Cage Blog Tour - Day one

Yup.  Today marks day one of a three day blitz for Harper Sloan's Cage.  I don't usually sign up for so many days in a tour, but this book's that hot.  Yes.  It is.

Synopsis:
     "Alpha heroes you'll want to kidnap and keep, heroines to root for, and sizzling love scenes with emotional punch." Carly Phillips, NY Times Bestselling Author
      Greg Cage was born to protect. While growing up, he was his mother and sister’s shield against the world… until he failed. For the last decade, he has carried that guilt and need for vengeance around… until it was stripped from him. Now, with his best friend getting married and no longer needing his protection, he is even more lost, completely adrift, and desperate for some control. All he has ever known was how to protect: his family, his friends, and his country. Can he go against everything he has ever known, and give up that control?
      Melissa Larson will never let anyone hold the reins in her life. She has been the rock in her family for more years than she can remember, and the fight to keep them together is her main priority right now. She has always been fiercely independent and proud. The last thing she will ever do is ask for someone else’s help. But when that choice is out of her control, forcing her to rely on others to save her and her family, and pick up the pieces that are left, will she be able to let someone else be her strength?
The second Greg locks eyes with Meli, he knows that she is someone he needs. Someone he craves. Meli knew the second she met Greg that he would be nothing but trouble and heartache. Her life takes an unexpected turn, and that bitch Fate is back to wreak more havoc on another member of the Corps family.
     All hell breaks loose, leaving Greg no choice but to call in a favor. He hooks back up with his old friend Braxxon Breaker from the Breakneck MC. Together, they make sure that nothing threatens anyone Greg loves again.
CAGE is a complete story with a HEA.

About The Author:

Harper lives in small town Georgia just a short drive from her hometown of Peachtree City. She (and her 3 daughters) enjoy ruling the house they dubbed 'Estrogen Ocean', much to her husband’s chagrin. Harper has a borderline unhealthy obsession with books; you can almost ALWAYS find her with her ereader attached. As an ex-reviewer and blogger, Harper's passion for reading runs deep. It wasn't until 'Axel' decided to take up residence that she realized her true calling.

She started using writing as a way to unwind when the house went to sleep at night; and with a house full of crazy it was the perfect way to just relax. It didn't take long before a head full of very demanding alphas would stop at nothing to have their story told.

Social Links:

Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/Harper_sloan 

Amazon:   (will send out once it is live)

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/harpersloanbooks

Twitter:  harpersloan

Pinterest:  http://pinterest.com/HarperSloan/

Instagram @harper_sloan

Email authorharpersloan@gmail.com

Come back tomorrow for more teasers and stuff.  On Wednesday, I'm posting my review of Cage.

Expired Regrets by Megan Smith

I read this yesterday, and I have to say it is the best written New Adult romance I have read in a long time.  While it has all of the aspects of NA that are typical: angst, wishy-washy characters, and over-reactions, it is all soooo realistic.  The reactions, the wishy washiness and the angst are all totally in line with the characters, and not overly-dramatic at all (as far as teenagers and young adults go, that is).  The tension is drawn out nicely over the course of the story, and inserted humor is also realistic, and not forced.

Rose is a high school senior, who meets the love of her life in the horse barn.  Yeah, I'm a sucker for cowboys, but Bryant isn't the typical cowboy.  He's a typical twenty-two year old college kid.  That's the basic premise, but there's so much more to the story: love triangles, loss, struggle for independence...

Overall, I really liked this story.  There were a couple of places where the story's pace lagged a bit, and a time or two I got so mad at Rose I could have just slapped her.  Then I told myself that she was reacting like a typical 18-year-old, probably, and I read on.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking to read a steamy YA novel with lots of tension.  Well done, Ms. Smith.

Today, at 10:00 (honestly not sure if that's my time or her time), the author will be stopping by to chat, so come back and check in to see what she's got to say!

Book Review - One Piece Missing by Darren Worrow

http://www.amazon.com/One-Piece-Missing-ebook/dp/B00D7LYW3A/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1380715556&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=One+Piece+Missing+darren+worro

This book was a surprise to me.  Written in the first person point of view, it is delightfully British.  Not in a snobby way, but this Texas girl couldn't help but hear the narrator's lovely accent throughout the story, which was awesome, and doesn't always happen.  Lot's of author's lose their 'voice' or it fades in and out, but Mr. Worrow did a wonderful job of sustaining his narrator's voice throughout the story, which was nice.

He also did a breathtaking job of handling the addiction the MC struggled with in a realistic manner.  Not only did Mr. Morrow handle it realistically, but it is beautifully done.  The scenes where the MC is painting, he goes into a sort of fugue state, and these are masterfully written scenes as well.  As a whole, Mr. Worrow paints pictures with his words that are stunning.

The story was well done, the plot was character driven by the main character, an alcoholic artist with an unknown benefactor, who falls in love with one of his models.  It's really a lovely story.

The book itself was a little rough around the edges, but part of that was the narrator's voice, I think.  The other part could have been fixed with a little editing/tightening up, but it didn't detract from the great story, for once.

Marie, the female MC was also a little flat in places, and I had a hard time connecting with her.  On the whole though, this was a great story, and I would totally recommend it to others, especially if they like their romances with a little supernatural mystery.

In the Heart of Yesterday - by Joanna Walker

Part 1 – A Heart Story – Serial Novel

Synopsis:

     Jesse Dawson is a typical seventeen year old girl. She goes to school, gets good grades, and like any other kid, just wants to fit in, blend in and survive high school.  She doesn’t talk about all the crap she has to deal with. Her mom in the hospital and a step-dad from hell.
     Rave Black sweeps into her life in the middle of the school year. He’s a dark loner. The quiet kid, and fascinates Jesse. She should stay away from him, but a budding friendship slips into a bond neither of them can deny.  Rumors spread even as they share their secrets with each other.
    Can Rave help Jesse learn to open up and trust, or will his personal demons consume them both?


Favorite Quotes:

A small smile splayed on his lips. He reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear,
sending shivers down my back. ~ In the Heart of Yesterday (A Heart Story #1)

About The Author:

I'm a new self-published author who just got introduced to the writing world early 2013. My aunt suggested that I write a story because I'm an avid reader but I waved it off and left it alone. Well this year, a story came to me and I went with it. It took me a little bit but I finally got a story idea that worked and now I can't stop or control the characters/stories that keep popping up in my head.  I'm born and raised in Canada and I live with my very wonderful and supportive husband, Michael. We don't have any children (yet) unless you count our two cats. He's been my rock through this whole new experience for me. I couldn't have done
it without him and my friends and family.  One of the many things I love about this new chapter in my life is that I'm learning constantly. It's never a dull moment and as long as one person likes my story, I am
happy.

Social Links:

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/joanna.wlkr.author
Twitter:
Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18110698-in-the-heart-of-yes
terday?from_search=true
Goodreads Author Page: http://www.goodreads.com/joannawlkr

To Steal a Highlander's Heart - by Samantha Holt

Alana sets eyes on Morgann for the first time in several years and what does he do? He captures her! But Alana refuses to go meekly with the sexy Highland warrior. Her kidnapping will reignite the rift that’s existed between the two clans since her father accused Morgann of theft and she doesn’t want to see her father harmed in the inevitable war that will ensue.

Unfortunately for Alana, the faeries seek to interfere with her plans to escape. The sidhe have a debt to repay and Tèile, the green faery, is determined to mend the rift between the clans for good. And that means ensuring Alana and Morgann marry.

Morgann has his own reasons for taking Alana and they are nothing to do with marriage or war. He wants to use her to reveal a secret from the past, the one that had him accused of theft. If only he didn’t find his childhood friend so attractive. When circumstances force them together, Alana’s life is threatened and war is imminent. Can Morgann reveal the truth without losing Alana? And will the faeries meddling help or hinder his cause?

I had the pleasure of interviewing Samantha Holt, and discovered that we actually have bunches in common, as far as our strengths, motivations, and inspiration go.  I really wish I'd gotten a copy of this one to review, but I'll kick myself for that one for awhile...

Describe your writing process. 

I’d say I’m normally a pantser. I think things over a bit in my head and then force myself to write at least 2000 words a day, often completely out of order. It’s not usually any more exciting than that.

What motivates you to sit down and write?

Money! Well, this is my job and my royalties help support my family so if I didn’t write, we’d be out on the streets LOL. But also the words burning in my head would drive me insane. I love it and it’s a bit like an addiction. You can’t get enough of it once you get started.

Where does your inspiration come from?

Who knows? I visit a lot of historical sites and it helps but I’m pretty someone comes and sprinkles me with magical inspiration dust at 2am as that’s usually when they come about. To Steal a Highlander’s Heart was something I’d wanted to for a while and I’d picked up a book about faeries not long ago. So that kind of pushed the direction of the story.

Do you have any writers that you consider mentors?

I don’t know that I have any ‘mentors’ as such but I have some close writer friends who always give me a boot up the backside when I’m having a moan or help me work things out when I’m in a muddle. They are amazing and I had to acknowledge them in To Steal a Highlander’s Heart. I don’t do acknowledgments often. I never know what to say but it had to be done.

What do you think your greatest strength is in your writing?

I’m stubborn. It means I won’t give up. It can be easy to be ready to chuck it all in when things get tough but my stubborn mentality won’t let me.

Do you ever experience writer's block? How do you get through it?

I get burned out a lot but rarely actually blocked. If I write a huge amount in a day it tends to drain me and I get into a mood where I feel a bit like a whining teenager. ‘I don’t wanna do this anymore!’ Having a realistic word count target and recognizing when I’m genuinely drained helps. I sometime run two projects at one so switching keeps things fresh too.

Tell us about your favorite character from the book. 

I love Morgann from To Steal a Highlander’s Heart but actually Teile, the green faery, is probably my favourite. She likes a good drink and a party but she has a good heart, even if she is a little vain. Hey, she’s a faery so I think she’s allowed to be! She’ll be returning to me one day to give a secondary character, Finn, a HEA.

Do you have any words of advice or encouragement for other writers who are looking to publish?

Find someone you trust who can read over your stuff or even just encourage you. There’s plenty of groups where you can meet people like that. Writers are terribly emotional by nature and get discouraged easily so having a strong network can help you get through the successes and the, unfortunately, inevitable failures.

How do you market your work?

With a lot of work. I blog, Facebook, Twitter etc. I probably devote a good few hours every day to marketing. It’s got to be done and I do enjoy the business side of writing most of the time.

Do you have a current work in progress? Can you tell a little bit about it?

I have two. I’m about halfway through Borderland Betrayal, which is the third (and final *sob* in the Borderland Legacy series. It’s set in a Northumbria, on the English borders and one of the characters, Captain James, who cropped up in the other two is finally getting his HEA. He meets a vibrant lady, Ellise, who tests his rigid ideas on life and drives him pretty crazy!

I am also working on a contemporary romance. It’s vague at the moment but the hero is a soldier and the heroine an ex-army wife. I’ve been wanting to use my experience as a military wife for a while.

Thanks so much for hosting me today, Anne!

You can purchase To Steal a Highlander's Heart HERE

To Contact Samantha:

Amazon Author Page – http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B008FKHIXY

Website/Blog – www.samanthaholt.org.uk

Blog: www.samanthaholtauthor.blogspot.co.uk

Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/romanticfiction

Twitter – https://twitter.com/SamanthaHAuthor

AAAND...there's a a Rafflecopter giveaway

Click the link and enter to win 

Prize details (open internationally):
1 x $50/£50 Amazon GC
5 x $10/£10 Amazon GC
1 x Gold Heart Necklace
2 x Gold Earrings
1 x To Steal a Highlander's Heart mug
1 x To Steal a Highlander's Heart Tote bag