Saturday, August 29, 2015

Hilaria Alexander - This Love - Blog Tour


Title: This Love

Author: Hilaria Alexander

Release Date: Aug 4, 2015

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Running off to Amsterdam is the best decision Ella ever made in her life. In just a few months, she’s been able to put her past behind her and has found a new family and friends. She can almost ignore the voices in her head telling her this idyllic scenario is temporary.


When Lou Rivers shows up in Amsterdam, he’s the constant reminder of the life she led and the mistakes she made. As the two of them embark on an emotional and musical journey across Europe, Ella will have to face her own insecurities and make a decision that might break them apart forever.





I had never kissed with my eyes open. This was going to be my first time. It took me a couple of seconds to be completely aware of what was happening and realize that I wasn’t imagining his lips pressed on mine. I closed my eyes then, and my lips parted, searching for his tongue. I had wanted this kiss for days, and my tongue wrapped around his a little too fast, too eager.


His hands cradled my face so softly, so gently. My arms circled his neck, and I ran my fingers through his hair. His lips were silky soft, and there was a faint taste of cinnamon on his tongue from the apple tart we just had. His tongue caressed mine over and over until I was breathless. A moan escaped my mouth as he released me and he attacked me again, nibbling at my bottom lip. When he kissed me again and started sucking on my tongue, I was a goner. Heat spread under my skin, coursing through my body, all the way to my fingertips.


He stopped kissing me and released a breath. I found him looking at me with an expression of wonderment in his eyes.


I was glad it was nighttime. The way he was looking at me, had my heart hammering against my chest, and the blood rushing to my cheeks.


Maybe one day I would live to tell Lou Rivers had mad kissing skills. I’d be like one of Elvis’ many flings telling the press—decades later—how great he was. I wondered if I’d get to say we had gone out on dates.


“I’m really sorry about earlier,” he said.


“You should never follow a kiss with an ‘I’m sorry,’” I told him playfully.


“I can’t catch a break with you, can I?” he asked, chuckling.


I shook my head no, but I was smiling at him.


“Are we good?”


I nodded.


“Was it good?” he asked, leaning in, bumping his shoulder against mine.


“Oh my God! What are you, fifteen?” I slapped him playfully on the arm.


“I’ll take that as a yes,” he said with a smugness I hadn’t seen before.


“You know, I’m really not too sure it was that good. I can hardly remember it, already,” I teased.


“You already forgot our first kiss?” he jokingly asked, the smile on his face telling me he was enjoying this. Our first kiss. By the way he said it, it sounded like it was going to be followed by many more.


“I might need a refresher,” I answered, looking at him defiantly.


He leaned down and kissed me again. This time, things were different. Our first kiss was slow, gentle, building. As his lips claimed me, he closed the distance between us, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me to him. As his tongue kept teasing me and tantalizing me, he placed a hand around my waist, and with the other one behind my head, he dipped me slightly backwards. Show-off. I gripped his shoulders, trying to hold my balance. His body was flushed against mine, and I felt something else as well. Apparently, it didn’t take much for him to get...excited. I liked that I was the one doing that to him. His tongue circled around mine over and over, going deeper. It knocked the breath out of me. This one was an unforgettable kiss. And now I was going to want more; there was no going back.


He stopped, leaving me mid-kiss. A sigh escaped me, and as I opened my eyes, I glanced at him. He was breathing fast, and even in the semi-darkness his eyes looked wilder and even more magnetic than usual. A satisfied, lopsided grin spread on his face.


“There. You shouldn’t forget this one. I was trying to be a gentleman earlier.”


“So you were,” I replied, trying to regain control of my body.


He leaned down, gave me one last peck, took my hand, and said, “Let’s go.”


Neither of us could say a word the entire time we were walking back, but his hold on my hand was strong, and I felt like I never wanted to let it go. From time to time, I could feel his eyes on me, but I never looked in his direction, partly because I had a stupid smile I couldn’t wipe off my face. I wanted to lean into him and have his arms around me.


When we got to Johan’s, I finally looked up. Now, this was going to be awkward. How were we going to say goodbye? With a handshake, a hug, or another kiss?


Thankfully, I didn’t have time to think about it much longer, because his strong arms enveloped me and slowly pushed me backwards, until I was against the brick wall. He pressed his body against mine and my arms ran up his body, wrapping around his neck. Our noses touched first, and then our mouths were devouring each other again.


Everybody thinks they know how to kiss, but a lot of people don’t give it the right emphasis. Some guys are so rushed with it, like they are just trying to hurriedly open the doorway to your vagina. That’s one way to shut that door down for good. Guys seem to forget that kissing is the prelude to everything else. It’s the way you introduced yourself. Some guys I’ve kissed wouldn’t open their mouth enough or even give you enough access to their tongue. And they’d be so boring. After a few minutes, I was ready to be done with them. But this, the feeling of his tongue around mine and his soft full lips kissing my face and my neck...I could have kissed him for hours. Lou went from wrapping his tongue around mine to gently biting my bottom lip, and then kissing me under my chin, all the way under my ear, only to trail back up and do it all over again.


His light stubble tickled me at times, but somehow it only made me more aroused. I started shivering under his touch when he slipped one hand under my sweater, trailing all the way up to my ribcage, sliding it under my bra. He took one of my breasts in his hand and started teasing my nipple with his thumb and index finger. I grinded my hips against his while a moan escaped my mouth. I ran my fingers through his hair and started trailing kisses on his neck, sucking on his earlobe. His other hand made its way under my sweater, and they were both caressing my back and it almost seemed as if he was aiming to take my bra off. Okay, this had gone too far.


“Okay, smooth kisser,” I whispered in his ear, my voice low and breathy, “it is Amsterdam and all, but we’re still in the street, making out next to my place of employment. I’d say we have gone far enough,” I pulled away from him, holding his gaze, panting like prey running away from its hunter.


“You’re right,” he said. “I’m sorry.”


“You do say that a lot,” I teased him, mimicking what he had just told me a few days earlier.


“Just tonight, I swear,” he replied, giving me a grin that was hard to resist.






Hilaria Alexander was born and raised in the south of Italy, where her family still lives. She attended college at the Istituto Universitario Orientale in Naples, Italy, and lived one year in Tokyo, Japan, as part of an exchange student program. She now lives in Oklahoma City with her husband and kids. When she isn't at work, she is reading, catching up on her favorite TV shows and making up story-lines in her mind. She loves traveling and is a self-proclaimed concert addict. This Love is her second romance novel. She published her first novel, Prude, in January 2015.






How to Catch Crabs by Demelza Carlton Book Blitz


How to catch crabs Tour Banner


Book Blitz

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Book Title: How to Catch Crabs 
Author: Demelza Carlton 
Genre: Historical Romance 
Release Date: June 2015 
Hosted by: Book Enthusiast Promotions

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Book Blurb

Love and babies: two things Lucy doesn't have time for in her life. It's 1926 and this young West Australian woman is happy as an accountant. And she intends to stay that way.

Until Giorgio, an Italian migrant fisherman sent to Australia in disgrace. The moment their eyes meet across the fish market, he knows Lucy's the girl for him. If it weren't for his reputation as a rake, he's certain he could catch more than just her eye - perhaps even her heart, too.

A tale of crabs, cricket bats and catching your heart's desire in Jazz Age Western Australia.

excerpt

I smelled smoke faintly on the wind and knew Mum wasn't the only one brewing up a morning cup of tea.

When my basket was empty, I slipped under the lines of washing until I reached the outermost rank. A quick touch told me that these were far from dry, so I returned to the lean-to laundry to finish up the last load of boys' clothes. I'd already scrubbed these once, but they were so dirty, I'd given up and decided to soak them for longer.

I wound them around the copper stick – actually an old cricket bat of Dominic's – and dumped the mess into the rinse water, praying that I wouldn't have to scrub them again. It wouldn't kill the boys to wear grey shirts to school, especially after they'd turned them that colour.

I shoved my arms into the tub of water, weaving my hands between the shirts and shorts in an effort to untangle them. The smell of smoke intensified as I touched the bottom of the stone tub. No, this wasn't the clean, sharp smell of burning jarrah from a neighbour's chimney. This was the fug of tobacco that shouldn't be anywhere near my laundry.

"Nick, if you're smoking again, I'll tell Mum!" I hissed, glancing over my shoulder.

The masculine silhouette in the doorway was too muscular to be my fifteen-year-old brother. As if to demonstrate this, he removed the cigarette from his lips and blew a stream of smoke at the ceiling. "Who is this Nick, streghetta? Your brother, I hope."

Giorgio's deep voice stopped my heart for a moment, before it stuttered back to beating. How could one man have such an effect on me? I only hoped he didn't notice.

"None of your business," I snapped. "What are you doing, trespassing here?"

He laughed softly. "I am driving my sister-in-law to see her friend. My brother didn't trust me to mind his shop, so he gave me his wife and truck instead. So, this friend. Is she your friend, too? Or your sister, perhaps?"

"My mother. And my father is pruning the grapevines, but he'll be back for lunch any moment, so you should get out of here and leave me to my work." I deliberately turned my back on him, concentrating only on the task at hand. I willed him to leave.

"But you have bewitched me, streghetta. I've thought of nothing and no one else since I met you in the market last week." I heard the crunch of footsteps on the hard-packed clay as he entered the lean-to.

He's right behind me, but I won't give him the satisfaction of paying him undeserved attention, I vowed, lifting a shirt from the suds so I could scrutinise it for stains.

Something warm touched my neck and I dropped the shirt with a splash. Whirling around, I glared at Giorgio. "How dare you touch me without my permission!"

"This new fashion of short hair drew my eyes to your neck, as I'm sure you intended, and I could not resist you, streghetta." He touched two fingers to his lips. "Your neck tastes of soap and salt, the products of your hard labour. Do your lips taste sweeter?"

I drew in a sharp breath to shout at him again, but he seized my shoulders and kissed me. His lips were warm as he took me by surprise, taking advantage of my open mouth to mingle his breath with mine, before his tongue darted in to dance. It was a kiss that spoke of passion, longing and a desire for more as his body pressed mine against the sink. He tasted of ash and smoke, coupled with the warmth of a fire that could melt even the iciest heart. Even mine, I realised, as my knees weakened. I groped for the sink behind me to stay on my feet and my fingers closed on the copper stick.

All those years of backyard cricket with my brothers was worth it, I decided, as I brought up the bat to hit the rogue for six. Cold, soapy water doused us both, but I didn't care because I heard and felt the satisfying thunk as the bat made contact with his head.

Immediately, he released me and backed up, touching a hand to his head to see if he was bleeding. Sadly, I hadn't hit him hard enough for that. My arms were too tired from a morning's worth of washing.

I brandished the bat. "Don't do that again."

He laughed and I almost hit him again. "Only if you promise not to bewitch me any more. Tell me your name."

"You've never had the good manners to introduce yourself, so why should I?" I retorted. I could still feel the heat of his mouth on mine. Heavens – I almost wanted to feel it again.

Meet the Author

Demelza Carlton has always loved the ocean, but on her first snorkelling trip she found she was afraid of fish.

She has since swum with sea lions, sharks and sea cucumbers and stood on spray-drenched cliffs over a seething sea as a seven-metre cyclonic swell surged in, shattering a shipwreck below.

Sensationalist spin? No - Demelza tends to take a camera with her so she can capture and share the moment later; shipwrecks, sharks and all.

Demelza now lives in Perth, Western Australia, the shark attack capital of the world.

The Ocean's Gift series was her first foray into fiction, followed by the Nightmares trilogy. She swears the Mel Goes to Hell series ambushed her on a crowded train and wouldn't leave her alone.

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120 Days Release Blitz August 29

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Synopsis
120 days... The average number of days someone stays at Last Resort.
17 weeks. Surrounded by love, laughter and support.
4 months more time than they had before they walked through the door.
Real estate developer Ethan McGregor’s life was changed forever when his younger brother told him he was dying of cancer. Ethan was ready
to do whatever it took to save Evan, but Evan had other plans.
Say goodbye…
Samantha Truman runs the privately-funded Last Resort. Watching her parent’s drive and determination to live longer than the doctors gave them was the inspiration for the resort. It is her heart and soul--she lives to make sure that each day is precious, and one more sunrise or sunset can make all the difference the guests at Last Resort need.
After finding his brother’s journal, and discovering more about Last Resort, Ethan is determined to find out if this place is one of those “too good to be true” places that turn out to be a scam. But he was not ready for Samantha Truman, he was not ready for everything to change, for his point of view in life to be so incredibly altered, for the world to turn its axis. There are, after all, some things Ethan can’t control, who to fall in love with is one of them.
How much can change in 120 days?
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trailer

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Playlist

SPOTIFY

Each and every one of the songs on this playlist mean a lot to this book, but these four songs I would listen to more than others while writing. Sometimes on a loop for hours at a time depending on what I was writing.
The House That Built Me by Miranda Lambert
Heron Blue by Sun Kil Moon

Bloodstream by Stateless

Long & Lost by Florence + the Machine
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Buy Links

AMAZON * AMAZON UK
About the author M. Stratton is an International Amazon bestselling author in the romantic suspense and mystery suspense categories for her Storm Series and Bender. She lives with her husband and son in Arizona, which is a big difference from where she grew up north of Chicago Illinois. As an only child she learned to tell herself stories to make the long winters go by quicker while dreaming of summer vacations. Now as an adult she still makes up stories to pass the time, but now she writes them down to share with other people.


Stratton is a self-proclaimed dork who loves to make people laugh. Her inner rock star is always on stage performing to a sold out crowd, but she quiet and shy on the outside. She spends her days plotting new ways to surprise her readers.

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