Release Day Launch & Giveaway ~ STAY (The Empire Chronicles #3) by Alyssa Rose Ivy

   

We are thrilled to bring you the Release Day Launch for Alyssa Rose Ivy's STAY! STAY is a New Adult Paranormal Romance and the third novel in The Empire Chronicles Series!

 

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Excerpt

“Then just kiss me already. Get it over with.”

“Kiss you? Are you kidding?”

“No.”

“I already told you I’m not sleeping with you.”

“Then just shut up.” She yanked on my shirt pulling me toward her. Her lips were on mine before I could process it. My lips responded immediately, greedily sucking on her bottom lip before pushing my way into her mouth.

She moaned, eagerly letting me in. My tongue tangled with hers, as I explored every corner of her mouth. Before my hands could do their own exploration she broke the kiss. “So much better.” She hopped down from the bar.

“Excuse me?” I was still spinning from the kiss. Had she really stopped that suddenly?

“Ok, let’s talk about the plan.”

“Now?” I asked with disbelief. “After that?”

“You could say thank you.”

“Thank you?”

“For easing the tension. It was thick enough to cut with a knife, but I preferred your tongue.”

“So that’s it? You just did that to ease sexual tension?”

“What did you think I was doing?”

“Giving in to your desires.” My eyes devoured her. Her tank top had pulled up when we were kissing, exposing even more smooth skin I wanted to touch.

“You mean our desires. There’s nothing one sided here.”

I glanced down at the bulge still obvious in my pants.“You’ve got that right.”

“You’re not a bad kisser.”

“Not bad?” I raised an eyebrow.

“I’d say you’re a seven.”

“A seven? I’m a ten. I’m a ten at everything involving sex.” I had no confidence issues in that department. No matter how pissed girls got at me, they never complained about the sex.

“But that wasn’t sex. Your dick wasn’t involved. I’m sure you rely on it to earn you points.”

“I don’t just rely on my dick.”

“Oh yeah? Well your tongue seems a little bit out of practice. Not using it much?”

“I use it plenty.”

“Oh. My mistake.” She licked her lips. “Anyway back to that plan.”

 

Synopsis

 Nothing could possibly get worse. Everything and everyone that could be in jeopardy already is, and Jared knows that he is The Society's only hope. If he doesn't find a way to escape he fails everyone including Vera, the bear shifter he can't seem to get out of his head.

Casey and Toby are in love. Head over heels in love, but is their love strong enough to survive a magic so powerful that Casey's mind is no longer in her control?

Vera will do anything to help her sister, and unfortunately that means she is well acquainted with Jared, the most frustrating man she has ever met. Now she has to find a way to fight her annoyance and growing attraction long enough to help save Levi and Allie.

Racing against the clock, all four must face their greatest fears to save The Society and all the people they love.

 About the Author

 Alyssa Rose Ivy is a New Adult and Young Adult author who loves to weave stories with romance and a southern setting. Although raised in the New York area, she fell in love with the South after moving to New Orleans for college. After years as a perpetual student, she turned back to her creative side and decided to write. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and two young children, and she can usually be found with a cup of coffee in her hand.

Author Links          

Website ** Facebook ** Twitter ** Pinterest ** Novel Goodreads ** Author Goodreads

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Book Blitz & Giveaway ~ Stay by Emily Goodwin ~ Excerpt

Stay

by Emily Goodwin
Publication date: May 19th 2014
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense

Synopsis

“I felt like I was walking to the end of a plank precariously hanging over shark-infested water. When I jumped, sharp teeth would rip into me and the cold water would steal my breath away. The monsters would take everything from me, leaving me shivering and naked in the water. The only difference was that tonight I would be pulled from the icy darkness and forced to do it again. There would be no release from death, only pain.”

Home after her first year of college, Adeline Miller is looking forward to a stress free summer filled with reading, working on her blog, and spending time with friends. But all that changes in an instant when she is witness to something terrible, something she wasn’t supposed to see.

Beaten, drugged, kidnapped.

Adeline Miller is ripped from her innocent and carefree life and thrust into darkness, into a world full of pain and horror. As a sex slave, she is forced to do horrible things, and have horrible things done to her. One of her captors has a past as dark as the world she is now living in. Will getting close to him mean freedom? Or will he pull her deeper into the shadows?

Click HERE to add Stay to Goodreads

Excerpt

I slowly blinked and shook myself. I turned the water off and pulled back the curtain just far enough to grab the towel. I wrapped it around my goosebump-covered torso and walked back to my cot, water dripping on the floor. Dirt and grit stuck to my wet feet. Normally, that would have grossed me out, but what was a little dirt compared to what was going to happen to me?

   Phoebe and Lily exchanged sorrowful looks. Phoebe came up behind me and gently towel dried my hair.  I just sat there, completely still except for the shivering.

   “Here,” Lily offered and held out a robe.

Holding the towel up with one hand, I snaked my arms through the crushed velvet robe and tied it around myself.

"I don't get your tattoos," she said and tipped her head.

   "Theban," I simplified and looked at the squiggly characters that surrounded a triple moon symbol my left shoulder blade. "It's an old alphabet. It’s from a book."

   "Oh." Lily nodded. "What about that one? It's a circle inside a triangle with a line through it?"

   "From another book," I summed up, looking at the tattoo on my wrist. I had one more tattoo on my left side. I parted the robe to show her. "Get this one?"

   "Nope. 'To infinity'," she read. "Don't get it."

   "'And beyond'," Phoebe finished. "I like Toy Story. Who has other half?"

"My best friend, Lynn," I told her, my voice hollow.

"You must miss her," Lily said quietly. I bit my lip and nodded. Lily looked at me for a few seconds, her blue eyes flashing with emotions. She closed them, shook her head, and put on a small smile. “Rochelle will do your makeup,” she said. I nodded and rose from the cot and made my way over to the makeshift vanity. Rochelle was leaning on the counter, keeping the weight off of her injured ankle. I sat on a rickety stool and faced the mirror.

   It was the first time I had allowed myself to look at my face since I’d been taken. I had bruises on my face from being hit by Nate and Zane. My right eye was swollen a little on the outside. I knew I had bruises on my body, both from being beaten and from the trunk ride to wherever the hell we were.

   “You have nice skin,” Rochelle told me. “It’ll be easy to work with.” She said it in such a way that it wasn’t a compliment. Before she started on my makeup, she brushed and blow dried my hair and set it in curlers. Then she spun me around so that I couldn’t see in the mirror anymore.

   I flinched from the cold liquid foundation she smeared over my cheeks. If I had such nice skin, why did she feel the need to cover it all up? I rarely wore makeup at home. If I did, I focused mainly on my eyes, having fun playing with different colors of eye shadow and liners. I hated the way foundation felt caked onto my face.

   “There,” she said, sounding satisfied. She had been working on me for what had to be at least half an hour. She took the curlers out of my hair, and after a while of fluffing and spraying enough hair spray to eat away a layer of the O-zone, she leaned back and pressed a smile, nodding as she admired her work.

   I turned and looked in the mirror. My eyes were heavily outlined in silver and black. The bruises were gone, though my right eye still looked tender. Red blush on my cheeks made it look like I was permanently embarrassed, and the dark red lipstick was just … trashy. My hair was teased and was inches away from my head. It was coated in so much hair spray that it barely moved with me. Big, wavy curls cascaded around my face.

   Suddenly, a smile cracked my face, and a snort of laughter escaped my lips.

   “What?” Rochelle demanded.

   I shook my head, the humor in my grossly stereotyped appearance quickly fading. Rochelle glared at me for a moment longer before waving me away. She hobbled to the rack of clothing and skimmed through the section of lingerie. She pulled a short, silky nightgown from its hanger. It was dark purple, with black lace outlining the top and bottom. My stomach churned when my fingers touched the shiny material.

   “You’ll need this,” she mumbled and tossed me a push-up bra. “Your boobs are on the small side.” She shook her head and sighed. “Whatever. I’ll make it work. You should gain some weight.”

   I held my arms close to my body, feeling very self-conscious. I was thin due to an over-active thyroid. Over the years, I had tried different medications but was unable to find something with a good balance so I just stopped taking the pills. I always had eaten more than enough, but I just couldn’t keep the weight on. It had been one of my number one pet peeves to be told I was lucky I was thin. I had a medical condition that took a toll on my body and my health. How lucky is that? 

   “Tonight you have Travis,” Rochelle began explaining. “Give him a good show. He likes to watch.”

   My stomach clenched and the sting of sour vomit bubbled in my throat. I felt like my head was being shoved into a bucket of dirty water, and no matter how hard I struggled, I couldn’t get out, couldn’t take a breath.

“I don’t know any good shows,” I mumbled.

   “What?” Rochelle asked and wrinkled her nose. “Well, you do now,” she went on, widening her eyes and giving me the girl-you’re-crazy stare. She shook her head and sighed. “Just follow his lead, do what he wants, and you’ll be fine.”

   Nerves audibly grumbled through my intestines. I feared something was going to come out one end or the other. Yet I just stood there, my mind wanting to shut down and refuse to process what was going to happen. There was no way around it.

   I was going to go upstairs. I was going to go into a room with a sick and twisted man who would force me to have sex with him.

   Or I could refuse.

   And that would get me severely beaten, if not killed. For a few seconds, dying seemed better than getting raped. I shook my head at the thought. I wasn’t going to give up. Today might not be my day for escaping, but it would come. It had to. 

Purchase Link

Amazon

About the Author

Emily Goodwin is the author of the award winning Contagium Series published by Permuted Press as well as many independently published novels, including the internationally bestselling novel, STAY. Emily writes in a wide variety of genres, from horror to romance. She holds multiple degrees in psychology and nursing and has worked in mental health and general healthcare. Emily resides in Indiana with her husband, daughter, and German Shepherd named Vader. Along with writing, Emily enjoys riding her horse, designing and making costumes, and Cosplay.

Author Links
Website * Facebook * Goodreads * Twitter

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Book Review ~ Stay by Hilary Wynne ~ Blog Tour + Giveaway

Stay

By Hilary Wynne

(Alexa Reed #1)

Genres:  Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis

Set against the steamy and sultry world of South Beach, Florida, a modern romance unfolds in Stay.

Alexa is beautiful, independent and hard to resist for serially unattached Julian. Neither one is looking for a relationship, but their palpable chemistry and instant emotional connection is too strong to ignore. For the first time in years, Julian is interested in more than just sex. He wants a relationship with intoxicating Alexa, but it’s not that simple. Not only are Julian and Alexa struggling with the intensity of this new relationship, but they also have to contend with Luke, Alexa’s best friend, whose own love for her leaves him willing to do anything to convince her that Julian is not the man for her. Luke’s determination and Alexa’s secret past threaten to tear Julian and Alexa apart as she struggles to open her heart to love. Julian and Alexa embark upon a roller-coaster ride of emotional and physical passion that both pulls them apart and holds them together. Despite their affinity for each other, Alexa fears that Julian will leave when he learns about her past and Julian is unsure he can love a woman who in so many ways remains a mystery, a woman who keeps threatening to run, a woman who can’t decide if she is going to STAY.

My Thoughts

“You know now that this is really going to happen, right, Alexa?”  He points to himself and then to me.  “And it’s going to be amazing.”

“Not just amazing, Julian.  It’s going to be epic.”

Yep, that quote sums up this book perfectly……amazing and epic!!

Alexa Reed has basically stopped living life to the fullest after the death of her boyfriend, Brady, 11 months ago.  Unable to have her heart broke in two again; she really does not care if she ever has a boyfriend again.  When her friends finally convince Lexie to go out with them one night, Lexie is finally enjoying herself and having a blast!  Not paying attention to where she is going, she bumps right into the bar owner – no other than the gorgeous Julian Bauer – spilling her drink on him.  She had wanted to run into this sexy man, but this was not what she had in mind.  But, as they touch, there is something there - something electric, and Lexie wants to know more about this sexy man.  Noticing the obvious flirting between Lexie and Julian during the course of the night, Luke, Lexie’s best friend, warns her that Julian is not a man she needs to be involved with.  But does Luke have Lexie’s best interests in mind, or does he love her more than a friend?

Lexie is beautiful, feisty, smart and witty…and very emotionally complicated.  I really liked her, but at times, I just wanted to reach into the pages and slap some sense into her.  For someone so smart, at times she just did not have a clue, especially when it came to Luke.

Julian Bauer is every woman’s dream man.  He is the owner of Hotel Del Marco and he is not only rich, he’s sexy, smart and sweet.  Of course, Lexie does not listen to Luke’s warning and falls into an intense relationship with Julian.  The two of them are so good together.  The sexual chemistry is amazing and they just ‘click’ so perfectly.  But, Lexie is scared of trusting anyone after what happened with her ex, Brady.  This girl is an emotional wreck.  She has so many demons she is fighting, and Julian is right there with her giving her all the support she needs.  But, she keeps pushing him away….it was so frustrating at times!  It’s obvious that Julian has fallen hard for Lexie, and he has the patience of a saint.  With Lexie’s issues, I don’t know of many men that would put up with such craziness. But Julian does, and gosh I love him for it.

“Julian, with you, everything is…amplified.  My emotions, my desires, they’re stronger than they should be.  All of my senses are heightened when you’re around.”

This book was such an emotional roller coaster for me.  It had everything I love to read in a romance novel – hot steamy sex, intrigue, humor and realistic characters that you become emotionally invested in. From page one, I was captivated and read the entire story like my life depended on it.  I had to know the outcome and I desperately needed Lexie to open up and give her heart to Julian. This intense story was so well-written and the plot flowed so effortlessly I felt as though I was right there in the story with the characters. I totally loved this epic story and can’t wait to start the second book of this amazing series. 

My rating:  5 out of 5 stars

                        Click HERE to add Stay to Goodreads

Purchase Links

Amazon / Barnes & Noble

About the Author

Have you ever woken up one day and said, “Today’s the day I’m going to do (insert thing here)?”

Well, I did, and the result is my first novel, Stay.  I always thought of myself as a decent writer, and then a trip down memory lane through my ninth grade book of poetry confirmed it.  I realize that I have always had a romantic side and a way with words. With support from my husband and kids (and an unspoken agreement to leave me alone for a few hours every night), I embarked on this incredible writing journey.

I’m originally from sunny Southern California and spent my summers in South Florida. I attended college at FSU and received my Masters in New Mexico. I finally settled in the Washington, DC area. My happy place has always been anywhere near the water.

When I’m not writing, I help run a business with my husband, watch an inordinate amount of sports (my kids play something 365 days a year), indulge my competitive spirit on the tennis court, and spend time with my awesome family and friends.

I am an avid reader, but find my characters feel neglected when I hang out with other author’s characters for too long. When I do read, historical fiction is my favorite genre. I love traveling and experiencing different cultures, places, and times.

I feel so blessed that my love of books inspired me to finally do something that I forgot I had always dreamed about doing.

My someday has arrived!

Author Links

Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

Giveaway

Open to US and Canada

--Signed copy of Stay

--25$ Amazon Gift Card

--A swag pack ( mug, pen, postcards )

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Click HERE to follow the Blog Tour