Lori L. Clark's Blog, page 81

Blog Tour: The Summer Remains

Title: The Summer Remains
Author: Seth King
Release Date: Feb 14, 2015
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Twenty-four-year-old Summer Johnson knows two things. The first is that due to a quickly worsening medical condition, she faces a risky surgery in three months’ time that may very well end in her death. The second is that she would like to fall in love before then.

As spring sinks into her namesake season on the Florida coastline, Summer plays the odds and downloads a new dating app - and after one intriguing message from a beautiful surfer named Cooper Nichols, it becomes clear that the story of what may be her last few months under the sun is about to be completely revised. All she has to do now is write something worth reading.

Tender, honest, devastating and triumphant, The Summer Remains explores a very human battle being waged in a very digital age: the search for a love that will outlast this temporary borrowing of bones. In an era when many feel compelled to share and re-share anything about everything, prepare to feel a love so special, you will want to hug it close and make it yours forever.


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Chapter 1

On a sunny Tuesday morning towards the end of March, a white-haired man walked into a cold room and told me I might die soon.

I fidgeted on the hospital bed as Dr. Steinberg entered, the late-spring sunlight mocking me as smiled onto the industrial tile floors. I’d known Steinberg since I was four. He’d handled almost all of my throat problems, and I trusted him. He was like a second father to me, and I knew he would always tell me the truth.

That’s why the look on his face scared the living shit out of me.

I listened for the next ten minutes as he gave me the gist of the story. It was all so surreal that my mind could only catch certain phrases before the sentence would run away from me again:

Your esophagus has ruptured again, for good this time…

Your stomach is leaking more and more…

Toxicity levels are through the roof…

Your body just isn’t getting the nutrients it needs from your feeding tube any longer…

And finally, terminal.

“Terminal?” I heard myself squeak, my throat filling up with that weird, shivery feeling you get when you know your life has just changed. Steinberg suddenly became very interested in a fraying string on the sleeve of his jacket.

“T-terminal,” he stuttered. “Summer, the thing is…I’m afraid this is a…well, nobody has ever…”

He finally cleared his throat and met my gaze, tears pooling in the corners of his cerulean eyes. “Sweetheart, I am so sorry to tell you this, but this mountain may be unclimbable for you.”

My mother let out a small, sharp sob in the corner and then clapped her hands over her mouth.

“Okay, unclimbable,” I swallowed, staring down at the floor as I tried to grasp just what that word now meant to me and my family and this weird little life I had created for myself.  “Okay. Unclimbable. Okay.”

But Steinberg wasn’t done yet.

“Hold on. I said it may be unclimbable, not that it definitely will be. I want to prepare you, and I don’t want to give you any false hope, but there may be something we can do, Summer. It’s a small chance, but still, it’s a chance. A Hail Mary, if you will.”

I reached up to rub my temples. “Okay, well, survival sounds good. Better than death, I suppose. What is this Hail Mary?”

Steinberg crossed his arms, studied me for a moment, and then took out a chart and launched into a spiel about something called the Porter-Collins Procedure, an extremely major surgery that would perhaps be saving my life in three months’ time.

“Nobody has ever survived this particular operation,” he concluded a few minutes later, skipping all the medical jargon to keep from boring you to death, pardon my pun. “Nobody. It’s been attempted three times, but none of those were ultimately successful. One person survived for three months in intensive care, but she was fifty-one, and in frail health in general. We think you’re a much more viable candidate, but then again, there is no way to be sure. We can do it in two, maybe three months, after I assemble the specialists and create a game plan – considering your health doesn’t take another nosedive before then, that is. If we’re going to try this, we need you in tip-top shape – or as close to that as we can get you, anyway.”

“Okay,” I said again, sitting a little taller. “And what are the chances that this Hail Mary will even work, and that I won’t just die a few days later, anyway?”

He peered down at me from over his glasses. “I’m afraid to say that it would be stretching things to even tell you eighty/twenty.”

I steeled myself and took a breath. “Okay, well, that’s better than a hundred to zero. Let’s go out with a bang, then, Steinberg. Let’s do this.”

He threw up a fist, triumphant, but I could see the fear in his eyes. “It’s settled, then. Hail Mary it is.”

My mom rushed over to sit beside me and kind of hang onto my shoulder as some counselor woman came in who helped families handle these types of situations – “transitions,” she called them, and just hearing that word threatened to pull me under. Dr. Steinberg watched, an apology on his face, as she said things like “preparations” and “options” and “arrangements.” I tried to be polite and pay attention, but truthfully I didn’t give a damn about what she was saying. It was go time, and things were looking grim. I already knew that. The wet, metallic panic erupting in my stomach was due to an entirely different subject.

“And finally,” the counselor, Angie, said in a hushed, clipped, polite voice that spoke of years of having impossible conversations with worried families huddled in chilly waiting rooms, “I work very closely with Last Great Hope, a wonderful organization that specializes in situations like this, and if there is anything you want before the surgery, Summer – a trip to Tahiti, a cabin in the mountains, whatever – we can do it. Or if-”

“Thanks, but no thanks,” I said, making her stop short.

“Wh – excuse me?”

“Save the Disney trips for the twelve-year-olds,” I told her. “Spend all that money on a cancer kid or something; I know the truth about those fairy tales now. Make someone else happy – I’ve got everything I need. Or almost everything.” I paused as everyone leaned in. “I do have one request, actually. First of all, all of you are forgetting something vital.”

“Oh no, did we forget your milk?” my mom asked as she reached for her purse. “I thought I put some-”

“No, Shelly, we did not forget the baby milk I pump into my stomach tube every day to keep myself alive because my throat doesn’t work, but that does have something to do with it.”

As she pouted in my general direction I realized what a complete bitch I was being, and then I realized just as quickly that I probably wouldn’t be able to stop myself anyway.

“What is it, then?” my mom asked, stung, and I took a breath and then pushed it back out.

“Frankly, I need all of you to chill the fuck out.”

My mom dropped her purse onto her lap. Dr. Steinberg looked at me like I’d just tried to jump out of the third story window. Angie held her pen in midair and stared at me, the sun turning her brownish eyes ocher.

“Excuse me, young lady?” my mother asked. “We need to what?”

“Chill the eff out,” I said, editing my language the second time around. “Sorry, but all this emotion and drama and doom and gloom crap is already making me freak out. You’re all forgetting I’ve had a broken throat and a tube in my abdomen since I was in diapers, and that I can handle this. I’ve dealt with health scares before, and I will do it again, no matter how much scarier this Scare is than all the other Scares. Like, I know you’re trying to help and stuff, and I love you, but having meltdowns in front of me is not going to help me deal with all this, so please, I beg you, everyone take a deep breath, close your eyes, and get your panties out of a bunch.”

“We’re sorry,” my mom said after an impossibly long and awkward moment. “It’s just that we need to prepare you for…for what will happen, and-”

“Prepare me to die?” I asked. “Guess what, Shelly, I’m going to die one day, be it in three months or sixty years, and wasting all my time crying over it isn’t going to help. Here’s what I want, my one last wish – or my maybe-not-last wish, or whatever the hell this is.” A tear appeared in my mom’s eye, and I softened my voice as I reached up to wipe her cheek. “Okay. Before the surgery, I want to have a normal summer by the beach,” I began as I cleared her eye and shook the water from my finger. “I want to go to the sea and go to work and read my books and go about my business like usual without everyone breathing down my neck and treating me like A Broken Person, because if I am treated like A Broken Person for one more month of my life I will break some faces, no offense. Shelly, if you so much as make one special meal – I mean, not that I can eat or anything, because I can’t – anyway, I’m burning down the house. There will literally be a pile of smoldering ashes where your kitchen used to be, I promise.” Shelly pouted again, but I trudged through. “I’m serious, no special treatment. No Christmases in July, no excessive hugging, not even a midnight run to Target for some trinkets from the dollar section. And most of all…”

I looked around and, seeing sympathy in everyone’s eyes and knowing this request would be completely futile, said – “No sympathy. Please. The sympathy is what breaks me and makes me feel broken. If this is gonna be my last chance to live and have fun and be normal, then I’m going to need to feel as normal as possible, and that means absolutely no pity, because that separates me from everyone else and makes me Different with a capital D. And if I don’t stay in a good headspace I’m gonna spend the next three months in a fetal position in my closet having an endless anxiety attack about the surgery, so please work with me here and keep the pity locked up.”

A sigh and a smile. Shelly put her hand on mine. “I would never pity you, Summer. You’re the strongest person I know, and you always have been. You know that. We all know that. That’s not what this is about.”

I tried to smile back. “Thanks, Shelly.”

“Anytime. And can you please call me Mom, like a normal twenty-four-year-old?”

“Not a chance, Shelly.”

“Okay, fine. So, then…a Jax Beach summer? Is that really all you want?”

I paused as her words hung in the overly sanitized air. It wasn’t all, and I knew it. As I sat there I thought of the one thing I didn’t have, the one thing I’d never had, the one thing that screamed at me from the silence and jumped out at me from the shadows – and now that this upcoming summer had perhaps just become Summer’s Last Stand, my desire was suddenly more urgent than ever. I knew I wouldn’t be able to stop the longing from rising to my face, and as I felt the blood burn my cheeks I caught Steinberg’s eyes again, which just embarrassed me even more.

“Well, I mean, since you’re asking, there is one thing…”

“Anything!” Shelly and Dr. Steinberg said at exactly the same time, and I stared out of the window as my eyes got all weird and watery.

“Okay, well, I know something so sentimental is going to sound crazy coming from someone so…well, you know how I am…”

“Honest?” Steinberg offered, trying to be polite.

“Opinionated?” Shelly said.

“Brash?” Angie asked, even though she’d just met me ten minutes ago and it was literally beyond embarrassing that she already held that opinion of me.

“Headstrong and stubborn and annoying,” I finally said, shoving it out of the way, and they all nodded. “Anyway, here goes. Since you’re asking, the thing is…well, I’d like to fall in love.”

I looked down at the ground again as everyone in the room broke my most important rule already: I could feel their pity descending on me, smothering me just like it had my entire life, snuffing out any chance I had at being treated like a normal, living, breathing human, who deserved to love and be loved just like anyone else, as they say in the Hallmark cards.

“Oh, honey…” Steinberg sighed.

“It just wouldn’t be fair to someone…” my mother chimed in, just as Angie the counselor lady threw in her two cents, too.

“Sweetie, you have to understand, your situation is very serious. People get irrational during times like these, and if you get involved with someone and the worst happened, well-”

I crossed my fingers behind my back and shook my head. I’d known they’d react like this – why had I even tried in the first place? Some things, I knew, were just better left unshared.

“Yeah,” I said. “Okay, yeah, you guys are right. I’ll try to…put that off, I guess. For now. God knows I have tons of time to think about it – it’s not like I’m dying or anything.”

Everyone forced quick, fake laughs and then got back to business. Unbeknownst to them, however, my mind was quickly leaving the room, flying past the barren oak branches outside the window and soaring above the clouds to someplace only I knew. My desires could not be contained by the circumstances in this room, or by sickness, or even by reality in general, really. I wanted love more than anything – this was true, as much as it humiliated me to admit it. I’d wanted love ever since I was a cookie-cutter little girl being brainwashed by cookie-cutter Disney movies about cookie-cutter princes and princesses falling into cookie-cutter love and then prancing off to their cookie-cutter castles to live out their cookie-cutter lives. And strangely enough, this desire had only deepened after the fairy tale fantasies faded away and melted into a more grown up, real-world entity known as relationship FOMO, when my condition had rendered me an observer from the social media sidelines as everyone my age paired up and got engaged and married and pregnant and then shouted about it from the Facebook treetops as loud as their keyboards would let them while I sat there single as a nun with the flu. But I didn’t want that cookie cutter love from the Disney movies and my social media feeds. I didn’t want some run of the mill summer romance that would fizzle out as soon as the sunrays slanted in the fall and the Facebook Official status went to shit.

Because I, Summer Johnson, Purveyor of Pragmatism, Lover of Logic, Ultimate Believer in the Rational, and Person Who Was Maybe Going To Die Soon, wanted to drown in someone.






Seth King is a twenty-five-year-old author and artist.
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Book Review & Giveaway: Final Life

Title: Final Life

Author: Rose Garcia

Series: The Transhuman Chronicles #1

Nothing sucks more than being forced to move cross country during senior year. And Dominique Wells doesn't think things can get any worse until she's invited to a quirky neighbor's party. When pressured into playing a magical card game, Dominique's world goes from sucky to terrifying. She begins having visions of a red desert and an evil presence--a presence who hints at past lives and promises to kill her.



Plagued by fear and suspicion, and unaware of a family secret kept hidden from her, Dominique is determined to live. Together with a mysterious and gorgeous guy who's moved in while his parents are away, and a hot, popular guy from school, Dominique must seek clues to her past if she's to survive. That, and keep her emotions in check for the two guys she suddenly can't stop thinking about because if she doesn't, she'll be dead. For real.

Available on  Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
Lori's thoughts: **I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**

I enjoyed this book. I enjoyed all the supernatural dabblings. Tarot cards. Ouija Boards. I found the story very easy to get into and enjoyed reading about Dominique. I was immediately intrigued and found myself flipping pages to see what happened next. It was a fast read and I was hooked from the beginning. It will be interesting to see what happens next in the series. 



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ABOUT ROSE

Rose Garcia is a lawyer turned writer who's always been fascinated by science fiction and fantasy. From a very young age, she often had her nose buried in books about other-worlds, fantastical creatures, and life and death situations. More recently she's been intrigued by a blend of science fiction and reality, and the idea that some supernatural events are, indeed, very real. Fueled by her imagination, she created The Transhuman Chronicles--a series of books about people who have overcome human limitations.
Rose lives in Houston with her husband and two kids. You can visit Rose at www.rosegarciabooks.com

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GIVEAWAY

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Book Review: The Resurrection of Aubrey Miller

The Resurrection of Aubrey Miller by L.B. Simmons: Death.

For some, it's simply one of life's certainties, nothing more. For others, it's merely a fleeting thought, one often overshadowed by the reckless delusion that they have been blessed with the gift of immortality.

For Aubrey Miller, death is the definition of her very existence. Overcome with the guilt resulting from the loss of her beloved family, she alters her appearance from the once beautiful, blonde-haired, blue-eyed little girl to that of one shrouded in complete darkness, enveloping herself in her own unbreakable fortress of solitude as a form of protection for others.

As she enters her first year of college, her goal is simple: Earn a degree with the least amount of social interaction as possible. What she never anticipates is the formation of very unlikely relationships with two people who will change her life in ways she never believed possible: Quinn Matthews, the boisterous former pageant queen, and Kaeleb McMadden, a childhood friend from her past who never really let her go.

Over the years, as their connections intertwine and grow, a seemingly indestructible bond is formed between the three...

But when death painfully reemerges, Aubrey is lost once again, burying herself deeper than ever before inside the familiar fortification of her fears.

Will the refuge of friendship, the solidarity of life-long bonds, and the power of unconditional love be enough to do the impossible?

Will they be enough to finally bring about...

The Resurrection of Aubrey Miller?
Lori's thoughts: I've wanted to read this book since it was first released, but never got around to it. It was a good read and it touched on a whole lot of different issues. Depression, Anorexia, Bullying, etc. Aubrey/Raven was a complex girl who kept a lot of pain stashed deep inside. She had to deal with a lot of loss in her life and dealt with it the best way she knew. In spite of her not wanting to let anyone into her life, she still managed to be a pretty darn good friend to Quinn. I can't stomach mean girls or people who bully, and there were some moments that had me cheering. Think "wearing a crown of cereal." It's a warm, touching story that I really liked. I just didn't love it. But you should still read it. :)

Promo & Giveaway: Dark Phoenix

Title: Dark Phoenix
Author: Elise Faber
Series: Phoenix
Genre: Paranormal/New Adult
Publisher: Blue Tulip Publishing


From the author of Phoenix Rising, comes the second novel in the Phoenix Series. A tale of darkness, love, and mortal enemies...



Black magic. Immoral monsters. Death. And bone-deep, soul-to-soul love with a green-eyed man hell-bent on owning every part of her heart.

Daughtry’s life changed forever when she bonded with Cody and began to control her visions. Yet as she masters her magic, those very same abilities threaten to harm the people she holds most dear.

When an opportunity arises for her to fix a past wrong, does she dare risk using her magic in order to set things right again?

A soul sweeping darkness is lurking at the Colony, making the choice for her and threatening the world she’s built for herself. But Daughtry soon discovers that if she’s to have the future and love she’s always wanted, she must fight for it.



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CodyAbility: Healing (Secondary Level of magic)Age: 94Magic color: Emerald GreenBonded with DaughtryLexTalFun Facts: Not-so-secret chick flick addict, loves sour candy and hates subtlenessFavorite Quote: “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” –Buddha





The Rengalla

Descended from magical beings that could control the elements, the Rengalla appear human but are more. Besides their magical abilities, they live on average a millennium and a half, are rarely sick, and heal rapidly.

The LexTals

An elite group of warriors whose purpose is to protect the Rengalla from the Dalshie. The current LexTals are: Dante, Cody, John, Morgan, Mason, Monroe, Tyler and two new recruits whose names the rest of them haven’t bothered to learn yet (the training is excruciating and the fail rate is high).

The Dalshie

“Turned” Rengalla who’ve been corrupted by their magic — who’ve used their powers to hurt others. As the infected magic invades their mind and soul, a stain spreads over their body, starting from their palms and spreading up their arms. Once the taint reaches the heart and brain, every trace of the former Rengalla is lost, leaving only a cruel, inhuman monster in its wake.

Recognize these evil creatures from their stained palms. They can glamour most of the taint of the black magic, but cannot hide the infection on the center of their hands. They also heal instantly, have red eyes (when their glamour fails), and can only be killed — ashed — via decapitation or a direct strike to their heart.

Magic of the Rengalla

Primary or elemental involves controlling individual elements — fire, air, water, and earth

Secondary is combining 2 or more elements into another power, e.g. healing or teleportation

Tertiary is the capacity of foresight (involves any ability to see the future whether it involves a specific person or the entire world) — those with this power are most at risk of turning Dalshie

Magic of the Dalshie

Once they’ve begun to turn, the Dalshie can no longer manipulate the elements. They retain magic, but it turns black and it can only hurt — burn, maim, destroy.

The Colony

Located on the border of Kentucky and Tennessee, this hidden building is the home of the majority of the Rengalla. It’s tucked in a stretch of rarely occupied National Forest and is glamoured to appear like an ugly old warehouse in order to keep the humans away. It’s also protected by a shield that prevents the Dalshie from getting in an attacking the Rengalla.



















An Interview with CodyWhat’s your favorite color?

C: I’m partial to violet.

Blonde or Brunette?

C: I happen to prefer girls with mahogany hair and porcelain skin.

How do you feel about Daughtry?

C: *rolls his eyes* What do you mean, ‘How do I feel about Daughtry?’” That’s the stupidest question I’ve ever heard. I love that woman; need her more than I need air to breath. She’s my other half, sewn so deeply into my soul that she can never be excised.

Favorite TV show?

C: I only watch movies. And no, I won’t tell you my favorite one of those.

What’s your biggest regret?

C: Being so focused on the past hurts and fears that I missed out on the today. I was lucky enough to get a second chance and I won’t squander it.

Do you believe in love at first sight?

C: Yes… And no.






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Despite moonlighting as a zookeeper and then a dog trainer, Elise decided that the only mammals she wanted to work with were her dark and sexy heroes and heroines. She inherited her love of reading from her mother and grandmother who dutifully kept stacks of romances where her teenaged fingers could easily pilfer them. She lives in Northern California with her three dogs, two energetic (read crazy) boys, and her awesome (see prior comment) husband.
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Amazon Top 10 New Adult Books: February 22, 2015

Amazon Top 10 New Adult Books: February 22, 2015. These are the top 10 bestselling New Adult books as listed on Amazon.com at the time of posting! (No pre-orders! Sorry.)

1. Stepbrother Untouchable by Colleen Masters
4.4 out of 5 stars

2. His Gift (A Dark Billionaire Romance Part 1) by Aubrey Dark
4.4 out of 5 stars

3. Stepbrother Billionaire by Colleen Masters
3.9 out of 5 stars

4. His Gift (A Dark Billionaire Romance Part 2) by Aubrey Dark
4.5 out of 5 stars

5. His Gift (A Dark Billionaire Romance Part 3) by Aubrey Dark
4.4 out of 5 stars

6. Garrett: A Cold Fury Hockey Novel (Carolina Cold Fury Hockey Book 2) by Sawyer Bennett
4.6 out of 5 stars

7. Abe: Four in Hand (Ties of Steel Book 1) by MJ Fields, Derrick Keith Shane Meacham
4.6 out of 5 stars

8. A Baby for My Billionaire Stepbrother by Cassandra Zara
4.9 out of 5 stars

9. Slammed by Claire Adams
5.0 out of 5 stars

10. FALL (A Gentry Boys Novel) by Cora Brent
4.6 out of 5 stars

Release Blitz: The Return

We have been dying to bring you the Release Blitz for Jennifer L. Armentrout's THE RETURN! THE RETURN is a New Adult Paranormal Romance and is a part of Jennifer L. Armentrout’s Titan Series. Seth is looking to be just as dangerously delicious as we all hoped!!

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks | Booksamillion THE RETURN Excerpt:

“Is it so hard to say her name?” Apollo asked. “I think a few minutes ago was the first time you’ve said her name since after you two fought Ares.”
My jaw ached from how hard I was grinding my molars.
“Whatever,” Apollo said, his attention returning to the godsforsaken ceiling fan chain. “Don’t talk about it. Be the best issues-boy you can be.”
I took a deep breath. It didn’t help. “I don’t have issues.”
He tipped his head back and roared with laughter. Paintings of the nearby Blue Ridge Mountains rattled. “You have more baggage than United Airlines. Cross that out. You have more issues than Medusa, and that woman makes the inside of a cat lady’s thoughts seem like a calming place.”
“I hate you.”

“You wound me straight to the heart, bud.”

My patience was just about the same as that of Cerberus after someone tried to take a squeaky toy away from him. “What about the girl, Apollo?”
He dropped down into the leather chair, his large form nearly swallowing it. “It’s a long story.”
“Go figure.”
That comment went largely ignored. “It all started with your birth, so there’s something else you can add to your mountain of suck.”
I wondered if there was an anti-god repellent and where I could find it.
“We knew the moment you were born that there would be the possibility of a God Killer, since Alexandria was on schedule to make an appearance a few years later. We didn’t know who among us was responsible for your birth, but we knew they’d want to use you for their own gain.”
“This walk down history lane is boring me.” I crossed my arms.
Unaffected, he eased himself closer to the bed, kicked his booted feet up on it, and stretched out leather-clad legs. “The risk of you two joining forced us to come up with a contingency plan in case the proverbial poo hit the fan.”
My brows knitted. There was something wrong with hearing Apollo use the word “poo” in a sentence.

THE RETURN Synopsis:

The Fates are cackling their bony asses off...

It's been a year since Seth made the deal with the gods that pledged his life to them. And so far, the jobs they've given him have been violent and bloody--which is kind of all right with him. But now Apollo has something else in mind for Seth. He's got to play protector while keeping his hands and fingers off, and for someone who really has a problem with restraint, this new assignment might be the most challenging yet.

Josie has no idea what this crazy hot guy's deal might be, but it's a good bet that his arrival means the new life she started after leaving home is about to be thrown into an Olympian-sized blender turned up to puree. Either Josie is going insane or a nightmare straight out of ancient myth is gunning for her.

But it might be the unlikely attraction simmering between her and the golden-eyed, secret-keeping Seth that may prove to be the most dangerous thing of all.

Because history has once again been flipped to repeat.



About Jennifer L. Armentrout:

# 1 NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV.

She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.


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Book Blitz: Shattered

Title: Shattered (Stolen Breaths #2)
Author: Pamela Sparkman & Deanna Gohn
Release Date: Oct 13, 2014
Find on Goodreads


Close your eyes for a moment and picture this.

A gorgeous redhead walks into a bar.

No, wait, a wedding reception.

A gorgeous redhead walks into a wedding reception. Poised, polished and flawless - on the outside.

He's tall, dark, and handsome, exactly like a fairytale prince and he won't take no for an answer as he leads her to the dance floor.



But this will be no ordinary dance and theirs is no ordinary story. What begins as rhythmic steps on a dance floor fluidly and beautifully becomes the rhythm of two hearts meant to beat as one.



Until the music stops. 



In a moment everything she's put behind her comes crashing down, threatening to destroy what his love has helped repair and rebuild.

Life throws punches and it hits hard when you least expect it.

What they learn is that sometimes, in order to be truly whole, you have to first be shattered to your very core. 


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Before I even realized what I was doing, I’d reached out and grabbed her hand and pulled her into me; and then I was kissing her.  I’m pretty sure I caught her off guard, since she let out a soft moan.  My hands held her face, and I… forgot how to do this.  My lips froze.  Her lips and mine were touching and nothing more.  The kiss was simple.  It was chaste.  It was precious.  And for a whole minute that’s what we did, touched lips, because I forgot how to do this.  My lips completely paralyzed against hers made this the most innocent and the most sensual kiss I’d ever experienced. 

I slowly, very slowly, backed away. She still had her eyes closed.  She was mesmerizing.  She opened her eyes and looked up at me, her eyes holding mine.

“Don’t say anything,” I quickly told her.  “Just…just let me look at you.”

She complied, and remained silent.  She held my gaze, as I held hers, and I slowly counted in my head all the things I loved about her.  She was beautiful, kind, funny, sophisticated...  The list grew longer as I stared down at her, and I finished my mental list with this realization: she was Maggie, which meant she was everything. 

“Tomorrow,” I said, “I’m taking you somewhere fun, so get some rest.  And wear comfortable shoes.”  I stepped around her and guided her to the bed, stopping her when she touched the mattress with the back of her knees.  “Lie down, and I’ll tuck you in.”

She still had not said a word, only obliging my requests.  She lay down and I pulled the covers up over her, then reached around and turned off the lamp.  I leaned in, lingering quietly above her, wishing I could tell her what was in my heart.  I placed a kiss on her forehead, a soft whisper of one that lasted for a beat longer than I intended, but not as long as I would have liked, then gently pulled back.

“Night, Maggie,” I said, walking toward the door.

“I didn’t think you would really do it,” she whispered.

“What?  Kiss you?”

“Yeah.”

“I wasn’t going to, but you challenged me.  I guess you could say you made me do it.”

“Is that what I am?  A challenge?”

“You’re definitely a challenge, sweetheart.  It’s a challenge just to keep my hands to myself whenever we’re in the same room.





Pamela Sparkman - 
I grew up in Alabama and have always been an avid reader. I had a stack of those Little Golden Books and I can remember reading Three Little Kittens over and over and over again. It was my favorite.

Fast forward and the older I got the more in love with books I became. So, I'm admitting that I am a huge nerd. The only reading I don't like are those math word problems. And I'm okay with that because no one has ever asked me in real life... "If I give you two bananas and take away six apples, how long will it take the southbound train to collide with the northbound train if Johnny left his house at midnight?" It just doesn't happen.

So, yeah, books are my thing.

Oh and music. All kinds. Love.It.

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Deanna Gohn - 
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Blog Tour & Giveaway: Gaining Ground

Title: Gaining Ground (Full Throttle #2)
Author: Jenny A. Hayut
Release Date: Jan 20, 2015
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As the story of Holt and Niki continues, the two are once again torn apart. Secrets shall be revealed as to what lies beneath the words Holt has never spoken, taking Niki on a journey she never thought she’d be traveling. One where she will soon discover the inner strength she possesses and will be forced to use. But will it end with Holt by her side?

Truths will be revealed.

Hearts will be shattered.

Lives will change.


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I open my eyes, but to darkness. I struggle to raise a hand to my neck, but it’s jolted back with a loud clack.

That clack.

That drip.

I remember.

I sob, slouched up against the frigid tile wall that smells of mildew.

How long has it been now? One day? Two, maybe? God, a week? I can’t remember. My mind is numb. The thought of never escaping overpowers me. Handcuffed to a sink, unable to move really, I kick my feet around to try to get the circulation going in my heavy legs. The floor is like ice, with shards of broken tile digging into my skin.

I remember. They’d left Jason bleeding or…or dead on the floor of the clinic. They’d kidnapped me. Vinnie Calhoun and his goon. The image of Vinnie’s tattooed arm flashes across my mind. The same tattoo worn by the man who’d nearly raped me after Holt left me with no explanation.

I shiver. Each passing hour increases the chance that he’ll remember me. That he’ll see the scar his blade left across my lower back as I escaped. A reminder of my stupidity, my misery, my weakness. One I’ll carry with me forever.

He can’t have forgotten how I kicked him in the balls—so viciously that I likely left him incapable of fathering children. Or so I’ve always liked to imagine. After what he did to me, he doesn’t deserve kids.

I jump as the door handle rattles. I stiffen, and the nausea returns as I curl up, utterly defenseless. The door swings open quickly, and the light flips on, searing my eyes. I squeeze them shut.

“Wake up, sweetheart. Somebody wants to talk to you.” Vinnie’s voice.

I try to lift my head, but it’s too heavy. And the pain…the pain owns me.

“Wake up, girl. Got your boyfriend on the phone. Ain’t gonna come running till he knows you’re really here. So wake your ass up. And don’t even think about telling him shit. You say hello. Tell him how scared you are. Beg him to rescue you. Whatever it takes for him to understand you’re mine until he gives me what I want.”

Did he say Holt?

Holt is on the phone?

Dig. Dig deep.

I have to get on that phone. It’s my only chance.

Painfully, I raise my head in the direction of his voice. I squint until I see Vinnie silhouetted in front of me, bending down with his hand held out.

Before I can reach for his phone, Vinnie yanks at my free arm and shoves it into my hand. My breath is short as I try to form the words I know I need to say.

Think fast, Niki.

“Hello?”

The guttural sound of Holt’s voice fills my ears.

“Baby, I’m coming. Gonna look under every fucking rock until I find you. That piece of shit is dead. Has he hurt you? If that fucker has laid one hand on you... Fuck. Are you okay? Baby, talk to me. I need to hear your voice. It’s going to be okay. Everything’s going to be okay. I promise you. Nicolette? Baby, talk to me.”

I try my best to take in the questions coming at me so quickly. My head is spinning. I have to tilt it to rest on my shoulder but manage to keep the phone to my ear. Vinnie’s scuffed brown oxfords in front of me give me the determination I need.

Do it, Niki. Now.

From the pit of my stomach, I find the voice to say, “Campbell’s.” As much effort as it took for me to get it out, it ends up barely a whisper. I pray he heard me as it’s all I get the chance to say. Vinnie snatches the phone from me and backhands me across the cheek with it. I wince as my head jerks in the other direction.

His blow has me near unconsciousness again, and his lumbering footsteps grow distant as the darkness returns and the door slams shut.

His voice is muffled by the door, and I struggle to make out what he’s saying.

“You see? I got your girl, tied up and waiting for you. Gotta say she was worth the wait. Best get her quick. She might decide she likes this dick better than yours.”

I shiver at the thought of Vinnie forcing himself on me.

Please, Holt. Please hurry.

I hope like hell he understood what I meant. If he even heard me. If he meant what he said about coming for me… And that’s another problem. Can I still trust him?

What Vinnie said about Holt has been festering in my mind. That he was using me. That I was his pawn to get to Doc C. That the two of them were competing to get Doc C first.

The man I’ve known and loved since I was a child. The man who inspired me to become a vet. The man whose position I’d filled at the hospital when he made the sudden decision to retire and leave town. The man no one had been able to find until Holt woke me in the middle of the night to tell me he was safe and out of Vinnie’s reach.

I haven’t forgotten any of that. Nor have I forgotten that Vinnie said it was all just a game. Like it’s always been between him and Holt. A sick, twisted game, manipulating people. Playing on their emotions.

Vinnie couldn’t have known just how potent his words were. How they shattered me. Killed me inside. The knife in my heart. Twisting. Over and over again.

I don’t know what to believe. Who to trust.

But none of that is important right now. I can’t think about it. Can’t let it control me. I gotta think about me. And Doc C. I gotta think about getting the hell away from Vinnie before he figures out who I am. Can’t let him get Doc C either. Can’t let that happen.

So Holt is my only hope. My only chance of escaping. He’s the only one who knows where I am. And I have to believe that he’ll find me. I just hope like hell he doesn’t give Vinnie what he wants: Doc C.

* * *

Minutes feel like hours. Hours feel like days. I wake again to the faucet dripping. The smell of mildew hangs in the air, and I’m certain it’s coming from the crumpled up, sagging shower curtain dangling from the bathtub. This bathroom, and the room on the other side of it, is somewhere to get high. Somewhere to fuck. Clearly not a good choice to lay your head to rest after a long drive. Not a place to take your family on their way to Disneyworld.

My body is growing numb. All I can feel now is the iciness of the floor again my skin. The damp in the air. The sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach. I know why I’m so cold. I can’t escape it. I’ve lost too much blood.

Holt needs to hurry.






I was born and raised in Virginia, in a military town. I know you're thinking it....yes...lots of hot men...in uniform...sweet...I know.

I am married and have two beautiful children. They along with our extremely spoiled beagle mix Georgia that we rescued from a local shelter, keep me busy. It's really like four kids and me. Ya'll know what I'm saying.

When I'm not working, or writing, or eating or sleeping (wait what's that) I love to be outdoors. I'm on the coast so I love the beach. The Outer Banks is the shiz. Hiking and getting my hands dirty in my flower beds is another favorite.

Any given time you might find me reading a book, watching a race, signing up for a ghost tour, watching a vampire or a motorcycle gang on TV (yeah that one) or making plans to travel further south (it's where my heart is). Oh and if you have heard...it's true I don't share my baklava...that stuff is sacred.

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Book Review: Redemption Lane

Redemption Lane (Crossroads #1) by Rachel Blaufeld: Sometimes the past bleeds into the future.

Bess, a wild party girl running from herself, literally falls victim to her demons when she collapses in the most unexpected of places.
Lane, a tightly wound, up-and-coming CEO who can’t seem to stop enabling his brother, doesn’t know what hit him when Bess falls at his feet and into his life.

It was a night she doesn’t remember, and one he can’t forget.

But rather than stay and help the needy college coed, Lane decides to teach his brother a long overdue lesson––a decision that later comes back to haunt him and only adds fury to the transgressions of his past he is already fleeing from.
Years later, Bess and Lane meet again. She doesn’t know him, and he doesn’t share that he knows what happened on that ill-fated night when she almost died. After all, he has a web of complicated lies from his own youth to protect.

Both are seeking salvation in the arms of others and ignoring the truth—that the only road to redemption lies in confronting your past.

When the past and present collide, is there any chance at redemption?
TeriLyn's thoughts: This story was just a little different than my usual reads making it more interesting and easy to get lost in. Redemption Lane tells a coming-of-age story wrapped in romance with much self deprecation. It's a story of growing and maturing in order to become a person whom when you look in the mirror you can be proud. I'm so glad I had the opportunity to experience Redemption Lane.

Lane and Bess meet under circumstances of duress during a period of time in each of their lives when each of them battled inner demons. Some years later they reconnect unbeknown to Bess that they've connected once before. A tortured hero describes Lane best. He's carried the weight of his own world for years, drowning in guilt and regret chasing it away with work and fast women. Bess shadows herself with herself in order to maintain stability. She's a strong heroine given the events leading to present day. She knows what she needs in order to maintain the quiet life she needs to be healthy. Her crutch is working and avoiding the intimacy of friendships and relationships. Upon coincidence of meeting again, an inexplicable connection forms. As the secrets between them begin to accumulate, so does the feeling of passion and control they get from each other.

In Redemption Lane we also meet Jake, Lane's identical twin brother. I'm so intrigued by this character I cannot wait to get inside his head in the next book in this series. I have this feeling about Jake that his story is going to rock me.

What I love about Rachel Blaufeld's writing is that she doesn't hide exactly the kind of people her character's are from the reader. You know first and foremost, thanks to fantastic inner dialogues and humility from her characters, exactly what struggles they have. You get to know their persona's intimately yet you're still cloaked in the mystery of the plot. It's not a thriller, don't read me wrong, but subtle caveats and nuances of weaving past and present sneak up on you as your reading providing more depth to the story.

I'm so glad I've had the chance to read and fall in love with this author's work. Her writing is poignant and focused. Her story-telling consuming and precise. She draws your attention to her characters and tells you a tale of hardships and beauty through the eyes of real people struggling for solace in their chaotic minds. Redemption Lane is not to be missed.

RDL & Giveaway: Ember

I am a Killer. A Rapist. A Monster.I know only pain and survival. That is until the Cappo's sister walked into my life. And changed everything.She's a light who makes my darkness darker, her smile makes
my heart turn to ice, and I can't escape the fear her seductive looks
instill--knowing it's only a matter of time before I fail--again, and take her
for myself.This is the story of my redemption. But it's not pretty...I died, and now I'm alive, but not
living, breathing but not surviving. I am Phoenix De Lange, son to a murdered
mob boss, estranged brother, horrible friend, monster in the making, newest
leader to one of the most powerful families in the Cosa Nostra.And I will have my vengeance.Or die trying.I am Phoenix De Lange. Death is all I know. Until she offers me a piece of life--I can't resist taking.

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Once we were on the road, Phoenix chose the correct music for our drive. I say correct because, according to him, one didn't start the day listening to hip-hop or anything remotely fun. No. Mr. Rogers had me listening to classical music.

Classical.

Mozart, to be exact.

Not that I wasn't a fan of the arts, but really? It just seemed so against what you would expect from him. He was the bad boy personified; like, if you put his name in the dictionary, right next to it would be "And mothers warned their daughters to stay away, but the heart wants what the heart wants, and that heart wants that body… bad."

He was all lean muscle and tight abs.

And I could have sworn he had a dimple, but I'd never actually seen it. Phoenix's dimple was like Bigfoot; I'd seen glimpses in pictures and via rumors, but I had never actually seen it for myself.

One day.

One day I'd catch it and take a mental picture or five. Maybe ten. Needless to say, I knew that if I had one of his smiles, it would be a magical thing.

His hands gripped the steering wheel so hard I had a brief moment of panic thinking he was actually going to rip the thing from the dash and have a breakdown. Sad part? I half-expected it. He wasn't acting normal… well, he was always moody, but this morning he seemed downright suicidal.

"So…" I tried to zone out the instruments assaulting my sanity. "You went to Eagle Elite, right?"

He was quiet for a minute then gave a swift nod.

"Wow, don't talk so fast. I almost didn't get all that."

And crickets. Again.

I cleared my throat. "You graduate?"

"Sort of."

"How do you sort of graduate?"

"Did you bring lunch money?" He asked in a tight voice.

I gaped. "Did you just ask me if I brought lunch money?"

He shrugged.

"You're driving me to school, forcing Mozart on my poor sensitive morning ears, and just asked me if I had money for milk."

"I'm concerned about you eating. Sue me."

"Pretty sure the Nicolasi boss can afford to spare me a few dollars for a sandwich and a can of pop."

"No pop."

"Who died and made you my grandpa? Seriously. I want to know so I can steal your gun and point it at them."

"Nobody touches my gun."

"Which one?" I smirked, hoping he'd find the humor in my sexual innuendo, but who was I kidding? It was Phoenix. He simply grunted, rolled his eyes, and kept driving.

In a moment of pure rebellion, I undid the first two buttons of my white, collared shirt.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he asked, his voice calm, his eyes still on the road.

"Wow, you really are like a parent. You can see me even when you aren't looking."

"Button that shit to your chin before I pull this car over."

"Put on Jay-Z, and we'll talk."

More cursing.

I undid another button.

"Son of a bitch, you're annoying."

"Is this our first lovers' spat?"

"Were there drugs in your toast?" He finally glanced at me, his blue eyes chilling me to the bone. "Be serious. I don't want to get called into the dean's office because you're high."

"Do I look like I'm on drugs?"

"Is this a trick question?"




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Rachel Van Dyken is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of regency and contemporary romances. When she's not writing you can find her drinking coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The Bachelor.


She keeps her home in Idaho with her Husband and their snoring Boxer, Sir Winston Churchill. She loves to hear from readers! You can follow her writing journey at www.rachelvandykenauthor.com







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