Release Blitz: Playing Pretend by Juliana Haygert

Welcome to the Playing Pretend release event, organized by Grapevine Book Tours! Read an excerpt from this NA Contemporary Romance, and enter to win a gift card or eBook copy. Don't forget to visit the event page for a list of participating blogs with more excerpts and an author interview!

Playing Pretend
by Juliana Haygert
Publication: March 3rd, 2014
New Adult Contemporary Romance

As the Governor’s daughter, Charlotte McClain is an expert in playing pretend. High society, the men her mother shoves in her direction and a Pre-Law major are all a part of her perfect pretense. But when she pretends to be a nobody during Spring Break, she meets someone who rocks her world.

Mason Rowell knows heartbreak and Spring Break don’t mesh well, so he allows the mysterious Charlotte to seduce him. What should have been a fling, results in something deeper. After Spring Break has long since passed, he moves to Washington to pursue his graduate degree, but what he never expected to find living among the rich and pompous, was the girl who gave him the strength to change and the desire to start anew.

When the guy Charlotte can’t forget goes from a sensual memory to temptation in the flesh, her facade is put to the test. If she surrenders to his charms, she risks ruining her mother’s perfect career and master plan. Playing pretend is what Charlotte does best, but how long can she pretend she doesn't love the man who made her proud of her true self?

**A light, sexy NA Contemporary Romance (17+)**

Available on:

Grab your copy today! From now until March 9th, Playing Pretend is only 99 cents!

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A sneak peek inside Playing Pretend

A knock on my window made me jump.

Mason stood outside my car, looking at me with a big smile.

My heart fluttered. That smile was for me. This handsome, hot man had come outside of Washington to meet me.

With a smile of my own, I opened my car door. As soon as I stepped out, Mason’s arms wound around me and pulled me to him. He kissed me as if he hadn’t seen me for an entire year, and I kissed him back the same way. His lips smoldered mine and I clung to his shoulders, teasing him with my tongue. He groaned, but didn’t break the kiss. Instead, he pushed me back until I was pressed between my car and him, and deepened the kiss. Heat surged low in my belly as he adjusted his stance, gluing every inch of him to me.

“Get a room!”

Mason and I turned to where the voice came. An older couple exited Starbucks and watched us with reproaching eyes.

My face burned.

“They’re just jealous,” Mason said, stifling a laugh.

“There are children here.” The man gestured toward a group of teenagers seated alongside a window, also watching us and giggling.

I smacked my hands on my cheeks as the couple disappeared inside their car.

Mason pulled my hands from my face and rested his forehead on mine. “Hi.”

“Hi.” I entwined my fingers with his. “How are you?”

“Better now.” He brushed his lips on mine ever so gently; it took my breath away. I pulled away and he looked at me as if I had offended him. “What?”

“I … we can’t keep this up.” The heat in my body spread to my cheeks. “I’m gonna lose control if we do.”

The corners of his lips tugged up. He leaned into me and breathed in my ear. “I love it when you lose control.”

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Juliana Haygert

Her Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Google+ | Pinterest | Goodreads

While Juliana Haygert dreams of being Wonder Woman, Buffy, or a blood elf shadow priest, she settles for the less exciting—but equally gratifying—life of a wife, mother, and author. Thousands of miles away from her former home in Brazil, she now resides in Connecticut and spends her days writing about kick-ass heroines and the heroes who drive them crazy.

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• One (1) $10 Amazon or B&N gift card {INT}
• Two (2) eBook copies of Playing Pretend by Juliana Haygert {INT}

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A Need So Insatiable pre-release book blitz

We're getting closer to A Need So Insatiable release day. Just 8 more days!!!!! I'm so excited to officially introduce you to Rafael & Sophie. Yes, it's steamy, has some action (not the steamy kind) and I love the characters. I had a wonderful time writing this story. It took me a while to get there, but I did and I have to say I had a wild ride. :D All ARCs were sent to the reviewers yesterday so now I'm gearing for the release day.

The pre-release blitz kicked-off yesterday through Atomr Book Tours. So far everything's going well..yay!! :D Here's a teaser...

Book Spotlight & Excerpt: Semblance by Logan Patricks

Whoever said money couldn't buy happiness has never starved a day in their lives.

My name is Aria Valencia, a third year classical music student at the University, and I was down to my last dollar. Some nights, I seriously considered stripping at the Skin Bar just to make ends meet, but the thought of my dad's spirit--God rest his soul--scowling at me while I shoved my breasts into some pervert's face was enough to turn me off the idea completely.

And then one night, chance came knocking on my door under the guise of the Midnight Society, a secret cabal comprised of the most wealthy and influential souls this side of the Universe. Their leader was a man named Shadow, who was equally enigmatic as he was gorgeous and, for some mystifying reason, had his dark brooding eyes focused on me.

Seduced by the promises of fame and fortune in exchange for a seemingly innocent request, I soon found myself drawn into a provocative world filled with both vast riches and unending lies and it didn't take long for me to realize what being a part of the Midnight Society actually entailed: shiny things, hot sex, and dead bodies.

There's a dark side to every love story, and this one was mine.


PURCHASE LINKS:

Amazon UK

Amazon US

EXCERPT

We visited four more temple ruins that afternoon. Though not as extravagant as Angkor Wat, each one was just as haunting and beautiful. The one that touched me profoundly was Ta Prohm, where an ancient looking tree seeped through the ruin’s walls creating a harmonious union between stone and root.

Two different elements of nature, fused into one to form one of the most breathtaking things I’ve ever seen.

I turned around and looked at Shadow, who was too busy examining the carvings on the stone walls to notice that I was staring at him.

We were two distinct entities in this vast universe ourselves—Shadow living in a world of money, power, and a haunting past which suffocates him daily. Meanwhile I was a simple girl whose life blood was filled with impossible dreams and musical sonatas. My future terrified me and my past was filled with bittersweet memories.

A week ago, the thought of being in a relationship with this provocative, but ridiculously handsome man was the last thing I wanted. Seeing the symbiotic union between the tree and the temple made me wonder if a love between Shadow and I could be just as beautiful and spellbinding?

I wanted him. God, I wanted him so badly.

I wanted these dates to be more than just a façade.

I wanted these moments we had together to mean just as much to Shadow as they did to me. I wanted him to look at me as I looked at him—as the person who captured his heart.    

AUTHOR BIO:

Logan discovered both love and heartbreak at the tender age of seven, when the pretty little blue-eyed girl next door stole his Kit-Kat bar and shared it with the bad boy from across the street. Devastated, Logan found solace by escaping into imaginary worlds he forged with words, creating kingdoms where the chivalrous knight always got the princess.

Twenty three years later Logan spends his days in a suit and tie, working for the government on matters of network security. However his thoughts never strayed too far from the incendiary nature of love — the passionate fire that’s both scintillating and dangerous. Obsessed with exploring the steamy and mysterious side of human nature, Logan continues to create worlds filled with thrills, mystery, and of course, sex.

Links:


Website: http://www.loganpatricks.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LoganPatricks

Facebook: Logan Patricks

Amazon Page: Logan Patricks Amazon Page

Cover Reveal: Breathless by Krista Mclaughlin

Book Summary: 

Eighteen-year-old Lainey is the only witness to her best friend losing her life to the depths of the ocean. She stays close to the water, a small part of her hoping to surrender to the same fate. On her birthday the waters almost overtake her, but a mysterious young man rescues her and disappears.

Lainey can't stop thinking about the stranger from the beach, and one night she finds her rescuer naked and bleeding on the shore. Jon doesn’t know what pancakes taste like, how microwave popcorn cooks, or own shoes, but he seems to be just what Lainey needs. As the anniversary of her friend’s death looms, Lainey opens herself in ways she never thought possible. But when Jon’s identity comes to light, Lainey has to save him before she loses another love to the sea.

Publication Date:  April 1, 2014

About the Author:

Krista McLaughlin graduated from Iowa State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Child, Adult, and Family Services, and a minor in English.  She was born and raised in the Midwest with her nose stuck in a book and her hand smeared in pencil lead.  When she is not cuddling with little ones she nannies, she is reading or cross-stitching.  She loves J.R.R. Tolkien and all things Star Trek.

Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/kristamclaughlinauthor

Twitter – www.twitter.com/kjmclaugh

Website – www.kjmclaughlin.com

Goodreads - www.goodreads.com/author/show/4659722.Krista_McLaughlin

Cover Reveal: The Year We Fell Down by Sarina Bowen

Description:

She expected to start Harkness College as a varsity ice hockey player. But a serious accident means that Corey Callahan will start school in a wheelchair instead.

Across the hall, in the other handicapped-accessible dorm room, lives the too-delicious-to-be real Adam Hartley, another would-be hockey star with his leg broken in two places. He’s way out of Corey’s league.

Also, he’s taken.

Nevertheless, an unlikely alliance blooms between Corey and Hartley in the “gimp ghetto” of McHerrin Hall. Over tequila, perilously balanced dining hall trays, and video games, the two cope with disappointments that nobody else can quite understand.

They’re just friends, of course, until one night when things fall apart. Or fall together. All Corey knows is that she’s falling. Hard.

But will Hartley set aside his trophy girl to love someone as broken as Corey? If he won’t, she will need to find the courage to make a life for herself at Harkness — one which does not revolve around the sport she can no longer play, or the brown-eyed boy who’s afraid to love her back.


Warm, funny, and often heartbreaking, The Year We Fell Down is New Adult contemporary romance. Contains: hot hockey players, too many pairs of crutches, gallows humor, Princess Bride references, and a slightly outrageous vibrator scene. (Sexual situations make the book suitable for ages 18+.)

The expected publication date is Monday, March 17th, 2014, on all of your favorite e-book websites.

To add on Goodreads

About the author: Sarina Bowen writes contemporary romance and new adult fiction from the Green Mountains of Vermont. She lives with her husband, two children, eight chickens and an unwieldy pile of ski and hockey equipment.

Author website

How to Murder your darlings...GOT Style

Say what?

I bet that title caught your attention **chuckles*

So about two weeks ago, I decided to finally sit down and watch Game Of Thrones. Right after watching the first season, I mentally kicked myself for waiting that long to watch it. This series is EPIC!

You're probably wondering what that has to do with murdering your darlings. These kind of darlings are the characters. Before I proceed I just want to warn you there might be spoilers. I'll try and post as few as possible.

“In writing, you must kill your darlings.” --William Faulkner 

((Should probably have added something like "the plot thickens when you do. At least in some cases."))

Right. So when I started watching the first GOT DVD, I was like "OMG, so many characters and different storylines??!! How am I supposed to keep up?  By the end of the second episode, I was sitting on the edge of the sofa, making sure I didn't miss a word. Everyone seemed to have an agenda. I love a story with secrets and hidden agendas.

I grew to love a few characters, mostly Drogo and Jon. Yeah, I went there. Jon was amazingly loyal and didn't let the king sway him so easily. Drogo was intense, and very romantic in a "You, mine. No one touches you or hurts you. I'll flatten the population until I find the culprit who hurt you" kind of way.  It took a while for me to warm up to him and when I finally did, well, they did what Faulkner said. Murder your darlings. There were a few other characters that I'd given my heart to in the series.  At one point, this is how I felt/wanted to do:

At the same time, I was curious to see how everything would go. And then came the ending which was unexpected, and a wonderful surprise. I knew Daenerys was special. What  I didn't know was the extent of her kickassery awesomeness. It was so good to see her grow from the girl the brother bullied, to this woman, Khaleesi of the Dothkari, strong enough to command her own army or lead a tribe. A woman fit enough to stand beside the Khal.

The second DVD came in from Amazon today, and I can't wait to watch it. If you haven't watched it, and you don't mind a bit of bloodshed--well, a lot, really--, I really encourage you to watch. The plot wickedly fantastic, and the characters deliciously well developed.

So I will leave you with this:

Just because I couldn't resist. ;) Best. Scene.EVER.

Have you watched GOT? What's your favourite scene or favourite characters? As a writer, how difficult is it killing your character/s?

Graphics, Kick Ass Chicks and Team Stickers and Countdowns

Have you guys met Ben? No?  Well, let me introduce you. Ben is one of the most wonderful and talented people I've ever met. He designs awesome stuff, for example, this Kick ass chick sticker for Homecoming. Isn't it just gorgeous?

Want to have a personalised countdown clock for your upcoming release? Ben does that too.


If you'd like these kind of awesomeness, follow Ben on his blog  http://www.bookgraphs.blogspot.com.au/

Dean Winchester approves! :D