Friday, May 30, 2014

FRIDAY FEATURE ~ Three Days Of Rain by Christine Hughes

Is on sale for $0.99 until the end of the May.

$0.99

"What I can say is that I totally loved this book, and couldn't put it down. It was an extremely emotional read, and had me quite literally sobbing big ugly tears. Such an all consuming and tragic book, that focuses on "real" characters..."

Available on AMAZON

Things haven’t been easy for Jacob Morgan. Persecuted by the ghosts of his past, Jake lives each day just going through the motions, barely getting by. Then Lily Burns comes to town and befriends him. As Jake starts to heal, he begins to hope that he has finally overcome the mistakes and tragedies that have tormented him for so long. But just when he thinks his problems are solved, his past comes back to haunt him, and once again, Jake is confronted by situations he is ill-equipped to handle. Can Jake hold on to the progress he has made, or will the lies, guilt, and secrets he’s tried to ignore shove him back into an abyss from which there is no escape?

Just when he thought his life was turning around...

Meet The Author

Falling in love with literature was easy for Christine Hughes.

Not sure where her love of reading and writing fit, she became a middle school English teacher. After nine years teaching others to appreciate literature, she decided to take the plunge and write her first novel, TORN – a YA paranormal re-released by Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly Publishing in August 2013. The sequel, Darkness Betrayed was released by the same publisher in September 2013 and her third novel, a stand-alone NA Contemporary, was re-released by CHBB in December 2013.

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

WISH FOR IT WEDNESDAY ~ Lost Dreams by Jude Ouvrard

Book: Lost Dreams

Author: Jude Ouvrard

Genre: Military Contemporary Romance

When Carter is killed in combat, he leaves behind his heartbroken wife, Avery and his shattered best friend Remy. Naturally these two, wounded souls gravitate together, irresistibly drawn by the loss of the one they both loved, as well as their deep friendship with each other. But when that friendship starts to turn into something more, new problems arise. Will Avery be able to move on after losing the love of her life? Will Remy be able to fill the void left by the loss of his best friend? Or will this new chance at love cost them all they have left?

Jude lives in Montreal, Canada. She is the proud mother of a five year old son, and has spent the last twelve years with her partner, Cedric. French is her native language, but she prefers to write in her second language, English. Besides working full time in a law firm and being a mother, Jude has a passion for books, both reading and writing them. She is currently working on Ophelia.

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She got into her seat and drove us to I-didn’t-know-where-yet. The music was playing softly in the car. I was having difficulty with noises, they were making me irritable but the melody was nice so I was okay. We were getting closer to Avery's house. At least I hoped we were going to her house, because I was frightened to be alone. I needed her, in more than one way. When she turned to the right, I knew we were going to her place because my house was over on the left. I bit the inside of my cheeks to subdue a smile. A few seconds later, Avery parked the car in her driveway. She undid my safety belt, then hers. She got out of the car to help me out, then grabbed my bag and arm-in-arm we walked to her door. ''Calm down, girl. I'm not dying, I'm okay. I can feel your body trembling.'' ''I can't calm down, Remy.'' She unlocked the door and pushed it open. ''I lost Carter, okay? He's gone,'' she cried. ''And I came this close,'' she showed me a tiny gap between her fingers, ''this close, to losing you too, and that tore me apart.'' She put my bag on the table. ''When Megan told me what happened, I passed out, because I couldn’t believe I was going to have to go through this again. We waited twenty-four hours before we finally got the news that you were alive.'' I felt terrible. ''I'm sorry, girl, I'm so sorry.'' I pulled her towards me and wrapped my arm around her. She cried and she sobbed against my t-shirt. Ave was in a terrible mess. ''I promised you I would come back, and I did.'' I kissed her hair. ''I’m so sorry I had to come back in such a dramatic way.'' ''You're alive, Remy.'' She almost never called me by my first name. ''It's all that matters.'' ''I know, Avery.'' We were silent for a moment, her sobs calming down and she regained control of herself. It broke my heart to see her like this, she'd seemed so strong at the hospital and I was just realizing it was a facade. In that instant, I knew we both needed rest and we both had a lot on our minds. ''I think I need to lay down, Ave, I'm getting a little dizzy. I'll go to my room.'' She squeezed me with all of her strength, one last time, before releasing me. I got to the guest room. There was a bouquet of daisies on the night table. She'd changed the sheets and comforter on the bed for a navy blue one. I made it to the bed just in time, my vision had gone blurry. I sat on the corner of the bed and closed my eyes. The fact that she wanted me to stay here was great, but damn, this was fucked up. She still continued to ignore everything I'd said to her. It made me anxious and the best thing I could do was lie down and chill out. Being around her was even harder now. I put my arm over my eyes, to hide away from the light in the room. Turning it off required too much physical effort for now. ''Remy, are you okay?'' Her voice was low. ''Can you turn the light off, please?'' She did and then removed my shoes. I shifted up on the bed and she placed my legs under the comforter. ''Do you feel any pain?'' ''It's not too bad, I can manage.'' My head hurt constantly, no matter what I did. In my shoulder, the bullet had torn a muscle and damaged the bone severely. They had to screw the bone together in three different places. It would never be as strong as it used to be, but at least I was alive. ''Okay...'' She stayed in the room looking at me. It had me confused, did she want to talk or something? ''Is everything OK, Ave?'' I needed to know. She nodded. ''It's just good to have you here. I missed you.'' Okay, she was giving signs she wanted to talk, but I thought maybe she wasn’t ready just yet. ''I missed you too, girl.'' I smiled. She returned my smile with one of her own, she seemed suddenly shy and her cheeks flushed. ''I thought about what you said to me a lot. It scared me at first but then, I felt like I already knew about it. Things cleared up in my mind. How you were always looking after me, always making sure I was okay. I should have known, but I only had eyes for Carter. I still love and miss him every single day.'' She took a deep breath and rubbed her eyes. ''But... I felt things were different prior to your deployment and I understand now. I didn’t hate it, I liked it. Being closer to you makes me feel better. I need it, but I can't promise you more than that.'' ''What are you saying, exactly, Avery?'' I could feel a wave of tingles rush through my body. What did she mean? It was so out of character for her to be so shy. ''I’m saying I still love Carter, I probably always will, but I also like you and need to be around you. I can't promise you anything, but we could try and see if it would work out.'' ''I’m not a consolation prize, Avery.''

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Wednesday, May 21, 2014

WISH FOR IT WEDNESDAY ~ Whole Latte Love by Rachelle Ayala

Meet Dylan and Carina, lovers from Rachelle Ayala's newest romance, Whole Latte Love.

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Whole Latte Love by Rachelle Ayala
Publication date: April 16th 2014
Genres: New Adult, Romance

Synopsis:

Investment banking intern Carina Chen doesn’t need any distractions—especially the sexy, guitar-playing barista she rooms with for the summer.Free spirit Dylan Jewell appreciates the delightful universe of women who vie for his attention. His goal in life is to do good, make happy coffee, and help the homeless.When Carina moves in, she insists on rules of conduct to quell her instant attraction to Dylan. But when her boss asks her to turn Dylan into a businessman, she can’t think of a reason not to take advantage of his hospitality.
Their chemistry is white hot, but Dylan refuses to play Carina’s game, unable to understand how he can fall in love with a woman who puts profits in front of people. When Carina realizes Dylan isn’t budging, she risks all to gain a single night with him. Will her gambit backfire or will Dylan discover Carina’s true heart before she runs away with his?

Whole Latte Love is an opposites-attract romance mixing bluesy rock music, hot, steamy love scenes, and financial shenanigans.

Excerpt (4th of July)

Carina was just starting to relax when the lights dimmed and a familiar voice spoke. She jerked her head toward the band. She could barely see over the heads of the people around her, but her heart clenched when Dylan stepped to the front with his guitar hanging over his shoulder. “This next song is one I wrote for a woman with a whole lotta heart who walked out of my life not long ago.” Dylan strummed the first chord and sang: I was singing in the city, Guitar in my arms, When she walked around a corner, And landed in my lap. “Let’s dance,” Rob said, tugging Carina into his arms. “I can’t. I’m sorry.” She averted her face, hoping Dylan hadn’t seen her. The song continued: I didn’t know what hit me, Didn’t see the signs, But the days became brighter, And my heart sang with laughter. I held her in the shower, And kissed her on the train. But she left me in the tunnel, And took my heart away. Carina staggered from the dance floor. “What’s wrong? Are you feeling okay?” Rob steadied her. “No, I need fresh air.” She wrenched herself from his grasp and ran for the stairs. Glancing back, she caught Dylan staring straight at her. Her heart expanded in her chest and sweat prickled her face. He’d seen her with Rob, and he’d get the wrong idea about her. Not missing a beat, he sang the chorus: She’s got a whole latte heart, And she’s got mine. She’s got a whole latte love, And I wish it were for me. Carina tore up the stairs. She weaved her way through the other partygoers to the upper deck. The wind caught her hair and flung it in her sweaty face. She bent over the rail, heaving. He said she had his heart. What did that mean? Rob caught up with her. “Are you sick? Anything I can get you?” “No, nothing.” She bowed her head in her hands. “I’m sorry. Can you let me sit here alone? I’m not feeling well.” “I’ll sit with you.” He led her to a cushioned bench. “Please, Rob. I need to be alone. I enjoyed our outing, but I don’t want to ruin the evening for you.” Rob glanced around impatiently and shrugged. “True. I’ve been wanting to chat up a few associates who graduated from my university. I’ll catch you when it’s time to go.” She nodded and flashed him a smile, then put her head between her arms and took slow, deep breaths. Dylan’s voice replayed in her mind and drew chills down her spine along with wanting and missing him. Even though she’d been working most of the time she lived at his place, she’d never forget the fun, from the welcome party to frolicking in the community garden. Every morning, he had a foamy milk heart for her. He’d made her laugh, given her hope, and flirted with her, made her feel wanted, special. The memory of that long kiss in the tunnel under the Bay gave her goose bumps. Every word he sang was true. She’d left him when she moved out. She hadn’t given him a chance to explain and worst of all, she hadn’t let him know how she felt about him. She leaned her chin on the rail and closed her eyes, waiting for the evening to pass. The boat motored slowly around the bay among other small craft, and the movement lulled her into a daze. “I want to take you to the highest mountaintop and kiss the air out of your lungs.” Dylan’s voice hovered above her. Was she dreaming? How long had he been standing there? Carina’s eyes snapped open and her pulse quickened. Moonlight framed Dylan’s brown hair and his eyes pooled dark blue, earnest and yearning. She reached for him as he closed his arms around her. “I missed you,” he whispered in her hair. “I missed you too.” The sound of fireworks shooting into the air drew her attention, and explosions echoed in her heart. Flowers of fireworks dazzled the night sky, red, white, and blue, arcing straight up from the pier.

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Meet The Author

Rachelle Ayala is the author of dramatic fiction featuring strong but flawed characters. She writes emotionally challenging stories and is not afraid of controversial topics. However, she is an optimist and laces her stories with romance and hope.

Rachelle is an active member of the California Writer's Club, Fremont Chapter, and a volunteer for the World Literary Cafe. She is a very happy woman and lives in California with her husband. She has three children and has taught violin and made mountain dulcimers.

Visit her blog at http://www.rachelleayala.com or contact her at http://rachelleayala.me/author-bio/contact/

Author links:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5753921.Rachelle_Ayala
www.rachelleayala.com
https://twitter.com/AyalaRachelle
https://www.facebook.com/RachelleAyalaWriter

Monday, May 5, 2014

MUST READ MONDAYS ~ The Perfect Spirit by Traci Hayden

Synopsis

Twenty-eight year old writer, Vanessa Fortney, has travelled the world, living life to the fullest. When she comes home due to the unexpected death of her only blood relatives, she only has one regret; never finding a love that triumphs all others.

In a beautiful valley in the Rocky Mountains, Nessa finds herself wondering about a mysterious stranger who saved her after a nearly disastrous car accident. The mystery that surrounds Daniel is quickly replaced by the increasing attraction Nessa feels for him.

Will she find that love that transcends all love or will an unforeseen tragedy keep them apart?

Excerpt

“I lost both my parents as a child.”

“How did they die?” Daniel asked softly.

“Car accident, same as my great-aunt and uncle.”

Daniel's sharp intake of air was followed quickly by his next comment. “And you almost died in that car accident a few weeks ago. It seems fate is cruel.”

Nessa realized he was right. Not so much about her dying, but the fact that fate seemed to repeat itself. “I didn't almost die. The doctor said I was lucky.”

“You were lucky because I was there. If I hadn't been,” he argued, “who knows how long you would've been exposed. You could've died without me connecting with you.”

“You are my savior, Daniel,” she whispered. “My beautiful angelic savior.”

“You're too sweet with your words, ma belle.”

“It's true, Daniel. I don't know what it is about you, but I feel such a connection to you,” she admitted as she traced her finger across the back of his hand. “You're always so cold.”

Daniel guffawed. “Cold hands, warm heart.” He cupped her face, pulling her in close. “In this case, my heart flames for you.”

Nessa's body relaxed into his and he pulled her, comforter and all, onto his lap. He cradled her close to him, savoring their connection as much as she did.

About Author

Traci Hayden is a proud mother of four beautiful girls and one adorable granddaughter. She has always had a passion for reading, but recently the obsession for writing has taken over.