Books – Page 29 – Sydney Aaliyah Michelle

Tattoo Tuesday – Claudia Bradshaw

Published on March 17, 2014March 18, 2014 by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle2 Comments

This is some hot off the presses Tattoo Tuesday Ink from Claudia. She got this tattoo yesterday. Thanks for sharing Claudia, your five questions start now:

1. How old were you when you got your first tattoo? I got my first tattoo when I turned 18. My best friend and I walked into a shop and pointed to a kanji in a book that said it meant ‘Wild’ and told them to stick it on us. As soon as the needles hit my skin I knew I was going to be addicted. While all of my ink is special to me I’m in the process of covering up my very first one as what it represents isn’t a part of who I am anymore and it is terribly faded. When we are done I’ll have a beautiful pinup mermaid across my back.

2. How many tattoos do you have? If only one, do you want more? I’d say my most meaningful tattoo is the memorial piece I had done for my grandparents. Shortly after I lost my grandfather, who was my favorite person and an avid bird watcher, I heard the song Birds by Neil Young on the radio and these lyrics helped me with his loss “When you see me Fly away without you Shadow on the things you know Feathers fall around you And show you the way to go.” and so I wanted something to remind me that they were still there with me even though they were gone… So I got two birds flying through forget-me-not flowers.

3. What inspired you to get your first tattoo or favorite tattoo? Tell me your tattoo story. It took me a long time, and 5 different shops, to finally find the artist that was perfect for me. When I walked into Cathedral Tattoo Co. I knew it was a match made in heaven. I’ve received the majority of my ink within those walls and I’ll continue to add to my collection there.

4. Tattoos on a significant other, like or dislike? Explain why? My husband also has a growing collection of sexy ink flowing over his skin. We both go to the same artist and we schedule our sessions back to back spending all night at the shop.

5. Do the character’s in your books have tattoos? If so, pick a character and tell me his or her tattoo story? Why was this story incorporated in the book? In Sin For Love (Fortune For Love #1) Reese does have a sleeve covering one of his arms, and while it is sexy it isn’t a big part of the story. Now in Fortune For Love #2 (which doesn’t have a title yet) there is a character with a large tattoo that is very much a part of the story…

To learn more about Claudia Bradshaw, connect with her on her Blog, Twitter and check out her new release Sin for Love on Goodreads.

If you have a book coming out or just want to tell your tattoo story and want to be featured on Tattoo Tuesday, let me know by leaving me a message in the comments.

Cover Reveal Sign Up – Another New Life

Published on March 16, 2014 by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle4 Comments

I am super excited for my cover reveal on April 10th, 2014, but I need your help.

If you have some time and some space on your blog or Facebook page, please sign up for my cover reveal.

Each blog that participates will be entered to win a $25.00 Amazon gift card.

Who couldn’t use $25.00 worth of Amazon greatness.

Thanks so much for everyones help and support!

“From the first day we met, it was Troy and me against the world.”

Another New Life by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle

New Adult Contemporary Romance

Book Blurb: Miranda Preston is a walking contradiction. Talent, smart and beautiful on the outside and insecure, haunted and damaged on the inside. Despite these contradictions, she’s ready to start Another New Life.

When her talent wins her a piano performance scholarship to the University of Texas, Miranda arrives on campus determined to experience everything college has to offer and to keep her secrets in the past where they belong.

An easy task, until the first guy who catches her eye happens to be someone, she’s known all her life.

Eight years have passed since the last time Miranda and Troy saw each other. He reminds her of the best and worst times of her live, but she can’t think about one without dwelling on the other. As they grow closer, every day their attraction reminds them they are no longer kids.

The epic romantic love story that is Miranda and Troy seems to be destined for a happy ending, but Miranda knows it’s only a matter of time before her secret is discovered. A secret that will not only destroy their relationship, it will destroy Troy, too.

Can Miranda focus on her future with Troy while preventing her past from tearing them apart all over again?

Sydney Reviews Shattered Veil by Tracy E. Banghart

Published on March 11, 2014March 10, 2014 by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle2 Comments

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

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Synopsis: When everything that defines you is stripped away, who do you become?For Aris, a talented wingjet pilot, war means sacrificing everything: her home, her name, her face–and the one promise she swore she’d never break.In the small village of Lux, everyone flies wingjets, but nobody flies them like Aris Haan. When she’s not dancing through the skies, she’s spending every minute with Calix, whom she’s loved since childhood. They plan to Promise, but instead he is sent to defend their dominion against a bloody invasion. Determined not to lose him, Aris follows, joining an underground network of women inside the male-only military. Using secret technology that allows her to pass as a man, she becomes “Aristos”, a Flyer in a search-and-rescue unit.As Aris grows stronger on the battlefield and more comfortable in her guise as Aristos, her personal mission becomes less and less clear. When she and her enigmatic commander, Major Vidar, uncover an astonishing conspiracy that could destroy everything, she must make a choice that will determine not only the fate of her heart, but the future of her dominion.

Mulan meets Battlestar Galactica in Shattered Veil, the story of how one young woman’s quest to save her beloved leads her to save the world.

Review: It’s been a recent occurrence in my long reading life that I have grown quite fond of science fiction books. I am envious of the skill of world building. Creating a world from scratch and being able to describe the site, sounds, smells, air, ground, and space for the reader is nothing short of a miracle to me.

Tracy E. Banghart doesn’t this like a master and Shattered Veil is a well done book. The world she builds, the technology she invents, the characters she creates makes me want to pack up and move to this world and see it up close and personal.

On top of the amazing new world, there is a great New Adult story about a girl who though her world was heading in one direction, but finds herself in a situations that turns her world upside and changes the way she thinks about everything. Typical New Adult theme taken in a completely different direction and I enjoyed the journey it took me on as I read the book.

I also want to take the opportunity to thank Banghart for making this book the start of a true series. I’ve read so many 1st books in series where I had no desire to see what else happens to the main character. Writing a series seems to be the popular thing at this time.

Shattered Veil is book 1 because Aris’ story isn’t done and I am so looking forward to seeing how she continues to grow.

I am ready to declare Aris the new Katniss. Shattered Veil is all that is good about New Adult Science Fiction books and more.

A few of my favorite things

Tattoo References: “blood-red tattoo that encircled the women’s shaved head. ” “a tattoo of a sleek blue and black fish dove down his cheek, another curling under his ear and along his throat.” “large and black with leaf-green accents, impossible to miss. She’d asked for an olive tree to remind her of Lux.” It was a tattoo rich environment.

Movie References: The book had a great movie-like pace and I loved the characters. It would make an amazing movie.

Favorite Line: “Travelers often suffered vertigo when visit Lux; the milky walkways that connected the buildings, built high on carbonated stilts, were translucent, and the impenetrable chest-high path walls transparent.” – An amazing example of Banghart’s world building.

*Just a few of my favorite things.

Author Bio:

Tracy E. Banghart is a cheesy movie–loving, fantasy football–playing (go Ravens!), globe-trotting Army wife who began “practicing” her craft at the age of five, when she wrote her first story. She loves visiting the international friends she met while pursuing her MA in Publishing and spends a portion of every summer at her family’s cabin in Canada, where she finds inspiration and lots of time to relax on the dock. She lives with her husband, son, two lazy dogs and one ornery cat. When not writing or spending time with her family, she is on a mission to bake the perfect cupcake.

Blog | Twitter | Goodreads

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Tattoo Tuesday – M. Stratton

Published on March 3, 2014March 4, 2014 by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle1 Comment

M., welcome to Tattoo Tuesday. Your five questions start now:

1. How old were you when you got your first tattoo? I was a late bloomer, I was twenty-nine.

2. How many tattoos do you have? If only one, do you want more? I currently have eight, but more in the works.

3. What inspired you to get your first tattoo or favorite tattoo? Tell me your tattoo story. I got two tattoos my first time. One is a daisy, since it is one of my favorite flowers, and then a seashell, because some of my family and friends call me Shel.

My first, the daisy, I added the ladybug a couple of years later.

4. Tattoos on a significant other, like or dislike? Explain why? I don’t like, I love. My husband has four, and he wants a few more which is totally fine with me!

5. Do the character’s in your books have tattoos? If so, pick a character and tell me his or her tattoo story? Why was this story incorporated in the book? Lexi’s tattoo is a Phoenix raising from the ashes on her back. She put it there to remind herself of all the healing she did to get to where she is and to say that she’s got her back. The complete reason why is in After the Storm.

About M. Stratton: M. Stratton is an International Amazon bestselling author in the romantic suspense and mystery suspense categories for her debut novel After the Storm. She is a self-proclaimed dork that loves to make people laugh and can trip over nothing. Her inner rock star is always on stage performing to a sold out crowd but is quiet and shy on the outside.

She lives with her husband and son in Arizona, which is a big difference from where she grew up north of Chicago Illinois. As an only child she learned to tell herself stories to make the long winters go by quicker while dreaming of summer vacations. Now as an adult she still makes up stories to pass the time, but now she writes them down to share with other people.

To learn more about M. Stratton, connect with her on her Blog, Twitter and on Goodreads.

Click on the book to purchase.

If you have a book coming out or just want to tell your tattoo story and want to be featured on Tattoo Tuesday, let me know by leaving me a message in the comments.

Playing Pretend by Juliana Haygert – Release Day!!!

Published on March 3, 2014March 3, 2014 by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle4 Comments

Welcome to the Playing Pretend release event, organized by Grapevine Book Tours! Read an excerpt from this NA Contemporary Romance, and enter to win a gift card or eBook copy. Don’t forget to visit the event page for a list of participating blogs with more excerpts and an author interview!

Playing Pretend

by Juliana Haygert

Publication: March 3rd, 2014

New Adult Contemporary Romance

As the Governor’s daughter, Charlotte McClain is an expert in playing pretend. High society, the men her mother shoves in her direction and a Pre-Law major are all a part of her perfect pretense. But when she pretends to be a nobody during Spring Break, she meets someone who rocks her world.Mason Rowell knows heartbreak and Spring Break don’t mesh well, so he allows the mysterious Charlotte to seduce him. What should have been a fling, results in something deeper. After Spring Break has long since passed, he moves to Washington to pursue his graduate degree, but what he never expected to find living among the rich and pompous, was the girl who gave him the strength to change and the desire to start anew.

When the guy Charlotte can’t forget goes from a sensual memory to temptation in the flesh, her facade is put to the test. If she surrenders to his charms, she risks ruining her mother’s perfect career and master plan. Playing pretend is what Charlotte does best, but how long can she pretend she doesn’t love the man who made her proud of her true self?

**A light, sexy NA Contemporary Romance (17+)**

Available on:

Grab your copy today! From now until March 9th, Playing Pretend is only 99 cents!

A sneak peek inside Playing Pretend

I held her arm and pulled her back into the dark hallway. “Wait.”

“Why are you doing this?”

I didn’t let go of her arm. “Honestly, I don’t know. I just … I guess I miss you.”

A small smile appeared on her lips. “Do you miss all the girls you hook up with during spring breaks? Oh, there’s summer too, right? Busy town during summers, right?”

Annoyance was making its way into me. “For your information, I am not that kind of guy.” Wasn’t I? That was what I said I would do. “I had the same girlfriend for three years before you.”

Her smile faded. “Please, Mason …”

“What?” I slid my hands up her arms, pulling her closer. “Tell me about it.” But she didn’t. She averted her eyes. “Why are you acting so stiff and reserved?”

She jerked away from me. “That’s who I am. I call it refined and educated. Or even elegant.”

She was certainly refined, educated, and elegant, but that wasn’t it. “No, no. You’re not like that. Come on. I saw you.”

“Who you saw is someone I cannot be.”

So, that was it. She couldn’t be like that here.

“But that’s who you are, isn’t it?” I walked up to her, towering over her, pushing her against the wall. “That’s who you have to be.”

Her eyes grew wide and she looked side to side, trying to find a way out of my trap.

“What are you going to do? Tell the world what a slut I am?” Her beautiful eyes filled with tears. “What do you want? Will you ask for money to stay quiet?”

I gave one step in her direction, bumping my legs onto hers—only a few inches separated my body from hers now—and reached around her, brushing my fingertips along the bare skin of her back.

“I want you,” I whispered in her ear. Her breath hitched, and I took pleasure in feeling her back arching with my touch, her body shivering with my breath.

Her hands grasped my arms. “Please,” she gasped.

I loved when she begged. “I want the real you. The one that spent six wonderful days with me.” I slid my tongue along her jaw and her nails dug into the skin of my arms. Damn, her scent was like drugs. I was addicted. “The one I know is in there. Let her out. For me.”

“I can’t,” she whispered. Then she pushed me back and, in tears, she dashed away.

While Juliana Haygert dreams of being Wonder Woman, Buffy, or a blood elf shadow priest, she settles for the less exciting—but equally gratifying—life of a wife, mother, and author. Thousands of miles away from her former home in Brazil, she now resides in Connecticut and spends her days writing about kick-ass heroines and the heroes who drive them crazy.

• One (1) $10 Amazon or B&N gift card {INT}

• Two (2) eBook copies of Playing Pretend by Juliana Haygert {INT}

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