THE LONER by Lindsay McKenna

THE LONER by Lindsay McKenna
PUBLISHED June 25, 2013
REVIEW BY: Reading in Pajamas/Donna
RATED: 4 Stars

DESCRIPTION:
In all her years as deputy sheriff, Shelby Kincaid never met a man as stubborn as Dakota Carson. Practically eaten by a grizzly bear and still that man insists on returning, alone, to his isolated cabin in the Tetons. Shelby’s not even sure why it ruffles her—but she suspects it has a lot to do with the instant, powerful connection she feels with Dakota. If only he’d let down his guard with her….
Ten years as a Navy SEAL took its toll on Dakota’s body, his mind and his heart. Since being released, he’s endured months of painful physical therapy…and brutal nightmares. Dakota wants nothing more than to hide from the world, so why does Shelby’s gentle presence suddenly make him question his seclusion? But when Shelby’s life is threatened, Dakota knows his warrior spirit won’t hide any longer. He just hopes it’s not too late….

REVIEW:
The action started on page one and wove in nicely with a returning SEAL’s struggle with PTSD. I liked how the author dealt with this topic and didn’t make it stereotypical. The romance was both tender and fierce as they dealt with so many emotions. Two strong people faced with ongoing danger and finding each other through it all. I couldn’t put this book down.

*ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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MINE TO TAKE by Cynthia Eden

MINE TO TAKE by Cynthia Eden
PUBLISH DATE: June 14, 2013
REVIEWED BY: Reading in Pajamas/Donna
RATED: 4 Stars

DESCRIPTION:
Skye Sullivan knows that someone is watching her. Not just watching—stalking her. Months ago, Skye was involved in a dangerous car accident. The accident ended her dancing career and sent her fleeing back to Chicago. Skye is convinced that her stalker caused the crash, and she fears that he won’t stop pursuing her, not until she’s dead.

When someone breaks into her apartment in Chicago, Skye turns to the one man she believes can protect her—Trace Weston. Once, Trace was her lover. Two lost souls, they’d come together in a firestorm of need and desire. But then Trace had pushed her away. He’d joined the military, vanishing from her life. She’d put all of her emotion into dancing, and she’d tried to forget him.

Now Trace is one of the most successful men in the United States. Rich, driven, and carrying dark secrets, he agrees to help Skye. He’ll protect her from the danger that lurks in the darkness, but Trace wants more than to just be a guard for Skye.

He wants her. And he’ll take her. The years have changed him, hardened him. He’s not just a poor kid from the streets any longer. Now, he can have anything—or anyone—that he wants. And the one woman he has always wanted has just come back into his life. He won’t let her go again.

But with the threats mounting against Skye, she suspects that her stalker may be intimately close. He’s a man who knows her too well. As his attacks grow ever more dangerous, she realizes that if she trusts the wrong man, she could be making a fatal mistake.

REVIEW:
This story is full of action, drama and suspense. It really kept me guessing and on the edge of my chair… and I loved it! There may not have been a lot of steamy action but I didn’t really notice that while reading. The author made the sexual and emotional tension between Skye and Trace intense and seamlessly part of the story. I’ll be thinking of this book for a while.

*ARC provided by Netgally in exchange for an honest review.

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**Special Release Week Sale – MINE TO TAKE will be priced at .99 until 6/24.**
Buy Links:
Amazon|B&N|Kobo|Smashwords

Excerpt:
“H-hello, Trace.” She hated that stupid break in her voice. Trace made her nervous. Always had.He stopped in front of her. He stood at several inches over six feet, while she barely skimmed five feet three. Skye tilted her head back so that she could meet his stare.

“It’s been a long time,” Trace said, the words a deep, dark rumble. His voice went perfectly with the rock hard body and the sexy face—a voice that a woman could imagine in the darkness.

She swallowed because her throat was suddenly dry. “Yes, it has.” Ten years and three months. Not that she’d counted.

That assessing gaze of his slid down her body once more. There was an awareness in his stare that she hadn’t expected. A heat that made her remember too many things.

He was close enough to touch. Close enough for her to smell the crisp, masculine scent that clung to him.

His nostrils flared, as if he were catching her scent, too.

“You look good, Skye.” Again, that heat was in his stare. A heat that said he knew her intimately.

She wished her heartbeat would slow down.

“But you’re not here for a friendly chat, are you?” And he stepped away from her. He waved to the open chair near his desk and returned to his seat.

“We’ve never really been the friendly chat kind,” she said softly as she eased into the leather chair.

She didn’t take off her coat. She just pulled it closer to her.

A faint furrow appeared between his brows. “No, we weren’t, were we? More the hot sex type.”

Her lips parted. He had not just said that to her.

His faint smile said that he had.

“I’m not here for that, either.” She’d been wrecked after her last go round with Trace.

He leaned back in his chair. The leather groaned beneath him. “We’ll get to that…”

Uh, no, they wouldn’t. She wasn’t ready to feel that burn again.

He tapped his chin. “You’re not here for pleasantries, you’re not here for sex, then why have you come looking for me?”

This was where she’d have to beg. Because there was no way she had enough money in her account to cover his services. Not with the guy sporting this high rise building and looking like he’d just walked off the cover of GQ. How things have changed. “Someone is watching me.”

He stilled. The heat banked in his eyes as his whole expression instantly became guarded. “And what makes you so sure of that?”

“Because I can feel him.” Wait, that sounded crazy, didn’t it? When she’d gone to the cops, they’d sure looked at her as if she were crazy. You couldn’t feel a stalker. So they said.

She disagreed.

Wife in Name Only (Entangled Indulgence) by Hayson Manning

Wife in Name Only (Entangled Indulgence) by Hayson Manning
Publication Date: April 1, 2013
Reviewed by: Reading In Pajamas/ Cori
Rated: 4 Stars

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
Trapped in a loveless marriage, Zoe Hughes escaped to make a new life for herself on the tiny island of Tonga. Now she runs a successful boutique honeymoon resort. Selling true love is easy. No one needs to know she’s married in name only. At least until America’s premier honeymoon magazine wants to publish a feature on her perfect marriage. Now she must convince her estranged husband to rip himself away from plotting corporate takeovers in LA to save her island paradise.

Rory agrees to come for forty-eight hours, but only because he needs the positive PR. To his surprise, the wife he finds in Tonga isn’t the same woman he married. Now she’s so much more…

When a storm strands Rory in Tonga, will he win back his wife or leave paradise empty-handed?

REVIEW:
I really enjoyed Wife in Name Only! Hayson Manning is a new author, but after reading the description of the book and reading that Entangled Publishing was releasing it, I said yes to the offer to send me a copy for review. I am so glad I did! This book caught and held my attention from page one. The writing style was really easy to read and the descriptions painted a vivid picture for the reader. This is a second chance for love romance. Rory and Zoe are married, but Zoe left after feeling neglected by Rory. After leaving Rory, Zoe starts over on an island running a resort, Honeymoon Haven and after a year a magazine approaches her with a request to interview her and her husband to promote the resort. She wants the publicity for the resort so she contacts Rory after a year of not speaking to him and separation to asked him to come to the island and pretend they are happily married and in love for the magazine. He needs the publicity for his image as well so he agrees and comes to the island. Rory and Zoe have their problems, but they have a strong connection and chemistry they can not fight for long. They get a second chance with each other and the chance to fix the mistakes they made the first time. This is a great afternoon read that will sweep the reader away to an island romance! I really enjoyed it and look forward to Hayson Manning’s next book.

*Review copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

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Buy Links:
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Rapture’s Edge: A Night Prowler Novel by J.T. Geissinger

Rapture’s Edge: A Night Prowler Novel by J.T. Geissinger
Publication Date: June 18, 2013
Reviewed by: Reading In Pajamas/ Cori
Rated: 4.5 Stars

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
SECRETS… In the hidden world that exists beside our own, a mirror world of ancient magic and elegant deceptions, a world of people who are so much more than they first appear, a war is brewing. Most of these Gifted people—the Ikati, a savage, sensual race of lethal predators—are content to hide behind human smiles, disguising their splendor in order to survive. But others are discontent. And they will hide no longer.

BETRAYALS… Eliana lives for two things only: vengeance on the man who killed her father and seeing her father’s dream of living in the open with humans come to pass. But that dream is far too dangerous for The Hunt, a group of elite Ikati assassins with one objective: eliminate her before she can expose their secrets to the world.

SEDUCTION… Demetrius is haunted by the memory of the woman he once loved. He will risk everything to save her from the killers on her tail… and convince her, before the ancient walls between two worlds crumble, that only together can they defeat their real enemy, a brilliant, cunning traitor far more deadly than either of them can guess.

REVIEW:
I loved Rapture’s Edge! I really wish I had known it was the the third book in the series. I was a little lost at times without reading the first two books. I’m going to go back and read them to fully understand the story and I recommend other readers read the series in order. J.T. Geissinger created a fascinating and unique world with her writing. I really enjoyed her writing style and the characters. Eliana and Demetrius’s interactions are hot and steamy. I was a bit frustrated with Eliana’s distrust of everyone at times and wanted to reach in the book and shake her, but I enjoy characters that stir my emotions. I also liked that Demetrius never gave up on her. Rapture’s Edge had plenty of action, intrigue, mystery, suspense and steamy romance. A great Paranormal/ Urban Fantasy Romance series!

*Review copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Buy Links:
Amazon|B&N

Undying Destiny (A Novel of the Enclave) (Entangled Edge) By Jessica Lee

Undying Destiny (A Novel of the Enclave) (Entangled Edge) By Jessica Lee
Publication Date: June 17, 2013
Reviewed by: Reading In Pajamas/ Cori
Rated: 4.5 Stars

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
Kenric St. James is out for revenge. Over 300 years ago, an ancient female vampire turned him against his will and killed the woman he loved. He’s spent more than a century building an Enclave of warrior vampires who have sworn to defend humanity against his evil sire and her minions. But when Kenric finds a woman he finally burns to claim as his own again, Kenric knows loving her means giving his sire another target.
Emily Ross just wanted a fresh start. She’s a survivor, coming off the tail end of an abusive relationship, and craves time alone to learn who she is and to save the home that holds her heart. The last thing she needed was a controlling, alpha male calling all the shots.
Meeting Kenric might just have changed her mind, though. He is wrong for her in all the right ways. But in order to keep her heart from breaking, he first has to keep the hordes of evil vamps from stealing her very breath.

REVIEW:
I love a book with a hot, sexy vampire hero! I loved Undying Destiny! I was captivated from the fist page and it held my attention until I turned the last page. Jessica Lee is a new author for me and when I saw the hot cover for the book on NetGalley, I decided to request it after seeing the publisher was Entangled. Entangled Publishing had been publishing a lot of great books lately. I am so glad I requested it because I found another great paranormal author. The story had everything I look for in a great book. Undying Destiny was a great story with a plot that drew me in and I loved the characters. Kenric and Emily meet by chance and are instantly drawn to one another. Their adventure begins from there. Their story had plenty of action, mystery, suspense, and steamy romance. I am looking forward to the next book and I highly recommend this book for vampire lovers!

*Review copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Buy Links:
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I choose to believe in fairies, myths, magic and dragons. They all exist in the pages of a book!

I choose to believe in fairies, myths, magic and dragons. They all exist in the pages of a book!

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Found this pretty dragon picture to add some words to:)

PARANORMAL ROMANCE – Favorite Dragon Shifters
Elder Races by Thea Harrison
The Dragon Kin Series by G.A. Aiken
Heart of the Dragon (Atlantis, #1) by Gena Showalter
Dragonfury Series by Coreene Callahan
Light Dragons Series by Katie MacAlister
Aisling Grey Series by Katie MacAlister
Dragon Series by Allyson James
Everlasting Bad Boys by Shelly Laurenston
Dragon’s Heat Series by Tessa Adams
Dragon Down Under Series by Angela Castle
Immortal Danger (Night Watch, #0.5) by Cynthia Eden
Dragonfire Series by Deborah Cooke
Works Like Magick Series by Annette Blair

LOVING ME, TRUSTING YOU By C. M. Stunich

LOVING ME, TRUSTING YOU INFO

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Title: Loving Me, Trusting You
Series: The Triple M Series #2
(This was going to be a stand alone book, and then was changed to a trilogy. Due to wonderful, amazing fan mail and suggestions, it has now become a ‘series’. Length undetermined.)
Genre: New Adult/Erotica/Motorcycle Gang
Mature – Ages 18
Goodreads Link
Release Day: June 25th, 2013
Blurb: TBA – But let’s just say that you get to know a whole Gaine a whole lot more intimately…
Amazon Buy Link for Book One
(Book one is on SALE for 99 CENTS until June 25th!)
Trailer For Book One: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjuWuYMxmtI&feature=youtu.be

Giveaway Link with a $100 Gift Card!

Want to join the Triple M Motorcycle Club and get to know the hot, bad boy bikers before book two comes out? The first book is only 99 cents right now, and we’ve got less than two weeks to go before the journey continues.
Amazon Buy Link

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“Austin Sparks crushes me against the pool table with his hips, the roughness of his jeans rubbing against the smoothness of my thighs as he pushes up my skirt with his warm hands.
‘Get ready for this, beautiful.’ “

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
‘Losing Me, Finding You’, a New Adult/Biker/Contemporary Romance Erotica Novel Recommended for Ages 18 and Up

Twenty-one year old Amy Cross’s idea of a hot Saturday night is curling up with her favorite book boyfriend and secretly sneaking a bottle of her mother’s wine. That is, until she meets Austin Sparks, the biker boy with a past that burns like fire and a gaze she can’t look away from. Without knowing what she’s doing or why she’s doing it, Amy ends up on the road with Austin traveling from one city to another while learning things she’s only ever read about in romance novels.

At first it seems like Austin is Amy’s fantasy come true, but as their journey progresses, she starts to sense that Austin is running away from something. Amy knows that she’ll do whatever it takes to help him find himself. What she doesn’t expect is that she’ll lose herself in the process and how good it will feel to be free.

LOSING ME, FINDING YOU EXCERPT:
“Take ‘em off. This is your next lesson. If you don’t wear a skirt, be prepared to take off your pants. Come on, sugar, let’s get to it. We’ve gotta hurry before somebody drives by and sees us.”
“You’re serious?” I ask him, getting chills and a gut wrenching belly ache. Oh God, yes. I can’t believe I waited twenty-one years for this feeling. It’s incredible.
“As a heart attack,” Austin says, taking a drag on his cigarette and tossing it to the ground, so he can smash it under his boot. I nibble my lip for a moment and then start to unbutton my jeans. Austin’s eyes follow the motion and narrow when I pause with the zipper halfway down.
“Take off your shirt,” I command him. I want to see what’s under there. Three times we’ve had sex and not once have I gotten to see his chest and belly. He grins at me and obliges, tearing the black fabric off and tossing it down alongside his vest.
Austin is, well, God, Austin is ripped. He’s tight and muscular and I can see every muscle in his belly as clear as day. His skin stretches hot and slick over the firmness of his chest and stomach, dipping into his pants with a sprinkle of sandy hair. Above his pecs, he’s got another skull tattoo surrounded by roses and on either side, a gun pointing inwards. Sweat glides across the colorful piece of art and gets caught between his muscles, sliding down and soaking into the waistband of his jeans.
I practically tear my boots and pants off in my frenzy to touch him. I can’t wait.
“Panties,” he commands me, and I pause. Being pants-less in the middle of the road is one thing, but being pantie-less is quite another altogether.
“Austin,” He grins at me and reaches down, unzipping his own pants. My gaze follows his hands involuntarily, mesmerizing me.
“Better hurry before somebody comes along and we get interrupted.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

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C.M. Stunich was raised under a cover of fog in the area known simply as Eureka, CA. A mysterious place, this strange, arboreal land nursed Caitlin’s (yes, that’s her name!) desire to write strange fiction novels about wicked monsters, magical trains, and Nemean Lions (Google it!). She currently enjoys drag queens, having too many cats,
and tribal bellydance.

Always a fan of the indie scene and ‘sticking it to the man,’ Ms. Stunich decided to take the road less traveled and forgo the traditional publishing route. You can be assured though that she received several rejections as to ensure her proper place in the world of writers before taking up a friend’s offer to start a publishing company. Sarian Royal was born, and Ms. Stunich’s books slowly transformed from mere baking chocolate to full blown tortes with hand sculpted fondant flowers.

C.M. is a writer obsessed with delivering the very best and scours her mind on a regular basis to select the most unusual stories for the outside world.

AUTHOR LINKS
Official Webpage
Facebook Friend Page
Facebook Author Page
Amazon
Goodreads
Twitter
Barnes and Noble
Kobo

Spotlight: Guest Author Post from H. J. Bellus

Guest Author Post H. J. Bellus

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I am an independent author excited about releasing my first novel. A big dream coming true!!! I’m all country…the kinda country where green grass grows and corn pops up in rows….love Miranda and her bad ass music!!! Just a simple country girl getting one story out of her head at a time…I always fall hard for a trucker style hat…especially if it’s a John Deere hat….loves me a good ol’ farm boy!!!!!!

Find me on Facebook:
Facebook

My Opinions on Covers

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Sup Hoochies!

I love art…love scrapbookin’ and craftin’. I knew the cover of my book had to be different than others. No models…no pretty faces…& no dry humping on my cover! I wanted layers of color that popped and textures to represent the long road that Milly travels down. Yep, I’m a chevron whore!

Sprinkles were also a must, but you will have to read the book to find out why! At the center of our being is our heart. Our heart drives us and gives us our passion to either give up or make life your bitch. I’m all about being brave and kicking ass when the opportunity arises.

My grandma raised me. Growing up, I watched her be used and abused by loved ones for years. She always “WANTED” to try new things and branch out, but never did. I lost her 11 years ago. The day I dressed her and fixed her hair for her funeral was the day I decided to be BRAVE and throw caution out the window. I’ve done some crazy shit…some of it turning out spectacular and the others were great learning experiences.

My grandma made an epic potato salad, but I never learned how to make it….so guess what I discovered how to make the damn stuff. I went to crafting classes and signed up for all sorts of crazy shit. I found myself and guess what I didn’t care if my house was clean or not. Still don’t care about it. And I totally think dressers and organization is way overrated. I guess that’s the rebel in me. It’s all about courage peeps! My grandma who cared for everyone else and never herself, gave me the courage to write this book and now she will never know.

Back to the cover!
That’s why I chose to stand out from the crowd. I have received positive and negative comments about the cover. None of it matters to me because my heart is happy.
I leave you with this…

“Don’t you dare ever give up on your hopes and dreams…Be Brave and hold onto your courage now & forever.”

–HJ Bellus

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My Now and Forever by H.J. Bellus
Publication Date: June 2, 2013

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Book Description:
Whose parents abandon them in a trashy trailer when they are five years old? Oh Yeah! Mine do!

Hey Hoochies! I’m Milly, and I am tired of taking kicks to the gut. A broken family, an asshole husband and the loss of loved ones have left me crying Uncle, and declaring a serious case of the Fuck-Its!

I had my heart broken, stomped on and shattered before I ever started on my journey to find my little piece of happiness. With a bucket list, a ’66 Ford and wild dreams, I set out on an adventure that changed my life forever. Follow me on my journey that resurrected my inner badass.

I found my soul sista from another mista, and opened my dream shop along the way. Just when I gave up on finding true love, a pirate and a princess swept me off my ever lovin’ feet and filled my world with sprinkles, mac n’ cheese and the courage to live again. They forced my fragile heart to trust and love without fear.

Truth is, nobody’s past stays hidden forever. It’s an invisible monster waiting to attack and destroy. It has the capability to ruin everything you’ve worked to set right. All it takes is one final blow to the gut to end everything.

***Sexual Content and Adult Language***

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Buy Link:
Amazon

My Now and Forever Excepts:

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Tiger Magic (Shifters Unbound) by Jennifer Ashley

Tiger Magic (Shifters Unbound) by Jennifer Ashley
Series: Shifters Unbound (Book 5)
Release date: June 4, 2013
Reviewed by: Reading In Pajamas/ Cori
Rated: 4.5 Stars

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
He was once a captive, but his urges were never caged. Now he’ll release them on a beautiful stranger whose own secret desires are longing to be sated…

He doesn’t have a name. He doesn’t have a clan. The humans who held him prisoner for forty years have taken them away. He knew nothing but captivity until nearly a year ago, when he was released into the light. Now Tiger lives in the Austin Shiftertown, where he struggles to belong and searches for an identity.

Carly Randal thinks her fabulous life is complete—until her car breaks down on the side of the road, and a wild-looking Shifter is the only one to help her. Tiger takes one look at Carly and knows instantly—she will be his mate. As Carly is drawn into his Shifter world, she risks everything she has for that forbidden something she still wants: passionate love.

REVIEW:
I loved Tiger Magic! I have been looking forward to Tiger’s book since Jennifer Ashley first introduced us to him. This is the fifth book in the Shifters Bound series and it keeps getting better and better. Jennifer Ashley’s books always have plenty of action, adventure, romance and great characters. Tiger was created in a lab and is damaged from his past captivity where he was experimented on by humans. He meets Carly on the side of the road when her car breaks down and he instantly knows she is his mate. She has a strong attraction to him as well. They seem to bring out the best in each other and be exactly what the other needed at that exact time in their lives. Tiger Magic was an action packed, hot romance that held my attention until the end. I can’t wait to see what Jennifer Ashley has in store for us next! I loved this series and recommend it to all paranormal romance lovers!

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Buy Links:
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