Tag: serial

Guest Review: Tempts Me by Megan Hart

Posted March 14, 2014 by Ames in Reviews | 0 Comments

epoytmAmes’ review of Every Part of You: Tempts Me by Megan Hart.

She likes to watch. He likes to keep hidden. Total opposites on a collision course to a relationship neither can deny.

Simone Kahan’s been watching Elliott Anderson through her office window for months. He likes to bring women back to his office for late-night trysts, and Simone enjoys her voyeurism until one night, Elliott appears to go too far with his date. The other woman might not be into spanking, but Simone is, and when she meets Elliott in the elevator later that night, she makes sure he’s intrigued enough by her to ask her to go with him to the party he no longer has a date for.

Thrown together by circumstances he’d never have imagined, Elliott isn’t sure what to think about Simone. She’s nothing like the women he normally dates, but something about her draws him in until he can’t stop himself from wanting her…until their goodnight kiss becomes something harder. Harsher. Simone responds to his rough hands as no woman ever has, and Elliott’s not ready to pursue what he’s always told himself is wrong.

I am a fan of Megan Hart’s and even though I said I’d never go the serial route again, I was tempted (har har) by the sound of this new project. And sure enough, the first installment whetted my appetite.

That’s all because of our heroine, Simone. I really liked her character. And I understood Elliott being intrigued by her. She’s an interesting character. She’s confident in who she is and she’s not afraid to be who she is. Part of that is calling people on their BS. She’s also comfortable with her sexuality and she’s looking for someone to give her exactly what she wants. After watching a failed encounter between Elliott and a blond woman who is her physical opposite, Simone believes Elliott is the one to give her what she wants.

But Elliott has tried to downplay that aspect of his sexuality that is darker. He’s afraid of it. Why does he want to be rough? And when Simone responds to him, he kind of runs off scared.

This first installment left me wanting more, in a good way. I want to see how Simone gets through Elliott’s defenses. I want to see Elliott unable to resist seeing Simone again. Part two should be good! 3.75 out of 5

This book is available from St. Martins. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

Every Part of You Series Order:
Tempts Me
Resists Me
Taunts Me
Denies Me
Takes Me

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Guest Review: The Virgin: Revenge by J. Dallas

Posted November 18, 2013 by Tracy in Reviews | 1 Comment

Guest Review: The Virgin: Revenge by J. DallasReviewer: Tracy
The Virgin: Revenge by J. Dallas
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: November 4, 2013
Format: eARC
Genres: Anthologies (multiple authors)
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
two-half-stars

 

I was seventeen when I met Drake Gallagher. Seventeen, naive, foolish…and in love. Or so I thought. That summer, and the months that followed, set the course of my life.

Ten years later, I’m still struggling to put the pieces of me back to together.

It’s time to stop struggling. It’s time to take control…and maybe, it’s time for a little revenge.

He doesn’t have time for naive little virgins?

Well, I’m not naive anymore.

Ten years ago Shannon fell in love with Drake Gallagher. She was 17 and he was 24 and it was a magical summer. When she wanted to take their kissing session farther he told her he didn’t f*ck naïve little virgins. Apparently this was the beginning of the worst part of her life and now she wants revenge.

She applies for a job as Drake’s assistant and she gets the job. She knows that he doesn’t recognize her and this is good. She plans on getting him hotter than hot for her and then she’ll dump him. That’s her revenge. Her plan goes awry when Drake admits he knew her from just seeing her name on the list of applicants for the assistant position. He still wants her and she’s still a naïve virgin, but that doesn’t stop him. Now she has to rework her plan.

I’m not too much of a fan of serial novels. I had no idea this was one until I got to the end of the novella and was left completely left hanging as to what was going to happen next. There was no conclusion whatsoever and that frustrated the hell out of me, I must say. This is why I don’t read serials!

The story itself was…odd. We get bits and pieces of Shannon’s life and how she perceives Drake as having ruined it but we never get a definitive story as to what happened. Left in the dark as to the reasons for Shannon’s revenge it was hard to sympathize with her. She wants to get Drake hot and then dump him but it’s completely obvious that she still has some feelings for him. She doesn’t want to let herself have those feelings as she doesn’t want to have feelings about anything. She wants absolutely nothing to make her happy. She goes apartment hunting and though she adores this one apartment she chooses another because it suffices but not make her happy. She’s all about denying herself feelings – of any sort, except anger. She wanted to be on total emotional shutdown no matter what the situation. We’re also told in the story that her father is murdered and she somehow blames Drake for this but we have no idea what part he played in it at all.  We know he didn’t commit the murder but that’s about all we get.

Drake was kind of an enigma. He hired Shannon not only for who she was but also because she was perfect for the position. She’s good at her job but it seemed that Drake just wanted her near him. When he admits that he knows her and then they sleep together he appears to want more but she wants nothing to do with him. That doesn’t stop her having sex with him yet again.

The reader was left on the cliff as to what will happen next in the story and though I’m curious I don’t know if I’m patient enough to be left on the cliff yet again after book 2. We’ll see.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

two-half-stars

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Guest Author (+ a Giveaway): J. Dallas

Posted October 30, 2013 by Holly in Giveaways, Promotions | 17 Comments

The Virgin: RevengeToday author J. Dallas is here to discuss the hero of part one of her debut serial, The Virgin: Revenge.

I was seventeen when I met Drake Gallagher. Seventeen, naive, foolish…and in love. Or so I thought. That summer, and
Ten years later, I’m still struggling to put the pieces of me back to together.the months that followed, set the course of my life.

It’s time to stop struggling. It’s time to take control…and maybe, it’s time for a little revenge.

He doesn’t have time for naive little virgins?

Well, I’m not naive anymore.

 

Five Things about My Hero

 

Writing in first person can make it hard to get a good look inside the other person’s head. I know what Drake is thinking, but so much of this story has to be told through Shannon’s experiences and thoughts, and revealing how Drake feels has to come slowly.

But there are some things I can share.

  • His favorite color is gray—oddly enough, Shannon likes that color as well. He’s got a personal reason for liking it
  • He never dates anybody within the workplace
  • He often travels to a small town north of Boston
  • When he leaves that small town north of Boston, he’s disappointed
  • His nickname is the Boy Genius. He graduated from high school when he was fifteen, started college that same year. Made his social life…interesting.

You can read more about it in Revenge, and then find out how everything turns out in Redemption, the conclusion to Shan & Drake’s story, due out in early 2014.

For now, here’s a snippet.

The meeting had less than thirty minutes to go when Drake had appeared, settling into his seat without even looking at me.
I felt the dismissal like a cut.
And that had been the order of the day.

There was nothing discussed but business.
He didn’t look at me, except to discuss meetings, request information…basically everything I wished my job had been from the beginning.
Now he was staring at me with intense eyes as I packed my bag. “There are no meetings scheduled tomorrow until noon, when you’re meeting with your brothers,” I said, keeping my voice steady, thinking of the resignation letter. I hadn’t had a good time to present it. Did I just leave it on his desk?

He rose from his chair.
I tensed as he came around to stand behind me. He reached up and smoothed a hand down my shoulder, I closed my eyes. “Should I be here at seven or will eight work?”
He pressed his mouth to my neck. “Come home with me.”
“That wouldn’t be wise,” I said softly.
His hands slid my skirt up. “Why not?”
“It just wouldn’t.” He slid his fingers inside the waistband of my panties and my knees buckled. “Drake—”

 

**Giveaway** J. Dallas is giving away 3 $15 gift certificates to the bookstore of your choice. Winners will be chosen at random from the comments on this post. Leave a comment to enter! Good luck! **Giveaway**

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Giveaway: Just One Night: Binding Agreement by Kyra Davis

Posted June 22, 2013 by Holly in Giveaways | 1 Comment

Just One Night: Binding Agreement is part three of, and the conclusion to, Kyra Davis’ Just One Night series. We have two (2) e-copies to giveaway.

Part 3 of the Just One Night series. One wild night in a Vegas hotel changed everything for Kasie. Sleeping with a powerful, sexy stranger made her rethink her impending marriage, and a whole lot more.

As her affair threatens her job and the sexy billionaire Robert Dade becomes more controlling, Kasie has to figure out if her passion is leading her down a path she really wants. She’s seduced by his gifts of power, success, and adventure, she’s overwhelmed by what he can make her feel with a single touch, the way he can make her ache for him with just a look. But is the cost of absolute power and pleasure a price Kasie can afford? And does she truly know this man who says he can give her everything…or is he still a stranger after all?

Giveaway!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Buy part one, The Stranger, here or here. Buy part two, Exposed, here or here.

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Eloisa James Releases New Love Story in Three Parts!

Posted March 14, 2013 by Rowena in News | 0 Comments

Publisher: Avon, Harper Collins


From our friends over at Avon, some exciting news:

As You Wish…
New York Times Bestselling Author Eloisa James
Releases a Sweeping New Love Story in Three Parts:
“With This Kiss” Poised to Be the Digital Publishing Event of the Season!

Eloisa James is one of the savviest authors in (print & digital) publishing today: the author, who is also a noted Shakespeare professor and the acclaimed author of her celebrated memoir, “Paris in Love,” is constantly pushing the envelope.

She is adept in remaining foremost in her readers’ hearts and minds: from penning full-length, sweeping romances that craftily weave in references to classic literature, to writing short form novellas for digital-first publication; from working with leading retailer Barnes & Noble to curate their monthly romance recommendations through her syndicated “Reading Romance” column, to publishing swoon-worthy original non-fiction content that allows her audience to get rose-colored glimpses into the author’s own very exciting life…it may be said that Eloisa is romance.

And now, this brilliant American writer is thrilled to present her newest endeavor, WITH THIS KISS, parts one, two and three. This novel, a digital original that will be published interstitially, is the eagerly-awaited story of two characters born of two previous Eloisa James titles, The Ugly Duchess and Seduced by a Pirate.

Readers are already on tenterhooks, eagerly waiting for the romance between Lady Grace Ryburn and the dashing young naval lieutenant, Colin Barry, to develop. The love story will play out as an extended seduction, over the course of three weeks, as Avon Books releases WITH THIS KISS: Part One as a digital original on 3/12/13 (e-ISBN 9780062276933: $0.99); WITH THIS KISS: Part Two on 3/19/13 (e-ISBN 9780062276940: $0.99); and WITH THIS KISS: Part Three on 3/26/13 (e-ISBN 9780062276957: $0.99).

For avid Eloisa James collectors, there will be a limited edition run of AS YOU WISH, the complete collection of this beautifully woven love story in three parts, published in a special bound edition with “Seduced by a Pirate,” available on 3/26/13 (ISBN 9780062276964; $5.99)

For more information on these interconnected tales, or to learn more about the author, visit www.EloisaJames.com, or www.facebook.com/eloisajamesfans. Starting March 12, Eloisa will also be leading a special, month-long Facebook discussion group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/WithThisKiss/). The author is looking to engage her readers in a vibrant read-along book club, where she will tease what’s coming next as each ‘chapter’ of the interstitial publication is set to release, answer questions, and indulge in her audience’s love for romance. She is excited by the opportunity, saying, “I don’t think we have enough anticipation in our lives as adults — I used to wait months for Christmas when I was a kid. Months! I’m hoping the group will make anticipation fun again. And get people talking, naturally!”

About the Author:

New York Times bestselling author Eloisa James writes historical romances for HarperCollins Publishers. Her novels have been published to great acclaim. A reviewer from USA Today wrote of Eloisa’s very first book that she “found herself devouring the book like a dieter with a Hershey bar”; later People Magazine raved that “romance writing does not get much better than this.” Her novels have repeatedly received starred reviews from Publishers’ Weekly and Library Journal and regularly appear on the best-seller lists.

After graduating from Harvard University, Eloisa got an M.Phil. from Oxford University, a Ph.D. from Yale and eventually became a Shakespeare professor, publishing an academic book with Oxford University Press. Currently she is an associate professor and head of the Creative Writing program at Fordham University in New York City. Her “double life” is a source of fascination to the media and her readers. In her professorial guise, she’s written a New York Times op-ed defending romance, as well as articles published everywhere from women’s magazines such as Good Housekeeping and More to writers’ journals such as the Romance Writers’ Report.

WITH THIS KISS, Part One
*Digital Original*
e-ISBN 9780062276933
On-Sale 34/12/13
$0.99
WITH THIS KISS, Part Two
*Digital Original*
e-ISBN 9780062276940
On-Sale 3/19/13
$0.99
WITH THIS KISS, Part Three
*Digital Original*
e-ISBN 9780062276957
On-Sale 3/26/13
$0.99
AS YOU WISH
*Limited Edition Paperback Original*
ISBN 9780062276964
On-Sale 3/26/13
$5.99

This book is available from Avon. You can pre-order these books here or here in e-format. This book was provided by the publisher for an honest review.

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