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Thursday, September 27, 2018

Based on Principal by Marie Johnston - Book Tour - Guest Post - Giveaway - Enter Daily!


Hi lovelies!  It gives me great pleasure today to host Marie Johnston and her new book, “Based on Principal”!  For other stops on her Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in this post.

Be sure to make it to the end of this post to enter to win a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card!!  Also, come back daily to interact with Marie and to increase your chances of winning!

Thanks for stopping by!  Wishing you lots of luck in this fabulous giveaway!


Based on Principal
by Marie Johnston

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GENRE: Contemporary Romance

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BLURB:

By day, Natalia is the strict principal of a private school with a staid, troubled legacy. By night, she’s a lithe, agile assassin with a penchant for latex. Or at least her cosplay character is. The two identities don’t mingle until she meets a handsome comic book shop owner at the local comic con. Now there’s a guy she’d be willing to peel her mask off for.

Too bad he’s the father of one of her students.

Single father Chris has no time to date, thanks to his business, his daughter, and his ex’s meddling family. But how can he resist a comic lover in a business skirt? She’s his perfect woman. Or she would be, if she didn’t keep the professional and play parts of her life so separate. And he swore he’d never date a woman ashamed of him again.

Too bad she’s obsessed with what the wrong people think of her.

Together, they could be an unstoppable duo, but when Chris’s daughter acts out at school, Natalia will be put in an impossible position: break all her school’s rules, or pack away her cape forever.

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EXCERPT TWO:

“About the name calling—”

Jaycee cut Ms. Shaw off. “Oh my god. Mr. Budinski’s an adult, and he’s getting snippy about a kid messing up his name?”

“Jaycee…” He hadn’t expected to finish his warning, but Ms. Shaw was gazing at him like she was waiting for him to finish. He scrambled to find an acceptable reproach. “It’s about respect.”

“Then he can respect what I want to be called. Yet he refuses to use Richards.” She crossed one leg over the other and folded her arms. He knew that mutinous look, the one she wore when she refused to listen. A spear of fear went through him when she pinned Ms. Shaw with that look. “I mean what if people called you Mrs. Shaw and knew perfectly well you’re not married.” He cringed at the way she stressed not married. It wasn’t a death sentence to be single. “Or what if they called you Natalie instead of Natalia.”

He jerked his head to face Ms. Shaw. Natalia Shaw. What were the odds her name was the same as—

What were the odds her butt was as spectacular in a skirt as in a cosplay costume? What were the odds he’d feel like they’d met before?

The odds were pretty damn good. She couldn’t hide that mouth, just like she couldn’t hide the poleaxed expression in her widened eyes. His daughter’s principal, the woman he couldn’t quit lusting over, was the same woman he’d held in his arms just days ago.

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GUEST POST:

Evolution of My Writing Habits and How I've Grown into a Better/More Experienced Writer:

I’m going to travel the road of my basic writing habit. When I first started writing, I searched online “how do writers write.” Like, literally, how. Do they sit at the couch with a laptop? Were they formal about writing at a desk? Is an office a must? Could I write and work part-time, or full time, at a different job? I was worried I was doing it wrong. Soon, I learned, there is no wrong way and a million right-for-right-now ways.

When I started my first book, I had a baby, a toddler, and two small children. I wrote during naptime, on the weekends, and some evenings I snuck to the library. Once my babies started sleeping through the night (haha, do they ever, really, until they move out?), waking up at 4 a.m and getting words down worked. In the evenings, my older kids had activities and I’d be chasing the younger ones while waiting. It was either write in the morning, or don’t write. Writing made me happy, so it was worth it. Ask me if I’d do that now and I’d pull a muscle laughing. Me? Wake up early? Not anymore.

Why? My older kids’ bedtimes got later. To get a little me-time and work-time, I started staying up later. My early mornings morphed into late nights, and until very recently, it wasn’t uncommon for me to be up until 1 or 2 a.m. to work. Unfortunately, the nights got too late. My two younger kids would go to bed and my two older kids needed their time with me and it was 11 p.m. or later before I could open my laptop. By then, I could barely keep my eyes open. It was a losing battle. I was too worn out and crabby the next day, my stress ran wild, and I had to get creative or I’d combust.

The hubs and I coordinated so kids’ activities became my most productive time. He’d do bedtime at home and I’d do the activity run. I’ve written in bleachers, on gym floors, and in public locker rooms (not the kind people change in!). A couple years ago, my littlest started preschool and those four hours each week were a slice of relief. Dedicated writing time. Few interruptions. But four hours a week still wasn’t enough to meet my publishing schedule.

Finally, those older kids reached babysitting age and watch the younger one or two while I’m running the fourth to an activity. Since parents are no longer as welcome at practices at their age, my writing space became my vehicle. Until my son got his license, I wrote a couple of books with my laptop propped on the steering wheel.

Then a magical thing happened: All my kids started school. I can use my home office to work. It’s heaven. Being overwhelmed with four kids the last several years had made me immune to dirty floors and piles of dishes. They’ll get done…eventually. My kids go to school and I go to my office. Since my youngest’s Kindergarten is part-time, I concentrate on getting words down during those days she’s gone. Editing, marketing, formatting, all the extras I do while watching TV at night with the hubs.

Even though I’ve learned to roll with the ebb and flow of my family’s schedule, when someone asks how I can get so many books done a year, I still think “I have no idea.”

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AUTHOR BIO:


Marie Johnston lives in the upper-Midwest with her husband, four kids, an old cat, and a young dog. After trading in her lab coat for a laptop, she’s writing down all the tales she’s been making up in her head for years. An avid reader of paranormal romance, these are the stories hanging out and waiting to be told, between the demands of work, home, and the endless chauffeuring that comes with children.

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CONNECT WITH MARIE:

Website:

Blog:

Email:
mariejohnstonwriter@outlook.com

Facebook:

Twitter:

BookBub Author Page:

BookBub Book Page:

Goodreads Author Page:

Goodreads Book Page:

Amazon Author Page:

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BOOK BUY LINKS:

Amazon Kindle:

Amazon Paperback:

Barnes and Noble:

Kobo:

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GIVEAWAY INFO:

Marie will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.


**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a purchase made I may receive a small commission to help support this blog.  This does not cost you anything, it just helps pay for all those awesome giveaways on here.**

This contest is sponsored by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish Promotions.  Prizes are given away by the sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.

Wednesday, September 26, 2018

Flawed by Vivian Kohlman - Book Tour - Book Review - Giveaway - Enter Daily!


Hi lovelies!  It gives me great pleasure today to host Vivian Kohlman and her new book, “Flawed”!  For other stops on her Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in this post.

Be sure to make it to the end of this post to enter to win a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card!!  Also, come back daily to interact with Vivian and to increase your chances of winning!

Thanks for stopping by!  Wishing you lots of luck in this fabulous giveaway!


Flawed
by Vivian Kohlman

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GENRE: Contemporary Romance

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BLURB:

That guy—the one that most girls would run away from—captured Kara’s attention and wouldn’t let it go. As expected, he turned out to be a player. So she cut him off.

But he wasn’t done with her yet. He waited until the memory of their start would have been forgotten—at least, softened a bit. Then he returned to her life, and captured her heart.

Finally blissfully happy, they fall in love and decide to make it official…until his past catches up with him and he destroys her again. But this is it…this is the last time she’ll fall for him.

And she keeps telling herself that until she almost believes it.

This book is for mature audiences.

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EXCERPT ONE:

Chapter 1

I picked up my phone to check for messages and, well, to be honest I was using it as a way to not have to speak to whatever guy Dania left me with.

“Hi Kara, I’m Naheed,” a deep, relaxed voice stated.

When my eyes met his, everything seemed to stop. I couldn’t speak, I couldn’t hear the music anymore, and I felt like I was about to faint…I was mesmerized by him. He was gorgeous, but it was more than that. I felt his presence in my stomach.

He had naturally tan skin, dark brown thick and wavy hair, deep and large brown eyes with black eyelashes a mile long…and a slight under-bite that that instantly brought my attention to his full, perfect lips. He was so familiar to me, but I couldn’t place him.

I looked down to stop myself from staring and noticed that my bare, crossed legs were nearly touching his leg; we were very close—and he was slightly leaning in towards me. I suddenly wished I wore jeans instead of this short skirt. I felt exposed…and had to fight to keep my leg from moving to touch his.

The four words he said to me were echoing through my head…and I still couldn’t respond. I could only look at him…and I saw nothing else. I sat there in silence for way too long…unable to do much more than barely smile through what probably looked to be an unimpressed expression (I was good at hiding my emotions).  …sometimes that came back to haunt me.

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NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:

The book, Flawed, is not erotica, but does include some steamy scenes, and contains adult situations (curse words, drinking alcohol, etc).

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BOOK REVIEW:


This book was such a fun, entertaining, heartbreaker read!

This book is the first book in The Young and Privileged Book Series.

I enjoy the five-star hotels and restaurants and first-class airline tickets – or better yet, private jets kind of life.  Hey, we only live once!  So, I was thrilled to read a book that featured that kind of lifestyle.  Think Gossip Girl and The O.C., but on a bit smaller scale and in D.C. lol.

Awwww young love, it really sets the tone for this book and it’s something most of us can all easily draw lines to.  Perhaps we’ve already learned or we are still trying to figure it all out.  Kara and Naheed, the main characters in this book, are still struggling to comprehend the true meaning of love.

I really liked the characters, especially, Kara.  She was so easy to understand, relate to, and empathize with.  I even felt a bit of a connection to Kara.  Sadly, it was easy to see how she was slowly starting to lose pieces of herself in all the drama going on throughout the book.  After so many times of having someone I’d love, put me through so much heartache, I’m sure I’d start to break apart as well.

It’s nearly impossible sometimes to pick who you fall in and out of love with.  Unfortunately, sometimes that’s what the other person is counting on – you not being able to leave them.  Which is where Naheed seems to come in.  He keeps bouncing in and out of Kara’s life swearing things are different this time and insisting that they are meant to be together.  Unfortunately, it isn’t long before he breaks Kara’s heart… Again!!

I think we can all relate to having experienced at least some form of a Naheed in ours lives before.  Or perhaps having that intense madly-in-love feeling with someone, where we couldn’t picture our lives without them; but now looking back it’s like, “how on earth were we so young, foolish, and naïve?”

The writing style is fluid, well developed, and at a steady pace.

I have to commend the author on her writing technique as she really has a way of writing that that keeps the reader glued to the page, unable to let go of the book until they find out what happened.  Also, she carefully considers her audience and remembers the little things.  Sometimes it may be the big picture that draws the reader in, but it’s all the little details that keeps them put – and this author clearly showcases that approach.

I must warn you though, the ending isn’t tidy!  There are definitely many questions left unanswered.  Hopefully they will be addressed in book two as this book is part of a book series.  But fair warning – you may be left upset or disappointed not knowing certain things and having more questions than answers at the end.  That is all I’m going to say as I try hard not to have any spoilers in my book reviews.

All in all, I really enjoyed reading this book and would absolutely recommend this book to all YA, NA, contemporary romance readers!  However, please note that the ending isn’t tidy, so if you need a happy bow-tied ending, you won’t find it here.  Otherwise this book is very enjoyable and a book that should be added to your TBR List!

**Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book and have voluntarily provided an honest, and unbiased review in accordance with FTC regulations.**

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AUTHOR BIO:


Vivian Kohlman writes romance novels based on stories of love and loss under the backdrop of Washington, DC. She grew up in Maryland just outside DC, but lived in Los Angeles on and off in her 20's before returning to the Washington, DC area to live out her adult life.

Vivian attended a private university in Washington, DC for undergraduate and graduate school, and lived a very active social life. During her teens and twenties she and her friends lived through a lot of ups and downs—these experiences have fed the stories of this series.

Currently, she loves to travel with her husband and reads or writes romance novels as often as she can. When she’s not writing, she works a fulltime job and enjoys all of the bars, restaurants, and other hot spots of the nation’s capital. Born and raised in the DC metro area, she adores the culture of the city and is passionate about highlighting the city's attributes, lifestyles, and norms—not including politics.

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CONNECT WITH VIVIAN:

Website:

Blog:

Email & Mailing List:

Facebook:

Twitter:

Instagram:

BookBub Author Page:

BookBub Book Page:

Goodreads Author Page:

Goodreads Book Page #1:

Goodreads Book Page #2:

Amazon Author Page:

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AMAZON BOOK BUY LINKS:

Amazon Kindle:

Amazon Paperback:

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ADDITIONAL BOOKS IN THE YOUNG & PRIVILEGED OF WASHINGTON, DC BOOK SERIES:


Found
(Book Two)

Amazon Kindle:

Amazon Paperback:


Let Go
(Book Three)

Amazon Kindle:

Amazon Paperback:


Girls Like Me
(Book Four)

Amazon Kindle:

Amazon Paperback:


Guys Like You
(Book Five)

Amazon Kindle:

Amazon Paperback:

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GIVEAWAY INFO:

Vivian will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.


**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a purchase made I may receive a small commission to help support this blog.  This does not cost you anything, it just helps pay for all those awesome giveaways on here.**

This contest is sponsored by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish Promotions.  Prizes are given away by the sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.

Tuesday, September 25, 2018

Liar Liar by Nancy Boyarsky - Book Blast - Giveaway - Enter Daily!


Hi lovelies!  It gives me great pleasure today to host Nancy Boyarsky and her new book, “Liar Liar”!  For other stops on her Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in this post.

Be sure to make it to the end of this post to enter to win a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card!!  Also, come back daily to interact with Nancy and to increase your chances of winning!

Thanks for stopping by!  Wishing you lots of luck in this fabulous giveaway!


Liar Liar
by Nancy Boyarsky

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GENRE: Mystery

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BLURB:

Nicole Graves finds herself in the crosshairs when she reluctantly agrees to babysit a witness in a high-profile rape trial. Mary Ellen Barnes is suing her university’s star quarterback for rape when the authorities won’t act. In the court of public opinion, Mary Ellen appears to be the quintessential, pious, good girl. But her lies and mysterious comings and goings lead Nicole to suspect that she’s not what she seems.

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EXCERPT TWO:


Nicole heard a sound and came in from the balcony in time to see Mary Ellen, now fully dressed, slip out the front door. Nicole ran after her. She couldn’t allow the girl to run off after what she’d said about the hopelessness of her predicament. By the time Nicole got to the elevator bank, it was empty. The girl was already on her way down.

Nicole couldn’t take the stairs; she was on the tenth floor. But the elevator bank had four cars, and luck was with her. Moments later, the door to another elevator opened. When she reached the lobby, she caught sight of Mary Ellen through the window. She had just left the building and was jaywalking across Ocean Avenue toward the beach.

Nicole rushed after her. The wind was picking up, blowing through her jacket. She was halfway across the street, when a car heading south skidded to a stop a few feet away. The driver leaned on his horn and opened his window to scream at her. She ignored him, trying to keep Mary Ellen in sight. The girl seemed to be headed toward the shoreline. When Nicole reached the sand, she started running. She was in good shape, but running on the beach was completely different from a morning jog around the neighborhood. Her shoes sank into the soft surface, making it impossible to gain momentum. Meanwhile, sand leaked into her shoes, chafing her sockless feet.

The beach near the waterline was dark, and Mary Ellen was no longer in sight. Nicole looked desperately around, trying to figure out which way the girl had gone. All at once she stumbled over something lying in her path. As she hit the sand, the figure she’d tripped over slowly sat up, like a zombie in a horror film.

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AUTHOR BIO:


Nancy Boyarsky is the bestselling author of the award-winning Nicole Graves Mysteries.

Before turning to mysteries, Nancy coauthored Backroom Politics, a New York Times notable book, with her husband, Bill Boyarsky. She has written several textbooks on the justice system as well as articles for publications including the Los Angeles Times, Forbes, and McCall’s. She also contributed to political anthologies, including In the Running, about women’s political campaigns. In addition to her writing career, she was communications director for political affairs for ARCO.

Liar Liar is the third Nicole Graves novel, following The Swap and The Bequest, each of which can be read as a stand alone. Readers are invited to connect with Nancy through her website at nancyboyarsky.com.

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CONNECT WITH NANCY:

Website:

Email:
nboyarsky@roadrunner.com

Facebook:

Twitter:

BookBub Author Page:

BookBub Book Page:

Goodreads Author Page:

Goodreads Book Page:

Amazon Author Page:

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BOOK BUY LINKS:

Amazon Kindle:

Amazon Paperback:

Barnes and Noble:

Kobo:

Apple iBooks:

Google Play:

The Book Depository:

BAM! Books-A-Million:

IndieBound:

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GIVEAWAY INFO:

Nancy will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.


**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a purchase made I may receive a small commission to help support this blog.  This does not cost you anything, it just helps pay for all those awesome giveaways on here.**

This contest is sponsored by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish Promotions.  Prizes are given away by the sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.