Review: Too Wild To Tame by Tessa Bailey

too-wild-to-tame-reviewTOO WILD TO TAME
Series: Romancing the Clarksons #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Tessa Bailey
Release Date: September 6, 2016add-to-goodreads-button-2

toowildtotame

Sometimes you just can’t resist playing with fire . . . 

By day, Aaron Clarkson suits up, shakes hands, and acts the perfect gentleman. But at night, behind bedroom doors, the tie comes off and the real Aaron comes out to play. Mixing business with pleasure got him fired, so Aaron knows that if he wants to work for the country’s most powerful senator, he’ll have to keep his eye on the prize. That’s easier said than done when he meets the senator’s daughter, who’s wild, gorgeous, and 100 percent trouble.

Grace Pendleton is the black sheep of her conservative family. Yet while Aaron’s presence reminds her of a past she’d rather forget, something in his eyes keeps drawing her in. Maybe it’s the way his voice turns her molten. Or maybe it’s because deep down inside, the ultra-smooth, polished Aaron Clarkson might be more than even Grace can handle . . .

 

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Review3.5 stars

She was forcing him to consider light and shadows, when he’d only ever dealt in black and white. And she was the light. Shining bright enough to flay him.

When I read Too Hot to Handle, Aaron was a character that intrigued me right away. Tessa Bailey gives the reader just enough to catch their curiosity but then like the sadist that she surely is, she makes you wait until that particular Clrackson’s book to appease it. Aaron is in his own personal hell; in a car with his siblings on the trek to NY with a brother that would sooner glare at him than talk to him and the regrets of what sent him away in the first place.

Aaron is advisor to the politicians and loves his job, but a mistake he made cost him everything. Now his only chance to resurrect his career, is to get on the good side of a senator that’s on the fast trek to presidency. But then he meets the woman that throws a wrench into all his plans and good intentions

Getting close to another person was suicide, as far as he was concerned. People eventually walked away, although he wasn’t sure if that was a universal rule, or one that pertained only to him. His father had replaced Belmont as the male rock in his life, built him up, and then he’d gone and fucked off, too, hadn’t he? Left him bitter and self-sufficient. He was grateful for seeing human nature for what it was, deep down. The women he took to bed didn’t seem to mind, either.

Aaron is broody and grumpy, but when that man lets his mouth loose? Holy explosive ovaries! Tessa knows how to write a hell of a dirty talker and she definitely doesn’t disappoint with Aaron Clarkson.

This book had all the things I felt lacking in the first book; angst, sexual tension, and that sweet sweet burn of a sexual tension that burns to scorching levels. So why not rate higher? Well, my picky self was still missing a certain connection with the story. I just wasn’t invested enough in the characters and the romance to be yearning to turn the pages. Don’t get me wrong, it was entertaining and I definitely enjoyed it for the most part. But will it be something I come back to? Probably not. I also loved Grace’s story, but something about her as a character just didn’t connect me with her.

I loved getting a glimpse into the other two Clarkson siblings, and I’m practically salivating for Sage and her brooding Clarkson brother to get together already but I’m thinking Tessa is saving that bad boy for last.

If you’re looking for a sexy contemporary romance with a whole lot of dirty talk and a brooding but completely endearing hero, definitely give this book a shot.


ROMANCING THE CLARKSONS SERIES

TOO HOT TO HANDLE | TOO WILD TO TAME |
TOO HARD TO FORGET
(releasing 4/27/17)

DGR Favorite & Review: Sparking The Fire by @KittyMeader

sparking-the-fire-reviewSPARKING THE FIRE
Series: Hot in Chicago #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Kate Meader
Release Date: September 27, 2016add-to-goodreads-button-2

sparking-the-fire

Kate Meader’s blazing Hot in Chicago firefighter series has “everything you want in a romance” (RT Book Reviews, Top Pick)! The flames of desire burn out of control in this sexy third novel when ex-lovers unexpectedly reunite for a sizzling affair that will have the director yelling, “Quiet on the set!”

Actor Molly Cade, America’s fallen sweetheart, finally has her shot at a Hollywood comeback with a dramatic new role as a tough-as-nails firefighter that promises to propel her back to the big time and restore her self-respect.

Wyatt Fox, resident daredevil at Engine Co. 6, needs a low-key job to keep him busy while he recovers from his latest rescue stunt. Consulting on a local movie shoot should add just enough spark to his day. Especially when in struts Molly Cade: the woman who worked his heart over good, and then left him in the Windy City dust.

Their story is straight out of a script: irrepressible, spunky heroine meets taciturn, smoldering hero. But these two refuse to be typecast, and when the embers of an old love are stoked, someone is bound to get burned…

Buy LinksAMAZON | B&N | iBOOKSReview-DGR5 starssparking-the-fire-dgr-teaser

He’d thought he could control himself around Molly, yet every second in her presence loosened the granite hold on his emotions one more slippery, dangerous inch.

That’s it! Stick a fork in me, I’m done! I am a pile of dead and melted goo, all at the hands of a broody, silent, former Marine turned firefighter. I would like my headstone to read that my ultimate demise came from the hottest BILF I’ve ever read, and I regret nothing. NOTHING.

What’s a BILF you ask?

She poked him in the chest. “Drunk, sober, any state, I would be doin’ you tonight, Mister. Lucky. That’s what you are. A total BILF.”
“BILF?”
“Beard I’d like to fuck.”

When I’m in a book funk, I know all I need is 5 minutes with a Kate Meader book and I’ll have an instant goofy grin on my face and the worst case of blue ovaries known to man kind. Why? Because the woman writes some of the best alpha heroes and I can’t get enough of it!

So what happens when a silent and socially awkward firefighter that likes to stay in the shadow of his infamous foster siblings meets a woman that’s in the very center of the spotlight? A. Whole. Lot. Of. Awesome.

Their lives did not mesh. She was Hollywood designer duds. He was Chicago Dumpster diving. And he wanted her more than his next breath. But since when in hell had he ever gotten anything he wanted?

Wyatt Fox is the quietest one of his siblings, the unassuming one, the one that sticks to himself. But for six nights years ago, he let his inhibitions fly with a woman that left him in the dust but he hasn’t stopped thinking about since.

Molly Cade is used to the media attention, but after an ugly divorce brought her on the wrong end of public scrutiny, she’s hoping the new movie she’s starring and producing will turn things around on her. Little does she expect that the new CFD consultant on the movie set is none other than the man that she never expected to see again. Suffice it to say that sparks fly and fires are set!
Sparking The Fire is written in Meader’s signature sassy style with plenty of sexy and a whole lot of banter which I’ve come to be addicted to.

She placed her palms on his shoulders. “You planning to glare me into orgasm, Marine?”
“I don’t glare. I smolder.”

I am head over ovaries in love with this series. I’d set my house on fire just to get my very own Wyatt Fox to come over and put out my fire…uhem.

The romance is full of sizzle and spark, and just enough sexual chemistry to set your kindle on fire. I loved the back and forth between Molly and Wyatt. The odds are stacked against them and they’re complete opposites, but yet they can’t stay away from each other.

Molly was absolute perfection. She’s sassy and funny and doesn’t let anything get her down. She has a backbone but still has this perfect amount of vulnerability to make her incredibly endearing. As for Wyatt? Wowza! I’m all about the BILF.

Nothing had ever felt this good. No one had ever felt this good. It had always been her.

If you haven’t read this series, you’re seriously missing out. If you haven’t read anything by this amazing author, you’re seriously missing out. And if you haven’t made plans to meet Wyatt Fox, then you’re SERIOUSLY missing out!

Kate Meader is going to spoil me with her awesomeness soon, but you won’t hear a peep of complaint out of this reader.


HOT IN CHICAGO SERIES 

REKINDLE THE FLAME | FLIRTING WITH FIRE | MELTING POINT | PLAYING WITH FIRE | SPARKING THE FIRE

Review: HOT SEAL Rescue by @LynnRayeHarris

hot-seal-rescue-reviewHOT SEAL Rescue
Series: Hot SEAL Team #3
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Author: Lynn Raye Harris
Release Date: September 27, 2016add-to-goodreads-button-2

hotsealrescue

From New York Times bestselling author Lynn Raye Harris comes the next explosive story in the HOT SEAL Team series!

Navy SEAL Cody “Cowboy” McCormick is in Las Vegas for a little R & R before his friend’s wedding when a beautiful blonde jams a gun in his side and abducts him from a casino in broad daylight. He could stop her, but he plays along because he’s intrigued—plus he’s convinced she’s in danger.

CIA agent Miranda Lockwood’s life is on the line when an undercover operation goes wrong. Little does she know when she sashays up to the biggest, baddest looking dude in the casino lobby that she’s kidnapping a Navy SEAL—or that she’ll be unable to resist his charm when he turns up the heat.

When the CIA labels her a rogue agent, Miranda’s faith in everything she believes in is shaken to the core. Cody’s the only one she can trust to help her find the traitor in the agency. But even though she’s forced to betray him, she can’t get over the SEAL who made her feel safe in his arms. Miranda will have to fight harder than she’s ever fought for anything if she wants his forgiveness—but Cody’s not in a forgiving mood in spite of the sparks that still fly when he’s forced to team up with her again.

When disaster strikes and they’re caught in the line of fire, Cody will do everything in his power to keep them both alive. Because if he doesn’t, he’ll never get to hold Miranda close again…

Buy-Links10PRE-ORDER
AMAZON | iBOOKS | B&N


Review4.5 starshot-seal-rescue-dgr-teaser

She was his for the taking. And he was going to take her. Every which way he wanted, damn her. Every which way that made her beg him for more. And then he was going to walk away and never think about her again.

Cody “Cowboy” McCormick.
Sorry. Quick pervy thought intermission….

And I’m back!

Lynn Raye Harris is filled with magic. MAGIC I tells ya! How else would it be possible for the woman to keep coming up with these sexy military heroes that are hotter than the last? I’ve devoured her Hostile Operations Team series and she’s got another huge winner with the spin-off, HOT Seal Team.

If you haven’t read the HOT series yet, no worries, you can easily read this series first and enjoy each book as a standalone. That being said, I highly recommend each book in both this series and HOT, so you won’t want want to miss it.

Harris has a knack for writing strong, kick-ass heroines, and Miranda Jane is certainly no exception. A CIA agent that’s undercover to bring to justice the man that killed her mentor, she finds herself in hot water when her identity is compromised. So what’s a girl to do? Kidnap the nearest badass looking man in the Vegas hotel lobby at gun point, of course. Unbeknownst to her, the man she thinks is not just badass looking, but really IS a badass. Navy SEAL Cody knows he can disarm the woman that’s holding a gun to him in seconds, but his curiosity gets the best of him when he sees the desperation shadow in her eyes. What begins is a whole lot of awesome!

Miranda Jane wasn’t delicate or useless. She was beautiful and lethal. And sexier than fuck, damn her.

I love that Harris is always able to combine amazing story telling, with heart pounding suspense and wrap it around an extremely sexy and satisfying romance. And boy was this sexy! I loved me some cowboy Cody. Cody is easy going and first to laugh, but he’s so intense with Miranda. I couldn’t get enough of it. Miranda was the perfect combination of vulnerable and strong. No one writes an awesome heroine quite like this author.

Why had he gotten to her? He was just a man she’d abducted in a casino so she could escape Victor Conti. A random stranger- and now he was in her system so deep she didn’t think she’d ever get him out.

Hot Seal Rescue was another huge winner for me. Each time I finish a book by Lynn Raye Harris, I say to myself that it can’t possibly get any better, and then I read the next book and it always does! I love the new SEAL additions to the HOT boys and I’m already salivating for the next installment in what’s now become one of my favorite series by an author that’s my go-to when I need a guaranteed unputdownable read that’s equal parts entertaining and sexy, with plenty of action in and out of the bedroom!


HOT SEAL (Hot SEAL Team #1)
GOODREADS | AMAZON | MY REVIEW

HOT SEAL Lover (HOT SEAL Team #2)
GOODREADS | AMAZON | MY REVIEW

Jennifer’s Review: Do You Want To Start a Scandal by @TessaDare

do-you-want-to-start-a-scandal-reviewDO YOU WANT TO START A SCANDAL
Series: Spindle Cove #5
Genre: Historical Romance
Author: Tessa Dare
Release Date: September 27, 2016add-to-goodreads-button-2

do-you-want-to-start-a-scandal

On the night of the Parkhurst ball, someone had a scandalous tryst in the library. Was it Lord Canby, with the maid, on the divan? Or Miss Fairchild, with a rake, against the wall? Perhaps the butler did it.

All Charlotte Highwood knows is this: it wasn’t her. But rumors to the contrary are buzzing. Unless she can discover the lovers’ true identity, she’ll be forced to marry Piers Brandon, Lord Granville—the coldest, most arrogantly handsome gentleman she’s ever had the misfortune to embrace. When it comes to emotion, the man hasn’t got a clue.

But as they set about finding the mystery lovers, Piers reveals a few secrets of his own. The oh-so-proper marquess can pick locks, land punches, tease with sly wit . . . and melt a woman’s knees with a single kiss. The only thing he guards more fiercely than Charlotte’s safety is the truth about his dark past.

Their passion is intense. The danger is real. Soon Charlotte’s feeling torn. Will she risk all to prove her innocence? Or surrender it to a man who’s sworn to never love?

Buy LinksAMAZON | iBOOKS | B&NReview-DGR5 stars

5 “Oliveview” Stars!!!!
This book is a combination of James Bond and the game of Clue, and I enjoyed every second of it. It’s witty. It’s sexy. It’s everything “Tessa Dare.” When I think of Tessa Dare, this is the perfect amount of all that she is, wrapped up in one book. Can you tell that I love her?

à la Mode St. » fashion

She unsettled him; he anchored her. Together, they could be more than they were apart.

à la Mode St. » fashionThis book is…..ONE…..GIANT……SWOON. And if you don’t like this book, then you can suck my aubergine (see below for definition of “aubergine” or you can just read this book!).

Ps. Just kidding. If you don’t like this book, that’s fine. Everyone can have their own opinion….please don’t hate me for saying suck my aubergine.

The Aubergine…aka Eggplant!!! Tessa, you put an eggplant in this book! Hilarious!!!!!!

Ok, let’s actually talk about the book.

Granville. Piers Granville…. is a spy for the Crown. He is on a mission as a guest of the house, but when Charlotte corners him to “save him” from herself, and they are caught in a misunderstood compromising situation, they have no other choice but to pursue marriage. Piers pursues Charlotte relentlessly, but I love that Charlotte doesn’t give in at first. She is determined to prove that they are too different, and she is also determined to keep her independence. I love that Charlotte knows exactly who she is and what she wants.
à la Mode St. » fashion

“Those walls, as you called them…They’re part of me now, and they are iron strong.” He lifted a hand to her face, skimming his thumb over her lower lip. “Even if I wished to, I wouldn’t know how to dismantle them.”

“I know,” she said quietly. “I know.” She wreathed her arms around his neck. “That’s why you need me. I’m going to burn them to the ground.”

à la Mode St. » fashionMy Piers:

”There is nothing untoward in Lord Granville’s mind. He has the most toward mind I’ve ever encountered.”

Men's Fashion Post on Instagram: “You can't ever go wrong with a classic style suit. Happy Friday ya'll Follow @MensFashion for more inspo!”:
My Charlotte:

No matter how she tried, Charlotte Highwood was unable to be anyone other than herself.

 :
Charlotte is…….absolutely hilarious. And so endearing. She is described as “innocent, not ignorant,” and that is perfect because she isn’t worldly like Piers, but she has a natural inclination of reading people and solving mysteries. She pursues this mystery and finds hints here and there throughout the book. I’m usually not a big fan of mystery novels, but there was less mystery and more romance, so it was perfect for me.
à la Mode St. » fashion

”If I let myself come anywhere near you” – he caught her wrists and lifted them, pinning her arms to the wall – “I’d have your skirts tossed up to your ears and my cock buried inside you before the rest of them looked up from their tea.”

à la Mode St. » fashionTessa Dare is easily in my top 5 favorite historical romance authors. Whenever I read Tessa Dare, I just know there will be swooning, and giggling and sexy times. She has the whole package when it comes to historical romance. Her books and stories are always so much fun! I have loved every Tessa Dare book that I have read so far (I’ve read 4 of her books). I got an ARC of this book…..but I’m going to be buying the paperback to have on my shelf FOREVER!!!

This is the 5th book in the series. It is a standalone, so you don’t have to read the first 4 to read this one. I only read one other book in this series before I read this one.


THE SPINDLE COVE SERIES

A NIGHT TO SURRENDER (bk 1)
ONCE UPON A WINTER’S DARE (bk 1.5)
A WEEK TO BE WICKED (bk 2) ~ Jennifer’s Review
A LADY BY MIDNIGHT (bk 3)
BEAUTY AND THE BLACKSMITH (bk 3.5)
ANY DUCHESS WILL DO (bk 4)
LORD DASHWOOD MISSED OUT  (bk 4.5)
DO YOU WANT TO START A SCANDAL (bk 5)

New Release & Review: Levi’s Blue by M. Leighton

review-levis-blueLEVI’S BLUE
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: M. Leighton
Release Date: September 19, 2016add-to-goodreads-button-2

LEVI'S BLUE COVER final

Four beautiful days. Three steamy nights. One breathtaking love.

Levi Michaelson.

He wanted four dates. Four opportunities to prove I could trust him. Four chances to change my mind about him.

I agreed.

Probably not my smartest decision. He was everything I knew to avoid—gorgeous, charming, sexy as hell—but I couldn’t help myself. When he touched me the whole world disappeared. I should’ve known I could lose myself to him, that he could be the one man to destroy me.

I guess it’s true what they say—some things are too good to be true. And Levi Michaelson might just be one of them.

Buy LinksAMAZON | iBOOKS | B&N | KOBO

liveReview-DGR4 starslevis-blue-dgr-teaser

He’s what I can’t have and what I wish for, what I should reach toward and what I should run from.
He’s everything I shouldn’t risk, yet here I am risking everything.

Truth be told I had no idea what to expect when I started reading this book. All I knew is that I was intrigued by that blurb and I had to read it. M. Leighton always creates some of the most memorable alpha males. I read Down to You years ago, and I still remember every detail of the book.

Levi’s Blue is unlike any other book I’ve read by this author. It was captivating and emotional. It was a beautiful story of love and second chances. The pacing is slow and steady, the character development is rich and flowing, and the story well and truly unforgettable.

Something about her draws me. Like gravity or a magnet. Or the warmth of a fire on a cold winter’s night.

Evian de Champlain is a talented artist. She’s beautiful, sweet, and self-depreciating in a way that makes you just click with her. At the opening night on her art show, she quite literally falls into the arms of a handsome stranger. She knows nothing of Levi except that something about him simply draws her to him. Evie has been hurt by men in the past and isn’t quick to trust, so when this handsome man asks for four dates to prove that he’s different, she’s reluctant to believe him but can’t help but take him up on the offer.

I should run. I know I should run. But I know that I won’t. I know that without a doubt, too. Because some things are worth hurting over. I just hope Levi is one of them.

Theirs was a relationship that was a slow burn. It’s filled with humor and a connection that burns with the sizzle of sexual chemistry until becoming downright explosive.

I want to see you come on the sheets I sleep on. I want these walls to hear the sounds you make when I bury my body inside you. And I want to look down into your face when I make you lose it in my bed. Because in here, you’re mine. All mine.

Little by little you learn more and more about Evie and her past. She’s not one of those tough and ballsy heroines, but there’s this silent undercurrent of strength to her anyway. She was incredibly endearing and I loved the way she could stand her own even to the cattiest and meanest of people.

Levi was absolute perfection. He’s sweet and sexy and so protective of Evie. I loved watching him fall more and more for her, even though through everything, he remains mostly a mystery. You know he’s hiding something but it’s not until much later that the puzzle pieces begin to click together.

The writing was absolutely phenomenal. It had a lyrical quality to it but without the cheesy aspect that a lot of descriptive writing can get sometimes.

I’m thinking you could be the end of me. The bright, beautiful firework that ends me. That sets me on fire. The flame that burns a brilliant blue and gold and white at the center of me.
“I don’t want to be the end of you. I want to be the beginning.”

I have to admit I struggled a bit with the first half of the book. Perhaps the pacing was a bit slow to start or maybe I just didn’t connect to the story until the second half, but I found my interest waning at parts. Little did I know that it was simply the calm before the storm and the second half would absolutely blow my mind! When the revelations began to happen in the second half of the story? Man oh man, I was riveted to the pages, just waiting to see what happens next.

If you’re looking for a romance that’s different from the norm, beautifully written, and a story you won’t soon forget, then Levi’s Blue needs to be on your TBR!

About the Author

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Jennifer’s Review: An Indecent Proposal by Katee Robert

review-an-indecent-proposalAN INDECENT PROPOSAL
Series: The O’Malleys #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Suspense
Author: Katee Robert
Release Date: August 30, 2016add-to-goodreads-button-2

an-indecent-proposal-cover

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Katee Robert continues her smoking-hot series about the O’Malleys-wealthy, powerful, and full of scandalous family secrets.

Greed. Ambition. Violence. Those are the “values” Olivia Rashidi learned from her Russian mob family-and the values she must leave behind for the sake of her daughter. When she meets Cillian O’Malley, she recognizes the red flag of his family name . . . yet she still can’t stop herself from seeing the smoldering, tortured man. To save her family, Olivia sets out to discover Cillian’s own secrets, but the real revelation is how fast-and how hard-she’s falling for him.

Plagued by a violent past, Cillian is more vulnerable than anyone realizes. Anyone except Olivia, whose beauty, compassion, and pride have him at “hello,” even if she’s more inclined to say good-bye to an O’Malley. While his proposal of sex with no strings seems simple, what he feels for her isn’t, especially after he learns that she belongs to a rival crime family. Cillian knows that there is no escape from the life, but Olivia may be worth trying-and dying-for . . .

Buy LinksAMAZON | iBOOKSReview-DGR3.5 stars

I wish wish wish I would have read the two books before this one, and I definitely want to go back and read them. It sounds like we get more of a picture of Cillian before the Cillian we see in this book, given the hints of the next siblings throughout this book. I am very intrigued by this family. This crime/mafia book definitely stands out among the others. It is more emotional and not as violent.

My Cillian:

My Olivia:

 :
Cillian is one of 7 children who makes up the O’Malley Irish mob family in Boston. He is a former party, playboy, but now he is plagued by his brother’s death and the need to just be better. I LOVE Cillian. He is unlike any character I’ve ever read, and I immediately pictured Stephen James as Cillian right away with the tattoos and the suits and his demeanor. He wants to do right by Olivia.

Olivia is tied to the New York Russian mob, so she knows what it is like to be part of a family of secrets and violence. She is trying to escape this part of her life, so she tries to stay away from Cillian, but she is drawn by him.
à la Mode St. » fashion

”I promised myself I’d never get involved with someone like you.”

“Sweetheart, there is no one like me.”

à la Mode St. » fashion20535944What I loved most about this book is the writing style and emotions in this book. There isn’t much to say about the story. I wish the plot would have moved more. This is a personal preference. I am fan of plot writing. Nevertheless, I really enjoy Katee’s writing style. I got swept up in the emotions of the characters. Cillian and Olivia were well-developed, enough that I didn’t want to stop reading. I really enjoyed the beginning, but the middle of the book fell flat for me only because we get caught up in the characters’ heads.

I am a FAN of Katee Roberts. She is easily becoming one of my favorite go-to authors. Her style is intriguing and keeps me guessing. I’ve read her Brazen books, which are a little more light and fun, but I love this darker side of her as well.


THE O’MALLEYS SERIES

THE MARRIAGE CONTRACT | THE WEDDING PACT | AN INDECENT PROPOSAL

FORBIDDEN PROMISESreleasing May 30, 2017

Review: Roman Crazy by Alice Clayton & Nina Bocci

review-roman-crazyRoman Crazy
Series: The Broads Abroad #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Authors: Nina Bocci & Alice Clayton
Release Date: September 16, 2016add-to-goodreads-button-2

roman-crazy-9781501117633_hr

Avery Bardot steps off the plane in Rome, looking for a fresh start. She’s left behind a soon-to-be ex-husband in Boston and plans to spend the summer with her best friend Daisy, licking her wounds—and perhaps a gelato or two. But when her American-expat friend throws her a welcome party on her first night, Avery’s thrown for a loop when she sees a man she never thought she’d see again: Italian architect Marcello Bianchi.

Marcello was the man—the one who got away. And now her past is colliding with her present, a present where she should be mourning the loss of her marriage and—hey, that fettuccine is delicious! And so is Marcello…

Slipping easily into the good life of summertime in Rome, Avery spends her days exploring a city that makes art historians swoon, and her nights swooning over her unexpected what was old is new again romance. It’s heady, it’s fevered, it’s wanton, and it’s crazy. But could this really be her new life? Or is it just a temporary reprieve before returning to the land of twin-set cardigans and crustless sandwiches?

A celebration of great friendship, passionate romance, and wonderful food, Roman Crazy is a lighthearted story of second chances and living life to the fullest.

Buy-Links10AMAZON | iBOOKS | KOBOReview-DGR3.5 stars

It wasn’t love or lust, but something we both recognized as a possibility of something. It was so pure, so uninhibited … We just threw ourselves into it. These moments that were little pockets of perfection. It was like nothing else mattered. Just us.”

Finding your husband banging his secretary isn’t the most shocking thing Avery Bardot has recently experienced. The shocking thing was just how little it truly affected her. Was she mad? Sure. But did she feel that bone deep ache over the ultimate shattering of her marriage to her college sweetheart? Surprisingly…no. Avery sacrificed her own dreams and life to watch her husband make his happen, and she’s done with that. She’s taking charge of her life and starting it with getting on a plane to visit her best friend in Rome.

What starts off as a mere plan to get away for a while soon begins to turn to something so much more when all the pieces that have been missing in her life begin to fall into place. But then Avery runs into a man from her past, a man that affected her like no other. A man that she left behind in her youth but never forgot.

Marcello looked every bit like my greatest love and my biggest regret.

Avery and Marcello are not the same young and loose free people as they were when they met, but their feelings for each other haven’t changed. And what starts from an uneasy truce, soon turns to friendship and then to much much more.

Roman Crazy is a heartfelt and romantic journey of love and second chances. It’s a story of friendship and lifelong bonds. It’s filled with humor, painted within the beautiful culture of Italy, engrained with the beauty of its streets and people. I loved the way these authors truly brought Rome to life in this book. I was lucky to visit most of Italy, and I swear I could actually smell the cafes as they were being described.

So now you’re asking yourself, why only 3.5 stars then? Well, that’s more a personal thing than anything with the book really. See, this read more like a chick lit than romance to me. Don’t get me wrong, the romance is still very much there, but the story is so much more than that too. But I’m not a reader that really reads chick lit so it’s not a preference of mine. While the story is entertaining, I began to get bored in certain parts and hoping for a quicker pace. I loved being engrained in the culture of Italy and Rome, but wanted more of the romance. The story is actually very well paced, and well balanced with romance, but ultimately it just wasn’t something that kept me riveted to the pages.

Was it entertaining? Absolutely! Is it something I’d recommend to fans of Alice Clayton? You bet! Will it make you a fan of the newcomer Nina Bocci? Oh yes! Was it entirely my cuppa? Not quite, but that doesn’t mean I’m not already anticipating the next installment in this fun new series!

Blog Tour, Review & Giveaway: Well Hung by Lauren Blakely

adwhcoupleavailablemnWELL HUNG
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romantic Comedy
Author: Lauren Blakely
Release Date: September 10, 2016add-to-goodreads-button-2

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From the NYT Bestselling author of MISTER O, comes a hot and hilarious new standalone…
Here’s what you need to know about me — I’m well-off, well-hung and quick with a joke. Women like a guy who makes them laugh—and I don’t mean at the size of his d*ck. No, they want their funny with a side of huge… not to mention loyal. I’ve got all that plus a big bank account, thanks to my booming construction business. Yup. I know how to use all my tools.

Enter Natalie. Hot, sexy, smart, and my new assistant. Which makes her totally off limits… 

Hey, I’m a good guy. Really. I do my best to stay far away from the kind of temptation she brings to work.

Until one night in Vegas… 

Yeah, you’ve heard this one before. Bad news on the business front, drowning our sorrows in a few too many Harvey Wallbangers, and then I’m banging her. In my hotel room. In her hotel room. Behind the Titanic slot machine at the Flamingo (don’t ask). And before I can make her say “Oh God right there YES!” one more time, we’re both saying yes—the big yes—at a roadside chapel in front of a guy in press-on sideburns and a shiny gold leisure suit.

But it turns out what happened in Vegas didn’t stay in Vegas. And now, my dick doesn’t stay in my pants when she’s around. I try to resist. Honest. But the more we try to keep our hands to ourselves, the more we end up naked again, and the more time I want to spend with her fully clothed, too.

The question now is…do I take this woman to be my ex-wife?

Buy Links

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

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Excerpt

She twirls the pen in her hand. “So who caused the contamination today? Was it Floyd or Kevin the oily electrician you tried to put a chokehold on?”“Oily Kevin needed the chokehold. Agree or disagree?”

She nods. “Completely agree. There’s so much agreement in me, I can’t imagine how much more I could possibly agree.”

“The chokehold was one hundred percent certifiably necessary,” I add, since Kevin had hit on her when he stopped by a few weeks ago. Here’s the thing—Natalie could dropkick him in the blink of an eye. She could slam him to the ground herself. But that shit he pulled with the leering and lewd comments does not fly with me. I would have done the same if a dude tried to get fresh with my little sister, Josie, at the bakery where she works. So I’d dropped a hand on Kevin’s shoulder, Vulcan style, and promptly escorted him the fuck out of my office. No one, and I mean no one, gets to put the moves on my employees.

“It was Floyd today,” I tell her, then give her the safe-for-work version of the story—the one about Floyd’s client conquests, not his comments about banging assistants. There’s no need to have that hanging out there in the air between us. Can’t plant that forbidden idea in her head.

That risky, dangerous, dirty, filthy, completely fucking alluring idea. My eyes roam the office briefly, and I catalogue all the places that are calling out to be christened. Her desk, her chair, the floor…

Just like that, my head is a wild rumpus of inappropriate ideas. Exactly what it shouldn’t be. It’s like horny aliens have invaded my mind.

But I’m not Floyd. I can do better, so I picture a vise, jam the images into it, and crush them out of my mind. The dirty images and the horny aliens, too.

“And then I escorted him out of Lila’s home and said see ya later,” I tell her, finishing the story, as I drag a hand through my dark brown hair. “Like, in another lifetime later.”

“Hmmm…” she says.

“Hmm, that’s great, or hmm, why did I give one of our suppliers the heave-ho?”

“Hmm, as in your story gives me a good idea. Something I’ve wanted to do for a long time.”

“What’s that?”

Her eyes sparkle. Hers are a lighter shade than my dark blue. “Want me to find a new hinge supplier?”

The idea is beyond perfect. I smack my palm against the edge of her desk enthusiastically. “Yes. And for the record, you’re brilliant and beauty—“ I cut the last word off so it sounds like a low bass note. Note to self: Don’t call her beautiful when you’re berating other men for hitting on her at work.

She’s watching me, waiting for me to finish my sentence, and somehow I twist the words into a new compliment, as I say, “Brilliant, and…bountiful.”

Bountiful? Seriously? What the hell was that? Maybe she won’t notice.

No such luck.

“Bountiful?” she asks, skepticism thick in her tone. As it fucking should be. “I’m bountiful?”

I nod, going with it, owning it. “Your brain. It’s like a cornucopia of ideas. It’s a Thanksgiving bounty. It’s bountiful,” I say, because I’ve got to sell this cover-up.

She squares her shoulders. “If you say so, Hammer.” And this bountiful brain was two steps ahead today. I already found a new supplier. I called around, talked to some of our colleagues, and got some great recommendations. I already have a new hinge guy lined up.”

My smile spreads quickly. “Damn. You are three steps ahead of me.”

“A good assistant should be.”

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Review-DGR5 stars5 Horny Aliens Stars!!!!!

(Don’t google “horny aliens.” Very bad idea. Just read this book instead.)

BAD, BAD, JENNIFER!!! I am putting myself in the corner because this is the first Lauren Blakely book I’ve ever read, and I am kicking myself for it!

Lauren Blakely deserves all of my happiness because that is exactly what I’m giving her right now.

20515589-_sx540_Wyatt Hammer…..yep, that’s his name….owns a construction company. He has a fantastic assistant who helps him with scheduling, and is pretty much his dream woman, but because she works for him, he is trying to be the good guy and keep it professional. They get a contract in Vegas and fly out together to make it happen, and after it falls through, agree to have one night of Vegas together. You can see where this is going.

My Wyatt:
Chris Pratt Eye Candy : theBERRY:
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Natalie: Become ugly. Act like an asshole. Stop being so damn caring.

Wyatt: Likewise, could you start acting like a cold-hearted bitch who’ll stab me in the back? It’d make it so much easier to keep my hands off you.

Natalie: If you could get a reversal on your sense of humor so I wouldn’t laugh so much around you, that’d also help.

Wyatt: While you’re at it, please stop having so damn much in common with me.

à la Mode St. » fashionMy Natalie:

Amber Heard:
Natalie is just trying to do her job of being an organized assistant for Wyatt’s construction company, but his hot body keeps distracting her. She is a badass ninja but also a girly, flirty girl looking for her unicorn. We don’t hear much of Natalie’s pov, but I still had a clear picture of who she was and what she might be thinking. The texting between her and her friends and sister was definitely entertaining and a nice addition to the story.

20515590-_sy540_
The beginning of this book is everything. Even though Wyatt is trying to stay away, I love that he just went for what he wanted. I loved that Natalie was touchy and flirty without being inappropriate or annoying. I loved that the happiness of the beginning of this book lasted for almost half of the book. So many Vegas books start off with the dread of the morning after, but with this one, we get to live all of the wonderful goodness of the Vegas moments and I loved that.
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She’s slipping through my fingers, this woman tangled up with me in the mess we made one crazy night. Now, I want all those entanglements. I crave them. Judging from this emptiness in my chest, I fucking need them, because this moment with her – her sweetness, her zaniness, her upside-down sense of humor that matches mine – is the only balm to that ache.

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I LOVED that this whole book was in Wyatt’s point of view. Few authors can write a whole book from a guy’s pov, but this author CAN! And she did an awesome job of it. I literally laughed out loud, more than once. The cheesy jokes between these two….it just worked! This book felt like a combination of Tessa Bailey and Emma Chase and I ate up every word. The hotness level in this book just sends it over the edge of awesome.

About the Author

daisywhitneylaurenblakelyheadshot_smallSince self-publishing her debut romance novel CAUGHT UP IN US three years ago, Lauren Blakely has sold more than 1 million books. She is known for her sexy contemporary romance style that’s full of heat, heart and humor. A devout fan of cake and canines, Lauren has plotted entire novels while walking her four-legged friends. She lives in California with her family. With ten New York Times bestsellers, her titles have appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestseller Lists more than fifty times. Her bestselling series include Sinful Nights, Seductive Nights, No Regrets, Caught Up in Love, and Fighting Fire as well as standalone romantic comedies like BIG ROCK and MISTER O, which were both instant New York Times Bestsellers. In the fall she’ll release WELL HUNG, another romantic comedy. To receive an email when Lauren releases a new book, sign up for her newsletter, laurenblakely.com/newsletter!

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Newsletter | Goodreads

Giveaway✮✮✮ Enter to win three signed copies of WELL HUNG! ✮✮✮

 

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DGR Fave & Review: Loving You Easy by @RoniLoren

review-loving-you-easyLOVING YOU EASY
Series: Loving On The Edge #9
Genre: BDSM, Erotic Romance, Menage
Author: Roni Loren
Release Date: September 6, 2016add-to-goodreads-button-2

lovingyoueasycover

Three lovers really click in the latest from the New York Times bestselling author of Call on Me—
  
Cora has an amazing sex life. She’s beautiful, daring, and the most popular submissive in Hayven. Too bad none of it’s real… 
 
IT specialist Cora Benning has figured out the key to her formerly disastrous love life—make it virtual. In the online world of Hayven, she’s free of her geek girl image and can indulge her most private fantasies with a sexy, mysterious master without anyone in her life discovering her secrets. Until her information is hacked and she finds herself working to fix the breach under two very powerful men—one who seems all too familiar…

Best friends and business partners Ren Muroya and Hayes Fox were once revered dominants. Then Hayes was wrongfully sent to prison and everything changed. Ren wants to get back to who they were. Hayes can’t risk it. But when they discover the new IT specialist is their online fascination, and that she’s never felt a dominant’s touch, the temptation to turn virtual into reality becomes all too great…

Buy LinksAMAZON | iBOOKS Review-DGR5 stars

You have no idea the things I want to do to you. Don’t tempt me.”

Well hot diggity damn that was freaking AWESOME! No seriously, y’all! That was quite possibly my favorite book in this series. And let me just tell you, I’ve been a huge fan of this series from book 1, so that’s really saying something. I must have read this entire thing in one pervy glee filled sitting. I couldn’t put it down for even a second. This book was everything I love as a romance reader. Yes, like all of Roni’s books in the series it was smoking hot, but it was also so much more than that! It was a little angsty with some suspense and mystery thrown in. The characters were incredibly endearing that you simply can’t help but fall for them right away. And then there was Hayes. *dreamy sigh*
I swear, that man tugged at every heart string I had…until he got in his Dom mode. Then he just made my ovaries sing.

I love a spicy little MMF romance, but the great ones are harder and harder to come by lately for me. What I loved most about Loving You Easy is that the men already have such an amazing relationship as friends and it naturally develops into something more. Their bond is so strong and watching them give into the inevitable was equally satisfying and shiver inducing. I loved that the woman wasn’t used as a buffer for them to get together and it happens before the menage element gets introduced. Actually, that was one of the things I loved most about the story.

They’d just found something none of them had ever had. And no one had any idea what to do with it.

Cora Benning is a heroine that’s impossible to not like. Growing up as the daughter of a female police captain, she knows how to spot dangerous men a mile away…but what happens when she wants the danger that they exude? Cora is a tomboy and a tech geek. She’s used to hiding behind the computer screen and not being the object of male fantasies. But everything changes for her when a virtual game turns into something much more than she ever anticipates.

He was so tired. Tired of hiding. Tired of keeping so many emotions tucked away. Tired of being scared. Tired of fighting his instincts.

Hayes Fox isn’t the man he once was three years ago. Once one of the most sought after Doms at the ranch, he used to thrive on his control. Sharing women with his best friend was nothing out of the ordinary. But getting sent to prison for a wrongful conviction can change a man. Now, no matter how much Ren may try, his trust in women is shattered, and ultimately his trust in himself is gone. But then one woman changes everything.

Ren’s hands slid down Cora’s arms and drew her hands behind her back. He locked her wrists together in his grip. “Look at our pretty captive. Take her, Hayes. It’s time.”

I loved everything about this book. EVERYTHING. I loved how different each of these three characters were. I loved the relationship between Ren and Hayes and how they feed each other’s strength. I loved the bond they share going back to their teenage years. I also loved how quirky and endearing Cora was. She wasn’t a bombshell and she knew it. Yes, she certainly had her insecurities, but they didn’t define her. She was such a strong character and I loved how that played into the later part of the story. This is no damsel in distress and I adored that about her. Ren was enigmatic from his very first appearance, and you didn’t even know his name then. I couldn’t get enough of him.

I loved the pacing of the story and the romance and I really loved the additional element of the suspense.

As for the romance? Holy mother of sizzle! It. Was. Hot. As. Hell.

Shattered. Done. Never to be put back together the same way again. She was all sensation and body parts and feeling. And she loved every fucking second of it.

Some of my favorite characters from previous books had a cameo, which I always appreciate. And I loved a few of the new faces we got to meet here. I was captivated by the budding romance and I was so invested in the lives of these characters that I couldn’t bear to put the book down for even a second.

My heart ached for Hayes and everything that he went through. My heart melted reading about his bond with Ren and the way their friendship developed and only got stronger through the years. And my heart beat a rapid tap right out of my chest when the chemistry between Ren, Hayes and Cora finally boiled over the surface and they gave into the inevitable.

This was what bliss felt like. This is what it felt like to be alive again. And these two people had brought him there.

Even if you haven’t read any other book in this series, and you love an incredible well written MMF romance, this book is a must read. You can easily enjoy it as a standalone but I highly recommend the rest of the series because it’s just as good. I can’t believe this is already book 9, but I never want it to end.


LOVING ON THE EDGE SERIES

CRASH INTO YOU | STILL INTO YOU | MELT INTO YOU | FALL INTO YOU | NOT UNTIL YOU | CAUGHT UP IN YOU | NEED YOU TONIGHT | FOREVER STARTS TONIGHT | NOTHING BETWEEN US | YOURS ALL ALONG | CALL ON ME | BREAK ME DOWN

Jennifer’s Review: Inarticulate by Eden Summers

review-inarticulateINARTICULATE
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Eden Summers
Release Date: September 12, 2016add-to-goodreads-button-2

inarticulate

He’s silent—but his touch speaks louder than words.

At first sight, Savannah is drawn to the harsh appeal of a man who refuses to talk to her. Keenan’s hard stare is arrogant and unapologetic. The quirk of his sensuous lips is cocky and in control.

But there’s more. There’s something deeper he’s trying to hide behind those steely grey eyes—a slight hint of vulnerability which captures her intrigue.

She’d been warned, told that his silence hides a myriad of lies capable of affecting her career and relationships with loved ones. Only she can’t help herself. Testing Keenan’s defenses is an addiction she can’t deny.

Falling in lust is easy. Learning his secrets comes with a price. The cost? Her broken heart.

Buy LinksAMAZON | iBOOKSReview-DGR4 stars

We all want a man who doesn’t talk, right? Lmao. And let me tell you….I was digging all that is Keenan.

This is my first Eden Summers book…..and I have no idea why! I am going to be reading all of her books because THIS BOOK!!!

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”How do you do it?” she whispered. “How do you continue to wordlessly convince me to do things I know I shouldn’t be doing?”

à la Mode St. » fashionKeenan….I was enthralled by him. I couldn’t pull my eyes away. The man doesn’t speak, and I couldn’t get enough of his non-words. He had me captivated the whole book. The brooding. The grinning. The silence. I couldn’t put the book down because I wanted to see what he would do next. I was hanging on his every…..yeah.

My Keenan:

My Savannah:

 :
Savannah is sent to deal with the company’s transition of a hotel and its employees. Because she has family that lives nearby, she plans to spend time with her cousin, and she meets a close friend of the family, Keenan. The meet-cute between these two is so adorable. At first, Savannah thinks he is an asshole because he doesn’t speak to her, but she soon discovers the truth that he just doesn’t speak. So cute. Keenan is irresistible. I dare you to resist him.
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I wanted your body, not your words. Your acquiescence, not your intrigue. Most of all, I wanted you to experience passion from my perspective. To strip the sensations down to pure carnality. Devoid of placating dribble and nonsensical dialogue.

à la Mode St. » fashionThe sex is off-the-charts hot!!! The flirting. The chemistry. Gah. This book was angsty, which usually isn’t my favorite trope, but I really enjoyed it.

I have to admit that I didn’t expect the surprise at the end. I was enamored by Eden’s writing style. I am so picky about writing style, and all of her words are so pretty and she puts them together so well = my happy place.

Copyright © 2015 · Dirty Girl Romance

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