Review: Talon by Sybil Bartel inc giveway

Talon by Sybil Bartel
(Uncompromising Series, #1) 

Publication date: March 1st 2016
Genres: Adult, Romance

The Blurb

Talon

I surf.
I fuck.
I pretend to smile.

Two years ago my life was perfect, until it wasn’t. I scattered my wife’s ashes then walked away from the Marines. I didn’t think I had anything else to lose.

I was wrong.

The blond showed up at my surf shop, beaten and stabbed. I did what I was trained to do—I stitched her up. I didn’t have a clue who she was and I told myself I didn’t care. Until they came looking for her.

I swore I’d take my last breath before I let anyone else hurt her except I didn’t know she was keeping a deadly secret. Now I had two choices, her life or mine.

Marriage and combat taught me the same thing—I was no one’s hero. And I was about to prove it.

 Goodreads / Amazon / iBooks / Barnes and Noble / Kobo

My Thoughts

Sybil Bartel became one of my favourite authors when I read book one of her Unchecked series, that series looked at the story Blaze Johnson and Layna Blair but the real draw of those books for me was Talon. There was just something about him that had me hooked, that's why when I jumped at the opportunity to be part of Sybil's blog tour for the first book in her Uncompromising series, Talon. Check out the other stops on the blog tour over at Xpresso Book Tours

I must admit that I was a little apprehensive about reading Talon's story, I was still secretly hoping that him and Layna would end up together but I really needed to read more about him and where his future would take him.

We learned from the Unchecked series that Talon is a real ladies man, a love them and leave them type of guy who doesn't care who he hurts. The truth is that Talon was in love once but it ended in tragedy and he has been running from love ever since. But then Nicole walks into his life battered and bruised by her boyfriend and in need of a hero, Talon being an ex-army medic can be the hero that she is looking for. Unfortunately things aren't going to run smoothly and Talon finds himself involved way over his head with a ruthless biker gang. Just how far is Talon prepared to go to protect this woman?

Talon while a follow on from the story of Layna and Blaze can be totally read as as standalone. Sybil brings back some of the characters that we met in the previous two books as well has her brilliant storytelling skills. 

I loved this book and it was so good to see properly the much softer side of Talon that we had seen glimmers of in his relationship with Layna. I will admit to not being too sure on Nicole when she was first introduced but that as Sybil built her character and we learn what has happened to her I really started to feel the connection between Nicole & Talon.

Talon is a fab read that you can lose yourself in for a few hours - it's packed with action, suspense and the right amount of heat. I definitely recommend giving it a try & see if you end up being on Team Talon just like me.

About The Author

Sybil Bartel grew up in Northern California with her head in a book and her feet in the sand. She dreamt of becoming a painter but the heady scent of libraries with their shelves full of books drew her into the world of storytelling. She loves the New Adult genre, but any story about a love so desperately wrong and impossibly beautiful makes her swoon.

Sybil now resides in Southern Florida and while she doesn’t get to read as much as she likes, she still buries her toes in the sand. If she isn’t writing or fighting to contain the banana plantation in her backyard, you can find her spending time with her handsomely tattooed husband, her brilliantly practical son and a mischievous miniature boxer…

But Seriously?

Here are ten things you probably really want to know about Sybil.

She grew up a faculty brat. She can swear like a sailor. She loves men in uniform. She hates being told what to do. She can do your taxes (but don’t ask). The Bird Market in Hong Kong freaks her out. Her favorite word is desperate…or dirty, or both—she can’t decide. She has a thing for muscle cars. But never reply on her for driving directions, ever. And she has a new book boyfriend every week—don’t tell her husband.

To find out more about Sybil Bartel, be sure to follow her on Twitter (she loves to hear about your favorite book boyfriend!), visit her website, like her on Facebook or join her Facebook group Book Boyfriend Heroes for exclusive excerpts and giveaways.

Twitter /Website / Facebook / Facebook Group / Goodreads

Tour-wide giveaway (INTL)

• $25 Amazon gift card

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Killer Pursuit by Jeff Gunhus inc giveaway

Killer Pursuit by Jeff Gunhus (Allison McNeil) 

Publication date: January 10th 2016
Genres: Adult, Thriller

Stars: 4 ****

The Blurb

When a high-society call girl is murdered in her Georgetown home, investigators find two cameras hidden in the walls of her bedroom. One has its memory erased, presumably by the murderer. The second is connected to the Internet through an encrypted connection…and no-one knows who’s on the other end.

Special Agent Allison McNeil is asked by beleaguered FBI Director Clarence Mason to run an off-the-record investigation of the murder. The most direct path to apprehending the killer is to find the videos, but with rumors that the victim’s client list may have included Mason’s political enemies, Allison worries about the director’s motives. As she starts her investigation, she quickly discovers that she’s not the only one pursuing the videos. In fact, the most aggressive person racing against her might be the murderer himself.

Goodreads / Amazon

My Thoughts

When I read the blurb for Killer Pursuit I didn't realise it was book two in the Special Agent Allison McNeil series, I just liked the sound of it and was happy to be able to be a part of the Killer Pursuit blog tour. Take a look at at the rest of the tour over on Xpresso Book Tours.

Jeff Gunhus immediately throws you into the action within the opening few pages of Killer Pursuit. Special Agent Allison McNeil has been tracking as serial killer and is forced to shoot her superior in the leg in order to save his life and to capture said killer. Alison is fully expecting to be fired when she is summoned to FBI Director Mason's office but instead he asks her to take some leave and conduct a special investigation for him. He wants her to investigate the murder of a high class prostitute who has a long list of influential clients, clients that it turns out she has been videoing in order to blackmail them at a later date. With many of the clients being politicians and no one knowing where the videos have been sent it's a race against time to prevent the impending scandal.

As a reader you are then taken on a journey full of twists and turns as Allison tries to track not only another killer but also the location of the videos. This was a brilliant read with an excellent plot and a fantastic lead character in Allison McNeil. She is a strong and determined individual who doesn't let being a female in a predominantly male world stand in her way, just the kind of female lead I look for in my crime books. 

So yes Killer Pursuit is book two but it can totally be read as a standalone. As soon as I had finished I immediately downloaded the first book Killer Within from Amazon. Jeff Gunhus has a brilliant writing style and I'm also looking forward to reading his YA books as well.

Killer Pursuit is a perfect read for fans of fast paced thrillers packed with plenty of suspense and intrigue.

About The Author

Jeff Gunhus is the author of thriller and horror novels for adults and the middle grade/YA series, The Templar Chronicles. The first book, Jack Templar Monster Hunter, was written in an effort to get his reluctant reader eleven-year old son excited about reading. It worked and a new series was born. His books for adults have reached the Top 100 on Amazon and have been Foreword Reviews Book of the Year Finalists.

After his experience with his son, he is passionate about helping parents reach young reluctant readers and is active in child literacy issues. As a father of five, he leads an active lifestyle in Maryland with his wife Nicole by trying to constantly keep up with their kids. In rare moments of quiet, he can be found in the back of the City Dock Cafe in Annapolis working on his next novel.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Giveaway

Tour-wide giveaway (INTL)

• $50 Amazon Gift Card

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: The Butterfly Code by Sue Wyshynski inc giveaway

The Butterfly Code by Sue Wyshynski 

Publication date: October 15th 2015
Genres: New Adult, Romance, Suspense
Stars: 4 ****

The Blurb

My friends say Hunter Cayman’s dangerous.
They say he's a threat to everyone in town.
I’m not so sure.
As he stands before me in this crowded club with the lights shining around us, I catch something good under Hunter’s dark facade. Something decent and profound.
I don’t know who or what to believe.
But I will find out the truth.

Aeris Thorne is expecting a restful vacation in the remote town of Deep Cove. But on a stormy night, she meets the alluring and mysterious Hunter Cayman, and her life takes an exhilarating turn.

Aeris is both drawn to him and determined to find out what he’s hiding. It’s clear Hunter has found success with the high-security lab on his vast estate. But what Aeris doesn’t know is that he’s tormented by a secret: the truth behind his research.

As he and Aeris are drawn together, the walls he’s built to protect himself threaten to crumble. At the same time, she begins to wonder if she’s found the key to unraveling her own tragic past. When Aeris’s life is threatened, Hunter is forced to make an impossible decision about her future—one that could change everything.

Goodreads / Amazon / B&N

My Thoughts

What grabbed my first about this book is it's striking cover. I loved the use of the black butterfly wings against the white cover. I then read the blurb & I was intrigued plus Hunter Cayman sounded so mysterious I needed to no more. I'm very grateful to Xpresso Book Tours for the copy of The Butterfly Code and to take part in the blog tour. Be sure to check out the rest of the tour here.

This book was a lovely surprise, I really didn't expect the story to go the way it did and to have the sci-fi edge that it had. I love sci-fi and fantasy though so that added element was a real bonus for me. 

The story centres around Aeris Thorn, a musician who has returned home to spend time with her father before she starts her dream job of playing with the New York Philharmonic. Her quick trip home soon turns into a nightmare when she meets Dr Hunter Cayman and becomes tangled in a web of intrigue and left wondering how it all connects to her mother and how much is her father involved in the strange goings on.

The Butterfly Code has a clever and unique plot and I really enjoyed Wyshynski's storytelling, she had me hooked right from the beginning needing to know how things were going to turn out. I flew through the book totally immersed in the story and fully engaged with the characters. Aeris was a brilliant character, she was driven and determined and made a wonderful protagonist. Hunter Cayman was well written as the tall dark stranger with elements of mystery and danger about him.

I don't really want to say too much more about the book as I am concerned about giving away plot details and spoiling it for those yet to read it. Wyshynski did a wonderful job of pulling together mystery and fantasy, throwing in the paranormal with criminal elements all things that I love in a book and for that reason I will certainly be reading more from this author. The Butterfly Code was action packed from start to finish and I feel that it is a book that is suitable for wide audience. I'm really pleased to see that this is the first in a series as I'm looking forward to seeing where the authors takes the characters in the next book.

About The Author

Sue Wyshynski is a small town Canadian girl who moved to the United States to pursue the American dream. Sue grew up in the same place as musician Justin Bieber. Her last name is pronounced wish-in-ski.

Sue’s style has been described as immersive, emotional, and action-packed.

According to Sue, “Writers must do more than write; they must try to speak to the hearts of the world.”

The Butterfly Code, coming this fall, is Sue’s first New Adult romantic suspense.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Giveaway

Tour-wide giveaway (US/CAN)

• A two-tone, heavy duty cotton book/shopping bag

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Save Me From Myself by Stacey Mosteller (Nashville NIghts)

 

Nashville Nights Boxed Set by Stacey Mosteller 

Published by: Swoon Romance
Publication date: November 27th 2015
Genres: New Adult, Romance

Stars: 4 ****

Save Me From Myself(Book 1)

The Blurb

Tragedy and betrayal sent her running…

And now she’s starting over far away from the person she used to be.

Lyric Hayes tried to be the perfect daughter and the perfect girlfriend, but those days are over. She’s ready to begin again with a vow to herself: no relationships, no complications, and no turning back.

Easier said than done…


Confident, successful, and charming David Pearson makes her vow nearly impossible. He has it all, and David knows better than anyone not to judge someone by what’s on the surface. Wanting to own her heart, he’ll do anything to gain her trust and save her from herself. But David’s family could have secrets and baggage of their own, which could send Lyric packing and on the run once again. Is his past just another version of a song Lyric has heard before?

My Thoughts

I am always drawn to any book with a Nashville setting so I jumped at being part of the blog tour for Stacey Mosteller's Nashville Nights series. So far I've only read book one but not long after starting Save Me From Myself I could see that Nashville Nights is a series I could quickly become addicted too.

So Save Me From Myself is a little different from all the other Nashville based books that I've read because the lead characters are not musicians looking to make it big in Country music. Lyric Hayes has moved to Nashville in order to start a new life, leaving her family including a difficult ex-fiance and a witch of a mother behind in New York. She has found a job with a magazine in Nashville and moved in with her best friend and the last thing on her mind is finding love.

Unfortunately(or fortunately) for Lyric not long after arriving in Nashville she meets hot and handsome as hell bartender David who turns her world totally upside down. There is an immediate connection between the two of them that Lyric tries very hard to fight but it's a fight that she loses when David gets right under her skin. Before leaving New York, Lyric had suffered a personal tragedy that left had left her reeling and unable to see how she could ever be in another relationship. David has a history of his own so can the two of them survive all the curve balls that are going to be thrown their way including Lyric's ex turning up in Nashville and David's sister blackmailing Lyric to keep her secret.

Save Me From Myself, was a brilliant read. It was entertaining, offered some light relief but was also packed full of emotion, angst and some very steamy sex scenes. It took me a while to get used to Lyric's name, I mean who on earth calls their child Lyric but actually the more I learned of her mother I could see exactly who called their child Lyric. I loved Lyric and Stacey's writing really helped me feel her heartbreak and the pain that she had endured, I found myself really rooting for her to get her happy ending.

David is the perfect book hero. He's handsome, he's charming, he has a wonderful Southern drawl, he's hot and above all he really cares for Lyric and does what he can to protect her. As soon as Stacey Mosteller introduced him to the story I found myself thinking now where can I get me one of him. I enjoyed seeing the way the relationship plays out between Lyric and David and that Stacey holds back just enough of both their back stories to keep you interested.

Save Me From Myself features some great secondary characters that help add to both the humour and the drama and I'm looking forward to finding out more about some of them in the next Nashville Nights book. I'd highly recommend this series to anyone who loves a strong romance with a hint of steam and some really wonderful characters. 

Check out the rest of the Nashville Nights blog tour over on Xpresso Books

Goodreads / Amazon 

About The Author

Stacey is the New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author of Second Chances and Shadows of the Past (co-authored with H.M. Ward), the Nashville Nights, Two Sisters and Nashville U series (coming late 2015 from Swoon Romance).

She is also a wife, mother, writer and self-professed bookwhore – not necessarily in that order! As the mother of three growing boys, her Kindle has become her temporary escape from the insanity of boys, dogs and her husband. Stacey can usually be found curled up with her iPad when she’s supposed to be writing or creating endless Spotify playlists!

Author links:

http://staceymosteller.net/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7374732.Stacey_Mosteller

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorStaceyMosteller?_rdr=p

https://twitter.com/StaceyMosteller

Giveaway:

Tour-wide giveaway (INTL)

• $10 Amazon gift card + eBook copy of the Nashville Nights Boxed Set

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover Crush #2

Every Friday I will be sharing my latest cover crush. A cover that has really caught my eye and made me want to pick the book up.

Little Girl Gone by Alexandra Burt

A baby goes missing. But does her mother want her back?

When Estelle’s baby daughter is taken from her cot, she doesn’t report her missing. Days later, Estelle is found in a wrecked car, with a wound to her head and no memory.

Estelle knows she holds the key to what happened that night – but what she doesn’t know is whether she was responsible…

What I Love?

Sometimes simple is really the best way to go and it's the simplicity I love about the cover for Little Girl Gone. The use of the bright pink title against the black, white and grey of the rest of the cover really make it pop.

The book has a great tagline and the use of the shadow birds and cot add an element of mystery.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Quotes I Loved From Books I Read In The Past Year Or So

Top Ten Tuesday is an original weekly meme created over at The Broke and the Bookish. 

I'm always highlighting favourite quotes especially when reading books on my Kindle because it is so much easier to highlight on Kindle.

Here are ten of my favourites from the last year.

“Sometimes you make choices in life and sometimes choices make you.” 
― Gayle Forman, If I Stay

“I'm a sociopath. I look normal, but I'm not. I'm smarter, better, and freer, because I'm not bound by rules, law, emotion or regard for you.” 

― Lisa Scottoline, Every Fifteen Minutes

“These were the names she whispered in the dark.
These were the pieces she brought back into place.
These were the wolves she rode to war.” 
― Ryan Graudin, Wolf By Wolf

“As you grew up, when you were grown, totally unknown to yourself, you confused your father with God. You never saw him as a man with a man’s heart, and a man’s failings—I’ll grant you it may have been hard to see, he makes so few mistakes, but he makes ’em like all of us.” 
― Harper Lee, Go Set a Watchman

“...I knew in the end the guilt of one side did not prove the innocence of the other.” 
― Sara Nović, Girl at War

“As I turned the pages, I felt as if there were bees on my fingertips, for I had never felt so alive as when reading.” 

― Alice Hoffman, The Marriage of Opposites

“And that’s how I thought of love. Blue and infinite, clear but deep, where no man could truly reach. A deep blue eternity.” 
― Natasha Boyd, Deep Blue Eternity

You're looking at me like you fell in love with me."
"I didn't fall in love with you. I flew.” 
― Colleen Hoover, Ugly Love

“Death has its beauty. It makes you see the eternity in every second; it makes you see every moment’s perfection instead of searching an eternity for the perfect moment. Time moves differently—beautifully—for those who only have smidgens of it left. But there is no beauty in death for those left behind.” 
― Layla Hagen, Withering Hope

“Happy was my adopted country, not my native land. I was still bracing to be expelled without warning.” 
― Kimberly McCreight, Where They Found Her

Cover Crush #1

I love book covers. It's the first thing that attracts me to a book, the thing that makes me want to pick it up and read the blurb on the back. I can spend ages browsing the shelves of a bookshop or library taking in the beauty of book covers.

They say don't judge a book by it's cover but unfortunately it's something I just can't help. Every Friday I'm going to highlight a favourite book cover or a cover that has caught my eye for it's sheer beauty. A cover that has me crushing on a book.

The Saffron Trail by Rosanna Ley

Once, there was a girl who loved saffron. She loved its secrets, its mystery, and best of all, she loved its hint of magic.

After the death of her beloved mother, Nell travels from rural Cornwall to the colour and chaos of Marrakech. Her marriage may be on the rocks, but exploring the heady delights of Moroccan cuisine could help her fulfil her dream of opening her own restaurant.

It's there she meets Amy - a young photographer trying to unravel the story behind her family's involvement in the Vietnam War. The two women develop a close friendship and discover a surprising connection between their own pasts.

This connection will take Nell and Amy on a journey to find their own 'saffron trail' - from the labyrinthine medina and bustle of Moroccan bazaars all the way back home to Cornwall and to the heart of their families' origins.

What I Love?

This cover uses the MOST gorgeous colours - from the blues of the sky to the purples in the water. The landscape image with it's reflection on the water draws you in and the vibrancy of the woman's dress makes you focus on the woman and wonder who she is and what's her story.

I love the font that is used for the title and the colour really makes it stand out on the cover. The flowers in the bottom corners of the cover are so pretty and purple which is my favourite colour. This book definitely looks like a book I can escape into.