Taste by Cambria Hebert Release Day Book Blitz

 

TASTE is released!!! 

Can't wait another minute to download it? Get it here:

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Coming soon to ibooks and to paperback

About Taste

One taste is never enough…

Spencer Waller’s main purpose in life is to protect and serve. After spending years in the military, he gets a coveted spot on the Secret Service detail protecting the president. Spence doesn’t have time for women or all the work having a relationship with one requires. But just because he isn’t looking for a lady doesn’t mean he can’t appreciate a beautiful one when he sees her.

And he makes it a point to see one in particular every single day.

Elle Bond has literally chopped and fried her way to the top of the food chain. Earning a coveted position in the White House as the president’s personal chef, she figures her professional life can only get better. Her personal life, on the other hand, could use a little bit of an overhaul, and because of that, she tries to ignore the charm-dripping cookie thief every time he comes into her kitchen. After all, she knows better than anyone that just one taste of something good is never enough.

One night after work, Elle is assaulted, threatened, and given an ultimatum. She can’t go to the police, and she sure as hell can’t do what she was ordered.

But she has to. Or else.

Pale, shaken, and scared to death, Elle confides in Spence, and his protective instincts take over. Together, Elle and Spencer have to uncover a sinister plot and stop it before someone ends up dead.

Extras!

Join the release party happening tonight (July 28th) on facebook for your chance to win a TON of great stuff! Click to join

          FYI- for those that purchase TASTE there is an EXCLUSIVE first look at the Trashy cover reveal! You get to see it first!!

There is also TWO recipes included in the back - Spencer's favorite cookie recipes!! You can make them and enjoy at home!

Spencer's Cookie in a Mug Recipe

A fast treat to enjoy while you read Taste!

Ingredients 1 tbsp melted butter 1 tbsp granulated sugar 1 tbsp brown sugar Pinch of salt 1 egg yolk ¼ cup flour 2 tbsp chocolate chips (mini’s work great!) Directions Mix all ingredients into a microwavable safe mug.  Microwave for 60 seconds. Serve to the cookie monster in your life!

Thank you all so much for your support!! I hope you download and enjoy Taste!

No Apologies by Sybil Bartel

Publisher: Carina Press

Date Published: June 23rd 2014

Genre: New Adult Contemporary

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Never apologize. 

Hard-edged rocker Graham Allen has it all. He's flush with cash from playing bass in a band by night and restoring classic cars by day. And there are plenty of women willing to share his bed for a night, complication-free.

Perfect, because if there's anything he learned from his past, it was to never get attached—to anything. So when bartender Carly Sullivan flashes her innocent smile, Graham isn't prepared for what happens next.

Never fall in love.

Two rules, that's all Graham has—never apologize and never fall in love. He knows Carly is everything he should avoid. Cheerful and sweet, she has "relationship" written all over her. But Graham can't stay away from her probing questions and concerned blue eyes.

When Graham discovers Carly is hiding a crushing secret, he's prepared to risk it all. Until in one single moment, everything changes and Graham's past threatens to collide with his future. His life is crumbling down around him, and soon no apology in the world can save him.

He should've known to walk away.

Graham has two rules; never apologize and never fall in love. So far its been working out for him. He plays bass in a band, works on muscle cars, and owns part of a club. More money than he knows what to do with. But lately he's been hanging around a bar, just waiting for his day to end on the gorgeous bartender's smile.

Carly is cheerful, all the time. Even when Graham is a total ass. How she puts up with his B.S. and still keeps up that gorgeous smile is a mystery to him. Soon Graham realizes that Carly isn't just another girl, she has scars, scars that he can't fix. And he's falling for her hard. But with his screwed up childhood and mommy issues, he's broken. And Carly has her own issues to deal with. Will Graham break his rules for Carly? Or will he continue not living, in a hope that he can just deal with life?

I was enticed by the cover of this book before the story, if I'm honest. The cover is amazing, I love it. And then of course I love womanizing broken bad boys. They make for the best love stories.

Graham. He's a complicated character. Not everything he does in this book I liked. He acted like a real ass sometimes. And not in a hot, 'oh he's being a playboy' kind of way. I understand he was afraid of what he was feeling a lot of the time, but he didn't respect boundaries and he did some screwed up things. I don't know if I would have been as forgiving as Carly. THERE WAS NO CHEATING! Thank god for that small miracle. I hate books with cheaters. Cheating is inexcusable. End of story.

Carly. She was like a ray of sunshine compared to Graham. Yes, she has a past that will make you want to punch a bunch of scumbags, but she isn't jaded. She still sees the world in the light, not the dark. I love that about her. Graham is jaded enough without Carly being jaded. They balance each other out.

I think the characters were believable and I connected to them on a basic level. I can't say that I felt the characters, exactly. I don't really have anything in common with the characters. I thought Graham was cool because of the muscle cars and playing bass, and Carly was a writer, but personality wise I didn't mesh with them. I did love Carly though. I mean, how many girls know cars, ride motorcycles, can actually hold their alcohol, fight MMA, and are still super nice and sunny? She's great.

Carly didn't grow that much in the story. I mean, she grew a bit there from the middle to end, but most of the character growth came from Graham. If you read the first few pages and then the last few, you'd find an almost completely different person. I mean, Graham wasn't a bad person, per se, at the beginning, but he was a player and his morals on sleeping with lots of women and getting drunk were pretty low. At the end he understood why some people wanted monogamy.

The romance in the story was a little slow going. There was an attraction from the first few pages, but it didn't turn into more until later. It felt like a real romance because of that. They had to build it up. It wasn't insta-love or anything, which was nice.

I'm not really sure whether the romance was the main focus or a subplot. I mean, it was definitely there, but there was a whole lot of other things going on too. I think it would probably be somewhere between the two. It wasn't really the main focus, because that wasn't the first thing that happened. They became friends before lovers. But it wasn't really secondary to anything in the story.

The story was detailed, you weren't left with any questions. That's always nice. I hate it when there are holes in the plot or the story. It felt real, I imagine there are similar couples out there everywhere who have issues akin to the ones in the book. The writing was done well, it was like watching a movie in your head rather than reading the script.

Unlike with some books, I think the middle was the best part of the story. There was so much anticipation and waiting to see what Graham did, how he would handle all of the hurdles thrown at him. And whenever he screwed up you could just roll your eyes and mutter 'men' under your breath. Thats what I did, anywho.

This story was in 1st person, told from Graham's point of view. I thought it was interesting, because we got complete access to his thoughts. And a lot of the time his thoughts didn't match his words. It was an interesting perspective.

I would recommend this book to all of the girls who love the broken bad boys. In real life, they suck. In books, though? They rock your socks off. And other clothing items :)

 

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Stacking the Shelves #38

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. If you’re anything like me, you are probably hoarding books and even though you are excited about your latest book arrival, it might be a while before you get to review it. And this I'll be doing every Saturday. Started by @ Tynga's Reviews

Publisher: Carina Press

Date Published: June 23rd 2014

Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance

Never apologize

Hard-edged rocker Graham Allen has it all. He's flush with cash from playing bass in a band by night and restoring classic cars by day. And there are plenty of women willing to share his bed for a night, complication-free. Perfect, because if there's anything he learned from his past, it was to never get attached—to anything. So when bartender Carly Sullivan flashes her innocent smile, Graham isn't prepared for what happens next.

Never fall in love

Two rules, that's all Graham has—never apologize and never fall in love. He knows Carly is everything he should avoid. Cheerful and sweet, she has "relationship" written all over her. But Graham can't stay away from her probing questions and concerned blue eyes.

When Graham discovers Carly is hiding a crushing secret, he's prepared to risk it all. Until in one single moment, everything changes and Graham's past threatens to collide with his future. His life is crumbling down around him, and soon no apology in the world can save him.

He should've known to walk away.

 

The cover alone is drool-worthy. And the synopsis makes it sounds like the story will be amazing. It's a promising combination. So, I'm offering to giveaway one Kindle edition of the book. I have not read the book yet, so if it sucks (I really hope it doesn't) then its totally not on me. But it looks good, so it should be fine.

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Doe Eyes by Staci Hart Release Day Blitz

 Doe Eyes by Staci Hart

Aphrodite knows better than anyone how the heart works. Just don’t ask her to figure out her own.

She’s been away from Olympus for weeks, which wasn’t near long enough for her move on from everything that happened, to get past the betrayal and loss. She has no idea what she’s walking into when she gets back other than a new competition, this time against Artemis. The goddesses have never been friends, but now they have more in common than ever, though they’d rather face eat ambrosia straight than admit it.

Artemis can’t help but be smug. Her player, Josie, is a private investigator who’s lost more than she’s won. Every waking moment is consumed by her fire to catch the man who killed her partner, and when Jon comes back into town after leaving her without a word, it’s more than she can handle. She’ll never let him in. Not again.

But Jon only did what he thought was right, and he’ll do anything he can, give her everything he has to give to prove that he can be trusted with her heart again.

With Adonis gone and the threat of Ares around every corner, Aphrodite’s past presses on her, leaving her more alone than she’s ever been. She can’t help wondering if she’ll ever escape, and how much pain she’ll endure before the whole ordeal is behind her.

   

THE BEST BOOK IN THE SERIES SO FAR!

Artemis is the newest competitor in the games, and she is determined to win against Dita. This time her player can't go wrong. Josie is a private investigator who has lost everything in the past three years. The love of her life left her for his ex girlfriend and their baby. And recently her best friend was murdered by the guy they were trying pin down for the murder of a sixteen year old girl. Artemis soon comes to realize just how closely related she is with her player and how she's still bitter about her own past with love.

Aphrodite woke up in the last book - falling hard and losing her way. Now, picking up the pieces she is distracted from the current game against a spiteful and bitter Artemis. Trying to find herself again and struggling, Dita's game is a little off this time round. Dita's player is Jon, Josie's ex boyfriend, the one who left her for his ex girlfriend, the mother of his child. Jon knows he handled Josie wrong all those years ago, but he really does still love Josie - and he's going to prove it. No matter what it takes.

This is my favorite book so far. Josie is pig-headed like you wouldn't believe. But she is independent, and she's hanging in there even with the murder of her best friend. Gosh, you really feel for Josie though. All the crap that life's thrown at her and she's still standing.

Jon messed up. He left Josie to help support his ex girlfriend and their baby. He never stopped loving Josie though. His heart was in the right place when he left the Dear John letter that never reached Josie. He messed up, but he knows that and he spends the entire book trying to fix it. I like Jon, and I'm his side throughput the book. But Josie can't deal with him and trying to find Anne's murderer. So it's definitely a conflicting situation.

Artemis is bitter. She doesn't see the use of love and she blames Dita for her own lost love eons ago. She is determined to beat Dita this time, and the fact that Dita chose Josie's ex boyfriend, well, Artemis knows she has this win. But the longer the games go on the more she doubts herself. And Artemis is just soreckless, it's incredibly frustrating. She underestimates humans and their emotions.

Dita, gods you really feel for her. After what happened in Snake in the Grass Dita's life is all topsy-turvy. She has a lot to figure out in this book, and its a real strain playing the game as well. Artemis's plays at her and hiding from Ares puts a real dent into Dita. Her life is just a whirlwind in this book.

I love, like LOVE, this book. It's my favorite of the series so far. Each of the books has its own feel to it, and this one is the darkest. I love how each plot in all of the books are so different, telling their own story. So often you find books in a series being the same or similar.

Doe Eyes is without a doubt the darkest of the books so far. It's completely different from the other ones. This book has more mystery to it than the others. One of the things I loved was the anticipation. I was kept on the edge of my seat the entire time. It was awesome.

There is a crime-story feel to this book, which I'll admit I'm not normally into, but it works with the way the series has been going and the way the game is with the characters. It's different, but a good different. And of course it fits Josie and Jon since they're both private investigators.

I love the characters in this one. You can really connect with them, even if like me you don't have all that much in common with them. Some of the things are tragic and horrifying, and you feel sympathy for the characters. But you also really hope that they end up together, and there are several close calls in the book where I had to put the book down and pace the room to get my emotions down. Gods, the feels in this book. They're something else.

There was nothing I disliked about Doe Eyes. It was the most amazing book so far, and I am already excited to read the next book. The wait will be horrible, but I will endure it happily.

Doe Eyes captivated me from the very first page and the anticipation to find out what would happen very nearly killed me. I would highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone who enjoys a good book with some romance and mystery. It is a spectacular read and you will be dying for the next one.

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TEASER LOVE!

 

 

SERIES SALE - JULY 24-27
To celebrate the release of book three, get all three novels for 99c each, and the short story for FREE!

Deer in Headlights| Snake in the Grass| What the Heart Wants| Doe Eyes

Learn more about the series at www.stacihartnovels.com

AUTHOR BIO

Staci has been a lot of things up to this point in her life -- a graphic designer, an entrepreneur, a seamstress, a clothing and handbag designer, a waitress. Can't forget that. She's also been a mom; she has three little girls who are sure to grow up to break a number of hearts. She's been a wife; even though she's certainly not the cleanest, or the best cook. She's also super, duper fun at a party, especially if she's been drinking whiskey. Her favorite word starts with f, ends with k, and there a uc in there. Just saying. From roots in Houston, to a seven year stint in Southern California, Staci and her family ended up settling somewhere in between and equally north, in Denver. They are new enough that snow is still magical. When she's not writing, she's sleeping, cleaning, or designing graphics. But let's be honest, she's mostly writing.

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Waiting on Wednesday #39

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, started @ Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Publisher: Forever
Date Published: August 26th 2014
Genre: New Adult Paranormal Romance
Series: Accidentally Yours #5

When it comes to Máax, the God of Truth who refuses to follow the rules, there's more to him than meets the eye. Literally. Because Maáx is invisible! Which is probably why, after seventy-thousand years, he's still unable to find a mate.

Ashli Rosewood was never meant to die. In fact, her death might be the very reason the gods are now faced with stopping that pesky doomsday right around the corner. If only there was a way to undo the past.

Cue Máax. Seven feet of divine masculinity and the unruly god charged with saving Ashli. With a little help from an ancient Mayan tablet, Máax will travel back in time and set things right.

Easy, right?

Wrong.

Because Máax has one teensy challenge. He's invisible. And every time this impatient, powerful deity gets anywhere near Ashli, he spooks her right into harm's way. Meaning...she dies, and he has to start all over again.

Cliff, banana peel, runaway storage container filled with Belgian chocolates, bee sting, the list goes on and on. Does the Universe have it out for this girl? Sure seems that way. But why? And what will Máax do when he begins to suspect that not only is Ashli the key to stopping the apocalypse, but she may be "the one" he's been waiting seventy-thousand years for.

How will he save the one woman the Universe insists on killing and who wants nothing to do with him?

 I'm currently getting caught up in this series. I read the first book but didn't venture beyond that one. Now that my reviewing schedule is (mostly) free, I will get caught up on the rest of the books and hopefully make it in time for the blog tour that going to be happening with this book.

As to the reason why I am happily anticipating this book, I remember from the first one that the author has a witty style of writing that will always make you laugh. I am hoping that style of writing continues into her other books. I guess we shall see.

What are you waiting for?

What the Heart Wants by Staci Heart

Publisher: Promise Socks Publishing
Date Published: September 15th 2013
Genre: New Adult Fantasy Romance
Series: Good Gods #2.5
Rating: Kooky Overload 5 out of 5 stars

Love wasn't an option, until he met her.

It's 1984, and Tanaka Katsu is paving his way in the Yakuza. His marriage to Yuki was a business deal, and one that he has paid for with his happiness.

Aphrodite can't stand that he's so miserable, and Hera, the goddess of marriage and monogamy, has a strong hold on Yuki, who will do whatever it takes to get what she believes is hers. Aphrodite won't sit by and watch Katsu's life slip away with no chance at love, so when he takes a trip to Vegas, she'll introduce him to his match.

Kim never thought she'd be in the situation like the one that's coming her way, but what the heart wants is a powerful thing, and one that's impossible to walk away from.

What the Heart Wants is a short story about Kat and Kiki's (both from book two, Snake in the Grass) mother and father, Katsu and Kim. It's a wonderfully sweet and heart-wrenching back story of their love story.

Katsu is from Japan, but came over to America to marry Yuki in a business arrangement. Yuki's father is the head of the Yakuza (Japanese mafia) in the American branch in New York. Katsu is making his way up the ranks but at the price of his happiness. Yuki is an awful, uncontrollable spoiled-rotten brat. There is no love between the two.

Kim is working in Vegas as a showgirl and a waitress. She always ends her day on tired feet, but one day she'll own her own dance studio and all of her hard work will be worth it. So when Kim meets Katsu she has to wonder if taking a chance on him is worth it. Danger follows Katsu and Kim is now in danger. Is their love really worth the risk?

Aphrodite feels bad for Katsu. Being stuck in a loveless marriage is horrible and Dita knows she can get him his match. But Hera will throw a fit if Dita has Katsu cheat on his wife. The feud between Hera and Dita could just get someone killed. But isn't the love worth the risk of Hera's wrath?

My favorite characters in this were Katsu and Dita. I think Dita will always be a favorite for me. But we only got a glimpse of Katsu in Snake in the Grass and you didn't get much of an opinion of him. What the Heart Wants offers a chance to get to know Katsu and Kim.

Katsu is in this honor-bound marriage to Yuki. And I truly feel bad for him. I usually hate cheating with a passion, but in this case I think I'd let it slide. After all, marriage and love should go hand-in-hand, but when they don't it's a bit of a disappointment. Katsu is destined for unhappiness in his love life. Yuki will never love him. And when he's offered this chance at love... can you really blame him for taking it?

Kim is an uncertain character. She doesn't feel, to me at least, like she's a very strong or profound character. I mean, she's nice, she has dreams and goals and she falls in love with Katsu. But she does seem a bit your run-of-the-mill female lover. With Katsu there was character growth and you could connect with him. Kim felt a bit static to me.

Yuki. O.M.G. She is just awful. Completely and utterly awful. She wants to control Katsu. The sad thing is, Katsu wanted to love her. And he gave her a chance to love him. But she's this spoiled rotten prima donna. She was a bit stereotypical, but really I just hated her infantile personality. It was tiring and draining, and I could understand why her father wanted to get rid of her and Katsu couldn't love her.

Dita we all know from the earlier books. She's a bit lusty and sometimes gives people awful curses and has a tendency to over-react, but really she just wants to play match-maker and help people find love. She fought Hera for control on this one, and she won.

Hera. Normally, I'm all about commitment and no cheating. I really am. I can't even read most books with cheaters in them because I want to reach into the books and throttle the characters. But this time I think Dita is right. It's not Katsu's fault he had to be married to Yuki, and there's no way for him to get out of it. He shouldn't be punished to not having any love. I think it's a bit harsh.

I have to say, Katsu and Kim's relationship is probably my favorite out of all the ones in the books so far. Dean and Lex's relationship is probably second. I don't know, there's just something about Katsu and Kim that just... it works, y'know? It fits. I really like it.

I can't really think of anything I don't like. Yuki is awful, and Katsu's situation sucks, but those things kind of make up the story. Without them you wouldn't have a story.

The writing was nice, it flowed well, no mistakes that I could find. I think the writing was pretty well done for this one. The only thing would be the epilogue, which is modern-day compared to the rest of the story that was in the past. I do wish that it was pronounced. A title or something saying there was a switch of the times. I didn't see anything telling me that the story had gone back to present times.

All together, a wonderful background story for the series. It is not essential for readers to know when reading the books, but it was a great story that I highly recommend reading. It's short and fun, and you get to learn a bit more about Kat and Kiki's heritage.

  

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