A steamy sports romance, starring a bad-boy NHL star might be just what the doctor ordered for October. This one packs powerful psychological portraits of adults dealing with childhood abuse. Read on for my review and don’t forget to enter the Giveaway for an Alex Crossman/Cold Fury team jersey! This review tour is brought to you by Tasty Book Tours.
Alex is a machine. He plays hockey like a machine, he beds women like a machine (I used the other word in my Goodreads review) he socializes like a machine–as in not at all. Fans of Cold Fury, his team, love to hate him. He’s the MVP, as in the Most Valuable Prick.
But the team’s management want their star player to work on his social profile. Or else. Alex now has to deal with some social worker on a drug prevention outreach program. Life sucks. But the surprisingly young and beautiful social worker doesn’t, so he decides to show her both spaces he owns: the pitch and the bedroom. He even resorts to showing her his gentleman side: he warns her that he’s going to break her heart. Because that’s all he’s capable of, right?
Sutton Price knows very well what she’s getting herself into. But Alex’s abusive background, bits and pieces of which surface especially during their post-coital bliss, hit very close to home: she’d been there herself, only she chose the path of acceptance and forgiveness, and she wants more than anything to help Alex involve more emotions than anger, hatred and apathy. But when he gets there, fear and insecurity also creep in and mire everything. With his father always devastatingly present in his life, and a career with an expiry date he needs to focus on, how can Alex give Sutton what she needs?
This sports-themed NA romance had some surprising elements. First of all, it offered the male point of view as well. In the case of a damaged, withdrawn hero, especially if he’s in the star (rock or sports) category, it is not often that we get to see his mind at work with extra insight into his childhood; the source of all evil. Usually, his behavioral pattern is explained in the final stages of the plot through dialogue or revelations of a third party. In the case of Alex, however, not only he knew exactly what mindset he was in and what caused it, but we get a front-row seat to vivid scenes of his hair-raising childhood in the hands of a father destroyed by alcohol and his own demons.
The other element I appreciated was the presentation of the two different paths an abused child can follow in life: Sutton shared experiences with Alex, but she embraced her past in an empowering, creative way. But Sutton’s way, although acknowledged by Alex, causes further rift between them, as self-doubt and even envy tipping towards jealousy manage to further distance him from her. These subtle psychological insights made the book stand out from the lot.
The sex scenes are frequent and steamy, but they’re not there just to underline the hero’s prowess; they also help to move the plot forward as that’s where Alex’s psyche is gradually revealed.
Ms Bennett’s writing is efficient, adeptly delving into the characters’ true essence. The only thing that got to me was big chunks of narration revealed in the form of thoughts during an on-going scene, inevitably using past perfect. For example, someone would wake up and start getting ready for the day, thinking about what happened the day before. Quite a number of scenes were presented that way. Other than that, this was a smooth read.
If you enjoy reading sports romances with seriously hot, seriously damaged heroes, but want a deeper portrayal than just of their physical attributes, you should consider picking Alex up—pun intended 🙂
About the Author
USA Today bestselling author Sawyer Bennett is a snarky Southern woman and reformed trial lawyer who decided to finally start putting on paper all of the stories that were floating in her head. Her husband works for a Fortune 100 company which lets him fly all over the world while she stays at home with their daughter and three big, furry dogs who hog the bed. Sawyer would like to report she doesn’t have many weaknesses but can be bribed with a nominal amount of milk chocolate.
She’s an FBI arson investigator, he’s the fire chief. Together they set the small town of Pecan Creek ablaze. Okay, an arsonist lends a helping hand too… Brought to you by Tasty Book Tours.
Burning Memories Banks of Pecan Creek # 1
By: Rory Keeling
Releasing September 10th, 2014
Three Owl Press
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Ten years ago, he saved her life … and she’s never forgiven him for it.
Claire Masters never planned to return to Pecan Creek. After a suspicious fire killed her mother and sent her own life up in flames, she was ready for a fresh start – far away from the small Texas town.
Ethan Banks never asked to be the fire chief, but it’s the family business. Asking the FBI…and Claire Masters for help is the last thing he wants to do.
When a series of fires strikes the town, as one of the FBI’s top arson investigators, Claire reluctantly returns before the fires take a fatal turn.
Now the pair is forced to work side by side, and they’re reminded the heat between them has nothing to do with fire.
Not quite as Southern as sweet tea…but pretty close. I’m the mom to two teenagers and two furry kids. My blood is probably 50% coffee. When I was in first grade, I convinced my teacher my mother made my father sleep in the barn. And the stories have just continued from there…
Anna Glaser was not graced with an easy childhood, but grace she has. In spades. That is her only weapon to fight the misery of her life; becoming a prima ballerina is her sole focus. The rigor and discipline, the need for perfectionism soothes her troubled soul. So when the cold and calculating artistic director of the company she fought so hard to enter, suggests she should give him something more than her dancing, she hates him, but that being in line with how she knows life, she is willing to succumb.
Enter Cain Gilliam. The lead danseur is instantly smitten by the composed, withdrawn dark beauty. He sees that the director has designs for her outside the dance hall, and he is determined to intercept them. If only he was sure that that was what Anna truly wanted. And then it’s his own demons he has to keep at bay. But the stage’s wings hide danger in their darkness and soon Cain will have to protect more than Anna’s reputation.
I picked this book up from Xpresso Book Tours because of its dance theme. If you expect Center Stage though, you will not find it here. This story is dark. Not only because life-threatening danger lurks backstage but because both the protagonists have a dark side. Anna is not the sweet girl you will effortlessly fall in love with. She keeps barbed wire around her, making sure no one enters her personal space. She fights her feelings for Cain, and she rarely lets the reader peek into her soul. She gave me a hard time too. It was only toward the end that I started getting Anna, and maybe if I was given more of her backstory instead of snippets through dialogue, liking her would have come easier. Cain also lacked sufficient backstory to help me fully understand his sometimes too intense reactions.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading Adagio. Delancey Stewart knows her stuff. The rehearsals and dancing were super realistic, you could even smell the waxed floor and feel the agony in your own muscles. The rest of the characters–Cain’s roommates and Anna’s only girlfriend–were fleshed out and endearing. The writing itself showed spurts of brilliancy; some metaphors blew me away.
Final verdict: a very readable book, expertly handling the theme, which I would have fully enjoyed had I been given deeper insight into the MCs’ psyche.
Giveaway:
Tour-wide giveaway
–5x eBook copies of Adagio – INTL
–A 12×16 piece of framed art called Dancer in Rest and Motion – US only (shown left)
The world of professional ballet is built on illusion. The illusion of perfection. The illusion of effortless beauty. The illusion of eternal love.
But backstage, few members of the Union Ballet Company suffer from such illusions.
Anna Glaser has dreamed of nothing but dancing professionally her entire life. And when she’s finally offered a position with Union, she takes it, giving little more than a passing thought to what she might have to give up in exchange. But Sebastian Kaplan, the director who gave her the chance, won’t forget so easily.
When Anna meets Cain, who has been dubbed by the local media as Union’s most eligible bachelor, she realizes that making a deal with the devil might mean that Heaven — in the form of a gorgeous dark-haired man — is forever out of her reach.
Dancers at Union know that something that glitters and shines under the stage lights can still be vicious and evil when the lights go down.
Adagio is the first episode in the series The Company – an engaging drama-filled ride through the darker parts of the ballet and the lives of those who live to dance.
*This book contains explicit content and is suitable for readers over 17
AUTHOR BIO
Delancey Stewart writes contemporary romance.
Stewart has lived on both coasts, in big cities and small towns. She’s been a pharmaceutical rep, a personal trainer and a direct sales representative for a French wine importer. But she has always been a writer first.
A military spouse and the mother of two small boys, her current job titles include pirate captain, monster hunter, Lego assembler and story reader. She tackles all these efforts at her current home outside Washington D.C.
Glenda Nelson is frazzled and hassled. A political strategist who sees her strategy blown to smithereens, a mother of two teens who can drive her up the wall, a daughter of decaying parents and an ex-wife of a serial cheater with a “it’s not what you think” attitude, Glenda has too much on her plate to have extra room for love. And when dazzlingly handsome, Chris Goodrich, singles her out, she has to try really hard to remember what’s it like to act womanly and even harder to open her heart and let him in. Could she still be clinging on the dream of her white knight turned philandering douche seeing the light? And will Chris be patient enough to handle her and her crazy life?
I really enjoyed this story. After reading numerous New Adult romances with fumbling heroes trying to get a grip on life, the harsh reality of a mother past her prime who learns how to reclaim her right to love and personal happiness was refreshing. Holly Bush’s writing is awesome. It reads like chick-lit: vibrant, witty, no-nonsene just like the heroine’s personality. I couln’t help but cast Amy Pohler and Greg Kinnear in the leading roles. Even the political lingo that at some points dominated the scenes instead of bogging me down, added to the authenticity of Glenda’s reality. (I’m Greek, but I have watched Spin City.)
There was one thing that I found over the top though: Chris was just too good to be true. I expected each time Glenda broke down and cried (she cries a lot!) for the other shoe to drop, some drama to ensue, but Chris stoically took everything and offered support and love. I couldn’t really connect his easiness with the fact that he is an artist fighting with disillusionment over his career path. I expected more conflict there.
That said, I recommend Red, White and Screwed for its wittiness and originality. A fun read!
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Political strategist Glenda Nelson is having a meltdown. Her handpicked, very married Congressional candidate was just caught climbing out of the window of the Sleepytown Motel, and her philandering ex-husband seems to have the most to gain from the colossal scandal that follows. As Glenda attempts to salvage the campaign in a hotly contested race, conservative and liberal pundits pounce on the story to further their own agendas.
Glenda’s love life is nonexistent to say the least, that is, until she meets handsome artist Chris Goodrich. Chris’s easy-going, carefree outlook on life couldn’t be more different than the 90-mph crazy train that is Glenda’s, but the more time she spends with him, the more she craves his calming presence, his sexy smile, and his steamy embraces. Is Chris worth taking a chance on?
Between the pressure of full-blown spin control mode, rapidly declining job security, refereeing two teenagers, caring for aging parents, and spending hours on her therapist’s couch trying to get past her ex’s crushing betrayal, Glenda finds love and makes the long trek back to happy.
Holly Bush writes historical romance set on the American Prairie, in Victorian England and recently released her first Contemporary Romance. Her books are described as emotional, with heartfelt, sexy romance. She makes her home with her husband in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Connect with Holly at www.hollybushbooks.com and on Twitter @hollybushbooks and on Facebook at Holly Bush.
This promo and review tour is brought to you by Tasty Book Tours. Scroll down to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway and read a highly readable excerpt of a “truly” empowering contemporary romance.
RITA finalist and New York Times bestselling author Ruthie Knox kicks off a steamy new series set in the city that never sleeps—alone, at least.
My Review
May is a Midwestern-girl, taught to behave, be nice and avoid all things that are not for “people like us”. Being quite tall (and feeling enormous) she considers herself more than lucky to be singled out by Dan, an easy-going, uncomplicated NFL quarterback, and she centers her life around him, even moving to New York, a frightening city hardly for “people like us”. But then he goes and does something unexpected, saying all things expected—wrongly—and May lashes out. In a gone-viral way. And then she’s on her own; broke, lost and, most importantly, not knowing who she is and what she wants.
Ben is on the mend. His hot-headedness made him lose everything on both a personal and a professional level, and now he’s got to find a way to stand on his own two feet. Maybe chatting up the tall blond girl with the deer-caught-in-headlights eyes, and appearing civil is just what he needs. Offering her his couch to spend the night and then become her tour guide in an effort to make her see the city he loves through his own eyes is way more than he bargained for. But he does it. And he loves it. It … not her, surely. Because if these two are to be together, they must not only step outside their comfort zone; they must make a record-breaking leap and re-invent themselves while at it. Can love be their launching pad?
Ruthie Knox is my queen. She’ll say she looks nothing like a queen just like the characters she creates are anything but royalty. Normal, everyday men and women, far from stunning and perfect. Ruthie is one of the Wonkomance ladies. All of their characters are faulty either internally or externally. (One of my favorite Ruthie characters is Sean from Flirting with Disaster, who stutters so much he won’t even pronounce Katie’s name.)
But writing-wise she’s the Queen of romance. I haven’t read anyone who’s delved deeper than her in her characters’ psyche. She’s capable of unpicking their long-ingrained threads of beliefs, prejudices, stereotypes thoroughly, slowly, expertly until they emerge cleansed and shed in a whole new glorious light.
All of her books are life lessons, and Truly is one of the most important. Mild-mannered, good-natured May with the faulty self-image is a character that will resonate with most readers. Instilling her love to self-doubting, perennially angry Ben is beyond sweet. Standing up to her life choices is beyond empowering. Ben is a chef, and him feeding May real, messy, calory-clogged food just to see her moan must be one of the most arousing, non-bedroom scenes I’ve ever read. Tasting New York as May experiences it beats seeing it through Carry Bradshaw’s eyes with a solid broomstick—dressed in a tutu (okay, that was an over-the-top Sex and the City analogy, but you get my point).
Have you guessed how much I loved this book? I laughed, cried and everything in between. Ruthie’s writing is a study on how not to write a single romance cliché. Heartwarming, funny, steamy hot, heart-clenching at times, and so gloriously real, this is a must MUST read.
Official Blurb
May Fredericks hates New York. Which is fair enough, since New York seems to hate her back. After relocating to Manhattan from the Midwest to be with her long-distance boyfriend, NFL quarterback Thor Einarsson, May receives the world’s worst marriage proposal, stabs the jerk with a shrimp fork, and storms off alone—only to get mugged. Now she’s got no phone, no cash, and no friends. How’s a nice girl supposed to get back to safe, sensible Wisconsin?
Frankly, Ben Hausman couldn’t care less. Sure, it’s not every day he meets a genuine, down-to-earth woman like May—especially in a dive in the Village—but he’s recovering from an ugly divorce that cost him his restaurant. He wants to be left alone to start over and become a better man. Then again, playing the white knight to May’s sexy damsel in distress would be an excellent place to start—if only he can give her one very good reason to love New York.
New York Times bestselling author Ruthie Knox writes contemporary romance that’s sexy, witty, and angsty—sometimes all three at once. Her debut novel, Ride with Me, is probably the only existing cross-country bicycling love story. She followed it up with About Last Night, a London-based romance whose hero has the unlikely name of Neville, and then Room at the Inn, a Christmas novella—both of which were finalists for the Romance Writers of America’s RITA Award.
Her four-book series about the Clark family of Camelot, Ohio, has won accolades for its fresh, funny portrayal of small-town Midwestern life. Ruthie also writes New Adult romance as Robin York. She moonlights as a mother, Tweets incessantly, and bakes a mean focaccia. She’d love to hear from you, so visit her website and drop her a line.
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TRULY
EXCERPT
(from Chapter One)
The bartender had begun cleaning the counter with a damp rag. He shuffled closer to her, sweep by sweep, and cleared his throat.
Nervous, May lifted her beer and drained it, realizing only with the last warm swallow what she’d done.
“Can I get you another round?” he asked.
This was it, then. Time to go.
But the line was behind her, drawn across the floor, invisible but there, and she didn’t want to leave.
She had to choose. Dan’s apartment or this bar. Before or After.
“Maybe,” she said. “Do you have a wine list?”
“I think we’ve got one somewhere in the back.” His disapproving tone made it clear that no one ever asked for a wine list here. Which, yes—she might not know Manhattan, but she knew bars—this was not the sort of place where you asked for a wine list.
“Can you look for me?”
“Sure.” He put his rag down and walked toward a door marked private. She saw him roll his eyes as he passed the guy.
The guy didn’t look up. He wasn’t interested in the bartender any more than he was interested in her. But his companion wasn’t here yet, and maybe wasn’t coming. He could talk to her for a few minutes, buy her a drink. It wouldn’t kill him.
May hopped off her stool, sucked in her stomach, and approached. “What are you reading?” she asked.
The guy canted the book so she could see the cover, but his hand covered most of the title. All she could read was the word Dying.
“Any good?”
He didn’t look at her. He was a bent, dark head, an ear, a declaratory elbow. When she heard a low voice, it took her a second to understand that it belonged to him. “They’ve got their mother’s corpse in a coffin in the back of this wagon, and they’re taking her into town to bury her. The youngest kid thinks the dead mother is a fish, but he also thinks she can’t breathe, so he bores holes into the coffin and right into her face.”
The bridge of her nose wrinkled. A totally involuntary response.
“One of the two older sons is going insane,” he added. “The other one’s broken leg is starting to rot, and the sister’s knocked up.”
A few beats passed. She tried to think of some kind of segue into normal conversation. The best she could do was “Yeah, but is it any good?”
“It’s super.” He injected the maximum amount of sarcasm into the word.
Sarcasm didn’t scare her. Her sister, Allie, had spent her freshman and sophomore years of high school dripping it all over everyone.
“I’m May.” She extended her hand.
He looked away from the book then, though not at her face. At her hand first. Then down at her shoes, which made him frown. She allowed him some leeway there, because she was wearing dark green leather flats with bows on the toes, and she didn’t like them much, either.
When he lifted his gaze, it got stuck on her breasts for an uncomfortable period of twelve to fifteen years. “Ben,” he told them.
This offense was harder to forgive. Men had been addressing her breasts since she was thirteen. Her breasts had yet to respond to this treatment.
I’m up here.
She didn’t say it aloud, but his head lifted, and he finally looked right at her.
He had sort of sleepy eyelids that went with his broad-planed face, his full mouth—a face that made her think of bear-taming and those male dancers in the tall black boots and flouncy white shirts who crossed their arms and stuck their legs out.
Slavic, that was it.
His eyes were brown, lighter than they should have been in the middle and rimmed with black. Weird eyes.
Weirder still, he didn’t seem embarrassed to have been caught boob-ogling, and he didn’t take her hand. She had to retrieve it from the air in between them and find a place to stow it along the seam of her pants.
“What’s with the jersey?” he asked.
“Hmm?”
“Season doesn’t start until next week.”
Oh. The stupid jersey. Not her breasts.
“Believe me, I know.”
“Plus, Einarsson is a douche.”
Right. That.
Even back home, she sometimes got flack about continuing to wear the old jersey of a quarterback who’d abandoned the Packers for the Jets, only to lead his new team to a Super Bowl victory against the old one. She might as well be sporting a pin that read, I support Benedict Arnold!
Still, douche seemed a little harsh.
Ben sat up straighter, his eyes refocusing on something over her right shoulder. He slid off his bar stool and raised a hand. May turned just as another man came off the last basement step and into the bar. A blond, good-looking man who actually knew how to smile.
Brought to you by Tasty Book Tours, Kaylie Newell’s, the Mariner’s Gift, is a summer read guaranteed to please. Zola seems confident and composed on the outside, but seeing her high school crush, Oliver, still gorgeous and sought after, brings all her teen insecurities to the surface. Yet a single kiss blasts sparks brighter than the fireworks lighting up the night sky…
If I’ve sparked your interest, read on to sample the book through an excerpt and…
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Sometimes the best gifts are the ones you least expect.
When LA Times journalist Zola Mitchell decides to head home to San Francisco in December, it’s to write a piece on the legendary Alcatraz prison. It has nothing to do with her high school crush Oliver Tworek, who’s recently moved back to start up a tour boat business to The Rock. At least, that’s what she keeps telling herself.
But when Oliver asks her to dinner, Zola can’t refuse. And when he kisses her under a display of Christmas fireworks from aboard his boat, she can barely remember her own name.
After twenty years, nothing seems to have changed. Oliver’s still popular and gorgeous, and Zola’s still…well, Zola. Behind the successful job, and underneath her shiny, new grown-up exterior, Zola still feels like the skinny girl from junior year English class. Will she ever be able to conquer those insecurities? And more importantly, will she ever get to know the real Oliver—the one who might just have a few secrets of his own?
Excerpt
“Zo?”
She smiled, feeling the blood rush to her cheeks. She hadn’t told him she was coming and hoped he wouldn’t be irritated. The thought of surprising him had seemed romantic and fun earlier. Now, with him actually standing there, wearing nothing but a pair of loose-fitting jeans and a sexy white t-shirt that left little to the imagination, she wondered if she should have given him some notice.
“Oliver! Hey.” She took his hand and let him help her over the side of the boat. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything. I know you’re working.”
His skin felt delicious on hers. He held on just a second longer than he needed to before stepping back to take her in.
“Don’t be ridiculous. You know I wanted to see you.”
He looked fantastic. And very much in shape. The old Coast Guard t-shirt fit just right across his chest, and was snug enough that his nipples, hard from the cold night air, could be seen under the fabric.
Zola caught herself looking and shoved the cookies at him, flustered. “Hope you like chocolate chip. They’re kind of a Mitchell tradition.”
“Thank you.”
A string of white lights hung behind him in the window, illuminating him like some kind of angel. But unlike any angel she’d ever imagined before. This angel made her want to discard her undergarments in the bay and tackle him headfirst.
Touching her elbow, he guided her toward the cabin. “You must be cold.”
“I really shouldn’t stay. I just wanted to say hello.”
He grinned. “I think you can probably come inside for five minutes, can’t you? I won’t bite.”
Really? At this point all she could think about was when he’d end up biting and where that might be.
She took the first step down, careful not to twist her ankle in the heels. They were too much for a casual visit, but who was she kidding anyway? She could feel him behind her and something about stepping into the cabin of the boat, which was so secluded and sexy, made her ovaries twitch. She had to bend slightly so as not to bump her head through the doorframe, then straightened to look around.
The small area was bathed in warm, yellow light from a miniature lamp in the corner. A table top tree under one of the circular windows smelled of pine and boasted shining glass balls of green, red, and blue. Dark, cherry wood cabinets rose from floor to ceiling on either side of her. There was a small bed and a tiny kitchen area, and next to that a workspace where a pile of papers was spread out. The boat was beautiful. It rocked seductively on the water, and even that didn’t bother Zola, thanks to the magic of Dramamine.
Something else was working its magic on her too. Maybe it was the temperature inside the cabin, warm and cozy enough that she felt the need to start unbuttoning her jacket. Or maybe it was the way Oliver stood leaning against the doorway looking at her. Like he wanted to be the one to work the buttons loose. His short, blond hair was messy and soft looking. His eyes not holding much back.
Zola laid her jacket on the bunk, trying her best to look composed and confident. When in reality, big, clumsy butterflies were bumping around in her belly. The air between them was charged. She knew he wanted more than just the kiss they’d shared the last time they saw each other. And she did too.
Kaylie Newell lives at the base of the mountains in Southern Oregon with her husband, two little girls, two cats, and a mutt named Pedro who goes everywhere with her. When she isn’t writing, she’s usually watching a Channing Tatum movie or eating frozen waffles, or both.
A reluctant vampire hunter, stalking New York City as only a scorned bride can.
Elle Dupree has her life all figured out: first a wedding, then her Ph.D., then swank faculty parties where she’ll serve wine and cheese and introduce people to her husband the lawyer.
But those plans disintegrate when she walks in on a vampire sucking the blood from her fiancé Greg. Horrified, she screams and runs–not away from the vampire, but toward it, brandishing a wooden letter opener.
As she slams the improvised stake into the vampire’s heart, a team of black-clad men bursts into the apartment. Turning around to face them, Elle discovers that Greg’s body is gone—and her perfect life falls apart.
My Review
When doctorate student and bride-to-be, Elle Dupree, comes home one Monday evening, the last thing she expects is to kill a vampire. She had good reason though: he sucked her fiancé dry.
The next thing Elle knows is that she’s on the fast track to become a vampire slayer. She joins a team of vampire hunters employed by her fiance’s boss who has his own dark agenda. But Elle is more worried about her ex’s agenda as it turns out he’s not entirely dead, and he drags her into a nocturnal, sickeningly alluring world of unnatural beauty and nauseating vices that can seriously mess with a human’s head … and blood pressure.
Margo Bond Collins does a great job in this action-packed urban fantasy. Her writing is lean, and nothing feels out of place. The upbeat tempo is kept throughout the book, and that helped me stomach the gory scenes because a couple of time they toyed with my limits.
In fact, that’s the element that surprised me and not in an all positive manner. The title and official blurb had prepared me for a vampiric read on the lighter side, but this one was gruesome at times. Elle turns into such a vampire hater, she even resorts to sadism. To be honest, I’m not so sure I sympathized with her aims. After all, the vampires really did not do anything they weren’t asked to do, and then she goes after them guns blazing so, naturally, they react the only way the can to defend their, well, existence. I do admit, though, that this could be subjective. Ahh, vampires: old loves die hard… (literally).
But apart from sort of rooting for the vamps instead of the heroine, I must say I enjoyed this read—especially the clever writing.
Margo Bond Collins is the author of a number of novels, including Waking Up Dead, Fairy, Texas, and Legally Undead (forthcoming in 2014). She lives in Texas with her husband, their daughter, and several spoiled pets. She teaches college-level English courses online, though writing fiction is her first love. She enjoys reading urban fantasy and paranormal fiction of any genre and spends most of her free time daydreaming about vampires, ghosts, zombies, werewolves, and other monsters.
We all call our little fixations a case of OCD, but actually living with it? Well, Callie does, performing about a million different rituals just to be able to function and get by. Get to know Callie and her quirks in Checked, a comedic NA romance brought to you by Xpresso Book Tours. This is a juicy post with a book excerpt plus sample blog posts by Jennifer Jamelli, the writer, who has received treatment for OCD herself. A very unique suggestion!
Book & Author Details:
Checked by Jennifer Jamelli
(Checked #1) Publication date: December 17th 2013 Genres: Comedy, New Adult, Romance
Synopsis: Checked is the first book in a new trilogy.
Callie spends countless hours staring at appliances to make sure they are really unplugged. She wastes obscene amounts of time checking for murderers in various corners of her house and entire sleepless nights performing pointless checking rituals. Then every spare minute is filled with inspecting doorknobs, chairs, floors, etc. for minuscule traces of germs. Oh, and she does all of this as she counts to three over and over again in her head. She does this every day. Without fail. Dr. Blake just doesn’t fit into her schedule. Until he does. Until Callie begins to trust him. Until she starts to need him. And want him. And . . .
Excerpt
“Calista.” That quiet voice pulls me around yet again.
I freeze. He’s looking at me. Sorrowful eyes…heavy…inconsolable. A tragedy in blue.
I can’t look away. I begin to feel a dull ache in my left side. {Damien Rice fills my head with “The Blower’s Daughter.”}
His eyes hold mine. They are relentless. The sharpening pain in my side weighs me down, cementing my shoes to their place on the floor. My lips part slightly as my body tries to remember to breathe.
In slow motion almost, he releases me, closing his eyes and clenching them shut. The blue eyes that open back up to me are hard, stony.
He swiftly spins his chair to grab the box of tissues on his bookshelf. Without meeting my eyes, he turns back around and holds the box out to me.
“To help you out of here,” he says in an almost inaudible voice. What?
“Th-thank you,” I stammer. I clutch my purse and take six slow steps toward his desk. Three steps at a time. One two three. One two three.
He stares past me, blankly looking at the door. I pull three white tissues from the box he’s holding and turn back to his point of focus. When I get to the silver doorknob, I quickly cover it with the three tissues spread out in my left hand.
AUTHOR BIO
Jennifer Jamelli has spent most of her life reading and writing; she holds both a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in English, and she is an 8th grade English teacher.
She also directs a musical production each school year. Her most recent show was Beauty and the Beast.
Jennifer lives with her husband and her four-year-old son.
She, like the main character in her debut novel, has a rather hopeless case of OCD.
I would like to take a moment to reflect upon the power of the following: Zoloft, various cleaning products, and a mother’s love for a child.
Last night, my son threw up everywhere – on me, all over the couch, all over a blanket, on the hallway/living room carpet, on a bathroom mat, etc. The items listed above are what carried me through this.
To be more specific, here is what got me through this predicament:
½ of a bottle of carpet/fabric cleaner
¾ of a can of Lysol wipes
1 ½ bottles of Febreze
1 bottle of carpet refresher
1 package of baby wipes
2 showers for me
2 showers for my son
Several cups of laundry detergent
Lots of shower gel/bath soap
1 regular daily dose of Zoloft
Most importantly, 1 happy, healthy smile on my son’s face this morning as he told me that he was feeling better
Now, there have been some casualties.
1.) The white blanket I normally have on the couch – it was my favorite … but it had to go.
2.) Two bath poufs
The fate of a bath mat, a stuffed animal, and a few pairs of clothes has not yet been determined.
Blog #2
All right . . . now that Checked has been out for a bit and more and more people are reading it (thank you!), I am getting more and more questions.
Do you do exactly what Callie does? How much of this is true?
Are you having some sort of relationship with one of your doctors (seriously – heard that one!!)? No!!
Okay . . . the book is a piece of fiction. Callie’s life experiences and relationships are not mine. I’m not Callie.
I’m not Callie, but . . .
I do spend a lot of time doing routines (much less since I’ve been treated, though).
I do check air vents and alarm clocks and door locks and stoves and curling irons and water faucets and, well, a lot of things.
I do like things to be clean.
I do count in my head.
I often take a few baths a day.
I am afraid of some cleaning products.
I do have music constantly running in my head.
I do throw things out if I find them dirty.
I did study English in college and in grad school (and I did spend hours and hours in college reading novels and writing papers).
I do fall asleep with the television on every night (but I have ESPN on – not a cooking channel).
I do at times check for murderers before I go to bed.
I do have a really supportive family (We don’t have Girls’ Night, though. Perhaps we should!).
I do hate blood . . . and needles (HATE them. I pass out during blood tests – they have to put me in a special chair in a special room with special cartoon decorations that must be intended for two-year-olds!).
Okay . . . so Callie and I have a lot in common. Same quirks. Similar fears. Alike minds.
Different lives, though! Seriously!
Blog #3
Well, it’s Wednesday night, and I’m just about ready to go to sleep. I just went through my house a few times, worked my way through my evening rituals . . . holding my fingers under every faucet to ensure that no water was running, inspecting every air vent for any blockages, putting my hand in the oven and on the stove to make sure they weren’t on (and if you are asking yourself whether I even used the oven or stove today, the answer is no) . . . and the list goes on. And on. And on. And that’s only my night routine. Not the one I do in the morning. Not the one I do every time I leave the house.
But we aren’t here to talk about me or my routines; we’re supposed to be talking about Callie, the main character in Checked. And Callie is in much, MUCH worse shape than I am in right now (I’ve been under treatment for OCD for about seven years – Callie is just starting).
Callie’s routines are very structured, very complicated, and VERY long. She vacuums, dusts, straightens, and organizes. She checks appliances, faucets, locks – everything in her house – over and over. Every task she does, she has to do in a specific order. If she messes up or is interrupted, she has to start all over again.
Her life is exhausting. And frustrating. And overwhelming.
What makes all of this even worse? Callie knows that what she is doing is ridiculous. She’s also embarrassed by it. But she can’t help it. She has to keep doing each task, going through with each routine. Otherwise she won’t be able to sleep, or eat, or work, or do anything at all – she’ll just drown in worries that something horrible will happen because of her negligence.
There’s much more to say about this – about Callie and her condition – but I’ll save that for future blog entries. I also will soon tell you a little more about her obsession with Dr. Blake . . .
For now, though, I’m going to sleep. I’m going to post this tomorrow, because I’m already in bed . . . and if I get up now to get my laptop (I’m writing in a notebook), I’ll have to start my night routine again . . .
Dark-love certainly holds appeal! Yet another great collection brought to you by Xpresso Book Tours. You can read the synopses, all authors’ bios, watch the trailer and read two tantalizing excerpts. If you live in the US or Canada, scroll down and enter the Giveaway for a Kindle Fire HD!
THE OBSIDIAN COLLECTION
Nine authors. Nine dark-love novellas.
The wicked have never looked so good…
SYNOPSES
Obsidian Escapeby Rebel Adams
Just one look at the battered form of Whitney Geddings awakens a fierce protective instinct in Detective Jackson Ogden…but at what price?
Obsidian Liquorby Scarlett Dawn
Reporter, Elizabeth Forter, never expected one drunken challenge to leave her sexually satisfied and waking beside Daniil – the head of the Russian mafia.
Obsidian Faithby Bev Elle
Shanice Bailey’s epic faith in Trevor Kyle, the man she’s loved since they were both wards at the Baptist Children’s Home, is shaken when his sketchy foster father shows up on their honeymoon.
Obsidian Heartby Nicole Flockton
Will Erika’s holiday fling with Brandt bring him out of the shadows, or is his heart destined for darkness?
Obsidian Skyby Lara Henley
When military man, Brandon Michaels, comes home to a town he no longer recognizes, his salvation may rest in Arabella Knight, a woman who has secrets that no one knows.
Obsidian Iceby Missy Johnson
Medical intern Cam Fletcher knew becoming a surgeon would be hard work, but what he wasn’t counting on was falling for his mentor – cocky surgeon Eric Langdon.
Obsidian Jewelby Angel Lawson
Professional thieves, competitors, and occasional lovers, Maya Clarke and Malcolm Kent, must work together for the job of a lifetime and try not to kill one another while doing it.
Obsidian Desireby t.h. snyder
Can one chivalrous act change Tyler Jones, a coldhearted man, or will desire burn through his soul and change him forever?
Obsidian Beautyby Emily Walker
Out of jail and finally ready to confront the man who left her there to rot, Abigail Rivers is upset to learn Benton Sellers has moved on with no regard for the sacrifices she has made for him.
AUTHORS
Rebel Adamsis writer and lover of good prose, better cigars, well-aged whiskey and fine women– and not always in that order.
Scarlett Dawn is the author of the Forever Evermore new adult fantasy series, which include King Hall andKing Cave. She lives in the Midwest, where she loves to ‘people watch’ and daydream. She adores her music loud and her fries covered in melted cheese.
Bev Elleis the author of sweet and spicy, contemporary romance. She’s a lover of books–those already written, and those she harbors in her very active imagination. Writing is a passion she’s had for many years, but was unable to act upon. Until now. Bev Elle is the mother of three human children and two canines. She is also the lover of one husband. When Bev isn’t writing in her spare time after work, she is thinking of doing so.
Nicole Flocktonis an Australian living in Texas. Nicole writes sexy contemporary romances which seduce you one kiss at a time. She enjoys taking two characters and creating unique situations for them. When she’s not busy writing, she’s attempting to keep up with two active children and a busy husband.
Lara Henley is originally from Oklahoma, but has lived in several places. She began writing in 2009 when she had a dream about a little girl traveling with her grandmother. That is how Jessie Discovers Christmas was born. She then ventured into YA and adult romance. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Fashion Marketing and a Masters in Administrative Leadership. She loves all things creative and aspires to have a fulltime writing career.
Missy Johnsonin a small town in Central Victoria, Australia, with her husband and her confused pets (a dog who think she’s a cat, a cat who thinks he’s a dog…you get the picture). When she’s not writing, she can usually be found looking for something to read.
Angel Lawson lives with her family in Atlanta and has a lifelong obsession with creating fiction from reality, either with paint or words. On a typical day you can find her writing, reading, plotting her escape from the zombie apocalypse and trying to get the glitter out from under her nails. She is the author of five books, including the Wraith Series, Serial Summer, FanGirl, and Vigilant. She is the co-author of the New Adult Paranormal book, Odin’s Murder with Kira Gold.
t.h. snyderis a 34 y/o single mom of two amazing kids. She lives in Central PA where she works full time for a local business/technical school. Writing wasn’t something she ever thought she’d be doing, but here she is. t. h. snyder started reading like a nut after Twilight and 50 Shades of Grey. Since then she’s read over 300 romance and paranormal books. In June of 2013, she decided to try her go at writing. She had a vision and went with it….hence Touch Me. To date she’s published 6 books and now 2 anthologies…The Touch Series (NA Romance), Pierced Love (YA Romance), Cursed Love, Cursed #1 (Erotic Romance), My Dirty Little Valentine, and the Obsidian Collection.
Emily Walkerloves creating worlds and stumbling around in them. She is constantly losing her chap-stick, and has an obsession with the color pink. Currently a resident of the mountains and loving the view, she writes mostly paranormal fiction and horror. Her small family consists of her red bearded other half, a rat terrier named Rebel, and a cat named Mr. Creepy.
Daniil peered at me. His stare was a warning. “What were you doing, Ms. Forter?”
So he did know who I was. The jerk had probably followed me after I had bumped him.
I shrugged and went with the semi-truth. “Getting a story.”
“What story might that be?” Stash asked, his gaze roaming me in an assessing way. We had never met before, so this was my first up close and personal with the man.
I shrugged again. “Brent and Cole are big news. Anything that I can put in print that others don’t have is good business.” Sticking to the truth as much as possible was always key when caught snooping. And I was press. They expected it of me.
“Hear anything interesting?” Daniil asked gently.
Instinct had me taking a step back. The man was chilling on a different level. “Nothing I didn’t already know.”
OBSIDIAN BEAUTY by Emily Walker
The bar was pretty much what she imagined, but it had a warm feeling to it. The bartender was a middle-aged woman with an appealing smile; the kind of person you wanted to tell your troubles to and see if she could impart some wisdom on you. At least that was what Abigail was thinking as she took a seat on a bar stool.
“Let me guess, you saw an ex today and he or she was looking good?” The bartender certainly didn’t beat around the bush. Wow, talk about intuition.
“Something like that.” Abigail smiled and grabbed a menu to have something to look at instead of the woman who could read her so well.
“Honey, the food here is shit; you don’t want any of that. You like whiskey?” Abigail was shocked someone would talk about their own restaurant’s food that way, but she nodded.
“I’m Abigail. I just arrived into town today. You were right; he was looking good, and I want to kill him.” She watched the bartender pour her a shot and a second shot, which she assumed, was for herself. She was pretty, and Abigail could tell she had been a knockout when she was younger. Some lines were starting to form around her eyes, but her high blonde ponytail kept a youthful glow about her.
“Stella Moet, my husband owns Moet’s, but the cook we have is pitiful. That’s why I wouldn’t eat here until we found a better one. Slim pickings in this town, you know.” Stella set both shots in front of Abigail and winked. “One for luck and one for drunk.”
Abigail smiled as Stella went off to help some other patrons at the end of the bar. She liked how nice everyone seemed to be in South Carolina. In Florida, it was hit or miss, and up north, no one was friendly, especially when they were hustling in New York. New Yorkers could tell when someone wasn’t from New York, and they let you know it.
She was totally lost in her thoughts and didn’t notice someone had settled onto the stool beside her. Finally when her eyes met the man who appeared beside, her she couldn’t help but notice him. He was handsome and she actually thought she could feel herself being pulled into his kind, vibrant green eyes. She wanted to say something clever about staring at strangers, but when she opened her mouth, that wasn’t what came out.
“Hi there,” she said, immediately hating herself. Who says that?
“Hi yourself. I’ve not caught your eye in this place before. Are you new to town?” For a minute, she debated on telling him her real reason for being there. What the hell was wrong with her, two seconds of eye contact and she wanted to spill the beans?
“Yes, I just got in today, actually. Do you know of any hotels nearby which aren’t too crappy and take a credit card?” He raised an eyebrow, causing his eyes to crinkle a bit and she felt a little pulse go through her as he bit his lip in thought. She really needed to get it together. It had been awhile, but she was pretty sure before prison a man couldn’t affect her like this at first glance. Well, that wasn’t true. Benton had. Handsome green eyes were talking, and as usual, her thoughts were causing her to miss out.
“So, I can take you there if you want?” The stranger told her. Abigail nodded, not sure what she was agreeing to. Hoping it was an escort to a decent hotel, she signaled Stella for two more shots. The first two had gone down quite well; this time she had a drinking buddy.
“Now, deputy, don’t be turning your charm on my new friend here.” The man turned to Stella and gave her a grin. Even his teeth were perfect, staring at them it dawned on her what Stella said. He was a cop! She needed to get away from him before he found out what she was planning.
“I’m Scott,” he said, holding his hand out to her. She took it timidly, which wasn’t like her at all.
“Abigail, Abigail Rivers, I just got out of prison.” Why the hell did she say that? There was no good reason to say something like that to a cop, and especially a good-looking cop she just met. “I mean it feels like I just got out of prison.”
GIVEAWAY
Blitz-wide giveaway:
–Kindle Fire HD (US/Can)
The dictator might be gone, but the aura of Pearseus, if anything, darkens. Cyrus, the new ruler of the Capital, might have a purer heart, but his mind is equally addled. Gella teams up with Theo to fight Jonia, but their outlook couldn’t have been more different. Lehmor wants nothing more than to reunite with Moirah, but his trek takes him to a different realm where he uncovers a threat like no other. And when he spreads the word, instead of unity, deeper rifts are created.
In a planet rife with passion, ambition, envy and love, everyone has an agenda, feeling quite smug for pushing it forward. If they all knew what lurked in the shadows, they might be able to see the strings attached to all their limbs.
This is an ambitious series. As I noted in my review of the previous book, Rise of the Prince, it is not just about survival on a foreign planet and co-existing with other races. It’s a study in human nature with philosophical undertones—a thought-provoking tale. But that is not at the cost of the book’s readability. The action here picks up as strong personalities clash and devious plans are put into effect. Heroes of the past turn villains, distrust grows and not just of perceived hidden agendas but of the way their entire world is perceived.
What I particularly enjoyed in this book is that Nicholas C. Rossis assumes a take-no-prisoners approach in the language he uses. It’s as if the protagonists are finally taking position center stage for a bare-knuckled fight, and the reader can see every muscle twitch while they stare each other down. But what’s super exciting is that we know that the referees of these matches are not only invisible, but they’ve bet heavily on the fights they’re officiating.
Who will win? Even though foreign worlds with a multitude of characters are not my usual read, I can’t wait for the final installment of this exciting and stimulating series!
Make sure you head over to my excerpts’ blog to read a fantastic excerpt of Mad Water. Click here.
What people say about Pearseus:
“He simply tells a story of corruption, people struggling as pioneers seeking to do with what they have… The measure of this book is that the triumph is not a textbook description, but a sense of a living struggle.”
“A cross between Game of Thrones and Dune”
“Astonishing, intriguing, thoughtful”
“It will be hard to put this book down long enough to eat and sleep, never mind doing responsible things like going to work and taking care of the kids”
“[It] hits on those big archetypal themes of invasion, loss, leadership, death… and high tech. It gives the reader plenty of material for discussion.”
“Warning: May cause loss of sleep, lowered work productivity, and missed meals”
Nicholas C. Rossis bio:
Author. Avid reader. Web developer. Architect by training, holder of a PhD in Digital Architecture from the University of Edinburgh.
Nicholas loves to write. Mad Water, the third book in his epic fantasy series, Pearseus, was just published, while his first children’s book, Runaway Smile, is currently being illustrated. He has also published The Power of Six, a collection of short sci-fi stories.
He lives in Athens, Greece, in the middle of a forest, with his wife, dog and two very silly cats, one of whom is always sitting on his lap, so please excuse any typos in his blog posts: typing with one hand can be hard…
Book links:
• Pearseus: Schism, Book 1 in his epic fantasy series is available on http://amzn.to/1aDgXDA
• Pearseus: Rise of the Prince, Book 2 in his epic fantasy series is available on http://amzn.to/1jlXLj6
• Pearseus: Mad Water, Book 3 in his epic fantasy series is available on http://amzn.to/1wbajhP
• You can also read Books 1 & 2 (special edition) on http://amzn.to/RqjNbU and
• The Power of Six: 6+1 Science Fiction Short Stories can be found on http://amzn.to/1kKVduI
• Also available: Tao Te Ching (translated into Greek) on http://amzn.to/1ovrc4n
About the Author
Blurb
We all call our little fixations a case of OCD, but actually living with it? Well, Callie does, performing about a million different rituals just to be able to function and get by. Get to know Callie and her quirks in Checked, a comedic NA romance brought to you by Xpresso Book Tours. This is a juicy post with a book excerpt plus sample blog posts by Jennifer Jamelli, the writer, who has received treatment for OCD herself. A very unique suggestion!
AUTHOR BIO
SYNOPSES
Nicholas C. Rossis bio:
Beyond the Mind Maze 