Nick Nolan

Nick Nolan may be one of the best kept secrets in my group of Authors. If you have never read his books I would highly recommend them. I have read all of them and I loved the characters and history that is included in them! 
 Today I am posting his Tales From Ballena Beach series.
Book 1 Strings Attached

Blurb:

Closeted teenager Jeremy is sent to live with wealthy relatives after his mother enters rehab. Struggling to fit into the posh world of Ballena Beach, Jeremy joins the high school swim team, dates a popular girl, and begins to think he may have landed in paradise—until his great aunt Katharine starts to dictate his every move … and a late-night phone call insinuates that his father’s accidental death was not so accidental after all.

As Jeremy grows accustomed to the veneer of a fabulous life, so grows his need for answers—as well as the danger of immeasurable harm. Weaving together a murder mystery, sexual ambiguity, and characters with hidden identities and agendas , Nick Nolan offers readers a deliciously witty page-turner about the “puppet” who wishes only to be a real boy. Strings Attached is also a surprisingly heartfelt story about coming-of-age and coming out—not necessarily in that order.

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 Strings Attached AMAZON Link

Book 2 Double Bound

 Nick Nolan’s Double Bound reunites us with many of the characters introduced in his delightful Strings Attached: Jeremy, now in a committed relationship with fun-loving, hotheaded Carlo; Arthur, Jeremy’s protector, confidant, and mentor; and Katharine, Jeremy’s wealthy benefactress, still hiding a slew of secrets and hidden agendas. This sequel displays the same wit, verve, style, and sense of adventure that were so engaging and fresh in Strings Attached. And where Strings Attached playfully alluded to Pinocchio, Double Bound has fun with the Jack and the Beanstalk fable.

Just as Strings Attached was Jeremy’s story, Double Bound is Arthur’s, exploring his troubled relationship with disapproving parents and his precarious years as a gay Marine. However, there’s an added element this time out—the stakes are higher, the repercussions more dire, and the choices harder and more consequential. There is a darker feel to this novel, which not only adds depth to the characters but highlights Mr. Nolan’s growth and confidence as a storyteller. We’ve moved beyond high school concerns into real-world choices, where outcomes are not always tied up in neat "happily ever after" packages.

Double Bound AMAZON Link

Book 3 Wide Asleep

Blurb

Arthur Blauefee promised to stay away from Jeremy Tyler forever. But when he learns that his troubled, heartbroken ex-lover has been seduced and swindled out of his inheritance, Arthur is off to the rescue.
After rekindling their passionate affair, the starry-eyed lovers learn that Jeremy’s plight has gone from terrible to worse. Not only has Jeremy been cheated out of his fortune, he’s been framed for murder. Desperate to clear Jeremy’s name, the pair travels to Greece in pursuit of the nefarious conman Lazzaro Sforza and enters a shady world of designer drugs and international intrigue.
Aided by the powerful hallucinogen Sueño Gris, Jeremy journeys into his past lives. Hopscotching through time, from the Civil War all the way back to the Roman Empire, Jeremy discovers that Lazzaro has betrayed him many times before. Can Arthur and Jeremy finally trump the scheming Lazzaro, or are they doomed to repeat their ill-fated pasts?

Wide Asleep AMAZON Link

You can find Nick's Amazon Author page here:
Nick Nolan Author Page 

As a side note, I read and wrote 5 star reviews for all three of these books! 
My review for Strings Attached:
   I read Strings Attached over 2 days, I could not put it down.
Nick Nolan does a fantastic job of weaving a coming of age tale into a nice mystery. Jeremy Taylor's father was killed in an accident and he is left with an alcoholic mom. When she hits rock bottom Jeremy is moved in with the rich Aunt he has never met. Trying to be what she wants and trying to figure out if he likes boys or girls as well as worrying about his mom leads him on a wonderfully tragic story.
I cannot wait to read the next book!
My Review for Double Bound:
 What an awesome second book! Nick Nolan weaves a very clear and crisp tale of Jeremy trying to grow into his new life after his mother is killed and his uncle tried to kill him and his boyfriend Carlo, but Uncle Bill was the only dying that day. Double Bound let's the reader get to know Arthur on a much more personal level and some of his secrets are shocking. Aunt Kathrine needs them to go to Brazil to check on an investment, they had no idea just how dangerous this trip would be.
One of the things I love about Nick's books are the references he uses that are tied in the real world. The use of another cultures gods and how that affects the story are astounding! And when he writes about the scenery I can actually visually see myself there as if I was watching a movie.
So what kinds of secrets does Arthur have? What happens to the trio when they go to Brazil? How many life changes things will happen to Jeremy? I won't give you that answer, you really need to read these books! I cannot wait for a third book!

My Review for Wide Asleep:
 I have read the first two books in this series as well as Black As Snow by Nick Nolan. Book 3 in Tales from Ballena Beach, Wide Asleep goes into so many details!
We are back with Jeremy( four years later) who has taken a tail-spin for the worse. Arthur has made a promise to stay away from Jeremy, but can he do that when that is where his heart truly lies? It is a surprising person that asks for Arthur's help this time.
This book takes you on a journey through history and past lives. The way it is told you are never lost and everything is very real feeling. I laughed( Carlos) and boy did a cry a few times! I can't tell you why I cried, because that would give away things that you really should just read instead!
I love the fact that Nick can take me on a trip like this and I feel as if Arthur and Jeremy are MY friends. As always Nick's research into history and past lives shines. I am a stickler about history being correct if an author uses a real life event, I am very happy to say that Nick has never made a blunder!
If you haven't read Strings Attached and Double Bound, I have to ask WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? This is a fantastic series and I am happy to say I am a dire hard fan of Nick Nolan's!
 

 
 

Get ready for some ROCK STARS!

Jenna Galicki's Radical Rock Stars series is almost ready for book 2! 
Here is a blurb from book one and buy link as well as teasers for book 2! 

Book 1 The Prince Of Punk Rock

Tommy Blade is a man with a secret.  It’s a secret he only shares with one person,Jessi Blade –  and the men he surrendersto in the bedroom.  Her only conditionto their tumultuous sex life is that these men are one night stands.  But when Angel Garcia enters his life, it’slike a match to gasoline.
Mega-talented punk rock singer Angel Garcia, with hissmoldering ebony eyes, tight leather pants and unstoppable stagepresence, is a man who is use to getting what he wants.  He has his eyes set on Tommy Blade as his newlead guitarist, and as his life partner.
Jessi Blade, sympathetic to her husband's bisexual needs, loveshim enough to share him, but she never counted on Angel Garcia to test thethreshold of her marriage. He makes her life hell . . . and heaven.   He’s her damnation and her salvation.  She wants to hate him.  She wants to despisehim.  But, his charm and raw sex appeal are impossible to resist. Withoutwarning, she finds herself falling in love with her husband's gay lover.
At the height of it all, their punk rock band catapults tostardom. 
Their lives are marred by secrecy, deception and sacrifice.  Feelings of betrayal, backlash from thesensationalistic media and threats of blackmail send them down a hard roadfilled with tough decisions. 
They aren't your ordinary rock stars.  They're radical rockstars. And they have a big story to tell.

 The Prince Punk Of Punk Rock AMAZON LINK

The Prince of Punk Rock BARNES & NOBLE LINK

Book 2 Between A Rock And A Hard Place
teasers

  Between a Rock and a Hard Place  (Radical Rock Stars, Book Two)
She’s a rock goddess.
He’s a sex pistol.
I need them both, in my life and in my bed, and I'm not living without either one of them.
I’ll do whatever it takes to keep them there, even if it costs me everything I ever wanted.
I’m Tommy Blade, The Prince of Punk Rock, and this is the rest of our story.

IF YOU HAVEN’T READ THE PRINCE OF PUNK ROCK (RADICAL ROCK STARS BOOK ONE), READ IT NOW BEFORE BOOK TWO COMES OUT in september!
THE PRINCE OF PUNK ROCK (RADICAL ROCK STARS BOOK ONE)
I LOVE HER, BUT I ALSO LOVE HIM.
SHE'S EVERYTHING TO ME.
HE SETS MY WORLD ON FIRE.
IT'S OUR DIRTY LITTLE SECRET, AND IT’S ABOUT TO BLOW OUR RECORD DEAL SKY HIGH.
I’M TOMMY BLADE, THE PRINCE OF PUNK ROCK, AND THIS IS OUR STORY.

Find Jenna
Jenna Galicki Web Page 
Author Page on FB 
 

 

The Fabulous R.K. Ryals!

Today I am going to pimp my girl, R.K. Ryals. I have read every single book she has put out and loved them!

Let's start with The Redemption Series!

The Redemption Series Book 1

There are secrets hidden in the shadows …

He is forbidden … He is achingly beautiful … He is tormented.

Following devastating news, Dayton Blainey and her sister are sent to live with an insane aunt in a strange place full of shadows and secrets.

But all is not right at Blackstone Abbey …

Haunting dreams and unusual incidents lead Dayton into a world where right and wrong becomes dangerously twisted. Left to trust a charismatic Demon with her heart and her life, Dayton is trapped between what she believes is right and a forbidden attraction.

There is always light in the darkness …

In this darkly romantic series, Dayton must come to terms with betrayal and her surprising lineage to stop a war before it even begins.

This book is ALWAYS Free!!! 
Redemption BUY LINK 
  The Redemption Series Book 2

Vengeance is the path of the Damned. It is not a path taken lightly. For a Naphil, it could mean ransoming his soul.
~Bezaliel~

Dayton Blainey is caught between two worlds: Heaven and Hell. Bound to a Demon she's beginning to care about, she is thrown into an adventure she may not survive.

But she will try.

Separated from her friends, she is forced to use powers she just discovered she had while surviving the wrath of a Demon queen.

She will be tested.

And in the search for a ring that may unbind her from Marcas Craig, Dayton will discover that the bond between an Angel and a Demon goes much deeper than blood.

She will endure.


Ransom BUY LINK
 The Redemption series book 3

"Love can overcome many odds. And while this emotion is worth many trials and tribulations, it can also lead to death."

~Bezaliel~

It is a love that is forbidden . . .

Dayton Blainey is the only sane Naphil ever to walk the face of the Earth, and she's in love with a Demon she's been bound to by blood.

Can love triumph over fate . . .

Marcas Craig is the Demon son of Lilith and Cain. He has a destiny he has turned his back on for Dayton.

There is only one choice . . .

Kidnapped by Marcas' insane twin brother, Damon, Dayton has become a pawn in Damon's fanatical attempt at securing his own redemption. The Seal is now in the hands of a mad Demon, there is a civil war brewing in Hell, and Dayton and Marcas' love could destroy Earth.

In the end, will love conquer all?

Retribution BUY LINK

On to the Acropolis Series! 
Book 1

  "We have a new assignment for you, Mr. Reinhardt."

These words are not comforting to me. At eighteen, I am a gargoyle who has been demoted because I broke the rules. Now I have a new mission, a new mark to protect. But I don't expect Emma Chase. I don't expect to question my own race. I don't expect to care for my own mark. And I am not prepared for what I find at The Acropolis.

Acropolis BUY LINK

Book 2

  The Acropolis Series Book 2

"There are countless wise quotes that wax poetic about choosing a path in life, poetry about the road less traveled, but there is nothing that says either path is easy. Each path requires sacrifice, each path is full of scars." ~Emma Chase

My name is Conor Reinhardt. I am a gargoyle Guardian in exile for killing my own. My mark is safe, the group of hybrids we've led from the Acropolis, secure. There's a new hybrid king in the Outer Levels of Hell, and he needs the Acropolis refugees. I expect the journey ahead. I even expect the danger. I don't expect the shadows that haunt me, those beckoning spirits of guilt that never let me sleep. Guilt from killing my own. I don't expect the things the hybrids learn about themselves. I don't expect many of the challenges in our path. I'm not sure I even expect us to survive The Labyrinth.

Labyrinth BUY LINK

BOOK 3

 The third and final book in THE ACROPOLIS SERIES ...

I need to remember my name. I need to remember my father's legacy. I am a Reinhardt. I have protected my mark. I have fallen in love with a hybrid, the daughter of a powerful she-Demon. I have survived the Labyrinth. I have helped procure the Spear of Destiny to secure the hybrid kingdom on the Outer Levels of Hell.

Now there is only darkness, the cold feel of metal against my skin, the memory of a kiss keeping me warm. For gargoyles know better than to imprison another gargoyle in stone. There is corruption in the gargoyle hierarchy, and I need to escape. I need to save the girl I love. I need to find Deliverance.


Deliverance BUY LINK


Now the Thorne Trilogy! 

The Thorne Trilogy Book 1

He is cocky, evil, and dangerous with one motto: sometimes being bad is better …

Ellie Elizabeth Jacobs, often known as Monroe due to her fascination with vintage attire and old movies, is an 18 year-old witch and a darned good one! But there is also something very wrong with her. Demonic energy makes her powers stronger, she has the ability to ward off Demons, and Lucifer wants her.

The hybrid Demon son of the cursed Cain and the Demon Lilith, Luther "Thorne" Craig is reluctantly sent to New Orleans, Louisiana by his brother, the hybrid Demon ruler of the Outer Levels of Hell, to protect Monroe from Lucifer's searching Hellhounds.

But what happens when things go wrong?

In this riveting spin off from R.K. Ryals' Redemption series, Monroe is faced with an old grimoire, an ancient curse, a magnetic Demon, and a journey to discover a family secret that may surprise them all.

Cursed BUY LINK

Book 2

 The Thorne Trilogy Book 2

Calling a Demon forth wasn’t the wisest thing the Ayers witches have ever done. For centuries, the Ayers have been slaves of the Demon Lilith, one Ayers witch destined to do her will while another was sacrificed to the Hunters. But Monroe Jacobs has changed the rules …

A witch from the Ayers line, Monroe’s powers have always been connected to Demons and now she knows why. Once a slave to Lilith, she has thrown off her blood ties to the Demon queen by calling on her son, the hybrid-Demon, Luther. Now Monroe must discover what it means to be a witch while fighting off demonic possession.

For Luther “Thorne” Craig, his attraction to the witch, Monroe, isn’t just a complication, it’s a distraction. He’s always been happy with his life, serving the denizens of Hell while living flamboyantly, but now he’s declared war on his mother and Lilith won’t rest until she sees him dead.

Armed with her own book of shadows, Monroe is dragged into a civil war between mother and son while Luther fights his demonic need to truly possess her.

Possessed BUY LINK

Here is the cover for book 3 Dancing With The Devil(releases in Oct 2014) and a little snippet too! 

 

Here is a look at all of R.K. Ryals' books! As well as a link to her Amazon author page and her Facebook link. Check out her amazing books and fall in love with her books like I have! 

Find R.K. on AMAZON
R.K. Ryals on Facebook 

New Release From Deena Remiel!

Brand New in The Brethren Series!

Angel Rising Book 1(The Brethren Series book 4)

Excerpt:

“You have two follow up emails to send before you do anything today, and three appointments running consecutively after lunch, so make sure you’re back here by one o’clock.” Hannah’s stiletto heels click-clacked against the tile floor in rapid-fire succession on her way to Gabriel’s office. “Oh, and Marty’s called in sick, again. You know that’s the fifth time in two weeks. Laney will be in late for the rest of the week. She has to take the kids to her mother’s since their day care facility is getting fumigated for termites. Barbara and Stanley are already out on surveillance for the Robinson case, so it looks like it’s just you and me holding down the fort. Any questions?”

“Yes. When do you stop to breathe?”

Hannah spun around and rolled her eyes as she waited for her boss to catch up. “Seriously, Gabriel, you walk way too slow. If I can walk fast in these torture devices with five inch heels, you can at least have the decency to keep up in your comfy Italian designer shoes. Now, come on. Time is freedom.” She grabbed the crook of his arm and urged him onward to his office. “And as for breathing? It’s overrated.”

“Is it now? I find it comes in quite handy on many an occasion. You need to slow down! What do you always tell me? Take a breath. Smell the flowers. I have an account with the florist now, as you know. We have pretty-smelling flowers everywhere in the building. Try taking a sniff or two yourself.”

She dismissed the idea with a wave of her hand. “I don’t know what’s gotten into you today, Mister Sunshine. You’re confusing me. A confused Hannah is not good for my health. Where’s the Doom and Gloom Gabriel, the ultra-serious Brethren, I’ve learned to appreciate and expect over the years? Did you wake up on the right side of the bed this morning?”

He shrugged, but said nothing.

“I’ll tell you exactly what’s going to happen if I follow that lovely directive of yours and take a breath. You’re gonna go crazy, as if you weren’t already, which in turn will drive me crazy. You like this pace. It gets quick results. That’s what you want, isn’t it? The quicker you get into a case and solve it, the quicker you can start a new one. Am I right or am I right? Be honest now.”

She nudged his arm and swore she could hear him chuckle under his breath. Score!

“Okay! You’re right. I’m an impatient bastard when it comes to these cases.”

“So, in this instance, my exuberance, fast pace, and high tolerance for no air in my body gets you desired results.”

Gabriel shook his head and opened his office door, ushering her inside first. “I give up. You’re right. I don’t know what I’d do without you as my assistant. I don’t think we’d have gotten as many cases closed over the years without your taskmaster spirit.”

“You’re welcome. Now, about these tasks to be done for this morning’s mission—the Evans case….”

“Yes, well, there is no mission without Marty.” He shut the door behind him. “He’s lead on that one, so any morning field work is scrubbed. We have a couple of other open cases that need some research before we can move forward with them.”

“I could do it with you.”

“Well, the research is pretty cut and dry….”

“No, I mean Marty’s case. I can do the mission today. I know the case and what his plans are since I handle all the mission files.”

“It’s too dangerous for you out there. No.” Gabriel sat down in front of his network of computers and wouldn’t look at her.

“Are you kidding me right now? We have a case that can’t wait for Marty to get well. We’re talking, what? Ten kids? More? He’s already behind schedule. Every day you wait for him to get better is another day that those kids are exploited. I don’t think you want that resting on your shoulders.”

He grumbled and muttered something unintelligible under his breath. Fuming, she slammed a hand on his desk and leaned in. A raised eyebrow gave her pause. Had she gone too far? She backed down into a chair and lowered her voice.

“Don’t insulate me. I’m not a museum piece to be stowed away in one of your art galleries. I think I’ve earned my stripes here a long time ago.” Her hands had found the long bow of her flouncy, silk blouse and worried the ends into disarray. She glanced down, smoothed them out, and flattened her hands on her jeans. “You know I have.”

“Damn it! I know all too well, Hannah. It’s something I’ve never forgotten. Protecting is what I do. I can’t just turn it off because of who you are, or what you’re going to be. I’m a Protector, and you will be protected by me."

Angel Rising Book One BUY LINK 

Lost Innocence: Breaking Point (part two) (Tales from Land of Smiles Book 1)

This is the blurb and my review for part 2 of Simon Palmer's Lost Innocence: Breaking Point.


Continued from part one. Michael, an artist charged with a crime he claims he didn’t commit, and John, a self-confessed heroin smuggler, are brought together in the primitive and over-crowded prison infamously known as the BANGKOK HILTON. Michael fights for his freedom, while John, resigned to his fate, wants only to regain his dignity. Michael's grandfather, a once brilliant lawyer, is brought out of retirement and flies to Bangkok to fight a case in a city where justice is bought and sold to the highest bidder and corruption is the oil that greases the wheels in the Land of Smiles.

Running out of time and unable to find the only witness, he searches for another way to succeed in what seems a hopeless case.

Meanwhile, in order to survive the most appalling conditions in jail, Michael and John must make the best of a dire situation as they wait for their separate fates to be decided. Will justice be served or will they see out the next ten years in that hell-hole of a prison? 

5 out of 5 stars!
Picking up where part one left off you don't want to miss these books! Simon is a master at building characters, and the environments they are traveling through. When we last saw Michael he was still holding to not paying to get out of the "Bangkok Hilton" for a crime he didn't commit. And while that is an admirable stance, in Thailand it is a very dangerous stance as well.
Michael's grandfather is a retired lawyer in England, but comes out of retirement to save his grandson, after his father has had an accident.
What will Michael and his cell mate, John, do to endure the time they are spending in prison? Will Michael be able to be saved before the corrupt officials have there way?
You will have to read to see the fantastic ending of this story. I love that there is a hint that more could come in this series, it certainly deserves praise!

Lost Innocence: Breaking Point BUY LINK

Here is the blurb and my review for part one as well.

Michael, an artist charged with a crime he claims he didn’t commit, and John, a self-confessed heroin smuggler, are brought together in the primitive and over-crowded prison infamously known as the BANGKOK HILTON. Michael fights for his freedom, while John, resigned to his fate, wants only to regain his dignity. Michael's grandfather, a once brilliant lawyer, is brought out of retirement and flies to Bangkok to fight a case in a city where justice is bought and sold to the highest bidder and corruption is the oil that greases the wheels in the Land of Smiles.

Running out of time and unable to find the only witness, he searches for another way to succeed in what seems a hopeless case.

Meanwhile, in order to survive the most appalling conditions in jail, Michael and John must make the best of a dire situation as they wait for their separate fates to be decided. Will justice be served or will they see out the next ten years in that hell-hole of a prison? 
5 out of 5 stars!

I have to say for a book out of my usual genre, this one kept me hooked from the first page.
Michael is in Thailand to flex his artistic muscles and draw whomever he finds. That lands him in the middle of being accused of a crime he didn't commit. What helped this story take off, is that I have heard of some of the things that go on in Thailand and have seen shows about the "Bangkok Hilton", that is one scary place and Mr. Palmer did a fantastic job of describing how a place looked and what people looked like so I got a very clear image of each person in the book.
When Michael refuses to take a pay off deal, he meets John. John is from Australia and charged with drug smuggling. The two form a strange bond over being in prison.
When people arrive to help Michael out, they learn that he is not prepared to take the easy route.
Frustration, concern, the surprising touching moments in the book just wrapped it all up in an awesome little package for me!
I cannot wait for part 2!

Lost Innocence: Accused BUY LINK

Jane Wakley

Spotlight on Author Jane Wakely! 
Here are the covers for her books and a promo video too. The first series is The Chestnut Rock Series. And the second is THe Reluctant Mates series.

  Promo Video LINK

LINK TO Jane's AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

Find Jane on Facebook

Author Andrea Johnson Beck

My spotlight today is on Author Andrea Johnson Beck. I've read both of the books in this series and cannot wait for book 3!
Here are snippets and covers for Deadly Deception and Deadly Revelation and a teaser from Deadly Conviction!

Deadly Deception: Dr. Anne Jamison, a brilliant neuropsychiatrist, is living the concrete jungle life in Minneapolis with her fiancé, prominent attorney Adam Whitney. But the mysterious death of Carter Leeds, her beloved former boyfriend, still haunts her…

After three years of unanswered questions, a mysterious package finds its way to Anne. The note inside reveals the possibility that Carter may, in fact, be alive. Even more shocking, her very own fiancé may have had a hand in his attempted demise. Anne doesn’t know what—or who—to believe, and the deeper she digs, the more she is overcome by a dangerous game of cat and mouse. But will Anne’s trust be restored—or will she be the one left plotting revenge?

Deadly Deception BUY LINK

Deadly Revelation: Love. 

Dr. Anne Montgomery’s heart and soul belongs to Adam Whitney but her tyrannical husband, Carter Montgomery, continues his ruthless reign by punishing Anne with another murder. Will Carter succeed and take away everyone Anne has ever cared about?

Family.
Something Anne has craved since childhood. Dr. Casey Adler has been the only one Anne considered a sister, until Claire Monroe enters her life. Can her newfound sister be trusted?

Betrayal.
Someone close to Anne is helping Carter and everyone is a suspect. As revenge consumes her, she slips further away from Adam but will unexpected news thrust her into the darkness, or will Anne battle the demons and take her life back? 

Deadly Revelation BUY LINK

 

Deadly Conviciton teaser: 

“This isn’t a game.”

She unlocked her car door. “I’m aware of that.”

 

She heard him mumble under his breath, but continued to brush him off. Sheriff Abbott didn’t have a clue what was going on and it was dumb to think he could help her. Claire was in the business of sin, not virtue.

 

Sheriff Abbott grabbed her forearm and whirled her around. “Stop pretending you’re some badass hacker chick.”

“I am some badass hacker chick.” She pulled from his grasp and jabbed her finger in the air. “I could ruin you with my little index finger.”

 

Sheriff Abbott’s eyes narrowed.

 

“Then do it.”

“Don’t tempt me.”