Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren

Synopsis:
An ambitious intern. A perfectionist executive. And a whole lot of name calling. 

Whip-smart, hardworking, and on her way to an MBA, Chloe Mills has only one problem: her boss, Bennett Ryan. He's exacting, blunt, inconsiderate--and completely irresistible. A Beautiful Bastard.

Bennett has returned to Chicago from France to take a vital role in his family's massive media business. He never expected that the assistant who'd been helping him from abroad was the gorgeous, innocently provocative--completely infuriating--creature he now has to see every day. Despite the rumors, he's never been one for a workplace hookup. But Chloe's so tempting he's willing to bend the rules--or outright smash them--if it means he can have her. All over the office. 

As their appetites for one another increase to a breaking point, Bennett and Chloe must decide exactly what they're willing to lose in order to win each other.

Originally only available online as The Office by tby789--and garnering over 2 million reads on fanfiction sites--Beautiful Bastard has been extensively updated for re-release.

My Thoughts:
Beautiful Bastard was the first erotica novel that I have ever read. Normally, books with a lot of sex scenes make me uncomfortable while reading them. That wasn't the case with Beautiful Bastard. It was written very well. The words almost flowed off the page.

The sex scenes were descriptive and interesting. The authors switched it up, so it wasn't the same boring position and place every time. Even though the sex scenes were fun, they didn't overshadow the story, for which I was grateful. The book still had an intriguing plot. It was great to watch Bennett and Chloe's relationship evolve and to figure out how they were going to overcome their struggles. 

At the beginning of the book, I hated both Bennett and Chloe. After the first sex scene, I just hated Bennett. I thought he was a pompous ass. However, as the story progressed, I realized why he acted the way he did, and didn't hate him as much. There was still a few points in the book where I wanted to strangle him. By the end of the book, I loved both Chloe and Bennett. I wanted more of their story. I am disappointed that they won't be main characters in the rest of the series.

I give Beautiful Bastard: 4/5.

Want to know more about the author?
Website: http://www.christinalaurenbooks.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beautifulbastard
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6556689.Christina_Lauren

I received this book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. I was in no way compensated for this review.

Sex in the Title by Zack Love excerpt

RELEASE DATE: October 21, 2013

SYNOPSIS:

New York City, May 2000. The Internet bubble has burst, and Evan's boss fires him with an email. The next day, his girlfriend dumps him, also via email. Afraid to check any more emails, Evan desperately seeks a rebound romance but the catastrophes that ensue go from bad to hilariously worse. Fortunately, Evan meets someone whose legendary disasters with females eclipse even his own.

To reverse their fortunes, they recruit their friends into a group of five guys who take on Manhattan in pursuit of dates, sex, and adventure. With musings about life, relationships, and human psychology, this quintessential New York story about the search for happiness follows five men on their comical paths to trouble, self-discovery, and love.

AUTHOR BIO:

Zack Love graduated from Harvard College, where he tried to create a bachelor’s degree in Women. With the bachelor portion of that degree in hand, he settled in New York City but – to afford renting his bed-sized studio – found himself flirting mostly with a computer screen and stacks of documents. Determined not to die a corporate drone, Zack decided to sacrifice sleep for screenwriting, an active social life, and Internet startups offering temporary billion-dollar fantasies.

To feed his steady diet of NYC nightlife, he regularly crashed VIP parties in the early 2000s and twice bumped into his burgeoning crush, a Hollywood starlet. But – much to Zack’s surprise – neither of those awkward conversations led to marriage with the A-list actress. Zack eventually consoled himself by imagining fiascoes far worse than those involving his celebrity crush. In the process, he dreamed up a motley gang of five men inspired by some of his college friends and quirky work colleagues. And thus was born Sex in the Title. But the novel is not autobiographical: Zack never had his third leg attacked by any mammal (nor by any plant, for that matter). In fact, keeping his member safe has been one of Zack’s lifelong goals – and one of the few that he’s managed to accomplish.

LINKS:

Web site: www.SexInTheTitleBook.com

Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UN03E9gp2g

Amazon USA: http://tinyurl.com/AmazonSITT

Amazon UK: http://tinyurl.com/AmazonUKSITT

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18710853-sex-in-the-title

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sex-in-the-Title/1422575181304519

Goodreads Fan Group: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/121275-sex-in-the-title-fan-club

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00GG9GI2S

Twitter: @ZackLoveAuthor

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT

“So what’s the body count?”

“The body count?”

“You know: how many women have you slept with in your twenty-nine years?”

Evan wasn’t sure whether to overstate the number to look sexually impressive to a soft porn star, or whether to understate the number to look less promiscuous and more like the responsible, clean cut, solid-boyfriend type. Since he still hadn’t quite figured out what Tina was looking for or who she really was, he decided just to tell the truth.

“I’ve been with about sixty-seven women.”

“What do you mean ‘about sixty-seven?’ You say ‘about sixty’ or ‘about seventy.’ But not ‘about sixty-seven.’ You’re obviously keeping track.” Tina looked amused at another opportunity to toy with Evan.

“All right. You got me,” Evan conceded. “I’ve been with precisely sixty-seven women.”

“Unless, of course, you said ‘about’ because the total depends on how you define ‘being with a woman.’ For example, if you just got a blowjob and nothing else then maybe you don’t count that.”

“OK. To be more precise, I’ve had sexual intercourse with sixty-seven women.”

“All right, so then you’ve probably been with many more women than sixty-seven?”

“Yeah. But I don’t keep track of those.” Evan suddenly wondered why he didn’t bother to keep track of anything but consummation.

“I see…So when did you get started on these sixty-seven women?”

“You mean, how old was I when I lost my virginity?”

“Yes.”

“Twenty.”

“So you’ve slept with sixty-seven women in just nine years.”

“Well, actually I’ve had six serious relationships that together took up about two years.”

“Serious? Let’s see…Six serious relationships in two years…So each one lasted an average of four months. You call that serious?”

“Well, it was an intense four months. And I wasn’t seeing anyone else. You know, that’s kind of a big deal in New York,” he added ironically. “Dating someone exclusively for four months in New York is like four years in Anchorage.”

Tina chuckled at Evan’s joke. “All right, so not counting the serious relationships, you’ve slept with...” She crunched some numbers in her head. “You’ve slept with sixty-one women in just seven years…That’s an average of almost nine per year…A new woman every forty days.” Tina seemed impressed, which suddenly made Evan feel rather promiscuous.

What Does the Fox Say? by Ylvis

Synopsis:
Do you know what the fox says? Based on the hugely popular YouTube video with more than 200 million views, this picture book is packed full of foxy fun.

Dog goes woof. Cat goes meow. Bird goes tweet and mouse goes squeak… 

But what does the fox say?

The lyrics of Ylvis’s YouTube sensation “The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?)” meet Svein Nyhus’s playful illustrations in this irresistibly entertaining read-aloud picture book.

My Thoughts:
If you have an internet connection, I'm sure that by now you've heard the song, "What Does the Fox Say?" by Ylvis. It was the break out song of the summer. The song has been performed on Ellen. Also, there are numerous covers and parodies of it. Well now, there's also a children's book. 

What Does the Fox Say is an interesting children's book. The book has the lyrics to the song, along with illustrations. I don't know why, but the book was slightly disappointing to me. I should have known that is all the book would be, but for some reason I was expecting more. 

Even though I was slightly disappointed, I think children will love this book. I know many children that really like the song. I recommend playing the song to your children while reading the book, or maybe after. The illustrations are adorable as well. What Does the Fox Say would make a great gift for children everywhere.

I give What Does the Fox Say?: 4/5.

I received this book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. I was in no way compensated for this review.

Unearthed by Rachael Wade Blog Tour

Unearthed (A Resistance Trilogy Novella) $0.99 Blitz PLUS Giveaway!

Hey paranormal romance fans, have you checked out The Resistance Trilogy by author Rachael Wade? Book 1, Amaranth is FREE at all e-book retailers including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, Kobo, and Apple, and now through 12/19, UNEARTHED, a novella that follows the events of the trilogy, is on sale for only $0.99. If you love vampires, witches, and magic with your romance, then grab Amaranth for free today and give the series a try. Want to win a signed paperback set of the trilogy, signed bookmarks, and signed poster? Enter below!

Unearthed Buy Links:

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Smashwords
Apple
Kobo

*WARNING*
This is a short novella intended to be read after The Tragedy of Knowledge. It takes place after the events of The Resistance Trilogy.

For Gavin and Camille, the Amaranthian war is over. But they’ve evolved since then, and so has the realm they’ve come to know as home. Now comfortable and happy in their new life, they soon discover that something groundbreaking is brewing, threatening to disrupt the peace they’ve worked so hard to secure. And whether they’re prepared or not, it’s about to be unearthed.

Approx. 25,000 words

About the Author:

Rachael Wade is the Amazon bestselling author of THE PRESERVATION SERIES, LOVE AND RELATIVITY, and the upcoming New Adult sci-fi series, THE KEEPERS TRILOGY. When she's not writing, she's busy going to concerts, watching too many movies, and learning how to protect animals and the environment. She's an avid Brandi Carlile fan and loves all things Tim Burton. Visit her at www.RachaelWade.com and www.LightsOnLove.com, and come chat with her on Twitter @RachaelWade.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tipsy Release Day Launch

 

Synopsis

Julie Preston is an artist. But her canvas isn’t paper or clay. It’s hair. She spends her days coloring, blow drying and styling her clients hair at the Razor’s Edge salon. Julie is also annoyed. She went out on a date and had a great time, gave the guy her number and the jerk never called.

So when he waltzes into the salon and sits down in her chair she briefly considers strangling him with the pink cape she fastens around his neck.

Too bad she can’t.

Blue Markson, the guy who never called, is a police officer so causing him bodily harm would be a first class ticket into the slammer. Just looking at him again makes Julie forget why she was mad in the first place, but she’s already learned that Blue is nothing but heartache. So when he starts coming around, acting like he hadn’t made her stare at the phone for days, she tries to brush him off.

Only…

Her life is about to blow up in her face, she’s about to get caught up in a sticky web of crime and the one guy who can help her is the one guy she vowed never to trust again.

 

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Buy Now

Amazon / Barnes & Noble

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Excerpt

I leaned back against my padded headboard and tried to calm my rolling stomach. As I sat there, trying not to barf a light sound caught my attention.             
It was the closing of the front door.             
I perked up, forgetting all about the fact I was suffering from an attack of an unsuspecting hangover.             
Had I forgotten to lock the door? I never forgot to lock the door. But I was usually not running from my best friend.             
Great.             
The one time I don’t lock the damn door is the one time a burglar decides to come a calling.             
Too bad for mister criminal I had a plan for something like this. I was the kind of girl that always had a plan.             
I crept into the bathroom, being as quiet as I could and reached into the cabinet. I pulled out my weapons (hey, all the crap that women have to do to themselves to look good definitely qualify as weapons.) and gripped them closely to my chest with both hands.             My heart was beating so hard against my ribs that it actually hurt and I had to work to not gasp for breath. Catching my intruder by surprise was key to my plan.             
Moving quickly through the dark I moved to the bedroom door, leaning against the wall and peering out into the darkened hallway. I could see the top of the stairs from where I stood, as well as the railing that ran alongside the hallway to keep someone from falling into the stairwell from upstairs.            
 Courtesy of the nightlight down in the entry way (it came in handy when I wanted a drink in the middle of the night) I saw a shadow move against the wall, the figure was large and distorted against the tall bare wall of the stairwell.             
Up until that point I hadn’t been certain someone was in the house.             But now I couldn’t deny it.             
There was a robber in my house.             
He for sure had nefarious plans.             
Too bad for him I had a really shitty night and wasn’t in the mood.             As his foot stepped on the bottom stairs I slinked out of the door and along the wall, keeping my eyes trained on the top of the stairs. He began climbing the stairs (I was very unimpressed with his quietness, or rather lack thereof.) and as he climbed I slipped along the wall, moving through the darkness until I was standing in the corner directly across from the top of the stairs.             
I saw his shoulders appear as he continued upwards. He was wearing a dark coat and a dark hat… he was nothing but a large ominous shape in the night.             
I swallowed, the sound of my saliva scraping down my dry throat made me wince and my palms were sweaty, causing me to tighten my grip on my weapons.  

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Meet the Author

Cambria Hebert is the author of the young adult paranormal Heven and Hell series, the new adult Death Escorts series, and the new adult Take it Off series. She loves a caramel latte, hates math and is afraid of chickens (yes, chickens). She went to college for a bachelor’s degree, couldn’t pick a major, and ended up with a degree in cosmetology. So rest assured her characters will always have good hair. She currently lives in North Carolina with her husband and children (both human and furry) where she is plotting her next book. You can find out more about Cambria and her work by visiting http://www.cambriahebert.com

Social Media Links

Cambria’s website: http://www.cambriahebert.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cambria-Hebert/128278117253138

Twitter: https://twitter.com/cambriahebert

Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/cambriahebert/pins/

GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5298677.Cambria_Hebert

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Buy Take It Off Series Now

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Smashwords

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Smashwords

Hosted By:

 

Walker by Chad Schimke

Synopsis:
A hidden alien race lives secretly alongside humans. A dancer frequents hot night spots as a young model’s career rises. They are released from their ties to humanity, aligned with a horrific monster.

My Thoughts:

Walker was a strange story. I'm still not sure if I liked it or not. The beginning of the book drew me in from the start. I liked reading a book about aliens. There is one other book that I have read about aliens, but it was a YA book called Exiled by RaShelle Workman. The premise of Walker was different than anything I had ever read. I also enjoyed the vampire aspect of the book. It was almost a vampire/alien mash up. 

The only thing I didn't like about the novella is that it was confusing at times. The explanations were hard for me to understand. However, that could be because I don't read a lot of science fiction. I loved how the story ended. I thought it was a crazy plot twist. I definitely wasn't expecting it.


I give Walker: 3/5.

Want to know more about the author?
Blog: http://chadschimke.blogspot.com/
Pintrest: http://www.pinterest.com/chadschimke/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Chadschimke
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChadSchimke
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Chad-Schimke/e/B0075M1V1I
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5624972.Chad_Schimke

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I was in no way compensated for this review.

Handbook for Dragon Slayers by Merrie Haskell

Synopsis:
Tilda has never given much thought to dragons, attending instead to her endless duties and wishing herself free of a princess's responsibilities.

When a greedy cousin steals Tilda's lands, the young princess goes on the run with two would-be dragon slayers. Before long she is facing down the Wild Hunt, befriending magical horses, and battling flame-spouting dragons. On the adventure of a lifetime, and caught between dreams of freedom and the people who need her, Tilda learns more about dragons—and herself—than she ever imagined.

Merrie Haskell, author of The Princess Curse, presents a magical tale of transformation, danger, and duty, starring a remarkable princess as stubborn as she is brave.

My Thoughts:
When I was starting Handbook for Dragon Slayers, I wasn't sure whether I was going to like it or not. It's a middle grade novel, and I don't usually read middle grade. However, I was pleasantly surprised. The book turned out to be enjoyable. 

The plot was fun. It kept me wondering how Tilda was going to get out of her current predicament and what she was going to get into next. It was also interesting to try to figure out how she was going to get Alder Brook back from her cousin Ivo. 

I really admired Tilda. She reminded me of Emmeline Thistle from The Sweetest Spell by Suzanne Selfors. Both of the girls have a crippled foot, but they didn't let that stop them. Tilda rose up to do things she was told were impossible, such as riding a horse. I really liked this book. I intend to read more of Merrie Haskell's books when they are released.

I give Handbook for Dragon Slayers: 5/5.

Want to know more about the author?
Website: http://www.merriehaskell.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/merriehaskellauthor
Pintrest: http://www.pinterest.com/merrie/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/merriehaskell
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2922723.Merrie_Haskell

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was in no way compensated for this review.