Cover Reveal: East of Ecstasy (Hearts of the Anemoi #4) by Laura Kaye

I'm excited to share with you the cover for the next Hearts of the Anemoi book, the final one for the series. I'm a huge fan! All the heroes are as delicious as the covers!

 Release date: April 22, 2014

Series: Hearts of the Anemoi #4

Age Group: Adult

Genre: Paranormal Romance/fantasy

Description:

Annalise Fallston made peace with postponing her big-city dreams to care for her ill father, but lately she’s been filled with a restlessness not even her beloved painting dispels. Worse, the colors don’t speak to her as they always have, and all her efforts produce dark, foreboding images of a dangerous man and a terrifying future.

Devlin Eston, black-souled son of the evil Anemoi Eurus, is the only one who can thwart his father’s plan to overthrow the Supreme God of Wind and Storms. But first, Dev must master the unstable powers he’s been given. Distrusted and shunned by his own divine family, he never expected to find kindness and passion in the arms of a mortal.

But Devlin’s love puts Annalise in the path of a catastrophic storm, and in the final Armageddon showdown between the Anemoi and Eurus, sacrifices will be made, hearts broken, and lives changed forever…or lost.

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Buy Links:

Amazon / B&N / Book Depository 

Books in the Hearts of the Anemoi series:

North of Need

West of Want

South of Surrender

About Laura Kaye:

Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over a dozen books in paranormal and contemporary romance. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.

Author Links:

Website / Blog / Facebook / Twitter / Newsletter Sign-up

Against the Ropes by Sarah Castille

He scared me. He thrilled me. And after one touch, all I could think about was getting more…

Makayla never thought she’d set foot in an underground mixed-martial arts club. But if anyone needs a medic on hand, it’s these guys. Trouble is, at her first sight of the club’s owner she’s the one feeling breathless.

All sleek muscle and restrained power, the man they call Torment plays to win at any cost. Whether it’s in the ring or in the bedroom, he knows exactly when to use a soft touch and when to launch a full-on assault. He always knows just how far he can push. And he’s about to tempt Makayla in ways she never imagined…

3.75-4 Stars

Fight terms skitter through my brain. Naked. Back. Rear. Mount. Submission. Dominant. Pound. 

If you didn’t know why I love reading MMA books, just read the above quote and you’ll automatically know the reason. Nice right? Reading those words, you know that anyone with a perverted mind, like me, would automatically think dirty things. 

I was browsing through my Kindle when I came across this impromptu purchase I made a bit ago. I figured, meh! Why not give it a go? I love MMA Heroes! So here I am, and I wasn’t disappointed. 

My pulse pound so hard I can barely hear them over the rush of blood through my veins. This is sports. It has nothing to do with sex. Sports. Sports. Sports.

Torment puts his hand on my shoulder. “Lie on your back, hands over your head, legs apart.”

Sex. 

Makayla (Mac) is at a crossroads in her life. She doesn’t really know what direction her life is taking, especially in the career department. She’s behind in her student loan and she needs money stat. That’s the reason why we first find her at a seedy fight club selling tickets to an underground fight, though she does have a strong aversion to violence. This is where her life changes. This is where she meets the club’s owner, Torment. 

“Everything you do overwhelms me. You’re big. You’re strong. You’re covered in incredible tattoos. You ride a monster motorcycle. You have a tendency to glare and shout and stomp around when things don’t go your way. You’re bossy and controlling. You take overprotectiveness to the extreme. But even with all that, I think I can handle you.” 

Max, aka Torment, is intrigued when he first meets Mac. She’s a bit of a whirlwind to be honest. He wants to find out more about her. When he finds out she was once a medical school student with an EMT background, it presents the perfect opportunity for him to see more of Mac. So he offers her a part time job as the club’s medic. 

Mac is bombarded with a lot of emotions when she’s around Max. It’s no secret the man is sex on a stick, but the more she finds out about him, the more her feelings are conflicted. Max lives in a world of violence. With the type of past she has, she definitely doesn’t need a guy like him. Unfortunately her heart and her libido makes it hard for her to stay away. But will Max’s overprotectiveness and controlling ways be too much to handle? 

“He upset you. He’s lucky to be standing. No one will hurt you when I’m around…in any way.” 

This was a very fast and enjoyable read. You guys know I’m a sucker for strong Alpha males, and Max fit the bill perfectly. I really liked Max and Mac’s characters. Mac was very likeable and as for Max, well he’s just plain ole sexy. Their chemistry is pretty hot and you guys know I love steam. As an extra bonus, the setting of the book took place in the Bay Area, so I really enjoyed that aspect as well. I definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a fast, steamy MMA-themed book. 

Book Spotlight Tour: Stolen Chances by Elisabeth Naughton

Book Blurb:

Nine years ago, Archaeologist Maren Hudson lost everything when a member of her team was killed during a routine dive. Now she’s been drawn back to Mexico and the career she walked away from in order to protect the most precious thing in the world: her daughter.

One desperate phone call brings salvage expert Thad Leighton back to Mexico. For his murdered brother, he’s ready to settle the score, but one look at Maren and everything changes. Years may have passed, but she’s still as mesmerizing as she once was, and a few days on site together have him questioning his priorities and why the hell he walked away from her so long ago.

Sparks between them reignite, but Thad knows Maren is holding something back. Thrust together in the middle of the sweltering Yucatan, Thad is more than willing to strip away her layers. But while the truth might offer the second chance he’s been searching for, forgiveness may be as elusive as the relic they’re both hunting. Because when Thad unearths Maren’s biggest secret and discovers who she’s really working for, suddenly it’s not just about a life that was stolen from both of them, it’s about staying alive and outwitting a madman who will stop at nothing to get what he wants.

Release Date: September 17, 2013

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Author Bio

I was never one of those people who knew they wanted to be an author at the age of six. I didn’t have imaginary friends. I didn’t write stories in my journal or entertain my relatives by firelight after Thanksgiving dinner. For the most part, I was just a normal, everyday kid. I liked to read, but I wasn’t exceptional at it. And when my teachers complimented me on my writing abilities, I brushed them off. I did, however, always have a penchant for the unique and absurd. And as my mother told me all throughout my childhood, I should have been an actress—I was a drama queen before my time.

Years ago, my husband bought me Scarlett: The Sequel to Gone With The Wind. If you ever saw the book, you know it’s a long one. I sat and read that thing from cover to cover, and dreamed of one day being a writer. But I didn’t actually try my hand at writing until years later when I quit my teaching job to stay home with my kids. And my husband? After that week of reading where I neglected him and everything else until I finished Scarlett, he vowed never to buy me another book again. Little did he know I’d one day end up sitting at a keyboard all day drafting my own stories.

My writing journey has not been easy. I didn’t just sit down one day, decide I was going to write a book and voila! sell my very first attempt. As most authors will probably agree, the path to publication is filled with hours of work, pulling all-nighters I thought I’d given up in college, sacrifices, rejections, but a love I discovered along the way I just can’t live without. Instead of a big, thick book to read by lamplight (I do read much smaller ones when I get the chance), I’ve traded in my reading obsession for a laptop. And I’ve never been happier.

I’m one of the lucky ones. I have a wonderful family and fabulous husband who put up with my writing—and obsessive personality—even when life is chaotic. More than once my kids have been late to swimming or baseball because I needed just five more minutes to finish a scene. Their support and encouragement mean the world to me. I also have amazing friends and a support network I couldn’t survive without. So to all of you out there who have encouraged me along the way, sent me emails and fan letters, phone calls and congratulations, I just want to say, thank you. You make this whole writing gig that much more enjoyable. I truly wouldn’t be here without you.

Author Links

Website-Blog / Twitter / Facebook / Eternal Guardians FB Page 

Goodreads 

Enchantress of Books Blog Tours

ARC Review: Covet by Tracey Garvis-Graves

From the author of the New York Times bestseller On the Island.

What if the life you wanted, and the woman you fell in love with, belonged to someone else?

Chris and Claire Canton’s marriage is on life support. Downsized during the recession and out of work for a year, Chris copes by retreating to a dark place where no one can reach him, not even Claire. When he’s offered a position that will keep him away from home four nights a week, he dismisses Claire’s concern that time apart could be the one thing their fragile union can’t weather. Their suburban life may look idyllic on the outside, but Claire has never felt so disconnected from Chris, or so lonely.

Local police officer Daniel Rush used to have it all, but now he goes home to an empty house every night. He pulls Claire over during a routine traffic stop, and they run into each other again at the 4th of July parade. When Claire is hired to do some graphic design work for the police department, her friendship with Daniel grows, and soon they’re spending hours together.

Claire loves the way Daniel makes her feel, and the way his face lights up when she walks into the room. Daniel knows that Claire’s marital status means their relationship will never be anything other than platonic. But it doesn’t take long before Claire and Daniel are in way over their heads, and skating close to the line that Claire has sworn she’ll never cross.

Release Date: September 17, 2013

Four Stars

On the Island is one of my favorite contemporary romance books. When Tracey Garvis-Graves announced she was writing something new and that it was going to be women's fiction, I was rather intrigued. I enjoy reading books in this genre. I find certain struggles women go through to be fascinating. Ahhh, but Covet turned out to be so much more. It turns out anyone...women, men, married, single, young-at-heart or old can relate to the strong messages conveyed in Covet.

When I first read the summary for this book, I knew it was going to be hard to read. Did I really want to read about a crumbling marriage? However, when I was given the opportunity to read an early copy, I jumped at the chance! I adore this author's writing, but mostly I was so curious at how she would handle certain subjects.

The gist of this story centers around Claire and Chris Canton's failing marriage. When you meet them in the beginning, Chris is about a month into working at his new job. The toll the year of unemployment has had on their marriage is pretty obvious. Now their marriage is tested more than ever with Chris traveling for work several days during the week.

“We've become like the proverbial two ships that pass in the night. No time for connecting, fixing, rebuilding. Just as I'd feared. I wonder how many marriages are fractured and damaged beyond repair by complacency rather than any single traumatic event.” loc 2044 eARC

One of the things I liked about Covet is that we get Claire's, Chris's and Daniel's POV. Reading about Chris's feelings and struggles just made my heart break for him. We do get glimpses of happier times which is why seeing Chris and Claire go through their current situation makes it all the more difficult. It just made me sad to see a once happy marriage falling apart, especially when there are children involved. Then there is Daniel, who is such a genuinely good person and friend to Claire. I was rooting for his happiness, too!

“Maybe that's how it starts. You stumble upon something that helps you cope, fills a void. Makes you feel something different than what you currently feel. You know in the long run it probably won't be good for you, but you do it anyway. Tell yourself you can handle it. And before you know it you're in so deep that you can't find your way back out.” loc 1339 eARC

I found Covet to be quite the page turner! Tracey Garvis-Graves has a knack for writing women's fiction. She handles various topics and emotions with tender loving care. The heartache, loneliness, and desperation can be felt throughout the pages. Covet had realistic situations that many can relate to, and some may even see this story as a wake-up call with many lessons learned. Covet reminds us all not to take loved ones for granted. Also, human beings are truly resilient creatures. We have the strength to adapt and change during hard times to reach the light at the end of the tunnel. Thank you, Ms. Garvis-Graves for a very moving and touching story!

* A complimentary copy was provided for an honest review. *