“I didn’t choose to love you,” I whispered. “But now that I do, no storm is strong enough to keep me away from you.”
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Nyah Hunter has always believed in love at first sight. When she first sets eyes on James Parker, ‘Big’ to his friends, Nyah realizes he’s the man she’s been waiting for all her life. The only problem is, Big doesn’t want to know. He has his reasons for keeping the beautiful blonde at bay, but Nyah won’t give up without a fight. How can he make her see that the safest place for her is as far away from him as possible?
For Big, loving Nyah means risking more than just his heart. It means confronting a past too painful to process and recalling haunting memories too bittersweet to share.
Intent on protecting those he loves, Big sets out to defeat his demons, once and for all; a battle that’s likely to see him perish in the process. Only, he hasn’t counted on the unusual collection of individuals willing to work together for the greater good.
With fresh hope in his heart and an unlikely army by his side, Big dares to dream that this time, he might get to live free.
However, has he underestimated just how far his enemy will go to destroy him?
My Rating:
Favorite Quotes:
My hair hurt; I had no idea your hair could hurt, but apparently after a night on tequila and Jäeger it really could.
I decided that I could live my life on an almost romance. After all, a fantasy couldn’t hurt your feelings, and an illusion wouldn’t break your heart. If I had to make that moment last for a lifetime, I would.
The closest I’d ever got to sneaking around in bushes was when Dad had me track Mrs. Hozier’s stalker, and that was not a situation I cared to remember.
“Eh, hello,” Demo called, “Bad guy about to perform something nasty. The least you could do was give me your attention.”
My Review:
Reading this story was like working out at the gym, it required effort with some of the movements being rather difficult and less than enjoyable, but it was a worthwhile and beneficial endeavor and I’m usually smiling with a sense of accomplishment by the time I finish. I recall having similar difficulties with the first book in this series as this cagey author seems to enjoy tossing the reader into the middle of the story and then slowly filling in the gaps with her steamy intrigue. Despite my petty frustrations and vexations with her pacing, Ms. Cooper has churned out yet another action-packed, cringe-worthy, and intriguing tale with lots of sexy yet filthy talking alpha males who cannot speak without expletives, sizzling sensual scenes, heartbreaking and tragic backstories, gruesome sadistic sociopaths, and lots of peril with several plot twists thrown in to keep us on our toes.
I was being cruel. I knew it. I was losing my mind being so close to her, and I couldn’t bring myself to stop.
Her response was to tilt her head and moan lightly against my ear.
“Look, Nyah,” I whispered, drawing closer to her hardened peak. “I’m barely touching you and yet, you’re about to come.”
Her response was to push me harshly against the brick wall. I waited for her to raise her hand and slap me, instead her body hit mine with such force she winded me. Kicking my legs apart, she moved between them.
Then she kissed me.
She. Kissed. Me.
Her hot mouth plundered mine, and she took until I was the one who was breathless. Moving her hands roughly over my chest, she pulled at my shirt until it came loose, and she could feel bare skin beneath her fingertips.
This was not the way I thought this would go. The woman was out of control. I was loving every damned second of it. I wrapped my arms around her back and hauled her too me. We kissed to the point it became painful, but neither of us came up for air. I decided that if I was going to die here and now, in this courtyard, it would be worth it just to have witnessed this beautiful woman become wild in my arms.
I smiled against her mouth when her hand moved lower, and she crudely groped at my dick through the denim. I ground my hips against her hand, loving the feel of her fingers on me, my body instantly responding to her frantic touch. When she mewled her approval into my mouth, I was done for. I grabbed hold of her waist with the intention of turning us, until I was the one leading this fervent encounter we found ourselves in. She chose that moment to break the kiss and step back out of my reach.
A few feet away, she stood breathless and turned on to all hell. Her hair was in disarray, her cheeks were flushed, her eyes were burning into mine in a way I had yet to experience. I decided she had never looked more beautiful. She was like a fallen angel halfway to hell.
Me, I was confused as fuck, but in the best conceivable way.
She smirked at me and I narrowed my eyes.
“You know, Parker?” She smirked. “I’m barely touching you, and yet, you’re about to come.”
I swallowed hard, her intentions now clear.
“Well played, darlin’.” I grimaced, “Well played.”
She should leave now.
While we both wanted more.
I was left to contemplate the fact I’d just been owned by an angel, but she was no stronger than I was. Her body was humming in anticipation, the rise and fall of her chest making her breasts move in the most delightful of ways. Her eyes were pulling with desire, growing heavier by the second, as she fought for control of her senses.
I could barely hold my ground.
But I had to, for both our sakes.
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S E Cooper lives in Scotland with her husband, their two boys, two crazy cats and a bonkers bunny. She has always loved to read and write stories but it wasn’t until she discovered the wonderful world of self-publishing and became inspired by some of her favorite Indie Authors that she decided to take the plunge herself. Her hobbies include spending time with family and friends, photography, reading and daydreaming.
“This is a powerful story of grief, love, forgiveness, and holy mystery, and I loved it. Billy Coffey is a master storyteller.” —Lauren Denton, USA Today bestselling author of The Hideaway
Owen Cross grew up with two loves: one a game, the other a girl. One of his loves ruined him. Now he’s counting on the other to save him.
Owen Cross’s father is a hard man, proud in his brokenness, who wants nothing more than for Owen to succeed where he failed. With his innate talents and his father’s firm hand guiding him, Owen goes to college with dreams of the major leagues—and an emptiness full of a girl named Micky Dullahan.
Owen loved Micky from the first time they met on the hill between their two worlds: his middle-class home and her troubled Shantytown. Years later he leaves her for the dugouts and the autographs, but their days together follow him. When he finally returns home, he discovers that even peace comes at a cost. And that the hardest things to say are to the ones we love the most.
From bestselling author Billy Coffey comes a haunting story of small-town love, blinding ambition, and the risk of giving it all for one last chance.
“In one evening, a single baseball game, Coffey invites us into a lifetime. With lyrical prose and aching description we join Owen Cross on a journey of love, loss, faith, the unexpected—and America’s favorite pastime.” —Katherine Reay, author of Dear Mr. Knightley and The Austen Escape
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My Rating:
Favorite Quotes:
The house looked wrong somehow, on some deeper level. Like sadness had distorted it as despair can a person. It spoke of a life beyond mere want, worse than disease. Shantytown was like a bruise on an apple that reached all the way to the core.
She offered a smile that reminded me of a bright ribbon tied to a broken gift.
The value in spending most of your Sunday morning having to sit still and listen to the most boring person you have ever known go on about your own badness was always lost to me.
A siren called in the distance. Horns blaring. It sounded as though every law enforcement officer in four counties was on its way, even though it was but one old Crown Vic traveling a little over two blocks from the sheriff’s office. Clancy stopped the car at an angle to the sidewalk. He parted the crowd like Moses, calling each man and woman he passed by name.
So much of my childhood was spent in such dreaming. The past was unchangeable, better forgotten, the present often boring toil. Yet my tomorrows shone like lights on some far hill, offering me guidance and direction.
You never know what to do when a parent dies. Doesn’t matter how old you are, you feel four years old again and lost inside some huge department store where bright lights shine in your eyes and everywhere are strangers that look like they’re one bad choice away from grabbing you.
My Review:
This was a challenging read for me for many reasons, and I adored and begrudged it in equal measure. I remain conflicted even now while writing this review and am struggling in how to rate and classify this genre-straddling story as there were interesting and original elements of so many to chose from; Sports, Coming of Age, Small-Town, Southern, Christian, Fantasy, Paranormal, YA, Romance, and Contemporary and Literary Fiction.
The wisdom, dialogue, and inner musings were often comprised of the peculiar and compromised grammar of the Appalachians and required additional thought to fully absorb, however it was more than worth the effort. Having been reared also in the South but further west by overly rigid and strict Bible banging hypocrites who forced me through the church doors every time they opened, I generally eschew Christian religious themes as narrow-mindedness greatly annoys me, and this proved to be more than a bit of a problem for me as I read. However, the unusual twists to this story kept me reading despite my bias as the petty and small-minded tendencies were well affirmed and part of the tale.
There was a highly skilled, well-crafted, and pervasive heaviness or emotive heft to Owen’s narrative that continually squeezed my heart as if his recounting of events was actually a heartfelt confessional of his regrets, anguish, and childhood discomfitures. Mr. Coffey’s unique and cunning writing style was new to me and while I found some of his story threads tediously repetitive, I also found myself frequently struck by hot licks of brilliance, thoughtful and deeply moving insights, and a poignancy that stung my eyes and constricted my throat. There were five pages of favorite passages and saved quotes on my Kindle once I finished. All in all, it was oddly, unevenly, and annoyingly luminous.
About Billy Coffey
Billy Coffey’s critically acclaimed books combine rural Southern charm with a vision far beyond the ordinary. He is a regular contributor to several publications, where he writes about faith and life. Billy lives with his wife and two children in Virginia’sBlueRidge Mountains.
My loves – I am so beyond thrilled to finally get to share Kale and Hope’s story with you in FOLLOW ME BACK! Writing this book was a labor of love, and after everything, I think it might be my favorite book I’ve ever written. It’s super sexy and swoony, sad and sweet, and just filled my heart up so full there is no chance I will ever forget the way these characters made me feel. I hope you fall in love with them the same way I did!
Enjoy!
xoxo – Amy
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Blurb:
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The next seductive, unforgettable stand-alone romance in the FIGHT FOR ME series from NYT & USA Today Bestselling Author A.L. Jackson . . .
Kale Bryant. Arrogant. Gorgeous. Commanding.
This ER doctor is married to his job. His only vice is one-night stands and short-lived flings. He learned a long time ago loving someone isn’t worth the risk.
Harley Hope Masterson. Beautiful. Brave. Sweet.
The owner of a small coffee shop knows what it’s like to struggle. Embroiled in a bitter divorce, she’s threatened with losing everything.
When Kale accepts a new position down the street from Hope’s shop, he begins to question every wall he’s built around his heart.
He wants her in a way he hasn’t wanted anyone.
One touch is fire.
One kiss, and he’s spinning out of control.
But taking her won’t come without consequences.
Hope is in for the fight of her life. One neither of them saw coming.
Now Kale must decide if loving her is worth risking it all.
She will fight with everything she has.
But sometimes even hope needs a hero . . .
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My Rating:
Favorite Quotes:
So what if Pinterest had become my lover, keeping me company in the lonely nights.
The kid was a force field of joy.
Someone please tell me this is where we get to call the wanker names and talk about how horrible he is in bed and how his breath always stinks.
Of course, I’m responsible. I’m head matchmaker. I just walk through a crowd and all those love-connecting darts start flying out of me, striking whoever I walk by.
You set me on a path that I don’t want to stop walking. I will follow you anywhere.
My Review:
Sizzling sensuality, cute scene-stealing children, heart squeezing medical issues and an overriding tone of heavily emotive and angsty writing define this story. The premise and storylines were interesting and relevant and the characters were endearing and likable, but I struggled more than bit some while reading this book as there was far more repetitive angsty melodrama than I was comfortable with, but that is just my personal bias. I enjoyed Hope and Kale’s sweet and steamy romance until he apparently caught jaundice as he turned yellow with cowardice and abandoned her, not once but twice, especially during a harrowing period when she needed emotional support the most, which was deeply disappointing.
As always, Ms. Jackson’s writing was highly emotive, poignant, and pulls at the heartstrings while her more irreverent characters and the precocious children provided comic relief and amusing banter to help balance the tone. And I am happy to report that I learned a new pop culture reference that required the services of Mr. Google – “brown chicken brown cow.” It is always a good day when I can boast of acquisition of new knowledge.
Kindle Fire HD 8 + Show Me the Way & Hunt Me Down Signed Copies + $25 Amazon GC Giveaway
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About the Author
A.L. Jackson is the New York Times & USA Today Bestselling author of contemporary romance. She writes emotional, sexy, heart-filled stories about boys who usually like to be a little bit bad.
Her bestselling series include THE REGRET SERIES, CLOSER TO YOU, and BLEEDING STARS novels. Watch for A.L. Jackson’s upcoming novel, FOLLOW ME BACK, the second stand-alone novel in her brand-new FIGHT FOR ME SERIES.
If she’s not writing, you can find her hanging out by the pool with her family, sipping cocktails with her friends, or of course with her nose buried in a book.
Be sure not to miss new releases and sales from A.L. Jackson – Sign up to receive her newsletter http://smarturl.it/NewsFromALJackson or text “aljackson” to 33222 to receive short but sweet updates on all the important news.
Fans of Sophie Kinsella and The Devil Wears Prada will love this smart, sexy debut novel of wanderlust.
Objectively, Sophie is a success: she’s got a coveted job at a top consulting firm, a Manhattan apartment, and a passport full of stamps. It isn’t quite what she dreamed of when she was a teenager dog-earing pages in exotic travel guides, but it’s secure. Then her best friend bails just hours after they arrive in Hong Kong for a girls’ trip, and Sophie falls for Carson, a free-spirited, globetrotting American artist. He begs her to join him on his haphazard journey, but she chooses responsibility and her five-year plan.
Back in New York, that plan feels less and less appealing. As Sophie recalls the dreams she’s suppressed, the brief international jaunts she sneaks in between business trips no longer feel like enough. Carson isn’t ready to let her go either, but as they try to figure out their relationship, Sophie realizes she may have to pursue her passions with or without him.
Praise
“With its spirited yet credible plot and vividly intricate characters, this debut novel shines.” — Library Journal (starred review)
“…a fun, sexy debut perfect for readers who love exotic settings and a great love story. For those wishing to indulge their wanderlust, or who have dreams too big for tidy little boxes, this is an incredibly satisfying read.” — Karma Brown, bestselling author of Come Away With Me
“…brilliantly navigates one woman’s quest to let go of what is practical to pursue her passion and surrender to her inner dreamer.” — Kerry Lonsdale, bestselling author of Everything We Keep
“Can a novel be smart and loads of fun? Kristin Rockaway’s debut is proof that it’s possible. Warm, witty, and completely delightful, this book had my inner escapist itching to hop on the next flight out of town.” — Camille Pagán, bestselling author of Life and Other Near-Death Experiences
“Kristin Rockaway is a wise and fresh new voice in women’s fiction and this book was a delight from start to finish.” — Anita Hughes, author of Christmas in Paris
My Rating:
Favorite Quotes:
Elena rarely left the tri-state area; her idea of an exotic getaway involved tanning on the Jersey Shore.
But with my focus on the future, I rarely immersed myself in the right now. My life was reduced to a series of check marks, ticking off each goal I achieved without taking the time to revel in my accomplishments. As soon as I hit one target, I was already reaching for the next one and contemplating the one after that. I rushed full speed ahead, my sights pointed sharply forward, never stopping to take a look at what was around me.
I can sketch in Hong Kong, in Australia, in New York. I can find an adventure wherever I am. The only constant I need in my life is you. So wherever you go, I’ll follow.
My Review:
Sophie loved to travel and plan travel and dream up detailed imaginary itineraries, although she had unfortunately chosen the wrong travel partner in Elena who decided on their first night there that she just wasn’t feeling the Hong Kong vacation that Sophie had planned and paid for and after a tense dinner of informing Sophie of all her unlovable and miserable flaws, Elena flew back home the very next day. Wow, this was the opening scene of the story and although I flinched a few times, I was hooked. Poor Sophie, I felt for her and was exasperated by her and also wanted to kick her more than a few times as I saw far too much of my twenty and thirty-something self in this character; it was rather eerie and more than a bit painful. I truly adored the character of Carson who proved that opposites not only attract, they can bewitch and fascinate. Carson was an artistic dreamer going through a nomad stage while Sophie was a highly structured and over anxious planner.
I was stunned to realize this insightful and well-written book was the author’s first; every single character was colorfully described with vivid environmental details and interesting facts also tucked into the narrative. The premise was unique and entertaining while the writing was cleverly observant, wryly amusing, and delightfully steamy. Ms. Rockaway has a bright future ahead of her.
About Kristin Rockaway
Kristin Rockaway is a native New Yorker with an insatiable case of wanderlust. After working in the IT industry for far too many years, she finally traded the city for the surf and chased her dreams out to Southern California, where she spends her days happily writing stories instead of software. Her debut novel, The Wild Woman’s Guide to Traveling the World, was released from Hachette Book Group in June 2017. When she’s not writing, she enjoys spending time with her husband and son, browsing the aisles of her neighborhood bookstores, and planning her next big vacation.
Dylan Anders is making amends
…to his family
…to the public
…to the woman who just walked into his life
Paige Walters must learn to forgive
…her busy father
…her bossy sister
…and the wonderful man she horribly misjudged
Ambitious Paige Walters is ecstatic when she’s hired to recruit musicians for a literacy campaign—it’s her chance to prove she’s got the chops to make it in the family business. When Dylan steps in, she immediately dislikes him and vows not to let the fallen idol screw it up. But as the work brings Paige and Dylan closer together, their attraction grows…and so do their challenges…
Shaughnessy Brothers: Band on the Run series One More Kiss (Book 1)
One More Promise (Book 2)
One More Moment (Book 3)
My Rating:
Favorite Quotes:
Leave it to his parents to think all he needed to get started on this new life was a new suitcase.
Ariel didn’t smile. She rarely did. She thought it caused wrinkles.
She wasn’t even his usual type, but it turned out his usual type wasn’t particularly good for him.
A man knew when to pay attention, and Dylan learned early on that food was to Paige what flowers were to some women.
My Review:
This was a relatively light and easy to follow story with a slowly developing romance between Dylan, a newly rehabbed and tattooed bad boy rock-star with his reputation in tatters; and Paige, the mousy, uptight, and generally overlooked yet anxious to please PR executive who was assigned to be his handler. Paige worked in her father’s firm and her family was rather vile, yet they provided most of the comic relief.
If you have ever read a romance novel at any time in your life then, of course, you already know the outcome, yet the story was entertaining with a few delightfully naughty bits, and the characters were sweet and endearingly flawed. Although, I was slow to fully warm up to Paige as she was initially rudely judgmental and inflexible. I did not expect the former hard-partying man-ho rock-star to be the most level-headed, considerate, and thoughtful character in the book, but I adored the sweet and sexy Dylan.
Most girls/women have had a rock-star or famous actor fantasy or two – um thousand, yes, I will fess up… I’ll own it and wave my hands in the air like I do not care. While I don’t read rocker romances often, there are times I need something lighter in tone to break up the tedium or alleviate the residual heaviness from over-servings of angst or brain scrambling thrillers, and this sexy bad boy with a bad rep for fast living and hard partying came at a good time. And well, it’s from Samantha Chase, nuff said.
New York Times and USA Today Bestseller/contemporary romance writer Samantha Chase released her debut novel, Jordan’s Return, in November 2011. Although she waited until she was in her 40’s to publish for the first time, writing has been a lifelong passion. Her motivation to take that step was her students: teaching creative writing to elementary age students all the way up through high school and encouraging those students to follow their writing dreams gave Samantha the confidence to take that step as well.
When she’s not working on a new story, she spends her time reading contemporary romances, playing way too many games of Scrabble or Solitaire on Facebook and spending time with her husband of 25 years and their two sons in North Carolina.
You know that saying: One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
I found out that it was true. At least, that’s what I’d thought a year earlier when a few stolen moments with this one, unexpected girl, turned my heart to mush.
I thought she was different.
I thought she was special.
But it turned out I was wrong.
I was the kind of guy who learned from his mistakes quickly, so I moved away, threw myself into my budding football career, and I was determined to make something of myself and focus on my future.
And it worked, despite me missing her.
For a short while, I had everything figured out again.
Then, in one split second, it was all gone, ripped out from beneath my feet.
An injury forced me back home to Winslow to face the world I’d left behind.
But I wasn’t the same man when I returned.
I was different now. Too different for everything to go back the way it was before.
-Jake
I wasn’t the relationship type. I was the girl who mothers warned their sons about. I was the local piece of trash.
At least, that’s what they all thought.
None of them ever really knew me at all. None of them except him.
And then he left me… alone and confused. He forced me to hate him, to hate them all. I wanted to drift away. Leave Winslow far behind me and start afresh someplace else. Someplace new. Somewhere I could become anything and anyone I wanted to be.
But then he came back, dragging with him every moment, every explicit memory I had of us together and dumping them unceremoniously at my feet.
I wanted to keep hating him.
I wanted to resist.
But he was different now.
So cold, so angry, and sexy as all hell.
He’d changed, and all my plans for a happy ever after were shattered the moment he made the decision to return and show me exactly what I’d been missing while he’d been gone. I was screwed.
-Melanie
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My Rating:
My Review:
The story for A Different Game continued from the first in the series, The Wrong Game, but could easily stand-alone. The premise was interesting and the storylines featured a mercurial and atomically sensual relationship between two unlikely former college lovers with an unfortunate history, as well as uniquely dysfunctional family dynamics in both households. The family drama had understandably resulted in significant and long-term damage to all parties. While it was well-written, I struggled with this book as I am just not a fan of constant conflict and this story was a full-on angst-fest. I was further hampered by my difficulty in scraping up an appreciation for many of the characters as they were not easily likable and more than a bit obnoxious and prone to immature and selfish behavioral patterns. Yet Ms. Matthew’s unique brand of storytelling and compelling narrative held my attention and I couldn’t seem to put my Kindle down, despite my desire to growl and sigh despondently at the characters’ toxic and melodramatic train wreck displays. Craftily written from a dual POV, I found considerably more enjoyment and appeal in the characters’ inner musings than in their interpersonal interactions. Melanie was my least favorite of the cast with her past behaviors, which were briefly recapped from the previous book, being highly promiscuous as well as maliciously vile and toxic; and although she believed herself to have “changed” after college graduation, those behaviors were not all behind her as she could still switch on the vicious and cruel harpy and spitefully lash out at will. Yikes. While this one may not have been tailored to my personal preference, if you feast on angst, emotional conflicts, and relationship dramas, then this is the book for you.
About the Author
Charlie M. Matthews is a hopeless romantic, lost in her own world of fairy tales and adventures. A lover of art and painting, she’d happily trade in her everyday clothes in exchange for a paint smudged shirt. In the confines of her attic room, she is able to create a world that is unlike no other. Mixing fantasy and fiction to generate a piece of work that she could so easily lose herself in. With her wild imagination and passion for reading, Charlie stumbled upon a new love.
Writing…
What started as a distraction from the crazy little thing that is ‘life’, it soon became all too real. She no longer dreamt about the day her words would be published for all to see because that day had finally come true. It 2015 she released her first novel and hasn’t looked back since.
Charlie is a mum of three beautiful children, living in a small village on the outskirts of Oxfordshire, England. Born and raised in the busy town of Reading, she switched the bright lights and traffic jams for a quiet life in the sticks a little over eight years ago.
Between school runs and generally just doing the whole ‘mum’ thing, you’ll most likely find her slobbing out on the sofa, shouting at the tv screen while her favourite football team (Arsenal) are tearing up the field. And yes, no doubt there will be beer involved, or if she’s feeling extra girlie, maybe even a glass of vino.
Childhood neighbors get a chance at love in Should’ve Been You, an achingly romantic novella in Nicole McLaughlin’s Man Enough series!
National Guardsman Jase Beckford wants to live a quiet life raising cattle and taking care of his mother. His childhood friend and neighbor Hannah is still his best friend, but when he walks into the Walters house one morning and sees her twin sister Becca for the first time in five years, he wonders if he missed out on something special.
Becca Walters has nursed a secret crush on Jase since childhood, but he always preferred Hannah, so she buried her feelings assuming her sister and Jase would one day turn their flirtation into a real relationship. And this Christmas, she is anticipating a proposal of her own, so Jase’s reappearance in her life doesn’t mean anything. Much. Okay, maybe more than Becca would like to admit.
However, when Becca’s sister gets engaged to someone who’s not Jase, Becca and Jase find themselves spending more together. And when secrets are revealed, suddenly those dormant feelings come back to life; but is the possibility of something between them worth risking the happiness of everyone they love?
My Rating:
Favorite Quotes:
Turkey Bacon… I have an open mind about many things, I’ll have you know. But the sanctity of pork fat is not one of them.
I was just thinking that if you’d been my middle-school teacher, I would not have been able to focus… All men— no matter their age—can appreciate a beautiful woman. Even teachers are fair game for the spank bank.
Aiden was a big guy. Goatee, shaved head, enough muscles for three men.
Sometimes I miss having a man around. I mean . . . obviously they have their uses.
My Review:
I enjoyed this quick and entertaining tale of a recent veteran who had returned to his small rural Kansas community while continuing to serve with the National Guard while establishing his new venture into cattle. His human relationships proved to be a bit trickier and considerably more complicated. I had not read the previous books in the series and apparently did not need to as was never confused, although I was feeling the prickling of curiosity as his fellow guardsmen sounded interesting and quirky. The premise was interesting and relevant, the storylines were easy to follow and engaging, and characters were likable and endearing. I was satisfied with the happy for now ending to the blossoming romance and would be interested in continuing the series with all the previous and future installments.
Nicole loves to read, bake, make lists, and binge watch an entire television show season in one day. She lives with her husband and three boys in a small town outside of Kansas City.
A pretend relationship…within a pretend relationship.
Attorney Evan Stone knows every crazy stipulation in billionaire Rudy Carmichael’s will. After all, he wrote it. And he’s determined to make sure each one is fully met by Rudy’s triplet daughters. Even if that means dating the workaholic CEO, Ava. Or pretending to at least. And even if it means resisting the so-right-for-him-she’s-totally-wrong party girl, Cori.
Cori’s only got three things on her to do list from her dad:
• Move to Bliss, Kansas.
• Run his pie shop with her sisters for a year.
• No dating. For six months.
But stepping in for her sister when it’s clear that Ava and Evan aren’t fooling anyone with their “romance” isn’t really dating. And falling for her sister’s pretend boyfriend while pretending to be her sister…well, that’s ridiculous. No matter how real things feel whenever she and Evan are together.
THE SERIES
Billionaires in Blue Jeans
Not your typical billionaire romances…
A tough corporate CEO, a nerdy research scientist, and a globe-trotting party girl walk into a conference room…
Where the sisters, Ava, Brynn, and Cori, find out they have been named co-heirs to their father’s multi-billion dollar conglomerate. Whether they want it or not.
But they also inherit a list of conditions that have to be met:
One, move to Bliss, Kansas–wherever that is–for a year.
Two, run their father’s pie shop together. Yes, a pie shop.
Three, follow his edicts for their love lives. Yep, he went there.
Sounds like a recipe for disaster, right? But the girls are going to have some help. Evan, Parker, and Noah, best friends and lifelong residents of Bliss, are equally fascinated with and dreading the idea of meeting the triplets they’ve heard so much about. The small town guys didn’t know their kooky friend, Rudy, was a billionaire until he was diagnosed with cancer. But they did know he was a guy they would do anything for. Even help his very fish-out-of-water daughters navigate small town life. And make pie. And maybe fall in love.
It’s possible Rudy knew exactly what he was doing when he wrote his will.
It’s equally possible that he was completely crazy.
No matter what, everyone can agree on one thing…Bliss, Kansas is never going to be the same.
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My Rating:
Favorite Quotes:
There was plenty to mourn when it came to her and her father. His death was not even number one on the list.
He’d actually thought briefly about how a six-month public relationship with her would keep him essentially celibate, but then he’d quickly stopped thinking about that when he’d started to hyperventilate. He’d told himself he could make it for six months. He was a grown man, for God’s sake. He could sacrifice for a greater good. People went off to war, after all. And into space. And…other places where they couldn’t have sex for long periods of time even if he couldn’t think of one at the moment.
I’m sitting here feeling like a regular, dumb-ass guy who just happened to rub a lamp and ended up with a goddess genie in his lap and I was hoping to get a really good taste of you before you figured out how much better you could do.
You should never say all of it to me… All is a lot with me. I’m best in small doses.
My Review:
Diamonds and Dirt Roads was an entertaining and enjoyable read despite the somewhat complicated premise that featured well-educated, wealthy, and privileged identical triplets who were vastly different in personality and temperament, and requiring them to adhere to precise social and vocational stipulations while living together in a small-town, and gasp working in a pie shop selling their own creations, or forfeit billions in inheritance. I enjoyed the well-crafted and multileveled storylines, which were as insightfully thoughtful as they were cleverly amusing. The characters were endearingly quirky, enticingly complex, and whip-smart. I reveled in Ms. Nicholas’s storytelling, clever levity, sharp wordplay, humorous and titillating verbal sparring, witty banter, sassy word duels, and provocative teasing. And in the midst of all this upheaval, role reversals, and family drama, a sweet, transformative, and steamy love story took root where it was not supposed to, which of course, made it all the more alluring.
About the Author
Erin Nicholas is the author of sexy contemporary romances. Her stories have been described as toe-curling, enchanting, steamy and fun. She loves to write about reluctant heroes, imperfect heroines and happily ever afters. She lives in the Midwest with her husband who only wants to read the sex scenes in her books, her kids who will never read the sex scenes in her books, and family and friends who say they’re shocked by the sex scenes in her books (yeah, right!).
I now run The Supernatural Dating Agency, a discreet section of Withernsea’s finest matchmaking service. Yeah, I’ll do all the work while Shelley makes babies with her gorgeous vampire husband.
It’s not like I’ve anything better to do anyway. My ex is now a newly-turned vamp struggling to accept he can no longer admire his own reflection, and I don’t care what Ebony ‘sees’, Kim is not about to date a wolf; he has better hair than I do.
Then Lucy Fir, fresh from the gates of guarding Hell, decides she wants me to find her a boyfriend. He’ll need to be a Knight in shining inflammable armour with her temper. Can I find her a date, or is my new career damned before it’s even started? Welcome to Withernsea and the Supernatural Dating Agency, for readers of Michelle Rowen, Gerry Bartlett and Michele Bardsley who like their humour to have bite.
Buy A Devil of a Date if you like your romance…HOT.
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My Rating:
Favorite Quotes:
I’d kept up with certain things in Hell. We had computers though the internet was limited to what Satan felt we needed to know… Fashion was easy to keep up with as the new residents came fully dressed and I gained an envied designer wardrobe from the many rich wives who’d killed their cheating husbands. That’s how my love of Louboutins had started.
Well, I thought he couldn’t shock me any more than the day he brutally murdered me, but it seems he’s doing his dang best to try. No one wants to hear their child shouting about how much they love pussy unless there’s a family pet.
I need to see this neighbour if he looks like Jason Momoa. Do we need any sugar?
My Review:
After escaping hell, the transition from demon back to human wasn’t going smoothly for the disgruntled and exasperated Lucy Fir, she still had 2 small horns (hidden by colorful headbands) and was prone to spark flames from her fingertips when riled, which proved hazardous to an annoyingly flatulent roommate. Kim, the supernatural dating specialist wasn’t fairing much better despite having access to and taking creative liberties with, the large dating database. I always enjoy Andie M. Long’s sly humor and creative imagination (naming a demon Lucy Fir – come on – say it aloud if you need to). Yet I was a bit out of sorts with this installment, as I didn’t find the characters as endearing or engaging as I had with Shelly and Theo from the first in the series, although I was warming to them by the end of the tale. Multiple species presented unique concerns and received cameo appearances – angels, demons, vampires, werewolves and werecats, witches, mere people, pixies, fairies, seers, brownies, Satan (of course), and even an incubus, all clearly living among us oblivious humans. I particularly enjoyed Lucy’s spectacular dating failures with my favorite being the new angel who could not fold his wings close enough to fit through a door – smirk – brilliant.
About The Author
After twenty+ years of thinking about it, at the age of forty, I decided it was time to finally WRITE THE BOOK or forget about it. I studied two Open University Courses in Creative Writing and finally wrote my first novel. I’ve now written a ton of novels and have the ideas for so many more!
I live in Sheffield with my son and long-suffering partner. We now have a beautiful fur-baby called Bella. When not being a partner, mother, employee (I also work for the NHS) or writer I can usually be found on Facebook or Pinterest.
Members of the Sweeney family, young and old, chart their courses for the future in this final installment of the bestselling Sweeney Sisters Series.
When the seafood business Lovie Sweeney established sixty years ago is destroyed by fire, she finds herself at the center of an arson investigation. What really happened that night? Is Lovie responsible for starting the fire or is her family under attack from a sworn enemy?
The loss of their family business leaves the Sweeney clan in flux. Samantha faces the challenges of rebuilding the market while her son, Jamie, on track to graduate from college in six months, must decide whether to make his permanent home in Prospect or move to Charleston where a new special someone resides. At age forty-five, Faith, who has never fully recovered from an abusive marriage, is on a quest to find her true passion? Jackie is distraught when her son, Sean, flunks out of college and struggles to find direction in his life without his twin brother to guide him. A medical diagnosis brings the sisters closer together and threatens to change family dynamics forever.
The Sweeney women remind us that it’s never too late to begin a new endeavor and to never stop chasing your dreams until you draw your last breath.
My Rating:
Favorite Quote:
Did you fail sharing time in kindergarten?
My Review:
I have enjoyed this relevant and engaging series featuring three divergently different Lowcountry sisters and their addled yet feisty mother. Throughout the series, the sisters have faced a great deal of dispiriting hardships and challenges. This fifth and final installment of the series was fraught with tension from the beginning as it started with a fire to the family business that brought on a truckload of trouble and opened a channel for either a complete loss or a new opportunity. Each household, although while also blessed in many ways, was struggling with significant and overwhelming issues as well as the overriding critical element of the swift deterioration their elderly mother’s mental faculties. This concern was hitting close to home for me there is a rapidly ticking clock, and not an if but a when, until I will be facing this same despicable dilemma. Ms. Farley’s insightful narrative captured their inner conflict and turmoil with sensitivity and occasional hits of amusing levity which I fully appreciated as I’ve always found it preferable to laugh than to cry. I will miss the Sweeney sisters but was more than satisfied with their swan song.
About the Author
Ashley Farley writes books about women for women. Her characters are mothers, daughters, sisters, and wives facing real-life issues. Her goal is to keep you turning the pages until the wee hours of the morning. If her story stays with you long after you’ve read the last word, then she’s done her job.
After her brother died in 1999 of an accidental overdose, she turned to writing as a way of releasing her pent-up emotions. She wrote SAVING BEN in honor of Neal, the boy she worshipped, the man she could not save.
Ashley is a wife and mother of two young adult children. While she’s lived in Richmond, Virginia for the past 21 years, part of her heart remains in the salty marshes of the South Carolina Lowcountry where she grew up. Through the eyes of her characters, she’s able to experience the moss-draped trees, delectable cuisine, and kind-hearted folks with lazy drawls that make the area so unique.
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