Finding Perfection by Cassandra Giovanni Review and Blog Tour + Giveaway

River Ahlers is damaged goods. On the surface she's a driven businesswoman, leading a new division of the marketing firm she works for. But she knows better than anyone that being driven also tends to drive people away. At twenty-eight she's made some of the toughest decisions of her life by burying the reason she's damaged deep inside her. That is until she walks into a tattoo parlor and falls into the arms of someone else just as broken.

West Brighton is bad news. He's a tattooed rebel with more money than he needs, and so many scars on his heart, he's sure there's no way to let someone in. Until River, but she's still stuck on her ex and his friend -- Adam Beckerson.

Adam Beckerson is a changed man. He's made a successful career for himself and his best friend, Tara, hasn't left his side. She gets him-- the real him that he's never shown anyone, but there's still something missing.

Each one of them is beautifully flawed, and in one another they can find perfection, if only they are willing to reshape their shattered dreams into new, better ones.

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Faded Perfection: $1.99
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EXCERPT ONE

"I never really pictured you with a guy like Adam," West said, and we stopped walking as we reached the stairs. He turned to face me, cocking his head. "You're both too high strung. There's no balance there."

"High strung?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at him. I'd never been mad at West before, but at that moment I felt the warmth turning into burning anger.

He leaned forward and kissed my nose. "Absolutely nothing wrong with that."

And like that, it melted away.

"I think I just miss him," I replied with a nod.

West smirked. "And you're realizing what an ass Adam was."

"You're his friend!" I shot back and West shrugged.

"That doesn't mean I think he deserved you," he said, and his neck turned red.

"Are you jealous?" I asked, elbowing him.

He pulled me into his arms, his eyes teasing as he leaned down and pressed his lips to mine. The fire ignited in my heart, and the kiss deepened, taking any thoughts of either of the Beckerson boys always immediately. West's lips moved away from mine, but I could still feel his breath on them as he tangled his hands in my hair.

"Not at all. You're mine," West whispered, and there was a painful edge to his voice as if there was a silent for now at the end.

"For as long as you want me," I replied, trying to convince him with my eyes that I meant it.

"I'd like that to be a very long time, Riv. Is that a promise you want to make?"

I leaned up on my toes, pressing my hands into his shoulders as my lips met his ear.

"I promise."

EXCERPT TWO

"I hope you don't mind. I changed our plans a bit. I figured we couldn't go into the city with the pups, and I know it's a bit too cold for the ocean, but I figured we could go to the Cape. Maybe have a game of volleyball, and eat the last lobster rolls of the season. Just meander the coast."

The piece of waffle went heavy, sticking in my throat as I swallowed.

The Cape.

The last time I'd been there, Adam and Bobby had fought, and Tara had come away with a concussion. My ears rang, and I could feel the blood drain from my face. West slowly put his paper cup down.

"Are you okay?" he asked, concern showing in the way his eyes flickered over mine.

I closed my eyes, inhaling through my nose. "The last time I went..."

"It was with them?" West filled in the blank, and his voice went hard at the edges. I opened my eyes to see him leaning against the kitchen island, his tattoos flattening against his arms.

"Yeah, there was a big fight. Tara ended up going to the hospital," I replied, and West's eyes widened. "Accidentally. Bobby pushed Adam, and he went into Tara. She hit the volleyball net's post."

West looked ahead, his tongue running over the inside of his cheek before he turned to look at me. His green eyes twinkled with a new enthusiasm. "So we fix it."

"Fix what?" I asked, looking at the once tasty breakfast that was now getting cold.

"Bad memories. We're going to make new good ones to replace them," West replied before nodding to our breakfast. "Starting with the general birthday suckage and moving onto specifics like the Cape. When was the last time you played volleyball?"

I swallowed, and West gave a knowing nod before playing with his waffles. His voice was deep as he continued, "Ate a lobster roll?"

This time his eyes rose to mine.

"He ruined a lot of things for you, didn't he?"

"The lobster roll wasn't a bad memory," I replied, and he took an angry bite of his waffle, smearing whip cream across his cheek.

"I'm going to make it better," he said through his full mouth.

I laughed leaning up and kissing away the cream. "I'm sure you will."

One of his eyebrows rose. "Eat up, Missy. I have an ex-boyfriend to show up."

I laughed at that, taking a bite of the fantastic waffles and the strawberries we'd grown together. The crop had been so plentiful that half the freezer in West's house was filled with them, and there were another two bags in my freezer. The waffles beat Adam's perfectly gooey in the middle pancakes because they symbolized West and I. Something different. Something sweet and that we made together. Like he intrinsically knew that breakfast food like this would be the start of a perfect day.

"You're already winning," I said, popping the last strawberry in my mouth.

"And how is that?" West asked as he took my plate to put it in the dishwasher. I bit my lip at the way his ass looked perfect in his jeans.

He turned, and I signaled with my finger for him to lean over the island to me. I kissed him once slowly, and then pulled away, pressing our foreheads together.

"By being you."

Cassandra doesn’t remember a time when she wasn’t writing. In fact, the first time she was published was when she was seven years old and won a contest to be published in an American Girl Doll novel. Since then Cassandra has written more novels than she can count and put just as many in the circular bin. Her personal goal with her writing is to show the reader the character’s stories through their dialogue and actions instead of just telling the reader what is happening. Besides being a writer, Cassandra is a professional photographer known for her automotive, nature and architectural shots. She is happily married to the man of her dreams and they live in the rolling hills of New England with their dogs, Bubski and Kanga.

Cassandra Giovanni is published by Show n’ot Tell Publishing based out of Connecticut, USA

Connect with Cassandra on Facebook, Goodreads and Twitter.  Learn more about her and her novels at her website, www.cgiovanniauthor.com and read the first ten chapters of each of her published novels through her Book Catalog.

The Boys of Fallout Series

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Out of Beat: Amazon
Behind the Lens: Amazon
Rebel Cause: Amazon

Finding the Cure

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In Between the Seasons (The Fall Series #1)

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Love Exactly  

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 Walking in the Shadows 

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Finding Perfection Review and Blog Tour

Chance At Redemption by Samatha Harris Blog Tour + Giveaway

 Gwen Stevens had a privileged life until her father spoke three little words that turned her world upside down. “You’re cut off.”

Broke and desperate, Gwen is forced to accept a waitressing job, but this glimmer of hope has a price. As if being a cocktail waitress isn’t bad enough, she has to do it in a dive bar called The Den, and her bad luck doesn’t stop there. She also needs to deal with the new owner, a blue-eyed, self-righteous ass determined to make her life miserable.

Liam Sinclair walked away from the entitlement and obligation his family planned for him, vowing to make his own way in the world…

Adjusting to life as a new business owner, Liam has experienced more than his fair share of setbacks. When his only waitress breaks her leg, his sister takes it upon herself to hire a replacement—a spoiled, self-indulgent hothead with too much makeup and more than enough attitude. Gwen represents the world he’s trying to escape, a world of excess and greed that he was never cut out for.

Appearances can be deceiving, and first impressions aren’t always right…

Despite their apparent differences, the tension between them turns to a fiery passion that neither of them can resist. Together they find balance and learn to appreciate the simpler things in life. But Gwen soon discovers that old habits die hard, and one mistake is all it takes to ruin everything.

Forgiveness must be earned, but even a villain deserves a chance at redemption…

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One: 

“Anything you want to tell me, little brother?” she asked as she folded her arms across her chest and watched me closely to gauge my reaction.

I frowned. “Um, No.”

“Really? Nothing new at all in your life?” She was baiting me into something I was sure was not going to be good.

“I bought a new toaster the other day.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“You should see it, it’s pretty sweet. Its toasts Darth Vader’s face into the bread.”

Madison growled in frustration and tossed a breadstick at me.

“Whoa chill cougar,” I laughed.

“Don’t start that.” She pointed her finger at me. “I get enough of that crap from Margot.”

“Okay,” I said as my laughter died down.

“So you really have nothing to share?”

“Like what?”

“Like what’s going on with you and Gwen.” She smiled, her eyebrows disappeared beneath her bangs.

“Oh that.” I ducked my head to hide my smile.

“Yes that.”

“Who told you?”

“Sean.”

“What? Who told him?”

“I don’t know, someone at the bar I guess,” she said with a dismissive wave.

“The bar?” Madison shrugged. Then it hit me. “Sam,” I sighed. “Great now everybody knows.”

“Were you hiding it?”  

“No. Not really. We just didn’t want things to be weird at work.”

“Well, here’s a tip, if you don’t want the people you work with to know. Don’t have sex in your office.”

I cringed. Hearing my older sister discuss my sex life was disturbing on a lot of levels.

“So?” she asked.

“So what?”

Madison let out a frustrated groan and rolled her eyes. “So what’s going on between you and Gwen?”

I wasn’t sure how to answer her. Hell I wasn’t even one hundred percent sure I even knew how. I sat back in my chair and played with the edge of my napkin. I was stalling and the look on my sister’s face said she knew it too.

“I’m not exactly sure,” I said.

She raised an eyebrow and tilted her head. “Aren’t you living together?” she asked.

“Kind of,” I said.

“Kind of?” she scoffed. “Her clothes are there, she sleeps in your bed, eats your food, uses your shower.” I nodded and she sat back in her chair, folded her arms across her chest. “Sounds like living together to me.”  

“It’s not like we’d been dating for a while and I asked her to move in. She needed a place to crash. Everything else came later.”

“Everything else?”

I shrugged. “You know what I mean we were spending a lot of time together and it just happened.”

“What happened?”

“Sex Madison. We had sex.” I leaned back in my seat and relived some of our more creative positions in my head as a grin crept across my face. “Lots and lots of sex.”

Samatha “Sam” Harris lives near Baltimore, Maryland with her husband David and daughter Ava. Born in Florida, she migrated north which most people agree was a little backwards. She has been an artist all of her life, a Tattoo Artist for more than ten years, and a storyteller since she was a kid.

Sam has a slightly unhealthy love for Frank Sinatra, classic movies, and Jazz and Blues music, but her first love will always be reading. From Romance, to Thrillers, to Historical Fiction and everything in between, she loves to become a part of the story. As a writer she tells the stories that she would want to read.

Twitter: @samathaharris08 ~ Facebook ~ Goodreads ~ Amazon Author Page

Somewhere In Between

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Choosing Happy

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All I Ever Wanted by Karen Cimms Blog Tour + Giveaway

Book Three in the Of Love and Madness Series

Unable to overcome the loss and betrayal she’s faced, Kate Donaldson knows there’s only one way for her to heal—and that’s to walk away from everything and pick up the pieces of her shattered life.

Cutting herself off from everyone she loves, Kate settles in on the rocky coast of southern Maine. At first wanting nothing more than to be left alone, she eventually learns to deal with all of her hurts except one—Billy, her estranged husband.

But when her past comes roaring back, Kate must choose between her head and her heart.

Billy McDonald has hit rock bottom. When his wife disappears, he is forced to confront his demons. Winning that battle brings success, and for the first time in more than two decades, his music career is finally about to take off. But without Katie by his side, it’s a bitter victory.

What do you do when the thing you thought you wanted isn’t really what you wanted after all?

All I Ever Wanted is the third book in the Of Love and Madness trilogy, and the conclusion of a love story that defied the odds for twenty five years. But for Kate and Billy, it’s up to them to decide if it’s the end, or a new beginning.

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ONE:

Billy got Kate settled into the passenger seat, then climbed in behind the wheel and slipped the key into the ignition. She gave him a loopy smile that he felt down to his toes.

“It’s beautiful tonight. Put the top down.”

When he pointed out it might be a little too chilly, she told him to “blast the heat.”

He recognized his way back to the house, but as they neared the turn toward Cousins Island, Kate directed him to take it.

“You sure?”

“This is the scenic route,” she insisted.

They drove for a while before they came to the end of the road, looking out toward the ocean. Billy parked and cut the engine. The night smelled of wood smoke, ocean air, and the sweetness of oranges. Lights glowed on the distant horizon, and the stars overhead twinkled like diamonds on a field of black velvet.

Kate’s sigh wrapped around him like a warm honey. She tilted her face up at the sky. “Isn’t it beaut—”

He leaned across the console and kissed her. He’d taken her by surprise, but she didn’t stop him. Her lips were warm and tasted of wine. When she didn’t push him away, he kissed her again. His hand snaked up her arm and along her neck. Cradling her head, he pulled her closer, careful of the gearshift between them.

When she ran her fingers along the side of his face, he thought he might cry. Her hand dropped to his chest and gripped his shirt. Then gently, she pushed him away. He tried to see her eyes, but it was too dark. All he could hear was the gentle lapping of water against the shore and the sound of Kate’s breathing.

“Take me home.” Her voice was low and thick. “Please.”

His heart sank. His fingers thrummed nervously on the steering wheel as he navigated back to the highway. Less than ten minutes later, he was nosing her Saab into the garage.

They sat in the car as the garage door closed behind them.

“I’m sorry,” he said, wanting to remind her that she’d kissed him back. But he didn’t, he just savored the taste of wine on his tongue, not because it was wine but because it was Kate. Just as the tang of salty air was now Kate, along with the familiar scent of oranges.

TWO:

The first few days were damp and dreary. Not cold enough for snow, but cold enough for a chill to settle deep in her very core. Kate woke early the morning after Tom left. Gray light filtered through the barren branches outside her window. Pale strands of pink stained the horizon.

She dressed quickly. Together, she and Charlie descended the steep hill down to the water. She shoved her hands into the pockets of her lined jacket and stood at the edge of the steps that led to the dock. Her breath floated in tiny clouds about her face, mimicking the mist atop the water. A cormorant skittered across the glassy surface, then lifted out of the water with a great disturbance of air and headed toward the open sea. The expanse of ocean that lay before her was deserted. Empty docks lined the cove. The boats harbored there had long been removed for the winter.

A forest of dense pine ringed the inlet. At high tide, the water seemed more like a lake than a finger of the Atlantic. The rising sun illuminated a thin band of white clouds hovering above the tree line, still black against the fading darkness. Shades of orange, from palest apricot to deepest tangerine, streaked the horizon until Kate was finally forced to shield her eyes as the sun burst above the trees in a neon ball of butterscotch, blinding in its brilliance.

The imprint of the fireball was seared upon her closed lids, and despite the cold, she felt the memory of its warmth upon her face. Her senses awakened. Her lungs held the tang of the salty ocean and marshy shoreline. She heard the haunting cry of sea birds springing to life as darkness surrendered to day.

It took her by surprise, but there it was—a fleeting hint of promise. No more than a flutter, really. Her heart was heavy, and it was nearly impossible to see beyond the sadness, but somewhere deep inside, an errant ray of light squeezed its way through a tiny crack and called her name. It was gone in a blink, but she recognized it all the same: hope.

Karen Cimms was born and raised in New Jersey and still thinks of the Garden State as home. She is a journalist and lifestyle editor of a daily newspaper. She and her husband live in Northeast Pennsylvania. They have four children.

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Twitter: @KCimms

At This Moment: Of Love and Madness Book One

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We All Fall Down: Of Love and Madness Book Two

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