Tag: Entangled Publishing

Dead Sexy: Deadly Secrets, Loving Lies

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | B Reviews> Book Lovers Inc.> book reviews

Deadly Secrets, Loving Lies by Cynthia Cooke is the very first book in Entangled Publishing’s new Dead Sexy romantic suspense imprint.

It turned out to be a great opening act for the new line, because DSLL is definitely a very sexy and suspenseful story. And considering the plot of spies, conspiracy theories and secrets-gone-wrong, the heroine and her hero leave a whole cemetery-full of dead bad-guys along the way to their, well, let’s not spoil things, shall we?

I don’t want to ruin the suspense.

Deadly Secrets, Loving Lies starts out with all its guns blazing. Genie Marsters is on the run from the men in black. Not those men in black, just thugs in suits. They might be government agents sent to bring her in. Or they might be worse bad guys than that.

Her old agency (the National Counter Terrorism Agency) might be compromised. But other people might be out to get her and her sisters because they are fully-functioning empaths. Genie trusts no one except her father. And he’s just gone underground. Even further under the radar than his normal paranoia.

When the worse guys (not the NCTA) send a team to capture her, the NCTA sends someone to bring her in from the cold. They may not trust her, but they don’t want her kidnapped. The NCTA sends her ex-partner, and ex-lover, Kyle Montgomery.

Kyle doesn’t trust her either, but his sense of personal betrayal hurts a lot more. He doesn’t know she’s an empath. He does know she didn’t come to the hospital after their last op nearly killed him. He saved her life, and she might be the cause of whatever happened. Or her sister was. Kyle didn’t even know she had a sister.

Talk about deadly secrets. Genie’s sister was involved with the bad guys. And she might still be. Or she might be dead. Becca is supposed to be dead.

But who’s out to kidnap Genie and her sister Cat? And why?

And why does Kyle feel like he and Genie are still a team? After everything she didn’t tell him, after all the lies she told him, he shouldn’t still love her. But he does.

The question is whether he can trust her, ever again. Especially since Genie Marsters has been taught, her whole life, never to trust anyone. Not even herself.

Escape Rating B+: Deadly Secrets, Loving Lies would make a terrific romantic suspense movie. It grabs you up in that first scene, and doesn’t let you go until the end. The pace is wild and crazy and totally non-stop.

And it probably needs to be that fast, because the government conspiracy at the heart of the bad guy’s insanity doesn’t quite hold up if you look at it too closely. But the story is moving so fast, that you don’t get a chance to. You’re swept up in the action.

The sibling rivalry between the three Marsters sisters is off the charts. I’m an only child, and they make me grateful for it.

The ending of DSLL definitely sets up for the next book in the series, and I’m glad of it. I want to know what happens next to these people. They’re wild and crazy and I’m compelled to read the next installment.

For more of my thoughts on Deadly Secrets, Loving Lies, head on over to Book Lovers Inc.

But back to next installments, Deadly Secrets, Loving Lies is just the first of the Dead Sexy line. I’m looking forward to a continuing line of sexy stories starring deadly lovers.

Review: The Magician of Wall Street by Minta Hall + Giveaway

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | 3 Stars> book reviews> Giveaways> Originally published at Book Lovers, Inc.> The Rocket Lover

Format Read: ebook from publisher
Number of Pages: 138 p.
Release Date: April 23, 2012
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Formats Available: ebook
Purchasing Info: Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Author’s Website, Publisher’s Website

Book Blurb:

Oliver Pendragon’s days as the Magician of Wall Street are legendary. When he finds a way to get everything he’s ever wanted—including Abby Daltry—of course he can’t refuse, even though there will be hell to pay if ever Abby found out. But when he discovers his old business partner is out for Abby’s blood, Oliver will do anything to protect her…and win her heart.

New Age bookstore owner Abby is perfectly happy with her life the way it is—the independence, the quirky clientele, and even the occasional tarot card reading—are all part of the charm. But when the cards reveal Oliver is back and bringing danger along with him, she refuses to heed the warning for another chance with the only man she’d ever loved.

As shots fly, the Magician will have to perform his best trick ever if he hopes to keep Abby safe and by his side forever.


My Thoughts:

This was originally posted at Book Lovers Inc.

The Magician of Wall Street isn’t really a magician, or at least, not a stage magician. He’s a financial wizard. Or he was.

But there’s something singularly appropriate that a story about a man called “The Magician” begins with a tarot card reading, a reading where, when you look back at it after the story ends, every single thing in it has come true. But not in the way that the heroine thinks.

I found this chilling, how Abby is totally warned about what’s going to happen, and completely ignores the warnings because of her preconceived notions about Oliver (the Magician) who admittedly hurt her terribly, and Gil, her old friend and Oliver’s former business associate.

In spite of all the evidence that Gil was running a Ponzi scheme (a la Bernie Madoff) Abby refuses to believe that Gil might want to hurt her as part of his plans. Because she doesn’t trust Oliver not to control her the way her father did. And the way she knows her daddy still wants to.

Abby has some serious “Daddy issues”. And Oliver is definitely a LOT like her father. Which does make one wonder a whole lot about why she got so deeply involved with a man just like dear old dad.

But I digress.

The Magician of Wall Street had two different stories going on. The surface story was the suspense. The financial genius, Oliver, loses his investment firm because his associate, Gil was running a Ponzi scheme under his nose. Oliver missed the whole thing because he was too busy with Abby.

And Abby thought Oliver was too busy working to pay enough attention to her, so she left him, moved to the West Coast and went into partnership with her best friend in a New Age bookstore. From Abby’s perspective, Oliver may have lived with her and slept with her, but he didn’t love her. Oliver never let himself lose that much control. Oliver was all about taking control–of her. So Abby ran away.

And Gil, he manipulated the whole thing. Well, not the love. But he pointed them at each other and watched them dance. Then messed everything up by trying to kill them. Except these two people are already very, very messed up. Gil just added bullets and explosives.

Abby’s daddy threw in money and a company. I’m not sure who was more destructive. This story has an absolutely fantastic beginning. The scene with the Tarot card reading really works.

But Abby keeps wimping out after that. Gil was right, she is easily manipulated. This was an okay story, but after that fantastic beginning, I’d hoped for better.

I give The Magician of Wall Street 3 Stars.


***FTC Disclaimer: Most books reviewed on this site have been provided free of charge by the publisher, author or publicist. Some books we have purchased with our own money and will be noted as such. Any links to places to purchase books are provided as a convenience, and do not serve as an endorsement by this blog. All reviews are the true and honest opinion of the blogger reviewing the book. The method of acquiring the book does not have a bearing on the content of the review.

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~*~*Giveaway*~*~

 Entangled Publishing has generously offered a digital copy of The Magician of Wall Street to one lucky commenter! 

All you have to do is leave a meaningful comment about the review to enter!
(You can read our full giveaway policy here)

Please leave us a way to contact you.
(Email in blogger profile or twitter name – no way to contact you – no entry).

This giveaway is open to International entries!

Giveaway ends on Saturday, June 16, 2012; and we will announce the winner on Sunday.

Good luck!

Cover Reveal: Deadly Secrets, Loving Lies

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | Cover Reveal

Welcome to the cover reveal for the first book in Entangled Publishing’s new Dead Sexy line of “Dangerously Sexy Romance”

Deadly Secrets, Loving Lies  by  Cynthia Cooke

Here’s the description:

Family secrets must be kept, and painful wounds must be ignored.

After an all-out assault by a vicious terrorist bent on destroying her entire family, a former government agent must break the strict rules she has always lived by when she emerges from hiding to reluctantly accept the help of her all-too-sexy ex-lover. Running a deadly race against time, they rush to rescue her kidnapped sister, find her missing father, and bring the notorious villain to justice. But nothing ever goes as planned. Bullets fly, danger abounds, and their passion reignites even faster than the lies are flowing. But their stubbornly held secrets just might spell the end of their rekindled love and hopes for the future…as well as their very lives.

Sound intriguing? The book comes out today! Yes! This romantic suspense title is a special Mother’s Day release. And it looks like a real treat for the holiday.


Review: On One Condition by Diane Alberts

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | 3 1/2 Stars> Originally published at Book Lovers, Inc.> The Rocket Lover


Format Read: ebook from author
Genre: contemporary romance
Number of Pages: 112
Release Date: February 14, 2012
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Formats Available: ebook
Purchasing Info: Goodreads, Publisher’s Website, Amazon , Barnes & Noble, Author’s Website

Book Blurb:


Kindergarten teacher Johanna hates Valentine’s Day. She hates romance, hates commercialism, and definitely hates her school’s annual charity date auction. She never expects her pre-auction night of drinking to land a sexy Brit in her bed. Or for that Brit to show up at the auction, bid thousands just to talk to her again, and get down on one knee in front of everyone and ask her to marry him.

Viscount Damon Haymes has never met anyone like Johanna. She’s neurotic, fascinating, and fun. She also doesn’t care about his title and doesn’t want his money, which makes Johanna perfect to fulfill a surprise clause in his father’s will: marry within three months and remain married for a year, or lose his fortune. A relationship is out of the question, but when passions ignite and the two fall in love, their marriage of convenience becomes anything but.

My Thoughts:

This was originally posted at Book Lovers Inc.

I’ll admit it; I was expecting this one to be short, sweet and sexy. And it was all of the above.

The “marriage of convenience” trope isn’t one that you often see in contemporary romance, so I was kind of intrigued. I wondered how the author was going to make the whole thing work in 21st century. I didn’t think it would be believable. And it nearly wasn’t.

The first scene is hilarious. It’s one of those classic “morning after the night before” things. Johanna tosses Damon out on his rich and titled ass. Which she has no clue is either rich or titled. Because when they met the night before, they were both way too drunk for introductions, if they even bothered. What they both remember is the really hot sex.

Damon wants to see Johanna again. He’s interested in any woman who isn’t interested in his title and fortune. Johanna just wants to forget the whole embarrassing incident ever happened. Damon is reluctantly willing to honor her wishes.

Fate intervenes, of course. The school where Johanna teaches is holding a charity auction that evening. It’s Valentine’s Day. It’s one of those auctions for an evening with a lovely lady event, where the ladies in question are the teachers. Of course, Damon comes to the auction and he purchases an evening of Johanna’s time.

This is typical romance fare.

What’s not typical happens in Damon’s office during the day. A lawyer informs Damon that his recently deceased father left one of those lovely little codicils in his will forcing Damon to marry within three months and stay married for at least a year, otherwise he’d lose his entire fortune.

Instead of deciding to marry a society chit, someone of his own class, some rich witch he’s known forever and already rejected, Damon sees Johanna at that charity auction and decides to offer her a marriage of convenience. He gets to keep his fortune, and she gets a whole lot of charity money for her school.

Johanna thinks she’ll protect her heart, and at the end of the year, she’ll walk away. The school will be set for years with Damon’s money. She can’t believe Damon could possibly want her. He certainly can’t love her. She’s just a school teacher, and he’s practically a prince.

Damon may be rich, but he really needs to learn a lesson about running his own business. He’s a smart guy, but not when it comes to reading over documents and making sure that he’s the one taking care of his responsibilities, and not trusting people who shouldn’t be trusted. He gets his happy ending almost by accident.

I enjoyed On One Condition a lot. It was a fun, albeit slightly implausible, light romance to read late at night.

I enjoyed it enough to give it 3 and a half stars.
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***FTC Disclaimer: Most books reviewed on this site have been provided free of charge by the publisher, author or publicist. Some books we have purchased with our own money and will be noted as such. Any links to places to purchase books are provided as a convenience, and do not serve as an endorsement by this blog. All reviews are the true and honest opinion of the blogger reviewing the book. The method of acquiring the book does not have a bearing on the content of the review.

Cover Reveal: My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | Cover Reveal> Sneak Peak

My very first cover reveal at Reading Reality is for My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century by Rachel Harris. This YA time-travel romance from debut author Rachel Harris (no relation, unfortunately) will be published by Entangled Publishing on September 11, 2012.

Time-travel creates delicious opportunities for confusion and romance. Read the sneak-peak preview and see if this premise doesn’t make the book tease its way right into your “to-be-read” list for the fall.

 

I hear their muffled whispers and understand every Italian word. Every witty comment made at my expense.

It’s like my brain is automatically translating.

I bunch the soft fabric of the dress in my hand and then reach up to feel the ribbon in my hair. I lightly skim my fingers over my chin and feel my lack of zit. I take in the costumes of the crowd, the stench of the animals, and the Italian I can now speak and understand. And suddenly it hits me.

Reyna must have pulled some kind of gypsy mojo.

Maybe this is one of those nifty “change your life” magic scenarios like in the movies. I mean, mostly I’m still expecting to blink and be right back in the midst of overpriced, gaudy tourism, but for now, the gypsy-time-warp explanation is infinitely better than thinking I’ve lost my mind. As I decide to go with that option, I feel my frantic tension melt away.

The growing crowd seems to notice my change in demeanor and begins shooting one another amused looks, but I don’t care anymore. A smile stretches across my face. Evidently, I was wrong earlier; Reyna is a psychic mind reader, because if this is her special brand of bibbity-bobbity-boo, then she made my exact daydream from earlier in the courtyard come to life.

The long red gown, the braided hair, the Italian merchant’s daughter, the time period. I am in Renaissance Florence.

I stare dumbly at the ground, the words and reality sinking in.

I’m in Renaissance Florence!

ARC Review: Banshee Charmer by Tiffany Allee

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | 4 Stars> book reviews> Guest Bloggers> Guest Review> Originally published at Book Lovers, Inc.

Format read: ebook provided courtesy of the publisher
Release Date: January 24, 2012
Number of pages: 159
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Formats Available: ebook
Purchasing Info:  Goodreads, Author’s Website,  Entangled Publishing, Barnes & Noble, Amazon

Blurb:
When she’s sent to a crime scene and finds her second dead woman in as many weeks, half-banshee detective Kiera “Mac” McLoughlin is convinced a serial killer is on the loose. Incubi are extinct, her boss insists. But what else can kill a woman in the throes of pleasure? When her partner is murdered after using witchcraft to locate the killer and Mac is thrown off the case, her frustration turns to desperation.

Certain the killer is an incubus, Mac works behind her department’s back to chase down slim, sometimes perilous leads. While the killer eludes her, she does discover handsome Aidan Byrne, an investigative counterpart from the enigmatic Otherworlder Enforcement Agency. Mac typically runs her investigations fast and hard, but with Aidan at her side, she’s running this one “hot” as well. But Aidan knows more than he’s letting on—something that could shatter their blazing romance and add Mac to the killer’s growing body count…

My Thoughts:

This was originally posted at Book Lovers Inc.

It was the cop banter that sucked me in. Not just because it was good cop banter, although the author got it just right, the exact kind of dry humor that is chuckle under your breath funny, but because it hit the right tone. One of the cops was a “normal” and the other is a half-banshee, and it didn’t matter. They were both cops, and they sounded like cops. I was a goner. And so was the stiff in their crime scene.

I love urban fantasy, and the closer it is to our world, the better I like it. The worldbuilding in Banshee Charmer was so close to the “real” world, there was just this slight difference, all the paranormal is real, and everyone seems to know about it. There are laws about what paranormals can and can’t do, just like everyone else. I love that kind of stuff.  Treating the paranormal as just different types of evidence it just plain cool. Done as well as it is here, it gets me every time.
But series like these live or die (no pun intended) based on whether we like the characters. If it’s a cop shop book, we need to like the cops in the shop.

It’s all down to Mac. Being only a half-banshee means her scream only stuns, it doesn’t kill. And she’s got some baggage about not being as dangerous as she might be. But she’s much more interesting because she’s not invincible. And because she’s half-banshee, men who might otherwise be attracted stay far, far away.
Mac is on the trail of a serial killer who appears to murder his victims while they are in the throes of ecstatic pleasure.  The killer’s last victim was her partner Amanda. And Mac is supposed to be off the case. But in the tradition of all good cops everywhere, Mac is investigating on her own time, with the help of the extremely handsome Otherworld Enforcement Agent who just happened to show up in her kitchen the evening before her partner became the serial killer’s victim.

Aiden Byrne is another reason this story is so good. On the one hand, it’s obvious that he isn’t who he says he is. And that there is a reason he keeps disappearing at what could best be described as “opportune” moments. But his conflict between what he feels for Mac that he knows he shouldn’t, and whatever it is he has to do with the killer, is utterly delicious.

I enjoyed Mac’s personality and perspective. She was someone I wanted to spend time with, so it was fun. And this world is cool. The paranormal has been integrated into society. What a great place for more stories.  Which means that even though there is a happily ever after, there is plenty of room for more stories. I want to see more of how this place ticks.
***FTC Disclaimer: Most books reviewed on this site have been provided free of charge by the publisher, author or publicist. Some books we have purchased with our own money and will be noted as such. Any links to places to purchase books are provided as a convenience, and do not serve as an endorsement by this blog. All reviews are the true and honest opinion of the blogger reviewing the book. The method of acquiring the book does not have a bearing on the content of the review.