Carries Book Reviews

Burning Ultimatum
Aubrey Parker
(Trevor’s Harem, #4)
Publication date: March 15th 2016
Genres: New Adult, Romance

With Trevor’s contest at its end, it’d be easy to say we’re three against one. And yet I’ve never felt so alone.

My heart is torn, twisted, ripped. I’m alternately hot and cold. I dream vivid dreams, no longer sure if they’re fantasy or reality.

There’s a new player in the game. He’s tall, broad, beautiful, and intimidating. Everyone is afraid of him, even the company. I’m told he has a secret, and that I’m its subject. And someone else has a secret, too — from our mystery man, and god help us if he learns it.

Everyone is loyal to something or someone in this place — though it’s seldom what it seems.

I don’t know who’s with me and who’s against me — if I’ll go home with my new protector … or be kept here forever.

I couldn’t possibly be what Eros has combed the world for … can I?

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EXCERPT:

Trevor puts his hand on my arm, but I shake it away. I’m so frustrated. So angry. Trevor acts like my friend, but he cut Kat. I have no friends.

“Bridget, there was no choice. Keeping her wouldn’t have been fair to Kat. And it would have contradicted the purpose of everything we’re trying to do.”

I look back at him. I stand. My eyes are wet with fury, but I’m wearing an angry smile.

“What?” he says.

“They got you. They got all of you.”

“Who?”

“Kylie. Kat was a threat to her. Do you know about her and Caspian White?”

“No. What do you mean?”

“I guess we’ll never know, will we? I could tell you. I could even tell Caspian. But something tells me it won’t ring true without Kat to back me up. Something tells me convenient lies and excuses have already been put in place. She’s always ten steps ahead, isn’t she? After all, that’s her fucking superpower, isn’t it?”

“Bridget, what are you talking about?”

“And Jessica. Because second place wasn’t good enough for her. She wants to win it all. Is that what Kylie promised her? That she could come in first place once Kat was gone?” I give a cynical little smile. “I guess we’ll see what Kylie’s promises are worth with a knife in Jessica’s back.”

“You’re making too much of this. Once I learned Kat’s situation, I took care of it. It was just me. Nobody else — not Kylie, not Jessica.”

Then it hits me. My hand goes over my mouth, and I actually laugh.

“Oh my God,” I say.

“What?”

“They’re playing you, too.”

“Nobody’s playing me.”

I sit back down. I can’t help myself. I grab Trevor by the upper arms and look him right in his sweet, almost innocent eyes.

“This is about you, Trevor. Not me, not the contest, not the company. You. Kat was eliminated because you never had a choice. She backed you into it.”

“Who?” He’s getting annoyed, his face twisting.

“This whole thing is on you. It’s your name. Your company. Everything is being done for Trevor Stone.”

“So?”

“So if it fails? If it goes horribly wrong? If someone can convince some other people that certain big-name billionaires should be squeezed out?”

“You’re being ridiculous.”

But I’m not. I see it clear as day.

Trevor stands, brushing off with an air of finality, as if these last thirty seconds have made him sorry for coming to see me.

“Trevor … ”

He meets my eyes with a hard stare — no matter what I say next, our discussion is over.

“I came here because I care about you, Bridget. That hasn’t changed.”

I don’t know what else to do, so as my shoulders sag, I nod.

“Are you leaving today?”

That was the plan, yes. But now I’m not so sure. If I leave, it’ll just be Jessica, Kylie, and Daniel versus Trevor. The three against one that’s also leveled against me. But I could stick around. I could keep being a wrench in the machine. The one question that nobody, no matter how honest they are, will answer is the biggest of all: Why am I still here? I survived the first elimination after refusing to play by the rules. I survived the second and third without blinking. And if Trevor is to be believed, I survived a sex-first challenge by being nonsexual while the sluttiest slut got the axe. All by following my gut and doing nothing special. All, it seems, without help of any meaningful kind.

“I don’t know,” I say.

“You should.”

“Why?”

“Same reason as before.”

“Which is?”

“Caspian White.”

“Why, Trevor?”

“Because he likes you.”

“Then I should have no problems.”

Trevor doesn’t respond. He looks somehow punched, but I can tell he feels that affection, from Caspian White, probably isn’t a good thing.

“I’ll be fine, Trevor. Thank you for your concern, but I’ve made it this far, even without a superpower.”

I try to smile at the idea of superpowers, but Trevor stops, on his way to my door, and takes my hand.

“Daniel didn’t tell you,” he says.

“Tell me what?”

“At least on paper, he’s named a talent for you. To our board. And to Mr. White.”

I blink back up at Trevor.

“He’s been telling people that he’s figured out my superpower?”

“Yes. And going to face Caspian White, that’s what scares me.”

“What is it?”

“Technically it’s restraint, no doubt piggybacking on what the cameras saw between you in the garden, when you resisted his triggers.” Trevor purses his lips. “But Caspian has chosen to interpret your unflappability differently, if not quite literally.”

My heart beats faster. Maybe Trevor is right after all, and I should leave while I still can.

“‘Purity,’” Trevor says. “As if you were a virgin, waiting to be defiled.”

Author Bio:

I love to write stories with characters that feel real enough to friend on Facebook, or slap across the face. I write to make you feel, think, and burn with the thrill that can only come from getting lost in the pages. I love to write unforgettable characters who wrestle with life’s largest problems. My books may always end with a Happily Ever After, but there will always be drama on the way there.

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Welcome to the cover reveal for

Artifacts by Pete Catalano

presented by Tantrum Books!

Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!

Be on the look out for this fun upcoming MG title from Tantrum Books!

After a friend fails English, thirteen-year-old Jax and his friends’ plans for summer at Camp Runamuck go out the window. But miraculously, the teacher offers a chance to earn extra credit. They must find several fake artifacts for a display on fairy tales at the local library.

But finding junk isn’t as easy as it sounds. And when Jax and friends discover the teacher has cut the same deal with over fifty kids, it’s a race to the finish in an effort to save their summer vacation.

When the search through junk uncovers the truth, that one of the artifacts they’re searching for is real and can be used to rewrite the endings of fairy tales; things get real pretty quickly!

To secure the artifact, the friends will fight fairy tale villains and compete against heroes and kids from class to see who can get their hand, hook, claw or fin on it first.

On the plus side, they’ve seen Home Alone like a thousand times.

Artifacts by Pete Catalano

Publication Date: May 17, 2016

Publisher: Tantrum Books

Pete Catalano’s books are written for kids of all ages — and adults who secretly never grew up. He lives in Charlotte, NC with his adorably funny wife and two neurotic dogs. Pete was a theatre major in college and tries to keep the ‘suspension of disbelief’ in his life as much as he can.

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Rock
J.A. Huss
Publication date: March 7th 2016
Genres: Rock Star Romantic Suspense

He had it all. He lost it all. And all he wants now is a second chance.

RK Saber ran from tragedy five years ago when his car went over the side of a mountain in a prom-night crash. Consumed by guilt, he walked away from Juilliard and morphed into Rock, front man for the global rock-band sensation, Son of a Jack. Five members. Five best friends. Five rising stars burning so bright, they had to know it couldn’t last.

When tragedy strikes again and the band goes from five to two, RK is sentenced to… home. Back to the place where all his nightmares started. Back to the memory of all the things he lost. Back to the reality he refused to face before he left.

The Vetti twins were identical in all ways but two. Melanie was insane and Melissa was not. One twin was killed on prom night five years ago and one twin was not. And now that RK has returned home, the twin left standing has quite a story to tell. Could she really be the girl he thought he’d lost forever? Or is Melanie just up to her same old tricks?

ROCK is a rock-star romantic suspense by the New York Times bestselling master of twist, JA Huss.

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TRAILER:

EXCERPT:

“We’re not done, Melissa Vetti.”

“Not even close,” she says, winking at me as she pulls the door open to a waiting Gretchen.

“Oh, my God, you guys are disgusting. Who has sex in a break room?”

Missy giggles, then grabs my arm as if to cling to me. Her grin is wild and wide, her eyes are dancing as they look up at me, and when she leans into me, resting her head on my shoulder for a brief moment, just as I open the back passenger door to Gretchen’s stupid hybrid car, I sigh.

It’s long and deep. But everything about it is good.

“Get in,” I tell Missy. She does, searching for her seatbelt as I close the door and walk over to the other side.

“You’re not sitting in back, RK,” Gretchen says.

“The fuck I’m not,” I mumble, getting in next to Missy. Her hands are all over me as Gretchen huffs about not being a chauffeur and some other bullshit that I can’t be bothered to listen to.

I put my arm around Miss and she leans into my chest. One hand tucked behind my back, one lifting my shirt up, a fraction at a time. And even though I just came inside her five minutes ago, I’m ready for more.

Gretchen talks the entire ride but I don’t understand a word she says. Melissa’s mouth is on mine, then biting my shoulder, then she’s scooting back and lowering her face to my stomach, still lifting my shirt up with that one hand.

When Gretchen stops in my driveway, Missy and I give off half-hearted waves as I push her up against the front door and stare down into her blue eyes. “You know what?” I slur the words just a little.

“What?” She laughs back.

I have so many thoughts in my head at the moment. About her, her music, the bar, this town. What it felt like to come home after five years. How alone I felt. What it felt like to go to her show tonight. To be included. Part of something again.

“I missed you,” I say.

“I missed you too.”

“No,” I say. “I mean I missed you.” I place my hands on each of her cheeks and bump my forehead against hers. “I missed how you started that band. I missed how you worked out those songs. I missed all the mistakes, and all the triumphs. I missed the stressing out over money. I missed the conversation you had to have with Teej to get a spot. I missed picking out the guitar you play, the strap, the picks. I missed you making a decision about what you’d wear on stage. I missed you squealing to whoever is your best friend these days about your first show. I missed the applause, I missed TJ’s proud face afterward, I missed the first blown amp, the first time someone said, Hey, are you the chick who plays at Float’s? I missed everything, Melissa Vetti, rock star. And I’m so fucking sorry. Because life would’ve been so much better if we’d done it together.”

She pouts her lips and nods her head. I can see a little gleam of light in her eyes as she tries not to cry. “I missed your life too.”

“Yeah,” I whisper. “It just would’ve been so much better if we’d done it together.”

She looks up at me and smiles. “We’re together now, RK. And that’s all that matters.”

Author Bio:

JA Huss is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than twenty romances. She likes stories about family, loyalty, and extraordinary characters who struggle with basic human emotions while dealing with bigger than life problems. JA loves writing heroes who make you swoon, heroines who makes you jealous, and the perfect Happily Ever After ending.

You can chat with her on Facebook (www.facebook.com/AuthorJAHuss), Twitter (@jahuss), and her kick-ass romance blog, New Adult Addiction (www.newadultaddiction.com).

If you’re interested in getting your hands on an advanced release copy of her upcoming books, sneak peek teasers, or information on her upcoming personal appearances, you can join her newsletter list (http://eepurl.com/JVhAr) and get those details delivered right to your inbox.

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Wicked Misery
Tracey Martin
(Miss Misery #1)
Published by: Samhain Publishing
Publication date: October 7th 2014
Genres: Adult, Urban Fantasy

It s all quasi-legal fun until somebody gets framed for murder.

Jessica Moore thrives on misery. Literally. Thanks to a goblin’s curse, she gets a magical high from humanity’s suffering. A shameful talent like that could bury a girl in guilt, so to atone, she uses her dark power to hunt murderers, rapists and other scumbags until one of them frames her for his crimes.

In desperation, Jessica seeks refuge with the one person she trusts to not turn her in, a satyr named Lucen. Like every member of his race, Lucen uses his lusty magic to control Boston’s human population, and Jessica isn’t immune to his power. But the murder victims belonged to a rival race, and when they discover Lucen is harboring Jessica, dodging the cops becomes the least of her problems.

With only five days to find the real killer, Jessica faces a danger far more serious than the brewing magical war. The danger of succumbing to Lucen’s molten seduction.

Warning: Contains a heroine with a lust for misery, creepy murders, and creepier goblins, satyrs so hot you’d sell your soul for one, and scaly sewer rats masquerading as dragons. Who said magic was all sparkles and tiaras?

The complete series:

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EXCERPT BOOK 1:

Lucen hung up, and I jogged the rest of the way down the block to the bar. He was already outside by the time I got there, looking freshly showered in jeans but no shirt or shoes. His blond waves dripped water on broad shoulders. I winced. He’d better put on a shirt soon or I was going to have a hard time concentrating. Yeah, being framed for murder sounded like it should easily take precedence over a chiseled chest and a six-pack, but only to someone who never spent time around satyrs. I couldn’t take my eyes off him.

Lucen stood on the stoop next to the bar, holding the front door open. “Come on in.”

“I didn’t know you lived above The Lair.”

“There’s lots you don’t know about me because you’re always running away.”

I squeezed past him, getting a good whiff of his cinnamon-tinged skin and undoubtedly a good dose of his lusty magic. My hands twitched, eager to attach themselves to that broad swath of chest and trace every contour of muscle, to follow that thin line of blond hairs on his stomach to where it disappeared into his waistband and beyond. I dug my nails into my palms. The pain helped, but not as much as usual. “I hate to be rude since you’re doing me a huge favor, but could you put on a shirt?”

“If you insist, or you could take off yours and call it even.”

“I’m being framed for murder. I’ve got more important things to worry about than whether I’m wearing my pretty bra.”

Abruptly, some of my lust subsided, pulled back almost as though a blanket had been tugged off my skin. Lucen gaped at me, his eyes filled with shock.

Could he do that? Keep a handle on his power if he wanted to? Granted, not all my desire had disappeared, but the worst of it had. Damn it, if I didn’t need his goodwill right now—whatever little goodwill a satyr might have, that was—I’d want to kill him for never bothering to do this before.

“Have a seat. I’ll be right back.” He disappeared to the right, and feet pounded up some unseen stairs.

I wandered deeper into his apartment, not expecting to find it so light and airy. The kitchen was immediately to my left. Through a doorway I could see steps, and beyond that a small, tastefully decorated living room. Muted sunlight seeped into the joint kitchen and dining area through linen drapes. I pulled them aside and discovered sliding doors leading onto a small deck that overlooked a parking lot. All in all, not a bad spot. But then, rents in Shadowtown were cheaper than almost anywhere else in the Boston area. For all I knew, Lucen owned this entire building.

He was right in that regard. I’d never bothered to learn much about him. Prolonged conversations had always felt like an invitation for trouble.

With that thought in mind, I plunked myself down at the kitchen table, wondering whether this had been a bad idea of Biblical proportions. Until now, I’d never exactly sought out Lucen’s company. Since the beginning of our relationship, it had always been the other way around. After all, most of the major religions taught that preds were on this planet to tempt humanity to ruin, and I usually saw no point in throwing myself at temptation.

Author Bio:

Tracey Martin grew up outside of Philadelphia, the lucky recipient of a drama-free childhood, which is why she spent so much time reading about other people’s lives. It was while she was working on her doctorate in psychology that she had an epiphany–imaginary people are way more fun than real ones. And so she began writing. Never able to choose just one of anything, she currently writes both urban fantasy for adults and contemporary stories for teens.

She likes her coffee simple, her music epic, and her movies to contain explosions. A city girl at heart, she doesn’t understand how she and her husband ended up living in New Hampshire, but writing keeps her off the mean, small town streets. You can find her online at tracey-martin.com.

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