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All posts for the month July, 2015
Release Day: Skin Deep By Pamela Sparkman
Published July 20, 2015 by adventuresinbooklandblogTitle: Skin Deep
Author: Pamela Sparkman
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: July 20, 2015
Cover Designer: Sarah Hansen with Okay Creations
Cover
Synopsis
She hates me.
I’m in love with her.
Her life is a masquerade.
Mine is cloaked in secrets.
She thinks I can’t see her.
But she’s the only thing I can see.
he thinks we have nothing in common.
We have everything in common.
And I’m done being patient.
I’m determined.
She’s stubborn.
You think you know us.
You don’t.
The things you know about us are only Skin Deep.
*Warning – This book contains instances of self harm in the form of an eating disorder and may be a trigger to some readers.*
Teasers
Excerpt
Beth had been good at pretending to be this happy carefree girl – bubbly and energetic. Looking at her now, I saw a girl who was anything but carefree. She obviously had demons that haunted her, and I knew from experience that fighting certain demons can be almost impossible.
I listened through the door, making sure Lily had gone. “This isn’t over. Me keeping your secret from Lily is not a sign I’m letting this go. It’s a sign that I’m going to be a thorn in your side until you let me help you.”
Beth prickled at my comment and unfurled herself from the protective ball she had curled into. “I don’t need your help!”
“Yes, you do.” I took another step towards her. Beth took a step back. “And the way I see it, you don’t have much of a choice.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Do you want Lily to know what you’ve been doing?”
Beth’s eyes pooled with unshed tears. She looked hurt by my words. “Please don’t tell Lily,” she pleaded in a whisper.
“I’ll tell her everything unless you let me help you.” The look of fear and disbelief on Beth’s face made me feel like a total jackass.
Her expression changed again. She glowered at me like she wanted to set me on fire. “I hate you so much right now.”
Her words, she meant them. And hearing her tell me she hated me… it hurt, because somewhere along the way I had fallen in love with her.
“I know you do. But I’d rather you hate me for the right reasons, than like me for the wrong ones. I guess we’ll both have to figure out how to fucking live with that.”
Purchase Links
Amazon US | Amazon UK | B&N | KOBO | iTunes
About The Author
I grew up in Alabama and have always been an avid reader. I had a stack of those Little Golden Books and I can remember reading Three Little Kittens over and over and over again. It was my favorite.
Fast forward and the older I got the more in love with books I became. So, I’m admitting that I am a huge nerd. The only reading I don’t like are those math word problems. And I’m okay with that because no one has ever asked me in real life… “If I give you two bananas and take away six apples, how long will it take the southbound train to collide with the northbound train if Johnny left his house at midnight?” It just doesn’t happen.
So, yeah, books are my thing.
Oh and music. All kinds. Love.It.
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Cover Reveal: He Found Me by Whitney Barbetti
Published July 20, 2015 by adventuresinbooklandblogBook Review: With Visions of Red by Trisha Wolfe
Published July 18, 2015 by adventuresinbooklandblogTitle: WITH VISIONS OF RED (Broken Bonds #2)
Author: Trisha Wolfe
Release Date: July 16, 2105
Genre: Erotic Thriller / BDSM
Blurb
The UNSUB has made contact.
After a rapid string of grisly murders shakes the usually peaceful city of Arlington, Virginia, the sadistic killings of young women lull into a deceptive calm. Agent Sadie Bonds knows the terror isn’t over; serial killers don’t stop until caught.
And this sadist has targeted the profiler, revealing pieces of her dark past and weaving her secrets into each gruesome crime scene. Is the killer someone from Sadie’s past, her present? Or is he part of a fated future she brought on herself? The answer lies within the riddle of the copycat killings, ones mimicked after the infamous Blood Countess.
As tension brews in the department awaiting the UNSUB’s next move, Sadie’s more than on edge—her deviant cravings for the possible perpetrator have ratcheted out of control. She needs the feel of Colton’s ropes binding her, sheltering her from stark reality.
Only Colton Reed has his own twisted secrets that threaten to unravel not only Sadie as they come to light, but the UNSUB’s carefully constructed web now entangling both the profiler and her sexy bondage rigger.
Is Sadie too close to this case to be objective, or is the UNSUB closer to her than she ever imagined…
My Thoughts:
After reading book one, I patiently waited until I could read book two, and I wasn’t disappointed. Trisha Wolfe really knows how to write an amazing story! She was able to imagine a dark and twisted world that was extremely enjoyable to read. I know if I write too much I will give the whole story away, so I will keep this brief.
Book two in the With Vision of Red Series started up right where the first book left off. Sadie is still looking for the UNSUB and still spending time with Colton. I love both Colton and Sadie; they are both really interesting characters that have their own stories to share with each other. I was very surprised with what Colton has been keeping to himself.
I love all the twists and turns! Every time I think I know who the UNSUB is something else changes my mind! I also love how Trisha added his/her POV to the story, its so interesting being in his/ her head for a little bit.
I will end this by saying, you need to go and pick up this book and read this story for yourself!!!
With Visions of Red (Broken Bonds #1)
Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | iTunes | Google Play | Kobo
Criminal profiler Sadie Bonds knows blood. Her affair with the gruesome, dark world of killers began long before she started applying her analytical skills to investigate gory crime scenes. She gets inside the killers’ heads, breaks them down, relates to them on an arcane level. She prefers it this way—because it’s safer to ally herself with the villain than the victim. At least, that’s how she’s coped ever since she was abducted and tortured as a teen.
She will never be a victim again.
Now, she’s honed her skills in order to bring justice to these ritualistic offenders. Working alongside her colleagues, armed with sharp wit and a SIG, Sadie always catches her sadist. Until one ruthless serial killer gets inside Sadie’s head, turning the tables. He knows her secrets. Her obsessions. The darkest, most deviant part of her soul.
When she meets Colton Reed, dangerous stakes are raised as he threatens to unravel her control and reveal her darkest fantasies. The sexy-as-sin bondage rigger at an exclusive BDSM club pushes her boundaries, forcing her to acknowledge that side of herself she fears. Plunged into a realm of torture and suffering, pain and pleasure, Sadie balances on the razor-sharp edge of two intersecting worlds threatening to swallow her.
Passion and lust ignite. Dark and light battle. This explosive first installment of the Broken Bonds series sets the exhilarating pace for a cat and mouse game where no one knows who’s really pulling the strings.
About Trisha Wolfe
From an early age, Trisha Wolfe dreamed up fantasy worlds and characters and was accused of talking to herself. Today, she lives in South Carolina with her family and writes full time, using her fantasy worlds as an excuse to continue talking to herself. For more information on Trisha Wolfe and her works, please visit: TrishaWolfe.com
Sign up for Trisha Wolfe’s newsletter to get updates on future book releases and special sale events: bit.ly/1rXTKI7
Come hang out and chat with Trisha in her Facebook group: on.fb.me/1yFLhOA
Giveaway!
Cover Reveal: Fairy Tale Confessions Collection
Published July 17, 2015 by adventuresinbooklandblogPublished by: Amber Leaf Publishing
Publication date: October 1st 2015
Genres: Fairy Tales
Fourteen bestselling authors twist up your favorite tales. Will your favorite have a happily-every-after?
Get ready to meet some sexy, not-so-valiant princes, punk-rock princesses, villains turned heroes, and truly vile monsters, causing havoc within our favorite happily-ever-afters.
Read about Dancing Princesses getting their groove on in a disco club, a seriously sexy Rumpelstiltskin, and one alluring Puss-in-Boots, plus many, many more captivating characters in these fourteen all new short-stories.
In association with RT 2016 come meet the twisted fairy tale girls: M. Clarke, Amy Daws, L.P. Dover, Elizabeth Montgomery, Shannon Morton, Brynn Myers, Wendy Owens, Sarah J. Pepper, Cameo Renae, Kellie Sheridan, Jessica Sorensen, Kristen Strassel, Tish Thawer, and K.R. Wilburn. If you’ll be in Vegas for RT 2016, join hosts, Sarah J. Pepper and Tish Thawer at the Fairy Tale Costume Party where you could see a traditional Snow-White, or a completely gothed-out Belle roaming the scene, win dinner with Prince Charming, and snag gift baskets from all the participating authors.
Book Review: Laguna Nights by Kaira Rouda
Published July 16, 2015 by adventuresinbooklandblog
We’re celebrating a hot, new series with the release of LAGUNA NIGHTS (Laguna Nights Series, 1) by Kaira Rouda!
Blurb:
Madison Alcott left her Laguna Beach childhood in the past as soon as she could, never imagining she’d be forced to return. Caring for her ill mother and holding down a high-pressure position at the best resort in town, Madison’s life is as good as it could ever be in Laguna Beach. And blissfully, nobody knows her as Holly anymore, the name she used on television. Everything changes when her high school boyfriend appears in the lobby. He was the reason she’d left Laguna in the first place when he humiliated her on national television.
Josh Welsh’s star has been dimming ever since he shot to fame as the high school heartthrob on the reality TV series Laguna Nights. Hoping to reignite his career, he agreed to host a travel show, with the first episode shooting in his old hometown of Laguna Beach. Of all the negative scenarios associated with filming in Laguna, Josh hadn’t calculated a run-in with Madison, or that the same deep connection he felt for her in high school would still be there.
Madison and Josh’s reality TV relationship exploded years ago but when the new series forces them together, they must face Laguna Nights past and present.
I have read a couple of Kaira Rouda’s books now and I have to say I am always happy with them. Kaira has a way in developing a story that engages you and keeps you on your toes while reading.
I thought that this book was a great idea, who hasn’t been a fan of one reality one time in their lives. I know in the past I have watched many of them! We also all know what really goes on and that they aren’t always as real as they seem. Kaira was able to open our eyes how reality could be.
Character wise, Madison was very relatable, she had some hard times, the only difference is, hers happened to be caught on camera. A lot of Madison’s problems with weight, loss of trust and loss of friends are things that everyone goes through. Josh on the other hand wasn’t as relatable, but I enjoyed reading about him just as much. He truly loves Madison and it showed the whole time!
About the Author:

Kaira Rouda is an Amazon #1 bestselling, multiple award-winning author of three women’s fiction novels including HERE, HOME, HOPE, ALL THE DIFFERENCE and IN THE MIRROR.
Tule Publishing Group’s Southern Born imprint is publishing her new contemporary romance series set on INDIGO ISLAND: WEEKEND WITH THE TYCOON, Book 1; LINES IN THE SAND, Book 2; THE TROUBLE WITH CHRISTMAS, Book 3; and THE BILLIONAIRE’S BID, Book 4. Three more books in the series will be out in 2015.
Her nonfiction title, REAL YOU INCORPORATED: 8 Essentials for Women Entrepreneurs, continues to inspire women internationally.
She lives in Southern California with her husband and four almost-grown kids, and is at work on her next novel. Connect with her on Twitter, @KairaRouda, and on Facebook at Kaira Rouda Books. For more about Kaira and her books, please visit wwww.KairaRouda.com.
Book Blitz: At the Heart of the Deep by Carrie L. Wells
Published July 15, 2015 by adventuresinbooklandblog(A Falling in Deep Collection Novella)
Publication date: June 23rd 2015
Genres: New Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Oceanographer Luke McAllister races to figure out why the ocean depth is changing off Florida’s Treasure Coast. But before he and his crew discover what’s transforming the deep, he stumbles upon an even greater mystery. Leagues below the waves, he swear he sees…a mermaid?
Anya isn’t allowed to get close to humans. But when a golden-haired researcher gets too close to her island, she can’t afford to stay away.
Together, this unlikely pair will seek to discover what’s causing shifts in ocean floor. While their new alliance is forbidden, Anya will risk everything to save her beloved ocean. The only problem is, she’s not sure what’s really luring her in, her love of the sea or the tempest Luke has stirred in her heart. Either way, Anya knows that the dangers facing the sea are nothing compared to what will happen to her when her father learns she’s broken the merfolks’ most sacred law.
Can Anya and Luke discover what lurks at the heart of the deep before it’s too late?
Excerpt:
I caught sight of his cut, thought a moment, and swam away. He floated there, treading water and wondering what would happen next. At that point, his face conveyed the pain in his side. I watched an intense sting replace what I knew of the original burning sensation of a coral abrasion, and the open wound spilled into the ocean at a steady pace.
Conceivably, I had underestimated the severity of the cut. Maybe the coral cut deeper than I thought. The blood clouded the water surrounding him, and now the problem remained of how to take the injured man across the reef without doing further damage. We still needed to cross at least two miles and climb a rocky beach. Or did we?
Before he had time to contemplate any other option, I approached him from below. I swam up to him slowly, and he did nothing. He didn’t dive to meet me or attempt to swim away. He hung vertically in the water, waiting.
He must have felt me before he could clearly see me. The water shifted as I neared, my physicality changing the flow of the ocean around me. He knew I was there, but he didn’t dive below. Was he afraid? Too hurt to move? Instead, he stayed still, moving as little as possible, allowing my approach, and keeping the blood loss at a minimum.
I moved below him and then up, along his body, until my head emerged from the inky blue water and he stared into my eyes. He let out a fast gasp and quickly sank below the surface.
Interview:
- What is your favorite mermaid story or myth?
Growing up in New England, it seems all stories were about the ocean. I know it is cliché, but I remember sitting on my grandmother’s porch, looking at the water, and wondering if Marina, the “real” little mermaid was actually out there. I guess she started it all for me.
2. What was the inspiration for your mermaid novella?
I spend a lot of time down in Vero Beach, FL where my sister lives, and since it is on the Treasure Coast there are plenty of stories about buried and found treasure. I wanted to mix pirates with mermaids, and while I didn’t quite do that here, this leads into the next book in my series, The Mark of the Mermaid, which does just that.
3. Cast your characters. If your novella was made into a movie, who would play your main characters?
Anya would be a Drew Barrymore type, independent and a bit silly. I could see her tripping in front of Luke and just laughing it off. Luke, well, I wrote him with the surfer version of Matthew McConaughey in mind. Focused and fun, at home in the water, and cut!
4. What was most challenging thing writing about mermaids?
The challenge was determining how much time to put them on land. It isn’t easy to offer mermaid human interaction in the middle of the ocean, so you need a plausible world where they walk on land
5. Ursula or Ariel?
Ariel’s curiosity, but not her “sell my soul” naiveté.
6. What else should we know about your novella?
It’s my first! I have plenty more in the works, but I’m busy reveling in this one right now.
Carrie earned her Master’s degree in English with a minor in Psychology from Hardin-Simmons University and a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Florida. With a love of chocolate, books, and her family, Carrie braves the world and chaos only children can bring. She currently lives in Florida with her fire-medic hubby and three children. She is an English instructor at Eastern Florida State College.
Author links:
Teaser Tuesday: Take the Fall by Marquita Valentine
Published July 14, 2015 by adventuresinbooklandblog
TITLE: Take the Fall (Take the Fall, 1)
AUTHOR: Marquita Valentine
Adult Contemporary Romance
Release date: July 21, 2015 Loveswept
Blurb:
As a teenager, Seth O’Connor went to jail for a crime he had nothing to do with. He took the fall to protect the girl he loved, but the cruel realities of prison hardened him. After doing his time, Seth shuts her out and enlists in the Marines—until his grandmother’s funeral forces him to come home and face Rowan Simmons once again. The woman she’s become puts all his high-school memories to shame, and Seth wants her more than ever. Can he be honest about why he denied her for so long?
After Seth pushed her away, Rowan swore that no man would ever hurt her again. But the boy who broke her heart has become a sexy Marine, capable of fulfilling her every desire—and now that he’s back in town, old feelings are simmering to a boil. Rowan wants to stay strong, even as her body surrenders to his expert touch. She only hopes that by taking him back, she can finally help heal the wounds that drove them apart.
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1EeO7uI
B&N: http://bit.ly/1w7kPgs
iBooks: http://bit.ly/1pU7Lkb
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1AttPuT
About the Author:
Marquita met her husband aka Hot Builder at Sonic when they were in high school. She suggests this location to all of her single friends in search of a good man—and if that doesn’t work, they can console themselves with cheesy tatertots. She lives in North Carolina in a very, very small town with Hot Builder and their two children.
Cover Reveal: Phoenix Awakens by Eliza Nolan
Published July 13, 2015 by adventuresinbooklandblogDate: 10/12/15
from Goodreads:
debut about a high school senior who finds herself in a fight with a secret
society for control of ancient magic.
of cultish, bloody rituals are weird enough, but the victim in her lifelike
dreams is her new classmate, Southern charmer Graham.
but swears he left it all behind. As Julia works with Graham to figure out why
she is dreaming about his past, she’s discovering she has other abilities. She
heals Graham’s migraines with a touch, and there’s her superhuman strength that
comes and goes. Julia doesn’t know where her new talents come from, but there’s
no denying that when Graham is near, her powers kick into overdrive.
seek, and they’ll do whatever it takes to get it.
one with a shot at stopping them. Will Julia learn to control her new abilities
in time to stop the Phoenixes from harnessing this powerful magic?
About the Author
Eliza
Nolan was born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She lived in Charleston,
South Carolina, for a few years, after which she returned to icy Minnesota –
where she now lives with her two cats in a house smaller than your closet.
She is an avid reader and writer of YA. She has ghostwritten a novel or two,
but also writes her own stuff, and is FINALLY getting ready (to get ready) to
publish her debut young adult urban fantasy novel, Phoenix Awakens.
Book Review: Naked by Stacey Trombley
Published July 10, 2015 by adventuresinbooklandblog
Title- Naked
Author- Stacey Trombley
Publisher- Entangled Teen
Amazon- http://goo.gl/K3Eq9x
BOOK SUMMERY:
The best place to hide is in a lie…
I could never fit in to the life my parents demanded. By the time I was thirteen, it was too much. I ran away to New York City…and found a nightmare that lasted three years. A nightmare that began and ended with a pimp named Luis. Now I am Dirty Anna. Broken, like everything inside me has gone bad.
Except that for the first time, I have a chance to start over. Not just with my parents but at school. Still, the rumors follow me everywhere. Down the hall. In classes. And the only hope I can see is in the wide, brightly lit smile of Jackson, the boy next door. So I lie to him. I lie to protect him from my past. I lie so that I don’t have to be The Girl Who Went Bad.
The only problem is that someone in my school knows about New York.
Someone knows who I really am.
And it’s just a matter of time before the real Anna is exposed…
MY THOUGHTS:
The cover of this book intrigued me and then the blurb drew me in! I must say I was not disappointed.
Stacey took a huge chance writing a book like she did and she was able to do it with a lot of taste. There was never a moment where I thought, “I can’t believe she wrote that”. It was nice to read a YA book with a plot that I haven’t seen before
The characters were so likable as well! I was rooting for Anna the whole time; I wanted her to find her place and just to be happy. I am a huge fan in seeing character development in a book and there was just so much in this one, not only in Anna, but in her mother and friends as well. Jackson was great and I loved his friendship with Anna and how they helped each other.
I will also admit that Anna’s senior project made me a bit teary!
This was such a great debut novel by Stacey and I cannot wait to read more from her!