Q&A with Shannon Stacey w/a Mini Review & Giveaway of Falling for Max

I am delighted to have Shannon Stacey back on the blog. She was here back in April with a guest post for her book, "Taken With You". Today she's here answering some questions about her new book, "Falling For Max", which released last month. At the end of the interview you'll find my review and a giveaway so get comfy, and enjoy!

1. Can you tell us a little bit about your new release, Falling for Max?

Falling for Max is the ninth book in my Kowalski family series, and it’s about Max Crawford and Tori Burns. Max is single, has great couches, a big TV, and loves to have people over to watch sports, which is how he’s eased into friendships in Whitford. He’s also the resident man of mystery, since nobody knows what he does for a living down in his basement. Tori moved to Whitford to escape her parents’ acrimonious divorce and works part time at the diner to offset the lack of a social life working from home can cause. When she finds out awkward, shy Max is trying to find himself a wife, Tori decides to help him because she genuinely likes him. But she might found out too late that she likes him more than she thought.

GIVEAWAY!! Fool's Gold Tote bag

Thanks to Meryl L. Moss Media, I have an awesome set of tote bags to give away as part of Susan Mallery's tour for her new Fool's Gold book, "Until We Touch". We're giving away the totes and goodies below. You can read my interview with Susan here.

• Susan Mallery luggage tag
• Susan Mallery Fool's Gold tote bag
• Susan Mallery nail file
• Susan Mallery makeup bag with mirror
• Bliss spa Naked Body Butter Maximum Moisture Cream, 6.7 fl oz ($29 value)
• Bliss spa Fabulous Foaming Body Wash, 16 fl oz ($20 value)
• Bliss spa tote
• Until We Touch blog tour badge
• Map of downtown Fool’s Gold and character reference list
• Fool’s Gold postcard
• “What is your romance novel name?” postcard

To enter, use the rafflecopter below. Giveaway ends Saturday July 12th at 11:59PM EST. Open to US residents only. Please read my Giveaway Policy.

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Interview with Romance Author Susan Mallery

Good morning and welcome to my stop on Susan Mallery's tour for her new book, "Until We Touch", part of her Fool's gold series. Susan is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who has entertained millions of readers with her witty and emotional stories about women and the relationships that define their lives. She has published more than 100 romance and women’s fiction novels beginning with two books the same month when she was just out of college. Susan has a bachelor’s degree in accounting and went on to get a master’s in writing popular fiction and has extensively studied story structure in screenwriting courses. Her goal, always, is to give readers a story that will move them, populated with characters who feel like real people. Born and raised in California, Susan now lives with her family in Seattle, where she survives the dreary days of winter with the help of a “happy lamp” and plenty of coffee.

Find Susan Online:

website
facebook
twitter
Google+
Instagram
goodreads

Blog Tour Review of FaceOff, edited by David Baldacci

Publisher: Simon & Schuster 
Format Read: print ARC
Source: PR firm in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: June 3, 2014
Buying Links: Amazon* | OmniLit* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Edited by #1 New York Times bestselling author David Baldacci and including stories by Michael Connelly, Lee Child, Jeffery Deaver, and more, this one-of-a-kind anthology pulls together the most beloved characters from the best and most popular thriller series today. Worlds collide!

In an unprecedented collaboration, twenty-three of the world’s bestselling and critically acclaimed thriller writers have paired their series characters—such as Harry Bosch, Jack Reacher, and Lincoln Rhyme—in an eleven-story anthology curated by the International Thriller Writers (ITW). All of the contributors to FaceOff are ITW members and the stories feature these dynamic duos:

· Harry Bosch vs. Patrick Kenzie in “Red Eye,” by Michael Connelly and Dennis Lehane

· John Rebus vs. Roy Grace in “In the Nick of Time,” by Ian Rankin and Peter James

· Slappy the Ventriloquist Dummy vs. Aloysius Pendergast in “Gaslighted,” by R.L. Stine, Douglas Preston, and Lincoln Child

· Malachai Samuels vs. D.D. Warren in “The Laughing Buddha,” by M.J. Rose and Lisa Gardner

· Paul Madriani vs. Alexandra Cooper in “Surfing the Panther,” by Steve Martini and Linda Fairstein

· Lincoln Rhyme vs. Lucas Davenport in “Rhymes With Prey,” by Jeffery Deaver and John Sandford

· Michael Quinn vs. Repairman Jack in “Infernal Night,” by Heather Graham and F. Paul Wilson

· Sean Reilly vs. Glen Garber in “Pit Stop,” by Raymond Khoury and Linwood Barclay

· Wyatt Hunt vs. Joe Trona in “Silent Hunt,” by John Lescroart and T. Jefferson Parker

· Cotton Malone vs. Gray Pierce in “The Devil’s Bones,” by Steve Berry and James Rollins

· Jack Reacher vs. Nick Heller in “Good and Valuable Consideration,” by Lee Child and Joseph Finder

So sit back and prepare for a rollicking ride as your favorite characters go head-to-head with some worthy opponents in FaceOff—it’s a thrill-a-minute read.

Blog Tour Review of Retribution by Anderson Harp

Publisher: Pinnacle Books
Series: Will Parker Thriller #1
Format Read: print ARC
Source: Meryl L Media in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: February 25, 2014
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | ARe* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

The remote and impenetrable Pakistani mountains have offered refuge to the worst enemies of civilization since the time of Alexander. Now, the world faces a new challenge. Reared from birth to harbor a seething hatred, a lone man is about to unleash a firestorm that will rage for centuries. And the window of opportunity to stop him is shutting much faster than Washington D.C. can hope to deal with.

GIVEAWAY: Nothing Personal by Mike Offit

Have you seen the movie, "The Wolf of Wall Street"? I have and it was...interesting. It's based on the true story of Jordan Belfort, from his rise to a wealthy stockbroker living the high life, to his fall involving crime, corruption, and the federal government. "Nothing Personal" by Mike Offit is a fictional thriller that sounds a lot like "The Wolf of Wall Street" and was presumably inspired by the story. 

Thanks to Meryl L. Moss Media, I have one hardcover copy to give away to a US reader. Sorry, it is US only. Enter using the rafflecopter below. Please read my Giveaway Policy.

MONEY, MAYHEM AND MURDER

Intoxicated by grand wealth, some will risk everything to succeed.
The rewards of Wall Street come fast and furious. Too fast for some; not fast enough for others. The Street is where big money is made and it’s all based on the same drive – greed. This is where the Milkens and Boeskys seemed joined at the hip in a cacophony of insatiable debauchery.

Drawing on his background as a successful Wall Street real estate trader, Mike Offit has penned a stellar debut thriller that divulges the gulf between success and failure as only a true insider could.

The result is "NOTHING PERSONAL: a Novel of Wall Street" (Thomas Dunne Books; Feb. 11, 2014; $25.99) that recounts the dazzling story of a bright young man who stumbles into a career in finance in the early 1980s. His rapid rise exposes the inner workings of the amoral, crude, and brutal world of top-tier investment banking.

Having worked the Street, Offit has written a novel that sometimes reads like nonfiction and takes his readers on an fascinating exploration into the world of big business and guilty pleasures, where the seduction of wealth, and the excesses of 1980s Wall Street, come jumping off the pages. New York Times acclaimed author Norb Vonnegut says, “NOTHING PERSONAL" is a riveting look inside the big money games of Wall Street…a book you won’t put down.”

With "NOTHING PERSONAL", Offit delivers a gripping story filled with complex and cunning characters, unscrupulous corporate behavior, and the insatiable lust for money in a deeply corrupt world.

MIKE OFFIT began his Wall Street real estate trading career after graduating from Brown University, and obtained significant success on the Street. After his departure, he turned back to his original passion: writing. He lives in New York City.

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Bea Reviews The Last Savanna by Mike Bond & Adventurer's Kit Giveaway

Publisher: Mandevilla Press

Format Read: eGalley

Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Release Date: January 15, 2014

Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | Barnes & Noble Nook | Barnes & Noble Paperback |

* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission for purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

With Africa's last elephants dying under the poachers' guns, Kenya rancher and former SAS officer Ian MacAdam leads a commando squad against them. Pursuing the poachers through jungled mountains and searing deserts he battles thirst, solitude, terror and lethal animals, only to find that the poachers have kidnapped a young archaeologist, Rebecca Hecht, whom he once loved and bitterly lost. 

McAdam embarks upon a desperate trek to save not only Rebecca but his own soul in an Africa torn apart by wars, overpopulation, and the slaughter of its last wildlife. Based on the author's experiences pursuing elephant poachers in the wilds of East Africa.

Q&A with Lori Foster and Giveaway of Getting Rowdy

Welcome to my stop on the Getting Rowdy blog tour. Lori Foster is back again for another quick interview (I also interviewed Lori last October.) and then her publisherHarlequin, and PR firm Meryl L Moss Media, are giving away a paperback copy of "Getting Rowdy".

Since first publishing in January 1996, Lori Foster has become a Waldenbooks, Borders, USA Today, Publisher’s Weekly and New York Times bestselling author of over 70 novellas and novels. She currently writes single titles for HQN. Lori believes it’s important to give back to the community as much as possible, and for that reason she ran special contests in conjunction with a publisher, facilitating many first sales for new authors. She routinely organizes events among authors and readers to gather donations for various organizations.

Giveaway! 2 New Mysteries - Death Never Sleeps and Saving Paradise

Meryl L. Moss Media sent me a couple of mysteries that I just don't have the time to read so, rather than have them sit collecting dust on my shelves, I'm giving them away to two US readers, one book per winner.

The first book is Death Never Sleeps by E. J. Simon ~

DO THE DEAD HAVE SMARTPHONES?

The problem with Alex Nicholas is that he won't stay dead.

Alex Nicholas was the consummate Queens bookie: fast cars and even faster women, and friends in all the wrong places. As an illegal sports betting and loan shark king in New York City, Alex was fearless-until the night his luck ran out and someone leveled the silver barrel of an automatic on him and pulled the trigger.

Michael Nicholas was everything his brother Alex was not: a powerful, married straight-arrow corporate CEO living the American Dream. Their two worlds collide when Michael discovers his brother's secret laptop.

As Michael crosses the globe to find his brother's murder, can he avoid his brother's fate? And can the information contained in the laptop help Alex reach out to help Michael-from beyond the grave.

The second book is Saving Paradise by  Mike Bonds ~

When a beautiful journalist drowns mysteriously off Waikiki, Hawaii, Special Forces veteran Pono Hawkins, now a well-known surfer and international correspondent for surfing magazines, soon gets embroiled in trying to find out why she died. What he quickly learns makes him a target for murder or life in prison as a cabal of powerful corporations, foreign killers and crooked politicians places the blame on him. Haunted by memories of Afghanistan, and determined to protect the Hawaii he loves from dirty politics tied to huge destructive energy developments, Pono turns to Special Forces buddies and his own covert skills to fight his deadly enemies, trying both save himself and find her killers. Alive with the sights, sounds and history of Hawaii, SAVING PARADISE is also a deepy rich portrait of what Pono calls the seamy side of paradise, and an exciting thriller of politics, lies and remorseless murder.

 The giveaway is US only and ends Friday October 18th at 11:59 PM EST. Enter using the rafflecopter widgets below. Please read my Giveaway Policy.

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Review of The Stranger You Know by Andrea Kane

Publisher: Harlequin MIRA
Series: Forensic Instincts #3
Format Read: Hardcover
Source: Meryl L. Moss Media in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: September 24, 2013
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; clicking & purchasing results in a small commission for the blog.

Blurb from goodreads:

It begins with a chilling phone call to Casey Woods. And ends with another girl dead.

College-age girls with long red hair. Brutally murdered, they're posed like victims in a film noir. Each crime scene is eerily similar to the twisted fantasy of a serial offender now serving thirty years to life-a criminal brought to justice with the help of Forensic Instincts.

Call. Kill. Repeat. But the similarities are more than one psychopath's desire to outdo another. As more red-headed victims are added to the body count, it becomes clear that each one has been chosen because of a unique connection to Casey-a connection that grows closer and closer to her.

Now the Forensic Instincts team must race to uncover the identity of a serial killer before his ever-tightening circle of death closes in on Casey as the ultimate target. As the stalker methodically moves in on his prey, his actions make one thing clear: he knows everything about Casey. And Casey realizes that this psychopathic won't stop until he makes sure she's dead.

Blog Tour Review & Giveaway of Declan's Cross by Carla Neggers

Publisher: Harlequin MIRA
Series: Sharpe & Donovan #3
Format Read: Hardcover
Source: print book from PR firm & egalley from the publisher
Release Date: August 27, 2013
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; clicking & purchasing results in a small commission for the blog

Blurb from goodreads:

An escape to an idyllic Irish seaside village is about to turn deadly in this riveting new novel by master of romantic suspense Carla Neggers.

For marine biologist Julianne Maroney, two weeks in tiny Declan's Cross on the south Irish coast is a chance to heal her broken heart. She doesn't expect to attract the attention of FBI agents Emma Sharpe and Colin Donovan—especially since a Donovan is the reason for her broken heart.

Emma and Colin are in Ireland for their own personal retreat. Colin knows he's a reminder of everything Julianne wants to escape, but something about her trip raises his suspicion. Emma, an art crimes expert, is also on edge. Of all the Irish villages Julianne could choose…why Declan's Cross?

Ten years ago, a thief slipped into a mansion in Declan's Cross. Emma's grandfather, a renowned art detective, investigated, but the art stolen that night has never been recovered and the elusive thief never caught.

From the moment Julianne sets foot on Irish soil, everything goes wrong. The well-connected American diver who invited her to Ireland has disappeared. And now Emma and Colin are in Declan's Cross asking questions.

As a dark conspiracy unfolds amid the breathtaking scenery of Declan's Cross, the race is on to stop a ruthless killer…and the stakes have never been more personal for Emma and Colin.

Excerpt from Love Gone Mad by Mark Rubinstein

Blurb from press release:

When attractive and successful heart surgeon Adrian Douglas meets Megan Haggarty, a beautiful neonatal ICU nurse, at the hospital where they work—it’s as if the stars aligned to bring them together. Neither is aware of the dark shadow that is following close behind them. Strange and frightening events begin happening to each of them: burglarized houses, flowers sent anonymously with ominous messages, and the eerie feeling that someone is watching and following them at all times. They have a stalker—who is not only brilliant and crafty, but is seeking revenge for a crime  

that lives only in his own mind.  After nearly being run off the road, Adrian and Megan realize their lives are threatened. Danger escalates as the stalker breaks into their homes then pursues them with deadly intent.

After Adrian fights for his life, the perpetrator is arrested. The gripping trial seems to return a semblance of normalcy—but not for long.  More chilling surprises await the couple as Love Gone Mad concludes with an ending that will leave the readers questioning the country’s legal system and the competence of some members of the psychiatric community.

Publisher: Thunder Lake Press
Formats: ebook, paperback
Release Date: September 1, 2013
Buying Links: Amazon*  | Book Depository* | Barnes & Noble

Interview with Dr. Joe Wenke, author of "You Got to be Kidding!"

Today's interview is with Dr. Joe Wenke, who wrote a satire on the Bible, "You Got To Be Kidding Me!" It's in my TBR and sooner or later I'll get it read and reviewed. I was a philosophy and religion major at college and I'm a religious liberal so this book calls to me.

JOE WENKE is an outspoken and articulate LGBTQ rights activist. He is the founder and publisher of Trans Über, a publishing company with a focus on LBGTQ rights, free thought and promoting equality for all people.  Wenke is the author of Mailer’s America and You Got to be Kidding! The Cultural Arsonist's Satirical Reading of the Bible. His next book, Papal Bull: An Ex-Catholic Calls Out the Catholic Church, will be published this fall along with his first novel, The Talk Show.

Q & A with Romance Author Susan Mallery & TWO Giveaways!!

Today I have a short interview with author Susan Mallery. She's on tour to celebrate the release of her newest Fool's Gold book, "Three Little Words".

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author SUSAN MALLERY is known for emotionally complex stories told with charm and wit. With a keen eye for human nature, she breathes life into characters on the page and was recently honored with a prestigious National Readers’ Choice Award. Susan has lived all over the United States, including a childhood in the suburbs of Los Angeles, graduate school in the hills of Pennsylvania and several years in Texas. These days, she makes her home in Seattle, Washington. She’s there for the coffee, not the weather. She’s also very active on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads, and has been known to invite her fans to help her name characters and brainstorm aspects of her books.

Find Susan online:

website -  www.SusanMallery.com
facebook - https://www.facebook.com/SusanMallery
twitter - https://twitter.com/susanmallery
goodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8716.Susan_Mallery

Bea Reviews From This Moment On by Bella Andre

Publisher: Harlequin MIRA
Series: The Sullivans #2
Format Read: Print ARC
Source: From Meryl L Moss Media in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: June 25, 2013
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository*
* affiliate links; clicking & purchasing results in a small commission for the blog.

Blurb from goodreads:

Expanded Edition! More Story! More Sullivans!

Fans of Bella Andre's Sullivan Series will love this long-awaited print edition of FROM THIS MOMENT ON. It features a longer, more-detailed story with all the emotion and sensuality that readers love. Not to be missed!

Just one night…

Marcus Sullivan has always been the responsible older brother, stepping in to take care of his seven siblings when their father died. But when the perfectly ordered future he's planned turns out to be a lie, Marcus needs one reckless night to shake free from it all.

Known throughout the world by only one name—Nico—pop songstress Nicola Harding is seen as the ultimate sex kitten. But it's all a lie. After a terrible betrayal she refuses to let anyone else close enough to find out who she really is…or to hurt her again. Especially the gorgeous stranger at the bar.

One night is all Nicola and Marcus agree to share with each other. But instead, a deeper connection than either of them could have anticipated begins….

Bea Reviews The Libra Affair by Daco

Publisher: Crimson Romance
Format Read: Mobi file
Source: BookTrib in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: April 8, 2013
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | OmniLit
* affiliate link; clicking & purchasing results in a small commission for the blog.

Blurb from goodreads:

Her Mission: Launch an ICBM

Code Name: Libra

Obstacle: Love

When it s time for double-agent Jordan Jakes, a CIA covert operative, to launch a missile in the remote desert of the Middle East, she s forced to tell her blind asset, NASA scientist Ben Johnson, that their love affair is finished. Only the breakup turns out to be more difficult than she anticipates and it s not just because she's developed intense feelings for the guy.

When she disappears without a trace, Ben will stop at nothing to find the one woman who he s fallen for hard and fast even if it means boarding a plane that lands him in the middle of a country most Americans might think twice about entering Iran.Surviving takes more than being one step ahead of their enemies. Jordan and Ben must peel back the layers of their emotional armor to overcome a series of obstacles before they can accomplish Jordan s mission. If they have any hope of making it out of the Middle East alive and forming a lasting relationship, they must surrender to love.

Sensuality Level: Sensual

Blog Tour Review: CarolKat Reviews Being Me by Lisa Renee Jones

Publisher: Gallery Books
Series: Inside Out #2
Format Read: Trade paperback
Source: Meryl L Moss Media in exchange for an honest review.
Release Date: June 11, 2013
Buying Links: Amazon* | The Book Depository* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; clicking & purchasing results in a small commission for the blog.

Blurb from goodreads:

NOW OPTIONED TO STARZ for TV!

The sexy second installment in the Inside Out erotic romance trilogy, following If I Were You—in the seductive tradition of Fifty Shades of Grey.  

Fascinated by the dark fantasies in the journals she’s discovered, and the two men who have now found a place in her life, Sara McMillan finds herself torn between her new life and her past. Now, more than ever, Sara identifies with the lost journal writer, Rebecca, and is certain that something sinister has happened. 

In the arms of the sexy, tormented artist Chris Merit, Sara seeks answers about Rebecca and ends up discovering things about herself she never knew existed. Chris forces Sara to reconsider who she is and what she truly wants from life, but not before his dark desires threaten to tear them apart. Her boss, Mark Compton, offers her the shelter to understand just what those needs mean to her, and what they might have meant to Rebecca, but can she trust him to lead her to a final conclusion to Rebecca’s story? 

Blog Tour Review of Marilyn's Red Diary by E.Z. Friedel

Publisher: Beach Hut Publishing
Format Read: print ARC
Source: Meryl L Moss PR in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: June 1, 2013
Buying Links: Barnes & Noble | Amazon* | The Book Depository*
* affiliate links; clicking & purchasing results in a small commission for the blog.

Blurb from goodreads:

Marilyn's Red Diary is shocking, funny, scandalous and sad but always brutally honest. Marilyn Monroe is caught between intellectual giants - her award-winning playwright husband Arthur Miller and her dashing politician boyfriend Jack. Then along comes Jack's fiery brother Bobby. The world's dream girl relates her intimate adventures with many of the era's who's who. Marilyn's Red Diary is a touching portrait of a hard-working, extremely bright woman, trapped in her own sensuality and, tragically, born far ahead of her time.

Review of The King's Deception by Steve Berry

Publisher: Ballantine Books
Series: Cotton Malone #8
Format Read: Hardcover
Source: Meryl L Moss Media in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: June 11, 2013
Buying Links: Amazon | The Book Depository | Barnes & Noble

Blurb from goodreads:

Cotton Malone is back! Steve Berry’s new international adventure blends gripping contemporary political intrigue, Tudor treachery, and high-octane thrills into one riveting novel of suspense.

Cotton Malone and his fifteen-year-old son, Gary, are headed to Europe. As a favor to his former boss at the Justice Department, Malone agrees to escort a teenage fugitive back to England. But after he is greeted at gunpoint in London, both the fugitive and Gary disappear, and Malone learns that he’s stumbled into a high-stakes diplomatic showdown—an international incident fueled by geopolitical gamesmanship and shocking Tudor secrets.

At its heart is the Libyan terrorist convicted of bombing Pan Am Flight 103, who is set to be released by Scottish authorities for “humanitarian reasons.” An outraged American government objects, but nothing can persuade the British to intervene.
 
Except, perhaps, Operation King’s Deception.
 
Run by the CIA, the operation aims to solve a centuries-old mystery, one that could rock Great Britain to its royal foundations.
 
Blake Antrim, the CIA operative in charge of King’s Deception, is hunting for the spark that could rekindle a most dangerous fire, the one thing that every Irish national has sought for generations: a legal reason why the English must leave Northern Ireland. The answer is a long-buried secret that calls into question the legitimacy of the entire forty-five-year reign of Elizabeth I, the last Tudor monarch, who completed the conquest of Ireland and seized much of its land. But Antrim also has a more personal agenda, a twisted game of revenge in which Gary is a pawn. With assassins, traitors, spies, and dangerous disciples of a secret society closing in, Malone is caught in a lethal bind. To save Gary he must play one treacherous player against another—and only by uncovering the incredible truth can he hope to prevent the shattering consequences of the King’s Deception.

Interview with Bella Andre

New York Times and USA TODAY best-selling author Bella Andre first self-published her series, The Sullivans, and then it was picked up by Harlequin. The books have been re-edited and contain new material. Meryl L. Moss has teamed up with Harlequin and Bella Andre to celebrate the print release of the first three books in her sizzling The Sullivans series THE LOOK OF LOVE (June 2013), FROM THIS MOMENT ON (July 2013) and CAN’T HELP FALLING IN LOVE (August 2013) with a blog tour! 

You can read my review of book one, THE LOOK OF LOVE, here. I'll also be reviewing the next two books this summer so stop back to check out my reviews. In the meantime, here's a brief Q&A with Bella herself.