Book Review & Book Tour ~ His Rebel Heart by Amber Leigh Williams

His Rebel Heart

by Amber Leigh Williams
Publisher: Harlequin (Superromance)
Pages: 380
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Being a single mother and successful florist is tough, especially when your new next-door neighbor is the man who shattered your heart. Eight years ago, bad boy James Bracken walked away from Adrian Carlton…and their unborn child. Now he's back. And Adrian's desire to protect her son from the truth of his biological father isn't enough to hide the wild blue eyes of father and son, or to keep Adrian from surrendering to the raw passion between her and James. But is he truly the changed man he claims to be? Maybe this time his rebel heart really is home to stay.

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I must admit that I was surprised on just how good “His Rebel Heart” was.  This was my first experience reading anything by Amber Leigh Williams, but this woman can write a seriously good story.  Going into this book, I thought it was just going to be your typical run-of-the-mill romance story, but it was so much more.  It’s a story of finding forgiveness and learning to forgive.  It’s about facing the people who had given up all hope on you and proving that change for the better is possible – even for the biggest rebel.  Most of all, it’s a story of true love that was always meant to be despite a very long interruption.

I really enjoyed most everything about “His Rebel Heart”.  The only thing I couldn't get past is that Kyle, Adrian’s son, came across much older and wiser than his young age of seven.  He just appeared way more mature than most seven year old kids that I know.  Besides this small detail, he was the cutest little boy ever! James character has a special place in my heart with his needing to be firmly placed in Kyle’s life regardless of whether or not he was able to be in Adrian’s.  Of course, this story wouldn't be complete if there were characters involved that were created for the soul purpose of being despised by the reader and those two for me were Adrian’s abusive ex-husband and her mother.  There was no love whatsoever for these two – at all.

Amber Leigh Williams delivered with a page-turning, angst-filled experience that was both captivating and intriguing. I was really impressed by the plot and how the author managed to suck me right into the story.  I love a no-nonsense story with characters I can relate to and this one did not disappoint.  From the very first page, I didn't want to put this book down – it was just that good - and I loved every minute of it!

4 stars

“I need you to go.”

“I can’t—”

“We’ll be fine,” Adrian told him firmly. “I just need some peace and quiet so I can—”

“I can’t leave you alone,” James told her. “Either of you. Not now that I know what you’ve been through.”

“We’ll be fine,” she said again. “I’ll keep Kyle’s BB gun close.” She paused, wrestling over the next words. “And…and you can come by tomorrow morning. For breakfast, if you want.”

James looked at her, his eyes skimming between hers, then over her cheeks, the line of her jaw. “I don’t want you to be alone,” he murmured.

She sighed. “James, I have been alone, for a really long time.” You made sure of that, she added silently. When you left me. The resentment and anger that were usually brought to life by the words didn’t stir. Tired. God, she was so tired.

“Adrian, I’m so sorry,” he said again. When he drew her into his arms, she was helpless to stop him. She had nothing left to fight him with so she closed her eyes as the chest she had fantasized about burrowing herself against moments before rose up to meet her. She felt his lips come to rest on the top of her head. His arms wrapped around her back, closing her in, tightening.

He held her, simply held her, for what seemed like ages. Long enough for the tension to drain from her body. Long enough for her to lean into the hard, strong line of him without scruples, to breathe in the work shirt permeated with the sweet scent of grass and the slight tinge of motor oil. At some point, her arms rose to his waist, folding around to the small of his back to complete the embrace.

A small eternity passed in the space of moments. A hundred unspoken words. Memories stirred, whispering to life, ghosts of what had been.

He moved first, just enough to move one hand up to the nape of her neck. He made a noise in the back of his throat, drawing her attention upward. When his lips touched hers, it felt so natural for her mouth to receive the firm, yielding line of his.

Minutes before, she’d felt drained. Fatigued. The simple press of his lips brought her back to life. Her heart fluttered, lifting and soaring in a way she hadn’t felt since…well, since being with James.

She should have pushed him away. After everything, she should shove him back, make him leave. Instead, she let the moment stretch, slide, deepen until she felt him brush up against the soul she’d buried from everything and everyone. 

Amber Leigh Williams lives on the Gulf Coast. A southern girl at heart, she lives for beach days, the smell of real books, relaxing at her family’s lakehouse, and spending time with her husband and two children. When she’s not keeping up with rambunctious little ones and two large dogs she can usually be found reading a good romance or cooking up a new dish in her kitchen. She is represented by D4EO Literary Agency.

Her latest book is the contemporary romance, HisRebel Heart.

Visit Amber Leigh Williams’ website.

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Find out more about Amber at Goodreads.

More books by Amber Leigh Williams.

Contact Amber.

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¸.•´Exclusive Teaser & Excerpt Reveal ¸.•´ TWENTY-ONE (21) BY CLARISSA WILD

Check out this exclusive excerpt of 

Twenty-One (21) by Clarissa Wild!

My vocal cords are hoarse from the amount of screaming that I’ve done today.

For hours, I watch Angel getting tortured.

At first, I tried to look away, but the man forced me to look by turning my body toward Angel. Seeing him tied up and at the mercy of some monster makes my insides churn.

I’m dying. Not physically, but mentally … dying at the sight of Angel losing his will to live.

With every drop of his blood, more of his energy spills out along with his reason, his sole motivator to fight.

It was me.

All along, it was me.

He wanted me to live, and in his effort to save me, he sacrificed his own life.

I wish I could turn back time and tell him not to. That I could stop him from even coming into the house and attempting to rescue me, just so I could spare him this pain.

I don’t want to see him hurt. I don’t want to see him bleed to death.

I love him.

It’s not hard to admit when I witness the man carve a hole into his body right on top of his heart … the heart that belongs to me.

I am his and he is mine.

And now we’re set to die.

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21 years 
On her 21st birthday she’s taken. Collected by a rich family as an unpaid debt. Her body sold. Her mind his.

21 weeks 
For 21 weeks she carried a burden no girl should ever have to carry. Now she loses her freedom to a man born to destroy her.

21 days 
His name: Angel DeLuca. His mission: To break her in 21 days before she sees through his lies. But she won’t give up without a fight.

21 minutes 
It takes only 21 minutes for their lives to be forever entwined.

21 seconds 
21 seconds to spill. Time is running out.

Secrets ruin them … but not all truths are worth the price.


This is a STANDALONE Dark Romance novel. WARNING: contains explicit situations, graphic violence, and other disturbing content some readers may find offensive.

Clarissa Wild is a New York Times & USA Today Bestselling author, best known for the dark Romance novel Mr. X. Her novels include the Fierce Series, the Delirious Series, and Stalker. She is also a writer of erotic romance such as the Blissful Series, The Billionaire's Bet series, and the Enflamed Series. She is an avid reader and writer of sexy stories about hot men and feisty women. Her other loves include her furry cat friend and learning about different cultures. In her free time she enjoys watching all sorts of movies, reading tons of books and cooking her favorite meals.

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Promo Blitz & Giveaway ~ Sand Dollar Cove by Nancy Naigle

Sand Dollar Cove

by Nance Naigle

Contemporary Romance

Date published: July 2015

From USA Today bestselling author Nancy Naigle - Sand Dollar Cove

Escape to the shores of Sand Dollar Cove, a quaint beach town on the North Carolina coast. When Elli Eversol returns to Sand Dollar Cove to rebuild her grandparents shops on the old fishing pier following last fall’s hurricane, she’s faced with bigger problems. For one, the pier has taken a much more serious hit by a recent Nor’easter. Secondly, the boy who broke her heart, Holden Moore, is back in town too and tempting her, only her heart is telling her he’s still not one to be trusted. So she keeps her focus on her family and the Buy-A-Board campaign project so she can put those funds to good use and spare her heart. When Brody Rankin answered the online request to help router names into boards purchased in a campaign to save the shops on the pier in Sand Dollar Cove, he’d really just been trying to do a good deed and get a closer look at the sleepy little town where his mega-company is planning to build an east coast warehouse. Will this well-known playboy be able to resist a woman who loves the ocean as much as he does, or will he leave Sand Dollar Cove behind?

            As soon as Elli Eversol pushed her toes into the gritty sand on the beach, wonderful memories swept away the stress she’d carried on the five-hour drive from Charlotte. Temperatures were already hovering in the sixties, unseasonably warm for March on the North Carolina coast, especially for this early in the morning. With her shoes and socks in hand, she walked down to the pier, her footsteps leaving clear imprints in the crusted top layer of sand.

Filling her lungs with ocean air, the only thing missing from her memories of the beach was the scent of suntan lotion, but summer was just a few months away.

Sand Dollar Cove still held a special place in her heart. Every summer for as long as she could remember, she’d stayed here with Nana and Pops at their beach house. The Sol~Mate had been her home away from home on summer breaks until she’d gone away to college. Her plan had been to move here once she graduated, but Dad had made her promise that she’d work in a city for two years before making a decision to settle in Sand Dollar Cove. He’d grown up here and, according to Nana and Pops, Daddy couldn’t wait to get out of the small beach town. She’d never understood it, but he must’ve been onto something: Even though she’d moved to

Charlotte with the plan to get some experience under her belt just to make him happy, she’d been there ever since. Two years turned into five, and she stayed so busy she hadn’t even had the time to think about moving since.

Waves crashed against the pier, filling the air with a misty spray. The seagulls above seemed to laugh at some inside joke between them. At least at this time of the year the sand was cool. In the summer there were days you were forced to use your towel and shirt as stepping stones to get back to the parking lot or else burn your feet. After a winter of closed-toe shoes, it sure felt good to walk the beach again.

A young couple stood under the pier. The water lapped at their ankles as the guy leaned in, probably promising her the world. She’d been that girl once. The crash of the waves dulling her sensibilities and drowning out her voice of reason. It was a long time ago, but her chest ached at the memory of the heartbreak of that summer.

Elli silently wished the girl under the pier better luck than she’d had. Between those broken promises and then losing Pops just a few weeks later, that summer had been the worst of her life. Maybe work wasn’t the only reason her trips back to Sand Dollar Cove had become more infrequent over the years. Maybe these memories had a little to do with it too.

As she got closer to the pier, the No Trespassing signs and yellow caution tape caught her off-guard. The insurance company probably demanded they mark it to keep from being held liable, should someone try to fish before the repairs were complete. But still, it was unsettling.

The recent nor’easter had done even more damage to the pier, sweeping a huge gap right out of the center of the remaining pilings. Seeing it for the first time in person, it was a lot worse than she’d realized. The pier looked like a snaggle-toothed jack-o’-lantern about two weeks after Halloween. A swirl of concern swept through her. If the town didn’t get busy on repairs they could miss one of the biggest moneymakers of the summer tourist season, Memorial Day weekend.

Her bright mood faded. Pops had built those shops on the pier nearly fifty years ago. When the hurricane damaged them, Elli had started an online fundraiser to repair them. The Buy A Board campaign had been more successful than she’d ever dreamed; the donations more than doubling her initial goal in only a few weeks. For a $250 donation, donors could opt to have their names displayed on one of the boards used to make the repairs. That had been the most popular option, and the smaller donations had added up quickly too.

When Nana mentioned that she hadn’t been able to renew her license for the shops, Elli had assumed Nana just hadn’t gotten around to it. Now she wondered if perhaps the town was stalling on issuing them because they’d fallen behind on this project. Fallen behind was being kind. It looked like no one had done a thing.

She glanced at her watch. Right now she was due at the Carolina By The Sea Resort and Spa. Breaking into a jog, she got back to her car and used her socks to swat the damp sand off her feet, then put her shoes back on.

It was a short ride to the spa from here. Elli pulled her car into the last parking spot at the far end of the resort near the restaurant.

March could be desolate, and many of the businesses chose to shut down completely until Memorial Day. But Pam seemed to be doing a big business, if the parking lot was any indication.

Inside, the place was bustling. Filled nearly to capacity in the shoulder seasons, pre- and post-summer, was a big deal in a small beach town such as this.

“You made good time,” Pam said, rushing to Elli and pulling her into a big hug.

“It’s so good to see you.” Elli pulled back from the hug. She still thought of Pam as her teenaged beach buddy. Practically twins, except Pam had dark hair and brown eyes, so whenever they got together and Pam was pulled together, all business, it always took her by surprise. “You look great.”

Pam struck a pose. “Spa living suits me.”

“Apparently. I could hardly sleep last night knowing I’d be seeing you today.”

“Some things never change. Welcome back.” Pam motioned her to follow. “You should have just driven down last night.”

They settled in a corner booth, and a waiter dropped off menus and took their drink orders. “True, but I’d promised Bob I’d take care of some things before I left town. We’ve got a big open house today. So I did all the prep for that last night.”

“Y’all staying busy?”

“Very busy,” Elli said. “Bob and I are a good team. We have different specialties, so between us we have a steady workload no matter what the economy is doing. That’s a blessing in the real estate market right now.”

“And there’s still nothing between you two? I swear if I had a Realtor as good-looking as he is, I might never settle on a house to buy. I’d just look and look and look.”

“He is cute, but no. He’s so not my type. Nothing but business between the two of us.”

Elli thanked the waiter for her cup of tea and glanced over the menu as she spoke. “And frankly, that’s good for business. Besides, now that I know him so well I can see that I’d never be his type either. He likes those high-maintenance girls who stroke his ego day and night. Not exactly my style if you know what I mean.”

“I know the type. But hey, as long as he’s selling houses it’s all good, right?” “My thoughts exactly.”

“Every once in a while a customer will talk about buying a place here. Are you still licensed to sell here in the cove?”

Elli took a sip of her tea. “Sure am. I’ve kept that up to date. Never know when it’ll come in handy.”

“Next time someone goes all gaga for Sand Dollar Cove, I’ll give them your name.”

“That would be great. It would give me a reason to come more often too.” She closed the menu and set it aside. “I’ve got to be better about that. Nana is not getting any younger, and I feel so awful for letting so much time slip by between visits. I don’t know how I let that happen.”

“Well, you’re here now.”

“It was good timing. That pier is looking right pitiful.”

“Yeah. It’s not good. I’m so glad you were able to raise money to help fix the shops,”

Pam said. “They’re part of the tradition around here.”

“One quick mention on social media that I needed someone good with a router to help engrave the planks in exchange for room and board here, I had no less than half a dozen responses.”

“I’m not surprised. I’m using social media for a big part of my marketing campaign for the resort, and it’s paying off big time.”

“I thought I’d end up with someone local, but the guy who is coming is from California.

He’ll be here this week to start personalizing the boards in exchange for room and board at

Sol~Mate.”

“Your grandmother will be in seventh heaven with someone to dote on.” “Nana loves fussing over people.”

USA Today bestselling author Nancy Naigle whips up small-town love stories with a dash of suspense and a whole lot of heart. She began her popular contemporary romance series, Adams Grove, while juggling a successful career in finance and life on a seventy-six-acre farm. She has gone on to produce collaborated works with other authors, including the Granny Series and the stand-alone novel Inkblot. Now happily retired, she devotes her time to writing, antiquing, and the occasional spa day with friends. A native of Virginia Beach, she currently calls North Carolina home. Sand Dollar Cove is her thirteenth novel.

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Blog Tour & Giveaway ~ Minotaur by Phillip W. Simpson

Minotaur

by Phillip W. Simpson

Publication Date:  September 29, 2015

Publisher:  Month9books

“Where shall I start?” asked Minotaur.

Ovid made an expansive gesture with both hands. “Where else but the beginning of course.”

Minotaur nodded his huge head. “Yes,” he said. “Yes,” his eyes already glazing over with the weight of thousand year old memories. And then he began.

So begins the story of Asterion, later known as Minotaur, the supposed half bull creature of Greek legend. Recorded by the famous Roman poet, Ovid, Asterion tells of his boyhood in Crete under the cruel hand of his stepfather Minos, his adventures with his friend, Theseus, and his growing love for the beautiful Phaedra.And of course what really happened in the labyrinth.

This is the true story of the Minotaur.

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Scene 3 – Asterion and Phaedra in love

When I say love, we were young, and it was largely innocent—kissing, caressing, and the like. Still heady stuff for a young man, so of course I tried to lure Phaedra away from the palace at any opportunity.

Sometimes, we would lie sheltered from the sun amongst the cyprus and oak trees, talking, kissing, and doing what other young couples in love did. They were probably the best times of my life.

On one such occasion, Phaedra and I had taken some food and a little wine I’d stolen from the kitchen and wrapped up in cloth. We set it down in a clearing amongst the trees and ate and drank our fill. I confess I’d probably drunk more wine than was good for me and was feeling more than a little bold.

We kissed. Reluctantly, I broke the embrace to ask a question that had been plaguing me.

“Why do you love me?” I asked.

Phaedra looked at me askance, her head tilting slightly to show the perfection of her jawline. I desperately wanted to kiss her again.

“Do you really need to ask such questions?” she replied, her face serious.

“Of course I do. Look at me. Look at you. Don’t you think we are an odd match?”

“Asterion, you of all people should know I don’t judge based on appearances. To me, you are the most handsome man in the world because of who you are. You are gentle and have a kind soul. That’s more important to me than looks. Besides,” she said, with a twinkle in her eye, “you have big muscles. Every girl likes big muscles.”

“Is that all I am to you? A slab of meat?” I tried to joke, but my tone was all wrong. I knew I half meant what I said. I was only too conscious of my massive size and, like my horns, knew it marked me as an oddity or a strange freak of nature.

Phaedra slapped me playfully. “Most of the time. Sometimes you’re able to string a sentence together that is almost intelligent.”

Phillip W. Simpson is the author of many novels, chapter books and other stories for children. His publishers include Macmillan, Penguin, Pearson, Cengage, Raintree and Oxford University Press.

He received both his undergraduate degree in Ancient History and Archaeology and his Masters (Hons) degree in Archaeology from the University of Auckland.

Before embarking on his writing career, he joined the army as an officer cadet, owned a comic shop and worked in recruitment in both the UK and Australia.

His first young adult novel, Rapture (Rapture Trilogy #1), was shortlisted for the Sir Julius Vogel Awards for best Youth novel in 2012.

He is represented by Vicki Marsdon at Wordlink literary agency.

When not writing, he works as a school teacher.

Phillip lives and writes in Auckland, New Zealand with his wife Rose, their son, Jack and their two border terriers, Whiskey and Raffles. He loves fishing, reading, movies, football (soccer) and single malt Whiskeys. 

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Book Blitz & Giveaway ~ Shopping for a CEO (Shopping for a Billionaire #7) by Julia Kent

Shopping for a CEO

(Shopping for a Billionaire, #7)

by Julia Kent
Publication date: September 29th 2015
Genres: Comedy, New Adult, Romance

I’m thrilled to be the maid of honor in my friend’s wedding, but the best man, Andrew McCormick, is a chauvinistic pig with a God complex.

And I can’t stop kissing him in closets.

(Don’t ask.)

He’s the brother of the groom and the CEO of my biggest mystery shopping account, but suddenly he’s refusing to be in the wedding. 

He won’t talk about it. Won’t see reason.

He’s such a man.

And he still won’t stop kissing me in random closets.

(Thank goodness.)

I’m a fixer. That’s what I do. I can fix anything if given the chance. But when the game is fixed there’s only so much I can do.

The ball’s in his court now.

Game on.

* * *
Shopping for a CEO is the 7th book in the New York Times and USA Today bestselling Shopping series. When CEO Andrew McCormick and mystery shopper Amanda Harrington find themselves in the unlikely position as maid of honor and best man in the Boston society wedding of the year, an undeniable attraction and dual stubborn streaks add fuel to the fire in this romantic comedy from Julia Kent.

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“Will the guys go commando?” Marie calls out. “True highlanders don’t wear underwear.”

“The wedding is in July, Mom,” Amy calls back. “In Massachusetts. If you’re going to make all those men wear wool kilts and socks, they’ll probably gratefully go without underwear just to prevent heat exhaustion.”

Marie nods. “Good point.”

“But then there’s the issue of ball sweat,” Amy adds.

Marie frowns and jots down notes on a sticky pad. “Ball sweat? That’s a real thing?”

Amy nods. “They make a special product for it.”

“There’s a product to cure ball sweat? Balls have sweat glands? Where do they hide the pores? And how do you know this?”

“Venture capital project at my internship. They’re coming out with a new product for breast sweat.”

“Now that I know about first hand,” Marie says with a knowing nod. “Breasts do more work than people appreciate. The Girls work up a sweat on a regular basis.”

Considering the fact that Marie hasn’t been pregnant or breastfed in well over two decades, I don’t really want to know what kind of ‘work’ her chest girls have been up to.

Shannon walks in. Chuckles runs to cuddle with her ankles, then rubs his butthole all over her calf.

“Hi to you too, Chuckles. That’s exactly how Declan greets me most nights.”

“Ewwwww,” Amy says, plugging her ears. “I hear enough about Mom’s sex life. Don’t need to know more about yours.”

“Honey, does Declan have a problem with ball sweat?”

“Huh?” Shannon gives Amy an evil look. “What have you been telling her?”

“Amy says the groom and groomsmen will need testicle powder if I ask them to go commando for the wedding.”

“Testicle powder? Is that going to be a wedding favor?”

“Do they make such a thing?” Marie asks, interest piqued.

“Sure,” Amy says. “Personalized bottles and everything. Think of the possibilities. Shannon and Declan, Dry Forever, with the date stamped on there and a logo of a dove. People will forever associate your wedding with smooth sacs.”

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New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Julia Kent turned to writing contemporary romance after deciding that life is too short not to have fun. She writes romantic comedy with an edge, and new adult books that push contemporary boundaries. From billionaires to BBWs to rock stars, Julia finds a sensual, goofy joy in every book she writes, but unlike Trevor from Random Acts of Crazy, she has never kissed a chicken.

She loves to hear from her readers by email at jkentauthor@gmail.com, on Twitter @jkentauthor, and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/julia.kent.100. Visit my blog at http://jkentauthor.blogspot.com

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