Quintessentially Q by Pepper Winters: Spotlight and Review

Quintessentially Q 
by Pepper Winters

"All my life, I battled with the knowledge I was twisted...fucked up to want something so deliciously dark - wrong on so many levels. But then slave fifty-eight entered my world. Hissing, fighting, with a core of iron, she showed me an existence where two wrongs make a right."

Tess is Q's completely. Q is Tess's irrevocably. But now, they must learn the boundaries of their unconventional relationship while Tess seeks vengence on the men who sold her. Q made a blood-oath to deliver their corpses at Tess's feet, and that's just what he'll do.

He may be a monster, but he's Tess's monster.

Buy Links:      Amazon US        Amazon Uk        

Author Bio:
Pepper Winters wears many roles. Some of them include writer, reader, sometimes wife. She loves dark, taboo stories that twist with your head. The more tortured the hero, the better, and she constantly thinks up ways to break and fix her characters. Oh, and sex...her books have sex.

She loves to travel and has an amazing, fabulous hubby who puts up with her love affair with her book boyfriends.

Her debut book, Tears of Tess, will be followed with Quintessentially Q. You didn't think Q could stop so soon, did you? Her other two titles, Last Shadow and Broken Chance will be coming soon.

Connect with Pepper:    Website      Twitter      Facebook     Goodreads      Pinterest 

Tour Giveaways

Signed paperback of Quintessentially Q and signed swag pack

Two signed paperpacks

My Review
My sincere apologies to Pepper as this review should have been posted last week, but it's such a crazy time of year that I hadn't finished reading the book on time.

I had the pleasure to review Pepper's first book, Tears of Tess, and I loved it. That book could have stood alone, but it left me wondering what would happen with Q and Tess. So when the opportunity to read the sequel came up, I jumped at it. If you haven't read Tears of Tess I recommend you pick that one up before you read Quintessentially Q. It will give you more of the backstory. (Buy links are at the end of the review)

In Quintessentially Q, we get to find out more about the enigmatic Q who Tess falls for. We get to see more clearly into Q's head, to understand his fears and motivations, and it rounds out the character so we can see his internal struggles, despite his cool exterior.

Overall, I'm enjoying the series, but I found myself wanting some threads to be resolved and for a lot more action. Ms. Winters does a great job at giving us a deep understanding of her characters' emotions and as a reader, you will experience everything that they do. I found the first four chapters or so difficult to get into. They're mostly hot sex and inner monologue. The sex was great, but the rest tended to be repetitive. The action really starts to build when Q takes Tess to his corporate offices and she ends up being kidnapped again by those seeking revenge for Q's dealings. What follows is a heartbreaking account of Tess's ordeals and Q's desperate search to find her. The last part of the book focuses on helping Tess to overcome what's happened to her.

Tess and Q's journey isn't over and I'm looking forward to the next book to see how they continue to build their relationship together, while fighting the evil mechanisms that brought them together in the first place.

Buy Links For Tears of Tess:

Amazon US: http://goo.gl/KWNI7t

Amazon UK: http://goo.gl/IC7TPS

Itunes: http://goo.gl/P3RyrP

Goodreads Link For Tears Of Tess: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18134894-tears-of-tess

Goodreads Link For Quintessentially Q: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18398089-quintessentially-q

Tears of Tess Promo Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZI1azW2ydUo#t=0

Review: Remembering Joy by Jenni Moen

Blurb
Alexis doesn't believe in fairytales. She knows first hand that life can turn on a dime - that one stupid mistake can shatter dreams and irrevocably shape the future. Even though her memory of that day is hazy, she has spent the last ten years trying to put it behind her and focus on the future. Armed with the knowledge that her career will be her only legacy, Alexis works night and day to prove that she is more than just her last name. It's not only that she doesn't have time for love - she doesn't have the heart for it. After all, there's no point in starting something that you can't finish. However, when she meets Adam, she's drawn to him in a way even she can't deny. He is dark and brooding and strangely charming. He's the perfect distraction from the mundane life she's created for herself. And, as if fate is pushing them together, he seems to be around every corner. It's enough to almost make her entirely forget about her past and take a chance. Unfortunately, Adam's memory isn't hazy...not in the least. And, what she doesn't remember, he can't forget.

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Amazon
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Author Bio: 

Jenni Moen lives in her hometown in Oklahoma with her husband and three crazy, exuberant kids that have the potential to burn the house down at any moment.

When she's not chauffeuring kids around town, performing her mom duties as a short order cook and maid, or vacuuming for her fastidious husband, she hammers away at her keyboard at her big girl job as a patent attorney. While vodka and exercise have provided some relief from the daily grind, it is reading...and now writing...that are her true escapes.

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My Review
The blurb for the book intrigued me when I first read it. A woman running from a past she can't remember becoming involved with a man from that past. An interesting idea. And in reading Remembering Joy, I was very impressed by the whole concept. From the start, it's clear that Adam is holding some kind of grudge against Alexis, though you could only begin to guess at what it was. Doling out only small snippets at a time, the author strings you along until the big reveal, at which point as a reader, you're convinced that there's no way this can end well.

It's a strong debut novel, with writing that is, for the most part, technically sound. Alexis is a character that you instantly feel for, even though you don't know what her entire story is, and it's easy to see how she's torn about her burgeoning relationship with the handsome stranger.

I had one really big issue with the book though, and maybe it's just me, but for the entire first half of the book, I hated Adam. I mean he was a total asshole and had very few redeeming qualities. The way the story was written, we are privy to some of his thoughts and actions that Alexis has no clue about. And they're not nice. Not at all. I love a bad boy as much as the next girl, but there has to be something right from the start, that convinces me that beneath that exterior is someone I want the heroine to care about, and I didn't get that here. By the second half of the book, we get that information, but in the beginning it's just not there. I can't help thinking that it might have been more effective if the whole first half of the book was told from Alexis's POV, with the reader knowing only what she does, because she has no idea how bad he really is.

Don't fret though - Adam proves himself a worthy hero in the end, though not all the threads were tied up, because there is a sequel planned, and I, for one, intend to pick it up!

Review: Tears of Tess by Pepper Winters

Tears of Tess, a debut novel by Pepper Winters, is a New Adult Dark Contemporary romance. It has the following disclaimer on the blurb:

"not suitable for people sensitive to grief, slavery, and nonconsensual sex. A story about finding love in the strangest of places, a will of iron that grows from necessity, and forgiveness that may not be enough."

Needless to say, curiosity got the best of me and I signed up to do a review stop for Pepper's Blog Tour.

I'm glad I did.

That disclaimer should NOT be ignored. When they say it's a dark book, they're not kidding. Tess Snow is the title character, twenty years old, in a stable, vanilla relationship, though she secretly craves more in the bedroom. When her boyfriend takes her on holiday, the unthinkable happens. Tess is kidnapped by a human trafficking ring and sold into sex slavery. While I'd like to think that this kind of thing is just a figment of the author's imagination, it's sobering to realize that it does happen. 

Tess finds herself delivered to Q, an uber-rich, Dominant man, who begins to show her just what it means to be owned. Her darkest fantasies are suddenly becoming reality and now she doesn't know what to think.

This book tackles some tough themes: abandonment, rejection, desire, redemption. But the thing that stuck most with me was Tess's struggle to come to terms with her sexual fantasies. She wants to submit, to be forced, controlled. And that scares her, as I think it would many young women just beginning to explore their sexuality. To complicate matters, her boyfriend and only sexual partner is as unkinky as they get. 

I went back and forth right along with Tess. How do you come to terms with desires that many would consider sick and freakish? What I really liked though, is how the author managed to differentiate between fantasy and reality. When Tess is with Q, she is playing a role, even though she doesn't realize it at first. There are two disturbing rape scenes, which are not portrayed in a positive light and I tip my hat to Pepper for that. Role playing non-consensual sex is completely different and though it's hard to read, Tess has to experience it to realize the difference. 

And I'll confess that I totally fell in love with Q. He's everything the tortured hero should be, and we see that he is just as uncomfortable with his desires as Tess, and the vulnerability we see in him makes me want to grab him and save him from himself. 

The BDSM in this book is very edgy, much more so than what I normally read, but it's so well written that it didn't disturb me in the way I thought it might. 

I very highly recommend this book, but please, please, please - take the disclaimer seriously. It is not for the faint-hearted. I can't wait for the sequel, Quintessentially Q!

Want to win a copy of the book? Leave me a comment by midnight EST on September 30, and I'll choose a winner via random.org. There's also a tourwide giveaway that you can enter using the Rafflecopter at the bottom of the post. 

Tears of Tess

by Pepper Winters

A New Adult Dark Contemporary Romance, not suitable for people sensitive to grief, slavery, and nonconsensual sex. A story about finding love in the strangest of places, a will of iron that grows from necessity, and forgiveness that may not be enough.

"My life was complete. Happy, content, everything neat and perfect.

Then it all changed.

I was sold."

Tess Snow has everything she ever wanted: one more semester before a career in property development, a loving boyfriend, and a future dazzling bright with possibility.

For their two year anniversary, Brax surprises Tess with a romantic trip to Mexico. Sandy beaches, delicious cocktails, and soul-connecting sex set the mood for a wonderful holiday. With a full heart, and looking forward to a passion filled week, Tess is on top of the world. 

But lusty paradise is shattered.

Kidnapped. Drugged. Stolen. Tess is forced into a world full of darkness and terror.

Captive and alone with no savior, no lover, no faith, no future, Tess evolves from terrified girl to fierce fighter. But no matter her strength, it can't save her from the horror of being sold.

Can Brax find Tess before she's broken and ruined, or will Tess's new owner change her life forever?

Author Bio:

Writer, reader, sometimes wife. An avid devourer of sexy romance and angsty New Adult. Nothing beats lolling in a bubble bath with her array of book boyfriends, and plotting torturous stories to put her characters through. 

Living Down Under means she writes in the Queen's English, not Obama's, and aims to have an entire catalogue of sexy books that keep you wanting more. Oh, and she may or may not be in love with Q from Tears of Tess.

Author Links

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Tears of Tess Blog Tour Giveaway

Review: Grand Slam by Lily Harlem & Lucy Felthouse

Every top athlete works damn hard to get where they are, but sometimes life happens and something can throw them off their game. In Grand Slam, Travis Connolly is the top seed men's tennis player, but a car accident leaves him recovering physically and mentally. Enter sports psychologist Marie Sherratt. In her efforts to help Travis, she discovers his darker desires, and he begins to help her understand just what this BDSM stuff is all about.

What results is a hot, torrid affair that will leave the reader tingly and warm.

I have to say, I love both Lily Harlem and Lucy Felthouse on their own, but when they team up, man can they right a damn fine book! The dual first person narrative is well done, with both Travis and Marie having their own distinct voices, and it draws you deep into each point of view. 

The sex scenes are hot, and the build-up of sexual tension between the two main characters is expertly paced. The BDSM in the book isn't too heavy, so even more vanilla readers will enjoy it, but there's enough detail for those who enjoy the kinky stuff, too. 

Given the main characters are both from England, there's a fair bit of English slang, but the authors don't use too much and the meaning is always clear. Oh, and they find the North American slang just as amusing!

If there was any problem that I had with the book, it's the idea that Marie is Travis's psychologist. Getting sexually involved with him would be, I'm sure, grounds for professional discipline in the real world. But hey, this is fantasy so who cares? It makes for a great story premise. 

I don't want to give the ending away, but let's just say this book will leave readers...satisfied. I highly recommend it!

Blurb:

California had seduced me with promises of a new life working at Los Carlos Tennis Academy. What I didn’t expect was the dark, brooding number one seed, Travis Connolly, resisting my help. He wasn’t interested in my psychology skills. Instead his attention was drawn to the edgy, sharper corners of my desires, proving that they existed, setting me challenges and driving me crazy to the point of combustion.

I’m the best tennis player in the world—officially—so why would I need a damn woman full of psychobabble to get me on form? Despite my irritation, however, I can’t resist pushing Marie Sherratt’s buttons even though doing that shows her the darkest shades of my lust, the parts of me I buried deep. So I set her a challenge, one she rises to, one that has me rising too, and before long my game relies on her calling the shots, hitting the target and bending to my will. One thing was certain, being not just master of the court, but also of Marie is seriously good for my soul.

Buy links: http://rawtalentseries.co.uk/book-1-grand-slam/

Add to Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18212109-grand-slam

The House of Dracul Series by J. Annas Walker

I'm doing something a little different today. I've got a spotlight for my friend and fellow Sirenista, J. Annas Walker, whose latest book, Scion's Avalon was released on May 30. It's the second book in her House of Dracul series about the granddaughter of Vlad the Impaler. 

I really enjoyed reading these books, so I'm including reviews for both!

Scion's Freedom

As the Scion of the House of Dracul, vampire princess Cassy Daniels just wants a simple, royal-free life in New Atlanta. It’s been thirty years since The Fall, when the world’s economy collapsed. Although supernatural creatures are helping to rebuild society, Cassy remains in hiding to avoid an arranged marriage.

When her journalist bodyguard and best friend, Erica, is assassinated, she flees for her life with the help of Detective David Ashe. He’s reluctant at first. She used him a few weeks prior. However, she’s the sole survivor of a serial killing and his only lead. Something about David is magnetic and Cassy falls for him hard.

Can they find Erica’s killer before he finds them? Can David forgive her past enough to love her? Can the Council of Crones, a coven of elder witches, provide more insight as to who is hunting Cassy and why? Will she survive the assassination attempts and still hold on to the man she loves?

Michelle's Review

One of my favourite authors is Kim Harrison, and right away, Scion's Freedom reminded me a bit of her Hollows series. It takes place after a catastrophic world event destroys a large portion of the human population and allows supernaturals to finally reveal themselves. This book has a lot of the features I like in my books: a strong heroine, vampires, romance, hot sex, and intrigue. 

I enjoyed this book a lot! It's not a long read, but it seemed even shorter because the author kept the story interesting enough to keep me going, and when I reached the end, I was like, "It's over? Already?" I'm pretty sure it was Jane Austen who said, "If a book is well written, I always find it too short." I couldn't agree more! And this is usually my number one complaint with books I've enjoyed. 

J. Annas Walker has created a well-paced, fascinating take on Vlad the Impaler and his descendants, and I like the way she was able to work little history tidbits throughout the book. If you like paranormal erotic romance, I highly recommend Scion's Freedom!

My rating: «««««

Scion's Avalon 

Three years have passed since vampire princess Cassy Daniels, Scion of the House of Dracul, gave up her title to turn and marry David Ashe. Together, they live in exile with the Council of Crones, a group of elder witches. Isolated from the world, they found bliss. However, vampire politics soon intrude. Born vampire women are being kidnapped, and Cassy’s next on the list.

After a failed attempt to take Cassy from the Council of Crones estate, magical portals lead back to the missing women. Cassy and David are tasked with bringing them home. David is sent after Elisabeta, Cassy’s sister-in-law, who is still on Earth. Cassy, however, has what it takes to enter the elf-kingdom of Avalon and retrieve the other three vampires.

Can Cassy and David hold on to their bliss, or will Avalon’s magic lure her from home?

Michelle's Review

I love being able to follow characters through different stories in a series. In my own books, I make each book about a new set of main characters, but J. Annas Walker's Scion's Avalon follows Cassy and David, the main characters from her first book in the House of Dracul series. 

It was great to catch up on what Cassy and David are doing now, three years after their first story. Now, there's a new mystery for them to face. I love the world the author has created, and the plot is just as strong in this second book. 

The only reason I'm not going to give this book five stars, is the editing. I'm an author, and I get that reading your own work you see what you think you wrote, and often miss errors. I cringe when I look back on my own books, because I am still finding errors in those. Even after being seen by myself, beta readers, and editors, mistakes can slip through. In Scion's Avalon I noticed enough of these to make it a bit distracting, but because the story was so strong, I was able to stay immersed. I recommend checking out this latest book by J. Annas Walker!

My rating:  ««««

Click on the book covers to visit J. Annas Walker on Bookstrand, or check out her website and blog!
http://jannaswalker.blogspot.com

http://jannaswalker.weebly.com

Dangerous Submission Blog Tour

I'm happy to be hosting Lori Toland on this blog tour for her newest release, Dangerous Submission.

Blurb:
British Agent Drake Steele never thought when he was hired on at the Serious Organized Crime Agency that his job would involve spanking a co-worker. But when the colleague is Lord Robbie Covington, the sexy red-headed computer hacker for SOCA and MI-6, Drake can't agree fast enough to pop Robbie's cherry and pull him into the sensual world of BDSM.

Now they are caught up in a web of lies as they pose as members of the jet-setting crowd. Drake and Robbie have to race against the clock to stop a weapons haul that could threaten the safety of all Europe. As their covers begin to fade and danger is closing in, protecting Robbie is Drake's most important task, but neither man is ready for the moment when their hearts are put on the line.

Excerpt 1 - Explicit

His eagerness to get started made me smile. I grabbed his shoulder and stopped. “Maybe you should take your shirt off before you get strapped in.”

He glanced down at it and took off his black thick-framed glasses. The apology he gave was muffled as he pulled his polo shirt off. Pale skin without a freckle anywhere on his slender frame made my mouth water. Unlike me, he had very little hair on his chest, just a tuft in the middle and a few stray hairs circling his flat brown nipples.

Encircling his slender wrist, I noticed how big my fingers appeared next to him. I guided his arms up and snapped the cuffs in place one by one. Once he was secure, I pulled on his bonds to make sure he couldn’t move too much.

Robbie pulled on them as well before he looked over his shoulder at me. “Why do you need to tie me down?”

“Because I’m not going to have you endanger yourself if you decide to move midstrike.”

Satisfied with my answer, he nodded, but as he turned away, he swallowed hard. He needed compassion but also needed to be aware of my competency.

I leaned in, placing my hand on his bare back to bring his attention to me. “Let’s get something straight right now. I won’t be questioned by you. You will do as I say, or I will turn you over my knee and spank you, regardless of where we are or who is in front of us.”

He flushed. “Anywhere, anytime?”

“Yes.” I punctuated the word with a crack of my whip.

He jerked, startled by the sound. “I’ll remember that, Sir,” he said.

As close as I was, the heat coming off him soaked through my clothes and into my body. He shivered, and it reverberated through every inch of my body. “Are you cold?” I asked.

“I’m fine, Sir.” The underlying tremor in his voice belied his calm demeanor, and he stayed tensed in anticipation of my next move. With him bound and waiting for my next touch, a heady thrill of power flowed through me.

If I stepped directly behind him, I was almost tall enough to notch my chin on the top of his head. The cologne he wore wafted up to me, and the dark scent beckoned me to come in closer.

Unable to resist temptation, I bowed my head to press my lips against his shoulder. He tasted salty from the light sheen of sweat, and the smell of his cologne mixing with his musk pushed me past the point of intelligent thought.

Without taking my mouth away from his delectable skin, I whispered, “These chains are also good for keeping you at my mercy. I can do anything I want, and there’s not much you can do to stop me.”

I expected him to stiffen against me in protest, but his eager cry came as a shock. “God, Drake, yes!” He shoved his hips back against me, the cleft of his arse sliding down my rock-hard prick.

****

Excerpt 2 - PG

Oblivious to my desire, he turned back to his suitcase and dragged out his tuxedo. “This party we’re going to tonight, it’s a black-tie ball, right?”

“Yes, it is.” I turned my back to him, trying my hardest to ignore how much my cock loved him nearly naked with just a scrap of cotton covering his bits.

“Do you think there will be dancing?”

God, I hoped not, because I was an awful dancer. Robbie would run away screaming from me if he saw me try to waltz. I mumbled something under my breath, hoping that would satisfy him.

He was persistent with his line of questioning, though. He let out a sigh. “What I’m trying to ask is…do you know how to dance?”

“Not really.”

“Maybe I should give you a quick lesson.”

Unable to hold back my horror, I groaned. “We don’t have to do that. It’s not a requirement to dance at this party, I’m sure.”

“No, it probably isn’t, but we aren’t supposed to be wallflowers either. We should try our hardest to fit in.”

“I’m six foot five, and you’re a redheaded royal. Do you really think we’re going to blend in?”

Author Bio: 

CEO by day, erotic romance writer by night, Lori Toland lives in Orlando where the summers are hot but the romance between her characters is even hotter. Writing since the tender age of 13, Lori somehow finds time to play video games and watch movies while taking care of her beloved cats and a husband who will forever be her hero.

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Link to purchase DangerousSubmission

Michelle's Review of Dangerous Submission

(Disclosure: I was provided a free copy of this e-book for the purpose of providing a fair and honest review)

I was intrigued by the premise of Dangerous Submission. British agents needing to attend an exclusive series of BDSM parties in order to find information on an important weapons shipment. Lord Robbie Covington, the hacker with the technical know-how to obtain the information, is new to BDSM and requires someone to protect him. Enter Drake Steele – an experienced agent and Dom, with skills required to protect and educate his new submissive.

I wasn’t disappointed.

Lori Toland’s writing was a pleasure to read on a number of levels. She has great technical skill, which I appreciated. Nothing pulls me out of a story more than typos in a book, especially if they are excessive, but I didn’t have that problem here. Ms. Toland’s story was an original take on the “co-workers forced to work in a sexually charged environment” theme and the tension between her heroes was fantastic. And lastly, the sex was hot! I don’t usually read MM, but I found I enjoyed this one more than others.

I only have a couple of criticisms, and they’re small and really more a matter of personal preference. The first was Drake’s habit of thinking how much he wanted to fuck Robbie. Not that it’s a problem for him to want that, and his desire is important to the tension, but to me it seemed to come out the same way every time and it could have been varied a bit. The other thing I found was that while I liked having all the threads tied up at the end, it seemed to go on a bit longer than I needed. But these are just little blips in what was, overall, a wonderful read.

Rating: ««««¶

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Guest Posts and Reviews and Winners! Oh, my!

Well today I'm talking about a whole lot of stuff - just not all here!

First up, I have two guest posts for other bloggers today. The first is an interview for author Hennessee Andrews.  The second is at Books, Books, & More Books where I wrote about what makes a good erotic romance.

Also at the Books, Book, & More Books site is a review for my latest book, The Art of Love which released last week.

Lastly, I ran two giveaways over the weekend. The first was at Paloma Beck's blog, and I'm delighted to announce that the winner is Ann, who will receive an ebook of The Art of Love. The second was right here on my own blog to celebrate my release! I'm thrilled to say that Megan has won a copy of my book and $5 to spend at Bookstrand.com.

If you didn't win, you can still order The Art of Love for 15% off until the end of the month!

Thanks for stopping by and visiting my friends' blogs! And don't forget to stop by tomorrow for another one of my own personal True Confessions!