Saturday, March 14, 2015

Changed by Heather Dahlgren

Changed (Change, #1)Changed by Heather Dahlgren
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book has been sitting in my Kindle for a while. After some discussion amongst friends about awful reviews (not of this book) I committed to reading it. I was NOT gifted this book, it's obviously long after its release and I, as always, didn't read any reviews or blurbs prior to reading this book. So on with my review...

From the start of the book, I fell in love with the characters. I loved the friendships amongst both groups, the men and the women. Kennedy has evolved from the girl who was bullied in High School to a confident young woman in college. She has re-invented herself both physically and mentally, or so you believe. Maddie is the outgoing blonde bombshell and Becca is the shy one. The compliment each other in their happy threesome as roommates.

The guys, Campbell, Dick and Young, are roommates as well, and have been college buddies. Their bonds are strong and I loved the playful banter between the characters. I enjoyed the sarcasm and humor throughout the book. You can almost hear the smacks upside the back of Young's head as you read for his smart ass mouth.

After Dick returns from an extended home visit, the guys go out to celebrate his return and cross paths with these women. Flirting is all fair game and attractions run high, until Kennedy aka Kenz, recognizes Campbell as none other than one of the HS bullies that used to torture her. Campbell doesn't recognize her, or put two and two together and Kenz is off and running for the hills. Like Cinderella that heard the clock strike 12, she takes off without explanation, leaving Campbell aching for more, unaware of her true identity.

The guys discover they are too cramped in their small apartment now that DIck is back, so they go out in search of a new bigger apartment for the three to share. As chance would have it, the suitable apartment the find is in the same building as the girls. The girls, while having a 'girls night playing' "Truth or Dare", dare Kenz to go introduce herself to the new neighbors. Who answers the door? Campbell, who she has been running from like the plague.

Their worlds collide and now Kenz is forced to deal with her pain, her past and make a decision as to how to handle things with Campbell. They are mutually attracted to each other, but she cannot get past him being "that guy" that bullied her cruelly in school. After pleading with Kenz, she agrees to go out with Campbell and give him a chance, still not revealing her identity. And their romance begins...

When will Kenz come clean? Will she come to grips with her past? Is Campbell really that dense? Will Young stop being a jerk pig (although I find him hilarious) Will Maddie finally stop playing the field and admit she wants to find "the one" too?

My biggest issues with this book two things: how quickly Kenz goes from mad, sad, hurt etc from her past to totally in love with Campbell. On the other hand, is Campbell really that dense? They are going out for a year and he doesn't add it up? They had to have talked about families or bare minimum known her last and full name? They don't meet each other's families right away, but this guy just seems really overly romantic. I keep waiting for him to be a douche and his HS antics to pop up. When the crap hits the proverbial fan and the truth comes to light, the reactions by Campbell are not what I expected. He gets his wakeup call but the zero to sixty and back to normal speed chase of emotions is unsettling.

However, I love the character development and interactions between the two groups. They all have their own distinct roles and personalities and each is spotlighted throughout the book. It works very very well. The sex scenes are hot and steamy and Campbell is really romantic. The flashback scenes are great as they add to their stories without being distracting or taking up a lot of time. Young is probably my favorite character, probably because he is a big smart ass sarcastic jerk, but I like big smart ass sarcastic jerks. I have to admit, as I was reading I could totally relate to the friends in the group, in that the PDA and super gooey romantic Campbell and Kenz is recognized and addressed, so that made me happy because that would be me telling them to get a room!! The story is very relatable and is a great New Adult read.

So, I would definitely recommend this book and the author to others. If you like great characters and a sweet endearing storyline, this is the book for you. This is the debut book by Heather Dahlgren and I am intrigued to read her following works to see how both she and her characters evolve.

HEA, New Adult, Bullying, Strong Female Leads

View all my reviews

7 Sinful Secrets


Book Title: 7 Sinful Secrets
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Erotic romance, Anthology, Short stories


OVERALL BLURB:
Seven marriages—seven sinful secrets.
Marriages shouldn't have secrets, should they? Follow our seven couples, as they come to terms with the fact that their partner has been holding something back from them. Will it make or break their relationship? Read on to find out, and have your fan at the ready, because these secrets are hot!

THE KNICKERS by +Doris O'connor 
 Discovering frilly French Knickers in your husband's dry cleaning can only mean one thing, right? They're certainly not Mareijke's! Devastated at this find, she returns home early and walks in on the unmistakable sounds of Stefano in the throes of passion… but things are not what they seem…

BEHIND THE MASK by +Raven McAllan 
 When Daisy went on holiday she did not expect to return with a drop dead gorgeous husband. Life is great until she meets a masked stripper at her belated hen night. She knows the eyes behind that mask, doesn't she?

BIT ON THE SIDE by +Jorja Lovett 
 Helen thought she'd lost her husband to depression after he lost his job. Now he's back, happy, horny and ready to play. But Carl's spending so much time on his computer she's worried he's got something to hide. Will his secret tear them apart, or bring them closer than ever?

DOMINATION DREAMS by +Michaela Rhua 
 Nicholas Cole has been married to Marissa for twenty years, and he dreams of being dominated by his vanilla wife. When he returns from a business trip, he is in for one heck of a birthday surprise.

ANNIVERSARY GIFT by +cherie nicholls 
 Cleo knows her wife is up to something, and she is determined to find out what it is. When she walks in on Marie and some bloke at a hotel room, she thinks all is lost. And then Marie orders her to stay… And when your Domme gives you an order…

SEX TAPE by +Kiru Taye, Author 
 Juan Roberto's unexpected arrival home turns on its head when he discovers his wife Noni has a mind-blowing surprise she's been hiding from him. Discovering secrets and sex tapes have never been hotter or more pleasurable…
Contains: a naughty video and an even naughtier married couple rediscovering each other.

TASSELS by +Alannah Harte 

 Harrington loves his new wife Penny. So much so that he puts his own desires for a more exciting sex life to one side. Their lovemaking may be vanilla, but it's all he needs, or so he thinks, until the suitcase breaks and he discovers her secret.




Playlist:
 Survive You - NKOTB
Apologies - OneRepublic feat Timbaland
I Gotta Feeling - The Black Eyes Peas
Troublemaker - Oly Murs feat Flo Rida
Diamonds - Rihanna














Excerpt from The Knickers by Doris O'Connor

"Because seeing you dressed like this makes me horny as hell."
He had to be hearing things. She could not mean what she had just said. However the short bursts of her warm breath against his neck and the hardness of her nipples against his arm confirmed the truth behind those words, as clearly as the musk of her arousal. There was no doubt in his mind that she would be wet for him. Her body gave her away, as surely as his own responded to her. The dominant in him rose to the fore, and he halted the upwards progress of her hand with a growled, "No."

She froze, and he fisted his hand in her hair, pulling her head backward to enable him to study her face. Stefano lost himself in the tender and hopeful expression mirrored in her beloved features, and he kissed the tears still clinging to her eyelashes away.

Mareijke sighed in submission, and he smiled into the kiss he slanted across her lips. How he had missed her, the simple act of kissing, tentative strokes of her tongue matching his forceful ones, as he took the kiss deeper, angling their bodies until she was lying underneath him on the bed. He yanked the cushion still between them away with an annoyed growl and thrust his frill covered cock into her groin.

She gasped into his mouth and clung onto his shoulders. Arching her hips to meet him thrust for eager thrust, she locked her ankles behind his ass, and Stefano grunted his approval. This is what he needed, this reassurance that she still wanted him as much as ever, and suddenly he couldn't wait anymore. He wanted her bound and naked, the silky walls of her tight pussy milking his cock, as he fucked her hard and fast.

He broke the kiss with a bite to her lower lip that made her squirm, and he cupped her mound. The damp fabric made him smile almost as much as her hiss of pleasure when he pressed against her clit. A shudder went through her, and her eyes went wide when he straddled her legs.

"Grip the headboard for me, and don't let go."

She complied immediately, and he grabbed the ends of her sensible blouse and yanked hard. Buttons popped and fabric ripped as he pulled the thing clean off her, and his breath stalled in his lungs at the vision in front of him. His wife's ample breasts were barely concealed by the scraps of red lacy scaffolding covering the heavy mounds, and he ran his knuckles across the hard nubs clearly visible through the see-through fabric. They firmed even more, and she arched into his touch. Her little teeth made imprints on her bottom lip, swollen from his kisses, and her whole body shook in need when he ran a finger under her bra cup. He pulled it down freeing that breast to his gaze and with a grin at her bent down and sucked the rosy tip of her nipple into his mouth.

"Stefano … please…" Her lust-filled moan shot straight to his cock, and he suckled harder, kneading the other nipple between his fingers. He knew how responsive she was to this kind of stimulation, and helplessly trapped as she was under his legs, he could feel the rising tension of her body, her desperate need to come. Breath coming in short gasps, her auburn hair feathered across the pillow, she held onto the headboard with a white knuckled grip, as her body clambered towards release. She screamed her annoyance when he released her nipple and bit down hard, causing her to pant harder.

With an audible rip the delicate lace of her bra gave way under his ministrations and her bountiful curves spilled into his waiting hands. Stefano pushed them together and blew across her distended nipples. Mareijke squirmed underneath him. A fierce blush spread across her sweat-slicked skin, and her head rolled form side and side. He drank in the sight of his wife lost to her arousal, and a sense of calm settled over him, like it always did, when he gave her pleasure. Even without the discussion that they would have to have soon, he knew that all would be all right between them. Stefano lifted himself off her and pulled her pants off, taking her lacy thong with them. The musk of her arousal drew him, and he left the trousers dangling just under her knees. Pushing her knees up, he angled her lower body until she was half lying on her side. With her hands still clutching the headboard and her legs trapped inside her trousers she had nowhere to go, and he ran his hands down the curve of her hip and kneaded her ass cheeks. She pushed into his hand with a small moan, and he brought his hand down on one shapely ass cheek.

"Yesssss, again … Please, Stefano … I need." The rest of whatever she was going to say was lost in the sound of his hand connecting with her milky flesh, and his cock threatened to split its lacy covering, seeing the red marks of his possession. Hearing Mareijke's needy sighs in his ears he couldn't wait one minute longer. The sheets of the bed were stained with her arousal, and without further ado he freed his throbbing dick and aligned himself with her wet entrance.

"I'm going to fuck you now, cara. Is that what you want?" He growled his question into her shoulder and bit her ear, soothing the sting with his tongue.
********
Excerpt from The Anniversary Gift by Cherie Nicholls
Whats so amusing?
She said youd come.
Did she? Well you can let her know Im here.”
Come on in.”
Cleo stepped in to the room. He didnt leave her much room, and forced her to brush against his body.
Who was at the door, Mitch? Marie asked walking out of the bedroom in nothing but black lingerie. The very same set Cleo had bought for her birthday.
Your woman has arrived.”
Cleo expected shock, perhaps guilt. She saw none of that in Marie. A smile spread across Maries face. Cleos temper started to rise. Marie wasnt even sorry that she’d been caught.
Mitch, as in Mitchell, your new PA? Little cliché dont you think, Marie?
Perhaps, but it works for me. He works for me, too, in more ways than one.


I dont need to hear about your exploits, thank you.”
No? But I thought you liked when I talked dirty, baby? Cleos cheeks burned. How dare she? How dare Marie try flirting with her when she’d been caught cheating?
Yeah, well that was before you decided I wasnt enough to keep you entertained.”
Is that right? Marie sat on an overstuffed chair, a hand casually stroking the swell of her breast.
Damn her, as angry and hurt as Cleo was, she still wanted Marie.
Yes,” Cleo said.
Mitch, get the door,” Marie said.
She was going to have Cleo thrown out? Fine. If thats the way this was going to end, then fine. She’d walk out with her head held high even if her heart was in shatters.
The sound of the lock snapping into place drew Cleos attention.
Good boy, Marie said with such praise for the man Cleo wanted to head-butt him.
Mitch locked the door.
What the hell?
Cleo watched him cautiously as Mitch walked around in front of her.

Now, Mitch, show my woman why youre here with me.”



Doris O'Connor
http://www.dorisoconnor.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Doris-OConnor-Romance- Author/241366635885432
https://twitter.com/mamaD8

Cherie Nicholls
http://www.cherienicholls.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cherie-Nicholls- Author/191441327590566
https://twitter.com/CherieNicholls

Raven McAllan
http://www.ravenmcallan.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ravenmcallan
https://twitter.com/RavenMcAllan

Jorja Lovett
http://jorjalovettauthor.weebly.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jorja- Lovett/179111238840916
https://twitter.com/jorjalovett

Kiru Taye
http://www.kirutaye.com/
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKiruTaye
https://twitter.com/KiruTaye

Michaela Rhua
http://michaelarhuaauthor.weebly.com/
https://www.facebook.com/MichaelaRhua< br /> https://twitter.com/MichaelaRhua

Alannah Harte
http://alannahharte.blogspot.co.uk/
https://www.fa cebook.com/profile.php?id=100008779457617&fref=ts
https://twitter.com/alannahharte


Friday, March 13, 2015

Author Interview with Elodie Parkes

Five questions for the author Elodie Parkes is with me today, as she celebrates the release of, Rescuing Cade, from Evernight Publishing. Hi, Elodie, welcome Cost to Coast Book Besties blog. I have five questions for you today. They’re hopefully different from the usual author interviews you do.... Hi, it’s great to be here. (Smiles) 1. Tell us a secret about your books, anything that springs to mind as long as you’ve never told anyone before. Yikes, that will blow the secret, then, huh. (Grins) Okay here we go. This is scary. It’s not about my new release, Rescuing Cade, from Evernight, but about, Candle Magic, my Dec 23 release with Siren. In my stories there’s always the tiniest part of truth from either my life or from some real life situation and I never tell anyone. In Candle Magic, my heroine, Simi, tells Jason, my hero, about her family. That part is a truth and it’s about me. Jason is part spirit, part angel made human through the magical connections Simi has triggered by finding a candlestick and buying old candles from an antique shop. Here’s the snippet. Reluctantly he pulled away from her lips. “I’m sorry I don’t have a Christmas gift for you. I’d like to have brought you something.” Surprise showed in her eyes as he gazed at her. “I have nothing for you either, but we have each other today, and if I hadn’t met you last night, I would be alone today, and from what you’ve said about family, so would you.” Jason rocked her in his arms, incredibly pleased at what she’d said. “We do have each other. What happened to your family, your parents? Is that prying?” he added, aware it might be something horrible that Simi wouldn’t want to reveal. “They moved out of the country. They disowned me. I don’t know why really. They just stopped replying to my emails and calls.” Startled by this sad revelation, Jason hugged her. “I’m so sorry. Do you think something might have happened to them?” He made a mental note to check on that if he returned to the ether. Simi leaned back in his arms. “Nothing has. I check on them.” She grinned then continued. “They have a surf and ski shop. It has webcams up that show the interior and exterior of the shop to the world. I check it out when I’m online. I see them in there.” Astounded, Jason stared at her. There were no words to express his surprise, empathy, or sorrow at this bizarre situation. She must have become embarrassed because she bowed her head silently. Jason crushed her to his chest, his hand in her hair and his arm around her waist. “Hell, Simi, that must hurt you. I don’t know what to say.” He rocked her again, stroking along her back in an attempt to convey comfort and care. He remembered the Kris Kringle gift, and seeking to lighten the mood, he reminded Simi. “You have that gift from your office party. Open it. It will be fun to see what someone got for you.” Copyright Elodie Parkes, Siren Publishing. Thank you for sharing that secret. I’m tempted to ask what the secret fact is in Rescuing Cade, but … on to the next question. 2. What do you like most about sex? Oh no. (Laughs) That’s worse than giving up a secret. I’ll answer. I have no ‘like most’ I like it all. Let’s face it sex is yummy. 3. I see you post a number of gorgeous guys pics on your Facebook page and blog. What part of a man’s body turns you on most? I like that V shape on a man’s hips, especially when there’s a fine line of hair running down to his … I like shoulders and eyes and stubble and hard asses, then there’s thighs and lips. (Sighs) 4. What’s your favorite cocktail? Is that a trick question? I actually don’t drink alcohol. I have allergies and I discovered that alcoholic makes them all worse. 5. Are you wearing a matching bra and panties right now? I am. (She laughs) I most often do. I love pretty underwear, lacey stuff, stockings and garter belts. I’m mostly seen in jeans, boots, and leather jackets, but under them is black silk and lace. I read a jokey thing on Facebook that said only in erotic romance is the girl wearing matching bra and panties. I don’t think that’s true.

Breaking Away by Calista Smith

By: Calista Smith
Release Day: March 13th
Hosted By: Sandra Love


Eighteen year old  Raquel had just graduated high school and already her life was a mess. When her dad offered her what seemed like the only solution to her problems, she jumped at it.
His conditions were solid. He'd pay for college, she'd stay in his condo in San Diego, and he'd get her the professional help she needed. In return she'd leave behind everything and everyone who ever mattered.
That meant zero contact with her best friend Natalia and, more importantly, No Dante!

Pasts have a way of haunting you, and no matter how far you run from the problems in life, you can't outrun yourself.
She soon finds out that even with college, a job, and new friends, picking up the pieces isn't as simple as she thought it would be.
Raquel was about to learn the hard way that Breaking Away
isn't always as easy as it seems.

**Note: This book contains strong language, mature topics and sexual content.**




(WILL SEND AS SOON AS THEY ARE AVAILABLE)



Raquel, "Rocky" as her friends call her, is an introverted girl, on the brink of turning eighteen. Having already been dealt a bad hand recently, her life gets even more complicated when her parent's divorce forces her to relocate with her mom to the city of Rancho Cucamonga, California. She will be facing her senior year in a new high school. Fortunately Natalia, her best friend since birth, will be there. It's the one thing keeping Rocky from completely going off the deep end.

She plans to stay focused on her future, which includes trying to join the Peace Corps. Then in walks Dante. He's cocky, handsome, well-built, popular and so not her type. She is determined to keep her distance. The last thing she needs is someone prying into her past. Dante loves a challenge though, and when his relentless pursuit captures her attention, she just can't stop herself from falling for him. They soon realize that things aren't always what they seem and find themselves forging an intense bond. But when life continues to hand them obstacle after obstacle, can their new found love help save her or will she finally find herself Breaking Down?


Buy Links:
Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Breaking- Down-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00L6FV3JU





Calista is a California girl who relocated to the great state of Texas. She resides there with her beautiful husband, four crazy kids and a dog. Calista has loved to write since she was a small child. She started writing poetry and eventually decided to write fiction. Breaking Down is her debut novel. She also has a couple of other books she is working on, including Breaking Away, the sequel to Breaking Down.
Calista also has an addiction to reading and reads everything she can get her hands on, in all different genres.
12pt;">

Connect with Calista
Facebook-  www.facebook.com/calistasmithauthor 
Twitter -  www.twitter.com/calismithauthor @calismithauthor
Instagram -  www.instagram.com/calismithauthor @calismithauthor 
Goodreads -   https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7829623.Calista_Smith 
Website -  http://authorcalistasmith.wix.com/author 
Email -  calismithbooks@gmail.com