Release Blitz & Review ~ Destiny on Ice ~ by ~ S.R. Grey

 

 

 

Title: Destiny on Ice
Series: Boys of Winter #1
Author: S.R. Grey
Genre: Sports Romance/Romantic Comedy
Release Date: December 1, 2016
Blurb
Hot hockey superstar Brent Oliver has it all—good looks, charm, dozens of endorsement deals, and a spectacular career.Uh, nix that last one.

Brent has the talent and skill that should have his career soaring. But something is wrong. He’s lost his hockey mojo and can’t get it back.

Enter Aubrey Shelburne, life coach to the stars.

Aubrey’s worked with some difficult celebrities, but she’s never encountered a guy quite like Brent Oliver.

Or has she?

Seems a reckless night of partying, one that had Aubrey waking up in a strange man’s bed, is about to bite her in the ass. That is, if Brent doesn’t first.

Fighting an off-the-charts attraction, Aubrey and Brent must learn to work together. But it’s not an easy task when they’re at each other’s throats every minute.

Is this relationship a disaster in the making?

Or is it destiny?

Washboard abs and sex toy mishaps aside, Destiny on Ice is a fun and irreverent romp that’ll have you swooning on one page and laughing on the next.

 

 

Purchase Links

 

99c for a limited time!!!

 

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

 

 

Excerpt

Whoa, wait! What am I thinking here? No lap dances and dates with Aubrey?

Never. Going. To. Happen.

“What’s up with you, Brent?” Nolan asks. “You’ve been weird since we left your house.”

We’re on the back patio of his house now, which is four doors down from my place. I’m still drinking, but much more slowly.

Setting my beer down on an outdoor iron table in front of me, I sigh. “I don’t know, man. I guess I feel kind of bad treating Aubrey the way I did.”

“What?” He makes a who-the-fuck-cares face. “You mean the life coach chick?”

“Yeah, the life coach chick.” I blow out a breath. “But she’s more than that. She’s a really great girl.”

Nolan knows me far too well. He senses where this is leading.

“Dude,” he begins, in full warning mode. “Don’t even think of going there.”

I play dumb. “What do you mean?”

“Oh, you know what I mean. Getting involved with that woman would be nothing but trouble. She was hired by the team to help you, which kind of makes her like your employee by default.”

“An employee I’d like to bang,” I admit.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

I glare over at him from across the patio table. “Are you kidding? Of course you would.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” he concedes. “So maybe you should bang her. But real secretly. And just once. Get her out of your system before you fuck up your career.”

When he starts staring over at me, like he has more to say on the subject, I make an attempt to change the topic. I need to end this conversation about my life coach, who I already can’t get out of my goddamn mind.

In my most dickhead tone, I say, “Stop giving me your googly eyes, Solvenson. You know how it makes me all warm and fuzzy inside when you do that.”

“Fuck off, Oliver,” Nolan volleys back, looking away as he takes a long pull from his beer. As he lowers his bottle, he adds, “I know what you’re doing, anyway.”

“Oh yeah, you do? Please tell me then, great sensei, what am I doing?”

“You’re deflecting. You’re trying to hide from the truth.”

“Which is?”

“You’re falling hard for your hot little life coach.”

Shit, I hate when he’s right.

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I am not a hockey person BUT I love the players (they’re beefy) and reading books involving hockey players.  I won’t lie, I was also learning along with Aubrey in her hockey lessons with Benny.
Brent is a hot shot hockey player who comes from a hot shot hockey dad.  He loves hockey but he also wants to win The Cup (Lord Stanley’s that is) and be a real source of pride for his father.  Except he’s playing pretty crappy right now.  He’s partying, drinking and having a good time with his fellow linemen on their break.  Team management feels differently and hires a life coach, Aubrey, to help him get back on track and winning again.
Aubrey can’t deny she’s attracted to Brent but she’s there to do a job and her job she must do.  Until she forms a friendship with Brent and she sees the guy beneath the party boy exterior.
This book was so funny and sweet and I was immediately wrapped up in Brent and Aubrey’s story!  I had to keep reading at work (don’t tell) just to finish the story and find out what happened.  I can’t wait for more of this series.  I have a feeling Benny and Nolan’s stories are going to be just as consuming.
5 stars!
Author Bio
S.R. Grey is an Amazon Top 100 and a #1 Barnes & Noble Bestselling author. She is the author of the brand new Boys of Winter hockey romance series, the popular Judge Me Not books, the Promises series, the Inevitability duology, A Harbour Falls Mystery trilogy, and the Laid Bare series of novellas. Ms. Grey’s works have appeared on multiple Amazon Bestseller lists, including Top 100 several times. She is also a #1 Bestselling Author on Barnes & Noble and a Top 100 Bestselling Author on iTunes.

 

Author Links

Blog Tour ~ Frontline Angel ~ by ~ Genevieve Jordayne

Title: Frontline Angel
Author: Genevieve Jordayne
Genre: Historical Romance
Release Date: October 16, 2016
Available on Kindle Unlimited

Frontline Angel takes its readers from 1940s Wisconsin to the Philippine Islands just prior to World War 2 and through the Japanese occupation and liberation. It tells the tale of Eliza-a small-town Midwestern girl with dreams of travel and adventure who enlists with the United States Army Nurse Corps despite her parents’ protests. Eliza will find the fun and adventure she desired as well as an unexpected romance with a handsome soldier. Yet all changes overnight as war destroys her tropical paradise. Our heroine must quickly adapt in order to survive the harsh, unforgiving jungle climate, and become a skilled combat nurse on the frontline. The story will take you from the fall of the islands through the terrible conditions endured by those placed in internment camps and their struggle for liberation. Can Eliza find the strength and courage needed to survive such horror and still emerge with her spirit unbroken?

“I was amazed as I read this book , it was excellently written.” – Reader Review

“Such an awesome unheard story.” – Reader Review

“This is a fantastic book about heroes from WWII that are often ignored.” – Reader Review

It was a short, restless sleep for Eliza. When she awoke, she quickly freshened up and ran to the hospital to find out if there was any news. She was informed that their worst nightmares were now reality: The Japanese had arrived to destroy her paradise.
That morning, the first bombs had fallen at Camp John Hay near Baguio, the town where Eliza and Reese had shared their romantic weekend together. Baguio was a perfect target because it was the most important military and commercial center in Northern Luzon. The Japanese bombers then arrived at the main base of the Army Air Corps in the Western Pacific, Clark Air Field, and Fort Stotsenberg.
In some sort of failed communication, the Americans had been grossly unprepared and were caught completely unaware. Most were enjoying lunch when the Japanese were able to arrive undetected and launch a deadly and destructive attack. Scores of American fighter and bomber aircrafts were lined up wingtip to wingtip. The planes were fully armed but completely unmanned. Bomb after bomb was dropped. Some of the soldiers tried to make it to their planes. Others were shooting at the Japanese aircraft with old, antiquated firearms that were useless against the skilled, sleek attacker. In the end there were only seven planes that had not been destroyed. The once beautiful area was a burning mess of mangled, twisted aircraft.
Eliza and the other nurses at Sternberg Hospital couldn’t believe the horror stories flooding in. People began to speculate about whether Manila would be attacked as well. Of course, some had tried to reassure that the capital would be safe although no one seemed to be very confident in their assurances.
Shortly thereafter, a messenger came in and said that an invasion force under the command of General Masaharu Homma had been spotted and they were planning to launch a ground attack. The entire group was issued helmets and gas masks, as the Japanese were known for using a variety of poison gases in combat. Eliza was handed a pamphlet to accompany her gas mask that detailed ways to detect poisonous gasses and how to care for patients exposed to them. The group of nurses was told that a decontamination area was being set up in one of the wards. Eliza’s eyes widened at the thought of poison mustard gas. If it weren’t so very real she would almost laugh at the expectation to learn how to detect these gasses and care for exposed patients from a simple brochure. I guess this is war now; time to think on the fly.
An hour or so later, a young Filipino boy approached Eliza with a note that informed her that Reese and Jimmy were going to be transported to Clark Air Field along with several other soldiers. They were headed straight into the war zone! Eliza stared at the words on the note and looked down at the strange contraption in her hands, feeling the cold stab of fear go through her. Is this really happening?
That afternoon, the entire group of 35 doctors and 37 nurses stationed at Sternberg Hospital were called to meet with their commanding officers. They were informed that the attack at Fort Stotsenberg had been a complete disaster for the Americans. In the wake of the attack, there were dead and wounded soldiers and civilians everywhere. The medical staff at Fort Stotsenberg was so overwhelmed they had put in an urgent call to Sternberg to send help.
A commanding officer stated that the medical staff in Stotsenberg was
in desperate need for those with any surgical experience. He and Miss Davis had decided to send 5 Army nurses to Stotsenberg, and they wondered if there were any volunteers. The room went silent. The thought of all those people that lost their lives made Eliza queasy but she
knew there were scores of people needing help, too many for the doctors and nurses to care for without reinforcements. She could be closer to Reese in Stotsenberg than she would staying in Manila.  
Eliza knew what she had to do. She raised her hand to volunteer with much more gusto than she was actually feeling. The next thing she knew she was packing up her helmet and gas mask and shuttled into the group of soldiers waiting for their transportation. She was able to find Reese and Jimmy and together they walked up the steps of the bus that was going to take them to war.
Genevieve Jordayne has proudly worked in the field of nursing for nearly a decade. In addition to writing her novels, she is a practicing Family Nurse Practitioner and nursing history aficionado. Genevieve lives in rural Minnesota with her husband, three little boys, and two rambunctious boxers.

Jordayne is currently working on her second novel.


 

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Cover Reveal ~ Exes ~ by ~ Aria Hawthorne

EXES – A Second Chance Billionaire Romance Novel
by Aria Hawthorne
Genre: Contemporary Romance Standalone
Release Date: January 3, 2016
Publisher: French Kiss Press, LLC
When Chicago real estate tycoon Harvey Zale pings a “friend of a friend” with a flirtatious text, he never expects to start an addictive sexting affair with a complete stranger. He’s a billionaire who can get any woman he wants, but he can’t have her—his mysterious, sultry Contessa, who inspires his nightly confessions and soothes more than just his conscience from the consequences of his own shallow ambitions. For better or worse, he’s determined to build the tallest towers in the world and he needs to sell his Chicago riverfront property to finance it. But when Alma Castillo, the Lara Croft of antique hunters, shows up on his land, claiming the existence of a priceless Tiffany stained glass window and doing everything in her power to muck up his deal, he knows he’s got more than a stray cat to collar and tame. She’s not only on a mission to save priceless antiques, but she’s also on a personal crusade to hate his guts.

He would know. She served him divorce papers a year ago, just to prove it.

And he’d care a helluva lot more if his ex-wife’s sassy tongue and wicked intelligence didn’t turn him every time she called him “a**hole” and if she didn’t look so damn cute in those baggy overalls, disguising her affinity for being naughty as much as being nice. 

Perhaps even as naughty as his Contessa, who unlike his ex, doesn’t know anything about his real identity or reputation, which flames his desires to escalate their fantasy relationship into the reality of one scorching night of mindblowing sex…

If he could only get his mind of his ex…God, woman—if she would just let him pleasure her scornful frown and turn it oh, oh, oooohhhh so upside down, he’d be all good.

But no one ever said it was easy being a greedy opportunistic billionaire bastard, especially one who happens to know there’s nothing better than sex with an ex… 

Second Chance Billionaire Romance Novel – Suitable for mature readers; 18+ years – Full-length, stand-alone novel with HEA.
Bestselling author Aria Hawthorne loves writing about billionaire men who lavish their women with expensive jewelry and ravish them like queens in bed. CLOSER – A Billionaire Romance was awarded a KDP Select “All-Star” award from Amazon US and UK for being one of the Top 100 “Most-Read” Kindle novels following its launch. EXES – A Second Chance Billionaire Romance novel is her newest stand alone release. Once upon a time, she lived in the grand lakefront city of Chicago; now, like a forlorn lover, she simply yearns for the day when she can return to it. You can find more information about her on her Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAriaHawthorne/

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Cover Reveal ~ Dirty Dealers ~ by ~ Tia Louise

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Dirty. Sexy. Deadly.
Dirty Dealers by Tia Louise arrives on January 24th!

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Photographer: Sara Eirew Photographer
Cover Design: Hang Le

★ Pre-Order your copy on iBooks Now: http://smarturl.it/DDiB

★ Get an email alert when Dirty Dealers goes LIVE: http://www.subscribepage.com/DDSignup

★ Get a Text Alert when it’s live! Text “TiaLouise” to 64600 Today! (US only)

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ADD it on Goodreads: https://goo.gl/Z1Y7Rw
SEE the inspiration board on Pinterest: https://goo.gl/ngpBnY
LISTEN to the playlist on Spotify: https://goo.gl/tTgUcv

Hot sex partners hugging in studio, isolated on white background

Blurb:

My job is to protect.
I’m the best, the king’s elite.
She’s the only thing strong enough to make me look away.

Logan Hunt is a guard. He’s constantly aware of his surroundings; he knows every angle; he searches and rescues. He’ll take a bullet.

His new assignment is to protect the queen regent, keep his eyes on her at all times. He’s more than up to the task…

Until a face from his past returns, and the one mission he’s sworn to complete becomes his biggest liability.

DIRTY DEALERS is an all-new stand-alone CONTEMPORARY ROMANTIC SUSPENSE coming Jan 24, 2017. It features secrets, lies, double-crosses, angst, a touch of darkness, and panty-melting sexytimes.

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About the Author:

The “Queen of Hot Romance,” Tia Louise is the Award-Winning, International Bestselling author of the ONE TO HOLD series.

From “Readers’ Choice” nominations, to picking up USA Today “Happily Ever After” nods, to winning “Favorite Erotica Author” (2015) and the “Lady Boner Award” (2014) (LOL!), nothing makes her happier than communicating with fans and weaving new tales into the Alexander-Knight world of stories.

A former journalist, Louise lives in the center of the USA with her lovely family and one grumpy cat. There, she dreams up stories she hopes are engaging, hot, and sexy, and that cause readers rethink common public locations…

Connect with Tia!

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon

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Release Day Blitz & Review ~ No Regrets ~ by ~ Aimee Noalane

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*´¨✫) Aimee Noalane

¸.•´¸.•*´¨)✯ ¸.•*¨) No Regrets

✮ (¸.•´✶ (¸.•` Release Blitz

#KindleUnlimited

#SASSAuthor

If life ever taught me anything, it’s that nothing should be taken for granted.

One moment is all it takes to break a promise.

Friendship becomes love

One second is all it takes to end a life.

Love becomes pain

One distraction is all it took to change our destiny.

Pain becomes hate

One moment. One second. One distraction.

Hate becomes consuming

I’m in love with my best friend and that one second changed everything.

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  9d21b-84c16-amazon69384-amazon2bca  3f064-amazon2buk

 

 

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TBRreview

This book grabbed me from page 1!  I was immediately pulled into Abbygail and Oliver’s story.  They’re best friends who through events (not telling what!) fall out of their friendship.  It’s through a lot of misunderstandings, misinterpretations and just spite that they allow themselves to forget their friendship and fall apart.

This book will just consume you because you are reading along with the story and just knowing you want them to get together but other events make that impossible.  So frequently I wanted to smack both characters and make them wise up.

This does end with a cliffhanger that I wasn’t expecting.  So I will nicely bug for when book 2 comes out so I can assuage my curiosity.

5 stars!

TBRauthorbio

Taking care of children is Aimee Noalane’s vocation. Reading is her passion. Writing is her new adventure. She is a wife, mother, foster parent, friend, and Canadian author.

Chocolate and candy are her devilish addiction, but if you’re really sweet she might agree to share some with you.

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Stalk Aimee

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/AimeeNoalaneAuthor/?fref=ts

Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Aimee-Noalane/e/B01MRNB2AC/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15989785.Aimee_Noalane

Cover Reveal ~ Finding the Magician ~ by ~ Belle Brooks

Title: Finding the Magician
Author: Belle Brooks
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: December 12, 2016
“Sometimes in death, a life is ensured.”


Strong.
Courageous.
Determined.

Abigail has been given a do-over and she’s not about to waste such an opportunity. Does a single red velvet box hold the key to the future she now hopes for? With lost memories restored and a heart that cries Marcus’ name, Abigail has one more piece of her puzzle to claim…finding ‘The Magician.’

Lost.
Empty.
Alone.

Marcus gave up hope of ever holding Abigail in his arms, of ever claiming the one he knows to be his. Disappearing in a puff of smoke and leaving a world of heartbreak behind, he promises himself he’ll never look back, that he will finally let Abigail go. But can Marcus keep this promise to himself or will his heart be more persistent than his mind?


Check out the HUGE 28 Prize Giveaway over on Facebook


Born in Australia, Belle Brooks has always had a passion for books and creative writing. She loves exploring the different ways stories can be told through the use of text and in-depth characters. Since she was a child her strong talent and interest in creative writing was evident, explaining that her favourite class in school was English. Despite her love for all things books, she decided the world of advertising and marketing was where she could put her talents to use in the business realm, well that is until now. Belle enjoys creative writing and creating fictional stories that leave a valued message inside the pages.


 

 

 

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Release Blitz ~ His End Game ~ by ~ RB Hilliard

Title: His End Game
Series: MMG #1
Author: RB Hilliard
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release Date: November 30, 2016
On Sale for Limited Time

Ellie Davis has finally begun to mend the pieces of her shattered heart. With a new job slinging drinks behind the bar at Charlotte’s latest hot spot and a crush on her deliciously sexy bar manager things are finally starting to look up.

New job plus new man equals the perfect anecdote to help Ellie forget all about bad boy Max McLellan…or so she thinks.

This is Ellie’s journey and it isn’t always pretty.

It isn’t always neat.

It isn’t always happy.

But it’s hers.

“This book made me feel like no other.” – Reader Review

“R.B. Hilliard, stand up and take a bow.” – Scandalicious Book Blog

“Where to begin, this book will literally have you in emotional whiplash in the best possible way.” – DDs Book Room

“For a first time i’m blown away and will keep an intensive eye out for future books.” – Reader Review



If I wrote a song for you, this would be it. Max held out his hand. Dance with me?” I wanted to cry. I didn’t want him to go. I wanted forever. He was sunshine and moonlight, sandy beaches and salty air. He was happy laughter and sexy smiles. He was my best friend, my lover, my heart…He was everything good in this world, and believe me, few things were ever good in my world. I didn’t want to lose him, but would never begrudge him this experience.
I took his hand. “We’ve never danced together, have we?”
“This is just the first of many, Ellison Davis,” he murmured, pressing his lips to mine.
“I like the sound of that,” I said against his mouth. We danced for the remainder of the song and just when I thought it was over, it began again.

RB Hilliard lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with her husband and two children. Her love of the written word led her to pursue a degree in English and later a career as an academic language therapist. In 2012 she took a break from teaching and began writing her first novel, His End Game. Hilliard has published five books in her MMG Series, as well as Utterly Forgettable, a romantic comedy and Fractured Beat, the first in her Meltdown Series.


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Cover Reveal ~ The Willow Bay Stables Collection ~ by ~ Anne Jolin

 

 

 

Title: The Willow Bay Stables Collection
Author: Anne Jolin
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Cover Design: Wicked by Design 
Release Date: December 13, 2016
Blurb

One family.

Three children.
These are their stories.
– 
London Daniels is returning home to Willow Bay, Alberta, on the heels of a televised loss. She blew her shot at the Summer Olympics and cost Canada the gold medal in dressage.
London lacks conviction after her ill-fated fall. And as if returning to her hometown to watch her epic failure replay on everyone’s big screen isn’t torture enough, she’s expected to cater to a man with an ego bigger than her hundred-acre farm just to earn a dime.
–
Owen Daniels lives his life eight seconds at a time. The thrill of anticipation that comes with sitting on twelve hundred pounds of untamed power is unparalleled. The adrenaline rush that floods his system when the chute opens is one of life’s most unique and natural highs.
Ride eight seconds bareback on a bucking bronco—that’s his life.
When Owen’s stock horse, Remington’s Lady, is injured midway through the rodeo circuit, he trailers her back home to Willow Bay, Alberta, to remain in the care of the local vet, Ray Brookes.
Only Ray happens to be short for Rayne, and Rayne happens to be a woman.
–
Aurora Daniels is the bleeding heart of her family. With a gift and a passion for helping to heal others, she has a legacy of kindness and gratitude—a modern-day saint.
Every Sunday since she turned eighteen, Aurora has driven three hours into the city of Edmonton, Alberta, where she volunteers at an equine facility that rehabilitates troubled youth by working with horses. With their increasing success rate, the facility is expanding to foster violent parolees in hopes of a more effective release into society.
Assault with a deadly weapon and attempted murder—that’s what it says under the name on his sheet.
Willow Bay’s saint may have stumbled across the one sinner who can’t be saved from himself.
–
For the first time ever, all three Willow Bay Stables books are together in one specially wrapped bundle.#1 Change Rein – London and Branson’s story.

#2 Eight-Second Ride – Owen and Rayne’s story.
#3 Rein In – Aurora and Rhys’s story.
Pre-order Links
AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
Author Bio

I was born and raised in Ladner, a small farm town just outside Vancouver, Canada.

I never expected to be an author. Writing was something that snuck up on me and rooted itself into my life. It was beautiful to discover that love, and I’m truly grateful to say I’ve found my passion.

If I could leave y’all with one thing, it’s that life’s far too short to not live it out loud. Drown in your passions, hold on tight to the things that inspire you, and chase your dreams relentlessly. I can promise you without a doubt that you won’t regret it. I know I don’t.

Mad love,

Anne Jolin
Author Links

Giveaway

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Release Day Blitz & Review ~ Scoring Her ~ by ~ Max Monroe

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Title: Scoring Her

Series: Billionaire Bad Boys

Release Date: November 29, 2016

 

Blurb:

The end of the Billionaire Bad Boy era, the series comes to a close.

From Kline and Benny to Wes and Winnie with Thatch and Cassie in between, spend time with the characters that have stolen the hearts of both each other and readers alike, and meet the men of the upcoming spinoff seriesMavericks Tackle Love.

If you’d like to use this “disclaimer” instead of the blurb in an effort to mix things up, we encourage that as well:

Disclaimer: 9 out of 10 early readers claimed some combination of heart palpitations, sobbing, and incoherent muttering about it “not being the end” when coming to the final pages of Scoring Her. Use caution when reading.

*Some evidence suggests the Acknowledgements may lessen the side effects enough to breathe normally again.

Purchase the series here:

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TBRplaylist

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man and woman holding each other with love

 

TBRgiveaways

https://goo.gl/qPuR2f

 

TBRreview

First off, I have to thank Max and Monroe for allowing me to receive the ARCs, teasers and excerpts of their amazing series to help promote it!

And I must thank one of my favorite gingers, Ginger Snaps aka Julie for recommending and demanding I read Tapping the Billionaire.  We always swap book recommendations and I can’t thank her enough for this one.  This book and series is an experience that everyone should have.

This story is such a fantastic ending for each of these couples.  That makes me sad just typing that.  This story was sad and happy and funny and I’m just so glad to have gotten to read each of these books.  And Lexi is her little fact spouting self.  Thatch is his amazingly funny and sexy self.  I need to read this series again!

One note I will say, READ THE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS!! You will be glad you did!

5 stars!

 

 

Release Day Blitz ~ A Veil of Vines ~ by ~ Tillie Cole

To most people, princes, princesses, counts and dukes are found only in the pages of the most famous of fairytales. Crowns, priceless jewels and gilded thrones belong only in childhood dreams.
But for some, these frivolous fancies are truth.
For some, they are real life.
On Manhattan’s Upper East Side, people have always treated me as someone special. All because of my ancestral name and legacy. All because of a connection I share to our home country’s most important family of all.
I am Caresa Acardi, the Duchessa di Parma. A blue blood of Italy. I was born to marry well. And now the marriage date is set.
I am to marry into House Savona. The family that would have been the royals had Italy not abolished the monarchy in 1946. But to the aristocrats of my home, the abolition means nothing at all.
The Savonas still hold power where it counts most.
In our tight-knit world of money, status and masked balls, they are everything and more.
And I am soon to become one of them.
I am soon to become Prince Zeno Savona’s wife…
… or at least I was, until I met Achille.
And everything changed.
I opened the window beside me and stared at the illuminated entrance. I swallowed hard and placed my empty glass on the bar. Metal groaned, breaking through the twilight, as the massive black wrought-iron gates began to open. The limo slowly pulled onto the property’s lane, and I drank in the thick forest that shielded the estate. I inhaled the freshness of the lush green trees. The unpolluted sky was thick with stars—not a single cloud in sight.
A few minutes later, the thick woods cleared, and I gasped. Acres and acres of gold and green vineyards covered the landscape. The scents of plump grapes and damp soil permeated the warm air. I closed my eyes. It reminded me of being a child. It brought me back to the days before I was taken to New York. I could still feel the heat of the Emilia-Romagna sun on my face, the deep smell of olives, grapes and flowers drifting in the breeze as I ran around our Parma estate.
I smiled a nostalgic smile and allowed my eyes to drift open again. I rested my arms on the window and leaned my chin on them as the limo drove on. There were several small villas peppered over the landscape, their lights twinkling in the distance. They must have been the winemakers’ residences. It was not only the Bella Collina merlot that was made on this land; other reds were too—particularly the Chianti from the region’s finest Sangiovese grapes. The Bella Collina olive oil was also up there with the best. But nothing compared to the famed merlot.
The limo turned right, and my breath caught in my throat. I lifted my head and stared disbelievingly at the property ahead. Bella Collina was a veritable Palace of Versailles tucked away in the Umbrian wilderness.
“Mio Dio,” I whispered as I took in the imposing stone structure, the sweeping steps and the vast number of windows set in the building’s walls. Large pillars of red-veined marble flanked the entrance. Cypress trees framed the estate as if it were the shining star of a fine Renaissance painting. Sculptures of famed Savona monarchs of old stood proudly on the manicured lawns, and strategically placed lighting illuminated the sheer perfection of every piece of topiary.
As a child, I had been to the Palazzo Savona in Florence. It was widely regarded to be one of the finest estates in all of Italy, if not western Europe. But this . . . this . . . there were no words. It was perfectly placed, as if it had always been there. As if it had grown naturally from the Umbrian earth just as sure as the vines and woods that kept this architectural treasure hidden from view.
Tillie Cole hails from a small town in the North-East of England. She grew up on a farm with her English mother, Scottish father and older sister and a multitude of rescue animals. As soon as she could, Tillie left her rural roots for the bright lights of the big city.

After graduating from Newcastle University with a BA Hons in Religious Studies, Tillie followed her Professional Rugby player husband around the world for a decade, becoming a teacher in between and thoroughly enjoyed teaching High School students Social Studies before putting pen to paper, and finishing her first novel.

Tillie has now settled in Austin, Texas, where she is finally able to sit down and write, throwing herself into fantasy worlds and the fabulous minds of her characters.

Tillie is both an independent and traditionally published author, and writes many genres including: Contemporary Romance, Dark Romance, Young Adult and New Adult novels.

When she is not writing, Tillie enjoys nothing more than curling up on her couch watching movies, drinking far too much coffee, while convincing herself that she really doesn’t need that extra square of chocolate.