Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Review: Savor by Kate Evangelista


Title: Savor (Vicious Feast, #1)
Author: Kate Evangelista
Published: December 2, 2013 by Crescent Moon Press
Genre: Paranormal, Romance, New Adult
Rating: 4 Stars
Read Count: 1
Synopsis: Mature and explicit content. Not recommended for readers below 18-years-old. Yup, you've got to be that old to read my story. Consider yourself warned.

I’m Dakota Collins, a tough talking, eye patch wearing, workaholic photography student. Why am I important? Well, maybe because I get to spend an entire month with Vicious, only the sickest indie rock band out there.

You see, I needed a subject for my Spring Showcase introspective in order to graduate. During a chance encounter at a club I’d been sent to cover for the Daily Gossip, our ironically named college paper, the features writer I usually teamed up with introduced me to the band—by accident, I might add. It involved a run in with a scary, bald bodyguard. Anyway, long story short, I signed a contract to take pictures of Vicious.

I should have known their handsome yet way too serious for his own good bassist, Luka Visraya, wouldn't be able to keep his hands to himself. He’s gorgeous and all, but the way he smiles spelled trouble with a capital L. I’m in for a long month with him around.

Crazy shit happens and then some. So, if you want the skinny on Vicious and the events revolving around my stay at Lunar Manor, read my story.

Again, refer to the warning above.




 My Thoughts 
So, what can I say about Savor? Let me give you an example of me finishing this AWESOME book with a little help from Sulley...
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Savor is told by Dakota Collins, our photography student and eye patch wearin' MC as she prepares to graduate from college. On a job for the school paper, Dakota has a once in a lifetime meeting with the world famous rock band, Vicious whose bassist Luka Visraya is smokin' hot (okay, the whole band is smokin' hot) and difficult to figure out and she ends up getting the chance to photograph the band for her final project which means she'll be spending a month at Lunar Manor.
The story is really an all-around fun way to pass the time, the banter between everyone kept me cracking up and the sexual tension between Dakota and Luka was hot and sweet but Savor is a great deal of romance and you don't really start to learn of anything paranormal until the very end of the book so I am definitely looking forward to Relish because of that. Also, fair warning, there are some smexy, smexy scenes in Savor peeps, lots of swooning and fanning will commence for you when reading this.
In conclusion, Savor has everything you need for the perfect book, loveable characters, hot rockers, beautiful music and an ending to keep you hooked.

*Thanks to Kate Evangelista for my review copy of Savor!*

 About the Author 
When Kate Evangelista was told she had a knack for writing stories, she did the next best thing: entered medical school. After realizing she wasn't going to be the next Doogie Howser, M.D., Kate wandered into the Literature department of her university and never looked back. Today, she is in possession of a piece of paper that says to the world she owns a Literature degree. To make matters worse, she took Master's courses in creative writing. In the end, she realized to be a writer, none of what she had mattered. What really mattered? Writing. Plain and simple, honest to God, sitting in front of her computer, writing. Today, she lives in the Philippines and writes full-time. 

Saturday, December 28, 2013

Book Bird Goodies #6

Meet Magnus, my little Book Bird Reviews mascot.
Instead of doing a Showcase Sunday or anything, I've decided to just post any book goodies myself.

So this is the Christmas edition of Book Bird Goodies...
I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and will have a Happy New Year!

 Received 
The Fiery Heart (Bloodlines, #4) by Richelle Mead
Soulbound (Legacy of Tril, #1) by Heather Brewer
Phoenix (Black City, #2) by Elizabeth Richards

Lucid by Adrienne Stoltz and Ron Bass
Born of Shadows (The League, #4) by Sherrilyn Kenyon
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Friday, December 20, 2013

Book Blitz: Monsters in the Dark Series by Pepper Winters

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We are thrilled to present to you International Best Selling Author Pepper Winters and the Monsters in the Dark series.
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Tears of Tess (Monsters in the Dark #1)

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DARK AND HAUNTINGLY BEAUTIFUL....IT WILL LEAVE YOU BREATHLESS!!!!  ~Lorie, Goodreads
Words CAN.NOT describe what a beautiful, emotional, gut-wrenching, soul-searching kind of read Tears of Tess was for me. ~ Jacqueline's Reads

Synopsis
“My life was complete. Happy, content, everything neat and perfect.
Then it all changed.
I was sold.”


Tess Snow has everything she ever wanted: one more semester before a career in property development, a loving boyfriend, and a future dazzling bright with possibility. 

For their two year anniversary, Brax surprises Tess with a romantic trip to Mexico. Sandy beaches, delicious cocktails, and soul-connecting sex set the mood for a wonderful holiday. With a full heart, and looking forward to a passion filled week, Tess is on top of the world.

But lusty paradise is shattered.

Kidnapped. Drugged. Stolen. Tess is forced into a world full of darkness and terror. 

Captive and alone with no savior, no lover, no faith, no future, Tess evolves from terrified girl to fierce fighter. But no matter her strength, it can’t save her from the horror of being sold.

Can Brax find Tess before she’s broken and ruined, or will Tess’s new owner change her life forever?

Add to Goodreads

On Sale Now for 99¢

Amazon Worldwide


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Quintessentially Q (Monsters in the Dark #2)
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Wrenching,emotional,terrifying and triumphant...a dark and suspenseful page turner! ~Jona, Goodreads
I have simply fallen in love with these characters, and their beautifully tragic story. ~Lauren, Goodreads

Synopsis
“All my life, I battled with the knowledge I was twisted… fucked up to want something so deliciously dark—wrong on so many levels. But then slave fifty-eight entered my world. Hissing, fighting, with a core of iron, she showed me an existence where two wrongs make a right."

Tess is Q’s completely. Q is Tess’s irrevocably. But now, they must learn the boundaries of their unconventional relationship, while Tess seeks vengeance on the men who sold her. Q made a blood-oath to deliver their corpses at Tess’s feet, and that’s just what he’ll do.

He may be a monster, but he’s Tess’s monster

Add to Goodreads
Fan made book trailers -


Now Available!

Amazon Worldwide | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords


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Coming Soon in early 2014 - The conclusion to Quincy and Tess' Story

Twisted Together (Monsters in the Dark #3)
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Add to Goodreads

Synopsis
“After battling through hell, I brought my esclave back from the brink of ruin. I sacrificed everything—my heart, my mind, my very desires to bring her back to life. And for a while, I thought it broke me, that I’d never be the same. But slowly the beast is growing bolder, and it’s finally time to show Tess how beautiful the dark can be.”

Q gave everything to bring Tess back. In return, he expects nothing less. Tess may have leashed and tamed him, but he’s still a monster inside. 

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About the Author

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Pepper Winters wears many roles. Some of them include writer, reader, sometimes wife. She loves dark, taboo stories that twist with your head. The more tortured the hero, the better, and she constantly thinks up ways to break and fix her characters. Oh, and sex… her books have sex. 
She loves to travel and has an amazing, fabulous hubby who puts up with her love affair with her book boyfriends. 
Her debut book Tears of Tess is followed by Quintessentially Q and Twisted Together. You didn’t think Q could stop so soon, did you? Her other two titles, Last Shadow and Broken Chance will be coming soon.


Connect with Pepper
Blog | Twitter: @pepperwintersFacebook | Email: pepperwinters@gmail.com | Goodreads

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Review: Wants of an Incubus by Ashley Hill

Title: Wants of an Incubus (Annabelle's Erotic Nightmare, #1)
Author: Ashley Hill
Published: November, 19, 2013 by Ashley Hill
Genre: Paranormal, Erotica, New Adult
Rating: 3 Stars
Read Count: 1
Synopsis: Nineteen year old Annabelle hasn’t seen her boyfriend in months, let alone heard his own voice. One night her emotions take over and she can’t help but think of him. When sleep comes, so does her boyfriend. But it’s only a dream, right? 

Deep down, she knows that this one night stand with the love of her life is but a dream. However the next morning she’s in for a shock.

Those nagging feelings she had while with her dream Henry may have been real, telling her that that dream might actually have been a nightmare after all. A nightmare where she may have bonded her soul to a creature that goes bump in the night.

With the help of her mother, who’s a witch by the way and in more ways than one, her talking cat and her unwanted desires towards the nightmare that looks like her Henry, Annabelle will have to defeat the demon that has now crept into her life. 

Readers 18+ for sexual content.





 My Thoughts 
Wants of an Incubus is pretty short at 40 pages but it was a fun way to pass the time. Annabelle misses her boyfriend who is away, so when she has a sexy dream about him that feels pretty real, she doesn't think much of it. Even as she catches glimpses of something sinister pretending to be her boyfriend she figures it's just her imagination but she soon learns that she's been with an incubus and that they're now bonded.
Overall, this wasn't an absolute favorite for me but I loved that it was an incubus story, which I haven't read a lot of but it was an interesting creature choice. The story is fast-paced and there is a talking cat, which is just the coolest in my book so I can't wait to check out the next in the series.

*Thanks to Ashley Hill for my review copy!*

 About the Author 
In the last year I’ve discovered the dreams I had aren’t what I really want. I wanted to open a book store but in reality I’d rather spend my time writing them instead of going to school to learn how to sell them.
I’ve learnt that finding a job is great but finding one you have a true passion for is so much better. So instead of trying to go for the norm I’m working hard on kick starting my writing career now instead of later.
I’ve also found a new dream, my boyfriend. He motivates and supports me to no end, he brings me to life in a way I didn’t think possible. Now I’m accomplishing the impossible with the most amazing guy by my side.
All you really need to know is that I’m stubborn and will go after my dreams even though all odds are against me, even though I don’t have everyone’s full support. It’s just one more thing that motivates me.


Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Book Bird Goodies #5

Meet Magnus, my little Book Bird Reviews mascot.
Instead of doing a Showcase Sunday or anything, I've decided to just post any book goodies myself.

 For Review
Savor (Vicious Feast, #1) by Kate Evangelista
Wants of an Incubus (Annabelle's Erotic Nightmare #1) by Ashley Hill
Thanks to Kate Evangelista and Ashley Hill.

Sun and Moon (Minstrel Series, #1) by Lee Strauss
Dead Beautiful (Dead Beautiful, #1) by Yvonne Woon
Thanks to NetGalley.

 Received 
Tears of Tess (Monsters in the Dark, #1) by Pepper Winters
Thanks to Stephanie @ Bookfever for this one!
If the Shoe Fits by Amber T. Smith
Won this on Facebook thanks to Miss Smith.
A Very Mystic Christmas (The Mystic Wolves) by Belinda Boring
Won this on Facebook thanks to Lizzy Ford.

 Bought 
Game of Thrones (Song of Ice and Fire, #1) by George R.R. Martin
Fracture Me (Shatter Me, #2.5) by Tahereh Mafi
Poison Princess (The Arcana Chronicles, #1) by Kresley Cole

Unraveling (Unraveling, #1) by Elizabeth Norris
Undone (Unraveling, #1.5) by Elizabeth Norris
Mind Games (Mind Games, #1) by Kiersten White

Saving Juliet by Suzanne Selfors
Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side (Jessica, #1) by Beth Fantaskey
Entice (Need, #3) by Carrie Jones

 Kindle Freebies 
Annie and Fia (Mind Games, #0.5) by Kiersten White
The Mystic Wolves (Mystic Wolves, #1) by Belinda Boring

*All books are still free at time of posting. Just click the covers to go to Amazon.*

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Book Blitz: Savor by Kate Evangelista


 About the Book 
Mature and explicit content. Not recommended for readers below 18-years-old. Yup, you’ve got to be that old to read my story. Consider yourself warned.

I’m Dakota Collins, a tough talking, eye patch wearing, workaholic photography student. Why am I important? Well, maybe because I get to spend an entire month with Vicious, only the sickest indie rock band out there.

You see, I needed a subject for my Spring Showcase introspective in order to graduate. During a chance encounter at a club I’d been sent to cover for the Daily Gossip, our ironically named college paper, the features writer I usually teamed up with introduced me to the band—by accident, I might add. It involved a run in with a scary, bald bodyguard. Anyway, long story short, I signed a contract to take pictures of Vicious.

I should have known their handsome yet way too serious for his own good bassist, Luka Visraya, wouldn’t be able to keep his hands to himself. He’s gorgeous and all, but the way he smiles spelled trouble with a capital L. I’m in for a long month with him around.

Crazy shit happens and then some. So, if you want the skinny on Vicious and the events revolving around my stay at Lunar Manor, read my story.

Again, refer to the warning above.


Buy Savor:


 Excerpt 
“Dakota Collins!”
I lowered my camera. The use of my full name never came with good consequences. I blinked my vision back at her even if I wanted to spend the rest of the night taking his picture. Sweat rose over my upper lip. I may just have found my subject for the Spring Showcase.
The only problem?
I had to find a way to convince him to be in my project. Something told me this wouldn’t be easy. By the way my heart beat in my ears, drowning out the music and Silvia having a fit in front of me, I wanted it too much. I wanted him too much. 
“This the guy you were saying?” I showed Silvia the picture I’d taken. This seemed to pacify her because she sidled closer, mesmerized like a moth to a flame.
“Luka Visraya,” she said with a moan like she’d just tasted the most luscious chocolate before taking a long gulp of her cocktail. The name didn’t register. Silvia must have noticed my blank expression because she continued. “He’s the bassist for Vicious.”
Still no pings of recognition in my head. 
She slapped her thigh. “Where have you been? It’s weird that you haven’t heard of them. Their songs are on the radio like every second.”
Of course I hadn’t heard of them. I liked listening to country and I hardly kept up with current events.
“Name one?” Okay, I had a name. Luka. Exotic. A bassist. Part of a band I should know about. So he’s famous. I slowly felt my chances of asking him to be my subject slip from my grasp. If he was someone famous, fat chance he’d say yes to a graduating photography student like me. I just about deflated when Silvia mentioned one of their songs. “Oh, I know that one!” By accident. It played in the radio of the cab I rode in to Sacrifice. I stared at the picture of him then lifted my gaze to where he sat. “He’s gone.”
“What?” Silvia whipped around in time to come face to face with a wall of man. “Whoa!” She pushed at him. “Watch it, buddy!”
“Give me the camera,” he said in a threatening tone. 
Big. Beefy. Bald. The three Bs that made up the quintessential bodyguard. 
I clutched my DSLR closer to my chest and looked up at him with my good eye. “And why would I do that?” The patch didn’t seem to intimidate him because he just reached out. So much for my Bond villain aspirations. I moved away from his grubby hand. No one touched my camera but me.
Despite her size, Silvia came between me and the mountain. “We’re here to cover Sacrifice for our college paper. You don’t have the right to take away my colleague’s camera.”
Yeah! You give it to him, Silvy. 
Not that I couldn’t take care of myself. But if Silvia wanted to play hero, I wouldn’t stand in her way. 
“What seems to be the problem here?” a soft, authoritative voice chimed in. 
The bodyguard moved aside to reveal the Gothic Lolita. She stood at just about the same height as Silvia, but she possessed an older aura even if she seemed to be our age. 
“She’s been taking pictures,” Baldy said.
Lolita’s kohl eyes landed on me then shifted to my camera. 
“As I was saying to the big guy,” Silvia explained. “My colleague and I are covering the opening of Sacrifice.”
“For what paper?” Lolita asked without taking her eyes off me. I clutched my camera like an extra appendage. In some ways it was. After losing half my sight, I relied on my camera like an extra eye, seeing the world through its lens. I would rather die than lose it. 
“The Daily Gossip,” I said before Silvia could answer just to relieve some of the awkward tension building in me under her gaze. “We study at Wexler U.”
She tilted her head, crossing her arms. 
“Okay,” I quickly stammered out. “I get that the name of our paper sounds like a tabloid, but the Daily Gossip is a cool campus paper.” The last part maybe only I believed since Silvia raised her eyebrow at me, but Lolita and the mountain didn’t have to know that. 
No one spoke after that. Even in a noisy club, the silence in our group rang in my ears. Not waiting for the situation to get any more awkward, I plowed forward with my own selfish intensions. 
“You know Luka.” I said it more as a statement, but it came out like a question. 
Lolita nodded.    
“I’m Dakota Collins and I’m graduating this spring. I was wondering if Luka would be interested in—”
“What would I be interested in?” a smooth voice joined our group. 
The walls of my throat closed, chocking the rest of what I had to say. All eyes turned to Luka. Silvia dropped her empty glass. It bounced off the bodyguard’s shoe and landed in a clatter but didn’t break. Even with my height, I still had to look up at him. 
“What are you doing here?” Lolita admonished. “You should be backstage.”
One side of his lips came up. God. Without the scowl, his face lit up. I had to stop the urge to lift my camera and start snapping away. And his eyes were piercing blue. The kind that stretched over my mother’s farm in the summer. Damn.
Seeing him up close, I knew I’d give any one of my kidneys for a chance to take his picture in a formal shoot. 
“We have five minutes. Chill, Yana.” He tugged at one of her pigtails. 
“Luka,” Silvia managed. “I’m a big fan. Will you sign my chest?”
Bypassing my petite colleague, Luka’s intensely blue gaze studied me. He reached out and I flinched back. His fingers almost grazed my patch. What the hell was the matter with him? Trying to touch my eye patch was tantamount to poking a bandage over a wound and asking the person if it hurts. 
Gothic Lolita—Yana—yanked Luka’s arm down. “I’m so sorry!” Her whole aura changed. She went from all business to panicky. “My brother sometimes forgets his manners. He didn’t mean anything about touching your…” She bit her lower lip, maybe trying to keep herself from saying the wrong thing. 
That little faux pas cleared my head of the Luka haze and spurred me into action. “Luka, will you let me take your picture for my final project?” I didn’t know where my courage came from, but I knew if I didn’t take this chance, I’d regret it. I had to have him as my subject. 
Still not removing his gaze from my face, like my patch transfixed him, he tilted his head to one side very much like his sister did earlier.
“Luka, don’t!” Yana said, but from the consideration on Luka’s face, she was too late. 
“You’re a photographer?”
“Yes.” I nodded, in case the word wasn’t enough. 
“And you’d like me to be the subject of your project?”
God yes! This time, I could only nod. I didn’t want him to see how eager I was. And I couldn’t live with myself if I embarrassed myself further. 
I waited with baited breath.
It seemed everyone in our group waited with baited breath for what the golden god had to say about my brazen request. I soon realized when Luka spoke, everyone listened. The way he pronounced every word precisely yet still spoke so smoothly, like butter on warm toast, captured everyone’s attention. To say he captivated us was an understatement. Something in me certainly wanted to hear him keep speaking. He could read from an accounting textbook in that voice and no one would get bored.
“I need to know that you’re good,” he finally said.
Something about his words seemed to hold a different meaning. I must have missed the alcohol in the soda Silvia had given me. Maybe I was drunk and this was all a blackout dream. 
“What are you saying?” Yana faced Luka all the way now, her petite form all rigid. 
He unleashed a full on megawatt smile my way. I almost had to cover my eye from it. At my side, Silvia gasped. Her long nails dug into my arm. Like staring at the sun, I couldn’t take my gaze away from him no matter how bad it was for me. 
“We’re about to perform. I want you to take several pictures then send them to Yana. If she approves, we’ll see about your request.”
Then, like smoke, he disappeared into the crowd.

Copyright © Kate Evangelista

 About the Author 
When Kate Evangelista was told she had a knack for writing stories, she did the next best thing: entered medical school. After realizing she wasn't going to be the next Doogie Howser, M.D., Kate wandered into the Literature department of her university and never looked back. Today, she is in possession of a piece of paper that says to the world she owns a Literature degree. To make matters worse, she took Master's courses in creative writing. In the end, she realized to be a writer, none of what she had mattered. What really mattered? Writing. Plain and simple, honest to God, sitting in front of her computer, writing. Today, she lives in the Philippines and writes full-time.