Blog Tour Review: The Mistake by Elle Kennedy

He’s a player in more ways than one…

College junior John Logan can get any girl he wants. For this hockey star, life is a parade of parties and hook-ups, but behind his killer grins and easygoing charm, he hides growing despair about the dead-end road he’ll be forced to walk after graduation. A sexy encounter with freshman Grace Ivers is just the distraction he needs, but when a thoughtless mistake pushes her away, Logan plans to spend his final year proving to her that he’s worth a second chance.

Now he’s going to need to up his game…

After a less than stellar freshman year, Grace is back at Briar University, older, wiser, and so over the arrogant hockey player she nearly handed her V-card to. She’s not a charity case, and she’s not the quiet butterfly she was when they first hooked up. If Logan expects her to roll over and beg like all his other puck bunnies, he can think again. He wants her back? He’ll have to work for it. This time around, she’ll be the one in the driver’s seat…and she plans on driving him wild.

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Elle Kennedy has nailed it. Again. I am in love (read: full on obsessed) with The Deal, book one in her Off-Campus Series. My expectations for The Mistake, book two, were completely unattainable. I was nervous with excitement to get my hands on this story. At the same time I was hesitant to crack it open for fear that Logan's story wouldn't live up to the epic greatness that is Garrett Graham. To my relief, Elle Kennedy has delivered another masterpiece and fans will not be disappointed getting to know John Logan and Grace Ivers.

Grace is a character I easily related to. She's studious and driven but doesn't stand out in a crowd. She spends her days in the overpowering shadow of her childhood best friend, following along with whatever trouble Ramona drags her into. It's freshman year at Briar, and Grace is determined to become more confident and be noticed. I adored her. Her vulnerability. Her wit. Her self-preservation and growth when the trust she invested in people was broken. She is a stunning and compassionate character who you can't help but love.

John Logan is a mind I've been dying to crack since I met him in The Deal. He's reeling from unrequited feelings for his best friend's girl and sleeping his way through the female population in order to forget her. Enter Grace Ivers. The quirky freshman he meets by chance but who intrigues him and provides the solace he had been seeking in so many women before her. But nothing comes easy for Logan and soon he's scrambling to hold on to the one person he didn't realize he needed until she was gone.

Readers are going to fall hard for The Mistake. I could not let this story go. It was every bit as captivating as The Deal. The Mistake is a fresh and unique stand alone. Garrett and Logan may be best friends, but their stories and struggles are vastly different. I laughed, swooned, and fretted as Grace and Logan discovered strength buried deep inside themselves. 

My heart is both full and sad now that I've finished. I will never tire of these characters and will always be hungry for more int his series. I cannot wait for the next installment, and I'm sure Elle Kennedy will deliver a phenomenal read once again. Get your hands on Elle Kennedy's Off-Campus Series immediately!

A USA Today bestselling author, Elle Kennedy grew up in the suburbs of Toronto, Ontario, and holds a B.A. in English from York University. From an early age, she knew she wanted to be a writer, and actively began pursuing that dream when she was a teenager.

Elle currently writes for various publishers. She loves strong heroines and sexy alpha heroes, and just enough heat and danger to keep things interesting!

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Blog Tour: Overruled (The Legal Briefs Series) by Emma Chase

A Washington, DC, defense attorney, Stanton Shaw keeps his head cool, his questions sharp, and his arguments irrefutable. They don’t call him the Jury Charmer for nothing—with his southern drawl, disarming smile, and captivating green eyes, he’s a hard man to say no to. Men want to be him, and women want to be thoroughly cross examined by him.

Stanton’s a man with a plan. And for a while, life was going according to that plan.

Until the day he receives an invitation to the wedding of his high school sweetheart, the mother of his beloved ten-year-old daughter. Jenny is getting married—to someone who isn’t him.

That’s definitely not part of the plan.

***

Sofia Santos is a city-raised, no-nonsense litigator who plans to become the most revered criminal defense attorney in the country. She doesn’t have time for relationships or distractions.

But when Stanton, her “friend with mind-blowing benefits,” begs her for help, she finds herself out of her element, out of her depth, and obviously out of her mind. Because she agrees to go with him to The-Middle-Of-Nowhere, Mississippi, to do all she can to help Stanton win back the woman he loves. Her head tells her she’s crazy…and her heart says something else entirely.

What happens when you mix a one-stop-light town, two professional arguers, a homecoming queen, four big brothers, some Jimmy Dean sausage, and a gun-toting Nana?

The Bourbon flows, passions rise, and even the best-laid plans get overruled by the desires of the heart.

 http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/overruled-emma-chase/1120159851?ean=9781501102035

http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781501102035

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/overruled/id907915411?mt=11

http://www.amazon.com/Overruled-Legal-Briefs-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00MK394JI/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1418350127&sr=8-8&keywords=emma+chase

http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Overruled/Emma-Chase/9781501102035?id=6148479645368

Overruled is the first book in Emma Chase's Legal Briefs Series and is every bit as aggravating and entertaining as her other novels. Emma Chase knows how to create heroes that readers will despise at first but fall in love with by the end of the story. First came Drew Evans in her Tangled Series. He was a jerk at first but found his way into my good graces as his story unfolded. Overruled introduces us to Stanton Shaw, defense attorney and royal dick. 

I loathed Stanton Shaw. He's a fraternity brother of Drew Evans and we follow his journey from fresh out of high school to adulthood. Stanton started out as a fiercely loyal boyfriend who was working for the sole purpose of bettering his loved ones' futures. I adored him. Enter Drew Evans. A few words of wisdom: NEVER and I mean NEVER take advice from Drew freaking Evans unless you want to ruin your life. Literally. Can you tell I was frustrated? Let's just say adult Stanton and teenage Stanton are quite different.

Overruled made me feel a lot of things. Pity for Jenny. Hatred for Sophia and Stanton. Anxiety over what paths the story would take. I wanted to slap sense into every character and send them all to therapy. I ached and fretted and had to put this story down several times to compose my anger towards Stanton. 

Journeys are a funny thing. One second you can want to set the main character on fire and suddenly events unfold and insight into that character is laid out before you, molding your impressions and changing your view of Stanton Shaw. Before I knew it, I was rooting for Stanton. Wanting him to get the girl and find happiness. Despite his less than admirable decisions toward women, one thing holds true about him. Stanton Shaw is a phenomenal father and that alone makes him one of the most desirable heroes around. 

Prepare yourself for a roller coaster. Emma Chase toyed with my emotions and forced me to reevaluate my first impressions about every character in this story. Her writing is so fantastic it has the power to make your feelings about a character fluctuate from one extreme to the other. I am not shy about my absolute disgust for Stanton in the beginning, but I was surprised to find my heart melting for Shaw by the end. Emma Chase absolutely killed it and once again proved her brilliance and mastery of the male point of view. 

I was super excited to read Overruled. I love Emma Chase's work and I knew she wouldn't disappoint. She didn't by the way. Emma knows how to write a male character that you will love and loathe at the same time all while making him witty with one liners that you can help but laugh at. 

Overruled is the story of Stanton Shaw and his journey to win back his one true love. I can see where a lot of people will loathe Stanton. I on the other hand for some reason loved him. Did he make mistakes? Hell. Yes. He is a man, did we expect anything else? Here are the reasons I loved Stanton: Sexy, Smart, Successful, and Southern. You can't beat those four S's. That man has a sexy side mixed with southern charm that will make you full on swoon. To top it off we get a little surprise in the beginning of the book. Let's just say his frat bother is someone you will recognize and someone we all love. I loved how Emma tied that in to this book. 

This is the story of Stanton and Jenny, oh and Sofia. No, it's not a triangle. I mean technically it is but not in the sense that you're thinking. Jenny is Stanton's first love and the mother of his extremely cute daughter. Sofia is his friend with benefit and also his co-woker.  Stanton always thought that Jenny would be there for him. That she would be his end all, after he got done being a big shot lawyer in the big city and sleeping his way through it. Little did he know that Jenny wasn't going to wait around on him.  

I loved the back and forth of the Stanton/Jenny/Sofia triangle-ish. I wanted to smack Stanton for wanting his cake and eating it too all the while totally getting his thought process. He is an ass at times? Of course, again, he's a man. Men are stupid and don't think things through. 

I enjoyed the female leads in this book. Jenny the strong southern woman who stands up for what she believes is right. Sofia, the strong city girl that could win any argument you put in front of her. I understood both sides of the card and where each one was coming from. Never did I dislike either character. 

All in all I loved this book. It flowed well, had great characters, and plenty of laugh out loud moments that Emma is well known for. I am excited for what is to come in this series. I can't wait to dive into Jake's book all the while getting a glimpse back into Stanton's life.

By day, Emma Chase is a devoted wife and mother of two who resides in a small, rural town in New Jersey. By night she is a keyboard crusader, toiling away the hours to bring her colorful characters and their endless antics to life. She has a long standing love/hate relationship with caffeine.

Emma is an avid reader. Before her children were born she was known to consume whole books in a single day. Writing has also always been a passion and with the 2013 release of her debut romantic comedy, Tangled, the ability to now call herself an author is nothing less than a dream come true. 

http://authoremmachase.com/

@emmachse​

​ ​

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Blog Tour: Shadow of Doubt by P.A. DePaul

The new SBG novel from the author of Exchange of Fire.

When her secretly filmed tryst shows up on the internet, Michelle Alger goes on the run. She has no choice. Not only was her one-night stand the son of a US senator, but he’s been murdered—and she’s the number one suspect. With both the senator and an avenging drug lord on her trail, her life is in danger. There’s only man she can trust. He saved her once, but will he still be her hero six years later? Captain Jeremy Malone and the rest of Delta Squad have the senator’s order: find the mystery woman who killed my son. But to Jeremy, she’s no mystery. Six years ago his team of Green Berets rescued her from the torturous clutches of a Colombian cartel, and he’s never forgotten her. His personal and covert mission: find Michelle before anyone else. When he and Michelle do meet again, the sparks are explosive and consuming. They’re also dangerous as hell. Because with each new bit of evidence, Jeremy suspects that Michelle’s innocence may be a ruse—a beautiful trap set by a woman who has even more secrets yet to bare.

Judging by the first book, Exchange of Fire, I expected to really enjoy this book, and I really did. What I didn't expect is to fall totally in love with Cappy, A.K.A. Jeremy Malone. In book one, he is a total hard ass and commands respect. I mean, he has to be in order to be the exceptional leader of the very successful and bad ass Delta Squad.

In this book, though we meet his old self, Jeremy. Oh is he swoon worthy. *Sigh* He is definitely alpha, but he has such a sweet, sensitive, patient side. His past soldier self and the unnecessary guilt he carried made me fall for him so hard.

Then, there is Michelle. She is from Cappy's past and now enlists his help to run from the FBI and prove her innocence in a murder. She is damaged and scarred from her past. Once she gets in contact with Cappy again, their old connection and feelings surface. She is ready to trust him with her heart and her life, but he keeps pushing her away.

Aside from the romance aspect of this story, it is really action packed. I could not put this book down! There were some parts that really had me tense and holding my breath. Due to the characters' pasts, it was also full of emotion. Shadow of Doubt is the perfect example of an action packed romantic suspense. I cannot wait for more from the Delta Squad. I have a soft spot in my heart for Talon, so hopefully he gets his HEA soon.

Michelle paced the length of the room for the thousandth time. There were exactly eighteen steps from the bathroom door to the sad excuse of a table. Not the biggest rooms here at the OTE. A long moan drifted through the left wall followed by a slam, then rhythmic banging. “Oh, God. Yes,” a woman cried. “Give it to me, daddy.” Whomp. Whomp. Whomp. The cheap picture over the bed rattled with “daddy’s” frantic pace. Michelle rolled her eyes to the ceiling. “Really?” she asked the stained tiles. As if her situation wasn’t bad enough, she now had to listen to a bad porno. She glanced at the clock. 5:22 p.m. Her fingertips felt cold. She went to rub her hands together only to find her palms had a thin layer of sweat. How messed up was that? Darn nerves. For years she had fantasized about this moment. So many versions ranging from innocent to completely far-fetched had captivated her dreams. Only Fate would deliver the version where she was holed up in a seedy motel with Big Daddy providing the sleazy soundtrack. “Yes! Right there! Harder!” She tuned out the “Oh-Gods,” and the “That’s-the-spots” and replayed her favorite fantasy. The one where Captain Jeremy Malone sought her out only to find out she had been given a new identity and placed in Witness Protection. Devastated by the government’s unwillingness to tell him where she had been relocated, he made it his personal mission to find her. Though it took years, he finally discovered she became a park ranger in Indianapolis. He immediately requested leave from the military and showed up at her apartment door. She laughed at her foolish daydreams. Even if the man had hunted her down, then what? Her track record since Colombia had been Michelle, zero; Disaster, every time. The looks of disgust on her partners’ faces when they saw her body usually killed whatever passion she had been able to muster through the fear and memories. Only one man had seen beyond carnage and made her feel as if it would be okay. A hoarse shout bled through the thin wall followed by a lot of groaning. Hopefully that signaled the end of “daddy’s” session. Had she done the right thing calling Cappy? How long had he been in Indianapolis? God, had she been this close to him all this time? What if he’s seen the news? Would he call the police, FBI, Army to tip them off? She started to panic. Oh no. What had she done? Knock. Knock. Knock. Michelle jumped at the sound on her door. The blood drained from her face and her heart pounded against her ribcage. No way in this short span of time could it be another drunk with the wrong room. Which meant . . . He’s here. All her insecurities rushed through her brain as she stared at the door. Everything from her thunder-thighs to her lack of makeup and hungover status swamped her. “Michelle?” a muffled, deep male voice called on the other side. She’d know that intonation anywhere. It slid over her, tightening the knot in her stomach. She rubbed the dancing area and snagged on a button. Jerking her head down, she started cussing. She still had on the ugliest uniform ever. Not one ounce of sexiness could be wrung from the drab olive and gray clothing. Sweat pooled under her arms, not helping her confidence and— Wait, what was that? She squinted and dabbed a spot on her shirt. Great. She had on the most god-awful stained uniform ever. This was so far from her fantasy she could only hang her head. About par for the last twenty-four hours. Knock. Knock. “Michelle,” Captain Jeremy Malone said again. “It’s safe to open the door.” No one shouted “POLICE” or “FBI.” That was a good sign, wasn’t it? Didn’t they have to identify themselves first before entering? That meant he was alone, right? She threw her shoulders back and strode across the room. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and opened the thin wood. Holy Cheesus on wheat toast. How could she not recall how HUGE he was? And that was saying something, since she was considered tall. But he had to be at least a half a foot over her head. Not only tall, but ripped with muscles . . . Like no-way-could-this-exist-in-real-life muscles sprouted beneath a tight T-shirt. Since he had worn a helmet the last time they met, she had never gotten to see he had dark brown hair, buzzed in a military crew-cut. His stance was all business; exuding strength and power and don’t-mess-with-me-cause-I-know-eighty-ways-to-kill-you. But one feature commanded her attention—the same one haunting her for years. His eyes. Those wonderfully expressive deep coffee-colored eyes. “Cappy.” She shuddered. After so many years of longing, she was finally staring into their depths . . . and he was staring right back.

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P.A. DePaul is a multi-genre romance author including paranormal fantasy and romantic suspense. She originally hails from Carroll County and Baltimore County, Maryland, but also lived in Macon and Warner Robins, Georgia. She currently resides in a beautiful community just outside Philadelphia. 

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Blog Tour: Always You by Stephanie Rose

To Samantha Christensen, Lucas Hunter was always the guy—the sexy, smart and unattainable man she pined for throughout college. To Lucas, she was a treasured friend, a younger sister he felt the need to protect. She had a choice—to wait and hope, or to settle. When they meet again years later, Lucas looks at Samantha and sees a woman he wants—even though she’s not free to take. As they renew their friendship he finds he’s falling hard, and can’t accept any less than all of her. Samantha realizes there’s hope with Lucas. Will she finally have a chance to be happy with the man she’s always loved, or will obligations and insecurities stand in their way? Can Samantha and Lucas convince each other that they belong together? That it was Always You?

I really, really enjoyed this story. However, I felt a little uncomfortable at the beginning of the it. It's hard for me to put in to words, but let me try...

Samantha is married to Marc. Before they were an item, she had a major crush on one of her friends, Lucas. Lucas moved away for a job, and so Sam let go and moved on with Marc. Marc turned out to be a grade A a**hole. He is always demeaning Sam, yelling at their daughter, or ignoring them all together.

Then, Lucas comes back. He and Sam pick up their friendship right where they left off. Their feelings and attraction become deeper and stronger, and it is soon too much to resist. This is where it gets murky for me. Their deepening relationship before she separates from her jerk of a husband is a fine line. Emotionally, Sam and Marc were already split, but not physically. Is it okay? Wrong? That's up to you. I'm of the opinion to cut ties before cheating, but life is never that simple. This book mirrors hard choices that you sometimes have to make in life. Only you can decide if it's the right one for you. I understood this part of the book and the necessity of it for the story.

Though Sam and Lucas' relationship made me nervous at first, this book turned out to be really good. I could hardly put it down. I fell in love with Lucas, and when his alpha tendencies came out he was even better! I came to love his and Samantha's relationship. They were passionate, fiercely loyal and protective of each other. I absolutely adored how Lucas was with Sam's daughter, Bella. All in all it was a great story that you don't want to pass up.

“Shit, Sam! Baby Girl, are you okay?” God, please no. Calling me Baby Girl now was like sticking a knife directly into my already broken heart. Lucas lifted me off the ground to help me stand. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed the top of my head. I always loved when he did that, but now it hurt like hell. It was torturous, but I let myself feel him one last time. I wanted to remember the way he smelled, how his arms felt like home—but he wasn’t my home anymore, and it killed me to know that. I pushed out of his hold and looked at his face. His beautiful face. His blue eyes were still glassy, but they were red now. I didn’t want to believe what I saw. I wanted to look at the unshed tears growing in Lucas’s eyes and think it meant he really loved me, and he would never ever hurt me. I saw an empty cab coming up the block and raised my arm to hail it. I must’ve fallen hard as blood trickled down my wrist when I held my hand up. The cab slowed to a stop and I headed to the curb where it waited. I willed myself to stop crying at least until I got inside. Lucas grabbed my arm again, shaking his head. “You can’t leave like this.” His voice was cracking. “I need you, I love you. You know me, Sam.” I shook my head sadly. “No. No, I don’t.”

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Stephanie lives in the Bronx, New York with her superhero-obsessed husband and son. Her day job is marketing, but she always has a story in her head. This lifelong New Yorker lives for Starbucks, book boyfriends, and 80s rock After spending most of her youth watching soaps, Stephanie has an obsession with angsty drama and hot romance. She's excited to finally bring the characters she's been dreaming about to life!

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Release Day Blitz: Sweet by Tammara Webber

Join us in celebrating the release of SWEET by Tammara Webber! Check out the excerpt and teasers below!

SWEET (Contours of the Heart #3) by Tammara Webber

NA Contemporary Romance

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He’s the love of her life, but he doesn’t know it.
She’s his one moment of sacrifice in a lifetime of survival.

He was damaged and wild, but resilient.
She’s always been obedient. Now she’s restless.

Home for the summer between college and med school, Pearl Torres Frank knows two things: Boyce Wynn is the embodiment of everything she should run from, and everything she wants to run to. Rebellious and loud. Unconcerned with society’s opinion of him. Passionate. Strong. Dangerous.

And one more trait he hides from everyone but her:

Sweet.

Boyce watched me, a lit cigarette in one hand and a koozied beer in the other. We hadn’t spoken since that kiss, other than his usual juvenile quips during biology—the ones that drove Mel and Mr. Quinn insane and made Landon smirk and shake his head and had me biting the inside of my cheek to suppress my smile.

At first, I’d been confused, then disappointed, and then angry. I’d worked my way to acceptance, like when I’d known I was drowning and there was nothing I could do. He’d merely gone back to being Boyce Wynn, who did what he wanted and who he wanted. And I’d gone back to being Pearl Frank—star student, social royalty, good girl.

But I couldn’t forget that kiss. The fixed glint of his eyes across the fire said that neither could he.

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of EASY and BREAKABLE (Contours of the Heart series - NA), as well BETWEEN THE LINES, WHERE YOU ARE, GOOD FOR YOU and HERE WITHOUT YOU (Between the Lines series - YA/NA).

I'm a hopeful romantic who adores novels with happy endings, because there are enough sad endings in real life. Before writing full-time, I was an undergraduate academic advisor, economics tutor, planetarium office manager, radiology call center rep, and the palest person to ever work at a tanning salon. I married my high school sweetheart, and I'm Mom to three adult kids and four very immature cats.

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tammarawebber.com
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