Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Down by Contact Blog Tour & Giveaway






It's showtime.

After twelve years in the league, all Zach Murphy wants is a Super Bowl ring. He’s been about hard hits not smooth manners, about breaking quarterbacks not making small talk at cocktail parties. But now he’s shattered something else. After dumping a tray of drinks on the team owner’s snooty daughter and accidentally feeling up the Governor’s wife, his tenure with his team looks perilously short. And things are getting worse.

Life is looking up for Kelsie Carrington-Richmond. A onetime beauty pageant star and mean girl, she only recently stopped living out of her car. But those times have passed. Her finishing school for real men has a real shot, and the Seattle Lumberjacks have hired her to polish their roughest player.

Except…it’s Zach. Long ago she broke his heart. He’s just the beast she remembers—gruff, protective—but she’s nothing like the beauty from his past. Yet, getting knocked down happens, and getting back up makes a contender. And they both have the hearts of champions.



I have this little confession to make that will probably shock most of you because it’s more than obvious that I have a mouth like a sailor and sometimes my manners are so horrible Emily Post would be embarrassed.…. When I was a young girl my parents sent me to Etiquette School.  Yep, that’s right… I sat in a class room and learned all the ins and outs of perfect etiquette.   I learned everything from which fork to use during dinner to how to properly introduce yourself….  I was teased because of this, and quite frankly to this day if someone finds out they laugh.  I know it’s funny because I don’t use my “training” as I should but in social setting I can whip out that perfect etiquette charm as though it was something I use every day. 

So here’s why I confessed that little tidbit about myself… I can totally relate to Down by Contact.  I mean like relate to the point where the interactions between Kelsey and Zach (at least when it comes to her classes) remind me so much of myself and my husband.  Don’t get me wrong… my hubby has some fantastic manners and can pull out the charm so smoothly you’d almost think he was southern… but that wasn’t always the case.  I couldn’t tell you the number of times he has looked at a place setting with a look of horror because there was not only more than one fork… but more than one spoon.  But unlike Zach… my sweet man picked it all up pretty quick.

As for Down by Contact… I have to say it was an extremely enjoyable read.  Obviously I was able to relate to Kelsey but I was able to connect with both her and Zach.  I felt the love, the anger, the bitterness, the betrayal, and most of all the steamy hot chemistry.  But there was more to it than all of that….

The glimpses of Zach on the field or in the locker room interacting with his team mates was so realistic that I actually felt as though I was in that testosterone fueled atmosphere and I loved every second of it.   Watching Zach grow and learning more about the man that he is made me fall in love.  Sure he had this whole gruff exterior that I sometimes wanted to smack over the head with a frying pan…. But he was a hopeless romantic who had fallen for the girl he was meant to be with when he was in high school.  And even though that girl betrayed him in a way that would make most men run for their lives… he was able to forgive her and continue to love her. 

Then there was Kelsey and in all honesty I felt for that girl on so many levels that I just wanted to hug her and tell her it would all be okay and that even though things look bad right now on all fronts… it will all work out.  She was the kind of heroine that I love… she may have come from money and she may have been a mean girl in high school, but she was strong and she worked for what she had in the end.  It may have taken her years to see it… but she really was meant to be with Zach in every way and she was meant to be away from her horrible family.

Down by Contact is definitely one to check out.  Especially if you’re looking for a rough around the edges hero with  a heroine who is determined to shine. 

Giveaway: Jami is giving away all three of the Seattle Lumberjacks books to one winner from all the different tour stops

Excerpt:  

Kelsie Carrington glided across the room straight toward him. His Cactus Prairie High School crush here? In Seattle? What the fuck? Wasn’t halfway across the country far enough to escape her and those painful memories? He blinked several times, but there wasn’t a damn thing wrong with his vision. His one-date disaster balanced on a pair of heels so high the altitude should require an oxygen mask. Her blond hair shone as brightly as the gold in a coveted Super Bowl ring. Each graceful step of those long legs carried her closer to him.
He held his breath and prayed she didn’t recognize him. Just like old times, Kelsie looked right through him, as if he didn’t exist. Her patent beauty-queen smile was plastered across her perfectly made-up face. Damn, seeing her transported him back to being an awkward teenage boy who only fit in on the football field. Her fake smile reminded him how stupid he’d been to fall for her particular brand of poison. Her perfect face dredged up a shitload of painful emotions.
Oh, yeah, painful all right. Zach Murphy had fallen in love once and been carried out of the game on a stretcher. He’d stick with football. Football gave him life, while women sucked the life out of him. Football made sense to him. Women didn’t.
Especially this woman.
He glanced to either side to see if any of his teammates noticed the fucking bleeding heart dangling on his sleeve. They were too busy staring at Kelsie—she’d always had that effect on men. Well, except for the king of asshole quarterbacks, Tyler Harris. Zach gave Harris a few grudging points for tossing out his womanizer ways and only having eyes for his sassy girlfriend.
Yet something on Zach’s face must have clued Harris in. Like a hungry hyena catching the scent of wounded prey, Harris’s sharp gaze moved from Zach to Kelsie and back again. The quarterback possessed this uncanny ability to dissect an enemy’s weakness—and despite being teammates, they were enemies. One corner of the fuckhead’s mouth turned up in a knowing smirk. He nodded briefly at Zach and returned to his conversation with his hot little girlfriend, even though Zach knew damn well the jerk kept one eye on him.
Ignoring Harris, Zach scratched his chin and studied Kelsie. What the hell was the cause of his most humiliating moment in a lifetime of humiliating moments doing here a thousand miles from Texas, invading his territory?
He blinked a few times and looked again. Really looked beyond the beauty-queen face and body. Something was very wrong with this picture. A loaded tray of drinks teetered precariously on the palm of Kelsie’s raised hand as she moved in and out of the crowd. Rich girl Kel had never worked a real job in her life. Yet, he doubted she was serving drinks just for the unique opportunity to slum with the common folk.
Damn, maybe his life wasn’t the only thing that’d changed.
Kelsie scanned the room then did a double take. Their eyes met and crashed with the intensity of a wrong-way collision on I-5. The fake smile faltered. The gliding stopped. She looked around the room as if planning an escape route. Then she straightened her shoulders and turned on the charm, gracing him with her halogen smile—perfect white teeth and hot red lips. Really hot. As if she were happy to see him.
Bullshit.
Zach scowled his best don’t-fuck-with-me scowl.
Kelsie faltered. Her stride went from graceful to jerky. The smile slipped off her face, replaced by what appeared to be panic. She pivoted on her impossibly high heels and fired up the after-burners.
Oh, no, she wasn’t getting away this easily. Zach jumped to his feet and gave chase, single-mindedly focused on confronting her, something he’d been dying to do since his senior year of high school. Yeah, stupid idea, but he’d never been one for thinking before reacting, a trait which worked well in football, not so well in real life.
She glanced over her shoulder, her blue eyes filled with what looked like fear, as if she expected him to do physical damage to her or some stupid-assed thing like that.
Zach cornered her near the head table. Kelsie changed directions and charged past him. He spun around to follow, refusing to let her off that easily. He clipped her full tray drinks with his elbow. She lurched with the tray, but it was too late. Helpless, Zach watched the disaster happen in slow motion.
The tray teetered back and forth, as Kelsie desperately fought to gain control. The tray won. Glasses of wine sprayed red, white, and pink across the tablecloth, looking like a tie-dye session gone mad. Goblets shattered. Women screamed as wine drenched expensive evening gowns. The team owner leapt to his feet, his sputtering laced with profanity as red wine coated his custom-tux and white shirt. His spoiled daughter, Veronica, didn’t hold anything back either, loudly insulting the size of Zach’s brain and his dick. Closest to the debacle, the governor’s wife leapt to her feet, her low-cut sequined evening gown hung on her like a limp rag. Red wine and mimosas dribbled down her neck and chest and disappeared in her cleavage. Zach grabbed a napkin and desperately blotted at the wine. In his panic, he swiped the napkin across the plump mounds of her breasts. She screamed as if he’d purposely groped her. HughJack, the team’s head coach, grabbed him and pulled him away.
“I’m sorry. Oh, fucking hell. I’m so sorry.” Zach wanted to crawl under the nearest boulder.
“What did you think you were doing?” Coach spoke in that deadly calm, quiet voice that struck fear in the meanest of linemen. Zach preferred HughJack’s ranting and notorious clipboard throwing to that voice.
“I—I don’t know. I’m sorry.”
Veronica, still sputtering and looking for blood, turned on Kelsie. “You! How could you be so stupid?”
“I—I—” Kelsie shoved her fist in her mouth, obviously horrified at the carnage she’d helped cause. She lifted her gaze to Zach’s. Anger blazed in her stormy blue eyes.
Wait one fucking minute. She blamed him? He hadn’t done one damn thing other than be where he was supposed to be—a charity benefit for a charity whose name he couldn’t even remember. She was the one who didn’t belong here.
Jerking her gaze away from his, Kelsie dropped to the floor and started wiping up the mess with any napkin she could confiscate from the nearby tables. Several other staff joined in the fray, wiping tables, cleaning up the mess, and comforting wet, angry guests.
Zach debated on whether or not to fade into the background or make her night that much worse. Once again, she’d made him look like a backwards hick, her special talent.
A fat, sweating chef with chocolate stains on his white apron waddled out of the kitchen and spoke in a harsh whisper to Kelsie. “You idiot. Did you do this?”
Kelsie didn’t look up, just worked frantically to clean up the mess. The chef bent down and pointed a pudgy finger in her direction. “You’re fired. Get the hell out of here. I’ll be contacting you for reimbursement for the damages.” He kept his voice low, but Zach heard him.
Zach stepped forward, a knight not exactly comfortable in his dinner-jacket armor. “Apologize to the lady. It was an accident, and your behavior is abusive.”
The chef gritted his teeth and spoke loud enough for only Zach to hear. “Who the hell are you? Some dumb jock? You probably beat up your girlfriend on a regular basis. And you accuse me of abuse?”
Zach exploded and charged. Just before he made contact, two defensive linemen, big suckers, yanked him backward and pinned his arms behind his back. Zach lunged at the fat chef again, dragging the linemen with him. More teammates jumped into the fray and held him back. Several others restrained the chef, who hurled accusations at Zach and Kelsie.
“Stop it, you dumb shit.” Harris smacked Zach on the arm none too gently. Zach grunted and squinted into the harsh light glaring in his eyes. Someone had a camera trained on him.
Harris stepped in front of Zach, blocked the cameraman, and faced the furious cook. “Let’s calm down and be civilized. It was an accident.” He spoke in an aside to his teammates. “Let them go.” The men did as Harris ordered. The cook made a move toward Zach but Harris countered it, placing his body between the two dueling men. He put his hand on Zach’s chest and pushed. Zach staggered back a step, reining in his temper.
He’d done it again. Screwed up in a social situation and dragged the whole team down with him. His new team. The ones who were counting on him to be a leader on and off the field. He’d led them, all right, almost into a brawl.




 

Monday, April 29, 2013

Cover Reveal & Giveaway: All My Life

All My Life by Rucy Ban





Seventeen-year-old Kari meets Neil Mars. “Neil as in Armstrong and Mars…as in Bruno.” A boy who beats every vampire, werewolf, highlander fantasy Kari has ever had. But she knows she can’t get close to him. Not ever. Because that would mean telling him everything. Coming clean. And Kari can’t bear the idea of changing the way Neil looks at her. Like she’s the only girl in the world. His reverence is something too precious to lose. Perhaps even at the cost of losing him.

But Kari doesn't know why Neil calls her his ‘Angel’ and when she finds out, she realizes what love is all about. Boundless joy, unending longing and a fuckload of heartache.


Excerpt:


“I can take care of myself,” I tell him.
His lips twitch in response. “Oh, I’m sure you can, little shrub.”
“You are warned!” I take my voice down a notch and point my ring at him, “I’ll tunnel your leathery knighthood right out of this galaxy!”
Neil suddenly halts in his tracks and pins me down with his eyes. “Batman vs. Green Lantern? Batman wins. Every. Single. Time.”
“Ohmygod! So not true. In the…”
He cuts me. “One word…yellow.” I stare at him with my mouth half-open.
“‘Nuff said,” he says smugly and then tugs on my hand.


About the Author:
Rucy Ban was born in 1978 and still continues to thrive. Ever since she first met Francine (the protagonist of her favorite novel, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn), Rucy fell in love with the written word. Rucy has a B-school degree in Marketing which she now puts to good use teaching lovable rowdy rogues and negotiating with her equally belligerent adolescent. In her previous avatar, she handled corporate communications for companies. At present, Rucy lives in Sao Paulo, travels often, speaks decent, if not quite fluent, Portuguese and really hates talking about herself in third person.  


Giveaway: 
Rucy is giving away an ARC of All My Life and a $35 PayPal credit.  Open internationally.  Enter the rafflecopter below & Good Luck!



Friday, April 26, 2013

Waiting on Forever Blog Tour


College.

Parties, sororities and getting drunk.

Oh, yeah. And learning.

This may be true for most college students, but not for Leah Bennett. College life for her includes studying, working, and excelling in school. When it comes to the social ladder, Leah is at the bottom. Popular girls, hot guys and star athletes are of no importance to her, except for one.

Matthew Jacobs.

Matt is the starting wide receiver at SUNY Cortland, the most wanted guy on campus and Leah’s best friend. Although Leah’s feelings toward Matt run deeper than just a friendship, it is something she would never let be heard because the odds of someone like Matthew Jacobs going for someone like Leah Bennett are slim to none.

When Matt starts showing an interest in Leah that goes beyond friendship, she is dumbfounded and doesn’t believe it is possible – until one weekend that changes everything.

Will Matt and Leah’s popularity status get in the way of having a chance at a real relationship?

Or does status mean nothing when it comes to true love?

Cute!  Seriously Cute! Waiting on Forever is one of those feel good books that shows the beauty of a girl who doesn't think she's good enough and a boy who sees how beautiful she really is... inside and out!

Leah is a sweet girl who majorly lacks in the confidence department when it comes to boys that are interested in her.  She's one of those characters that every girl can relate to in one way or another.  She's easy to love, she's smart, she's loyal, and she's compassionate.  She finds a friend in a boy that she never could have imagined finding a friend in and when that boy shows an interest beyond the friendship Leah is convinced it will ever be... she finds one of the sweetest loves she ever could have hoped for.

Matt is the opposite of your average jock.  He's hot but I have to say the way he acts towards everyone, especially Leah, made him even hotter.  He sees exactly what he wants in his forever girl in Leah and he's determined to do whatever it takes to keep her.  He's fiercely loyal and protective.  He's beyond sweet and has this way with words that just make you want to lick him.

When Matt and Leah go from friends to something more... the chemistry is over powering, the love is more than obvious, and the friendship gets even stronger. Sure there were little hiccups in their relationship, things both of them had to overcome but the drama between the two was minimal and caused because of jealousy of others.

Waiting on Forever is one of those books that will stay on my re-read list... it's got all I could ask for in a feel good romance with just enough steamy heat to make my eyes go dreamy!  It's definitely one I recommend, especially if you're looking for a sweet romance that reminds you of how sweet it really is when a friendship is formed before falling in love.



Some may consider me a jack of all trades, but I consider myself well rounded.
I’ve waitressed, styled hair, answered phones and, most recently, worked full time as mom to my two beautiful little boys.
Then there was this book…
Everyone and their brother started talking about this book series titled Fifty Shades of Grey by EL James.  I didn’t really pay attention to the craze at first, since I wasn’t a big reader- okay, I didn’t read at all.  But curiosity got the best of me, so I downloaded it to my kindle.
I was immediately hooked. I read the whole series in three days.  Yes, three books in three days.
I kept finding all these great books that I HAD to read (just ask my credit card!).
  Then I started hearing voices. Voices that turned into stories; stories that were begging to get out of my head.
I started writing them down on scraps of paper. Then I transferred them to my computer. Before I knew it, PLANNING ON FOREVER was born.
The voices in my head are still talking, so I’m still writing.
After high school I decided to give college a whirl, but found myself living back home after my first year.  I waitressed for a while then decided I wanted to try my hand at hairdressing. After graduating from cosmetology school, I worked in a salon for a couple of years.
I found myself hating the crazy salon hours so I quit hairdressing and started working in the medical field, answering phones.  Although working the nine to five thing gave me more of a social life, sitting at a desk answering phones was not my cup of tea.
Then came my husband, and the idea of going back to school.  That didn’t last long because I didn’t even finish a full semester.  Luckily, my husband works for a great company that I was able to get a job at, answering phones again. Not my career of choice, but it was a fun working environment.
This time instead of being bored with my career, I got pregnant, and leaving my precious bundle of joy home while I went to work was not going to happen, which leads me to today where I am a stay at home mom with two beautiful little boys.

Giveaways:  Make sure you enter the Rafflecopters below for your chance to win some amazing prizes!  Good Luck!


Happy Reading!

Straddling the Edge Blog Tour & Giveaway

Straddling-the-EdgeTour (1)


Summer McGallian … the scandalous home wrecker from Against the Wall and Between The Sheets. The one who stole her co-worker’s fiancé, the other woman, the one people whisper about and stay away from. Only for Summer, things aren't always as they appear and she knows that better than anyone. She hasn’t been herself since she was in high school, when life was less complicated and relationships weren’t about making compromises to land the guy. When her heart is broken, there's only one thing left for her to do … prove she isn't who everyone thinks she is. And maybe, just maybe, she can get back to being comfortable in her own skin again, without input from a man. But when she encounters Sexy Guy, Dean Michaels, everything Summer has ever known about the opposite sex is about to change.

Dean Michaels knew he’d seen her somewhere before. What he never imagined was that the gorgeous woman in a baseball cap and hooded sweatshirt tossing back a beer in his favorite spot could be Summer McGallian—the woman who always looked like she’d stepped off the pages of a glamour magazine when he’d seen her from afar at work. And to make matters worse, she’s Chase Marino’s ex, the one guy who gets under his skin like no other. If the thought of being someone’s bitch in jail wasn’t enough to scare him, he would’ve strangled that bastard years ago and tossed the body in the Mojave Desert. But forget about Chase … Dean knew from the moment he saw Summer’s sexy smile and heard her cute laugh, she had to be his. And he won't let anything get in the way of that.

The Against The Wall series isn’t just about steamy sex scenes and swoon-worthy romance, but about new friendships, undying love, and a ton of laughter. Enjoy the ride as you get to know and love Summer and Dean, just as you did Shelly and Matt, and Melissa and Tyler, in the final book, Straddling The Edge.





 
4/25/13 
4/26/13  
4/29/13  
4/30/13 
 5/1/13 
5/2/13  
5/3/13 
5/6/13  
5/7/13  
5/8/13  
 5/9/13  
 5/10/13 
5/13/13  
5/14/13  

Monday, April 15, 2013

Blog Tour: Date Me (The Keatyn Chronicles #3) Review & Giveaway

Author: Jillian Dodd

Title: Date Me (Keatyn Chronicles, #3)

Release date(s):

KISS ME was released November 28th, 2012 

DATE ME is anticipated to release April 9, 2013

Age Group: Mature YA

Genre: Romance

Tour organized by: AToMR Tours






I’m not scripting my life anymore.
I’m living it.
I’m done with the God of all Hotties.
I’m going to give my heart to the boy who I think deserves it.
The boy whose kisses are hotter than molten lava.
The boy who offered me the key to his heart.
The boy who asked me to Homecoming in a big, sexy way.

There are so many things to look forward to.
Parties at the Cave. Homecoming festivities. Drama Tryouts. Shopping trips to NY.
But things aren’t always as perfect as they seem.
I find out that my best friend has been keeping a secret from me.
Not that I can blame him.
I have secrets too.
But, for now, I’m going to pretend I’m just a normal girl.
I’m going to pretend he’s not still out there.
I’m going to pretend he’s not getting desperate.
I’m going to pretend I’ll never see him again.
But, I will.
And this time, I might not get away.


My Review of Date Me:

Oh. My. God.  That's pretty much all I can say right now because seriously.... Oh. My God!!!!  

I didn't think it was possible for the beautiful Jillian Dodd to suck me into Keatyn's life even more... but she did.  I feel like I'm right there with Keatyn experiencing all the love, friendships, heartbreak, drama, angst, confusion, ect.  I've been entirely consumed with Keatyn and I don't want out anytime soon.  As a matter of fact I'm already writing down ideas to bribe Jillian to give us Love Me (Book 4) like... yesterday!

Usually I'm not the biggest fan of series that follow the same characters because I have this issue with immediate gratification so of course I get discouraged when I find out I have to wait for however long to find out what will happen next... but that's not the case with this series.  With The Keatyn Chronicles it's like this sweet torture - I want more and I know I have to wait before I get it... but I also get to plot with the girls over on The Keatyn Chronicles Discussion Group about what may or may not happen next, who moon boy is, will Keatyn do this or that, ect.  It's fun and there is a lot of delicious eye candy going on ;)

As for Date Me... well here's what I'll tell you - Keatyn is becoming even more mature for her age, she's growing confident in some of the decisions she has to make in her life, but she's still staying the girl she wants to be... She is Keatyn!  She's that sweet, loveable girl that everyone wants to be friends with and not because she's pretty or popular, but because she really does have a heart and is determined to just be herself no matter what the cost!  I respect her for that, I admire her for that!

I would LOVE to give y'all the deets about Date Me, and trust me there is A LOT of details I'd kill to talk about, but I can't.  You need to experience this part of Keatyn's journey for yourself.

As for the boys.... Well, let's just say that even though I think Daweson is adorable he is definitely NOT Aiden, and book lovers... I am totally Team Aiden!  Riley is still Riley and I could totally crush on that boy.  Dallas is such a cutie he makes me want to pinch his cheeks.  Jake is a sweetheart.  Damian is like a ray of sunshine that you just want to soak up.  But Book Lovers - It's all about Aiden and his... well everything!

Now when does Love Me come out and if you have any good ideas to add to my bribery list to get Love Me to us even quicker.... let me know cause I'll be all over it!

Happy Reading!




Kiss Me (The Keatyn Chronicles #2)
I’ve always written scripts for my perfect life.
But no way could I have ever scripted this.
My life is so far from perfect, it’s not even funny.
All because of a stalker.

I’m at a boarding school, where I have to lie about who I am.
I can’t see my family.
I’m tutoring a hottie god that tortures me with his smile.
The most popular girl already hates me.
But there’s this boy.
This hot, sweet, sexy boy.
So I’m going to stop trying to script my life and just live it.
Because who knows how long I have left.




Check out my Review for Kiss Me, Book 2 (HERE) and Stalk Me, Book 1 (HERE)






Jillian is the author of the That Boy series and The Keatyn Chronicles. She grew up on a farm in Nebraska, where she developed a love for Midwestern boys and Nebraska football. She lives in Texas with her family.








Giveaways: 10 ebooks-winner's choice between STALK ME, KISS ME, or DATE ME. (INT) GRAND PRIZE: Signed set (STALK ME, KISS ME, DATE ME), swag, & T-shirt (US) 
a Rafflecopter giveaway