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Monday, October 26, 2015

NEW RELEASE | Drawn to Fight: Hugo and Meg by Lilliana Anderson | Giveaway




DRAWN TO FIGHT: HUGO & MEG (Drawn to Fight #2)
by Lilliana Anderson
Published: October 26th, 2015
Genres: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Sports
Purchase: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iTunes
Sometimes, it's inappropriate to fall in love with a certain someone. I should know. When I met Hugo Sparks, I didn't know he was my art teacher. But, by the time we found out, it was too late - we'd already fallen. But, we did the right thing, we tried to fight it. Eventually though, we gave in. That was when my brother Zac caught us. He said it would tear our family apart - we were already hanging on by a thread. I said I was in love. He didn't believe me and did everything he could to keep us apart.

Including breaking my heart.

In return, I broke his.

My name is Meg Reid - Zac Rivers' half sister. This is a tale of hurting the ones you love, and thinking it's for the best.






“Heads up!” I snapped my head up and saw the football just in time to lift my hands and catch it. “Thanks, sir!” A kid in year nine said as he ran toward me and took the burgundy ball from my hands. He stopped for a moment and squinted up at me, his freckled nose wrinkling as he seemed to consider something.

“Something you need?” I asked.

“You see those girls over there?” He pointed behind me toward the English building where a group of year eleven seniors were sitting and talking while looking at their mobile phones. My stomach flipped. Meg was with them, sitting close to a boy I’d come to know as Blake Ryan. He spent an enormous amount of his free time glued to Meg’s side. I needed to suppress the growl before it reached my throat each time I looked at him.

“What about them?” I asked the boy, my restraint quiet, my nerves on edge.

“They have an Instagram account called ‘The Spark’. It’s full of pictures of you.”

My eyebrows lifted and I took a calming breath. “Is that right?”

“Yes, sir. Don’t tell them I told you though. My sister will shave my eyebrows if she finds out I blabbed.”

I try not to smile at the threat his sister gave him as I pat him on the shoulder. “You did the right thing,” I said, watching him leave while I considered my options.

I could ignore it, or I could report it to the principal and let him deal with it. Or, I could confront them myself and find out exactly what they’re playing at.

Did Meg know about it? Was she involved?

Aggravation boiled below the surface of my skin and I struggled to keep my temper in control. I couldn’t lose it at school, and in hindsight, I should have walked straight past them and reported it to the principal. I shouldn’t have done what I did. But I couldn’t stop myself. It had been six months since I’d spoken to her and I was losing control. I just wanted to be near her.

“Hi Mr Sparks,” a girl called Melinda said as I approached. She assumed a stance that she obviously felt was sexy as she smiled up at me and fluttered her eyelashes. I glanced at Meg, my heart beating a mile a minute being this close to her. She looked the other way. I had to force my eyes back to the matter at hand.

“I want your phone,” I said to Melinda, holding my hand out.

“Excuse me?” The girls who stood around her shifted uneasily and exchanged glances. I couldn’t help but notice the difference between the way they behaved compared to Meg. She was so different to them in the every way…

“Give me your phone,” I repeated and slowly she placed the iPhone in my hand. It had a pink sparkly case and when I hit the home button it asked for a passcode. “What is it?”

The heat was rising in her face and I could tell that she knew exactly why I was here and she hesitated for a moment.

“The code.”

“Eight one two six,” she said, her voice small as she wrung her hands together in front of her.

I keyed in the code and opened the Instagram app on screen. Sure enough, there I was. They’d taken a shot of me catching the ball and posted it with the caption ‘Oh my god! Look at those arms!’

Glaring at her, I could see her cowering as I scrolled through the many photos of me. Some weren’t even at school. Some were taken while I was out running. There were even a couple taken out at Londonderry while I was fighting with my shirt off. Shit.

“Who else was involved?” I asked, my jaw set tight as I continued to scroll.

“I…I don’t know everyone’s names. People just send photos…” Melinda stammered.

Meg had turned to pay attention to what was going on and I turned to her, my words escaping my mouth before I had the chance to think about the fact that singling her out could cause a problem. “Did you know about this?” She shook her head. And I narrowed my eyes at her. “I don’t believe you. You sit with these girls every day and you had no idea what was going on – didn’t even think to tell me that my privacy was being invaded?”

Meg opened her mouth to speak but it was that boy Blake who’s voice I heard. “She said she didn’t know, sir. I’ll kindly ask you to back off now.” He stood up and took Meg by the hand. “Come on, Meg, you don’t need this shit.” Then he led her away from the group. I stood there glaring after her, and she flashed an angry look in my direction.

“Um…sir?” Melinda’s voice broke through the desperate emotion in my mind. “Mr Sparks?”

I turned back to her and she was frowning, looking between me and Meg quizzically.

Shit. I’d just singled her out for no reason. I’m a fucking idiot.

Letting out my breath, I handed the phone back to Melinda. “Delete the account. If I find anything about it again, I’ll have you and everyone involved suspended. Is that understood?”

“Ye…yes, sir.” Melinda took her phone and I abruptly turned and walked away, hearing the quiet murmurs of the girls behind me as I headed back to oval where I was the teacher on yard duty.

When I stopped, I turned around and spotted Meg with that Blake kid. He had his arm around her and she was shaking her head with her arms out as if she was denying something. I was too far away to hear anything they said or even see their lips move. And I tried to watch without being obvious, but then he hugged her. And I stopping pretending and openly stared.

Then he kissed her on the top of her head, and I wanted to punch his face in. I didn’t want him touching her.

I didn’t want anyone touching her…


DRAWN TO FIGHT: ZAC & EVIE (Drawn to Fight #1)
by Lilliana Anderson
Published: February 8th, 2015
Genres: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Sports
Purchase: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iTunes
Zac Rivers. A boy no one wanted to know. Always angry. Always fighting his way in and out of trouble. It was no surprise when he was expelled from school and never heard from again.Until now.I found him at the Londonderry Brawl, and I watched him fight like an animal. Strong. Controlled. But desperate. I sensed in him a purpose – a need to win – and I wanted to know what was so important to him. The way he fought was mesmerising, and I couldn't take my eyes off him. Then, it was over, he'd won and I needed to leave.

He didn't want me to.

When his lips met mine, somehow, he stole my heart, and in that moment, I knew my world was forever changed. I needed to know this boy. I needed to discover all there was to know about him or I'd never be able to breathe again. No one thinks we should be together. They say his bad news.

Well, people say I'm bad news too.

Then, as fate would have it, I was forced to introduce him to my most fierce protector. A man whose past is riddled with secrets and mistakes; a man who fought his way from the darkness and into the light; a man called Damien – my father.

My name is Yvonne Rhodes, although, you may prefer to call me Evie. I'm the eldest daughter of Damien and Henrietta Rhodes. Inside me, I have my mother’s sense, and my father’s passion.

This is Zac's and my story. It's about needing someone to the point of obsession. It's about losing control, and finding a way to pick up the pieces when everything seems broken.

And it's about love. One that's so strong, nothing can stop it.

*Drawn to Fight is a series of standalone MMA Romance revolving around the lives and loves of the patrons of Fighting Fit, a mixed martial arts gym in Western Sydney, Australia, run by Damien and Henrietta Rhodes from the Drawn Series.


Author Links: Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest | Instagram | Newsletter

Bestselling Author of the Drawn Series, the Beautiful Series, and 47 Things, Lilliana has always loved to read and write, considering it the best form of escapism that the world has to offer.

Australian born and bred, she writes New Adult Romance revolving around her authentically Aussie characters.

Lilliana feels that the world should see Australia for more than just it's outback and tries to show characters in more of a city setting.

When she isn't writing, she wears the hat of 'wife and mother' to her husband and four children.

Before Lilliana turned to writing, she worked in a variety of industries and studied humanities and communications before transferring to commerce/law at university.

Originally from Sydney's Western suburbs, she currently lives a fairly quiet life in suburban Melbourne.


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NEW RELEASE | She Will Be Loved by Theresa Troutman




SHE WILL BE LOVED (Love's Great Adventure #4)
by Theresa Troutman
Expected Publication: October 26th, 2015
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Purchase: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iTunes
Three very different girls searching for love.

Everyone deserves a happy ending, that’s what Penny Stanton thought. Only her ending was anything but happy after her husband died. Her friends had been an amazing support system over the year following Maxwell’s death, but there was a hole in Penny’s heart she felt would never heal. Can an old flame reignite her passion and make her take a second chance on love?

Mattie Irons was rambunctious, charming, and smart. She was the apple of her parents’ eyes until her baby brother was born. Her parents, especially her mother, spent more time cooing over the infant than paying attention to Mattie. Now Mattie is feeling unloved, leaving Sebastian and Tess searching for a way to abate their daughter’s fears.

Kate Hamilton has made the move to England to be with her daughter and son-in-law. Her new upper-crust English life style is a long way from middle class suburbia in America. She volunteers at the local children’s hospital and helps Tess raise the children. Yet Sutton castle is a large building and it, along with its butler, are very intimidating. Can she adapt to this new life as her daughter did and find love again?





 Click the Covers to Purchase!


Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Google+

Theresa Troutman lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and their crazy dog, Niko. She loves reading, theatre and traveling. Her books include: My Secret Summer, A Special Connection and the Love's Great Adventure Series: Life's What You Make It and Love This Life and London Loves. Her most recent release is a contemporary second-change erotic romance called, By My Side.











Sunday, October 25, 2015

The Sunday Post | Issue #1

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

It’s a chance to share News. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog. This is your news post, so personalize it! Include as much as you want or as little. Be creative, it can be a vlog or just a showcase of your goodies. Link up once a week or once a month, you decide. Book haul can include library books, yard sale finds, arcs and bought books..share them!


Issue #1 - October 18, 2015 to October 24, 2015

Hello, everyone! This is my first Sunday Post!

Not much has happened in my life this week. Mostly I've just been sick and feeling kind of miserable. I haven't even been able to read all the much either, which has made things even more depressing. Add to that the clouding and rainy weather, and it's just not a fun atmosphere to be in. I've mostly been watching anime and every once in a while reading some manga to take my mind off it. Oh, and napping. Lots of napping.


This Week on Once Untold:

  1. Sale Blitz | Home To You By Taylor Sullivan | Giveaway
  2. Book Tour | Bash Volume 1 By Candace Blevins | Giveaway
  3. Book Review | Touching Fate By Brenda Drake | Giveaway **This review will be updated once I'm feeling better**
  4. NEW RELEASE | Dragon Song By Tara West
  5. NEW RELEASE | The Missing One By Liz Lovelock | Giveaway
  6. NEW RELEASE | Snowbound By C.J. Martin | Giveaway
  7. NEW RELEASE | The Rocker Who Betrays Me By Terri Anne Browning | Giveaway
  8. NEW RELEASE | The Absence Of Olivia By Anie Michaels | Giveaway
  9. Book Tour | Five Past Midnight‏ Box Set By Robin Bielman, Robyn Bachar, Cassi Carver, Anne Hope & Corrina Lawson
  10. Waiting On Wednesday | Dark Heart Of Magic By Jennifer Estep + Omega By Lizzy Ford
  11. Book Blitz | Pretty When You Cry By Skye Warren | Giveaway
  12. Graphic Novel Spotlight | Magi, Vol. 14: The Labyrinth Of Magic By Shinobu Ohtaka
  13. Feature & Follow Friday | Rewriting A Book

Coming Up Next Week:

  1. Book Review | Nightwish By Sidney Bristow **This review may or may not be posted depending on how I'm feeling**
  2. NEW RELEASE | Drawn to Fight: Hugo and Meg by Lilliana Anderson
  3. NEW RELEASE | She Will Be Loved by Theresa Troutman
  4. NEW RELEASE | The Road That Leads to Us by Micalea Smeltzer
  5. Cover Reveal | L is for Luminous by Amity Cross
  6. NEW RELEASE | The Art of Stealing Forever by Stella London
  7. NEW RELEASE | Systematic Siege: Provocative Tendencies #2 by N. Isabelle Blanco **There may be a review posted as well**
  8. Waiting on Wednesday
  9. Book Blitz | Wonderwall by M.H. Soars
  10. Graphic Novel Spotlight 
  11. Feature & Follow Friday

What I Read This Week:

**The covers are linked to their Goodreads pages**



Pre-Order These Titles:

Every week I share pre-orders on my Facebook profile and these are the ones I shared this week.

Speaking Greek (Foreign Exchange Series #1) by Selena Laurence - Release date: January 12, 2016

Perfekt Order (The Ære Saga #1) by S.T. Bende - Release Date: December 8, 2015

Demons: A Runes Companion Novel by Ednah Walters - Release date: December 15, 2015

A Cleopatra Hill Christmas (The Witches of Cleopatra Hill #7) by Christine Pope - Release date: December 1, 2015

Exposed: A Madame X Novel by Jasinda Wilder - Release date: March 1, 2016


What's Happening at LIEP Promotions:

**The banners are linked to their event pages**





If the links aren't working and you're interested in reviewing one of these titles, please email me at stinamadsmn(at)hotmail(dot)com. I've been having problems with my website all week.


What's New on Screen Watch:



EXTRAS:

The lovely S.T. Bende shared a teaser from her novella in the Supernatural Chronicles titled The Asgardians! Release Date: December 21, 2015! Pre-Order Now!


Bittersweet Melody by Belinda Boring is available today!


Here's some early reviews:

"There were strong emotions pulling me in all directions throughout this book, and I felt the characters pain as the start to grow and look to the future. I was gutted when the story ends, and will be hanging on for dear life until the next installment!" ~ Rebecca.

"A truly beautifully poetic story of moving on, letting go, and starting again. Two people with the same loss, one who is trying to move on, while the other chooses punishment. Something that seems as though it should be forbidden is the one thing to give them both the second chance they need. I was fully enthralled with Caylee and Coopers story. It was emotional, deep, and beautiful." ~ Megan Stietz.

"Powerful! This book raises Belinda Boring to a whole other level! The book is extremely well written, from the plot and story line through the development of the characters, to the information on PTSD. I went through so many emotions while reading this book. Coming from a military family myself, I was totally involved in, and truely touched in my heart by the magic written here! Well met Ms. Bels ... no Ms. Evil on this one ... can't wait for the next book! Well met Ms. Bels ... you had me in tears!" ~ Jane Elizabeth Stahl


Check out this amazing review from Ink of Blood for KAOS OBSIDERE by D.C. McGannon & C. Michael McGannon!




That's all I've got for this week! How did your week go?



Friday, October 23, 2015

Feature & Follow Friday | Rewriting a Book

Feature & Follow Friday is a weekly book blogger meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read to help bloggers gain new followers on their site.

This week's question:

If you could re write a book which one would it be and what changes would you make?


My Answer:

I wouldn't rewrite a book. I'm not good a writing or coming up with a story to write. So I'd probably end up butchering it all together. So I'm not even going to entertain the idea.



Also, I have a few review opportunities still open for anyone who is interested!

KAOS Obsidere: The Nightmare Has Begun by D.C. McGannon and C. Michael McGannon - Closes November 3rd.

Charlie Sullivan and the Monster Hunters: The Varcolac's Diary by D.C. McGannon and C. Michael McGannon - Closes November 3rd.

Home to You by Taylor Sullivan - Closes November 17th.



Thursday, October 22, 2015

Graphic Novel Spotlight | Magi, Vol. 14: The Labyrinth of Magic by Shinobu Ohtaka

MAGI, VOL. 14: THE LABYRINTH OF MAGIC
by Shinobu Ohtaka
Published: October 13th, 2015
Purchase: Kindle | Paperback
Deep within the desert lie the mysterious Dungeons, vast stores of riches there for the taking by anyone lucky enough to find them and brave enough to venture into the depths from where few have ever returned. Plucky young adventurer Aladdin means to find the Dungeons and their riches, but Aladdin may be just as mysterious as the treasures he seeks.

Aladdin and his friends face the powerful and diabolical pirate queen Madaura, who uses a powerful magical item called the Holy Mother Halo Fan to enrapture her captives and make them her slaves. A fierce battle looms, and if Aladdin cannot release his companions from Madaura’s grip, he may find himself fighting against them!



Book Blitz | Pretty When You Cry by Skye Warren | Giveaway




PRETTY WHEN YOU CRY (Stripped #3)
by Skye Warren
Published: October 20th, 2015
Genres: Adult, Dark, Romance, Erotica, Contemporary, Suspense
Purchase: Amazon | B&N
“Dark, perverse, and unbearably erotic, Pretty When You Cry is Skye Warren at her gritty best.” ~ Anna Zaires, USA Today bestselling author of Twist Me

A new dark romance novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Wanderlust and Prisoner…

I came from a place of dirt floors and holy scriptures. They told me the world outside was full of sin, and the first night I escape, I find out it’s true. Ivan saves me, but he does more than that. He takes me. He makes me his own girl.

My conditioning runs too deep. Ivan sees what I am.

That’s the thing about showing a mouse to a cat. He wants to play. And it’s terrifying, even for me. Because the only thing darker than my past is his.







So far, a city looks exactly how I thought it would—gutted buildings and dark alleys.

A den of wickedness.

This morning I woke up on my floor mat in Harmony Hills. Sunlight streamed through the window while dust rose up to meet it. The white walls somehow kept their color despite rough dirt floors.

A desperate trek through the woods and a series of bus rides later, I made it to a city. This city. Tanglewood. It could have been anywhere. They’re all the same, all sinful, all scary—and the only thing that makes this one special is that I ran out of money for bus tickets.

My shoes are made of white canvas, already fraying and black from the grime of the streets. I made these shoes by hand when I turned twelve, and the heel on the left side has never fit quite right. But the bamboo soles lasted for years in the hills. Now they’re cracking against concrete. I can feel every lump in the pavement, every loose rock, every rounded hump as the sidewalk turns to cobblestone and then back again.

That’s not the worst part.

There’s someone following me. Maybe more than one person. I try to listen for the footsteps, but it’s hard to hear over the pounding in my ears, the thud of my heart against my chest. Panic is a tangible force in my head, a gritty quicksand that threatens to pull me down.

I could end up on my knees before this night is over.

But I don’t think I’ll be saying my evening prayers.

Men are standing outside a gate that hangs open on its hinges. They fall silent as I walk close. I tighten my arms where they are folded over my chest and look down. If I can’t see them, they can’t see me. It wasn’t true when I was little, and it’s not true now.

One of them steps in front of me.

My breath catches, and I stop walking. My whole body is trembling by the time I meet his eyes, bloodshot red in a shadowed face. “What’s your name?” he asks in a gravelly voice.

I jerk my head. No.

“Now that’s not very polite, is it?” Another one steps closer, and then I smell him. They couldn’t have showered in the past day or even week.

Cleanliness is a virtue.

Being quiet and obedient and small is a virtue too. “I’m sorry. I just want to—”

I don’t know what comes next. I want to run. I want to hide. I want to pretend the past sixteen years as a disciple of the Harmony Hills never happened. None of that is possible when I’m surrounded by men. I take a step back and bump into another man. Hands close around my arms.

A sound escapes me—fear and protest. It’s more than I would have done this morning, that sound.

I’m turned to face the man behind me. He smiles a broken-toothed smile. “Doesn’t matter what you want, darling.”

My mouth opens, but I can’t scream. I can’t scream because I’ve been taught not to. Because I know no one will come. Because the consequences of crying are worse than what will happen next.

Then the man’s eyes widen in something like fear. It’s a foreign expression on his face. It doesn’t belong. I wouldn’t even believe it except he takes a step back.

My chest squeezes tight. What’s behind me? Who is behind me that could have inspired that kind of fear? The men surrounding me are monsters, but they’re backing off now, stepping away, hands up in surrender. No harm done, that’s what they’re saying without words.

I whirl and almost slip on a loose cobblestone.

The man standing in front of me is completely still. That’s the first thing I notice about him—before I see the fine cut of his black suit or the glint of a silver watch under his cuff. Before I see the expression on his face, devoid of compassion or emotion. Devoid of humanity.

“We didn’t know she worked for you,” one of the men mumbles.

They’re still backing up, forming a circle around us, growing wider. I’m in the middle. I’m the drop, and the men around me form a ripple. Then they fade into the blackness and are gone.

It’s just me and the man in the suit.

He hasn’t spoken. I’m not sure he’s going to. I half expect him to pull out a gun from somewhere underneath that smooth black fabric and shoot me. That’s what happens in the city, isn’t it? That’s what everyone told me about the outside world, how dangerous it is. And even while some part of me had nodded along, had believed them, another part of me had refused.

There had to be beauty outside the white stucco walls. Beauty that wasn’t contained and controlled. Beauty with color. Only apparently I was wrong. I haven’t seen anything beautiful—except him.

He’s beautiful in a strange and sinful way, one that makes me more afraid. Not colorful exactly. His eyes are a gray color I’ve never seen before, both deep and opaque at the same time.

The building itself is beautiful too with its wrought iron gate around a large courtyard. The fountain in the center is broken, but that only adds to the mystique.

The marquee sign reads Grand, a flash of neon pink against the black night.

He steps closer, the light from the sign illuminating his face, making him look even more sinister. “What’s your name?”

I couldn’t answer those other men, but I find something inside for him. I find truth. “I’m not allowed to say my name to someone else.”

He studies me for a long moment, taking in my tangled hair and my white dress. “Why not?”

Because God will punish me. “Because I’m running away.”

He nods like this is what he expected. “Do you have money?”

I have twenty dollars left after bus fare. “Enough.”

His lips twist, and I wonder if that’s what a smile looks like on him. It’s terrifying. “No, you don’t,” he says. “The question is, what would you do to earn some?”

Anything.

My voice is just a whisper. “I’m a good girl.”

He laughs, and I see that I was wrong before. That wasn’t a smile. It was a taunt. A challenge. This is a real smile, one with teeth. The sound rolls through me like a coming storm, deep and foreboding.

“I know,” he says gently. “What’s your name?”

“Candace.”

He studies me. “Pretty name.”

His voice is deep with promise and something else I can’t decipher. All I know is he isn’t really talking about my name. And I know it isn’t really a compliment. “Thank you.”

“Now come inside, Candace.”

He turns and walks away before I can answer. I can feel the night closing in on me, the sharks in the water waiting to strike. It’s not really a choice. I think the man knows that. He’s counting on it. Whatever is going to happen inside will be bad, and the only thing worse is what would have happened outside.

I hurry to catch up with him, almost running across the crumbled driveway, under the marquee sign for the Grand, past the broken fountain, desperate for the dubious safety of the man who could hold the darkness at bay. It’s the same thing that kept me in Harmony Hills for so long—fear and twisted gratitude.


Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Newsletter | Dark Room Reader's Group

Skye Warren is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of dark romance. Her books are raw, sexual and perversely romantic.


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