BOOKS AND BLOGGING PHILOSOPHY

Philosophy is defined as a theory underlying or regarding a sphere of activity or thought. Well, my theory is if I can add at least 10 new books to my Wishlist and move at least 5 older Wishlist selections to my TBR list every month, then life is a ice cream sundae. And if I can find those 10 books from at least 5 new blogs each month then that's the cherry on top.

NEW VISITORS AND OLD- WELCOME!

NEW VISITORS AND OLD- WELCOME!
Well, I've made it almost 5 years now, so for better or worse, I continue on. I tend to blog in spurts as the urge to be creative erupts. As I don't have an artistic bone in my body, you will see very few changes in the layouts. Hey, I'm a reader not an artist like so many of the awesome bloggers I follow. I know you don't always have the time but if you stopped and looked, take a half a minute and say your piece. Recommend a book that you have enjoyed or hated for that matter. Thank you to all who visit.
Oh, and I moved my Google Friend Connect info and share this buttons to the top, as without our friends, who are we?


Friday, July 29, 2016

Cover Revea/Giveaway for Beneath the Void by Elisa Dane


SR-Cover-Reveal-BannerNEW

Hello Readers!
Welcome to the Cover Reveal for
Beneath the Void by Elisa Dane 
presented by Swoon Romance!
Be on the look out for this upcoming book,
and be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!

Beneath the Void (2)

Sadie Reynolds is drowning.
Months have passed since Ian Daniels and Newton Daily opened fire at Atwood High school, killing dozens of students before turning the guns on themselves.
Determined to pay tribute to her fallen classmates and teachers, Sadie’s thrown herself into the memorial project at the newly rebuilt school. But it’s not enough. Horrific dreams of the shooting intertwined with memories of the night her mother was murdered keep her up at night and haunt her during the day.
The constant stream of hate raining down on her from faceless social media trolls only make matters worse. Her boyfriend, Hayden brings the only source of relief when he sneaks in to sleep next to her on nights her dad is at work.
Desperate for normalcy, Sadie fills every waking moment of her day with anything to take her mind off her pain. If she’s exhausted, she’ll be too tired to acknowledge the new threat gunning for her.
BENEATH the VOID is book 2 in Elisa Dane's Fighting Chance series, a hard-hitting and unapologetically raw look at teen violence in schools and the aftermath of learning to pick up the pieces and heal.
add to goodreads
Beneath the Void (Fighting Chance #2)
by Elisa Dane
Publication Date:  August 15, 2016
Publisher:  Swoon Romance

About-the-Author2
Elisa Dane

Elisa Dane loves books, chocolate, reality television, her family, and All Star Cheerleading. Not necessarily in that order! She writes contemporary YA romance with cheerleaders. Yep. She writes what she knows, and it's her hope that her stories will not only take you on a romantic journey that will warm your heart, but that you'll find a new respect for the sport of All Star Cheerleading you may not have had before. She's represented by Brittany Booker of the Booker/Albert Agency, and has published a NA paranormal series under her real name, Lisa Sanchez.

giveaway2
Complete the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win!

Thursday, July 28, 2016

The Promise By C.E. Wilson – Book Blitz

Hello Readers!
Welcome to the book blitz for
The Promise by C.E. Wilson!
Join us in celebrating the re-release!


The Promise by C.E. WIlson
Publication Date: July 1, 2013
Publisher: Live and Love the Fantasy Publications



What does it mean to be a human?
Lily Evans is about to find out when on what should have been a day of great happiness, she is diagnosed with a rare and unbelievable disease. She is shrinking, possibly without limit.
As her life starts to spin out of control and the world starts to grow around her at an uncontrollable rate she is forced to confront her greatest fear – losing the man whom she loved from the moment she saw him. Can they stay together even though she feels her humanity slipping away? Can she trust him with her secret and, as her disease progresses, her safety and even her life? Can she trust herself?
A bittersweet story of love and loss, The Promise is an Urban Fantasy that will have readers questioning the meaning of love, trust, and even humanity
and the weighing of trust against love.
What will Lily choose?

What would you choose?

add to goodreads
The Promise by C.E. Wilson
Publication Date:  July 15, 2016
Publisher:  Live and Love the Fantasy Publications
Available for Purchase:
Amazon

About-the-Author2
C.E. Wilson

C.E. Wilson was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, grew up in Millersville, Pennsylvania, and has been living in Pittsburgh since 2009. For the first few years living in Pittsburgh, she was an English teacher. Her first book, "Oath of Servitude," was published in 2012. In 2013, she quit teaching to be a full time author and hasn't looked back since. She loves spending time with her daughter and husband.
Chapter-by-Chapter-blog-tour-button

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

A DUKE TO REMEMBER - A new Regency historical from Kelly Bowen



Title: A Duke to Remember
Author: Kelly Bowen
On Sale: July 26, 2016
Series: A Season for Scandal, #2
Publisher: Forever
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Price: $5.99 USD
Add to Goodreads 


Love takes the stage . . .
Elise deVries is not what she seems. By night, the actress captivates London theatergoers with her chameleon-like ability to slip inside her characters. By day, she uses her mastery of disguise to work undercover for Chegarre & Associates, an elite agency known for its discreet handling of indelicate scandals. But when Elise is tasked with locating the missing Duke of Ashland, she finds herself center stage in a real-life drama. 
Noah Ellery left the glamour of the London aristocracy to pursue a simpler life in the country. He's managed to avoid any complications or entanglements-that is, until he lays eyes on Elise and realizes there's more to this beautiful woman than meets the eye. But when Elise reveals her real identity-and her true feelings for him-the runaway duke must confront the past he left behind . . . to keep the woman he loves forever.



Kelly Bowen grew up in Manitoba, Canada. She attended the University of Manitoba and earned a Master of Science degree in veterinary physiology and endocrinology. 
But it was Kelly's infatuation with history and a weakness for a good love story that led her down the path of historical romance.  When she is not writing, she seizes every opportunity to explore ruins and battlefields.
Currently, Kelly lives in Winnipeg with her husband and two boys, all of whom are wonderfully patient with the writing process.  Except, that is, when they need a goalie for street hockey.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads


Monday, July 25, 2016

Blog Tour-/Giveaway Right Through Me by Shannon McKenna -Excerpt

Celebrate the release of Right Through Me by Shannon McKenna!
NYTimes and USA Today bestselling author Shannon McKenna launches The Obsidian Files with RIGHT THROUGH ME, a pulse-pounding tale of thrilling suspense and searing passion. A beautiful fugitive and a biotech tycoon with strange powers must face the lethal rage of a vicious enemy bent on their annihilation.


Stranger, speak softly...

Biotech tycoon Noah Gallagher has a deadly secret: his clandestine training as a super-soldier gives him abilities that go far beyond human. Yet he's very much a man. When Caro Bishop shows up at his Seattle headquarters with a dangerous secret agenda, his ordered life is thrown into chaos. Caro is a woman like no other—and her luminously sensual beauty cloaks a mystery he must solve.

Caro's lying low, evading a false charge of murder. She means to clear her name, and she'll do whatever it takes to survive—but seducing a man like Noah is more than she bargained for. His amber eyes have the strangest glow when he looks at her—she could swear he sees the secrets of her heart. The desire smoldering in Noah's eyes awakens her own secret hunger, but Caro has to resist his magnetic pull. Anyone close to her becomes a target. The only right thing to do is run, far and fast, but Caro can't outrun Noah's ferocious intensity—or deny the searing passion that explodes between them.

Nothing else matters—until a vicious enemy bent on the ultimate revenge puts his murderous plan into play. Noah and Caro must battle for their lives...and their love...

Exclusive Excerpt:
“Look,” he said. “I promised not to touch you. I can’t keep that promise anymore.”
She drifted closer, a cloud of sunset colors. Her scent washed over his senses. His supercharged synesthesia translated her aroma into colors in his head. He wanted to strip her bare. His hands flexed with the impulse to seize her. It almost overcame him.
“Leave.” His voice was tight. “I paid you.”
“No,” she said. 
“You finished your dance. You said there could be nothing more. So go.”
“Shhh.” She stretched up, touching his cheek with soft, cool fingertips. Then, to his astonishment, she pressed a hot, soft kiss to his jaw.
“This is not helping,” he growled.
She rose up on her bare feet, her mouth near his. Never quite getting there. No kiss . . . just the caressing heat of her breath. The teasing promise of . . . maybe . . . almost.
He was so close to losing control, he didn’t dare inhale.
He stepped back. Not far enough. The sweetness of her perfume taunted him. 
She didn’t move. Not one inch. She was enjoying this, feeling her power. It made his teeth grind, and his dick ache.
“You’re still here,” he said.
“I’m not ready to leave.” Her voice was a drifting whisper. “I like the way this makes me feel.”
“I’m ready,” he said. “And it’s my goddamn office.”
“Yes. After hours. And we’re alone. More or less.” She closed the slight distance between them with a single step.
So she was seducing him. He got the message—but he still didn’t dare breathe. 
Then she took his hand, and pressed it against her bare belly.
They both inhaled sharply. She was flower-petal smooth against the hard, callused skin of his palm. A flash of hot lust pumped through him.
A swift, shocked ripple went through her, as if she’d had a small orgasm, and then her hand fastened over his, holding it firmly in place. As if she welcomed the touch but didn’t dare allow his hand to wander elsewhere.
“Take the envelope,” he said. “Put it in your bag, and we’re square.”
Her fingers tightened on his hand. 
“I asked for a service, you provided it, I paid you,” he said stubbornly. All business. Meeting over. Too bad his dick didn’t get the memo. He was about to explode.
Without saying a word, she turned and headed to the bathroom, purple veils fluttering behind her. 
He didn’t have to wait for her to return. But he knew that he would.
She was back minutes later, wearing jeans and a baggy black T-shirt. His exotic dancing maiden was gone but she was as beautiful as ever. Her real hair was a thick, curly dark cloud, caught up in back in a tousled knot of twisted ringlets. Some of them dangled around her face. 
“Sorry,” he said stiffly. “That got out of hand.”
“It’s OK. Not your fault.”  She looked down at herself. “I thought it was better to have this conversation in street clothes,” she said. “To see if the fantasy melted away for you without the props. Better for both of us to know right now.”
He looked her up and down. Blood roared in his ears. “That’s not happening.” 
Her sig pulsed, excited pinks and reds. “So?”
“I promised not to touch you, and I broke that promise. With your help.”
She nodded reluctantly.
“If you stay here, I’ll break it again. Let me put that right out in the open.”


Shannon McKenna is the NYT and USA Today bestselling author of fifteen action packed, turbocharged romantic thrillers, among which are the stories of the wildly popular McCloud series. She’s also the author of the upcoming OBSIDIAN series, the first of which, RIGHT THROUGH ME, comes out in July of 2016. She loves tough and heroic alpha males, heroines with the brains and guts to match them, villains who challenge them to their utmost, adventure, scorching sensuality, and most of all, the redemptive power of true love. Since she was small she has loved abandoning herself to the magic of a good book, and her fond childhood fantasy was that writing would be just like that, but with the added benefit of being able to take credit for the story at the end. The alchemy of writing turned out to be messier than she'd ever dreamed, but what the hell, she loves it anyway, and hopes that readers enjoy the results of her alchemical experiments. She loves to hear from her readers. 

Find out more: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Newsletter

Giveaway:
1 winner will receive a $25 Amazon Giftcard & 3 winners will receive an ecopy of RIGHT THROUGH ME!

Book Tour/Giveaway-Dragon in the Blood by Juliette Cross



Dragon in the Blood
Vale of Stars
Book Two
Juliette Cross

Genre: Paranormal/Fantasy Romance

Date of Publication: July 26, 2016

ASIN: B01FNI7L1E

Word Count: 72K

Cover Artist: Kanaxa
When desire bites, there’s no patience for a slow burn. 
While all seems quiet in Gladium Province, the Morgon Guard—the global justice force for the dragon hybrid race—knows their enemy is rebuilding its forces in the underground. 
Valla Moonring, an assassin for the Order of the Morgon Guard, is ordered on a mission into the Wastelands of Aria—a formidable, icy wilderness fraught with all manner of dangers, including outlaws, deadly weather, and big-game predators. 
To her great distaste, she’s partnered with a Nightwing Security operative, Conn Rowanflame, a Morgon with the aggravating ability to get under her skin. While she takes her mission seriously, Conn’s confident charm throws her off balance, a dangerous place to be in conditions like these. Especially when cold nights require close contact. 
Sensual attraction binds them ever closer, igniting a passion of unexpected force—the soulfire. But when the hunters become the hunted, their bond could prove perilous. Even fatal...

  • Excerpt:
    Conn slowed his descent as treetops came into view beyond the fading mist, which had
    thinned to nearly nothing in the past hour. Whipping open my wings, I landed softly on the hard
    ground among a grove of evergolds. Even in this frozen tundra, the giants famous for their flora
    of fire-gold leaves grew tall and thick-branched in abundance. I lifted my visor to a brilliant burst
    of color that contrasted against the brown earth and snow-swept embankments.
    Bowen landed quietly behind me. “How about some lunch before we set out on foot?” He
    removed and tucked away his visor and unpacked his crossbow from its sheath on his back for
    the first time on this journey.
    “Let’s get into the cover of trees,” said Conn, moving along the natural path. “And lunch
    sounds perfect.”
    “Benta’s breakfast wasn’t enough for you?” I asked, meeting his long stride.
    “I always have an appetite, sweetheart.”
    “While you two continue flirting, I’ll find some small game nearby. Set up the hotpad
    over near that big evergold.”
    Without a sound, Bowen disappeared into the trees.
    “Flirting?” I scoffed. “I wasn’t flirting.”
    “I was.” Conn grinned.
    “Stop it.”
    “I haven’t even gotten started yet.”
    “You’re infuriating.”
    “So you’ve said before.”
    “Listen—” I put up both gloved hands to stop his snarky banter for just one second. “I’m
    glad we’re finally alone.”
    “Me, too.” His lopsided grin made my heart flutter.
    Exhaling a frustrated sigh, I stopped under a thick oak with ample coverage from above
    and unhooked my chest pack before dropping it to the ground. “There’s something I’ve been
    meaning to talk to you about…about last night.”
    “Mmm. Last night.”
    He removed his own pack and gloves, then pulled out the small, electronic hotpad. After
    opening the tripod that kept it off the ground, he turned it on. Gisa ordered us to use the hotpad
    instead of fire when we were in the open to avoid alerting predators or criminals to our presence.
    Conn stood and propped his hands low on his hips. “Would you like a second round?
    “No…no.” I cleared my throat and shook my head, my ponytail sliding on the smooth
    leather of my jacket. “Actually, that should never have happened. I shouldn’t have let that
    happen. But I—”
    “Couldn’t resist,” he finished, a devilish smile brimming his beautiful face. “It’s okay. It
    happens a lot.”
    “You’re such an ass.” I rolled my eyes. “I could’ve resisted.”
    “Could you?”
    He broke his rigid stance and sauntered closer, a feral glimmer in his gaze. By instinct, I
    backed up a step, my wings scraping the rough bark of the evergold behind me. He moved into
    my personal space.
    “What are you doing?” I asked, heart hammering.
  • He flattened one hand against the tree above my head, his finger grazing the arch of my
    wing. I shivered.
    “Are you sure you could resist?”
    I cleared my throat. “Of course,” I said, trying to sound confident, but my voice betrayed
    me and broke.
    “Well…I couldn’t.” He brushed the back of his knuckles along my jaw. I held still,
    caught.
    “Actually, I want to taste you again. Right now.
    Even stone-cold sober, I felt drunk from a single touch, longing to fall back into his arms
    and let him show me what his hazel-gold eyes promised without a word.
    He leaned close, his warm breath grazing my ear. “Let me taste you again, Valla.”
    I planted my hands on his chest, wishing there weren’t the layers of thermal suit and
    leather between my palms and his rock-hard chest.
    He nuzzled the shell of my ear with his nose, then his lips. “Let me.”
    His darkened voice pleaded and demanded at the same time, spreading warmth between
    my legs. What had gotten into me? I pushed him out of my way and stormed toward a densely
    wooded area.
    “Where are you going?” he laughed. “Running away?”
    “I’ve gotta go to the bathroom,” I yelled over my shoulder.
    “Not by yourself, you’re not.” His footsteps crunched across the thin blanket of snow and
    leaves behind me.
    I whirled, heat burning up my neck, now from anger not lust. “Whoa, there, big boy.” I
    threw up a hand, halting him several feet away. “Look. You’re not my keeper. And just because
    we shared one kiss doesn’t mean anything. I’m going to relieve myself by myself. Do you
    understand?”
    His wings twitched at his back. Agitated. Whatever.
    “And stop scowling at me,” I called back as I spun and trekked off the path into the
    brush.


Juliette calls lush, moss-laden Louisiana home where the landscape curls into her imagination, creating mystical settings for her stories. She has a B.A. in creative writing from Louisiana State University, a M.Ed. in gifted education, and was privileged to study under the award-winning author Ernest J. Gaines in grad school. Her love of mythology, legends, and art serve as constant inspiration for her works. From the moment she read JANE EYRE as a teenager, she fell in love with the Gothic romance--brooding characters, mysterious settings, persevering heroines, and dark, sexy heroes. Even then, she not only longed to read more novels set in Gothic worlds, she wanted to create her own.









Tour Giveaway

Book Tour/Giveaway-Dragon in the Blood by Juliette Cross



Dragon in the Blood
Vale of Stars
Book Two
Juliette Cross

Genre: Paranormal/Fantasy Romance

Date of Publication: July 26, 2016

ASIN: B01FNI7L1E

Word Count: 72K

Cover Artist: Kanaxa
When desire bites, there’s no patience for a slow burn. 
While all seems quiet in Gladium Province, the Morgon Guard—the global justice force for the dragon hybrid race—knows their enemy is rebuilding its forces in the underground. 
Valla Moonring, an assassin for the Order of the Morgon Guard, is ordered on a mission into the Wastelands of Aria—a formidable, icy wilderness fraught with all manner of dangers, including outlaws, deadly weather, and big-game predators. 
To her great distaste, she’s partnered with a Nightwing Security operative, Conn Rowanflame, a Morgon with the aggravating ability to get under her skin. While she takes her mission seriously, Conn’s confident charm throws her off balance, a dangerous place to be in conditions like these. Especially when cold nights require close contact. 
Sensual attraction binds them ever closer, igniting a passion of unexpected force—the soulfire. But when the hunters become the hunted, their bond could prove perilous. Even fatal...

  • Excerpt:
    Conn slowed his descent as treetops came into view beyond the fading mist, which had
    thinned to nearly nothing in the past hour. Whipping open my wings, I landed softly on the hard
    ground among a grove of evergolds. Even in this frozen tundra, the giants famous for their flora
    of fire-gold leaves grew tall and thick-branched in abundance. I lifted my visor to a brilliant burst
    of color that contrasted against the brown earth and snow-swept embankments.
    Bowen landed quietly behind me. “How about some lunch before we set out on foot?” He
    removed and tucked away his visor and unpacked his crossbow from its sheath on his back for
    the first time on this journey.
    “Let’s get into the cover of trees,” said Conn, moving along the natural path. “And lunch
    sounds perfect.”
    “Benta’s breakfast wasn’t enough for you?” I asked, meeting his long stride.
    “I always have an appetite, sweetheart.”
    “While you two continue flirting, I’ll find some small game nearby. Set up the hotpad
    over near that big evergold.”
    Without a sound, Bowen disappeared into the trees.
    “Flirting?” I scoffed. “I wasn’t flirting.”
    “I was.” Conn grinned.
    “Stop it.”
    “I haven’t even gotten started yet.”
    “You’re infuriating.”
    “So you’ve said before.”
    “Listen—” I put up both gloved hands to stop his snarky banter for just one second. “I’m
    glad we’re finally alone.”
    “Me, too.” His lopsided grin made my heart flutter.
    Exhaling a frustrated sigh, I stopped under a thick oak with ample coverage from above
    and unhooked my chest pack before dropping it to the ground. “There’s something I’ve been
    meaning to talk to you about…about last night.”
    “Mmm. Last night.”
    He removed his own pack and gloves, then pulled out the small, electronic hotpad. After
    opening the tripod that kept it off the ground, he turned it on. Gisa ordered us to use the hotpad
    instead of fire when we were in the open to avoid alerting predators or criminals to our presence.
    Conn stood and propped his hands low on his hips. “Would you like a second round?
    “No…no.” I cleared my throat and shook my head, my ponytail sliding on the smooth
    leather of my jacket. “Actually, that should never have happened. I shouldn’t have let that
    happen. But I—”
    “Couldn’t resist,” he finished, a devilish smile brimming his beautiful face. “It’s okay. It
    happens a lot.”
    “You’re such an ass.” I rolled my eyes. “I could’ve resisted.”
    “Could you?”
    He broke his rigid stance and sauntered closer, a feral glimmer in his gaze. By instinct, I
    backed up a step, my wings scraping the rough bark of the evergold behind me. He moved into
    my personal space.
    “What are you doing?” I asked, heart hammering.
  • He flattened one hand against the tree above my head, his finger grazing the arch of my
    wing. I shivered.
    “Are you sure you could resist?”
    I cleared my throat. “Of course,” I said, trying to sound confident, but my voice betrayed
    me and broke.
    “Well…I couldn’t.” He brushed the back of his knuckles along my jaw. I held still,
    caught.
    “Actually, I want to taste you again. Right now.
    Even stone-cold sober, I felt drunk from a single touch, longing to fall back into his arms
    and let him show me what his hazel-gold eyes promised without a word.
    He leaned close, his warm breath grazing my ear. “Let me taste you again, Valla.”
    I planted my hands on his chest, wishing there weren’t the layers of thermal suit and
    leather between my palms and his rock-hard chest.
    He nuzzled the shell of my ear with his nose, then his lips. “Let me.”
    His darkened voice pleaded and demanded at the same time, spreading warmth between
    my legs. What had gotten into me? I pushed him out of my way and stormed toward a densely
    wooded area.
    “Where are you going?” he laughed. “Running away?”
    “I’ve gotta go to the bathroom,” I yelled over my shoulder.
    “Not by yourself, you’re not.” His footsteps crunched across the thin blanket of snow and
    leaves behind me.
    I whirled, heat burning up my neck, now from anger not lust. “Whoa, there, big boy.” I
    threw up a hand, halting him several feet away. “Look. You’re not my keeper. And just because
    we shared one kiss doesn’t mean anything. I’m going to relieve myself by myself. Do you
    understand?”
    His wings twitched at his back. Agitated. Whatever.
    “And stop scowling at me,” I called back as I spun and trekked off the path into the
    brush.


Juliette calls lush, moss-laden Louisiana home where the landscape curls into her imagination, creating mystical settings for her stories. She has a B.A. in creative writing from Louisiana State University, a M.Ed. in gifted education, and was privileged to study under the award-winning author Ernest J. Gaines in grad school. Her love of mythology, legends, and art serve as constant inspiration for her works. From the moment she read JANE EYRE as a teenager, she fell in love with the Gothic romance--brooding characters, mysterious settings, persevering heroines, and dark, sexy heroes. Even then, she not only longed to read more novels set in Gothic worlds, she wanted to create her own.









Tour Giveaway