Wine Relaxation and MY Kindle

Book Title: Born of Fire

Author: Amy Erstad 

Release Date: TBD 

                                      

Book Blurb: 

Humans are losing their devotion to the Gods. After everything the humans put themselves and others though; faith is still not high on their priority list. Even the Gods would think such things as wars would lead the humans back to them, but it is only a temporary fix. Their devotion still waivers. Other than Ra, no one seems to notice, or they just don’t care. They keep telling him it will get better with time, only it doesn’t. Worse yet, they keep denying his request for an earthly presence. He is sick of watching and waiting, and sick of being denied. He is not going to just stand by and let them keep denying him, he has his own plans. Plans put in place centuries ago, secretly. Now they shall all see what happens when he is forsaken. 

    While Ra is making plans of his own, Kenna, on the earthly realm, is figuring out that the people she loves and trusts are keeping secrets from her. She wants to know what those secrets are, and she knows they have something to do with her nightmares, but no one is giving up any information. She is not too worried though. She has Keyara, her best friend, right there beside her. Together they work to try to unravel the mystery that her life has become. Together they stand when Kenna’s life is turned upside down by some handsome stranger. One that is familiar, yet unknown to Kenna. Together they will continue to stand, when the secrets are revealed, and both girls find they have destinies they never would have dreamed of.

       

Excerpt: Kenna and Keyara

Kenna is sitting on her bed looking at me with a look of bewilderment on her face, and a little laugh in her voice. “Sounds like you were up to eaves-dropping again. How did the covert operation go?  Learn anything new?”

“No, no nothing new tonight,” I quickly spit out, not wanting her to know that her parents know where she got the necklace. While I still hate the lying, I know I just need a little bit more time, and a few more pieces to start putting everything together. 

Kenna gives me the eye, looking at me suspiciously. “Well you sure were gone long enough for no new information, and you were awful quick to spit that out.”

“Yeah well, just because we have an undercover mission going doesn’t mean I don’t ever have to drain the lily pad once in a while.” Truthfully I hate keeping this secret from Kenna, but I don’t want to let on to the fact that I think they are keeping secrets, and that I think it is something big. I want to wait until I have something concrete to bring her, so I don’t worry her any more than she already is. As it is, my poor best friend has hardly had a good night’s sleep in months and the less stress she has on her, the better off she will be. Knowing there is a secret out there about her isn’t exactly going to help her, but it is better than knowing just how serious I believe it may be, without being able to produce any proof.

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Author Bio 

Amy has been married for 16 years and shares two beautiful daughters with her husband. After being a stay at home mother for many years, she went back to school and graduated with her Associates Degree in Business Administration in 2009. When she is not working, she loves being able to travel whenever she can and has had the opportunity to visit several different countries with her family, and has even been able to live in some of them. 

While it was never her dream to become a writer, she now loves every minute of her time spent in the writing world, as it gives her the opportunity to live in a world made out of imagination and sometimes dreams. She loves reading paranormal and fantasy books. 

                                         

RELEASE DATE: MONDAY, JUNE 24TH.

Blurb:

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Emma Hart, comes the second book in The Game series, and the story everyone wanted after The Love Game…

She's in love with him. 
He's trying not to love her. 
One night changes everything.

Aston Banks never meant to get close to Megan Harper – not even for that one night. Haunted by a childhood he refuses to face, he knew she could break through every wall he’d ever built and tear them down without even realising she was doing it.

Betraying Braden by starting a relationship with Aston wasn’t on Megan’s to-do list, but the second she sees a glimpse of someone other than the arrogant ass she’s come to know, she can’t walk away.

Aston’s childhood is worse than Megan ever guessed, but as he tries and fails to push her away, it’s clear her love is stronger than the demons that cling to him every day. And now, because of it, he finally has to deal with what he’s buried deep down.

What he doesn’t want to face. What he’s fought against for so long.

And they have to do it all without Braden finding out.

Keeping a relationship secret has never been harder.

**This book can be read as a standalone novel, but reading The Love Game (The Game, #1) beforehand is advised.)

GOODREADS: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17341528-playing-for-keeps

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EXCERPT: Disclaimer: This is from the unedited version of the book, and is therefore subject to change or removal before publication.

MEGAN

“If you’re trying to hide, babe, then you’re failing. I can see you.” Aston’s words crawl over me in a smooth caress, making my throat dry up and my blood boil simultaneously.

“Why would I be hiding?” I sit up and look forward, determined not to meet his eyes.

He shrugs a shoulder carelessly, twirling a pen between his fingers. I catch his every movement from the corner of my eye. His eyes are burning into the side of my head - they’re begging me to turn, begging me to look.

“Because you want me so badly you can’t bear to see me,” he says in a dramatic tone with a touch of arrogance.

My back straightens. “Clearly someone has been feeding your ego again,” I reply dryly. “Because I don’t remember ever telling you I want you.”

His bicep brushes mine as he leans forward. “Is that so?” he asks, his voice low and barely perceptible.

I fight the urge to drop my eyes to the desk. “Damn right it is.”

A fingertip trails down the back of my arm, the tingling feeling making me fight against a shiver.

“I think you’re wrong,” he whispers. “Because I’m pretty sure you said you wanted me on Saturday night – right before you dug those nails of yours into my back and wrapped your pretty little legs around my waist.”

My head snaps round to him, and our faces are inches apart. His lips are curled in a slightly smug smile, and I hate the fact that’s where my eyes fell first. I drag them away from his mouth and across the sharp planes of his face until they meet his smoky eyes.

I remember why I didn’t want to look at him. His eyes have the power to entrance me and to break me. Right now it’s the former – the silvery hint at the edge of his iris pulling me in and holding me captive. I remember why, from the first touch of his lips against mine on Saturday night, nothing could have stopped us happening.

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About The Author:

 

               

Synopis

Brooke Wright has only two goals her senior year at Charity Run High School: stay out of trouble and learn to forgive herself for the past. Forgiveness proves elusive, and trouble finds her anyway when she discovers a secret club at school connected to the death of her best friend. She learns that swim team members participate in a “Fantasy Slut League,” scoring points for their sexual acts with unsuspecting girls.

Brooke, wracked with guilt over her friend’s death, decides to infiltrate the league by becoming one of the “unsuspecting girls,” and exact revenge on the boys who stole away her best friend. An unexpected romance complicates her plans, and her dogged pursuit of justice turns her reckless as she underestimates just how far the boys will go to keep their sex club a secret.

(This is a New Adult fiction book with mature themes. It contains graphic sex and language and an explicit description of sexual violence. Please take the content warning seriously.)

Buy links

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Going-Under-ebook/dp/B00BW9F36Y/

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/going-under-s-walden/1114916013?ean=2940044386044

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/296755

Createspace (paperback): https://www.createspace.com/4152506

Kobo: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Going-Under/book-E5iBHg3XkkOh4vcU0vG0aQ/page1.html?s=dmZItG7l7U2MoEeZD_HXFA&r=1

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Excerpt: 

I left the bathroom in a hurry, turning the corner for the foyer and slamming into him. The force of the hit was so great that I stumbled backwards, nearly falling on my bottom if not for his outstretched hand. I grabbed it before going down and wobbled on my too-high heels, clutching him as I worked to regain my balance.

“God, I’m sorry!” he exclaimed.

I looked at his face then, unprepared to see something so beautiful. I think I gasped. And then I averted my eyes out of sheer embarrassment.

“I really should watch where I’m going,” he said.

He still held my hand, and I let him. I couldn’t remember who I was or where I was going. I couldn’t remember where I had just been. I only knew that a very cute boy . . . no, he was more than cute. He was gorgeous. This very gorgeous boy was holding my hand, and I had only one thought. I wanted to make our handholding more intimate. I wanted to lace my fingers with his.

“I think I should,” I mumbled.

I chanced another look at him. I made a conscientious effort not to gasp as I took in his light blue eyes. I’d never seen eyes that color. Jared Leto had nothing on this guy’s eyes, and Jared’s eyes were the color of the Mediterranean. No, the eyes I looked into now were so light blue they looked translucent. I thought if I stared a little longer I could see right inside his head, to his brain, and I don’t know why that turned me on so much. I wanted to witness the workings of his mind, the firing synapses, information traveling safely inside neurons to different parts of his body. A few made it to his hand, and they must have told him to keep holding mine because he didn’t let go.

I stared shamelessly, licking my lips at one point. He stared back just as boldly. I wanted him to like what he saw. I wanted him to think I was sexy. I wanted him to feel the same instant attraction I did. I’d never felt it before. Not really. Not even with Finn. It was unsettling, and I wondered how people functioned after being smacked upside the head with it. Instant. Physical. Chemical.

Primal.

Just rip my clothes off, I thought. Just rip my clothes off and do me right here in the hallway!

He smiled and released my hand. I thought he did it reluctantly, like his brain ordered him to and he finally acquiesced. I smiled back, a flirty grin. I pulled my ponytail forward over my shoulder and played with the strands. I bit my lower lip. And then reality came crashing down like a hailstorm, large lumps of ice banging my head and screaming at me in unison.

“YOU’RE AT A FUNERAL!”

I looked at the gorgeous guy, and my face went white.

“Oh my God,” I whispered.

He stared at me for a moment before saying, “Are you okay?”

I shook my head and started towards the sanctuary doors. He followed behind.

“I’m awful, I’m awful, I’m awful,” I whispered over and over. I didn’t care if he could hear.

What the hell was I doing? Trying to flirt with a guy at my best friend’s funeral? How could I even forget for a second that I was at a funeral? I was supposed to be carrying around heavy, black sorrow to match my black dress and black heart, not batting lashes and fantasizing about sex with a stranger. Was I so ridiculous that a hot guy could make me forget to have any kind of decency? Or shame?

I rounded the corner and saw my mother waiting for me. And then I ran to her, threw myself into her arms, and burst into a fit of tears.

“Brooklyn,” she whispered, holding me in a tight hug. “It’s okay,” she cooed as she stroked my hair.

“I’m a terrible friend!” I wailed. I saw the fuzzy outline of a boy walking past us tentatively through the doors.

“No, you aren’t,” my mother replied.

“Yes, I am! I don’t even know why I’m here! Beth hated my guts! She wouldn’t talk to me all summer!”

“Brooke,” Mom said. “I want you to calm down. Now, we talked about this. You knew it would be hard, but she was your best friend for all those years. Do you think she wouldn’t have wanted you here?”

“No, I don’t!” I cried.

“Yes, she would,” Mom said. “Now we have to go in.”

“I can’t!”

“Brooke, Beth was your best friend,” Mom said, trying for patience.

“No she wasn’t! Not after what I did! I ruined everything! I’m a freaking slut!” I sobbed, shaking my head from side to side.

“Sweetheart, don’t say words like ‘freaking’ and ‘slut’ in a church,” Mom replied.

I only sobbed louder.

“You can do this,” Mom encouraged.

I stood my ground, shaking my head violently, refusing to go in.

“Brooklyn Wright!” Mom hissed, pushing me away and grabbing my upper arm. She squeezed too tightly, and I squeaked in discomfort. There was no more tenderness in her voice. “Get yourself together. This isn’t about you. So stop making it about you. You’re going into that sanctuary and you’re going to pay your respects to your friend, and you’re going to make it about Beth. Do you understand me?”

I swallowed hard and wiped my face.

“Do you understand me?” Mom repeated.

I nodded grudgingly, and she took my hand, leading me through the doors.

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Review:

I could not put this book down! I got about 3 hours of sleep but I could not stop reading!

This book hit on a very touchy subject, rape. If you cannot handle it then don't read, but this story is amazing!

We start off meeting Brooke who is attending her best friends funeral. They had a falling out and even though Brooke knows she committed suicide over something else, she feels she must make the one who did it to her pay! She is so guilty over her friends death and has a hard time letting go. This book was a very emotional read but I freakin LOVED every second of it!

Brooke starts digging more and more into Cal and finds out its way bigger than she thought! She feels the only way to get Beth ( well in spirit) to forgive her is to bring it all down. Her original plan is to sacrifice herself in order to do it, that is until things get heated with Ryan. 

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Ryan, mysterious Ryan. You almost forget that he has a secret and it creeps up and BITES you! But man is he yummy!!!

This powerful amazing read is a must if you can handle the subject! It is a lot of character build up in the beginning and and I totally didn't see what happened in the end coming! I kept screaming at my book! I can not recommend it enough, total book hangover!

Rating: 5 stars

Cheers,

Erika

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About S. Walden

S. Walden used to teach English before making the best decision of her life by becoming a full-time writer. She lives in Georgia with her very supportive husband who prefers physics textbooks over fiction and has a difficult time understanding why her characters must have personality flaws. She is wary of small children, so she has a Westie instead. Her dreams include raising chickens and owning and operating a beachside inn on the Gulf Coast (chickens included). When she's not writing, she's thinking about it.

She loves her fans and loves to hear from them. Email her at swaldenauthor@hotmail.com and follow her blog at http://swaldenauthor.blogspot.com where you can get up-to-date information on her current projects.

Blog: http://swaldenauthor.blogspot.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/swaldenauthor

Twitter: @swaldenauthor

goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/swaldenauthor

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All About Ryan

“Ryan, why are you so gorgeous and strange?”

My sister told me she laughed her butt off at that part in the book—the part where Brooke gets drunk. I wanted it to be silly and lighthearted to take away from some of the heaviness in the novel. I mean, good grief. If the entire novel were like Chapter 20, who on earth would read it??

But back to gorgeous and strange Ryan. It’s official. The ladies love him, and many of you were a little mad you didn’t get more of him in the book. In my defense, I will say that Going Under was not meant to be primarily a romance. In fact, I purposely wrote the romance as a side item. This did not make for completely happy fans. You were semi-happy, but not all-the-way happy. ☺ So here’s me making it up to you. I’m giving you a little inside information on our leading man that hopefully will allow you to forgive me in some way for not featuring him on every page. xo

Full name: Ryan James Foster

Born: September 27 in Raleigh, North Carolina at WakeMed

Astrological Sign: Libra

Stats: 6’2”; 180 lbs; brown hair; blue eyes

Favorite food: Steak fajitas

Favorite music: The Smashing Pumpkins, specifically their Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness album. (His older cousin turned him on to ‘90s alternative rock.)

Favorite TV show: Game of Thrones

Activities: surfing, skateboarding, snowboarding (he’s really hot when he snowboards), swimming, making out with Brooke

Favorite book: The Call of the Wild by Jack London

Favorite movie: Snatch (Hey, what do you want me to say?)

College degree: B.S. Business Finance

Current job: Finance manager for a chain of local skateboard and skateboard supplies stores in Chapel Hill, NC

Idiotic move in college: Hosted a “hurricane party” at a friend’s place half a mile from the beach. These are popular parties during hurricane season in Wilmington, NC, and they really piss off the local authorities. No one was hurt, but a lot of college students got wasted and then naked. Ryan only got partially naked.

Biggest regret about Brooke: Not getting out of the car. He drove to NC State to see Brooke her freshmen year. He sat in the car in front of her dorm. He waited for hours and finally saw her walking towards the dorm entrance. And he wanted to go to her, but he was afraid. So he watched her swipe her key card, open the door, and disappear from view. He wouldn’t see her again for two years.

Sweetest Moment: Marrying Brooke. Simple. No fuss. A courthouse. The important people. A beautiful woman in a little white dress. Saying “I do.” And the next installment in their great big adventure.

Random Stuff:

~Broke his arm three times when he was in elementary school and middle school.

~Had braces twice: once in fourth grade and then again in seventh because he never wore his retainer.

~Played center forward in soccer until he messed up his knee.

~Pledged a fraternity in college and then quit.

~Turned down a make-out session with a girl in his freshmen composition class. Told her he was already committed to someone else.

~Became inseparable friends with Alyssa from philosophy. She was the only one who could stomach his incessant talk about Brooke.

~Wears one contact in his right eye to give him monovision (one eye sees distance and one eye reads up close).

~Does pushups every day.

~Tried vegetarianism for a week at the insistence of his friend, Charlie. Missed his steak fajitas too much to commit for life.

~Wants to give Brooke babies as soon as possible.

Okay fans. If that didn’t placate you, I will be collecting questions about Ryan during the tour that I will answer at the end. You have to email me at swaldenauthor@hotmail.com to ask a question (please limit them to two), and I will post all the questions and answers by June 9. Sound good?

Giveaway

Bluffing the Devil by CL Foster

                                      

Goodreads Description:

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Review: 

Alexia, a young woman in love, engaged , has lost the love her life Jamison, and turns her attention to a man's world to conquer, poker. She takes from what her father taught her as a child, puts her game face on and goes to town, becoming one of the ones to beat in their world.

What would  you give to close your eyes and be with your dream man, sexy, sensual and adoring?  Would you give your soul?

Then she meets her nemesis. Rey. Ever the smooth talker, opening doors, endearments. It annoys Alexia and soon her friends. Something unpredictable happens, and impressions change. Who is he really?

Meeting the Devil isn't exactly what she intended nor is the devil what she expected. Her world again seems to be on the verge of being turned upside down, as she learns the truth about one of her dearest friends.

Read on for I will not give spoilers on this one. It's just one of those books you have to read.

Rating: 5 stars!

Cheers,

Steph

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Title: Glass Hearts

Author: Lisa De Jong

Expected Release Date:  June 28, 2013

Genre: New Adult Contemporary

Goodreads Link:http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17447904-glass-hearts

                                       

Synopsis

Can a relationship survive on love alone? Is love truly enough?

Dane and Alex’s relationship has never been easy, but now they have a fresh start without the pressures of Alex’s family. Together they try to move forward while continuing to struggle with a past that they can’t seem to escape.

Sometimes no matter how hard we try to make things work, love isn’t enough.

Sometimes even after a broken heart is mended, cracks remain, and the same doubts and insecurities that once yanked us apart seep in.

Can true love hold Dane and Alex together or will their hearts completely shatter like glass?

        

Excerpt

I head toward the bedroom and find Alex sprawled out on the center of the bed. I’m still pissed at her for dancing with him.  I don’t know what she was thinking. I hate that fucker and seeing him with his hands on my girl was enough to send me over the edge. I immediately wanted to walk over to them but I stopped, telling myself over and over that there would be no way I could control my temper if I went anywhere near him.

I kept my eyes on them, ready to pounce if he took it any further. I started to cool down a little but deep shades of red clouded by vision when I saw him press his body closer to her.  My mind was made up; I was heading over to punch that idiot in the face if I got through the packed crowd.   I was still about ten feet away when I saw him press his lips to her cheek and it halted me in place; she let him do it.  Didn’t push him away or tell him to stop.  It took everything I had to not break his neck.  I was even more pissed at Alex for letting him do it.

I hate feeling this way.

“Dane,” she whispers, lifting her head from the pillow.  She glances at the clock.  “You’re late getting home.”

Yeah, I had a couple drinks after work.  I needed them.  “It was busy,” I say, sitting on the edge of the bed to remove my shoes.  

                                   

About the Author

Lisa De Jong is a wife, mother and full-time number cruncher who lives in the Midwest. Her writing journey involved insane amounts of coffee and many nights of very little sleep but she wouldn't change a thing. She also enjoys reading, football and music.

Website: www.lisadejongbooks.blogspot.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Lisa-De-Jong-Author/172608966217903

Twitter https://twitter.com/LisaDeJongBooks