REVIEW! FINDING GABRIEL by @RachelLDemeter

BLURB 

Colonel Gabriel de Laurent departed for the war intending to die.

After a decade of bloodstained battlegrounds while fighting in Napoleon's army, Gabriel returns to the streets of Paris a shattered and haunted soul. Plagued by inner demons, he swallows the barrel of his flintlock pistol and pulls the trigger.

But fate has a different plan.

Ariah Larochelle is a survivor. Orphaned at twelve and victim to a devastating crime, she has learned to keep her back to walls and to trust no one. But when she finds a gravely injured soldier washed up on the River Seine, she's moved by compassion. In spite of her reservations, she rescues him from the icy water and brings him into her home.

Now scarred inside and out, Gabriel discovers a kindred spirit in Ariah—and feelings he imagined lost forever reawaken as he observes her strength in the face of adversity. But when Ariah's own lethal secrets unfold, their new love is threatened by ancient ghosts. Can Gabriel and Ariah find hope in the wreckage of their pasts—or will the cycle of history repeat again?

Perfect for fans of Gaelen Foley's Lord of Ice and Judith James's Broken Wing, Finding Gabriel features all the dark romance, searing passion, and historical intrigue of The Phantom of the Opera and Les Misérables.

REVIEW

Rachel Demeter has delivered another captivating novel!

I was immediately drawn in by the distraught hero, Gabriel, and his desperate attempt to escape his tortured life.  Enter Ariah, the heroine, and I was hooked! Both characters are introduced with a resounding sadness, which makes it hard not to pull for their happiness.  The tug of war involving emotions progresses in an interesting manner, and the bonds that form are beautiful.  

The secondary characters help make the story whole, and the writing is exquisite.  Setting is brought to life with extraordinary talent, and the sensual scenes are breathtaking.  I was heartbroken as Ariah suffered a not-so-unusual mistreatment during the era, and on pins and needles as the lovers face an expected obstacle.  

I couldn’t put this down, but I’ve come to expect greatness from this author.  She never disappoints!

An extraordinary Historical Fiction that I highly recommend! 

*PTSD, suicide/suicidal tendencies, violence, and sex make this content for Adults Only*

 BOOK TRAILER

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I live in the beautiful hills of Anaheim, California with Teddy, my goofy lowland sheepdog, and high school sweetheart of eleven years. I enjoy writing dark, poignant romances that challenge the reader’s emotions and explore the redeeming power of love.

Imagining dynamic worlds and characters has been my passion for longer than I can remember. Before learning how to read or write, I would dictate stories while my mom would jot them down for me. I hold a special affinity for the tortured hero and unconventional romances. Whether crafting the protagonist or antagonist, I ensure every character is given a soul.

I endeavor to defy conventions by blending elements of romance, suspense, and horror. Some themes my stories never stray too far from: forbidden romance, soul mates, the power of love to redeem, mend all wounds, and triumph over darkness.

My dream is to move readers and leave an emotional impact through my words. ♥

Don't be a stranger! I absolutely love to connect and interact:  

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TOUR STOP! SKIN DEEP by @PamSparkman

  Title: Skin Deep

Author: Pamela Sparkman

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: July 20, 2015

Cover Designer: Sarah Hansen with Okay Creations

Cover

Synopsis

She hates me.

I’m in love with her.

Her life is a masquerade.

Mine is cloaked in secrets.

She thinks I can’t see her.

But she’s the only thing I can see.

he thinks we have nothing in common.

We have everything in common.

And I’m done being patient.

I'm determined.

She's stubborn.

You think you know us.

You don't.

The things you know about us are only Skin Deep.

*Warning*

 This book contains instances of self harm in the form of an eating disorder and may be a trigger to some readers.

Excerpt

Beth had been good at pretending to be this happy carefree girl – bubbly and energetic. Looking at her now, I saw a girl who was anything but carefree. She obviously had demons that haunted her, and I knew from experience that fighting certain demons can be almost impossible.

I listened through the door, making sure Lily had gone. “This isn’t over. Me keeping your secret from Lily is not a sign I’m letting this go. It’s a sign that I’m going to be a thorn in your side until you let me help you.”

Beth prickled at my comment and unfurled herself from the protective ball she had curled into. “I don’t need your help!”

“Yes, you do.” I took another step towards her. Beth took a step back. “And the way I see it, you don’t have much of a choice.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Do you want Lily to know what you’ve been doing?”

Beth’s eyes pooled with unshed tears. She looked hurt by my words. “Please don’t tell Lily,” she pleaded in a whisper.

“I’ll tell her everything unless you let me help you.” The look of fear and disbelief on Beth’s face made me feel like a total jackass.

Her expression changed again. She glowered at me like she wanted to set me on fire. “I hate you so much right now.”

Her words, she meant them. And hearing her tell me she hated me… it hurt, because somewhere along the way I had fallen in love with her.

“I know you do. But I’d rather you hate me for the right reasons, than like me for the wrong ones. I guess we’ll both have to figure out how to fucking live with that.”

  Review

 

I cried, I laughed, and I swooned!

This is not your average romance novel; it’s a thought-provoking, tear jerking, and profoundly emotional love story. Family values, love in its most rare form, and friendship are the core values Sparkman has exemplified with perfection.

The narration alternates between Hayden and Beth with acute precision, making the complexity of the story line flow naturally. Sparkman’s writing style made me ache for our hero and heroine as the intimate details of their lives unfolded. Their story is never rushed, which made the relationship more genuine, and completely addictive. Serious issues are dealt with tastefully, and the supporting characters make this novel complete.

I fell in love with this story almost immediately, and I highly recommend it to any lover of romance!

Purchase Links

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About The Author

I grew up in Alabama and have always been an avid reader. I had a stack of those Little Golden Books and I can remember reading Three Little Kittens over and over and over again. It was my favorite.

Fast forward and the older I got the more in love with books I became. So, I'm admitting that I am a huge nerd. The only reading I don't like are those math word problems. And I'm okay with that because no one has ever asked me in real life... "If I give you two bananas and take away six apples, how long will it take the southbound train to collide with the northbound train if Johnny left his house at midnight?" It just doesn't happen.

So, yeah, books are my thing.

Oh and music. All kinds. Love.It.

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Tour Stop & Review! MATTER OF TIME (A Heat Wave Novel) by ALANNAH LYNNE

Alannah Lynne Matter of Time (Heat Wave #5) 4/21/2015

 

Blurb: 

Some might think the phrase, “you complete me” is a just cheesy line from the movies, but Lizbeth Sanders knows better…  

In MATTER OF TIME, Lizbeth has spent the past fifteen years desperately searching for someone to fill the void left by Logan Steele’s disappearance from her life. However, rather than finding love and happiness, all she’s found is disappointment, heartache, and an ever-present longing for the man she can never have. Fifteen years ago, Logan Steele left the woman he loved to marry his high school sweetheart and be a father to the child he didn’t know he had. He’s always tried to do the honorable thing, to be a good husband and a great father, but despite his sacrifices and best efforts, the shaky foundation of his marriage crumbles and falls apart. When his identical twin surprises him with a reintroduction to Lizbeth, Logan feels like he’s been given a second chance—at life and love. But a lot can change in fifteen years, and after hurting her so badly the first time, building trust isn't just hard, it’s nearly impossible—especially when duty and obligation pulls him away again.

   

Buy:

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Click here to enter our Heat Wave Series contest!

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CeeCee's Review:

Being a native of S.C., this immediately piqued my curiosity!

Hidden within the erotic story of Lizbeth and Logan is a sweet sense of nostalgia, and what might have been. There is a great deal of sex, which was fine by me & wonderfully written, but everything else is secondary. The drama going on in the background was easily dismissed, and most of the story takes place over a weekend in Myrtle Beach.  The fast-paced storyline covers a lot of ground in record time, and comes together nicely in the end.  

Quick, sexy, and fun!

 

     

Excerpt:  

She couldn’t logically think through something that was ninety-nine percent emotional, but what if she took the emotion out of it? What if she reduced them to a baser, primal level, like animals circling each other in the wild? A dog in heat didn’t study the neighbor’s Doberman and wonder if he would be around the next day. The bitch rolled over, allowed him to take what he wanted, and enjoyed the hell out of it. Comparing her and Logan to dogs seemed ridiculous, but that was the only way she knew to cope with the overwhelming magnitude of the situation. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she slowly, tentatively reached out to him. With a barely-there touch, she pressed her index finger to the edge of his forehead, drew it across the unfamiliar scar at his temple, then down to the one intersecting his upper lip. He closed his eyes and moaned as a shudder shook his torso and his head fell back on his neck. Seeing him respond to her touch as strongly as ever gave her the courage to continue her exploration. Using a whisper-soft touch designed to drive him crazy, she traced the outline of his upper lip, then pulled a long, slow sweep along the bottom one. Her breath caught in her throat and she gasped in surprise as his lips parted and his teeth latched onto her finger, capturing her in the velvety heat of his mouth. His tongue wrapped around her and he sucked once… twice… a third time. The force of the suction shot through her arm, into her chest, and dropped into her sex with the heat and intensity of an atomic bomb. Good, so freaking good, just as always with him. Simple caresses and touches were more powerful and intimate than full-on sex with anyone else, and she closed her eyes and allowed the carnal energy swirling between them to carry her away. As the room spun and she grew lightheaded, like being caught in a massive vortex, a terrifying thought jumped into her brain. What if the past fifteen years hadn’t been a nightmare, but this was nothing more than a dream? If so, it was the best, most realistic dream she’d ever experienced, and she prayed she never woke up. She cracked her eyes open and watched his nostrils flare as the heat continued to build between them. She needed to be closer. To taste him. To feel him pressed against her. Scooting to the edge of her seat, she pressed her knees between his legs and smiled as his eyes flashed hotter and his chest rose and fell rapidly. His mouth was masterful, and while the suction on her finger did crazy things to her entire body, it wasn’t enough. When she tugged on her hand, drawing him closer while also indicating she wanted him to let her go, he released her finger with a loud pop. The sound was like a starting gun, and in the next instant, his lips crashed down on hers, hot, hard, and demanding. Logan had always been sexually dominant, but this… this was unlike anything she remembered. One hand slid through the hair at her temple, then wrapped around the back of her head and held her in place while he angled his head and deepened the kiss. His tongue thrust in and out of her mouth, harsh and nearly punishing, and when he nipped on her bottom lip, both of them groaned with the pleasurable familiarity. The past fifteen years melted away, and she was a twenty-year-old girl again, standing in his bedroom, getting ready to crawl into his bed for the first time. They’d kept their relationship platonic for a year, respecting the boundary constraining them because of his off-and-on relationship with Bobbi Jo. But the night he came back to school and told Lizbeth he and Bobbi Jo had broken things off for good, it took less than thirty minutes to ditch their friends at the restaurant and make their way back to his condo. His hands tangled in her hair and held her head in place as he ravished her mouth. She clawed at his shirt, trying to get to the hard muscle and soft skin beneath. She couldn’t get close enough, fast enough, and desperation had her whimpering into his mouth. When he drew back to grab a breath, she latched onto him to keep him close. “More. I need more.”

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About Alannah Lynne: 

Alannah believes there's nothing more magical than finding the other half of your soul, experiencing fiery passion, and knowing you've found happily-ever-after. She loves going to work each day (in sweats and a T-shirt) and writing about hot heroes and feisty heroines who torment each other in the most delicious ways before finding their happy ending. She lives in the coastal region of North Carolina with her husband, who also happens to be her best friend and biggest fan. They have two sons, a dog, and two cats.

Find Alannah Online:

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