The Baby Contract by Olivia Starke - Review

Blurb

 

Having a baby is Abby's dream. Will Liam's enemies stop her happily ever after?

Liam Whitmore III is floored by the surprise stipulation in his father's will—provide an heir within one year or he'll lose the controlling portion of Whitmore Incorporated to his cousin Spencer. The corporation is Liam's life. He'll do anything to keep his cousin's hands off of it, including finding a woman who'll bear his child. Though finding the right woman seems an impossible task since he doesn't have room in his life for anything except running the company. He doesn't want a wife, just an heir.

Abby Haden's family is about to lose their ranch, the only life her ailing father and brother have ever known. She feels helpless and is desperate to help. When the most coveted bachelor in Austin, Liam Whitmore III, also known as the Takeover Tyrant, offers to pay her to have his child it seems too incredible to be true. She's all but given up hope of ever having a baby. Not only will her dream of being a mother come true, but she can also save the family ranch.

It was just supposed to be a business deal, but Abby and Liam find it hard to keep their hearts out of what it takes to make a baby. Even as they sort out their feelings, others have their eye on Whitmore Incorporated. Liam and Abby will soon discover how far they'll go to make sure Abby never produces that heir.

Beachwalk Press Amazon

My Review

This book was everything you could possibly want from a romance and more. I’m a fan of Olivia Starke’s anyway, but she really exceeded herself with this!

Liam was a great character because the reader really gets to experience his growth gradually throughout the book. He comes across believably cold at the beginning of the book, though his attraction to Abby is obvious from the word go. Abby is the kind of heroine that is unsure of herself enough to gain the readers sympathy, and strong enough to keep it! Their relationship was addictive from start to finish.

I was also impressed with how Olivia handled the villains in this book. There were clear reasons for Liam’s cousin to do the things he does throughout the story, and he is thoroughly believable. This book has the sweet and the spicy, excitement, danger and emotion. I can’t wait to read the second one!  

Too Hard to Resist - Review

 

Blurb

 



Jamie knows Mark is all wrong for her, but he's so damned hard to resist.

Jamie Shultzer's life is in a tailspin. Her husband has left her for another man, and to top it off, she's stranded on a desolate highway in the middle of Nebraska. The last thing she needs is another complication, especially when it shows up as the tall, sexy as hell, and much too young for her, Mark Adams. Though to be fair, he's only ten years too young, and she has to find some way to repay him for rescuing her.

Mark wants to be the good guy and leave Jamie alone. After all, her son is his friend and Jamie is in the middle of a divorce. But he's been smitten with her since the first time he laid eyes on her years ago. Now that she's available, it's hard to say no to her sweet tasting lips, and even harder to walk away from her willing body.

Is this the start of something wonderful, or a disaster in the making?

 

Excerpt

 

Jamie's car rolled to a stop by the curb in front of her home. Mark hopped out and started undoing the chains that he’d attached to the undercarriage of her vehicle. She got out of the truck and stared at the dark front porch. It looked so vacant and unwelcoming.

"Don't drive it until you fill it with coolant." Mark gave the hood of her car a pat. "Or at least water."

"Okay, where do I put said coolant or water?"

In the glow of her security light, Mark gave her a grin that could be called nothing less than dashing. Crooked, with the adorable dimple that she remembered when he'd made a brief appearance at her son's college graduation party. He walked past, a little too close, and his body brushed hers. He smelled of clean wet earth. The black t-shirt he wore fit the play of toned muscle beneath it to perfection. Jamie licked her lips; she'd like to approach him like a popsicle. Lick him head to toe and back up again.

They'd seemed to have shared a moment of chemistry while driving back to her place. She grasped onto the way Mark had looked at her. The way a man looks at a woman he desperately wants to kiss. Jamie couldn't remember the last time she'd experienced such a feeling. It'd been startling and she'd panicked.

Mark reached inside and popped the hood before walking to the front of her car.

"Come over here."

His voice was low, gravelly, seductive, and she floated toward his command like a moth to a flame. She'd come anywhere, and anytime, with him. Bad porn music started to play in her head. Bom chica wow wow.

She squeezed her eyes shut. Good God, she would be in the middle of a messy divorce soon, what the hell was wrong with her?

"You'll want to put it in here." He pointed to a part of the engine that looked like a square plastic container.

Her head was swimming; lack of oxygen most likely. Her blood had rushed south to her naughty regions.

"Okay." Her voice squeaked, and she cleared her throat.

"You don't want to fill it to the top, her unit can't take that. Just put it to here."

Oh, come on! The double entendres were killing her.

She couldn't help but notice his long, strong fingers. Long fingers might mean a long…

"Uh-huh, great." She bit into her top lip until it stung.

"So, that should be it." He dropped the hood and brushed his hands together. "Do you need anything else, Mrs. Shultzer?" It was an open-ended question on his part that left Jamie with way too many answers.

 

My Review

 

Too Hard To Resist had me hooked from the word go! A fast paced and punchy afternoon read that you won’t be able to put down. Jamie and Mark were great characters, and the storyline was in turns funny, emotional and, of course, extremely sexy. I loved the way that the issues were dealt with, and especially loved the little twist at the end. Another winner from Ms Starke!

 

Buy Links

Beachwalk Press - http://beachwalkpress.com/too-hard-to-resist-excerpt/

 

Amazon US - http://www.amazon.com/Too-Hard-Resist-Olivia-Starke-ebook/dp/B00JSS7MEW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1398369914&sr=8-1&keywords=too+hard+to+resist

Vampire Masquerade by Olivia Starke -Review

Blurb

It may be too late for Natasha to escape two she-vamps with one big secret…

You are cordially invited to the event of the year
The Vampire Masquerade Ball
Sincerely, Aleese and Eaven

When Natasha Edwards receives a personal invitation to the exclusive Vampire Masquerade, it's exactly the break she's been waiting for. It's her chance to impress national news syndicates, not to mention an opportunity to do some snooping into the disappearances of several women who were last seen within the Underground sect. But the two she-vamps have other plans for her.

Aleese's infatuation with the sexy news reporter cannot be denied, and Eaven has never been one to ignore her wife's desires. The blonde beauty is perfect for their plans, and once she's inside their home, the trap is set. Natasha is easy prey. She's responsive to their touch, and sweet as honey to taste. They want nothing more than to indulge their fantasies in every way imaginable.

Natasha finds exquisite pleasure of a kind she's never experienced with the two dangerous vampires. But when she stumbles upon the truth behind the missing women, will it be too much for one small-town reporter to handle?

Buy links

Amazon US http://www.amazon.com/Vampire-Masquerade-Olivia-Starke-ebook/dp/B00HX9JGD8/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1390163564&sr=1-1&keywords=vampire+masquerade+olivia+starke

Amazon UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vampire-Masquerade-Olivia-Starke-ebook/dp/B00HX9JGD8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1390163620&sr=8-1&keywords=vampire+masquerade+olivia+starke

Review

Intriguing, addictive and sexy.



This is the first book I’ve read by Olivia Starke, and it was also the first female ménage. This normally wouldn’t have been a genre I’d read but I was intrigued. Within the first few pages Olivia opened a whole new world to me. The writing was totally captivating, and I found myself unable to put it down. There are so many hooks, the main one being exactly what Aleese and Eaven’s intentions are towards our heroine Natasha. The characters were interesting, the sex scenes were super-hot. If you’re looking for a vampire romance with a twist then you’ll love this. Brilliant book and I’ll definitely be reading more by this author!



 



Coming Soon, Project Terminal: Legacy Book 1 by Olivia Starke

 

Coming July 15^{th to Beachwalk Press and your favorite ebook retailer! And be sure to follow my virtual book tour 07/15/13-08/02/13 with Shades of Rose Marketing! I’ll have a Rafflecopter giveaway for a $25 gift card to winner’s choice of Amazon or Barnes & Noble PLUS a free ecopy of Project Terminal: Legacy. For information on where I’ll be, drop by my website www.authoroliviastarke.com OR Shades of Rose Marketing.}

PROJECT TERMINAL: LEGACY Book 1

Zombies and super soldiers? Laura is the one hope for a world gone Hollywood crazy.

In only a matter of hours Laura Swift has been bitten by a zombie, rescued by Mr. Tall, Dark, and Foreboding, and thrown into a world gone Hollywood crazy. She has no choice but to follow Damian into his underworld of manipulated viruses and genetically altered super soldiers. Even as her life hangs in the balance, she can't deny the attraction she feels for the incredibly sexy and thoroughly imposing Infantryman.

Damian Gonsalves believes he has a cure for the virus changing innocent people into bloodthirsty undead. Within Laura is the key to stopping the horrific plague. All he has to do is keep her alive and safe, and stay one step ahead of those pursuing them. Her stubbornness frustrates him to no end, while her body drives him to distraction.

When they discover the secret behind Project Terminal, will they survive long enough to help stop the unleashed horror? Or will they just be two more victims of a virus threatening all of humanity?

Content Warning

: graphic sex, strong language, and violence

Excerpt:

"Four more hours. We have to prepare."

Laura went cold. "Prepare?"

"The progression will snowball from here." His voice dead, he continued to stare at some unseen view.

He'd kissed her with such passion, now he spoke without emotion. How could someone do such a turnabout? The lousy bastard. Rage, white hot in intensity, shot through her, her head swimming with it.

"Maybe you're just stupid, Damian. Stupid for allowing a zombie thing to attack me. I wouldn't be dying if it wasn't for you. You deserve this, not me." Her fists balled at the injustice of it all. "You should die for this."

She sucked in wheezing breaths, unable to fill her lungs, and fell back on her butt. Her eyes widened, searching a darkened corner of the room, a distorted face appearing from the shadows. It grinned with broken, yellowed teeth, its eyes glowing in the dimness.

She gagged over raw terror.

"Oh my God, I saw something over there." She scrambled backward. "Damian, one of those things is in here."

* * * *

Damian glanced around the sparsely furnished room. Other than a few flies and mosquitoes buzzing around them they were alone.

He closed his eyes, the weight of guilt pressing down making it difficult to speak. "We're alone, Laura. Nobody else is in here."

The night wore on, and fits of anger mingled with her confusion. Several times he'd had to prevent her from dashing out the door. He paced the confines of the living room, waiting for the last of the madness to run its course. Laura lay on the floor, lashing out toward some unseen attacker, before her breathing became rapid, labored pants. White foam bubbled from her mouth.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, turning away. He'd become disillusioned with the system he'd given his life to shortly after discovering they'd screwed up royally in creating the virus. In a lab he'd watched a man succumb to it, changing into a soulless corpse. It'd been horrific the first time he'd witnessed it. Afterward Headquarters had assigned him to track down an infected woman outside of the facility. It was his duty as a super soldier to clean up their mistakes. Now he wanted nothing more than to see the lab destroyed, something he should've done in the first place. He should've listened to Doug and Max, two of the doctors from the early days of the project. Their warnings had come to pass, but he'd been a stubborn, misinformed jackass.

Curled in the fetal position, Laura looked like a sick child, fragile and broken. His throat constricted, even though it was ridiculous to have feelings for someone you didn't know. He was military, Army Infantry, for Christ's sake, he knew how to pull a trigger without regret.

Laura rolled onto her back, staring toward the ceiling with glassy eyes. Despite the tremulous hold she had on life, she was already dead.

He existed as a government killing machine—an automaton they'd designed. Nothing more. He'd given his humanity away to the project. He wasn't much better than the corpses he hunted.

"I'm so sorry this happened to you, baby. You were right, I deserved this, not you."

His vision blurred when he stared down the barrel, the silencer aimed squarely between her eyes, his heart beating a crazed rhythm in his chest. His finger squeezed ever so slightly on the trigger. Outside a mourning dove called to its mate, a haunting song echoing in the room. He recalled a story from his youth about how a dove would arrive to carry a person's soul to the afterlife. If he believed in anything but the here and now, in that moment he would've thought it true.

Laura's mouth gaped open, strangled noises escaping her throat, seizures taking her into death throes.

He lowered his arm and thumped the butt of his gun against his thigh, waiting for the monster to appear. When she became the undead, when she moved to attack him, he'd have the power to destroy her. She deserved one last try to get the best of him. Maybe it wasn't Laura anymore, but he'd honor the fighting spirit within her. She'd never get past him, but if she took a piece of him in the process he'd have an excuse to end the whole goddamned thing here, in this stinking house. If he ever got infected his duty would be to put a bullet in his own head.

Laura's body stilled, her eyelids drifting closed.

Any moment…

Her eyes popped wide open, her back arching. She sucked in a breath as if surfacing from deep waters. He turned his body sideways, leveling his gun in dead aim, waiting for the corpse to lunge.

"Damian?"

 

Interview

Tell us about your story
What was your inspiration for this story? I’m a fan of zombie movies and this popped into my head a couple years ago. I sort of ran with it.
About how long did it take you to write it? A couple of years, actually. I started it in ’10 and stumbled across it while assigning homes to my huge WIP file.
　
Tell us a little bit about you as a writer
Do you have any kind of writing schedule? I wish I had a better one! I usually have morning errands and chores then start writing around 2 pm. I keep going until bedtime.
What is your writing environment like? I alternate between my couch and when my laptop charge gets low, I go back to my office (which is actually the dining area.)
If you’re ever stuck for an idea, how do you go about finding inspiration? I always have ideas lol. It’s actually a problem for me, I’m finally learning to stay focused on one story at a time so it’ll get done!
What’s the first thing you can remember writing? (it doesn’t have to be published) I finished a love story between a Pegasus and a unicorn back in 6^th grade. I hadn’t realized years and years later it’d become my career.
Do you have any advice for new writers? Keep at it! Don’t get disheartened by rejections and bad reviews.
Tell us a little bit about you as a person
How do you spend your time when you’re not writing? Caring for my little farm of horses, dogs, and cats. I love being outdoors, so getting to the local lake with my kayak or going for a run is fun too.
What’s the best way for you to unwind if you’ve had a hard day? Chatting with friends, and writing.
What was the last thing you watched? The Big Bang Theory, though the television is usually playing in the background.
If you could go anywhere in the world where would you go, and why? Cardiff to see the Doctor Who Exhibit.
And finally where can my readers find you? www.authoroliviastarke.com https://www.facebook.com/olivia.starke.3 Friend me! I need friends^!