New Reviews – Page 124 – Read-Love-Blog

Entangled Edge Book Blast….Bittersweet Magic by Nina Croft

Edge, a digital-first single-title romance line from Entangled Publishing, takes its lead from our popular Select imprint but gives its novels an edge in the marketplace by bringing great stories to readers at reasonable prices in a quick-and-easy way. Whether sexy or sweet, traditional romance or love and lust with a women’s fiction bent, at the center of every Edge book is heart. From Urban Fantasy to Contemporary Romance to Science Fiction Romance, Edge has a book for all romance readers—and right at their fingertips! As they say, all’s fair in love and war. To find out more about our titles, chat with authors, participate in special events, and to find out what books are coming next, visit the Entangled website, follow us on Twitter, and like our Facebook page.

Today I’m happy to be featuring Bittersweet Magic by Nina Croft! This followup to Bittersweet Blood is sure to please, but don’t worry, it can easily be read as stand alone. Nina Croft’s stories are Out of This World, so you won’t want to miss this one!

Roz has been indebted to the demon Asmodai for five hundred years, and her freedom is just around the corner. All she has to do is complete one last task for him—obtain a key that had been hidden in a church centuries ago.

Piers, the Head of the Order and an ancient vampire, is intrigued by the woman who comes to him for help. She’s beautiful and seemingly kind, but she’s hiding something. And he’ll find out who she is and what she really wants once he uses his power to get inside her head. But Piers has no idea that Roz is immune to his mind-control…or that he is simply a pawn in her dangerous mission for freedom.

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Author info:

Nina Croft grew up in the north of England. After training as an accountant, she spent four years working as a volunteer in Zambia, which left her with a love of the sun and a dislike of nine-to-five work. She then spent a number of years mixing travel (whenever possible) with work (whenever necessary) but has now settled down to a life of writing and picking almonds on a remote farm in the mountains of southern Spain.

Nina’s writing mixes romance with elements of paranormal and science fiction.

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Blog Tour Stop & HUGE Giveaway….Late Night With Andres by Debra Anastasia

Welcome to my stop on the Late Night With Andres by Debra Anastasia Blog Tour!

Please enjoy my review and enter into the tour-wide giveaway in the rafflecopter below to win some AMAZING prizes.

Don’t forget, all of the proceeds from the sale of this kick ass book will be donated to fighting breast cancer….so grab a copy today!

Book links:

Amazon ~ Goodreads

Synopsis:

Rising-star blogger Milla Kierce knows she’s arrived when she sees the swag basket in her dressing room on the night of her late-night television debut. But before she can bite into the muffin that symbolizes her success, gunfire echoes through the TV studio. She’s just hidden herself (mostly in plain sight) when the door flings open. Instead of a gunman, there stands one of the world’s most popular rock stars, Gage Daxson, looking for his own way out of danger.

Thrown together, they’ll battle a venomous man seeking revenge and his own sexual pleasure, but they may never leave the building again. Distracted by fear, fame, and infamy, can these two somehow find their way to each other?

Equal parts horrifying and hilarious, Debra Anastasia’s Late Night With Andres offers more than a few twists and turns—and, of course, enough heat to keep things interesting.

100% of the proceeds generated from sales the novella Late Night with Andres will be donated by Debra Anastasia, Omnific Publishing, and all the staff members involved, to assist in the battle against breast cancer—because cancer sucks.

My review:

Late Night with Andres is the latest work from author Debra Anastasia, an author I truly adore. Well, Debra has done it again. Her wit and fun personality shine through in this story and these characters!

Milla Keirce is a rising star in the blogging world and is beyond thrilled to have an appearance on a late night TV show. Getting ready in the green room, and appreciating the muffins in her welcome basket, she is horrified to hear gunshots down the hallway and inching closer to where she is. So when the door bursts open, she was expecting a gunman, not rock star Gage Daxson. Her star struck awe is short lived however. The gunman has reached them and now they must work together to survive this almost certainly un-survivable situation.

Don’t let the length of this novella fool you. For a short story, there is plenty of action, emotion and humor packed in. The intensity of the situation is brilliantly offset with dark humor from Milla and I loved it! Milla realizes she’s screwed but refuses to go down without a fight. Figuring she has nothing left to lose, she won’t give the shooter the satisfaction of keeping quiet. She has every intention to tell him exactly what she thinks of him and his actions, consequences be damned. Daxson, bless him, is amazing through the whole ordeal and had hero written all over him from the minute he burst through the greenroom door. I have to go back to the humor for a minute though. Debra did such an amazing job with Milla and her unexpected humor was just perfect. I freaking laughed out loud too many times to count!

One of the things I liked best about this story was that Debra wrote it in small pieces of each person’s experience through the debacle. We saw it from Andre’s, Milla’s and Daxson’s point of views and that made it all the more exciting. Oh, and the relationship that developed between Daxson and Milla? Loved it!

So go out and by this funny and intense novella, because not only is it a great one-sitting-read, all of the proceeds go to fighting breast cancer. Yep, two great reasons to enjoy it.

Thank you, Debra! I’ve missed reading you!

Four Loves

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Debra Anastasia grew up in New York and got a bachelor’s degree in political science at SUNY New Paltz. At the start of her marriage, she moved to southern Maryland with her husband. She still doesn’t trust crabs and all their legs, though everyone else in her family thinks they’re delicious. Her favorite hobbies include knitting, painting furniture and wall murals, and slapping clowns.

Her writing started a decent handful of years ago when along with the dogs, cat, kids, and husband, the voices of characters started whispering stories in Debra’s ear. Insomnia was the gateway for the plots that wouldn’t give up, wouldn’t let go. In the shower, a twist would take hold and–dripping and frenzied–she’d find somewhere, anywhere to write it down.

www.debraanastasia.com | twitter.com/Debra_Anastasia

Book Tour & Review….Disclosure of the Heart by Mary Whitney

Welcome to my stop on the Disclosure of the Heart by Mary Whitney Book Tour. Please enjoy my review and be sure to enter the tour-wide giveaway in the rafflecopter below!

Book links:

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Goodreads

Synopsis:

Sixteen years is a long time to wait for your true love to reappear, and, anyway, Nicki Johnson couldn’t wait for the impossible to happen. Hard life lessons have taught her that fairy tales are children’s stories, and fate is cruel. Burying her hopes, she’s spent the last sixteen years focused and driven toward her career, and it’s landed her with a job at the White House with a gem of a boyfriend. But when her high school love, Adam Kincaid, walks into the White House as a BBC reporter, Nicki’s world is thrown into turmoil as she relives their past. Adam has come back for her, but has he arrived too late?

My review:

Disclosure of the Heart is the second book in Mary Whitney’s Beside Your Heart Series and picks up sixteen years after the first book, Beside Your Heart. Disclosure of the Heart was a great “new” beginning for Nicki and Adam and I was really happy with where their story picked up and is headed.

After trying, somewhat unsuccessfully, to put her first true love Adam Kincaid out of her head, Nicki Johnson is completely thrown off balance when she sees that Adam will be working at the White House with her. How could this possibly be happening? She has a dream job, a sexy and devoted boyfriend and things are going pretty well for her. Although, if she’s being honest with herself, she’s realizes she’s totally full of it. The minute she sees Adam, Nicki knows she’s lost to him and the entire 16 years of distance they’ve shared disappears as if they had never been apart. But Nicki can’t let go of all that she has now, in the present, for the love she had so many years ago in the past. Besides, Adam probably doesn’t even think of her that way anymore…..could he? Working with Adam is a recipe for emotional disaster, and it may be more than Nicki can endure.

This is a beautiful story about the undying connection of that first true love. I thought Nicki did a fantastic job of not just jumping right back into things with Adam and wasn’t wiling to let her guard down and risk everything she’s worked for since he’s been gone. She can’t forget the hurt and pain of that broken heart from sixteen years ago, and honestly I don’t blame her one bit. She puts up a good fight, and in the end I would have done exactly what she did….nope, my lips are sealed! No spoilers from me. Adam really had his work cut out for him in this book and realized early on that he was going to have to fight to get Nicki back. He’s got sixteen long years to make up for and many mistakes to try and erase. Reading Nick and Adam’s journey was truly enjoyable and I was so happy with the way things worked out for them in this book. It was a new beginning for them and although some spots got messy with their careers and such, it truly did work out for the best.

Thank you, Mary, for a great read and I am looking forward to Adam’s story!

Four Loves

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the author:

Even before she graduated from law school, Mary Whitney knew she wasn’t cut out to be a real lawyer. Drawn to politics, she’s spent her career as an organizer, lobbyist, and nonprofit executive. Nothing piques her interest more than a good political scandal or romance, and when she stumbled upon writing, she put the two together. A born Midwesterner, naturalized Texan, and transient resident of Washington, D.C., Mary now lives in Northern California with her two daughters and real lawyer husband.

ARC Review & Excerpt….Drowning by Rachel Firasek

Book links:

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Goodreads

Synopsis:

*Drowning is a New Adult Contemporary Romance suited for 18+ due to some violence, language, and sexual content*

“I dare you.”

Those words would change adrenaline junkie, Alice Harrison’s life forever. She’s a party girl that doesn’t believe in love until she meets a man that only writes about it.

Seth James escaped his overbearing father and moved into one of the James family’s vacant condos, hoping to create the music he loves in peace. But the fragile calm he’s envisioned shatters when a tiny woman with a world full of energy bounces out of the elevator and nearly takes him out.

With the patience of a saint, Seth seeks the dark that keeps Alice from enjoying life. He challenges her to exorcise the demons in her past in order to discover the true meaning of love. But when the walls fall down, the hidden deceptions will bare the ugly truth about a woman drowning in sorrow and a man who may not know how to be her hero.

My review:

Drowning is the newest work from author Rachel Firasek. I have read most of Rachel’s’ earlier works, and really enjoyed them, but nothing comes close to what she has done with Drowning. This book was remarkable.

To say that Alice Harrison has had a pretty heavy cross to bear would be a huge understatement. Feeling responsible for the recent accident that happened to her older sister is just the latest scar left on her emotions. Those emotional scars add another layer to the physical scars left by a person who was supposed to love and care for her. That combo has left her hardened and swearing off love and emotions for good. It was the only way she knew how to survive. That all changed when she meets her new neighbor, Seth. He refuses to let something like a slammed door to the face turn him away. The scariest part is, Alice knows he may be the one that can crumble her resolve and lead her to believe there may be some good left in the world. Will he have what it takes to love someone as scarred as she is?

Seth James hasn’t really had the best childhood. One of the things that has helped him through it, besides his brother, was his love for music. Now that’s his main focus. Well, it was until he sees Alice, the new neighbor. Funny that just a little conversation in the elevator can have him dying to know more about her. She’s going to be a tough nut to crack, but he’s up for the challenge. Seth soon finds out that there’s more to the challenge than just a tough exterior when he finds her crying in the stairwell and realizes she needs more than just a hot boy toy….she needs a knight in shining armor and damn if he wants to be that for her.

Seth and Alice have so much from their pasts that needs to be healed. Working on their own really hasn’t gone so well for them. Will working together finally be the balm they need to heal the wounds they both have?

Talk about an emotional story. We are given a peek into Alice’s story in the beginning and ever so slowly, the pieces are revealed and the puzzle that starts to take shape is so utterly heartbreaking. From the day she was born, she never stood a chance at happiness in the life she was brought into. Alice is truly a survivor though. She is finally free from the hell she called home and is now out on her own and is doing her best to live and be normal. Then she meets Seth and she gains be a sliver of hope that she could be loved….scars and all. Seth is amazing. He’s a man’s man with a huge heart and the love he has for his brother is evident from the first chapter. That made me love him even more and I knew if anyone can save Alice, he was it. Regardless of his own personal and family issues, he has a good head on his shoulders and is a delicious balance between hard and soft. The delicate dance between Alice and Seth was fabulous to read. There was a slow build of trust and caring between them. The attraction was instant but the progress into a relationship was done really well. Especially as we learn about Alice’s past and what she has endured. I can’t give anything away, but have some tissues handy.

Another fantastic addition to the story were the band members….besides brothers Seth and Gabe we meet Deacon and Evan. Those two boys are a terrific addition to the entire dynamic and make the whole gang have a real family feel. Albeit a slightly dysfunctional one, a family nonetheless, with all the teasing, bickering and caring that comes with it.

Rachel takes the reader on an emotional voyage with love, loss, angst, tenderness, anger, lust and so much more. Thank you, Rachel, for Alice and Seth and for all of the rest of these memorable characters. I can’t wait to see what you have planned form them all next!

Four Loves

Excerpt:

He laughs that loud laugh that cuts down into my stomach and vibrates my breakfast to the surface. “Of course. I haven’t seen you in quite some time and thought I’d pay my baby daughter a visit. Did you get my letter?”

I can’t help the tremble that takes root in my chin and bleeds up into my tear ducts. I fight the well of salt water. Seth was right. They were a weakness to him, and he’d feed on them. “You need to go.”

“I’ll go when I’m ready. I think you should remember whose roof you’re living under and be more gracious.”

The door across the hall opens, and I meet Seth James’ bold stare over my father’s shoulder. God no. Please, don’t watch this.

He leaves the door open and steps closer. “Everything okay?”

My father lurches back and clears his throat. “Everything’s fine.” He spins and thrust out his hand, all politician’s smiles and his kissing baby’s grin on his face. “E. Harrison, and you are?”

“Neighbor. Seth James.”

I grip my towel tighter, but Seth’s eyes never stray from Dad’s. He was so wrong about being a hero. He’d just saved me from pure evil. The two men stand taller. My father is forbidding in his expensive threads. He has years of cut muscles beneath that have kept him from sagging like most men his age. Seth, on the other hand, has youth on his side. He’s all hard ridges and full of territorial male dominance.

With a deep sigh that relaxes all those tightened nerves, I ask, “Father, did you need something?”

“I came by to speak to you about something, but, perhaps another time would be better suited.” He glances back at me and sneers, but returns to sleazy smiles before he gives a nod to Seth. “Mr. James, a pleasure. I’ll be on my way.”

Seth puts a hand out and catches my father’s shoulder. “Mr. Harrison, as the owner of this condo, I feel that I should warn you against making my tenants uncomfortable.” Seth steps across the hall and drops an arm around my scarred shoulder. His thumb soothes away the shiver chasing over my collar bone. “I’m not sure of your welcome here, so please correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t want to see either of these girls come to harm.”

I gasp. He spoke so eloquently. Bold and rich. I’d have never thought he had it in him if I hadn’t just witnessed it. And no one has ever come to my defense. Never. Seth James was ten feet tall and made of blue bubble gum right now. I’d chew him, blow him, and make him pop. Vulgar, I know, but there it is.

My father straightens his jacket. “Do you know who I am?”

“I do, but obviously you do not know who I am or what I’m capable of.” Seth tucks me even closer. If he’s noticed the scars stretching across my shoulders, he’s too polite to even give them a second glance, and for that, I’ll forever be indebted to him. “Don’t fuck with Alice again.”

He knows my name. And he just cussed my dad.

Harrison squints at us, and turns, clicking his heels together before stalking to the elevator. As much as I love seeing someone put him in his place, Seth James had just built me a coffin.

Fucking great. As soon as the sliding doors close on Dad, I shove Seth away from me. He’s too much right now. Everything is too much.

His brow wrinkles. “What?”

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

He steps back and glances at the floor before smirking up at me. “Being your hero.”

About the author:

Rachel Firasek spends her days daydreaming of stories and her nights putting the ideas to ink. She has spent a dull life following the rules, meeting deadlines, and toeing the line, but in her made up worlds, she can let the wild side loose. Her wonderful husband and three children support her love of the written word and only ask for the occasional American Idol or Swamp People quality hour.

She has a philosophy about love. It must devastate or it isn’t truly worth loving. She hopes that you all find your devastating love and cling to it with all your heart!

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ARC Review…Bound by Wish and Mistletoe by Kat Bastion

Book links:

amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Goodreads

Synopsis:

The holiday novella, Book 1.5, following the award-winning debut of Forged in Dreams and Magick in the Highland Legends Series:

Desperate to honor a life-long promise, Susanna MacEalan escapes her abusive clan with the fierce determination of never falling under the power of a man. Ever.

Aggravated by shallow-hearted pursuing lasses, Robert Brodie, commander of his clan’s elite guard, has foresworn scheming women. Forever.

When magick transforms Brodie Castle into a Christmas wonderland, the two despondent souls find solace in a most unexpected place . . . each other’s arms.

Amid a whirlwind of escalating events, Susanna’s traumatic past threatens Robert’s ability to protect the one woman meant for him. In a harrowing moment, as her fears and demons coalesce, will hope, faith, and love be enough to save them?

My review:

Bound by Wish and Mistletoe by Kat Bastion follows the fabulous Forged in Dreams and Magick. I was drawn back into Kat’s gorgeous Highland world from the very first pages and was so happy with this novella and being able to have another taste of the Brodie Clan.

Susanna MacEalan is in the midst of a desperate escape from her horrid clan and her father. She refuses to live another minute with the barbaric and ignorant people she is supposed to call a family. The last thing she expects to run into is a group of men in the woods along her escape route. Now she finds herself at their mercy and in need of their help if she stands any chance of getting away for good. Will she be able to trust a man? It’s men that have caused her to run in the first place. Without many options, she will have to swallow her pride and fears and trust this Highlander, whether she likes it or not.

On a ridiculous mission for something called a Christmas tree, Robert Brodie is annoyed, cold and tired…but not just for having to traipse through the winter woods looking for a tree. He’s also annoyed with women and has officially sworn them off for good. Now, with the tree procured, and his task just about complete, he is caught by surprise by the young and beautiful lass waving her dagger at him after stumbling upon him and his men in the woods. He realizes she’s in need of help and he’s realizes he would do anything to keep her safe. Struck by a sudden wave of emotions, he also realizes there is no way he’s going to let this woman go. She may not know it yet, but fate has sent her to him.

The fates and magick, it seems, have brought Susanna and Robert together for many reasons. The most important reason is simply that they were made for each other. The attraction and intense emotion they share for one another is a gift, and one they both will treasure.

I wrote earlier that I was so happy to be back in Kat’s gorgeous Highland world. I adore Kat’s writing and this novella is a prefect addition to the Highland Legends Series. Susanna broke my heart. The poor girl has been through so much at the hands of the very people who are supposed to love and care for her. Reading her stories of the abuse she and her mother endured was so very sad. I admired her tenacity and resolve in deciding to leave her old life behind in search of happiness and freedom. She sure is a spitfire! Robert is amazing. He’s a warrior though and through with a huge heart and soft side that had me swooning. He knows he has to work really damn hard to win Susanna over and he’s up for the challenge. Oh, how I loved his drive to win Susanna. Together, they are a beautiful match and make a fantastic couple.

I also loved seeing our favorite characters form Forged in Dreams and Magick. We get to see a bit of what the Clan Brodie has been up to and get a glimpse of what’s to come for them. Oh, I can’t wait!

Thank you, Kat, for another beautifully written story.

Four Loves

About the Author :

Kat Bastion is an award-winning paranormal romance writer, poetic warrior, and eternal optimist who loves getting lost in the beauty of nature. On a never-ending, wondrous path of self-discovery, Kat throws her characters into incredible situations with the hope that readers join her in learning more about the meaning of life and love. Her first published work, Utterly Loved, was shared with the world to benefit others. All proceeds from Utterly Loved, and a portion of the proceeds of all her other books, support charities who help those lost in this world. Kat lives with her husband amid the beautiful Sonoran Desert of Arizona.

Visit her blog at www.talktotheshoe.com, her website at www.katbastion.com, and her Twitter account at https://twitter.com/KatBastion for more information.

ARC Review….Cinderella Screwed Me Over by Cindi Madsen

I’m so happy to bring you my review of Cinderella Screwed Me Over by Cindi Madsen! I hope you enjoy and be sure to stop back on November 29 when it’s my stop on the blog tour…

Book links:

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Goodreads

Synopsis:

Darby Quinn has a bone to pick with Cinderella. Burned one too many times by ex-boyfriends, Darby has lost all belief in the happily-ever-after that the fairy-tale princess promised her. She’s sworn off love, Prince Charmings, and happy endings and she’s happy about it. Really. Or at least she was…until she met Jake, her gorgeous neighbor and the manager of her favorite restaurant. But Darby has rules about dating, ones she’s culled from her years spent with so-called “princes,” and starting something with Jake would break all of them.

Charming, fun, and unwilling to give up on her, Jake doesn’t fit any of the profiles Darby has created from her case studies of ex-princes-gone-bad. Finally presented with her own Prince Charming, can Darby take a chance on a happily-ever-after?

Full of wit and sarcastic humor, Cinderella Screwed Me Over proves that sometimes the perfect love, like a perfect pair of shoes, is just within your grasp.

My Review:

Cinderella Screwed Me Over is the newest release from author Cindi Madsen and the book that has turned me into a fan! Fun, flirty and with the perfect amount of snark, this book was way too much fun!

Successful interior designer Darby Quinn has had her share of love…and her share of disappointment. Now, in her mid-twenties she has learned a lot about love and a lot about how love can really, truly suck. She has made a list of rules and requirements she lives by when it comes to her dating life, all have come to be as a result of the dating disasters of the past. Of course, when she meets Jake, she immediately crosses him off the list of prospective dating material because he breaks, like, a bazillion of her rules. Unfortunately, she runs into Jake more and more and she slowly starts to realize that maybe he’s worth bending some rules for. Will he end up being just another lesson she was forced to learn in the game of love or will he turn out to be her exception to every rule?

I adored this book! I was completely hooked form the first page. No joke. This was a funny, quirky, snarky, Sex in the City-esque story with too many laugh out loud moments to count. Darby is an absolute hoot! She literally gives us her past boyfriends and measures each one up to a fairy-tale romance boyfriend and why they suck. I totally couldn’t argue with all of her reasons for giving up on love and the reasons why she was ready to ditch the happy-ever-after. She gave so many good and valid arguments. Don’t count out the tender and romantic moments though. Jake has more than a few tricks up his sleeve and is certain to be able to win any gal over, just be being himself. He really is the total package and a total catch! But in the end, she really started to open up to the idea that not all guys are duds and, well, I can’t ruin it, but I will say that even the non-believers get a happy ending.

Cindi has such a great and unique way of writing. I enjoyed every page and flew through this book without even realizing it! To me, that’s a sign of a talented writer. I felt like I was watching a two-hour chick flick with my girlfriends rather than reading a 400 page book, solo on my ipad. I am now a Cindi Madsen fan girl and will be looking forward to her new releases.

If you’re looking for fun, then by all means get this book on your to-read list! You will not be disappointed! Thank you, Cindi!

Four Loves

About the author:

Cindi Madsen sits at her computer every chance she gets, plotting revising, and falling in love with her characters. Sometimes it makes her a crazy person. Without it, she’d be even crazier. She has way too many shoes, but can always find a reason to buy a new pretty pair, especially if they’re sparkly, colorful, or super tall. She loves music, dancing, and wishes summer lasted all year long. She lives in Colorado (where summer is most definitely NOT all year long) with her husband and three children. She is the author of YA novels All the Broken Pieces and Demons of the Sun, adult contemporary romances Falling for Her Fiancé and Act Like You love Me, and the women’s fiction novel Cinderella Screwed Me Over.

Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Goodreads

Review….My Today by H.J. Bellus

Book links:

My Today on Amazon (My Way)

Goodreads

Buy the first book in the series, My Now & Forever (My Way Series) on Amazon and you can find my review HERE

Synopsis:

Lacey’s Story…

Covering up pain is easy. It’s keeping it tucked away that’s hard. I’ve always needed the cover of tattoos to hide the nasty past that leached its way into me, tainting me beneath my skin. Not the shiny, trendy tats, but the ugly broken kind, meant to keep the world at bay. If they weren’t enough, then my piercings, foul mouth and crazy hair usually did the trick. Life had taught me to never follow the rules, because when you do, you get burned.

That philosophy served its purpose, until I met someone who turned my life upside down. Milly, the little hoochie, stormed into my life and changed everything with her undying faith in me, her love and her shitty coffee concoctions. I found a family in Milly, and her sexy farm boy, Cree. She accepted me without hesitation, and never ran from the dark and dangerous secrets that I harbored. My new family loved me unconditionally, with their showers of sprinkles and impromptu dance parties.

My life was perfectly imperfect until Tripp and his crazy-ass ideas of princesses. Our relationship is what most would describe as fuel meeting fire. We were both hell bent on burning each other to the ground. Tripp, fresh out of rehab, moved in with Milly and Cree to try and make a new life for himself. Tripp, the sexy as hell, charismatic beast, soon became one of my best friends. We shared our love of ice cream and tattoos as we blazed our own path that could only lead to a beautiful train wreck. The only question left is, will we set the countryside ablaze with our hot tempers and foul mouths, or will we paint our own happy ending filled with all the gushy shit normal people crave?

My Review:

Before I can even begin this review, I have to just say a quick little something to H.J….

After reading My Today’s dedication, and sobbing a big ugly cry, I have to thank you. In my time blogging, it’s something like being named in a book dedication that leaves me completely speechless and overwhelmed by the sentiment behind the words. So, Heidi, thank you, Fishster. I am so proud of all that you have done and am looking forward to the greatness in store for you. Heart you BIG!

My Today is the second book in author H.J. Bellus’ My Way Series. We met Lacey in the first book, My Now & Forever, and we fell in love with her in My Today. God Damn, this book was incredible.

Lacey is just freaking peachy, if you ask her. She’s got her share of demons constantly nipping at the tenuous leash she has them reigned in by and uses them as a reminder for just how crappy life can be. She also uses them as a reminder at just how wonderful life can be. Tattooed, foul mouthed and unapologetic for how she lives her life, she is certainly one of a kind. That’s just how she likes it. She was enjoying her status-quo life with her BFF Milly, Milly’s hubby Cree and their kiddos, until Cree’s cousin Tripp comes to stay for a bit Suddenly her status goes from “quo” to “whoa”. He’s 100% sex on a stick and 100% bad news. He’s got more baggage than her complete matched set and that’s something she doesn’t need. Too bad she always goes for the opposite of what she should and soon finds herself in a relationship she never knew she could have….but one she always knew she wanted and needed.

Tripp is ready to put all of the pain and hate behind him. He’s ready to start a new life with the part family that wants him and without the part of the family that doesn’t. He’s lost too much in his life already, but he isn’t about to give up just yet. He’s sober and clean and is finally ready to start living. Luckily the vibrant, bright and shiny, tatted up, pink streaked blonde is just the kind of breath of fresh air he’s been craving. He soon realizes after meeting Lacey that her past is just as tarnished and painful as his. Most guys would walk away and focus on themselves, but not Tripp. He’s ready to dive right into the deep end of Lacey and swim to the salvation of shore right along side of her.

Tripp and Lacey are two broken halves that make up an imperfect whole…but a whole nonetheless. The issues they have are many but together, they can whether whatever comes their way. All they need to do is drink in the strength they give one another and learn that they deserve happiness and love no matter what the past has shown them.

I had mentioned that we met Lacey in the first book, My Now & Forever, and I had no clue at the time just how much I would end up loving her. She is not a character you will forget. She is a foul-mouthed, loyal, infallible, amusing, boisterous, colorful spitfire of a gal with so much love and life to give that I would scoop her up and drag her ass to hang out with me if she was a real person. She has been through so much in her life and we have no idea just how deep her wounds go until later in the book. When we do find out how she received those wounds, I was absolutely crushed. Upsetting doesn’t even begin to describe it…but then I realized those are the very things that turned her into the amazingly resilient person she was today, and that’s the character that I loved reading. Now, shall we get to Tripp? Oh, dreamy and delicious Tripp. Where do I even begin? Let’s forget for a minute that he is tall, built, ruggedly handsome and tatted up like a work of lickable art. His soul is as broken as they come and has never has a wounded hero been so worthy of redemption. He reminded me of a lost, beaten puppy just looking for a good home and in turn would love and protect the family that took him in. That man had me crying too many times to count with his understanding and his unconditional love and support for Lacey. Yes, he had a few screw ups along the way, but he more than made up for it, if you ask me.

Now, I can’t spoil anything for you, but I have to say that the last few chapters were freaking amazing. I went from a big, sobbing mess to laughing tears of joy and bursting at the seams with happiness for the rag-tag group we’ve grown to love. Leave it to H.J. to make me look like a complete crazy person to anyone watching me read the end of this book. I may have to make a t-shirt that says something like “warning: I am reading an H.J. Bellus book and it is guaranteed to make me look like an emotional mess…walk away or I may use your sleeve as a tissue.”

Thank you H.J. for yet another fun, crazy, intense, emotional read! I heart your fabulous characters and your unique story telling ways!

Five Loves

About the author:

I’m just a simple girl who loves the country life.. .oh yeah! & a good corn dog! Throw in a little Vanilla Ice, and shits bound to get crazy! Be brave…

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Review….Tempting the Cowboy by Elizabeth Otto

Book links:

Tempting the Cowboy: A Paint River Ranch Book (Entangled Indulgence) (Amazon)

Barnes & Noble ~ Goodreads

Synopsis:

After taking a job on a quiet Montana dude ranch, ex-cop Rylan Frederickson finds herself surrounded by unbelievably sexy cowboys. Too bad the one she wants is her boss…and the single dad of a four-year-old. It doesn’t matter anyway, because after a recent tragedy, there’s simply no more room in her heart.

Letting a new woman into their life is the last thing Cole Haywood wants for him and his daughter, Birdie. But as Rylan’s presence at Paint River Ranch breathes new life into his family he can’t ignore his growing attraction.

When the sparks between them turn into fireworks in bed, Rylan’s torn between the family she’s lost and the one she may have found. Now she must decide if something that feels this good is worth the risk.

My review:

Tempting the Cowboy is the first book in a new series from author Elizabeth Otto, and oh my, what an amazing start!

Rylan Frederickson has had too much of her life taken away by tragedy and is looking to make a fresh start. It’s that desire that leads her to Paint River Ranch. Certain that a more simple life working as a housekeeper on the ranch is exactly what she needs to start to heal her hurt. What she’s certain she doesn’t need is to deal with the gorgeous, sexy, yet ornery, co-owner of the ranch. He’s an attraction she really can’t afford and even worse he’s a single dad of a beautiful four-year old little girl. The combination of a handsome, doting father and an adorable, loving little girl represents what was taken away from her and what she could never have again.

Cole Haywood is a busy man these days. Running his family’s ranch and being a single dad take up all of his waking hours, but he wouldn’t change a thing….except maybe adding the love of a good woman into the mix. On second thought, maybe not. He’d tried that route before and it didn’t turn out well. It did, however, lead to a new section to the Paint River Ranch employee handbook. No *ahem* relations with the staff. Now, after meeting Rylan, the new housekeeper, he’s thinking that maybe that handbook needs another revision to remove that section. Unfortunately there’s more than just a policy keeping him away from Rylan and he’s reminded every time that he looks at his little girl. He can’t afford to make any mistakes and his focus needs to remain on his little girl, Birdie, and his ranch. The question is, how long can the reasons to stay away from Rylan hold up?

The paths that Rylan and Cole have gone down lead them both to this crossroads in their lives and it seems like fate has led them here together. Both equally wounded by love and life in the past, they don’t realize it right away, but eventually they will…that they can help each other heal and learn to love again.

I devoured this book. I read it in just one sitting and loved every minute. It starts out with Rylan and Cole not liking each other one bit and turns into a passion fueled romance that I adored. Rylan’s story absolutely broke my heart and I wanted nothing more than for her to have a happy ending. She deserved it more than I can say. As a police officer, she was as tough as nails, but in her personal life she wasn’t strong enough and she’s paying for it now. I really enjoyed seeing her emotional journey through this story and I cried through so much of the last part of this book…but, you know I love that! Cole is an equally amazing character. He is gruff and rugged with a gorgeous body and killer looks. He carries around so much weight on his shoulders but carries it with dignity. His loyalty to his family and his love for his little girl made him even more delicious than just a sexy cowboy. Together, Cole and Rylan are a match made in heaven. They rise above the lows life has given them and in the end, realize they have found love and another chance at a happily ever after. Now, I will tell you that it isn’t an easy road and the last few chapters had me sobbing and my chest was aching but don’t worry, you’ll love the ending. I promise!

Thank you, Elizabeth, for a fabulous story. I am SO looking forward to more from this series and the Haywood boys!

Five Loves

About the author:

I’m a small town girl, writing about small towns and country boys. I grew up riding my Appaloosa, Dreamie, bareback and barefoot, in cut-off shorts. Running through the thick Northwoods forests and swimming in weed-thick ponds was the perfect fodder for a beginning writer’s mind.

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ARC Review….Beautiful Player by Christina Lauren

Beautiful Player releases TODAY!

Book links:

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Goodreads

Synopsis:

In the third book in the Beautiful Bastard series, an agreement between a venture capitalist and a bookish woman quickly becomes a very NSFW version of My Fair Lady.

When Hanna “Ziggy” Bergstrom moves to New York City for graduate school, Will Sumner thinks his responsibilities to his best friend’s nerdy little sister will be limited to the occasional dinner and check-in. Little does he know that Ziggy is ready to break out of her bookworm academic shell and move more into bombshell territory. Of course she figures the gorgeous womanizing venture capitalist Will is the best person to help mentor her in this new field of study: dating.

Will takes on the challenge with more than a healthy dose of skepticism and humor, but soon finds that Ziggy just needed a tiny push, not a world of change, to reveal a woman every man seems to notice. Soon “Ziggy” is gone and the unfiltered, innocently seductive Hanna Bergstrom is hijacking his dreams, his moods, and even his orderly no-strings-attached dating life—beginning the night his mentoring activities move between the sheets.

My review:

Let me start by saying I’m a huge fan of Christina Lauren’s Beautiful Bastard Series. I was so flipping excited when I got an early copy of Beautiful Player in the mail, but that excitement pales in comparison to the love I have for this book after finishing it. Good Lord. This book is by far my favorite in the series and has left me with a serious book hangover.

As much as she hates to admit it, Hanna Bergstrom knows her social life is seriously lacking. She doesn’t need her family to point it out….but that’s exactly what they do on their latest visit to see her in NYC. She’s too busy with grad school for a life and dating and all of the distractions that come with it. Plus, she’s never really been good at the whole dating scene and hates the uncertainty of not knowing what guys like or what they want. Her place was in the lab and with all things science related. However, at the suggestion of her older brother, she reaches out to his childhood friend, and her first crush, Will Summer. The thought of seeing Will again after all these years was slightly terrifying, if she’s being honest. He is tattooed, gorgeous, smooth, brilliant, successful, edgy, a combo that threatens to bring back all of those young girl crush feelings back to the surface. Hanna was older now, and surely she could handle hanging out with a friend, right? Maybe he could teach her the ropes of the dating world and help her gain her confidence with the male species. Maybe she could lie to herself and deny she’s completely lost to Will the second she sees him….

Will Summer was happy to agree to see Ziggy, aka Hanna Bergstrom, after not seeing her for more than a few years. Her family had been good to him since he was young and he owes them more than just a few casual meet-ups with his best friend’s younger sister. He owes a lot of the man he is today to the Bergstrom family. Things are going really well for him since he last saw her. He’s successful and happy, not only with his career, but with his regular success with the ladies. Being a fan of control and order, things are just the way Will likes them. Imagine Will’s surprise wen he sees Ziggy and the woman she’s grown into and his immediate physical response to her when they meet early one morning for a run. After spending just a short time with her, he realizes he’s reaction is not only to the beauty she has become but also to her amazing, honest, open, quirky and funny personality. He may have made a promise to hang out with her, but can he make a promise to keep things strictly friend-zone only with her? Not. Freaking. Likely.

My original review was going to read something like this:

“Buy this book. Buy this book. Buy this book. Buy this book. Buy this book.”

But I figured that although I really just want you to trust me, and buy this book, that I should probably write more than that. Oh, I loved this story. There were so many things I loved about this book. Hanna is one of my favorite book gals ever. She is brilliant, nerdy, funny, no, not just funny, HILARIOUSLY funny, open, real and just plain enjoyable to read. Will is delicious. The fact that he’s also brilliant and tattooed under a suit and tie was enough to have me swooning. Together the relationship they have is enviable. What starts out as something innocent turns into something so detectably scorching that I have complete sections of this book that moved to the top of my favorite scenes list. Not only were the scenes hot, but also Hanna’s yearning to learn what makes sex so enjoyable added an honest and open aspect to their relationship that made things so intense. Hanna making Will tell her exactly what he wanted, or Will making her say exactly what she wants him to do….I just have no words. I actually had chills reading some of their interactions. Even the scenes with their clothes on had such an amazing feel. I just loved everything about this book. There wasn’t anything I didn’t like or even one paragraph that I didn’t savor. Have I mentioned I have a serious book hangover right now? *pout*

I also loved seeing our other Beautiful Bastard cast members….Max, Sara, Bennett and Chloe. They were all there along the way and gave some great advice when Hanna and Will needed it.

Now, here we are at the end of my review and my final thoughts for you all are: BUY. THIS. BOOK. Thank you Christina and Lauren for my favorite book in your series and for giving us Hanna and Will, a book couple I won’t ever forget.

Five Loves

About the authors:

Christina Hobbs & Lauren Billings write under the combined pen-name of Christina Lauren. Separated by the pesky state of Nevada, these co-author besties talk several times a day, agree that Ruby Pumps is the best nail polish color ever, and would, if given the choice, spend all day staring at the ocean from the San Clemente pier.

Facebook ~ Goodreads ~ Website ~ Christina Twitter ~ Lauren Twitter

Blog Tour & Review…Getting Rowdy by Lori Foster

It’s my stop on the Getting Rowdy by Lori Foster Blog Tour and I’m so happy to be a part of the fun!

Thanks for stopping by and hope you enjoy my review…..and be sure to check out the super yummy book trailer below!

Book links:

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Goodreads

Follow the rest of the tour HERE

Synopsis:

An alpha hero’s attraction to the one woman he can’t have could draw him into a killer’s snare in the sizzling new novel from New York Times bestselling author Lori Foster

Charismatic bar owner Rowdy Yates isn’t the kind of man women say no to. So when he approaches waitress Avery Mullins, he fully expects to get her number. However, the elusive beauty has her reasons for keeping her distance—including a past that might come back to haunt them both.

Avery spends her nights working for tips… and trying to forget the secret Rowdy is determined to unearth. But when history threatens to repeat itself, Avery grows to rely on Rowdy’s protective presence. As the sparks between them ignite, she will be forced to choose between the security she’s finally found… and the passion she’s always wanted.

My review:

Getting Rowdy is book three in Lori Foster’s Love Undercover series. Being a Lori Foster fan, and after seeing the eye candy on this cover, I was really looking forward to this book and I gotta say…I think this may be my favorite book of the series so far!

Bartender Avery Mullins has been quietly lusting after bar owner Rowdy Yates for a little while now and she would love nothing more than to act on that lust, throw caution to the wind and spend a hot night with him. But there’s more than one thing holding her back from acting on that. First, there’s the little issue of Rowdy’s extra curricular activities with the ladies and his reputation as a ladies man, and second, there’s the issue of Avery’s less than memorable past. It’s that less than memorable past, however, that will leave Avery no other choice than to trust Rowdy and accept his help, which leads Avery’s feelings from lust to something much deeper.

Avery Mullins is slowly killing Rowdy Yates. Well, not literally, but every time she shuts down his advances, he swears the build up of his attraction for her will end up killing him. He’s not looking for long term by any means but he is dying for just a taste of her. There’s something about her he is drawn to and with every day he sees he in his bar, it gets stronger. Little does Rowdy know that they have way more in common than just a mutual attraction. While he’s used to his craptastic past pushing people away once they learn about it, he has a feeling it may be the sort of thing that Avery may be able to relate to. She’s definitely hiding something and when he sets out to figure out what it is, it puts them on a path that will lead to much more than a one-night stand.

So, as I had said, I love Lori’s writing. She does the alpha male so well and Rowdy Yates is one of the best. I will admit, I was nervous about starting this book, because I wasn’t in love with the previous book in this series….BUT, this book totally turned it back around for me. The fire between Avery and Rowdy was a delicious slow build to a full on inferno. The two of them together are smoking hot! Avery was hesitant to start anything with Rowdy, and I couldn’t blame her. His reputation for being a ladies man was legendary and with girls constantly falling at his feet nightly at the bar, I would have felt exactly the way Avery did. She held her ground with him and I really admired her for that. Then, when I found out about her past, I admired her even more. She stood up for what she believed in and had to leave her old life, and family, behind to make things better for her. Unfortunately that past comes back to bite her in the ass, but Rowdy is there to help her and damn if it didn’t make me adore him!

Rowdy is the damaged hero with a terribly sad childhood that broke my heart, but it turned him into the man he is today, and it’s a pretty great one. He reminds me of a Robin Hood of sorts. Doing what’s needed to do to make things better for the less fortunate, but not always in the most legal of ways. Oh, and do I need to mention the cover again!?! Drool worthy doesn’t even begin to cover it. The two of them took a really crappy situation and used it to build a relationship that I’m sure will stand the test of time.

The mystery that surrounding Avery has an ending I totally didn’t see coming and I loved feeling the surprise at the end of the book! Well done on that, Lori! Oh, and the introduction of a kick ass character named Cannon has me DYING to see more of him! DYING I tell you!

All in all, I really enjoyed this book. It was hot, mysterious, emotional and entertaining. I definitely recommend for a spot on your reading list! Thank you, Lori, for another fantastic read.

Four Loves

About the author:

Since first publishing in January 1996, Lori Foster has become a Waldenbooks, Borders, USA TODAY, Publishers Weekly and New York Times bestselling author. She also received the Romantic Times “Career Achievement Award” for Series Romantic Fantasy and Contemporary Romance.

Lori believes it is important to give back to the community as much as possible, so she routinely arranges events among authors and readers to gather donations for various organizations.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

ARC Review….Falling for the Marine by Samanthe Beck

Falling for the Marine releases today!

Book links:

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Goodreads

Synopsis:

USMC helicopter pilot Michael McCade has two goals: Get his damn back into alignment and keep his nose clean until his commanding officer clears him to fly again. The doctor-recommended massage therapy seems like a necessary step toward returning to the cockpit, but when his too-hot-to-handle neighbor, Chloe Kincaid, turns out to be his masseuse, he strays from the straight and narrow in a major way.

Chloe Kincaid is looking for a simple, no strings attached, ego-boosting hook up. But when her positively panty-melting neighbor, USMC Major Michael McCade, (aka Major Hottie), shows up on her massage table, she lets desire get the better of professionalism. Now theyre pretending to be engaged to avoid a whole lot of unanticipated consequences of a momentary lapse in judgment. But can a girl who avoids attachments at all costs fake an engagement to a straight-arrow soldier without falling hard?

My review:

Falling for the Marine is the second book in Samanthe Beck’s McCade Brothers series and follows Lover Undercover, a book I freaking loved. Well, Samanthe has done it again….I fell for the marine in the very first chapter! This book was yummy goodness!!

Having a whole lot of not-so-great in her life, Chloe Kincaid is ready to turn her luck around. Looks like lady luck has another idea in mind, however. Chloe finds herself in a *cough* compromising position and is handcuffed to her bed frame…with the keys having fallen down her HVAC vent. With no other option, she yells for help and is rescued by her hot and sexy neighbor. After that debacle, she plans on avoiding him at all costs but when he shows up on her massage table to deal with an injury, clearly she realizes avoiding him isn’t an option. Lady luck ends up having the last laugh when circumstances between Chloe and her hottie neighbor lead to faking an engagement….that in turn leads to some very NOT fake feelings between them. Has Chloe’s luck finally turned around?

Never having had to deal with physical limitations, USMC Major and helicopter pilot Michael McCade is not happy being grounded after a lower back injury. Things start to look up, however, after he walks into his therapy appointment and finds the delicious damsel in distress he rescued the other night as his massage therapist. But when things get too hot during their session, he has to rescue her again….apparently there’s only specific, above the belt touching allowed during a massage. Feeling responsible for Chloe’s current situation, which involves a lack of a job and apartment, he invites her to stay with him until she gets back on her feet. Unfortunately his chivalrous actions end up going much further when his CO finds out about his living arrangements. Shacking up with a girl is kinda frowned upon…well, unless that girl was his fiancée. Problem solved! If only it was that easy. Soon Michael starts to have dreams of Chloe being his real fiancée….can he convince her what they have may be real after all?

The undeniable and instant attraction between Chloe and Michael was intense and delicious. Chloe had more than a few admirable qualities about her. She had great optimism despite being unlucky in love before. She has a free spirit but in the end, knows she needs to put her heart on the line. Michael is the ultimate loyal, responsible, big-hearted alpha male with looks to kill. On the flip side, his vulnerability shows with his injury and it made me love him even more. He figures Chloe out almost instantly and calls her out when she tries to shut down. Their personalities work so well together and it was such a treat to be able to see their relationship grow into something very real. There were more than a few fun peculiarities in their relationship that I adored and the very end was abso-freaking-loutley PERFECT! I laughed and cried and was so happy with the way Samanthe wrote Michale and Chloe’s book ending. Pure perfection for a couple that started out quite the opposite!

Samanthe has a way about her writing that pulls the reader in from the very beginning and holds that interest until the end….I love that. I will be looking for more from her and can’t wait to see what else she has in store for the yummy McCade brothers! Thank you, Ms. Beck, for another marvelous read!

Five Loves

About the author:

Beach bum, book junkie, and award winning author of sexy contemporary romances, Samanthe recently signed with Entangled Publishing to write three novels for their Brazen line!

Sam was transfixed from an early age with any tale featuring a handsome prince, a great dress, and, of course, the all-important kiss, and eventually aspired to write her own happily-ever-afters. Naturally, she became a lawyer. The legal world heaved a sigh of relief a few years ago when Samanthe retired from law to take the plunge as a writer.

When not living the glamorous life of a romance author (i.e., chained to her computer), Samanthe keeps busy with the care and feeding of her extremely patient prince-charming of a husband, a not-so-patient ball of energy known as their son, a furry ninja named Kitty, and Bebe, the trash talkin’ Chihuahua. Their love, support, and willingness to eat Pizza Hut three or more times a week enables Samanthe to pursue her literary dreams.

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