Virtual Book Tour & Giveaway - Not Quite Dating by Catherine Bybee

Welcome to my stop on Catherine Bybee's Not Quite Dating Virtual Book Tour.  Please be sure to leave a comment or question below to let Catherine know you stopped by.  You can use the Rafflecopter form below to enter her tour wide giveaway below.

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Guest Post - I Wanna Be Nora by Catherine Bybee

I wanna be Nora when I grow up.

Love her or not, there isn’t a romance author out there that doesn’t know about Nora Roberts and her amazing accomplishments in the romance genre.

Her readers are loyal and stick with her even if she has a book that doesn’t please everyone. Although I’ve yet to find a single book that wasn’t loved by many. Every word she writes will be read…will be published. You can’t have a track record of 200 published novels and not have your publisher with their hands out looking for another book.

When I first started my journey of becoming a published author, I was looking only for validation. That nod came from a publisher saying ‘yes’ we’ll publish your book…then later came from readers and reviewers who said ‘yes’ we like your book. Finally, that validation came from earning a spot on several bestseller lists… USA Today, New York Times, etc.

Some might consider it balsey, or maybe selfish of me to want the next level. The level where I know every book I write will be read by many and not just a few. Where a publisher is always interested in my work and is willing to pay a fair amount for it.

But well… I want that!

Yeah… I wanna be Nora when I grow up. 

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Not Quite Dating 

By Catherine Bybee

Not Quite Series Book One

Publisher:  Montlake Romance 
ISBN: 978-1-612187-14-3

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Book Description:

Waitress and single mom Jessica “Jessie” Mann is practical to a fault. Even if she had time to date, which she doesn’t, she’d be determined to provide her son with a more secure upbringing than the one she had—and that would mean a husband with big bucks. When Jack Morrison—a sexy-as-sin, seemingly broke customer with a cowboy hat and a seductive grin—tries to flirt with her, she shoots him down. She doubts a carefree dreamer like Jack can provide the financial stability she needs. Yet with Christmas just weeks away, and Jessie not wanting to spend it alone, the charming Texan is proving hard to resist. 

As the heir to the Morrison luxury hotel empire, Jack is used to being fawned over. But Jack needs someone who will fall in love with him—not his wealth. He’s set his sights on Jessie, though her hardened heart just might get in the way…To be sure, he conceals his true identity and offers to help Jessie find the rich husband she seeks. But Jack’s daring charade may rob him of the holiday wish he wants most of all…

Book Trailer:  http://youtu.be/C_2YYrSQv10 

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About the Author:

New York Times bestselling author Catherine Bybee was raised in Washington State, but after graduating high school, she moved to Southern California in hopes of becoming a movie star. After growing bored with waiting tables, she returned to school and became a registered nurse, spending most of her career in urban emergency rooms. She now writes full-time and has penned the novels Wife by Wednesday and Married by Monday. Bybee lives with her husband and two teenage sons in Southern California.

Website / Blog / Facebook / Twitter

My Review: 

No matter how smart you plan to be about choosing the man in your future, what happens to Catherine Bybee's characters in Not Quite Dating proves that "the heart wants what the heart wants".  The first book in Ms. Bybee's new Not Quite series, I was captured by this sweet and heartfelt contemporary romance.  With a well paced plot, good secondary characters and an interesting premise about love and money, this story is sure to please any romance reader.

Determined to make better decisions the second time around, single mom Jessica "Jessie" Mann, has no intentions of falling for the average guy.  Taking her mother's advice to heart, "You can just as easily fall in love with a rich man as you could a poor one. Date only rich men", Jessie ignores her instant attraction to "Jack Moore", a new customer with a sexy as sin smile and a cowboy hat.  Wanting to give her son everything she never had, Jessie wants someone who has both feet on the ground and isn't a dreamer.  Ms. Bybee did a really good job developing Jessie's character, even though she could come off as mercenary, once you get to know her story you understand why she's trying to make a decision about her future with her mind instead of her heart.  It's great watching her struggle between what her mind tells her and what her heart is demanding her to do.

Rich in his own right, hotel heir Jack Morrison wants to find a woman who wants him for himself and not for his money.  Deciding to hide who and what he really is, when he meets Jessie at the local "Denny's" he lets her think he's "Jack Moore, an ordinary cowboy temporarily working at one of the Morrison luxury hotels.  Telling one lie after another isn't the best way to get a woman to fall in love with you, but it's the only way he'll know he's being loved for himself.  Ms. Bybee did a fantastic job with Jack's character; even though he's lying through his teeth it's completely understandable - everyone wants to be loved for who they are not for how much money they have.  Every time Jack has to tell Jessie a lie, it's done with the knowledge that it could very well come back and bite him.

The scenes between Jessie and Jack are well written and lots of fun; they have great verbal and physical chemistry.  Both very likable characters, their "friendship" is helped along by Danny, Jessie's young son, and Monica, Jessie's younger sister, both who recognize they've fallen in love.  Ms. Bybee does an excellent job developing Jessie and Jack's romance, it grows as they spend more time together and Jessie learns to trust Jack more.  I really liked how responsible Jessie was about who and how she introduced people into Danny and Monica's life.  

Will Jessie learn to listen to her heart instead of her head?  Will Jack be able to tell Jessie the truth before she finds out on her own?  You'll have to read Not Quite Dating to find out.  I enjoyed it and I think you will too.  I can't wait to read Not Quite Mine, the next book in the series scheduled to be released in early 2013.

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Crowns 

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Black Friday Blog Hop - November 23, 2012

Welcome to my stop on the Black Friday Blog Hop.  While everyone else is standing in line and going crazy at the mall, we'll be home, warm and cozy as we hop the day away.  There are two chances to win on my blog during this hop.  The first is for the hop Grand prizes - you must leave a comment and your email address so you can be contacted if you win.
For this blogs giveaway - you can use the Rafflecopter form below.

Black Friday Blog Hop Grand Prizes

1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet

2nd Grand Prize: A $75 Amazon or B&N Gift Card

3rd Grand Prize: A Swag Pack that contains paperbacks, ebooks, 50+ bookmarks, cover flats, magnets, pens, coffee cozies, and more!

The Queen's Prize

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine which highlights upcoming release we are eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selections are Twice Tempted by Jeaniene Frost, Cold Copper by Devon Monk and Heart of Iron by Bec McMaster.  
All books which will release in 2013....sigh.......



Twice Tempted
by Jeaniene Frost

Book Two in the Night Prince series

March 26th, 2013

Dating the Prince of Darkness has its challenges

Leila’s psychic abilities have been failing her, and now she isn’t sure what the future holds. If that weren’t enough, her lover Vlad has been acting distant. Though Leila is a mere mortal, she’s also a modern woman who refuses to accept the cold shoulder treatment forever–especially from the darkly handsome vampire who still won’t admit that he loves her . .

Like choosing between eternal love and a loveless eternity

Soon circumstances send Leila back to the carnival circuit, where tragedy strikes. And when she finds herself in the crosshairs of a killer who may be closer than she realizes, Leila must decide who to trust– the fiery vampire who arouses her passions like no other or the tortured knight who longs to be more than a friend? With danger stalking her every step of the way, all it takes is one wrong move to damn her for eternity . . .

Cold Copper 

The Age of Steam Book 3

by Devon Monk

July 2, 2013

No plot description available as of yet

Heart of Iron

London Steampunk Book 2 

by Bec McMaster

May 7, 2013

In Victorian London, if you’re not a blue blood of the Echelon then you’re nothing at all. The Great Houses rule the city with an iron fist, imposing their strict ‘blood taxes’ on the nation, and the Queen is merely a puppet on a string…
Lena Todd makes the perfect spy. Nobody suspects the flirtatious debutante could be a sympathizer for the humanist movement haunting London’s vicious blue blood elite. Not even the ruthless Will Carver, the one man she can’t twist around her little finger, and the one man whose kiss she can’t forget…

Stricken with the loupe and considered little more than a slave-without-a-collar to the blue bloods, Will wants nothing to do with the Echelon or the dangerous beauty who drives him to the very edge of control. But when he finds a coded letter on Lena—a code that matches one he saw on a fire-bombing suspect—he realizes she’s in trouble. To protect her, he must seduce the truth from her.

With the humanists looking to start a war with the Echelon, Lena and Will must race against time—and an automaton army—to stop the humanist plot before it’s too late. But as they fight to save a city on the brink of revolution, the greatest danger might just be to their hearts…

What's your "waiting on" pick this week?

Want to play along? Just post your WoW entry on your blog and leave your link at Breaking the Spine and below.

Review - The Ghost and the Graveyard by Genevieve Jack

The Ghost and the Graveyard

by Genevieve Jack

The Monk's Hill Witch, Book 1 

Published by: Carpe Luna, Ltd.

Release Date: September 8, 2012

Length: 294 Pages

ISBN: 978-0-985236-74-8

Paranormal Romance

Amazon    Barnes and Noble

Blurb:

Life is full of difficult decisions! Left destitute by an unscrupulous ex-boyfriend, Grateful Knight takes her father up on his offer to live rent-free in a house he hasn't been able to sell. Desperate to make a new start, Grateful tries to overlook the property’s less desirable features, like the graveyard that stretches to her back door. 

On the bright side, the unbelievably gorgeous cemetery caretaker, Rick, is dead set on helping her feel at home. She vows to take things slow, considering her recent disastrous relationship, but is baffled when she literally can’t keep her hands off of him. When things in Grateful’s house start moving on their own, another man enters her life—a sexy ghost with a dark secret.

Magical forces are at work in the tiny town of Red Grove and they're converging on Grateful. Solving this ghostly mystery won’t be easy and with the caretaker becoming increasingly jealous of her spectral relationship, Grateful will be forced to choose between the ghost and the graveyard. 

This book is intended for mature audiences.

My Review:

With just the right touch of humor, Genevieve Jack takes us into the fight between good and evil in The Ghost and the Graveyard, the first book in The Monk's Hill Witch series.  With a strong, likable heroine, an incredibly hot and seductive hero and well developed secondary characters, Ms. Jack grabbed my attention from the first page.  Adding in a  well paced plot, a light touch of mythology and enough spicy romance to heat up the pages, Ms. Jack has created a unique entry into the paranormal romance field.

Financial broke as a result of her last romantic relationship, Grateful Knight finds herself in need of a new place to live.  Moving into an empty house owned by her father, she's less than thrilled when she discovers her back yard literally backs up to a cemetery.  Determined to get her financial and romantic life back under control, Grateful is unprepared to meet the incredibly hot cemetery caretaker.  Ms. Jack did a good job developing Grateful's character as we get to know her throughout the pages of this book; at first somewhat naive, Grateful knows she needs to take things slower and become better at judging people's motives.  Instead of asking her father for money, she gets a second job to cover her bills.  While she's not saying no to romance, she's determined to take things slow.

Incredibly sexy, Rick Ordenes is the caretaker for the Monk's Hill Cemetery in Red Grove.  An immortal caretaker whose secrets are tied to a past Grateful doesn't remember.  While lonely and desperate to regain what they've lost, Rick knows he'll have to go slowly, he just never planned on becoming jealous of a ghost.

Filled with good dialogue and great chemistry the scenes between Grateful and Rick are well done.  When the ghosts in Grateful's house suddenly make themselves known, Grateful finds herself attracted to "Logan" too.  Determined to discover why her house is haunted, Grateful is surprised when she discovers the history of the Monk's Hill Witch and her  own personal ties to the immortal.  Ms. Jack did an excellent job introducing both Grateful and the reader to the history of Red Grove and the powers that exist both above and below the grave.  With just a light touch of humor, Grateful learns of her part between the forces of good and evil.  

Will Grateful agree to become the new Monk's Hill Witch and take her place by Rick's side in the eternal fight between good and evil?  Will there be any place in Grateful's life for Logan and what he becomes?  You'll have to read The Ghost and The Graveyard to find out.  I can't wait to see what happens to Grateful next!

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Crowns

FTC Disclosure:  I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review 

Blurb Blitz/Review Tour - The Ghost and the Graveyard by Genevieve Jack

Welcome to my stop on Genevieve Jack's Blurb Blitz/Review Tour for The Ghost and the Graveyard.  Please be sure to leave a comment or question below for Genevieve to let her know you were here.  Genevieve will be awarding the winner's choice of a Kindle touch, Nook Simple Touch, or a $100 Apple gift card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.  You can follow her tour stops here, the more often you comment, the better your odds of winning.  I will be posting my review this afternoon.   

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The Ghost and the Graveyard

by Genevieve Jack

The Monk's Hill Witch, Book 1 

Published by: Carpe Luna Publishing

Release Date: September 8, 2012

Length: 294 Pages

ISBN: 978-0985236748

Amazon

Blurb: 

Left destitute by an unscrupulous ex-boyfriend, Grateful Knight takes her father up on his offer to live rent-free in a house he hasn't been able to sell. Desperate to make a new start, Grateful tries to overlook the property’s less desirable features, like the graveyard that stretches to her back door. On the bright side, the unbelievably gorgeous cemetery caretaker, Rick, is dead set on helping her feel at home. She vows to take things slow, considering her recent disastrous relationship, but is baffled when she literally can’t keep her hands off of him.

When things in Grateful’s house start moving on their own, another man enters her life—a sexy ghost with a dark secret. Magical forces are at work in the tiny town of Red Grove and they're converging on Grateful. Solving this ghostly mystery won’t be easy and with the caretaker becoming increasingly jealous of her spectral relationship, Grateful will be forced to choose between the ghost and the graveyard.

Excpert: 

"What exactly happened last night? You came to my door screaming and then passed out. I carried you home."

"Bad dream," I said. I wasn’t sure how much I should share with Rick after what I saw the night before. He was into some weird stuff. I’m not the judgmental type, but the human skulls were a definite red flag. I mean, where did he get them? They weren’t exactly handing them out at Red Grove Grocery.

"Are you sure it wasn’t something more? Has anything unusual happened since you’ve been here?" He tilted his head toward the house.

I narrowed my eyes. It almost sounded like he was digging for information about my ghost. He’d brought up the possibility of a haunting his first time here. I was suspicious.

"Not at all," I answered. He looked at me skeptically, so I threw him a curveball. "Well, maybe seeing all that weird stuff in your house."

"What weird stuff?"

"You know, the candles, the skulls…"

"Grateful, had you been drinking last night?"

"No!"

He stood up and offered me his hand, his long, graceful fingers beckoning me. "Come, come with me." His gray eyes twinkled beneath thick lashes, the sun glowing behind his head like a halo. Inexplicably, an avalanche of attraction rumbled down my spinal cord. Deep inside my muscles clenched, compelling me to accept his grasp. I allowed him to lead me down the porch steps, my stomach fluttering the whole way. My senses were on overload. A slight breeze was a taunting caress. 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Genevieve Jack grew up in a suburb of Chicago and attended a high school rumored to be haunted. She loves old cemeteries and enjoys a good ghost tour. Genevieve specializes in original, cross-genre stories with surprising twists and writes a best-selling young adult series under a different name. She lives in central Illinois with her husband, two children, and a Brittany named Riptide who holds down her feet while she writes.

Visit Genevieve at:
http://www.GenevieveJack.com
http://genevievejack.blogspot.com
https://twitter.com/Genevieve_Jack
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorGenevieveJack
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6477522.Genevieve_Jack

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Genevieve will be awarding the winner's choice of a Kindle touch, Nook Simple Touch, or a $100 Apple gift card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.  You can follow her tour stops here, the more often you comment, the better your odds of winning. 

Belated Release Day Contest - The Secret Santa Wishing Well by Nikki Lynn Barrett

Congratulations to my blogger friend, and now newly published author Nikki Lynn Barrett.  In honor of her brand new release, I'll be giving away a Kindle copy of her book "The Secret Santa Wishing Well".  It's going to be an easy-peasy contest.  Just leave a message below congratulating Nikki and letting me know if you've started getting ready for Thursday (Thanksgiving).  Please be sure to leave your email in your comment, so I can contact you if you win.  

The Secret Santa Wishing Well

by Nikki Lynn Barrett

Published by Nikki Lynn Barrett

Edited by Robert Barrett

Release Date: November 17, 2012

ASIN: B00A9FIHOC

Blurb:

The magic of Christmas has been lost to Jacob Winston. At the suggestion of his ill sister, Jacob takes a job as a Secret Santa at the mall, hoping to restore his Christmas spirit. Even that doesn't seem to work, until a special little boy ambles up to make a very special wish...

Cheyenne Jensen is struggling to raise her two kids without the help of her ex-husband who refuses to acknowledge his daughter's existence and doesn't provide for the son he does. This Christmas is shaping up to be as heartbreaking as the last, until her son Ben's kind actions lead a stranger to them.

Ah, but it's Christmas time and the magic has begun.

When Jacob and Cheyenne meet, neither can deny their immediate attraction to one another. As situations arise that require they spend more time together, their feelings grow stronger and stronger.

With Christmas fast approaching, the pair learn what matters most in life. Now, if only they could ditch the ghost of Christmases past.

Maybe this holiday will bring some wishes come true- for everyone after all.

Excerpt: 


It didn't take long for her to come back.

Jacob moved to the living room, standing and waiting. When he saw her coming, he closed the gap between them. Before he could think twice, he touched her shoulder gently, wanting to thank her for the evening. But instead of talking, he leaned in and kissed her. Just a light kiss. Gentle. Friendly. Until she responded.

She had her arms around him, pulling him for another kiss. Deeper. Sweeter. She tasted so sweet. Her need made him swell. He could do this all night. Jacob pressed her against the wall, their kisses deepening with urgency. He ran his fingers through her fine hair. Hers wrapped around his neck, rubbing lightly.

Jacob pulled back abruptly. “Cheyenne," he ground out. “We have to stop.” Before I lose it. He didn't want to stop. He never expected her to reciprocate like this. Wow. Maybe it wasn't one sided after all. Jacob sighed.

That halted everything. She pulled away, looking at him with wide, beautiful eyes. “I'm sorry. I pushed. You must think I'm a fool. I thought when you kissed me...” Cheyenne attempted to move out of Jacob's embrace. Oh, damn. She thought he didn't want her. He did, oh, how he did.

“No, no. Honey, that's not it at all. Kissing you was magical. Amazing. But we just met. I don't want to take things too far. But I would love to see you again.” He pushed back loose strands of her hair that hung over her face when she'd moved. She looked so vulnerable. Was she going to cry? Oh hell, he wouldn't be able to handle it if she did. The last thing he wanted was for her to be upset with him.

“I'd like that, too. It was a wonderful, amazing day, and I have you to thank for it.” She nearly whispered the words, choking up on the last part. “God, I'm a mess. I'm sorry. There's been so much going on, and my signals are going crazy at the moment.”

Yours aren't the only one, Jacob thought. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket, typing in her name in the contacts and handing it to her. “Can I have your number?”

She laughed. “Of course.” Her fingers brushed his as she took the phone from him, tapping in her number. She handed it back to him. Electric shocks of awareness zipped through him. His gaze lingered on her, knowing he needed to get the hell out of here before he lost it completely.

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Links for Nikki Lynn Barrett

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/NikkiLynnBarrettauthor

Author Blog: http://www.nikkilynnbarrett.blogspot.com/

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In order to enter the giveaway for a Kindle copy of Nikki's book, don't forget to leave a message below congratulating Nikki and letting me know if you've started getting ready for Thursday (Thanksgiving).  Please be sure to leave your email in your comment, so I can contact you if you win.