Thursday, May 3, 2012

Blog Tour: Trying to Score [Assassins #2] by Toni Aleo [Review/Excerpt/Giveaway]


Hello and welcome to Dreaming In The Pages! I am so glad to have you stop by today, because over the last few months I have grown extremely close and fond of this author right here. She is just pure amazing and, like her books, hard not to love. Today I am going to be giving you guys a review and a little peek at what book two, Trying to Score, has in store for you. If you missed my review of Taking Shots, the first book in the Assassins series just head on over here and check it out. But now I know I am boring you, so let's get on with it!
[:

Trying to Score [Assassins #2]
Toni Aleo
Release Date: April 11th 2012
Fallon Parker’s dream was to have her family’s wine company at the top of all wine magazines and to have a cellar of her own. After graduating from college, she has worked hard to make that dream a reality, even if that meant having a nonexistent love life. She had her chance at love and that was a bust, so she put everything into the wine company. After becoming the official sponsor of the Nashville Assassins, Fallon finally feels like everything is falling in place, that is until Lucas Brooks comes back into her life.

Lucas Brooks hates his life. He is lonely, he is sober, and he is angry. On the ice, when he’s not in the sin bin, he the leading scorer in the NHL but off the ice, he is a mess. He threw away the most important person in his life, and has regretted it ever since but when Lucas sees Fallon again after being traded to the Assassins; he is bound and determined to get her back. Even if she wants nothing to do with him.

The sexual tension between Fallon and Lucas is electrifying as Lucas tries to convince Fallon that he is a changed man. Fallon tries to resist Lucas, but it is so hard when all her body wants is his. But when Lucas finds out that Fallon has been keeping a huge secret from him, the game he is playing stops and penalties are called.

With new rules and new players on the ice, will Fallon and Lucas be able to work out their differences and work as a team or will they be left trying to score alone

*A copy of this book was given to me by the author for the blog tour hosted by AToMR*
 

:Thoughts/Review:

*sigh*

Yes folks. I am starting out a review with a sigh. Because 1) I can. And 2(I am in total and complete love with the second book in the Assassins series. I would be lying if I told you I wasn’t nervous as hell to pick up this book either. I was so enamored with Shea and Elli in Taking Shots I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to open up my heart to yet another Hockey stud muffin who was gunning for my heart. But alas, I was so very wrong. A little steamy, a little heartbreaking, and a whole lot of fanning yourself are in order this time around readers. Are your cheeks feeling a little pink yet? Get use to the feeling.

Now, as I said, I didn’t know if I was even able to love a story as much as I did Shea and Elli’s. I KNOW Elli [I swear, she is me] and how could I love someone more than I love Shea Alder?! [I’m still not sure I actually can…] After the first chapter I had no doubt Toni was going to be blowing me away yet again. Fallon and Lucas’s story is a total 180 from what we read in Taking Shots. Like Elli, Fallon has her own sets of faults and personal problems going on, but once Lucas Brooks enters the story we notice that Fallon and Lucas’s relationship is far more intertwined than we could have first imagined. I quickly fell for the banter and quirks between these two. As Fallon was extremely slow to even warm up to Lucas, I fell for him hard and fast and couldn’t help but to cheer him on as he tried to get Fallon back into his arms.

Now, before I go all gaga over Lucas Brooks some more, I wanted to say how much I LOVED being able to see Elli and Shea in this book. It was AMAZING to get to see their story even after we thought it was ‘over’ when their book ended. Now, since that is aside, I can address how much I love how Toni sets a story up. I love that when I am done with one of her books, I feel like I’m complete. Like Taking Shots, Trying to Score was no short story. You are taking through the up’s and down’s of this relationship and you feel like once you take one step forward you take five steps back and then your heart is aching for what almost happened. Toni gets me so wrapped up in this story that once even something little happens [like Fallon coming to her senses on certain subjects] I seriously jump up in my seat and squeal out in glee. There is nothing like seeing someone completely turn around.

Fresh, new, and something completely unexpected I quickly became glued to Toni Aleo’s second work of masterpiece and, to be honest, it has actually made me start watching hockey. [Go Preds!] If you fell in love with Taking Shots, I have no doubt in my mind that you will fall for Trying to Score. There is nothing like watching a story you thought was long over, blossom and become everything you ever wished it would have been. There is also nothing like a little steam and fanning oneself either. But why are you sitting there reading the end of my review?! Shouldn’t you be rushing out to go buy this?! Oh, and be sure to say hello to Lucas Brooks for me. I have a feeling you two will get along swimmingly.
 ; ]

:Excerpt:
“So how long have you guys been together?” Lucas asked. Lucas’ eyes watered from trying to keep in his laughter, and Fallow swore if she could hit him, she would.
“Together?” Rob asked looking over at Fallon.
Acting before thinking - not one of her best traits - Fallon nodded before leaning up and placing her lips on Rob’s. It was only for a second but it felt like an hour because everything went quiet around her. Lucas stopped laughing and Rob froze underneath her lips. She swore the whole room stopped, but really it didn’t. Oh gosh, this just kept getting worse by the minute.
When she pulled back, she smiled up at Rob’s shocked face and said, “A long time, right honey?”
Fallon glanced over at Lucas, one of his eyebrows was arched as his face quirked up on one side. It made Fallon’s heart skip a beat since it was the exact same smile Aiden would give her when he was amused. “It is that serious that you had to kiss this kid to make me believe you have a boyfriend?”
“He is,” Fallon answered.
“Who? Me?” Rob sputtered.
“Yes you, silly! Goodness me! Am I that horrible?”
“No,” Rob said with his hand in front of his chest, “not at all.”
“Thanks Rob,” Fallon said, and at that moment, Fallon knew her plan had just gone to shit. Rob was still wiping his mouth as Lucas just grinned widely at her.
“So Rob, this hot woman, is your girlfriend?” Lucas asked, and Fallon shot daggers at him with her eyes.
Rob looked at Fallon before looking back over at Lucas. He started to shake his head no as he said, “Yes, she is.”
That had Lucas in a fit of laughter as Fallon glared something crazy at him. “Thanks a lot Rob.”
“I’m sorry, but who picks an openly gay guy as their boyfriend!” Rob said throwing his arms in the air. “I’m wearing an orange suit!”
“A nice suit at that,” Lucas added.
“Thanks!” Rob said before looking back at Fallon, “but really, I’m the worst person to pick for a fake boyfriend, since I like guys.”
With that Rob walked off, leaving Fallon extremely embarrassed and actually considering firing him. She would if he wasn’t so good at the marketing reports that made her head spin. Fallon couldn’t help but to watch her ‘boyfriend’ clad in an orange suit walk away. She wished like hell that Rob wasn’t gay so he could act like her boyfriend because this reunion between Fallon and Lucas was not going the way she wanted it too.
Posing a gay guy as he boyfriend? Not one of her best ideas.
Fallon wanted to look successful, sexy — a stronger woman then he left behind. She basically wanted to make Lucas jealous, not give him the entertainment of the night! That’s what she paid the band for! She hated that she had made a mess of things. Lying was never her strong suit; and she knew Lucas wasn’t gonna let her live this down.
 “So how about that dance, since I think your boyfriend is gay,” Lucas determined.
Heat filled Fallon’s face as she wished Lucas to the fiery depths of hell. “Oh fuck off, Lucas Brooks.”

Now, if you are not completely hooked already [which how could you not be?! did you just read that excerpt?!] I have a little something for you...

An eBook giveaway! Because let's face it, after that excerpt Toni knew you all would need to get your hands on the book right away.
; ]

Are you jumping up and down on your seat with anticipation?! Want to know how to enter?!
Just leave a comment below with your e-mail address and let me know why you've just got to win a copy of Trying to Score!

Simple as that! The winner will be selected at random on May 9th so don't forget to get those comments in!

Good luck to all!
And...
Thanks for stopping by!


This blog tour runs through the 5th. To follow the other tour stops which include, author interviews, book excerpts, giveaways, and more click here.
 



 

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Review: Lies Beneath [Lies Beneath #1] by Anne Greenwood Brown

Lies Beneath [Lies Beneath #1]
Published by: Delacorte Press
Anne Greenwood Brown
Release Date: June 12th 2012
( Barnes & Noble / Goodreads )
Calder White lives in the cold, clear waters of Lake Superior, the only brother in a family of murderous mermaids. To survive, Calder and his sisters prey on humans, killing them to absorb their energy. But this summer the underwater clan targets Jason Hancock out of pure revenge.

They blame Hancock for their mother's death and have been waiting a long time for him to return to his family's homestead on the lake. Hancock has a fear of water, so to lure him in, Calder sets out to seduce Hancock's daughter, Lily. Easy enough—especially as Calder has lots of practice using his irresistible good looks and charm on unsuspecting girls.

Only this time Calder screws everything up: he falls for Lily—just as Lily starts to suspect that there's more to the monsters-in-the-lake legends than she ever imagined. And just as his sisters are losing patience with him.
-Goodreads
*An eGalley was provided to me by Random House and NetGalley for review purposes.*

Thoughts/Review:

I have come to be a HUGE fan of NetGalley and all its wonders. Thanks to them and Random House publishing I was lucky enough to get my hands on this debut book From Anne Greenwood Brown. Let me tell you, mermaids [or should I say mermen] have never looked so good, or so absolutely creepy. I have not read that many mermaid books and I fell head over fins for this. Deception and revenge. Two words I feel fit perfectly with this story. You get plenty of both and then some. But that’s not all that awaits you in these pages.

I really enjoyed the fact that we got the story from Calder [a sexy alluring merman] and not from one of his sisters. Because typically that is what I see when I browse mermaid books, so it was a nice little change. But once I cracked open [well, touched open] this book I was hooked.  You get a feel for Calder and all of his uniqueness before you see what mermaids really like to do. I was kind of freaked out by Maris and Pavati, though his third sister Tallulah seemed to have a control on her craziness. See, mermaids are not all nice and pretty, they are deadly beautiful and won’t hesitate to suck your happiness [and soul] away. [Sounds a little like dementors right?!] And they have their sights set on revenge, with or without Calder’s help.

The love story in this book was nothing short of amazing. I really enjoyed Calder and Lily’s relationship for one fact only. He thought he was smooth and would get her to fall for him right away, and all he did was creep her out. You know, eventually Lily succumbed to her feelings for Calder, but I thought that was great. Lily was strong, determined, and forceful. I loved how surprising she was from page to page and I completely understand how Calder was so enthralled by her. As I kept reading, I was entranced in the words on the page and what was going on. Anne writing is so detailed that I couldn’t help but feeling like I was right there. There were gasps, screeching, yelling and some punching of a pillow. Anne had no trouble extracting my emotions from this story.

Reading this story unfold was nothing short of thrilling. I was surprised, pissed, giddy, and so much more. Anne Greenwood Brown has successfully captured me in her tangled web of words and I can’t wait to read more of Lily and Calder’s story. This story packs a punch and an action packed ending that will leave you with such a craving for the next book, you may take a bite out of someone near you. So yeah, don't say I didn't warn you folks!

Rating:
★★★★½
Four n' a half Stars
[You can suck my happiness any day Calder]
**** **** **** ****
Eeep people! This book seriously made me love mermaids, or should I say mermen. You need to check this beauty out and fall for Calder all on your own. I don't want to be blamed for it. [:

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Inhale Release Day!

Hello Readers!

In my whole on and off blogging I have been doing in these past few months [thanks a lot to my draining laptop battery and my pregnancy causing my to be exhausted!] I have read this AMAZING book. I thought since it is release day and Kendall Grey is just pure amazing, I would share a little of what Kendall wants to accomplish with her book.
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INHALE, an urban fantasy romance by Kendall Grey, is now available in paperback and e-book for Kindle and Nook. INHALE is the first book in the JUST BREATHE trilogy. Kendall is donating all profits from the sale of the trilogy to programs that educate people about whales and the challenges they face. Watch the video to find out why.

Also, Kendall encourages interested readers to consider purchasing an e-book instead of a paperback. E-books save trees, cost considerably less, and bring in much more money for the whales.

Thank you for supporting INHALE, and most importantly, the whales that need our help.


If that got your juices flowing, then check out the amazing cover and synopsis below. And don't forget to check back here in the next few days for my review of Inhale. I will let you know now...I feel head over heels in love. 
; ]
 

 Inhale
Kendall Grey
Release Date: TODAY!
Strangers in reality, inseparable in dreams…

After years of suffocating under her boss’s scrutiny, whale biologist Zoe Morgan finally lands a job as director of a tagging project in Hervey Bay, Australia. Success Down Under all but guarantees her the promotion of a lifetime, and Zoe won’t let anything—or anyone—stand in her way. Not the whale voices she suddenly hears in her head, not the ex who won’t take no for an answer, and especially not the gorgeous figment of her imagination who keeps saving her from the fiery hell of her dreams.

Gavin Cassidy hasn’t been called to help a human Wyldling in over a year, which is fine by him. Still blaming himself for the death of his partner, he keeps the guilt at bay by indulging in every excess his rock star persona affords. That is, until he’s summoned to protect Zoe from hungry Fyre Elementals and learns his new charge is the key to restoring order in the dying Dreaming. He never expects to fall for the feisty Dr. Morgan…nor does he realize he may have to sacrifice the woman he loves to save an entire country.

*This book contains graphic language, sex, and some violence. Not suitable for readers under the age of 18.
**The author will donate all profits from the sale of the JUST BREATHE trilogy to programs that educate people about whales and the challenges they face.



Don't forget to watch the video and head over to goodreads and add this to your to be read list! Click on the gorgeous cover or the goodreads link to do so.
And above all...

Have a wonderful May!