GUEST POST + REVIEW + GIVEAWAY ~Rival by Penelope Douglas~

Title: Rival

Author: Penelope Douglas

Series: Fall Away #2

Release Date: August 26, 2014

My Rating: 5 Stars

From the New Adult sensation and New York Times bestselling author of Until You

Madoc and Fallon. Two estranged teenagers playing games that push the boundaries between love and war…

She’s back.

For the three years she’s been away at boarding school, there was no word from her. Back when we lived in the same house, she used to cut me down during the day and then leave her door open for me at night.

I was stupid then, but now I’m ready to beat her at her own game…

I’m back.

Three years and I can tell he still wants me, even if he acts like he’s better than me.

But I won’t be scared away. Or pushed down. I’ll call his bluff and fight back. That’s what he wants, right? As long as I keep my guard up, he’ll never know how much he affects me….

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Top 10 Best Moments of Madoc’s Life

10. First time I ever touched a piano.

9. The first soccer game my father ever made it to.

8. Driving my car for the first time. Jared bought his Boss just so he could keep up. 

7. When Tate broke my nose. I knew things were going to be very interesting that year. 

6. That split second in Jax’s office when he showed me Fallon’s bill. That moment right before I realized it had been taken away. For a moment, I was happy. 

5. When Fallon came home again. Seeing her was like new life coming into me. 

4. After my parents’ divorce, Addie and I had a party. Just the two of us. We messed up the house, ate junk food, and then she cleaned it all up before my mom got home. 

3. My first time—being so close to her, finally, was so good. 

2. When she said “yes”.

1. When she said “I do”.

The only thing keeping me from claiming Madoc as my own is that fact the Fallon could kick me to Timbuktu. Rival takes a hate/love relationship to a whole new level. Madoc and Fallon thrive off of their contempt for one another... at first. Until they see there's more to their relationship, if they can just put the past behind them. 

Rival brings all the feels. Madoc and Fallon were just beginning to explore their relationship when they were torn apart. Or in their eyes, when the other turned their backs on them. After being lied to, and a long heartbreaking road in front of her, Fallon as put the pieces back together and come back to exact revenge on everyone. Until she learns the truth. The truth that could alter how she views Madoc, and that could excuse her guilty feelings of still being head over heels for this tough guy. As the story unfolds, they continue to hurt one another based on the lies the past has been built on. As Fallon, continues with part of her revenge plan, the dominoes fall and her life with Madoc is once again put on shaky ground. Even at their age, can they survive the hurt and betrayal, and with their family still be there to support them when it's all over?

I love that Fallon is equal parts a bada*s and softy. As she begins to feel the emotions that only Madoc can evoke, she lets her guard down, and we see a glimpse of the girl that has experienced a very tough few years and has had no one to shoulder the pain and guilt with her. I may have loved Madoc throughout thse series so far, but when he was clued in to Fallon's difficult past, oh the admiration I had for this guy. I FLOVE them both. So much. Their story was much more emotional, and heated than I was expecting. Definitely a pleasant surprise. And of course, Ms. Douglas has me absolutely enamored with Jax and I can't wait for his story!! All around, an absolutely FANTASTIC addition to this amazing series! Could not have loved it more!

Happy Reading!

*ARC provided by the publisher/author in exchange for an honest review

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Title: Bully

Author: Penelope Douglas

Series: Fall Away #1

Release Date: June 17, 2013

My name is Tate.

He doesn't call me that, though. He’ll barely refer to me at all, and he’ll hardly ever speak to me.

But he still won't leave me alone.

We were best friends once. Then he turned on me and made it his mission to ruin my life. I've been humiliated, shut out, and gossiped about all through high school. His pranks and rumors got worse as time wore on. I even went to Europe for a year, just to avoid him.

But I'm done hiding from him now, and there's no way I'll allow him to ruin another year. He might not have changed, but I have.

It's time to fight back.

When one brave young woman stands up to her best friend Jared, now tormenter, the consequences go beyond anything either of them ever would have imagined….

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Title: Until You

Author: Penelope Douglas

Series: Fall Away #1.5

Release Date: December 5, 2013

Have you ever been so angry that hitting things felt good? Or numb to all emotions? The past few years have been like that for me. Traveling between fury and indifference with no stops in between. Some people hate me for it, while others are scared of me. But none of them can hurt me, because I don't care about anything or anyone.

Except Tatum.

I love her so much that I hate her. I hate that I can't let her go. We used to be friends, but I found out that I couldn't trust her—or anyone else. So I hurt her. I pushed her away. But I still need her. She centers me. Engaging her, challenging her, pushing her—it’s the one last part of me that feels anything anymore.

But then she went and screwed everything up. She left for a year and came back a different girl. Now, when I push, she pushes back…and I’m not sure either one of us will ever be the same.

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Meet Penelope:

Penelope Douglas is a writer and teacher in Las Vegas. Born in Dubuque, Iowa, she is the oldest of five children. Penelope attended the University of Northern Iowa, earning a Bachelor's degree in Public Administration, because her father told her to "just get the degree!" She then earned a Masters of Science in Education at Loyola University in New Orleans, because she hated Public Administration. One night, she got tipsy and told the bouncer at the bar where she worked that his son was hot, and three years later they were married. To the son, not the bouncer. They have spawn, but just one. A daughter named Aydan. Penelope loves sweets, the show Sons of Anarchy, and she shops at Target almost daily.

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REVIEW ~Frayed by Kim Karr~

Title: Frayed

Author: Kim Karr

Series: Connections #4

Release Date: September 2, 2014

My Rating: 5 Stars

The Connections series continues with this spin-off novel.

He didn’t think, he didn’t question—he just acted.
What she wanted, she took—without regard.
It was only one night, but it changed everything.

After losing his fiancée, Ben Covington is unsure he’ll ever love again. But when he sees Bell Wilde, he’s so deeply drawn to her, that he’s thrown for a loop. Maybe it’s purely sexual chemistry that’s igniting this spark between them...or maybe it’s his second chance at love.

Bell has just gotten her life back on track and may not be up for the challenge of Ben Covington. But once they’re reunited, there’s no holding back—even if a secret from Bell’s past just might shatter them both.

From the very beginning on the Connections series I couldn't find enough redeeming qualities in Ben Covington. Did I feel for him, and hurt for him? Of course, but I also couldn't stand him. I have no idea why though. I wasn't just what he had done to Dahlia and his family, or his attitude. There was just something missing. After I read Blurred, the prequel to Frayed, I was still having trouble wrapping my head around Ben being the next hero in this amazing series. Don't get me wrong, I wanted, and to an extent, needed to love Ben. I just wasn't sold yet. And you best believe that chapped me. But, near the end of Blurred I could see a glimmer of what Frayed was going to turn into. I saw the redemption and healing about to take place. Leave it to Kim Karr to take a character that I had no connection to and didn't care for all that much and mold him into a special place in my heart. 

I've done a complete about-face where Ben is concerned. Thanks to Bell Wilde. She was his redemption, and he was hers. She was that missing piece I couldn't find in the earlier books. When they came together in Frayed, despite the devastation and heartbreak, they stole into my heart and made me feel every square millimeter of their love and strength. It may sound silly, but really you should be used to hearing me wax poetic about this series. Frayed is no exception to that rule. 

Bell and Ben come head to head to face their demons, heal their hearts and move on. Bell thinks she can move on without closure and without Ben. He's out to prove her wrong. To him, she's the best mistake he's ever made and he can't get enough. To her, he represents a past of pain, and emptiness. When Bell gives in to Ben's advances she finds the heat and all-consuming lust still there. When they begin to wonder if it's more, the past comes knocking and when the secrets are spread on the table it may catapult these two star-crossed lovers into an abyss they may never recover from. 

Bell struck a cord with me from the very first book. I knew she had a dark story to tell and a pain to heal. I never expected the emotional punch to the gut this book delivered though. It was one of those books where just when you think they destruction is over, it's not. True to her style, Ms. Karr puts you through the wringer. But with high risk of your heart being smashed to smithereens, comes a high payout of the ending these two deserved. With each book I fall deeper and deeper into this fantastical world of coincidences and heartbreak, love and fate. And I can't help but wallow within these pages each time I get a new one in my hands. Frayed will forever be the book that blindsided me with its brilliance. And at this rate I'm going to have to find some way to bribe Kim Karr to make this the never-ending series, because there it no way I will ever get enough!

Happy Reading!

*ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

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THE CONNECTIONS SERIES

Connected (#1): Amazon | B&N | iTunes

Torn (#2): Amazon | B&N | iTunes

Dazed (#2.5): Amazon | B&N | iTunes

Mended (#3): Amazon | B&N | iTunes

Blurred (#3.5): Amazon | B&N | iTunes

Frayed (#4): Amazon | B&N | iTunes

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RELEASE DAY BLITZ ~Linger by Lauren Jameson~

We're so excited to celebrate the release of LINGER by Lauren Jameson from Signet Eclipse! The chemistry between Scarlet and Logan is off the charts in this steamy read and you don't want to miss it!

About LINGER

From the author of Breathe and Blush comes a blisteringly hot new novel about baring it all.…

On her last night in Nevada before embarking on a yearlong veterinary internship, Scarlett Malone is celebrating—and looking for one night of incredible pleasure. But the man who draws her eye is not her usual type: He’s a cowboy whose alpha-male tendencies tempt her beyond belief. Scarlett can’t understand why she wants this man and no one else, but she’s determined to entice him to submit.…

Dr. Logan Brody lives an isolated life in rural Montana, running a ranch and suppressing his submissive tendencies. Only on his occasional trips does he give into his hidden urges. He can’t deny his scorching attraction to Scarlett or that she makes him want more, but he never lets anyone break him down fully. He’s hers for one night and one night only.

But when Scarlett shows up at Logan’s door as his intern for the year, he realizes that the walls around his heart are about to crumble—and that this sexy dominant woman has no intention of letting him keep control.… 

Add it to your Goodreads list here!

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes

 

Excerpt:

Scarlett kept her steps slow and deliberate as she left him, though her heart was pounding in a wicked rhythm against her ribcage—a rhythm born of excitement and anticipation. What the fuck was that? Forcing herself not to look back, Scarlett crossed the room, her goal a table that was far enough away that it was clearly a dismissal, and yet would give her an unobstructed view. Logan. The name suited him, suited the shadow of a beard that covered his jaw line, the attractive smirk that curled his lips, the challenge in his eyes. She wanted another look at him. But she would just have to wait. She was the one in control. Hoping she was projecting outward calm, no matter how much anticipation was roiling inside her, Scarlett pulled out the tall chair, lifted herself onto it, feeling the stretch in the muscles that had once propelled her across a stage. Slowly she crossed one leg over the other, a deliberate tease, knowing the fact that she hadn’t yet looked back at him told him she didn’t care one way or another what he did. But she did. Oh, she really, really did. And so she finally let herself look across the room, back to where she had left him. She hadn’t given him leave to move. If he felt even half of what she did, he wouldn’t have. It was disconcerting how much she wanted him to still be there. Deliberately torturing herself, she let her eyes skim the mosaic tiled floors. And then there he was. He was still in place, though he had risen to his feet, staring after her. As their gaze met, Scarlett felt something tangible pulse in the air between them. Slowly, expression wary, he dropped back down to his knees as she watched. He even went so far as to lace his hands behind his head, which told her that he was far from new to BDSM. But he didn’t drop his eyes, instead leaving his stare fixated on her. Still, triumph washed over her, and Scarlett had to try very hard not to grin.

About with Lauren Jameson

Lauren Hawkeye/ Lauren Jameson never imagined that she’d wind up telling stories for a living… though when she looks back, it’s easy to see that she’s the only one who is surprised. Always “the kid who read all the time”, Lauren made up stories about her favorite characters once she’d finished a book… and once spent an entire year narrating her own life internally. No, really. But where she was just plain odd before publication, now she can at least claim to have an artistic temperament.
Lauren lives in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta, Canada with her husband, toddler, pit bull and idiot cat, though they do not live in an igloo, nor do they drive a dogsled. In her nonexistent spare time Lauren can be found knitting (her husband claims that her snobby yarn collection is exorbitant), reading anything she can get her hands on, or sweating her way through spin class. She loves to hear from her readers!

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REVIEW ~Seducing Lauren by Kristen Proby~

Title: Seducing Lauren

Author: Kristen Proby

Series: Love Under the Big Sky #2

Release Date: August 19, 2014

My Rating: 5 Stars!

In the second book in the Love Under the Big Sky series from this USA Today bestselling author of the With Me in Seattle series, life in Montana gets spicy when a woman and her divorce lawyer sign off the papers—and sign on to love.

Now that his best friend, Josh, has happily settled down with his true love on a Montana ranch, small-town lawyer Ty Sullivan starts thinking that maybe single life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. And when Lauren Cunningham’s no-good ex-husband comes after her for an unexpected trust fund, Ty steps in to protect her. But soon he can’t help but think of her as more than a client. Lauren’s in no mood to jump into another relationship, so how can Ty convince her that her mistake wasn’t getting married, but marrying the wrong guy?

Oh, Ms. Proby... Are you sure I can't just stick you in my pocket and read what you write over your shoulder? Everything this lovely author writes is amazing. Seducing Lauren, however, hit it out of the ball park, Emotions hit higher and lower. The subject matter is a bit darker than previous Proby novels I've read, but it's written in a way that makes me connect with the characters on an even deeper level. I was taken to the brink of suspense and darkness only to be jerked back into the warm arms of the love between Ty and Lauren. 

Lauren is trying to escape a horrible marriage. With the papers signed she thinks she can finally move on, until her ex comes knocking and tossing around threats verbal and physical. Lauren has no choice but to deal with this in a legal medium. She's hell bent that her ex will not receive a dime or scare her away from her town. Ty the resident lawyer at first pawns Lauren off on his associate. Why? Well conflict of interest of course. It seems our hunky lawyer has been pining after Lauren. But when he realizes the severity of the situation, Ty is stuck to her like glue. Sooner rather than later, Ty and Lauren have found they their mind-blowing chemistry just can't be denied. But being so close, and hanging out all the time leads Lauren to divulge her secret to Ty. A secret that may just cause her ex to come out fists swinging and up the ante. As their relationship becomes more serious, the danger draws closer. Close enough that it may tear Lauren and Ty up for good.

Ty is my kind of hero. He's sweet, dirty-mouthed, sexy and thoughtful. Lauren, well she can hold her own. Yet, while they're both extremely independent they soon come to rely on each other and I loved watching it happen. I got lost in their happiness and adventures. I was so wrapped up in them as a couple that when other recurring aspects popped up again I thought: "Oh yeahhh!". Not saying that the story line was boring, just that Ty and Lauren's love consumed me as a reader to the point where I was only focused on them. In true Proby fashion you can expect so very heated scenes and a book that will enrapture you. This book took my excitement level about this series up to a whole new level. And what am I SO looking forward to? Jillian's story. Can you see me bouncing up and down? Well, I am. I know fireworks are just going to explode in the next installment of this series. So considering me shoving Seducing Lauren onto the top of your TBR list and hop on this steamy, wonderful, amazing train!

Happy Reading!

*ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

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