Steph Reviews Hot on Ice: A Hockey Romance Anthology by Avery Flynn, Heather Long, Kate Meader, et al

Publisher: Avery Flynn
Format Read: e-book
Source: From the pr firm in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: March 21, 2017
Buying Links: Amazon* | iTunes | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

18 brand new sexy stories from bestselling authors, every one too steamy for the penalty box . . .

20% of royalties from sales of Hot on Ice will go to Homes for our Troops, a charity that builds specially modified homes for injured veterans.

Get ready to fall in love with the smokin’ hot hockey players of the New Orleans Cajun Rage. After this season’s Cinderella run all the way to the Finals, these heroes have won the Cup—and now your heart is the goal.

Excerpt & Giveaway: Thunder Wolf by Heather Long

 

National bestselling author, Heather Long, likes long walks in the park, science fiction, superheroes, Marines, and men who aren’t douche bags. Her books are filled with heroes and heroines tangled in romance as hot as Texas summertime. From paranormal historical westerns to contemporary military romance, Heather might switch genres, but one thing is true in all of her stories—her characters drive the books. When she’s not wrangling her menagerie of animals, she devotes her time to family and friends she considers family. She believes if you like your heroes so real you could lick the grit off their chest, and your heroines so likable, you’re sure you’ve been friends with women just like them, you’ll enjoy her worlds as much as she does.

Excerpt & Giveaway - SHADOW WOLF by Heather Long

National bestselling author, Heather Long, likes long walks in the park, science fiction, superheroes, Marines, and men who aren’t douche bags. Her books are filled with heroes and heroines tangled in romance as hot as Texas summertime. From paranormal historical westerns to contemporary military romance, Heather might switch genres, but one thing is true in all of her stories—her characters drive the books. When she’s not wrangling her menagerie of animals, she devotes her time to family and friends she considers family. She believes if you like your heroes so real you could lick the grit off their chest, and your heroines so likable, you’re sure you’ve been friends with women just like them, you’ll enjoy her worlds as much as she does.

Excerpt & Giveaway: Snow Wolf by Heather Long

National bestselling author, Heather Long, likes long walks in the park, science fiction, superheroes, Marines, and men who aren’t douche bags. Her books are filled with heroes and heroines tangled in romance as hot as Texas summertime. From paranormal historical westerns to contemporary military romance, Heather might switch genres, but one thing is true in all of her stories—her characters drive the books. When she’s not wrangling her menagerie of animals, she devotes her time to family and friends she considers family. She believes if you like your heroes so real you could lick the grit off their chest, and your heroines so likable, you’re sure you’ve been friends with women just like them, you’ll enjoy her worlds as much as she does. (She's also fun on Facebook ~ Bea)

Bea Reviews It's Raining Cats and Frogs! by Harriet Ziefert, Illustrated by Ethan Long

Publisher: Blue Apple Books
Series: ¡Hola, English!
Format Read: eGalley
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: October 14, 2014
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

This bilingual series will appeal both to Spanish-speaking ESL students and English-speaking kids who are learning Spanish. It's Raining Cats and Frogs features plural words and idiomatic expressions. It explores the difference between real and pretend and engages young children in selecting appropriate clothing for wet weather.

CarolKat Reviews Shaken by Heather Long

Publisher: Fated Desires Publishing
Series: The Martini Sisterhood #1
Format Read: Kindle book
Source: Reviewer purchased
Release Date: February 4, 2014
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | ARe* | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

The Martini Sisterhood—five women bonded by the ties of friendship, supporting each other through challenges of surviving love, and loss. For these women, life can change on a whimsical dare and a Magic Eight Ball…

She’s good at sorting out professional messes…

Accountant Zip Collins spends so much time on spreadsheets that’s she’s forgotten what it’s like to tangle between the sheets. During her weekly cocktail hour with the girls, they consult a Magic Eight Ball about her crush on bartender Tony. When the toy advises her to go for it, Zip dares to color outside the lines and go after the man who heats her dreams.

He’s in the middle of a personal trial…

Tony Giordano enjoys Friday nights above all others because it’s the one night a week he’s sure to see his favorite sexy accountant. Having long since resigned Zip to the look, but don’t touch category, he’s blown away by her invitation. Tony's always been a planner, but with his custody battle looming, he's not prepared for the effect she has on him.

One night leaves them both shaken…

What began as a whimsical dare quickly turns passionate, but is an unquenchable desire—and a Magic Eight Ball’s advice—enough for these two planners to risk happily ever after on?

January Covet Blast & $25 Amazon GC Giveaway: Love at Stake & Haunt Me

Covets have all the sexiness, emotion, and happily ever after that readers have come to expect and love from Entangled. They are firmly grounded in the contemporary world, but each novel brings in supernatural twists, breaking the contemporary and paranormal rules, alike. To find out more about their titles, chat with authors, participate in special events, and to find out what books you’ll be coveting next, visit the Entangled website, follow them on Twitter, LIKE their Facebook page, and join the Book Club.

Also, make sure to hop on over the Entangled in Romance blog to join in the fun as Covet challenges readers to share their worst date stories. The worse, the better, hold no punches!

Today I'm happy to be featuring Covet's January releases Love at Stake by Victoria Davies (I'll have an excerpt up next week) and Haunt Me by Heather Long.

Blog Tour: Review, Excerpt & Giveaway of Whiskey Tango Foxtrot by Heather Long

Publisher: Decadent Publishing
Series: The Challenge Series, Always A Marine #10
Format Read: PDF
Source: From Full Moon Bites Promos for an honest review
Release Date: January 8, 2013
Buying Links:  Amazon  Barnes & Noble  ARe  Decadent Publishing

Blurb from goodreads:

For single mom and widow Melody Carter, six months passed since an IED ripped her life apart. Everyone is sympathetic and offers platitudes of comfort and support. Everyone thinks they know why she’s grieving but Melody isn’t mourning her broken heart. She’s ashamed to be grateful her abusive husband won’t hurt her anymore and scared for her child. Born with a mild heart defect, her daughter needs lifesaving surgery and with her funds tight and her emotional scars tighter, she’s running out of options. When she receives an offer for assistance from Mike’s Place, can Melody put her faith in the men her husband called friend?

Have you ever woken up, day after day, to discover your body’s betrayal?

Marine Captain, Joe Anderson Cooper, received the Silver Star for Valor when he led his unit through heavy fire to rescue fellow Marines. Despite numerous injuries, the Captain refused medical aid, insisting that the medics attend others. A broken back and shattered bones put Captain Cooper in a wheelchair and every day is a battle to keep his recovery on track and his sanity intact. When a single mom moves in to the apartment next door to his and he recognizes a kindred—damaged—soul, can he overcome her fear and be the man she’s always needed?

Can these two lonely souls rise to the challenge or will their scars trap them forever?

Bea's Thoughts:

I've been wanting to read Heather Long for a while now so when the opportunity to review this came up I jumped at it. When I received the PDF, I had it converted for my kindle and in the process discovered that I had apparently downloaded for free a Christmas story she wrote in the Always a Marine series. I read it then this one and decided that I like her writing style and that she needs a better copy editor. For such short stories, there was a high level of mistakes. Additionally, the hero in this book has an ever changing surname.

When Joe meets Melody, he introduces himself as Joe Cooper, Captain Joe Cooper, and several times refers to himself in his thoughts as Coop. Then, later, when he and Melody are on the hospital shuttle, he is called Captain Anderson several times. Towards the end of the book he is suddenly Joe Cooper Anderson. It was confusing and annoying. The other problems were incorrect grammar and punctuation, and typos. I can understand a few that are missed but for the length of the piece, there were too many.

Now, the story; I liked it. It's a sweet and romantic story with a happy ending. Long does an excellent job showing us Melody's fear of men, of anyone really, and the lingering effects of abuse. Melody is a devoted mother, and a terrified mother. Her daughter's health is failing and the surgery may not work. After years of abuse, she's scared to reach out to others and she's been isolated from her family. She's relieved that her husband is dead and feels like a fraud for accepting help for her daughter. I did think she recovered a bit too quickly but recovery is so individual that's it not impossible for it to happen so fast. I'd have liked to see some mention towards the end of whether or not she had reconnected with her family but that's a nitpick. :)

Joe is practically perfect, as Melody herself says several times: patient, understanding, always willing to help, never pushes her, etc. But Long also shows us his thoughts so we know that it's not always easy for him and he sometimes has to make an effort to control himself and of course, we see his bitterness over his injuries. Despite his near perfection, he feels real, and so does his family. His mother is overbearing, a pushy broad as my dad would say, but wonderful.

Events moved a little too fast for my own preferences, especially towards the end, but "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot" is a wonderful love story of hope and faith. Joe and Melody are people I'd like to have as friends.

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 Also be sure to check out the rest of the Always a Marine series!

Once Her Man, Always Her Man

Retreat Hell! She Just Got Here

Tell It To The Marine

Proud To Serve Her

Her Marine

No Regrets, No Surrender

Merry Christmas Marine,
Semper Fi & Good Night

The Marine Cowboy

The Two and The Proud

A Marine and A Gentleman

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

Combat Barbie

 

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 Excerpt

Letting herself out of the apartment, she locked up and turned to find her neighbor locking his door. He caught sight of her and smiled. “Good morning.” His deep baritone hummed over her senses. She appreciated the low voiced greeting.

“Good morning.” She wanted to say something more, but her brain locked up around the words. He eased his wheelchair back until nearly off the sidewalk and motioned for her to precede him. Biting her lip, she found another smile for him. “Thank you.” Her heartbeat accelerated and sweat cooled her spine. She didn’t hug the wall, but she couldn’t help widening the distance between them.

The wheels made the faintest squeaking noise after she passed, and she glanced back to see him following her down the path toward the parking lot. Maybe she should have offered to push. He wore an olive green t-shirt and a matching pair of slacks, though they were cut up the side of the large cast encasing his right leg from mid-thigh to his toes.

He—Joe, he said his name was Joe—met her gaze and gave her another easy smile. His eyes crinkled at the corners and the dimple in his cheek deepened. The sidewalk widened and she slowed to let him catch up.

“I’m sorry. I’m not the best company this morning.”

“No worries, ma’am. Little ones take a lot out of a body.” The buttery softness of his voice washed over her like a soothing balm—like the night before when he knocked on her door and introduced himself. He scared the hell out of her, but not in the same breath.

I must be tired. I have no idea what I’m feeling from one moment to the next. As if summoned by her thought, fatigue wavered through her and she stumbled. The diaper bag swung down her arm. She couldn’t catch it and hold the baby at the same time. Joe stopped the bag’s arc, and gave her a chance to catch her balance.

“May I?” He offered, still holding the bag.

May he what…? He wanted to carry the bag for her and she winced. It was heavy and he…

“I have plenty of room and then you don’t have to worry about it taking you off balance again.” The sound logic quashed her natural objections. She shifted Libby carefully and let the strap fall off her arm. Her internal alarms sounded. Giving him the bag didn’t give him some kind of power over her, but her gut tightened at the surrender of her possession.

He settled the bag against his lap and nodded encouragingly. “Just point me to your car…”

“Oh, I don’t drive. Well, I do but I’m not driving here. I’m actually just staying here for a few weeks and I’m waiting for the shuttle.” She tacked the last on with a grimace. “And apparently I’m as muddleheaded for real as I feel. Sorry. Thank you. The shuttle is scheduled to pick us up here in about…” She couldn’t look at her watch.

“Two minutes.” The captain supplied. “I’m waiting for the same shuttle.” His warm brown gaze turned studious. “Are you okay?”

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About Heather ~ 

Heather Long lives in Texas with her family and their menagerie of animals. As a child, Heather skipped picture books and enjoyed the Harlequin romance novels by Penny Jordan and Nora Roberts that her grandmother read to her. Heather believes that laughter is as important to life as breathing and that the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus are very real. In the meanwhile, she is hard at work on her next novel.

Find Heather online:

Website | Facebook | Series Facebook | Twitter |

 

Decadent Publishing

Sign up for Decadent Publishing’s Newsletter | Follow on Twitter | Like us on Facebook |

For more information about Decadent Publishing authors, books, and their submissions guidelines, visit www.decadentpublishing.com.

 

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There's a tour wide giveaway for 2 Ebook copies of a backlist book in the Always a Marine series by Heather Long (winners choice).

Follow the tour  

Ends 04/30/2013

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Spotlight On: Once Her Man, Always Her Man by Heather Long

 

Today, please welcome romance author Heather Long. Heather lives in Texas with her family and their menagerie of animals. As a child, Heather skipped picture books and enjoyed the Harlequin romance novels by Penny Jordan and Nora Roberts that her grandmother read to her. Heather believes that laughter is as important to life as breathing and that the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus are very real. In the meanwhile, she is hard at work on her next novel.  

    

Book Blurb (from author):

Fulfilling a favor and executing a business plan, Luke Dexter arrived at Dallas’ Sybarite Club for a one-night stand. He never imagined that in the darkened club with bluesy strains of jazz playing he’d come face to face with the woman he left behind a decade earlier.

Rebecca Rainier fell in love with Luke Dexter in high school and was crushed when he dumped her to join the Marines after 9/11. Now, waiting for a date her best friend and business partner set up, she’s unprepared when Luke walks in.

Can Luke and Rebecca bridge the pain of a decade long abandonment in one cold Texas night?

ONCE HER MAN, ALWAYS HER MAN
By: Heather Long
Publisher: Decadent Publishing
ASIN: B007SFPGDG
Genre: FICTION, ROMANCE,
Format:  EBOOK
Length: 490 KB
Release Date: April 7, 2012
Website
Twitter
Facebook

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EXCERPT 

Luke Dexter handed his keys over to the red corseted valet driver, gaze skimming the generous globes peeking up from the open buttons of her white shirt. The Sybarite Club offered the Dallas area generous access to every pleasure. He slipped a card out of his leather wallet and displayed it to the doorman. The doorman, a tall, lanky figure dressed in topcoat and tails exuded a sense of elegance that the club's exclusive clientele enjoyed.

The doorman examined the card, scanned it with a small device in his palm. Luke admired the cageyness of the action. The pen scanner would be out of place with the old world atmosphere encouraged by the man's uniform. “Good evening, Mr. Dexter. Welcome to the Sybarite Club.”

Accepting his card back, he passed through the opening doublewide doors. The gothic style doors were dark cherry, aged like a fine wine and a decorated with wood cut carvings of a man and woman engaged in cunnilingus and fellatio. The joining was subtle, the each left crying out in pleasure when the door opened, only to be joined again when the doors closed.

Amused by the door carving, he smiled as he plunged into the velvet darkness of the club's jazz infused atmosphere. Every night featured a different style of music, but Fridays were reserved for jazz. Old world, cool smooth jazz with smoky voices, haunting guitars and lonely horns played to the soul. The doors barely closed behind him when his phone buzzed inside his breast pocket.
How did the woman know these things?

Pulling it out, he thumbed it on, a new message from Madame Evangeline of the 1Night Stand exclusive online dating service populating the screen. She's dressed in green silk and sitting at the bar. Life doesn't always offer a second chance…

Clicking the screen off, Luke walked down the four red-carpeted steps into the lounge proper. He'd only agreed to the dating service only to support the men in his unit putting themselves out there. The last thing he'd expected was the invitation to the Sybarite Club. His gaze roamed the room the room, coming to a halt as they fastened on a pair of to die for tan legs at the bar. The sweet length of them, one crossed over the other ended in black heels with crystals glittering around dainty feet.

A green skirt skimmed her knees. While he appreciated the legs, he studied the line of her back, curious about the rest of her. His gaze slid higher to the pile of unruly auburn hair fighting to escape a pair of matching crystal hair combs.

As though sensing his appraisal, the green cloaked mystery woman turned on the bar stool and his heart tripped.

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Want to read more? "Once Her Man, Always Her Man" is available now. Go pick up your copy today!