Blog Tour: Love in Darkness by E.M. Tippetts

Title: Love in Darkness (Shattered Castles, #2) 

Author: E.M. Tippetts

Release date: May 21, 2013

Age Group: New Adult

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Tour organized by: AToMR Tours

Love in Darkness

Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble

Castles on the Sand (Shattered Castles, #1)

Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble

Book Descriptions: 

Love in Darkness (Book #2)

Alex had everything when he was with Madison. But the darkness within him wouldn't go away. After two years apart, he returns to Pelican Bluffs and to the girl he never wanted to leave.

Madison wants to give their love another chance, but Alex can't fight fate. He is what he is. Ruined. Crazy like his mother. And Madison deserves so much more. When his secrets spill out into their small town, Alex has a choice to make. Hide away in the darkness forever, or let love in. 

Castles on the Sand (Book #1)

If there’s one thing Madison Lukas understands, it’s pain. The pain she feels when her mother ignores her completely. The pain her best friend endures as her parents starve her as punishment. The pain of a dangerous boy whose mother has to be carried away by law enforcement on a regular basis.

She gets it. She feels the pain of others as if it were her own.

But when a mysterious man claiming to be her long lost brother appears with promises of relieving her suffering, trusting him could reveal more truths than Madison is ready for. Because the truth can hurt, too.

About the Author
Emily Mah Tippetts writes romance under the name E.M. Tippetts and science fiction and fantasy under the name Emily Mah. Originally from New Mexico, she now lives in London with her family. Before she was a published author, she was an attorney who specialized in real estate, contracts, and estate planning, especially literary estate planning.

You can contact the author by:

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter

FIVE FACTS ABOUT LOVE IN DARKNESS PART 2

By: E.M. Tippetts

· The love of Alex’s life is Madison Lukas, one of the prettiest and most popular girls at their high school. He’s convinced that she’d never settle for a life with a mentally ill man, and feels he’s doing her a favor by letting her go.

· While I was writing this book, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) changed the ages that its members can serve missions. I had to rewrite the beginning accordingly.

· Kailie Beale was the character everyone loved to hate in Castles on the Sand, but in this book, she’s one of the heroes. Most people grow up eventually, and she’s no exception.

· This book, and every book I write, features an Evol Burrito somewhere in its pages. Evol Foods is owned in part by my sister and brother-in-law (and they’re fantastic burritos. I have a freezer full of them, and no, I don’t get them for free ;-)

· I’ve never deep fried an Evol Burrito like my characters do in these Shattered Castles books. Author Caisey Quinn says she may or may not have, and has warned me not to try it. Apparently they really are addictive. (Even a deep fryer is beyond my very limited cooking skills, though. Just rolling a burrito is about my limit.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You can follow the tour to see reviews, guest posts, and excerpts by clicking here

Book Blitz: Wuther by V.J. Chambers

Wuther by V.J. Chambers 
Publication date: July, 2013 
Genre: New Adult Retelling

Synopsis:
This new adult retelling of Wuthering Heights is intended for mature readers due to explicit sexual content and coarse language.

Instead of storms tearing through Yorkshire moors, the sounds of '90s grunge rock whisper through backwoods American cornfields...

And give new life to the Bronte characters you love to hate.

A gypsy orphan, Heath Galloway adores Cathy Earnshaw, his childhood sweetheart. He would do anything to protect her from her drunken, abusive father--even push the man down a flight of stairs to stop him hitting her.

But with her father dead, Cathy's older brother Matt runs the Earnshaw farm and both of their lives. And Matt despises Heath. Forced to drop out of school and work the fields, Heath is separated from Cathy and the two begin to drift apart.

When Cathy meets the rich, blond, and suave Eli Linton, she finds herself torn between Eli's charm and Heath's brute potency.

Fiercely proud and stubborn, Heath doesn't take well to being brushed aside. He'll get what he wants, or he'll get revenge. No matter how long it takes.

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

About the Author:

V. J. Chambers likes bad boys, but she likes them to be actual bad boys, not misunderstood weaklings who cover up their emotional scars with a thin veneer of pretend bad-boy-ness.
She likes to tackle difficult philosophical questions. She likes to push fiction to the edge, to go just a little farther.
She writes stories about difficult people living difficult lives in difficult situations. Usually, there’s magic. Or monsters. Or space. Or gun fights. A lot of times, there’s also L-O-V-E. (Or at least uncomfortable conversations about sex.)

She’s the author of the Jason and Azazel series and many other stories for teens and adults. She lives in Shepherdstown, WV with her boyfriend Aaron and their cat.

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

“A compound of vulgar depravity and unnatural horrors.”

“Burn Wuthering Heights.”

“Wuthering Heights is a strange sort of book, yet, it is impossible to begin and not finish it; and quite as impossible to lay it aside afterwards and say nothing about it.”

“In Wuthering Heights the reader is shocked, disgusted, almost sickened by details of cruelty, inhumanity, and the most diabolical hate and vengeance.”

“Heathcliff… a creature in whom every evil passion seems to have reached a gigantic excess.”

Thus read the reviews of Wuthering Heights when it was first released in December 1847. It was obvious that Emily Bronte had written something polarizing. Some people were disgusted with the book. Others were impressed with it.

It was horrifying but fascinating. And I think if the book is read today, the same phenomenon occurs. The characters in the book are intriguing, but they are also difficult to, well, like.

No character is more difficult than Heathcliff himself. Even Emily Bronte’s sister Charlotte was made uncomfortable by Heathcliff. She wrote that Heathcliff’s love for Cathy was “a sentiment fierce and inhuman.” She called Heathcliff an “evil genius.” To Charlotte, Heathcliff’s “ever-suffering soul… dooms him to carry Hell with him wherever he wanders.”

Is Heathcliff tortured and damaged like a modern-day romance hero? You betcha.

Is Heathcliff the titular bad boy, the one whose masculine power is absorbing and exciting? Oh, heck, yes.
Heathcliff is a character unlike any that we’ve seen before, but he’s not completely foreign to us. He has aspects of a hero, but he also has aspects of a villain. We root for Heathcliff as he struggles to overcome the class barriers that keep him from marrying Cathy. We feel sorry for him when he is beaten by Hindley. And we are utterly caught up in his passion, his deep love for Cathy. But at the same time, Heathcliff disturbs and frightens us. He’s violent. He’s cruel. He’s obsessed with revenge. And he seems irredeemable.

When I set out to retell Wuthering Heights, I wanted to capture that with my book. I took some pretty heavy liberties with Bronte’s tale, but my goal was always to be able to provide the kinds of characters that she does—confusing, deep, real characters, full of flaws but still captivating.

A retelling can never truly hope to encapsulate the brilliance of the original, so I know that my book is not even close the masterpiece of Wuthering Heights. But I hope that my Heath is absorbing. I hope that he inspires your pity and your anger. And I hope you fall in love with him just a little bit, despite how awful he is. 

Drowning In You: Guest Post & Giveaway

Drowning In You by Rebecca Berto

Publication date: April 12th 2013 

Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance

Synopsis: 
Secretly crushing.

Crushed by a tragedy.

Charlee May’s been crushing on Dexter Hollingworth since she was fifteen. Five years later, a horrific skiing disaster at Mason’s Ski Lift Resort leaves her millionaire dad critically injured and her mom dead at the hands of Dexter operating the lifts. Charlee is suddenly the sole caretaker for her little brother while their world falls apart. 

Dexter couldn’t be more different from Charlee. He’s tattooed, avoids exclusive relationships and his Dad has a fair share of illegal dealings. With Dexter’s reputation, almost everyone believes he planned the Mason’s skiing disaster.

And after all these years he’s still crushing on Charlee May, the girl who’s too good for him.

When this cruel twist of fate ties Charlee’s family and Dexter’s reputation together, Charlee and Dexter wonder if their feelings are reciprocated, while Dexter discovers his dad is trying to steal the May’s millionaire fortune. 

But like an addiction, one look, one touch, one taste—they’re hooked no matter the consequences.

Best New Adult fiction

It’s a given. I guestimate that New Adult novels take up over 50% of my reading and being the New Adult junkie I am, I wrote a little book called Drowning in You. I remember what made me write it: Beautiful Disaster and Easy.

New Adult has a special place with me. When I wrote the first draft of Drowning in You, I was 21. I’m now 22 and these characters in these sorts of books are around my age and though I’m more of a mature, old woman inside than some part-animal freak, they’re going through a similar stage of life as I was at that stage: discovering love, life, careers—what is my purpose?

So, I wanted to share my favorite New Adult literature. Some are wildly popular, selling 500,000+ copies and some are lesser known, but after reading them, all deeply touched me. All 5+ stars in my eyes.

And, no. I won’t do a ten to one countdown because I can’t order my favorites. Sheesh!

Here are my equal favs:

Beautiful Disaster, Jamie McGuire

This book was loved or hated because of Travis’ bad ways and Abby’s acceptance of him. For me, when I still have a book hangover nine months after reading said book, I know it’s a special one. I loved Travis as per so many others in the female population.

Easy, Tammara Webber

One of the first ever New Adult books I read, and what an introduction to the genre! Lucas is one of my top book boyfriends, and I so adore the mixture of not only sexual chemistry between Lucas and Jacqueline, but also the emotional punch this story delivers and the serious message behind it all.

[Anything by Colleen Hoover], Colleen Hoover

Need I explain myself? All three of Colleen’s novels—Slammed, Point of Retreat and Hopeless—are standouts in fiction. I find myself saying “butterflying” and “I live you” in my life when non-book-junkies think I’m simply crazy. Colleen has wormed in her way as part of my life.

The Edge of Never, J.A. Redmerski

Part of the wonder of this book is the slow, creeping-up-on-you romance. It changes from contemporary to romance to almost erotic to break-your-heart and by the end, author Jessica had drained all my emotions. I was so connected to Andrew and Cam’s story.

Ten Tiny Breaths, K.A. Tucker

What a creeper! I put off this book for no reason for almost half a year. God, I wasted so much time! *sulks* Author Kathleen has a way of writing some serious punch across many platforms. I laughed (even snorted), cried, and had to turn on my fan for many of hot, hot scenes.

(Thompson Sisters series), Charles Sheehan-Miles

This man can write like a woman. Better than most women! It’s strange, in retrospect, that I realized two of the strongest female characters I’ve ever read are written by a male author in both his books in the series, Just Remember to Breathe and A Song for Julia. Lovee.

           

The Sea of Tranquility, Katja Millay

Blew me away. I couldn’t think straight for days? Weeks? I pre-ordered the paperback, like, 130 days before publication. Josh and Nastya are two of my favorite characters both separately and together. TSoT made me ugly cry and after much torture, awwww.

The Enchanted Orchards, Kristin Maddock

I found this little book on a random Amazon search for a romantic literary novel. Like I do with Hopeless, I can’t help but rant and suggest (force) my bookish friends read this. It’s told in a direct style and a poetic voice that had me in love with it from the prologue.

(The Dark Duet series), C.J. Roberts

What a cruel human being. I am disgusted in myself since becoming a C.J. Roberts fan. I love Caleb, the torturer. I like the hot, erotic scenes with him and the beautiful, Olivia. I love everything, which hurts a damn lot considering C.J. loves to torture her readers. Gawd! Just wow.

Charade, Nyrae Dawn

Did NOT expect to cry and fall in love with this book in any way as significantly as I did. Chey and Colt turn out to be such an amazing couple from what started out as lies. It turns from fun, to heart-breaking and romantic and definitely gave me a similar OMG-I-adore feeling as The Edge of Never did.

***

If I may be so bold, I’d recommend Drowning in You for fans of Hopeless and Charade, as it gave me a similar feeling when I wrote it. :)

Goodreads ~ Amazon (paperback) ~ Amazon (Kindle) ~ Smashwords ~ Kobo

About the Author:

Rebecca Berto is the author or the dark contemporary/literary novella, PRECISE and the upcoming new adult contemporary romance novel, DROWNING IN YOU. She is also a freelance editor.

She writes stories that are a bit sexy, and straddle the line between Literary and Tear Your Heart Out. She gets a thrill when her readers  are emotional reading her stories, and gets even more of a kick when they tell her so. She’s strangely imaginative, spends too much time on her computer, and is certifiably crazy when she works on her fiction.
Rebecca Berto lives in Melbourne, Australia with her boyfriend and their doggy. 

You can contact the author by:

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter 

a Rafflecopter giveaway