Lyssa Layne's Blog, page 16

Too Much To Lose by Samantha Holt Cover Reveal

BOOK INFORMATION
TITLE – Too Much to Lose

SERIES – Dirty Little Secrets

AUTHOR – Samantha Holt

GENRE – Contemporary Romance

LENTH (Pages/# Words) – 75000

 

BOOK SYNOPSIS
Have you ever been so desperate you made a decision that would haunt you forever?
Jess has.
She became a porn star.
Jess is on the run from her past. She has no friends, no life. She tries to forget everything that happened to her all those years ago. After changing her image, leaving her home and getting a new job, she’s determined it won’t happen again. If that means never being close to anyone ever again, then so be it.
If only Hunter O’Reilly didn’t make her wish things could be different.
Hunter needs this job. After being screwed over by his partner—make that ex-partner—his investigation business is on the line. Already in debt, he eagerly takes on the job of finding some stolen money at triple his going rate and all leads point in Jess’s direction. He expects problems at that price. But he doesn’t expect to fall for her.
However, no job is ever that simple. When he’s forced to spend more time with her, the lines between business and pleasure are blurred. And once Jess’s life comes under threat, they have to make a decision, can they both overcome Jess’s past?

 

TBR LINK
GOODREADS

 

 

EXCERPT – PG

“If you’re in trouble, I know some people who can help.”
“I’m not in trouble. Really, I’m not. I mean who would want to kill me? I know bankers aren’t exactly popular—” she lets loose a shaky laugh “—but I’m harmless.”
Harmless? Not sure about that. Jess sends my heart racing, makes my skin clammy. She’s driving me insane. Harmless? No way.
“What do you want me to do?” I ask.
“Do?”
“Shall I stick around?”
“Oh. No, you don’t need to do that.”
“I don’t mind.”
“I’m fine. Seriously. Thank you for today. You must be tired and I bet your side hurts.”
It does, but I’m not going to admit to that. “It’s fine.”
“Look about that kiss….”
“That was my fault.”
“I kissed you.”
“You did.” I can’t resist letting my mouth curve upwards. She kissed me, but I don’t know if that’s a bad or a good thing. While my pride basks in it, the voice inside that keeps pulling at my gut wants to scream at her to run while she still can. I’m no good for her. “But I kissed you back,” I point out. “And I should not have been… er… touching you out there.”
She draws her bottom lip between her teeth. “It’s okay.”
Hell, how do those two tiny words send an arrow of need straight to my cock? It’s okay that I was kissing her? Or touching her up? It’s okay that I want her so badly I nearly bent her over my bike to fuck her?
Before I can dwell on it anymore and make an even bigger fool of myself, I get to my feet. “Will you let me stay?”
“I don’t think so. It’s too risky.”
A hard knot forms in my throat. I’m more dangerous to her than a crazed gunman it seems. She might be right. If—when—I find that money, her whole life is going to come crashing down.
“Don’t answer the door to anyone. Be careful. Call me if you need me. In fact, call me tomorrow.” She follows me to the door. “Please?” I add as uncertainty dashes across her face.
Jess opens the door and I step out. “I’ll call you,” she says when I turn to face her.
“Promise?”
She rolls her eyes and her mouth curves. “I promise.”
Those lush lips snare my attention and my own smile drops. My skin feels hot and itchy, my pulse urgent. This is insane. I rest an arm against the door frame, my feet still firmly planted on the other side of the threshold and bring my mouth slowly down on hers. She softens but doesn’t touch me. We’re divided by the invisible line between the corridor and her room. I can’t help thinking of it as symbolic. We’re divided by secrets and lies.
Not that any of that matters once our lips connect. I swear I’ve never wanted to kiss a woman so much. Kisses are about the end game. But not with Jess. I want to drown in her kisses, to kiss her all day and see if I ever tire of them. I suspect it’s unlikely.

 

 

AUTHOR BIO
Samantha lives in a small village in England with her gorgeous twin girls and husband who is a trained bodyguard and ex-soldier. She traditionally writes historical romances involving chivalrous knights and hot highlanders, but occasionally dabbles in contemporary romance.
AUTHOR FOLLOW LINKS
AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

WEBSITE / BLOG

FACEBOOK

 

GIVEAWAY PRIZES
1 x paperback copy of Not Another Soldier

2 x $2.99 ebooks of choice
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Organized By:

Just One More Romance 5,000 Likes Celebration!!!

Just One More Romance has been a huge supporter of me and I’m happy to announce that they’ve officially hit 5,000 likes on their Facebook page! On August 9th, I’m joining the girls to help them celebrate. At 7pm, I will be the hostess of their page with more fun prizes and time to gossip about our favorite couple, Nick and Katy. Here’s what I’ll be raffling off:

Ella from Getting It Twisted will be raffling off this Love my Firefighter hanger. OMG! I love this so much!!!

Katie from libresco is donating this Pelican Shakespeare bracelet.

Robin from RockinRobins Bling is donating this pair of beautiful earrings. 

Best Friend’s Gift is donating this pearl pendant necklace.

Alberta from Creations by Alberta is donating a set of his and hers hand towels.

So don’t forget to stop by Saturday night at 7PM  CT and chat with Nick, Katy, and ME!!!

Love is a Fire has been approved by HOT FIREMEN!

Check it out! These local firemen found a copy of Love is a Fire and gave their stamp of approval!

My husband volunteers at the local fair every summer. There’s always a fire truck there so I brought a couple copies of my book, really just looking for an excuse to chat with some hot firemen. They were really excited when I told them about my book! The men asked all about it, told me that the only thing that was real on tv shows was the drama, and then asked where they could get a copy for their wives. Sorry, ladies, these men are all taken! I took the first picture and one of them didn’t like his smile so he made me take it again! I think around Christmas time, I’ll be hanging out at the fire station giving the guys some gift ideas for their wives! A big thank you to the crew of WFD for supporting me and I hope you (your wives) enjoy the book!

Saturday Morning Characters: Dr. Katy Malone from Love is a Fire

Since I’ve been madly working on the sequel to Love is a Fire, I haven’t lined up any authors for this mornings edition of Saturday Morning Characters. So today we’ll chat with Dr. Katy Malone.

Introduction to Dr. Katy Malone

Good morning! Today I’m going to introduce you to Dr. Katy Malone. She’s an independent woman, or so she thinks, that’s given up on love and is dedicated to becoming the best doctor she can be. Until firefighter Nick Garrity walks into her life…

In case you ever wonder what any of the characters look like, feel free to check my Pinterest boards to see my inspiration. Here’s my Love is a Fire Board.

Do I relate to Katy?

The only thing Katy and I have in common is that we run…well, I used to, I don’t any more. But Katy is a WAY better and more dedicated runner than I am.

Is Katy based off someone I know in real life?

Um…I don’t think so.

In real life, would I hang out with Katy? 

Absolutely…so I can be around hot firemen! :-)

What would we discuss over drinks?

Obviously, hot firemen! But I’d love to hear about the crazy things she’s seen at the hospital.

Interview with Dr. Katy Malone

Hi Katy, please tell us a little bit about yourself.

Hey Lyssa, I think you probably know me best. But let’s see, a little about me…I’m a dedicated distance runner, helps keep my mind clear and to stay focused on life. I’m a third year surgical resident at St. Luke’s and I’ll be picking a specialty soon which I’m excited about. Other than work, I’m pretty boring as work is my life.

 

We’ll start off easy with your favorites. Tell us your favorite and why:

Word-Ablation, Katy says with a grin on her face.

Color-Navy, color of scrubs for residents.

Food-A giant bowl of fruit. Weird, I know, but I could eat it all day long!

Subject in school-What kind of doctor would I be if I didn’t say anatomy?

Tell us about your family…

There isn’t much to tell. My mom passed away when I was born, my grandparents are gone, and my father died a few years ago so I don’t have any blood relatives any more. My family today is Tiffany and Jeremiah.

How did your last relationship end?

*Shuffles uncomfortably* I broke it off with him…the month before our wedding.

Tell us your thoughts on marriage and kids.

I think marriage is for some people, just not me and I definitely don’t have time for kids right now with my residency.

Thanks for being with us Katy! Best of luck in your stories. You can buy Love is a Fire on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Don’t forget to add it to your to-be-read shelf on Goodreads. You can also stay-up-to-date on Lyssa Layne’s new releases and chat with the characters from her stories on Facebook and Twitter. 

Lost Avalon by K.S. Thomas is now available!

In May, I participated in a Romance in a Month class. It was tons of fun and I met some awesome authors that I now chat with on a regular basis. My new writing bestie, K.S. Thomas, is the first in the class to publish her story from our class! I was lucky enough to beta read this story about Ava and Blaise and I absolutely fell in love with them. I hope to publish my story soon too! Congrats K.S., so proud of you!

LOST AVALON

A New Contemporary Romance by K.S. Thomas

Fame, fortune and a future paved with rock and roll gold. Blaise Nolan has it all. With his brooding good looks, haunting voice and troubled lyrics of a soul gone lost, it’s no wonder Finding Nolan has been climbing the music charts with back to back hits. Only Blaise didn’t wind up brooding, haunted and lost by accident…

Avalon Jennison has been the girl next door since she was five. The best friend since she was eight. The band manager since she was sixteen and the keeper of his secrets always. Ava’s been there every step of the way, helping him live his dreams and keeping his nightmares at bay. But the years of putting Blaise’s needs above her own are about to be over.

However, Blaise has one secret even Ava doesn’t know..and it could be the thing that breaks her heart completely, or finally puts it back together.

**CONTENT WARNING ~ ADULT LANGUAGE**

 

~ Ava ~

“Ava.”

“Huh?” I could feel his face nestled in my hair close to my ear.

“Time to come out of your head,” he whispered.

I turned around to face him. “I’m scared.”

He gently kissed the tip of my nose. “I know.”

“You and me, we’re all kinds of fucked up. What if we end up hurting each other more?”

“We won’t.” He sounded so sure.

“Blaise…My heart’s been cracked and chipped away at so many times, some days I’m not even sure how much I’ve kept of it and how much I’ve left behind in pieces. It’s fragile and frankly, handing it to you feels a lot like inviting the bull into the china shop.”

There was something almost painful in his eyes. “Your heart will never be safer than it is with me, Ava.”

“How can you say that?” My voice was all croaky from the lump in my throat which was getting harder and harder to keep down.

“Because, I’m the only one who knows how to put the pieces back together.”

Tears erupting from the corners of my eyes, I squeezed them shut and fiercely pressed my lips to his. For all the times he’d said all the wrong things or been too fucked up to say anything at all, he certainly always came through when I needed him to most.

~ Blaise ~

Royce and I just stood there staring at the closed door. Then we heard the water go on in the shower and realized she wasn’t coming back out anytime soon.

“What are you going to do when you’re sober?” Royce was looking way too satisfied with himself.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, what are you going to do when there’s no more reason to play pretend? Are you hoping she just gets so used to acting like your girlfriend that she’ll forget that she’s not?”

He wasn’t blocking the fucking door anymore, so I was free to make my exit. Which I did.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Sure you don’t.” Royce was following me out of the room and back into the kitchen.

“Look. I don’t expect you to understand my relationship with Ava.”

Royce shrugged. “What’s to understand? You’re in love with her.”

“This is what I’m talking about. Why do people always assume that when a guy and a girl are close friends, it means that one of them has to be in love with the other?”

Royce went to get the cup of coffee he had abandoned before shit got heated. “I don’t assume that.” He took a sip, made a face and stuck the coffee in the microwave. “I would have no problem believing that the two of you were best friends who had a completely platonic relationship…if I didn’t know for a fact that it was complete and utter bullshit.” His coffee was done and he took another drink, this time with better results. “If it makes you feel any better, she’s clearly in love with you, too. Although, unlike you, I don’t think she’s aware of it.” Then he took his cup and left to go out onto the terrace.

Unlike me? Where was he coming up with this…this ridiculous…truth. It was true. I was in love with Ava. And she felt the same way about me. Thing Royce in all his smugness had failed to see was that I’d made damn sure she stayed unaware of it.

 

LOST AVALON is now available on AMAZON and for a limited time it’s only 99 cents!!

Be sure to add it to your list on Goodreads and to get the behind the scenes pics be sure to check it out on Pinterest too!!

Love is a Fire at Subterranean Books!

Now through October 2014, Love is a Fire will be available in paperback to my local fans in St. Louis at Subterranean Books in the Delmar Loop. Please support your local author and the local business!

Saturday Morning Characters: Avalon Jennison from Lost Avalon by K.S. Thomas

I am so excited about this morning’s character! It’s Avalon Jennison from Lost Avalon by K.S. Thomas. Let me just tell you how much I love Ava, Blaise, and of course, K.S.!

Introduction to Avalon Jennison

Hi K.S.! Thanks for hanging out with me this morning. Tell me a little bit about yourself and Avalon.

Well, I’m a mother by day, author by night and twenty-four/seven coffee addict. That about covers it. Avalon, or Ava, is the heroine of my latest book. I love her…but we tortured the crap out of each other on this one.

Tell us about my new favorite book, Lost Avalon.

Lost Avalon is basically about two people who have to learn that loving each other isn’t enough if they can’t learn to love themselves first. That’s the straightforward version…the actual story is really pretty messy…here goes:

Blaise and Ava have been best friends since they were kids. Having grown up right next door to each other, their lives have been permanently bound together by some pretty intense family drama and it’s played a huge part in pushing them to get as far away from their pasts as possible.

Fast-forward ten years and they’re all grown up and living life by rock star standards ;-) Blaise’s band, Finding Nolan, has become a huge success all thanks to Ava, their manager. But while their professional lives are peaking, they’re about to bottom out when it comes to their relationship…

Hm…not sure how brief that was, lol.

Do you relate to Ava?

I definitely related to Ava in a lot of ways. I fell for ‘the tortured soul’ guy plenty of times when I was younger. I don’t recommend it, lol.

Is Ava based off someone you know in real life?

Not specifically, no. But I did pull from some of my own experiences to create her.

In real life, would you hang out with Avalon?

Definitely. We’d be hanging out regularly, consuming large doses of coffee and Nutella brownies while discussing music, men and the places and people we’ve seen on our travels.

Can I just say, Nutella brownies sound a-ma-zing!

Why do you love/hate this Ava?

To be perfectly honest, she drove me a little crazy at times. She’s stubborn and fiercely independent and doesn’t really know how to let go and depend on someone else. But… that’s kind of what I love about her, too.

Anything else we need to know about her?

You already know about her coffee and Nutella addiction…so, I think that’s about it. Oh, there is that one thing about that one guy that happened that one time…but it’s in the book, so why bother telling it twice ;-)

Interview with Avalon Jennison

Hey Ava, I feel like I already know you since I’ve read your story, but tell me a little bit about yourself.

Let’s see. For starters, I prefer being in the background rather than being the center of attention…so this interview business…really not digging it.

Well, okay. Then let’s start off easy…

Word- Chocolate. Because it makes me say ‘yum’ which is just as much fun as saying chocolate…

Color- Violet. Reminds me of these flowers my mother planted one year. It was the only time I ever saw her do anything in the yard other than mow the grass. Every spring after, I waited to see if she would plant them again, but she never did. Anyway, they were gorgeous.  

Food- Anything with Nutella on it…okay, maybe not anything…but most things. Or just straight Nutella works, too. And why? I’m sorry…have you had Nutella?

Drink- Coffee…because it goes great with Nutella.

Subject in school- Math. I liked having problems I could actually solve.

Where did you grow up? Just outside of L.A. in a shit part of town not worth going back to…

Tell us about your family…

Ha. Okay… Well, my dad walked out when I was nine, so I don’t really count him as part of the family anymore. My mom is my mom. Tragically flawed and entirely lovable at the same time. I have four younger siblings. My brother Adam is closest to me in age and we’re three years apart. After him my parents spaced kids out a little less with Aaron being born a year and a half later, and then the twins, Alex and Addison, coming in last. There’s only eleven months between them and Aaron. Honestly, I don’t know how that woman’s uterus is still intact. And, yeah…there’s definitely something happening there with the A’s. I just don’t know what. Must have been my dad’s idea because anytime I ask my mom all she does is shrug and say, “Why? You got a problem with the name Avalon?” No. No, I don’t.

How did your last relationship end?

Lee and I broke up because he’s an asshole. Yeah. That pretty much sums it up.

Tell us your thoughts on love. 

I’ve always known Blaise and I were destined to be together for life. Wait, destined sounds too romantic. Bound together by all the complicated shit in our past we don’t want to bother explaining to someone new is probably more like it. Anyway, beyond that, I never considered love or marriage. Definitely not kids. With Blaise in my life, there wasn’t ever enough room to commit to anyone else for anything serious. Of course that was before. Things are different now…

Well thanks for stopping by Ava, I’ll let you get back to Blaise. *wiggles eyebrows* Check out all of K.S.’s links because you do NOT want to miss Lost Avalon!

Website: www.ksthomas.net

Blog: www.friedgatortail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/friedgatortail

Twitter: @friedgatortail

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/friedgatortail

 

 

 

Once Upon a Book Crush Takeover!!!

Alright everyone, I’m back at it! This Saturday, July 26, I’ll be taking over Once Upon a Book Crush’s Facebook page at 7:30PM CT with awesome giveaways. You will NOT want to miss it!!!

Alex from Amaze in Mind is donating this Stainless Steel Heartbeat Necklace.

Jeannine from Jeannine Lynch is donating this Santa ornament.

Sofia from is donating 5 Custom Made Baby Closet Dividers – Firetrucks Stars and Stripes – Fire Engine Nursery Closet Divider.

Marta from Gold Finger Barcelona is donating this Light My Fire Matches Resign Ring.

Jessi from PineWind is donating this pair of rose earrings.

Lisa from is donating one pair of stethoscope earrings.

Played by Love by Rachelle Ayala

The World Cup is over, but Comic-Con is coming up!!! If you’ve ever wondered what happens when a soccer goalie meets a cosplay girl, check out Jaden Sloup and Ella Kennedy in Rachelle Ayala’s newest book, Played by Love .



Description:
Soccer goalkeeper, Jaden Sloup, has his eye on Ella Kennedy, a woman who won’t date jocks or frat boys. He dons a pair of nerd glasses and hugs a laptop to convince her he’s a techno geek, and she agrees to go to Las Vegas with him for a cosplay convention where his team’s playoff game happens to be.

Jaden must juggle sizzling in the sheets with Ella against a soccer match and hanging with his frat brother teammates. When a bully harasses Ella and challenges Jaden to a fight, he proves that even a goalie can score.


From the Author:
Played by Love is the first in a series of exciting sports novellas in my new #Played Series . They are fast, flirty, and sexy, a quick read at the beach or poolside, or in between running errands. I hope you enjoy Jaden and Ella’s story because there’s more to come. Look for Playing the Rookie heating up Spring Training in Arizona, and more.

WARNING: must be over 18 to read, so fasten your seatbelts, because sporty men and enthusiastic women make the very best lovers.
Played by Love is available from Amazon only and available through Amazon’s #KindleUnlimited plan! Pick up your copy before Comic-con and see what fabulous costumes Ella comes up with.

Save the Date by K.S. Thomas

I recently finished reading Save the Date by K.S. Thomas. I met K.S. in our Romance in a Month class and she’s quickly become my late night brainstorming, bounce-ideas-off-each-other, venting about anything and everything friend! I love her almost as much as I loved this book and her soon to released book Saving Avalon.

Summary

Calista Luvalle has mixed feelings when it comes to love. On the one hand, working in the bridal business means she’s basically dedicating her life to love and the dream of happy ever after. On the other, she’s a jaded, love hating cynic who isn’t about to fall for any of that crap herself.

Except of course, she already did. When she was six.

Emerson Barrett isn’t worried about finding the right woman. After a tumultuous past, he’s happy just dedicating his life to his work. Content in knowing what to expect day in and day out, he’s thrown for a loop when he’s suddenly standing face to face with little Lissy Luvalle again.

Only now she’s not so little anymore…

Review

This is a real story of soulmates! Despite planning weddings for a living, Lissy Luvalle is skeptical of love. When a family wedding emergency evolves, Lissy joins her family in Kentucky where her path crosses again with the hot, hunky cowboy Emerson Barrett. When she was only six, Emerson who was 16 at the time, spent the summer looking out and taking care of her. Almost twenty years later, he picks up right where their relationship left off. It’s obvious to everyone except Lissy and Emerson that the two were meant to be together. It’s a modern day Romeo & Juliet when you toss in the “other side of the tracks” drama. Their budding relationship and emotions kept me turning the page wanting to know when they’d finally get it together. As a sentimental person, I loved all the ties back to their childhood and adult life. This is a sweet story that will make you want to find the one to save the date with!