Review: Bound By Lies By Hanna Peach

Series: Bound By Lies 1

Published: January 21, 2014

Genre: Adult Romantic Suspense 18+ 
Source: Bought Kindle Edition

My Rating:

Our love is on his terms. He contacts me only through notes − unpredictable and untraceable. When we meet, he can touch me, but I’m not allowed to touch him. When we make love, it’s only after I have been bound and blindfolded. It’s the only time I truly feel alive. Which is why I play along with it. For now.

Caden Thaine is the most sinfully beautiful man I have ever seen. But more than that, his touch sets me on fire. And dear God, do I ache for him. I don’t know where he lives or even what he does. But this doesn’t scare me. My only fear is that one day his messages will stop. 

I know he’s hiding something. But that’s okay. I am hiding things too. Like my real name and... who I really am. But the deeper I fall for him, the stronger my curiosity becomes. 

I could never have imagined just how much our lives are bound. And that pulling at his tangled web of secrets would cause my own dark past to come back to try and reclaim me. Will we survive? Will our love?

 Hanna began to write at the tender age of seven, starting with a daring and questionable autobiography entitled Go Suck a Lemon. Perhaps it was a little before its time.

After leaving school she agreed with everyone who said she needed to get a degree and a real job to become a proper adult. She kept writing as a hobby. After starting (and never finishing) several degrees and switching from multiple careers, she finally decided that being a real adult was overrated. In 2012, she sold everything, moved to Europe and began to write full-time.

Eternally restless, Hanna has lived in Indonesia, Australia, Germany and Scotland. She is currently residing in England.

She is addicted to coffee and chocolate and would one day like to own a dragon.

Contact Info:

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It is like Valium and I’m already addicted. I need it like I need my next breath.

It isn’t the kind of look that I’m used to. It doesn’t rip at my clothes or grab at my skin. No. this look caresses my body like a tender kiss. And I and stripped until my wrecked soul is left with nothing to cover it.- Kitten

_____________________________

“You’re so much more than this. You just need someone to remind you.”- Caden

_____________________________

Two kisses. One sweet, one wicked. These two kisses represent the duality I can already see in him.-About Jacob

______________________________

“You’ll say yes to me and only me. You know how I know? I’m going to make you feel so good that it’ll ruin you for all other men.”-Caden

_____________________________

He feed me just enough to keep me lit when all I want is to explode into a brushfire. I want it, even if it burns me in the process. Even if it sweeps across the world and consumes it, that’s what I want.

It feels like he has taken gravity from me, and I am left unstable for a moment. Somehow, he is becoming my earth, my ground, my gravity. He hasn’t even kissed me yet and already I am being bound.

______________________________

 No other man could be enough. He was right. He has ruined me. He hasn’t even kissed me yet and already he has ruined me.

I feel like this book has left me wanting more. Something that bothers me though is that we don’t even know that main character’s name. We know Caden’s different names but not her. So I’ll call her Kitten. At first I liked the idea of her being with a man she knew nothing about, it was dangerous and mysterious. I quickly got over that as the story went on because like Kitten, I wanted to know more about him. In the end he didn’t turn out to be who I thought, but I wasn’t disappointed I was just glad he was there for her.

Kitten was a character that was damaged by her past so she’s running from it. But sooner or later it always catches up to us and she’s no exception. As her past and Caden’s past collide, it is Kitten’s turn to trust Caden in a whole other way. Their future is as uncertain as their relationship.
I also didn't feel like I connected with her, she had casual sex to numb the pain and to feel in control because there was so much around her that she couldn't control, and that was something that she could. She used men to her advantage just like a man would and that didn't sit well with me since I hate it when men do that in stories.

I also liked Jacob up until he went crazy and showed how he really was. I liked the fact that he felt so passionate about her. His love for her was really something different, as s reader I saw the connection between Jacob and 'Kitten'. I enjoyed seeing their relationship flourish. I liked that he was gentle with her and took his time because he knew she was different, nothing like the girls he's used to. He tried hard to please her but eventually couldn't hide his dark side. He would have been perfect if he wasn't such a psycho.

I was expecting this book to really blow my sock off but I was disappointed. If it was told in Jacob's & Caden's perspectives as well, it would have been a win for me.
  

Spring Heartbreakers Blitz/ Giveaway of Kissing Eden By T. A. Foster and The Hazards of a One Night Stand By Alyssa Rose Ivy

KISSING EDEN by T.A. Foster

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Buy Links: Amazon / B & N Link / Smashwords

Have you ever thought of taking a vacation alone? I mean step on a plane, check into your hotel, and lie on the beach completely and utterly alone. No? Me either, but then right before senior spring break I got dumped.

Something about break ups makes you do things you didn’t want to do, and try things you didn’t know you were capable of.

That’s how I ended up at the Palm Palace.

That’s how I met Grey.

That’s how my spring break turned into the most unforgettable week of my life.

T.A. Foster once spent a monthlong spring break on South Padre Island, where she soaked in the Texas sun, beach, and learned what real Texas country music is. Sometimes fiction does spring from reality.

She grew up catching rays and chasing waves along the North Carolina Outer Banks and now resides in the state with her adventurous pilot husband, two children, and two canine kiddos. 

T.A. has an undergraduate degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a graduate degree in Educational Psychology from Texas A&M University. When she’s not chasing her two-legged and four-legged children or trying to escape for date night, you can find her reading, writing, or planning her next beach trip.

Author Links: Blog /  Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads

THE HAZARDS OF A ONE NIGHT STAND by Alyssa Rose Ivy

 Published: February 27, 2014

Series: Hazards 2

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BUY LINKS: Amazon / Barnes & Noble

One small town boy, one girl who wants more, one roll in the hay...

Hooking up with your high school crush is a bad idea, a really bad idea. It was only supposed to be one night, one brief departure from my real life, but nothing ever works out exactly the way you plan.

Colton Waters was everything from my past that didn't fit into my present, so why did he have to show up at my college and pledge the one frat I couldn't avoid?

Because nothing is ever meant to happen just once. At least not the life changing things that mean the difference between falling apart and falling in love.

Alyssa Rose Ivy is a bestselling New Adult and Young Adult author who loves to weave stories with romance and humor. Although raised in the New York area, she fell in love with the South after moving to New Orleans for college. After surviving law school and earning her masters in library science, she turned back to her creative side and decided to write. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and two young children, and she can usually be found with a cup of coffee in her hand.

Author Links: Blog / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads

A Q&A with Grey Lachlan (from KISSING EDEN) and Colton Waters (from THE HAZARDS OF A ONE NIGHT STAND).

Ideal first date?

GL: I’m not big on crowds or loud places, so I’d take her somewhere we could share a beer, maybe listen to some music.

CW: I'm all about low key first dates too. Gives you a chance to really see who she is. 

What's your perfect beach day?

GL: I don’t have much time to hang out on the beach, but I try to get a nice long run in first thing in the morning. I like it when it’s quiet and have it to myself.

CW: Running on the beach would be a pretty good way to start the day.  

Blondes or brunettes? (better answer that one right or he's in trouble)

GL: Definitely blondes

CW: Brunettes. 

Boxers or briefs? 

GL: I’m a boxer briefs kind of guy

CW: Boxers here.  

Most romantic vacation spot?

GL: There are some great little towns in Mexico. I know I’m not what most girls think of as romantic, but I can pick out a destination that has pretty sunsets and beaches.

CW: Secluded cabin in the mountains. Just me, the girl and nature. 

What's the best part of dating in a small town like Gasden? 

CW: The best part of dating in a small town is you know what you're in for. Like with Mallory, I've known her forever and already knew everything about her.

GL: Man, you have a better outlook on it than I do. I get tired of the grapevine in Padre. People know I’m going on a date before I do.

What's the sexiest thing a girl should wear on a date?

CW: If a girl has nice legs she might as well show them off. I'm all about the short skirt or dress, but it's got to be tasteful. Leave something to the imagination, and my eyes only. 

GL: Couldn’t agree with you more.

What's the sure way to turn you off?

CW: If a girl's mean to other girls I want nothing to do with her. I'm not talking about her standing up for herself, but the catty stuff. 

GL: Yeah, mean girls for sure are a turn off.

What's the most romantic thing a girl has done for you?

CW: Mallory surprised me on my birthday with a night out on the town. It ended at a hotel, and let me tell you It was a better venue than my dorm room. 

GL: Sounds like you had a good time.

We know you love where you're from, but if you had to pick somewhere to live where would it be and why?

CW: I've grown to love Charleston. It's southern yet urban at the same time. I might just stay here if I can convince someone else to stay with me. 

GL: It would be hard for me to think about leaving Padre, but there might be just one reason to relocate. I’ll leave it at that for now.

If a girl tried to woo you, what three things would help her win you over?

CW: 1) A great smile 

2) The ability to make me laugh 

3) Willingness to watch college sports

But sorry ladies, I'm off the market. 

GL: You had me at watch college sports, man.

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Spotlight & Excerpt of The Wolf At His Door By Adrian W. Lily

The Wolf At His Door

By Adrian W. Lily

Series: Runes Trilogy Book 1

Published: July 1, 2013

Pages: 300 

Buy: Amazon /  Barnes & Noble 

Twenty-one-year-old Alec Rune is annoyed when his older sister, Lucy, ambushes him with a blind date with her friend, Jared. But Alec is immediately attracted to the intriguing, intelligent young man. 

But the past has claws...
Ilene Rune nearly collapses when she meets her son’s new boyfriend. His black hair and startling green eyes are the same as a man she knew years ago—an evil, violent man with strange powers.

The present has teeth...
Investigating a string of missing persons cases leads Detective Carmen Salazar into the dark world of fairy tales and fantasy—and shakes her belief in what is possible or imagined.

And the future is filled with blood...
Alec awakes from a coma with no recollection of the night his twin brother was torn to pieces. As a madman closes in on him and his family, can Alec learn the werewolves’ plan before his entire family is destroyed?

Adrian W. Lilly is the author of the novels The Devil You Know, Red Haze, and The Wolf at His Door: Book One of The Runes Trilogy, and Book Two: The Wolf in His Arms. He is a fan of Gothic suspense movies and novels, which greatly influence his writing. Adrian's writing focuses on strong character development and the nuances of fear that build toward horror. The mansion in his first novel, The Devil You Know, was inspired by the grand mansions in the Victorian neighborhood where he lives.

Adrian writes novels, short stories, and poetry and has spent many years as a copywriter in the advertising industry. In addition, Adrian has directed two short films and co-directed a feature-length sci-fi comedy.

Author links: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

Alec walked through the front door of Lucy and Rene’s third-floor apartment. Alec loved the open feel of their apartment—the ceilings opened to the roof peak, and skylights offered sunlight down into the room even on cloudy days. Rough-hewn wooden beams crossed the ceiling from wall to wall, where the wall met the roofline, affording the apartment an industrial chic look.

Celeste and Lucy sat on the couch. Alec felt a certain apprehension as he entered the room and Celeste and Lucy looked up (and it almost seemed planned to Alec) smiling in a too friendly manner. “Where’s Adam?” Celeste said.

“On his way,” Alec said and squatted on the floor next to Sam and Rene. “‘Sup?”

They both nodded. “Just chilling right now,” Rene said, and they bumped fists.

“Sandman,” Sam added. “Lucy was just telling us about her master’s thesis on semiotics.” Sam flashed him a “save us” look.

Alec stifled a smirk. “My sister loves anthropology.”

“And languages,” Lucy corrected.

“Hey, I hope you don’t mind, but I invited my friend to join us,” Celeste said.

Alec felt the muscles in his back go rigid. “Look, guys, we talked about this. I don’t—”

Sam cut in, “Jared’s cool.”

A quizzical look crossed Rene’s face as he watched the exchange, then he shrugged as his eyes met Alec’s.

Alec heard footsteps on the stairs outside. “That’s Adam coming. I’ll give him a hand.”

“I didn’t hear anything,” Rene said.

“He’s got fucking bat ears, man,” Sam said.

Alec crossed the long living room to the front door. “Need a hand, Adam?” He asked as he yanked the door open. A young man, about his own age, (maybe a little older, Alec thought) stood at the door with his hand raised, about to knock. A plain white V-neck tee shirt hugged his torso, and Alec could see sprouts of chest hair in the V. Black rimmed glasses framed his eyes and his glossy dark hair was parted on the side and slicked back. His scruffy beard added an air of carelessness to an otherwise polished look.

His eyes met Alec’s and his face brightened with a warm smile that made his green eyes sparkle. “Knock, knock,” he said.

Alec leaned out the door, “I was expecting my brother.”

“Jared,” the young man said, extending his hand.

Alec shook it. “Nice to meet you.” Alec turned his head, quickly shooting a narrow-eyed glance at Lucy and Celeste. They both blinked innocently. He turned back to Jared. “Celeste said you were coming.”

“Ah, she warned you.”

“Did I need warning?”

Jared gave another easy smile. “Perhaps.”

*Whoa what a tease! A new boyfriend comes with a warning, that can't be good, he's dangerous and somewhat mysterious. So who is he really? So intriguing.

The Wolf In His Arms Book 2

Buy: Amazon

Spotlight & Excerpt of Five Courners: The Marked Ones By Cathi Shaw

Five Corners: The Marked Ones

BY Cathi Shaw

Published: January 30, 2014

Genre: YA/ Fantasy

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Buy: Amazon Kindle Edition / Amazon Paperback

Growing up in a sleepy village untouched by distant wars and political conflicts, it was easy for Thia, Mina and Kiara to forget such horrors existed in the Five Corners. That is until the dead child is found; a child that bears the same strange birthmark that all three sisters possess. A Mark their mother had always told them was unique to the girls. Kiara's suspicions grow as their Inn is soon overrun with outsiders from all walks of life. Strangers, soldiers and Elders who all seem to know more about what is happening than the girls do. After Mina barely survives an attack in the forest, the sisters are faced with a shattering secret their mother has kept from them for years. As danger closes in around them, the sisters are forced from their home and must put their trust in the hands of strangers. With more questions than answers, Kiara finds herself separated from everyone she loves and reliant on an Outlander who has spent too much time in army. She doesn't trust Caedmon but she needs him if she has any hope of being reunited with her sisters and learning what the Mark might mean.

Cathi Shaw lives in Summerland, BC with her husband and three children. She is often found wandering around her home, muttering in a seemingly incoherent manner, particularly when her characters have embarked on new adventure. In addition to writing fiction, she teaches rhetoric and professional writing in the Department of Communications at Okanagan College and is the co-author of the textbook Writing Today.

Links: Goodreads / Tumblr / Facebook 

Excerpt from Chapter 1:

Kiara stared at the small body laid out in the family's tiny kitchen. She didn't know the child but that didn't stop her heart from jerking in her chest as she looked at the perfect little girl lying in the wooden box. She was dressed in what were obviously her best clothes; her dark hair had been carefully combed and braided. She was only six years old.

Kiara felt her own mother watching her closely. She forced her gaze away from the small lifeless form. Brijit murmured softly to the parents and then moved to Kiara's side.

"Come away from here, Kiara," her mother said firmly.

But Kiara couldn't stop herself from looking back at the child, noting how someone had twined a pretty scarf around her neck, concealing the ugly slashes that she knew were hidden beneath the colorful material. The result of a blade taken to vulnerable flesh. This poor girl had had no chance against her assailant.

Brijit tugged on her arm insistently. "There is nothing more for us to do here," she whispered in a hushed undertone. "Let’s go and give the family some peace."

Kiara shook her head, noticing for the first time the buzz of voices around her. The small room was filled with interested townsfolk, people who had never given a care for this family, suddenly drawn to the run down shack out of morbid curiosity. Kiara felt a sudden wave of shame wash over her. She suddenly wondered what she was doing here?

True, Brijit had come to wash and dress the child and had asked for Kiara's help in carrying the dead body, remarkably heavy for one so small. Death did not bother Kiara and she was strong enough to hoist weights around. Her little sister, Thia, while a healer like her mother, had not been large enough to help with this task.

But the heavy work had been completed hours ago. And still Kiara had stayed, transfixed by this tiny person who was no more.

Don’t try to deny it, she told herself vehemently, you know why you’re here.

She had seen the Mark on the child's shoulder. She resisted the urge to rub her own shoulder where an identical Mark was hidden beneath her tunic. It was something she’d believed she only shared with her sisters. But this child proved different.

And there was no question that this child had been assassinated.

Suddenly it was hard to breath, the walls closing in around her. She had to be away from that place. Kiara pushed through the door of the shack while her mother was stopped by one of the family members.

She stood in the muddy yard, drawing in deep breaths of the frosty fall air, trying to calm down.

"Tell no one of what you have seen, Kiara."

She whipped around and saw Brijit behind her, calmly tying her bonnet before they started the journey home.

"Why?" Kiara asked, her voice rough with emotion.

Brijit did not answer for moment, instead she pushed past Kiara to where the horses were waiting and mounted her small mare.

Kiara watched her mother through narrowed eyes. She had begun to suspect that Brijit was hiding things from her. And she didn't like it. 

When it was clear that Brijit intended to leave this place with or without her, Kiara mounted in silence and turned her horse toward home.

"I saw it, Brijit," she said quietly, refusing to let the matter rest.

Brijit looked up suddenly, worry lines on her forehead.

"You can tell me to be silent but until you share what you know, I'm not likely to be. What in Five Corners is happening? This isn't the first death like this ...?" She heard the question lingering in her voice, even though she knew the truth. She was sure, based on her mother’s reaction when they’d arrived, that this was not the first innocent death Brijit had stumbled upon.

Brijit sighed. Then looked ahead on the path. "No. It's not," she admitted, confirming Kiara’s suspicions. "Another child was found in the Lowlands. He was killed in the same way."

"Did he have the ..." Kiara hesitated. They never spoke of the Mark.

"Yes," Brijit said quickly, before Kiara could voice it. 

"And two more near the mountains to the North."

A rock of fear tightened in Kiara’s stomach. She never would have guessed her mother would keep so many deaths a secret.

"Who is doing this?" Kiara asked quietly, trying to calm her mind. "And why?"

“Stop with the interrogation, Kiara!” Brijit’s voice was high pitched and shrill and so unlike her mother that Kiara could only stare in shock.

Brijit closed her eyes for a moment. Then she opened them and forced a brittle smile to her lips. "I don't know who would do such a thing, Kiara. Sometimes there are people who are ... not right in their head. And they kill things they shouldn't."

Like Johnny Oldsfeld, Kiara thought. He killed small animals for the sport of it. He liked to watch them suffer and eventually die. But this was different. Johnny didn't chose only those animals that had white spots.

And Brijit was avoiding Kiara's eyes a little too much. She was focused on the road refusing to look at her. She looked almost guilty. But why would that be? Her mother was a healer not a killer. Surely Brijit had nothing to feel guilty for.

"Is there nothing we can do?" Kiara asked, anger tingeing her words.

Brijit shook her head. "Be on the lookout for strangers," she offered softly.

Kiara stared at the back of her mother's head as Brijit rode ahead of her. Suddenly Brijit turned back. "Oh, and Kiara ..."

"Yes?"

"Say nothing of this to your sisters."

Kiara's eyes narrowed as she considered her mother's words. Brijit knew more than she was letting Kiara believe. And Kiara was determined to uncover what her mother was hiding.