Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Book Launch: Avalon by Mindee Arnett


Author: Mindee Arnett
Title: Avalon
Series: Avalon
Blurb:
Of the various star systems that make up the Confederation, most lie thousands of light-years from First Earth—and out here, no one is free. The agencies that govern the Confederation are as corrupt as the crime bosses who patrol it, and power is held by anyone with enough greed and ruthlessness to claim it. That power is derived from one thing: metatech, the devices that allow people to travel great distances faster than the speed of light. 

Jeth Seagrave and his crew of teenage mercenaries have survived in this world by stealing unsecured metatech, and they're damn good at it. Jeth doesn't care about the politics or the law; all he cares about is earning enough money to buy back his parents' ship, Avalon, from his crime-boss employer and getting himself and his sister, Lizzie, the heck out of Dodge. But when Jeth finds himself in possession of information that both the crime bosses and the government are willing to kill for, he is going to have to ask himself how far he'll go to get the freedom he's wanted for so long.

With pulse-pounding action, a captivating mystery, and even a bit of romance, Avalon is the perfect read for hard-core sci-fi fans and non–sci-fi fans alike.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mindee Arnett is the author of one other book for teens,The Nightmare Affair. She lives on a horse farm in Ohio with her husband, two kids, a couple of dogs, and an inappropriate number of cats. Her dream home, though, is aboard a spaceship.

Contact Mindee Arnett:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr | Goodreads

Sunday, January 5, 2014

Sunday Book Soundtrack #14: The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett

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Sunday Book Soundtrack is a weekly feature at Ruby's Books, where I share some of my bookish soundtracks. Since I discovered my passion for reading years ago, I've discovered that more and more of the songs I loved remind me of certain books. So I thought I'd share my playlists with you. If you want to listen to the songs, I'll post a link to a Youtube videos for each and every title. No copyright infringement intended! I'll try to find the official videos for each song. There's no set number for each playlist, sometimes I might have 10, sometimes 5, sometimes if I'm one of my moods I'll have 15. If you want to read more about this feature, click the "show more" button below. 

Saturday, January 4, 2014

Book Highlight: Unfiltered & Unlawful by Payge Galvin & Ronnie Douglas



Title: Unfiltered & Unlawful
Author: Payge Galvin & Ronnie Douglas
Series: Unfiltered #1
Genre: Adult Romance
Expected Publication: January 15, 2013

After a night-shift shooting of a drug dealer in The Coffee Cave, thirteen strangers each walk out with more than $100,000 in dirty money, a pact never to meet again, and the chance to start over …

Until that night, Sasha "Sugar" Kovac spent her days selling coffee to the co-eds at ASU Rio Verde and her nights trying not to run back to her ex…or join the throngs of girls lusting after her friend, Adam.

But why should Sugar give in to the Harley-riding tattoo artist when his longest relationships haven't lasted more than a weekend?

Sugar's life takes a turn for the dangerous when someone comes looking for the people connected to the Cave shooting and the cash they split. To protect herself and those she cares about, Sugar has to get out of town --and fast.  When Adam insists on coming with her, Sugar finds herself holed up in a tiny house with a hot man, a stash of cash, and a lot of secrets.

Can Sugar protect both her life and her heart when temptation is so close? Or is the past she's fled going to catch up with her?

"A full-throttle read that's dangerously sexy and exciting. I can't wait to see what happens next!"  -- Jeaniene Frost, NY Times bestselling author of the Night Huntress Series

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Excerpt

Chapter 1

First there was sex, and then came death. I just had no idea that the two were so tangled together until everything fell apart so spectacularly.  I was at work at The Coffee Cave on Saturday night trying to ignore thoughts of the sex I couldn’t have—and consequently craved even more than the drugs that I used to need more than my next gasp of air. 
I’d been off the poison for going on five months and away from my ex, Tommy, for the same time. The difference was that I still slipped up on the sex-with-Tommy front. It was stupid, but I wasn’t ready to let go of the way we were without words or clothes between us.  Neither was Tommy.  If we had let go of the lingering threads of our two-year relationship, I’d be all over the beautiful tattoo artist who was smiling at me as I started a fresh pot of his favorite coffee. 
Adam was the fantasy, the man I pictured when I allowed myself to dream of the happily ever after I’d never get.  I settled for calling him my friend, and being the eager recipient of his smiles and confidences.
“You know I’ll drink whatever you have brewed,” Adam said, his deep blue eyes crinkling at the corners .
“And you know you’re happy that I make the coffee you actually prefer.” I grinned at him.  I wasn’t flirting. I tried my damnedest not to do that with him. I was pretty sure that I was the only woman in Rio Verde who tried not to flirt with him.
Adam Bradbery was six feet of taut muscle and gorgeous ink. With his smoothly-shaved head and five o’clock shadow, he was the kind of guy who had nothing but bad habits, but he was actually a bit of a food purist. He made me want to give up more of my lingering bad habits. I’d already given up cocaine because of the conversations we’d had.
Adam flashed me another perfect smile and said, “Thanks. I do prefer the organic Kona. Shade grown, toxin free. It’s better for you.”
“Uh huh. I’ve heard the speeches a few times already, Adam. Toxins are bad; organic is good.”  I smiled at him though. I didn’t mind his speeches even a little. I didn’t mind anything about Adam. He was my ideal for what I wanted if I ever had a normal relationship: strong, smart, healthy, and sexy.
His was the kind of build that made women sigh and men pause. Adam looked intimidating even in his most gentle moods. He had the sheer size that often meant that he didn’t need to raise a fist to stop a fight.  He had no fat anywhere on him.  Adam was all muscle, and his spa-perfect skin was liberally decorated with tattoos.  Even out in the desert sun, his art still looked crisp. The man knew how to take care of his body, and it showed.  He was a bit intense about his health. No drugs. No cigarettes. He lived on an organic diet.  He was also committed to meditation and a rigorous work-out schedule of boxing, weightlifting, and running.  Somehow, Adam managed to be bad-ass and supremely healthy all at once.  He drank a little, but his only true vice was indulging in naked relationships with far too many of the ink bunnies who loitered in his path.  Sex was Adam’s one big weakness.  It was easy to see why. Looking at him for longer than a minute was enough to make me consider taking a turn in his line of all-too-willing partners.
Unfortunately, Adam was also Tommy’s cousin, so Adam and I were firmly in the friend zone.  There were perks to being his friend, of course. We had conversations, lunches, shared a drink after work most weeks. Being the only girl in his life that was around for more than a night was the biggest perk. I knew that the rest of the girls were fleeting, but I was a part of his life—and it would stay that way as long as we didn’t fall into bed.
I still looked. A lot. Whenever I had an excuse, like right now, I let my gaze roam where my hands and lips couldn’t.  I dreamed of him, and I fantasized about what life would be like if I wasn’t such a mess and he was willing to do commitments.  That was all it could be: dreams and fantasies. 
As I tried to keep my thoughts from my expression, Adam repeated his regular question of late: “When are you coming by Sinners to finish the piece?”
I shrugged as I stacked clean mugs on the counter.  I glanced around the shop at the two drunk girls who seemed to be having a heated conversation in a low voice, the customers studying or staring at their laptops, and my co-worker Cass who was staring at Dillon, the hot musician singing to the motley crowd.  There were no distractions to save me from the conversation.
It wasn’t that I didn’t want to get my tattoo done, but I had my reasons for putting it off. “Not sure,” I muttered.
“I’ll be at The Tiger tonight if you want to look at your schedule with me,” he offered.
I nodded, glancing again at one of the drunk girls who looked like she was going to spew at any minute.  Cass was glaring at the girls as if willpower alone would prevent vomit.  The only thing keeping her from getting rude was the way Dillon’s voice kept distracting her. He was like that: the voice of either an angel or a devil. 
“I don’t know,” I told Adam, who was standing with his hands on the counter and his gaze on me.
The truth was that I wasn’t sure I could handle seeing him tonight, especially at the local dive bar. He never picked up his fling of the moment in front of me anymore, but sometimes I thought that only made it harder to remind myself that he was off limits.  My eyes traced over the light gleam of sweat of his tattooed biceps and the way the torn black t-shirt clung to his chest and abs. Every inch of his body was so lickably gorgeous that it was hard not to sigh. Adam was built to be sighed over.  The shaved head, bright blue eyes, and sculpted muscles combined to make him damn near irresistible.  I had resisted though. Even though I was single again, I resisted. He was a friend when I’d been in desperate need of a shoulder, even bringing me soup when I was sick and alone one weekend.  Despite his revolving bedroom door, Adam was definitely one of the good guys.
That didn’t mean he wasn’t dangerous. I’d seen him throw down in more than a couple fights. Being a tattooist sometimes meant dealing with an unsavory crowd. Being Tommy’s cousin often meant dealing with a bad element.  Adam handled the worst of them like an off-duty MMA fighter . . . which made him risky in a whole different way for me. I liked men who could handle themselves in a brawl.  Hell, I liked everything about him.
I quickly looked down at a burn mark on the counter before my staring was too obvious. I wished my hair wasn’t all pulled back in a braid. It was harder to hide my face without my hair to use as a shield.  I wasn’t going to ruin our friendship—or Adam’s relationship with Tommy—by thinking about Adam’s perfect mouth or his obscenely muscular body. Okay, I wasn’t going to ruin it by letting him know I thought about it. I couldn’t really stop thinking about him, not entirely. I’d tried.
“As soon as I can,” I said. “I promise. I want to get my tattoo finished. I just can’t right now.”
I didn’t tell him why. I knew he thought it was about money, and I let him think that.  It wasn’t like I had much money to spare.  I would for this, but that wasn’t the real problem. The tattoo I’d started in January—a series of cherry blossoms and branches that spanned my right side and would eventually stretch under my right breast and ease along my hip—was something I’d wanted for years, but we’d reached the part of the piece that was on my chest, and I couldn’t handle being stretched out topless on Adam’s table while his beautiful hands held me in place.  It was difficult enough when he was working on my side and back.  The one session we’d had where he’d started the outline on my chest had sent me running out the door.
Friends. Friends was good. Friends meant I couldn’t allow myself the tremors I felt when his eyes and hands were all about me.
A banging noise in the back drew my attention. I didn’t even want to ask who was having sex in the bathroom again. I knew we were a bit of a dive, but really? Sex in the coffee shop bathroom? It was vulgar.
“We can work something out, Sasha,” Adam suggested, once more pulling my attention to him. 
“Not right now.” I loved the way he said my real name. No one else used it.  Everyone had started calling me Sugar since I took up with Tommy a couple years ago. He had introduced me as Sugar Sweet when I met people, and they mostly figured it was what I wanted to be called. So, Sugar became my name. It was even what I called myself.  Adam refused to use it. To him, and him alone, I was still Sasha.
He gave me a strange look that I couldn’t read. On someone else, I’d have said it was jealousy, but Adam and I weren’t like that.  We were friends.
“Are you back with Tommy?” he asked.
I shook my head.  My New Year’s Resolution this year was to get my shit together.  Tommy wasn’t willing to do the same, so we split up. Most of the time we even stayed split up.  Not all the time though. Staying clear of drugs was easier than staying away from Tommy.
“I’m not with anyone,” I told Adam. I met his eyes as I added, “I’m not back on the shit either. Five months.”
Adam nodded. “Just asking. I know it’s hard, and you’ve been doing great.” He paused and gave me a proud look. “You’re strong enough to do anything you want, Sash. Tommy’s good people, but you don’t need mixed up in the shit he sells.”
I caught Cass watching us then.  She was always quick to suggest I should work out my issues with Tommy by overdosing on the lusciousness that was Adam.  She didn’t understand that I didn’t want to throw Adam’s friendship away over a few days of sex, and even if I did want to, I couldn’t see Adam doing that to Tommy. Seeing Cass made all of my arguments to her rise up in my mind.  It helped.
“I’ll call you soon. Promise,” I told Adam.
He paid for his coffee—black, no sugar or cream, nothing fancy other than the beans themselves—and then dropped a ten-dollar bill onto the counter.  Before he turned away he added, “You don’t have to avoid me because you’re too stubborn to let me do your art on credit, you know?”
“Sinners Ink doesn’t accept credit,” I reminded him.
“The shop doesn’t, but I would for you, Sasha.” He looked at me with the same smoldering gaze that made all the ink bunnies drop to their knees if he gave them half a chance.
“I don’t need credit.”
“The option’s on the table if you change your mind. If you aren’t coming by for art, we can still grab a drink or whatever.”
“I’m sure you’ve been busy, and I don’t want to get in the way of your social life,” I said.  He was a great friend, and I didn’t want to screw it up by hanging around all the time like I was one of the ink groupies or the girl who chases away all his hook-ups.
“You’re never in the way,” he said. He shook his head, turned, and left.
I watched him go, wishing things were different. He was beautiful, sweet, and covered with the kind of tattoos that made clothing seem like a crime. For as long as I’d known him, he was also with a different girl every week, and he wouldn’t poach Tommy’s territory even if I ever admitted that I wanted poached. There was no way anything could happen with Adam. Not now. Not ever. Neither of us was looking for a relationship.  He screwed ink bunnies, and I still made late night visits to Tommy more often than I should.  I just needed to keep some space while I got my head around the fact that he was off limits.  Our last few tattoo sessions had made that detail absurdly hard to remember. The man was gifted with his hands even when he was just doing his job.  It was embarrassing how close I’d come to whimpering simply by being tattooed by him.




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About the Authors

PAYGE GALVIN has always wanted to be a writer.  She also loves spending time with her friends, so after a few cosmos at the pool with her friends, the idea for UNFILTERED was born.  Together the group wrote thirteen books about thirteen strangers who share a dark secret…and who all want to find love (because, really, who doesn't?).


VERONICA DOUGLAS has a weakness for trying new things. Some of those have been rather unwise (going for a Harley ride in the rain while wearing nothing but a bikini and boots) and some have been much wiser (writing a book series with thirteen friends). But it’s all been a lot of fun.

You can follow Payge on Twitter at @PaygeGalvin or Ronnie at @ronnieadouglas, or keep up with all the latest news on the Unfiltered series at www.unfilteredbooks.com.


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Friday, January 3, 2014

January Random Reads (1): Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout



This year I decided that, since I didn't join in on any reading challenges (I know, the sacrilege! *gasps*), I should let something else decide what books to read and in what order. I also wanted to do this because, honestly, my TBR mountain scares me and I've no idea what I should read first. So I'm joining in on Sarah's meme and I'll let Random.org choose my books for me.

The rules are pretty simple:
1. If you’re on Goodreads enable sorting to your to-read shelf
2. Go to Random.org and type in the Min as 1 and the Max as how many ever books are on your to-read shelf.
3. Scroll down to the book matching the number Random.org picks.
4. Link up to your Random Reads post. If you choose more than one book per month, be sure to put a number by your name in the list so it doesn’t look like a duplicate.
5. Read and be merry.

Here's what Random.org chose for me: 263. That means *drum roll*...


Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout. Yay! I'm so excited to read this book. As you know, I'm a huge fan of Armentrout's Lux series and I'm also a bit sad that it's going to end *pouting* But I have heard a lot of good things about her other books, especially the Covenant series, so it has been patiently waiting on my TBR island. I can't wait to read this book.

Tour Highlight: The One by Lorhainne Eckhart




Title: The One
Author: Lorhainne Eckhart
Genre: Adult Romance
Publication: December 23, 2013


Margaret Gordon was once a prominent  Seattle surgeon, until a slip of the knife leaves a young boy without a future. Margaret is fired and returns to her hometown, the perfect spot to hide out from everyone and to lick her wounds, with no one around but her horse.

Margaret never considered herself a horse person. In truth, she understands horses better than people. And when the now-widowed Joe Wilde drives in one morning with a teenage boy and a horse with a problem, Margaret turns into that klutzy teenage misfit that silently carried a torch for Joe all through school. But when smooth-talking Joe convinces Margaret into working with the temperamental horse, she grows closer to his son Ryan, and soon learns the horse’s issues have more to do with father and son, and Ryan’s anxiety over the fact his father is now dating a woman who is only interested in the sexy Joe Wilde, and not his misfit of a son.

The only problem is Ryan wants Margaret to be his mother, so he takes matters into his own hands setting Margaret in his father’s path, every chance he gets. Even though sparks fly and sizzle between them Joe believes Margaret has despised him all his life, and decides all his  rebellious son needs is a mother. But when Joe proposes marriage to the wrong woman, his son takes off with a backpack and a feisty horse, into the Backcountry.

Except to Joe’s surprise, it’s Margaret who saddles up her horse,  and heads off alone with him in over a hundred of miles of wilderness in a race against time and the elements to find his son. And with his son's life in jeopardy will that be enough for Joe and Margaret to put aside their differences and realize that the other is, The One?


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TOUR SCHEDULE

January 6th
January 7th

January 8th

January 9th

January 10th

January 13th

January 14th

January 15th

January 16th

January 17th

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About Lorhainne


2012 was an amazing year in the publishing world for me, and it started with The Forgotten Child, which landed on the Amazon bestseller list for western romance and romance series. 2013 has seen me posted in the top 100 authors on Amazon for romantic suspense, mystery/thrillers, and police procedurals.

Where did it all begin? In 2008, I published my first novel, The Captain’s Lady, a contemporary military romance, through The Wild Rose Press. I’ve since received the rights back from my publisher, and I rewrote the book and republished it with a brand new title, Saved.

I write edgy romantic suspense (Walk the Right Road Series), western romance (Finding Love ~ The Outsider Series), and young adult mystery, and I warn my readers to expect the unexpected. I’m a mother of three children and we live on a small island in the Pacific Northwest. I encourage you to contact me by email; I do answer every email I receive.

Stay tuned. There is more to come from the Walk the Right Road Series and Finding Love ~ The Outsider Series, as well as a brand new western romance series coming later this fall, The One.

And to my readers and all of you who have shared my stories with your family and friends, a big, heartfelt thank-you.

Twitter | Facebook

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Thursday, January 2, 2014

Book Review: Let The Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger

Author: Shannon Messenger
Series: Sky Fall #1
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: March 5th 2013
My Rating: 4.5 cups
Source: Free read on Pulseit
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Seventeen-year-old Vane Weston has no idea how he survived the category five tornado that killed his parents. And he has no idea if the beautiful, dark-haired girl who’s swept through his dreams every night since the storm is real. But he hopes she is.

Seventeen-year-old Audra is a sylph, an air elemental. She walks on the wind, can translate its alluring songs, and can even coax it into a weapon with a simple string of commands. She’s also a guardian—Vane’s guardian—and has sworn an oath to protect Vane at all costs. Even if it means sacrificing her own life.

When a hasty mistake reveals their location to the enemy who murdered both of their families, Audra’s forced to help Vane remember who he is. He has a power to claim—the secret language of the West Wind, which only he can understand. But unlocking his heritage will also unlock the memory Audra needs him to forget. And their greatest danger is not the warriors coming to destroy them—but the forbidden romance that’s grown between them.


I read this book during the #31 days of reading event on Pulseit.com. I've had that book on my TBR based solely on the awesome cover and when I saw it was included as a free read in the event I decided to read it right away.

I have to be honest and say that ever since I've read about the book, I've had Adele's song stuck in my head. After reading this book I kind of think the song fits with it. Not just because of the title, but the lyrics as well.

The first thing that I noticed about this book and that I loved with all my heart was that it was written from two POVs, Audra's and Vane's. This helped me get not only the two perspectives, but also a full view of the story, both the past and the present. And I felt that it was done in such a great way, it didn't confuse me, it didn't feel rushed or choppy in any way.

From the very beginning I thought Audra was very sad and very lonely. I couldn't quite understand why at first, but she just seemed lonely. My heart broke for her a few times reading this book. She was a fun character though and I really liked her a lot. She was also very strong and loyal and I felt that her pain fed that strength. I hated her mother immediately and I wanted to strangle her a few times.

Vane was a very funny guy. Oh sure, at times I wanted to smack him silly, but he's a teenage guy, so it wasn't THAT surprising. He's very loyal and I liked seeing him grow as a character. I also liked the fact that he genuinely loved his foster parents. He can be difficult at times, though. He is very smart too. I liked at the end when he figures out who the bad guy is.

Another character I absolutely adored was Gavin. I know, he's a bird, but I loved him. I think that if he could talk, he'd be a real smart-ass. I also have a thing for birds, so maybe I'm biased here.

Vane and Audra have a very complex relationship and while at first it seems a bit weird, as the story moves forward you figure things out and you understand it better. It makes sense ultimately and I liked seeing them together. They do know how to annoy each other sometimes, so that is fun to watch as well. But I do think they're great for each other. Vane helps Audra break out of her shell, become a better version of herself and not be so sad and lonely all the time; Audra makes Vane be more disciplined, which at first might seem difficult.

I did suspect a bit of what happened and who one of the bad guys might be and, honestly, this is one of those rare occasions when I'm happy it went down the way it did. I would've been a bit disappointed had it not, which is weird for me, I know. I also loved the ending. Vane knew exactly what Audra needed and he gave it to her, which I thought was simply amazing.

Another thing that I loved was the world. I liked the idea of controlling the wind and it was a first for me. I will definitely be reading the next book in the series. I am hooked and I hope you give it a try if you haven't already.


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