Blog Tour! Island Captive by Fossbrook & Cole

Posted on October 21, 2015 by Rock Hard Romance

ISLAND CAPTIVES

Fossbrook & Cole

Release Date: October 19^th, 2015

Cover Designer: J.C. Clarke

Genre: Erotic Adventure Romance

Goodreads
TBR

BLURB

Mollie
Wan-Chu, pretty and academic University Student, wins a place on the reality TV
show “Shipwrecked Survivor.” Filled with gleeful excitement she
prepares for her time in the exotic sunshine of Potomac Island.

When
she first arrives, the idyllic vision that has existed in her mind’s eye
becomes the reality, however the desire that builds in C4TV cameraman Pete and
her co-islander Neil, ensures that the perfection soon gives way to a game of
sexual domination in which Mollie becomes the unwitting subject.

Will
Mollie survive the attempts to humiliate and hurt her or will she break down
and be sent home in shame …

Island Captives Book Trailer

Purchase Link

Facebook Release Day Party

Island Captives Party

AUTHOR’S COMBINED BIO

Fossbrook & Cole are a writing duo comprised of a mystery man
only known as Fossbrook and NJ Cole. Residing in the UK, Fossbrook enjoys
writing the darker side of life. NJ Cole, author of over half a dozen erotic
books, has an eclectic writing style. When Fossbrook & Cole get together is
a combination of fire and ice. Only it’s hard to tell which is the fire and
which is the ice.

STALK LINKS

NJ Cole

Fossbrook

It’s A Mystery

Hosted by

Alpha Book Club, PR

Everything I left Unsaid by M. O’Keefe

Posted on October 20, 2015 by Rock Hard Romance

Everything I left Unsaid

5** Review

Purchase Everything I Left Unsaid: A Novel

I didn’t think answering someone else’s cellphone would change my life. But the stranger with the low, deep voice on the other end of the line tempted me, awakened my body, set me on fire. He was looking for someone else. Instead he found me.

And I found a hot, secret world where I felt alive for the first time.

His name was Dylan, and, strangely, he made me feel safe. Desired. Compelled. Every dark thing he asked me to do, I did. Without question. I longed to meet him, but we were both keeping secrets. And mine were dangerous. If I took the first step, if I got closer to Dylan—emotionally, physically—then I wouldn’t be hiding anymore. I would be exposed, with nothing left to surrender but the truth. And my truth could hurt us both.

Emma received a Netgalley arc in exchange for honest review.

I would say the best way to read this book is BLIND. Don’t read any reviews (including mine although it’s spoiler free, I hope!), don’t read the synopsis… Just read it!

I loved this book! It’s a contender for top read of 2015 for me!

Cake for breakfast…check!

Skinny dipping….check!

Hot phone sex…check!

Annie McKay is a woman on the run. She’s running from an abusive, controlling husband. After finding herself in The Flowered Manor, a run down trailer park with an old converted RV she feels a semblance of safety. At peace with herself after so many years of being controlled.

“No one missed me. Or worried. Or wondered. I’d vanished and the world just kept spinning.”

Dylan Daniels lives on the mountain he owns, a life of solitude. One phone call between him and Annie change everything. He find’s himself drawn to Annie, breaking all his rules…intrigued by her meekness, he wants to break her out of her shell.

“Daniels was the beast. He was the bad guy in the stories. Some other asshole could be the hero, save the day and get the girl.”

Their story progresses at the perfect pace. Without giving too much away, Annie and Dylan don’t actually lay eyes on each other until about three quarters of the way through the book. Their relationship is based solely on phone calls until then. That being said every single moment and encounter between them is rife with want, longing and need.

“In her voice he could hear every dark and forbidden thing she craved. And he wanted to give it to her.”

“The distance between us throbbed. With anger. With lust. Questions and huge fucking secrets.”

“Now what?”
“Now, take off your clothes.”

Secondary characters play a huge part in this story. Who is Ben? Why does Dylan employ someone to watch him? Is Joan everything she seems? Tiffany the woman in the trailer by the Rhododendron bush? They all have their own person hardships, financial struggles, drama, past, secrets but still M. O’Keefe has created a community within the trailer park. Without seeing that community, I think the story wouldn’t of been as good for me.

I found myself wondering, only a page or two into Everything I left Unsaid… why have I never heard of M. O’Keefe before? Rest assured I have now added more books to my TBR (like I really had to!). She previously published with Mills & Boon under Molly O’Keefe and has books dating back to at least 2008 on amazon.

So a summary… A quick roundup of Everything I Left Unsaid, if that’s possible.

Discovery. Community. Cake for Breakfast. Skinny Dipping. Lust. Want. Need. Hot. Steamy. Some of the best phone sex, I’ve ever read.

Cliffhanger!

Yes, it ends on one hell of a cliffhanger. Book Two The Truth About Him is releasing November 24th. I’ve had the pleasure of reading book two already and can’t wait to share my review with you!

“This is what it’s like between two liars, baby.”

A note from Emma: due to illness review is late, Everything I left unsaid was released October 13th.

Review: Alasdair (Masters Among Monsters 1) by Ella Frank (4.5*)

Posted on October 20, 2015 by Rock Hard Romance

Alasdair is not for the faint hearted. It is a paranormal erotic Male/Male romance. It also features scenes of M/M/M, M/F and F/F. Please do not read if you feel you may be offended by the content.

Alasdair by Ella Frank

4.5 Stars!

Release Date: October 13th (Purchase link below)

Alasdair (Masters Among Monsters Book 1)

A DANGEROUS ALLURE
Bestowed with eternal life by the Ancient Vasilios, Alasdair Kyriakous is one of the most feared and ruthless vampires in existence. His name carries weight across all of the seven continents.

But he is a mystery to his kind, an anomaly among the self-indulgent. While he enjoys the pleasures of the flesh, he is exceptionally particular in his choice of partners and prides himself on his ironclad self-control.

Yet with one look his control will become a thing of the past, and Alasdair will discover that eternal life doesn’t always last forever…

A DEADLY ATTRACTION
Thrust into a world he could never have imagined, Leo Chapel awakens in his worst nightmare. Taken hostage by the dangerously mesmerizing vampire, Alasdair, Leo must rely on his intelligence to escape before he reveals a secret he isn’t even aware he’s hiding.

A FORBIDDEN DESIRE
Unaware that they’ve been brought together by an outside force and are little more than pawns to a higher power, Alasdair and Leo spend time trying to uncover the other’s secrets, the attraction between them growing stronger all the while.

But enemies are watching and preparing to act against them. When decisions that will alter lives and destinies have to be made—can a dead, grey heart learn to beat again?

Emma was provided with an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I knew nothing when I picked up this arc. Again I judged a book by it’s cover, and of course Ella Frank’s Name. It wasn’t until Shaz mentioned ‘some new M/M paranormal vampirey type book’ (yes i may be taking liberties with how she actually described it!) that I realised she was taking about Alasdair.

Greek mythology, vampires, and sizzling hot sex. Intrigued? As you should be.

“An arrogant as fuck smile stretched across Alasdair’s lips, and he went from sexy to downright fucking dangerous in seconds.”

Alasdair was erotic from the get-go, but strangely it wasn’t all about sex. Erotic? yes, Full of sex? no. Never thought I’d see the day,

I was turned on: tingling from my head to my toes and of course it includes all the important parts, but at times I found myself giggling…. yes, giggling. Like a teenager, a centuries old vampire going by the name of Alasdair had me giggling like a 14 year old with her first crush.

“You get a perverse kind of pleasure out of this, don’t you?”
“Out of?”
“My confusion. My fear. It turns you on, right? What kind of sick fuck are you?”
“Is that a trick question? I’m not a person, Leonidas. I’m vampire. That’s the kind of sick fuck I am.”

Ella managed to maintain the focus on the Alasdair and Leonidas while building a world of intriguing secondary characters: Isadora, Elias, Vasilios and Thanos, around them all without ever having it be too much. You get a little more of their world piece by piece but it doesn’t interfere, if anything it makes everything better! I loved the dynamic of the ongoing story lines with secondary characters.

Everyone has their own take on vampires, and their creation. I loved how Ella has managed to wrap Greek mythology into such a sexy, stunning story.

Book two will focus on different characters while continuing to build on the story that began in Alasdair. I’m hooked. Addicted. I’m pretty sure I shed a tear when I realised I had finished.

I. Need. More!

A note from Emma: Due to illness my review is late, Alasdair was released October 13th.

Scattered Ashes by Annie Anderson (4.5*)

Posted on October 19, 2015 by Rock Hard Romance

Arc given in exchange for honest review by Shaz

Release Date: October 27th

Pre-Order Link Below.

Aurelia Constantine is having a rough century.
Plagued by visions of murder, death and destruction, she has resigned herself to the nightmare her life has become. When an enemy from her past comes to her rescue, she must let go of old wounds and heal the breach so she may survive the evil poisoning her mind.

Rhys Stevens is guilty.
Murder. Betrayal. Treason. Take your pick; he’s guilty of them all. On the path of redemption, he must beg for forgiveness from the one person he fought to save – the woman he has always loved.

Thrown together in the trenches of war, they must work as a team to stop a monstrous puppet master from pulling their strings.

Ashes, ashes. We all fall down.
Get ready to burn.

Scattered Ashes (Ashes to Ashes Book 1)

I didn’t know what to expect going into this book. It’s been a long time since I’ve read a paranormal romance but what a pleasant surprise this book was.

We escape into a world full or Phoenixes, Wraiths and Seers, there we find Aurelia and Rhys who are bound together beyond their control. Aurelia hates Rhys, or does she? She has every reason too, but not everything is what it seems. There are two sides to every story after all.

Aurelia and Rhys must now stand together to fight an enemy that threatens to destroy them both. As they uncover the true depravity of their enemy and her reach,they also uncover their true feelings for each other.

There is a lot of detail in this book and I am in awe of Annies imagination and her ability to convey the images she creates. Many of the elements were new to me but she is able to explain them in a way that is understandable to new readers of this genre.

I really enjoyed the contemporary feel to this novel too and the strong female lead. She is very likable and doesn’t take any shit.

“When I said ready the safe house, I did not mean call every warrior and their brother to come guard us. I meant turn the lights and the hot tub on and get some booze. What the shit is going on?”

In fact, there are elements of humour throughout that bring light relief.
“There is nothing wrong with you,” Rhys tells Aurelia. “You are strong and beautiful, and I’m fucking lucky to have you. I just need to buy stock in fire extinguishers. No big,”

All in all this is a thoroughly enjoyable read and I look forward to the next installment now that I have been introduced into her world.

Shelter by Ashley John (5**)

Posted on October 19, 2015 by Rock Hard Romance

Fresh from his fourth stint in rehab, Elias James doesn’t have much to live for. His relationship with his family has never been so strained and with no real life of his own, he has nothing to live for. His overachieving twin sister and his ruthless mother’s political success as Mayor of Havenmoore has left him empty. Getting high started as an act of rebellion but the addiction soon controlled his every waking moment.

Aspiring writer, Caden Walker, thought he had the perfect life until he discovered his boyfriend in bed with his best friend. Leaving everything behind in New York, he returns to Havenmoore to re-evaluate his life from his parent’s guest bedroom. When his mom offers him a job working for the charity she runs, helping people struggling with addiction, he’s not in a position to turn it down.

Caden never expected to find what he did, but when he is assigned to work with Elias, a reluctant attraction quickly blossoms into something deeper. Can Elias find in Caden the one thing he’s always searched for or will his addiction drag him under once again? Is Caden ready to let go of his New York dream to take a chance on something unexpected? Both men are faced with difficult times of change, but can they make it through the storm to find the shelter?

Shelter

“You make me feel safe.You make me feel calm and you make me feel normal.It’s like your’re Shelter from all the things that make me bad…”

This is the fifth book by Ashley John that I (Vicki) have read and it will not be the last. Shelter is such a well written, emotional M/M read and yet it is so much more. The character’s are believable and I was drawn into the story right from the start, and the Epilogue was perfect for their HEA. I don’t want to go into too much of how their story unfolds-but I will say this, Elias had no self-worth, thinking he has nothing to live for, his initial struggle to cope outwith his fourth rehab stint for cocaine addiction.

I was angry at the ways and lengths his mother the Mayor of Havenmoore went to make sure no one knew of her son’s existence-only his twin sister Ellie being more acceptable for Public knowledge. Caden, who tired to resist his attraction to Elias, the inevitable finally happening resulting in both male leads finding something that was missing in each other, was tastefully done yet not making it the main focus.

For me this story is more about healing, repairing relationships between brother and sister, finding the strength to confront the one who has used their power to control situations and finding the unconditional love and respect deserved.

It is an absolute must read and is worthy of more than 5*’s

You can find out more about Ashley John HERE!

Note from Emma (Tech Rockette): Apologies for this review being posted later than promised on the website, I’ve been poorly sick and am only now just catching up!

November Releases

Posted on October 14, 2015 by Rock Hard Romance

There’s so many amazing releases coming in November.

Click the pictures below to pre-order!

November 1st

November 3rd

November 4th

November 10th

Reap (Scarred Souls 2) is also released November 10th. Pre-Order Here!

November 16th

November 17th

November 24th

Hold Me Close by Megan Hart is released November 24th: Pre-Order Here!

The Harder You Fall(Original Heartbreakers, book 4) by Gena Showalter is also released: Pre-Order Here!

November 30th

Lev by Belle Aurora (5*)

Posted on October 8, 2015 by Rock Hard Romance

Reviewed by Shaz

No Preorder available.

Release date TBA.

From the moment Lev Leokov spots the young woman hiding behind her hair in the middle of the gentleman’s club, he can’t take his eyes off of her.
For the very first time in his life, he is affected. Having been told his entire life that he can’t process or understand emotion, he considers it a big deal.

When Mina Harris gets caught red-handed with a wallet that isn’t hers, she falls apart. She’s tired, lonely and hasn’t eaten in days.

Lev offers her an ultimatum… A nice warm bed, a hot meal and a job, or the cops.

Mina takes her chances with Lev.
After all, a person with nothing has nothing left to lose.

***This book enters the world of the extended Leokov family which are introduced in Friend-Zoned, however, is unrelated…***

I kindly received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love Lev, plain and simple and I think I might have a girl crush on Mina too. I can’t tell you how much I loved this book. I sometimes feel bad when I leave 4 stars for a book I really liked but this is the reason I do it. For books like this, books that make me go “OMFG you have to read this”. Books that have me sitting up at 2am desperate for sleep but unable to part with the characters that the writer has made me fall in love with.
Lev is a beautiful flawed man. I don’t want to give too much away but I promise he will steal your heart.
“Love,” he advised gently, “is a doing word. And sometimes the people who least deserve it are the ones who need it the most.”

And Mina needs it.

Lev struggles to give himself over to her but her irrevocable love for him and the way she see’s him is a delight. She never falters or pushes him away and her journey into his heart is a pleasure to be part of.
‘Lev was a clink in my armour, a crack in my wall, and I just knew that if he really tried, I would open myself up to him completely in the hopes that he would do the same. I would do that for him. I would do that, because he was worthy’.

Her inner monolgue at times was also hilarious and not out of place or over used.
‘Where’s my damned kiss, Leokov?’

As always with Belle’s work the supporting characters are just as strong and she sets it up perfectly for what’s to come.

This is definitely a contender for my favourite book of the year and I can’t wait for the next installment from the Leokov Family.

Well Done Belle Aurora and thanks for the sleepless night. If you ever read this. Please can I be Lev’s penguin!!!!

Pretty When You Cry – Skye Warren (4*)

Posted on October 8, 2015 by Rock Hard Romance

Shaz was kindly provided an ARC in return for an honest review.
Release Date: October 20th.
No Pre-order available.

A new dark romance novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Wanderlust and Prisoner…

I came from a place of dirt floors and holy scriptures. They told me the world outside was full of sin, and the first night I escape, I find out it’s true. Ivan saves me, but he does more than that. He takes me. He makes me his own girl.

My conditioning runs too deep. Ivan sees what I am.

That’s the thing about showing a mouse to a cat. He wants to play. And it’s terrifying, even for me. Because the only thing darker than my past is his.

Skye Warren is a beautiful writer who isn’t afraid to guide you into the darkness, what’s more, she’ll make you want to stay there. Pretty When You Cry is the story of Candace. After growing up in a twisted religious community where her self esteem was stripped from her, she finally escapes and meets Ivan, being the terrified young girl she is,he takes her in and claims her for his own, all the while keeping her at arms length. Ivan is a hard man but it is obvious from the onset that he cares for Candace deeply.

There is no getting away from the fact he is down right mean to her a lot of the time but the reader is also aware that he would never let anyone harm her. Ivan holds Candy on a type of pedestal, denying himself the pleasure of her. Haunted by his own demons, Ivans dark and sometimes humiliating forms of play, inadvertently give Candace what she needs and build her up to be a strong, independent woman but now she wants more. She wants Ivan, all of him and she’s not going to settle for less.

Ivan is an intense and complex character and I would have loved to have delved further into his psyche, this book was crying out for Ivan’s POV, there were many times I would have loved to have known what he was thinking or why he did what he did and although this book is a standalone, I did wonder if there was more to come from Ivan.
All in all, this is a captivating read for lovers of dark romance and Skye does not disappoint.

Obscured by Tara Sue Me writing as Cat Waters (4*)

Posted on October 8, 2015 by Rock Hard Romance

Obscured was given to Emma through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Releasing October 12th 2015, pre-order link below.

There’s the truth you know….

At age 16, Athena Hamilton traded her body for survival when a powerful Vegas hotelier and pimp lured her into his world. Ten years of turning tricks has taught her to trust no one and feel nothing. Yet a chance meeting with a childhood crush sparks hope for something more.

The truth you believe…

There’s no way Isaiah Martin could want her. He’s a pastor. Too good. Too pure. But when she learns her days are numbered, she runs into the safety of his arms and trusts his promise of protection.

And the truth you never imagined…

The aftermath of a tragic accident and a bitter betrayal leaves her destitute and alone. The one man she shouldn’t trust offers her a chance to escape. But when good and evil collide, what do you do when the truth is Obscured? cover74815-medium

Obscured

I went into Obscured blind; I skimmed over the synopsis, the cover and Tara Sue Me was what drew me in.

Throughout the book there were twists and turns I never expected, it kept me wondering what would happen each time I turned the page. It was fast paced and quite enjoyable.

Athena Hamilton became a prostitute at 16 years old, after meeting Mike Randolph. After meeting an old friend 10 years later something within Athena breaks as she decides to run. This is when she find out the truth, truly is, obscured.

I found Athena to be a little bit flaky at times, but who can blame her when you read what she’s gone/going through. Her decisions at times had me shaking my head, thinking ‘you silly girl’.

Isaiah Martin, her old friend, tells her he is a pastor. When Athena makes the decision to leave, her path leads her to Isaiah once more. To begin with he was likable, a southern boy, all grown up, Athena can’t see he’s almost too good to be true.

There was a twist in the story, a good one in which Athena seemed to be on the way to getting her happy ever after.

Saying anymore would be a spoiler, so I’ll leave it there. Obscured was generally really good, 1* off for the flakiness of Athena and the fact it’s looking like a series but there was no mention of it.

Review Policy

Posted on October 7, 2015 by Rock Hard Romance

The Rockettes love to read, if we could we’d go without doing the washing or the cooking, alas we’re busy working mothers as well as readers. As you probably appreciate our TBR/Review lists are as long as our arms, so it’s not possible for us to read and review every request, we do look at each of them though.

If a book catches our eye then one of us at least will be able to read/review it.

We post reviews on Amazon, Goodreads and here on the blog. Facebook will have a small review with a link to the review here. Twitter will have a link to here too. We may or may not post on our personal social media accounts too.

Please email us at rockhardromances@gmail.com stating ‘Review request’ in the subject line. We would like the synopsis, goodreads or amazon links if possible and a small excerpt, to enable us to get a feel for your writing style. It would be great if you could give us some info about the book as well:

Genre? (Contemporary, Paranormal, Other?Is it YA, NA, Adult or Erotic)

Release date? (

Standalone or series? (If it’s a series is it following one storyline or interconnected, is there a cliffhanger, are there other books in the series out or when do you plan to release them?)

Is there anything in the book that may be considered Taboo? (Ménage, Cheating, step-siblings, more extreme BDSM/Fetishes)

Please also tell us if you would like one or all of us to read and review. (Choice not always guaranteed, but we will try)

It might seem like a lot to ask but it really helps us get a feel of the book and whether we may enjoy it or not.

Please note – We all have Kindle’s – mobi format is preferred. We will only post reviews for books that we review at 3 stars or more. If your book happens to fall below three stars we will email you privately and discuss our reasoning.

Thanks for taking the time to read through our review policy, we can’t wait to hear from you!

The Original RHRomance Rockettes.