Showing posts with label Except. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Except. Show all posts

Sunday, June 18, 2017

Salvaged (A Saints of Denver Novel) by Jay Crownover *~*~*~*~* Pre-order, Blog Tour & Review

   

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jay Crownover continues her delightfully sexy Saints of Denver series with the next thrilling standalone, SALVAGED! Order your copy today!


   

Hudson Wheeler is a nice guy. Everyone knows it, including his fiancée who left him with a canceled wedding and a baby on the way. He’s tired of finishing last and is ready to start living in the moment with nights soaked in whiskey, fast cars, and even faster girls. He’s set to start living on the edge, but when he meets Poppy Cruz, her sad eyes in the most gorgeous face he’s ever seen hook him in right away. Wheeler can see Poppy’s pain and all he wants to do is take care of her and make her smile, whatever it takes.

Poppy can’t remember a time when she didn’t see strangers as the enemy. After a lifetime of being hurt from the men who swore to protect her, Poppy’s determined to keep herself safe by keeping everyone else at arm’s length. Wheeler’s sexy grin and rough hands from hours restoring classic cars shouldn’t captivate her, but every time she’s with him, she can’t help being pulled closer to him. Though she’s terrified to trust again, Poppy soon realizes it might hurt even more to shut Wheeler out—and the intense feelings pulsing through her are making it near impossible to resist him.
The only thing Poppy is sure of is that her heart is in need of some serious repair, and the more time she spends with Wheeler, the more she’s convinced he’s the only man with the tools to fix it.
   

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ADD SALVAGED TO YOUR GOODREADS

     


EXCERPT:

I put my hands to my cheeks and held my face. I could feel heat under the surface and I could hear the rush of blood between my ears. 

“Are you going to be okay? Do you need me to get you something? Should I grab Dixie?” He sounded genuinely concerned about me and that only made me shake even harder.

“No, I’m fine.” I wasn’t fine and hadn’t been in a very long time. “Dixie is in Mississippi. She took Dolly down because Church moved into the house he rented for them and she wanted the dog to get used to their new home and so she could see what it was like to have a yard.” I was babbling but I couldn’t stop the words from pouring out. “How do you move me without laying a hand on me?”

He looked up from where he was watching the puppy dig into his chow. Those blue eyes were like lasers as they cut into me from across the room. He put his hands on the counter and leaned forward. “What are you talking about?” His voice held that same even tone but there was something in it, some deeper note, that let me know he knew exactly what I was talking about. 

I wrapped my arms around myself in a protective hug and met his look with a pointed one of my own. “I get stuck, frozen with fear. I end up caught between memories and reality. Most people grab my arm or touch me somewhere to get me moving again. Either that or they go around me like I’m in the way. You made me move without doing anything.”

His eyebrows shot up and the corners of his mouth pulled down in a frown. “People shouldn’t touch you unless you tell them it’s okay, even if you are in the way.”

His words had me shivering in a completely different way than I had been before and I was the opposite of cold. “I didn’t use to mind it.” The words cracked and sounded almost as broken as I felt on the inside. “I mean being touched. It was until…after.”

He lowered his gaze and I saw his chest rise and fall as he sucked in a deep breath. “The reason doesn’t matter. If you don’t like it, people should respect that. No one has a right to put their hands on you unless you want them there.”

Right there in that moment I thought I wouldn’t mind it too terribly much if he walked across the room and replaced the frail and thin arms that were currently holding me together with his thick, strong, tattooed ones. It was probably the only touch I would ever crave but I would never be brave enough to ask for it, so I cleared my throat and awkwardly made my way closer to where he was standing. I lifted myself up into one of the barstools that was across the counter from him and put my hands on the cool surface separating us and prayed they would stop shaking. 


REVIEW:



I Heart Books Review

Salvaged (A Saints of Denver Novel) by Jay Crownover 
Review by Theresa Esterline
Stars: 5

Patience... It has rewards! 

We've all heard to the victors go the spoils meaning the winner gets extra winnings.  This story is no different, both Poppy and Wheeler have had an awful go of it so far.  Both are worried of the past coming back to wreck things.  But both are getting good at salvaging the best parts even in the worst scenario.  And now a bit about the story ...

Poppy has been thru a lot. A controlling, preacher for a father. A typical college jock that lied and knocked her up, only to knock her out when she wouldn't abort. And finally a verbally and physically abusive bible thumping idiot her father approved of. Luckily she escaped all of them to Denver. She is becoming stronger by the day. In fact the story starts with her going to see Wheeler out of the blue with a surprise.

Wheeler has his own crazy past. His mother left him at 4, he's bounced around from one foster family to the next growing up, but he's finally grounded himself. He owns a profitable business, is engaged, and has a great group of friends he considers his extended family. Then his fiance decides she prefers women and his world starts to crumble. When Poppy shows up at his garage with a puppy, things turn a shade happier. Now just to wait out her nerves!!

Favorite passages:
- She was born to be a hot rod but for reasons that were hard to think about she was living her life like she was meant to be a minivan. 
- “I’m cheaper than a shrink, Wheeler, and my office is a lot more fun.”
- One of these days all those years of conditioning to heel at her commands would break.



   

Jay Crownover continues her Saints of Denver series with SALVAGED, available June 20, 2017

Preorder and fill out the form here: https://a.pgtb.me/MdHvvG

Enter your name, email address, and the order number from your pre-order receipt on the form to receive an advance excerpt of DIGNITY and a Saints of Denver Doodle download to print at home.

Entries must be received by midnight PST on June 19th to be eligible.

The print-at-home Doodle and Dignity excerpt will be emailed the week of June 20th.

   
       
Jay Crownover’s SALVAGED – Review & Excerpt Tour Schedule:
June 12th
Book Angel Booktopia – Review & Excerpt
Ceres Books World – Review
Grownupfangirl – Review & Excerpt
Krista's Dust Jacket – Review & Excerpt
Panda & Boodle – Excerpt
June 13th
Booknerd1107 – Review
Foxy Blogs – Excerpt
Happily Ever After Book Reviews – Review & Excerpt
Mustreadbooksordie – Review
NallaReads – Review & Excerpt
The Book Disciple – Review & Excerpt
June 14th
Books to Breathe – Review & Excerpt
Prisoners of Print – Review & Excerpt
Tales of the Ravenous Reader – Review & Excerpt
The Book Maven – Review
June 15th
Cocktails and Books – Review & Excerpt
Ficwishes – Review
Night Owl Reader – Review & Excerpt
Vagabonda Reads – Review & Excerpt
June 16th
A Literary Perusal – Review & Excerpt
Book Sojourner – Review & Excerpt
Literary Gossip – Excerpt
Novel Addiction – Review & Excerpt
Reviews from the Heart – Review & Excerpt
Three chicks and their books – Review & Excerpt
June 17th
BJ's Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
NotasLiterárias – Review & Excerpt
RentasticReads – Review
Reflections Of A Book Geek – Review & Excerpt
June 18th
I Heart Books – Review & Excerpt
Naughty and nice book blog – Review & Excerpt
Nose Stuck in a Book – Review & Excerpt
Red Hot + Blue Reads – Review & Excerpt
Zili in the Sky – Review & Excerpt
June 19th
From the TBR Pile – Review
BookWorm221 – Review & Excerpt
Smut Book Junkie Reviews – Review & Excerpt
The Readdicts – Review & Excerpt
June 20th
Bookalicious Babes Blog – Review & Excerpt
Crazii Bitches Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
Red Cheeks Reads – Review & Excerpt
TjLovesToRead – Excerpt
Wickedcoolflight – Review & Excerpt
June 21st
My Girlfriend's Couch – Review & Excerpt
Rachel Reads Ravenously – Review & Excerpt
She Hearts Books – Review & Excerpt
Two Book Pushers – Review & Excerpt
June 22nd
A Leisure Moment – Review
Caroline Jane Reads – Excerpt
KeeperShelf – Review
Live Read and Breathe – Review & Excerpt
Musings of the Modern Belle – Review & Excerpt
Queenzany – Review & Excerpt
June 23rd
BFD Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
Dog-Eared Daydreams – Review & Excerpt
Krissy's Book Nook – Review & Excerpt
The Readdicts – Review & Excerpt
Vera is Reading – Excerpt
June 24th
G & T's Indie Café – Excerpt
Love Drug Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
Renee Entress's Blog – Review & Excerpt
We stole your book boyfriend – Review & Excerpt
   

About Jay Crownover: Jay Crownover is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Marked Men, The Point, and the Saints of Denver series. Like her characters, she is a big fan of tattoos. She loves music and wishes she could be a rock star, but since she has no aptitude for singing or instrument playing, she'll settle for writing stories with interesting characters that make the reader feel something. She lives in Colorado with her dogs.        

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

 

Monday, June 12, 2017

The Knocked Up Plan by Lauren Blakely *~*~*~*~*~* Excerpt Reveal

   

From #1 NYT Bestselling author Lauren Blakely, comes a new and sexy romance…THE KNOCKED UP PLAN!A standalone romance told in dual POV, THE KNOCKED UP PLAN is about all of the fun, hotness, and heartfelt emotions that come when a single woman asks her gorgeous, jaded, sworn-to-be-single-forever good friend to get the job done. What happens next when he agrees to provide the bun for her oven are lots of hot sexy times and heartfelt moments. Don’t miss the excerpt below, and preorder your copy today!

       

"I laughed, cried, got hot and bothered, laughed more and just pretty much smiled and wished I had a Ryder all my own!

~Kara, Two Book Pushers

   

There are three little words most guys don’t want to hear on the first date. Not those…I mean these… “knock me up.”

 

This single gal has had enough of the games, the BS and the endless chase. I know what I want most, and it’s not true love. It’s a bun in the oven, and I’m not afraid to hit up my sex-on-a-stick co-worker to do the job. Ryder is gorgeous, witty and charming — and he’s also a notorious commitment-phobe. That makes him the perfect candidate to make a deposit in the bank of me. I won’t fall for him, he won’t fall for me, and there’s no way baby will make three. Right?

****

There are four words every guy wants to hear on the first date — “your place or mine?”

 

When my hot-as-sin co-worker makes me a no-strings-attached offer that involves her place, my place, any place — as well as any position — I can’t refuse. Besides, I've got my own reasons to take her up on her deal even with her one BIG condition. There’s no way I’ll want more from one woman than any position, any where, any night? Except . . . what if I do?

 

Note: Be prepared to swoon and fan yourself from the heat! This full-length standalone contains lots of hot baby-making s-e-x, happy tears, naughty jokes and a hot, swoonworthy hero you will fall madly in love with.

PREORDER YOUR COPY TODAY!

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Kindle Preorder alert (via Lauren's newsletter)

Goodreads

     
  EXCERPT: “Ooh, look! A new one just was added to the database,” Penny coos in excitement as she points to the screen. We’re gathered around my iPad at Speakeasy, our favorite Midtown haunt, perusing the latest offerings on a bank I’ve been in touch with in Manhattan. “He’s five-foot-nine. College educated. Plays the violin. And he has red hair,” Delaney reads, then runs her fingers over the ends of my hair. “Do you want little redheaded babies?” I laugh. “I think I’d like the choice whether they should have red hair or not, and clearly I’m only bringing recessive genes to the equation.” Penny swipes left dramatically as if the new donor is a Tinder no. “Anyone else? And are we ever going to see what they look like besides when they were five years old?” I shake my head. “In most cases, only childhood photos of donors are posted. Every now and then you hear of a woman who’s seen adult photos of her donor, but that’s highly unusual, and only allowed at a few, select banks. It’s actually quite rare to even see high school or college photos, since a lot of donors only do it because it’s anonymous.” Penny points to the screen, reading another donor’s profile in frustration. “Look. This guy is six feet, has blue eyes, played hockey in high school, went to UCLA, and works in tech. But what does he look like?” “Unfortunately, we’re just going to have to imagine,” Delaney says, with a heavy sigh. Penny reaches for her red wine. “That makes me so sad I need a drink.” “And let’s be honest, looks do matter,” Delaney adds. I nod vigorously. “They do. That doesn’t make me vain, right?” My girls shake their heads in unison, defending my stance. “We all want a cute elephant baby for our matriarchy,” Penny says, patting my hand. I laugh. “But seriously. You think it’s reasonable to want a handsome donor, right? In addition to all the other things that are obviously critical. Not a serial killer. No criminal record. College degree. Height, etcetera, etcetera.” “Absolutely,” Penny says, setting her wineglass down with a resounding smack. “How are you possibly supposed to say a green-eyed, five-foot-ten, college-educated man with no murder convictions is enough?” “It’s like online shopping without seeing what you’re buying,” Delaney adds. “Who buys anything on the Internet without seeing a photo? You don’t shop for shoes just by the size, color, and style. You need to see them. Try them on.” “I don’t think trying on is an option.” I wink. Delaney sticks out her tongue. “But you need to see the goods. You can’t fly blind.” I reach for my water. No more chardonnay or mojitos for this mama-to-be. I’ve had all my health screenings, too, and my doctor sees no reason why I can’t get pregnant. All I need is the other half. “I just wish I knew more about these men.” Penny peers at the site’s latest offerings once more. “This is crazy. You can select whether someone has skills in auto mechanics, plumbing, or kickboxing. You can choose if your donor has detached earlobes, a particular kind of eye spacing, and his favorite subject in school. You can even opt for someone who’s a good cook. But you can’t see if his jawline is actually square, if his lips are truly full, or if he’s as handsome as you’ve dreamed.” I scrunch my forehead and imagine my dream candidate. Briefly, my mind is blank, but then an image pops into my head. “I just wish I knew the guy was going to be a Ryder Lockhart level of hot,” I say, matter-of-factly. “Oh, he is a hottie,” Penny says, and Delaney nods her agreement. They’ve both met him at my work events and the occasional group happy hour. “He’s gorgeous. Just the other day I found myself cataloging his features. He really does have it going on. Plus, he’s smart and funny and good to animals.” Penny hums mournfully. “Too bad he’s not a donor.” “Ha. Yeah, it’s a bummer he hasn’t made a deposit at this sperm bank.” I tap the screen. “I’d order up one serving ASAP. Get that turkey baster inside me stat,” I bark as if I’d be saying that to the nurses while I tell them to shoot me up with Ryder Lockhart’s DNA. Wait. Ryder Lockhart’s DNA. The clouds part. The sun rises. The bells ring. Never have three words sounded more like a perfect solution to a problem.
   

  About Lauren Blakely:  

A #1 New York Times Bestselling author, Lauren Blakely is known for her contemporary romance style that's hot, sweet and sexy.  She lives in California with her family and has plotted entire novels while walking her dogs.  With fourteen New York Times bestsellers, her titles have appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestseller Lists more than eighty times, and she's sold more than 2 million books.  In June she'll release THE KNOCKED UP PLAN, a standalone contemporary romance. To receive an email when Lauren releases a new book, sign up for her newsletter! laurenblakely.com/newsletter  

Website ** Facebook ** Twitter ** Newsletter ** Goodreads

 
 

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Salvaged (A Saints of Denver Novel) by Jay Crownover *~*~*~*~* Except Reveal & Pre-Order

 

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jay Crownover continues her delightfully sexy Saints of Denver series with the next thrilling standalone, SALVAGED! Don’t miss the amazing excerpt below and pre-order your copy today!

   

Hudson Wheeler is a nice guy. Everyone knows it, including his fiancée who left him with a canceled wedding and a baby on the way. He’s tired of finishing last and is ready to start living in the moment with nights soaked in whiskey, fast cars, and even faster girls. He’s set to start living on the edge, but when he meets Poppy Cruz, her sad eyes in the most gorgeous face he’s ever seen hook him in right away. Wheeler can see Poppy’s pain and all he wants to do is take care of her and make her smile, whatever it takes.

Poppy can’t remember a time when she didn’t see strangers as the enemy. After a lifetime of being hurt from the men who swore to protect her, Poppy’s determined to keep herself safe by keeping everyone else at arm’s length. Wheeler’s sexy grin and rough hands from hours restoring classic cars shouldn’t captivate her, but every time she’s with him, she can’t help being pulled closer to him. Though she’s terrified to trust again, Poppy soon realizes it might hurt even more to shut Wheeler out—and the intense feelings pulsing through her are making it near impossible to resist him.

The only thing Poppy is sure of is that her heart is in need of some serious repair, and the more time she spends with Wheeler, the more she’s convinced he’s the only man with the tools to fix it.

 

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Google

iBooks | Amazon UK | Amazon Canada

ADD SALVAGED TO YOUR GOODREADS

   

  EXCERPT: Poppy I rounded the corner at the end of my block and came to a halt. The puppy took that as a sign that we were done playing outside and started jumping all over my lower legs and pawing at my shins. He whined at me until I picked him up, and as soon as he could reach my face, his little tongue started darting all over my chin and cheeks. I wondered if he could feel the tension that made my limbs stiff and the anxiety that tightened all my muscles. I felt my breath catch in the back of my throat and there was no stopping my eyes from rapidly blinking to make sure what I was seeing was real and not a figment of my imagination. He looked like one of those black-and-white art prints that hung in every diner and restaurant I’d ever eaten in. The one that was a throwback to another era when cool was something you had to cultivate and couldn’t buy on Amazon. He was leaning against a black-and-silver car that looked like it should be on the cover of a hot-rod magazine and not parked on a busy and crowded Capitol Hill street. He had on dark jeans and a dark canvas jacket that had the logo of his garage embroidered on the front. His ankles were crossed on the curb in front of him and one booted foot bounced up and down, giving the impression that he’d been waiting for me for a while. His arms were crossed over his chest and his eyes were locked on mine as I stood still, unsure what to do. He had an effortless kind of charisma that radiated off of him. It was equal parts intimidating and irresistible. I was unsure if my feet wanted to rush me toward him or run me as far from him as possible. The puppy made the decision for me. Seeing another human, and thus another opportunity for pats and rubs, he threw his wiggling little body out of my arms before I could react. He hit the ground with a little yelp and then bolted right for Wheeler. I let out a gasp and took off after him thinking I could catch the end of the leash that was trailing behind him. I didn’t want him to run into the road or veer off into a yard where he didn’t belong. I was light-years away from being able to handle a confrontation with a hostile stranger that didn’t want the puppy in their space. I didn’t need to worry because Wheeler pushed his long, lean frame off the polished side of the car and reached the scrambling animal within just a few strides. He crouched down as the puppy hurled himself into his arms and scooped the excited bundle up in one fluid motion. Then he was rising back up to his full height, which meant he was towering over me when I made my way over to where he was standing. I was embarrassed at how out of breath I was. I was supposed to be stronger than I was before, but I could hardly handle a little jog up the block or the way my heart raced at the sight of him. I shook my head and put my hands on my hips as I looked up and into those arctic eyes. He was scratching the puppy under the chin and looking at me from under lashes that had the barest hint of red to them. “Why don’t you have a coat on?” It wasn’t what I was expecting but his question reminded me that I was cold and that the lightweight hoodie that had the Saints of Denver logo on it wasn’t doing much to keep the bitter chill in the air off my skin. The shirt came from the tattoo shop where both Rowdy and Salem worked and was probably the most exciting garment I had in my closet. It was the only thing I owned that was bright and colorful. I rubbed my arms up and down and fired my own question right back at him. “What are you doing here?” The puppy barked like he was telling me not to be rude but I was unsettled by Wheeler’s unexpected appearance, and not the typical unsettled that I struggled with because he was a man that I didn’t know. It was the kind of unsettled that made parts of my body I forget could react to an attractive man feel warm and tingly. The kind of unsettled that had me involuntarily leaning closer to him as he started to shift so that he could pull his heavy jacket off one arm without letting go of the dog. “I wanted to talk to you about the dog. Did you find someone to take him yet?” He shifted the puppy to his now bare arm as I watched the endless amounts of ink that covered his skin move and flex as he shook his other arm free of the coat. “Uh…not really.” The truth was I hadn’t really put that much effort into finding someone because I didn’t want to let the puppy go. In just a few days I’d grown surprisingly attached even though I knew I wasn’t allowed to keep him in my apartment. I’d already asked since Dixie was allowed to keep Dolly, but the landlord informed they were grandfathered in before the laws surrounding pit bulls in Denver changed. My little guy wasn’t that lucky. My response made Wheeler chuckle. He stared at me silently as he held out the coat he’d taken off in his free hand. “Put this on.” I stared at him like he’d suddenly started speaking Russian until he shook the coat again and frowned at me. His voice was serious and left no room for argument when he repeated the command. “Put this on, Poppy.”    

Jay Crownover continues her Saints of Denver series with SALVAGED, available June 20, 2017

Preorder and fill out the form herehttps://a.pgtb.me/MdHvvG

Enter your name, email address, and the order number from your pre-order receipt on the form to receive an advance excerpt of DIGNITY and a Saints of Denver Doodle download to print at home. 

Entries must be received by midnight PST on June 19th to be eligible.

The print-at-home Doodle and Dignity excerpt will be emailed the week of June 20th

   

About Jay Crownover: Jay Crownover is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Marked Men, The Point, and the Saints of Denver series. Like her characters, she is a big fan of tattoos. She loves music and wishes she could be a rock star, but since she has no aptitude for singing or instrument playing, she'll settle for writing stories with interesting characters that make the reader feel something. She lives in Colorado with her dogs.        

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads