Friday 16 March 2018

Cover Reveal: THE END ZONE by L. J. Shen




You might recognize this title from the Team Player anthology that I shared on my blog a while back...but I have exciting news! L.J. Shen's story from that anthology, The End Zone, has been revised and extended...and the sexy sports romance is going to be available April 1st! In the meantime, today I have the gorgeous cover to share with you all! 

Scroll down and take a peek!




THE END ZONE
Author: L. J. Shen
Release Date: April 1st
Designer: Letitia Hasser at RBA Designs
Photographer: Rafael Catala
Model: Jorge Del Rio (Instagram)

SYNOPSIS

Jolie Louis is a smart girl.

She knows that her best friend, Sage Poirier, is a bad idea.

He’s a walking, talking cliché. The Adonis quarterback with the bulging biceps and harem of fangirls trailing behind him on campus like a stench you can’t get rid of.

Sadly, it is also the very reason she can’t seem to stay away from him.

No, wait. That’s not fair. They’re also roommates, at least until May, when they graduate from college.

Jolie is already straddling the line between friendship and more when Sage comes to her with an offer she cannot refuse: be his fake girlfriend and live for free for the rest of the semester.

She tells herself that she can handle it.

He’s just the boy she saved ten years ago, right?

Wrong. So very wrong.

He is a man now, and she is his captive

Heart, body, and soul…
Click to open the cover in a new tab or window!

LJShen.jpgABOUT L. J. SHEN
L.J. Shen is an International #1 best-selling author of Contemporary Romance and New Adult novels. She lives in Northern California with her husband, young son and chubby cat.

Before she’d settled down, L.J. (who thinks referring to herself in the third person is really silly, by the way) traveled the world, and collected friends from all across the globe. Friends who’d be happy to report that she is a rubbish companion, always forgets peoples’ birthdays and never sends Christmas cards.

She enjoys the simple things in life, like spending time with her family and friends, reading, HBO, Netflix and internet-stalking Stephen James. She reads between three to five books a week and firmly believes Crocs shoes and mullets should be outlawed.

 Connect with LJ Shen:


I always love L. J. Shen's covers, but I think this one is my absolute favourite yet!!! It might be because I'm a sucker for sexy, sporty covers...but wowza is this one ever nice! ;)

I'm definitely digging the shoulder pads, the football, those abs and all the muscles...and those smoldering eyes. I thought Sage was sexy when I read The End Zone back in the Team Player anthology and I didn't think he could get any hotter...but somehow he managed it! ;)

What do you think?

Thursday 8 March 2018

THE WICKED DEEP Blog Tour: Review + Guest Post from Shea Ernshaw


THE WICKED DEEP by Shea Ernshaw
Source: Received an ARC to participate in the blog tour and give an honest review.
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: March 6th, 2018
Number of Pages: 320 (Hardcover)

Welcome to the cursed town of Sparrow…

Where, two centuries ago, three sisters were sentenced to death for witchery. Stones were tied to their ankles and they were drowned in the deep waters surrounding the town.

Now, for a brief time each summer, the sisters return, stealing the bodies of three weak-hearted girls so that they may seek their revenge, luring boys into the harbor and pulling them under.

Like many locals, seventeen-year-old Penny Talbot has accepted the fate of the town. But this year, on the eve of the sisters’ return, a boy named Bo Carter arrives; unaware of the danger he has just stumbled into.

Mistrust and lies spread quickly through the salty, rain-soaked streets. The townspeople turn against one another. Penny and Bo suspect each other of hiding secrets. And death comes swiftly to those who cannot resist the call of the sisters.

But only Penny sees what others cannot. And she will be forced to choose: save Bo, or save herself.


REVIEW

For as long as I can remember, I've been a ginormous super fan of witchy movies. I remember going to my grandma and papa's house and watching HOCUS POCUS every chance I got, and I remember watching PRACTICAL MAGIC and listening to the soundtrack with my mom. When I first heard about THE WICKED DEEP and saw the stunning cover, I immediately added it to my to-read list...and I jumped to get a chance to read it as soon as I could! Once I started reading, I didn't want to and couldn't put it down! :)

THE WICKED DEEP was packed full of witchy goodness, and it had that wonderful foreboding tone that all the greatest stories based on curses have. It really did remind me of HOCUS POCUS and PRACTICAL MAGIC with the premise and the way that the story unfolded. The Swan sisters also gave me serious Winifred/Mary/Sarah and Sally/Gillian vibes! I'm not sure what I was expecting going in, but I didn't really expect to see any parts of the story in the past, but I really loved that you did! The story filtered between the present and the past surrounding the Swan sisters. I really loved how the flashes into the past set up the tone of the underlying story, and how it helped the plot unfold...I thought it was wonderfully done and I loved every single moment of it!

Along with the love witchy atmosphere, I loved all of the characters! Penny and Bo were amazing! I loved Penny's best friend, Rose, and I also loved how all of the other secondary characters were introduced from Penny's mother to Rose's mother, to Penny's various classmates. I found the way that they were introduced to be really organic and it had a wonderful flow within the story. The same goes for both Penny and Bo's pasts. As the book description says, both Penny and Bo have secrets that they're keeping from one another...and I adored how these secrets were all revealed! It pulled me in and gave me ALL THE FEELS!

As for the story itself, I was hooked! I loved the idea of the curse, and I loved how more and more of the curse and the history of Sparrow were revealed as the story went on. I loved how we saw the way that the curse affected the town and how each part of the curse progressed during the Swan season. And I enjoyed seeing how Penny and Bo's relationship was affected by everything going on around them. THE WICKED DEEP completely sucked me in and it pulled me right under those deep, deep waters. I loved every single moment! I did find the ending to be a little bittersweet! It left me unsettled right after I'd finished reading, but I do think that it fits the story perfectly. I've also found that the longer I get away from it...the more I actually appreciate how this book ended, and I think if I reread it, I'll love it even more! Coincidentally, this is also how I feel every single time I rewatch HOCUS POCUS, so maybe it's the same kind of magic. ;)

Overall, I thought THE WICKED DEEP was fantastic! I loved the atmosphere and tone of THE WICKED DEEP were amazing, found the story to be extremely intriguing, and I thought that both the characters and the writing style were phenomenal! If you're a fan of witches, curses, and stories that take you on twists and turns, then I think you'll love this one just as much as I did! :D


GUEST POST

If your book is turned into a TV show or Movie, who would be your ideal cast?

When writing THE WICKED DEEP I often visualized the setting and characters as if they were real, as if the town of Sparrow was truly nestled on a rocky coastline and my characters lived among the fog and salty sea air. But until now, I hadn’t actually imagined who might play my characters—what fun!

For Penny Talbot, my MC, I can imagine someone like Saoirse Ronan. She was in Atonement, The Lovely Bones, and recently in Brooklyn. She’s a bit older than my MC but she has such a strong, enigmatic look. I can see a lot of Penny Talbot in her.

Saoirse Ronan as Penny Talbot

Bo Carter is a tough one, there are a few actors who I think could play him wonderfully. Logan Lerman who was in Perks Of Being A Wallflower, has that captivating boy-next-door vibe, but Cole Sprouse who currently plays Jughead on Riverdale is that perfect bad boy who is totally after my own heart.

Logan Lerman (left) or Cole Sprouse (right) as Bo Carter

For Rose Alba, who is Penny’s BFF, I love Rowan Blanchard and for her boyfriend Finny, someone like Skylar Gisondo. They would be such a cute on-screen couple—my heart can’t handle it!

Rowan Blanchard as Rose Alba (left) and Skylar Gisondo as Finny (right)

Lastly, for Olivia Green, Isabelle Fuhrman would perfectly capture that fierce look and attitude. And for Gigi Kline, someone like Sasha Pieterse who plays Alison on Pretty Little Liars, would perfectly embody that detached coolness that Gigi exudes.

Isabelle Fuhrman as Olivia Green (left) and Sasha Pieterse as Gigi Kline (right)

This was so fun, imagining the characters coming to life! :D But would also love to hear readers suggestions and thoughts on who should play the characters in THE WICKED DEEP!?


ABOUT SHEA ERNSHAW

Shea Ernshaw is an Oregon native and YA author. She often writes late, late, late into the night, enjoys dark woods, scary stories and moonlight on lakes. She drinks loads of tea and believes sunrises are where unicorns hide.

She lives with her two cats, a dog, a husband, and a stack of books beside her bed she still needs to read.


Connect with Shea:


Are you a fan of witchy stories?
Do you want to read THE WICKED DEEP?

And what do you think of Shea Ernshaw's casting for her book?
If you've read it, do you think they fit?
And if you haven't, do her picks intrigue you?

Friday 2 March 2018

Review: BREAK THE ICE (Bedroom Games #3) by Piper Rayne


Break the Ice (Bedroom Games #3) 
Release Date: February 26th, 2018
Source: Received an egalley in exchange for an honest review.


The Winter Games are over, but the bedroom games are just beginning…

This is about the time I normally hang up my snowboard and chill for a while. Except this year. This year, I’m dealing with what fate dealt me at the Winter Games—nope, not gold. A broken arm.

Since I’m not close to my family, I head to my best friend, Skylar’s pad to recoup. Turns out having your gorgeous, single, sexy friend wait on you hand and foot can blur the lines between friendship and romance.

Which is exactly why I’ve decided to help her find a boyfriend.

Yeah, you heard me right. I’m going to help her comb through every dating app available until she finds the perfect man. What else could remind me of my place in her life more than watching her fall for someone else?

I can deal. I’m used to pushing through pain. I’m an Olympian after all.

**This book can be read as a standalone.**

R E A D   T O D A Y!

Amazon | Amazon Universal | iBooks | Kobo

Start the Series of Standalones Today!

Amazon | Amazon Universal | iBooksKobo

16992311_724982190996668_775886102802111686_oABOUT PIPER RAYNE
Piper Rayne, or Piper and Rayne, whichever you prefer because we’re not one author, we’re two. Yep, you get two USA Today Bestselling authors for the price of one. You might be wondering if you know us? Maybe you’ll read our books and figure it out. Maybe you won’t. Does it really matter?

We aren’t trying to stamp ourselves with a top-secret label. We wanted to write without apology. We wanted to not be pigeon-holed into a specific type of story. Everyone has their favorite authors, right? And when you pick up their books, you expect something from them. Whether it’s an alpha male, heavy angst, a happily ever after, there’s something you are absolutely certain the book will contain. Heck, we’re readers, too, we get it!

All that, AND we thought it'd be a helluva lot more fun if we did this writing thing together!

What can we tell you about ourselves? We both have kindles full of one-clickable books. We're both married to husbands who drive us to drink. We're both chauffeurs to our kids. Most of all, we love hot heroes, quirky heroines that make us laugh, and lots of sexy times. Here's hoping you do, too!

Connect with Piper Rayne:

REVIEW

 Ever since I heard that Piper and Rayne were going to be writing a series of three standalone Olympic sports romances I was completely on board and super excited to read them! I dove in and read the first book COLD AS ICE, and I loved it! Next I read ON THIN ICE and I loved it, too...and now I've finished the third and final book in the Bedroom Games series, BREAK THE ICE, and I absolutely loved it, too! 

I'm a sucker for sports romances, so I've definitely been enjoying that aspect of these stories, and I've loved how they've been fictionally taking place around the Winter Olympics. This final book, BREAK THE ICE, actually takes place once the games have concluded though and I definitely didn't mind that at all! 

While the sport aspects of these books have been a lot of fun, what I've loved most have been the relationships between the six main characters: Grady and Mia, Dax and Demi, and Beckett and Skylar. I've loved seeing them as couples, and I've really loved their group dynamics, too! Each of the books have had the romance develop in very different ways. BREAK THE ICE was a friends-to-lovers story that started playing out in the previous two books and finally hit its breaking point here...and oh boy did Beckett and Skylar ever break that ice. :P 

I loved seeing Beckett and Skylar's friendship, and I really loved seeing how they already fit into each other's lives. What I loved most was seeing how close they already were...and I loved seeing the characters realize the depths of their feelings! I'd been waiting for Skylar and Beckett's story since they first crossed the page in COLD AS ICE. I already loved their relationship and couldn't wait to see it move from friendship to more...and it was so worth the wait! :D

Overall, I loved BREAK THE ICE, and I loved the entire Bedroom Games series. They were cute, steamy reads that I didn't want to put down. I'd recommend BREAK THE ICE and the Bedroom Games series to anyone who loves rom-coms with a funny, sweet and sexy flair to them!



What do you think?
Do you want to read BREAK THE ICE and the Bedroom Games series now?