Sunday, April 30, 2017

Tex Mex Beef & Rice Skillet

Finally - a complete winner!!

As you may have seen lately I've had some partial fails lately with the kids. I've enjoyed the meals but the kids haven't been as happy lately with the dishes I've been cooking. Well, tonight was a complete winner and so easy to make!

It's funny lately that it seems to be the ground beef ones that seem to be the winners where as the chicken ones are failing. This one is just so easy and contains some of the kids favorite things - rice and corn!

This one can be whipped up when you are short on time and not looking for a fancy dinner to expand your kids horizons!

http://www.yellowblissroad.com/tex-mex-beef-rice-skillet/


Friday, April 28, 2017

Romance Between The Pages presents this week's incredible bestselling author, SUSAN STOKER


Ever wondered about the personalities behind your favorite books? Victoria Danann's new podcast with Riley J. Ford has an incredible lineup of authors booked through the spring. No question is out of bounds. Check it out!

THIS WEEK'S BEST SELLING AUTHOR...
SUSAN STOKER!

New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author, Susan Stoker has a heart as big as the state of Texas where she lives, but this all American girl has also spent the last fourteen years living in Missouri, California, Colorado, and Indiana. She's married to a retired Army man who now gets to follow her around the country.

She debuted her first series in 2014 and quickly followed that up with the SEAL of Protection Series, which solidified her love of writing and creating stories readers can get lost in.

Kiss Your Mate Day eBook Giveaway Event


Welcome to April 28th is Kiss Your Mate Day eBook Giveaway Event. Believe it or not, Kiss Your Mate Day is an actual holiday. So pucker up and give that special someone in your life a big fat kiss of love. To recognize this romantic day, a group of talented romance authors has come together to celebrate hugs and kisses, from romantic love to paranormal love to contemporary love. It's all here, a weekend of free eBooks to last you through the spring.

Don't wait to meet your next favorite author and book. The giveaway will only run from April 27th-30th. So be sure to click on the book cover, which will take you to a page where you can download your FREE eBook. To learn more about an author, simply click on the author's name.

Thursday, April 27, 2017

My review of Mercy & Mayhem by Lindsay Cross

Colonel Mack Grey is hellbent on getting revenge on Mr.J - Jack Mankel for everything he has done to the Task Force Scorpion team and for being a traitor to the US. When the team sets off to get Mankel and rescue Caroline Cotter they soon learn that Mankel has spies everywhere.

Captain Marley Mitchell is an Air Force Pilot with a 9 year old daughter, Maddie. She is on a mission to fly in Task Force Scorpion but soon things go completely wrong when the plane is sabotaged.

Mack must decide whether or not he can trust Marley but will the attraction between the two of them cloud his judgement? When Marley's daughter's life is put on the line what will she decide to do?

This is another awesome book in this series that leaves you wondering what is going to happen next and whether they will finally find Mr.J and rescue Caroline.

This book is full of action from the beginning to the end and with Mr.J's "super soldiers" out there you never know what Task Force Scorpion is going to come up against. Although you figured out who one of the traitors was right away, Reaper's background still left some mystery and you weren't sure what side he would end up on.

When Mack and Marley ended up separated from the rest of the group you knew the sexual tension between the two was going to explode and that it did! I loved how apologetic Mack was to Marley over what happened as it was not full of romance but given the setting what do you expect.

I liked how Marley was tough and didn't give up or whine with what she was going through. She knew that she had to get home for Maddie but things didn't look good for a long time and then things went straight downhill when her cell received messages.

Mack was pure alpha male but at the same time he was guarding his heart over the loss of his wife and then his relationship with his son. He knew he would have done what he could for the two of them but his job came first. I couldn't imagine the loss he felt and I think that's why his wife never told him what was going on as she didn't want him to choose.

I really thought a few things were going to be different after the "blow up" and my guesses on what was going to happen were completely different than what really happened which was awesome!

Although the ending seems to give closure on one aspect there is still another 2 parts that need to be dealt with and I can't wait to see how the author is going to tackle those two things.

I liked the end how both thought they were in the wrong and needed forgiveness from the other. The book ended awesome with the two and I really hope that we get to see more of Marley working with TFS in the future!

5 Stars

My review of Stepbrother Anonymous by Aria Cole

Hudson Farrow does not believe in love. He his in town to watch his mom get married for the fourth time. Drowning his sorrows in the local bar he meets Skylar Walsh who immediately turns his world upside down.

Hudson and Skylar both have an immediate attraction and know that they want more than the few days they have ahead of them. But what they don't count on is how much their life is about to be flipped upside down. Will they put their own feelings first?

This was a great instant attraction book with a twist!

I loved the immediate and hot chemistry between Hudson and Skylar! I liked how protective Hudson was over Skylar right from the beginning and how he knew that he was going to do whatever he could to be with her.

The big reveal was a shock to both Hudson and Skylar and the two had to work through their own feelings to decide what they each wanted. I completely understood Hudson's mom's reaction but glad things slowly changed.

Great quick fun story!!

4 Stars

Mercy & Mayhem by Lindsay Cross

Mercy & Mayhem (Operation Mayhem #1) by Lindsay Cross

Cover Design: Kari March Designs

Release Date: April 27 2017

 
Synopsis
He wanted nothing but revenge…until her. Mack Grey wants one thing in his life: vengeance for the ex-CIA operative who betrayed his team, Jack Mankel. And he’s finally got the traitor within grasp, all he has to do is catch a hop across the Congo and capture his enemy. He had no idea the depths to which Mankel’s evil could reach. She never thought she could love again…until him. All single-mother air force pilot Marley Mitchell has to do is fly a group of special operators across Africa for a HALO jump and then she can be back home with her baby girl. Then the unexpected happens. Her plane crashes and Marley has to rely on an insanely hot commander to get her out of the jungle alive. Deep in the jungle, Mack gives her his heart and soul. He’s willing to lay down his life to protect hers. But Marley has a secret. A secret that could destroy not only their hope for happiness, but Mack’s entire team. With Mankel closing in and guerilla soldiers on the prowl, their sensual attraction is put to the ultimate test in an action-packed thrill ride of passion so hot it threatens to burn them alive.
Goodreads
   
Purchase Links

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2p11ON5 Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2peHupM Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/2pw6xb4 Amazon AU: http://amzn.to/2oGO9Ht

   
   
Giveaway

$25 Amazon Gift Card

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b1257f8d44/?

   
   
About the Author
Lindsay Cross is the award-winning author of the Men of Mercy series. She is the fun loving mom of two beautiful daughters and one precocious Great Dane. Lindsay is happily married to the man of her dreams - a soldier and veteran. During one of her husband's deployments from home, writing became her escape and motivation. An avid reader since childhood, reading and writing is in her blood. After years of reading, she discovered her true passion - writing. Her alpha military men are damaged, drop-dead gorgeous and determined to win the heart of the woman of their dreams.  
Connect with Lindsay

Website: http://www.lindsaycross.com

Facebook Author Page: http://bit.ly/294JQQM

Facebook Group: http://bit.ly/290ByHr

Instagram: http://bit.ly/292V3PR

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/bDbFNb

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lindsaycross101

Goodreads Author Page: http://bit.ly/294JTwb

Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.to/293aMCR

BookBub Author Page: http://bit.ly/1T8eczc

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Wednesday, April 26, 2017

My review of Condemned: Part One by Samyah Leighton

This is book 3 in the Redemption Series and they need to be read in order.

Skylar and Jackson Delaney have finally defied the odds against them and have successfully made it to the altar to only have Jackson arrested hours later for statutory rape. Nobody knows who the victim is but the press is running wild with ideas and rumors. Skylar and Jackson are trying to be positive be the outlook is not promising.

The Assistant District Attorney Adrienne Washington is ready to put Jackson away for life. She knows she has a big job ahead of her but is motivated by her own personal need for revenge on Jackson but will that end up costing her?

As Jackson and Skylar try and deal with what they have ahead of them they still have so many secrets from the other one and as they are slowly revealed will they be left with anything at the end when they may end up losing everything that matters the most?

I must say that I both loved and hated this book at the same time for the roller coaster that I was put on. This ending has been split into two books and this is only Part One so you know at the beginning that it won't be ending yet which makes you excited that there is more story but frustrated that you aren't going to know what happens right now and must patiently wait for the next one.

I was so happy at the end of book 2 to get my happy ever after to only have it ripped from me moments later and leave me hanging. I really wanted Skylar and Jackson to get their dreams but as this book went on I was super doubtful about their chances. As more secrets were revealed it seemed to push them further and further apart instead of bringing them together. Both of them blamed the other for the circumstances that they were in.

I felt so much pain for Sutton and everything she had to go through. Everytime it looked like her life was finally settling down it was taken from her. She was 15 years old and had lost so much and was almost afraid of what was going to happen next. I was so mad at what she had to go through due to someone wanting some revenge and Sutton was an innocent pawn in their game.

What blew my mind was how everyone was interconnected and had their own agendas. I was super mad at Adrienne for what she did that involved Sutton. I understood she was mad at Jackson but her revenge was low and I'm definitely looking forward to her getting some payback in part 2!! I definitely never saw the twist with Senator Kelly and we'll see where that goes and how everything comes out.

I am definitely looking forward to seeing how all the information that Sebastian obtains is used and how everything gets resolved. I can't believe how underhanded some people can be!

I really hope that everything is resolved between Jackson, Skylar and Sutton in the next book as I truly hate where everything is headed right now. This book has made me so mad and happy and I think the author has definitely done a great job of writing to get the reader so involved.

5 Stars

CONDEMNED Pt 1 by Samyah Leighton

CONDEMNED Pt 1
Redemption Series, book 3
by Samyah Leighton

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

MISSING: THE LADY SAID NO by Jacquie Biggar

MISSING: THE LADY SAID NO
A Chandler County Novel
(An Augustus Grant Mystery Book 1)
by Jacquie Biggar

Monday, April 24, 2017

Ripple Effect by Evan Grace

Cover Design: Hart & Bailey

Release Date: April 24, 2017

 
Synopsis
Ripley Brown had the kind of love that would last a lifetime. Until the night it died a tragic death, leaving her reeling and obliterating her ability to trust another man with her heart.
 
Brock James grew up in a home filled with violence and hate. He vowed never to be like his father, until the night he became even worse than the man. The night he destroyed everything.
 
Now, Brock is out of the military. He returns home, not expecting to see Ripley. He hasn't laid eyes on her since that fateful night, but even after six years, he knows exactly what he wants. It's time for Brock to face the demons of his past. The same demons that have been haunting Ripley all this time.
 
Brock is determined to win Ripley back, but can she open her heart back up to the man who broke it? And even if she does - will Brock be able to forgive himself for hurting the only person who ever mattered?

Redeeming Ryker by Kelly Collins

Title: Redeeming Ryker
Series: Boys of Fury
Author: Kelly Collins
Genre: Steamy Contemporary Romance
Release Date: April 24, 2017
Imagine finding out that everything about your life is a lie.
Imagine falling for the man who thinks he killed you. 
Imagine having to remain dead so you can keep him.
Twenty-four-year-old Ana Barrett knows who she is. She’s a struggling artist, a loyal friend, an orphan raised by loving grandparents. After a string of unlucky events leaves her homeless, broke, and alone, she receives a timely gift from her deceased grandmother—a house in Fury, Colorado. It’s a gift guaranteed to change her life in ways she can’t imagine. 
Ryker Savage has always known who he is. He’s a brother, a friend, an orphan, and a murderer. One decision made twenty years ago altered the future of an entire town. At twenty-eight, he’s done his time, paid his dues, and wants to be left to his misery.
When Ana arrives in Fury, she changes everything he thought he knew. His light becomes dark, his dark becomes light, and his truth becomes the lie he’s lived forever.
Ana’s future hangs in the balance. Ryker’s future is carved from his past. Destined to have the two collide, can there be a chance for a future together?
I opened the door and stepped onto the porch. A soft wind swirled around me, bringing the scent of him. That was Ryker, clean and fresh and strong. A tinge of smoke wafted in on the breeze, and I scrunched my nose. That wasn’t Ryker, or at least I didn’t think it was. “You smoke?”
He pushed off the trunk of the enormous oak tree and tossed his cigarette to the ground, smashing it with the toe of his boot. Out of the shadows, he stepped in front of me. “Generally no. But when I’m stressed, yes.” He dropped his head as if shamed.
I don't know what compelled me to touch him, but I couldn’t resist laying my hand on his chest. I felt his heart thumping under my fingertips. “What stresses you?” 
“Everything stresses me. Sheriff Stuart. This damn house. This damn town. It all stresses me the fuck out.” He kicked at the dead grass under his boot. “You stress me out.”
“Me?” I gripped the edge of his jacket. “Me? Why?” 
His gaze lasered into me. “When you dropped me off, I went upstairs and tried to sleep, but I couldn’t. I’m fighting with myself.” He reached for my cheek. His fingers sure and able. His touch soft. “I want you.” He threaded his hand through my hair. “I know if I have you, I’ll destroy you. I destroy everything I touch.”
He leaned closer and then stepped back, but didn’t drop his gaze. Didn’t drop his hold. 
I leaned in. I wanted him closer. I wanted the kiss he was denying me. 
“Fuck it, I’m weak when it comes to you.” He pulled me into his arms, and his lips crushed mine with a ferocity I’d never experienced. I tried to throttle back the dizzying current that raced through me, but it was no use. If Ryker was intent on destroying me, I was a willing victim.
Kelly Collins writes with the intention of keeping the love alive. Always a romantic, she is inspired by real-time events mixed with a dose of fiction. She encourages her readers to reach the happily ever after but bask in the afterglow of the perfectly imperfect love.
Kelly lives in Colorado at the base of the Rocky Mountains with her husband of twenty-five years, their two dogs, and a bird that hates her. 
In her spare time, she enjoys walking the trails and visiting the mining towns like Cripple Creek. She likes to think it's the ambience that brings her there and not the amazing slot machine in the back of the casino. 
In the winter, you'll find her tucked into her seat at The World Arena cheering her beloved Colorado College Tigers Hockey Team. After several losing seasons she knows there's a win coming soon. Kelly is no fair weather fan. 
She has three amazing children, and she wonders how they all turned out to be engineers when only the creative side of her brain seems to work. She just chalks it up to the engineering genes her husband contributed to the mix. 
Creative minds need an outlet and writing books is where she focuses her excess energy.
HOSTED BY:

BEHIND THE LOVE SERIES by P.C. Zick

BEHIND THE LOVE SERIES
by P.C. Zick

Sunday, April 23, 2017

Release Day Blitz for Tillie Cole




































WHEN DARKNESS AND LIGHT COMBINE, DESTINED SOULS WILL IGNITE . . .

Connected since childhood.
Two souls: one dark and one pure.
Bracing to take the greatest step of all.

River ‘Styx’ Nash loves his woman. Ever since he met Mae at the fence of the cult that had kept her captive as a child, he has never loved anyone else. He loves her black hair, her pale skin and of course, her ice-blue ‘wolf eyes’.

Since Mae came crashing back into his life, his only wish has been to marry her; finally to make her his wife. But now the wedding is booked, and only weeks from forever having Mae by his side, a lifelong problem is plaguing him.
He wants to marry her; he has never wanted anything more . . .
. . . if only he could speak the words and declare it to the world.

Salome ‘Mae’ Nash’s life had been filled with heartache and pain . . . until, at age eight, she met a strange dark-haired boy from the outside world. Years later, and reunited with her great love, Mae is ready to solder her heart to his. Finally, Mae is getting ready to marry her man. But her fiancé has become withdrawn. Something is deeply troubling him.
But Mae has no idea what.
Or what to do to help.

Can Styx open up and conquer his deepest pain? Or will the infamous Hangmen Mute allow his fears to overcome his love for Mae and watch their much-anticipated wedding crumble to dust?

Dark Contemporary Romance. Contains explicit sexual situations, offensive language and mature topics. Recommended for age 18 and over.
***I Do, Babe: A Novella (Hades Hangmen #5.5) is to be read AFTER Damnable Grace (Hades Hangmen #5)***















“Mae,” Bella whispered as I walked from the changing room and stood on the elevated plinth opposite my friends and sisters. The mirror was behind me, but I did not yet dare look at my reflection. I glanced at Bella sat beside Ruth, her mother-in-law and Rider’s mama. Her eyes were filling with tears as she stared at me. Her hands were in front of her mouth.
“Do you like it?” I ran my hand over my pronounced stomach.
Bella nodded. “You are perfect,” she whispered. Ruth nodded in agreement.
I looked at Maddie. “Madds?”
She smiled warmly. “You are beautiful, Mae, this dress only enhances that. But this gown could not suit you more if you tried.”
“Styx will love it,” Lilah said and held Grace tighter on her lap.
“You look like a Disney princess,” Grace said.
A hand came down on my arm. I turned to see Beauty behind me. “You ever gonna look in the mirror, darlin’?” She smiled. This boutique belonged to a friend of Beauty’s, and Beauty had practically organized my wedding for me. I was clueless where to even begin.
“You look good, Mae.” I smiled at Letti as she sat uncomfortably on the couch. She had told me she was here to support me, but she had no opinion in such matters as wedding dress shopping. Or anything girly, she’d said affectionately.
“Turn, honey,” Lilah said and I nodded my head. I had no idea why I was so nervous. I knew that Styx loved me and I loved him. I felt as though I had been waiting for this day my whole life. That I had been waiting for the day I finally cemented him as mine. Forever mine, and me forever his.
Closing my eyes, I turned, allowing Beauty to guide me. “You ready?” she whispered. I pulled up the image of Styx in my mind. Me in his arms as we lay in bed. His large tattooed arms holding me close as we spoke. His voice gruff and deep. Then I pictured us laughing. The infamous Hangmen Mute of the Hades Hangmen, so different with me than with anybody else. To others he was aloof, silent, and menacing. But to me, he was loving, caring, and the most beautiful soul in the world.
The other half of my heart.







Tillie Cole hails from a small town in the North-East of England. She grew up on a farm with her English mother, Scottish father and older sister and a multitude of rescue animals. As soon as she could, Tillie left her rural roots for the bright lights of the big city.

After graduating from Newcastle University with a BA Hons in Religious Studies, Tillie followed her Professional Rugby player husband around the world for a decade, becoming a teacher in between and thoroughly enjoyed teaching High School students Social Studies before putting pen to paper, and finishing her first novel.

Tillie has now settled in Austin, Texas, where she is finally able to sit down and write, throwing herself into fantasy worlds and the fabulous minds of her characters.

Tillie is both an independent and traditionally published author, and writes many genres including: Contemporary Romance, Dark Romance, Young Adult and New Adult novels.

When she is not writing, Tillie enjoys nothing more than curling up on her couch watching movies, drinking far too much coffee, while convincing herself that she really doesn’t need that extra square of chocolate.


Author Links














Release Day Blitz for Aria Cole

























































Love is for suckers.

That's always been Hudson Farrow's take on it. His mother has practically made a career out of saying I do, which is why he's found himself in another upstate town, preparing to watch her walk down the aisle with another yacht club asshole, nursing his cynicism with Scotch at another lonely dive bar. A sassy siren that sets his blood on fire wasn't part of the plan, neither was a new stepsister, and now Hudson's a man with a problem because he's just found out they're one in the same.


Skylar Walsh never thought the one and only man she's ever brought home would turn into anything beyond a few orgasms. Until six-foot-four, sinfully sexy, talented and tattooed sweeps her off her feet--and right between his thighs--on his custom Harley. When Hudson demands her phone number before the night's over she knows she's in for a wild ride. When she runs into him at her father's wedding the next day she realizes she may have just made the biggest mistake of her life. A dozen sheet-clenching, toe-curling, and soul-shatteringly good times in the last twenty-four-hours.


Warning: Hudson is hellbent on his Sky, and he won't let a little thing like I do come between them. Filthy-sweet tattooed hearts, perfectly placed piercings that hit all the right spots, and love and fate inked so deep no force can keep them apart. Hold onto your hearts because Stepbrother Anonymous stole mine! xo Aria














































Aria Cole is a thirty-something housewife who once felt bad for reading dirty books late at night, until she decided to write her own. Possessive alpha men and the sassy heroines who love them are common, along with a healthy dose of irresistible insta-love and happily ever afters so sweet your teeth may ache.

For a safe, off-the-charts HOT, and always HEA story that doesn't take a lifetime to read, get lost in an Aria Cole book!
Follow Aria on Amazon for new release updates, or stalk her on Facebook and Twitter to see which daring book boyfriend she's writing next!

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