27 February 2014

{Cover Reveal} Sweet Temptation by K.C. Lynn

Title: Sweet Temptation (Men of Honor, #2)
Author: K.C. Lynn
Genre: NA Contemporary Romance
Expected Release Date: June 2014
*Synopsis*

“If you could go back and change one moment in your life what would it be?” I expect him to say the week the three of them were held prisoner, but what he says next is something that I will remember for the rest of my life.

“It would be to find you sooner, because I would have never let anyone hurt you.”

And that was the moment I gave Sawyer Evans my whole heart.

***

At 17 years old Grace Morgan had managed to live through what would be the worst day of her life. One would think this is where her torment ended, but then she was sent to live with him- the devil himself.

Three years later she finds herself in the beautiful, small town of Sunset Bay, South Carolina - a perfect place to start her life over. This is where she meets the best friends she will ever have, and one cocky, sexy, arrogant ex-Navy Seal whose heart turns out to be bigger than his ego. Right when things start looking up the worst day of her life comes back with a vengeance; ruining the peace she had just found.

Sawyer Evans is a strong, sexy, confident ex-Navy Seal who loves women just as much as they love him. His philosophy is: the more the merrier, with no strings attached. But all that changes the day he rolls into Sunset Bay, where he meets a sweet, sexy blonde with sad amber eyes, who smells like cupcakes and bakes the most delicious pies. The only girl who isn’t affected by his good looks and charm...or so he thinks. 

But Sawyer is a fighter who is used to getting what he wants, and he wants Grace. Along the way of making that happen, he finds out she holds secrets, and a pain much deeper than he thought possible- and he has known pain like no other man has. 

A year ago he made a life-altering decision that not only bought him a week in hell with men he considers his brothers, but also ended his career. It was a decision he will never regret, no matter the scars he bares, physically or emotionally. He refused to let that moment in his life break him or define him.

So when Grace’s life is threatened, he will make another decision, one to not only protect her, but also mend her broken heart. 

This is a New Adult Romance and is told from both character’s pov. Due to strong sexual content, coarse language and mature subject matter this book is not suitable for anyone under the age of 18.

This is Book Two in the Men Of Honor series. If you like hot, tattooed, possessive alpha males than this is the book for you.

Sweet Temptation - Excerpt

I smile now, thinking about him and Cade at a younger age, “How long have you been friends with Cade?”

His easy smile returns, “Since the first day of second grade. We were the most unlikely duo. I was a kid from a good family who had money, and well... let’s just say Cade was the opposite. One day, after school, three older kids were picking on him at the playground, so I walked up and beat the shit out of all three of them. I saved his life. After that he followed me around everywhere I went. No matter what I did I couldn’t get rid of him, so I thought: ah what the hell, I’ll be his friend.”

I stare at him a second before I burst out laughing, “You’re lying!”

He looks at me, affronted, “I am not! You should have seen me baby, I kicked major ass.”

I shake my head and continue to laugh, knowing he’s lying. “Ok, ok, it was actually the other way around, but don’t judge Cupcake I was small for my age, believe it or not. I didn't get all this until closer to junior high.”

I have a hard time picturing Sawyer small for his age, considerin’ what a giant he is now. “So you followed Cade around till he became your friend?”

“Wouldn't you?” he asks looking at me like I’m crazy, “the guy kicked the shit out of all three of those fuckers for trying to steal my new Pumas. I decided right there that this guy was going to be my friend, and I was gonna bring him everywhere I went, which I did. At first he tried acting like he didn’t want to be my friend, but of course it didn’t take long before he realized I wasn’t going anywhere. In the end he decided to give in, and we have been best friends ever since.”

With a big smile I wrap my arms around his neck, “That’s a great friendship story. I’m glad y’all met, and he was able to save your Pumas for you.”

Sawyer grins, “Me too baby. My mom had just bought those for me, she would have been pissed.”

I giggle again, but it fades as I tread into darker territory, “Can I ask you somethin’?”

“Anything Cupcake.”

“How did Cade’s sister die?” His expression turns to stone, his eyes cold and hard. I immediately regret asking. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.”

He shakes his head, as if pulling himself out of some sort of turmoil, “No it’s fine. It’s just... I have never told another soul this story, but I will tell you. You can’t ever bring it up to Cade though, ok? Because it’s something that will send him right over the fucking edge; it’s why he never talks about it.”

My stomach turns to lead and I swallow nervously, knowing what Sawyer is about to tell me is probably going to be the most awful thing I will ever hear in my life.
 
*Purchase book 1 of the Men of Honor series*
Buy Links - Fighting Temptation

*About K.C.*
K.C. Lynn lives in a small town in Western Canada. She’s married and is a stay at home mom of four: two girls and a set of twin boys. She coaches the local high school cheerleading team and also has her own rhinestone clothing business. Her love of romance books brought her to writing her first debut novel and she looks forward to writing many more. When she’s not writing, or spending time with her family, she’s reading and loves going to the movies.

*Connect with K.C.*

*Giveaway*
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25 February 2014

Release Day Launch: White Hot Kiss by Jennifer Armentrout


We are beyond excited to participate in the Release Day Launch for Jennifer L. Armentrout's WHITE HOT KISS! WHITE HOT KISS is a young adult paranormal romance being published by Harlequin Teen TODAY! This is the first full-length novel in The Dark Elements Series and one you'll want to grab as soon as you finish reading this post.

White Hot Kiss  
 ABOUT WHITE HOT KISS: One kiss could be the last. Seventeen-year-old Layla just wants to be normal. But with a kiss that kills anything with a soul, she's anything but normal. Half demon, half gargoyle, Layla has abilities no one else possesses. Raised among the Wardens—a race of gargoyles tasked with hunting demons and keeping humanity safe—Layla tries to fit in, but that means hiding her own dark side from those she loves the most. Especially Zayne, the swoon-worthy, incredibly gorgeous and completely off-limits Warden she's crushed on since forever. Then she meets Roth—a tattooed, sinfully hot demon who claims to know all her secrets. Layla knows she should stay away, but she's not sure she wants to—especially when that whole no-kissing thing isn't an issue, considering Roth has no soul. But when Layla discovers she's the reason for the violent demon uprising, trusting Roth could not only ruin her chances with Zayne…it could brand her a traitor to her family. Worse yet, it could become a one-way ticket to the end of the world.  




EXCERPT:
“I don’t think of Zayne that way!” She laughed.
“What man-parts-loving female in this world doesn’t think of Zayne that way? I can barely keep myself breathing when I see him. All the guys in school have squishy waists. I can tell Zayne doesn’t. He’s the awesome sauce with extra sauce.”
That he was and he so didn’t have a squishy waist, but I tuned Stacey out at that point. I really did need to cram for this test and I also didn’t want my fantasies involving Zayne to occupy my mind right now. Especially after I’d woken up this morning, carefully tucked under the covers. The bed had smelled like him: sandalwood and crisp linen.
“Oh, sweet baby Jesus in a manger,” Stacey murmured. I clenched my jaw, cupping my hands over my ears. She jabbed me in the side with her elbow. At this rate I’d be covered in bruises before lunchtime.
“Our bio class just got a billion times more interesting. And hotter, lots and lots hotter. Holy mother, I want to have his babies. Not now of course, but definitely later. But I’d like to start practicing soon.”
The cell wall is a thick and rigid layer covering the plasma something, something plant cells… Stacey stiffened all of a sudden.
“Oh my God, he’s coming—” Composed of fat and sugar— Something slender and shiny fell from who knew where, landing in the middle of Sam’s notes. Blinking tightly, it took me a couple of seconds to recognize the faded and half peeled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sticker covering the back of the silver cell phone. My heart slammed against my ribs. Gripping the edges of the notebook, I slowly lifted my gaze. Unnaturally beautiful golden eyes met mine.
“You forgot this last night.”

Now that you have a taste for this fabulous new series, here are the details for the AMAZING international giveaway!!!

Harlequin Teen is giving away a large Harlequin Teen Tote. Tote Includes: • Harlequin TEEN branded tote • The Iron Traitor by Julie Kagawa (trade) • Pawn by Aimee Carter (hard cover) • Crash Into You by Katie McGarry (hard cover) • Through the Zombie Glass by Gena Showalter (hard cover) • 2 copies of White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout • 1 pair of black harlequin branded socks (they are so comfy!)

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Author Photo   
About Jennifer L. Armentrout: # 1 NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki. Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV.   She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.    
Links:  
Series Website: http://www.thedarkelementsseries.com
Website: http://www.jenniferarmentrout.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jlarmentrout
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JenniferLArmentrout
Jennifer L. Armentrout Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4476934.Jennifer_L_Armentrout
WHITE HOT KISS Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17455585-white-hot-kiss?bf=500&from_search=true
 

Blog Blitz: Hard As You Can by Laura Kaye





Title: Hard As You Can
Series: Hard Inc.
Author: Laura Kaye

Five dishonored soldiers.
Former Special Forces.
One last mission.
These are the men of Hard Ink.


Ever since hard-bodied, drop-dead-charming Shane McCallan strolled into the dance club where Crystal Dean works, he’s shown a knack for getting beneath her defenses. For her little sister’s sake, Crystal can’t get too close. Until her job and Shane’s mission intersect, and he reveals talents that go deeper than she could have guessed.

Shane would never turn his back on a friend in need, especially a former Special Forces teammate running a dangerous, off-the-books operation. Nor can he walk away from Crystal. The gorgeous waitress is hiding secrets she doesn't want him to uncover. Too bad. He’s exactly the man she needs to protect her sister, her life, and her heart. All he has to do is convince her that when something feels this good, you hold on as hard as you can—and never let go.



Excerpt  


It’s release day! And I’m thrilled to share Hard As You Can, the second book in the Hard Ink series, with all of you here today! Hard As You Can follows the surviving members of a disgraced Army Special Forces team as they fight to regain their stolen honor, and finds their investigation crossing paths with a waitress willing to do whatever it takes to stay alive and protect her younger sister. For Shane McCallan, saving Crystal Dean is a mission he refuses to turn down.



Today, I’m excited to share Shane and Crystal’s first kiss! Don’t you love first kiss scenes? Gah! I so do. *grins* Here we go:

“Tell me not to,” Shane said, his voice a raw scrape.

“I can’t,” Crystal whispered in a shaky voice. “I don’t want to.”

Shane’s body took over then, all urgent need and basic instinct. The rest of the world be damned. He pulled her in and kissed her, his lips devouring, his tongue exploring deep. Nothing held back. Nothing denied. Not even as her lips reawakened the sting from the cut on his lip. Totally worth it.

Crystal’s arms came up around him. She trembled against him, and Shane wasn’t sure if it was caused by adrenaline or fear. Unable to tolerate the thought that she might feel forced, he eased off.

She moaned and held him tighter, like his retreat had made something snap within her. Their kisses deepened, and her body moved against his, sinuously, maddeningly, desperately.

They tasted one another again and again, giving in to the heat that had sparked between them from the moment Crystal had collided with him at Confessions. Little nips and bites of lips and teeth warred with long, sensual strokes of tongue that stole his breath and made him instantly hard. The sting in his lip, the throb of his GSW, the aches from Nick’s asskicking, every bit of it faded away—no, her touch made it all go away.

The few times they’d spoken, Crystal had most often been guarded, tentative, fearful. Just as she’d been when he first kissed her. But, now, she was revealing a passionate woman who could be fearless, giving and receiving openly and without hesitation. Christ, the thought that this fierceness was the real Crystal slayed him because it meant she was burying and denying her true self, not because she wanted to, but because she had to.

No, because someone forced her to.

The thought reminded him of the bruises on her arm. Shane had known this woman for three days, and twice in that time she’d been hurt by another man. And both as a consequence for things Shane had done.

A crack of thunder echoed from the heavens, making Crystal jump and gasp into his mouth.
“I’ve got you,” he rasped around a kiss.

Part of him wanted to say more, to tell her he had her and he’d keep her safe. But he couldn’t make himself give up her heat, her sweetness, her obvious hunger—for him.

So he made her a silent promise instead.

Never again, Crystal. He’ll never hurt you again. Not on my watch.

Because Shane McCallan had made a mistake like that once. And, as bad as his sister’s disappearance had been, something’s happening to Crystal would actually be worse because Shane knew it was coming. The one break he’d ever given himself over Molly was that he’d had no way to know she’d be abducted. Didn’t excuse the role he played in allowing it to happen, but he couldn’t have known. But with Crystal, while he might not know when or how this Bruno asshole would strike out to do the ultimate damage, it was all but a done deal at this point. Always was with guys like him. And Shane would go to the grave before he let it happen, before he failed another female for whom he cared.

Because he did care. Made no damn sense given how long he’d known her. And the timing was beyond piss-poor. But there it was all the same.

So that’s Shane and Crystal starting to give in to what they feel for one another – I hope you enjoyed! Did you have a favorite line? Thanks for reading!
~Laura

“Edgy, sexy, and full of suspense! A great read from a great new author!”
~J.R. Ward on Hard As It Gets


Read an Extended Excerpt of Book 1, Hard As It Gets

Buy Hard As You Can at Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Kobo 





Q&A WITH LAURA KAYE

HARD AS YOU CAN is your second book in the “Hard Ink” series (after USA Today bestseller, HARD AS IT GETS). What can readers look forward to?


Readers can look forward to tons of sexy alpha male goodness, awesome bromance between the Hard Ink men, more antics from the Hard Ink puppy, and another great love story between Shane and Crystal. But readers should also be ready for a book that is darker, more intense, and more emotional. This book pushed me to emotional places that were tough as a writer, and might be tough for readers, too. But I think that just makes the payoff at the end so much sweeter!

Describe Shane and Crystal. What are their best traits? What are their weaknesses?

Shane and Crystal are such an amazing couple to me. They’re each exactly what the other needs. Shane’s best traits are his protectiveness, his fundamental kindness, and his soul-deep loyalty (his southern accent and humor are also right up there!). His biggest weakness for sure is a tragedy from the past for which he blames himself—and it’s something that continues to motivate him in Hard As You Can. Crystal’s best traits are her courage, protectiveness, and selflessness—she’s willing to do anything to keep her younger sister safe. Her biggest weakness is also that selflessness, because the sacrifices she’s required to make are getting bigger and bigger and bigger.

If you could describe your book in a 140 character tweet, what would it be?

When a woman in trouble assists an ex-soldier's covert mission to regain his team's stolen honor, he finds a new mission to save her, too

What are you most excited about with this second book release?

I’m really excited to take readers deeper into these awesome characters and into the mystery behind the Hard Ink team’s ambush and discharge!

What books are you reading right now?

I’m almost done with Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander (yes, I’m very late to the party but OMG JAMIE FRASER!!!). And I’ve recently devoured and loved Juliana Stone’s Offsides and Shelly Thacker’s time-travel historical romance, Forever His.

What can fans of your “Hard Ink” series look forward to next?

There will be two more Hard Ink books in 2014!

Hard to Hold on To – August 2014
Hard to Come By – November 2014
 

 
About Laura Kaye:

Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over a dozen books in contemporary and paranormal romance. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.

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