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Showing posts with label Adult Books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Adult Books. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Release Day Blitz- STORM OF SECRETS by Loretta Marion With An Excerpt & Giveaway!



I am so excited that STORM OF SECRETS by Loretta Marion is available now and that I get to share the news!

If you haven’t yet heard about this wonderful book by Author Loretta Marion, be sure to check out all the details below.

This blitz also includes a giveaway for signed first editions of STORM OF SECRETS & book 1 HOUSE OF ASHES and a book bag and stickers, US Only AND ebook of THE FOOL'S TRUTH International, courtesy of Loretta and Rockstar Book Tours. So if you’d like a chance to win, enter in the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.

About the Book:

Title: STORM OF SECRETS (Haunted Bluffs Mystery #2)
Author: Loretta Marion
Pub. Date: November 12, 2019
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Formats: Hardcover, eBook
Pages: 312

A deadly storm, a missing three-year-old child, a grisly murder, and the eerie presence of the spirits of the dead set the stage for the second mesmerizing installment of Loretta Marion's paranormal suspense series.

A powerful storm descends upon Cape Cod's Whale Rock at the peak of tourist season--and the weekend Cassandra Mitchell's and Daniel Benjamin's wedding is set to take place at The Bluffs, the magnificent Victorian mansion Cassie inherited from her family. In the wake of the storm's destruction, three-year-old Lucas Kleister goes missing--and the body of small-time drug dealer Lee Chambers is found in a restaurant dumpster. Now, the WRPD are faced with a murder to solve, a missing child to find, and the aftermath of one of the worst storms in recent memory.

While aiding with the clean-up and helping the displaced, Cassie has been receiving cryptic messages from the spirits of her great-grandparents, Percy and Celeste Mitchell, the original residents of The Bluffs. At first, the messages are benign, but soon, they begin to point to something more sinister. As Cassie works to decipher their meaning, the specter of a mysterious local legend surfaces. The tale of Barnacle Boy--and what happened to him during another destructive storm decades earlier--will weave through the desperate search to find Lucas and the identity of the killer.

"Modern and historic mysteries collide in Marion's bittersweet storytelling."   

“[A] gripping sequel...Marion seamlessly weaves the multiple story threads together. Fans of tales of regional intrigue will be satisfied.” Publishers Weekly  


Title: HOUSE OF ASHES (Haunted Bluffs Mystery #1)
Author: Loretta Marion
Pub. Date: November 13, 2018
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Formats: Hardcover, eBook
Pages: 336

A family patriarch’s dying proclamation, an enigmatic disappearance, and a century-old curse converge in the shadows of a majestic home on Cape Cod’s craggy coast.

Thirty-seven-year-old painter Cassandra Mitchell is fourth-generation to live in the majestic Battersea Bluffs, a brooding Queen Anne home originally built by her great-grandparents, Percy and Celeste Mitchell, and still standing despite tragedies that have swept the generations. Local lore has it that there was a curse placed on the family and the house is haunted, though opinions are divided on whether it's by malicious or benevolent spirits. Cassie believes the latter―but now she stands to lose her beloved home to mounting debt and the machinations of her dream-weaving ex-husband.

Salvation seems to arrive when a nomadic young couple wanders onto the property with the promise of companionship and much-needed help―until they vanish without a trace, leaving behind no clue to their identities. Cassie is devastated, but determined to discover what's happened to the young couple...even as digging into their disappearance starts to uncover family secrets of her own. Despite warnings from her childhood friend, now the local Chief of Police―as well as an FBI agent who pushes the boundaries of professionalism―Cassie can't help following the trail of clues (and eerie signals from the old house itself) to unravel the mystery. But can she do so before her family's dark curse destroys everything in its path?

Excerpt:
Whale Rock Village, Massachusetts     

     On the short walk to my car, a sparkle caught my eye on the ground near a temporary dumpster behind La Table, the new location of my old flame Billy Hughes’s catering business.
     Later, I reflected on how different things would have been had I not been so curious.
     What if I hadn’t had the dress fitting today? What if I hadn’t parked in Archie’s space? What if I hadn’t gone out the back door of his shop? What if I hadn’t gone over to examine what was glittering next to the dumpster?
     “The what ifs and should haves will eat your brain.” It was a quote of John O’Callaghan’s, from his book of poetry entitled, Sincerely, John the Ghost—ironically, a gift from Zoe, who’d always eschewed the notion of Percy’s and Celeste’s spirits.
     The point is, if I hadn’t done all those things, then I wouldn’t have seen that glint on the ground and gone over to check out what it was. Most crucially, I would never have noticed a hand through the rusted-out hole in the dumpster.
     A very dead hand.


About Loretta: 

An author of fiction, Loretta’s writing bridges the genres of women’s fiction, mystery and suspense, always with hints of romance and humor, sometimes delving into the psychological and paranormal. She creates strong but flawed and struggling characters as appealing as the rich atmospheric settings in which the stories take place.

Loretta has loved reading and creating with words since she was a young girl. And that affection for the written word followed her like a shadow throughout her life as she put pen to paper crafting marketing and advertising copy, educational brochures and newsletters. But her passion for writing fiction evolved from the unlikely world of hospice. As a volunteer, she set out to establish a Legacy Story program to honor and preserve the rich heritage of the fascinating people who were soon to leave this world. The meaningful experience inspired her to create her own interesting characters and stories.

Though born and raised in the Midwest, Loretta fell in love with New England and has made it the setting for much of her writing. When not whipping out words on her laptop, she is traveling, enjoying outdoor pursuits, or is curled up with a delicious new book. Loretta lives in Rhode Island with her husband, Geoffrey, and their beloved Mr. Peabody, a sweet, devoted and amusing “Corgador” (Corgi-Labrador cross).

Represented by Jill Grosjean Literary Agency


Giveaway Details:
1 winner will receive a one signed first edition copy of each book in the Haunted Bluffs Mystery Series - HOUSE OF ASHES &  STORM OF SECRETS in a book bag with book marks, US Only.

1 winner will receive an ebook of THE FOOL'S TRUTH, International.


Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Cover Reveal- REFORMING THE CEO by Marisa Cleveland With An Excerpt & Giveaway!



Today New York Times Bestselling author, Marisa Cleveland, Entangled Publishing, LLC (Indulgence), and Rockstar Book Tours are revealing the cover for her Contemporary Romance REFORMING THE CEO, which releases on November 11, 2019! Check out the awesome cover and enter the giveaway!

On to the reveal!



Title: REFORMING THE CEO
Author: Marisa Cleveland
Pub. Date: November 11, 2019
Publisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC (Indulgence)
Formats: Paperback, eBook
Pages: 200

What happens when your next door neighbor is the hottest, most notorious playboy in all of South Beach?

Reece Rowe is on hiatus from respectability. Before she returns to her stable, boring existence of charity events and dating predictable, stuffy suitors who are only interested in getting closer to the wealthy family who adopted her, she’s going to get a taste of what she’s been missing. She screws up her courage and heads to Vincent Ferguson’s office to find out what all the women in South Beach already seem to know about him.

Once CEO Vin Ferguson’s tech company goes public, he’ll have proved he’s no longer the poor, gritty kid from the wrong side of the tracks. But, citing his bad boy reputation, some financial backers waver, and his friends suggest dating a more respectable woman to improve his image. Ridiculous. Because delectable but snooty socialites, like his next door neighbor, are way out of his league.

And then, Reese walks through his office door and makes him an offer. To say his jaw hits the floor is an understatement.

And he can’t believe what she just proposed...

Excerpt:

What are you wearing?

Her skin heated at the innuendo, and she felt her face flush, despite being alone. Feeling naughty, she shed her tank top and jeans and hopped in the shower. She didn’t have to answer him right away.

Twenty minutes later, with the water still dripping from her hair, she texted back,

Just got out of the shower.

His reply was immediate.

A picture’s worth a 1,000 words.

After applying her favorite lotion and sliding into her bra and underwear set, she scrolled through her phone until she found the silver shower head streaming water and sent that emoji.

A peach and clapping hands appeared, and it took her a moment to figure out the meaning. When she did, her nipples tightened.

She sent him back a French flag and lips. Shouldn’t they start slow?

His reply—the French flag, lips, and a honey pot— sent heat straight between her legs. No question, sex was happening. Tonight. And now, her underwear was as wet as her hair.

She took her time with the blow dryer and changed into a different underwear set. She hadn’t responded to his last text, but a new one came through. 

Meeting almost over. See you in the garden.

The man had been sexting from his boardroom? She sent him the snowflake.

He sent back the fire emoji.


About Marisa:


New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Marisa Cleveland understands the power of words, education, and the ability to communicate. With more than two decades in the education and publishing industry, Marisa is adamant about supporting efforts toward the betterment of the human condition. Toward that goal, she is a doctoral student documenting her discoveries at AlwaysAngling.org.

Marisa has led writing programs, chaired events and fundraisers, and mentored emerging bestselling authors through the literary agency where she works as the Strategic Communications Executive Director. Previous to entering the publishing industry, she gained experience in higher education administration, in secondary education, and in writing, including technical, grant, research, and dissertation analysis. She has been featured at various book festivals and participated on panels and in workshops focusing on diversity, civil discourse, communications, and the state of the publishing industry. She has five peer-reviewed academic publications, over twenty published book remarks in a regional newspaper, and eight published novels.

Gulfshore Business and D’Latinos magazines honored Marisa with the Arts and Culture 2015 FACE Award, celebrating diversity in Southwest Florida, and in 2014, Gulfshore Business selected her as a “Forty Under Forty” honoree.


Marisa is ridiculously adamant about supporting the cultural and performing arts. For over two decades, she coached athletes in gymnastics, cheerleading, dance, and diving. She is a member of the National Communication Association, an associate member of PRSA and the National Capital Chapter, a former board member for the Naples Press Club, a former board member for Southwest Florida Romance Writers, a Friend of CAPA, and a member of Romance Writers of America.

In college, she received the President’s Merit Award for her active participation in the Society for Advancement of Management, where she had the opportunity to develop her own philosophy of what makes innovative, professional leaders, and she was later inducted into Kappa Delta Pi‘s Nu Alpha chapter.

Currently completing her doctorate in organizational leadership studies from Northeastern University, Marisa has a master’s in educational administration, a bachelor’s in speech communications, and is a 2015 Leadership Marco Graduate.

She loves to connect with writers and readers through social media.




Giveaway Details:


1 winner will win a $15 Amazon GC, International.

Monday, September 9, 2019

Blog Tour- CATCHING HER HEART by Jody Holford With Teasers & A Giveaway!




I am stoked to be hosting a stop on the blog tour for CATCHING HER HEART by Jody Holford! I have an excerpt to share with you today check it out and enter to win the giveaway below!

About The Book:




Title: CATCHING HER HEART
Author: Jody Holford
Pub. Date: September 9, 2018
Publisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC (Bliss)
Formats: Paperback, eBook
Pages: 289
Find it: GoodreadsAmazonKindleB&NiBooksKobo

When a beautiful brunette driver meets Nashville Slammers catcher, Sawyer McBain, at the airport, he figures it's his lucky day. Sure, he's usually pretty guarded around people, especially after what happened with his ex, but he can definitely enjoy the car ride. Until she passes his apartment...and keeps driving. All of a sudden the woman seems a lot less like romance material and a lot more like a kidnapper. What gives?

Slammers executive Addison Carlisle needs one little favor. Sure, she may have kinda maybe kidnapped one of her professional baseball players, but it’s for a really good cause. She desperately needs someone high-profile to auction off that night for the multiple sclerosis society she’s chairing, but he insists he wants a favor in return.

Soon Addie and Sawyer are trading completely ridiculous I.O.U.s, like being his plus-one to his grandmother's poker game or keeping each other company at the driving range. But when their agreement goes from flirty to fiery, neither is ready to let their guard down for a shot at love.

Each book in the For Love of the Game series is STANDALONE:
* Covering All the Bases

* Catching Her Heart

Now on to the teasers!










About Jody:
I'm a mom and wife first and many things after. I'm a best friend and a regular friend. A daughter, sister, auntie, and a teacher. I am a book lover, a shopper, a pajama-wearer, movie-watcher, worrier, over-thinker, and a wanna-be-good-Samaritan. I'm a Gemini, a nervous talker, and an emotional writer. I am represented by Frances Black of Literary Counsel.


Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a $15 Amazon Gift Card, International.



  
Tour Schedule:
Week One:
9/9/2019- BookHounds- Excerpt
9/9/2019- Two Chicks on Books- Excerpt

9/10/2019- Simply Daniel Radcliffe- Review
9/10/2019- Colorimetry- Excerpt

9/11/2019- Southern Girl Bookaholic- Review
9/11/2019- Abooktropolis- Review

9/12/2019- Novel Novice- Review
9/12/2019- Jaime's World- Excerpt

9/13/2019- Books a Plenty Book Reviews- Review

9/13/2019- Smada's Book Smack- Excerpt

Thursday, May 16, 2019

Blog Tour- WHAT WE DO FOR LOVE by Anne Pfeffer With an Excerpt and a $25 Amazon GC Giveaway!




I am happy to be hosting a stop on the blog tour for WHAT WE DO FOR LOVE by Anne Pfeffer! I have an excerpt with you today check it out and enter to win the giveaway below!

About The Book:


Title: WHAT WE DO FOR LOVE
Author: Anne Pfeffer
Pub. Date: May 21, 2019
Publisher: Bold Print Press
Formats: Paperback, eBook
Pages: 208
Find it: GoodreadsAmazon

"If Lorelai Gilmore of Gilmore Girls was dropped into a thriller, it might resemble this appealing novel." --Kirkus Reviews 

Thirty-eight-year-old Nicole Adams has given up on finding love. The single mother focuses on the two things she cherishes most—her sixteen-year-old son Justin and her art—while relying on the support of her friends Mike and Jamie and her loyal sister Caroline.

When she convinces a prominent Los Angeles museum to feature a large-scale installation of her ceramics work, she thinks her life has finally turned a corner.

Then Justin brings a girl, Daniela, home to spend the night. Daniela’s angry parents have thrown her out of the house because she’s pregnant with Justin’s child. Shattered, Nicole takes Daniela in and by doing so is drawn into the inner circle of Daniela’s family and a frightening world of deceit and violence.

Nicole struggles to keep life going as normal. Forced to deal with people she doesn’t trust or like, fearful for the future of both her son and the grandchild they’re expecting, Nicole wonders if she can do what she tells Justin to do: always have faith in yourself and do the right thing.

What We Do for Love: A Novel is a standalone story written by award-winning author Anne Pfeffer.

What We Do for Love is Winner of the Chick Lit category in the 2019 Next Generation Indie Book Awards!   It’s also a Finalist in Best Cover Design / Fiction. 

WHAT WE DO FOR LOVE will be free on Amazon on May 22-24! 





Now on to the excerpt!



Chapter 1
Funny how one’s life can make a U-turn.

My life made two. In a single day.

I started that day as a mere potter—yes, a person who handmakes vases and dinner plates for a living—wearing borrowed clothes and driving to the most important interview of my life. A few hours later came U-turn number one: the board of directors of CCMLA, the Contemporary Crafts Museum of Los Angeles, offered me a place in their upcoming show!

In an instant, I had become an artist. I pondered this fact wonderingly as I drove home that afternoon. I was to provide them with a brand-new, never-before-seen mural in ceramics, an installation piece. My wall would be located at the entrance to the exhibit, the first thing you saw as you walked in. This was my chance, an incredible opportunity.

I was an artist!

It didn’t bother me that desperation clearly underlay the board’s decision. All the better when I saved the day with a great contribution to their show.

I hoped.

Flushed with success, I revved my ancient Toyota, Bernice, up to twenty-two miles per hour. We practically skipped over the potholes as we barreled our way up the Trail of Terror. This was the name my son Justin had given the rutted, one-lane road that wound its way up the side of Laurel Canyon to our house.

Of course, I was a fill-in, hired at the last minute. I’d gotten this job when Miriam Fletcher, a customer of mine who happened to be on the museum board, moaned to me that an artist had dropped out of a show scheduled to open in six weeks. “We’re in such a pickle! We don’t know what to do!” 
Though her crepey neck revealed a senior citizen, Miriam otherwise projected youth, running long acrylic nails through her cropped, bleached, and spiked hair, her copper earrings swinging.
My cue to pipe up. “I’m sure I could help you.”

Miriam trained her eyes upon me. She had recently ordered customized handmade pieces from me to give to her granddaughters— a miniature tea set for the youngest and a statuette of a mermaid for her older sister.

“You do such beautiful ceramics work, Nicole.”

“What you’ve seen is my commercial work, which I do through my business Clayworks. I create as an artist under my own name.” That is, I hoped to create as an artist under my own name, if I could ever get the proper start.

And now I had. I could hardly wait to tell my son the news. After sixteen years of single motherhood and hard work, struggling to support myself and Justin, I couldn’t blow this chance. And yet, I’d never done anything like this before.

A twelve-by-nine-foot mural. In just six weeks.

You can do this, I told myself. I had to. Letting the museum— and myself—down was unthinkable.
I could practically hear the snap-crackle-pop of my nerves.

I pulled into what we called the car park, an open space situated beside the house at the top of the Trail of Terror, big enough to park a half dozen cars. Justin’s Ford Focus wasn’t there.

When he got home from school, which should be any minute, we would raise a toast, our champagne glasses filled with sparkling apple cider.

The day was unseasonably hot, and I was boiling in Bernice, her air conditioner long dead. Thank heavens my hair had stayed up all day in the deliberately loose knot that I’d coaxed it into this morning, with pretty little bits of hair hanging down around my face. A chignon, according to the YouTube tutorial. One more degree of humidity and my whole head would have coiled itself into a giant Brillo pad right there before the entire board of directors.

And thank goodness I’d been able to borrow my sister’s striking red-and-orange color-blocked linen dress, which had given me just the boost of artist/business woman confidence that I’d needed. Now though, its linen skirt was hopelessly creased and hiking up around my hips. I bounded out of the car and proceeded along the circuitous route that we all used to enter the house, going through the rickety side gate and past what was technically our front door, which no one ever opened. Instead, I followed the path that ran alongside the house toward the yard and pool, giving a glance to my irises and roses, which grew under our bedroom windows.

The white, yellow, and purple irises stood tall and elegant, but it was the roses I really loved—the fluttery, homegrown variety that came in every color of the sunrise. I would have to harvest some for tonight’s dinner table.

As I reached the yard, I stepped from the cool shade of the side path into direct, hot sunshine. The sliver of Los Angeles ahead of me that appeared on clear days like this one, the perfume of herbs and blooming plants, the swimming pool that shimmered invitingly— except for my college years, this had been home all my life. Along with my sister Caroline, I’d inherited the small, dilapidated house on its magnificent parcel of land in the Hollywood Hills. At today’s prices, neither of us could have ever afforded to buy it.

Entering the house as always through the French doors off the living room, I waltzed into my bedroom. It was the beginning of a new era. Soon, there would be no more making pottery on consignment. No more sets of dinnerware for twelve.

I shouldn’t get ahead of myself. Of course, I would continue to operate Clayworks. Those dinner sets paid the bills after all. Still, though, there was now a chance I could taper off the business over time, if I could sell some of my more creative pieces. Imagine me, finally, at age thirty-eight, beginning to show in museums and galleries.

I changed into my regular daywear—a sleeveless cotton blouse, long flowy skirt in the coolest featherlight cotton, and Teva sandals.

My old friend Mike Sawyer would be over to eat with Justin and me as he did most weeks, once or twice. Maybe I’d give them both my wonderful news at the same time.

No, I couldn’t wait that long to spread the news. I knew I would tell Justin the minute he walked in.
Hearing the muffled noise of a door opening, I sprinted to the kitchen, where my son, home at last, would for sure want to hear all about it.



I stopped short when I saw that Justin was not alone.







About Anne:
Award-winning novelist Anne Pfeffer grew up in Phoenix, Arizona reading prodigiously, riding horses, and avoiding rattlesnakes and scorpions. After living in Chicago and New York, she escaped back to the land of sunshine in Los Angeles. She has worked in banking and as a pro bono attorney, representing abandoned children in adoption and guardianship proceedings. Anne has a daughter living in New York and is the author of four books in the YA/New Adult genres.











Giveaway Details:
1 winner will receive a $25 Amazon GC, International.





Tour Schedule:
Week One:
5/6/2019- Jena Brown WritesReview
5/6/2019- Lone Tree ReviewsReview

5/7/2019- BookHoundsExcerpt
5/7/2019- Rainy Day ReviewsExcerpt

5/8/2019- Life With No PlotReview
5/8/2019- Lisa-Queen of RandomSpotlight

5/9/2019- Novel Novice- Excerpt

5/10/2019- Lifestyle Of MeReview
5/10/2019- A Dream Within A DreamExcerpt

Week Two:
5/13/2019- the suburban lifestyleReview
5/13/2019- Wonder StruckReview

5/14/2019- Tyto ForestSpotlight
5/14/2019- ColorimetryExcerpt

5/15/2019- Lisa Loves LiteratureSpotlight
5/15/2019- Daily Waffle - Spotlight

5/16/2019- Books A-Brewin'Excerpt
5/16/2019- Two Chicks on BooksExcerpt

5/17/2019- Jaime's WorldExcerpt
5/17/2019- ParajunkeeSpotlight

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