Cover Reveal: After the Kiss by Lauren Layne

So today I'm part of the cover reveal for Lauren Layne's After the Kiss a contemporary romance which will be released this summer on August 26th by Loveswept (Random House).

:::About After the Kiss:::

In the first book of a delightful new series from Lauren Layne, the star columnist of Stiletto magazine will do anything for a story. Anything . . . except fall in love.
 
Julie Greene loves flings. Loves steamy first dates, sizzling first kisses, and every now and then, that first sexy romp between the sheets. Comfy pants, sleepy Sundays, movie nights on the couch? Shudder. But when Julie gets assigned the hardest story of her career—a first-person account of that magical shift between dating and “I do”—she’ll need a man brave enough to give a total commitment-phobe a chance at more.
 
Normally, Mitchell Forbes would be exactly that man. A devastatingly hot workaholic who tends to stay in relationships for far too long, he should be the perfect subject for Julie’s “research.” But what Julie doesn’t know is that Mitchell is looking to cut loose for once in his life. And the leggy journalist notorious for avoiding love is exactly the type of no-strings fling he’s looking for. In other words, Mitchell is the polar opposite of what Julie needs right now. And, at the same time, he’s exactly what she wants.

Connect with Loveswept and Lauren:

ReadLoveswept.com  |  Lauren's Website  |  Lauren on Twitter

Pre-order After the Kiss:

Amazon  |  B&N  |  iBookstore  |  Random House and other retailers

Guest Post + Giveaway: What inspired me to write my book by Kaylie Austen

What inspired me to write my book
by Kaylie Austen

I've always had a love for Greek mythology, so much so that in middle school I chose Latin as my required language course and was the champion of the Greek Mythology portion of the Latin Decathlon. Something about the twisted relationships, tangled webs, treachery, and amazing powers lingered in my head through all these years.

  I wanted to write a paranormal mystery (prompted by coworkers) but didn't want to use vampires, werewolves, witches, angels, or demons. So, I combined my love for mythology and made the characters descendants of the Greek gods. They are their own character, new and modern, but with the same sort of warped lineage and life as the gods.

  Most people love a happy ending, and I’m not saying Hellhound doesn't have one, but I want readers to stay up at night and wonder “what if”, and that’s where the tragic sequence of events comes in.

Selene is the Hellhound, a powerful and ruthless descendent of the Greek gods. She is bound by tradition and tied by bloodlines to lead her people against the mortals. Although she is arranged to marry Nathanial, she falls for Demetrius, the self-professed Black Angel, and things take a bitter twist. When she stumbles across the corpses of her father and Nathanial, all eyes move in on Demetrius. Selene must take the assignment to hunt down her accused lover. Facing the untrustworthy cerebral chamber, powerful shape-shifting sentinels, superhuman archers, and a deceitful Council, the Hellhound must work quickly to uncover the truth before she is forced to annihilate her lover.

About Kaylie Austen

 I was born during a monsoon in an Indian village that lacked both a doctor and a hospital, but had many nesting cobras nearby. That’s the most fascinating thing about me. Other than that, I’m a true Texan raised in Austin, and yes, I bleed orange (Longhorns!). Currently, I reside in the Pacific Northwest where my muse takes my imagination through many tales of adventure, romance, and plain awesomeness. My novels include YA fantasy, YA sci-fi, and paranormal romance/mystery. Please check out the tabs above to get a better description of upcoming novels and release dates.

 I've been writing since the age of ten, and completed two novels before high school graduation. My work appeared in school and state competitions, and my poetry was used for future finals in my college freshman English class. I love to learn, my life is rich with culture, and I’m an undercover nerd. My celebrity crushes include Stephen Hawking and Patrick Stewart, Nathan Fillion is close behind. My ultimate goal in life is to dominate Comic-Con and bring plaid back. My improbable desire is to be an X-Men. And, I can be bought with food, so don't hesitate to try.

Connect with the author

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Review: Renegade by J.A. Souders

Renegade by J.A. Souders

• Pub. Date: November 13, 2012
• Publisher:Tor Teen
• Pages:364
• Series: The Elysium Chronicles #1
• Goodreads/Amazon/Book Depository

Since the age of three, sixteen-year-old Evelyn Winters has been trained to be Daughter of the People in the underwater utopia known as Elysium. Selected from hundreds of children for her ideal genes, all her life she’s thought that everything was perfect; her world. Her people. The Law.

But when Gavin Hunter, a Surface Dweller, accidentally stumbles into their secluded little world, she’s forced to come to a startling realization: everything she knows is a lie. 

Her memories have been altered. 

Her mind and body aren’t under her own control. 

And the person she knows as Mother is a monster.

Together with Gavin she plans her escape, only to learn that her own mind is a ticking time bomb... and Mother has one last secret that will destroy them all.

First Line: My life is just about perfect.

Review: This gorgeous  cover is so deceptive, I don't know what I was expecting but it definitely wasn't the terrifying world which was created inside the pages of this book.

So we have Elysium which is this underwater utopia ruled by one called Mother, if that isn't twisted enough there is Evie who is considered the daughter of the people and is being trained to take over after Mother, only thing is the Evie we first meet is the conditioned, brainwashed Evie one who doesn't have any recollection of her past and who she really is. Then there are all the brainwashed people who reside in Elysium and let someone not fit the mold of what Mother expects ...they end up "disappearing".

What I loved the most about Renegade was that it wasn't predictable. I thought I knew what was going to happen but when you have a character such as Mother who is one of the most manipulative characters I've read about in a while things are not always what you expect.

As for Evie at first I didn't really care much for her but once she started snapping out of her conditioning I grew to like her a lot. Lets just say she goes from being kind of boring to a complete bad-ass.  As for Gavin he was a loyal decent guy but I don't know he just didn't take my breath away or anything like that.

Overall if you love dystopian reads or just have the sudden curiosity to read about a underwater world which involves mind control and other horrific ways of controlling the mass population then check out Renegade.

Memorable Quotes: ~ "They're erasing your past! How can you even know who you are, if you can't remember who you've been?"

~ "So many memories. So much lost. So much to regain...again."