Monthly Archives: June 2018

4 stars, Book Review

Just Say Yes by Samantha Lind Review

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newarcbannerblurbjustsayyesWhat will it take for her to Just Say Yes?

Scott Taylor has the perfect life. He gets to fulfill his dream playing professional hockey, has a loving family, and a tight group of friends. But the one thing missing in his life is a partner to come home to. He knows exactly who he wants to fill that position– the only woman he has ever loved. The one who got away, who constantly consumes his every thought. What it would take to get her to Just Say Yes to a second chance?

Becca Phillips is an independent woman who has made her career as an ER nurse a priority in her life. She has a loving family and a best friend by her side, but she can’t seem to get over her first love, Scott. Insecurities led her to break up with him years ago when he started climbing the ranks in professional hockey and, for eight years, Becca has avoided Scott when he returns home each summer. Can she overcome her fears and allow love back into her life? All she has to do is Just Say Yes to the one and only man she has ever loved.

— Goodreads — Amazon — Barnes & Nobles — Kobo —

authorsamanthalindSamantha Lind is a contemporary romance author. Having spent the first 27 years of her life in Alaska, she now calls Iowa home where she lives with her husband and two sons. She enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, reading, watching hockey, and listening to country music. She can be contacted via email, found on Facebook at  or at her website.

 

 

reviewjustsayyes2

I’ve only read one other book by Samantha Lind, Until You, and it was so sugary sweet I got a cavity… the good kind. If there was a good kind of cavity. Anyway, so I only read the one book and I wasn’t sure what to expect for Just Say Yes. Basically: it was just as sweet, if not sweeter. And I loved it!

Just Say Yes is a second chance, sports romance so strap on your ice skates and get ready for a book that will have you wanting more. Scott and Becca were high school sweet hearts that let Scott’s rise to athlete stardom come between them. While Scott was destined for the NHL, and made it into the minor leagues and beyond, Becca was young and didn’t know how to handle it. So they broke up and let ten years pass before trying to their relationship over again.

All the drama in this, which honestly isn’t much to begin with, has to do with outside forces. Once these two decide to give their relationship a shot, they do everything the can to make it work, and they are so cute! Their drama has to do with the distance these too have, since Scott lives mostly in Indianapolis and Becca lives in Alaska. So Becca and Scott have their trials and tribulations, but the years apart have shown them what and who they want, so they do everything they can to keep it.

I read a lot of dark romances, so Scott and Becca would have been the best pick me up after reading something that ripped my heart out over and over again. Becca was supportive and independent, and Scott had just enough alpha in him to make him possessive and supportive at the same time. In fact, one of my favorite parts about this novel, is that they were both so supportive of the other. They wanted the other to succeed, but they also wanted to be together, they just didn’t want to hinder the other’s career. As much as Scott wanted to drag Becca with him everywhere, he knew he couldn’t. He also didn’t want to, because her happiness meant more to him than anything else. They had to find the balance between happiness, living your dream, and being with the one you love.

This is the first in the Indianapolis Eagles series, and stay tuned! Book 3 comes out soon!!

justsayyes34star

Release Blitz!

Their First Fall by MJ Fields is LIVE Y’ALL

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We’re celebrating the release of THEIR FIRST FALL by MJ Fields! One-Click this beauty today!


 

THEIR FIRST FALL

Adult Contemporary Romance

Cover Models- Colin Wayne Erwin and Breanna Erwin

Cover Designer- Juliana Cabrera at Jersey Girl Design

Cover Photographer – Golden Czermak at Furious Fotog

 

PURCHASE HERE–>

 

Blurb:
Keeka
Alone in the world, after her mother’s death, she tries to find the life she dreamed of as a child.
Trucker
Alone in the world the family he felt part of began to fall apart, as his dreams of being an NFL quarterback become his reality.
What happens when everything you had is gone, everything you wished for seems to be in arms reach, and your world begins to spin in circles?
You Fall.


 

 

 

 

About the Author:

USA Today bestselling author MJ Fields write books that scorch pages and melt hearts.

Her style is raw, gritty and authentic.

Love an alpha and a strong heroine? She does too.

Join MJ’s mailing list and get a free book ➜ http://bit.ly/MJFNews

Visit her website here ➜ mjfieldsbooks.com

Stalk her Facebook here ➜ facebook.com/MJFieldsBooks

Follow her on Twitter here ➜ @ twitter.com/mjfieldsbooks

Follow her on Instagram here ➜ @ instagram.com/mjfieldsbooks

Cover Reveal

Cover Reveal for Killing for Her by Alexis Abbott!

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One kill is all it takes for her to be mine.

She’s just a pawn in the Bratva’s games. A virginal prize, exchanged from one boss to another. Her perfect curves and that sparkling smile, she’d be deadly if she hadn’t been sheltered from the mafia’s wicked world.
Now she’s being thrust into it.
A marriage to a man I know has a terrible temper and a cruel sense of torture.
She deserves better. Better than him.
Better than me.
But I never said I’d save her out of the goodness in my heart.
I’ll save her. I’ll protect her.
And I will claim her. Even if it means the wrath of every family in Brighton Beach descends upon me.

This novel is a full length romantic suspense novel with no cliffhangers. Explicit language. Safe from cheating.

Preorder Now & Save 25%!

Coming June 22, 2018

❤ iBooks ❤ Nook ❤ Kobo ❤ Google ❤
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Shop on Amazon? Be notified of release here!

 

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❤️About the Author❤️

Alexis Abbott is a Wall Street Journal & USA Today bestselling author who writes about bad boys protecting their girls! Pick up her books today if you can’t resist a bad boy who is a good man, and find yourself transported with super steamy sex, gritty suspense, and lots of romance.

She lives in beautiful St. John’s, NL, Canada with her amazing husband.

You can find all her books here:

💜 Amazon 💜 iBooks 💜 Nook 💜 Kobo 💜 Google Play 💜

Follow Her on Social Media:

💓 Facebook 💓 Twitter 💓 Instagram 💓 Pinterest 💓 Newsletter 💓

 

Cover Reveal

COVER REVEAL for Trick Play by Eden Finley

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Release Date: June 27, 2018

Cover Design: Kellie Dennis / Book Cover by Design

Synopsis

Matt:

Want to know the fastest way to get screwed out of a football career? Get photographed in a compromising position in a gay bar. Yep, welcome to my life. 

My agent says he can fix my image. He wants me to become the poster boy for gay football players. Me? I just want back on the field. I’ll do anything to play for the NFL again, even pretend to have a steady boyfriend. If only my fake boyfriend wasn’t Noah Huntington III—the most arrogant, entitled rich guy in the world.

Noah:

Pretend to be Matt Jackson’s boyfriend, my best friend said. It’ll be fun, he said. What Damon neglected to mention is Matt is surly and bitter. Being his boyfriend is a job in itself. From his paranoia over being constantly photographed to his aversion to PDA, being with Matt isn’t the care-free fake relationship I expected when I signed on to do this. 

It’s supposed to be a win-win. I get to stick it to my politician dad who thinks no one is good enough for the Huntington name, and Matt’s reputation of being the bad boy of football dies.

What I don’t expect is to start caring for the guy. That’s not part of the plan. Then again, neither is fooling around with him on my private jet. 

Oops.

 

Goodreads

 

 

Excerpt

 

The sound of water crashing over the bow reaches our room from the black abyss that is the Atlantic Ocean. Sitting on the small couch in our cabin and drinking a beer is peaceful until Noah opens his mouth.

“We should make out.”

I choke and splutter on my beer. “Why in the hell should we do that?”

“I’m not hitting on you, you jackass.”

“Pretty sure askin’ me to kiss you contradicts that statement.”

“Hear me out. You’re uncomfortable in public, and we don’t know each other. The way to make it look natural is if we are natural. Therefore, if we make out, you’ll loosen up.”

I hate that he has a point, but we can’t cross those lines. “We should make this a purely platonic arrangement so there’s no confusion.”

“There will be no confusion on my part. I understand why you’d be hesitant, because, well, look at me. You’re worried about liking it too much.” Noah gestures to himself, and I force myself not to look.

“Yeah, you’re lucky I haven’t jumped you already.” Even though he does have a great body. Damn him.

“I could goad you into doing it, but I don’t think I have to. You know this is a good idea.”

“It’s really not.”

“Scared you’re going to fall for me?” he taunts. “All the boys do.”

“Fall for your wallet, maybe,” I mumble.

His eyes turn a stormy gray as they narrow, and if looks could kill—

“Fall for you after one kiss?” I scoff. “Not possible.”

It’s not possible after multiple kisses. I reckon I’m incapable of love, because I don’t know what the fuck it is.

Noah moves closer.

“Noah …” I shift on the seat.

“You’re way too uptight. I promise I’m not trying to fuck you. Although, that could definitely be fun.”

A tentative hand skims up my side and around my back.

My body freezes, and if Noah thought I was uptight thirty seconds ago, it’s nothing compared to how tense I am right now.

“We have a photoshoot in two days.” His breath tickles my cheek. “You’re going to have to be relaxed and pretend you like me.”

“So, we can do this then.” My voice cracks and I clear my throat. “I don’t understand the point of it now.”

“Breathe,” Noah says. “And just let me kiss you.”

This is a stupid idea. Really stupid. Even so, there’s a part of me that not only wants it but hopes he has a point, because there’s no way I can pretend to be in love with a guy I don’t know and am nervous around.

“Fine.” I lean forward and put my beer on the coffee table in front of us.

He stares at me dumbfounded, as if he wasn’t expecting me to give in. Maybe this is a game to him. If it is, he’s winning.

That doesn’t stop either of us from moving closer to one another.

My lips inch toward his but before I kiss him, I add in a low voice, “This is an experiment only. A one-time thing.”

“Matt—”

“This isn’t going to work, and when it doesn’t, I will gladly rub it in your face every day we have to play this stupid charade.”

Noah laughs, as if he knows I’m trying to convince myself and not him, but I cut him off with my mouth on his. My tongue pushes past his lips, and I refuse to let out the groan that tries to escape when it meets his. Two seconds into the kiss, I know this is a huge mistake.

I ignore the tightening in my pants and the shiver that runs through me as his hand trails down my spine. Then, suddenly, I’m on my back as he pins me to the sofa that’s way too small to fit both of us.

That doesn’t stop us, though.

His cock lines up with mine, and even through two layers of suit pants, I know he’s long and thick.

Shit, don’t think about his dick.

Noah’s lips break away from mine and skim my bearded cheek. “Thought you said you weren’t going to enjoy this.” His breath is warm in my ear.

“I’m not.” Hmm, probably would’ve been more convincing if my voice didn’t crack like a twelve-year-old seeing his first dirty magazine … or in my case a football magazine. Boys in tight pants and pads? It’s no wonder I loved the sport when Dad first forced me to play.

Noah rotates his hips slowly, grinding his hard body against my even harder cock. “Pretty sure this says otherwise.”

“I’m a gay man with a hot guy’s tongue down my throat. It’s simple chemistry. It doesn’t mean anything.”

“You’re wrong. This is anything but simple.” Noah’s mouth comes back down on mine again, and this time, I can’t hold back the moan.

I’m no longer on the ship. I’ve fallen overboard and am drowning in Noah, and I don’t want to come up for air.

“Matt,” he murmurs against my mouth, and his voice may as well have been a bucket of ice.

I push him off me and sit up, straightening my shirt and my composure in the process. “See. Didn’t work.”

I reach for my beer to wash the taste of Noah down.

He wipes his mouth and breaks into a cocky-ass smile. “So you felt nothing, huh?”

“Right.” More beer goes down my throat.

“Keep telling yourself that.”

 

 

Giveaway

One of Five ARC’s for Trick Play

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b1257f8d322/?

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Eden Finley is an Amazon bestselling author who writes steamy contemporary romances that are full of snark and light-hearted fluff. 

She doesn’t take anything too seriously and lives to create an escape from real life for her readers. The ideas always begin with a wackadoodle premise, and she does her best to turn them into romances with heart.

With a short attention span that rivals her five-year-old son’s, she writes multiple different pairings: MM, MMF, and MF. 

She’s also an Australian girl and apologises for her Australianisms that sometimes don’t make sense to anyone else.

 

Connect with Eden

 

Newsletter Sign Up: http://bit.ly/2owAsgY

Facebook Author Page: http://bit.ly/2GMjfag

Facebook Reader Group: http://bit.ly/2t1KqM4

Goodreads Author Page: http://bit.ly/2ouFzya

Twitter: http://bit.ly/2HQnyCv

Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.to/2EV9Roi

BookBub Author Page: http://bit.ly/2ouhBDq

 

Cover Reveal

COVER REVEAL for Stroking Her Fire by Mila Crawford

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I’d always loved her even if she never knew.

Growing up as Avery’s friend was the hardest part of it all, especially when all I wanted to do was claim her as mine. But I was that awkward, geeky kid with the black-rimmed glasses and was a social outcast.

Time and distance had separated us but I never forgot about her. My love for Avery never lessened. It only grew.

Now back in town, working as a firefighter. I doubt she’ll recognize me. I’m big, strong, and confident, so different than what I was all those years ago. Seeing her again after so long has me realizing too much time has passed. I know what has to be done.

I need to let Avery know she’s mine and that nothing and no one would stop me from claiming her.

 

Warning: This is a friends-to-lovers, double virgin safe romance that also has that spark of filth thrown in. Yes, you read that right … double virgins. No need to wear protection for this one because these two know exactly what they want and that’s each other.

 

 

 

Mila Crawford is a book lover and has been around them one way or another her whole life. She is a fan of happily ever afters, sassy heroines, over the top alphas, and most of all safe reads.

 

 

 

4 stars, Book Review

Staying in Vegas by Sam Mariano Review

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newarcbannerblurbstayinginvegasYou don’t want to miss what happens in Vegas…

When I met Rafe Morelli, he didn’t look like the biggest mistake I’d ever make; he seemed closer to the crime family version of Prince Charming. Charismatic, beautiful, and attentive—with an intoxicating air of power—Rafe was the stuff of my darkest fantasies.

What we had should have been a simple fling, no-strings-attached. My hot weekend with the sexy, dominant Vegas boss—a harmless memory to replay once I returned to my quiet, predictable life.

One tiny hitch in that plan: a panty-melting memory isn’t all he left behind. Now the stakes have changed, and I’m faced with a potentially life-altering decision. Do I stay away and enjoy my status as the only woman in known history who has played in the Morelli flames without getting burned, or do I risk everything and step back into the fire?

BOOK 1 OF 3 IN THE VEGAS MORELLI TRILOGY.

This trilogy can be read even if you haven’t read the original Morelli family series, but as it takes place AFTER that series, there will be Morelli family series spoilers. Two of the main characters from this trilogy were introduced in the original Morelli series. If you want to read the original series and experience it without spoilers, you may want to start there (with Accidental Witness).
Like the original Morelli family series, this trilogy is a continuing story following the same characters, NOT three separate-couple standalones.

— Goodreads — Amazon —

authorsammarianoFollow Sam Mariano on Facebook or check out her Blog! (She also recently opened an Instagram, sammarianobooks, if you’d like to follow there.) If you need to email her, she can be reached at sammarianoauthor@gmail.com (but she is sometimes tardy about checking email. Mateo is very demanding).

Sign up for Sam’s mailing list (to stay up to date on current projects–she won’t spam you! Only for notification of new releases or book sales.)

Because of You, Irreparable Damage, The Morelli Family Series, and Staying in Vegas are now available on Amazon! (And don’t forget to follow Sam’s Amazon Author page to get the newest releases.)

Sam Mariano has been writing stories for as long as she can remember. She lives in Ohio and has a sweet and wonderful daughter.
Because of You was her first finished story (she started writing it when she was 18) and due to a full-time work and college schedule, it took her years to finish. She has also been telling people for years that there would never be a sequel (sorry, guys!)…which turned out to be a lie.
Sam Mariano is currently working on the sequels to Irreparable Damage and Because of You.
Feel free to find her on Facebook, Goodreads, or her blog—she loves hearing from readers!reviewstayinginvegas2

Staying in Vegas was my first dip into the Morelli family and Sam Mariano. Although I am probably going to go back and read the Morelli family series from the beginning (especially Mateo because he seems scary and ruthless and my kinda guy!), I had no trouble keeping up with Rafe and Laurel’s story. Well, Rafe, Laurel, and Sin’s story. The first book in the probably dramatic trilogy constituted more of Laurel and Sin’s relationship than Rafe and Laurel’s.

After reading this book, and then trolling the reviews on Goodreads, there’s one thing we can all agree on about this book: keep an open mind. There’s some definite Dom/sub vibes happening, though because I’ve never read one of Sam’s books I couldn’t tell you how far those are going to go. The ultimate, descriptive love triangle is happening, between Laurel Sin and Rafe that makes me want to hate Laurel.

I hate love triangles, and this one went beyond “I like two guys.” Rafe messes up, REALLY badly, and Sin swoops in like a kidnapping savior. Rafe then realizes he messed up when he thinks Sin is sleeping with Laurel. It’s a triangle that makes me anxious in every way possible. And I wanted to hate Laurel so much for seeming wishy-washy. I wanted to hate Rafe for not swooping in sooner. I wanted to hate them both and throw the book!

But I. Just. Couldn’t.

I understood why Laurel was feeling the way she was, and I understood why Rafe was a major jackass. I understood so much, that all I could do was hope and pray for Rafe and Laurel to get together sooner rather than later. There is a part of me (the part that’s consumed by anxiety over THAT CLIFFHANGER and also the dynamic between Rafe, Sin and Laurel), that wants to skip the rest of the series and just go read the other Morelli books, forever forgetting about this triangle. You know what though? I probably won’t, because as much as Sam caused me pain with this story, I LOVED IT.

stayinginvegas34star

**images used are from http://www.freeimages.com and all fonts are licensed, bought from http://www.creativemarket.com. For more info on the fonts used please contact me at caitscreatures@gmail.com**

Cover Reveal

Cover Reveal for Carver by KL Donn

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Presents
 
Cover Reveal
 
Carver: Past Lies
by K.L. Donn
 
 
Genre: Dark Romance
Series: Adair Empire, Book 5
 
Model/Photographer: Nathan Hainline
Cover Design: Sensual Graphic Designs
 

 

I saw her.
 
She’s mine.
 
NOTHING
 
Will stop me.
 
**Warning**
The Adair Empire is a dark and graphic romance that will push your buttons, and maybe your boundaries. Each book contains a new couple but ends with a plot cliff-hanger.
 
One hour.
 
Sixty minutes.
 
Three thousand, six hundred seconds.
 
Small inconsequential numbers. They mean nothing. They are nothing.
 
To the average man.
 
I’m not your average man. I’m a killer. A righter of many wrongs. On a good day I’m your judge, jury, and executioner. On a bad day, I’m your worst nightmare. I’ll make you wish for death while praying for the devil. Nothing scares me. 
 
Not a fucking thing.
 
Except the last hour.
 
Meadow …
 
Sweet, innocent, perfect Meadow.
 
She’s mine. Has been for almost a year. King told me to back off. He swore when she was ready, I would have her. She would be Meadow-mine. Meadow would be the one and only thing in this world to belong to me and no one would take her. Hurt her.
 
McCray should have been dead. He was left for it. His carcass should be rotting in the wilds of Alaska. 
 
But he’s not.
 
He’s like a bad rash that won’t fucking going away.
 
An right now, he has minutes to live because when I’m through with him he’ll wish he’d let the wolves tear apart his dying body.
 
When I’m done with him, he’ll pray for the end, but I won’t give it.
 
Follow the Author
 
 
About the Author
 
Krystal is a proud Canadian girl, hailing from Sherwood Park, Alberta. She has a strong dislike for the winter, and a love spring. Married to her husband Steve, for 13 years, they have 4 beautiful red headed spawns ranging in ages 5-12. She has a strong love of coffee, sarcasm, and wine. (Not necessarily in that order either.)
 
Krystal loves to write about instalove between couples looking for love. She has a passion for contemporary romance and springs into menage as often as she can. Currently, she is working on 2 new series, the Adair Empire a darker, dirtier, and grittier series than what her readers are used to, but boy has she had a ton of fun writing them. The What Happens When series will begin with Anonymous Bride series will begin with Anonymous Bride and continue with untraditional love stories. Bringing you all the good feels, a ton of love, and maybe – if you’re lucky 😉 a surprise baby or two! 
 
With the exception of Anonymous Bride, and Until Arsen you’ll be able to find all her books on all platforms!
 
 
Hosted by
 
RRR Promotion
 
Read Review Repeat
 
 
 

 

Book Tour, Release Blitz!

Release Boost for the Donut Collaboration!

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Can your sweet tooth handle it?!
13 authors. 13 separate books.
All celebrating National Donut Day!

ONECLICK NOW→ http://bit.ly/2wuCiFE

 

Sweet and delightfully decadent.

In celebration of national donut day and its yummy goodness, a bakers dozen of authors have come together to give you a sugary sweet, calorie-free treat!

13 Brand spanking, fun new stories by FG Adams, Amy Briggs, Teresa Crumpton, Tracie Douglas, Fifi Flowers, Felicia Fox, Regina Frame, Jessika Klide, Kristen Luciani, Kristen Hope Mazzola, Mayra Statham, Shantel Tessier & Winter Travers.

 

 

Book Tour, Release Blitz!

Staying in Vegas by Sam Mariano is Live!

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Title: Staying in Vegas

Series: Vegas Morellis #1

Author: Sam Mariano
Genre: Mafia Romance

Release Date: April 4, 2018

Blurb
Nothing can prepare you for what happens in Vegas…
When I met Rafe Morelli, he didn’t look like the biggest
mistake I’d ever make; he seemed closer to the crime family version of Prince
Charming. Charismatic, beautiful, and attentive—with an intoxicating air of
power—Rafe was the stuff of my darkest fantasies.
What we had should have been a simple fling,
no-strings-attached. My hot weekend with the sexy, dominant Vegas boss—a
harmless memory to replay once I returned to my quiet, predictable life.
One tiny hitch in that plan: a panty-melting memory isn’t
all he left behind. Now the stakes have changed, and I’m faced with a potentially
life-altering decision. Do I stay away and enjoy my status as the only woman in
known history who has played in the Morelli flames without getting burned, or
do I risk everything and step back into the fire?
Purchase Links
AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
Free in Kindle Unlimited

Also Available

NOW LIVE & $3.99 FOR A LIMITED TIME!!

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

Free in Kindle Unlimited

Coming Soon

Releasing August 3, 2018

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

Author Bio

Sam Mariano loves to write edgy, twisty romantic reads with
complicated characters you’re left thinking about long after you turn the last
page. Her favorite thing about indie publishing is the ability to play by your
own rules! If she isn’t reading one of the thousands of books on her to-read
list, writing her next book, or playing with her adorable preschooler…
actually, that’s about all she has time for these days.

Author Links

 

Blog Ramblings

#BookStuffing and why it matters.

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If you’ve been on twitter in Romancelandia recently, you may have noticed some interesting hashtags.

#cockygate
#tiffanygate
#bookstuffing
#GETLOUD

Some of them have been talked about to the max, (#cockygate, #BYEFaleena), and some are just starting to gain momentum (#tiffanygate). If you haven’t heard of any of these yet, I suggest falling down the rabbit hole on twitter to find out more. This post isn’t going to explain #cockygate or #tiffanygate (though Tiffanygate and BookStuffing have something in common).

As a reader, I came across Kindle Unlimited about a year ago. It was as I was discovering more indie authors, and wanted to find more. So I got my subscription, and started devouring books that participated in the program. I found authors like Alexa Riley, Mia Madison, Madison Faye, Ella Summers and so many more. I started reading novellas and full length novels, reading almost 200 books in a year. My reading was up, and I was a happy camper.

What was even better, was some of the books I was reading including extra books.

This time last year, I didn’t review books. I couldn’t have told you the name of a single indie author. I wasn’t involved in a single book club on Facebook or anywhere else. I read the mainstream paperbacks you could find in the library, the grocery store, Wal-Mart, anywhere I could get my hands on one. I didn’t use my kindle or nook, and I didn’t use the app on my phone. I broke my back carrying around paperbacks, but I loved holding the book in my hand and thought nothing could compare.

Then, I found KU, and my whole life changed. And I’m not exaggerating. I went from never leaving reviews, to becoming a book blogger. I went from only reading paperbacks, to reading mainly on my kindle. I went from buying books at the store, to trying to support my favorite authors by buying their paperbacks online. I went from having only friends I met in the real world, to having friends ALL over the world, and I met them in one of the thirty book clubs I am now in.

The more I got to know the indie world, the more problems I saw within the KU program. One of the biggest problems is that the ‘Zon is trying to crack down on the “authors” that break their Terms of Service, which ends up hurting legitimate authors trying to make a living doing what they love.

You may have read my little biography here and thought “but Cait, what is book stuffing?!” I wanted to start with my journey, to show you that as a “sophisticated” reader, who has read both mainstream and indie books, who has read the stuffed books and the novellas, that I was duped. I thought I was getting extra books, when I read certain titles on KU. In reality: I was hurting the authors I’ve come to love and support with my whole heart.

Now, what is book stuffing? It’s pretty much what it sounds like: an author stuffs books into another book. Extra Content, according to Amazon’s KU Terms of Service (TOS), states that it cannot be more than 10% of the book. Why? Because authors in the KU program get paid for each page read. There is a big bank that is used to pay these authors, and it is set at a fixed rate. So for every page a borrower reads, the author gets paid. If an author “stuffs” more than one book into their book, they get paid for more pages read. Some of these authors encourage their readers to do the “KU Flip”, which is basically flipping through the extra content in a book, at a slow rate, until you reach the end, so the author can get more money.


*Picture from  on Twitter*

With more pages read, the more money you get, but you also get to be one of Amazon’s Top Seller’s program, which means more advertising. So while there are authors that have full time jobs aside from writing, that are happy with the sales they earned, there are authors out there who are not valuing their readers, and asking them to skip through content they may or may not have already read, or may or may not be interested in, so they can make more money. It’s not about the book they’ve written, it’s about the money they could get.

Is book stuffing a big deal? Are that many authors doing it?

bookstuffer.jpg
*Images as of June 5, 2018*

Out of the Top 6 in “Sports Romance” only ONE of these authors does not book stuff. (Ilsa Madden-Mills, you GO GLEN COCO!) It’s not just in Sports Romance, though, and it’s not just stuffing more books into one book. Some books mess up the spacing to spread out the pages. As a reader, I found this SO ANNOYING, but didn’t realize I was helping authors scam other authors.

bookstuffing1.jpg
*Image grabbed from Biker’s Virgin on June 5th, 2018*

As a reader, I had no idea this was an issue. With #cockygate coming to light, and indie and mainstream authors banded together to fight this, the authors who were afraid of getting in trouble with Amazon decided to say WHATEVER and bring to light the book stuffing issue. As a reader, we ALL have to help report the issue, because authors like Anna B Doe, BJ Bentley, Mia Madison, Gillian Jones, and so many more (those are just a few I thought of off the top of my head), are getting screwed by authors like Cassandra Dee, Tia Siren, Claire Adams, and Chance Carter (who I will NOT rant about right now).

So how can you tell if a book has been stuffed? Check the Table of Contents in the previews.

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*Images grabbed from Marrying His Brother by Tia Siren on June 5th, 2018.*

Also, check how many pages are in a book.
Examples of bookstuffing:
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Versus legitimate books:

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*All screen grabs were made on June 5th, 2018, and taken from Amazon.com*

As a reader, it is important to make sure you report the books that are guilty of this. Not just because they violate the TOS, but because when they stuff their books, other authors lose out. Other authors take the pay cuts, and suffer from this. The reader doesn’t, the author stuffing sure as heck doesn’t, but the author you love? The one you want to see grow and tell everyone about? They suffer. So how do you report these authors? Scroll to the bottom of the page until you see the Feedback section:

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Here’s the thing: there are much better articles on this than mine. I know that. You can find thorough articles, eloquently written, anywhere on Twitter. Heck, some of the Twitter threads are better than this. However, the community needs to speak up. That means complaining about this everywhere, speaking about it on every platform, and reporting the books that are scamming the readers and authors! If you read this article on bookstuffing from a reader’s perspective, thanks! Now go out and share what you learned! Expose the books violating the TOS. Do something about it.

Want to learn more? Here are some articles/videos that can explain better than me:
Forbes.com
Heather’s Hangout
David Gaughran
BJ Bentley

#GETLOUD