VBB Weekly - 04.18.2016 - Vilma Iris | Lifestyle Blogger

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VBB Weekly – 04.18.2016

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RT Recap

This year’s RT Convention was awesome! Loved seeing so many of my favorite authors, my lovely VBB Vixens and meeting so many new authors, readers and bloggers! I didn’t feel great all week (the smoky atmosphere made me sick), but I rallied and attended panels on both the YA and NA side of the house. One of my favorite panels was moderated by author Rae Carson and covered female protagonists in literature. We discussed favorite female heroines and chatted about the need to see more women villains and mentors in books and films. I also moderated a panel on Unskimmable Sex Scenes with J. Kenner, CD Reiss, Desiree Holt and Kresley Cole. That was soooo much fun! Of course, I also picked up a ton of books!!! A few of the many highlights include:

  • Fangirling to Marie Rutkoski, telling her how brilliant she was with The Winner’s Kiss.
  • Meeting Cinda Williams Chima, who was crazy nice and fun to talk to.
  • Meeting Kass Morgan, author of The 100, of which the TV show is based on, who was also so warm and great to talk to.
  • And really, just seeing authors, bloggers, readers who over the past three years, have become friends.
  • Loving on the romance authors I love… so so many to mention!
  • Picking up a hardcover of The Rose and the Dagger by Renee Ahdieh! (yay!)

Make sure to check out my Instagram for a few pics from the week! (AND A GIVEAWAY!!!)

Mark Your Calendars

The highly anticipated follow-up to The Wrath and the DawnThe Rose and the Dagger by Renee Ahdieh is coming April 26th! This one was one of my top two books in 2015 and it’s finale is everything I hoped for… fiercely romantic and magical. We’ll be chatting with Renee about the books in the Vixens group on May 9th and I hope you can join us. 

Currently Reading:

May-17

Listening To:

One With You Crossfire

Up Next:

Apr-24 May-17

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The long-awaited romance between the café owner next door
and the tattoo artist who’s loved her from afar >

HIDDEN INK HORIZ AD

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Bookish News

It’s the first in an exciting new series and it’s coming soon!
READ AN EXCERPT NOW >

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Releasing This Week

Bounty by Kristen Ashley (Available Now)  Read my review
Top Romance Recommendation

Apr-18

Justice Lonesome has enjoyed a life of bounty.

Even so, she’s inherited the curse of the Lonesome. A poet’s soul. Which means she’s still searching for something. Searching for peace. Searching for the less…that’s more.

And when the foundation of her life is pulled out from under her, grieving, she goes to the mountains to find her oasis. She hits Carnal, Colorado and decides to stay.

Deke Hightower lost everything at the age of two. He lost it again at fifteen. His life has not been about bounty. It’s been about learning to live with less, because there’s no way to get more.

Deke’s also watched all his friends go down to the women who gave them what they needed. He wants that for himself. But he knows that search isn’t going to be easy because he’s a rider. His home is the road. That’s the only place he can breathe. And the woman who takes her place at his side has to do it sitting on the back of his bike.

When Deke meets Justice, he knows she’s not that woman. She’s cute. She’s sweet. And she’s into him, but she’s got it all and Deke knows he won’t fit into that. So he holds her at arm’s length. Establishes boundaries. And Justice will take it because she wants Deke any way he’ll let her have him.

But when Justice finds herself a pawn in a dangerous game, Deke makes a decision.

When he does, he has no idea he’s just opened himself up to bounty.

Can be read as a standalone.

See Kristen Ashley reading orders

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Fate and Forever (A Pound of Flesh) by Sophie Jackson (Available Now)  99¢

Fate and ForeverSophie Jackson’s award-winning Pound of Flesh novels reignite “that feeling of sneaking risqué books under the bedcovers with a flashlight” (RT Book Reviews)! Join her millions of online fans with this irresistible enovella that takes the intimate relationship between a gutsy prison tutor and her sexy bad-boy student to the ultimate level.

When tutor Kat Lane met her brooding, dangerously tempting student Wesley Carter behind bars, she never dreamed of the day she would be excitedly planning for their wedding. It won’t be long before they’re man and wife, and neither Kat nor Carter can wait. But as they settle into the joyful haze of nearly-newlywed bliss, all their friends seem to be one step ahead. Everywhere they turn, couples are becoming parents, and the longing in Kat’s eyes worries Carter. What if she gets baby fever…and he’s not so sure? Carter’s childhood was rough, and his father was no example for how to be an upstanding man—or a good parent. Can Carter create a happy, safe, supportive home for his future children with Kat—the life he never had growing up? He had better figure it out soon…because Kat just told him she needs to take a pregnancy test.

Series reading order

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The One That Got Away by A.J. Pine (Available Now)

The One That Got AwayJamie Kingston has been Brynn Chandler’s best friend since middle school. Only once was their friendship tested—when Brynn gave Jamie a single kiss. Since then, they’ve had an unspoken agreement never to cross that line again, and she’s ready to let go of the past and move on.

But Jamie has loved Brynn for as long as he can remember, and now that he’s ready to tell her, she has her sights set on someone else. Knowing this is his last chance, he asks Brynn to go on a two-week road trip. But their time alone brings old hurts to the surface, and Brynn has to decide if the one that got away lies at the end of the journey or if he’s been by her side all along.

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Dirty by Kylie Scott (Apr 19)

Apr-19

Love—on the rocks….

The last thing Vaughan Hewson expects to find when he returns to his childhood home is a broken hearted bride in his shower, let alone the drama and chaos that come with her.

Lydia Green doesn’t know whether to scream or cry in a corner. Discovering the love of your life is having an affair on your wedding day is bad enough. Finding out it’s with his best man is another thing all together.

Just when this runaway bride has nowhere left to turn, a handsome stranger offers her a broad, muscular shoulder to cry on. Vaughan is the exact opposite of the picture perfect, respected businessmen she’s normally drawn to. This former musician-turned-bartender is rough around the edges and is facing his own crossroads. But Lydia’s already tried Mr. Right and discovered he’s all wrong–maybe it’s time to give Mr. Right Now a chance.

After all, what’s wrong with getting dirty?

The first in the Dive Bar series.

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Dirtiest Secret by J. Kenner (Apr 19)

Dirtiest Secret starkFrom the New York Times bestselling author of such “sizzling Stark novels” (RT Book Reviews) asRelease Me and Say My Name comes a Stark International Novel featuring provocative bad boy Dallas Sykes—the first in a new trilogy in the S.I.N. series.

It was wrong for us to be together, but it was even harder to be apart.
 
The memory of Dallas Sykes burns inside of me.

Everyone knows him as a notorious playboy, a man for whom women and money are no object. But to me, he’s still the one man I desperately crave—yet the one I can never have.

Dallas knows me better than anyone else. We bear the same scars, the same darkness in our past. I thought I could move on by staying away, but now that we’re drawn together once more, I can’t fight the force of our attraction or the temptation to make him mine.

We’ve tried to maintain control, not letting ourselves give in to desire. And for so long we’ve told ourselves no—but now it’s finally time to say yes.

The first in a new series.

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Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld (Apr 19)

Apr-19

From the “wickedly entertaining” (USA Today) Curtis Sittenfeld, New York Times bestselling author of Prep and American Wife, comes a modern retelling of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. A bold literary experiment, Eligible is a brilliant, playful, and delicious saga for the twenty-first century.

This version of the Bennet family—and Mr. Darcy—is one that you have and haven’t met before: Liz is a magazine writer in her late thirties who, like her yoga instructor older sister, Jane, lives in New York City. When their father has a health scare, they return to their childhood home in Cincinnati to help—and discover that the sprawling Tudor they grew up in is crumbling and the family is in disarray.

Youngest sisters Kitty and Lydia are too busy with their CrossFit workouts and Paleo diets to get jobs. Mary, the middle sister, is earning her third online master’s degree and barely leaves her room, except for those mysterious Tuesday-night outings she won’t discuss. And Mrs. Bennet has one thing on her mind: how to marry off her daughters, especially as Jane’s fortieth birthday fast approaches.

Enter Chip Bingley, a handsome new-in-town doctor who recently appeared on the juggernaut reality TV dating show Eligible. At a Fourth of July barbecue, Chip takes an immediate interest in Jane, but Chip’s friend neurosurgeon Fitzwilliam Darcy reveals himself to Liz to be much less charming. . . .

And yet, first impressions can be deceiving.

Wonderfully tender and hilariously funny, Eligible both honors and updates Austen’s beloved tale. Tackling gender, class, courtship, and family, Sittenfeld reaffirms herself as one of the most dazzling authors writing today.

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Will You Won’t You Want Me? by Nora Zelevansky (Apr 19) 

Apr-19

Marjorie Plum never meant to peak in high school. She was Queen Bee. Now, 10 years later, she’s lost her sparkle. At her bleakest moment, she’s surprised by renewed interest from a questionable childhood crush, and the bickering with her cranky boss–at a potentially game-changing new job–grows increasingly like flirtatious banter. Suddenly, she’s faced with a choice between the life she always dreamed of and one she never thought to imagine. With the help of a precocious 11-year-old tutee, who unknowingly becomes the Ghost of Marjorie Past, and a musician roommate, who looks like a pixie and talks like the Dalai Lama, Marjorie struggles with the ultimate question: Who does she want to be?

Nora Zelevansky’s Will You Won’t You Want Me? is a funny, often surprising, novel about growing up when you are already supposed to be grown.

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Maestra by L.S. Hilton (Apr 19)
Lots of buzz

Apr-19

With the cunning of Gone Girl’s Amy Dunne, and as dangerous as The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’s Lisbeth Salander, the femme fatale of this Talented Mr. Ripley–esque psychological thriller is sexy, smart, and very, very bad in all the best ways.

By day, Judith Rashleigh is a put-upon assistant at a prestigious London art house.
By night, she’s a hostess at one of the capital’s notorious champagne bars, although her work there pales against her activities on nights off.

TO GET WHAT SHE WANTS

Desperate to make something of herself, Judith knows she has to play the game. She’s transformed her accent and taught herself about wine and the correct use of a dessert fork, not to mention the art of discretion. She’s learned to be a good girl. But when Judith is fired for uncovering a dark secret at the heart of the art world—and her honest efforts at a better life are destroyed—she turns to a long-neglected friend. A friend who kept her chin up and back straight through every slight: Rage.

SHE WILL CROSS EVERY LINE

Feeling reckless, she accompanies one of the champagne bar’s biggest clients to the French Riviera, only to find herself alone again after a fatal accident. Tired of striving and the slow crawl to the top, Judith has a realization: If you need to turn yourself into someone else, loneliness is a good place to start. And she’s been lonely a long time.

Maestra is a glamorous, ferocious thriller and the beginning of a razor-sharp trilogy that introduces the darkly irresistible Judith Rashleigh, a femme fatale for the ages whose vulnerability and ruthlessness will keep you guessing until the last page.

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Love, Lies and Spies by Cindy Anstey (Apr 19)

Apr-19

In Love, Lies and Spies, Cindy Anstey’s hilarious homage to Jane Austen, a lady with a penchant for trouble finds a handsome spy much more than merely tolerable.

Juliana Telford is not your average nineteenth-century young lady. She’s much more interested in researching ladybugs than marriage, fashionable dresses, or dances. So when her father sends her to London for a season, she’s determined not to form any attachments. Instead, she plans to secretly publish her research.

Spencer Northam is not the average young gentleman of leisure he appears. He is actually a spy for the War Office, and is more focused on acing his first mission than meeting eligible ladies. Fortunately, Juliana feels the same, and they agree to pretend to fall for each other. Spencer can finally focus, until he is tasked with observing Juliana’s traveling companions . . . and Juliana herself.

Full of humor and English Regency Period charm, and starring a whip-smart strong female heroine, this young adult novel is the perfect mix of romance, action, and adventure.

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No Love Allowed by Kate Evangelista (Apr 19)

Apr-19

It’s all fun and parties until someone falls in love in this modern fairy tale from author Kate Evangelista.

Caleb desperately needs a new fake girlfriend. Either he attends a series of parties for his father’s law firm with a pretty girl on his arm, or he gets shipped off to Yale to start a future he’s not ready for and isn’t sure he wants. And sadly the last unattached girl in his social circle has just made the grievous mistake of falling in love with him. Fortunately, Didi, the waitress at the Country Club who just lost her job, is open to new experiences (also, art supplies are expensive!). It’s the perfect setup for them both. Caleb has only one rule for the arrangement: Didi must not fall in love with him.

The summer nights tick by in a whirl of lavish parties, and Didi is enjoying her foray into high society. But Caleb soon starts to worry that this time he’s the one in danger of falling in love…

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Wicked Need (Wicked Horse) by Sawyer Bennett (Apr 19) 

Wicked NeedRand Bishop’s dreams of Olympic gold were shattered years ago but he’s left that all behind, settling into a new career and lifestyle that would make any man jealous. While he may not be competitively racing down the ski slopes anymore, he’s just as happy getting his rocks off as a Fantasy Maker for The Silo.

He’s good at what he does.
Damn good.

But while life couldn’t be better for Rand, it seems to be falling apart for Catherine Lyons Vaughn, the dark haired, brown-eyed beauty that has captivated an entire sex club.

Having spent years degrading herself on her husband’s whim and now left destitute after his death, Catherine has hit rock bottom. With nothing but her body to peddle, Catherine is merely trying to figure out how to survive in a harsh, cruel world. Lucky for her, Rand has taken her under his tattooed wing, and he’s determined to give her a safe life where she can be the woman she was always meant to be.

Now all Catherine has to do is believe she deserves the chance.

Series reading order

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Loving You (Love Wanted in Texas) by Kelly Elliott (Apr 19) 

Loving YouIn the long awaited conclusion to the Wanted, Broken, and Love Wanted in Texas series, New York Times bestselling author Kelly Elliott brings you a story filled with angst, cowboys, and fairytale love.

Taylor Atwood and Jase Morris finally found their way to one another. Life couldn’t have been more perfect for either one of them as they began to build a future together.

When tragedy strikes, Taylor’s perfect world is gone in an instant, leaving her with nothing but unanswered questions. Will she find the strength to go on, or will the idea of Jase possibly being gone forever prove to be more than Taylor can handle?

Facing life’s toughest situations, Taylor and Jase will both learn that nothing is stronger than family and true love.

Loving You is the sixth and final book in the Love Wanted in Texas series. 

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Over The Line (On The Run) by Lisa Desrochers (Apr 19)

Over the LineLee Delgado never planned on falling in love with the irresistible Oliver Savoca, son of a Chicago crime lord. Considering that their families are rivals, she knew it could never work. And now that both their fathers have been nabbed on racketeering charges, any real chance at a future with the man she loves has been shot to hell. But a greater blow is yet to come.

Not only does Lee learn that a contract is out on her life, she has reason to believe that Oliver is behind the devastating betrayal. Now she’s working closely—very closely—with Federal Agent Sean Callahan to help bring her man down. But however she’s come to feel about Callahan, Lee is still deeply, hopelessly, unabashedly in love with Oliver.

Where that fearless love takes Lee next is beyond her control—but the risk is worth every beat of her heart.

Series reading order

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Pre-Orders

(Click images to purchase – you will not be charged until book is released)

★ Visit THIS PAGE for the full list of upcoming releases ★

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Current sales list for Amazon U.S. Click on image to purchase; click here to search my reviews.

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THE YEAR WE TURNED FORTY GIVEAWAY

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2 Comments:


  1. Livia said:

    I hate that you were sick, but it was great to meet you at RT16 finally!

    Reply

    1. VBB Post author said:

      It was long overdue! It was amazing to see you! <3

      Reply

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