Release Day: The Migraine Mafia

The Migraine Mafia

By: Maia Sepp

Blurb

On paper, Viive McBroome lives the perfect life—a key player in a fast-paced, technical field, one promotion away from real success—but that’s only if you ignore one little problem.

Sandwiched between one migraine and the next, Viive’s life is like those choose-your-own-adventure books you read as a kid, only less fun and with a lot more drugs. And lately, as her bosses politely march her toward a vacation that might never end, even the good days seem like a struggle for survival.

Faced with frustration from her loved ones and the dark machinations of a new coworker, Viive feels herself getting pulled under by guilt, apologies, and workplace shenanigans. But then she meets the Migraine Mafia, a quirky, vibrant support group, and her fragile camouflage begins to crumble. She discovers that a room full of strangers just might be able to change the way she views her illness—and realizes that if she doesn’t learn to ask for help, her health isn’t the only thing she stands to lose.

Sometimes painful, frequently hilarious, never dull, The Migraine Mafia is the story of one woman’s life-altering decision to thrive in the face of chronic illness.

Buy Links

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-CA/ebook/the-migraine-mafia
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Migraine-Mafia-Maia-Sepp-ebook/dp/B00H7EH68Q
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-migraine-mafia-maia-sepp/1117544641?ean=2940148950639&itm=1&usri=2940148950639

Link to Follow Tour: http://tastybooktours.blogspot.com/2013/11/now-booking-release-day-blast-for.html

Author Info

Maia left the tech sector to write about sock thievery, migraines, and...the tech sector. She lives on the Danforth in Toronto with her better half, John.

The Sock Wars is her debut novel. The first chapter of The Sock Wars was published as a short story/novel excerpt titled Irish Drinking Socks, and became a Kobo bestselling short story. The Sock Wars has been a top-100 digital bestseller on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and the iBookstore, as well as a genre and Writing Life bestseller on Kobo.

Maia's next novel will be released in December 2013: The Migraine Mafia, a story about a nerdy thirtysomething's quest to come to terms with a chronic illness.

Author Links

http://www.maiasepp.com/main.html

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Maia-Sepp-Author-of-The-Sock-Wars/408204399216568

https://twitter.com/MaiaSepp/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5807321.Maia_Sepp

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The Cupcake Diaries: Spoonful of Christmas with Recipe for Deep Chocolate Cake

The Cupcake Diaries:

Spoonful of Christmas

By: Darlene Panzera

Blurb

In this special Christmas novella from Darlene Panzera, THE CUPCAKE DIARIES: Spoonful of Christmas continues the adventures of three cupcake-loving women who work to keep their dream cupcake shop open while balancing love, family, and friendship.

When businessman Preston Pennyworth offers to buy Creative Cupcakes for a million dollars, the women are startled by his offer. Friends Andi, Kim, and Rachel have put everything into the shop and don’t want to give it up. Despite refusing the expensive offer, their worries are starting to pile up—just in time for the Christmas season.  Between Andi’s concerns about a potential cross-country move, Rachel’s wedding-day stress, and Kim’s love life woes, the spirit of the season seems to be lacking! With the added stress of the holiday season, the women can’t help but imaging the possibilities of the offer.

Things change when Andi decides to organize a Christmas party for the foster kids in the area and the whole town gets involved. The women of Creative Cupcakes are reminded of what truly matters, as they realize the best things in life are close to home! But, when the shop is vandalized, the foster kids’ gifts are stolen, and Rachel’s wedding is sabotaged by a real life Grinch, the women can’t help but feel hopeless on Christmas.  Will their Christmases be saved?

In this warm and heartfelt add-on to THE CUPCAKE DIARIES trilogy, Darlene Panzera’s Christmas novella will captivate reader’s hearts and capture the true meaning of Christmas. 

Buy Spoonful of Christmas

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DEEP CHOCOLATE CAKE

Recipe from Merrilee Shoop of Allyn, Washington

Mix all ingredients, in following order, in large mixing bowl with mixer:

3 cups flour                       1 Tbsp. vinegar

2 cups sugar                       1 tsp. vanilla

2 tsp. baking soda                 3/4 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp. salt                        2 cups water

6 Tbsp. cocoa

Bake in 13 x 9 inch pan (no need to grease and flour pan).

Bake 350° for 5 minutes and reduce heat to 300° for 45 minutes.

Frosting:

5 Tbsp. Flour             

1 cup milk

Cook until thick paste, then cool. Add:

1 cup sugar

1 cup butter

1 tsp. vanilla

Beat until fluffy, then add the flour and milk paste and beat until spreading consistency.

About the Author

Darlene Panzera is the winner of the “Make Your Dreams Come True” contest sponsored by Avon Books. The win led her novella, The Bet, to be published with Debbie Macomber’s Family Affair. The award-winning novella (chosen in a blind-read by Debbie Macomber) was then published as a full length novel retitled, Bet You’ll Marry Me. Born and raised in New Jersey, Darlene is now a resident of the Pacific Northwest where she lives with her husband and three children. When not writing she enjoys spending time with her family, two horses, and loves: camping, hiking, photography, and lazy days at the lake.

Author Links

 www.darlenepanzera.com

https://www.facebook.com/DarlenePanzera

@DarlenePanzera

https://twitter.com/DarlenePanzera

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Book Tour: The Wedding Date by Cara Connelly

The Wedding Date

A Save the Date Novella

By: Cara Connelly

 Releasing November 19^th, 2013

Julie Marone isn’t your ordinary matchmaker. Instead of setting up singles, she matches already-happy couples with their dream homes. It’s her calling. Her gift. And since she lost the other half of her own happy couple, it’s become her passion.

Cody Brown isn’t your ordinary cowboy. Instead of roping runaway steers, he wrangles sick kids and strung-out junkies as an ER doc. It’s his job. His responsibility. And since his brother lost his wife to a drunk driver, it’s his mission.

When Cody moves from Austin to Boston, he wants Julie to find him a condo, and fast. But she’s got issues with that. Because not only is Cody single, he’s a doctor to boot, and ever since her fiancé died, she’s got a major grudge against doctors.

Cody charms her into breaking her “couples-only” rule, but when he angles to be her date for her sister’s Christmas Eve wedding, he finds out Julie’s “no-doctor” rule is unbending. Still, he’s not quitting, because as hard as Julie fights it, there’s heat between them. If Cody has his way, they’ll be a couple by Christmas, and the next dream house Julie finds will be their own.

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Excerpt
The chandeliers sparked off the red in her hair. Her crossed leg swung like a black leather metronome. Strolling up to her, he stopped a little too close to her chair. Call him a caveman, but he liked it when she looked up at him.
She said a quick goodbye and shut off her phone.
“Trouble?” he asked.
She stood up, swinging her purse so it slapped him in the nuts. A brush-back, not an accident.
“Just my nosy, interfering sister grilling me about my date.” She headed for the door at the same half-run she’d used to get out of the weather. It occurred to him that it was her customary speed.
He lagged behind. After twelve straight in the ER, he wasn’t moving at anybody’s pace but his own.
“She the one who set you up?” he said.
She stopped to wait for him, just aggravated enough to talk about it. “Why does she care if I have a date for her wedding? She’s the only one who needs a date!”
She started for the door again. He lagged behind. She stopped, in a huff. “Are you injured or something? Did you sprain an ankle running in those boots?”
He pulled up alongside her. “I didn’t know we were in a race. But remember, the tortoise beats the hare.”

Author Info

Cara Connelly is an award-winning author of contemporary romances. Her smart and sexy stories have won high praise, earning Cara several awards including the Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart, the Valley Forge Romance Writers’ Sheila, and the Music City Romance Writers’ Melody of Love. Cara lives in rural upstate New York with her handsome husband Billy and magical rescue dog Bella. Cara is proudly represented by Jill Marsal of the Marsal/Lyon Literary Agency.

http://www.caraconnelly.com/

https://twitter.com/cara_connelly

https://www.facebook.com/caraconnellyromance

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6921968.Cara_Connelly

Giveaway: TWO Digital Copies of THE WEDDING DATE

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Book Tour: Blue Lines by Toni Aleo

Blue Lines

Nashville Assassins #4

By: Toni Aleo

Opposites do more than just attract in Toni Aleo’s latest Nashville Assassins novel about a very bad boy and the good girl he can’t resist.

The instant Piper Allen sees Erik Titov, she wants him—wants his rock-hard body, sure, but the strength and mystery that lies behind that superstar hockey jock demeanor, too. So when he sidles up to her at a bar and slinks his arm around her waist, she’s lost. What follows is the wildest night of her life . . . followed by inevitable heartbreak the next morning. And then, a few weeks later, a very big surprise: two blue lines on a pregnancy test.

Only a check to the head could make Erik fall for a nice girl like Piper. But since their crazy-sexy night together, he’s been trying to forget about her alluring body by falling into bed with every woman in Nashville, and it’s not working. So when Piper shows up at his house with a baby-bomb to drop, it doesn’t take much for Erik to suggest the nuclear option: marriage. While it’s supposed to be all for show, the second they say “I do,” the ice between them starts to melt into sizzling steam.

Includes a special message from the editor, as well as excerpts from these Loveswept titles: Taking Shots, Trying to Score, and Empty Net.

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Excerpt

“I heard you liked me.”

Piper quickly turned from the bar at Wanna B’s to meet a pair of brown eyes, the same eyes that starred in her dreams ever since she first saw them. It wasn’t that she just liked the owner of the dark-as-night brown eyes; she was hopelessly in love with him.

Erik Titov.

Her sister’s brother-in-law. The man whom she’d been lusting over for the past two years. The man who could transform her into a puddle of goo with just one simple glance. Erik was everything she wanted in a guy, and she would do just about anything to be with him. Even in her current drunken state there was no denying she wanted him. All of him.
For more Blue Lines teasers, visit the next stop on the tour!

Review
This is a romance novel, so if you're a fan of the genre, you'll be a fan of this. That said, I think the part of this book that really stands out is Aleo's ability to make her hero so easy to hate, but still redeem him and have readers pull for him. I loved the depth of character that allowed her to achieve this. It isn't typical of a lot of the romances I've read in the past, and I found it to be a refreshing change. Blue Lines gets 3 cupcakes out of 5!

Author Info

Toni Aleo is the author of the Nashville Assassins series: Taking Shots, Trying to Score, Empty Net, and Blue Lines. When not rooting for her beloved Nashville Predators, she’s probably going to her husband’s and son’s hockey games and her daughter’s dance competitions, taking pictures, scrapbooking, or reading the latest romance novel. She lives in the Nashville area with her husband, two children, and a bulldog.

http://tonialeo.com/

https://www.facebook.com/tonialeo1

https://twitter.com/tonilovesweber6

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5255580.Toni_Aleo?auto_login_attempted=true

Giveaway: FIVE Digital Copies of BLUE LINES, One Swag Pack w/ Digital Copy of BLUE LINES, Swag Pack w/ All ASSASSINS Series in Digital

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Excerpt: Knowing Vera by Rachelle Ayala

Knowing Vera

Chance for Love Book Three

By: Rachelle Ayala

Blurb

Vera Custodio has never fallen in love, though she has strong feelings for her friend and sometimes lover, Zach Spencer. Long-forgotten memories resurface when Vera discovers Zach’s mother was the woman her father supposedly murdered many years ago.

After losing his leg, former triathlete Zach Spencer reevaluates his life—and realizes he’s falling in love with Vera. When she ends their relationship, Zach is determined to prove his love and follows her to Australia in search of the killer.

Caught between a web of family secrets and a deranged adversary, Vera and Zach must depend on each other for survival. Love blossoms, but the truth explodes everything Vera knows about herself. Will she close her heart forever or risk it all for a shot at happily-ever-after?

Knowing Vera is a suspenseful, cross-cultural romance mixing an unsolved murder, action and adventure, and hot, steamy love scenes.

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Excerpt
March 1991, San Francisco, CA

“Papa, are we there yet?” Seven-year-old Vera Custodio yawned and hugged her stuffed bear, Bing-Bing. The lights on the Golden Gate Bridge glowed orange in the night sky. In the distance, a foghorn bellowed like a sick cow.

Vera watched the rain dribble down the side of the car window. Her stomach growled and she shivered. Mama would have made her put on a jacket.

“Papa?” She picked crusted blood from her fingernails. “I wanna go home.”

“Hun-Hun, almost there.” Her father braked and slowed to a stop. Horns blared, and their car shook from the passing traffic.

“Why are we stopping on the bridge?” Vera tapped the back of the driver’s seat with her toe.

“There’s a small emergency. Will you be a good girl and stay in the car? Papa has to look at something.” He grabbed a backpack from the passenger seat, opened the door narrowly and stepped
into the rain.

The motor was still running and the twin wiper blades jittered back and forth. Her father crossed in front of the car and lifted the hood. A truck barreled by on the left, its deep horn blasting.
Vera unfastened her seatbelt and pressed her nose to the window. Instead of fixing the car, Papa crossed to the pedestrian walkway. He walked past an emergency telephone and leaned over the railing.

“Wait! Papa!” Vera dashed from the car and chased after him.

He turned and held a hand out. “I told you to stay in the car.”

“But Papa, I love you.” Vera clamped her arms around his legs.

He picked her up and kissed her cheek. “I love you, too. Go back to the car. Remember, you didn’t see anything.”

“Is she dead?”

“Shhh. It wasn’t real. You had a nightmare. Sit in the car and wait for Mama.”

“I don’t want to.” Vera held on to her father’s neck. She peered over the rail at the dark water below. Wind whipped her wet hair into her face, blinding her for a moment.

“Let go.” He pried her arms and dropped her to the sidewalk, then slapped her. “I told you to stay in the car.”

“Ow, ow!” Vera gasped, not believing he’d hurt her. Hadn’t he told her she was his special girl? That he loved her best?

He swung a leg over the rail.

“Papa, I love you!” She grabbed his trousers, her stuffed bear dangling between them.

Heavy footsteps pounded toward them.

“Get off that rail,” a man’s voice shouted and rough hands pulled Vera from her father.

“Papa!”

“Tell Mama I love her.” He dropped over the edge.

January 2014, San Francisco, California

I’ve never been in love. Serious like? Yes. But love? Not happening. Doesn’t matter if he’s sinfully hot or responsible for global panty warming. Or even if he’s the sweetest, most gorgeous man on the planet. I can still walk away. I have to.

Zach Spencer, scion of an Australian wine fortune, ambles slowly from the light-rail platform and waves. His swimmer’s physique, sun-streaked blond hair and audacious grin revs my heart every time. I can’t help but jump to my tippy-toes like one of those silly game show contestants. But today, I’m not going to run into his arms because I have to break up with him.
He steps toward me, oblivious of the crowd parting at the sight of his artificial leg. The muscular calf on his right leg contrasts sharply with the metallic rod and linkages of the other, ending with an artificial foot.

Until a few months ago he was a world-class athlete, a contender for the 2016 Olympic Triathlon team, but he lost his lower left leg in a jet ski accident while rescuing my friend Maryanne.
His magnetic blue eyes lock onto me as he wraps me in a toe-curling hug. Butterflies tickle my stomach and I want to disappear into his arms. How on earth can I end this without hurting him?
“Ready for the opera?” He guides me through the turnstile.

I tug at one of his oversized pockets. “Seriously, cargo shorts in winter?”

“I’m Aussie.” He kisses me with a loud smack.

“I suppose you’ll tell me it’s summer Down Under. Are all Aussie men so tough?”

“Dunno, but all Filipinas are gorgeous.” He winks and takes my hand, pulling me up the stairs and onto the crowded street. His smile raises the temperature a few degrees. “Shall we hop on a cable car or have dinner first?”

“Let’s catch a cab and take a walk on the Golden Gate Bridge. Have you ever been there?” I’m dressed to the nines, spiky stilettos and a metallic sequined dress, but the walk hopefully won’t be long.

He tucks an errant strand of hair in back of my ear. “No, but I hear guys are always proposing there. I’d have a hard time dropping to one knee …”

“Stop joking. We’re only friends—with benefits.”

“True, but we haven’t been very … friendly … lately.” His eyes telegraph bedroom, and his tongue does a quick flick over his teeth. “It’s my fault, of course.”

I caress the back of his hand with my thumb. “You’ve just recovered from major surgery. I’m glad to see you walking again.”

“Me, too. Now we can go places and get to know each other. Maybe start dating?”

A gasp catches in my throat. I never pegged him as the dating type. I suck in a deep breath to calm my speeding heart.

If only things were different and I hadn’t discovered the truth about our families.

Author Info

Rachelle Ayala is the author of dramatic fiction crossing genres and boundaries featuring strong but flawed characters. She writes emotionally challenging stories and is not afraid of controversial topics. However, she is an optimist and laces her stories with romance and hope.

Rachelle is an active member of online critique group, Critique Circle, and a volunteer for the World Literary Cafe. She is a very happy woman and lives in California with her husband. She has three children and has taught violin and made mountain dulcimers.

Visit her at: Website: http://rachelleayala.me Blog: http://www.rachelleayala.com or follow @AyalaRachelle on Twitter. Subscribe to mailing list for upcoming books and giveaways. http://eepurl.com/lR5kv

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Audiobook Review: Lethal Circuit by Lars Guignard

From Best-selling Amazon author Lars Guignard comes the number-one turbo-charged, action spy thriller Lethal Circuit.

A Chinese satellite is on a crash course with Earth. 
 It contains enough plutonium to irradiate a large city. 
 And that's the good news...
 Michael Chase is a twenty-six year old backpacker, a recent college graduate, an amateur. He flew to Hong Kong to find his missing father. Four hours later, he's running for his life. The Chinese Secret Police want him dead. The Conspiracy wants him dead. And the one person who he thinks is on his side, may want him dead too. If Michael is going to live, he'll need to find a hidden piece of Nazi technology lost since World War II. And he'll have to do it before anyone else. Because if he doesn't, a little plutonium is going to be the least of his problems. Can Michael Chase team up with a beautiful but deadly MI6 agent to locate a lethal piece of Nazi technology that will save the world?

 If you can't get enough of the action of Lee Child and Vince Flynn, the intrigue of Robert Ludlum, and the adventure of Clive Cussler and James Rollins, you are going to LOVE Lethal Circuit!
Book can be found at: Audible | iTunes | Amazon | GoodReads

Review
Lethal Circuit is fast-paced thrill that I absolutely adored. I'm an old-fashioned kind of girl though, so while I appreciated the convenience an audio book brings - like listening on the treadmill, while I was prepping dinner, and of course while I was baking - I still don't think it takes the place of reading a proper book, printed on paper, with that new-ink smell. I actually found the narration distracting and don't think I got as much out of the book as I could have if I had read it myself.

Lethal Circuit has a well-written, well-imagined plot, and the writing is descriptive, making the reader (or listener in this case) feel like a part of the story. I'm not sure how I feel about the ending, but the next book in the series might help clear things up for me.

 Rating:

3 cupcakes out of 5 because of the narration problems

Lars Guignard is a former film and television writer and a graduate of both McGill University and the American Film Institute in Los Angeles. His debut thriller novel, Lethal Circuit, has been an amazon top 100 Technothriller since its release. Guignard has wanted to write Indian stories for kids ever since he attended a boarding school in the majestic Himalayas. The time he spent in the “school above the clouds” affected him profoundly, and once he returned home to North America he was struck by the lack of children’s stories from India available in our culture. Since India is such an incredible country, he decided to write a series of action adventure books for young adults about India to introduce young readers to this magical, mystical land. So if you’re looking for a great book adventure for kids, try Ghost Leopard today!
Author Sites: Website | Twitter | Facebook 


Giveaway: 3 ebooks and 3 audiobooks of Lethal Circuit (INT) 
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Book Tour: Private Research by Sabrina Darby

Private Research

By: Sabrina Darby

Blurb

The last person PhD candidate Mina Cavallari expects to meet on her research trip to London is the sexy financier whose rejection devastated her. But Sebastian Graham is even more irresistible than he was two years ago, and she's no longer the innocent girl shocked at his indulgent pursuit of physical pleasure. Now she's ready to embark on a love affair on her terms—and is using every possible moment to live out her fantasies. Sebastian is more than happy to help Mina make her passionate dreams a reality. But he wants more, luring her into a search for a mysterious, underworld club where they can explore all of their sexual desires. He needs Mina completely at his mercy, and, unlike two years ago, this time he may not let her go. 

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Author Info

Sabrina Darby has been reading romance since the age of seven and learned her best vocabulary (dulcet, diaphanous, and turgid) from them. The day after her wedding she woke up with an idea for a novel and she’s been writing romance ever since. She is the author of On These Silken Sheets, The Short and Fascinating Tale of Angelina Whitcombe and Entry-Level Mistress.

http://avonromance.com/author/sabrina-darby

http://sabrinadarby.com/

https://twitter.com/SabrinaDarby

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2983567.Sabrina_Darby

Giveaway: Two Digital Copies of PRIVATE RESEARCH

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Book Review: Susy Asylum by Michael Pierce

SUSY Asylum (Lorne Family Vault #2)
by Michael Pierce

Blurb
In SUSY Asylum, there is no release. There is no escape. No hope.

Oliver and Desiree are introduced to the writings of a mysterious blogger, Commodore Chaos, when
they return to Provex City to indulge in what the sublime city has to offer. The blogger claims the Lornes are collecting people venturing between the higher planes of awareness and locking them away in a mythical asylum. But are these legitimate concerns for inter-plane travelers or just the ramblings of an anonymous conspiracy blogger?

Oliver looks to Provex City as his only connection to his father while Desiree looks to the city as an escape from the torment of losing her best friend—again. Provex City is a wonder of beautiful treasures, entrancing them to continue returning. But behind the beauty, wolves have continued hunting Oliver, a boy who is still unaware of his importance in the rebellion.

Oliver’s belief is waning. Desiree will not always be by his side. Mr. Gordon will not always come to his aid. Oliver finds himself alone, forced to confront his biggest fears, fight his inner demons, and face the very cold reality that no one is coming to save him.

Welcome to SUSY Asylum.

Review
Susy Asylum is the second in a series that began with Provex City. In the first book, Michael Pierce does a fantastic job giving Oliver a voice that really draws the reader into his life so I was excited to get more from him. Just like the first book, Susy Asylum  leaves you with a ton of questions that you just can't wait to have answered, so I'll definitely be picking up book three (well played, Mr. Pierce, well played).

The world building in this series is fantastic - every detail is thoughtful and well-described and you can't help but being drawn into Provex City and feeling like you're right there with Oliver and Desiree as the grow as characters throughout their journey. And what a journey! Susy Asylum picks up just a few weeks after Provex City ends, but it takes a darker turn than the first book and parts of it do leave you feeling raw (in a good way).

I give this one 4 cupcakes out of 5!

About Michael Pierce
I believe in a future where I will be able to write full-time, a picture I already hold vividly in my mind. It all starts with my debut young adult novel, Provex City. I love Harry Potter & The Marbury Lens, Tool & Elliott Smith, Dexter & Donnie Darko, bold coffee & amber ale. I also love dabbling with writing music and recording, with no illusions of ever making it a career. I am ecstatically married and the lucky father to a beautiful baby girl.

Find the author: Website/Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Giveaway: $50 Gift Card (INT)

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