Review & Giveaway: Cooper’s Charm by Lori Foster

August 8, 2018 by · Leave a Comment

COOPER’S CHARM
Series: Love at the Resort #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Lori Foster
Release Date: July 31, 2018

One summer, two sisters and a chance to start over…

Before the burglary that shattered her confidence, Phoenix Rose had a fiancé, a successful store and a busy, happy existence. After months spent adrift, she takes a job at the lakeside resort of Cooper’s Charm. Surrounded by beautiful scenery, friendly colleagues and a charismatic, widowed boss, Phoenix is slowly inching her way back into the world.

Visiting Cooper’s Charm to check up on her little sister, Ridley Rose impulsively agrees to fill in as housekeeper. Still reeling from an ego-bruising divorce, she finds satisfaction in a job well done—and in the attention of the resort’s handsome scuba instructor.

For Phoenix and Ridley, Cooper’s Charm is supposed to be merely temporary. But this detour may lead to the place they most need to be, where the future is as satisfying as it is surprising…

AMAZON | B&N | INDIEBOUND | GOOGLE PLAY

He’d started by wanting to help her, and instead, she’d helped him without even knowing it. She’d brought him back from the dead.

This was such a wonderfully charming, feel-good romance and quintessential beach read, Cooper’s Charm is a definite winner. You get two romances for the price of one here; with both Rose sisters finding their individual roads to a HEA.

Phoenix Rose has come to Cooper’s Charm a shell of a woman she once was. After an armed robbery and assault leaves her a shattered, she comes to this charming little lakeside resort to find herself again. The last thing she expects is to find herself falling for the resort’s broody owner. Cooper is reeling from a loss of his own. But the more he gets to know Phoenix, the more he realizes that he didn’t lose his heart.

Following her sister to make sure she’s ok, Ridley is dealing with issues of her own. After a bitter divorce leaves her cynical but filthy rich, she’s not looking to find a meaningful relationship, but she’s not opposed to some hot sex. Little does she know that she’ll find something much more with the local sexy Scuba Instructor.

The two relationships develop in interchanging POVs; you get Phoenix, Cooper, Ridley, and Baxter. There’s also a small suspense subplot that’s added in. This was a sweet contemporary romance that could have held quite strongly on its own. I really didn’t feel the suspense piece add much to the story, at least not for me. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the book, because I definitely did. It was a cute and steamy read that delivered on two highly satisfying HEAs. If you’re looking for a light-hearted and sweet romance that’s low on angst but with plenty of charm, you can’t go wrong with this one.

LORI FOSTER is a New York Times, USA TODAY and Publishers Weekly bestselling author with books from a variety of publishers, including Berkley/Jove, Kensington, St. Martin’s, and most recently Harlequin. Lori has been a recipient of the prestigious RT Book Reviews Career Achievement Award for Series Romantic Fantasy, and for Contemporary Romance. For more about Lori, visit her website at www.lorifoster.com.

TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

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

Review: The Chase by Elle Kennedy

August 7, 2018 by · Leave a Comment

THE CHASE
Series: Briar U #1
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance
Author: Elle Kennedy
Release Date: August 6, 2018

Everyone says opposites attract. And they must be right, because there’s no logical reason why I’m so drawn to Colin Fitzgerald. I don’t usually go for tattoo-covered, video-gaming, hockey-playing nerd-jocks who think I’m flighty and superficial. His narrow view of me is the first strike against him. It doesn’t help that he’s buddy-buddy with my brother.

And that his best friend has a crush on me.

And that I just moved in with them.

Oh, did I not mention we’re roommates?

I suppose it doesn’t matter. Fitzy has made it clear he’s not interested in me, even though the sparks between us are liable to burn our house down. I’m not the kind of girl who chases after a man, though, and I’m not about to start. I’ve got my hands full dealing with a new school, a sleazy professor, and an uncertain future. So if my sexy brooding roomie wises up and realizes what he’s missing?

He knows where to find me.

AMAZON | iBOOKS | B&N | KOBO

She brings out a growly, primal side of me I hadn’t known existed until she showed up and started driving me batshit crazy.
And…I frickin’ love it. 

Opposites attract in this brand new spin-off series and I frickin’ loved it! See what I did there? Alright, that was entirely too cheesy but I simply couldn’t resist.

As much as I loved Dean in The Score, I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I’d love his younger sister, Summer. She’s a heroine that instantly jumps from the pages at you and there’s something so incredibly endearing about her. She’s beautiful, popular, and a social butterfly. But she’s not a girl without insecurities either and those are the things that make her as endearing as they did.

A woman isn’t defined by her boyfriends. She’s defined by her achievements. And her shoes.”

Colin “Fitzy” Fitzgerald is the quiet, self professed nerd of his hockey buddies and roommates. Where Summer is the social butterfly, he’s the hermit. He knows that Summer has a crush on him, but no matter how strongly he may be attracted to her as well, she’s the opposite of the type of girl he needs.
Then Fitz goes and puts his foot in his mouth, and what was gearing up to be potentially something, soon turns into angry stares and snarky come backs…and he has no idea why.

When a turn of events leaves Summer without a place to live at Briar, the college she’s transferred to after her snafu at Brown, her brother is all too eager to help. Unfortunately it also lands her as the fourth roommate to Fitz; the man she’s determined to now stay away from.

What begins then, is the most sexually charged game of push and pull I’ve read in a while. Summer is determined to stay away from Colin. Colin doesn’t want to want Summer, but can’t help but be pulled into her orbit. Colin’s buddy and other roommate, Hunter, wants Summer. Summer doesn’t want to want Colin, but also has no reason to turn down Hunter. Oh the madness of it all!

While I can see some readers going crazy from Fitzy’s back and forth feelings and behavior, I gobbled it up. I got why he acted the way he did, even if I did want to throttle him for it half the time. HE struggles with his attraction to a girl that’s always in the spotlight when he does his damnedest to shy away from it.

I also absolutely ADORED Summer’s friendship with Brenna. Summer is a true girl’s girl, and I loved the genuine friendship these two forged. I’m also absolutely DYING for Brenna’s book now. The potential set up there sounds utterly delicious.

The Chase was an addicting opposites attract romance that had a smile on my face from beginning to end. The banter, the sexual chemistry, the secondary characters, and the romance were absolutely fantastic! And then there was the quirky humor that I couldn’t get enough of. In particular, the appearances with Dean and the sibling dynamics with him and Summer.

Life isn’t always about you!”
They stand there bickering as if I’m not bent in half on the marble floor, gasping for air.
“I’m not having kids with you,” I wheeze at Summer. “I don’t want to be part of your insane family.” “Oh hush, sweetie. It’s too late. I’ve become attached.”
You’d think it would be impossible to laugh while I’m writhing on the floor in agony. But Summer Heyward-Di Laurentis makes everything possible.

The Chase set the stage for an amazing new series from one of my favorite authors and I already can’t wait for more. If you’re a fan of sizzling New Adult romance, this is a book that’s not to be missed!

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, New Adult · Tagged With: , , , ,

Review & Excerpt Tour: Protected by Lexi Blake

August 7, 2018 by · Leave a Comment

PROTECTED
Series: Masters and Mercenaries #16.5
Genre: Romantic Suspense, Contemporary Romance
Author: Lexi Blake
Release Date: July 31, 2018

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lexi Blake comes a new story in her Masters and Mercenaries series…

A second chance at first love

Years before Wade Rycroft fell in love with Geneva Harris, the smartest girl in his class. The rodeo star and the shy academic made for an odd pair but their chemistry was undeniable. They made plans to get married after high school but when Genny left him standing in the rain, he joined the Army and vowed to leave that life behind. Genny married the town’s golden boy, and Wade knew that he couldn’t go home again.

Could become the promise of a lifetime

Fifteen years later, Wade returns to Broken Bend, Texas for his brother’s wedding and walks into a storm of scandal. Genny’s marriage has dissolved and the town has turned against her. But when someone tries to kill his old love, Wade can’t refuse to help her. In his years after the Army, he’s found his place in the world. His job at McKay-Taggart keeps happy and busy but something is missing. When he takes the job watching over Genny, he realizes what it is.

As danger presses in, Wade must decide if he can forgive past sins or let the woman of his dreams walk into a nightmare….

**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you’ll enjoy each one as much as we do.**

AMAZON | AMAZON PRINT

Coming to other retailers October 29, 2018

“Don’t. Don’t tell me how to feel. I know you’ve worked through this, but I don’t know how to.”“It helps to admit that we were all children back then.”

“My mother wasn’t.” He needed to talk about this with her.

“No, but she wasn’t the same after your dad died. She was lost and I’ve forgiven her,” she replied quietly. “You can’t spend your life being angry.”

“You’re angry with me.”

For a moment he thought she would ignore him. Then she turned to him, her eyes shining in the moonlight. “Maybe. It’s hard to figure out how I feel about you. For a long time, I dreamed about you at night. You were the only man I ever loved. Brock killed that. I think he might have killed the part of me that can love someone other than my son. I didn’t feel a lot when my father passed. But then he was the one who told me to suck it up. I went to him after Brock hit me the first time. He told me to not make my husband mad.”

“Genny, he should have killed him. I would have. God, I should have.” That sorrow that had been building inside him threatened to spill over. Anger was there, but it was overshadowed by the terrible pain he felt at the thought of her being alone and afraid.

“It’s funny,” she said, studying him in the silvery light. “I went over pretty much every possible scenario I could, and this wasn’t the way I thought you would handle it. It’s why it took forever for me to talk to you. I thought you would either not care at all or that you would be so angry you went after everyone. I hesitated because I thought I might unleash a beast.”

He could give her this. Since the moment he’d learned the truth, he’d genuinely forced himself to think about how he reacted. It would be selfish to act out in anger when she needed him to be calm, to think about what was best for her. The drive from Broken Bend to Dallas with Ash had made that clear to him. They needed someone who would thoughtfully protect them, not a raging animal who fed his own needs. “You’ve had enough anger in your life. It’s there. God, it’s there, but I swear I won’t act on it because I won’t do anything that could hurt you. I’ll try to handle him in every legal way I can and if I have to take him out, I’ll do it in a way that can never come back on any of us. You don’t need my rage. You do need me though.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Because you think I’ll let you down again.” It wasn’t a question.

“Because I don’t want to love anyone again,” she admitted.

READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE

NY Times and USA Today bestselling author Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband, three kids, and the laziest rescue dog int eh world. She began writing at a young age, concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn’t until she started writing romance and urban fantasy that she found the stories of her heart.

She likes to find humor in the strangest places and believes in happy endings no matter how odd the couple, threesome, or foursome may seem.

FACEBOOK / TWITTER / WEBSITE / AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Excerpts · Tagged With:

Review: HOT SEAL Target by Lynn Raye Harris

August 6, 2018 by · Leave a Comment

HOT SEAL Target
Series: HOT SEAL Team #6
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Author: Lynn Raye Harris
Release Date: August 7, 2018

Navy SEAL Adam “Blade” Garrison’s assignment to infiltrate a tech billionaire’s criminal operations just got complicated. His cover: bodyguard for the man’s wife. His problem: Blade knows Quinn Halliday far too well. A sophisticated version of the chubby, shy girl Blade once knew, Quinn brings out all his protective instincts—as well as a few carnal ones that surprise him.

Quinn’s pride in having improved herself has turned bitter. She’s trapped in a relationship with a brutal man who views her as nothing more than a possession. Blade’s unexpected arrival makes her hope for more than a barren existence in a gilded prison. Until tragedy strikes, and Quinn realizes she’s next on the hit list.

Blade will do anything to shield Quinn from danger and keep her safe. But as they draw closer, an enemy works to flush them out. If he succeeds, he’ll put an end to Blade and Quinn’s budding happiness.

Unless Blade and his SEAL Team strike first…

**Stand Alone, No Cliffhangers, No Cheating, Happily Ever After Guaranteed!**

AMAZON

His mouth claimed, demanded, devoured. She clung to him, let him lead her, enthralled by the power and passion his kiss created. This was what it meant to want. To need. To desire.

I have yet to read a Lynn Raye Harris book and HOT SEAL Target was no exception. HOT SEAL Target was an action packed and sexy thrill ride and yet another fantastic installment in the HOT SEAL Team series that I’ve become obsessed with!

Back in high school Adam “Blade” Garrison once defended a girl from bullies. The girl was shy, overweight, and clearly infatuated with him, and she also became his best friend and confidant. Until he joined the SEALs and lost touch with her. Now, years later, Adam is on a mission to infiltrate a tech billionaire’s possible criminal operation and his ruse to get into the door is to play bodyguard to the man’s wife. The shocker is that the wife is Quinn Halliday, the girl from his past, and she looks nothing like the chubby teenager he once knew.

The connection between Quinn and Adam was instant and full of pent up sexual tension. I also loved the way that Harris wrote Quinn’s character in such a way that empowered her with the weight loss. This wasn’t just an aesthetic thing for her, and I truly appreciate that. I also appreciated that Adam’s interest in her isn’t written as a sudden thing now that she’s thin and beautiful. He recognizes that he also cared for the girl she once was, as well as his own selfishness and ignorance back then.

Quinn may be living with a tyrant that refuses to let her go, but she’s not a weakling by any means. There’s a quiet and unassuming strength to her that I really enjoyed. There’s also a vulnerability to her that I couldn’t help but connect with. Blade was like every single Harris hero I’ve ever read; intense, protective, and sinfully sexy. I loved his protectiveness towards Quinn and watching their connection blossom into something so much deeper than any of them ever anticipated.

Of course one of my favorite parts of the book was Ian’s cameos, because let’s be honest, I’m frothing at the mouth for more detail about the mysterious enigma that is Ian Black.

THE SERIES

HOT SEAL | HOT SEAL Lover | HOT SEAL Rescue | HOT SEAL Bride | HOT SEAL Redemption | HOT SEAL Target

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

Geri’s Review: All Your Perfects by Colleen Hoover

August 3, 2018 by · Leave a Comment

ALL YOUR PERFECTS
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Colleen Hoover
Release Date: July 17, 2018

Colleen Hoover delivers a tour de force novel about a troubled marriage and the one old forgotten promise that might be able to save it.

Quinn and Graham’s perfect love is threatened by their imperfect marriage. The memories, mistakes, and secrets that they have built up over the years are now tearing them apart.

The one thing that could save them might also be the very thing that pushes their marriage beyond the point of repair.

All Your Perfects is a profound novel about a damaged couple whose potential future hinges on promises made in the past.

This is a heartbreaking page-turner that asks: Can a resounding love with a perfect beginning survive a lifetime between two imperfect people?

 

AMAZON

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!

It’s been a while since I’ve truly sat down and read a Colleen Hoover book until I came across the blurb for this book.

One. It has a marriage-in-peril trope that I love in my books. Two, the blurb along with the first chapter the author shared on social media truly captured my interest. Three. The meet-cute was quite unique. The whole book itself, however, was disappointing.

Quinn and Graham are two married couple whose marriage is on the brink of collapse. There were many things that contributed to this collapse, which readers will slowly learn but the main contributor to their marriage’s demise was Quinn’s infertility.

This was handled well by Hoover. As the book is told by Quinn, we get to experience her pain and bitterness first hand. And a lot of the scenarios that she mentioned rang very true. We immediately understand that this is a woman who is depressed and is barely holding on. Quinn’s POV benefited a lot from Hoover’s sparse but emotional prose. She captured Quinn’s pain so well.

Unfortunately, the past and present storytelling ruined the momentum for me. I hated it. Just when the story starts to get really interesting, you get pulled into the past again. It was Ugly Love all over again! Maybe it was an attempt to make the story more suspenseful than it is or emotional, but whatever the reason was, it didn’t work for me. I found myself getting angry and frustrated having to go back and forth to get the whole story.

Another thing that didn’t work for me were the secondary characters. Quinn’s mother was also a piece of work. She wasn’t a very developed character. She’s just there to be terrible and make Quinn feel bad. And now that I think about it, this book didn’t have a lot of characters. We get to meet Quinn’s sister and her husband, Quinn and Graham’s exes, and Graham’s sister, but they’re not very well-developed characters. They’re there to either prop up (Quinn’s sister) or tear down (Quinn’s mother) the two main protagonists. But I digress.

I didn’t really like Graham either. He is, in my opinion, one of Hoover’s weakest heroes. And I don’t know if it’s because we didn’t get his POV or whatever but he was just boring. The whole cheating thing—yes, it was cheating and there was really no justification for it—made me dislike him even more. I’m not even going to touch on his asinine reason for doing so but yeah, I wasn’t a fan of Graham at all. Not even his letters could make me like him.

And that ending? Ehhh. It wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t spectacular or fleshed out either. It felt very rushed. They opened the box, they cried, and everything just smoothed itself out. However, it was worth mentioning that they apologized to each other and renewed their commitment. But overall, it felt, I don’t know, underwhelming and rushed after all that build up.

Ultimately, this was too heavy-handed for me. Like it’s not enough that Quinn is infertile, she has to suffer more tragedy, she has get cheated on. But that wasn’t enough apparently because she has to miscarry and get a hysterectomy. I mean, goodness, the option to adopt was even taken away from her. There has to be more! More suffering, more hopelessness until it becomes a never-ending cycle of suck.

I was reading this book and I couldn’t help but think “Wow, CoHo really loves to torture her heroines.” Some of her last few releases had been a torture-fest for her female characters. I should be happy, I guess, that at least they’d get HEA but my gosh, she has to torture them first. Which brings me to my last point. One thing I realized about myself as a reader is that the more an author makes the heroine suffer by letting her go through tragedy after tragedy, after the less I care. Other readers have said this was an emotional book and I can see that, but it was just lost on me. It felt manipulative. From the way the whole story was structured to the ungodly amount of tragedy that befell the heroine, it felt manipulative. That was the whole feeling I had while reading this book.

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Uncategorized · Tagged With: , ,

Review: Protected by Lexi Blake

August 1, 2018 by · Leave a Comment

PROTECTED
Series: Masters and Mercenaries #16.5
Genre: Romantic Suspense, Contemporary Romance
Author: Lexi Blake
Release Date: July 31, 2018

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lexi Blake comes a new story in her Masters and Mercenaries series…

A second chance at first love

Years before Wade Rycroft fell in love with Geneva Harris, the smartest girl in his class. The rodeo star and the shy academic made for an odd pair but their chemistry was undeniable. They made plans to get married after high school but when Genny left him standing in the rain, he joined the Army and vowed to leave that life behind. Genny married the town’s golden boy, and Wade knew that he couldn’t go home again.

Could become the promise of a lifetime

Fifteen years later, Wade returns to Broken Bend, Texas for his brother’s wedding and walks into a storm of scandal. Genny’s marriage has dissolved and the town has turned against her. But when someone tries to kill his old love, Wade can’t refuse to help her. In his years after the Army, he’s found his place in the world. His job at McKay-Taggart keeps happy and busy but something is missing. When he takes the job watching over Genny, he realizes what it is.

As danger presses in, Wade must decide if he can forgive past sins or let the woman of his dreams walk into a nightmare….

**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you’ll enjoy each one as much as we do.**

AMAZON

My home, my heart, everything I have is yours. You only have to ask for it. You need someone to hold you, I’m here. You want kisses, these lips are yours. And I’ll be more patient than you can imagine because this is the most important fight of my life. 

I will never, ever get enough of Lexi Blake’s Masters and Mercenaries series. This novella may have been on the shorter side, but it was as satisfying as a full length novel. If you’ve never read a book in this series and you’re looking to dip your toes into the BDSM romance genre, this book is perfect! While it’s 16.5 in the series, you can easily jump in and not be lost. As a fan that has read the entire series, I greedily devoured the character cameos of some of my absolute favorites (*cough* Ian *cough*)

Protected is a highly emotional second chance romance with a delicious grovel and a romance that’s sure to tug at every heart string. I absolutely loved it!

Fifteen years ago, Genny was Wade’s entire world. Young, naive, and thinking they have the world in their hands, they looked forward to forever together…until it all came crashing down. Wade has hated Genny since and avoided his hometown because of her. Now he’s back for his brother’s wedding and forced to come face to face with the woman that broke his heart. Only everything he thought he knew about why she did what she did couldn’t be further from the truth. And now Wade will do anything to protect Genny from the threat against her and to try to work his way back into her heart again.

He wanted a woman who belonged to him, who he belonged to. He wanted disgusting, nasty, utterly committed sex.

I love a good grovel, and Wade didn’t disappoint. The man knows that he screwed up and he screwed up big. He’s not above begging for another chance and I absolutely loved the way he worked for Genny’s heart. Genny was a phenomenal heroine. She’s been through hell but she didn’t let it break her. She’s ferociously protective of the ones she loves and would do anything for them. I loved her core of strength even though she’s not afraid to own up to her fears and show her vulnerabilities. But what I loved even more is the way that Wade holds her hand through all of it.

This is a book you’ll devour in one sitting. It’s emotionally charged with a sexy romance and plenty of action thrown in to spice things up. Ian Taggard’s cameo and signature sarcasm thrown in a wonderful comedic touch that I couldn’t get enough of.

Taggart let go of her hand and held one out to his wife. “This one claims she’ll come back as a ghost if I murder her. She’s rude and called me a moron. She’s perfect. I also think she’s a little bloodthirsty. She’s going to fit in. Now, Harris, I’m going to need you to do that Valkyrie thing we were talking about.”

Another fantastic addition to one of my absolutely favorite series!

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

Review: A Duke by Default by Alyssa Cole

July 31, 2018 by · Leave a Comment

A DUKE BY DEFAULT
Series: Reluctant Royals #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Alyssa Cole
Release Date: July 31, 2018

Award-winning author Alyssa Cole’s Reluctant Royals series continues with a woman on a quest to be the heroine of her own story and the duke in shining armor she rescues along the way

New York City socialite and perpetual hot mess Portia Hobbs is tired of disappointing her family, friends, and—most importantly—herself. An apprenticeship with a struggling swordmaker in Scotland is a chance to use her expertise and discover what she’s capable of. Turns out she excels at aggravating her gruff silver fox boss…when she’s not having inappropriate fantasies about his sexy Scottish burr.

Tavish McKenzie doesn’t need a rich, spoiled American telling him how to run his armory…even if she is infuriatingly good at it. Tav tries to rebuff his apprentice, and his attraction to her, but when Portia accidentally discovers that he’s the secret son of a duke, rough-around-the-edges Tav becomes her newest makeover project.

Forging metal into weapons and armor is one thing, but when desire burns out of control and the media spotlight gets too hot to bear, can a commoner turned duke and his posh apprentice find lasting love?

AMAZON

“You’re my liege. You’re the person I’m fighting for.”

Alyssa Cole delivered another sweet and heartfelt romance with A Duke by Default! She continues to be one of my go-to contemporary romance authors these days. There’s just something about her stories and her characters that speaks to me as a reader. And this book, is a great example of what this talented author can do!

Portia Hobbs might be my favorite Alyssa Cole heroine to date. When she was introduced, she was a bit of a hot mess. She has a truckload of issues that made her an interesting character to me. I didn’t like her that much in A Princess in Theory but I was curious about her. And I knew that Alyssa Cole is going to do her story justice.

She was done with fuckboys, and fuckbosses for that matter, no matter how sexy their accents were.

I was so right. Alyssa Cole not only made me sympathize with Portia, she made me love her. I wasn’t even halfway in when I knew without a doubt that Portia would become one of my favorite contemporary romance heroines. No joke. Cole did a fantastic job exposing all of Portia’s wounds, her hopes and dreams, and things that make her what or who she is. And I loved everything I read about her.

But it wasn’t just Portia who made this book for me. The hero, Tavish MacKenzie was Portia’s boss, and he’s grumpy and hot as hell. And if you’ve been following me for long enough, you’d know that I have a weakness for hot, grumpy heroes. Tav is a world-class grump, and he is perfect for Portia. Oh, he did some knuckleheaded things and had put his foot in his mouth a couple of times but he is a great hero.

Her boss acted like a gruff, annoying jerk, but dammit there was something about a man who could casually mention Middle Cornish at dinner conversation without sounding pretentious that Portia found irresistible. It didn’t matter—she would resist.

I loved these two characters individually and as a couple. Their romance was emotionally rich and compelling. It tugged at my emotions without being manipulative. The interaction between Tav and Portia is taut with sexual tension and chemistry, I had to stop and fan myself a couple of times because their chemistry was off the freaking charts.

But it wasn’t just their chemistry that drew me in. It was also the fact that these two characters genuinely liked and respected each other. Their banter and how they related to each other was just as satisfying as their red-hot chemistry.

Not only that, I also loved the way Alyssa Cole wrote the secondary characters in this book. None of them felt like throwaways. Even that librarian who was in the book for like two pages, made me smile. Cole makes you notice them. She has a knack of elevating secondary characters that makes you genuinely interested in reading about them. I adored Jamie and Cheryl as well as Tavish’s parents. His interactions with them is probably my favorites, outside of his interactions with Portia, of course.

“We were attracted to each other, we kissed, you humped my leg a little, and everything’s fine now.”

We also get to know Portia’s accomplished twin, Reggie. Although, I wish there was more of her. Two other standout characters that I really liked was Nya and Johann. Eeep! Oh my gosh, there’s so much I want to learn about these two. Again, I don’t want to spoil anything but, you guys, I’m even more excited to read the third book in this series. I cannot wait!

My only gripe about this book was the lack of epilogue. I mean, it doesn’t even have to have an epilogue but I wish the ending was longer. It felt abrupt to me and there were some confrontations that I wanted to happen. I’m going to spoiler tag them, so enter at your own risk:

[su_spoiler title=”Spoiler” open=”no” style=”default” icon=”plus” anchor=”” class=””]

One, I wish Portia get to confront her parents! I was really upset about the things they said, albeit they don’t realize how hurtful they were. But still, they really did a number on Portia.

Two. I wish Portia had told Tavish and Reggie and her parents about her ADHD diagnosis. I understood why Portia might have reservations but still, I wish she had told someone.

[/su_spoiler]

However, those things did not detract from my enjoyment of the book. Overall, A Duke by Default was fabulously charming read. You really won’t want to miss this one. I know some readers are worried about Portia because of the things she did in the first book, but guys, trust. Alyssa Cole made me love this imperfect character and if she can do that to me, I reckon, she has a chance of making you love Portia as well.

“You can think what you want about yourself, but I’ve two eyes and a brain in my head and the view right now? It’s bloody brilliant.”

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

New Release & Review: Someone Else’s Ocean by Kate Stewart

July 29, 2018 by · Leave a Comment

SOMEONE ELSE’S OCEAN
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Kate Stewart
Release Date: July 31, 2018

The first time I met Ian Kemp in the sparkling blue waters of St. Thomas, I was six years old and we shared a summer beneath the stars.

The second time I met Ian Kemp, he was a shell of the boy I once knew.

Turbulent and infuriating, he refused my friendship at every turn.

Like me, he was a casualty of life’s cruelty, but we were planets apart.

We’d both sought refuge on the island, hoping to find our anchor.

Instead, we found each other and managed to reclaim our stars…until we both got swept away.

AMAZON

We’d become magnetic and inseparable and I let it happen in my selfish haze knowing it would rip us to shreds to lose it.

Someone Else’s Ocean will not be a book you read, it’ll be a book you experience. It’s a book that’ll take you on an emotional journey filled with heartbreak, hope, and second chances. It will tug at your every heart string, it’ll make you feel, it will break you, and it will put the broken pieces back together again. It was a beautiful romance that was brimming with emotion and I loved every heart wrenching page of it.

The man was pure venom and anger and he was dragging me down with him.

Koti moves to the beautiful island of St. Thomas to escape; escape a life she had but where she wasn’t really living. But even though she’s now in paradise, it doesn’t mean that she’s moved on.
Ian goes to St. Thomas for an escape of his own. Reeling from a devastating discovery, he’s full of rage and scorn. While Koti and Ian grew up together and were childhood friends, there’s nothing left of that connection now. Koti sees the heartbreak in his eyes and tries to soothe the pain he feels, while Ian pushes her away with hard words and cold stares at every chance he gets.

The somewhat enemies to lovers start that Ian and Koti have definitely whet the appetite for the slow burn romance that begins to form between them.

She was dangerous for me in every way. I was addicted to her warmth, her kiss, her body.

The pacing of the romance was absolute perfection! What starts as bitter neighbors, leads to an almost unwilling friendship, and soon to something so much bigger. The story is character driven and incredibly written. Set on the gorgeous backdrop of St Thomas, these two go through plenty of up and downs both together and individually. Ian and Koti are both fighting their own demons but in different ways. Their romance is doomed from the start. They live different lives and while St Thomas is an escape for Ian, it’s become Koti’s salinity. They know that they don’t have a future, but their connection is simply too fiery to resist.

I loved watching them heal each other’s wounds. I loved watching their romance blossom into something much more that the fling they thought they were having. I loved the emotionally charged story and the wonderful secondary characters. But what I loved even more is the INCREDIBLE epilogue. It was, hands down, one of my absolutely favorite epilogues I’ve read. Kate Stewart never disappoints, and she’s delivered once again with a gripping romance that was full of feels and plenty of sizzle.

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

Blog Tour: Dirty Sexy Player by Laurelin Paige

July 27, 2018 by · Leave a Comment

 

DIRTY SEXY PLAYER
Series: Dirty Games Duet #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Laurelin Paige
Cover Designer: Laurelin Paige & Tom Barnes
Release Date: July 23, 2018

A New Duet in the Dirty Filthy Universe from NYT Bestselling Author, Laurelin Paige.

Weston King knows how to play. But wild nights and owning an extensive collection of women’s panties don’t carry the thrill they once did, so when his business partner Donovan suggests an outrageous plan to allow them to take over their competition, Wes takes him up on the offer. The crazy idea? Marry the competitor.

Elizabeth Dyson, the bride-to-be in question, is on board with the plan. She wants access to her trust fund and can only get it once she marries. Each has something the other wants – all they have to do is pretend to like each other well enough to tie the knot.

Only trouble is, playing fiancé to Elizabeth isn’t quite that simple. Wes finds her sexy and brilliant…and soon wishes their engagement wasn’t fake at all. Not that he’d ever tell her that.

But a lover boy like Wes can only stand an empty bed for so long…and even the best of players has to put down his cards eventually.

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

I looked at the windows past him, trying to distract myself. Lights flashed and swirled around the dance floor in time to the beat, the only part of the music which made it into the sanctuary of the bubble room. I could tell it was crowded, but I couldn’t make out faces the way they could probably make out ours. “I don’t know if anyone’s looking,” I said.

“Don’t worry about them. Just focus on what you’re doing.”

Easy for him to say. He wasn’t facing them. He was only looking at me.

Nope. I couldn’t think about that either. Just had to focus on the task at hand.

I closed my eyes. “So just pretend that I… That we are… That under my dress…” I couldn’t even say it.

Weston leaned forward and murmured near my ear. “Yes, pretend that under your dress you are not wearing any panties. I have my dick out. I’m working you, and you are showing me exactly how you like it. Now go.”

Just like that, my panties were damp.

I didn’t know if he was saying those things to loosen me up or to get a rise out of me, either was possible.

Whatever his intent, it did the trick. He set the scene. I felt my face flush like the women in the videos as I imagined him rubbing his crown against my slit before nudging his tip inside and then burying himself to the hilt.

I opened my mouth in a silent gasp, acting out how I was sure it would feel. Good. It would feel so good.

This was so…weird. So hot and sexy and arousing and weird.

I wondered if he was feeling it too, feeling turned on, or if it was just me. It wasn’t like I could ask though, and knowing probably wouldn’t help my performance anyway.

So I concentrated on me. Focused on the task.

“Do I move or something?” I bucked my hips forward and felt the friction against my crotch as it rubbed the fly of his pants.

Mmm.

“Yeah,” he said breathlessly. “That’s good. That motion. Just like that.”

“Okay. Okay.” I rocked against him again, and again, my hips tilting back and forth, my clit brushing against his fly. Every time, stroking and kindling a fire in a fireplace I hadn’t had cleaned for some time. I spread my thighs a little wider and braced my knees against the bench so I could swing my pelvis all the way forward, in and out, in and…

Oh.

I froze. “Is that—?” But I didn’t have to ask. There was most definitely a fat, thick ridge pressed against the crotch panel of my panties. I guess that answered the question of whether he was feeling it too.

My eyes flew open. “Oh my God!”

“Look,” he said, ready to defend himself. “There’s an extremely attractive woman sitting on my lap. I cannot help what happens to my cock. It has a mind of its own.”

A really big mind of its own.


READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE

 

 

With over 1.5 million books sold world wide, Laurelin Paige is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling Author. She is a sucker for a good romance and gets giddy anytime there’s kissing, much to the embarrassment of her three daughters. Her husband doesn’t seem to complain, however. When she isn’t reading or writing sexy stories, she’s probably singing, watching Game of Thrones or The Walking Dead, or dreaming of Michael Fassbender. She’s also a proud member of Mensa International though she doesn’t do anything with the organization except use it as material for her bio. She is represented by Rebecca Friedman.

 

CONNECT WITH LAURELIN PAIGE

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaurelinPaige/

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2knJOrx

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/laurelin-paige

Twitter: @LaurelinPaige

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thereallaurelinpaige/

Facebook Fan Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/HudsonPierce/

Website: http://www.laurelinpaige.com

Never miss an update! Subscribe to Laurelin’s mailing list:

Newsletter: http://bit.ly/LaurelinNews

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Blog Tours, Contemporary Romance · Tagged With: ,

Review: Dirty Sexy Player by Laurelin Paige

July 24, 2018 by · Leave a Comment

DIRTY SEXY PLAYER
Series: Dirty Games Duet #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Laurelin Paige
Release Date: July 23, 2018

A New Duet in the Dirty Filthy Universe from NYT Bestselling Author, Laurelin Paige.

Weston King knows how to play. But wild nights and owning an extensive collection of women’s panties don’t carry the thrill they once did, so when his business partner Donovan suggests an outrageous plan to allow them to take over their competition, Wes takes him up on the offer. The crazy idea? Marry the competitor.

Elizabeth Dyson, the bride-to-be in question, is on board with the plan. She wants access to her trust fund and can only get it once she marries. Each has something the other wants – all they have to do is pretend to like each other well enough to tie the knot.

Only trouble is, playing fiancé to Elizabeth isn’t quite that simple. Wes finds her sexy and brilliant…and soon wishes their engagement wasn’t fake at all. Not that he’d ever tell her that.

But a lover boy like Wes can only stand an empty bed for so long…and even the best of players has to put down his cards eventually.

AMAZON

Something in that indifferent stare of hers made me want to eat her up. Tear her apart. Find her heart and see what made it beat faster.

Weston King initially got my attention in Dirty Filthy Rich Men, by the time I got to Dirty Filthy Rich Love I was desperate for his book. I’m a sucker for an enemies to lovers trope. Add a marriage of convenience into that mix and I’m putty in your hands. Putty, I tells ya!

Weston was my favorite sort of bad boy; irreverent, cocky, and sexier than sin. If you’ve read the Dirty Duet, then you already know a good chunk of this story. But what you don’t know, is the nitty gritty details of this deliciously sexy set up between Weston and Elizabeth.

He kissed the way he fought—mean and hot, bordering on explosive.

I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about Elizabeth because I wasn’t a huge fan of her in the previous book. But getting to be inside her head in this one definitely helped to endear her to me. She’s still not my favorite heroine of this author, but she did manage to grow on me. She’s one tough broad, and even if I found her to be a touch abrasive at times, I appreciated her backbone and ambition.

The push and pull between her and Weston was like being on a rollercoaster. These two spend a good chunk of the book fighting with each other, then fighting to rip the clothes of each other, and then back to fighting. They were so hot and cold, it made me want to drink or rip my hair out. But I also gobbled it right up. I love me some battle of wills with a heavy undercurrent of sexual tension, and these two had it in spades.

To be quite honest, this book was a solid 4 stars, if not higher for me. But then I got to the end and one small plot device managed to kick me a bit off of my book high. Now this may work for a large chunk of readers, but for this reader? I didn’t care for it. But I do have faith that the amazing talent that is Laurelin Paige just may make me change my mind with book 2. Perhaps this will serve a bigger purpose or drive the plot forward. But as far as this book goes, it simply didn’t work for me. I was very bummed because I was enjoying it immensely up until that point and then it kind of hit a brick wall. Don’t get me wrong, I still liked the book, but I could have done without that one particular twist.

Will I read the next book? Abso-freaking-lutely! I’m beyond invested in this couple and can’t wait to see how it all concludes.

PRE-ORDER 

DIRTY SEXY GAMESRelease Date: November 12, 2018

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Contemporary Romance · Tagged With: ,
Copyright © 2015 · Dirty Girl Romance

%d bloggers like this: