The Trouble With Destiny: Interview + Giveaway

Today I'm excited to have author Lauren Morrill stopping by the blog as part of the promotional tour for her newest release, The Trouble With Destiny. Lauren was nice enough to answer a few questions for me about music, chocolate and her protagonist Liza, so I hope you guys enjoy the interview! Be sure and check the bottom of the post too for all the details on a fantastic giveaway:)

If Liza’s band was to accompany you on a promotional tour for The Trouble with Destiny, what song would they play as your introduction at each stop?

“Friends in Low Places” by Garth Brooks, which has a moment in Destiny. And because it makes me think of my own high school experience growing up in east Tennessee (where Liza and her friends are from as well!).

It’s midnight chocolate buffet time on the Destiny. What are the three delicious goodies you go for first?

Brownies, chocolate chip cookies, and a chocolate croissant.

Liza is an extremely organized young woman. If she were to see the bits and pieces of your current work in progress (notes, outlines, etc.), would she nod in approval or suddenly develop a nervous tic and want to show you all the ways she could help you?

She would LOSE. HER. MIND. Right now I’m basically drafting by opening up the document and dropping in a paragraph in chapter 3 or a sentence in chapter 9. One of my chapters is just called “last few chapters,” while another is called “somewhere in the middle.” I’m not a linear writer!

If you could book a cruise tomorrow, where would that boat be headed?

I want to take one of those European river cruises, where you stop in different countries. As much as I enjoy reading a book on a beach, I’d love to do some awesome historical tours of castles and museums.

Let’s play Two Truths and a Lie, Destiny-style. Please share two crazy, fun, or embarrassing things that actually happened while on board and one tall tale. (We’ll just have to read to find out which is which ;-))

—One character kisses Liza, and immediately after, another character punches him in the face.
—Demi and the Athenas are performing a medley of boy-band hits when a pipe bursts overhead and douses the stage and the performers, who never stop singing.
—An accidental mixture of Dramamine and Benadryl has Liza passing out in her nemesis’s closet.

Thanks so much Lauren!

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THE TROUBLE WITH DESTINY

It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey...

With her trusty baton and six insanely organized clipboards, drum major Liza Sanders is about to take Destiny by storm—the boat, that is. When Liza discovered that her beloved band was losing funding, she found Destiny, a luxury cruise ship complete with pools, midnight chocolate buffets, and a $25,000 spring break talent show prize.

Liza can’t imagine senior year without the band, and nothing will distract her from achieving victory. She’s therefore not interested when her old camp crush, Lenny, shows up on board, looking shockingly hipster-hot. And she’s especially not interested in Russ, the probably-as-dumb-as-he-is-cute prankster jock whose ex, Demi, happens be Liza’s ex–best friend and leader of the Athenas, a show choir that’s the band’s greatest competition.

But it’s not going to be smooth sailing. After the Destiny breaks down, all of Liza’s best-laid plans start to go awry. Liza likes to think of herself as an expert at almost everything, but when it comes to love, she’s about to find herself lost at sea.

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Indiebound | iBooks | The Book Depository

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LAUREN MORRILL

Lauren Elizabeth Morrill is many things, including, but not limited to, a writer, an educator, a badass roller derby skater, a former band nerd, an aggressive driver, and a die-hard Mac person. She also watches a lot of TV, eats a lot of junk food, and drinks a lot of Coke. It's a wonder her brain and teeth haven't rotted out of her head.

Lauren is the author of Meant to Be, Being Sloane Jacobs, The Trouble With Destiny, and the forthcoming My Unscripted Life (October 2016), all from Random House.

Website | Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram

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GIVEAWAY

One winner (US or Canada Only) will receive a Lauren Morrill prize pack of signed copies of all Lauren's books and swag!

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Harlequin Naughty or Nice Winter Blog Tour + Giveaway: Naughty Heroes

Happy Friday Everyone! Today I'm thrilled to be a part of Harlequin's Naughty or Nice Winter Blog Tour, a 4-week event featuring six romance authors and their exclusive holiday-themed guest posts. I have the pleasure of welcoming Maisey Yates to the blog to talk about something very close to my heart: Naughty heroes. What? I can't help it! I love a book boyfriend who has a few rough edges and isn't afraid to revel in them, so I will certainly be checking out every book on Maisey's list. I hope you guys enjoy her recommendations as much as I did!

MY TOP 5 NAUGHTY HEROES BY MAISEY YATES

All right, since it’s Christmas, I thought I’d devote a post to my favorite heroes who would absolutely get coal in their stocking.

My hero in A Copper Ridge Christmas, Ryan, would most definitely earn himself a lump of it. Why? He’s on the naughty list. A gruff, grumpy fisherman harboring illicit fantasies for his former foster sister, he’s certainly not going to qualify for presents from Santa.

But that’s okay! Because I like my heroes naughty.

Here are my Top 5 Naughty Heroes who are just as naughty…if not naughtier…than my hero.

1. Ajax from Make You Burn by Megan Crane. Naughty is kind of an understatement for Ajax, an MC President with hard language and a hard body. He’s possibly the naughtiest hero around ever. You’ve been warned.

2. Dan from Rebel Cowboy by Nicole Helm. Former hockey-playing, llama-ranching (yeah, you heard me), sexy, naughty cowboy hero who hires the heroine to help him figure out how to run his ranching spread in Montana.

3. Vin from Having Her by Jackie Ashenden. A very naughty, very…er…bossy hero who enters into a fantasy-driven relationship with his little sister’s best friend.

4. Rafael from Unwrapping the Castelli Secret by Caitlin Crews. Rafael is a very naughty hero who reformed slightly when he lost the love of his life in a car accident. But when he finds out she’s actually alive…it’s pretty clear he still retains his naughty edge!

5. Alex in What I Did For a Duke by Julie Anne Long. This hero sets out to seduce the much-younger sister of the man who stole his fiancée, all for revenge. Delicious, romantic and very, very naughty.

I can’t guarantee reading these guys won’t put YOU on the naughty list, but then I think they’re pretty good compensation. :)

Happy holidays,

Maisey

Thanks so much Maisey!

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A COPPER RIDGE CHRISTMAS

Snow is falling in Copper Ridge, Oregon—but the heat between a holiday-loving party planner and the town’s resident Scrooge is off the charts in this sweet and sizzling Christmas novella…

Holly Fulton is throwing a special Christmas Eve party for the foster parents who gave her so much. To finish the preparations in time, she needs to recruit her one-time foster brother, Ryan Masters. He may have a scowl that could curdle eggnog, but under that surly demeanor is a big heart. And amazing muscles. And a gorgeous chest. In fact, X-rated visions of Ryan have been dancing in Holly’s head for years, but she can’t risk complicating the only real family she’s ever known.

But maybe there’s a way for Holly to have her Christmas cake and eat it too. A no-strings affair, just until they’re done with the planning. Ryan is certainly willing. But from the first touch, it’s clear that this isn’t just a festive fling. It might just be a Christmas miracle in the making…

Find A Copper Ridge Christmas:

Goodreads • Amazon • B&N

Find Maisey:

Website • Facebook • Twitter

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GIVEAWAY

One grand prize winner will receive:

• 1 print copy of The Harder You Fall by Gena Showalter, White Wedding Christmas by Andrea Laurence, A Cowboy Under the Mistletoe by Vicki Lewis Thompson, Wrapped in Red by Nana Malone and Sherelle Green
• 1 eBook copy of A Copper Ridge Christmas by Maisey Yates and Under the Spotlight by Kate Willoughby
• 100,000 Harlequin MyRewards points
• 2 Harlequin Classics limited edition notebooks
• 1 Brenda Jackson Westmoreland limited edition notebook

Please enter via the Rafflecopter form.

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Review: Blood Kiss

BLOOD KISS
Black Dagger Legacy #1
J.R. Ward
Paranormal Romance
397 pages
Signet
Available Now
Source: Finished copy from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
The legacy of the Black Dagger Brotherhood continues in a spin-off series from the #1 New York Times bestselling author…

Paradise, blooded daughter of the king’s First Advisor, is ready to break free from the restrictive life of an aristocratic female. Her strategy? Join the Black Dagger Brotherhood’s training center program and learn to fight for herself, think for herself…be herself. It’s a good plan, until everything goes wrong. The schooling is unfathomably difficult, the other recruits feel more like enemies than allies, and it’s very clear that the Brother in charge, Butch O’Neal, a.k.a. the Dhestroyer, is having serious problems in his own life.

And that’s before she falls in love with a fellow classmate. Craeg, a common civilian, is nothing her father would ever want for her, but everything she could ask for in a male. As an act of violence threatens to tear apart the entire program, and the erotic pull between them grows irresistible, Paradise is tested in ways she never anticipated—and left wondering whether she’s strong enough to claim her own power…on the field, and off.

MY THOUGHTS
Blood Kiss sees a return to the style that made the early books in the Black Dagger Brotherhood so addicting, Ms. Ward limiting the number of characters we follow to a delightful four rather than subjecting us to the character merry-go-round that has dominated the BDB series of late. Our time is spent divided between new couple Craeg and Paradise as well as Butch and Marissa–a beloved pair who had their happily ever after in book four of the original series–and Ms. Ward manages to make both couples shine equally, neither fighting for our attention but both keeping us rapidly flipping the pages until we sadly find ourselves at the end.

Revisiting a couple who've already had their time in the spotlight can sometimes be problematic, the feeling that new issues have been created simply for the sake of drama causing us to be a bit wary in the beginning, but Ms. Ward gives Butch and Marissa a realistic set of relationship difficulties to overcome in this spinoff. The two of them are still immensely happy together, but as can be the case with established relationships, making time for one another and communicating effectively amidst incredibly busy lives can be a challenge, and it's almost comforting to see familiar struggles reflected in a fictional romance. Nothing between them feels manufactured, and the way they face their problems as a united front brings a smile to our faces throughout.

Craeg and Paradise hold their own against romantic heavy-hitters Butch and Marissa, the two of them piquing our interest quickly as they face the gauntlet thrown down by the Brotherhood's training program and fight to prove themselves worthy. Craeg is a classic J.R. Ward alpha male, physically intimidating and sexually potent, but it's Paradise who ends up being a pleasant surprise. Given her gentle upbringing among vampire high society we can't help but wonder if she's going to be passive in nature despite her desire to join the program, but what we find instead is a young woman unafraid to put Craeg in his place when necessary and stand up for herself both as a trainee and a woman.

The mystery element surrounding a young woman brutally beaten to death could have benefited from more substance and a deeper exploration of the motivations of the guilty party when their identity is revealed, but that is a very minor complaint in an otherwise hugely successful first installment. J.R. Ward fans like myself will love every glimpse of Vishous, Rhage, Lassiter and a few of the other Brothers, their crazy slang and general badassery making us feel as though we've gotten back on a track we veered from drastically in the past few Brotherhood books.

Rating: 4/5
 

Find J.R. Ward

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads • Amazon

This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

Cover Reveal: Didn't I Warn You

Happy Wednesday Everyone!

I don't normally double post (mostly because I'm lazy), but today I'm part of a very special tour to reveal the cover of Amber A. Bardan's upcoming release, Didn't I Warn You. There are 7 bloggers participating in the tour, and each one has either an exclusive teaser or a sneak peek at the cover as it's slowly revealed throughout the day. The final cover will be revealed at 9:00pm EST both at Parajunkee and on Twitter in the @CarinaPress feed, so be sure to follow along for all the sexy goodness!

There will also be a giveaway, so don't forget to check out the bottom of the post for all the details. First though, let's take a look at the second cover teaser:)

DIDN'T I WARN YOU

Cover Teaser #2

Not everything dangerous is bad.

From the moment Angelina laid eyes on him, she fell into a fantasy. Mysterious, foreign, gorgeous, Haithem offered her what she needed most—a chance to feel again.

But Haithem is much more than he appears to be. He lives in a world of danger where everything comes at a price.

For Angelina, that price is her future.

He's made sure the life she's left behind is in tatters. Made her family believe she's dead. Still, he talks about protecting her, about keeping her safe, but she can't distinguish his truth from his lies. She can't separate her pleasure from his betrayal.

Haithem warned her. He told her he'd make her heart race, her body come alive and her most primal needs rush to the surface. His for the taking.

He didn't say she'd come to love the devil who's destroying her, even as he keeps her prisoner.

Oooo it's all creepy and gritty and abstract. If your curiosity is piqued and you want to see the first teaser, hop over to Bewitched Bookworms and check it out. The next and final teaser before the big finale will be revealed at The Book Swarm at 5:00pm EST!

Find Didn't I Warn You:

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | iBooks | GooglePlay | Kobo

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

AMBER A. BARDAN
 

After spending years imagining fictional adventures, Amber finally found a way to turn daydreaming into a productive habit. She now spends her time in a coffee-fuelled adrenaline haze, writing romance with a thriller edge.

She lives with her husband and children in semi-rural Australia, where if she peers outside at the right moment she might just see a kangaroo bounce by.

Amber is an award winning writer, Amazon Bestselling Author, and member of Romance Writers of Australia, Melbourne Romance Writers Guild, and Writers Victoria.

Website | Facebook | Twitter

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 

GIVEAWAY

Giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada (excluding Quebec) only
who are 18 years of age or older

At 9:00pm EST the complete cover will be revealed. The first 4 people to re-tweet the final cover from Carina Press’ Twitter feed (@CarinaPress) along with the hashtag #badforyouseries will each receive a $25 gift card to Victoria’s Secret.

• 9:00 AM Bewitched Bookworms - Cover Piece & Excerpt
• 12:00 PM The Book Cellar - Teaser
• 2:00 PM Supernatural Snark - Cover Piece
• 4:00 PM Curling Up with a Good Book - Teaser
• 5:00 PM The Bookswarm - Cover Piece
• 7:00 PM Book Hounds - Teaser
• 9:00 PM Parajunkee - Final Cover & Excerpt

Waiting On Wednesday: The Shadow Hour

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking The Spine and is a fun way to see what books other bloggers just can't wait to get their hands on!

THE SHADOW HOUR

The Girl at Midnight #2

Melissa Gray

Young Adult/Fantasy

Releases July 2016 from Delacorte Press

From Goodreads:

Everything in Echo's life changed in a blinding flash when she learned the startling truth: she is the firebird, the creature of light that is said to bring peace.

The firebird has come into the world, but it has not come alone. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction, and Echo can feel a great and terrible darkness rising in the distance. Cosmic forces threaten to tear the world apart.

Echo has already lost her home, her family, and her boyfriend. Now, as the firebird, her path is filled with even greater dangers than the ones she's already overcome.

She knows the Dragon Prince will not fall without a fight.

Echo must decide: can she wield the power of her true nature--or will it prove too strong for her, and burn what's left of her world to the ground?

Welcome to the shadow hour.

I absolutely adored The Girl at Midnight, so the wait for this sequel is going to be a long and painful one (WTH July?!). Echo proved to be a heroine I could really root for, and while I was worried the romance would be tricky given she technically has a boyfriend when things start to develop with Caius, I thought everything was handled really well. I'm really looking forward to seeing how things progress:)

Plus, the cover has negative space dragons. LOOK AT THEM! All creepy and glorious:)

Goodreads • Amazon

Top Ten Tuesday: 2016 Debuts

This is my very first Top Ten Tuesday! WOO HOO! This week's topic asked us to feature the top ten 2016 debuts we're most looking forward to, and I figured this prompt was a great place to start with a meme that will hopefully become one I can participate in more often. A huge thanks to The Broke and the Bookish for hosting each week!

JENNY'S TOP TEN 2016 DEBUTS

(in no particular order)

THE STAR-TOUCHED QUEEN

This debut promises a marriage of Death and Destruction (both words capitalized!) as well as a focus on Indian mythology, and for those two reasons I'm completely sold.

A SHADOW BRIGHT AND BURNING

This one obviously doesn't have a real cover yet, but it's YA fantasy (my very favorite genre) with a sorcerer heroine and a world full of monsters against whom she can demonstrate the extent of her badassery. Yes, please.

BURNING

Normally I would stay far, far away from anything that could even remotely be labeled horror, but Burning sounds too good to pass up. Paranormal happenings at a juvenile correctional facility? Count me in. *stocks up on chocolate to stress-eat as I read*

LOVE, LIES & SPIES

That cover! I love all the keys and the poor woman chasing down the coach that's so rudely left her behind. Plus this features the pretend-relationship romantic trope, and I always love watching as things inevitably shift from farce to true feelings.

BOOKISHLY EVER AFTER

"In a perfect world, sixteen-year-old Phoebe Martins’ life would be a book. Preferably a YA novel with magic and a hot paranormal love interest."

YES PHOEBE! Phoebe and I are cut from the same cloth, so I couldn't be more excited for Bookishly Ever After! I'm slightly biased as well since I had the pleasure of working on this cover, but I would still be obsessed with it regardless:)

THE CROWN'S GAME

Fantasy, magic, Russia and an ancient duel of magical skill. I need to know nothing more about this one.

THESE VICIOUS MASKS

These Vicious Masks is being marketed as "Jane Austen meets X-Men", and while I typically don't put much stock in book comparisons, that combination sounds too good to pass up. Plus, I'm always fascinated by a Victorian London setting, so February can't come soon enough for me!

BURNING GLASS

Apparently I have a thing for books that have the word "burning" in the title as this is the 3rd one on this list:) I featured this title a couple weeks ago, but I'm excited enough about it that it bears mentioning twice!

A STUDY IN CHARLOTTE

The great-great grandchildren of Holmes and Watson find themselves suspects in the murder of a fellow student and must conduct their own investigation to clear their names. No-brainer:)

THE REMARKABLE JOURNEY OF CHARLIE PRICE

Though I don't read much MG, I had to include this one because it not only sounds amazing, but it's also written by a friend. Jen Maschari was a client of mine years ago when I was a wedding stationer, and we've stayed in touch since I started the blog and we discovered a shared love of all things fiction. I couldn't be more excited for her Balzer + Bray debut to hit shelves in February!