Blog Tour: Just Once Julianna Keyes + Giveaway

 

Thanks to AToMR for hosting this tour. Check out the schedule HERE.

Just Once

Author: Julianna Keyes
Pages: 264 pgs
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Release Date: October 29th 2013
Review Source: Omnific

Kate Burke is done making bad decisions. Thirty years old and belatedly determined to grow up, the successful travel writer and one-time party girl returns to work at the remote Ponderosa Pines Ranch to reassess her life.

Although her kitchen/cabin staff is lacking and the workload never relents, Kate’s main challenge is Shane Maddox, the ruggedly handsome and doggedly stubborn ranch foreman. Instantly at odds, they battle over everything from ceiling fans to bothersome bats—studiously ignoring the sparks they generate with each confrontation.

They can’t explain their explosive physical chemistry, but after a few frustrated weeks they can’t deny it either. Their solution? Just once. They’ll get past their inconvenient lust and move on.

Kate’s been trying to think with her head instead of her hormones, but is this just another bad decision in a lifetime of careless choices? Has she really changed at all?

Set in the striking and serene hills of southern Colorado, Julianna Keyes’ debut novel offers a sizzling and satisfying tale of unexpected chemistry and the power of second chances. Her characters will get under your skin and into your heart. Just once may not be enough for you either.

Julianna's debut is romance debut is full of witty banter, a great cast of characters, and a beautiful setting in Colorado. What more could you possibly want?

Right off the bat it's clear that our heroine, Kate, is going to be a loveable character. It's clear that there's more to her than meets the eye, which to me is a great set up. Her immediate clashing with our hero, Shane, is just right and leaves you wondering when these two will finally give into each other.

Throughout the book we're treated to beautiful scenery and the fun life of living on a dude ranch, bats and all. Julianna did a wonderful job of really setting the stage and making readers feel as though they're right in the thick of it with these characters.

I really enjoyed the fact that things were slowly revealed, one layer at a time, along with the characters growth. Great story and sweet romance, that wasn't for the faint of heart or young at heart. And in the end, I definitely can't wait for more from Julianna, whether it's in this world or a whole new one.

*GIVEAWAY TIME*

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

About the Author

Julianna Keyes is a Canadian writer who has lived on both coasts and several places in between. She’s been skydiving, bungee jumping, and white water rafting, but nothing thrills—or terrifies—her as much as the blank page. She has volunteered in Zambia, taught English in China, and dreams of seeing pink dolphins in the Amazon. This is her first book.

Website | Twitter

Blog Tour: Disclosure of the Heart by Mary Whitney

 

Thanks to Literati Author Services for hosting this tour.

Disclosure of the Heart

Beside Your Heart 2

Author: Mary Whitney 
Pages: 206 pgs
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Release Date: November 5th 2013
Review Source: Publisher

Sixteen years is a long time to wait for your true love to reappear, and, anyway, Nicki Johnson couldn’t wait for the impossible to happen. Hard life lessons have taught her that fairy tales are children’s stories, and fate is cruel. Burying her hopes, she’s spent the last sixteen years focused and driven toward her career, and it’s landed her with a job at the White House with a gem of a boyfriend. But when her high school love, Adam Kincaid, walks into the White House as a BBC reporter, Nicki’s world is thrown into turmoil as she relives their past. Adam has come back for her, but has he arrived too late?

The first book in this series was all about how our main characters, Nicki Johnson and Adam Kincaid, first met. Which just so happened to be in high school, not long after Nicki's sister died in an accident. We get to watch the ups and downs of falling in love at seventeen and the reality of separation when Adam has to return to England at the end of their school year.

In this second book, these two characters are reunited after sixteen years. Mary didn't a wonderful job of showing the dynamics change in their relationship from high school to how they were as adults. The stress of jobs,  their friends and significant others, even the bonus of technological advances all play a roll.

This also helped to show, at least in my opinion, the strength of their love and connection. Nicki and Adam seemed to have just the right moments together, with such ease and witty banter, they just worked. Bring in anyone and you could tell right off the bat that things just weren't the same.

My heart goes out to these two characters with all they have been through and I definitely want them to have their happily ever after. It looks like things might be headed in that direction, but with one more book to tie everything together, there's bound to be more drama and hurdles for these two lovebirds to conquer.

*GIVEAWAY TIME*

Kindle (US Only) signed paperbacks, ebooks, and gift cards.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author

Even before she graduated from law school, Mary Whitney knew she wasn’t cut out to be a real lawyer. Drawn to politics, she’s spent her career as an organizer, lobbyist, and nonprofit executive. Nothing piques her interest more than a good political scandal or romance, and when she stumbled upon writing, she put the two together. A born Midwesterner, naturalized Texan, and transient resident of Washington, D.C., Mary now lives in Northern California with her two daughters and real lawyer husband.

Connect:  Blog |Twitter | Facebook |Amazon Author Page | Pinterest | Goodreads

Give the Gift of Cinder!

For our first big book event my sister and I went Teen Book Con, which is a local event hosted by our favorite bookshop (Blue Willow). That was how we first got to meet Marissa Meyer and get our hands on a copy of Cinder.

The copy was actually supposed to be for me, but at one point my sister decided that she wanted to check it out. And like many close sisters we share our books and such, so I of course let her borrow it. Her enthusiasm over Cinder only made me even more excited to read it, and thus our obsession with the Lunar Chronicles began!

Here is the link to my review of Cinder.

Are you dying to read Cress?
Do you love The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer?
Do you know someone who hasn’t read The Lunar Chronicles yet?

If you’ve said YES to all these questions, here’s what you do:

1.       Loan a friend a copy of Cinder.
2.       Write a blog post explaining why you gave that friend a copy of Cinder.
3.       Have your friend review Cinder on his/her blog OR on your blog.
4.       Share the review online using the #GiftOfCinder hashtag!
5.       Leave us the links for your blog post, review of Cinder, and social share on this post below!

We’ll pick twenty winners to receive an advanced copy of the upcoming Cress, the third installment in The Lunar Chronicles.

And mark your calendars… #CyborgMonday is coming on December 2, 2013.

Waiting on Wednesday: Rebel Springs

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, which spotlights upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating.

(Coming December 2013)

Love, power, and magic collide with war in the second book of the Falling Kingdoms series

Auranos has fallen and the three kingdoms—Auranos, Limeros, and Paelsia—are now united as one country called Mytica. But still, magic beckons, and with it the chance to rule not just Mytica, but the world...

When the evil King Gaius announces that a road is to be built into the Forbidden Mountains, formally linking all of Mytica together, he sets off a chain of events that will forever change the face of this land, forcing Cleo the dethroned princess, Magnus the reluctant heir, Lucia the haunted sorceress, and Jonas the desperate rebel to take steps they never could have imagined.

 

I absolutely loved the first book in this series. Morgan created fascinating characters and really managed to pull readers into the world she created. I've been anxiously awaiting this sequel. And not only is the book bound to be wonderful, but isn't this next cover gorgeous! It sets the tone nicely, just like the one for Falling Kingdoms.

What are you waiting on? 

Blog Tour: Leave the Lights On by Karen Stivali + Giveaway

 

Thanks to Literati Author Services for hosting this tour.

Leave the Lights On

Author: Karen Stivali
Pages: 238 pgs
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Release Date: November 5th 2013
Review Source: Author

 "When love throws you a curve, swing for the fences. "

Parker Wood's dreams of becoming a professional baseball player are shattered when he's injured in a devastating car crash. After two years in hospitals and physical rehab facilities, he's ready to move back to his childhood home and take over the family landscaping company. The house and business are his, now that his father has passed.

Sophie Vaughn has suffered through a hellishly public divorce from a husband who couldn't manage to stay faithful for two months of marriage. Determined not to let her personal drama impact her successful wedding and party planning business, she buys her parents' old house, hoping the comfort of familiar surroundings will help her heal.

When Parker and Sophie discover they're neighbors once again, it's as if time has stood still. Their friendship is quickly rekindled, along with the decade-long crush neither of them ever admitted having. Then the heat between them exposes a long-held secret that threatens to tear them apart...unless they can detach from their painful pasts and move forward-together.

Warning: Contains sultry summer nights, steamy pool-side encounters, and you'll never look at a jar of peanut butter the same way again.

This was a fun, light read that I really enjoyed getting to delve into.

Parker and Sophie were two people dealing with difficult pasts and trying to move forward with their lives. It was fun, and sweet, seeing them reconnect and find comfort in one another. The things they'd been through should have left them bitter, but Karen did a wonderful job of showing the connection and love both Parker and Sophie had with each other. 

Karen also kept the angst at bay, which I was grateful for. Sure there were moments where it seemed as though heart ache was about to fall with ex's, friends, and parents threatening their happiness, but in the end her characters seemed to find a way to move beyond it. Sometimes an ooohy-gooey romance is just what the doctor ordered and that's exactly what this is.

The romance and sweetness for Parker were just right, leaving me sad to see it end. I wanted to continue with more of the story (*hint hint*), but was happy that both Sophie and Parker had a beautiful ending, and in some ways a beautiful beginning.

If your looking for a story to make you sigh with contentment, and giggle at the feels, then this is definitely the book for you.

*GIVEAWAY TIME*

Tour-Wide Giveaway  (Open Internationally)

• $25 Gift Card (Choice of Amazon or Barnes & Noble)
• Choice of ebook from author’s backlist

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author

Karen Stivali is a prolific writer, compulsive baker and chocoholic with a penchant for books, movies and fictional British men. When she’s not writing, she can be found cooking extravagant meals and serving them to family and friends, who never seem to mind the excessive quantities she tends to prepare. She attributes her ability to multitask to the fact that she rarely sleeps, which gives her more hours every day. Prior to deciding to write full time Karen worked as a hand drawn animator, a clinical therapist, and held various food-related jobs ranging from waitress to specialty cake maker. Planning elaborate parties and fundraisers takes up what’s left of her time and sanity.

Karen has always been fascinated by the way people relate to one another so she favors books and movies that feature richly detailed characters and their relationships. In her own writing she likes to explore the dynamics between characters and has a tendency to craft romantic tales filled with sarcasm and sexy details. Although she writes in three genres (erotic romance, contemporary romance and women’s fiction) all of her stories are love stories with happily ever after endings.

Karen has published several erotic romance novels with Ellora’s Cave including two award winning stories: Always You (published September 2011, First Place Winner of the RWA Passionate Plume Award – 2012)and Marry Me (published June 2012, First Place Winner in the NEC-RWA Bean Pot Reader’s Choice Award – 2013).

Connect with the Author:  Facebook | Twitter | Website | Goodreads