#Review: Finding Gabriel by Rachel L. Demeter - 2.5 Wine Glasses

Title: Finding Gabriel
Author: Rachel L. Demeter
Format:  eBook
Published: August 27, 2015 by Momentum
ASIN: B00YLWA044
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Source: Netgalley
Reviewer: Kimberly
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 Wine Glasses

Colonel Gabriel de Laurent departed for the war intending to die.

After a decade of bloodstained battlegrounds while fighting in Napoleon's army, Gabriel returns to the streets of Paris a shattered and haunted soul. Plagued by inner demons, he swallows the barrel of his flintlock pistol and pulls the trigger.

But fate has a different plan.

Ariah Larochelle is a survivor. Orphaned at twelve and victim to a devastating crime, she has learned to keep her back to walls and to trust no one. But when she finds a gravely injured soldier washed up on the River Seine, she's moved by compassion. In spite of her reservations, she rescues him from the icy water and brings him into her home.

Now scarred inside and out, Gabriel discovers a kindred spirit in Ariah—and feelings he imagined lost forever reawaken as he observes her strength in the face of adversity. But when Ariah's own lethal secrets unfold, their new love is threatened by ancient ghosts. Can Gabriel and Ariah find hope in the wreckage of their pasts—or will the cycle of history repeat again?

Perfect for fans of Gaelen Foley's Lord of Ice and Judith James's Broken Wing, Finding Gabriel features all the dark romance, searing passion, and historical intrigue of The Phantom of the Opera and Les Misérables.

Kimberly’s Thoughts:
A soldier with nothing to lose has everything to sacrifice.

Wine Wednesday: Women and Prohibition

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Welcome to Wine Wednesday, where ever Wednesday you'll learn a fun and interesting fact about wine! Have a fact of your own? Join the fun and leave us a comment or a link to your own post!  

Fact:

Since wine tasting is essentially wine smelling, women tend to be better wine testers because women, particularly of reproductive ages, have a better sense of smell than men.

September's New Releases!!!

September is here! ☺ You know what that means....fall is a not-so-far-off dream, pumpkin spice will soon be everywhere, and new books are releasing!!!!

*This list may be added to throughout the month

1st

Hurt

by Rachel Van Dyken, Kristin Vayden, Elise Faber 

Kindle Edition

Published August 30th 2015 by Blue Tulip Publishing

ASINB014Q7PJSA

Enrapture by Rachel Van Dyken 

Trace is everything.

My freaking world.

And I would do anything to keep her safe.

But, I can't protect her from every kind of evil..and I can no longer keep the past a secret...

We were left folders.

Each one filled with the sins of our pasts.

And Traces grandfather just asked us to read his.

There was no preparation.

And now I'm wondering if I should have let the love of my life read it at all, because some things can't be unsaid, some words stay with us forever.

I know, from this day forward, nothing will ever be the same.

The Initiation by Kristin Vayden 

It wasn’t blood in…no out.

It was death the moment were initiated with the mob and a living hell from that moment on. I knew, because it was my hell. But I wanted…no I needed out.

I had watched it suck the life from my father till nothing was left but the ashes from betrayal, and I wanted more.

So I made a deal, one that got me shot. But the nurse made up for the injury—Daphne had always teased my dreams, out of reach but close enough to tease me with the fantasy of what if. But what if…was now my reality and there was no way I was giving it up.

So I called in a favor…to the Mafia.

Made a deal with the devil, to save my soul.

And if it works, I’ll die…so that I’ll have a chance at really living.

ICE by Elise Faber 

One night of weakness five years ago turned out to be the biggest mistake of Laila’s life.

The sex with her coworker, and then commander, Ryker had been hot. But the ensuing strain of having to work with him, having to see him seduce and sleep with other women tore her heart from her chest and crushed it beneath his military-grade boot.

Now they’re on a mission together and she’s running command. Her damaged heart would like to make him pay, but her body isn’t so sure, especially when Ryker apologizes and tries to make things right between them.

Can Laila put aside the past, if it means another chance — a real one this time — with Ryker? Or will those old wounds never heal? And when their mission goes awry, will they even survive to have a shot at that future? 

AMAZON 

#Review: The Highwayman by Kerrigan Byrne - 5 Wine Glasses

Title: The Highwayman
Series: Victorian Rebels #1
Author: Kerrigan Byrne
Format: Paperback & eBook, 384 pages
Published: September 1, 2015 by St. Martin’s
ASIN: B00TDRJ8CC
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Source: Netgalley
Reviewer: Kimberly
Rating: 5 out of 5 Wine Glasses

They’re rebels, scoundrels, and blackguards—dark, dashing men on the wrong side of the law. But for the women who love them, a hint of danger only makes the heart beat faster…

STEALING BEAUTY
Dorian Blackwell, the Blackheart of Ben More, is a ruthless villain. Scarred and hard-hearted, Dorian is one of London’s wealthiest, most influential men who will stop at nothing to wreak vengeance on those who’ve wronged him…and will fight to the death to seize what he wants. The lovely, still innocent widow Farah Leigh Mackenzie is no exception—and soon Dorian whisks the beautiful lass away to his sanctuary in the wild Highlands…

COURTING DESIRE
But Farah is no one’s puppet. She possesses a powerful secret—one that threatens her very life. When being held captive by Dorian proves to be the only way to keep Farah safe from those who would see her dead, Dorian makes Farah a scandalous proposition: marry him for protection in exchange for using her secret to help him exact revenge on his enemies. But what the Blackheart of Ben More never could have imagined is that Farah has terms of her own, igniting a tempestuous desire that consumes them both. Could it be that the woman he captured is the only one who can touch the black heart he’d long thought dead?　

Kimberly’s Thoughts:

Happy Book Birthday to Hurt Anthology by Rachel Van Dyken, Kristin Vayden and Elise Faber

Hurt
by Rachel Van Dyken, Kristin Vayden, Elise Faber 
Kindle Edition
Published August 30th 2015 by Blue Tulip Publishing
ASINB014Q7PJSA

Enrapture by Rachel Van Dyken 

Trace is everything.
My freaking world.
And I would do anything to keep her safe.
But, I can't protect her from every kind of evil..and I can no longer keep the past a secret...
We were left folders.
Each one filled with the sins of our pasts.
And Traces grandfather just asked us to read his.
There was no preparation.
And now I'm wondering if I should have let the love of my life read it at all, because some things can't be unsaid, some words stay with us forever.
I know, from this day forward, nothing will ever be the same.


The Initiation by Kristin Vayden 

It wasn’t blood in…no out.
It was death the moment were initiated with the mob and a living hell from that moment on. I knew, because it was my hell. But I wanted…no I needed out.
I had watched it suck the life from my father till nothing was left but the ashes from betrayal, and I wanted more.
So I made a deal, one that got me shot. But the nurse made up for the injury—Daphne had always teased my dreams, out of reach but close enough to tease me with the fantasy of what if. But what if…was now my reality and there was no way I was giving it up.
So I called in a favor…to the Mafia.
Made a deal with the devil, to save my soul.
And if it works, I’ll die…so that I’ll have a chance at really living.


ICE by Elise Faber 

One night of weakness five years ago turned out to be the biggest mistake of Laila’s life.
The sex with her coworker, and then commander, Ryker had been hot. But the ensuing strain of having to work with him, having to see him seduce and sleep with other women tore her heart from her chest and crushed it beneath his military-grade boot.
Now they’re on a mission together and she’s running command. Her damaged heart would like to make him pay, but her body isn’t so sure, especially when Ryker apologizes and tries to make things right between them.
Can Laila put aside the past, if it means another chance — a real one this time — with Ryker? Or will those old wounds never heal? And when their mission goes awry, will they even survive to have a shot at that future? 

AMAZON 

EXCERPT FROM ENRAPTURE:

Happy Book Birthday to 9 Ways to Fall by Lexi Ryan, Erin Noelle, Tia Louise, and more! (#Giveaway)

**GET IT BEFORE IT'S GONE--SET WILL DISAPPEAR ON OCTOBER 1, 2015**

9 Ways to Fall: An Exclusive Collection of NINE Red-Hot Romances by bestselling authors, featuring Alpha Males, Fighters, Rock-Stars, Movie Stars, Sexy Bad Boys and more
by Lexi Ryan, Kaylee Ryan, H.J. Bellus, Cambria Hebert, Aly Martinez, Erin Noelle, Tessa Teevan, Ilsa Madden-Mills, Tia Louise
Kindle Edition
Expected publication: August 31st 2015 by TLM Productions LLC
ASINB013Z367XM

Head Back to School with NINE COMPLETE (Full-Length) Romances from New York Times, USA Today, and Bestselling authors NEVER BEFORE in ONE Boxed Set!!!  NINE new book boyfriends are all here to make you sigh, swoon, and switch panties as you head back to school (or kiss the kids and send them out the door! *wink*)

INCLUDING:

UNBREAK ME, by Lexi Ryan: Returning home to be a bridesmaid in her ex-fiancé's wedding to her sister, Maggie Thompson, a 21-year old college-dropout, hopes to salvage her long-tarnished reputation and strained relationship with her family. Instead, she finds herself caught in a web of secrets and deception between the man who once promised to fix her and the sexy ex-rocker who gives her permission to break.

LEVITATE by Kaylee Ryan: Just when you think you've got it all figured out, you realize your puzzle is unfinished. With one touch you find a piece you never thought you needed. The piece that makes you Levitate.

BLUE by HJ Bellus: Blue Williams shines no matter the circumstance, until one night changes her forever. The beauty is gone, and all she has left are nasty, ugly memories. The man who saved her has a story of his own, with 90 percent of his body scarred. What happens when the Beauty falls for the Beast?

TATTOO by Cambria Hebert: An undercover cop on vacation, a bank teller just doing her job, and a group of bank robbers waiving a gun around. Just when Brody and Taylor think they'll make it out a tattoo changes everything.

FIGHTING SILENCE by Aly Martinez: I spent my life dodging the punches reality threw at me. I had worthless parents and two brothers who depended on me. Meeting the love of my life at age thirteen was never part of my plan--neither was gradually going deaf at the age of twenty-one. They both happened anyway.

SPARK by Erin Noelle: Desperate to improve his younger brother's worsening condition, Crew Elliott and his family decide to turn to unconventional treatments and move to Colorado. It is there, in the search for medical marijuana, he finds beautiful, free-spirited Hudson Shavell--a girl who may not only hold the key to heal his brother, but to fix him as well.

COMBUST by Tessa Teevan: When Virgin Queen Andi Kane meets Cohen Wellington, she's sure he's The One... She's never been more wrong. Three years later, he's the man she never wants to see again, she's the one who got away, and this time, despite her protests, he's not letting her go without a fight.

VERY TWISTED THINGS by Ilsa Madden-Mills: He's a rock star with a past. She's the heiress who's lost everything. Welcome to Briarcrest Academy--Hollywood style--where sometimes the best things in life are VERY TWISTED THINGS.

ONE TO LOVE by Tia Louise: Fighting, tattoos, fame, love, LOSS... It's the one thing Kenny and Slayde have in common, until the night Fate throws them together and everything changes. It's a story about fighting, about falling in love; and it's about losing everything only to find it again in the least likely place.

AMAZON | B&N