Naomi's Reading Palace: December 2015

Secret Confessions: Backstage – Kelly by Shona Husk ~ Review & Swoon Thursday (@ShonaHusk, @EscapePublisher, @HarlequinAUS)

I read the Secret Confessions: Backstage series back in August, and I have only posted one of the reviews on my blog. I decided that now was a great time to bring you the rest of the reviews, since they are now out in a bundle! Kelly is a M/M book and it was really hot!

Title: Secret Confessions: Backstage - Kelly

Author: Shona Husk

Series: Secret Confessions: Backstage #5

Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance

Published: October 1, 2015

Buy Now - Amazon | B&N | Kobo

An All-Access pass to Sex, Love, and Rock ‘N Roll. Because what happens on tour doesn’t always stay on tour…

From Australia to the World…

Chicago. The last stop of their wildly successful US tour sees Australia’s biggest rock band, The Screaming Tuesdays, in sultry, summer-time Chicago to play two sold-out shows. But the stage is not where the action is, and no one knows what goes on behind the scenes...

Kelly knows what he wants. He’s known from the moment he first saw Jasper. But months have passed and he’s done absolutely nothing about it. Now, the tour is on its last legs, and the chance to chase his true feelings is fading fast. Can Kelly face his true desires or will he live with the regret of inaction?

I haven’t read any exclusive M/M reads before, but I can see the demand for books in this genre after reading Kelly! Kelly is curious about his sexuality and has been interested in Jasper for some time. Kelly initiates his intentions on Jaspers birthday, but Jasper wasn’t willing to do so immediately. He made Kelly set it up, and it turned into a night of hotness that I will find hard to forget! These two were great together, Jasper is patient with Kelly and goes slow to show Kelly how good it can be!

Complimentary copy provided by the Publisher, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a sweet moment between Kelly and Jasper... the start of something more!

Jasper peeled himself off the wall. The back of his fingers brushed Kelly’s jaw. “Thank you for the nice dreams.” Then his lips brushed Kelly’s. “And the birthday kiss.”
The elevator chimed and the door opened. Jasper stepped back. “I’ll see you later today.” Then he was gone, heading to his room.

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Hosted by YA Bound

Shona Husk lives in Western Australia at the edge of the Indian Ocean. Blessed with a lively imagination she spent most of her childhood making up stories. As an adult she discovered romance novels and hasn’t looked back. Drawing on history and myth, she writes about heroes who are armed and dangerous but have a heart of gold—sometimes literally.

Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

Other reviews in the Secret Confessions: Backstage series

Chase #1

Josh #2

Yanis #3

Zaide #4

Waiting On Wednesday # 173 – Never Tear Us Apart / City of Light

I have become a fan of Monica Murphy's work... and this one sounds intriguing!

And a new urban fantasy from Keri Arthur... I'm on board!

Title: Never Tear Us Apart

Author: Monica Murphy

Series: Never Tear Us Apart #1

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Expected Publication: January 5th 2016

Crazy how eight years can disappear in an instant. One look at Katie Watts, and I’m a fifteen-year-old again—the one who risked everything to save a terrified girl from her twisted kidnapper. She’s grown-up now—beautiful, quiet, composed—and telling her story to the world. A story that involves me in more ways than you can imagine. She used to call me her guardian angel. Sure, I risked my life, but she was worth dying for.

I need to make contact with her. Just to ensure that she’s safe.

Somehow we reconnect. We become friends . . . but I want more. I want to make her mine. And she wants me too. Does she know who I am? Has she figured me out? Not yet. But she will. In the meantime, I need to make sure that whatever hold that animal had on her is gone.

So, yeah, I’m stealing these moments with her. Savoring them. Knowing, dreading, that she’ll soon find out who I really am. And everything will fall apart. All because of that twisted, perverted monster sitting on death row. Her kidnapper. A convicted serial killer.

My father.

Title: City of Light

Author: Keri Arthur

Series: Outcast #1

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Expected Publication: January 5th 2016

The first in an all-new futuristic fantasy series from Keri Arthur—the New York Times bestselling author of the Souls of Fire novels.

When the bombs that stopped the species war tore holes in the veil between this world and the next, they allowed entry to the Others—demons, wraiths, and death spirits who turned the shadows into their hunting grounds. Now, a hundred years later, humans and shifters alike live in artificially lit cities designed to keep the darkness at bay....

As a déchet—a breed of humanoid super-soldiers almost eradicated by the war—Tiger has spent her life in hiding. But when she risks her life to save a little girl on the outskirts of Central City, she discovers that the child is one of many abducted in broad daylight by a wraith-like being—an impossibility with dangerous implications for everyone on earth.

Because if the light is no longer enough to protect them, nowhere is safe...

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine where I have the chance to spotlight upcoming releases that I’m eagerly anticipating.

Secret Confessions: Backstage – Theo by Zaide Bishop ~ Review & Teaser Tuesday (@EscapePublisher, @HarlequinAUS)

Title: Secret Confessions: Backstage - Theo

Author: Zaide Bishop

Series: Secret Confessions: Backstage #4

Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance

Published: September 24, 2015

Buy Now - Amazon | B&N | Kobo

An All-Access pass to Sex, Love, and Rock ‘N Roll. Because what happens on tour doesn’t always stay on tour…

From Australia to the World…

Chicago. The last stop of their wildly successful US tour sees Australia’s biggest rock band, The Screaming Tuesdays, in sultry, summertime Chicago to play two sold-out shows. But the stage is not where the action is, and no one knows what goes on behind the scenes...

It’s just supposed to be a fan meet-and-greet. Theo’s done them before, he’ll do them again, and he’s got Rei and Sawyer to back him up. But when fan club president Andi decides that they all need to work out their issues in a very unconventional way, Theo can’t decide if she’s a nightmare or his very deepest fantasy come true…

Theo’s story finally brings us to the band members!! The guys need to attend a meeting with some of their most dedicated fans, mingle and play nice. Sawyer makes a comment about his bandmate Rei and soon things are spinning out of control and Andi, their number one fan, steps in to fix the problem. Theo is attracted to Andi, and watches as she weaves her magic between Sawyer and Rei, with amps up the sexual experience between Theo and Andi. This story is what I expect from a band and a groupie… it’s raunchy and oh so hawt!

Complimentary copy provided by the Publisher, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This scene was seriously hot! Rei has a crush on Sawyer, but Sawyer thinks he can't be with a man!

“I want to see you fuck a girl,” he said to Rei.
Rei blinked. “W-what?”
“I want to watch you fuck Andi,” Sawyer clarified.
Rei opened and closed his mouth, dumbfounded. “I don’t know if I—“
Sawyer leaned down and kissed him again, hard. “I’ll be right here.”
Rei turned to Andi and she grinned. “It’s okay, vaginas aren’t bear traps.”

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Hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm

Zaide Bishop, an Australian romance writer who specialises in the macabre and dystopian. For sassy, dangerous romances in original and outrageous settings, you’ve come to the right place.

Check out my latest release, email with your comments and questions, keep up to date with the newsletter or friend me on facebook!

Website / Facebook / Goodreads

Other reviews in the Secret Confessions: Backstage series

Chase #1

Josh #2

Yanis #3

Secret Confessions: Backstage – Yanis by Lexxie Couper ~ Review & Quote-tastic (@lexxie_couper, @EscapePublisher, @HarlequinAUS)

Title: Secret Confessions: Backstage - Yanis

Author: Lexxie Couper

Series: Secret Confessions: Backstage #3

Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance

Published: September 17, 2015

Buy Now - Amazon | B&N | Kobo

An All-Access pass to Sex, Love, and Rock ‘N Roll. Because what happens on tour doesn’t always stay on tour…

From Australia to the World…

Chicago. The last stop of their wildly successful US tour sees Australia’s biggest rock band, The Screaming Tuesdays, in sultry, summertime Chicago to play two sold-out shows. But the stage is not where the action is, and no one knows what goes on behind the scenes...

Never send a woman to do a man’s job. Yanis Drakos lives for his job, and nothing and no one will get in the way of what he wants. Especially not Carson Swift, the dominant, officious, distracting, alluring, entirely too enticing tour manager who clearly needs to learn a lesson about who’s in charge.

This is the third story in the Secret Confessions: Backstage serials. What I love most is that every character is different; they each have a different reason to be around the band, and in this case Yanis is the band manager and Carson is the US tour manager. I liked how this particular story was told in a different location, so that I was able to get a different kind of steamy encounter with these two. Both characters are very dominating and find it hard to relinquish control, so it was interesting to see them step out of their comfortzones.

Complimentary copy provided by the Publisher, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Hehe... I thought this was a funny one!

Her fingers encountered the waistband of his trousers, a barrier to what she sought and without hesitation she released his belt and tugged down his zipper.
“Damn, Drakos,” she marvelled, her pulse quickening and her sex throbbing as the thick pole of his jutting erection strained against his boxers. “You’re seriously hung.”

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Hosted by Anna @ Herding Cats & Burning Soup

Lexxie Couper started writing when she was six and hasn’t stopped since. She’s not a deviant, but she does have a deviant’s imagination and a desire to entertain readers with her words. Add the two together and you get erotic romances that can make you laugh, cry, shake with fear or tremble with desire. Sometimes all at once.
When she’s not submerged in the worlds she creates, Lexxie’s life revolves around her family, a husband who thinks she’s insane, a indoor cat who likes to stalk shadows, and her daughters, who both utterly captured her heart and changed her life forever.
Having no idea how old she really is, Lexxie decided to go with 27 and has been that age for quite some time now. It’s the best of both worlds – old enough to act mature, young enough to be silly.
Lexxie lives by two simple rules – measure your success not by how much money you have, but by how often you laugh, and always try everything at least once. As a consequence, she’s laughed her way through many an eyebrow raising adventure.

Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

Other reviews in the Secret Confessions: Backstage series

Chase #1

Josh #2

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Hi everyone!

I just wanted to wish you all a very Merry Christmas!!

I hope you are having a fantastic time with your family. I am going to be busy playing with the kids, setting up instruments and cooking for a late lunch/early tea. Even though it's Summer I still love a good roast!!

Secret Confessions: Backstage – Chase by K.M. Golland ~ Review & Swoon Thursday (@KellyGolly, @EscapePublisher, @HarlequinAUS)

Title: Secret Confessions: Backstage - Chase

Author: K.M. Golland

Series: Secret Confessions: Backstage #1

Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance

Published: September 1st 2015

Buy Now - Amazon | B&N | Kobo

An All-Access pass to Sex, Love, and Rock ‘N Roll. Because what happens on tour doesn’t always stay on tour…

From Australia to the World…

Chicago. The last stop of their wildly successful US tour sees Australia’s biggest rock band, The Screaming Tuesdays, in sultry, summertime Chicago to play two sold-out shows. But the stage is not where the action is, and no one knows what goes on behind the scenes...

Chase needs this concert – he’s had a bad day, a bad week, a bad month. When he arrives at the venue to discover that he’s left his ticket behind, it’s just one more item on a long list of ways his life sucks. Until a stunning brunette steps in to save the day, and the summer night gets a whole lot steamier…

This was a good start to the Secret Confessions serial, where all the stories evolve around the concert for Australian band The Screaming Tuesdays. The first story is about Chase, who rocks up to the concert and can’t find his ticket. The girl he was chatting with offers her the spare ticket she has before taking off inside. Luckily, they are numbered seats and Chase and Jess meet up again. The flirting and the sexual tension escalated until they both decide to take a chance, and soon they are off satisfying those urges.

I really enjoyed this read, it was fast paced and I could feel the connection oozing out of the pages. I liked seeing the reaction that Chase and Jess had to one another, despite both just coming out of relationships. It was a hot, steamy read that left me wanting more!

Complimentary copy provided by the Publisher, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved seeing Jess tease Chase!!

“You have the sexiest lips I’ve ever seen. I want to fucking taste them.”
The gasp that escaped her mouth had Chase pulling back to gauge her reaction. What the fuck did I just say? He was about to apologise when he noticed that she was flushed cheeks, timid smiles and seductive eyes—she was turned the fuck on.
‘Bingo!’ A calculated smile crept in at the corners of her mouth when she slowly raised her finger and teasingly traced her lips, luring his gaze. The motion of her finger was hypnotic, mesmerising him into a state of immobility—pupils dilated, limbs indolent.
He just stood there and watched helplessly as she moved her finger from her mouth and placed it on his bottom lip, wiping it gently from one edge to the other. “There you go. How do they taste?”

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Hosted by YA Bound

“I'm an author. I am married. I am a mother of two adorable little people. I'm a bookworm, craftworm, movieworm, and sportsworm. I'm also a self-confessed shop-aholic, tea-aholic, car-aholic, and choc-aholic.” Born and raised in Melbourne, Australia, K.M. Golland studied law and worked as a conveyancer before putting her career on hold to raise her children. She then traded her legal work for her love of writing and found her dream career.

Website / Facebook / Twitter
Goodreads / Pinterest

Other reviews in the Secret Confessions: Backstage series

Josh #2

Waiting On Wednesday # 172 – What's Broken Between Us / Truthwitch

What's Broken Between Us sounds like a bit of an emotional read!

I found Truthwitch while browsing Goodreads... the cover caught my eye!

Title: What's Broken Between Us

Author: Alexis Bass

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Expected Publication: December 29th 2015

Alexis Bass’s heartbreakingly beautiful second novel is a tale of love, loss, and learning to forgive, perfect for fans of Gayle Forman and of Robyn Schneider's The Beginning of Everything.

A year and a half ago, Amanda Tart's brother got behind the wheel drunk and killed his best friend. Today, he's coming home from prison.

Amanda's been the one living with the fallout, made worse by her brother's recent unapologetic TV interview. People think he's a monster. Still, she loves him. It's her dark secret, until she starts getting close to Henry again--whose sister is paralyzed from the accident.

A year and a half ago, her brother destroyed his life. Now Amanda has to decide if she'll let his choice destroy hers.

Title: Truthwitch

Author: Susan Dennard

Series: The Witchlands #1

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Expected Publication: January 5th 2016

On a continent ruled by three empires, some are born with a “witchery”, a magical skill that sets them apart from others.

In the Witchlands, there are almost as many types of magic as there are ways to get in trouble—as two desperate young women know all too well.

Safiya is a Truthwitch, able to discern truth from lie. It’s a powerful magic that many would kill to have on their side, especially amongst the nobility to which Safi was born. So Safi must keep her gift hidden, lest she be used as a pawn in the struggle between empires.

Iseult, a Threadwitch, can see the invisible ties that bind and entangle the lives around her—but she cannot see the bonds that touch her own heart. Her unlikely friendship with Safi has taken her from life as an outcast into one of reckless adventure, where she is a cool, wary balance to Safi’s hotheaded impulsiveness.

Safi and Iseult just want to be free to live their own lives, but war is coming to the Witchlands. With the help of the cunning Prince Merik (a Windwitch and ship’s captain) and the hindrance of a Bloodwitch bent on revenge, the friends must fight emperors, princes, and mercenaries alike, who will stop at nothing to get their hands on a Truthwitch.

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine where I have the chance to spotlight upcoming releases that I’m eagerly anticipating.