Release Blitz: Worlds Apart by Holly Mortimer

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Synopsis: Samantha Lane is one of the world’s highest paid actresses, but underneath all the fame and fortune, she’s living a lie. Her love life is non-existent. Her bio is completely made up and to top it all off, she’s reached the ultimate in celebrity status. She’s got herself a stalker. Now filming a career changing movie in Ireland, she’s fighting to take back control of her life before the world finds out just what a fake she really is. Brennan O’Brien has returned to his Irish roots to raise a daughter he never knew existed and to dig the family’s pub out from the brink of bankruptcy. He has no time for spoiled actresses, lunatic stalkers or meddling friends and family, and has vowed to never give his heart to another woman. Unfortunately, he now lives in the land of magic, folklore, and hopeless romantics and will have to decide if he can resist the pull of Samantha Lane or give in to her maddening allure. Follow Sam and Brennan’s twisted path to true love, where these jaded souls test the limits of fate to find a way to come together and overcome their pasts to discover the truth about who they really are and what they really need.

*NOTE* While Worlds Apart can be read as a standalone, it is book #3 in The Sisters series.

 

Worlds Apart – Excerpt

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Saving you.”

“Pray tell, from what? The evil leprechaun who lives in your pub?”

He continued dragging me out to my car, as if I hadn’t spoken. We stopped at my SUV and he looked extremely uncomfortable and royally pissed off about something.

I dug around in my purse for my errant keys, counting the seconds until I could escape this never ending nightmare. “Well, thanks for saving me from whatever you were saving me from. I gotta run now.”

I unlocked the door and went to get in when he spun me around and caged me up against the side with his hands. “Brennan, what the—”

He silenced me with a growl and a punishing kiss. I was so surprised, I gasped and he took advantage of my open mouth to deepen the kiss with his tongue. His beard gently scratched and sparked across my skin, awakening feelings in me that had long since gone dormant. My hands instinctively went to his chest to try to push him off, but it was then he changed tactics and moved to my neck. My area of weakness. My Achilles heel but on my neck, if you will. Oh, he did not fight fair. Whatever the hell he was up to, he was in for it if he thought he could silence me with a kiss. A damn fine, hot as hell kiss, but still. The righteous indignation was spilling out of me. Ha, I was a great liar, turned amazing actress and now I was even trying to fool myself. I was into the kiss. No doubt about it. The heat spreading from ground zero was all the proof I needed.

He came back to my mouth with an aggression that was intense and angry. Abruptly, he ended the kiss, pushed away from me, turned on his heel and walked away without a single sound coming from that luscious mouth. I was so stunned that I didn’t move a muscle or say a word, but lifted my hand to touch lips that I was sure were red and swollen and scratched all to hell.

I slowly turned and got in my car, started it and carelessly peeled out of the parking lot, not caring where in the world I was going, just trying to get somewhere where my life made sense.

Buy Links for Worlds Apart (The Sisters, #3):
 
 

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Synopsis: Georgina has built herself a quiet life following the tragic death of her husband. She moved to LA to start her life over and has no intentions of ever falling in love again. Her hermit existence and passion for reading and writing romance have driven her to fear the real world, but while out on a forced blind date she accidentally meets Finn Lowry. Kind, sensitive, funny and voted one of 2014’s hottest actors, he’s hard to resist, not to mention, totally out of her league. In order to keep her promise to herself, she needs to steer clear of him at all costs.

Finn sets out to pull Georgina back to the surface, showing her it is possible for her to find love again after living with a heart on lock down for so long. Humor, persistence and life in the limelight come together with Finn to conspire to show Georgina the way to her heart. Can she let go of her old insecurities and avoid Finn’s fans for long enough to let him get through to her?

Buy Links for Blindsided (The Sisters, #1):
 
 
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Synopsis: FRANKIE
The only thing I crave is a peaceful existence. I’m scared, I’m tired and I just want to wake up each day not afraid of him finding me. What I never wanted to find was Hardy Hanson. Turns out, cravings, once fed, morph into something different. I couldn’t ignore the need he awakened in me, but giving into it would mean only one thing. We would both go up in flames.

HARDY
When I’m in, I’m all in. I was born to protect and my second chance at redemption came when I crashed into Frankie Windsor. The problem was, she was so damaged, I wasn’t sure even I could save her, but I was willing to put it all on the line to risk enough for the both of us to finally find some peace. What I didn’t know, was just how dangerous loving her would be for both of us.

Buy Links for Ignite (The Sisters, #2):
 

How to end a book series?

The one bad thing about a great book series – all good things come to an end.  Some authors do this better than others.

A few of my favorite book series came to end recently.  It was very sad, but the authors did a fantastic job in distinctly different ways.

First, Epilogue for all the characters

Abbi Glines – Sea Breeze Series

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The final book, Until the End, included an epilogue for each of the characters.  Each book in the series essentially was a romance that centered around one couple.  All the characters were connected throughout the series.  Admittedly, it’s been a while since I read the first few books.  As I read the final book, the epilogue brought back found memories of each individual book.  I felt like it was a final goodbye to each character.  And, the teasing last line was PERFECT!

Samantha Young – On Dublin Street Series 

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This series didn’t actually end.  Samantha Young surprised fans of her series, like myself, and published an additional novella this past November, On King’s Way (on my TBR list).  I included this series because in Echoes of Scotland Street the author also included an extended epilogue touching on all the characters.

Additionally, Samantha Young has published a single novella to include all the characters centering around a holiday.

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Second, tying up all the loose ends

Tiffany Reisz – Original Sinners Seriesabf601b9fb8115c03469a4643da5268f.jpg

This series was told in an unique way.  The story was about few characters whose relationships were complexly intertwined.  The series doesn’t follow a typical chronological order of story telling.  While I was terribly disappointed to know that the series was ending, the author did a brilliant job of clearing up all the gaps in the plot in the last novel.  I can’t wait to read the entire series again from start to finish, knowing what to expect.

Third, the spin-off (excellent for continued book sales)

In the past, I blogged about some of my favorite spin off series, check out the post at:

Favorite Spin-off Book Series

Lorraine Loveit – Playing the Game Series

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This series ended very well.  This series must be read in its entirety and in order to truly understand the ending.  The author is planning a spin-off (date unknown).

Not all authors end a book series well.  I won’t mention names, because I don’t believe in book bashing.  This particular 13 book series involved a triangular relationship and I absolutely hated the way it ended.  I realize that it is simply my opinion, but the main character should have ended up with the other guy.  I found it so upsetting that I refuse to read another book by that author – EVER.

Another note on ending a book series.  Once it’s over, let it be over.  Trying to squeak out an extra book that is tangential to the series is annoying.  A few of my favorite authors have done this, but I always find the books disappointing.

As always, thank you to all the authors that fill my head with amazing characters.

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One Year Anniversary – A Year of Thanks

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Seeing that I just reached my one year anniversary for my blog and that it is the week of Thanksgiving (for those in the U.S.) I thought it would be a perfect time to say thank you.

I would like to thank:

those that have chosen to follow my blog; I hope that you continue to enjoy my posts

anyone that stopped by to view a post or more

all the authors that have shared their books with me in exchange for an honest review

all the authors that I read for the first time this year, filling my time with hours of fabulous reading and helping me reach my goal of reading 50 new authors this year

Here are all the new-to-me authors I read this year:

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To Audiobook or Not

I couldn’t image listening to an audiobook.  I didn’t want someone else’s voice in my head.  When I read, I like to imagine how the characters’ voices sound and I didn’t want someone else altering that experience.  I figured that hearing someone else read would completely ruin the fantasy of the book.  I love to get lost in the author’s words.  I didn’t want any distractions.

But then I found myself entrenched in those pesky times of the day when I had to tear myself away from a good book and actually clean the house, do laundry, make dinner, etc.

A few days ago, I finally decided that I would try an audio book.  I chose a book by a well known author that I adore.  I downloaded the book and put in my ear buds.  I set very low expectations and pressed play.  Surprisingly, I didn’t feel the urge to cut-off the voice.

It didn’t take long until I was hooked.  Even when I had time to return to my traditional book, I wanted to finish the audiobook.  Yes, I found a new love for audiobooks.

After I finished my first audiobook, I quickly downloaded another.  Eager to start another book, I began it immediately.  Whoa!  There it was.  An annoying voice that grated on my nerves.  The inflections and accent were all wrong.  After five minutes, I couldn’t bare another minute.  There was no way that I could endure listening to that voice for an entire novel.  I’m not usually one to abandon a book but this was dreadful.

I considered whether or not I should give up on audiobooks completely.  I decided I would give it another shot.  The quality of the audio of the third book was not as good as the first but still very enjoying.

What do I think of audiobooks?  Well, just like all books, some are good and some are not.  They definitely fill a gap in my day when I have to do mundane chores.  Even sorting laundry doesn’t seem so terrible when I’m listening to a book.  Also, after spending an entire day working at the computer, my eyes are sometimes too tired to focus on a traditional book.  An audiobook is a nice substitute.  Of course, there are limitations.  I read much more quickly than an audiobook.  So when I’m listening to an audiobook and I’m desperate for the happily-ever-after, I have to dig deep for a little extra patience.

I guess I’m a traditional girl at heart and prefer a book that I can hold in my hands and turn the pages, be it a paperback or an ebook.

In the end, the format of the book doesn’t really matter.  All that matters is the quality and enjoyment of the story.

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image from http://www.buzzfeed.com/alannaokun/perfect-gifts-for-book-loving-babies?sub=3245433_2942977#.mnJ4eZddb

HAPPY READING!