Friday, August 29, 2014

Cover Reveal: All Who Are Lost by Lindsey Forrest


All Who Are Lost
by Lindsey Forrest


Series: Ashmore's Folly Trilogy: Book One
Cover Design: Robin Ludwig of Robin Ludwig Design, Inc
Genre: Contemporary Women's Fiction (Romance)
Expected Release Date: October 21, 2014


Summary: 


One man.
Too many betrayals.
Three women.
One last chance.

 


On a cold winter day, a woman calls a number halfway across the world.

A man answers.

After fourteen years, Laura St. Bride hears the voice she has never forgotten, the voice she will remember with her last breath…



What do you do
when the love of your life
is the last person you should love?




A great family estate in Virginia.

Three sisters growing up in the shadow of their father’s obsessive drive to recapture his lost muse, the woman he threw into the cold Irish sea.

The scion of an old family, falling in love with the wrong sister, blind to the ice at her core.

A woman haunted by a moment of blood and violence, when she reached out and took a man who didn’t belong to her.

A man living a life of regret and sacrifice, given a second chance to claim the woman he should have loved all along.

Excerpt:



I know you’re out there somewhere....

She stared out across a crowded London square, unknowing, unseeing, the serenity of her face captured in the flat surface of the theatrical poster. The light noon rain ran down in small diagonal rivers across her, crinkling the smooth plain of her forehead and the gentle cut of her jaw. She wept, large, abandoned tears that warred with the lovely turn of her mouth.

The Great Cat, they called her.

Many of those who had come to Leicester Square, hunting for half-price theater tickets, gravitated to her, beckoned by her eyes, lured on by the legend of mist and mystery that surrounded her. A few balked at the price of “An Intimate Evening with Cat Courtney.” Others realized to their sorrow that they had conflicting tickets, meals planned with in-laws, flights to catch. Three nights only, announced the poster, and this, unfortunately, was the last night.

She smiled out at them all, oblivious to their concerns, uncaring of the rain wetting her face.

The American tourist who came walking into the square, his daughter by his side, did not notice her at first. The rain had stopped for a few minutes, and other matters engaged him: folding up a handy umbrella, glancing at his watch, reading a guide book over his daughter’s shoulder. For one minute longer, he remained merely a tourist on a much-needed vacation. For one minute longer, the Great Cat never crossed his mind.

But the Great Cat could wait, and for this man she would wait forever.

She had left him a decade before, both of them reeling from the blood of their folly, in a deserted cottage on a desolate shore on the other side of the world. Had she eyes to see, she would know him instantly.

Eventually, respite ended. Eventually, Richard Ashmore lifted his head, his eyes scanning across the theatrical posters, in search of an evening’s entertainment suitable for a young girl. The titles made little impression – Les Miserables, The Graduate, Noises Off – until he saw her and everything around her blurred into oblivion.

He knew her too, instantly.

Laura.

His worst mistake.
e
“Dad?” Julie touched her hand to his. “Do you think we can get tickets?”

“We can try.” Richard closed his fingers around hers, a talisman to ward memory off. “Don’t get your hopes up, Julie. Her concerts usually sell out.”

“Let’s ask over there,” suggested his daughter, pointing across the square to the ticket kiosk. “Maybe someone bought tickets and can’t go. Maybe someone dropped their tickets, and someone turned them in. Maybe —”

“Maybe, maybe, maybe,” he teased, but already he was allowing her to drag him across the stones towards the waiting queue.

They took their places in line. Julie was glowing with excitement, the happiest Richard had seen her since the morning before her grandparents had died. He was less optimistic. Others ahead of them had requested tickets, and the possibility of stray tickets lessened as they moved up the line. He sought to cushion her against disappointment by letting her plan the afternoon. They were only a couple of blocks from the National Gallery, or would she prefer to hop the tube for Harrods?

“Harrods,” said Julie immediately. “And tea, Dad.” She leaned in against him to look at his guidebook. “I have my birthday money from Lucy. I want to get something to wear to the concert.”

“Keep your money, kitten.” He wished that they had never seen the poster. Selfish, yes, but if meeting her eyes in a poster disturbed him, how would he feel to see her again, even in the black anonymity of an audience? Better not to know, better to go back to an occasional evening of listening to her songs in the dark and trying to make some sense of what had happened.

And Julie had endured enough recently.

They were second in line now, behind a couple attempting to get tickets to the latest Andrew Lloyd Webber. Good luck, thought Richard, who had tried for three months. They bought him a few minutes of reprieve while they settled for a sex comedy instead.

“Two for Cat Courtney,” he said, and if the gods had been with him, just this once, he would have been told in that inimitable British way, Sorry, sir, but that show has just sold out....

“Yes, a few tickets have been turned in,” and his fate was sealed. He and Julie looked at the seating chart. She sparkled as she so seldom did, and as he paid for the tickets he thought that he would bear any pain, any guilt, to see that look on her face.

“Those are good seats,” said the man behind him, another American from the sound of him. “I’ve seen her before, and she’s worth twice the price.”

Julie forgot her usual shyness with strangers. “I can’t wait! I’ve wanted to see her for so long —”

A woman with a Southern accent said kindly, “You know, darlin’, you’re just the picture of her.”

“Thank you,” said Julie. “I’m glad I am. She’s my aunt.”

And Richard Ashmore looked at the tickets and realized, with a shock, that it was June 9, and he had been married for seventeen years.
e
In his life, Richard Ashmore had made three mistakes with women. Not that three was so unusual; no man reached his thirties without suffering the particular pain that women could inflict and without inflicting it in return. He was luckier than most men, perhaps, for he had erred early and grievously, and caution had been driven into him like a bullet. He carried with him permanent reminders of his follies: a marriage gone disastrously wrong, the painful conscience that he had not always been the upright man his daughter loved, a shoulder that ached in cold weather.

Ah, Diana, unattainable once attained, a monumental mistake made in all the first flush of adolescent desire and pride. Too young to marry, too blindly in love to recognize the ice behind her eyes, he had turned a deaf ear to his father’s warning that his princess was hollow at her core.

Francie, silver-quick smile and hungry eyes, and his own need for the warmth of a woman’s arms. The dangerous combination of a magnum of champagne on New Year’s Eve and three years of exile from his marriage bed had erupted into a springtime of madness. The gods had demanded their due: a marriage wrecked beyond salvage, a family foundered, two young women cast adrift.

And the third.... Oh, but even now, all these years later, he stood before her picture, and he still did not understand. She watched him from the poster, more animated in flat gray and white than he had ever known her. But he knew those eyes. He knew how they adored him, how they burned in fever and desire, how they haunted odd moments of the day and dark pockets of the night.

Diana. Francie. Laura the Cat.

He supposed he had a special weakness for shuttered eyes that invited a man in with promises implied and unkept, for wild autumn hair spread gloriously across a pillow, for tall, elegant figures and clear, sweet voices and beguiling, destructive ways. They all three had this and more in common, and why not? They were sisters, after all.
e
                                                                                         
About Lindsey Forrest:
Lindsey Forrest, a lead writer/editor for an international information company, writes about income tax but prefers to dream of heroes and heroines and grand romance. With the publication of her trilogy, she checks off the top entry on her bucket list. She lives in north Texas with her family and cat and has a five-year plan for becoming a full-time novelist and editor of indie fiction. When she isn’t working or writing, she amuses herself with reading, needlepointing, tramping around historical sites and houses, and outbidding everyone who gets in her way on Ebay.

Follow the Author: 

  Website     |     Facebook     |     Twitter      |     Amazon Author Page 

Pre-Order Today:

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Crossing The Line Blog Tour Starts Today #Contemporary #Romance

Crossing The Line 
By Sherri Hayes
Blog Tour Schedule
28th August 

29th August 
http://livereadbreathe.blogspot.ca Guest Post

30th August 

31st August 
http://wyndydee.wordpress.com Guest Post

1st September 
http://www.lisabilbrey.blogspot.com.au Guest Post

2nd September 
3rd September http://bookreviewsandgiveaways.org Author Interview

4th September

5th September
http://lacrimsonfemme.blogspot.com.au Review/ Character Interview

6th September
 http://michbookreviews.wordpress.com Review

7th September

9th September 
http://booksforfun1.com Guest Post

10th September 
http://3chicksafterdark.com Author Playlist

11th September
http://jessmollybrownauthor.com Character Interview
http://itlnbrt.com Review
http://mcrayneauthor.wordpress.com Review


Sunday, August 24, 2014

Sneak Peek Sunday: Fireworks Book Trailer Reveal




Fireworks 
Release Date: June 20th, 2013
Genre: Contemporary Adult Romance


Sophie McKibbin finds herself back in Sam Crawford’s life after ten years. Unfortunately, Sam is dating Lola, Sophie’s high school nemesis. Lola dumps Sam the day before he was supposed to introduce his mystery girlfriend to his family over the Fourth of July holiday. With the looming fear of disappointing his mother once again and his long held feelings for Sophie, he asks her to take Lola’s place. With family feuds, an old flame, and feelings that have been locked away for a decade, there is bound to be some fireworks.



 Goodreads
• Amazon
 Itunes
• Kobo




Special thanks to NJ Cole for acting as producer on this project. Thanks to RE Hargrave, MB Feeney, Ali’s Bookshelf, and Offbeat Vagabond for taking the time to read and review Fireworks. Your thoughts make me happy. Last but not least, thanks to the creators of the perfect song, Happy by Secrets in the Stereo. The first time I heard the song, I knew it would be perfect for the trailer.

About the Author


Lindsey Gray dreamed of being several different things as a child such as a doctor, an actress, and a chef, but none held her attention like putting pen to paper and creating her own world through words. She has written three full-length novels and one short story for The Writer's Coffee Shop Publishing House and is now taking the self-publishing leap with her novella, "Fireworks".

A mid-west native, Lindsey enjoys spending time with her husband and two children, reading almost anything she can get her hands on, and making life interesting at each and every turn. 

Find Lindsey



Listen to Lindsey's Radio Show, Gray Matters, Tuesdays at 7pm EST on
The TMV Cafe or the TuneIn app.

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Release Day Blitz: The Land of the Shadow by Lissa Bryan



The Land Of The Shadow

The End Of All Things II

By 

Lissa Bryan


Release Date: 21st August 2014

Genre: Dystopian

ISBN e-book: 978-1-61213-264-8



Available from: Amazon, Kobo, Barnes and Noble, and TWCS PH

Summary:

After surviving the Infection and a perilous journey through the wasteland that was once the United States, Carly and Justin have found a safe home in the isolated town of Colby.

Even so, balancing the duties of survival and a growing family isn’t easy. As they emerge as leaders, they face difficult questions about justice in a lawless land, basic human rights, and freedom in a world where strength defines worth. More than ever, they have to rely on one another for strength and support during the darkest of times.

The Crisis is far from over. Their fences won’t keep the world out forever, and a new threat is emerging—a gang of predators who see the town as easy pickings. When danger looms over Colby, Carly must decide how far she’ll go to protect those she loves. 

It’s a journey down the long and broken road through The Land of the Shadow.

Author Bio: 

Lissa Bryan is an astronaut, renowned Kabuki actress, Olympic pole vault gold medalist, Iron Chef champion, and scientist who recently discovered the cure for athlete's foot...though only in her head. Real life isn't so interesting, which is why she spends most of her time writing.

She is the author of three other novels, Ghostwriter, The End of All Things, and Under These Restless Skies.

Connect with Lissa Bryan on: 

Facebook, TwitterBlog and Goodreads

Don't miss out on this Amazing Rafflecopter Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Praise for The Land of The Shadow:

"What a ride! Carly and Justin are people that I'd like on my side, and on the side of my community. I highly recommend this to anyone who wants a story that will keep you glued to your reader or flipping pages in a paperback just as quickly as you can." -Kathie Spitz 

If you haven't already, check out-
The End Of Things Book I
By 
Lissa Bryan


Available from: AmazonKoboBarnes and Noble, and TWCS PH








Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Tuesday Teasers - Read/Share Excerpts

Welcome to Tuesday Teasers!

This is a weekly post giving authors the opportunity to share a 100 word excerpt from a published work, or a work in progress (WIP).




Just a few simple rules.

1. Go to your blog and post an excerpt (Please limit your excerpt to no more than 100 words).
2. In the comments below, post a link to the excerpt on your blog.
 3. At the beginning of your comment, please list the title of the book, your author name, genre, and a buy link. (This will help readers find excerpts from the books that would be of most interest to them.) For example:

Crossing The Line (Daniels Brothers #3) by Sherri Hayes
Contemporary Romance
http://ph.thewriterscoffeeshop.com/books/detail/161

Excerpt:
A huge smile lit up her face, and all the worry he’d seen a moment ago vanished. She reached the bottom of the escalator, and rushed toward him. Without any hesitation, Megan dropped her bags at his feet, wrapped her arms around his neck, and hugged him.


What he felt in that moment was difficult to describe. A whiff of lilac and cherries filled his nostrils as her warm body pressed solid against his. He circled his arms around her waist and returned her embrace, enjoying the feel of her in his arms. She was home.



4.  Authors only 1 excerpt per week, please. 
5. At the end of your blog post, please include "Check out more Tuesday Teasers at http://sherri-hayes.blogspot.com/2014/08/welcome-to-tuesday-teasers-this-is_19.html."

Sunday, August 17, 2014

Sneak Peek Sunday: Listen to an excerpt of Twelve by T.M. Franklin

Banner.png

Today, we get a sneak peek of T.M. Franklin's upcoming release - TWELVE, Book Three in the MORE Trilogy...and she has a special guest to help her out.

Well, Bond (James Bond) must be more of a chick-lit guy. T.M. assures us that he was definitely causing trouble, as you could hear in the background, but nothing valuable was destroyed. This time.
Want to get your own SIGNED paperback ARC of TWELVE? Enter now!
Goodreads-Giveaway.png

Goodreads Book Giveaway

TWELVE by T.M. Franklin

TWELVE

by T.M. Franklin

Giveaway ends August 21, 2014.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Saturday, August 16, 2014

Fall into Love #TRRparty


Come 'Fall into Love' with The Romance Reviews. Lots of great prizes are up for grabs, including a $100 Gift Card! To bookmark the page and participate in all the festivities, go to http://www.theromancereviews.com.

Review: Embattled Hearts by J.M. Madden


Title: Embattled Hearts
Author: J.M. Madden
Rating: 4.5 stars


As I mentioned in my review of The Embattled Road, I first encountered this author, at the Lori Foster RAGT. If you haven't read The Embattled Road, I highly suggest you do so before reading this one. Although Embattled Hearts can be read as a standalone, the reader won't fully understand the bond between John, Duncan, and Chad without reading the prequel first. With that said...

Embattled Hearts is a wonderful beginning to what I hope will be a long running series. 

I love the premise of this series. Military men and women face many challenges when they return from combat, and this series doesn't shy away from any of them. In Embattled Hearts, Shannon breaks through the walls that John has built up since losing the use of his legs. He sees himself as less of a man given all the limitations he has since returning home from war. When he acknowledges his attraction to Shannon, it only makes him feel like less because he is sure there is no way he can be the man she needs. Shannon, however, feels differently. 

This book is set five years after the end of The Embattled Road. I like how the author made the decision to bring us back to these characters after some time had past and their business was in full swing. At no point did I feel the story was rushed. We were able to see John and Shannon's relationship develop naturally with the bumps in the road one might expect given their challenges. 

When I was sitting down to write this review, I struggled some on what to rate this story. As an author, I know how much work goes into writing and editing a story. When it's clear the author didn't care enough to hire a good editor, or the publisher didn't, I have an issue and normally lower my rating accordingly. However, with this book I found myself in a bit of a conundrum. The first third of the book was nicely edited. There were no missing words, and things flowed well. Then, the momentum of the story picked up and the editing started falling apart. Don't get me wrong. It wasn't so bad that there was an issue on every page, but it was enough for me to really take notice. 

As I said, normally, when there are editing issues, I take the rating down, however I chose not to do that with this book. The reason why? Because this was clearly an editor issue and not an author issue. My guess is that the editor got so caught up in the story that they began missing edits. 

Still, this was a great story. I highly recommend Embattled Hearts to anyone looking for a realistic romance with wounded, but lovable, military heroes. 



Amazon
B&N



Author Bio


USA Today Bestselling author J.M. Madden writes compelling romances between 'combat modified' military men and the women who love them. An eternal optimist, she believes there is a soulmate for everyone, no matter what the situation or physical challenge. She's written 16 romances in the past three years and has plans for many more.

Website