Blog Tour & Review: Her Temporary Hero by Jennifer Apodaca

Her Temporary Hero 

(Once A Marine Series, Bk #2)

by Jennifer Apodaca

Blurb: 
Former beauty queen Becky Holmes and her baby are on the run from her dangerous ex. With her dreams of love and marriage destroyed, she’ll do anything to protect her child…even agree to hide out in her boss’s cousin’s house while he’s away.   Wealthy, sexy, and emotionally haunted Logan Knight needs a temporary wife to get his land, per his dad’s rules. No wife, no inheritance. But when that wife lands on his doorstep and comes with a baby, his darkest memories are triggered. He tries to keep his distance, but his efforts are shattered when he starts to have real feelings for his fake wife and child.   Just as Logan begins to think he may have a future with Becky, his attempt to have it all backfires into a betrayal that forces Becky into a heart-wrenching choice no woman should ever have to make.

Available for purchase at 

   

About the Author 

Jennifer Apodaca is an award-winning author and an unrepentant coffee-and-book addict. She’s written mysteries, romances, paranormals and grocery lists under the names of Jennifer Lyon and Jennifer Apodaca. She loves creating powerfully sexy alpha heroes and the heroines who tame them.

Find Jen at:

         

Viviana's Review: 
I have been waiting for the next book in the "Once A Marine Series" for a while and oh so worth the wait! Couldn't put it down. It had me intrigued the entire time! Jennifer does a fantastic job of writing characters you are not only going to fall in love with but root for them! This is a great series that I highly recommend!

Logan is oh so yummy and to die for! He is just enough Alpha Male without coming across as an ass! LOL He fought for his country and now as a continues to protect and serve. He suffers from PTSD but works through it, acknowledges that he has it and wants to help other soldiers as well. This makes me love him even more!

Becky is a single mother who would do anything to keep her daughter safe! She has put her dreams on hold to raise her daughter as any good mother would do! Unfortunately, she has had a string of bad luck up until meeting Logan.

The two make a great couple! While the time they spend together is short, they do get to know each other and do fall into that "we're friends" mode but you know there's more. Each take the time to learn one another and find out whats important.

Overall a great and quick read! Looking forward to reading more in the series.

Rating: 4 Stars - I LOVED IT! 

Giveaway

$100 Amazon or B&N Gift Card   

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Release Day Blitz: Deep In Death by Colleen Helme

Deep In Death 

(A Shelby Nichols Adventure #6)

By Colleen Helme

Blurb: 

Running “errands” for her mob-boss employer, Joey “The Knife” Manetto, often ends with Shelby in trouble, making her cautious about continuing her association with him. Instead, she focuses on a new client who hires Shelby to find her missing mother. What seems like a routine case turns into something more sinister and deadly than she ever imagined. In the meantime, Uncle Joey has summoned Shelby to his office, where she runs into her former nemesis. Shelby inadvertently hears something that makes her fear for the lives of Uncle Joey and his hit-man, Ramos. This time, Uncle Joey is not sure he wants to involve Shelby in something he knows could get her killed. Keeping Shelby’s involvement to a minimum has disastrous results, sending Shelby on a dangerous path. As her investigation unfolds, Shelby finds death at every turn, and soon realizes she is in over her head. Can she escape from danger in time? Or will she find herself deep in death?

Available for purchase at 

     

Excerpt

“I’m investigating a missing person’s report.” I pulled out my file and opened it up. 

“Her name’s Darcy Shaw, and she went missing about six years ago. Do you think I could look at your files and see if there’s anything I could use?”

Dimples frowned. “From that long ago, it’s probably downstairs in the dead files room. Come on, I’ll show you where they are.”

“Thanks.”

I followed him to the hall and down two flights of stairs to the basement. He opened the door to a room and flipped on the light. Wall-to-wall filing cabinets filled the room, and a stale, musty odor permeated the air. From the smell, I’d guess no one had come down here in a long time, kind of how I imagined it would smell visiting a mausoleum. It seemed colder than normal too, and I realized that all of the files belonged to real people who had disappeared and were probably dead, and no one knew why or how.

“Go ahead and take a look,” Dimples said. “They’re filed alphabetically.”

“Um…yeah, okay.” I hesitated, not wanting to venture further into the room. It was so cold and dank that it kind of gave me the creeps. But I only needed one file. 

That wouldn't take long.

“When you’re done, come on back up and I’ll fill you in on a case I could use your help with.” Dimples was thinking he was anxious to leave me to it, not because he had a lot to do upstairs, but because the room had kind of a weird vibe that he didn't like.

“You’re leaving me here alone?” I blurted.

“What? You’re not scared are you?” He scoffed. “It’s just a room with files in it. 

There aren't even any guns or crazy killers down here.”

“Oh fine,” I said, still hesitating in the doorway and wishing I hadn't heard that part about the weird vibe.

“You want me to stay?” He folded his arms and raised his brow in challenge.

“Of course not,” I said. “Like you said, I’ll be fine.”

“Good. Hey…if one of those files attacks you…I’m right up-stairs if you need me.”

“Ha, ha.”

He chuckled and left. I shook my head and hurried over to the cabinets. As I found the cabinet with “S through T” on it, the door clicked shut behind Dimples, sealing me in. It was deathly quiet. The only sounds in the room came from me. My breathing and the shift of my feet echoed from the walls, magnifying each tiny breath and movement I made.

An unexplained sense of urgency rolled over me. I was alone in an enclosed space that seemed to get smaller the longer I stood there. A sudden stab of dread tightened my stomach, and my hands shook a little. It was mostly thoughts of the lights going out and leaving me in total darkness that did it. If Bates knew I was here, I wouldn't put it past him to do that to me, and I wanted out of this creepy place as fast as I could.

With renewed effort, I scanned the labels until I came to the right drawer and yanked it open. I quickly leafed through the folders and caught my breath to actually find the file. I swallowed with relief and pulled the bulky file out. Pursing my lips together, I set it on top of the other folders and opened it up checking to make sure it was the right one.

A larger version of the same picture I’d received from Tiffany stared back at me. Her eyes held a haunting mixture of sadness and foreboding, and goose bumps broke out along my arms. A sudden chill ran up my spine and my heart picked up speed. All at once, it felt like I wasn’t alone, and someone was standing right there beside me. I froze. I didn’t believe in ghosts, but I didn’t dare look either.

My mouth went dry and I hardly dared to take a breath. Glancing back down at the picture, I felt something cold and feather-like brush against my cheek. I inhaled sharply. It came a second time and I jerked my face away, hunching my shoulders to my neck with fear. “I…I’ll try and find out what happened to you,” I croaked. The chill intensified, then suddenly fell away in a cool breeze, leaving the scent of flowers behind, which I recognized as the distinct smell of gardenias.

With my heart racing, I grabbed the file and slammed the drawer shut, then raced out of the room as fast as I could. In my haste, I left the light on, but I was too scared to go back and turn it off. The smell of gardenias stayed with me all the way up the stairs, but disappeared as I entered the office. With my chest heaving, I hurried over to Dimples’ desk and sat down, rubbing my cold arms.

About the Author

 A long career as a wife and mother while juggling several part-time jobs gave Colleen the ambition to dream of being a published author, where she could put her imagination to good use. Now instead of making up stories to tell her children, she writes books they love to read. Hopefully you will too. She is the author of three romantic fantasy novels, Songbird, Flame of Destiny and The Relic. Her Shelby Nichols Adventures include Carrots, Fast Money, Lie or Die, Secrets That Kill, and Trapped By Revenge coming soon!

You can find Colleen here:

         

Presented By

Temp Me Tuesday with Mad Hatter Reads 7/22/2014

 

Happy Tuesday Everyone!!!! I'm hanging out with The Mad Hatter today!! She's sharing her Tempt Me Tuesday with us! 

I've been waiting somewhat patiently for my biggest temptation this week…Jennifer Estep’s Poison Promise. I did manage to find a few other temptations for us as well while I catch up on the latest adventures of my favorite Elemental Assassin. Do any of them grab your attention this week? Let me know or let me know what I’m missing!

 

Demons by K.F. Breene

Demons, #4 (Releases July 21, 2014)

It’s been a long road, but Sasha has finally claimed her role as the least knowledge mage in history. She’s also acquired a new, incredibly grumpy bodyguard, and a spunky new BFF. With her team by her side, she learns the ropes of this new profession.

Her experience level is about to be fast-tracked, however.

On a routine trip to check out a perimeter breach, she encounters a hideous demon called by an experienced magic worker. It is this terrifying discovery that unlocks a deeper problem: Stefan’s troubled past and the reason he gravely mistrusts the Mata.

While Sasha struggles to fight the physical demons, Stefan struggles to fight the demons of his past. If he fails, his future in Sasha will be lost.

 

One Past Midnight by Jessica Shirvington

For as long as she can remember, Sabine has lived two lives. Every 24 hours she Shifts to her ′other′ life - a life where she is exactly the same, but absolutely everything else is different: different family, different friends, different social expectations. In one life she has a sister, in the other she does not. In one life she′s a straight-A student with the perfect boyfriend, in the other she′s considered a reckless delinquent. Nothing about her situation has ever changed, until the day when she discovers a glitch: the arm she breaks in one life is perfectly fine in the other.

With this new knowledge, Sabine begins a series of increasingly risky experiments which bring her dangerously close to the life she′s always wanted... But just what - and who - is she really risking?

 

Poison Promise by Jennifer Estep

Elemental Assassin, #11

In book eleven of her New York Times bestselling Elemental Assassin series, author Jennifer Estep continues “one of the best urban fantasy series going on the market” (Fresh Fiction).

Gin Blanco is hard-nosed, sexy, and lethal. Nicknamed “The Spider,” she’s a stone elemental assassin who brings her unique mix of magic and tact to every assignment, no matter the target.

There’s a new drug on the streets of Ashland, and its name “Burn” sums up the potent effect it has on its users. When one of her restaurant employees is threatened by dealers of the drug, Gin steps in to set things straight.

 

Strange and Ever After by Susan Dennard

Something Strange and Deadly, #3

In the conclusion to the trilogy that Publishers Weekly called “a roaring—and addictive—gothic world,” Eleanor Fitt must control her growing power, face her feelings for Daniel, and confront the evil necromancer Marcus...all before it’s too late.

He took her brother, he took her mother, and now, Marcus has taken her good friend Jie. With more determination than ever to bring this sinister man to justice, Eleanor heads to the hot desert streets of nineteenth-century Egypt in hopes of ending this nightmare. But in addition to her increasingly tense relationships with Daniel, Joseph, and her demon, Oliver, Eleanor must also deal with her former friend, Allison, who has curiously entangled herself in Eleanor’s mission.

With the rising dead chomping at her every move and Jie’s life hanging in the balance, Eleanor is convinced that her black magic will see her through to the bitter end. But there will be a price. Though she and the Spirit Hunters have weathered every battle thus far, there will be consequences to suffer this time—the effects of which will be irreversible. And when it’s over, only some will be able to live a strange and ever after.

Susan Dennard will leave readers breathless and forever changed in the concluding pages of this riveting ride.

 

The Stolen by Bishop O'Connell

An American Faerie Tale

Tonight, for the first time in over a century, a mortal child will be kidnapped by faeries.

When her daughter Fiona is snatched from her bed, Caitlin's entire world crumbles. Once certain that faeries were only a fantasy, Caitlin must now accept that these supernatural creatures do exist—and that they have traded in their ancient swords and horses for modern guns and sports cars. Hopelessly outmatched, she accepts help from a trio of unlikely heroes: Eddy, a psychiatrist and novice wizard; Brendan, an outcast Fian warrior; and Dante, a Magister of the fae's Rogue Court. Moving from the busy streets of Boston's suburbs to the shadowy land of Tír na nÓg, Caitlin and her allies will risk everything to save Fiona. But can this disparate quartet conquer their own inner demons and outwit the dark faeries before it's too late?

 

Veiled Target by Robin Bielman

Veilers, #1

Never take Fate along on a date. The kiss goodnight could be deadly.

Tracking down Veilers—non humans—is only a sideline for Tess Damon. Vengeance for her fiancé’s murder is her reason for living. But with two botched jobs on her record, if she fails to eliminate her next mark, she’s dead. She’s not afraid to die, but not before she gets even. Too bad fate has a really bad sense of humor.

Hugh Langston, a wolfen half shifter, lives to keep both humans and his pack safe. But when rogue humans kidnap his apprentice, his rescue mission is compromised by a hot-as-hell, kick-ass woman who makes him think only one thing: mine.

Tess tries to ignore her feelings, but temptation trips her up. Especially when Hugh figures out he’s her next target and forces her into an inconvenient alliance that tests all the laws against their attraction. Now, with the line between good and evil getting blurrier by the minute, it becomes clear Tess’s only hope of living to see another day—and finding a murderer—lies with the one man she’s supposed to kill.

Warning: Contains one obscenely hot alpha and the woman who wants to love him before she kills him. Look out for a blind date, scorching sex, humor, lies, and untamable attraction.

Release Day Blitz: Witch Hunter Olivia by T.A. Kunz

Witch Hunter Olivia

By T.A. Kunz

Blurb:

In the town of Piedmont Pointe, where paranormal is the norm, a girl can easily get herself in over her head with a single wrong move. Unfortunately for Olivia Adams, she’s about to make several.

Starting over is never easy, but it seemed like the only option to Olivia. The decision to turn her back on the Guild of Witch Hunters, the very group she devoted her entire life to, was one of the hardest things she ever did. It meant leaving her family, her friends, and her old identity behind forever. Coming to terms with what caused her to abandon her duties in the first place was even harder.

While trying to lay low and stay off the Guild’s radar, Olivia finds herself thrust back into her old ways after unknowingly interrupting an assassination hit on a powerful witch. What follows is the last thing she ever thought she’d agree to do—protect the very thing she was groomed to hunt.

To complicate things even further, Olivia begins to develop feelings for a tattoo artist who also happens to be half warlock, and no matter how hard she tries to fight it, she can’t resist her inescapable draw to him. Olivia’s forbidden relationship isn’t her only issue though, because once the mystery behind the assassination attempt starts to unravel, she’s forced to choose sides when the loyalties still tied to her past life are tested again.

So much for the idea of a fresh start.

Available for purchase at

         

Amazon UK   Amazon AUS

Excerpt

He takes my hands in his before standing up. I feel him pull up slightly, and before I know it, I’m on my feet. My legs wobble and I stumble into his arms. Our faces float near one another and I feel his mouth break into a grin next to my forehead. I pan my eyes up to meet his, and he steadies me again by wrapping his arms underneath mine so I have a chance to catch my balance.

“Whoa, easy.” His breathy whisper has me looking up at him again. “Maybe you should sit back down.”

“No, I’m okay. Really,” I reply, finally able to stand on my own without having to brace myself with the assistance of his strong, muscular arms.

I find myself unable to take my gaze away from his baby blues, and we stand here staring at each other. It’s like I’m seeing Heath for the first time. My heart pounds within my chest, and my palms begin to moisten—both classic signs of attraction. We’re standing here chest to chest, and what I initially thought was my own heartbeat hammering furiously in my ears is actually Heath’s.

He begins to say something, but I interrupt him by bringing my hands up to his razor-sharp jawline and draw his mouth down to mine. The first contact is soft and smooth, like Heath’s lips. He seems hesitant, so I pull back to look at him.

“Something wrong?” I inquire, feeling confused by his apprehension.

“Not at all. It’s just I told myself the next time we kissed, it’d happen after an actual date.”

“Oh … well, what do you call tonight?”

“The strangest date I've ever been on?” he replies before leaning down and locking his lips with mine again. 

Warmth caresses my mouth and works its way up through my cheeks as Heath’s tongue gently maneuvers along with the kiss. His hands travel along my arms before transitioning to the small of my back, leaving trails of heat in their wake. He deepens the kiss while tugging me closer to him. My arms wrap around his neck and prop up on his broad shoulders. I feel like I've been set ablaze as Heath’s hands get antsy and begin searching my body for another resting place.

I gently guide him toward his father’s tattoo chair while maintaining our secure lip lock. When we bump into the chair, Heath laughs softly into my mouth, which only makes me kiss him harder. He eases himself down onto the chair and allows me to straddle his lap, one leg on either side of his hips. His hands run up and down my back underneath my blouse, and the intense heat almost becomes too much to handle. It feels like the sun is beating down on my skin, leaving me slightly burned, but in the best way possible.

Heath hooks his hands around my hips and slides me closer to him as his mouth trails from the crux between my neck and shoulder across my collarbone. He ends at the plunging neckline of my blouse and runs his lips over the entire area before continuing onto the other side. A moan of pleasure seeps out from me when I can’t hold it back any longer. The girth in his pants grows as he grinds into me while never removing his lips from my skin. It inches down his pant leg and rubs against my inner thigh, making me want to strip down and have him inside me right now. The more time that passes, the more it becomes a yearning or desire than just a want to be closer.

About the Author

T.A. Kunz has always had a fondness for reading thrilling mysteries and action-packed urban fantasies. So, it was no surprise when T.A. decided to write stories that they’d fall into one of those two genres. T.A. lives in Central Florida with two fur babies and a mechanical engineer who also happens to be quite the culinary badass, which there are no complaints about. Being a self-diagnosed caffeine addict, many joke that T.A.’s addiction to Starbucks coffee will likely be their downfall later in life.

You can find T.A. at 

         

Presented By

Book Review: Branded (The Cavanaugh Brothers #1) by Laura Wright

Branded
(The Cavanaugh Brothers #1)
By Laura Wright

Blurb: 
In the small town of River Black, Texas, sits the Triple C—a working cattle ranch that sustains the town. But it also holds painful memories and shocking secrets for the Cavanaugh brothers...

When the Cavanaugh brothers return home for their father’s funeral, they discover unexpected evidence of the old man’s surprising double life—a son named Blue, who wants the Triple C Ranch as much as they do. The eldest son, Deacon, a wealthy businessman who couldn't wait to leave the ranch and move on with his life, is looking to use his powerful connections to stop Blue at any cost. He never expected the ranch’s forewoman, Mackenzie Byrd, to get in his way.

Mac knows Deacon means to destroy the ranch and therefore destroy her livelihood. But as the two battle for control, their attraction builds. Now Deacon is faced with the choice of a lifetime: Take down the Triple C to feed his need for revenge, or embrace the love of the one person who has broken down every barrier to his heart.

Available for purchase at 

              

Viviana's Review:

Let me start by saying I LOVE Laura Wright! I'm a huge fan and she's an auto-buy author for me as well! When I first found out she was righting a Western Contemporary Romance, I KNEW it was going to be HOT! And boy was I right!!!

Spotlight Blitz: Happy Pants Cafe by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Three randomly drawn commenters will each received a prize pack of eight autographed paperbacks. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Do YOU Believe in the Pants?

Each summer, thousands secretly flock to a tiny yet charming hole-in-the-wall known as The Happy Pants Café. And what are they searching for? It’s not coffee. And it’s not pants. It’s true love, and they find it!

So what’s with the quirky name and what, exactly, is the café’s big secret? Harper Branton, a columnist for the San Francisco Tribune, who’d sooner believe in unicorns than in true love, is about to find out. And it’s the perfect story to save her train wreck of a career.

Too bad she’s got competition. He’s sexy, he’s arrogant, and he thinks she’s crazy. What kind of person doesn’t believe in love? And this coming from a dude!

When these two rivals go head to head, it's more like a WWF smackdown. A shared history binds them in wonderful, terrible ways quickly making their duel about more than just a news story. Will they tear each other apart for the win or end up as two new satisfied Happy Pants customers?

For an excerpt, as well as a look at the characters and places from the story, visit the author's website.

About the Author:

New York Times and USA Today Best Selling Author, Host of The Man Candy Show

When San Francisco native, Mimi Jean, went on an adventure as an exchange student to Mexico City, she never imagined the journey would lead to writing Romance. But one Mexican MBA, one sexy Mexican husband, and two rowdy kids later, Mimi would trade in corporate life for vampires, deities, and snarky humor. She continues to hope that her books will inspire a leather pants comeback (for men) and that she might make you laugh when you need it most. She also enjoys interacting with her fans (especially if they’re batshit crazy). You can always find her chatting away on Facebook, Twitter, or saying many naughty words on her show MAN CANDY on Radioslot.com.

www.MimiJean.net

http://radioslot.com/

https://twitter.com/MimiJeanRomance

https://www.facebook.com/MimiJeanPamfiloff

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