The Bodyguard by Wende Dikec blitz with giveaway
The Bodyguard
Wende Dikec
(Legacies of the Amazons, #1)
Published by: Inkspell Publishing
Publication date: May 2nd 2017
Genres: Fantasy, Mythology, Young Adult
Descended from a secret race of Amazon Warriors, Ana Thermadosa is not like other girls. As a student at Artemis Academy, the training grounds for a mysterious company called Cerberus Enterprises, Ana has spent her life learning what is important. How to fight, how to win, how to kill, and, mostly importantly, how to follow orders and live up to the expectations of her powerful family.
Trained in the art of warfare since birth, now her skills are being put to the test. She’s been hired to defend Jordan Banks, the wealthy son of a nefarious businessman, from kidnappers.
She despises Jordan and all he stands for, but soon comes to realize that many things in the outside word aren’t as she’s been led to believe. She also discovers Jordan isn’t what she expected, and, against her better judgment, finds herself starting to care for him.
When disaster strikes, Ana is put in a difficult predicament. Keeping Jordan safe would mean betraying her own people and everything she believes in, but letting him die would mean betraying something even more important.
Her own heart.
Goodreads / Amazon / Kobo / iBooks
—
EXCERPT:
“If you’d like a demonstration, I am willing to provide it.”
“A demonstration?” Roman asked with a snort, but Ana could tell he was intrigued. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Philip suppress a grin.
“Me against them.” She looked at the three hulking bodyguards standing behind him. One of them actually had the nerve to giggle. She decided he would be the first to learn a lesson. Bodyguards should never giggle.
Melani had to bite her lip to keep from smiling. “You don’t have to do this, Ana.”
“Yes, I do.” She removed her black jacket, part of the standard issue uniform worn by everyone at the company, and placed it over the back of her chair. Beneath it, she wore a snug, black t-shirt, and comfortable pants. “There’s a sparring room next door.”
“Would you like them to come in one at a time?” Roman asked, trying to sound like a gentleman. Ana knew he thought she was going to get beat up, and she also knew he kind of looked forward to seeing it. He wouldn’t be so lucky today.
She studied the bodyguards, sizing them up from head to toe. All three of them grinned at her. She opened a door that connected to the sparring room ushered them in, leaving everyone else in the conference room.
“No. I can handle them all at once,” she said, shutting the door behind her.
Author Bio:
Wende Dikec has spent her life traveling the world, collecting stories wherever she visited. She majored in Japanese and International Economics in college and worked in import/export and as an ESL teacher before she committed herself full time to writing. She writes in several romance genres, and her books are quirky and fun. Wende is a Trekkie, a book hoarder, the master of the Nespresso machine, and the mother of three boys (probably the main reason for her caffeine addiction). A puppy named Capone is the most recent addition to her family, and she blogs about him as a way of maintaining what little sanity she has left. She is the author of TIGER LILY and STARR VALENTINE, and writes adult romance under the name Abigail Drake. She can be found on the web at http://www.wendedikec.com.
GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Cake: A Love Story by J. Bengtsson blitz with giveaway
Cake: A Love Story
J. Bengtsson
(Cake #1)
Publication date: May 14th 2016
Genres: New Adult, Romance
Jake McKallister might have been a rock star, but he was no ordinary one. Surviving an unspeakable crime as a young teen had shaped him into a guarded workaholic, and he now lived his life trying to forget. If it hadn’t been for music and the redemption he found through it, he might not have survived. Career success came easily for him. Personal connections did not.
When outspoken, vivacious college student Casey Caldwell was paired with the famously reserved rockstar for a friend’s wedding, she was prepared for the worst. What could they possibly have in common? She was a bubbly talker; he was a reclusive loner. His life was filled with music; she couldn’t carry a tune. She’d enjoyed a happy childhood; his was a well-publicized nightmare.
Yet despite their obvious differences, Jake and Casey found each other, and her light balanced out his darkness. Would their love be strong enough to survive the weight of his tragic past?
AUTHOR’S NOTE: This is a *full-length* standalone romance. Cake is a love story at heart but does deal with a sensitive topic and may not be for all.
Due to strong language and sexual content, this book is not intended for readers under the age of eighteen.
*This novel was professionally re-edited on June 28th, 2016*
—
—
EXCERPT:
-Banter-
I gave an apologetic look. “I know. Sorry. You intimidate me. I mean, it would take no effort on your part to get with pretty much any girl at this wedding.”
Jake didn’t refute my claim – probably because he knew it was true. In fact, he was actually giving what I said quite a bit of thought. What was I getting myself into?
Finally, he sighed, and said, “Sometimes having sex just isn’t worth the consequences.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means that with sex comes expectations.”
I waited for him to explain his comment, and when he didn’t I said, “And?”
Jake exhaled dramatically, as if he were expected to explain himself to a child. “If I’m going to have meaningless sex with someone, I need a quick exit strategy; otherwise she’s going to want to follow me around – or worse, talk. In a setting like this, there’s no way to disappear after getting it on, so sex wouldn’t be worth the consequences… get it?”
“Wow, you’ve really given this a lot of thought.”
He nodded in agreement. “I’ve learned from experience.”
“I’m sure you have. So, then, I guess it’s a good thing we aren’t going to have meaningless sex tonight.” I laughed. “Because I would definitely be following you around trying to talk to you.”
“I know. You’d be the worst.”
Author Bio:
J. Bengtsson lives in Southern California with her husband and three children. Her favorite things to do are laugh, go for walks, and hang out with family. ‘Cake’ is her debut novel.
GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Saving Grace (Enchanted Keepsakes, #1) by Aubrey Wynne
Saving Grace by Aubrey Wynne
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
After her divorce Chloe Hicks has put all of her effort into her equine business but one night finds her barn on fire losing her horse and her partner getting injured in the effort to save the animals. Waking in the hospital Chloe is thankful that it wasn’t worse but when the marshal suspects the fire was arson Chloe is in danger of losing her whole business.
After the fire Chloe needs to get away for a while but when some strange things start happening to Chloe in the place she’s staying she finds herself meeting Jackson Hahn, Virginia Beach’s local historian trying to get some answers. The two become closer as Jackson piques Chloe’s interest telling her of a woman wrongly accused of witchcraft that owned the property.
Saving Grace is the first book in the Enchanted Keepsakes series by Aubrey Wynne. The book is novella length but certainly packed a lot into the shorter story. There’s romance, mystery and a bit of reality woven into the story in regards to the tale of the lady accused of witchcraft three hundred years before.
The story starts off in the present time with the fire at the barn giving a reader a glimpse into the mystery involved when arson is suspected. Then you switch back to the past to introduce the woman in the past accused of witchcraft that gets brought into the present story when odd things start happening to the main character. Great to bring reality into a fictional tale but the mix of things going on in the story also easily caught my attention.
I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
Toward a Secret Sky by Heather Maclean
Toward a Secret Sky by Heather Maclean
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
After the death of her mother seventeen year old Maren Hamilton finds herself being sent to Scotland to live with grandparents that she has never met before. Maren’s father had died on the day she was born and his parents didn’t keep in touch with her mother over the years but now she finds herself stepping into their world with no one else for her to turn to.
Shortly after arriving in Scotland Maren receives some of her mother’s things including a cryptic journal that has Maren questioning just who her mother was. As Maren works to unravel the clues left behind by her mother she finds that there is also a world she never knew existed involved including Angels and Demons when Maren meets Gavin, an angel that is now tasked with protecting her. With clues of a secret organization her parents were a part of and the world around her falling into madness Maren finds herself racing to save those she loves.
Toward a Secret Sky will probably not be for everyone as it has a huge case of the old young adult insta-love trope involved. A lot are comparing this to Twilight and I can see the similarities, the young clueless girl who is instantly attracted to the boy she shouldn’t be with her having something special about her that has yet to be discovered, just switch out the vampires and werewolves with angels and demons in this.
But that being said I really thought this had a life of it’s own if given the chance with the story involving a secret organization and the war between the angels and demons. The story is rather fast paced bringing readers straight into the intrigue of just what Maren’s parents had been a part of and did a decent job building a world with angels and demons in it. So if you look past the swoony oh my gosh this boy is hot cheesiness it becomes a fun little story overall. I don’t see anything about this being a series but there was plenty of room for the story to continue on and I’d be certainly interested in seeing what happens next.
I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
Ensnared by Rita Stradling blitz with giveaway
Ensnared
Rita Stradling
Publication date: May 23rd 2017
Genres: New Adult, Science Fiction
A Near Future Retelling of Beauty and the Beast
Alainn’s father is not a bad man. He’s a genius and an inventor. When he’s hired to create the robot Rose, Alainn knows taking the money is a mistake.
Rose acts like a human. She looks exactly like Alainn. But, something in her comes out wrong.
To save her father from a five year prison sentence, Alainn takes Rose’s place. She says goodbye to the sun and goes to live in a tower no human is allowed to enter. She becomes the prisoner of a man no human is allowed to see.
Believing that a life of servitude lies ahead, Alainn finds a very different fate awaits her in the company of the strange, scarred recluse.
—
EXCERPT:
December 2, 2026
Alainn woke knowing someone was in her room.
Whoever it was sat behind her. Quiet, even breaths rasped through the air. Alainn’s eyelids peeked open. Moonlight cast a grayish glow, cutting deep shadows into the space around her bed.
“Good morning, Alainn,” Rose said in a quiet voice. When Alainn didn’t respond, Rose said, “I can tell from the change in your breathing pattern that you are awake.”
“Rose?” she whispered, not quite ready to let out a sigh of relief. Alainn twisted to look at her. “What are you doing here? Did you break my lock?”
“I picked it,” she said. “It is now locked again.”
“Oh, uh—” Her heart pounded in her chest; she sat up and faced the robot. “Why—why would you do that?”
The moonlight lit half of Rose’s face as she watched Alainn, expressionless. “Do not be alarmed. You are obviously having a fear reaction, but I was simply waiting for you to wake up.”
“Don’t you need to sleep—recharge?”
Now that Alainn faced Rose, she smelled the faint odor of her exhaust. Rose continuously exhaled the lightest tang of something sweet and acidic. The air in the room felt used, like a plane cabin after a cross-country flight.
“I was not completely forthcoming with you today. While what I said was true, I have for a time now believed that having Father imprisoned would impede my potential. While I have far surpassed his skills in software, there are times when I need assistance. I am limited by my need to stay near my charging station. Your brother is often absent for days at a time—and you, months.”
“Okay, wait—you’re going to go tomorrow?” Alainn scooted forward on the bed. A dormant hope resurged through her. Alainn would do anything—she’d worship at the robot’s feet if Rose agreed to go.
“No, you are going to go tomorrow.”
Alainn froze, staring at Rose. “What?” she whispered.
“I have calculated one way in which all parties can achieve their desires.”
“I’m sorry—I’m not understanding.” Alainn shook her head. A hard knot formed in her stomach.
“I am not surprised.” Rose reached out to pat Alainn’s hand. “You are not as intelligent as the rest of your family.”
“Spell it out in really simple terms, then.” She just managed to not growl the words at Rose.
Slowly, Rose looked up to the ceiling, moonlight slashing up the curve of her neck, her chin, and the line of her nose. “Earlier tonight, I arranged for you to be picked up by Mr. Garbhan through e-mail, writing as if I was Father. In one hour, a car will arrive outside to take you to his building. I have designed and created hardware for your body. If you are scanned, a chip in the hardware will communicate to the scanners that you have an organic circuitry system rather than a human brain.”
Alainn shook her head, hoping to dislodge some of the grogginess there. “I’m still not following—you’re saying you want me to pretend to be you and turn myself over? That you already arranged it?”
“Yes, you are following. That is exactly what I am saying.”
“I—I—” Alainn shook her head again. The air thinned around her.
“I have a working plan for the transplanting. You can assimilate easily into a life of servitude as you are already accustomed to the labor you will be asked to perform.” Rose lifted a hand, ghostly gray in the low light, and ticked off the chores on her fingers. “Cooking, housekeeping, and bookkeeping. Unless . . . is your concern that he might use you for sexual gratification?”
“What? No.”
“I believe that this would be a particular concern of yours.”
“I never even considered that he would do that to you—I, of all people, would never have tried to push you into going if I thought you’d be used that way.” Alainn blinked furiously. “Rose, do you really think that I would have let myself be the model when my
dad printed your face and body if I thought Mr. Garbhan was going to do that to you?”
“It is highly unlikely that I was designed for this function. I have also been assured that there were documents signed to that effect addressed to Father.”
Alainn held out her palms to Rose. “Rose, it’s not just that. I can’t take your place. There’s no way that would work . . . and I can’t live in that tower for the rest of my life. I’m a human. I know that probably sounds callous to you, but you were created to not need sunshine and fresh air. And you don’t need exercise. Humans need those things, me especially. Everything I am,” she touched her chest, “is centered on being in the outdoors.”
“The duration will be seven to fourteen days, no longer.” Her head swung down, causing shadows to swallow her eyes. Two black hollows focused on Alainn. “When Mr. Garbhan pays Father, he and I will make the Rosette model; this process should only take a week, unless there are complications. And then I will devise a way to switch you with the new model.”
Author Bio:
Rita Stradling is the author of The Deception Dance series, the Dakota Kekoa series and The Fourteen Day Soul Detox Novella Serial. She has a BA in Art History and a particular love for modern and medieval art.
Rita lives with her husband and son in Northern California.
She has an insatiable novel addiction and mostly reads young adult and adult: romance, paranormal, urban fantasy and high fantasy.
GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Carries Book Reviews 
Recent Comments