Review ~ Double Time by Olivia Cunning

Double Time

(Sinners on Tour #3)

By Olivia Cunning

5 out of 5 STARS

Olivia Cunning delivers the perfect blend of steamy sex, heartwarming romance, and a wicked sense of humor in this menage story featuring the hottest guy in the Sinners band.

Trey Mills, the notoriously sexy Sinners rhythm guitarist, gives up his bisexual lifestyle and is swept into a hot, heady romance with Reagan Elliot, a female rock star sensation. But when Trey encounters Reagan's sexy bisexual roommate, Ethan Conner, he can no longer deny who he is or what he wants. Reagan heartily agrees to a solution that opens up a hot new world of sexual experience--and love--with the two men she wants the most.

ARC provided by Sourcebooks Casablanca

Expected publication: November 1st, 2012

Pre-order Double Time at Amazon or Barnes & Noble 

Holy hell hotness.  Yes, that is how I am starting my review.  I loved pretty much everything about this book and devoured it in no time.  Let me break it down for you...

Trey...  I was intrigued by Trey from the very first book in the series, Backstage Pass.  As the rhythm guitarist for the Sinners, he's had his fair share of one night stands with both men and women.  He's what I like to think of as an equal opportunity type of person for sex but his heart has truly only belonged to one person.  We have see his struggles with trying to get past his feelings for Brian, even more so now that Brian and Myrna have a baby.  But it is not easy...

Reagan had auditioned for the band Exodus End, who are searching for a new rhythm guitarist.  She ends up meeting the Mills brothers at Dares house and  sparks fly.  She ends up going on tour with the Sinners to get used to the tour life before her tour finally begins with Exodus End.  

Ethan is Reagan's roommate.  They once had a relationship that was ruined when she caught him cheating with a man.  Ethan never really came clean to Reagan about his bi tendencies so now she just thinks he's gay.   Still harboring deep feelings for her, he's very protective and soon joins the tour as her security detail.  There is a threat and he's there to deal with it. 

Things move fairly quickly with Trey and Reagan.  They have a definite connection but Trey is holding back a vital piece of information from her.  He has yet to tell her he swings both ways and it's made more difficult when Reagan's roommate Ethan starts giving him sexy eyes. 

Through all this, Dare is quite supportive of his little brother and wants the best for him.

"... Is she okay with your bisexual side?"
"She doesn't know.  And I'm not going to tell her.  I'm giving up me."
Dare shook his head at him.
"Right, Trey.  Good plan," he said sarcastically.
"Her ex is bisexual.  She caught him cheating on her with a man.  She's not very open to that kind of thing."
"Hmmm," Dare said, munching on a slice of apple, his green eyes reflective.  "You should dump her now then.  She'll just wind up hurt when you put your snake in a dark tunnel."

Trey can't keep his true feelings hidden any longer and let's Reagan know.  But Reagan and Ethan come up with a plan.  A very sexy plan.

This was a fantastic installment in the Sinners on Tour series!  I loved it all.  Trey is one of my favorite characters.  We've seen him go through so much in just the first 2 books with Brian and the surgery.  I'm so happy he got such a fabulous book!  It's not without some heartache but he finally has happiness with Reagan and Ethan.  And it is so flipping hot!  Reagan is an extremely likable partner and I'm so happy that she's so understanding with Trey and his needs.  Which brings us to Ethan.  He messed up with Reagan before not telling her the truth but that's all resolved now to make this one hell of an exciting and steamy book!

The Devil's Metal tour ~ Review

The Devil's Metal

By Karina Halle

5 out of 5 STARS

It’s the summer of 1974 and 21-year old Dawn Emerson has only three things she wants to do: compete one last time in the Ellensburg Rodeo, win back her ex-boyfriend Ryan, and become the best damn music journalist at Central Washington University. But all her plans are left in the dust when she’s contacted by Creem magazine to go on the road with one of her favorite groups, the up-and-coming metal band, Hybrid. 

At first the assignment reads like a dream come true. Not only will Dawn land some much-needed credibility as a female music journalist, but she’ll finally get to experience life from the other side of the stage, and maybe crack the drunken, enigmatic code that is guitarist Sage Knightly. Instead, Dawn finds herself on an aging tour bus filled with ego-maniacs, band politics and a whole lot of sex, drugs and rock n’ roll. When monsters start showing up in dressing rooms and some of Sage’s groupies become increasingly strange and dangerous, Dawn discovers the band is not only going places – they’re going straight to Hell. 

And Dawn has a backstage pass.

***

Additional info: the Devil's Metal is a New Adult Paranormal Romance

Author Info:

Karina Halle is a music journalist and all around wino who resides in beautiful British Columbia. When she's not rocking out or taking a nap, she can be found writing her ghost-hunting Experiment in Terror Series.


Links :

Blog | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon

 ...The road to hell is paved with good intentions...

(Unknown)

Karina Halle has become one of my favorite authors not only for her writing style but her strong character developments and fantastically written plots. She's an auto buy for me and I'm so happy to read something new straight from the mind of this creative genius.

Ever wonder what it would be like to be on a tour bus with men of mass sex appeal, alcohol, drinking and demons at every stop?  No?  Well take a dive into The Devil's Metal and see what it's like through the eyes of a small town girl named Dawn as she goes on tour with Hybrid to write an article for Creem Magazine.

The characters... Dawn is a great lead character. She's authentic and deals with everything that is thrown at her with a strong spine. So much crazy stuff happens but she keeps her cool. Sage is a mystery but a great one at that.  Sage is, well, something else entirely. Not paranormally speaking. He's just this sexy, dark and mysterious puzzle that slowly unravels. His page time with Dawn is fantastic and eagerly had me flipping pages to see what would happen next.  But first how about a quick tease from the book to describe Sage...

I kept my eyes moving and settled on the last person on the bus. The person sitting at the end of the long couch.
Sage Knightly.
He was leaning against the wall with a book in hand, his long, black-jean clad legs sprawled in front of him. On his feet were his trademark flip-flops, his wide upper body in a wide-collared black shirt that was unbuttoned halfway, a peek of his scruffy firm chest popping through. Tattoos drifted out of the sleeves and onto his forearms. He was looking at me with all the intensity in the world, and in my numb state I couldn't read any expression on his face. His gray-green eyes were clear and piercing, framed dramatically by his low, strong brows. Black curly hair fell softly on his forehead and onto the sides. His dimpled chin was strong, his bottom lip was full with an upper lip that curved sweetly. His skin was bronzed and looked more exotic in person, alluding to his rumored Hispanic ancestry.
He was the man on my wall.
My musical hero.
My musical crush.
And he was on the bus, sitting there, right in front of me.

The cast of characters is varied and they all add different layers to this book. I enjoyed all of them immensely. Even the creepy ones. Those are the ones you have to watch out for.  Well, Jacob too.  I'm definitely keeping my eye on him. ;)

The plot... From the start the plot is set at a great pace. We aren't overwhelmed with too much information and are given just enough to give us clues for what is to come and keep us on the edge of our seats. The scenes flow from one to the other very smoothly and set up a wicked pace for the last half of the book. The horror elements are laced in with fantastic imagery and build-up to a terrifying speed.

Another highly enjoyable part of the book is all the music. Music is a passion of mine and I love how this is not only rich with decade inspired fashion and language, but how authentic all the music aspects are. The clubs, the tours, the fans... I was thrown into a decade long since passed and I loved every minute of it.  Extra bonus was the insight on what it is to be a female music journalist.  I'm sure it's not an easy road but one Dawn handles surprisingly well with her integrity intact.

I just have to finish by saying two things.
The last two chapters. HOLY CRAP! Seriously! Grab onto your seat 'cause it's a wild ride! Karina finished the story arc perfect in my opinion and left a few lingering questions as a great segue for the sequel. Fantastic. I couldn't have asked for a different conclusion.
Second thing I want to say? Holy hell Batman hot steamy sexy times! Whew! She knows how to write a sex scene without being too crude or having it be unbelievable. The scenes were perfect and complimented the story completely.

If you are in the market for something new and unique, this book is for you. It's sexy and terrifying all at the same time!  Give it a try today!

Please check back Thursday for a guest post from Karina Halle for The Devil's Metal tour!  You can also check out my Karina Halle tag for all my reviews and guest posts.

Giveaway 1 : a Rafflecopter giveaway Giveaway 2 : a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review ~ Ink by Holly Hood

Ink 

By Holly Hood

3 out of 5 STARS

Hope didn’t ask for so much change in her life. She was happy living in Georgia for the rest of her life. Focusing on the things she loved the most: singing, dancing, and her best friend Karsen. This was effortless, she had no worries.

But all that changed when her mother decided to leave her dad for Pete, the Tae Kwon do instructor. And now Hope had to choose between staying where she belonged or moving far away to Cherry California with her dad.

After making the choice to move far away, to protect her father, Hope realizes Cherry is nothing like the hometown she’s used to. Everyone is rude, high class and she doesn’t fit in. Not until Slade comes along. He has never fit in and he is okay with that. And Hope is fascinated by everything that Slade is. All the way down to his tattoos and bat wielding rescue the first time they meet.

She knows she should stay far away from him, but it proves tricky as she discovers dark secrets about the town and people in Cherry, California. Hope doesn’t know who to trust as her life takes a turn from ordinary and depressing to dangerous and wild

I have mixed feelings about this book.  It's a pretty sexy YA with some very dark themes included.  That isn't my reservation though.

We have Hope, who along with her dad and twin brothers, has moved to a town called Cherry, CA.  She's 17 and starting school soon at an academy for the arts.  She loves music: dancing, singing.  So what does she do on her first night in town?  Follows the group of people she sees on the beach going to a rock concert in the park.  The rock concert proves to be rambunctious and she is constantly being thrown about and almost trampled.  Enter Slade who comes to her rescue.

Slade is 19, covered in tattoos, has a lip ring, wears the standard black.  He's a mysterious character and remains mysterious and aloof most of the book.

Holly is trying to make it work at this new school but she's kind of an outcast already just for having hung out with Slade.  The town is very judgmental.   Extremely so.

The plot is great.  I like the idea of what's happening and how it's solved.  My reservations come with the writing.  The chapters end so abruptly.  It feels like they just end in the middle of something and I was left wanting more.  When the next chapter picks up, time has passed and it's moved on and I'm left wanting to know what has happened in the meantime.  I feel that we miss out on some important information.

A few things are left unexplained, or unbelievable to me.  So the Evil Kings of Ink live in a tour bus that's parked at the park they perform at.  They have shows practically night after night and they are constantly packed.  How does a band have that much material to play in the same place probably to the same crowd all the time?  I love music and all but I would probably get sick of seeing a favorite band performing the same songs night after night.  But this is really just a personal opinion.

The character developments are good enough with a few exceptions.  My problem is with Holly.  She comes to Cherry young and naive in the ways of boys.  Wow.  She moves pretty fast and juggles a couple of boys for a short time.  I was kind of surprised by that.  The beginning mentions she has never found anyone worthy of her affections to all of a sudden being attracted to two different guys and getting a little bit of action.  I'm not talking about having sex right away with either but still.  Also, I had a big problem with how she just forgives Tucker after he was a huge dickhead.  Really, he demeans her, humiliates her, has shady hidden agendas and a skeezy dad and she just forgives him?  

Those reasons above prevent me from giving it more than 3 stars.  Overall I did enjoy it and really like Slade and his misfit family.  Slade and Holly have great page time and some pretty steamy moments.  The book kind of ends abruptly with vague answers as to what just happened at the end involving the villains.

With all that said, I WILL be picking up the sequel Ink: Twisted Magic at some point to continue on with the story arc now that my curiosity is piqued.

Review ~ Rock Hard

Rock Hard

(Sinners on Tour #2)

By Olivia Cunning

3 of 5 STARS

An ultimatum can break your heart.... 

Every night lead singer, Sed Lionheart whips thousands of women into a frenzy with his voice alone. But the stage is the only place Sed feels any passion since he lost Jessica...

If you’re not willing to break all the rules...

It shattered her heart, but law student Jessica broke off her engagement to Sed, determined to be successful on her own terms. But no other man can ever hold a candle to Sed...

Then a chance meeting and tortuously close quarters lead to uncontrollable flares of passion and rediscovery of their unique penchant for public encounters. Now, in addition to the risk of mutual heartbreak every time they get together, they’re in danger of truly scandalous public exposure...

After finishing Backstage Pass, I rushed to start Rock Hard. I fell in love with the guys in the Sinners and couldn't wait to see what happened to Sed in this story.  But sadly, I did not love this book as much as the first.  I like Sed.  He can be really sweet at times and just wants to take care of those he's close to.  He's a contradiction.   He can also be an asshole to most people.  He's screwed people over but wins over all the ladies.  All except one.

Jessica is his ex-fiance.  She was with him at a time the band was just starting to pick up.  Unfortunately, it was a brief love affair that left both parties jaded.

They have a sudden encounter in the unlikeliest of places that has dire consequences.  Thrust back into contact, things physically escalate.  They are clearly still hot for each other but there is no trust and lots of scheming on Jessica's part.  For the record, I do not like Jessica.  She's vindictive and spiteful.  I didn't really find her  likable or worthy of Sed at all though she does go through some pretty awful situations.

I like Myrna in this and she has Jessica pegged right away when they first meet.

“Maybe the two of you deserve each other,” Myrna said under her breath. “Just try not to hurt him too much. I know he pretends to be tough and all Don Juan Casanova, but he has the most delicate heart I’ve ever seen in a man.”

Jessica laughed. “Then apparently you don’t know him very well.”

Myrna shook her head at her. “And apparently you don’t know him at all.”

Jessica scowled and crossed her arms over her chest. What was this woman talking about? How could she not know him? Hello. She’d almost married the man.

I was pleased with the character development for Trey.  He goes through something major and Sed is pretty instrumental in his recovery.  He no longer feels comfortable approaching Brian, especially since he got married so Sed picks up the slack.  Jessica is pretty supportive through all this to, I'll give her that.  But moreso this book really has me excited to read Trey's story in Double Time.  

The sex scenes were great.  Who doesn't want to read about a little naughty fun in public? ;)  After a while though I kind feel like they need a break.  I'm all for reading hot sex but sometimes it becomes way too unbelievable.  

The end was kind of corny but cute all the same.  leaving me wondering what silly bets the boys placed and if we'll ever find out. ;)

Review ~ Exhale

Exhale

(Just Breathe #2)

By Kendall Grey

5 of 5 STARS

Her dreams brought them together, but reality could tear them apart…

The man of Zoe Morgan’s dreams isn’t only real, he’s interested. In her. But her boss wants her too, and is leveraging his unsolicited advances with the threat of blocking the huge promotion she's after. When he places a spy on her research team, the intense stranger discovers more than he should, and Zoe fears hiding a relationship with Gavin Cassidy from her boss is the least of her worries. The whale she must protect has been marked for death, and Zoe's old enemy Scarlet is eager to deliver the killing blow. To both of them.

Australia’s Sentinels must find and lock the door into the Dreaming before Fyre Elementals launch another attack on innocent dreamers. But corruption and distrust abound, and Gavin believes someone on the Sentinel council is in league with the Fyres. As he reluctantly embraces his new role as council leader, Gavin must not only keep Zoe safe from Scarlet's vengeful clutches, but organize a Sentinel defense strong enough to prevent a full-blown Elemental war—with a traitor fighting by his side.

*This book contains graphic language, sex, and some violence. Not suitable for readers under the age of 18.

**The author will donate all profits from the sale of the JUST BREATHE trilogy to programs that educate people about whales and the challenges they face.

After finishing book 1, Inhale, I had to rush to start this one.  This book is even better than the first.  I am still kind of reeling with how amazing this was.  Lots of things happen.  Good things, bad things, sad things...

In this book we have Gavin and Zoe spending more time together in the real world AKA Realis.  Their relationship doesn't move nearly as fast as it did in the Dreaming, back when Zoe didn't realize what she did in dreams was real, just in a different realm.  Gavin is all for giving a real relationship a go but Zoe is hard to convince.  The chemistry they shared in Dreaming carries over into Realis but they have obstacles ahead of them.

The Fyre Elementals are still attacking Wyldings in the Dreaming.  As personal vendettas are made clearer, attacks carry over into Realis as well.  The Fyres are trying to throw the balance of power to take control, the Wæters  are looking for a new leader, Gavin has a new "mentor" and responsibilities.  The villain is a bitch of epic proportions.  Seriously.  I don't think I have ever hated a villain as much as I hate her.

Zoe and Gavin are great to read about.  Zoe has a lot going on with her boss/ex on the scene to help out CRN.  While trying to balance her career, she's also coming to terms with what her role is in this Elemental battle and learning what a threat she has become to certain parties.  Gavin has so much on his plate, at times it feels like he carries the weight of the world on his shoulders.  He's sweet, sexy, playful and head over heels for Zoe.

“You’re wicked beautiful, but don’t you dare try to kiss me,” he whispered, his lips bumping hers so lightly he wasn't sure they actually had. “I can’t be held responsible for any damages that might be incurred.”

She's reluctant but falling nonetheless.  The playful banter between these two is great.

“When you’re playing guitar, does your hand ever get tired of going up and down like that?” She made a wanking motion. 

He glanced at his right hand and laughed. The smart arse in her topped up the desire in the pit of his stomach. “Believe me, this thing’s been getting plenty of exercise since I met you. A simple ‘yes’ would make both of our lives a lot easier.” 

A grin spread slowly across her lips. “I’m gonna stick with my original answer.”

But we can't talk about Gavin without mentioning his other career.  Hello rock star?  Massive sex appeal.  Oh boy.

Wearing torn and faded jeans and a black button-down shirt with sleeves rolled up, Gavin stood center stage on the JumboTron. One combat-booted foot balanced on a speaker monitor as he slashed out guitar chords. With wild black hair sprouting every which-way, tattoos slithering down his forearms to the wrists, and silver glinting from both ears and his bottom lip, he was a rock god.

Seriously,  the boy is smooth.

Thumbs wriggled through the belt loops on either side of her hips and pushed her flush against the door. One black boot appeared between her feet. The other planted itself in the carpet to the left of her right shoe. She looked up to protest. His lips landed on hers, gentle as a falling feather. Breath shuddered out through her nose, and her eyes drifted closed as he staked his claim on her mouth. 

Umm…sold.

Besides all the quotes that clearly show my love for Gavin, this book was the definition of a roller coaster of emotions.  Just when you get used to a situation, something crazy happens.  The ending was just crazy and I CANNOT WAIT to read Just Breathe due to release August 7th.

To quote my own tweet to Kendall:
 @kendallgrey1 Just finished ‪#EXHALE‬.Wow, just wow. INTENSE. Holy shit. Oh my god. What the fuck. Just a few thoughts going through my head.

Random Shenanigans & Liebster Blog

So I skipped out on my post last week...  Been distracted.  Darn real life!  Always getting in the way of my book life.  Here's a wrap up.

• My FF post mentions who would be my ideal fictional man would be to serenade me after jumping out of a birthday cake.  Please Dex, from the Experiment in Terror series, you can sing to me anytime.  Now, thanks to my interview with Karina Halle, Mike Patton is clearly a great Dex.  Yum...  

• I listed my favorite books that I have read for the first half of 2012 in my dirty little secret post.  

• I did a Terrible Girls Club review with my friend Samina.  She had me read a YA which I don't normally do... Naughty girl!  But it was fun.  I reviewed the Masque of the Red Death that you can read here.  She read The Loss of Sunlight which you can read here.  Please check out Samina's blog @ Escapism From Reality for her great reviews! 

• I had a chance to read the debut novel Blackbrooke by Emma Silver.  It's YA horror and though I don't read YA often, I thoroughly enjoyed it!  Here's my review.

• I read Inhale and Exhale by Kendall Grey.  LOVED THEM BOTH!  Exhale was even better than Inhale.  If Kendall keeps this up, book 3 Just Breathe is going to be phenomenal!  Of course it stars a tattooed/pierced musician who hotter than hell.  My harem is now called the sexy scoundrel harem since none of them can really be called gentlemen.  ;)

• Finally, I was tagged by both  Jenese and Ana for the Liebster Blog Q&A and I'm finally getting around to this. Thanks ladies!!!

10 random things about me...

1~ Married, no kids.

2~ 31 years old.

3~ I'm 5'9".

4~ I got my first piercing at 15 and my first tattoo at 16.  For the record, I'll get a tattoo any day over a piercing. :)

5~ I LOVE music.  It's a must have for me.  All the time.  Even when I'm reading.

6~ I love chihuahuas.  

7~ I'm a crafter.  I design pin-up wallets and purses in my spare time.

8~ I love art.  Frida Kahlo is my favorite artist.

9~ I like to do retro hair-do's.  Bandannas, victory rolls...

10~ I read all the damn time.  I have read 96 books so far this year!  Craziness...

Q's from Jenese:

When did you start blogging?

Two months ago.

What made you decide to blog?

Free books and meeting great people.

What are your goals for blogging?

Finding great books and spreading the word.  I read a lot of self published and indie published books and these authors need love!  They don't get as much attention as authors with big publishing deals but are just as talented and imaginative.

What is best thing that's happened to you since you starting blogging?

Interviewing Karina Halle.  She's a really cool chick and we share a passion for music.  

What is your all-time favorite book?

Gah... So hard to answer.  I'll say Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost.  Bones... nuff said.

What is the one book/series that you would suggest to me?

Um... I'm going to say the Just Breathe series by Kendall Grey.  Amazing science fiction/fantasy with a hot guy! ;)

Where do you receive your ARC's or do you only purchase your own?

Netgalley for the most part.  I have received a couple direct from the authors.

Who is your all-time favorite author?

Jeaniene Frost

Where is your favorite place to read?

Home on my couch. :P

What is the greatest blogging advice that you have received so far?

Just to go for it!  Thanks to Miss V from Miss Vain's Paranormal Fantasy, she has been very helpful to me and is a really kind person!  I finally took the plunge and started.  Regardless of anything that comes my way, I'm doing it the way I want.  After all, I do this for the joy of reading and sharing my thoughts.  It shouldn't be a chore and I shouldn't have to censor myself and my opinions.

To lighten it up, Magic Mike comes out Friday (yahh)...who would you cast in your movie? :-)

I answered this for DLS so I'm going to throw down my sexy scoundrel harem and say Bones, Barrons, Terrible ( LMAO thinking of Terrible doing this!), Dex and Gavin.

Q's from Ana:

If you could slap one character out of a book who would it be? (sorry for the violence.. but I mean... there are some of those characters that just aaahhh aggravate you!)

Oy...  I would have to say Faythe from the Shifters series by Rachel Vincent.  She pissed me off so much i couldn't continue the series.

If you could giveaway an entire series, what series would it be and why?

The Fever series by Karen Marie Moning.  The whole series was epic.

What author would you like to spend a whole day with and why?

Ummm...  Jeaniene Frost.  She just seems like she would be hilarious to be around.  Jamie Saare, she's uncensored and I love it.  Karina Halle would be fun to go to some shows with.  I'm sure shenanigans would ensue... 

Make an estimate of how many books you've read throughout your entire life.

No clue.  I can't even venture to guess.

What was the book that got you into reading?

Oh.  I was reading Stephen King and RL Stein back in junior high.  Then I took a hiatus.  Recently it was JR Ward, Jeaniene Frost and Charlaine Harris that got me to expand into the UF and PNR genres. 

Who is your favorite character and why?

Chess from the Downside Ghosts series.  Favorite because she is fucked up, knows it, tries to better herself, messes up again...  It's a vicious cycle and though her life is really rough, she is a strong person.  It's human nature to make mistakes.  But she is finally beginning to learn from them.

• OK... so my music choice this week should come as no surprise...  It's Easy by Faith No More so now that you know who Mike Patton is, listen to his wonderful voice sing this Lionel Richie song!

Waiting on Wednesday

Hosted by Breaking the Spine, a way to share upcoming highly anticipated releases.

Double Time by Olivia Cunning with a release date of November 1st.

Trey Mills, the notoriously sexy Sinners rhythm guitarist, gives up his bisexual lifestyle and is swept into a hot, heady romance with Reagan Elliot, a female rock star sensation. But when Trey encounters Reagan's sexy bisexual roommate, Ethan Conner, he can no longer deny who he is or what he wants. Reagan heartily agrees to a solution that opens up a hot new world of sexual experience—and love—with the two men she wants the most.

Olivia Cunning delivers the perfect blend of steamy sex, heartwarming romance, and a wicked sense of humor in this menage story featuring the hottest guy in the Sinners band.

Having just finished the first two books of the series, I am really eager to read Trey's story.  He's all kinds of sexy and sweet with a love for cherry suckers.  Cherry anything really but suckers have much more naughty opportunities. ;)  As if the synopsis above didn't sound delicious enough. 

What's your WOW?

Teaser Tuesday

This is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading

• Open your current read and choose a page at random. 
• Share two sentences (or more) from anywhere on the page, being careful to avoid spoilers. 
• Be sure to share the title and author.

This weeks teaser comes from Exhale by Kendall Grey...

Though he didn’t want to let go, the break in contact helped him wrangle his scattered wits back into a manageable ball. He and Zoe were in the open, exposed. Gavin swept the street again with his Dreamsense. As far as he could tell, no Fyre Elementals had snuck up while his brain evacuated its cranial real estate in favor of warmer southern climes in Hardwood Heights.

Down, boy, he warned the tent itching for a pitching under his jeans.

So Gavin has stolen a piece of my heart.  I was tweeting Kendall and told her my fictional harem has a new gentlemen caller.  She replied that she wouldn't call him a "gentlemen".  Haha!  So it's now called my sexy scoundrel harem and he is a part of it!  I also love Kendall's writing style and humor as I thought the above highlighted nicely.

What's your Teaser Tuesday?

Review ~ Inhale

Inhale

(Just Breath #1)

By Kendall Grey

4 of 5 STARS

Strangers in reality, inseparable in dreams…

After years of suffocating under her boss’s scrutiny, whale biologist Zoe Morgan finally lands a job as director of a tagging project in Hervey Bay, Australia. Success Down Under all but guarantees her the promotion of a lifetime, and Zoe won’t let anything—or anyone—stand in her way. Not the whale voices she suddenly hears in her head, not the ex who won’t take no for an answer, and especially not the gorgeous figment of her imagination who keeps saving her from the fiery hell of her dreams.

Gavin Cassidy hasn’t been called to help a human Wyldling in over a year, which is fine by him. Still blaming himself for the death of his partner, he keeps the guilt at bay by indulging in every excess his rock star persona affords. That is, until he’s summoned to protect Zoe from hungry Fyre Elementals and learns his new charge is the key to restoring order in the dying Dreaming. He never expects to fall for the feisty Dr. Morgan…nor does he realize he may have to sacrifice the woman he loves to save an entire country.

*This book contains graphic language, sex, and some violence. Not suitable for readers under the age of 18.

**The author will donate all profits from the sale of the JUST BREATHE trilogy to programs that educate people about whales and the challenges they face.


I was recommended this from Karina Halle and what a great recommendation it was!  The world Kendall Grey has created contains Elementals, Wyldlings (normal people), Sentinels and goes back and forth between the Dreaming and Realis.  Though the first part is really bogged down with descriptions, the last part of the book was amazing.

First we have Dr. Zoe Morgan.  She's headed to Australia to lead  the current project for Cetacean Research Network.  Zoe loves whales.  Hardcore.  But before she even gets to Australia, she has a situation and is saved by a mystery man.


 Enter Mr. Perfect aka Gavin Cassidy.  Boy oh boy is he hot stuff.  He's a Sentinel and is charged with watching over Zoe.

Soon they are seeing each other in Zoe's Dreaming often.  Thinking it's all a dream, Zoe gets pretty bold and makes the moves on Gavin.  They have definite sparks between each other but Gavin tries to keep it professional.  He's still trying to figure out how Zoe plays into the current drama.

Current drama you ask?  Well the Sentinels are charged with protecting the Dreaming and Wyldings.  They keep balance between all the elements.  The Fyre Elementals have invaded the Dreaming and are torturing and killing Wyldlings.  No Elementals should be in the Dreaming.  Only Wylding and Sentinels should have access.

Slowly the plot is revealed and we see the bigger picture.  Balance has to be maintained or the shit will hit the fan.  There is a prophecy involved, and with all prophecies, it's a riddle that needs to be figured out in due time.

Zoe and Gavin are wonderful together.  It's hot, it's sweet, it's all kinds of things as they learn to work with each other in Dreaming, and eventually Realis.

“I love the way you smile at me.” He started to touch her arm, but thought the better of it. “Knocks me on my arse.”

 Uh, did I mention that Gavin is a rockstar in Realis?  No?  How silly of me.  HE'S A SEXY ASS ROCKSTAR WITH TATTOOS AND A LIP RING!  He's the singer, songwriter, guitarist for the band Just Breathe.  Ok, now you know. ;)  That floats my boat in more ways than one.

Perfect was real. He was real.

“Did you see him looking at you? Like he wanted to devour you? That boy is hungry, and you’re a fuck sandwich with a side of chips.” Adriene’s grin grew so wide, it almost ate her face. Armpits resting on foam pads, she clapped her hands twice. “We’re gonna stick around after the show and meet him.”

Adriene is a great side character, she's Zoe's BF and the other captain of the boat for CRT.  She's really supportive, funny and has great page time.  Gavin's mentor Yileen is another great side character, so much more to him than meets the eye.

Overall thought:  There is so much world building that it took me a while to wrap my head around it all.  I immediately liked the characters, it just took a while for me to understand where the plot was going.  But once I did, I really loved this story.  It's so unique.  I haven't mentioned much about the whales.  There are a lot of whales.  They are a huge part of the story and it's great to see them in such a mystical and significant light.  The author is donating all proceeds for the Just Breathe trilogy to whales and whale awareness. Pretty cool if you ask me.  Just another reason to take the plunge and give it a try!

And now I know that you’re the one I’ve waited my whole life for
You’re the budding leaves turning green in spring
You’re the fresh breath of air that summer brings
You’re the autumn sky painted in rainbow hues
You’re the wintry ocean dancing in shimmering blues
 You’re the air I breathe
You’re the water I drink
You’re the fire inside me
The earth under my feet
You’re the one

Review ~ Backstage Pass

Backstage Pass

(Sinners on Tour #1)

By Olivia Cunning

5 of 5 STARS

Five stunning guys, one hot woman, and a feverish romance...

For him, life is all music and no play...

When Brian Sinclair, lead songwriter and guitarist of the hottest metal band on the scene, loses his creative spark, it will take nights of downright sinful passion to release his pent-up genius...

She's the one to call the tune...

When sexy psychologist Myrna Evans goes on tour with the Sinners, every boy in the band tries to seduce her. But Brian is the only one she wants to get her hands on...

Then the two lovers' wildly shocking behavior sparks the whole band to new heights of glory...and sin...

I had no idea when I first marked this as to-read several months ago how much I was missing out on by taking so long to start it.  This book was incredibly good and I can't really fault any aspect of it.  

We are introduced to great characters and most of them in the first few pages.  Right off the bat we have a highly entertaining scenario that not only introduces us to the majority of the characters, but sets the pace of the book.  As in, holy-shit-I-can't-stop-reading-this.  I started at 1o'clock in the morning and went through the first 30% before I finally went to bed at 4am..  I could not put it down.  

We meet Myrna Evans while in Chicago on business.  After lecturing at a boring conference, she is just passing the hotel lounge when she comes across the five hot rockers of the band the Sinners.  As a professor of Human Sexuality, she has studied the aspect of sensuality in music and is familiar with theirs.  

Myrna grinned. The five of them didn’t exactly “blend” with the conference attendees, mostly professors, scattered throughout the lounge and lobby. The unconventional crew in the booth drew more than their fair share of animosity and stares. Was it the tattoos? The various piercings and spiked jewelry? The dyed hair, strange haircuts and black clothing? Whatever. They were just guys being guys. And not a boring one in the bunch, she’d wager.

But very quickly we see that Brian is the one that has captured her attention the most.  Things move smoothly from that first chance meet at the hotel.  Brian and Myr are explosive together.  Seriously hot. 

“Ah Myrna,” he murmured. “I think my muse resides deep, deep inside you.”  

“You sure know how to use her in exactly the right way.”

The sex scenes are tastefully done, highly erotic and adventurous but the plot is mixed in so well that it gives the whole story more substance.  

Brian and Myr are growing as close as 2 people of their professions can though Myrna is reluctant.  She's out of a nasty marriage and can't move past some of her fears.  Brian is a rockstar currently on a tour bus most of the time and far from "normal relationship" material but they decide to go with the flow and just have no strings fun together.  Regardless, they grow close and have challenges they have to face.  Brian has a sweet side to him that's so endearing and really makes him standout for a male lead character.

She snorted derisively. “How many times have I heard that same old song?” 

He kissed her cheek tenderly. Her jaw. “Never. No one’s heard the songs we make together. We write them as we go. I haven’t written more than three notes since the last time we made love.”. 

Through all this, we are surrounded by the rest of the band.  Sed, the highly seductive and confidant singer of the band seems like an ass at first but starts to grow on me.  Trey, with his penchant for cherry suckers, plays  the rhythm guitar and  is a childhood friend of Brian, sharing quite the history.  Eric, the drummer, is goofy and is also apart of the original line up with the other three.  That leaves us with Jace, the newest member of the band  is quiet and reserved with hints of a darker, edgier side to him behind closed doors.  All of them are appealing in their own right.

The books was a great ride from beginning to end.  Honestly, this was a great book and is now a favorite of mine.  I have no complaints and will immediately pick up book 2, Rock Hard, which is Sed's story.

Teaser Tuesday

This is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading

• Open your current read and choose a page at random. 
• Share two sentences (or more) from anywhere on the page, being careful to avoid spoilers. 
• Be sure to share the title and author.

This weeks teaser comes from Backstage Pass by Olivia Cunning.

“When did he pass out last night?” Eric asked Myrna.

 “After he swallowed my banana and I forced him to consume my fluids.” She winked at him.

 His mouth fell open. “What?”

This book is hilarious.  Of course 5 dudes in a popular metal band are going to have dirty minds but it's made even better by the lead female in the book, Myrna, playing along.

What's your Teaser Tuesday?

Random Shenanigans

Wow.  So what's been happening this week?  Not a whole lot but let me wrap it up for you...

• I read Bared To You and  Rogue's Pawn courtesy of Netgalley and will be posting reviews for those shortly.  The former is an erotica widely known for being compared to Fifty Shades of Grey while the latter is a UF of magical proportions.  

• I also read Backstage Pass.  Damn that was a hot erotica about Brian from the metal band the Sinners.  I really enjoyed this one and have a review queued for this.  I loved it so much I rushed to start book 2 in the series, Rock Hard.

• I was challenged to read Masque of the Red Death from Samina for a Terrible Girls Club feature.  It's a darker YA that I really liked.  I don't read much YA but this was really good.  I will be posting a review closer to the end of the month for that.  

• I have a Giveaway going on for the Lovestruck Giveaway Hop.  Check out my post to enter to win a $10 Amazon giftcard and see me squeal about one of my favorite fictional men, Terrible, from the Downside Ghost series.  

• I admitted my Dirty Little Secret and shared with you 6 of my favorite guys for my fictional Magic Mike line-up.  Any reason to add photos of Alexander Skarsgard or Mateus Verdelho to my blog and I am a happy girl!

• Last but not least is my favorite part of said shenanigans... Posting music videos that I love.  Music is very important to me, often freeing my inhibitions and letting the music take me away.  As I type out this post, I have indulged in Sailor Jerry's rum with Coke and have been watching YouTube videos of Faith No More and the Deftones.  I chose a song, Edge of the World  by Faith No More to post this week.

Enjoy and have a great weekend!!!!

Random Shenanigans

Hey there interwebs!  Time again for a rundown of what kinda shenanigans this part time book blogger finds herself in.

• So wow. This past week has kinda sucked.  I learned that a) I need to remain hydrated or nasty things can happen and b) Vicodin is NOT conducive to writing reviews.  But even with all that, I got to spend a lot of time reading, which I love, so yeah, that made up for it!

• I did an interview with Elizabeth Hunter and posted a review for her latest release, A Fall of Water.  I love this series and I hope more people read it.  Gio is hot hot hot and in more ways than one!

• I read three ARC's provided from Netgalley.  The Darkest Day, Good Bones and The Theory of Attraction.  The first being a traditional PNR, the second being a gay werewolf romance and the last being straight up kinky BDSM containing one hot and naughty professor.  All very different but all very enjoyable.

• Now to interrupt our regularly scheduled programming for this very important message:

• I was approved for two ARC's that I am excited to start.  Moonglow, the sequel to Firlight, but I am holding off on starting it since I won't be able to post the review til closer to the release date.  I was also approved for Shadow of Night, the sequel to A Discovery of Witches.  I plan to start than one soon since it will be released July 10th.  

• So that was a lot for me this week.  Lets end it with some music, because let's be honest, music soothes the wary soul.  This week I'm choosing Sundowner In the Flicker.  Two things about me.  I love punk rock and I love acoustic.  When these two combine, I am a very happy girl.

Enjoy and have a great weekend!

Random Shenanigans

So what have I done this week???

• I posted my first ever author interview and giveaway with Karina Halle and her Experiment in Terror series!  That was really fun for me.  I hope I do more in the future!  It was great fun to chat music with her.  Hopefully soon I will have a Dex/Perry music outtake to share with you all courtesy of Karina but I don't want to pester her too much. ;) Congrats to Linda for winning the Giveaway! Enjoy!

• I got my interview back from Elizabeth Hunter and will be posting it Tuesday followed on Friday with a review for her newest release, A Fall of Water.  Another great interview and I'm excited to be part of the A Fall of Water Blog Tour.  Come back next week to check it out!

• I read and reviewed Lethal Rider.  I liked it.  A lot.  Yummy Than and his tattoos... ;)

• I also have been reading zombie books this week.  I posted a review for Married With Zombies and I'm currently reading Deadtown.  Though the latter isn't going so well.  I am skimming it just to finish.  

• I'll be honest.  It's been a hell of a week.  I had a family emergency and I'm still kinda reeling from it.  I will hopefully get back to reading soon and hopefully GOOD BOOKS!  I need some good books!

• But now I will wrap up my weekly shenanigans with music.  This week is the Silversun Pickups Growing Old is Getting Old.  I love this song.  They do an amazing job on MTV Unplugged.  Lyrically and rhythmically this song was what I need this week. 

Have a great weekend! 

Interview with Karina Halle and EIT Giveaway!

So I have recently fallen in love with the series Experiment in Terror by Karina Halle and was fortunate enough to interview her. 

As the self proclaimed daughter of a Norwegian Viking and a Finnish Moomin, you wear many hats.  Your stint as a music journalist is enviable and sounds quite adventurous.  Experiment in Terror has quite a lot of music thrown in and inspires some fashion choices which leads me to a few questions.

My parents musical choices when I was a child influenced me,  what music did you parents listen to when you were growing up and did they influence your listening habits?

Oh, same here, my father would play a ton of music on the boat when I was growing up. Dire Straits, Paul Simon, Johnny Cash, The Eagles and Bob Seger remain some of my favorites to this day. 

We're close to the same age and the 90's were huge musically and MTV was still kinda relevant, where were you living in the 90's and was there a local scene you were influenced by?

I was in a suburb of Vancouver, BC, back in the 90s. I couldn’t tell you what the local scene was, but my friends and I (we were called The Skids) listened to a whole mess of stuff: The Ramones, Nine Inch Nails, Lagwagon, Marilyn Manson, Mr. Bungle, Daft Punk, Eminem, The Pixies, Bad Religion, Filter, Sonic Youth, The Misfits, etc.

What was the first show you went to?

Smashing Pumpkins, 1996 at the Moore Theatre in Seattle! They played half their show acoustic in their pajamas. Half was full on metal. It was amazing. My friend Kelli and I were two tiny fifteen year olds squished at the front. We saw Billy Corgan and Courtney Love twice (he laughed at me – long story), met Jimmy Chamberlain all drugged out of his mind in the lobby of our hotel. I was a fanatic in the making,

Do you play any instruments?

I love music to death but I am completely musically challenged. Can’t play anything to save my life. Although, I must say I am quite good at Rock Band drums.

In Lying Season we read about Perry doing karaoke, do you like to karaoke?  If so, what song is your "go to" song that you feel deeply and can knock out of the park?

I am the worst singer in the world, so I don’t sing. Ever. Except once. I did karaoke at Dimples in Burbank, California. I sang Queens of the Stone Age “Go With the Flow” – I have a copy of it on DVD that no one will ever see. If by “knocking it out the park”, you mean “make people’s ears bleed” then yes, I did that.

But back to your journalism career...

Having interviewed musicians that have inspired you, do you find it interesting that you are now being interviewed by those who have been inspired by your writing?

Yeah, it’s fun. I get super nervous when I interview celebrities and musicians, so I find being interviewed to be a much calmer experience. Only thing I miss is that “high” I would get after a great interview.

What is one of your favorite interviews you have given?

Billy Gould from Faith No More. I was the first journalist to interview him regarding Faith No More since they first broke up in 1998 – he even got in trouble a bit from the band for agreeing to the interview! I already knew him from this and that, but it was just amazing to sit down with him in this café on Haight Street in San Francisco and just talk about my favorite band for two hours. Best interview ever. Best feeling ever. Still get goose bumps thinking about!

Was it an easy transition going from journalism to writing horror? 

Sure. I mean, I went to journalism school but I wrote Darkhouse before I became a music journalist. I always struggled with the rigid structure and lack of leeway in journalistic writing – fiction has always been my strongest talent, so the transition was pretty easy. 

Since you wrote Darkhouse before becoming a music journalist, how long did you have to wait before it was released?

I wrote Darkhouse in the fall of 2009, started writing for Consequence of Sound in May 2010...spent most of 2010 covering gigs and writing for them, while working on Red Fox. I didn't decide to self-publish Darkhouse until May 2011...so it was quite a while. I kept meaning to query agents about it but I never got around to it. I thought self-publishing would be easier. NOT REALLY. 

What musician do you think would be an ideal main man in one of your books?

Haha. Oh man. Well, I guess my Mike Patton love is quite apparent. So him, obviously. But I do think Josh Homme, Chris Cornell, Jack White, Trent Reznor and Rob Zombie would be amazing characters.

How have past/current relationships influence the way you write men in your books?

I think I draw my influences from a wide range of places: people I know, musicians, movies, other books, etc, but never from anyone I’ve dated.

How much of yourself goes into writing Perry's character?

There was definitely a lot of me in Perry when I first started writing Darkhouse but she and I sort of broke off and went our separate ways as the books progressed. I feel everything she feels (I guess I’m a masochist that way) and I can relate to her, but we definitely don’t act the same. I’m more of a risk taker than she is, and definitely more ambitious. I’m more honest, too, sometimes brutally so… and I’ve realized that honesty and risk go hand and hand. Interestingly enough, as I wrote the series, I found myself relating more to Dex and what he’s going through. We’ve shared many of the same problems/issues. 

Is there certain music you listen to or a drink you prefer when writing? Do you have a ritual?

Usually it’s either wine or kava. And I have playlists for my books, so my music selection varies from each each book. I’m meticulous and specific that way – the music has to fit with the mood and scene or else it won’t work, and it has to be music that I know. I’d never select a random playlist from Youtube or anything like that.

If you were stuck in the Twilight Zone and had to repeat the same day over and over, what album, book and drink would you have everyday?

Drink, I’d have a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, album I’d have Faith No More’s Angel Dust, and book I’d have Jane Eyre. Maybe that’s an odd combo ;) But I’m pretty odd myself.

From one oddball to another, I want to say thanks so much to Karina Halle for taking the time to answer my questions and for making music relevant in her writing.  It was great to chat books, music, writing and to gain further insight into the characters I have grown fond of.  I  have experienced their highs and lows and felt their terror along their journeys.  

Hey you guys!  Darkhouse, book 1, is still available for free on Kindle and Nook.

For more about Karina Halle, please check out these links:

Consequence of Sound

Experiment in Terror
Experiment in Terror Facebook
MetalBlonde on Twitter
Karina Halle on Goodreads

This giveaway is for winners choice of 2 of the books from the Experiment in Terror series.  Please note not all of the books are available in e-format on Nook.  Winner has 48 hours to respond with email address, their 2 choices and if it's Kindle or Nook.  Thanks and good luck!!!

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