Sorcha O'Dowd's Blog, page 15
July 3, 2015
Cover Reveal ~ ‘Love Him Back’ by Kris Nacole.
Love Him Back by Kris Nacole
Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Standalone
Release Date: TBD
SYNOPSIS
***This is a standalone novel with no cliffhangers. This book is not part of a series.***
Warning: This book is intended for readers 18+ due to some explicit language and mature themes.
After escaping an abusive relationship, Chesney Ward fights to take back control of her life. She longs to leave behind her troubled past, but she craves more than what her small town has to offer.
Freedom.
Adventure.
Love.
The Air Force provides the escape she needs.
After arriving at her first duty station, Chesney meets Staff Sergeant Zane Thomas, a Special Forces airman used to exercising control in all things, which she doesn’t mind. However, she has no idea she’s getting more than she bargained for.
Zane thinks no woman could ever make him want to settle down. That is, until he meets Chesney, the small town girl with a big heart. Her southern accent and big brown eyes make him forget how to breathe.
Over time, their lives will change and they will be forced to part ways.
When Zane reappears many years later, Chesney’s life is turned upside-down. Not only is she faced with sharing a life-altering secret with him, but she is also given a second chance to rekindle what they once had years ago.
Will Chesney be able to love him back to her, or is Zane too broken to be saved?
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Freebie and Pre-order Alert ~ ‘Beach Bride’ Series by J.B. Hartnett.
Have you met Cameron & Victoria from the Beachy Bride Series yet?
Now is your chance, Bride in Bloom by
J.B. Hartnett is FREE for a limited time!
SYNOPSIS
For Victoria, it started with the perfect dress and the perfect man…well, she thought he was perfect.
For Cameron, it started with a devoted wife and a bright future…until he discovered devotion was never high on his wife’s list of marital duties.
When trust is tested and faith in the power of true love is lost, there is only way one to restore it:
Give that person everything you’ve got, nurture her, love her…
And watch her bloom.
In the first installment of The Beachy Bride series, we experience the love story of Victoria and Cameron. Both are no stranger to heartache, but both believe in the power of love.
*This book contains mature content for an audience of 18 years or older. Sexual scenes M/M and M/F*
~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon US ~ iBooks ~
Plus, Katherine in Gold (bk 2) is
NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER!
June 16, 2015
Release Blitz ~ ‘The Song of David’ by Amy Harmon.
The Song of David by Amy Harmon.
Genres: New Adult, Paranormal, Romance.
Release Date: 15th June 2015
Meet Millie and David (Tag) in the newest stand alone by Amy Harmon
“She said I was like a song. Her favorite song.”
SYNOPSIS
This is David ‘Tag’ Taggert’s book, a supporting character introduced in The Law of Moses. This is a stand-alone story, but it is highly recommended that The Law of Moses be read first to avoid spoilers.
She said I was like a song. Her favorite song. A song isn’t something you can see. It’s something you feel, something you move to, something that disappears after the last note is played.
I won my first fight when I was eleven years old, and I’ve been throwing punches ever since. Fighting is the purest, truest, most elemental thing there is. Some people describe heaven as a sea of unending white. Where choirs sing and loved ones await. But for me, heaven was something else. It sounded like the bell at the beginning of a round, it tasted like adrenaline, it burned like sweat in my eyes and fire in my belly. It looked like the blur of screaming crowds and an opponent who wanted my blood.
For me, heaven was the octagon.
Until I met Millie, and heaven became something different. I became something different. I knew I loved her when I watched her stand perfectly still in the middle of a crowded room, people swarming, buzzing, slipping around her, her straight dancer’s posture unyielding, her chin high, her hands loose at her sides. No one seemed to see her at all, except for the few who squeezed past her, tossing exasperated looks at her unsmiling face. When they realized she wasn’t normal, they hurried away. Why was it that no one saw her, yet she was the first thing I saw?
If heaven was the octagon, then she was my angel at the center of it all, the girl with the power to take me down and lift me up again. The girl I wanted to fight for, the girl I wanted to claim. The girl who taught me that sometimes the biggest heroes go unsung and the most important battles are the ones we don’t think we can win.
**This is David ‘Tag’ Taggert’s book, a supporting character introduced in The Law of Moses. This is a stand-alone story.
Amelie and Henry didn’t come by the gym the next day. On Saturday, I thought I saw them once, beyond the wall of windows along the front of the gym, but when I looked again they were gone. I shrugged, deciding Henry must not have been as excited by the idea as Amelie thought he would be. A few minutes later I looked up to see them hovering near the speed bags, Amelie holding firmly to Henry’s arm, Henry looking as if he was about to bolt and drag his poor sister with him. They were garnering some strange looks—Henry with his crazy bedhead, his darting glances, and jittery hands and Amelie because she stood so still and looked so out of place in a gym filled with muscles and men.
I called a quick halt to my bout, escaping Axel, who was trying to pummel me into next week, and slid between the ropes that cordoned off one of the octagons.
“Amelie! Henry!” I called, noting how Amelie’s face was immediately wreathed in a relieved smile, a smile so wide it spread to her eyes, giving the illusion of sparkle and life. But Henry started backing up, pulling his sister with him.
“Yo, Henry. Hold up, man.” I stopped several feet from them and lowered my voice. “Did you know that Jack Dempsey versus Jess Willard was the very first fight to be broadcast over the radio?”
Henry stopped moving and his hands stilled.
“Do you know what year that was, Henry?”
“1919,” Henry said in a whisper. “The first televised fight was in 1931. Benny Leonard vs. Mickey Walker.”
“I didn’t know that.” Actually, I had only known about the Dempsey, Willard fight because I’d seen a biography on Dempsey on Netflix the night before. God bless Netflix. The mention of the radio had made me think of Henry and the sportscast blaring from his bedroom. “You wanna tell me more?”
“David ‘Tag’ Taggert, light heavyweight contender with a professional record of eighteen wins, two losses, ten knock outs.”
“You checked up on me, huh?”
Henry’s mouth twitched, and he looked away shyly.
“You did! What else did you find out? That all the ladies love me, that I’m the best looking fighter, pound for pound, in the universe?”
Henry looked confused for a second, and I realized he was searching his mind for that stat. I laughed. “Just kidding, buddy.”
“Six-foot three, 215 pounds, most often compared to Forrest Griffin and Michael Bisping?” Henry’s voice rose on the end, clearly seeking approval.
“I’m more charming than Bisping, and I have better ears than Forrest. But they could both probably kick my ass.”
“He said ass, Amelie!” Henry whispered, half shocked.
“Yes he did, Henry. It’s okay. That’s how fighters talk,” Amelie soothed.
“Can I say ass?” Henry whispered again, curiously.
“You can,” I cut in, “after you learn how to fight.”
Buy The Song of David
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Buy the song on iTunes: http://apple.co/1JPQEht
Music & Lyrics by Amy Harmon and Paul Travis – Song of David: iTunes
Music Video on YouTube: http://bit.ly/1IRtMja
Created by Focus 4 Productions
Prize: $50 Amazon Gift Card
Amy Harmon
Amy Harmon is a USA Today and New York Times Bestselling author. Amy knew at an early age that writing was something she wanted to do, and she divided her time between writing songs and stories as she grew. Having grown up in the middle of wheat fields without a television, with only her books and her siblings to entertain her, she developed a strong sense of what made a good story. Her books are now being published in several countries, truly a dream come true for a little country girl from Levan, Utah.
Amy Harmon has written seven novels – the USA Today Bestsellers, Making Faces and Running Barefoot, as well as Slow Dance in Purgatory, Prom Night in Purgatory, Infinity + One and the New York Times Bestseller, A Different Blue. Her newest release, The Law of Moses, is now available. For updates on upcoming book releases, author posts and more, join Amy at www.authoramyharmon.com
Website • Blog • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads
June 11, 2015
June 9, 2015
New Release ~ ‘Amber to Ashes’ by Gail McHugh.
Amber to Ashes by Gail McHugh
Torn Hearts #1
Genres: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance.
Release Date: June 9th 2015.
Which Team are you on?
#TeamBrock or #TeamRyder
SYNOPSIS
From the New York Times bestselling author of Collide and Pulse comes a gritty new novel about a shattered young woman who unexpectedly falls for two best friends.
They were a storm I never saw coming, an unforeseen heartbreak on the edge of a dangerous cliff.
Amber Moretti’s life changes in the span of minutes. An orphaned outsider, she is desperate to start fresh the moment she walks onto campus. In the time it takes to cross the university’s dining hall, she meets two men who bring color, air, and light to her darkened world.
They became my addiction, each a needle to my next hit, my high.
Brock Cunningham’s appeal is dizzying, a potent force Amber can’t deny. A green-eyed smooth talker, he instantly attracts Amber. It doesn’t take long for him to consume her every thought, her every breath.
Ryder Ashcroft, a blue-eyed, tattooed, and pierced bad boy, turns Amber off immediately—that is, until he kisses her, stealing a piece of her heart, her soul.
They were as opposite as fire and ice, yet I ached for them equally.
Never knowing she could be broken down in so many unexpectedly beautiful yet petrifying ways, Amber finds herself falling for both men.
Immoral? Maybe. I say undeniable. Uncontained.
But one devastating event changes everything, shattering each of their lives…and Amber isn’t sure she can recover from it.
Which Team are YOU on?
#TeamBrock or #TeamRyder
Available for download on Kindle. Paperback release on June 18th 2015.
~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon US ~ iBooks ~ Nook ~ Kobo ~
June 8, 2015
Book Review ~ ‘Midsummer Dreams’ by Alison May!
Midsummer Dreams by Alison May
Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Modern Retelling.
Publisher: ChocLit UK
Release Date: June 12th 2015.
SYNOPSIS
Four people. Four messy lives. One night that changes everything.
Emily is obsessed with ending her father’s new relationship – but is blind to the fact that her own is far from perfect.
Dominic has spent so long making other people happy that he’s hardly noticed he’s not happy himself.
Helen has loved the same man, unrequitedly, for ten years. Now she may have to face up to the fact that he will never be hers.
Alex has always played the field. But when he finally meets a girl he wants to commit to, she is just out of his reach.
At a midsummer wedding party, the bonds that tie the four friends together begin to unravel and show them that, sometimes, the sensible choice is not always the right one.
A modern retelling of Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Available for Pre-Order
Book Review ~ ‘Midsummer Dreams’ by Alison May ~ 5 Stars!
If you ask anyone what my favourite Shakespeare play is, they’d probably umm and argh, thinking ‘something romantic’. In actual fact, it is ‘A Midsummer Nights Dream’, and if you ask me why? Then I will tell you to read this novel. Why? Because this book captures every single one of those parts of the Bard’s original play that we love, and makes them accessible to a contemporary audience, all without losing its essence.
Alison May surprised me with the emotional wringer she put me through with ‘Midsummer Dreams’. I was expecting the comedy (which she does perfectly), and the sticky romantic tangle that our heroes and heroines find themselves in, but it was the punch that came with it from highlighting the characters inner turmoil and feelings that most reader’s will identify with, that made this book so special.
The story starts a few months before the events of the midsummer night it is famous for, and I loved seeing how all our characters fit together in each others lives, building a foundation for the later romantic turmoil. I especially loved Emily (funny considering how different we are), as I really felt for her, knowing that her desperation to keep her relationship with Dominic strong comes from a deep psychological fear of abandonment. I especially loved reading the scenes between her and Alex, as it is then that we really see how scared she is of anything unplanned, and it is what makes the attraction between her and Alex all that more exciting.
I really enjoyed the changes that Alison May adopted for this story, particularly that of the relationships between the four lovers are, and how they play out throughout the course of the novel. Dominic and Helen’s slow-burning relationship allowed for some hilarious scenes between Helen and Alex, where we see her attempting to rid herself of her infatuation with her best friend’s boyfriend, whilst Alex kids himself that his persual of Emily is all for Helen’s sake so that she can get the guy.
This perfectly fits the category of Romantic Comedy, and I enjoyed every second of it.
5 Stars!
*Review copy was kindly provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
Alison May
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Book Review ~ ‘Too Charming’ by Kathryn Freeman!
Too Charming by Kathryn Freeman.
Genres: Romance, Adult, Contemporary.
Publisher: ChocLit UK
~*~
SYNOPSIS
Does a girl ever really learn from her mistakes?
Detective Sergeant Megan Taylor thinks so. She once lost her heart to a man who was too charming and she isn’t about to make the same mistake again – especially not with sexy defence lawyer, Scott Armstrong. Aside from being far too sure of himself for his own good, Scott’s major flaw is that he defends the very people that she works so hard to imprison.
But when Scott wants something he goes for it. And he wants Megan. One day she’ll see him not as a lawyer, but as a man … and that’s when she’ll fall for him.
Yet just as Scott seems to be making inroads, a case presents itself that’s far too close to home, throwing his life into chaos.
As Megan helps him pick up the pieces, can he persuade her that he isn’t the careless charmer she thinks he is? Isn’t a man innocent until proven guilty?
~*~
~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon US ~ Waterstones ~
~*~
Book Review ~ ‘Too Charming’ by Kathryn Freeman ~ 5 Stars!
Kathryn Freeman’s ‘Too Charming’ is the perfect feel-good, romantic read! If you like a strong independent heroine and a cocky, yet gorgeous hero, then this book will have you swooning!
From the word go there was something about ‘Too Charming’ that just sucked me in. From the first page, Megan was a character I knew I would stick with; strong, independent, fiercely protective, and a devoted mother to her young daughter. Just seeing the fierce reaction she had whenever she was around Scott had me beaming, and I was excited to see how he would go about reworking her opinion of him. Scott was a sexy breath of fresh air. His character was developed perfectly, and I went from groaning at how he could be such a typical male, to fanning myself when he did something so sweet and loving that it surprised not just Megan but him too.
Kathryn Freeman did a fantastic job at using Megan and Scott’s jobs as ways of showing their characteristics and morals, and especially comparing their differing work-place opinions to their fears that they have in having a romantic relationship with each other. Megan’s tendency to first assume guilt, due to the nature of her policing career, and Scott’s firm belief that somebody is innocent until proven guilty was beautifully contrasted throughout the development of their relationship, as we see the struggle it takes for them to find a balance that is essential in every relationship.
I adored the chemistry that seeped off the page in this book, and witnessing the transformation that both Scott and Megan made throughout the novel was inspiring and truly a dream come true for any romantic!
5 Stars!
*Review copy was kindly provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
~*~
Kathryn Freeman
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~*~
May 27, 2015
Pre-order Alert or ‘The Song of David’ by Amy Harmon.
The Law of Moses by Amy Harmon
Genres: New Adult, Fantasy/Paranormal, Romance.
SYNOPSIS
If I tell you right up front, right in the beginning that I lost him, it will be easier for you to bear. You will know it’s coming, and it will hurt. But you’ll be able to prepare.
Someone found him in a laundry basket at the Quick Wash, wrapped in a towel, a few hours old and close to death. They called him Baby Moses when they shared his story on the ten o’clock news – the little baby left in a basket at a dingy Laundromat, born to a crack addict and expected to have all sorts of problems. I imagined the crack baby, Moses, having a giant crack that ran down his body, like he’d been broken at birth. I knew that wasn’t what the term meant, but the image stuck in my mind. Maybe the fact that he was broken drew me to him from the start.
It all happened before I was born, and by the time I met Moses and my mom told me all about him, the story was old news and nobody wanted anything to do with him. People love babies, even sick babies. Even crack babies. But babies grow up to be kids, and kids grow up to be teenagers. Nobody wants a messed up teenager.
And Moses was messed up. Moses was a law unto himself. But he was also strange and exotic and beautiful. To be with him would change my life in ways I could never have imagined. Maybe I should have stayed away. Maybe I should have listened. My mother warned me. Even Moses warned me. But I didn’t stay away.
And so begins a story of pain and promise, of heartache and healing, of life and death. A story of before and after, of new beginnings and never-endings. But most of all . . . a love story.
The Law of Moses is on sale for 99 cents for a limited time
~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon US ~ B&N ~ Kobo ~ iTunes~
**********************************************************
The Song of David by Amy Harmon
Genres: New Adult, Fantasy/Paranormal, Romance
SYNOPSIS
** This book is a STANDALONE novel featuring characters that were introduced in The Law of Moses. It is not a sequel, but it is a spin-off. **
I won my first fight when I was eleven years old, and I’ve been throwing punches ever since. Fighting is the purest, truest, most elemental thing there is. Some people describe heaven as a sea of unending white. Where choirs sing and loved ones await. But for me, heaven was something else. It sounded like the bell at the beginning of a round, it tasted like adrenaline, it burned like sweat in my eyes and fire in my belly. It looked like the blur of screaming crowds and an opponent who wanted my blood.
For me, heaven was the octagon.
Until I met Millie, and heaven became something different. I became something different. I knew I loved her when I watched her stand perfectly still in the middle of a crowded room, people swarming, buzzing, slipping around her, her straight dancer’s posture unyielding, her chin high, her hands loose at her sides. No one seemed to see her at all, except for the few who squeezed past her, tossing exasperated looks at her unsmiling face. When they realized she wasn’t normal, they hurried away. Why was it that no one saw her, yet she was the first thing I saw?
If heaven was the octagon, then she was my angel at the center of it all, the girl with the power to take me down and lift me up again. The girl I wanted to fight for, the girl I wanted to claim. The girl who taught me that sometimes the biggest heroes go unsung and the most important battles are the ones we don’t think we can win.
Available for Pre-order
~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon US ~ B&N ~ iTunes ~ Kobo ~
Cover Reveal ~ ‘Fighting to Breathe’ by Aurora Rose Reynolds.
Aurora Rose Reynolds
has revealed the cover to
Fighting to Breathe
Releasing July 6th
SYNOPSIS
Lea Lamb and Austin Wolf were young when they fell in love. They never imagined the future could hold anything other than together-forever.
When Lea’s father dies in a tragic fishing accident, she’s crushed under the weight of her grief and catches a glimpse of another type of future, one she knows she’s not strong enough to face.
Austin is angry. For the past fifteen years, he’s believed the woman he loved with every ounce of his soul left him without so much as a backwards glance.
When Lea unexpectedly returns to their hometown, all the years of heartache inside Austin bubbles to the surface and presents itself as blinding rage.
Faced with the truth about the past, a newly discovered secret, these former lovers will learn that if they want to have any chance at the future they’d given up on all those years ago, they will have to rescue one another from drowning in pain so debilitating it will leave them both fighting to breathe.
Fighting to Breathe will be available for preorder one week before release at .99 cents before raising to 3.99.
During the time of pre-order 10cents from every book sold will be donated to “FIGHTING CANCER ONE CHAPTER AT A TIME.”
May 20, 2015
Book Review ~ ‘Beautiful Liar’ by Tara Bond.
Beautiful Liar by Tara Bond
Book #1
Genres: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Release Date: 7th May 2015 (Kindle)
30th July 2015 (Paperback)
SYNOPSIS
Reliable
Nina Baxter has her life all mapped out. She wants to work hard, take care of her younger sister and not end up like her drunk of a mother. Most of all, she plans to stay away from bad influences.
Reckless
Alexander Noble doesn’t give a damn about anything or anyone. The heir to an unimaginable fortune, he’s never had to do a day’s work in his life, and devotes himself to pleasure and partying.
When opposites attract…
From their very first meeting, Nina knows Alex is bad news, and vows to stay away from him. But as their paths continue to cross, she can’t help being drawn to him – especially when he makes no secret of his interest in her.
Can they resist the pull?
For the first time ever, Nina is on the brink of following her heart. But can she believe Alex when he tells her to trust him? Or is he just another beautiful liar?
Book Review ~ ‘Beautiful Liar’ by Tara Bond ~ 5 Stars!
‘Beautiful Liar’ is not your typical ‘New Adult’ read. It’s dark, gritty and, dear God do the characters have to work for it. ‘Beautiful Liar’ made an explosive read!
Nina was a great heroine for our story. She is fiercely independent, hard working, and very rarely, if ever, takes time out for herself. Between paying money she doesn’t have to get her mother through rehab, and taking it upon herself to ensure that her younger sister doesn’t stay in foster care, she has enough worries. I think all readers will agree that the last thing she needs at that time is Alexander Noble waltzing into her life.
What I loved so much about ‘Beautiful Liar’ was how multi-dimensional the characters were. Normally, I fall in love with the hero of the story straight away, no hesitation, but with ‘Beautiful Liar’, Alexander had to work for my affection alongside Nina, making it all the more rewarding when he decides to fight his inner demons instead of drinking and partying alongside them.
There is a real emotional punch to this story, and it was both exciting and heart wrenching to see what these two people had to go through in their life, but it made for one hell of a story, and was written in such a beautiful way that any future books by Tara Bond will be on my definite must-read list.
5 Stars!
*Review copy was kindly provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
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