BEA 2014: Day 2: Just Keep Walking...

Welcome to Day Two's Recap.

 I got a lot accomplished today including meeting several of my favorite book vloggers from YouTube.

I filmed this video a few times before I finally got it all together.  Today there weren't any breakfast to go to but we needed to be there early so that we could check our bags in and join the line.

Move aside ladies and gents, Donna Hill and Brenda Jackson are signing at the Harlequin Booth. I'm not afraid to mow anyone down.

I got to swing by the Harlequin Booth first thing and picked up the following:
Terry Brisbans'e Yield to a Highlander
Jannice Maynard's A not so innocent seduction,
My Secret Fantasues
Tall Dark and Vampires
Loretta CHase's
Tiffany Reisz The Saint

Then I jumped on some lines and re0united with my co blogger, and her friends, we jumped from line to line and made some serious progress on our book lists. My favorite moment came while I was on the Sublime Christan Lauren line which was right next to the Mark of Athena Rick Riordan line since the Riordan line was long I jumped on Lauren's lime figuring I would make it back to my sister's spot before I needed to be there. Boy did I plan wrong, Riordan's people made that line move swiftly and my sister ended up right next to me, so I jumped in front of her, got my books signed then jumped back in line in time to get my book signed. It was awesome!! Rick's face was hilarious; his rep was like "you can't do that" and I was like yes I can, I've got a ticket and she's my sister so boom!!  We happen to be right in front of the young woman dressed like a character from the book, She totally rocked I probably should have taken a picture,

Damsel Distressed Kelsey Macke she's also a booktuber on Youtube, Make sure to check her out,   This cover is gorgeous.  This year Spencer Hill was the place to be and they were even better with their giveaways, because you had to have tickets and be online otherwise you lost out,  They were strict and I loved them for it.

The lines today were so long and so tiring. I didn't even try to join the line for Heir of Fire. I just kept walking because already people were online for at least an hour and the line kept snaking around. NOPE. I'll wait. It's not that serious. I do want to commend the BEA Staff again because today they really earned their pay.  They kept those lines orderly and knew when to cut them off and made some ballsy calls when they got confronted by upset people; but I really felt like today went well because of them, they coordinated with the reps and made sure everyone was accounted for and it totally worked.

Since you've been gone, which was the booksplosion book of the month.( I learnt that when I opened up the book after Morgan signed it). This one I almost got into a little tussle with a woman over, I NEED people to understand how the buddy system works and stop getting all grouchy when I get there. I was there and went off to get other books my bags are here. I was so close to snapping at her then I just calmly pointed out that my friends had been online already and I was rejoining them. Calm own honey we're all getting books. Jesus Christos people.

I hung out with the women over at Cleiss press, and learnt all about the amazing new line up. I even managed to snag a few books and I can't wait to share them all with you, Make sure to be on the look out for some sweet erotica reviews and giveaways coming up.

In the Press room I picked up Ben Tripp's The Accidental Highwayman. The cover of this books is gorgeous. It sounds amazing an I can't wait to dive right in.  I got the book because I had it on my list and someone left it in the press room, I gave it to the monitor and she hung on to it for me and when no one claimed it by the end of the day, she gave it to me. Sweet!!

I got to meet Sylvia Day, if I'd been thinking I would have brought my Crossfire Series and gotten her to sign them . However the line was too long we didn't have any time to stop and really talk to her. She signed and while she signed you got a few seconds to gush, then it was time to move one.

I was stuck on a few lines this year. However my fellow blogger had made some serious friends on line and they kept switching out, and getting each other so many books. It was awesome because we kept in contact all of BEA and of course afterwards as well so that we can meet up again next year,

My sister asked me to join the Scott Westerfeld line for her, that line was a clustereff of foolishness, it went on forever and I was like Girl I love you but no. So I joined it anyway because.. well. books. She and her new bloggie friends came over 20 mins later and I went over to Hatchette where they were serving beer. It was perfect, my feet ached, I was tired and I wanted 10 mins of silence, but that corona certainly helped.  I got Elin Hildenbrand's newest Christmas book and I was outta there. I switched places again with my co blogger so she could grab a drink as well and then i stayed on line because well ..books.  It ended up working out in my favor. I was the last person in line and they still had books so I went over and asked if he could sign one and the rep was like "whatevs" probably because Scott said yes before she could answer.  I got five whole minutes to talk to him about his body of work and the rumors about movies being in the works for the Uglies series, which I had just begun to read. He was pretty freaking awesome. I see why people love him. He totally sold me on the new book as well.

Grand Total of 57 books, 7 bags, and two kickbutt stamps.

I'm both looking forward to and terrified of tomorrow. It being the thrid day and the first day of Book Con.  The rumors I'm hearing of the numbers of people can't be right and I hope to the gods people are exagerating because NO. Just. No.

Sorry About The Unexpected Hiatus

Sorry for the lack of posts my loves, I just started a new job and it's got a pretty intensive orientation which is pulling me away from reading and taking the time to format posts and even do vlogs and videos.  Now that i'm back into the swing you will be seeing more from me.  I am going to BEA this Wednesday to Saturday in NYC at the Javitis Center and I hope to see y'all there.

I'm going to be vlogin gand taking lots of pictures to share. I can't wait!! And when I come back?? Ill have lots of swag and giveaways to share!!

Thanks again for your patience and much love,
Happy reading
aisha

Top 14 Things to Know About Me Before BEA 2014

I don't know who started these little memes, but I have seen them on Lexie's blog over at the Poisoned Rationality and on the Irish Banana's Review as well. I'm going to share the top 14 things you should know about me for BEA

1) I'm pretty freaking nice, please talk to me!! I'm one of those idiots who gets around books and forget all social norms like how to talk.  Help me out!! I'm always scared that if I strike up the conversation people will just look at me like a rambling fool.

2) This is my third year going and I'm still pretty clueless. My first year I had no plan and just took whatever they shoved into my hands, my second year I had a plan but hey, still took books like crazy this year I have a plan and I'm sticking pretty close to it.

3) Every year I bring my cards (well last year I forgot them at my aunt's house when we made it to the showroom floor (oops, but for just one day though) and I almost always go home with tons of them. Ask me for a card please,

4) I'm a huge fan of Ellorascave, the first stop I make every year is over at that booth, so I can meet up with the reps, and of course take tons of pictures with those really cute guys. So if you see dreads flying by you on the first day, don't stop me I'm on a mission to kick this party off right.

5) I read mostly romance books, all the subgenres of course,but mostly romance,  I'm a huge erotica, romantic suspense, paranormal romance, and new adult fan. If you know of books in those genres let me know now so I can stalk them at BEA, or just add them to the wishlist . Please.

6) Currently in my living space I have 1300 books, Over 650 of them read the rest unread, I should probably stay away from BEA but I'm not going to.

7) I'm a creature comfort kind of gal, I like being able to sit down and relax after stalking the BEA floors all day, it only took one year to learn that suitcases were necessary, that the Center provides shuttles to the train station and that cute shoes don't count for much if they aren't also comfortable.

8) No matter how prepared I think I am, I always forget something, lose something, or forget to charge something. Last year I thought I lost my camera (left it at my aunt's house), left my cards at my parent's house, and of course if they hadn't created charging stations last year, my phone would have been a lost cause.

9) I'm the snack lady, I will forget my cards which are necessary, but I never forget the snacks, like ever, ever. I love my sweets way too much to ever leave them behind.  So if you run out of snacks and need some I'll probably have an extra granola bar, or a chocolate bar or some peanuts. Ask me I'll share.

10) No matter how well I plan, my co blogger always gets cooler books than me. She just goes with the flow and joins a line, goes to a panel, walks by a booth, and I'm always running all over the place. and freaking about sticking to my schedule.

11) I'm a native New Yorker, so I can tell you about some cool cheap places to eat and some fun places to bookshop, as I'll share.

12) Along with being a native NYer, I can be a bit of a sarcastic bitch, and I'm always trying to rein it in because not everyone gets my sense of humor, but I will not hesitate to put you in your place should you act a fool. I'm nice, not a fool so don't push me around or cut me in line. I'm only but so nice ok?? Okay good!!

13) I rehearse what I'm going to say to my favorite authors before I open my mouth, yet every time I meet them I turn into a ninny, so I'm apologizing in advance to all the authors who are going to have me on line in front of you. I'm intelligent I swear!!

14)I'm a chocoholic, and I will be running on little sleep, because New York is way too much for things like sleep, so I'll be caffeinated out to the max, when this happens I turn into Syx from Blossom, if you hear me talking a mile a minute, just tell me to shut up and I will I promise.

So what should we know about you for BEA?? Share down in the comment box and make sure to show some love to the ladies that inspired the post.

See you in a few days at Book Expo!!

YA Blog Tour #Review: The A Word @joypreble

Book Title: The A Word (Sweet Dead Life #2)
Author: Joy Preble |Website| Twitter| Facebook|

Publisher: SOHO Teen
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal
Series/Standalone: Series
Format: paperback

Cost: $17.99

Pages: 272

How I got it: Publisher

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Publisher
Publication Date: May 2014
Add To Goodreads
Synopsis:

Jenna Samuels is about to turn fifteen. It's been almost a year since her stoner brother, Casey, bit the dust. Almost a year since he returned as her guardian angel, along with his "angel boss," Amber Velasco, the hot twenty-something former EMT. Almost a year since Casey and Amber used up their one-time-only angel power of flight to save Jenna from the evil Dr. Renfroe, swooping down to catch her as she tumbled off the balcony at the Houston Galleria. In short, a lot of A-word shenanigans and a mostly happy ending. Except now Casey's begun to wonder why he's still hanging around—not that he minds protecting Jenna. She's a handful, but there's got to be a bigger picture, right? Something to distract him from his on again/off again, doomed relationship with cheerleader Lanie Phelps, who has no idea her boyfriend is, well, dead. After all, he can't use his angel wings anymore. Neither can Amber. Enter Bo Shivers, Amber's "angel boss"—a mysterious A-word guy Jenna and Casey didn't even know existed. Whiskey-guzzling. Handsome in a grizzled way. Unpredictable. Okay, make that crazy. Bo lost his angel wings in an earthly flight a long, long, long time back—and he's been a thorn in Angel Management's side ever since. But Bo knows something is coming. Something big. Something that was worth forfeiting wings for Jenna... something that might just change everything for everyone.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

 ★★★☆☆

Happy Reading

#Review: Perfect 10 A Cosmo Red Hot Read @HarlequinBooks @authorerin

Book Title: Perfect 10 (A Cosmo Red Hot Reads)
Author: Erin McCarthy |Website| Twitter| Facebook|

Publisher: Harlequin/Cosmo Red Hot
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Format: ebook

Cost: $3.99

Pages: 71

How I got it: NetGalley

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Publisher
Publication Date: May 13, 2014
Add To Goodreads
Synopsis:

Katrina's Lesson in Social Media Disasters or How Technology Can Bite You in the A** Katrina Phillips is an expert social media manager. But that doesn't mean she can't make mistakes. Horrible, hide-in-your-closet-forever mistakes…like accidentally syncing her BootyBook app with her online profiles. Blammo. Now everyone in the world can see who Katrina has dated and how they rated in appearance, sexual performance and (OMG) detailed descriptions of their manly parts! Now her phone is blowing up with angry exes—and an out-of-the-blue text from the only guy who came close to a perfect score…. Katrina has had a thing for Drew Jordan since forever ago, even if a booze-fuelled one-nighter did destroy their friendship. So why is he suddenly texting her now—and is it because she rated his Sexy Staff of Manliness as "magnificent?" Now the only way to satisfy her curiosity is to reunite with Drew…and rate him all over again!

Excerpt

OMG. Are you insane????

 

Katrina Phillips glanced at the text from her best friend, Samantha, and ignored it. She didn’t have time for drama. She was on the subway and she was late posting the Deal of the Day for one of her clients, Mind & Body Yoga, on all of its social networking sites. She really should have at least gone through the tutorial on her new phone, but she’d figured it was a phone, not a plane. She’d had a dozen previous smartphones, each one simpler to figure out than the preceding model.

 

Except for this one. All her apps and contacts and data had transferred, but it seemed to be doing some sort of internal knitting together of every individual account she had, weaving them into one lumpy, messy pile of informational yarn. Which reminded her. She had to tell the knitting club she’d joined on a whim that she was quitting. She sucked at knitting.

 

Only she couldn’t do that because she couldn’t figure her damn phone out.

 

Her phone dinged again and it was a text from Bryan, a guy she’d gone out with twice who had agreed that they’d split the check for cocktails, then had managed to slide the change into his pocket when she wasn’t looking, stiffing her five bucks. Why would he be contacting her after two months of mutual avoidance?

 

Bitch.

 

Well. Good thing he’d bothered to get that off his chest. Annoyed, she deleted the text. Only to have another one replace it.

 

Hey, baby, wassup? Long time no talk.

 

O-kay. That was Dirk, a hookup from the year before. Hot, funny, great in bed. Not one to call the next day, as she’d found out. Why would he be crawling out of the woodwork?

 

Along with James, whom she’d dated for two months.

 

And Seth.

 

And Michael.

 

The texts and emails rolled in, one right after the other, like a This is Your Sex Liferetrospective, and she thought OMG was about right. This could not be a coincidence. Alarmed, she shifted on her plastic seat, the coughs of the other passengers and the rumble of the train louder than she was used to. She wasn’t studiously ignoring everyone with her earbuds in as she usually did, because she couldn’t use her phone. And had she mentioned she couldn’t figure out her phone?

 

Why? She texted Samantha, suddenly very, very concerned.

 

Go to your profile.

 

Uh-oh.

 

It took her an agonizing minute to figure out how to bypass all the initial demands her phone was making of her. Honestly, it was worse than her mother and no, she would not like the GPS enabled right this second, she freaking knew where she was. But when she finally got to her profile and saw what exactly her glorious little piece of electronics had synced, she wanted a GPS to guide her to the nearest hole to crawl her hipster ass into and die.

 

Her BootyBook app had synced with her personal page.

 

Now every detail about every guy that she had logged in to her handy, and slightly tawdry, app equivalent of a little black book was now visible to everyone. Including ratings on their manners, clothes, conversation during the date, and yes, their penis size if she had hooked up with him. Along with whether or not she’d had an orgasm, the quality of foreplay, and her overall general impression of his sexual prowess.

 

OMG became OMFG.

 

Delete, delete, delete. Her hands started to shake, her armpits cranked out massive quantities of sweat, and her heart started to race so fast she wondered if a stress heart attack was possible at twenty-four. “Come on, come on,” she muttered to her phone, evil little piece of shit that it was, and clicked and scrolled and pinched and read, trying to figure out how in the hell she could get rid of what she had just seen. Forever.

 

When she thought she’d severed the mysterious connection she refreshed the site and finally remembered to breathe. It was gone. She called Samantha. “Check and see if it’s still there!” she blurted out without a greeting, her phone slipping in her sweaty hand. There wasn’t air-conditioning strong enough in the world to prevent clammy palms in this situation.

 

“It’s gone!” Samantha said, her voice triumphant. “Thank God. What the hell happened?”

 

“I don’t know, exactly.” Regardless of the fact that leaning against a subway window was never a good hygiene choice, she needed the support. She sagged backward. “But it doesn’t matter how. It did and I seriously don’t want to think about how many people saw it.” Given the commonality of instant notifications on status updates, it could be a lot. Everyone on her friends list. Including her mother.

 

Her phone dinged in her ear. And then again.

 

Katrina smacked the back of her head into the window so hard she actually managed to garner a side glance from the man sitting next to her, no small feat in New York, where eye contact on the subway was a social no-no. “I’m going to die,” she told Samantha.

 

The man looked away again. He so didn’t care.

 

“I’ll meet you at your place,” Samantha told her. “I’ll bring wine.”

 

“Thanks.” It was something.

 

“We’ll strategize damage control. Don’t freak.”

 

Yeah, too late. “All right, thanks. See you in a bit. Bye.” Tucking her hair behind her ear, Katrina bit her lip and gave her phone a sidelong tentative glance as it rested in her lap on her red skinny jeans, afraid to see who the latest texts were from.

 

Except one was from Drew Jordan, her best friend at NYU, her secret crush for four years, then her onetime lover after a boozy night at an art exhibit. Her throat caught as she frantically read the text, all too aware of what he must have seen.

 

Magnificent penis huh? I’m kinda speechless.

 

And with that, her humiliation was complete.

 

Because while there were quite a few BootyBook entries she remembered only in the vaguest sense, she distinctly recalled what she had written about Drew in the first flush of morning-after bliss when he had left her apartment. She had rated him a nine, skimping on a full ten because they weren’t in an actual dating relationship and because she had coaxed him into bed only after many vodka tonics. For kissing she had given him a ten, along with the description “dreamy.” His penis had been rated, well, magnificent, as he had noticed.

 

And she had written, “Now I understand what everyone is saying. Sex with someone you love is better. Happy sigh.”

 

But that happy sigh had turned into weeks of misery when it became apparent that neither one of them knew how to deal with the sexual aftermath of crossing that line in their friendship. She had acted weird, texting him too much. He had pulled away. She had flaunted a guy in front of him at a concert. He said she drank too much. Then came that fateful day when she realized that he was avoiding her altogether.

 

And she had absolutely and utterly humiliated herself by drunk texting him that she missed him.

 

So really, in the context of that text, she wasn’t sure she’d made it any worse.

 

God. Her life was over. No man was ever going to want to date her again.

Excerpt Provided by Erin's website

I believe I have shared my obsession no let's call it fervent love of Erin Mcarthy plenty of times before.  I mean I gush about Sweet, and True, and Believe all the time!!  So when I saw this on NetGalley I prayed that I would get it, and wehn I did?? Happy dance Happy dance.

As always, Erin writes, fun, strong and quirky characters.  This is a good look at friendship and it's many varied paths.  First Kat and Drew were college friends, and then one night they stepped over that boundary, their friendship never recovered.  When Kat accidentally reveals to all her social network contacts her feelings about certain male partners, life couldn't get any worse.  To say I laughed my butt off, and could totally understand how this happened I just couldn't stop chuckling at her. I shared right away with three friends the book and they all went and purchased because they loved the excerpt.

I felt Kat was a well written character that was relateable, likeable, funny and well set to take the world by storm ( or her part of the world anyway). And of course the fact that she and Drew live in my hometown doesn't have anything to do with it at all. Nope, my love of New York doesn't influence it not one bit. Ok that's a total lie, I loved reading about their adventures in New York, how the city helped them, changed them and made itself a part of who they were to become.  I loved that Kat was a modern girl with all the quirks and fear and beliefs, she was totally someone I went to college with. Heck even parts of her could be me.

It's a cute quirky story, especially because her job is social media. I loved it!!!i highly recommend this for a quick rump through New York and the brush with love and friendship that is set to burn up the sheets!! Enjoy my loves.

 ★★★★☆

Happy Reading

#Review: The Real Thing (Westmoreland Series) @AuthorBJackson @HarlequinBooks

Book Title: The Real Thing (Westmorelands #28)
Author: Brenda Jackson |Website| Twitter| Facebook|

Publisher: Harlequin Desire
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series/Standalone: Series
Format: ebook, Mass Market Paperback

Cost: $5.25

Pages: 192

How I got it: NetGalley 

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Publisher
Publication Date: March 4, 2014
Add To Goodreads
Synopsis:

What happens when a pretend boyfriend wants more than make-believe? Find out in this Westmoreland novel from New York Times bestselling author Brenda Jackson! No red-blooded man turns down the chance to escort gorgeous Trinity Matthews—and Adrian Westmoreland is definitely red-blooded. For her, he'll pretend to be her man. But keeping his hands to himself? That is impossible. A Westmoreland always keeps his word, but how long before Adrian turns this fake affair into something real?

OMGawd, my loves, why have I waited so long to dive into this?!!! I love Brenda's writing and I foolishly put this book aside after getting it, I'm now kicking myself, but I can't wait until September to get Aiden's story. Ok let's back up a bit.

I loved this story, first of all the characters are African American who are successful and affluent. YAYAY for diversity!!!  We meet Trinity who is the sibling of Tara a recent Westmoreland addition,  Trinity moved to Denver because of her residency and she's super excited to making serious headway into her dream career. Except she's working in an hostile environment, she's being sexual harassed by a mentor and is desperate for a way to turn him off; her sister Tara had a brilliant plan to have a Westmoreland, Adrian to be exact help her out.  They decide to pretend to be lovers in hopes of turning the asshat Dr away.  Now considering I have been in several hospitals myself, I can't lie and say this isn't a realistic look sometimes, it always takes someone with brassier balls than the offending party to get them to back off.  Which is effing sad as hell.

While I was pissed on Trinity's behalf, I totally got why she made the choices she did and I don't blame her for it.  While working on finding a way around Dr. Asshat (that's what I'm calling him from now on),  Trinity and Adrian find themselves connecting more than they expected. Adrian pushes Trinity to try new things, to look beyond what she always saw for herself and to embrace the changes that came with seeing beyond those dreams. Of course I won't lie, the sex?? Girl dayuum it's hot!!

I loved Trinity as a character, I loved Adrian and his family. I loved the fact that they had great relationships with their siblings, and their families. I loved reading their interactions as a couple and with their family. I loved the unfurling of each characters' characteristics and their raw intensity with each other.  I will say I laughed a little at the beginning when they first got together because of the language used in the romance, not because of them, it's funny because i read raunchy erotica, and this was tame for the first few chapters then BAM it got good and raunchy too.  Never let be said that romance can't have a little kick with those nice flowers.

While their romance blooms, we have tension mounting at the workplace, and we are left wondering how will it work itself out.  As we progress, moves are made, gmae changing steps taken and man oh man does Adrian show up for Trinity!! I love this book and the family??!! Where do I sign up to marry into this??

I really loved coming back to the Westmoreland Clan and I can't wait to catch up completely and of course I'm now dying to read the Secret Affair which comes out September.

 ★★★★☆

Have you read any Brenda Jackson??  Or do you have another author like her you think I should check out?? Share down in the comment section and I will gladly look into them. Thanks for stopping by and of course,
Happy Reading

Feature & Follow Friday (1)

The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee’s View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it’ll allow us to show off more new blogs!

The goal is to increase blog followers and make friends. First you leave your name here on this post, (using the linky tools — keep scrolling!) then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them “hi” in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you! What sets this Hop apart from others, is our Feature. Each week we will showcase a Featured Blogger, from all different genres and areas. Who is our Feature today? Find out below. Just remember it is required, if you participate, to follow our Features and you must follow the hosts (Parajunkee & Alison Can Read) as a courtesy. How do you follow someone? Well, if you have a preference, state it in your #FF post. A lot of blogs are transitioning to WordPress in which they do not have the luxury of GFC, so an RSS subscription is appreciated or if you choose an email subscription. If you don’t have GFC please state in your post how you would like to be followed. All features are chosen randomly to be the feature. They are not chosen by content or name. (From parajunkee)

This Week's Question,

Have you met a favorite author and have a picture? Share

Why yes I do.  I met my favorite author at BEA 2012 and 2013, and got her to sign off on one of my oldest books by her. She said I made her day. Then came around to hug me, I amost passed out, She totally made my year!!

Hey it's me and heather Graham!!!!! Omgawd freak out!!

What about y'all any pictures with authors?? Share down below so I can come freak out with you.

Happy Reading

and just in case you didn't know

Thanks for stopping By!! Make sure to comment and let me know you're new!!

Blog Tour Chapter Reveal & Giveaway: Intiation @choffmanbooks

Welcome Blog Tour Partcipants. We are having an awesome chapter reveal today.

Title: Invitation
Author: Christina Hoffman
Publisher: Christina Hoffman
Pages: 187
Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance
Format: Paperback/Kindle
Synopsis:

Madison Spencer is a serious medical student, focused only on work and hiding her beauty and her once-passionate spirit behind a quiet plain-Jane facade. Since she was drugged, stripped, assaulted and photographed by a vengeful ex, she has stayed away from men and kept her heart and body safe. But when heart-stoppingly gorgeous Dr. Liam Mason walks into her world, she knows she’s in trouble. After finding out about her devastating past, Liam offers to bring her back to life with physical passion. Madison thinks she should be repelled, but she’s intrigued and can’t turn him away. Together they explore days and nights of pleasure, and slowly develop into something more than bedmates. Deep inside they each wonder if they’ve found their perfect match. But with Liam’s fear of being dragged down by commitment, and Madison’s fear of being hurt by another man threatening to destroy the world they’ve built together, will they each be strong enough and brave enough to risk their hearts to have it all? 

Christina Hoffman was born in London, England. She moved with her family throughout Canada and the US, and has finally put down her suitcase, for now, in San Francisco.

She believes that everyone has the right to feel both smart and sexy. We don't have to be one or the other! She writes stories about characters who live in the real world and who, somehow, still believe in love.

She's starting a mini-revolution. She writes sexy stories, but hasn't lost the romance from her Romances. Enough with whips -- back to lips!

She hopes you enjoy her stories and see yourself in her characters. After all, they are based on smart and sexy people, just like you.

Christina’s latest book is the contemporary romance, Invitation.

Visit her website at www.christinahoffman.com.

TWITTER | FACEBOOK | GOODREADS

Purchase your copy:

AMAZON

Discuss this book in our PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads by clicking HERE

 First Chapter:

I can't even blame it on the booze. There wasn't any, or at least there wasn't any for me. I was with Chloe, my bodyguard. Okay, actually she was my friend, but a really overprotective friend who knew all about what I’d been through and wanted to make sure it never happened again. So, no alcohol.

But, what she and I hadn't counted on was him being there. There I was, minding my own business, putting in my time at the Med School Social, more than ready to head home for some studying, then Chinese food and a movie. And suddenly, him.

I was inhaling when I caught sight of him, but my breath just stopped. It felt like being punched in the chest. I kept telling myself, look away, look away! But it was impossible. I was paralyzed. His beautiful face and magnificent body were magnets, and my eyes were locked on them.

I hadn't felt this kind of physical attraction since, well, ever. I had never felt like that. I had stayed away from men for two years. I was pretty much terrified of them, to tell the truth. But there he was. Unavoidable and irresistible.

I saw him in profile. Oh, that hair. Thick, almost curly, falling into his eyes. The kind of hair you need to gently push off of his face right before you kiss him. Or, the kind of hair you grab really hard right before you're about to...

But, I'm getting ahead of myself. The point I'm trying to make is that my mind very clearly recognized all the dangers ahead and was saying, “Turn around, go, get out of here! Before it's too late.” But then he turned around to look right at me. It was already too late.

We held each other's gaze a second longer than politeness required. Something inside me went click, and for the first time in almost two years, I felt young and alive, and really, really turned on. Every part of me suddenly woke up, and all the best parts started to tingle. I was breathing harder. My lips parted slightly, already begging to be kissed.

It was a little overwhelming. I was out of practice. No, actually, I had never had the kind of practice you would need to stay controlled in a situation like that. I think maybe you can have a soul mate for your mind, and also one for your body. And my body was saying “Get me over there right now!”

But I was still too afraid. I smiled a little and turned away.

I had to stay for a while, to look sociable, so I went over to the food table and stared at the snacks, which were already stale. Nothing looked very good, and my throat was too tight to eat anyway.

I was starting to formulate a plan for escaping without the other students or the teachers noticing when I felt the air move behind me, the softest caress against my bare shoulders. Then, a hand on my back, an electric shock to my body, wildly pleasurable. I gasped and spun around. Right into the arms of...

“I'm Liam.”

Liam. Right into the arms of Liam. Oh, he was even more beautiful up close. My hand rose all on its own to push that wonderful floppy hair from his face. I stopped suddenly, embarrassed, but he caught my wrist, and held my palm gently to his face. We looked at each other and knew.

“Wanna get out of here?” he asked, and of course, foolish, foolish woman that I am, I said, “Yes.”

          I saw him my first day at the new hospital. I'm a medical student and had just finished the lecture part of things where we sit around learning about chemical reactions and body parts. That was over, at last, and we were moving on to seeing real live patients in the hospital.

The orientation was step one in getting us ready for our new roles. We each got a short lab coat and a tour of the locker rooms. We received our ID tag photos.

I'm not sure why I first noticed Liam.

Since the bad thing happened, I keep my head down and make eye contact with pretty much nobody. I wear my hair in a tight bun at the nape of my neck and my clothes are dull and loose. On that particular day, I was trying very hard to concentrate. I was excited to be starting work in the hospital, but I was mostly terrified. There was so much to take in and remember. My head was reeling after only two hours. The last thing on my mind was men. So, who knows why I took that second look as he walked by our group.

Well, actually I do know why. He was gorgeous. Ridiculously gorgeous. Dark wavy hair, just slightly overgrown so he looked like a happy surfer who'd tumbled out of bed. Smiling eyes. Sparkling, mischievous, movie star eyes. A little bit of stubble, likely because he had been on call all night. The rest of him looked pretty much immaculate. He wore light wool pants and a sky blue shirt. No tie, but the white lab coat made him look professional enough. 

I was dedicated to maintaining my nun-like lifestyle, but, seriously, it was impossible not to look at him. Even Chloe noticed him. She looked at him, then at me. She shook her head lightly and whispered, “No”. I laughed a little because she sounded like a mom telling a toddler that she couldn't have any candy. Well, that was pretty much what was happening, so I guess Chloe nailed that.

She was absolutely right. I didn't want any trouble. Certainly not that awful, frightening feeling of falling in love. No time-consuming romance. And certainly not all the time I had lost trying to recover from the trauma of what had happened before. Even a plain old tiny heartbreak could set me back, and put me way off course in my career.

No, I didn't have the time or energy for any distractions. Nothing. Just work and school.

So I ignored the stunning resident with the black hair, and tried to focus on the tall blond giving us the orientation spiel. This was much easier because I felt no attraction to him at all. He was really handsome, too. But something about him seemed mean. Or maybe arrogant. It's hard to remember what I thought of him that first time, because the memory is so clouded with all that came after. I'll just say he was a tall, slim blond who should have caught my eye, but didn’t.

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Blog Tour #Review: The Witch's Salvation (Book 1 in The Witch's Trilogy) @FrancaPelaccia

Book Title: The Witch's Salvation (Book 1)
Author:  Francesca Pelaccia |Website| Twitter| Facebook|

Publisher: Author
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal
Series/Standalone: Series Book 1
Format: ebook, paperback

Cost: $0.99, $12.99

Pages: 388

How I got it: Blog Tour

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble |
Publication Date: April 27th, 2013
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Synopsis:

A witch who demands humanity. The immortal families who denied her of it. Two mortals commanded to right the wrong. That is the fate of the urban princess Anasztasia and the renegade prince Matthias, born shockingly mortal to two immortal families. If they go back in time and restore the witch’s humanity, she will grant them immortality. She will also break a 550 year-old curse that imprisons Matthias’s family in their ancestral homeland and exiles Anasztasia’s family from it. But to make their lives their own, the heirs must return to the most dangerous day in their families’ past, Easter Sunday, 1457, the day Vlad III, aka Dracula, massacred nobles. How can they change the day when their families will not speak of their wrongs? How can they refuse when the witch owns their lives

Freaking amazeballs. When I was sent this galley I was afraid that it wouldn't be ok, because sometimes debut authors mean well but don't quite execute what they planned. I needed had worried, I was glued to this book from the very beginning.  The author writes about history, time travel, family honor, Knights and adventure. Who doesn't want that???  I was addicted and even gushed about the book to my sister and i was only like 150 pages in. I was loving it!!

The build up to the adventure our young princess and prince was facing was very well done.  I found myself desperately reading as fast as possible to see what was on the next page  Would they do what they were supposed to?? Would they fight for themselves?? How was this going to pan out??  I can't go into detail without spoiling it for you because it moves so quickly into the tale that anything could give more than I mean to.

The rich history used as the back drop, the myths, the love of the violin & music; oh my gosh there are even Knights, Saxon merchants, nobles, and Gypsies (Otherwise known as the Roma).  I found myself completely drawn in especially because she was talking about the Carpathian Mountains.  I found myself stopping a few moments to google some of the things she talked about so I could picture the men of the Teutonic Knights better, looking at maps so I could view the landscape better in my mind I was deeply entranced by this story and cannot wait until the second one comes out.

I have so many questions about friend the Knight, who is he, what does his symbols mean. Is he who I think he is???  OMGosh, this story just flew by and I can't quite explain how much I found myself enjoying it.  The sense of adventure, the lore, the fast paced sword fights, the love of family, of duty, of honor. The horror of Vlad the Third, the killing fields, the feast. I was just so lost in the story ( In a good way).  And of course the mysteries, why did her Grandfather not tell the whole story, who was the Witch?? What happened back then, I just wanted the mystery to unfold and of course pieces were given that made the story richer, and feed us just enough to keep you glued.  I loved the unfolding and how we got answers yet were left with so many more questions.

I'm going to stop gushing now and let you take a gander yourselves.  IF you had a chance to read it, share what you think down below, I'm off to stalk the author's goodreads page to see when the second book in the trilogy comes out.

Excerpt:

 In a cave shaped by five centuries of the earth’s temper, the wind’s hand, and the sky’s will, a witch stirs from beneath the dry leaves and twigs that make up her resting place. She pushes herself through, then brushes the blanket of brittle leaves from her furrowed face and shriveled limbs. But after five centuries of sleeping and waking in a bed of earth, she does not recognize foliage from skin. She plants her emaciated feet on rough stones and drags herself across the cave to the aged branches of her door, her steps shaky like those of an infant learning to walk. The door grinds as it opens with one silent command. The world outside her hovel is as it is inside—dark, dank, musty, the bottom layers of centuries of overgrowth and the absence of human vanity. Yet she hears everything, worms burrowing, insects feeding, foliage breathing. They have been her companions and teachers through the ages as much as they have been her nourishment. Her bones slipping against the shell of her body, she stumbles toward the ragged stump of an ancient beech. Over five centuries ago, she snapped the sapling from its roots, nurturing its swell to remind herself of the passage of the years, the turn of the centuries, and the approach of salvation. It is as old and as dead in life as she is, but it has kept her will strong and focus sharp. Instead of resting her frail body on it, or sipping from the water trickling over one of its gnarled roots and collecting in a hollow at its base, she climbs onto it. She crawls to the middle, appearing no bigger than a rodent on a master’s grand table. Her pupils are dull and worn away, but she finds the first ring with her fingertips and begins to count. One, two, three, four, five…It is slow and meticulous work for one taught only the basics of language and numbers by those she once served. But her voice is strong, her need to count a hunger, her focus unrelenting. Once she had magnificent eyes. Dark, almost black, alert and alive, eager to see the world, to touch it and to know it. Her hair matched the black of her eyes. Long and thick, it shone brighter than those nobles with marigold hair. Once, she was a young woman, until the nobles of the two warring families tore her from her family, wrenched her life from her body and her soul from her flesh, turning her into what she is now. Once, she had a name, a lovely, rhythmic name. But that was robbed from her, too, and she inherited another name. Strigoaic. Witch. A witch who was once a girl. A girl who once had a life. A life now trapped in death.

PrologueThe Strigoaic counts the rings without stopping, her voice moaning through the clearing and the dense trees around it. She stops when her fingers grasp a ring larger and more pronounced than the others. Her heart begins to thump as it did when she first discovered it, as it did in her human life. Slipping over the edge of the stump, her fingers never leaving that ring of hope, she begins to count again, but from one, to two, to three, all the way to eighteen. She lowers her head, a drop of blood falling from her eyes. Crawling back onto the stump, she lies on it, the pulse of the ancient tree pounding against her palms and heating her chilled skin. The time has come. After centuries of waiting, the time has come to summon those two nobles who robbed her of her humanity. But it is not them she wants. She has already punished them. She imprisoned one noble and his family in the boundaries of the earth once known as their homeland of Wallachia, while the other noble and his family she exiled from it. Unwise about her sorcery, however, she imprisoned and exiled them for eternity to an immortal life. That will right itself in time, too. Now she wants—no, needs—the last born of each family. She decreed them, and she will have them. Clawing her fingers through the flesh of the stump, she lets a shrill break from her lips that shakes birds and trees and mountains. The time has come to get her name back.

Wednesday, May 14

Book Featured at Sweeping Me

Thursday, May 15

Book Featured at Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews

Friday, May 16

Interview at As the Page Turns

Monday, May 19

Interview at The Book Connection

Tuesday, May 20

Book Featured at Literarily Speaking

Wednesday, May 21

Book Featured at Literary Winner

Thursday, May 22

Book Featured at Bibliotica

Guest Blogging at Lori’s Reading Corner

Friday, May 23

Book Featured at The Literary Nook

Monday, May 26

Guest Blogging at I Heart Reading

Tuesday, May 27

Book Review & Guest Blogging at The True Book Addict

Wednesday, May 28

Interview at Angie’s Diary

Thursday, May 29

Book Featured at Booklover Sue

Friday, May 30

Interview at Virginia Beach Publishing Examiner

 ★★★★★

Happy Reading