Bad at Love by Karina Halle Blog Tour with Excerpt and Review

Bad at Love by Karina Halle

 

Release Date: November 16th

 

Bad at Love, an all-new contemporary STANDALONE by New York Times Bestselling author Karina Halle is LIVE!!!

She’s bad at love, but he’s even worse…

Marina is hot, blonde, and wickedly smart, but when it comes to men? She’s hopeless. Between her quirks and her lack of filter, there isn’t a man in Los Angeles that will stick around after the third date.

Her handsome, charming friend Lazarus has the opposite problem. Everyone wants to be his girlfriend, but he gets bored and moves on quickly.

There’s only one way to figure out why neither of them has cracked this love thing– they’ll date each other. On paper, it’s the perfect experiment. But in reality, things between Marina and Laz get complicated quickly.

They might be bad at love, but they are even worse at being friends.

Excerpt:

The place is called Tanner Smiths and is one of those trendy bars with a prohibition theme. It’s packed and dark and there’s a small dancefloor by the door so that when you walk in, you’re sucked into a group of people grooving all up in your space. Beyonce blares from the female DJ in the corner and everyone is drunk and happy.

“I approve of the vibe,” I say to Laz.

“What?” he yells back mockingly over the noise, cupping his ear. Then he leans in, close. Very close. “What you havin’ to drink, sweet girl?”

His breath is hot on my ear and I momentarily close my eyes, letting the feeling sink along my skin, down my back, all the way to my toes. “Anything,” I manage to say.

I open my eyes and his face is still at my neck, lips at my ear. “I had no idea you were so easy to please,” he murmurs and I swear his lips are grazing my skin. Goosebumps spread and I’m hot and cold all at once.

My throat feels thick as I speak. “Only when it comes to drinks. Anything else, you might have to work at it.”

“Is that so?” he says, pulling back enough to look me in the eye.

There’s fire inside him. God, how I want to burn.

“We’ll have to see, won’t we?” I tell him.

His languid gaze drops to my lips, his nostrils flaring with impatience.

Fuck, do it, just fucking kiss me.

Kiss me.

Kiss me.

He leans all the way back, gives my hand another squeeze before letting go. “Don’t you dare go anywhere.”

“Bossy,” I comment, my stomach summersaulting like crazy.

“You have no idea,” he says. Then he winks, a bit of a smile, and heads down to the bar to place the order.

I watch him. I watch him and I watch the girls in the bar watching him and I know tonight, tonight he’s mine. I have him.

I’ve never felt so alive before, a swarm of electricity underneath my skin, my heart happy, happy, happy with anticipation, knowing what might finally happen between us.

CHRISTIE’S REVIEW

*****5 STARS*****

5 Stars!!! Absolutely adored this book and the characters! Laz and Marina are TERRIBLE at love. Laz is a serial monogamist, and Marina can’t get past a third date. The two have been friends for years, and they think it will be a great idea to date one another. They decide to go on dates, pretending to be different people, judging each other and finding out what each is doing wrong. Yeah, this isn’t going to get complicated in the least. From the prologue, I already knew there was a connection and an attraction between them, so I knew once they crossed that line, things would never be the same.

Marina was an amazing character, one of my favorite heroines. She is loyal and nurturing, taking care of everyone else. She’s beautiful even if she doesn’t realize it, and as Laz says, she is an “odd duck,” just like him. And, she’s a beekeeper!!!!! All these things combined endeared her to me. I wanted to be Marina’s friend.

Laz is drop dead gorgeous, but it’s his other qualities that make him stand out. He is a poet, and in a band. The man reads Keats for God’s sake! He also has a killer sense of humor. Plus, he is an “odd duck” like Marina is.

I totally loved these two together, and the book was extremely well-written. Not only is it a romance, but there is also a secondary plot involving Laz’s mother, and Halle weaves it seamlessly into the storyline. One of my favorite friends-to-lovers romances but also an important story of family and friendship!

Read Today!

(Free in Kindle Unlimited)

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Meet Karina:

Karina Halle is a former travel writer and music journalist and The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling author of The Pact, Love, in English, The Artists Trilogy, Dirty Angels and over 20 other wild and romantic reads. She lives on an island off the coast of British Columbia with her husband and her rescue pup, where she drinks a lot of wine, hikes a lot of trails and devours a lot of books.

Halle is represented by the Root Literary and is both self-published and published by Simon & Schuster and Hachette in North America and in the UK.

Connect with Karina:

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http://authorkarinahalle.com

 

Spider by Ilsa Madden-Mills Blog Tour with Excerpt

From Wall Street Journal bestselling author Ilsa Madden-Mills comes a new standalone romance about a flawed hero and the woman he can’t forget.

Spider, a sexy and forbidden new standalone, is available NOW!

Title: Spider

Author: Ilsa Madden-Mills

Publication Date: November 13th, 2017

From Wall Street Journal bestselling author Ilsa Madden-Mills comes a new standalone romance about a flawed hero and the woman he can’t forget.

“She crossed my path and changed my whole direction.”

He calls himself Spider.

I just knew him as the sinfully gorgeous guy with eyes of fire that fate sat next to me on the airplane.

I didn’t know who he really was…British rock star…my stepbrother.

He kissed me because he thought we’d never see each other again. We would.

Everyone warned me about him.

They told me he was ruthless and cold and screwed up.

They said he’d leave me with a hole in my heart.

Maybe I should have listened.

Maybe I should have built up a fortress to keep him out.

But I crumbled instead.

They say an unbreakable thread connects those who are destined to meet. If that’s true, then the moment he sat next to me, we were bound together forever.

He just had to figure it out before it’s too late…

Excerpt:

How can one human man be so hot?

Spider sits on my toilet, shirtless, while I dab at his swollen eye. I’m doing my best to keep my eyes averted from the ink on his body, the way his tattoos swirl underneath his jeans, the way his chest is carved from stone.

Of course, I’m the stupid person who suggested he remove his shirt so I could see if he has any bruising on his chest. A cracked or broken rib can cause a lot of pain, and I want to be thorough, that’s all—I swear to baby Jesus.

He grinned at my request and whipped it off—which is the reason I’m now a mess.

There’s hardly any room to breathe with him in my small bathroom.

I wipe at the spot of blood on his cheek as he watches me stoically, never taking his eyes off me, tracking my every movement.

“This will look worse tomorrow,” I murmur, just to ease the tension. I stand between his spread legs, acutely aware of his fresh scent, his pure magnetism. My hands shake and I have to focus to push an image of me straddling him, both of us naked, out of my head. I want to run my tongue over the tattoo on his neck. I want to bite him like an animal while he—

Good grief, Rose, stop the fantasy!

“You’d make a good nurse,” he says softly, his long black lashes fluttering softly against his chiseled cheekbones.

“Doctor of Psychology,” I correct him.

“Your dream?”

“Yes.” Although right now I’m dreaming of him…

“I know that feeling. That’s how music is to me.” His golden-brown eyes watch me as I reach over to the medicine cabinet for more antiseptic and antibacterial cream, my chest perilously close to his face. I swear my nipples are reaching for him.

“Why psychology?”

I nod, pretending like I’m not all discombobulated. “My granny mainly. She loved to read people—literally. She ran a little palm-reading business out of her home before she died. All the old ladies of the neighborhood would come to see her. She’d make them coffee and they’d just…talk. She’d tell them what they needed to hear while I sat on the floor next to her and listened. There wasn’t any magic involved of course.” I laugh. “But…she was incredibly intuitive. She just got people. If someone twitched or looked left or right while they were talking, she’d have a reason for it and she’d tell me all about it after they left.”

“I think I would have loved your granny.” He curls an arm around me, tugging me close until my chest is a hair’s breadth away from his face. I recall our epic kiss on the plane. I feel the pressure of his taut thighs and my breath quickens as desire unfurls inside me.

A hum warms my blood. I want him—desperately.

And it’s entirely foolish.

He’s my stepbrother.

He doesn’t call girls back.

“Why does it seem like I’ve known you forever?” I ask, feeling myself gravitating closer.

He thinks about it, pushing a piece of hair out of my eyes. Cupping my nape, he pulls me in tighter until our noses meet. The back of his hand caresses my cheek and the heat from his touch burns, yet there’s a tautness in the roped muscles of his arms, as if he’s holding himself in check.

“Because I am you,” he says softly. “We’re so much alike, it’s staggering.” He pauses and stares deep into my eyes.

I nod. I can’t think. He’s so close to me, his eyes burning into mine.

He closes his eyes and exhales. “I want you, Rose. You’re intoxicating.”

I suck in a sharp breath, our lips inches apart.

Is he going to kiss me? I want him to.

His eyes open after the silence has gone on too long, a smirk forming around his mouth. “You scared of me, Rose?”

Never.

“I’m scared you’ll rip my heart out.”

He stares at the LOST tattoo on his hand. “I probably will.”

 

 

 

Read Today!

(Free in Kindle Unlimited)

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About the Author

 

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Ilsa Madden-Mills writes about strong heroines and sexy alpha males that sometimes you just want to slap.

She’s addicted to dystopian books and all things fantasy, including unicorns and sword-wielding females. Other fascinations include frothy coffee beverages, dark chocolate, Instagram, Ian Somerhalder (seriously hot), astronomy (she’s a Gemini), and tattoos.

She has a degree in English and a Master’s in Education.

When she’s not pecking away on her computer, she shops for cool magnets and paints old furniture.

Connect with Ilsa

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorilsamaddenmills/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ilsamaddenmills

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Amazon: http://amzn.to/2jjRzlD

Website: http://www.ilsamaddenmills.com/

 

Bodyguard by CD Reiss Blog Tour with Excerpt

Bodyguard, the highly anticipated new standalone from New York Times bestselling author CD Reiss is available NOW!

Bodyguard by CD Reiss

Release Date: November 14th, 2017

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Protecting a celebrity in Hollywood isn’t easy, but protecting Emily could break his heart.

As a world-class dancer at the height of her career, Emily enjoys all the perks of fame—the parties, the glamour, the tours—but they’ve also attracted the attention of a dangerous ex-boyfriend hell-bent on getting her back.

Enter Carter Kincaid, a bodyguard so crushingly sexy he takes her breath away.

Carter’s the best in the business, and Emily is—professionally speaking—off-limits. But when it comes to stirring his desires, she’s making all the right moves. What’s happening between them is so hot it could get both of them burned. As Emily’s past gets closer, Carter is willing to break every rule of the job to save her. But letting Emily into his life also means letting her in on the secrets of his own past. For these two, falling in love could be the greatest risk of all.

Excerpt:

“Are we going to have another ‘about last night’ conversation?” I asked.

“If you want to.”

What did I want to say? Everything. but mostly, I wanted to tell him how much I liked kissing him and how conflicted I was. I wanted to demand answers immediately and give him space at the same time.

All the words tried to jump forward, but when he stopped at a light, our eyes met in the rearview. The words landed in a tangle, unsaid.

He tapped the steering wheel when he turned it, using both hands for the first time since I’d gotten in.

“Hey,” I said.

“Yeah?” He briefly looked at me in the mirror.

“What happened to your hand?”

“Burn.” he brushed his left hand over the bandage at the top of his palm, right where you’d burn it if you were picking up a hot pot handle. He caught my eye in the rearview again.

I didn’t know if I believed him.

“What were you cooking?”

“Breakfast.”

“And you still went to get a Danish?”

He rubbed his upper lip with his left hand and tapped the wheel with the bandaged one.

“I burned my eggs.”

Right. Hot pot. Burned hand. Smoke-filled kitchen.

“You know what’s funny?” I said.

“The Three Stooges.”

“I don’t know anything about you. You could live in your mother’s basement.”

“That’s just where I bury the bodies.”

Blatant avoidance. It had been cute before; now it was getting on my nerves.

“Are you married?”

“No!”

He could have been lying, buy lying liars always lied. There wasn’t a thing I could do about that except make sure I asked.

Something was wrong. We’d kissed twice, and twice he’d shut down. I should have been the one shutting down. I was the one with all the ex-boyfriend baggage. Why was I the one who was always so willing?

But there he was in the front seat, driving with both hands on the wheel, glancing at me once in a while to make sure I wasn’t choking on my tongue in the back seat. Discomfort radiated out of him.

Here I was with my hands in my lap thinking about ways to kiss him again.

He pulled into the little lot and wedged into a space. He turned off the car, popped his seat belt, and stared at the wheel for a split second too long. I was about to open the car door myself when he turned all the way around, arm over the back of his seat, bandaged hand on the back of the passenger side.

“Kissing you…” He stopped and looked at my lips so intensely I folded them back and bit them. “You’re dangerous. I can’t even see your lips, but I can taste them. I couldn’t brush the taste of you out of my mouth this morning. Right now. The honey. I can taste it but not enough. I want to kiss you again, and I can’t. I lose my shit around you. I can’t do it. My job is control. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

My jaw loosened, and I let my lips go.

“No, I don’t. I’ve met bodyguards before. You’re a stoic bunch, but you’re not all celibate. And if you think this is easy for me, you’re wrong. I’m afraid too. I’m afraid you’re going to get hurt because of me. last night…” I put my fingertips to my lips as if that would keep the choking sob from coming. I kept it back. “Last night he showed me he’s back, and if he’ll hurt me, he’ll hurt you.”

If I thought seats would be a barrier between us, I was wrong. He launched himself between them and placed his lips on mine. Our third kiss was unexpected, uncomfortable with him stretched between front and back. I wove my fingers in his hair, giving him my mouth, and taking his.

I wanted that kiss to tell him it was all right. He could lose control. He could bemore than a protector. He was as safe with me as I was with him. But I couldn’t without lying to both of us.

He yanked his lips away.

“Trust me.” He leaned his forehead against mine.

Read today!

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2v4xNyS

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Start the Series of Standalones Today!

Bombshell

(Free in Kindle Unlimited)

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About the Author

CD Reiss is a New York Times bestseller. She still has to chop wood and carry water, which was buried in the fine print. Her lawyer is working it out with God but in the meantime, if you call and she doesn’t pick up she’s at the well hauling buckets.

Born in New York City, she moved to Hollywood, California to get her master’s degree in screenwriting from USC. In case you want to know, that went nowhere but it did give her a big enough ego to write novels.

She’s frequently referred to as the Shakespeare of Smut which is flattering but hasn’t ever gotten her out of chopping that cord of wood.

If you meet her in person, you should call her Christine.

Connect with CD Reiss:

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