Book Review: Miranda Bay by Susan Tarr

Title: Miranda Bay

Author: Susan Tarr

Genre: Women’s Fiction

Rating: 4 stars

Purchase: Amazon

Review copy provided by Enchanted Book Promotions in exchange for an honest review.

Miranda, a strong-minded and lovable young woman, splurges her inheritance on the old Miranda Bay Sanatorium in the sub-tropical Bay of Islands, New Zealand, simply because it bears her name. She knows little about running a business and depends heavily on loyal cousin Pansy’s expertise.

In her frantic drive for success Miranda hires a local character to get cracking on the property. Hamilton, her lascivious financial advisor, seizes the opportunity to undermine her. But now with paying guests expected, she must make some serious decisions.

So the guests trickle in – hardly the sophisticates Miranda has envisaged.

At the brink of despair, she experiences deepening depression and manic behavior. She contrives an outlandish economic solution to the problem. What follow is intrigue and terror, and an emotional and tender unfolding of events in the face of financial ruin.

“Witty and wicked, scandalous and scary, this is a story to make you laugh and cry.”

In Miranda Bay, our main character, Miranda, spends her entire inheritance on the run-down, derelict Miranda Bay Sanatorium with the dream of turning it into a profitable business. But Miranda’s impulsive decisions could have a lot of consequences as not only does she have to deal with stress about her recent purchase, but also with a deepening depression that leads her on an ever-darkening path.

The author’s writing style is fluent and compelling, and Miranda’s personality is very intriguing. The story is captivating from the start and really pulls you in. Some scenes were hilarious, some scenes brought me to the edge of tears, but overall, it’s a very compelling and engaging read and fans of women’s fiction should definitely give it a try.

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Book Review and Giveaway Saved by H.L. Anderson

Title: Saved
Author: H.L. Anderson
Genre: Romantic Thriller
Age Group: Adult
Rating: 4 stars
Purchase: Amazon
Review copy provided by Enchanted Book Promotions in exchange for an honest review.

Theresa Kent is a wife, mom, and hardworking nurse living in rural Colorado. Life is good until her increasingly despondent, unemployed husband suddenly snaps—his vicious attack leaves Theresa fighting for her life as she tries to escape the insane version of the man she loves.

Ryan Tucker appears to have it all, except he’s been merely existing, not living, for the the last three years. His emotions get a much needed jump start when he rescues Theresa from the torment her life has become in just a matter of days. Ryan feels an instant and fierce desire to protect this stranger that fell into his life.

Hanging over their heads is the knowledge that Theresa’s husband is still out there, hunting for her.

Can two broken souls be repaired, or will the demons of the past and present come between the repressed love that grows between them?

In Saved, two strangers find each other in an unexpected, almost miraculou way. Theresa Kent is a wife, mother and hardworking nurse living in rural Colorado. Her life is pretty good, until her husband suddenly snaps and attacks her horribly. Theresa struggles to escape from the man she once loved who seemingly has turned into a monster.

Meanwhile, Ryan Tucker enters the picture as Theresa’s rescuer. He’s a man who at first glance seems to have it all… except real, genuine emotions. He hasn’t really felt anything for the last three years. That is, until he meets Theresa and decides that he has to protect this stranger, at all costs. With Theresa’s husband still out there, hunting for her, Theresa and Ryan aren’t out of the woods yet… And if a mad man hunting them isn’t bad enough, repressing the growing feelings between them is even worse.

I liked the premise of the story, about a second love, about two broken souls finding each other. More than carried by plot, this book is primarily carried by the characters. Both Theresa and Ryan are intriguing characters with engaging personalities. They have a past, they have quirks, things that make them unique and stand out. The chemistry between them is undeniable, and the author does a good job creating additional tension that way.

Fans of romantic suspense novels will no doubt love this book.

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Promo Post Graham and Giveaway

Book Excerpt

Graham.v6I’m coasting through town and hit the red light right beside the damn grocery store. Off in the distance, I spot a girl getting out of a powder-blue car. “Son of a …” Beeep! Yeah, some asshole behind me is honking because the light’s green. I flip him off and turn into the one place I should probably avoid for life.

Zooming into a spot next to her car, I park and get out. She hasn’t noticed me. She’s hunched over, digging out something from inside her trunk.

“Why are you still here?” I ask.

She flinches. I watch as her back stiffens, and then she turns those baby blues that I swear possess the sea onto me. “I … had to. Why are you here?” Her tone is defensive.

“We’re not talking about me right now. We’re talking about you. Did you not get your trust fund or something?”

She lowers her lashes. “That’s my business.” She shuts her trunk, slings a backpack over her shoulder, then turns away from me. I grip her arm to stop her from leaving. With a fiery glare, she snaps, “I’ve got to go to work.”

I don’t loosen my grip but, instead, snort. “Been working here long then?”

“I don’t have time for pop quizzes. I have to clock in.” She jerks herself from my grip and begins to walk. “Good-bye, Graham.”

“I’m not finished.”

She pins me with a piercing stare. “Well, I am.” Then she stomps off into the store.

I run my fingers through my hair. That damn girl. I want to kiss her and bend her over her car. I want to nail her to the wall and make her scream my name. And why the hell do I also want her to be in that ugly-ass cashier uniform? I’ve got no idea, except that she makes it look hot as hell.

I check the time on my phone. Shit. I need to be at my appointment in twenty minutes. Guess I’ll have to talk to her later.

About the Book

Graham Nichols’s main goal in life is to forget. Getting high, completely wasted, and running through a string of sexy blonds daily helps him achieve this task. But one night of partying lands him in a heap of trouble and sent back to the confinements of his hometown. Things can’t possibly get worse, right?

Sarah Morris can’t seem to run fast enough away from her past. She’s spent months trying to amend her ways, and is doing a pretty good job. She’s getting good grades, isn’t acting like a spoiled brat, and even works at the local grocery store. The last thing she needs is a distraction.

Enter Graham Nichols, the one mistake Sarah can’t escape.

Buy on Amazon.

Author Bio

Natalie Decker is the author of the bestselling YA series RIVAL LOVE. She loves oceans, sunsets, sand between her toes, and carefree days. Her imagination is always going, which some find odd. But she believes in seeing the world in a different light at all times. Her first passion for writing started at age twelve when she had to write a poem for English class. However, seventh grade wasn’t her favorite time and books were her source of comfort. She took all college prep classes in High school, and attended the University of Akron. Although she studied Mathematics she never lost her passion for writing or her comfort in books. She’s a huge Denver Broncos fan, loves football, a mean cook in the kitchen, loves her family and friends and misses her dog infinity times infinity. If she’s not writing, reading, traveling, hanging out with her family and friends, then she’s off having an adventure. Because Natalie believes in a saying: Your life is your own journey, so make it amazing!

 

Giveaway

Win a $10 Amazon gift card and eBook copy of GRAHAM.

 
 
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Book Review and Giveaway Sole Obsession

Sam_So_CoverTitle: Sole Obsession
Author: Pam Stanley
Genre: Erotic Romance / Comedy
Age Group: Adult (18+)
Rating: 4 stars
Purchase: Amazon
Review copy provided by Enchanted Book Promotions in exchange for an honest review.

A sizzling red hot and very funny erotic romance series starring the spunky heroine Sydney Wilde, presents Book 1- ‘Sole Obsession’. This is the perfect easy pool read book, complete with suspense and comedy, and topped with a large serving of indulgent sexy scenarios. The storyline follows a frustrated woman looking for love, all the while unaware she is the sole obsession of a predator who is determined they shall be together. The Wilde Horses are her group of friends, all sexually confident and happy to share their skills and passion. You will certainly recognize at least one person you know among these characters, if you don’t recognize yourself. The book will thrill, excite, and make you laugh out loud as well as look over your shoulder more often. Enjoy the journey and look for the next in the series, Book 2-‘ Evangeline,Miss Match’… AKA ‘The Online Date Killer’ coming soon!

In Sole Obsession, Sydney Wilde is a spunky heroine looking for love. Her friends are all looking for pretty much the same thing, except they each have a different way of how they want to accomplish that.

The book definitely has some suspense, but it isn’t exactly a thriller – the focus is much more on the sex, romance and comedy. Sydney and her friends like to experiment, and they like to talk about their experiences and share their thoughts with one another. Each of them had a distinct personality, and they all brought something to the table. They acted like real people too – with their own histories, personality traits, and things that made them stand out from each other.

The author has a fast-paced writing style, and writes comedy well – as a reader, I felt like I was inside Sydney’s head, and the way she talked about things, in her own, funny,  sometimes downright hilarious voice, made the book all the more engaging. I laughed out loud quite a few times while reading.

This is a hilarious but also sizzling hot read, and I would recommend to everyone who enjoys romantic comedy and erotic romance.

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Book Excerpt from Masquerade

February Fiesta artwork

Introducing… Hannah Fielding

Portrait of Hannah Fielding and photos of where she writes.

Portrait of Hannah Fielding and photos of where she writes.

Hannah Fielding is an incurable romantic. The seeds for her writing career were sown in early childhood, spent in Egypt, when she came to an agreement with her governess Zula: for each fairy story Zula told, Hannah would invent and relate one of her own. Years later – following a degree in French literature, several years of travelling in Europe, falling in love with an Englishman, the arrival of two beautiful children and a career in property development – Hannah decided after so many years of yearning to write that the time was now. Today, she lives the dream: writing full time at her homes in Kent, England, and the South of France, where she dreams up romances overlooking breath-taking views of the Mediterranean.
To date, Hannah has published four passionate, evocative novels: Burning Embers, a ‘romance like Hollywood used to make’, set in Kenya; the award-winning Echoes of Love, ‘an epic love story that is beautifully told’, set in Italy; and books 1 and 2 of the Andalusian Nights trilogy, set in sultry Spain, entitled Indiscretion and Masquerade. She is currently working on her fifth book, Legacy, which will publish this spring.

A glimpse of Masquerade

The loud noise of shrill klaxons and roaring motors brought them down to earth again with a bang, their breathing fast and uneven as they drew back from each other in alarm. Leandro looked at Luz enquiringly, still exhaling heavily.

‘Oh, no,’ she protested, her hand to her mouth, ‘it must be one o’clock. The guests will be leaving. You must go, Leandro! I have to get back to the hacienda before I’m missed.’

A faint smile crossed his handsome face as his eyes stroked her mouth but it was edged with frustration. ‘Pity, querida. We were getting on so well.’

‘Will I see you again?’ A shadow darkened her eyes. Why was he suddenly looking so desolate? ‘Where can I find you? Where can we meet?’ she asked desperately. Luz surprised herself, realizing only too well how forward she must sound and how far she had wanted – and still wanted – to go with this man who had so bewitched her.

Leandro’s eyes slid away as he stood up, a strange figure, sombre as his own shadow. Then he looked back at her with an intense, absorbing stare that held her in its spell.

‘I am forgetting myself, querida.’ He pulled the scarf back over his face so only the glimmer of his green eyes was visible once more. ‘Flowers in the darkness of night have an intoxicating scent,’ he murmured. ‘Are you sure that in the cold light of day you won’t turn away from it?’ But he didn’t wait for a reply. He looked her over with hooded eyes, bowed and then was gone, sucked up by the black hole of the night.

As his shadow disappeared behind the trees Luz blinked, disorientated. She sat for a moment, looking after him uneasily, biting her lower lip. Then she turned her attention back to the lake. The evening had ended a little too abruptly and she had the vague impression that Leandro’s mood had darkened. Had he been hurt by the fact that she had asked him to go? His parting words had undertones of bitterness, somehow intimating that Luz might be one of those society belles who got a kick out of flirting with gypsies. How wrong he was; she had lost her heart to him, she knew that now. Whenever he was there, everything else was eclipsed. She was twenty-four and had never fallen in love. If he wanted, she would follow him anywhere.

She shivered. The air had turned cold and a gentle wind sighed through the trees, penetrating her flimsy garments. She started back to the hacienda, a little heavy-hearted.

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Book Excerpt and Giveaway for Blood Orchid

Blood Orchid“So what do you intend to do?” Hugh asked Emily as he sank into the soft cushioned chair with a sigh of gratitude. They had returned to Emily’s current home and were sitting in comfort within a large parlour. “Now you’ve openly declared your colours.” A quiet servant brought over a tray of drinks and pastries and retreated quietly from view.

Emily waited until the parlour door shut behind the maid before she settled herself on the chair opposite Hugh and rearranged her skirts. “I fancy I shall have to watch out for John.”

“Well that is rather obvious.” Hugh replied as he picked up his quizzing glass and began to polish it with a finely embroidered handkerchief. “But I’m interested in your more immediate concerns and plans.” He breathed lightly on the lens and regarded the blonde steadily. “Your actions this night will not have found favour with Justin. I fancy he will be upset with you.”

“As I’ve already said Hugh.” She reached out and picked up a pastry from the table beside her. “I don’t care if I have made friends or not.” Biting into the flaky confection, she chewed carefully, ignoring Hugh’s exasperated tut. “Justin needed the De Vire girl,” She announced as she brushed the crumbs from her skirts. “And not just for companionship, if it were only sex I wouldn’t be going to the trouble.”

“Would that be because you serve as his lover from time to time?” Hugh returned the handkerchief to his pocket and flourished his quizzing glass with the other hand.

“Don’t be a bore Hugh.” Emily replied with a petulant twist to her lips. “Yes Justin and I have been lovers over the years. We are not in love.” She stood and walked over to the fireplace. She poked the embers with the nearby poker and stared into the glowing coals, a faraway look on her face.

“Then what is it between you two?” Hugh asked as he leant forward, trying to see the expression on her face. “Don’t forget how long I’ve known you.” He reached out for a glass of brandy and took a small sip. “If you aren’t in love with him, then why are you so bitter towards the De Vire girl?” He didn’t miss the tension in her body as she listened to his words. Emily liked to think that people could not see her emotions, but he could read her like a book. The silence lengthened as she stared into the fire, trying to avoid answering his questions. With a sigh, he pulled himself from the chair and walked over to her. As he reached her side, he caught hold of her arm and slowly turned her to face him. “and why would you change her if you would prefer to keep Justin for yourself?” Hugh watched her expressive blue eyes change with interest and waited for her to speak.

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Book Review and Giveaway for I Am Ella. Buy Me. by Joan Ellis

cover-4-1Title: I am Ella. Buy me.

Author: Joan Ellis

Genre: Humor / Chick lit / Romance

Rating: 4 stars

Purchase: Amazon

Review copy provided by Enchanted Book Promotions in exchange for an honest review.

I AM ELLA. BUY ME

‘I am a ginger tom. I am a boy racer. I am a housewife. I am a pain in the arse.’

Ella David is Bridget Jones meets Peggy from Mad Men.

Working in Soho’s mad, bad Adland in the sexist 80s, Ella is a rare beast – a woman in a man’s world, dodging her sleazy boss, Peter.

Based on Joan’s experiences in Soho’s mad, bad Adland, this fast-paced, funny tale is set against a backdrop of Thatcher’s Britain when money trumps morals
and lust is a must. Thankfully, Ella knows love is more powerful but can two unlikely friendships help her go from a girl in the firing line to a woman calling the shots?

I Am Ella. Buy Me. is the story of Ella, a woman who struggles to find out what she wants in life. She works as a copywriter, but gets anything but fulfillment from her job. Her boss is constantly harrassing her, trying to get her into his bed, and Ella has trouble continuing to deny his advances when he gets more and more persistent. Ella’s world ranges from frustrating to hilarious. The 80s form an interesting setting, with sexism, the power of money, and lack of morality. This is one of the first books I’ve read set in that time period, and it’s a real eye-opener.

The writing is down-to-earth, not too fancy, but this style makes it easier to relate to the characters, in particular Ella, and her two unlikely friends, who each add a different layer to the story. Ella also has some love troubles – she’s in love with Tom, an up-and-coming rock star, but the rock lifestyle might make his morals more questionable than she’d like to believe.

Yet despite all the drama and frustration, Ella is still just the girl-next-door. She could be anyone, which makes it so easy to connect with her as a reader. She’s just an ordinary person.

This is a hilarious chick lit novel that I would highly recommend if you want to have a laugh, or if you want to find a character you can easily connect with.

Giveaway

I’m giving away one .Pdf copy of “I Am Ella. Buy Me.” The contest ends on December 8. Please leave a comment below to participate.

Email Subscribers Only Contest – February

emailsubscribers
Welcome to the new Monthly Contest feature on I Heart Reading, the Email Subscribers Only contest. As the title suggests, this contest is only open to email subscribers. But, fear not! You can still participate in the contest by becoming an email subscriber now. All you have to do is enter your email address below the tag ‘Newsletter’ in the left sidebar. All prizes are books that will be reviewed at some point during this month.

Disclaimer: You will receive an email every time I Heart Reading is updated, with a maximum of one email a day. You will also receive a weekly digest email focusing on all posts from the last week. Another upside of becoming an email subscriber is that some special promotions are only mentioned through email, for instance, author spotlight spots and/or guest post slots.

Participate in the Contest

To participate, all you have to do is fill in your email address in the Rafflecopter widget below. Please make sure that it’s the same address you used to sign up with I Heart Reading.

Attention: Simply subscribing by email isn’t enough. Subscribers are not automatically entered in this contest. You have to manually submit your email address in the Rafflecopter widget below. The winner will be announced on January 31st on the blog, and of course, in the newsletter. I will also contact the winner personally through email.


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Premade WordPress Theme Giveaway

Enchanted Book Promotions has been completely revamped. We offer even more services than last year, and we hope to help more authors to promote their book in the new year! As a freebie to accompany our new launch, we’re hosting a giveaway for a premium WordPress Theme aimed especially at book bloggers and authors!

Book Blogger WordPress Theme

screenshot

Click here to see the working demo.

Book Blogger WordPress Theme is an ideal theme for book bloggers. Not only does the header feature a vector image of a girl reading, the design is also simple and straight-forward, yet elegant. Different div styles classes are incorporated to add book covers and book synopsis to your theme. Additionally, the theme offers a complete admin option panel. You don’t have to dive into the code – you can change virtually anything from this options panel. There are also 7 custom widgets, including a tabbed widget, styled gallery pages, a working contact form, sitemap, custom 404 error page and a featured slider. The theme is compatible with WordPress 3.3 and works in all major browsers.
Do you want a chance at getting this theme, or do you want to see a full feature list first? Go visit Enchanted Book Promotions! Everyone can participate!
By the way, please tell me what you think of the new design!

The Iron Fey Week: Giveaway

The Iron Fey Week would not be complete without a giveaway fitting the theme. After the example set by the rather popular The Vampire Diaries Week and Giveaway, I decided to include two lucky winners for this contest as well, and have it open internationally! The giveaways runs from April 18th till April 23th, midnight. Got luck to everyone who participates!

The first winner will receive:

  • A copy of The Iron King (The Iron Fey #1)
  • A copy of The Iron Daughter (The Iron Fey #2)
  • A copy of The Iron Queen (The Iron Fey #3)
  • An eBook copy of Winter’s Passage

The second winner will receive:

  • A copy of The Iron Queen (The Iron Fey #3)

If my blog reaches +200 GFC followers during the course of this giveaway, I will add an additional prize for a third winner. This prize will not necessarily have anything to do with The Iron Fey series – this depends on the budget I have left.

How to participate in the contest:

  • Leave a meaningful comment on this post. Don’t forget to include a valid email address when you post the comment, so I can contact you at the end of the contest.
  • +1 extra entry for every comment you leave on a post that is part of The Iron Fey Week. You can find a list of all posts here. Only one comment per post counts (so if you leave two comments, you will only get +1 entry).*
  • +1 extra entry for following my website through Google Friend connect (for both new and old followers, of course!)
  • +1 extra entry for subscribing to I Heart Reading by mail. Simply look in the sidebar for ‘Subscribe by Email’ and enter your email address.
  • +1 extra entry for following me on Twitter (@iheartreads)
  • +1 extra entry for tweeting about this contest AND about The Iron Fey Week. Please leave link to both Twitter posts in your comment below.
  • +2 extra entries for writing a blog post in which you mention both The Iron Fey Week, and the Giveaway. Leave a link to the post in your comment below.

*At the end of the contest, I will personally take a look at all comments you posted during The Iron Fey Week, and count the entires together myself. So you don’t have to worry about your comments being overlooked when you enter the contest on Monday, and only comment on another post on Wednesday, or something.

I will announce the winners of the contest on Monday April 25th. Good luck, everyone!