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Friday, June 26, 2015

Special Sale: MY CLARITY by @MaryTing + Giveaway!


About My Clarity:



Still reeling from the death of her father, Alexandria hopes to find both independence and reprieve from her grief by heading off to college. However, life throws her a serious curveball when she discovers that her roommate isn’t quite the person she had imagined.

Smoking, tattoos, and street racing for fast cash are Elijah’s only interests. A harsh life has made him apathetic and indifferent, until Alexandria enters his life. When their paths cross, turmoil abounds.

An inevitable encounter, an undeniable attraction, and an unexpected chance at love—will it be enough?



Grab a copy of My Clarity today:




US |UK |B&N |AU |CA |Kobo |Google Play |IBooks


Pre-Order My Serenity today:


When tragedy strikes, Seth Stewart is forced to return home after the death of his beloved father. The unexpected detour forces him to oversee the family’s auto shop and restaurant business, and Seth must kiss the prestigious internship goodbye after his first year at Berkeley Business School. When he collides with his first crush after his arrival, Seth wonders what possibly could have happened to Josefina Anders.

Josefina has hidden many secrets she is too ashamed to share with anyone, especially Seth. When they cross paths again, the urge to relive their past lingers in her mind even though she knows he couldn’t accept her sketchy past. Things get even more complicated when her mother returns, as well as her overly possessive ex, who decides to crash into her fragile existence all over again.

Will Seth’s connection for Josefina be strong enough to see past her secrets, or will he realize he can’t rekindle an old flame?
Amazon | UK | CA | AU  | IBooks | Google | B&N | Kobo

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Monday, June 15, 2015

Blog Tour: Post-Traumatic Brazilian Wax Syndrome by @TamaraLyon


About The Book:



Post-Traumatic Brazilian Wax Syndrome
By: Tamara Lyon
Pages: 348
Published: May 29, 2015
Bristow Sparks, an interior designer in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, has just landed the contract of a lifetime, working for the Cherry Wyeland, volatile reality star and CEO of Wine-A-Lot. Designing for a crazy person is an around-the-clock commitment. It frays Bristow’s nerves and forces her to compromise in unimaginable ways, but, given that the finished product will be featured on The Decorating Network, she must succeed.

While her professional life is hot, her personal life is barely room temperature. After surviving the relentless media spotlight because of a personal tragedy and a traitorous ex-boyfriend, Bristow flies so far under the radar she can’t even be detected. A homebody to the core, she binges on episodes of the Showtime series, Dexter, lives in sweatpants, and is addicted to exercise and Oreos.

As for relationships? She has fallen hard and fast for witty and adventurous Jack Hoffmann. However, after their disastrous first date where Bristow collides with a park bench among other mortifying mishaps, they are unfortunately just friends. At least there’s one male sharing her bed, even if it’s only Vegas, her theatrical golden retriever.

For her twenty-ninth birthday, Bristow goes out of her comfort zone and gets a makeover at an elite spa. Post-Brazilian wax and in excruciating pain, Bristow realizes that she’s been in a post-traumatic state for years. She vows to start taking risks again. When she finally goes after what and whom she wants, no matter the cost, tragedy strikes again . . . 
Purchase The Book:

Follow The Tour:
June 15thHeather Ann's Book Reviews – Review

June 16thJ & J Book Bangers – Review  

June 17thBookish Lifestyle – Review 

June 18thA Diary of A Book Addict – Review 

June 19thRoom With Books – Review 

June 19thLaura's Interests – Review/Top Ten

June 19thAll For The Love of the Word – Character Interview/Top Ten

June 19thBooks & Bling – Author Interview

June 19thThe Reader and The Chef – Review 

June 19thPixie Vixen Book Reviews – Review 

June 19thKaidans Seduction – Review/Guest Post

June 19thNicole Alamillo – Review


About The Author:


Post-Traumatic Brazilian Wax Syndrome is loosely inspired by an unfortunate, painful event that occurred three years ago and is critically acclaimed author Tamara Lyon’s sixth novel. Her previous works include The Ugly Tree series, a Flamingnet Top Choice Award winner, 2011 Next Generation Indie Finalist, Eric Hoffer Finalist, and Midwest Book Award Finalist. In 2010 her novel, Fixing Forever Broken, earned an IPPY Award for romance. Lyon has taken her recent books in a decidedly chick-lit direction and creates characters and stories that are refreshingly and humorously real. She makes her home in Wisconsin with her talented husband, cycling-superstar son, and counter-surfing golden retriever, Macy.

Social Media Links:
Giveaway:
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Giveaway image by Allison at The Reading Escape

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Saturday, June 13, 2015

I am a Voyeur not a Player (Conclusion to Rock-star -A Love Story) @RubyIyer


About the Book:




The Many Lives of Ruby Iyer
By: Laxmi Hariharan
Pages: 300
Release Date: November 13, 2014
Publisher: Books@Jacaranda

A YA action thriller, with strong dystopian undertones and a kick-ass protagonist, taking you on a white knuckle ride through a disintegrating Bombay City.

A terrifying encounter propels Ruby Iyer from her everyday commute into a battle for her own survival. Trusting her instincts, she fights for the things she believes in, led on a mysterious path between life and death on the crowded roads of Bombay; and when her best friend is kidnapped by the despotic Dr Braganza, she will do anything to rescue him. Anything, including taking the help of the sexy Vikram Roy, a cop-turned-rogue, on a mission to save Bombay. The city needs all the help it can get, and these two are the only thing standing between its total destruction by Dr Braganza's teen army. As Bombay falls apart, will Ruby be able to save her friend and the city?

Will she finally discover her place in a city where she has never managed to fit in? And what about her growing feelings for Vikram?
  Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon India | Paperback

Guest Post:



I am a Voyeur not a Player
(Conclusion to Rock-star - a Love Story)

“You are not the only one on this planet you know?” Tiina can hear the anger threading through the girl's voice like a whiplash.

His voice drops to a murmur in reply so she can’t hear the words. She watches in surprise then as they embrace. Oh! So that’s how this goes? A touch has her looking up in surprise, her eyes taking a second to adjust from peering at the scene being played out under the spotlight to the figure towering next to her, “you need to go get your own life, not watch on while others live out theirs’ ”

“I am a voyeur not a player” she replies, glad that her blush cannot possibly be seen under the cover of darkness.

“One has to suffer for one’s art…and for one’s heart,” says Neil his eyes fixed on the spectacle unfolding on stage. 

As if sensing his glance the rock-star looks back at him, his eyes darting to Tina, pinning them with his stare. Can he see into my soul? Surely in that one look he has grasped everything about me, where I came from, my past… is he the oracle I should ask about my future? 

In reply to her unspoken question he raises his head, shakes back his mane of long dirty brown hair, holds up both his arms as if asking the white light to swallow him up, bear him on their wings and above everything below, and screams, a primal, from the pits of his guts-through-his-heart-and out of his mouth-come and get me if you can scream. And the girls in the crowd scream right back, in unison, answering his mating call. He is their guru, they are his slaves. They will happily follow him to hell and back, a million times. And then the tidal wave of sound pours over her, under him next to her, through the one on stage, and into the audience, covering all in a sheen of bleached silence. 

She watches it all unfold without hearing anymore. Not the music, nor the screaming from the crowd, or the bass pounding. It is as if there are people everywhere. They squeeze into each other, climbing over the shoulders of the ones in front to wave their hands in manic abandon, all jumping, dancing, crying. 

The lights follow him in a complicated, sinuous move, caressing his body, making him glow, ethereal like the sun god. Then just when she thinks that it can’t get any louder, he points to the audience, and following his cue the spotlight shines on them—they are his sacrifice—and all of them, it must be every single living organism in the room even the lizard on the ceiling shriek in one voice. 

Suddenly Tiina is screaming with them. Without realizing it she is hanging onto the arm of the human male next to her, gripping him in excitement, jumping up and down, and mirroring the headshake that she has seen earlier. She is soaring with the crowd surfers then, and the world has stopped. All that matters is the music, distracting her from everything, detaching her from everyone in the galaxy, connected to the one on stage by an umbilical chord, which pumps her full with adrenaline, she can't stop. 

She does not know the song, but that does not matter. 

Heart racing she is drenched. Is it her own sweat, or the perspiration from the crowd spraying around the room like a shower head—it matters not. As suddenly as it has begun it is over. She realizes there is no more music. 


The rock-star turns observer, smiling broadly, he watches the crowd senseless with the sound he has created, and slowly they quieten down, one by one watching their creator, till every last one is silent looking back at him. In the complete silence that follows he claps his hands once, twice, and the crowd takes it up on the third….
Ishal… shal… Mishaal…

Meet the Author:


A near life experience told Laxmi Hariharan to write. She never stopped.

Laxmi is the creator of Ruby Iyer, and the Amazon bestselling, eLit Gold winner The Destiny of Shaitan (Bombay Chronicles, 1). She has been a journalist with the Independent, and a global marketer with NBCU and MTV. Laxmi also blogs for Huffington Post, among others.

London is where she writes. Bombay is what fires her imagination. 


 Twitter - Laxmi | Facebook | blog | Twitter - Ruby 
Watch the Trailer:





Giveaway:



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Tour hosted by:


Friday, June 12, 2015

The Breakup (Rock-star a Love Story - 3) + iPhone 6 giveaway @RubyIyer


About the Book:




The Many Lives of Ruby Iyer
By: Laxmi Hariharan
Pages: 300
Release Date: November 13, 2014
Publisher: Books@Jacaranda

A YA action thriller, with strong dystopian undertones and a kick-ass protagonist, taking you on a white knuckle ride through a disintegrating Bombay City.

A terrifying encounter propels Ruby Iyer from her everyday commute into a battle for her own survival. Trusting her instincts, she fights for the things she believes in, led on a mysterious path between life and death on the crowded roads of Bombay; and when her best friend is kidnapped by the despotic Dr Braganza, she will do anything to rescue him. Anything, including taking the help of the sexy Vikram Roy, a cop-turned-rogue, on a mission to save Bombay. The city needs all the help it can get, and these two are the only thing standing between its total destruction by Dr Braganza's teen army. As Bombay falls apart, will Ruby be able to save her friend and the city?

Will she finally discover her place in a city where she has never managed to fit in? And what about her growing feelings for Vikram?
  Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon India | Paperback


Guest Post:

“How’s the head?”  a familiar voice asked softly.

Neil! She groaned, refusing to open her eyes now, as much to avoid facing him as much to block out the pain. “That bad eh?”



She nodded, thankful that he seemed to be taking her seriously, unable to detect any laughter in his voice. She heard him rustle around, could picture him putting a hand into that pocket of his infernal purple coloured long shirt which she so loathed, and then sensed him move closer, “here you are, open your mouth.”

Obediently she did so, without opening her eyes, and then she was sucking on something sweet and tangy and sour, all at the same time. She made an involuntary face, and her shoulders shook in response to the pungent flavor, which cut through the grey-overcast-feeling clogging her mind. Eyelash by eyelash, her lids unglued and she found she could open her eyes—still very gingerly—but nevertheless she could open them a tiny crack, enough to see an outline of this human—who was the last thing she wanted to see, but was yet the first on her mind. “What the…. f!@* was that… dude?”

His brows shot up at her use of the term he had lain claim to as his own a long time ago. “Language, Tiina, language…” he scolded her mildly, “if only your parents could hear you now.”

“Ha! Told you they died a long time ago.”

“Are they...?” He appeared taken aback, “no, you never told me about them. Nor for that matter have you really shared anything much about yourself as you well know.”
She closed her eyes once more and groaned, with more enthusiasm--this time with the hope of stalling the oncoming inquisition, that she had resisted all these years. He had her where he wanted her now… didn’t he… helpless, at this mercy, to bother her with all those infernal questions… if I had the answers, would I still be here? For the first time, she was not sure.
“Hey, sorry, I didn’t mean to push you when you are down and out… okay?” he said softly. Her eyes flew open in surprise, had he really said that?

“I do know,” he smiled placing his hand over hers “exactly what a hangover is like…and by the looks of it you have a bitch of a headache there…”

“Why do humans always use the term bitch to describe anything which hurts them?”

He laughed loudly this time and she winced growling “not so loud….”

“Sorry..” he lowered his voice, this time not sounding sorry at all, “its just that the female of any species but especially human species have a bite to them…”

“I really don’t agree…” she looked at his squarely, making the effort to open her eyes wide, even though the effort sent another wave of pain lapping around her head in concentric circles. If I look up now I swear I’d be able to see a black hole above me, a vortex which attracts all the pain in the galaxy. “For me it’s the male who packs a punch… unfeeling brutes” she said rolling her tongue around the wordbrutes.

He shrugged, “suppose it swings both ways, eh?”

She simply stared, “why are you being so nice?”

“I have always been so, you just never noticed…” he protested.

“Right!” She closed her eyes again for a second then opened them repeating drily “right!”

“But then I realize now that you never did really see me all this time did you?”

“Not fair,” she said weakly.

“Yes, fair” he insisted right back, then ran his hand through his curly hair, mussing it up even more, so it all stood even more on end.
“Tiina, you have no idea what just happened earlier do you?”  Making a sound of frustration deep in his throat he continued, “we may as well talk about it instead of tip-toeing around the issue?”

She could feel herself stiffen up instantly, the tension running through her, facial muscles freezing up
to not let through an ounce of emotion don’t let him see anything, her instinct warned her. Not yet!

She blinked “what are you talking about?”

“Oh! No, you are not…” He reached out as if to shake her showing a flash of that famous temper, which had first caught her attention—a first indication she realized, now that there was more to him than met the eye—then pulled back folding his hands as if to prevent himself from touching her again. “You really don’t know what I am talking about?” He sounded both hurt as well as angry, and beneath it all was a thread of underlying unflappability, which seemed to say I am just gonna wait for you to come around. “I will you know…”

“What…?” she let the word hang in the air, taunting him to continue
“Eventually wear you out… you’ve gotta figure it out for yourself, this one, don’t you?"
She shrugged again trying to hang onto that mask of indifference which she hoped was still clinging to her face, covering every inch of,  “I really don’t know what you mean!” Then wondered if she had pushed him too far when he cracked his knuckles with the effort of reining them in, not letting them fly—where in her face? It was his turn to growl, the sound rumbling up in his throat and she watched fascinated as his chest rumbled with the effort of containing his fury.

“Are you sure you are not a half life too? You know, have some lion somewhere in your gene pool?”

She tried to make light of the situation then regretting it instantly when his eyes sparked, shooting darts at her.

“It's not funny.”

She grimaced at his tone, she had never heard him sound so serious, only to flinch back in her seat when he sprung to his feet in a single motion. Seeing the tautness in his body and the conflict on his face vibrating towards her in seething waves, she steeled herself against his anger grateful that the headache seemed to have dissipated—somewhat.

Noticing her reaction he said “I’d never hurt you, Tiina,” a mixed expression on his face, this time, anger mixed with acceptance. “Trust you know how to find your way home, then?”

“Are you leaving?” her voice came out unsteady, and she hated herself for it.


“You don’t need me… yet” he said cryptically, making towards the door. He paused there before stepping over the threshold and turned to her “well done by the way, you have got another admirer in that rockstar”—she noticed he didn’t refer to him by name—“to add to your collection of experiences no doubt” he added under his breath. Then raising his hand in a half-hearted gesture of farewell, he was gone. 



Meet the Author:


A near life experience told Laxmi Hariharan to write. She never stopped.

Laxmi is the creator of Ruby Iyer, and the Amazon bestselling, eLit Gold winner The Destiny of Shaitan (Bombay Chronicles, 1). She has been a journalist with the Independent, and a global marketer with NBCU and MTV. Laxmi also blogs for Huffington Post, among others.

London is where she writes. Bombay is what fires her imagination. 


 Twitter - Laxmi | Facebook | blog | Twitter - Ruby 
Watch the Trailer:





Giveaway:



a Rafflecopter giveaway


Tour hosted by:


Monday, June 8, 2015

Rock with Me (Rock-star A Love Story, 2) @RubyIyer


About the Book:




The Many Lives of Ruby Iyer
By: Laxmi Hariharan
Pages: 300
Release Date: November 13, 2014
Publisher: Books@Jacaranda

A YA action thriller, with strong dystopian undertones and a kick-ass protagonist, taking you on a white knuckle ride through a disintegrating Bombay City.

A terrifying encounter propels Ruby Iyer from her everyday commute into a battle for her own survival. Trusting her instincts, she fights for the things she believes in, led on a mysterious path between life and death on the crowded roads of Bombay; and when her best friend is kidnapped by the despotic Dr Braganza, she will do anything to rescue him. Anything, including taking the help of the sexy Vikram Roy, a cop-turned-rogue, on a mission to save Bombay. The city needs all the help it can get, and these two are the only thing standing between its total destruction by Dr Braganza's teen army. As Bombay falls apart, will Ruby be able to save her friend and the city?

Will she finally discover her place in a city where she has never managed to fit in? And what about her growing feelings for Vikram?
  Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon India | Paperback

Guest Post:


From the time this rock-star stepped on stage, he drew every eye in the house including hers. He paused, the light reflecting off his dark black-blue skin, cocooning him in a cobalt glow, growing in size, larger and larger to encompass the entire audience—till he and them were united in destiny.  And he hadn’t even begun. 

With the first thwang of the guitar he had them hooked, drawing them into the music, in between the threads of notes, interweaving them into the moment, the final pattern—a mosaic of a wild ride of astounding rock, soft as silk, yet hard as steel. That dark, inaccessible part of him that had repelled her so much in real life was—she realized—attractive in a macabre fashion, under the spotlight.

  Fueled by his instincts, it was a form of chaos, which danced with the collective will of the audience. Despite herself she was hypnotized, and before she knew it, everything else drowned out so she was nodding rhythmically to the beat, arms folded, resisting the impulse to fling them out as if to hold onto that feeling of well-being which music always infused her with.

 "What a rush!" she hadn’t noticed Neil come up to stand behind her. She looked at him noticing the shine of sweat on his forehead, running down in rivulets down his cheeks, he put his right hand into the pocket of his ridiculously long shirt which came up to mid-thigh—this time a shade of lighter purple than what he would normally wear. "This has gotta be the greatest feeling in the galaxy." 
“For once I agree with you,” she smiled at him only to realize that he was looking at her with a strange look on his face. “Are you alright?” He didn’t answer her, continuing to stare as if seeing her for the first, making her uncomfortable. She pushed at him then “Neil…”

“You have no idea do you?” he asked.

“No, what?” she stuttered.

He bent down and brought his lips to hers, a soft touch of surprise, which was almost not there. She looked straight into his wide unblinking eyes. The hair on her forearms stood on end, and when her eyes shuttered down, she could feel the tension in him communicate to her. No other part of their bodies touched, except their lips,  their lives in parallel for just a millisecond.  

She didn’t need to stand on tiptoe for he bent down to her. She could feel his heart speed up, the drumming of his pulse syncing with hers, which thudded in response, remixed with the beats that echoed around the room at first, until that faded too leaving behind a strange calm, as if she was back on the moonlit beach, and in the distance she saw a figure walk towards her, except it wasn’t her father anymore, it was Neil looking at her with that same incomprehensible expression from a few minutes ago. Her eyes sprung open, “no!” it was torn out of her, and pushing him back she stepped onto the stage, turning away from him. So intent on getting away from him was she that she did not realize she was halfway across the stage, until the rock-star turned to her. 

As if anticipating her entrance he held out his arm. The tears streaming down her cheek blinded her to everything and she did not remember reaching out, till he held up their intertwined palms as if displaying a trophy. “Give it up, don’t hold anything back…” he screamed, and the crowd roared in response, sensing a climax of a kind, gratefully taking the curve of passion that they had been thrown, a relief from the straight line they had been on. Desire whipped through them, hitting her like a wall of heat. She stumbled and he held her upright, bending to whisper in her ear, “Rock with me.”


Meet the Author:


A near life experience told Laxmi Hariharan to write. She never stopped.

Laxmi is the creator of Ruby Iyer, and the Amazon bestselling, eLit Gold winner The Destiny of Shaitan (Bombay Chronicles, 1). She has been a journalist with the Independent, and a global marketer with NBCU and MTV. Laxmi also blogs for Huffington Post, among others.

London is where she writes. Bombay is what fires her imagination. 


 Twitter - Laxmi | Facebook | blog | Twitter - Ruby 
Watch the Trailer:





Giveaway:



a Rafflecopter giveaway


Tour hosted by: