Blog Tour and Review: A Beautiful Lie by T.E. Sivec

Synopsis:

He saw her first, but his friend made the move.

She settled for the safer choice, but her heart knew the truth.

They love, they crave, they lie.

Garrett McCarthy, Annabelle Parker, and Milo Roberts were as close as friends could get. They shared in each other's joy during graduations, promotions, and engagements. They consoled one another through heartache and loss.

When one of the friend's life is tragically cut short, it's up to the two left behind to pick up the pieces and find out the truth - no matter the cost. As they slowly start to uncover the nature of his deception, and the very powerful people behind it, they begin to question everyone and everything, even themselves.

Everyone has secrets - some do it for love while others do it for power. Those secrets can change perceptions, alter reality and sometimes destroy lives.

What do you do when you find out your whole life has been a lie?

What a way to start off the new year! I had a feeling while reading Seduction and Snacks that the best from Tara Sivec is yet to come and boy was I right!!! A Beautiful Lie is written under her new pen name T.E. Sivec my guess is so she can try to establish herself outside of the other series. She didn't have to try hard because this book was 18 Mother Fucking kinds of amazing! This is a huge step outside of the Chocolate lovers series and by far my favorite. I never thought another book could take the place of "Snacks" in my heart but ABL kicked the door in, beat the shit out of "Snacks" and assumed the throne!

A Beautiful Lie to me was everything I enjoy in a book. Suspense, Drama, Some hot sex and a kick ass female lead who takes no shit! I used to love to read Nancy Drew books when I was a kid and this is like the ADULT equivalent to that! I'm sure if Nancy would have had the heat this book did I wouldn't have held onto my V-CARD as long as I did! SO what's it about? OK you got this girl Annabelle Parker, or Parker as her friends call her. She has been friends with two guys, Garrett McCarthy and Milo Roberts for years. The girl has been in love with Garrett since the first time she saw him but she chooses the chicken shit way out and starts dating Milo. See Milo and Garrett are both Navy SEALS who do undercover ninja shit for the Government, and when Milo gets sent to the Dominican and mysteriously dies while there, Parker and Garrett set out to uncover the mystery. Did anybody ever play the game CLUE? That's how A Beautiful Lie is, there are so many twists and turns and before you know it you find yourself trying to figure out who killed Kenny!

I enjoy a book with a heavy, suspenseful plot that keeps you guessing constantly. This book was like the TV show Alias but without Jennifer Garner's annoying baby voice. I don't know how Ben Affleck's balls don't shrivel when she talks. Anyway, What I loved about this book is how many times it made me say "WHAT THE FUCK!?" Having read so many books I sometimes think an author can't possibly keep me on the hook and keep me guessing but I found myself guessing what would happen and then being totally surprised and pleased to find out I was wrong. There are surprises in every chapter, drama in every sentence and let's take a few minutes to appreciate the HOTNESS you will experience.

"Slow burn" as defined by Urban Dictionary is: an attraction to someone that develops over time. This was the hotness factor! Watching Garrett and Parker fight their attraction tooth and nail is both frustrating and fulfilling. This is a couple you bond with throughout their journey and root for them Hardcore! I was so nervous during some scenes I honestly sat on the toilet most of the time reading this for fear I would shit myself! It's just a damn good book that grabs your attention and holds it until the last page. This book dives pretty deep into character development and you get to know Parker and Garrett intimately and get inside their heads to see why they have done and do the things they do. You can really see that Sivec took time to develop this story, and paid attention to detail and plot twists to make sure you get the best experience possible while reading A Beautiful Lie. The supporting characters even get a little face time and one in particular Brady Marshall had me like this...

I can't explain why I loved Brady so much. Maybe it was his strength and determination, or maybe it's his blond hair, or it could be that he gets to kick some serious ass and helps bring everything to a head. I can't wait to see him in the future because I am Unconditionally and Irresponsibly in love with him. Or whatever that TWAT Bella said about Edward. I am so proud of Tara with this book. She stepped out of the box of funny romance and bends you over the kitchen sink with this book and will have you falling in love with the main characters and some of the supporting ones if you are like me. I can't praise it enough and I really hope you don't just take my word for it because this rambling bullshit doesn't do it a tenth of the justice it deserves. I loved it so much I want to drive it up to Massachusetts and make an honest Book of it! I promise you will enjoy reading this story so check it out! 

"I'll show you good at my job, asshole, when I take you out in the woods and leave you for dead." Loc. 2749

“Do you think he could make you moan when he rubbed up against you?” Loc. 4405

“Shame on you, ninja. You’d be at least a fifty-dollar hooker” Loc. 2348

T.E. Sivec is the pen name for Tara Sivec. Under T.E. Sivec, she delves into a more serious genre that is her absolute favorite to read - romantic suspense.  She loves reading a book and feeling her heart speed up with anticipation and wanted to be able to give that feeling to her fans. T.E. lives in Ohio with her husband and two children, living the dream of being a full-time writer.

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Blog Tour: Troubles and Treats by Tara Sivec Review + Interview

Synopsis:

Drew and Jenny have spent years being the envy of their friends with their out of control sex lives - well, not really. Mostly it makes their friends want to throw up in their mouths a little.

With two little kids and two busy lives, for the first time, Drew and Jenny aren't on the same page in the bedroom. Drew will stop at nothing to get his previously amorous wife back in the sack, and Jenny will do anything for a full night of sleep.

Carter and Claire, and Jim and Liz are their usual (un)helpful selves and are full of advice for the discontented duo, wanting nothing more than to help restore order to the usually happy couple's lives.

In the third and final installment of the Chocolate Lovers Series, will Drew and Jenny find the spark that's been missing in their marriage, or will the trouble they're having cause a stickier situation than the time Jenny poured honey all over Drew and he fused himself to a tree?

Globug's take:

So the  story begins three months after Jenny and Drew have their second child. You would never guess these two would have trouble in the bed room but you would be guessing wrong. I imagine they sent a picture like this from their honeymoon or as their first christmas card.

Now poor Drew spends his nights working out.

Ok, that's not what he's really tuggin, poor guy. He has plans to help Jenny get her libido back. Of course all of their friends are aware of the situation and have input as to how to fix the problem. All Jenny really needs is sleep. Typical guys are way over thinking the problem.

Jenny continues to bring her unintentional comic genius to the story with such things as....

"we are all very family-oriental"

"I had a good night last night and want to baste in the glory "

"mentally telephone to drew"

"make a testicle of himself"

And Drew proves how perfect they really are together by some of the shenanigans he pulls. For example:

*pooping in the litter box and Jenny having to scoop it thinking the cat was ill. (Hootie died laughing at this)

*"He who farts in church sit in stinky pew"

*Classic tee shirts for Drew and baby like
         -Screw the titties and milk. Give me the beer.
         -Pooping in progress
         -I shit my pants when ugly people hold me
         -Camel’s Tow Service; ask us
           about our Moose Knuckle discounts.

You have the pleasure of reading about Drew and Jenny's first date, the birth of their second child and the girls attempt to uncover the reason for Jenny's recent stalker. That involves the use of mace and a taser and goes horribly/hysterically wrong.

That doesn't even begin to convey the hilarity of this book. Hootie and I would text one liners to each other as we read to point out the hystercial highlights. Here are a few you will have to watch for as you read:

         *vibrator race (of course Drew and Jenny get this all wrong)
         *imagine this x5:

                 *and even worse, this couldn't even be blamed on                  the dads:

                       "once you go black you never go back"

Through everything including bad advice from friends and family, therapy with a doctor that takes frequent rides on the crazy train, and just poor communication Drew and Jenny get it all figured out. Now with their wisdom can you imagine the lessons they could share with others ;)

And now Hootie's epic interview with Tara Sivec herself!


1) I loved the idea you had in S&S with the candy store adjoining the Adult toy store and I'm curious, With the success of Seduction and Snacks do you have any plans to open up and actual store like in the book?

  My niece and I totally have this dream!  She used to sell sex toys and we both love to bake.  We talk about it all the time!  Maybe someday!

2) Jenny seems to be everyone's favorite character, I know I love her but who is your favorite character from the books?

 I always have to say Claire just because she is so much like me.  Which of course means that I love myself.  And I do, I really do.

3) I can't remember laughing harder at a book as I did with S&S then Futures and Frosting came along, now halfway through Troubles and Treats I can't stop laughing at Jenny, What are some of your favorite Jenny-isms from the books? 

 My favorite was a conversation that Drew had with Carter in Seduction and Snacks.  He mentions how Jenny was learning to bake and using “confederate” sugar.  That was a conversation that actually happened at work with my co-worker.  We made jokes for days about how the British were coming and she needed to cook something in her confederate oven to keep them away. 

4) Being a fat wompus cow that I am I absolutely loved the candy and cookie recipes you came up with in S&S, are those recipes you found online or are did you come up with them yourself? 

 A little of both.  The Cranberry Hootycreeks (hooterpeeps) and the Butter Brickle bars are recipes I’ve had for years that I make for Christmas.  The Globs (white chocolate covered potato chips and pretzels drizzled with caramel) is all mine.  I’m sure there’s a store out there that makes them somewhere, but a few Christmases ago we were at my dad’s house covering everything in his pantry in chocolate and I made those.  They were inhaled within minutes. 

#4 Follow up) Would you consider putting out a S&S themed cookbook?  

I actually thought about adding recipes at the end of Futures and Frosting but I never had time to do it.  I’m planning on adding a “Recipe” page to my website so you can check there soon J

5) One of my favorite moments is from Futures and Frosting when jenny stuck Ben Wa balls in her snatch in the middle of the store, where the actual fuck did the inspiration for that scene come from? I'm already afraid of those stores for that reason, please tell me that didn't ACTUALLY happen to someone you know?

  Ha ha ha!  No, that never actually happened thank God or you would have seen news story of me puking in the middle of a sex shop.  My brain is a scary place to live, that’s all I can say about this.  I was writing the chapter and the idea just sort of evolved.  I actually stood in the middle of my living room trying to mimic the movements Jenny would use to un-lodge them so I could write the motion accurately.  I hope no one was looking in my windows at that point.

6) Do you plan to stick to the funny romance genre or will you tackle something like a serious drama or something paranormal? 

 I need a break from funny right now.  It’s exhausting!  I have a new romantic suspense series that I’m hard at work editing right now.  The first book in the series is called A Beautiful Lie and it will be out on January 3^rd.  I have also started a one-off that will tentatively be called “Watch Over Me” and that will have some paranormal twists in it.  I’m excited and flat out fucking nervous for these books!  I want people to see that I can actually write and not just do stand up comedy!

7) If you could REWRITE any book out there and put YOUR OWN spin on it, which book would it be and what would you change/remove?  

The Twilight Series.  I would make it X rated and let Bella and Edward have dirty, hot, balls to the wall sex.

8) The next question is for "Claire/Carter" What is the craziest thing Gavin has done to his little sister? 

 She has a My Size Barbie that she’s a little bit afraid of for some reason.  He popped off one of the arms (on accident I’m told) and replaced it with a duct-taped screw driver.  While she was sleeping, he stood it up next to her bed so Barbie was watching her sleep with her creepy screw driver arm.  It wasn’t a good morning.

9) Tara, if you could switch places with any of your characters (Written or in development) who would you chose to swap places with? 

 I would switch places with Parker, who is the heroine in my romantic suspense A Beautiful Lie.  Not to give too much away, but she kicks ass and she gets to be around a hot Navy SEAL named Garrett.  That’s all I’m sayin’!

10) Last question to Tara Did you ever imagine you would be where you are right now and what advice can you give other aspiring authors who might be scared to venture out? 

 Never in a million years!  If you would have told me a year ago I would have quit my brokerage job of 14 years and been a full-time writer, I would have laughed in your face.  I am amazed every single day that this is my life and I have no one to thank but the fans.  I have the best fans in the entire fucking world!  My advice for other aspiring authors is to not be afraid of your dreams.  With the self-publishing world blowing up all over the place, it doesn’t just have to be a dream anymore.  Anyone can make it happen.

We hope you have enjoyed this post as much as we enjoyed these books and their hilarious cast of characters. It's bittersweet to be saying Goodbye but we look forward to amazing things from Tara! If you don't know much about the awesomeness that is Tara Sivec, I suggest you check out the links below and go grab the books!

Author Bio:


Tara Sivec is a best selling author, wife, mom, chauffeur, cheerleading coach, soccer coach, babysitter, short-order cook, genius and albino squirrel hunter. She lives in Ohio with her husband and two kids. In her spare time she likes to read, write and cover things in chocolate. Most of her material comes from real life experiences with family and friends. Lucky for them, the names have been changed to protect the innocent (aka, drunk).




Connect with Tara

Website: http://www.tarasivec.com


Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TaraSivec.authorpage


Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6422281.Tara_Sivec

Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/TaraSivec

(Very special thanks to the ladies of Talk Supe for hosting this tour and also HUGE thanks to Tara Sivec for being amazing!)

Troubles and Treats Promo Blitz and GIVEAWAY

Release Date: November 30, 2012

Synopsis

Drew and Jenny have spent years being the envy of their friends with their out of control sex lives - well, not really. Mostly it makes their friends want to throw up in their mouths a little.

With two little kids and two busy lives, for the first time, Drew and Jenny aren't on the same page in the bedroom. Drew will stop at nothing to get his previously amorous wife back in the sack and Jenny will do anything for a full night of sleep.

Carter and Claire, and Jim and Liz are their usual (un)helpful selves and are full of advice for the disconnected duo, wanting nothing more than to help restore order to the usually happy couple's lives.

In the third and final installment of the Chocolate Lovers Series, will Drew and Jenny find the spark that's been missing in their marriage, or will the trouble they're having cause a stickier situation than the time Jenny poured honey all over Drew and he fused himself to a tree?


Troubles and Treats excerpt:
Drew, Carter and Jim are all at our house with the seven kids and we’re at Liz and
Jim’s house.  I can’t help it if I’m nervous.  It’s the first time they’ve all been alone with
the kids without us there to stop the screaming and the crying.  We’re the only ones who
can calm the men down when they see how much poop comes out of that many kids at
one time.

“What if one of them gets hurt?”

Claire rolls her eyes at me.  “Don’t worry, Gavin knows how to call 9-1-1 if the
idiots we married hurt themselves.

“I’m talking about the kids.  What if one of them get hurt?”

“I know you’re talking about one of the kids.  I’m trying to make you lighten up. 
So lighten the fuck up!”

Author Bio:

Tara Sivec is a best selling author, wife, mom, chauffeur, cheerleading coach, soccer coach, babysitter, short-order cook, genius and albino squirrel hunter. She lives in Ohio with her husband and two kids. In her spare time she likes to read, write and cover things in chocolate. Most of her material comes from real life experiences with family and friends. Lucky for them, the names have been changed to protect the innocent (aka, drunk).

Connect with Tara

Website http://www.tarasivec.com

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/TaraSivec.authorpage

Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6422281.Tara_Sivec

Twitter  http://www.twitter.com/TaraSivec

 Giveaway--

A random commenter chosen from the entire promo blitz tour will receive a totally awesome swag bag from Tara Sivec.

 

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