Keeping Secrets
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Lisa Eugene
Release Date: October 22, 2015

Is that how a little girl sits?
No, Daddy.
How should a little girl sit?
Shoulders back and tummy in.
And how should a little girl look?
Always neat and pretty
That’s my girl.

Twenty-four-year-old Alexa Kennedy is beautiful, sharp as a whip, and at the top of her medical school class. She’s also been waging a war in her head for as long as she can remember. Depression. Hatred. Self-loathing. These feelings feed the pain inside her, fueling her quest for a perfection that she can never achieve.

In one life-changing moment, Dex Blakewell crashes into her world. Dex is funny, gorgeous, and irresistible. He chases away the darkness and fills her with light and laughter. An unusual friendship blossoms, making no demands or expectations.

Friendship turns into an unexpected love and a delicious passion. Alexa realizes that the only thing tethering her to sanity is their connection. But even Dex’s strength can’t keep her demons at bay forever.

When life overwhelms her, the outside world starts to mirror her inner turmoil. And when Dex discovers she’s been keeping horrible secrets, will she finally shatter or find a way through the darkness? Will the promise of love be enough to save her from self-destruction?

***WARNING: This book is for mature audiences and deals with topics and situations that some readers may find deeply emotional. That being said, I hope that many may find inspiration from these words. ***

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The need I had for her was consuming, irrational. She was as necessary as my next breath, as vital. It was not only baffling, but somehow unsettling.

I’ve been a fan of Lisa Eugene’s since my first book of hers, Steal My Heart. And with each new book she’s released since then she shows immense growth as an author. Her romances are not ordinary, and I can appreciate that as a reader. Reading romance, after a while most books begin to blend into each other. Unless there’s a certain edge to them that makes them stick out. This book had that in spades. Lisa took on an incredibly raw topic and she managed to weave it flawlessly inside a romance. Now considering the subject matter here, that’s no small feat. And props to her for pulling it off as well as she did.

Our gazes held and locked. There was a storm in her eyes and the force of it ripped through me.

Alexa Kennedy is a final year medical students, well on her way to becoming a doctor. She’s motivated, driven, smart, and completely lost to the war inside her mind. She’s her own worst critic and she never fails to rip into herself. A highly competitive medical school with entitled students just looking to overthrow her potential position as a valedictorian and scholarship to the Medical student are just a few of the things messing with her head. Then a child in the oncology wing that she’s bonded with passes away and sends her into a tail spin
…only to come crashing into Dex Blakewell.

Dex is a successful businessman with no interest in women beyond one sweaty night between the sheets. But his word quite literary tilts on it’s axis when he meets Alexa. What begins as an unlikely friendship soon begins to turn into something much more. But both of them are keeping secrets. Secrets that have the potential of breaking the connection that they only just now formed.,,

Keeping Secrets was very different from anything that I would typically read. While the romance is a heavy element, what truly drives the story is Alexa’s “condition”. Lisa spares no detail in her struggle and truly brings the reader inside her mind. I loved that gritty little element to this book. I’m not entirely sure why it’s labeled as a dark romance, as I found nothing truly dark about it. There’s no graphic violence but you do get a graphic view inside Alexa’s issues (view spoiler)[bulimia, depression, controlling and mentally abusive father (hide spoiler)]. But for me that’s not dark. Realistic, absolutely. But not dark.

Alexa is a very broken individual, and while not my usual preference to read in a heroine, there was also something very endearing to her. You can’t help but feel for her and Lisa does a phenomenal job with character development to ensure that all readers will feel the same.

If you’re looking to step a little bit outside the norm of contemporary romance, this is the book you do it with. I absolutely loved that the author didn’t gloss over any issues. Her characters truly dealt with their issues in a realistic matter. The romance wasn’t instantaneous but it wasn’t too slow either. It was a perfect fit for the story and I loved watching these two fall in love. Of course in usual Miss Eugene fashion you get some super sexy scenes in here, but that’s just the icing on the already great story cake.

Tough Enough
Series: Tall, Dark, and Dangerous #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: M. Leighton
Release Date: November 3, 2015

You seriously don’t want to miss MMA-champion-turned-Hollywood-superstar Rogan. Hotness!

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From the author of the New York Times bestselling Bad Boys novels comes the second book in a dark, sexy contemporary trilogy.

 He’s a fighter who never loses, but is he tough enough to win her heart?

There was a time when I had everything–a wonderful family, a bright future. Love. But all that was taken away in a single night, torn from me like flesh from bone. Since then, I’ve hidden away in my second-choice job as a makeup artist. But I prefer it that way, actually. I’m comfortable in the shadows, where no one can see my scars.

Kiefer Rogan literally took my breath away the moment I met him. MMA champion-turned-actor, notorious playboy, charming to a fault—he’s everything I vowed to avoid.

But he just wouldn’t stop until I opened up and let him in. Maybe I should’ve tried harder to resist him. Maybe I shouldn’t have fallen in love with him. Because I, of all people, know that everyone has secrets. Scars. And that they’re usually ugly and painful and destructive to the people we love most.

I just never guessed that they could be deadly, too.

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Get Strong Enough, the first book in the Tall, Dark, and Dangerous series
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Add Tough Enough†to your Goodreads TBR
Why me?”
He doesn’t hesitate with his answer. “Something tells me you’re worth the effort.”
Well, this was certainly…different. If you’re expecting Tough Enough to be on the same intensity level as Strong Enough, don’t. This was a complete change of pace from the first book. It’s an emotional journey that’s both beautiful and touching. The suspense element is not the predominant factor here as it was in the predecessor. As a matter of fact, it was barely present up until the very end. Which actually brings me to my minor dilemma. I’ve been waffling with my rating on this book for days now. Do I rate it on it’s own, or do I rate it based on the series it’s in? But I’ll get to that in a bit.
In true M. Leighton fashion, Tough Enough grabs the reader’s attention with just the prologue.

Katie Rydale is a woman with secrets; deep, painful secrets that she’s still learning to live with. It’s been years since the even that changed her life irrevocably, and yet she’s still just a shell of the woman she used to be. A meek kitten that hides behind the shadow of who she used to be. She’s more comfortable behind the lime light as a makeup artist to the stars that bask in it.

Kiefer Rogan is like champagne- undeniably delicious, deceptively light, and too easy to get drunk on. To lose your mind with. To make a mistake with.

Kiefer Rogan is the uber sexy MMA star turned actor and one fourth of the Delta 5 team that we were introduced to in the first book. Katie knows that men like him will only burn her. He’s just too everything; too sexy, too intense, too determined to get to know her.

We both fought to survive. But only one of us fought to live.

If you’re looking for a swoony alpha hero, you’ll certainly get that with Keifer. His slow and determined seduction of Katie was one of my favorite parts about this book. I love a slow burn romance, especially one that’s layered in ripe sexual tension. As protective as Rogan is, he understands Katie’s limits and doesn’t push them. For all his intensity, it’s so refreshing to see a hero that’s respectful of a woman’s boundaries. He was just so incredibly sweet but without ever losing that edge that he has to him.
Katie is not exactly the kind of heroine I prefer to read about. She’s very demure and tends to withdraw into herself at the slightest altercation. I would have loved to see her come into her own a little sooner than she did.

If you’ve read the first book, which I highly recommend you do, then you know there was a particular suspense element that was left in a cliffhanger. Clearly there was a story arc that would continue throughout the series. I was expecting for this book to bring some of that intensity with it as well, but it never quite went there. The main focus was the relationship between Rogan and Katie while the suspense was more of an afterthought. I don’t have a problem with this, and up until the final 10% of the book, this was a solid 4.5 star read for me. This could easily be a case of built up expectations, but I found the ending to be rushed and well…anticlimactic. After all the buildup in book 1 for everything to be resolved the way it was, it just wasn’t as satisfying as I had hoped. I would have loved for that part to be really fleshed out and not just glossed over as it had been. But then again, I don’t know what the third book will bring, so it is tough to judge without having finished the series.

For all the minor issues I may have had, this book had my full attention from beginning to finish. So while I wished it had a bit more of an edge to it like the first one in the series, I still definitely enjoyed it.

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New York Times and USA Today†bestselling author M. Leighton is a native of Ohio. She relocated to the warmer climates of the South, where she can be near the water all summer and miss the snow all winter. Possessed of an overactive imagination from early in her childhood, Michelle finally found an acceptable outlet for her fantastical visions: literary fiction.

Having written over a dozen novels, these days Michelle enjoys letting her mind wander to more romantic settings with sexy Southern guys, much like the one she married and the ones you’ll find in her latest books. When her thoughts aren’t roaming in that direction, she’ll be riding horses, swimming in ponds and experiencing life on a ranch, all without leaving the cozy comfort of her office.

Sign up for her newsletter here, and be the first to know about exclusive giveaways, new books, and awesome fan-only perks! And join Michelle in her superfan Facebook group, Laid Back with Leighton, right here!

The Boss: Book One
Series: The Boss #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Erotic Romance Serial
Authors: Cari Quinn & Taryn Elliott
Release Date: October 27, 2015

I’ve always been a good girl.

I’ve only done two really bad things in my life–secretly live in the maid’s quarters of my beloved grams foreclosed beach house and lie to get a job as a personal assistant to billionaire Blake Carson.

My enemy, my lover, my savior.

He’s only two out of the three, if only I can figure out which two before I end up on the streets or in jail.

Or worse.

AMAZON

He was every sin I never knew I’d wanted.

You know that decadent kind of ice cream? The one where even if you get a small serving of it, it’s oh so satisfying yet still leaves you craving more? The Boss is that ice cream for me, and it was absolutely delicious! It’s tough to find a serial romance these days that can perfectly combine sizzling sexual tension with a plot that hooks you just the same. So of course it figures that the powerhouse writing duo that is Cari and Taryn pulled it off effortlessly!

I’d come here looking for a miracle, and I was walking away with a job.

Grace Copeland walks into the den of the enemy prepared to fight. She’s prepared to lie and do whatever it takes to get her beloved grandmother’s house back from the billionaire that probably doesn’t even care what it means to her. What’s she’s not prepared for is to walk out with a job.

Blake Carson is a glass magnate that’s not exactly known for his sunny disposition. He goes through personal assistants like another man may go through socks. So why on earth does he offer Grace the job after she basically calls him on his shit? Such is the enigma of this man.

Like the storm coming off the water this morning, he was a cold front slapping into a warm. The thunder was his voice, and I was the rocks trying desperately to hold out against the waves.
And the water was rising.

The sexual tension between these two is instant and so deliciously thick you can almost taste it. There’s nothing I love more than a good buildup and this book serves that up perfectly. Cari and Taryn know exactly what they’re doing and these two sure know how to tease and entice.
Volume One is written solely in Grace’s POV which only serves to entice the reader with everything that is or isn’t Blake. He’s enticing, magnetic, and an all out mystery. Then again all this does is whet your appetite for more.

Grace is exactly the kind of heroine I love to read about. She’s sassy and smart mouthed. This is a woman that gets knocked down and comes right back up swinging. I can already tell these two are going to be absolutely delicious together and I’m absolutely dying for more!

I was swept into the breath-stealing undertow that was Blake Carson and the force of his kiss.

After that ending, I’m not sure whether to rock myself in a corner somewhere in my wait for the next installment or to hunt down Cari and Taryn and beat them until they give it to me. All I know, is I’m hooked and I want it. I need it. I have to have it.

If you’re looking for a deliciously sexy read that you’ll devour in one sitting, guaranteed, look no further than The Boss. Trust me on this. You’ll thank me when you meet Blake Carson. I have 3 words for you: Suit. Beard. Tattoos. You’re welcome.

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Don’t miss the next installment in this scorching hot series!

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Releasing November 19

Available for PRE-ORDER

Filthy Rich
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Virna DePaul
Release Date: October 27, 2015

High finance and a sizzling office affair raise desire and passion to the boiling point in Virna DePaul’s seductive new contemporary romance—perfect for fans of Carly Phillips, Lori Foster, and Molly O’Keefe.

Cara Michal has had to fight every step of the way to earn her place in the glittering seven-figure world of Wall Street. Years ago her hardworking father, a small-time investment adviser, was humiliated and wrongfully accused of fraud. Now Cara is at the top of her game, trying to support not only herself but her mother and brother. The occasional night out dancing soothes Cara’s soul, even as a bitter need for revenge against the man who destroyed her father makes inner peace elusive.

Then, in a moment of heat, Cara kisses a sexy stranger at a party—only later to discover that the man is Branden Duke, her new boss, an infamous operator with a wicked reputation in bed and on the Street. Branden is a man who seemingly has it all—except a woman who connects with him on a physical and emotional level. Now that he’s found Cara, he’s not sure he can let her go, even if he should.

In spite of herself, Cara is drawn to this charismatic guy. He is a challenge like none she has ever faced in her life. Their passion for each other is unquenchable, surprising them both with its ferocity. Even as Cara wonders if she can trust this man with her heart and soul, the ecstasy of their love cannot be denied. But when the past threatens the present, the two are faced with a truth from which they may never recover.

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I’ve loved everything else I’ve ever read from this author, so I was excited to see she had a new book coming out. The synopsis intrigued me and it sounded like I’d be in for another steamy read from the fabulous Virna Depaul. Unfortunately, there were just too many things working against this book for me to ever truly enjoy it.

I struggled with my rating, but I figure per GR’s explanation; it was just OK, so 2 stars it is.

Cara Michal is a hard hitter on Wall Street. After her father’s death, she’s been the main bread winner for her family; supporting not only her mother but her brother as well. Her career is everything to her and she won’t let anything or any one jeopardize it. But then a sexy stranger she meets at a party tilts her carefully conducted life on it’s axis.

When it turns out that the stranger isn’t some stranger after all; but is in fact the new owner of the financial institution that Cara works for, their brewing sexual chemistry becomes even more inconvenient.

Now the premise for this book was great. I loved the set and where I though the story was going. My main issue is I found a good chunk of the book to be pure filler; unnecessary information that did nothing to drive the actual plot. It was draining to read and often took me completely out of the story. I think this could have easily been trimmed by almost 30-40% if I’m being perfectly honest.

My second issue was with Cara. Her indecisiveness drove me nuts. She wants him, but she can’t have him, she’ll cave in, but it won’t go further than that. Rinse, lather, and repeat ad nauseam. Ultimately though, here’s a woman that refuses to be “kept” and struggles to be seen as an equal in a mainly male dominated profession, yet she’s taking risks by having sexual encounters with her boss at work. It just seemed like she’d cave in too easily that all her internal arguments for her profession were moot.

Then there were the sex scenes. Perhaps I’m just desensitized to erotic books that I’ve become picky, but personally the word “penis” in a sex scene does absolutely nothing for me. Particularly in an explicit one.

When she felt his fingers there she sucked them into her mouth, making love to them the same way she’d made love to his penis just a little while ago.”

Making love to his penis? Are we actually waxing on poetic about a blow job here?

I want you inside me.”
“My fingers are inside you.”
“No! I want your penis inside me.”

Le sigh.

Then add in a random stalker to throw in some suspense and I was altogether underwhelmed.

I did love Braden’s intensity. Virna DePaul definitely knows how to write a super sexy alpha. Unfortunately while there were parts that I did enjoy, the negatives simply outweighed the enjoyment for me. I’m still a huge fan of this author and will gladly read any of her future releases. We simply can’t love them all, and this was just that case for me. I recommend you read it and judge for yourself. I tend to be a highly critical and picky reader; so you never know, it just may work for you.