Teaser Picture Thursday #8: Beautiful Player by Christina Lauren

Love this book. Love this series. LOVE these authors! AND they have two new books in the Beautiful Bastard series coming out in 2015! Beautiful Beloved a novella about Max and Sara and Beautiful Secret a full length novel about Max's brother Niall and Ruby (a character from the author's Wild Seasons series)! SO much goodness to come!

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ABOUT CHRISTINA LAUREN:

Yes, there are two of us! Lauren (on the left) and Christina (on the right).

Christina Lauren is the combined pen name of long-time writing partners/besties/soulmates/brain-twins Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings. The coauthor duo writes both Young Adult and Adult Fiction, and together has produced eight New York Times bestselling novels. Their books have been translated into 24 languages.

Lauren Billings (but everyone calls her Lo) has a Ph.D. in neuroscience and before she made writing her full-time job, would spend her days doing nerdy research-type things wearing a lab coat and goggles. She is silly Mommy to two littles, wife to one mountain biking homebrewing scientist, bestie to a shoe-stealer, and an unabashed lover of YA and romance.

Christina Hobbs (but you’ll always hear Lo call her PQ) used to spend her days in a junior high counseling office surrounded by teenagers. These days you’ll probably find her on tumblr. She is married and absolutely not old enough to be the mom of a 14 year old (right??), thinks she’s the luckiest person in the world to write books with her best friend, and is an unapologetic lover of boy bands and glitter. She also likes to steal Lo’s shoes.

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Waiting on Wednesday #10: Falling Away by Penelope Douglas

Jaxon is the guy she’s supposed to avoid.

K.C. is the girl he won’t let get away....

K. C. Carter has always followed the rules—until this year, when a mistake leaves her the talk of her college campus and her carefully arranged life comes crashing to a halt. Now she’s stuck in her small hometown for the summer to complete her court-ordered community service, and to make matters worse, trouble is living right next door.

Jaxon Trent is the worst kind of temptation and exactly what K.C. was supposed to stay away from in high school. But he never forgot her. She was the one girl who wouldn’t give him the time of day and the only one to ever say no. Fate has brought K.C. back into his life—except what he thought was a great twist of luck turns out to be too close for comfort. As the bond between them grows, he discovers that convincing K.C. to get out from her mother’s shadow is hard, but revealing the darkest parts of his soul is nearly impossible.… 

Expected publication: January 6th 2015 by Penguin Group (USA) LLC

This is the fourth book in the Fall Away series and I think that we can all agree we've been waiting for Jax's book for what feels like forever! Well in less than a week this lovely will be in our hands! Also that cover? *drools*

Pre-order here

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ABOUT PENELOPE:

Penelope Douglas is a writer and teacher in Las Vegas. Born in Dubuque, Iowa, she is the oldest of five children. Penelope attended the University of Northern Iowa, earning a Bachelor's degree in Public Administration, because her father told her to "just get the damn degree!" She then earned a Masters of Science in Education at Loyola University in New Orleans, because she HATED public administration. One night, she got tipsy and told the bouncer at the bar where she worked (yes, she was drunk at work) that his son was hot, and three years later she was married. To the son, not the bouncer. They have spawn, but just one. A daughter named Aydan. Penelope loves sweets, the show Sons of Anarchy, and she shops at Target almost daily.

CONNECT WITH PENELOPE:

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Teaser Tuesday #5

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: Grab your current read and share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page. 

This week's Teaser Tuesday is from The Game Plan by R.L. Mathewson!

Spend the next 40 years in prison or break her lease early? 

Normally she’d be able to say that this one was a no-brainer, but things have definitely changed since she was forced to move in across the hall from Danny Bradford. 

A lot of things…… 

She wanted to get through one day, just ONE day without Danny Bradford doing something to test the limits to her control, but with that damn smile of his and his habit of leaving her contemplating manslaughter, she didn’t see that happening anytime soon. 

He loved his family, but some days……. 

It was too much, but that was okay, because his small neighbor living across the hallway provided him with endless hours of entertainment. Not on purpose of course, but did it really matter as long she made him smile?

Published December 27th 2014 by Rerum Industries, Inc.

“Bradford men didn’t propose, because a proposal meant that he wasn’t out of his mind in love. It was the same reason that they didn’t buy rings or plan weddings, because if a Bradford male was thinking rationally enough to do any of that shit, then he wasn’t really in love. A Bradford male might realize early on that he’d found the woman of his dreams, but until he was at the point that he was willing to risk a kidnapping charge, he wasn’t ready for marriage.”

I just finished this book today and I absolutely loved it. I've missed reading about the Bradford men and the shenanigans their unusual eating habits get them into. 

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CONNECT WITH R.L.

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Release Day Excerpt: The Pact by Karina Halle

*The Pact is a standalone, contemporary adult romance*

It all started with a pinky swear…

Linden McGregor is tall, rugged, and

gunslinger handsome; a helicopter pilot with a Scottish brogue and charm to

spare. He’s also one of Stephanie Robson’s best friends and has fit into that

box for as long as she’s known him.

Beautiful, funny and an ambitious

businesswoman (with one hell of an ass), Stephanie Robson is one of Linden

McGregor’s best friends and has fit into that box for as long as he’s known

her.

But some relationships can’t be boxed,

can’t be classified, can’t be tamed.

Back in their mid-twenties and tired of

the competitive hit-or-miss dating scene of San Francisco, Steph and Linden

made a pact to marry each other if neither one of them are in a serious

relationship by the time they hit thirty.

It sounds like fun and games but as the

years to thirty tick past and lovers come and go out of their lives, the pact

becomes larger than life.

Sex is inevitable. Friendships are

tested. Hearts are on the line. 

The

pact is about to change everything.

EXCERPT:

Her eyes are so blue and wide, like the morning sky, her

mouth so perfectly full. I contemplate running my thumb over her lips before I

kiss the salt off of them.

I should just do it. I should just fucking do it.

I swallow hard, my throat feeling closed up but I know it’s

not from my cold. It’s from want and it’s from fear.

“What are you staring at?” she asks me, her voice shaking slightly.

Just fucking kiss her.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

With her USA Today Bestselling The Artists Trilogy published by Grand Central Publishing, numerous foreign publication deals, and self-publishing success with her Experiment in Terror series, Vancouver-born Karina Halle is a true example of the term "Hybrid Author." Though her books showcase her love of all things dark, sexy and edgy, she's a closet romantic at heart and strives to give her characters a HEA...whenever possible.Karina holds a screenwriting degree from Vancouver Film School and a Bachelor of Journalism from TRU. Her travel writing, music reviews/interviews and photography have appeared in publications such as Consequence of Sound, Mxdwn and GoNomad Travel Guides. She currently lives on an island on the coast of British Columbia where she’s preparing for the zombie apocalypse with her fiancé and rescue pup.

LINKS:

FACEBOOK - TWITTER - GOODREADS - AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

Teaser Picture Thursday #7: Dirty Angels by Karina Halle

Loved this book and am looking forward to Dirty Deeds, the next book in this series out 2015.

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 * Merry Christmas *

Waiting On Wednesday #9: The Game Plan by R.L. Mathewson

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking The Spine, it spotlilghts upcoming releases that we are dying to read.

This week my WoW is ... THE GAME PLAN by R. L. MATHEWSON.

The long anticipated fifth book for the Neighbor from Hell Series...

What happens when an ex-marine who just happens to be a Bradford finds himself living across the hall from a woman who can't pop even an aspirin without losing control and who hates the very ground that he walks on?

We'll find out in December of 2014...

Expected publication: December 27th 2014

SERIES READING ORDER

  

 

Super excited for the next book in this series! If you're looking for a romantic comedy, the Neighbor From Hell series is for you!

CONNECT WITH R.L.

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Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I Wouldn't Mind Santa Bringing This Year

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke And The Bookish.

1. BEAUTY AWAKENED by GENA SHOWALTER

I loved the first book in this series, and Beauty Awakened has been on my TBR for years. Gena Showalter does PNR like nobody else.

2. THE GAME PLAN by R.L. MATHEWSON 

So, The Game Plan won't be published until December 27, and unless Santa can bribe R.L. Mathewson, I won't be getting this book in time for Christmas. BUT I love the hell out of this series and I'm looking forward to escaping my crazy family to read this book during the holidays.

3. RIVAL by PENELOPE DOUGLAS

I can't believe I haven't read Rival yet. Madoc's story has been a long time coming and I really need to read this before Falling Away is released in January! (and these covers are seriously yum)

4. DARKNESS & SMILEY by LAURANN DOHNER

 

So the New Species series is kind of my dirty little secret and I haven't gotten to Darkness OR Smiley yet. I will definitely binge read these two books when I get some free time!

5. CAGED IN WINTER by BRIGHTON WALSH

I've heard nothing but great things about this book (and author) and the second book in this series will be released next year so I'll have to get to this before Tess Ever After.

6. BECOMING CALDER by MIA SHERIDAN

I need to read this book. I know I've only read one Mia Sheridan book but it turned out to be one of my favorites of the year. This is the first in a duology that was released earlier this year and it sounds amazing. 

7. FILTHY BEAUTIFUL LIES by KENDALL RYAN

I LOVE KENDALL RYAN! This is the first book in the Filthy Beautiful Lies series. If these sizzling covers don't make you want to read this series then we can't be friends. 

8. IT AIN'T ME, BABE by TILLIE COLE

It's no secret that I have serious love for MC books. The second book in this series Heart Recaptured was just released so I need to read this one pronto!

9. WICKED by JENNIFER L. ARMENTROUT

Jennifer L. Armentrout, J. Lynn. LE SIGH. I love your books. I've read almost all of them and a new adult PNR? O-FREAKING-KAY! I have it on good authority that santa will be bringing me this book on Christmas morning :)

10. THE LIBRARIAN PRINCIPLE by HENELA HUNTING

I loved Helena's Clipped Wings series and finding out that she was writing a librarian/principle romance? I'm in! If you haven't you should read the blurb it sounds so good!

So, these are my top ten books I wouldn't mind santa bringing me this year, what are yours?

Mini Review: Ripped by Katy Evans

The fifth book in the New York Times new adult series that began with Real. When an angry, heartbroken girl is forced to be near her rocker ex-boyfriend, only time will tell if the fire between them will consume them both.

Pandora, the gothic friend of Brooke (Real, Mine, Remy) and Melanie, thought that getting her heart broken by her bad boy rocker ex could only happen once. But now, he's back in town with the biggest concert of the year. Pandora hates him so much that she gets Melanie to come with her and play a prank on him at his gig. But when they are caught by security, and her ex himself is summoned, he decides not to press charges if she'll follow certain conditions. Pandora likes none of his rules, or that he's in charge of her, especially since they seem designed to make sure she's in close contact with him again. But the closeness reignites the passion they once shared, and soon no matter how much she wants to hate him, it's clear she's still hung up on him. And worse: he knows it too. 

Published December 9th 2014 by Gallery Books

Well, I'm going to keep this review short since I didn't really enjoy this book, which is unfortunate because I did like Rogue. This was a second chance romance, but now both characters have a mutual hatred for each other. From the get-go I didn't connect with either Pandora or MacKenna. I didn't like the fact that Kenna shoved his man-whorish ways in Pandora's (and my) face. And I didn't like how Pandora was supposed to be this hard-bad ass-bitch but she came off as whiney. The whole woe-is-me thing doesn't fly with me. And the "plot twist" at the end left a really bad taste in my mouth. All in all, not my favorite Katy Evans book, but this won't prevent me from reading her books in the future.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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