Release Day Celebration: Looking for Trouble by Stacy Mosteller with Giveaway

 

Welcome to the Release Day Celebration for

Looking for Trouble by Stacy Mosteller

presented by Swoon Romance!

Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!

 

Happy Book Birthday, Stacey!

 

 

She’s:
Uptight
Sheltered
Allergic to fun

He’s:
Cocky
Crude
Unapologetic

He’s all dirty jokes and curse words, while she’s quiet and shy. She blends into the background, while he is the center of everyone’s attention.

Clay Mitchell never expected to fall in love. Especially not with a girl he’s known all his life and one who’s always been off-limits.

Opposites might attract, but in this case of explosive chemistry, someone’s heart is bound to be shattered.

As enemies become friends and friends morph into more; Clay has definitely met his match.

Looking for Trouble (Nashville U #1)
by Stacey Mosteller
Publication Date: September 20, 2016
Publisher: Swoon Romance

Available for Purchase:
Amazon

Stacey is the New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author of Second Chances and Shadows of the Past (co-authored with H.M. Ward), the Nashville Nights, Two Sisters and Nashville U series (coming late 2015 from Swoon Romance).

She is also a wife, mother, writer and self-professed bookwhore – not necessarily in that order! As the mother of three growing boys, her Kindle has become her temporary escape from the insanity of boys, dogs and her husband. Stacey can usually be found curled up with her iPad when she’s supposed to be writing or creating endless Spotify playlists!

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr | Instagram | Goodreads

Complete the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

 

Sweet Ruin (Immortals After Dark Book 16) by Kresley Cole

**I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review**

4 stars

Let me start out by saying H-O-T…that will certainly be a theme throughout my review.  How could it not be when it’s about a 7,000 year old Baneblood who’s never wished to experience love, only lust for most of those 7,000 years old – but then comes along the last thing he ever expected…a woman that can actually stand him, and his blood.  For Josephine, aka Jo or Josie, when she woke up at age 11 with a baby boy (whom she assumes is her brother) is in her arms, she can’t remember a thing about who her parents are or where she came from.  All Jo knew was survive – which meant pick-pocketing and stealing to get by.  But when her and her little brother, Thaddeus, aka Thad or Thaddie, end up in Child Protective Services several times, she always knows that it’s her and Thad together forever – no one can replace the life, however screwed up it is, as long as they are with each other.  However, when Jo messes with fire, in the form of a local thug, she finds herself torn from her earthly life and thrown into an immortal life of being completely alone.  But she finds a powerful force at work within her when she wakes up as a vampire hybrid of sorts.  And after 14 years, Jo has finally met her match in the form of Rune.

Right off the bat, Rune and Jo have an immediate attraction and they are completely enamored with each other.  But when Rune gets the wrong idea about Jo’s interaction with a Valkyrie that Rune is trying to kill, his interest in Jo becomes even deeper.  So much so, that he feels the need to sequester her to his home in another dimension, so she can’t escape and he can question her further – but what Rune doesn’t realize is that the Valkyrie has ties to her younger brother Thad and she just wants to save him.  Through their differences yet extreme attraction to each other, Rune and Jo realize they are working toward a common goal and begin to form an alliance…not only on the war field, but also physically.  And what happens can only be described as amazing fireworks all over the pages of their story.  Their chemistry is so red hot, it’s hard not to spontaneously combust while reading.  But with Rune’s past a man-whore, his decisions lead him to make a huge mistake which could lead to not just his “Ruin”, but Jo’s and Thad’s as well.

I loved Jo and Rune’s story.  While there was plenty of heat, the smolder was what made this book impassioned.  With so much working against them, at times it seems happily ever after is possible for a 7,000 year old man-whore and a black-blood drinking vamp – of course, Rune would never settle for that, he’s looking for naughtily ever after, which is exactly what Jo is willing to give him!  Thoroughly enjoyed their story and all the emotions it brought with it!

Spark Rising by Kate Corcino

**I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review**

4 ½ stars!

When Lena Gracey welcomed Alex Reyes into her “home” – an old, abandoned gas station that she has made her own – she never thought how drastically he could really change her life.  To her, he was just another customer that needed to utilize her “Spark” – her ability to talk to the Dust and bend it to her will.  But seeing as Lena shouldn’t exist, she has to be careful about whom she welcomes into her home – and she should be extra careful of Alex.  Especially seeing as he is secretly an undercover agent from the city of Azcon – to the Council of Nine that oversees everything, even if it’s illegal or unlawful.  But seeing as she’s a woman, a Spark, and she’s been able to hide herself for the last twenty years, it’s about time for Lena’s number to be up – and Alex will be exactly the man to serve her with it.  Except Alex is not who he seems to be…while he works for the Councilor Three (who oversees the third district), he has also been working with a secret organization along with the School of Wards (where little Sparks come to learn how to use their big Sparks) to bring down the Council.  Alex and his counterpart Thomas don’t like how the Sparks are treated and how they are exploited for their abilities.  And they believe that Lena is the beginning of that change – but getting her to trust them is the tricky part.

However, when Lena ends up seeing how terrible the Council truly is, and upon their part in her mother’s death – right in front of her – she ends up with no choice but to trust the one person she was deceived by from the start, Agent Alex Reyes.  She knows that she has been discovered and rather than run and hid, Lena chooses to stay and fight – or rather to stay with Alex, Thomas, and their school, learning how to harness her gift and starts teaching some of the others how to do things they never dreamed of, such as healing injuries, causing momentary paralysis, and how to kill without touching a hair on their heads.  As her relationship with Alex reaching a pinnacle and pivotal point, just in time for a huge mission that will make or break their current agency, the two don’t know whether they should hold tight to each other or push each other as far away as possible.  But their decision could very well be the make or break it mark for their mission and their agency.

All I can say is BOOM – the Spark. Goes. Boom!  I LOVED how strong and intelligent Lena was – she was a power house from the first page.  And Alex is strong, smart, and he tries his best for his fellow Sparks.  He truly wants what is best for the Sparks, even if it means his life is on the line.  And when the two strong personalities come together, that Spark is bound to combust.  They have a common goal, a common thought process, and are perfect for each other, but just feel the need to continue to put others first, before their own feelings.  While some of the dialog was slightly confusing in some places (particularly where the characters are “talking to themselves”), I found the story completely interesting and I was totally engrossed from the beginning to the end.  I think the story was imaginative, creative, and a great example of a stellar sc-fi/ paranormal genre book.  I am looking forward to seeing what else is come in Lena and Alex’s “Spark” of a story!

Old Dog, New Tricks (Black Dog Book 4) by Hailey Edwards

 Old Dog, New Tricks (Black Dog Book 4) by Hailey Edwards by Hailey Edwards

**I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review**

5 stars!

Now that Marshal Thierry Thackeray and daddy dearest Macsen, aka The Black Dog, have been reunited, Thierry’s life consists of practicing fighting and having her dad bunk on her couch.  That doesn’t leave much time for her and her hot incubus boyfriend Marshal Jackson “Shaw” to spend some quality time together.  Add all of that together with the fact that Thierry just found out that her mom and Mac are “back together”, she is feeling mighty frustrated with life right now.  So when Shaw goes missing, Thierry knows exactly where to look and who to ask – her “husband” Rook, the Unseelie Prince who tricked her into a marriage so he could take over the throne once she when back to the human realm.  But when Thierry and Mac travel back to Faerie, Rook and Shaw are nowhere to be seen.  In fact, word around is that Rook disappeared when the Morrigan overtook the throne from his temporary ruling.

Figuring that the only way to truly help Faerie is to destroy the six tethers allowing the Faerie inhabitants to travel between the two worlds – as well as the Morrigan to escape into the human world and have an endless human buffet at her fingertips.  But it is not an easy feat – Thierry and Mac will have many obstacles, as the tethers are all over Faerie in the different seasons.  They know that Morrigan will not let the tethers go without a fight.  As they go about the difficult task of destroying the remaining bridges back to the human realm and trying to save Shaw, Thierry begins to wonder if happily ever after is even a possibility for her.

I must say that I really enjoyed watching Thierry through her journey over the last four books – with exception of the first book, I really loved seeing how her life fell into place – good or bad (no spoilers here!).  She was in a strange place being a unique being – half human, half faerie, but she really was able to find her place in the world.  From Mac, to her mom, Shaw to Rook – Thierry had a lot on her plate and Ms. Edwards was really able to convey a very real young lady with real problems and real feelings.  This book was a terrific ending to a great series, even if I am sad to see Thierry go!

Lie Down with Dogs (Black Dog Book 3) by Hailey Edwards

Lie Down with Dogs (Black Dog Book 3) by Hailey Edwards

**I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review**

5 stars!

Princess Thierry Thackeray of the House Unseelie…unwanted title number one; wife to Rook, son of the Morrigan, who is Unseelie royalty…unwanted title number two.  When Thierry was allowed one year worth of leave before taking up her role as Queen of Faerie, she intended to live life to its fullest – enjoying her job, time with her best-friend Mai, and mending things with her mother…and then there’s Shaw, her incubus ex-boyfriend who is also a marshal.  When Thierry gets suspended from her job for two weeks due to “unnecessarily endangering herself” as the Unseelie princess – one of the conditions she agreed to when returning to her job was that she’d run all of her field work through the magistrates before accepting them – she and Mai decide to get away for some girls time in Daytona Beach.  The only problem is that since Shaw can only “feed” from Thierry, she can’t leave him alone for long.  So Shaw decides to look into his sister in-law’s cold case – she disappeared one day ten years ago and until recently, no one has heard from her since.  But there has been a lead that Shaw has wanted to follow up on – a sighting – that of course puts him in Florida also.

Excited about her adventure with Mai, the girls sets off toward some beach time – but not without Diode, the giant cat that helped her survive in Faerie, and her two Unseelie guards that she un-fondly nicknames Righty and Lefty as she can’t keep their names straight.  Shaw takes up his place an hour away in Orlando, looking into the lead on his sister in-law, but is keeping tabs on her too.  But when their vacations takes a turn for the weird (par for the course for poor Thierry) and she senses an Ancient – an extremely old Faerie with very strong magic – at the hotel they are staying at.  So when Mai is drugged, Thierry is fearful for her friend and insists they move from Daytona to Orlando – where Shaw is staying – for all of their safety.  But Mai’s father insists she leaves to rest and recuperate, it leaves Thierry and Shaw (along with the ever-faithful guards and big cat Diode) to go back to Daytona to continue investigating the Ancient.  Upon their investigation, Thierry uncovers a greater evil that any of them could even imagine and evil so great, that it could mean the end of Thierry for good this time.  Can she bide her time and survive this great evil, or will she give in to a mastermind fae capable of so much malevolence, even she can’t beat it alone.

WOW – this was the best book yet in the series!  I was so intrigued by the ever-changing relationship between Shaw and Thierry.  There were so many twist and turns between them, and the way a simple uncertainty can become a gaping hole that rips and tears at something as beautiful as a love between two people – no matter their differences or doubts about themselves.  Thierry didn’t show as much strength in this book as the others, but Shaw made up for it in his hidden devotion and feelings for her.  I wanted to know more and see more of the relationship development – but was left craving more until the very last page with more uncertainty hiding behind the unwritten pages of the next book.  I am so excited about this series and can hardly wait to sink my “claws” into it!

Heir of the Dog (A Black Dog Book # 2) by Hailey Edwards

**I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review**

5 stars!

Perfect job…CHECK!  Perfect man…well, that one has fallen a little flat for Marshal Thierry Thackeray.  Being the Black Dog’s daughter, as well as half human, it’s left her is a strange place in the relationship department – no one wants their soul sucked out with a simple hand hold after all.  Since Thierry’s perfect man was also her partner, Shaw – her teacher turned partner – she’s been on her own for the past year.  But of course the past can never stay in the past, at least not when you’re in the business of hunting down fae and when Shaw comes back into town, Thierry can feel the heat still burning under the surface for Shaw.  She figures that she can stay professional and act like an adult, and since Shaw seniority within the agency, they are stuck together when a strange case rears its ugly head…or more specifically its big black feathers.  Somehow, a fae from the Faerie has crossed the border between their world and the human world…and not just anyone, but the son of the Morrigan, the Faerie prince of the Unseelie court.

Once again, Thierry’s world is turned on its axis once again – with news that her father has gone missing from Faerie and that the current king has met his end.  And with the Morrigan’s son whom Thierry un-fondly begins calling him “Raven” due to his uncanny connection with the birds showing up again – this time in Thierry’s apartment building as her new upstairs neighbor, Thierry starts feeling like things are going to change…again.  As time is running out now that the King of Faerie is dead and Thierry’s father missing, Faerie is falling apart – and it’s not just a problem for the Faerie world, it could spill over into the human world if a solution is not found.  And when Thierry’s mother is kidnapped, she’ ready to have someone’s head…but before she can act, Raven compels her and takes her into Faerie.  When Thierry arrives in Faerie and learns that only her family line – their blood – can bind the new King of Faerie.  And the simple fact that Thierry is half mortal – so no unending lives for her – causes her to go on an adventure, alongside Raven, to find her father and leave Faerie behind forever.  But what she’s in for might just change her life more than she realizes.

Once again, Thierry is smart, strong, and has so much perseverance.  She is bound and determined to live as normal a life as possible – if you call being a “monster hunter” and being able to take someone’s soul with a simple touch normal…and despite never meeting her father, you can feel the heartache that she feels over growing up with just her mother.  She also feels a lot of guilt and doesn’t want to be a burden to her mother.  Her relationship with Raven (who is later to be discovered to be named Rook) is complicated to say the least.  She doesn’t trust him, but being in a place like Faerie, he’s the only one she feels like she can rely on.  With all the twists and turns, the things that Thierry thinks are her biggest down falls, may just end up being the things that can save her life.

Dog With A Bone (Black Dog Book 1) by Hailey Edwards

**I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review**

5 stars!

The night of Thierry Thackeray’s 13^th birthday, she had her 5 best friends over for a fun sleepover…no could have foreseen what would happen that night, or that it’d be the end of those 5 girls’ lives – especially not the shocked Thierry that watched as she sucked the souls out of the girls with merely a simple touch of her left hand and left them lifeless husks on her bedroom floor.  But that’s what happens when your mother unknowingly has a fling with a fae being – you get a half-breed fae child that may or may not get powers similar to their father’s, and certainly won’t know how to use the powers should they manifest.  Forced to move from their hometown of Galveston, Texas to a small town called Wink so Thierry could be protected and taught by the conclave, while Thierry has thrived from all the knowledge, it’s been a difficult road for her mother and their relationship has been strained because of it.  And since she’s never seen her father – let alone met him – she has relied on her instructor and friend, Jackson “Shaw”, a Marshal who is like the police of the fae in the human world.  Being that he’s an incubus, it hasn’t been easy for Thierry to maintain a professional relationship with him through the years without wanting to jump his bones, but through it all they keep their relationship purely professional (with some minor flirting here and there).

So when Thierry passes her rigorous test to become a Marshal herself – under Shaw’s tutelage – she finally starts feeling like she can give back to the world.  Only problem is that it she is once again paired with Shaw, but this time as his partner…and they are having an even harder time keeping their hands to themselves.  Thrust into immediate action on their first case, the pair is tasked with finding out how some major fae breeds – dangerous fae breeds – are making their way into their normally fairly quite territory at a farm of a very human couple.  The more they look into and investigate the two, Thierry and Shaw become convinced there is more at play than a normal looking farmer and his high-society interior decorator wife.  They become convinced that this time, it might just be the fae that needs to be protected from the humans.  The only problems will be proving their absurd claims and making it through their first case without falling into bed together!  When there are fae at play, it’s a guarantee they will never play fair…

When I first started this book, I truly had no preconceived notions about it.  I honestly wasn’t quite sure what it was about – aside from the fact that it was fae related, which is a genre I usually enjoy reading.  But after the first couple of pages, I was seriously hooked and couldn’t get through the book quickly enough – to find out if Thierry ever meets her father, or gets a shot at Shaw, or what crazy thing she’d do next in the name of her job as a marshal.  The chemistry between the smoking hot incubus Shaw and half-human Thierry was immense and all consuming.  Thierry is smart, funny, and loyal – all the makings of a great heroine.  What a great start to a series – what will happen next to the Dog’s daughter…I couldn’t stay away from this series if I tried!

The Witch of Painted Sorrows by M.J. Rose

The Witch of Painted Sorrows by M.J. Rose

**I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review**

4 ½ stars!

In this haunting and beautiful story about an oppressed house wife, Sandrine (Asch) Verlaine, begins with Sandrine running to her Grandmother in Paris, France in the year 1894.  Her father has recently died, and left her with a ruthless, uncaring husband who sees her more as his property than his wife.  When she leaves, she does so without her husband really knowing who or where she ran to, as she wants to flee as far from him and his secrets as possible.  But she unknowingly runs straight into some family secrets of her own.

Her Grand-mere, Eva Verlaine, is a courtesan who has served the gentleman of Paris of some time.  Upon her arrival, her Grandmother insists it unsafe for her to be there, but Sandrine seeks the safety that family brings and cannot be dissuaded to return home.  During her time in Paris, Sandrine is heartbroken to know that her Grandmother has moved from her home – Maison de la Lune – to do some renovations.  She has hired a gifted architect named Julien Duplessi to complete the repairs, and without her knowledge, Sandrine and Julien strike up a friendship that consists of discussing art and going to museums together.  But when Sandrine finds a mysterious ruby necklace, their relationship takes a turns and becomes something much more – an experience so seductive and sensual, Sandrine wants more…but so does La Lune, the sixteen century witch that has possessed Sandrine through the ruby necklace.  Sandrine even goes as far as to disguise herself as a man to get into a famous art school so she can perfect the gifts that her and La Lune share.  But what happens could be catastrophic for the unknowing Sandrine – once she surpasses a certain point with La Lune, will there be any chance for her to go back?

This story was so descriptive and rich that I almost felt like I could see some of the paintings, or the way Julien looks at Sandrine.  It was so sensual – the artwork, the relationship, and the story.  The way Sandrine’s experiences were described made me feel like all I had to do was close my eyes and I could be transported into her world – where the lines between right and wrong as easily skewed, and between love and lust were blended into a beautiful and dangerous master piece that became the life that Sandrine never knew possible.

Riding the Odds by Lynda K. Scott

**I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review**

4 ½ stars!

When Spaceship Captain Tara Rowan first meets writer Trace Monroe, she immediately feels a spark of attraction.  But she can tell he is hiding something, especially seeing as trust is not something Tara Rowan gives easily.  In a competitive business of hauling cargo through space, Tara has an advantage that few others have – she has a “rider” named Zie, an organic symbiote—like a living tattoo—that enhances Tara’s physical abilities and gives her flight benefits.  Not only that, but Zie is an illegal wild born rider, not a legal bred one.  Zie has protected Tara for years and helped her to get herself straight in the face of diversity after her parents were killed from the Risien Plague that killed many other as well.

In efforts to protect herself and Zie, she never has gotten into relationships or close to anyone, finding that simply having Zie is enough as her companion.  But Trace stirs something frightening and wonderful inside of both Zie and Tara – something she is willing to run the other way from…far, far away from him.  Only Trace isn’t willing to give up so easily – he’s looking for his missing sister, the Princess of Empyrea, Katerina (Trace was adopted by the King and Queen upon his father’s untimely death, also from the Plague) – and through his research, he’s learned that Tara is linked to Jackson Brown, a known pirate.  He will stop at nothing to join Tara on her ship and investigate what she knows and how he can get close to Jackson – even if it means lying to Tara.  Unfortunately for them both, the pilot has been lit, and going through several live or death situations together ignites a powerful flame.  But can they get past each other’s indiscretions and be together, or are their other forces that will tear them apart?

First off, I just loved Zie – her child-like look on situations is refreshing and seems to help guide Tara’s moral compass.  They are dependent on each other for everything – from food to protection, but you can feel the love they have for each other as well.  And Zie is a great judge of character – when she first meets Trace, he tells Tara he’s pretty…not that Tara disagrees.  Then there is Tara herself, whom is strong, smart, and very resourceful.  While she doesn’t easily trust, once she does she is so with wild ferocity – as she does with Jackson.  Trace is not only a beautiful specimen of a male, but he loves his adopted family – not because of their position in life, but because they always treated him as their own.  So when you add two strong personalities together, add some heat, and sparks are going to be flying – lighting everything in their path on fire!  I really enjoyed the story – it was a relatively quick read and did throw out some surprises and twists along the way.  Strong characters, strong relationships, and mostly-strong story = good sci-fi YA read with a little steam to wind down (or UP) any evening!

Bind the Soul (Steel & Stone Book 2) by Annette Marie

 

**I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review**

5 HUGE stars!

When Piper saw Ash the last time, she never imagined it could be the last.  But he’s been missing for five weeks without a word, and Piper suspects the worst – that the evil head of the Hades family, Samuel, has gotten his claws back into him and is either torturing him or has killed him.  Neither scenario sits well with Piper, especially seeing as Ash saved her life several times while they were trying to protect the Sahar stone together.   Along with Lyre, she sets out to get some answers – against her father’s wishes no less.  But seeing as Samuel not only HAS the Sahar stone, but knows that Piper used it in a deadly fight against some of his harpies – things are definitely not going to be easy.  Especially seeing how Samuel has already sent some of his lackeys to kidnap her.

Enter Miysis, head of the Ra family – the creators of the Sahar stone and rightful owners of it.  Seeing as Piper helped him escape the Gaians during the siege to retrieve the Sahar stone, he owed her a favor.  So in order to get more information on Ash’s whereabouts, she asks him to take her to the Amity Gala where she can question Micah, one of Samuel’s spies/ Incubuses/ boy that duped Piper into thinking he loved her.  Not getting many answers and having an awkward exchange with Micah, Piper figures she’ll try again the next day for information. Unfortunately, on her way back home, she is once again captured by Samuel’s lackeys who succeed in bringing her down to Hell…and straight to Samuel.  When news surfaces that Ash is alive, but barely hanging on, Piper is going to bring the fire to Hell, and right to Samuel’s front door if it means getting Ash and herself out alive.  It’s not a question of whether Piper will survive Hell, but if Hell will survive Piper.

WOW – I loved the first book in the series and didn’t think it could get any better…but holy-moly did Piper bring it in this book.  There was action, intrigue, mystery, love, and HEAT!  The temperature between Ash and Piper is felt almost before she even actually finds him – even though she denies it several times – it is felt that there is a special bond between them that was more than just the effects of the chase when they were running with the Sahar stone in the previous book.  And even though she fights it, we can tell that she’d probably step in the trenches for him – with the knowledge it could be her last day…the surprising part is the feeling is reciprocated from Ash.  But for them both, will that be the ultimate sacrifice that Samuel will demand?  All I can say is I was blown away and truly couldn’t put this book down.  I am eagerly awaiting the next chapter for Piper, as I know that Ash won’t be able to stay away long…the true question is, will they find a way to be together forever this time, or will they lose the one thing worth really fighting for…love.