REVIEW: Pulled Beneath (Bar Harbor #1) – Marni Mann

Released: March 18th, 2014

What happens when you uncover years of secrets and find out everything you thought to be true was a lie?

Drew Stevens finds her world turned upside down when her parents are brutally murdered. Soon after, she learns she inherited a property in Bar Harbor, Maine, from recently deceased grandparents that she believed had died when she was a baby.

Drew travels north to settle her grandparents’ estate, but finds more questions than answers as the truth starts unraveling. What she didn’t expect to find was Saint, whose reputation is as tumultuous as his past. But the very thing that brings them together is the same thing that keeps them emotionally caged.

With Saint's scars so deep and Drew's so fresh, can the pair heal from their painful wounds or will they be pulled beneath the darkness of their pasts?

"People in pain were drawn to each other. That was what pulled me to him."

*ARC PROVIDED BY AUTHOR FOR A HONEST REVIEW*

Such a lovely, lovely novel. I absolutely adored it. It was heart-breaking to see the characters discover so much more about themselves and also about others, but it was an exhilarating experience. I loved reading the book from Drew's point of view and I loved the chemistry between her and Saint.

Pulled Beneath definitely makes it to my favorite books of this year as the list grows. It was so heartfelt and charged with emotion. I could feel the pain of the characters, what saddened them, what angered them, what thrilled them. It was a great novel.

The story starts out with the death of Drew's parents and it was the beginning to who she becomes throughout the novel. And then we see her develop as she temporarily moves to Maine to keep track of the renovations to the house her grandparents – who she didn't even know were still alive up until then – left her.

Drew always wanted to numb herself. She wanted to avoid all of the pain. She got rid of things that related to her parents from her thoughts. What I liked about her was that she didn't turn into one of those characters who drank all night long and had sex with strangers just to numb that. No, she actually turned her desire to be numb into a healthy hobby, which is swimming. 

That's why I swam: to pause it all, to mute my parents' noises, to shove those images to the back of my brain until I stepped out of the water again.

She wants to block it all out. Just like Saint. And that's where Saint comes in.

WHEW SAINT!!!

MY GOD I WANT TO TAAAAP THIS MAN. He's smoking. He's got issues. He's just perfect. He's perfectly imperfect. He's such a sweet guy even though he can be such an idiot at times. But I love him.

“You’re not going to bed…not yet.” This time, he held me at the waist. It was enough to stop me from taking another step.

“And why is that?”

He slowly turned me around and his hands moved to my cheeks, gently caressing my face and tilting my lips until they aligned with his. His mouth was inches from mine. I felt his warmth everywhere.

“Because I can’t let you go yet,” he said softly.

SWEET MAMA! I love this man too much.

MY RATING:

4.5 APPLES!!!!!

✭ BOOK LINKS ✭

(Click book cover for Goodreads link)

♕ Pulled Beneath (Bar Harbor #1) ♕

Amazon | Barnes&Noble

A New Englander at heart, Marni Mann, now a Floridian is inspired by the sandy beaches and hot pink sunsets of Sarasota. She taps a mainstream appeal and shakes worldwide taboos, taking her readers on a dark and breathtaking journey. When she's not nose deep in her laptop, she's scouring for Nutella, traveling, reading, or walking her four-legged children.

Connect with Marni on her Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/MarniMannAuthor or on Instagram: MarniMann

Check her out in these sites:

Website | Twitter | Facebook

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REVIEW: Maybe Someday – Colleen Hoover

Released: March 18th, 2014

At twenty-two years old, aspiring musician Sydney Blake has a great life: She’s in college, working a steady job, in love with her wonderful boyfriend, Hunter, and rooming with her good friend, Tori. But everything changes when she discovers Hunter cheating on her with Tori—and she is left trying to decide what to do next.

Sydney becomes captivated by her mysterious neighbor, Ridge Lawson. She can’t take her eyes off him or stop listening to the daily guitar playing he does out on his balcony. She can feel the harmony and vibrations in his music. And there’s something about Sydney that Ridge can’t ignore, either: He seems to have finally found his muse. When their inevitable encounter happens, they soon find themselves needing each other in more ways than one…



From #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover, a passionate tale of friendship, betrayal, and romance—and the enchanting music that inspires one young woman to put her life back together.

From the author of the New York Times bestsellers Slammed, Point of Retreat, Hopeless, This Girl, and Losing Hope, Maybe Someday is destined to become another bestseller and long-lasting fan favorite.

Includes a free original soundtrack by musician Griffin Peterson.

"The heart can't be told when and who and how it should love."

Heartbreaking. Lovely. Beautiful. Such a wonderfully thoughtful book by Colleen Hoover. This author has done it again. From the author of a brilliant series called Slammed and another amazing series, Hopeless, comes a heart-wrenching (in a good way!) new romance, Maybe Someday. This is a story about chance, love, and finding yourself in the midst of despair. 

OH MY GOD. HOLY SHIT. FUCK.

Maybe Someday was, I admit, a bit less angsty than the other books written by Colleen but it doesn't make me love it any less. Actually, I appreciated the slower pace of this book and how frustrating it was. I mean, Ridge is different. He has a little… problem, which you will discover in the book.

At first I honestly thought it was a prank he was pulling on her but then I learned it was actually real. But, I loved it! The difference in his nature made him much more unique and interesting. He's able to feel music much more passionately compared to others due to this problem of his.

Okay, let me start off with Sydney. Sydney is definitely one of my favorite heroines. She's a very relatable character. She's real. That's what I liked most about her. From her point of view, she admits all her feelings and even though some aren't that good, she admits them. She acknowledges that it's not the best feeling in the world but she has to accept it. 

The story really takes off when Sydney learns that Hunter is cheating on her. And Ridge figured it all out for her when she missed what she and Hunter had:

Ridge: You only miss the idea of him. You weren't happy with him even before you found out he was cheating. You were only with him because it was comfortable. You just miss the relationship, but you don't miss Hunter.

When I was reading this, I was going through a similar thing so I was just like:

This was when I really started to connect with Sydney. I like how he knows this. I like how he can connect with her in a way, that he is able to understand her to her depths.

And what I said about her admitting things that she wasn't actually proud of?

And I don't like how seeing him jealous that I'm leaning against Warren actually feels good.

OHMYGOD YES!!! Sometimes you just get pleased with yourself that you can make someone jealous. And I love how she realizes and admits that. Some people would just go like, "Oh I didn't do that intentionally." when they actually did. BUT SHE ADMITS THAT. Jesus Christ, God bless Syd. She's just fucking amazing.

And then there's Ridge. SPOILER ALERT Ridge has a girlfriend END OF SPOILER. Anyway, so because of this issue (not the same as the problem he has), he has to keep his feelings for Sydney at bay. Hell, he has to kick those feelings to the curb. He has to hold himself back because he wants to stay honorable.

But their relationship is so fucking adorable.

[TEXTING] Ridge: Oh, and btw, I didn't write that on your forehead.

What?

I run to the dresser and look in the mirror for the first time today. Written across my forehead in black ink, it says: Someone wrote on your forehead.

Sweet Jesus. Too fucking cute.

I LOVEDDDD IT.

So to end this review, I will complete the first quote I had before my review:

The heart can't be told when and who and how it should love. The heart does whatever the hell it wants to do. The only thing we can control is whether we give our lives and our minds the chance to catch up to our hearts. 

Oh and can I just add how gorgeous the cover is? FLAWLESS!!!

MY RATING:

5 APPLES!!!!!

✭ BOOK LINKS ✭

(Click book cover for Goodreads link)

♕ Maybe Someday ♕

Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Kobo

Colleen Hoover is #1 New York Times best selling author of Slammed, Point of Retreat, Hopeless, This Girl, Losing Hope, and Finding Cinderella. Colleen lives in Texas with her husband and their three boys. Please visit ColleenHoover.com.

Check her out in these sites:

Website | Twitter | Facebook

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BLOG TOUR: Destroyed – Pepper Winters + Review, giveaway & deleted scenes!

Released: March 7th, 2014

She has a secret.
I’m complicated. Not broken or ruined or running from a past I can’t face. Just complicated.

I thought my life couldn’t get any more tangled in deceit and confusion. But I hadn’t met him. I hadn't realized how far I could fall or what I'd do to get free.

He has a secret.

I’ve never pretended to be good or deserving. I chase who I want, do what I want, act how I want.

I didn’t have time to lust after a woman I had no right to lust after. I told myself to shut up and stay hidden. But then she tried to run. I’d tasted what she could offer me and damned if I would let her go.

One secret destroys them.

"The beauty in this world was hidden by filth and lies while evil was painted in beauty and smiles."

**ARC PROVIDED BY AUTHOR**

A haunting read that definitely makes it to my favorites this year. Pepper Winters has once again blown me away with a dark romance novel that made my heart jump out of my chest. The characters were undeniably captivating and the storyline so unbelievably intense. I suffered through this book in a very good way and I'm definitely welcoming more of Pepper's works with open arms in the future.

Wow, just absolutely wow. I actually find this novel darker than the Monsters in the Dark series. Here, we have Fox who's got more issues than Q. As much as I loved Q, my heart ached for Fox as well.

Fox has a troubled past which disables him from truly connecting with people other than through pain. He's always been an introvert who relishes in lashes of whips and punches to the guts. That's the only way he knows to keep the voices in his head down and try to keep his past at bay. Then enters Hazel, who flips his world all around.

The fact that she seems so immune to his threats and doesn't even seem scared of him takes him completely by surprise.

The mixture of uncertainty and fear in her eyes undid me, and I'd never been so close to breaking down. After everything I'd done, she still hadn't left.

And Hazel comes in like a hurricane into his life. He never expected someone so beautiful, so fragile yet so strong to unravel him. All of him. She isn't afraid to take control although at times it frightens her that she has so much control over him. But she didn't even know it in the beginning.

She'd successfully done in ten minutes what I'd tried to do in two years.

She brought me back to life.

Those two lines!!! Masterpiece. Absolutely brilliant. This sums them up perfectly.

The novel's structure is alternating between two point of views and this gives us an in-depth look to each of the protagonists. We have Fox who we see is struggling to take control of his life and of his past. Then we have Hazel who's more careful because she has so much to lose and she's so scared that she'll lose that one important piece of her, which you'll find out if you read the novel.

The two seem to have a destructive relationship at first. Fox lives in the pain. He lives for the pain. And Hazel can't stay away from him. They both have pulls to each other which start out as a bond of lust and turns into a real connection through chemistry.

Fox and Hazel pushes through their fears and obstacles within their life in order to be together. But, there's always something holding them back even until the end. Whether it's family or their past. They both had to overcome each of their fears individually before they could reconnect their relationship.

I have so much more to say about this book but I'd probably end up spoiling the whole thing. So I'll leave this review with a quote by Fox/Roan:

"I thought I cold walk away and let you go, but I can't. I need you too damn much. You make me feel alive. You make my fucking heart beat for the first time, and I'm not going to give that up."

Now, let me go cry in a corner as I relive this story again. 

MY RATING:

4.5 - 5 APPLES!!!!!

✭ BOOK LINKS ✭

(Click book cover for Goodreads link)

♕ Destroyed ♕

Amazon (UK / CA / AU) | Barnes&Noble | Smashwords

✩✮✩ Deleted Scenes ✩✮✩

✧ Deleted Scene #1 (Roan) ✧

I screeched to a halt outside the apartment block. Oscar refused to tell me the address, but I didn’t waste time arguing. I could’ve beaten it out of him, but I had other means. 

I’d learned from his refusal last time and attached a GPS tracker to his car. It was a simple matter of following the most recent route he’d taken with the app on my android. 

The purr of my black Porsche set my nerves on edge. The dash clock said it was one a.m. 

Too early for a house call, but this wasn’t just a house call. This was a flat out demand for her to come back. I would give her anything if only she’d give me one last chance. 

Turning the engine off, I dragged bruised and cut hands through my unkept hair, and climbed out of the sports car. The sleek lines glowed like an expensive gem beneath the street lights. Raindrops ran down my face, feeling like the world cried for me. The sky sensed my inability to re-enter the human life—it mourned on my behalf the regret I felt.

- - -

✧ Deleted Scene #2 (Hazel) ✧

It was an hour before Obsidian opened its doors to fighters and I had no problem getting past the bouncer this time. I didn’t know if it was because he recognised me or before of the rage in my eyes, but he had the door open for me the moment I screeched to a stop.

Fox was exactly where I thought he would be. 

In his basement, working on yet another weapon, forging yet more steel into yet more torture equipment. 

“You!” I yelled.

He snapped upright, turning off the welding torch. He spun to face me, tugging the protective goggles off his head. “You yourself.” His grey-white eyes looked as bleak as any snowstorm. “Where the hell did you go? I’ve been trying to track you down for days?” Prowling toward me he growled, “Didn’t you think I’d go out of my mind? I know how shitty I treated you but you ran before I could fucking apologise.”

Such beautiful, beautiful scenes! :"D — Sam

THIS GIVEAWAY IS INTERNATIONAL
Signed copy of Destroyed (1)
Signed Destroyed swag packs (2)
eBook copies of Destroyed (5)
eBook copies of Tears of Tess (2)
eBook copies of Quintessentially Q (2)
Signed Monsters in the Dark swag packs (1)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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 speaks French—hot!) who puts up with her love affair with her book boyfriends. She loves to hear from her readers so hit her up at pepperwinters@gmail.com

Check her out in these sites:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest

To see other stops in the tour featuring reviews, excerpts, and more, click here.

SNEAK PEEK: Knockout – J.C. Valentine + Excerpt, playlist & dream cast!

Knockout

By J.C. Valentine

Date to be Published: April 8th, 2014

From the wrong side of the tracks...

Alyson Blake had learned early on that the only one she could depend on was herself. The only light in her life was a boy whom everyone agreed was destined for prison; but with his first kiss, he had set her soul on fire. Since the day the police dragged him away in handcuffs, she had managed to lead a quiet life, but when she attends an event fraught with mayhem, trouble resurfaces.

The one person she can’t forget...

Jamison Weston is the kind of guy dads load their shotguns for; endowed with a hot temper and a rap sheet as long as both tattooed arms. Known as “The Judge,” Jami’s hot temper, lethal fists, and cocky attitude have earned him respect and admiration both in and out of the ring. But just when he thinks he’s pummeled his past to death, Alyson Blake reenters his life.

Two paths collide…

After years of separation, Alyson is eager to reexplore the man who’s never left her thoughts, but for Jamison, she’s both the distraction he wants, but doesn’t need. As the two embark on a relationship that neither of them expected or bargained for, an outside threat closes in. When Alyson crosses the line of professionalism and takes her work home with her, her life is put in danger, leaving Jamison with no choice but to once again step in and become her protector.

✭ BOOK LINKS ✭

(Click book cover for Goodreads link)

♕ Knockout (Wayward Fighters #1) ♕

BUY LINKS UNAVAILABLE UNTIL RELEASE DATE

Her eyes warmed as she studied him. Touching his face, she traced the line of his jaw from ear to chin. Then her fingers found his lips. He opened his mouth and licked the tips as she skimmed his bottom lip, and he committed the sultry look that flashed in her eyes to memory. “You don’t lie to me, do you?”

Jami held her head in his hands and looked into her eyes. “No, and I never will.” Jami couldn’t tear his eyes away. She smiled up at him, her expression soft, welcoming. Completely open to him. No one had ever looked at him quite like she did. As if she trusted him, and she did. He knew that. It wasn’t even a question.

He could fall in love with this girl. With this woman. This person who was his friend, and the only one who knew everything about his past—everything—and didn’t judge him for it. Even Coach didn’t know what he had done before they crossed paths. He knew he had a history with the cops and a bad home life, and that was the extent of it. Was she what people thought about when they thought of soul mates? The type of person they dreamed of when combing the world for The One?

How was a guy to know?

“If you keep looking at me like that, you’re face is going to freeze. All the guys at the gym will laugh at you, and then I’ll be forced to fight for your honor.”

Jami smirked, peeled her shirt up to expose her abdomen, and lowered his head. He glanced up at her. “You have a sassy mouth, Ally. I aim to fix that.”

“What—Jami!” Ally wheezed and squirmed beneath him in a futile attempt to escape his teasing tongue. Again and again, he swirled his tongue across her stomach, chuckling with each clench of her muscles, each lost breath, and squeal of delighted torture. When she grabbed two fistfuls of his hair and pulled, he decided to have mercy on her before she ripped a chunk of it from his scalp.

Somehow, he just didn’t think bald or patchy would be a good look for a guy his age.

“All right, okay,” he said, pulling her hands away gently. “Truce.”

Her laughter abated. When he let go of her hands, her arms fell out to the side. “You’re such an ass,” she panted. “My abs will hurt tomorrow, thanks to you.”

“No, thanks to you,” he corrected her. “It’s that sassy mouth getting you into trouble.” He was grinning, amusement, and true joy filling him up to the brink of overflowing. “You make me happy,” he blurted out.

Ally’s smile faltered and Jami wanted to punch himself. Why did he say that? Touching his face, Ally angled her head, studying him. “I’m glad. You’re always so serious. You need to smile more.”

“I smile all the time,” he protested.

She rolled her eyes. “Yes, you’re right. What was I thinking? You smile every day when you get to beat on poor Mike and whatshisname. You’re a very happy man then.”

“Hey, you gotta take it where you can get it.” Jami shrugged.

Silence fell between them, and they stared into each other’s eyes. This close, there was never any room for escape. It felt like he could see into her soul, and she into his. All the layers of bullshit were stripped away, cutting right to the heart. He’d never felt this way before. As a sliver of truth sat on his tongue, he opened his mouth to say what he knew she was waiting to hear. “Ally, I—” His throat closed up and no words came out.

Placing her finger over his lips, Ally hushed him. “Shh, you don’t have to say anything. I can see it every time I look at you.” She kissed him lightly on the mouth. “I feel it whenever you touch me.”

“But you want—”

She cut him off. “It doesn’t matter. I can wait. I don’t want you to say it unless you feel it in here.” She flattened her palm over his heart. “I don’t want you to choke on the words. I want you to say them because you can’t not say them. Okay?”

He stared down at her. Who was this girl? Hundreds of women would be lined up outside his door just to hear those words, and she was telling him to wait? Unbelievable.

“I see those wheels turning,” she teased, then grew serious again. “Jami, let me ask you a question. Out of all the women you’ve had sex with, how many of them have you stuck around for?” Zero. She saw the answer in his eyes right away. “That’s what I thought, and that right there is why I am okay with waiting. Your heart already knows what it wants. Now we just have to wait for your brain to catch up.”

SUCH A SWEET AND SEXY EXCERPT [fangirls] — Sam

★☆★ Dream Cast ★☆★

Tom Hardy as Jamison West

25 years old

6'3"

205 lbs.

Natural born fighter

Protector

A bit of a neat freak

First stint in juvie at age 13 for ripping off a convenience store

Has only been in love with one girl: Alyson Blake

---------------------

Jane Levy as Alyson Blake

23 years old

Vertically challenged

205 lbs.

Nervous habit: lip biting

Slovenly

Women's advocate

Has been in love with Jami since… forever

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Amanda Seyfried as Olivia "Liv"

Alyson's best friend since high school

Hails from Tennessee

A little high strung

Fun, confident and looking for a good time

Dating Jami's friend Spencer.

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Cam Gigandet as Spencer "Spence"

Jami's closest friend

Organizer

Wing man

Dating Alyson's friend Olivia

Aloof

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Max Ryan as Don

Jami's coach

Former fighter

Widower

Owns a spastic terrier named Sparky

Stern but loves Jami like his own son

Isn't too fond of Alyson

J.C. Valentine is the alter-ego of Brandi Salazar, whose enjoyment of tales of romance spurred her to branch out and create her own.

Brandi Salazar lives in the Northwest with her husband, their wild children, and far too many pets. As a university student, she studies literature, which goes well with her dream of becoming an editor. Brandi entertains a number of hobbies including reading and photography, but her first love is writing fiction-in all its forms.

Check her out in these sites:

Website | Twitter | Facebook

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