Thursday, February 12, 2015

ALL FIRED UP (Black Halo #2) by Madelynne Ellis - Book Blitz - Giveaway!

ALL FIRED UP (Black Halo #2)
by Madelynne Ellis
Contemporary/Erotic Romance
Published by Mischief on December 18th, 2014


Book Description:

All Fired Up is the follow-up to New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author Madelynne Ellis’ scorching rock star romance novel, All Night Long, and is the fourth novel about the band Black Halo.

Ginny Walters always knew her weakness for bad boys would get her into trouble. Her one night stand with Black Halo’s lead guitarist, Ash Gore, was only supposed to be a fun, not the prelude to the sort of relationship that’d scorch holes in her heart as well as her bed sheets. She’d be the happiest woman in the world if Ash wasn’t so determined to keep their connection off radar.

Ash Gore knows girlfriends are bad news for bands, which is why he’s resolved to keep his attachment to Ginny a secret. He and the guys have enough on their stages as they try to piece themselves back together after the band’s split. But when new drummer, Iain Willows, starts taking an active interest in Ginny, tensions quickly mount. Soon, Ash is not only at risk of losing Ginny, but everything he holds dearest–including life itself.


Suggested reading order:
Come Undone (Rock Hard #1)
All Night Long (Black Halo #1)
Remastered (Black Halo #1.5)
Come Together (Rock Hard #2)
All Fired Up (Black Halo #2)


Excerpt - ALL FIRED UP (Black Halo #2)

Ash decided he liked holding hands. OK, so their height difference meant his shoulder ached after about twenty minutes, and he had to go for the alternative of wrapping his arm around her back so they could show off their couple like status, but he definitely liked the whole togetherness thing. They explored the banks of the river Scheldt first, then some of the older parts of the city, stopping to enjoy a round of Bolleke, an amber beer from the local De Koninck Brewery—he only knew because he read it off the bottle label—at a congenial antiquated bruin café full of grizzled locals. The best part of the experience being that nobody bothered them. Sure, he caught a few glances, he was a good looking guy and Ginny was an absolute bombshell, but most of those looks were from ladies his mum’s age, obviously appreciating the signs of young love. Not a single blessed fan girl came at him with their arms outstretched, and he wasn’t obliged to sign anything for the whole afternoon other than a debit card receipt. It was absolute bliss.

All right, so he wouldn’t want to live like this all of the time. He knew he was an attention junky, but as an afternoon of normalcy went, it rated pretty well.

‘I suppose I’m going to have to give you back soon,’ Ginny moaned as she consulted the tourist information leaflet she’d picked up from a stand inside the café-bar. That’s a shame, it might have been nice to go and check out Rubens house. The artist,’ she clarified, in response to his puzzled look. ‘He lived here. His house looks gorgeous,’ she showed him a picture.

‘We might not have time for that, but we should have time to do something else Antwerp is famous for.’

‘What’s that?’ she asked.

Ash turned over the leaflet she held. ‘Let’s go shopping.’

‘Shopping?’ She stared at the square box that he tapped his finger against, which show a single exquisitely cut diamond. ‘Ash, you’re not serious.’

‘What else would we go shopping for in the diamond capital of the world? 

Maybe I can buy you something sparkly to wear in my favourite intimate piercing.’

Her eyes widened; they caught the sun and glittered like diamonds, or at least two spectacular pieces of golden jade. ‘I hardly think they sell that type of jewellery.’

‘Oh, I don’t know, I bet they do. I can’t be the only man on the planet that appreciates sparkly things in sparkly places.’

‘I don’t remember my pussy being covered in fairy dust.’

‘No, but it makes me feel as if I’m covered in fairy dust when I’m fucking it.’ She prodded him in the elbow to silence him, but he knew she liked it when he was crude. It turned her on. Hey, it turned him on too. 

It didn’t take long to find the specialist diamond dealers among the mediaeval streets. Ginny snatched the sunglasses off Ash’s nose as they peeped in through the window, and put them on herself.

‘You remember those aren’t mine,’ Ash reminded her.

‘Yeah, but I don’t mind you getting the blame for having half inched them, and I think I might need something to help obliterate the price tags so I don’t faint. You honestly want to do this?’

‘Yeah. Now, serious face on, and make like we’re totally in love or something and we’re shopping for an engagement ring.’
***

If he actually made her try on engagement rings she was going to have ruddy heart attack. Not that she wouldn’t be thrilled and flattered, and a whole lot of other things, but no. Just no. Not yet. It was way too soon.

For Christ’s sakes he wouldn’t even acknowledge their relationship publically, and there were reasons she’d have to turn him down that she really didn’t want to get into.

Ginny stayed as close to Ash as she could get as they ventured inside the shop. This sort of high-end boutique always made her feel like she was a speck of lint on the floor, so much so that she actually found it difficult to admire the items for what they were. Ash, bastard that he was, cooed over things with eye melting price tags and actually made her try things on. Ginny decided he just liked making the assistants’ hearts flutter. They got a kind of crazed looks in their eyes whenever he inspected a particularly pretty rock. Hopefully they were thinking about the commission they’d make and not how much they’d like to do him.
‘Seen anything you like?’ he asked. 

She shook her head. 

‘What we’re really after his a J-curved diamond tipped barbell.’
He was a devil. An absolute stinking fiend. The assistant, bless her, gaped at him obviously clueless.

‘Case 233,’ remarked the manager, sending the assistant off to fetch it with a flick of her wrist. She returned a moment or two later, with a small display case that she unlocked.

‘I like this one,’ he said, tugging her closer. ‘What about you?’

‘Ash, don’t. This isn’t necessary.’ She tightened her fingers around his fore-arm. ‘It’s too much for something that tiny that nobody’s ever gonna see.’

‘I’ll see it.’ He quirked his eyebrows significantly. ‘And what’s the point in having money if you can’t spend it on making the people you care about smile.’

‘You bought me beer and cake. I’m happy with that. If you want to spend money, buy your mum a gift.’

‘I’m not sure she’d know what to do with this,’ he said, holding the piece aloft.’ He smiled at the shop assistant. ‘It’s exquisite.’

‘Ash,’ Ginny squeaked, but her protest fell on deaf ears. He was already reaching for his wallet.

He leaned close to her and moved her hair away from her ear so that he could whisper into it. ‘Accept it, say thanks, and you can fuck me outside round the corner if you feel you need to express any more gratitude than that.’

‘We’ll take it,’ he told the assistant. He left Ginny starring at the glittering asscher cut diamond while he settled the bill.

About the Author:
Madelynne Ellis is a New York Times & USA Today Bestselling author of erotic romance. Her novels and short stories have been published by a variety of houses including HarperCollins, Harlequin and Random House, and have been translated into several languages. She lives in the UK, not far from the Welsh border with her partner of 20 + years, their two adorable children, and a crazy cavachon puppy. Madelynne drinks decaf out of preference, and has a healthy obsession with a certain Japanese rock star. Her aim is to deliver scorching, character-driven stories that enchant, torment and don’t shy from darker aspects of life.





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Monday, February 02, 2015

Racing Hearts: Book One (Racing Hearts #1) by Laura Lascarso - Blog Tour, Giveaway, Review & Guest Post

RACING HEARTS (Book One) 
by Laura Lascarso 
SHINE /Leap Books, LLC 
eBook Novella

Book Description:

Start your engines…

Eighteen year-old Jesse Copeland learns of a local car race sponsored by his father’s nemesis, Shep Bradley, and the prize money might be enough to keep his family from losing their home – if he can win. 

Brooke, Shep’s daughter, is also aiming to compete, with or without her father’s approval. She’ll do whatever it takes to persuade Jesse to make her car race ready. Both are driven, both are risk-takers, and soon it’s more than engines getting fired up. Jesse tells himself their relationship is strictly business, until it isn’t. 

Can two star-crossed lovers overcome a family feud as old as Ford vs. Chevy, or will the competition become too explosive for these racing hearts?

Add the book to Goodreads

Read deleted scene on WattPad 

My Review:

Racing Hearts: Book One  (Racing Hearts #1) is a novella written by Laura Lascarso.  I found this novel is easy to read and the story flowed quite well, the character's are well written and you get to know Jesse and Brooke right away.

I won't say to much about the story but it is well written, great story line and in the end you want book 2 right away so you can see what happens to these two characters. Because who doesn't love cute guys and fast cars!!!

Laura Lascarso writing is excellent, her story flows and you want to read more.  I am very excited to see where this story goes and what happens with all the character in her story.

I have rated it a 4 star's and cannot wait to read book two in this series.

Guest Post:

Why do you write YA?
By Laura Lascarso

In presenting to classrooms and at conferences, I get asked this question a lot. While it’s an easy question for me to answer, I never feel as though I address it in its entirety. Because there are a lot of reasons why I write YA. 

One reason is because I like the conventions of YA where characters feel emotions deeply, take control of their own destinies, and generally kick ass. The structure of YA has a relatively short timeline, which lends to more action and plot twists.  YA writers take chances with the subjects of their stories and the way they in which they tell them. I believe in taking risks and challenging yourself to strike out on new paths.

But far and above the mechanics, I write YA because I believe in my audience. Teens and young adults have the capacity to change the world in a positive way. And I believe that it’s my mission and life’s work to empower them to do so.

When I was a teen I thought I knew everything about the world. But now, in my mid-thirties, I realize just how much I didn’t know back then—how painful it is to have your heart broken, how people you think are your friends might not have your best intentions at heart, how money and politics rule the world, and perhaps most importantly, how to take all that anger and frustration and funnel it in a positive, action-oriented direction. My teen self is my adult self, only with a little more knowledge of the world around me. As a writer, I want to share what I’ve learned with teen readers. Not in a preachy, I-know-what’s-best-for-you sort of way, but in a way that encourages the reader to ask questions about their own lives and the lives of others. I do not propose to have the answers, but I do know that the only way to get answers is to ask hard questions, of yourself, your friends and family, and your world.

There’s another reason that I write YA. It’s because I believe in books. Books are a way to experience another life, live in another person’s skin, learn about their challenges and heartaches, and see the world from a different point of view. Many of the problems facing our world right now are because people don’t understand each other—cultures, nations, generations. We make assumptions about others, which leads to prejudice, which leads to hate and violence. In our society there’s a lot of talking but not a lot of listening. When you read about another person’s life experience, you become the listener. Reading teaches you compassion and it allows you to travel to worlds you might not otherwise experience.

In fiction there are heroes and there are villains. In the real world it’s not always so easy to determine who is who, and the slope from good guy to bad guy is a slippery one. This is why it’s so important to know thyself. When I write characters, I see myself in every one of them, villains included. Because every person has the capacity for good and bad. There’s an old Cherokee tale and it goes like this: 

One evening an old Cherokee Indian told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, ‘My son, the battle is between two ‘wolves’ inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other is good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.’

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: ‘Which wolf wins?’

The old Cherokee simply replied, ‘The one you feed.’

I believe that each and every one of us has the potential for good. I believe that books feed the good wolf inside of us. And that is the reason why I write YA.


About the Author:
Laura Lascarso strives to craft stories that are honest and real with characters who must overcome great odds. Her debut novel Counting Backwards (Atheneum 2012) won the Florida Book Award gold medal for YA literature. RACING HEARTS is Laura’s first e-series with Leap Books. She lives in North Florida with her darling husband, two children and a menagerie of animals.
Watch for Laura’s series with Shine which follows a pair of star-crossed lovers. He wants to honor his father’s legacy; she wants to prove her father wrong in this modern-day Romeo & Juliet set in the world of competitive car racing. (ETA. Fall 2015)

Visit Laura on Twitter, Facebook, and her website.


Where to Buy!

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