Release Day Blitz, Excerpt & Giveaway: Bold Tricks by Karina Halle

Title:  Bold Tricks Author: Karina Halle Publisher, Publication Date:  Grand Central Publishing, December 17, 2014 Genre: Romantic Suspense About BOLD TRICKS: The Faster They Live, the Harder They Fall . . . Raised by con artists, Ellie Watt has a lot of crazy childhood memories-but none crazier than being scarred with acid by the demented crime boss Travis Raines. Now Ellie is a full-grown woman who lives for revenge, and Travis is a full-blown drug lord who kills for pleasure. The sadistic bastard has kidnapped her good friend Gus as well as her mother, whom he's been holding as prized possessions in his heavily guarded lair. And Ellie has only one chance in hell of getting them out alive-using two dangerous men who love her to death . . . One is Camden McQueen, a talented tattoo artist who's made a permanent mark on Ellie's heart. The other is Javier Bernal, her fiery ex-lover who's busted more than a few heads in his time. From the crime-ridden streets of Mexico City to the predatory jungles of Honduras, this unlikely trio forms an uneasy alliance in the deadliest game of all-a gun-blazing battle to the finish that will pit enemy against enemy and lover against lover. And Ellie must choose the right man to trust . . . or die. Buy links Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/1BsL9zC  Books-A-Million: http://bit.ly/1zKqcB0  IndieBound: http://bit.ly/1wInERo  Amazon: http://amzn.to/1z30DuP  Excerpt The motel room was a lot nicer than the one we stayed at before. Sort of a Best Western, middle-ground quality of place. No roaches on the floors, no geckos on the wall. Shit mattresses, I discovered as I pounded my fist on the bed, but I didn’t care. Camden had just put the final box on my bed, Violetta sprawled out on hers in a state of drug-induced euphoria, when I noticed Javier lingering at the doorway. “I’m going to be meeting Dom in about twenty minutes,” Javier said to me. “Is that enough time for you to get ready?” I frowned and he quickly added, “You know he’ll want you there, if this is going to get anywhere. I figured you might want to shower and look nice.” He rapped his fingers along the doorframe, his mouth opening as if to say something else, then he turned and walked off. Camden eyed me. “I’m going with you.” “You might be kind of drunk, Camden,” I told him, though the determination in his voice warmed me like the finest cognac. “I’ve never felt better,” he said, enunciating each word. His eyes, my god they were still such a clear fucking blue, even in the pallid light of the hotel room. They bore into me with such startling clarity, sending shivers down my back like trailing fingertips. He would be coming with me. I wished he’d be coming in me. A vision of us in this hotel room, alone, him nailing me to the bed, the headboard banging, slammed into my head. “Are you okay with that?” he asked. I suppressed the thought, the flare of heat between my legs, and smiled quickly. “Yes, of course.” Meanwhile Violetta’s head flopped to the side, her arm still bound to her stiffly in the sling, and started snoring lightly. I motioned to her. “Do you think it’s safe to leave her here?” He watched her for a few moments, blinking a few times, before saying, “I think she needs to sleep it off.” He went and sat down on my bed. “I’ll be here when you get out.” I grabbed my bag of clothes I had brought out of the car and brought it into the bathroom. I had a quick shower, trying to rub off all the grim – both real and imagined – with the flimsy hotel soap, then picked through my clothes. Everything that had been in my trunk was musty and wrinkled, some even dirty. I had a packet of unopened (and decidedly unsexy) Hanes underwear, a bra, another pair of jeans, a pair of gladiator sandals that I thought were dressy enough, a pair of Timberland hiking boots, a plain white tee shirt, a couple of wife-beaters, a coral-colored blouse, a plaid shirt, and a light blue tank dress that went to the ground. I wasn’t exactly known for my fashion sense and even with the cherry blossoms covering the scars on my leg, bringing me beauty that I didn’t have before, I didn’t see myself branching out anytime soon. Dressing up in my old clothes for Javier hadn’t exactly helped either. I slipped on the tank dress, opting to go commando for the evening, and put on the sandals. I looked at myself in the mirror. Once again, I felt like a different person was staring back at me. This me, this Ellie, was tired and hardened. I rubbed the residue mascara away from under my eyes and applied a new coat. My skin was brown from the sun now and I didn’t need much else. When I came out of the bathroom, Camden straightened up on the bed. I felt strangely shy in front of him, especially as his eyes trailed up and down the length of me. “Do I look okay?” I asked him, feeling the need to say something. “I mean, if you can see me, that is.” He bit his lip and stared, a multitude of emotions flashing through his eyes, too fast for me to pick up on each individual one. I thought I saw lust in there – maybe that’s what I wanted to see. When he still didn’t say anything, I walked over to the dresser where I had my clutch purse left over from the other night at Travis’s and rifled through it for my lip stuff. His silence at my back was a heavy weight, laden with too many uncertainties between us. It was eating at me, burning through me, rendering me with a lead heart. There were so many things I had to focus on, to worry about, fucking impossible things, and yet I needed him to tell me I looked beautiful. I needed him to tell me I was something to him. I heard him get off the bed and walk toward me, that heaviness, that warmth that he brought with his bones, teased at my back. He stopped, close enough to touch me, and I was about to turn around, perhaps to do something foolish, when he crouched down. “How is my art?” His hands found my leg, one of them lifting the hem of my dress, the other slowly moving over the cherry blossom tattoo. I sucked in my breath, holding completely still, trying to contain my nerves that were firing wildly as his fingers ran along the ridges of the ink. He touched me gently over every vine, leaf and petal, until I had to supress a shaky moan that that tried to escape from my lips. “It feels fine,” I said softly when I found my voice. “It looks beautiful,” he said. “I had a beautiful artist,” I told him. I turned at the waist and look down at him, my blue dress glowing in his tanned hand, his other one placed firmly around my calf, his strong fingers imparting heat that sunk deep. He was looking up at me, lips parted slightly. I couldn’t take a second more of this. I turned and dropped to the ground, my knees rubbing against his. I grabbed his face, his rough stubble pressing into my palms, and kissed him. Hard. There was surprise for a second, a hesitation, a pulse that refused to beat on. Then Camden kissed me back, his soft lips enveloping mine, his mouth opening to give me life. He put his hand behind my head, holding it there with power and control. My heart was an elevator car, the cable suddenly snapped, and I was freefalling and falling and falling as his lips and tongue and hot, wet mouth took away every inch of my resolve. The more he kissed me, the deeper and longer we found each other, the thirstier I got for him. I felt like if we stopped, I would die, empty on the inside and forever longing. About Karina Halle: Karina Halle is a former travel writer and music journalist and the USA Today Bestselling author of Love, in English, The Artists Trilogy, and other wild and romantic reads. She lives in a 1920s farmhouse on an island off the coast of British Columbia with her husband and her rescue pup, where she drinks a lot of wine, hikes a lot of trails and devours a lot of books. Karina’s SM http://authorkarinahalle.com/ @MetalBlonde http://facebook.com/pages/Karina-Halle Giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway US & Canada Only

ARC Review: Merry Christmas, Baby by Jill Shalvis

Title: Merry Christmas, Baby (Lucky Harbor, 12.5) Author: Jill Shalvis Publisher/Publication Date: Grand Central Publishing, December 2, 2014 Genre: Contemporary Romance Format/Source: E-ARC, Publisher/NetGalley Book Summary Wild child Chloe Thompson can't believe how much things have changed. She still can't get enough of her sexy husband Sawyer, but he seems to prefer working to impending fatherhood. So tonight, a very pregnant Chloe is escaping her troubles at the town Christmas party. Sheriff Sawyer Thompson hopes surprising Chloe at the  party will give him a chance to set things right. But as the snow begins to fall and the wind rages, he wonders whether he can make it back in time. While mother nature conspires to keep Sawyer and Chloe apart, an unexpected arrival will require them to kiss and make up . . . and ring in the happiest holiday Lucky Harbor has ever seen. Amazon     B&N    BAM!    iBooks     GooglePlay     Kobo Review Merry Christmas, Baby by Jill Shalvis is an entertaining short story that wowed me from page one. This is the first book that I’ve read from the Lucky Harbor series. Often short stories leave me with the feeling that something is missing, but that wasn’t the case with Merry Christmas, Baby. The depth of this short story was impressive. Shalvis did an excellent job of presenting a snapshot of Chloe and Sawyer’s life together as they journeyed into parenthood. The story began as Sawyer was leaving town on business for a week. Chloe was in her eighth month of pregnancy and struggled with the separation. Throughout the story, Chloe was manipulative, insecure, and needy; while Sawyer was rather unemotional, but they complemented each other well. She was also surrounded by an overprotective support system that enabled her behavior even when they were aware that she was headed for trouble.  The ARC also had an excerpt from One in a Million, the story of Callie and Tanner.  From what I can gather from reading the short story and excerpt, The Lucky Harbor Series is intriguing with its humorous moments, swoon-worthy heroes, and quirky characters. I am definitely looking forward to reading additional books by Jill Shalvis. Rating 4/5 I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I’m curious…Have you read The Lucky Harbor series? If so, I would love to hear your thoughts regarding the series. Thanks for stopping by. :D

Launch Day Blitz, Excerpt & Giveaway: Merry Christmas, Baby by Jill Shalvis

MERRY CHRISTMAS, BABY by Jill Shalvis (December 2, 2014; Grand Central Publishing E-Novella; $1.99) Wild child Chloe Thompson can't believe how much things have changed. She still can't get enough of her sexy husband Sawyer, but he seems to prefer working to impending fatherhood. So tonight, a very pregnant Chloe is escaping her troubles at the town Christmas party. Sheriff Sawyer Thompson hopes surprising Chloe at the  party will give him a chance to set things right. But as the snow begins to fall and the wind rages, he wonders whether he can make it back in time. While mother nature conspires to keep Sawyer and Chloe apart,  an unexpected arrival will require them to kiss and make up . . . and ring in the happiest holiday Lucky Harbor has ever seen. Amazon     B&N    BAM!    iBooks     GooglePlay     Kobo Excerpt “It’s only a week,” he said, and Chloe jumped. He was at her side again, all lethal stealth. He set her fast-acting asthma inhaler on the nightstand for easy reach and then her cell phone, which he’d no doubt charged for her since she’d forgotten. His bag hung from his shoulder, and he watched her from those fathomless eyes. If she looked closely she could see the gold flecks in them. Sometimes, when he laughed, those flecks danced. But they were still now. As still as the man watching her. “I know,” she murmured. “Just a week. You’ll be back for the town Christmas party. You promised to take me.” His jaw went a little tight. Parties weren’t exactly Mr. Social’s thing. “We talked about this,” he said. “Yes, and you agreed to take me.” He shook his head. “I said it wasn’t a great idea, you exerting the energy to dress up and go to a crowded event.” “I’m not a piece of china,” she said. “No one would ever mistake you for one,” he responded, and she was pretty sure it wasn’t a compliment. “But,” he went on in that voice of steel, “you’re eight months pregnant and suffer debilitating asthma. Give yourself a damn break.” “I’ve had one,” she said. “Maddie and Tara won’t even let me work at my own spa. I need to get out, Sawyer. I need to see people.” Before her life changed forever… “I’m going.” “I’ll be back,” was all he said. “And the party?” “We’ll see.” Not exactly a promise, but then again he was careful never to promise anything he couldn’t deliver. His word, when he gave it, was good as gold. He lifted her chin and looked into her eyes for a long beat. “Dr. Tyler is only a call away,” he said. “Your sisters are close by. Jax and Ford are in your speed dials and are on standby for anything.” Chloe’s obstetrician was wonderful, and so were her sisters Maddie and Tara and their husbands—Sawyer’s BFFs Jax and Ford. But if there was an emergency, it wasn’t any of them that Chloe wanted. It was the tall testosterone and attitude-ridden man standing in front of her, already long gone given the look on his face. “I want you to take care,” he said. “You heard what Dr. Tyler said the last time we were in her office for false labor.” She patted her belly. “The Bean’s in for the long haul.” “I meant you,” Sawyer said. “Take care of you.” Coming from him, the words were tantamount to a shouted vow of love, and they moved her as only Sawyer could. “Always,” she promised, softening. “And what about you?” “I haven’t had any labor pains, false or otherwise,” he deadpanned. That got a laugh out of her. He smiled but it faded quickly. “You know you can text or email me, and that I’ll call when I can,” he said. “And if anything happens—anything at all, Chloe—I can be back here in two hours.” “Anything?” she asked playfully, trying to lighten the mood, using a voice that once upon a time would’ve made him kick off his shoes and strip and crawl back into bed with her, the hell with obligation and responsibility. “I’ll be here.” He met her gaze, his own serious. “Always.” An alarm on his watch beeped. He turned it off without taking his eyes from her. She blew out a breath. “You’ve gotta go.” He touched her face. “Chloe—” She closed her eyes and turned her jaw into his touch. “I know,” she said. “And it’s okay. It’s all going to be okay.” She just hoped that was true. About the author  New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental. Look for Jill's bestselling, award-winning books wherever romances are sold and visit her website for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.                           Website     Facebook     Twitter     Goodreads Giveaway Enter for a chance to win a digital copy of Merry Christmas Baby by Jill Shalvis!!! a Rafflecopter giveaway