Tuesday 22 September 2015

Excerpt & Giveaway: Ruby Iyer Series by Laxmi Hariharan



Welcome to the excerpt tour and release event for The First Life of Vikram Roy by Laxmi Hariharan! The First Life of Vikram Roy is book #1.5 of the Ruby Iyer Series, but can be read as a stand alone novella.

An angry young girl, a sexy cop & a chance to WIN $30 Amazon gift voucher!

About Ruby Iyer Diaries (Book #0.5):

This novelette is a companion book to The Many Lives of Ruby Iyer. A peek into the soul of an angry, young girl, who will come of age in a city on the verge of total annihilation. Ruby kept a diary from the age of ten till she ran away from home at sixteen. It is from here that I picked out a few diary entries for The Ruby Iyer Diaries. This short series of vignettes from Ruby's life, tells you more a little more about the origins of Ruby Iyer.

Amazon | Goodreads


About The Many Lives of Ruby Iyer (Book #1):

With over 100, 5 and 4 star reviews across Amazon, Goodreads and Netgalley, don’t miss this chance to get your copy of THE MANY LIVES OF RUBY IYER. At 99p/c & Rs 69 for this week only. 

This is BOOK 1 in the Ruby Iyer series. A YA ACTION THRILLER with strong dystopian undertones, and a kick-ass protagonist, taking you on a white knuckle ride through a disintegrating Bombay City.  It's also placed as FINALIST Indie Excellence Awards 2015 & as YOUNG ADULT FINALIST in the 2015 IAN Book of the Year Awards.

A girl desperate to rescue her best friend. A cop willing to do anything to save the city he serves. A delusional doctor bent on annihilation. A terrifying encounter propels Ruby Iyer from her everyday commute into a battle for her own survival. Trusting her instincts, she fights for what she believes in, led on a mysterious path between life and death on the crowded roads of Bombay; and when her best friend is kidnapped by the despotic Dr Braganza, she will do anything to rescue him. Anything, including taking the help of the sexy Vikram Roy, a cop-turned-rogue, on a mission to save Bombay. The city needs all the help it can get, and these two are the only thing standing between its total destruction by Dr Braganza's teen army.

As Bombay falls apart, will Ruby be able to save her friend and the city? Will she finally discover her place in a city where she has never managed to fit in? And what about her growing feelings for Vikram?


About The First Life of Vikram Roy (Book #1.5):


His family is being held to ransom by a deadly mastermind.

Vikram never should have left his family, but when Vikram's father bring his half-brother Vishal home, life will never be the same.

Vikram thinks things will be better now that he's gone. He's met the love of his life, his future looks bright and then everything is shattered.

Now, his family's life is hanging in the balance, and only Vikram can do what needs to be done to save them.

From the bestselling dystopian fiction author with over 200 reviews and ratings of her dystopia books across Goodreads, Amazon and other retailers.

"A killer ending and the pacing of the story and the build-up is really good. I related to Vikram, really liked it." Richard Sheehan, Author and editor

"I raced through the book... And the killer ending! Oh my God! It left me with a hangover, and makes me want to physically push the author to write the next book in the series faster." Ritesh Kala, Book reviewer & blogger

If you’re looking for books like Hunger Games, then this dystopia romance, The Ruby Iyer Series.



EXCERPT FROM THE FIRST LIFE OF VIKRAM ROY

When I begin to unbutton my shirt, Ash looks at me with raised eyebrows.
"Really?" She smirks. "In such a hurry?"
"It's not what you think." I bite out the words. 
Before she can ask any further questions, I wrap the shirt around my fist and use it to break off the jagged pieces of glass on the pane. Then, pushing my arm through the square, I open the lock of the window from inside. Opening it, I grab hold of the window ledge and heave myself over, falling over promptly on the other side. 
I am stunned, but bounce back on my feet quickly. Coughing out the dust which streams over my face, I tell Ash, "Come on to the front door." 
Running to the front door, I pull at the old-fashioned wooden bar which is placed across it. Pleased when it comes away in my hand, I open the door, panting with the exertion of pulling at the heavy wood. Then, grinning, I bow to Ash, who is standing at the threshold. 
"Come in, your highness." I make a mock bow.
Ash holds her nose in the air, playing her part, and walks past me. It's gloomy inside but the moon is bright enough to light up the way. Ash follows me as I walk past an overturned chair, a large settee covered in plastic, and take in the paintings on the wall. 
"It's as if the family who lived here abandoned it without moving any of their possessions out," she says. Holding my hand, she drags me to the staircase.
"Where are we going?"
"On a tour, dummy. Don't you want to see what's upstairs?"
I follow her, our shoes making clattering noises on the wooden steps, then, I hear something. 
"Wait." I stop midway up the stairs.
"What?" she says loud enough for her voice to echo around the building.
"Did you hear that?"
"No." In the silence that follows, she laughs nervously. 
Then she hears it too. A soft padding from upstairs, the unmistakeable noise of nails dragging on the wooden floor. We look at each other wide-eyed. A chill runs up my back, and the hairs on my forearms spring upright.
"Come on, we have to find out what it is." Grinning wickedly, Ash leaps ahead and runs, dragging me along. 
"Ash, honestly," I mutter, more scared than I'd like to admit. 
We cross the landing of the first floor and walk towards the open door leading to the room on the far side. Once again, there's the sound of dragging footsteps. I swallow nervously in the darkness, but chivalry gets the better of me and I walk ahead, pushing Ash behind me. 
"Stay quiet," I whisper. 
In the dark I see the white of her eyes, rounded in fear. She is not as unafraid as she makes out to be. We slip into the room. The shadows here are darker, and it takes a few seconds for my eyes to adjust. Then I hear a low growl and the padding sound comes towards me, a flash of black and yellow spots. 
"Ash!" I push her out of the way and jump, covering her with my body just as a leopard leaps past us, making for the door. 
"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" I swear. 
My heart is beating so hard it threatens to leap out of my chest. I look up to the door and am relieved to find there's no sign of the leopard. Ash's body is shaking below mine. Her heart, too, is thumping hard, slamming against me. I can't tell where her pulse stops and mine begins. 
"Goddammit, Ash!" I look down; worried she is having a seizure, or worse. Her face is scrunched up.
"Oh my God, are you okay?" My voice comes out all high-pitched.
"Yes. No," her voice quivers in reply. She opens her eyes finally and I realise she is laughing, silently. At me. Again.
Something snaps inside of me and I know there is no turning back. Not today.
"That was a-a—"
"Leopard," I say 
"Gho-st?" she asks at the same time.
"Yeah, that's our ghost," I say, nodding. 
I want to stay angry with her, but the sparks in her eyes draw me in completely.
Her skin scrapes across mine. Her dress is around her waist and one of my legs is between hers. My thigh brushes against her frock-covered midriff. The heat rushes at me through the cloth. I am surrounded by her smell. Awareness comes into her eyes at the same time. Her laughter dies and the blue of her eyes dart fire at me. 
"Don't go falling in love with me now." She tilts her head up.
 Her lips are curved. I want to taste them, slant my lips across her mouth. Bending down, I touch my lips to hers. Her breath tastes like oranges. And chocolate. She flings her arms around me and rams my body to her's with fierce strength. It feels as if she's vibrating, as if the shudders are running up her body and down mine.
Leopards are my favourite animals from now on.


Want to find out what happens next? Click here


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

She almost died. But when dystopia romance author Laxmi Hariharan had a near death experience, she was told to write. Laxmi is the creator of dystopian romance series, RUBY IYER SERIES (The MANY LIVES OF VIKRAM ROY - FINALIST Indie Excellence Awards, the bestselling The RUBY IYER DIARIES , The FIRST LIFE OF VIKRAM ROY, The SECOND LIFE OF RUBY IYER & VIKRAM ROY, PANKY's FIRST LIFE), and the Amazon bestselling, eLit Gold winner, The Destiny of Shaitan (Bombay Chronicles, 1). If you're looking for books like Divergent and Angelfall, you'll love the RUBY IYER SERIES.

Laxmi writes books similar to Hunger Games while listening to electronica & progressive rock, and downing innumerable cups of extra sweet ginger-chai. She is also an avid photographer of street art and believes she was a tree -- a redwood -- in her past life. London is where she creates. Bombay is what fires her imagination.

Instagram |  FB |  Blog |  @laxmi

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FROM THE AUTHOR

All SEPTEMBER earnings from the RUBY IYER SERIES will be donated to SAVE THE CHILDREN: SUPPORT CHILD REFUGEES OF SYRIA. All the RUBY IYER books with their brand new covers, are on SALE all this month at 99p/c & Rs 69/49. Click HERE to buy them. 

YOU can also donate to SAVE THE CHILDREN directly HERE 

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GIVEAWAY

The First Life of Vikram Roy, The THIRD book in the RUBY IYER Series, launches this month. To celebrate the launch of the FIRST LIFE OF VIKRAM ROY, the author is giving away a $30 gift card. Enter HERE. Winner will be drawn, Oct 1, 2015, and announced in her next newsletter.

Giveaway provided by the author, bloggers are not responsible in any way for the prizing.

Thursday 17 September 2015

Excerpt & Giveaway: Kissed by Fire by Danielle Annett

KbF banner

The Highly Anticipated Sequel to Cursed by Fire is HERE

We are thrilled to announce the release of Kissed by Fire by Danielle Annett, an action packed Urban Fantasy novel that will leave you wanting more with the turn of every page!

Kissed by Fire-high
Title: Kissed by Fire

Author: Danielle Annett

Series: Blood & Magic #2

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Release Date: September 15, 2015

As Friend of the Pack, Aria Naveed should be untouchable, protected by the most influential group in the Pacific Northwest. But someone is unleashing rogue vampires to hunt her down, and she is determined to find out why.

When Aria gains command of Sanborn Place and takes on a case involving a mysterious paranormal, her life is put in more peril than ever as she finds herself bound to an influential power player. She doesn’t want to be anyone’s puppet, but must tread carefully as she traverses the streets of Spokane, WA, or risk being overwhelmed by the forces moving against her.


As the only known pyrokinetic in the area, Aria is in high demand, but not for her services. It seems that to those in power, she’s worth more dead than alive, and if a mysterious enemy has their way, she won’t live long enough to find out why.






teaser 

Fire called to me, tempting me to bring it forth, to destroy my foe in one quick and easy strike. It would be too easy. There was something very wrong about this, about a newly made vampire walking the streets of downtown Spokane as if he were on a leisurely stroll. The change had to have been recent. Blood soaked his light-blue shirt, leaving a large stain over his chest and the left side of his body. If I’d had to guess, he’d been changed within the last few hours. His skin hadn’t turned the pale milky white associated with the undead yet.
Before I could think further, he struck. In a split second, his once jerky movements morphed into a flash of speed as he launched himself at me. I twisted out of the way but was too slow to avoid his second strike. He grabbed me by the back of the neck, flinging me across the road like a rag doll. My body collided with a parking meter, the near frozen metal splitting my cheek and knocking the air from my lungs.
I exhaled a vicious curse before drawing my twin daggers from the thigh sheath beneath my dress and jumping to my feet. My dress rode up, but I couldn’t have cared less at the moment. I was just grateful that despite the dress, I’d managed to wear the blades. Warm blood seeped from my cheek and my ribs ached with my movements.
He charged again, and this time I was ready. I allowed my attacker to get close, his hands brushing my shoulders right before I sank my first blade into the soft flesh of his stomach. My second pierced his chest, but I missed the heart. With my blades still imbedded, he squeezed my shoulder, the pain explosive. I heard a distinct pop before my left arm went limp.
Shit!
My brain took a backseat as adrenaline flowed through my muscles. I kicked out with my left foot, the heel in my shoe sinking into his calf. His leg buckled under the assault and I pulled free, losing my heel in the process but retaining one of my blades. The other remained in his chest.
My left arm hung loose at my side. My right lifted and was ready with my dagger, dark-red blood dripping from its point. His eyes glowed an even deeper red, fangs descending farther to cover his bottom lip. You might as well put those back, mister. You won’t be making a meal out of me. Hot blood surged through my veins. I hastily kicked off my remaining heel, ignoring the discomfort of the snow and gravel beneath my feet. I needed to move faster.
When he struck again, I threw myself to the left, my right arm coming up and slashing his throat in a swift motion. A gurgling sound emanated from his throat, but I knew it wouldn’t last. He would begin healing almost immediately.
Damn vampire. I needed to disable him somehow without killing him. My fire was calling to me and I shoved it down with everything I had. I could not light him on fire. I was determined to find out who had turned him and why he’d been set loose. I moved to deliver another blow, a deep stab to his stomach once more, but just as I moved to strike, a deep growl echoed through the streets. Another predator making itself known. Like an idiot, I turned, and the moment of distraction cost me as I felt the vampire sink his teeth into my raised forearm. A scream escaped me, and then the growl turned into a thundering roar.
I watched in suspended silence as Declan tackled the fledging vampire, bringing him to the ground, the crunch of bone loud to my ears as his body hit the pavement. He’d taken a mouthful of my flesh with him when he’d gone down, and blood flowed freely from the wound, staining the ground red. I tried without success to staunch the bleeding with my left hand but couldn’t get my arm to corporate.
Before I could stop him, Declan brought his hands to the vampire’s neck and, in one quick movement, snapped it. The sound made me cringe. He rose from the body and kicked it once. He grunted in satisfaction when the body didn’t respond.
As though a switch had been flicked, I snapped out of my daze, fury and so much frustration rising to the surface. “What the hell did you just do?” I yelled at him. Don’t light the Alpha on fire. Don’t light the Alpha on fire. I repeated the mantra over and over in my head. It would not bode well for me to attack him right now. No matter how much he deserved it.
Declan looked taken aback for a moment. “I saved your life,” he said.
Urgh. Moron! “No, you didn’t. You ruined it. I cannot believe you just snapped his neck like that, without any thought.” My temperature rose and I had to take a calming breath to contain myself. It didn’t help much.
“Why would I think about it? He had his fangs buried in your arm. I’d expect a little gratitude here.”
I stormed past him and crouched beside the vampire, tearing my blade from his chest. I wiped the blade on the edge of my dress before sheathing it. It was already ruined so a little more blood couldn't hurt it. I needed something else to focus on aside from Declan’s stupidity or I was going to lose what little control I had. I skimmed my hands over the now cold body, checking the pockets of his shirt and pants to find anything that may provide me with some sort of clue.
“What are you doing?” Declan asked, obviously annoyed.
Join the club, buddy. I was pretty damn annoyed myself.
“I’m looking for information,” I bit out. “It would have been much easier to just question the vampire but no, you had to go and snap his neck and be all ‘I am tiger, hear me roar.’” I threw my hands in the air in frustration.
He snarled beside me. “I saved your life.”

“No. You interfered. I’m a pyrokinetic. Don’t you think if I’d wanted him dead, I’d have lit his ass on fire as soon as he got close? I wasn’t trying to kill him. I was trying to disable him, and then you had to come out here all hot-headed and kill him.”


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ABOUT BOOK 1 in the series

Cursed by Fire_ebooklg
ABOUT BOOK 1 in the series
CURSED by FIRE
Released: Jan 28, 2015

It has been six years since the Awakening and peace in Spokane, Washington is still tenuous at best. The vampires and shifters are all vying for control of the city and the humans seem to be the ones suffering the consequences, or so it seems.

Aria Naveed has spent the last two years of her life fighting to make the many wrongs of the world right, but soon finds out that the humans aren’t as weak as they appear and may be a more terrifying foe than any of the other races combined. 

When a stranger rolls into town with trouble on his heels, Aria finds herself trapped in the middle of a battle that could cost her more than she has bargained for as a fight for justice turns into an unexpected fight for her life.


What Reviewers had to say about book 1:

"I thought Cursed by Fire was an awesome read and a great introduction to the series. I can't fault it in anyway and thoroughly enjoyed it and am looking forward to more." 
- Book Passion for Life

"Oh my GOODNESS! I completely devoured this book in one siting it was THAT GOOD!" 

-Cocktails and Books Blog


about the author
10247481_10203664436108711_5163031660130450692_n.jpg copyDanielle Annett is a reader, writer, photographer, and the blogger behind Coffee and Characters. Born in the SF Bay area, she now resides in Spokane, WA, the primary location for her Blood & Magic series. Addicted to coffee at an early age, she spends her restless nights putting pen to paper as she tries to get all of the stories out of her head before the dogs wake up the rest of the house and vye for her attention.
You can learn more about Danielle on her website at Danielle-Annett.com or follow her on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AuthorDanielleAnnett and on twitter @Danielle_Annett
giveaway
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  CaffinatedAD

Excerpt: The Opposite of Love by T.A.Pace


Welcome to my tour stop of The Opposite of Love by T.A.Pace.  The full tour schedule can be seen here.

ABOUT THE BOOK:


When 37-year-old Melanie is challenged to find a mate by her overbearing mother, she finds herself in a relationship that pushes her sexual boundaries, and in a place like Sin City, that can be a precarious ride.

An homage to Erica Jong’s Any Woman’s Blues, The Opposite of Love is a psychological/sexual ride through Las Vegas and its local sex scene as experienced by two lovers who will test each other’s ability to accept them as they are, as well as their own ability to accept themselves.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

T.A. Pace lives in Las Vegas, NV, where she is an editor and writer. She can be reached at SexyVegasTA@aol.com or follow her on twitter @SexyVegasTA.

EXCERPT

“I don’t remember what kind of wine we were drinking that night, do you?” Melanie asked. 
Around eleven, Derek texted and asked if she wanted to have a drink at the Artisan. A nostalgic pang made her smile. She assigned Jen to drive Sarah home. Now she and Derek were sitting at the bar in the same seats as the night they met. It was a minor miracle they’d found seats at all; the place was jumping and a DJ was set up in the corner playing hip-hop and top-40 music. 
“Some kind of chardonnay, I think,” said Derek. He ordered a bottle and they toasted the recovering Arts District. 
“It must be nice to have the extra income again,” Melanie said. 
“You said it. A teacher’s salary is no way to live.” Derek laughed morosely, then brightened. “But if the gallery keeps up at this rate, I’ll be coming to you for investment advice.” 
“I hope you do,” said Melanie, but she knew he was exaggerating. “What else has been going on? How are things with Sharon?” 
“That didn’t go so well.” 
“What happened?” 
“We split. She was pushing for something serious. I couldn’t commit.” 
“Really? Mr. Love-is-everything couldn’t commit? What’s the deal?” 
“I can only commit to the right person. We didn’t have as much in common as I would’ve liked.” 
“Like what?” Melanie asked. Anticipating that he’d be providing her with ammo she could use in a future debate, she turned in her chair to face him and give him her full attention. 
“Don’t get all righteous on me.” Derek shook his head. “But we weren’t compatible in intellect. Or in bed.” He took a swig of his wine and Melanie thought she could see the color rise in his cheeks, although it was hard to tell for sure in the dim lighting. 
“I’ll be damned.” 
“What?” He still wouldn’t look at her. 
“Compatibility, huh?” 
“Yep.” He nodded repeatedly. “It matters.” 
“So then why am I dating a friggin’ cop with no advanced degree and no apparent limit to the kinkiness of his sexual preferences.” 
Derek choked on his wine, struggled valiantly to recover, and said, “Where to begin, Mel?” 
“You tell me.” 
“Does it bother you that he’s a cop?” 
Truth be told, it had at first. In fact, she’d pocketed it thinking it would make a nice exit strategy if nothing else worked. She could always say that his work was too dangerous, that she was afraid of him getting killed. But his job wasn’t even remotely dangerous. He’d only pulled his gun once since he’d been promoted to detective, and even then it was on a dog, and he hadn’t fired. She’d also thought that a blue-collar man was beneath her, but she found that he was smart—even without an advanced degree—smart enough to debate with her, and to occasionally be right. And she also found nobility in his reasons for becoming a cop in the first place. To want to make a difference on such a substantial scale, even in the face of bureaucracy and cutbacks and painfully incremental successes was admirable, and she could see the value in being with a man with that kind of moral virtue and determination. 
Derek nodded as she explained her thoughts on James’ job. “What’s this about the kink?” he asked. 
“It’s been interesting,” Melanie said. And it was her turn to blush. She spared him the pooling, the spanking, and simply explained that he introduced her to things she’d never really explored before. 
“Like what?” 
“Well, have you ever been to the Green Door?” 
“Actually, I have. It’s pretty cool if you’re open-minded about that kind of thing. Place is huge. Like the Disneyland of sex.” 
Melanie gaped at him. 
“What?” 
“I had no idea you were so…” 
“So what?” 
“Freaky.” 
Derek laughed. “Hardly. Went there once with a girl I was dating who liked to be tied up. Went another time on my own. That’s pretty much it.” 
“Really? Tied up?” 
“Yeah. And choked. It was kind of weird. But I’d never done any of that before so I figured, what the hell. You never know what’s going to flip your switch ’til you try it.” 
Melanie thought about the spankings she’d been getting, how it turned her on so much that her juices wet the insides of her thighs before James even touched her there. She never would have thought it would be so hot to be the recipient of pain. 
“So what did you think of it? Tying her up and choking her?” 
“Wasn’t really my thing.” 
“I see.” 
“What?” 
“Nothing.” 
Melanie was swirling her chardonnay, watching the legs crawl down the sides of the glass, deep in thought about this new side of Derek, the sexually experienced Derek. Perhaps kinky even. 
“So I take it you’ve either been already or you’re thinking about going,” he said. 
“He wants to go this weekend. I’m nervous. I worry about people seeing me and knowing who I am.” 
“If that’s all you’re worried about, definitely go. It’s wild. And if they can see you, you can see them too.” 
“That’s what James said.” 
“Smart guy. Can’t wait to meet him.” 
“Hah!” 
When Melanie finished her second glass of chardonnay she ordered water. It was almost one a.m. and she’d need to drive soon. 
“Have you been here much since we met?” Derek asked. 
“Once or twice I think. Still reminds me of that night though.” She smiled at him and he rubbed her upper arm. 
“Shall we end it the same way tonight?” he asked. 
Her smile disappeared. She had expected the invitation, but she hadn’t realized that there was a dilemma involved until it presented itself. She was dating James now, and they’d both established that they weren’t seeing other people. Semantically, she wasn’t “seeing” Derek, so there was a loophole there. But she knew she and James had both meant sex as well when they’d had the discussion. So in this moment, in the face of this invitation, Melanie was forced to decide what kind of relationship she wanted to have. If she wanted something casual, she could do whatever she wanted, as long as she gave James the same freedom. But if she wanted to have a serious relationship, she could no longer sleep with Derek. It seemed a surprisingly cruel loss to endure. 
“Let me guess,” he said, sparing her the explanation. “You and James are monogamous?” 
“Yeah,” she said, her tone full of regret. “We are.” 
“Hey, don’t be bummed about it. This is really great news,” he said. “That means things are going well, right?” 
She smiled at him. Ever the optimist. Silver linings and unicorns. 
“I would say things are going well so far, yes. Ask me again after the Green Door.” 
He laughed. “I will. Can’t wait to hear all about it.” 
They left the bar and headed toward the front door, but Derek pulled her into a small room to the back of the lobby. “Ever been in here?” he said. 
There were four wooden pews on either side of a short aisle that led to an elevated platform. Six paintings hung on the wall of the tiny room. 
“No. What is this, a chapel?” 
“Yep. They do weddings here.” 
Drifting slowly around the room, Melanie studied the artwork. The paintings were in the style of 16th century Renaissance art, replete with wistful women and wise infants. 
In one, a baby reached its hands greedily toward the mother, while looking at the viewer with knowing accusation; Melanie found herself a bit creeped out by it. In another, a mother held a child in her lap and a cherubic cupid stood on the floor to her right pulling her attention completely away from the infant. But the one that drew Melanie’s attention hung just inside the door of the chapel. A young woman, naked from the waist up, pushed an armed cupid forcefully away from her. The cupid held his arrow expertly, with the coordinated hand of a grown man, the tip of his forefinger against the shaft, aiming it at the woman’s heart. Her hands were on his shoulders, elbows locked out, fending him off. It seemed a strange choice for a chapel, but then they all did. 
“You like that one?” Derek asked. 
“It’s odd, don’t you think?” 
Derek shrugged. “Who do you think wins?” 
“Tough to say, since the cupid has the advantage of not being real and therefore not held to the rules of reality.” 
“So he’s got tricks?” 
“Probably.” 
Derek laughed. He walked Melanie to her car in the self-parking area and hugged her close, not letting her go after the usual three seconds. “Just because you’re in a relationship now doesn’t mean you have to be a stranger, ok?” 
“Ok,” she said. “I’ll call. We’ll have lunch or something. Like normal people.” 
Derek laughed and kissed her on the forehead. She got into her SUV and waved to him as she pulled out. 
He mouthed to her, “Be safe.”


Friday 4 September 2015

MY NEW SITE & I Need Your Support!

Hi readers, I started blogging 4 years ago and since then, there has been so many people who supported my blog.  Never have I felt abandoned or inferior in this blogosphere.  Even when there were times where I can't post anything for a few weeks except for some pre-scheduled posts, when I came back again, the response was as if I never took the break.

I am really grateful for all of you, who have been with me through these years.

THANK YOU!

For the past few years, I have been always been wishing to start a Wordpress site and 'own' it without any hindrances from Google.  And now, I have it.  The name of the blog is Born Bookish and below is the design.  Here is the URL: http://bornbookish.com/.



I love everything about it.  And I know you will too.  I will keep posting many interesting stuffs there.  I am still going to keep this blog, but majority of posts would go up in the new site.

I wish you would support me AGAIN by following the new site and helping me with your valuable suggestions, as you have always done.

What do you think about my new blog?  I have lot of interesting posts coming up.  Do you have any specific things that you wish to see in my site?  Like new technologies, blogging tips, book PR tips, etc?

Thursday 3 September 2015

Excerpt & Giveaway: The Horse List by Anna Lores


Welcome to my tour stop of The Horse List by Anna Lores.  This is a contemporary erotic romance novel.  The tour runs from August 31 to September 4.  Check out the tour schedule here.


This work contains mature content, including graphic sexual descriptions and scenes, and is provided for adults only. 

Recently divorced from an abusive husband still intent to control her life, Ava Black has two weeks before she moves back to her conservative hometown to start her life over.

Encouraged by her best friend, she resurrects the wish list she started as a young girl when her number one desire was her very own horse. Over the years, The Horse List had become a mature list of her most erotic sexual fantasies and a symbol of her rebirth as an independent woman. She can complete some of the items alone, but not everything. She needs a sexually experienced partner with resources and the connections to places she’s only dreamed of going. 

Could the handsome and wealthy artist Eric North be the partner she seeks? Will her drive to complete the list be enough to overcome her fear of him discovering the scars left from years of abuse? Will Eric protect her from her ex-husband, or will she go home with her unrequited love, Brady Ross, and give up her one chance to complete The Horse List? 


EXCERPT

She moaned as everything wrong in her life faded into the background. She was in Eric’s world imagining those masculine hands lifting her up, slipping beneath her pants and... Crap. She was not doing that. She didn’t need a man screwing with her head again. Her hands trembled as she covered his hands with her own. “Not happening, Mr. North.” She pushed his hands away from her. It shouldn’t have been so hard to make her limbs move from her position, but it was. It was darn hard.
He stepped forward, blocking her from leaving as if he were protecting her. “It’s Mr. North now, Ava?”
The smooth, freshly-shaven skin of his cheek brushed up against her in a slow, sweeping arch from the curve of her neck to her cheek. He took her hands and held them over her head, pinning her against the cool, marble wall of the elevator.
“It is, Mr. North. Please call me Ms. Black.” Her voice was low and sexy and geez, it was a little shaky. She wasn’t a virgin. She shouldn’t be that nervous around a man. But, then again, he was nothing like any man she’d met before. He exuded charisma and power without even trying. He, so close to her, made her ache for things she knew she couldn’t have.
“But I like your first name, Ava. I like the way it rolls off my tongue when I say it…Ava.”
“This is inappropriate, Mr. North. You’re only going to give me a tattoo,” she said, barely getting her volume over a whisper.
Her blood burned in her veins from his close proximity, from his demanding hold on her. She needed air. She was going to faint from all the oxygen in the small space getting sucked into his fire.
“Ms. Black,” he stepped back and leaned his torso forward, gently pressing his forehead against hers. “If you think all I’m giving you is a tattoo, you’re as naïve as a child.”
She kept her eyes averted, readying for the lie she kept telling herself. “All I want is a tattoo, Eric. You seem to be the only person in a hundred mile radius that can give me one. I don’t want more from you.”
She ducked down, pulled out of his tender hold on her wrists, and slipped out of the elevator.
It wasn’t the most mature thing to do, but she sprinted at top speed through the door to her car to get as far away from him as possible, immediately recognizing the problem with the hot, demanding man. She wanted everything from him—sex, marriage, kids. That was never happening. Not in Compass, Illinois. Not with Eric North. Probably not ever if her ex-husband had anything to do with it.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Anna started writing romance as a by-product of insomnia. After a year of late night reading, she borrowed her son’s laptop after he went to bed each night, and set about breathing life to her very own characters. After a month of writing in the middle of the night, she was surprised with a new laptop of her own to pursue her dreams. With a B.A. in English Literature and a desire to fill her world with wonderful stories she and her close friends could not just talk about, but gush over, she shed her job as mom of three in the late night hours and assumed her alter ego of dirty girl.


GIVEAWAY

The author is offering 2 $10 Amazon or B&N Gift Card and 1 PDF copy of “The Horse List” to the winners of the Rafflecopter.   Giveaway ends September 15th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday 1 September 2015

Release Day: Clockwork Menagerie (Shadows of Asphodel, #2.5) by Karen Kincy




Happy Birthday!
Karen Kincy

Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to—

Oh, wait, I’m sharing my birthday? Right! This September 1st means I get one more year and one
more book. Clockwork Menagerie, a companion novella to my Shadows of Asphodel series, comes out today. The story follows the archmage Konstantin into Russia during the bitter winter of 1914. If you know Konstantin, you won’t be surprised when he gets into trouble with technomancy, clockwork beasts, and a certain handsome airship captain.

Since today happens to be a double birthday, we need cake. Myself, I’m partial to chocolate mint cake with a rich glaze, which my mom bakes upon request. Konstantin, on the other hand, lives and works in Vienna, Austria. He loves the famous sachertorte, chocolate filled with apricot, though he’s secretly the most fond of strawberry torte for his birthday cake.

Who doesn’t love birthday presents? Konstantin daydreams about all the mechanical trinkets and upgrades he could acquire for his laboratory. He hopes that someone will research the latest in technomancy equipment and buy him something cutting edge and dangerous. Though sadly none
of his friends will buy him a gift that might literally blow up in his face.

As for me, I’m pretty bad at guessing about birthday presents. I keep telling people they can always get me more books, but they point to my swaybacked bookshelves and mutter something about me having “too many,” which is obviously impossible. Konstantin would agree with me, though he tends to read more nonfiction than fiction.

When is Konstantin’s birthday? That’s a secret in the books, but I’ll go ahead and tell you it’s February 13. The day before Valentine’s Day, which means blackmail material for more presents. Not that Konstantin would ever do anything so diabolical—he limits his schemes to bigger and better experiments, never mind that they often backfire.

Happy birthday, Clockwork Menagerie, and go party with readers!

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Clockwork MenagerieClockwork Menagerie (Shadows of Asphodel, #2.5), by Karen Kincy
Genre: Historical-fantasy romance
Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press
Date of Release: September 1, 2015
Cover Artist: Eugene Teplitsky
Find Online: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Goodreads

Description:
A companion novella to the Shadows of Asphodel series, from Konstantin's point of view.
1914. Konstantin would love to hide in his laboratory and dissect the clockwork dragon captured from Russia, but the Archmages of Vienna have other plans. He finds himself shipped off to St. Petersburg as the scientific attaché to an ambassador. His orders? Look, but don't touch. Of course, he considers this an impossible request with so much enemy technomancy to explore.

To make matters worse, Konstantin has to work with the dashing zeppelin commander Himmel, a man who should also be untouchable. They can't act on the smoldering attraction between them without risking it all. Faced with an illegal relationship and a devious rival technomancer, Konstantin might not return from this mission in Russia without conquering the forbidden.

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Kincy-author-photo1About The Author:
Karen Kincy (Kirkland, Washington) can be found lurking in her writing cave, though sunshine will lure her outside. When not writing, she stays busy gardening, tinkering with aquariums, or running just one more mile. Karen has a BA in Linguistics and Literature from The Evergreen State College.

Find Karen Kincy Online:


GIVEAWAY
Dragon Steampunk Necklace (found here on etsy)
Open to US 
Ends Sept. 16th
Prizing is provided by the publisher. Hosts are not responsible. Prize is shipped directly from the etsy seller. If there is an issue a similar item may be used to replace it.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This event was organized by CBB Book Promotions.




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