Rock Star Blog Tour!

Yay, this is my stop on the Rock Star blog tour and I'm pretty excited. I'm sorry I was late getting it up but after the tropical storm that came through decided to ruin my day yesterday fried my laptop. I had to re-type it after class. On the plus side, I totally got to dissect and eyeball and a brain in class today and it was spectacular. Seriously, take a class where you can dissect stuff. Back to the books! I present you today my review and a couple excerpts.

Faded

by Mercy Amare

Synopsis

I left Hope – the only place I’ve ever felt at home. So now what? Where do I go from here?

When I left, I didn’t just leave my home. I left my friends, my sisters, and Stephan… I just found them. I can’t lose them now.

I know that I want to do MY music. I need to remember WHY I wanted to play music in the first place. And the only way to get that is by firing my dad, but that may be harder than I thought.

On top of everything, I now have cameras following me around everywhere. Even my own home isn’t safe anymore.

I’ve come to realize that normal will never be an option for me.

My Review

4 Stars

So after the cliff hanging ending of Jaded and all the twists along the way, I was pretty excited to read Faded. Plus I really liked the cover of Faded and think that overall it was a great fit for the story (which is a plus becomes sometimes; I see covers that for the life of me, I can’t relate to the book).  After growing to love Scarlett and Stephan in Jaded and the ending, I was pleased to find that Faded started just a week later. Thank God it wasn’t a week where I missed something or else I definitely would have been emailing Mercy Amare as I kept reading. Thankfully Scarlett stayed true to her nature while developing even more as a strong character throughout book two. The last few chapters of this book were game changing and I am looking forward to reading Hated.

**Look out for moments like this. Where when you reading you get all excited like the characters

I like how Mercy managed to make Jaded focus more about all the changes in Scarlett’s life, and Faded is where she gets to learn to live with it. From the first book, Scarlett had a strong personality that has changed for the better in Faded. To me it felt like she was a more well-rounded person while still being strong. Even though she has some moments with Stephan where I think she could have stood her ground a bit more…but I can understand why she lets things slide a little more easily. She’s young and in love. Alec was around much more too which I was grateful for. I like his attitude, he’s funny and truthful. And he gets his own little romance sub plot which was so cute. I can admit that recently I’ve been reading a lot more Romance books than normal for me, but I can’t help it. I keep falling in love with characters like Scarlett, Stephan, Alec, Bridgett and Stacy.

**Seriously, I feel like we may come to find out all those things she acted like was cool, was indeed not cool. I mean, he ends up crushed for awhile before his happy ending.**

Now I’m waiting for Hated so I can hopefully get to know more about how some things turn out from this book. Like the ending, I swear I never saw that coming and now I need to know what Mercy is going to do with this. Faded was so much better than Jaded, the plot had more depth to it and we got to know everyone a little more. Seeing how their stories end will be so much fun. Especially if it happens like anything I’ve planned out in my head. You definitely need to read Jaded first before you pick up Faded or you’ll spend a lot of time trying to imagine what happened before. There were a couple spots where to me it didn’t flow as well as it could have but it didn’t really affect the story. It’s just one of my “things.” If you’re looking for an easy read that’s fun and full of twists, you should definitely check these books out. Faded will not disappoint readers who were left waiting after Jaded.

Excerpts

Stephan's POV

I watch as Scarlett walks down the stairs. When I told her to look hot, I hadn’t expected her to look this hot. She’s wearing a short dress that barely covers her ass, and I know that I am going to have a hard time keeping my hands to myself.

“You probably should have worn more comfortable shoes, Blondie,” I tell her, looking at her shoes. I’m trying really hard not to stare at her perfect figure.

“You told me to dress hot. You can't look hot and be comfortable,” she replies, shaking her head.

“You'd look hot in anything...” I pause, and then add, “or nothing. I'm ok with that option as well. Feel free to take your clothes off.”

Why did I say that? My mouth has like no filter when I’m around her… Especially when she is dressed like this.

She rolls her pretty blue eyes at me. “Seriously, perv, if this is how it's going to be tonight, I will just go home.”

She starts to turn around, but I grab her by the elbow. “No, no, I'll be good. I promise.”

“Just remember – you will never see me naked. EVER.” Her eyes say something very different, and I know that one day she will be mine.

“One day soon, I will prove you wrong. And when I do, I am going to remind you of this very conversation.”

She bites her lip, and I can tell she’s trying not to smile. Damn, she’s hot.

Scarlett's POV

“You will break one day,” he says confidently.

“Maybe, but maybe not. I’m a pretty strong willed person. I could make you wait until our wedding night.”

Stephan smiles. “Wedding night?”

Crap. Did I just say that out loud? Now would be a really great time for the floor to open up and swallow me whole. I turn away from him, and try to think of something to say. I can feel the heat in my cheeks. Why oh why did I just say that?

“I’m sorry,” I finally speak. “I shouldn’t have said that. I didn’t mean to imply that we were going to get married.”

“Scarlett, turn around,” he demands.

I turn around to see him standing directly in front of me. He puts his hands on the sides of my face, and tilts my head up so that I am looking at him.

“You’re really beautiful when you blush.”

I can’t help but smile at his words.

He kisses my cheek. “That’s better. Let’s just forget you said that.”

As always, Stephan knows exactly what to say to make me feel better. “Thank you.”

“Scarlett Montgomery,” he nods approvingly. “I like it.”

“I thought we were forgetting I ever said anything,” I remind him.

“I was just testing it out, you know, for future reference.”

I shake my head. “Let’s just play.”

About the Author

I am a YA/ NA author of the books: Don’t Tell, You Got Me, and the Rock Star Trilogy: Jaded, Faded, and Hated. I have a slight addiction to the TV series Pretty Little Liars and The Vampire Diaries. I'm 23 years old, and I currently live in St Louis, with my husband of 2 years.

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FACEBOOK –  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mercy-Amare/466953106650292

TWITTER – https://twitter.com/MercyAmare

WEBSITE – http://www.mercyamare.com

GOODREADS – http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6464549.Mercy_Amare

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NJ Cole Spotlight

Midnight Caller

by NJ Cole

Synopsis

Rebecca Summers enjoys pleasing herself with the curtains open. When a mysterious stranger calls to tell her that he is watching, fantasy becomes reality as she begins to perform for him. Following his instructions over the phone while he watches from afar, she finds herself craving more.
Oliver Durant has always been drawn to humans to exert the dominance and control his kind needs to feel alive. While secretly observing her and calling nightly, he can’t seem to get enough of Rebecca, whom he refers to as butterfly. His urges with her are stronger than the need to dominate, as he is driven to possess her in every way.
Both of their worlds are turned upside down when they finally meet and she agrees to enter into a Dominant/submissive relationship with her Midnight Caller.

Excerpt

There I was, nearly twenty-four hours after the mysterious phone call, lying in bed with my favorite toy at my fingertips. I masturbated almost every night. Though I didn't always pleasure myself in the same way or use the same toy, I usually did it in my bed with my curtains wide open. I guess you could say I was a bit of an exhibitionist. I lived on the fourteenth floor of a large apartment building where the western wall was entirely made of glass. Now, I wasn’t crazy. Though I liked to fuck with the curtains wide open, I kept my lights off. I could see out, but no one could see in. It was erotic, yet safe.
The first time it happened was an accident, really. I’d been sitting in the living room reading a romantic novel, and my hand slipped up into my shirt. My fingers lazily played with my nipple, rubbing and gently tugging while I read. I wasn’t sure how long I was like that, but when I looked up, it had grown dark outside and I realized that anyone could see right into my apartment since I had the lights on.
I pulled my hand quickly from my top and glanced around nervously to see if any of the people in the apartment building across the street had seen me. As I scanned the apartments, I saw a man quickly turn and look away. There was an obvious bulge in his sleep pants.
I should have been upset, mortified even, but instead, I felt wetness gather between my legs. I ran to the shower to wash away my shameful response, but ended up pleasuring myself under the scalding water, imagining him jerking off to the sight of me masturbating.
For weeks after that, I’d imagine different guys watching me finger fuck myself while I was in the shower. I imagined being a stripper at a club where men would get aroused by my dancing. Hell, I even imagined being in one of those peep show rooms I had read about, where women have sex and men pay to keep the curtain open. I imagined it all.
Yet imagining wasn’t enough, and though I didn’t have the courage to actually do it, I compromised by masturbating with the curtains open and the lights off. I knew in theory that people couldn’t see me, but I could see them, and that was hot.
I’d been doing it for over a year now, and I loved it each and every time. That guy I’d seen the first time had moved out a while back, but it didn’t matter; it was the idea that someone—a complete stranger—could be watching me that got me off.
As I lay there thinking about all the people in the apartments across the boulevard from mine, I let my hand slip up inside my top. What if the call last night hadn’t been a wrong number? My nipple got hard beneath my fingertips at the mere thought. What if there had been a man actually spying on me? I gave my sensitive skin a gentle tug. What if he was looking at me now? I tugged harder, moaning in pleasure.
It had been over two years since I'd had a boyfriend, and at that time, I had no idea what I liked in bed.
Since then, I'd learned a lot about what I liked from pleasuring myself. One thing that I seemed to love was a bit of pain with my pleasure.
My other hand moved lower and slipped in between my slick folds. I groaned in pleasure. I wasn't surprised that my fingers found my clit slightly swollen, or that within a minute, it was throbbing. Like I said, I knew what I liked, and imagining that man—my midnight caller—watching me was definitely helping.
My fingers picked up the pace, and the gentle rubbing of my clit turned to rapid flicking and finally to rough tugging of the over sensitive bud. I grabbed for my toy and turned it on. Without playing around, I thrust it into my dripping pussy. I began pounding it into myself, causing my back to arch and a light perspiration to cover my skin. I felt my climax start to build, and I slowed my pace to drag it out a bit longer. After a few more torturous minutes, I fell over the edge.
I lay there panting with a cheesy grin on my face, enjoying the post orgasmic high. Lazily, I glanced over at the phone. See, nothing to worry about. Just as the thought popped into my head, the phone began to ring.
I considered not picking it up, but I wasn’t a coward. I took a deep breath, slowly picked up the receiver and brought it to my ear.
"That was beautiful, butterfly."
“Wait, who is this?" I yelled into the phone.
I heard a chuckle and then a click.
"Hello…hello?”
I sat there staring at the phone for a full minute before I moved. My mind, which had been numb, began to race. This was not a wrong number. It was too coincidental. Someone was watching me, or listening to me! I ran to my window and drew the curtain closed. My heart was racing in my chest, and despite the fact that I had always fantasized about someone watching me, now that it seemed like it was happening, I was scared. Yet it thrilled me, too. Much to my surprise, I realized that the wetness between my thighs had increased since my orgasm, not decreased.

**So if you're like me and wishing there was more to the excerpt above or even just another one included, I advise you go go scope out NJ Cole's debut book at the following links! (You know I show Indies all the love)

Amazon

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About NJ Cole

NJ Cole is a witty, mid-western girl with a kinky side. She works by day and writes by night, all while being a mother to her wonderful boys and serving her Sir. Unlike many of today’s authors, she chooses to write in first person, allowing the readers to experience life through the eyes of the unique characters that live in her head. Her love of those characters and respect for their stories come through loud and clear in her writing. With over two million reads of her online work in the past six months, NJ Cole is clearly an up and coming author.

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The Star Release Day Blitz

Date: June 3, 2013

Genre: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy

There will be a touring in the end of June for The Star as well.

Book Description:

Abbii had been afraid of the dark for four long years. She hated the eerie silence that filled the night.

She would often try to forget by closing her eyes at night, but she would always be met by dreams of Shadows that would attack her, dragging her into the Darkness. Most nights, she would simply lie there with her bedding wrapped tightly around her, staring at the light coming in through her window, hoping that she would drift off into a dreamless sleep.

Ever since that day four years ago, the dark had frightened her; she had thought it would be a curse throughout the whole of her life, but something changed when she met him.

The dark seemed to lose its power and the moon’s light brightened.

Her dreams didn’t stop; nightmares still stole her sleep, but there was always a figure of Light that would save her and allow her to wake.

He said the same thing every night in her dreams. Keep fighting, Abbii.

She thought that he was part of her imagination, someone that she had created to save her, until she met him and was drawn into his bright hazel eyes.

His name was Nate.

Excerpt:

“I have faith in you, Abbii…”

Inhaling a breath, she allowed her fear to subside as she concentrated. She laid her empty hand by the side of Nate’s wound, feeling the warmth of skin spark against her own, and then poured the bottle with no further delay.

Nate’s body tensed and he clenched his hands into fists. No sound left his lips, but it was obvious that the pain was overwhelming. Abbii watched the alcohol mix with his blood, allowing it to grow thin until little blood actually remained. Taking hold of the towel from Nate’s grasp, she wiped his wound to clean the surrounding skin, and then repeated the wash with liquor. She placed the bottle on the floor and then wiped the wound clean for a second time, moving closer to examine it.

Pleased that it had been cleaned, Abbii took hold of the needle and thread, biting off as much as she needed. Threading the needle, she extended her hand, hovering it over Nate’s side. He had grown quiet, but Abbii could see that he was still awake; she could sense that he would lose consciousness soon if his wound was not sealed correctly.

She lowered her hand but stopped as something caught her attention. Ignoring the fact that her hand was shaking, Abbii could see a glisten of light at the tip of each of her fingers. Placing the needle and thread next to Nate, Abbii focused onto her hand, realising that she could sense her powers.

I wonder…

She glanced at the window to see that little light was visible due to the layer of snow which fell from the sky. The lamp at her side was also giving little light, as only its aura was lit and not the actual light itself. Abbii wondered how her powers had appeared without a specific source of energy fuelling them, but it took her only a moment to let the thought pass. Placing her one hand flat against Nate’s skin, so that his wound was between her thumb and index finger, she then moved her opposite directly above Nate’s injury.

“What are you doing?” Nate stirred, trying to see Abbii’s movements.

She ignored him and kept her hand against his skin. “Let me try,” she whispered.

Nate lay back down, proving that he had heard Abbii’s reply. The warmth from his body seemed to increase all of a sudden, but Abbii presumed it was due to the fact that her own skin had increased in temperature, and not Nate’s. As she moved towards his side, the light at her fingertips brightened until her whole hand shone like a star. She watched as the light seemed to fill Nate’s wound, soothing it with small shockwaves of energy.

Her fingertips lay against his skin which brightened her magic further. An image of Nate’s face appeared in her mind as she watched his wound start to heal ever so slightly, but she took no notice of it, and instead focused her concentration. Nate’s skin started to move, regenerating its wounded layers at a steady pace. Abbii started to feel light-headed, but she ignored the feeling and kept her magic bright. The deepest parts of Nate’s injury had been healed, but the top layers of his skin were still torn.

“You can stop now.” Nate tried to sit up, but Abbii would not allow him.

“I can do this,” she whispered.

Giving her no choice this time, Nate pushed himself to sit upright, grabbing hold of Abbii’s glowing hand tightly. As soon as his skin came into contact with her hand, she lost her balance and leaned against his shoulder. She found it hard to catch her breath and fatigue seemed to consume her; it had been a whole day since Abbii had slept.

“Rest, Abbii,” Nate soothed, stroking her hair away from her face.

Mini Excerpt 

He grabbed a broken chair which lay on the floor, using his foot to break off one of its metal legs. Once it was free, he lunged forwards and stabbed the creature’s heart, feeling a strange surge of energy reverberate through the metal. The sensation caused his hand to spasm, but the creature fell to the ground, dead.

Max leaned against his thighs, trying to catch his breath. “What was that?”

Allowing the warmth of his magic to envelop his hand, Nate felt the vibrations from the metal stop. He glanced around the room to see something he had not expected. “It was human.”

Looking up in response to his statement, Max followed his gaze, concentrating on the far wall of the room. The black substance from outside had consumed its whole surface and a body was in the centre, a human body. Though its features had changed slightly, the two men could sense that magic pulsed through the victim’s skin.

 “Is that how they make a Shadow?”

Nate elongated his blink. “No, that’s how they make a Forgotten. A magic user accepts the Darkness and undergoes their transformation.” As he spoke, a strange image formed in his mind. He saw a figure being consumed by the black substance of the Shadows, a young man with powers. Nate felt drawn to him.

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 About the Author

I was born in England in the West Midlands in 1991 where I am still currently living, growing up alongside one younger and three older brothers.

Books and writing was an interest that I began to develop from the first years of secondary school, and on my thirteenth birthday, I began to plan and design the idea to write a fantasy novel. I finished secondary school with high GCSE’s and then went on into further education to study English and all aspects of art and design. After six years of writing, planning and overall editing of the book, it was successfully completed, containing over 82,000 words, and self published in the first week of 2011.

With high expectations in myself, I immediately began to write a second novel in the series, while keeping my art and design a part of the process. The achievement of completing the first novel ‘Purest Light,’ allowed the ideas of the second to flow much easier and it was completed by early 2012. As I was writing the third and final book, New Beginnings, at the same time, the series was finished by its publication in 2013.

Writing is now a part of my everyday and I have started on my newest project, The Star, which is also planned to be the first of three. Only time will tell.

Your Turn to Be Charmed by Lindy Zart

My Review of Charmed

by Lindy Zart

Synopsis

On the day Taryn turns eighteen her life changes. A black-eyed man with a chilly aura accosts her and she's abducted by a man who really isn't a man, but a Manang; half-man, half-angel.

She's told she's someone special; a Charmed, and the key to winning in a battle of worlds about to collide. Only problem is, she can be a weapon of good or a weapon of bad, depending on who gets to her first.

My Review

4 Stars

I enjoyed Charmed from cover to cover. Enjoyed, doesn’t really even encompass the way I felt while reading Charmed. Taryn had me hooked with her story by the end of the first chapter and her dislike of surprises and birthdays. She was instantly relatable and I loved her from the get go (sometimes, it takes me a while to like some female characters)! Then Lindy Zart introduces Creed. This jaw droppingly gorgeous manang sent to protect Taryn and his mix of nonchalant yet protective nature only increases his swoon factor. Oh, and you won’t stop falling in love there. Wait till you meet Luke who gives Creed a run for his money and soon you’ll be stuck in the book hangover debate of which one you love more. I still can’t decide…Personally, I’ll take one of each. Every time you think you figured something out, Lindy surprises you with another twist.

**I certainly found myself thinking “I did not see that coming.”

**Oh the swoon worthy males in this story...*catches breath*

Every character throughout the entire story displays their own development and growth, each one also contributes to the overall plot, keeping you intrigued. There’s Mora, Eli, Reece, Shah and more who add their own flare and twists to the plot line. Lindy commands her character’s beautifully throughout and will capture your attention with the fast paced thrill ride that is Taryn’s charmed life. Although there were a couple spots where I thought some moments passed to quickly or maybe I thought Taryn’s reaction should exuded more emotion, it doesn’t affect the flow or story as a whole.

There really is a spot I’d like to talk about and a couple characters but I don’t want to spoil any of the awesome parts for you! However I will warn you that Lindy goes as far as to introduce a third character who will seek his own attention from your heart strings.

**again, I’m not sure if I’m saying this to Creed, Luke or the mystery co-star, but I know I repeated it multiple times in my head

Overall I loved this book and am already anticipating reading book two (Charmed Again). Lindy Zart definitely Charmed me with the first novel in this series. The plot line was constant and engaging throughout the entire tale. She wove a flawless story and there weren’t any contradictions considering the world building Lindy accomplished. Her world involving the Charmed, Manangs and Deadeyes came alive through her use of detail. Lindy used her talent for description and dialogue to bring her world alive through Taryn and the rest of the cast. Every page was a treat and I found myself on the edge of my seat and daydreaming outcomes when I was stuck sitting in class.

I loved this book. If you haven’t read Lindy Zart’s books, you need too. Seriously, be Charmed. She’ll wrap you around her finger by the end of the first chapter. Lindy kept me guessing (and wishing) until the very end.

Charmed Links

Charmed (The Charmed Series)

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About Lindy Zart

I've been writing since I was a wee lass. I was reading before that; possibly while still in the womb. Don't think about that too much.

I started out with short horror stories and poetry. I was terrible at it. The poems not so much, but the stories were awful.

I decided to finish a book (and I DO mean finish--I'd started plenty throughout the years) when I was in my mid-twenties (so not that long ago because I'm young and will forever stay that way). Again, not my best work.

But that's the thing about writing; it improves with time. (It's also a good thing to know your work can't possibly be any worse than it was when you first started.)

What I love most about writing is having people tell me how much they enjoy my work; how my writing touches them; makes them feel intensely.

Bringing a reader to laughter or tears is a wonderful feeling for a writer, and no, I'm not sadistic. *insert evil laugh HERE* It means I got them to feel, to respond to something I created.

Also, I just like to make stuff up and put it down on paper. I have an endless supply of stories in my head; lots of stuff to share with the world.

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