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Karina Halle’s “Sins & Needles” has a new cover. And I’m revealin’ it! :) Plus! A giveaway…

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Yep! A brand new cover (below) for Karina Halle’s fabulous Sins and Needles (book #1 in the The Artists Trilogy). Loved it, even though I was on a totally different “team” than many of my fellow readers. That’s okay. We LOVED battling it out over our favorite “guy”.

Good “bad boy” (Camden) or BAD “bad boy” (Javier). Guess which one I chose? <— Tee hee! I’m so bad. At least when it comes to books. 😛 And LOL!! He *almost* chose me back… —-> take a look at when Javier called me… <— eek I KNOW, RIGHT!!!???? *thud*

Okay so, some details…

First: My review of #1 (Sins & Needles), and #0.5 (the prequel —> On Every Street).

Second: About SINS AND NEEDLES

Ellie Watt is used to starting over. The daughter of a grifting team, Ellie spent her childhood being used as a pawn in her parents’ latest scam. Now she’s much older, wiser and ready to give her con artist life a rest. But returning to the dry desert town of Palm Valley, California means one more temptation than she bargained for – Camden McQueen. Once known as the high school weirdo, Camden is bigger and badder than the boy he used to be and a talented tattoo artist with his own thriving business. Ellie’s counting on Camden still being in love with her but what she’s not counting on is how easily unrequited love can turn into obsession over time. When Camden discovers Ellie’s plan to con him, he makes her a deal she doesn’t dare refuse, but her freedom comes with a price and it’s one that takes both Ellie and Camden down a dangerous road.

Third: THE NEW COVER REVEAL!!!

Fourth: Ready for the giveaway?

The publisher is having a giveaway right here,  for 10 ARCs of SINS for readers that may not have read her yet. Could that be you?

How to enter for a chance to win an ARC of SINS? Let me know if you’ve read this series yet, or not. And Wednesday night (Wednesday July 25th, 2014) by 10pm EST, I will randomly select ten winners.

The winners will be contacted and will have 48hrs to respond with a mailing address, so if you are picked, do not delay or you will lose your chance. This book will be sent to the winners directly by the publisher.

Open to US only, but all are welcome to comment. 🙂

And now… about Karina Halle

The daughter of a Norwegian Viking and a Finnish Moomin, Karina Halle grew up in Vancouver, Canada with trolls and eternal darkness on the brain. This soon turned into a love of all things that go bump in the night and a rather sadistic appreciation for freaking people out. Like many of the flawed characters she writes, Karina never knew where to find herself and has dabbled in acting, make-up artistry, film production, screenwriting, photography, travel writing and music journalism. She eventually found herself in the pages of the very novels she wrote (if only she had looked there to begin with).
Karina holds a screenwriting degree from Vancouver Film School and a Bachelor of Journalism from TRU. Her travel writing, music reviews/interviews and photography have appeared in publications such as Consequence of Sound, Mxdwn and GoNomad Travel Guides. She currently splits her time between her apartment in downtown Vancouver and her sailboat, where a book and a bottle of wine are always at hand. She is hard at work on her next novel.

Karina’s SM:

@MetalBlonde

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Karina-Halle/140649372629593?fref=ts

https://authorkarinahalle.com/

 

Latest Paranormal & Contemporary Romance Book Releases – June 24th 2014

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<—BREAKING NEWS UPDATE!!! OH EM GEE!!!!! LOOK WHAT JUST WENT LIVE <— Yesssss I’m screaming. SCREECHING, even. Unbeloved (Undeniable: Book Four 4) by Madeline Sheehan. THIS was the story I’ve been waitin’ for. I’m a Jase girl. I know. BAD. neutralGOOOOOOOOD!!!! 😉 And now I get to know… I one-clicked it. YOU KNOW I DID!!!
P.S. Here is the Undeniable Series Reading Order.

Happy new release day my friends!!! And… did you know that Kristen Ashley’s “Sweet Dreams” is now out in paperback today so I’m getting’ my own copy! Tate is one of my forever #1’s forever and ever!!!

*sigh*… he’s one of ’em that put me in a love fog… I LOVE love-fogs. I need one. 😉

Speaking of Kristen Ashley feel, I’m still reading Under Locke and it’s still “doing it” for me! 😀 Almost done, in fact, and he reminds me of when I first found this version of an alpha-male in books. It’s just got that feel, you know?

Kate: 50% in and really loving it! He’s so grumpy and then sweet and then grumpy and then sweet….

Right there with you, Kate!! 😀 And her? I swear she’s me. Kinda goofy, some potentially disastrous decisions (not that I’ve done that per se, but I could totally see me doin’ it), and when she gets mad… she tells him off (big time) but then calls him a big… meanie! LOL!! Good times.

So what looks like more potential more “good times” for me, below? Easy! I really like the looks of: Rusty Nailed (’cause I loved book #1 like crazy), Come to Me Softly (’cause the hero in book #1, was so sad and intense and I loved that one, too), Translucent (sounds CRAZY and scary. Like a dark romance? I’m curious!!), and Break Through <— that “dun dun dun” twist right in the synopsis made me go EEEEP!!!, Christmas in July (’cause her MIA military man suddenly shows up… but has no memory of them), Come (short, but also sounds like a dark romance, and gave me a blurb jolt), Still Missing (Dark kidnap thriller – and I one-clicked it immediately!)… I could go on. 😉

But I’ll let you scroll through ’em, and maybe you’ll find one that you loved and think we should read.

P.S. Let me know if I’m missing any or if you loved any (from this list or elsewhere).

P.P.S. Don’t have a Kindle? No problem! Amazon offers various free Kindle apps and a free Kindle Cloud reader for any and ALL of us to use. You can either use the free Kindle App for your smartphone, tablet, AND your desktop computer (just like you’re using a Kindle, but right through your web browser <— No need to download anything! :D )

BARGAINS (NOTE: bargain priced when I added them, but prices can change on Amazon, so make sure to check before you finalize your order).

  • Comfort Food by Kitty Thomas <— my first ever “dark read” and the one that had me HOOKED!! I thought about “Master” for days, and wow. I was a mental-mess after being so addicted to that one. And then… I still think about it. BIG IMPACT on me. (my review) Thanks Lori!! P.S. I forgot to mention… !!! 😛
  • Perfect Fit (The B&S Series Box Set (Books 1, 2, & 3)) by Kimberly Knight <— bundled! Thanks Stephanie. I love the whole “meet in Vegas” premise…. one-clicking for sure!
  • Conklin’s Blueprints (#1) by Brooke Page <— Stephanie found out this… “Little does Becca know the owner of the architecture firm she lands a job with has an intriguingly mysterious son. Tyler Conklin is infatuated with Becca, yet is apprehensive about a public relationship because of his hidden baggage. Not wanting anyone to know about his slight obsession with her, their potential relationship must be kept a secret.”
  • Neanderthal Seeks Human (Knitting in the City #1) by Penny Reid <— this HUGE comedy romance hit is on sale right now!! Another that’s on my main TBR list. <— Kat says: “LOOOOOOOOOVE THESE BOOKS!!!”
  • Still Missing by Chevy Stevens <—- OH MY!!! Stephanie found us this DARK read saying: “For those of you readers who love abduction romance thrillers… On SALE” —> “On the day she was abducted, Annie O’Sullivan, a thirty-two year old realtor, had three goals—sell a house, forget about a recent argument with her mother, and be on time for dinner with her ever- patient boyfriend. The open house is slow, but when her last visitor pulls up in a van as she’s about to leave, Annie thinks it just might be her lucky day after all.” Eeeeeep!!! That’s ominous. I totally one-clicked this one!
  • Nameless by Claire Kent <— Stephanie found us this deal today! “After a failed marriage to a domineering man, Erin refuses to be controlled by anything or anyone. That includes Seth, the father of her baby—a man who was supposed to be only a one-night-stand, a man who’s used to always getting his way.“
  • Zenith Falling (Zenith Trilogy, #1) by Leanne Davis <— ROCK STAR BOOK (although he’s spiraling out of control)…  (thanks Aimee)! “Joelle married Rob Williams, lead singer of the rock band Zenith, before she was old enough to know better. She has spent years following Zenith around, while they struggle to become rock stars. Only now, alcoholism has replaced the talent that once was going to make Rob a legend… leaving Joelle’s life spiraling out of control. The problem is there isn’t a soul in the world that cares, including her husband.” (and then a man from her past comes back into her life… love triangle?)
  • The Dom Who Loved Me (Masters and Mercenaries Book 1) by Lexi Blake <— And Aimee found out this one’s on sale too! “By day, she is the widowed mother of two college-aged sons. By night, she submits to Sean’s every dark desire. She’s living out her wildest fantasies of pleasure—intimate acts of trust she’s only read about.”
      

PARANORMAL

     

CONTEMPORARY

                                     

Book Bash Author Spotlight – Penelope Ward sends us a “Jake Undone” poem…

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Author Penelope Ward just sent us a “Jake Undone” poem!!

I read book #1 Gemini (<— my review) and really enjoyed it. Quite the twist!! But boy do I need to continue the series. Especially considering the love for the brand-spankin’ new release of book #3 (My Skylar), and the HUGE popularity of book #2 Jake Undone (A Gemini Novel Book 2), I’m missing out. 😉 Just look at these reactions!

Michele: I’ve read and enjoyed both of these books. Both are really good stories with Gemini throwing me a few curveballs but I actually put Jake Undone in my Favorite collection for a future reread since he made my book bf list. And that cover?? Holy hell is it HOT!!

Julie: LOVED “Jake Undone”.. can’t stop thinking about it. Penelope Ward is a fantastic writer. Jake is really something special 🙂

Lori: These are a MUST READ… Gemini blew me away and Jake Undone is amazing. Jake and I are in love and getting married. Yes I am crazy but he is upgraded to my book Husband… <— SIDENOTE from Maryse: LOL Lori!!! I love this… that’s exactly how I feel about another certain “bad boy”. I get you completely. 😉

Kim: I read Jake Undone first by mistake and only discovered there was a Book 1 while reading Gemini. I enjoyed both but give JU the edge. JAKE IS HOT!!!

Donya: I read Jake Undone first by mistake (which both books can be read as stand-alone) but oh my! I made have some severe questions of what if this happened to me. Such a twist and I loved it!!!

Jen: It was a great book. Lots of stuff going on and once they finally are together, there are more obstacles of course! Highly recommend it.

And lucky us, Jake has a poem…

Book Bash Author Spotlight – Maggi Myers sends us an excerpt from “Lily Love”.

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Maggi Myers writes so eloquently. Such gorgeous story-telling, no matter the dark, heart-wrenchingly emotional subject matter. Dark pasts affecting the present (and the future), but so many moments of warmth, growth and hope.

I absolute loved her book The Final Piece (<— my review) and now she’s just released a new one entitled “Lily Love“, today!!

Whoa! What a BLURB! Marriage crumbling, a young daughter with a disability, and an encounter with a stranger…

Caroline used to have it all: she was madly in love with her husband, Peter, and they worshiped their beautiful baby girl. But as Lily grows into a toddler, Caroline notices that her daughter seems to live and act with a disconnect, and soon the perfect future Caroline had envisioned, along with her marriage, begin to crumble. Now she and Peter are no longer lovers, they’re plaintiffs in the throes of divorce while still struggling to care for Lily. After years of blame and overwhelming despair, Caroline’s chance encounter with a stranger at University Hospital opens her eyes to the prospect of accepting new support, new loves, and new dreams.

Want a closer look?

An excerpt from LILY LOVE by Maggi Myers

The cafeteria is relatively quiet this afternoon and I’m grateful to find my favorite booth vacant. It’s in the corner, sheltered from the fluorescent glare of the lights above. I shift across the seat and place my back against the wall. I pull my knees to my chest and rest my cheek against my knee. Just a few minutes of peace, that’s all I want. My mind won’t allow for it; even in the silence, it churns and spits mercilessly.

“Ma’am?” I jump, startled by the man standing at the end of my table. I must look as strung out as I feel, because his face reflects pity.

Screw your pity, buddy.

“You left your coffee.” He raises the latté I just paid for and left at the counter. “Is it okay if I sit?” he asks, but he’s already moving to sit across from me. He folds his tall, lanky frame into the booth, with care not to bang his knees under the table. I take in this strange man warily. His hair is dark brown with a slight curl to it; it’s cropped close to his head, but not short enough to hide the gentle bend of the strands. He runs his hand through it and exhales heavily. I reach for my latté and curse under my breath at the lingering weakness in my hand. I rest it against the table and reach with my steady hand. The stranger pretends he doesn’t notice; at least I don’t have to suffer more of his pity.

“I won’t ask you if you’re okay.” He chuckles nervously. When he sees that I’m not sharing his humor, he clears his throat. “Sorry, I just…I don’t know. Can I just sit here and not talk to you for a minute?”

“Why?” I don’t know why I care, or why I’m even bothering to engage this man. I should get up and make my way back to the MRI clinic. His inquisitive brown eyes lock with mine. Something in way he stares, unapologetically assessing me, reminds me of Peter. Pain blooms anew.

“I don’t know.” He shrugs. “Does it matter?”

“No.” I sigh. “I guess not. I’m just not accustomed to chatting up strange men in the hospital cafeteria.”

“Is there someplace else you’re more comfortable chatting up strange men?” He laughs, and despite myself, I laugh too.

“Are you here a lot?” he asks cautiously.page1image21536 page1image21696

“More than I want to be,” I offer. “My daughter is a patient right now.”
“I’m sorry,” he whispers, and I cringe at the tears welling behind my eyelids. “Don’t be.” I shrug and look into my coffee.
“Can’t help it,” he throws back. “Can I ask what’s wrong with her?”

“You can ask, but I don’t really have an answer.” I look up from my coffee and find him watching me intently, waiting for me to explain. “My daughter has a developmental disability and a seizure disorder. Neither of which is specified, so we are here for tests. More tests. Endless tests…” I murmur.

“They don’t know what’s wrong?” he asks, sounding surprised.

“Nobody knows; she was born healthy but started to miss a few milestones in her first year. By her second birthday, she was at the developmental level of a nine- month-old and started having seizures. After the seizures started, she started to regress. She’s five now. Developmentally she’s a toddler. She doesn’t fit into any one diagnosis. She’s all over the place and no one knows how to help her.” I stammer over the last few words, embarrassed by my candor.

He shakes his head, “That must be incredibly hard.” He dips his pinky finger into his coffee, swirling it while he speaks.

“It is what it is.” I dip my head I watch him curiously as he lifts his finger to lick the froth from his fingertip.

Odd.

As if he can hear my thought, he glances up. Blotches of color stain his cheeks.

“Sorry, I’m really not a Neanderthal.” He chuckles. “I nearly burned every taste bud off my tongue earlier. Just testing the temperature. Y-you know,” he stammers.

I feel my eyebrow raise involuntarily. “So you’re willing to burn your finger and not your tongue? What did your finger do to you?” He smiles, transforming his face. I smile in return.

“I don’t have to taste anything with this.” He waves his pinky at me.

“I guess not.” A wave of self-consciousness grips me as silence stretches between us. I clear my throat and sip my own cup.

“What’s your daughter’s name?” he asks.

“Lily,” I whisper. The sadness I’d forgotten for just a moment cloaks me in darkness once again.

“Lily is a beautiful name,” he offers. The brown of his eyes reflects the warmth in his tone. Peter has warm, kind eyes, too.

“I should really get back to her. She’ll be awake soon,” I blurt as I scoot out of the booth.

“It was nice talking to you, Lily’s mom.” He offers his hand and I shake it without meeting his eyes. I don’t think I can look at them again without allowing nostalgia to pull me down further. I notice he doesn’t ask for my name. I don’t ask for his either. Besides, I’m used to being “Lily’s mom.” I haven’t been just Caroline in more years than I can count.

My phone chirps with perfect timing.

Max: Lily Love is starting to wake up. We're good; don't rush.
Just wanted you to know.

“That’s my cue,” I hold up my phone. Unsure of what else to say, I smile tightly and walk away. He doesn’t stop me and I’m relieved.

Five “early bird” book releases (and some gave me awesome blurb-jolts)!

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A few “early-bird” releases with blurbs that prompted me to start an “early bird” release list. 😉 You’ll see why I couldn’t resist. Like that one to the left right there. MEGA-BLURB *JOLT*!! And… a few of ’em released on sale!

  • Use (Songs of Perdition Book 2) by C.D. Reiss <— LIVE ON AMAZON right now!!!
  • Translucent (Luminous Book 1) by Erin Noelle <— take a look at this one! “The day I watched my husband murder the woman who was pregnant with his child, my point didn’t just break; it exploded like a full magazine’s worth of hollow points firing through the barrel of a fully-automatic AK-47. Literally. I am no longer his American Princess, nor am I his slave. Now, I’m a murderer in hiding.” <—- eek HOLY MOLY!!!!!  And these fellow readers piped in and let us know they loved it. I’m gonna give it a go!

Amber: Loved this book read in one sitting had me hooked.

Kailie: I loved this book! I devoured it yesterday!

Mary: I’m 67% in…dang, it’s awesome!!!! First page and I was hooked

Kirsten: I loved it too.

Torie: Dang this is getting added to my TBR list

Nicole: Such a great book so far! I’m about 3/4 through!

Stevie: Aaaahhhh!! I’m reading right now!!

Sarah: Loved this book! Tons of WTF moments. And just when you think the WTF is over, don’t blink

Heather: Amazing book! I could not put it down!

Vanessa: Absolutely amazing book. So different from others . It’s definitely not one you can put down. Erin did an awesome job!

Brittney: Omg amazing book.. I stayed up until 4 am reading last night .couldn’t put it down…

Emma: Deffo one clicking this it sounds great

Trina: … Edge of my seat! And Madden! SWOOON!

  • Break Through by Amber Garza <— Okay so OBVIOUSLY for me!! WHOA!!!! I just had an AWESOME BLURB JOLT! —> Okay so… She was kidnapped at 8 years old, escaped years later, and trusts no one. But eventually she meets a guy (a photographer) and finally begins trusting again. UNTIL… “Until she finds a photograph in Carter’s house which catapults her back to her time in captivity. A photograph Carter shouldn’t have.” *eeeeeeep!!!* eek Okay so I wanna read it. NOW.

Sherry: Oh that does sound good !

Maryse’s Book Blog: I know!!! And look at the other one I just posted, above. CRAZINESS.

Cari: I started it last night, now I’m draggin ass today. And I didn’t even finish it. Waiting for my lunch break so that I can sneak a few pages.

Jenn: Do you know if this book is at all connected to Break Free by Amber Garza? Maybe a series? The covers look similar and the storylines seem to have a similar feel to me.

Cambria: Jenn, Break Through is a stand alone and isn’t connected to Break Free so you can read this one right now! Its a great read!

Cassie: You will love this one! Break Free is amazing! Break Through is mind blowing! You can read them both separate (:

Megan: I adored both of these. Great, suspenseful reads with totally swoon worthy guys.

  • Break Free by Amber Garza <— And HERE is “Break Free”. Okay so NOT a new one, but I wanted to remind you that this is the same author (as the one above). Remember this one from last week? From a few lists ago, where he’s a reclusive author, and she’s on the run, and I think for some reason, she’s staying with him… and then she discovers the book he’s writing that freaks her out ’cause it’s HER story! Same author! My kind of blurbs. My kind of storyline… I can’t wait to finally get to these.
  • The Laws of Kings by Jennifer Loren <— MAFIA ROMANCE ALERT + SURPRISE EARLY RELEASE! I just posted about this one today as one of the Book Bash Author spotlights, and a bunch of you let me know it just went live. YAY!!
  • Secrets and Lies (The Ferro Family) by H.M. Ward <— wildly popular series just got a new release!! I’m afraid to read the blurb ’cause I don’t wanna ruin it for myself (since it’s an ongoing series…)
  • When I Lie With You (A Millionaire’s Love, 2) by Sandi Lynn <— the continuation of Ian & Rory’s love story… (I won’t read the blurb… again in case of spoilers). But if you were following it, brand new release is live.

      

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