12 Smart & Savvy Days of Christmas - Day 4 - Guest Post from Adriana Locke

Hello and welcome to Day 4. Are you still on a holiday high and celebrating away or has your family all gone home and things are back to normal?

Day 1 |Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8

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Today I welcome the fabulous Adriana Locke to the blog. She's talking about what books she would take with her if she were stranded on an island and is giving two lucky commenters a chance to win her book, The Excpetion (which is fabulous!). Welcome Adriana! 

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Hi!

*waves*

I’m Adriana Locke and am so excited to be taking over Smart & Savvy with Stephanie! This is my very first guest post and I’m kinda nervous. I mean, if I mess up something on my own website, that’s one thing... ;)

I’ll start off my introducing myself (seems like the polite way to go about things). I’m a wife, a mother, a reader, and a writer. I was born and raised in the MidWest, but lived for awhile in Phoenix, Arizona, the setting for my first novel, The Exception. I miss it there, with its sunshine and bright sky, but really I’m a country girl. My perfect day would be laying outside somewhere with no one around (preferably in a hammock), a drink in hand (sweet tea or rum), and a great book (with an alpha male, of course).

I was considering what the topic of my guest post should be about and I decided to tell you the 3 books I’d pick to take to a deserted island with me. It’ll give you some insight as to who I am and it centers around the one thing I know we have in common - books! :)

Overlooking my first concern as to how I’m getting to the island, considering I’m terrified of deep, dark water, my next problem will be deciding what books to take. I love so, so many books. I’ve only recently started collecting paperbacks and it’s becoming an issue. LOL But I do love the feel of the pages in my hands - it really does give it a different experience from just ‘swiping’ the pages on my e-reader. Looking at my shelf, it’s hard to narrow it down to 3 books, so I’m cheating and doing 3 series because it’s my post and I can change the rules, right?

#1 - Undeniable Series by Madeline Sheehan

I’m not sure I could live without Deuce West and the Horsemen. They are filthy and conniving and criminal and I love them with my whole heart. Not only are there multiple books in the series, there are also lots of characters with open-ended storylines. So once I finish reading what the author has written, I can lay back on the beach and make up stories in my head for the rest of the guys.

#2 - The Seductive Nights Trilogy by Lauren Blakely

Clay Nichols is an alpha male and such a dirty taker. This series, one of my favorites, would be a great balance to the Horseman and their craziness. This series is sexy and seductive. I don’t know what would be hotter - the sun beating down on me or Lauren’s words on the paper. Sigh.

#3 - The Man Trilogy by Jodi Ellen Malpas

Let’s be honest - who could live without The Lord? He’s bat sh*t crazy, but damn it if I don’t love him. He’s certifiable, possessive, and a total alpha male. On the flip side, he’s sexy, sinful, and since I finished this series, I can’t hear someone ‘counting down’ without feeling my heartbeat pick up. He’s ruined me in so many ways.

*nods head*

I think that’s the perfect trio to keep me company on the island. Of course, I’ll be taking Cane Alexander and Max Quinn, too. ;) If you haven’t met them, they are from my novel, The Exception. Cane is an alpha male in his own right, a total bad boy. Max is his best friend and partner at Alexander Industries. He’s sweet and sexy with a southern drawl. Where Cane’s a little hot tempered, Max is calm; they balance each other in a lot of ways.

The Exception is available now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, and Kobo. Max is getting his own book in early 2015. It’s titled The Perception and you can add it to your Goodreads shelf now.

Thank you, Stephanie, for having me! And thank you all for hanging out with me for a few minutes! Leave a comment and tell me what your 3 books would be! I’d love to know. <3

In the meantime, come find me on social media and say hello:

Facebook - www.facebook.com/authoradrianalocke

Group - www.facebook.com/groups/booksbyadrianalocke

TSU - www.tsu.co/AdrianaLocke

Instagram - www.instragram.com/authoradrianalocke

Website - www.adrianalocke.com

Pinterest - www.pinterest.com/authoradrianalocke

Twitter - www.twitter.com/authorALocke

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To enter for your chance to win an e-copy of The Exception, answer Adriana's question above and two lucky commenters will win.

Note: Winners will be announced on January 6th.

Release Blitz & Giveaway - The Exception by Adriana Locke

I'm very excited to be a part of the release blitz for Adriana Locke's debut novel, The Exception. I've had the opportunity to read it and loved Cane and Jada's story!

 Amazon | Goodreads

They say there is an exception to every rule...

Jada Stanley is starting over, refusing to repeat her past mistakes. Everything is going great until she meets Cane Alexander. He is gorgeous, cocky, and everything she needs to avoid.

Cane lives within a set of carefully constructed guidelines to ensure his life remains uncomplicated. When he sets his eyes on Jada, all of his rules are called into question.

As their worlds become intertwined, they find it impossible to stay away from each other.

Will they be able to maintain the rules they've created to protect their hearts? Or will they make an exception?

 Cane shook his head, apparently to rid himself of whatever he was thinking. His eyebrows raised, he turned towards me. “So you will have lunch with him and not me? What am I missing here?”
“It’s business. Pretty simple, I think.” I peered out the door, watching Simon’s black Avalanche pull out of the parking lot.
“I can pretend it’s about business, if that’s what you want.”
“Cane,” I warned, turning my head to look at him.
“Lunch with him will not be about business. When I walked in here, that was not about business.”
“Whether it was or it wasn’t is no business of yours.”
 Cane blew out a breath, his forehead marred in frustration. “Do you know Simon Powers? Have you dealt with him before?”
“No, I just met him today. Why?” 
He looked relieved. “It doesn’t matter. Look, if he needs to see this property again, I want you to call me first, okay?”
“All right. I won’t bring him here without calling you first.”
“I’m going to give you my phone number. If he wants to see this property or becomes a pain in your ass, I want you to call me. Don’t put up with any shit from him and don’t bring him here unless you actually speak to me. Do you understand?”
“You’re making me nervous. What’s going on?”
“There’s nothing to be nervous about,” he said calmly, trying to dissipate the mood he just created. “I just don’t like that guy. I don’t trust him.”
“Whatever you say.”
“I like it when you just do what I say.” His eyes darkened.
“Noted. I have to go, Cane.”
“What’s your phone number?” He placed his hand on the small of my back. I stilled at his touch. A jolt of energy darted through my body, landing at the apex of my thighs. I closed my eyes and just felt for a minute.
“You can get my number from Max,” I said breathily, throwing his words from the night at the restaurant back at him.
Cane spun me around quickly, my back pressed against the wall. He leaned in, his face almost touching mine. I willed myself not to moan, to not give him any inclination that my willpower was melting away.
“Oh, Jada,” he whispered, the warmth of his breath only adding to the riot inside me. “Why do you fight this so hard?”
“Cane …” I tried to formulate a response but words were not accessible.
He smirked, knowing what he was doing to me. “Yes?” 
“I … I need to go.”
“You need to. But do you want to?” He searched my eyes with his own. “I know what you want and what you need, baby. Why won’t you trust me?”
My eyes widened, my pulse pounding. He was so close and I wanted more than anything to reach out and pull him up against me.
But I can’t.
He smiled before leaning in, his lips grazing my ear as he whispered, “Why do you fight this? Just give me one night to get you out of my system.”
I turned my head to respond, to explain that was exactly what he wasn’t getting, and our eyes locked. The air between us, so hot and rife with energy, boiled over.
He captured my lips with his own, tentatively at first. I resisted for a split second before succumbing to his charge. His lips moved over mine, a soft juxtaposition to his hard exterior. The heat of the exchange, of him finally touching me, melted me from the inside out.
I opened my mouth, giving him entry, and he took it without hesitation. He explored my mouth with his own lazily, the softness of his tongue making my knees buckle.
I tried to focus, tried to commit everything to memory, because it would only happen once. That would be the first and last time I allowed my defenses to be obliterated by Cane Alexander.
The sound of blood roaring past my ears and the feel of his body, hot and hard against me, made it impossible to concentrate on anything for long. I hesitantly placed my hands on his back, feeling his muscles ripple beneath them.
The sensations were overwhelming and I was on the cusp of bursting at the seams.
Cane pulled back slowly and kissed me lightly on the lips, before retreating far enough away to look into my eyes. There were a hundred emotions playing across his gorgeous face, his eyes a dozen colors of blue.
I looked away, trying to catch my breath. I wasn’t able to figure out my own emotions—I had no business trying to figure out his.
“One night.” He lifted my chin so that my eyes met his. His tongue flicked across his lips.
He only wants one night …
My wits were scattered across the room and I gathered as many of them as I could before responding, “I need to go.”
A look flashed across his face that I couldn’t read. He raised his eyebrows. “That’s all you’re going to say?”
“I don’t know what else you want me to say.” I sidestepped him and made my way to the door. I looked over my shoulder one last time and he changed before my eyes.
The confused, vulnerable look gave way to an impassive, cool veneer. He sat his hands on top of his head and turned away, heading towards the office.
Seeing everything I needed to see, more than enough to convince myself I was doing the right thing, I pushed through the door and didn’t look back.

Adriana Locke lives and breathes books. After years of slightly obsessive relationships with the flawed bad boys created by other authors, Adriana has created her own. The Exception is Adriana’s debut novel and will be released on September 18th.

Adriana lives in the Midwest with her family. She spends a large amount of time playing with her kids, drinking coffee, and cooking. Her favorite things include sunshine, candy, and random quotes.  She loves to hear from readers.

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter  | Instagram

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover Reveal - The Exception by Adriana Locke

 

I am very excited to participate in the cover reveal for author Adriana Locke. Her debut novel, The Exception, is set to release on September 18th, 2014. Today I've got some teasers, an excerpt, book info and a giveaway!

 

 

 

 They say there is an exception to every rule...

 

 

Jada Stanley is starting over, refusing to repeat her past mistakes. Everything is going great until she meets Cane Alexander. He is gorgeous, cocky, and everything she needs to avoid.

 

Cane lives within a set of carefully constructed guidelines to ensure his life remains uncomplicated. When he sets his eyes on Jada, all of his rules are called into question.

 

As their worlds become intertwined, they find it impossible to stay away from each other. Will they be able to maintain the rules they've created to protect their hearts? Or will they make an exception?

 

Add On Goodreads

 

 

 

 

Prologue

CANE

If I close my eyes, maybe she’ll disappear.

“That was amazing. So good, Cane.” 

Maybe not.

The woman nestled against me, her hand draping across my body. She stroked my skin, the intimacy of the action curling my stomach.

I switched on the bedside lamp, letting my eyes adjust to the bright light. Glancing at the clock, I pushed her hand away.

It’s not too late. She can still go home.

Sitting up, I swung my legs over the side of the bed; my body groaned in response. I stretched my arms overhead in an attempt to work some life back into my exhausted muscles.

This girl was a decent choice for a last minute decision. Memories of her contorted in a variety of wicked ways, screaming my name, made my dick harden again.

“Do you want me to get us something to eat?” she asked.

Her nails grazed down my back and I moved out of her reach. Her touch, like her voice, was more annoying than I remembered it being a few hours earlier.

That’s because you just dumped a load.

I twisted around. Her blonde hair was spread across my pillows, black makeup smeared across her face. A part of me wanted to tell her she looked like hell, but a bigger part of me didn’t care enough to point it out. I just needed her gone.

She rolled onto her back, cheap perfume wafting through the air. She pulled the sheets tight around her body.

I’m going to have to do laundry. Hell, I’ll probably just have to burn the sheets to get rid of that smell.

“I was thinking I would grab us some hamburgers. I could pick up some things for breakfast while I’m out.”

I cringed at the implications saturating her voice. “You’re going to need to tone that shit down.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Look, I have things to do tonight.” Her face was familiar but her name—not so much.

“Oh, that’s fine. I can just wait here while you do what you need to do.” She flashed me her biggest smile and settled back into the sheets, looking way too comfortable in my bed.

“No. You’re going to need to get up, get dressed, and go home.” I massaged my temples with my fingertips, a migraine inching its way into my skull.

For fuck’s sake! Why isn’t this ever as easy as they make it out to be? Maybe I should get them to sign some shit, a ‘This is a Fuck and Only a Fuck’ disclaimer or something.

“I really have no plans for tomorrow, Cane.” She licked her lips, still swollen from moments before.

“We discussed this. We fuck. You leave. You know this.”

She had the nerve to look hurt.

“I didn’t think you were going to say that once we were done.”

“It was amazing. It is always amazing with me.” I flashed her a grin and literally watched her swoon.

That never gets old.

“Look, I don’t do this ‘sex and a sandwich’ thing, but that is not a newsflash.”

“But …”

“Why does it feel like we’ve been here before?” Frustration took over and I took a deep breath, trying to keep myself calm. All I needed was a hot little body to dump my stress into for a little while and I had made no illusions otherwise. She agreed to this before she followed me home.

Why does it have to be complicated now? I ran my fingers through my short blond hair, scrubbing my scalp in annoyance.

“When I was here a few months ago, we had lunch, too. Remember? We sat out on the patio.”

Remember her face. Do not triple dip this one.

“You don’t understand how this works.”  I glanced at her reclining against my pillows and fought hard to not sound as brusque as I felt. “I have a bunch of shit to do. You really need to go.”

She sighed dramatically as she got up and found her jeans on the floor. I watched her ass jiggle as she pulled them on slowly, undoubtedly for my benefit.

It worked.

I had to restrain myself from grabbing her and fucking her one more time, just for good measure.

That is only going to make getting her out of here even harder and she simply isn’t good enough to waste any more time on.

Instead, I sat and enjoyed the show. She turned to face me as she pulled her shirt over her head, her eyes never leaving mine. She tucked her bra in her purse.

With a final glance over her shoulder, presumably to give me time to change my mind, she was gone.

And I was alone again—just the way I liked it.

 

 

 

 
Adriana Locke lives and breathes books. After years of slightly obsessive relationships with the flawed bad boys created by other authors, Adriana has created her own. The Exception is Adriana’s debut novel and will be released on September 18th.

Adriana lives in the Midwest with her family. She spends a large amount of time playing with her kids, drinking coffee, and cooking. Her favorite things include sunshine, candy, and random quotes.

 

 

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter



 

 

 

 

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