Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Cover Preview and Excerpt of When You Were Mine by Elizabeth Reyes


I'm very excited to share the cover and excerpt for When You Were Mine by Elizabeth Reyes one of my favorite New Adult authors.



Synopsis
When her head was screaming “enough,” her hopeful heart continued to whisper “wait.” 
It's the only way Valerie Zuniga can justify her ongoing addiction to the amazing but ever, elusive Alex Moreno. Mesmerized by the profound connection neither has ever quite understood, Valerie  accepts their crazy relationship for what it is—non-exclusive. 
That is until the incredible highs no longer numb the sting of the intense lows.  

As tasteless and slippery as pride can be, for Alex it's always been the hardest pill to swallow.  
Faced with a final ultimatum, the choice is a no-brainer for Alex. Despite his insanely busy life he's determined to prove to Valerie, that not only is he ready to commit, it's what he's always wanted—to claim Valerie as his exclusively.  
But just as it kept him from admitting his real feelings all those years, will his obstinate pride once again step in and ruin things just when they're finally getting it right?  
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Excerpt

"Why are you here?" she demanded.

"I wanna talk to you?" he asked hopefully.

"No," her response was too quick—abrupt. "I'm busy now. Try me another time."

Okay maybe he deserved that. But he knew she wasn't busy. He knew he had to convince her to hear him out. Alex was determined to say everything he came here to say to her tonight. And then he saw it. The movement behind her. His eyes zeroed in on a guy sitting at her small kitchen table looking equally as relaxed as Valerie texting something on his phone and there were two glasses of wine on the table. 

Alex took him in for another second from top to bottom as the slow boil inside him began to bubble. The guy put his phone down then reached for the bottle of wine and poured them each a little more. 

On instinct Alex put his hand on the door in case she even thought of trying to slam the door on his face. That wasn't happening now. And any hope of this night ending amicably like he'd been optimistic about was instantly squashed. He turned to Valerie whose earlier incensed eyes looked a little panicked now. "Who the fuck is that?"  

For more information on When You Were Mine go to GoodReads!

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About the Author

"I write because I must. It's not a choice or a pastime, it's an unyielding calling and my passion."
~Elizabeth Reyes

USA Today Bestselling Author, Elizabeth Reyes continues to answer her calling on a daily basis. Since releasing her debut novel FOREVER MINE (MORENO BROTHERS #1) in 2010 she has since published five more in that series, FOREVER YOURS, SWEET SOFIE, ALWAYS BEEN MINE, ROMERO and MAKING YOU MINE, with more stories about the Moreno family and their friends to come. She's also published a second series, 5th Street which includes, NOAH, GIO, HECTOR, ABEL. FELIX the fifth in the series is scheduled to release November 13th 2014. Her Moreno Brother's spinoff series FATE includes FATE, & BREAKING BRANDON, there is also more of this series still to come. Her latest release and first in a brand new series is DESERT HEAT about the diverse but equally sexy Santiago Brothers living in Las Vegas.

When she's not writing (which is rare)she spends as much time as she can with her husband of over twenty years, two teen children, Great Dane, Dexter and big fat lazy cat, Tyson.

Keep up with all her upcoming books/events/signings by visiting her
website.

You can also keep up by liking her fan page on
Facebook 

Following her on
Twitter and follow her Instagram

Monday, July 21, 2014

Library Tip: Oh no my dog pooped on the library's puzzle. Now what?

That title is a true story. Just after I handed my application for the Library Aide job, our dog decided to poop on a puzzle we borrowed from the library. What kills me about the whole thing was, he had his choice of two puzzles. One we just picked up at a garage sale for $1 and the other from the library. There was nothing more embarrassing than going to the library and saying, "What if my dog pooped on your puzzle. What now?" After replacing the puzzle and a processing fee, I thought they would never hire me for the job.

Two years later I use this story all the time when someone comes in with an item that has been destroyed by a pet or child or self. People always seem to feel much better after they hear about my own dog's misdeeds.

We're not always so lucky in the library with people owning up to damage that has been done to books or items. One time while pulling books out of the drop box, I noticed that some of them were wet and smelled. You can only imagine my horror when I place the smell to pet urine. I must have washed my hands 20 times that day. And all of the other books that mingled with the bad books and the countertops and well, just about everything I saw.

I couldn't believe that someone would return books that had pet urine on it to the drop box and think nothing of it. Or even the safety of other patrons. The sad part was, they tried blaming a random animal doing it after they dropped off the books.

Just the past week I had my own mishap with a popular book that just came out. I was the first person to read it at the library. A glass of water, a quick movement and lots of cursing followed when I discovered that the brand new, never used library book was damaged.



As you can see, I got about a quarter of the book wet. So I thought I should just buy a new one and replace it. Imagine my surprise (after working here two years) that they said it was OK and noted that it had some damage.

After that I thought, what a great subject for the blog. What to do when a library item gets damaged. So here goes...

Library tips for damaged books:
  • If you get a tear (anything under .25") please don't fix it at home. Our repair gal has special tape that's used for the book. Even if you kids or yourself tears a few pages out by accident, bring it in. Most likely we can make the fix. Only the worst of the worst has been asked to be replaced, like the whole book being pulled from the spine.
  • If you get a book and then all of the sudden, the spine gives out and large chunks fall out. Don't worry, we won't blame you. When you return the book, make sure to let us know what happened. Binding and glue isn't as good as it once was so things tend to break down faster nowadays. Also, older books that get read a lot tend to break.
  • Water damage is a fine line and different with each library. Make sure to bring the book in and ask if they would like it replaced. Most times, the library will say it's OK. Unless it's the whole book that's damaged or a wine stain. That's tougher to read through.
  • We have also noticed that puppies love books. If your puppy gets a hold of your book, it's best to bring in. Sometimes we can repair the damage but most times the book is beyond repair. Their little teeth really seem to know how to get a book apart from it's spine.
  • If a book or item has come in contact with urine or other bodily functions, we would prefer you kept the book at home. No need to show us the damage. It's easier to replace the item.
Now, some library tips for when the book is beyond repair:
  • Your library will tell you if the book is beyond repair. I learned this lesson myself when I through the book I had dropped water on was ruined. My tip, take it to the library first to see what they think. I bought the replacement book first and the store refused to take it back since I could have read it and then tried to return it. That was a deep sigh moment!
  • Libraries also prefer if you brought in a new book to replace the one that was destroyed. Honestly, it's cheaper that way too. With Amazon and B&N and other stores you can find the book cheaper than you would have to pay at the library. We charge you what the original price was for the book. Also, when you write a check for the book that was damaged, there is no guarantee that they will be able to replace the damaged book. The funds go into a big pot, not to the specific book that you paid for. That's why we like it when you replace the book.
  • When replacing the book, make sure it's not used or from the budget bin. You'll see a black or red mark on the pages. Libraries typically don't take books from the budget bin. They want the book to be brand new.
  • Finally, the libraries in our system charge a processing fee. This fee covers the tape, barcode, and time to get the new book back into the system. We charge $5 to process, others are $3 and I even seen some at $7. Please don't get made about the fee it goes to help pay for the costs of replacing it in the system.

Most important, don't feel bad about the damage. I have seen it all when it comes to damaged items and most of the time people are so embarrassed they don't want to say anything. Have no fear, your dog hasn't pooped on the library puzzle at the place you were hoping to get a job at. See, it can't be as bad at that.

Happy (repair free) reading!


Saturday, July 19, 2014

For All Time by Jude Deveraux

 

New York Times bestselling author Jude Deveraux returns to the ruggedly magnificent island in For All Time, the second novel in her Nantucket Brides trilogy—this time featuring the next generation of her beloved family of Montgomery-Taggerts.

The wedding of Alix Madsen and Jared Montgomery is a glorious affair at an elegant little chapel in the woods, followed by dinner and dancing, all while moonlight blankets the festivities in a romantic glow. While most guests are fixed on the happy couple, Jared’s cousin Graydon can’t look away from a bridesmaid, Toby Wyndam. It’s not just her quiet beauty that enthralls him or the way she makes him laugh. Toby possesses the truly remarkable ability of being able to distinguish Graydon from his identical twin brother, Rory. According to family legend, such a gift marks her as Graydon’s True Love.


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When people around town saw me calling For All Time around, they were surprised. I think they're used to seeing me with a book that has a half naked man on it or some wild YA fantasy novel. However, they usually don't see me with a thick traditional Fiction novel.
 
When True Love, the first in this series came out, I saw it come through the library a lot. I wondered what made people love Jude Deveraux and her stories. So, I read the summary and decided to give it a try. What surprised me was that even through I felt I needed a family flow chart and timeline to remember certain pointers I actually really loved the story and characters.
 
The second book centers around one character we already met, Toby and a new character from the Montgomery clan Graydon. Of course Graydon has a twin we met at the end of True Love who really rubbed Toby the wrong way. I just loved how Graydon comes in at the end and tries to smooth things over, pretending to be his brother. What shocks Graydon is Toby can tell the two apart.

And that is exactly where the book starts off, at the wedding scene ad Graydon is to walk Toby down the aisle. Toby of course is not happy about it and Graydon can't keep his eyes off of her. Now, from reading True Love you might think Toby is quite as a mouse. While thoughtful in her reactions to people, it doesn't stop her from standing up to Graydon. Something that is very rare since he's a price. What comes next is equal to something you might have seen in the Parent Trap, the twins switching places so Graydon can enjoy a week off from duties.

While Graydon is pretending to be his brother, he begins to develop a friendship with Toby. What I really liked about the book (books really) is the supernatural that is wrapped into the story. A house that brings them back in time to help change the past and give people a future. Learning more about past characters and how the related to the people you have met in the present. And of course, the love the is seen between the two main characters and how the really come to be from past and present.
 
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good love story with a splash of supernatural. My only complaint was that I wanted to read more about the characters we met in True Love. I think that speaks to how much I liked the first story and wanting to read more about my favorite characters and not to something missing in the writing.

Monday, July 14, 2014

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead


St. Vladimir’s Academy isn’t just any boarding school—it’s a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They’ve been on the run, but now they’re being dragged back to St. Vladimir’s—the very place where they’re most in danger. . . .

Rose and Lissa become enmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academy’s ruthless social scene, and unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoi—the world’s fiercest and most dangerous vampires—make Lissa one of them forever.

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Last night I finally had the chance to watch the Vampire Academy on DVD. I remembered seeing it advertised for theater release but never got the chance to get to the movies. Such is life with a very active 5-year-old. What I remembered from the movie trailers had me excited for the movie. Rose, the main character, seemed strong and quarkie, just like in the books.

I got my copy from the library after I discovered the DVD had been released. The Vampire Academy was my guilty pleasure while home on Friday. Guilty not because it's a YA book or even vampire movie but guilty because I should have been cleaning and folding laundry.

I will say the movie did a good job of sticking with the books. At one point I was like, "that didn't happen" and then I discovered it was a dream sequence...so the "never mind" followed.

Since I liked the movie because I really liked the book, let's talk about the book. I came across Vampire Academy while waiting for Harry Potter books to come out and after discovering and loving Twilight (and waiting for the remaining books to come out too). Almost any book gets compare to the Twilight series. First, there's no shame in loving that series. Second, and most important, the Vampire Academy is nothing like Twilight (as stated in the beginning of the movie. LOL!). Vampire Academy had a whole new thinking on what it meant to be a vampire and a guardian and the bad guys. I really loved that Rose was this strong, kick butt female character who was loyal to her best friend Leesa. 

If you haven't had a chance to read Vampire Academy yet, I would encourage you to do s, especially if you like a strong female character POV and vampire. It's a great series that was on the NY Times Best Seller list.


Saturday, July 12, 2014

Dumbledore's Army Reunites at Quidditch World Cup Final by J.K. Rowling



J.K. Rowling, writing as gossip columnist 'Rita Skeeter' for the Pottermore site, which sees Harry reunited with Ron, Hermione and their friends at the final of the 2014 Quidditch World Cup in a 1,500-word short.

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I'm sure everyone reading this already knows that J.K. Rowling came out with a short story written by 'Rita Skeeter' in Pottermore. If not, it's out there and it's AWESOME! I did a fangirl scream when I discovered it. I so miss the Dumbledore Army gang and their stories. It's the perfect short read for Harry Potter fans out there.
 
If you haven't heard or read the short story yet, I would recommend going out there and reading it! You can find here at Hypable (a website for fans by fans and from the original team who brought you MuggleCast).
 
 


Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Library Tip: DVDs and Sticky Fingers

When I first started working at the library, I didn't realize how many services and options were offered. It blew my mind that they had magazines, newspapers, DVDs, puzzles, and even cake pans to check out. I soon learned that during the summer months, DVDs were one of the most popular items checked out besides the books.

On any given work day for me, I must clean 25-50 DVDs and that's just me. We typically have 2-3 people working the circulation desk at any given time during the day. When I first started working at the library, we used the fancy DVD cleaner to get sticky fingers off the disks. Then one day, it was switched out for Pledge. This confused me to no end. "Are we cleaning down the counters with Pledge," I asked a co-worker. I was informed that this was our new DVD cleaner.

I was amazed at how well the cleaner worked on our disks. We seem to get disks back in all manners. Some so heavily scratched you wonder how the played in the player to some kind of food stuck to the disk. The Pledge cleaner worked on all of the disks we cleaned. The cleaner shinned and seemed to smooth out the scratches.

So, my first library tip to you today is, if you need to clean your own disks, try Pledge Cleaner with a screen cloth (one that can be used on flat screens or iPads).

My second tip is, if the disk you have from the library skips, make sure to let them know. We actually have a disk cleaner/repairer at our library. Some disks come in so scratched that we can't get them to play. A trip or two through the repairer always seems to do the trick. However, if a patron doesn't let us know, we don't go through the extra step of repair. We only repair when we know there is a problem with the disk.

My third tip, try not to let small children handle disks from the library. I know, I know, it takes all the fun out of getting a DVD from the library. But most smudges and scratches seem to be on the children DVDs returned to us. This helps save the disks so others can enjoy them.

My fourth tip, if you noticed more than one disk skipping on your DVD player, try cleaning it. More times than I can count when we're told a disk skips to only discover the DVD player had dust in it. I was told by a co-worker who is in charge of repairs to the DVDs that cleaning the player every 3-4 months is best and can help save you a lot of hassle and damaged disks.

I hate to advertise for brands and companies so take this next and final tip with a grain of salt. If you player doesn't like even the smallest of tips, I would suggest saving up for a Sony player. We have one at work where we test our damaged disks on and you wouldn't believe what it can play. I have seen some scratched disks come through that would skip on a player at home (even my home) and it would play perfectly on our at work player. So, if you're in the market, I would suggest a Sony. I don't know what they do to build their players but it seems it can play anything.

Happy DVD watching (and cleaning)!

Thursday, July 3, 2014

City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare


In this dazzling and long-awaited conclusion to the acclaimed Mortal Instruments series, Clary and her friends fight the greatest evil they have ever faced: Clary's own brother.

Sebastian Morgenstern is on the move, systematically turning Shadowhunter against Shadowhunter. Bearing the Infernal Cup, he transforms Shadowhunters into creatures out of nightmare, tearing apart families and lovers as the ranks of his Endarkened army swell.

The embattled Shadowhunters withdraw to Idris - but not even the famed demon towers of Alicante can keep Sebastian at bay. And with the Nephilim trapped in Idris, who will guard the world against demons?

When one of the greatest betrayals the Nephilim have ever known is revealed, Clary, Jace, Isabelle, Simon, and Alec must flee - even if their journey takes them deep into the demon realms, where no Shadowhunter has set foot before, and from which no human being has ever returned...

Love will be sacrificed and lives lost in the terrible battle for the fate of the word in the thrilling final installment of the classic urban fantasy series The Mortal Instruments!

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Honestly, there are only one word to describe this book...EPIC! From start to finish the whole book was epic. So epic that I had to put it down since I wasn't sleeping for wanting to know what happens. I had a music camp that I was playing in that week and really needed to be awake for. So epic that it took me a lot of time to read and finish. So epic I'm posting a picture of how big this book is below.


That's pretty epic...right along with Harry Potter in book height...two whole inches! 

I now going to make another Harry Potter reference. *Spoiler Alert* Do you remember when Neville was just a kid who could have been "the one". Instead he was scared of his own shadow. And over time he changed and gain confidence and became pretty darn important in the end. I loved that about Neville and his development. The same goes with Simon in this series. In the beginning he's a Mundane, a human and not worthy of the Shadowhunters. Then he shoots that big arrow and saves everyone. Drives the van and saves Alex. He started to become important outside of Clary. But who really thought Simon would save the world or the Shadowhunter or even the group? Not me and I love Simon. In the end, he was super important to the group and I look forward to learning what happen after this book ends for Simon.

The rest of the characters are amazing and I love how the story comes together for them. Especially, Clary and Jace. Their love is epic but never a love triangle and I appreciate that the most. The might have doubt in themselves or others but never in the other. I also loved how we got a lot of Easter eggs from the prequel series. Tess. Jem. Mangus thoughts on all of them. Just amazing and reminded me why I love this author and the books so much.

Now, I know some of you read book 5 and was like "Jace wasn't himself" or "it didn't feel like the other books". I think that was the point. Jace was possessed. Of course he wasn't himself and the writing showed that. This book was full on Jace as himself. More importantly, Jace matures and talks out his feelings to Clary. I really enjoyed that!

So, if you haven't read the last book in this series, it's well work the two inches of read. If you haven't read the series, this is a must read in the YA world...but don't judge it on the movie. As usual, the book is 10x better than the movie. Clare is one of my favorite YA writers and I now can't wait to read more books in this world. 

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Release Day for Taming the Storm by Samantha Towle

Happy Release Day to Samantha Towle and Taming the Storm! Enjoy a peek into the book below and make sure to enter the giveaway! You can follow along the blog tour for reviews here.

You can also join Samantha's group on Facebook where she will share exclusive details of upcoming books, teasers and treats before she posts them anywhere else! You can join Samantha Towle's Storm Troopers here.

 TamingTheStormeBookAm

Lyla Summers hates men. Okay, maybe hate is a strong word … Lyla intensely dislikes men.
Her father has let her down her whole life. Her brother betrayed her in the worst way possible. And her past relationship experiences with men have been less than great.
Lyla is focussing all her energy into her band, Vintage, so when they receive an offer to sign with TMS Records, it seems that things are finally turning around for her. The last thing she wants is a man getting in the way.

Tom Carter loves women. Okay, love might be pushing it … Tom enjoys screwing lots of women.

When tragedy befalls his best friend, Tom finds himself making a promise to the big man upstairs – he’ll change his ways, if he saves the woman his best friend loves.
Tom’s prayer is answered. Now he has to change. Which means no sleeping around.

After Vintage’s manager breaks her leg skiing, Tom steps in as tour manager, and Lyla finds herself on tour with the man whore of rock.

Put one perpetually horny Tom and one sex resistant Lyla together, equals a recipe for disaster. Or so you’d think…

But an unexpected friendship is formed. A closeness neither of them expected. Putting one chastity belt and one lamp that is in desperate need of rubbing, to the test.

Will the sex storm that is Tom Carter, finally find himself tamed by the rock chick with a hardened heart, or will he go back to his womanizing ways…?



BUY YOUR COPY OF TAMING THE STORM
Amazon US | Amazon UK |Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes US | iTunes UK | Smashwords



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Trailer



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 samantha towle 

Samantha Towle is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. She began her first novel in 2008 while on maternity leave. She completed the manuscript five months later and hasn't stopped writing since. She is the author of contemporary romances, The Mighty Storm, Wethering the Storm, and Trouble. She has also written paranormal romances, The Bringer and The Alexandra Jones Series, all penned to tunes of The Killers, Kings of Leon, Adele, The Doors, Oasis, Fleetwood Mac, Lana Del Rey, and more of her favorite musicians. A native of Hull and a graduate of Salford University, she lives with her husband, Craig, in East Yorkshire with their son and daughter.

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Where it all started...

the mighty storm

Book 1 - The Mighty Storm 

It's been twelve years since Tru Bennett last saw Jake Wethers, her former best friend and boy she once loved. Jake Wethers, sexy, tattooed and deliciously bad lead singer, and brains behind The Mighty Storm, one of the biggest bands in the world, left Tru with a broken heart when he moved from England to America with his family when they were both fourteen. Sent to interview Jake for her music column by the magazine she works for, they are both unprepared for the sparks that fly the instant they reconnect. Only, there’s a complication to their instant feelings for one another—Will, Tru’s boyfriend of two years. Then Jake makes Tru a job offer she can't refuse—travelling the world with him and his band. But taking the job means leaving Will behind, and being on the road with the band means spending an inordinate amount of time with Jake. Is Tru strong enough to resist the delectable bad boy who once held her heart so completely, or will she willingly risk it all for one night with the world's most notorious womanizer?