Review: Ricochet by Keri Lake (+ Giveaway!)

Series: standalone

Genre: adult, dark, romance, suspense, contemporary

Release date: July 9^th 2015 

Length:  /

The only sure way to destroy a man is to take what he cannot live without.

Three years ago, I had everything. A beautiful wife. A son. A reason for living.
Until a ruthless task force, assembled under Mayor Michael Culling, with a brutal strategy to make the streets of Detroit ‘safe’, ripped away everything I loved in a deadly hunt called The Culling.
They tried to kill me, too. I wish they had. Now I'm cursed by the memories of that night, and the words I whispered to my dying wife.
A promise—to avenge the wrong and set it right.
I’m no longer Nick Ryder. I’m a masked vigilante. Faceless. Loveless. Fearless. A man with nothing left to lose—one who's seen the dark and violent truth behind the city’s flawless veneer.
Michael Culling doesn’t know who I am. Or what I want. All he knows is that I’ve kidnapped his beautiful wife.
An eye for an eye—isn’t that how the saying goes? And Aubree Culling is the perfect pawn to destroy him.
If she doesn’t destroy me first.

WARNING: Not recommended for readers under the age of 18 due to graphic violence, sex and strong language. Trigger warning for self-harm. 

My rating: ★★★★+0.5

*ARC provided by author in exchange of an honest review*

“Except, monsters did exist. They didn’t hide under the bed, though. They stormed through the fucking door and stole away everything we loved. To defeat a monster, I had to become one.” 

 

I’ve never read anything like this one before and I was pleasantly surprised when I started reading it. It’s the first book I read written by Keri, and at first – like we all have when starting something by an unknown author – I had doubts about the development of the plot (to me plot- and character development is very important). The gorgeous book cover and mysterious blurb caught my attention of course, but I was scared that it wouldn’t be more exciting than that. Usually darker romances is all about sex and the bad boy, but holy shit, this one is so well-developed and freaking badass! Even before finishing the first chapter I was completely into it. The suspense and the urge to figure out the little dark secrets about the two main characters is just irresistible!

‘For a sadistic, loveless bastard, you got a heart of gold, Nick.”

I was extremely pleased that this book was in two point of views. It gave the whole book a special touch. I don’t think it would have been the same if it was only in the POV of Aubree or only of Nick. Keri played it very well with switching it up. And taking about our two main characters: THEY WERE PERFFFFFFF. I never thought I would be able to connect with a dark character like Nick. He’s being haunted by his past and that makes his mysterious, unpredictable and very dangerous. And yet, he captured me completely. He made me swoon after only a few chapters. And Aubree? 100% badass. She’s not what I expected at all and I like that her character was as strong developed as Nick. Her character has so much depth and her past was so interesting!

“What made me a good man has turned me into a killer. Love.” 

Both characters are their own are already awesome but… Nick and Aubree together?? AIR PLEASE! They have a palpable and strong attraction to each other and their first time was oh so freaking hot! 
Oh my god! I was on the train while reading it (worst idea ever haha) and I’ve never been so grateful for air conditioning!! I ship them so hard and I loved every single moment between them! I cried, laughed, squealed and swooned.  They are definitely one of the hottest couples I’ve read about in a long time.

“How far do you want to go?”  - “Until you feel free.”

So hell yes, I definitely recommend this book! The dark aspects in the books are creepy, disgusting and freaking amazing. And the ending! OHMYGOD! I would have NEVER expected this and my mind was completely blown. Just amazing. Please read this book!! You will not ever regret it!

“You’ll destroy me, Aubree. And I won’t stop you.”

Keri, you definitely convinced to read more dark romances. I hope you will write more of this genre, because I’m totally loving it!

Now, excuse me, but I’m going to buy all the books written by Keri. I need more of her amazing writing style.

Buy your copy here: Amazon US / Amazon UK /  Barnes & Noble /  Kobo / iTunes

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Release Blitz: Chasing River by K.A. Tucker (includes giveaway & excerpt!)

I am absolutely thrilled to bring you the Release Week Blitz for K.A. Tucker's CHASING RIVER!! Chasing River is a Suspenseful Romance novel, and the third novel in K.A. Tucker’s Burying Water Series, published by Atria books, an Imprint of Simon & Schuster (but it can be read as a standalone!).

Chasing River is set to be released July 7, 2015! I’ve been given an ARC of this book, so definitely keep an eye out for my review soon!

US Links: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Books-a-Million / IndieBound / Apple / Google / Kobo

UK Links: Amazon / Apple / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / Waterstones / Foyles

 

About Chasing River:

Armed with two years' worth of savings and the need to experience life outside the bubble of her
Oregon small town, twenty-five-year old Amber Welles is prepared for anything. Except dying in Dublin. Had it not been for the bravery of a stranger, she might have. But he takes off before she has the chance to offer her gratitude. Twenty-four-year-old River Delaney is rattled. No one was supposed to get hurt. But then that American tourist showed up. He couldn't let her die, but he also couldn’t risk being identified at the scene—so, he ran. Back to his everyday life of running his family’s pub. Only, everyday life is getting more and more complicated, thanks to his brother, Aengus, and his criminal associations. When the American girl tracks River down, he quickly realizes how much he likes her, how wrong she is for him. And how dangerous it is to have her around. Chasing her off would be the smart move. Maybe it's because he saved her life, or maybe it's because he's completely different from everything she's left behind, but Amber finds herself chasing after River Delaney. Amber isn’t the kind of girl to chase after anyone. And River isn't the kind of guy she'd want to catch.

Excerpt

I inhale sharply, the air hissing through my gritted teeth. I watch him lay the long cylindrical tube down in the grass with careful movements and dread washes over me. Jesus, Aengus. You’ve gone too far this time. Hopping to his feet, he snatches up the satchel and charges toward me, his cell phone in his palm, his head revolving as he scans the emptiness around us. I square my shoulders and brace myself for a collision with his temper, as swift and nasty as a black adder’s bite. “Are you insane?” I bark when he’s within easy earshot. The glint in his eyes—the color of an overripe avocado, beginning to rot—would suggest exactly that. “You said no one would get hurt.” “Do you see anyone around to get hurt?” he snarls, continuing past me, punching keys into his phone. “You’ve got exactly sixty seconds to get the fuck out of here, River.” He takes off at a light jog, not waiting to see if I’ll follow. Because I always have. Oh, fuck me. A current of adrenaline shoots through my core. I glance down at my watch. One minute. Less, now. Fifty-five seconds, give or take. The muscles in my thighs twitch, ready to tear after Aengus because there’s nothing else for me to do. But a lot can happen in just sixty seconds. My conscience keeps me grounded, my wild eyes scouring the paths around me for signs of life. A jogger bobs along in the distance, so far away that I can’t be sure whether it’s male or female. Otherwise, I see no one. I glance at my watch again, my heartbeat doing double time with each second that passes. Only forty-five remain before I look damn guilty to whoever finds me here. Unless I rat out Aengus— which will never happen—I’m as good as locked up for this. I need to run. Except . . . that perimeter set isn’t wide enough. If someone should come around the bend, cut across the field . . . But what can I do, really? Thirty seconds. Beads of sweat trickle down my back. I need to get the hell out of here. Now. I turn, intent on going back the way I came. But movement catches my eye and my stomach drops as I watch the very thing I just feared unravel before my eyes. A girl runs through the field, her attention alternating between her wrist and the unfolded map within her grip, her brow pulled tight with worry. She’s clearly a tourist. She’s clearly late for something. And she’s heading directly into the blast radius of the pipe bomb that’s about to explode. I’m out of time. I don’t have a choice. I run. As fast as my legs can carry me, I run.

And don’t forget the first two books in this thrilling series…

BURYING WATER: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / IndieBound

BECOMING RAIN: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / IndieBound

About K.A. Tucker

Born in small-town Ontario, K.A. Tucker published her first book at the age of six with the help of her elementary school librarian and a box of crayons.

She currently resides in a quaint town outside of Toronto with her husband, two beautiful girls, and an exhausting brood of four-legged creatures.

Website / Facebook / Novel Goodreads / Author Goodreads / YouTube / Instagram

Giveaway

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 ______________________________________________________________________

In collaboration with InkSlinger PR. Thank you!

Giveaway: Ricochet by Keri Lake (ebook + signed swag!!)

July 9th is THE date to save, because you'll meet Nick for the first time!

Ricochet is a dark, suspenseful and romance novel and if you have not added this book to your tbr then this is the moment!

I'm personally super excited to read this, and I don't even know why! It's not my usual genre, but I feel so intrigued by this book (and cover!). By the way, I received an ARC (you may expect a review soon) from Keri. She's also the one who made this giveaway possible, so thank you Keri for everything!

About Ricochet

The only sure way to destroy a man is to take what he cannot live without.

Three years ago, I had everything. A beautiful wife. A son.A reason for living.
Until a ruthless task force, assembled under Mayor Michael Culling, with a brutal strategy to make the streets of Detroit ‘safe’, ripped away everything I loved in a deadly hunt called The Culling.
They tried to kill me, too. I wish they had. Now I'm cursed by the memories of that night, and the words I whispered to my dying wife. A promise—to avenge the wrong and set it right.
I’m no longer Nick Ryder. I’m a masked vigilante. Faceless. Loveless. Fearless. A man with nothing left to lose—one who's seen the dark and violent truth behind the city’s flawless veneer.
Michael Culling doesn’t know who I am. Or what I want. All he knows is that I’ve kidnapped his beautiful wife. An eye for an eye—isn’t that how the saying goes? And Aubree Culling is the perfect pawn to destroy him. If she doesn’t destroy me first.

 Add to goodreads HERE.

The giveaway

Starting from today, you have until July 12th to win an eBook of Ricochet and some SIGNED and gorgeous swag!

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Share as much as you can please!! <3 

Recruit Tour: The Forgotten Mountain by Heather Lyons (+ giveaway!)

I am absolutely thrilled to bring you the Recruit Tour for Heather Lyons' THE FORGOTTEN MOUNTAIN! TFM is an Adult Romantic Fairy Tale, full of adventure and fantasy and the third book in Heather’s The Collectors’ Society Series! Grab your copy! TFM will be released on June 26th!

Amazon - Barnes & Noble - iBooks - Kobo

About "The Forgotten Mountain"

After years spent in Wonderland, Alice Reeve learned the impossible was quite possible after all. She thought she left such fantastical realities behind when she finally returned to England. Now Alice has become a member of the clandestine Collectors’ Society, and the impossible has found her again in the form of an elusive villain set on erasing entire worlds. As she and the rest of the Society race to bring this mysterious murderer to justice, the fight becom
es painfully personal. Lives are being lost. Loved ones are shattered or irrevocably altered. Each step closer Alice gets to the shadowy man she hunts, the more secrets she unravels, only to reveal chilling truths. If she wants to win this war and save millions of lives, Alice must once more embrace the impossible and make the unimaginable, imaginable. Sometimes, the rabbit hole leads to terrifying places.

Find out more HERE about the two previous books and the lovely Heather Lyons.

Read my reviews of The Colletors' Society (first book) HERE and from the sequel, The Hidden Library HERE.

Who would you recruit?

This amazing series based on Alice in Wonderland and the plot is intertwined with a lot of famous characters from other books: Finn Huckleberry, Emma Knightly, Wendy (Peter Pan), S. Todd, Victor Frankenstein Jr., Jack Dawkins (Oliver Twist), Sherlock Holmes, and SO much more!

I have no idea how Heather came up with this brilliant idea, but I can't seem to get enough of it. Every time a new (and well... "known") character appeared I was in awe at how good it fit into the story. This whole Recruit Tour is about who would WE (as in the readers) want in the series. And I have two possibilities.

The first person who popped into my head is Harry Potter. I don't know how to explain why I would love that. But I think it would be awesome because of the magic. There's also magic in Wonderland, but it's not the same. I think it might bring some interesting conversations between Alice and Harry ;)

Secondly, I'd love to see some characters of the LUX series by Jennifer L. Armentrout. That's would be AWESOME. Oh man, just imagine Daemon and Finn together! hahah :D They live in two opposite kind of worlds and I think that would be epic if they would work together!

If you're familiar with the books, who would you want to appear? Share you opinions in the comments!!

Enter the giveway!

 
One Winner will receive a The Collectors’ Society Series bracelet and a signed paperback of THE COLLECTORS’ SOCIETY!
 

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In collaboration with InkSlinger. Thank you!!

Release Blitz - The Song of David by Amy Harmon (+ excerpt & giveaway!)

Meet Millie and David (Tag) in the newest stand alone by Amy Harmon
"She said I was like a song. Her favorite song."

NOW AVAILABLE!

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1Se7hHB
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1Aggc5t
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1f90a46
Kobo:http://bit.ly/1IBXhCF
iBooks: http://apple.co/1JPPEtQ

Blurb

She said I was like a song. Her favorite song. A song isn’t something you can see. It’s something you feel, something you move to, something that disappears after the last note is played.

I won my first fight when I was eleven years old, and I’ve been throwing punches ever since. Fighting is the purest, truest, most elemental thing there is. Some people describe heaven as a sea of unending white. Where choirs sing and loved ones await. But for me, heaven was something else. It sounded like the bell at the beginning of a round, it tasted like adrenaline, it burned like sweat in my eyes and fire in my belly. It looked like the blur of screaming crowds and an opponent who wanted my blood. For me, heaven was the octagon.

Until I met Millie, and heaven became something different. I became something different. I knew I loved her when I watched her stand perfectly still in the middle of a crowded room, people swarming, buzzing, slipping around her, her straight dancer’s posture unyielding, her chin high, her hands loose at her sides. No one seemed to see her at all, except for the few who squeezed past her, tossing exasperated looks at her unsmiling face. When they realized she wasn’t normal, they hurried away. Why was it that no one saw her, yet she was the first thing I saw?

If heaven was the octagon, then she was my angel at the center of it all, the girl with the power to take me down and lift me up again. The girl I wanted to fight for, the girl I wanted to claim. The girl who taught me that sometimes the biggest heroes go unsung and the most important battles are the ones we don’t think we can win.

**This is David ‘Tag’ Taggert's book, a supporting character introduced in The Law of Moses. This is a stand-alone story. 

Excerpt

  

Millie opened the door to greet me, a smile on her lips, my name on her tongue, but I didn’t wait for her to release it. I wanted her to keep it, savor it, and never let it go. I needed my name to stay inside her so that I wouldn’t float away like a word that’s already been spoken. So I pressed my lips to hers and swung her up in my arms like a man in a movie, and my name became a cry that only I heard. I felt slightly crazed, and my kiss was frantic as I barreled up the stairs with Millie in my arms. My legs didn’t shake and my mind was clear, as if in its health my body was rebelling too. I wanted to roar and hit my chest. I wanted to shake my fists at the heavens, but more than anything I wanted Millie. I didn’t want to waste another second with Millie. Then we were in her room, the white comforter pristine and smooth, like Millie’s skin in the moonlight, and I laid her across it, falling down beside her. I was anxious. Needy. I wanted the safety of her skin, the absolution of her flesh, and the promise that came with it. I wanted to take. I wanted to cement myself in her memory and leave my mark. I needed that. I needed her. She matched my fervor like she understood. She didn’t understand. She couldn’t. But she didn’t slow me down or beg me for reassurance. My hands were in her hair and tracing her eyes, fingering her mouth, pausing in the hollow of her throat. I wanted to touch every single part of her. But even as I lost myself in the silk of her skin and the sway of her movements against me, I felt the horror rise up inside of me and shimmer beneath my skin. It wouldn’t be enough. It wouldn’t be enough, and I knew it, even as I closed my eyes and tried to make it be enough. I couldn’t breathe and my heart raced, and for a moment I thought I would tell her everything. She must have mistaken my fear for hesitation, the cessation of my breath for something else, because she cradled my face in her hands and pressed her forehead to mine. And then she whispered my name. “David, David, David.” It sounded like a song when she said it. And she kissed my lips softly. “David, David, David.” She chanted my name, like she couldn’t believe it was true, like she liked the way it felt in her mouth. “I love the way you call me David,” I said, and remembered the line from my silly song, the line that had no rhyme. “I love that you are mine,” she breathed, and the fear left me for a time. It tiptoed away and love took its place, love and belonging and time that can’t be stolen.

Buy The Song of David

Buy the song on iTunes: http://apple.co/1JPQEht
Music & Lyrics by Amy Harmon and Paul Travis – Song of David: iTunes
Music Video on YouTube: http://bit.ly/1IRtMja

Created by Focus 4 Productions

 About the author: Amy Harmon

Amy Harmon is a USA Today and New York Times Bestselling author. Amy knew at an early age that writing was something she wanted to do, and she divided her time between writing songs and stories as she grew. Having grown up in the middle of wheat fields without a television, with only her books and her siblings to entertain her, she developed a strong sense of what made a good story. Her books are now being published in several countries, truly a dream come true for a little country girl from Levan, Utah.

Amy Harmon has written seven novels - the USA Today Bestsellers, Making Faces and Running Barefoot, as well as Slow Dance in Purgatory, Prom Night in Purgatory, Infinity + One and the New York Times Bestseller, A Different Blue. Her newest release, The Law of Moses, is now available. For updates on upcoming book releases, author posts and more, join Amy at www.authoramyharmon.com

Website • Blog • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads

Giveaway

$50 Amazon Gift Card

Enter here!

Pre-release Promo Tour: Under the Influence by L. B. Simmons (Excerpt + GIVEAWAY!)

Today I'm very pleased to introduce to you an upcoming NA Romance. This book is very promising and I cannot wait for this book! May please be here soon!

Synopsis

Dalton,

I loved you once. A love I thought irrevocable. A love I mistakenly believed could transcend both time and circumstance. Under the influence of my dimwitted, naïve, traitorous heart, I became intoxicated with what I now know was simply a figment of my self-indulgent imagination. So drunk on the feeling, I couldn’t see what was right in front of my face. So foolishly enamored, I blindly followed my heart into the depths of an emotion that would ravage me.

Years later, I know now what I wish I knew then. I am stronger. Smarter. Tougher. I will not allow myself to be broken again.

I loved you. I raged for you. I wept for you. And now, I’m letting you go.

Author’s Note: Under the Influence is the journey of two childhood friends that spans the course of five pivotal years in their lives. It is a story about their discovery of true friendship as it blossoms into first love, their experience of crucial sacrifice and ultimate betrayal, and their endurance of agonizing heartbreak on the way to finding lasting redemption.

Excerpt

None of them truly know me. Because the truth is, there’s nothing more frightening in my world than those who know you—who really know you. The ones who know your deepest, darkest secrets. The ones who know what you’re going to do before you do it. The ones who know not only what buttons to push when they seek your attention, but also the ones that can be used to completely incapacitate you. They can be your strength. But they can also be your weakness. And just as a chameleon changes color to blend for protection, I’ve learned to evolve into the person I need to be in order to survive the situation at hand, all while keeping people at arm’s length. Yet sometimes I can’t help but wonder what my true colors would have been had I not been subjected to this life. I question what it would be like to just let someone in, to tell them all of your unforgivable truths and discover they still love you in return.

I find myself utterly fascinated, awe-struck even, that there are people actually capable of truly loving someone without wondering when and how they will be betrayed. However, the knowledge of their existence also saddens me because the cold reality is I will never know that type of love. I will never know the freedom to just be with someone, without pretense or fabrication, without the endless lies and untruths.

Maybe that’s why I keep holding onto Spencer when I know I shouldn’t. When all my instincts scream for me to let her go, to cut those ties and just let her be. I can’t. I’m too selfish.

About the author

L.B. Simmons is a graduate of Texas A&M University and holds a degree in Biomedical Science.  She has been a practicing Chemist for the last 11 years.  She lives with her husband and three daughters in Texas and writes every chance she gets.

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