Release Day/Giveaway – Dear Banjo by Sasha Wasley #happyreleaseday #authorgiveaway

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Sasha Wasley’s Contemporary Romance Dear Banjo releases today, May 29, 2017.  I’m very much looking forward to reading this second chance at love romance and I’m picking up my copy today.  My review will be coming in the near future.

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Blurb

They were best friends who were never meant to fall in love – but for one of them, it was already way too late.

Willow ‘Banjo’ Paterson and Tom Forrest were raised on neighboring cattle stations in the heart of the Kimberley. As young adults, sharing the same life dreams, something came between them that Willow cannot forget. Now ten years have passed since she’s even spoken to Tom.

When her father falls ill, Willow is called home to take over the running of the family property, Paterson Downs. Her vision for a sustainable, organic cattle station is proving hard to achieve. She needs Tom’s help, but is it too late, and all too complicated, to make amends?

Tom’s heartfelt, decade-old letters remain unopened and unmentioned between them, and Willow must find the courage to finally read them. Their tattered pages reveal a love story like no other – and one you’ll never forget.

Dear Banjo is a wildly romantic and utterly captivating story about first love and second chances from an exciting new Australian author.

Excerpt from Chapter 1

Somehow she managed to pack up the entire apartment overnight. On the way to the airport the next morning, Willow got the taxi driver to drop in at Tanya’s place. Her friend was still in her pajamas when Willow gave her the keys to her apartment and a couple of hundred dollars. Tanya tried to refuse the money but Willow pushed it into her hand.

‘No, Tan, I’ve booked professional cleaners and I need you to pay them for me. Keep whatever’s left over as a thanks. And could you possibly go in and get rid of the boxes I’ve left behind? You can have anything from them or just donate it all to charity. And then if you could just drop the keys off to the real estate agent, I’ll be grateful forever.’

Tanya nodded and her eyes went a little glassy. ‘You’re really going, aren’t you? For good, I mean.’

‘Yeah. Going home at last. I can’t believe I stayed in the city this long.’

Tears spilled down Tanya’s cheeks. ‘I’m going to miss you.’

‘Oh, Tan. You should come visit.’ Willow hugged her. ‘I’ll stay in touch.’

‘It’s not the same,’ Tanya sobbed.

‘I’ll call you in a couple of days, okay?’

Tanya nodded and gave her another tearful hug before letting Willow leave.

Jeez, Willow thought as she ran back to the taxi. Shows of emotion had never been her thing. Okay, she was moving a couple of thousand kilometres away, and she’d miss seeing Tanya at work, but surely it wasn’t worth crying over.

A memory of her sessions with a psychologist surfaced. Willow, you tend to hold people at arm’s length. Why don’t you try letting people in a little more? Willow snapped her attention back to the present, logging into the power company’s website on her phone to cancel her account.

She checked in for her flight and paid an exorbitant amount for her excess baggage before watching it glide away on the conveyer belt – the sum total of her adult life in two large suitcases. No, she remembered. 3700 square kilometres, 6500 head of cattle, a ground­breaking, humane, organic beef operation. That would be the sum total of her adult life.

She settled into her seat and thanked the heavens she’d been placed next to a young fly-in-fly-out type, probably contracted to the Herne River catchment project. He was already plugged into his tablet and watching a show involving zombies, so she wouldn’t have to talk to anyone during the flight. She wanted to write a to-do list. As soon as they were in the air she reached into her bag for a note­pad and her hand met something unfamiliar. Not her notepad.

Tom’s letters.

Willow considered them, her heart rate bumping up all over again. Wouldn’t it almost be an invasion of Tom’s privacy to read them now, so long after he’d intended her to? Maybe those sleeping dogs should just be left to lie?

Yes, she would bin them all – drop them into the roving rubbish bag the next time the steward came around.

But she would be living next door to the Forrests again once she got home. By now, Tom would soon be taking over Quintilla, just as she was about to do with Paterson Downs. Their families were as close as ever. She’d need to resume some kind of relationship with Tom Forrest, no matter how difficult the initial patching up phase would be.

Maybe she could use this three-hour flight from Perth to Mount Clair to read all of Tom’s letters at last. She hadn’t even given the poor guy a chance after looking at the first couple. She’d been so absorbed in her own pain; grappling with the panic she felt every time she thought about what he’d done. Perhaps there had been an apology in one of those letters – an apology she should have acknowledged by now. A retraction of that awful moment when he’d said those words . . .

Tom’s handwriting was scrawled across the front of the topmost envelope – always familiar, no matter how long it had been. Willow took a shaky breath. Seven-thirty in the morning was a little early for a stiff drink, so she requested a coffee and pulled out the first two letters; the ones she’d opened and read ten years earlier.

Dear Banjo,

Happy New Year. I guess you’re settled in at the student hall by now. You sure went early. The other kids who got in aren’t leaving until February. I don’t know where you’re staying so I asked Beth to send this on to you. You might have heard I’m probably not going to take up my offer of a place at uni. I’m thinking I’ll defer my course – for now, anyway. Dad’s not fazed. He won’t have to hire extra help this way, not to mention the savings on the tuition fees. Mum’s not overly happy but I keep telling her it’s only for the year. She asks a lot of questions. Not really sure what else to say to you, Banjo. It’s weird without you. Whenever I’m on the quad I turn towards Patersons before I remember you’re not there any more. I keep thinking I’ll see you at the eastern gate, sitting on Rusty, ready for a fenceline race. You knew I’d always beat you but you’d have a go anyway. So, yep. Really weird. You’ve always just been there. I guess it doesn’t quite compute yet. Take care of yourself in the big city, okay?

Tom

P.S. We should probably try to sort this mess out.

Buy Links: 

Amazon US: http://a.co/1FBSzw6
Amazon UK: http://amzn.eu/3qfH0zB
Amazon AU:  https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B06XKGW9YT/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_x_x8kjzbHQF9D9C
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/dear-banjo

About Sasha Wasley

Sasha Wasley was born and raised in Perth, Western Australia.

She has completed a PhD in cultural theory and loves nature, Jane Austen and puns.

Sasha is a farming wannabe, with a passion for animals and the land. Although she’s in her forties now, she still wants a pony.

Her debut novel, a young adult paranormal, was published in 2014. Today, she lives and writes in the Swan Valley wine region with her partner and two daughters, surrounded by dogs, cats and chickens.

Sasha writes mystery, paranormal and young adult novels as S.D. Wasley.

Find Sasha Wasley Here: Website, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon, Newsletter.

International Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Dear Banjo, Sasha is giving away some super-cute cattle-related prizes, including an udderley adorable mug and an adult colouring book all about cows.

Enter here: http://www.subscribepage.com/sashawasley.prizedraw

As always, Keep Writing/Keep Reading ~janisf

Blog Tour, Giveaway, Interview with the Author, and My Review for Believe in the Wish by Christi Snow

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Believe in the Wish by Christi Snow is a New Adult Contemporary Male Romance with an adventure, a bit of a mystery and filled with sibling love.  Believe in the Wish is a standalone novel.  Book Cover Designed by Jay Aheer.

Believe in the Wish was released on May 11, 2017, and is intended for readers 18 years and older.

Believe Banner

My Four Star Review:

Let me first say, you will need a few tissues for this story.   Ethan Roberts twin sister, Emma, passes away from cancer and Ethan is left with a gaping hole in his heart. He just can’t seem to function without his other half.  But Emma is a smart sister and knows she needs to kick her brother’s butt from the grave.  Emma enlists her attorney to carry out a plan to ensure Ethan finds his Happily Ever After.  This help comes in the form of letters from Emma to Ethan but not just Ethan.  Emma’s best friend Hawk gets pulled into the mix and is sent on a few “missions’ with Ethan.   Hawk is struggling with a few demons of his own and together, Hawk and Ethan, find some common ground the courage to help them both move on.

This was a really cute story and it really pulled me in when Emma said, in her first letter, “Make a Wish, Ethan.  Believe in it. It’s time to live!” and Ethan made his wish, “I wish I wasn’t so alone.”   I kind of got the feeling if Hawk was going to make a wish, it would’ve been the same one.

This is the first book I’ve read by Christi and I really enjoyed each of her characters.  I would encourage you to grab this book and take a chance on a new author like I did.  You might find some really great reads.

Synopsis:

I buried my twin sister six months after she found out she had cancer. Her funeral was three months ago. Today is our birthday and it started with delivery of letters from her.

It seems she didn’t trust me to move on after her death. She knows me too well. But how can I go on when my other half is just…gone? That’s not something I can recover from with a snap of my fingers. But I also can’t ignore her instructions even though I’d be perfectly content to cuddle up with my buddy, Johnnie Walker, and call it a year.

She has a list of things for me to do and there are rules attached.

There’s one major problem besides the fact it’s been three months since I left the house. I have to do all these things with her jerk of an ex, Hawk Simmons. He abandoned her shortly after she found out she was sick. If that wasn’t enough to make this a really bad idea, the fact that he makes an appearance in all my nighttime fantasies probably does.

I don’t think I can do this, but I owe it to my sister’s memory to try.

Interview with the Christi Snow:

Question:  What’s harder, naming your characters, creating the title for your book or the cover design process?

None of those are hard. Those are my first steps when I’m still really excited about a book and the information simply flows out of my head through my fingertips. I love the whole creation process and nothing is more exciting than when cover art hits my inbox from my designer.

A little secret for you…Believe in the Wish was written TO the cover. Jay Aheer is the cover designer for this book and when I saw it, I bought it. I had no clue what to use it for. The story came FROM that gorgeous cover.

Question:  “How do you answer the question “Oh, you’re an author…what do you write?”

I’m the world’s worst about promoting myself, so I tend to stutter and stammer through this. But usually I say something along the lines of “I write romance” or “I write romantic suspense.” It gets to be fun when the conversation continues. People are either really intrigued (and honestly, that’s the norm) or really, really rude about the romance genre in general. But I swore early on, I would always claim my work with pride, so even in my small West Texas town, I talk about my love for male/male romances and will list all the various genres I write in…which I’ll admit, is really varied. It’s interesting to see how different people react. Thankfully, I’m a serious introvert so rarely talk to other people, so the subject rarely comes up.

Question:  What does your family think of your writing?

My family has been incredibly supportive. I think I confuse most of them…because I am from a conservative, rural American family where things like LGBTQA rights aren’t really even on their radar. But after moving around the world with the military, I’ve been exposed to so much more than I ever would have if I’d stayed close to home (and I’m so thankful for that). So while I may be the black sheep of the family in just that they don’t get or even necessarily agree with my beliefs, they’ve never been anything but supportive about me and my writing. I’m extremely lucky there.

Question:  Tell us about your current work in process and what you’ve got planned for the future.

Oh wow…that’s opening up a can of worms. At any given time, I’m working on 3-5 projects.

Right now…

  1. I’m actively writing Snowcroft Restoration (book #4 in the Men of Snowcroft series…m/m).
  2. I’m also actively writing When Love Comes Back (an unexpected book #5 in the When the Mission Ends series that just exploded upon my muse last week…m/f).
  3. Getting ready to do mild rewrites on Found at the Bookstore (book #2 in the Found series…m/m) so it can go to my editor. This will be my next release after Believe in the Wish.
  4. Gearing up to tackle my behemoth Intertwined Hearts manuscript to get it ready for beta readers. This 128,000 word beast is my m/m/f and is book #3 in the Men of Snowcroft series and should be releasing in the late summer.
  5. Then I also have two paranormal m/m novellas coming out late fall/early winter called Smolder and Shiver.

Giveaway – click below for a chance to win a $20 Amazon gift card.

Author Rafflecopter Giveaway

Excerpt:

Katya ended her call and promptly pushed the ‘away’ button for receiving phone calls. “I’m sorry. No more calls. They may not think so, but they can survive without me for an hour or so while we have our chat.”

Ethan’s stomach rolled over. That brought them to the question of the hour…chat about what? But he was almost afraid to ask at this point. Instead, he redirected. “Do you have your own firm, or do you work for someone else?”

She raised an eyebrow at him, but with a slight tilt of her head she must have seen something in his expression because she answered, “I own my own firm. When I graduated from law school, I went into a partnership that was later dissolved when I bought my partner out. It’s all mine now, which keeps me very busy.”

He grimaced. “And that’s further complicated by hermits like me who refuse to answer phone calls or mail deliveries. Sorry about that.”

“No.” She shook her head. “It’s time for you to stop apologizing. This is a hard time for you and that’s okay. To a certain extent, that’s the way it should be…”

She hesitated for a moment. “At least for a little while. You’re allowed to grieve. But Emma knew this would be an issue for you, so she made plans.”

“What kind of plans?”

Katya reached into her briefcase and pulled out a file. She reached inside and pulled out an envelope that she handed to him. On the front was his name, written in Emma’s handwriting. Suddenly it was hard to breathe.

“What is this?” he whispered.

“The first of your instructions. You need to open and read it.”

He didn’t want to. He didn’t know why, but he really didn’t want to. “I’d rather wait until I’m at home.” At his house, if he fell apart, he could do it without witnesses.

She shook her head kindly. “No, that won’t work. She was very specific in how she wanted this all to go. I need you to open it now.”

Ethan swallowed against the huge lump in his throat as he tried to find air to breathe. His heart pounded in his chest. Surely, everyone around them could hear that.

“It’s okay,” she said softly. “I promise.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.” He glanced up at her. “It’s never going to be okay again.” His voice cracked.

She lowered her lids, and her lips compressed into a tight line as if his grief was too much for her.

His hands shook as he turned the envelope over, lifting the sealed flap. It had to be his imagination, but he could have sworn that he smelled a faint whiff of the strawberry lotion Emma always liked to wear.

For just a moment, he shut his eyes and tried to calm down his emotions going haywire. He didn’t know whether to be angry that she’d done this to him, sad that she wasn’t here to tell him whatever information this letter held, or scared at whatever Emma had cooked up for him.

Throughout her life, she’d kept him hopping. As the exuberant, outgoing twin, she’d always dragged him into trouble when all he’d wanted to do was stay home. In that regard, this whole scheme of hers was very apropos.

He took a deep breath and pulled out the single sheet of paper and unfolded it. At the very first words on the paper, his eyes filled with tears.

Happy Birthday, baby brother.

He glanced up in disbelief at Katya. “It’s May fifteenth?”

At her silent nod, he gazed down at the paper in his hands, his eyes filling with tears. It was their twenty-fifth birthday. The first birthday he’d ever celebrated without her. She’d only been twenty-four when she’d died. How unfair was that? To her. To him. To the world that missed out on everything she had to offer it.
Emma’s handwriting wavered in front of his eyes, but he continued to read, not knowing what else to do. His other option—sobbing in the middle of the restaurant—would be mortifying.

I’m sorry I’m not there to go out partying with you. Remember when we were little and you didn’t want to share your birthday with me? Now you get your wish.

He’d been a horrible person. The tears overflowed his eyes. He’d made that wish more years than he even wanted to remember. How selfish was that? How could he have wished for a life without her in any way? She’d been his light.

Katya shoved a tissue into his hand.

Right. He was in public. Time to get it together.

My bad. It was probably too soon for a joke like that.

I love you, Ethan.

I know I didn’t say that enough—you know emotional displays and I didn’t mix—but beyond anything else that happens over the next few weeks, KNOW THAT. I love you, and if I could have figured out a way to stay, I would have…for you.

But God obviously had different plans for me, so now I’ll just have to content myself with being your guardian angel for the next seventy-five years. I’ll have your back, bro. I promise.

And in the interest of having your back, that’s why Katya is here.

I know you. You’re stubborn, and right now, I imagine that you’re more than a little sad. I get that, but that doesn’t mean you stop living. My death means you have to live twice as much because you have to do it enough for both of us. I’m counting on you.

But, again, I know you, so I’ve enlisted some help from my friends just to get you going.

Make a Wish, Ethan. Believe in it. It’s time to live.

~Emma

When Ethan finished reading, he took several deep breaths. The sobs had welled in his throat, and it was all he could just to hold them inside.

“You okay?” Katya asked.

“Yeah.” His voice sounded husky, but he’d managed to say the word, so he figured that for a win.

“Then it’s time for step two.”

He looked up just as she held a flaming lighter to the candle on top of a cupcake. She pushed it in front of him. “Make a wish and blow. All you have to do is believe.”

As he sat there, looking at the flickering candle, it occurred to him at just how sad this was. His twin was dead, and he was at some bizarre birthday celebration with someone he’d never even met before. Even from the grave, Emma was working to pull him out of his shell.

So he closed his eyes and blew as he made his wish.

I wish I wasn’t so alone.

But when he opened them, nothing had changed. He was still sitting in a restaurant with a woman he didn’t know, mourning the twin sister who’d died. Not that he expected a miracle, but Emma wanted him to believe.

Believe.

How was that even possible? She’d been the one who believed in the magic of things like wishes and fairy tales. What had that gotten her? She’d died before she’d even had the chance to live. What kind of magic could he possibly believe in with that kind of reality?

Check out the other great Blogs on this Tour:

5/11 ~ Hearts on Fire Reviews

5/11 ~ Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

5/12 ~ MM Good Book Reviews

5/13 ~ Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents

5/14 ~ Dog-Eared Daydreams

5/15 ~ Happily Ever Chapter

5/16 ~ Two Chicks Obsessed with Books and Eye Candy

5/16 ~ MM Book Escape

5/17 ~ Book Reviews Janisf & Leisha

5/17 ~ BFD Book Blog

5/18 ~ Dirty Books Obsession

5/19 ~ Reviews for Book Lovers

5/19 ~ Love Bytes Reviews

5/20 ~ Bayou Book Junkie

Purchase Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iTunes. 

Find Christi Snow Here: Website, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Google+, Instagram. 

Author Image

Meet Christi Snow:

As an avid reader her entire life, Christi Snow always dreamed of writing books that brought to others the kind of joy she felt when she read. But…she never did anything about it besides jot down a few ideas and sparse scenes.

When she turned 41, she decided it was time to go after her dream and started writing. Within four months, she’d written over 150,000 words and hasn’t stopped since.

She’s found her calling by writing about sexy, alpha heroes and smart, tough heroines falling in love and finding their passion. She’s truly living the dream and loving every minute of it.

Her tagline is… Passion and adventure on the road to Happily Ever After. She’s loving this adventure!

As always, Keep Writing/Keep Reading ~janisf

I received a copy of this book directly from the publisher.  Blog Tour sponsored by IndiGo. Cover by Jay Aheer.

jay aheer    IndiGo Badge (1)        Believe Teaser 3

The Queen and the Cure by Amy Harmon #happyreleaseday #fivestarreview

Book Reviews, Series Books, , , , , ,

Amy Harmon is taking us back to the land of Jeru in her next novel in The Bird and The Sword Chronicles, The Queen and The Cure releasing today, May 9, 2017.  

I would highly recommend you read The Bird and The Sword prior to The Queen and the Cure.  Each book has it’s own main characters and story but to really get the full enjoyment of Jeru, you should read them in order.

I would recommend this series to readers 16 years and older.

The Queen and The Cure, Amy Harmon - Print

Way more than FIVE Star review:

Amy Harmon is an amazing unique storyteller and I’m so grateful and honored to be able to read her words.  The Queen and the Cure was absolute perfection! Amy’s world of Jeru and the people I met along the way are intriguing, heartwarming, wonderful people, who fill your soul with sunshine.  I want to go to Jeru and hang out with each and every one of them.

In this novel, Kjell goes on an adventure over land and sea and discovers a few things about himself that he never knew.  It was wonderful to watch his story and character grow and bloom.  Kjell meets Sasha along the way and her story has a few twists and turns as well.  These two characters pulled me in and took me on a journey I will never forget.  There were moments of laughter, moments of sorrow and most of all moments of love.  I am so looking forward to more adventures from the land of Jeru.

Kjell does a little “singing” along the way and this is one of my favorite songs:  “Heave ho, back we go, the ale is coming to ya.  Heave ho, back it goes, ale is flowing through ya.”

So don’t wait, go out right now and one-click The Queen and the Cure.  I promise you will not be disappointed.

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A glimpse of The Queen and the Cure:

There will be a battle, and you will need to protect your heart.

Kjell of Jeru had always known who he was. He’d never envied his brother or wanted to be king. He was the bastard son of the late King Zoltev and a servant girl, and the ignominy of his birth had never bothered him.

But there is more to a man than his parentage. More to a man than his blade, his size, or his skills, and all that Kjell once knew has shifted and changed. He is no longer simply Kjell of Jeru, a warrior defending the crown. Now he is a healer, one of the Gifted, and a man completely at odds with his power.

Called upon to rid the country of the last vestiges of the Volgar, Kjell stumbles upon a woman who has troubling glimpses of the future and no memory of the past. Armed with his unwanted gift and haunted by regret, Kjell becomes a reluctant savior, beset by old enemies and new expectations. With the woman by his side, Kjell embarks upon a journey where the greatest test may be finding the man she believes him to be.

Cover design: By Hang Le – http://www.byhangle.com/

About Amy Harmon

Amy Harmon is a Wall Street Journal, 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 fifteen different languages, truly a dream come true for a little country girl from Levan, Utah.

Amy Harmon has written eleven novels — the USA Today Bestsellers, The Bird and The Sword, Making Faces and Running Barefoot, as well as From Sand and Ash, The Law of Moses, The Song of David, Infinity + One, and the New York Times Bestseller, A Different Blue. Her recent release, The Bird and the Sword, is a Goodreads Best Fantasy of 2016 finalist.

Find Amy Harmon here: Website, Facebook, Facebook Fan Group, Goodreads, Twitter, Instagram, Amy’s Newsletter Sign up, Amazon.

Order links:

➔ Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2pemj5W
➔ Paperback: http://amzn.to/2pdcpWG
➔ Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2oWCNUa
➔ iTunes: https://itun.es/us/Lobbjb.l
➔ Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/BarnesNobleTQATC
➔ Kobo: http://bit.ly/KoboTQATC

ADD The Queen and The Cure to your Goodreads “want to read” shelf HERE.

PICK up the first book in the Chronicles, The Bird and The Sword, HERE.

CHECK out my FIVE star review of The Bird and The Sword, HERE!

As always, Keep Writing/Keep Reading ~janisf

Wild Ride (Black Knights Inc. Book 9) by Julie Ann Walker

Book Reviews, Series Books, , ,

Wild Ride is Ozzie’s book in Julie Ann Walker’s Black Nights Inc. Series and if you’re a fan like I am then you were very much looking forward to this release.  Wild Ride is a Contemporary Suspense Romance filled with strong men and equally strong women. Black Nights Inc. is one of my all time favorite series and must be read in order.

Wild Ride was released on April 4, 2017, and is intended for readers 18 years and older.

wildride

My FIVE Star Review:

I have been a fan of Ethan “Ozzie” Sykes since the very first book, Hell on Wheels, when he started belting out “Take it on the run baby.” wearing a Mr. Spock T-shirt that read 100% TREKKIE and playing the “air” drums. Yes, Ozzie was one of the characters that got me completely hooked on Black Nights Inc. and everything Julie Ann Walker.   He’s a computer geek/warrior who is always happy, joking with his fellow teammates and just your overall great guy.  But I always knew there was something more to him, something we didn’t really know and finally we get his story.

Samantha Tate is a reporter and she’s been poking around Black Nights Inc. trying to find out if they really are just a Motorcycle Shop.  Samantha and Ozzie become friends. Yes, he’s making sure she doesn’t uncover anything she shouldn’t but he also genuinely likes her.  We get front row seats to this dynamic duo’s adventure and their final fall into an HEA.

I can honestly say Wild Ride was my absolute favorite book in this series and that’s saying something because I was sure it would have been Doc’s book, Too Hard to Handle. I would highly recommend this entire series.

Thank you, Julie Ann Walker, for writing these stories, giving us these amazing characters to love and sharing your witty writing style.  I very much look forward to the next book.

More About Wild Ride:

The hero we’ve all been waiting for…

Ethan “Ozzie” Sykes
Former Navy SEAL
Underground operator for Black Knights Inc., the covert government defense firm disguised as a custom motorcycle shop

In a black-on-black international mission that went seriously sideways, Ozzie was badly injured—now he’s stuck at BKI headquarters in Chicago, champing at the bit to get out into the field again. To his disgust, he’s tasked with distracting Chicago Tribune ace reporter Samantha Tate, who’s been trying to dig up the dirt on BKI for years. Turns out Samantha’s beauty, intelligence and sense of humor are a seriously big distraction, and Ozzie’s losing his desire to keep her at bay.

Ozzie’s tired of hiding, and Samantha may be the best-and worst—person to share his secrets with…

Black Nights, Inc. Book Reading Order:

1 – Hell on Wheels – 
2 – In Rides Trouble
3 – Rev It Up
4 – Thrill Ride
5 – Born Wild – My Amazon Review
6 – Hell for Leather – My Amazon Review
7 – Full Throttle – My Amazon Review
8 – Too Hard to Handle – My Five Star Blog Review
9 – Wild Ride
10 – Fuel for Fire – Coming July 4, 2017
11 – Hot Pursuit – October 2017

Find Julie Ann Walker here:  Internet, Facebook, Goodreads, Twitter.

As Always, Keep Writing/Keep Reading ~ janisf

Block & Tackle Anthology by Elise Faber, Stephanie Fournet, Kristin Vayden

Book Reviews, , ,

Block & Tackle is a Sports Romance Anthology with three short stories by Elise Faber, Stephanie Fournet and Kristen Vayden.  It is a new adult romance and is intended for readers 18 years and older.

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My Four Star Review:

This was a really great Sports Romance Anthology with three stories revolving around The Prestige Media Group.  Each story has a happily ever after, strong characters and fun romance.  They are the first stories I’ve read by these authors but I look forward to checking out more stories by these ladies.

I would highly recommend this anthology.

More About Block & Tackle:

Offsides by Elise Faber

Job title:
Executive Assistant for CEO of Prestige Media Group

Job description:
(1) Deal with a massive amount of emails.
(2) Schedule conference calls and meetings with top athletes and other hugely important people.
(3) Pick up dry cleaning and food, consult on tie selection, make dinner reservations, and book flights . . . basically act as a wife-on-steroids.
(4) THE IMPORTANT ONE: Do not, under any circumstances, fall in love with Devon Scott—demanding boss, former NHL player, and all-around gorgeous specimen of the male persuasion.

Job performance:
Failing.
Absolutely failing at number four.

Off Guard by Stephanie Fournet

Life couldn’t be better for Charlie Woodruff.

After a year of holding out, she’s finally landed the job she’s always wanted in the city of her dreams. An apartment she can afford and new friends at work make the transition easy.
When she meets a gorgeous stranger who makes her laugh and steals her breath, it seems like the icing on the cake…

Until Charlie discovers he’s a client.

Hutch Barlow — newly drafted wide receiver for the Oakland Raiders — looks like an avenging angel, hangs on her every word, and is completely off-limits. The trouble is he also refuses to take “no” for an answer.

And if she’s being honest, Charlie doesn’t want him to.
But seeing him means she could lose everything — including her heart.

Off Limits by Kristin Vayden

Everything about Ava screams off limits.
To want her is to invite disaster.
To pursue her is to risk my job.
To kiss her might cost me my best friend.
But all those risks seem small in light of the first problem.
She hates me.

To her I’m a sell out, choosing to advance my career rather than protect my biggest client.
Her brother.
And my best friend.
She hasn’t spoken to me in over a year, but that ends now.
Because I’m done with holding back.
To hell with the consequences.
Wish me luck . . .

As Always, Keep Writing/Keep Reading ~ janisf

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley.

 

Cover Reveal & Pre-Order: The Queen and The Cure by Amy Harmon

Ramblings, Series Books, , , ,

Amy Harmon is taking us back to the land of Jeru in her next novel in The Bird and The Sword Chronicles, The Queen and The Cure releasing May 9, 2017. 

The-Queen-and-the-Cure-FOR-WEBA glimpse of what’s coming:

There will be a battle, and you will need to protect your heart.

Kjell of Jeru had always known who he was. He’d never envied his brother or wanted to be king. He was the bastard son of the late King Zoltev and a servant girl, and the ignominy of his birth had never bothered him.

But there is more to a man than his parentage. More to a man than his blade, his size, or his skills, and all that Kjell once knew has shifted and changed. He is no longer simply Kjell of Jeru, a warrior defending the crown. Now he is a healer, one of the Gifted, and a man completely at odds with his power.

Called upon to rid the country of the last vestiges of the Volgar, Kjell stumbles upon a woman who has troubling glimpses of the future and no memory of the past. Armed with his unwanted gift and haunted by regret, Kjell becomes a reluctant savior, beset by old enemies and new expectations. With the woman by his side, Kjell embarks upon a journey where the greatest test may be finding the man she believes him to be.

Cover design: By Hang Le – http://www.byhangle.com/

About Amy Harmon

Amy Harmon is a Wall Street Journal, 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 fifteen different languages, truly a dream come true for a little country girl from Levan, Utah.

Amy Harmon has written eleven novels — the USA Today Bestsellers, The Bird and The Sword, Making Faces and Running Barefoot, as well as From Sand and Ash, The Law of Moses, The Song of David, Infinity + One, and the New York Times Bestseller, A Different Blue. Her recent release, The Bird and the Sword, is a Goodreads Best Fantasy of 2016 finalist.

Find Amy Harmon here: Website, Facebook, Facebook Fan Group, Goodreads, Twitter, Instagram, Amy’s Newsletter Sign up, Amazon.

Pre-order links:

➔ Amazon: http://amzn.to/2pemj5W
➔ iTunes: https://itun.es/us/Lobbjb.l
➔ Kobo: http://bit.ly/KoboTQATC
➔ Barnes & Noble: coming soon!

ADD The Queen and The Cure to your Goodreads “want to read” shelf HERE.

PICK up the first book in the Chronicles, The Bird and The Sword, HERE.

CHECK out my FIVE star review HERE!

As always, Keep Writing/Keep Reading ~janisf

At Attention by Annabeth Albert #newrelease #giveaway

Book Reviews, , , ,

At Attention is a Military Male Second Chance at Love Romance by Annabeth Albert. It is the second book in her Out of Uniform series but can be read as a standalone.  It is intended for readers 18 years and older.

At Attention will be releasing today, April 10, 2017.

at attention

My Five Star Review:

This was the first book I’ve read by Annabeth Albert and I absolutely loved it.  The two main characters, Lieutenant Apollo Floros and Dylan, his best friend and fellow Lieutenant’s little brother, were so cute from the very beginning.

Dylan and Apollo first meet 8 years ago when Dylan was 15 and now Dylan’s brother thinks he’s the best one to help Apollo take care of his twin daughters for the summer.

Apollo can’t seem to keep his eyes off Dylan but he’s 12 years older than Dylan and he knows this whole thing is a bad idea.  But Dylan hits it off with Apollo’s kids and finally with Apollo.  Their relationship has their ups and down but hang in there with them, they get their happily ever after.

This is a really cute, fast read and I would highly recommend it.

More About At Attention: 

Lieutenant Apollo Floros can ace tactical training missions, but being a single dad to his twin daughters is more than he can handle. He needs live-in help, and he’s lucky a friend’s younger brother needs a place to stay. He’s surprised to see Dylan all grown up with a college degree…and a college athlete’s body. Apollo’s widowed heart may still be broken, but Dylan has his blood heating up.

It’s been eight years since the teenage Dylan followed Apollo around like a lovesick puppy, and it’s time he showed Lieutenant Hard-to-Please that he’s all man now—an adult who’s fully capable of choosing responsibility over lust. He can handle Apollo’s muscular sex appeal, but Apollo the caring father? Dylan can’t afford to fall for that guy. He’s determined to hold out for someone who’s able to love him back, not someone who only sees him as a kid brother.

Apollo is shocked by the intensity of his attraction to Dylan. Maybe some no-strings summer fun will bring this former SEAL back to life. But the combination of scorching desire and warm affection is more than he’d expected, and the emotion between them scares him senseless. No fling lasts forever, and Apollo will need to decide what’s more important—his past or his future—if he wants to keep Dylan in his life.

Find out more about Annabeth Albert here:
Website, Facebook, Facebook Fan Group, Twitter, Goodreads

Click the Rafflecopter below for your chance to win a $20 Amazon gift card.

RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY

Excerpt
**This is from the first chapter**

Hamburger. Onions. Pickles. Ketchup. Buns. Buns.

Well, hello, there. Possibly the most perfect specimen Apollo had ever seen was bent over in the bakery aisle at Sprouts, looking at a rack of organic cookies. High. Tight. Round. Attached to muscular legs poking out of board shorts, the kind of legs that suggested a serious investment in a sport or fitness. He wasn’t going to do more than look, but even when he’d been with Neal, he hadn’t been blind, and it was nice to know perfection like this guy existed in the world.

It was like swimming by a perfect coral reef on a dive or the blue of a cloudless sky right before a jump—

Wink. Fuck. The guy straightened before Apollo could look away and caught Apollo staring, and instead of blushing or serving him with the angry glare he deserved, he gave Apollo a saucy wink. It was the sort of wink that a decade ago would have had Apollo crossing the shiny linoleum and getting the guy’s number, but those days were long gone.

Instead he grabbed the closest twelve pack of hamburger buns and one of hot dog buns and headed to the next aisle. Those were the only kind of buns he had any business letting himself be distracted by. He was a father for crying out loud, not some single guy out treating the natural grocery store like his own personal pickup joint. Reflexively, he rubbed his ring with the side of his pinky, making it spin on his ring finger. Yeah. No more looking.

“Apollo! How are you?” Bridget from down the street almost ran her cart into his as he navigated the aisles. Her red-haired toddler waved at him from the basket.

Hell. He knew he should have brought at least one of the girls shopping. Then Bridget could have focused on the kids, and not his least favorite question in the universe.

“Hanging in there.” Apollo gave her a practiced a smile. “Good” would be a lie and no one wanted to hear “same as yesterday,” which was closer to the truth. But what the Bridgets of the world all wanted to hear was that Apollo was moving on—like time was the magic cure for the hole in his heart. “Having some people over for a barbecue later. Apologies if anyone parks in front of your place.”

“Oh, no worries.” Bridget patted his arm. “Having friends is so important.”

“Yeah, it is,” Apollo agreed because Bridget was a nice person, but inwardly his teeth gnashed together. He was so tired of well-meaning people telling him what was good for him when not a damn one of their suggestions would bring Neal back. “I better get on with my list.”

“You do that. And be sure and let us know if you need anything.”

Apollo nodded. Two years. It had been two years of neighbors and friends stopping him like this, making kind offers, but none of them able to do the one thing he wanted more than anything.

Fuck. Snap out of it, Lieutenant. No one wants your mopey ass around on this sunny May weekend. And it was an absolutely gorgeous day, perfect for playing with the girls outside and kicking back a few beers with his friends. He wasn’t on duty and had three consecutive days off for the first time in a long time. No sense dwelling on sad shit. Time to get stuff done.

Find something else to focus on.

Like that perfect ass?

No. Absolutely not that. Like…pickles. Lots and lots of pickles.

He saw Mr. Perfect Butt again in the juice aisle, and it was damn hard to keep his resolution to stick to shopping. The guy was model cute—curly hair falling just so over his forehead, sparkling eyes, chiseled jaw, and a tight T-shirt advertising a British soccer team showing off a defined chest and tight stomach. The guy smiled at him again and looked like he might want to speak, so Apollo grabbed the juice boxes for the girls and got out of there like he’d just launched a flash bang in the guy’s direction.

At the checkout, Mr. Perfect Butt was ahead of him in the only line that seemed to be moving. Apollo very carefully did not look at his butt again and busied himself grabbing some gum and trying to give off “don’t talk to me” vibes.

But those vibes seemed to be an utter failure as the guy turned, offering another movie-star-worthy grin. “You want to go first?” His voice was husky, like every word was a secret.

“I’m good,” Apollo said.

The man nodded, shy smile teasing the edges of his mouth, making his blue eyes dance. “You know—”

“ID please.” The cashier interrupted whatever flirtation the guy had planned as his six pack of beer went across the scanner.

“Oh, yeah.” A faint red flush spread up the guy’s neck. Oh hell. He wasn’t just younger than Apollo. He was a kid. A kid who still got carded, and rightfully so with that baby face. What the hell had Apollo been thinking, admiring his body?

Apollo focused on unloading his own groceries, making neat rows for the cashier, and making sure the buns wouldn’t get squished.

Buns. Nope. Not going there. The kid hung around after paying for his groceries, mouth moving as if he were debating speaking, but Apollo kept his attention squarely on the cashier.

No more looking. Remember who—what—you are now. When he finally looked up, perfect butt guy was gone, and if Apollo felt a twinge of regret for being a bit on the rude side, he squashed it quickly. Wasn’t like he’d ever see the guy again anyway.

As Always, Keep Writing/Keep Reading ~ janisf

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley.