Review: Still by Ann Mayburn

Dr. Michelle Sapphire and Gunnery Sargent Wyatt Callahan formed an unbreakable bond and an unacknowledged, forbidden attraction to each other while serving together in Afghanistan. Their lives are forever changed when a mortar attack grievously wounds Wyatt and Michelle brings him back from the brink of death. But when they both return to the civilian world Michelle discovers that her rock-solid Marine is suffering from severe PTSD and may even be suicidal.

Wyatt Callahan fell hard for the aristocratic blonde doctor the moment he laid eyes on her. After reentering civilian life in his hometown near Austin, Texas, Wyatt is plagued by nightmares of the death and suffering he witnessed during the war. He’d love to reach out to Michelle, but there is one thing stopping him. Michelle is a Dominatrix and she has made it very clear to Wyatt she isn’t interested in a relationship with anyone who doesn’t accept her lifestyle. An Alpha male to the core, he can't imagine the appeal of being submissive, but at the same time, the idea of serving Michelle, of being everything she wants and needs rings true in his wounded soul.

Michelle has dark secrets of her own and together with Wyatt she will have to battle her personal demons in their emotional journey of healing, redemption, and love.

Buy Links:

AMAZON

http://www.amazon.com/Still-FemDom-Military-Romance-ebook/dp/B00C9PED6G/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1366812467&sr=1-1&keywords=still+by+ann+mayburn

Barnes & Noble

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/still-by-ann-mayburn?store=ebook&keyword=still+by+ann+mayburn

All Romance

https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-stillcontempmilitarybdsmromance-1154479-147.html

Kobo

http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Still-Contemp-Military-BDSM-Romance/book-_lAa5ZW76Euv_qtHPqDSMw/page1.html?s=Tag9Uz0ZiEm4gTo1COFEag&r=6

Review:

So I'm going to admit I'm a little unsure where to start with this review. When the opportunity to review this book came up I jumped at it for two reasons. One I haven't yet read anything of Ann Mayburn's I didn't like and two I love Femdom books.

And I most definitely did like this book. Seeing an Alpha Male on his knees for a woman doing everything she asks is extremely sexy. And I love the way Wyatt was written having him bow to Michelle while maintaining all the traits that make him undoubtedly male.

That being said when I got to the end of the book I admit I felt a little empty. The book to me felt like it ended half way through the story.  Now I know there is another book coming but still the book seemed to lack a little closer for me at the end.

Overall I give this book 4 out of 5. 

Spotlight: Southern Embrace by Tamaria Soana

Can a long lost love mend a grieving heart?

Widowed at twenty-three, Savannah Grant is devastated and consumed with grief, a grief that she can't seem to move past. When her high school sweetheart, Lance Peterson, re-enters her life, Savannah struggles with the feeling that she would be betraying her deceased husband by moving on. Plus, she can't forget the way Lance broke her heart all those years ago.

Lance never stopped loving Savannah. He wants a second chance, and he's willing to do anything it takes to convince her to give him one. Will she give in and let Lance love her, showing her a passion beyond anything she thought possible?

Content Warning: adult language, explicit sexual situations, anal play

Excerpt:

It was a beautiful Friday afternoon. Van grabbed her purse and headed out to the mall. Nikki's shower was the following weekend, and Nikki had been on her to get a new dress for days, threatening to drag her shopping kicking and screaming if she didn't go herself.

Once at the mall, Van picked up some last minute gifts for Nikki. After trying on a few dresses, she found a knee-length, strapless coral dress. She purchased it and was off in search of a pair of shoes. When she found the perfect pair of coral and silver heels, Van concluded the trip to the mall a complete success.

Her cellphone rang as she was leaving the shoe store. She dug around in her bag to find it. With her head down and her steps brisk, she ran right into someone.

"I'm so sorry. I'm such a klutz," she said as she looked up into the brown eyes of her first love. She gasped and took a step back, surveying him. His light brown hair was a little shorter and he was built like a man now, not the boy she used to know. She stood frozen in place, staring at him. This can't be happening. A tidal wave of emotions rushed through her at once. Anger, resentment, hatred, but mainly pain…so much pain.

"Van."

"Lance? Oh my God!" She took another step back. "How?"

"I-I talked to Nikki. She told me you would be here. I needed to see you. When I heard what happened…" He paused. "I knew I couldn't stay away any longer. I'm so sorry."

The more he talked, the more Van's anger flared. Who does he think he is? He left me! Turned his back on me when he cut all ties!

"What exactly are you sorry for, Lance? That my husband died or that you broke my heart all those years ago?" The words she spoke were full of acid. "You have a lot of nerve just showing up here like nothing ever happened. Go away." She turned to leave.

"Please, Van, just talk to me. Give me a chance to explain," he begged as he reached for her hand.

"Don't you dare touch me," she said through gritted teeth, yanking her hand away. "What do you want from me?" She stared at him while plotting all the ways she was going to torture Nikki for her betrayal.

She seethed as he looked around. "Calm down, Van. People are starting to stare. Please, can we go somewhere more private and talk? There is so much I need to tell you."

"What could you possibly have to say to me that would make up for what you did? I mean, I know you had to move, but you cut all ties with me. Like the three years we spent together meant nothing to you, like I meant nothing to you. Damn you, Lance, you didn't even try to make it work."

"Please, Savannah. Give me a chance to explain."

"Give me one reason why I should."

"Because I still love you. I. Never. Stopped. I cut all ties with you because I had to. Long distance relationships never work out. I was afraid you would wake up one day and resent me. Being apart from you was killing me. I thought this way we would both be able to move on. But I was wrong, I never was able to move on. I let the love I have for you consume me. I wanted to come back sooner, but then I heard you'd gotten married. When I found out what had happened, I wanted to rush here and be by your side, but I figured you would need some time."

His words shocked and confused her. After she took a few moments to process everything, she shook her head. "I can't do this." She turned and walked away, then stopped. "Go back to wherever it was you came from and leave me alone."

"I won't give up on you. I won't stop trying, and I most definitely won't ever leave you again."

"Just go away, Lance. You're good at that," she snarled before she walked away. She didn't dare turn around because looking at him as he begged her to give him a chance to explain would certainly weaken her. Van needed to focus on how she was going to kill her so-called best friend.

Buy Links:   Beachwalk Press  Barnes & Noble Amazon

Watch the Trailer:

About the Author:

Tamaria Soana is middle aged, but just feels her life has begun. She writes sexy contemporary romance stories that always end with a ‘happily ever after’. Growing up she loved to read and make up new places in her head to escape to. In her late teens she began writing short stories and poetry; it wasn’t until her late thirties before she began to spin a full story.

She’s married and a stay-at-home-mom of two beautiful young girls, they reside in Western New York. Cuddling up with a good book under an electric throw is her way to escape the cold Buffalo nights. 

Besides writing, she co-owns Shades of Rose Marketing and hosts a talk show on Talkshoe called Live with Tamaria ~ Giving authors a voice.

Author Links:    Site     Facebook Author Page     Twitter

Giveaway: 

Tamaria is giving away a $5.00 Amazon Gift Card. To enter to win just fill out the Rafflecopter below.

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Spotlight: Not Just Friends by Lacey Wolfe

Not Just Friends by Lacey Wolfe

Book 3 in the Brookfield Series

Can the quiet bookstore owner land the playboy?

Alyssa Duncan’s life revolves around books. If not for the fact the town’s playboy Connor Phillips has a secret reading addiction, she most likely wouldn’t be on his radar…or his friend.  The two personalities just don’t mesh…or do they? She gets a chance to find out when a book-reading bet leads to dinner. Alyssa experiences a wide a range of emotions. She’s elated her beyond-friendship feelings seem returned, but his reputation precedes him. Is she just another gullible female in a string of women? As a relationship begins to develop with Connor, going past the limits of friendship, things grow muddled and complicated when an ex-boyfriend shows up in town and things aren’t what they seem.

When the dust finally settles, will Alyssa find true love with someone or end up with just another friend?

Excerpt:

As Alyssa opened the book to chapter one, her phone chirped, letting her know she’d received a text. She decided to ignore it. She never liked to be disturbed when she read. But whoever it was didn’t want to be ignored, since her phone chirped again.

Alyssa groaned, dug it out of her purse, and read the two messages.

Can I come up? – Connor

Put the book down and let me in. *wink wink* - Connor

She giggled and wondered what he stopped by for, especially since she’d just seen him on a date. The new book he wanted didn’t come out until next week. She made her way back downstairs to the bookstore, where she saw Connor standing at the door, smiling while holding two paper cups she assumed was coffee. God, he was a sight. Dark, almost black hair that he always wore with that just-out-of-bed look, with ice-blue eyes that bore into one’s soul.

She unlocked the door and let him in. “Hey, Connor. What can I do for you?”

He handed her a coffee. “It’s Sunday evening and you’re closed tomorrow, which means you’ll be on a reading binge tonight. Figured you could use some coffee.”

She grinned. He knew her so well. Too bad he’d never see her the way she did him. “I picked up a historical romance.”

“Did you try the book I recommend yet?”

Sci-fi wasn’t for her. She had tried it, but couldn’t get into it. “Soon.”

“I don’t believe you. Maybe we should take a bet.” He leaned against the wall.

“A bet? Are you serious?”

“Dead serious. I bet by the end of the week you still haven’t read it.”

She took a sip of her drink. Ah, her favorite. Mocha with a splash of raspberry. “What are the terms of this bet?”

“If you have, dinner’s on me. If you haven’t, dinner’s on you. And I warn you, I have expensive taste.”

Alyssa’s heart fluttered. Dinner? A meal together? They’d never gone anywhere. In fact, she didn’t know if anyone knew they were even friends.

Connor reached out, touching her shoulder. “Do we have a deal?”

Oh God, she was supposed to speak. She wasn’t sure that part of her was working any longer. “Uh-huh.”

Connor grinned at her, a dimple forming on his cheek. “What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?”

No, a cat did not have her tongue. In fact, if a cat did, she was pretty sure she’d be screaming right about now, not being mute.

“You kinda threw me off, asking me to dinner.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Was that something you weren’t interested in?”

Ha ha, there wasn’t a woman around who didn’t want to have dinner and more with Connor Phillips. She just never thought it would be her. “We have a deal.”

“Good.”

Alyssa wondered if this meant he might be interested in her. That he could possibly have eyes for her. As she stared at him with a God-knew-what kind of smile on her face, she didn’t notice at first the blonde bombshell she’d seen earlier was now standing outside waiting. Alyssa glanced back at Connor, who caught her focus and turned to glance at the woman.

“Crap, I forgot about her.”

Alyssa raised an eyebrow. “Date?”

“For this evening.”

Her heart sank. Connor wasn’t interested in her. She would never look like blondie out there. He wanted to take her out as a friend. That was it. It was time she realized it and the fact they would never be anymore than they were. And after tonight, the woman standing out in the cold would know the same thing.

“I guess I better get out there.” He took a sip of his drink and stepped away from the wall.

“Yeah, she seems a little mad.”

Connor leaned closed and whispered to her, “She’ll get over it.” He brushed a light kiss on her cheek. This was the first time he’d ever been that close to her.

The woman outside tapped on the door, obviously not liking what she had seen.

“You better go,” Alyssa said. “Besides, I think my dinner’s cold. I’d just taken it out of the microwave before you got here.”

“Enjoy your meal and the coffee as well.” He waved and then went back out the door, greeting the woman waiting for him.

Alyssa wanted to watch but didn’t. It was hard enough knowing the man she secretly fantasized about was once again out with another woman. 

Buy Links:   Amazon    Barnes & Noble     All Romance

 Other Books in the Brookfield Series:

Finding Home

Bare Necessities

The Brookfield Series Volume One (Print and eBook)

About the Author:

Lacey Wolfe has always had a passion for words, whether it’s getting lost in a book or writing her own. From the time she was a child she would slip away to write short stories about people she knew and fantasies she wished would happen. It has always been her dream to be a published author and with her two children now of school age, she finally has the time to work on making her dream come true.

Lacey lives in Georgia with her husband, son and daughter, their six cats and one black lab who rules the house.

Author Links:    Her Site      Twitter    Facebook

Giveaway:

Lacey is giving away a $10.00 Amazon gift card during her tour. To enter for a chance to win just fill out the Rafflecopter below.

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Spotlight: Revved by Chacelyn Pierce

Revved (Drag and Drift #1)

by Chacelyn Pierce

Gay (M/M) Erotic Romance

Publisher: Evernight Publishing

Heat Level: Sizzling

Word Count: 9,800

Buy Links

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Revved-Drag-and-Drift-ebook/dp/B00AZR6H7S/

ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-revved-1041393-145.html

Evernight Publishing: http://www.evernightpublishing.com/revved-by-chacelyn-pierce/

Blurb

Creed has been beating himself up for the hateful way he reacted to Bronx after an intoxicated kiss. However, it stirred something in him that should be brought to light. Creed must visit the raceway and stake his claim on not only the winnings but on the man he's come to desire.

Bronx has been keeping his love a secret for three long years. The slip up kiss bears the same resemblance to the incident that caused him to lose his old best friend in New York. Will facing each other be a simple delivery of apologies or will they finally admit and succumb to their desires?

Warning: This title is intended for readers over the age of 18 as it contains explicit sex scenes and/or situations and adult language, and may be considered offensive to some readers.

Excerpt

The slamming of the house's front door brought Creed's head out from under his Camaro's hood. Since he'd moved into the guest house over the garage, he was used to his aunt finding him to fix a leak or burn some trash. However, determined steps crunched the pebbles outside and he knew instantly it wasn't his aunt. Nope, his bitchy sixteen-year-old cousin looked as if she was about to make her weekly round. Here we go again. He was already shaking his head before she even walked inside the garage. Judging by the color of the sky, it must've been close to seven pm. She had been on the same routine for the past four Saturdays. Cassie was going to ream him for not going to the dragway. Since Sparco's Raceway sat clear on the other side of town, his aunt didn't trust Cassie to go alone. Since he was an adult, albeit a semi-responsible one, Aunt Georgia said Cassie could go so long as he did.

Well, he wasn't going.

Creed hadn't been to the dragway in a month and Cassie was fit to be tied. He heard the clap-slap of flip-flops against her feet and when they stopped suddenly, he knew she was right behind him. He could feel her lurking like some insane, hormonal teen.

"This is bullshit, Creed." He cringed when he heard her gum pop. "Becky says Gunther is starting to eye Jessica in my absence. Can we please go tonight, please?" God, the begging had been the worst of it all.

Wiping the smut off his hands he turned and noted she'd gotten dressed in hopes he'd go race. He was ten years her senior, so she was more like a younger sister since he'd been raised by her mother over half his life. He'd really stepped up to take on the man role when Uncle Herman died six years ago. He'd even kept the auto parts shop operational but didn't know he'd have to play the father/brother role and teach Cassie how to grow up. He knew exactly what this boy Gunther had on his mind when he looked at her. However, telling her any different would only cause more rebellious tendencies.

Cassie came only to his chest and her blonde hair was twisted up in some clippie thing. She gave him the sad puppy-dog eyes and even quivered her bottom lip in effect to win him over.

"No. I need a break from racing. It's becoming too much."

"Yeah, uh-huh, and that's why every Saturday night you tinker around in here as if preparing to go, yet you don't." She looked at the empty carport beside his Camaro: it had once been occupied on Saturdays as well. His best friend would prep his vehicle for the races right beside him. Now, the vacant space stayed empty and cold, just as he felt. "God, what happened between you and Bronx?"

Creed crinkled his nose. "Nothing." Which was untrue, he'd fucked up royally and he didn't know how to set things right or even if they could be set right. A mere apology didn't compare to the words he'd screamed at Bronx as he watched him leave a month ago.

Cassie rolled her eyes. "Right and when I saw him at Jimmy's Corner Store the other day he avoided me like the plague." She chewed her bottom lip, her look pensive. "He looked really upset."

Creed tossed the dirty rag on the ground and slammed the car hood down. Cassie flinched and backed up when he took a menacing step closer to her. "He fucking should be. Three years… you think you know someone and they pull some shit that changes things."

"What do you mean? What happened?"

"Forget it." Creed moved to the worktable and tossed his tools back in the box, clanging them loud enough in hopes the noise would drown out anymore of Cassie's probing questions. He didn't fucking want to answer anything having to do with Bronx or why they were fighting. He didn't want to explain his disappearance to their friends and feel like even more of a douche. Most of all, he didn't what to face the aftermath with Bronx. How could he apologize for how he acted and what he said? Bronx had rattled their friendship with an unexpected kiss. However, that wasn't what freaked him out. He'd snapped because he enjoyed it and wanted Bronx in a way he'd never before.

About the Author

A rocker by heart, Chacelyn Pierce is constantly ear plugged with heavy tunes blaring to stir up the phantom personalities that swarm her mind. It’s no surprise that she enjoys writing and reading to satiate her appetite for the male antagonist in a story. Married to a blatant redhead and mothering a diva, there is never a dull moment in the house. As a native Texan, she doesn't personally own a horse but follows the unwritten southern rule of knowing how to ride one. When she’s not testing the emotional capacity of her characters, she works part time as a dog groomer.

For more information about Chacelyn and her books, visit her website at http://www.chacelynpierce.com.

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Spotlight: Vanished Pride by Paloma Beck

Vanished Pride

Series: Seven Sin Sisters Series, Book Four

Genre: Erotic Paranormal Romance

Elements: Adult language/ Explicit Sex/ Consensual Adult Spanking

Author: Paloma Beck

Publisher: Secret Cravings Publishing

ISBN: 9781618855671

Page Count: 94 pages

BLURB

Seven sisters are entwined in a legacy larger than ever expected. One by one, they’ll find their mates from the Valendite Breed, a group of near-immortal men, and secure their place in history. The trouble now is Paige has too much pride to go down easily. When confronted by her mate, she convinces him to wait.

Donovan agrees to Paige’s plan until things around him start to go wrong. He’s losing his concentration, making mistakes on critical missions for the Terrorist Elimination Unit (TEU), and now he’s assigned as Paige’s bodyguard. Donovan’s only weakness is his need for a mate to carry on the Breed. Now that he’s found Paige, the time has come for him to claim his mate. Taking Paige in hand might be the only choice he has as forces continue to mount against the Breed. Their Pronouncement will need to be sooner rather than later.

BUY LINKS

SECRET CRAVINGS http://store.secretcravingspublishing.com/index.php?main_page=book_info&cPath=4&products_id=532&zenid=d05bd670ad6ad4e04b6e03707123c984

BARNES&NOBLE http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/vanished-pride-paloma-beck/1114702335?ean=2940016260242

AMAZON http://www.amazon.com/Vanished-Pride-Seven-Sisters-ebook/dp/B00BL9Q3K0/ref=pd_rhf_ee_p_t_1_ZDTR

ALL ROMANCE  https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-vanishedpride-1091010-140.html

BOOKSTRAND http://www.bookstrand.com/vanished-pride

EXCERPT 

“No. It is so not happening. He promised me time.” Paige shook her head at her sisters.

Layla and Amelia sat across the café table from Paige with looks of bewilderment on their faces. Frankly, Paige couldn’t give a damn. This was between her and Donovan, the big oaf who was hell-bent on claiming her. He’d said he would wait, so that was exactly what he would be doing. She wasn’t ready yet.

Paige had goals, things she wanted to accomplish. She couldn’t very well do that while consumed with a Valendite mating. Ugh, she wasn’t denying her calling as a woman of the Magdalena Circle! Just like each of her sisters, her parents had raised her to understand and respect that role. She simply had other things she planned to accomplish first. Becoming a world-renowned pastry chef was foremost in her mind. Having just secured a coveted spot in the Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie, nothing was getting in her way.

“Look, you have to understand, I have just received an invitation to be one of the twelve participants in the Coupe du Monde in Paris. This is everything I’ve waited for. I’ll be competing against the world’s best pastry chefs. I can show everyone just how amazing my culinary skills are.” Paige firmed her resolve, crossed her arms and looked her sister’s directly in the eyes. “I absolutely refuse to give that up, mate or no mate.”

“Dammit, Paige, we aren’t telling you to give anything up. Donovan is suffering. Somehow he’s keeping himself from you but we haven’t a clue how,” Amelia said.

Jumping in, Layla went on, “He looks just awful. From what Gemma told us, the small interactions he’s had with you have been enough to trigger his body’s reactions. He’s moody, twitchy, and from the reports of that last assignment, completely out of the game.”

“And since he won’t talk to the other men, Madden doesn’t know what’s wrong so he’s coming down hard on Donovan for his actions,” Amelia explained.

“Madden even mentioned pulling him off missions,” Layla confided. Paige felt a slight pang of remorse until she steeled herself against it.

“It was his choice too. We both decided,” Paige raised her voice enough for others in the shop to look over at them. She waved and gave an apologetic smile before standing. “I’m going back to work. I have preparations to do before the competition. I’ll see you at home, Amelia.”

A few steps away, Paige looked back at her sisters. “And remember Layla, this was a confidence. Those can’t be broken among sisters.” Paige saw the red flare to Layla’s cheeks and knew she was furious with the admonishment. The unbreakable confidences of sisters went against the mating bond, but that was not Paige’s concern. Her sisters would simply need to stop meddling.

SERIES TRAILER

http://youtu.be/or5CDpKYoOI

SERIES REVIEW

“A refreshingly original paranormal series about seven sisters, seven sins and the seven mates who redeem them.”

“A little bit magical, a little bit vampy, and a whole lot of alpha male sexy!”

SERIES READING ORDER

•             Lustful Cravings, Seven Sin Sisters, book one (8/2012)

•             Eternal Envy, Seven Sin Sisters, book two (10/ 2012)

•             Holiday Gem, Seven Sin Sisters, book three (12/2012)

•             Vanished Pride, Seven Sin Sisters, book four (2/2013)

•             Frozen Fury, Seven Sin Sisters, book five (anticipated 5/2013)

AUTHOR BIO & LINKS

Paloma Beck is a Romance Author living a life of contradiction... she's a happily married carpooling mom writing erotic romance. It's almost naughty! Paloma writes in both the Contemporary and Paranormal realms, journaling the stories her characters tell her, and they are anything but PG. She dabbles in vampires, witches, menage, spanking and bdsm - all in her books, of course. Paloma believes a daily dose of espresso and a good book make any day better.

Talk to Paloma on any of these sites:

BLOG:                                   http://RomanceBeckons.blogspot.com

WEBSITE:                             http://palomabeck.weebly.com

TWITTER:                             https://twitter.com/PalomaBeck

FACEBOOK:                        http://www.facebook.com/PalomaBeckAuthor

FACEBOOK PAGE:            http://www.facebook.com/SevenSinSistersSeries

GOODREADS:                    http://goodreads.com/PalomaBeck

TUMBLR:                             http://palomabeck.tumblr.com

PINTEREST:                         http://pinterest.com/PalomaBeck

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