Thursday, March 29, 2018

First Look Celebration: Don't Call Me Cupcke by Tara Sheets







A cupcake baker with magical abilities suddenly finds herself competing with the unfortunately handsome owner of the fancy new bakery across the street in Golden Heart® Winner Tara Sheets's magical romantic comedy releasing April 24th, 2018.



Rafflecopter for Don’t Call Me Cupcake First Look Celebration Giveaway:



Tara is offering one (1) lucky Grand Prize winner an Alex & Ani cupcake charm bracelet and a paperback ARC of Don’t Call Me Cupcake. Two (2) Runner-Up winners will receive a paperback ARC of Don’t Call Me Cupcake! To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter below:









About Don’t Call Me Cupcake:



Title: Don’t Call Me Cupcake

Author: Tara Sheets

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: April 24, 2018

Publisher: Zebra Shout – Kensington Publishing

Series: The Holloway Girls

Format: Digital eBook / Print

Digital ISBN: 1420146264

Print ISBN: 9781420146264



Synopsis:



There’s a very special kind of sweetness to life on Pine Cove Island …



Most families have a favorite recipe or two, handed down through generations. The Holloway women are a little different. Emma Holloway, like her grandmother before her, bakes charms into her delicious cupcakes, granting the recipient comfort, sweet dreams, or any number of good things. It’s a strange gift, but it brings only happiness. Until gorgeous, smooth-talking newcomer Hunter Kane strolls into her shop, Fairy Cakes—and Emma makes the mistake of selling him not one, but three Sweet Success cupcakes.



Hunter, it turns out, is opening a fancy new restaurant and bakery right on the waterfront—Emma’s competition. To make matters worse, the town committee has decided to split the upcoming summer festival contract between the two, forcing Emma to work with her nemesis. But she can’t afford to split her profits. The solution: create a recipe that will make Hunter leave town permanently.



The Holloway charms are powerful. But there are other kinds of magic in the world—like red-hot first kisses, secret glances, and the feeling that comes with falling truly, madly, inconveniently in love . . .



Add to your TBR list:  Goodreads



Available at:  Amazon  |  Barnes and Noble  |  Kobo  |  iTunes  |  Books-A-Million






Excerpt:

Copyright© 2018 Don’t Call Me Cupcake

Tara Sheets



“You.” A woman’s voice called behind him, and he turned to see the cupcake girl marching toward him. She was still wearing that black-and-white frilly apron. With her blond ringlets flying around her delicate face and flinty sparks in her gray eyes, Hunter felt like he was about to be attacked by a sexy Goldilocks.

He searched behind him as she approached, to make sure she wasn’t talking to someone else. “Me?”

She stopped in front of him, a little out of breath from her march down the street. Her chest lifted and fell intriguingly over the white apron lace, but her rosebud mouth was pursed tightly and Hunter took a step back. He had seen that look on women before. Goldilocks was not happy.

“Yes, you,” she said through gritted teeth. “You lied to me. You’re not a tourist.”

“Uh,” Hunter glanced around for a moment. “I’m not?”

“No, you’re not.” She stepped in close, grabbing the pastry box out of his hand. She peered inside and glared up at him in accusation. “And of course. You had to go and eat all three of them, didn’t you?”

He blinked. “But, I paid for them, remember?”

“That’s not the point. You. Ate. Them.”

“Yes,” he said carefully. Maybe Goldilocks liked to spike her morning porridge. “They were delicious?”

Ugh.” She stomped her foot and he tried not to smile. She was irritated, yes, but so damn adorable. Even if she was a little bit odd.

“You shouldn’t have eaten them because you weren’t being honest with me. You’re not just a tourist passing through. You’re the new owner of that.” She pointed to the empty waterfront building that would soon be his fancy new cafĂ© and restaurant.

“Yes.” He held out his hand and gave her his best smile. “I’m Hunter Kane.”

She frowned back at him, ignoring his hand. “I know who you are. And you should have told me that before I gave you those Sweet Success cupcakes.”

“Why?”

“Because I own Fairy Cakes, and now your business is going to take away all my customers.” She looked so upset that Hunter felt a twinge of pity for her, even though she was being ridiculous. Competition was the name of the game in any industry, and restaurant ownership was no exception. “Look, I’m sorry you feel that way, but it’s just business. And why would my eating your chocolate cupcakes be a problem anyway? It’s not like I’m going to steal the recipe or something.”

“Ha,” she scoffed. “As if you ever could. My cupcakes are special, and everyone on this island knows it.”

“Oh . . . kay.” He still wasn’t quite sure what she was getting at.

“And now you’ve gone and eaten them.” She threw her hands up in the air.

Hunter frowned down at her. “Well, excuse me, ma’am. I thought that was the whole point of buying them.”

She jammed her hands onto her hips. “First of all, I’m twenty-five years old. Don’t call me ‘ma’am.’ Save it for old ladies with lapdogs.”

“Fine, Cupcake.” He shouldn’t have said it. He knew it. But something about her righteous indignation made him want to tease her. She gasped, her eyes narrowing on him like an angry feline. He was so dead.








About Tara Sheets:



TARA SHEETS is an award-winning author of contemporary romance and women’s fiction. Her work has earned first place recognition in literary contests nationwide and her debut novel, Don’t Call Me Cupcake, won the 2016 Golden Heart® award sponsored by Romance Writers of America®. Tara began her career as an author in the Pacific Northwest, inspired by the rain and the misty mountains and the rivers of Starbucks coffee.  She now lives in the warm, wonderful South where she can stand outside with no coat on, and she finds that pretty inspiring too.  When not writing, Tara enjoys life with her book-loving family and a book-eating dog named Merlin. She is represented by Sarah Phair at Trident Media Group.



Connect with Tara:  Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads  |  Amazon  |  BookBub







Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Release Blitz: Thirsty by Mia Hopkins




Feeling THIRSTY? Visit the Eastside Brewery…

A gangster hiding from his past. A single mom fighting for her future. Can she show this bad boy the man’s he’s meant to be? Mia Hopkins is back with the first in an all-new contemporary series, THIRSTY (Eastside Brewery #1)!




About THIRSTY 
My name is Salvador Rosas. Back in the barrio, my past is written on the walls: ESHB. Short for East Side Hollenbeck, my father’s gang—my gang. Hell, it’s a family tradition, one that sent both my brothers away. They used to call me “Ghost” because I haunted people’s dreams. Now I’ve got nothing going for me except a hipster gringo mentoring me in a new career. An ex-con making craft beer? No mames.

Still, people in this neighborhood look out for one another. That’s how I became Vanessa Velasco’s unwelcome tenant. Chiquita pero picosa. She’s little, but with curves so sweet they’re dangerous. I remember Vanessa from the old days, the straight-A student with big plans. Plans that were derailed by another kid stupid enough to think he was bulletproof. Now Vanessa knows better than to believe in empty promises. There’s fire in her . . . and if I touch her, I might get burned.

I’m trying everything I can to go straight. But when East Side Hollenbeck comes calling, I might have to risk it all to find out if there’s a future for Vanessa and me. Because she’s the only one who can quench my thirst for something real.

On Sale in Digital: March 13, 2018

 Add THIRSTY to your TBR pile on Goodreads!
See what others are saying about THIRSTY:
Thirsty is sexy and soul-wrenching, with Sal’s irresistible voice luring you through a living, breathing Los Angeles. Vanessa and Sal’s chemistry is sizzling right off the page, and their journey will keep you on the edge of your seat. Five smoldering, tattooed stars!” - USA Today Bestselling Author Sierra Simone

Excerpt:
The ride starts with a burst of music like a jack-in-the-box. We glide backward and over a couple of times. The Ferris wheel stops to let other passengers on. At the very top, our carriage swings back and forth before it goes still.
Now I can see my neighborhood from a different viewpoint, high above. The lights of the carnival are bright and beautiful. The smells of tacos, hot dogs, and popcorn fill my nose. People pack the church parking lot. Cars line the street, and in the surrounding houses, lights in the windows show where families are talking or watching TV or having dinner.
“How are you doing?” I ask.
“I’m all right.”
She’s looking at the same things I am. I wonder if she is seeing the same details. I stroke her hair and take another risk. “So what do you think?”
“About what?”
“Starting something with me?”
She takes a deep breath but doesn’t say anything.
“What are your doubts?” I say.
“Are you kidding?” She snorts. “You’re seriously asking me that?”
I laugh a little. “Okay, well. Besides the obvious.”
“You have your own life. I have mine. You’re trying to rebuild from the ground up. I’m trying to secure my daughter’s future. We’re heading in different directions.”
She isn’t wrong. Life has disappointed her in such deep and cruel ways, I don’t blame her for protecting herself. But even as she tells me this—the truth about how we’re not right for each other—I feel how right it is to talk to her, to hold her hand, to show her who I am. “I have an idea,” I say. “Probation.”
“What?”
“I’m only around for two months, right?”
“Right.”
“Spend those two months with me.” I look into her eyes. “I want to be with you, Vanessa.”
“Sal—”
“I’ll be gone before I have a chance to disappoint you.” When the words leave my mouth, I try to ignore how pathetic they sound. “We’re adults, not dumb kids. We won’t lose our heads.” I run my fingers through her silky hair. “I swear to God, every time I look at you, I feel . . .” I reach for the most honest word I can find. “Thirsty.”

Praise for titles by Mia Hopkins:
"Mia Hopkins knows how to put characters on a page."  - HEROES AND HEARTBREAKERS

"Mia Hopkins is an imaginative author who doesn’t take the easy road to a formulaic book."
- USA TODAY

"Sweet and filthy at the same time, just the way I like it. This book made me so happy."
- READ ALL THE ROMANCE

"The writing is excellent, the emotions leap off the page, and the sex is downright earthy."
- JILL SORENSON, AUTHOR

"Beautifully descriptive...hot, sexy and full of yearning!"  - DELILAH DEVLIN, AUTHOR 

“Off the charts hot.”  - THE ROMANCE STUDIO

 “A tantalizing slow seduction of the senses.” - STRANGE CANDY REVIEWS

"Hopkins packs a lot of heat and romance on the pages...Caution: hot, sexy times ahead!"
- READER GIRLS BLOG

“Filled with sizzling chemistry, hot sex, and just enough sweetness to leave me wanting more…And those sex scenes…Holy hotness!”  - CRYSTAL BLOGS BOOK






Author Bio:

Mia Hopkins writes lush romances starring fun, sexy characters who love to get down and dirty. She’s a sucker for working class heroes, brainy heroines and wisecracking best friends. She lives in Los Angeles with her roguish husband and waggish dog.


You can also visit her online at the following places:



Tuesday, March 6, 2018

Dealing with a loss

Hey guys I just wanted to let you guys know that I've been dealing with a lot the last few weeks. My dog became sick this year and while trying to take care of her and figure out what was wrong we finally found out and thought we might have at least the year with her, we would have months. Sadly it ended up we would only have weeks and barely even that. Recently, we had to put her to sleep and the decision was the most difficult thing I've had to do in my entire life. That being said I've not dealt with this well at all. My children haven't either. I've been scattered and forgetful and completely off my game and my blog is suffering from it. I want to say now I am so sorry for late posts and falling behind on reviews and posts. I'm slowly getting there.

Blog Tour: Playing the Pauses by Michelle Hazen




We are excited to celebrate the release of PLAYING THE PAUSES by Michelle Hazen. This is the second installment in her Sex, Love, and Rock & Roll series. Follow the tour for reviews, excerpts, guest posts, plus enter to win a $50 Amazon gift card!  
“Hazen’s use of the frantic energy of a rock band’s tour contrasts perfectly with the slow and seductive dance this couple engages in. Readers are sure to enjoy following The Red Letters on their drama-fueled climb to fame. “ —RT Book Reviews

“To call Playing the Pauses an erotic novel alone would be to belie its equally strong explorations of the boundaries between personal, career, and sexual growth.” —Midwest Book Review
When an ultra-independent tour manager meets the one musician she can’t resist, their kinks fit together perfectly, but their lives don’t. Michelle Hazen is back with PLAYING THE PAUSES, the second, stand-alone installment in her Sex, Love, and Rock & Roll series. Fans of Kylie Scott’s Stage Dive Series and YOU REALLY GOT ME by Erika Kelly, will love this bad boy, friends with benefits romance with a dash of BDSM mixed in.


Synopsis:

Rock Star Dom + his Queen of the Spreadsheet employee = KRYPTONITE

Kate is a globe-trotting tour manager who can’t be tied down.
Danny is a Dominant rock star and tattoo artist who needs her help to explore his true kinks.

Kate just got her big break, running an international tour for a rising band. Her job is everything to her…at least until she meets the band’s enigmatic bass player.

After they collide in one unforgettably erotic night on a hotel balcony, he comes to her with a proposition. As a former BDSM club performer, Danny’s spent so long fulfilling other people’s fantasies that now he wants to reclaim his own—and he says she’s the only one who can help.

Getting caught in bed with her rock star boss could cost her career, and yet there’s something about Danny’s quiet intensity that she can’t resist. He steals her heart, hard. But the end of the tour is approaching, and their jobs are headed two different directions.

To be together one of them will have to stop touring, but the only thing they crave as much as each other is music.

** This book can be read and understood as a standalone, but does contain spoilers for earlier books in the series. **
Goodreads http://bit.ly/2myge4G
Buy Now: Amazon | iBooks | B&N | Kobo




Dating Profile of Your Next Book Boyfriend


To celebrate the release of his book, I thought I’d show you what it would look like if Danny popped up on your favorite dating app.
Of course, Danny would never post a dating profile. First, because he attracts women with no effort at all. Second, because it would just never occur to him. But if he was lonely, his best friend Jera would absolutely fill one out without telling him and she’s pretty good at knowing exactly what he’d say.

Photo:

Age: 23

Height: 6’1”

Career: Bass player for The Red Letters, Tattoo Artist at Negative Image Tattoos

Favorite activities: Music and tats. Writing new basslines. Sketching with charcoal or drawing practice tattoos on my best friend in Sharpie. Spending time in BDSM clubs, either on stage or in my private room.

Least favorite activities: Lifting weights. Jogging. Seriously, fuck jogging. Where the hell are you running to, anyway? And why lift heavy things if you’re not going to carry them anywhere? Get a real fucking hobby. Our lead singer, Jax, made me start working out when we got our record deal, for the fans, he said. Sometimes I pick fights with him when he’s drunk just so I can punch him for it. Besides, if you do it right, sex is the only workout you need.

Favorite foods: Cheetos, microbrew beer, pizza, Funyuns, Jera’s M&M stash

Least favorite foods: Anything that grows in the ground or used to walk around on legs. Strictly a vending machine vegetarian.

Favorite celebrity: I don’t know any, and how would I know if I like them if we’ve never met? Also, anybody who needs that much attention is probably a douche.

What you’re looking for in a woman: Nobody clingy or who’s going to get pissy at how much time I spend with my band, or that my best friend is a girl. Kink-positive would be nice, but not necessary. I swing a lot of different ways depending on who I’m with, and it’s all fun. Somebody who loves music. Not likes music the same way you like Skittles. Loves it.
Someone who doesn’t want me to change. And Nickelback is a deal-breaker.




Enter to win a $50 Amazon Gift Card + A CRUEL KIND OF BEAUTIFUL eBooks!




About Michelle Hazen:

Michelle Hazen is a nomad with a writing problem. Years ago, she and her husband ducked out of the 9 to 5 world and moved into their truck. As a result, she wrote most of her books with solar power in odd places, including a bus in Thailand, a golf cart in a sandstorm, and a beach in Honduras. Currently, she’s addicted to The Walking Dead, hiking, and Tillamook cheese.




Sunday, March 4, 2018

Blog Tour: Use Me by Kimberly Knight

Today we have the blog tour for USE ME by Kimberly Knight! Check it out and get your copy today!

Title: USE ME Author: Kimberly Knight Genre: Contemporary Romance Release: February 20

Synopsis

Rhys Cole's life has always revolved around hockey. Growing up, he knew he'd play in the National Hockey League, but when his dream of being drafted didn't happen, he chose the next best thing: becoming a hockey sportscaster for a local sports station. But just like in sports, you win some, you lose some. When Rhys discovers his girlfriend cheating with a stranger in his bed, he walks to the local bar down the street to let off some steam. After moving her way up the journalism field by covering stories in extreme weather conditions and working late hours, Ashtyn Valor is now the lead anchor for the nightly news. Finally settled into her career, Ashtyn is ready to take the next step in life with her boyfriend. But when he unexpectedly breaks up with her, Ashtyn decides to numb the pain with alcohol at the closest bar. Rhys and Ashtyn both expected an evening of alcohol to mask the pain of that October night. What they didn't expect was meeting someone who could shield them from the darkness of their heartaches. Or that their pasts would dangerously intertwine … When obsession becomes dangerous, Ashtyn turns to Rhys for safety. But how safe are they really? The game of love always goes on. And their game was just beginning.

Buy Now

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU iBooks | Nook | Kobo


Kimberly Knight Guest Post
I’m excited for you all to read Use Me!
Like a lot of authors, I got my inspiration for the book from a song. I heard it one day on the radio and thought, “this would make a good tragic love story.” I decided to write said tragic love story about a girl using a guy to get over an ex. But you know what they say, right? Not everything goes as planned.
While I had every intention of Ashtyn using Rhys and then for her to realize that it was Rhys all along that had Ashtyn’s heart, that’s not exactly how the story goes. They told me they needed more. And more is what they got.
Ashtyn and Rhys are the pieces in other people’s games as they try to move on from heartaches. They turn to each other for more than the occasional using of sex. And while I had planned the story to go one way, it went a different way and the ending was changed.
So, maybe I was a part of their game too?


Use Me Excerpt

My heart stopped as I saw the man I’d met a week ago. Rhys was leaning against the bar, a pint of beer in his hand and a huge you’re-making-me-hard-by-dancing-like-that grin on his face. I smiled back and then turned back to my friends as the song switched. I could no longer focus on the words that were being sung or even the beat because my thoughts were solely on the man behind me. Was he going to come dance with me? Was he hard like I assumed he was? Did he get back together with his girlfriend? Did he come here a lot or just on Saturdays? Would sex with him be considered stranger sex?
It didn’t take long for me to get at least one of my answers.
Make that two.
Before I knew it, a hard—and I mean hard—body was pressed against my backside. All of my friend’s eyes widened, and I smiled, feeling busted. I didn’t know why. Rhys and I weren’t a thing, but it felt as though I was keeping a secret from them. Of course, the only secret was the three kisses that had meant nothing.


Giveaway

About Kimberly Knight

Kimberly Knight is a USA Today Bestselling Author that lives in the mountains near a lake with her loving husband and spoiled cat, Precious. In her spare time, she enjoys watching her favorite reality TV shows, watching the San Francisco Giants win World Series and the San Jose Sharks kick butt. She's also a two time desmoid tumor/cancer fighter that's made her stronger and an inspiration to her fans. Now that she lives near a lake, she plans on working on her tan and doing more outdoor stuff like watching hot guys waterski. However, the bulk of her time is dedicated to writing and reading romance and erotic fiction.