{Review} Beast by Lisa Edward

Life had always been good to me, and I made sure to keep it that way. My mom had given me the only tool I’d need to succeed—manipulation. Add to that the fact I was beautiful, confident, and rich, and I was on my way to having it all.

My name is Annabelle, and I was the stereotypical head cheerleader, dating the star quarterback. The school was mine, and I couldn’t wait to be crowned prom queen.

One night, my world changed forever. All I believed my future would hold was ripped from my grasp in a ball of flames. I lost my identity, my boyfriend, and my friends. Suddenly, I was the monster nobody wanted around.

A scarf hid my true identity, and I was left staring at the beast in the mirror. My appearance now matched the ugliness I once had inside, but I’d do everything I could to prove I still had some beauty buried deep within.

Sometimes, you have to lose who you are to become who you were meant to be.

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Review

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. In this new spin on the classic Beauty and the Beast, Edward teaches an important lesson on beauty, on surviving tragedy and on life. 

Beast, the story of Annabelle and Tyler, starts off with a very flawed, very superficial Annabelle. In the beginning I did NOT like Annabelle at all. She was spoiled and she was bitchy. Annabelle seems like a girl who cannot be saved or redeemed at all.

And yet...

When it was all stripped away and she was laid bare, I started to love her character. By the end of the book I was rooting for her and her to overcome her tragic circumstances. I loved Annabelle and the transformation from who she was to who she became, redeemed her and made her a character to fall in love with.

Tyler was also a very amazing, lovable character. Selfless, caring and the perfect hero, he treated Annabelle as if she was absolutely beautiful - and in his eyes she was.

Such a beautiful story, Edward's writing is full of emotion and definitely moved me!!

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Author Bio

Lisa Edward is the author of the Songbird trilogy, the novels Ripped and Broken, the novella Duty of Care and a contributor to the collation of short stories in Hook & Ladder 69, and Bleed Blue 69.

While Lisa has called Melbourne Australia home for her entire life, she has lived and worked in England, and travelled through most parts of Europe and the United States. She loves nothing more than spending time with her beautiful daughter, or curling up into the early hours of the morning with a great novel.

By day, Lisa works in the analytical IT field, so relishes the opportunity to foster her creative side through writing. Her deep appreciation for literature was nurtured from a young age, being taught to respect books and get lost in their stories. She enjoys reading honest and realistic novels that are relatable, thought provoking, and leave a lasting impression. She can't write without music playing, using the emotions from different songs to invoke those of her characters. Lisa takes inspiration from her own life experiences, the people around her and those she has met in her travels.

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{Release Blitz} Dead in the Garden by Dahlia Donovan

Title: Dead in the Garden

Series: Grasmere Cottage Mystery Trilogy #1

Author: Dahlia Donovan

Publisher: Hot Tree Publishing

Genre: Sweet M/M Cosy Mystery

Release Date: October 6, 2018

Blurb

Join bestselling Dahlia Donovan on a cosy mystery adventure in the Grasmere Cottage Mystery trilogy. With love, wit, and a murder to solve, life for Valor and Bishan is about to get bloody complicated.

Dead body in the garden? Check.

Mystery to solve? Check.

Police focused on the wrong person? Not good.

All grown up and graduated, Valor Tarquin Scott, son to Earl and Countess Scott, owns The Ginger’s Bread, a biscuit shop, in Grasmere in the Lake District. The love of his life, Bishan Tamboli, has turned his music studies into a successful career playing with the London Symphony Orchestra. It’s a perfect life with their cat, spending evenings watching Poirot on the television.

The nightmare begins with one dead former schoolmate, leading police to believe Bishan is responsible.

Valor struggles to solve the cryptic puzzles left behind in a race to prove Bishan’s innocence.

He can’t help wondering how far the body count will rise before they manage to stop the killer.

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Review

I'm a sucker for a good cozy mystery and when I read the blurb for this series, I was already hooked and couldn't wait to read the books.

First off, what I love most about this series is that the main characters are a male couple. I love that Donovan has chosen these two are the leads. They are such a cute couple! Not only does Donovan choose a M/M couple for the lead of a cozy, she also portrays one of them as autistic. Donovan, you are amazing!

With a cast of quirky characters including some amazing friends and some family complications, Dead in the Garden has a little bit of everything. The plot line is cozy and simple, exactly what a cozy murder mystery needs to be. Well written, the author hooked me in and left me wanting more. Ending on a cliffhanger, I was anxious to pick up the second book immediately. 

Dead in the Garden is a really great start to this trilogy!

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Coming Soon

Releasing October 13, 2018

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Releasing October 20, 2018

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Author Bio

Dahlia Donovan wrote her first romance series after a crazy dream about shifters and damsels in distress.  She prefers irreverent humour and unconventional characters. An autistic and occasional hermit, her life wouldn’t be complete without her husband and her massive collection of books and video games.  

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{Release Blitz} Blessed Betrayal by Livia Grant

Title: Blessed Betrayal

Author: Livia Grant

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: October 5, 2018

Blurb

She wanted happily ever after.
He thought he had it.

Underneath the perfect exterior of Calista Bennett’s marriage lay an ugly truth that threatens to drown her when she is betrayed.

Across town, Nickolas Mikos isn’t doing much better after his life is plunged into his new reality by his wife’s lies.

Life can change in the blink of an eye. Can Cali and Nick comfort each other’s raw pain enough to allow for a second chance at happiness, or will their fears and anger prevent them from uncovering the blessing in the betrayal?

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Excerpt

I’m sorry, Cali. I know it isn’t what you wanted to hear, but the test was negative.”

Her hopeful apprehension morphed to dread. “Are you sure? Should we do another?”

Dr. Galloway smiled indulgently. “That won’t be necessary. The tests are very reliable. I’m sure you took one at home as well, didn’t you?”

“Yes.” Her dejected reply was barely a whisper.

“Then you already know taking it again would just be a waste.” The OBGYN doctor wheeled his rolling stool closer to the exam table to pat Cali’s knee in a fatherly way. “I know you and your husband are anxious to get your family started, but you’re only twenty-four. You have plenty of time. We have a lot of options we haven’t tried yet.”

Cali struggled to hold back her tears. How could she tell her kind doctor how important it was for her to get pregnant?

“I think it’s time for us to do testing on your husband. Since we haven’t found any smoking gun on your side of the equation, it’s time to take a look at Mr. Bennett’s sperm count and mobility. That will help me decide our next steps.”

“I don’t know about that, Dr. Galloway. Kevin is so busy with his job. He joined his father’s law firm last year and is working crazy hours. I doubt he can come in for an appointment.” Cali didn’t know how to tell the good doctor her husband had made it very clear giving him an heir was her responsibility, and the only help he planned contributing to the process was a ‘daily hard fuck.’ The array of bruises scattered across her body were proof he was living up to his hard promise.

Calista trembled as she realized her temporary veil of protection had fallen with the negative test result. Kevin was gentler with her during the weeks of the month she might be in the process of forming a fragile new life. For the last year, each month the results were negative, he not only deemed it his responsibility to punish her for failing him yet again, but he then proceeded to make up for lost time. The next two weeks of her life were going to be hell.

No. She couldn’t tell the kind doctor that.

“What would he have to do?”

“Us men have it pretty easy, to be honest,” the doctor grinned wolfishly. “You poor women get poked and prodded with all kinds of needles and drugs. Your husband just needs to come in and give us a deposit of his sperm. He’ll have a private room and will be able to bring along reading or viewing material he might need to help. All in all, the men have it pretty good in this deal.”

How right he was. “Okay, I’ll talk to him about it.”

“Sounds good. Keep your chin up. We’ve done a lot of tests, and I see no reason why you can’t get pregnant. It’s gonna happen when the time is right and not a minute before.”

“Thanks again, doctor.” She forced a smile to hide her growing sense of dread. “I’ll see you next time.”

As Calista redressed, she said a small prayer that Kevin would be in a good mood when he got home today. He’d been out of town on business the last two days. Since passing the bar exam, he’d been working eighty hours a week or more, and in truth, he was gone so much, it made her life less stressful most of the time. Unfortunately, he still checked in at home often enough to dump his dirty laundry and contribute his duty to operation ‘give me an heir.’

Sitting at a stop light on the drive home, Cali once again questioned why she stayed with her husband. He’d changed so much since they got married almost two years before. He had always been dominant... demanding. The problem was he’d begun to take the definition of dominant to a whole new level. Cali used to think of herself as a submissive. Lately, she felt more like a well-worn doormat.

Author Bio

USA Today bestselling author Livia Grant lives in Chicago with her husband and furry rescue dog named Max. She is fortunate to have been able to travel extensively and as much as she loves to visit places around the globe, the Midwest and its changing seasons will always be home. Livia's readers appreciate her riveting stories filled with deep, character driven plots, often spiced with elements of BDSM.

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{Release Blitz} Southern Charmer by Jessica Peterson

Title: Southern Charmer

Series: Charleston Heat #1

Author: Jessica Peterson

Genre: Friends-to-Lovers Romance

Release Date: October 4, 2018

Blurb

He’s sexy. He’s southern. And he’s a superstar chef. Meet Elijah Jackson, my hot new neighbor...

From the outside looking in? I’ve got it all. Prestigious job. Pretty house. And a perfect boyfriend who proposed with the perfect ring.

But as beautiful as my life looks on the outside, I feel like something’s missing. So I hop in my car and head south. I’m hoping the thousand mile distance will clear my mind--and give me time to work on the romance novel I secretly want to write.

Charleston, South Carolina: home to stunning architecture, sultry accents, and--oh yeah--my new neighbor, Elijah Jackson. A chef at one of the city’s most renowned restaurants, he’s simultaneously intimidating and inviting. Especially when he shows up at my door, shirtless, offering me homemade biscuits.

As if his abs for days and inked up deliciousness aren’t enticing enough, he also encourages me to chase down my dreams, one chapter at a time. And the chemistry between us? Hotter than the kitchen at Eli’s restaurant.

But I still have a life a thousand miles away. One I’ve worked really hard to build. And I don’t know if I can just leave it all behind.

Romance novels always end in happily ever after. But is one possible for a southern charmer and this yankee girl?

SOUTHERN CHARMER is a slow burn, standalone romance. It’s the first book in the CHARLESTON HEAT series, set in Charleston, South Carolina.

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Author Bio

Jessica Peterson began reading romance to escape the decidedly unromantic awkwardness of her teenage years. Having found solace in the likes of Mr. Darcy, Jamie Fraser (OMG love the gingers!), and Edward Cullen, it wasn’t long before she began creating tall, dark and handsome heroes of her own.

She lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with her husband, Mr. Peterson, and her smelly Goldendoodle Martha Bean. She is the author of the super sexy STUDY ABROAD and FLINGS WITH KINGS series. Check her out at www.jessicapeterson.com

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{Release Blitz} Discreet by Nicole French

Title: Discreet

Series: The Discreet Duet #1
Author: Nicole French

Publisher: Raglan Publishing
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: October 4, 2018

Blurb

Fitz Baker was the world’s biggest sex symbol. Until he disappeared.

Fed up with the trappings of fame, he traded his world of Hollywood for a quiet life on Newman Lake. He was perfectly happy living as an island. Until he met her.  

Returning home with nothing but a failed music career, all Maggie Sharp wants is to rebuild her life. A life that doesn’t involve the surly, arrogant stranger now living across the lake.

Still, there’s something about Will…Something familiar. Something Maggie can’t quite put her finger on…

She only wanted the spotlight.

He gave up his life to escape it.

The real question is if they can remain discreet.

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Excerpt

“I don’t like feeling like this,” Will said. 

I sucked a breath through my teeth. “Feeling like what?”

“Like this.” He took a step toward me, and I fought not to step backward. Will had a quiet authority about him, and in the shadows of the moon, his shoulders seemed to broaden, his legs seemed to lengthen. He seemed larger than life. 

When he had me backed up against the porch railing, he raised a hand, floating his fingers around my jaw, over my cheeks, but never actually touching me. I arched toward his hand. I couldn’t help it. But he hovered, never making contact. 

“You make me feel…” Will started. “Out of control.” 

I couldn’t move. “Oh?”

“Like I actually have to care about what someone else thinks. Like I’m not alone anymore.” He paused. His eyes opened wide, following the path of his fingers as they took hold of a strand of hair in my ponytail and twirled. “And for the first time in a very long time, I feel like I don’t want to be.” 

He tugged lightly on the strand, and I felt the slight pinch like an arrow through my body, shooting down my arms and legs, and coming to throb in that place no man had been for so, so long. I bit my lip. Will’s eyes dilated. 

“Tell the truth, Lil. What do you want?”

You. The word echoed distantly, like a bell tolling from miles away. I didn’t understand it. I was broken. A mess. What should I want with this man? We had a connection, sure, but overall, he was nothing but trouble. He was grouchy. A loner. Clearly had serious social and emotional control issues.

And yet. There was no denying that something was here. Since we met, it certainly felt at times as if the universe itself was tilting on its axis, trying to knock me into him. Breakdown after breakdown. Meeting after meeting. And now… 

I tipped my chin up so I could look directly at him, drawn like one of the moths circling the porch light. Winging through the dark, ready to dive into his golden inferno. 

“I don’t want Lucas,” I said quietly, drifting my gaze up and down his naked torso. A sheen of sweat glimmered in the moonlight, which also made the shadows of his muscles—the square pectorals, the solid rack of abs, the lickable V that dipped beneath his shorts—that much more evident. 

Will followed my gaze, and his hand dropped. He stepped between my legs, and his unique scents engulfed me. Working all afternoon only made them that much stronger—the scent of pine trees, lake water, and man swallowed me with a heady rush that made me shake slightly. And it was then, only then, that he finally touched me. My waist was encircled by his wide palms, so broad that his fingers nearly touched on either side. It was relatively innocent, but the intent was clear. Just like last night, he held me still; I couldn’t move unless he wanted me to. For that moment, I was his.

When I looked back up, his eyes were fixed on my lips. Unconsciously, I licked the lower one. His pupils dilated even more.

“Lil,” he whispered as he leaned a little closer.

“What are you waiting for?” I murmured. Now I was the one staring at his mouth—so soft and full under his newly trimmed beard. 

I panted. Will swore. 

“Fuck it,” he growled. “I don’t fucking know.”  

Sometimes you don’t know you wanted something until you have it. Sometimes you don’t know you need something until it’s there. 

His mouth found mine in a fury, one that surprised me for about a half second before. The hands at my waist gripped so tightly, I almost couldn’t breathe, and I felt like I was strangled—not for lack of oxygen, but for lack of him. Will’s lips made me feel like I was breathing for the first time; like I’d been under water my entire life, and he was the air I’d never known I needed.

Coming Soon

Releasing October 25, 2018

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Author Bio

Nicole French is an East Coast/West Coast hybrid creature, Springsteen fanatic, hopeless romantic, and total bookworm. When not writing fiction or teaching writing classes, she is hanging out with her family, playing soccer with the rest of the thirty-plus crowd in Seattle, or going on dates with her husband. In her spare time, she likes to go running with her dog, Greta, or practice the piano, but never seems to do either one of these things as much as she should.

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{Blog Tour} Secrets in Our Scars

Secrets In Our Scars
Rebecca Trogner
Publication date: February 7th 2018
Genres: New Adult, Romance, Suspense

A sexy romance. A twisted mystery. One mistake can change everything.
On a sweltering summer day, Daisy Aldridge knocks on the wrong door. Yanked inside. Trapped and pressed against her only means of escape she spirals into a panic. Years ago she suffered an assault. Alone and afraid, she kept it hidden and dealt with the emotional aftermath in her own way.
But this time she’s not alone. She’s helped by a man who seems vaguely familiar. Roy Blackwood is massive, muscled, powerful, and controlled. She tells herself she wants nothing to do with him.
Roy sees through her resistance. He wants her. Needs her. He promises to find the identity of her birth parents and unveil the person who leaves her anonymous gifts. And most important of all, earn the love and trust of Daisy Aldridge..
A standalone, full-length romance.

Goodreads / Amazon

On a set of a movie, Daisy Aldridge is saved by Roy Blackwood after nearly being raped by a movie star. Thus their beginning starts. 

Daisy has her secrets and quite the interesting life. Growing up being raised by two black sisters after being left on their doorstep, she's been pretty sheltered and has secrets she is keeping. Roy, who has his own set of secrets to keep hidden but he wants to help Daisy to see herself the way he sees her. 

I really enjoyed the book and all the elements that it has, but I felt some of the characters could have been a bit more developed. In particular Roy. While I enjoyed his character, I just felt there could have been some more to him. 

I'm usually not a fan of insta-love, but in this instance, I really found myself enjoying it and seeing what would come of Roy and Daisy's story. The pacing and writing were good and the romance between Roy and Daisy is quite addicting and kept me hanging on. The suspense also made it worth it.

Overall, I quite enjoyed Secrets in Our Scars.

Author Bio:
Rebecca Trogner started writing her first novel after watching True Blood. Of course it was about vampires and thus The Last Keepers Daughter was born. The next, The Last Guardian Rises, continued the series. Her latest book, Secrets In Our Scars, is a contemporary romance and a lot spicier. She's working on her fourth book with the help of her rescued animal pets.

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Blog Tour: After the End by Natasha Preston

We are so excited to be bringing you the release of AFTER THE END by #1 New York Times bestselling author Natasha Preston. AFTER THE END is brand new contemporary romance you don't want to miss!

 

About AFTER THE END

One fatal mistake changes Tilly and Linc’s lives forever, and things will never be the way they used to be.

After the tragedy, Lincoln and his family flee the hometown they are no longer welcome in

Four years later, still grieving the death of her brother, Tilly’s world is rocked again when Lincoln returns.

Distance and too much bad history haven’t stopped Lincoln from loving Tilly. He wants to beg for her forgiveness, but to avoid hurting her more, he tries to keep his distance from her…until he sees her fighting her feelings for him, and then nothing can keep him away.

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About NATASHA PRESTON

UK native Natasha Preston grew up in small villages and towns. She discovered her love of writing when she stumbled across an amateur writing site and uploaded her first story and hasn’t looked back since. She enjoys writing contemporary romance, gritty Young Adult thrillers and, of course, the occasional serial killer.

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