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Friday, April 29, 2016

Barclay Publicity Presents: The Wedding Pact by Katee Robert; #ReleaseBlitz, #Giveaway & #Review


THE WEDDING PACT
by Katee Robert
Series: The O’Malley Series #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: April 26, 2016
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing- Forever
Rating:  4.5 Stars

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received this book for review from Barclay Publicity and the author. I was not compensated nor was I required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising".


Carrigan O'Malley has fallen in love with family enemy #1, James Halloran and he has absolutely no intention of letting her get away. THE WEDDING PACT is the second book in a smoking-hot series about the O'Malleys—wealthy, powerful, and full of scandalous family secrets from New York Times Bestseller Katee Robert and Forever Romance.

Synopsis:

Carrigan O'Malley has always known her arranged marriage would be more about power and prestige than passion. But after one taste of the hard-bodied, whiskey-voiced James Halloran, she's ruined for anyone else. Too bad James and his family are enemy number 1.

Hallorans vs. O'Malleys—that's how it's always been. James should be thinking more about how to expand his family's empire instead of how silky Carrigan's skin is against his and how he can next get her into his bed. Those are dangerous thoughts. But not nearly as dangerous as he'll be if he can't get what he wants: Carrigan by his side for the rest of their lives.

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Meet the O’Malley family in book one of the O’Malley series, The Marriage Contract:
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My Thoughts:
James Halloran was at the club when he saw her.  Carrigan O’Malley knows James but knowing someone isn’t always a good thing.  For both of them, family is very important.  But family politics can get in the way and can try to drive a wedge between the two.

Carrigan’s father has given her an ultimatum that puts her into quite the predicament.  James is trying not to follow in his father’s footsteps.  They live in my neck of the woods and for some reason Boston and the Mob seem to go hand in hand.  Watching to see what these two decide is what will have you getting comfortable and not wanting to be disturbed.  You don’t need to have read The Marriage Contract in order to enjoy this story.  But it gives you more information about Carrigan’s family.

One thing I loved about the storyline was that the author kept up the suspense almost to the very end.  My one disappointment was that even though the story takes place in Boston, I wasn’t seeing any landmarks.  I use those landmarks as an incentive to want to travel and take the book with me.  You can see the chemistry these two have and if your e-reader gets a little hot you’ll know why.

The ending gets you ready for the last book of the series, An Indecent Proposal.  What I love about a series is that a lot of the time you read the books in order so you don’t miss anything and that’s the case here.  We do have a little wait since it doesn’t come out until the end of August.  Good news is that if you’re going on vacation, what a great way to pass the time if Mother Nature isn’t cooperating.


Excerpts:

“What are you wearing?”
A pause, as if she’d shocked him. “You’re hitting on me.”
“Are you complaining?” She twisted around in her chair and stared into the mirror on the wall across from her. When he didn’t immediately respond, she kept going. The only alternative was to back down, and Carrigan was so goddamn tired of backing down. The only reason she kept taking James’s calls was because of the distraction he offered her. If he wasn’t going to play, there was no reason for her to stay on the phone.
She really wanted him to stay on the phone. “Shy? That’s okay, I’ll go first. I’m wearing a thin white tank top and a pair of black panties.” She was a liar, but it would take all of five seconds to make it the truth.
“Lovely, you’re testing me.” His voice gained an edge.
Good. At least someone was feeling as out of control as she was. “I suppose you’d like photographic proof.” She stood and shimmied out of her long skirt, and then pinned the phone between her ear and shoulder while she unhooked her bra and took it off. “Hold, please.”
Ignoring his cursing, she adjusted her angle so he would have to be blind to miss the faint outline of her nipples against the fabric of her tank top, and snapped a picture. She knew she was playing with fire. Good lord, of course she knew. But she wasn’t about to stop. She grinned as she sent the picture.
Carrigan put the phone back to her ear in time to hear his sharp inhale. “Your turn.” She held her breath, waiting to see if he’d actually do it. Receiving pictures was one thing. Putting them out in the world was entirely another. Really, she shouldn’t have taken the risk in the first place. There was no telling what he would do with them—they might show up on the Internet. Then who would want to marry her?
Funny, but the idea of countless men checking out her rack didn’t bother her nearly as much if it meant she dodged the marriage bullet. The shame on her family might be enough that her father would send her away permanently. She’d like to spend some time in New York or LA or even New Orleans. Maybe Rome or Paris or Tokyo. The world was so damn big and she’d only seen a little slice of it.
Her phone beeped, pulling her out of her thoughts. She glanced at the picture he’d sent and started to shake. Oh my God. James was shirtless, wearing only those goddamn jeans she couldn’t seem to get enough of. And they were unbuttoned—a clear invitation if she ever saw one. An invitation she desperately wanted to accept. “Damn, James. Somebody taught you how to selfie.”
“Maybe I’m a natural.” His voice was little more than a growl. “You started this, lovely. Tell me what’s next.”
The strange mix of command and handing her the reins got her head back in the game. She walked over to her bed and climbed onto it, trying to ignore the trembling in her legs. She could be in charge. She wanted to be. “I’m lying on my bed.”
“What color are the sheets?”
The question seemed to carry far more import than it should. “White.”
“They don’t suit you. Red is your color. Go on.” He sounded so damn imperial, as if he actually knew her. He didn’t. No one did, really. She wore so many masks, sometimes she worried she’d forget the woman at the center of them all.
But this time he was right. She would have chosen red for herself.
Carrigan put the thought away and focused on the now. “You talk too much.”
“My mistake.” He didn’t sound the least bit sorry. Good. She wasn’t, either. “How do you want it, lovely? Rough, I’d bet. You’re not fucking breakable, and I think you love to be reminded of that fact.” Something rustled on his end of the line. “Close your eyes.”
She obeyed without thinking, and then instantly snapped them open. “I thought I was in charge.”
“You let me know if I get something wrong.” His laugh told her how unlikely he found the possibility.


Giveaway: 



Coming in July 2016:

An Indecent Proposal

Get to know another O’Malley sibling- Cillian O’Malley

Greed. Ambition. Violence. Those are the "values" Olivia Rashidi learned from her Russian mob family-and the values she must leave behind for the sake of her daughter. When she meets Cillian O'Malley, she recognizes the red flag of his family name . . . yet she still can't stop herself from seeing the smoldering, tortured man. To save her family, Olivia sets out to discover Cillian's own secrets, but the real revelation is how fast-and how hard-she's falling for him.

Plagued by a violent past, Cillian is more vulnerable than anyone realizes. Anyone except Olivia, whose beauty, compassion, and pride have him at "hello," even if she's more inclined to say good-bye to an O'Malley. While his proposal of sex with no strings seems simple, what he feels for her isn't, especially after he learns that she belongs to a rival crime family. Cillian knows that there is no escape from the life, but Olivia may be worth trying-and dying-for . . .

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About Katee Robert:

New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Katee Robert learned to tell her stories at her grandpa’s knee. She found romance novels at age twelve and it changed her life. When not writing sexy contemporary and speculative fiction romance novels, she spends her time playing imaginary games with her wee ones, driving her husband batty with what-if questions, and planning for the inevitable zombie apocalypse.

 Connect with Katee at: 



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Paging Through The Days Promotions Presents: Recoil by Jessa Jacobs; #ReleaseDay, #AvailableNow

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Author: Jessa Jacobs
Title: Recoil Trilogy Bundle
Release Date:  April 29, 2016
Publisher: Mad for Romance Publishing
Cover Designer: MadHat Books
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Editor: Candice Royer
Purchase Link: http://geni.us/rcoll


~ Book 1 ~


Blurb:

Reluctant step-siblings Julia and Colin meet for the first time at an engagement party for their parents, and dislike each other on sight despite their undeniable physical chemistry. They soon find they have a common interest, though – stopping the inappropriate and hasty marriage of her mother to his father.


When they discover that the recent death of her father might have had something to do with his father’s business, the common interest turns them into allies. But what will they do about their own sizzling chemistry?


Recoil is the first novella in a serialized trilogy.



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Excerpt:

"We didn't get much chance to get to know each other at the engagement party," I ventured, smiling my most charming smile.
"Why should we? I don't anticipate much family togetherness," she snapped. The smile that followed was a perfect imitation of the ones catty women in my father's social circles gave each other while uttering double entendres about each other's clothing, sexual preferences, or extramarital conquests. It was so perfect I burst out laughing.
"Glad I could amuse you," she said. "Care to tell me what in particular was so funny?"
"Nope. But let's cut the act. We're on the same side, really. I don't like this marriage, and you don't like this marriage. My objections should be obvious, but yours are a little murkier. Why don't we lay our cards on the table, join forces, and stop it?"
This time, I allowed my figurative fangs to show. The woman was too smart to fall for any of my subterfuges, and I wanted to see how she'd handle the real me. Yeah, pun intended again.
She was studying me, and I allowed it, letting the silence stretch out. Most women would have filled it with prattle or protested my statement. She did neither. The first one of us to speak would lose some kind of contest, and I had no intention of losing.
She was saved by the server coming back to take her order. Startled, she looked at her watch and allowed another expression of annoyance to surface. "I guess my meeting is a no-go," she said to me. Then she ordered a surprisingly hearty breakfast for a woman of her svelte proportions.
After that, the contest of wills was broken anyway. I felt no sense of victory as she took up the conversation where I'd left it minutes ago.
"All right. I see no harm in telling you my objections. My father has been gone less than six months. It's inappropriate – too rushed. I don't understand why your father would be so anxious to marry that he'd defy convention in this way. And I'd like to know more about why my mother finds herself in circumstances that seem to require it if she's to maintain her way of life. So yes, I object to the marriage. But it isn't my place to stop it. You're on your own there."
I hadn't thought of it in the exact same terms, but now she'd said it in that way, I had the same questions. Dad hadn't been forthcoming about why he'd marry her instead of just keeping her as a mistress. With a new respect for the daughter, I began to agree that Audrey wasn't the type of woman to be satisfied with such an arrangement, even though the marriage was little more. At least it would be a respectable way to be kept.
At the moment, I was far more interested in Julia than I wanted to be. It was one thing to fantasize about taking her and then moving on. But her cool demeanor intrigued me. Did it conceal a fiery sexuality, or was she all business? There was nothing but my gut instinct to hint of the former. However, my gut had never been wrong. Despite her matter-of-fact speech and the conservative business suit that muted her curves, I was semi-aroused.
"You aren't the only one who's curious about that. Frankly, I asked my dad the same thing. Why the damned hurry? He blew me off." Almost before I'd ended my sentence, I regretted saying so much.
I'd said we were on the same side, but it wasn't the truth. She'd be loyal to her mother no matter how she felt about the issue. Or so I believed. Her next words were as frank as mine, surprising me. I expected her, an excellent lawyer, to hold her cards close to her chest. And a lovely chest it was. Instead, her eyes changed from her practiced neutrality to sharp interest.
"Really? You know, I know exactly why my mother's in a hurry. I hadn't thought about why your dad would go along with it." In my turn, I raised my eyebrows to encourage her to say more.
"You no doubt understand that she's marrying him for money, although she tells me she has grown to love him. Honestly, I'm puzzled about two things. One, what happened to my dad's estate. I know he'd have provided for Mother, and yet she tells me she has too little to live on. And two, why she'd choose a man more than a decade her senior. She's still a beautiful and relatively young woman. No offense against your dad, but he's not in her league in that way."
I had to choke back a guffaw. She thought looks trumped money? And here I'd thought she was smart. On the other hand, it gave me an advantage. I knew what I looked like. I had mirrors, after all, and I had the reaction of women I passed on the street and in the course of business. This seduction was going to be fun. Sorry, Dad, can't resist.

~ Book 2 ~


Blurb:

Julia and Colin no longer think of themselves as step-siblings. As much allies as lovers, they have more immediate issues. Like how to seek out and destroy the Russian Mafia-connected group that hounded her father to death, and what to do about the workplace harassment of Julia by a man with a secret, violent past? But the most dangerous issue of all might be what happens when Julia’s mother discovers her daughter and step-son have acted on their mutual attraction…




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~ Book 3~


Blurb:

In this fast-paced conclusion to the Recoil serial trilogy, past and present collide as Julia and Colin desperately work to unravel the connections between the man who attacked Julia and the group that attacked her father. Will their allies put it together before someone else gets hurt? Can their fragile relationship withstand the turmoil? Who will be the next to lose their life?




11954654_881076311987146_2381932440723625756_n.jpgMeet Jessa Jacobs:

Like you, I’m a reader. When I read a good story with characters I can connect with, my everyday existence fades into the background as I enter a world that may contain exotic locations, adventure and excitement. And, if I can be totally honest with you, in my favorite stories I can fall in love for a while with an impossibly gorgeous guy who is the best lover imaginable.


So, maybe it won’t come as a surprise that in my books you’ll find hot alpha male book-boyfriends, sassy heroines who are much more clever and beautiful than I am, and stories I hope will make you laugh and cry while reading them, as I did while writing them. Oh, and some scenes you may want to role-play with your lover.


When I’m not writing (which is almost never) I enjoy reading, hiking in the foothills near Denver, live blues music, karaoke and now and then indulging in her karaoke habit.


If you'd like to know more about me, my books, or special offers for free reading, please check my website.


Connect with Jessa:


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