Blog Tour & Jennifer’s Review: Scandalous by LJ Shen

October 5, 2017 by · Leave a Comment

SCANDALOUS
Series: Sinners of Saint #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Erotic
Author: LJ Shen
Release Date: September 21, 2017

They call him The Mute for a reason.

Hard, cold and calculated, he rarely speaks.

When he does, it’s with disdain.

When he does, his words aren’t meant for me.

When he does, my stomach flips and my world tilts on its axis.

He is thirty-three.

I am eighteen.

He’s a single dad and my father’s business partner.

I’m just a kid to him and his enemy’s daughter.

He’s emotionally unavailable.

And I am…feeling. Feeling things I shouldn’t feel for him.

Trent Rexroth is going to break my heart. The writing isn’t just on the wall, it’s inked on my soul.

And yet, I can’t stay away.

A scandal is the last thing my family needs. But a scandal is what we’re going to give them.

And oh, what beautiful chaos it will be.

AMAZON 


Trent’s gaze cut to mine and stopped when his grays met my blues. The fading noise of Vicious barking at people to move along, and my father finally letting go of my arm to move toward Jaime and Dean—probably trying to gain both allies and sympathy—died down.“I don’t like you,” Rexroth whispered under his breath, his voice harsh.

“I never asked you to.” I shrugged.

“You won’t be working here.” His arm brushed my shoulder, but I didn’t think it was by accident. I let loose a sugary smile, scanning his face and torso for no other reason other than to taunt him. “Good, you’ll be doing me a favor. My father is the one forcing me to work here. He’s pissed I turned down five Ivy League colleges. Remind me, Mr. Rexroth—which top tier university did you attend for your degree?”

The low blow was supposed to retrieve some of my lost dignity, but bile burned my throat, shotgunned from my stomach. Trent Rexroth was known in Todos Santos as an exhilarating success story, rising from the gutters of San Diego. He went to a shitty state college that accepted even the illiterate, working as a janitor on campus after hours. Those were given facts he’d recited himself in an interview for Forbes.

Had I really just tried to make him feel less worthy because he wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his mouth? It made me sicker than wearing my mother’s designer garbs.

Trent smiled, leaning into my body, into my soul. His smirk was more frightening than any scowl, frown, or grimace I’d ever seen. It threatened to tear me apart and sew me back together however he pleased.

“Edie.” His lips were dangerously close to my ear. A delicious shiver moved down my spine. Something warm rolled inside of me, begging to unknot and flower into an orgasm. What was happening, and why the hell was it happening? “If you know what’s best for you, you will turn around and leave right now.”

I elevated my head to meet his gaze and showed him my version of a grin. I was born and raised in a world of intimidating rich men, and I’d be damned if I go down like my mother—addicted to xanax, Gucci, and a man who paraded her on his arm for a short, glorious decade before keeping her solely for public appearances.

“I think I’m going to go find my desk now. I’d wish you a good day, Mr. Rexroth, but I think that ship has sailed. You’re a miserable man. Oh, and one for the road.” I fished for a Nature Valley bar in my mother’s purse and plastered it to his hard, muscled chest. My heart slammed into my neck, fluttering like a caged bird.

I hurried after my father as he glided down the vast, golden-hued hallway, not daring to look back. Knowing I’d started a war and arrived unequipped. But I also knew something else that gave me a surfer’s rush—if I could slam the final nail in my employment coffin and make Rexroth vote against me, I’d be off the hook.

I had just the plan for it. All I had to do was act like a brat. Game on.

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DEFY | VICIOUS | RUCKUS | SCANDALOUS

I didn’t think this book would rip my heart apart at the seams.


Trent. We don’t get much from Trent in the previous books. He is dubbed The Mute because he rarely speaks, only when absolutely needed. Trent has a daughter, and she doesn’t speak at all. She can, but she doesn’t, and it is Trent’s thorn. He doesn’t know how to help her. He is there for her in every way that he sees fit. He is a good father, but he is a flawed man that needs….something, or someone. To help put the pieces of his broken self back together. And that someone….is Edie. She is the girl he doesn’t see coming.


Edie. Is Trent’s opposite. While Trent is a straight businessman, Edie is a relaxed surfer. Only LJ Shen would think of putting these two together! And I loved them! Edie is badass, and I loved her sassy attitude. And does the fact that he is very much older than her stop Trent? Not even a little bit. I thought she was very mature for her age, so I honestly didn’t think the relationship was weird at all. I loved Trent and Edie. They are uber hot together. The fact that there is such a big age difference makes it even hotter. Their story was a lot like the ocean…unpredictable, turbulent, and very mischievous. *giggles


BUT….my favorite part of this book was LUNA. I usually cannot stand children in books. But this girl stole my heart…and wouldn’t let go! Her character was written so well. I could see her facial expressions. I could feel her pain. I absolutely loved how Edie trickled her way into Luna’s heart. I could imagine her side smirk, and her little giggle. She was a tough cookie to crack, but once Edie was in, she was in. I loved watching Trent’s struggle as a parent, which is so real. His parenting wasn’t perfect. He loved Luna, but he didn’t know how to be what she needed.

L.J. Shen is one of the best, and maybe THE BEST, writer of THE ALPHA-HOLE. Her books always make me FEEL. Her words are utterly beautiful…all the time.

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 peoples’ 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.

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Review: Show Me The Way by A.L. Jackson

October 5, 2017 by · Leave a Comment

SHOW ME THE WAY
Series: Fight For Me #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: A.L. Jackson
Release Date: October 2, 2017

The first sexy, captivating, stand-alone novel in the brand-new FIGHT FOR ME series from NYT & USA Today Bestselling Author A.L. Jackson . . .
Rex Gunner. As bitter as he is beautiful.
The owner of the largest construction company in Gingham Lakes has been burned one too many times. His wife leaving him to raise their daughter was the last blow this single dad could take. The only woman he’ll let into his heart is his little girl.
Rynna Dayne. As vulnerable as she is tempting.
She ran from Gingham Lakes when she was seventeen. She swore to herself she would never return. Then her grandmother passed away and left her the deed to the diner that she once loved.
When Rex meets his new neighbor, he knows he’s in trouble.
She’s gorgeous and sweet and everything he can’t trust.
Until she becomes the one thing he can’t resist.
One kiss sends them tumbling toward ecstasy.
But in a town this size, pasts are bound to collide. Caught in a web of lies, betrayal, and disloyalty, Rex must make a choice.
Will he hide behind his walls or will he take the chance . . .
“This book is absolutely perfect.” – Corinne Michaels, New York Times Bestselling Author
 READ FOR FREE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED

You make me feel like every chance is one worth taking. Like you’re leading me out of the darkness that’s ruled my life. When I close my eyes, who I see is you. Show me the way, Rynna. Show me the way out of it. Fuck. Please, show me the way.”

Can someone please tell me why I’ve gone this long without reading another AL Jackson book? Because I’m seriously disappointed it myself. This book reminded me all the reasons that made me fall in love with this author’s words and made me fall in love all over again. Show Me The Way was a beautiful and highly emotional story of love and second chances. It was perfectly paced, with just the right amount of angst, and wonderfully multi-layered characters that you can’t help but fall for.

He needed someone to revive his faith just as desperately as I did.
Because looking at him? I suddenly knew he had none of it.
That something had gone dim inside him.
That was the thing about chances.
We didn’t know their outcomes.
If we’d succeed or if we’d fail. It didn’t matter. I had to take a chance on him.

Rynna and Rex are two sides of different coins. Both hurt by their pasts, one is willing the hurt again for a chance at something beautiful, while the other has closed himself from everything for protection.

Years ago, Rynna ran away from the town that she grew up in and the only family she had in the only way she could think to survive. The cruel memories of her past have kept her away, until the passing of her beloved grandmother bring her back and right next door to Rex Gunner.

Damn her for weaseling her way in and making herself a place in a spot where she knew she would never stay. Fuck me for wanting it.

Rex Gunner needs the complication of a beautiful woman like a hole in his head. Done with the hurt that females could bring to his life, the only female that he devotes himself to is his adorable daughter. But when his beautiful neighbor sets her sights on him, he realizes that she sees beneath the brusque and cold man to the wounded one beneath that’s yearning for the right woman to make him believe again.

Rex is borderline hostile to Rynna when he first meets her. Slowly but surely, Rynna works herself deeper and deeper under his skin, where he wants her least. But with every beautiful and thoughtful word to his daughter, with her ability to brush his coldness off, Rex begins to see just how different Rynna really is.

Last two times I touched you nearly ruined me. Seeing you like this? Don’t think I’m ever going to be the same. Stealing my sleep. Stealing my breath. Stealing my sanity. Little thief.”

The romance is perfectly paced, with flashbacks to Ryan’s past that slowly unveils the reasons for her running. There’s an intriguing element of suspense that keep you turning the pages as urgently as the romance does. I was immediately captivated from the very first chapter and it didn’t let up until the last page.

I loved watching Rex slowly melt from gruff and grumpy to hesitantly admitting his feelings for Rynna. I loved getting glimpses of Ryan’s past and understanding what she’s gone through. It made me respect that woman that she is today. The woman that isn’t afraid to take a risk, a chance on a man that shows her every reason not to. She wasn’t pushy, but had this understated strength to her that I couldn’t help but love.

I adored Rex’s little girl. She was one of the highlights of this story for me. I adored Rex and Rynna together. I loved the back and forth between them in the beginning, the slow burn and the ultimate implosion. It was absolutely sizzling.

And when everything unravels at the end? Mind blowing!

I’m totally hooked on this series and I already can’t wait for more. After meeting Rex’s friends, Oliver and Matt, I’m already needing their stories.

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Jennifer’s 5 Star Review: Uncontrollable Temptations by Janine Infante Bosco

October 4, 2017 by · Leave a Comment

UNCONTROLLABLE TEMPTATIONS
Series: Tempted #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Janine Infante Bosco
Release Date: February 9, 2016

Jack “Bulldog” Parrish

Crazy: Mentally deranged, especially as manifested in a wild or aggressive way.

I was thirteen when I discovered the definition of the word I’d forever be labeled.

Some used it as a figure of speech but for me it was a scar I’d carry through life.

Or so I believed until I was diagnosed a manic depressive.

I’m the president of the Satan’s Knights Motorcycle Club, a man of power and control.

A man with enemies near and far.

But the truth, my truth, is my biggest enemy— my mind and I live most of my life with no control whatsoever.

I’m just a man who battles his demons, a man destined to live a life full of darkness.

Until her.

She’s the light beckoning me, calling me home, away from the torment.
In a world as dark as the one I live in, sometimes I can’t help but crave Sunshine.

Reina DeCarlo

I was lost, broken and a prisoner of my scars.

A shell of the woman I used to be, who didn’t know the difference between living and merely existing.

Until a stranger found me, fixed and freed me. He breathed life into my soul, reminding me I was a survivor and still had life to live.

My savior is a biker.

A man tortured by his own scars. A man broken like me, maybe even a little lost too.

I want to be his remedy.

I want to heal him.

I want to return the favor and be his savior.

This is our story, a story neither of us knew how to write until we found each other.

AMAZON

This is the most vulnerable review I’ve ever written.

I can barely write this review because it is so personal. It took me forever to write it (lots of wine helped). I would write a little at a time and then come back to it. Have you ever felt that way? Has a book ever actually changed you? What do you say when a book….changes your life? How?! How did an MC book change my life?! I’ll tell you how.

Sunshine.


I’m not ashamed to say that I struggle with Major Depression. AND I am constantly in a battle with the person I used to be versus the person I am today. These two issues are the CENTER of this book. This book MEANS something to me. This book STRUCK me. Slapped me in the face, and I had no choice but to FEEL. It SPOKE to me, way too close to home. This book is MY THERAPY. This book was MADE FOR ME. This book showed me HOPE. This book showed me the LIGHT in the DARKNESS. Janine Infante Bosco is a GENIUS and loves to murder me with her words. I found myself in both of these characters. I can’t even say how much.

Cherry Pie.

Jack suffers. Period. His mind is his Hell. He has Manic Depression, and he lives in darkness. His is in a constant struggle with his “maker.” Some people may think that depression is sadness, but it’s not. I’m not sad. Jack isn’t sad. He’s tortured….by his mind. There is a saying that “Depression Lies,” and I can say first hand that is the perfect way of describing it. Can you imagine a voice in your head constantly telling you that you are not enough? That you aren’t important? That you don’t matter? That you’re basically a piece of shit. It’s a bunch of constant lies. And you can’t stop it (without medication). You just have to FIGHT it, every day. And that is exactly what Jack does.

Scars.


Reina. Her struggle is with the person she used to be before her trauma versus the person she is now, and finding balance between the two. Everyone changes. I would never have guessed I would be so drastically different than I used to be. I would have said it was impossible. If you took my personality before and literally flipped it 180 degrees, you would have who I am today. And that is exactly what happened with Reina. She doesn’t know what to do with this new person, who she doesn’t know. She doesn’t like who she is, but she can’t go back to the person she used to be.

You.


Janine doesn’t mess around. She jumps right into the center of the Satan’s Knights and writes the President’s book first, and Gawd, it’s beyond. Jack and Reina find SOLACE in each other. Isn’t that what we all want? Just a little bit of PEACE. She does it again with the issues. (There was a lot of cursing at Janine for writing a book such as this. For example, “Damn you, Janine!”) I’ve never read an author like this, especially an MC series like this. This is definitely in my top 3 favorite MC series (with Kristen Ashley and Lauren Gilley). Janine makes it REAL. I came out of this book with HEALED SCARS and NEW SCARS. How did this book changed me? It helped me see that the thing that I viewed as the cause for my struggle can actually be my HOPE. I bought this bracelet to remind me of that HOPE.

Me.

I’m a different person after reading this book. Of course, I am now going to enter the biggest book funk ever because THIS BOOK. I’m sorry to the book I read after this one. Which means I should just keep going with this series because THIS AUTHOR.

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Read the first chapter of HOOKING UP by Helena Hunting

October 4, 2017 by · Leave a Comment

HOOKING UP
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Helena Hunting
Release Date: November 7, 2017

Amalie Whitfield is the picture of a blushing bride during her wedding reception–but for all the wrong reasons. Instead of proclaiming his undying love, her husband can be heard, by Amalie and their guests, getting off with someone else. She has every reason to freak out, and in a moment of insanity, she throws herself at the first hot-blooded male she sees. But he’s not interested in becoming her revenge screw.

Mortified and desperate to escape the post-wedding drama, Amalie decides to go on her honeymoon alone, only to find the man who rejected her also heading to the same tiny island for work. But this time he isn’t holding back. She should know better than to sleep with someone she knows, but she can’t seem to resist him.

They might agree that what happens on the island should stay on the island, but neither one can deny that their attraction is more than just physical.

Filled with hilariously scandalous situations and enough sexual chemistry to power an airplane from New York City to the South Pacific, Hooking Up is the next standalone, laugh-out-loud romantic comedy from Helena Hunting, the New York Times bestselling author of the Pucked series and Shacking Up.

AMAZON

One

Wedding Unbliss

Amie

This is the happiest day of my life. I allow that thought to roll around in my head, trying to figure out why it doesn’t seem to resonate the way it should. This should be the happiest day of my life. So I’m not exactly certain why the uneasy feeling I associate with cold feet is getting worse rather than dissipating. I’ve already done the hard part; walked down the aisle and said “I do.”

My husband excused himself to go to the bathroom several minutes ago and, based on Armstrong’s itinerary for the day, speeches are supposed to begin promptly at eight-thirty. According to my phone, that’s less than two minutes from now, and he’s not here. The emcee for the evening is awaiting Armstrong’s return before he begins. And then the real party can start. The one where we get to celebrate our commitment to each other as partners for life. As in the rest of my breathing days. Dear God, why does that make my stomach twist?

I sip my white wine. Armstrong pointed out that red is not a good idea with my dress, even though it’s my preference. Besides, I don’t want it to stain my teeth. That would make for bad pictures.

I glance around the hall and see my parents, who are probably celebrating the fact that I didn’t walk down the aisle with a convicted felon. And frankly, so am I. My dating history pre-Armstrong wasn’t fabulous.

The sheer number of people in attendance spikes my anxiety. Speaking in front of all of these people makes me want to drink more, which is a bad idea. Tipsy speeches could lead to saying the wrong thing. I check my phone under the table again. It’s after eight-thirty. The longer Armstrong takes to return, the further behind we’ll get. The music playlist, devised by Armstrong with painstaking efficiency, leaves no room for tardiness. If we don’t start on time I’ll have to take out a song, or possibly two, to compensate for his delay and he’s selected the order in such a way as to make that difficult and that will annoy him. I just want today to be perfect. I want it to be reflective of my decision to marry Armstrong. That I, Amalie Whitfield, can make good choices and am not a disgrace to my family.

“Where the hell is he?” I scan the room and take another small sip of my wine. I should switch to water soon so I don’t end up drunk, especially later, when all of this is over and we can celebrate our lifelong commitment to each other without clothes on. I’m hopeful it will last more than five minutes.

Ruby, my maid of honor and best friend for the past decade, puts a hand on my shoulder. “Would you like Bancroft to find Armstrong?”

Bancroft, or Bane for short, is Ruby’s boyfriend who she’s been living with for several months. Recently I find myself getting a little jealous of how affectionate they still are with each other, even after all this time. Cohabitation hasn’t slowed them down on the sex or their PDA. I have hope that Armstrong and I will be more like Bane and Ruby now that we’ll be sharing the same bed every night.

I’m about to tell Ruby to give him another minute when a low buzz suddenly fills the hall. It sounds like a school PA system. I start to panic—they can’t start the speeches without Armstrong at my side. What’s the point of speeches if the groom isn’t present?

I’m halfway out of my seat, ready to tell the deejay, or whoever is behind the mic, he needs to wait, when a very loud moan echoes through the room. The acoustics are phenomenal in here, it’s why we chose this venue.

I glance at Ruby to make sure I’m not hearing things. Her eyes are wide. The kind of wide associated with shock. The same shock I’m feeling.

Another moan reverberates through the sound system, followed by the words, “Oh, fuuuck.”

A collective gasp ripples through the now-silent crowd. While the words themselves are scandalous among these guests, it’s the voice groaning them that makes me sit up straighter, and simultaneously consider hiding under the table.

“Fuck yeah. Ah, suck it. That’s it. Deep throat it like a good little slut. Fuuuuuccckkkkk.”

My mouth drops and I look to Ruby to ensure I have not completely lost my mind. “Is that—” I don’t finish the sentence. I already know the answer to the question, so it’s pointless to ask. Besides, I’m cut off by yet another loud groan. I clap a hand over my mouth because I’m not sure I’m able to close it, my disbelief is as vast as the ocean.

Ruby’s expression mirrors mine, except hers is incredibly animated since she’s an actress. “Oh my God. Is that Armstrong?” Her words are no more than a whisper, but they sound very much like a scream. Oh no, wait, that’s just Armstrong on the verge of an orgasm. But these sounds are nothing like the ones he makes when he’s in the throes of passion with me.

I clutch Ruby’s hand. The next sound that comes from him is a hybrid between a hyena laugh and a wolf baying at the moon. And every guest at our wedding is hearing the same thing I am. Our wedding. Someone other than me is blowing my husband at my own wedding. My mortification knows no end.

I grab the closest bottle of wine and dump the contents into my glass. Some of it sloshes over the edge and onto the crisp white tablecloth. It doesn’t matter. There’s plenty more where it came from. I chug the glass, then grab Ruby’s.

People lean in and whisper to each other, eyes lift to the speakers. A few people, the ones who are probably just here for the social-ladder-climbing potential, question who it is.

“Is the deejay watching porn?” That comment comes from a table full of mostly drunk singles in their early twenties.

Several eyes shift my way as I carelessly down Ruby’s wine and someone asks where the groom has disappeared to.

The grunts and groans grow terrifyingly louder. This is nothing like what I’m used to in bed with Armstrong. The dirty words aren’t something he ever uses with me, mostly it’s just noises and sometimes a “Right there” or “I’m close,” but that’s about it. He’s never talked to me like he is to the woman currently providing oral pleasure. And I’m very adept at oral. Although with Armstrong it’s very polite, neat oral, with no sounds other than the occasional hum. Slurping is uncivilized and a definite no-no.

I reach past Ruby for the bottle of red since I don’t really give a flying fuck about purple teeth right now. As I sink low in my seat I pour another glass of wine, surveying the people in the ballroom from behind the cover of the centerpiece. The centerpieces are huge and excessive and I don’t like them at all, but at least provides a protective barrier between the guests and my disgust, which I’m certain they must share. He sounds like a wild animal rutting. It is entirely unsexy. I have no idea who he’s getting intimate with, but I’m suddenly very glad it’s not me.

And doesn’t that tell me more about our relationship than it should.

It’s only been about thirty seconds—the most humiliating thirty seconds of my life—before Armstrong comes. How do I know this? Because he says, very clearly, “Keep sucking, baby, I’m coming.”

And “baby,” whoever she is, makes these horrific gurgling noises. It sounds like some form of alien communication. It’s way over the top, and apparently Armstrong is loving it, based on the string of vile profanity that spews from his asshole mouth.

“Holy crap. Is this for real? That was really fast,” Ruby mutters.

I guzzle my glass of wine. Then decide the glass is unnecessary and take a long swig from the bottle before Ruby snatches it away. Wine dribbles down my chin and onto my chest, staining the white satin purple. My dress is ruined. I should be freaking out. But I really don’t care.

“Come on,” Ruby tugs on my hand. “We need to get you out of here while people are still distracted.”

My older brother Pierce and the emcee are standing in the middle of the hall, gesturing wildly to the speakers above us. My other brother, Lawson, is on his way toward the podium in an attempt to do something. I don’t think there’s anything he can do to stop this train wreck from there.

Ruby tugs again, but I’m frozen, still trying to figure out what exactly just happened. Well, I know what’s happened. I just can’t believe it.

The sound of a zipper and the rustle of clothes follows. “Thanks for that, now I’ll be able to last later tonight,” Armstrong says.

“What about me?” A female asks. Her voice is nasally and whiny.

“What about you?”

“Well I helped you, aren’t you going to help me?”

“Didn’t you come with a date?”

“Well, yes, but—” God her voice is familiar. I just can’t figure out where I know it from.

“My cousin, right? He loves my sloppy seconds. Speeches are starting. I gotta get back to my ball and chain.”

Gasps of horror ripple through the room, followed by a few giggles. These people really are assholes.

I think I’m going to throw up. I can’t believe he’s going to come out here and pretend nothing just happened. Like some other woman didn’t just have her lips around his cock. His distinctly average cock. Maybe even slightly below average in length, if I’m being one hundred percent honest.

A door opens and closes.

Lawson turns on the mic behind the podium and taps it, sending screeching feedback through the room, making people cringe. Too bad no one did that a minute ago.

Murmuring grows louder and glances flicker to the head table and then away as Brittany Thorton, a seriously skanky debutante, comes strutting through the doors, using a compact to check her lipstick. She’s made it her mission to attempt to get into the pants of half the eligible men in this room. She’s followed, not five seconds later, by a very smug-looking Armstrong.

“I’m going to kill him.” I grab the closest steak knife, but it appears my hasty, and possibly felonious, plan is unnecessary. My brothers leave their respective posts and stalk toward him. Across the room my mother is gripping my father’s arm, whispering furiously in his ear. Great. Just what I need, additional family drama.

“Oh shit,” Ruby gasps.

I follow her gaze to find Bane converging on Armstrong with my brothers. Bancroft is a tank and he used to play professional rugby. I’ve seen him with his shirt off, he’s built like a superhero and he’ll probably crush Armstrong, or at least break something. Possibly multiple somethings.

For a second I consider that Ruby should probably stop Bane from destroying Armstrong’s pretty, regal face, but then I realize I don’t actually care. In fact, the possibility that he might break Armstrong’s perfectly straight nose fills me with glee. Armstrong’s wellbeing is no longer my concern, it’s more about Bane ending up in prison for murder.

“I hope Armstrong has a good plastic surgeon, he’s going to need it once Bane is done with him.” Ruby echoes my internal hopes and her chair tips as she jumps up. “Come on, let’s get you out of here.” She nods to the right.

I notice my mother and father engaged in a heated discussion with Armstrong’s parents. I really don’t need this right now. Not the drama. Not the humiliation. All I wanted was a nice wedding. Instead I end up with a husband who gets a blow job during our reception—and it’s broadcast to everyone attending.

Ruby urges me into action. “Don’t worry about them. Get your stuff and we’ll get you the hell out of here. I’ll have the limo meet you by the entrance near your bridal suite as soon as I can.”

I nod and stumble unsteadily to my feet, thanks to having consumed the better part of a bottle of wine in the last minute and a half. It’s amazing how ninety seconds can change a person’s entire life.

All hell breaks loose as more men jump in to either pummel or extract Armstrong from the pummeling. I grab my clutch and phone from the table, gather up my stupid, too puffy gown, and head for the bridal suite, where I had prepared for what was supposed to be the most amazing day of my life. And now it’s likely the worst, at least I hope the mortification level I’m experiencing can’t exceed this. I feel like the foulest version of Cinderella ever.

I rush down the empty hall and grab the doorknob as I fumble around in my clutch for the key. I’m surprised when it turns. I thought I’d locked it before we left for the ceremony. Regardless, I need to get away from everyone before I either lose it or commit a felony. Maybe both. Murder in the first. Armstrong will be my victim. And maybe that horrible skank, Brittany.

I thrust the door open and slam it closed behind me, locking it from the inside. Tears threaten to spill over and ruin my makeup. Not that it matters since there’s no way I’m going out there again. I can’t believe my forever lasted less than twelve hours. I can’t believe the man I’m supposed to spend the rest of my life loving couldn’t be faithful to me for even one day. What the hell is wrong with me? With him? I’m as devastated as I am angry and embarrassed. Once I annul this farce of a marriage I’ll become a spinster. I should probably go ahead and adopt six or seven cats tonight.

“I need to get out of this dress,” I say to myself. I reach behind me and pull the bow at the base of my spine. Instead of unfurling, it knots and I only succeed in pulling it tighter. Of course my dress has to be difficult. I growl my annoyance and rush over to my dressing table where my makeup and perfume are scattered from earlier today. Half a mimosa sits unconsumed beside the vase of red roses Armstrong had delivered.

The card read: I can’t wait to spend forever loving you.

What a load of bullshit. I drain the contents of the champagne flute, not caring that the drink is warm and flat. Then I throw the glass, because it feels good and the sound of shattering crystal is satisfying. Next I heave the vase of roses, which explodes impressively against the wall, splattering water and shards of glass across the floor.

I yank out a couple of the drawers and find a pair of scissors. They actually look more like gardening shears and seem rather out of place, but I don’t question it. Instead I reach behind me with my back to the mirror and awkwardly try to cut myself free. It’s not easy with the way I have to crane my neck.

“Goddammit! I need to get out of this stupid dress!” I yell at my reflection. I think I might actually be losing it just a touch now. I stop messing around with the laces in the back and shove the scissors down the front. I nearly nick myself with the blade—they’re a lot sharper than I realized—but that doesn’t slow me down. I start hacking my way through the bodice; layers of satin, lace, and intricate beading sliced apart with every vicious snip.

I just want out of this nightmare.

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New Release & Review: A SEAL’s Strength by JM Stewart

October 3, 2017 by · Leave a Comment

A SEAL’S STRENGTH
Series: Military Match #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: JM Stewart
Release Date: October 3, 2017

A sizzling new series about three friends looking for love-and the sexy SEALs who are ready to fulfill their craziest fantasies.

This second chance was worth the wait . . .

As a SEAL, Gabriel Donovan did the toughest jobs imaginable without blinking an eye. But three years after his wife’s death, the idea of dating still makes him sick to his stomach. His daughter desperately needs a mother, though, and there’s nothing Gabe won’t do for his little girl.

Stephanie Mason doesn’t run from anything. Not even coming face to face with the “one that got away” on a blind date. Steph’s body vividly remembers every single thing about Gabe and while some things have changed, the way he makes her feel sure as hell hasn’t.

Gabe and Steph know that love comes with risks, but if they’re brave enough, this second chance might just bring them the love of a lifetime.

AMAZON

She’d been his best friend, and he’d simply let her go. Of all his regrets, Steph was a big one.

A SEAL’s Strength is a wonderfully swoony second chance romance that I finished in one sitting.

Three years after losing his wife, Gabriel Donovan is ready to date again. Caving to his friends and sister’s insistence, he allows to be set up through a military match making company owned by one of his mechanic’s wife. Not entirely sure he can even really put himself out there again, Gabe is more focused on raising his sweet daughter and moving on from his wife’s memory. But when his date happens to be a blast from his past that he never expected and one of his biggest regrets? Well, things definitely change.

Right then he only knew two things for sure. She was still gorgeous, and her smile still lit a flame in his gut.

Eleven years ago Steph and Gabe had a friends with benefits arrangement in college that soon began to turn into something much deeper for Steph. She didn’t expect to fall for the man, but then life happened, and he joined the military and she never saw him again. After a string of failed relationships and the catastrophic end to her most recent, Steph is gun shy to give things a shot with the first man to break her heart. But the chemistry between them is too fiery and the connection to deep to simply walk away.

We want the same things, baby. Someone to find our feet with. I want more time with you. I’m not quite done with you yet.” He brushed his thumb along her lower lip, then followed the path with his mouth. “You want someone you can trust, and despite everything, I hope you know you can trust me.”

I adored these two together. There was something so genuine and real about this couple’s second chance. Sometimes you meet the one you’re destined to be with at the wrong time and then life happens. Sometimes you get a second chance to make a mistake right again. They didn’t spend years pining after each other, but you can definitely see just how strong their connection is. I love how the author was able to develop their relationship without diminishing Gabe’s deceased wife.

If second chance romance is your jam, this is definitely worth checking out. It’s quick paced and reads quick. I finished in one swoony sitting and definitely found myself a new author to read.

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Cover Reveal: Fault Lines by Rebecca Shea

October 2, 2017 by · Leave a Comment

From USA Today bestselling author, Rebecca Shea, comes a new, heartbreakingly beautiful standalone romance, FAULT LINES. Don’t miss the amazing cover below, and pre-order your copy today!

FAULT LINES
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Rebecca Shea
Release Date: October 30, 2017
Cover designed by Letitia Hasser of RBA Designs

At eleven he was my first crush. At sixteen he became mine. At nineteen he broke my heart and destroyed me. That was ten years ago and the last time I saw Cole Ryan.

They say you never get over your first love…I beg to differ. I left my shattered heart buried in a town I never expected to return to. I erased every thought of him and buried the memories never to be found.

I moved on…now ten years later I have the perfect life, the perfect fiancé, the perfect career. Everything I ever wanted until I’m forced to go back and face my past and the man that destroyed me.

He won’t stop until I know the truth no matter how hard I fight it. In the end, lies will be uncovered, hearts will be broken, and my life as I’ve come to know it destroyed.

B&N | iBOOKS | KOBO | GOOGLE PLAY | AMAZON LIVE RELEASE ALERT

Pushing through the doors to Manny’s, I see everyone assembled near the bar. Friends and colleagues that I have worked with throughout the years have been waiting on me to arrive to celebrate today’s verdict.

“Congratulations!” Everyone cheers as Ted and I approach the bar. I toss my purse on a bar stool and reach for the glass of white wine that Eduardo, my co-counsel, is holding out for me.

Pressing the cool glass to my lips, I let the smooth wine settle on my tongue before swallowing.

“I’m so damn proud of you.” He leans in and whispers, wrapping one arm around my shoulders.

“I couldn’t have done it without you. I mean that.” I smile at him and squeeze his arm in a gesture of gratitude. Eduardo took me under his wing when I joined the county attorney’s office a little over four years ago. I was an experienced trial lawyer, having learned the ins and outs of trial law with Ted’s firm, but this is new. I’m on the prosecuting end now. This is where I always dreamed to be. Ted’s firm helped me get here and Eduardo has been my mentor and basically my best friend since I arrived.

“I’d be surprised if they even try to appeal,” he says, taking a sip of his vodka tonic. “You were that good. There were no holes in your closing arguments. You presented solid evidence and left nothing for them to come back at us with.”

“She learned from the best,” Ted says, leaning over my shoulder.

Eduardo’s eyes glance away from mine and up to Ted’s. “Mr. Winters,” Eduardo says, reaching out to shake Ted’s. “Nice to see you again.” It’s hard to miss Eduardo’s visible disdain for Ted. His jaw ticks and he swallows hard, but as always, he is the epitome of professional and is always gracious.

“I’ve learned a great deal from both of you.” I smile and wish for the pissing contest to end. “Let’s enjoy our victory.” I hold up my glass of wine to toast, raising my eyebrows, a silent plea to Ted to be nice and he obliges.

“To guilty verdicts,” Eduardo cheers, raising his glass.

Ted gives his head a little shake but reiterates Eduardo’s sentiments.

“To guilty verdicts,” we all repeat and take a drink.

I notice Ted step away to take a phone call and I turn my attention back to Eduardo.

“First and only time I think I’ll ever hear him say that,” Eduardo jokes.

“I think that’s the first and only time I’ll ever hear him say that, too.” I laugh.

My fiancé, Ted Winters, is partner in Winters and Seldon, one of the smallest yet most prestigious law firms in Los Angeles County. Ted is known for representing some of the most high profile, and even dangerous, criminals in California. What cases he doesn’t win, he prides himself on reduced charges, jail time, and fines.

Not guilty—those two words drive him to be the greatest. He’s the best of the best, and he hired me right out of law school. He taught me the way around a courtroom, the best oral arguments, and the tricks to dissect evidence and to look for what everyone else is missing. I took what I learned from Ted and am finally putting it to use as a Deputy District Attorney for Los Angeles County. I always wanted to be on this end of the law, finding justice and doing right by the law.

To avoid any conflict of interest, I avoid all cases where Winters and Seldon is concerned. There are plenty of other prosecutors to try those, and it’s best, both professionally and personally, if I avoid any cases Ted or his firm are involved in.

As I look around the bar at my friends and colleagues, I can’t help but smile proudly at how far I’ve come—and for the people who’ve been with me on this journey.

As my smile fades, I feel the exhaustion hit me like a freight train and, with a few glasses of wine on top of that, I find the need for fresh air. I weave through a sea of bodies in the bar area and push through the large glass door, which leads out onto the rooftop patio. Los Angeles has far from quality air, but pulling the mild summer breeze into my lungs feels good. A sense of calm falls over me as the adrenaline from the day wears off. Carrying the stress of this trial on my shoulders for weeks has wreaked havoc on my sleep, my diet, and exercise, and I can feel the toll it’s taken on my body.

I watch the cars below, crawling along the busy Los Angeles streets, and the hustle and bustle of the city just fifty stories below me. It’s windy up here on the patio, and the soft afternoon breeze whips my hair around. I tilt my face to the sky and let the setting sun cast its warm rays on me when my phone buzzes in my hand. I hesitate, wanting to indulge in a few more moments of silence, but I think better of it.

Glancing down, I see my mom’s home number flashing on the sleek screen of my oversized mobile phone.

“Hi, Mama.” I take a deep breath, excited to hear her voice.

“Frankie?”

My heart sinks when I hear a man’s voice. A voice I could never forget. A voice so familiar that it still haunts me to this day.

Cole. The only person to ever call me Frankie. My heart stills as I wait for him to say more.

“You need to come home,” he says gruffly.

My stomach drops as his voice takes my breath away. The pull it still has on me shakes me to my core. Before he says anything else, I close my eyes and find myself lost in time, back to when I was eleven years old, spending my afternoons down at the fault line, soaking up the last of the days sunlight with Cole by my side.

Crescent Ridge, Nevada resides right on top of a fault line, a town with less than eight hundred people, and sits on the California/Nevada border. A town I left ten years ago and haven’t returned to—because of Cole.


Rebecca Shea is the USA Today Bestselling author of the Unbreakable series (Unbreakable, Undone, and Unforgiven) and the Bound and Broken series (Broken by Lies and Bound by Lies). She lives in Phoenix, Arizona with her family. From the time Rebecca could read she has had a passion for books. Rebecca spends her days working and her nights writing, bringing stories to life. Born and raised in Minnesota, Rebecca moved to Arizona in 1999 to escape the bitter winters. When not working or writing, she can be found on the sidelines of her sons’ football games, or watching her daughter at ballet class. Rebecca is fueled by insane amounts of coffee, margaritas, Laffy Taffy (except the banana ones), and happily ever afters.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

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Release Blitz & Giveaway: Show Me The Way by @aljacksonauthor

October 2, 2017 by · Leave a Comment

SHOW ME THE WAY
Series: Fight For Me #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: A.L. Jackson
Release Date: October 2, 2017

The first sexy, captivating, stand-alone novel in the brand-new FIGHT FOR ME series from NYT & USA Today Bestselling Author A.L. Jackson . . .
Rex Gunner. As bitter as he is beautiful.
The owner of the largest construction company in Gingham Lakes has been burned one too many times. His wife leaving him to raise their daughter was the last blow this single dad could take. The only woman he’ll let into his heart is his little girl.
Rynna Dayne. As vulnerable as she is tempting.
She ran from Gingham Lakes when she was seventeen. She swore to herself she would never return. Then her grandmother passed away and left her the deed to the diner that she once loved.
When Rex meets his new neighbor, he knows he’s in trouble.
She’s gorgeous and sweet and everything he can’t trust.
Until she becomes the one thing he can’t resist.
One kiss sends them tumbling toward ecstasy.
But in a town this size, pasts are bound to collide. Caught in a web of lies, betrayal, and disloyalty, Rex must make a choice.
Will he hide behind his walls or will he take the chance . . .
“This book is absolutely perfect.” – Corinne Michaels, New York Times Bestselling Author
 READ FOR FREE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED

A.L. Jackson is the New York Times & USA Today Bestselling author of contemporary romance. She writes emotional, sexy, heart-filled stories about boys who usually like to be a little bit bad.

Her bestselling series include THE REGRET SERIES, CLOSER TO YOU, and BLEEDING STARS novels. Be sure to check out her newest series, Fight for Me. The first novel, SHOW ME THE WAY, is out now.

 

If she’s not writing, you can find her hanging out by the pool with her family, sipping cocktails with her friends, or of course with her nose buried in a book.

 

Be sure not to miss new releases and sales from A.L. Jackson – Sign up to receive her newsletter http://smarturl.it/NewsFromALJackson or text “aljackson” to 24587 to receive short but sweet updates on all the important news.

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Twitter: @aljacksonauthor
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New & Upcoming Releases: October 1-6

October 2, 2017 by · Leave a Comment

New releases coming at ya this week!

AVAILABLE NOW

LOGAN by Jay McLean

 

As a kid, Logan Preston was a brat.
Through his teens, he became the bad boy.
Now, at nineteen, no one knows what the hell to expect.

High school dropout, Logan Preston is a
good-for-nothing stoner.
A black sheep.
A disappointment.
The worst Preston Punk of the lot.
At least that’s how everyone in his small town
makes him feel.

But Logan Preston has secrets.

Secrets so dark and so deep below the surface that the only way he can fight them is to stay high, high, high.

He wears cockiness as a mask.

Arrogance as his armor.

Until one girl, one night, asks one life-changing question:

What’s beneath the bravado, Logan Preston?

GHOSTWRITER by Alessandra Torre

from New York Times Bestseller Alessandra Torre…

I have three months to write the last book of my life. Three months to confess the details of that day, and how it changed everything for me.

My name is Helena Ross.

I’ve written fifteen romance novels, ten of which have become international bestsellers.

But this one isn’t a romance, no Happily Ever After in place.

This novel holds only the truth, which I have run away from for four years.

The truth, which I have hidden from the police, from my loved ones, from the world.

This final book?

It’s my confession.

SHOW ME THE WAY by AL Jackson

The first sexy, captivating, stand-alone novel in the brand-new FIGHT FOR ME series from NYT & USA Today Bestselling Author A.L. Jackson . . .

Rex Gunner. As bitter as he is beautiful.

The owner of the largest construction company in Gingham Lakes has been burned one too many times. His wife leaving him to raise their daughter was the last blow this single dad could take. The only woman he’ll let into his heart is his little girl.

Rynna Dayne. As vulnerable as she is tempting.

She ran from Gingham Lakes when she was seventeen. She swore to herself she would never return. Then her grandmother passed away and left her the deed to the diner that she once loved.

When Rex meets his new neighbor, he knows he’s in trouble.

She’s gorgeous and sweet and everything he can’t trust.

Until she becomes the one thing he can’t resist.

One kiss sends them tumbling toward ecstasy.

But in a town this size, pasts are bound to collide. Caught in a web of lies, betrayal, and disloyalty, Rex must make a choice.

Will he hide behind his walls or will he take the chance . . .

THE CHOICES I’VE MADE by JL Berg

From USA Today bestselling author, J.L. Berg, comes a second chance love story that will own your heart until the very end.

Death is easy.
Surviving it? That’s the hard part.

Dr. Jake Jameson knows this all too well. Losing his mother at the age of eighteen, he walks away from his small hometown and the painful memories it holds, vowing to never return again.

Twelve years later, he finds himself driving back down the coast of North Carolina. When his father leaves him a small medical practice, he has no choice but to heed the call until he can find someone else to take it off his hands.

But coming back home means facing everything he left behind, including the one woman who might make it impossible to leave again.

Molly McIntyre has spent her entire life in one town. Taking over her parents’ small inn, she’s settled into a quiet, happy life. But all of that comes to an abrupt halt when Jake shows up at her door in need of a place to stay.

Molly loathes everything about this man, but she can’t find it in her heart to refuse his request.

After over a decade, these former lovers quickly discover what once burned brightly between them has only grown in their time apart. Soon they must decide if the choices they’ve made have led them back to each other for a second chance or one final goodbye.

RELEASING OCTOBER 3

WITHOUT MERIT by Colleen Hoover

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of It Ends With Us and November 9 comes a moving and haunting novel of family, love, and the power of the truth.

“Not every mistake deserves a consequence. Sometimes the only thing it deserves is forgiveness.”

The Voss family is anything but normal. They live in a repurposed church, newly baptized Dollar Voss. The once cancer-stricken mother lives in the basement, the father is married to the mother’s former nurse, the little half-brother isn’t allowed to do or eat anything fun, and the eldest siblings are irritatingly perfect. Then, there’s Merit.

Merit Voss collects trophies she hasn’t earned and secrets her family forces her to keep. While browsing the local antiques shop for her next trophy, she finds Sagan. His wit and unapologetic idealism disarm and spark renewed life into her—until she discovers that he’s completely unavailable. Merit retreats deeper into herself, watching her family from the sidelines, when she learns a secret that no trophy in the world can fix.

Fed up with the lies, Merit decides to shatter the happy family illusion that she’s never been a part of before leaving them behind for good. When her escape plan fails, Merit is forced to deal with the staggering consequences of telling the truth and losing the one boy she loves.

Poignant and powerful, Without Merit explores the layers of lies that tie a family together and the power of love and truth.

BREAKING HOLLYWOOD by Samantha Towle

A hot and hilarious standalone romance from NewYorkTimes bestselling author Samantha Towle…

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. I wasn’t supposed to be boyfriendless, homeless, and jobless at twenty-eight. And I most definitely wasn’t supposed to hit Hollywood’s resident bad boy Gabriel Evans with my car and break his foot.

Now, my guilt and homelessness have me living in his apartment, taking care of him, while he’s incapacitated.

Living with the hottest guy in Hollywood, who I’ve had a crush on forever, doesn’t sound like a chore, right?

Wrong.

Gabriel Evans is a crude, rude asshole who drinks way too much and smokes like a chimney.

The sooner I get a new place to live and when Gabriel’s foot is healed, I’m out of here.

So, why do I keep forgetting to check the classifieds? And why do I keep getting flustered when I see him shirtless?

Breaking Hollywood wasn’t part of the plan. But neither is falling in love with him.

LovedBreakingHollywood?CheckoutSamantha’ssexy,laugh-out-loudromance, WardrobeMalfunction,outnow!

A SEAL’S STRENGTH by JM Stewart

A sizzling new series about three friends looking for love-and the sexy SEALs who are ready to fulfill their craziest fantasies.

This second chance was worth the wait . . .

As a SEAL, Gabriel Donovan did the toughest jobs imaginable without blinking an eye. But three years after his wife’s death, the idea of dating still makes him sick to his stomach. His daughter desperately needs a mother, though, and there’s nothing Gabe won’t do for his little girl.

Stephanie Mason doesn’t run from anything. Not even coming face to face with the “one that got away” on a blind date. Steph’s body vividly remembers every single thing about Gabe and while some things have changed, the way he makes her feel sure as hell hasn’t.

Gabe and Steph know that love comes with risks, but if they’re brave enough, this second chance might just bring them the love of a lifetime.

PUCK LOVE by Carmen Jenner

Stella Hart is the hottest thing in country music. For ten years, she’s been Nashville’s darling. She’s pure, sweet, and a positive role model in an industry rife with scandals, sex, and sequins. Men want to own her, women want to be her—everyone wants a piece of her, and Stella? Well, she wants out.

As the center for the Calgary Crushers, Van Ross isn’t afraid of the spotlight, but he doesn’t much like it either. Despite his reputation as a player, the NHL’s bad boy lives for only two things: the game, and his younger brother. That’s why when he comes across a country music superstar seeking refuge at his home in the Canadian Rockies, he’s not too happy with the media shitstorm this surprise houseguest brings.

With a nationwide manhunt, paparazzi dogging their every move, producers of a reality TV show baying for blood, and a record label desperate to see their “good girl” returned safely home, Van and Stella’s lives are snowballing out of control.

While Van would like nothing more than to show the purest of them all how well he handles his er … stick, Stella is no puck bunny. Nor is she as innocent as she’d have the world believe.

With chemistry like theirs, tension runs high on and off the ice, but the end game is the same for both players: line up the puck, take the shot, and score. If only their hearts understood the play.

Puck fame and fortune.
Puck right and wrong.
Puck love.

THE SCOT BEDS HIS WIFE by Kerrigan Byrne

The Scot Beds His Wife is the next lush, captivating Victorian romance in the Victorian Rebels series by Kerrigan Byrne.

They’re rebels, scoundrels, and blackguards—dark, dashing men on the wrong side of the law. But for the women who love them, a hint of danger only makes the heart beat faster.

Gavin St. James, Earl of Thorne, is a notorious Highlander and an unrelenting Lothario who uses his slightly menacing charm to get what he wants—including too many women married to other men. But now, Gavin wants to put his shady past behind him…more or less. When a fiery lass who is the heiress to the land he wishes to possess drops into his lap, he sees a perfectly delicious opportunity…

A marriage most convenient

Samantha Masters has come back to Scotland, in a pair of trousers, and with a whole world of dangerous secrets from her time spent in the Wild West trailing behind her. Her only hope of protection is to marry—and to do so quickly. Gavin is only too willing to provide that service for someone he finds so disturbingly irresistible. But even as danger approaches, what begins as a scandalous proposition slowly turns into an all-consuming passion. And Gavin discovers that he will do whatever is necessary to keep the woman he has claimed as his own…

 

 

 

HOT PURSUIT by Julie Ann Walker

Welcome to Black Knights Inc.

What appears to be a tricked-out motorcycle shop on the South Side of Chicago is actually headquarters for the world’s most elite covert operatives. Deadly, dangerous, and determined, they’ll steal your breath and your heart.

Fighting for his life is pretty much standard operating procedure for Christian Watson, former SAS Officer. Doing it with bossy, beautiful BKI office manager Emily Scott in tow is another matter entirely.

Black Knights Inc:
Hell on Wheels (Book 1)
In Rides Trouble (Book 2)
Rev It Up (Book 3)
Thrill Ride (Book 4)
Born Wild (Book 5)
Hell for Leather (Book 6)
Full Throttle (Book 7)
Too Hard to Handle (Book 8)
Wild Ride (Book 9)
Fuel for Fire (Book 10)
Hot Pursuit (Book 11)
Built to Last (Book 12)

ROYALLY RUINED by Nina Flite

Sinful passion and delicious danger await in the second installment of USA Todaybestselling author Nora Flite’s Bad Boy Royals series.

Scotch never runs from difficult situations. That is, until she rescues her bestie from a violent Mafia member. Now Scotch is running for her life. The only thing standing between her and certain death? The most dangerous man in the criminal underworld—and one of the sexiest. But just when Scotch thought she could keep her hands out of trouble, they end up all over Costello Badd’s hot, hard, tattooed body…

Once upon a time, Costello’s blue blood might have ruled a nation. Instead, he is heir to one of the criminal underworld’s most lethal families. Now he’s risking his life and betraying his clan for one sexy, resourceful waitress with a penchant for all the wrong kinds of trouble. No matter how badly Costello wants Scotch, he can never make her his. Ever.

A deliciously hot little hookup is one thing…but falling in love could ruin both of them—royally.

INDIGO GIRL by Natasha Boyd

A deeply-researched and powerfully-written work of historical fiction, based on the untold story of Eliza Lucas, an extraordinary sixteen-year-old girl in Colonial-era South Carolina, whose actions were before their time: the story of the indigo girl.

In 1739, bright and determined sixteen-year-old Eliza Lucas is charged with keeping her family’s struggling plantations afloat, in her father’s absence. Learning of the high value of indigo, Eliza becomes determined to learn the secret of growing the enigmatic crop, believing it to be her family’s salvation, but everyone tells Eliza growing indigo in the region is impossible. Thwarted at nearly every turn, even by her own family, Eliza finds her only allies in an aging horticulturalist, an older and married gentleman lawyer, and a slave with whom she strikes a dangerous deal: teach her the intricate thousand-year-old secret process of making indigo dye and in return—against the laws of the day—she will teach the slaves to read. So develops an incredible story of romance, intrigue, hidden friendships, threats, ambition, betrayal, and sacrifice, based on historical documents and Eliza Lucas’ own letters.

HELLO AGAIN by Brenda Novak

From NYT bestseller Brenda Novak comes the next installment of Dr. Evelyn Talbot and her murderous home for psychopaths in Hello Again.

SHE CAN MAKE SENSE OF A COMPLEX CRIMINAL MIND.
Evelyn Talbot, a psychiatrist at a maximum-security prison in Alaska, studies some of the world’s worst serial killers. But she’s about to meet her most elusive patient at Hanover House yet: Dr. Lyman Bishop, AKA the Zombie Maker given his fondness for performing ice-pick lobotomies on his victims. A brilliant cancer researcher, Bishop is either the most cunning psychopath Evelyn has ever encountered—or he is wrongly convicted.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A CRIMINAL CAN SEE INTO HER OWN?
When a new ice-pick fatality occurs, it seems Bishop really was wrongly convicted. Except…Evelyn has a personal connection to the victim and that suggests the killer may be someone from her own past: Jasper Moore, her high school boyfriend who tortured her and left her for dead when she was only sixteen. Jasper also murdered three of her friends—and was never caught. Is he trying to send a message with this copycat crime? The only thing Evelyn knows for sure is that if Jasper ison her trail, she might not be able to escape again…

RELEASING OCTOBER 5

FAIRYTALE KISSES by Kim Bailey

A hopeless romantic.
A disheartened cynic.
An unforgettable kiss.

Caleb Anderson believes in fairy tales. At least, he wants to.
Despite battling cancer, defeating death, and an overprotective family, he believes in promises of forever, enchanted encounters, and love at first sight. He knows his perfect girl is out there …
If only he could find her.

Zadie Fisher doesn’t believe in love. At least, she doesn’t want to.
Despite undeniable attraction, second chances, and resurrected hope, she doesn’t believe in soulmates, true love, or happily ever after. Not anymore. She knows falling in love is a mistake …
If only she could avoid it.

But fate has a funny way of twisting things, and some mistakes are destined to be made.

Most fairy tales start with Once Upon A Time …
This one starts with a kiss.

RELEASING OCTOBER 6

GUN SHY by Lili Saint Germain

HAVE YOU SEEN THIS GIRL?

In the middle of a fierce snowstorm in Gun Creek, Nevada, a teenage girl disappears without a trace.

The second girl in nine years.

Identical cases. Identical conditions. Only last time, the girl was found. Dead, stuffed in a well beside the creek that feeds the town’s water supply.

The killer was never found.

As the small town mobilizes and searches for newly vanished Jennifer Thomas, one suspect comes to the fore. But did he do it? Or is there something else at play? Something nobody could have anticipated?

For Jennifer’s friend Cassie Carlino, the worst is yet to come. As she pins MISSING posters to store windows and joins the search, she begins to suspect that Jennifer’s disappearance might be closer to her than she could have ever imagined…

In Gun Shy, USA Today Bestseller Lili St. Germain weaves her unique brand of darkness and grit into a much-anticipated psychological thriller that early readers are calling her best work yet. Evocative, atmospheric and gripping, this book will stay with you long after you’re finished reading.

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Review: The Learning Hours by Sara Ney

September 29, 2017 by · 1 Comment

THE LEARNING HOURS 
Series: HOW TO DATE A DOUCHEBAG #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Sara Ney
Release Date: September 26, 2017

He’s not a douchebag; but that doesn’t stop his friends from turning him into one.

MY FRIENDS WANT ME TO GET LAID.

So much so that they plastered my ugly mug all over campus, in bold printed letters:

Are you the lucky lady who’s going to break our roommate’s cherry?
Him: socially awkward man with average-sized penis looking for willing sexual partner. You: must have a pulse. He will reciprakate with oral. Text him at: 555-254-5551

The morons can’t even spell. And the texts I’ve been receiving are what wet dreams are made of. But I’m not like these douchebags, no matter how hard they try to turn me into one.

THIS ISN’T THE KIND OF ATTENTION I WANT.

One text stands out from hundreds. One number I can’t bring myself to block. She seems different. Hotter, even in black and white.

However, after seeing her in person, I know she’s not the girl for me. But my friends won’t let up–they just don’t get it. Douchebags or not, there’s one thing they’ll never understand: GIRLS DON’T WANT ME.

Especially her.

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This is a story of “hot girl gets the average guy,” and I LOVED it!! He is a champion wrestler, so he has a hot body, but apparently, his face is below average. But she is hot!!! All of the insecurities that a shy, backward girl might have in a typical romance was, instead, on the guy’s side, except from a guy’s point of view. He wasn’t a pansy. Not at all!! He just doesn’t really understand the social cues of a girl who is TOTALLY into him, which makes him adorable and charming without even knowing it. I just want to put him in my pocket. There were so many moments when I said, “Awwww, Poor guy. He doesn’t even see that she is into him.” He’s completely clueless, and even when his friends try to convince him, he still doesn’t believe it because he is so humble and doesn’t think a hot girl would ever go for him.

This “average” guy has a secret weapon when it comes to foreplay and the bedroom, and I clenched Every. Damn. Time he pulled his secret weapon (No, I’m not talking about his penis. Get your mind outta the gutter). Despite the non-typical romance of this book, it was still able to be scorching hot!!! Once these two start hooking up…SWOONY & YUMMY.

What is absolutely bat-shit crazy is that he isn’t an alpha, and I loved him!! You guys, I am an alpha whore. So me saying that I loved this guy is a big deal.

Because I don’t wanna spoil anything, I can’t say the characters’ names. But I will say that Sara Ney wrote each of these characters perfectly, and I have no regrets. I would not have asked for a different book because this story is so UNIQUE, and I especially love that it was low on drama. I can safely say I have not read a book like this. Nor, have I ever read a couple like this.

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.

She lives with her husband, children, and her ridiculously large dog.

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Blog Tour, Guest Post, Review & Giveaway: Too Beautiful To Break by Tessa Bailey

September 29, 2017 by ·

TOO BEAUTIFUL TO BREAK
Series: Romancing The Clarksons, #4
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Tessa Bailey
Release Date: September 26, 2017

A love of a lifetime . . .

Leaving Belmont Clarkson is the hardest thing Sage Alexander has ever done.

From the moment they met, she knew Belmont was the one, and getting up close and personal with him on his family’s epic road trip has taken her desire to a new, even hotter level.

But there’s no way she can go there—not without revealing secrets that could devastate them both.

Losing Sage is not an option.

Belmont’s heart is hers, has always been hers.

He knows she’s hiding something from him, but nothing will stand in his way of telling her just how much she means to him.

Finding her is easy—saving her from her past could cost him everything.

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DGR asked Tessa Bailey what her 5 favorite scenes were with the Clarkson siblings. This was her answer:

Hello! Thank you so much for having me! What a great (and difficult) question! LOL. Here are the scenes in the book that stick out as my favorite.

  1. Trust exercise in the desert. This scene is in TOO HOT TO HANDLE. The siblings have been dragged out into the middle of the desert for a bonfire, but they quickly realize they’ve been tricked into making confessions to one another. It’s a funny scene—and really telling.

  2. Hair ribbons. In TOO WILD TO TAME, there is a scene where Aaron cuts his necktie into strips and knots them into Grace’s hair, to replace the ones she lost. It’s the first time he shows his hand (how he feels) and it’s such an unexpected move from our cynical politician.

  3. Fake acting coach. Peggy is my favorite character in the series and there’s no end to her talents. She proves this in TOO HARD TO FORGET by pretending to be an acting coach, sweeping into a high school auditorium with dramatic flare and saving Elliott’s daughter from total embarrassment. It’s a hilarious scene.

  4. Black moment at the football game. Another scene from TOO HARD TO FORGET. Elliott and his daughter are standing on the sidelines while the winning play is happening on the field. And they look at each other and realize Peggy should be there. It’s a great moment and I could just cry thinking about it!

  5. Train platform kiss. In the final book of the series, TOO BEAUTIFUL TO BREAK, the first kiss between the hero and heroine takes place on a smoky, early morning train platform and it was as dramatic as that sounds! I’ve always wanted to write a movie kiss and I finally got my chance!

JENNIFER’S REVIEW


Tessa Bailey out-did herself with this book. This is the most emotional Tessa Bailey book. It’s not sad. It’s beautiful. It’s EPIC.


Tessa has been teasing me with Belmont & Sage throughout this series, feeding me little lines of crack to keep me addicted and coming back for more!! I couldn’t get enough of their weirdness/attachment issues. I felt like I waited forever for these two to be together, but the wait was worth it because this book was every bit of perfect.

Belmont. For the love of Belmont. There is a quiet dignity to this man. A stillness that is rare in a hero. He is the anchor that stays strong when the world is falling to pieces. And what better man for Sage? Her life back home is a mess. Of course, she tries to keep him away from her mess, but Belmont & Sage are the EPIC love story, and their story is MEANT TO BE. And they do. They are. They….be.


These two are unbreakable. You can’t wedge a needle between them. They are so in sync with each other. But sometimes, depending on another person can be dangerous if it is taken to an unhealthy level. Belmont & Sage realize that in order for their relationship to work, they have to learn to overcome their fears apart from each other and be able to accomplish life goals without giving into the never-ending urge to hide from life in each other’s arms all the time.

There is so much beauty in this book. So many tears in this book, beautiful tears. I wouldn’t call this book sad, but it’s not a bunch of rainbows either. I have to say, I’ve never read a book quite like this. I could definitely tell that Tessa was inspired by this story, and I honestly wonder if she wrote this book first before writing the 3 books before it.

There is a spark to Tessa’s writing. It always ignites a fire in my jingle, but she managed to melt my heart as well with Belmont & Sage. They are SOLID to the end. Never once did I doubt their ending. That doesn’t mean this book was predictable. It means that Belmont & Sage’s love is steady and you know it will never end.

LANA’S REVIEW

Sometimes the right thing was the most painful. Sometimes it gutted you and ruined you forever, so a single second wouldn’t pass without a reminder. Sage knew that lesson all too well.

Ever since the very first time we met Belmont, I’ve been fascinated by his quiet intensity. Ever since we get introduced to his and Sage’s somewhat…borderline dysfunctional relationship, I’ve been anticipating their story with a rabid sort of glee. But I was also afraid. See when you anticipate a certain character’s story, you tend to build it up in your head, and it inevitably falls short. Belmont was such an enigma. He’s such a memorable, multi-layered, and broken character. And I’m thrilled to report that not only did Tessa Bailey do him justice, she blew all my expectations out of the water.

Too Beautiful To Break was entirely worth the wait and lived up to every single promise. Belmont’s story was EVERYTHING; Emotional, gripping, swoony and entirely unforgettable.

I’ve never trusted anyone the way I trust you. Not while wanting at the same time. And want…want isn’t the right word for this feeling inside me, Sage.”
“What is the right word?”
“Famine,” he ground out. “I’ve been in a famine.”

The Clarkson siblings tale concludes with this book, as they reach their ultimate destination. Four books in the making, they originally took off on a cross country trip in order to fulfill their mother’s last wish by jumping into the freezing water of the Atlantic on New Year’s Day for the Polar Plunge.

But as they near their destination, Sage announces that she needs to leave, shaking Belmont to the very core. Their relationship is this combination of codependency meet suppressed lust. It’s such a fascinating dynamic. Sage is the balm to Belmont’s tortured soul. She calms him in a way nothing in his life ever has. And Belmont has been Sage’s constant in a life that has been anything but.

Sometimes, she swore they shared a fractured pulse.

Too Beautiful To Break shows just how very versatile this author really is. Belmont is not her typical dirty talking, uber alpha. He’s complex and while no less alpha, there’s also this endearing child like quality to him. His quiet intensity grabs you from the start and completely hooks you in this book. He’s a complete goner for Sage and he doesn’t even want to hide it. He just wants to prove to her that he’s worth it.

If you’re not my perfect Sage, let me learn you. Prove it. So I can prove to you I’m not going anywhere.”

I was dying to know what happened to Belmont to make him the way that he is. I was starving for more details of Sage and her past. While she paints the picture of the perfect little wallflower, there was always this hidden depth to Sage and you certainly saw it come out here.

This was a beautiful and gripping romance about two broken souls piecing themselves back together. It was romantic and emotional. It was swoony and the most perfect book to end the book with.

My one quibble is the somewhat rushed details at the end. There’s a particular revelation of Belmont’s past coming to light and I wanted more of it. Considering that that particular detail is what molded him into the man that he is today, I needed a little more on that end. Aside from that, I enjoyed this book from start to finish and I couldn’t imagine a more perfect book to close this series with.

Tessa Bailey is originally from Carlsbad, California. The day after high school graduation, she packed her yearbook, ripped jeans, and laptop, and drove cross-country to New York City in under four days. Her most valuable life experiences were learned thereafter while waitressing at K-Dees, a Manhattan pub owned by her uncle. Inside those four walls, she met her husband, best friend, and discovered the magic of classic rock, managing to put herself through Kingsborough Community College and the English program at Pace University at the same time. Several stunted attempts to enter the work force as a journalist followed, but romance writing continued to demand her attention.

She now lives in Long Island, New York with her husband and daughter. Although she is severely sleep-deprived, she is incredibly happy to be living her dream of writing about people falling in love.

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· Filed Under: All Reviews, Author Spotlight & interview, Contemporary Romance · Tagged With: , ,
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