Saturday, June 27, 2015

Blog Tour / ARC Review / Giveaway / Excerpt Reveal: Wicked White by Michelle A. Valentine




Title: Wicked White

Author: Michelle A. Valentine
Release Date: June 23, 2015


wickedwhite


About WICKED WHITE

After his mother dies, rock star Ace White—lead singer of the red-hot band Wicked White—is done with the celebrity game. The phony people, the meaningless one-night stands: he doesn’t want any of it anymore. Quitting in the middle of a sold-out tour, Ace sets out to find some place—any place—where he can be alone.

Aspiring singer Iris Easton’s life has never been easy. First, her mother walked out on her when she was a kid. Now she’s buried in debt, weeks after losing her beloved grandmother. When a mysterious and sexy new guy moves in next door, Iris can’t help but be drawn to his soulful gaze. She can tell there’s something from his past haunting him—something he’s not telling her.
Just as Ace starts falling for Iris, the media go on a worldwide hunt to find the missing rocker. Will true love conquer all, or will the truth be the very thing that tears the couple apart?




Wicked White (Wicked White #1) by Michelle A. Valentine 

3.5 to 4 stars

Ace White lead singer of the band Wicked White is done, he’s had it with the “rock star” life.
When he gets word while on tour that the woman he considers his mother and the only person who ever loved him is sick he can’t get to her fast enough. He gives his ungrateful bandmates the finger and walks out on a sold-out tour. Feeling despondent and alone in the world after his mother’s funeral Ace decides he doesn’t want to be a rock star anymore, so he disappears looking for a place he can get lost. Being alone is the best thing for him.

Iris Easton is a small town girl, growing up in a trailer park owned by her grandmother who raised her after her mother walked out of her life. Now her beloved grandmother has passed away, leaving the trailer park and its debts to Iris. She puts her own life and dreams of being a Broadway singer on hold to get the trailer park and its residents most of which she considers family in order. When a mysterious and sexy stranger moves in next door, Iris can’t help but be curious about him. He doesn’t look at all like he belongs in a trailer park with his expensive clothes and motorcycle. She wants to get to know him better, but will he let her in, will he trust her with his secrets.

My Review:
This is a book about loss of loved ones and the emotional aftermath that can come with it. It’s about finding love and then losing it and realizing the work that needs to be done to get that true love back.  It is different from the authors Black Falcon series as it deals with a sweeter story of love.

Ace and Iris meet at a time in their lives when they both feel the loss of the people who loved them the most. Ace is in hiding from the world trying to figure out how he can have the music career he wants so desperately yet still be able to look at himself in the mirror and respect his choices.
Iris has dreams of being a Broadway singer, but lacks the confidence to allow her voice to shine. She lost her grandmother leaving her with the trailer park they called home and a large tax debt to pay in order to keep the residents from being homeless.

When Ace and Iris start to interact with each other Ace is not very nice to her. They both feel a pull to each other a kindred spirit type of connection. Ace tries to deny his attraction to the beautiful Iris not wanting to get her involved in his chaotic life.

I thought this budding love between these two characters was sweet and endearing. Though their love blooms fast, they start at trying to be friends. However, Ace and Iris can’t stop fantasizing about each other in more than a friendly way. When Ace pushes, Iris advances away, leaving her embarrassed and heartbroken she decides she is going to stop being nice to him. No matter how hard Ace tries to ignore Iris he can’t get her out of his mind.  Iris was always trying to get Ace to open up to her feeling that if he trusted her with his secrets she could help him. They finally succumb to their intense attraction and begin a romantic relationship. When reality comes crashing down on their new found love Ace and Iris both make decisions that drive them apart.

Each character ends up setting out separately to find their way in the world without the other it was sad. The author wrote these characters as a perfect match for the other.  Ace as a male character I found was better when he was with Iris. He was romantic and sexy all about making Iris happy. When we read the last few chapters and Ace is without Iris in his life he was a bit whiny at times moaning about losing her but doing nothing to get her back. I found myself getting annoyed with him during this time in the book.

I think that was part of what the author was trying to convey in the character. He was lost and confused and had so much to sort out he needed to be confident that Iris’ love was true because he never knew what real love of a woman was like.

I love Michelle A. Valentines writing, she does a great job of making you feel for her characters and the troubles they face.  This story was not as deep and gritty as her other rock star books but I liked it.
This is a romantic story of love and loss that will have you emotionally invested in the outcome of the relationship between these sweet characters.

Received and ARC in exchange for an honest review.


“Iristhat was amazing. You’ve got so much talent,” I praise.

Her green eyes light up with excitement like a child’s do on Christmas morning. “You really think so? You’re not just saying that?”

“No. I never bullshit about music. You’ve definitely got the chops for Broadway, it’s just…” I hesitate, not wanting to hurt her feelings, but I know that in order for her to get better, she has to be told what she’s doing wrong.

She lays her hand on my forearm. “Please, tell me. I can take it. Promise.”

I stand beside her, so close that my chest nearly touches her shoulder. I’m itching to touch her, but I won’t do it without permission. “May I touch you?”

She draws in a ragged breath and then nods. “Yes.”

I curl the fingers of my right hand around her right shoulder and pull back a little so that her posture is perpendicular to the floor. At this angle, I can’t help but notice her heaving chest and how her perky tits move in sync with each breath she takes.

I slide my left hand against her toned stomach and my pinkie grazes the warm patch of skin that’s exposed between her T-shirt and the waistband of her jeans.

Our contact is fucking electric, and my own breathing picks up speed as I attempt to fight back the arousal I feel for her boiling beneath my surface.

“Everything about you is magnetic,” I whisper in her ear, and she shivers at the words. “Don’t be afraid to open your eyes and watch your audience enjoy you. Be confident and project. Let go.”

I let go of her shoulder, and move to face her before pressing the repeat button on the machine. As the intro of the song plays, I say, “Do it again, but this time I want you to look at me.”

This time when she opens her mouth to sing, when she begins to tip her head down, I slide my index finger under her chin and angle her head so that she’s forced to peer into my eyes.

Her words are just barely above a whisper, so I slip my hand back on her abdomen and say, “Project--from here. Sing it like you mean it.”

It’s like lightening strikes this beautiful woman in my arms as she sings to me without fear. The words of the song come out effortlessly, and her voice could rival any of the greatest female vocalists of all time.

She’s that damn stunning. 

I nod approvingly and smile. “Yes!”

With that little bit of encouragement, she shocks me even more when she pushes herself to hit notes that are above and beyond what she reached the first time. 

Only on the last lyric does she close her eyes while she holds the note there until the music stops. She releases a contented sigh as soon as the music ends, and when her beautiful eyes meet mine again, they swirl with emotion.

Completely blown away, I fumble with the words to tell her just how impressed I am. “Iris, that was--”

Without warning, she throws her arms around my neck and crushes her lips against mine. I know kissing her back is wrong, but I’ll be damned if I don’t want her so badly at this point that I can’t stop myself from giving in. I’ve been so good with restraining myself when it comes to Iris, because protecting her from the chaos that I’ll bring her is what’s always been on the forefront of my mind.

Her fingers thrust into my hair, and I reach down and curl my hands around her thighs before hoisting her into the air. Instinctively she wraps her legs around my waist, and I thread one of my hands into her tousled curls while the other is busy cupping that perfect ass of hers. 

“I’ve wanted you since you walked into my trailer,” she breathes against my lips.

A thrill shoots through me at her admission of how long she’s wanted me. “You’ve been driving me out of my mind from the moment I first saw you.”

“Then take me.” 





ABOUT MICHELLE A. VALENTINE

Michelle A. Valentine is a Central Ohio nurse turned New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of erotic and New Adult romance. Her love of hard-rock music, tattoos, and sexy musicians inspired her erotic BLACK FALCON series.



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Cover Reveal: Screw Up by Alexis Wilder



Title: Screw Up
Author: Alexis Wilder
Genre: Erotica








Cassie has hit hard times. She can’t find a job, her mother is headed for jail, and her love life jumped a plane and fled to another continent. What’s an ardent fangirl to do? When a handsome new acquaintance offers her a lucrative position writing for his online publication, TenFootPole, Cassie jumps at the chance to make some real money doing what she loves: writing. The only catch is the subject matter. She’s assigned the celebrity gossip magazine’s new beat, the sex desk, and must score with a big name actor and then tell the readers all about it. In graphic detail. In fact, Mr. Wilcox wants to know everything about them, but mostly what they’ve got beneath their belt and how they use it while consorting with newly made friends. Her new employers point out that in order to remain a viable undercover operative, she must keep her new position a secret, and decide to publish her articles under the pseudonym the Tinseltown Temptress. At first, she’s dismayed by this restriction (how is a writer supposed to make a name for themselves when no one knows what that name is?), but she soon realizes that no amount of anonymity would be enough to protect her from the repercussions of her notorious stories. As her personal life circles the drain, Cassie grasps for handholds in all the wrong laps and struggles to keep her head above the shark infested water. Continuing to invest in a male-revue nightclub is her one source of hope for a future outside of sexual journalism, but when that, and her long-standing friendship with its owner are put in jeopardy, she must either rally her seductive forces to save herself or sink forever under the waves.



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As a longtime fan of modern, paranormal, and historical romances Alexis Wilder’s love for the more erotic passages has caused her to accidentally crease the bindings of many handy paperbacks. While discussing the finer points of recent publishing trends with a friend, she was forced to accept that it was finally time to bring her quirky, filthy writing style to the attention of the world, mostly for their own good. Thus, the Tinseltown Temptress was born, springing into existence, fully formed, from her forehead and taking the form of a sneaky, horny, struggling celebrity sex reporter. The rest of the story was a bit harder won, but the behind-the-scenes story of Cassie’s successes, failures, pain and joy paint a broader picture of the woman behind the myth that every fan of her adventurous articles will be clamoring to read. Screw Up, the first erotic novel in the series will be releasing in July 2015 (full articles are already available as samples online) with two other novels in the series planned for 2016.
Alexis attended Central Michigan University quite a while ago and has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in RTF (Radio, TV and Film) with a writing concentration that she used to write several unsold screenplays and to find various employment (like a starving maze rat) in the cutthroat world of video production. In the past, she has also held many service industry jobs, including fast-food, retail, and as waitstaff and holds all such demanding work in extremely high regard. (Tip your waitress, people!)
She lives with her family in Southeast Michigan and really wants to get a new puppy. A natural homebody, she loves to cuddle with her best friend while watching their favorite television shows and swims whenever she gets the chance. Alexis occasionally takes a break from her healthy eating routine and scarfs down a bacon cheeseburger while drinking beer. She also gardens, mostly tomatoes, and complains about Michigan’s weather while enjoying mostly everything else about living there. Let’s see, what else? Her feet are always freezing, she loves guacamole, and, though she does walk pretty fast for someone so vertically challenged, she never ever runs anywhere. An active fangirl, she restricts her stanning to her various aliases and does not chase down celebrity men for sex in real life. Seriously.


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