Thursday 26 January 2017

Defy by L.J Shen


Title: Defy
Series: Sinners of Saints #0.5

Author: L.J Shen

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: February 3, 2017 



My name is Melody Greene, and I have a confession to make.

I slept with my student, a senior in high school.

Multiple times.

I had multiple orgasms.
In multiple positions.
I slept with my student and I enjoyed it.
I slept with my student and I’d do it all over again if I could turn back time.
My name is Melody Greene, and I got kicked out of my position as a teacher and did my walk of shame a la Cersei Lannister from the principal’s office, minutes after said principal threatened to call the cops on me.
My name is Melody Greene, and I did something bad because it made me feel good.
Here is why it was totally worth it. 


Defy is a smutty, insta-love, insta-lust short novella. Defy is a prequel to Vicious (Sinners of Saint #1). It is recommended, but unnecessary, to read Defy before reading Vicious.




















L.J. Shen resides in sunny California with her husband, son, chubby cat and wild, wild dreams.
Her passion is to write badass stories, sushi, UFC and her awesome family and friends (not in this order, though. Obviously, sushi comes before writing. Oh, and also the family part.)


She spend the first half of her twenties traveling the world and is now paying all the fun with extra shifts in front of her MacBook. Feel free to contact her on her Facebook page. She loves to hear from her readers.


Monday 23 January 2017

Deathless & Divided by Bethany-Kris *Audio book*





My Thoughts in the end:


I am blown away with the amount of talent that Bethany-Kris & Roberto Scarlato posses , it takes some kind of magic to convert an imaginary world you make up when you read a book into something oh so addictive and that's exactly how I felt while listening to deathless and divided,  addicted from the get go. I couldn't have imagined a more stellar voice over for Damian then Mr. Scarlato with his swoon worthy Chicago accent and the Italian twang it was just everything and more I could have asked for. 








 


Deathless & Divided

by Bethany-Kris Chicago War #1 

Narrator: Roberto Scarlato 

Publication Date: December 2016 (Audio Edition) 

Genres: Audiobook, Mafia Romance, Organized Crime



BUY:

  Synopsis:

Lies and love. This is how a war starts.A life for a life. That's the mafia way. 

Damian Rossi owes his life to a man who is ready to collect. That payment comes in the form of an arranged marriage to the daughter of another leading family in the Chicago Outfit. He's ready to follow through, even if that means making sure Lily knows she's his.

Lily DeLuca isn't being given a choice. Forced home to marry a man she doesn't know and back into a life she'd rather forget, her world is full of half-truths, buried pain, and uncertainty. But Damian is nothing like she expects. His motives aren't clear. Her beliefs are being tested.

When it comes to this world, no man can be trusted. Someone is ready to flip the Chicago Outfit on its side all for the promise of something better. But no one runs a clean game and these men play for keeps. 

When blood begins to paint Chicago red, four families will be divided by loyalty, hatred, and revenge. There is no hiding. There is no safety.   No one is deathless.   No one.

 

AUDIO EXCERPT






ABOUT BETHANY-KRIS



Bethany-Kris is a Canadian author, lover of much, and mother to three young sons, one cat, and two dogs. A small town in Eastern Canada where she was born and raised is where she has always called home. With her boys under her feet, snuggling cat, barking dogs, and a hubby calling over his shoulder, she is nearly always writing something … when she can find the time.   To keep up-to-date with new releases from Bethany-Kris, sign up to her New Release Newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/bf9lzD








 




ABOUT ROBERTO SCARLATO (NARRATOR)



Scarlato grew up in a small suburb of Chicago. He has a deep, rich voice that is easily manipulated for multiple characters. He is married to his high school sweetheart. They have a three year old daughter.





 

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY

 

Monday 16 January 2017

Vicious by L.J Shen



*4 Saviour Without Soul Nutella jars* 

Ahh Viscious you wee shite the thing about characters like Baron Spencer Jr. aka Vicious is that the bad boy title only adds to their appeal without being clichΓ©d and all I can say about vicious is that he's . 



Emilia LeBlanc was living with the devil legitimately & figuratively. She'd grown up other little but whatever she had she was grateful for it even though vicious aka the devil was constantly trying to make her life a living hell but with all that back and forth hate Emilia stood her ground with her southern manners but something happened that shouldn't have had. Todos Santos was a town filled with rich and power hungry but she got a taste of the wickedness a little to soon. Now fast forward at age 27 Emilia comes face to face with the man who made her nervous and blush at the same time expect she's not who she used be now she's gonna turn the tables on him. 



" Being at that man’s mercy was like getting comfortable inside a golden cage with a hungry tiger ."







Spencer 'Vicious' Baron Jr the name itself screams of top notch pedigree and aristocratic lifestyle, unapologetic to the core Vic definitely lived up to his status 100 percent all alpha made with 50 percent doucebaggish personality and 50 percent cocky charm he knew he was absolutely irresistible and never apologised for it otherwise. With his 3 best mates aka the hot holes Vic was the king of his social circle until Emilia or the help started running through his mind , she was innocence wrapped in sin but she was also an inconvenience so he did what he does best made her life a living hell. Now at 28 as a successful lawyer Vic runs into the southern belle again but this isn't high school anymore and she's no innocent girl with her purple haired sass and undeniable attraction their little game just got a whole lot more fun. 




"This was my kingdom. People loved my type of evil."







He's got secrets that made him like this or was he just born like rant either way Vic managed to play her into his game or was he the pawn all along. 



“There was a game to be played, and I played it well.”






Pink & Black , always belonged to him, last goodbyes and burning kisses she shouldn't and he just couldn't but what's meant to be will happen.




" I thrust again, picking up the pace. She writhed under me, arching her back, asking for more. I felt her quivering beneath me, and my arms flexed as I pushed into her. Again. And again. And again. I closed my eyes, sighing, feeling her. Not just her body. Her."





Baron Spencer Jr you absolute bonified version of an arse. The thing about anti hero's is they can swing both ways either be a complete prick to the post you loathe it or be too somber and isn't much of a anti hero then but with this book the balance was perfect and the hot holes that's right hot holes are just addictive we're talking about 3 other stud muffins that I can't wait to read about.

There were certain lines in the book that were utter perfection you really can't miss out on this book, though for those who wonder if if it switches between past and present the answer is yes it does but not through the whole book like a few pages throughout give or take. Overall Leigh has proved once again that she's got a way with words that will hook you forever with not just her characters but story telling too.





Note:
Currently suffering with shoddy Internet so ill update the review with links and everything tomorrow. πŸ™ˆ

Friday 13 January 2017

Waste of worth by Bethany-Kris *Expert*



Memories could make a monster out of a man.

There were times that seemed harder to deal with than others; a passing moment that could make Dino DeLuca's chest tighten in pain, or his fists clench in anger.

The sound of metal being dropped was one of the worst. He swore he could feel his back bruising and bleeding all over again at the simple tinging tone.

Whispered words made him jumpy-paranoid. Whispers were good for nothing but taunting, and he didn't want to hear those mocking words anymore.

Had enough yet?

Learn to follow directions, Dino.

It should fucking hurt, kid.

The stench of vomit, clinging to the air and seemingly never letting go, would make his panic rush into overdrive, overwhelming him with an almost sense of itchiness all over his skin. As if the vomit was still soaked and dripping off his clothes in the darkness as he sobbed in a dank basement, curled in a corner and fighting off another round of sickness.

The reactions always came so swiftly they surprised him no matter the time or place. His memories weren't much different when it came right down to it.

These times were the most difficult for Dino.

Those times came at night.

When the lights were off …

When the apartment was quiet …

When it was just him and his monsters …

When he was alone.

The most frightening thing about monsters was the fact that they could be anybody. The old man sitting outside the pizzeria, tipping his hat at the ladies passing by. The young woman on the city bus with her hair bleached white and her gaze distant, staring at anything but anyone. The mother pushing a stroller down the street, oblivious but focused.

Or a monster could be the man dressed in three-piece suit stepping out of the restaurant he owns, the ring of his key fob for his white Bentley spinning circles as he whistled Ave Maria on his way to church.

Dino caught sight of the lower portion of his reflection in the darkly tinted glass of his Bentley's window.

He managed a smile.

It was more like a smirk.

Fact was, the expression he wore was neither. Dino found it incredibly hard to smile-something that came so easy for others was foreign to him. When he did try, it came off as a grimacing grin and that worked its way into a sneer.

Or a smirk.

He liked that better.

It was manageable.

The monster was definitely the man wearing the three-piece suit with the key fob in his hand, staring at himself in the window, Dino knew.

Slipping into the SUV, the noise of the busy Chicago city street was silenced instantly as Dino turned on his vehicle and checked his rearview mirror before he could pull out onto the road.

He regretted choosing the rearview almost immediately.

While his reflection in the window of his car had been partly obscured by the shadows of trees providing shade to the sidewalk, it was not concealed at all in the rearview mirror.

Dino didn't like mirrors.

He didn't like the face staring back at him.

The soulless brown gaze, emotionless expression, and silence was more than enough to make him look away.

Except he couldn't.

Under the right edge of his strong jaw was a three inch scar that started three-quarters of the way up his throat and stopped just before his ear. The broad slope of his nose had the slightest crook in the middle. Sometimes the left side of his jaw ached when it rained.

Those were the obvious things-marks, scars, and reminders he could pick out instantly when faced with his reflection. The longer he stared at himself, the more he would find.

It was-without meaning to be-the most dangerous game he could play with himself.

Church, he told himself. You need to be seen at church.

It was only the ringing of his phone that finally drove his gaze away from the rearview mirror, making him check the caller ID, and breaking his cycle of self-loathing.

Dino was grateful for that.

Not so much the caller that interrupted him.

Sighing, he connected the call through Bluetooth as he pulled out onto the road.

"DeLuca here," Dino answered.

"Why the fuck is Riley Conti calling me with demands about you, Dino?"

Dino counted back from five silently before he answered his younger brother. "Theo, good morning to you, too. Are you at church? I'm headed that way. We can talk then."

"Dino-"

"Church, man."

Dino let the call drop.

Theo wouldn't say two words to Dino at the church and he knew it for a fact. When it came to the public, Theo and Dino were constantly apart from one another-on opposite sides of the room where they didn't have to speak.

It was the easiest way for Dino to handle Theo DeLuca.

Maybe that made him a coward.

The brothers' history together was not an easy one, not when it had been shadowed by the death of their parents, and then the events that followed the murders. Unlike Dino, who learned quickly that trust was a beautiful myth in their lifestyle and in the Chicago Outfit, Theo was of a more stubborn mindset.

And so, the two were distant.

Dino tried with Theo, but it never really seemed to help the relationship.

He was all too aware that his younger brother blamed him for things that had been out of his control, though Theo thought his older sibling could have handled the past far better.

He probably could have-should have.

Dino thought he had, honestly. He'd taken years of abuse from the hands of their uncle Ben after their parents' deaths. He'd lived separately from the family, sure, but he was not exempt from the beatings and the manipulation.

Of course, that was a story for another day.

If Dino got his wish, that day would never come.

Another call rang through to Dino's cell phone.

He checked the caller ID again.

Ben DeLuca, it read.

Dino didn't pick up the call, still driving toward the church.

He would see Ben soon enough.

Without even being told, Dino was already aware he would suffer for not picking up the call.

Years had passed since he'd suffered some form of physical harm from his uncle's hard hand.

Years.

Dino's chest tightened at the thought.

Truth was, he still wasn't exempt from the manipulation.

Not when he was constantly haunted with it all.

He still wasn't free.



Waste of Worth by Bethany-Kris

* 4 Eyes On Me Nutella jars* 





Blood
blʌd/Submit
noun
noun: blood
1.
the red liquid that circulates in the arteries and veins of humans and other vertebrate animals .


Blood
blʌd/Submit
noun
noun: blood
4.family background; descent or lineage.



Oh and what a family it is. From fake respect to vile intentions the Chicago outfit was poison to its own blood but when is it ever enough , when does the final straw ever get pulled, maybe rage never truly brings continuous chaos maybe it's slowly simmers behind the hurt and helplessness whatever the cause The Family never let's anything go. 







Dino DeLuca grew up in the midst of corrupt men by the time Dino could grasp what the mob stood for he was dragged into something much darker but he couldn't ever break , he had to put on facade for his siblings because family is everything expect certain family members. With his past tainting his soul Dino now at the age of 29 still couldn't get over the horrific memories of his child hood, even as an adult he knew what snakes looked like and when to keep his emotions locked up. Until a certain brunette made him look at his demons in the eyes and smile. 



" Beatings. Bleeding. Dark basements. Damp floors. Vomit. Pain. ."








Karen Martin saw beauty even in the darkest of places and that's what she saw in the face of the stranger who's eyes screamed at its torment , whose soul begged for freedom, whose shoulders ached from carrying the weight , whose ironed walls ached to be broken but whose heart just wanted feel, feel anything but the darkness that was surrounding him. She was curious and even though he keeps to himself Karen slowly starts making Dino DeLuca feel. With his reserved attitude but kind heart Karen knows DeLuca isn't some average businessman but was it too good to be true.




" I don’t mind rejection, asshole, but you don’t need to make it more painful than it already is. ."








Waste that's all he was to him . Worthless were the outfits promises. They turned a blind eye to the corruption that was amongst them and it was time , time to pay back for every single punishment. 



" The Outfit was not about honor and family. It was death, blood, and power .”






He was smiling again and that's all Karen cared about. Intoxicating kisses & passionate nights Dino didn't promise her forever but he swore to give her all that was left of him 




" Her sweet sounds in the darkness. Soft skin. The slap of skin and her breath in his ear. It made a beautiful melody, and he wasn’t exactly one for music. Except for Karen’s. She made the best kind with him. 


“God,” she mumbled. Another shudder crawled over her skin, and Dino caught her next moan with a kiss, swallowing it whole and keeping that same frantic, frenzied pace. He just wanted her to come. He wanted her to come, and then he could find his own bliss, too."







My Thoughts In The End:

Worth of waste gives a inside view of the war that was taking place inside the Chicago outfit now for those who are wondering what the Chicago war is well then the author had previously released the Chicago wars Click Here. This book is pre the war or quite literally how it actually started it's flawlessly written with the right amount of drama and anticipation, what I absolutely loved is how perfect Dino was I couldn't ask for a more better embodiment of him and to top it off his heroine was upto par if not more amazing then him.

Do you need to read the Chicago series before this .. absolutely not. Bethany Kris promises HEA's and if it says can be read as a separate series then trust me it can. We had a birds eye view of the turmoil that was being brought up in the mob but in this book we get to be front seat and center of what it means to be born in the mafia.

Can't wait for the final book and finally get the HEA that Dino deserves.








 


Waste of Worth: The DeLuca Duet, Part One by Bethany-Kris DeLuca Duet #1

Publication Date: January 9, 2017 

Genres: Adult, Mafia, Romance, Organized Crime



 

BUY:




Synopsis: 


DeLuca Duet, Part One
Ask anyone and they will all say the same thing about just who Dino DeLuca is. A criminal, the son of a traitor, and a mafia Capo who can't be trusted. His past has shaped his life, creating demons he can't escape from that live in his mind day and night.   He is all too aware of just how people see him.

Closed off. Cold. Different.   He doesn't care-keeping people out means no one can get close enough to hurt him again, and he already has one too many monsters with their claws stuck in his back that he's still fighting off. His walls are so high, no one is climbing over them. Or so he thinks …   Karen came into his life like a spring shower, her light shining through the darkness and making him see something other than the hell that surrounded him for so long. She doesn't know who he is or what he has done to become the man he is today. If he can help it, she'll never know, and his monsters will never hurt her.   She sees his differences as beauty. She never asks for more. She is perfect.


The problem with happiness for Dino DeLuca is that his monsters don't mind taking away what makes him happy. After all, what isn't given cannot be kept.   These lessons will be the hardest he has ever learned.


AUTHOR'S NOTE: The DeLuca Duet is a two book tale following the same couple through their journey. It is a standalone Duet that can be read independently with a HEA ending.








#PREORDER YOUR COPY OF WORTH OF WASTE, DELUCA DUET: PART TWO, AVAILABLE FEBRUARY 6th!

 

Worth of Waste: The DeLuca Duet, Part Two

BUY:




Synopsis:


DeLuca Duet, Part Two
The Chicago Mob is the same as it has always been-violent, greedy, and excessive. The Outfit families have turned their backs when they were needed the most one too many times, but Dino DeLuca didn't expect anything different.   His whole life has been lived for the Outfit-for his family.   He has a whole new set of reasons to live and fight now.   Karen Martin makes Dino change all the rules.


He's finally ready to show everyone just how much waste is truly worth in the mafia, and just how far one will go for freedom from it all.   He's learned these lessons well.   Too well.

Author's Note: The DeLuca Duet is a standalone duet with a HEA ending that can be read independently.

 

ABOUT BETHANY-KRIS


Bethany-Kris is a Canadian author, lover of much, and mother to three young sons, one cat, and two dogs. A small town in Eastern Canada where she was born and raised is where she has always called home. With her boys under her feet, snuggling cat, barking dogs, and a hubby calling over his shoulder, she is nearly always writing something … when she can find the time.
To keep up-to-date with new releases from Bethany-Kris, sign up to her New Release Newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/bf9lzD








 



ENTER THE GIVEAWAY