You'll Love The Way That Street...Sex...Scandal...And Story Come Together In "The Prada Plan 5"

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 Title:  The Prada Plan 5
Author:  Ashley Antionette
Review Format:  eARC
Length:  304 pages
Publisher:  St. Martin's Griffin
Rating: 4.5 Stars

In this explosive addition to the New York Times bestselling series, Ashley Antoinette brings you pain, pleasure, love, hate, as YaYa struggles to hold it all together before life blows up in her face, in The Prada Plan 5.

Disaya finally has it all. The man she fought for is hers at last. Her name is Mrs. Indie Perkins and their daughter is safe. Leah is gone. Life is supposed to be good. So why isn't she satisfied? Why does life suddenly seem so bitter? YaYa's Prada Plan had worked but with the riches comes pain.

She and Indie have grown apart, and with Parker now a permanent fixture in their lives, Indie is pressured to juggle it all. But YaYa's patience is running thin. Indie is loving her wrong. Her life isn't what she wants. Her Prada Plan has changed...and now, it's time to pursue a plan B in order to get what she really wants...


My Thoughts
One would think that a meteoric rise from back alley deals to the highest echelon of boardroom negotiations; with the woman that you love and your young daughter at your side would make life perfect for any man.
And...
In most cases.
One would be right.
Most cases...
But not however, in the case of Mr. Indie Perkins.
You see, Mr. Perkins, try as he might, can't seem to escape the one person in his life hell bent on destroying him.
Himself.
Or, more to the point.
His choices.

Choices which have lead him to jeopardize his hard-won legitimacy in the name of loyalty to "the game".  To sacrifice family for his "side chick" and a "maybe baby".
To leave the heart of his greatest love so battered and broken, that it could only be repaired by his worst enemy.
To turn the lives of everyone that he loves upside down.  Leaving the people that he loves most to find their own way out of the lies, hurt, betrayal, and mistrust.

Ashley Antionette's fifth installment in her famed Prada Plan series, has everything that lovers of Urban Fiction read for.
Drugs
Side Chicks
Maybe Babies
Infidelity
Backroom Deals
Jail-time
Strong Women
Weak Woman
Weak Men
Strong Men
Lies
Drama...drama...drama
 If in fact, more could be said without telling the story...
It would be.
But in the interest of preserving your right as a reader to have the best TV show you've ever read spoiled.
It won't be.
This is a very well written book.  The perfect blend of street smart and polished intellect.
The only detraction, if one could even call it that, to be found here.  Was the author's tendency to point out how her character's situations were somehow mirrored in Black communities.  Making her work of fiction sound less like the escape that it is meant to be, and more like a sociological Master's thesis on The Plight Of The Black Man In America.
Hence, the 4.5 star rating.

Reviewer's Note:  This book is the fifth in a closely related continuing series.  It can however, be read as intended. Or as a standalone.






ASHLEY ANTOINETTE COLEMAN is one of the most successful female writers of her time. The feminine half of the popular married duo, Ashley and JaQuavis, she has co-written over 40 novels. Several of her titles have hit The New York Times bestsellers list, but she is most widely regarded for her racy four-book saga, The Prada Plan. Born in Flint, MI, she was bred with an innate street sense that she uses as motivation in her crime filled writings.

Picking up a deal with publishing powerhouse St. Martin's Press while simultaneously inking deals at Warner Brothers Studios and NBC/Universal, Ashley shows no signs of slowing down. She is currently hard at work on a new book series and two television pilots.



 

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InkSlinger PR Presents: The 1001 Dark Night Author Bundle Spectacular

1001 Dark Nights Author Bundle - RDL banner    

1,001 Dark Nights presents...

Author Bundle Day!

7 New York Times bestsellers. 21 amazing novellas. 7 specially priced bundles.

 

Experience the 1001 Dark Nights: Bundle Nine Here…

    Lara Adrian - author bundle graphic

Midnight Breed Bundle: 3 Novellas by Lara Adrian

Tempted by Midnight

Once, they lived in secret alongside mankind. Now, emerged from the shadows, the Breed faces enemies on both sides—human and vampire alike. No one knows that better than Lazaro Archer, one of the eldest, most powerful of his kind. His beloved Breedmate and family massacred by a madman twenty years ago, Lazaro refuses to open his heart again.

Sworn to his duty as the leader of the Order’s command center in Italy, the last thing the hardened warrior wants is to be tasked with the rescue and safekeeping of an innocent woman in need of his protection. But when a covert mission takes a deadly wrong turn, Lazaro finds himself in the unlikely role of hero with a familiar, intriguing beauty he should not desire, but cannot resist.

Melena Walsh has never forgotten the dashing Breed male who saved her life as a child. But the chivalrous hero of her past is in hard contrast to the embittered, dangerous man on whom her safety now depends. And with an unwanted—yet undeniable—desire igniting between them, Melena fears that Lazaro’s protection may come at the price of her heart….

Stroke of Midnight

Born to a noble Breed lineage steeped in exotic ritual and familial duty, vampire warrior Jehan walked away from the luxurious trappings of his upbringing in Morocco to join the Order’s command center in Rome.

But when a generations-old obligation calls Jehan home, the reluctant desert prince finds himself thrust into an unwanted handfasting with Seraphina, an unwilling beauty who’s as determined as he is to resist the antiquated pact between their families.

Yet as intent as they are to prove their incompatibility, neither can deny the attraction that ignites between them. And as Jehan and Seraphina fight to resist the calling of their blood, a deadly enemy seeks to end their uneasy truce before it even begins….

Midnight Untamed

The mission was supposed to be simple. Infiltrate an enemy’s stronghold outside Rome and eliminate its leader. For a Breed warrior as lethal as Ettore Selvaggio, AKA “Savage”, stealth assassinations are only one of his many cold-hearted specialties. But the last thing Savage expects to find behind enemy lines—in his target’s bed—is a woman he once adored.

It’s been years since Savage last saw beautiful Arabella Genova. Years he’s strived to banish to his past, along with the fierce desire he once felt toward Bella . . . and the irresistible calling of her blood that stirs in him even now, despite the fact that she belongs to another male.

But when fate throws Savage and Bella together again in a race for their lives, will his long-lost love prove to be the one woman he can’t live without, or the perfect weapon to destroy him?

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  Shayla Black - author bundle graphic

Wicked Lovers Bundle: 3 Novellas by Shayla Black

Forever Wicked

They had nothing in common but a desperate passion…

Billionaire Jason Denning lived life fast and hard in a world where anything could be bought and sold, even affection. But all that changed when he met “Greta,” a beautiful stranger ready to explore her hidden desires. From a blue collar family, Gia Angelotti wore a badge, fought for right—and opened herself utterly to love him. Blindsided and falling hard, Jason does the first impulsive thing of his life and hustles her to the altar.

Until a second chance proved that forever could be theirs.

Then tragedy ripped Jason’s new bride from his arms and out of his life. When he finds Gia again, he gives her a choice: spend the three weeks before their first anniversary with him or forfeit the money she receives from their marriage. Reluctantly, she agrees to once again put herself at his mercy and return to his bed. But having her right where he wants her is dangerous for Jason’s peace of mind. No matter how hard he tries, he finds himself falling for her again. Will he learn to trust that their love is real before Gia leaves again for good?

Pure Wicked

During his decade as an international pop star, Jesse McCall has lived every day in the fast lane. A committed hedonist reveling in amazing highs, globetrotting, and nameless encounters, he refuses to think about his loneliness or empty future. Then tragedy strikes.

Shocked and grieving, he sheds his identity and walks away, searching for peace. Instead, he finds Bristol Reese, a no-nonsense beauty scraping to keep her business afloat while struggling with her own demons. He’s intent on seducing her, but other than a pleasure-filled night, she’s not interested in a player, especially after her boyfriend recently proposed to her sister. In order to claim Bristol, Jesse has to prove he’s not the kind of man he’s always been. But when she learns his identity and his past comes back to haunt him, how will he convince her that he’s a changed man who wants nothing more than to make her his forever?

Dirty Wicked

After being framed for a crime he didn’t commit, former private eye Nick Navarro has nothing but revenge on his mind—until a woman from his past returns to beg for his help.

Beautiful widow Sasha Porter has been hunted by his enemies. Desperate, she offers him anything to keep her young daughter safe, even agreeing to become his mistress. The last thing either of them want are emotional entanglements but as they entrap the ruthless politician who arranged Nick’s downfall and passion sizzles between them, danger closes in.

Will he choose love over vengeance before it’s too late?

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    Lexi Blake - Author Bundle graphic

Masters and Mercenaries Bundle: 3 Novellas by Lexi Blake

Dungeon Games

Derek Brighton has become one of Dallas’s finest detectives through a combination of discipline and obsession. Once he has a target in his sights, nothing can stop him. When he isn’t solving homicides, he applies the same intensity to his playtime at Sanctum, a secretive BDSM club. Unfortunately, no amount of beautiful submissives can fill the hole that one woman left in his heart.

Karina Mills has a reputation for being reckless, and her clients appreciate her results. As a private investigator, she pursues her cases with nothing holding her back. In her personal life, Karina yearns for something different. Playing at Sanctum has been a safe way to find peace, but the one Dom who could truly master her heart is out of reach.

On the hunt for a killer, Derek enters a shadowy underworld only to find the woman he aches for is working the same case. Karina is searching for a missing girl and won’t stop until she finds her. To get close to their prime suspect, they need to pose as a couple. But as their operation goes under the covers, unlikely partners become passionate lovers while the killer prepares to strike.

Adored

Mitch Bradford is an intimidating man. In his professional life, he has a reputation for demolishing his opponents in the courtroom. At the exclusive BDSM club Sanctum, he prefers disciplining pretty submissives with no strings attached. In his line of work, there’s no time for a healthy relationship. After a few failed attempts, he knows he’s not good for any woman—especially not his best friend’s sister.

Laurel Daley knows what she wants, and her sights are set on Mitch. He’s smart and sexy, and it doesn’t matter that he’s a few years older and has a couple of bitter ex-wives. Watching him in action at work and at play, she knows he just needs a little polish to make some woman the perfect lover. She intends to be that woman, but first she has to show him how good it could be.

When an unexpected turn of events throws the two together, Mitch and Laurel are confronted with the perfect opportunity to explore their mutual desire. Night after night of being close breaks down Mitch’s defenses. The more he sees of Laurel, the more he knows he wants her. Unfortunately, someone else has their eyes on Laurel and they have murder in mind.

Devoted

Amy Slaten has devoted her life to Slaten Industries. After ousting her corrupt father and taking over the CEO role, she thought she could relax and enjoy taking her company to the next level. But an old business rivalry rears its ugly head. The only thing that can possibly take her mind off business is the training class at Sanctum…and her training partner, the gorgeous and funny Flynn Adler. If she can just manage to best her mysterious business rival, life might be perfect.

Flynn Adler never thought he would fall for the enemy. Business is war, or so his father always claimed. He was raised to be ruthless when it came to the family company, and now he’s raising his brother to one day work with him. The first order of business? The hostile takeover of Slaten Industries. It’s a stressful job so when his brother offers him a spot in Sanctum’s training program, Flynn jumps at the chance.

When Flynn realizes the woman he’s falling for is none other than the CEO of the firm he needs to take down, he has to make a choice. Does he take care of the woman he’s falling in love with or the business he’s worked a lifetime to build? And when Amy finally understands the man she’s come to trust is none other than the enemy, will she walk away from him or fight for the love she’s come to depend on?

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Heather Graham - author bundle graphic

Krewe of Hunters Bundle: 3 Novellas by Heather Graham

Crimson Twilight

It’s a happy time for Sloan Trent and Jane Everett. What could be happier than the event of their wedding? Their Krewe friends will all be there and the event will take place in a medieval castle transported brick by brick to the New England coast. Everyone is festive and thrilled . . . until the priest turns up dead just hours before the nuptials. Jane and Sloan must find the truth behind the man and the murder—the secrets of the living and the dead—before they find themselves bound for eternity—not in wedded bliss but in the darkness of an historical wrong and their own brutal deaths.

When Irish Eyes Are Haunting

Devin Lyle and Craig Rockwell are back, this time to a haunted castle in Ireland where a banshee may have gone wild—or maybe there’s a much more rational explanation—one that involves a disgruntled heir, murder, and mayhem, all with that sexy light touch Heather Graham has turned into her trademark style.

All Hallow’s Eve

Salem was a place near and dear to Jenna Duffy and Samuel Hall — it was where they’d met on a strange and sinister case.

They never dreamed that they’d be called back. That history could repeat itself in a most macabre and terrifying fashion.

But, then again, it was Salem at Halloween. Seasoned Krewe members, they still find themselves facing the unspeakable horrors in a desperate race to save each other-and perhaps even their very souls.

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  Liliana Hart - author bundle graphic

MacKenzie Family Bundle: 3 Novellas by Liliana Hart

Captured in Surrender

Bounty Hunter Naya Blade never thought she’d step foot in Surrender, Montana again. Especially since there was a warrant out for her arrest. But when her skip ends up in the normally peaceful town, she has no choice but to go after him to claim her reward. Even at the cost of running into the cop that makes her blood run hot and her sense of self-preservation run cold.

Deputy Lane Greyson wants to see Naya in handcuffs, but he’d much prefer them attached to his bed instead of in a cold jail cell. She drove him crazy once before and then drove right out of town, leaving havoc in her wake. He’s determined to help her hunt down the bad guy so he can claim his own bounty—her.

The Promise of Surrender

Mia Russo spent ten years working undercover, entrenched in the dregs of society before handing in her shield. Opening her own pawn shop is a piece of cake in comparison. All she needs is the bad attitude she developed on the streets and the shotgun under her counter to keep law and order. Until the day Zeke McBride walks into her shop.

Zeke knows Mia has every right not to trust him. He was the one who chose the next op instead of her. And all he can hope is that somewhere under the snarl and cynicism is a woman who can forgive. Because whether she trusts him or not, they’re going to have to work together to bring down the gang that’s decided Mia is their next target.

Sweet Surrender

It’s been twelve years since Liza Carmichael stepped foot in Surrender, but after her great aunt’s death she has no choice but to return and settle her estate. Which includes the corner bakery that’s been a staple in Surrender for more than fifty years.

After twenty-five years on the job, Lieutenant Grant Boone finds himself at loose ends now that he’s retired. He’s gotten a number of job offers—one from MacKenzie Security—but he’s burned out and jaded, and the last thing he wants to do is carry the burden of another badge and weapon. He almost turns down the invitation from his good friend Cooper MacKenzie to stay as their guest for a few weeks while he’s deciding what to do with the rest of his life. But he packs his bag and heads to Surrender anyway.

The only thing Boone knows is that his future plans don’t include Liza Carmichael. She’s bossy, temperamental, and the confections she bakes are sweet enough to tempt a saint. Thank God he’s never pretended to be one. But after he gets one taste of Liza and things start heating up in the kitchen, he realizes how delicious new beginnings can be.

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  Larissa Ione - author bundle graphic

Demonica Underworld Bundle: 3 Novellas by Larissa Ione

Azagoth

Even in the fathomless depths of the underworld and the bleak chambers of a damaged heart, the bonds of love can heal…or destroy.

He holds the ability to annihilate souls in the palm of his hand. He commands the respect of the most dangerous of demons and the most powerful of angels. He can seduce and dominate any female he wants with a mere look. But for all Azagoth’s power, he’s bound by shackles of his own making, and only an angel with a secret holds the key to his release. She’s an angel with the extraordinary ability to travel through time and space. An angel with a tormented past she can’t escape. And when Lilliana is sent to Azagoth’s underworld realm, she finds that her past isn’t all she can’t escape. For the irresistibly sexy fallen angel known as Azagoth is also known as the Grim Reaper, and when he claims a soul, it’s forever…

Hades

A fallen angel with a mean streak and a mohawk, Hades has spent thousands of years serving as Jailor of the Underworld. The souls he guards are as evil as they come, but few dare to cross him. All of that changes when a sexy fallen angel infiltrates his prison and unintentionally starts a riot. It’s easy enough to quell an uprising, but for the first time, Hades is torn between delivering justice — or bestowing mercy — on the beautiful female who could be his salvation…or his undoing. Thanks to her unwitting participation in another angel’s plot to start Armageddon, Cataclysm was kicked out of Heaven and is now a fallen angel in service of Hades’s boss, Azagoth. All she wants is to redeem herself and get back where she belongs. But when she gets trapped in Hades’s prison domain with only the cocky but irresistible Hades to help her, Cat finds that where she belongs might be in the place she least expected…

Z

Zhubaal, fallen angel assistant to the Grim Reaper, has spent decades searching for the angel he loved and lost nearly a century ago. Not even her death can keep him from trying to find her, not when he knows she’s been given a second chance at life in a new body. But as time passes, he’s losing hope, and he wonders how much longer he can hold to the oath he swore to her so long ago…

As an emim, the wingless offspring of two fallen angels, Vex has always felt like a second-class citizen. But if she manages to secure a deal with the Grim Reaper — by any means necessary — she will have earned her place in the world. The only obstacle in the way of her plan is a sexy hardass called Z, who seems determined to thwart her at every turn. Soon it becomes clear that they have a powerful connection rooted in the past…but can any vow stand the test of time?

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    Lorelei James - author bundle graphic

Blacktop Cowboys® Bundle: 3 Novellas by Lorelei James

Roped In

Ambition has always been his biggest downfall…until he meets her.

World champion bulldogger Sutton Grant works hard on the road, but his quiet charm has earned the nickname “The Saint” because he’s never been the love ’em and leave ’em type with the ladies. When he’s sidelined by an injury, he needs help keeping his horse in competition shape, but he fears trying to sweet-talk premier horse trainer London Gradsky is a losing proposition–because the woman sorta despises him.

London is humiliated when her boyfriend dumps her for a rodeo queen. What makes the situation worse? She’s forced to see the lovebirds on the rodeo circuit every weekend. In an attempt to save face, London agrees to assist the notoriously mild, but ruggedly handsome Sutton Grant with his horse training problem on one condition: Sutton has to pretend to be her new boyfriend.

But make believe doesn’t last long between the sassy cowgirl and the laid-back bulldogger. When the attraction between them ignites, London learns that sexy Sutton is no Saint when that bedroom door closes; he’s the red-hot lover she’s always dreamed of.

The more time they spend together, the more Sutton realizes he wouldn’t mind being roped and tied to the rough and tumble cowgirl for real…

Stripped Down

Never challenge a cowboy to a little naughty competition…

A flirty game of sexual truth or dare between best man, Wynton Grant, and maid of honor, Melissa Lockhart during their BFF’s wedding reception results in a steamy hookup.

But their plans for a one and done change when a family crisis leaves Wyn shorthanded at the Grant Ranch. Experienced horsewoman Mel volunteers to help out and gets way more than she bargained for living under the same roof as the sexy rancher. Playing house has never appealed to Wyn…until now.

But the feisty redhead is keeping secrets and Wyn’s not above stripping her bare—body and soul—to get to the bottom of it…

Strung Up

Rancher Creston Grant retreats from the world after he loses the love of his life… Can his former flame, rodeo cowboy Breck Christianson prove he’s a changed man who can give Cres a second chance at love?

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About the 1001 Dark Nights’ Author Bundles Authors-

  Lara Adrian - author headshot imageAbout Lara Adrian: Lara Adrian is the New York Times, USA Today and #1 internationally bestselling author of the Midnight Breed vampire romance series and seven award-winning, historical romances, previously released under the pen name Tina St. John. Lara’s Midnight Breed series is available in hardcover, mass market paperback and e-book through Random House, and in limited edition through Doubleday Book Club, Rhapsody Book Club, Book of The Month, and the Science Fiction Book Club. Unabridged audio editions are available through Tantor Media, Random House Audio, Amazon, iTunes, etc. Lara’s new releases regularly appear on all of the key bestseller lists including including the New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, Indiebound, Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, etc. There are more than 2 million copies of the Midnight Breed novels in print in the United States.

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  Shayla Black - author headshot imageAbout Shayla Black: Shayla Black is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than forty novels. For over fifteen years, she’s written contemporary, erotic, paranormal, and historical romances via traditional, independent, foreign, and audio publishers. Her books have sold well over a million copies and been published in a dozen languages. Raised an only child, Shayla occupied herself with lots of daydreaming, much to the chagrin of her teachers. In college, she found her love for reading and realized that she could have a career publishing the stories spinning in her imagination. Though she graduated with a degree in Marketing/Advertising and embarked on a stint in corporate America to pay the bills, her heart has always been with her characters. She’s thrilled that she’s been living her dream as a full-time author for the past seven years. Shayla currently lives in North Texas with her wonderfully supportive husband, her teenage daughter, and a very spoiled cat. In her “free” time, she enjoys reality TV, reading, and listening to an eclectic blend of music.
  Lexi Blake - Author headshot imageAbout Lexi Blake: New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband and three kids. She began writing at a young age concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn’t until she started writing romance that she found success. Lexi believes in happy endings no matter how odd the couple, threesome or foursome may seem.  

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  Heather Graham - author headshot imageAbout Heather Graham: New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Heather Graham has always been an avid reader, from classics to sci-fi, mystery, horror, thriller, romance, and all kinds of non-fiction. She’s fairly certain that her mom’s deliciously crazy family–arriving in the US a bit before her birth from Ireland–gave her the love of storytelling. She started out in theater and commercials, but once her children began to arrive, she stayed home and gave writing a try. She’s incredibly grateful to be doing what she’s doing for a living. Heather belongs to MWA, RWA, Sisters in Crime, HWA, and ITW, and has the recipient of the RWA Lifetime Achievement Award, a Silver Bullet for charitable works, and this year, she will receive the Thriller Master title from ITW. She has over 200 novels in print, and has been published in 22 languages.

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  Liliana Hart - author headshot imageAbout Liliana Hart: Liliana Hart is a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author in both the mystery and romance genres. After starting her first novel her freshman year of college, she immediately became addicted to writing and knew she’d found what she was meant to do with her life. She has no idea why she majored in music. Liliana is an avid reader and a believer in all things romance. Her books are filled with witty dialogue, steamy sex, and the all-important happily-ever-afters her romantic soul craves. Since self-publishing in June of 2011, she’s sold more than 1.2 million ebooks all over the world.

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  Larissa Ione - author headshot imageAbout Larissa Ione: Larissa Ione is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. An Air Force veteran, she traded in a career as a meteorologist to pursue her passion of writing. She now spends her days in pajamas with her computer, strong coffee, and supernatural worlds. She believes in celebrating everything, and would never be caught without a bottle of Champagne chilling in the fridge…just in case. She currently lives in Wisconsin with her U.S. Coast Guard husband, her teenage son, a rescue cat named Vegas, and her very own hellhound, a King Shepherd named Hexe.

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  Lorelei James - author headshot imageAbout Lorelei James: Lorelei James is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author of contemporary erotic western romances set in the modern day Wild West and also contemporary erotic romances. Lorelei’s books have been nominated for and won the Romantic Times Reviewer’s choice Award, as well as the CAPA Award. Lorelei lives in western South Dakota with her family…and a whole closet full of cow girl boots. From Lorelei: “Why do I have a particular fondness for all things western? Well, I’m a fourth generation South Dakotan, living in the Black Hills, which is chock-full of interesting characters, including cowboys, Indians, ranchers, and bikers. The geographical diversity of the surrounding area showcases mountains, plains, and badlands. Living in and writing about rural settings gives me a unique perspective, especially since I’m not writing historical westerns. Through my fictional world, I can show the ideals and the cowboy way of life are still very much alive.”

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PIC Book Tours Presents: A Ghostly Mortality + Giveaway

A Ghostly Mortality

by Tonya Kappes

on Tour February 28 - March 30, 2017

Synopsis:

A Ghostly Mortality

Book Details:

Genre: Cozy Mystery, Paranormal
Published by: Witness
Publication Date: February 28th 2017
Number of Pages: 336
ISBN: 0062466976 (ISBN13: 9780062466976)
Series: Ghostly Southern Mysteries #6
Purchase Links: Amazon  | Barnes & Noble  | Goodreads 

That ghost sure looks . . . familiar

Only a handful of people know that Emma Lee Raines, proprietor of a small-town Kentucky funeral home, is a “Betweener.” She helps ghosts stuck between here and the ever-after—murdered ghosts. Once Emma Lee gets them justice they can cross over to the great beyond.
But Emma Lee’s own sister refuses to believe in her special ability. In fact, the Raines sisters have barely gotten along since Charlotte Rae left the family business for the competition. After a doozy of an argument, Emma Lee is relieved to see Charlotte Rae back home to make nice. Until she realizes her usually snorting, sarcastic, family-ditching sister is a... ghost.
Charlotte Rae has no earthly idea who murdered her or why. With her heart in tatters, Emma Lee relies more than ever on her sexy beau, Sheriff Jack Henry Ross…because this time, catching a killer means the Raines sisters will have to make peace with each other first.

 

My Thoughts

Charlotte Rae and Emma Lee Raines, along with a whole host of quirky and mostly mortal characters from the town of Sleepy Hollow, Kentucky are back.
And so, it appears is that seemingly never ending feud between the two siblings.
But there's nothing like a death in the family to put an end to sisterly bickering.  Particularly when one of the touchy twosome is dead, and the other is the only person who can see her.

This latest offering in the Ghostly Southern Mystery series, offers readers quite the bittersweet tale.  With Charlotte Rae making her final curtain call, and managing to take reader's hearts right along with her.
A very notable about face from her usual role as the snarky, know-it-all...who always seems to know too much own good.
The one thing she doesn't know however.  The identity of her murderer.
But that just happens to be the one thing that her little sister is determined to find out.

Tanya Kappes loads this sixth volume of her charming cozy series with all the charm and wit that those having read even a single book come to love.
This sixth book resumes the story right on the heels of its predecessor.  But is perfectly fine if read as a stand alone.
Because Charlotte is such a well developed character, much less set-up is required for readers to grasp the enormity of her loss.  Thus making the reader's investment in the story all the greater.  We also find out along the way, that little Miss Perfection may not be as perfect as she would have us believe.

This is a wonderfully twisty tale of sisters, suspense, the supernatural, and second chances.  With a Southern sized helping of murder...of course.



 

Read an excerpt:

Lawdy bee.” Granny scooted to the edge of the chair and lifted her arms in the air like she was worshiping in the Sunday morning service at Sleepy Hollow Baptist and the spirit just got put in her.
I sucked in a deep breath, preparing myself for whatever was going to come out of Zula Fae Raines Payne’s mouth, my granny. She was a ball of southern spitfire in her five-foot-four-inch frame topped off with bright red hair that I wasn’t sure was real or out of a L’Oréal bottle she’d gotten down at the Buy-N-Fly.
“Please, please, please,” she begged. “Let me die before anything happens to Emma Lee.” Her body slid down the fancy, high-back mahogany leather chair as she fell to her knees with her hands clasped together, bringing them back up in the air as she pleaded to the Big Guy in the sky. “I’m begging you.”
“Are you nuts?” My voice faded to a hushed stillness. I glanced back at the closed door of my sister’s new office, in fear she was going to walk in and see Granny acting up. I sat in the other fancy, high-back mahogany leather chair next to Granny’s and grabbed her by the loose skin of her underarm. “Get back up on this chair before Charlotte Rae gets back in here and sees you acting like a fool.”
“What?” Granny quirked her eyebrows questioningly as if her behavior was normal. My head dropped along with my jaw in the “are you kidding me” look.
“Well, I ain’t lying!” She spat, “I do hope and pray you are the granddaughter that will be doing my funeral, unless you get a flare up of the ‘Funeral Trauma.’ ” She sucked in a deep breath and got up off her knees. She ran her bony fingers down the front of her cream sweater to smooth out any wrinkles so she’d be presentable like a good southern woman, forgetting she was just on her knees begging for mercy.
“Flare up?” I sighed with exasperation. “It’s not like arthritis.”
The “Funeral Trauma.” It was true. I was diagnosed with the “Funeral Trauma” after a decorative plastic Santa fell off the roof of Artie’s Meat and Deli, knocking me flat out cold and now I could see dead people. I had told Doc Clyde I was having some sort of hallucinations and seeing dead people, but he insisted I had been in the funeral business a little too long and seeing corpses all of my life had brought on the trauma. Truthfully, the Santa had given me a gift. Not a gift you’d expect Santa to give you, but it was the gift of seeing clients of Eternal Slumber, my family’s funeral home business where I was the undertaker. Some family business. Anyway, a psychic told me I was now a Betweener. I helped people who were stuck between here and the ever after. The Great Beyond. The Big Guy in the sky. One catch . . . the dead people I saw were murdered and they needed me to help them solve their murder before they could cross over.
“I’m fine,” I huffed and took the pamphlet off of Charlotte Rae’s desk, keeping my gift to myself. The only people who knew were me, the psychic and Sheriff Jack Henry Ross, my hot, hunky and sexy boyfriend. He was as handy as a pocket on a shirt when it came time for me to find a killer when a ghost was following me around. “We are here to get her to sign my papers and talk about this sideboard issue once and for all.” Granny stared at me.
My head slid forward like a turtle and I popped my eyes open.
“I’m fine,” I said through closed teeth.
“You are not fine.” Granny rolled her eyes so big, I swear she probably hurt herself. “People are still going around talking about how you talk to yourself.” She shook her finger at me. “If you don’t watch it, you are going to be committed. Surrounded by padded walls. Then—She jabbed her finger on my arm. I swatted her away with the pamphlet.
“Charlotte Rae will have full control over my dead body and I don’t want someone celebrating a wedding while I lay corpse in the next room. Lawdy bee,” Granny griped. I opened the pamphlet and tried to ignore Granny as best I could.
“Do you hear me, Emma Lee?” Granny asked. I could feel her beady eyes boring into me.
“Don’t you be disrespecting your elders. I asked you a question,” she warned when I didn’t immediately answer her question.
“Granny.” I placed the brochure in my lap and reminded myself to remain calm. Something I did often when it came to my granny. “I hear you. Don’t you worry about a thing. By the time you get ready to die, they will have you in the nut-house alongside me,” I joked, knowing it would get her goat. The door flung open and the click of Charlotte Rae’s high-dollar heels tapped the hardwood floor as she sashayed her way back into her office. The soft linen green suit complemented Charlotte’s sparkly green eyes and the chocolate scarf that was neatly tied around her neck. It was the perfect shade of brown to go with her long red hair and pale skin.
“I’m so sorry about that.” She stopped next to our chairs and looked between me and Granny. She shook the long, loose curls over her shoulders. “What? What is wrong, now?”
“Granny is all worried I’m going to get sent away to the nuthouse and you are going to lay her out here.” The words tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop them. Or did my subconscious take over my mouth? It was always a competition between me and Charlotte, only it was one-sided. Mine. Charlotte never viewed me as competition because she railroaded me all my life. Like now. She’d left Eternal Slumber with zero guilt, leaving me in charge so she could make more money at Hardgrove’s Legacy Center, formerly known as Hardgrove’s Funeral Homes until they got too big for their britches and decided to host every life event possible just to make more money.
Excerpt from A Ghostly Mortality by Tonya Kappes. Copyright © 2017 by Tonya Kappes. Reproduced with permission from Witness. All rights reserved.

 

Author Bio:

Tonya KappesTonya Kappes has written more than fifteen novels and four novellas, all of which have graced numerous bestseller lists including USA Today. Best known for stories charged with emotion and humor and filled with flawed characters, her novels have garnered reader praise and glowing critical reviews. She lives with her husband, two very spoiled schnauzers, and one ex-stray cat in northern Kentucky. Now that her boys are teenagers, Tonya writes full-time but can be found at all of her guys’ high school games with a pencil and paper in hand.

Catch Up with Tonya Kappes on her Website , Twitter , & Facebook 

 

Tour Participants:

 

Giveaway:

This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours for Tonya Kappes and Witness Impulse. There will be 1 US winner of one PRINTED set of The Ghostly Southern Mysteries #1-6 by Tonya Kappes. The giveaway begins on February 27th and runs through April 2nd, 2017.

Get More Great Reads at Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours

 

Ink Slinger PR Presents: If I Dream Review Blitz

A new unforgettable romance by K.M. Scott, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Heart of Stone and Club X Series!

If I dream, will you dare?

Ryder
All I wanted was my freedom. It's all I'd dreamed of from the first time I stood in the ring. Until I entered Robert Erickson's world. Until Serena. Cruelty and ugliness surrounded me, but she was beautiful and good. I wanted to protect her from her father's world, even though I knew being with her could mean the end of me.

Serena
I wanted for nothing as the daughter of one of the richest men in the world. But all my father's money couldn't buy what I truly craved. Until Ryder. I wanted all he was, all he brought out in me. All he made me desire.

Our love was forbidden by the one person who had the power to harm us. We dreamed of more than living in that world, though. We dreamed of having it all, but did we dare?

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Excerpt #4: (NSFW)
Against my lips, she whispered breathlessly, “See? I knew you wouldn’t say no.”
Of all the things rambling around in my brain at that moment, the word no wasn’t among them. How much I wanted to bury my cock inside her and fuck her like she’d never been fucked before quickly became my singular thought. I wanted that like I’d never wanted anything else in my life and none of my excuses overpowered my need for her.
Her hands roamed over my chest and she stared down at wherever they touched, her eyes wide like the feel of me thrilled her. I buried my hand in her hair and pulled her to me to kiss her hard, needing to taste her mouth and the sweetness on her tongue again.
Pulling away, she trailed her fingertips down over my stomach to where a faint line of black hair disappeared beneath my shorts. My body ached with need as I prayed for her to follow that trail. She stopped and looked at me almost as if she wasn’t sure she wanted to go any further. But I did.
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My Thoughts
While undeniably compelling, If I Dream is a book that will tend to cause its reader to be a little conflicted.
The reason?
The assumption that free will exists.

What we have in this case, is the typical "you will do as I say or..." scenario.  But instead of it being employed in the case of a dating/marriage situation.  It has been used as a tool for a father to control his daughters.
So much so, that he even denies them the right to educate themselves.  (Or, in the case of Serena, tries to.)
Which again, leads back to the question of "free will".
At least in the case of our heroine.  Who has several chances throughout the book to leave her situation.
Yet, chooses to sit and do nothing.  But wait for her father to manipulate her, and play the victim to the even more helpless pawn of a leading man, who is Ryder.

Although, in Ryder's defense.  Ryder's reluctance to cross his boss and captor, Robert Erickson, is justifiable. Given the fact that he was nothing more than a glorified slave.  Bought and paid for.

This book is truly an exercise in "the cage door is open puppies...put us all out of our misery and walk on through."

The one thing that this book did get right is the SEX!
These badgered bedmates may not have been able to escape the clutches of her domineering father.  But they can and do find ways to have some of the most readable sex on the planet.  All the time!

All in all, this is a very well written DRAMA!
Serena and Ryder are the perfect star-crossed Romeo and Juliette-esque couple.

Annnnnnd...
Drum roll please!!!!!
The drama continues in book two!

 
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 About K.M. Scott

K.M. Scott writes contemporary romance stories of sexy, intense, and unforgettable love. A New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, she's been in love with romance since reading her first romance novel in junior high (she was a very curious girl!). Under her Gabrielle Bisset name, she writes erotic paranormal and historical romance. She lives in Pennsylvania with a herd of animals and when she's not writing can be found reading or feeding her TV addiction.  

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Take The Plunge Into Love With "Hot Shot"

31185174 Title:  Hot Shot
(Last Shot #2)
Author:  Kelly Jamison 
Length:  NA
Format:  eARC
Date of Publication:  May 16, 2017
Publisher:  Loveswept/Random House
Rating:  5 Stars


A former Navy SEAL and current bad boy bar owner learns to trust a free spirit in this steamy novel of unexpected romance from the bestselling author of Body Shot and the Heller Brothers series.

Marco Solis knows that if he gets too close to people they disappear. His parents were deported back to Mexico when he was fourteen, his fiancée married someone else while he was in the military, and now his business partner’s spending more time with his girl than with Marco. For better or worse, that’s how Marco meets Carrie Garner. She’s legitimately model-hot. She’s also a nut—a wild, artsy, unapproachable nut. So why is Marco so interested in cracking her shell?
Although Carrie Garner is a natural in front of the camera, her dream is to make it as a photographer. Soon she’ll be heading to Spain for design school, and she’ll miss her best friend, Hayden, like crazy. She’ll even miss Hayden’s boyfriend, Beck—but she won’t miss Beck’s partner, Marco. Bossy, brooding, and annoyingly sexy, Marco really pushes her buttons, though he obviously wouldn’t mind pushing her buttons in an up-against-the-wall, hard-and-fast kind of way. The craziest part is, if Carrie lets him do that, well . . . she may never want to leave. 
                                         
* Includes an excerpt from another Loveswept title.*


See How All The HOT Started!

(Last Shot #1)

Body Shot



My Thoughts

Marco Solis and Carrie Garner make the perfect "lonely hearts club of two" in Kelly Jamison's latest addition to her Last Shot series.
This book stands as irrefutable proof that sometimes, "having it all" isn't everything.  Because even though Marco is a former Navy SEAL, turned bar owner.  (Brooding, dark, good looks and body of a Greek god included.)  He can't seem to shake the tragic losses of his past.

In much the same vein...
The equally emotionally encumbered, yet equally fabulous Carrie Garner just can't seem to find her place in her own life.  Feeling like an outcast because her free spirit and artistic nature has lead to a life of runways and bright lights.  Instead of the more practical business related professions of her family.  Carrie has decided that maybe the best thing to do would be accept an opportunity to pursue studies in photography in Spain.
That is of course, after she helps to plan their best friends' wedding.

Enter tall, dark, and broody!

This sweet romance is all about perception.  The way that the two main characters perceive each other...to an extent.  But more to the point.  How happenings and perceptions from their respective pasts, have shaped for better or worse, how they perceive themselves.

The longer that one is involved in this story; the longer one comes to realize that these two have had everything that they have been seeking the entire time.  They each just needed the other to hold up the "love mirror" and say so.
This factor, as pivotal as it is to the "light bulb moment" of the read, is also the one facet of said story that is the hardest to reconcile.
The chemistry and sex are stellar.  There is nothing that readers will crave more than these two together.
The inclusive slant, with nods to family and belonging add that heartfelt element that rounds this romance out in a very lovely fashion.

Reviewer's Note:  This is the second book in a loosely related series.  Though reading book one is strongly suggested, it is not necessary.



About Kelly
Kelly JamiesonKelly Jamieson writes romances with heat that's sweet. Her writing has been described as “emotionally complex”, “sweet and satisfying” and “blisteringly sexy”. If she can stop herself from reading or writing, she loves to cook. She has shelves of cookbooks that she reads at length. She also enjoys gardening in the summer, and in the winter she likes to read gardening magazines and seed catalogues (there might be a theme here...) She also loves shopping, especially for clothes and shoes. But her family takes precedence over everything else (yes, even writing). She has two teenage children who are the best kids in the world, not that she’s biased, and a wonderful husband who does loads of laundry while she plays on the computer writing stories. She loves hearing from readers, so please visit her website at www.kellyjamieson.com.


 Find Her:  Web / Twitter / GR Facebook

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"Confessions Of A Young Nero" Is The Story Of A Life We Thought We Knew Explained In A Way We Have Never Imagined


30687928
THE CONFESSIONS OF YOUNG NERO

by Margaret George

Berkley Hardcover

On Sale: March 7, 2016
Price: $28.00
ISBN: 9780451473387
THE CONFESSIONS OF YOUNG NERO takes readers through the early life of Rome’s infamous Nero. Through the machinations of his mother, Agrippina the Younger, Nero became emperor at the age of sixteen, the last of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. But the road was a frightening one.  The young boy, an intelligent, sensitive and watchful child, had a series of psychological shocks from an early age.  His cruel uncle Caligula and his scheming cousin Messalina threatened his life, and his domineering and ambitious mother Agrippina married and poisoned two men en route to securing the throne for her son. Agrippina viewed Nero’s power as an extension of her own will. But once on the throne—like the teenage boy he was—Nero did not want to take orders from his mother.  Soon the world was not big enough for the two of them. Thereafter he was remembered as a hedonist and tyrant who “fiddled” while his people burned. But the truth behind the caricature, revealed here, shows Nero to be instead a product of his mother’s relentless ambition, and the incest, violence, luxury, and intrigue that have gripped Rome’s seat of power for generations.




LOCUSTA
Chapter I
This is not the first time I have been imprisoned. So I am hopeful that this is a sham and that the new emperor Galba will soon need my unique services and quietly send for me and once again I shall be treading in the palace halls. I feel at home there and why shouldn't I? I have provided my timely services for those in power for many years.

By trade I am a poisoner. There, why not say it? And not any old poisoner, but the acknowledged expert and leader in my profession. So many others want to be another Locusta, another me. So I founded an academy to pass on my knowledge and train the next generation, for Rome will always be in need of poisoners. I should lament that, should say what a pity that Rome must descend to that, but that would be hypocritical of me. Besides, I am not convinced that poison is not the best way to die. Think of all the other ways Rome kills people: being torn by beasts in the arena, being strangled in the Tullianum prison, and most insipid of all, being ordered to open your veins and bleed yourself to death, like a sacrificial animal. Bah. Give me a good poison anytime. Did not Cleopatra embrace the asp and its poison, leaving her beautiful and stretched out upon her couch?

I first met the late emperor Nero when he was still a child, still Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, the name he was born with. I saw him at the low point in his life, when he was an abandoned child at the mercy of his uncle Caligula. (Now that was someone who gave me a lively string of business!) His father was dead, his mother Agrippina had been banished when he was not even three years old, and his uncle liked to toy with him.

I remember he was a likeable child---well, he remained likeable all his life, it was a gift---but timorous. Many things frightened him, especially loud noises and being sent for unexpectedly. Caligula had a habit of that---sending for people in the middle of the night. He once forced me to watch a nocturnal theatrical performance in the palace, featuring himself as Jupiter. Sometimes it was harmless, like the play-acting, other times it ended with the death of the helpless person he had sent for. So, Nero---let us call him that to avoid confusion, just as I call Caligula Caligula rather than Gaius Caesar Germanicus---was precocious in recognizing the danger of the serpent in his uncle.

Ah, such memories! Here in my cell I find myself returning to them, helping the hours to pass, until that moment when Galba sends for me with a task. I know he will!<.p>

My Thoughts
The rule of Emperor Nero will forever live in infamy.  But what of the life of the young boy who would become the man?  What of the young Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus?  What of the boy before?
These are all questions that are both asked and answered in the epic Historical Fiction work, Confessions Of A Young Nero, by Margaret George.

Ms. George brings an unparalleled degree of storytelling magic to the history unfolding here.
Effortlessly, blending fact and fiction into a compulsively readable personal account of a remarkably complex existence.

Told in varied voices, and in various points of view.  The story of young Lucius is one of a young man trying to find his way amid the danger, plots, and scheming of the royals.  As a distant relation to both Emperor Caligula and Emperor Claudius.  Lucius is often part of a treacherous world that he struggles to understand.

Chronicling his life from the age of 3, to some ten years into his reign.  This story is to be continued in another volume.  Ending in quite the cliffhanger after a hefty 500+ pages.

You will note that this review purposely steers clear of detailing happenings within this epic.  The reason for this being.
If one were to attempt to do so; we as both reader and writer would quite possibly be here all day.  There is so much going on, both in the lives of young Lucius and those around him. There is barely time for one to breathe between dramas.

It can be said however, that in the land of villains and heroes; no character stands out more than that of Agrippina, Lucius' power hungry mother.  There is truly no length to which this woman does not go in order to see her son to the throne. Putting herself in power by extensions.  More fascinating still, is the twisted personal relationship which the two shared, and the way that Lucius' relationship with his mother than colored his relationships with all who entered his life.

Confessions Of A Young Nero is a tale that this reviewer would recommend  both on the basis of the story, and its author.
This is timeless story of how power, greed, passion, and pride...made history!
A story that has been told many times.  But one that can only now be experienced!




About Margaret

Margaret George is the author of the bestselling Autobiography of Henry VIIIMary, Queen of Scotland and the IslesThe Memoirs of Cleopatra; and Mary, Called Magdalene.