Blog Tour, Excerpt & Review: Love Another Day by Lexi Blake

August 25, 2017 by · Leave a Comment

LOVE ANOTHER DAY
Series: Masters & Mercenaries #14
Genre: Romantic Suspense, BDSM
Author: Lexi Blake
Release Date: August 21, 2017

A man born to protect

After a major loss, Brody Carter found a home with the London office of McKay-Taggart. A former soldier, he believes his job is to take the bullets and follow orders. He’s happy to take on the job of protecting Dr. Stephanie Gibson while the team uses her clinic in Sierra Leone to bring down an international criminal. What he never expected was that the young doctor would prove to be the woman of his dreams. She’s beautiful, smart, and reckless. Over and over he watches her risk her life to save others. One night of pure passion leads him to realize that he can’t risk his heart again. When the mission ends, Brody walks away, unwilling to lose another person he loves.

A woman driven to heal

Stephanie’s tragic past taught her to live for today. Everything she’s done in the last fifteen years has been to make up for her mistakes. Offering medical care in war-torn regions gives her the purpose she needs to carry on. When she meets her gorgeous Aussie protector, she knows she’s in too deep, but nothing can stop her from falling head over heels in love. But after one amazing night together, Brody walks away and never looks back. Stephanie is left behind…but not alone.

A secret that will change both their lives

A year later, Stephanie runs afoul of an evil mercenary who vows to kill her for failing to save his son. She runs to the only people she trusts, Liam and Avery O’Donnell. She hasn’t come alone and her secret will bring her former lover across the world to protect her. From Liberia to Dallas to Australia’s outback, Brody will do whatever it takes to protect Stephanie from the man who wants to kill her, but it might be her own personal demons that could destroy them both.

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The door slammed and she suddenly found herself with her back against it. Brody crowded in, taking up all the space and staring down at her. His body brushed hers and she found both her wrists captured in one of his. He dragged them over her head, forcing her chest to come out, breasts skimming along his body. “I shouldn’t do this.”Tough chick was winning. Steph let her take over. It was surely better than the desperate girl who lived inside her. She kept asking for love and affection and getting swatted away. This was the next best thing, possibly the only thing she would ever get. “Then don’t. Let me go and I won’t bother you again.”

“No, you’ll go find Ezra Fain and bother him,” Brody said on a growl.

“Somehow, I don’t think he’ll find me a bother.” She’d barely spoken two words to the man, but she wasn’t going to admit it. It was better to let Brody think she wasn’t a love-starved girl.

“He won’t fucking find you anything at all. If you’re determined to not sleep alone tonight, you can damn well do it with me.” His mouth came down on hers and every inch of her skin came alive. His kiss was overwhelming, hungry. There was no slow meshing of mouths. He took her, his tongue surging inside and dominating her own. He let go of her hands and started to explore her body. His hands were on her hips when he came up for air. “I’m leaving in the morning. I’m going back to London and I can’t come back.”

She’d known that would probably be his answer. She’d known he wouldn’t want to stay and she couldn’t leave.

“One night. That’s all I want.” It was all she could have. It had been foolish to think it could be any different.

His mouth came down on hers again and she let herself get swept away. One night and her life would go back to normal. One night and then she would be alone again. His hands started to roam over her and she tried to forget all the reasons why this was a bad idea.

He stepped back, his entire body set in hard lines. He strode over to the bed and sat down. “Take off the gown. It’s pretty, but I want to see you.”

She hesitated, all her insecurities coming to the forefront. Somehow, she’d thought he would simply take her. “Let me get the lights.”

He was back in her space again, his hand wrapping around her wrist. “I didn’t say turn off the lights. I said take off the gown. How am I going to see you if you turn off the lights?”

“Brody,” she began.

He was having none of it. “You got on your knees in front of me and you said you knew what you were offering me. The first thing you were offering me was obedience. The second was your body. You’re giving me neither right now.”

His voice had gone midnight dark and something about the tone made her soften. He was right. She did know what she’d offered him and now she was trying to have it all her way.

There was nothing wrong with her body. It was feminine and she was healthy. What was she afraid of? “All right.”

He let go of her wrist and sat back down, looking like a damn king waiting on his concubine’s performance. For all his “I’m nothing but a grunt” talk, the man could be incredibly arrogant, and damn if she didn’t find it sexy as hell.

Something about that voice let her know that everything was going to be fine. He was past the point of rejection. He was in and that meant he would play her Dom for the night. He would take care of her. She was as safe with him in the bedroom as she’d been in the field.

At least she was safe for the night. In the morning she would be in a world of hurt, but she wasn’t thinking past tonight.

I want that connection. I want to feel you, and not only in a physical way. This isn’t playing. Playing is a silly word for what I want from you.”
“What word would you use?”
“Everything. I want everything.”

Have you ever read a series that you hope never ends. Like it could have 34355 books and you’ll still crave more? Yeah. This series is that for me. Not only does my addiction to it increase with each new book and new character that gets introduced, I find myself more and more invested. These characters have become like friends to me. I root for them. I hurt for them. And I will never get enough of them.

Dr. Stephanie Gibson was first introduced in A Dom is Forever and my interest in her story has been increasing ever since. As a teenager, an accident due to unfortunate and naive negligence changed her life forever. She’s been paying penance ever since and punishing herself trying to pay things forward. She gained a dear friend out of the woman that she felt should hate her for the accident but family of her own is not something she’s had since that fateful day.

When Brody Carter and his team showed up at her clinic at Sierra Leone, she found herself falling quickly for the broody Aussie. On his last day there, she makes a decision to finally act on her feelings, even knowing he won’t want anything beyond the one night. Brody doesn’t feel he’s good enough for her, even while in her head, she feels it’s the exact opposite. But their one passionate night together comes with a lasting surprise, when Steph finds herself pregnant and her messages to Brody go unanswered. She got the message from the man loud and clear, but when her life and her son’s life is threatened, she finds herself on the doorstep of Liam O’Donnell and back in Brody’s world.

The tension between them is so thick you could cut it with a knife. I needed Brody to redeem himself for the radio silence act he pulled on Steph. I needed him to step up and be a man. I wanted him to grovel, to work for it, to need her forgiveness, and man oh man did I get it. And then some!

He thought briefly about putting the baby in his crib and trying to get a bit of work done, but it felt better to sit, to rock with his son in his arms. For the first time in forever, he knew what peace meant.

While Brody finally sees the light and realizes he needs to fight for Steph, his battle certainly isn’t an easy one. With a dangerous enemy hunting for his woman and her determination to continue to punish herself for her past, it’s not easy to prove just how great they could be together. But it sure made for an entertaining read.

I wanted to be annoyed with Steph and her constant martyr mentality, but I simply couldn’t. Lexi Blake did an amazing job with character development and you can’t help but understand her and feel for her at the same time. To know that you’re the cause of two innocent lives is not easy to get over, no matter how many years passed and whether or not it was a horrible accident. Steph lives with those demons every day. It’s the reason she became a doctor and fights to save lives.

There’s a lot that happens in this book, but the romance is always at the front and center, and it. is. SIZZLING.

It’s going be long and slow and I’m going to know every single inch of this beautiful body like it’s a map I need to memorize. I’ll be able to close my eyes and know how many kisses it takes to get from your mouth to your nipple to your sweet belly to that pussy I’m going to eat like a starving man.”

I loved these two together and I loved how they fight for each other even when they fight with each other.

Of course it wouldn’t be a Lexi Blake book without the rest of the gang and a whole bunch of fun from my favorite, Ian.

You can’t fix someone. That’s not what love does. Love can make a person want to fix himself. That’s the key.” He frowned at his wife. “I said love. I want to vomit.”

Love Another Day was another high octane ride; full of action and suspense that will keep you turning the pages well into the night. I just finished it and I already can’t wait for the next book. I’m an addict when it comes to this series and I can’t recommend it enough if you like your romantic suspense with some sizzling BDSM romance.

THE SERIES

THE DOM WHO LOVED ME | THE MEN WITH THE GOLDEN CUFFS | A DOM IS FOREVER | ON HER MASTER’S SECRET SERVICE | LOVE AND LET DIE | DUNGEON ROYALE | A VIEW TO THRILL | YOU ONLY LOVE TWICE | MASTER NO | FROM SANCTUM WITH LOVE | DOMINANCE NEVER DIES | SUBMISSION IS NOT ENOUGH | FOR HIS EYES ONLY | LOVE ANOTHER DAY

 

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.
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Blog Tour, Review & Giveaway: The Forbidden by Jodi Ellen Malpas

August 17, 2017 by · Leave a Comment

THE FORBIDDEN
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Jodi Ellen Malpas
Release Date: August 8, 2017

FROM THE #1 BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE THIS MAN TRILOGY….

What do you do when you can’t control your feelings for someone? When you know you shouldn’t go there? Not even in your head.

Annie has never experienced the ‘spark’ with a guy-the kind of instant chemistry that steals your breath and blindsides you completely. Until a night out with friends brings her face to face with the wickedly sexy and mysterious Jack. It’s not just a spark that ignites between them. It’s an explosion. Jack promises to consume Annie, and he fully delivers on that promise.

Overwhelmed by the intensity of their one night together, Annie slips out of their hotel room. She is certain that a man who’s had such a powerful impact on her and who could bend her to his will so easily, must be dangerous. But she’s already in too deep. And Jack isn’t only dangerous.

He is forbidden.

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“Thank you for your help,” I say quietly, studying him, definitely detecting that he’s deep in thought. Don’t ask, don’t ask, don’t ask. I need to get back into my apartment without engaging with him, which could prove tricky when he’s blocking the doorway and looking like he has no intention of shifting to let me in.“Annie,” he breathes. “I’m struggling so badly.”

“I’m not doing this.” I swallow, pushing my way past him. He grabs me by the top of my arm and holds me in place. “Let me go, Jack.”

“I’ve already told you I can’t do that. Annie, I’m drowning here. I’m going out of my mind, and the more time I spend with you the fucking worse it’s getting. Listening to you, talking to you, sharing a passion with you that goes way beyond the amazing time we had in bed together.”

“You have to forget!” I yell, knowing anger is the only way forward. Be angry with him. Let it dominate me and rule me, because the alternative scares me to fucking death.

He pushes me into the hall and slams the door behind us, forcing me to back up. “No,” he says, straight and even. “No,” he repeats, moving one more step forward, except this time I don’t retreat. Because I can’t. Because he has me locked in place with those grey eyes, and now they’re back to their full glory. Sparkling, even if it’s with anger. He reaches for his shirt and starts unbuttoning it before shrugging it off and throwing it to the floor, revealing the chest that’s haunting me.

I quickly look down at the pile of material, my mind reeling. His chest. His perfect damn chest. “What are you doing?”

“I have no fucking idea.” He reaches for me and slides a hand around my neck, pulling me to him. Our chests meet, and my determination to repel him vanishes under our connection. Wrongs turn into rights. Conflict turns into craving.

“I can’t get you out of my head, Annie.” His forehead meets mine, his palm massaging away the tightness in my neck muscles, softening me up until I relax in his hold. “I want you all over again, and I can’t even find the will to worry about how much more that’ll make me want you.” He breathes down on me. “I’ve played that night on repeat. I’ve dreamed of holding you in my arms again. I’ve craved the sound of your voice, the feel of your touch, the softness of your lips on mine. I know I shouldn’t want you. But I do. Nothing has ever made me feel this insane with need. Nothing has taken up so much space in my head. I can’t fucking help it, Annie.” His grey gaze sinks into me, my heart steadying to an even thrum. His head starts to shake mildly, his splayed hand moving up to the back of my head and fisting my hair. “I don’t want to help it,” he growls. “I want you. I don’t care how wrong it is.” His clenched fist tightens, gripping my hair harshly. “I know I’ve been on your mind since I fucked you every which way in that hotel room. Stop denying it. Don’t insult me and tell me you don’t crave that amazing feeling all over again. I can see it in your eyes every damn time I look into them. You. Want. Me.”

It’s me who moves in first. All me. I lunge forward and smash my lips to his, the magnetic force winning. His words winning. Jack winning. My heart winning. I coax his mouth open with hard, hungry kisses. I’ve lost my mind to a craving too powerful to fight off. And, like Jack, I don’t care how wrong it is.

Lost.

Yet as he walks me backward until my back slams into the wall, I feel found again.

I cry out, and Jack moans. We’re clumsy and desperate. He’s pushing me up the wall with the force of his kiss, then he’s rolling away, taking me with him until it’s his back slamming into the wall. It’s the elevator all over again. The atmosphere is sizzling. I’m on fire. He scoops me up, pinning me to him, and carries me into my bedroom. I focus on him. Only him and the return of feelings that I’ve fantasized about since that unforgettable night. All the guilt is abandoning me, and I let it, unprepared to let anything stop me from taking the forbidden.

I have no hope of stopping this. And no desire to. The forbidden is too irresistible. It has a dangerous allure and a compelling magnetism. And it’s certainly going to inflict pain and anguish. It defies reason for me to willingly allow myself to be possessed like this.

 

Wow.
WOW.
Just wow.

My feelings are all over the place but there’s one thing I know and that’s I’m absolutely blown away by the war honesty and emotion of this book. This is a story that many people will hate on principle alone. It’s a story that they’ll want to judge and condemn. It’s a story that will take you out of your comfort zone and likely never get you back to it. And I have so much respect for this author for daring to go there

In a time where there’s so many authors out there that write what they think the mass readership wants, this a story that was written solely because the author wanted to write it. She took a colossal risk with it. A risk that she even acknowledged won’t sit well with most. But this reader? I. Loved. It.

I knew that smile was dangerous. A man who can bend a woman to his will so easily and so soon couldn’t be anything less than lethal. And the fact that he got me with his wicked game means hats off to him.

The Forbidden is about love that’s unexpected and defies all rules. Annie is a woman that has dedicated herself to her career and making something of herself by the time she’s thirty. Having beat her time goal, she’s now a successful architect who’s never experienced an incendiary connection with any man. She’s practically given up on feeling that sort of connection with anyone until a total stranger tilts her entire world on its axis.

You’ve clearly never been consumed by a man.” He pauses, giving me a moment to agree, but I don’t. I’m fixated on him. “But one day a man will come along and he’ll swallow you up, Annie. Blindside you.”

And blindside her he did.

I don’t want to give away the story, and I implore you to go into this book with an open mind and no preconceived notions.

Tell me to go,” he whispers, the demand licking its way from the base to the top of my spine.
“Tell me.”
“Go.”
“Not a fucking chance.” He swoops in and takes my mouth as if he owns it—deeply, passionately and with an unfathomable conviction.

Did I want to judge these characters for their decisions? Absolutely. But there was just something so honest about them. They were so viscerally real and imperfect and while you want to condemn them for their choices, you really can’t, or at least I couldn’t. The author did such an incredible job with the character development that you truly understand the why’s of their decisions. My only quibble is the slightly over the top situation at the very end, but it also did nicely to tie up some loose ends, so I understand the necessity of it.

I applaud Malpas for truly stepping outside the box and writing what her heart wanted because you could truly feel that reflected in her writing. The Forbidden was raw, emotional, and completely unforgettable. It brought every emotion to the surface and while it was the furthest thing from conventional, it was also a book I won’t soon forget.

You possess me. You own me. You rule me,” Jack murmurs in my ear. “You are everything to me, Annie Ryan. My pulse, my heartbeat, my breath. Everything.”

Jodi Ellen Malpas was born and raised in the Midlands’ town of Northampton, England, where she lives with her two boys. Working for her father’s construction business full-time, she tried to ignore the lingering idea of writing until it became impossible. She wrote in secret for a long time before finally finding the courage to unleash her creative streak, and in October 2012 she released This Man. She took a chance on a story with some intense characters and sparked incredible reactions from women all over the world. Writing powerful love stories and creating addictive characters have become her passion, a passion she now shares with her devoted readers.

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Blog Tour & Jenn’s Review: Twisted Twosome by Meghan Quinn

August 10, 2017 by · 1 Comment

TWISTED TWOSOME
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romantic Comedy
Author: Meghan Quinn
Publication Date: August 3, 2017

Racer McKay is a broody bastard.

From the moment I met him, he’s been rude, irritable, and unbearable.

A contractor working to remodel my parents pool house for extra cash, he stomps around in those clunky construction boots with his tool belt wrapped around his narrow waist, and a chip on his shoulder.

Racer McKay is also infuriatingly . . . sexy as hell. I want to take that pencil tucked behind his ear, and draw lazy lines slowly up and down his body all the while wanting to strangle him at the same time.

We try to stay out of each other’s way . . . that is until I have no other option but to ask for his help.

But what I don’t realize is he needs me just as much as I need him. I have money he’s desperate for, and he holds the key to making my dreams come true.

Our pranks turn from sarcastic banter, to sexual tension and lust-filled glances. Bickering matches quickly morph into slow burn moments. We’re hot, we’re cold. We push and pull. I need him, I don’t want him. We’re on the verge of combusting with an agreement dangling dangerously between us. Neither one of us can afford to lose one another and yet, we’re finding it quite hard to decipher the line that rests between love and hate.

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Why is it so goddamn drafty in here? I grip my hammer in my hand, my tool belt riding low on my hips, and my stereotypical construction hat rests on my head as I finish up the project I was hired to do.Taking a quick look around, I search the bedroom looking for an open window or AC vent that’s blowing a cold breeze right against my dick and sac, making it almost impossible to look semi-decent in this scrap of fabric.

“Mmm, I think you forgot a nail on the ground over there,” says the throaty, smoke-filled voice of Mrs. Sage, who is lying across her chase lounge wearing a silky pink robe that is barely tied around her waist. She makes it her mission to show me as much skin as possible, and as we’re talking about skin showing . . .

I bend down to pick up the nail she’s pointing at as the thin strip of man thong material rides higher up my ass crack than I care to admit.

Let’s pause for a second.

Are you wondering to yourself, is Racer really wearing a man-thong as he finishes building a solid oak shelf?

The answer is yes. Yes, I am.

I’m Racer McKay and I wear man thongs for older, rich women while I work on simple projects around their houses. Excuse me, I mean mansions.

Don’t worry. Yes, I’m also very much ashamed to admit the level I’ve stooped to in order to make some cash. I have my pride, but right now, when I’m offered three hundred dollars more to build a shelf in a man thong, I’m choosing to seize the opportunity.

Self-respect was thrown out the window two years ago when a pile of bills and responsibilities were thrust in my direction without any preparation or warning. Making money is as vital as breathing to me, so I will take it any way I can get it.

Cue the man thong.

“Oh, you’re right. Here it is,” I say, holding up the nail. “Thanks for the help, Mrs. Sage. I would hate to see you hurt yourself from my lack of attention to detail.”

She waves me off and puffs her chest toward me, her robe slipping farther apart, showing the cleavage of a very saggy pair of breasts. I’ve seen my fair share of boobs and even though I don’t mingle sex with work, I can’t help but want Mrs. Sage to remove the robe just so I can see what she has hidden under the silky fabric.

How saggy are we talking here?

I’m interested for exploratory reasons, for knowledge of every kind of breast out there. Because right now, Mrs. Sage looks like she’s rocking a pair of pancakes that have been flattened by a steamroller.

“You would just have to nurse me back to health if that happened.” Her finger trails up her varicose vein-covered leg to her geriatric hip. I hold back the shiver that wants to spin up my spine.

All I can say is . . . can’t unsee that.

I nervously laugh and tuck my hammer into its holster. “Not much of a nurse, Mrs. Sage. I might hurt you even more.”

“I don’t mind getting hurt.” She starts to spread her legs and that’s when I call it a day.

I turn around quickly, snag my jeans and slip them up and over my legs, struggling with my tool belt getting in the way. Once things are in place, I remove my hat, put on my shirt, and then cover my hair with a backwards baseball cap. The peep show is over.

Once dressed, I gather my tools, tuck my construction hat under my arm, and turn to Mrs. Sage. This is my least favorite part, getting the old bird to pay up.

“Leaving already?” She pouts, lipstick on her teeth.

“Unfortunately, I have another engagement I’m running late for.” A lie, but it’s the only way I know to get out of here.

“That’s a shame. I really should book you for a whole day. That way you can’t skirt out of here earlier than I’m ready for.”

She walks out of the den and into the entryway where she opens her purse and pulls out a wad of one-hundred-dollar bills. My brain explodes from the amount of cash in her purse, as if it’s chump change she’s ready to throw around at a parade dedicated to her and her riches.

“What do I owe you? Six hundred?”

Fuck, it’s five hundred and if I wasn’t a nice guy, I wouldn’t correct her, but I believe in good karma. Especially considering where my bad luck has gotten me—trying to climb my way out of a large debt. I try to put as many good vibes out in the world as possible.

“We actually agreed upon five hundred, Mrs. Sage.”

“Such a bargain.” She flips through her cash, pulls out five bills—damn—and hands them over to me. “Shall I call for my next project?”

I pocket the cash. “Email is best, Mrs. Sage. I always feel awkward taking phone calls at work.”

“Such a hard worker.” She pats my face and leans forward, lips puckered, but I step to the side avoiding an attack from her old-lady lips.

As I depart, I wave my hand in the air and say, “Thanks, Mrs. Sage. I look forward to your next email.”

Out of her reach, I toss my tools in the back of my truck, enter the cab, and place my hands on the steering wheel as I exhale a long pent-up breath.


There are few books that make me BUST out laughing, actually taking me by surprise. And it happened more than once. This book definitely reminded me of R.L. Mattewson’s Neighbors from Hell series. What do you get when you put a HAF construction worker and a spoiled rich princess in a room together? This book.

à la Mode St. » fashion

“Little Debbie is my sugar mama. I love that bitch hardcore.”

“Little Debbie, as in the fat-filled snacks?”

“The one and only.”

Scanning the compartment of his cab, I look at him and say, “There must be fifty wrappers in here. You’ve eaten all of them? Aren’t you afraid of getting fat?”

Like the cocky ass he is, he lifts his shirt and pats his abs. “Not concerned, Princess. But thanks for checking.”

à la Mode St. » fashionRacer. Sexy, hot construction worker. YES>>>PLEASE. This guy is the perfect temptation. He meets Georgiana when he is a hired by her father to fix the pool house. Racer thinks Georgiana to be the typical spoiled, rich princess, and so begins the game of “Who can be the biggest asshole/bitch?” Georgie hires Racer to help build her dream bridal boutique, so they have to work closely together and spend lots of time with each other. The banter between these two is hilarious. Racer is such a dick! And I loved him! They even go so far as to play terrible pranks on each other.

These two couldn’t be more different. Hate-to-Love relationships are my #1 favorite, and Racer and Georgie hate each other soooo much, it’s delicious. They come from opposite worlds, but their attraction is fire-hot.

A pissed-off Georgie is the best kind of Georgie. Fucking fiery and perfect in every way.

Piece by piece, Racer and Georgie reveal bits of themselves, surprising each other. But I love that the witty banter doesn’t stop. It doesn’t get too mushy. Racer stays the cocky ass he is throughout the whole book, and that was much appreciated. He is so damn charming, I couldn’t even stand it.


à la Mode St. » fashion

It’s so twisted, our relationship, but ever since he’s started working here, I’ve become accustomed to his relentless teasing and nit-picking fights. I need them. They make me feel alive. He makes me feel alive.

à la Mode St. » fashionThis was my first Meghan Quinn book, and I am completely ashamed because this book was hilarious and I loved loved loved these characters! The story was hot and I was entertained during the whole book. I am definitely going to go read more of her books asap because…..all the laughing. And if you know me, you know I LOVE TO LAUGH. Laughing is my favorite.

A BLONDE AT HEART

Born in New York and raised in Southern California, Meghan has grown into a sassy, peanut butter eating, blonde haired swearing, animal hoarding lady. She is known to bust out and dance if “It’s Raining Men” starts beating through the air and heaven forbid you get a margarita in her, protect your legs because they may be humped.

Once she started commuting for an hour and twenty minutes every day to work for three years, she began to have conversations play in her head, real life, deep male voices and dainty lady coos kind of conversations. Perturbed and confused, she decided to either see a therapist about the hot and steamy voices running through her head or start writing them down. She decided to go with the cheaper option and started writing… enter her first novel, Caught Looking.

​Now you can find the spicy, most definitely on the border of lunacy, kind of crazy lady residing in Colorado with the love of her life and her five, furry four legged children, hiking a trail or hiding behind shelves at grocery stores, wondering what kind of lube the nervous stranger will bring home to his wife. Oh and she loves a good boob squeeze!

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Release Blitz, Review & Giveaway: BLACK SHEEP by Zara Cox.

August 8, 2017 by ·

BLACK SHEEP
Series: Dark Desires #2
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance
Author: Zara Cox
Release Date: August 8, 2017 (Paperback)

**Now Available in Print for the First Time!**

In a family of cold-hearted black sheep, 
I, Axel Rutherford, am the blackest.

My father has hated me since the day I was born. The feeling was mutual. In the shady underworld that was my legacy, Cleo McCarthy became my light. She was beautiful, passionate, and my whole world. So naturally my father had to destroy us. First he sent me away. Next he claimed Cleo as his own. But now I’ve returned, and nothing will stop me from taking back everything that is rightfully mine.

He was the love of my life – when my life was still my own.

We were young enough to believe we would last forever, Axel and I. But neither of us realized how cruel life – and our families – could be. Now I’m trapped in a gilded cage: desired by Axel, who must never know the full truth, and controlled by his father, who would sooner see me dead than free. And I wouldn’t even care, except that it’s no longer only my life at stake

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I trust no one. But like I do with Quinn Blackwood, the Black Widow and I share a special bond. Not one I would swear life or death on by a long shot. But there’s an…understanding. She’s the only one who’s been allowed into my special room, the only one who knows the ingredients of my sweet poison. The only one who’s seen what this room does to me. The longest I’ve been able to withstand is five hours.Her concern is warranted.

I see her swallow before she reaches into her pocket. The small remote is directly linked to the chains. She sets the time but hesitates before pressing the requisite button.

Boldly she steps up to me, and she slides her hands through the hair at my nape. I jerk away but cannot escape her touch because of the cuffs. She stops, staring down at me with narrowed eyes.

I’m on the edge. Hell, who the fuck am I kidding? I was born on the edge. But tonight I’m a whisper away from annihilation and we both know it.

“Are you sure about this?”

“Fuck no. Hell yes.”

She opens her mouth.

“No,” I preempt her.

“I don’t have to stay here with you, but I can be outside.”

“No. Press the button. Don’t make me repeat myself.”

“Axel…”

I close my eyes and shudder as my fists ball. I want to hear my name, but I don’t want the voice to be The Black Widow’s. There’s only one voice I want to hear right now. One face I want to see. Cleo’s.

“Do it and leave. Now.”

“I will, but at least let me come back and check on you—”

“Say another word and I’ll fire you.”

Her eyes harden to ice chips. “Fuck you. Have your six hours if you want. But I’m coming back in three hours to check on you. Fire me then if you want.”

With a defiant flick of her wrist, she sets the timer down between my feet, within touching distance.
The moment her back is turned, I kick the remote. It bounces against the last step and skids sideways halfway across the room. She hesitates, her back stiff, but she doesn’t turn back around. In silence, she leaves.

The moment the door shuts, twenty projectors on the dark gray walls flicker to life. Large, small, and in-between, they take up every inch of the circular wall. If space allowed I would have had more screens put in, but I work with what I have.

Each one is set on a half-hour loop at full volume with a different video. With barely an inch between them, they could be one jumbled-up picture but I know each screen like I know the length of my cock.
I take a deep breath as the first reel plays on the middle screen. The chair moves, the wheels beneath the floor spinning it slowly around.

Fading sunlight dapples over a lake before the camera swings to the figure in the tiny white bikini fleeing a large wave.

The wave catches her, splashes up to mid-thigh. She shrieks. “Omigod, you’re such a liar. The water is collllldd—What are you doing?”

“What does it look like?”

She approaches. Her hands come up to block the lens. “Stop filming me. I look fat.”
A different set of hands reaches out to grasp hers, gently nudging hers aside. “You don’t look fat, Cleo. You’re perfect.”

Feminine hands curl around a masculine one. Together they slowly lower until long-lashed, deep blue knowing eyes stare into the camera. “You’re only saying that because you’re in love with me.” Sultry words whispered from between kiss-swollen lips.

“Yes, I’m saying that because I’m in love with you.” Gruff, hopelessly young, newly broken voice, thick with seething emotion. “I’m also saying it because I have fucking eyes in my fucking head.”

A naughty, goes-straight-to-an-eager-cock giggle. “You’re so bad swearing all the time. Daddy says he’ll paddle my behind if he catches me swearing.”

A wobble of the camera before it steadies. “If he lays a fucking hand on you, I’ll tear his fucking head off.” A voice no longer gruff, hard with rigid purpose. Harsh breathing. “I mean it, Cleo. I see so much as a scratch on you, someone will fucking die.”

A gasp. “You can’t say things like that!”

“I can. I fucking am. Because you belong to me. I don’t care who created you. You are mine. No one else is fucking allowed to touch you. No one is allowed to take you away from me, do you hear me?”
A bite of her lip as her nostrils flutter in a shaky inhale. “You’re scaring me.”

Deep, harsh breath. “Am I? Really? Tell the truth. Are you scared, Cleo?” Camera poised with intent, recording every flutter of her lashes.

A pause. A firming of plump lips. Then a shake of the head. Thick, vibrant locks frame her stunning face.

“Say it. I want to hear you say how it makes you feel when I say this to you.”

“It…it excites me.”

“That I claim you as mine?”

A shy nod.

“What else excites you?”

A flick of her gaze between the lens and the face behind it. “Come on. I can’t say it on camera.” She reaches out.

The camera angles away from her but remains on her. Focused. Rabid. “Tell me.” The voice that will one day command hell itself.

“It excites me when you say that you’ll do…all of that for me.”

“All of what?”

“That you’ll…tear his head off.”

“I fucking will.” A solemn promise. A brief pause. “You think I’m a sick psycho?”

“I think you’re…you’re…”

“What?”

“I think you’re effing amazing.”

“Effing?”

Pink color stains her cheeks. “Don’t tease me.”

“I won’t if you say the word. The actual word, Cleo.”

“I won’t.”

“Right. Then I’m not as amazing as you want me to think, am I?”

Blue eyes, opened wide. “You are.”

“Then say it. You’re not going to burn for it. It’s just a word.”

“I hate you when you’re like this.”

“You don’t hate me, but fine. Don’t say it.”

The camera swings out to the lake, to the setting sun that’s almost swallowed up by the orange water.

In a family of cold-hearted black sheep, I, Axel Rutherford, am the blackest. Abundantly despised by my three brothers, actively hated by my father. She was the golden princess. Put on earth to test every single one of my hardened edges. And I happily burned away every last one for her.

If I said that I was an insta-fan of this author after I finished I, Porn Star, this book solidified it. Damn. Just damn. Zara Cox knows how to weave one complex and erotic tale that’s equally spine tingling and toe curling. It’s addicting and twisty and downright intense.

Her eyes tell me she hates me. Her body beckons me with the promise of transcendental lust.

If you like a good second chance romance with a healthy dose of hate lust mixed in to blur the edges, all wrapped in a story with dark undertones and enough twists and suspense to keep you glued to the pages from start to finish, you’ve found your next read.

Whatever twisted roles fate may have chosen to star us in, the savage power of our mutual feelings for each other will never diminish.

Being born to a cruel and abusive father intent on hardening his sons enough to help run his mafia empire has hardened Axel. He’s the black sheep of the family, the son that wants nothing of his father; not his name and not his infamy in the dark underbelly of organized crime. He dreams of escaping the life with the only person that makes his heart beat and gives him hope. But that hope gets ripped away from him with a jarring betrayal that now years later still continues to haunt him. Losing everything and the one person he always thought he could trust is enough to change a man and change the course of his life forever. Now Axel lives and breathes vengeance. His father will pay, and if the woman that’s now back in his life after costing him everything is the pawn that he’ll have to use in this brutal game, so be it.

Once upon a time, when my addled state didn’t know better, I stupidly believed the phenomenon of our gazes connecting had the power to stop the world from spinning. That view has altered significantly.

As a young girl, Cleo loved Axel with everything she was worth. He was her everything…until he wasn’t. Forced back into his orbit by an arrangement in which she’s nothing but a puppet on a string of a cruel master that dangles the one thing she wants in exchange for her cooperation isn’t what she wants, but she’ll do it. Even if it forces her to own up that while she hates the man he is now and doesn’t see a remainder of the boy she once loved in him, the carnal effect his mere presence has on her hasn’t changed even a little.

You may have condemned my decayed soul and closed your heart to me, but in some respects, nothing has changed. Your body will always sing the perfect tune for me.”

Black Sheep delivers on another twisty story full of betrayal and revenge. Zara Cox is truly a master of her craft and I’m absolutely captivated by her writing style and the characters she creates. I couldn’t put this book down for even a second. I walked the edge between hating and loving Axel. But between all the secrets and twists that kept unearthing, my mind was too busy spinning to focus on any singular emotion.

She never needed a gentle knight in shining armor. So I become her marauder.

Axel was perfection. He was a dirty talking, angsty, domineering and deliciously sexy perfection. My heart broke for him and what he’d been through. I was on the edge of my seat waiting for all the secrets to finally get revealed so the puzzle pieces can click together. And let me just tell you, when they did? Mind. Blowing. Yet another addicting installment in what’s now become a favorite series of mine. I absolutely can’t wait for more!

I want to roar with rage. I want to fuck until I explode into a million pieces. This is what she does to me. What she’s always done.

Each book in the Dark Desires series is a standalone in an interconnecting world. So if you’ve read the first book, you’ll appreciate Quinn’s cameo in this one 🙂

DON’T MISS THE FIST BOOK IN THIS SIZZLING SERIES!

BEAUTIFUL LIAR (Previously published as I, Porn Star)

I may be Quinn Blackwood, occasional user of prescribed meds to keep the demons in check, who moonlights as Q, porn star to an exclusive few who pay millions for my work. And I may be an unhinged asshole with serious daddy issues. But no one said I wasn’t a giver.

PURCHASE | READ MY REVIEW

BEAUTIFUL LIAR | BLACK SHEEP | WICKED S.O.B. | ARROGANT BASTARD

Zara Cox has been writing for almost twenty-five years but it wasn’t until nine years ago that she decided to share her love of writing sexy, gritty stories with anyone outside her close family (the over 18s anyway!).

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Goodreads

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· Filed Under: All Reviews, Blog Tours, Contemporary Romance, Dirty Talkers, Erotic Rom, Giveaways · Tagged With: ,

Blog Tour & Jen’s Review: Enrage by Rachel Van Dyken

August 2, 2017 by ·
  • ENRAGE
    Series: Eagle Elite #8
    Genre: Contemporary Romance
    Author: Rachel Van Dyken
    Release Date: July 31st, 2017

Part of a world I loathe.

Part of a family who hates me more than I hate myself.

Living with a girl who reminds me of my darkness.

I’m. In. Hell.

Also known as the Cosa Nostra.

My life was over the minute I stepped off that plane.

Son to a murdered mob boss.

Heir to a throne of murder and lies.

My name is Dante Nicolasi.

And there will be blood.

 

AMAZON | iBOOKS


PLEASE READ THIS SERIES!!!!! PLEEEEEASE!!!!!

I loved this book because ALL THE REASONS!!! I loved it so much, I went back to the beginning and read Books 1-7 in 1 week because I could not put them down! I know. I know. I should have read this in order. I usually don’t care about reading in order, but I truly regret it this time. It doesn’t matter because I still enjoyed every…single…moment of this series. And I just want more because I can’t get enough! Obsessed is just the tip of the ice berg when it comes to my love for this series.

à la Mode St. » fashion
He was a danger my heart didn’t recognize – because sometimes the heart doesn’t give a damn if the person who holds it kills people – it just recognizes its soul mate and beats anyway.

à la Mode St. » fashionDante. 
Men like Dante Nicolasi existed in two places. Books. And in my arms.
 Dante is the heir to a very powerful mafia line. He is violent and volatile and trained by the best of the best mafia bosses, all of them. Assigned to protect a girl in the Eagle Elite, he uses his skills to show how freaking awesome he is! Seriously, this guy. Ugh! He is all power and control but so swoony and charming. Dante is definitely one of my top favorites, especially in this series.

El.
She was the only soldier in a one-woman army
 El was a prisoner, a slave, for a long time until she was freed by the mafia bosses. She yearns for freedom but still feels trapped. I loved loved loved that Dante doesn’t coddle her or pity her or treat her too gently because of what she went through. They are both tough with each other, challenging each other through the whole book. El is strong. All of the heroines in this series are badass!

I wish I could include ALL THE QUOTES because this whole book is awesome-sauce and beautiful-sauce.

à la Mode St. » fashion
Dante turned his head toward mine and kissed me softly on the mouth, I wasn’t expecting it.
I clung to his shirt while his lips moved nimbly over mine, softly caressing my cheek and then meeting my ear. “Speak to no one.” He kissed my neck again then whispered in my other ear. “I’m serious, El. Keep your eyes forward.” Another kiss. “Head up.” His mouth fused against mine, I gasped as his tongue slid past my bottom lip, licking me up like I was better than pie, better than vanilla. “Don’t worry. I don’t lose.”
à la Mode St. » fashion
I should have read all of these books in order.

I should have known this series would kill me.

Any regrets? Not one.

I sacrificed food and hygiene for this series, for these characters, for this phenomenal story that goes down in my reading history forever. I cried. I laughed. I died. This book killed me in all the best ways. It is everything. One my of favorite MAFIA series evah!

ARC courtesy of publisher in exchange for an honest review

Dante slammed his hand into the tree, his jaw popped as he gritted his teeth together and then calm washed over him as he whispered near my ear, “Want me to kill him?”

A few people walked by and stared at us, it looked like he was kissing my neck, like we were normal college students sharing a moment.

Nope. Wrong story, kiddos.

He just offered to kill someone for offending me, run along, nothing to see here.

“After,” I said. “Kill him after he stops being useful to you, to the bosses.” I couldn’t believe what was coming out of my mouth, what I was agreeing to. “Yes.”

Dante pulled back, his face broke out into a smile. “How messed up is it that I’m actually looking forward to that moment?”

I gulped. “It’s in your blood.”

“I wish it wasn’t,” he said gruffly. “I wish I didn’t crave it — dream about it — almost as much as I wish I didn’t feel guilt every day because of it.”

I sighed and put my hands on his chest, then ran them up around his neck, he didn’t move, or flinch, so maybe we were having a moment as our mouths almost touched. “The only shame in life, is not being who you were truly born to be. If that means you kill the bad guys — kill the bad, guys Dante. Just don’t lose your soul in the process.”

“And if it’s already gone?” He croaked his eyes darkening as he slowly leaned in until his forehead touched mine.

Days ago I would have been terrified that his body was this close.

Days ago, I would have shoved him away and run.

Days ago, I would have shuddered that his bloodstained hands were running up and down my skin.

But today.

Today was different.

Today I closed my eyes and drank in the wicked scent of Dante Nicolasi, the cologne mixed with soap. I inhaled.

And opened my eyes again.

Yesterday I was angry. I was afraid.

Today. Against the tree.

Pinned by Dante’s arms.

I was safe.

“I’ll help you find it,” I whispered.

“Just don’t damn yourself in the process, El.” He cupped my face with his right hand, his eyes fell to my mouth, his half-lidded seductive look could stop a girl dead in her tracks.

The wives always talked about how attractive his father was, even at an older age.

Almost like he’d aged backward.

Dante was no different.

If it was possible for a human to get more attractive by the day — he’d be the one to prove you right.

“Are you going to kiss me again?” I asked hopefully.

“No.” He pulled away.

My heart sank into my stomach.

“Because I don’t want to start something I have no intention of stopping.”

My head jerked, our eyes locked, and I saw it. The honesty.

“Told you I’d never lie to you, El.” His voice had a warning edge to it, like I shouldn’t push him, push whatever invisible boundaries he’d mentally set up between us. His eyes never left mine.

And I knew, this was what he looked like when he was telling the truth.

His eyes pierced through my defenses in an unapologetic search for my heart, my soul.

And I let them.

“We should get to class.” I finally found my voice and started walking, he fell into step beside me.

And I spent the rest of the day thinking about the non-kiss.

And the promise that came with it.

 Rachel Van Dyken is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of regency and contemporary romances. When she’s not writing you can find her drinking coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The Bachelor.

She keeps her home in Idaho with her Husband, adorable son, and two snoring boxers! She loves to hear from readers!

 Website | Facebook | Facebook Group | Instagram | Twitter | Newsletter | Amazon | Goodreads

 

· Filed Under: A-Z, All Reviews, Blog Tours · Tagged With: ,

Release Day Excerpt Post: Falling Into The Black by Lauren Runow

August 1, 2017 by ·

FALLING INTO THE BLACK
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Lauren Runow
Release Date: August 1, 2017

Ten years ago we said goodbye.

I left the world I knew to create a new life for myself. Away from the lies. Away from the pain.

It was all going as planned until a friend asked for help with her club. The business was liberating. The company was intoxicating.

Two masked men became my euphoria. One was a player deep in the game. A teacher both intimately and figuratively.

The other was a quiet director. A man who tempted me with his stares and set me on fire with his dark whispers

His secrecy excited me, bringing me to levels I’ve never imagined. I thought we were playing a game, but little did I know he knew exactly who I was.

I just wish I figured out his true identity before I fell for his best friend.

* Falling into the Black is a standalone novel with an HEA

AMAZON |  iBOOKS | B&N | KOBO 

“Angie Smith?”

My lips tilt up slightly. “Pleasure to meet you.”

“Funny, sometimes you can tell because their name just fits them. I would never guess you for an Angie.”

“Why would you say that?”

He taps his lower lip with a long, deft finger, and I’m instantly distracted by the thought of what that finger could do.

“I don’t know. Just something told me that wasn’t you. You and Ashley were the only two people I couldn’t find any pictures of or any info on really. You guys are smart, or should I add, private.”

“Let’s go with private.” I wink, which makes him raise his eyebrows. I can tell I’m the oldest in the class, and the mad professor here seems to be closer to my age, but I’m still trying to figure out what his name is. “Can I play your little game?”

His lips push together as he nods his head in interest. “By all means. Do you want the class list?”

“No, I bet I can guess your name.”

His head moves up and down slowly. “Take your best shot.” His arms open wide, allowing me to fully take in every part of him.

“Let’s see. I know it starts with a C by my registration, but you have that whole nerdy, indie vibe going on, so I’m going to rule out Chris, Charlie, and Cameron.” The barely noticeable lift to his lips tells me that neither of those is his name, so I start naming off every C name I can think of, waiting for any type of reaction to show in his features. “Christian, Caleb, Connor, Cody, Colin, Cole—” The twitch in his eye makes me stop. I pause, looking him up and down before slightly tilting my head in recognition. “Nice to meet you, Cole.”

The grin covering his face makes me sit back in my chair. Yup, I’m made for this.

“Nicely done, Angie. The master gets beat at his own game. After class you’re going to have to tell me more about how you did that.”

“Anytime, Professor Spence,” I say in a flirtatious way.

His eyes meet mine for what I think is a second too long for a student/teacher moment, but I don’t mind. When they break away, he addresses everyone else, “This course is going to be interactive, and I encourage participation. So, everyone get up, move closer, and gather around Mrs. Smith here.” He returns my earlier wink before turning back around and writing his name across the board.

I’m intrigued by his lecture the entire night, and yeah, a lot of it was because he’s easy on the eye. I also happen to love the way he challenges people and really gets us involved.

When he says good night, I turn to gather my things and am startled when I hear, “Angie, can I talk to you for a minute?”

My eyes meet with a fellow female student, who I shoot a smile before turning around. “Sure, Professor Spence.”

As I approach his desk, he’s gathering his paperwork to put into his backpack. He stops and turns to face me, leaning against the back of the desk and crossing his arms in front of his body. “So tell me, how did you guess my name?”

I tilt my head to the side, showing him the slightest grin. “Well, that’s my little secret. Just like you said, though, you can learn a lot about a person if you pay close enough attention.”

“I’m impressed. Still can’t believe I got your name wrong. First time that little game didn’t work out for me fully. Please tell me Angie isn’t your real name. Give me some kind of hope.”

I close my eyes, smiling but nodding my head slightly. “Okay, I’ll give you that. Angie isn’t my birth name. I legally changed it years ago.” I can’t believe I just told him that. No one here in San Francisco, or hell, in California, knows that Angie isn’t my real name. For some reason, I felt comfortable enough in this moment to admit it.

“Okay, I feel a little bit better now, like I’m not a complete failure at my own game. But how did you know mine?”

“I was already trying to guess what it was before you even spoke. I guess I like to play little games, too.”

He laughs. “That doesn’t answer my question, though.”

“I looked at what you were wearing, how you walked, your body type, the fact that you carry a Vans backpack instead of a briefcase.” I pick up his backpack to prove my point. “Then, just like you, I paid attention and took a gamble. I guess you can say I’m good at reading facial expressions. You gave it away when your eye twitched slightly after I said Cole.”

“Nicely done. You just might be cut out for this lawyer thing after all. So do I get to know your real name?”

I shake my head. “Nope, sorry. To you and everyone else, I’m Angie.” I start to walk away but look over my shoulder. “No offense, though.”

I hear him chuckle as he says, “None taken. See you Wednesday, Mrs. Smith.”

I turn back again, giving him a quick smile before saying, “It’s miss.”

 Lauren Runow is the author of multiple Adult Contemporary Romance novels, some more dirty than others. When Lauren isn’t writing, you’ll find her listening to music, at her local CrossFit, reading, or at the baseball field with her boys. Her only vice is coffee, and she swears it makes her a better mom!

Lauren is a graduate from the Academy of Art in San Francisco and is the founder and co-owner of the community magazine she and her husband publish. She lives in Northern California with her husband and two sons.

 Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads

 

 

· Filed Under: A-Z, Blog Tours · Tagged With: ,

2017 RITA FINALISTS SPOTLIGHT: Contemporary Romance, Mid Length

July 14, 2017 by · Leave a Comment

We’re thrilled to be a part of the RITA Award Finalist Spotlight Blog Tour! There’s so many incredible books on this list. Some we’ve read and loved, some we’re looking forward to checking out. But here they are, without further ado. The Finalists spotlight for Contemporary Romance: Mid-Length 
(follow along on the tour bit.ly/RITA17BlogTour.

 OFF THE HOOK by Laura Drewry
Penguin Random House, Loveswept
Junessa Viloria, editor

Major league pitcher Liam O’Donnell knows his best days are probably behind him, but that doesn’t mean he’s ready to retire and become a fishing guide. Still, after all the time he’s spent chasing his dreams, he owes it to his brothers to pull his weight around the lodge. The Buoys is their father’s legacy, and they can’t let some developer take it from them. The one snag Liam isn’t counting on is a blast from the past: his ex-wife.

The moment Kate Hadley steps out of the seaplane, she knows this assignment is going to be trickier than she thought. She has to persuade the owners to sell—and one of them is Liam O’Donnell. Ten years ago, she made the biggest mistake of her life when she married Liam during a fling in Vegas. Now he’s her only lifeline in the middle of nowhere. Kate’s trying to keep things cool, but Liam reminds her of the scorching few nights they spent together—and tempts her to make new memories that are just as steamy as the old.

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

 

USA Today bestselling author LAURA DREWRY started out writing poetry – unbelievably bad poetry which hopefully will never again see the light of day. With that behind her, she now writes contemporary and historical romance novels with characters who aren’t perfect and who tend to be a little (or a lot) on the sarcastic side.

Born and raised in British Columbia, Laura spent eight years in the Canadian north where she learned important things like how to get your bananas from the grocery store to your car without them freezing and turning black in the -40 temperatures. She now lives back home in southwestern BC with her husband, three sons, a turtle, two crazy dogs, a handful of chickens, and about thirty thousand bees. She loves old tattered books, movies, music, the New York Yankees, and cheesecake. Lots of cheesecake.

 

ONCE AND FOR ALL by Cheryl Etchison
Avon, Impulse
Priyanka Krishnan and Rebecca Lucash, editors

The Rangers of the 1st/75th fight hard, train hard and play hard. They are physically strong and mentally tough, disciplined and courageous. But all their military training hasn’t prepared them for falling in love.

Rule #1: Military and matrimony don’t mix.

But if there’s one person Staff Sergeant Danny MacGregor would break all his rules for, it’s Bree—his first friend, first love, first everything. Maybe he likes playing the hero. Maybe he’s trying to ease ten years of guilt. Either way, he’ll do whatever he can to help her.

Wish #1: A little bit of normal.

Bree Dunbar has battled cancer, twice. What she wants most is a fresh start in a place where she can find a new job, and where people aren’t constantly treating her like she’s sick. By some miracle her wish is granted, but it comes with one major string attached—the man who broke her heart ten years before.

The rules for this marriage of convenience are simple: when she’s ready to stand on her own two feet, she’ll walk away and he’ll let her go. Only, as they both know all too well, things don’t always go according to plan . . .

Avon Books | AMAZON | B&N | GOOGLE PLAY | iBOOKS | INDIEBOUND | KOBO

Cheryl Etchison graduated from the University of Oklahoma’s School of Journalism and began her career as an oil and gas reporter. Bored to tears and broke as hell, it wasn’t long before she headed for the promise land of public relations. But that was nearly a lifetime ago and she’s since traded in reporting the facts for making it all up. Currently, she lives in Austin, Texas with her husband and three daughters.

TELL ME HOW THIS ENDS by Victoria De La O
St. Martin’s Press, Swerve
Eileen Rothschild, editor

 

Brothers Jude and Ryan McAllister are inseparable. When Jude stepped in to raise Ryan after the death of their mother, it became the two of them against the world. But the scars it left were bone-deep. Then Lizzie Price comes along.

Lizzie hopes Ryan’s kindness can help heal her wounds from a toxic relationship. But when she meets Jude, their powerful attraction makes him difficult to resist. The problem is, Lizzie doesn’t realize Jude and Ryan are brothers, and they don’t know they’re falling for the same girl.

By the time the truth comes out, everyone is in too deep. Ryan is in love, Jude is in denial, and Lizzie wants both brothers. All of them agree that no one deserves to get hurt. But love and desire have a way of testing even the strongest bonds.

St. Martin’s Press | AMAZON | B&N | GOOGLE PLAY | iBOOKS | KOBO

 

Victoria De La O is the award-winning and RITA®-nominated author of the Tell Me romance trilogy. She is a California native who loves to hang out with her family, argue about films, and practice Wonder Woman spins. Get exclusive stories and news via her newsletter: http://eepurl.com/bm7WeT

 

THE TURNING POINT by Marie Meyer
Grand Central Publishing, Forever Yours
Megha Parekh, editor

For as long as I could remember, I was the girl with the plan. Good college, good medical school, good career. I would save lives instead of standing by helplessly, watching while they slipped away.

That was before my father called for the first time in fifteen years to tell me about the terminal illness stealing his life-an illness that might be stealing mine, too. It was before he gave me the name of a doctor and a plane ticket to Italy. Before I flew across an ocean. Before I realized how brilliantly bright life could be. Before I met Lucas.

He’s everything I’ve always wanted, and the timing couldn’t be worse. I can’t do this to him-he deserves so much better. My head tells me I can’t afford to fall in love with Lucas, but my heart won’t listen. Lucas is fearless about the future, while I’m not even sure I have one. There’s only one way to know what’s ahead and it’s waiting for me at home inside a plain, white envelope.

All I have to do, is open it . . .

Forever Romance | AMAZON | B&N | GOOGLE PLAY | iBOOKS | INDIEBOUND | KOBO

Marie Meyer is a teacher who spends her days in the classroom and her nights writing heartfelt romances. She is a proud mommy and enjoys helping her oldest daughter train for the Special Olympics, making up silly stories with her youngest daughter, and bingeing on weeks of DVR’d television with her husband.

WANDERLUST by Roni Loren
Penguin Random House, Berkley
Kate Seaver, editor

Restaurant critic Aubrey Bordelon is never at a loss for words to describe her meals in the fancy restaurants of New Orleans. But after her magazine’s high-profile music reporter falls ill, she finds herself out of her element and in a sea of screaming fans awaiting Wanderlust’s lead singer, Lex Logan. The sound of his voice gives her goosebumps, and the stage presence of the hard-bodied rock star takes her breath away. So when he pulls her onstage for a sexy stunt, she knows she’s in real trouble.

Lex doesn’t want to pretend that the sparks on stage between him and Aubrey never happened, but it certainly makes the fact that she’s writing a story on his band all the more dangerous. The last thing he needs is some nosy reporter revealing their problems to the world. But the sexy Southern belle doesn’t give up easily, and soon he’s wondering if the best way to chase her off the story is to coax her into his bed…

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Roni wrote her first romance novel at age fifteen when she discovered writing about boys was way easier than actually talking to them. Since then, her flirting skills haven’t improved, but she likes to think her storytelling ability has. After earning a master’s degree in social work from LSU, she worked in a mental health hospital, counseled birthmothers as an adoption coordinator, and did management recruiting in her PJs. But she always returned to writing.

Though she’ll forever be a New Orleans girl at heart, she now lives in Dallas with her husband and son. If she’s not working on her latest sexy story, you can find her cooking, watching reality television, or picking up another hobby she doesn’t need–in other words, procrastinating like a boss. She is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author and a winner of the prestigious RITA Award.

For a full list of RITA finalists, go to: https://www.rwa.org/page/2017-finalists 

The RITA Award Ceremony will be held July 27, 7 p.m. at the Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort during the Romance Writers of America National Conference. Readers can follow RWA on the following social media platforms for winner announcements:
What is the RITA Award? 
The purpose of the RITA award is to promote excellence in the romance genre by recognizing outstanding published romance novels and novellas.
The award itself is a golden statuette named after RWA’s first president, Rita Clay Estrada, and has become the symbol for excellence in published romance fiction.
For more about the RITA Award, click here: https://www.rwa.org/p/cm/ld/fid=528
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Geri’s Review+Excerpt: The Day of the Duchess by Sarah MacLean

July 4, 2017 by · 1 Comment

THE DAY OF THE DUCHESS
Series: Scandal & Scoundrel #3
Genre: Historical Romance
Author: Sarah MacLean
Release Date: June 27, 2017

The one woman he will never forget…

Malcolm Bevingstoke, Duke of Haven, has lived the last three years in self-imposed solitude, paying the price for a mistake he can never reverse and a love he lost forever. The dukedom does not wait, however, and Haven requires an heir, which means he must find himself a wife by summer’s end. There is only one problem—he already has one.

The one man she will never forgive…

After years in exile, Seraphina, Duchess of Haven, returns to London with a single goal—to reclaim the life she left and find happiness, unencumbered by the man who broke her heart. Haven offers her a deal; Sera can have her freedom, just as soon as she finds her replacement…which requires her to spend the summer in close quarters with the husband she does not want, but somehow cannot resist.

A love that neither can deny…

The duke has a single summer to woo his wife and convince her that, despite their broken past, he can give her forever, making every day…

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Chapter 1
DESERTED DUKE DISAVOWED!
August 19, 1836
House of Lords, ParliamentShe’d left him two years, seven months ago, exactly.
Malcolm Marcus Bevingstoke, Duke of Haven looked to the tiny wooden calendar wheels inlaid into the blotter on his desk in his private office above the House of Lords.
August the nineteenth, 1836. The last day of the parliamentary session, filled with pomp and idle. And lingering memory. He spun the wheel with the six embossed upon it. Five. Four. He took a deep breath.
Get out. He heard his own words, cold and angry with betrayal, echoing with quiet menace. Don’t ever return.
He touched the wheel again. August became July. May. March.
January the nineteenth, 1834. The day she left.
His fingers moved without thought, finding comfort in the familiar click of the wheels.
April the seventeenth, 1833.
The way I feel about you . . . Her words now—soft and full of temptation. I’ve never felt anything like this.
He hadn’t, either. As though light and breath and hope had flooded the room, filling all the dark spaces. Filling his lungs and heart. And all because of her.
Until he’d discovered the truth. The truth, which had mattered so much until it hadn’t mattered at all.
Where had she gone?
The clock in the corner of the room ticked and tocked, counting the seconds until Haven was due in his seat in the hallowed main chamber of the House of Lords, where men of higher purpose and passion had sat before him for generations. His fingers played the little calendar like a virtuoso, as though they’d done this dance a hundred times before. A thousand.
And they had.
March the first, 1833. The day they met.
So, they let simply anyone become a duke, do they? No deference. Teasing and charm and pure, unadulterated beauty.
If you think dukes are bad, imagine what they accept from duchesses?
That smile. As though she’d never met another man. As though she’d never wanted to. He’d been hers the moment he’d seen that smile. Before that. Imagine, indeed.
And then it had fallen apart. He’d lost everything, and then lost her. Or perhaps it had been the reverse. Or perhaps it was all the same.
Would there ever be a time when he stopped thinking of her? Ever a date that did not remind him of her? Of the time that had stretched like an eternity since she’d left?
Where had she gone?
The clock struck eleven, heavy chimes sounding in the room, echoed by a dozen others sounding down the long, oaken corridor beyond, summoning men of longstanding name to the duty that had been theirs before they drew breath.
Haven spun the calendar wheels with force, leaving them as they lay. November the thirty-seventh, 3842. A fine date—one on which he had absolutely no chance of thinking of her.

Tell me, Seraphina. If there were no one—no sisters or god or goddess to protect, no American, no aristocracy to watch and judge? What would you do if I pursued you?”

The Day of the Duchess is one of those books that makes me go, “This is the reason why I read romance!” Does it have a healthy dose of angst? Yes, it does. It also has one of the best grovels I’ve read in a while. The satisfying ending was worth every single heartache I, and the characters, went through. And every emotional moment in this book was earned.

Seraphina, Duchess of Haven, is back from exile with a single mission: get a divorce from her estranged husband, Malcolm Bevingstoke. The Duke however won’t let her go without a fight. He has regretted his actions in the past and is willing to do anything to win his wife back. But he has to contend with a lot of obstacles before he can even begin to fix what he broke years ago. So he concocted a crazy plan. Ask Sera to accompany him on his estate to help him choose her replacement and then she’ll get her divorce.

It’s a crazy plan from a man who’s desperate to win back his wife and atone for his sins in the past. What he didn’t know is Seraphina is desperate, too. But for different reasons. And it’s something that I totally could relate to. It’s something that we take for granted now but was totally not an option for women back then. And this is important to the story and to Sera’s character arc and it made me understand her motivation and sympathize with her.

I have dreamed of you here. Look up. Look at us. Look at how beautiful you are. Watch how I worship you.”

The tension between them was unmistakable. These are two people who clearly still love each other desperately but are so desperately broken that they can’t see beyond their own pain. Sarah MacLean did a phenomenal job at writing both of these characters at their darkest moments. They both made mistakes. Malcolm’s transgression would have been a deal breaker for me if not for the fact that the author was able to convince me that he truly regretted his actions. And some of his actions were not immediately known to Sera. She didn’t know what he’s done to make it up to her after she left.

And that’s one of the beauty of this book. I went through it knowing that these two are still desperately in love and that they deserved each other. I want them to work out their issues because them not being together would be a tragedy. But man, did they have to work for it.

But she remembered every note, every word, as though it were a prayer. And perhaps it was. Perhaps she could exorcise the past with it.

I mentioned above how much the satisfying ending was so earned. And this is the reason why. Both characters had to find a common ground first before they could even move on.

I don’t blame Sera for not trusting Malcolm at his word. What she went through was heart-wrenching. At the same time, as much as I hated what Malcolm did, it was impossible not to be moved by how genuinely sorry he was for the past. And he suffered as well. I loved, LOVED how their relationship evolved.

I shall have to be happy with finding you in the stars, at night.”

Apart from Sera and Malcolm, the Day of the Duchess are full of interesting characters. Of course, Sera’s sisters, the Soiled S’s are by the far the most interesting ones. But there were characters here who really stood out as well. Caleb and the ladies that were supposed to vie for the title of the next Duchess of Haven were charming and wonderful. I’m so looking forward to reading Caleb’s book. I won’t tell you his potential partner. You’d have to read this book to find out. But man, that’s going to be another angsty one for sure.

Overall, I LOVED this book. The romance was just top-notch. And the grovel…*swoon* It took me quite a bit of time to recover after I finished it because it was that good. Well done, Ms. MacLean. Well done!

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Blog Tour, Review & Excerpt: Where I Belong by M. O’Keefe

June 29, 2017 by · Leave a Comment

WHERE I BELONG
Series: The Debt #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: M. O’Keefe
Release Date: June 26, 2017

THE GIRL I LOVED IS THE WOMAN I CAN’T HAVE

It was simple: Pay the debt and I stay out of jail. Pay the debt and I stay alive.

But I sacrificed it all for Beth.

I didn’t pay what I owed. I’m sure punishment is coming, but I can take it – as long as Beth is safe. Away from her mother and everyone else who would hurt her.

I gave it all up for two days with her. And it was worth it.

She always was.

THE SECRETS WE KEEP ARE WHAT TEARS US APART

We’re supposed to be done. Over. Tommy goes his way, I go mine. Cue the heartbreaking music.

I’m supposed to forget him, but I don’t think I can. And when the danger closes in on Tommy, we’re on the run again. From Bates. From my mother. From our past. And there are no safe places to hide.

Except one. And it’s the place that will hurt Tommy the most.

But maybe it’s time for me to face my past. My demons.

Maybe it’s time for me to save Tommy for once.

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“What do you want, Tommy?” she breathed. So close. So beautiful. With her free hand she took off her glasses and tossed them on the ground. Her eyes, lined in black liner raked over me.And mine raked over her.

“You,” I said, so raw I was practically inside out. “Just once.”

She laughed low in her throat. “You have a few questions you want answered, do you?” she asked.

“Don’t you?”

“God yes.”

She stepped forward until she was nearly touching me. It took my inhale for my chest to brush hers. I exhaled and our bodies retreated. She inhaled and we touched. Exhaled and retreated.

We each did it again. And then again. Breathing each other in, in turns. Finally it wasn’t enough and I stepped toward her, and my cock pressed against her stomach and she pushed against me. Her breasts and belly imprinted on my skin.

“One time,” she said. “One time and we go back to our lives and get on with things. I’m going to forget you, Tommy. And you’re going to forget me.”

I doubted it, but I wasn’t going to argue. Not with my dick pushed up against the tight muscles of her stomach. Not with her breath, sweet from the pop and the candy she’d eaten, making me crazy.

“I’m serious, Tommy,” she said as if she could read my mind. “I don’t want to be hurt anymore, and I really, really don’t want to hurt you anymore. Promise you’ll forget me.”

“I promise,” I said, because when threatened with the idea of hurting her, I’d agree to anything to stop that. “I’ll forget you, right after I fuck you.”

I wish… Swear to God, those were the most dangerous words I knew.

Where I Belong is the emotional conclusion to Beth and Tommy’s story and if possible, I enjoyed this installment even more than the first book. While we got a gritty and unapologetic look into Tommy’s childhood inLost Without You, this book finally brings the answers to all the questions regarding Beth.

Beth has been living a fragile existence based on lies and hidden truths. Hiding from the world, hiding from her memories, she used her alter-ego, Jada, to deal with the hard stuff. Jada isn’t like Beth; hard where she’s soft, cynic where she’s nostalgic. The only person capable of tearing through her walls is the boy from her past that she never stopped loving. But what happens to those carefully constructed walls when he wants Jada instead of Beth to hold his own heart back?

Her hair was a wild mess around her small face. Like she’d been in a storm. Like she was a storm. And I was caught up in it. In the look in her eyes. The way she licked her lips. She didn’t want love. She wanted sex. She wanted fucking. It was me who wanted love.

Where book one focused on their past, this one focuses on their present. The fragile trust that they’ve managed to rebuild and the lies that threaten to tear them apart. I fell hard for Tommy in the beginning but I felt even harder for him in this book. There’s just something so fragile about him beneath the tough guy appearance. This is a man that wears his heart on his sleeve and would do anything for the girl he loves; even if it means sacrificing himself and his happiness. Man, but my heart broke for him. And with every new detail that gets unraveled, it broke even more.

Where I struggled a bit to understand Beth/Jada in the previous book, the puzzle piece really clicked into place with this one. You finally get why she is the way she is and why she made the choices she did. You want to judge her for them, but you can’t.

This book brought many answers, but it also left just as many questions. I wanted to say that I felt fully satisfied with the ending, but there was something missing for me to make that statement completely true. It’s clear that this marks the beginning of the series and we’ll be getting a lot more answers with Simon (and then hopefully Carissa). The duet gives you a conclusion to the romance between Beth and Tommy but not the story. There’s too many unanswered questions that you’re left with at the end and I’m already salivating for more of the series. One thing is for sure, however, and it’s that I’m addicted to Molly O’Keefe’s words, and I can’t wait for more!

TheDebt_Promo1

THE DEBT is FREE!

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Molly O’Keefe is an award-winning author of over 30 romance novels. She lives in Toronto, Canada with her family and the largest heap of dirty laundry in North America. Sign up for her newsletter to get release day news, exclusive excerpts, sale announcements and in-depth author interviews!

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Blog Tour, Review & Giveaway: Soul Redeemed by Keri Lake

June 27, 2017 by · Leave a Comment
 Title: Soul Redeemed
Author: Keri Lake
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: June 27, 2017
Being half incubus sucks sometimes. Sure, the sex is great, but getting hounded by females gets old pretty fast. Especially when the only one Calix cares about has gone missing, propelling him into a downward spiral of depression and abstinence.

Trapped by a wannabe mad scientist inside a nightmare of her own, Ava longs to be free, even if it means going back to the only male she regrets having betrayed. All she needs is a single opportunity to lead the way.

Calix should hate Ava for the way she deceived him and his brothers. Yet, when she shows up looking like she’s been through a hell of her own, the sweet relief over her return battles the bitter sting of her betrayal, and Calix can’t bring himself to turn her away. Not to mention, an incubus who’s starved himself of sex for too long is a detriment to everyone—including his brothers—and the way Ava commands his body is exactly the release he needs.

Unfortunately, thanks to the lunatic who held her captive, she’s now a walking death trap to any male that tries to bed her. But danger is closing in, placing Ava’s life in jeopardy, and if Calix doesn’t find a way to control his virile urges, he might just be her deadliest threat.

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It was the exact moment Ava had come to realize her love for the male was deeper than she could’ve fathomed. That she’d understood what he meant had told her that not even death would change what he’d come to mean for her. For her, there would never be another.

GAH! Finally! FINALLY! To say that I’ve been waiting forever for this story may be a sliiiiiiight understatement. For fans of gritty and sexy PNR, this series is an absolute must read. I wouldn’t recommend reading it as a standalone, because there is a story arc that continues throughout the series. While each book focuses on a different couple and their individual HEA, there’s so much that happens in the story that you simply wouldn’t appreciate the complexity of it all without reading it in order. That and you get more pieces of the other Wrath brothers in each book. Calix and Ava’s really began in Soul Resurrected and I’ve been salivating for it since; especially after the events in the end of Soul Enslaved.

Imprisoned in a cold basement and stripped of her powers, desperate for escape. Ava knows there may not be a way out. Injected with the deadly Sang virus for a sick experiment of a madman, this may be the price she pays for betraying the man she loves. But she won’t stop fighting. She’ll do anything to escape. She needs to make things right. She needs to beg for forgiveness. Even if she may not survive at the end of it.

Calix never stopped searching for the woman that stole his heart. Even if she betrayed him and his brothers in the worst possible way and they may never forgive her, he can’t stop thinking about her. Starved, half crazed, he can’t accept the touch of any other woman but her. With no clues as to her whereabouts, he’s about to give into the madness of a starved Incubus demon.

When Ava appears in the Wrath mansion, Calix knows that her betrayal is not enough to make him stay away. With everything on the line, he’ll fight for the woman he loves, even if she’s convinced that her fate is already sealed.

There’s so much that happens in this book. If you’ve been missing Xander like I have, you’ll be thrilled with the pieces you get of him in this book. Then there’s Ferno. Oh dear god, my poor broken Ferno. Keri dangles one hell of a carrot in this book; I think he finally meets his potential heroine here. And let me just tell you, that was one heck of a doozy. Talk about your broken souls. DAMN.

Then there’s Zeke and Zayne, Xander, and more Zeke and Zayne. GAH! I couldn’t get enough. I love the way that Keri expertly adds in additional POVs without taking anything away from the main couple and their romance.

I have to admit, Calix was the brother I was probably the least interested in with everything going on with the others, but he completely stole my heart in this book. There was such an emotional punch to this story with everything he and Ava go through. I loved these two together. I loved how equally balanced they are; the sacrifices they make for each other and their love. It was darkly beautiful.

Keri is truly a master of her craft and creates an addicting world that you can’t help but get fully immersed in. Every time I pick up a book in this series, it’s like coming back home. I’m addicted to these characters. It’s not your typical PNR. It’s dark and gritty with the perfect amount of sexy added in. I simply can’t recommend it enough.

Keri Lake is a dark romance writer who specializes in demon wrangling, vengeance dealing and wicked twists. Her stories are gritty, with antiheroes that walk the line of good and bad, and feisty heroines who bring them to their knees. When not penning books, she enjoys spending time with her husband, daughters, and their rebellious Labrador (who doesn’t retrieve a damn thing). She runs on strong coffee and alternative music, loves a good red wine, and has a slight addiction to dark chocolate.
Keep up with Keri Lake’s new releases, exclusive extras and more by signing up to her VIP Email List: VIP EMAIL SIGN UP
Become a Vigilante Vixen by joining her reading group: VIGILANTE VIXENS

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