*BOOK BLITZ* In Your Corner (Redemption, #2) by: Sarah Castille

synopsis

A Publishers Weekly Best Summer Book 2014!

"You have to go. I won't be able to control myself. I've wanted you so bad for so long and after I've been in the cage...I can't think straight." He gives a guttural groan and his fist clenches on my hip.

Primitive. Primal. His need speaks to me. I tighten my grip on his neck and rock up to kiss him. He takes over. His kiss is hard and demanding.

"Mine." His voice is raw, savage and for a moment I truly believe he may lose control.

He rules in the ring

Two years ago, Jake and Amanda were going hot and heavy. But when Jake wanted more, Amanda walked away. Jake immersed himself in mixed martial arts, living life on the edge. But that didn't dull the pain of Amanda's rejection-until a chance encounter throws them together.

A high-powered lawyer, Amanda was a no-strings-attached kind of girl. But two years after her breakup with Jake, she still hasn't found anyone who gets her heart pumping the way he did. And then he shows up in her boardroom, hot as sin and needing help...

But can he rule her heart?

Jake is darker, sexier, and impossible to resist. As their chemistry builds, Amanda's not sure if she can stay in control, or if she's finally willing to let him claim her body and soul.

teasers...excerpt

Excerpt 

A few minutes later, we’re pressed up against the bar, a temporary wooden structure that looks like it could collapse at any moment. If not for Jake’s strength and determination, we would never have made it through the crowd. Even now he has one hand braced against the counter and his back to the heaving mass of people to give us breathing room.

The bartender shoves two cups of beer—the only item on offer—in our direction and I wrinkle my nose.

Jake laughs. “Still not a fan?”

“Not really. Especially if it’s warm, which I’m guessing it is.” I dip my finger in the cup and pop it in my mouth. The beer is indeed warm and very bitter, but the heat in Jake’s eyes as I slide my lips over my finger makes it easy to swallow.

“Again,” Jake murmurs, his voice husky and filled with sensual promise.

“You like that?”

“Yeah, baby, I do.” His hand tangles in my hair and he yanks my head back so hard my eyes tear. With his other hand around my waist, he pulls me tight against his body. I sense a shift in the crowd around us, and then people surge toward the stage, leaving us alone at the bar.

“You drive me fucking crazy.” With a nip, he parts my lips, and his tongue sweeps inside, searching, possessing, teasing, until my knees tremble and my body turns liquid.

“Remember that night we met?” He whispers against my lips. “We watched ourselves in the mirror, and you told me it was exciting to imagine we were in a crowd?”

“That was a good night.”

“The night I met you was the best night of my life.”

Before I can respond, he deepens the kiss. Tongues tangle, teeth clash, lips bruise. Lust, raw and ragged, tears through me, and I can only cling to his shoulders and hold on for the ride.

“We’re gonna do it now.” His voice deepens to a growl. “We’re gonna make that fantasy come true.”

book info & buy links

Title: In Your Corner (Redemption, #2)

Author: Sarah Castille

Genre: Adult, Erotica, Romance

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Organized by: Xpresso

Release Date: 1st July 2014

Buy Links

Amazon | B&N | ITunes | Kobo

about the author

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author, Sarah Castille, worked and travelled abroad before trading her briefcase and stilettos for a handful of magic beans and a home near the Canadian Rockies. She writes erotic contemporary romance and romantic suspense featuring blazingly hot alpha heroes and the women who tame them.

Connect With Sarah

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Giveaway

Blitz-wide giveaway $50 Amazon giftcard (INT), 10 mini boxing glove keychains (US/CAN), 5 ecopies of Yield to Me (INT). a Rafflecopter giveaway

good luck,mia

Book Review, Author Q&A & 2 GIVEAWAYS: Under My Skin (Skin Deep, #2) by: J.M. Stone

Title: Under My Skin (Skin Deep, #2)
Author: J.M. Stone
ISBN: 1492889571
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Theme(s): Erotic, threesome
Length: 210 pgs
Binding: Paperback; E-book
Published: 18th December 2013
Buy: Amazon.com, BN.com

Synopsis:

One little piercing. That’s all Allie wanted when she dragged her best friend into Skin Deep. She never imagined that it would result in a busted lip and an engagement ring for Emma, or that it would come with a double side of six-foot plus, tattooed, sexy-as-sin, H.O.T. maleness for her! Now she’s torn because Brandon and Jackson have both let it be known that they want her. And both are used to getting what they want. But what about what Allie wants?

Brandon is hot for Allie. So is Jackson. Neither of them are willing to step aside for the other and they’re tired of Allie running. So they hatch a plan…

Add in wedding bells, a dog named Doug, and you’ve got a recipe for a good time. Or a disaster.

My Rating:

Make sure to check out the quick author Q&A and 2 GIVEAWAYS below!

My Review:  If you are a fan of erotic romance with a mix of hilarious laugh out loud moments, then you are in for a treat. If you've never read an erotic romance with large amounts of humor, then this is the series to start with. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Under My Skin is the 2nd book in J.M. Stone's Skin Deep series. About halfway through this book, I was fist pumping in the air. Why, you ask? Well, let me go back. Quite a few months ago, I came across Skin Deep, which was Emma and Luke's story. While I enjoyed it very much, there were some problems with the writing, such as excessive bouts of detail. I of course spoke about this in my mini-review on goodreads (which you can view HERE) and soon noticed that other reviewers had complained about the same thing. So why was I fist pumping in the air halfway through Under My Skin? I guess what I was feeling was a sense of admiration. I was proud of J.M. Stone for taking some of the negative (or helpful, depending on how you look at it) criticism that she received from Skin Deep and using it to clean up the problems going into Under My Skin. Now, I don't want people thinking this changed Stone's style of writing. Thankfully she was able to keep it intact which I was praising the heavens for, because this woman creates some of the most hilarious (and hottest!) scenes I've ever read, which is saying something!

I also liked that Under My Skin picks up where Skin Deep ends. There's no monkey business, we just dive right into the story. Allie, who for the majority of Skin Deep, was dodging both Jackson and Brandon's advances, gets tricked by her best friend Emma in the beginning of Under My Skin. She finds herself alone with the two hotties, where they both finally admit how they feel about her, forcing Allie to confront her own feelings. With some persuasion, they convince her to give the unconventional relationship a shot.

Now I must say that while this book could technically be read as a stand-alone, Under My Skin would be better enjoyed if Skin Deep is read first. There is some backstory in book 1 that is quite beneficial going into book 2, such as how Brandon and Jackson start to show their interest in Allie and how she doesn't really know how to handle it. Are they just looking for a threesome, or do they want something more serious? If they do want something serious with her, what would other people think? Also, Stone truly has a gift when it comes to creating lively, memorable characters. In most sequels, you are lucky if you get a few scenes with previous characters popping in for a visit. However, in Under My Skin, almost all of the characters from book 1, especially Emma (Allie's best friend) and Luke (Brandon's brother and Jackson's best friend), make an appearance in book 2, and they all have their important roles to play, especially to keep the...

Book Review: Into the Crossfire

Title: Into the Crossfire (A Protectors Novel)
Author: Lisa Marie Rice
ISBN: 0062085794
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Romantic Suspense/Contemporary
Theme: Navy Seal, ALPHA
Binding: paperback
Length: 384 pgs
Published: 29 November 2011
Buy: amazon.com, bn.com
My Rating:


Synopsis: Sam Reston’s world is dangerous, uncertain, violent . . . with no room in it for the helpless and weak. Then the most beautiful woman in the world moves next door to him . . .

Nicole Pearce’s life is complicated enough. The last thing she needs is to get involved with a secretive, hard-bodied, hard-headed neighbor. Yet Sam leaves her breathless—her body tingling with desire—and it takes every ounce of her fabled control to resist offering herself to him, no strings attached. What she doesn’t know is that Sam Reston is on an undercover assignment . . . and she’s about to step into the crossfire.

Never has Sam ached for a woman so badly. Now Nicole’s in grave danger and he will become her shield. Because a terrorist plot hatched half a world away is heading to their doorstep—and it can be derailed by only one man and one woman.

**The following review may contain SPOILERS**

My Review: Between reading ARCs (advance reader copies) which have to be reviewed by a certain time and completely redoing my blog over the holidays, I was a bit burnt out. I needed a de-stressor and what better way to relax my brain then to go back to my first love, the romance novel. :) I have read some of Lisa Marie Rice's erotic romances when she was writing for the e-book website Ellora's Cave. My two favorites are Midnight Man (book 1) and Midnight Run (#2). I'm not even sure why I haven't stuck with her over the years but maybe that's a good thing and here is why.

I noticed some reviewers gave Into the Crossfire more like a 2 to 3 star rating, mostly because they are loyal fans of Rice and this particular book did not live up to the standards that they expected. Since I've only read 2 out of the more than dozen romances she has written, I guess you can say I'm cutting the author a little break. My major complaint, however, is exactly what some of the reviewers touched on: Lisa Marie Rice spends WAY too much time on background info in this book. I feel like I read more about the villain and his motivation for setting things in motion rather then the 2 main characters. This made the relationship feel really rushed and a bit under developed. The scenes that we all wait for, ya know, the "intimate" parts seem to only happen twice in the book-- one in the middle and one towards the end. Now, that is not always a bad thing. Some authors are AMAZING at building the sexual tension between characters and once the BIG scene happens, it's so good that you don't even notice that the book is almost at the end. THAT is a truly gifted romance author.

So why am I still giving Into the Crossfire a 4 star rating? Well, it's more like a 3.5, but since my rating system is still a bit barbaric, I figured a 4 will do. Rice did do a decent job at building the tension between her 2 leads, Sam and Nicole. When the "big moment" happens, it definitely didn't disappoint which earned her major brownie points. Did I forget to mention that Sam is an alpha? Wait, did I forget to tell everyone I LOVE alpha males in my romance novels?? Sam Reston is the epitome of hot male dominance. I'm sure it has to do with the fact that he is a former Navy SEAL, so he is used to being in charge and protecting others. Rice is good at creating alphas, so she gets some more brownie points for that.

Despite the pages of back story that I found myself skipping through, I do like the way she introduces Mike and Harry into the book, which are Sam's "adopted" brothers. They both appear to be very different characters with interesting backgrounds that will hopefully make 2 solid follow-ups to Into the Crossfire. Actually, Mike's book, called Nightfire: A Protectors Novel (Marine Force Recon) is due out February 7th. More alpha male goodness on the way, yay!

~Mia~

Quick Note: I just want to add that since Lisa Marie Rice has been around for awhile and some of her books were published in ebook format and later in paperback from ebook publishing sites, you may want to be careful that you aren't buying the same book. What I mean is, some of her older books are being reissued under different titles, different cover art, etc. I believe Into the Crossfire was an old story of hers that got turned into a mass market paperback. So just make sure you check out her website HERE for a complete list of her books. When you go there, you will see that Into the Crossfire actually has a different cover art then what I have.