Tag: romance series

Relevance by Sonya Loveday – Book Blitz

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle1 Comment

This looks like a serious book. From the cover image to the blurb to the excerpt, get ready for a deep read. – Sydney Aaliyah Michelle

Relevance
Sonya Loveday
(The Six #2.5)
Publication date: March 21st 2016
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult

Relevance

The noun form of the adjective “relevant”.

Meaning “important to the matter at hand”.

Secretly located in the tunnels under Chicago’s city streets, Cole Enterprise is home to a group of trained soldiers. Jake Aceton is their newest acquisition. Recruited from boot camp before graduation after being handpicked by Grant Jackson, Jake is plunged into the mysterious underground world, forever changing his life.

Regardless of his relevance to Cole Enterprise, Jake has a hard time looking past all he has to give up. Can he learn to live in his own shadow in order to protect those he loves?

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EXCERPT:

Nothing fit right anymore, but it didn’t matter. I could close my eyes and see myself standing at the cabin watching the Six banter back and forth over fishing or swimming. Home. I smelled like home.

The serenity of the moment shattered when Riley burst through the door, swearing a blue streak until she realized she wasn’t alone. “Ace. What are you doing in here?”

She didn’t even bat an eye at what I was wearing. Had she been anyone else, I’d have had my ass ripped for being in civilian clothing. “Oliver just took me to get my clothes.”

She noticed then. “Oh!”

I put my hand out, and she stepped into my arms with a heavy sigh. “What’s wrong, Riley?” I asked, gathering her close and kissing the top of her head. Dread ran through me. I had a feeling I already knew.

She tucked her head under my chin and slid her hands down my back until her thumbs found my belt loops. “Nothing.”

I snorted at her lame-ass attempt to cover up how she felt. “You can’t bullshit a bullshitter, Riles. I know you’re not happy with any of this.”

She dropped her hands and took a step back, squaring her shoulders. “I’m fine. It’s just been an adjustment. Nothing I can’t handle.” She pulled out all the stops and managed a smile.

I caught her face in my hands and leaned down to place a kiss between her brows. Right on the spot that pulled together, telling me she was anything but happy. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but I’m gonna prove it every day for the rest of my life. I know you’re miserable. I know this isn’t what you wanted.”

“Once we find the leak and figure out what Nicco is up to, we’ll talk with Nadia and Grant and come up with something. Maybe they’ll even want us to transfer to Scotland.”

A real smile broke through that time. “Okay.”

One word was all it took to make the knot in my chest unravel.

I didn’t want to leave Riley, but Oliver was waiting for me in the cafeteria. “I have to go meet with Oliver. Are you staying in here for a little while?”

She shook her head. “I need to meet with Oliver too. I guess we better get going then.”

Riley made it to the door and had it open before I could cross the room.

“Why do you have to meet with Oliver?” I asked, closing the door behind us.

Her hair spilled over her shoulder, hiding her face from me. It wasn’t often Riley had her hair down, so the missing presence of her ponytail seemed odd. Truth be told, seeing Riley with her hair down was like seeing her naked, as weird as that sounded. Maybe it was because the only way I really saw her hair down was when we were… “Oof.” My side ached and my hand went to the offended spot immediately. “What the hell?”

Riley scowled. “Did you hear anything I just said?”

“Um…” She’d been talking to me and I’d tuned her out as I fantasized about her hair being down. “Sorry, I was uh…” Mentally stripping you and watching the way your hair falls over your…

She snapped her fingers in front of my face. “My eyes are up here, Ace.”

I jerked my gaze up to hers, feeling my cheeks blaze. “I know.”

She rolled her eyes and pushed past me into the cafeteria where Oliver waited at one of the tables.

He looked up from the file he had opened in front of him. When he looked between the two of us, he swore. “Please tell me you two aren’t in the middle of some sort of lover’s quarrel.”

Riley flipped him off and then sat opposite of him. I kept the urge to say something smart-ass back at him locked up tight, choosing to sit down instead.

Oliver looked between us again and then back to the file. “Okay, here’s what we’re gonna do.”

My spine snapped ramrod straight. “We? What we? Because I know you don’t mean Riley too.”

Oliver leaned his elbows on the table as he crossed his arms and looked directly at Riley. “You didn’t tell him?”

“Yes, I did. He wasn’t listening though.”

“What do you mean he wasn’t listening?”

I forced myself to listen instead of drift off as I’d done earlier. Damn her hair. She needed to pull it up and get it out of my thoughts!

“…just like that,” she said, waving her hand in front of my face. “Do you think it’s a flashback?” The fear in her voice startled me.

“I’m not having a flashback,” I answered, shifting myself on the bench seat so I straddled it.

“Then what the hell is wrong with you?” Oliver demanded.

My lip curled as I swung my gaze to him. “I’m dead, so, technically, it could either be classified as everything or nothing.”

Oliver shook his head, tapping the folder in front of him. “Do you think you can keep your corporeal form focused for a minute while we go over tonight’s recon mission?”

—

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Author Bio:

Sonya Loveday, first and foremost is a reader, an avid one. It is of that love that brought her to the realization that this was the answer to the nagging persistent feeling that ‘there’s got to be something more’.

The dream came alive in 2009 when she purchased her laptop and began the tedious step of becoming a published author.

When she’s not reading, she’s writing. When she’s not writing, she’s reading. And when she’s not doing either of those things she’s sleeping, shuttling her children back and forth to school, letting the dogs and cats in and out of the house for the umpteenth time in the last hour and dreaming of a clean house.

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Burning Ultimatum by Aubrey Parker – Book Blitz

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah MichelleLeave a comment

Trevor’s Harem continues . . . – Sydney Aaliyah Michelle

Burning Ultimatum
Aubrey Parker
(Trevor’s Harem, #4)
Publication date: March 15th 2016
Genres: New Adult, Romance

With Trevor’s contest at its end, it’d be easy to say we’re three against one. And yet I’ve never felt so alone.

My heart is torn, twisted, ripped. I’m alternately hot and cold. I dream vivid dreams, no longer sure if they’re fantasy or reality.

There’s a new player in the game. He’s tall, broad, beautiful, and intimidating. Everyone is afraid of him, even the company. I’m told he has a secret, and that I’m its subject. And someone else has a secret, too — from our mystery man, and god help us if he learns it.

Everyone is loyal to something or someone in this place — though it’s seldom what it seems.

I don’t know who’s with me and who’s against me — if I’ll go home with my new protector … or be kept here forever.

I couldn’t possibly be what Eros has combed the world for … can I?

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EXCERPT:

Trevor puts his hand on my arm, but I shake it away. I’m so frustrated. So angry. Trevor acts like my friend, but he cut Kat. I have no friends.

“Bridget, there was no choice. Keeping her wouldn’t have been fair to Kat. And it would have contradicted the purpose of everything we’re trying to do.”

I look back at him. I stand. My eyes are wet with fury, but I’m wearing an angry smile.

“What?” he says.

“They got you. They got all of you.”

“Who?”

“Kylie. Kat was a threat to her. Do you know about her and Caspian White?”

“No. What do you mean?”

“I guess we’ll never know, will we? I could tell you. I could even tell Caspian. But something tells me it won’t ring true without Kat to back me up. Something tells me convenient lies and excuses have already been put in place. She’s always ten steps ahead, isn’t she? After all, that’s her fucking superpower, isn’t it?”

“Bridget, what are you talking about?”

“And Jessica. Because second place wasn’t good enough for her. She wants to win it all. Is that what Kylie promised her? That she could come in first place once Kat was gone?” I give a cynical little smile. “I guess we’ll see what Kylie’s promises are worth with a knife in Jessica’s back.”

“You’re making too much of this. Once I learned Kat’s situation, I took care of it. It was just me. Nobody else — not Kylie, not Jessica.”

Then it hits me. My hand goes over my mouth, and I actually laugh.

“Oh my God,” I say.

“What?”

“They’re playing you, too.”

“Nobody’s playing me.”

I sit back down. I can’t help myself. I grab Trevor by the upper arms and look him right in his sweet, almost innocent eyes.

“This is about you, Trevor. Not me, not the contest, not the company. You. Kat was eliminated because you never had a choice. She backed you into it.”

“Who?” He’s getting annoyed, his face twisting.

“This whole thing is on you. It’s your name. Your company. Everything is being done for Trevor Stone.”

“So?”

“So if it fails? If it goes horribly wrong? If someone can convince some other people that certain big-name billionaires should be squeezed out?”

“You’re being ridiculous.”

But I’m not. I see it clear as day.

Trevor stands, brushing off with an air of finality, as if these last thirty seconds have made him sorry for coming to see me.

“Trevor … ”

He meets my eyes with a hard stare — no matter what I say next, our discussion is over.

“I came here because I care about you, Bridget. That hasn’t changed.”

I don’t know what else to do, so as my shoulders sag, I nod.

“Are you leaving today?”

That was the plan, yes. But now I’m not so sure. If I leave, it’ll just be Jessica, Kylie, and Daniel versus Trevor. The three against one that’s also leveled against me. But I could stick around. I could keep being a wrench in the machine. The one question that nobody, no matter how honest they are, will answer is the biggest of all: Why am I still here? I survived the first elimination after refusing to play by the rules. I survived the second and third without blinking. And if Trevor is to be believed, I survived a sex-first challenge by being nonsexual while the sluttiest slut got the axe. All by following my gut and doing nothing special. All, it seems, without help of any meaningful kind.

“I don’t know,” I say.

“You should.”

“Why?”

“Same reason as before.”

“Which is?”

“Caspian White.”

“Why, Trevor?”

“Because he likes you.”

“Then I should have no problems.”

Trevor doesn’t respond. He looks somehow punched, but I can tell he feels that affection, from Caspian White, probably isn’t a good thing.

“I’ll be fine, Trevor. Thank you for your concern, but I’ve made it this far, even without a superpower.”

I try to smile at the idea of superpowers, but Trevor stops, on his way to my door, and takes my hand.

“Daniel didn’t tell you,” he says.

“Tell me what?”

“At least on paper, he’s named a talent for you. To our board. And to Mr. White.”

I blink back up at Trevor.

“He’s been telling people that he’s figured out my superpower?”

“Yes. And going to face Caspian White, that’s what scares me.”

“What is it?”

“Technically it’s restraint, no doubt piggybacking on what the cameras saw between you in the garden, when you resisted his triggers.” Trevor purses his lips. “But Caspian has chosen to interpret your unflappability differently, if not quite literally.”

My heart beats faster. Maybe Trevor is right after all, and I should leave while I still can.

“‘Purity,’” Trevor says. “As if you were a virgin, waiting to be defiled.”

 

Author Bio:

I love to write stories with characters that feel real enough to friend on Facebook, or slap across the face. I write to make you feel, think, and burn with the thrill that can only come from getting lost in the pages. I love to write unforgettable characters who wrestle with life’s largest problems. My books may always end with a Happily Ever After, but there will always be drama on the way there.

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Destroy Me by Shana Vanterpool – Book Blitz

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah MichelleLeave a comment

Destroy Me
Shana Vanterpool
(Crystal Gulf, #1)
Published by: Swoon Romance
Publication date: March 8th 2016
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

DESTROY ME is book one in the New Adult romance Crystal Gulf Series.

Bach lives his life with honesty and without restraints, happy to be known as a sexy as all hell, unapologetic asshole.

When he drinks, he drinks hard.

When he wants a woman, he makes sure she knows it.

When he opens his mouth, it’s either to piss someone off or to turn someone on.

You can normally find him with one hand on a bottle and one hand on a woman, trying to forget his past.

Harley Evans is ta wenty-one-year-old year old college student. She’s a good girl who fell hard for Dylan, who’d promised her forever. But Dylan, Bach’s best buddy, lied.

He enlisted in the Army, crushing Harley with equal parts anger and sadness. She’d already lost her father to that choice. Heartbroken, she falls back into depression.

Stuck in Crystal Gulf all summer with little to do, Harley needs a distraction. Enter Bach, sexy as f*#ck distraction, ready and willing.

Dylan’s not all bad though. Before he left, he asked Bach to watch out for Harley, knowing she’d never go for a guy like Bach. She’s too good for him. Too good for anyone.

But Dylan was wrong. He never should have left them together. Bach is there to pick up the pieces Dylan left behind. Soon pieces aren’t enough. He wants more, needs more Harley.

DESTROY ME is dark, sexy, heartbreaking, and intoxicating.

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EXCERPT:

“I do.” Her smile is sad and hopeful. “Ever since I watched one of the social workers at school help this kid that was getting bullied. The look on his face knowing there was someone out there fighting for him always stuck with me. I want to help people. Imagine being that one person, that one ray of hope that gives someone the strength to keep going. Think of all of those kids who don’t have the support I was lucky to have growing up? I can’t give it to them, but I can show them how to give it to themselves. I know it sounds altruistic. I just always felt like it was important. Is that silly?”

I once woke up in the middle of a hurricane. My arm was in a sling that Dylan’s grandma made out of old shoestrings and my face hurt like hell. Dad kicked my ass for dislocating my shoulder jumping out of Mr. Greer’s almond tree. The weather outside was making me shake. It was scary. No one cared that I was scared but Dylan, but Dylan couldn’t come out to play because he was in trouble for jumping with me. The old creaky house shook and the windows rattled. I just wanted it to stop. I crawled under the table in the kitchen, kneeling on top of old cigarette butts and beer stains and I prayed for it to stop. Over and over again, whispering it until my lips chapped. And just like that it did. I opened my eyes and looked out of the kitchen window. The sun was peeking through the clouds. The clouds were still gray, but I could see it. The most beautiful colors shone down. Orange, pink, yellow, and gold; it was shining right on my house. I got up and pressed my little face to the dirty window in awe. I knew right then and there that I would probably never see anything that beautiful ever again.

Until Harley.

I don’t deserve to sit across from her. To share a bottle of wine with her. To see her smile nervously after saying something like that to me.

“It isn’t silly,” I promise her, my voice gruff. “It’s, you’re, it’s … Do it. I really hope you do it. I wish I had someone like you around when I was kid.”

She has no idea how much I want her good right now. She smiles as if we’re talking about grocery shopping. Not like she just took my favorite memory and shattered it.

“What did you want to be?” she wonders just as the waiter sets down two brightly colored salads.

“Did you want to order?” he asks.

“I want the spaghetti with marinara and chicken parmesan,” Harley says, licking her lips excitedly.

I want to eat off her plate. When it’s my turn I fumble with my menu. Since when do I fumble? “The clams. I’ll take the clams.”

“Excellent choice,” he congratulates before he leaves. I get the feeling he isn’t talking about the food, in which case I agree.

I watch her slice the tomato with her fork, pair it with a bite of fresh mozzarella and a basil leaf, and then dunk it into her balsamic dressing. “Mmm,” she moans, closing her eyes in bliss. “This is so good.”

Why did Dylan leave her with me? Me!

“Did you hear me? What did you want to be when you were a kid?”

Safe. “Thor.”

She cracks up. “That’s either really cute, or really indicative.”

“Indicative of what?” I take a bite. I want to taste what she tastes.

She points her fork at me and waves it around. “All of this.”

“Oh. You mean all of this sexy panty ripping fantastic-ness?” I smile crookedly. We both know we both think that.

Author Bio:

When I walk into a book store I feel at home. When I smell the pages of a brand new book things make sense. When I read I am who I always wanted to be. I read to escape and I write so others can as well. My family, my actress dog Bella, coffee, and a steamy love story are a few of my most precious things. My Sweet Demise is my debut new-adult contemporary romance novel. Keep up to date with future releases by following on Twitter: @shanavauthor

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Next to Me by Allie Eberhart – Book Blitz

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah MichelleLeave a comment

I love Allie Everhart. I’m working through her Jade Series now, Choosing You was one of my favorite books of 2014. Can’t wait to start this series. – Sydney Aaliyah Michelle


Next to Me
Allie Everhart
Publication date: January 2nd 2016
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

After losing her parents and brother in a car crash, Callie dropped out of college and went to live in the small town where her family used to spend the summers. A year later, and struggling to move on, she keeps to herself and wants to be left alone. So she’s not too happy when her new neighbor keeps knocking on her door.

Nash Wheeler, a 25-year-old construction worker from Chicago, inherited the house next to Callie’s and is living there while he renovates it. Outgoing, confident, and never one to back down from a challenge, Nash sets out to get to know his new neighbor, inviting her over for dinner and offering to fix things around her house.

As much as his persistence annoys her, Callie finds herself attracted to the tall, muscular guy next door. And the more time she spends with him, the more she realizes how much they have in common. Like Callie, Nash has experienced loss, but when he opens up to her about it, she’s not willing to do the same. It’s too personal.

Nash is just her neighbor. Just some guy living there for the summer. But is that really all he is? Or is he the one person who can finally help her move on?

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EXCERPT:

Nash

“You’re holding my hand,” she says, her lips creeping up.

“I am,” I say, matter-of-factly.

Her eyes return to mine. “Why are you holding my hand?”

“You have nice hands.” I rub the top of it with my thumb.

“That’s why you’re holding it? Because I have nice hands?”

“You got a problem with that?”

“I guess it’s okay. Although your hands aren’t the greatest.” She tries to hide her smile.

“You’re making fun of my hands?” I hold up the other one that’s not connected with hers. “I do construction for a living. I work with my hands. I’m surprised they look as good as they do.”

She takes the hand I was holding up and inspects my nails. “You need a manicure.” She tries to be serious, but then laughs.

“I’m not getting a freaking manicure. I’m not one of those metrosexual guys or whatever the hell they call them. The guys who walk around with purses? You see them downtown Chicago.”

“There’s nothing wrong with those guys.” She sits back but keeps her hand in mine. “And by the way, it’s not a purse. It’s called a man bag. Or a murse. And a lot of guys get manicures. They’re not just for women. It even has the word ‘man’ in it. And cure.” She pauses, then smiles. “It’s a cure for manly hands. Get it?” She laughs at her own joke.

I scoot my chair over and lean in close to her face. Her smile drops, her breath quickens, and her eyes fix on mine. She thinks I’m going to kiss her, but I’m not.

Instead I say, “I don’t want a man bag. Or a murse. Or a manicure.” I look directly in her eyes. “I’m a man’s man. I like red meat. Football. A cold beer. Hard liquor. Pounding nails into walls. And women who challenge me.”

She’s looking at me with lust in her eyes, and God, I feel it too. The intense need to rip off her clothes and do her right here on this table. How the hell did this happen? How did we go from having a conversation to wanting to have sex? I’m not even trying to date this girl, and I definitely wasn’t planning to have sex with her.

I’m here to do a job. Fix the house. That’s it. Plain and simple. But suddenly it feels more complicated than that.

 

Author Bio:

Allie Everhart is a hopeless romantic who writes books about love. Allie has authored fourteen novels, including The Jade Series, a college romance that follows the story of Jade and Garret as they deal with numerous obstacles trying to tear them apart. Her other series, The Kensingtons, is a romantic suspense series. After writing two series, she’s now working on several standalone books, including her latest book, Next to Me, a new adult romance.

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Make it Last by Megan Erickson – Blog Tour

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle1 Comment

I have really enjoyed watching Megan & her successes in 2014. She is a great writer and I wish her much success in 2015. Check out her latest release, Make it Last.

Title: Make it Last

Author: Megan Erickson

Series: Bowler University #3

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance

Publication: January 6th, 2014 by William Morrow Impulse

After graduating from Bowler University, the last place Cam Ruiz ever expected to find himself is his hometown. A bad job as a bouncer and worry over his mom’s health make living in Paradise anything but. There’s only one thing that can make his return any harder—running into the only girl he’s ever loved.

Tate Ellison made a mistake when she was eighteen, one that cost her the best thing she’s ever had. She’s always hoped the regret of losing Cam would fade over time. Too bad it’s only grown. She took comfort in the fact she’d never have to face him again, so his presence in Paradise throws her for a loop.

The pull between them is instant and when the truth of what happened years ago tumbles out, they share a mind-blowing kiss…which leads to more. But the past has a way of repeating itself. When all the cards are on the table, Cam and Tate must decide what they are willing to do to make it last.

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About Megan

Megan Erickson grew up in a family that averages 5’5” on a good day and started writing to create characters who could reach the top kitchen shelf.

She’s got a couple of tattoos, has a thing for gladiators and has been called a crazy cat lady. After working as a journalist for years, she decided she liked creating her own endings better and switched back to fiction.

She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, two kids and two cats. And no, she still can’t reach the stupid top shelf.

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