Cover Reveal: Out of Play by Nyrae Dawn & Jolene Perry

Title: Out of Play

Author: Nyrae Dawn & Jolene Perry

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Release date: August 6th 2013

And here’s the blurb:

Rock star drummer Bishop Riley doesn’t have a problem. Celebrities—especially ones suffering from anxiety—deserve to party, right? Wrong. After taking a few too many pills, Bishop wakes up in the hospital facing an intervention. If he wants to stay in the band, he’ll have to detox while under house arrest in Seldon, Alaska.

Hockey player Penny Jones can’t imagine a life outside of Seldon. Though she has tons of scholarship offers, the last thing she wants is to leave. Who’ll take care of her absent-minded gramps? Not her mother, who can’t even be bothered with the new tenants next door.

Penny’s too hung up on another guy to deal with Bishop’s crappy attitude, and Bishop’s too busy
sneaking pills to care. Until he starts hanging out with Gramps. If Bishop wants a chance with the fiery girl next door, he’ll have to admit he has a problem and kick it. Too bad addiction is hard to kick…and Bishop’s about to run out of time.

B&N | Amazon

~~~~~

I predict a little heartbreak, plenty of anguish & angst, and a whole lot of self-enlightenment, self-discovery, and the promise of a little love.

This one’s already on my to-read list. What do you think? Gonna put it on yours? All’s you got to do is click the coverart to go to its Goodreads page.

{Blog Tour} Greta and the Goblin King by Chloe Jacobs: #BookReview PLUS Guest Post!

I’ve had my eye on Greta and the Goblin King since I got the opportunity to participate in the cover reveal. So when I was contacted by Entangled and asked to take part in the blog tour, I nigh on danced a little jig. On top of that, I was permitted an ARC to review (double squeal time), and I get to have Chloe Jacobs, author of Greta and the Goblin King, guest posting on my blog.

So, if you want to know what Chloe had to say when I asked her where her perfect portal would land her if she got tossed into another realm, read on …

~~~~~

In GRETA AND THE GOBLIN KING the heroine—Greta—falls through a magical portal. The portal doesn’t take her to Candyland or Oz, or a cool alternate dimension where she has super strength and amazing powers. Unfortunately, she’s stuck in Mylena where winter never ends, everyone else has the power, and they all want her dead.

Now, if it were me and I could choose the portal I fell through and where it led, I would want to stumble through the famous standing stones of Scotland. Oh, yes! Maybe I could be Claire and meet my own bonnie Jamie Fraser! (I’m an Outlander fanatic)

Or maybe instead, I would find a portal in the corner of an Egyptian tomb that would take me back to the time of Cleopatra (who would LOVE me and not try to throw a poisonous snake in my direction).

But no matter how interesting an exotic vacation might be for a few days or a week…I would want to come back. I recently spent a month doing some travelling and I missed my husband and son like crazy! Visiting is one thing, but I need to return to my family, my friends, and all the things I love about home. (Like my pillow, my dog, my books, my fuzzy slippers, etc. J )

But for Greta, going home isn’t an option. She’s trapped and hasn’t been able to find a way out in four years.

How long do you think you could stay away from home before you got unbearably homesick?

~~~~~

Thank you so much to Chloe for stopping by.

Chloe Jacobs is a native of nowhere and everywhere, having jumped around to practically every Province of Canada before finally settling in Ontario where she has now been living for a respectable number of years. Her husband and son are the two best people in the entire world, but they also make her wish she’d at least gotten a female cat. No such luck. And although the day job keeps her busy, she carves out as much time as possible to write. Bringing new characters to life and finding out what makes them tick and how badly she can make them suffer is one of her greatest pleasures, almost better than chocolate and fuzzy pink bunny slippers.

Her debut Young Adult fantasy, GRETA AND THE GOBLIN KING, is available everywhere! Check her out online…

Website/ Twitter / Facebook/ Goodreads

Also, Chloe is hosting a Giveaway RIGHT NOW, to win some Greta & the Goblin King Swag.

Check it out:

Coolio. no?

For a chance to win, simply follow the LINK to the Rafflecopter form.

Good luck, guys!

~~~~~

And if you’re interested in my thoughts on Greta and the Goblin King, keep reading.

Title: Greta and the Goblin King

Series: Mylena Chronicles, #1

Author: Chloe Jacobs

Publisher: Entangled Publishing

Publication Date: November 13th 2012

Source: ARC received from publisher

While trying to save her brother from the witch three years ago, Greta was thrown into the fire herself, falling through a portal to a dangerous world where humans are the enemy, and every ogre, goblin, and ghoul has a dark side that comes out with the full moon.

To survive, 17-year-old Greta has hidden her humanity and taken the job of bounty hunter—and she’s good at what she does. So good, she’s caught the attention of Mylena’s young Goblin King, the darkly enticing Isaac, who invades her dreams and undermines her determination to escape.

But Greta’s not the only one looking to get out of Mylena. The full moon is mere days away, and an ancient evil being knows she’s the key to opening the portal. If Greta fails, she and the boys she finds stranded in the woods will die. If she succeeds, no world will be safe from what follows her back . . .

You can add this title to your Goodreads by clicking on the cover image.

My Review

I enjoyed Greta and the Goblin King a lot. The pace was great. The writing smooth and simplistic (in a good way). The story easy to get into as the reader gets dropped into the thick of it all (though I also had a small issue with that, too, which I’ll come to in a sec). Greta was a great lead. Isaac was … well Isaac. And then we get Wyatt, which adds another twist to it all. Oh, and around all that, there’s a race against the clock, a sort-of prophecy, evil baddies that look nowhere near as scary and unappealing as one expects, rampant beasties with attitude and discipline problems (heh) … need I go on?

So, why the 4 stars instead of the 5?

Well, I almost felt that the story began in the wrong place. I get the authors intentions of not boring us with dragged out relationship development so she could get us to the meat of the story a lot faster. However, I kinda missed that a little. We see most of the interaction between Greta and Isaac during her dreams, and during those, it seems less like love and more like a possessive obsession on his behalf, like he’s decided he wants her and there’s nothing to dispute and he will keep hounding her until she comes to her senses, dammit. So because of us missing out on them developing together, the full understanding of how they get to where they do is a little lost because it’s not something we get to ‘see’. Though, I will say, even though I feel that way, the author still did a bang-up job on Isaac. Because from the first scene she had me thinking ooh-la-la. And when Wyatt showed up? Yeah, he was sweet and all, but damn, he wasn’t Isaac, and I wanted to yell, ‘What’s wrong with you? Why would you contemplate wanting the safe human when you could have the dodgy goblin?’ So, yeah, even whilst I didn’t connect 100% with their relationship, I certainly connected 100% with him.

The second bit that bugged me was the ending. Not the way it ended. Just that it felt a little rushed. From the bit where Greta gets into a pickle (cryptic much?), to the part where we realise it’s okay after all, it just seemed to flash by, when I felt it could have been fleshed out a little more so the reader was left hanging to wonder if it would be okay with slightly more oomph. And then it ended …. <spoiler alert> … without a snog, too. I wanted a snog at the end. And I didn’t get one. But that’s just me being Isaac greedy. </spoiler alert>

And the final detail to bug me was the few POV breaches I spotted. Anyone who follows my reviews should pick up how much of a bugbear these are for me, so I only have to spot a slight singular one in a story and I stumble. Granted, there really weren’t many in here at all, but there were a few.

There, those are it. Not much to gripe about at all really. Which means that, all in all, Greta and the Goblin King is more than a decent read; it’s a great introduction to a new cast of characters, an interesting world, and a future of exciting and innovative adventures.

Anyone else read this title? What did you think?

Review: Sacrifice of Passion by Melissa Bourbon Ramirez

Title: Sacrifice of Passion

Author: Melissa Bourbon Ramirez

Publisher: Entangled Publishing

Publication date: June 15th 2012

Source: Received a copy for review from Entangled.

From Goodreads: 

A tall, dark, single dad Texas rancher finds himself facing more than his stubbornly silent son when the chupacabra, a supposedly mythical blood-sucking beast, starts killing his livestock—and stalking the town’s newly returned veterinary assistant, the sensual woman who ran from the altar and broke his heart twelve years earlier. Determined to purge his sizzling memories of her from his all-too-vivid imagination, he seeks her help to get to the bottom of the disturbing animal mutilations, only to have her break through to his sullen son…and rekindle the love he’d thought was lost forever.

But her refusal to share a terrible secret sends her running straight into the lair of the chupacabra, plunging her back into her worst nightmare, and forcing them both to confront the wrongs of the past in order to stay alive for the future they desperately want.

My Review

Vic. Right from the off, I knew he was a bit of a one. The kind of dude that women would swoon over, and the kind of bloke to break women’s hearts. So, to see his character unwind before the readers eyes, as his ‘true’ characteristics became exposed was all the more pleasurable.

Then we have Delaney. A woman with whom Vic has a history. One who makes for a strong leading role due to the tragic happenings in her life she’s had no choice but to overcome.

I really enjoyed the read. I enjoyed that the circumstances under which they parted years before weren’t straightforward, and that those were something needing to be discovered by both parties as the story went on. I loved how the spanner of a child had been thrown into the works—even more so, because the lone parent was a father instead of a mother. For someone who lives in a single parent capital, this made for a refreshing change. The setting, too, was awesome to read about, and described well enough I could imagine each scene. But then, I do have a thing about cowboys and their drawl.

And then there was Esperanza. I seriously loved this old biddy of a character. Love how I hadn’t a clue what she was saying sometimes due to her lisp; because I loved how that was portrayed through her dialogue. And, whilst I maybe wasn’t supposed to, I found the idea of this crotchety old woman sitting next to Vic in his truck when he was tearing all over the place looking for Laney and his son highly amusing. I just had visions of her bouncing around in her seat and swerving side to side. Probably not what I should have been concentrating on when there was a serious situation at hand, but there you have it.

I must admit, the red herring the author tossed in did have me looking in seriously the wrong direction for the most part of the book. Though even as I was scrutinising ‘him’ I kept thinking to myself, nah, she wouldn’t make it this easy, that’d be absurd—so I was mighty glad when it did turn out to be bait to throw us off the scent. However, once Vic ‘convinced’ me I’d been looking in the wrong place, I must admit it didn’t take me long to turn my suspicions on the right person—way sooner, in fact, than Delaney of Vic did. But hey, ho—that’s the power of sending a mind into thinking frenzy, I guess.

Oh, and I guess I couldn’t possibly lead toward the end of the review without at least mentioning the ‘HAWTness’. ‘These scenes’ were decent. I have no complaints O_O. Very tastefully done. Well written. ‘Visual’. Quiet (coz there’s nothing worse than characters who natter all through the good stuff, right?). Yep, enjoyed those aspects of the book plenty. O_o

One thing that did bug me slightly, and possibly why this is not higher than a 4, was there was a point where the pace seemed to dip quite dramatically, and there was a lull in how easily I got dragged along. This is possibly because it reached a point where it began to feel a bit repetitive—by which I mean Delaney and (more so) Vic’s inner thoughts. Because we were constant reminded that they’d been together before, constantly reminded of their circumstances, constantly reminded of how each had once felt for the other and realised they still felt as such. And it got a little too much at one point that I just wanted to tell the characters ‘I know! Now get on with the story.’

But that gripe aside, there’s no doubt that Misa Ramirez has once more entertained me and that Sacrifice of Passion is a decent read.

Have you read this title? What’d you think?

Review: Succubus Lost by Tiffany Allee

Title: Succubus Lost

Series: From the Files of the Otherwolder Enforcement Agency #2

Author: Tiffany Allee

Publisher: Entangled Publishing

Publication date: May 24th 2012

Source: Received a copy for review from Entangled via NetGalley.

From Goodreads: 

Someone is kidnapping and incinerating otherworlders beyond recognition, and detective Marisol Whitman, a succubus, races to find the murderer before he claims another victim. But her pursuit is derailed when her responsible younger sister vanishes. Marisol suspects foul play and enlists support from an unlikely source: an agent from the Otherworlder Enforcement Agency, Valerio Costa.

When the trail pointing to everyone from vampires to witches dries up, Agent Costa admits to knowing more than he’s shared. Marisol’s sister’s kidnapper harnesses more magic than she can imagine—and they’re running out of time. To find her sister before her powers are drained and twisted beyond recognition, Marisol must connect the dots between cases and put her trust in Costa, a salamander who may burn her before she can solve either case.

My Review

**WARNING: CONTAINS MILD SPOILERS**

At 211 pages, this should have been a pretty fast read for someone who can finish a 300+ page novel in a single day. However, Succubus Lost ended up taking me 3 days to get through.

I don’t know why. I mean, there were a number of things about this that didn’t wow me.

1) I didn’t connect with the characters very well and so didn’t find myself caring about them very much.

2) I didn’t find the male counterpart anywhere near as appealing as the MC did.

3) The initial intimate scene seemed to fall something very unnatural, with very little lead up to it, and it seemed almost clumsy to the point it felt forced—like it had been stuck in there because it was expected rather than because the story warranted it.

4) I think because of the initial intimate scene not gelling for me, I’d kind of lost any believability I had for the progression of the relationship by the time the MC and the male counterpart did actually get it together, and even with that, the interruption the following morning and the wonky apology from the one responsible was another ‘forced’-feeling addition to the story.

5) I felt that the reasoning behind the antagonists scheming was weak and not in the slightest bit believable. I was expecting something a lot stronger than that.

6) All the MC and the male counterpart did was work a case together and have sex once, and I feel as though this wasn’t enough for his confession at the end that he thought he was falling in love with her and couldn’t live without her in his life—though, I guess the fact I didn’t really ‘connect’ with these two characters most likely hindered that.

But having said all that, I did plough on through and persevere. I think it just wasn’t for me.

Have you read this title? What’d you think?

Dead Sexy: New Entangled Imprint Coming Soon!

From the publisher responsible for titles such as the Lola Cruz Mysteries, Lisa Kessler’s Night World series, and for uniting the universe with the Lux series’ delicious Daemon Black comes a new imprint: DEAD SEXY Books.

DEAD SEXY will launch on June 15th.

Are you looking forward to it?

♥     ♥     ♥

Here’s a glimpse at DEAD SEXY’s Launch Titles:

Her Forgotten Betrayal by Anna DeStefano

Remembering will save her life. But will the truth destroy their love forever?

When the CEO of a global technology empire retreats to her ancestral mountain home to heal from a brutal shooting, she discovers the danger has just begun. The FBI suspects her of selling top-secret government research, and has sent an undercover agent to find evidence of her treason. Still suffering from amnesia, she is at the mercy of nightmares that soon morph into something much more terrifying—a determined enemy, plotting to make sure she never regains her fragile memory. When a handsome stranger sweeps in from the cold, claiming to be her protector—and her former lover—she suspects he’s not telling her the whole truth about his sudden appearance on the mountain. As their unwilling attraction blossoms to sizzling passion, she begins to trust him…unaware that he is about to repeat the most painful betrayal of her past—a past she doesn’t remember…a past that just may kill her.

No Hero, by Mallory Kane

A darkly handsome New Orleans detective who insists he’s no hero is blindsided by his one-time lover, a sexy investigative TV reporter, who exposes his secret troubled past to the whole world…and nearly costs him his job. When the at-risk teens he mentors start turning up dead, his vow to protect the other kids hits a major snag…his only clue to finding the determined killer is held by the one woman he never wants to see again. Compelled to work together to solve the vicious murders before another child dies, their passion reluctantly reignites, and their mutual mistrust slowly turns to respect as she realizes there’s much more to being a hero than outward appearances, and his deeply wounded heart gradually opens to the possibility of love.

Sacrifice of Passion, by Melissa Bourbon Ramirez

A tall, dark, single-dad Texas rancher finds himself facing more than his stubbornly silent son when the chupacabra, a supposedly mythical blood-sucking beast, starts killing his livestock—and stalking the town’s newly returned veterinary assistant, the sensual woman who ran from the altar and broke his heart twelve years earlier. Determined to purge his sizzling memories of her from his all-too-vivid imagination, he seeks her help to get to the bottom of the disturbing animal mutilations, only to have her break through to his sullen son…and rekindle the love he’d thought was lost forever. But her refusal to share a terrible secret sends her running straight into the lair of the chupacabra, plunging her back into her worst nightmare, and forcing them both to confront the wrongs of the past—in order to stay alive for the future they desperately want.

Deadly Secrets, Loving Lies, by Cynthia Cooke

Family secrets must be kept, and painful wounds must be ignored.

After an all-out assault by a vicious terrorist bent on destroying her entire family, a former government agent must break the strict rules she has always lived by when she emerges from hiding to reluctantly accept the help of her all-too-sexy ex-lover. Running a deadly race against time, they rush to rescue her kidnapped sister, find her missing father, and bring the notorious villain to justice. But nothing ever goes as planned. Bullets fly, danger abounds, and their passion reignites even faster than the lies are flowing. But their stubbornly held secrets just might spell the end of their rekindled love and hopes for the future…as well as their very lives.

Author Interview: Meet the Authors of the Autism Awareness Anthology: Love Knows No Bounds

Hey, it’s with great pleasure that I welcome these three authors to my blog. Boone Brux, Brooke Moss, & Nina Croft have all teamed up and produced the anthology: Love Knows No Bounds.

Let’s have a look at each of the three included titles and say hi to the contributing authors.

When ultra-shy pushover Faye Albert decides to live a little, she inadvertently binds her soul to Satan by following him on Twitter. And overnight, her dreams of being confident, beautiful, and adored by men
are coming true. No longer is she overlooked, pushed out her place in line, or just plain pushed over.

But it comes at a price: if she doesn’t figure out how break the contract, she’ll lose her soul to the Dark Prince forever. 

With time running out, and no idea how to unfollow Satan, she enlists the help of Christopher White, a gorgeous photographer from work. All the while, Satan’s little helper dogs her every step and offers her things she’s only dreamed of, tempting Faye with a lifetime of earthly treasures. And unconditional love. But will she yes to a love

that knows no bounds?

Hi Boone, and welcome to Bookaroo-Ju. So … Satan using Twitter? *grin* How did you come up with that concept?

My husband and I were in the car and I was surfing Twitter. I’m not sure how it happened, (divine intervention?) but I landed on Satan’s profile. It said something like, By clicking follow you agree to bind your soul in eternal servitude…or something like that. We laughed but then the light bulb clicked on. D’oh what if that was true? The story kind of wrote itself.

Hehehe, love when an idea comes along like that.

Christopher White sounds like he could be an adorable counterpart judging by the blurb. If you had to describe him in only three words, what three would you choose?

Unruffled, witty, and trustworthy.

Oooh. And what about the main man from downstairs? Will he be putting in an actual appearance in the tale? Or is that something the reader will have to find out for themselves?

He’s hell on wheels at tweeting but sends his minion, Vern to handle the heavy work.

Heh, typical. If you accidentally followed Satan on Twitter, what kind of delights could tempt you into trouble?

Probably things like world peace, cures for cancer, getting a spot on Dancing With the Stars. Important, life changing things.

Okay, and finally, a couple of quickfire Q’s:

Pizza toppings: the entire works … or the plainer the better?

The works! (accompanied by beer)

Weres or Vamps?

Weres, I have a hard time staying up past 9:00.

I’m a were girl, too–but for whole other reasons. Ice cream or fresh cream?

Fresh cream as long as I’m not the one that has to milk the cow or churn it.

LOL

In a single sentence, what will sales of the anthology mean to the supported cause?

By teaming up entertaining stories and a great cause, we not only help AutismSpeaks financially, but also spread awareness about issues surrounding the autism spectrum.

Anna Kirkpatrick isn’t looking for love. Being a single mom to Bowan, her eight-year-old autistic son, takes up all of her time…leaving no room for romance. Willing to do anything to help her son come out of his shell, Anna agrees to take Bowan to cooking classes with a world class chef.

Motorcycle-riding pastry chef Leo Mancini isn’t exactly searching for ”the one”, either. After losing every penny he had, his business, and his girlfriend, he’s moved to northern Idaho to sulk, restart his career, and pay his sister back for a loan that no amount of money could ever really suffice.

When Anna and Leo discover that Bowan’s fondness for the kitchen extends beyond his peculiar cookbook collection, Leo quickly becomes the one person who can break through his barriers. But will Leo and Anna’s attraction lead to more than just a weekly cooking lesson?

And now onto Brooke. Hey, welcome to my blog. Bittersweet certainly sounds as though it could be full of tenderness and a few tears, with a heart-warming ending. Where did the inspiration come from for it?

Thanks for having me today, I’m thrilled to be here! Bittersweet is definitely full of tenderness. I actually got the inspiration for this story from two sources, one of which is more significant than the other. First, my youngest son is on the Autism scale with a diagnosis of PDD/SPD (Pervasive development disorder and sensory processing disorder) So I wanted to write a story for this particular charity that embodied what it feels like to be a parent to a child on the spectrum. Emotional, difficult, defeating, tiring, but extremely gratifying. Also, at the time that my publisher put out the call for submissions, I was crushing on television pastry chef Johnny Iuzzini. So this story gave me a really good excuse to put him into a book, which I’d been looking for.

Having worked with children and adults with autism, I get how important it is for them to have a grounded routine and I love the sound of how Leo is weaved into the plot. Was it difficult to weave a romance into a story where the child is the main focus for the leading female?

You know, surprisingly enough, not really! I actually write a lot of “mom-lit”, so having children in the cast of characters isn’t that tough for me. It’s just a matter of finding that balance between a woman with needs and desires, and a responsible parent. Which, when you think about, is a struggle every mother goes through every day.

Very true. Even for the married ladies, it’s a game of balance.

And because I love motorcycle-riding dudes, I gotta ask where the ideas came from for moulding the male counterpart … oh, yeah, and what bike does he ride?

Oh, I love how your mind works. As I mentioned before, celebrity chef Johnny Iuzzini inspired the character of Leo Mancini. I adore him, and often blog about his infinite hotness. Because, well, look at him, and he bakes cookies and candies and incredible desserts! Um, hello! And as for what Leo Mancini drives, I picture him on a teal & white Harley Heritage soft tail.

 And quickfire Q’s:

Favourite Ben & Jerry’s ice cream?

Half Baked. I could make myself sick on that stuff.

Dogs or cats?

Dogs. Always dogs. Cats make me sneeze and would eventually make me stop breathing. I choose life.

Yeah, probably best to stay alive. Meat or veg?

You know, my husband and I are working hard on eating clean. We only do meat 2-3 times a week, and we eat a lot of alternative grains and protein sources. If I have to eat meat, though, I would say I am a sucker for fish. I love scallops.

In a single sentence, what will sales of the anthology for the supported cause mean to you?

Frankly, every single sale of this book is a personal donation made towards my son, Sam’s, success and well being; and there is nothing that a reader can do that will touch my heart more than building a world for Sam that is more accepting and understanding. 

Unable to bear the thought of losing his mortal wife, Caden Wolfe steals the Elixir of Life and offers her eternity. But the theft is discovered, his wife is slain, and Caden is stripped of his angel’s wings and cast down into the Abyss.

Having drunk of the Elixir of Life, Phoebe Little’s soul is tied to the earth in a perpetual cycle of death and rebirth. Unaware that she has lived countless lives, Phoebe is haunted by the loss of a love she has no memory of.

Caden has spent a thousand years searching for his wife. Now he has found her, and only Phoebe’s love can redeem them both. But Phoebe fell in love with an angel, and Caden is now a demon of the Abyss. Can she see past what he has become, remember the love they once shared, and have a second chance at forever?

And last but not least, let’s welcome Nina. Hi, Nina, I’m very intrigued by the blurb for your novella. In particular, I’m interested in Phoebe’s ‘perpetual cycle of death and rebirth’. Would you liken this to reincarnation? Does Phoebe live a normal human life each time she is reborn?

Yes, it is similar to reincarnation. Reincarnation is usually described as where the soul transfers into another body (not necessarily a human) on death, and that’s what happens to Phoebe’s soul. My reincarnation is slightly different though in that Phoebe’s soul transfers into a new body, but that body grows up to look like she was in her original existence.

Phoebe tries to live a normal life, but each time she’s reborn, she’s haunted by dreams of loss, which makes her wary of loving in case she loses again. In her current life, she’s suffered nightmares from an early age, and that has left her with a huge fear of commitment—which doesn’t make things easy for poor Cade.

To be reborn each time and not be reunited with the one she should be is sad enough for Phoebe in the reader’s eyes—despite her being unaware of he who she’s missing. For Caden, knowing of his wife yet his search remaining fruitless for years is downright tragic. What drives you to be so harsh on your characters?

I could just say that I’m a real mean person, but it wouldn’t be true—honest!

I think one of the reasons people read is to experience strong emotions: love, hate, fear…. Readers have to care what happens to the characters or they won’t read on, and one of the ways they come to care is to see them struggling to overcome adversity, and to fear that they won’t succeed in their goals.

Plus, my characters have to deserve their HEA, they have to work hard for it, and that makes it all the sweeter when they do finally get there.

At least they are eventually reunited. Are you a believer of soul mates and that for every person out there ‘The One’ exists somewhere?

I do—but only in paranormal books! I love the idea that ‘The One’ exists and I think it’s a fabulous premise for a story.

 I agree! And here are your quickfire Q’s:

Sausage or bacon (please shoot me if you’re a vegetarian)?

I’m not a vegetarian (in fact at one point in my life I was bordering on carnivorous) and I think I’d have to go with bacon. But recently, I acquired a pet pig, a three legged, Vietnamese pot-bellied pig called Piggles, to be precise, and I’m thinking of banning all pork products from the house—not because Piggles would be offended, but because she keeps eying up my bacon sandwich hungrily and there’s something not quite right about that!

Hahahahaha. Couscous or rice?

Do I have to make a choice here? Okay—I’ll go with couscous, as summer is coming and I love couscous salads.

Angels … or demons?

Easy one—demons. Maybe because I’m far from angelic myself. But also because I love redemption stories, so a fallen angel/demon was great to work with.

And finally, give folk one more push to buy this great antho: Where will the proceeds be sent?

All profits go to Autism Speaks, the nation’s largest autism science and advocacy organization, dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism; increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders; and advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families.

Thank you so much for visiting my blog today, ladies. It’s been an absolute pleasure.

So, if you fancy picking up a great read as well as supporting an awesome cause, I urge to go grab yourselves a copy of Love Knows No Bounds (pssst: click on the images to be taken to the goods). And don’t forget to spread the word, too! Of you go, go, go, gooooo!

To help you along, here are the links to the novellas:

Tweet | Bittersweet | Remember Me

Review: Shadows by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Shadows

Series: Lux #0.5

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Publisher: Entangled Publishing

Publication date: February 21st 2012

Source: I own a copy.

From Goodreads: 

The last thing Dawson Black expected was Bethany Williams. As a Luxen, an alien life form on Earth, human girls are…well, fun. But since the Luxen have to keep their true identities a secret, falling for one would be insane.

Dangerous. Tempting. Undeniable.

Bethany can’t deny the immediate connection between her and Dawson. And even though boys aren’t a complication she wants, she can’t stay away from him. Still, whenever they lock eyes, she’s drawn in.

Captivated. Lured. Loved.

Dawson is keeping a secret that will change her existence…and put her life in jeopardy. But even he can’t stop risking everything for one human girl. Or from a fate that is as unavoidable as love itself.

Before I start … DAYAM, I just love that cover! Okay …

My Review

This is the second time I’ve read this novella. As my view hasn’t changed in the slightest, and I still feel exactly the same way, I figured I’d stick with my original review (which is fairly small as it’s a novella).

**SPOILER ALERT**

Is it … um .. . normal to sniffle whilst trying to write a review? Dayam! I’m so sad. (

People, do not be fooled by the light hearted tone of this book. Don’t even let your guard down when Dawson’s TOTAL ADORABILITY turns you to mush. Because something bad is coming. Oh, hell yes.

Even reading Obsidian and going into this with eyes wide open didn’t prepare me for the emotional shitfest, which smacks you upside the head like a freight train: the soul crushing ending to this tale.

Oh, Daemon, how I understand you so much better now. That is all.

And because I snorted out loud at it, I abso have to share my favourite line:

Hey, honey, I’m an alien and apparently I just doused you with some radioactive loving!

Jennifer L. Armentrout, you’re an absolute hoot.

My rating: 5 stars

Have you read this title? What’d you think?

And whilst I have you here, can I just say how thrilled I am to be an Elite Team Member for the Daemon Invasion.

Want to know what this is? Check out my post explaining it all.

Or if you want to be part of my team, email me at: bookarooju@live(.)co(.)uk

#DaemonInvasion is coming, guys! Are YOU on a team? [Updated Post]

Over the last couple of weeks, you’ve heard us talking about the upcoming #daemoninvasion and we’re so excited to finally share with you what is going on.

Really excited.

The beautiful and uber cool models, Pepe Toth and Sztella Tziotziosz, who grace the Lux covers, will be joining us in the United States!  You heard right.  They are flying here, from Hungary to spend a few days as Daemon and Katy! While they are here, they will be working with Vania, from VLC Productions (the team behind Cassandra Clare’s The Mortal Instruments, Melissa de La Cruz, Kimberly Derting, Moira Young, Kami Garcia and Margret Stohl, Hillary Duff, Lauren Destefano, and many, many more authors’ book trailers), to film book trailers for the Lux Series.

During the filming in Atlanta, they will be accompanying us on tour! What does that mean? You get to meet them. In the flesh. They will be participating in the signings and events. At those signings, we’ll be giving away signed posters, photos, and other swag. There will also be meet and greet events you can join in on.

At each signing, there will be advanced copies of Onyx given away!

And to top things off (as if this isn’t enough, but we don’t do anything small), there’s something very, very exciting in the works! It involves advanced copies of Opal, water, and a little destination known as the Bahamas.

I am not kidding.

This will be epic.

Are you excited? I am! This tour is going to be so, so much fun, and I’m so thrilled that Pepe and Sztella are a part of it. We owe them a huge thank you and a giant welcome making the 16 hour flight to meet the readers of the Lux Series.  You!

Daemon Invasion Signing and Event Schedule

June 8^th
FoxTale Book Shoppe
Woodstock, GA
3:00pm

June 10^th
Barnes and Noble
St Johns Town Center
Jacksonville, FL
3:00pm

June 13^th
Barnes and Noble
Waterford Lakes Town Center
Orlando, FL
3:00pm

June 14^th
Barnes and Noble
The Palladium at City Place
West Palm Beach, FL
4:00pm

There are several #daemoninvasion street teamers out there and if you want to join a team to win exclusive prizes, search down the #daemoninvasion hashtag to join one of the teams!

Don’t forget to visit Jennifer L. Armentrout’s blog to win a signed set of Half-Blood and Pure  in celebration of her adult romance release, Tempting the Best Man, under pen name J. Lynn.  It can be purchased here.

You can read MY review of Tempting the Best Man HERE!

And here are a couple of #DaemonInvasion badges I’ve made so far:

Here’s my team:

1) Me (obviously) @ Bookaroo-Ju

2) Siobhan @ Totally Bookalicious

3) Kelly @ Kelly Said

4) Linda @ Banshees, Books & Baseball

5) Katherine @ Katherine Skye

6) Lea @Lena_Reve (tw)

7) Becca @ Bex Book Nook

8) Danielle @ Known to Read

9) Destiny @ Totally Bookalicious

10) Farah @  @FroggyFay

Whoo-hoo!

TEAM COMPLETE!

Review: Tempting the Best Man by J. Lynn

Title: Tempting the Best Man

Author: J. Lynn

Publisher: Entangled Publishing: Indulgence

Publication date: April 23rd 2012

Source: I own a copy.

From Goodreads: 

Madison Daniels has worshipped her brother’s best friend since they were kids. Everyone thinks she and Chase Gamble would make the perfect couple, but there are two major flaws in their logic. 1) Chase has sworn off relationships of any kind, and 2) after blurring the line between friends and lovers for one night four years ago, they can’t stop bickering.

Forced together for her brother’s wedding getaway, Chase and Madison decide to call a truce for the happy couple. Except all bets are off when they’re forced to shack up in a tacky 70’s honeymoon suite and survive a multitude of “accidents” as the family tries to prove their “spark” can be used than for more than fighting. That is, if they don’t strangle each other first…

My Review

There’s nothing quite like being in love with a YA author’s writing, only to find she’s releasing something that her ‘older’ audience can really sink their teeth into. I had high expectations for this going in … to the point, I found out about it …. Ten minutes later, I’d nabbed a copy …. And soon as I’d finished (yes, the same day) what my head was currently in (which just happened to be one said author’s YA titles, lol), I picked this one up.

Was I disappointed?

Well, I read way later than I should have in bed last night (a totally appropriate place to be reading this ) and I finished it off this morning around getting the kidlets ready for school and eating breakfast and twittering.

Does that answer your question?

Okay, here’s a little more:

- Maddie. I soooooooooooo relate to this character. My best friend when I was growing up was the youngest in her family. By about a 7 year age gap, she had three older brothers. So, hanging around at her house often meant being amongst said older brothers and their older mates. Whilst it was never ‘cool’ for them to be hanging around with them, they always tolerated us. And if me and my friend were ever out and about, it was like a little family of protectiveness, because we’d always bump into at least one of them and they’d be asking why we weren’t home yet. So although I’ve only seen it from the pov of a friend of someone just like Maddie, I 100% understand the relationship system that J. Lynn has created. And I have to say, she nailed it spot on. Maddie isn’t the spoilt brat she might appear at first reading–especially to someone who doesn’t get it–she’s the young who has grown up surrounding by people always looking out for her, and totally treated like something special. And in case you didn’t catch it? All those vulnerabilities of hers, as a result of that cocooning, are pretty much spot on as well.

- Chase. What’s not to love? Seriously? He’s a little something for everyone. To begin, he sounds like the arrogant a$$ some girls love to hate or hate to love–yeah, the one everyone loves in fiction coz his wisea$$ cracks aren’t aimed at themselves. And by the end, once all of his vulnerabilities are laid bare to the reader, we see a totally different side of him as he softens and the tenderness moves in–though even tender, he seems a bit of a force to be reckoned with, which ain’t necessarily a bad thing.

- So, once again, this author’s characterisation is high up on ranking scale.

- What about supporting cast? Yep, all good, all full-bodied, all individual and quirky and leave the reader with a desire to know more about them. Yep, I’ve left with a full understanding of each of the character’s personalities, too. And Maddie’s friend from work–Bridget? She’s a hoot and had me chuckling away at the end scene.

- Oh, and let’s not forget the plot. Yeah, the setting was coolio, the whole spread of one day after another was perfectly paced, and the twistaroo where Chased became Chaser (<<see what I did there?) was just smile-worthy.

That, me dearies, is why there was ZERO disappointment. That, me lovelies, is why this one got rated a FIVE!

So … how long till Unchained’s out then?

My rating: 5 stars

Have you read this title? What’d you think?

Review: Bare Naked Lola by Melissa Bourbon Ramirez

Title: Bare Naked Lola

Series: A Lola Cruz Mystery #3

Author: Melissa Bourbon Ramirez

Publisher: Entangled Publishing

Publication date: May 15th 2012

Source: A HUGE thanks to NetGalley and Entangled for the review ARC.

From Goodreads: 

Going undercover is second nature for Private Investigator Lola Cruz, but she’s out of her league when the case of a murdered Royals Courtside Dancer leads her to a local nudist resort. Parading around the sidelines of Sacramento’s professional basketball scene in a barely-there cheerleading outfit is one thing—but parading around in nothing but smile? If she has any chance of hiding this from her traditional family and on-again/off-again boyfriend Jack, she’s going to have a lot more than her duct tape bra and killer dance moves to keep under wraps….

My Review

This was my first foray into the somewhat crazy world of Lola Cruz, and I have to say I rather enjoyed. I’d even go as far as to say that I wouldn’t mind meeting up with this sassy bird again. Because Bare Naked Lola was fun and feisty chicklit-meets-mystery at its finest.

What did I love about it? Hmmm. Lola, for sure. She was such an awesome character to travel along with. She was funny, sexy without even realising it, a little bit insecure to give all us ladies out here something to relate to, understatedly smart to the point you don’t even realise she’s actually solving the case until it all wraps up nicely with a fat bow at the end, and kick-ass when the moment calls for it. Seriously. But the author as done such a great job of 100% subtly weaving all of these traits in, not for one minute is the reader smacked upside the head with any of them. And then there are all the little side characters that support Lola in coming to life. For instance: Jack. We don’t meet Jack in person until fairly far into the book but he is so much a huge presence in Lola’s thoughts that the reader feels as though they already know him by the time he shows up. And when he does turn up, we’re not disappointed. Because he’s just as adorable as Ms Cruz. Then we have Lola’s family. Another adorable bunch that make you wish you were part of the family, too. And let’s not forget the team at the detective agency: I enjoyed learning about each and every one of them. long story short: each and every character, however small a part they seemed to play, was well rounded to the point you understood ‘who’ they were and how they related to Lola.

Onto the mystery solving and the bad guys. No, I’m not going to give it away. Because I loathe spoilers myself. But I spent the entire book thinking, ‘it’s them’, ‘no, no, it’s them’, ‘dammit, is it them?’<<get it? I couldn’t make up my mind. and whilst the end reveal didn’t exact come as a surprise, I’d had my doubts and ran through a whole list of suspects so I probably wouldn’t have been surprised whoever it turned out to be because I’d condemned the lot of them until proven innocent.

So why the loss of half star in the rating, you’re probably wondering. Well, it’s something small, and I’m probably way more to blame than the author, but … I struggled with the bombardment of characters in the very opening. I know, I know, if I’d read the previous titles, I’d have kept up and known who 80% of them were already. But I hadn’t read the previous titles and it took me around the first 5% to organise everyone’s names and roles in my head. Also, the Spanish. No, before you all jump on me, I’m not criticising its use. But I don’t speak the language, and whilst sometimes it was explained, or other times its intent was obvious, that wasn’t always the case. To begin, I found the foreign (to me) language distracting, but the deeper I got into the book, the more I got used to it being there, and the less it bothered me. And quite a few times—those times when its translation was pretty clear—it added to the amusement of the scene.

All in all, a cracking read.

My rating: 4.5

Have you read this title? What’d you think?