Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Release Day Blitz - Anyone But Him by Cassie Graham + Excerpt

It's finally HERE!


 Anyone But Him
by Cassie Graham

Release Date: Nov 25, 2014


Whitley Hayes is an ordinary girl with a gypsy heart. College is the only constant in her life. She’s made a lot of mistakes and she intends on keeping them in the past. 

Move on and forget. 
That’s her motto. 

Jennings Cohen is no ordinary man—not at all. He would have never imagined his life would turn into such a spectacle. The tabloids exploit him, fans stalk him and the paparazzi are relentless. It’s not always fun being Jennings. 
It doesn’t help that he has a secret. One that comes at a price he’s not sure he can pay.

Relationships get complicated and hearts shatter.
It’s not easy living a lie, but it’s easier than telling the truth.


“I very desperately want to kiss you.”
My mouth forms into a line. “And that’s bad because…?” 
He takes a deep intake of air into his lungs and looks at me. I mean—really looks at me. Deep into my being. “Because I’m afraid if do, I won’t be able to stop.”
I elevate my body and collapse onto his chest. “Then, don’t.” If anything is like his previous kisses, I’m in for a passionate road ahead. 
His hand reaches behind my head and I watch in slow motion as his beautiful face moves toward mine. The moment our lips touch, all of my other senses go haywire, feeling everything. Pleasure, need, hunger…want. So much want. I want everything he has to offer. In this moment, I don’t care what the future holds. I don’t care if he finds out about my shattered past and hates it. In this instant, I only care about him and the feelings he’s unleashing in and on my body. 
His grip on my hair tightens as the kiss deepens. We moan together, feeling the pleasure poring from our bodies. His lips are sweet at first. Restrained and guarded. Almost as if he’s willing himself to slow down. But, I don’t want him controlled. I want him wild. I want him like the rain pours down. Taking no prisoners. The rain doesn’t care who it drenches; it just comes down, down, down. Soaking you. I want him forceful and firm, taking me how he wants. Just like the rain.
The thought of stopping makes me physically ill. This moment, being with him, in his warm, comforting embrace might be the most beautiful moment of my life. It’s heated and perfect. Stopping isn’t an option. 
My hands move down his torso, taut and hard. His muscles move and bend under my touch and I feel myself growing wet as every second passes. The swirl of his tongue sends me high and I bite his bottom lip.
“I don’t think I’ve wanted anything or anyone as much as I want you, my Pretty Girl,” he hums in between kissing up and down my neck. “Nothing is as good as being with you. You have me soaring.”
He doesn’t have much time to say anything else before I’m pulling him up by his shirt, lifting it up and over his head. He grabs at my blouse, unbuttoning every button with detailed precision. When he opens my shirt, he simply stares, eyes electric. He puts his hand in between my breasts and just touches—feels. 
“Come to bed with me. As much as I want you. Here. Now, I’ve gotta have you in bed. Slowly.”
I nod my head, unable to form any coherent words. It’s almost as if the hand that’s resting on my chest is somehow digging into my body, willing my heart to beat violently. He’s able to control me. 
I wonder if I do the same.
I gently move off of his body and stand, watching him swing his legs off the couch. His body lifts and like a peacock, he looks big and alarming. Proud. 
Grabbing my hand, he leads me up the stairs, stopping half way to pin me against the wall to thoroughly kiss me. 
Hauling me to his room, he opens the door, turns on a small light on his nightstand and the cool air whooshes against my face. The blindingly white down blanket shines bright, but the dark, patterned pillows offset the brightness of the covers. 
“Christ, you’re beautiful.”



Cassie Graham is the author of Unable to Resist. She also hates talking about herself. It makes her nervous and somewhat sweaty. So, she’s going to make this short.
While writing is her true passion, her family is even more important. Her ultimate happy place is sitting in her house with her husband and daughter while writing stories about lovers who are meant to be together. She’d live in that world forever if she could.



Monday, November 10, 2014

The Duet by R.S Grey - Release Day Blitz + Review + Excerpt



Title: The Duet
Author: R.S. Grey

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance
Release Date: Nov 10, 2014



When 27-year-old pop sensation Brooklyn Heart steps in front of a microphone, her love songs enchant audiences worldwide. But when it comes to her own love life, the only spell she’s under is a dry one.
So when her label slots her for a Grammy performance with the sexy and soulful Jason Monroe, she can’t help but entertain certain fantasies... those in which her G-string gets more play than her guitars'.
Only one problem. Jason is a lyrical lone wolf that isn’t happy about sharing the stage—nor his ranch — with the sassy singer. But while it may seem like a song entitled ‘Jason Monroe Is an Arrogant Ho’ basically writes itself, their label and their millions of fans are expecting recording gold…
They’re expecting The Duet.




My Review




The Duet was such a delightful read! It’s not the traditional cliché you have read about in other novels that consists of the ‘famous singer’s falling in love in Hollywood’ type of reading... Nope!


Brooklyn Heart is at the height of her career. She's got everything going for her. But during a meeting with her record company, all her expectations starts to unravel when Global Records decide to pair Brooklyn Heart with the uber-sex-on-a-stick singing sensation Jason Monroe and perform together at the Grammys in order to create a larger fan base. This initiates a whirl wind journey as two very different independent soulful singers find themselves paired up in order to co-write and perform together THE DUET of the year.

With no other choice, Brooklyn is forced to leave behind her best friend of a sister and her LA lifestyle to co-write lyrics, in the middle of nowhere and surrounded by endless trees Montana, with the one guy on earth who happens to dislike her music...and well HER. Brooklyn will have to rely on her sassy personality and endless wit to prove to Jason that she is the singer that she has worked hard to be and disprove all of his theories regarding her... and you know, check out some eye candy while she's at it, I mean… com'on he is Jason Monroe.

Brooklyn's been through a lot since losing her parents and she's worked hard to follow her dreams of becoming a pop sensation and she's not about to let one little duet throw her off course. She relies on her sassy personality to enjoy what life has to offer, while offering readers a hilarious cameo as she finds herself in sticky and funny situations that is naturally awkward and relatable to readers that you can't help but smile at the familiarity when you can absolutely imagine the embarrassment of say... tripping on a pile of mud while wearing your Prada shoes? ...Sending sloppy drunken selfies? ...Accidently flashing a hot singer your bra? Or… falling on your face onto said singers back? Yep…with Brooklyn's adventures you are never short of comedy that's for sure.

Jason Monroe's been used to being on his own and doing his own thing, so when he's encountered by his record company to compose a duet, he's moody and rude to Brooklyn right from the beginning, because he's got secrets, secrets he's keeping close to his heart and he doesn't want a complication like Brooklyn to further impose on his life. So when the two solo singers are stuck in Jason's amazing and fancy cabin in Montana, you just know it’s a recipe for disaster. As Brooklyn is thrust into Jason's territory, you get glimpses of Jason's life story that allows you to understand the man he is today. As Jason and Brooklyn struggle to work together on creating their duet, you see the changes in their relationship as the chemistry between them heightens to new levels. Moody Jason becomes less evident and more tiny cute smiles and laughter starts to arise from him that just makes you... Yep *cue swoon music* right here folks.

Despite heated arguments and dialogues, the chemistry between Brooklyn and Jason sizzles as they attempt to finish (or at least start) working on their duet. Brooklyn tries to deny her feelings are growing stronger every time she's around Jason and even though Jason acts all moody, you start to see him like and genuinely care about Brooklyn. But when the duo catch writers block during the creation of their duet, they give in to temptation and start a whirl wind fling in secret (all in the name of finishing the song of course). But with secrets and surprise turn of events occurring, Brooklyn's finding it harder and harder to keep it strictly a platonic business arrangement. Which sets off a chain of events all leading up to one unforgettable Grammy performance no one will see coming. 
;-)

I absolutely could not put this novel down! I was literally addicted to it and just didn't want it to end. I devoured it in 5 hours and just forgo studying in order to read it haha. Yes people, it was THAT great and absolutely one captivating story! I love R.S Grey’s trademark sassy characters and Brooklyn was so full of attitude, you just couldn't help but be entertained by her story. At the start, I found Jason's mood a bit rude and snobby, but I fell in love with him each time he came into the scene, his mysterious aura and his kindness and compassion towards Brooklyn was just too addictive to hate him and okay maybe his sexy presence kind of swayed me into Team Jason. I kept looking forward to each time Brooklyn ran into Jason or each time they spent time together, I felt like we got to know a bit more about him and the type of guy that he is.

 The supporting characters were a blast to read and were so genuinely sweet. I absolutely adore Brook’s relationship with her sister, Cammie. They really are just like twins, they have the same spunky personality and great fashion style and I just loved Camille's comebacks towards her sister, it cracks me up every time. R.S Grey’s process of allowing the duos relationship to grow as the lyrics are slowly being written and expanded was just perfect! It set the atmosphere and just made the whole romance more unpredictable and so damn sweet to read. Twice, I wanted to open iTunes to find the music they were creating so I could listen to B and J's song. Grey’s portrayal of Brooklyn as a clumsy and down to earth singer, made her a fun and enjoyable main character to read from. I just could not help but laugh out loud every time she did something totally unpredictable and embarrassing in front of Jason.  

So if you lovely readers loved R.S Grey’s Scoring Wilder novel, like I do, or you’re just looking for the perfect contemporary romance, than you absolutely will not be disappointed with The Duet! It has Grey’s trademark romantic whirl wind adventures with a twist, plenty of drama and surprises around every corner and an unlimited amount of hilarious dialogues and scenes that like me, you too will not want to put this beauty down until you have devoured every last page!

So what are you waiting for? Get reading! ;-)

Xo

Mary




The Duet will be priced at $2.99 for two days post-release, then the price will bump to $3.99! So get it while you can!



The M Lounge was the hippest and most discreet club in LA. If there was any hope of me locking down a one-night stand, M Lounge was the place to go.
“I can’t drink much tonight because I have that meeting with my record label in the morning,” I warned as we passed through the back entrance to the club and headed up a set of stairs that were used exclusively for the VIP level. Fun fact: one time I was going up those stairs when P. Diddy was coming down, and he totally touched my ass. Allegedly.
“Just to clarify: if you’re begging me for tequila shots at midnight, threatening to kill my first born if I don’t give them to you, I should still tell you no?” Cammie asked, just to ensure the boundaries were set. Better safe than sorry.
“That was one time and it was in Cabo,” I protested. “What else are you supposed to do in Cabo other than challenge a mariachi band to a tequila shot contest until the lead singer passes out beside a donkey?”
Cammie held up her hands and started listing off items. “I dunno— enjoy the beach, check out the museums and the culture—”
“That was a rhetorical question,” I interrupted as we made it to the top of the stairs.
As if by magic, the black curtain in front of us swept to the side, opening up an entire room of drunken debauchery before us. In one corner, a celebrity who shall remain nameless (we’ll call her Nennifer Janiston) was sucking face with a sexy man, and across the room two of the funniest women in comedy were doing body shots off of a waiter from the club.
“Welcome to the behind the scenes of Hollywood,” I whispered to Cammie.



I am a lover of books, chocolate, reality TV, black labs, and cold weather. Seriously, if I had it my way, I would be curled up on the couch with all of those things... everyday.
I live in Texas where I spend my free time writing and reading. My favorite authors include Mindy Kaling & Jonathan Safran Foer. I'm a comedy geek and love all things "funny". Women like Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Mindy Kaling are definitely the biggest inspirations for my writing, though I think my work tends to skew a bit smuttier than theirs.