New Release & Review: Siren In The City by Lexi Blake

January 23, 2018 by · Leave a Comment

SIREN IN THE CITY
Series: Texas Sirens #2
Genre: Erotic Romance, BDSM, Menage
Author: Lexi Blake
Release Date: January 23, 2017

Re-released in a second edition with new scenes.

Jack and Sam married Abby. It was supposed to be for forever, but lately Abby wonders where her alpha male has gone. Jack has retreated and life has become decidedly vanilla. It isn’t the true marriage she and Sam wanted. Sam and Abby know the time has come to fight for what they need.
A call from his mentor forces Jack to revisit the club where he discovered his sexuality. Jack’s half-brother is in the city and interested in a little blackmail. Can Jack handle two defiant subs and a brother in need of some tough love?
Sometimes all it takes to find the way home is a little love and a lot of mischief.

Come back to the beginning and revisit some of your favorite old characters or find new ones to love. Siren in the City has been revised and new scenes added. And if you look closely, you’ll find not only the beginnings of the Sophie Oak world, but also the seeds of how McKay-Taggart began….

AMAZON

Sam wanted more. He wanted to be loved and he was done waiting for it.

Oh man. I binge read Siren In The City. I remember sitting down on my comfy couch to start it and then I blinked and I was turning the last page. While I enjoyed Small Town Siren, Siren In The City absolutely sucked me in. It had all the feels and sizzle that I felt slightly lacking in book one and then some!

I’m not typically a reader that enjoys more than one book for a couple, but in the case of Jack, Sam, and Abby, I couldn’t get enough of it. Yes, you get the delicious sizzle of how they first met and fell in love with the first book. But this book gives you so much more. It fleshes out the development of their BDSM relationship and true MMF menage. And this reader was practically vibrating with glee.

After all the events in Small Town Siren, there are some changes; Jack’s moodiness and withdrawal, Sam’s unrequited sexual desires, and Abby’s need for a true Dom. Man oh man did this book give it to us and then some.

Add in all of the amazing secondary characters, including some of my favorite crossover cameos from Lexi’s Masters & Mercenaries series and I’m one happy camper.

If you read and enjoyed book one, you simply can’t miss this one. I’m officially hooked on this series and already craving more! Luckily I don’t have to wait that long with the second edition re-writes, but my grabby little hands are itching for the next one!

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, BDSM, Erotic Rom · Tagged With: , , , ,

Review: HOT SEAL Bride by Lynn Raye Harris

January 15, 2018 by ·

HOT SEAL Bride
Series: HOT SEAL Team #4
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Author: Lynn Raye Harris
Release Date: January 16, 2018

A new standalone romance from New York Times Bestselling Author Lynn Raye Harris. Sexy, action-packed, and thrilling!

Sold to the highest bidder…

For the past fourteen years, Princess Antonella Rossi has been a virtual prisoner. She has no friends, no fun, and she’s not allowed to leave her aunt and uncle’s Virginia compound without an escort.

But today is her wedding day. A rich sheikh has bought her virginity, and with it her freedom. Any hope of independence Ella’s ever cherished will disappear the instant she faces him across the altar. With time running out and the wedding party gathering, Ella seizes the opportunity to run as far and fast as she can.

Navy SEAL Cash “Money” McQuaid isn’t looking for trouble, but trouble always seems to find him. This time trouble is five foot four and wearing a wedding dress. Rescuing a runaway princess has consequences though, and with his face plastered on the evening news and his career on the line, he realizes there’s only one way out of this mess—he has to marry her!

It’s a marriage in name only, just until he can clear his name and win Ella the freedom she seeks. But shacking up with a gorgeous virgin isn’t as easy as it seems, especially when the sparks snapping between them are hotter and more dangerous than anything Cash has ever experienced. By the time he realizes it’s too late to resist his virgin bride, an unseen enemy is intent on taking her away from him.

Cash is gonna need all his skills—and his friends on the Hostile Operations Team—in order to rescue his princess bride and give her the happily-ever-after she deserves.

The Hostile Operations Team is a covert military Black Ops unit. Their motto is Where None Dare. H.O.T. operators come from all branches of the military. The only criteria for membership: they must be the best of the best!

AMAZON

He was a dangerous man in more ways than one, only the danger was to her heart. Her poor, unloved, starving-for-affection heart.


With a runaway princess bride, a Navy SEAL determined to protect her no matter the cost, and a sizzling romance in the midst of non stop action and suspense; HOT SEAL Bride gives the marriage of convenience trope a whole new meaning!

Princess Antonella Rossi has lived a sheltered existence devoid of any love and affection. Having her hand in marriage and virginity sold to the highest bidder by her power hungry aunt and uncle in order to fix their money issues seems to be what finally sends her over the edge. Unable to imagine her life married to a sheikh old enough to be her father, she does the only thing she can do…she runs.

Cash “Money” McQuaid is a notorious womanizer that hasn’t spent more than a few nights with the same woman for fear of her attachment. But when he sees a beautiful woman in a wedding dress being manhandled into a vehicle on the side of the road on his way to his fishing trip, he’s not able to walk away. Unfortunately, helping her is a lot more than he thought he was signing up for when he realizes the woman is missing royalty with a price for her return and suddenly he’s become enemy number one.

I thought I’d struggle to like Ella since sheltered and naive virginal heroines aren’t usually my cuppa. But there was this core of strength in Ella that I couldn’t help but connect with. She’s sheltered but she’s not naive. She’s not a pushover and she’s not afraid to go after what she wants. Cash struggles to resist the temptation quickly brewing between them and Ella certainly wasn’t shy about pushing him past his sanity. I loved her unintentional quirky humor and her tenacity even in the most dire of circumstances.

HOT SEAL Bride was another fantastic addition to the series from one of my absolute favorite romantic suspense authors. Her books are my crack and I swear the woman could write the phone book and I’d read it. The sexual tension between Ella and Cash was absolutely delicious, add into the mix a sizzling slow burn and plenty of action, and I was in book heaven!

· Filed Under: All Reviews, Romantic Suspense · Tagged With: , ,

Review: Man Card by Sarina Bowen & Tanya Eby

January 14, 2018 by ·

MAN CARD
Series: Man Hands #2
Genre: Romantic Comedy, Contemporary Romance
Author: Sarina Bowen & Tanya Eby
Release Date: January 16, 2018

Nothing ventured, nothing banged…

Ash
I still don’t know how it happened. One minute I was arguing with my arrogant competitor–our usual trash-talk over who deserves the larger commission. But somehow I went from throwing down to kneeling down…
It can never happen again. I don’t even like Braht. He’s too slick. He’s a manipulating mansplaining party boy in preppy clothes.
So why can’t I get him out of my head?

Braht
There are two things I know without question. One: Ash and I are destined for each other. Two: never trust a man with a unibrow.
Ash is my missing my piece. She’s the sweet cream to my gourmet espresso. And nothing gets me going faster than her contempt for me. They don’t call her the Ashkicker for nothing.
Eventually I’ll win her over…if my past doesn’t ruin everything first.

AMAZON

“Name your other favorite movies,” I challenge Braht.

“All of them?” He chugs his margarita.

“Hmm. Top ten? Top five?”

“That’s totally easy,” he says. Somehow I’ve gotten closer to him on the floor. When he sits back, I actually snuggle in beside him. He’s wearing a ridiculously soft shirt that feels good against my skin. And I watch with fascination as he ticks off the names of films on his fingers. “When Harry Met Sally. The Devil Wears Prada. Roman Holiday. Clueless. And Working Girl.”

I burst out laughing. I can’t help it. “Those are all chick flicks. You should just hand over your man card right now.”

“Not a chance.” Braht’s expression grows intense. “In the first place, I gave you a very thorough demonstration of my man card last week. I don’t remember hearing any complaints.”

I swallow hard, because this is certainly true.

“And secondly, you’re looking at this all backward.”

“I…am?” And why can’t I look away? He has the most beautiful, intelligent eyes.

“Yeah, you are,” he whispers. “It’s the guy who has a firm grip on his man card that can hold your purse. He’s not afraid to be seen with that Tory Burch you like to carry—nice color, by the way. He’ll free up your hands because he likes your hands, and he remembers all the terrific things you can use them for.”

“Oh,” I say slowly. Now my fingers itch to reach out for him. I have to make fists with both hands so I won’t do it.

“Furthermore, he’s not afraid to quote Working Girl. Because Joan Cusack is a genius. And who wouldn’t want to say Melanie Griffith’s best line out loud?”

I can’t help saying it with him, and together we sound like the world’s horniest Greek chorus: “I have a head for business and a body for sin.”

Sin sounds pretty good right now, actually. But Braht’s not done with his speech. “Any man who tells you that chick flicks are for pussies can’t be any good in bed. Because that man does not speak the language of women. He doesn’t know that a little luxury can erase a shitty day of worrying about your ex…”

Braht takes my hand in his and begins to massage it. He has a great technique, applying gentle pressure between each joint. I relax just a little bit more against him.

“…That man doesn’t speak the language because he’s afraid of sounding like a girl. But fuck that noise, honey bear. If a man doesn’t have the vocabulary to describe a satin teddy with peekaboo lace and mother-of-pearl snaps at the crotch, he can’t buy it for you and then strategically ask you to wear it. He can’t plan ahead to blow your mind sometime by lifting your skirt somewhere semi-public and dangerous. And he can’t get down on his knees and kiss that lace and then pop open those snaps while you bite your own hand to keep from screaming when you climax.” Braht takes a deep breath and lets it out in one hot gust. “Fuck. What was the point of this speech?”

“Um…” My voice is hoarse, and my face is suddenly very hot. Let’s not even mention my nipples. “Man cards, I think.” But I’m not sure, because everything tingles.

“Right,” he says with a sigh. “Still got mine. Shall we watch Working Girl next?”

“Okay,” I breathe, sinking a little further into his comforting embrace.

Braht is pretty much good at everything. And I mean everything. I’m worried I might be falling for the fashionable fucker. Fuck.

Who knew a dirty talking metrosexual would steal my heart? Sarina Bowen and Tanya Eby knock it out of the park yet again with their newest installment in the laugh out loud Man Hands series!

Now look, I’ll admit, when I first finished Man Hands and met Braht? Doubt, party of one. This reader does NOT do the metrosexual thing. Me no likey, mkay? It just doesn’t do it for me. And what kind of name is Braht? I’d crave sausage each time I read the name.
What? I’m judgy, okay? Quit side eyeing me. I have my alpha standards, dang it!

But now that I finished Man Card I can admit without a shadow of a doubt, Sarina and Tanya have made a believer out of me. A man that spends more time on his appearance than the heroine and doesn’t bat an eyelash at a good facial and mani and pedi can still be a card carrying member of the man club. This judgy a-hole is happily eating her words.

I need to say this. I want you, you understand. All of you. Right now. But you need to know this. Outside of here, I will hold your purse. I’ll get mani-pedis with you. I’ll cry while watching Lifetime movies with you. I will hand over my man card and be your minion everywhere you want, except in the bedroom. In here, I want you to surrender, just a little bit, and let me take the lead.”

I loved the delicious antagonism Braht and Ash had going. Their constant competition at work and sexual power plays got my engine revving. I don’t know what hooked me more, their sexual tension filled bantering or when Ash would finally give into her inevitable pull towards Braht. Combined, both of those things made for one hilarious and sexy read.

there ought to be a shrine on this property—like those historic battle markers you see for Civil War sites. On October tenth on this spot Sebastian Braht first seduced the woman of his dreams. Casualties: none. Weaponry: dirty talk and first-class salesmanship. Result: only one party shot his cannon, but both parties declared victory multiple times.

As much as I was doubting that I’d enjoy a hero like Braht, I was surprised at how much I did. Admittedly, its still not my preference. I like my alphas rough and with an edge, but I’ll take a manscaping, dirty talking metrosexual every once in a while. But he has to have a hidden alpha side with a dash of demanding and like to take control in bed.

Ash was everything I thought she’d be and more. I loved this sassy and sharp-witted female in the previous book, and I enjoyed her even more in her own. The chemistry was through the roof hot, the laughs were plentiful, and the entertainment factor was at a resounding ten.

I drop to my knees. That’s what you do when you worship someone. Or you’re, you know, Elvis and you’ve reached a dramatic part in your song. Whatever.

The story was great and I really enjoyed the revelations and twists; particularly finally learning about Braht and his real name.

If you loved Man Hands, you’re sure to enjoy Man Card. And if you love a sexy rom com, this is simply a series you need on your TBR.

· Filed Under: All Reviews, Contemporary Romance · Tagged With: , , ,

Review: Rocco by Sarah Castille

January 8, 2018 by · Leave a Comment

ROCCO
Series: Ruin & Revenge #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Suspense
Author: Sarah Castille
Release Date: January 2, 2017

Mafia enforcer, Rocco De Lucchi is the best in the business.

Cold, hard and utterly ruthless, Rocco is the most dangerous of men.

Feelings are a luxury he cannot afford—until a chance encounter brings him face to face with the only woman who found her way into his heart and touched his soul.

Grace Mantini has spent her whole life running from the mob. Daughter of the boss’s right hand man, she is both a prize and a target.

When Rocco walks back into her life, she wants nothing to do with the man who betrayed her and broke her heart.

But only Rocco can protect her from the dangerous forces that seek to destroy her family.

Can they escape the hands of fate closing around them?

Or will love be the kiss of death for them both?

AMAZON | iBOOKS

Rocco (Ruin & Revenge, #3)Rocco by Sarah Castille
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 STARS


Once upon a time those eyes had looked into her soul, and those lips had touched every part of her body. Once upon a time all that beauty had belonged to her, and then the mob had stolen it away.


I love me a gritty and sexy mafia romance, and man if this book didn’t hit the spot. An enforcer, a mafia princess, and an underground power struggle war between rivaling families, all weaving together into a story brimming with sexual tension, action and suspense. Rocco was a page turner from beginning to finish.

I was an instant fan of Sarah Castille when I first read Nico, but this was definitely my favorite book in the series so far. There was just something so tortured about Rocco that I couldn’t get enough off. This is a man that never had a choice in the life he leads. A baptism by fire is an understatement for how he was introduced to it. His training and childhood guaranteed to shape him into a ruthless, coldblooded killer and enforcer for the mafia. He’s a man that makes others tremble in fear at the mere mention of his name, but struggles to feel any emotion beyond rage and hatred himself.

But one time, years ago, he was different. At one time, he had a dream of a different life with a woman that was ripped from him in much the same way he was introduced into the mafia life; violently and without mercy. She’s a woman that he never forgot and never got over. And now a mob war brings her into the epicenter of his storm, and nothing will stop him from having her again.


His kiss was everything, her world, her life, the beat of her heart, the rise and fall of her lungs, nectar for her soul. His tongue pushed through the barrier of her lips and she took him in, devoured him, hands fisting his shirt, pulling him close. Out. Of. Control.

As the daughter of the underboss, Grace Mantini isn’t a stranger to mafia. But even though she loves her brother and father who are engrained in the life, she wants nothing to do with it. Not years ago when she learned the hard truth of who her family is, and certainly not now, knowing the full depth of it. But when her life is in danger and her family looks to be the target of a hit, she has no choice but turn to the man that she once couldn’t run faster away from.

This was a roller coaster of a book; full of action and sizzling romance. While the younger version of Grace from years ago was naive and sweet, the Grace of today is different. She knows exactly who Rocco is and her reaction to what he does for a living is different. She understands the life they live is one that they can’t always run from. I loved the chemistry between the two of them. It was a pulse pounding and suspenseful ride from beginning to finish. There was also a little side story that weaved into the plot of this one with Mike. And while I wasn’t too interested in his story previously, I was downright salivating for his HEA by the end of this one.

Sarah Castille has an interesting writing style that took me a while to get used to. She has a tendency to repeat and overly describe certain mafia details that can get redundant at times. However, if you’ve never read a mafia romance before, those details wouldn’t go under appreciated.

THE SERIES

NICO | LUCA | ROCCO

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense · Tagged With: , ,

Blog Tour & Review of Team Player Anthology

December 21, 2017 by · Leave a Comment

SBPR-BLT.jpgTEAM PLAYER
Genre: Sports Romance
Authors: LJ Shen, Emma Scott, Kate Stewart, Meghan Quinn
Release Date: December 14, 2017

 Hot jocks. We love them all.

Sexy baseball players. Intense footballers. Sweaty MMA fighters, and sizzling hockey hotties. Score!

The good news? Eleven bestselling authors have gathered to give you a set of stories focused on the men we love most—sports heroes.

We bet you’ll love this thick…book.

The bad news? The men in these novellas don’t actually exist.

*This anthology does not contain calories, just eleven original, never-before-seen stories by the following authors: Adriana Locke, Mandi Beck, Charleigh Rose, Kennedy Ryan, LJ Shen, Meghan Quinn, Rochelle Paige, Ella Fox, Kate Stewart, Emma Scott, and Sara Ney. We aren’t responsible for melted devices.

AMAZON US | AMAZON INTERNATIONAL

AvailableNOW KU.jpg

4 Douchebag-Man-Whore Stars!! (Review of The End Zone by L.J. Shen)

You wanna know what this book is about?

This book is about L.J. Shen making the Douchebag-Man-Whore her bitch.

This book is exactly why I love L.J. Shen. Like Sara Ney, L.J.Shen can make me hate/love the douchebag.

Sage is a Grade-A Douchebag-Man-Whore. He is the college quarterback, soon to be drafted, and can get anything he wants, including women. After a recent incident, he is lusting after his roommate, Jolie. He has never felt anything for her before now. Sage and Jolie have been best friends since they were kids. Jolie has been in lurrrrve with Sage since then as well, but OF COURSE he doesn’t know it, and OF COURSE he is a Douchebag-Man-Whore. There is no way she is going to put herself out there only to get hurt and lose her best friend in the process.

I love love love the fake relationship stories, and that is exactly what happens. Sage convinces Jo Jo to be his fake girlfriend, and it quickly escalates into something more. Were there a couple of predictable cliché moments? You betcha. Did I care? Not one bit. I read this book in one sitting and enjoyed every second.

I loved this short by L.J. Shen. I wish it was a full book, and those are the best kind of novellas.

LJ Shen

L.J. Shen is an International #1 best-selling author of Contemporary Romance and New Adult novels. She lives in Northern California with her husband, young son and chubby cat.

Before she’d settled down, L.J. (who thinks referring to herself in the third person is really silly, by the way) traveled the world, and collected friends from all across the globe. Friends who’d be happy to report that she is a rubbish companion, always forgets people’s birthdays and never sends Christmas cards.

She enjoys the simple things in life, like spending time with her family and friends, reading, HBO, Netflix and internet-stalking Stephen James. She reads between three to five books a week and firmly believes Crocs shoes and mullets should be outlawed.

Connect with LJ Shen

FACEBOOK | TWITTER | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM

Kennedy Ryan:

Kennedy Ryan is a Southern girl gone Southern California. A Top 100 Amazon Bestseller, Kennedy writes romance about remarkable women who find a way to thrive even in tough times, the love they find, and the men who cherish them.

She is a wife to her lifetime lover and mother to an extraordinary son. She has always leveraged her journalism background to write for charity and non-profit organizations, but enjoys writing to raise Autism awareness most. A contributor for Modern Mom Magazine, Kennedy’s writings have appeared in Chicken Soup for the Soul, USA Today and many others. The founder and executive director of a foundation serving Georgia families living with Autism, Kennedy has appeared on Headline News, Montel Williams, NPR and other outlets as a voice for families living with autism.

Connect with Kennedy

FACEBOOK | TWITTER | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM

Adriana Locke:

A contemporary romance author running on coffee and sticky kisses from my rowdy four little boys.

From Indiana, I’m a true Mid-Westerner. Life, for me, is about family, faith, and food. When I’m not running my kiddos around or having a lunch date of fajitas with my husband (and high school sweetheart), you can find me outside. I love a good sunny day almost as much as I love candy, random quotes, and steamy bad boys in fantastic books.

I’m on nearly every social media platform. Please find me on the ones you frequent – I love chatting with readers.

Connect with Adriana

FACEBOOK | TWITTER | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM

Mandi Beck:

Mandi Beck has been an avid reader all of her life. A deep love for books always had her jotting down little stories on napkins, notebooks, and her hand. As an adult she was further submerged into the book world through book clubs and the epicness of social media. It was then that she graduated to writing her stories on her phone and then finally on a proper computer.

A nursing student, mother to two rambunctious and somewhat rotten boys, and stepmom to two great girls away at college, she shares her time with her husband in Chicago where she was born and raised. Mandi is a diehard hockey fan and blames the Blackhawks when her deadlines are not met.

Connect with Mandi

FACEBOOK | TWITTER | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM

Emma Scott:

I write romances with flawed characters, characters with artistic hearts: builders, poets, and writers of various makes and models. I love to write book lovers; those who have found refuge, companionship, and escape in books, much as we do in real life. I like realism, honesty, authenticity in storytelling. I love to write about enduring love, soul-deep love, in as real a setting as I can make, but with big smooshy HEAs. I believe in diversity, open-mindedness, and inclusion. I like sweetness mixed with steam, love conquering all, and above all, hope. Love always wins.

Connect with Emma

FACEBOOK | WEBSITE | GOODREADS

Charleigh Rose:

We are a duo of an international best-selling author and a blogger who teamed up to write the taboo, thought-provoking stories we want our audience to have–without filters.

Both Charleigh and Rose are committed to giving you witty, sexy, intelligent novels that will leave you wanting more.

Connect with Charleigh

FACEBOOK | GOODREADS

Ella Fox:

When she’s not writing, Ella indulges the gypsy in her blood and travels the country. Ella loves reading, movies, music, buying make-up, reading Tmz, Twitter and pedicures… not necessarily in that order. She has a wild sense of humor and loves to laugh. Her favorite thing in the world is hanging out with her family and watching comedy movies.

Connect with Ella

FACEBOOK | WEBSITE | TWITTER

Sara Ney:

Sara Ney is the USA Today Bestselling Author of the How to Date a Douchebag series, and is best known for her sexy, laugh-out-loud New Adult romances. Among her favorite vices, she includes: iced latte’s, historical architecture and well-placed sarcasm. She lives colorfully, collects vintage books, art, loves flea markets, and fancies herself British.

Connect with Sara

FACEBOOK | TWITTER | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM

Meghan Quinn:

A BLONDE AT HEART
Born in New York and raised in Southern California, Meghan has grown into a sassy, peanut butter eating, blonde haired swearing, animal hoarding lady. She is known to bust out and dance if “It’s Raining Men” starts beating through the air and heaven forbid you get a margarita in her, protect your legs because they may be humped.

Once she started commuting for an hour and twenty minutes every day to work for three years, she began to have conversations play in her head, real life, deep male voices and dainty lady coos kind of conversations. Perturbed and confused, she decided to either see a therapist about the hot and steamy voices running through her head or start writing them down. She decided to go with the cheaper option and started writing… enter her first novel, Caught Looking.

Now you can find the spicy, most definitely on the border of lunacy, kind of crazy lady residing in Colorado with the love of her life and her five, furry four legged children, hiking a trail or hiding behind shelves at grocery stores, wondering what kind of lube the nervous stranger will bring home to his wife. Oh and she loves a good boob squeeze!

Connect with Meghan

FACEBOOK | YOUTUBE | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM

Kate Stewart:

Kate Stewart lives in Charleston, S.C. with her husband, Nick, and her naughty beagle, Sadie. A native of Dallas, Kate moved to Charleston three weeks after her first visit, dropping her career of 8 years, and declaring it her creative muse. Kate pens messy, sexy, angst-filled contemporary romance as well as romantic comedy and erotic suspense because it’s what she loves as a reader. A lover of all things ’80s and ’90s, especially John Hughes films and rap, she dabbles a little in photography, can knit a simple stitch scarf for necessity only and does a horrible job of playing the ukulele. Aside from running a mile without collapsing, traveling is the only other must on her bucket list. On occasion, she does very well at vodka.

Connect with Kate

FACEBOOK | TWITTER | WEBSITE 

Rochelle Paige:

Rochelle Paige is the Amazon bestselling author of nineteen books. She absolutely adores reading and her friends growing up used to tease her when she trailed after them, trying to read and walk at the same time. She loves stories with alpha males, sassy heroines, hot sex and happily ever afters. She is a bit of a genre hopper in both her reading and her writing. So far she’s written books in several romance sub-genres including new adult, contemporary, paranormal and romantic suspense.

She is the mother of two wonderful sons who inspired her to chase her dream of being an author. She wants them to learn from her that you can live your dream as long as you are willing to work for it.

Connect with Rochelle

FACEBOOK | READER GROUP | WEBSITE 

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: A-Z, Blog Tours, Contemporary Romance · Tagged With: , ,

Review: The V Card by Lauren Blakely and Lili Valente

December 19, 2017 by · Leave a Comment

THE V CARD
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Authors: Lauren Blakely & Lili Valente
Release Date: December 13, 2017

A brand new sinfully sexy standalone romantic comedy from bestselling authors Lauren Blakely and Lili Valente!

When you think about how easy it is to lose keys, phones, sunglasses and your dignity on social media, you might figure it’d be a cinch for me to ditch my V Card.

You’d be wrong.

At 25, I run a successful business, live in a fantastic apartment, and have fabulous friends to go out with any night of the week. And yet I’m still a card-carrying member of a club I don’t want to belong to anymore. Good thing I know just the man for the deflowering job—my brother’s business partner and best friend.

Graham Campbell is charming, smart, and, I’m told, oh-so-skilled in the sack. As long as I keep my eyes on the prize, there’s no way this pluck-the-flower project could possibly complicate matters.

***

Work and pleasure. As the CEO of a fast-growing company, I’ve been enjoying both to the fullest. What do I do when the board throws me for an unexpected loop so I can keep my business in my hands? I enlist the help of my best friend’s little sister since she holds a big stake in the company. But then I learn there’s another big stake she wants.

The one between my legs.

I can do this. Seven nights to teach her everything I know in the bedroom. There’s no way I’ll fall for her, even though she’s earning top grades in every single sinfully sexy lesson. And turns out I’m learning something too. The trouble is I don’t have the answer key to what to do when I fall hard for her.

And that throws a whole new hitch in my plans.

 AMAZON | iBOOKS | KOBO | B&N | GOOGLE PLAY 


I can always depend on Lauren Blakely to give me a hot and entertaining book, and with the combination of Lili Valente, I couldn’t put this book down.


Graham & CJ have been friends for years. He is her brother’s best friend, only the brother passed away a couple years ago, and Graham swore he would protect CJ when his best friend died. He is a player, but recently he swore off women for a few months so he could focus more on his career and making the most of his business. He needs CJ’s help with his business, and she needs his help in the bedroom. And the plot thickens….ok, actually, the plot isn’t very thick (*giggles…thick), but it didn’t matter because I enjoyed every minute of this book.

Yes, CJ is a virgin. There is no mystery to this fact (hence, the title of the book). I didn’t mind that this was a virgin story because she wasn’t a bashful, innocent virgin. True, she didn’t have much experience, but when it came time for her “lessons,” she was a quick learner.

This book was pure entertainment. To be honest, it could have been even longer for me. There were definite aspects that weren’t very believable, but I didn’t give one lick about it because the characters were well-developed in a short amount of time that I wanted to keep reading and I can’t forget THE HOTNESS LEVEL OF HELL (that means really really hot). When Graham became her teacher, this book worked its way up to a scorcher.

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Review & Excerpt: Can’t Get Enough by Gena Showalter

December 14, 2017 by ·

CAN’T GET ENOUGH
Series: The Original Heartbreakers #6
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Gena Showalter
Release Date: December 5, 2017

New York Times best selling author Gena Showalter returns with a sizzling Original Heartbreakers tale, featuring a rough, tough bad boy brought to his knees by… a kindergarten teacher?

The king of one-night stands…
To inherit–and destroy–his father’s business at long last, Brock Hudson needs a temporary wife. The ruthless ex-military heartthrob has always avoided romantic entanglements. Women are sweet, but vengeance will be sweeter. Or so he thinks. Only one woman will do, but the vulnerable beauty is more than he bargained for—sexier, wittier, and utterly irresistible.

The queen of the deep freeze…
After an abusive first marriage, Lyndie Scott has sworn off relationships. But still she longs for a child of her own. Turns out, the brawler who used to frighten her with only a glance is the answer to her problems. She agrees to his proposal, with a caveat: spend every night in bed with her, then walk away for good when it’s time to divorce. Even if she’s pregnant.

A marriage of breathtaking inconvenience…
As the days pass too quickly and the nights heat up, Brock battles a sense of possession and obsession. Will the former commitment-phobe convince his wife they’re better off together, or will she pack her bags and go?

AMAZON | iBOOKS


“I expect you to be amazing in bed,” she said. “Like, beyond my wildest expectations. You’ll need stamina to keep up with me.” Maybe. Probably not. “I want orgasms!”He made a strangled sound. His pupils expanded, overshadowing all that luscious green. “I will give you orgasms. I will give you more orgasms than you can count.”

“Also,” she continued, as if she weren’t fighting a wave of lust right that second, “I firmly believe in the Ten Commitments.”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m a little light-headed after all that orgasm talk, but I’m also listening. Do tell.”

“A boy shalt not lie to anyone, ever, not even to flatter, cheat with so much as a look, steal even when desperate, harm others in any way, or make excuses for bad behavior. He shalt compliment when merited, help when needed, treat others with kindness, always, consult his girl when making big decisions, and do his best, not just what’s good enough.”

His gaze searched her face. “The commitments are basic human decency for anyone, not just a potential temporary husband and possible sperm donor. I accept.”

Surprising. And welcome. “When our relationship ends,” she said, “you can go back to your man-whorish ways with my blessing.” A pang cut through her chest, and she swallowed a moan. Did the pang spring from jealousy? Or regret? No, no. Neither one. Probably came from indigestion. Because of the wine. “While we’re together, we’ll be having unprotected sex—if you agree to my terms—so I’ll need you healthy. Speaking of, you’ll have to get tested. I will too.”

“I won’t want a lifelong commitment because of a child,” he said, his tone soft.

Oh, the gall of this man! “I’m not hoping to trap you, Brock. Believe it or not, being married to you isn’t the bow on top of a gift but a burden to bear in order to get what I want.”

“Burden.” He traced his tongue over his teeth, the very picture of masculine pique. “Stop, please. Your flattery is going straight to my head.”

What, had she hurt is feelings? No way, no how. But…

Maybe? The thought disconcerted her, and her shoulders rolled in. “I’m sorry,” she said, and sighed. “I never meant… it’s just…” Another sigh. “Maybe this is a mistake.”

“Now wait just a second.” He swooped in, kneeling in front of her, placing his big, strong hands on her knees. “Getting naked with you does not strike me as a mistake.”

The warmth of his skin burned through her pajama pants, caressing her skin, and she gasped. Tingles erupted and spread, different parts of her reacting in different ways. Between her legs, liquid heat pooled. Her lower belly quivered. Her breasts ached.

Eyes ablaze, he said, “I want you, Lyndie.”

She gulped. “You can have me.”

“If I give you a baby and walk away.”

“Yes.”

He stared at her for a long while before nodding. “Very well. I’ll get a temporary marriage and you’ll get a baby.”

You’ve enraptured me,” he said, his voice nothing more than smoke and gravel. “I would do anything for you.”


Ever since I first met these characters in Can’t Hardly Breathe, I was salivating for Brock and Lyndie’s book. I’m a sucker for the irreverent playboy falling for the sweet girl next door and I couldn’t wait to see the shy Lyndie bring this big sexy man to his knees.

One day, the girl who’d gone from being a battered kid to the battered wife of James Carrington, chief of Blueberry Hill PD, would have a normal life.

Lyndie and Brock both have a past shadowed with pain. Lyndie, attempting to take the reigns back to her own life after suffering years of abuse from her father and later husband. Brock, still drowning the demons of his past with random women and alcohol.

These two have always shared a sizzling attraction, but each had too much to lose to give into it. In his mind, Lyndie is too sweet and good for the likes of Brock. And in her mind, Brock is too much of a playboy to give Lyndie the future she craves. But then Brock brings her a proposal she can’t deny; a marriage of convenience. He needs a wife that he trusts and can later divorce fuss free in order to claim his father’s company. She’ll agree to it if he gives her what she ultimately craves; a baby. Each gets what they want with no strings attached with the agreement to walk away from each other at the end. But nothing is ever really that simple when it comes to feelings.

Gena brings her signature blend of quirky humor and steam that never ceased to put a smile on my face. I adored both of theses characters. I loved Lyndie’s core of strength despite everything she’s been through. And I loved seeing Brock’s sweet and protective side come out more and more with her. Their banter was absolutely everything!

Have you been drinking?”
“Why do you ask?”
“I detect a slight slur to your words.”
“I’m talking in cursive,” she said, waving her hands for emphasis, “and it’s elegant.”

The only quibble I had at times is that I saw more of Showalter’s PNR voice come out with this installment. However, this is simply my own nitpicking quirk and would not bother many others.

The humor and banter in this book was easily my favorite part about it.
Lyndie was adorable and so endearing with her naivety and quirks.

Well, a few months ago, I started reading romance novels. Since I didn’t have a love life, I thought it might be nice to live vicariously through the characters, and it wasn’t long before I noticed a pattern. Somehow the heroines always manage to heal the hero’s broken heart while they’re having sex. Meaning her vajayjay is a magical healing portal. So of course I’m wondering if sleeping with me cured you of all your ills.”

Watching them both fight the stronger feelings between them but inevitably fall harder and harder for each other was incredibly satisfying. With a colorful cast of secondary characters, Can’t Get Enough was one entertaining read from beginning to end.

I’m really hoping to get a book for Brock’s brother next, because he seriously piqued my interest here.

Gena Showalter is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of the spellbinding Lords of the Underworld and Angels of the Dark series, two young adult series–Everlife and the White Rabbit Chronicles–and the highly addictive Original Heartbreakers series. In addition to being a National Reader’s Choice and two time RITA nominee, her romance novels have appeared in Cosmopolitan (Red Hot Read) and Seventeen magazine, she’s appeared on Nightline and been mentioned in Orange is the New Black–if you ask her about it, she’ll talk for hours…hours! Her books have been translated in multiple languages.

She’s hard at work on her next novel, a tale featuring an alpha male with a dark side and the strong woman who brings him to his knees. You can learn more about Gena, her menagerie of rescue dogs, and all her upcoming books at genashowalter.com or Facebook.com/genashowalterfans

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Geri’s Review: Dance With Me by Alexis Daria

December 11, 2017 by ·

DANCE WITH ME
Series: Dance Off #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Alexis Daria
Release Date: December 12, 2017

The second book in Alexis Daria’s dancing duology finds one playboy charmer falling for his new roommate.

Natasha Díaz is having a day. She’s trying to prove she can make it as a professional dancer, but she’s overworked, out of cash, and her roommate has just moved out. When she comes home to find a hole in her ceiling and her bedroom flooded, she’s desperate enough to crash with the one guy she can’t quit. She accepts his offer with one condition: no sleeping together while she’s living with him.

Dimitri Kovalenko has never lived with a woman before. But when Tasha’s in need of a place to stay, he suggests she move in without a second thought. He accepts her condition, hoping she won’t stick to it. They’re good together, both in the ballroom and the bedroom. Since their first dance, she’s never been far from his thoughts. Sure, she’s a pro and he’s one of her show’s judges, but they’re not currently filming, so no one needs to know.

Living in close quarters shows Dimitri a side of Natasha he’s never seen before, and he likes it. A lot. Too bad she’s doing everything in her power to keep him at arm’s length. When an injury forces Natasha to take it easy or risk her ability to dance, it’s his chance to show her that the rules have changed, and she can trust him with her heart.

AMAZON | B&N | iBooks | Kobo

She’s not going to want you because she needs you to make her life good, but because her life is already good and you make it better.

 

Alexis Daria is a new-to-me author, and after reading and enjoying Dance With Me, she’s definitely one that I would watch out for in the future. Dance With Me is a sexy, character-driven, romance that will tug at your heart.

Natasha is pro dancer in a reality show called Dance Off, and is in an on-and-off again relationship with one of the judges in the show, Dimitri. Tash is stuck in a rut. Not just professionally but also with her non-relationship with Dimitri. Then disaster struck forcing her to spend time with Dimitri in his own turf.

Their arrangement would be temporary, just long enough for Tasha to get back on her feet and find a more permanent place to live until her apartment gets fixed. Complicating matters is the new rule imposed by their production discouraging fraternization among dancers & judges.

I personally love character driven romances, and Dance With Me fits within that category to a tee. I really enjoyed the conflict in this book. Tasha is a very complex and flawed heroine who is adamant on doing it on her own. I loved how Ms. Daria was able to really flesh her character that even though you might not agree with some of her decisions, you still get her because her motivations were explored in the book.

Same goes for Dimitri. His fear of failure and rejection drove him to take Tasha for granted for three years. Wanting her and yet not really pushing for something more permanent with her, which he’s paying for dearly.

The push and pull between them, the asserting and acquiescing, and the physical and metaphorical dance off happening between Dimitri and Tasha are what made this book work for me. It’s fascinating and had me glued to its pages from beginning to end.

I cannot wait to read more from this author, and based on this book alone, she’s going to keep on delivering solid romantic stories with interesting and complex characters.

· Filed Under: All Reviews, By Star Rating, Contemporary Romance · Tagged With: ,

Blog Tour, Excerpt, Review & Giveaway: So Over You by Kate Meader

December 4, 2017 by ·

SO OVER YOU
Series: The Chicago Rebels #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Kate Meader
Release Date: December 4, 2017

Three estranged sisters struggle to sustain their late father’s failing hockey franchise in Kate Meader’s sizzling Chicago Rebels series. In this second entry, middle sister Isobel is at a crossroads in her personal and professional lives. But both are about to get a significant boost with the addition of a domineering Russian powerhouse to the Rebels….

Isobel Chase knows hockey. She played NCAA, won Olympic silver, and made it thirty-seven minutes into the new National Women’s Hockey League before an injury sidelined her dreams. Those who can’t, coach, and a position as a skating consultant to her late father’s hockey franchise, the Chicago Rebels, seems like a perfect fit. Until she’s assigned her first job: the man who skated into her heart as a teen and relieved her of her pesky virginity. These days, left-winger Vadim Petrov is known as the Czar of Pleasure, a magnet for puck bunnies and the tabloids alike. But back then… let’s just say his inability to sink the puck left Isobel frustratingly scoreless.

Vadim has a first name that means “ruler,” and it doesn’t stop at his birth certificate. He dominates on the ice, the practice rink, and in the backseat of a limo. But a knee injury has produced a bad year, and bad years in the NHL don’t go unrewarded. His penance? To be traded to a troubled team where his personal coach is Isobel Chase, the woman who drove him wild years ago when they were hormonal teens. But apparently the feeling was not entirely mutual.

That Vadim might have failed to give Isobel the pleasure that was her right is intolerable, and he plans to make it up to her—one bone-melting orgasm at a time. After all, no player can perfect his game without a helluva lot of practice…

AMAZON | iBOOKS

“So we are agreed. You are looking for nice.”

“Most everyone is, Vadim. No one wants a creep.”

He inclined his head until it almost touched hers. “The opposite of nice does not have to be a bad thing. Not when it comes to certain areas. Sex, for example.”

“You can never stray long from that subject, can you?”

“Men think of it often, yes. I am just a slave to my gender. My offer is still open, you know.”

Oxygen was at a premium. He was far too close. “What offer?”

“To apologize. With my cock.”

Oh, she got it now. There was no apology on the table. This was purely Vadim Petrov trying to prove he was top dog, the man who could make a woman’s panties drop with a smile and a wink.

“You raging dingus! You’re not interested in ‘my disappointment’ or in making up for that first terrible time. All you care about is that there are women living in this universe who didn’t go off into the stratosphere when your dick made its debut inside their vaginas.”

“Only one woman, Isobel.”

She scoffed. “So sure.”

“I know.”

“You didn’t know back then. You just assumed tectonic plates shifted because, like all men, you imagine you’re the epicenter of the orgasm earthquake. As long as you feel the earth move, to hell with everyone else.”

Nothing but aristocratic hauteur from him now. “I am trying to be nice—”

“Nice? You just said you only recognize nice because you’re the opposite!”

He curled a hand around her neck, his touch shockingly sensual. “Then I shall be the opposite. I shall be very, very bad, Isobel.”

She wanted to say something about how “bad” wasn’t the opposite of “nice,” but this wasn’t an appropriate time for an English lesson. Her pulse stuttered, then gathered strength, a relentless pounding of yes, yes, yes. He must have heard it because, the next second, his lips crashed into hers, taking control as if it was his right.

But she knew better, didn’t she? She knew that Vadim Petrov was all smoke and mirrors, style without substance, a man whose only focus was his own pleasure.

Boy could he kiss, though.

This wasn’t your standard teenage fumbling. This was a man who knew exactly what do with his mouth. Probably all that practice over the years, she thought bitterly.

The bitterness melted in the face of a wildfire consuming her body. Pure, white-hot need. Maybe the owner of the lips didn’t matter. Maybe it was just a joining together of body parts that worked in this never-to-be-repeated moment.

He halted, his expression impossible to read in the shadows.

“It is bad, yes?” His breathing was labored.

“Terrible,” she murmured. “Again.”

She expected him to say something cutting, but he surprised her.

He did as he was told.

He didn’t taste like the boy she remembered. She thought she’d committed everything about that experience to her soul, both the bad and the good, yet Vadim’s mouth was different now. He was different.

This kiss . . .

. . . different.

Spicy and sweet, authoritative yet testing. It cracked open something. Not inhibition, because that had never been her problem, but reticence. With other men, she would hold back, waiting for the sparks to fly. If it didn’t ignite within a few seconds, she was already moving on, steeling herself for the disappointment that would come later.

Vadim’s kiss blew her wariness away. If it was this good, then the rest . . . No, that was not going to happen.

He was an employee, a coworker, a tabloid manwhore, sort of a dick, and the guy who took her virginity and did a piss-poor job about it. If none of these reasons were enough to put a halt to this nonsense, then she was in deep freakin’ doo-doo.

“Well?” he asked, though there was no missing the blink back to reality of his eyelids. He was just as affected as she.

“You want a score?” she panted. “Seven point four. The French judge marked you down. Too much tongue.”
This appeared to delight him, delight coming in the form of a lift at the corner of his decadent mouth.

“It seems we both have lessons to learn. Again.”

In a flash, he had pulled her across into his lap—okay, she may have helped because this couldn’t not continue. Strangely, the snark fired her up. That hadn’t been their thing before, but maybe his time in North America had improved his personality.

She liked this version of Vadim. She liked it very much.

She also liked his positioning of her core over his erection. His hands kneading her ample ass to bring her closer was another check in the “like” column. And, additionally, helping her improved opinion of him was his mouth back on hers, sucking, testing, exploring.

“Again,” he murmured.

“Again,” she sighed right back into his mouth.

Again.

Rubbing her center against him was divine.

His hands everywhere were divine.

That mouth . . . oh, God, that mouth was ten steps above divine.

And then that mouth was speaking Russian, rough, sexy, sweet nothings that drove her wild. Forced out all common sense. His mouth trailed her jaw, delivering little nips and hot licks to her neck.

“Bella”—something in Russian—“Bella”—more Russian—“Bella.” As if one language was inadequate to express how she affected him.

She heard the scrape of her track jacket zipper, felt tingles as he applied openmouthed kisses to newly exposed skin. Her nipples were on fire, sensitive and needy. Can’t stand this. Going to die. She ripped her bra strap off her shoulder and freed one aching breast.

“Suck me,” she begged, and then his mouth closed over her tit and suckled hard. His moan on tasting her sounded like he was in pain, but she didn’t care; all she cared about was this mindless grasp at pleasure.

The insistent pulse thrumming through her body beat louder, stronger, showing no sign of stopping and heading for the one place she’d never visited with this man. She rolled her hips and hiked her suggestive rubs into a dirty grind. He was huge against her, toting this hard, hot instrument of pleasure that stroked her just right.

Still not enough.

“Please,” she begged as she rode him harder. Faster. Dirtier.

“Da, da, da,” he said. Yes, yes, yes.

I would like to apologize. Properly.”
Her lungs went on hiatus. He couldn’t mean what she thought he meant. “Apology accepted,” she said cheerfully, though it came out chipmunk style. Alvin would be so proud.
“You choose to act clueless about what I mean?”
“Are you offering to apologize with your penis?”
“It is my most improved area.”

Is it any wonder I’ve been obsessed with all things Kate Meader ever since reading her first book? The woman is the queen of banter and she writes some of the most sizzling enemies to lovers romances I’ve ever read. I was immediately hooked on her brand new Chicago Rebels series, and it isn’t just because it’s based in my home town. Though it’s safe to say I may have been a tiny bit biased. But let’s be real, any author that can take three estranged sisters and make them the new owners of a sport that’s a boy’s only club and not only make them sassy and powerful, but totally endearing too is a total rockstar in my eyes!

So Over You brings the story of Isobel Chase. And while her sisters have had a connection to the game because of their famous and philandering hockey player father, no one was closer to hockey than her. She had her sights set on a professional career and a handsome Russian hockey player until both were ripped away from her in the worst way possible. While she may have licked her wounds over her lost hockey career, the man that made her first time the most ho hum affair and then disappeared from her life…not so much. Here a girl builds up losing her virginity to the most handsome boy she knows and it’s a wham bam, not even a thank you m’am affair. And now said man is back in her world as the newly traded player on her team and not only does she have to suffer his glares, but she has to coach him, too.

Can I just say how much I absolutely adored the banter and camaraderie between the Chase sisters in this latest installment. It feels like with each book, their bond just gets tighter and tighter, and I simply can’t get enough of it.

The man has only ever had eyes for you.”
“Yeah, the minute he laid those Cajun peepers on you,” Violet chimed in, “he was all, ‘Me Remy, you Remy’s baby mama. Take my seed. Take it all!’

But the center stage of the story was definitely the banter between Vadim and Isobel. There’s nothing sexier than a brooding and glaring Russian. Unless said Russian is also now determined to right the wrongs of the past and deliver on the missing orgasms. GAH! I loved this grumpy puss. So much. I don’t know how the author managed to take his grumpy and glaring ways and make him hilarious and endearing, but she totally did. Add in the secondary characters and the banter, and I had a goofy smile on my face the entire time!

Isobel!” Mia called out. “I’m bored, and Vadim doesn’t know how to entertain me.”
“Entertainment was not part of the deal. Neither was little dog with big shits.”
“Don’t call Gordie Howe that. He’s very sensitive.”

As always, the sexual tension was even hotter than the sexual chemistry. I was literary vibrating with glee to finally see the two of them give into the undeniable attraction and feelings that still run between them.

While I loved Isobel’s fierceness, admittedly her stubbornness at times wore on me. But Vadim was the perfect salve and together with her sisters, they gave her what she needed to get herself together.

I love a sexy second chance romance, and So Over You delivered on that end and then some! If you’re looking for a fun, quick paced, and sizzling sports romance, this book is not to be missed.

My woman is the North Star in my night sky, but also in her own. If she is not there to guide me, there is only darkness. For us both.”

DON’T MISS THE REST OF THE SERIES

AMAZON | MY REVIEW | ADD TO GOODREADS

Kate Meader was raised on romance. An Irish girl, she started with Catherine Cookson and Jilly Cooper novels, and spiced it up with some Mills & Boon. Now based in Chicago, she writes romances of her own, where sexy contemporary alpha heroes and strong heroines match each other quip for quip. When not immersed in tales of brooding mill owners, oversexed equestrians, and men who can rock an apron or a fire hose, Kate lives on the web at katemeader.com.

Kate Meader will be giving away a $25 Amazon gift card during release week. To enter, please go here!

· Filed Under: All Reviews, Blog Tours, Contemporary Romance, Excerpts, Giveaways · Tagged With: , ,

Blog Tour, Excerpt & Review: Villain by Samantha Young

December 4, 2017 by · Leave a Comment

VILLAIN
Series: Hero #1.5
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Samantha Young
Release Date: December 5, 2017

 

The sexy and emotional companion novella to the New York Times bestselling romance HERO.

Nadia Ray is not just a broadcast meteorologist. She’s Boston’s morning television It Girl. Successful and independent, she’s put a past she’s ashamed of behind her and is forging a future she can be proud of. However, when her new boss discovers her secret he blackmails her, intent on using Nadia’s popularity to make them the number one morning show in Massachusetts. He wants her to be part of uncovering the city’s biggest scandal – a secret billionaire Caine Carraway is hiding.

Soon Nadia is thrown into the path of Caine’s best friend: sexy, wealthy bachelor Henry Lexington. But she doesn’t encounter the dashing high society gentleman Henry is purported to be. Instead she’s faced with an insulting and defensive villain who misjudges her at every turn.

When Henry finally realizes the truth, and decides to make amends, Nadia wants nothing to do with him. But she underestimates his determination and charm and soon they find themselves embroiled in an intense, passionate affair.

An affair Nadia knows must come to an end before their feelings grow any deeper and he discovers her secrets.

After all, Henry Lexington isn’t the only one who played the part of a villain once…

AMAZON | KOBO | iBOOKS

Henry got in next to me and threw me the kind of excited grin a child might at Christmas. “Ready?”“This is quite the car.”

“The words say impressed; your tone does not.” He observed as he pulled on his seatbelt. “Is it the top? Do you want it up so it doesn’t mess your hair?”

“I don’t care about that.” I frowned, annoyed that he’d think I’d be that concerned with my appearance. “I care about how weird this is.”

As we pulled into traffic, Henry slipped on a pair of aviator sunglasses. “What’s weird about two adults having lunch together?”

“Because forty-eight hours ago, we were enemies.”

“So melodramatic. We were merely mistaken about one another.”

“You were mistaken about me. I think I have you pegged accurately.”

“And that’s why we’re going to lunch because you don’t.” He shot me that sexy smirk. “You don’t know the good stuff.”

“Has anyone ever said no to you in your life?”

“Yes, frequently.”

“Have you ever listened to them?”

Henry chuckled. “Rarely.”

His laughter and the sight of him driving this beautiful car with lazy confidence, his strong hands lightly resting on the wheel, those ridiculously hot sunglasses—it all affected me. Greatly. A sensuous ripple fluttered in my lower belly.

Dear God, I really wanted him.

The realization caused my breath to escape from me in a shudder, drawing his attention. Quite abruptly, I made a decision. “I’m just going to put it out there in case you’re planning to take me to a stupidly overpriced restaurant for lunch.”

“Okay.” He drew out the word, sounding amused and wary at the same time.

“I don’t particularly like you. In fact, you have become one of the villains in my story so far. I don’t want to date you and I doubt very much that you are interested in dating me. However, I also doubt that you feel so guilty about your treatment of me that you merely want to turn around my opinion of you. No, sir. I’m here because you’re attracted to me. That’s okay because apparently, I’m attracted to you too. You’re hot and it’s obnoxious but I can’t deny it.”

Henry’s mouth twitched like he was trying to suppress a smile. “Okay.”

“We’re attracted to each other or you wouldn’t have asked me out and I wouldn’t have let myself be manipulated into saying yes. But let’s not pretend this is something that it’s not with chivalry and a date. You want to fuck me. And I’m amenable to the idea. So let’s cut all the bullshit and just do it.”

“Jesus.” Henry almost ran into the back of a car that had stopped at the light, slamming hard on his brakes. He looked at me and even though I couldn’t see his eyes, I knew his expression was incredulous. “You’re amenable to the idea of me fucking you? Did I hear that right?”

I flushed. “I’m sure you’re used to women with gentler manners but I’m a straight talker. I don’t believe in flowering up a situation so as not to offend delicate sensibilities.”

The traffic moved forward and Henry didn’t speak.

In fact, he stayed silent for a while.

So long that I began to feel my cheeks burn with humiliation.

I’d read him wrong. He really did only want to make amends.

I wasn’t his type.

Oh God.

This month had been really, really bad for me.

Finally, he pulled up outside a pizzeria on Tremont Street. Once he killed the engine he took off his sunglasses and turned toward me. His expression was surprisingly sober as he intently studied my face, as if he hoped to find answers there. “You’re right,” he said, his voice low, deep, “I want you. But I don’t consider anticipation bullshit. We’re going to have lunch. And you’re going to agree to have lunch with me on Thursday. And then you’re going to agree to be my date to the Delaney Charity Ball this Saturday. After which we’ll go back to your apartment and I will happily fuck you into satisfied exhaustion.”

For a moment, I couldn’t speak because his last sentence turned me on, his words alone sparking delicious excitement deep in my belly.

What the hell would the rest of him do to me?

Of course, after a second or so of physical arousal, the rest of his words sunk in. “What?” I shook my head in confusion. “No. We don’t need to have lunch or go to a ball together.”

“No lunch dates, no date to the ball, no penis for you. And you don’t want miss out on my penis. It’s a good one.”

I acted like my story deserved a hero. But only a heroine deserves a hero. And I wasn’t a heroine.
I couldn’t be.
The truth was in someone else’s story …
I was a villain.


Now it’s been a hot minute since I read Hero, but it took me no time at all to dive right back into this world. As the fun-loving, easy going, and quick with a smile best friend and business partner to the growly and grumpy Caine, I wasn’t sure how Henry would follow. I live for the enemies to lovers trope, and it was hard to imagine someone that smiley pulling off the a-hole vibe. But I shouldn’t have worried, because Samantha Young really gave me the best of both worlds with him; the a-hole at first and then the endearing. I absolutely adored the man.

What?” I shook my head in confusion. “No. We don’t need to have lunch or go to a ball together.”
“No lunch dates, no date to the ball, no penis for you. And you don’t want miss out on my penis. It’s a good one.”

Nadia is not a stranger to unwanted male attention. As Boston’s morning television It Girl and broadcast meteorologist, it wasn’t her smarts that got the viewership. She’s tried to make peace with the fact that her curvy figure will always make men undermine and misjudge her. Or perhaps its just her recent history with them. So when an assignment from her smarmy boss lands her in the cross hairs of a very pissed off Henry Lexington, she doesn’t back down from putting him in his place. What she doesn’t anticipate is Henry’s interest as soon as he realizes his colossal screw up with her.

I loved the way that Henry pursued Nadia and wouldn’t take no for an answer. She was determined to keep him in the sex only box and he was having none of it. Nadia was such an incredibly endearing heroine as well. For all that she’s been through, this is a chick with balls of steel and a spine that’s even stronger. She’s not about to back down or bow down to anyone, and I respected that so much in her.

Villain was this perfect combination of a delicious slow burn, with a splash of enemies to lovers, all wrapped up in a story that kept me glued to the pages until the end. It was entertaining, quick paced, and entirely satisfying. I absolutely loved these two together.

I wanted more. Everything. Now. I wanted to come. I didn’t want seduction. I wanted him to shatter me. Immediately.

There was a bit of drama that was thrown in at the end, but it wrapped things up quite nicely. If you’re looking for a sexy, short, but totally satisfying novella, Villain will do the trick quite nicely. The perfect read to spend the afternoon with.

Samantha Young is the New York Times,  USA Today  and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of adult contemporary romances, including the On Dublin Street series and Hero, as well as the New Adult duology Into the Deep and Out of the Shallows.  Every Little Thing, the second book in her new Hart’s Boardwalk series, will be published by Berkley in March 2017. Before turning to contemporary fiction, she wrote several young adult paranormal and fantasy series, including the amazon bestselling Tale of Lunarmorte trilogy. Samantha’s debut YA contemporary novel The Impossible Vastness of Us was published by Harlequin TEEN in ebook & hardback June 2017. Play On is an adult contemporary romance and the first in a brand new series set in Scotland. Villain is a companion novella to the New York Times bestselling romance HERO.

Samantha has been nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award 2012 for Best Author and Best Romance for On Dublin Street, Best Romance 2014 for Before Jamaica Lane, and Best Romance 2015 for Hero. On Dublin Street, a #1 bestseller in Germany, was the Bronze Award Winner in the LeserPreis German Readers Choice Awards for Best Romance 2013, Before Jamaica Lane the Gold Medal Winner for the LeserPreis German Readers Choice Awards for Best Romance 2014 and Echoes of Scotland Street the Bronze Medal Winner for the LeserPreis German Readers Choice Awards for Best Romance 2015.

Samantha is currently published in 30 countries and is a #1 international bestselling author.

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