Review - Wicked Allure by Leslie C. Ferdinand

Multicultural Erotic Romance with Adults Only Content, explicit language and some drug use.

What Does A Man Say to the Woman He Betrayed But Never Stopped Loving?
Three years ago, Zachary Steele refused to entertain thoughts of permanency with any woman. A hedonist at heart, he didn’t want to corrupt the much younger, Madigan DeLeon, by continuing his affair with her. With the hidden scars of his past, he didn’t believe in happily-ever-after. By the time he realized how much Madigan meant to him, he’d driven her away. Then, one night, after being clean for a number of years, Zach briefly falls off the bandwagon. He believes his lovemaking to Madi is a drug-induced hallucination. The resulting consequences tell another story.
 
What Does A Woman Do When the Only Man She’s Ever Loved Hurt Her So Deeply She Feared She’d Never Recover?
Three years after her affair with Zach so abruptly ended, celebutante, Madigan DeLeon, is thrust back into Zach’s life by her mother’s machinations. Brought home under the false pretenses of repairing her damaged relationship with her mother, Madi instead finds herself running a private sex club called Wicked Allure. Forced to confront her anger at his betrayal and grief at the loss of what might’ve been, Madi faces the realization that she’s never stopped loving Zach.
 
Can Two Broken Hearts Set Aside Anger and Betrayal to Find True Love Once and For All?
Searching the deepest recesses of their hearts, in a place where pride and pain has no room, Madi and Zach must decide if their bond is strong enough to take a second chance at love. Or if resuming their sexual relationship is an irresistible wicked allure and the ghosts of their former relationship will finally, and forever, sever all ties between them.

Wicked Allure by Leslie C. Ferdinand
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have to admit that I was a little cynical when I first accepted this book to review because erotic romance is not a genre that I usually read (Fifty Shades was a BIG exception). I decided to give it a go though as I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and I have to say that I actually quite enjoyed this book.
The main characters, Zach and Madi, are easy to like and although some of the banter between them seemed a little immature to me at times, I found their relationship convincing and enjoyed seeing them develop together as a couple throughout the story.
The fact that the majority of the characters in the story were very realistic was a big positive to me. It made me enjoy the story a lot more as I felt I could actually picture the characters and what they were going through. The only character I was still a little sceptical about at the end was Madi's mother because she was a little overdevloped to me but as she didn't really play a huge part in the book it didn't really worry me.
Being an erotic romance it does contain some very descriptive sex scenes but it's more your run-of-the-mill sex scenes rather than anything kinky which was a relief.
Overall I would recommend this book to anyone into erotic romance stories, especially those that actually contain a decent plot and not just in a mundane, page filling kind of way in between the sex scenes. It's not a book to read if you're after anything full-on deep and nmeaningful, but it's certainly a good page turner and one that kept me interested until the very end.

Links:

Goodreads:

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5781057.Leslie_C_Ferdinand

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/WickedAllureByLeslieCFerdinand

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/RoseRichMag

Buy links:

Amazon

B&N:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wicked-allure-shirley-holden-ferdinand/1109655130?ean=9781475010800

ALL ROMANCE:

http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-wickedallure-761423-340.html

WWW Wednesdays (24th October 2012)

WWW Wednesdays is hosted by Should Be Reading.

To join in all you need to do is answer the following three questions:

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?



• What am I currently reading? Currently I am reading and . I've had a bit of trouble getting into any book I start lately so have been alternating between the three of these. I'm hoping to become a bit more focused now that my final CPA exam is done and I can get back to enjoying spare time again.


• What did I recently finish reading? I recently finished reading  as part of a blog tour. My stop is on the 27th October so come back for my review then.

• What do I think I'll read next? I will probably start reading   next as part of another blog tour.


What have you been up to this week?

Michelle

Wild and Wicked Halloween Scavenger Hunt

 

Intro:

BTS Tours and Wild Child Publishing are proud to present the Wicked and Wild Halloween Scavenger Hunt. 37 blogs have linked together to allow you to hunt for 37 different words that will be hidden in each post, so at the end of the hunt you will have 37 answers to plug into the rafflecopter. Please DO NOT leave your answers in the comment section. We want this to be fun for everyone, and not take the challenge out of the game. So this is how it works.

All the blogs listed below will post their game piece on their allotted date. You are looking for one word (related to Halloween) to plug into the rafflecopter as your answer. For Example:

If you are on Close Encounters with the Night Kind, and find your word (clues will be provided for you in the banner) you log into the rafflecopter form and place your answer in the box marked Close Encounters of the Night Kind. Follow along the entire Scavenger Hunt and collect all 37 clues. We will be drawing for 4 $25 dollar Gift Certificates to Wild Child Publishing. Happy Hunting!!!

 

 

 

Title: Slave Trader, Book 1 In the Name of Freedom

Author:  Carol Marvell

Publisher: Wild Child Publishing    .

Length:   Plus Novel

Sub-Genres:  Action/ Adventure

             

BLURB:

For the past three years, young prostitutes and destitute women have been vanishing without trace. Their fates unknown, the only common links to their disappearances are their good looks and prison records.

Never before has a cop been taken.

Detective Billie McCoy, a member of an elite undercover squad, is on assignment when she stumbles onto a slavery racket that goes deeper than she could ever have imagined. Plunged into a web of corruption and evil, not only does she have to contend with the slave traders, but her fellow prisoners – all who hate cops.

Stretching from the streets of Sydney to the rainforests in far north Queensland, it’s a race against time. Filled with determination, disappointment and twists, the story follows Billie’s fight for freedom and her greatest ever challenge. She will need all her cunning and skill to get out alive and see justice done.

Blood will be spilt, hopes will be destroyed – all to uncover a plot so unpredictable that only fate can decide . . . .

 EXCERPT:

The guy on the left of the fat man carried a scar down his right cheek. His hair was slicked back out of his face, leaving the dark, distrusting eyes in clear view. The third guy, a curly-haired blond, was shorter yet bulkier than his comrade. He stared with a blank expression set on his bristled face, clearly expressing his dislike. They stood protectively by their boss's side, like dogs on a leash waiting for a command to please their master.
The little, fat man's gaze remained locked on the blonde girl in front of him. "My God."
His astonished tone snapped Billie's attention back to him. She looked more closely, sensing something familiar about him. Her nerves stiffened. Suddenly, she knew.
"Bates?" The name slipped through her lips before she could stop it. She'd failed to identify him in that first brief glimpse. The bright clothes and menacing conditions engulfing the tense situation had thrown her. He looked so different, and so out of place. She'd met this guy a couple of times, and both times he'd been dressed in a full suit, tie and all - back in police headquarters. So why would Captain Bates, head of Missing Persons, be here? Why would he be interested in this girl, especially in a place like this? And what was this well-respected police officer doing with these henchmen? Slowly, she stood, not taking her eyes off him.
"What's going on here?" The young cop took a step towards him.
"Ahh, what a pity, a sure pity." He sighed. His hand reached in through the open neck of his shirt and pulled a pistol out from under it. He dropped it to waist level, aiming at her chest. His tone may have held some remorse, but his actions didn't.

BUY LINKS:

Wild Child:

http://www.wildchildpublishing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=70&products_id=381

Amazon:

In the Name of Freedom (Slave Trader)

Barnes and Noble:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/in-the-name-of-freedom-carol-marvell/1110624504?ean=2940014386432&itm=1&usri=carol+marvell

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Carol lives on a small property in Queensland, Australia. She works in a local primary school as a School Officer / Librarian / Community Development Officer. Born in Childers, she grew up on a cane farm. Carol has been married for twenty-six years and has three children, two girls and a boy. She has travelled extensively throughout the world, visiting the US, UK, Europe, China, Japan, New Zealand and of course, Australia. Her other passion is music. She plays bass guitar in a country rock band with her husband and two other guys, and is also a member of a symphony orchestra. With over fifty members, the orchestra is voluntary and visits retirement villages and small towns.

GIVEAWAY:
 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Schedule:

October 1 - Awesomesauce Book Club , Guilty Indulgence

October 2 - Reading Between the Lines , Beauty In Ruins

October 3 - Riverina Romantics

October 4 - Book Swagger

October 5- Reading and Writing Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance

October 6 - Book Devotee Reviews

October 8 - Love is a Many Flavored Thing

October 9 - House Millar

October 10 - Literal Addiction

October 11 - S.J. Maylee

October 12 - Fictional Candy

October 13 - Sweet Southern Home

October 14 - Laurie's Non-Paranormal Thoughts and Reviews

October 15 - Salacious Reads

October 16 - For the Love of Reading Reviews , Novelly Nice

October 17 - Pink Skulls Book Reviews

October 18 - Full Moon Bites

October 19 - The Bunny's Review

October 20 - Romance Book Club . Com

October 21- The Jeep Diva

October 22 - Nette's Bookshelf Reviews

October 23 - Beagle Book Space , Pippa Jay…

October 24 - All She Wants and More

October 25 - Ex Libris

October 26 - Close Encounters with the Night Kind          

October 27 - Herding Cats and Burning Soup

October 28 - Noracast

October 29 - TBR

October 30 - Reader's Confession , Naughty Editions

October 31 - Speculative Friction , Worlds of Escapism

Have fun everybody!!!

Michelle

Interlopers Cover Reveal, Giveaway & Scavenger Hunt!

Today I am participating in a fun Scavenger Hunt and Cover Reveal hosted by SupaGurl Tours. If you are following along on this hunt, you've most likely just visited me from Overflowing Bookshelves and the word you are looking to collect from me is:

FOR

Now, on to the gorgeous cover of Interlopers:

Blurb--  

Make sure to clean up your messes.

Keep the cat in the house. 

Fraternal twins Nate and Larissa Pantera know all about strange rules. They've grown up with plenty of them, and they have always obeyed those rules without question

However, disturbing things are starting to happen--both at home and at school. And when their parents go missing and a strange messenger appears, they discover that the only way to save them is by breaking all the rules. 

Interlopers: A Shifters Novel is the thrilling fantasy adventure. Fans of YA fantasy, such as Harry Potter and Percy Jackson, love this new series about the Pantera twins, who discover that everything they thought they knew is only the beginning of the truth.

Bio:  
L. M. Davis loves great storytelling. She needs nothing more than a good book and a comfy chair to be happy. She was born in the south, raised in the north, and has a few degrees under her belt. She still hasn’t gotten her black cat, but she thinks about it everyday. Her thoughts go something like this: "I really should get a cat." For now, she contents herself with spoiling the pets of her friends and family.  The first two books of her Shifters Novel Series Interlopers and Posers are available now.  To find out more, visit www.shiftersnovelseries.com. 

Find L. M. Davis on the interwebz: 

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/ShiftersNovels

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Interlopers-A-Shifters-Novel/109297562448674

Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13111075-interlopers

Book Trailer:

Giveaway:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

To move along this scavenger hunt you will need to go and visit An Avid Reader's Musings next.

Have fun!!

Michelle

In My Mailbox (14th October 2012)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren and is a weekly meme to show what books you have accumulated during the week.

I know I have been nothing but full of apologies for being so absent from this blog lately but I promise I will be back in full swing after the 23rd of this month when my final exam is over. Not long now and getting very, VERY excited to have my life back!!

So, these are the books I acquired this week:

For Review:

I have to say I am super excited to read 'Equinox' which is the second instalment in the Ethos series by Desiree Finkbeiner.

So, what great books did you get this week?

Michelle

Release Day Blitz - Midnight Surrender

Blurb:

Some of the industries best selling 'new adult' paranormal romance authors have come together to bring you a collection of short stories inspired by their most popular novels. Get alternate point-of-views from your hottest book boyfriends. Learn about the early days of the relationships that you've grown to love. And find out how some of the early challenges faced by your favorite characters have shaped the novels you can't get enough of. 

Author Links:

Charlotte Abel: www.charlotteabel.com

Kelly D. Cooper: kellydcooper.wordpress.com

Shannon Dermott: www.shannondermott.com

Laura A.H. Elliott:  www.Laurasmagicday.wordpress.com

Alyssa Rose Ivy: www.alyssaroseivy.com

Amy M. Jones: http://amyjonesyaff.blogspot.com

Airicka Phoenix: http://airickaphoenix.com/Author/?cat=10.

Amazon: Midnight Surrender A Paranormal Romance Anthology - Some of the industries best selling 'new adult' paranormal romance 

 How exciting does this book sound? I love collections like this.

Quarterly Challenge Update (July-Sept 2012)

So, it is the end of another quarter of 2012. Seriously, where is this year going???

At the start of 2012 I decided to join in on the following three reading challenges:
The 15,000 Page Challenge, The Chunkster Challenge and The Dusty Bookshelf Challenge.

                                       

 

15,000 Page Challenge
This challenge is obviously to try and read at least 15,000 pages over the year.
* As at the end of March I had managed to finish 5 books with a total of 2,253 pages.
* As at the end of June I managed to finish another 19 books with a total of 4,953 pages.
* Now, at the end of September I've managed to read another 14 books with a total of 4,468 pages. This means I've read a total of 11,674 pages so far this year and I think I am easily on track to get to the 15,000 page mark by the end of the year. Yeehaa!

Chunkster Challenge (Complete!!)
I went for Level 2 in this challenge 'The Plump Primer' where I have to try and read 6 chunksters during the year. A Chunkster is a book of 450 pages or more. I managed to read two books over the 450 page mark as at the end of March and also managed to read another two up to the end of June. For the September quarter I managed to read the following Chunksters:
1) A Game of Thrones - George R.R. Martin - 835 pages
2) Fifty Shades Darker - E.L. James - 537 pages
3) Pledged - Gwynneth White - 503 pages
4) Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins - 472 pages

Overall, I've surprised myself with this challenge as I didn't think I'd get to as many books over 450 pages as I have. I can't believe I've read 8 already and there's still three months to go. I may have to up my level on this now.

The Dusty Bookshelf Challenge

Again I went for Level 2 in this challenge 'Dust Bunny' where I have to read between 5-10 books. Basically this challenge is to read as many books that you can that you already own which have been accumulating dust on your bookshelf. It doesn't include any newly purchased books. Up to the end of March I managed to read four dusty books but only managed to read another one up to the end of June. For the September quarter I didn't manage to get to any of my old TBR books (sigh...) I really did try but I had too many review commitments and fell behind due to my work and study picking up. Oh well, I will concentrate on this challenge a bit more between now and the end of this year.

So, that's an update on my progress so far. I'm pretty pleased with how I've been going, especially with the 15,000 Page Challenge as I didn't think I'd get anywhere near that by the end of the year but I've surprised myself with how many pages I actually read over a period of time.

Here is my March Quarterly Update and my June Quarterly Update posts if interested.

I hope everyone else is going well with any challenges you have joined or set yourself this year.

Michelle xx

Release Day Blitz - Flukes by Nichole Chase

Today I am excited to be a part of the Release Day Blitz for Flukes by Nichole Chase.

Flukes:

Meena has a secret guarded closely by her family—a secret as dangerous as the sea, and buried just as deep. When court appointed community service workers are assigned to Flukes, the family-owned animal sanctuary, everyone is on high alert. It doesn’t help that Meena finds herself attracted to sexy-as-sin Blake Weathering, one of the new workers. If he wasn’t so distracting, she might be able to land Flukes a much-needed cruise line contract.

Blake Weathering, the first in his family to attend public school, has developed a tough image. Unfortunately it lands him in trouble. Now banned from his high school graduation ceremony, getting his diploma is dependent upon a community service gig cleaning fish crap. No diploma, no trust fund fortune—and no way to escape his overbearing father. The last thing he needs is the distraction of a mysterious girl with teal eyes who pulls at his heart strings.

When Blake discovers Meena’s secret, they are both thrown into a desperate search for information about her past. Two worlds pull them in opposite directions, and they will have to fight to hold onto all that really matters.

Author Info:

Nichole Chase is a daydreamer.
No, really, just ask any of the math teachers that had the misfortune of seeing her name appear on their class schedule.
For years she has had story lines and characters begging for attention, but she resolutely pushed them aside to focus on more normal (read, boring) jobs. Well, no longer She is currently heeding the voices in her head and frantically writing their stories. Nichole resides in South Georgia with her husband, energetic toddler, crazy dog, and two cats.
Nichole is the author of the Dark Betrayal Trilogy, Flukes, and the upcoming Suddenly Royal. When not devouring novels by the dozens, you may find her writing, painting, crafting, or chasing her daughter around the house while making monster noises.


Links

www.nicholechase.com
http://www.nicholechase.blogspot.com
@NicholeChase
http://www.facebook.com/author.nicholechase

Amazon:
Mortal Obligation: Book One of the Dark Betrayal Trilogy (Volume 1)
Mortal Defiance: Book two of the Dark Betrayal Trilogy (Volume 2)

Barnes and Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/mortal-obligation-nichole-chase/1104578446?ean=9781469905211 Mortal Obligation
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/mortal-defiance-nichole-chase/1108065280?ean=9781468197433 Mortal Defiance

Review - Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Paperback, 472 pages

Published September 7th 2009 by Scholastic (first published January 1st 2009)

Source: Own Copy

Synopsis:
'Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and her longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol -- a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.

Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.

In Catching Fire, the second novel of the Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins continues the story of Katniss Everdeen, testing her more than ever before... and surprising readers at every turn.'

My Thoughts:
Wow, I don't know what else to say but how amazing this series is and how much this book and the first one have captured my attention. I haven't felt this way about a series in a very long time and this is one that I still find myself thinking about long after I finished reading it.

The world created by Suzanne Collins is so brutal and realistic that I found myself constantly wondering if our government could ever get in a position where they would have the same amount of power and influence over the way we live our lives. In this instalment, you get to see a lot more about how the Capitol controls all the districts and the lives of all the residents and it's a scary reminder of how well we actually have it with the amount of freedom we get to have in our daily lives.

When Katniss and Peeta are being prepared to go back into the arena, I really felt for them and the injustice that they were going through to be forced to participate in the Games again. Once the Games began, I was finding myself cheering Katniss and Peeta on for the majority of the time and there may also have been a bit of breath holding in certain parts as well.

The love triangle between Katniss, Gale and Peeta gets a lot of attention in this book and that was probably the only element that I was a little disappointed in. As far as I'm concerned Katniss needs to realise that Peeta is definitely the one for her (in my humble opinion) and move on from Gale. I just don't get much personality from what we have seen of Gale so far and I'm not sure if this has been done on purpose or if this is just the way he really is. This is something that I can't wait to see resolved when I read the third book.

Overall, I cannot say enough good things about this book and the first Hunger Games novel. If you love a lot of action, twists and turns as well as a storyline that really makes you think then these are the books for you.

Purchase Links:
Amazon

The Book Depository

RAK Wrap-Up - September 2012

Random Acts of Kindness is hosted by Book Soulmates. It's where you sign up every month and give your current wishlist so that others may gift something to you and where you can gift to others. It's a great way to promote goodwill amongst fellow book lovers.

I was very lucky to receive two RAK's this month:

The first one, I Am Number Four, was from Vonnie at Vonnie's Reading Corner and The Raven Boys, which was actually an August RAK, was pre-ordered for me from Petra at Hazel The Witch.

I am hoping to fit these into my reading schedule sometime soon.
 

Now, for the bad news..... I didn't manage to send out an RAK to anyone this month (hangs head in shame...) It was just such a hectic month for me and my family with work, study and illnesses galore that I just never got around to having the time to sit down and pick someone and look over their wishlists. To make up for it though I will try my best to get two RAK's out in October instead.

I definitely recommend participating in this exchange as it's so fun sending and receiving gifts to others 'just because'.

I also love to see what others choose to pick out for me too. It's like a TBR lucky dip!

I'd love to know who else participated in the September RAK and what you sent/received for the month.

Michelle

Bloggiesta Fail!

So, this is me saying that I completely failed in Bloggiesta. It's a long weekend here in Australia so hubby and I went away for a couple of days and then when we came back there was no internet!!

When we came back from our trip I was all super keen to get started on researching a couple of things and get down to Bloggiesta business but it just wasn't to be.

Therefore, I didn't manage to get anything from my list done and am not sure when I will be able to now :-(

Oh well, I hope everyone else had a productive weekend and made use of Bloggiesta time.

Happy long weekend to all my Aussie readers!!

Michelle