Book blurb for The Inheritance by Olivia Mayfield

Today I'm hosting a book blurb blitz tour stops for The Inheritance by Olivia Mayfield. This is a romantic mystery 6-volume e-serial with the first volume available October 15 and subsequent volumes released at one-week intervals.

Olivia will be awarding $25 Amazon or BN.com gift card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. To be entered for a chance to win, leave a comment below, and if you'd like to increase your chances of winning, visit other tour stops and leave comments there, too!

Blurb:  

Maggie Willings knew that returning home for her estranged grandfather’s funeral would not be easy, but she never expected the reading of his will to be the most difficult part. The four people named in the will—Maggie, her brother Robert, her ex-boyfriend Andrew, and her grandfather’s far-too-young girlfriend Bethany—are given a challenge: find out the truth about what happened to Maggie’s younger sister Cassandra, who vanished over eight years ago, and win the entirety of the estate.

Maggie is thrown by the strange request, reluctant to drag up painful memories of her sister’s disappearance, and bothered by her lingering attraction to Andrew, who wants to team up to solve the mystery. But there are ten million dollars on the line and Maggie has no idea where to start—or who she’ll be able to trust.

Excerpt:

“Wait, we need to talk,” Andrew said. “About all of this.”

Her heart thudded. She looked up.

Andrew paused. “You’ve changed,” he murmured out of nowhere, unashamedly staring at her, gaze practically raking her hair, her eyes, her figure. His blue eyes were striking, thorough. “You seem different now.”

Her skin grew hot and tingly. She felt on display for him, studied in a way she hadn’t been looked at in a long, long time. “I grew up.” She raised one eyebrow. “You’ve changed too.”

Amazing. She was sitting here, having a real conversation with the guy who’d broken her heart all those years ago. But now they were competitors in a twisted game none of them really wanted to play.

Cassandra. The center of her family’s world, even years after her disappearance. Maggie couldn’t escape it.

“I had to change,” Andrew said with a dismissive shrug, interrupting her thoughts. “I was a kid, and I was incredibly stupid. As you remember all too well, I’m sure,” he added with a wry smile.

She thinned her lips, her pulse thrumming in her ears. Not going down that road right now. She needed to focus.

“What did you want to talk about?” she asked him to get them back on track.

The flicker of emotion in his face fell away, and he became businesslike. “I have a proposal for you regarding the investigation,” he said crisply. “We pair up and help each other.”

Author information:

Olivia Mayfield has been an unabashed fan of romance since she was a young teen, secretly devouring her mom’s Harlequins. She has a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing, as well as a Master’s degree in English, and lives with her family in Ohio. In her free time, she loves reading, shopping, wearing absurdly high-heeled boots, cheesecake, singing karaoke, and harassing her friends.

Links: 
Amazon | BN | iTunes | Goodreads | Website | Twitter | Facebook

Book blurb for "Alex Finch: Monster Hunter" by Cate Dean

Today is a book blurb tour stop for the YA paranormal novel, Alex Finch: Monster Hunter by Cate Dean.

Cate will be awarding signed bookmarks or pins to a randomly drawn commenter at every stop. Grand prizes are: a $25 Amazon gift card to two (2) randomly drawn commenters during the tour, and (for US only) a swag bag with exclusive merchandise related to the book to one commenter during the tour. To be entered to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, visit other tour stops and enter to win there, too!

Blurb:

Meet Alex Finch - tomboy, techno geek, monster hunter.

Reluctant monster hunter.

When Alex’s project partner Misty loses her notes for the most important English project of her school career, Alex heads to the local haunted house to find them. Instead she makes a life-changing discovery.

Monsters are real.

That single, mind-blowing incident throws her life in a completely different direction – and into the path of Sam, the boy she’s had a serious crush on since first grade. He knows more than he’s telling, and the further she digs, the deeper and darker the secrets become.

What else is hiding behind the ordinary facade of her California beach town?

Alex is about to find out.

Excerpt:

The tap of claws on wood warned me a second before the creature exploded through the door.

I backpedaled, running into Misty. She let out a shriek and dropped to the floor. I swallowed, watching the creature stalk across the dining room.

It looked like a mutant wolf—until it stood up on its hind legs, extended claws as long as my hand, and smirked at me. Yes, smirked. Seven feet of snarling, smirking black fur, with teeth that could rip my arm off without any effort.

I crowded Misty against the wall, her whimpers almost as loud as the constant growling of the mouth-breathing monster. Panicked, I searched the floor around us for a weapon, any weapon, doing a mental head slap when I remembered my Swiss army knife in my back pocket. I froze mid reach when the creature stepped closer.

It stank, like sweaty dog, with an odd, coppery stench that I finally recognized as blood. Horror coiled around the panic, and I pushed Misty along the wall, until we conveniently trapped ourselves in the corner.

The creature turned its head, following our retreat. I swore that smirk turned into a grin. A nasty grin. It was toying with us, playing with its food. I was insulted, and relieved. The game gave me more time to figure a way out of this alive.

I reached behind me to find Misty, and my fingers hit up against something metal. It pressed into my palm, and I realized Misty was handing it to me. I closed my fingers around it, and recognized the shape.

A curved iron leg, like the kind off an old woodstove. We had one in our family room, complete with lion’s paw feet. If nothing else, I could surprise the creature, maybe give us enough time to get out the window. It was better defense than the three inch blade in my knife.

I felt Misty ease up behind me. Good—she was getting ready. Now it was my turn.

Author bio and links:

Cate Dean believes in ghosts, witches, magic - and monsters.

She loves the supernatural, the odd and the strange, and writing about it is like going to a job she loves - no work and all fun.

She would love for you to join her as she hunts for monsters - real and imagined.

And there's the official biography, out of the way.

I love telling stories, and my four nephews have been a big influence in what I read, and now what I write.

Sliding into YA has been as easy fit, especially since I've been reading and loving it for years.

Alex Finch: Monster Hunter is the first book of a series I have been planning for a while, and I can't wait to introduce you to Alex and her rather quirky friends.

You can find out more about me and my books at my website.

Hang out with me on my Facebook page.

Or come and exchange tweets at my Twitter page.

I look forward to meeting you.

Buy links:
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kobo

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Book blurb for "Winter's Heat" by Cristin Harber

Today is a book blurb tour stop for Winter's Heat by Cristin Harber. The novel is a contemporary suspense/military romance.

Cristin will be awarding a $25 gift card to Victoria’s Secret, and gifted e-copies of the five titles in the series (starting with Winter's Heat. Three novels and two novellas) to one randomly drawn commenter during this tour AND the Virtual Super Book Blast tour.  To be entered for a chance to win any of these gifts, leave a comment below. And to increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit other tour stops and leave comments there, too.

Blurb:

After putting her life on the line to protect classified intelligence, military psychologist Mia Kensington is on a cross-country road trip from hell with an intrusive save-the-day hero. Uninterested in his white knight act, she’d rather take her chances without the ruggedly handsome, cold-blooded operative who boasts an alpha complex and too many guns.

Colby Winters, an elite member of The Titan Group, has a single objective on his black ops mission: recover a document important to national security. It was supposed to be an easy in-and-out operation. But now, by any means necessary becomes a survival mantra when he faces off with a stunning woman he can’t leave behind.

When Titan’s safe houses are compromised, Colby stashes Mia at his home, exposing his secret—he’s the adoptive father of an orphaned baby girl. Too soon, danger arrives and Mia lands in the hands of a sadistic cartel king with a taste for torture. As hours bleed into fear-drenched days, Colby races across the globe and through a firestorm of bullets to save the woman he can’t live without.

Excerpt: (First Kiss Between Colby Winters and Mia Kensington. They’re in a truck, driving down a deserted highway after a gunfight.)

She smelled like vanilla and sugar, even after the hell she’d been through that day. Her soft hair brushed up against his bare bicep. Unsettled need prickled down his neck. His throat tightened, and fire ran to his groin.

“Mia…” Distraction and anticipation stole words from his lips.

His heart pounded loud in his chest, fighting for his attention. With each flutter of her eyelashes and innocent movement against his skin, his tension spiked. It was shocking. He was on the job. There was no time for distraction. Losing control was unheard of. Unacceptable.

His arm was cemented around her shoulder, and it wasn’t moving. He stared as the broken white lines on the highway passed in quick revolutions, one right after another. The hum of the truck’s engine poked at his concentration.

He needed to get out of this truck. He needed cool, fresh air to cover him. Right now. Deep, mind-clearing breaths were in order as soon as possible. Anything to get his disciplined mind back to what it did best—analyze, act, accomplish.

Winters made a sharp exit off the highway onto an unlit ramp. He jammed on the brakes. Gravel spit from under the truck. The back end skidded and fishtailed before it came to a stop. His heart thumped. His throat tightened. The faint scent of burned rubber filtered into the pickup cab.

Oh, what the hell. No way was he getting out of this truck.

As fast as he pulled off the road, he brought her close to his face, and without even a second to hover over her, he crushed his lips onto hers. Her tense mouth gasped a breath, then melted. The hot caress of her tongue sent explosions from his chest to the palms of his hands. The pounding in his heart didn’t get any better. It only pushed his racing pulse faster, making it gallop wild, as intoxicating rockets flamed inside him.

Insanity. She was delicious insanity.

In between breathless pants, wicked want fired. Her lips were full. Her kiss was better than he expected, and hell, he expected a whole lot. She stoked him faster than he could ever remember. A kiss unlike any other kiss. There was no denying that.

He knotted a hand in her hair, held her to him, and devoured her. The press of her silken flesh made him hunger for more. His breathing deteriorated into a desperate rasp of torture. With each inhalation, he smelled, tasted, and consumed feminine beauty. This angel was a vixen in disguise, and God help him, he wanted her.

Her small hands wrapped into his T-shirt, then she stroked his stomach, flexing her fingertips against the fabric and straining against him. He dropped his lips to her neck, and she moaned. That perfect purr fanned his desperation. Her goose bumps flashed under his tongue’s caress, and she shuddered with each whipping kiss.

She tasted of sweat and tear gas, of soft woman, and carnal ambition. There wasn’t a timid thing about Mia. Who was he to assume what she wanted? To think she needed soothing and caring? It seemed all she needed was him. Hard. Tough. Possessive.

Author bio and links:

Cristin Harber

Romantic Suspense Author: Higher Stakes. Hotter Action.

MOM. WIFE. AUTHOR.

Lover of all things sexy and happily ever after.

I live outside Washington, DC with my family: my husband (who doesn’t mind my collection of book boyfriends), an independent toddler, and an English bulldog named Britta who loves to be a conversation piece. Oh, we have a baby on the way—arriving about the same time as Winter's Heat debuts!

I love southern food, listen to country music, am always too hot or too cold, and spend hours reading and writing. I cheer on my University of Louisville Cardinals-GO CARDS! When I’m not pregnant (or nursing), I like a little bourbon or sweet wine. Pregnant or not, I love a lot of chocolate.

I can’t save the world, so instead, I write about those that do. There’s a special place in my heart for those who keep us safe. My Titan series debuts this fall with five titles available in 2013: Winter’s Heat, Garrison’s Creed, Westin’s Chase, Chased, and Gambled.

Links:

Newsletter signup | Goodreads | Website | Facebook | Twitter

Buy links:

Amazon | Kobo | iTunes | Barnes and Noble | All Romance

Book blurb for Honeysuckle and Jasmine by Liz Grace Davis

Today is a book blurb blitz stop for women's fiction author Liz Grace Davis as she tours her novel Honeysuckle and Jasmine.

Liz will be awarding a $20 Amazon gift card or PayPal cash, a signed postcard, and an e-copy of one of her backlist novels (either Tangi's Teardrops or Chocolate Aftertaste) to one randomly chosen commenter during the tour. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, visit other tour stops and enter there, too.

Blurb:  

The past is never far behind.

Senia Loato’s life has been needled by disappointment, and the wounds that fester go beyond skin deep. She is certain if she puts miles between her and her tainted past, she will somehow outrun it. When she’s offered the chance to leave her island home of Mintang to become an au pair for three boys in Germany, she takes the opportunity to start running.

In Germany, she meets Miina, another African au pair. What builds between them is a life-defining friendship, one they will risk everything for.

And soon, they’ll be asked nothing less.

When Miina is betrayed and left stranded, Senia stands by her, risking much more than just her stay in Germany. She also stands to lose rich, handsome, turquoise-eyed Roman Dorenwald, the first man she has allowed into her heart.

But they’re risks worth taking.

Eventually, Senia makes a sacrifice that catapults her back to her past, where she’s forced to draw back the curtain and discover the shocking truth of her history.

Can she confront her nightmares, reach deep into her soul, and forgive those who have hurt her? Or is it easier to just keep running?

***This story was partly inspired by true events***

Excerpt:

Back in my newly renovated basement apartment, I drew a deep, shaky breath, then lifted the box I'd left on the bed earlier. I carried it to the outside rubbish bin and returned empty-handed. Now all I had to do was shake off what was left of my emotional baggage.

Easier said than done, I mused. Why wouldn't it be? For years I'd felt like a piece of clothing that had been ripped open at the seams, without a seam ripper to lessen the damage. Then unravelled until all that remained were pieces that had once belonged to something whole.

That didn't matter now. I should be thankful that the fabric was still intact, the individual pieces just waiting to be sewn back together, stitch by stitch.

If there was something I knew how to do, sewing would be it. Sure, at times I'd probably veer from sewing in a straight line or mistakenly jab a finger with the needle. Fine. I'd just start over, next time with the help of a thimble.

Author information:

Liz Grace Davis grew up in Angola, Namibia, South Africa, and Germany. She now lives with her husband and daughter in Vienna, Austria.

Her travels offered her the opportunity to gather interesting material, from both her own experiences and those of others. She is a firm believer that memories, both good and bad, are worth cherishing because they lead us to be the people we are today.

As a result, Liz enjoys breathing new life into some of those experiences, and sprinkling them with snippets born of her imagination, to write fiction. Her aim as a writer is to both thrill and inspire readers. The genres she enjoys writing are as diverse as the books she reads.

Liz is the author of Chocolate Aftertaste, Honeysuckle and Jasmine, and Tangi’s Teardrops.

Contact info:

Website |  Facebook | Goodreads | Blog | Twitter | E-mail: Liz_davis1@yahoo.com

Buy links:
Amazon | Smashwords | Barnes and Noble

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Book blurb for Fire on Ice by Dakota Madison

Today is a book blurb blitz tour stop for Fire on Ice by Dakota Madison. This contemporary romance book is available from Short On Time Books.

Dakota will be awarding a backlist e-book to three (3) randomly drawn commenters during the tour, and a grand prize of a print copy of After Alex Died (US ONLY) to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour. To be entered to win one of these prizes, leave a comment below. And if you'd like to increase your chances of winning, visit other tour stops and leave comments there, too.

Blurb:

He’s Fire on Ice and she’s afraid to get burned again…

After Taylor Thompson’s heart was completely shattered by her high school’s most popular jock, she vowed never to date another athlete. She keeps that promise through her first three years of college. But after a chance meeting with a star hockey player, the charming and irresistible Kian Kavanagh, Taylor’s carefully constructed walls are in serious danger of being burned down by Mr. Fire on Ice.

Excerpt:

I shook my head and glanced around the club. Runt was right about one thing: the kids who frequented this place were loaded. Most of them were wearing top notch designer clothes and sporting hundred dollar haircuts. I grew up dirt poor, lucky to have second hand clothes from the donation bin and the occasional coupon-day haircut at Super Cuts. Even now, I didn’t like to waste money even though I was earning good coin. I knew there was a big chance my hockey career could be cut short, so I saved as much as I could for my future, which I hoped would someday be a sports bar, if I saved enough and was smart with investing.

As I glanced around the bar at the sea of perfect young faces, I spotted a girl sitting by herself at a small table in the corner. She was looking in my direction but when our eyes met, she quickly looked down and started reading a book.

What the hell?

Who reads a book in a bar, I wondered. I was intrigued.

The first thing I noticed about her was her beautiful wavy brown hair. The long waves were tucked behind her ears, which were decorated with a single pink pearl in each center. She was wearing a flowered blouse tied over a black tank top and a long black skirt. It was such an odd outfit to be wearing at a bar. She looked like she was ready for a stroll through a museum or art gallery. Most girls at bars tried to show as much skin and body parts as humanly possible. They left little to the imagination. But this girl had her arms and legs completely covered.

I could tell she was different and I wanted to know why.

I tipped back the rest of my beer, put the empty glass on the bar and made my way over to the girl. I just couldn’t get over the fact she was reading a book in a bar. It was such a strange sight. As I got closer, I noticed the book was a lot thicker than I initially thought. A textbook? Who studies at a bar?

She didn’t even have a drink in front of her. She was just intent on reading her book.

I stood next to her table and cleared my throat to get her attention. When she glanced up at me, her expression was neutral.

“Hey,” I said and gave her a quick smile.

She just stared at me. I have to admit, it kind of freaked me out. I was used to girls doing most of the work. Usually all I had to do was decide if I wanted to take them home or not.

Her hazel brown eyes were completely captivating. I felt like I was swimming in the deep end of two delicious pools. I gulped and suddenly couldn’t think of anything to say. The girl made me nervous and I never got nervous. All I could do was stare into her beautiful brown eyes.

“What do you want?” she said finally. The question wasn’t mean; it was like she was really curious why I was standing there.

“I was just wondering what you were reading.” As soon as the words came out of my mouth, I knew I sounded like a complete asshole.

And why was I second guessing myself? That was not like me at all. From the time I was fourteen, and started to really show off on the ice, girls dropped their panties for me with little more than a wink and a winning smile on my part.

But this girl was different. When she looked at me, it was like she was looking right through me, like she could see into every part of my mind and soul. And that scared the hell out of me because there was a lot going on in there that I never wanted anyone to see.

Author Bio and Links:

Dakota Madison has been writing since she learned to read and fell in love with books. When she's not at her computer creating spicy new romances, Dakota is traveling to exotic locales or spending time with her husband and their bloodhounds.

Amazon | Smashwords | Facebook | Blog | Goodreads | Twitter

Book blurb tour stop for Beside Your Heart by Mary Whitney

Today is a book blurb blitz tour stop for the new adult novel, Beside Your Heart, by Mary Whitney.

Mary will be awarding one big package of 3 signed paperbacks of her books to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. If you'd like a chance to win, leave a comment below. If you'd like to increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit other tour stops and leave comments there, too.

Blurb:  

"It's an emotional story that will take the reader back to those feelings that made the late teen years such a powerful time."

Late one night Nicki Johnson plays with emotional fire and Googles her high school love, only to find his name splashed across the British gossip columns. Back in his native England, Adam Kincaid is successful and dating a woman from an aristocratic family like his own. With a career in politics, Nicki’s no slouch, but she knows Adam is living a world away from her life.

Yet there was a time he was no farther than the next locker. Nicki will never forget their year together in high school—the year of her sister’s death, the year her mother checked out. Adam helped Nicki through suffocating grief, and she led him through a coming of age. Was it just high school, or was it something more?

Excerpt:

“No British literature. Isn’t this supposed to be an English class?” Adam asked.

“Uh.” My ancestors would’ve been proud of the jolt of American patriotism that hit me.  “There was a revolution two hundred years ago. We write our own books now.”

He leaned back in his seat with a smile. “I think I heard about that.”

“We still share the same language.”

“Sometimes I’m not too sure.”

“I bet not.” I could imagine what he thought of a Texas accent.

 He picked up the list of books again. “What about Catcher in the Rye?”

“I read it a long time ago when I was, like, eleven.” I laughed a little as I remembered how I’d first come to read it.

“Is there something funny about that?”

“Yeah. My father had suggested I read it then. The book is the classic coming-of-age story. Clearly, he wasn’t really thinking about whether or not it was appropriate for an eleven-year-old.”

“Really? Why?”

“Well, for one thing, the main character is a guy who swears a lot.”

“I suppose I swear a lot.” He cracked a sly smile. “At least compared to you Yankees.”

“Yankees? You’re in the South.” I laughed.

“What else is inappropriate about the book? Now I’m interested. It can’t only be a few swear words.”

“No, it’s not just that. It’s…” I hesitated for a moment as I realized I was about to bring up the topic of sex with Adam Kincaid. What the hell, I thought. I should be matter-of-fact about it. He had a girlfriend and would never want anything with me. I could hide I thought he was hot, so I shrugged. “Holden, the main character…he’s a little sexually frustrated.”

His eyes twinkled, and it felt as if my words hung in the air. I wanted to squirm in my seat. ‘Sexually frustrated’—like me checking out Adam Kincaid.

His proper upbringing showed again as he sidestepped the issue, yet he smirked. “That sounds like an adventurous book to be on an American high school syllabus.”

“Like I said—it’s considered an American classic.” I laughed. “I guess some things are sacred.”

“But of course.” The gleam appeared in his eye again, and he turned toward me in his seat. “Teenage sexual frustration is sort of a rite of passage, if you will.”

There went the good-English-boy manners out the window. His tone, the look in his eye, his body language—was he flirting with or taunting me? I decided the former was impossible, and if the latter, I wasn’t going to back down. With two parents who were lawyers, debate was a family routine.

“A rite of passage? More like a biological fact, isn’t it?” I asked, casually clicking my pen. I raised a brow. “Especially for guys.”

“You’re right about that,” he said with a grin.

Author information:

Even before she graduated from law school, Mary knew she wasn’t cut out to be a real lawyer. Drawn to politics, she’s spent her career as an organizer, lobbyist, and nonprofit executive. Nothing piques her interest more than a good political scandal or romance, and when she stumbled upon writing, she put the two together. A born Midwesterner, naturalized Texan, and transient resident of Washington, D.C., Mary now lives in Northern California with her two daughters and real lawyer husband.

Website | Twitter 

Book blurb tour stop for Along Came Pauly by Chris Redding

Today I'm hosting a book blurb blitz tour stop for the contemporary romance novel Along Came Pauly by Chris Redding.

Chris will be awarding a $10 Amazon Gift card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. To be entered for a chance to win, leave a comment below (and a way for Chris to get in touch with you). And to increase your chances of winning, visit other tour stops and leave comments there, too.

Blurb for Along Came Pauly:

A contemporary romance about a dog that brings two people together who don't want to be. She's a vegetarian veterinarian who needs cash for a no-kill shelter. He's the heir to a hot dog fortune who must give away money before he gains his inheritance. Sounds like a perfect match. It isn't.

Excerpt from Along Came Pauly:

She took a deep breath before launching into her story. “The animal control officers found a large group of dogs in an apartment. The owner died in the hospital and there were no living relatives. The landlord had been on vacation, so no one checked on them.”

           

“What are we going to do with them?”

           

“This shelter will euthanize most of them. We’re going to save them for adoption.” She hoped. Adoption was not a guarantee, but euthanasia was final.

           

“Are you sure you have homes for them? What if they aren’t adoptable?”

           

Having encountered this argument before, she crossed her arms. “No animal is unadoptable. It’s a matter of finding them a home.”

           

That might take time.

           

“What’s Shelley’s role in this?”

           

“She’s one of my foster moms. If I don’t have room, she takes in some animals. Mostly dogs but some cats. She has a farm.”

           

“Oh.”

           

She didn’t think he understood but chose to humor her.

           

Shelley had convinced her saving animals would be a good cause. At that point Daria was already a vet so Shelley didn’t have to work too hard on her.

           

“We aren’t stealing the animals, are we?”

           

“No, one of the animal control officers called Shelley to see if we could take some of the animals. He’d rather not kill them, but that’s the policy of the shelter. It’s a small place and can’t handle too many dogs.”

           

Paul drove on, nodding as if he were digesting all of the information.

           

“But what if you can’t find homes for them?”

           

How could he think that? She put her hand on his arm. “We will.”

Author Bio and Links:

Chris Redding lives in New Jersey with her husband, two sons, one dog and three rabbits. She graduated from Penn State with a degree in journalism. When she isn’t writing, she works for her local hospital. Her books are filled with romance, suspense, and thrills.

Links: Website/blog | Facebook | Twitter