Thursday 24 March 2016

Venture Forward by Kristen Luciani


Title: Venture Forward
Author: Kristen Luciani
Series: The Venture Series
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Blue Tulip Publishing



Raw. Cold. Detached. Domineering…
Paul Emerson lives life like he f*cks. It’s the only way to survive, to battle the demons forever lurking in his subconscious, to resist succumbing to the darkness that perpetually overshadows his existence. As a ruthless venture capitalist with an insatiable appetite for power and control, he has no tolerance for emotion or any tryst spanning more than a few hours. Feelings equate to weakness and weakness destroys livelihoods.
Driven. Focused. Bitter. Guilty…
Avery Hunter is tormented by what she can’t change, but letting go is never the preferred option. Her successes aren’t nearly enough to fill the gaping void in her heart and soul. No, revenge always begets satisfaction and fulfillment…except when it extinguishes the last source of brightness in her life. Karma is a bitch and irony is her evil twin sister.
Damaged. Rejected. Broken…
The woman who harbors and the man who resists. With so much baggage and even more angst, can their wounded souls finally find solace in one another? Or is their future happiness doomed to be ravaged by the lies and deceit that litter their pasts?
**Venture Forward is an Interconnected STANDALONE in The Venture Series. Each book features a different couple.**

REVIEW

I loved this very much. The book started with a bang and the action begins. As the book started I was engrossed in Avery's life and how much she has achieved and her pain. Paul Emerson is cold, domineering and yet I found him too intense, raw, and too passionate. I loved Avery as well and how she tried to make her name. She was flawed but quick to always realize her mistake. Both of them were broken and I was rooting for them. As and when the story moved forwards, the secrets started coming out, I was scared, so scared that I wanted to shield them the truth. Lol, that's how invested I was. I loved the sexual tension between them, it was so hot that I wanted to push their head together *KISS* lol.


I highly recommend this book who loved to read good story about two broken people trying to avoid falling in love yet can't help gravitating towards each other.
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He’d turned her down. He’d turned her down? What the fuck just happened? She’d been drunk, emotional, probably looking for her friend to comfort her. It was the right decision. Separating himself, when he knew damn well it wasn’t just physical, would be impossible. There was no shortage of excuses not to go and find her.
With a tightly clenched jaw, he launched a rock into the surf. Getting involved romantically guaranteed certain disaster. Hell, without even laying a finger on her, he’d managed to drive her away.
She was so fucking perfect. He couldn’t be the one to ruin her, but desire threatened to overshadow his sensibilities. Could she handle just one night? Could he?
The decision took a split second to make.
Inside the hotel, he approached the front-desk clerk, a guy who looked to be in his early twenties. “I need a room number.”
“Um, sir, I’m afraid I can’t disclose that information. There are privacy laws—”
Fuck the privacy laws. The kid was young, probably making ten dollars an hour behind that desk. Good, it would make his next bet a guaranteed winner. “I get all that. I’m not a crazy person or a stalker. I’ll make it worth your while.” He pulled a crisp hundred-dollar bill from his pocket and slapped it on the counter. “The room number please.”
The clerk’s jaw dropped, and he scouted the desolate lobby. No cameras, no guards to call him out on what he was about to do. “Jeez, um, yeah.” He dropped his voice. “Name?”
“Avery Hunter.”
The clerk punched the keyboard and peered at the screen. “Room 613.”
“Great, thanks.”
Paul waited for the elevator, each passing second giving him pause. What was he going to say to her? That is, if she even answered the door. His stomach rolled at the possibility. Since when did he let a woman have this kind of effect on him? Rejection had never been a concern in the past, but what if he blew his chance?
The elevator painstakingly crept to the sixth floor.
He’d made a fortune off calculated risks. Paul Emerson didn’t run from uncertainty. But this was different. She was different. He didn’t give a damn about the faces behind his investments. If they tanked, he walked away, no lingering feelings, no regrets. Women were no different.
But that defense mechanism was a double-edged sword. It protected him and isolated him at the same time. Could he break down those walls? And what would happen once he’d let her in?
His mouth was drier than the Sahara by the time the doorknob finally turned. Avery’s glossy blonde hair hung loose around her shoulders, lithe body clad in a skimpy tank top and matching shorts. The sight of her pert breasts stretched against the thin fabric caused an intense throbbing in his groin, and he could think of nothing other than peeling her out of those clothes.
“Hey.” A deep flush stained her cheeks. “I’m really sorry about that, um, that whole thing before. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
“You didn’t. I shouldn’t have let you leave like that.” She was upset because of him. He had no business being there. Talking would just fuck everything up even more. Walk away now!But his legs refused to obey his mind.
“It’s okay. Entirely my fault. I shouldn’t have… I mean, I knew it would mess everything up.“
“It would.” He stepped closer, intoxicated by the sweet scent of her perfume. So captivating… he couldn’t fight it anymore. The barriers crumbled around him, leaving him open, exposed, and vulnerable for the first time in his life.
“I don’t want that to happen.” Her voice was barely a whisper.
“Me either.” He could almost taste her she was so close. His eyes refused to wander from her pained expression, even though the reality of what was looming scared the shit out of him.
“Paul, I—”
Lust won out. He pulled her close until she was firmly wrapped in his embrace; their lips crushed together. Hot. Intense. Hungry. The tangy taste of peppermint enveloped his mouth. Her coiling tongue, so hot against his own, plunged deeper and with wanting, her throaty moan telling him exactly what he needed to know. She wanted this, too.
Avery wound her arms around his neck as they backed into the dimly lit suite. The blonde waves cascading down her back were so soft. His hands were forever lost in that thick mane as his lips trailed the supple skin of her neck. A soft mewl slipped through her swollen lips, the evidence of her pleasure causing his pants to strain against the growing bulge. All control was finally lost, and, for once in his life, he didn’t care. It felt too good, too right.
Her fingers fumbled with the buttons on his shirt, unable to free them fast enough for his liking. Every passing second was sheer torture. He ached to feel her hands somewhere else,anywhere else. Fuck it. He tore at the starched white fabric, buttons popped off and flew through the air.
Cerulean eyes fluttered open, her hooded gaze sending pangs straight to his swollen cock. Her lips curled into a seductive smile as she slid off the shirt. “Okay, my turn.”
Her breasts swelled against the tank top, beckoning him, begging to be touched. He pulled the slinky material over her head, letting it drop to the floor. Everything about her was perfect… so beautiful, so special. She’d wakened parts of his soul that had lain dormant for too long, unearthed the emotions he’d been so careful to keep secure. No, this wasn’t about sex at all. This was different. She was different. Her racing pulse matched his own as his hands molded her soft mounds, his tongue and teeth working the taut pink buds. Every squeal and moan intensified the ache deep within him, but it was such delicious torture. She’d almost slipped right through his fingers, and now that he had her, there was no way he’d let go. Closing the space between them, connecting on a level he’d never experienced — it was all that mattered now.
He looped his fingers into the waistband of her shorts and gently pushed them to the floor. The shreds of self-control that still remained diminished rapidly with each passing second. His tongue traced a path to her navel then lower, brushing the sensitive skin of her inner thighs, inching toward her damp opening. Desire flooded his eager mouth when her body quivered against him, her moans becoming full-fledged pleas for more.
The erection in his pants begged for release, but a little more self-inflicted torment wouldn’t kill him. This had to last. Who knew what would happen in the morning? No, he needed her tonight… all of her. His lips explored every square inch of her body while he tried to calm himself down, the sweet scent of vanilla taunting his nostrils with each breath he took.
“I want you, Paul.” The words, murmured against his ear, sent shivers straight back to his now raging erection. Her fingers fumbled with his belt buckle, finally freeing him. A jolt zipped through his swollen shaft at the intensity of her touch. Stroking, tugging, rubbing… the sensations coursing through him were almost too much to bear.
Coherent thoughts flew out the window. His mind was foggy, clouded with lust, dizzy with need. All focus was on Avery and the way she made him feel. Fuck worrying about tomorrow.He only cared about what was happening right then, and it was so much more incredible than he’d ever imagined. She was everything he needed but never knew he wanted.



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Kristen Luciani is a self-proclaimed momtrepreneur with a penchant for Christian Louboutins, Silicon Valley, plunging necklines and grapefruit martinis.  As a deep-rooted romantic who prefers juicy drama to fill the lives of anyone other than her, she tried her hand at creating a world of enchantment, sensuality, and intrigue, finally uncovering her true passion.  No pun intended…

RELEASE BOOST - Drifter by Bella Jewel





Title: Drifter
Series: MC Sinners Next Generation #2
Author: Bella Jewel
Genre: Contemporary Romance 
 Release Date: March 21, 2016



Blurb

They say opposites attract.
In my world that isn’t a good thing.
I did everything I could to escape the motorcycle club I grew up in when I turned twenty-one.
It wasn’t about fear, or betrayal, or even lack of love.
I just needed my own life.
I had to know how it felt to stand on my own two feet without their protection.
Then I met Diesel.
Mysterious, dark, with eyes that screamed to be understood.
From the second I met him, I knew I needed to be in his life.
There’s just one problem – he’s a member of a different motorcycle club.
Two things that should never be combined.
Yet I can’t stay away. No matter how hard he pushes. I can see beyond his mask.
I need to know who he is and I’ll overcome any obstacle to be in his life.
A friendship is born, followed by an epic love.
Our relationship is forbidden.
But I’ll do anything to be in his life.
Anything.






Purchase Links

AMAZON US / UK / AU / CA






Also Available


AMAZON US / UK / AU / CA






Author Bio

Bella Jewel is a self published, USA Today bestselling author. She’s been publishing since 2013. Her first release was a contemporary romance, Hell’s Knights which topped the charts upon release. Since that time, she has published over five novels, gaining a bestseller status on numerous platforms. She lives in North Queensland and is currently studying editing and proofreading to further expand her career. Bella has been writing since she was just shy of fifteen years old. In Summer 2013 she was offered an ebook deal through Montlake Romance for her bestselling modern day pirate series, Enslaved By The Ocean. She plans to expand her writing career, planning many new releases for the future.



Author Links

Giveaway

EXCERPT / PRE ORDER BLITZ ♥ SOMETHING MORE by Danielle Pearl


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The Something More Boxed Set
Author: Danielle Pearl
Publication Date: April 18, 2016
Genre: New Adult Romance
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Pre Order for only 99¢!!
(900+ page ‪#‎BoxedSet for ONLY 99 PENNIES plus a sneak peek of In Ruins at the end!)
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eBook-Normal-by-Danielle-Pearl
Normal (Book 1) It's the kind of situation most people would dread. Starting at a new high school, in the middle of my senior year, in a new town, in a new state. I know no one. No one knows me. That's what I'm counting on. A year ago, Aurora "Rory" Pine was just a normal teenage girl - just as sweet and naive as the fairy tale princess she was named after. But this isn't a year ago. Rory is broken, and suffering from a new debilitating anxiety disorder, wrought with precarious triggers, she moves across the country to escape the source of her troubles. Her plan is anonymity, but that's easier said than achieved for the new girl having a panic episode outside of calculus. The worst part? There's a witness - and a gorgeous one at that. Sam is a walking trigger for Rory. Incredibly handsome, built like the star athlete he obviously is, and undoubtedly popular, Sam outwardly represents everything Rory despises about high school. But as the fates keep throwing them together, a connection sparks that neither ever expected, and certainly can’t ignore. But Sam has issues too, and Rory's past won't just stay in the damned past. When friendship evolves into something deeper, can a girl utterly destroyed by the worst kind of betrayal and a boy battling demons of his own ever have a normal relationship? Is that even what they want? Find out in NORMAL, a gritty story of trust and abuse, heartbreak and salvation, and if they're lucky - love. This is not a flowery romance - not for the faint of heart.   Recap-eBook-2 ReCap (Book 1.5) Rory and Sam fell in love in NORMAL, and we all fell in love right along with them. Now see it all unfold through Sam's eyes, and learn just how the new girl with anxiety issues stole the heart of the gorgeous heartthrob, and turned his world upside down. You already heard the story. The one of how Rory and I fell in love, supposedly, even if she couldn't handle it in the end. You know how it all went. Or you think you do. You only know her side. But I have my own point of view, and even Rory couldn't know my thoughts in those few months it took for her to go from being a stranger to my whole entire world. Every moment is permanently ingrained in my memory. In my goddamned soul. From the moment I stumbled upon the girl panicking outside of calculus - the one with the tight little body, the angelic face, and the fierce attitude - to the night she abandoned me in Miami. It was the sum of those moments that changed me irrevocably. Our story isn't over. I won't let it be. But this, this is what happened so far, the way I saw it. I'm Cap. Or Sam, to Rory. And this is my story.   Okay_correction-DP Okay (Book 2) After the horrors she’s survived over the past year, Rory never expected to find the one thing she certainly wasn’t looking for – love. But after the painful realization that her past has left her a dangerous liability to the person she cares for the most, she finally understands that for her and Sam, love means letting go. Can two people hopelessly in love ever revert back to just friends? Neither Rory nor Sam knows for sure. But the one thing they do know – it’s the only choice they have. As Rory recovers from a devastating assault, Sam will do anything to make sure it never happens again. But how far will he go to keep her safe? Their choices will change everything, and they will either bring them back together, or destroy them irrevocably.  
Read an Excerpt from Normal (Book 1)
I climb into the passenger seat of Carl's Audi. She tells me that Tina is already at the party and we'll meet her there. I look at the clock on her dashboard and estimate that I'll need to kill about three hours before Mom goes to bed and I can sneak back home. When we arrive, Tucker hands us both red plastic cups and points us to the keg, but I set mine down on the first flat surface I can find. I haven't taken a pill today, but I still don't really like to drink. Tina and Andrew are laughing and talking with a group of people and Carl goes off to join them while I hang back a few feet from the crowd. I watch as a minute later Tuck jogs over, slings his arm around Carl and plants an exaggerated wet kiss on her cheek. She playfully pushes him away, but it's clear she doesn't mean it. Everyone looks so happy and carefree... normal. I don't belong here. "Having fun?" I startle but catch myself quickly. Somehow I recognize Sam's voice instantly, and his tone tells me he can tell just how much fun I'm having. "Didn't mean to sneak up on you." I shrug. "Tons," I murmur, unenthused. "You?" "A blast." He matches my level of excitement. "Can I get you a drink?" he offers. "I don't really drink." "How about some water?" "I- uh-" He hands me his unopened bottle of Poland Spring, and my lips part to thank him, but for some reason I stay silent. "You don't seem to want to be here," he observes. I frown. He's right, I don't, but it's rude of him to point it out, isn't it? "Neither do you," I counter. Sam smiles, and it's an unexpectedly wistful smile. I'm surprised by it. I'd expect something more cocky from such a gorgeous, confident guy. "Touché... I have a lot on my mind." If he expects me to ask him about it, he's going to be disappointed. Even though I find that I am interested to know what's plaguing the mind of this beautiful boy, I worry that if I ask about his problems, then he'll have the right to ask about mine. But he doesn't give me a chance to ask, and I think maybe he didn't want me to after all - maybe he didn't even mean to say it. "You wanna go for a walk?" he asks, nodding in the direction of the open grassy area that leads to what appears to be a pond. Is he seriously hitting on me? He doesn't even know me, and the one thing he does know is that I obviously have issues. He probably thinks the crazy ones are easy. My eyes narrow. I straighten my shoulders indignantly and square my stance. False confidence all the way. "No. I don't want to go for a fucking walk. I'm not gonna fuck you, or hook up with you in any way. Or anyone else for that matter. Spread the fucking word," I growl. My throat is suddenly desert-dry, so I take a swig from his water bottle to soothe it, praying it doesn't betray my anxiety. Sam stares at me like I've just grown another head, so I turn and stomp away from the hordes of people, toward the pond, marching in the exact direction I just insisted I did not want to go. My heart pounds mercilessly, but this isn't panic, this is anger. Ugh! Guys! They're all the fucking same. "Hey!" Sam calls after me. Can't he just take no for an answer? He catches up to me and his unexpected grip scorches the skin of my arm like wildfire. I don't think. I wrench out of his hold, turn, and smack him across his face. "Don't touch me!" I hiss. "Don't ever touch me!" We're now far enough away from the crowd that no one notices us, but if I scream, they'll hear me. Sam's fingers caress his cheek where my palm made contact, eyes wide and round. "What the fuck is your problem, Rory?! I wasn't fucking hitting on you!" He rubs his reddened cheek again. "Damn it!" He wasn't hitting on me? My boiling blood starts to simmer and shame floods my veins. All of a sudden I can't for the life of me remember what made me so certain his invitation for a walk was code for a hook-up - what made me think he'd want me that way at all. God, if he didn't already think I was crazy... Damn it, Rory, don't panic. Sam is glaring at me, but something in my mortified expression must warrant pity, because he sucks in a deep breath and I can sense his anger begin to dissipate. "I was... you just didn't seem like you were up for a party. I thought you'd want to get away from all those people." He gestures to the crowds, now off some distance, and shoves his hand through his messy chocolate locks in frustration. "I wasn't trying to fuck you. I realize that we don't know each other very well, but what about me that you know so far, exactly, makes you think I'm the kind of guy who would lure you down to a lake, lay you down on the dirty ground, and have sex with you with a hundred of our friends not fifty yards away?" I swallow anxiously. I've offended him. Moisture pricks the back of my eyes and I will it to stay put. It's beyond reason how much I've humiliated myself in front of this guy in just one week. "I-" I choke back what threatens to be a sob, close my eyes, and silently count back from ten in double time. When I open them again, I'm greeted by his expectant midnight blue gaze. "I'm so sorry," I breathe. Sam exhales sharply, his fingers raking that familiar path through his hair . "Look, I shouldn't have grabbed your arm like that. I wasn't thinking," he murmurs. Now he's apologizing and I'm more than certain he has nothing to be sorry for. "Not just for slapping you." Oh God, I freaking hit him! "God, but I am so sorry for that. But I'm sorry for assuming- I wasn't thinking. I..." I pause and look away. "I don't know what's wrong with me." It's a lie. I know exactly what's wrong with me. Sam's expression warms, and it's not full of pity either - it's... compassion. Empathy. He sighs. "There's nothing wrong with you, Rory." I look away again, anywhere but at the deep blue oceans that unnerve me so. They seem to know more about me than they should. "Sure there isn't," I mutter bitterly under my breath. Sam takes an abrupt step so he's directly in front of me, silently demanding eye contact. His arm twitches, like he wants to touch me but thinks better of it. "There's. Nothing. Wrong. With. You." He glares at me like he can convince me of this with just a look. Everything in my gut screams that he's a good guy. Like Cam. But if there's anyone whose instincts can't be trusted when it comes to guys, it's me. I was even wrong about Cam. I thought I knew everything about him. But he was keeping his secrets, too. But Sam saw me freak out. He knows I have issues, but no one else here does. Which means he's kept my secret. Otherwise it would have been all over the school in a heartbeat. That's got to count for something. "Sam, you... thank you. I mean it, but you know that's not true. And I know you didn't tell anyone what happened my first day. When I..." I trail off and shake my head. He doesn't need a recap, he was there. "Thank you for that. You've been nothin' but nice to me. There's nothin' about you that would make me think anything bad about you," I say meaningfully, answering his original question. "Except that you're a guy," I add quietly. Sam looks sad for a moment, but offers me a weak smile anyway. "I was just hoping we could be friends. Just friends." He covers his mouth and whispers conspiratorially, "no public fucking on the grass outside of parties. I promise Not even if you beg." I smile, but it's a wistful smile, because I could never be Sam's friend, even if something in my bones really wishes otherwise. But I no longer believe that guys and girls can really be just friends, and I'm too attracted to him to even try. I could never fully trust him, not really, and I could never trust myself with him. "Why would you even want to be my friend?" I ask. Because really, if I were him I'd have fled screaming in the opposite direction. He considers me a moment. "I don't know, Ror, you just seem... real." He shrugs. Something about the way he says "Ror" reminds me of Cam, and the memory of our friendship cuts me so deeply I wince. "I wish I could be your friend, Sam," I murmur. His eyes are full of some unfathomable emotion, and I wonder how this conversation has grown so intimate. We barely know each other. When Sam speaks again his voice is so low it's practically a whisper. "Who hurt you, Rory?" I tell him the truth, matching his tone - barely audible. "Everyone."  
About the Author
Danielle Pearl
Danielle Pearl is the Amazon and iBooks best selling author of the Something More series. She lives in New Jersey with her husband three delicious chidren. She is a life long book enthusiast who has been writing ever since she could hold a pencil.
Danielle went to Boston University and worked in marketing before self-publishing her debut, Normal, in August of 2014. She writes mature young adult and new adult contemporary romance. She is represented by Erica Silverman of Trident Media Group.
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