Review & Giveaway: Wonderland: Taken by Passion

 

 

Wonderland: Taken by Passion

by Jaymie Holland

 

 

After being cheated on yet again, full-figured Alice O'Brien no longer believes she’ll find her Prince Charming. She resolves to enjoy men, but refuses to involve her heart.

    

When she literally tumbles down a rabbit hole, she finds she has left her familiar home city of San Francisco. She has landed in a strange and beautiful world, where she meets a powerful and dominant shapeshifter, Jarronn, and his equally fierce and irresistible brothers.

   

By the draw of a card foretelling his kingdom’s future, Jarronn has deliberately lured Alice to his realm in hopes of averting a terrible danger threatening his people. He has every intention of saving his kingdom with his and Alice’s bond of passion, and nothing will stop him from making her his Queen of Hearts.

 

EXCERPT:

“You are beautiful, Alice,” Jarronn had said before he left. He’d told her she was lovely and perfect and so many other wonderful things more times than she remembered ever hearing in her life. Oh, she’d been told she had a pretty face and that she’d be lovely if she shed a few pounds—okay, a lot—but she never remembered anyone saying that she was beautiful just the way she was.

 

If she was honest with herself, she wasn’t bad looking at all. Her eyes were her best feature—large and almond shaped and a unique shade of aqua. She might not be slender, but she had a nice curvy shape. Her hair might be fine and not as wavy as Alexi’s thick auburn locks, but Alice was a true blonde and at the office she had worked in, women paid to make their hair that shade.

 

But beautiful… Alice had never allowed herself to think that way. It would be prideful or conceited to think of herself as beautiful, wouldn’t it?

 

The moonlight coming into the room seemed brighter yet. Alice fancied dancing in those rays, nude, and not caring who saw her.

 

A wild sensation skittered through her body. What if she was beautiful, at least according to any standards on any planet in the galaxy other than her own? After all, wasn’t Rubenesque in before Twiggy and supermodels came along?

My Review:
Wow this was one erotic read! It was an interesting take to wonderland.
 Alice was having the worst day ever. Fired from her job, catching her fiancé cheating on her. Then she tumbles into this new world. It was funny with the different references that were made to Alice in Wonderland.
 There wasn't really much plot to this besides Jarronn teaching Alice to be his perfect submissive and to be his Queen. Little bits and pieces of a longer plot were revealed but the focus of this was mostly Alice's training.
 I liked the book but at times it dragged and I didn't like how Jarronn dragged out Alice's training. I wanted them to move things along a bit. I did like how Jarronn was determined that Alice would realize that she is beautiful the way she is and to be comfortable with herself.
 The other brothers intrigued me and I have an idea of who all of their mates will be. I really like how the author made each brother represent of suite of a deck of cards. I will more than likely check out the rest of the series.
 

 

 

About Cheyenne (writing as Jaymie Holland)

 

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Cheyenne McCray’s books have received multiple awards and nominations including three Romantic Times Reviewer’s choice awards and three nominations. Chey has over 90 published novels and novellas since her first novel was published in 2003.

 

Some of Cheyenne’s awards:

*RT Book Reviews magazine’s Reviewer’s Choice awards for Best Erotic Romance of the year, Best Paranormal Action Adventure of the year, and Best Romantic Suspense

*Three “RT Book Reviews” nominations, including Best Erotic Romance, Best Romantic Suspense, and Best Paranormal Action Adventure.

*Golden Quill award for Best Erotic Romance

*The Road to Romance’s Reviewer’s Choice Award

*Gold Star Award from Just Erotic Romance Reviews

*CAPA award from The Romance Studio

Cheyenne grew up on a ranch in southeastern Arizona. She has been writing ever since she can remember, back to her kindergarten days when she penned her first poem. She always knew one day she would write novels, hoping her readers would get lost in the worlds she created, just as she experienced when she read some of her favorite books.

Chey has three sons, three dogs, and is an Arizona native who loves the desert, the sunshine, and the beautiful sunsets. Visit Chey's website and get all of the latest info at CheyenneMcCray.com and meet up with her at Cheyenne McCray’s Place on Facebook! (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cheyenne-McCrays-Place/183525008980)

Feel free to contact Chey at chey@cheyennemccray.com

 

Or check out Chey writing as Jaymie Holland: http://www.jaymieholland.com/

 

Buy Link:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Taken-Passion-Wonderland-Jaymie-Holland/dp/B00EBG8LE6

 

GIVEAWAY:

Jaymie will be awarding $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Find the stops HERE.

 

 

 

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Release Day Blitz: Twisted by Cynthia Eden

Twisted

(Lost Series, #2)
by Cynthia Eden

Blurb:

In the second seductive LOST novel from New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Eden, an obsessed Last Option Search Team agent goes looking for trouble—and finds her in the Big Easy.

Dean Bannon comes to New Orleans for one reason only: to track down a missing sixteen-year-old girl. That's before he meets the drop-dead gorgeous con artist who makes him want to lose his legendary control.

With her past, Emma Castille doesn't claim to be psychic. She just notices things other people don't. Like the fear in a runaway's eyes—or the pain in an ex-FBI agent's heart. Her chemistry with Dean is blistering, but Emma follows her passion . . . not someone else's orders.

Then a madman breaks into Emma's home and leaves a twisted message: You're next. Now Dean refuses to let her out of his sight until he pries every last secret from her full, sexy lips. And suddenly Emma's aching to give him everything he wants. 

Available for purchase at

               

 Excerpt

“You’re not psychic.”

Were they back to that?

She put her hands in her lap. Emma didn’t believe in making nervous gestures. She didn’t believe in giving away anything at all with her body language.

“What you are …” Ah, now he did smile. Her father would have called it a shit-eating grin. The more PC term was probably a Cheshire cat smile. Whatever the name, that smile annoyed her. “What you are, Ms. Castille … is a criminal. A fraud.”

Maybe she should grab her chest and dramatically gasp. She didn’t. “Wonderful for you,” Emma said. “You pulled up a background report one me.” She let her eyes widen a bit. “It’s amazing just what one can find if a person knows how to use a search engine.”

A furrow appeared between his eyes.

“How about I say what … you are?” Emma asked him. “A washed-up FBI agent who snapped on the job. You held your control tight every single day, but the bad guys—they just didn’t stop, did they? You hunted them, you stopped them, and more appeared. While you were fighting the system, they kept coming, and the bodies kept piling up on your watch.”

He shot right back to his feet. The folding chair slammed down behind him.

“You and your father bilked desperate people,” he accused. “You told them you were psychic, that you could help find their missing children. And you—”

“We found them.” Two girls who’d vanished. They’d found them. “We just didn’t get to them in time.” And she would not go back to that place.

She motioned toward Manuel. He knew the signal meant he could take over her booth. There was no way, no way, that she was going to stay there with that prick while he slammed the most painful moments from her past in Emma’s face.

Manuel, pale, tattooed, with piercings in his lips and eyebrows, quickly claimed her spot.

Emma jumped to her feet. Muttered her thanks, and fled right past the guy she was starting to think of as Agent Jackass.

She pushed through the crowd. Wasn’t there always a crowd in Jackson Square? And that was why she loved the place. It was so easy to vanish in a crowd. To be anyone.

The crowd closed around her.

To be no one at all.

She hurried around the back of the cathedral. She knew the streets so well. Her home was close by. Emma would get inside and forget Agent Jackass.

I’m being followed.

Emma stilled at the intersection. A horse-drawn carriage rolled by her. Voices called out.

And he touched her.

Emma didn’t flinch. Didn’t scream. She looked down at the hand on her shoulder. “When a woman runs away from you, that means you need to stay the hell away from her.”

His hold tightened on her. “You and I aren’t done.”

She looked up at his face. Had she really thought the man was handsome? Annoying, that was all Dean Bannon was.

“I need to find that girl, and you’re the only lead I have so far.”

“Then you’re not a very good investigator.”

About the Author

USA Today Best-selling author Cynthia Eden has written over twenty-five novels and novellas. She was named as a 2013 RITA^® finalist for her paranormal romance, ANGEL IN CHAINS, and, in 2011, Cynthia Eden was a RITA finalist for her romantic suspense, DEADLY FEAR.

Cynthia is a southern girl who loves horror movies, chocolate, and happy endings.  She has always wanted to write (don’t most authors say that?), and particularly enjoys creating stories about monsters–vampires, werewolves, and even the real-life monsters that populate her romantic suspense stories.

Cynthia’s foreign sales for her books include translations to Japan, Germany, Thailand, Greece, and Brazil.

(Back in the day…) Cynthia graduated summa cum laude from the University of South Alabama where she studied Sociology (because people interest her) and Communication (because she likes to write about said people).  Cynthia has worked as a college admissions counselor, a teacher, and as an editor. But now, Cynthia is thrilled to be spending her days making up stories.

          

Presented By 

Spotlight & Giveaway: Mastered 2 Boxed Set

Mastered 2

Ten Tales of Sensual Surrender

by Avery Aster, Opal Carew, Portia Da Costa, Manelynne Ellis, TJ Michaels,

Emily Ryan-Davis with Jennifer Leeland, Ruby Fox and with

Evangeline Anderson, Karen Fenech, Cynthia Sax, Saskia Walker

Genre: Erotic Romance, BDSM, Box Set

On the heels of the wildly popular New York Times and USA Today bestseller, MASTERED, we bring you MASTERED 2, ten more tales of sensual surrender, plus a bonus short story! 

“11 AMAZING NEW EROTIC ROMANCE STORIES YOU’VE NEVER READ!” 

These 10 scorching erotic romance books, plus bonus short story, are all brand-spanking new and never-before-released, until now! One-click this anthology today at a low pre-sale price of only 99 cents. This won’t last long.

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XO, Blake by Avery Aster- For fans of the dark comedy BDSM film Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down comes an erotic exploration in domination and submission where Ivy League students let their kinkiest desires run wild. Avery Aster’s naughty new adult novel XO, Blake shows you just how good it feels to be on top. 

-----
If you think my besties Lex, Taddy, and Vive have had some bad luck earlier this year, cut to me at Glamorama. Last thing I remembered was dancing with Diego and Miguel from my English class, when the room started... spinning. And not in a good way! We got sick. Think Regan in The Exorcist. Taddy was rushed to the hospital. Holding on for dear life, I was carried out by the boys and taken back to their dorm.

Now I'm waking up in Diego's bed and Miguel keeps staring at me from across the room. I've wanted to get into these dudes' pants since the first day of class. But Diego told me he likes to be tied up and--wait for it--spanked. WTF! The news on TV reports that last night we all got roofied. And Vive just texted me saying that someone is out to kill her. Could this semester get any more bizarre? --Blake Morgan, college freshman, gay best friend, virgin

Played By the Master by Opal Carew - Jacqueline crashes a billionaire’s exclusive poker game in order to seduce him into a favor to save her sister, but instead finds herself Played By the Master.

Jacqueline Bell desperately wants to help her sister out of a jam. But to do that, she has to find a way to talk to billionaire entrepreneur Race Danner, and have him drop the charges against her brother-in-law. She discovers he holds an exclusive poker game once a week and finds a way in.

Race Danner is bored with his life, despite his wealth and extreme hobbies. He doesn’t know exactly what he’s looking for, but he’ll know it when he sees it. When Jacqueline Bell walks into his life, he knows she’s it. She wants something from him. And he wants her. A combination made in heaven. In a delicious game of cat and mouse, he will leverage his advantage to lure her into his game. And he fully intends to win.

Warning: This story has Domination, submission, bondage, punishment, and a lot of other fun things, plus explicit, wild sexual encounters. After all, if you’re going to play, play hard! ;)

Her Secret by Portia Da Costa- Her Secret by NYT/USA Today Bestselling Author Portia Da Costa: Lover from her past…Jamie Lennox is the first man that Susannah ever loved, but now he’s different, dangerous and more devastatingly attractive than ever before. Their reunion is passionate and perverse, a thrilling exchange of power and pleasure. Can this lover from Susannah’s past become the master of her future?

Resistor by Madelynne Ellis- Resistor by NYT & USA Today Bestselling Author Madelynne Ellis. Rhythm guitarist, Spook Mortensen doesn't want a second chance with sound engineer, Allegra Hutton-- not over a table, in a limo or in bed.

Luscious by TJ Michaels- MacKenzie Ivers is a strong personality who submits to one man--her husband, Landon. After ten years of marriage, a nasty divorce, followed by a sweet reconciliation, Mac wants nothing more than for her husband to stop punishing himself for his part in the former "crazy". It’s going to require some conniving and some rope...miles and miles of rope. Luckily, Twilight Teahouse has everything she needs to get this particular rigger back in the saddle.

by Ruby Foxx- 

Tangled & Bound by Emily Ryan-Davis and Jennifer Leeland- 

Mastering the Mistress by Evangeline Anderson - A muscular slave turns the tables on his unsuspecting mistress and teaches her an erotic lesson in submission.

His Touch by Karen Fenech- After her life is shattered by her Dom, can Corinne trust another man with her submission and her heart? -- HIS TOUCH by USA Today Bestselling Author Karen Fenech

One Night With My Billionaire Master by Cynthia Sax- In Cynthia Sax’s One Night With My Billionaire Master, Arianna asks herself if one night with billionaire financier Logan Ross will be enough.

The Buyer by Saskia Walker- The Buyer by Award Winning Author Saskia Walker: When Naomi Kildare meets masterful Lucas Eaglestone a passionate affair sidelines her business and changes her life forever. Lucas asks her to surrender herself to him, totally, and at his hands she experiences sexual pleasures beyond her wildest dreams. A wild weekend with a dominant master proves Naomi's true nature, but will it also prove that business and pleasure don't mix?

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Cover Reveal & Giveaway: Eternal Sacrifice by Stacey O'Neale

If you're new to the series, this is the BEST TIME to check it out!!!

THE SHADOW PRINCE & MORTAL ENCHANTMENT are currently available for FREE on Amazon from April 24th through April 28th. I promise, this the ONE AND ONLY TIME I will do this, so pick up your copies NOW!!!

 

Click HERE for Links to FREE BOOKS!!!

 

 

And now, here is the cover of the last book in the series, ETERNAL SACRIFICE!!!

Drum roll, please...

 

 

 

 

Click HERE to add this book to your Goodreads TBR!

As promised, here is the Gift Card CONTEST!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway I love all the covers for the books in this series!!! This one fits in great!

Spotlight & Review: Cassandra Carr's Underground Serial

Underground Serial

by Cassandra Carr

Genre: Black Ops/Military, Action, Suspense

Off the Grid, Underground 1- The seemingly impossible has happened. The unthinkable. Those I trusted most have betrayed me. I’m a hockey player, and gave control of my finances to my parents so I could concentrate on my game. Big mistake. They stole from me, bankrupted me, in fact. And then someone come looking for money I don’t have and I made a terrible mistake; one that will haunt me forever.

But now someone has found me and offered a new start. I would no longer be a hockey player, I wouldn’t even be an actual person, totally off the grid. I’d be a shadow, fighting crime for an organization that’s underground, literally. Do I want that life?

If I go back, what kind of life would I have? Probably one in prison orange. The choice to join Underground is painful, but necessary. As my hockey coach always said, though, pain is weakness leaving the body. I will not be powerless ever again.

 

My Review:

 An interesting start to the series. It was a bit slow going at times but this part is building the backstory for why Ethan is joining this super secret group.

 I really like Ethan. I think he's going to make a great hero in these books.

I can see this becoming a really great series with lots of great characters.

Creating Slapshot:

I’ve left my old life behind and officially joined Underground. It appears no one knows where I am or even if I’m still alive. I don’t know how I feel about that. My friends thinking I’m dead leaves a hole in my heart, but I’ll drive myself crazy if I obsess about it. So rather than allowing myself to wallow in self-pity or anger about what’s happened, I’m throwing all my energy into training. You would think that whole “elite athlete” thing would make everything easier, but all these new techniques I need to master—hand-to-hand combat, weapons training, surveillance procedures—are kicking my ass.

For my whole life, I’ve only had one identity. Ethan, hockey player. Now that sense of self is gone forever, slowly being replaced by my new identity, Slapshot. Surreal doesn’t even begin to describe this transformation. But the more I find out about the world around me, the problems I ignored for the most part as I played a game for an obscene amount of money, the more I want to make a difference. This is not a game. It’s real life, and I have the chance to be a hero. It’s going to take everything I have—or have left, to do it.

My Review:
This one picks up right where the first one left off. The title is very fitting for this part because this one is mostly Ethan training and learning different techniques that he'll need to know to be part of the team. The author really did her research for this. It was really intriguing learning all of this info.
Ethan is also really struggling with coming to terms with what's happened to him. I really felt for him. It can't be easy going from a normal life of playing hockey to being betrayed by your parents and on the run.
I cant wait for Ethan to get some more action and go on some missions.

Blurb for Underground Serial- Follow this 10-part serial throughout 2015 featuring Ethan, aka Slapshot, a hockey player whose life is ruined, forcing him to disappear forever. Ethan joins Underground, a black ops organization and is trained as a deadly operative. There, he meets Ciana, a woman with a dark past of her own. As Ethan and his Underground colleagues embark on dangerous missions worldwide, he finds a new purpose in life. But will his former problems come back to haunt him?

 

My Review:

 This installment was a lot more suspenseful and action packed. I was very intrigued to see how Ethan was going to handle his first mission.

 I'm really enjoying this series. Each installment brings more insight into these great characters.

 I look forward to reading the next part of the series.

Bio:

Cassandra Carr is a multi-award winning romance writer. When not writing she enjoys watching hockey and hanging out online. Cassandra's books have won numerous "Best Book Of" awards and her novella Unexpected Top was nominated in the E-book Erotic Romance category of RT's Reviewers' Choice Awards.

Website: http://www.booksbycassandracarr.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorCassandraCarr

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/cassandra_carr

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/booksbycasscarr/


 Can I just say that I LOVE these covers!!!

Tour & Giveaway: Wind Catcher by Jeffrey & Erynn Altabef

 

WIND CATCHER

by Jeffrey Altabef & Erynn Altabef

 

 

Juliet Wildfire Stone hears voices and sees visions, but she can’t make out what they mean. Her eccentric grandfather tells her stories about the Great Wind Spirit and Coyote, but he might as well be speaking another language. None of it makes any sense.

 

When she stumbles upon a series of murders, she can’t help but worry her grandfather might be involved. To discover the truth, Juliet must choose between her new life at an elite private school and her Native American heritage.

 

Once she uncovers an ancient secret society formed over two hundred years ago to keep her safe, she starts to wonder whether there’s some truth to those old stories her grandfather has been telling her.

 

All she wants is to be an average sixteen-year-old girl, but she has never been average—could never be average.

 

Betrayed by those she loves, she must decide whether to run or risk everything by fulfilling her destiny as the Chosen.

Excerpt One:

 

Everything about me is a lie.

 

My entire life is a leaning tower of lies that threatens to collapse at any moment and bury me so deep I may never climb out from under the rubble.

 

I slam the bathroom door and my hand trembles as the old-fashioned steel bolt slides into place.

 

Click.

 

The locked door offers no real safety. Locked doors can be broken, but it does give me a moment of privacy and a chance to breathe. So much has happened over the past few days. It’s like I’ve become a totally different person, someone unrecognizable.

 

The adrenaline that had been pumping through my veins has completely melted away now as I lean against the wooden door. My breath comes fast and ragged. My body feels heavy and weary and my legs weaken. Gravity pulls me down. Too tired to resist, I slide down the length of the door until the white marble floor rushes up to meet me.

 

I work hard to steady my breath and focus on taking in fresh air, expelling the old. It’s a simple process, yet it takes all of my concentration. When air starts to flow, my eyes close. Time slows and drifts by erratically.

 

Images flash through my mind—an eclectic group of memories: childhood birthdays, second place in a spelling bee, hanging out with Troy, rock climbing with Sicheii. Most are happy, but they’re all tainted now. The lies spoil them. They were never true. They were just part of a story, one that’s changed forever.

 

My weary mind reaches for sleep, but I resist. Too much time would be wasted. There’s too much for me to do. Too many loose ends need to be tied, so I open moist eyes and wipe away tears I don’t recall crying.

 

When my vision clears, crimson-streaked fingers flutter near my face as if directed by someone else. I thought blood looked like ketchup, but it’s darker and thicker than you would think. My hands spin in tight circles. Each finger is stained with thick, mud-colored smears.

 

Whose blood is on them?

 

A cold sweat coats my back and my chest tightens. This blood must be scrubbed away immediately. It starts to burn as if it’s alive, as if possessed by dark spirits, spirits that want to harm me. It freaks me out. I have got to wash them clean now, this second, immediately, before....

 

I turn the faucet and hot water tumbles over my skin. I frantically rub my fingers together and hope friction and water alone will make the blood disappear. The water in the sink turns red and then pink, but traces of blood stubbornly stay behind. A bar of soap rests on the edge of the porcelain sink. Lather squishes between my fingers—twisting and turning, scrubbing and rinsing. My skin turns raw from the rubbing, and when the water has lost all its warmth, I turn the faucet off.

 

Hard to find specks of blood cling to my flesh, but I still see them and feel them.

 

Will they ever wipe clean? I don’t think so.

 

A silent scream builds deep within me, which so desperately wants to be released it practically hurts, but no sound slips past my lips. I’m too tired to scream.

 

Wind Catcher: A Chosen Novel is a joint project between the father/daughter team of Jeff Altabef and Erynn Altabef.  Jeff Altabef is an award winning author who has two published thrillers. He has a column on The Examiner focused on writing, and a blog designed to encourage writing by those that like telling stories. He spends time volunteering at the writing center in the local community college. Erynn Altabef is an avid reader, dancer, and community activist who has just earned her Girl Scout Gold Award. When she’s not in High School, she loves reading, performing in school musicals, baking, and watching movies with her friends.

 

http://www.jeffaltabef.com/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jeff-Altabef-Author

https://twitter.com/JeffAltabef

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7055582.Jeff_Altabef

http://www.amazon.com/Jeff-Altabef/e/B00FNVK3NK

 

http://www.evolvedpub.com/team-view/jeff-altabef/

 

Giveaway:

The author is kindly giving away 1 $20 Amazon/BN GC, autographed print copy of Wind Catcher, or a digital copy of Wind Catcher.

Find the tour stops HERE.

 

 

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