New & Upcoming Releases: December 30-31

New releases coming at ya this week!


AVAILABLE NOW


THE WIVES by Tarryn Fisher

New York Times bestselling author Tarryn Fisher delivers a pulse-pounding, fast-paced suspense novel that will leave you breathless. A thriller you won’t be able to put down!

“You’ll have whiplash until the very end.”—New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover

Thursday’s husband, Seth, has two other wives. She’s never met them, and she doesn’t know anything about them. She agreed to this unusual arrangement because she’s so crazy about him.

But one day, she finds something. Something that tells a very different—and horrifying—story about the man she married.

What follows is one of the most twisted, shocking thrillers you’ll ever read.

You’ll have to grab a copy to find out why.


THE SECRET SHE KEEPS by HelenKay Dimon

No matter where you run to…

Connor Rye seeks solace on remote Whitaker Island. When his first quiet evening ends with a blow to the head, it’s clear that nothing—and no one—is as it seems. Still haunted by his sister’s murder, he’s buried himself in work while trying to hold his family together. Now, when he has a minute to breathe, he knows better than to get involved with a stranger, but it might be too late to keep his distance.

Desire will find you…

For years she’s pretended to be someone else, but Maddie Rhine is done living in the shadows. Old habits are hard to kick however, and when her past follows her to Whitaker she’s forced to hide once more. Except with Connor. Effortlessly sexy Connor makes it difficult to ignore him. He sees right through her…and senses her fear.

Someone is watching her. And waiting for the right moment to strike. This time Connor vows to be ready.


BLOOD AND BLADE by Lauren Dane

Rowan Summerwaite is ready to finish what she started in Blood and Blade, the next installment in the Goddess with a Blade series by New York Times bestselling author Lauren Dane.

It’s been only days since Rowan and her friends eliminated the immediate threat to magic users and Vampires, but they’re already back on the hunt. Rowan’s out for vengeance, and she’s never been more driven—or angry. But she’s up against a being stronger than any she’s ever fought. To bring it down she’ll need more than the powers the goddess Brigid gave her…

This time she’ll need her friends, too.

She knows her husband will always have her back. As an ancient Vampire and Scion of North America, Clive has more clout and dominance than almost anyone. Rowan’s small but trusted inner circle insist they’ll join her in the thick of the battle, even as she argues it’s too dangerous for them. She’s also got a new dog. Familiar. Whatever. Star is a magical being put in Rowan’s path to help and protect her.

The hunt for ancient evil takes Rowan and her team to London and back to Las Vegas, bringing with them an unexpected alliance. Fortified by their rage, grief and determination, Rowan and her friends will stop at nothing when they track their enemy to the high desert in a final, deadly showdown.

This book is approximately 77,000 words

One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise: all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise!


HUSBAND MATERIAL by Emily Belden

“By turns heartbreaking and laugh-out-loud funny.”

—Kristin Rockaway, author of How To Hack a Heartbreak

“Sensitive, thoughtful, and touching.” —Library Journal

A young widow must face the grief she’s always set aside when an unexpected delivery throws her life into disarray

Twenty-nine-year-old Charlotte Rosen has a secret: she’s a widow. Ever since the fateful day that leveled her world, Charlotte has worked hard to move forward. Great job at a hot social media analytics company? Check. Roommate with no knowledge of her past? Check. Adorable dog? Check. All the while, she’s faithfully data-crunched her way through life, calculating the probability of risk—so she can avoid it.

Yet Charlotte’s algorithms could never have predicted that her late husband’s ashes would land squarely on her doorstep five years later. Stunned but determined, Charlotte sets out to find meaning in this sudden twist of fate, even if that includes facing her perfectly coiffed, and perfectly difficult, ex-mother-in-law—and her husband’s best friend, who seems to become a fixture at her side whether she likes it or not.

But when her quest reveals a shocking secret, Charlotte is forced to answer questions she never knew to ask and to consider the possibility of forgiveness. And when a chance at a new life arises, she’ll have to decide once and for all whether to follow the numbers or trust her heart.


THE PRINCE OF BROADWAY by Joanna Shupe

An Amazon Best Book of the Month

In the second novel in Joanna Shupe’s the Uptown Girl series, a ruthless casino owner bent on revenge finds his plans upended by a beautiful woman who proves to be more determined than he is–and too irresistible to deny.

Powerful casino owner.
Ruthless mastermind.
Destroyer of men.

He lives in the shadows . . .

As the owner of the city’s most exclusive casino, Clayton Madden holds the fortunes of prominent families in the palms of his hands every night. There is one particular family he burns to ruin, however, one that has escaped his grasp . . . until now.

She is society’s darling . . .

Florence Greene is no one’s fool. She knows Clayton Madden is using her to ruin her prestigious family . . . and she’s using him right back. She plans to learn all she can from the mysterious casino owner–then open a casino of her own just for women.

With revenge on his mind, Clay agrees to mentor Florence. However, she soon proves more adept–and more alluring–than Clay bargained for. When his plans are threatened, Clay must decide if he is willing to gamble his empire on love.


RELEASING KEANU by Siobhan Davis

A friends-to-lovers second-chance romance from USA Today bestseller Siobhan Davis. Standalone with HEA and no cliffhanger.

Keanu
Selena played me.
Confirming I wasted years loving someone who didn’t love me back.
It should be easy to move on, but since she dumped me, I can’t shake her from my thoughts, no matter how hard I try.
Dates and random hookups don’t help, because no one measures up to the girl I still love with my whole heart.
When she appears at my door, begging me for help, I can’t turn her away. My protective instincts kick in, and I grasp this second chance with both hands.
This time, I’m determined to open her eyes.
To help her realize she made a mistake throwing what we had away.
To prove our love is the real deal.

Selena
Keanu has it all wrong.
I let him go because I love him too much to continue holding him back.
And I’ve paid for it every day since.
I didn’t think it was possible to miss someone this much, but my entire being aches for him in a way that isn’t healthy.
It’s why I continue to keep my distance even though it’s killing me inside.
No one understands me the way he does, so, when my ugly past returns, threatening to undo years of progress, he’s the first person I run to.
If anyone can keep me safe, it’s the love of my life.
Maybe, this time, I’m strong enough to be the woman he deserves.
If my past doesn’t take me from him first.

Releasing Keanu is a STANDALONE new adult romance in the Kennedy Boys world. No cliffhanger, no cheating, and a guaranteed HEA. Please read the trigger warning at the start of the book.


BIKER BELOVED by Audrey Carlan

From Audrey Carlan, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Calendar Girl series.

The day I found out I was going to be a father was the scariest, most shocking moment of my life. Worse, my brand new baby girl was dropped off in the arms of my motorcycle club, abandoned by her mother while I was fighting in Afghanistan. Of course, I did what I had to do, and returned home as soon as possible.

At this point in my life, women were the last thing on my mind. I could easily pick up one at the bar or partake of the many club girls vying for The Pride’s attention.

Then she entered my sights.

Anya Markova.

It was her eyes I noticed first. Bright blue and haunted. They spoke of a sadness I wanted nothing more than to whisk away. My first attempt at wooing her didn’t go well. Anya wasn’t the type of girl I could just pick up. She was the type I’d need to court…relentlessly.

When I found out Anya was my daughter’s much-admired ballet teacher, I knew exactly what I had to do—and I wasn’t above using my daughter’s love of her new teacher to make it happen. Because throughout my years in the club, serving my country, traveling the world, I’d never met a woman who made my soul sigh the way she did.

Now, I’ll stop at nothing to make this stunning ballerina my old lady.

The Biker Beauties is a collection of interconnected standalone novellas. They can be read out of order if desired. They are high in heat, but don’t forget the sweet.


UNFINISHED SYMPHONY by Amélie S. Duncan

A symphony of passion and desire…

Aubrey Irving has music in her heart. Once a violin prodigy at the prestigious Julliard, family issues and money problems forced her to give up her dreams. Now she struggles to make a living as an audio engineer for a hot new video game developer.

Then she met Paul…

Handsome, gifted, wealthy…At twenty-eight years old, Paul Crane seems to have it all. He’s made a fortune as a modern commercial composer. But he longs to show the world that there’s more to his music than trendy, disposable tunes.

An impromptu audition of her music awakens a yearning deep inside their hearts. But just as the sparks begin to fly, they both find themselves pulling away…

Aubrey has a dark and troubled past. Paul has a history of crossing the line with his clients. The last thing either of them wants is another temptation.

Can these two artists unlock their hearts, and compose a symphony of passion? Or will their love song fade out before it even begins…


RELEASING DECEMBER 31


POWER PLAY by Toni Aleo

Posey Adler is coming home. After a devastating journey for what she mistakenly thought was true love, she is saying to hell with men and love forever. As the Nashville Assassins’s new assistant coach for special teams, Posey is ready to focus on her job and have the attention on her for a change. She’s been haunted by her place in her sister’s shadow, but this is her chance to shine and force her family to take notice. But in order to make a name for herself, she’s going to have to go toe-to-toe with her team’s leading power play scorer.

Boon Hoenes lives for special teams. The power play is his favorite thing about the game. He loves having that advantage over his opponent. And most of the time, it’s his quick thinking that sends the puck to the back of the goal when he’s on the ice. Off the ice, however, no amount of quick thinking prepared his heart for being dumped by his college sweetheart. Boon has sworn off women, but when Posey Adler comes onto his ice—and kicks him off his beloved power play—he decides she’s one woman he doesn’t want to swear off.

They’ve both been hurt, but instead of going in for the penalty kill, Boon is ready to convince Posey their hearts are the secret to how they’ll win.

How they’ll score the ultimate goal.

A forever kind of love.


SWEET AGONY by Terri Anne Browning

Vengeance was something I’d been waiting all my life to deliver. It would be sweet and worth every risk I’d taken to get to this point.

I was moments away from pulling the trigger, taking the life of the man who’d cost my father his…

And then she was dragged into the room, struggling and fighting for freedom.

The moment I set eyes on Tavia, everything changed. Those darker than espresso eyes were full of fear, her mouth so ripe that had once begged me to devour it trembling in fright. She looked up at me through a curtain of thick, long lashes and gasped.

“Theo,” she whispered, her voice cracking as those eyes I’d fallen hard for filled with tears. “Help me.”

It was then I realized my Tavia was also his.

My enemy’s daughter.


LOVE LETTERING by Kate Clayborn

In this warm and witty romance from acclaimed author Kate Clayborn, one little word puts a woman’s business—and her heart—in jeopardy . . .

Meg Mackworth’s hand-lettering skill has made her famous as the Planner of Park Slope, designing custom journals for her New York City clientele. She has another skill too: reading signs that other people miss. Knowing the upcoming marriage of Reid Sutherland and his polished fiancée was doomed to fail is one thing, but weaving a secret word of warning into their wedding program is another. Meg may have thought no one would spot it, but she hadn’t counted on sharp-eyed, pattern-obsessed Reid.

A year later, Reid has tracked Meg down to find out how she knew that his meticulously planned future was about to implode. But with a looming deadline and a bad case of creative block, Meg doesn’t have time for Reid’s questions—unless he can help her find her missing inspiration. As they gradually open up to each other, both try to ignore a deepening connection between them. But the signs are there—irresistible, indisputable, urging Meg to heed the messages Reid is sending her, before it’s too late . . .


SHARK’S RISE by Angel Payne & Victoria Blue 

When a dream is taken to the edge of destruction, what will it take to rise again?

Abbigail Gibson has finally broken through Sebastian Shark’s staunch defenses, erected through years of having to fight for his multimillion-dollar success and the skyscraper that will be his legacy.

But as construction starts on the Edge, the foundations of Sebastian’s world are crumbling. Security has been breached, lives have been taken, and Bas has no choice but to hide Abbi to secure her safety. But at what price? As each day goes by, Abbi’s health drains away by frightening degrees. Has he kept her safe, only to sacrifice her vitality? Her light?

Separated, miserable, and on the trail of bizarre clues that lead to dead-end shadows, Sebastian and Abbigail can’t be sure of anything anymore…until destiny intervenes with a precious gift for them both.

They must now decide between living in fear, letting enemies shatter their trust and destroy their bond, or defy the odds and believe in their love—and see just how high they can rise.

Shark’s Edge Book Series:

1. Shark’s Edge
2. Shark’s Pride
3. Shark’s Rise


FOREVER MY DUKE by  Olivia Drake

Forever My Duke is the second novel in a brand new Regency romance series from Olivia Drake about rakish dukes and the governesses who steal their hearts.

“I find Miss Fanshawe to be quite charming—for an American.”—The Prince Regent

Hadrian Ames, the Duke of Clayton, needs a bride. He even has the perfect one picked out. That is, until he meets the lovely, free-spirited Natalie Fanshawe. She’s the opposite of what a man of his high rank should desire in a wife—an outspoken American who has never even set foot in a London ballroom.

But Natalie doesn’t have time to be swept off her feet by a handsome duke who must be a spoiled scoundrel like every other British lord. And she couldn’t care less about Hadrian’s title. After all, it’s not as if he actually worked to attain his wealth and status. He surely can’t understand what it’s like to be a busy woman, planning to open a school while trying to reunite a six-year-old orphan with his English relatives. Nevertheless, Hadrian launches his campaign to win her heart. Can the utterly delightful American beauty ever find a way to love him…despite his being a duke?


THE ONE FOR YOU by Roni Loren 

“Extraordinary.”—Kirkus STARRED Review for The One You Can’t Forget

The highly-anticipated fourth book in Roni Loren’s unforgettable The Ones Who Got Away series.

She got a second chance at life.
Will she take a second chance at love?

Kincaid Breslin wasn’t supposed to survive that fateful night at Long Acre when so many died, including her boyfriend—but survive she did. She doesn’t know why she got that chance, but now she takes life by the horns and doesn’t let anybody stand in her way

Ashton Isaacs was her best friend when disaster struck all those years ago, but he chose to run as far away as he could. Now fate has brought him back to town, and Ash doesn’t know how to cope with his feelings for Kincaid and his grief over their lost friendship. For Ash has been carrying secrets, and he knows that once Kincaid learns the truth, he’ll lose any chance he might have had with the only woman he’s ever loved.

The Ones Who Got Away series:
The Ones Who Got Away (Book 1)
The One You Can’t Forget (Book 2)
The One You Fight For (Book 3)
The One For You (Book 4)


HUCKLEBERRY LAKE by Catherine Anderson

Love blooms once more in the quaint town of Mystic Creek, Oregon, from the New York Times bestselling author of Strawberry Hill.

Erin De Laney came to Mystic Creek hoping that the slower pace might rekindle her enthusiasm for law enforcement. Instead she feels as frustrated as she did in the city and when her disillusionment with the job increases, she takes a position on her uncle’s ranch.

Her life has enough complications without her attraction to handsome, deaf cowboy, Wyatt Fitzgerald, the foreman on the ranch. Wyatt has sworn off dating, and Erin fears that nothing she does will ever change his mind. Yet while working with an abused horse under Wyatt’s guidance, Erin comes to better understand herself. She also learns that love can heal almost anything.

Wyatt yearns to take Erin into his arms, but he’s hesitant to pursue a romantic relationship. When their work sends them out alone together into a wilderness area, Wyatt is even more determined to hold Erin at arm’s length.

But out of their time alone together on the mountain blossoms a chance for a once-in-a-lifetime love if only he’s willing to give her his heart and make her his.


MY DARLING DUKE by Stacy Reid

“Lush, beautifully written, and deeply romantic, My Darling Duke will sweep you off your feet. My heart was lost to this couple from the very start.” —Amalie Howard, author of The Beast of Beswick

Miss Katherine Danvers has always been a wallflower. But now, with her family on the brink of financial ruin, she finds herself a desperate wallflower. To save her family, she’ll do anything. Luckily, she has the perfect plan…

She’ll impress the ton by simply announcing she is engaged to the reclusive and mysterious Duke of Thornton, Alexander Masters, and secure strong matches for her sisters. No one has heard from the duke in years. Surely he’ll never find out before her sisters’ weddings, and she can go back to her own quiet life.

Soon, though, everything is out of control. At first, it’s just a few new ball gowns on the duke’s accounts. Then, it’s interviews with reporters eager for gossip. Before she knows it, Katherine has transformed herself into Kitty Danvers, charming and clever belle of the ton—with everyone eager to meet her thankfully absent fiancé.

But when the enigmatic Alexander Masters suddenly arrives in the city, dashing and oh so angry, he demands retribution. Except not in the way Katherine expected…


A COWBOY NEVER SLEEPS by Cindi Madsen

These hardworking cowboys give everyone a second chance…

When single mom Jessica Cook is at the end of her rope, she takes her 16-year-old daughter to Turn Around Ranch. The ranch has a great reputation for teen therapy, and Jessica prays there’s room there for her and Chloe.

Wade Dawson’s first priority is to keep the ranch afloat to help teens and their families. But he can’t seem to keep his boundaries when it comes to Jessica—she’s talked her way into a job on the ranch so she can stay near her daughter and her tenacity and courage are truly impressive. Not to mention she’s a natural beauty and sparks fly whenever he’s in her vicinity.

But as one crisis after another befalls the ranch, Wade is going to have to decide whether he can afford to let a woman get under his skin…

Review: In Peace Lies Havoc by Amo Jones

IN PEACE LIES HAVOC
Series:
Midnight Mayhem #1
Genre: Dark Romance
Author: Amo Jones
Release Date: November 5, 2019

My name is Dove Hendry.

???? ?? ???????? ?????.

I was captured by darkness.

??? ??? ?????? ???? ????…

They groomed me for Midnight Mayhem. Like a trained possession, weak against their control.

??? ??? ???? ??????????? ???? ??? ????? ??? ?????. ??? ???? ?????’? ???? ?? ???…

But Midnight Mayhem was the stained glass that concealed a very dark culture.

? ??????? ???? ??? ?? ????? ?? ?????? ??? ?????? ??.

The Brothers of Kiznitch come in fours, and they’re not happy about me being hustled into their acts.

?? ??? ??? ???????, ?????? ????. ? ??????? ?? ? ??????? ??? ? ??????…

Mind-tricks.

Stunts.

Deceit.

?????.

But there’s something uglier that has been haunting me for years upon years. So ugly that I have never seen it’s face. I never had to. I’d hear his whispers through my internal screams, feel his shadow brush against my nightmares. He was my the monster that tormented me.

??? ????? ????? ????? ???? ???…

When I started Midnight Mayhem, his presence faded.

His whispers were silenced.

His shadow dissolving without a trace.

I wondered why that was.

??? ????’? ???? ?? ?????? ??? ????…

AMAZON


This is neither a circus nor a carnival. This is what happens when the clock strikes twelve and all of the monsters you thought never existed expose themselves.”

Well, hot damn, I did not expect this. I’ve been eyeing Amo Jones books for too long, and the blurb of this one just spoke to me. The second I read the blurb for this book, I knew this would be my first book by this author. And you know what? I’m completely hooked.

The story was so completely out of left field, and everything I never knew I wanted. I don’t even know how to begin categorizing this story. Dark? Fantasy? A total and complete mindf*ck? All of the above? Suffice it to say I spent the better part of the first half asking myself what the hell I was reading and what in the ever loving hell was happening. The first half was one convoluted mindf*ck, but yet I couldn’t tear my eyes away. I was completely captivated and riveted to the pages.

Love is a battlefield, and my knight is a villain.

Dove has been through plenty in her young love. After brutally losing her parents, she’s coasted from foster home to foster home, and is now making ends meet as a stripper. Dance has always been a love of hers, and this is the one form of it she can allow herself. But her living and waking nightmare has been haunted by a shadow; a presence that’s as threatening as it is alluring and mysterious.

You see, when I was a little girl, a shadow chased me. An entity. Instead of stepping out from behind it to feel the sun against my skin, this shadow ruined every expectation I had of seeing the light.

Then suddenly the presence that she’s felt in the dark corners constantly watching her isn’t just a figment of her mind. It’s all too real, when she finds herself taken and thrown into the dark and mysterious world of Midnight Mayhem. It’s not a circus, it’s not a carnival, it’s something altogether other, and at the heart of it are The Brothers of Kiznitch. All four are darkly handsome and hauntingly dangerous, but only one of them makes her heart beat a different rhythm every time he glares in her direction; King.

Now here’s the thing, at first I questioned the connection between these two. Dove was too much of a pushover for my particular tastes. She would cave at the simplest push when it came to the brothers. There was a backbone somewhere there, and I was desperately hoping that she would let it show sooner rather than later. But as the puzzle pieces began to click in place around the 70% mark, I began to have one ah ha moment after another. All of the questions I had in the first half began to get answered and I couldn’t tear myself way.

Now I will say that because I’m ultimately a picky shit, I did come across one too many continuity issues that bothered me. There were parts that also just didn’t make sense. Like in on one page we learn that Dove barely speaks due to trauma in her past and in the next breath she’s revealing this trauma and explaining her symptoms in perfect detail to a perfect stranger…and then it never comes up again. It’s like she never had it to begin with.

But here’s the thing, at the end of the day, I just couldn’t bring myself to care less about any of this because I was completely enraptured by this story. Amo Jones is clearly one devious mind, and knows how to weave one screwed up tale. And for this reader? It’s absolute catnip.

King was the ultimate villain and the anti-hero that I loved to hate. He runs hot and cold. He’s dangerous and brimming with barely restrained violence. I couldn’t get enough of him. There’s plenty of secondary characters that were equally enigmatic that I can’t wait to learn more about in the next books.

As for this one, while it may not have been prefect, it was entertaining AF! With every detail that was revealed, I fell further and further under the spell of Midnight Mayhem. Now if total alphaholes aren’t your thing, this book probably won’t hit all the right spots for you. But it sure as hell did for me. Dove came more out of her shell in the last part of the story and her behavior in the beginning certainly made more sense.

Amo Jones, you’re an evil genius, and I for one can’t wait to see what that devious brain of yours will think up next!

Review: Dangerous Games by J.T. Geissinger

DANGEROUS GAMES
Series:
Dangerous Beauty #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: JT Geissinger
Release Date: November 19, 2019

The epic conclusion to the thrilling Dangerous Beauty series.

The game isn’t over until somebody dies.

Eva knows what it’s like to be imprisoned by a man’s twisted obsessions. But after running, hiding, and finding refuge in a rescuer’s arms, she’s suddenly pulled back into the black hole of her past. Kidnapped by her sadistic ex, Dimitri, and with the love of her life left for dead, Eva is facing down the worst of her demons alone.

If Dimitri wants to play sick games, Eva’s ready. She already knows how dark they can get. But despite her fears, she hasn’t been abandoned. Naz is in hot pursuit. And the last thing Dimitri expects is for a dead man to come calling. For Eva and Naz, worlds apart yet bound by fierce and unbreakable passion, it’s time to beat the devil.

To do it they’ll have to be just as ruthless, seductive, and cunning. With every pulse of the heart, they must risk it all to play Dimitri’s final game to its harrowing end—and win.

PART 3 OF 3 (Not a standalone)

AMAZON

I once thought love was a foolish fancy. Like self-pity, something I couldn’t afford. But then I met a man who taught me that love isn’t foolish, it’s necessary. Elemental. The one thing without which we cannot truly live.

Talk about your epic conclusions! This book was EVERYTHING.

I am not a trilogy reader. I tend to grow bored with the characters or find that one or two of the three books are stretched out fillers. I’m a picky a-hole is basically what I’m trying to tell you here. So I don’t tend to gravitate towards trilogies much these days. But when it comes to JT Geissinger’s books, we have an unspoken rule; she writes it, I read it. Period. But let me now tell you, if ever there was a story that was MEANT to be a trilogy, this was it. Each book packs its own punch and reveals a new layer, and I can’t imagine it having the same effect had it been written as one standalone.

I was equally anticipating and dreading the conclusion to Naz and Eva’s story. It’s rare where the conclusion lives up to the promise of the story for me. But this one not only lived up to it, it exceeded any and all expectations that I had. It was EPIC.

What I love about Eva’s character is that she’s a survivor through and through. She’s been brutalized at the hands of an evil man for over 7 years, but she didn’t let that define her. She’s no one’s victim. She’s fierce and a warrior and this book just proved how much. There is nothing that I love more than a fierce heroine that doesn’t need a knight in shining armor to ride in to save the day. This was very much Eva’s book and I LOVED that.

Everything comes to a head here when Eva ends up back in the clutches of Dmitri, the man she’s tried to outrun for too long. She knows that she’ll do anything to protect the man she loves, even if it means that walking right back into the lion’s den. This book proved just how much of a survivor Eva is. It also showed that even after everything that she’s been through, it didn’t change her heart. Geissinger throws you right into the deep end without sparing a detail. You get to experience the pain, darkness and evil right along with her.

While Eva is going through hell, Naz is going through his own. I don’t want to tell you much here and spoil anything, but I will say that while the romance is mostly predominant in book 2, it’s put on a bit of a back burner here. Eva’s survival and journey takes center stage and I loved that. There’s still plenty of emotional and romantic elements here, it’s just not the front runner.

This was a heart pounding, action packed conclusion that was an absolute page turner!! The perfect conclusion to an addictive trilogy that I loved from beginning to finish. I am also willing to beg on my knees for a book for Killian because OMG!!!! KILLIAN. GAH. This man and enigma steals the show with his every small appearance. I NEED his story. NEED IT DESPERATELY.

Review: Stealing Beauty by Julia Sykes

STEALING BEAUTY
Series:
Captive #2
Genre: Dark Romance
Author: Julia Sykes
Release Date: January 15, 2019

Valentina loathes me as much as I despise her. That doesn’t stop me from kidnapping her, stealing her away for myself.

She was brought into my home when we were teenagers, her virgin body sold to my father to pay a debt. She was meant to be his plaything, but I claimed her innocence for myself.

Now, ten years have separated us, and hatred has festered in my heart. The girl I once loved is a stunning woman, and she thinks she belongs to someone else.

As the most notorious, sadistic drug lord on the west coast, I thrive on power and control. Her defiance tempts and torments me, and I’ll never tire of devising devious punishments to keep her in line. She can’t escape my cruel touch and harsh discipline.

No one will take her from me. I’ll kill anyone who tries.

Valentina was always meant to be mine. Nothing will stop me from possessing her, body and soul.

Note: Stealing Beauty can be read as a standalone dark romance novel.

AMAZON

I could be sadistic, but that didn’t mean I loved her any less. If anything, my love for her was so obsessive that it drove me to the brink of madness.

Oh, this was so deliciously dark and captivating. I’ll admit that I really read this series backasswards, like I normally do. I started with Pretty Hostage (book 3) and then dove into this one. And everything that I felt was missing for me in book three, this book had in spades.

Adrián was EVERYTHING. He was intense, brimming with barely restrained violence, and positively oozing sex. I loved everything about this man. His possessiveness and protectiveness that goes right along with his rough edges and anger. Adrián and Valentina have a history of love and betrayal, but he knows just one small piece of everything that Valentina has been through and survived at the hands of her “husband”.

Valnetina has lived through hell over the last few years. Given as payment for a debt to a violent and brutal man, the only peace she knew was in the company of handsome boy. But then that boy was gone and she was left with a monster. Now Adrián is back, he’s kidnapped her from her captor, but he’s determined to make her pay for sins that she hasn’t committed.

I really loved the way that this story played out. I loved watching Adrián fall harder and harder for Valentina. I loved that Valentina is still a warrior and survivor even after everything she’s been through. I loved the two of them together. And I loved the dark edges of this story. Everything weaved together perfectly to make this an absolute page turner. It was dark and dangerous, sexy and turbulent. It was everything I enjoy in a dark romance and I can’t wait for the fourth book in this sinfully addictive series!

DGR’s 2019 Favorites: My top 12 reads of the year!

Welp, it’s that time again. 2019 is almost over and it was time for me to buckle down and pick my top reads of the year. This year was a strange one for me. Usually, I struggle over these lists for weeks, attempting to narrow down my list. This year, all I had to do was just search my top faves and I realized my list wasn’t that big. The crazy thing is that I read over 150 books this year, but I think I’ve simply been getting pickier and pickier each year. I’ve become incredibly stingy with my 5 stars. So when I tell you that these are my creme of the crop, my best of the best, my shout it from the rooftops amazing, nothing beats them sort of reads…I mean it. Out of the 153 books this year, I had 12 that just rocked my socks. And without further ado, here they are in no particular order.


FAVORITE ROMCOMS


MOTI ON THE WATER by Leylah Attar

I would’ve resented the dimple that formed on his cheek. When I was little, I prayed for dimples. And now I had them. On my ass. Naturally, people with properly-placed dimples irritated me.

Oh. Em. Gee. This book. Y’all!!! Think My Big Fat Greek Wedding but with one side being a crazy and quirky Indian family and all of it set on the stunning and vivid backdrop of Greeke isles. Intrigued yet? Add into all that Leylah Attar’s colorful and magical story telling skill and what you’ve got is one unforgettable romance. Seriously. This was not just a romance, it was an experience. One where the story unravels like a stunning movie reel before your eyes and leaves you incapable of setting it down for even a setting.

Moti on the Water was sheer magic set on a stunning backdrop and wrapped around a swoony romance; all of it told in Leylah’s unique voice made for one incredible read. This book is not to be missed and one I recommend for every romance reader out there.

GOODREADS | AMAZON | MY REVIEW


THE FRIEND ZONE by Abby Jiminez

“I’ll orbit around you and be your universe, because you’ve always been my sun.”

Have you ever started a book and knew, you just knew, from the first few pages that it’s THE book. One of those books that you’ll never want to end. A book that you’ll be thinking about all year. A book that you’ll want to be shouting about from the rooftops. Well, my friends, this was THAT book for me. This was everything. It was romcom perfection unlike any I’ve read. And it is an absolute must read. It’s a book that I can’t recommend enough, whether romcom is your thing or not. It’s simply not to be missed and a story that will stay in my heart for a long while. I loved it from beginning to finish!

I’m still reeling over the fact that this was Abby’s debut. I’ve been stalking the woman ever since I devoured this read and she’s just as hilarious on her social media. I live for her updates. And I’m also absolutely dying for the second book in this series.

GOODREADS | AMAZON | MY REVIEW


FAVORITE HISTORICAL ROMANCE


THE WALLFLOWER WAGER by Tessa Dare

“Every time I speak three words, you look as though you’re going to swoon into my arms.”
“I do not,” Penny objected, knowing very well that she probably did.
“You sigh like a fool, blush like a beet. Your eyes are the worst of it. They turn into these . . . these pools. Glassy blue pools with man-eating sharks beneath the surface.”
“I hope you’re not planning a career in poetry.”
“For the good of us both, you have to cease gazing at me.”

It’s funny, because Tessa Dare graces each of my lists going back to 2017 with her Girl Meets Duke Series. Without fail. This series just does something for me. Every time I finish a book, I think that no way Tessa can outdo what she just did, and she does. Every. Single. Time. The Wallflower Wager had all of my favorite things; Dare’s signature witty banter and humor, amazing characters, and an unforgettable romance, all with a quirky twist.

This book was everything I love about a swoony historical romance and so much more!

GOODREADS | AMAZON | MY REVIEW


KINGDOM OF DREAMS by Judith McNaught

“You are mad!” she snapped, her chest heaving. “And you are a devil!”
“And you, my dear,” Royce imperturbably replied, “are a bitch.”
With that, he turned to the horrified friar and unhesitatingly announced, “The lady and I wish to be wed.”

In case you missed my social media raving, I went on a Judith McNaught binge this year. Yes, you read this right. This was THE year that I finally read the queen of angsty historical romance. I’m equally ashamed of myself for waiting this long and ecstatic that I got the chance to binge on the woman’s entire backlist. I have to say that I loved every single one of her historical romances, but there was just…something about this one. Something that just…hit me right in the feels. I hated and loved Royce. I wanted to rip my hair out and rage at the ceiling. I wanted to cry and swoon. And I loved every single second of it. GOD. This book. Y’all. I’m probably the last person on earth that hasn’t read it, but if you’ve been living under the same rock as I have, I recommend you come to the light, friend. And READ THIS BOOK!!!

GOODREADS | AMAZON | MY REVIEW


FAVORITE DARK ROMANCE


TAKE by Pam Godwin

 

His love for her resembled a blade, a source of pain, but vital. He would always protect her, however she needed him, even when he was the cause of her suffering.

Truth be told, Pam released two books this year that are in my top faves. This one, obviously, and MANIPULATE, which was the next book in the same series. It was torture to pick one, but there was something about this book that just stuck with me. If there’s one thing that Pam has a knack for, it’s taking the ultimate villain and redeeming him into someone that you root for. And Tiago was the ultimate villain.

I never thought I’d love an anti-hero more than Van from Vanquish, but Tiago captured my heart with every heart wrenching page.To put it shortly: I loved this book! Dark romance lovers, this is an absolute must read! You don’t want to miss this incredibly written, jaw dropping, and edge-of-your seat book! Trust me!

GOODREADS | AMAZON | MY REVIEW


FAVORITE APOCOLYPTIC ROMANCE


KINGS OF CARRION by Keri Lake

In many ways, we’re the same, though. He’s still the scarred boy who touched my heart. And I’m the wounded little bird, whose wings he made fly again.

When was the last time a book ruined you? I’m talking utterly gutted you. Like wrung every single emotion out of you until you were an inconsolable mess only to stitch you back together piece by devastating piece? Because THIS BOOK. Y’all. I worship at the evil genius feet of Keri Lake. If you’re looking for an utterly unforgettable read, you NEED this in your life.

I was questioning putting this under my top dark romance, because it’s also that. But really, it’s so much more. Even if apocalyptic isn’t your thing, you’ll want to read this one. TRUST ME.

Kings of Carrion was darkly captivating, emotionally devastating, and positively unforgettable. It owned me from beginning to end and I still can’t get over it. I’m RUINED. Completely ruined.

GOODREADS | AMAZON | MY REVIEW


FAVORITE CONTEMPORARY WITH A TWIST


THE KISS THIEF by LJ Shen

Our hearts were tarnished. Stained. And guilty. Unpredictable to a fault. And bound to break.

I got two words for you here: Must. Read.

I know I say this each time I finish a book of hers, but this was my favorite LJ Shen book to date.

If you like a modern day arranged marriage trope, welcome to your next addiction. This book? GAH! It had an anti-hero that only Shen can write; brutal and hard but completely redeemable. This is someone you won’t be able to help rooting for! This was like if Vicious and Sparrow had a baby, and that baby threw down the gauntlet of delicious angst and grit. A clashing of a ruthless politician and the mafia, and a young beauty used as a pawn that gets caught in the crosshairs of political agendas and blackmail. DELICIOUS!!!!!

GOODREADS | AMAZON | MY REVIEW


FAVORITE EMOTIONAL ROMANCE


WRITTEN WITH YOU DUET by Aly Martinez

 

Our entire lives were one impossibility after another.

Is it any wonder that Aly Martinez graces my top favorites list every year? The woman is an evil genius when it comes to feels.

If there’s one thing Aly Martinez can do, it’s write one unpredictable story that will grip you by the heart and keep you at the very edge of your seat. And this book? MY GOD! It was EVERYTHING. Seriously all of the things. An emotional powerhouse of love and secrets, pain and regret, and second chances. Written With You owned me. Absolutely owned me. Beginning to finish. I never wanted it to end.

This is obviously not a standalone, and you need to read the first book, but trust me, you’ll be devouring both in one sitting.

GOODREADS | AMAZON | MY REVIEW


ANOTHER SKY by Jayne Frost

“Tell me something no one else knows about you,” she said, her voice a soft whisper.
I thought of all the things I kept hidden. Dark thoughts. And darker intentions. The lure of nothingness. And the fear that one day the clouds would return and block the sun forever.
Tightening my grip, I let her warmth seep through me. “I like ballet.”

MY. WHOLE. HEART. I have no words for the experience that was this book. NONE. It was magical, heart wrenching, emotional and completely unforgettable.

If you think this is just another rockstar book, think again. Miles is also not your stereotypical damaged rockstar. The depth of his character is unlike anything I’ve read in a really long time. This is a man that experienced the ultimate heart break and never really recovered. He’s broken and he doesn’t want to be fixed. His scars run so deep that not even those closest to him know the depth of his pain.

This book broke me in the best of ways and then weaved my heart back together, word by magical word.

GOODREADS | AMAZON | MY REVIEW


FAVORITE SECOND CHANCE ROMANCE


SMOKE AND SIN by Shayla Black & Lexi Blake

“Nothing has ever made me feel as alive as you.”
“And no one has ever broken me the way you did, Roman.”

This book. THIS BOOK was everything!!! My favorite book in the series, Smoke and Sin absolutely blew me away. I was glued to the pages well into the night, completely incapable of setting it down for even a second.

Gus is one of my favorite heroines. If you like strong willed and sharp witted women, you’ll love her as much as I did. There is nothing I love more than a sex positive heroine. And Gus owned her sexuality. This is a woman that finds no shame in her beauty and sexuality and has no issues flaunting it. She wasn’t pining away for the hero without notches on her own bedpost, and I love that. I’m so sick of these heroines that basically go on a sex hiatus in the years that they spend apart from the hero. It’s completely unrealistic and I loved that Gus didn’t stop living her life after hot and brief affair with Roman went up in fiery flames.

But as far as their reunion back to lovers? HAWT.

GOODREADS | AMAZON | MY REVIEW


PIECES OF US by A.L. Jackson

“There’s never been a single day in my life when I didn’t want you. We are endless.”

Deeply romantic, heartbreakingly emotional, and achingly beautiful. Pieces of Us is easily one of my favorite AL Jackson books to date. I fell head over heels for Mack and Izzy’s story and I still can’t stop thinking about them.

It’s no secret that I love a good punch to the feels that a second chance romance always brings. But there was something so special about Mack and Izzy’s story. I don’t even know how to begin to describe it, but it felt almost electric.

If you’re looking for a beautiful romance that will break you and then put you back together in the best of ways, you seriously can’t go wrong with this book. I can’t recommend it enough!

GOODREADS | AMAZON | MY REVIEW


FAVORITE ROMANTIC SUSPENSE


WICKED SEXY by J.T. Geissinger 

“Should I jump to the ending? Spoiler alert: the hero saves her.”
Tabby looks over at me, her eyes shining like gems in the dark. “A real hero would teach the princess how to save herself.”

GAH. This series, you guys. This series was amazing! I’ve loved every single book in the Wicked Games series, but something about Tabby and Connor just hit all the right spots for me. I’ve reread it 3 times already, and it will continue to be my re-read staple.

The amount of love I had for this completely unputdownable story is so ridiculous, I lost count. It had everything. And I do mean EVERYTHING. A badass, take no prisoners, sharp witted and sassy heroine. Banter that will make your life. Sexual tension that will make you shiver. And a total badass, dirty talking hero that’s a doppelgänger for Dwayne Johnson. I mean C’MON!!!

Chock full of passion, emotion, with fascinating multi-layered characters and a story that you never want to end, Wicked Sexy was absolutely everything I love about romance.

GOODREADS | AMAZON | MY REVIEW

New & Upcoming Releases: December 23-28

New releases coming at ya this week!


AVAILABLE NOW


AVOIDING TEMPTATION by Rachel Van Dyken

I hit on her first.

Realized she was my best friend Finn’s little sister second.

And got a bloody nose third — compliments of Finn after he watched me nearly score with the new underclassman.

After all I did have a reputation on campus, word on the street was that a girl could orgasm within one minute just watching me eat Lucky Charms.
You can’t make this stuff up — even though it was at least four minutes and included outside circumstances. Ahem, I digress.

Point is, not only did I earn the attention of the worst sort of girl for me — my best friend’s only sibling — but now she’s out to seduce me.

Me! One of the most famous Pleasure Ponies of them all!

I can’t shower — she follows me to the bathroom. Literally.
I can’t sleep — Lucky me, she lives in the same dorm.

And I can’t focus on anything except for her taunting eyes every single time something goes her way.

I want her, but I don’t want her to know I want her, and I definitely don’t want to die before graduation, which is looking more and more likely considering we can’t keep our hands off each other.

Something’s gotta give, and I have an inkling I should probably start writing my eulogy now because that something is probably going to be me.


RELEASING DECEMBER 24


TROUBLE AFTER DARK by Marie Force

The last place in the world he wants to be is on Gansett Island…

Deacon Taylor stepped up for a friend and got himself thrown in jail, and when he’s given a choice of felony charges or leaving town with his police chief brother Blaine, he chooses the latter, consigning himself to a summer under his annoying older brother’s supervision.

Julia Lawry used the last of her resources to come to Gansett for her sister Katie’s wedding and has no idea how she’s going to get back to Texas to clean up the mess she left behind. Another relationship has ended in dramatic fashion, and she’s put herself on a “dick diet,” swearing off men who use and discard her.

When Deacon talks Julia into taking off with him during her sister’s wedding, neither of them can know how that wild ride on his motorcycle will be the start of the most important journey either of them will ever take.

Another summer on Gansett Island is heating up, and love is in the air!


THE DUKE’S DESIRE by Erica Ridley

A laugh-out-loud romp from a New York Times bestselling author:

Meg Church adores two things: life in a village of perennial Yuletide, and the freedom of being a spinster with no reputation to protect. Oh, very well, three things: She’s harbored a secret tendre for Christmas curmudgeon Lucien le Duc since the moment she first glimpsed him. But the sexy blacksmith won’t give her the time of day, much less a night of torrid passion.

Ever since Lucien le Duc was forced to flee his beloved France during the revolution, his all-consuming goal has been to recover not only his lost land and fortune, but also his rightful place among the French aristocracy. He would never be distracted by an English dairy maid’s sultry glances… or her soul-consuming kisses… or the temptation to turn one night into forever…

The 12 Dukes of Christmas is a series of heartwarming Regency romps nestled in a picturesque snow-covered village. Twelve delightful romances… and plenty of delicious dukes!


SO, THAT GOT WEIRD by Amelia Kingston

FROM EXCITING ROMANCE AUTHOR AMELIA KINGSTON

Book one in the So Far, So Good series

A painfully awkward love story.

Incomprehensibly awkward Elizabeth Wilde is desperate for love. Connection. Intimacy. After a lifetime of romantic failures, the twenty-one-year-old gamer realizes she needs help. Professional help. She needs…

A sex tutor.

The devastatingly hot jock Austin Jacobs is just the man for the job. As the reigning campus sex god, he has the playboy act down pat. But underneath those six-pack abs beats a broken heart. He doesn’t trust people and he sure as hell doesn’t believe in love.

The odd couple strike a deal. Four weeks of ‘tutoring’ for five thousand dollars.

When Austin coaxes Elizabeth out from behind her computer screen, the attraction they feel is undeniable. They’re both a little broken, but somehow their jagged edges fit. And when their world comes tumbling down on top of them, they each have to decide if this weird thing called love is worth fighting for.


RELEASING DECEMBER 26


TALL, DARK & FURIOUS by RL Matthewson

From bestselling author R.L. Mathewson comes the sixth installment of the Pyte/Sentinel Series…

For readers who enjoy paranormal romance with a twist.

For three centuries, Trace waited for this moment, imagined all the things that he would do to the Pack that tried to kill him, and now that he was free…

All he could think about was the woman that he’d claimed as his own. She was everything that he’d always wanted and once he had his revenge, he would make her his.

Sam had resigned herself to a lot of things over the years, being the town joke, blacking out at inopportune moments, and living with a dog that hated her, but what she hadn’t planned on was suddenly finding five large men destroying her basement, looking for a tomb that she never knew existed. In one moment, her life changed forever, leaving her to wonder how she was going to make it out of this alive.


FATELESS by Meli Raine

The future isn’t real.

The past isn’t real, either.

Only the present is, solid and full, flying at our faces, our bodies, our hearts and souls at breakneck speed as we work to take it all in.

As we work to protect others.

And, finally – ourselves.

We’ve started to break the bonds of Stateless, a system as rotten as the one it seeks to destroy. But systems are organisms with one brutal goal: to survive, whatever it takes.

Kina has to do the unfathomable to save a different system, one she created out of empathy and love for children we rescued from the only home they know.

She’ll use her mind, her body, her spirit — and her ultimate weapons: love, and —

Me.

Fateless is the final book in USA Today bestselling author Meli Raine’s newest trilogy.


RELEASING DECEMBER 27


WANNABE MORE by Billie Dale

From Author Billie Dale comes a story of friendship spanning two decades. A life of loyalty, family, and love tested by decisions made with the best intentions, combined with Dale’s signature wit and a cast of characters you can’t help but adore. Wannabe More, book one in Love in Seven Mile Forge, will prove second chances do exist.

After years of friendship, that summer he was mine.

With our futures waiting to take us down separate paths after graduation, we made a pact.

To explore being more than friends.
To indulge in all we’d been holding back.

We couldn’t have possibly known it would change everything.

One unexpected night in the barn, seeking refuge from the rain, altered our destiny but I refuse to let our actions undo all his hard work.

I’ll sacrifice everything for him to live out his dream in the NBA. But when he finds out the truth, will he hate me for it?

*Series inspired by Spice Girl songs
*Each book is a standalone.


RELEASING DECEMBER 28


THE SETUP by Rachel Van Dyken

The first day she was sitting by herself — I felt sorry for her. After all, it couldn’t be easy wrangling all the testosterone at Wingman Inc as one of the only female office managers.

The second day she literally counted her carrots during break — she had seven by the way, right along with seven sips of her drink in between taking seven tiny little bites of the first carrot.

Now I’m not one to brag, or maybe I am, but math and science fascinate me, so do problems. And this woman screamed puzzle from the way she ducked her head every time anyone looked at her, to the way she counted food and tapped the table when she didn’t think anyone was watching.

I’d like to think I took pity on her that day when, in fact, she was the one that took pity on me and asked if I needed a friend. She assumed I had a learning disability since I’d been staring so damn hard.

Things would have ended there, except, my bosses need someone to test the new Wingman App and since I was the only single guy on the floor — I was nominated, right along with the only single woman, the same one who thinks I need to use my fingers to count.

Apparently rumors of my sexcapades throughout college reached even her ears, because she wants nothing to do with me, which makes beta testing a bitch. I have thirty days to win her over and prove myself to my bosses.

One thing’s for certain, I’m going to have to buy a hell of a lot of carrots.

Jennifer’s Review: Nothing But Wild by @PDanAuthor

NOTHING BUT WILD
Series: Malibu University #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: P. Dangelico
Release Date: December 15, 2019

Dallas Van Zant.

Water polo god.

Shameless flirt.

Beautiful disaster in the most literal sense of that label.

Trust me, it’s not hyperbole. He’s in big trouble with the law.

What does this have to do with me, you ask? Unfortunately, a lot. For some reason, which I still can’t quite wrap my brain around, I’ve been talked into driving him around as part of his plea deal.

Problem is, he makes me nervous. I’m not good with people, men in particular, popular athletes especially. I’ve worked really hard to get my disability under control and one minute in his company and all my hard work flies out the window.

To top it all off, I promised myself that I was going to make some serious changes this year. I’m tired of feeling awkward around boys. I’m tired of never having had a boyfriend. I’m tired of being lonely. And he’s wrecking my plans.

But I’m also not the type to turn away a person in need. So I’ll do what I must to help him out.

I’ll just pretend that I’m not enjoying his company. And I’ll ignore the fact that he’s sweet and funny. And I’ll tell myself every day that he’s out of my league.

Because I’m as inexperienced as they come. And Dallas Van Zant is nothing but wild.

AMAZON | iBOOKS | KOBO | B&N

Dora“What d-do you t-think you’re doing?”

“Watching out for you.”

“Hardly, y-you’re trying to r-ruin my good time!” I shout over the music. Taking my arm, he tugs me away, off the dance floor, and leads me to the wall on the far side where it’s only slightly quieter.

Leaning a shoulder against the wall, he crosses his arms and the t-shirt he’s wearing pulls tight, showcasing the complex network of muscles and veins of his arms. Thirsty. I’m very thirsty all of a sudden.

Next, his blue gaze goes soft and sensual. If he thinks I’m going to capitulate that easily, he’s seriously delusional.

“I have a deal for you.”

Not what I was expecting but whatever. “I d-don’t n-need a deal.”

“You don’t know what the deal is. How could you know you don’t need it?”

“Because I d-don’t n-need or want anything from you.”

“Well that’s not very fair. You haven’t even heard my proposal yet. How do you know you don’t want something you don’t know?”

“You’re not going to l-leave me alone tonight, are you?”

“Not until you hear what I have to say.”

“Fine. G-G-Get on with it so I c-can get back to dancing.”

“Let me be your wingman.”

I’m speechless. For the first time in my life I am legit speechless. One minute of silence passes. Two minutes pass. “I d-don’t get it…”

“You’re giving me rides to the shelter.” He shrugs like all this makes perfect sense. “In return, I’ll be your wingman.”

“My wingman?” I repeat. I don’t know if I should laugh. I mean, he’s funny. This proposal is hilarious. The scary thing is, I think he’s serious.

“You still working on that list? How many do you have left?” I say nothing. I admit nothing. “Huh…” He studies my face. “I take it that means all of them.”

“I g-got a makeover, didn’t I? And the Ferris wheel. I got that one d-done––” I snipe defensively. Yeah, I’m losing this argument or whatever you call this, this negotiation.

Reaching out, he takes a piece of my hair and tugs. “You look beautiful,” he says without missing a beat. “I like the makeover.”

Wait…did he just throw it out there that he thinks I’m beautiful? And I’m supposed to roll with it like the plate tectonics of the planet haven’t just shifted? What kind of game is he playing?

“What kinda g-game are you playing?”

He looks momentarily confused. “No game.” He leans in for a closer look, eyes narrowed. “Are you drunk?”

“No!”

“Then I’ll repeat myself because you’re hard of hearing tonight. I wanna help you.”

“You w-want to h-help me with m-my list…are you drunk?”

“You wanna be bad, right? I know bad.” He proudly pats his chest. “I’m the king of bad. All I’m sayin’ is––that’s my department. Let me help you be bad.”

I giggle because, dear me, he is serious.

He leans in, his mouth inches from my ear, and murmurs, “Say yes, Dora. I know you want to.” The silky purr slides over my skin, pebbles my nipples, and makes me shiver. Then he looks into my eyes and smiles. And that look, that devil-may-care look, seals the deal.

What do I have to lose? Except possibly my heart. But I’ve already tried it the safe way and it hasn’t worked in my favor. That’s why I throw caution to the wind.

“Okay…you’re on.”

“Good.” He takes my wrist and leads me away again.

“W-Where are we going?”

“To dance.”

And irrepressible smile grows on my face. I. Am. In. Trouble.

JENNIFER’S REVIEW

Me before reading this book: Wtf is water polo?
Me after reading this book: Water polo is the best sport in the whole world! Give me all the water polo God-like creatures!


Dallas.

Dallas Van Zant is the playboy we all love. And as usual, there are things underneath that he doesn’t let many people see. But he does SEE Dora. He sees the sexy girl in the corner, even though she is shy and curvy.

Dora.

There is nothing better than reading a heroine that I can relate to. I love the shy, stuttering Dora who loves Dallas from a distance. I love that her body is curvy and real.


Don’t get me wrong. I love a good insta-love, but I love that Dallas and Dora’s love built slowly. They became friends first. Sometimes it’s hard to believe when a playboy suddenly turns into a magical unicorn and stops sleeping with all the women, but I actually believed it when Dallas started falling for Dora. I love that the story is low-drama. It’s simple. It’s easy. It’s perfect.

This book has swoons coming out of its wavy pages. I knew I would love it because it’s written by P. Dangelico. Everything she writes is worth it.
Dangelico loves romance in all forms, cuddly creatures (four legged and two), really bloody sexy pulp, the NY Jets (although she’s reconsidering after this season), and to while away the day at the barn (apparently she does her best thinking shoveling horse crap). What she’s not enamored with is referring to herself in the third person and social media so don’t expect her to get on Twitter anytime soon. Oh, and although she was born in Italy, she’s been Jersey Strong since she turned six.

Connect with P. Dangelico:

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Stay up to date with all things P. Dangelico. Join her mailing list, today: https://www.pdangelico.com/contact

Review: The Guy on the Left by Kate Stewart

THE GUY ON THE LEFT
Series: The Underdogs #2
Genre: Contemporary, New Adult Romance
Author: Kate Stewart
Release Date: December 8, 2019

From the bestselling author of The Guy on the Right comes a heartwarming, second chance romance. The Guy on the Left is BOOK TWO of The Underdogs Series, but can be read as a stand alone.

Now an AMAZON TOP 100 Bestseller!

It started with a lie. A night of blurred lines between a teacher and a student.

I wasn’t her student, yet it was the single most defining night of my life.

I’ve never been the man she thinks I am.

Most people have no idea about the life I’ve lived or the words that ring true when it comes to me—still waters run deep.

But you’d be hard-pressed to find a coed on the TGU campus who knows otherwise…because I’ve never corrected them.

The clock is ticking down, it’s Fourth and Inches with the ball inside the one-yard line and the focus is on me, The Guy on the Left. I’ve never felt like a football god, inside I’m…just Troy.

It’s time to set the record straight.

For my son, I‘ll find the strength.

In her eyes, I’m determined to gain redemption.

I will have them both, even if I have to take my eye off the ball.

The Underdogs Series Order
The Guy on the Right
The Guy on the Left
The Guy in the Middle-releasing WINTER 2020
All books can be read as a stand alone.

AMAZON

Wanting this woman is torture. Loving this woman is fucking humiliating.

I feel like I’ve been waiting forever for this book. But nothing could have prepared me for the impact Troy’s story would have on me. When I first met him as a secondary character in The Guy on the Right, he was the ultimate hottie. A jock, a womanizer, a guy that had the world handed to him and took full advantage of it. Well ha! The joke is on me. Because while he may exude the typical hot jock vibe, he’s anything but. He’s truly the underdog, because beneath the good looking exterior is the broken heart of a boy just looking to belong and have love. He longs to be seen for who he is, but life hasn’t always been easy on him. What makes it all the more excruciating is everyone’s perception of the easy going playboy that gets everything handed to him when he’s had to work for everything he has.

Troy’s story runs parallel to the events in The Guy On The Right, but also takes you back to the beginning to the night that set everything in motion. The night when Troy told a lie that irrevocably changed his and Clarissa’s life. What was supposed to be a hot one night stand, turned into something different. But then Clarissa gets the surprise of not only a pregnancy, but also that Troy’s not exactly as old as he said. While he’s 18 because he was held back a year in middle school, he’s still a senior in high school and she’s a high school teacher. The lie causes the ultimate rift and causes Clarissa to cut Troy out of her life to raise their baby on her own.

Now I have to admit, I really, really disliked Clarissa for large parts of the book. I understood why she did what she did, but at the same time, I hated everything she puts Troy through four years later. Troy never abandoned them and was contempt of watching from afar while still trying to be a part of his son’s life in a silent help sort of way. I think being in Troy’s head made it that much more difficult to like Clarissa through some of the more painful parts.

My heart broke for them and for Troy. I loved their adorable little boy Dante, and the way he forms a bond with his father unknowing of their connection. He was the sweetest secondary character and I couldn’t get enough of his cute and sassy personality.

This was a slow burn of epic proportions with enough angst to make you want to rip your heart out. Kate Stewart is truly the queen of feels, and she tugs at every single heartstring with this book. It was a beautiful, emotional, and utterly unforgettable story of forgiveness and second chances. I can’t wait for more in this series.

New & Upcoming Releases: December 15-19

New releases coming at ya this week!


AVAILABLE NOW


NOTHING BUT WILD by P. Dangelico

Dallas Van Zant…
Water polo god.
Shameless flirt.
Beautiful disaster in the most literal sense of that label.

Trust me, it’s not hyperbole. He’s in big trouble with the law.

What does this have to do with me, you ask? Unfortunately, a lot. For some reason, which I still can’t quite wrap my brain around, I’ve been talked into driving him around as part of his plea deal.

Problem is, he makes me nervous. I’m not good with people, men in particular, popular athletes especially. I’ve worked really hard to get my disability under control and one minute in his company and all my hard work flies out the window.

To top it all off, I promised myself that I was going to make some serious changes this year. I’m tired of feeling awkward around boys. I’m tired of never having had a boyfriend. I’m tired of being lonely.

But I’m also not the type to turn away a person in need. So I’ll do what I must to help him out.

I’ll just pretend that I’m not enjoying his company. And I’ll ignore the fact that he’s sweet and funny. And I’ll tell myself every day that he’s out of my league.

Because I’m as inexperienced as they come…and Dallas Van Zant is nothing but wild.


VAMPIRE MASTER by Joey W. Hill

Big and bad enough to be any girl’s nightmare—or her best dream ever…

Beyond your grasp. Those are the three words that come to mind, every time Ella sees Wolf at Club Atlantis. He earns the term Master, in and out of scene, yet there is something deeper and darker about him. She wants to dive into that abyss.

Wolf sees the yearning. But the submissive he ultimately claims will become his servant, soul-bound to him for all eternity. Ella is a natural submissive, with an endless desire to please. She’s perfect for the role, really. Except Ella is a gift he doesn’t deserve.

However, vampires are wired one way—to take what they want, no matter what their conscience tells them. Even Wolf isn’t strong enough to resist his nature…or the salvation Ella’s love offers.


A SCARCITY OF CANDORS by Suanne Laqueur

Juleón “Jude” Tholet has survival in his DNA. His father, Cleon, lived through imprisonment and torture during Pinochet’s military coup in Chile. His mother, Penny, risked everything to gain her husband’s freedom and flee the country with their newborn son. But as a closeted gay teenager growing up in Vancouver, Jude is targeted by a neighborhood bully called El Cóndor, culminating in a vicious hate crime that forces the Tholets to flee their country again.

Jude cautiously rebuilds his life in Seattle, becoming an accomplished pianist, but his his wings have been clipped and he cannot seem to soar in his relationships. Only family remains a constant source of strength and joy, until a DNA test reveals something that shocks all the Tholets: Jude is not their child.

Stunned by the test results, the Tholets must dig into their painful past, re-examine their lives in 1973 Santiago and the events surrounding Jude’s birth story. It’s a tale rooted in South America’s Operation Condor. It spreads through Pinochet’s terrifying regime of detention camps, torture, disappeared civilians and stolen children. The journey forces Penny Tholet to confront the gaps in her memory while Cleon must re-live an ordeal he’s long kept hidden away in a secret world. The tale ends with Jude digging through his genetic code in a quest to find his biological parents. Are they alive? Or are they among Los Desaparecidos—the Disappeared Ones?

Suanne Laqueur’s third book in the Venery series explores the desperate acts of love made in times of war, and the many ways family can be defined.


ASKING FOR A FRIEND by Lauren Blakely

Preorder special! Price goes up on release day!

I was only trying to help a friend. I swear. I was legit asking for a friend who was finally ready to date again.

I knew what she wanted in a man — smart, funny, ambitious, well-read (no, the sports section doesn’t count), and plays a wicked game of badminton.

So I did what any good friend would do. Posted it for her. It seemed like a good idea at the time — I’d weed through the candidates, and bring her my top picks.

But then he responded.

Is it wrong to date the guy I screened for my bestie? Not asking for a friend.

Indulge in the BOYFRIEND MATERIAL series! Three best friends. Three outrageous proposals. Three chances to fall in love. Three brand new standalones from Lauren Blakely!


DEVIOUS LIES by Parker S. Huntington

From USA Today bestselling author Parker S. Huntington comes an enemies-to-lovers, slow-burn romance full of revenge and a dash of fate.

“She could enjoy her pretty, perfect world a little longer. Soon enough, everything she owned would be mine.”

I had a plan to escape the friend zone.
Step one: sneak into Reed’s room.
Step two: sleep with him.

But when the lights turned on, it wasn’t familiar blue eyes I saw.
These were dark, angry, and full of demons.
And they belonged to Reed’s much older brother.

Four years later, Nash Prescott is no longer the help’s angry son.
I’m no longer the town’s prized princess.

At twenty-two, I’m broke, in need of a job.
At thirty-two, he’s a billionaire, in need of revenge.

Who cares if my family ruined his?
Who cares if he looks at me with pure loathing?
Who cares if every task he assigns me is designed to torture?

I need the money.
Simple as that.

I’ll suffer his cruelty in silence, knowing there’s one thing he wants more than revenge…
Me.

Note: Devious Lies is a 145,000-word standalone in the Cruel Crown series. If you love banter and angst, this book is for you! Welcome to Eastridge. Enter if you dare.


RELEASING DECEMBER 17


THE PLAN COMMENCES by Kristen Ashley

From the unparalleled imagination of New York Times best-selling author Kristen Ashley comes Book Two in The Rising, an enchanting new fantasy romance series that will sweep you away! 

Once upon a time, in a parallel universe, there existed the continent of Triton. The land was filled with beauty, but it was also splintered by war. Out of the chaos grew a conspiracy to reawaken the Beast, a fearsome creature who wrought only tragedy and devastation. The only way to stop him was to fulfill an ancient prophecy: Triton’s four strongest warriors must wed its four most powerful witches, binding all nations together and finally bringing peace to the land.

This is the story of their unions: the quiet maiden Silence and the savage king Mars. The cold warrior Cassius and the fiery witch Elena. The steadfast soldier True and the banished beauty Farah. And the pirate king Aramus and the mysterious queen Ha-Lah. Their unions will not be easy, but each couple must succeed, for the fate of their world is at stake….

Narrators include: John Hartley for Raphael Corkhill, Jakobi Diem for JD Jackson, Stella Bloom for Susannah Jones, Rupert Channing for Grant Cartwright, and Lance Greenfield for Ryan McCarthy.


SHARK’S PRIDE by Angel Payne & Victoria Blue

Dreams come at a price…

Hidden enemies are tormenting Sebastian Shark. They’re determined to see his reputation in shreds and his plans for building the Edge in ruins. To make matters worse, Abbigail Gibson has written him off for good, choosing to believe their night of blistering passion was just another one of his playboy conquests.

When an unexpected visitor arrives on Sebastian’s doorstep, he can no longer ignore the danger Abbigail is in because of him. Someone has declared war, and the woman he loves could become collateral damage. Unacceptable.

But Abbi’s not about to ditch the man of her dreams just because things get tough.

His rules. Her trust. His world. Her safety. Their power struggle threatens to rip them apart again—but believing in their dream is the only way they’ll survive.

Shark’s Edge Book Series:

1. Shark’s Edge
2. Shark’s Pride
3. Shark’s Rise


SAVAGE HUNGER by Lisa Renee Jones

The first book in a new savagely intense trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Lisa Renee Jones.

Rick Savage, but they call him Savage and for a reason. He can make you laugh and then rip your heart out. No one knows that more than me, Candace Marks, the woman he left bleeding from the heart. I loved him. Lord help me, I’ve never stopped loving him.

Now, I’m engaged to another man, a brutal man I’m trapped into marrying, when to my shock, Savage returns home. Savage who I haven’t heard from in years. I want to hate him. I have ever reason to hate him, but I can’t. I still love him and I fear he will save me just to leave me bleeding one last time. He stirs my desires, a dark, delicious, and dangerous man destined to hurt me and leave me. This time I’m not sure I’ll survive.


FATAL ACCUSATION by Marie Force

A deadly serious affair…

The story breaks as Metro PD lieutenant Sam Holland attends a dinner party with her husband, Vice President Nick Cappuano: President Nelson is accused of having an affair. More shocking still, campaign staffer Tara Weber claims the president fathered her newborn son—while the First Lady was undergoing secret cancer treatment.

When a high-profile murder case hits Sam’s desk, she’s shocked to uncover a connection to the presidential scandal. With the department caught up in its own internal scandals, and the chief’s job hanging by a thread, Sam questions who she can trust as her team uncovers information that clouds an already-murky case. And with calls for the president to resign getting louder by the minute, Sam needs to close this case before she finds herself living at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue…


WAIT FOR ME by Tia Louise- buy link TBA

Dear Taron,
I should have told you this a long time ago…

Dear Taron,
Is there a time-limit on forgiveness?
If there is, I haven’t reached it…

Dear Taron,
I still love you…

A letter never sent.
Heck, I never even finished it.

Taron Rhodes was my brother’s best friend.
He was sexy as sin.
But he was more than that…
He was ponytail-pulling, ice down your shirt teasing, throw you in the lake screaming…
Strong, tanned arms and blue-green eyes over a heart-stopping, naughty grin…
Did I mention his tight end?
I gave him my first real kiss, my heart, my everything.
I said I’d wait for him…

I’m still waiting, because Taron Rhodes is still the man of my dreams,
And I have a secret that has his blue-green eyes.

Noel LaGrange stole my heart when she was only eighteen —pushing me off a flatbed and calling me a city slicker.
Her brother Sawyer would kick my ass if he knew how many times we made out that summer, how close we got.

Everything changed when Sawyer and I joined the military.
We were honorably discharged, but I didn’t go to her.
Instead, I went back to the city… where no amount of money, no amount of pills can heal this wound.
Only her whiskey eyes and dark hair, her slim arms and her sweet scent, give me hope.
I broke her heart just as surely as I broke mine, but I’m going back to make it right.
If she’s still waiting…

(WAIT FOR ME is a STAND-ALONE small-town, second-chance romance with a guaranteed HEA. No cheating. No cliffhangers.)


RELEASING DECEMBER 18


SEDUCING MRS. ROBINSON by Rachel Van Dyken

We’ve all been there, some more than others, you know what I’m talking about, where you have the hots for the new business teacher.

I was one hundred percent that guy. I shamelessly flirted with her my senior year, only earning her irritation more and more. On graduation, I stood up to her husband after he got violent, and I’ll never forget the look in her eyes when she told me it wasn’t my place.

Fast forward to my senior year of college and what do you know, the new adjunct professor is the one and only Mrs. Robinson, she’s eight years older than me and smoking hot. Did I mention divorced?

She looks at me like I’m trouble, and I’m only happy to deliver on that promise. I’m going to show her how a real man treats a woman and use every weapon in my Pleasure Pony arsenal to do it.

Go big or go home.


RELEASING DECEMBER 19


DELIGHT ME by J. Kenner

 

There’s one special gift Damien wants to give his wife Nikki and their daughters for Christmas… but with a storm approaching and time running out, can he make it home in time for the holidays?

Don’t miss this all-new, deeply emotional novella!

While Damien tries to bring something wonderful home to his family, this book is JK’s special treat for Nikki and Damien fans. Dive deep into bonus content you may have missed over the years, including a love note from Damien, text messages between Nikki and Damien, fan-favorite quotes from the books, plus several fun and sexy scenes previously shared in JK’s newsletter and on other sites. And, of course, the all-new holiday novella!

And don’t miss JK’s special note to readers!

Review: House of Scarlett by Meghan March

HOUSE OF SCARLETT
Series:
Legend Trilogy #2
Genre:
Contemporary Romance
Author:
Meghan March
Release Date:
December 10, 2019

New York Times bestselling author Meghan March continues the Legend Trilogy.

 

 

Gabriel Legend is unlike any other man I’ve ever met.

He came into my life like a hurricane, shattering all my assumptions and preconceived notions.

I wasn’t prepared for him. I wasn’t prepared for any of it.

But life doesn’t wait until you’re ready.

Whatever happens next, I know one thing for certain.

I will never be the same Scarlett I was before I met him.

House of Scarlett is the second book in the Legend Trilogy and should be read after The Fall of Legend, book one.

 

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


Even if I don’t know how to be what she needs, I’m going to learn.


Know what I love more than a great alpha male? An alpha male that knows how to grovel. And after the epic f-up that Legend makes at the end of book one, you best believe that I wanted a good grovel. And boy did he deliver!

While the trilogy starts off slow, book two brought a much needed one two punch. Pun intended. Gabriel is working through all of the ways that he messed up with Scarlett. You get more insight into his tragic past while all of the puzzle pieces begin to click together even more.

We really get a deeper look into Scarlett in this one. I found myself much more connected to her character in this one than the previous book. Don’t get me wrong, she was fierce in the last book, but there’s something so endearing about seeing her work through the pain of what happened with Gabe along with plenty of daddy issues. You get to see her soft and vulnerable side here, as much as you see Gabe’s, and I loved that.

The chemistry between her and Gabe is absolutely incendiary in this book. I swear it just gets more and more potent and I couldn’t get enough of them. Gave really shows his sweet side here and it was the perfect balance to his badass alpha vibes. There’s still plenty of unanswered questions before the jaw dropping conclusion, that left me downright ravenous for the next book.

Making the jump from corporate lawyer to romance author was a leap of faith that New York Times, #1 Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author Meghan March will never regret. With over thirty titles published, she has sold millions of books in nearly a dozen languages to fellow romance-lovers around the world. A nomad at heart, she can currently be found in the woods of the Pacific Northwest, living her happily ever after with her real-life alpha hero.

Sign up for Meghan’s newsletter and receive exclusive content that she saves for her subscribers:
 http://meghanmarch.com/subscribe

To get the inside scoop on a daily basis, search Meghan March’s Runaway Readers on Facebook and join the fun!

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