A Review for Dreams (Sarah Midnight #1) by Daniela Sacerdoti

Posted by Donna

Release Date:  April 18th, 2012

Finished Date: June 20th, 2012

Publishers: Black and White Publishing

Source: For Review

Format: Paperback

Pages: 432
Buy : Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

“You’d never think it could happen to you. You’d never think that one day you’ll stand in a graveyard, rain tapping on a sea of black umbrellas, watching your parents being lowered into the earth, never to come back. It’s happening to me. They said it was an accident. Only I know the truth. My parents were hunters, like their parents and grandparents before them, hundreds of years back, scores of ancestors behind me, fulfilling the same call. I must follow in their footsteps. I am the only one left to keep the promise. I can never give up the fight, this fight that has been handed down to me, thrust upon my unwilling shoulders. I’d rather be buried with my parents, my brave, fierce father and mother, who lived and died by the Midnight motto: Don’t Let Them Roam.” 
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Ever since her thirteenth birthday, seventeen-year-old Sarah Midnight’s dreams have been plagued by demons—but unlike most people’s nightmares, Sarah’s come true. Her dreams guide her parents’ hunt as Sarah remains in bed, terrified but safe, sheltered from the true horrors of the Midnight legacy. But all this is about to change. After the murder of her parents, she is cruelly thrust into a secret world of unimaginable danger as she is forced to take up their mission. Alone and unprepared for the fight that lies before her, Sarah must learn how to use the powers she’s inherited and decide whom to trust before it’s too late...(

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The Review: Dreams is a story about Sarah Midnight; a seventeen-year-old girl who is grieving over the loss of her parents. Over the past few years Sarah has lost everyone close to her because of the family’s history. The Midnights are a legacy family, which means they fight demons from a secret world – one that’s very dangerous. Sarah was always left in the dark about her family’s fight but that didn’t stop the dreams. She has dreams that guide her to kill the evil demon’s but recently her dreams have been all jumbled, and now she’s struggling to make head or tails of them. But when the arrival of her long lost cousin; Harry, suddenly everything is becoming that much clearer…..but can see really trust Harry? And can they defeat the evil before it gets them?
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I’d never heard of this book before I was asked to review and I was pleasantly surprised that it was being published by a UK publishers, and secondly that the book itself was based in the UK. It’s an automatic win for me because I’ll do anything to help out a UK book. But not only that, the blurb for the book really intrigued me, it sounded like something I’d love, so of course, I jumped at the chance to read it. Now after reading, I’m definitely a fan of this author’s work. Daniela Sacerdoti has definitely got the knack for good story telling. She’s created something unique, dark and heart-breaking and it all works well together. 
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The story itself was dangerous and thrilling. It was very creepy and the descriptions of the demons were quite gruesome and all very imaginable. With the story being told in a third person narrative, we get to see a lot of different characters take their own journeys. At first, I’ll admit I was put off with the different characters/point of view changes, but once I really got into the story, I started enjoying it and I felt every change fit the story perfectly. It gave me a lot of insight into the story that I wouldn’t have got, if the story was told just by Sarah. So overall, it worked really well. I did feel the story had a slow start and it takes a while for you to fully understand the legacy story and the role’s the Midnight’s play but still, it was an enjoyable journey but a little bit slow. 
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The relationships between the characters were very enjoyable. Sarah and Harry have a deep connection and although they are cousins, everything isn’t as it seems, so be prepared for a shocking storyline. I loved Harry – he really cares for Sarah and although he’s trying to do the right thing because of the job he was given, it’s hard not to love Sarah. And then there’s Leaf. I’m not sure about him. The chapters from his point of view gave me the impression that he’s hiding something and he isn’t who he says he is. Sarah clearly cares for him but if it’s a choice between Harry and Leaf, then I’m all Team Harry! 
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Overall, Dreams is a good debut novel and I think Daniela Sacerdoti has set the ending up very well for the second book in the series. Although it’s a killer of an ending, I bet it will be worth it!  

Blog Tour for Too Hot to Handle by Aleah Barley: Author Interview + eBook Giveaway (Int)

Too Hot To Handle 

Release Date: May 15th, 2012

Publishers: Indulgence - Entangled
See Donna's Review: HERE

Follow Aleah: Twitter / Website / Entangled

Buy : Amazon UK / Amazon US 

She was playing with fire...Honey Moore has made her pledge: no more stealing cars and no more lusting after Jack Ogden. 
But when an arsonist torches her house and chases her all over Los Angeles, she’s forced to throw herself on Jack’s mercy.
No one will look for a convicted felon in an LAPD detective’s apartment, right?…and he didn't want to get burned Jack doesn’t need a woman like Honey in his life. 
She might be sexy, but trouble follows her everywhere. But it’s hard to walk away from someone who lives at full throttle—and even harder to keep her safe. 
Now he’ll have to sacrifice everything to protect Honey from the arsonist determined to kill her.

1) Hi Aleah, thanks for joining us today. What inspired you to write Too Hot to Handle?

I really wanted to write a noir mystery, but about two pages in the main characters started making goo goo eyes at each other.
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2) How long did it take to write?

Start to finish? Or, start, do something else, eat cheese, lose my notes for a month, play with my hair, edit, edit, edit?

It took about three months to write, and three months to edit.
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3) Cars play a key role in the story - does that mean you're a car fan?

I am a huge car fan. Fun fact, I just got my driver's license three months ago when I moved to Detroit (Motor City). Also, I write about super sexy cars, but when it came time to buy something I got a seven year old Pontiac Vibe. Dependable. Solid. Great MPG.
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4) How did you go about picking the names for the characters?

Ha! I know. Honey's name is kind of out there. I just kept thinking about Jack calling her Honey, and I couldn't really get it out of my head.
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5) Who is your dream cast for Honey and Jack?

Jack is totally Clive Owen. Clive Owen with a bad American accent, but still Clive Owen. As for Honey... she's someone spunky with great comic timing. A young Debra Messing or Jenna Elfman. Either of the actresses from Two Broke Girls would be fantastic.
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6) What's you're favourite quote from the book?
"Breaking and entering. I could arrest you. Again."

"Go ahead. Grand theft cookie." She took another bite. "That's a career-making bust."
>

7) Can you tell us what your working on next?

I'm thinking billionaires. Drop dead sexy captains of industry who always get what they want, and the women who challenge them in every way.
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Fun Random Questions:

Hot or Cold?

I'm always cold.

Morning or Night person?

Both, can I say both?

Tea or Coffee?

Coffee, obsessively.

Italian or Mexican Food?

Tacos, but real tacos. Awesome tacos. Lengua tacos. Tacos that are two small corn tortillas, great meat, cilantro, a fresh squeeze of lime, and some hot sauce. If you put cheese on my tacos then I'll cry.
Paperbacks or Hardbacks? 
Paperbacks, they're the perfect size to stick in my bag.

What's your favourite book?

Anything by Lee Childs or Jennifer Crusie.

If you could meet one person, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

Joe Hill, and not just in a 'I Dreamed I Saw Joe Hill Last Night' kind of way. Joe Hill was a labor hero who wrote awesome songs, originals and parodies. He was a member of the IWW. He was crazy cool.

If you was stranded on a desert island, what three things would you take with you?

My Nook, french roast coffee, and a speed boat with plenty of gas.


Thank you for joining us Aleah and good luck with the book!
Followers - if you'd like a chance to win a eBook copy of Too Hot to Handle....then now's your chance and ENTER BELOW! 

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A Review for Blood Moon (Drake Chronicles #5) by Alyxandra Harvey

Posted by Donna

Release Date: July 5th, 2012

Finished Date: June 1st, 2012

Publishers: Bloomsbury

Source: For Review

Format: Paperback

Pages: 357
Buy : Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

"I can still smell his blood, Lucy. I can smell it everywhere. It's in the grass, in the air, on me. I'm not safe." 
<
When the vampire tribes convene for the rare Blood Moon ceremonies, Solange Drake is plunged into a battle with her feral nature. 
The Drake brothers have been raised knowing they had to protect their younger sister at all cost. But forbidden magic and a mysterious stranger have put all of them in terrible danger.
Nicholas is going to have to make a difficult choice: between his girlfriend, Lucy, and his little sister, Solange - blood or love?

The Review: 4.5 out of  5! After that shocking cliff-hanger in Bleeding Hearts, Lucy, Kieran and Solange deal with the aftermath of Solange feeding off a human. Not only that, but with the Blood Moon just around the corner, all the Drake’s are on high alert and are forced to go into a two week lock down, which means – no leaving the safety nets. Sounds easy? Guess again! With the furies arrival and Solange’s struggles with blood lust, it’s about to get a whole load more dangerous in Violet Hills. 
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I loved it, I just loved it! Blood Moon is everything I expected it to be and more, and it sure is one hell of a shocking ride. From the very first page I was literally a bundle of nerves because I could not believe the shocking and fantastic way that Alyxandra Harvey has taken this series. It’s become so unpredictable and I can never guess what to expect next.  
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The story this time around was full of action with amazing and witty scene's but was a little different from the previous books. Before we’ve always seen a member of the Drake family finding love but in Blood Moon, this didn’t happen. There is still good romance to the story, especially with characters like Nicolas and Lucy – who are so, so cute but, I can’t help ask when will the other brothers; Duncan, Sebastian & Marcus find love? I’d really like to see their stories and get to know them as characters better.
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The book alternates between Lucy, Solange and Nicholas and we get a small chapter from Kieran too and I really loved it. Their all my favourite characters and I enjoy how all the other characters are involved too. Solange’s character goes through a massive change and I was utterly frustrated with the storyline but in such a good way. I’m telling you now – you won’t believe what happens. And that cliff-hanger...ahhh! If you thought the one from Bleeding Hearts was bad, wait till you read this, it's  jaw dropper!
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Overall, now were on book five in this series and it's still going strong as ever. It’s one of my favourite ones and I can’t wait to see what comes next with book 6. 
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Thank you to Bloomsbury UK for giving me the opportunity to review this book. 

A Review for Crimson Groves by Ashley Robertson + eBook Giveaway (Int)

Posted by Guest Reviewer Melanie

Release Date: November 9th, 2011

Finished Date: June 19th, 2012

Publishers: Self-Published 

Source: For Review

Format: Kindle 

Pages: 282
Buy : Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

Abigail Tate was a normal human girl. Until the day Bronx the vampire barges into her life and turns her against her will. Held captive while forced to deal with never ending cravings for blood, Abby prays for a way to escape. Only when an opportunity arises, it's with the aid of an innocent human named Tyler--except vampires are forbidden to interact with the unbitten. But Abby quickly learns this human has secrets of his own...secrets that can either help her or get her killed. Only Abby discovers that she was the one with the biggest secret of them all.

The Review: What an excellent book, I'm seriously impressed. 4.5 out of 5! 
<
Crimson Groves is the beginning of a new series that revolves around Abigail (Abby) Tate, a 25 year old woman who has had nothing but disappointment all her life. Her Daddy left her 15 years ago, her Mother rejected and disowned her, blaming her for her father’s disappearing act and then 6 months ago she walks in on her best friend & her boyfriend getting jiggy! The only friend she has is her work pal and he’s more of an acquaintance, you could count the patrons of the bar she works at too but on one craptacular night she gets to work and not only has to deal with an ‘ex’ confrontation but out of the blue she gets a phone call from her estranged father! Aww does he miss her? Does he want to make up for the time he’s been gone? NO! He phones and tells her that she is in danger and ‘HE’ is coming for her because ‘she’s special’!! Whatever! Guess her father really was an alcoholic loser after all. Then her evening suddenly takes a turn for the better when a super-hot man walks into the bar and he only has eyes for Abby and she is inexplicably drawn to him. . . .But she is totally unprepared for the massive impact he will soon have on her life. The thing is. . . . He’s not the only stranger she is going to meet and soon her life will be flung into chaos leaving her wondering just who she can trust because this time it’s not just her life on the line.


I mentioned earlier, this is an excellent book and I loved it. Abby is the focus of it and she is a great character, I liked everything about her. She is quite a lonely figure in the beginning and finds it really hard to trust but with her background, that’s understandable and she has been betrayed in the most awful of ways. She goes through a lot in this book and it makes it hard not to feel something for her. I loved who she is and what she became and I also love that even though we did get a lot from her - we are left with the feeling that there’s a whole lot more to come too. I’m not going to say much on the other characters in case I give something away but all of them are great, I even liked the ‘baddie’ to a certain extent as well.
The storyline is great, I don’t think I will ever get enough of vampires and in this they seem quite civilised with how they survive and they have a governing body too, so there will be rules to live by and possibly broken. . . What I really liked about these vampires was the gifts. I like it when we get a little something different and even though I have read of vampires with gifts before – I really liked the way it was done in this and it also gives each vampire that has a gift a little individuality and uniqueness. I loved that the plot had lots going on that I would love to tell you about - but that would spoil it so let’s just say we get Vampires, donor night clubs, a mysterious council complete with enforcers, special gifts, visions, power plays, kidnap, friends, enemies, secrets & lies, a smidgen of romance and one young woman who’s about to send the vampire world reeling!
There wasn’t anything to dislike in this, even the pacing was practically perfect for me (a couple of slow chapters) but I know that I will definitely be looking out for the sequel – Crimson Rain.

Author Bio: 

Ashley Robertson resides in sunny Orlando, Florida and loves reading and writing about everything urban fantasy and paranormal romance. When she isn't writing you'll find her spending time with family and friends, training in her home gym, traveling and exploring new places, drinking fine red wines, and making gourmet coffees with her Nespresso machine. Visit her website to learn about her upcoming releases, blog entries, and featured giveaways at: AshleyRobertsonBooks.com

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Waiting on Wednesday (#20)

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. 

Jess's WoW

Unchained (Nephilim Rising #1)
by J. Lynn

Release date: October 16th, 2012

Between the pissed off creatures that want demon-hunter Lily Marks dead and the fallen angel who just… wants her, Lily is about ready to trade in forever for a comfy job in a cubicle farm.

Mortal enemies, the fact that Lily and Julian are civil to one another is enough to have her thrown out of the Sanctuary. Even she can build a laundry list of why getting close to him is career suicide, but she can’t shake her not-so angelic stalker or how he brings her dangerously close to ecstasy.

As if Lily already didn’t have enough problems, the hits just keep coming. Blindsided when a traitor is discovered working from within the Sanctuary, Lily is shocked to find he's determined to get her kicked out. Her relationship with Julian provides the perfect fuel for suspicion, and she quickly finds herself being hunted by well, everyone. Her only hope is to discover the real traitor before she loses everything—and she'll need Julian's help. That is, if Julian is really there to help her … or destroy her.

Yeah, being a Nephilim isn’t everything it’s cracked up to be.

Jess's Thoughts: Very excited about this. This is Jennifer Armentrout's first adult novel and I really can't wait for it. I love all the YA books I've read of hers so far, and I look forward to reading something more mature. And it's about angels. Who doesn't love angels?! Awesome. Can't wait to get stuck into it!

Donna's WoW

Finale (Hush, Hush #4) 
by Becca Fitzpatrick
Release date: October 23rd, 2012
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Nora is more certain than ever that she is in love with Patch. Fallen angel or no, he is the one for her. Her heritage and destiny may mean that they will always be enemies, but there is no turning her back on him. But now they face their biggest challenge. Can their love survive a seemingly insurmountable divide. And in the end, will there be enough trust left to rebuild what has been broken? The lines are drawn - but which sides are they on?
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Donna's thoughts:
I NEED THIS BOOK NOW!!! And look how pretty that cover is. The publishers have outdone themselves with it. But seriously, I'm so looking forward to this release and I'm kinda hoping that Becca is doing another tour around the UK because I'd love to meet her again. And plus maybe there will be a Patch model there this time? Lol. Roll on October! I <3 PATCH! 

<
What's your "waiting on" pick this week?

Want to participate? 
Grab the logo, post your own WoW entry on your blog, and leave your link at Breaking the Spine. 

Happy Reading!

A Review for Throne of Glass by Sarah J.Maas

Posted by Donna

Release Date: August 2nd 2012

Finished Date: June 4th, 2012

Publishers: Bloomsbury

Source: For Review

Format: Paperback

Pages: 416
Buy : Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.
Her opponents are men—thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the kings council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she’ll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.
Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she’s bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it’s the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

The Review: Am I the only one who had NEVER heard of this book before I was given the opportunity to review it? I clearly wasn’t paying attention, because if I had, there is no way a book like this would have slipped past me and now after reading, I’m so pleased to say, Sarah J.Maas has created the perfect fantasy read with Throne of Glass. 

Celaena Sardothein has been trained from a young age to become a deadly assassin. When she is imprisoned for her crimes, she is thrown in a salt mine, being forced to work and is given hardly no food.  When a visit from Prince Dorian comes, Celaena is offered her freedom but it comes at a price. She must act as his champion, killing other men who are competing to become the king’s new assassin so she came claim the title herself. But how can Celaena fight for a king who believes in everything she is against? Not only that but as Celaena starts to take on her opponents, some of them turn up dead, but who is the killer? And while spending most of her time with Prince Dorian and Captain Chaol how does she stop herself falling for them? 

<

I’m not even sure how to describe how great this book was because it was all kinds of awesomeness. Sarah J.Maas has a talent for creating fascinating stories, that are so beautifully written, it’s hard not to fall for her work. As soon as I started reading I was captivated from the start and it was hard to put the book down without still thinking about it. 

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The story itself was fantastic. I loved being in Celaena’s world and I just wanted to get more and more. There was such a round variety of scenes that made you feel different every different emotions from happy, excited, and hopeful to betrayed, sad and angry and I adored every minute of it. But what I really loved about this book was that the characters were so outstanding. Celaena’s not your typical character, she thinks differently from most heroines and mainly she thinks about killing or how to escape, so it was wonderful getting into her head. She’s strong and brave and I loved how witty and sarcastic she is. Then of course, the love interests; Prince Dorian or Captain Chaol – I loved them both each in their own way. I spent most of this book trying to figure out which team I was on and let me say Sarah J.Maas does not make it easy on us readers. About 80% of the book I was convinced I was Team Dorian and then Captain Chaol would do something and it would change everything. It was so frustrating but in such a good way that I’m dying to find out who she belongs with. 

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Overall, Throne of Glass surprised the hell out of me and has become of my favourite fantasy reads. Sarah J.Maas blew me away with it and I’d highly recommend it to you readers that are looking for a read that is enthralling, thrilling and beautiful.  

Thank you to Bloomsbury UK for giving me the opportunity to review this book.

US vs UK (#49)

Welcome to Book Passion for Life's 49th US vs UK book cover battle. 

The idea of this battle is once a week we'll post 2 sets of books of our choice, one US cover and one UK cover, and we'll just give our opinion on which one we love the most. Which cover captures the story, which one would catch our eye if we saw it on the shelf in a shop. The US cover will be on the left, and the UK cover will be on the right.

The Scores so far are:

US: 12  UK: 18  Draw: 13

US vs UK Round 49

Between the Lines by Jodi Picolut

VS  

Jess says: I've not read anything by Jodi. But I heard her books are wonderful. As for these covers. I like them both but I definitely think I prefer the US cover.

Donna says:  I really want to try and read this book soon but I have to say, I much prefer the US cover. The UK cover is nice but it almost looks like an older book rather than a teen book.

Add it to your Goodreads TBR list:

Throne of Glass by Sarah J.Maas

 VS  

Jess says: Oooh a book I want to read. I've heard good things. I think I definitely prefer the US cover. The UK cover kinda looks like the game Final Fantasy. It just looks like it should belong on a video game or a manga rather than a YA book. So definitely the US.

Donna says: I really really enjoyed this book and my review will be here sometime this week but cover wise, I prefer the US one. I think it reflects Celaena so much more and the UK cover reminds me of a video game.

Add it to your Goodreads TBR list:

Which do you prefer? Leave us your comments below!! =) 

__________________

Okay guys, this weeks US vs UK goes to.......US!!

Come back next week for more US vs UK! :)

Showcase Sunday (#7)

Showcase Sunday is a new weekly meme hosted by Vicky @ Books Biscuits and Tea. We will now be taking part in Showcase Sunday instead of In My Mailbox. If you'd like to join see HERE for more details.

Hey guys! Happy Sunday! We hope you've had a fantastic week - we have and we've had a ton of goodies through our post box this week. =) 

Donna's Showcase Sunday

For Review:

Losing Lila by Sarah Alderson - READ AND LOVED IT! Review soon!

Dreams by Daniela Sacerdoti 

Before I Wake by Rachel Vincent

eBooks bought off Amazon: 

(Click on the bookcovers to be taken to Goodreads) 

   

eBooks for review: 

(Click on the bookcovers to be taken to Goodreads)

  

Our guest reviewer Melanie has read Florence and Sovereign Hope - which she loved and she recommended I read them, so I'm going to try and fit them into my schedule over the next few weeks. 

Thank you to Simon & Schuster, Black & White Publishing, Mira Ink, Ciye Cho, Frankie Rose and Daniele Lanzarotta. 

Jess's Showcase Sunday

For Review:

(Click on the bookcovers to be taken to Goodreads) 

eBooks bought from Amazon:

(Click on the bookcovers to be taken to Goodreads) 

  

Looking forward to reading Easy, I've heard a lot of good things about this one. And I decided to buy a couple more m/m erotic romances. Both sound good so I look forward to reading those.

Books bought:

The Golden Lily (Bloodlines #2)  by Richelle Mead-Currently reading this and it's FANTASTIC! 

That's it from me this week. Hopefully will have a bit more next week. If I don't, I'm sure Donna will have a ton.

A Review for Her Forbidden Hero by Laura Haye

Posted by Donna

Release Date: May 15th, 2012
Finished Date: June 10th, 2012

Publishers: Entangled Indulgence

Source: For Review

Format: Kindle

Pages: 151
Buy : Amazon UK / Amazon US / 

She's always been off-limits...
Former Army Special Forces Sgt. Marco Vieri has never thought of Alyssa Scott as more than his best friend's little sister, but her return home changes that...and challenges him to keep his war-borne demons at bay. Marco's not the same person he was back when he protected Alyssa from her abusive father, and he's not about to let her see the mess he's become.
...but now she's all grown up.
When Alyssa takes a job at the bar where Marco works, her carefree smiles wreak havoc on his resolve to bury his feelings. How can he protect her when he can't stop thinking about her in his bed? But Alyssa's not looking for protection—not anymore. Now that she's back in his life, she’s determined to heal her forbidden hero, one touch at a time..

The Review: Entangled Indulgence keep knocking out these awesome and HOT books by these great authors, that I just can’t help say yes to when they offer them for review, and Her Forbidden Hero didn’t disappoint one bit. It’s an intense, sexy and emotional ride and I loved every minute of it. 
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Alyssa needs a job – bad, so when the job opportunity arises at a local bar, she jumps at the chance and is offered the job. Not only that but Alyssa wants to work there because her brother’s best friend; Marco, works there because she’s always had a crush on him. However, he doesn’t see her as more than a friend, or so she thinks. When Marco starts giving her mixed signals, she can’t help but try and break down the walls he’s built up after returning from war but can Alyssa really help Marco get over his demons and keep him for herself? 
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I really enjoyed this book. From page one author Laura Kaye throws us into an exciting setting and turns up the heat within minutes. Marco and Alyssa have some much intense chemistry that it’s hard to ignore the passion between them and literally sparks fly off the pages! Their relationship is the ultimate no zone because Alyssa is Marco’s best friend’s little sister, and you don’t break the guy code and go after your best friends sister.
I really enjoyed watching Marco’s struggles in falling for Alyssa. He loves her but knows he can’t have her so when it’s clear Alyssa has feelings for him, he really struggles. Not only that he has trouble getting over his time in the army, his troubles make him a very interesting character. Now Alyssa, I loved her. I loved how feisty and fiery she was and even though she’s having a hard time, she really keeps her strong personality going. Her feelings for Marco are very strong and you can see why she loves him. She’ll do anything for him and I loved seeing their relationship grow. 
<
Overall, Her Forbidden Hero is a great read, especially if you love these type of novels. With great characters and a great love story, it’s not one to miss.

Blog Tour for Emma Hearts LA: Guest Post by Keris Stainton

Emma Hearts LA 
by Keris Stainton

Release Date: June 7th, 2012

Publishers: Orchard
See Donna's Review: HERE

Visit Keris: Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads / Website

Buy : Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

Emma's not sure that LA's for her, but when she accompanies her sister Jane to an audition, a chance meeting with a teen TV star starts to change her new sunshine lifestyle for the better...
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 But what about Oscar, so far her only friend in LA, who's turning out NOT to be the idiot she thought he was?
<
Soon Emma begins to find herself torn between two boys and reconsidering her entire future. Maybe LA's not that bad after all.

Why LA?

Why LA? That's a very good question. I can't actually remember why I originally decided to set the book there, but after I'd sent the proposal to my publishers, I changed my mind. I didn't think I'd be able to go and do a research trip and I found that even though I've been watching films and TV shows set in LA all my life, I couldn't really picture it. 

In my mind, I had the Hollywood sign, Hollywood Boulevard (with the Walk of Fame and Graumann's Chinese Theatre), Rodeo Drive (from Pretty Woman) and the beach (from The OC), but no idea of where people lived or hung out. I'd discovered the Venice canals, which helped, because I knew I wanted to set the book in Venice Beach, but again, no real idea of what it might be like to live there. 

While I was waiting to hear back from my publishers about Emma (publishing takes forever!), I started writing another book set in Italy. And I fell madly in love with it. So when my publishers came back and said they loved Emma, I was sort of disappointed. I didn't want to write Emma, I wanted to write about Milly. In Italy. And have a research trip to Rome. And drink wine and eat pizza. 

My publishers didn't care about me getting to eat pizza. They just really loved the idea of Emma Hearts LA and they wanted me to stop whining and write it (they didn't actually say this, you understand).  

Fortunately, I was able to arrange a research trip to LA and that changed everything. I absolutely loved the place. And Venice was perfect for the book. 

I'd still like to finish the Italy book, though. And not only for the pizza...

About the author:

Keris Stainton was born in Canada, and brought up on the Wirral. She now lives in the Ribble Valley with her husband and two young sons, who make her laugh every day. Sometimes intentionally.

As a freelance journalist, Keris has written for publications as diverse as Practical Parenting, Scarlet and The Daily Express, and edited the women’s book site, Trashionista, for two years.

In 2005 she gave up her job as an administrator in Corporate Recovery and Personal Insolvency (which is exactly as exciting as it sounds) to write full time.

Her first novel, Della Says: OMG! was published by Orchard Books in 2010 and her second, Jessie Hearts NYC was published in 2011. Emma Hearts LA is out now.