November 28, 2014

Blog Tour: Out of the Dark by April Emerson



Everyone makes choices in life. Carina Porter may have made the wrong one.

After graduating college, she sits beneath her complimentary blanket in first class dreaming of grand adventures when she lands in Italy. Carina always put others first, but now, she’s resolved to indulge in an extraordinary vacation alone in Tuscany. Finally free from the demands of school and family, she's determined to break away from her sensible nature and take risks. When a handsome man sits beside her on the plane, those daydreams vanish.

Stefan Savano is dashing and handsome. As he shares tales of his family and vineyard, Carina is swept away by his charm. After a brief courtship, Carina falls hard, but events come to light that make her question whether Stefan is as kind-hearted as he appears to be.

Things aren’t as they seem at Savano vineyard. Carina seeks answers, but it seems everyone is keeping a secret. When Stefan’s nephew, Enzo, pays a visit to the estate she’s drawn to his kind and free-spirited nature, and they form a friendship. Stefan becomes preoccupied with work, and when Enzo’s stay ends, Carina finds herself feeling isolated. It is then that illness and responsibilities require Stefan and Carina to return to his small vineyard in quaint Ravine Creek, New York.

There, Carina meets Stefan’s entire family and the time she spends with Enzo becomes more frequent. She tries to deny her traitorous feelings for him, but their attraction grows each day.

When Carina experiences a tragedy, she learns what true love means and must choose between an unhappy existence and a life of passion.

Her decision could do more than destroy a family—it could be fatal.


Out of the Dark is available for purchase:
     
and TWCS PH


About the Author


April Emerson moved to New York City after graduating from college with a degree in literature. As a nature lover, living in the city was a culture shock, but she soon began to enjoy being surrounded by so much energy. Submerged in perpetual crowds, April developed a fondness for people  watching, which inspired her to start writing. Drawn to both the light and dark of humanity, she strives to tell sexy and romantic stories with exquisitely complex characters. When she isn’t writing, she loves listening to music or reading a good book while enjoying a glass of wine.

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I can't say that I was too taken right out of the gate. I didn't love how the book started and I actually almost put it down. I really disliked how Carina meets Stefan and the insta-fall-in-love-and-follow-the-stranger thing does not do it for me. I mean, really, who in their right mind would follow a stranger home in a foreign country? ...and then extend their stay indefinitely? She doesn't seem to have a sense of...well...anything in her head. She doesn't run as soon as she finds out things about the Savano family, either. Anyways. Put all that aside and I did enjoy how she develops her secret affair with Enzo. It's sweetness among everything else bitter in her life. The hot and steamy in this book is definitely not lacking either. The ending, however, not so much my cup of tea. I felt like it sort of fell apart in the end. Almost as if the story just HAD to be wrapped up with a conclusion and all. I think there was room for another book, perhaps...I truly felt like the story was there it just wasn't executed in the best way.











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November 25, 2014

Release Day Blitz: Heart by Nicola Hudson




Sometimes it doesn’t end with happy ever after.

Neve believes Jake is the one.  She is miles away from home, struggling to fit in at university and missing the people she loves.  The only thing getting her through is the knowledge that Jake will be visiting for the weekend.

Jake believes he isn’t the one.  His family and lifestyle mean he can’t give Neve what she deserves: so much more than him.  He arrives for the weekend, knowing that he has to break her heart, along with his own.

Sometimes we make decisions and have to live with the consequences.

Each of them struggles to cope with the aftermath of the weekend.  Each of them is unhappy.  Each of them refuses to do something about it.

Sometimes it isn’t about a boy meeting a girl and falling in love; sometimes it is about what happens next.


Heart is available for purchase:
   
 

Giveaway

To celebrate the release of HEART, Nicola Hudson is hosting a giveaway on her Facebook Page!

(1) Signed Print Copy of HEART (International)
(1) eBook Copy of HEART 
(1) Nicola Hudson Swag Pack
(1) $20 Donation to the charity of your choice OR a $10 Amazon Gift Card
(1) $20 Donation to the charity of your choice OR a $5 Amazon Gift Card


Writing HEART
By Nicola Hudson

The more I wrote Neve’s character in Curve, the more I wanted to write a novel in which she was the main character.  I was intrigued about this girl who seemed to have a wonderful life with her happy family; and what would happen when she faced more of life’s challenges.  How would she cope away from home and the safety net of her parents?  I wanted to push her and see what she was capable of; and I’m kind of proud of the young woman she has become by the end of Heart.

However, Heart isn’t just about Neve: it’s also Jake’s story and I wanted the reader to hear both sides of their story.  Curve is only written from Cass’s point of view but I offered a Christmas gift to my readers – and a chapter written from Flynn’s point of view was by far the most popular choice.  It went on to become the most popular page on my blog as well so I knew I needed to give Jake his voice in Heart.   However, I found it difficult to get inside Jake’s head when I first started writing. The turning point was not writing his point of view straight onto my laptop; it just didn’t fit with the person Jake is.  His sections were drafted in pencil in a small notebook, often in a busy coffee shop.  That black notebook, filled with Jake, is now something I treasure.

Whilst writing the draft of Heart, I became concerned that my completely HEA ending was going to feel unrealistic; after all, would Jake and Neve’s long-distance relationship really survive for three years?  Subconsciously fuelled by these niggles, I had a late night chat online with a blogger about the concept of happy ever after.  A couple of days later, I went back to my initial plot outline and drew a line through the last few sections.  The feedback from my beta readers suggested I had done the right thing – I just hope that other readers think so too!


About the Author

As well as being a writer, I love reading and reading about reading. My taste goes from Shakespeare to John Green...and much of what lies between! Dickens, check. Austen, check. Atwood, check.
Over Christmas 2012, I discovered the joy of new adult fiction and, inspired by Colleen Hoover and Tammara Webber, I decided to try my hand at writing my own NA novel.

I love the friendliness of the Indie writer community and have been overwhelmed by the support of followers interested in my journey. Please feel free to monitor my publishing progress via my Facebook page, Twitter or blog :-)

My first novel, Curve, was released in October 2013. My second novel, Heart, is a standalone companion to Curve and will be released in November 2014.

Connect with Nicola Hudson on:

     


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November 21, 2014

Blog Tour: A Very Grey Christmas by T.A. Foster



I was getting ready to spend the single most important holiday of the year alone. Completely and utterly alone.

That meant he wouldn’t be there Christmas Eve. No making Christmas cookies, or listening to my dad sing off-key while my mom bustled around wrapping last-minute gifts. No decorating the tree. No midnight Christmas kiss.

No waking up in Grey’s arms. We were actually going to spend our very first Christmas in different states.

That was until Grey gave me the most unexpected gift of my life.
 



A Very Grey Christmas is available for purchase:
     




What a cute follow up novella to the rest of this series! It got me right in the mood for the holidays. Short and sweet, I think this was the perfect piece to finish off the Grey and Eden puzzle. Like with the first two novels, Eden comes off a bit immature (common, she only left for a week and she was complaining the whole time). I think her behaviour definitely highlights Grey's awesomeness, though he entertains her whining. There's definitely some hot scenes sprinkled in for good measure. It was definitely tastefully done. For those who aren't familiar with Grey and Eden, you may want to read the first two books in this series to get a background. Though you could read this as a short holiday novella, Grey and Eden's story would be lost on you and that would be a waste. Enjoyable read just in time for the holidays--I finished it in one sitting!




About the Author

T.A. Foster once spent a monthlong spring break on South Padre Island, where she soaked in the Texas sun, beach, and learned what real Texas country music is. Sometimes fiction does spring from reality.

She grew up catching rays and chasing waves along the North Carolina Outer Banks and now resides in the state with her adventurous pilot husband, two children, and two canine kiddos. 


T.A. has an undergraduate degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a graduate degree in Educational Psychology from Texas A&M University. When she’s not chasing her two-legged and four-legged children or trying to escape for date night, you can find her reading, writing, or planning her next beach trip.

Connect with T.A. Foster on:

     




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