Author: Sydney Aaliyah Michelle

Contemporary Romance writer, voracious reader, movie watcher, tattoo lover & enthusiastic traveler.

X’pat Matt’s : Budget-Friendly Adventures in the American West

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah MichelleLeave a comment

This post was originally published on XPatMatt on April 14, 2016.

Image via Trover by Micah Weber

Not every trip “out west” needs to empty your wallet and your savings account. In fact, there are plenty of adventurous destinations in the west that are affordable, uncrowded, and full of awesome outdoor activities for you and your traveling family. These five budget-friendly destinations offer everything you need to make the most of your adventure-based getaway.

Discover the Wild West in Missoula

Missoula is one of Montana’s most underrated cities. This hip town and its active residents are fueled by its surrounding scenery, littered with mountain peaks, rivers, and forests. Visitors can stay in the heart of downtown — minutes from some of the world’s best mountain biking, fishing, kayaking, rafting, hiking, horseback riding and more — for an affordable price any time of year. Opt for the budget-friendly Holiday Inn Downtown for gorgeous river views and a location that’s within walking distance of some of the city’s favorite sights.

Make Memories in Rapid City

Rapid City, S.D., is known as the home of Mt. Rushmore, but adventures extend far beyond the historic monument. Adventurers will find endless fun mountain biking, fishing, hiking, geocaching, horseback riding, and kayaking among the gorgeous scenery of the Great Plains and the Black Hills. Even better, you can stay in the center of town or inside the famed Black Hills National Forest on any budget.

Explore the Red Rock Landscapes of Moab

Moab is a place that adventure lovers dream about. Staying seconds from what are known as the greatest mountain biking trails in the world doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg despite Moab’s standing as an outdoorsy “resort town.” Stay close to the downtown museums, restaurants, and outdoors stores or walking distance to the area’s best parks and trails; you can always find an affordable place to rest your head at the end of a day filled with adventure.

Venture Into the Mountains in Vail

Escape the hustle and bustle of Denver to discover the White River National Forest and all of the adventures available at the Vail Ski Resort. You don’t have to pay outrageous resort prices to enjoy all of the mountain biking, hiking, golfing, and whitewater rafting adventures Vail offers in spring and summer. Instead, opt for one of many more affordable options, like the Evergreen Lodge, to stay minutes from the mountain town’s best features for an unbelievably affordable price.

Adventure Inland in Roseville

Roseville is just 30 minutes from Sacramento, but it’s one of the best places to escape the stresses of city life in California. The area is known for its pristine golf courses, artsy downtown area, abundance of museums, and parks and trails that make for pleasant bike rides, runs, and hikes. Your budget-friendly hotel in the heart of Roseville will also place you minutes from the Folsom Lake State Recreation Area, where you can boat, swim, kayak, and fish on hot, dry summer days in California. Opt for a stay at the Extended Stay America or Residence Inn by Marriott Roseville for easy access to downtown and the outdoors.

It’s Always Complicated by Julia Kent – Book Blitz

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah MichelleLeave a comment

This one looks good. I love movies like this. It is hard to write a story with so many characters intertwined.  – Sydney Aaliyah Michelle

Another reminder, that all book related post will move here on May 1st. 

It’s Always Complicated
Julia Kent
Publication date: April 27th 2016
Genres: Adult, Contemporary

Take two men, one woman, three children. Stir in one best friend and her fiancé doctor. Whisk one best friend’s niece, her two rock star boyfriends, and add a grizzled old octogenarian diner owner with a naughty mouth and her eighty-something boyfriend who loves every minute of her.

Put them all in a campground in northern Maine where the owners’ daughter has two special men of her own. Bake for 400 pages.

It’s Always Complicated is the sprawling saga of how Laura, Mike and Dylan (Her Billionaires) and Josie and Alex (It’s Complicated) have the wedding of a lifetime at Escape Shores Campground (the Obedient series) while Darla, Trevor and Joe (the Random series) make an appearance with a cast of characters that includes cameos from the Warlock Waitress and maybe…just maybe…Mavis the Chicken.

This book combines three of Julia Kent’s series in a madcap spectacle that yields one universal truth: love is a journey and not a destination, but people will drive you crazy along the way.

Enjoy the ride.

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Read the series in order:

Her Billionaires (New York Times bestseller)

It’s Complicated

Completely Complicated

It’s Always Complicated

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

EXCERPT:

A small crowd of men wearing gun holsters ran past Josie and Alex, followed by three uniformed TSA agents.

“I wonder what that’s about?” Alex marveled, his eyes tracking the fracas. He and Josie had come to the Portland, Maine airport to pick up her mother, Marlene, and Aunt Cathy, Uncle Mike and her new Uncle Calvin. All the Ohio relatives were here for her and Alex’s wedding.

A cold wave of dread washed over her. They were running toward the baggage claim for the airline her entire family was on.

“I’ll bet it’s my mother,” she groaned, leaning against him for support. His strong arm wrapped around her shoulders and gave her the comfort she needed. Too bad he couldn’t give her a second backbone made of steel.

If he could, she knew, he would. The thought made her smile.

“I’m sure it’s nothing,” he said, giving her a squeeze. She looked up at him. Way up, given the enormous height difference between the two of them. His warm, brown eyes met hers and for an instant, she wondered if he might be right. That eternally positive outlook he had was a bit infectious.

Maybe she needed to stop assuming the worst of every situation.

A rotund security guard huffed and puffed, running past them, holding what looked like a spare uniform. He was talking into a walkie-talkie.

“Naked?” Huff huff. “She’s naked? What size?” Huff huff.

Alex’s kind eyes filled with alarm. It was both charming and horrifying. Josie couldn’t quite decide which impression she enjoyed more. There was a kind of schadenfreude in realizing she was right. His idealism was sweet, but sometimes she needed him to be more of a realist.

And Marlene served up an entire buffet of realism.

“Mile High Club again?” the guard asked, pausing to catch his breath. Josie watched him with a morbid fascination.

“You don’t really think it’s your mom in there, Josie,” Alex said. He caressed her shoulder absent-mindedly, watching the guard. “I mean—”

“Two men in one bathroom with a naked woman?” the guard barked into his walkie-talkie, eyebrows hitting the brim of his hat.

Josie snorted, the sense of dread spreading.

“How could it be anyone else?”

“That sounds more like something Darla would do,” Alex said. “You sure she’s still in Boston and not on this flight?”

Just as Josie was about to reply, the commotion got louder.

“MARLENE!” Josie heard the sense of outrage in her Aunt Cathy’s voice. The airport was small, but not that small. Cathy’s voice could carry. “WHAT IN THE HELL HAPPENED TO YOUR CLOTHES?”

 

Author Bio:

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Julia Kent writes romantic comedy with an edge, and new adult books that push contemporary boundaries. From billionaires to BBWs to rock stars, Julia finds a sensual, goofy joy in every book she writes, but unlike Trevor from Random Acts of Crazy, she has never kissed a chicken.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

 

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Secrets and Lace by Dori Lavelle – Release Day Blitz

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle1 Comment
Intriguing! – Sydney Aaliyah Michelle
Title: Secrets and Lace (Fatal Hearts #1)
Author: Dori Lavelle
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SYNOPSIS
Chloe Parker has the world at her feet. Her career in magazine publishing is flourishing, and she’s about to be married to Miles Durant, a gorgeous billionaire, and the man of her dreams.
But one month before her wedding, she receives a countdown card. No sender. No return address. No message. Only a piece of lace stained with blood. As the wedding gets closer the cards keep coming to her every day without fail.
It seems, while she’s counting down to the happiest day of her life, someone is doing a countdown of their own. Chloe fears she’s in danger, but she can’t turn to the cops for help. There’s something in her past she wants to remain hidden, a dark secret that could destroy the life of her dreams. To make things worse, Miles is becoming increasingly impatient and suspicious about her past, to the point where he’s so angry he becomes a man she doesn’t recognize.
While working to keep her relationship intact, Chloe must find out who wants to hurt her before she loses everything, or ends up dead.
AUTHOR NOTE:***Fatal Hearts is a serial that unfolds over three volumes.***
WARNING:***Due to sexual situations and adult content, this dark romance thriller series is not intended for readers under the age of 18, and anyone who is unable to read books containing, kidnapping, murder, rape, and extreme abuse***
 
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TEASER
 
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AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD @
 
{Amazon US} {Amazon UK} {Amazon CA} {Amazon AU}
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AUTHOR BIO
Dori Lavelle, is a mother, wife, and a sucker for happy-ever-afters and mint chocolate.
Growing up, Dori read a lot, and when she wasn’t happy with a particular ending, she wrote a different one, just for herself. Before long, she was writing stories when she should have been doing homework. The time has come for her to share the stories she cooks up in her head.
To be the first to know about Dori’s new releases and giveaways, join her mailing list HERE
STALK LINKS
{Website} {Email} {Facebook} {Twitter} {Goodreads} {Amazon}
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Shameless by Lex Martin – Release Blitz

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah MichelleLeave a comment

Love Lex Martin. She is my sports romance hero. Her Dearest Series is a must read if you love this category. I expect Shameless to be even better. – Sydney Aaliyah Michelle

 

 Release Date: April 26, 2016
Blurb

Brady…

What the hell do I know about raising a baby? Nothing. Not a goddamn thing. Yet here I am, the sole guardian of my niece. I’d be lost if it weren’t for Katherine, the beautiful girl who seems to have all the answers. Katherine, who’s slowly finding her way into my cynical heart.

I keep reminding myself that I can’t fall for someone when we don’t have a future. But telling myself this lie and believing it are two different things.

Katherine…

When Brady shows up on a Harley, looking like an avenging angel—six feet, three inches of chiseled muscle, eyes the color of wild sage, and sun-kissed skin emblazoned with tattoos—I’m not sure if I should fall at his feet or run like hell. Because if I tell him what happened the night his family died, he might hate me. What I don’t count on are the nights we spend together trying to forget the heartache that brought us here. I promise him it won’t mean anything, that I won’t fall in love.

I shouldn’t make promises I can’t keep.

Shameless
is an adult contemporary romance/spinoff featuring a character from The
Dearest Series, but it can be read as a complete standalone.

AMAZON US | AMAZON UK | UNIVERSAL | B&N | KOBO | iBOOKS

Author Bio

Lex writes adult novels, the sexy kind with lotsa angst, a whole lotta kissing, and the hot happily ever afters. When she’s not writing, she lives a parallel life as an English teacher. She loves printing black and white photos, listening to music on vinyl, and getting lost in a great book. Bitten by wanderlust, she’s lived all over the country but currently resides in the City of Angels with her husband and twin daughters.

Author Links

 

Weird And Amazing Travel’s : 4 Things You Won’t Believe You Can Do in Sydney

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle1 Comment

This post was posted by Robert Schrader on Weird And Amazing Travel on February 24, 2016.

Perched atop hills and surrounded by water, Sydney is an extraordinarily beautiful city—there’s no doubt about that. What many travelers don’t realize about Australia’s largest metropolis, however, is how many off-the-beaten-path activities exist along Sydney’s well-trodden paths. Whether you’re looking for a rush of adrenaline, an urban retreat into nature, a terrifying game, or the freshest seafood meal you’ve ever had outside Japan, you’ll probably be caught off guard by these surprising Sydney activities.

Sydney BridgeClimb - Flickr user ImagineCup
How can you be afraid of heights with views like this? Flickr user ImagineCup

1.  Climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge

Along with the Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge is by far Australia’s most iconic symbol. Chances are you’ve already scheduled some time in your Sydney trip to marvel at the bridge (likely from the grounds of the Opera House), but did you know you can actually climb the bridge as well, for a Sydney panorama like no other?

BridgeClimb is 100% safe, so abandon your fear of heights, strap in, and enjoy the view! Plus, if you happen to stay in The Rocks, BridgeClimb’s main office is easy to reach by foot, which will give you some time to release anxiety and calm your nerves in advance of your climb.

Sydney Haymarket - Adam J.W.C. via Wikimedia Commons
Get trapped beneath the sunny streets of Sydney’s Haymarket. JWC via Wikimedia Commons

2.  Escape Solitary Confinement

While it’s true that there are worse places in the world to be trapped than Sydney, the fact remains that a windowless room in one city is a windowless room in any city. Indeed, when you visit Mission: Real Life Room Escape, located near Sydney’s popular Haymarket district, it will be your desire to experience all the amazing dining, nightlife, and cultural attractions around that motivate you to break out of the confinement into which this strange experience thrusts you.

The strangest thing about this adventure? The fact that Haymarket is one of Sydney’s brightest, sunniest districts most days.

Sydney Botanic Gardens - AussGa via Wikimedia Commons
They’re arent a lot left, but some spooky bats do call these cheery gardens home. Aussga via Wilkimedia Commons.

3.  Scope Out Bats in the Sydney Botanic Gardens

It won’t shock you that the Sydney Botanic Gardens are beautiful, particularly if you’ve ever visited them. In addition to containing hundreds of plant species from Australia and all around the world, the centrally located gardens allow you to bask in the glow of the glittering Sydney skyline, as well as the bridge and Opera House.

Although authorities have relocated many of the so-called “flying foxes” that have called the gardens home for decades (they destroyed many of the gardens’ plant species entirely), come around sunset for your chance at seeing the hangers-on who’ve remained. You might even be able to see some from your Potts Point hotel if you look closely!