Friday, May 30, 2014

Release Day Blitz & Giveaway: Shunned No More by Christina McKnight


Shunned No More

Shunned No More
A Lady Forsaken
Book 1
Christina McKnight

Genre: Historical Romance, Regency

Publisher: La Loma Elite Publishing
Date of Publication: May 30, 2014

ISBN: 9780988261723

Number of pages: 300 Approximate
Word Count: 75,000 Approximate

Cover Artist: LFD Designs for Authors

Book Description:

A Lady Shunned by All…

Lady Viola Oberbrook only wanted to forget the ill-fated early morning duel that took the lives of two young, wealthy, promising men of the ton and sent her fleeing for her father’s country estate. Eight years later, she has her life in order: a fulfilling business, a few trusted friends, and no plans to return to London society. What she doesn’t expect is to come face to face with her past.

A Lord Betrayed by One…

Brock Spencer, Earl of Haversham, only wants vengeance. Recently returned from his military service to the King, his plans include repairing his family estate, finding a bride, and destroying the girl responsible for the untimely death of his twin brothers. What he doesn’t anticipate is falling in love with the only woman who should never be part of his future.

An Impossible Match, Destined to Be…

Add Shunned No More to your Goodreads Shelf




Excerpt

PROLOGUE

Hyde Park
April 1806

8 years ago…

                   Viola clutched the handle of her pink parasol to her chest tightly in anticipation of the spectacle to come. Her gaze fixed on the two figures shrouded in the early morning fog of Hyde Park. The men, really only boys, began to count as they paced away from each other. Shiny, pearl-handled pistols positioned in their right hands were at the ready.
                   She clamped her lips tight to suppress the giggle that threatened to escape.
                   Who would have thought that she, Lady Viola Oberbrook, would have two men seeking her hand in marriage...and in the first week of her very first season, no less? That they were the twin sons of Lord Haversham was an even greater coup de grǎce for her. She’d be the envy of every debutante. The talk of the town. As well she should be! Her father was the Duke of Liperton, after all.
                   If only she’d found a way to get all of London here to witness the duel. She’d done what she could by leaving word with Mrs. Tenchard. The old gossipmonger was sure to spread the word more quickly than Vi could spend her monthly allowance at the milliner’s shop.
                   And Vi prided herself on her ability to spend her father’s money.
                   “Miss Viola, beg’n yer pardon, but it be wise to don ye wool kid gloves,” her lady’s maid, Sarah, whispered beside her.
                   “Shhhh,” Vi hissed in return, raising her hand for Sarah to hold her tongue. She didn’t want to miss a single moment of what was to come. She would remember this for the rest of her existence. The day two men of the haute ton battled in her honor. She sighed.
                   The twins—Cody, with his hair cut longer than the current fashion permitted, and sporting a determined glint in his eye, and Winston, with his smartly trimmed blond hair falling respectfully above his collar—reached the required twenty-pace distance and turned.
                   Their pistols fired in unison. Vi’s heart soared. Her first duel...and certainly not her last, if she had anything to say in the matter.
                   The swift morning breeze pushed the smoke from the scene as both men dropped to the ground, soggy with morning dew. Shouts of urgency rang out in the air. Men rushed in to assist the twins.
                   A cold chill inched up her spine; her breath caught in her lungs.
                   Neither man moved.
                   A sharp inhale of breath sounded next to her, but Vi was hesitant to remove her attention from the scene as the pungent smell of a spent firearm reached her.
                   “Call Doc Durpentire. Post haste!” bellowed Mr. Rodney Swiftenberg. As a distant relative of the Havershams’, Swiftenberg stood as Cody’s second during the duel. Others, vaguely familiar, knelt over both fallen men.
                   The gossip rags would have much to write about this day. Vi could hardly wait to see her name in print. Maybe her father would increase her dowry, seeing as she would be in high demand by the day’s end.
                   “Miss,” Sarah called. “I think it best we be head’n home. Ye Pa is going to be right mad when he finds you snuck out and now these poor men be lying dead at ye very feet.”
                   “Surely you jest. They are simply play acting for dramatics...in my honor, I do suppose.” Viola eyed the two groups of men where they stood, their heads shaking in turn. One took his coat off and laid it gently over Cody’s still body. Vi’s glare snapped to Winston, where another man shook out a horse blanket. The thick, coarse material drifted on the morning breeze and settled on the second body.
                   She studied the scene in front of her. It had the potential to be ever so romantic. A story she would regale her grandchildren with. It was a shame neither twin was the first born and, therefore, unworthy of her hand. But she’d seen no reason to inform them of this minor issue and spoil her fun. They’d find out soon enough.
                   Slowly, the eyes of every person present settled on her. She took a step back at the harshness of their stares. Her chilled hand rose to cover her mouth. She wanted to tell them to avert their eyes; she was the daughter of a Duke. They need show the respect due her. None of these men held a title higher than Baron. How dare they look at her thus?
                   A tall, slender man carrying a large cloth bag rushed to Winston. She assumed this was Doc Durpentire. He would have both men patched up in no time. But with both Cody and Winston taking a bullet, their feud would not be resolved. Viola imagined what the pair would think up next to prove one deserved her hand over the other. Perhaps a curricle race through Mayfair District. She knew she would be able to convince Cody to let her ride along on the adventure. She could practically feel the wind against her face as the carriage took the corners at a high speed, shifting across the seat so that her soft body might come to rest against Cody’s hard one.
                   Imagine what the silly, empty-brained young females would think. They’d envy her further. An unbidden smile played across her lips.
                   The doctor drew the heavy blanket aside and his hands moved over Winston’s body. Then, they stilled. His head dropped forward. He spoke to the men around him, but Vi was too far to hear their conversation.
                   Rodney, hands shoved deep in his pockets, moved in her direction.
                   “Whatever is the matter with them?” she asked when he was close enough to hear.
                   “I think you should go, Lady Viola. This is not a scene any innocent maiden should witness,” Rodney replied. His blond hair was so much like Cody and Winston’s, but his attitude had always struck her as arrogant for a man with no title or wealth to speak of.
                   “Who are you to order me about?” Viola closed her parasol with a swift click and handed it to Sarah, her hands coming to rest on her rounded hips.
                   “It is not the time for this. My cousins...they are both dead.” Rodney paused. “I must alert my uncle to his misfortune.”
                   “You are mistaken.”
                   “I assure you, no mistakes have been made this day.” He abruptly turned, stalking back to the crowd gathering between the fallen men.
                   He must be jesting, Viola thought. She looked between the fallen pair again, their motionless bodies so at odds with the twins she’d come to know in recent days. The heat of exhilaration drained from her as a hand settled at her elbow. Viola felt the calloused fingertips through her thin morning cloak.
                   “We should be going, Miss.”
                   Vi shook Sarah’s imploring touch from her arm and tried to focus her gaze on something—anything—other than the lifeless men on the ground.
                   “Well,” Viola stated. “This was…” Dread clawed at her insides, and her spirit shattered as she stared at the two men lying prone and unmoving before her. “…unexpected.” Her entire life had been leading up to this moment—a life of societal demands and the rigors one had to follow to be accepted. A life that had just stopped, as quickly as those of the two men who now lay dead. Dead. She had murdered these men—the realization came at her all at once, even as her mind rebelled. Cody and Winston, the silly twins who had entertained her so, were no more. Yet, she continued to breathe. With each breath, standing in the chill of early morning in Hyde Park, she felt the obligations of her station, its standards and protocols too powerful for a seventeen-year-old girl to overcome.
                   She glanced around her for help, for someone to tell her what to do, but all focus was on the boys on the ground. Years of being taught how to behave hadn’t prepared her for anything like this.
                   “Miss, what should we do?”
                   “I suppose we should…” She cleared her throat. “I suppose it is time to start over.” She sensed, somehow, that starting over might be impossible.
                   “Start over, Miss?” Her maid’s dark brow pulled low over her eyes.
            Viola straightened her already impeccably postured back and forced her prized smile before continuing. “To find another suitor, you silly girl! This time, I intend to set my sights a bit higher.” She spun on her heels, determined not to stumble, to not falter before so many. She started back towards her carriage, moving through the men without meeting anyone’s eye,  feeling the weight of their stares as she passed. It didn’t matter. She had the evening’s entertainments to prepare for and an image to uphold—no matter the cost to her soul.







historical romance, book one of a series
ARC provided by Bewitching Book Tours in exchange for an honest review


Summary

Lady Viola is filled with guilty and regrets. She runs away and hides from society because she doesn't want to face her actions as an immature teenage girl.
Lord Brock Spencer is filled with anger. He has run away in the past from the foolish life of the court, but now he has came back to fulfill his duties.
Viola must face her past, Brock must face his present. Will there be a future for them?

cover 4 stars

I really like. I would buy this book in a bookstore. I would have understood by looking at it that it was a historical romance. I enjoy the color and the woman's expression.

characters 4 stars

I like Viola, at least the Viola she has become, and I can understand how foolish a seventeen years old can be.
I like Brock and I understood all the emotions he was faced with.
Some great secondary characters such as Ruby and Harold.
Characters were easy to relate, connect and love.

plot 3.5 stars

Ms. McKinight has created a good plot filled with emotions. The characters are faced with consequences of rushed decisions in a fast-paced plot packed with mystery, deceptions, guilty, rage and all sort of feelings.
The book was easy to follow and it kept me guessing until the end. The romance intertwined was breathtaking in it's purity of emotions.
My one complain is that I wanted more of their relationship and less of their history, so I could have seen more of them together.

heat2 stars

The characters have good chemistry but there isn't many scenes of them together as a couple.

freshness 4 stars

I have really enjoy the idea of the lady being in the wrong. Is not often that we read a heroine as being wrong and not being offered excuses for her behavior. The story is one of redemption, but never of taking the blame away from the character. Really well crafted!

Impressions and Opinion

What I really liked the best about this book was it's strong plot and the author being able to perfectly executed her ideas. It was not the conventional historical plot, on which the lord is a rake and the lady is a damsel in distress.
This book is a journey of redemption, of second chances, of making it better, of making it work.
It did really work for me.
I wish the author would have added a few more scenes of the couple together, a little bit more of the romance per se.
I'm looking forward to reading more from the author.

"It didn't matter. She had the evening's entertainments to prepare for and an image to uphold- no matter the cost to her soul."

Review by:


Giveaway



a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author

Christina McKnight is a book lover turned writer. From a young age, her mother encouraged her to tell her own stories. She’s been writing ever since. Currently, she focuses on Historical Romance, Urban Fantasy, and Paranormal Romance.

Christina enjoys a quiet life in Northern California with her family, her wine, and lots of coffee. Oh, and her books…don’t forget her books! Most days she can be found writing, reading, or traveling the great state of California.






Saturday, May 24, 2014

Cover Reveal & Pre-order: Just Desserts by Tawdra Kandle

JustDessertsCoverReveal


Just Desserts

Just Desserts 5


When her friend Julia needed help forming a revenge plan against her ex-boyfriend, Ava was happy to lend a hand. She never expected that in the course of making Liam pay, she'd be the one to fall hard. . .for the one person who was absolutely off-limits. Crushing on the guy who humiliated her best friend is definitely against the girlfriend rules. Besides, Ava has goals. Her life is all about graduating with honors and landing the perfect job. And Liam Bailey--sweet-talking, complicated son of a well-known local politician--isn't part of those plans. But Liam doesn't give up easily. And he doesn't intend to let their friends' opinions, his parents' disapproval or Ava's past get in the way of what he wants--Ava's heart.

  Buy the first book in the series


Best Served Cold

Friday, May 23, 2014

Promotional Event: Finding Love's Wings by Zoey Derrick


We're excited to bring you the Promotional Event for Finding Love's Wings, by Zoey Derrick!


  TitleFinding Love's Wings (Love's Wings 1)
Author: Zoey Derrick
Age group: NA
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Cover Design: Parajunkie
Release: May 6, 2013
ASIN: B00CNXE8HS
ISBN13: 9780615814077
GoodReads  | Amazon  |  B&N  |  iTunes

CAMERON ENDERS seems to have it all: a brand new condo in a city she loves, a top executive position at an international entertainment firm, an insane amount of money, and a gorgeous boyfriend. But when Cami catches the boyfriend in the act with another woman, it triggers all the anguish from years of neglect by her parents, and she realizes she never learned how to love or be loved. Cami flees to the remote tropical island of Tarah, but she can't avoid facing her problems any longer when she meets the man of her fantasies...

TRISTAN MICHAELS, one of Hollywood's hottest new stars, has come to Tarah to ride out a storm. His girlfriend of five years has been caught on camera cheating, and she's determined to make Tristan stop the story from breaking.

But Tristan's done cleaning up her messes. He needs to escape all things Hollywood for a while--and especially the firm that represents him--until the whole thing blows over. What he doesn't count on is meeting an irresistibly beautiful woman, a woman who just so happens to be the CEO of the firm he's trying to avoid.

Can Tristan and Cami help each other learn to trust and love again, or will their histories of betrayal tear them apart?

Favorite Quotes From Finding Love’s Wings 
Zoey is sharing her favorite quotes from Finding Love's Wings. I really loved these!
“I need someone who has holes in their head that fit all the rocks in mine.” Cami.
I love this quote for two reasons, one being that it explains what Cami wants, and 2, I borrowed it from a friend of mine. It became a favorite quote and was quickly added to the book.
 
“"Bloody hell! How exactly am I supposed to drink this? It seems like a damn waste."” Cami
This quote always makes me giggle, out of context it might seem strange, while Cami loves to drink extravagant drinks, she’s finally met her match when Tristan buy her a drink for the first time.
 
Holy crap, not only has Tristan Michaels bought me a drink, but he is standing on the beach, not fifty yards in front of me, half naked and tattooed.” Cami.
When the man of her dreams becomes a real life person in front of her very eyes, is why I LOVE this quote.
 
"I trust you," she whispers and looks deep into my eyes, into my soul. Her expression reiterates the words she's just spoken.”
Tristan. I love this because it is the moment everything shifts for Tristan and how he feels about Cami.  
 
“"I was having fun with that," I mutter.
He lowers himself to his knees. "I know. But now it's my turn."” Cami 
 You’ll have to read Finding Love’s Wings to figure out why this is my favorite quote.
 


The Love’s Wings Series




Book Two, Chasing Love’s Wings: Release 5/27/14
GoodReads  |  Kobo  |  iTunes

About the author

Amazon Best Selling Angels, Demons & Devils and Paranormal Author of Give Me Reason - The Reason Series Book One comes from Glendale, Arizona. Zoey, was a mortgage underwriter by day and is now a paranormal, romance and erotica novelist full-time. She writes stories as hot as the desert sun itself. It is this passion that drips off of her work, bringing excitement to anyone who enjoys a good and sensual love story. 

Not only does she aim to take her readers on an erotic dance that lasts the night, it allows her to empty her mind of stories we all wish were true. Her stories are hopeful yet true to life, skillfully avoiding melodrama and the unrealistic, bringing her gripping Erotica only closer to the heart of those that dare dipping into it.  

The intimacy of her fantasies that she shares with her readers is thrilling and encouraging, climactic yet full of suspense. She is a loving mistress, up for anything, of which any reader is doomed to return to again and again.

Author Social Media Links: 
Twitter | Facebook | Blog/Website
 
 

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Character Interview & Giveaway: Penelope's Ghost by Goldie Alexander


Penelope’s Ghost
Goldie Alexander

Genre: Paranormal/Romantic Suspense/Contemporary       

Publisher: Boroughs Publishing Group

Date of Publication: April 9th 2014

ISBN:  9781941260142
ASIN: B00JLGEFQO

Word Count: 83,560

ARe      Amazon       Smashwords      My Review


Book Description

Haunted. Haunting. Redeemed.

When Lisa Harbinger takes a job as nanny to a prestigious Australian family, she gets more than she bargained for: two spoil children, vengeful ghosts, a long-unsolved mystery and a blazing passion she and her enigmatic boss are unable to deny.


Character  Interview

Today More Books than Livros is interviewing  Lisa Harbinger from Penelope’s Ghost.

Mbtl Welcome Lisa! Please, could you tell our readers your name and nickname?
Lisa No nickname. Lisa is surely short enough not to need one. However my last name “Harbinger” is significant as harbinger signifies an omen or a portent.

Mbtl What is your hair color? Eye color?
Lisa I am small, in my mid thirties with long curly brown hair, wide cheekbones narrowing to a pointy chin, brownish hazel eyes, tanned skin, and lips that turn up at the corners.

Mbtl Where were you born? Where do you call home?
Lisa I was born in Melbourne Australia and this is my home. But shortly I will be moving to the Mornington Peninsula.

Mbtl What is your biggest fear? Why?
Lisa That I will never find a man who will love me for both my mind and body. That I will never have a child.

Mbtl Do you have a secret?
Lisa I am embarrassed to openly confess that my ex-husband is gay.

Mbtl What is one strong memory that has stuck with you from childhood? Why is it so powerful and lasting?
Lisa My father telling me that life is like a rockpool and that finding something I love in it might be hard, but that I should keep looking.

Mbtl What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Lisa To have a husband and child that I love. That where I live is safe from economic failure.

Mbtl What is your current state of mind?
Lisa I don’t think I will ever find my heart’s desires.

Mbtl What is your most treasured possession?
Lisa  My independence.

Mbtl What or who is the greatest love of your life?
Lisa Right now I don’t have one. Perhaps it will be Richard Prescott.

Mbtl What is it that you most dislike?
Lisa Pretentiousness and dishonesty.

Mbtl What is your greatest regret?
Lisa Not having a full and happy marriage.

Mbtl What is the quality you most like in a man?
Lisa Integrity. And that this man loves me as much as I love him.

Mbtl On what occasions do you lie?
Lisa I try not to. But sometimes, as when I worked in Real Estate, I couldn’t avoid white lies.

Mbtl What is your motto? 
Lisa  Honesty and integrity.

Mbtl How did you feel when you first laid eyes on Richard?
L        Lisa  I thought he was gorgeous and sexy but also a terrible snob. 

Mbtl What is the most romantic thing you have ever done?
Lisa Walked into that library with Richard and not knowing what might happen next.

Mbtl How do you see yourself in the future?
Lisa  Right now I don’t know. I long to be married and happy.

Thanks for visiting today Lisa.

I hope all your wishes come true.



Excerpt


“He fell in love with someone else,” Richard repeated thoughtfully. “Was she a friend of yours?”
It must be time to confess. What he would think of me after that, I didn’t dare consider. “Actually, she was a he. Simon fell in love with Robert and finally admitted he was gay.”
Richard’s eyebrows shot up. “Married to someone as lovely and intelligent as you? That’s almost impossible to believe.”
Lovely? Intelligent? Not knowing how to respond to these compliments I said quickly, “I think Simon always knew he was gay. Even when he married me, he was just in denial. I was too dumb to wake up to it.”
“When you did realise, how did it make you feel?”
“Angry. Miserable. Then totally stupid,” I answered. “There were so many hints, but I kept on ignoring them.” Then I dared to venture, as the atmosphere between us was definitely pulsing, “He was never interested in sex.”
His face blank, Richard turned to the next page of the book we were sharing, then another. In the pause I heard an owl hoot and the wind rustle a branch against the window.
At last he put down the book. “Never interested in sex. That mean you’re not? Let’s find out.” With this, he placed one arm around my waist and with the other hand tilted my head so I faced him. Then he carefully and delicately placed his mouth over mine.


 Giveaway

About the Author

Goldie Alexander has published over 75 books plus many prize winning short stories and articles. For children she is best known for, "My Australian Story: Surviving Sydney Cove", now in its 10th edition. Amongst recent work are three collections of short stories: ‘Killer Virus’, ‘My Horrible Cousins’ and ‘Space Footy”.

Her latest novels for Young Adult include ‘The Youngest Cameleer’, ‘In Hades’ a verse novel, and ‘That Stranger next Door’. For middle grade readers: ‘eSide: A Journey into Cyberspace’. ‘ Cybertrix: 2043, and ‘Neptunia’, and the Junior novel ‘Gallipoli Medals’. She has authored the how-to-write ‘Mentoring Your Memoir’, facilitates creative writing workshops and mentors emerging authors.

Penelope's Ghost is Goldie's first, but far from last, Romance novel.











Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Guest Post & Giveaway: Caddell Brown, author of Freakquency


Guest Post by Caddell Brown


Meet My Characters







Rick Chamberland - Southern boy turned international rock star, Rick, lives his life in the fast lane. When a scandal threatens his career, he’s summoned home to his mother’s sprawling plantation in De Charles, LA. There he begins to unravel the secrets to his stardom and the sinister debt he owes to keep it.

About Rick:

Rick grew up with the proverbial silver spoon in his mouth. But despite his family’s riches, he worked hard to secure his position amongst the world’s most popular singers. Now rich, famous, sought after by women and men alike for his talent as a singer/songwriter and playboy status, Rick returns home, to his roots where he meets a woman, who will change the course his life will take.

Rick Says:

“What’s normal? Normal is the opposite of what I’ve had my entire life. I want normal. Normal makes sense. And I need my life to make sense right now.”

Author Music Pick for Rick:

“Free” by Gavin DeGraw

Rick’s Theme:

“True Blood” by Justin Timberlake






Song Peters - Dutiful daughter, Song Peters is kind-hearted, loyal and determined. Born and bred across the tracks from De Charles in the humbler Buceaux; she spends her evenings serving rot gut and singing at a local blues bar, hoping for the chance to finally make it out and pursue her music dreams.


About Song:

Weighed down with adult responsibility, Song Peters had little room in her life for dreaming too big. Waitressing part-time and singing when the chance comes about, Song works to take care of herself and her mother. When Rick Chamberland enters her world it is forever changed. For once, for better or worse, she puts her dreams first.

Song Says:

“I don’t believe he’s bad or bad for me. I’m taking a chance on love. Just this once. Just this once…”

Author’s Music Pick for Song:

“Lions, Tigers & Bears” by Jazmine Sullivan

Song’s Theme:

“Darker Than Blue” by Andreya Triana








Nova - Friend or foe? The mysterious Nova has been a supportive and steady presence in Rick’s life, but when he’s called home to Louisiana and his overbearing mother, Nova and Rick’s friendship takes a dark turn.

About Nova:


Daemon select of her tribe, Nova Markesh holds stake in the House of Chamberland, its men in particular. Nova, by book’s end, finds that she and Rick have more in common than what she could have ever imagined or planned.

Nova Says:

“Richie, everything you are is because of me. And don’t you ever forget it.”

Author’s Music Pick for Nova:

“I Put a Spell on You” by Nina Simone

Nova’s Theme:

“Come to Me” by Björk



Freakquency


Genre: Speculative, Supernatural, Horror, Erotica

Publisher: NomaBlack

Date of Publication: 02/14/2014

ASIN: B00I7JJN1I

Number of pages: 187
Word Count: 47000

Cover Artist: NomaBlack

Purchase at Amazon

Book Description:

What southern-grown, rock star Rick Chamberland doesn’t know about his family’s dark past comes to light when he returns home to Louisiana at the request of his mother. Rick has spent the last fifteen years of his life dedicated to music, touring the world, completely oblivious to the secrets coded in his legacy.

Meanwhile, Song Peters, a dutiful daughter taking care of a dying mother, dreams of the day she can break free of small town life and pursue her one true passion, singing. Rick meets Song and instantly sparks ignite.

They make beautiful music together and soon find that they share similar upbringings. Rick comes to learn that their families are supernaturally intertwined and that the one denominator (a demon by the name Nova) connected to both families threatens to destroy them all if they do not obey.


Giveaway

 About the Author:


 Caddell Brown, born and raised in East Texas, authors a range of speculative fiction. Among her early influences are artist Rene Magritte, film director Andrei Tarkovsky and author Dan Simmons.


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