Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Embrace Dunk Tank: Entangled Summer Carnival


Welcome to the Embrace Dunk Tank where we’re talking about book boyfriends and wet t-shirts! Jennifer Blackwood, Shae Ross, Stacy Wise, Marnee Blake, Jus Accardo, and Rebecca Yarros are all sharing their favorite book boyfriends that they would L-O-V-E to see in the dunk tank. Check out the video below, and let us know: Who would you add to the list?


Unethical by Jennifer Blackwood, on sale for just 99¢!


About the Book:

Love burns hotter the second time around…

Two years ago, the medical world was shaken by scandal, and Payton Daniels’s family was at the center of it. The second she graduated, Payton left everything behind—her high school sweetheart, her family, and the controversy surrounding her mother’s death—and hid within the anonymity of college. But Payton’s ex, Blake Hiller, hasn’t forgiven her for leaving, and when he enrolls in the same medical ethics class, she panics. She can’t run the risk of him telling everyone who she really is.

As if being at the same university isn’t enough, both Blake and Payton land the same internship. Forced together, their passion for each other reignites, but when Payton is asked to testify in her father’s high-profile trial, she must choose between risking her acceptance into medical school to help her father, and losing every connection to her past—including the only guy she’s ever loved.

Find it online:


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Pretty Smart Girls Lace Up by Shae Ross, on sale for just 99¢!


About the Book:

Let the games begin…

Team Ryan
Ryan Rose and her fellow Spartans are finalists in a high-profile entrepreneurial competition. They’re competing for life-changing money and for their futures. They have a solid plan to win. All they need to do is trounce the competition: rich frat boys from an archrival university. Easy, right?
Team Jett
Jett Trebuchet’s first mistake was not realizing that Ryan and her friends were the competition. His second was expressing his unabashed confidence in his team’s ability to win. After all, everyone knows the only thing MSU does better than U of M is produce beautiful, easy women…oh, and he almost forgot to say “dumb.” And boy, does his team pay for that one.
Game On
As each side tries to game the other, something else seems to be getting in the way—attraction. Now Ryan and Jett must keep their teams from getting distracted by the opposite sex…and each other. All is not fair in love and war when it comes to winning this game.

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Beyond the Stars by Stacy Wise, on sale for just 99¢!


About the Book:

Falling for him wasn’t in the plans…

Most girls would kill for the opportunity to work for Jack McAlister, Hollywood’s hottest actor, but twenty-one-year-old Jessica Beckett is ready to kick him out of her red Ford Fiesta and never look back. She should be spending her junior year in France, eating pastries and sharpening her foreign language skills. Instead she’s reluctantly working as Jack’s personal assistant, thanks to her powerhouse talent agent aunt.

Jack is private, prickly, and downright condescending. Jessica pushes his buttons—she’s not the type of girl to swoon over celebrity heartthrobs, precisely why her aunt thought she’d be perfect for the job—and Jack pushes right back.

But as she begins to peel away his layers, Jessica is shocked to find she craves her boss’s easy smile and sexy blue eyes. The problem is, so does the entire female population. And what started out as the job from hell soon has Jess wondering if a guy like Jack could ever find love with a regular girl like her.

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Altered by Marnee Blake


About the Book:

When “normal” ends, survival begins…

Blue Michaels doesn’t know who to trust. She wakes in her sleepy little town to discover everyone is dead—well, almost everyone. U.S. Army Specialist Seth Campbell is alive, and a handful of her friends survived. But they’re different—each of them has powers they didn’t have when they went to bed.

Oh, and someone wants them dead.

It’s going to take all of their gifts if they are going to survive until they can figure out what to do. Blue wants to believe Seth has their best interests at heart. That he really does want to take care of them and get them to safety. God knows she can’t stop thinking about him.
But, can she trust him with their lives…and her heart?

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Author Info:

Rules of Survival by Jus Accardo


About the Book:

If you want to survive, you have to follow the rules…

Mikayla Morgan is wanted for her mother’s murder. She’s been on the run for almost a year now, avoiding not only the police but the real killer. Tired of running and desperate to clear her name, she breaks one of the most sacred rules: never return to the scene of the crime.

Every bounty hunter on the Eastern Seaboard is after the Morgan girl—but Shaun Denver and his partner snagged her. She’s a piece of work, and Shaun can’t decide if he wants to kiss her or kill her. When things take a sharp turn south, Shaun does the only thing he can think of to keep her close—he handcuffs them together.

As the danger mounts and the killer closes in, the chemistry between them threatens to explode. Shaun and Kayla will need to break all the rules if they hope to get out of this alive.

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Author Info:


Hallowed Ground by Rebecca Yarros


About the Book:

There are some debts you can’t repay…

Josh Walker is loyal, reckless, and every girl’s dream. But he only has eyes for December Howard, the girl he has yearned for since his high school hockey days. Together they have survived grief, the military, distance, and time as they’ve fought for stolen weekends between his post at Ft. Rucker and her schooling at Vanderbilt. Now that Josh is a medevac pilot and Ember is headed toward graduation, they’re moving on—and in—together.

Ember never wanted the Army life, but loving Josh means accepting whatever the army dictates—even when that means saying goodbye as Josh heads to Afghanistan, a country that nearly killed him once before and that took her father. But filling their last days together with love, passion, and plans for their future doesn’t temper Ember’s fear, and if there’s one thing she’s learned from her father’s death, it’s that there are some obstacles even love can’t conquer.

Flight school is over.

This is war.

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GIVEAWAY


And be sure to stop by the other carnival booths for more fun and giveaways and each day stop by the Facebook event page to chat with the authors.

Monday, August 8, 2016

Author Guest Post: Blind Landing (Flipped #1) by Carrie Aarons



Blind Landing by Carrie Aarons
Release: July 31, 2016
Romance Subgenre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Flipped #1

Fear stops dreams in their tracks before they even have a chance. Then again, so do injuries.

Natalia Grekov was born to win a gold medal. As the USA’s top gymnast, she’s calm, confident and ready to make her country proud in just two short months. And her elite athlete lifestyle includes no time for distractions—especially men. When a disastrous fall in practice puts her dreams at risk, it seems the only person who can help her is the one person she wants nothing from.

Spencer Russell is gymnastics’ bad boy. A cocky, laid-back charmer with abs of steel and a witty mouth, he waltzes around the U.S. Gymnastics Training Camp like he owns the place—even though he doesn't anymore. After an injury sidelined his career and any chance at glory, he’s now just a coach, helping other gymnasts reach their goals. Serious is not a word in Spencer’s vocabulary. But when Natalia tumbles into his life, he's suddenly sincerely interested in helping the blonde beauty in any way he can.

Can they vault over the obstacles standing in their way? Or will Spencer be the distraction that causes Natalia's chance at gold to crash and burn?




Author Guest Post

I'm excited to have author Carrie Aarons on the blog today to discuss her novel, Blind Landing. Thanks for sharing, Carrie!



Top 10 Facts About Blind Landing

1. It will quench your Olympic romance thirst: With all of the elite athletes representing their countries in Rio over the next two weeks, this sports romance will make you feel like you’re right in the middle of all of the action.

2. The book features male gymnasts, and their muscles, galore: We’ve all seen the pictures of the Men’s USA Gymnastics Team. The boys in Blind Landing are even hunkier.

3. Readers will get all the feels from Natalia Grekov and Spencer Russell’s flirty friendship: As they transition from verbal sparring partners to friends to lovers, this couple will have you laughing, crying and everything in between.

4. We’re introduced to a whole cast of characters, including a diva gymnast and a hot single dad: The secondary characters are a huge part of this novel, and we’ll explore their lives and relationships as the Flipped Series continues.

5. You’ll get the inside scoop about the sport of gymnastics: As a former gymnast herself, Carrie gives you in-depth knowledge about the blood, sweat and tears it takes to pull off these high-flying routines.

6. Heat your day and night up with the spicy, flexible sex scenes: Gymnasts are flexible. And strong. And elite athletes aren’t afraid to push the envelope. So you know the lusty times will get good.

7. Blind Landing gives readers a glimpse into what it feels like to compete with not only pressure from a crowd, but pressure from yourself: Blind Landing gives readers a first-hand account of what it’s like to be down on the floor, in the thick of competition.

8. This story explores what fear does to a person, both professionally and personally: When our main character encounters a hurdle she’s never come across in her career, we’ll see how she overcomes it with the help of the hunky bad-boy of gymnastics.

9. You will laugh: While the seriousness of training and competition is present, this book is definitely a romantic comedy at heart. It’s silly, sexy and funny, and will have your sides in stitches.

10. There is a happily ever after: Readers will be rooting for Natalia and Spencer as they’re immersed in the lives and personalities of the U.S. gymnasts.




About Carrie Aarons

Author of romance novels such as Red Card and the Captive Heart Duet, Carrie Aarons writes sexy, swoony and sarcastic characters who won't get out of her head until she puts them down on a page.

Carrie has wanted to be an author since the first time she opened a book. She loves spinning tales that include dapper men, women with attitude, and the occasional hunky athlete.

When she isn't in what her husband calls a "writing coma", Carrie is freeing up her jam-packed DVR, starting her latest DIY project, or planning her next travel adventure. She lives in New Jersey with her husband, who is more than happy to watch sports while his wife plots love stories..

Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Bliss Pie Bake Off: Entangled Summer Carnival


Step right up! Step right up! Get those taste buds ready for the Pie Bake Off booth hosted by the lovely Entangled Bliss authors. Each author specially baked a pie sure to delight. Check out the video and let us know which pie are you dying to eat? You can grab all of the recipes below.




Summer Berry Berry Pie

Hi, all! Jennifer here!

Thanks for stopping by the Bliss Pie Bake-Off!

For me, nothing says summer like a fresh fruit pie! My pie I've chosen for this bake-off has fresh raspberries, blueberries (a NJ fruit), strawberries and blackberries. YUM!
I admit that pie crust usually intimidates me, but the recipe for the crust that is included is super easy (especially if you have a food processor) and is great to work with since it rolled out really nice and even. And that rarely happens for me, so I will definitely make this crust again!

**I made the pie dough a day before to make it more simple for me.

If you all are interested, here is the recipe from http://www.jocooks.com/

Ingredients

Pie Crust
  • 2½ cup flour
  • 1 cup cold butter, cubed
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 6 to 8 tbsp ice cold water
Filling
  • 5 cups of mixed berries, sliced strawberries, raspberries, blueberries
  • ¾ cup light brown sugar
  • ¼ cup cornstarch
  • 1 tsp orange zest
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 egg white for egg wash
Instructions
  1. Place the butter in freezer for 20 minutes.
  2. In a food processor add the flour, salt and sugar and pulse a couple times.
  3. Add the butter to the food processor and pulse a few times until the mixture resembles peas. Add the ice water one tablespoon at a time and continue pulsing. The dough should start to hold together.
  4. Remove dough from food processor and place it over your working surface. Form the dough into 2 discs, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour up to 2 days before using.
  5. Preheat oven to 425 F degrees. Coat a deep-dish pie crust plate with nonstick baking spray.
  6. Place berries in a large bowl. In a small bowl combine brown sugar, cornstarch, orange zest and extract; mix well. Add to berries; toss to coat.
  7. Take out the pastry discs from the fridge and roll out a disc so that it's 12 inches in diameter and place it and arrange in your pie dish. Brush the pie crust with egg white so that it doesn't get soggy.
  8. Pour the berry mixture into the pie crust.
  9. Roll out the other disc so that it's 12 inches in diameter as well and cut it into lattice strips. Arrange the lattice strips nicely over the berries and brush with remaining egg white.
  10. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown.
  11. Let it cool before serving.

Peanut Butter Pie

9"x11" glass baking dish
1 1/2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips (divided into 2)
2 tsp milk
1 T corn syrup
1/2 c confectioners super (divided into 2)
1 c butter or margarine + 2 T
12 oz whipped topping (i.e. Cool Whip)
1 c peanut butter
1 c brown sugar
Graham cracker crust

Layer 1 - The Crust
Prepare baked graham cracker crust per directions on packaging. Set aside to cool. (Feel free to use a standard pie crust or Oreo crust - all work great for this recipe!)

Layer 2 - Chocolate Base Layer
  • Melt the following in a small saucepan:  3/4 c chocolate chips, 1 T butter, 2 tsp milk
  • Add 1/4 c confectioners sugar
  • Stir/blend
  • Remove from heat and spread chocolate sauce over bottom of crust. Set aside to cool completely.

Layer 3 - Peanut Butter Filling
  • Melt 1 c butter in microwave, then stir in 1 c brown sugar
  • Allow to cool for 10 minutes
  • Pour mixture into blender and stir in 1 c peanut butter until well blended
  • Fold in 12 oz whipped topping
  • Pour filling over cooled chocolate layer

Layer 4 - Chocolate Topping
  • Melt the following in a small saucepan:  3/4 c chocolate chips, 1 T butter, 1 T corn syrup, 1/4 c confectioners sugar
  • Mix well
  • Spread carefully over the peanut butter layer

Refrigerate until cool (great frozen as well!). Cut and serve!


Lemon Ice Box Pie

Ingredients

-1 8oz. container of Cool Whip
-1 14oz. can of Sweetened Condensed Milk
-1/3 cup of Lemon Juice
-1 Graham Cracker Crust

Directions

Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl. When evenly mixed, pour into graham cracker crust. Cover and chill for 1 hour.
Cherry Pie

This pie crust recipe is simple, but the trick is the prep. You don't want to over-mix & the time in the fridge is essential to making the flakiest crust. (Also, credit for this crust goes to my neighbor from my hometown, Luella Crowther. It was the first time I ate all the crust on my piece of pie, because YUM!)

2 C flour
*1 C butter (softened enough to work with)
1/2 C water
dash of salt

*shortening also works

Add butter to flour and work in by hand until you have pea-sized bits. Scatter liquid over surface. Stir until just mixed with a fork and roll into two dough balls. Place balls in plastic wrap, pull up edges and press dough into a disk. Refrigerate for at least one hour before rolling out. (Fridge up to 5 days, freeze up to 3 months)

Pound bottom crust dough with rolling pen. Roll out and form into pie pan.

1 Can of cherry pie filling (I search for the kind without corn syrup, because allergy fun!)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp almond extract
1 T sugar

Mix and put on the bottom crust. (Fair warning, I like my cherries on the sweeter side with a little tart. If you prefer more tart, skip the sugar & vanilla)

Roll out second crust & cover. Flute edges & put in vent holes. Cover edges with foil, so they don't get too done. Bake at 375 for 45-60 minutes.

GIVEAWAY


Don’t forgot to check out all the authors books below.

Wedding Date For Hire by Jennifer Shirk, on sale for just 99¢!


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Author Info:


Her Unexpected Detour by Kyra Jacobs


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Wife for the Weekend by Ophelia London



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Author Info:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Newsletter

The Bad Boy's Baby by Cindi Madsen


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Author Info:


And be sure to stop by the other carnival booths for more fun and giveaways and each day stop by the Facebook event page to chat with the authors.