Spotlight: Fire & Ice Book Tour: Following Your Heart by Cheryl Persons

Virtual Book Tour Dates: 2/19/14 - 2/26/14

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Blurb:

It had been 10 years since Cassie and Seth said their goodbyes. They had both moved on and were leading happy lives, or were they? When Cassie finds herself back in Texas, everything changes. Cassie remembers the love that she once had and surprisingly finds herself longing for it again. Is it too late, or does her heart have other plans?

Excerpt:

“Cassie wait;” Seth called, begging her to stop running. He grabbed his keys and ran to his car; the storm was beginning to pick up and he was worried she would get sick, if she did not let him take her home. He put the windshield wipers on full blast and made his way down the road where Cassie was headed. As he approached her, he was glad to see she started to slow down. He rolled down his window and moved at a snail’s pace. “Cassie, please just get into the car.” She did not look at him as he continued to drive. “I am begging you, let me take you home. This is obviously a misunderstanding and we can clear it up. Just get into the car, before you get sick.” When Cassie stopped and opened the door, he breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you. Cassie, I am sorry I did not tell you about Rebecca. It’s not as if I didn’t try. If I could take it all back, I swear I would have found some way to tell you sooner. I…”

“Seth, stop talking. This isn’t about you not telling me that Rebecca and you are no longer engaged…it goes way beyond that. In fact, it might even go back the past ten years.”

“What do you mean?”

When she turned to face him, he saw the trickle of tears flowing down her cheeks. “Recently Courtney told me something. I suppose I haven’t been able to get it off my mind.”

“I’m listening.” Colton braced himself for what she was about to tell him; he hoped that it would not be the end to any chance of them getting back together.

Buy Link:

Amazon

About Cheryl Persons:

Cheryl Persons was born, raised, and to this day lives in Fort Wayne, Indiana. At the age of 21, she decided to pursue her dream of writing. However, it has taken nearly 15 years to make it a reality. That is one thing she believes in most, never give up on your dreams. She works full time in a doctor’s office, doing clerical work and can honestly say she loves her job. Yet, being able to write, as well, is an added bonus.

Connect with the Author:

Goodreads

Twitter

Giveaway:

Author Cheryl Persons is giving away two $10 Amazon gift cards! Open internationally. The giveaway will run 2/19/14 - 2/27/14 at 12 AM Eastern time.

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Sunday Review: Academy of Love by Kate Deveaux

Title: Academy of Love

Author: Kate Deveaux

Source: I received a copy from the author for an honest review

Purchase Links AMAZON   B & N

Blurb:

Boarding School was never this much fun….

Love smolders and the sex is red hot when Cassianna Baxter leaves behind a glamorous teaching career in Italy to return to her old Alma Mater, Lewiston Academy for Girls as the Deputy Head Mistress. No sooner does she arrive at the Academy than she walks smack into sexy Lawrence Taylor, her first love and ex-lover. He’s been looking for her ever since he was forced to leave her and now that she is back at the Academy he knows he has to win her back. And not just in his bed.

Excerpt:

Lawrence watched her as she left the dance floor, he was rather getting used to watching her walking away. He didn’t mind the view, but he knew this time was different. She would be his as long as he didn’t frighten her off first. Feeling his growing need straining against his jeans, he followed her request and walked slowly away, and then to her cottage.

The moonlight streamed across her porch and lit a sliver of light across the threshold to the cottage as he stopped and took a deep steadying breath. The only thing separating him from what he wanted more than anything was her front door. Barely able to calm the pounding in his chest he took the porch steps two a time and placed his hand on the screen door. It squeaked as he opened it and then the wood door next.

“In here,” Cassianna whispered to him from the darkness, “and shut the door behind you, I don’t want anyone to see you here.”

“Oh, Cassie,” he said, seeing her silhouetted against the fireplace in the darkened living room. He couldn’t wait to get her out of those jeans. Unable to contain his emotions another moment, he moved to her side in a split second, gathered her up in his arms, his mouth finding hers and their urgent passions meeting. He’d waited too long for this and now he was finally going to have her. His mouth was hungry as his tongue found hers and he kissed her deeply. He pressed his body hard against her; he wanted to feel all of her touching him as his lips explored her luscious mouth making his cock hard with want. His body tensed under her nimble hands as she ran them along his shoulders and across his back, as his hands roamed her curves, remembering every part of her body as if it were yesterday.

Breathing heavily, they both stopped and looked at each other. “I want to remember this,” he said, as he undid her scarf, throwing it carelessly over his shoulder and then turned his gaze to her shirt buttons. Slowly, one, by agonizing one, he undid each button. Her body quivered with excitement as his fingers grazed her nipples but only teasing her by passing over them as her shirt slipped off easily and he continued his caresses lower. He knelt slowly down in front of her.

Review:

And Kate does it again! This is the second book of Ms. Deveaux's that I have read and the second that I have loved. I flew through this romance with ease and just loved it. I found myself smiling almost the whole time that I was reading. 

There is just something about the way she writes that makes it seem easy. The flow is perfect, the pace perfect and the description again, perfect.

What I liked about this book was that it didn't require a lot of thought or effort to find yourself in the shoes of the main character.

The only thing I would have liked was to have more of the male point of view more. She gave us little glimpses into Lawrences thoughts but I just wanted  more of him. He was a great character and so was Cassie.

Overall I give this a 4.5 Stars. Thank you Kate for letting me review your book!

Spotlight: Ju Ephraime's Complete Surrender (LaCasse Series) book three

Purchase Links:

Amazon Kobo Barnes & Noble


Book Description:

Raymond LaCasse had just completed his studies in Paris and was on his way home, to the French Caribbean island of Martinique, little did he know sharing a taxi with a beautiful stranger would change his life in ways he could have never imagined. His couldn’t get the beautiful woman out of his mind, long after she had collected her belongs and left the taxi they’d shared on the way to the airport. Who was this gorgeous woman? He wish the drive had been longer, so he could have spent a longer time in her company. He’d get his wish, but not in the way he’d imagined.

Gabrielle Descotte, a model by profession, had agreed to assist her brother in carrying out an illegal feat. She loved her brother dearly and would do anything for him, but when she met his intended target, Raymond LaCasse, she swiftly had a change of heart. She now had to choose, her brother or the man who occupies her every waking moment, to the exclusion of all else.

Divided by loyalties and bound by a desire that drives them into each other’s arms, Raymond and Gabrielle find themselves in a convoluted web of deceit and danger that almost destroy their new-found love and tear them apart….


About the Author:

Ju Ephraime began writing professionally at the age of 19, but her love of romantic literature developed when she was a teenager, where she often found herself dallying with her own tales of love and romance.

Two decades later, Ju decided to write novels for women who enjoy a quick spicy-themed read that includes pure pleasure and escape from the real world. With nine romantic novels to her credit, Ju admits her books are part fact, part imagination – but only she knows what’s what. After writing Temptation to Sin, her fans didn’t want to let go of Jayden’s character, so she wrote a sequel to his story – and Against All Odds was effortlessly created in Ju’s mind. Without spoiling the tale for her fans, she firmly believes her readers will enjoy the twists and turns that Jayden and his new love Genna deal with to achieve insatiable undying love. Ju lives in Connecticut with her husband, who blushingly reads every loving tale that she publishes.

She has now released her third in her LaCasse series, Complete Surrender. Set in the beautiful French Caribbean of Martinique, the story of Raymond Lacasse and Gabrielle Descotte sizzles with a level of heat that only the French is reportedly able to achieve. Check it out for yourself, and then you decide.


http://www.juliaeantoine.com

http://www.juephraime.blogspot.com

https://twitter.com/Juephraime

Waiting on Wednesday: Fire & Ice Book tours: Leviticus (When We Were Gods) By Daniel Seltzer

BIO

Daniel Seltzer holds a J.D. degree and a BA in English. He also holds an MA in Bioethics and previously worked at a major university researching the ethical, legal and social implications (“ELSI”) of nanotechnology. It was while working there that the idea for this story first took shape.

AUTHOR LINKS

Facebook

Twitter 

Blogspot

Webpage

 GIVEAWAY

Author Daniel Seltzer is giving away 20 print copies of Leviticus and a $50 Amazon gift card! Enter through Goodreads and Rafflecopter! USA residents only, please.

BLURB

Science has created a world where anything is possible and everything is affordable.

A world where illness and disease have been eradicated.

What if you could be young forever?

What if you didn’t want to?

Levi Clayton Furstman’s decision not to be inoculated with technology designed to bestow youth and immortality leads him on a journey that forces him to reexamine his relationships, his purpose in life, and, ultimately, what it means to be human.

EXCERPT

“The technology for TIN has been around for decades actually,” said the young man assisting Clay. The lanyard hanging around the youth’s neck displayed the words Rudy andGenius.

It had been almost eight months since his family had purchased him an iMeme as a birthday gift and they had finally worn him down and elicited a promise to have the TIN nanochip fitted today. Rudy was explaining how the process worked and it seemed to Clay the young man knew what he was talking about. Most of the Genius Bar staff did.

“It uses the same technology the physically impaired use to transmit brain signals to a computer to perform specific functions. Your iMeme sits here on your Spot, or wherever you choose to keep it, and as long as it’s within a three-foot radius, it can transmit information to, or receive information from, the TIN, which is really just a cochlear nanochip placed in your inner ear. With two-way communication and the iMeme’s built-in nanocamera, the iMeme can perform any number of important functions.”

Clay was still nervous. “So you’re going to stick something in my inner ear? Right here?” he asked, looking around. “No doctor? No specialist?”

“Trust me sir, I’m an Apple trained audiologist. I’ve done thousands of these. I simply place this device in your ear and the TIN nanochip will be inserted into your cochlea. Takes just a few moments.” Rudy put a smile on his face to try to reassure Clay.

“That’s the problem, Rudy. I’m not too hip on you puncturing my eardrum with that thing. I mean, don’t doctors say that only thing you should put in your ear is your elbow?”

“Sir,” Rudy responded. “The PSD will barely enter your outer ear.”

“PSD? What’s a PSD?” Clay asked.

Rudy was clearly working to retain his patience. “Sir, the PSD is the Placement and Syncing Device,” he said, showing Clay the object in his hand. It looked to Clay like an ear thermometer with a small cable hanging off its lower end. Rudy pointed to the small tip protruding from the top of the PSD and continued. “A nano-needle extends from here into your inner ear and to the cochlea. The needle itself is thinner than the proboscis of a mosquito. Not only will you feel absolutely nothing, the procedure is so safe that even if the TIN were misplaced, there would be no harm done to you.” He saw the look of doubt on Clay’s face and added, “The TIN won’t be misplaced. I promise.”

Rudy put the PSD to Clay’s ear, pressed a button. Clay closed his eyes, expecting the worst. He felt absolutely nothing. A hopeful thought that the PSD was broken crossed his mind. He opened his eyes and turned to Rudy.

“Listen, if there’s a problem, I can always come back.”

“I’m sorry Sir. What was that you said?” Rudy asked, involved in hooking up Clay’s tiny iMeme to the cable dangling off the lower end of the PSD.

“I said,” Clay started and then jumped slightly when he heard a gentle whisper in his ear.

iMeme now activated: November 13, 2021. 5:43 p.m.

Clay spun around to see who had spoken to him, but quickly realized it was no one, simply his iMeme communicating to him. Clay flushed slightly with embarrassment as he noticed Rudy grinning. Clay wondered whether everyone reacted as surprised or whether Clay was the random oddball. The idea of being looked upon as some sort of fool annoyed him. “What if I want to take the chip out?” Clay asked.

A puzzled look crossed Rudy’s face. “Take it out?”

Fire and Ice Book Tour: Serendipity by Janet Nissenson

Title: Serendipity

Author:  Janet Nissenson

Genre: Erotic Contemporary

Published:

Source: I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Purchase the book on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Smashwords

Blurb:
Julia McKinnon was convinced she’d found the one – the man of her dreams, the most seductive, experienced lover she’d ever known – and the night they’d spent together in New York was the stuff erotic fantasies were spun from. But with the dawn of a new day came only heartache and betrayal, and her dreams were snuffed out like so much fairy dust. 
Nathan Atwood felt like the lowest sort of life form after seducing the incredibly beautiful girl he met in New York, only to break her tender heart with the confession that he was already involved with someone else. Leaving Julia was the hardest thing he’d ever done, and the memory of their passionate night together haunted his dreams for months afterwards.
Now fate has brought them together again, and they are forced to work alongside each other. Will Julia be able to put aside the feelings she still has for her handsome boss and forge a new life for herself in San Francisco? And how long will Nathan be able to resist the gorgeous woman he’s never really stopped thinking about or wanting? 

Excerpt:

 “How did you find me?”

Julia’s head swung to meet his gaze in disbelief. “Excuse me?”

Nathan leaned back in his desk chair, regarding her across the wide expanse of mahogany, with an expression of barely checked anger. “Come on, Julia. You don’t really expect me to believe that you working here is some sort of wild coincidence, do you? The only logical explanation is that you somehow found out who I was and where I worked, and was lucky enough that there was a job opening. The only real coincidence is that you happen to be an interior designer and that I co-own an architectural design firm.”

She stared back at him, appalled by his arrogance. “Are you kidding? Even assuming that I was able to figure out who you were – Mr. No Last Name, No Occupation, No City of Residence – why would you think I’d want to see you again, much less work with you?”

He shrugged, but his composure looked a bit less cocksure than it had. “Revenge, obsession. Maybe a little of both.”

Julia smirked. “Really? You think I somehow managed to find out your name – by what means I have no idea – then stalked you several thousand miles across the country because I wanted to get back at you? Or worse, because I craved another fuck? Sorry, you weren’t that good.”

Nathan’s eyes narrowed and shot out sparks of light blue fire. “That’s not what you said that night.”

Enraged, she got to her feet, leaning over his desk. “As I recall, both of us said a lot of things that night. But one of us intentionally neglected to say the one thing that would have instantly put a stop to everything else – something along the lines of ‘by the way, I’m already spoken for’.”

He winced at the angry lash of her words. “I deserve that, I suppose. But that still doesn’t explain how you found me or why you followed me cross country.”

She let out a rather undignified hoot of laughter. “For real, Nathan? You’ve still got me pegged as some Fatal Attraction-like stalker? Well, think on this one. I’m normally not a vain person, but I’m not naïve, either. I know I’m hot. Men have been telling me that since I was twelve. If I wanted a man that badly all I’d really need to do would be to walk inside the nearest bar or club or even a grocery store, and let nature take its course. It would take little to no effort on my part to get whatever man I wanted. And he sure as hell wouldn’t be one who’s already taken.”

Review:  
Janet Nissenson's debut novel is one that leaves a great impression in your mind for this authors style of writing. I liked the author's writing style and look forward to more stories from her.

I loved that you felt the characters emotions. The good and the bad were both there and I really enjoyed Nathan and Julia's character developments

What bothered me was the excessive descriptions. That's a personal turn off for me. I like short and concise descriptions and at times, sometimes a lot, I felt it kinda drug on. Especially with the designer cloths.

I know that this was an erotic romance, but even in erotic I personally like the descriptions to be believable. There were parts during the sex scene that made me think, "What the hell, I wouldn't want this feeling..." *spoiler* during the blowjob scene...

I give this read a 4 star, if it had been more concise and less obsessed with the designer names and what not it would have been a 5 star for me.

About the Author: 
Janet is a lifelong resident of the San Francisco Bay Area, and currently resides on the northern California coast with her husband Steve and Golden Retriever Max. She worked for more than two decades in the financial services industry before turning her focus to producing running events. She is a former long-distance runner, current avid yoga practitioner, is addicted to Pinterest, likes to travel and read. She has been writing for more than three decades but Serendipity is her first official published work. She plans five more books in the Inevitable series, with each one a standalone with new lead characters, so no cliff-hangers or waiting months to see what happens next!


Author Links
Website/blog – http://www.janetnissenson.com
Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7375780.Janet_Nissenson
Twitter - https://twitter.com/JNissenson
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Janet-Nissenson-Author/229816550510513
Pinterest - http://www.pinterest.com/janetnissenson/serendipity/

Giveaway:
Author Janet Nissenson is giving away a total of six prizes! One winner will receive a $15 Amazon gift card, and five readers will get an ebook copy of Serendipity. Ends 2/20/14 at 12 A.M. Eastern time.  Open internationally to readers 18+. Enter through Rafflecopter.
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Pre-Order Maverick Touch: The Highway Release March 24, 2014

Nadia and Anabella head down to Houston, Texas for what they thought would be a relaxing vacation. Nadia could work on her travel news articles for her boss in Cedar Rapids while Anabella caught a few rays of sunshine. Or that was the plan. Little did they know what trouble lurked inside the luxurious hotel nestled in the center of downtown Houston.

When Carlisle Ali introduces Anabella to his friend and brother-in-arms, Carter Jackson, all hell breaks loose for the Mavericks. Trouble never has a problem finding Nadia when she is out and about looking for a story. Be it Cedar Rapids or Houston, it doesn't matter. Nadia finds a way to cause chaos and disaster.

What happens when MR. A and Mr. J go out on a hunt for the man who is terrorizing people along I-45, the interstate running through the heart of Houston? More importantly, what happens to Nadia and Mr. A when they are forced to face the feelings that have been boiling between them for over a year now?

Estimated Ship date March 22nd

Print Copies $10 each plus shipping

E-Book copies can be purchased in advanced here in PDF format: All Romance Ebooks, BookStrand

Shipping rates and appropriate taxes are calculated through Paypal automatically

Please make sure you state if you want it personalized or a generic signature

Please make sure you state the name of the person you want it autographed to

If you have any questions or issues please email me at: Ashley@AshleyNemer.com

Name for autograph

Sunday Review: Timeless Love by Ariana Miller

Title: Timeless Love

Author: Ariana Miller

Genre: Romance

Published: February 11, 2014
Purchase: Amazon & Barnes & Noble
Source: I received a copy of this for a honest review

Blurb:  

Timeless Love explores the unique and unbreakable bond that develops between two very different people after destiny brings them together at a crucial point in their lives.

Warren McLean and Pauline Clemens couldn’t be more different from each other. He’s a confident, independent, and successful Hollywood director, who rebelled against his father and had to overcome a lot of hardships to get to where he is today. She’s a somewhat sheltered and insecure woman searching for love, who lives life by the rules and keeps hoping for a better tomorrow.

When destiny brings these two together, both of their lives are irrevocably changed forever. They are each put in a position where neither can survive without the other, and the powerful bond they ultimately develop is one that very few people ever achieve.

Sure to touch your heart in ways you couldn’t imagine, Timeless Love is a brilliant and thoughtful piece of contemporary romantic fiction that speaks to the unstoppable power of love and the surprising ways our differences can be used to draw us closer together.

Excerpt:

He was on a cruise around Tahiti and Bora Bora when he saw her, the sun setting behind her. She was the most exquisite view he had seen in a long time. He must have been shamelessly staring in her direction, because he saw her turn her back to him.

Golden-blonde curls brushed against her flawless cheeks. She was wearing a sleeveless summer dress, exposing her smooth, olive skin, which he wanted to touch, to feel her softness. He was so enchanted that he wanted to capture every bit of her beauty in his memory.

He was far away in his thoughts, his eyes half-closed, when he heard an appealing voice. “Don’t you know it’s rude to stare?” He opened his eyes to see that she was standing in front of him. He was transfixed by her enchanting face. It was like she was a work of art; each and every feature was designed to perfection. His eyes fell on her lips, so delicate and inviting.

She smiled, and he looked up at her. “I’m sorry. Was I that obvious? But you must be used to this kind of attention with the elegance you possess.” He was flattering her, yes, trying very hard to cover up his embarrassment, but she also truly deserved the praise.

She laughed at him, which sounded like music to his ears. “Not only are you rude, but very brave as well to carry on with your flattery.”

She started to walk away, but then she turned around. “You are quite a handsome man yourself.” Before he could reply to her remark, she disappeared into the interior of the ship.

Author Bio:

Ariana Miller holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, and has extensive experience in the accounting field. She currently lives in Washington, DC, though she originally hails from Orlando, Florida, and also lived in New York for many years.

Miller has been writing, in one form or another, for most of her life. As a teen, she penned poetry in her free time; as an internal auditor, she honed her abilities even more by writing reports. But, despite her lifelong passion for writing, it wasn’t until recently that Miller decided to publish her books.

For most of her life, a crucial piece of the puzzle had been missing—inspiration. But, in July 2013, she finally found it. After a life-changing encounter with a very unique person, Miller broke through the wall to release her debut novel, Timeless Love, the first of four installments in her forthcoming Love series.

Review:

This book is the debut novel for Ariana Miller. The grammar was well written and the flow was easy to follow. There weren't any parts that just threw me out of the story or kept me from bonding with the main characters.

What I had trouble with is that I felt this novella could of had more depth. It was written in a very simplistic form. And while that can be good sometimes, this time I felt like that simplicity took away from the story because it allowed my mind to wander and not keep focused. Parts were a bit predictable but that isn't a bad thing.

I did like how the author was able to develop her characters. That's hard in short stories and Novella's to really develop them and I felt like Ms. Miller did a good job in that aspect.

I would deff consider reading another book from her. This one I give a 3.5 mainly because of its simplicity.

If you like books like that, ones that require no thinking or heavy investment than you would probably like this. My taste is a bit more depth. But that isn't the authors fault.

Thank you Ms. Miller for letting me read your debut novel in exchange for a review, this was an overall enjoyable experience.