Blog Tour, Review & #Giveaway: ★Yours Tonight★ by @JoyaRyanAuthor

Yours Tonight (Reign #1)
Genre: Erotic, Contemporary Romance
Author: Joya Ryan
Release Date: March 5, 2015

For fans of JC Reed, J Lynn, Jodi Ellen Malpas and Jessica Clare comes an all-consuming, raw and powerful love story that will leave you breathless and wanting more

He will give her everything she’s ever wanted . . .

Jack Powell’s confidence is matched only by his intensity. The darkness in him comes from years of secrets and memories he’d rather forget. Lana has an exotic innocence that draws him in and Jack wants a taste of her. She’s a light in the darkness of his world – and she needs help, which he agrees to.

The only rule? He makes the rules.

Lana gives up her control, letting Jack take her body however he needs, while she works her way into his heart. But Jack’s past catches up to them and Lana finds herself wrapped up in a scheme that will expose every secret she’s worked so hard to keep. She clung to Jack once when her world was crashing down, but this time, she loves him. She’ll continue to reach for him – her only fear is if he’ll reach back, or go on his way, taking her soul with him . . .

Addictive and unforgettable, Jack and Lana’s story will seduce, surprise and stay with you. A brand new romance by the #1 bestselling author of Break Me Slowly, this is an emotional roller coaster you’ll want to keep riding forever.

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You know why I like control?” he said with venom in his voice. “Because, without it, little girls like you would get scared off.”
“I’m not scared of you,” I breathed.

Having read Joya Ryan’s Brazen series and absolutely loving it, I jumped on the chance to read this new trilogy by her. This book was definitely very different from her other series, and if I’m being honest, very different from what I expected…and not at all in a bad way. It’s an erotic, all-consuming, and emotional start to what looks to be an extremely intriguing trilogy that I am absolutely dying to see how it all comes together.

I wished for the thousandth time that I could just be someone else. Somebody braver. Somebody who mattered.

Lana is hoping to make associate at her father’s firm; a father that doesn’t seem to give her the time of date since his recent new marriage. She yearns for her father’s affection, but more than that she yearns for his understanding and acceptance.

When she allows her friend to talk her into a blind date that doesn’t end up showing up, she finds herself stranded at a bar. And when someone from her past that continues to haunt every waking minute of her present walks into the same bar, Lana is trapped. Not knowing where to run or hide and absolutely terrified, she finds herself enraptured by a pair of dark eyes and the enigmatic man that seems to affect her every living cell…

Those dark depths were drinking in everything I was, like he could see straight to the soul of me…

One of my very favorite things about this book had to have been Jack’s completely intensity. The author does such an amazing job building that aspect that the pages practically vibrate with the undercurrent of everything that he is. And everything that is, is very much intense
The connection between them is pretty instantaneous and crackling with electricity. While typically I’m not a fan of the instal-anything, in the case here, it just worked.

He didn’t stop. Didn’t let up. Just took me. And I felt his power- wanted to drink it down like a potion, in hopes that maybe I would walk away with some myself.

Lana is a broken and damaged character in every sense of the word. But then at the same time there is also that’s very endearing about her. You can’t help but feel for her and what she’s been through. Her father and step-family are absolutely atrocious. At times I couldn’t even understand how a father could be so callous and cold towards his own daughter. It was maddening to read.

While the relationship between Lana and Jack is one that burns hot pretty much right away, I equal parts loved it and yet always found myself questioning certain aspects. Jack is intense in and out of the bedroom, and he is one swoon worthy hero…

The world around me seemed to close in until I was dying to have just a moment with him- to share in the same space, the same breath.
HE’S MY CATALYST.

But at the same time, I found myself questioning their quick connection, especially given Lana’s past. I just couldn’t connect to how someone that’s been through what she has would be willing to lose almost every inhibition with a man that she barely knows. But then again, the author did an incredible job with showing the reader the intensity of their connection. At times I almost found myself feeling like I was inside Lana’s head and can see how she would get so wrapped up in a man like Jack.

You agree to be with me and give me what I want, which is you. To fuck, to hold, to pleasure. I won’t be gentle or soft or relaxed. I will expect you to obey and respond to me. I want your trust and I want your body and you will enjoy it.”

There is one element of the story that I certainly didn’t expect, or better yet (view spoiler)[ the addition of another man (hide spoiler)] This is a ploy spoiler, though you can read about it in the synopsis of book 2, but I’ll spoiler tag it anyway. (view spoiler)[There is a secondary love interest for Lana that appears in the book. While Yours Tonight focuses mostly on Lana and Jack’s relationship, this character is most definitely very clearly in the background. I didn’t know what to make of this. Is it the making of a love triangle? I wouldn’t classify this book as one but it’s definitely leading up to that for the next book. (hide spoiler)] The shocking thing is that as much as I HATE reading about something like that usually, I’m actually invested so much in the story that I’m very curious to see it play out. (view spoiler)[Though to be honest, unless this other person gets a love interest of their own or it becomes some sort of menage relationship, I just can’t see myself being happy with how it resolves. (hide spoiler)] But I definitely can’t wait to see how it all resolves.

About the Author

brit author 0041  (1)National and international bestselling author Joya Ryan is the author of the Shattered Series (Break Me Slowly, Possess Me Slowly and Capture Me Slowly), the Sweet Torment Series (Breathe You In, Only You), and The Chasing Love Series (Chasing Trouble, Chasing Temptation, Chasing Desire).

Passionate about both cooking and dancing (despite not being too skilled at the latter), she loves spending time at home color coding things. She resides in California with her husband and her two sons. Visit Joya Ryan online

 

 

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ARC Review: ★HERO★ by Samantha Young

HERO
Author: Samantha Young
Genre: Contemporary Romance (standalone)
Release Date: February 3, 2015
Length: 384 pages

The emotional and unforgettable new romance from the New York Times bestselling author of the On Dublin Street series.

Alexa Holland’s father was her hero—until her shocking discovery that she and her mother weren’t his only family. Ever since, Alexa has worked to turn her life in a different direction and forge her own identity outside of his terrible secrets,. But when she meets a man who’s as damaged by her father’s mistakes as she is, Alexa must help him.

Caine Carraway wants nothing to do with Alexa’s efforts at redemption, but it’s not so easy to push her away. Determined to make her hate him, he brings her to the edge of her patience and waits for her to walk away. But his actions only draw them together and, despite the odds, they begin an intense and explosive affair.

Only Caine knows he can never be the white knight that Alexa has always longed for. And when they’re on the precipice of danger, he finds he’ll do anything to protect either one of them from being hurt again…

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Review
4 stars

The only thing I was starting to predict was that if I did by some miracle find a way to make Caine see who I really was, I was almost positive that I wasn’t going to come out of it unscathed.

There is nothing better for me than a hate to love trope. Nothing. I eat it up and ask for seconds and thirds. I will never get enough of it. Add into that equation a brooding business man and a fantastic heroine and you’ve got yourself a recipe for a terrific read!

If you’re a fan of Samantha Young’s writing, I can almost guarantee that you will love this standalone novel for her about finding love in the most unlikely of places.

…sometimes you’ve got to let yourself be vulnerable even when it’s the scariest thing in the world.

Alexa Holland is a succesful assistant to a photographer. She knows her job and she does it well. But her mother’s death recently has left her reeling, and the dirty family secret that it unearthed even more so. She idolized her father as a little girl, so to learn about the dirty details of his shameful past mistakes was a shock. To learn that his actions also ruined the lives of another family was even more so. So she writes her father out of her life and tries to live her life even though she still continues to feel like she’s living in the shadow of his sin.

This becomes glaringly obvious to her when she runs into the one person that her father hurt the most with his actions. A man whose life he ultimately ruined but still turned around to make himself an immensely successful and rich business man; Caine Carraway.

Even though she had nothing to do with her father’s decisions, Lexie wants to explain to Caine who she is and that she’s nothing like her father. Unfortunately her impulsive decision doesn’t quite pan out the way she wants when the only reaction she gets from Caine is disgust and the loss of her job in the process.

Lexie is definitely one tough cookie. This was the thing that I really loved about her character. She never crumbles under the weight of her troubles, she faces them head on. And that’s precisely what she does when she pushes her way into Caine’s office the next day and demands he hears her out. She’ll beg if she has to if it gets him to call her boss and get her job back and to see that she’s nothing like her father.

But Caine has a different plan in mind. He refuses to see past the sins of Lexie’s father, and he can make her pay for it…in the form of a job. She’ll no longer be jobless, but she’ll work for him…

Caine is a very intense character and he definitely doesn’t shy away from making Lexie feel like she’s below him. Luckily Lexie has a backbone and never fails to give as good as she gets.

Tomorrow you’ll receive your employment contracts. Once you sign those I’m your boss.” When I didn’t answer he said, “That means you act the way I want you to act. That means you shelve your attitude and the twenty questions.”
“Should I shelve those next to ‘personality’?”

Thus begins their intricate push and pull. I think this may have been my favorite part of the book. The banter between Caine and Lexie was fantastic. Caine was a straight up asshole at times, and Lexie always pushed his buttons right back. But beneath the obviously anger there was also this undercurrent of lust. Samantha Young did such a fantastic job writing that in without making it be too obvious or too sudden. The chemistry between them, though felt right away, is still a slow burn. And when they finally give into the inevitable?

Caine doesn’t thaw right away, not even close. The push and pull continues for a very large chunk of the book. There are times where even though you see that he’s drawn to Lexie, he’s still an asshole

I don’t know what this is you’re trying to do, but you and I are not the same.” He took another step back from me. “And I am not for you. I’m not your white knight. I’m just the guy who wanted to fuck you.”

I really enjoyed that part of the book, though. The progression of their relationship, considering their past, is a very realistic one, and I appreciated that. It takes Caine a while to really see Lexie and who she truly is and Lexie never gives up on him. The chemistry between them is absolutely sizzling. Miss Young can definitely write one incredibly sexy love scene.

This would have been a solid five star read for me if not for one small thing; Caine’s ‘secret’. There’s a lot of build up to why he is the way he is and why he doesn’t believe he can be the man for her. He continuously pushes her away because of this. But I have to say when the entire thing was finally revealed…I was left underwhelmed. It was this feeling of ‘that’s it? That’s what it was?’. For lack of a better word, it just seemed a little lame. Luckily that was such a small part and it didn’t really take away from my enjoyment of the books as a whole. I definitely really enjoyed this one and highly recommend to any fans of sexy contemporary romance that like their heroes a little intense with a dash of asshole

Blog Tour, Review & #Giveaway: ★Second Debt★ by @PepperWinters

Second Debt by Pepper Winter is LIVE!
Read the dark & sexy continuation to Jethro & Nila’s Story!
Amazon / Amazon UK / iBooks / Nook / Kobo 
About The Book

“I tried to play a game. I tried to wield deceit as perfectly as the Hawks. But when I thought I was winning, I wasn’t. Jethro isn’t what he seems—he’s the master of duplicity. However, I refuse to let him annihilate me further.”
Nila Weaver has grown from naïve seamstress to full-blown fighter. Every humdrum object is her arsenal, and sex…sex is her greatest weapon of all.
She’s paid the First Debt. She’ll probably pay more.
But she has no intention of letting the Hawks win.
Jethro Hawk has found more than a worthy adversary in Nila—he’s found the woman who could destroy him. There’s a fine line between hatred and love, and an even finer path between fear and respect.
The fate of his house rests on his shoulders, but no matter how much ice lives inside his heart, Nila flames too bright to be extinguished.
Review
4.5 stars

I wanted to be like him. I wanted to protect my secrets so damn well that whatever I did next would come as a surprise.
I wanted to rule him.

When Debt Inheritance came out, Pepper Winters introduced us to the cold, brutal, terrifyingly unfeeling Jethro Hawk. And with each new installment of this series she has been systematically chipping away at his armor to reveal more and more of the man that keeps hidden inside, behind the icy persona. In Second Debt, if you’re not convinced of his internal struggle that he’s been facing since he first laid eyes on Nila Weaver, then we haven’t been reading the same book.

And while Jethro’s steely reinforcements have been tumbling down, Nila has been busy building hers back up. When she comes face to face with the cold hard truth of her imminent future, she can no longer deny it. She knows what’s coming for her and she needs to accept it. She also has to accept the fact that the one man that she’s felt an unwilling connection to will also be the man that deals the death blow. She can’t possibly care for a monster. She needs to be just as cold and lethal as the rest of the Hawks.

I didn’t want food or water or shelter.
I didn’t need love or understanding or connection.
I wanted retribution.
I wanted justice.

But now the tables have turns, and it’s not only Nila that’s facing a danger. For years Jethro has been hiding a secret about who he is…what he is. A secret that just may cost him everything, including his life. It’s a secret that he’s been diligently keeping from everyone in his family. All but his sister Jasmine.

But ever since Nila Weaver has stepped into his life, his methods of keeping it secret no longer suffice. He yearns for her and knows that she may be the only cure to what he needs. Nila is no longer the naive woman that first stepped through the doors of the Hawk estate. She’s learned pain, she’s learned hatred, and she’s ready to taste revenge. But no matter how much she tells herself that Jethro should be at the center focus of her hate, she can’t deny the inexplicable connection that they’ve formed; a connection that he seems to feel just as much.

Our eyes locked with fury.
Then something happened.
Something switched.
Fury became desire.
Desire became insanity.
I couldn’t withstand the command.
“Fuck this.”
I kissed her.

Much like the installments before it, Second Debt is a book that will keep you at the edge of your seat the entire time. Pepper will leave you crying and begging for any new scraps of information that she deems worthy to throw your way. It’s as painful as it is engrossing. You’ll get some answers only to be left with even bigger questions.

What was this…this tether? How had she captured me so completely, and how the fuck did I sever it?
The deeper I fell into her, the worst it got.

Then comes that cliffhanger. I should be used to this by now, 3rd book in, right? Fucking wrong! That was freaking painful. This woman is the queen of giving you just enough while leaving you begging for more. It’s truly a skill, and I for one can’t wait to see what she has up her sleeve next

Series Reading Order

Debt Interitance (Indebted #1) ONLY $0.99

First Debt (Indebted #2)

Second Debt (Indebted #3) January 26th:
About the Author

Pepper Winters wears many roles. Some of them include writer, reader, sometimes wife. She loves dark, taboo stories that twist with your head. The more tortured the hero, the better, and she constantly thinks up ways to break and fix her characters. Oh, and sex… her books have sex.

She loves to travel and has an amazing, fabulous hubby who puts up with her love affair with her book boyfriends.

Her Dark Erotica books include:

Tears of Tess (Monsters in the Dark #1)

Quintessentially Q (Monsters in the Dark #2)

Twisted Together (Monsters in the Dark #3)

Her Grey Romance books include:

Destroyed

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Review: ★Bound by Rapture★ by Megan D. Martin

Bound by Rapture 
Author: Megan D. Martin
Genre: Erotic Romance
Release Date: October 24, 2014
Length: 254 Pages

The third and final installment in the Rapture Trilogy.

I’m in love with him. My stalker.He isn’t perfect. He’s something dark. Something broken. He’s mine, but someone wants to take him from me.

They tried to kill me.
I bled out onto dirty, cracked pavement, and something changed inside me. They can’t have him.

Not Elaine. Not his mother. Not anyone. And when they come for him… I’ll be waiting.

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Review
3.5 stars

Our past wasn’t perfect. Our future wouldn’t be, either. But we would be together, bound by the rapture of our flawed loved.

Bound By Rapture is the conclusion of Julia and Cole’s story; and what a fucked up, twisted mess that has been. It’s also been completely enrapturing. (Pun intended) These two characters are so screwed up in their own right and yet together…they just make sense. How did THAT happen?

I had watched her for over two years. I had pined for her. Since the moment I saw her I hadn’t been inside another woman, no matter how much I tried. She had been it for me. It was that simple.

Cole, you stalkerish mess you. How is it that I still like you even after this book? You were an utter asshole for a large chunk of it. Oh wait! That would be why. I do love me my assholes.

There’s quite a bit happening in this story, all of it surrounding the events of how the 2nd book ended. Cole and Julia are still trying to figure out who is out to hurt her and continues to threaten her life. Cole really lets his crazy out here. If you didn’t think he can get any crazier, just you wait. This is also the largest part of my lower rating. The full revelation of his big secret that we’ve been waiting to find out since book one? Yeah. It’s a fucking doozy that one. Here’s the thing, I knew that it had to be something big, and it was. Oh my god it was. I guess I just wasn’t prepared for my feelings about it. (highlight to view spoiler)[I just can’t seem to justify his actions in my head. At all. I understand it was a shock to find it out, but such brutality? And then he only spends 3 years in jail due to a technicality? What? WHAT?! I really needed more information on this. I felt that it was just a little too glossed over. I needed something more to justify what he did and his current relationship with his mother. (hide spoiler)]. [I just can’t seem to justify his actions in my head. At all. I understand it was a shock to find it out, but such brutality? And then he only spends 3 years in jail due to a technicality? What? WHAT?! I really needed more information on this. I felt that it was just a little too glossed over. I needed something more to justify what he did and his current relationship with his mother. (end spoiler)
Which actually brings me to my other point. Cole’s relationship with his mother.

Sorry…finger slipped.
But back to my point. I don’t understand the dynamic between them. This whole love/hate thing just didn’t completely make sense to me. Maybe that was the point?

There are plenty of twists, some I had a feeling about, some I never saw coming. Megan D. Martin is an incredibly talented author. To weave a tale of two such completely fucked up characters and yet manage to make the reader fall in love with them is no small feat.

Julia was a lot more endearing for me in this book. She really let her emotions show here and you really get how she can fall for someone like Cole that basically stalked her for years and then deceived her.

I could taste his love. It wasn’t clean or pristine. It was messy and broken. But I was okay with that. I knew the love I had to offer him wasn’t much better. It was fractured. But it would be enough.

Even though it wasn’t a perfect 5 star conclusion, it was still a great book and one I enjoyed a lot. I read it in one sitting after all. Maybe I wasn’t digging as much for clues or paying close enough attention, but I did NOT see that twist at the end coming at all. Caught me completely unaware. Megan leads you to believe one thing for the entire book, only to hit you with a two by four of that twist at the very end. Holy shit!

This was a gritty, dark, slightly fucked up and erotic story that had my attention from beginning to end. It’s definitely not the book for everyone, but if you loved the first 2 books, then you’ll definitely like this one. I can’t wait for more from this author. I truly enjoy her writing style and know I’m in for a fucked up but addicting read when I crack open one of her books.

I wanted to consume every part of him with my love. I wanted to drown him in it until he was so deep he would never question true love again, because it would surround him

Don’t miss the first 2 books in the Rapture trilogy

Drowning in Rapture (Rapture bk 1)
FREE
Clinging To Rapture (Rapture bk 2)
ONLY $.99
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