Tag: Poughkeepsie

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SAVING POUGHKEEPSIE by @Debra_Anastasia Now Available!

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Saving Poughkeepsie 

Debra Anastasia

Add Saving Poughkeepsie to: Goodreads

On 11/22 Buy from: Amazon  | Barnes and Noble

Beckett Taylor’s quest to be a better man has brought Eve Hartt back into his life, but sometimes it feels like they’re bound together with barbed wire. Though he longs to love her without causing pain, the wreckage of their past continues to crash down around them.

Yet with the help of this brothers—and for his brothers—Beckett won’t stop trying. He’s determined to make them all a family, to make a life they want to live, and to make Poughkeepsie a place that’s safe to live it.

He can feel their futures balanced precariously on his shoulders: Blake and Livia and their children, Cole and Kyle and the new baby they’ve just brought home, and Eve…always Eve. He wants their dreams to be real. But murderers don’t just get Happily Ever After handed to them. They have to wrench it away from Satan himself.

Good thing Beckett is prepared to do just that. After all, saving Poughkeepsie is the only way his story ends.

Prepare your heart and your head for a wild ride in this final installment of the Poughkeepsie Brotherhood series. Debra Anastasia does not disappoint as she weaves the last chapter of a story that blends true love, turbulent emotions, and life’s harsh realities into an uplifting tale that calls to the good in each of us.

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

TPB Series on Make A Gif

Book 1 on sale for .99 cents starting 11/19/14

 

Poughkeepsie (Book 1)

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1wrLt0t

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/poughkeepsie-debra-anastasia/1107612742?ean=9781936305940
 
Audio Book Poughkeepsie: http://www.amazon.com/Poughkeepsie/dp/B00B1NW9AO

Poughkeepsie Enhanced Collector’s Edition for iPad ($12.99): https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/poughkeepsie/id763056961?mt=8 
 Return to Poughkeepsie (Book 2) 

Amazon:http://amzn.to/1EivEvM
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1y3LQNq

              Excerpt 1:

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“I’m not worried about tomorrow. I’m worried about right now, with you, under this Christmas tree.” Blake supported her neck as he laid her on the floor.
Livia turned her head. “You’d better convince me. So far you’ve talked about the dog going to the bathroom, trash, and dirtiness.”
Blake kissed her jaw and turned her head gently, kissing her mouth as she bit her lips together.
“Can’t I just convince you with my manly ways?” He wiggled his eyebrows.
He could, of course, do just that—but she shook her head. She loved the playful sparkle in his green eyes. His five o’clock shadow just made him more handsome, framing his kissable lips with scruff. 
“Okay.” He put his fingers at the bottom of her shirt, lifting it gently so he could circle her belly button with his index finger. “You’re the sexiest, most beautiful woman on this planet. So sexy, in fact, that I had to have you. I had to make you bear my children because my universe and yours had to be combined. Everything I’ve ever been needed to be buried inside of you, so deep, so full of love that we created life. Twice.”
He lifted her shirt and kissed the tops of her breasts, whispering his devotion into her skin. “And it’s never enough. Unless I can hear you coming, I can’t think of anything else. All day every day. For years now. You’re that powerful, Livia. This. Us. It’s so intense that years haven’t cured me. I can’t stop wanting to make love to you.”
“Wow.” Livia smiled and pulled his face back to hers, kissing him and effectively stopping his beautiful words.
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Books That Need More Attention #Giveaway Hop

jenlanebooks

Thank you to Stuck in Books for hosting this wonderful hop!


Have you ever felt confused by a book that knocked you over with its awesomeness but generated only minimal reviews? This hop is all about highlighting wonderful reads that deserve more attention.

I’ve got two books that need your attention!

First is a hot angel story by Nicki Elson. See my five star review HERE.

Maggie Brock has everything under control. Even her divorce, though painful at the time, registers only as a minor blip in her carefully constructed universe. Her life in Prairie Oaks has once again returned to a smooth, predictable pace…until an angel shows up in her bedroom.

The angel is just as bewildered as Maggie about why he’s been sent to her, but their unsuccessful efforts to gain understanding of the mystery fade to the background as their relationship grows. Soon, Maggie’s biggest problem becomes the angel himself, as her feelings for him develop into something less than saintly.

While Maggie struggles to keep her desires pure, a nefarious being lurks in the shadows of Prairie Oaks, watching and waiting for the opportunity to fulfill his ambiguous purpose. Preying on her conflicted emotions, the demon manipulates her at every opportunity, but the one to deliver Maggie directly into his hands is the last person she’d expect.

~*~


Sticking with the angel theme, this angel has a potty mouth and is tempted by the crotch-smoking devil himself. HERE is my review.

How does a foul-mouthed angel end up as the last hope for all of Heaven and Earth?

When Seraph Emma is maimed and tossed from Heaven by a rogue angel who’s taken charge, she fears she’ll never be allowed to return. Tasked with the impossible job of showing the self-loathing (and not even human!) Jason his worth, Emma is sure she’s doomed to fail.

Meanwhile, having wormed his way into Heaven, the corrupt Everett has trapped God in Hell and has designs on unleashing evil everywhere. Fortunately, if there’s one thing Emma can’t do (in addition to minding her language), it’s give up. Determined to save Jason and get back to Heaven-even if it means going to Hell-Emma’s plan is simple yet impossible: trick the Devil to save God.

What she doesn’t count on is the devotion and, well, humanity she finds in Jason; the spirit, hidden compassion, and raw sex appeal within the Devil; and the vulnerability of her own heart. With the help of two unlikely allies, she’ll wage the battle for Heaven. But will Emma be sidetracked by a new sort of heaven along the way?

What’s truly more dangerous?

Falling from Heaven, or falling in love?

~*~


And the generous Debra Anastasia is also giving away a copy of her wildly popular contemporary romance Poughkeepsie, which I also loved (review HERE).

But wait, there’s more! Nicki Elson has a pair of adorable angel earrings to add to the giveaway.


Enter on the Rafflecopter:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And hop on over to discover all kinds of books that need more attention:


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RETURN TO POUGHKEEPSIE Release!

jenlanebooks

My kooky-to-the-max pub sister DEBRA ANASTASIA is back with the sequel to her smash-hit Poughkeepsie: Return to Poughkeepsie.



Beckett Taylor is a murderer. His calling, his craft are destruction and intimidation—whether he wants it that way now or not. He left Poughkeepsie to keep his brothers safe, to keep Eve safe. Set up with happy lives to live, they’re better off without him, right?

But all his willpower crumbles when he hears his brother Blake’s frantic voice on the phone. An unknown enemy has moved in on his old territory, and Livia’s been taken. In an instant, Beckett knows it will take an attack only he and Eve can execute to bring her back. All his self-imposed embargoes are torn to shreds, perhaps along with the new man he’s struggled to become.

“Brother, call Eve. I’ll be there soon.”

In this emotional and action-packed sequel to Poughkeepsie, Debra Anastasia conjures a tale of love at its most raw and ragged. With Beckett and Eve, how could we expect anything less? But even when it’s messy, not magical, true love perseveres. Real love finds a way—for better or for worse until death does part.

~*~


I loved the homeless man Blake and his brothers in Poughkeepsie (read my review HERE) and I can’t wait to read lovable thug Beckett’s story.

Debra wants to tell you a story, and she will fo shizzle entertain you. Check her and her books out:

Look what you can win! Enter on the Rafflecopter form.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Poughkeepsie by Debra Anastasia: Review and Interview

jenlanebooks

Today for the Insecure Writers Support Group, I’m supporting an author friend from Omnific Publishing.

I love an emotional read, and my pub sister Debra Anastasia has written a story that will make you howl with laughter and tears!

Poughkeepsie is a New Adult story about a psychology graduate student falling in love with a kind, sensitive homeless man. It’s about growing up in a harsh world when love and friendship are the only things to keep you going.

Following my review is an interview with the kooky authoress and a giveaway!

Poughkeepsie (Poughkeepsie, #1)Poughkeepsie by Debra Anastasia
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Deeply Touching

I’ve been wanting to read this story for some time due to the many elements that appeal to me: healing, redemption, crime, a psychology graduate student character (Livia), a homeless character (Blake), and a story full of emotion. Wow! I got all that and more.

Livia is one of the kindest people around. She smiles at everyone, including the quiet homeless man who frequents the shadows of the Poughkeepsie train station. One morning when some thugs threaten the man Livia’s come to known as “Green Eyes”, Livia stands up for him. Their first words are adorable:

“You might want to find another place to sit,” Livia said. “Those idiots could cook up a plan for revenge.”
Instead of being the friendly advice Livia intended, her words seem to slice into him.
Why is he in such pain?
“I can’t leave.” Green Eyes took a huge breath. “This is the only place where I get to see you.”

I fell for the sensitive soul Blake from the start, especially after learning that he counts each of Livia’s smiles. His foster brother Cole explains:

“He counts. You’ve smiled at him four hundred and forty-six times as of a few minutes ago.”

How cute is that?

Blake might have a chance with Livia because her boyfriend Chris is a total CAD. I mean, he calls psychology “the study of psychos”! Grr.

There are fantastic secondary characters in this novel:

* Livia’s younger sister Kyle. What a potty mouth! Blake says “Pretty sure Kyle lacks any kind of editing mechanism”. Their mother took off shortly after Kyle was born, and Kyle blames herself for not being worthy enough to make their mother stay. Kyle’s low self-worth leads her to promiscuity. But perhaps she can find a love match in one of Blake’s foster bros?

* Cole is Blake’s foster brother who’s studying to be a priest. He has a violent past he’s running from.

* Beckett is a wildly colorful foster brother who aged out of the system before Cole and Blake, determined to pave the road for his brothers by committing all sorts of sins so they wouldn’t have to. He’s pretty much become a crime boss, with a muscled assistant named Mouse. Kyle refers to Beckett as “the human steroid.” He doesn’t believe in following rules, like parking in between the lines:

“I’m telling you, Cole, that’s how it all gets started. The government’s beating us down, and it all begins with those goddamn lines in the parking lot. Set yourself free, my brother. If you see a line, ignore it.

Eve and Mouse were also wonderful characters, along with Livia and Kyle’s police officer father.

The flashbacks to the boys getting beaten by their foster dad, and the intensity between Beckett and Eve made me cry so hard.

There are also so many freaking funny lines in the story, but I won’t share all the off-color words here ha ha. But one chapter title “My Penis Rules the World” gives you a good flavor! And this excerpt when Kyle berates Livia and Blake at a religious ceremony is priceless (naughty language alert!)

“Will you get your asses up here? People are waiting. I mean Beckett here has maybe a few hours before he’s bent over a metal toilet getting it up the ass from a guy named Bubba. Do you want him to have fun now or not?”
The streetlight illuminated Beckett as he appeared next to Kyle. “Why would I be the bitch? I don’t think that’s a fair f*cking assumption.”
Kyle refused to look at him and crossed her arms. “Of course you’d be the bitch. You have dimples. Bitches have dimples. And I bet your ass is soft like two pillows.”

Debra, I love your screwballs sense of humor 😉 And I love even more that your story made me laugh and cry. An EXCELLENT read!

View all my reviews

And now onto the interview!

Jennifer Lane (JL): Welcome to the blog, Debra. Obviously, I loved Poughkeepsie! The drama and humor are wonderful. Where does your whacky sense of humor come from?
Debra Anastasia (DA): I love to laugh and I was raised with a bunch of pranksters. We really tried to laugh our butts off everyday. I hope my kids are able to say the same someday.
JL: Why did you make Livia a psychology graduate student? What would be Livia’s dream job?
DA: I wanted Livia to really have to show her kindness and lack of preconceived notions. And I also wanted her to have a need to help people work through difficult situations. I think her dream job would be working in a shelter, helping people get back on their feet.
JL: Hard question: Which brother would you most like to date? Which brother would you want to marry?
DA: I already married Blake. (Well, he was never homeless, but his manners and beautiful soul is the same.) And I would date Blake as well. Those bad boys can’t always be changed, when I entered something as permanent as marriage, I wanted to know who I was dealing with.
JL: I hear some of your devoted fans actually got tattoos like the one the brothers have (see the book cover). What an amazing tribute! How do you feel about that?
DA: I think it rocks. And they have more guts than I do. I’m glad the story touches them because I certainly wanted it to convey love and loyalty. 

~*~

Sound awesome? Debra’s giving away an ebook of Poughkeepsie to a lucky commenter on this post. To enter, leave a comment including your email address before 3-13-13.

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CRAZY, STUPID LOVE: New Adult Giveaway

jenlanebooks

Have you heard of the NEW ADULT genre? It’s all the rage–books about characters age 18-25.

Thanks to Talk Supe for hosting this event. Some of my favorite NA reads include Slammed, Point of Retreat, Where She Went, Easy, Flat Out Love…and Poughkeepsie.

My pub sister Debra Anastasia has written one humdinger of a New Adult book…Poughkeepsie!

Poughkeepsie is a beautiful love story about truly seeing people with all their sparkles and flaws.


Read my 5 star review HERE.


Along with giving away an ebook of my Mature YA / New Adult novel Streamline, I’m giving away an ebook of Poughkeepsie.


See the post below to sign up for Streamline‘s book birthday, March 25-29, when there will be more giveaways.


To enter the Crazy Stupid Love giveaway, simply complete the Rafflecopter form.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hop over to more participating blogs! document.write(”);

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Insecure Writers’ Support Group: New Year, New Adult

jenlanebooks

Happy New Year to all insecure writers out there! Thank you to Alex Cavanaugh for bringing us together to vent, cajole, disclose, and lift up.

I write this post at midnight after just reaching 100,000 words on my WIP On Best Behavior. YAY! Of course I’m not finished yet but I’m only a couple of chapters away — home stretch, baby. And I feel extra giddy because it’s the third book of a trilogy. My first series!
Here’s my one complaint for today: Why does it take so loooooonnnggg to write? WAAH.
When you’re wrapping up one novel, do you already start mentally writing your next one? I have an idea for a New Adult romance percolating, and I can’t wait to get started…after I finish and edit On Best Behavior, and after a little break.
What’s the New Adult genre, you ask? If you’re unfamiliar with NA, it’s about characters ages 18-25. Read more HERE.
I love this time of life, particularly the university years. College and the beginning of graduate school was such a time of growth for me, and this potential for character change inspires me.
I’ve read some fantastic NA books, including Poughkeepsie by Debra Anastasia,  Slammed by Colleen Hoover, Easy by Tammara Webber (review HERE), and Where She Went by Gayle Forman (review HERE).
What do you think about New Adult? Love it? Hate it?
I think New Adult may be the hot genre of 2013. Do you agree? If not, which genre do you predict to be hottest?