#DGRFave & Review: Written With You by @AlyMartinezAuth

WRITTEN WITH YOU
Series:
The Regret Duet #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Aly Martinez
Release Date: June 13, 2019

When I was fifteen, a single bullet changed my life. I spent the next decade trying to outrun the devastation of my past, building an empire that would shield me from whatever life could throw at me.

But all the money in the world couldn’t help me when I found a screaming newborn abandoned on my doorstep.

I’d never wanted to be a father. Passing the sludge that ran through my veins down to an innocent child seemed like a tragedy. But there she was—pink cheeks, red hair, and mine.

Somehow, against all logic, that little girl became the best thing that ever happened to me. It was impossible to stay lost in the past when I was the only one who could protect her future.

Which is exactly why, when her mother came back four years later, I was ready for battle.

If only I could stop myself from falling in love with her during the war.

AMAZON

I lived in the seconds. One emotion. One tick of the clock.

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.

Admittedly, I struggled a bit with the heroine in the first book. Alright, so I was judging the hell out of her, okay?! So sue me. But if you’ve read the book, than you’ll know exactly why I had problems fully connecting to her. But this book was a total game changer. After the cliffhanger that leaves you reeling in book one, book two finishes you off with a one two punch straight to the feels. Holy mother of everything!!!

I don’t want to give anything away, because to be honest, the entire thing is a dang spoiler of book one. And I wouldn’t want to take that experience away from anyone. I typically struggle with duets and trilogies, but never with Aly’s books. Somehow her second book is always even more powerful than the first. And let me tell you, the first was no walk in the park. It was gut wrenching.

Our entire lives were one impossibility after another.

This was filled with so many twists and turns, it will leave your stomach in knots and your head reeling. I devoured it in one breathless sitting and I cannot recommend it enough. It’s different. It’s gripping. It’s addictive. And it will own you, heart and soul, from one devastating page to the other.

Review: The Fadeaway by @RebeccaJenshak

THE FADEAWAY
Series:
Smart Jocks #2
Genre: New Adult, Sports Romance
Author: Rebecca Jenshak
Release Date: March 14, 2019

This college jock is a total player. He’s used to getting who and what he wants. Until her. . .

Katrina
The hottest guy on campus won’t stop asking me out. I know that sounds like a good problem to have, but this guy… this guy has no idea how complicated my life is trying to juggle being a single mom and college student.
Every Thursday, he shows up at the café where I work. His cheesy pickup lines and arrogance should have me completely annoyed. I’m not. I can’t say yes, but Thursday is my favorite day of the week.

Joel
The hottest girl on campus won’t go out with me. I know, I know, that sounds presumptuous, but this girl… this girl has gotten under my skin, and I can’t seem to walk away.
Every Thursday, I show up at the café where she works. She’s fed me every excuse in the book. I should give up and bang one of the many girls blowing up my phone. I’m not. Even when she says no, Thursday is my favorite day of the week.

AMAZON

Come on. I’ve been asking you out for five months. Throw a guy a bone.”
Or, you know, let me stick mine in you.

OH MY GOD! Where did this book come from?! I have so many feelings! SO MANY FEELINGS! Marry me, Rebecca Jenshak. And read me bed time stories like this forever. What? Too much? Fine *huffs*. I’ll tone it down. Maybe. Probably not. WHATEVER. Stop judging me. This book was fantastic, ok?!

Now look, it’s no secret that I’m a picky s word. I own it. And I’m especially picky when it comes to New Adult romance. But this book? This was EVERYTHING I love about this genre. It was utterly charming and completely unputdownable. It was refreshingly sweet with just the right amount of sexy. It was humorous and a touch quirky. It was all of the things, people! ALL OF THEM!

I love me a playboy hero, and you can’t spell playboy without J-O-E-L- M-O-R-E-N-O. OK, so you can, but I’m trying to make a point here so just go with me on this. Joel caught my attention the second he appeared as a secondary character in The Assist and I’ve been itching for his book ever since. What’s more delicious than the man that can get any woman he wants on campus having to work for it with a woman that seems to want none of his charm while secretly mooning over him? NOTHING. That’s a trick question. NOTHING IS MORE DELICIOUS.

Katrina is too busy jugging being a single mom of an adorably sweet three year old boy and college to give the time of day to the campus womanizer. Joel may be a hot jock with charm oozing out of every pore, but he spells bad news for her. Unfortunately for her libido, it’s been a while, and Joel is nothing if not determined to wear her down.

There is nothing more charming and entertaining to read that Joel’s wooing of “Kitty” and finally agreeing to go out with him. Actually, there is one thing, and that’s Joel showing her the real man underneath the manwhore persona. Under the good looks and playboy demeanor lies plenty of depth, and I was ravenous to unravel every layer.

Joel and Kitty together was pure magic. There was so much chemistry between them, it was downright incendiary. Katrina’s son was one of the best secondary characters and of course I loved the cameos by the rest of the team. I’m already dying for Z and Nathan’s books.

If you’re looking for a New Adult Sports romance that’s the whole package, look no further. The Fadeaway has everything; the charm, the feels, the humor, and all of the romance. I loved it from beginning to finish and I’m not officially obsessed with all things Rebecca Jenshak.

Review: More Than Anything by Natasha Anders

BroMORE THAN ANYTHING
Series:
Broken Pieces #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Natasha Anders
Release Date: June 11, 2019

Two lovers strive to trade a grim past for a bright future in this story of bittersweet yearning.

Tina Jenson belongs to the same social stratum as Harris Chapman, but he’s out of her league—at least that’s what she thinks before they jump in bed together. It’s the perfect night, but when she overhears crude, hurtful comments the next morning, she can’t get away fast enough.

Ten years later, Tina’s life is a mess. That night with Harris didn’t just hurt her feelings; it started a cascade of disappointment and heartbreak. Every time she bumps into Harris, her heart twists inside out. She still wants him, but she’s harboring a painful secret from their night together that she’s not ready to reveal.

Crossed signals, high-society whispers, and shame have kept Tina and Harris apart for years, but deep down, they’re hungry for each other and eager to write their own rules. Can they let go of the past and find their way back to each other, or are the barriers between them too high and too strong?

AMAZON

Some pain was just too huge to be self-soothed away…

I have a general rule when it comes to Natasha Anders books; she writes them, I read them. The woman can write a grovel like no one’s business. And she’s the queen of creating these perfectly imperfect and broken characters that you can’t help but fall for.

The second I read the blurb for this book, I was foaming at the mouth to get my hands on it. But I have to admit that it was not quite what I had expected. I thought I was going to read about a devastating hurt, and then a delicious grovel. And while this book was definitely one of those things, it wasn’t exactly. Confused? I was too. But let me explain.

Harris Chapman has been a boy that young Tina always had a crush on and who was entirely out of her league. Tina is a girl that was a slave to her own self consciousness about her looks and weights, and the cruel words of her classmates didn’t always help. One night with the boy of her dreams suddenly ended in the biggest heartbreak of her life. But Harris is not the cruel guy she’s made him out to be all these years. In actuality, Harris is a sweet, down to earth type of man that’s spent over ten years trying to make things right with Tina while she spent them avoiding him.

And while I enjoyed the story, I struggled quite a bit with liking Tina. To be perfectly frank, I never really warmed up to her. This is a woman that’s spent ten years in a spiral over something that could have been fixed over letting Harris have a second of her time and a conversation. Don’t get me wrong, this is a woman with some deep rooted pain and it’s no little thing. But I also wanted her to get her life together and finally shake herself out of her neurosis. She’s so scatterbrained and flighty, that it took almost the entirety of the book for me to connect to her. I felt for her, I really did. But I also wanted to shake her throughout most of the story.

Harris is so sweet and patient with her. He tries so hard, only to be shut down time and time again.

Now here’s the thing, though, while I struggled to connect with Tina, I still found myself enjoying the book. There’s a somewhat of a secondary plot that gets unraveled here with Harris’s twin brother and Tina’s best friend that I was dang near rabid to get more on. I loved the cute small town setting and the crossover with some of the previous characters we got in Natasha’s Alpha Men series. And even though Tina frustrated me, I still couldn’t put the book down and read it in practically one sitting. Was it my favorite story, probably not. But it sure set the stage for the next book and it did ultimately wrap up quite sweetly and made me finally see Tina in a different light.

Review: The Assist by Rebecca Jenshak

THE ASSIST
Series:
Smart Jocks #1
Genre: New Adult, Sports Romance
Author: Rebecca Jenshak
Release Date: June 11, 2019

You know those stories where the smart girl tutors the dumb jock? This isn’t it.

Blair
What’s the probability of insulting the one guy on campus I need to help me pass statistics? If I knew, I wouldn’t be standing in front of Wes Reynolds begging him to tutor me.

Basketball player, sexy, arrogant, always sleeping through class… these are the things I knew about him. What I didn’t know is that he is a seriously smart jock.

Wes
What’s the best way to get rid of the peppy and unrelenting girl that keeps asking me to tutor her? If I knew, I wouldn’t be staring at her tan legs and attempting to teach her statistics.

Sorority girl, fine as f**k, determined, ball buster… these are the things I knew about her. What I didn’t know is that she is all the things I didn’t realize I wanted or needed.

Or that one semester with her would change everything.

AMAZON

On the court, I saw everything. But off the court? I never saw her coming.

Sooo…would you judge me if I told you that the cover had a lot to do with me trying this book by a new to me author? Of course you wouldn’t! Because you’re probably drooling over it yourself right now, aren’t ya? Yeaaaaah you are. *grins evilly*

But in full disclosure, it was actually the series title that hooked me. Smart jocks? Sign me up. Rebecca Jenshak being a new to me author, I had no idea what to expect when starting this book and I’m happy to report that I was pleasantly surprised. This was really stinking cute. I’ve seen some comparison’s to Elle Kennedy’s books floating around in reviews, and I think that’s a disservice to this one. The one thing they have in common is that they’re college sports romance. But if you’re coming in with the expectation of Elle brand of romance, you won’t quite get it. I’m not saying it’s bad, I’m just saying it’s different, and I wouldn’t compare.

The Assist is the first in a series and introduces the quintessential sorority girl who misjudges a sexy basketball player who sleeps through a class that she’s failing miserably…and gets an eye without even batting an eyelash. Literally. So what’s a girl to do? Cajole, beg, and apologize until said jock agrees to tutor you, of course. Thus begins a bit of an unlikely friendship that soon begins to turn into something much more.

I really liked this book and the characters. Wes was everything I love in a college hero. He’s confident without being cocky and is just a nice guy, which is refreshing. Blair took a bit for me to really get connected to, but by the end of the book I was rooting for her. She’s a devoted friend, which I found really endearing. I wished she had stood up to her ex more without having others fight her battles a bit, but alas, you can’t get everything you want. This was a cute and sexy read and I’m definitely hooked enough to read the next book in this series. I couldn’t help but feel there was just a little something for me with this one that I couldn’t quite put my finger on what it was exactly. Either way, it was an enjoyable read.

#DGRFave & Review: The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez @readforeverpub

THE FRIEND ZONE
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romantic Comedy
Author: Abby Jimenez
Release Date: June 11, 2019

Kristen Petersen doesn’t do drama, will fight to the death for her friends, and has no room in her life for guys who just don’t get her. She’s also keeping a big secret: facing a medically necessary procedure that will make it impossible for her to have children.

Planning her best friend’s wedding is bittersweet for Kristen—especially when she meets the best man, Josh Copeland. He’s funny, sexy, never offended by her mile-wide streak of sarcasm, and always one chicken enchilada ahead of her hangry. Even her dog, Stuntman Mike, adores him. The only catch: Josh wants a big family someday. Kristen knows he’d be better off with someone else, but as their attraction grows, it’s harder and harder to keep him at arm’s length.

The Friend Zone will have you laughing one moment and grabbing for tissues the next as it tackles the realities of infertility and loss with wit, heart, and a lot of sass.

AMAZON

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!

Food was my currency. Hungry was an emotion for me. I felt that shit in my soul.

Let’s talk about the heroine for a hot second here, shall we? Kristen Petersen is quite seriously my spirit animal. This is a girl that you’ll want for your best friend the near second you meet her on the pages. She’s blunt, honest, sarcastic and with a sharp wit and a type of hangry that you can’t help but relate you. What you see is what you get with her. She’s simple but complex. She’s honest, she’s loyal, and she’s so relatable that you can’t help but just love her.

In between her successful business of adorable boutique pet products, her sassy dog, Stuntman Mike, and planning her best friend’s wedding, Kristen is dealing with an upcoming surgery that will forever change the landscape of her life. She has a loving boyfriend currently serving oversees, so when she meets Josh the best man in the wedding, he’s the worst kind of unexpected; the kind that tempts her beyond reason but she knows she can never be what he needs.

He breathed into my ear. “Why won’t you just let me love you?”

Before you think this is a love triangle, let me say that it is, yet it isn’t. Without giving anything away, let’s just say that if you avoid triangles like a bad case of the clap, you’ll want to read this book. Kay? Great. But I digress.

Josh is sheer perfection. He is quite possibly one of the absolute best heroes I’ve read to date. He’s the quintessential nice guy who’s incredibly endearing and even more lovable. You won’t be able to help but fall head over heels for this man. He is just EVERYTHING. He’s sweet, understanding, patient, and just GAH. GAH!!!

Kristen and Josh form an adorably awkward friendship that soon begins to turn into something so much more. And then things really get complicated.

I don’t have enough words to tell you just how much I loved this book. It had everything; humor, emotion, and a romance that will warm your heart. It’s full of depth and flawlessly written. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since I finished and it’s a book that I recommend everyone check out. If there’s one book that hits your radar this year, make it this one. Trust me. I only hope there’s more to come for some of the secondary characters we get introduced to in this story and I simply cannot wait from this incredibly talented author. I’m still reeling knowing this was Abby Jimenez’s debut novel.

Review: Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey

FIX HER UP
Genre: Contemporary Romance, RomCom
Series: Hot & Hammered #2
Author: Tessa Bailey
Release Date: June 11, 2019

A brand new romantic comedy from New York Times bestseller Tessa Bailey!

Georgette Castle’s family runs the best home renovation business in town, but she picked balloons instead of blueprints and they haven’t taken her seriously since. Frankly, she’s over it. Georgie loves planning children’s birthday parties and making people laugh, just not at her own expense. She’s determined to fix herself up into a Woman of the World… whatever that means.

Phase one: new framework for her business (a website from this decade, perhaps?)

Phase two: a gut-reno on her wardrobe (fyi, leggings are pants.)

Phase three: updates to her exterior (do people still wax?)

Phase four: put herself on the market (and stop crushing on Travis Ford!)

Living her best life means facing the truth: Georgie hasn’t been on a date since, well, ever. Nobody’s asking the town clown out for a night of hot sex, that’s for sure. Maybe if people think she’s having a steamy love affair, they’ll acknowledge she’s not just the “little sister” who paints faces for a living. And who better to help demolish that image than the resident sports star and tabloid favorite?

Travis Ford was major league baseball’s hottest rookie when an injury ended his career. Now he’s flipping houses to keep busy and trying to forget his glory days. But he can’t even cross the street without someone recapping his greatest hits. Or making a joke about his… bat. And then there’s Georgie, his best friend’s sister, who is not a kid anymore. When she proposes a wild scheme—that they pretend to date, to shock her family and help him land a new job—he agrees. What’s the harm? It’s not like it’s real. But the girl Travis used to tease is now a funny, full-of-life woman and there’s nothing fake about how much he wants her…

AMAZON

One second, laughter kindled in his throat, and the next, it was tight. Just tight. Because flushed and looking up at him with her bright green eyes, Georgette Castle was the most beautiful thing on the planet.

This was so stinking cute! A lighthearted and steamy romance full of laughs and sizzle the likes of which only Bailey can write. I read it with a smile on my face from beginning to finish.

Georgette Castle is the perfect amount of quirky that I love in my heroines. She’s the youngest sibling in her successful siblings and a bit of a black sheep. Her older siblings have their careers and life together, and Georgie is a professional clown. I mean, c’mon! How often do you read that? She’s incredibly endearing and loves her job entertaining kids. But she also wants her family to finally see her as the woman that can do something right in their eyes.

There’s a dash of unrequited love when it comes to her and Travis. She’s always harbored a secret crush on her older brother’s best friend but she never had a hope in snagging his attention outside of being the annoying little sister that tagged along and mooned after her brother’s friend. Travis is a professional MBA player whose career comes to a crashing halt after a bad injury. Now he’s back in the small town he couldn’t wait to get away from and dealing with his new reality.

I loved the relationship development between Georgie and Travis. They start as unlikely friends and confidants that soon leads to something more when Travis finally sees the woman Georgie always was. I loved that it wasn’t about Georgie changing herself to be seen in a different light by him but rather just coming into her own and comfortable with it. I loved the way that Travis brought her strength and helped her bring out the best version of herself and have her family finally see her. I loved that Georgie was a strong heroine outside of everything too. She didn’t need Travis to help her, but she also brought out the best version of him.

This was such a cute, endearing, and sweet romance. I loved the women’s friendships and Georgie’s brother’s kooky wife. I loved the secondary characters and the dynamic they bring to this story and I seriously can’t wait for more in this series!

New & Upcoming Releases: June 9-14

New releases coming at ya this week!!! 


AVAILABLE NOW


GUARDING THE BILLIONAIRE by Jane Harvey-Berrick

From laugh out loud to sobbing over your e-reader, this book duet takes you on a riotous journey behind the scenes of a billionaire hiding a BDSM secret as well as an obsession with orgies, and his luckless bodyguard at the heart of the story who has to help hide the truth.

Behind his stoic persona, former US Marine Justin Trainer also hides a wicked sense of humor as he watches the comings and goings and comings of his messed up boss.

On top of that, Trainer still has to balance trying to have a private life, working on his own love life, and also finding time to be a daddy to his daughter with an ex-wife who hates him.

It’s definitely not all black and white…

A duet with no cliff-hanger and HEA – sort of…

Guarding the Billionaire #1
He’s a fast-talking, hard-hitting guy who goes to work with a weapon in his holster. He’s also sexy, loyal and damn good at his job.

He’s Justin Trainer.

I work close protection. I’m the silent bodyguard at the back of the room. I’m the eyes watching you. I’m the ears listening to you. And I’m the dirty-mouthed grunt with the gun who’ll take a bullet for you.

I’m the man in black, guarding my billionaire boss.


PRINCE OF KILLERS by Layla Reyne

No indiscriminate killing. No collateral damage. No unvetted targets.

These are the rules Hawes Madigan lives by. Rules that make being Fog City’s Prince of Killers bearable. Soon, he’ll be king–of an organization of assassins–and the crown has never felt heavier. Until the mysterious Dante Perry swaggers into his life.

Dante looks like a rock god and carries himself like one too, all loose-limbed and casually confident. He also carries a concealed weapon, a private investigator’s license, and a message for the prince. Someone inside Hawes’s organization is out to kill the future king.

In the chaos that follows the timely warning, Hawes comes to depend on Dante. On his skills as an investigator, on the steadiness he offers, and on their moments alone when Hawes lets Dante take control. As alliances are tested and traitors exposed, Hawes needs Dante at his back and in his bed. But if the PI ever learns Hawes’s darkest secret, Hawes is sure to get a knife to the heart–and a bullet to the brain–instead.

There’s no shortage of twists and turns in this new romantic suspense trilogy from Layla Reyne. Prince of Killers is book one of three. Fair warning: buckle up, cliffhangers ahead!


SATISFACTION GUARANTEED by Lauren Blakely

She’s the one who got away, and now she’s back in my life, working in my office, where all I have to do is resist her every single second of the day.
Then, she starts it. She issues me a challenge I can’t back down from. Make her purr like no man has done before.

Fine, she’s my business partner’s daughter. And, yes, she happens to be my ex-fling. But that was seven years ago, and it was barely a week-long thing.

Except, Sloane is still the one I can’t stop thinking of — brilliant, sexy, captivating Sloane. Maybe a week of taking her to new heights will get her out of my head.

So what if we spend a few nights on the town too? So what if I romance her across Manhattan? It’s all in the name of scientific pursuit of more magnificent Os.

Until the rules change..
A brand new, standalone, hero-POV romantic comedy! If you enjoyed Big Rock, Mister O, or Full Package, you’ll love Satisfaction Guaranteed!

Note: Satisfaction Guaranteed is the first book in the all-new series of standalone romances in the Always Satisfied series. Other titles include Instant Gratification and Overnight Service.


WRATH OF THE GODDESS by Lauren Dane

Rowan Summerwaite is back—and more than a little pissed off—in Wrath of the Goddess, the fifth installment in New York Times bestselling author Lauren Dane’s Goddess with a Blade series.

You can’t keep a vengeful woman down for long.

Rowan Summerwaite, elite hunter and human vessel to the goddess Brigid, has returned home to Las Vegas—and she’s mad as hell. It seems someone thought they could eliminate Rowan and everyone she holds dear.

That someone was dead wrong.

With tensions between paranormal factions at an all-time high, Rowan and her crew, along with her sexy Vampire Scion husband, Clive Stewart, have their work cut out for them. The Vampire Nation has at least one traitor in their midst, leaving them extremely vulnerable…but if it’s a war they want, Rowan’s prepared to bring the pain like never before.

Rowan knows her duty is to those she’s sworn to protect, but it seems the harder she fights, the more barriers she hits…and the more friends she loses.

With even her closest alliances in question, Rowan will have to accept that sometimes the path toward the greater good means making heartrending sacrifices along the way…


CRUEL INTENTIONS by Siobhan Davis

In the power struggle between two elite groups, one feisty girl will bring them to their knees…

Life is a cruel game where only the most ruthless survive. It’s a truth my mother rebelled against, and she paid for it with her life. Now, I play their game. Publicly accepting the destiny that lies in wait for me when I turn eighteen.

But, behind closed doors, I plot my escape.

Trent, Charlie, and my twin, Drew, rule the hallways of Rydeville High with arrogance and an iron fist. I execute my role perfectly, hating every second, but they never let me forget my place in this world.

Everyone obeys the rules. They have for generations. Because our families have always been in control.

Until Cam, Sawyer, and Jackson show up. Throwing their new money around. Challenging the status quo. Setting hearts racing with their gorgeous faces, hot bodies, and bad boy attitudes.

Battle lines are drawn. Sides are taken. And I’m trapped in the middle, because I made a mistake one fateful night when I gave my V-card to a stranger in a blatant F you to my fiancé.

I thought it was the one thing I owned. A precious memory to carry me through each dark day.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Because the stranger was Camden Marshall, leader of the new elite and my perpetual tormenter. He hates me with a passion unrivaled, and he won’t be the only one. Fire will rain down if the truth is revealed, threatening alliances, and the power struggle will turn vicious.

My life will hang in the balance.

But I’ll be ready, and I’m not going down without a fight.

Due to mature content and themes this book is recommended to readers eighteen and over.


MAN FAST by Krista Sandor

Denver’s biggest playboy is about to get schooled.

Brennen 

Rich, powerful, and a former pro skier—nothing and no woman is off-limits to Brennen Bergen. Part of the billion-dollar Bergen mountain sports family, he’s reigned supreme over the Denver social scene with his playboy antics.

But that’s about to change when he meets Abby Quinn and gets schooled on the MAN FAST.

Abby 

After a disastrous breakup, Abby Quinn has sworn off men.

No dating. No boyfriends.

A complete Man Fast.

She’s starting over in Denver and landed a teaching position at a prestigious elementary school. It’s a temporary post, but if she does a good job, the position could be permanent.

Too bad Brennen Bergen has just thrown a wrench into her plans.

Forced to shape up or be cut out of his family’s fortune, Brennen must prove he’s a contributing member of the community by volunteering at his former elementary school—Abby’s new school—and the place where he can’t hide behind his bad boy ways to numb the pain he’s carried for over a decade.

Will an attraction between them spell trouble for Abby or will Brennen finally have met his match?

Man Fast is the first book in the Bergen Brothers Series.


LOLLIPOP by S.M. Lumetta

“The greatest wave I’ll ever catch is the lifetime of adventure I get simply by being with you. In every way. ”
~Fox Monkhouse

Experience a special series of flashbacks (and more!) through Fox’s eyes as he and his “Lollipop” head to the altar with a boob-hogging baby Henry—and the rest of the Bodhi Beach crew—in tow.


SOMEONE LIKE ME by Stephanie Fournet

Drew Moroux has spent the last eight years in Angola State Pen, and if it were up to him, he’d rot there.

He’ll never be able to make up for what he’s done, but when he finds himself on the outside, Drew has to keep it together for the two people in his family who still believe in him.

But holding it together means working, taking care of his grandmother, and keeping his nose clean. Not spending time with the girl next door. She’s way too good for someone like him.

Evie Lalonde is great at bending over backwards — on a yoga mat and for other people. Of course, that would be easier if her family approved of her job choice. Or her values. Or the way she sees the world.

They definitely don’t approve of Drew Moroux.

But Evie knows the tortured auto mechanic with the gray eyes and rough hands needs a friend more than anything — even if he keeps pushing her away. Still, when she’s with him, friendship is the last thing on her mind.

Falling for free-spirited Evie might be the best thing Drew’s ever done, but it could cost him more than his heart.


RELEASING JUNE 11


THE FRIEND ZONE by Abby Jimenez

Fall in love with this hilarious and heartwarming romantic comedy that USA Todaybestselling author LJ Shen calls “an absolute treat.”

 
Kristen Peterson doesn’t do drama, will fight to the death for her friends, and has no room in her life for guys who just don’t get her. She’s also keeping a big secret: facing a medically necessary procedure that will make it impossible for her to have children.
Planning her best friend’s wedding is bittersweet for Kristen — especially when she meets the best man, Josh Copeland. He’s funny, sexy, never offended by her mile-wide streak of sarcasm, and always one chicken enchilada ahead of her hangry. Even her dog, Stuntman Mike, adores him. The only catch: Josh wants a big family someday. Kristen knows he’d be better off with someone else, but as their attraction grows, it’s harder and harder to keep him at arm’s length.
The Friend Zone will have you laughing one moment and grabbing for tissues the next as it tackles the realities of infertility and loss with wit, heart, and a lot of sass.

GETTING PLAYED by Emma Chase (Audible Original)

A magnificent new romance by New York Times best-selling author Emma Chase – available in audio first!

Dean Walker is all about keeping life simple. He’s effortlessly talented and intelligent – spending his summers playing drums in the local band and the rest of the year teaching high school in the same Jersey town where he grew up. He likes his love life simple too, enjoying the commitment-free hook-ups his good looks and sexy charm have always made oh so easy.

Then he meets Lainey Burrows. And his simple, easy life gets turned upside down.

One wild one-night stand was all it was ever supposed to be, so Lainey is shocked when she discovers that her sizzling summer fling is also her son’s new math teacher. But that’s nothing compared to the most unexpected twist of all – their hot hook-up left Lainey knocked up, and now they’re about to become parents. Together.

What ensues is an addictive, insatiable, sweet and tender romance that won’t be simple, but it will be more than worth the fight.


MALUM: Part 2 by Amo Jones

Some girls don’t like pretty things.
Some girls like things that are destructive, and toxic. Things that fuel our bodies with adrenaline and bring our demons to their knees.
They say magic isn’t real, but it’s it the closest way to describe love? It doesn’t exist physically. It merely exists around us, within us, possessing our souls and making us do stupid shit. Shit like falling in love with a boy who knows how to rip my world apart and raise hell with a simple flick of his wrist. Their secrets are now mine. I’m not just in the middle of this game, I’m helping orchestrate it. Can the cries of my aching soul be enough to drown out the burning embers of my mistakes?
The mind strengthens the heart, roughing the edges to prepare it for war. This is a war I will not win.
This is a war of fate.
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86


MRS. EVERYTHING by Jennifer Weiner

From Jennifer Weiner, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Who Do You Loveand In Her Shoes comes a smart, thoughtful, and timely exploration of two sisters’ lives from the 1950s to the present as they struggle to find their places—and be true to themselves—in a rapidly evolving world. Mrs. Everything is an ambitious, richly textured journey through history—and herstory—as these two sisters navigate a changing America over the course of their lives.

Do we change or does the world change us?

Jo and Bethie Kaufman were born into a world full of promise.

Growing up in 1950s Detroit, they live in a perfect “Dick and Jane” house, where their roles in the family are clearly defined. Jo is the tomboy, the bookish rebel with a passion to make the world more fair; Bethie is the pretty, feminine good girl, a would-be star who enjoys the power her beauty confers and dreams of a traditional life.

But the truth ends up looking different from what the girls imagined. Jo and Bethie survive traumas and tragedies. As their lives unfold against the background of free love and Vietnam, Woodstock and women’s lib, Bethie becomes an adventure-loving wild child who dives headlong into the counterculture and is up for anything (except settling down). Meanwhile, Jo becomes a proper young mother in Connecticut, a witness to the changing world instead of a participant. Neither woman inhabits the world she dreams of, nor has a life that feels authentic or brings her joy. Is it too late for the women to finally stake a claim on happily ever after?

In her most ambitious novel yet, Jennifer Weiner tells a story of two sisters who, with their different dreams and different paths, offer answers to the question: How should a woman be in the world?


RAPHAEL by Tillie Cole- buy link TBA

They are the Fallen. A brotherhood of murderers whose nature compels them to kill. But guided by their leader, Gabriel, the Fallen have learned to use their urges to rid the world of those it is better off without.

For Raphael, sex and death are intertwined. Where there is one, there must be the other. He is a lust killer, luring his victims with the face of an angel and a body built for sin.

And Raphael lives to sin.

His newest mission takes him into the sadistic underworld of Boston’s secret sex clubs, and puts him face to face with his greatest fantasy made flesh.

Maria is everything he’s ever dreamed of, the kill he’s always longed for. She’s not his target. And he knows he must resist. But the temptation is too strong…

Yet Raphael is not the only one with a mission. Maria is not quite what she seems. And as her secrets and Raphael’s unravel, Maria begins to question everything she thought she knew—about evil, about the place she calls home, and about the beautiful sinner she was sent to destroy.

Dark Contemporary Romance. Contains sexual situations, violence, sensitive and taboo subjects, offensive language and topics some may find triggering. Recommended for age 18 years and up.

The Fallen: Genesis a prequel novella in The Deadly Virtues Series and MUST be read before RAPHAEL (DV: book one).


SEXY FILTHY BOSS by Piper Rayne

He’s the sexy alpha male in the corner office who goes through assistants faster than free donuts in the breakroom.

I’m the assistant who was chosen to cover for his last fire.

The owner of the company is clear—hook the biggest client in our firm’s history and there’s a partnership for him and a promotion for me. Stipulation—we do it together.

It doesn’t take a tarot card-reading psychic to figure out where our story is headed… late nights, trips out of town, and more than a few awkward moments filled with sexual tension.

No worries though. I pride myself on my willpower. I can totally ignore his sexy grin, his rock-hard body and his dreamy brown eyes. I will not become the woman other women hate.

But it turns out that Enzo Mancini has a lot of layers and if I don’t stop peeling, I’m going to lose everything, including my dignity.


STAY by Tia Louise- buy link TBA

Stephen Hastings is a control freak.
He’s arrogant. He’s smart as a whip and sexy AF.
He has too much money. He’s bossy, and he’s usually right.
All I saw were his clear blue eyes, tight ass, and ripped torso.
I gladly handed him my V-card that night, ten years ago.
I was so stupid. I swore I’d never be that stupid again…

Emmy Barton works for a dry cleaner?
Yes, that Emmy Barton—long, blonde hair, bright blue eyes, pretty smile…
Sexy little ass. Smart mouth.
She was the only girl who interested me, but I was leaving to be an officer in the Navy.

Now I’m home, running my business, my life is perfectly ordered until I bump into her, divorced and struggling to make ends meet.
I hate seeing her like this. I hate that she married Burt “The Dick” Dickerson. What an asshole.

She says she hates me, but when we fight, it’s all heat and lust.
I won’t leave her this way.
She will let me help her and her son. She will stay
It’s a thin line between love and hate, and this line is on fire.

(STAY is a STAND-ALONE enemies-to-lovers, second-chance, marriage of convenience romance. No cheating. No cliffhangers.)


VOW OF SACRIFICE by Emma Renshaw

She fled from the depths of hell, her life barely intact.

Iris is finally living a peaceful life away from all that she fears. She’s ready to come out of hiding and start living again.

He walked away from a life no one is supposed to escape.

Callan’s been looking over his shoulder for the past two years. There’s a reason they say the mafia is for life. Now, in a new city, and as the guardian of his sister, he has the chance to create a life he can be proud of.

Iris’s world is rocked off its axis when she meets her new neighbor with turquoise eyes and a protective streak a mile wide. Soon the chemistry between them sparks to life and it’s not long before passion consumes them. But their pasts are never too far away…

When those he loves the most are threatened, will the cost of his sacrifice be his own life?


STORM AND FURY by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Enter a world of gargoyle protectors, rising demons and one girl with an explosive secret.

Eighteen-year-old Trinity Marrow may be going blind, but she can see and communicate with ghosts and spirits. Her unique gift is part of a secret so dangerous that she’s been in hiding for years in an isolated compound fiercely guarded by Wardens—gargoyle shape-shifters who protect humankind from demons. If the demons discover the truth about Trinity, they’ll devour her, flesh and bone, to enhance their own powers.

When Wardens from another clan arrive with disturbing reports that something out there is killing both demons and Wardens, Trinity’s safe world implodes. Not the least because one of the outsiders is the most annoying and fascinating person she’s ever met. Zayne has secrets of his own that will upend her world yet again—but working together becomes imperative once demons breach the compound and Trinity’s secret comes to light. To save her family and maybe the world, she’ll have to put her trust in Zayne. But all bets are off as a supernatural war is unleashed…


FIX HER UP by Tessa Bailey

A brand new romantic comedy from New York Times bestseller Tessa Bailey!

Georgette Castle’s family runs the best home renovation business in town, but she picked balloons instead of blueprints and they haven’t taken her seriously since. Frankly, she’s over it. Georgie loves planning children’s birthday parties and making people laugh, just not at her own expense. She’s determined to fix herself up into a Woman of the World… whatever that means.

Phase one: new framework for her business (a website from this decade, perhaps?)

Phase two: a gut-reno on her wardrobe (fyi, leggings are pants.)

Phase three: updates to her exterior (do people still wax?)

Phase four: put herself on the market (and stop crushing on Travis Ford!)

Living her best life means facing the truth: Georgie hasn’t been on a date since, well, ever. Nobody’s asking the town clown out for a night of hot sex, that’s for sure. Maybe if people think she’s having a steamy love affair, they’ll acknowledge she’s not just the “little sister” who paints faces for a living. And who better to help demolish that image than the resident sports star and tabloid favorite.

Travis Ford was major league baseball’s hottest rookie when an injury ended his career. Now he’s flipping houses to keep busy and trying to forget his glory days. But he can’t even cross the street without someone recapping his greatest hits. Or making a joke about his… bat. And then there’s Georgie, his best friend’s sister, who is not a kid anymore. When she proposes a wild scheme—that they pretend to date, to shock her family and help him land a new job—he agrees. What’s the harm? It’s not like it’s real. But the girl Travis used to tease is now a funny, full-of-life woman and there’s nothing fake about how much he wants her…


THE DEFENDER by Donna Grant

Their love knows no borders.

A loner who exudes danger, Lev Ivanski has spent his life in service to one man, someone he loves and respects. But things are changing. Rapidly. Lev and his boss have allies and friends and a new mission more important their than business, all because of the Saints. This clandestine organization needs to be taken down, and Lev has the skills to help. What he doesn’t expect is to be at the mercy of a woman who makes him crave more than he ever thought to want.

Determined and dedicated, Reyna Harris is used to danger and living on the edge. An ex-CIA operative, she’s been embedded with the Saints for years, trying to take them down from the inside. When her cover is blown, she is forced to trust a man she just met, fighting their way out of one battle after another. But there’s something about Lev that Reyna knows she can trust. And love. She needs Lev – and not just to take a swipe at the Saints. Together they’re an unstoppable force. And with their friends, they just might succeed in their mission.


THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF OKAY by Laura Steven

Bitingly funny and shockingly relevant, The Exact Opposite of Okay is a bold, brave, and necessary read for fans of Louise O’Neill and Jennifer Mathieu.

Eighteen-year-old Izzy O’Neill knows exactly who she is—a loyal friend, an aspiring comedian, and a person who believes that milk shakes and Reese’s peanut butter cups are major food groups. But after she’s caught in a compromising position with the son of a politician, it seems like everyone around her is eager to give her a new label: slut.

Izzy is certain that the whole thing will blow over and she can get back to worrying about how she doesn’t reciprocate her best friend Danny’s feelings for her and wondering how she is ever going to find a way out of their small town. Only it doesn’t.

And while she’s used to laughing her way out of any situation, as she finds herself first the center of high school gossip and then in the middle of a national scandal, it’s hard even for her to find humor in the situation.

Izzy may be determined not to let anyone else define who she is, but that proves easier said than done when it seems like everyone has something to say about her.


MORE THAN ANYTHING by Natasha Anders

Two lovers strive to trade a grim past for a bright future in this story of bittersweet yearning.

Tina Jenson belongs to the same social stratum as Harris Chapman, but he’s out of her league—at least that’s what she thinks before they jump in bed together. It’s the perfect night, but when she overhears crude, hurtful comments the next morning, she can’t get away fast enough.

Ten years later, Tina’s life is a mess. That night with Harris didn’t just hurt her feelings; it started a cascade of disappointment and heartbreak. Every time she bumps into Harris, her heart twists inside out. She still wants him, but she’s harboring a painful secret from their night together that she’s not ready to reveal.

Crossed signals, high-society whispers, and shame have kept Tina and Harris apart for years, but deep down, they’re hungry for each other and eager to write their own rules. Can they let go of the past and find their way back to each other, or are the barriers between them too high and too strong?


28 DATES by Stacey Lynn

In the age of apps and social media, how many dates does it take to find “the one”? The author of Knocked Up and Fake Wife swipes right on love with a captivating friends-to-lovers tale.

Caitlin Pappas is a lifelong commitment-phobe. The closest thing she’s had to a relationship in the last few years was a friends-with-benefits thing that fizzled out because the guy wanted more. So when she and her best friend design a new app that promises to find “the one” in 28 Dates, Caitlin is the perfect guinea pig. Little does she know that she may have already met her match. . . .

Jonas Reeves has tried his best to move on after Caitlin didn’t want take things to the next level. Now they really are just friends . . . without benefits. Caitlin’s even a regular at his bar, The Dirty Martini. But when he learns that Caitlin plans to beta-test a new dating app on his home turf, Jonas senses a golden opportunity to win her heart. Even if he has to slide into her DMs to do it. . . .

The steamy standalone novels in Stacey Lynn’s Crazy Love series can be read together or separately:
FAKE WIFE • KNOCKED UP • 28 DATES


HIDE YOUR CRAZY by Lani Lynn Vale

I’m kind of a lady, but definitely more of a weirdo.

Hearing the woman at the table behind him say that to her friend should’ve turned Logan Gibbs off.

It doesn’t. In all honesty, it only makes him listen harder.

He’s had enough weird in his life to last a lifetime. The last thing his complicated life needs is a woman in it who has no clue what color you get when you mix yellow and blue together.

Yet, her obvious blonde moments aren’t enough to deter him. Nor is her lack of finger-painting skills.

I’m a cop, not a miracle worker.

Hearing the man in the group behind her say that should’ve had Katy Roberts running away as fast as her feet would carry her. Katy’s father’s a cop, and it’s hard enough to live her life with Daddy trying to dictate her every move. She needs another cop in her life like she needs yet another thing to go wrong.

To add onto that, she can’t find a job, has no love life to speak of, and has to be the oldest known virgin in Kilgore, Texas.

Yet, when she sees his painting—a painting that resembles a piece of the male anatomy more than the lighthouse they were supposed to be painting—she knows that she has to give him a chance.

The very last thing the two of them expect is for her father and his boss to force them to marry after an eensy-weensy accident. An accident that, surprisingly, both of them want.


THE ONE REAL REGRET by Janet Nissenson

Max Wainwright’s life has been filled with difficult choices, dating back to his rough upbringing in England, a life he left long ago. But as tough as some of those choices have been, he has never regretted making a single one of them – with the exception of the one he made several years ago during a business trip to Seattle. Walking away from the only woman he’s ever really cared about continues to be the biggest regret of his life – the only regret.

Jill Parrish was young, naïve, and impressionable when she first met and fell head over heels in love with the handsome, enigmatic Max Wainwright. She innocently believed their passionate affair would last forever, and that she had met the love of her life. But when he left her without a backwards glance, her heart and spirit were irrevocably broken, and she feared she would never be whole again.

When Max and Jill meet again by chance, she’s finally managed to move on, and is even contemplating an engagement to another man. Will Max find a way to overcome his deep-seated emotional issues and finally claim the only woman he’s ever loved? Or will he risk losing Jill forever, and regretting it for the rest of his life?

 


KICKIN’ IT by Rachel Van Dyken

 

Love breaks the offside rule in New York Times bestselling author Rachel Van Dyken’s irresistibly sexy Red Card romance.

Successful, high-profile sports agent Matt Kingston thinks he can handle anything. Then soccer player Parker Speedman shows up at his door. She is young and gorgeous, has natural talent, and is looking for a team. She’s also a hothead with a punchy past who floored her last coach on live TV. Despite his misgivings, Matt agrees to be both her agent and her coach. Professional common sense says she’s off-limits. But what can he say about the raw attraction between them?

Parker plays soccer with her heart and soul. But after the events of the last year, she’s shaken. She’s already seen what a powerful man can do to a female athlete’s career. And her beloved dream is in the hands of a sexy, gorgeous man with the uncanny ability to slip past her defenses…and into her heart.

Now Matt and Parker are about to learn that when it comes to love, the only way to win is by breaking every rule they know. And by playing nice. Real nice.


A GIRL LIKE YOU by Samantha Chase

Sam Westbrook has always been the family hell-raiser, but as an adult he’s enjoyed not being under the constant watchful eye of his family. That was until his great-grandfather passed away. Forced to move to the small coastal town of Magnolia Sound, Sam can’t escape the reputation that has followed him since his teenage years. But he’ll have to do it to get his inheritance.

Shelby Abbott was always the good girl – it’s what happens when you’re the pastor’s daughter in a small town. Now, she’s ready to leave that image behind. For years she’s heard about wild Sam Westbrook, but she never though she would be the one to catch his eye. And being the center of Sam’s attention isn’t something Shelby ever prepared for.

Sam’s time in Magnolia Sound has an expiration date and Shelby’s not sure she’s the kind of girl who can be just another one of his flings. But Sam’s ready to make some changes. And a girl like her is just who he needs.

 


THE RED LEDGER: 7 by Meredith Wild

No one else can stop them…

I’ve never loved Tristan more. I’ve never trusted him less. Is it murder in his eyes or just jealousy when he insists we’ll find answers in Boston, headquarters of one of our greatest enemies and home to the man I left back in Rio?

I haven’t forgotten Kolt’s betrayal nor the blood that’s already been spilled between our families. Inviting him back into my life with the promise of settling our unfinished business is a dangerous gamble that could end in more bloodshed.

But as his family’s twisted plan starts to unfold, nothing can prepare me for the horror of what will happen if I do nothing. More people will die, and every death will serve a dark purpose. Tristan and I may be an army of two, but one thing is certain—if we can’t save them, no one will.


NATALIE TAN’S BOOK OF LUCK & FORTUNE by Roselle Lim

Lush and visual, chock-full of delicious recipes, Roselle Lim’s magical debut novel is about food, heritage, and finding family in the most unexpected places.  

At the news of her mother’s death, Natalie Tan returns home. The two women hadn’t spoken since Natalie left in anger seven years ago, when her mother refused to support her chosen career as a chef. Natalie is shocked to discover the vibrant neighborhood of San Francisco’s Chinatown that she remembers from her childhood is fading, with businesses failing and families moving out. She’s even more surprised to learn she has inherited her grandmother’s restaurant.

The neighborhood seer reads the restaurant’s fortune in the leaves: Natalie must cook three recipes from her grandmother’s cookbook to aid her struggling neighbors before the restaurant will succeed. Unfortunately, Natalie has no desire to help them try to turn things around—she resents the local shopkeepers for leaving her alone to take care of her agoraphobic mother when she was growing up. But with the support of a surprising new friend and a budding romance, Natalie starts to realize that maybe her neighbors really have been there for her all along.


WAITING FOR TOM HANKS by Kerry Winfrey

A rom-com-obsessed romantic waiting for her perfect leading man learns that life doesn’t always go according to a script in this delightfully charming and funny novel.

Annie Cassidy dreams of being the next Nora Ephron. She spends her days writing screenplays, rewatching Sleepless in Seattle, and waiting for her movie-perfect meet-cute. If she could just find her own Tom Hanks—a man who’s sweet, sensitive, and possibly owns a houseboat—her problems would disappear and her life would be perfect. But Tom Hanks is nowhere in sight.

When a movie starts filming in her neighborhood and Annie gets a job on set, it seems like a sign. Then Annie meets the lead actor, Drew Danforth, a cocky prankster who couldn’t be less like Tom Hanks if he tried. Their meet-cute is more of a meet-fail, but soon Annie finds herself sharing some classic rom-com moments with Drew. Her Tom Hanks can’t be an actor who’s leaving town in a matter of days…can he?


THE PERFECT DATE by Evelyn Lozada & Holly Lorincz

When a single mom ends up playing an unwilling fake girlfriend to a charming playboy baseball player, love suddenly turns everything upside down in this fun, heartwarming multicultural romance.

Angel Gomez has never lived by the book. A Bronx-based unwed mother by the time she was sixteen, Angel’s personal mission has always been to show the world that a Puerto Rican girl is not to be messed with—especially by a man. The only thing that matters to Angel, now, is providing for her son and earning enough tips at the club to complete her nursing degree along the way. Love is nowhere on her agenda.

Caleb “The Duke” Lewis is a star pitcher for the Bronx Bolts whose romantic escapades make delicious fodder for gossip columns. But lately he’s been trying to keep a lower profile—so much so that when he meets Angel, first while she’s in her nurse uniform and the next time behind the bar, she has no idea who Duke is, fails to fall for his obvious charm, and ends up throwing a drink in his face! She is the perfect woman for Duke…to fool the tabloids into thinking he’s finally settling down. But what begins as a charade soon has Duke and Angel hurtling into a full-blown romance that rocks each of their worlds and begs the question: Is this the real deal—or are some love stories just too good to be true?

 


ONE MAN by Lisa Renee Jones

One man can change everything. That man can touch you until you tremble all over. That man can wake you up and allow you to breathe when life leaves you unable to catch your breath. For me that ONE MAN is Jax North. He’s handsome, brutally so, and wealthy, money and power easily at his fingertips. He’s dark, and yet, he can make me smile with a single look or word. He’s a force when he walks into a room.

Our first encounter is intense, overwhelmingly intense. I go with it. I go with him and how can I not? He’s that ONE MAN for me and what a ride it is. But there are things about me that he doesn’t know, he can’t know, so I say goodbye. Only you don’t say goodbye to a man like Jax if he doesn’t want you to. I’ve challenged him without trying. He wants me. I don’t want to want him, and yet, I crave him. He tears me down, my resistance, my walls. But those walls protect me. They seal my secrets inside. And I forget that being alone is safe. I forget that there are reasons I can’t be with Jax North. I forget that once he knows, everything will change.

Because I need him.

​Because he’s my ONE MAN.

One Man is the first book in the dangerously sexy Naked Trilogy by New York Times bestselling author Lisa Renee Jones.


GIMME SOME SUGAR by Juliette Poe

Larkin Mancinkus prides herself on making the town of Whynot, North Carolina just a little sweeter. As owner of Sweet Cakes Bakery, Larkin gets all the town gossip – the sugar, the spice, and the everything not so nice.

So when she finds herself on the tip of everyone’s tongue thanks to an encounter with a mysterious and handsome stranger, she learns the true meaning of ‘if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.’

Deacon Locke has spent his life traveling the world with no particular destination in mind. But when he rolls into Whynot on his Harley, he just knows there is something different about this town.

What he doesn’t know is that out of all the places he’s traveled and all the people he’s met, the gorgeous bakery owner might just entice him to put down some solid roots.

Come on down to see what’s cookin’ between Larkin and Deacon!


BY LETHAL FORCE by Patricia D. Eddy

One mistake, and Ford lost the only woman he ever loved.

Twenty years ago, Joey walked out of his life and into a nightmare. One that shattered her soul along with all hope of a normal life—the one she was supposed to have with Ford.

After throwing himself into his career as a marine, Ford moved to Boston and, along with a blind, former Special Forces soldier, started Second Sight, one of the most elite investigative and security companies in the world. He thought he was happy.

Until one phone call turns his world upside down.

On a humanitarian aid mission with Doctors Without Borders, Joey’s taken, stolen away and forced to witness a world where women are property.

Her unique skills keep her worst nightmares from coming true, but with no possibility of escape and no one to look for her, she fears she’ll soon disappear forever.

Can Ford find her before she loses all hope? Or will this be his final mission?


By Lethal Force is the fifth book in the Away From Keyboard series. Each book can be read as a complete standalone, but characters from previous books do show up in future installments.

Warning: This book contains dark themes, including references to human trafficking and sexual assault. While there is no graphic description of sexual violence, sensitive readers should be aware of these themes before purchasing.


ONCE UPON A WEDDING anthology

Say I do…

Eleven best-selling and award-winning authors request your presence as they share all-new novellas that will have you humming the wedding march and dreaming of champagne toasts. It’s easy to tie the knot with these heartwarming, second chance love stories.

I Do, Again by Jamie Beck
A makeup artist who is forced to become her bridezilla client’s eleventh-hour bridesmaid is dumbstruck to discover her ex-husband is a groomsman and he wants a second chance.

Weather or Knot by Tracy Brogan
Two meteorologists with a turbulent romantic history join a team of storm chasers and discover that love, like lightning, sometimes strikes twice.

The Runaway Bride by Sonali Dev
A groom has one night to convince his runaway bride that her fears that he’s settling for her are anything but true.

Starboard Vow by K.M. Jackson
A cruise director is taken off course when the country’s hottest bachelor – and her secret husband – arrives aboard her ship for a whirlwind cruise.

A Wedding in Swan Harbor by Donna Kauffman
A widowed blueberry farmer is reunited with her late husband’s best friend when he returns to escort her daughter down the aisle.

Snowbound in Vegas by Sally Kilpatrick
A Best Man and Maid of Honor loathe each other…until they’re stuck in a cabin meant for a honeymoon.

Star Struck: Take Two by Falguni Kothari
Embroiled in a Bollywood stunt wedding, an A-list manager is torn between doing what is right for her celebrity client or seizing a second chance with the bad boy groom herself.

Always Yours by Priscilla Oliveras
With love in the air at a familia wedding, two high school sweethearts separated by their misguided mistakes just might find their second chance for a happily ever after together.

Home Sweet Home by Hope Ramsay
Family secrets tore them apart as teens but a wedding in Sweet Home, Virginia, may give star-crossed lovers a second chance at forgiveness and love.

Inseparable by Barbara Samuel
Thwarted high school sweethearts meet again in the gorgeous Colorado mountains for a wedding…of their children.

A Morning Glory Wedding by Liz Talley
A florist responsible for the break-up of the bride’s first marriage gets a chance for forgiveness and a new love with a hunky pastor.

 


THE FRIEND ZONE by Sariah Wilson

From the bestselling author of the #Lovestruck novels comes a rousing romance about following your dreams, second chances, and playing the game of love.

Disgraced college quarterback Logan Hunt was on his way to NFL stardom when he messed up big-time. Now the Texas star player with a bad temper has a new option: Seattle’s EOL College—as in End of the Line, to his fellow misfit recruits. It’s Logan’s last chance. If he can follow the rules. No parties, no fighting, no swearing, and oh, no dating the coach’s daughter, Jess. Simple. Yeah, right. For Logan, there has never been a rule he’s more tempted to break.

The deal is “just friends.” The pretty, confident, and fiercely smart math whiz is fine with pizza, tutoring, and keeping Logan in line. But the closer Jess gets, the more receptive she is to his warm heart and spirit—not to mention his irresistible off-field passes. With defenses down, they’re both heading into the danger zone.

It’s more than thrilling. It’s love. It’s also a game changer that could sideline Logan’s NFL goals—and more important, a future with Jess. But dreams are worth fighting for, right?

 


BROKEN HALO by Brynne Asher

Zero three zero nine.

Four little numbers … four little words. They might be random and insignificant to anyone else, but they meant something to us.

No, they meant everything to us.

Until they were ripped away.

That was the day our lives took a different course. One we had no control over. One that others puppeteered and mangled into a cluster so big, it left us with emotional scars lined with resentment and venom toward each other.

All because I’m a Montgomery and he’s a Barrett.

Now, Trig’s back and he hates me with more hostility and rage than ever … and I’ve learned to do the same. But when the world comes crashing down and the stakes couldn’t be higher, I can’t run and I can’t hide.

I need the help of the one person whose loathing for me runs deeper than blood and colder than his icy-blue stare.

I need Trig.

I need him more than I know.


SISTERS OF SUMMER’S END by Lori Foster

As the summer ends, friendship begins…

When single mom Joy Lee abandoned her old life to take a job at a lakeside resort, she found something that her family’s wealth and influence could never buy: peace of mind. Not easy to come by for the once-burned divorcée who keeps everyone at a distance. But when her new friend, Maris, dares her to take a chance with the drive-in’s charismatic new owner, everything changes for Joy and her young son.

A difficult childhood has left Maris Kennedy with definite priorities. Her job running Summer’s End, the camp store and café, comes first. Always. Nothing could ever make her risk that hard-won security—especially not her free-spirited colleague. But the more she encourages Joy to open herself up to new experiences, the more Maris begins to wonder what she, too, might be missing.

Learning how to trust will bring Joy and Maris together. And soon they form a friendship that leaves them as close as sisters—and open to love where they least expect it…in Summer’s End.


THE SUMMER OF SUNSHINE AND MARGOT by Susan Mallery

The Baxter sisters come from a long line of women with disastrous luck in love. But this summer, Sunshine and Margot will turn disasters into destiny…

As an etiquette coach, Margot teaches her clients to fit in. But she’s never faced a client like Bianca, an aging movie star who gained fame—and notoriety—through a campaign of shock and awe. Schooling Bianca on the fine art of behaving like a proper diplomat’s wife requires intensive lessons, forcing Margot to move into the monastery turned mansion owned by the actress’s intensely private son. Like his incredible home, Alec’s stony exterior hides secret depths Margot would love to explore. But will he trust her enough to let her in?

Sunshine has always been the good-time sister, abandoning jobs to chase after guys who used her, then threw her away. No more. She refuses to be “that girl” again. This time, she’ll finish college, dedicate herself to her job as a nanny, and she 100 percent will not screw up her life again by falling for the wrong guy. Especially not the tempting single dad who also happens to be her boss.

Master storyteller Susan Mallery weaves threads of family drama, humor, romance and a wish-you-were-there setting into one of the most satisfying books of the year!


EXQUISITELY BROKEN by M. Jay Granberry

What happens in Vegas…

Sinclair James wasn’t from my world.
She didn’t have my pedigree or family money.
She was everything I never wanted,
Everything I now realize I needed.
I loved her for six years, her soul, her body, her music.

Until I threw it all away.

One decision changed everything.
One decision destroyed what we had.

She slipped from my life as quietly as she had stolen my heart
But now she’s back.

Sinclair is mine, she just doesn’t know it yet.
This time I’m not letting her go.

So, what happens in Vegas…?

A second chance to repair what was broken.


THE EDGE OF US by Jamie McGuire

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Beautiful Disaster comes a story of a fiercely independent war widow who falls for a protective hotshot firefighter in this gripping contemporary romance.

Widowed before thirty, Naomi Abrams has been through a lot. Her husband Matt sacrificed his life to save his Marine brothers. Daughter of the US modern militia’s founder, heartbroken Naomi joins the Marines in Matt’s place, too-ready to do anything to help protect his team—men who are like brothers to her now. Retiring together to the town of Colorado Springs, they’ve assembled to take on the job of security at the top-secret military base, the Cheyenne Mountain Complex. As they struggle to adjust to their civilian lives, they also discover new dangers.

Zeke Lund has been alone since being bumped out of the foster system at age eighteen, and now his rag-tag family consists of his hotshot brothers and sisters. Shattered by his first love, Zeke never planned to fall for someone again, especially not during fire season in the Colorado mountains, but Naomi is unlike anyone he’s ever met. She’s strong, stubborn, and takes exactly zero crap from anyone. At the top of a freezing canyon, the fire glowing down below, Zeke finally admits he may have feelings for the widow with the foul mouth and broken soul. When his health begins to fail, he wonders if he should love her enough to let her go or let her fight with him—with the real possibility of burying another man she loves.

Despite hurt, pain, fires, and illness, two strong people with fragile hearts struggle to beat the odds… and their love might just be strong enough to survive it all.


RELEASING JUNE 12


WILD, CRAZY HEARTS by Melissa Foster

Discover the magic of New York Times bestseller Melissa Foster’s writing, and see why millions of readers have fallen in love with the Bradens and the rest of the Love in Bloom big-family romance collection.

In WILD, CRAZY HEARTS…
High school teacher Brindle Montgomery and rancher Trace Jericho have been close friends forever and on-again off-again lovers for years. As rebellious as they are stubborn, they’re both perfectly happy with their no-strings-attached hookups. But when Brindle returns from a trip to Paris with a baby bump, it sends Trace’s wild, crazy heart into a frenzy–and Brindle is left wondering if she’s made the biggest mistake of her life.

**
The Bradens & Montgomerys are part of New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Melissa Foster’s Love in Bloom big-family romance collection. Love in Bloom novels feature alpha male heroes and sexy, empowered women. They’re flawed, funny, passionate, and relatable to readers who enjoy contemporary romance and women’s fiction. These novels are written to stand alone or may be enjoyed as part of the larger series, so dive right into this fun, sexy romance.


THE MARRIAGE EFFECT by Karla Sorensen

Logan Ward doesn’t want any more women in his life.

Being a football player and legal guardian to his four younger sisters means his playbook is full. However, one of them just landed in the hospital, which gives his brother the shot he needs to challenge Logan for custody.

Legal counsel says there’s only one thing Logan can do—find himself a wife.

Paige McKinney doesn’t always think things through.

Like walking away from her modeling career without a thought of what might come next. She really doesn’t think it through when she proclaims herself Logan’s fiancé at the hospital, simply because the sexy—albeit grumpy—football player forgot his cell phone at a party and security won’t let her pass. It’s not her fault it was overheard by the worst possible person.

A bargain is struck, and a fake marriage is the perfect solution. But the simple solution creates a whole new problem: they’re not as different as they seem. The reluctant groom has fire inside him, and his impetuous bride is about to light the match.


ALL I KNOW by Tamara Lush

From the author of Constant Craving comes a hilarious story about a woman who feels obligated to care for everyone, a sexy Marine who wants to make his first love his forever bride, and a fake wedding proposal that changes everything.

Kate Cooper has come home to Paradise Beach to help her mom recover from surgery. After all, who else is going to run the family’s tiki bar? A few months on a Florida island won’t hurt her, even if her memories might.

Then Damien Hastings, her high school crush, walks into the bar one night. He’s stunning. Intense. Way more muscular than when they were in high school. And he can’t take his eyes off Kate.

And when Damien finds out that Kate needs health insurance, he does what any gentleman would: ask her to marry him. He’s going to Syria for a year as a military contractor, and he’s loved her for years. It’s the least he can do.

They didn’t return to fall in love. They didn’t expect to have the best sex of their lives. They didn’t plan on a farting dog or a fake engagement.

But strange and wonderful things often happen on Paradise Beach…

ALL I KNOW is Book One in Tamara Lush’s Paradise Beach Series. They are all standalone romantic comedies and can be read in any order. If you adore hilarious banter, second chances, and steamy sexytimes, this is the book for you!


RELEASING JUNE 13


WRITTEN WITH YOU by Aly Martinez

When I was fifteen, a single bullet changed my life. I spent the next decade trying to outrun the devastation of my past, building an empire that would shield me from whatever life could throw at me.

But all the money in the world couldn’t help me when I found a screaming newborn abandoned on my doorstep.

I’d never wanted to be a father. Passing the sludge that ran through my veins down to an innocent child seemed like a tragedy. But there she was—pink cheeks, red hair, and mine.

Somehow, against all logic, that little girl became the best thing that ever happened to me. It was impossible to stay lost in the past when I was the only one who could protect her future.

Which is exactly why, when her mother came back four years later, I was ready for battle.

If only I could stop myself from falling in love with her during the war.


JERSEY SIX by Jewel E. Ann

How far would you go for revenge?

A hit-and-run accident leaves Jersey Six orphaned and homeless on the streets of Newark, shattering her dreams of school dances, pink nail polish, and a diploma.

Eight years later, a burn victim with amnesia wanders into Jersey’s barely-existent life. She resists his efforts to form a friendship until he reveals knowledge of the person responsible for derailing her future. Through their unusual friendship, she discovers a way to avenge the deaths of her foster parents.

All she has to do is destroy the world’s biggest rock star.

In the ultimate game of sex, lies, and manipulation, can Jersey discover the truth? Or will she be blinded by attraction, deceived by love, and destroyed by her past?


ON THE ROCKS by Kandi Steiner- buy link TBA

Noah Becker is nothing but trouble.

That’s what Mama told me when I was a kid, kicking his pew in church and giggling at the games we’d play. It’s what the town said when his father died and the Becker brothers went wild.

And it’s on repeat in my mind the day I walk into the whiskey distillery where he works to buy a wedding gift for my fiancé.

He’s trouble.
Dirty, sweaty, rude trouble.

No matter how many times I repeat it, I can’t escape Noah in our small Tennessee town. And the more I run into him, the more he infuriates me. Because he sees what no one else does.

He sees me—the real me.

The me I’m not sure I’m allowed to be.

I’m Ruby Grace Barnett, the mayor’s daughter. Soon to be a politician’s wife, just like Mama and Daddy always wanted.  Soon to fulfill my family’s legacy, just like I always knew I would.

Until the boy everyone warned me about makes me question everything, like whether the wedding I’m planning is one I even want.

Everyone says Noah Becker is nothing but trouble.

If only I had listened.


THE MAN I NEED by Shanora Williams

There are things that women want, and things that women need.
I know deep down, with every fiber in my body, that I need Mr. Ward.

He started out as my landscape designer, but became so much more.
Now, my life is on the line while living with the devil himself. I have been torn down and broken, and I don’t think I can take anymore.

The man I need was never the one I married.
No, the man I need is the one I was never supposed to have. He’s the one who showed me gentleness, kindness, and true love.

Ward would put up a fight for me at any cost.
I know for a fact, I could be so much happier with him…
But when I come face-to-face with reality, I’m not sure if I’m brave enough to risk it all for someone I’ve just met, even if it seems like Mr. Ward and I are a match made in heaven.


SEVEN SHADES OF YOU by AM Johnson

**Stand Alone**
Her world was color. Canvas and paint. Indie O’Connell lived inside her head. Her voices the muse. And as a freshman at St. Peter’s College, all she wanted, was to create a name for herself with the brush in her hand.

His world was over. Despite his humble upbringing, Kai Carter seemed to have it all. Captain of the swim team and a full scholarship. His golden boy status a mask he had to wear to keep his dream and his family afloat. All the pieces of his life dangled precariously from his fingertips.

Forced to fight a battle he’d never signed up for, Kai’s loyalty turned out to be his undoing, and like a good captain, no matter what the cost, he’d gone down with the ship.

They never planned for their worlds to collide.
He was her brother’s best friend.
She was supposed to be invisible.

Off limits.

Being together, regardless of how much they wanted it, was a line they’d never cross. But when lives get messy, lines get blurred, and in love, nothing is ever black and white.


THE REBOUND by JR Rogue

Some love affairs aren’t meant for the public eye. Some love affairs won’t survive the fallout.

Calliope das Dores is not the perfect rebound, even if her name means “muse”. She is not who I should be running to. But I want her anyway.

She keeps telling me my squeaky-clean image can’t handle the scandal, but this want between us is not black and white, and it never will be.

I don’t care that she’s my uncle’s wife–or that she shares my last name. After finding my girlfriend in bed with my uncle at the end of my worldwide tour, the truth is clear: Calliope and I are the only family we both have left now.

In the beginning, after flying to the Ozarks to tell her of our partners’ sins, I tell myself it’s just so she won’t hear it from someone who would lie to her. But my manager and best friend say I’ve wanted her since I was a kid, and now, finally, she is allowed to want me back.

She says we can get over them with each other–even if it’s in secret, for a summer–but I have to promise her I won’t fall in love. It’s not part of the plan. The details in our past deny us of any future we could have had.

What starts out as a rebound for both of us eventually consumes me. But the flames don’t reach her.

My muse is consumed, too. But not with me.


RELEASING JUNE 14


CAULK TEASE by Megan Green

????? ????? /ˈ??̈?ˌ??̄?/: ? ????? ??? ????? ??? ??? ?????? ? ????? ????, ??? ???’? ?????? ?? ??? ??.

Six weeks ago I was broke, alone, and about to be homeless.

Six weeks ago I had zero intention of moving back to Winchester, Colorado—aka Mayberry on crack.

Six weeks ago a one-night stand had never crossed my mind.

Now?

I threw that all out the window for him. He’s tall, dark, and handsome—with a body made for sin. Hard, fast, and dirty bar bathroom sex has to be experienced at least once, right?

It’s only my luck he’s also my boss and best friend’s older brother.

Barrett Brooks doesn’t believe a woman belongs on a construction site, especially with his company on the line. I’ll prove him wrong—let’s just hope I don’t fall back into bed with him in the process.

#DGRFave & Review: Kingdom of Dreams by Judith McNaught

A KINGDOM OF DREAMS
Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Westmoreland #1
Author: Judith McNaught
Release Date (e-book edition): November 1, 2016

Let New York Times bestselling author Judith McNaught who “is in a class by herself” (USA TODAY) sweep you off your feet and into another time with her sensual, passionate, and spellbinding historical romance classics, featuring her “unique magic” (RT Book Reviews)—now available for the first time on ebook.

Abducted from her convent school, headstrong Scottish beauty Jennifer Merrick does not easily surrender to Royce Westmoreland, Duke of Claymore. Known as “The Wolf,” his very name strikes terror in the hearts of his enemies. But proud Jennifer will have nothing to do with the fierce English warrior who holds her captive, no matter what he threatens. Boldly she challenges his will—until the night he takes her in his powerful embrace, awakening in her an irresistible hunger. Suddenly Jennifer finds herself ensnared in a bewildering and seductive web of pride, passion, and overwhelming love. This beloved tale about two defiant hearts clashing in a furious battle of wills in the glorious age of chivalry “will stay in your heart forever and be a classic on your shelves” (RT Book Reviews, Top Pick).

AMAZON5 MILLION BAZILLION TRILLION STARS!!!!

“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.”

I’ve been dreading this moment. This moment that I’ve been saving for last. The very last historical book of Judith’s backlist that I knew I’d want to savor. I tried to pace myself. To truly get engrained and enjoy the experience of this magical world, and yet I ended up binging late into the night, completely unable to set this book down for even a second.

McNaught has given me some of my top favorite historical romances, but nothing, and I mean NOTHING compares to the experience that was this book. It was EVERYTHING. It was like someone took all of my favorite things and put them into one book full of emotion, swoony romance, and created one of the most unforgettable stories I have ever read. EVER.

It’s no secret that I love a good enemies to lovers trope, but every other book I’ve read in this trope pales in comparison to this book and Jennifer and Royce McNaught is a queen of creating these incredibly tortured and brooding heroes and throwing them into the path of even stronger heroines. Jennifer and Royce are easily my favorite characters I’ve read in my entire reading history. I’m not even kidding.

Why is it when you yield, I feel like the one who has been conquered?”

What happens when a strong beauty gets captured by her clan’s sworn enemy, a man known as The Wolf? One of the most swoony romances I’ve ever read. The only thing I loved more than seeing their wills clash was seeing their walls crumble. I loved watching Royce fall for Jennifer, no matter how much he fights it. And boy did he fight it. Jennifer is not the striking beauty that her younger sister is. But there’s something about her that calls to him. Her strong will, her strength, her bravery. All of it make up one incredibly striking woman that he finds himself falling for rather unwillingly.

There’s plenty of reviews that will give you more detail about this book and I don’t want to rehash more than need be to take away from the experience of this story to those that haven’t read it yet. What I will tell you is that I went through so many emotions reading it. I laughed, I cried, and I fell head over heels for the brooding and imperfect Royce. And if there’s anything I love more than Judith’s tortured heroes, it’s watching them fall and fall hard. I love the perfect layer of angst that spans the entirety of the book. I simply loved everything about this book. One of my top favorite romances I’ve ever read. Bar none.

Review: Fearless King by Maya Hughes

FEARLESS KING
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Sports
Series: Kings of Rittenhouse  #4
Author: Maya Hughes
Release Date: May 30, 2019

My first crush. My first heartbreak. My brother’s best friend.

The butterflies in my stomach turned into full blown eagles the second our lips touched. A kiss under the stars that changed our relationship forever.

After a lifetime of wishing, I stared up into Ford’s eyes with his fingers caressing my cheek and my heart racing.

The evening ended with my heart bleeding on the ballroom floor.

He destroyed my heart two years ago…but now he wants back in my life.

This time I won’t fall under his spell. I’ll resist his sexy, scruffy beard, and panty-melting smirk.

I thought I was over him. Hell, I fully planned to wave to him through my rearview mirror…but with one text, in the middle of the night, I know I’m in over my head.

Ford: I need you.

AMAZON

Olivia was everything I wanted and everything I should’ve never dared to hope I’d have.

I’m a sucker for a good older brother’s best friend trope. Add into this a sexy hockey player that you can’t help but love and a strong heroine that you can’t help but relate to, and you’ve got yourself one delicious recipe for an enjoyable romance.

Fearless King is the story of Ford, the King’s goalie, and Olivia, his best friend’s younger sister. It’s very much a character driven story with plenty of angst and a touch of a forbidden romance to boot.

While this book is technically a standalone, I still feel like I came in with a big disadvantage having only read the previous book in this series. There’s a lot of character driven story arcs that seems to cross over throughout the series that I felt may have helped to tether me a little more to the story. As it was, I couldn’t help but feel like I was coming into this story halfway through. The true enormity of the stinted relationship he now has with Olivia’s older brother and his best friend unravels in pieces throughout the book.

The romance is very much a slow burn, and while I normally love that, it was a little too slow for me here. I wanted more romance. I felt like all the elements keeping Olivia and Ford apart began to almost overshadow the romance of the story.

Now don’t get me wrong, I still very much enjoyed the story. But I also couldn’t help but feel immensely frustrated by some of the things revolving around both Olivia and Ford’s siblings. I really hated Colm, Olivia’s brother, and his antagonistic behavior throughout the entire book. I wanted to shake him he made me so mad at times. But it also made me that much more rabid for his book which we’re getting next.

This was a wonderful read even though it wasn’t my favorite book of Maya’s, but considering I’ve loved the others I’ve read of hers, that’s not exactly a criticism. This is entirely subjective and definitely more of me than the book since it played against a few of my personal biases. I still really enjoyed the story of Ford and Olivia and I definitely can’t wait for the last book in this series.

Review: Then Came You by Kate Meader

THEN CAME YOU
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Laws of Attraction #3
Author: Kate Meader
Release Date: May 7, 2019

In the courtroom, they’re rivals. In the bedroom, they’re . . . divorced. But could the road trip from hell lead to a second chance at love?

Aubrey Gates is the hottest divorce lawyer in Chicago, a barb-tongued stiletto with legs that go on for miles. When her cool gray eyes meet mine across the battlefield, I want her like I’ve never wanted anyone or anything. Then I remember who she is: the woman who brought me to my knees. The woman who destroyed my faith in relationships.

The woman I used to call . . . wife.

And she needs a favor from me, Grant Lincoln.

It seems my ex forgot to mention the demise of our marriage to her dear old grammie, and now we’re both expected to attend her ninetieth birthday party. In Boston. And because it isn’t already awkward enough, Aubrey and I are driving there together from Chicago. That’s more than a thousand miles of tension, heartbreak, and barely concealed lust.

A little piece of paper might say we’re over, but this road trip is the true test. I intend to get my wife back . . . and I won’t stop until “I do.”

AMAZON

Pain is supposed to make you stronger, some idiot said. Love, too. With Aubrey, I feel nothing but fear and weakness, desire and longing. When do I reach the part about becoming a better person?

I adore all things Kate Meader, and the second I got a look at the blurb for this book, I knew I had to read it! It sounded like it would be a great combination of feels, angst and steam, and boy was it!

Aubrey gates is a successful divorce attorney, Boston blue blood society bred yet totally down to earth sort of woman. She’s sharp witted and strong…or at least on the surface. Below the sharply dressed exterior, the woman is still trying to pick up all of her shattered pieces.

Grant is a good ole’ souther boy with the manners and slow drawl to match. He’s Aubrey exact opposite. The boy who grew up on the wrong side of the tracks to her high society. The man that never quite belonged in her family. The sweet to her edgy. Her ex husband and the only man that’s capable of finally shattering the walls that Aubrey has built around her heart in one holiday road trip to visit her family.

I loved the premise of the story, but admittedly, I just didn’t feel like the root of the story was a full novel size. And while I really loved the chemistry between them, I struggled understanding the quick turnaround considering all their emotional issues. Grant tries so hard to get Aubrey to talk about their problems. And Aubrey is just as determined to leave it buried. This ultimately began to get extremely frustrating for me. Don’t get me wrong, I understood her issues and they why’s behind it, I really do. But I also struggled to connect to her stonewalling of a man that’s as incredible as Grant.

Ultimately, the kind of issue they had between them, didn’t seem like it was one that could have been resolved as quickly as it did considering their time apart, hence my saying the book could have worked better as a novella. I think some of the sexy times (and they WERE sexy) served more to keep the book going rather than drive the plot forward, if that makes sense.

Grant was absolute perfection and made the book for me. I adored him so much. And considering my gravitation towards alphaholes in books, that’s saying something. He was the ultimate nice guy and I loved him for it.

I really enjoyed Then Came You and loved Grant and Aubrey’s HEA, but it just didn’t pack as much of a punch for me as much as Kate’s book usually do. Do I think most would really enjoy this one? Absolutely! There’s plenty to love about this romance. It just didn’t check every box for this particularly picky reader.

Copyright © 2015 · Dirty Girl Romance

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