Showing posts with label Xpresso Tours. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Xpresso Tours. Show all posts

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Book Blast: Where Life Takes You by Claudia Y. Burgoa with Giveaways



Where Life Takes You 

by Claudia Y. Burgoa

Publication date: July 31st 2013
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult

Synopsis:
Becca Trent lived her childhood next to a cruel woman—her mom—who lived to torment and neglect her. During her high school years, her mother married; bringing home not only a new husband, but a step sister her same age. The latter took over her Mom’s role—making Becca’s life miserable. Including stealing Ian—Becca’s best friend and boyfriend—Lisa treated her worse than her mother had for the previous fifteen years. A couple of years later, things ended up in tragedy.

Becca buried that part of her life in the deep corners of her psyche, but that only work during the days when the nightmares didn’t come back to haunt her. Her best friend, Dan gives her that family love she always lacked. Everything was close to perfect, until everything and everyone from her past came back. Now, she’s trying to figure out how to survive and keep that bond which seems now to be held together by a thread.

Note: This is the first part of a two book novel.

Excerpt:
My heart thundered as he released one hand and slowly moved it up and down my bare back. I listened to my body and let the music and Dan take me. We didn’t speak, we allowed the movements and beats to talk for us. Once he knew I’d stay close, he released my hips and back. His hands wandered around every line, curve, and corner of my body. I simply kept my hands over his chest, enjoying the moment.

Our eyes locked, and he playfully mouthed I love you. Those words meant the world to me, and not thinking twice, I put my hands on the back of his neck and made him bent over me, so I could whisper at him, “I love you, Danny.”

Dan placed his forehead over mine and closed his eyes tightly. “Say it again, baby, please,” he said.

“I love you.” His mouth crashed into mine, not letting my lips go and continuing the kiss while we danced to the rhythm of our own music.

His hands danced slowly along my upper body until they found my lower back. Those dangerous, kissable lips continued their trespassing, changing motions from gently, lazily playing to overpowering, depending on the music. I craved him, my entire brain screamed stop, but my body won, letting everything go.

He took both my hands from his neck and placed them at my sides, whispering into my ear. “Let’s go home.” It wasn’t a suggestion, but an order. I quivered and placed my hands on his biceps. Holding on to them tightly.

No word came out of my mouth, but my eyes and body agreed.

“I need our bed, or a cold shower, now.”


Book Trailer:



Purchase:
B&N

Author Biography: 
Claudia lives in Colorado with her family and three dogs. Two beagles who believe they are human, and a bichon who thinks she’s a beagle. While managing life, she works as a CFO at a small IT Company. She’s a dreamer who enjoys music, laughter and a good story.

Author Links:

Website     Goodreads     Facebook     Twitter

Blitzwide Giveaway...

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Just for The Most Happy Reader's readers...

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Sunday, December 8, 2013

BB: Misplaced by Lee Murray with Giveaway


Misplaced

by Lee Murray


SYNOPSIS

Dream cars have no registration plate…
One evening, Adam’s mum pops out for the milk and doesn’t come back, launching a frantic nationwide search. Yet after weeks with no leads, the television crews drift away, the police start asking hairy questions, and Adam’s dad starts seeing someone else. Adam’s life is falling apart. But then he meets Skye, who it seems has misplaced a parent too, and things start to look up. That is, until a body is found…

EXCERPT

The make-up girl has a silver nose ring and hair streaked psychedelic orange.
‘Almost done,’ the girl says, puffing his face with powder. She has bony knuckles like cauliflower stalks. Holding his breath, Adam wills himself not to fidget as she deals to the fresh eruption of zits on his forehead. Right now, a few spots are the least of his worries.

‘There, that’s put some colour in your cheeks.’

Adam opens his eyes, stares at the mirror, and doesn’t say anything. Even with the powder, he’s as pale as Colgate. There’s fuzz on his chin and dark bags under his eyes. He looks like a druggie, a metal-head on a bender.

The Powder Puff girl selects a lipstick from a tray which, held vertically, could be a Connect Four player board.

Resolution Red.

With a practised twist, she pushes up the tube.

‘Pucker up, now,’ she coaxes. ‘Give me your sexiest pout, the one the girls love.’ But Adam clamps his mouth shut, pursing his lips in a thin line, and shakes his head. No lipstick. This isn’t an audition for American Idol.

‘But...’ The Powder Puff girl puts on a pout of her own.

‘No!’ he says, with more vehemence than is warranted.

The girl shrugs, rolls her eyes. ‘Whatever.’ She packs up her Connect Four box and leaves him there.

‘One minute, people!’ the floor manager screams. Through the scramble of movement, Adam is aware of Dad, shuffling about on the spot off to the side of the make-shift set, a man out of his comfort zone. Six days a week, Dad’s natural habitat is Creighton Cars, the yard that he runs. On Sundays he mows the lawns, then slumps in front of the telly, cold beer in hand, watching whatever sport happens to be on.

 Adam notices that Dad’s tugging his earlobe again. Dad always does that when he’s out of sorts. It’s a good thing the clients haven’t cottoned on or he’d never sell any cars. Lately, he’s pulled that lobe so often it’s a wonder he isn’t mistaken for a tribesman from Borneo.

Not that Adam isn’t uncomfortable. He wishes it hadn’t come to this. The thing is, the news people insisted a public appeal could make a difference. They said it’d made a difference in other cases. But Dad couldn’t face it, so Adam had agreed to do it instead. At this point Adam would agree to car surf down Auckland’s Queen Street in the wrong direction at rush hour, if there was a chance it would make a difference.

Anyway, it’s better Adam does it because, being younger than Dad, he’ll make the biggest impact, apparently. Adam knows this because he heard the camera crew chatting. They’d started off saying how Adam and Dad’s story was made for television, the kind of story that won awards. Then one of them said it was a bummer that Adam was seventeen. That’s when the guy holding the boom said, in these kind of cases, nothing tops a 7-year-old girl, especially a little blondie with dimples.

‘Trust our freaking luck!’ They’d laughed then, quietly amongst themselves, but one of them caught Adam looking and quickly shushed the others.

‘Hey, show a bit of compassion, will ya?’

Maybe this is how his life will be from now on. People shushing each other or looking away. Feeling sorry for him.

‘Adam? We’re ready for you.’ The floor manager speaks quietly. Adam’s grateful. Right now he feels like the entire cast of Lost, like something awful is about to happen. Maybe it already has, maybe he’s living in a parallel universe and none of this is real, but whatever it is, Adam doesn’t get any of it. He gets to his feet and allows the floor manager to direct him to the lectern. Placing both hands on either side of the lectern, Adam steadies himself.

This has to work. Please, let this work. Please.

But Adam knows that even if it does, nothing will be quite the same.

‘In 5... 4... 3...’ The floor manager holds up two fingers, then one...

The microphone makes a soft buzz as it’s switched on. Adam pauses, marvelling at how they actually do that, the holding up the finger thing.

Oh shit.

He’s on national television. His face spreads with warmth: the nasty-but-nice feeling you get when you pee in the sea. Great. His face will be red and blotchy now. He inhales deeply.

Swallows.

Stares directly at the camera lens.

What if this is the last time he ever speaks to her?

‘Mum... Mum, if you’re out there, if you can hear this, please, please call and let us know you’re all right. Whatever’s wrong, Dad and me, we’re worried. Please, Mum, just come home...’

Book Details and Links

Publication date: December 1st 2013
Genres: Mystery, New Adult




AUTHOR BIO


Lee Murray is a full-time writer and editor with master's degrees in science and management. Lee wrote Misplaced after a friend, Florence, went missing from her home in France in 2003. Sadly, Florence is still missing. Lee lives in Tauranga, New Zealand with her husband and their two teen-aged children.

Author links



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Saturday, December 7, 2013

BB: Forever, Jack by Natasha Boyd with TWO Giveaways


forever, Jack

Eversea Book Two

by Natasha Boyd


Details
Forever, Jack by Natasha Boyd
(Eversea #2)
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

Synopsis

A feisty small-town girl and the Hollywood star who broke her heart

An all-consuming love threatened by fame

One last chance at FOREVER

Keri Ann Butler’s life changed on the night she met movie star, Jack Eversea. She thought she knew a Jack that was very different to the man adored by fans the world over. In the wake of his betrayal and abandonment, Keri Ann has had to pick up and move forward with the life she was supposed to live and has put off far too long.

Suddenly Jack is back, and his explanations for why he left seem more and more plausible, and his declarations more seductive. But being Jack’s latest tabloid accessory isn’t on Keri Ann’s career agenda, no matter how much she is attracted to him. And how can she can ever trust him again?

Jack knows he let the only ‘real’ thing that ever happened to him slip through his fingers. And his hands have been tied to try and stop it. Until Now.

Jack is now fighting to save his relationship with Keri Ann, even as his crazy life threatens to tear them apart. Again. The question is, can he convince her she can have it all? And have him? Forever?

Read how it all began in “Eversea “…


Book Links


Excerpt

Forever, Jack (Eversea 2) © 2013 Natasha Boyd
  
“I’m sorry,” he said.

Nothing. I felt nothing.

“It doesn’t cut it,” he went on. “I realize that. But I’m sorry.” Jack left the wall, braced his hands on the island, and hung his dark head for a second, before looking back up at me. “You have to understand something, I didn’t stay away because I wanted to. I stayed away because I had to.” Jack gritted his teeth and winced imperceptibly. “I know that doesn’t mean much to you, and I know you are dating someone else now, but I just needed you to know that. That’s all. That’s all I came to say.”

I gripped my glass of water tighter at his mention of me dating someone else. I’d been about to lift it and take a sip and his words stopped me cold. I guess he and Colt really did have a big old pow-wow on the side of the highway. Nice.

“I guess you spoke to Colt?” I was neither confirming, nor denying. But as I watched Jack carefully, and took in his tension and the way his hands gripped the counter, I realized I was admitting it. At least as far as he was concerned.

Jack nodded and cleared his throat. “He’s a good guy. Cares for you. A lot. That’s good.”

“I know,” I said simply and watched Jack’s throat bob as he swallowed. This was fascinating.

“It’s a pity for him,” he said with an even voice, “that I won’t be walking away anytime soon.”




Author Bio

Natasha Boyd is a writer with a background in marketing and public relations. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, and lives in the coastal Carolina Lowcountry, complete with Spanish moss, alligators and mosquitoes the size of tiny birds.  She has a husband, two sons and a host of scared relatives that worry the next book will be about them.  She is a member of Georgia Romance Writers, Romance Writers of America and Island Writers Network, where she has been a featured speaker. Forever, Jack is the sequel to her award-winning and first full-length novel, Eversea.


Author Links

http://www.natashaboyd.com

TWO GIVEAWAYS:


First, from Xpresso Tours and The Most Happy Reader:

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Secondly, the grand prize courtesy of the author, Natasha Boyd:


Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Cover Reveal: Out of the Ashes by Diana Gardin



Out of the Ashes 

by Diana Gardin

(The Ashes Series #1)
Publication date: December 12th 2013
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

Synopsis:

Out of the frying pan and into the fire…
Paige Hill is discovering who she is again after losing everything she loves in a tragic fire. She’s endured a long road to recovery with the help of her best fiend Gillian and is finally beginning her life again: college, a job, and a blossoming love she never even saw coming.

Clay Forbes is the notorious campus playboy. He’s a star athlete, a senior architecture major, and the only son in a family with power and money back in his hometown. When he crashes into Paige, his whole perspective on life shifts, and his world as he knew it becomes nonexistent. He’s wrapped up in her.

They’re both learning how to love, but Clay’s ex-girlfriend Hannah won’t make it easy for them. She puts a target on Paige’s back, and won’t stop until she’s derailed their budding romance once and for all. Who will be left standing after the ashes settle for the second time?



Author Bio:

I'm a wife of one and a mom of two. Writing is my second full time job to that, and I love it! I write Contemporary Romance in the Young Adult and New Adult categories. I'm also a former Elementary school teacher. I love steak, sugar cookies, and Coke and I hate working out. Look for more Contemporary Romance Titles from me soon, including Out of the Ashes (Ashes 1) and Wanted (Nelson Island 1).

Author links:




Monday, November 25, 2013

Cover Reveal: The Druid's Doorway by S. G. Daniels

Cover Reveal Party The Druid’s Doorway


We’re happy to celebrate the cover reveal party today for “The Druid’s Doorway”, a YA urban fantasy novel by author SG Daniels.  Without further ado, here is the cover…




About The Druid’s Doorway

Jake Reese thinks he’s just a screwed-up high school kid living in a small town isolated in the Arizona desert. Traumatized at an early age by his mother’s sudden death—and believing he might have had something to do with it—he’s allowed his guilt and lack of self-confidence to rule his life.

Hailey is the fiery little redhead that sees Jake as more than a just a good friend. When she invites him as her date to a school function, it brings down the walls he's built to protect his heart, and sets off a series of events that threaten not only Jake’s life, but that of everyone around him.

The discovery of a portal on the outskirts of town brings Jake face-to-face with death and reveals a closely guarded secret about his mother. No longer is his memory of her the only thing that haunts him. Something evil from her past has escaped through the portal, and nothing will prevent it from trying to steal Jake’s future.

Can Jake overcome his fears to keep Hailey safe? Will the decisions he's forced to make destroy everyone he knows and loves? And ultimately...is he strong enough to live with those choices?

Author Bio

S.G. Daniels lives in rural Central Illinois with her husband of thirty-one years, and two spoiled cats, Payne and Jenks. She works full-time in a local medical facility as a patient accounting refund specialist. Most of her evenings she can be found in front of her computer, working on story ideas, or learning the ins and outs of the writing world. On the weekends, if she’s not spending time outside, she’s usually found nose-deep in a book. When S.G. unleashes her inner daredevil, she usually takes off through winding timber trails or country roads on the ATV. Her weaknesses are iced tea and pretzels, especially when she’s working on a story.

Links

Twitter: @SGDanielsAuthor



Monday, November 11, 2013

Cover Reveal: honeysuckle and jasmine by Liz Grace Davis


honeysuckle and jasmine


by Liz Grace Davis


BLURB:  
The past is never far behind.

Senia Loato’s life has been needled by disappointment, and the wounds that fester go beyond skin deep. She is certain if she puts miles between her and her tainted past, she will somehow outrun it. When she’s offered the chance to leave her island home of Mintang to become an au pair for three boys in Germany, she takes the opportunity to start running.

In Germany, she meets Miina, another au pair. What builds between them is a life-defining friendship, one they will risk everything for.

And soon, they’ll be asked nothing less.

When Miina is betrayed and left stranded, Senia stands by her, risking much more than just her stay in Germany. She also stands to lose rich, handsome, turquoise-eyed Roman Dorenwald, the first man she has allowed into her heart.

But they’re risks worth taking.

Eventually, Senia makes a sacrifice that catapults her back to her past, where she’s forced to draw back the curtain and discover the shocking truth of her history.

Can she confront her nightmares, reach deep into her soul, and forgive those who have hurt her? Or is it easier to just keep running?

EXCERPT:
My muscles tensed up again, and I smoothed the tablecloth, gave myself time to respond. How much could I tell him? If he had read my CV, he'd know I'd worked at the orphanage, but not that I'd also lived there. Did I want him to know? I raised my eyes. Why not? "I grew up in an orphanage, where I later worked as well, for two years. I never met my biological parents." Why not just leave out the whole adoption part? It would only call for more questions and complicate things.

To my surprise, Roman squeezed my hand, just for a second, but the warmth from his grip remained with me. "I'm sorry to hear that. That explains it. I used to wonder why you had this sad look in your eyes all the time."

I glanced away. "I do?" I whispered. But then, how would I know? Whatever look I had in my eyes, I'd lived with all my life. I wouldn't know if it was sad or not.

"Senia," Roman drew his chair closer to the table, "please look at me. It's nothing to be ashamed of. I can't even begin to imagine how it would be, growing up without my parents, even if they can be too controlling sometimes."

I allowed my glance to meet his again. "Well, having never met mine has made it easier to live without them."

The waiter placed our food in front of us, halting our conversation. The aroma of Roman's roasted pork in gravy and that of my beef and pork mingled in the air between us before teasing my nostrils. So easy for the aromas to do—nothing in the air to stop them from embracing. Unlike Roman and I. Between us stood many possible complications that could send a potential relationship toppling before it even started.

Author Information:
Liz Grace Davis grew up in Angola, Namibia, South Africa, and Germany. She now lives with her husband and daughter in Vienna, Austria.

Her travels offered her the opportunity to gather interesting material, from both her own experiences and those of others. She is a firm believer that memories, both good and bad, are worth cherishing because they lead us to be the people we are today.

As a result, Liz enjoys breathing new life into some of those experiences, and sprinkling them with snippets born of her imagination, to write fiction. Her aim as a writer is to both thrill and inspire readers. The genres she enjoys writing are as diverse as the books she reads.

Liz is the author of Chocolate Aftertaste, Honeysuckle and Jasmine, and Tangi’s Teardrops.

Contact info:


Sunday, October 6, 2013

Leap of Faith by Jamie Blair Book Blitz - Excerpt and Giveaway

Leap of Faith

by Jamie Blair





Welcome to, Jamie Blair, author of Leap of Faith, To the Most Happy Reader.  

Today, let us welcome Jamie and let her tell you some things about her upcoming novel that I bet you aren't expecting.

Welcome Jamie, she's all yours!

THe Best place to start is with an excerpt from Leap of Faith:

Halfway to 356 Maple, a black pickup truck pulls into the driveway.  Music blares from the open windows.  Chris’s hair blows around in the breeze. 
My heart jumps to life. 
How have I become so hooked on a guy I met yesterday?  But watching him park his truck and hop out, I know how.  Nobody’s ever done half as much for me, and he doesn’t even know me.  He’s a good person, and I haven’t known many of those.
On his way to the front door, he stops when he spots us.  “Hey!” His smile’s genuine, and fills his whole face.  He jogs across the yard to meet us. 
After seeing his room, I half-expect him to be wearing a superhero t-shirt, but there’s none today, just a plain white t-shirt covered in dirt.  He’s filthy.  “All moved in?” he asks.
“Yeah.”  I watch his tall frame moving toward me, his jeans shifting with each stride, his shirt hugging his chest.  I stop the stroller as he reaches us.  “I love the paint color and the privacy wall.  Thanks.”
He bends down, leaning his head in the stroller.  His fingers wrap around Addy’s arm. “You’re welcome.  Listen, I’m really sorry about what happened.  My dad can be…I don’t know what’s wrong with him sometimes.  Do you need help moving anything in?” 
I ignore the jab in the pit of my stomach at the mention of Chris’s dad.  “No, we’re good.  We don’t have much, so it wasn’t difficult.”
He unbuckles Addy and lifts her out of the stroller. “Is it okay if I carry her in?”
I cringe at the dirt on his shirt, but he’s already got her pressed against his chest.    “Sure.”  I can always give her a bath.
She turns her head toward his neck and snuggles into a ball.  Somehow she feels what I do with him. 
Safe.
Secure.
Home.

AUTHOR BIO:
Jamie Blair spent most of her teen years choreographing moves for her dance team routines, kissing boys on the couch after her mom went to bed, and pondering the mood enhancement qualities of Lemon Heads when consumed with Diet Coke. Writing under Kelli Maine, she’s the USA Today bestselling author of Taken. Leap of Faith is her debut New Adult novel.

Author links:


Oh but there's more...

Not one but two giveaways...


First we have a blitz-wide giveaway:

Prizes (open US only):
10 winners:
--5 prize packages of a signed hardback, a t-shirt and a guitar pick,

--5 e-books with an autographed Leap of Faith notecard, a guitar pick and stickers

And remember  to check back tomorrow for Jamie's Guest Post and another giveaway!!  Here's the link: http://themosthappyreader.blogspot.com/2013/10/jamie-blair-guest-post-and-leap-of.html

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