BLOG TOUR REVIEW, EXCERPT, GUEST POST & GIVEAWAY: Havoc (Mayhem #4)

Havoc (Mayhem #4), by Jamie Shaw
Publish Date: February 21, 2017
Publisher: Avon Impulse
Format: e-ARC, provided by the author
Genre: new adult contemporary romance
To Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Rating: 5 STARS

(Synopsis) When Hailey Harper left her family farm to enroll in veterinary school, she had a plan: keep her head down, ace her classes, and most importantly… don’t upset the uncle paying her tuition. Translation? Don’t piss off his dramatic, self-absorbed daughter, Danica, even if she’s a nightmare to live with.

Falling in love with her cousin’s rock star ex-boyfriend was definitely not part of the plan.
As the drummer of a now-famous rock band, Mike Madden could have any girl he wants. He’s sweet, funny, romantic, talented—and the only guy that’s ever made Hailey’s heart do cartwheels in her chest. The more she gets to know him, the harder she falls, but Hailey knows they can never be more than friends… because Danica wants him back, and she’ll fight dirty to win.

Mike is falling for Hailey too, but Danica’s threats and his rock star life—music video shoots, international tours, obsessed fans—could tear them apart before they’ve even begun. Hailey isn’t sure she’s the one for him, but Mike’s waited years for a girl like her… and he’ll do anything to prove it.

Talk about ending a series on the right note. In the fictional rock group The Last Ones to Know, we've met all the other members of the band. Adam, the lead singer, is the leader of the group. Joel, the rhythm guitarist, is the fun one. Shawn, the lead guitarist, is the brains of the operation. But Mike - Mike Madden, the drummer - he's the heart. 

Back in high school, Mike had a girlfriend who was his everything. But, Danica left him for greener pastures. Now that he's made it big, Danica is back and looking to reconnect with Mike and share his spotlight. Mike, being the sweet guy that he is, gives it a go. I mean, he's been hung up on her - or rather, the idea of her - for years. But, he didn't plan on her cousin Hailey being along for the ride. 

In the history of mean girls, there has never been one more awful than Danica. She is superficial, narcissistic, spoiled and hateful. She entered college just so she could get back together with Mike - not to get an education. But, Hailey, whose family doesn't have much money, is sent along with Danica to babysit her. Despite what an awful job that is, it comes with some undeniable perks. Her uncle is paying for all of her school expenses. And getting a degree and a good job that will help out her family is all Hailey cares about. So, she puts up with Danica's constant verbal abuse for the greater good. 

And Mike puts up with Danica because he feels he owes it to himself to explore this relationship that he has had up on a pedestal for so long. Now, this larger-than-life girl from his memories is back, and he wants to honor them by giving it a real try. 

Seriously - could Hailey and Mike be any more perfect for one another? Their martyr complexes are unbelievable. But, that's the wonderful thing about Havoc - in each other, they find a safe place. Someone around whom they can relax and laugh and be themselves. They can eat pizza, drink beer and play video games. They don't have to walk on eggshells for fear of setting off a bomb. Their existence in each others' lives becomes as necessary as air. 

Which is a problem for Hailey, since Mike is her evil cousin's boyfriend. Even when she tries to put distance between them, she and Mike keep finding ways to come back together. Never have I ever wanted to see a mean girl get put in her place and a couple truly meant for each other to have their big moment. 

There are so many incredibly satisfying moments in Havoc. Every time Mike and Hailey share a meaningful glance. Every time one of them helps the other out. Every time they find a way to be together despite Danica's constant presence - it feels like winning a big game. It's those moments that made Havoc such a fantastic book. Jamie Shaw gives us these winning moments here and there so that we're not so constantly frustrated by Danica's scheming. 

Since Havoc is the final book in this series, there's lots of time spent with the other band members and their girlfriends. The very end was so unbelievably perfect - it really put the exclamation point on the series as a whole. THIS is how a finale is done.

MEET THE HERO—MIKE MADDEN

Readers fell in love with drummer Mike Madden from the very first book in this series, MAYHEM, when it became clear that he wasn’t like the rest of the guys in the band: Mike never took advantage of the fact that groupies were throwing themselves at his feet; instead, he was always waiting for “the one.” Mike had his heart broken back in high school, when his band was just starting to pave their way in the music industry, but that never damaged his belief in true love. He was never looking for a one-night stand—he was looking for his future wife, the woman he would spend the rest of his life with. He waited for her through RIOT, he waited for her through CHAOS, and he finally meets her in HAVOC, when he finds Hailey Harper waiting with her cousin outside of his tour bus.

The fact that her cousin is his ex-girlfriend—the same one who broke his heart in high school and now wants him back—complicates things... a lot. But no one ever said Happily Ever Afters came easy...

At a door near the back corner of the room, my fun-loving cousin marches right up to the first security guard she sees, who also happens to be approximately five zillion times her size, with muscles made of stone and a face to match. “Who do I need to talk to to get backstage?”
At her bossy tone, Muscle-man lifts an eyebrow. “The Easter Bunny?”

“Excuse me?”

“No one’s allowed backstage.” The arms he crosses over his chest warn that he isn’t messing around.

“I’m with Mike,” Danica lies, and after studying her for a moment, Muscle-man laughs.

“Sure you are.”

“I am!”

When Muscle-man just smiles at her like she’s a petulant child, Danica resorts to acting like one. She demands to see his boss and threatens to get him fired. When that doesn’t work, she resorts to curse words. And when those have no effect, all hell breaks loose.

She’s torpedoing her finger into his chest and shouting something about his inbred gene pool when I try to pull her away from him. But Danica is on a rampage, and all my efforts get me is a hard shove that nearly knocks me on my ass. At five-feet tall, one hundred and three pounds, I’m not exactly in a position to throw my weight around, and I don’t make a second attempt to try. I’m rubbing my tender collarbone when the security guy picks my assailant up off her feet, and I helplessly follow as he carries her outside.

After serving as an armrest for a sweaty gigantor inside the club, after obliterating my eardrums in front of the world’s biggest speakers, after getting knocked around like a bratty child’s toy all night, all I want is to take a hot shower and crawl into my own bed to sleep for a week straight. Instead, I stand on the sidewalk outside of Mayhem, frowning at the furious look on Danica’s face as she glares at the big metal door the security guard just shut behind him.

She came here for one thing, and I know she’s not leaving until she gets it.

“You didn’t have to push me,” I mutter, and her eyes flare.

“You should’ve had my back!”

“And done what? Bite his ankles?”

In her four-inch wedge boots, Danica towers above me. I stare way up at her, trying to remember the girl who played dolls with me up in my parents’ hay loft. But she’s lost somewhere behind fake lashes and fifteen years of getting everything she's wanted.

“You’ve been nothing but a bitch this whole time,” she snaps, and I sigh and pull my shirt away from my skin again, letting the cool night air dry the sweat beaded on my lower back. There’s no point in trying to defend myself. In Danica’s mind, she’s always simultaneously the victim and the hero, and as her non-rent-paying roommate, I’ve learned to just accept that.

I appreciate everything she’s done for me. I do. If she hadn’t been the little voice in her father’s ear, persuading him to fund my schooling and begging him to make some calls to get us enrolled, I’d be home mucking stalls, not following my dreams. Her dad pays all of my bills—my tuition, my insurance, my living expenses, all of them. And while I suspect that Danica’s sudden interest in my life wasn’t entirely genuine—she’d flunked out of college before, and I think her dad was only open to the idea of her going back if she was living off-campus with a responsible roommate, AKA her boring farm-girl cousin—I owe her. I owe her the roof over my head and the massive student loan debt I don’t have.

When her phone rings, she wastes no time dismissing me to answer it. “Katie?” she says. “Guess who just got kicked out of the fucking club. Yes! Because this asshole bouncer wouldn’t let me backstage.” She gives me a dirty look. “Just stood there doing nothing. I know! No, she didn’t even try. Getting a place with her was stupid.”

An icy chill slithers up the back of my neck, and I chew the inside of my lip. Because of my uncle’s insistence that I focus all of my energy on school right now instead of also finding a part-time job, I have no income. My only “job” is not pissing off his daughter. And it’s a job that I’m learning I am very, very bad at.

With my mouth shut, I slink away before my mere presence can enrage Danica further, and when she asks where I’m going, I make up the lamest excuse ever. “To read this flyer over here.”

A resident of South Central Pennsylvania, JAMIE SHAW's two biggest dreams in life were to be a published author and to be a mom. Now, she's living both of those dreams and loving every minute of it. When she's not spending time with her husband and their young son, she's writing novels with relatable heroines and swoon-worthy leading men. With her MS in Professional Writing and a passion for all things romance, her goal is always to make readers laugh, cry, squirm, curse, and swoon their pants off, all within the span of a single story. She loves interacting with readers, and she always aims to add new names to their book boyfriend lists.

Author Links: WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | GOODREADS

a Rafflecopter giveaway

BLOG TOUR REVIEW, GUEST POST & GIVEAWAY: More (The Body Works Trilogy #4)

Sierra Kincade is back with... more from her Body Works series. MORE was an incredible follow-up story about side characters from the original trilogy Mike and Amy. And it was EVERYTHING. Check out my review and a guest post from Sierra Kincade! Don't forget to enter the giveaway!

More (The Body Works Trilogy #4), by Sierra Kincade
Publish Date: December 1, 2016
Publisher: self-published
Format: e-ARC, provided by the author and Jean Book Nerd
Genre: adult contemporary romance
To Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Rating: 5 STARS

(Synopsis) Amy has kept her distance from men after her sleazy ex took everything from her—everything but her daughter, Paisley, whom Amy would do anything to protect. She’s learned to keep her guard up, but it’s getting harder and harder to do around a man like Mike, whose penetrating gaze leaves her speechless. Mike is unlike any man Amy has ever met. He’s patient, kind, a loving father, ripped, and, amazingly, seeming way into her. Still, Amy makes it clear that she has no intention of the two of them being more than friends. But when threats from her past put Paisley in danger, Amy finds that more with Mike just might save her life…and her heart.

Do you have any idea how excited I was when I found out that Sierra Kincade was going to continue her Body Works trilogy so that Mike and Amy's story (which had been hinted at in the original trilogy) was going to finally be told?

And their story was absolutely everything I needed it to be. When the book opens, Amy and her young daughter Paisley are still living in Mike's house with him and his young daughter Chloe, even though the events and the danger that landed them there have passed. The girls love being near each other, and Amy has become comfortable with the living situation. But, the constant sexual chemistry between Mike and her are stressing her out, and Amy's considering moving back to her own place. 

I get why Amy is hesitant to start a relationship with Mike. He, of all people, would be the most dangerous to her. Because if things didn't work out, it wouldn't be only Amy's heart that would take the beating, but her daughter would feel the effects too. And Mike is more than just her roommate. He's her best friend next to Anna. There's a lot at stake, and Amy's not too trusting when it comes to relationships after her last two have been not only disastrous, but dangerously violent. They've not only literally beaten her down, but they've also squashed her self-esteem and Mike seems determined to help her find it again.

Life was hard, and frightening, and sometimes cruel, but she'd endured. And for the first time in a long time, she didn't consider whether or not she was worthy of him. She considered whether he was worthy of her. And he was.

When Sierra Kincade described Mike, I had this picture in my head of Luke Cage:

Talk about hotness on a stick. And on top of that, he's smart (he's going to law school), he's brave and he's good with his hands. Like, REALLY good. Not only that, but he's an amazing dad. And let's face it - that's one of the sexiest parts about him. He's determined to prove to Amy that he is nothing like the last two losers she's involved herself with. It's an uphill battle, but he's patient and focused.

I loved Mike in the first three books because he's a really good friend to Alec and has proven to be loyal. But, in More, my feelings for him moved way beyond love. Seriously, this guy is damn near perfect. But, he has just enough tarnish - because of his former wife - to make him real. And, even though he doesn't show it well, he's carrying some baggage that might threaten the good thing he and Amy could have.

Sierra Kincade does many things well, but creating realistic suspenseful situations that cause our characters to reach inward for strength they didn't know they had - that's her specialty. Although it's not as dark and dangerous as what happened to Anna and Alec, Amy still manages to find herself in some trouble, which is a different sort of tension altogether from what she feels with Mike.

Speaking of Anna and Alec, they show up, and prove to be the best babysitters EVER. Alec having a tea party with a bunch of little princesses is just as swoon-worthy as Mike putting the little girls to bed. Seriously - guard your ovaries, ladies. They're in danger of combusting while you read More.

Amy and Mike's story needed to be told. It wasn't always easy for them, especially given the two precious children in their lives. But, it was SO worth all the trials that they both went through to get to the other side.

What sort of research do you typically do for your books? Specifically for MORE - there are a lot of jobs represented: hair stylist, construction worker, law student, masseuse, single parent. How did you manage to get all the details just right?

Hi Krista!

Research is actually one of my favorite parts of writing a book. In order to make characters authentic and believable, an author needs to be able to imagine them as real people. It’s not just their decisions and reactions that make them real, but the things they encounter in their day-to-day life, like work.

In MORE, Amy’s a hairstylist, and a pretty dang good one. Because the book is from her point of view, I needed to make sure that I got the details of her occupation as close to correct as possible because the reader wouldn’t just see her cutting hair, they’d be in her head as she’s thinking about cutting hair—what to do, how to do it, etc. I believe the best research comes from talking to people, so I interviewed my hairstylist and took notes. She taught me about the different shears she uses, how she applies dye, what beauty school was like, and the logistics of her work, like how she gets paid and uses her station. All of this went into Amy’s character, hopefully not in an overbearing way, but with enough detail to make her job seem legitimate and not fabricated.

The same principles were applied for the other occupations in the book. I interviewed a masseuse for the Body Works series, and even had several massages to get the details right (I know, feel so sorry for me). I interviewed a lawyer friend about her experiences with law school. And though I’m not a single parent, I am a parent, and I see how hard my single parent friends work to provide everything they can for their kids. I hope I captured some of their amazingness in this book, because they impress me every day!

Research is just one of the many parts that goes into writing a book, but it’s one of my favorites. It (hopefully) makes the characters not just real to me, but to you, the reader, too.

Thanks for checking out MORE! Hope you enjoy it!

Sierra Kincade lives in the Midwest with her husband and son. When she’s not writing naughty books, she loves eating chocolate cupcakes, binge-watching cable series, and singing loudly in the car. She wholeheartedly believes that love stories are real, and you should never choose a partner who doesn’t make you laugh.

A few of Sierra’s favorite things:

Bad boys with dirty mouths – English Breakfast tea with two packets of Sugar in the Raw – any movie or show with a choreographed dance routine – cinnamon toast – kids who say funny things – friends who raid her pantry without asking – bootleg jeans – making lists – old Garth Brooks songs – and of course, massages.

WEBSITE: http://www.sierrakincade.com/
TWITTER: @SierraKincade
GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7877331.Sierra_Kincade
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/SierraKincade.author

* 3 Winners will receive an E-copies of The Masseuse by Sierra Kincade
* 1 Winner will receive a Swag Basket (Contains 3 Paperbacks - The Masseuse, The Distraction, and The Confession).

Giveaway is open internationally. Must be 13+ to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

BLOG TOUR REVIEW, GUEST POST & GIVEAWAY: Sweet Surrendering

Welcome to my stop on Chelsea Cameron's Sweet Surrendering blog tour, organized by Inkslinger PR. As part of the tour, Chelsea Cameron is going to tell us about her favorite Halloween movies! Then continue reading and enter an amazing giveaway!

Sweet Surrendering (Surrender Saga #1), by Chelsea Cameron
Published October 15, 2013
Publisher: self-published
Format: e-ARC, provided by the author and Inkslinger PR
Genre: adult contemporary romance
To Buy:  Amazon * Barnes & Noble

Rating:  3.5 STARS

(From Goodreads) She’s his boss. He doesn’t care. This office isn’t big enough for the two of them…

When Rory Clarke ends up hiring the guy she spent one steamy night with to be her administrative assistant, she's determined to keep things professional.

Lucas Blaine has other plans for her. He wants Rory, and it’s hard to resist his stunning blue eyes, chin dimple and the way he fills out a suit. Everywhere she looks, there he is, giving her a panty-melting smile and pulling her away for the most amazing (and satisfying) sex she’s ever had in her life.

What starts off as one sexual encounter turns into multiple trysts in and out of the office and the lines she’d tried to draw so carefully are blurring. But the closer they get, the more Rory realizes that there are things about Lucas she doesn’t know, things he’s hiding from her. She’ll have to decide if she can surrender to her feelings or get out while she still can.

I have read one other book by Chelsea Cameron, and I had no idea she was such a comedian! Sweet Surrendering was such a surprise to me. It was a sweet story punctuated by hilarious inner monologues and witty banter that kept me laughing and snorting in between rants at the MC's fits of ignorance. I love a good story that keeps me waffling back and forth between funny and frustrating.

Rory is a VP at her father's company who happens to be sleeping with her new hot assistant. Lucas is complex and brash and really good at his job - er, both of them. Neither was really in a position to fall in love, but it happens anyway and complicates an already complicated situation. Now, all of a sudden, Rory's job is becoming more of a problem, as is all the secrets that Lucas continues to keep from her.

For the most part, I loved Rory. She is smart and driven and not a size 2. I got the impression that she was very confident and didn't take much crap from people - especially men. She has a fantastic relationship with her parents (and what a refreshingly wonderful thing THAT is!) and with her BFF and roomie, Sloane. I love the way Chelsea Cameron painted Rory. It was like love transformed her into a caricature of herself. Someone she didn't quite recognize. And, while she delighted in it, it also pissed her off.

Stupid love. Love made you want to punch yourself in the face. It also made you so distracted that you didn't get as much done at your job as you should because you were too busy fantasizing about your stupid guy and his magical penis. It made you spend meetings trying not to draw little hearts, or see what his last name would look like with your first name. Love made you into a fucking twelve-year-old girl.

Lucas was all snark and sass right from word one, so in the moments when we saw him vulnerable, it made me want to hold on to them and savor every word. Most of the time, he was funny and sharp, though. But, boy, is he good with his words when he uses them.

"I don't want just nights. I want mornings. And mid-mornings and late mornings and noons and afternoons and evenings and everything in between. Sunrises and sunsets and twilight. I want it all. I want to be with you. Definitions and everything. I want to call you mine."

Lucas' big secret wasn't that much of a secret. I figured it out pretty early, and it left me wondering what the hell Rory was doing that she couldn't see it either. I get that she was caught up in the relationship and in being in love and all that. But, really? She couldn't see that coming? Not only that, but every time she asks him to open up and talk to her about the things he was hiding. he flat out refused, and she was totally okay with that. I call BS. No woman I know in a new relationship with a guy would stand for that, no matter how good the sex is.

There were elements of the story that weren't entirely believable. The pacing seemed a bit off at times too. There were times in the middle when the story stalled a bit. And, the last 15% went at lightning speed - so fast, it almost seems like we were missing something.

Despite that, I was intrigued and keep engaged with the dangling carrot of when Lucas' secrets finally would come out and blow up in his face. It was good when that happened, but I felt it was resolved too quickly. I wanted Lucas to stew for awhile. Sweet Surrenderings was told only from Rory's POV. I think I would've liked to have seen Lucas' too. But, it was a good story with a good HEA. I look forward to the next book in the series - perhaps about Sloane?

Guest Post

It's that time of year. The leaves are turning colors and falling. Kids are back in school. EVERYTHING is pumpkin flavored. Even the pumpkin is pumpkin-flavored. I love fall. But the thing I think I love MOST about fall is that it's finally time to watch some of my favorite movies! I'm not the kind of person who can watch a movie "out of season". Except for Elf. That can be watched anytime. Because of reasons. So, without further ado, my top five favorite Halloween movies!

5. Night of the Living Dead (The original): This is a classic, yo. The original, in black and white. It's so bad that it moves from terrible to terribly AWESOME territory. My favorite thing about this movie is the fact that the blonde chick's hair remains almost PERFECT for the entire movie. Priceless. Plus, you can't beat the fake zombies eating the fake guts.

4. Casper: Two words, kids. DEVON SAWA. I had the biggest freaking crush on him when I was a kid. He's just… yeah. "Can I keep you?" *Chelsea swoons away* Plus Christina Ricci has a ridiculous forehead. It's like a fivehead. And you can't beat the crazy ghosts. I may also have a thing for BIll Pullman.

3. Practical Magic: Apparently, I have a thing for Sandra Bullock. So many of the movies she's in are some of my favorites. But I think this is the best. PLUS, it has Stockard Channing and Diane Wiest. They're total badasses and let you have cake for breakfast. It's also one of the most romantic Halloween movies, I think, ever.

2. Hocus Pocus: If you haven't seen this movie, we can't be friends. My mother would never let me watch it at home, so I would go over to my best friend's house and we'd marathon it. You CANNOT go wrong with this movie. It's also one of the most quotable Halloween movies ever. "I am beautiful! Boys will love me!" Yeah, this movie is made of win.

1. The Nightmare Before Christmas: I know what you're going to say. "But Chelsea, this is a CHRISTMAS movie. It has CHRISTMAS in the title." After I smack you, I will inform you that Jack Skellington lives in HALLOWEEN TOWN and this movie can be watched on EITHER holiday. Or both, which is what I do. This is one of Tim Burton's masterpieces, and my favorite of his films. The part when Jack is singing and he walks over that hill thing and it unfurls gives me chills. Every time. And this one also has an earth shattering love story. What can I say? I like a little love with my scary.

About the Author

Chelsea M. Cameron is a YA/NA New York Times/USA Today Best Selling author from Maine. Lover of things random and ridiculous, Jane Austen/Charlotte and Emily Bronte Fangirl, red velvet cake enthusiast, obsessive tea drinker, vegetarian, former cheerleader and world's worst video gamer. When not writing, she enjoys watching infomercials, singing in the car and tweeting (this one time, she was tweeted by Neil Gaiman). She has a degree in journalism from the University of Maine, Orono that she promptly abandoned to write about the people in her own head. More often than not, these people turn out to be just as weird as she is.

Her New Adult Contemporary Romance titles include My Favorite Mistake, which has been bought by Harlequin along with a sequel, Deeper We Fall and Faster We Burn (April 20, 2013)

Her Young Adult books include Nocturnal, Nightmare and Neither, the first three books in The Noctalis Chronicles. The fourth and final book, Neverend will be out in 2013. Whisper, the first in The Whisper Trilogy is also available, with the second book in the series, Silence and the final book, LIsten coming out in 2014.

Learn more about Chelsea --> Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

Giveaway

Grand prize winner: Will get to name a character in a future book, win a signed inspiration collage, and a red shoe charm bracelet. Four (4) runners-up will receive a red shoe charm bracelet. Contest is international.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

BLOG TOUR REVIEW, GUEST POST & GIVEAWAY: Taming Cross (Love, Inc. #2)

Holy smokes - I am so excited to be a part of the Taming Cross blog tour, sponsored by Inkslinger PR. Ever since I was a part of the Selling Scarlett (Love, Inc. #1) blog tour (you can read my review here), I've been DYING to read the follow up, and I can tell you that I was not disappointed. So, read on for my review, check out the guest post from Ella James where she shares Ten Things You Didn't Know About The Love, Inc. Series, then enter to win signed copies of the Love, Inc. books or an iPad Mini!

Taming Cross (Love, Inc. #2), by Ella James
Published August 20, 2013
Publisher:  Barkley's Books
Format: e-book, provided by the author and Inkslinger PR in exchange for an honest review
Genre:  new adult contemporary romance
To Buy: Amazon * Barnes & Noble

Rating:  4 STARS

(From Goodreads) For twenty-three years, Cross Carlson was a playboy. You know the type. Tall, dark, and wealthy. Blue-eyed. Charming. He seemed to have it all so easy. But Cross was harboring a terrible secret - one that helped ruin the life of an innocent girl and almost ended his own.

Finally out of the hospital, Cross is flailing, scarred in both body and mind and stifled by the weight of the secret he still keeps. The only way to absolution lies in a Mexican convent, and going there could cost him everything.

If there's anyone who knows what it's like to screw up big time, it's Meredith Kinsey. Just a few years ago, Merri was an ordinary girl with a job at her college newspaper and white picket fence kind of dreams. Now she's holed up in a Mexican convent, hiding from a drug lord who thinks he owns her.

What happens when the only way out of hell is with the son of the man who put you there? They say love conquers all, but does it really?

Taming Cross was such a fracking exciting book! It was stressful and frustrating and scary and sweet - you will experience the whole range of emotions with this one. 

When we last saw Cross at the end of Selling Scarlett, he wasn't in a good place. He had been injured pretty badly in a motorcycle accident, then almost sold to a nasty Mexican drug cartel along with his BFF Lizzy. As he's recouperating, his thoughts turn to Merri, the mistress his father had taken then had sold to the same group of people. And, Cross decides he's had it with his awful father and goes down there to rescue her. When he finds her, they start running for their lives and almost lose them time and time again before it's all over. 

Cross is such an amazing character. The guy is so damaged, both physically and emotionally, it's a wonder he hasn't gone blooming crazy. His parents - especially his father - are the worst sort. His job that he loves requires him to work with his hands, and now he's lost the use of one of them. The girl he liked is engaged to someone else. And guilt is eating him alive. Yet, he digs deep and does what everyone would consider impossible - he heads into the bowels of the Mexican drug cartel to find the girl that he feels like he abandoned down there. 

Cross was the source of most of my angst. He truly is a good guy and he has put so much pressure and blame on himself, and it's not right. He feels unlovable and not useful. It breaks my heart. 

Meredith Kinsey was also done well. She was sold to the head of a nasty cartel and passed off as his girlfriend even though he was gay. Eventually, she escaped to a convent, but things are about to go south in a bad way when Cross shows up, pretending to be "Evan," a bounty hunter working with the US government. Of course she isn't going to trust him, but she still escapes with him because he's the lesser of two evils. 

Merri is such a strong woman. She has endured the absolute worst things, and all because she was just a victim of circumstance. Then, she's being shot at by the people who want to take her back. And then she's with the son of her worst enemy. She has every reason to break, but she doesn't. In fact, as it turns out, She and Cross are the medicine that each of them need. 

Taming Cross is told in dual POV. Have I mentioned how much I love dual POV stories? I love that we get both sides of the story from the people living them. And, in this case, getting inside Cross' head was so valuable to my understanding of the story. 

We get to see little glimpses of Lizzie and Hunter - the characters from Selling Scarlett. That's always nice. We also see a few other characters from the first book - Suri and Marchant. I think my only complaint about Taming Cross was the ending. I feel like there were still a bunch of loose ends that didn't get tied up. But, I trust Ella James to bring those stories to a satisfying close in the final Love Inc. book, Unmaking Marchant. 

Guest Post by Ella James

Ten Things You Didn't Know About The Love Inc. Trilogy

1. I got the idea for Selling Scarlett, book one (about a girl who sells her virginity at a brothel) about eight years ago, when I desperately wanted to quit my 'day job' and just write. I was constantly trying to think of ways to make lots of money fast, and this was one of them. For about half a second.

2. The locations mentioned in the books are places that I've visited. Hunter and Marchant went to college in New Orleans because my sister lived there when I was writing Selling Scarlett, and Hunter had a place in Napa Valley because I went there on a road trip in college. 

3. Priscilla Heat and Jim Gunn are based on real people that I know. Especially Priscilla. I'll never say who (and for legal purposes, I should probably say she's not a carbon copy of someone I know; she's just a loose sketch).

4. I didn't know Hunter's story or Merri's story until I finished their books. Usually when a character has a secret, they keep it from me, too, until just the right time. ;) This makes for a lot of revising to make the front of the book match the end. 

5. Sometimes people get upset that Love Inc. is such a 'fun' seeming place, but I wouldn't want to spend my time writing about a really unpleasant brothel. It would be too depressing!

6. I know very little about real Mexican cartels, but I'm slightly afraid they will find my portrayal of cartels to be unsatisfactory and try to look me up to show me how it's really done. o.O  

7. I really don't feel like Hunter and Lizzy's story is finished, but I'm not sure where to put it. It didn't fit into Taming Cross and I don't want to derail the story in Unmaking Marchant... 

8. Taming Cross and Unmaking Marchant (book 3) will overlap a little. Something big that happened in TC is not what it appeared to be - but you won't know what until Unmaking Marchant. 

9. When I started Selling Scarlett, Suri's life situation seemed really ideal to me. She had everything Elizabeth didn't (great fiance, supportive family, lots of money, great job). I'm really surprised how quickly things went to crap for Suri. When Unmaking Marchant starts, she's really a mess.

10. Marchant has a huge secret that even Hunter doesn't know, and they were college roomies. It's going to be a big part of his book.
 

About the Author

I'm a Denver, Colorado author who writes teen and adult romance. I am happily married to a man who knows how to wield a red pen, and together we are raising a feisty two-year-old who will probably grow up believing everyone's parents go to war over the placement of a comma. My books have been listed on numerous Amazon bestseller lists, including the Amazon Top 100 and the Amazon Movers & Shakers List; two were listed among Amazon's Top 100 Young Adult Ebooks of 2012. To find out more about my projects and win prizes and swag, find me on Facebook. Questions or comments? Tweet me or e-mail me at ella_f_james@ymail.com.
 
Learn more about Ella James --> Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Giveaway

Fill out the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win signed Love, Inc. books or an iPad Mini!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

BLOG TOUR GUEST POST & GIVEAWAY - Biting Bad (Chicagoland Vampires #8)

Eep! How cool is it that I earned a spot on the Biting Bad blog tour?! If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you should know how HUGE a fan I am of the Chicagoland Vampires series. I love this series like I love doughnuts. Which is to say, A LOT. So, excuse me while I fangirl for a few moments, because not only do I get to talk about Merit's Book Boyfriends, but I have a guest post from Chloe Neill herself to help me do it. I know! But, first, here's a little about Biting Bad.

Biting Bad (Chicagoland Vampires #8), by Chloe Neill
Published August 6, 2013
Publisher:  NAL Penguin
Genre:  urban fantasy
To Buy:  Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Indiebound * Apple iBookstore

Synopsis:  Merit has been a vampire for only a short while, but she’s already seen a lifetime’s worth of trouble. She and her Master, centuries-old Ethan Sullivan, have risked their lives time and again to save the city they love. But not all of Chicago is loving them back.

Anti-vampire riots are erupting all over town, striking vampires where it hurts the most. A splinter group armed with Molotov cocktails and deep-seated hate is intent on clearing the fanged from the Windy City come hell or high water.

Merit and her allies rush to figure out who’s behind the attacks, who will be targeted next, and whether there’s any way to stop the wanton destruction. The battle for Chicago is just beginning, and Merit is running out of time.

Guest Post - Chloe Neill

Hi, everyone, and welcome to the BITING BAD Blog Tour! From July 29, 2013 to August 9, 2013 (click here for full schedule), I’m visiting blogs to give Merit an opportunity to rate the men of the Chicagoland Vampires series–are they “Book Boyfriend” material? Let’s see what she has to say.

Seth Tate, Former Mayor of Chicago

Hair/eye color: Black/Blue
Species: Fallen Angel/Messenger
First appearance in book (book/page): FNB, page 236
Thoughts: We’ve got history; Seth Tate is a friend of the family, and I’ve known him since I was a girl in pointe shoes. He was one of Chicago’s most eligible bachelors, but he definitely has a darker side.
Verdict: D+ / Possibly book boyfriend material for those who love redeemable bad boys if, and only if, he proves that he’s actually redeemable. Will update review upon additional facts. ;-) 

Want a chance to win some amazing CLV prizes? Then, go enter Chloe’s Biting Bad Grand Prize Giveaway, which will run July 29, 2013  through August 9, 2013 on Chloe’s web site.

What is the Grand Prize Giveaway prize?

• A personalized, autographed Chicagoland Vampires and Dark Elite novel
• A Chicagoland Vampires tote bag
• A $50 gift card from Amazon, Indiebound, or Barnes & Noble (Winner’s choice)
• A Chicagoland Vampires audiobook
• A limited edition BITING BAD All Access Pass and Cadogan House lanyard
• Two Cadogan House Koozies, so you can share a beverage with your favorite vamp.
• Bookmarks, pens, buttons, and more swag!

So, what are you waiting for? Go check out the grand prize giveaway, but then come back here and jump down to the next post for my review of Biting Bad and yet another giveaway of a signed CLV book and some kick ass swag!

BOOK BLAST & GUEST POST - Leopard Moon

To help spread the word about the fact that Jeanette Battista's LEOPARD MOON, the first book in the Moon series, is available for free at Amazon for the Kindle until the end of the month we've invited the author to the blog to share a guest post about her experience writing the book.

The Moon series consists of four books - LEOPARD MOON, JACKAL MOON, HYENA MOON and HUNTER MOON - and is a series author Melissa Marr says, "... is filled with action and romance, shape shifters and strong heroines."

To check out all the books in the series on Goodreads, CLICK HERE.

The guest post follows below, but first here's some information about the awesome book and author and places you can find them both online!

About the Book

Title: LEOPARD MOON (Moon Series #1)
Author: Jeanette Battista
Publisher: CreateSpace
Release date: March 7, 2012
Pages: 204
Formats: Paperback, eBook
Find it: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

***Kindle format free at Amazon - HERE***

Description:

How do you disappear when you come from a family of predators?

A wereleopard, Kess is forced to flee her home and family in Miami once her brother's obsession with her turns violent. She runs from city to city, trying to stay one step ahead of the investigators her family has dispatched to bring her home. Kess ends up in the mountains of North Carolina and attracts the attention of Cormac, a young man with a secret of his own. As she attempts to live as normal a life as her were-nature allows, her brother Sek continues to hunt for her. He believes she is the key to revitalizing their weakened clan and is driven to extreme measures to ensure their continued existence. As Kess' relationship with Cormac deepens, Sek closes in, threatening Cormac's life and Kess' freedom.

When the moon rises, the hunt is on….


Dimitri Williams Photography
Source: Author's website

About the Author

Jeanette Battista graduated with an English degree with a concentration in medieval literature which explains her possibly unhealthy fixation on edged weapons and cathedral architecture. She spent a summer in England and Scotland studying the historical King Arthur, which did nothing to curb her obsession. To satisfy her adrenaline cravings—since sword fighting is not widely accepted in these modern times—she rode a motorcycle at ridiculously high speeds, got some tattoos, and took kickboxing and boxing classes. She gave up the bike when her daughter came along, although she still gets pummeled at the gym on a regular basis.

When she’s not writing or working, Jeanette spends time with family, hikes, reads, makes decadent brownies, buys killer boots, and plays Pocket Frogs. She wishes there were more hours in the day so she could actually do more of these things. She lives with her daughter and their ancient, ill-tempered cat in North Carolina.

Find her: Goodreads | Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook

I'll be honest--I wasn't planning to write a book like Leopard Moon. I had an entirely different story in my head at the time, but it just wasn't coming into clear focus. That's the funny way writing works though: there I am, sitting at a red light on my way to meet my friends for a birthday martini and pedicure, listening to Florence + the Machine and WHAM! The song Howl comes on and this whole lovely scene just starts unfolding in my head. There was Kess, running through the woods, ripping off of her clothes as she triggered a change into a black leopard. And there was Cormac, standing in a different part of the woods being beaten mercilessly by the villain. I didn't know Sek was going to turn out to be Kess' brother, but I did know who he was as a character and what he wanted.

It was truly a gift: the entire final fight scene just unspooled itself along with the song lyrics. Each beat of the song matched a key point in the fight. The more I listened, the more I realized that the lyrics could apply to all of the characters in the main triangle at some point in the story I suddenly wanted to tell. And I wanted that story to be more than just boy meeting girl--I wanted that story to be about girl saving boy, but more importantly about girl saving herself. The song Howl gave me Kess first and Sekhmet second, so a lot of what I tried to do with them was to show them as two halves of a whole, two sides of a coin. Howl, at least to me, wasn't a love song at all--it was a song about possession and obsession and all of those things that show up in our animal drives. that we'd like to forget exists.

So when I began to craft Kess and Sek, Howl played on a continuous loop. And though the song speaks of wolves, I knew these two had to be cats. Wolves have a more social nature and are more easily understood by us--I think it comes from them being a a precursor to our beloved dogs. Cats are an unknown quantity, strange and separate, even if they choose to share space with us. I wanted real darkness there, not just a brief bit of danger that would be easily resolved. Obsession and mental illness gave Sek that scariness, but also--I hope--a bit of sympathy. He really does love his sister and wants what is best for her and his clan. I never intended to excuse his behavior, but I did want to try and understand it.

Just like the song made me understand that narrator of that story. I can only hope I did half so well.

***

To meet Kess, Cormac and Sek in this first book in the Moon series, head over to Amazon to download the Kindle eBook for free until January 31st.

It can be found HERE!