Cover Reveal: Sex on The Beach Series Revisited by Jenna Bennett, Jen McLaughlin & Jennifer Probst (#SEXONTHEBEACH) + International Giveaway

I really enjoyed reading the novellas in the Sex on the Beach series by Jenna Bennett, Jen McLaughlin and Jennifer Probst last year so I was excited when I found out that they were continuing the series and giving us a chance to revisit all three couples again this year. I'm thrilled to be taking part in the cover reveal for the three new instalments in the series today. These novellas all release on the 3rd of March so less than a month before we can get our hands on them!

Finding You by Jenna Bennett

Book Summary:

Sex on the Beach, the do-over.
I had a simple plan for what to do in Key West the second time around.
Testify at the trial of the rapist I helped catch last year.
Make sure he gets locked away for the rest of his natural life, so he can never, ever hurt another girl.
Wait for my BFFs to get to town, so we can celebrate.
And stay far away from Ty Connor, because three months after breaking up with him, I still don’t know whether being with him is worse than being without him.

Spring Break, take two.
All of the above? Out the window.
Turns out testifying is a lot harder than I thought it would be.
Not only is the rapist I helped catch last year not locked away for the rest of his life, he’s on the loose and looking for me.
Oh yeah, and it’s definitely harder being without Ty than being with him, especially when I have to watch him with someone else.

Welcome to my world.

Losing Us by Jen McLaughlin

Book Summary:

When it all comes crashing down . . .

Everything I thought I had with Austin Murphy—safety, stability, the normalcy I crave but my celebrity lifestyle rarely allows—was ripped away in one night. I wanted to surprise him, but the joke was on me. Now I don't know if I ever really knew him at all.

Someone has to pick up the pieces . . .

Mackenzie Forbes was everything I ever wanted and the one person I didn't deserve. When a past mistake costs me the girl I love, I'll do everything I can to get her back. We both have demanding careers and family secrets darkening our pasts, but I need Mackenzie in my future.

Sometimes everything you have to give just isn't enough . . .

Chasing Me by Jennifer Probst

Book Summary:

Quinn and James' Story Continues in Chasing Me . . .

It was supposed to be a love story . . .

I knew she was out of my league but I didn’t care. Looking back, I wonder if I hadn’t pursued her, would things have turned out differently? Is it Fate that determines our choices in life? God? Free will? Or just plain old innate selfishness?

I got her, of course. There hadn’t been a girl I wasn’t able to seduce. Problem was she seduced me right back, body, mind, and soul. She possessed me, tormented me, and showed me a world that was so bright and pure I was almost blinded.

Didn’t she know after such a drug I could never settle for less? Didn’t she realize no matter how many times I screwed up, or broke her heart, or bent her to my will, I’d never be able to let her go?

If I hadn’t known such intensity existed, would it have been better for both of us?

True love, the real kind, isn’t nice and sweet and pure. No, it’s dirty, and sinful, and messy. It’s like ripping a chunk of flesh from your body and watching yourself bleed out in slow, helpless intervals until you thankfully pass out.

This isn’t a love story. But it’s the only story I got.

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Preorder Now:

FINDING YOU by Jenna Bennett Links:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1DixYUx
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1Kjb01B

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LOSING US by Jen McLaughlin Links:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1DCF4RG
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1ufej5V

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CHASING ME by Jennifer Probst Links:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1xrPrTw
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1uf6jlA

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Goodreads Contest:

For each book that gets to 500 adds, 5 pages of that novella will be released! 10 pages will be released after 1000 adds, and 15 pages after 1500 adds! So, spread the word and be sure to add each book to your goodreads list.

LINKS:
FINDING YOU - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24847244-finding-you
LOSING US - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24280033-losing-us
CHASING ME - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24748839-chasing-me

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Purchase the previous books in the series:

BEFORE YOU BY JENNA BENNETT

Read my review

Buy Links:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1jMeX1U
B&N: http://bit.ly/1hYqcCA

BETWEEN US BY JEN MCLAUGHLIN

Read my review

Buy Links:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1i72kku
B&N: http://bit.ly/1hFWiEj

BEYOND ME BY JENNIFER PROBST

Read my review

Buy Links:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1luEuzN
B&N: http://bit.ly/1i6kw9v

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About the Authors:

Jenna Bennett

Bio:
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jenna Bennett (Jennie Bentley) writes the Do It Yourself home renovation mysteries for Berkley Prime Crime and the Cutthroat Business mysteries for her own gratification. She also writes a variety of romance for a change of pace. For more information, please visit her website, www.jennabennett.com

Links:
Website: www.jennabennett.com
Facebook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jenna-Bennett-Jennie-Bentley/192400104127600
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Bennett_Jenna
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1549070.Jenna_Bennett

Jen McLaughlin

Bio:
Jen McLaughlin is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of sexy New Adult books. Under her pen name Diane Alberts, she is a multi-published, bestselling author of Contemporary Romance with Entangled Publishing. Her first release as Jen McLaughlin, Out of Line, released September 6 2013, and hit the New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal lists. She was mentioned in Forbes alongside E. L. James as one of the breakout independent authors to dominate the bestselling lists. She is represented by Louise Fury at The Bent Agency.

Though she lives in the mountains, she really wishes she was surrounded by a hot, sunny beach with crystal-clear water. Though she lives in the mountains, she really wishes she was surrounded by a hot, sunny beach with crystal-clear water. She lives in Northeast Pennsylvania with her four kids, a husband, a schnauzer mutt, and a cat. Her goal is to write so many well-crafted romance books that even a non-romance reader will know her name.

Links:
Website: http://www.jenmclaughlin.com/
Facebook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/DianeAlberts6
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DianeAlberts
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6921962.Jen_McLaughlin

Jennifer Probst

Bio:
Jennifer Probst wrote her first book at twelve years old. She bound it in a folder, read it to her classmates, and hasn’t stopped writing since. She took a short hiatus to get married, get pregnant, buy a house, get pregnant again, pursue a master’s in English Literature, and rescue two shelter dogs. Now she is writing again.

She makes her home in Upstate New York with the whole crew. Her sons keep her active, stressed, joyous, and sad her house will never be truly clean.
She is the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of sexy and erotic contemporary romance. She was thrilled her book, The Marriage Bargain, was ranked #6 on Amazon's Best Books for 2012. She loves hearing from readers. Visit her website for updates on new releases and her street team at www.jenniferprobst.com.

Links:
Website: www.jenniferprobst.com
Facebook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/jenniferprobst.authorpage
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jenniferprobst
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2965489.Jennifer_Probst

Review: Before You - Jenna Bennett

It’s all fun and games
I had a simple plan for spring break.
Sun, sand, and a hot guy. Sex on the beach, with no strings attached.
A chance to get rid of this pesky virginity once and for all.
And when I met Tyler McKenna, I thought I had it made.

Until someone gets hurt
But then girls started turning up at Key West landmarks. Girls who looked like me, but with one crucial difference: They’d all been drugged and relieved of their virginity.
The virginity I still have. The virginity Ty refuses to take.
And now I've begun to wonder whether there isn't more to him than meets the eye.
Suddenly, sex on the beach doesn't sound so good any more...

Sex on the Beach Series:
This is a multi-author series made up of the following linked titles. They can be read in any order or work as stand alone stories if you prefer. (The links below will take you to my reviews)
Before You - Jenna Bennett
Between Us - Jen McLaughlin
Beyond Me - Jennifer Probst

Visit the author's websites for more information:
Jenna Bennett
Jen McLaughlin
Jennifer Probst

Review:
Before You by Jenna Bennett is part of the Sex on the Beach multi-author series, the stories are linked by three main characters who have all gone on holiday together for spring break and who are looking for a little romance to go along with their sun, sand and cocktails. The characters spend most of their time apart going off and having their own adventures but they do meet up occasionally so you'll get glimpses of all three of them in each story. The books can be read in any order and they each work fine as a stand alone story so you can choose whether you want to read one, two or all three of them.

I'm someone who hates to write negative reviews but sometimes there is just no other option and I'm afraid that is the case with Before You. It's hard to explain why without giving spoilers but to put it briefly I was annoyed by the complete and utter stupidity of the two main characters, Ty acts like a complete ass, Cassie lets him walk all over her and I didn't feel like there was even a tiny amount of chemistry between the two of them. It's bad enough when I don't respect the main characters but top that off with the instant love after they'd spoken three (yes THREE) times probably for less than an hour in total and the fact that the mystery was so obvious that I think my cat figured it out before the main characters did and you've got a book that I was seriously disappointed with. That's all I can say without spoilers so if you don't want to know more about the plot look away now - if you like spoilers or have already read the story then feel free to carry on reading for a more in depth review.

SPOILERS BEGIN HERE (look away now if you don't want to see them!):

Okay, so you've been warned and decided to carry on reading - I'll apologise in advance for the rant this is bound to turn into! Let's talk about our two main characters. First you have Cassie who if I'm honest is a bit of a wet blanket, she's utterly clueless about a lot of things and so naive that I struggled to believe that she was older than 15. I know her father is a preacher but she's supposed to be 21 and she's been living away from home attending college so you'd think she would have grown up just a tiny bit. She meets Ty and pretty much falls in love with him from first glance. He walks her back to her hotel on 3 occasions and leaves her at the door without so much as a goodbye kiss and she's already telling herself she has fallen for him. I should probably add that he told her he has a girlfriend but she is still daydreaming about kissing him - not particularly something that makes me likely to admire her character.

Then you have Ty. Now I'd figured out at their first meeting that he was an undercover cop (it later turns out he's an undercover FBI Agent but I was close enough). He is at Key West to investigate a serial rapist and he walks Cassie back to the hotel to make sure she doesn't become another victim (it's a pity not all of the girls on the Keys have a police escort home!). Over the course of the next few days they bump into each other a few times and each time he walks her back to the hotel safely but although she is with him when they discover one of the victims he never admits his involvement in the investigation. Fair enough, I can get on board with the fact that he shouldn't disclose his identity to just anyone when he's undercover so I'm not going to hold that against him.

What I couldn't understand is his actions when Cassie nearly ends up one of the rapist's victims. He goes to find her one evening to walk her home and finds her drugged out of her mind, barely able to walk and obviously not aware of her surroundings so what does he do? You'd think that a police officer (I didn't know he was FBI at that point but finding that out makes his actions seem even worse!) would immediately take her to hospital to get her checked out wouldn't you? Surely, that is the only course of action, right? I'm afraid not - Ty is obviously from a different planet from the rest of us because he takes her back to her hotel room, half undresses her and lets her sleep it off for TWELVE hours! Are you shocked yet? I would think that ANYONE (let alone a trained police officer!) would worry that she's been drugged & he has no idea what is in her system. What if she has an adverse reaction to the drugs and ends up dead? What if she was given an overdose? What makes him qualified to decide it's safe to let her sleep? She should have been admitted to the hospital IMMEDIATELY!

Now forget about the drugs for a minute and jump forward to the following morning. When she finally wakes up (dressed in just her underwear and a t-shirt) he tells her what happened and says she needs to go to the hospital straight away so they can take blood samples to check what drugs she was given & that if she doesn't hurry they'll all be out of her system (well that wouldn't be a problem if you took her to the hospital TWELVE hours ago now, would it?!). I also have to point out here that while some date rape drugs can stay in your system for up to 72 hours others - GHD for example - are gone in LESS than twelve hours. It took me less than 5 minutes and a single google search to confirm that (click here for more info)! I really hate it when authors fail to do their research.

He also tells her she needs a pelvic exam just in case she was raped even though he doesn't think she was. WHAT??? You mean to tell me that there was even the teeniest, tiniest little possibility that she was RAPED and you didn't TAKE HER TO THE HOSPITAL??? Are you fucking kidding me? He makes her dress in the clothes she'd been wearing the night before because the police will want them as evidence (no shit Sherlock and I'm sure the fact that you've contaminated them by undressing her yourself wouldn't be an issue *insert eye roll here*) and then it's off to hospital they go. They are driven by a police car because Ty finally thought to call for back up but he tries to just drop her off at the door to the hospital telling her a detective will be there soon. Again, I know he's trying to stay undercover but he hasn't called any of her friends, she's just woken up out of a drug haze and is disoriented because she has no idea what happened to her, she's terrified because she was possibly the victim of a rapist and he STILL doesn't offer to go in and hold her hand while she waits for the doctor? She has to actually ask him to stay with her. Well those sure are the actions of a wonderful hero aren't they? Are you swooning yet?

The book actually has some good messages about not accepting drinks from strangers, not leaving your drink unattended and even not getting so drunk that you aren't in full control of your actions but as far as I'm concerned that is all completely negated by the message it sends about what to do if your friend is drugged. Date rape drugs can be lethal, this quote comes directly from the NHS website: Date rape drugs are particularly dangerous when mixed with alcohol because they combine to have a very powerful anaesthetic effect. In extreme cases, it can lead to a coma or even death. If an FBI Agent just puts Cassie to bed and lets her sleep it off what do you think teenagers are going to do if it happens to their friend? They're going to do exactly the same thing. Is this really a safe message we want to be passing along to teenagers (or anyone else for that matter)?

This review is already a heck of a lot longer than I planned it to be but there are a couple of other things I have to mention so please bear with me. I think that Ty was using the "I have a girlfriend" card as a way to stop getting involved with her because he was working but that little point is never clarified. Even after he admits he was lying to her and comes clean about who he really is she doesn't bother to ask if he actually has a girlfriend or not. The final chapter is one of the most ridiculous sex scenes I've ever read about - her begging him to take her virginity was just embarrassing, both for her and for me as a reader. It's even more cringeworthy considering how close she'd come to being raped the night before (this is a 2nd rape attempt not the one already mentioned previously). Cap that with the fact that she wakes up the next morning and he's vanished without even leaving a note and I just wanted to punch Ty in the face for being a complete asshole!

For the epilogue we skip forward several months. Cassie is back at school in Chicago and hasn't seen or spoken to Ty since he took her virginity and walked away without a backward glance yet she's still pining over him and wishing he'd get in contact (it's not like she can call him - he didn't bother to give her his number). He turns up after all that time with a sheepish grin on his face and she just walks into his arms happy to see him. I'm supposed to believe in this romance? I'm supposed to accept that this asshole is a worthy hero that I should be swooning over? I shouldn't be waiting for Cassie to punch him in the face and tell him to get stuffed? I'm sorry but ROMANCE FAIL.

In case you don't believe me here are the final few sentences of the book, remember this is the FIRST time she sees him after he walked out on her over 2 months ago:

He stopped in front of me. “Hi.”
He looked a little nervous, like maybe he wasn't entirely sure of his reception.
I smiled. “Nice shirt.”
He glanced down at it, and back up at me. “Thanks.”
“Wanna inspect my body?”
“Yeah,” Ty said, and reached for me.

Yup, that's it - the end. The "Wanna inspect my body" comment makes more sense if I point out that he's wearing a t-shirt that says "FBI - Female Body Inspector" on it.

WORST. ROMANCE. EVER.

Source: Received from the author in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
Bittersweet Book Love
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback:



Kindle:

Cover Reveal: Sex on The Beach Series by Jenna Bennett, Jen McLaughlin & Jennifer Probst (#SEXONTHEBEACH) + International Giveaway

Today is the big cover reveal for the SEX ON THE BEACH series! This series includes the novellas BEFORE YOU by Jenna Bennett, BETWEEN US by Jen McLaughlin, and BEYOND ME by Jennifer Probst. All three novellas will be released on the 4th of March.

NOTE FROM THE AUTHORS:

Dear Reader,
Prepare yourself for Sex on the Beach, a trilogy featuring BETWEEN US (Jen McLaughlin), BEYOND ME (Jennifer Probst), and BEFORE YOU (Jenna Bennett). Three separate novellas. Three different authors. One literary world. Read them all, or just read one. It's up to you! No matter which route you choose, these standalone novellas are sure to satisfy your need for sizzling romance and an emotion packed story.

Happy Reading!
Jen, Jenna, and Jennifer

Before You by Jenna Bennett

BOOK SUMMARY:

It’s all fun and games

I had a simple plan for spring break.

Sun, sand, and a hot guy. Sex on the beach, with no strings attached.

A chance to get rid of this pesky virginity once and for all.

And when I met Tyler McKenna, I thought I had it made.

Until someone gets hurt

But then girls started turning up at Key West landmarks. Girls who looked like me, but with one crucial difference: They’d all been drugged and relieved of their virginity.

The virginity I still have. The virginity Ty refuses to take.

And now I've begun to wonder whether there isn't more to him than meets the eye.

Suddenly, sex on the beach doesn't sound so good anymore...

BETWEEN US by Jen McLaughlin

BOOK SUMMARY:

I'm just a girl…
I'm a famous country star who's spent her life cultivating a good girl persona to avoid bad press, but I've reached my limit. I'm going away for spring break with my two best friends from college, and we've vowed to spend the vacation seeking out fun in the sun—along with some hot, no-strings-attached sex. The only thing I needed was the perfect guy, and then I met Austin Murphy. He might be totally wrong for me, but the tattooed bad boy is hard to resist. When I’m in his arms, everything just feels right.

And I'm just a guy…
I'm just a bartender who lives in Key West, stuck in an endless cycle of boredom. But then Mackenzie Forbes, America's Sweetheart herself, comes up to me and looks at me with those bright green eyes…and everything changes. She acts like she's just a normal girl and I'm just a normal guy, but that couldn't be further from the truth. My past isn't pretty, you know. I did what I had to do to survive, and she'd run if she learned the truth about my darkness. But with her, I'm finally realizing what it's like to be alive. To laugh, live, and be happy.

All good things must come to an end...

Beyond Me by Jennifer Probst

BOOK SUMMARY:

CAN FUN IN THE SUN TURN INTO LASTING LOVE?
Spring break in Key West with my besties was supposed to be casual fun. But I never expected to meet James Hunt. Sex and frolic? Yes! A relationship? No. But his hot blue eyes and confident manner drew me in. And when he let me see the man behind the mask, I fell hard, foolishly believing there could be a future for us. Of course I never considered our relationship might be based on lies...or that his betrayal could rock my foundation and make me question everything I believed in...

OR WILL A LIFE BUILT ON LIES RUIN EVERYTHING?
The moment I saw Quinn I knew I had to have her. She hooked me with her cool eyes and don’t touch me attitude. I had it all, money, social status, and looks. I could get any girl I wanted...until her. When my friends challenged me with a bet to get her into bed by the end of the week, I couldn’t pass it up. But sex wasn’t supposed to turn into love. She wasn’t supposed to change me, push me, and make me want more for myself. She wasn’t supposed to wreck me in all ways. And now, if I can’t turn my lies into truth, I just might lose her forever...

GIVEAWAY:

The authors are giving away a $60 Gift Card to one lucky winner. You can enter using the Rafflecopter form below, the winner will be contacted directly by the authors so they can arrange to send out your prize.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

GOODREADS CONTEST:

For each book that gets to 500 adds, 5 pages of that novella will be released! 10 pages will be released after 600 adds, 15 pages after 800 adds, and 20 pages after 1000 adds! So, spread the word and be sure to add each book to your goodreads list.

LINKS:
BEFORE YOU - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20371409-before-you
BETWEEN US - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20369409-between-us
BEYOND ME - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20371567-beyond-me

Time for some Teasers!

About the Authors:

Jenna Bennet

Bio:
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jenna Bennett (Jennie Bentley) writes the Do It Yourself home renovation mysteries for Berkley Prime Crime and the Cutthroat Business mysteries for her own gratification. She also writes a variety of romance for a change of pace. For more information, please visit her website, www.jennabennett.com

Links:
Website: www.jennabennett.com
Facebook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jenna-Bennett-Jennie-Bentley/192400104127600
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Bennett_Jenna
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1549070.Jenna_Bennett

Jen McLaughlin

Bio:
Jen McLaughlin is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. She writes steamy New Adult books for the young and young at heart. Her first release, Out of Line, came out September 2013. She also writes bestselling Contemporary Romance under the pen name Diane Alberts.Since receiving her first contract offer under the pen name Diane Alberts, she has yet to stop writing. She is represented by Louise Fury at The Bent Agency.

Though she lives in the mountains, she really wishes she was surrounded by a hot, sunny beach with crystal clear water. She lives in Northeast Pennsylvania with her four kids, a husband, a schnauzer mutt, a cat, and a Senegal parrot. In the rare moments when she’s not writing, she can usually be found hunched over one knitting project or another. Her goal is to write so many well-crafted romance books that even a non-romance reader will know her name.

Links:
Website: http://dianealberts.com/
Facebook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/DianeAlberts6
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DianeAlberts
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6921962.Jen_McLaughlin

Jennifer Probst

Bio:
Jennifer Probst wrote her first book at twelve years old. She bound it in a folder, read it to her classmates, and hasn’t stopped writing since. She took a short hiatus to get married, get pregnant, buy a house, get pregnant again, pursue a master’s in English Literature, and rescue two shelter dogs. Now she is writing again.

She makes her home in Upstate New York with the whole crew. Her sons keep her active, stressed, joyous, and sad her house will never be truly clean.

She is the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of sexy and erotic contemporary romance. She was thrilled her book, The Marriage Bargain, was ranked #6 on Amazon's Best Books for 2012. She loves hearing from readers. Visit her website for updates on new releases and her street team at www.jenniferprobst.com.

Links:
Website: www.jenniferprobst.com
Facebook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/jenniferprobst.authorpage
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jenniferprobst
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2965489.Jennifer_Probst