Natalina Reis's Blog, page 53

Breaking Hearts-Cover Reveal

BREAKING HEARTS by S. Briones Lim
B. BOY SERIES #2
Release Date: June 28, 2016
Publisher: Limitless Publishing
 Cover Designer: REDBIRD DESIGNS



— SYNOPSIS —
Estelle Donovan knew college would force her out of her wallflower ways—but she never dreamed how far…

Known as shy and insecure, eighteen-year-old Estelle left for college with the hope it would bring an adventure of excitement and discovery, and give her plenty of room to spread her wings. But she couldn’t have predicted how many changes she’d face—or that one of them would be named Jacob…
 
Jacob Silas—or B-Boy Spinja, as he’s called—isn’t just another college heartthrob…

After meeting Jacob, Estelle is determined to win his heart. When she stumbles into his world of breakdance, she falls in love with its culture, music, people, and most of all—the realm of competitive dance. For once in her life, the spotlight shines on her, forcing her out of her introvert ways.
 
But just like life, love is unpredictable…

When Estelle’s plan to win over Jacob backfires, even a new, exciting life can’t heal her broken heart. And as the years pass, Estelle lives with heartache of a once in a lifetime love slipping through her fingers.
 
Will they ever have a second chance at love? Or will Jacob continue with his dangerous trend of…
 
Breaking Hearts?



— B. BOY SERIES —
BREAKING PROMISES, Releasing May 31st!

— S. BRIONES LIM —
Thanks to her Mom’s unwavering devotion to read a childhood bedtime story to her every single night, S. BRIONES LIM’s love for books began before she could even speak.

Raised in Southern California, Lim initially dreamt of becoming an artist. After a Psychology Degree (Summa cum Laude), a stint in Art School, and a career in Advertising/Media she is finally diving back into her first love – books. As a self-renowned bookworm, Lim’s love for reading has inspired her to pen her own novels and hopes her readers will fall in love with her stories as much as she enjoys writing them.

Her obsessions include time with family, Cherry Coke, popcorn with jalapeños, watching movies and her dogs, Tobi and Roscoe. She currently lives in Virginia with her husband.

LIMITLESS PUBLISHING: http://www.limitlesspublishing.net/authors/s-briones-lim/
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/SBrionesLim
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/sbrioneslim
WEBSITE: https://sbrioneslimauthor.wordpress.com/
GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7155647.S_Briones_Lim

My Writing Room- Blog Challenge

#LifeBooksWriting

I don’t really have a writing room. I have a library with a desk where I could most likely write in comfort and relative peace. I also have an office with another desk where I have written in the past. However I very rarely write in any of these great spaces.

My regular writing “hang-out” is my couch with my tiny Ikea laptop table (see picture) or a single booth at Panera after work. I also write in the library once a week with my writing group.

I’m not sure why I prefer to write in the middle of everything when most writers prefer to write in solitude. I think life going on around me actually inspires me. It all started, I believe, when I decided to go back to school and take a second degree. I was a mother of two energetic boys and I quickly found out that if I tried to study or write papers at home, they would almost invariably get themselves in some kind of  trouble. I found a creative solution for this problem; I started taking them to Chuck E. Cheese’s where they could play for hours in a safe environment while I dove into my textbooks. It was chaos, but it sure beat having to get up every ten minutes to go get them out of trouble.

Panera is my favorite place to write. Having people around me (with the possible exception of those who watch videos on their phone super loudly) feeds my imagination, and the stories just seem to flow easier than anywhere else. The coffee helps, of course!

Where do you like to write and why?

 

 

ESCAPE by J.L. DRAKE

ESCAPE by J.L. DRAKE
Coming June 21st from Limitless Publishing!
|| COVER REVEAL & PRE-ORDER ||

ESCAPE by J.L. DRAKE
Blackstone Series #2
||| SYNOPSIS |||
One decision will haunt Blackstone soldier Keith for a lifetime…

Keith left behind the feisty love of his life, Lexi Klein, ten years ago when he chose to become a soldier and leave for Iraq, but after a tragedy struck Lexi’s family and Keith couldn’t come home, she felt abandoned. When Keith finally managed to make it back to Boston, Lexi had completely withdrawn from everyone, including him. She decides to end their relationship and move on.

Lexi has always owned Keith’s heart. He just didn’t know how much…

Keith returns to Boston years later for a wedding and finds out Lexi is dating the leader of the infamous Almas Perdidas Gang. Lexi is in over her head, and Keith will stop at nothing to keep her safe. Having never recovered from her broken heart, Lexi wants no part of his grand savior routine. She made her choice, and she has her own reasons to stick to her guns about it.

Keith fights to regain Lexi’s trust, but old wounds are slow to heal…

After Lexi is beaten for not following gang rules, Keith decides to take her on a trip to convince her once and for all to let him back in. But Lexi is holding on to one last secret, and it will change everything. Happiness comes at a price, and once the front Lexi put up comes crashing down, that price will be paid in blood.

Keith must make a decision. Does his loyalty lie with the military? Or with the woman he loves? Or has too much time and history been lost for them to make one…final…
 
Escape.
 


||| PRE-ORDER |||
AMAZON US: http://amzn.to/1THIZpD
AMAZON UK: http://amzn.to/1SZhHxQ

||| ABOUT THE AUTHOR |||
J. L. Drake was born and raised in Nova Scotia, Canada, later moving to Southern California where she lives with her husband and two children.

When she’s not writing she loves to spend time with her family, travelling or just enjoying a night at home. One thing you might notice in her books is her love for the four seasons. Growing up on the east coast of Canada the change in the seasons is in her blood and is often mentioned in her writing.

An avid reader of James Patterson, J.L. Drake has often found herself inspired by his many stories of mystery and intrigue.

She hopes you will enjoy her stories as much as she has enjoyed writing them.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JLDrakeauthor
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1K84TQw
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jodildrake_j
Website: http://www.authorjldrake.com/#home
Limitless: http://www.limitlesspublishing.net/authors/j-l-drake/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8300313.J_L_Drake
Instagram: http://instagram.com/j.l.drake

When First They Practice to Deceive

When First They Practice to Deceive
by Carolyn Laroche
Buy at Amazon here

 

All Jessy Wallace wants is a happy marriage, but her husband is a liar and in over his head…

Jessy has spent the last decade happily married to her husband, Sam. But when she finally lands a job at Dixie’s Place, a hole-in-the-wall diner, she learns not all is well in paradise. Officer Sam Wallace has been spending the majority of their marriage in the beds of other women. Fed up, Jessy kicks her husband to the curb.

The last thing she wants is another messy relationship…

Uncertain if her husband ever truly loved her, Jessy gets caught completely off guard by the intense attraction she feels for Trey Smith, the night cook at Dixie’s Place. But she recognizes some telltale signs, and discovers he’s an undercover FBI agent. Jessy curses herself for falling for another lawman. To make matters worse, her soon-to-be ex-husband might be involved with Trey’s case.

After the death of his wife, FBI agent Trey Smith has spent the last four years married to his work…

But when Jessy starts waitressing at the diner where he is working undercover, he falls head over heels for her. Her ex-husband, however, is one of the top suspects in Trey’s case, and all Trey wants to do is protect her. He can’t lose this once in a lifetime chance at love.

Jessy is the soon-to-be ex-wife of a suspected criminal.

Trey Smith is an undercover FBI agent.

Can their love overcome the odds, or will it all come crashing down under the weight of lies and deception?

 

Excerpt

Dixie dumped her packages on the counter with a grunt. “Where the hell is that cook? Trey!”

Trey’s appearance in the dining room was announced by the slam of the back door. His cheeks were red. Jessy caught sight of a cell phone sticking out of his shirt pocket. Trey rubbed his hands together.

“It’s mighty frosty out there tonight. Was just taking out the trash. You need something, Dix?”

“How many times have I told you not to call me that? It sounds too much like dicks.” She swatted at him but Trey sidestepped the hit.

“Aw lighten up, Dix, no one is going to think that of you.” Jessy experienced an annoying twinge of jealousy as Trey ran a long, lazy glance over Dixie’s body, making the woman flush a deep crimson which just made her look sexier. Jessy glanced down at her own, curveless frame and frowned. Life is so unfair.

“Just take this stuff into my office so I can sort it.”

“Sure thing. What’s in all these packages anyway?” Trey flipped open a box lid. “Christmas decorations?”

Dixie shrugged. “Well, yeah. It’s December.”

Trey rummaged around and pulled out an ornament of a tiny ballerina. “Shattered dreams going on the tree this year, Dixie?”

“Gimme that!” Dixie snatched the figure from Trey’s hand.

“Okay, so which one of us is the angel supposed to represent? Knowing all of you like I do, I have to go with the only logical conclusion. Me.”

“Yeah, ‘cause you’re a real angel all right.” Arnetta gave Trey a searing look, like the ones they write about in romance novels.

“You know nothing about my angel status.” Trey returned the angel to the box as he winked at Jessy. “That is a mystery that remains to be discovered. Oh wait, maybe this will help.”

“What is it?” Jessy, intrigued by the contents of the box as much as she was interested in just how much Arnetta knew about Trey’s status, stepped forward. Trey whipped around to face her, his hand on his head.

Only it wasn’t resting on his head. It held a little sprig of green vegetation in his hand and a grin on his face that rivaled that of the Chesire Cat. Mistletoe. Aw, crap.

“Oops, I’m stuck under some mistletoe. You know legend says I have to kiss the person nearest to me.” His eyes burned into Jessy’s skin as her cheeks heated to new proportions never before experienced.

“I don’t think that’s quite how it goes,” Arnetta said.

“Shut up! He’s about to have his meal!” Surrey whispered loudly behind Jessy.

“I think the legend says someone is supposed to kiss you.” Jessy looked into Trey’s eyes without blinking.

“Breaking legend is bad luck. Very, very bad luck.”

“I think you mean tradition. It’s bad luck to break tradition.”

“Legend. Tradition. Whatever. All I know is you are leaving me hanging and potentially exposing both of us to many years of pain and suffering.”

Jessy could feel three sets of female eyes on her, but she only cared about Trey’s. His eyes were so warm and so welcoming, and they were doing things to her insides so she couldn’t think straight.

“Well, I guess we wouldn’t want that.” She rose up slightly on tip toe, closing some of the height gap between them.

“No. I guess not.” He leaned forward, closing just a little more of the distance.

“It’s never a good idea to tempt the fates.” Jessy heard three breaths sucked in as one.

“Nope. Definitely not.”

Freezing air wrapped around them as the sounds of laughter and chatter suddenly filled the diner.

“Show’s over, folks. Time to make some money.” Dixie grabbed a few bags and headed to her office. “Trey! Get the rest of those boxes for me then get in the kitchen!”

Trey stepped back and lowered the mistletoe, never breaking eye contact with Jessy. “Yes, ma’am! I’m right behind you.”

He blew her a little kiss then stepped over to the counter, scooped up the boxes, and was gone before Jessy could remember to breathe.

Surrey was the first to grab up a notepad and take a table, but not before she whispered in Jessy’s ear, “Just like I said. Looks at you like his next meal.”

About the Author

Carolyn LaRoche grew up in snow country but fled the cold and ice several years ago. She now lives near the beach with her husband, their two boys, two finicky cats and one old dog. When she is not at the baseball field cheering on big hits and home runs, she is busy teaching science to unwilling teenagers.

Social Links:

Facebook   https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCarolynLaRoche

Blog:  http://carolynlarocheauthor.blogspot.com/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7734909.Carolyn_LaRoche 

Twitter: @CarolynLaRoche

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Carolyn-LaRoche

Caution: Whining Ahead

For the past week I have been a mess of self-pity and misery. After weeks of pushing myself like an evil overseer, I finally crashed. My energy level has dwindled to almost nothing, and my body has given up on me. Three days ago my neck lymph nodes swelled up making it very hard to swallow, and the rest of my body has been assailed by unexplained aches and pains. I know I am not really sick, just plain exhausted.

For the past few months (almost a year really) I have been waking up at six in the morning, going to work, writing during my lunchtime, running to the coffee shop after work, writing some more, and then writing and marketing my book at home until bedtime. This on top of my other every day responsibilities; teaching, cleaning, family and friends, appointments, and cooking. I have tried to go to yoga, but often my “responsibilities” have taken precedence over my general well-being and health. I go to bed after eleven, try to read for a few minutes to decompress, and normally go to sleep way after midnight.  I’m tired.

I want to be mothered. I want Sam Corra (We Will Always Have the Closet) to take care of me for a few days. I want to get home in the evening–after a day of constantly walking from my trailer/classroom to the main building and dealing with adorable but exhausting munchkins–and have someone say, “Sit there and relax. I will take care of dinner. Do you want a cup of coffee? Can I get you anything else?”

I want Jem (It Was Always You) to offer to go grocery shopping for me or run that package that’s been sitting on the kitchen table for weeks, to the post office. To tell me I deserve to rest and relax for a while.

I want to be mothered for a few days. Is that too much to ask? I have been mothering my men for over thirty years now. I think it’s not unreasonable to hope they can do the same for me for a few days. Sometimes it doesn’t pay to be the strong one. The one who never complains, the one who always keeps her cool, the comfort-giver, the problem-solver… I want someone to do that for me for a change.

I warned you this was a whining post. You thought I was joking, didn’t you?

An Abundance of Characters

Characters! I love characters. In fact, I love them so much my favorite stories are the ones where the plot is actually the characters themselves.

As a reader I need to connect at some level with the characters or I just end up hating the book no matter how riveting the story might be. Memorable characters for me span  many genres. Markus Zusak broke my heart with the amazing characters he created in The Book Thief. So did Khaled Hosseini in A Thousand Splendid Suns.

Kate Morton has a knack to wow me with her characters and do I even have to mention J.K. Rowlings and my beloved Harry Potter? One of my new favorite romance writers, Samatha Harris, has my reader’s devotion because her characters, Alex and Drew, are so likable and well-developed I feel I know them personally. And who does not like Prince Po in Kristin Cashore’s Graceling or Mare in Victoria Aveyard’s Red Queen?  Who could forget the  great young characters in any of John Green‘s books? Too many to mention…

I’m the same way with TV shows and movies. Action does not attract me at all. Give me a good British drama or comedy where the focus is on the characters and I am a happy camper. Of course, is like my hero when it comes to creating memorable TV characters. To this day, Buffy the Vampire Slayer remains my all-time favorite show. His short lived Firefly comes right behind it. For that same reason, I am a sucker for Masterpiece Theater on PBS. Grantchester and Call the Midwives have currently my undivided attention.

Maybe that’s why Jane Austen and the Brontë sisters are my favorite writers of all times. They wrote about the people, their way of thinking, their heartaches and their desires. My biggest wish as a writer is to be able to create characters that will hold the same pull so many have had on me.

What do you like the best in a story? Who are some of your favorite characters of all times?

Paranoid Writer

Writers are weird—or at least, this writer most definitely is.

I go to the library on the weekends to have a solid two hours of non-interrupted writing. I am normally joined by one or more members of my Sippy Cups and Semantics writing group. But once in a while, I end up being here by myself.

When that happens I can’t use the private room I always have reserved for us (the rules are that you have to have at least two people to be allowed to use it), so I end up in one of the cozy rooms of this amazing neighborhood library. It’s quiet and there aren’t that many people wandering around.

Today I am in the library alone. I set up just as I normally do, very anxious to go back to my WIP. You see, I am at the point in my novel where things radically change between my two MCs. It’s that moment that both the writer and the readers wait for more than half the book to get to. It’s the moment when your heart grows legs and climbs up your throat, grabs you by the neck and holds you hostage. I had started it at home and now I plan to finish it in this beautiful, sunbathed library.

Except, I can’t do it! Writing a love scene in a very public place is nerve wrecking. It’s almost as if you are the one making love right in front of everybody else. Every word you write has you looking around in all directions, paranoid, fearful of prying eyes, scared that one of the patrons may have developed telepathy.

Instead, you sit down and you write this blog to tell everyone what a weirdo you are, and wait anxiously for the time you leave this amazing place, so you can finish the beautiful, heart-wrenching scene—at least that’s how it sounds in your head—at home.

Has this ever happened to you or am I the only weird one in the world of fiction writing?

Name that Setting

 

My first novel, We Will Always Have the Closet, was set in beautiful Seattle and surrounding areas. I lived there for a few years, so the places and the atmosphere of my setting came naturally to me. My second novel is a fantasy and still the setting is very clear in my mind. When I lived in Africa I noticed how the big cities were in some places being reclaimed by the jungle, and how the animals still wondered the sidewalks as if they owned it.  So I used that image, fused with bits and pieces of folklore, to create a world in my head that it was every bit as real and clear to me as the place I live today.

So what happened with my current project? Why is it that over forty thousand words into the story, I still don’t have any idea where it is set? I have some places down pegged, such as the coffee shop they often go to, or the place where they are held, and even the forest where they hide. But where in the world exactly is this place? It’s here in the US for sure, but it really could be anywhere where there are urban areas and woods. Anywhere where there are coffee shops and yoga studios. Not very specific at all.

How come I had such a clear vision of the setting in my two first novels, but when it came to this one I got so lost in my characters and their relationships I forgot to pin point their location? Another good question is, is it really that important to know the story is in So-And-So city or is it more important to know the characters like to meet at the little quaint coffee shop down the street from the yoga studio they attend? Or that around the corner there is a unique little shop where the quirky owner will sell you potions to solve just about any problem in your life? Or that somewhere out of town, there are such thick forests, one could be lost within them for days?

As a reader, how much does knowing the exact location of the story’s setting really mean to you? For me it has never really mattered to me as a whole. It’s the details that have always caught and held my attention, but I often wonder how it is for others.

So, I hereby am asking you for your help in naming the city where my main characters and their sidekicks live. You won’t win anything but you will have the dubious satisfaction of seeing your choice of name featured in a possible future published book. Suggest away in the comments section. Remember. No real places and it will be the setting for a romantic comedy with a healthy dose of action and danger. Can’t wait to see what you come up with.

 

 

Red Night – Cover Reveal

RED NIGHT by RK Close
The Vampire Files Trilogy, #1
Paranormal Romance
Release Date: May 10, 2016
Publisher: Limitless Publishing
Cover Designer: Deranged Doctor Designs
— SYNOPSIS —
For five hundred years I have feasted on the blood of the innocent.
For centuries I have seduced beautiful victims into my bed.
And all this time, I have never gone without…

I am Zachariah…

While enduring endless days as an immortal, only one urge soothes my savage need.
 
Blood. 

I have consumed countless humans—I have witnessed mountains of corpses piled beneath my feet. But none more significant than the woman I once loved.

My heart was not the only one she captured, but it would be the last…

An inferior creature turned her heart against me—Adam. Such a pathetic identity to be named after the original creation of God, and always besting me in life. But in death—I am king.

I am far more treacherous.
I should be feared.
I demand to be remembered. 

And I am, for being known as the immortal who slayed the woman we both loved, and my rampage continues…

Now in the scorching desert, I find prey well worth the chase…

Samantha.

And my interest in this mortal runs deep. Adam has pursued me over the globe in search of revenge—but his own weaknesses have made him vulnerable. He’s taken to the striking mortal, which means only one thing.

She will be my next target. 

But this time, not for the taste of blood. I will take her as my own mate, and neither Adam, or anyone else, will stop me…

 

— MEET THE AUTHOR OF RED NIGHT! —

Hello! I’m RK Close, author of ‘The Red Trilogy’. ‘Red Night’ and ‘Red Moon’ are the first two books in the series. I write paranormal-romance & urban-fantasy with a hint of darkness and a dash of humor. Creating characters that my readers will fear, fall in love with, despise or cheer for, is what I love most about writing.


Ann Rice gets all the credit for my vampire addiction which started in my early twenties. Like so many others, I fell in love with her vampires first.

Originally from Kentucky, I’ve lived most of my life in Arizona where I met and married my true love. We were late to the game so we knocked out three ankle-biters in quick succession. We often joke that parenthood saved us from ourselves. Now we need to be saved from parenthood. *just kidding* We love our darling spawn.

When I’m not writing, I’m taking care of a busy family, dragging my butt to CrossFit, thinking about my stories or spending time with family and friends. My dream is to sell enough books to hire someone to clean our house and cook our meals. Okay, maybe that’s my family’s dream. I tend to get a little obsessed when I write.
Truthfully, I would love the opportunity to pull you into my world of strong independent females, mysterious vampires, noble hunters, hungry werewolves and seductive yet deadly fae. If you like paranormal-romance in a modern-urban setting with plenty of romantic tension, mystery and suspense, then my novels were written for you.

CONNECT WITH RK CLOSE: 
Limitless Publishing: http://www.limitlesspublishing.net/authors/rk-close/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rkclose/
Website: http://www.rkclosebooks.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RCKClose

Breaking Promises- Cover Reveal

BREAKING PROMISES by S. Briones Lim
Series: B-boy #1
Cover Designer: REDBIRD DESIGNS
Publisher: LIMITLESS PUBLISHING
Release Date: MAY 31, 2016
— SYNOPSIS —
After a devastating accident, Aurora Crane’s collegiate gymnastics career comes to an abrupt end…

Fighting to piece her life back together, Aurora packs up and transfers to California State to start anew. When she arrives, her focus is on schoolwork and choosing a new career. But to her surprise, destiny has other plans…

Sucked into the world of competitive breakdancing, Aurora comes toe-to-toe with the hottest B-Boy of them all…

An arrogant hothead, Mitch Adachi—or B-Boy Kickwit as he is more commonly known—has life all figured out. He breakdances all day, practicing for upcoming competitions that are sure to challenge his skills—which means he has no time for distractions.

When the new girl steps into the scene, he sees an opportunity he can’t pass up…

Besides finding Aurora devastatingly attractive, he can’t help but notice her skills. He quickly develops high hopes for the ex-gymnast, seeing her as the perfect potential crewmember for the impending high stakes Battle of the Crews competition. All she needs is some fine-tuning.

When the two commit to a business relationship, a different kind of passion kicks into high gear. There’s no denying they groove well together, but there’s a chance mixing high-stakes competition with a fierce romance might lead to…

Breaking Promises.



— S. BRIONES LIM —
Thanks to her Mom’s unwavering devotion to read a childhood bedtime story to her every single night, S. BRIONES LIM’s love for books began before she could even speak.

Raised in Southern California, Lim initially dreamt of becoming an artist. After a Psychology Degree (Summa cum Laude), a stint in Art School, and a career in Advertising/Media she is finally diving back into her first love – books. As a self-renowned bookworm, Lim’s love for reading has inspired her to pen her own novels and hopes her readers will fall in love with her stories as much as she enjoys writing them.

Her obsessions include time with family, Cherry Coke, popcorn with jalapeños, watching movies and her dogs, Tobi and Roscoe. She currently lives in Virginia with her husband.

LIMITLESS PUBLISHING: http://www.limitlesspublishing.net/authors/s-briones-lim/
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/SBrionesLim
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/sbrioneslim
WEBSITE: https://sbrioneslimauthor.wordpress.com/
GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7155647.S_Briones_Lim