HEA Book Tours PResents: Audrey Exposed by Roxy Queen

Audrey Exposed

Author: Roxy Queen

Genre: Erotic Romance

SYNOPSIS:

For Audrey her body is her worst enemy. For Graham it’s his biggest temptation.

With his assistance she must embark on a journey to conquer her fears by allowing herself to discover feelings of pleasure, the power of her body and the thrill of sex.

With each revelation they sink deeper into one another, merging into the other’s lives in and outside their protective bubble.

There’s only one goal. One objective and together they’ll break new ground, layer by layer, until Audrey’s exposed.

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PURCHASE LINK: 

AMAZON

EXCERPT: 

I wipe my hands on my dress, staring at the numbers 806 on the gold metal plate. This is it, Audrey. You’ll walk in that door a girl and eventually come out a woman.

“I’m such a loser,” I mumble to myself, and twist the doorknob.

A man hops up from the love seat when I enter. He has dark hair and a defined, closely shaved jaw. He’s handsome, definitely not smelly or gross, and strangely familiar.

“Have we met before?” I blurt, trying to place him.

“Um… I don’t think so,” he says, flashing a heart-stopping smile. His eyes meet mine and they’re bluer than blue. Henry Cavill.

“Oh, I saw you going up the elevator last week.”

“Right. Of course, I remember that,” he says with an even brighter smile. Adorable dimples appear on his cheeks. He holds out his hand. “You were loitering in the lobby. I’m Graham.”

 I remember why I’m here and my face burns, surely, turning bright red. I take his hand anyway and say, “Audrey.”

“Right.”

“Right,” I repeat feeling like an idiot.

“Would you like to sit down?” he asks.

“I guess so, thanks.” I take the same spot as the other day but this time I sit in the middle, hoping he doesn’t try to sit next to me. What am I doing here?

Graham sits across from me and says, “I know this is all new for you, but please don’t be uncomfortable. Dr. Markson has told me all about your situation and I just want to help. I think together we have a really good chance of defeating your anxiety.”

His speech is so sincere and he’s giving me the most empathetic smile. I want to die of humiliation. Covering my face with my hands, I groan. “Oh God, this is so embarrassing.”

“Why?”

“Because you know I’m a defective misfit; and you’re here to help me with something I never share with anyone. Like ever, yet you’re just talking about it like its normal.”

“It’s your normal,” he says.

“Yeah. Whatever.” I cross my arms over my chest and nervously look around the room, anywhere but at him. I notice a small black journal on the coffee table. “What’s that?”

“Those are our instructions and guidelines for the day.” He picks the book up, and says, “Want me to read them?”

My stomach burns from anxiety. I want run from the room and never look back. “I guess we may as well see what this is all about.”

TEASERS:

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Roxy Queen

Roxy lives in the south with her family, two dogs and a semi-feral cat. Her office window looks over a tree-fort and she secretly obsess over the college-aged neighbor down the street, zombies and how much glitter is too much (answer: there's no such thing). All of her books are rooted in a glimmer of reality with a heap of fiction.

Social media links:

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Sunday Review: The Reluctant First Lady by Venita Ellick

Title THE RELUCTANT FIRST LADY
Author VENITA ELLICK
Source I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
Buy Links: Amazon

 

Summary

Ashley Taylor has been straightforward with her husband, the president-elect of the United States. She supported his candidacy, but she has no intention of assuming the traditional role of First Lady—a position she describes as “First Hostess.” Instead, she will resume her own career as head of one of the largest art museums in New York. The aftermath of her decision triggers reactions from the public, news commentators, late night comedians, and other political factions. While Ashley and Michael wrestle with saving their marriage and preserving their professional lives, the country debates whether the role of First Lady is a necessity, how the media influences the lives of public figures, and how much a woman should sacrifice for the person she loves.


Review

I love the concept of this novel. Its fresh, and honestly, we really could use something like this in our actual political life. The idea that women just have to fall into tradition is a rather outdated concept and I love that someone came up with a book based on this premise.

This book really had a lot of promise. And I liked the characters well enough. I wasn't in love with them. The dialog was very, simple. I was hoping for something more complex.

But it wasn't a bad book. I would recommend it to people who like a story where you shake up society and make people stop and think about why we are always doing the same thing over and over with out question.

Overall to me this was a solid 3 star book. 

 

New Women's Fiction That's Stirring Up a National Debate

by Venita Ellick 

About the Author:

Venita Ellick was fated to be a writer. She was named for a character in a book her mother was reading at the time of the birth. As a young girl, she spent so much time in libraries that librarians would save books for her almost daily visits. She began writing stories in the first grade, which her mother

patiently read. The intervention of a career as an educator and raising three sons delayed her focus on writing, but she has now completed three novels. The Reluctant First Lady is her fourth.

Mistress of Mellyn by Victoria Holt and Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen captivated her as a teenager. The power and imagery of the printed word made her wonder what each heroine was thinking and feeling. She wanted to be the woman with the cape and hood standing on the edge of the cliff with the wind whipping around her. The mysteries that could be found in stories fascinated her and are echoed in The Reluctant First Lady.

Ellick draws on her experiences as a wife, mother, teacher, and principal to create her characters. Her sense of humor and recognition of the absurd and often whimsical nature of life have allowed her to capture her characters’ lives with authenticity and emotional resonance.

Venita and her husband David have experience as a two-career couple. They live on an island in the state of Washington.

Excerpt: 

From Chapter 3 of The Reluctant First Lady


Applause and pandemonium broke out on the other side of the curtain, indicating Michael had reached the end of his speech.

A stage manager nodded and, with Ashley and the twins leading the way, followed by the vice president- elect, his wife, and family, she stepped onto the stage and into the bright lights. The noise from the crowd grew in intensity as each of them came into view. They all walked forward to stand beside Michael, Ashley and the twins to his left; Robert Hughes, Catherine, and their children to his right.

The chaos and elation vibrating through the crowd was intoxicating. Cheers from a wildly exuberant audience and music blocked out what individuals were saying, but the camaraderie of those on the stage was evidenced by their smiles, hugs, and claps on the back. Before the world, she and Michael looked like the perfect couple. Michael pulled his family, plus Richard and his family, toward him while photographers snapped pictures of this historic event.

Amid the excitement, it almost went unnoticed that a reporter shouted a question at Ashley. She ignored him, hoping he would go away.

The reporter repeated his question. “Mrs. Taylor, what causes do you intend to champion during the next four years in the White House?”

Ashley winced inwardly, but no outward expression marred her serene expression. She had a choice. She could tell the truth or continue to go along with the lie. Damn it. She’d been dodging questions like this for months about what special causes she intended to champion if her husband were elected. In fact, she’d become a master of evasion, not something she was proud of. Unquestionably the smartest thing to do would be to give the same canned response she’d been giving throughout the campaign. It would be a lie, all of it. But then she wouldn’t be accused of rocking the boat, a boat, she might add, that she knew was taking on a lot of water.

She was tired of being evasive. She was sick to death of lying by omission. Michael’s managers had convinced her that he wouldn’t be elected if she declared her intentions. But, Michael had been elected. Was it possible that she was making more of this than necessary?

She leaned toward the reporter and his microphone and began speaking in a quiet, clear voice.

“First, I’d like to thank everyone here and at home for their incredible support throughout the campaign. I’m extremely proud of Michael and have always believed he’d be a great leader and a great president. The American people have chosen wisely and well this day. As for me, with the election over, I’ll be returning to my job as director of the Cameron Museum of Art in New York. It’s never been my intention to serve as the First Lady. Over half of the families in our country are two-career families. Our family isn’t any different. In fact . . .”

Ashley felt Michael’s hand on her elbow. “Ashley, just smile and wave. We’re getting off of the stage now.”

Links to Venita Ellick Author:

Amazon

Goodreads

Website

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Pinterest

Release Day Blitz: HEA Blog Tours Presents: Burning by K.D. Carrillo

BURNING

Author: K.D. CARRILLO

Series: Central Coven #2

Genre: New Adult Paranormal Romance

SYNOPSIS:

Freshman year changed the lives of Chloë, Finn, Dean and Anita. Their sophomore year brings new hope for the normal lives they all crave, and a second chance at lost love.

Their hopes are shattered when ritualistic murders reminiscent of the Inquisition threaten to expose the existence of the supernatural world. The Central Coven needs Chloë to step up and help them face this new evil, but her powers have been rapidly weakening. 

In order to heal Chloë must face her most frightening challenge yet, giving Finn a second chance.

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PURCHASE LINKS:

Playlist:

Break Your Plans -- The Fray

Pompeii -- Bastille

Howl -- Florence and the Machine

Love Runs Out -- One Republic

Sleeping with a Friend -- Neon Trees

Burn  -- Ellie Goulding

Bad Blood -- Bastille

I'm Yours -- The Script

Excerpt:

Finn exhaled forcefully, like he had been holding his breath for a long time. I looked into his electric-blue eyes and saw nervousness melt to relief. 

He squeezed my hand. “I could wait forever for you or take this as slow as you need as long as I know that you are here with me. I just needed to know that you are as committed to giving us a chance as I am.” 

I smiled at him, a little bit of wickedness playing across my lips.

I placed my hand on his left shoulder and slowly it brushed across his chest to his right shoulder. His eyes began to glow, and then they darkened to a deeper blue. Hmm, it wasn’t only my eyes that changed. Good to know. 

“You could wait forever, could you?” I taunted in a husky, low voice. 

“Ugh,” he grunted. 

I laughed, taking in his tortured expression and tense muscles. 

“You are a little evil,” he rasped. 

“No, baby. I promise I’m very good, and I don’t want to wait forever. Just a little bit longer,” I whispered.

“Get your sexy ass in the car before I toss you in the back seat and say the fuck with waiting,” Finn growled.  

I licked my lips and thought about taunting him a little more, but the flash of his eyes signaled the end of his self-control. I scrambled into the passenger’s seat and buckled up. 

Finn waited in the same spot for a long moment. He shook his head like he was clearing out an image and walked around the car, chuckling. “Good choice, but the other way could have been more fun.” 

“Oh, it will be. Just not tonight,” I promised. 

CENTRAL COVEN Series:

FIGHTING DESTINY

Central Coven #1

SYNOPSIS:

Chloë desperately wants a normal life. She wants to go to college, make friends, fall in love, and just be an 18 year old girl. There is only one problem, Chloë is a witch.
Soon after arriving at the university Chloë meets Finn, Anita, and Dean. The four college freshmen become inseperable. Love and friendship blossoms, but their carefree college days are violently interrupted. College students begin to go missing, and so have several powerful supernatural beings. Chloë and her friends are drawn to investigate by a mysterious visitor.

The four learn that the supernatural world has plans and expectations for them, plans they aren't happy with. Can they fight their destiny, or will they learn to accept it?

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BUY ON AMAZON

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

K.D. CARRILLO

I've made up stories for as long as I can remember. My teachers accused me of daydreaming too much, so I figured it was only fair to share my fantasies with everyone.

Social media links:

Facebook | Twitter | Website | Goodreads

Tour organized by: 

HEA Book Tours, PR & More

http://heabooktours.blogspot.com/

HEA Book Tours Presents: Side Effects by Lisa Suznne

 

 SIDE EFFECTS

Author: Lisa Suzanne

Genre: Contemporary Romance

SYNOPSIS:

She has been hurt. She has a past of lies, cheating, and pain. She has severe panic attacks when she’s in enclosed spaces, a side effect of a horrible accident caused by a man she thought she loved. Quinn Carpenter has a distinct type: bad boys with dark hair, dark eyes, and tattoos. Tyler, her friend with benefits, fits the bill perfectly. They have fun together and they both know that fun is where their relationship begins and ends.

Quinn’s life is exactly how she wants it until she meets Reed Porter, the typical pretty boy with blue eyes, blonde hair, and zero tattoos. He is the exact opposite of everything Quinn likes.

So why can’t she get the frustrating, preppy, blue-eyed Reed out of her head?

She isn’t interested in commitment. She doesn’t want a relationship. But Reed challenges her, he puts her in her place, and he makes her nervous. The confident Quinn is never nervous around men, so what is it about Reed that has her questioning everything? And what will be the side effects of attempting to juggle two men at the same time?

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PURCHASE LINKS:

AMAZON | B&N | iTUNES | KOBO

TEASERS:

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Lisa Suzanne

Lisa Suzanne started handwriting her books on yellow legal pads after she took a creative writing class in high school. She still has those legal pads full of stories, but now one of them is published under the title How He Really Feels. She currently works as a full time high school English teacher, and her favorite part of the year is summer. She has been blessed with the world’s best dog, a supportive family, and a husband who encouraged her to publish after reading one of her novels. She likes the advice of Ernest Hemingway’s famous quote, “Write drunk. Edit sober.”

Social media links:

Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter | Website

Tour Host: HEA Book Tours, PR & More: http://heabooktours.blogspot.com/

Fire & Ice Book Tour: Giveaway: Guest Post: T.D. Wilson

Virtual Book Tour Dates:  5/27/14 - 6/24/14

Genres:  Science Fiction - Space Opera, Military

Publisher: Carina Press, Harlequin Ltd. 

Guest Post:

Did you ever stop and think what it would be like to live on a different world from Earth?  Not just an inhospitable one like Mars or a moon around Jupiter, but a world capable of supporting human life.  Trouble is, planets like those are light-years from us and to travel to another star system would take years, decades even.  Would you still sign up to go if given the chance?  I agree, it’s a big decision.

 

In my science fiction series, The Epherium Chronicles, I wanted to explore that possibility.  There are choices to be made—both good and bad—to make it happen.  The outcomes of those decisions will have severe repercussions.

One of the fun parts of writing Crucible and the first novel of the series, Embrace, was the creation of the characters.  My main character, Captain James Hood, is a brilliant commander, but a reluctant hero.  He’s been on the forefront of a lot of battles.  Despite his victories, there are combat decisions that continue to plague his mind.

For another character, I wanted to add something close to me.  My father suffers from Parkinson’s disease.  To honor his struggle, I used a nervous system disorder in the background of Lieutenant Maya Greywalker.  Maya is one of three surviving subjects from a genetics experiment to cure a disease similar to Parkinson’s.  The results of the experiment left her with augmented abilities.  I’ve had long conversations with readers about my characters, and besides Hood, Maya Greywalker is always a topic.

Developing the worlds for The Epherium Chronicles and the alien life the characters will encounter was a tremendous opportunity to flex creative brain cells.  In Crucible, almost half of the book is combat either is space or on the ground.  I wanted to make sure I provided a clear visual for the readers to enhance their experience and make them feel like they were a part of the action.

It’s been a great experience creating this series and I’m excited for readers to enjoy it as well.

Blurb:
Book two of The Epherium Chronicles
January, 2155
Earth Defense Forces Captain James Hood is on the mission of his life. The Cygni solar system is just one space-fold jump away. One more jump and they'll have reached the fledgling colony that Earth desperately needs if the human race is going to survive. But a plot to derail him has already damaged his ship, threatened the lives of his crew and cost him time. Time the colonists might not have.
So much depends on him now, but Hood's confidence is shaken. It's self-doubt he thought he'd buried, a brutal mind-killer for all military commanders. Yet danger surrounds his team; a brutal insectoid alien race is still out there, intent on eradicating humans, and a greater threat from an unknown, elusive enemy has emerged.
The forces at work on Cygni are like nothing Hood has trained for, tactically or emotionally. When put to the test, he must choose to either trust the unlikeliest of allies, or run and seal the fate of the Cygni colony forever.

See the book trailer on Youtube 

Excerpt:

The Epherium Chronicles: Crucible
By T.D. Wilson
Carina Press, Harlequin Ltd. 

Chapter 1
EDF Armstrong
Deep Space Route to Cygni
Sunday, January 26
Earth Year 2155
Captain’s Log, Sunday, January 26, 2125, EDF Armstrong, James Hood commanding. Three days. Probably the longest three days of my career. Three days stuck licking our wounds from a near disaster I didn’t see coming, but through profound actions from our crew, we managed to survive.
It’s been a little more than a week since we left Mars Station en route to the first of at least two new fledgling colonies. Our trek following the path of the colony ship Magellan to the Cygni system has already seen its fair share of setbacks. An attack on the Epherium Corporation’s temporary office on board—the very company that developed and launched the massive colony ships—has catapulted us into a full-blown conspiracy. It seems one of my officers, Lieutenant Commander Walsh, is involved and the potential assailant. Early on, the evidence centered on our best fighter pilot, Lieutenant Krieg. He was framed for the attack at first but has since been exonerated. Afterward, Walsh, along with the help of some unknown force flying a prototype stealth frigate, managed to move our jump beacon into an asteroid field and caused significant damage to this ship. I believe the entire situation was created to facilitate his escape.
The motive for this whole sequence of events appears to be linked to two sets of personnel data. The first list contains records of individuals who had been experimented on in development and in actual flight with Epherium’s Embrace sleeper cell technology. Most of their testing was related to brain activity reinforcement and memory or knowledge enhancements, but there is a darker side to their experiments. One of their scientists discovered a way to use the Embrace units to rewrite a person’s entire personality, and even though Epherium shelved that piece, Epherium unearthed it to reprogram convicted criminals aboard the Magellan and the other colony ships. The revelation by Henry McCraken, the head of the Epherium Corporation’s contingent on board this ship, about the use of the technology is troubling enough. According to my chief security officer, Lieutenant Greywalker, some of the criminals were among the worst of their time. If we arrive at Cygni and this personality replacement has failed, we could be in for a very rude reception.
Our Epherium troubles aside, I’ve kept the crew’s focus on repairs. I know the incident in the asteroid field has cost us valuable time, but our repairs are almost complete. The gunship Percival took the worst of the damage during the first collision with one of the asteroids, but we’ve managed to get her back to 80 percent operational status. Repair crews had to cut her away from our hull, which has caused considerable delay getting us back under way. Two of her gun arrays were destroyed and she suffered a large hull rupture. The damage to the ship was
compounded with the deaths of two of her gunnery crews and the fact that her captain, Will Alford, is still in a coma. While we have more arrays to replace the ones lost on the Percival, it will take more time to finish installing them. I think it’s more important to reach Cygni now at our current strength and continue repairs there.
The stealth frigate we encountered has caused quite a stir back at HQ and with the companies involved in its design. Greer Technologies and Epherium have both denied any involvement in the further development of the ship. The original prototype is still in pieces and its parts were distributed between the two companies. There has been no trace of any information leak of the classified design, nor have there been any sightings or intelligence provided outside of our own. All EDF commands have been alerted to be on the lookout for Walsh and this vessel, but I’m positive both will avoid contact with any outposts for some time.
For now, she’s still out there, but we must press on to Cygni. The delay for repairs has caused us to lose precious time, borrowed as it may be already for the colonists, even the ones with new personalities. I understand the position McCraken was trying to defend for his company, but lifetime-sentenced criminals or not, a death of self cannot be decided with a simple wave of a pen. Due process and all alternatives should have been considered. Now that the program’s existence is known to at least EDF Command, I don’t envy the Epherium executives right now. The problem remaining is how to rectify the matter and not show the EDF as complicit in what transpired. 

Buy Links:
 

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Kobo
Google Play
Carina Press

About the Author:

T.D. Wilson was born in 1968 in Troy, Ohio and has been an avid fan of science fiction and fantasy from a very young age. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and has supported the systems and networks in several of the largest Supercomputing data centers in the world. His early thirst for adventure in reading began as he explored many of the great stories of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. As his reading scope expanded, Mr. Wilson was fascinated by strange new worlds from the magical of Middle Earth and Narnia to the far reaches of space in Star Trek and Babylon 5. As a science fiction author, he strives to integrate a realistic flavor to his worlds by providing his readers a feel for the real science in science fiction. A topic he loves to discuss with his friends and readers. Mr. Wilson still lives in Ohio with his wife and their two sons.

Author Links:

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Blog
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Giveaway:

Author T.D. Wilson is giving away three $25 Amazon gift cards. The giveaway will run the duration of the tour!

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