Thursday, April 30, 2015

How It Was Supposed To Be by Jayson James - Book Blast with Giveaway




Author Name: Jayson James
Book Name: How It Was Supposed to Be
Publisher: Jayson James Books
Cover Artist: Jayson James

Release Date: April 10, 2015
Blurb:

The Kennicott’s were living the carefree life of an upper middle class family.  That was until one day when his father arrives home from work and shares the company he has worked for since he was Reese’s age has gone out of business.  Adding to the stress of being out of work for the worst time is the worst economic downturn the United States has ever faced.  It does not take long for the Kennicotts to fall behind in their bills and lose everything.

Reese Kennicott had everything he could ever want and life was good.  He worked a part time job to have extra money and to socialize.  Now he is working all the hours he can get in order to help his family get by, which isn’t much.  Reese is now dating the guy of his dreams, he along with his friends seem to be the only stable thing going for him.

Hope finally comes with a new job that will take the family across the country.  This means for Reese giving up his lifelong friends, his new boyfriend and life as he’s always known it.  The family takes with them what they can and begins on a road trip to their new life.  Along the way, they encounter several barriers and hope begins to fade.  Each day things look bleaker and the Kennicott’s begin to wonder if they are going to make it to their destination.


Pages or Words:  192 pages

Categories: Gay fiction, M/M Romance, New Adult, Homeless

Excerpt:

A few days later Cruz caught Reese on his way out to the parking lot after school.  He appeared so smug and at the same time seemed so debonair as he approached Reese.  When he was close enough, he looked around, perhaps to make sure there was no one in ear shot.  There was no greeting from Cruz before he asked, Relationship troubles?
He responded, You mean Morgan?  Cruz nodded his head as if telling him duh.  Were only friends.
Oh.  Cruz shrugged, So hes not gay then?
No hes not gay.   Reese did not feel it was his place to share Morgans bisexuality.
Cruz stared at him, only perpetuating Reeses discomfort.  Youre gay though?
Yes.  Youre gay too?  He figured fair was fair.
Nodding in agreement, Cruz asked, Do you have a boyfriend?
No.  Reese was feeling as if he was being sized up added, I hear you dont either.  Cruz was silent, glancing away and yawning, appearing disinterested in the conversation.  Reese decided that hed better make his move, You want to go out sometime?
Cruz turned toward him and seemed to be thinking over his response.  Reese smiled feeling hopeful and then concerned he might be coming off as desperate.  Cruz nodded, That would be fine by me.   Then he turned to walk away without saying another word.
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About the author:

Jayson James - The Author

I have a horrible time when it comes to writing about myself.  It is not that I have low self-esteem, but the fact that I am not comfortable talking about myself. 

For most of my life, I have been writing and sharing it with my friends.  They have repeatedly told me I needed to publish my writing and share it with the world. Now that I have, I am amazed at how many people admire it.

My interests beyond writing include reading a variety of books, watching movies and drawing.

I truly appreciate all the support and encouragement from my friends, family, and you. I am so thankful to your support!

Keep on reading! I am always interested in hearing about what people are reading, especially if it is something I have written.
Thank you for reading and letting me know what you think of my writing!

Where to find the author:



Tour Dates & Stops: April 30, 2015




Rafflecopter Prize: E-copy of ‘How It Was Supposed to Be’ by Jayson James

Vigilante Mine by Cera Daniels - Blog Tour with Review, Excerpt and Giveaway

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Book Title: Vigilante Mine
Author: Cera Daniels 
Genre: Paranormal Romance 
Hosted by: Book Enthusiast Promotions


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Book Blurb

Internal Affairs be damned, Detective Amanda Werner's ditching protocol to hunt the vigilante whose bullet landed her on the bench. But this is no vendetta. Evidence suggests he's the zealot offing corrupt public officials--the same zealot who's promised to set the city ablaze by week's end--and she'll risk her career and her life to save her hometown. Too bad she can't find anything stronger than Kevlar to guard her heart against her primary suspect: a masked man with a telepathic German shepherd, unstable supernatural hearing, and lips that invite a whole different brand of investigation.

All businessman Ryan McLelas, a.k.a. Klepto, wants is redemption. But even if Amanda could forgive his itchy trigger finger, Ryan still has to convince her that his alter ego's no serial killer. No small task, with syndicate-paid police officers turning up among the dead. He'd better keep his own syndicate ties close to his chest and Amanda even closer, because if Klepto is unmasked while he's hunting the real killer, their passionate affair could mark Amanda as the next dirty cop on the hit list.


excerpt
 

Ryan McLelas's fragmented cochlear implants itched. That was the high point of this cursed little rendezvous. The courier was late, and cheap construction scaffolding—under which Ryan and his dog, Romeo, sought refuge from the autumn downpour—leaked. Rain made the whole damned alley reek of sushi and visibility was minimal, steam curling up from the pavement.
At least his misery meant his brothers were safe tonight, as far away from this “calling” as he could keep them. They'd be warm and dry at the office, monitoring his tech, bickering over women and comparing themselves to comic book superheroes. A pained laugh rumbled in Ryan's chest. Okay, so his alter ego's disguise included a mask. And sure, their heritage meant he could hear across a city block—sometimes. But waiting in the shadows at the edge of town to cut deals with crime syndicates? Definitely not “superhero” material. Slipping drug lords more money to work with? Wrong side of the law for good guys.
He worked off a glove and rubbed his aching temples with chilled fingers.
How long will you give him? I'm hungry,” the German shepherd at his feet whined over their telepathic link. Romeo rolled a loose block of pavement between his paws.
“If it wouldn't trash the ceasefire, I'd let you eat Captain Punctual.” Ryan burrowed his bare hand into the thick, dark ruff of his spirit guide's neck. The courier would arrive. Soon. There could be no other outcome. “We wait.”
The rain slowed to a trickle. Finally, his supercharged ears plucked out a crystalline hiss of shattering glass and the distinct weaving of footsteps.
He sucked in an irritated breath. Better drunk than dead. A dead courier . . . no. Ruthlessly, he smothered the concern. His father had never failed. Ryan wouldn't either.
“Klepto! Bet your sister's gotta pay the johns t'get some action,” the courier slurred.
Romeo shifted, and muted lamplight gleamed in ribbons over his black fur. “He wouldn't make much of a meal.
His tongue lolled out of his mouth in a sly grin Ryan echoed mentally, but then the dog shook his entire body free of water. Cursing, Ryan swiped his palm over a faceful of rain. There had to be a point where this night stopped going wrong.
As if the universe heard—and laughed—his ears caught static from a distant police radio.
Tension ratcheted up his spine. This deal meant another half-year of peace among the two most powerful crime syndicate families in Relek City. The prickling in his head intensified as he pulled on his gloves. This ceasefire was paramount. Without it, innocent lives would . . . He ground his teeth. Police interference wasn't any more an option than a dead courier.
“Cops are close,” he growled. “Make this quick.” He buried his doubt under Klepto's arrogance even as he stalked into the alley. All teeth, Romeo edged out beside him.
“Don't be rushin' me, Klepto.” Soaked by the earlier downpour, the syndicate courier huddled in an oversized coat that likely hid multiple knives, as well as a gun. The smell of alcohol-borne courage tangled with the lingering odor of fish carcasses. He sneered at the dog. “Which one o' you ugly mutts has the dough?”
Ryan crossed his arms, dangling a bag from his fingers. “The information better be dry.”
A small device sealed in plastic sailed through the air and smacked the toe of one of his combat boots. He summoned Romeo to check it and kept his gaze fixed on the courier. Would booze make him belligerent enough to pull a weapon on Klepto? Stupid enough to try to walk away with both the information and the cash? Ryan flexed his hands, feeling the promise of adrenaline. Please be stupid.
Micro USB,” Romeo confirmed. “Water-proofed.
Ryan sent approval through their mental connection. If it's not all there, we'll make a quiet return visit. After the ceasefire was secure.
Romeo's bared teeth flashed wider.
“Tell your boss the Jones Group sends its regards.” He tossed the bag of cash.
The drunkard caught it. Ryan narrowed his eyes. Sober. Acting. He bent to scoop up the USB key as if unconcerned about making himself a target. But he listened. Zipper teeth clicked. Fingers ruffled stacks of unmarked bills. The pouch closed at high speed and when Ryan slipped the USB key into his pocket his ears snagged on the slide of metal on fabric. Belligerent and stupid. He smiled.
Romeo let out a guttural warning bark.
“Dumb mutt.” The courier's blade flashed low in the streetlamp.
No one attacked his dog. Ryan dashed forward and slammed his hand around the courier's arm. He squeezed, grim satisfaction in the way his gloved fingers dug into muscle. The other man squeaked like one of Romeo's plush toys.
“Next time, your guts line the street.” Ryan let his arm drop and waved Romeo aside.
Resentment scored the courier's face, but he took the cash and vanished into alley shadows. Waiting for the now-sober footsteps to fade, Ryan rubbed behind his spirit guide's ears in silent praise.
Romeo glanced up. “You are projecting pain.
“Just frustration. The weather,” Ryan assured him, though the itching in his head continued to grow. He stifled another urge to massage his temples.
White noise filters on his earpiece held his power in check. They were stable now, no extra vibration to irritate the remnants of hardware in his head. No reason for pain in the area where, before his teens, he'd had discrete—fully installed—cochlear implants. He growled inwardly. Focusing on it made it worse. He'd have Zach tune-up his tech at the office.
He tapped on the combo mic, speaker, and noise reduction device hooked over his ear. “Find me a way home, boys. Law's on the street tonight.”
“Aye, aye, Mr. President.” Jay, his youngest brother, sounded far too chipper.
He shoved both hands into his trench coat pockets and turned away from the alley. “How much diesel-sludge have you had to drink?”
“Coffee? What am I on, Zach? Three?”
Ryan grunted. “Pots?”
Zach barked a laugh over the speaker. “Hey, few more gigs like this, you're gonna wish you partook.” Already an insomniac, the middle McLelas brother didn't share Jay's hard-on for caffeine, but his response was overly bright.
“Normal people function just fine without it.” Ryan shook his head. Morning board meetings at McLelas Financial were a trial, but he'd never admit it to these two.
“Normal?” Zach let out a snort. “Making chummy with the local bads is normal, bro?”
Footsteps, cautious and from the same direction the courier used to retreat, brushed his hearing. A retort froze in Ryan's throat. Criminals on these streets were bold, not careful. The cops. His gut clenched. The cash would be confiscated, the man behind bars. Dead, when a rival syndicate got to him in lockup. Failure. He closed his eyes. Unless the courier returned with the money, alive—tonight—he could kiss the ceasefire goodbye. Blood would fill the streets by noon.
Run interference, Romeo. Ryan backed under a fire escape. Tap. The first nudge to his earpiece kicked off the microphone and the feed from his brothers. Tap. A single layer of white noise down. The barest exertion of power. He sucked in a deep breath.
Then he opened his ears.
Ambient notes spun out around him like strokes on a canvas, draping the streets in mellow electrical humming, scurried movements of insects, innocent and guilty whispers behind walls, windows, closed doors. A block to the left the express rail wobbled along its tracks, brakes squealing before the S-curve. Skirting the edge of his range, Ryan could hear the Shaw Family's sniper of choice—crazy bastard—on a rooftop somewhere flirting with a tranq dart. One by one, Ryan rapidly sorted the early morning sounds, shoving each audible thread aside until he found the footsteps again.
Slow, light, churning loose grit and broken glass.
“10-4, Dispatch,” a man's voice said. His footsteps were heavier than his partner's.
Only two. Easy to divert. Ryan exhaled hard. “Gotcha.”
His enhanced hearing settled against its buffers as he bolted toward the officers. Hitting the corner, he shot a look around the crumbling brick wall, then up, scanning for snipers. Some of his tension eased. No extra shadows dotted the skyline. He eyed his nearest target.
Curves. Tight jeans. A woman, the Glock in her hands aimed and locked straight ahead. Plainclothes, maybe. But not undercover; openly using the radio. Ryan moved his gaze past her and swallowed a curse. He was too late. They had the courier pinned in a dead end.
Romeo, where are you? No answer. His chest squeezed. Bad time to go AWOL, furface.

“Relek City PD. Turn around nice and slow,” the female officer clipped out. Her voice was low and husky, like a jazz singer swirled with a shot of Jameson.


4.5 out of 5 stars

I'll admit I was a bit hesitant to try a new to me author with an urban fantasy story. Vigilante Mine has some of my favorite elements to an urban fantasy; a dystopian-esque society, an urban fantasy setting, no real super powers more enhanced/genetically mutated powers, and a subtle romance. I was very surprised when I realized that the story had sucked me in completely and I didn't want to put it down. 

Ryan McLelas and his brothers Jay, and Zach seemed to steal right into my mind and make me want to read more and more about all of them. I thoroughly enjoyed the semi-super hero powers that each of them had along with their Spirit Animals that helped enhance each of their abilities. I will say that the missing half star for Vigilante Mine is because there is a decided lack of backstory on the three McLelas men and their powers and also on Klepto that really needed to be there to fill out the story. That is one element of an urban fantasy or even a paranormal romance that I feel is a must, particularly in a first book in the series. I hope to see more of the backstory shared in Jay and Zach's books just to give that completeness to the stories. 

I enjoyed the concept of the spirit animals and absolutely loved that the focus was on Romeo, who is Ryan's Spirit Animal. The interaction between Romeo and Ryan, and Romeo and Amanda had me laughing in quite a few spots, even with the seriousness they dealt with during the story. I also liked the interaction between Ryan and Amanda, and Klepto and Amanda. 

Overall this was a good first book in a new series that will leave you wanting more. I for one can't wait to get my hands on the second book in the series when it's released. I highly recommend this one for fans of Jaye Well's Sabina Kane series, or Patricia Brigg's Alpha & Omega series. 




Meet the Author


Cera Daniels

Cera Daniels writes paranormal, science fiction, and steampunk romance. Sometimes behind the same cover. Her heroes are broken, her worlds are crumbling, but the love her characters find amidst the chaos stands on an unshakable foundation. Cera lives in South Carolina with her husband, daughter, a cat who thinks he's a human, a cat who thinks she's a dog, and a lizard who thinks he's a cat. Unlike the animals in the Relek City series, none of Cera's pets appear to be telepathic.


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Two of Hearts by Christina Lee - Excerpt Reveal and Pre-Order Links


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Meet Dakota & Shane in this standalone second romance!

Pre-order NOW!


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Blurb

A gripping standalone adult contemporary romance about finding yourself while taking a second chance at your first love...

Dakota Nakos was always the resilient, strong-willed achiever. But when her father dies and she's entrusted with the family's casino, she feels vulnerable, scared, and more than a little emotional --not exactly the best time to see an old lover she's never really gotten over.

Dakota once meant the world to Shane Garrity. Then suddenly he left town to train as a U.S. Marshal, and their love for each other crashed into a memory. Now he's come home for her father's funeral, and one look at the girl he left behind stirs up both memories and regrets, and reignites a fire he feared he'd lost forever.

Dakota may be the same driven girl she always was, but she's also changed in ways neither could have anticipated. She's not just a young woman searching for own identity in the Native American community in which she was raised, but one questioning her new life outside her father's shadow. Above all she wonders if Shane can push past her weakened defenses to rekindle what they once had, or whether the intense blaze between them will ultimately reduce her heart to ashes.



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Excerpt
I didn’t know what I was expecting; it was awkward enough trying to understand what was happening between us. I had no idea what was going through his head or where we stood after he had kissed me out on my balcony and then crowded me in my office before the luncheon. Besides, I had made it clear that it was bad timing for us to restart our relationship. Too bad I couldn’t get him out of my mind for even one second.

And now his mouth was hot and wet, his tongue was deep in my mouth, the pressure of his body hard and soft at the same time. I moaned and sunk further into his warmth.

“Wait,” I said, breaking away from the kiss. I needed to get some things straight between us before I lost myself in Shane completely. “We need to talk about this afternoon. How much of my conversation with Ridge did you hear?”

“Enough to know that I’m not in this alone. You had regrets, too,” he said. “You still want me. Just like I want you.”

I tucked my head into his shoulder, unable to deny anything he’d said.

“No more waiting, angel.” His fingers were at the base of my neck, his other hand gripping my ass, pulling me in tight. “I can’t stay away from you.”

My hand reaching into his hair was the only assent I needed to give. He felt too good to stop now. I had dreamt of being with him again too many times to count.

He’d be leaving town soon, and I’d just have to suffer the consequences.

He hitched up my legs and my thighs easily slid around his waist. His lips were solid and bruising; he fixed me firmly against the wall, delicious sounds emerging from his throat.

His eyes darted down to my breasts, which had hardened into stiff peaks, and his shoulders became rigid. “That’s my shirt, Dee. You’ve had it this whole time?”
I nodded, too filled with lust to feel mortified. “I wear it every night.”
“Fuck baby, you’ve been wearing my shirt?” he groaned. “Goddamn, I’m even harder now.”


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Author Information

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Mother, wife, reader, dreamer. Christina lives in the Midwest with her husband and son--her two favorite guys.

She's addicted to lip gloss and salted caramel everything. She believes in true love and kissing, so writing romance novels has become a dream job.

Author of the Between Breaths series from Penguin. ALL OF YOU, BEFORE YOU BREAK, WHISPER TO ME and PROMISE ME THIS available now. Book five in the series, THERE YOU STAND, coming in April, 2015.

Also, her Adult Contemporary Romance, TWO OF HEARTS is releasing on May 5th, 2015.