Blog Tour: Hidden Barriers

 

 

Hidden Barriers is book two in the Barriers Series and is considered a stand-alone and doesn't contain a cliffhanger. Some scenes do overlap with Frozen Barriers. It's suggested to read Frozen Barriers first, simply to understand the characters history more.

Josh & Sam's Story

Love has been hiding for too long. What happens when it reveals itself?

Josh Page, a Massachusetts State Trooper, wants nothing more than to put his first love behind him. His career is all he’s ever known for the last ten years. Seeing her is a constant reminder of what he could have had if he had not put his career first years ago.

Relationships and dating women have never been part of his lifestyle. He continues to have meaningless sex with women as an attempt to distance himself from his past. That is until he opens the door and a sassy roller derby girl stares back up at him.

*****

Samantha Daley’s past haunts her. After college, she spends years building a new life with new friends, roller derby, and a bustling business under her feet. Her past suddenly comes rushing back after just one phone call.

Afraid to love, she never imagines a life where one man can turn her world inside out and make her reevaluate what she wants in her future. Almost instantly, she’s attracted to the man in front of her. He pushes her trust to a new level and is willing to take a chance with her.

Will Sam be able to handle the reminders of her troubled past enough for her to be with Josh, or will it be Josh’s secrets that threaten to tear them apart in the end?

**For mature audiences. 18+. This book contains sexual and abusive situations, and strong language.**

~ My Review ~

I absolutely loved Hidden Barriers and Frozen Barriers. Both of the Page brothers, Josh and Jeremy are sweet, loving, and protective. After reading book 1, Frozen Barriers, I was dying to read about Josh and how he eventually gets over his high school love. I was curious as to what would happen with him because although I knew he would find someone else, I thought the Sue would still pop back into his life romantically. I'm glad she didn't because I love Sam. 

Sam is strong and vulnerable at the same time. She has had a rocky start involving an abusive ex-boyfriend. Due to this abuse, Sam has had to run away from her old life and learn to put on a tough shell. Josh is exactly the type of person that Sam needs. He is protective but still willing to let her have her own space and own life, until her abuser turns up after being granted parole.

The Page family make me wish that I could be adopted by them. I fell in love with them in Frozen Barriers and I can understand why everyone in the books seem to be drawn to them and wish to be a part of their family. 

I love the way Josh protects Sam and how she initially resists so she can do her own thing. I also loved that their love wasn't perfect. Their relationship showed a real couple with real problem, although not every couple has to deal with a violent ex-boyfriend recently released from jail.

I give Hidden Barriers 4.5 stakes and I can't wait to read the next one in the Barriers series.

  

JOSH

The feeling of sleeping in your own bed is comforting in and of itself. When you fall asleep in the arms of a beautiful woman, that’s peace. The moment you wake up next to the woman who’s quickly taking your heart in her hands, comfort and peace cease to exist. This is absolute euphoria.

        I’ve been lying here watching her sleep for a while now. The sun has been slowly creeping its way into the room through her windows, illuminating the glass chandelier over her bed. Rainbow prisms dance against her walls as I gently push aside a stray hair, so I can just watch her sleep.

        I already knew I was quickly falling for her, but after last night, I knew she was it for me. Yeah, true, we’ve only known each other for a short time, but when you know, you know. There is still so much about her that’s a mystery, but I could spend the rest of my days willing to find out.

        Lying here, facing her, I push that pesky stray hair from her face again and wonder how it was that any man, let alone her ex-boyfriend, could ever want to hurt her. The heinous things he did sickens me. What could have run through his head to want to take her life? She’s the most angelic creature, and I have to wonder what could have been.

        Where would I be now if Stone actually succeeded in killing her that night? My body tenses immediately at the idea of her not being here with me. Even now, I don’t have any power to help keep that asshole behind bars, but I’m definitely going to find out everything I can about the fucker, and I will protect Sam the best I can. If that means giving my life for her, then I’ll do it. If I already took an oath to serve and protect strangers, I will gladly put my life on the line for her.

SAM

I move away from Josh who continues to talk on his phone with my brother. I scuffle my heavy legs through the room over to the kitchen cabinet I need. Josh watches me with concern written all over his face, but I know there isn’t anything I can say to make him leave. If I thought not having space before this was bad, unless by some miracle they find Stone soon, there won’t be any way I can handle Josh’s overprotective nature for another week.

        I pull open the cabinet and grab the bottle of Jack, foregoing the shot glass. I shut the cabinet door and twist the top off the squared bottle. As I bring the bottle to my mouth, the stinging smell hits me first before I tilt my head back and chug until I can’t take the burn anymore. I straighten my head, coughing as the burn wears off in my throat until I feel the warmth coat its way into my system. Only this isn’t what I need right now.

        I stare at the bottle in my hand and start laughing hysterically before screaming at the top of my lungs. As I continue to scream and laugh, tears well in my eyes, but not before I catch sight of the girls rounding the corner to see what’s going on. Josh stands there, silently watching me mentally break down. Nick storms through the front door, most likely thinking the worst has happened, considering his hand is already on his holster ready to draw his gun. All of them think I’m losing my shit and quite possibly I am.

        For three years I was safe and happy with my new life and friends. I had just found love and a future with a man who was willing to deal with all my bullshit, and in less than a few weeks, I’m back to where I was three years ago. Everything I worked so hard to overcome is disappearing in a flash.

"Live your Dreams, Follow your Heart"

Emily Cameron is America's newest figure skating star looking for her own personal identity. Her high profile life was never her dream, it was her parents.

Jeremy Page is a minor league hockey player who always imagined himself playing for the NHL.

A chance encounter has them crossing paths after several years apart. Which way will his heart lead him? Will Emily embrace his charm?

Just when things finally fall into place, an unexpected event occurs leaving Emily reevaluating everything in her life.

Can Emily escape from under her parent's intrusive ways and take a chance on love? Will Jeremy be able to break down the barriers that have held her back for so long?

Book 1 of the Barriers Series. This story does not have a cliffhanger. **Mature Subject matter. 18+ due to strong language and sexual situations**

 

A romance novel addict finds herself staying up well past her bedtime to see how the next story is going to end. Sara spends her days living on a vineyard in wine country with her husband and cat. Her family hailed from Italy where her ancestors lived in the mountains of Rocca di Cambio. A former Broadway star and champion skier whose career was cut short because of her passion for being a wine sommelier. It was on her way west where she met her husband, the President of a very influential MC in California. You can find her riding off through the vineyards on the back of a Harley almost every night.

Her passion for books has been viewed as borderline obsessive. But, when all you have is time and a bottle of wine awaiting you as the sun sets off the veranda writing became second nature.

In Vino Veritas

 

                          

Beneath the Mask Cover Reveal

Synopsis

My name is Charlotte Agoston, and I’m a runner. Not the ‘let’s go for a jog and slap a 26.2 sticker on your bumper’ kind of runner; I’m the kind of runner who takes off when her father is staring down the barrel of a guilty verdict that carries a 175-year sentence for perpetrating the largest fraud in the history of the world. That’s right. Bernie Madoff was an amateur compared to Alistair Agoston.

Faced with living under a cloud of suspicion and constant questioning by the FBI, I ran. I’m making a new life in New Orleans as Charlie Stone. I traded my future in New York high finance for tattoos, booze, a few friends who don’t ask questions, and one giant mutt named Huckleberry Finn. Everything is simple and uncomplicated until Simon Duchesne—former hotshot Navy fighter pilot, NOLA’s favorite son, city councilman, and rumored congressional hopeful—walks into my life.

The flashing cameras he attracts threaten to expose everything I’m hiding, but I can’t seem to stay away. Why are the most dangerous ideas always the most seductive?

In trying to get lost, I found myself. And then I found Simon. He loves me, and he doesn’t even know my real name. I’m going to break his heart, but mine will shatter right along with it. This is our story.

Will we be strong enough to face the consequences of revealing what’s beneath this mask?

Book Link

Excerpt

“What are you doing here?” I asked. My tone was less than welcoming. If he let me run him off, then I’d be saved from the temptation that was Simon Duchesne.

“You called me.”

“I shouldn’t have.”

“I’m glad you did.” He shifted, as though annoyed by the bars between us. Sorry, Simon, I thought, even without the bars, there will always be impenetrable walls.

A thought struck me. “Are you drunk?”

“No,” Simon replied with a laugh. “Are you?”

“A little.” At least I could be honest about that.

A provocative smile spread over his face, and I caught a flash of dimples. Damn. Come on world, throw me a bone.

“Are you going to ask me in?” He punctuated the question with a raised eyebrow. 

“I shouldn’t.” To myself I added, I really, really shouldn’t.

“You don’t look like the kind of girl who doesn’t do things just because she thinks she shouldn’t.”

I looked down at the uneven cobblestones beneath my feet. “Don’t pretend like you know me.”

“I want to.”

“Why?” It was a question I desperately wanted answered. I was still trying to sort out all of the reasons for my attraction to him. Maybe he could articulate whatever this crazy thing was between us, and solve the mystery for me.

He reached through the bars and tucked a flyaway strand of hair behind my ear.

“Honestly, I have no idea. You’re just … there’s something about you.”

Dammit. I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, giving myself a moment to think. Ultimately, it was his honesty that decided it. We were equally off balance here. I was probably going to regret this, but … what the hell. I twisted the lock and opened the gate. For some reason, it didn’t feel wrong. I thought of Yve’s advice. One night. Get him out of my system. I never had to see him again. I could steal this night and emerge unscathed.

Meghan March is a Michigan native who has spent a good portion of her life buried in a book. Case in point: she read the entire romance section of her small town public library by age fourteen. Even after growing up (sort of) and getting a law degree, she never lost her passion for a great story, twisty plot, epic romance, and amazing characters. When she’s not writing, she’s probably reading, target shooting, drooling over fast cars, playing with her crazy mutt, or hanging with her very own sexy bad boy.

Facebook † Twitter † Website

Giveaway

$25 Amazon Giftcard

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour: Temporary by Kim Carmichael

Content, consistent and calm described Ivan Harlow’s life to a tee. Satisfied with being a artist at the world-famous Permanent Tattoo, playing the role of eternal side-kick, and of course, hooking up with his best friend’s baby sister, his days are predictable and fun, and nothing has to change. With his live story permanently embedded in his skin, he still can’t help but feel anything he dares to love will only be temporary.

All Emily Elliott wants are some big changes in her life. She wants to make it big in the world makeup, needs to show her three big brothers she is all grown up, and dreams of truly being with Ivan, the man she has wanted since she was seven years old. 

However, when the fate of the tattoo shop is put into Ivan and Emily’s hands, they must not only work together outside of the bedroom, but face their own personal truths, and figure out what is permanent, what is temporary and where love fits.

Temporary is Book Two in the Indelibly Marked Series that revolves around the lives and loves of the Elliott Family and Permanent Tattoo. Each full-length book can be read as a stand-alone, and features its own couple.

Goodreads

I absolutely loved Temporary and Ivan and Emily from the very beginning. I loved the relationship between the two of them and between Ivan and the rest of the Elliot family. It showed quite evidently that Ivan was apart of the family and that love and loyalty is what caused problems in his relationship with Emily.

I appreciated that the element of tattoos and a tattoo shop weren't just a back drop but added conflict and depth to the story. Permanent means something to all of the characters and none of them wanted to lose it during the threat of a lawsuit. I liked that something as ugly and stressful as a lawsuit also served to bring an estranged family member back to the Elliot family.

Emily is one of my favorite heroines because of how independent she is. She is independent in the sense that she doesn't need Ivan with her when she is afraid or stressed. She is independent because she knows herself well enough to break up with Ivan because she acknowledges that she deserves more in a relationship than just sex. Emily is strong in that she pursues a career outside of her family's business and she pushes Ivan to admit his feelings and to finally commit to her.

This is the second book in the Indelibly Inked series and usually I do not like reading sequels without having read the first but I loved Temporary so I am dying to go back and read the first. Even though this is the second in the series, not too much was confusing that this one cannot be read without reading the first. I just want to go back so that I can find out about Shane's love story and how the series began.

I give Temporary 5 stakes because I feel like the love between Ivan and Emily is genuine. They are both edgy and real people who have problems. Their relationship is so sweet but it's not perfect by any means and that's how real life is.

Amazon

B & N

Facebook

Goodreads

Twitter

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover Reveal: Raven by Stacey Rourke

 Title: Raven 

Series: Legends Saga # 2

Author: Stacey Rourke

Audience: NA Paranormal 

Genre: Thriller/Suspense 

Formats: E-book and Paperback

Publisher: Anchor Group Publishing 

Cover by: Najla Qamber Designs 

Editor: Melissa Ringsted 

Expected Date of Publishing: Sept 22, 2014

Blurb-

An infamous love, destined nevermore,

For death could not claim, the enchanting Lenore.

Cursed by the malevolent spirit of the Headless Horseman, Ireland Crane ventures to Manhattan in search of a way to break her soul crushing bond. Instead, she discovers the lines between fact and fiction are blurring once more. Croaking ravens. Telltale hearts. Could the works of Poe be coming to pass with handsome Wall Street Midas Ridley Peolte as their unwilling target? 

She walks the Earth, a plague on mankind,

searching for he, her rotted heart doth pine.

Together, the two unknowingly release a dark force death itself could not tame. Surrounded by the unrelenting violence and mayhem they’ve unleashed, Ireland feels her control over the Horseman slipping. Before the beast within consumes her, she and her crew must follow the clues of the dead to right a centuries’ old wrong. Will it be enough to sate the Horseman’s appetite? 

Hell hath no fury like a ghoul scorned.

Book Links -

Goodreads

About The Author-

 The Gryphon Series is written by Stacey Rourke. She lives in Michigan with her husband, two beautiful daughters, and two giant, drooly dogs. Stacey loves to travel, has an unhealthy shoe addiction and considers herself blessed to make a career out of talking to the imaginary people that live in her head. She is currently hard at work on the continuations of this series as well as other literary projects. The Gryphon Series is available wherever fine books are sold. 

Contact Info: Visit the author at www.staceyrourke.com

Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/staceyrourkeauthor

Twitter @Rourkewrites

Email anchorgrouppublishing@gmail.com

   

Shameless by Nina Lemay Release Day

Publication Date: August 18th 2014

Synopsis via Goodreads:

~New Adult Contemporary Romance -- recommended for mature readers~

Girls like me don’t get happy endings.

I know what I am. At worst a cliché, at best a cautionary tale. I put an international border between me and my past, only to wind up working in a low-end titty bar. Even my excuse is as lame as it gets: I’m paying for college, getting my art degree from Montreal’s most prestigious school. Although some days it becomes confusing: am I just a student who moonlights as a stripper, or a stripper who masquerades as a student?

But the inevitable happens and my two lives collide. And now there’s one other person who knows both the quiet, antisocial Hannah and the sensual, shameless Alicia. One person who keeps my secret.

He’s beautiful, he’s sophisticated. He comes from the other side of life, the one where I’m not wanted or accepted. But he calls me la petite Américaine, and his hot, hot hands on my skin promise me things I long ago gave up on.

The problem? He teaches my Classic Photography class.

This is a standalone novel, no series, no cliffhanger.

Excerpt:

His hand slides, hesitant, across the edge of his seat as he leans closer. The black ink of the letters on his knuckles is stark against his skin.

“Show me,” I say.

And he kisses me. Our lips don’t meet smooth and choreographed like in movies. The stubble on his cheek grazes the corner of my mouth, leaving behind a burning trail, and then his lips cover mine. Nothing hesitant about them. Assertive, self-assured like I thought his kiss would be, the promise of those strong hands and broad shoulders and arrogant posture made real. But he’s anything but arrogant. He gently nips on my lower lip and his hands caress my neck, my jaw, cup my face. He’s holding me like I’m something fragile and precious.

I’m afraid to close my eyes.

He has that lavender scent, sharp and clean, with a note of wild muskiness lurking underneath when you get close enough—that note that’s just him. I don’t know what to do with my hands so I slip them under his jacket and put them on his waist, right above his belt. I finally start to sketch out what his body looks like under his shirt: sinewy and fit and hard.

His hands finally move on, mirroring mine, down to my bare belly exposed by my cropped top. The little hairs along my spine stand on end. An involuntary shudder courses through me, making my abs tighten and quiver. His hand finds the small of my back and settles there, guiding me forward with smooth confidence, pulling me toward him. The heat of his palm melts through my skin into my bones and up my spine, softening my muscles until my entire body feels like hot wax held together by a membrane of skin. I tuck my hand under his belt, just the fingertips—past the hem of his shirt where the pads of my fingers find hot, smooth skin over taut muscle.

He groans softly into my mouth. I lean in and slide onto his lap, barely aware that I’m clambering over a car seat. It’s just so smooth and natural, the grooves of our bodies clicking together like a jigsaw puzzle. His hands on my waist, spreading goosebumps all over my belly, up my back and down my arms; then they move up, up, under my top, stopping when they find my bra. Pausing, hesitant.

I kiss my way along his jaw and his neck, peel away the collar of his shirt to continue down his clavicle. His hand settles over my bra and I can feel its heat through the fabric, a tiny little jolt of sensation that lights up my nerve endings like a Christmas tree.

My mind floats up, under the closed sunroof of the Audi, and watches me from there, impassive. I’m aware of everything I’m doing, too aware, but I don’t stop. My body continues like an automaton, the lips, the hands, performing the motions. Like I’m a car on cruise control, easing into the familiar mode. I know what happens next.

A part of me, very deep down, hopes I don’t.

Only one way to find out.

I go for his belt buckle, find it, tug on it. It yields with a soft clink.

And just as I’m about to stick my hand down his pants, he pulls away.

“’Annah,” he pants. His hand slips out from under my shirt and dives down to catch my wrist. His fingers wrap around my wrist bone, strong and firm.

Maybe it’s the touch that zaps me back into my body, disrupts my functioning. The false step that throws off the whole routine, the bad note that ruins the aria.

“What?” I whisper. My body’s nerves settle into normal mode one by one.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“This isn’t right. This is… overstepping.”

I sit back. I’m still balancing with my shins on his legs—kind of like at work when I lean in, my hair brushing over a customer’s face, and ask in a seductive whisper if he wants another dance.

I blink at him in utter dismay. Thrown off. Tossed overboard into unfamiliar territory and I don’t know what to do.

But I want to be doing this, I start to say. We aren’t doing anything wrong. “I’m attracted to you,” he says. His voice still holds a hint of breathlessness. “But then again, you already knew that.”

“But I’m—” I’m attracted to you too. This much should be obvious.

“I know,” he says softly. He lets go of my wrist and instead takes my hand between his hot, hot palms. He brings it to his lips. “But this isn’t right.” 

Buy Links:

Amazon | Smashwords | Amazon UK

~~ I am so excited for Shameless. I cannot wait to read this. ~~

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nina Lemay is a YA writer by day and author of sinfully twisted New Adult…well, also by day. She loves all things dark and edgy and never tires of tormenting her characters. While Nina is a fan of all things scary, Gothic, and fantastic, she doesn’t shy away from a gritty contemporary romance when the muse strikes. She lives in Montreal, a city that never fails to inspire, with her partner and her dog.

ninalemay.com | twitter.com/NinaLemay

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What do you think of Shameless??

Snark Week Book Blogger Challenge: Day 4

Day 4: Snark Bite! 

Be creative - your own snarktastic topic

Audio Books

Ok, so audio books are just something I cannot get into. No matter how hard I try I cannot stand someone reading to me like I'm an 80 year old grandma. I've tried so hard because so many people have had good things to say about audio books. And I wanted to give it a shot because I said to myself, "April, you said the same thing about ebooks. You didn't want to try them because they weren't paper and physically in your hands but you gave them a chance and now you love ebooks."

So since I had this conversation with myself I tried, I really did. But, NO. To me, audio books are just being lazy. If you have time to sit and listen then you have time to sit and read. I understand the people who listen to audio books when they're cleaning or cooking but, those people who listen to books while they're just sitting on trains, or buses, or planes are just being lazy. Especially the people on planes. You literally have hours to sit and do nothing. You can't go anywhere so why are you sitting looking at nothing and listening to a book when you could just read it?????

It completely baffles me and I don't understand it. If you read audio books maybe you can explain the appeal to me because I honestly just feel like I'm back in kindergarten during story time. And that's not a good thing.