Roses & Thorns

Roses & Thorns

Sunday, December 27, 2015

The Cinderella Body Club byJennifer Connor, Angela Ford, Sharon Kleve, & Amber Daulton

 
Blurbs:

The Cinderella Body Club is a new romance series of the timeless Cinderella story reimagined where four girlfriends make a wish on a locket. They all wish they were beautiful, and look like the girls they've always wanted to be—the belles of the ball.



Cinderella Had it Easy: Jennifer Conner

Cami works in the basement of a television station which airs history documentaries. With scars on her face that she acquired in a car accident as a child, Cami finds it easier to be by herself. She gets into a heated debate with the handsome new host of the show she'll be working on. Is Lance the knight in shining armor who can drag Cami out of her safe zone? With no carriage and no helpful mice, she has to rely on the magic from her grandmother's locket.

Cami only has twenty-four hours in her Cinderella body, what will she do with it? Will she keep hiding or can she learn how to live life?

Spellbound Cinderella: Angela Ford

Tess Andrews lacked self-confidence. She believed she was “Plain-Jane.” Her last date ended before it began when he asked if she'd set him up with one of her model clients. Tess owns a small employment agency. Some of her clients are models, which only make her insecurities worse. Internationally-famous model photographer, Parker Walsh, always leaves Tess speechless and in a rush to run and hide. She only does business with his assistant.

Her savior—Girls Night; once a week Tess gets together with her friends who are all in similar situations with no luck in love. One night they wish on a magical pendant to be that perfect girl they’d like to see in the mirror. They wake up in their “Cinderella Bodies”—sexy and better looking, but they only have until midnight to make the most of it. Her “Cinderella Body” boosts her confidence to invite Parker to lunch. He surprises her with an invite to his charity fashion show. Tess has everything for her magical night—her Prince, the dress, the shoes but she worries when the clock strikes twelve if he'll like the “real” her.

Second Chance Cinderella: Sharon Kleve

Raven St. James is a Phlebotomist in a prominent Portland, Oregon hospital. She is petite, with jet-back hair, green eyes, and extremely shy. She dreams of being like the nurses on the daytime hospital shows—perfect. Tall, blonde, blue eyed, with big breasts.

Dr. Quinn Taylor admires Raven's skill, and the caring she shows with her patients, but can't get her attention. Until the day she winks at him.
Raven only has twenty-four hours in her Cinderella body. What will she do with it? Will she become the confident, strong, flirty girl she wants to be? Will she get the guy she's always wanted? Dr. Quinn?

Cinderella's Enchanted Night: Amber Daulton

Annalise Gallagher wants Elijah Burleigh. Plain and simple. She's watched him from afar for months, and her friends call her “his own personal stalker.” Then she makes a wish on a magic pendant for a full-body makeover. Transformed into the gorgeous knockout she's always wanted to be, she asks Elijah out on a date and wears a haute couture gown straight from Paris to his friend's wedding.

With just twenty-four hours on the clock, her enchanted night fades into the morning hours and everything crashes down around her. Annalise harbors a shameful secret and Elijah demands the truth with the veil of magic gone.

The truth, however, could destroy her fragile confidence and push him away forever.

About the Authors:

Jennifer Connor: Jennifer Conner is a best-selling Northwest author who has over sixty short stories and books in ebook, print, and audiobooks. She lives in a hundred year old house that she grew up in. Her semi-small town holds an interesting mix of resident hillbillies, yuppies and Navy Seals.

Angela Ford: Angela Ford originates from Nova Scotia—“Canada’s Ocean Playground.” Her love of the ocean and sunsets are always in her heart and give her inspiration. Her love for words keeps her turning the page. She is never without a book, whether she’s reading or writing. Now residing in Ontario, Angela works in Finance—numbers by daywords by night.


Sharon Kleve: Sharon Kleve was born and raised in Washington and currently lives on the Olympic Peninsula with her husband. She’s a multi-published author of paranormal and contemporary romance. When not writing, she can usually be found either curled up in her recliner with her cat and a good book, or in the kitchen baking sourdough bread or bagels.

Amber Daulton: Her mind is a wonderland of romance and adventure, laughter and awesome ways of kicking a guy when he's down. She reads, writes and enjoys contemporary, paranormal and historical novels alike. Writing takes up most of her time, when not at her “tedious day job in the retail industry.” She states, “I probably wouldn't be too sane without my computer and notebooks. After all, what's a girl to do when there are people jabbering away in her head and it's hard to shut them up? Write! Nothing else works.”

Review by Rochelle:

The Cinderella Body Club was a collection of delightful romantic romps with well-drawn characters and a page-burning pace. It’s difficult to review these stories without spoilers. I think I’ll just say buy and read The Cinderella Body Club. It’ll make you feel good.

Heat Rating: R
Length: 220 Pages
Prices:
Print: $9.25
Digital: $2.99

Thanks for visiting. Donna, Julie, & Rochelle

Sunday, December 20, 2015

Broken and Damaged Love by T. L. Clarke



Blurb:

My name is Tina and this is my story.

In the fullness of time I have gone from victim to survivor of child abuse, but it was hard work getting there.

I am fortunate; I found good friends who helped me on my journey.

Read how my life was turned from one of horror to one of happiness.

Author’s note: This is a stand-alone work of fiction. It is a survivor story followed by a romance. It is different from my other books.

Without the darkness there is no light. So we go through the horrendous start to get to the happy ending. Tina eventually finds some lovely friends who have their own stories to tell.

I have written this to offer hope to survivors of child abuse, and to help inform the general public of the signs to watch out for. There is so much help out there; you can overcome your bad experiences.

Because it is for a good cause, this book will permanently be sold for 99c/99p (or equivalent in other currencies).

*My proceeds from the first month of Broken & Damaged Love’s sales will be donated to HAVOCA* **THIS WILL NOW BE EXTENDED; ALL MY PROCEEDS FROM THE SALE OF THIS BOOK UNTIL THE END OF 2015 WILL BE DONATED TO HAVOCA**

***Please note that due to the theme of child abuse and sexually explicit scenes, this book is recommended for readers of 18+***

I have named the chapters, so if you’re sensitive to certain bits/have triggers you should at least have a warning and the option to avoid the parts you really can’t face yet.

About the Author:

Hi,



I'm an indie author of romance novels. Each of my books is stand alone, so don't worry about reading them in any particular order. Just choose a theme which appeals to you. I'm writing about love from lots of different angles.

I have a full time job, so my writing can only happen in my little leisure time. Fortunately, I have a very supportive loving husband who ensures I'm still fed.

I really, truly appreciate every review that I get, so please do comment once you've read my work.

Review by Rochelle:

Broken and Damaged Love is, indeed, a serious book about serious subjects. It delves into the mind of a pedophile, his wife, and his victim. Tina’s abuse starts when she’s quite small and her mother works nights leaving her home alone with her father, who turns to her for the comfort and relief he’s not receiving from his wife. Of course, Tina doesn’t realize there’s anything wrong with the attention she receives from her father until her teacher starts explaining sex in Health class in school. That’s when she finally asks if it’s wrong for a child to do those things with an adult. The teacher realizes Tina must be asking the question because she’s a victim of sex abuse and whisks her down to the principal’s office.

That’s when the real nightmare begins. The saying “Ignorance is bliss” unfortunately is true in some cases. Tina’s classmates call her names; she has to face her father in court and testify against him. Her mother blames her for his ensuing incarceration and the poverty that results from the loss of income when he’s no longer able to run his computer consulting business from home.

Unable to trust men, Tina feels like a freak. It’s not until she becomes friends with Frank, a gay artist in college that she begins to heal. They share the stigma of being different, of having been hated and abused by their families, and of having been ostracized by their peers. Frank’s roommate Peter, a psych major, finally has the patience to erode Tina’s walls and bring true, healthy love into her life.

It’s a shame such an important book was self-published. Once again I was dizzied by head-hops and dismayed by grammar errors. I was also somewhat distracted by author’s notes warning readers when the narrative was getting heavy, but I understood that was there for people who have lived through such abuse and may not be able to read those chapters at this time. Were I such a victim, I’m sure I’d have appreciated the heads’ ups.

I also believe that since the proceeds are going to charity, the author could raise the price. I’m sure people wouldn’t mind paying another dollar or two for a good cause.

Heat Rating:  R+
Length:  207 Pages
Digital Price:  $0.99

Thanks for visiting. Donna, Julie, & Rochelle