Monday 25 April 2016

New Release Spotlight: House Of The Hanging Jade by Amy M. Reade



House of the Hanging Jade
By: Amy M. Reade
Releasing April 26, 2016
Lyrical Press


Tired of the cold winters in Washington, D.C. and disturbed by her increasingly obsessive boyfriend, Kailani Kanaka savors her move back to her native Big Island of Hawaii. She also finds a new job as personal chef for the Jorgensen family. The gentle caress of the Hawaiian trade winds, the soft sigh of the swaying palm trees, and the stunning blue waters of the Pacific lull her into a sense of calm at the House of Hanging Jade--an idyll that quickly fades as it becomes apparent that dark secrets lurk within her new home. Furtive whispers in the night, a terrifying shark attack, and the discovery of a dead body leave Kailani shaken and afraid. But it's the unexpected appearance of her ex-boyfriend, tracking her every move and demanding she return to him, that has her fearing for her life . . .



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I knew I should have stayed home.

I bent my head as the wind whipped down Massachusetts Avenue, hurling snowflakes at my face, stinging my cheeks with hard, frosty pellets. The icy sidewalks were treacherous, making my walk to work precarious and slow. There were very few others brave or foolish enough to be out in this weather. I passed one man out walking his dog and silently praised him for being so devoted.

I finally arrived at the restaurant. I stamped on the snow that had piled up against the front door and slipped my key into the lock with fingers stiff and clumsy from the cold. Once inside, it only took me a second to realize that no one else was there. On a normal day, one without a blizzard, my assistant Nunzio would already have come in through the back and flipped on the kitchen lights before I arrived. I groaned. Even Nunzio, whom I could always count on, had stayed home. I moved through the darkened dining room and turned on the lights in the kitchen. As they blinked to life, I heard a heavy knock at the front door.

Hurrying to open it, I recognized the face of Geoffrey, the restaurant’s owner and my current boyfriend, bundled up in a thick scarf and hat.

Kailani, what are you doing here?” he exclaimed, brushing snow off his boots in the vestibule.

Someone has to be here to get things started,” I answered testily. “I don’t think we can open today,” Geoffrey said. “There’s no way the delivery trucks can get through, and I don’t think we’d have any customers even if they could.”

You mean I came all this way for nothing?” I whined. Geoffrey smiled down at me. “Sorry. I just assumed you’d know not to come in on a day like this.”

Why did you come in, then?”

To catch up on paperwork. Plus, snowstorms don’t bother me.” “Ugh. They bother me. Well, I guess if you don’t need me here, I’ll head back home.”

Want me to stop by later?”

I didn’t, but I nodded. Geoffrey and I hadn’t been dating for long. He was already becoming a little too clingy.

He leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. “Be safe getting home. I’d call you a cab, but there isn’t a single one on the streets.” “Believe me, I know.”

I trudged home the same way I had come, the snow falling even harder now and blowing sideways, making it difficult for me to see. When I finally made it to my apartment building, I clumped up the stairs in my heavy boots and stood inside my apartment, leaning against the door for several moments to catch my breath. It took me a while to peel off all my layers. I left them lying on the floor while I heated up milk on the stove for hot chocolate. As the milk warmed, I gazed at a canvas photo that hung in my front hall. It was a faraway view of the beach, taken from my parents’ backyard, overlooking the black sand and the curling waves of the azure Pacific Ocean.

We’ve got to go home,” I said aloud to my cat, Meli, as she stepped daintily around me. This wasn’t the first time I had expressed this sentiment to Meli, but this time she stopped and looked up at me. She blinked and twitched her ears.

It was the sign I needed.

I watched the snow continue to fall for several hours from the warmth and safety of my apartment. Meli and I curled up on the couch while I tried to read a book, but I couldn’t concentrate. My thoughts returned again and again to palm trees and warm, caressing trade winds, to the faces of my mother and father, of my sister and her little girl. Geoffrey eventually stopped by, bringing with him an icy blast of air as I opened the door to the hallway.

He laughed. “Looks like this storm may never end.”

I invited him into the warmth of the apartment. “Take off your stuff. Want some hot chocolate?” I called over my shoulder as I walked into the kitchen.

Sure,” he answered, struggling with one of his boots. I joined him in the living room a few minutes later. He was trying to stroke Meli’s chin, but she apparently wanted none of that. Her ears flattened back and she squirmed out of his reach.

I handed him the mug of hot chocolate and sat down opposite him. “Geoffrey, I have news,” I told him warily, knowing he probably wouldn’t be as happy as I was.

What is it?”

I’m going back to Hawaii.” I waited for his reaction.

That’s nice. It’ll do you good to get out of this weather for a while.”

He obviously wasn’t getting it. “No, not for a while. I’m moving back. For good.”

I was right. He was not happy. In fact, he looked stricken, his eyes wide and his mouth agape. “What do you mean, for good?” he asked, choking on his hot chocolate.

I mean, I just can’t stand it here any longer. I’m never going to get used to the weather, I miss my parents, and my niece is growing up without her auntie. It’s time to go back. This is something I’ve been thinking about for a long time. I’ll miss you, Geoffrey, but this is what’s best for me,” I added, trying to soften the blow.

He looked like he was struggling for words.

But . . . but . . . what will you do?”

I’ll do the same thing I do here, Geoffrey. Sous-chefs are not unique to DC.”

Okay, but what will I do? Without you, I mean?”

I felt sorry for him. He looked crestfallen.

Geoffrey,” I said gently, “there are lots of women in Washington who are looking for someone as wonderful and kind and handsome and successful as you are. I have to do what my heart is telling me to do, and that’s to go back to Hawaii.”

He nodded slowly, his eyes downcast. “Is there anything I can say to keep you here?”

I’m afraid not.”

When are you leaving?”

I don’t know. I just made the decision this morning.”

He sighed and leaned back against the couch cushions, holding his mug on his lap and staring into space.

Geoffrey? You okay?” I asked.

He set his mug on the coffee table and pushed himself up from the sofa. “I guess I should get going, then. Will you keep working at the restaurant until you leave?”

I was surprised that he wanted to leave already, but I didn’t mention it.

Of course. I’ll give you plenty of time to find another fabulous sous-chef.”

I watched Geoffrey as he walked down the hallway of my apartment building. His shoulders were stooped and his gait slow. He looked like a forlorn little boy. Poor Geoffrey. At the end of the hallway, right by the elevator, he turned around and made a pleading motion with his hands and walked back toward me.

Uh-oh.

Kailani, how can you just throw away all the time we’ve spent together?”

I was a little taken aback, but I suppose I shouldn’t have been. Such dramatic statements were normal with him. “Geoffrey, we haven’t really spent too much time together. We haven’t been dating very long.”

But doesn’t that time mean something to you?”

Yes, of course it does. I’ve enjoyed getting to know you and we’ve had fun together. But it’s time for me to go home. And I’m afraid a long-distance relationship just isn’t possible. It’s too far away.”

There’s got to be a way, Kailani. I just can’t stand the thought of losing you.”

I’m sorry, Geoffrey. I’ve got to go. I’ll see you at work tomorrow.” I closed the door gently and stood there until I heard the ding of the elevator.

I waited a few hours before calling my mother since there was a five-hour time difference between DC and Hawaii.

She and my father were both thrilled by my news, as I knew they would be. They had a million questions for me, like when I would be coming home, where I would be looking for a new job, and whether I could live with them for a while.

I don’t know!” I laughed. “I’m going to start putting out some feelers right away for jobs in restaurants and resorts along the Kohala Coast. Someone must need a sous-chef. Or even a head chef. But I’ll be home soon, don’t worry. I can’t stand another day of this winter weather.”

I hung up, promising to keep them posted about my job hunt. Suddenly, the winter seemed a little warmer.
USA Today bestselling author Amy M. Reade is also the author of Secrets of Hallstead House and The Ghosts of Peppernell Manor. She grew up in northern New York, just south of the Canadian border, and spent her weekends and summers on the St. Lawrence River. She graduated from Cornell University and then went on to law school at Indiana University in Bloomington. She practiced law in New York City before moving to southern New Jersey, where, in addition to writing, she is a wife, a full-time mom and a volunteer in school, church and community groups. She lives just a stone’s throw from the Atlantic Ocean with her husband and three children as well as a dog and two cats. She loves cooking and all things Hawaii and is currently at work on her next novel. Visit her website at or at her blog.





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New Release Spotlight & Review: Over the Line by Lisa Desrochers




The USA Today bestselling author of Outside the Lines once again explores love on the edge in an explosive new romance about obsession, betrayal, and a killer attraction.
Lee Delgado never planned on falling in love with the irresistible Oliver Savoca, son of a Chicago crime lord. Considering that their families are rivals, she knew it could never work. And now that both their fathers have been nabbed on racketeering charges, any real chance at a future with the man she loves has been shot to hell. But a greater blow is yet to come.
Not only does Lee learn that a contract is out on her life, she has reason to believe that Oliver is behind the devastating betrayal. Now she’s working closely—very closely—with Federal Agent Sean Callahan to help bring her man down. But however she’s come to feel about Callahan, Lee is still deeply, hopelessly, unabashedly in love with Oliver.
Where that fearless love takes Lee next is beyond her control—but the risk is worth every beat of her heart.

AMAZON     iBooks     B&N


I've been eagerly anticipating this second book in the On The Run series and Ms. Desrochers doesn't disappoint with this forbidden romance.

Lee Delgado/Davidson was one semester away from obtaining her Master's degree. She's bored and frustrated with her new life and craves everything she's left in Chicago including the man she had a secret relationship with. So when he turns up unexpectedly after tracking her and her family down, she takes matters into her own hands.

Oliver Savoca has never forgotten Lee Delgado...she's forbidden fruit. His family murdered her mother but this woman that got under his skin double-crossed him too. He's after revenge and needs to find her before his own family turn on him. Only, nothing goes according to plan.

Written from a duel point of view – Lee and Oliver's story includes flashbacks to when they first met in college and some of the time they spent together that year. Back in the present, the electrical sparks of sexual attraction between them are still present, re-igniting feeling they both had to repress. 
Lee is a tough woman, yet her devotion to her family is ever present as she's the glue that keeps them together...almost. Oliver, despite coming from a Mafia family wants to steer away from what his family represents because he wants to be able to have a life with the woman he loves.

I enjoyed that we got to catch up with Rob and Adri and gain a little bit more insight into the twins as they find their own ways of dealing with their new life in Witness Protection. Especially with this book the author really draws you into this intense, sexy and emotional story.

After reading Outside The Lines, I was hooked! I don't normally like Mafia/gang stories, yet I want to continue this journey with Rob, Lee, Grant, Ulie, and Sherm. What can I say? I loved Over The Lines and can't wait for the next instalment.

***arc generously received courtesy of Intermix via NetGalley***

I want Lee to know, no matter where she goes, I will find her.
At the thought of her betrayal, rage rises up and wraps like an iron cloak around my heart, threatening to crush any bit of humanity left there. I close my eyes and hold my breath until it passes.
And I see her as she was before everything that came after—that first day of business law class at Kellogg, nearly two years ago.
She was starting her first year. I was in my second. I was already seated near Angela Bagglio, who I had a passing interest in due to her loose family ties to the Delgado organization. Her brother was a wiseguy wannabe, little more than a glorified gofer within the Delgado machine. But I’d discovered, sometimes it was the smallest details that led to the largest victories.
When Lee Delgado sashayed into the classroom, I’d like to say I was unaffected. I’d like to believe I was in complete control of everything that happened then and after.
But I’d be kidding myself.
Her bright hazel eyes surveyed the room, and when they caught for a second as they passed over me, I felt a shift in gravity itself. There were times reading nuances in expressions and actions was all that came between me and a slug in my head. That hitch in her perusal of the room left no doubt she was aware who I was.
From that second on, I was helpless to take my eyes off her.
Her sandy brown waves cascaded over the shoulders of her cream-colored silk blouse to an open collar that hung loose, revealing a hint of cleavage. Her burgundy pencil skirt hugged the round curves of her hips and ass and ended above the knee, giving me a glimpse of a pair of toned thighs and calves. She had a killer body and knew it. I had to respect a woman who knew her strengths and wasn’t afraid to use them to her advantage.
She took a seat in my row, but on the opposite side of the classroom. I was barely coherent when the professor started lecturing. I couldn’t tell you the first thing he said.
As she listened, she lifted a hand and combed through her waves with her fingers, separating out a strand and twirling it around her finger. A rush shuddered from my tailbone up my spine to my brain, and even though I had no clue why, that was the moment I knew I wasn’t going to be able to stay away.
The rest, as they say, is history.
If she thinks she can hide from me, she’s got another thing coming.
Mob controlled gambling has always been a huge racket, with better payouts because we don’t pay taxes like the legal betting sites. Back in the day, bookies were involved and actual cash changed hands. Now nearly everything is electronic. Bets are collected directly from our clients’ online accounts and payouts are distributed back into them. Payout is calculated after each event based on outcome versus the spread. It’s one of the parts of my job that I truly enjoy. I’m always in the program, tweaking and modifying. But, suddenly, the week before Christmas, two days after Lee and I returned from our weekend in Aspen, I noticed the spread didn’t factor anymore and our payouts went through the roof. I thought maybe I’d screwed something up and tried to get into the program to check it. Ended up throwing my laptop against the wall when my pass code wouldn’t get me in.
It took me the next two days, and the fact that Lee wasn’t answering my texts or calls, to put together what had happened. Though I’m not sure exactly how she managed it, I know it had to have been her who hacked into my program and changed the payout ratios. I’ve looked at it from every angle and there are no other feasible possibilities. And it makes sense. I had an ulterior motive when we started hooking up, and I had no doubt she had one of her own. But as we got deeper into each other, things shifted and I lost focus. I let down my guard and gave her too much, and she took advantage of the opening.
I knew I wouldn’t be seeing her over the holidays because her siblings were all coming back to the family home in Wilmette, just outside of Chicago, for Christmas. It took me another day to decide I had no choice but to go there.
But when I got to the house, the place was swarming with cops and Feds, and yellow police tape was strung across the pillars at the front door. The reports the next day said it was believed the Delgados had fled to Europe after a “gangland style attack” on their home.
The online gambling leg of our business has been bleeding cash at the rate of nearly a hundred grand a month since Lee fucked with the program. Every month it gets worse as word spreads of our big payouts. The guy who designed and encrypted the program is dead; a casualty of my father’s wrath when he made the mistake of telling Victor he’d corrected a system glitch that had cost us a couple hundred grand over the first year of implementation. I’ve done everything I can to break Lee’s pass code, but considering the illegal nature of the account, and the fact that I couldn’t enlist anyone who might report back to Victor what happened, my resources to resolve the issue have been severely limited.
So I put my time and energy into another avenue. Finding Lee.
Like everyone else in Chicago, I assumed that my father was responsible for the contract on Lee and her family. I talked to his guys. Tried to see if any of them had a bead on the Delgados’ location. I couldn’t find anyone who was even looking.
So, as much as I dreaded it, I went straight to the source.
I was dead to my father. He’d made that clear. But that day, for the first time since I’d crossed him, Victor looked at me with pride in his eyes when he asked, “You purchase that special delivery for our friends up in Wilmette?”
And that’s when I knew it wasn’t us. It’s also when I knew I was a dead man unless I could find a way out of this mess on my own.
So I looked harder for Lee, dug a little deeper into the Delgado family tree. I didn’t find her, but I managed to stumble on some other useful information during my search. And then, finally, the stroke of luck that led me here: Rob showing up in Chicago.
I’ve been able to keep everything under the rug since she left, but underground betting has always been the Savoca business’s bread and butter. If Victor or anyone else in the organization discovers the hemorrhage of cash that our gambling ring has become, it’s my head my loving pop will want on a spike.
I told the guys I had some personal business in Vegas; gave Al a direct order to park his ass at my apartment and not to move until I got back. I took a flight to Vegas, and from there, traveled to Florida on an ID I pinched off of a guy we rolled in Little Italy for not making book. He’s dead now, courtesy of Al, so he won’t be divulging my alter ego to anyone.
My family doesn’t know this particular alias. They’d have a hard time tracking me. Once I find Lee, things should move pretty fast. But I have to find her first.
So here I am.



Pre-Release Spotlight: Ride Hard by Laura Kaye


Ride Hard - Tour banner1


Laura Kaye has something hot and fun and new to share with you today – a scene from her upcoming book, Ride Hard, the first in her Raven Riders Motorcycle Club series about a new kind of MC with a protective mission. You might’ve first met the Ravens in the Hard Ink world, but this series stands on its own and is even sexier, edgier, and grittier! So read on for a taste and grab your copy of the first book in this sexy new series!




Ride Hard - bonus stry graphic

Get a FREE bonus story from Laura’s Hearts in Darkness world for buying RIDE HARD before April 30!



About Ride Hard (Raven Riders #1):
Brotherhood. Club. Family.
They live and ride by their own rules.
These are the Raven Riders…

Raven Riders Motorcycle Club President Dare Kenyon rides hard and values loyalty above all else. He’ll do anything to protect the brotherhood of bikers—the only family he’s got—as well as those who can’t defend themselves. So when mistrustful Haven Randall lands on the club’s doorstep scared that she’s being hunted, Dare takes her in, swears to keep her safe, and pushes to learn the secrets overshadowing her pretty smile.
Haven fled from years of abuse at the hands of her criminal father and is suspicious of any man’s promises, including those of the darkly sexy and overwhelmingly intense Ravens’ leader. But as the powerful attraction between them flares to life, Dare pushes her boundaries and tempts her to want things she never thought she could.
The past never dies without a fight, but Dare Kenyon’s never backed down before…


RIDE HARD EXCERPT – Revenge

I’m thrilled to be celebrating the release of my 25th novel, Ride Hard, the first book in my Raven Riders Motorcycle Club series about a new kind of MC with a protective mission. You might’ve first met the Ravens in the Hard Ink world, but this series stands on its own and is even sexier, edgier, and grittier! I can’t wait for you to get to know Dare, Haven, and everyone in the Raven world! And see down below for a giveaway and a bonus story offer! I hope you enjoy this excerpt from the book!

Excerpt from Ride Hard:
His left hand dragged down her body, over the small mounds of her breasts and the flat plane of her stomach. His fingers settled on the button to her jeans. “Because you realize now I have to exact my revenge.” He paused there, giving her the chance to tell him to back off.

She shivered beneath him. “I guess fair’s only fair,” she whispered.

That’s my girl, he thought, even though the sentiment was really problematic. On all kinds of levels. “You want me to stop, Haven, you just say the word.”

Don’t stop,” she said, her lips parting, her breathing coming faster.

On a groan, Dare claimed her mouth with his. He tugged the button to her jeans free, yanked down the zipper, and pushed his hand beneath the snug material to find her hot and so damn slick.

Her tongue stroked against his, and he swallowed her moans as his fingers stroked her folds. She rocked her hips and parted her legs without him having to ask, pulling a growl of approval from low in his throat—and making him know that fingering her wasn’t going to be enough.

Not for him.

Not this time. And not that it had really been last time, either.

Dare wanted more of Haven. He wanted to taste her, drink her down, wear her on his skin. On his mouth.

Kissing her long and hard and deep, he gently withdrew his hand from between her legs and pushed at the denim around her waist. Haven clued in to what he was doing and helped him push down the material until she was bared to her knees.


And then Dare shoved down her body, gripped her hips in his hands, and planted his face against the triangle of blond hair at the junction of her thighs. 

Raven Riders - Series banner

Don't forget you can grab HARD AS STEEL, a Hard Ink/Raven Riders Crossover Novella out now and pre-order RIDE ROUGH, book 2 in the Raven Riders Series (out April 25, 2017)!



About Laura Kaye:

Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over twenty books in contemporary and paranormal romance and romantic suspense, including the Hard Ink and upcoming Raven Riders series. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.





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Check out all the stops on Laura Kaye’s RIDE HARD – Review & Excerpt Tour!
April 18th
Love Drug Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
The Book Hammock – Review & Excerpt
mignon mykel : reviews – Review & Excerpt
Take Me Away To A Great Read – Review & Excerpt
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April 19th
PopKitty Book Reviews – Review & Excerpt
Hike2Forty and beyond – Review & Excerpt
Coffee-Books-Life Blog – Review & Excerpt
Curled up and cozy – Review & Excerpt
The BookWhisperer – Review
This Wacky Momma reads – Review & Excerpt
Wickedcoolflight – Review & Excerpt
April 20th
Books According to Abby – Review & Excerpt
JordansBookReviews – Excerpt
The Reading Cafe – Review & Excerpt
Krista's Dust Jacket – Review & Excerpt
A Fortress of books – Excerpt
Majorly Delicious – Review & Excerpt
April 21st
The Bookish & The Romantic – Review & Excerpt
Lit. 4 Ladies – Review
Melody May – Review & Excerpt
Reading in Pajamas – Review & Excerpt
Always YA at Heart – Review & Excerpt
The Book Boyfriend Addict – Review & Excerpt
Vera is Reading – Excerpt
Write for Your Life – Review & Excerpt
April 22nd
After Dark Book Lovers – Review & Excerpt
Melena`s Reviews – Review
Kelsey's Corner Time – Review & Excerpt
WickedGoodReads – Review
Crazii Bitches Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
The Sassy Bookster – Review & Excerpt
April 23rd
Eden Ashe – Review & Excerpt
Kris & Vik Book Therapy Cafe – Review & Excerpt
Liz's Reading Life – Excerpt
From the TBR Pile – Review
EskieMama Reads – Excerpt
Cocktails and Books – Review & Excerpt
TLBC's Book Blog – Excerpt
Wicked Babes Blog Reviews – Review & Excerpt
April 24th
Bookaholics Not-So-Anonymous – Review & Excerpt
Evermore Books – Excerpt
Extreme Bookaholics – Excerpt
Bambi Unbridled – Review & Excerpt
Crazy Chaotic Book Babes – Review & Excerpt
Obsessed by Books – Review
April 25th
Carol Kittie Reviews – Review & Excerpt
About That Story – Excerpt
Book Reader Chronicles – Review & Excerpt
April 26th
RELEASE WEEK BLITZ!
April 27th
Reading Is My Bliss – Review & Excerpt
Ashley Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
Bookalicious book babes – Review & Excerpt
Talking Books Blog – Review
My Girlfriends Couch – Review & Excerpt
True Story Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
Reviews by Tammy and Kim – Review & Excerpt
April 28th
RELEASE WEEK BLITZ!
April 29th
Hot Guys in Books – Review & Excerpt
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Book Nook Nuts – Review & Excerpt
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April 30th
A Brit and a Yank – Excerpt
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