New Release: Bite the Bullet by CC Wood

I don't know what happened to my life.

Just a few months ago, I was independent and had an exciting job I loved. Now, along with my friends, I'm in hiding.

Why? Because I'm one of the Five, a group of human women bestowed with powers and abilities to fight and control supernatural beings. A prophesy was written about us centuries ago. We are supposed to save the world, though none of us knows how.

Now, Cornelius, the leader of a malevolent group known as the Faction believes that by killing us and absorbing our power, he will become unstoppable in his bid to control not only the supernatural domain, but the entire world.

After evading capture and an attempt on my life forced me into months of hiding, I finally have a chance to take action against the Faction — as bait.

Asher Leroux, the vampire tasked with helping me, makes me feel things I don't understand. It's as if he fills the empty places in my soul, spaces that I didn't know existed.

As the final battle draws closer, I know that defeating the Faction won't give me back the life I once had, but maybe that's not such a bad deal after all.

Bite the Bullet

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A native Texan, C.C. grew Now that she has a baby girl at home, C.C.’s non-writing time is usually spent cleaning up poopy diapers or feeding the poop machine.  Sometimes she teaches piano, cooks, or spends time bugging her hubby and two beagles.

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Sunday Post: Weekly Wrap-Up (01.31)

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It's a chance to share news, recap the past week on your blog, showcase books, share upcoming news, etc. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme. 

My Life Last Week:

Friday night, I attended the LaLa signing in West Hollywood, California. What made this signing particularly special was attending it with my fellow book friends. Fans of Penny Reid to be exact. Though we met through the author, we are now friends. See, books can even help you make friends :) 

Here are a few pics of me with authors Penny Reid, Rachel Van Dyken, and Renee Carlino.

What I Read Last Week:

 
Nikolai 2 by Roxie Rivera
Ninja at First Sight by Penny Reid

My Reviews Last Week:

 
A Darker Shade of Magic by VE Schwab (my 4 star review)
Hard Ever After by Laura Kaye (my 4 star review)

What I'm Listening To:

Written in Fire by Marcus Sakey

What I'm Currently Reading:

 
Happily Ever Ninja by Penny Reid
Bite the Bullet by CC Wood

Stacking The Shelves (146)

Stacking The Shelves, hosted by Tynga's Reviews, is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

eARC Excitement:
  
Nobody But You by Jill Shalvis
Bite the Bullet by CC Wood
Perfekt Control by ST Bende

Audible Awesomeness:
 
Written in Fire by Marcus Sakey
Staked by Kevin Hearne

For My Kindle:

Feyland: The Dark Realm by Anthea Sharp

Review, Excerpt & Giveaway: Hard Ever After by Laura Kaye

   

Hard Ever After by Laura Kaye
(Hard Ink #4.6)
February 2, 2016
176 pages
Genre: Romance, Military, 18+
Contains: Strong language, explicit sex
Source: eARC for Honest review

Justice served. Honor restored. Team reunited. After a long battle to discover the truth, the men and women of Hard Ink have a lot to celebrate, especially the wedding of two of their own—Nick Rixey and Becca Merritt, whose hard-fought love deserves a happy ending. As Nick and the team shift from crisis mode to building their new security consulting firm, Becca heads back to work at the ER. But amid the everyday chaos of demanding jobs and their upcoming nuptials, an old menace they thought long gone reemerges, threatening the peace they’ve only just found. Now, for one last time, Nick and Becca must fight for their always and forever, because they know that when true love overcomes all the odds it lasts hard ever after.

'Hard Ever After' is a special treat for fans of the Hard Ink series. It's definitely not a standalone, as we are witnessing all the couples from the previous books and the outcome of their previous mission. I was already happy with how Beckett's book ended everything. But this gem gives you that special something extra. The continuing story of the gang's happy ever after, with Nick and Becca at the center of it all.

Now, it's not all rainbows and sunshine. That would be too easy for the Hard Ink guys and gals. With the pending nuptuals, there's an old issue come to wreak havoc. But once again, the gang is a united front, and nothing is going to mess with their girls or their plans. They've fought hard for their happy ever after, and no one's getting in their way now. The danger, however, is balanced out with sweet romantic moments, touching heartfelt moments, funny times, and super sexy times.

I loved this series, so getting to see all the couples from the previous books was wonderful. From small to big glimpses, I loved seeing where they were all at, and even peaks at where their futures are headed. Happy smiles all around.

This novella was a great addition to the series. Not only do we get the hard-earned love and devotion we've come to expect and cherish in these couples, and Nick and Becca in particular. But we also get the excitement and danger we've also come to expect, and with that we get the sweetness of victory that makes it all better. I'm going to miss these guys and gals. 'Hard Ink' is a fantastic series, and I'm so glad we got this little gem.

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Sitting at the dinner table surrounded by their friends, Nick squeezed Becca’s thigh. She turned to him wearing a huge smile, a champagne glass in her hand. “Are you feeling frisky, Mr. Rixey?” she asked.

Nick leaned in close. “No, I’m f--king horny. I want to mess up your lipstick and tear off your panties and make my fingers and c--k smell like you.” He leaned back again, his face carefully neutral.

Her eyes were wide—and full of heat. “Holy s--t. How am I supposed to be apart from you the rest of the night after that?”

“Welcome to my world, Sunshine.” He threw back a gulp of whiskey.

“Come here. I want to taste that off your tongue,” she said.

“Jesus,” he gritted out, but it wasn’t like he was turning down a kiss. She leaned in, giving him a great view of her cleavage down the front of her sequined strapless dress, and grasped his face in her hand. Her lips were warm, soft, and tasted like champagne and the chocolate mousse cake they’d shared for dessert. F--king delicious. Her tongue slipped around his, and she pressed herself closer.

“Someone pull those two apart,” one of the guys yelled.

Nick grinned even as they continued to kiss. He wasn’t voluntarily giving up Becca’s mouth, that was for g--damned sure.

“All right,” Kat said from the other side of Nick. “We better get the rest of the night underway before we lose the bride and groom.” Laughter all around as everyone got up from the table.

“Do you think they’d notice if we snuck away?” Becca asked, her face absolutely glowing.

Beckett grabbed Nick by the shoulders. “Get up, Rix. The tables are waiting for us.”

“Apparently,” Nick said. “You go have a good time, Sunshine. But you be ready for me later.” He arched a brow.

“Oh, I will,” Becca said, her tongue licking at her bottom lip.

S--t, he had it bad for her. And he f--king loved it. This woman was going to be his wife. How fantastically lucky was he? A man who just months ago would’ve said he didn’t believe in luck, unless it was of the bad kind.

Outside, they found two massive stretch Hummer limousines waiting for them. Beckett had arranged their transportation for the evening through one of the companies he had experience working with—the cars were bulletproof and the drivers were prior military and armed. Nick appreciated the hell out of the gesture.

As the men headed for one vehicle and the women for the other, Nick pulled Becca into his arms. “Have fun, Sunshine. I love you.”

“Love you, too, Nick.” This kiss was softer, sweeter. Which was good, since all their friends started giving them shit.

“Yeah, yeah,” Nick said, flipping the guys the finger.

“Before you go, I have something for you,” he murmured, then slipped a little wrapped box into Becca’s hand. “Wear this and think of me.”

“What is it?” she asked.

“I’m not telling,” he said. 

Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over twenty books in contemporary and paranormal romance and romantic suspense, including the Hard Ink and upcoming Raven Riders series. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.         

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Audiobook Review: A Darker Shade of Magic by VE Schwab

A Darker Shade of Magic by VE Schwab

(A Darker Shade of Magic #1)

February 24, 2015

398 pages

Genre: Fantasy

Contains: Violence, Some language, some sexual innuendo

Source: Audiobook

Kell is one of the last Travelers—rare magicians who choose a parallel universe to visit.

Grey London is dirty, boring, lacks magic, ruled by mad King George. Red London is where life and magic are revered, and the Maresh Dynasty presides over a flourishing empire. White London is ruled by whoever has murdered their way to the throne. People fight to control magic, and the magic fights back, draining the city to its very bones. Once there was Black London—but no one speaks of that now.

Officially, Kell is the Red Traveler, personal ambassador and adopted Prince of Red London, carrying the monthly correspondences between royals of each London. Unofficially, Kell smuggles for those willing to pay for even a glimpse of a world they’ll never see. This dangerous hobby sets him up for accidental treason. Fleeing into Grey London, Kell runs afoul of Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She robs him, saves him from a dangerous enemy, then forces him to another world for her 'proper adventure'.

But perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, Kell and Lila will first need to stay alive—trickier than they hoped.

Conceptually, this is a very fascinating book. Four Londons that can be traveled to by only Travelers, of which only two are known to exist. Kell, one of these travelers, can visit these alternative dimensions, which may sound like fun, but he ends of being a bit of an errand boy. Also, each London is quite different, as each has its own level of magic, and each has its own type of ruler. Unfortunately, the magic going around is definitely not all good. No sir. And also unfortunately, Kell finds himself in quite a situation he hadn't anticipated.

Lila, local thief and fiercely independent despite her difficult circumstances, finds herself in Kell's path, and with that, in almost as much trouble as he is. As a thief, she's smart, calculating, determined, and practically fearless. Though Kell and Lila's personalities clash, they find their loyalty to each other growing, and their need for the other to survive becoming more evident.

I genuinely enjoyed this read. I listened to the audiobook and found the narrator enchanting as he led me through the story and the different Londons. My only negative is that I did not like his voices for Kell and Lila. They just didn't fit how I thought they should sound. He sounded too old, and she reminded me of Eliza Doolittle from My Fair Lady. But overall, I still enjoyed listening to the story.

I also liked the action that drove the story. At first, trying to remember all the differences with the four Londons and the magic rules was a little daunting. But slowly but surely I got the hang of it. But the driving of the plot was exciting, making me genuinely fear for the main characters, and wince at the cruelty of some of their foes. It as all quite facinating, right up to the end.

Now, the romance lover in me was a bit disappointed. But the ending left a whole lot open for anything to happen in the future books. No cliffhanger. Just a solid - this is where everything is at now and just imagine what might happen next - kind of ending. This was solidly enjoyable for a fantasy lover.

Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ Audible 

Cover Reveal & Giveaway: Showmance by LH Cosway

I'm a HUGE L.H Cosway fan and can't wait to get my hands on her next book SHOWMANCE releasing on May 16th. Enter for a chance to win a $10 Amazon Gift Card below - good luck!

Damon Atwood was Hollywood’s golden boy. Having won an Oscar at the tender age of thirteen, he had the life many could only dream about. But his success came at a price, and after a short but fruitful film career, he chose to live a life of obscurity on a remote Scottish island. Thirteen years later he’s finally ready to make his return, starting with a lead role in a musical on London’s West End.

As a choreographer’s assistant, Rose Taylor has always faded into the background. She watches shows come to life from the side lines, but has never craved the attention of stardom. When rumours begin circulating of Damon’s involvement in her latest gig, she doesn’t predict how she will be thrust into the limelight, nor how the mysterious and strangely introverted man will need her to teach him how to be a star again.

Rose knows that show crushes don’t last. Actors fall for each other during the intensity of a production, often losing themselves in their roles. These kinds of affairs burn bright and then they fade. The question is, should Rose let herself shine with Damon, or guard her heart from being broken after the final curtain call?

Release Date: May 16, 2016

Cover Designed By: Letitia @ RBA Designs

L.H. Cosway has a BA in English Literature and Greek and Roman Civilisation, and an MA in Postcolonial Literature. She lives in Dublin city. Her inspiration to write comes from music. Her favourite things in life include writing stories, vintage clothing, dark cabaret music, food, musical comedy, and of course, books.

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L.H. Cosway's SHOWMANCE Cover Reveal Giveaway