Blog tour for Between Love & Lies (Gambling Heart #1) @Jacqui_Nelson

Title: Between Love & Lies
Series: Gambling Hearts Book 1
Author: Jacqui Nelson
Genre: Western Historical Romance, 18+
Published: August 30, 2015
In a town ruled by sin, will he earn her love or her lies?

Dodge City—1877

Sadie Sullivan lost everything when a herd of longhorn cattle bound for Dodge City trampled and destroyed her farm. Now she works in Dodge—one of the most wicked and lawless towns in the West—at the Northern Star Saloon. But her survival in this new world of sin and violence depends on maintaining a lie so deadly it could end her life before the town of Dodge can.

The one man capable of unraveling all of Sadie’s secrets is Noah Ballantyne, the Texan rancher whose herd destroyed her home. Back in town and taking up the role of deputy alongside legendary lawman Bat Masterson, Noah vows he won’t leave until he’s made things right. But with the saloon’s madam unwilling to release Sadie and a rich cattle baron wanting her as well, the odds aren’t good for finding love…or leaving town alive.

South of Dodge City, Kansas—1876
They were destroying everything: the tiny apple tree she’d sheltered in the wagon during the long, sweltering journey from Virginia; the fence she’d devoted weeks to repairing over the winter with scraps of deadwood; the vegetable garden she’d sown during the first whisper of spring and painstakingly coaxed to life every heartbeat since.
All trampled, devoured, gone.
Sadie glared at the beasts, eyes burning with tears of hopeless rage. They were thin, ugly creatures, wielding heavy horns that stretched out of their skulls like spears. Texas longhorns, the Devil’s helpers. In the middle of them rode Lucifer himself, sent straight up from hell to torment her and tear away everything she’d slaved to build.
She tracked the long-legged, solid-built cowboy as he steered his horse through the milling animals, angling toward her and her father—and their sod house which, she realized with increasing dismay, was also in danger of being leveled by the heaving mass of cattle. The intruder, similar to all the other Texas drovers, was covered in a layer of trail dust so thick it hung on him like a second skin. But it was one of the only things he and the other men had in common.
While the rest hollered and cracked whips over the backs of the beasts in their charge—trying to persuade them to return to the trail—this man urged his charcoal-colored mount through the river of hide and horn, making a beeline for her. 
His silence, along with his ability to guide his horse with remarkably little effort, infuriated her. As the distance between them shortened, unease crept up her spine. His gaze was unwavering, never leaving her.
She tightened her grip on the ancient shotgun clutched at her side, and concentrated on her anger and frustration, transferring them from the longhorns to settle solely on him. She did not want him to come any closer. 
Yanking the shotgun up to her shoulder, she took aim. 
The cowboy straightened in his saddle but otherwise did not acknowledge her hostile action. Nor did he slacken his pace; if anything, he bore down on her even faster.
Damn him to hell. Her finger tightened on the trigger.
Something slammed down on her shotgun, pitching the rusted barrel earthward. The buckshot tore a savage gouge out of the clay in front of her and kicked up a cloud of dust. The blast forced her to stumble back.
Her father’s red face inserted itself between her and the cowboy. With a curse, he jerked the weapon from her grasp.
As she stood gawking at him, the cattle, spooked by the shotgun blast, bolted—fast and in every direction. Her father sprinted toward their lone plow horse, scrambled onto its back and galloped away from the cattle and her.
She shouldn’t have expected anything different. Still the hurt came. Sharp and deep. Once again he’d thought only of himself. He’d abandoned her in the center of the herd, alone and defenseless.
I’m going to be trampled, she realized. I’m going to die.

Jacqui Nelson writes historical romantic adventures set in the American West. Her stories include an Oregon Trail scout, an ex-Rebel spy turned government rabble rouser & a Dodge City cardsharp gambling with love & death. Those are her heroines. Wait till you meet her heroes! Her love for the Old West came from watching classic Western movies while growing up on a cattle farm. She’s been nominated for over 20 awards and won the RWA® Golden Heart® for historical romance & the Laramie® for western romance drama.

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Lowcountry Bribe @hopeclark #southernlit #mystery #whodunit

Lowcountry Bribe (A Carolina Slade Mystery Book 1)

4heart

Synopsis

Slade is a South Carolina Agriculture Department manager in the low country. She deals with handling loans to local farmers. When a farmer tries to bribe her, Slade follows rules on reporting, but things do not go as expected.

Wayne is a Federal investigator special agent assigned to the case.

The bribe was in the beginning and now it seems that Slade’s life is in danger. Together, they have to figure out how to eliminate the threat while dealing with governmental bureaucracy.

Opinion

I enjoyed this book for a 3 main reasons

1. It was fast paced. From the moment Slade was propositioned, there was some sort of action happening.

2. I knew a lot of the locations where the action was taking place. I am acquainted with the area because I go down to the low country area often to go to the beach and buy seafood. It made the story more realistic.

3. I could relate to some of the bureaucracy that Slade was up against. In the story, it seemed like an exercise in “What’s the worst thing that can happen?” And then it did.

It was hard for me to rate this story. I loved the plot but I cannot say that I liked Slade as a person. She was very brusque with a gruff, terse manner. However I did feel sorry for her. She tried to be a good wife, mother, and government employee. At the same time, she is an unhappy person. It seemed that everything she tried to do for the right reasons got twisted and things would go wrong.

Since I think that the author did not write Slade to be likable, I feel like I should give “points” for that. Times like this I wish I did half points. I think this is a solid 3.5. Since my rating does not have a 3.5, I gave this book 4 hearts.

I thought there was enough suspense, as I was on the edge of my seat trying to figure out who was the mastermind behind the entire conspiracy. As the reader, I knew early in story who was the briber but you get the impression that he was not working on his own. The author wraps up the story in a way that satisfied my need for justice.

Notable quotes

Rules were absolute; that’s the way I was raised. If I followed the rules, I’d be just fine.” – Slade

Instinct told me to forget the conversation. Federal law told me I didn’t have that option.” – Slade

Should you buy? If you like suspense and thriller, you will like this. If you like Southern literature, especially novels that are set in the Low country, you will appreciate the references in this book even more. I am ready to read the next books in this series to see what else happens to Slade.

Book details from Goodreads
File Size: 1442 KB
Print Length: 274 pages
Publisher: Bell Bridge Books (January 31, 2012)
Publication Date: January 31, 2012
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Book 1 of 3 in A Carolina Slade Mystery (3 Book Series)

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Breaking Bailey’s Rules #bailey #netgalley @AuthorBJackson

I received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.


Breaking Bailey’s Rules (The Westmorelands)

4heart

Synopsis

Bailey is the baby of the Denver Westmorelands. They are a close-knit family who discovered that they could be related to a family in Alaska.

Walker comes to visit the Denver Westmorelands as a favor to his best friend (the family that might be related to them). Bailey is sent to the airport to pick him up from the airport.

There are rules that Bailey lives by, but Walker might have her breaking all of them.

Opinion

First, I must say that I think Brenda Jackson is one of my favorite romance authors and that is not just because she writes African-American romance novels. Of all of her different series (she has SEVERAL), the Westmoreland series is the best. She had a plan when she developed this family because there are so many siblings and cousins and everyone gets their story. Just when you think the series is over, the family finds another branch of Westmorelands to keep it going. Seriously, if you have not read any of the Westmoreland series, there are enough books to fill a couple of months’ worth of weekends. It more of a saga than a series 😀

Okay now I got that out-of-the-way. Back to the story.

I like Bailey. She may be a little spoiled but that is because she is the youngest of a very tight family where the brothers try to seem chill but are overprotective.

Walker is doing his friend a favor and really likes the Denver Westmoreland guys. He sees the attraction to Bailey as unexpected. Plus his adherence to the “bro code” will not allow him to get physical with their little sister.

Good thing that Bailey knows what she wants and is going to do her best to get it.

Even after reading so many of Jackson’s books, you would think that I would not be surprised by her plot twists. But one of the things that Bailey did in Alaska really surprised me. It had me seeing her with a newfound respect. I went from ambivalent to “This chick is cool!” and “She needs a happy ending!”

While I decided early how much I liked Bailey, I could tell that Walker was being hardheaded. He has a lot of making up to do when he finally realizes that Bailey is the one for him. He does it in grand style. All I can say is that it is good to have friends in high places.

Overall, I loved this book because Bailey’s multi-faceted character added so much the story. If you like the Westmoreland series, this book should definitely be on your list. If you are new to Brenda Jackson, this is a great author and book to add to your list.

Book Details from Amazon

Print Length: 256 pages

Publisher: Harlequin Desire (November 1, 2015)

Publication Date: November 1, 2015

Sold by: Harlequin Digital Sales Corp.

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Cover Reveal and Pre-Order: Men of Mayhem (A Mafia Anthology) @EJBookPromos

Title: Men of Mayhem (A Mafia Anthology)
Authors: J.L. Beck, Lisa Cardiff, J.L. Drake, Douglas Esper, E.J. Fechenda, Marita A. Hansen, Soraya Naomi, Ginger Ring, Amy Rachiele, Elle Raven, Sara Schoen, and Ashlee Taylor
Genre: Mafia/Mob Romance
Publisher: Limitless Publishing
Release Date: December 1, 2015

 

Sometimes the line between good and bad simply depends which side you’re on…
Good guys can have unsavory secrets, while so-called criminals can live by a code of ethics rivaling that of any law enforcement agency. Bending the law for money, power, or revenge is one thing, but what if you’re bending it for your family—for love?
Who would choose to become involved with a man who walks on the dark side…
Some men will go to any lengths, legal or not, and make no apologies to protect their way of life and all they hold dear. But you don’t always choose who you love, and sometimes you just have to decide if you’re bold enough to risk it all and go along for the ride.
Thirteen masterful authors come together to present Men of Mayhem. 
Compelling stories of loyalty and passion, love and lust, in which the moral and ethical lines are blurred, and call into question the notions of right and wrong.
What could be more exciting than taking a leap of faith…and landing in the arms of the last man you’d expect—but the only one who truly makes you feel alive?
What if your road to happiness leads to…
Men of Mayhem
​Enforcing Fate by Amy Rachiele
How We Came To Be by Ashlee Taylor
A Late Night Bang by Douglas Esper
Drago by EJ Fechenda
Madison’s Mobster by Ginger Ring
Code of Silence by JL Drake
Infringe by JL Beck
Calabrese by Elle Raven
Gian by Lisa Cardiff
Vincenzo by Marita Hansen
One Shot by Mia Hoddell
Fatal Attraction by Sara Schoen
For Cesare by Soraya Naomi
   

 

Amy Rachiele – “Enforcing Fate”

 

​Amy Rachiele is a widowed military spouse who spent many years volunteering and on staff for the Army National Guard and Department of Veteran Affairs with family support, family readiness, as well as, families of the Fallen. Amy devoted 10 years to teaching at-risk students in the Providence School System. She holds a Master’s degree from Rhode Island College in English and Secondary Education. Besides writing, she is a reader, tea-er, shifter-lovin’, Sci-fi junkie, who enjoys scrapbooking, sewing, and traveling. Amy lives in Massachusetts with her son.

 
Ashlee Taylor – “How We Came To Be”

 

​Ashlee Taylor has always loved to read. She was practically born with a book in hand. She even wrote short stories and vignettes for fun at age eleven.
As she grew up reading was put to the side but the book Fifty Shades of Grey brought back the love of the written word. Swallowing every book she could get her hands on while befriending authors. Eventually becoming a beta reader and helping authors work out critical scenes and plot progressions.
Through this process, Ashlee decided to write the stories in her head.


Douglas Esper – “A Late Night Bang”

 

​For a man as nonathletic as Douglas Esper is, he sure enjoys juggling. Well, juggling projects anyway. Writer, blogger, musician, producer, and scotch drinker, Douglas always has something to do. His recent publishing credits include a novel, A Life of Inches (Limitless Publishing), a short story, My Wife’s Favorite (Scout Media), an essay, It’s Just a Bag of Peanuts (AHTI publishing), and a collection of songs with the band Indoria titled, There’s a Gleam (ApproachingStorm records). Douglas is currently ghostwriting a book with rock vocalist Chuck Mosley and editing his second novel, a suspense thriller titled, In the Watershed.


EJ Fechenda – “Drago”

 

E.J. Fechenda has lived in Philadelphia, Phoenix and now calls Portland, Maine home where she is a wife, stepmom, and pet parent all while working full time. Crazy is how she likes it. She has a degree in Journalism from Temple University and her short stories have been published in Suspense Magazine, the 2010 and 2011 Aspiring Writers Anthologies, and in the Indies Unlimited 2012 Flash Fiction Anthology. In addition to writing The New Mafia Trilogy, she is working on The Ghosts Stories Trilogy. E.J. is a member of the Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance and co-founder of the fiction reading series, “Lit: Readings & Libations” which is held semi-quarterly in Portland.

 
Ginger Ring – “Madison’s Mobster”

 

Ginger Ring is an eclectic, Midwestern girl with a weakness for cheese, dark chocolate, and the Green Bay Packers. She loves reading, traveling, watching great movies, and has a quirky sense of humor. Publishing a book has been a lifelong dream of hers and she is excited to share her romantic stories with you. Her heroines are classy, sassy and in search of love and adventure. When Ginger isn’t tracking down old gangster haunts or stopping at historical landmarks, you can find her on the backwaters of the Mississippi River fishing with her husband.

 
JL Drake – “Code of Silence”

 

J. L. Drake was born and raised in Nova Scotia, Canada, later moving to Southern California where she lives with her husband and two children.
When she’s not writing she loves to spend time with her family, travelling or just enjoying a night at home. One thing you might notice in her books is her love for the four seasons. Growing up on the east coast of Canada the change in the seasons is in her blood and is often mentioned in her writing.

An avid reader of James Patterson, J.L. Drake has often found herself inspired by his many stories of mystery and intrigue.

She hopes you will enjoy her stories as much as she has enjoyed writing them.

 
JL Beck – “Infringe”

 

J.L. Beck is the best selling author of numerous books including Indebted, Inevitable, Invincible, and The Bittersweet Series. She’s best known for weaving a tale, that ends with your mouth hanging open, and your hands gripping the edge of your seat.

She’s a no holds bar author who enjoys spending time with her husband of seven years, three year old hellion, and Hatchi the fur baby. She calls Wisconsin home, but loves to travel. In her free time you can catch her watching bad reality tv, cooking, reading books, or spending time outdoors.


Elle Raven – “Calabrese”

 

Elle Raven is an Aussie author who lives in Adelaide, South Australia with her husband and three young children. Elle can usually be found with her iPad or laptop computer permanently glued to her. She began writing from a very young age. In fact Elle used to write plays and musicals when she was in high school. Having such a flamboyant personality she even performed in them herself Always an ‘actress’ and always the star.

Elle loves reading and writing about an alpha-male hero. If she can’t read about one that is alpha enough to suit her she will take it upon herself to write one.

Elle’s books will feature an alpha-male hero who will come tumbling to his knees in lust and love when he finally meets the heroine of his dreams. Rest assured that in an Elle Raven book, the hero will never cheat.

Elle would love to hear from you. Please email her or visit her Facebook page. She loves connecting with people and having a chat with the readers about her books or any other books you may have in common.


Lisa Cardiff – “Gian”

 

After spending years practicing law and a million other things, Lisa decided to pursue her dream of becoming a writer and she must confess that inventing characters is so much more fun than writing contracts and legal briefs. A native of Colorado, she lives with her husband and three children in Denver. When she isn’t managing the chaos of raising three children and owning her own business, she can be found reading or writing a book.


Marita Hansen – “Vincenzo”

 

NATIONALITY AND CULTURAL CONNECTIONS: I’m a true blue Aucklander, born and bred in New Zealand. I tend to write about cultures I have connections to, such as Croatian and Maori. I would love to visit Croatia again as I have family there. At the moment I’m living in Singapore, but will be back in New Zealand next year, possibly earlier.
SPORTS: As a teen my favourite sports were karate, badmington, and running. I also did unarmed combat and played in a touch rugby team (my gym teacher made me do the last one!) Now I stick to running and have completed a marathon.
CAREER PATH: I started off as a Graphic Designer, then went to Auckland University, where I got a BA degree in Art History and Italian Studies and a post-graduate Honours degree in Art History. I worked in the Art History field, then became a full-time artist, doing commissions. I eventually lost all of my senses and gave it up to be a poor, starving writer, smh.
FAVOURITE FOODS: I’m vegetarian. I love pasta based foods, tofu, chocolate mousse and golden queen peaches.
BAD HABITS: I’m a major procrastinator that can’t seem to earn money to save myself!
STATUS: Married to my high school sweetheart (which he hates me calling him). We have two kids.


Mia Hoddell – “One Shot”

 

#1 Amazon bestselling author, Mia Hoddell, lives in the UK with her family and two cats. She spends most of her time writing or reading, loves anything romantic, and has an overactive imagination that keeps her up until the early hours of the morning.

Mia has written over ten titles including her Seasons of Change series, the Chequered Flag series, the Elemental Killers series, and her standalone novels False Finder and Not Enough.

Her favourite genres are contemporary romance or romantic suspense, and with an ever growing list of ideas she is trying to keep up with the speed at which her imagination generates them. She also designs book covers on her website M Designs.

 


Sara Schoen – “Fatal Attraction”

 

Sara Schoen is 20 years old college student studying biology and environmental science. She started writing in middle school, but didn’t dedicate to it until high school. She published her wattpad book, Amber Alert, at 19 in November of 2014. She’s spent years prior writing a spy series which released the first book in July, and many stand alone books, but for now school is a main priority. You can still find her on wattpad account under xxnightstripexx communicating with fans and other young authors on the site. She hopes to inspire others that dreams can come true at any age, you just have to chase after what you want.

 


Soraya Naomi – “For Cesare”

 

I was born in South America in 1984 and raised in Europe where I presently reside with my fiancé.
I read many genres but favor intense, dark, seductive, and provocative novels where the male character loves fiercely, without remorse or boundaries. I also adore forbidden love tales and have an odd fascination with kidnapping romances. No, I don’t secretly want to be kidnapped, though!
I have a passionate obsession with the written word and indulge in chocolate pastries much too often.
My debut novel For Fallon (Chicago Syndicate, #1) was released on July 26, 2014. I’m honored that For Fallon won “Best Breakout Novel 2014” in the Novel Grounds Semi Annual Literary Awards.

 

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Reaping Angel Cover Reveal @Saboviec

Welcome, everyone, to the cover reveal for S. L. Saboviec’s Reaping Angel, Book #2 in the “Fallen Redemption” adult paranormal series.

The first book, Guarding Angel, was released in May 2014. Both covers were done by the super-fabulous Regina Wamba, of MaeIDesign.com, who’s done covers for Random House, Penguin Books, and multiple New York Times best-selling authors.

But a picture is worth a thousand words, so here’s the blurb and cover for Guarding Angel, Fallen Redemption #1:

Guardian angel Enael can’t seem to keep her human Wards in check. They’re the ones who choose their paths before reincarnating–she’s just there to help make sure they stay on track. But it’s not as easy as it might look.

When she meets and falls in love with charismatic Kaspen, a fellow Guardian, Enael’s feelings about Heaven, Hell, demons, and the life she’s known are turned upside down. Worse, angel-turned-demon Yasva, Kaspen’s former love, still holds him in her clutches. Even as Yasva works toward obtaining complete control of Earth, she taunts and haunts Kaspen’s and Enael’s lives.

Now Enael is forced to face her past (which is centuries long and bursting with secrets), her present (which is terribly unfulfilling and full of questions), and her future (which becomes more uncertain as time passes). Armed with a newfound love and fear of losing it all, she must figure out how to save the world–and the angel she loves. Which side will win? Who will Kaspen choose? Will Heaven and Earth continue to exist, or will everything go to Hell?

But you’re not here for the first book, you’re here for the second book. So without further ado, here it is:

After the battle at the Bastille, the Council of Seraphim offers reluctant demons Enael and Kaspen a chance to return to Heaven—but only after they’ve completed sufficient penance. Ready to move past the ugly chapter in their lives, they settle into their assignments.

Until Enael’s former lover, Voctic, a powerful demon, interferes.

Voctic seduces and demeans, taunts and entices Enael, stirring centuries-old longing in her while infuriating Kaspen. Caught up in the demands of their duties, Kaspen and Enael drift apart until she finds herself isolated.

Fed up with Voctic’s harassment, Enael prepares to fight back. When he targets the new human she’s responsible for protecting, she creates her own plan. His self-proclaimed “gala of the century” will be the perfect cover for her revenge. But will a hasty decision cost her Kaspen—or even her spot in Heaven?

Add it on Goodreads here.


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About the Author

Samantha grew up in a small town in Iowa but became an expat for her Canadian husband, whom she met in the Massive Multi-player Online Role-Playing Game Star Wars: Galaxies (before the NGE, of course). She holds a B.S. in Physics, which qualifies her to B.S. about physics and occasionally do some math for the sci-fi stories she concocts. Her dark, thought-provoking science fiction & fantasy contains flawed, relatable characters and themes that challenge the status quo.

She contributes to Operation Awesome, including hosting a twice-monthly flash fiction contest. She tweets both more than she should and probably not enough @Saboviec. Her fiction is being included in the Realmwalker Publishing Group upcoming anthology The Legacy. You can find out more about her at http://www.saboviec.com.