COVER REVEAL: My Unexpected Forever by Heidi McLaughlin

Excited to participate in the cover reveal for My Unexpected Forever! Enjoy and add this to your pre-order list!

ebook

Expected publication: 

September 9th, 2013

I expected a life of music.
I expected to raise my son.

It took one look to make everything change.
I never expected happiness.
I never expected to find her.
I never expected to feel desire.
I never expected I’d be a family man.
I never expected to be loved.
I never expected to fall in love.
They say you should expect the unexpected. I didn’t realize my unexpected would be the forever kind.

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Heidi McLaughling is offering My Unexpected Forever up for pre-buy for those attending the Naughty Mafia Rocks Vegas 2013. Pre-buy: http://bit.ly/11JRWEP

Pre-buy My Unexpected Forever for August delivery: http://heidimclaughlin.com/buy-books/

Heidi is the author of USA Today, Digital Book World, Amazon and Barnes & Noble Bestselling novel, Forever My Girl.

Originally from the Pacific Northwest, she now lives in picturesque Vermont, with her husband and two daughters. Also renting space in their home is an over-hyper Beagle/Jack Russell and two Parakeets.

During the day Heidi is behind a desk talking about Land Use. At night, she's writing one of the many stories planned for release or sitting court-side during either daughter's basketball games.

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The Future of Our Past by Kahlen Aymes Review & Giveaway!

The Future of Our Past is the first book in Kahlen Aymes  Remembrance trilogy.

Description:
Julia Abbot and Ryan Matthew have been inseparable best friends since the moment they met. Each of them fight an internal battle, unwilling to risk their incredible friendship, but unable to quell their deep (but secret) longing for the other. On the verge of Ryan's departure to Harvard Medical School and Julia's for her new job on the other side on the opposite coast, they are forced to face the undeniable truth of their deeper feelings and find themselves enthralled in a passion like neither has ever known.

The lovers are faced with forced separation, great distance, and others who try to come between them as they work to build the shared future they both dream of. When their lives finally begin to gel. Julia is offered a promotion that will jettison her career to new heights. Ryan is left angry and bereft as it will only postpone their reunion yet again. In the light of all she has sacrificed for him, he can hardly deny her, and Julia is faced with the most difficult decision of her life. Will she choose the chance of a lifetime or the love of her life?

An incredibly beautiful and heartbreaking romance, full of passion and intensity that will leave you spellbound and gasping for the next installment of Ryan and Julia's story.

Review:
I signed up to review the first book in this series as part of the Tasty Book Tour and after turning the last page, I wished I signed up for both the first and second book. Holy cliffhanger! If you are a fan of emotional stories that pull you into the lives and hearts of the characters then this is the book for you. The deep friendship that Ryan and Julia share only deepens when they move to the next phase in their relationship, I cried with them and smiled when they finally realized they both loved each other and had both been hiding it from each other.

I gave this book a solid four stars- and trust me I will be reading the next book in this series. I HAVE to know what happens next!

If you want to check this out here are the buy links. This book is currently on sale for .99 (prices subject to change)- for this price it is well worth your time and money!
Buy The Future of Our Past on Amazon
Buy The Future of Our Past on BN.com

Author Info:
Kahlen is an award-winning author of sizzling hot, deeply moving contemporary romance. Her stories are filled with intense love, passion and angst and emotion that breathes life into her characters and leaves her readers captivated. She lives near Omaha, Nebraska with her daughter Olivia and their three dogs. Creative by nature, she enjoys art, music and theater... But the love of her life is writing.

Represented by Elizabeth Winick-Rubinstein of McIntosh & Otis Literary Agency, the first two books in her Remembrance Triology are available now. Come experience Ryan and Julia's mad, mad love.
Visit Kahlen Aymes' Blog by clicking here
Like Kahlen Aymes on Facebook
Follow her on Twitter
Become a Kahlen Ames Fan on Goodreads

As part of the Tasty Book Tour, author Kahlen Ames will give 5 lucky winners Autographed Sets of the Remembrance Triology, use the Rafflecopter below to enter. Also, for more chances to win Follow the series tour by clicking this link: Tasty Book Tour

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Big Girl Panties by Stephanie Evanovich

Description:
Big Girl Panties by Stephanie Evanovich is a rollicking and poignant romantic comedy about a young widow who decides to get in shape.. and winds up getting her grove back- and a whole lot more!

Holly Brennan used food to comfort herself through her husband's illness and death. Now she's alone at the age of thirty-two. And she weighs more than she ever has. When fate throws her in the path of Logan Montgomery, personal trainer to pro athletes, and he offers to train her, Holly concludes it must be a sign. Much as she dreads the thought of working out, Holly knows she needs to put on her big girl panties and see if she can sweat out some of her grief.

Soon, the easy intimacy and playful banter of their training sessions lead Logan and Holly to the most intense and steamy workouts. But can Holly and Logan go the distance as a couple now that she's met her goals- and other men are noticing?

Review:
I received and ARC of Big Girl Panties by Stephanie Evanovich several months ago in one of my Avon Addict monthly care packages. First off, I love the title of this book! I use the expression "put on your big girl panties" all the time (and probably a little too often if you ask my friends). I read this book that same week and have been sitting on this review because I didn't want to release it too soon and have you all running out to get this book only to discover its official release date isn't until July 9th. I felt like since we are now in the two week window it is safe to tell you about how great this book is without prolonging the amount of time you will have to wait until you can also purchase it!

This books starts out with the moment on an airplane most of us have experienced. You are seated in your seat with an open seat next to you, and down the aisle comes a heavier person and you say to yourself, "Not with me, not with me..", then they stow their bag over your seat and scoot in! This is how Holly and Logan first meet. After a bit of awkwardness, they begin to talk and for some reason Logan finds himself offering to train Holly, even thought he is not even considering taking on new clients at his exclusive gym. He is even more surprised when she shows up for the first session and her training efforts are outstanding.. 

I love that Holly is not a size 0, it's so nice when an author writes a heroine that is "normal"! She like many of us is an emotional eater and after helping to care for elderly parents, marrying her college sweetheart only to be widowed in her 30's- she has been given every reason to give in to her eating tendencies! I love the fact that she decides to get healthy for herself not for a man and that the relationship that develops between the two of them clearly surprises them both. 

I gave this book 4.5 STARS! I think it is a great debut novel for Stephanie Evanovich and I think that women who may not read every new release romance book could also really enjoy this story, it is relatable down to earth and well worth the time I spent reading it. 

Put on your "Big Girl Panties" and go pre-order this book, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! 
Order this book on Amazon
Order this Book on BN.com

Other Fun Links:
Author Stephanie Evanovich on Goodreads
Author Stephanie Evanovich on Facebook
Follow Stephanie Evanovich on Twitter

Until next time.. Happy Reading!

Sinfully Summer by Aimee Duffy Spotlight and Giveaway!

Blurb:

SUN, SEA AND SCANDAL

Notorious heiress Alexa Green has certainly been enjoying her most recent girls-holiday in Marbella. Just as we thought, she's been knocking back cocktails and showing off her fabulous bikini body on the beach... but rumor has it she's also been spotted sneaking out of Enrique Castillo's penthouse in the early hours of this morning- in nothing but her underwear! Our question is, doesn't this fiercely private billionaire know what he's letting himself in for?

He's got millions.. and she knows how to spend them! So lie back on your sun lounger and get comfortable, because this summer fling is going to be a sizzler!

    Excerpt:

"Adrenaline roared through her veins. This was her only chance. Pushing away from the wall, she rounded the lift, desperately seeking an escape. She barely noticed the plush furnishings, soft-looking leather sofas and floor to ceiling window which showcased the most spectacular view she'd ever seen. Instead she focused on the walls surrounding the elevator.

'Are you lost?'

The heavily accented voice froze her to the spot. She darted a glance toward the sound. Dark brows furrowed over the richest colored eyes she'd seen. His gaze swept over the length of her body, then up, lingering on her rear for a beat too long. Her skin tingled under his scrutiny.

Turning her whole body to face him, she slapped a hand on her hip. 'Had a good enough look?'

Her lips quirked in a sexy, lopsided grin. The jitters were back and Alexa swore the temperature in the room shot up ten degrees. Her gaze dropped to his broad shoulders, covered in a thin white t-shirt, then down to a well filled chest. She could see a dark pattern beneath the t-shirt. She longed to find out what kind of tattoo he had. Usually, tats didn't do it for her. But on that body...

She snapped her attention back to his face. He stepped toward her, his jaw set, his eyes dancing with humor and something darker... something that made her blood heat and her mouth water.

Alexa raised her arm, palm out. 'Hold it there, Mr. Any closer and I'll scream.'

He paused by the sofa. Propping his hip against the cream leather, he folded his arms across his chest, causing the muscles to bulge. The moisture drained from her mouth and flooded her belly.

'No one's here to hear you.' He cocked a brow. 'You seem to be forgetting where you are and, ' his gaze dipped down to her breast causing the nipple to peak against the lacy fabric 'how underdressed.'

Alexa thought this moment would have topped the blush scale. She planted her other hand on her hip and glared at him, unwilling to show any weakness. 'I'm just leaving.'

She turned and strode back to the lift, keeping her back straight and trying not to wiggle her hips too much. The predatory sheen in his eyes made her body more jittery than the idea of sprinting around the lower floor in her underwear. She reached out to hit the button, but a large hand circled her wrist before she made it.

Alexa squeaked and darted back a step. He was so close, and his chest was right in her face. She could see the dark outline of the tattoo beneath the cotton. The outline of a burning sun, she thought, or something that looked like a sun. Her hands itched to lift the material and see for herself.

'I'm up here.'

She snapped her gaze back to his smirking face and took another step back. His lips kicked up at the corners and his eyes darkened. She swallowed against the urge to stop closer, to feel his hard body pressed against hers. But she realized she was in little more than her bra and knickers in this stranger's home. Unease skittered down her spine.

Alexa squared her shoulders, trying to quash the fear turning her heated blood into cold sludge. 'I'm leaving now.'

'After you explain what your doing in my home in your undergarments.'

'Undergarments?' Alexa pressed her lips together to keep a giggle at bay, 'Seriously?'"

This book would make a great beach read- you can tell this by just looking at the cover! I was hooked after reading the description, I love my tabloids and this was a story ripped from the pages!  A sexy billionaire, beautiful fun heiress and an amazing location! I really enjoyed this read it was light and fun! The excerpt I posted above is from Ric and Alexa's first meeting and let me tell you the steam factor intensifies by about 300% if that is possible! My first Aimee Duffy book, but I look forward to more great reads by this author! I give it a very solid 4 STARS! 

Author Aimée Duffy

Pack your beach bag, load this book on your eReader and hit the sand!
Click here to order Sinfully Summer on Amazon.com
Click here to order Sinfully Summer at BN.com
Click here to buy Sinfully Summer on Kobo

Here is how to find author Aimée Duffy- go show her some love! 
Follow her on Twitter
Check out her blog
Like her on Facebook

Because she is so fabulous, Sinfully Summer author Aimée Duffy is offering a tour wide giveaway of a $10 Amazon.com gift card! Use the Rafflecopter below to enter for your chance to win! 

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Girl with Guitar by Caisey QuinnI LOVED IT!

Blurb:
After Kylie's dad dies in a freak accident, he leaves her with nothing other than her crazy stepmother, Darla and the ability to play guitar. When Darla kicks Kylie out and she loses her job all in the same day, she hops a bus to Nashville determined to make her late father's dreams come true. 

Waitressing and saving her pennies to record a demo, her big break comes when she's asked to join a tour going down the tubes with once platinum album-selling country music superstar Trace Corbin. But touring with Trace is hardly a dream come true since he's pretty much drinking his career down the drain. If Kyle can't pull Trace out of his rut, he'll pull her dreams down with him.

My Review: 

I was hanging over on Facebook with my friends in The Book Cooler group and several people had been talking about this book, Girl with Guitar. After reading so many great endorsements and also the fact that the book was on sale for only  .99 (price is now $1.99 for the eBook). I one-clicked and hit the buy now button. The book sat on my Kindle for a few days, until one morning during my commute I started reading.. I was almost late for work that day and coming back from lunch as well!  

I LOVED this book, it was AMAZING! It was so good I felt like I needed to send the author more money because for only 99 pennies it felt like highway robbery. I recommended this book to several of my friends, and here are just a couple of quotes from the emails they sent me after they finished reading:

"WOW! best book I have read it an long time. I didn't think it would be good. Some of the .99 Kindle books sound the same to me, but this one really picked up. Good eye, thanks for the suggestion."

"Okay, I loved the book! I can NOT wait to read the next one."

"I am going to give you my Kindle and my credit card so you can pick all my books going forward, this one is AWESOME, I wanted to re-read it all over again as soon as I finished the last page. Are you sure this only cost  me .99?" 

Caisey Quinn is a new author for me, but going forward she will be on my auto-buy list!  I am giving this book 6 STARS on a 5 STAR scale! Go get it now! After you read it please come back here and comment and let me know what you thought! 

Buy links: (Prices subject to change, but as of today it is $1.99 on Amazon & BN and $2.99 on Kobo)
Buy Girl with Guitar on Amazon
Buy Girl with Guitar on BN.com
Buy Girl with Guitar on Kobo

For more information on author Caisey Quinn:
Click her to vist her website: caiseyquinnwrites.com
Click her to LIKE her on Facebook
Click here to follow her on Twitter

Until next time.. Happy Reading! 
PS> GO GET THIS BOOK! 

Conceal by Juliana Stone (Barker Triplets Book #3) & GIVEAWAY!

I am a huge fan of the Barker Triplet series by Juliana Stone. to introduce you to this series, there are there Barker's Billie Jo, Bobbi Jo and Betty Jo. The three ladies are identical triplets, and are all back in their hometown helping to take care of their ailing father. 

Offsides is the first book in this series and features female hockey player Billie Jo. I picked up Offisides for FREE months ago and loved every page (if you haven't read it go get it- it is currently still free for Kindle and Nook). Book #2 is Collide and is Bobbi Jo's story, she is the responsible one, this was one of the steamiest books I have read this year, the chemistry between Billie Jo and Shane will have your toe's curling. I have been anxiously awaiting the final book (Betty Jo's)  in this series and now it is here with the release of Conceal!

Blurb:
No one said going home would be easy...

Black sheep and all around trouble-maker Betty Jo Barker is back home and hoping for a do-over. Things are finally looking up, until Beau Simon comes to town. The man pushes every button she owns and manages to awaken long dead emotions she'd rather leave buried. Beneath the surface she knows she's a wreck-- her scars run deep-- and she can't help but wonder, is Beau Simon the one who can fix her?

Beau Simon, the brightest star in Hollywood has come to New Waterford for one reason only. He's determined to have Betty Jo Barker star in his next film. He knows she is perfect for the part, but a past encounter might prove more than a little difficult to overcome. As Beau turns on the charm, hoping to win over this complicated woman, he realizes it won't be easy. 

only time will tell if what lies beneath can be overcome. Or if love can heal all.. 

Excerpt: 
Slowly, Beau got to his feet, the air between them thick with things that she didn't understand.

"You'll probably need stitches," he said after a few moments. 

"I need you to leave. To leave New Waterford."

He didn't say anything to that. He just watched her with those eyes that made her feel small. She was tired. She was sore. 

She was cranky as all hell and she had a bone to pick with her sister. AT least that was something she understood. Her relationship with her sisters was complicated. It was complicated and volatile, but it was... home. It was familiar. 

Beau Simon, however? He was a complication she didn't understand and Betty didn't have the energy or the heart to deal with him right now.

"Like you said Beau. I'm a washed up has-been junkie model with a reputation that would make a nun's toes curl. So I can't imagine what you would want with me. But whatever it is? The answer is no."

She turned without another word and headed back up the past, listening for him to follow but there was nothing. 

And that didn't surprise her at all. 

I wasn't a big Betty Jo fan in previous books, honestly she made herself hard to like, but now, she just might be  my favorite Barker! Betty Jo uses her attitude to protect herself, after her first encounter with Beau years before he told her what he really thought about her... (it was not nice), it  broke her, although hell will freeze over before she tells him that... My heart hurt for her in this book. The pain that she has dealt with silently and  alone for years is too much for one person to bear. I loved the way the relationship between Betty Jo and Beau developed,  and how he realizes that people can/do change and how she realizes it is ok to be yourself. 

Juliana Stone has the ability to develop characters that you can relate to and relationships that feel real. I  am such a fan of this series. I think that Conceal was the perfect ending to the Barker's, although I wouldn't mind a book with a few of the characters from this book, and it would be nice to visit with the Barker's again! 

Overall I gave this ENTIRE series 5 STARS! 

Conceal is on-sale for the bargain price of $3.99, here are a few buy links if you want to grab it now:

Buy Conceal at Amazon.com
Buy Conceal at BN.com
Buy Conceal on Kobo

As part of the blog tour, I have been provided with a eBook copy of The Stillness of You by Juliana Stone's alter ego/pen name Julie Bale! This book is also amazing! If you want to win this book please leave a comment below answering the following question, if you have read any of the previous books in the Barker series, which triplet was your favorite and why? If you haven't read the series, you can still enter,  leave a comment in general below with your email addresses! 

Until next time! 
Happy Reading! 

A Wedding in Valentine by Emma Cane

RELEASE DAY POST!

Official Blurb:
It's the wedding all of Valentine Valley has been waiting for! Bridesmaid Heather Armstrong arrives for Nate and Emily's big weekend only to discover that one of the ushers is the man she had a close encounter with when they were trapped by a blizzard seven months ago- and he's the bride's brother! Cowboy Chris Sweet never forgot the sexy redhead, although she disappeared without a trace. At first the secret creates a divide between them, but as they grow closer during the romantic weekend, will Heather dare risk her heart again? 


Welcome back to Valentine Valley! Emily and Adam (from True Love at Silver Creek Ranch) are finally tying the knot. Heather Armstrong, one of Emily's close friends and bridesmaids flies in for the wedding and comes face to face with with Chris...her one and only one-night stand... Did I mention that Chris just happens to be  Emily's brother?

Heather and Chris quickly realize that they left their earlier encounter, each thinking the wrong thing. Sparks fly again and this wedding weekend is full of more love than just the love shared by the newlyweds!

First off, I LOVE this series. I've read the two other books in this series, A Town Called Valentine and True Love at Silver Creek Ranch, so when the opportunity came to review this novella I jumped!

This story is cute and sweet, a quick read with just enough glimpses of the residents of Valentine Valley to make you feel like you made a quick stop at a family reunion! I for one would LOVE to have brunch with the Widow's at the Boardinghouse (for those of you not familiar with this series- the founding women of the Valentine Valley Preservation Fund live in an old rundown brothel and work to preserve "women's history".. what they really do is add fun and entertainment to every book in this series! These ladies are a hoot.

A Wedding in Valentine is on-sale today! Here are a few quick buy links if you want to pick up this read. If you try this and like it, you NEED to get the other two books in this series!

Click here to order A Wedding in Valentine on Amazon
Click here to order A Wedding in Valentine on BN.com
Click here to order A Wedding In Valentine on iTunes

For more information on Emma Cane and the Valentine Valley series visit her website at: www.emmacane.com

Thank you to Harper Collins Publishers and Avon Romance for providing me a copy of this novella for  an honest review! I hope if you pick it up you will enjoy it as much as I did!

Until next time,  HAPPY READING!

From Avon Addict to Avon Alum!

The new class of Avon Addicts was officially chosen this week. My tenure as an Avon Addict is officially over, but my new reign as an Avon Alum has begun!

The past six months have been so much fun. I've made many new friends and spent many hours chatting in our Avon Addicts Facebook group and via email. It's so nice to be around such a special group of women that have the same passion for reading as me! THANK YOU to the first class of Alums for welcoming in our class last Fall! Also thanks for answering my annoying questions and supporting  me as I launched this blog!  I am really looking forward to getting to know the new group of ladies! Avon Addicts are the best! :)

A special THANK YOU to the Avon PR team, Pam, Jessie, Caroline (and anyone else I am forgetting) for bringing me into this program!  Your passion for the books you are promoting is apparent and you made the past six months really amazing! I am a mom to my family (both at work and at home), but the Avon Addicts program gave my me time a whole new level of fun!

Here are just a few highlights from my tenure as an addict!

The Monthly Care Packages:

Discovering NEW authors that are now some of my favorites:

Jennifer Bernard, Sarah MacLean, Maya Rodale

Remembering why I fell in love with some of my other favorite Avon Authors all over again:

Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Eloisa James, Rachel Gibson, Tessa Dare,
Stephanie Laurens, Lori Wilde, Toni Blake

Favorite Avon Romance books....some new, some old, ALL AMAZING READS!

Again, Congrats new Addicts!
Until next time,  HAPPY READING!