as a public interest lawyer, Rosemary Rey left practice to make her fantasies come alive on the page. She writes in the Midwest while her three children spend time at school then arrive home to play video games on their Kindles, as her husband looks over forlornly at her typing in front of the blue screen. Rosemary has been reading books for pleasure all her life and started writing short stories for her own pleasure since the age of ten-years-old. After months of thinking about writing a novel, Rosemary self published her first book as a ‘before I hit 40′ goal. Rebound was conceived in January of 2014, after she couldn’t stop thinking about the characters swirling in her head. In order to justify writing Erotic Suspense instead of her legal practice, Rosemary incorporated legal concepts in her series, so she could tell her loved ones that her active license is still put to good use, but should NEVER be used as legal advice.
Author Links





Thursday 11 June 2015

Linnea Alexis - Heart Strings



Blurb:

A love that cannot be denied…
Rock star Sammy West has one last opportunity to make things right with Bree Elise, the woman who had packed up her bass guitar and walked out on him. He never stopped loving her and thought he’d never see her again until a contest essay leads Sammy to Bree. When he shows up to present the winning guitar, Bree is forced to face a painful past and reveal a secret she’d buried many years ago. With hurt on both sides, unless they learn to forgive they’ll never be able to recapture the deep love they once shared.



Excerpt:

When Sammy slid into the seat, he had to contain himself. Years of searching and worrying; gut-wrenching anger and despair; living half a life without her, every day wondering why she’d disappeared. Why she’d left him. Now she was only inches away, close enough to pull her fragrance into his lungs, to breathe her. He inhaled deeply; the musky aroma was subtle, yet powerful. The same intoxicating scent he remembered from long ago. Drawing him in. Making him dizzy, crazy with want.


Book Links:



About The Author:

Linnea Alexis stopped stirring up trouble in the corporate world a few years ago and now satisfies her appetite for mayhem in the fictional world. When she isn’t working on one of her romances, she writes cozy horror stories. She can usually be found hanging out with her family in Southern California. She has published several short stories in various anthologies, and she’s an active member of Orange County Chapter of Romance Writers of America and O.C. Writers.

Author Links:



Friday 5 June 2015

Dante's Release Blitz


֍֍֍ RELEASE BLITZ ֍֍֍
Filthy Marcellos, Book 3
Erotic, Romantic Suspense, Organized Crime



BLURB
Dante Marcello’s life has been a carefully planned event as an heir to a Cosa Nostra throne. For as long as he can remember, he’s had one goal in mind, and that’s becoming the Don. With his father ready to step down, it’s Dante’s turn to step up. But without a wife at his side, his seat as the boss is on shaky ground. Until she shows up with an offer he wants to refuse, but can’t.

With her, he’s got everything to gain.

Catrina Danzi is known for her angel face and a predator’s grace. For over a decade, she’s worked as a successful Queen Pin dealing with a repertoire of clientele who can’t afford a scandal. That’s why they ask for her and why they call her Queen. Marrying Dante Marcello means giving up the business and status she loves in order to gain protection she can’t provide on her own, but she no longer has a choice.

Without him, she’s got everything to lose.

The rules for their arrangement are simple: no intimacy, no emotions. Dante isn’t looking for love and Catrina doesn’t need attachments. In the end, life has a way of breaking down walls when you least expect it to, and once love gets in, there’s no bleeding it out. Together, they make a formidable team the Commission won’t be able to ignore. Catrina’s secret of what she’s kept safe will put the entire Marcello family in danger when it finally catches up with her. The Marcellos have yet to be beaten, and they’re not about to start bowing down now.

Even the most beautiful things are a little filthy.

BUY LINKS





REVIEWS FOR DANTE SAY: 
"5 BELLO STARS. Well, I must say that I think Ms. Kris saved the best for last. Dante Marcello, the heir apparent/up and coming Don of the Marcello Cosa Nostra – his story was fantastic!" 5 out of 5 Stars - Suzanne, Guest Reviewer for the Slut Sistas Blog

"I was not disappointed his book was fantastic, best in the series!!!" 5 out of 5 Stars - Shanny, Goodreads Reviewer 

"This is my absolute favorite book in the series. Dante and Catrina's chemistry together is hot hot hot!" 5 out of 5 stars - Ashley, Goodreads Reviewer 


EXCERPT:
Red manicured fingernails, the same shade as her hair and lips, dragged along her outer thigh to the hem of her dress, forcing Dante’s stare downward.
Cristo, she had gorgeous legs.
He bet they would look even better wrapped around his waist.
“Are you drinking?” Dante asked, his tone rough.
“Not tonight.”
Dante blinked, stunned. The thick Italian accent coating her words set him back a step. He hadn’t expected that and for some reason, it put him on edge.
“It’s a club, dolcezza. There’s isn’t much else to do on a Thursday night when you’re sitting at the bar.”
She smiled sweetly—too sweetly. “Oh, I’m doing more than sitting, bello. And I don’t need to drink to do it.”
Her voice was demure, her words rolling off her tongue quietly, but surely. The straightness of her back in the stool spoke of class while her blatant regard of him gave an air of confidence.
She dazed him.
Dante’s wasn’t accustomed to that.
A soft pat-pat-pat sound gained his attention to where her finger hit down on the bar. On the inside of her left index finger, one word was tattooed in fancy black script: Queen.
The edginess burrowed in deep again. When things felt off for Dante, they usually were. This woman made his insides scream it. Both in a good and bad way.
Dante chanced a glance back at the table where his brothers were standing, readying to leave as they pulled on their jackets. They were still talking, though. But the man who had annoyed Dante the most—Gaetano—wasn’t paying Lucian or Gio any mind. No, he was watching the woman at Dante’s side.
Not with interest, as if she may have caught his eye by chance, but instead, he looked at her with the familiarity of a friend.
Dante’s thoughts raced when what he really needed was for his mind to be silent. During the entire meeting, none of the men had spoken of their boss in direct context or out of it. The Marcello brothers had continually referred to the unknown leader of the group as a he because that’s what they assumed they were dealing with in whatever game the men were playing.
Dante was only now realizing they were wrong in doing so.
“You know, you surprised me,” the woman said, drawling her words out with a sensuality that could make a man’s mouth water. Again, she dragged her gaze from Dante’s leather shoes to his green eyes. “You’re much more handsome in person than I thought you would be, Dante Marcello.”
Three things in life made a man most vulnerable: sex, love, and children.
Sex occasionally led to love, and for some, it also led to children. As Dante was incapable of having children, he had no interest in love. Sex, however … well, that was something he simply couldn’t do without.
It was just too damn bad the need left him exposed and it had to be now he learned the lesson to never think with his cock when business was in play.
The woman swiveled fast on her chair at the same time Dante lurched toward her. He found himself between her thighs, crowding her back forcefully to the edge of the bar, nearly pushing her off the stool. The magnum he always kept hidden at his back in a holster was seated in his palm before the woman could speak and the barrel pressed under her chin at her throat.
Dante ticked the gun at her jawline, making her tilt her head back under the weight. She stared him head-on, unabashed and unafraid, smirking mischievously. Her hazel eyes danced with amusement and menace.
He hated her unfazed attitude at his warning only made him hot.
Something sharp nipped at Dante’s groin. Without needing to look down, he could feel the blade of a knife threatening to cut into his balls.
Jesus fucking Christ.
“Go on, cock your hammer back, bello,” she urged low. “You wouldn’t be the first to try and take a bite out of me, Dante. I’m not a little girl who frightens easily.”
“Who the fuck are you?” Dante demanded.
“Catrina Danzi.”
His gun dug harder into her jaw. Her knife reacted accordingly at his sac.
“What do you want from me?”
Catrina flashed white teeth in a wicked smile. “I heard you need a wife.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bethany-Kris is a Canadian author, lover of much, and mother to three very young sons, one cat, and two dogs. A small town in Eastern Canada where she was born and raised is where she has always called home. With her boys under her feet, a snuggling cat, barking dogs, and a spouse calling over his shoulder, she is nearly always writing something ...when she can find the time.
Find her on Facebook, her blog, her website www.bethanykris.com, or Twitter - @BethanyKris.
Sign up to Bethany-Kris’s New Release Newsletter email list to receive notifications when new releases are out. 


GIVEAWAY

Tuesday 2 June 2015

Spotlight and Review - Whisk Me Up by Zee Monodee


Whisk Me Up by +Zee Monodee
Havisham Park, Book 1
Small-town contemporary Romance set in Yorkshire, England
Add to your Goodreads TBR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25497336-whisk-me-up


BLURB

After fainting backstage at a fashion week, supermodel Mary Beth Beresford is forced to go into hiding in the sleepy North Yorkshire village of Stonydale in Havisham Park when her sisters kidnap her and bring her there to their late father’s family stronghold so she’ll face the truth - she is anorexic.
Never one to be bossed around, Mary Beth attempts to break out the very next morning...only to land onto the path of the gorgeous, Viking-like pub owner and chef, Niall Barry.
Suddenly, sticking around in this one-horse town doesn’t look like Purgatory anymore.
But Niall is a very private person who shies away from celebrity, and Mary Beth is one of the biggest celebs on the planet. Not to mention that she is an aristocrat - daughter of the late earl and member of the peerage - while he is simply a working-class chef.
Is any relationship between them doomed to collapse like a failed soufflé?

BUY LINKS








TEASERS



EXCERPT

Something about this lass didn’t add up.
She jerked in his arms, and clamped her lips shut before pressing a hand to her mouth. A garbled sound came from her throat and her skin paled, beads of sweat erupting at her temples.
He grabbed her shoulders; to steady her or to keep her in place, he knew not.
“Are you sick? Is it your blood sugar, if you’re diabetic?”
She struck him as much too young for diabetes, but stranger things happened in the world.
“Fine,” she bit out behind her hand and shook her head, sending her ponytail flying.
Early twenties, he’d say. Still a girl. Off-limits for him, being on the wrong side of thirty. He released her.
“You’re not fine.” Could he have growled more if he’d wanted?
She bristled and shrugged away from his touch. “And you’re not my keeper.”
This scrap of a lass wanted to take him on?
Niall drew to his six-five height and towered over her. You could put two like her side-to-side and only then would she match him somewhat in width.
But she poked that pointed chin out and stared him down, even if she appeared on the brink of collapse.
“The saying is, ‘you’re not my mother’,” he threw out in a bid to unsettle her.
She snorted. “Like she ever cared.”
Late teen/young adult rebellion? Hence the druggie route?
“Well, you’re in my place, and under my roof, you do as I say.”
“But of course, if you say so, Thor.”
Bit of a smart mouth, ain’t she? With his build, blond hair, and Viking ancestry, he’d been compared to the Norse god many a time.
Then her eyes rolled back, and she slumped.
Hell fire! “Calling the doctor.”
He picked her up again and brought her to the back, into the office, where he lay her down on the worn settee.
“No!”
“Listen, lass. You almost passed out three times in the past quarter hour—”
“I told you I’m not sick. I came out for a run but got lost and been out longer than I planned.”
“And you set out on an empty stomach, I bet.” Where that certitude came from, he knew not.
“I had a protein shake, okay?” She had the gall to glare at him.
He leaned down and peered into her face. “Don’ cut it with me. You’d need to run mile afore that worked off. Hardly in sweat, are you?”
Fire flashed in her gaze, and she pursed her lips as if to refrain from cursing him, or worse, spitting into his face.
“Stay put,” he ordered as he dashed out of the room and into the kitchen across the corridor. From the oven, he pulled a dish of leftover shepherd’s pie he’d heated up for Anna. Lord knew the woman never remembered to eat. Anorexic at her age; he snorted.
Eeh bah gum. The lass back there? Way too thin. She probably hardly ate a thing.
“Where are you off to?” he barked from the kitchen doorway.
She froze in the corridor. “On my way out.”
“Not afore you eaten summa’.”

“Gosh dang! Ya never let up, duntya?”


AUTHOR BIO
Author, editor, smitten wife, in-over-her-head mum to a tween boy, best-buddy stepmum to a teenage lad, bookaholic, lover of all things fluffy & pink, chronic shoeholic, incompetent housewife desperate to channel Nigella Lawson (and who’ll prolly always fail at making domestic goddess status)...

Zee hails from the multicultural, rainbow-nation island of Mauritius, in the southern Indian Ocean, where she grew up on the figurative fence—one side had her ancestors’ Indian and Muslim culture; the other had modernity and the global village. When one day she realised she could dip her toes into both sides without losing her integrity, she found her identity.

This quest for ‘finding your place’ is what she attempts to bring in all her stories, across all the genres she writes. Her heroines represent today’s women trying to reconcile love, life, & relationships in a melting pot of cultures, while her heroes are Alpha men who often get put back into their rightful place by the headstrong women she writes. Love is always a winner in her stories, though; that’s a given.


CONNECT ON SOCIAL MEDIA

**Find more about the latest on Zee and her works in her monthly newsletter http://eepurl.com/5GULr

**Read about her life & her books at her website/blog http://zeemonodee.blogspot.com/

**Friend her on Facebook (she loves to make friends & meet new people!) https://www.facebook.com/#!/zee.monodee

**Follow her on Twitter https://twitter.com/#!/ZeeMonodee


**Email her at this addy (she loves to talk...prolly too much, even!) zeemonodee@gmail.com


GIVEAWAY

Zee is giving one lucky commenter the chance to name a character in her next book of the series. Just leave a comment on the post and complete the rafflecopter for your chance to win.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


MY REVIEW:

I've read several of Zee's books already. What surprises me as they always make me feel so deeply. I had to bring out the tissues again with this one. What I especially loved about this book was the real and very touching journey that Mary Beth went through in her healing from anorexia. It wasn't brought across in a gruesome, trying to garner sympathy way, but in a realistic way of how a strong woman with lots of passion for life overcomes a difficult disease. It also wasn't the main focus of the book but it definitely makes the reader aware of the horrors of allowing skewed image and modern expectations destroy one's health. The story of how Mary Beth grew as a person and found her own direction for her life was thoroughly enjoyable to read.

I have to admit, I struggled with the book in the beginning - specifically with the dialect of the Yorkshire people. I couldn't work out what they were saying sometimes. I did, however, love the setting and the whole feel of the place. I'm sure the subsequent books in the series will be fascinating.

The romance was sweet and touching. I loved Niall. He was really a big, gorgeous teddy-bear of a man - a gentle giant. I thought Mary Beth was amazing. She was tender, sweet, yet a tough cookie on the inside. They were perfect for one another. I loved the journey that Niall had to take. I won't give it away.

Another part of the book which kept me gripped was the periscope into the world of fashion and modelling. I can see the writer spent much time researching that and the issues with anorexia. To me it seemed true to life although I've never had much knowledge about the fashion industry. Her idea that anorexia often stems from deeper issues than just body image was spot on too.

All in all a great read. Who says light and heart-warming romance doesn't deal with real life issues?