Saturday, March 31, 2012

Release- Slow Twitch by Liz Reinhardt

Summer scatters three friends, ties them back together, and makes them question who they have been and who they want to be in the future.

Brenna expected to soak up the knowledge of great Irish writers at her summer workshop in Dublin. But there are some things even the best books can't teach you, and a passionate new friend and an old familiar full of surprises challenge Brenna to follow her heart. By the time she's back in the States, she can't wait to throw herself back into Jake's arms and tell him exactly what he means to her.

She puts the brakes on that plan when it becomes clear that Jake may not be ready to shoulder any more. He visits his family's palatial home in the mountains of New York, and is exposed to all the possibilities a life surrounded by his pampered relatives and washed in money would hold for him. But is is possible to accept so much and not change who you are? Jake has to face the reality that changing sometimes means losing things...but how much is he willing to put on the line?

Saxon has been thrust into a life of drudgery and indentured service he never dreamed of after a brush with the law puts him on family-enforced probation. Who would have thought Sussex County's resident bad-ass layabout would fall head-over-heels in love with a girl, an elderly aunt, and a shot at a whole new life. The problem is, he's a Maclean to his marrow, and it's in his blood to be a selfish screw-up. Isn't it?

Brenna, Jake, and Saxon spend one summer growing up, working things out, and doing their best to weather the changes that get thrown their way. But can the love and friendships of one amazing summer last through the ups and downs of the coming years?

Slow Twitch is book number three in the Brenna Blixen series. Book one is Double Clutch, and book two is Junk Miles. All books in this series are YA Mature. Slow Twitch contains sex, drug references, alcohol consumption, and swearing. It is intended for mature or older readers.










The Entire Brenna Blixen series is 
now available at Amazon!!

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Bad blogger *slaps own hand*





OK... so I was a really bad blogger and book tour stop yesterday. 


*sigh* 
*hangs head in shame*


 I totally forgot to post about the tour wide giveaway. So here it is:


Liz has graciously offered six prizes in all!!  :)



3 physical copies of their choice of Double Clutch or Junk Miles

 and 3 e-book copies of Forgiving Trinity


Don't forget to stop back on Monday April 2 for my review of Forgiving Trinity!

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Waiting for... Wednesday

This Wednesday... I am waiting for the release of Predestined by Abbi Glines. In this much anticipated sequel to Existence, we pick up the story of Dank, Pagan, and Leif.


Guest Post: Liz Reinhardt

As part of her blog tour for Forgiving Trinity, Liz Reinhardt agreed to do a guest post for me. First, let me give you a quick bio for her: Not only is she the author of Forgiving Trinity, she is also responsible for the Brenna Blixen trilogy. Those books are Double Clutch, Junk Miles, and the upcoming Slow Twitch. Stop back on Monday April 3rd for my review of Forgiving Trinity.


Now... she has me slightly frightened about what she's going to write about... let's see what she has to say...




Karen told me I could write about WHATEVER I WANTED! 
I think this might be madness, but she’s obviously a lovely and brave woman, so I will take her up on her offer and write about something I want to write about!



Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Release: Streamline by Jennifer Lane

The wait is finally over!!  
Streamline by Jennifer Lane is now available for Kindle!!     
Other readers probably also but, hey, I'm a Kindle girl... it's what I know...  ;)

Go get your copy now!!


Seems like Leo Scott has it all: looks, brains, and athletic talent. He’s captain of his high school swim team with a bright future in college and beyond. But Leo has secrets. His mother’s crippling car accident has devastated his family and left Leo to deal with his father’s abuse, battered and alone. 

Leo’s girlfriend Audrey Rose is poised for her own share of success. As one of Florida’s top high school swimmers, Audrey dreams of college swimming stardom. But there’s an obstacle to her glorious rise to the top. Her number-one supporter--her father--is in prison for murder. 

Part murder mystery, part tale of young love in a military family, this gripping story takes readers on a journey from Pensacola to Annapolis. Leo and Audrey must band together to rise above the adversity they encounter and find their true selves in the process. When everything’s on the line . . . streamline.
 


Monday, March 26, 2012

Book Boyfriend- Caden Grayson from Hearts in Darkness

This week, my book boyfriend is Caden Grayson from Hearts in Darkness by Laura Kaye. He's got that bad boy look. According to his girl, Makenna, he's "freaking gorgeous." But, don't let his appearance fool you. He is a compassionate, thoughtful, caring yet damaged individual.


hmmm... no words needed here!


Amazon
GoodReads

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Want to get that author's signature for your favorite eBook?

Kindlegraph is an awesome website that allows you to request personalized autographs from over 3,000 authors.

I tried this myself yesterday and I already received 4 responses from 15 requests.

Want to see how they look?


Saturday, March 24, 2012

Freebie: Swim Recruit by Jennifer Lane


"With the release of my YA swimming romance Streamline just around the corner (3-27-12), I'm happy to announce that Omnific Publishing has launched my YA swimming short story Swim Recruit."

Jennifer Lane Books Blog: Swim Recruit: YA Short Story:






If the book Streamline is anything like this short story... I cannot wait to get my hands on it!! I have thoroughly enjoyed this story. Use the link above to find out how to get your free copy!!


~Karen

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Review- Existence by Abbi Glines







Existence by Abbi Glines

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Recommended for: 13+ YA and Cont Adult Paranormal
Read from February 05 to 06, 2012 — I own a copy





What happens when you're stalked by Death? You fall in love with him, of course.


Pagan Moore doesn't cheat Death, but instead, falls in love with him.




Seventeen year old Pagan Moore has seen souls her entire life. Once she realized the strangers she often saw walking through walls were not visible to anyone else, she started ignoring them. If she didn't let them know she could see them, then they left her alone. Until she stepped out of her car the first day of school and saw an incredibly sexy guy lounging on a picnic table, watching her with an amused smirk on his face. Problem is, she knows he's dead.


Not only does he not go away when she ignores him, but he does something none of the others have ever done. He speaks. Pagan is fascinated by the soul. What she doesn't realize is that her appointed time to die is drawing near and the wickedly beautiful soul she is falling in love with is not a soul at all.


He is Death and he's about to break all the rules.   (Product Description)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have not been too much into the paranormal books. I love Twilight but then the whole vampire thing got over done and I stayed away from this genre... am I glad that Abbi Glines made me change my mind! (The absolutely awesome cover helped also!)


Here we have a good girl dating the quarterback but secretly dreams about the bad boy. Then, we have a bad boy who likes the good girl but tries to stay away from her by dating a bad girl. Sounds kinda cliche but this book is anything but.



Upcoming Liz Reinhardt Guest Post

I must admit that I'm a little frightened...


"Karen told me I could write about WHATEVER I WANTED! 

I think this might be madness, but she’s obviously a lovely and brave woman, so I will take her up on her offer and write about something I want to write about!"
-Liz Reinhardt



Stop back on Wednesday March 28 to find out what she has to say!

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

UPCOMING EVENTS


Moreno Brothers
 Cover Reveal
Friday March 23


Elizabeth Reyes has redone the 
covers to all five of this awesome series. 






STREAMLINE 
by Jennifer Lane


Tuesday March 27 
Release










FORGIVING TRINITY BLOG TOUR


3/28  Guest Post by Liz Reinhardt
4/2  Book Review


Forgiving Trinity Is Available Now!!










PREDESTINED
by Abbi Glines


Tuesday April 3
Release







Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Love The Moreno Brothers?

Stop back on Friday to the see all new covers to the Moreno Brother's Series by Elizabeth Reyes. They're gonna be awesome!!

Get It While It Lasts!!

Romero by Elizabeth Reyes
 is only $0.99 at Amazon right now!  

It one of my favorite books by one of my favorite authors!  :)


Monday, March 19, 2012

Monday Teaser: Trying to Score by Toni Aleo






Monday Teaser from Toni Aleo  :)


Only 6 Mondays left! I can’t believe it! We are almost to the 30 day countdown! Yippee!! The winner for last week is Susana Dorado! Please email me at toni.aleo@yahoo.com! Remember to comment on the post for a chance to win a signed book mark and then a week before the book comes out, I’ll be pulling out a drawing for a 15$ giftcard to Amazon or Barnes and Noble! So here we go!

“And I thought you were gorgeous back then, Fallon Parker.”
Fallon froze.
She would forever know that velvet smooth voice anywhere. Fallon would always remember the way it sounded when he would lay her down on his bed before he would thoroughly make love to her or when he would console her when she was sad. It was the voice of the man that she had loved with a fierceness no one could touch. It was the same voice of the man that broke her into a billion pieces in a matter of seconds.

Hope you enjoyed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <3

Friday, March 16, 2012

Cover/Blurb Reveal: Easy by Tammara Webber








When Jacqueline follows her longtime boyfriend to the college of his choice, the last thing she expects is a breakup. After two weeks in shock, she wakes up to her new reality: she’s single, attending a state university instead of a music conservatory, ignored by her former circle of friends, stalked by her ex’s frat brother, and failing a class for the first time in her life.

Her econ professor gives her an email address for Landon, the class tutor, who shows her that she’s still the same intelligent girl she’s always been. As Jacqueline becomes interested in more from her tutor than a better grade, his teasing responses make the feeling seem mutual. There’s just one problem—their only interactions are through email.

Meanwhile, a guy in her econ class proves his worth the first night she meets him. Nothing like her popular ex or her brainy tutor, Lucas sits on the back row, sketching in a notebook and staring at her. At a downtown club, he disappears after several dances that leave her on fire. When he asks if he can sketch her, alone in her room, she agrees—hoping for more.

Then Jacqueline discovers a withheld connection between her supportive tutor and her seductive classmate, her ex comes back into the picture, and her stalker escalates his attention by spreading rumors that they've hooked up. Suddenly appearances are everything, and knowing who to trust is anything but easy.


Easy is a Young Adult (YA-Mature) contemporary novel, and is a stand-alone (no series, and unassociated with Between the Lines).

Monday, March 12, 2012

Excerpt: Predestined by Abbi Glines



Predestined excerpt: 
Dank opened my door and I stepped out finally tearing my eyes off him to meet my friend’s gaze. 
“Well good morning to you too,” Miranda teased slipping her arm in mine. “I wondered how long it was going to take for you to shift that worshipful puppy dog expression off your rocker boyfriend to notice little ‘ol me.”
I elbowed her, “shut up.”
She giggled, “Girl please tell me you aren’t trying to be subtle with your lustful looks because you have failed. That boy knows you want his body.”
“Stop it,” I hissed
Dank came up behind me causing my insides to go all warm and tingly. “She can’t possibly want my body more than I want hers.”
Miranda began fanning herself with her hand, “Dear Lord have mercy, I think I may swoon.”





Excerpt: Streamline by Jennifer Lane


Streamline Excerpt


Leading up to the Streamline Launch Party on Tuesday, March 27th, I'll be posting one excerpt a day.
Today's excerpt comes from the first chapter, which occurs in the swimming pool---one of my favorite places! And I just came from the pool, where I watched the Grand Prix swim meet held by USA Swimming in Columbus, Ohio. I had the pleasure of witnessing Michael Phelps swim the fastest time in the world this year in the 200 Butterfly.I had the pleasure of witnessing Michael Phelps swim the fastest time in the world this year in the 200 Butterfly.


Can you believe his physique? There were some incredible bodies littering the pool deck. I noticed many of the women have tiny breasts (like the heroine of Streamline, Audrey Rose). No wonder my substantial girls and I never achieved the Olympic level of competition when I swam in college!

The hero of Streamline, Leo Scott, is about 10 years younger than Michael Phelps and nowhere near as accomplished. But he has big dreams nonetheless. And quite a few obstacles on the way to reaching those dreams.

~*~

“You can do it, Leo,” Audrey whispered from the next lane.
He turned to her and nodded as he adjusted his goggles and set himself ready on the wall. Leo felt confidence envelop him, and his focus narrowed to the now-calm water ahead. His teammates huddled near the lane lines to give him a clear path.
He was the best swimmer on the team, a senior captain. This was his team, and he wouldn’t let them down.
Clicking his stopwatch, Matt called, “Ready, hup!”
Leo pushed off, elbows squeezing ears in a tight streamline. His legs burst into whitewater behind him, propelling him like a motorboat. His fingers extended at the top of the stroke, and his high elbows sculled the water beneath his body. Nothing extraneous, no wasted energy. Everything with purpose. The 100 freestyle was his specialty.
He swam down the length of the fifty-meter pool and quickly flip-turned to begin making his way back. He could hear the faint cheers of his teammates build as he approached. Fighting fatigue, he drove to the wall.
When he lifted his head above the water, all he could hear were his sharp rasps for air. His teammates were silent as they waited to hear whether their tortuous practice was complete. 
~*~


This post is from Jennifer Lane's Blog.

Teaser from Trying to Score by Toni Aleo




Monday Teaser!


Only 7 Mondays left! I’m so excited! Eeekk! The winner from last week is: Leafsgirl!!!!!
Please email me at toni.aleo@yahoo.com with your address and I will get that sent out to you!
Now enough talking and off to the teaser. I absolutely LOVE Audrey, who is Fallon’s sister and this is a really good teaser of hers.
Dont forget to comment for your chance of winning a bookmark and to be eligible to the $15 giftcard!
WARNING: INAPPROPRIATE LANGUAGE IS INCLUDED BECAUSE I LIKE NAUGHTY WORDS!!!!
“Watching the show,” she said pointing to across the lawn. “Not only am I intrigued by the fact that he is movin’ in at 11 o’clock at night, but the dude is sexy Fal! Like super sexy, Antonio Banderas sexy.”
“Oh Lord,” Fallon groaned as she rolled her eyes and laid her briefcase down beside her sister. She slowly slid her boots off, standing on the cold sidewalk in her socks.
It felt great after the night she had.
Fallon glanced over at the guy and saw that he was older, way older.
“Jeez Audrey, he’s like 45…eww.”
Audrey laughed. “Nah, but late thirties for sure though.”
“Still you’re only 27. Go find someone your age.”
“No, guys are stupid at my age. I want a man with some age to him, someone that knows their way around the bedroom.”
Fallon scoffed at that. “Good luck with that! Older men can’t keep it up without help, which would involve you giving a lot of head or him going on medication, or both.”
“Oh yeah,” Audrey said as a look of disgust came over her face, “back to men my age.”
Hope you enjoyed! See you next Monday!


Blatantly copied from Toni Aleo's website!   :)



Sunday, March 11, 2012

My "Assassin" Experience

Being a blogger can have many advantages. One can be a reason (or excuse) to be able to contact your favorite authors. While starting my blog, I contacted Toni Aleo (author of Taking Shots and the upcoming Trying to Score) for some information. Through that, I feel that I can safely say we have become friends. (yeah)  Luckily, my family was stopping in Chattanooga, TN during our Spring Break trip so I was able to meet up with Toni and her friend Jackie at the March 8th Nashville Predators game. Oh my goodness, did we have an awesome time!!



Left side, behind bench, white
sweatshirt with yellow on either side
Why, hello there!
We ended up having seats right behind the Preds bench. Yes, we were this close *pinches fingers close together* to Toni's Shea Weber... not to mention the rest of the team.  That's right... this photo was without zoom... we were this close!!  *sigh*






Don't you just want to reach 
out and touch somebody?!?!

The Predators played the Colorado Avalanche. They had an awesome game and won 4-2.






OK... enough with the technical stuff... on to the fun stuff!!!





This is back up goalie Andres Lindback... the Assassin's Series readers might be learning more about him soon!!  ;)



Yes... that IS Shea looking right at Toni's camera!





Toni, Jackie and I... see how close we are... ahh, it was awesome!!








For those who have seen my reply to Toni's quest to have us all find our hockey crush... I discovered Craig Smith. (See previous post for more info. hehehe) Now for the sad part of the evening... keep in mind that I had traveled 700 miles to see this hockey match... After watching the Predators emerge from the tunnel for their pre-game warm ups... I noticed Craig wasn't on the ice. He was a scratch so he didn't play!  :'(   Talk about making a grown woman want to cry!   However, there was a light at the end of this tunnel... we had started chatting with a Preds employee and he took sympathy upon me and my plight... He got me a personalized, autographed puck from Craig Smith!!  :) Totally made my night!!  Thank you Craig... and my knight in shining armor that got it for me (you know who you are)!




Saturday, March 10, 2012

My Hockey Crush

In response to Toni Aleo's quest for each of us to find our hockey crush:

Mine is Craig Smith from the Nashville Predators and here's why..

He's hot... he's got game... and look... he loves his Grandma... 
what could be better!!  :)






Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Tuesday Teaser from Trying to Score



Tuesday Teaser of Trying to Score! | Toni Aleo:







Tuesday Teaser of Trying to Score!


We are only eight Mondays away from Trying to Score’s release! YIPPEE! are you excited? Cause I am! hehe. I have saw how my favorite bloggers have put up little teasers of the books they are reading or reviewing, I have been caught so intrigued by these books they I have added them to my goodreads to be read later! So I decided to get y’all even more excited for Trying to Score by posting a little piece of the book for the next eight Mondays! Starting April 2, I will start revealing the Trying to Score Dream Cast with each post!
To get y’all really pumped! hehe, I am going to pick one person from each Monday(or in this case Tuesday) that has commented and give them a signed book mark! At the end of the month (3/31/12), I will put everyone who posted through out the month into my random picker thingy and the winner will be given a $15 giftcard to Amazon or Barnes and Nobles!!! Same thing for April!  I am so excited for this book, and I can’t wait to hear everyone’s comments! Okay on with the teaser! Hope you enjoy!
WARNING: INAPPROPRIATE LANGUAGE IS INCLUDED BECAUSE I LIKE NAUGHTY WORDS!!!! – love ya Karen!
“Ricky Owen, Fallon Parker with Rocky Top Wine. She is one of our biggest sponsors.”
“Who?” Fallon asked totally ignoring Ricky’s hand, and hoping like hell that there was another Brooks in the NHL that fought a lot.
Because she only knew one…
“You probably don’t know him, Lucas Brooks? He was just traded in from the Sharks,” Elli stated.
Fallon wasn’t sure how the bottle of wine slipped from her hands, but the next thing she knew it was in pieces around her beautiful boots. Cabernet Sauvignon was everywhere, and Fallon’s face was beet red as she tried to catch her breath. Everyone looked down in shock before looking back up at Fallon’s stunned face.
Shea starting laughing as everyone still looked at Fallon in shock, then he said, “Or maybe she does.”
Oh, Fallon knew Lucas Brooks alright.
He was coming to Nashville?
Great, that was just fucking great.
- Trying to Score, Toni Aleo, Chapter 1

Also, check out the blogs because they are fantastic and dear friends of mine:
DON’T FORGET TO COMMENT FOR A CHANCE AT BOOK MARKS AND GIFTCARDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Blatantly plagarized from Toni's website:
www.tonialeo.com


'via Blog this'

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Review- Trying to Score


Trying to Score by Toni Aleo

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Great sophomore novel by Toni Aleo!!!

Toni's blog tour will stop by Nose In A Book on May 3rd!!

There will be a review of TRYING TO SCORE, TRYING TO SCORE excerpt, & ebook giveaway of TRYING TO SCORE & Author Q&A.



View all my reviews

Review- Because of Low



Because of Low
 by Abbi Glines

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


In Abbi Glines’s debut novel, Breathe, Sadie may have fallen in love with the teen rock star, Jax Stone, but readers fell head over heels for Marcus Hardy. This is his story…

Marcus Hardy had hoped to enjoy a year away at college while he put the summer he’d rather forget behind him. But instead, he’s jerked right back to the coastal town of Sea Breeze, Alabama due to a family crisis. His sister needs help dealing with their mother who is mentally falling apart. The only bright spot to returning is the fascinating red head that sleeps over several times a week. The problem is she's sleeping in bed with his new roommate, Cage Watson.

Willow “Low” Foster needs a place to live. Running to Cage’s apartment every time her sister kicks her out isn’t exactly a long term solution. Juggling her courses at the local community college and a part time job doesn’t produce excess income. But Cage has a new roommate and suddenly sleeping over at her best friend’s apartment isn’t such a bad thing.
Even though Cage seems a little territorial where Low is concerned, Marcus finds time to spend with Low without upsetting his roommate. Cage may sleep with every hot female in his path but he’s still under the disillusion that when he’s through sowing his wild oats, he’s going to marry Low. Marcus intends to change that assumption. When Marcus’s plans come crashing down, he’ll have to choose between Low and his family. Because once the truth comes out.... there’s no other choice. (Product description)

Low is a homeless older teen who gets to stay with her single mother sister when she babysits. The other nights to goes to Cage’s place. She’s been left to her own devices to care for herself. She does not trust anyone, except Cage. Since meeting Marcus, she begins to wonder if it is possible to find someone who will stay by her side.

Marcus, still reeling from last summer, is moody and upset over what he lost… until Low knocks on his door. He is immediately smitten but takes a step back after Cage, his new roommate, claims he and Low are going to get married. Marcus decides to take his chances with Cage and pursue Low. Until he believes that Low has committed the ultimate betrayal.

Even though you want to hate Cage for his behavior, he redeems himself by the way he cares for Low. He drops everything to be there for her when she needs him. She’s the only person he wants to care for.

Abbi Glines does it again. She weaves a story where nothing is as it seems. Once you think you have things figured out and know where everyone stands, she changes it up on you and you have to figure it out all over again. There is sweet and tender romance. There is heart break, betrayals, and misunderstandings. These are basically kids dealing with situations that most adults cannot handle. The characters were relatable and you understood their reactions. They were flawed and could admit that they were, which makes them even more lovable. It was also nice to see Jax and Sadie from Breathe. They are woven into the novel without becoming their own side story. I truly enjoyed the book and it will be placed on my favorites shelf to be read again.
Because of Low is great for young adult readers. There are sexual references but no actual content.

I own it.
I recommend for 13+ YA and Adult
5/5 GoodReads: It was amazing!