Review & Giveaway! Memories of the Heart by Felice Stevens

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Ruthless, Controlling, A Loner. All words used to describe Dr. Micah Steinberg by the hospital staff for their next head of surgery. When a letter arrives from his grandmother’s friend at the assisted living facility, his orderly world tilts dangerously out of control.

Josh Rosen had everything until it was revealed much of his world was a lie. Forced to re-evaluate his life, Josh gives up his career and returns home to New York City to care for his beloved grandmother. What Josh didn’t figure on was an attraction to a man who on the surface, appears to be exactly like the life Josh chose to leave behind.

As Micah struggles with the reality of his grandmother’s illness, the bond they share deepens, as Josh helps Micah heal, then open his heart. Micah discovers there is more to life than work, control and success. Josh is in deep but has yet to tell Micah who he really is.

When the fight for the hospital’s head of surgery turns ugly, Josh’s past and present collide. Micah must let go of the past and accept who he is, if his life is going to move forward.

Life is full of surprises, and as both Micah and Josh learn, love can happen whether you plan for it or not.

What can I say? I loved it! Micah and Josh captured my heart from the beginning.

Never receiving love from his parents during his childhood, Micah grew up to face more disappointment and now he keeps everyone at arm‘s length. He is unable to feel and doesn’t even want to try. His job is his life and he’s happy with how things are going.

Josh is trying to get his life back on track after being betrayed by the man he saw himself grow old with. He’s not ready for another relationship and he doesn’t want a man who reminds him of his ex.

But Josh meets arrogant, cold hearted Micah and sparks fly in more ways than one. 

I liked Josh’s strength. He’s ready to fight for what he wants even if there is no certainty that he won’t end up with his heart in pieces.

He fights for Micah and he doesn’t give up even when he’s pushed to the limit.

How can you not love a guy like that? His life hasn’t been easy either, but he never lost hope. He’s a fighter through and through.

Micah has his moments and Josh brings out something in him he never thought he had. He knows he can change and, deep down, he knows he can trust Josh but he’s too stubborn and, yes, afraid too.

There’s only so much rejection someone can handle before losing faith completely.

My heart hurt for him especially when he shows the enthusiasm of a child for a puppy. He craves love and attention but he doesn’t know how to handle them. He puts the walls up as soon as he’s out of his comfort zone.

Their story it’s beautiful and it will fill your heart with hope and warmth.

I love Felice’s books. She writes beautifully and her stories have a way to touch your soul and make you lose yourself in them until you feel like you’ve always known the characters. Their sadness brings you sadness and when they’re happy, you’re happy as well.

I can’t wait to read whatever story she’ll write next. Well done, Felice!

Happy Reading!!

I have always been a romantic at heart. I believe that while life is tough, there is always a happy ending just around the corner. I started reading traditional historical romances when I was a teenager, then life and law school got in the way. It wasn’t until I picked up a copy of Bertrice Small and became swept away to Queen Elizabeth’s court that my interest in romance novels became renewed.
But somewhere along the way, my tastes shifted. While I still enjoys a juicy Historical romance, I began experimenting with newer, more cutting edge genres and discovered the world of Male/Male romance. Once I picked up her first, I became so enamored of the authors, the character-driven stories and the overwhelming emotion of the books, I knew I wanted to write my own.
I live in New York City with my husband and two children and hopefully soon a cat of my own. My day begins with a lot of caffeine and ends with a glass or two of red wine. I practice law but daydream of a time when I can sit by a beach somewhere and write beautiful stories of men falling in love. Although there is bound to be angst along the way, a Happily Ever After is always guaranteed.

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Cover Reveal & Giveaway! My So Called Life, Love Not Included #3 by J.D. Hollyfield

Relase Date: April 2015

Life couldn’t be any brighter for art dealer Christina Daniels. At the top of her career, she has no problem flaunting just how perfect her little world has become.

When tragedy strikes back home, Christina is forced to put everything on hold to return back to a past she’s tried so hard to escape. Including a love she regrets letting go. Ian Whitman has only one regret and it was letting his first love walk out of his life. Now that she’s returned, his heart won’t give her up twice without a fight. As secrets are revealed, can Ian soothe her heart while convincing her that a place she tried so hard to run away from is the place she’s destined to stay? Will love get a second chance in the face of tragedy?

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J.D Hollyfield currently resides in the Midwest with her husband, son and three doxies. As a Creative Designer by day, she enjoys spending her spare time with her nose in a good book. This obsession inspired her to test out her own creative ability. With her love for romance books and a head full of book boyfriends, this encouraged her to bring her own story to life and create her first novel.

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Book Promo: Excerpt & Giveaway! The Trouble With Marrying a Movie Star, The Red Carpet #2 Z.N. Willett

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Genre: Adult, Contemporary Romance

Her most desired fantasies were finally being fulfilled, but at what cost?

Alexandria Moore's dreams have come true since she met actor Andrew Hughes. 

Yet, when it’s revealed that he is her muse, will it cause them to grow closer, or shatter the dream into a figment of her imagination?

Will her reality survive the fantasy she has created?

They have already overcome distance, adversity, jealousy and misunderstandings. Can their relationship survive public scrutiny, old flames, insecurities and now deception?

Flashes of bright lights so blinding, that when you close your eyes, all you see is bursts of light under your lids. Your ears begin to ring, as they try to decipher the loud voices that are screaming and yelling at you, until everything becomes a mumbled blur.

*****

Even though I could feel Andrew's hand as he pulled me through the crowd of paparazzi, at moments, I felt enclosed and alone. I felt somewhat alarmed by the frenzy of reporters that we had to walk past as we hurried to the ticket counter. I struggled to look up as camera flashes continued to assault my senses. This is what it feels like to have your picture taken without your consent—not knowing where it was going, or what they would do with it. Usually, it is a family member or friend on the other side of the lens. They capture a place, or time in your life that means something. You can always veto a lousy photo if you want, or laugh at the ones that have been taken. But this felt…wrong.

As we approached the counter, there was a woman in a red jacket that instantly greeted us. "I called security, Mr. Hughes." Andrew nodded, and greeted her with a handshake.

"Thank you. My Security Director wanted to leave someone with us, but I insisted that we would be fine."

Andrew looked at me apologetically. "My girlfriend has caused quite a stir," Andrew said, squeezing my hand tightly as he tried to make light of the situation.

She nodded in understanding. "Let’s get you two checked in, and I will escort you to the plane." She signaled to someone behind us. "It looks as if security has arrived."

I turned and saw four large men in uniform. One stood directly behind us while the other three directed the paparazzi to stay back.

Andrew asked for my passport and the agent checked us in. You could hear the shutters of the cameras capturing this mundane act. I turned my head, getting a better look at the men. When we had first stepped out of the taxi, I had shielded my eyes from the blinding lights as Andrew stressed to keep my head down. "Don't look at them, say nothing!" he shouted as he guided me along.

My anxiety grew at that thought, and suddenly, I felt light-headed. "Andrew…"

He turned his head, seeing my distress, and came to me immediately. "Andria, what is it?"

His eyes showed so much concern. Sadly, I wanted this…well, not this per se, but I had pushed for Andrew and me to be a real couple. Yet, I started to wonder if I might have bitten off more than I could chew.

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Z.N. Willett is the girl who has seen more than she has ever wanted; yet decided to add to that world by writing Hollywood romances. A northern girl, but a southerner at heart, loving anything and everything about love and romance. So much that once upon a time she had a career as a wedding and events coordinator. When Z.N. decided to do something she was passionate about, she added her love for travel to the mix. An avid shoeaholic, deep down she's a sappy romantic who happens to believe that love can truly conquer all.

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Book Blitz: Excerpt & Giveaway! Surf & Surrender, Summer Love #2 by Riley Edgewood

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She wants to forget he ever existed. He'd never give up her memory.

Quinn Westwood is completely over Sawyer Carson. He broke her heart years ago and disappeared from her life without a word. So yeah. She's over him. Never even thinks of him. In fact, she's spending her college summer break surfing and lifeguarding in the Outer Banks, while nursing a bruised heart from a different relationship gone wrong. She doesn't have room in her mind or heart for Sawyer—until she runs into him at a beach bonfire and the sparks that fly between them are way hotter than the flames heating the sand.

Sawyer never got over Quinn. The only thing stronger than what he feels for her is the secret keeping them apart, but sharing it would destroy more than just his life—it'd ruin hers, as well. Still, he can't seem to keep away from her, can't seem to keep his hands off of her soft, tempting skin. Especially since she has even less self-control when it comes to reigniting the physical side of what made them perfect together.

But secrets have a way of slipping out, and when Sawyer's is revealed it threatens to shatter everyone involved. He'll have to face walking away a second time, and Quinn will have to decide if fighting for him is worth it when the fallout could affect more than just her heart, but also those of the people she loves most.

Surf & Surrender is the second book in Riley Edgewood's Summer Love series, but can be read as a stand-alone novel.

"Lay off me." My brother fights my grip, but I've got two inches and thirty pounds on him. Plus, I'm sober. And pissed. 

I push his face closer to the stuff that's already permeating through my entire car. "What did I tell you about throwing up in here?"

He's really grappling against me now. And I'm really not budging. 

"Let me go and I'll tell you about Quinn." 

This—the shock jolting my system—loosens my grip more than anything else could. "What?"

He turns his face sideways to look up at me. I give him that much leeway. Because I'm still not sure I heard him right. Then he says, "I saw Quinn."

Fragments of memories barrel through my mind so fast I almost lose my breath. 

Long, slender fingers tracing hearts against my callused palms. A white daisy tucked into hair that's brown like autumn and windblown and trailing down her back for miles. 

The somehow both sweet and rough scents of salt water and sand. Laughter like sea glass wind chimes spinning in the breeze. 

I want to ask where? How? When?

I want to crack his skull open and climb into his memory to see her again.

I rub my face with my free hand to wipe it all away. "Goddamn it, Jess. She's the one person I told you we couldn't see if we came back."

"Two," he slurs, squirming on his knees. "Two people."

It's true. But she's the only one who matters. The only one who ever has. 

Quinn. 

Jesus. Just her name in my brain is enough to make my gut jump.

So I let go of Jess's neck. 

He face-plants into his own puke and comes up spitting, swearing. I shrug and try not to laugh at the horror in his expression. It's hard. Which means I'm out of the grip of the past. "You wanted me to let you go, so I did." 

"You're such a dick."

I can't deny it. Instead, I grab a beach towel from the backseat and let him use it to wipe off his face—and then my car. He gags the entire time, and nothing could bring me more pleasure.

"How'd she look?" I ask a few minutes and miles later. I don't expect an answer. The kid's eyes are closed so hard they look swollen. 

"Skinny," he slurs. "Stupid."

"You sure you weren't just looking in a mirror?"

He mumbles something I'm pretty sure is, "Fuck you," but I let it slide because I'm remembering in more than just splinters of snapshots. More than a hand or a laugh. Quinn. 

Skinny? Maybe. She's always been slight. 

Stupid? Not a chance in hell.

One of us would've run into her sooner or later. The Outer Banks is a big area, but the spots locals prefer are few. I'm surprised it's taken the two months it has.

Thing is, though, if it happened to Jess, then statistically my chances seem smaller now. "Goddamn it, Jess."

But he's snoring. And I shouldn't be asking about her anyhow.

I spend the rest of the ride trying to figure out how to get the smell out of my car—and quick, because I have a fucking date tonight. 

Riley lives in the DC area and spends most of her time with her characters, playing with her toddler and husband, and pretending she knows how to be an adult. Former dancer. Current writer. Lifelong lover of accessories, books, and the beach. And cats. Can't forget the kitties. Of which she has two.

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Release Day Blitz: Excerpt & Giveaway! Ethan Walker's Road to Wonderland

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At nineteen, the world has so many possibilities. 

Ethan Walker was a typical teenager in that respect. He was happy, living at home with his family and partying when the mood struck. He was in no rush to grow up. His life was a blank page just waiting to be written, but that couldn’t last forever. 

Unfortunately, reality came knocking at Ethan’s door, forcing him to face truths he’d never allowed himself to see in the past - truths that soon robbed him of his innocence and youth. With the life he’d always known gone forever, Ethan found himself battling demons in disguise, only to find his own weakness was his worst enemy. 

When temptation turned to indulgence, and the ghosts of his past encouraged him to dig deeper, Ethan sought salvation in the form of violence. His fists and fortitude became his bread and butter, but the new turn in his life rejected the familiar and opened the door to more evil.

Inevitably, the darkness tried to sink him, and there was only one constant light that somehow seemed to shine brighter than the promise of escape: the mystery girl with the golden hair. 

In order to survive, Ethan had to dig deep and find a strength in himself not even he was sure existed. Only when he found himself on a path to Wonderland did he start to see a future beyond his past. All he had to do to get there was learn to breathe and not get himself killed in the process. **Book 3 in the Road to Wonderland Series, Ethan Walker can be read in conjunction with Izzy Moffit's Road to Wonderland by Victoria L. James and Paris Hemsworth's Road to Wonderland by Francesca Marlow or standalone.

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From a young age L.J. Stock was led by her imagination. From the moment she could read she fell into worlds where trees could talk and little girls could move things with their minds. In no hurry to grow up, she found stories all around her, in the forests of Plym Bridge, the moss covered hills of Dartmoor, then, as she grew older, the wide spread city of Houston, where she currently resides and works. A constant daydreamer, she hopes that one day, her passion can become something more than just a hobby for her. Still led by her imagination, the worlds have slowly grown from childish adventures to urban fantasies and romances. With inspirational authors such as Enid Blyton, Roald Dahl, Judy Blume, John Grisham and Stephen King guiding her through her life so far, L.J. Stock has finally decided that it is time for her to go for gold and try land herself on someone else’s future list of favorites. Putting words on paper is as essential as breathing to her, but on the rare occasions that she isn’t writing, she can be found with a video game remote in hand or curled up on the couch with her pup and a good book. Music is also such an important part of her life, it’s a wonder there isn’t a background soundtrack playing wherever she goes. A good girl to most, a bad girl to a few, L.J. believes that every genre should be attempted and is more than likely to have tried to release three hundred series’ ranging from vampires and werewolves, to dystopian and even classic romance, before she reaches even middle age. At least, that’s the plan for now.

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Book Blitz: Excerpt & Giveaway! Hold by Claire Kent

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Find the strongest man there. Give yourself to him in return for protection. It’s the only way you’ll ever survive.

Convicted of a minor crime, Riana is sentenced to a prison planet—a dark primitive hold filled with convicts vying for power. Her only chance of survival is with Cain, a mysterious loner who has won his territory in the prison through intelligence and brute strength. Sex is all she has to offer, so she uses it. She’s under no delusions here. No one is ever released, and no one ever escapes. Survival is all she can hope for—until Cain.

An earlier version of this book was published under the same title and a different penname by Ellora’s Cave. It has since been substantially revised and expanded.

“Are you a whore?” Thorn asked blandly.

“No.” She was so surprised by the question that she managed to speak over the rancid texture in her mouth.

“Good. I don’t do whores, although they’re usually all we get down here. You have a good body, which is the only other thing I require in a woman. Two options.” His eyes—a very dark blue—narrowed as he explained, “Be my woman. Do what I tell you. I’ll keep you safe. Or, if you refuse, I’ll turn you over to the rest of them.”

He gestured back to “the rest of them.” Riana’s mind was in too great a blur to see distinct faces, but the rest of the prisoners seemed to be lurking just in the background, like a hungry pack of wolves.

“They’ll take turns using you until they’re bored. You won’t last the night.”

Riana knew his final words weren’t an exaggeration. It was possible some lesser alpha male might try to take her as his, but he probably wouldn’t be strong enough to keep her safe from the others for long.

“What’s your decision?” Thorn demanded, looking slightly annoyed at her hesitation.

This was the moment. The one that would decide her fate.

Common sense, social pressure, and nearly all the evidence told her to take Thorn up on his offer.

Let him fuck her. Let him keep her alive.

Riana glanced around the prison one more time, and her eyes landed on the barred cell of the loner whose name Davis hadn’t known. In the back of her mind, she’d noticed he’d stepped over to watch when she’d laid out the sleaze a minute ago.

Now he was standing silently, one hand resting loosely on a bar.

Her eyes met his for a few seconds, and she saw something there she hadn’t seen in anyone else’s here.

It wasn’t kindness or pity or mercy or anything soft.

She couldn’t really name what she’d seen, but it reminded her of independence.

She turned back to Thorn.

He was waiting, a smirk of pleased entitlement on his handsome face, as if he never doubted what her answer would be.

That did it. She ignored her reason and followed her instinct.

She turned on her heel and kicked out again, this time landing the blow right on Thorn’s hard, flat stomach.

He grunted and took a step backward, more in surprise than real pain.

It was a good kick, but there was no way she could outmaneuver him physically.

“I don’t want you or them,” Riana said loudly, turning her head to look back at the loner in his cell, giving him a significant gaze she could only hope he’d respond to.

A wash of rage transformed Thorn’s face, intensifying when other prisoners started to snicker a little.

Thorn advanced on her like a stalking animal. “We’ll go with the third alternative,” he gritted out. “I’ll take you first and then throw what’s left back to the rest of them.”

It wasn’t an idle threat. Riana knew he would act on it. She would be beaten and raped and then given to others who would do it to her again and again.

She looked back at the loner and felt a wave of absolute despair when she saw he’d turned his back. On her. On the rest of the prison.

He wasn’t going to respond after all.

Which meant there was absolutely no hope for her.

Claire has been writing romance novels since she was twelve years old. She has a PhD in British literature and, when she's not writing, she teaches English at the university level.

She also writes romance novels under the penname Noelle Adams.

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