One Wrong Move By Shannon McKenna Winner!

The randomly selected winner of a copy of One Wrong Move by Shannon McKenna is...

Comment #1 - Elizabeth H!

I'll forward your email to Kensington's Publicist and they will contact you about the book.

Congrats and Happy Reading!

Cheeky Girl Sabrina

One Wrong Move by Shannon McKenna Book Review & Giveaway!

Book Review: One Wrong Move

By: Shannon McKenna 

Publisher:  Kensington 

Release Date: September 25, 2012

Romantic Suspense 

3 Heart Review

Book Blurb: 

Alex Aaro has spent most of his life on the run from his Ukrainian mafia family. But when he learns that crazy Aunt Tonya, the only relative who ever gave a damn about him, is dying, he risks returning home to say goodbye. He’s prepared for anything except the call from his friend, Bruno Ranieri, that sends him on a wild and dangerous ride with a mysterious woman with a deadly secret and a white hot passion that binds them together.

 

Social worker Nina Moro knows her life is forfeit if she makes a wrong move and the ruthless syndicate hunting the terrified Ukranian prostitute she is hiding discovers her involvement. And so Nina avoids the inscrutable interpreter who suddenly appears on her doorstep. Until that six-foot-four rock hard slab of lean muscle is the only thing between her and certain death. Now Nina and Alex are in a race against time, death, and their desire for one another… 

What I enjoyed most about this book is that you are left without any doubt that the hero and heroine of this book totally belong together. While both Nina and Aaro are self-proclaimed "damaged goods" they find their perfect counterpart in each other. 

From the way Nina can laugh off all the extremely rude and crude sexual advances Aaro sends her way, to how he can get her past her paranoid craziness, they just work. That working together as characters means we readers get some insanely hot but graphic scenes and boy does Aaro have a dirty mouth!

What didn't work for me was the slight paranormal slant the story took on. It felt like an editor had suggested the author work that angle into the story to fit it into a certain category. I could have done without it and felt it took away from what could have been a very strong contemporary romantic suspense. 

If the book had stayed out of the paranormal realm, this could easily have been a 4 Heart Review, but it just threw me out of the story more than pulled me in. By the way, this book is part of a series of books by Shannon but I had no problem at all with reading it and not having read the rest of them.

Fast pacing, a hot, dirty-mouthed hero and a solid plot make this a book I can recommend to lovers of romantic suspense. I'll be excited to check out more books by Shannon and maybe I won't be as surprised by the paranormal aspects of her next story.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Shannon McKenna is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of super-sexy, super-scary romantic thrillers. After a bizarre assortment of jobs, from singing cocktail waitress to medical secretary to strolling madrigal singer, she decided that writing hot romantic suspense suits her best. She lives with her husband and family in a small seaside town in southern Italy. Readers can visit her website at www.shannonmckenna.com.

Giveaway Info
Shannon is giving away TWO prizes, a copy of one of her books at each blog stop on her tour AND a grand prize giveaway of a Kindle Touch!!! There are several copies of One Wrong Move, Blood and Fire, Ultimate Weapon, and Fade to Midnight up for grabs!

1)    To win a book: leave a comment on this blog post to be entered to win a book. Be sure to leave your email address in the comments so we can contact you if you’re the lucky winner. This giveaway ends five days after the post goes live.
2)    To win a Kindle Touch: Click the link to go to Shannon’s website and enter the Rafflecopter at the bottom of the page. A winner will be selected on September 27th. Here’s Shannon’s Website.
 

Monday Morning Cuteness - Now on Facebook!

Because of photo image rights and changes to many of the cute photo sharing sites, I've decided to take my Monday Morning Cuteness post to the Cheeky Reads Facebook page. 

What? You didn't know I have a Facebook Page? Well I do and the more followers I get over there the more I'll start posting and interacting over there as well. 

You can find it at http://www.facebook.com/CheekyReads. 

There will be Monday Morning Cuteness posts, sharing of contests, what authors are doing and more. It won't just be a redo of the content on the blog so I hope you'll stop by and like the page! 

Happy Reading! 
Cheeky Girl Sabrina 

Winner of Deceiving the Witch Next Door!

Congratulations to JenM! She was randomly drawn as the winner of an ebook copy of Deceving the Witch Next Door by Melissa Bourbon Ramirez. 

JenM - email me at Cheekyreads @ gmail.com so I have your email address to pass on to Entangled Publishing so they can get your the book. 

Thanks to everyone who stopped by and entered and don't forget to check out Melissa's book! 

Happy Reading! 
Cheeky Girl Sabrina 

Welcome Author Melissa Bourbon Ramirez & Enter to Win!

Cheeky Reads is pleased to welcome Melissa Bourbon Ramirez, author of the new release Deceiving the Witch Next Door! Melissa agreed to do an interview for our readers and is giving away an eBook copy of Deceiving the Witch Next Door to one lucky reader! 

Be sure to leave a comment on this post letting Melissa and me know if you love magical stories as much as we do! 1 comment will be randomly selected before 5pm Friday, Sept. 7th and will receive an eBook copy of Deceiving the Witch Next Door! 

Welcome Melissa!

WOULD YOU TELL US ABOUT DECEIVING THE WITCH NEXT DOOR, YOUR NEW RELEASE FROM THE COVET LINE FROM ENTANGLED PUBLISHING?     

Of course!  Thank you for having me today J  Storie Bell is a witch whose powers are fairly rooted in the natural world.  She comes back to Bloomington, Texas and has to figure out how to fit in.  But Reid Malone, a man she had a close encounter with just after high school, is also back (helping his dad with a very important task that forces him into the Storiebook Café, the business Storie just opened.  And, well, sparks fly—magical and otherwise. 

WHAT ABOUT YOUR HEROINE? WHAT THREE WORDS WOULD BEST DESCRIBE HER? 

Survivor. Resilient.  Girl-Next-Door (does that count as one word?)

NOW THAT WE KNOW MORE ABOUT YOUR CHARACTERS, WHAT WAS IT ABOUT THEM THAT HAD YOU WANTING TO WRITE THAT HEA FOR THEM?

When Storie learns a truth about her mother, she goes to the lake and harnesses the power of a brewing Texas summer storm.  Clouds rolling in, thunder, lightning, and rain help ground her.  But Reid Malone is there, and he thinks she’s drowning and going to be electrocuted in lake.  I loved writing that scene and that’s when I knew Storie and Reid had to have a happily ever after.

WAS THERE A PARTICULAR SCENE THAT WAS THE MOST FUN FOR YOU TO WRITE? 

Absolutely, the mirror scene!

WHAT KEEPS YOU INSPIRED WHEN YOU'RE WRITING?

I love writing, and I love creating magical stories.  I’d love the world to have magical realism.  I like light magic, and that keeps my stories grounded in a contemporary world, and that is what keeps me inspired!

DO YOU HAVE A PROCESS YOU LIKE TO FOLLOW OR A FAVORITE PLACE TO WRITE? 

As long as I have my computer and a mocha, I’m happy and can write!  Inspiration happens…eventually.

I ALWAYS FIND THAT AUTHORS HAVE THE BEST BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS. ANYONE YOU'VE READ RECENTLY THAT YOU LOVED READING OR A NEW AUTHOR YOU'VE DISCOVERED? 

Good question!  I wish I had more time to read than I do.  I have a few standouts from the last year: Jennifer Donnelly’s Revolution and Kristen Hannah’s Night Road.  I loved them both so much!

WHERE CAN READERS FIND YOU NEXT AND IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE WITH US?  

I’m working on the next book in my Magical Dressmaking cozy mystery series, A Custom Fit Crime.  Book 3, Deadly Patterns, comes out in October.  After that is my next romantic suspense, the next Deadly Legends book following Sacrifice of Passion.  Busy, busy!

About Deceiving the Witch Next Door:

Storie Bell has a little secret—she’s a witch. But magic hasn’t exactly kept her life from being a complete mess—her love life is non-existent and the town thinks she’s a total nutter. Plus there’s her neighbor Reid Malone who runs hot one minute and cold the next. 

Reid Malone can’t wait to escape Bloomington, Texas. Unfortunately, he’s stuck where he is unless he helps his father hide a very illegal secret. The only key to Reid’s freedom lies with the eccentric Storie…and he’ll do whatever it takes to get the information he needs from her. 

But Reid’s holding something back. Something big. And if he’s not careful, he’ll find out exactly what happens when you try to deceive a witch…

Also by Melissa Bourbon Ramirez:

Sacrifice of Passion

Texas rancher, Vic Vargas, finds himself facing more than his stubbornly silent son when the chupacabra, a supposedly mythical blood‐sucking beast, starts killing his livestock—and stalking Delaney West, the town’s newly returned veterinary assistant, the sensual woman who ran from the altar and broke his heart twelve years earlier.

Reluctantly, he seeks her help to get to the bottom of the disturbing animal mutilations, only to have her break through to his sullen son...and rekindle the love he’d thought was lost forever. But her refusal to share a terrible secret sends her running straight into the lair of the chupacabra, plunging her back into her worst nightmare, and forcing them both to confront the wrongs of the past—in order to stay alive for the future they desperately want.

 Bare Naked Lola

Going undercover is second nature for Private Investigator Lola Cruz, but she’s out of her league when the case of a murdered Royals Courtside Dancer leads her to a local nudist resort. Parading around the sidelines of Sacramento’s professional basketball scene in a barely-there cheerleading outfit is one thing—but parading around in nothing but smile? If she has any chance of hiding this from her traditional family and on-again/off-again boyfriend Jack, she’s going to have a lot more than her duct tape bra and killer dance moves to keep under wraps…

About Melissa Bourbon Ramirez

Melissa Bourbon, who sometimes answers to her Latina-by-marriage name Misa Ramirez, gave up teaching middle and high school kids in Northern California to write full-time amidst horses and Longhorns in North Texas.  She fantasizes about spending summers writing in quaint, cozy locales, has a love/hate relationship with yoga and chocolate, is devoted to her family, and can’t believe she’s lucky enough to be living the life of her dreams.

She is the marketing director at Entangled Publishing, is the author of the Lola Cruz Mystery series with St. Martin’s Minotaur and Entangled Publishing, A Magical Dressmaking Mystery series with NAL, and is the co-author of The Tricked-out Toolbox and two romantic suspense titles.

Visit Melissa at her website | Twitter Page | Facebook Home | Goodreads | and Books on the House, a website bringing books and readers together!

Tuesday Morning Cuteness!

Labor Day Blog Hop - Enter to Win Books & More!

Enter the Romance@ Random Labor Day Blog Hop giveaway and win books, gift cards and more! Just use the Rafflecopter entry form below and don't forget to Click Here to visit all the other participating blogs.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday Morning Cuteness Alert!

Oh no Batman! I Can Has Cheezburger has changed it's format where you can no longer share photos anywhere but on Facebook - the NERVE! 

Until I find another site to bring in the cuteness from, here's a pic from my own personal family of cute. Isn't that Pekingese profile something to behold? 

Enjoy and I hope your week kicks off great! 

Book Review: Forgotten Dreams by Alexia Banks

Book Review: Forgotten Dreams
By: Alexia Banks
Publisher: Crimson Romance
Paranormal Romance
3 Heart Review
Excerpt

Book Blurb:
Shane Connelly – a pretty young entrepreneur – is determined to shake things up as she leaves her drone of a boyfriend Marc, and the mean streets of Miami far behind. She goes in search of greener pastures in the North Carolina mountains, but finds it’s anything but the perfect spot to while away the hot summer months.

Her recently acquired country home turns out to be a burned out hovel in the middle of nowhere – and after a series of unexplained and chilling visions – she suspects it’s haunted. With her hopes dashed before her adventure can even begin, she is about to head home when a handsome stranger unexpectedly arrives at her doorstep.

Before she can beat a trail out of Swan Creek wine country, Shane and her handsome Cherokee neighbor Jesse are inexplicably drawn together as they dodge bullets, unearth ghosts, and unravel a dark town secret. As events reach a surprising conclusion, Shane realizes that it’s not the high altitude that’s making her head spin, but her tall lover with the penetrating dark eyes.

The plot of this story was unique and interesting and I felt Mrs. Banks did a good job of unfolding the journey she was taking the heroine on. I also thought she did a great job of creating a full cast of characters in a short work which made the story feel more complete, not to mention that the side characters really added to the story. Many shorter stories fail to include supporting characters that actually reflect on the hero and heroine, but Forgotten Dreams provides extras that help us see the hero and heroine more fully.

I did want more development of the relationship between the hero and heroine. Time passes in the story and their relationship seems to grow and develop off the page in those in-between times more so than on the page. It made the story feel much more plot driven apart from the romance, instead of being romance centric. This was one of my main issues with the story, but if you don't mind the lighter focus on romance, then it might not be as much of a concern for you.

The meeting between the hero and heroine was a scene that I felt was slightly off. The circumstances are definitely creative, but I still had a hard time with how each reacted to the other. The scene felt a little over the top and dramatic for how the two characters had been portrayed up to that point. Both the hero and heroine came across as rude and even mean during that meet-up and that didn't flow with their personalities in the rest of the story. 

Most of all though, I wanted to read more of the romance. I wanted to really understand why the heroine Shane and hero Jesse fall for each other and I wanted to live through it with them. Give me more budding romance scenes! :) 

The plot really is the star of this story and I'll be looking for more books by Mrs. Banks based on that alone. If you are looking for a interesting paranormal story that's lighter on the romance side, you might enjoy Forgotten Dreams by Alexia Banks.  

Happy Reading! 
Cheeky Girl Sabrina 

Meet Alexia Banks:


Amazon Link for Forgotten Dreams
website: www.alexiabanksromance.com

Twitter: @alexiabanks2

Facebook: facebook.com/

alexiabanksromance

Monday Morning Cuteness!

Did you attend storytime as a kid or do you take your kids now? Oh, how I wish there had been doggies at my storytimes! Could you image books and dog snuggling all in one!?!?


see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!

Monday Morning Cuteness!

see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!

Book Review: Somebody to Love by Kristan Higgins

Book Review: Somebody to Love 
By: Kristan Higgins
Publisher: HQN - Contemporary Romance 
4 Heart Review 

Book Blurb:

After her father loses the family fortune in an insider-trading scheme, single mom Parker Welles is faced with some hard decisions. First order of business: go to Gideon’s Cove, Maine, to sell the only thing she now owns—a decrepit house in need of some serious flipping. When her father’s wingman, James Cahill, asks to go with her, she’s not thrilled…even if he is fairly gorgeous and knows his way around a toolbox.

Having to fend for herself for the first time in her life, Parker signs on as a florist’s assistant and starts to find out who she really is. Maybe James isn’t the glib lawyer she always thought he was. And maybe the house isn’t the only thing that needs a little TLC…

Right up front I have to say I'm a huge Kristan Higgins fan girl. Every single book I've read of hers has been an above average to a full-blown *squee* read. So to say I was excited to read this book is a huge understatement. 

The heroine Parker is a character I met in a previous Higgins' book The Next Best Thing, a book I ADORED. It wasn't that I hadn't liked her, but she hadn't really called out to me from that book as a heroine in the making. 

Enter Somebody to Love and James Cahill. Although this was not my favorite of Higgins' books, it is a wonderful read full of everything that makes Higgins an auto-buy for me, deep emotion that's carefully developed in characters you will laugh and cry with. The realness of emotion is what I feel Higgins does like few others and it keeps me coming back for more. 

While I finally got Parker right off, it took much more time for me to warm up to the hero James. Even as I continued to read he was the one thing I felt just a little off to making the full on connection with me. I wanted...more. More depth of emotion I think. It was almost there. Really, so close. Maybe I needed the emotion earlier or this might have been one time I needed some back-story earlier. 

All in all, another heart-tugging, funny-bone tickling story from Kristan Higgins. She has yet to disappoint me, and sometimes she knocks it completely out of the park. Once again, I cannot wait to get my hands on the next book. 

Monday Morning Cuteness!

see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!

Best Romance Books of 2011 - RITA Winners

So if you're like me, there's not enough time in your schedule to read every single book you'd like to. It's also impossible to keep up with new to new to me authors while also getting my "Oh my god I love her" author's books in. That normally means that for some books that earned so many reader's love, I'm behind on getting them worked into my reading schedule. 


For those of you looking for a great read, the following book officially won the RITA award for best romance books published in 2011. I hope you find a few you haven't read and can enjoy! 


Do you agree with the winners below? Which one didn't you read the 1st time around and can't wait to read now? 


Winner for Paranormal Romance: 
Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison 

Winner for Romance Novella: 
I Love The Earl by Caroline Linden 

Winner for Best Novel With Strong Romantic Elements:
How to Bake a Perfect Life by Barbara O'Neal




Winner for Best First Book: 
First Grave on The Right by Darynda Jones 

Winner for Best Historical Romance 
The Black Hawk by Joanna Bourne 

Winner for Inspirational Romance: 
The Measure of Katie Calloway by Serena Miller 

Winner for Contemporary Series Romance Suspense/Adventure: 
Solider's Last Stand by Cindy Dees

Contemporary Single Title Romance: 
Boomerang Bride by Fiona Lowe

Winner for Regency Historical Romance 
A Night to Surrender by Tessa Dare

Winner for Young Adult Romance: 
Enclave by Ann Aguirre 

Winner for Contemporary Series Romance: 
Doukakis' Apprentice by Sarah Morgan 

Winner for Romantic Suspense: 
New York to Dallas by J.D. Robb

Monday Morning Cuteness - AWESOME BULLDOG PUPPIES!

Monday Morning Cuteness!

see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!

The Inn At Rose Harbor by Debbie Macomber - Free Excerpt!

The Inn at Rose Harbor by Debbie Macomber (Preview)

Win an e-Reader! Pimp My Read Contest Details

The Pimp My Read Contest:

Pimp My Read is your chance to win one of four fantastic e-readers, as well as best-selling,  super-sexy, fun contemporary romances by authors Ruthie Knox, Sarah Mayberry, Shannon Stacey, and Molly O’Keefe. This week, we four authors bedeck ourselves in (virtual) feathers and gold chains, climb on top of our Pimp Caddies, and sing the praises of e-readers and digital books at four fantastic romance review sites: Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, Smexybooks, Dear Author, and The Season for Romance. 


At every site, one of us is giving away an e-reader, as well as prizes for runners-up. If you’ve been on the fence about which e-reader to get, or even why you would get one—or if you love your e-reader to bits and are dying to convert a friend or family member to the digital side—this is the contest you’ve been waiting for!

The Prizes

• Sarah Mayberry is giving away a Kindle Touch 3G at Smexybooks
• Shannon Stacey is giving away a Nook SimpleTouch with Glowlight at Dear Author
• Ruthie Knox is giving away a Kindle Keyboard 3G at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
• Molly O’Keefe is giving away a Kobo Touch at The Season for Romance

The winner of each e-reader and two runners-up at each site will also receive Exclusively Yours, Undeniably Yours, and Yours to Keep by Shannon Stacey, Her Best Worst Mistake and Within Reach by Sarah Mayberry, About Last Night and Ride With Me by Ruthie Knox, and Can’t Buy Me Love by Molly O’Keefe.

How To Enter

To enter, visit one or all of the four host sites and leave a comment explaining either (a) why you want to win this e-reader for yourself or (b) why you want to win it for someone else. Please include your e-mail address in the appropriate comment field so we have a way of contacting you if you win. Your e-mail address will not be visible to the general commenting public.

The Fine Print

1. Feel free to increase your chances of winning by entering once at each of the four sites! But please, only one entry per site. Deliberate multiple comments on any individual e-reader giveaway post will get you disqualified.

2. The contest opens on each site when the post goes live and closes at 11:59 p.m. EST on Friday, July 20.

3. Ruthie, Sarah, Shannon, and Molly will choose the winners from among the comments on the site where each posts. Feel free to entertain us or tug at our heartstrings — we’ll pick the winners whose comments most effectively sway us!

4. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

5. This contest is open internationally. The e-readers on offer will work in many, but not all, countries. Please be aware that geographical restrictions may affect your ability to use/enjoy your prize.

Monday Morning Cuteness!

This cute little guy was too cute to pass up this morning. Hope this is the start of a great week for you!



see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!

Monday Morning Cuteness!

see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!