Drinking and Winning Givewaway Hop (US/INT), 3/24 - 3/28 2012

Hello and welcome to the Drinking and Winning Giveaway Hop hosted by Reading Romances!!Bona Fide Reflections is giving away a $10 gift certificate to B&N, Amazon, or the Book Depository. Please complete the Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway.
In honor of celebrating Reading Romances Pre-Party Blogiversary, I wanted to share my favorite drink with you all - a Mexican Martini. It goes great with reading any romance book out there. I highly recommend it.  
Mexican Martini1 serving

2 oz tequila

1 1/2 oz Cointreau® orange liqueur

2 oz sweet and sour mix

1 oz lime juice

2 oz orange juice

1 splash Sprite® soda

2 olives

Pour all ingredients into a large cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake and strain into a large cocktail/martini glass (8+ ounces) with a salt rim. Add two olives on a spear, and serve.

Read more: Mexican Martini recipe http://www.drinksmixer.com/drink8085.html#ixzz1pJiaqOr4

To enter giveaway click here

18 & Over Giveaway Hop, March 22 - 24, 2012

Welcome to the 18 & Over Giveaway Hop hosted byBitten By Paranormal Romance and Get Naughty Between the Stacks
Bona Fide Reflections is giving away:Eternal Rider OR Immortal Rider by Larissa Ione
Please complete the Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway.  Good Luck!

Eternal Rider by Larissa Ione

Book Blurb:

They are here. They ride. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

His name is Ares, and the fate of mankind rests on his powerful shoulders. If he falls to the forces of evil, the world falls too. As one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, he is far stronger than any mortal, but even he cannot fight his destiny forever. Not when his own brother plots against him. 

Yet there is one last hope. Gifted in a way other humans can't-or won't-understand, Cara Thornhart is the key to both this Horseman's safety and his doom. But involving Cara will prove treacherous, even beyond the maddening, dangerous desire that seizes them the moment they meet. For staving off eternal darkness could have a staggering cost: Cara's life.

Immortal Rider by Larissa Ione
Book Blurb:Sexy, powerful, and immortal, Limos is on a crash course with destiny. She’s been marked as Satan’s bride and her jealous fiancé wants her all to himself. The only way this Horseman can keep herself—and everyone else—safe is to keep her distance. But not even Limos can save herself from the secrets she’s kept . . . or resist the seductive allure of one very brave human. 

Arik Wagner knows the saying “love hurts” better than most, yet he never thought stealing a kiss from Limos would land him in Hell. Literally. It takes all his military training to survive the demon torture, but once he’s topside, Arik realizes that the agony has just begun. With the Apocalypse looming and Satan demanding his bride, will Arik and Limos surrender to the desire smoldering between them? Or will giving in to their passion unleash hell on earth?

To enter giveaway click here

Lucky Leprechaun Giveaway Hop, March 17th to 22nd (US/INT)

2nd Annual Lucky Leprechaun Giveaway Hop

March 17 - 22, 2012

Co-Hosted By I Am A Reader, Not A Writer, Books Complete Me & Author Cindy Thomas

For this blog hop, Bona Fide reflections is giving away:

 $15 gift certificate to B&N, Amazon.com, or the Book Depository 

ONE lucky winner will be selected. 

All you have to do is complete the Rafflecopter instructions to enter. 

Good Luck!

To enter giveaway click here

Small Press Treasures Blog Hop, March 17 - 24 (US/INT)

Welcome to the Small Press Treasures Blog Hop Giveawayhosted by SER Awesomeness
Bona Fide Reflections is featuring:Sempre by J.M. Darhower

I am posting the book blurb and a Bona Fide Review of the book, as well as giving away a copy of the book plus a $5 gift certificate to B&N, Amazon, or the Book Depository to one (1) lucky winner. All you have to do is fill out the Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway.  
Sempre Book Blurb:

This is a story about sacrifice... death... love... freedom. This is a story about forever. Haven Antonelli and Carmine DeMarco had vastly different childhoods. Haven, a second-generation slave, grew up isolated in the middle of the desert, her days full of hard work and terrifying abuse. Carmine, born into a wealthy Mafia family, lived a life of privilege, never having to answer for anything he did. Both now seventeen, a twist of fate causes their worlds to collide, making them question everything they ever believed. Entangled in a web of secrets and lies, they learn that while different on the surface, they have more in common than anyone would think.

In a world full of chaos, where money and power rule, Haven and Carmine yearn to break free, but a string of events that started before either were born threatens to destroy them instead. Murder and betrayal are a way of life, and nothing comes without a price-- especially not freedom. How much will they have to sacrifice? Can they escape their pasts? And, most of all, what does it mean to be free? Not everything is as it seems, and no one can possibly come out unscathed, but maybe, just maybe, it’ll be worth it in the end.

Bona Fide Review:

Excellent Reading!

Sempre by J.M. Darhower is an powerful, outstanding story that covers the gamut of the human condition while being a very sweet love story between two young adults whose lives have not been easy and have been emotionally traumatized.  Haven Antonelli is brought into the DeMaro household as permanent housekeeper under the direction of Carmine’s father after extricating her from a very atrocious situation.   

As time goes on Carmine and Haven develop a steadfast relationship that is all about two different, yet not so different worlds, coming together and deeply affecting each other by healing each other’s past and present emotional wounds. In addition, the ties she develops with Carmine’s brother, father, and friends assists in her metamorphasis into a very confident, lovely young woman from the scared person she was after the trauma she endured in her younger life of true slavery.

The story that unfolds is gripping and perceptively emotional, yet moments of sweetness take over the depth of the story.  A quality that softens the seriousness of the circumstances. Plus, ties to the mafia add to the intensity of the story as well as the family connections that are discovered that bind the young couple even closer to each other and binging them together forever (sempre).  As the novel unfolds, the reader will excitedly find themselves turning the pages or hitting the forward button on their e-reader. J.M. Darhower writes with skill, purpose, and depth.  This is one of the best stories of contemporary romance that I have read in a long time. 

Happy Reading from Bona Fide Reflections!!

To enter giveaway click here

Feelin' Lucky Give Away Hop, March 7th - 13th (US/INT)

Bona Fide Reflections is honored to be participating in:



This blog hop is being co-hosted by I Smell Sheep and Fictional Candy.
For the Feelin' Lucky Giveaway Hop, Bona Fide is offering any two books (winner's choice) in Karen Moning's Dream Fever Series.  I think this is the perfect series to feature since it takes place in Ireland and March is all about the luck of the Irish! Please follow the instructions of the Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. Good luck!

 Bona Fide Review of Darkfever:

MacKayla (Mac) Lane’s protected, southern life is going well. She is holding down the fort at her house where she lives with her parents. The Lane family's lives are irrevocably changed when Mac receives a call that her sister, Alina, has been murdered in Ireland where she has been attending Trinity University in Dublin. There is one clue that is left behind by Alina. She leaves cryptic message on Mac’s cell phone alluding to the fact that Alina was caught up in a quagmire of trouble. 

Mac decides to travel to Ireland on a crusade to find of answers. There Mac is caught up in the scary, elusive world of the Fae. Her Southern Belle reality makes a huge paradigm shift when she realizes she has a peculiar power that allows her to see the Fae's real face through the glamor they project to assimilate into the human world.

As Mac gets further entrenched into the mystery of her sister’s demise, she meets the mysterious Jericho Barrones. Barrones and Mac come to an uneasy alliance in the quest to search for Fae objects of power, one of which was specifically mentioned (the Sinsar Dubh) by Alina in the last voice mail message she left on Mac's phone before she died. The Sinsar Dubh is a very dark, evil book which was created by the Unseelie King.

This book was an absolute joy to read. Karen Marie Moning's unique voice lures the reader into a world you could never dream up on your own. The smooth anecdotic writing of the author is stunningly resplendent. Moning builds a bridge between the reader and Mac through her writing by eliciting the feeling that the reader is the one and only confidant Mac feels safe enough to confide all of her secrets, insecurities, epiphanies, and emotions to as she is led into a very dark, scary, unfamiliar world. Hold on tight to your book as you are sucked into Mac's world. This story will amaze and titillate while emotions you never thought a book could could call forth swamp your imagination.

To enter giveaway click here

Love Struck Giveaway Hop (June 15 - 22, 2012)

<a href="http://www.bona-fide-reflections.com/2012/03/love-struck-giveaway-hop-june-15-22.html "><img src="http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/h367/utcgraphics/Misc/lovestruck5.jpg" border="0" /></a>

LOVESTRUCK GIVEAWAY HOP

Hosted by Under the Covers and Bona Fide Reflections 

Blog hop runs from 12:01 AM June 15th through to 11:59 PM June 22th, 2012.

Love-struck: (adjective) having a passionate or overwhelming feeling of love; smitten

Is there a book or a series that you have read which has left you completely smitten? A hero/heroine that makes other heroes/heroines pale in comparison to the feelings you have for your “true” love? Are you left feeling dissatisfied because there is just nothing else that can compare?

We want to you share this special character or book/series with us and your followers. Tell us about them: share pictures, passages, quotes, excerpts, etc. Then offer that book as a giveaway to share the love. We all want the chance to be besotted, carried away, and/or charmed. So, introduce us to that special character that has left you love-struck.

To sign up: 

1. Add your information to the Linky List at the end of this post. 

2. Grab the hop badge code (above) and add it the side panel of your blog. 

To participate:

1. Make a blog post announcing your giveaway right before the hop starts (by 12:01am June 15).

2. On the giveaway post, make sure you indicate clearly whether your giveaway is international, US/Canada or US only.

3. This must be a giveaway specifically for this hop and needs to run from 12:01 am on June 15th and end at 11:59 pm on June 22nd.

4. Make sure the blog hop badge (above) is included in the post. 

5. Please keep extra entries to a minimum of 5. No daily entries.

6. Include the linky list to participating blogs on your post (you will receive this code by email closer to the start of the hop). If not, please add a link to this post which contains the list of participants. 

NO MORE ENTRIES AFTER June 14. 

At the beginning of the hop we will be visiting all blogs. Entries will be deleted if the post is not up by the deadline or if the post is difficult find. 

Sound good? Interested in joining? 

SIGN UP HERE: 

Add your linky below! Enter your blog name along with whether your giveaway is US, US/CA, Int. 

Ex: Under the Covers (Int.) Make sure you enter a valid email address.

Leap Into Books Giveaway Hop (US/INT)

Bona Fide Reflections is participating in:

The Leap Into Books Giveaway Hop,is hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and Jinky is Reading
The Leap Into Books Bona Fide Giveaway is a $30 gift certificate from Amazon, B&N or the Book Depository (winner's choice). Please complete the Rafflecopter instructions to enter in the giveaway.  The first instruction for the Rafflecopter, subscribing to the RSS feed, is mandatory.  The rest of the instructions are optional. You are able to enter the giveaway from February 29th through 11:59 p.m., February 5, 2012.
Good Luck and Happy Reading from Bona Fide Reflections!!

To enter giveaway click here

Young Adult Paranormal Activity Giveaway Hop (US/INT)

This giveaway is being hosted by I Am a Reader, Not a Writer and vvb32 Reads. 
Bona Fide Reflections is giving away TWO prizes for this giveaway. Two winners will be selected by the Rafflecopter and   the winners may choose one book from the following list:
1.  Any book in the Inheritance Series by Christopher Paolini

2.  Any book in the Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare

3. Any book in the Vampire Academy Series

4. Any book in the Need Series by Carrie Jones 

5. Any book in the Wolves of Mercy Falls Series by Maggie Stiefvater

(If you are an international follower, please make sure that the Book Depository ships to your address before entering the giveaway)
Good Luck!Happy Reading from Bona Fide Reflections!!

To enter giveaway click here

Corsets, Kisses, & Kleypas Blog Hop (US/INT)

Howdy! Welcome to Bona Fide Reflections!
Today and until February 28, 2012 at11:59 p.m., I am giving away the first three books in Lisa Klaypas' Wallflower Series. If you are an international guest here on the blog and want to participate in this giveaway, please check to see if the Book Depository delivers to your address. All you have to do is complete the Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway.

Lisa Kleypas

Please visit Lisa Kleypas' website to learn more about her and the books she has authored: http://www.lisakleypas.com/
The books to be awarded in this giveaway are:

Book 1 

Four young ladies enter London society with one common goal: they must use their feminine wit and wiles to find a husband. So a daring husband-hunting scheme is born.

Annabelle Peyton, determined to save her family from disaster, decides to use her beauty and wit to tempt a suitable nobleman into making an offer of marriage. But Annabelle's most intriguing--and persistent--admirer, wealthy, powerful Simon Hunt, has made it clear that while he will introduce her to irresistible pleasure he will not offer marriage. Annabelle is determined to resist his unthinkable proposition . . . but it is impossible in the face of such skillful seduction.

Her friends, looking to help, conspire to entice a more suitable gentleman to offer for Annabelle, for only then will she be safe from Simon--and her own longings. But on one summer night, Annabelle succumbs to Simon's passionate embrace and tempting kisses . . . and she discovers that love is the most dangerous game of all.

Book 2

Four young ladies enter London society with one necessary goal: they must use their feminine wit and wiles to find a husband. So they band together, and a daring husband-hunting scheme is born. 

It happened at the ball... 

Where beautiful but bold Lillian Bowman quickly learned that her independent American ways weren't entirely "the thing." And the most disapproving of all was insufferable, snobbish, and impossible Marcus, Lord Westcliff, London's most eligible aristocrat. 

It happened in the garden... 

When Marcus shockingly—and dangerously—swept her into his arms. Lillian was overcome with a consuming passion for a man she didn't even like. Time stood still; it was as if no one else existed...thank goodness they weren't caught very nearly in the act! 

It happened one autumn... 

Marcus was a man in charge of his own emotions, a bedrock of stability. But with Lillian, every touch was exquisite torture, every kiss an enticement for more. Yet how could he consider taking a woman so blatantly unsuitable...as his bride?

Book 3

Easily the shyest Wallflower, Evangeline Jenner stands to become the wealthiest, once her inheritance comes due. Because she must first escape the clutches of her unscrupulous relatives, Evie has approached the rake Viscount St. Vincent with a most outrageous proposition: marriage! 

Sebastian's reputation is so dangerous that thirty seconds alone with him will ruin any maiden's good name. Still, this bewitching chit appeared,unchaperoned, on his doorstep to offer her hand. Certainly an aristocrat with a fine eye for beauty could do far worse. 

But Evie's proposal comes with a condition: no lovemaking after their wedding night. She will  become just another of the dashing libertine's callously discarded broken hearts --- which means Sebastian will simply have to work harder at his seductions ... or perhaps surrender his own heart for the very first time in the name of true love.


Avery special thanks to Under the Covers Book Blog and Lisa's Divas for hosting this blog hop.
Good luck and Happy Reading from Bona Fide Reflections!!

To enter giveaway click here

Random Acts of Kindness Giveaway Hop (US/INT)

Welcome to Bona Fide Reflections!This blog is proudly participating in the Random Acts of Kindness Giveaway Hop which is hosted by I Am a Reader Not a Writer and Read for Your Future.
The Bona Fide giveaway is a $20 gift certificate from Amazon, B&N, or the Book Depository (winner's choice) and lasts until 11:59 p.m. on February 21, 2012.  All you have to do is complete the Rafflecopter instructions. 
Thank you so much for stopping by and participating in this blog hop. I hope you will come back and visit soon.
Happy Reading from Bona Fide Reflections!!

To enter giveaway click here

Sexy Confessions from Two Romance Authors: Guest Post and Giveaway

HAPPY RELEASE DAY TO 

LEIA SHAW 

AND

CARI SILVERWOOD!!!

Today is the release of:

Bona Fide Reflections is honored to welcome Leia Shaw and Cari Silverwood on such an exciting day. Not only are they guest posting today, but they are providing today's giveaway in celebration of the release of their book.  After the guest post and the bona fide review of 31 Flavors, please complete the Raffelcopter for a chance to win a $15 gift certificate from Amazon, fuzzy handcuffs, and Godiva chocolates.

Do Romance Authors Have Sex? 

Leia's Perspective

I had a conversation recently with a friend I hadn’t seen in a while who had just read my first two books and wanted to know if I had more. The first thing she said, after assuring me she loved them, was, “As I’m reading I can’t help but wonder if the sex scenes are from real life.” As in my life.

Whoooaaaa.

Now I’m a happily married thirty year old woman. It shouldn’t be a surprise that I enjoy sex with my husband. That, however, has nothing to do with my books. Do you have sex that includes blood drinking, rolling around on a cave floor, hours of foreplay, multiple orgasms, and a geyser-like explosion of pleasure at the end with a man who looks like Antonio Banderas, says all the right things, touches all the right places, and cares only about your pleasure? Don’t answer that. I might get jealous.

But I don’t know if I want my friends picturing my husband and I doing the dirty (sometimes literally as I have a thing for outdoor sex in my books). First of all, I’m no supermodel gymnast with porn star moves and skin that tastes like honey. My husband is handsome, but his sweat doesn’t glisten over sun-tanned skin bulging with muscle. And if we had sex like my supernatural characters, someone would likely pull a muscle (if not end up in the ER).

Trust me. My books are fiction.

What I will tell you is this: I can describe orgasms because I’ve had them. I can write true love because I’ve experienced it. I have yet to be bitten by a vampire but I did have an erotic dream about it once. Close enough. I can depict a deep connection between two individuals because I’ve felt it. And I can write an HEA because I have one.

So do romance authors have sex? I can’t answer for everybody but I do! And like our book, 31 Flavors, it isn’t always perfect. But that’s not the point. They call it “making love” for a reason.


~~ Please hop on over to Leia Shaw's author website  or her personal blog 
~~ Twitter: @LeiaShaw

Cari's Perspective

Since I write not only fantasy, but BDSM fantasy set in other worlds, I’m even less likely than Leia to have done what happens in my books. I mean, goodness, I have people strapped facedown to the undersurface of horizontal crosses watching the clouds go past.

“The beams under her tilted sideways until she looked at wall, not ceiling, and then kept on rotating until the cross stopped with her looking down at the glass, watching clouds curl past below. The leather gag took the weight of her head, pressing at the corners of her lips.

Freakin’ hells and heavens above. She was upside down, and the only things holding her on were the chains and the straps on her body and spread limbs.”

So, upon thinking for some time and wrestling with my memory, I’d have to say no, I can’t recall ever having sex like that. Scratch that one off the list. Neither have I ever had a bondage picnic after landing my gyrocopter next to a riverbank. Though I’d like to…especially if I get to keep her maroon leather jacket with all the buckles, her tights and brass goggles. I’d also point out that like Leia’s characters, mine tend to have over-the-top orgasms that blur reality, cause volcanic explosions, and sometimes leave the bed smoking. I don’t seem to recall any of those either. 

Damn, what am I doing wrong?

Nevertheless, if stripped each love scene back to the skin and bones of just the people, I guess you could, at a stretch, wonder if there is a basis for what I write in real life. A bit. Lol  Like Leia, I base sex on the sex that I have experienced. Bear in mind that those women who write m/m sex are extrapolating also, and so do I. Most of my books have some of the story told from the POV of the man, yet I’m not a man. Imagination is king.

As long as the sex scenes stir my readers, I’m happy. 

31 Flavors is different however. That book is based in reality. The sex is as close to real as we could imagine it. Alas, Sidney forgot to take notes so the itty bitty details are fictionalized and perhaps closer to immaculate than really happened. We had to take some liberties.


~~ Please hop on over to Cari Silverwood's author website.
~~ Twitter: @CariSilverwood

31 Flavors Book Blurb

There are some things in life you have to try before you know how they will affect you.   After 5 years of awful sex, I was ready. Bondage and spanking had always featured in my fantasies, and one day, I convinced my husband to try them. 


That day was a turning point.  Ice cream comes in many flavors and that’s us too -- not vanilla, maybe not Rocky Road either. We can be a combination or make up our own and no one has the right to judge us. But there will always be one question that tears at my soul: Will my husband, Nick, ever be happy with what I crave?

Bona Fide Review

Terrific Novella!

31 Flavors by Leia Shaw and Cari Silverwood is a poignant journey of Sidney’s sexual awakening and the toll it could possibly take on her marriage if she reveals her predilections in the bedroom to her husband of five years, Nick. This book is very beguiling and written from the perspective of Sidney. Her personality is heartwarmingly organic. The reader is not being sold on a made up feeling person with a perfect figure and beautiful features much like a Barbie doll. Sid is a “real” person with real issues. She is someone you could easily be good friends with. She is funny, opinionated,  and insecure about her sexuality, a lot like us “real” people reading the book.  

Her interactions with her husband are equally endearing and credible. It is due to the organic perspective of a relationship that makes this book so unique, touching, and interesting. Loving someone is not as easy as a lot romance books depict.  31 Flavors paints love, marriage, and sex in a very authentic light. There are ups and downs, happy moments, funny moments and awkward moments in a marriage. It is this common sense, down to earth style of writing that becomes so attractive to the reader. 

Reading this touching story could help other people out there to step out of their comfort zone and ask for what they need from their partners. The BDSM aspect of this book may maybe a tad uncomfortable for some romance readers. BUT the analogy of being able to translate Sid’s situation into the reader’s own life, crosses over into real-life application when it comes to expressing one’s self to a partner. This is a great read whether the reader is seeking an enjoyable erotic story with memorable characters or satisfying a curiosity into different aspects of sexuality.  After all, vanilla is not for everybody. 

Happy Reading from Bona Fide Reflections!!

Where to buy 31 Flavors:
Amazon
Smashwords
All Romance E-Books

(ARC was generously provided by Leia Shaw and Cari Silverwood in exchange for an honest review)

To enter giveaway click here

Love Is in the Air Blog Hop (US/INT)

Do you feel that?

 *looks around*

I do....

It's February and that could only mean one thing: Valentine's Day will soon be here! To celebrate love, Bona Fide Reflections is going to give away a romance books! Love Is In the Air Giveaway Hop is hosted by Under the Covers Book Blog. 

This hop will run from 12:01 AM February 7th through 11:59 PM February 14th, just in time for Valentine's Day!

Bona Fide Reflections is giving the winner any two copies of one of Julie James' books:

To enter giveaway click here