The Game of Love Has Never Been Sexier Than When Played By The "Beautiful Player"

Title:  Beautiful Player
(Beautiful Bastard #3)
Author(s) Christina Lauren
Format:  Print
Length:  406 pages
Publisher:  Gallery Books
Rating:  5 Stars

In the third book in the Beautiful Bastard series, an agreement between a venture capitalist and a bookish woman quickly becomes a very NSFW version of My Fair Lady.

When Hanna “Ziggy” Bergstrom moves to New York City for graduate school, Will Sumner thinks his responsibilities to his best friend’s nerdy little sister will be limited to the occasional dinner and check-in. Little does he know that Ziggy is ready to break out of her bookworm academic shell and move more into bombshell territory. Of course she figures the gorgeous womanizing venture capitalist Will is the best person to help mentor her in this new field of study: dating.

Will takes on the on challenge with more than a healthy dose of skepticism and humor, but soon finds that Ziggy just needed a tiny push, not a world of change, to reveal a woman every man seems to notice. Soon “Ziggy” is gone and the unfiltered, innocently seductive Hanna Bergstrom is hijacking his dreams, his moods, and even his orderly no-strings-attached dating life—beginning the night his mentoring activities move between the sheets.  -Goodreads

My Thoughts
The third full length offering in the Beautiful Bastard series gets off to a bit of an unorthodox start as readers find themselves thrown smack dab into the middle of what might best be described as a workaholic's intervention.
It seems that  Hannah Bergstrom's well meaning, albeit uber intrusive father and older brother
feel that she spends too much time closeted away in her lab, and not enough experimenting with the fun side of life.
So...what is a loving brother to do?
Why, call his playboy bestie in to show his little sister the best time possible!

This book lives up to the sexiness and romance of it's predecessors; while managing to bring a fresh innocence to the story of Hanna and Will.
The fact that these two do all they can to remain friends in the face of the overwhelming passion that consumes their every waking moment; gives this book a very "first blush" feel.
Hannah's seductive naivety draws readers  in, making them long to witness her awakening under the tutelage of one very skilled Dr. Sumner.

For all of  you fans of Ryan, Max, Sara, and Chloe...there are just appearances from each of them to keep you sated.
As always, the story is told from alternating his/hers points of view and is always adorned with that beautiful happily every after bow that the writers of this series tie so well.

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SoHo TEEN Presents: An Interview With Heather Terrell

Title:  Relic
(Book Eva #1)
Author:  Heather Terrell
Format:  Print
Length:  288 pages
Publisher:  SoHoTEEN
Expected Publication Date:  October 29, 2013
Buy Links
Goodreads, Amazon, B&N

The truth will test you...

For fans of Game of Thrones and The Hunger Games: high fantasy and dystopia meet in this high-stakes tale of a civilization built on lies and the girl who single-handedly brings it down.

When Eva’s twin brother, Eamon, falls to his death just a few months before he is due to participate in The Testing, no one expects Eva to take his place. She’s a Maiden, slated for embroidery classes, curtseys, and soon a prestigious marriage befitting the daughter of an Aerie ruler. But Eva insists on honoring her brother by becoming a Testor. After all, she wouldn’t be the first Maiden to Test, just the first in 150 years.

Eva knows the Testing is no dance class. Gallant Testors train for their entire lives to search icy wastelands for Relics: artifacts of the corrupt civilization that existed before The Healing drowned the world. Out in the Boundary Lands, Eva must rely on every moment of the lightning-quick training she received from Lukas—her servant, a Boundary native, and her closest friend now that Eamon is gone.

But there are threats in The Testing beyond what Lukas could have prepared her for. And no one could have imagined the danger Eva unleashes when she discovers a Relic that shakes the Aerie to its core.

An Interview With Heather Terrell

WTF:  Do you have a favorite place or time of day to write?

Heather: In an ideal world, I would wake up, make a steaming cup of coffee, and begin writing in my home office very first thing.  I adore writing in the morning, before anything worldly has clouded my thoughts.  This never happens, however!  I have two small children, so in the mornings, I tend to them and get them off to school.  Then, if I am lucky, I sit down at my desk and write furiously for two to three hours before I have to pick them up again.

WTF:  Where did you get the idea for Relic?

Heather: All of my books share a common theme – whether young adult or adult historical suspense -- about the hidden stories that lie within history, myth, and legend, and the ways in which our societies alter those histories and myths in order to shape our understanding of ourselves.  But with my new series, THE BOOKS OF EVA -- of which RELIC is the first book -- I wanted to get at this theme of hidden historical stories differently.  Uniquely.  Instead of going back in time to a real, existing mystery, I wanted to go forward, to a future that may or may not exist, and examine OUR time through another’s eyes.  And actually show how history is created through the alteration of myth and literature.

 WTF:  What is your favorite scene in Relic?

Heather: Answering this question is a little bit like answering the question which is your favorite child.  The RELIC scenes are all my favorites, for very different reasons.  That said, I usually prefer the scenes that come to me fully formed.  With those scenes, writing is almost like capturing a memory; I only hope that I can depict them as vividly as they appeared in my mind.  The very first scene in RELIC -- the prologue, in which I write from the point of view of Eva’s twin brother, Eamon -- materialized in that way.  

WTF:   Who was the most difficult to write?

Heather: This is a tricky question.  Unlike my earlier works of historical suspense -- in which I told the tales through at least three sets of very different eyes -- RELIC is written almost entirely from Eva’s perspective.  While I didn’t find it difficult to write RELIC from her viewpoint, occasionally, I found challenging certain issues and situations that Eva faced.   For example, Eva grieves for her brother Eamon throughout RELIC, and writing about that intense emotion -- as well as her attempts to hold it at bay -- was sometimes tough.  Also, Eva undertakes some extremely dangerous ice-climbing excursions, and given that I’m a novice at such climbs, I found demanding the task of ensuring these scenes were authentic, both technically and emotionally.   

WTF:   Do you plan to write a sequel?

Heather: Absolutely.  In fact, I am working on a sequel to RELIC as we speak.  The end of RELIC is a cliff-hanger in the truest sense.   The next in the BOOKS OF EVA series follows Eva as she faces two enormous life changes -- which I cannot name for fear of spoilers -- and dares to unearth the truths about her world and her twin brother’s death.    

 

 About The Author

Heather Terrell is a lawyer with more than ten years' experience as a litigator at two of the country's premier law firms and for Fortune 500 companies. She is a magna cum laude graduate of Boston College with a focus in History and Art History, and a cum laude graduate of the Boston University School of Law. She lives in Pittsburgh with her family.
Heather is the author of The Chrysalis and The Map Thief, which will appear in more than ten countries, as well as Brigid of Kildare. She turned her hand to young adult fiction with the Fallen Angel series, and continues it with the upcoming series The Books of Eva. The first book in the series -- Relic -- releases in October 2013.

 

 Find Heather and RELIC on the Web!

Heather's .com

Heather on Facebook 

WTF Are You Reading?

would like to thank

SoHo Teen 

and Heather Terrell

for having us on their tour.

 

Experience Death At Its Sexiest in "Soul Survivor".

Title:  Soul Survivor
(Soul Stripper #2)
Author:  Katana Collins
Format:  ERC
Length:  352 pages
Publisher:  Kensington
Rating: 5 Stars

With immortality comes a craving that can't be satisfied, a need never fulfilled...

Once an angel, now a demon, Monica is still a succubus with an insatiable desire for sex. The more the better. Soul-stealing orgasms beat out dealing with her broken heart any day of the week. Monica has no interest in being near both her ex-lover and his new girlfriend, so she's not thrilled when she's asked to join them in investigating a string of murders that are clearly beyond the pale. But when she sees that one of the victims has her Celtic family crest carved on his arm, she realizes she may finally find the answers to her past she's been searching for all these years... -Goodreads

My Thoughts

Monica is back and so is the mystery, as she sets out to solve the mystery of murders with very personal ties.
Just when you thought that the story of our saucy angel turned succubus couldn't get any better...it has.
This is the book that answers all the questions about "how" Monica lost her wings, and became the succubus that we all know and love.
Not to worry though, the story doesn't spend all of its time traipsing down Monica's memory lane.  There is far to much afoot in her present for that.

Jules, Drew, and Adrienne are still around to make Monica's life as complicated as ever.
There are also some new and delicious additions to the story as well.
Daimen - the sexy elemental detective helping to solve the case, when not having hot "earth shattering" sex with Monica.
Dejun - the vampire that turned her.
John - the sorcerer who was Monica's first love and betrayer.
Banshee - death that literally follows our girl.

The sex is just as steamy, the death is just as deadly, and the history of Monica makes her more endearing to her readers than ever.
This is read is just the fire that readers will need to keep them toasty during the coming winter.
Though this is book two, it can be read alone...although reading book one is highly suggested!
  

Feel The Chill of the Coolest "Cold Spell" Ever

Title:  Cold Spell
(Fairytale Retellings #4)
Author:  Jackson Pearce
Format:  ERC
Length:  336 pages
Publisher:  Little Brown and Co. BFYR
Estimated Publication:  November 5, 2013
Rating:  4.5 Stars

Kai and Ginny grew up together–best friends since they could toddle around their building’s rooftop rose garden. Now they’re seventeen, and their relationship has developed into something sweeter, complete with stolen kisses and plans to someday run away together.

But one night, Kai disappears with a mysterious stranger named Mora–a beautiful girl with a dark past and a heart of ice. Refusing to be cast aside, Ginny goes after them and is thrust into a world she never imagined, one filled with monsters and thieves and the idea that love is not enough.

If Ginny and Kai survive the journey, will she still be the girl he loved–and moreover, will she still be the girl who loved him?

Jackson Pearce, author of the acclaimed SISTERS RED and FATHOMLESS, has returned with a unique vision of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen,” one about power and redemption, failure and hope, and the true meaning of strength.

My Thoughts

Jackson Pearce has once again managed to imbue the timeless childhood tales that countless generations have lovingly carried in our hearts and lovingly shared with those we love, with a fresh and modern life.
Her newest take on The Snow Queen is no exception.

Kai is a young protege on the violin.  His eccentric and very protective grandmother is always warning him of strange beasts that are "hunting" him and telling him tales of mysterious happenings in her past.
Ginny is Kai's very practical, "wind beneath his wings" girlfriend.
Until...
Grandma dies under mysterious circumstances, and the mysterious and drop-dead gorgeous Mora, kidnaps Kai, leaving broken hearts, mysteries, and snow storms in her wake.

This story is all about girl power.  Ginny's girl power to be exact.  she becomes a girl on a serious mission after Kai goes MIA via Mora.
She goes through being chased by weres, kidnapping by gypsies, and a fight with the Snow Queen herself.
With nothing but her bravado, determination, and Grandma's cookbook a la "encyclopedia of all things weird,"
 Ginny proves to be quite the formidable foil for any and all baddies.
Though this story is worthy of 5 stars, some confusion involving the gypsies prevents the top rating.
Kai is for the most part, a non-issue but with all the action and the vivid images that this book invokes, he is not really missed.
In fact, with everything that Ginny accomplishes by the end of this read; one starts to wonder if Kai is truly worth her time.
This is a wonderful way to introduce modern audiences to the wonder and majesty that is The Snow Queen.

HFVBT Presents: Gracianna

Publication Date: July 23, 2013
Greenleaf Book Group Press
Hardcover; 296p
ISBN-10: 1608325709

The gripping story of Gracianna--a French-Basque girl forced to make impossible decisions after being recruited into the French Resistance in Nazi-occupied Paris.

Gracianna is inspired by true events in the life of Trini Amador's great-grandmother, Gracianna Lasaga. As an adult, Amador was haunted by the vivid memory of finding a loaded German Luger tucked away in a nightstand while wandering his great-grandmother's home in Southern California. He was only four years old at the time, but the memory remained and he knew he had to explore the story behind the gun.

Decades later, Amador would delve into the remarkable odyssey of his Gracianna's past, a road that led him to an incredible surprise. In Gracianna, Amador weaves fact and fiction to tell his great-grandmother's story.

Gracianna bravely sets off to Paris in the early 1940s--on her way to America, she hopes--but is soon swept into the escalation of the war and the Nazi occupation of Paris. After chilling life-and-death struggles, she discovers that her missing sister has surfaced as a laborer in Auschwitz. When she finds an opportunity to fight back against the Nazis to try to free her sister, she takes it--even if it means using lethal force.

As Amador tells the imagined story of how his great-grandmother risked it all, he delivers richly drawn characters and a heart-wrenching page-turner that readers won't soon forget.


 Praise for Gracianna

“Gracianna is a riveting and remarkable narrative. The characters come alive through their unassuming but compelling stories, as Nazi-occupied Paris unfolds before our eyes. We come to care deeply about the characters, which makes putting down the book almost impossible. Highly recommended.” – Stacey Katz Bourns, Director of Language Programs, Dept. of Romance Languages and Literatures, Harvard University

“While wine is obviously a significant part of life’s enjoyment, the story behind the wine can be even more gratifying. You will be fixated on this thrilling story written by Trini Amador which was inspired by Gracianna, his great-grandmother, the French Basque namesake of his family’s award-winning winery in Sonoma County.” – Bob Cabral, Director of Winemaking & General Manager, Williams Selyem Winery

“Gracianna is a gripping story about human courage and determination. This book truly deserves a movie because of the action and emotions in it. Trini Amador has done a fantastic job in bringing the story of his amazing grandmother to life. A must read for fiction and non-fiction lovers alike.” —Felipe Korzenny, Ph.D., Director of the Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication, Florida State University.

  Link to Tour Schedule: http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/graciannatwotour
Twitter Hashtag: #GraciannaT

My Thoughts

Gracianna is in a word and awesome read.  Author Trini Amador loving weaves threads of imaginative storytelling flare into the already captivating history of his grandmother.

Presented within a very readable 296 pages; Gracianna's story has all the heartbreak, love, loss, tests of will and triumphs of spirit needed to bring a tear to the eye and inspiration to the heart of any reader.

Set during the turbulent times of the German occupation, Gracianna tells the story of a young woman torn between her dreams of a new life in America, and her desire to free her sister from the horrors of Auschwitz.

Determined to do what she must for the love of her younger sister, Gracianna sets her life on a perilous course that has to be read to be believed.    

This first work from Trini Amador, is a true jewel in my collection and the story of his grandmother, one that I shall treasure always.

About the Author
Trini Amador vividly remembers the day he found a loaded German Luger tucked away in a nightstand while wandering through his great-grandmother’s home in Southern California. He was only four years old at the time, but the memory remained and he knew he had to explore the story behind the gun. This experience sparked a journey towards Gracianna, Amador’s debut novel, inspired by true events and weaving reality with imagination. It’s a tale drawing from real-life family experiences.

Mr. Amador is a traveled global marketing “insighter.” He is a sought-after guru teaching multinational brand marketers to understand how customer and consumer segments behave based on their needs, values, motivations, feeling and values. He has trained over five thousand brand marketers on how to grow brands in over 20 countries in the last 15 years. His counseling has been valued at global brands including General Electric, Microsoft, AT&T, Yahoo!, Sun Microsystems, Google, Jack Daniel’s, The J.M. Smucker Co., DuPont, Mattel, and Rodale, Inc..

Amador is also a founding partner with his wife and children of Gracianna Winery, an award-winning winery located in Healdsburg, California. The winery also pays tribute to the Amador Family’s maternal grandmother, Gracianna Lasaga. Her message of being thankful lives on through them. The Gracianna winery strives to keep Gracianna’s gratitude alive through their wine. Learn more at: www.gracianna.com, like Gracianna Winery on Facebook or follow them on Twitter @GraciannaWinery.
Amador resides in Sonoma County with his family.

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Release Day Book Blitz: The Dollhouse Asylum

Paperback, 296 pages
Expected publication: October 22nd 2013 by Spencer Hill Press
ISBN 1937053644 (ISBN13: 9781937053642)
Edition language: English

Buy Links:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound 
Add THE DOLLHOUSE ASYLUM to your Goodreads shelf.

Book Blurb

A virus that had once been contained has returned, and soon no place will be left untouched by its destruction. But when Cheyenne wakes up in Elysian Fields--a subdivision cut off from the world and its monster-creating virus--she is thrilled to have a chance at survival.

At first, Elysian Fields, with its beautiful houses and manicured lawns, is perfect. Teo Richardson, the older man who stole Cheyenne's heart, built it so they could be together. But when Teo tells Cheyenne there are tests that she and seven other couples must pass to be worthy of salvation, Cheyenne begins to question the perfection of his world.

The people they were before are gone. Cheyenne is now "Persephone," and each couple has been re-named to reflect the most tragic romances ever told. Everyone is fighting to pass the test, to remain in Elysian Fields. Teo dresses them up, tells them when to move and how to act, and in order to pass the test, they must play along.

If they play it right, then they'll be safe.

But if they play it wrong, they'll die.

Excerpt One (from Chapter One)

Gruff fingers yank a blindfold off my face, light splashes into my eyes, and I blink. Gray walls swim about my head, and the ceiling soars much too high above me. I don’t know this place. I was walking to my bathroom when someone grabbed me from behind and forced a sour-smelling cloth over my face and—someone grapples with my hair, and I flinch. Who—who is touching me?

I try turning in the flimsy chair, but someone’s grabbing my shoulders, forcing me not to move. Spasms of fear shoot up and down my arms and legs. I try swinging my fists to make them loosen their grip, but my captor’s fingers only tighten.

Raising my arm to jab my captor in the gut, I pause. Someone’s laughing. How do I know that sound? It’s beautiful and low, a laugh I could recognize anywhere. Glancing around the sun-filled room, I find the source almost immediately. It’s Teo, my Teo, standing across from me on the hardwood floor, beaming at me. His ebony eyes shine forth like two onyx stones, and even his olive-toned skin makes me breathe a bit shallower. Choking back a strangled laugh—no one’s here to hurt me—I reach out for the love of my life, too tongue-tied to say anything.

His lips spread into a thin smile, reminding me of his mouth melting into my own. Fire raged beneath my skin with that kiss and it felt like I was lifted up into the air and floating. It’s been six days since our kiss and we still haven’t been able to talk about it. I tried repeatedly to go into his classroom, but it was like our school had purposely decided to schedule a more than average number of parent-teacher meetings.

Locking his eyes on mine, Teo asks, “Manicure?”

I glance down at my fingernails, trying to see why he would think I needed a manicure, when my shoulders are released and pale, icy fingers grip my hand. Chills run through me.

A flat, tenor voice says, “Yes.” And I’m startled to see my fingernails are actually painted. Clear and shiny.

The fingers drop my hand, and my captor walks around to face me. White uniform, white skin, white hair. He’s albino. Who is he?

About the Author

Mary Gray has a fascination with all things creepy. That's why all her favorite stories usually involve panic attacks and hyperventilating. In real life, she prefers to type away on her computer, ogle over her favorite TV shows, and savor fiction. When she's not immersed in other worlds, she and her husband get their exercise by chasing after their three children. THE DOLLHOUSE ASYLUM is her first novel.

Author Links:

Goodreads | Website | YouTube | Twitter | Facebook

To celebrate the release of THE DOLLHOUSE ASYLUM, author Mary Gray is giving away one signed copy of THE DOLLHOUSE ASYLUM (U.S. only) and an unsigned copy of THE DOLLHOUSE ASYLUM  (open to all). Ends 10/23/13 (midnight).

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