Laura McCarthy Benson's Blog, page 14

Cover Reveal: Lost in You, Heidi McLaughlin

Coming May 1st

Cover by Sarah Hansen ~ OkayCreations.net



































Lost In You
































Ryan Stone is a less than average teenager. He doesn’t have fancy clothes. He doesn’t carry around the latest smartphone and he definitely doesn’t have an MP3 player. Instead, he goes to school, does his chores and dreams of a new life away from Brookfield where he’s expected to follow in his blue collar family’s footsteps. 

















Hadley Carter is America’s Pop Princess. A successful recording artist living her dream with a sold-out tour and a handful of Grammy’s there isn’t much that she wants for, except love. But finding love on the road is near impossible when all she longs for are romantic dinners, a nighttime stroll on the beach and holding hands with someone who isn’t going to exploit her. 

















When a chance encounter introduces Ryan to Hadley, will he be like her adoring fans looking for a way in, or will it be Hadley who pursues Ryan even though it might cost her the only career she's ever known.

















Lost in You is a story about following your dreams, taking risks and getting lost in love. 

































Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest | Tumblr | Facebook | Blog











About Heidi:















Heidi is the author of USA Today, Digital Book World, Amazon and Barnes & Noble Bestselling novel, Forever My Girl

















Originally from the Pacific Northwest, she now lives in picturesque Vermont, with her husband and two daughters. Also renting space in their home is an over-hyper Beagle/Jack Russell and two Parakeets.

















During the day Heidi is behind a desk talking about Land Use. At night, she's writing one of the many stories planned for release or sitting court-side during either daughter's basketball games.























USA Today Bestseller - Forever My Girl - Amazon | Barnes & Noble 















GIVEAWAY




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Facebook Page

I have a facebook page and I've been posting daily questions about reading and various sundries. If you like to put your $0.02 worth, come on over and join the conversation. I try to keep it fun and topical. And I might just throw in a few goodies as well.



So just go HERE to join in the conversation or to just say hello.

Blog Tour: Emblaze, Jessica Shirvington

I was asked by Sourcebooks Fire if I wanted to partake of a blog tour with Jessica Shirvington of The Violet Eden Chronicles. I was so excited that I said yes and then yes again. Then again. I'm totally loving these books. Violet is such a kick-ass character in a similar way to Buffy Summers and Veronica Mars. She doesn't take any crap from her superiors or the two guys who are interested in her for two very different reasons.



The one thing I really enjoy about this series is that it's written by an Australian. Plus her world building and storytelling is amazing. There's romance, there's thrilling escapades and there is a young girl just trying to find her way in a world that expects so much from her.



I was so excited that I was able to ask Jess a few questions and she graciously answered them for you to enjoy.  So the books in order of release (just so you know, Australia has the fourth book out already, we'll get it in October).



EMBRACE



























ENTICE





























EMBLAZE
































1. How different is it writing for American readers after publishing in Australia? 

Other
than applying an American edit it's not very different at all. As an
Australian it really just means that I need to take the time to
acknowledge the differences in some descriptions - like 'jumper' vs
'sweater' or 'coffee machine' vs 'espresso machine' or 'runners' vs
'trainers', that kind of thing. Also another consideration was school
year and vacation periods etc, but with the help of great editors it was
all relatively pain free. In terms of what readers expect, I think
everyone is after the one thing - an awesome story, and for that, I do
my best ;-)

2. How long did the series take you to write?

I've
been working on the series since October 2009 and I am currently
writing book 5. I've worked pretty solidly on the series for this entire
period.

3. It's such a unique idea, where did the inspiration come from?

I
wanted to write a story that focused on choice and consequence. I was
adamant that my heroine would be flawed and make reckless mistakes, but
that she would learn and grow from them. As readers it can be irritating
to watch characters make mistakes and yet at the same time be very
gratifying to watch them grow into their destiny. That is what I wanted
for Violet and for the readers. I also loved the idea of twisting and
manipulating bible folklore and ancient mythology. Using the angelic
hierarchy made this possible and opened the floodgates for introducing
so many different concepts and questions. I found it to be a very rich
resource!

4. If you could have lunch with anyone, who would you choose?

My husband. I married him for a reason, he's my always choice!

NB:  Matt Shirvington is an Australian athlete and television presenter who held the Australian 100m national sprint title from 1998 to 2002. He's the 2nd fastest Australian of all time. (from Google)
5. Are you currently writing anything else?

Yes,
I'm just in the final stages of editing my first stand alone novel
called Between The Lives. It is my first departure from the Embrace
Series and I am extremely excited and passionate about it. 

ENDLESS,
book 4 in the Embrace Series will be out in the US in October this year
and I'm also working on the 5th book as we speak. It's a big book to
write and in some ways the most challenging of them all so I'm really
looking forward to seeing how it all pans out.

I really appreciate the time Jessica took from her busy life to answer my questions. I really enjoy these books and look forward to reading more about the gang of Angels. Plus Violet and Lincoln are really hot together. And Phoenix is cunning as ever. Definitely a series to pick up!

WINNERS OF BEAUTIFUL BASTARD

My 9 year old has picked the winners for the BEAUTIFUL BASTARDS books. They are:


Lisa Figliolino

Kristina Young-Vaz

Please e-mail me at lauram68@gmail.com with your addresses and I will mail the books out to you!

Congratulations and thank you to everyone who has entered! I will hopefully have some really cool books to give away soon as well!

BEAUTIFUL BASTARD giveaway

C'mon over to Laura's Review Bookshelf Facebook Page to be entered to win Christina Lauren's BEAUTIFUL BASTARD.  You must post there and if you want, like the page as well! These are trade paperback finished copies!









PS: one of those is mine :)

Cover Reveal: Connected, Kim Karr

I am soooo excited to reveal this gorgeous cover to you! I am so excited for this book, you have no idea! I want to thank Kim for allowing me to be a part of this. Below will be some links for you check out. 














Book release date: March 22, 2013.
Goodreads link: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16279715-connected



Blurb:

What if a ‘Once in a Lifetime’ could happen twice? 

 


Suffering
from a past full of tragedy, Dahlia London's soul has been left
completely shattered. Happily ever after is a far cry from reality in
her world. But, when she is reconnected with her past, the bonds that
form are irrefutable.








When
River Wilde, lead singer of The Wilde Ones, comes back into Dahlia’s
life, the intensity that fires their relationship combined with
underlying feelings that have never died lead her to believe she has met
her soulmate. 







Struggling with confusion as old connections fade and new ones begin, Dahlia's grief begins to lift -- 
 but guilt remains. River wants to be the one to mend all that is torn within her. 









But with a past that is never really gone, can their future survive?




Author Information can be found at this link: http://www.authorkimkarr.com/about-kim.html






Cover design: Okay Creations



BLOG TOUR  ~ March 20 - 30th, 2013



The blog tour stops here on March 27, 2013 (one month from today!)

Blog Tour and Book Review: Rocked Under, Cora Hawkes

Reading Level:Contemporary Romance/New Adult


Format:

Ebook


Publisher:

Self-Pubbed 12/31/12


Rating:

4










Emma has left her native England to embark on a new life and new college in the US with her cousin. They happen to rent an apartment where an up and coming rock star is living. What happens from there is your typical girl sees boy performing, gets excited. Boy sees girl, likes what he sees, but she's going to play hard to get.



At first I had a hard time getting into the story. I liked Emma enough, but Scott just seemed to into himself and came across as God's answer to women. Emma was able to talk him down a notch; however, it becomes difficult to fight the attraction, but of course, we know that these two will do what they can to try to what they can to maintain a facade of friendship while smoldering with a frenzied heat.



A fun read.





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Excerpt from ROCKED UNDER:






"

His eyes widened and he looked up at the sky for a moment. "Why do you ask?" His voice was quiet.

"Ash told me that you've never had a girlfriend." Why was I talking about this with him?

He sighed before looking back down at me. "She told you that, but what she was really doing was warning you off me." He was looking at me seriously now.

"No," I lied, “she just told me." I looked away.

"I don't believe you, but I can understand her wanting to protect you, especially from me.” He shook his head. His tone had been serious but then he smiled softly at me.

   I was momentarily stunned by him.

"You still haven't answered my question,” I reminded him gently.

“I…I’m not into relationships,” he shrugged as if it was nothing, but I knew he was lying.

"So, basically, you sleep around because you can get away with it and you think that having a girlfriend would hold you back and you'd get bored."

Very briefly, I saw his face crease with pain, but it happened so fast that I could have imagined it.

"Why? Were you thinking of applying for the position?" His grin was cheeky as he steered our conversation back onto safer ground.

I blushed. If only he knew how much I thought about him.

"Wow, is that a blush?" He looked surprised and then laughed loudly.

"Shut up!" I cringed as I punched his shoulder, my face burning hotter. "And no, I wasn't applying for anything, I'm seeing Adam, remember? I'm sort of taken,” I said proudly, holding my head high.

   He sobered then and looked up again at the sky.

"He's lucky,” I thought I heard him say under his breath.

"Huh?"

"I said, ‘he's lucky’. But if he treats you bad, he's going to turn unlucky real quick." He looked serious.




Synopsis:  Falling in love isn't always easy or pleasant. The intense and angst-filled story of Emma and Scott is a painful, gut-wrenching and exhausting portrayal of how hard it can be to let go...

Nineteen year-old Emma Harrington’s number one rule is; Never give your heart away to a man, no matter what. That lesson was learned early on in her life and she will never forget it.



Starting over in the USA, Emma starts college with her cousin, Ashley. She is finally free to do and live how she wants and no man will ever rule her decisions or emotions again.



That is until Scott Mason walks on stage…



Intense, bad boy Scott is the lead singer in a local and popular rock band. Ladies man and Ashley’s longtime friend, Emma is instantly drawn to him, even though he is everything she hates and needs to stay away from in a guy. He treats females like he does a cigarette; light it, use it, and lose it.



For her cousin’s sake, she makes an effort to get along with Scott. She soon discovers that there is more to Scott which makes him even more dangerous in her eyes. Underneath the façade of friendship; jealousy, obsession, fear and insecurities, fester and battle it out as she fights her attraction and history from repeating itself.



One thing she knows for sure is that if she breaks her rule, it may destroy her.



Media Links:



Website: http://corahawkes.blogspot.co.uk



Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cora.hawkes



Twitter: https://twitter.com/CoraHawkes (@CoraHawkes)



Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6542403.Cora_Hawkes

Bio



Cora Hawkes lives in England with her man and their four children. She thinks the kindle is the greatest invention ever and hers is mostly filled with paranormal and fantasy romances. Favourite books are Kresley Cole's IAD series, Jennifer Armentrout's Covenant series and Heather killough-Walden's The Chosen Soul series.

Apart from family-time, reading and writing, she LOVES music and going to gigs. She hates soaps and rarely watches TV but loves The Vampire Diaries, True Blood and Gossip Girl.

Book Review: The Low Notes, Kate Roth

Reading Level:Contemporary Romance/New Adult


Format:

Ebook & Paperback


Publisher:

Rebel Ink Press, LLC 5/16/12


Rating:

5










I'm doing something a little different with this review. Included is a Q&A that I asked Kate to answer which she graciously did. She's also putting up two (2) paperback books up for a giveaway. You guys are so lucky to have this opportunity to read this book. It was one of my favorites of last year and I want as many people to read it as possible. It's freakin' fantastic.  So before the review here is the Q&A!







Q: How did you come up with the plot of THE LOW NOTES?



A: I started with the general plot of what eventually became THE LOW NOTES in high school. I've always been a sucker for forbidden romance and star-crossed lovers but I also love the sexy taboo of the student-teacher relationship. I started and stopped with this novel for years before I finally told myself I needed to get it all out and Kevin and Nina evolved on their own from there.



Q: Did you always know what would happen to the characters at the end of the story. 



A: I knew how I wanted it to end but I didn't always know how I would get them there. There is a first draft in my office that is different in a lot of ways but the most important parts (how they meet, who they are, the worries they face) have remained the same. And though the ending is somewhat open to interpretation I know in my heart where Kevin and Nina are and I like giving the reader their own chance to make their own conclusions.



Q: Would you be willing to continue on with Nina and Kevin's story?



A: That is such a tough one! I am sick, mad, crazy in love with writing Kevin. I adore him and Nina and always will but right now I don't see myself writing another entire book about them. What I would love to do is pull a little Emily Giffin and write someone else's story who might happen to be friends with Kevin and/or Nina. I want to give my readers a glimpse at what happens beyond THE LOW NOTES but to me the story that needed to be told was told.



Q: Are you currently writing anything now?



A: I am SO VERY close to finishing my next novel I could scream! We are talking pages away! I'm hoping that with enough long hours and hard work I can have it out some time this year. (I would love a summer release but 2013 is already flying by!) RECKLESS RADIANCE is a paranormal romance and I cannot wait for my readers to meet my main man, Russell.



For more info about my upcoming work please visit my blog www.katerothwrites.com




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kevin Reed has come back to his hometown after the death of his father. With the help of his cousin's wife, he is set up on a blind date that goes disastrously. First of all, he's really not looking to date and second of all the torch singer at the club where his date is has caught his attention. With her dark looks and smoldering appearance, Kevin is smitten. So when date realizes that he's just not into her, she leaves and Kevin seeks out the singer, Nina Jordan. From there the connection simmers and they go out to dinner. With the promise after, of another dinner.



One of my favorite stories in 2012. I'm all about forbidden fruit stories, but this one has so much heart and soul, that you can't hope for the best for the two characters. As I read further on, I found myself falling for Kevin just as much as Nina did. He's a good guy. Conflicted at times, as is Nina. She's on her own while her father is off on his next conquest. A sister who rarely pays any attention to her. A gay best friend who tries to help her navigate the stormy seas.



This is a quiet story that builds to a blaring crescendo you are panting, breathless and just about to rip the hair from your head. Kate Roth gets into both of their heads and not an easy task to do. Her prose is beautiful and lovely. Her characters have just the right amount of conflict. A beautiful story that at times almost had me in tears. Similar stories could come across as crass. I rarely give books a rating of five, but this one just grabbed at me in a way that others haven't.



You can find this book on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.






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GOODIES!

Some time next week, I'll be holding another contest!



Out of the six books below, I'll be giving away two of the books. And no, it is NOT the THOUGHTLESS series. Those are for me! :P









This I received for me! Was very excited to get it on a President's Day after a long, tough weekend!












I was lucky to read an early copy of this in December, but having this to go with my set is even more exciting! 




So can you figure out what books I'll be giving away next week? ;)

Pitch Dark Days Author Tour

A few weeks ago, Harper Collins contacted me and asked if I wanted to be the guest blogger and cover this author tour. I jumped on it because I was going to meet my Harper contact and I was going to be able to meet four extremely talented authors! So I hightailed it to the very famous HARVARD COOP, and prepared to meet them.




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From L-R: Tahereh Mafi (Shatter Me, Unravel Me); Cynthia Hand (Unearthly, Hallowed, Boundless); Veronica Rossi (Under the Never Sky, Through The Ever Night) Brodi Ashton (Everneath, Everbound).



Getting to meet these fab authors was really exciting. I got to ask them questions and found out quite a bit about them as well. They were all very personable and I know they'd been answering the same questions again and again, so I tried to keep my interview short and sweet. I'll post what I asked below. Plus there was a crowd that had shown up.

























In this picture below, Alison Lisnow is introducing the authors to the crowd that showed up. I would say that there had to be over 100 people there. It was fabulous!









Throughout the tour, I was tweeting what the authors were saying here are a few of my tweets!



@ NeedNewSpace   @ CynthiaHand  she did not have the story mapped out. She had a vague idea, but sometimes story took a life of its own.



# pitchdarkdays  lots of people here! pic.twitter.com/GHHkp8pK



# pitchdarkdays  people at the author signing.pic.twitter.com/fEDLunNm



# pitchdarkdays  Brodi Ashton and Cynthia are talking about each other. Introduction wise.



# pitchdarkdays  Cynthia Hand was born e with own in hand. Went to law school. (this is where swype doesn't work! It should say Cynthia Hand was born with a pen in hand. However, she went to law school.) 



# pitchdarkdays  Tahereh just started writing a few years ago. Do you have any questions? Let me know!



# pitchdarkdays  Veronica Rossi was a painter before writing.



Brodi Ashton is spoiling her own book!  # pitchdarkdays



@ PitchDarkBooks   @ V_Rossibooks   @ CynthiaHand   @ Brodiashton @ TaherehMafi  omigod we have a hedgehog!



You can actually see the hedgehog in the picture above!



A couple of questions from the audience to all authors was if they had plotted out the all of their books in the series, or if they just wrote it as it went along. It was a mixed bag. They would know where the story was going, but how they got there was the surprise.



Both Veronica and Brodi were wearing the same boots! (bought at Target!)



Brodi had a serious flat-iron incident earlier in the day which is why if you've seen her before she has bangs, and her hair smelled burnt!



Cynthia and Brodi really know each other well and worked well with each other. Most of them were hoping to not get stuck in Boston during the Blizzard of 2013. After the Q&A, they had their book signing.



People lining up!









And a lucky fan who got her picture taken with Tahereh and Veronica!







And here is Cynthia and Brodi with a fan!









Here Tahereh is mugging for the camera because she got a gorgeous mini Red Velvet Cupcake!









Here is Cynthia and Brodi signing books!







All the books are gorgeous in person!



One of the questions I asked was: How did you come up with your main characters.



Tahereh: She had a very vivid vision of a girl locked up. Dirty and scared.



Brodi: She based her character on a classmate who went missing.



Cynthia: She wanted the story to take place in the middle of nowhere and knew that there would be some paranormal theme to it.



All in all it was a very successful outing and I really appreciate Harper Collins for allowing me to be the guest blogger, tweeter and official picture taker! I even had seat that was reserved just for me! I met so many fans and bloggers, all who knew me which was completely surprising! All of these authors were wonderful and very approachable. Tahereh had us in stitches telling us about her character who has a bird tattoo and her brother who has a bird tattoo and her brother was like, "Dude that is all sorts of wrong!" (No lie!). She swore she wasn't sexualizing her brother!



Harvard Square is the epitome of literature and history and it was really great location for this evening. If you have a chance to see these authors at book signings in the future, go, you won't regret it.