Book Review: Baking Me Crazy by Karla Sorensen

.

 

Baking Me Crazy

by Karla Sorensen

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2kwvT7z

AppleBooks: https://apple.co/2ku8Pq7

Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/BakingMeCrazy

Nook: http://bit.ly/2lEMEh0

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2lU7066

Google Play: http://bit.ly/2klKiUj

 

Friends to lovers at its best– a sweet indulgence I couldn’t put down!” – R.S. Grey, USA Today Bestselling Author

Baking Me Crazy, the first in the romantic comedy Donner Bakery Series of standalones, from Karla Sorensen is available now!

I’m Levi Buchanan, and until five years ago, I thought the legend of my family’s curse was a load of crazy, Southern nonsense.

No curse can make you fall in love at first sight. No curse can force a true, deep, passionate, all-consuming love that will haunt you all the days of your life.

Then I met Jocelyn Abernathy and I realized how completely wrong I was.

The problem is, Jocelyn guards her feelings like well-armed soldier. She’s the most beautiful, stubborn, infuriating woman I’ve ever met. Every time she talks, I want to kiss the living daylights out of her. But I can’t.

Because when we met, she didn’t need true love. She needed a best friend. And that’s what I’ve been to her… for five years.

But when Jocelyn meets a handsome stranger her first day working at Donner Bakery and she lets him buy her a dill pickle cupcake, I realize with ominous regret that I may have missed my window with my best friend.

If I can’t get her to see past our friendship, my new curse may be to watch the love of my life move on with someone else.

‘Baking Me Crazy’ is a full-length contemporary romantic comedy, can be read as a standalone, and is book#1 in the Donner Bakery series, Green Valley World, Penny Reid Book Universe.

DB01-LIVE copy

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Joy’s face morphed. Gone was the sweet, ebullient young woman who’d been my co-worker for the past couple of hours. Gone was the happiest person in the world. In her place was determined, scheming Joy. She narrowed her eyes, and I actually sat back in my chair from the force of it.

 

“There’s a wild dog sitting outside.” Her voice was shaky, but her eyes were unflinching. The skin around them was wrinkled and translucent, spotted with age. “Oh, that’s my dog.”… “He looks scary.” I smiled at her. “He’s very sweet, I promise.” “What’s his name?” “Nero,” I answered. She glanced over her glasses at me. “After the Roman emperor who burned people alive?”

 

Joy can’t figure out how I learned so many swear words during my young life, and I had to try to explain how spending my impressionable teen years with the Buchanans gave me the vocabulary of a drunken pirate.

 

For as different as I felt on the inside, it was strange that it didn’t reflect anywhere else. Shouldn’t there be a sign above my head? Beware of the twenty-one-year-old virgin with repressed sexual feelings. Explosion imminent. Touch with extreme caution. May spontaneously combust with prolonged eye contact and cupcake purchasing and/or casual swimming sessions.

 

 My Review:

 

I will confess to a complete lack of awareness of Karla Sorensen’s genius before picking up this delightful book, but as she was Penny Reid’s pick to blaze the trail and be the first rattle out of the box to kick off her new Smartypants Romance, Green Valley World, Penny Reid Book Universe, well, that was all I needed to know. And I wholeheartedly concur with the mastermind’s brilliant choice. Ms. Sorensen has produced an excellent lead-in for a new series and her contribution fit seamlessly into the oddly alluring and ever-appealing microcosm of Green Valley.

 

Written in my favorite dual POV, the storylines were relevant, engaging, and absorbing. The main character of Joss spent much of her time in a wheelchair and I was quite taken with the care, thoughtful observation, and sensitivity used in enlightening the reader of the impact her medical and mobility issues had on her social-emotional development and the energy and concentration required to complete even the most simple of tasks of day-to-day life that ambulatory bipeds take for granted.

 

Ms. Sorensen’s humor was well-honed and witty, her characters were endearing and assessable, and to my gleeful amusement, their captivating tale effortlessly rolled through my gray matter with an even balance of emotional tone, with heart-squeezes and giggle-snorts aplenty. I was besotted with sweet Levi and adored how he perceived and cataloged Joss in vivid Technicolor in his inner musings. Levi current reigns as King, occupying the top spot on my list of BBFs. Does it even need saying that Karla Sorensen has a new fangirl?

About Karla Sorensen

Karla Sorensen has been an avid reader her entire life, preferring stories with a happily-ever-after over just about any other kind. And considering she has an entire line item in her budget for books, she realized it might just be cheaper to write her own stories. It doesn’t take much to keep her happy…a book, a really big glass of wine, and at least thirty minutes of complete silence every day. She still keeps her toes in the world of health care marketing, where she made her living pre-babies. Now she stays home, writing and mommy-ing full time (this translates to almost every day being a ‘pajama day’ at the Sorensen household…don’t judge). She lives in West Michigan with her husband, two exceptionally adorable sons and big, shaggy rescue dog.

Connect with Karla

Facebook: http://bit.ly/2lU6xAS

Twitter: http://bit.ly/2khRSPL

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2k0Yp0T

Instagram: http://bit.ly/2lBNuez

Website: http://www.karlasorensen.com/

Connect with Smartypants Romance

Facebook: http://bit.ly/2kvDnb4

Twitter: http://bit.ly/2lzyduO

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2lGdIMQ

Instagram: http://bit.ly/2kwKsYK

Website: https://smartypantsromance.com/

Book Review: THE AMENDMENT  (The Contract Series #3)  by Melanie Moreland

THE AMENDMENT 

(The Contract Series #3) 

by Melanie Moreland

 October 7, 2019

Amazon USUK / AU / CA 

 B&N / Kobo / iBooks

 

Richard VanRyan has it all.

 A loving wife, a beautiful family, great friends, and a career he excels at.

 He is riding high on the crest of life.

What happens when the ride stops?

When the unthinkable becomes reality and life may never again be the same?

The Contract has changed.

Can Richard and Katy overcome The Amendment?

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Love is filled with second chances, Richard. If I didn’t think so, I wouldn’t have answered the phone.

 

It’s amazing how clear the view can be when one pulls his head out of his ass.

 

Perks of being Gramps. I turn them over to you when they smell or get too loud.

 

My Review:

 

I adore this loving couple, they bring the sizzle to the sheets and when things are good, the fire department needs to be on standby.   But we all know that Richards can also be Dicks, and this Richard past and present definitely fit every definition of that moniker.

 

This book started with the family man and loving husband Richard, on top of his game, successful in his career, newly promoted, and happily married with an intelligent, supportive, and spunky wife; but a drunk driver put a pin in that Richard. When he awoke from a coma, he discovered he had been in a horrific accident, which would put him in a wheelchair and in turn, conjured up an angry and obnoxious Dick who appeared hell-bent on imploding Richard’s perfect life.   Richard would have to put in a lot of groveling and hard work to find his way back from Dicklandia. Luckily those tasty and enticing boys from BAM flew in and had his back.

 

Ms. Moreland’s engaging storylines were well-balanced in emotional tone and written from my favorite dual POV. Her writing was laced with perceptive insights, a sweetly precocious child, witty levity, heart-squeezes, a large cast of endearing characters, and steamy sensuality that had me gasping and nudging up the speed on the ceiling fan.

 

Series Synopsis:

The Contract Series

Follow Richard VanRyan and Katy as they hate, love, and grow in this gripping, deeply emotional series.

 

Book #1

What do you do when the one person you loath becomes the one person you can’t live without?

Book #2

Richard VanRyan just added another description to his resume.

Daddy.

How will he handle it?

Book #3

When the life you know becomes the life you had, how do you cope?

How will Richard and Katy overcome The Amendment?

Excerpt on Book+ Main Bites: https://bookandmainbites.com/story/40727

About the Author

New York Times/USA Today bestselling author Melanie Moreland, lives a happy and content life in a quiet area of Ontario with her beloved husband of twenty-seven-plus years and their rescue cat, Amber. Nothing means more to her than her friends and family, and she cherishes every moment spent with them. 
.
While seriously addicted to coffee, and highly challenged with all things computer-related and technical, she relishes baking, cooking, and trying new recipes for people to sample. She loves to throw dinner parties, and also enjoys traveling, here and abroad, but finds coming home is always the best part of any trip. 
.
Melanie loves stories, especially paired with a good wine, and enjoys skydiving (free-falling over a fleck of dust) extreme snowboarding (falling down stairs) and piloting her own helicopter (tripping over her own feet.) She’s learned happily ever afters, even bumpy ones, are all in how you tell the story.
.
Melanie is represented by Flavia Viotti at Bookcase Literary Agency. For any questions regarding subsidiary or translation rights please contact her at flavia@bookcaseagency.com
.

Book Review: Four Christmases and a Secret by Zara Stoneley

Four Christmases and a Secret

by Zara Stoneley

Amazon US / UK / AU / B&N

Kobo  / GP / Apple

 

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…

Except for Daisy Christmas means another of Uncle T’s dreaded Christmas parties, complete with Christmas jumper and flashing antlers.  And Oliver Cartwright.  Gorgeous Oliver Cartwright. Who she hates.

Every year Daisy has to face insufferable Ollie and hear all about how BRILLIANT he is.  Whereas Daisy has no job, no man and no idea how to fix things.

This Christmas however Daisy is determined things will be different.  There will be no snogging Ollie under the mistletoe like when they were teenagers.  No, this year she’ll show Ollie that she’s a Responsible Adult too.

But as the champagne corks pop, and the tinsel sparkles, Uncle T has news of his own to share…and it could change Daisy’s life forever…

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Oh God, he is so not perfect for me. How can I go out with somebody who doesn’t like chocolate?

 

I am part of a couple! I have a date, and a dog. Sadly, mother is finding it hard to come to terms with what ‘vegan’ means. She thinks Tim’s just in denial and longing for something meaty to get stuck into. Her plan seems to be to sneak bits onto his plate thinking that the rest of us won’t notice, and Tim will be thrilled.

 

Ollie once left a list in the kitchen that he swears said ‘milk, steak, beans’ but I’m convinced said ‘meh, stench, gremlins ’. I’d thought he was commenting on my hygiene.

 

I have never seen my mother flap so much. She’s already claimed that my looks, brains, sex appeal, success and even the fact that my nails grow quite long before they break, are all down to genes. Hers.

 

My Review:

 

Christmas hit my Kindle before Halloween this year, which seems somewhat disturbing, but it is what it is. This is the fourth smirk-worthy book I have devoured by the wickedly talented wordsmith Zara Stoneley, and I adored every engaging word. I quickly succumbed to her magical word voodoo and fell headlong into this devilishly clever tale that was written from the first-person POV of Daisy, who was a bit of mess. I found myself reading slowly to savor each well-crafted scene and witty exchange.   The storylines were engaging, heart-squeezing, deliriously funny, sweet, and a little sexy. It was perfection.

In addition to many hours of delightful entertainment, Ms. Stoneley provided me with two new additions to my Brit List with pomfret cakes – which are actually a candy, not a cake and are made with licorice and stamped with a castle, and sound absolutely vile to me; and sarky – which is British informal for sarcastic, and I can never have enough words for that 😉

About the Author

Zara Stoneley is the USA Today bestselling author of ‘The Wedding Date’.

She lives in a Cheshire village with her family, a lively cockapoo called Harry, and a very bossy (and slightly evil) cat called Saffron.

Born in a small village in the UK, Zara wanted to be a female James Herriot, a spy, or an author when she grew up. After many (many) years, and many different jobs, her dream of writing a bestseller came true. She now writes about friendship, dreams, love, and happy ever afters, and hopes that her tales make you laugh a lot, cry a little, and occasionally say ‘ahhh’.

Zara’s bestselling novels include ‘Bridesmaids’, ‘No One Cancels Christmas’, ‘The Wedding Date’, ‘The Holiday Swap’, ‘Summer with the Country Village Vet’, ‘Blackberry Picking at Jasmine Cottage’ and the popular Tippermere series – ‘Stable Mates’, ‘Country Affairs’ and ‘Country Rivals’.

Social Media Links 

Website: http://www.zarastoneley.com
Twitter: @ZaraStoneley
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ZaraStoneley

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/zara-stoneley?follow=true

Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B007WK307G

 

Book Review: Perfectly Adequate by Jewel E. Ann

PA - BT banner

“Another brilliantly written winner. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up, you will not regret it.” —Kate Stewart, USA Today bestselling author

Perfectly Adequate, an all-new must-read romantic comedy from Jewel E. Ann, is available now!

PerfectlyAdequate-ebookFINAL

Amazon / BookBub

 

Dr. Elijah Hawkins needs … something.

After his wife jumps headfirst into a midlife crisis, he’s left with his young son, Roman, and a lot of unanswered questions.

That something turns out to be a someone—Dorothy Mayhem, nursing student, patient transporter, reckless driver, and emu owner.

Dorothy studies humans, the neurotypical kind, through books and television. Then she emulates their behavioral patterns to fit in with her peers.

But nothing can prepare her for Dr. Elijah Hawkins.

Single dad.

Brilliant pediatric oncologist.

And the sexiest doctor at the hospital.

When his failed attempts at asking her out turn into a string of playdates with his son, Dorothy finds herself unexpectedly enamored with the boy and his father.

And that’s a problem, a huge one, because Elijah’s ex-wife is a famous plastic surgeon—and Dorothy’s idol.

Perfectly Adequate is a beautiful, hilarious, and heart-felt journey along the “human” spectrum.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

“I’ll take good genes as a compliment.” “Why? You didn’t have anything to do with it.”

 

I like his brand of sarcasm, which says a lot since, in general, I don’t like sarcasm. It’s like the smallest letters on the eye chart. I have to focus pretty hard to read them, and even then, there is a little guessing involved. They use those really tiny letters just to make sure no human feels perfect.

 

He ordered a large! Nothing chaps me more than people who want to split small and medium pizzas. Leftovers are life. Not that I can’t easily take down half a large pizza.

 

French kissing isn’t usually my thing. Too much saliva. But he’s not salivating like a dog, or suffering from a painful case of dry mouth, so the kiss is acceptable. Such a Goldilocks moment. Dr. Elijah Hawkins is my just right.

 

I’m not mad. Just surprised. You told me last month that sex was overrated, messy, and mentally exhausting. Now you’re thinking of asking a man’s ex-wife about his sexual preferences.

 

My Review:

 

This well-crafted book was perfectly balanced in tone and a delight to experience. While quickly and fully immersed in this tale, not only did I encounter wickedly clever wit and well-honed humor that kept me smirking, giggle-snorting, and frequently laughing aloud; I also found achingly perceptive insights that tickled my gray matter as well as my funny bone. Dorothy was a fascinating and artfully written character who took quirky and eccentric to a whole new level.

This is my fifth Jewel E. Ann book and I have loved them all beyond capacity. It is safe to say I am a totally smitten kitten as my burgeoning TBR includes every book on her Goodreads listing.

PA - AN

Excerpt

“You can call me Eli.”

She swallows hard. “I don’t actually think I can.”

“Why not?” I force my gaze away from her mouth.

The second our eyes meet, she averts her attention to her feet. “Because you’re half of the Hathaway-Hawkins duo.”

This is a new one to me. “I’m divorced.”

“I know. I …” She makes an attempt to look at me, but her attention shifts to my temple then maybe my ear. “I mean you’re a brilliant doctor, and Dr. Hathaway is too—so brilliant. God, she’s just phenomenal. Like there are no words. But still … you change the lives of young children. You save them. You’re what every young person entering the medical field can only dream of becoming. You’ve earned the title. I can’t call you by your name. It’s too personal. I don’t know … almost intimate.”

She has Julie on a really high pedestal. Me? Down a few pegs. Sounds about right for my life at the moment. It’s not that Julie doesn’t deserve to be on the pedestal. No matter how much I hate her, I still love her. And her skills as a pediatric plastic surgeon are unmatched. She deserves Dorothy’s admiration.

But I don’t want to talk about medicine, accolades, and saving lives. I know … I know … how terrible of me. Sorry, but I need something for myself. Something personal and maybe a little selfish.

Definitely intimate.

“I don’t need a babysitter for Roman.”

She jerks her head back, giving me her full attention, eyes squinted, gaze locked to mine. “What?”

I trap my top lip between my teeth, drowning in coconuts as my heart races, sending ample blood to all regions of my body. God … I just want—need—to kiss her.

“Oh jeez …” She shakes her head, closing her eyes for a breath. “You invited me to dinner to … flirt.” Her eyes open to their widest point.

A tiny laugh escapes me. I can’t help it. Everything about this woman feels like a rebirth. “I invited you to dinner because Roman really likes you. And I just can’t thank you enough for all that you’ve done for him. You’re so generous.”

Gah! I suck at this!

What is my problem? Yes. The answer is yes! Yes, Dorothy, I invited you over to flirt, maybe even kiss. And other things …

“Oh.” She takes a step backward, stumbling a bit as the front door catches her, and more embarrassment tints her cheeks. “Well, now I feel stupid. Yes, of course you invited me here because Roman likes me. Duh. Now I just look like an idiot for assuming you wanted to flirt with me. And really, no need to thank me. My generosity is selfish. It makes me feel good to do nice things. That’s all. And really, you’ve bought me coffee and made me dinner again. It’s like I should be thanking you again. But that’s probably weird. So … I’ll just go now.”

Really, really weird shit goes through my mind as she fidgets. Dr. Hawkins is nowhere to be found. Neither is Roman’s dad. Raging-puberty-hormones Eli Hawkins invades my head—both of them really. And I just want to kiss Dorothy. That’s the PG version of my thoughts. Most of them are R-rated. Worse than the R-rating. All I can think about are the ways Dorothy and I can be generous with each other, leading to never-ending thank-you’s that don’t involve stationary, replacement scrubs, superhero capes, pasta dinners, lunch boxes … or clothing.

“Should we call it even? No more thank-you’s,” I suggest.

“Okay.” She lifts her gaze, eyes going a little cross-eyed like her focus is centered on the bridge of my nose.

“Okay.” I release a slow breath, but it does very little to relax all of my body. “Can I ask your age?” I’m not sure why I’ve been so chicken about asking her age. I think it worries me that she’s too young, and I’ll feel like a dirty old man having really inappropriate thoughts about her.

“I’m thirty. Why?”

“You just look young.”

“I wear massive amounts of sunscreen.”

I nod slowly.

Just kiss her, you big chicken!

What if she doesn’t want to be kissed by me? Or flirt with me? I internally laugh at the memory of her comment and at myself for being just as awkward. Why does something so simple have to be so complicated?

“I have a forty-five-minute drive home.”

And school the next day. Where is my head?

Oh, that’s right …

“Of course. I’m sorry. I lost track of time.”

“Okay.” She smiles.

I love her okay’s. They feel like more than the average okay.

“I’ll walk you out.”

“Have you not closed all of your rings?” She holds up her wrist, signaling to her watch.

I chuckle. “All rings were closed hours ago.”

“We could track each other. Share our rings. Did you know that?”

Rings. Kisses. Trips to the on-call room for sex.

For the love of God … get your shit together, Elijah!

“Never mind. That’s weird.” She shakes her head, rolling her eyes at herself just before opening the door and scurrying ten steps ahead of me. Her pace gains momentum with the hill of my driveway.

My long strides catch up to her at the bottom of it. She looks both ways and bolts across the street to her car, clicks the locks, and opens her door.

“Goodnight!”

“Dorothy Mayhem … you’re killing me.”

She turns just before ducking into the driver’s seat.

“What do you mean?”

Resting my hands on my hips, I drop my chin in defeat and stare at my untied gray canvas shoes. “What if I did ask you to dinner tonight to … flirt?” I glance up, digging my teeth into my bottom lip on a slight cringe.

Her body remains stoic as her eyes shift from side to side, like she’s been caught on a hidden camera. “Well … then I wore the wrong outfit.” She refuses to look me in the eye.

“I think you look amazing.”

“Yes. But this is a playdate outfit. Maybe even one I’d wear to apply for a babysitter position. It’s fun, but wholesome. Practical and safe.”

I just want to spend one day in her head. Everything about her fascinates the hell out of me. The curiosity gives me such a high.

“Tell me about your flirting outfit.”

“Well …” She clears her throat, keeping her focus on the big hill leading out of my development. And of course … her cheeks are perfectly flushed as she talks to the wind. “Since Romeo was involved, I would have chosen my red dress with white stripes. It hits just below my knees, but it’s strapless. And I would have worn my blue cardigan with it and matching blue wedge sandals with straps that tie around my ankles. Flirty … but appropriate for young eyes.”

“And if Roman wouldn’t have been here tonight?” I stare at the side of her head, wondering if she’ll look at me again before driving home.

She narrows her eyes. “I would have taken off the cardigan after you invited me into your house.”

The picture she paints in my head does all kinds of wicked things to me. Why imagining her in a striped strapless dress has such a physical effect on me is a mystery. It’s not like she suggested showing up wearing nothing but high heels and a trench coat. Dorothy Mayhem possesses her own brand of seduction, and I’m completely entangled in every part of it.

“And in this scenario, would you have kissed me after I walked you to your car?”

She turns completely red. I feel certain even her toes hidden in those blue shoes have to be red. “You’re making fun of me.”

Her comment knocks me back a good ten steps, even if my body remains right next to her. Why would she say that?

About Jewel

Jewel is a free-spirited romance junkie with a quirky sense of humor.

With 10 years of flossing lectures under her belt, she took early retirement from her dental hygiene career to stay home with her three awesome boys and manage the family business.

After her best friend of nearly 30 years suggested a few books from the Contemporary Romance genre, Jewel was hooked. Devouring two and three books a week but still craving more, she decided to practice sustainable reading, AKA writing.

When she’s not donning her cape and saving the planet one tree at a time, she enjoys yoga with friends, good food with family, rock climbing with her kids, watching How I Met Your Mother reruns, and of course…heart-wrenching, tear-jerking, panty-scorching novels.

Connect with Jewel

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorjeweleann/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JewelE_Ann

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorjeweleann/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jewel-e-ann

Stay up to date with Jewel by joining her mailing list:

http://www.jeweleann.com/free-booksubscribe/

http://www.jeweleann.com

Book Review: Kiss Me Tonight by Emma Hart

KMT-BANNER-LIVE

What do a wrong number text, a burning building, and a quirky florist have in common?

A hunky firefighter with an extra-large…hosepipe.

Kiss Me Tonight, an all-new hilarious standalone romance from New York Times bestselling author Emma Hart is available now!

 

KISSMETONIGHT-1

 

In hindsight, I never should have opened that text message. The last thing I needed first thing on a Monday was a picture of some stranger’s, um, eggplant, in my inbox.

I also should have replaced the batteries in my fire alarm, because my Friday night did not need to end with my apartment building going up in flames.

But it’s fine. It’s fine. Everything is fine.

I’m only lying in a hospital bed with more split ends than I’ve ever had, almost all my Earthly possessions have turned to ash, and apparently, they don’t serve wine to patients in this place.

But like I said, it’s fine.

Until he walks in.

The guy who saved my life. My hero. Noah Jacobs.

And the universe is amusing itself at my expense, because the dirty photo I woke up to on Monday?

It’s his.

kmt-banner2

Download your copy today!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2IYsOqw

AppleBooks: https://apple.co/2XwekGv

Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/KissMTonight

Nook: http://bit.ly/2YrDJhO

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2IZe1M9

Add to GoodReads: http://bit.ly/2jX2gMs

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

“Aunt Bethel,” I said, pinching the bridge of my nose. “I am not going to stage a boudoir shoot for you to give Harry James for his birthday. He has a pacemaker and a stent. You’ll kill the poor man.”

 

With those muscles, the only thing sweeping you off your feet is a hurricane.

 

I’m in my old bedroom and there’s a poster of Justin Timberlake with noodle hair.

 

I would bet a hundred bucks that he’d never met anyone like me before. Not that I was tooting my own horn— I knew I was what normal people called ‘unique.’ I mean, my best friend fed raccoons, so compared to her… I was only a little strange.

 

Men like him were why catfights started. It was evolution. We women were biologically wired to seek out and find the strongest, most manly man we could so we could procreate and keep up the questionable strength of the human line. Noah fit that to a tee. He was definitely the kind of person I’d pop a few crotch goblins out with.

  

My Review:

 

Emma Hart is a clever minx, and I am irrevocably besotted with her. I adore her irreverent humor and saucy wit while I jealously covet her snappy wordplay. This is the fifth book of hers I have read and her quirky characters and amusing storylines (both full of sizzle and sass) have never failed to produce giggle-snorts in ample measure while leaving a near-permanent smirk on my face. Kiss Me Tonight was no exception.

Written in my favorite dual POV, Kiss Me Tonight begins with the unusual and somewhat alarming event of an errant text message with a little something extra, well, actually, a big something extra, an intimate exposure of a male’s… sacred member. It seems the female which the drunken Noah had been corresponding with on a dating site had requested a… candid shot, but supplied a bogus or incorrect number for the private text. The message ended up on the spunky Reagan’s phone and had her debating what course of action to take. Reagan was such a fun and lively character, she was a self-proclaimed “drama llama” with an even quirkier family which included a feisty and highly inappropriate octogenarian, my favorite kind, of course.

I will be anxiously awaiting the next cheeky installment to this humorous series.

Excerpt

“Hi.”

I glanced over at him, my lips curving. “Hi.”

“You ready?”

“To escape the madhouse? What do you think?”

“That I should put my foot down.”

I winked and clicked my belt into place. “Let’s go. Where are we going?”

Noah pulled away from the curb. “I was going to let you direct me. I haven’t been in town long, like I said, and I definitely haven’t been out for lunch.”

I leaned back in the seat. “Hmm. What do you want to eat?”

“You’re the one breaking out of jail. I’m happy to go wherever you want to.”

“Oh, no. I hate making decisions like this. Do you know how difficult it is to pick somewhere to eat?” I shifted my whole body so I could look at him. “Do you want Chinese? Thai? Steak? Korean? Pizza? Burgers? Caribbean? Mexican? Spanish? French? Italian?”

Noah’s gaze darted my way. “Do you have all those places in Creek Falls?”

“No, but that doesn’t make the decision any easier,” I replied. “Well? Burgers? Pizza? Mexican? Italian? Steak? Or Chinese?”

“I don’t—shit me, I feel like I’m being interrogated by the fucking Government.”

“You may as well be. Pick somewhere and I’ll tell you where to go.”

“I said you can pick.”

“I don’t care. I’ve been everywhere. They’re all good. You’re the new boy in town. Pick somewhere.”

“You’re demanding, do you know that?”

“Yes, Preston—oh, he’s my brother—regularly points out how demanding and difficult I am.” I paused. “If you really want me to pick, I will, but you can’t complain after.”

He turned the blinker on so we’d head in the direction of Main Street. “You just said they’re all good.”

“They are, but it’s not my fault if you feel like pizza and end up with a taco.”

“I can honestly say that I do not care what I eat for lunch as long as it’s edible.”

“Right. Then turn left, then right, and pull into the parking lot next to the liquor store.”

“I see you’re taking us to a reputable location.”

“Oh, no. The liquor store is a pit stop. It just happens to be on the way to the Mexican place I like.”

“I see. So you’re using me for liquor.”

“You’ve met my great-aunt. Damn straight I’m using you for liquor.”

About Emma Hart

Emma Hart is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over thirty novels and has been translated into several different languages.

She is a mother, wife, lover of wine, Pink Goddess, and valiant rescuer of wild baby hedgehogs.

Emma prides herself on her realistic, snarky smut, with comebacks that would make a PMS-ing teenage girl proud.

 

Yes, really. She’s that sarcastic.

Connect with Emma

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EmmaHartBooks/

BookBub: http://bit.ly/2Dr0atq

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2Dq42ez

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2EBbZNe

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2D91d3T

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emmahartauthor/

Stay up to date with Emma by joining her mailing list: https://www.emmahart.org/newsletter

Website: https://www.emmahart.org/home

Book Review: Wrapped Up in You (Heartbreaker Bay – Book 8) by Jill Shalvis

Wrapped Up in You

Heartbreaker Bay – Book 8

By: Jill Shalvis

Avon Books – September 24, 2019

 

AMAZON / AUDIBLE / APPLE / 

NOOK / KOBO / GPLAY

It’s love. Trust me.

 

After a lifetime on the move, Ivy Snow is an expert in all things temporary—schools, friends, and way too many Mr. Wrongs. Now that she owns a successful taco truck in San Francisco and an apartment to call home, Ivy’s reinvented life is on solid ground. And she’s guarded against anything that can rock it. Like the realities of a past she’s worked hard to cover up. And especially Kel O’Donnell. Too hot not to set off alarms, he screams temporary. If only his whispers weren’t so delightfully naughty and irresistible.

 

Kel, an Idaho sheriff and ranch owner, is on vacay, but Ivy’s a spicy reason to give his short-terms plans a second thought. Best of all, she’s a tonic for his untrusting heart, burned once and still in repair. But when Ivy’s past intrudes on a perfect romance, Kel fears that everything she’s told him has been a perfect lie. Now, if only Ivy’s willing to share, Kel will fight for a true love story.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Mentally sifting through a long list of fantasies, Ivy told her landlord all about Brandon the artist, who was living in Paris at the moment, becoming famous for his incredible oil landscapes. She left off the fact that he peddled stolen art instead of creating it, and it hadn’t been Paris, France, but Paris, Texas.

 

And trust me, women are tougher than us. They can handle our shit. And if you don’t think so, think about this—they take showers with the water temperature set to the exploding sun, by choice.

 

Her chest felt tight. Way too tight. “It’s hot in here,” she whispered. “Is it hot in here?” she asked all the people standing way too close. “Honey, that’s called a hot flash,” an elderly woman waiting in line said. “Are you going through the change?” “Edna, she’s like twelve,” the woman next to the first one said. “She’s not going through the change. And how much longer before you refill the mashed potatoes? I can’t stand on my feet too long, I get the veins.”

 

My Review:

 

I don’t think I will ever tire of Jill Shalvis’s clever wit or her entertaining and amusing tales. To use one of her own words, she is divinely, “Crackalicious.” One of the main characters of this book was Ivy Snow, and although ivy doesn’t typically have thorns, this Ivy was a prickly one who was always on guard, and for good reason. I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy her but Ivy’s backstory was a heart squeezer and my appreciation of her rose steadily as her layers were slowly peeled back.   I grew to adore this couple as much as the other Heartbreakers that I’ve read.

 

 

 

Goodreads Series Link: https://www.goodreads.com/series/169076-heartbreaker-bay

 Series Buy Link: http://jillshalvis.com/books/#heartbreaker-series

 Author Info

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jill Shalvis writes warm, funny, sexy contemporary romances and women’s fiction. An Amazon, BN & iBooks bestseller, she’s also a two-time RITA winner and has more than 10 million copies of her books sold worldwide.

 

Author Links:  WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | GOODREADS

Website:  http://jillshalvis.com/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/JillShalvis/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/JillShalvis/

GoodReads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22370.Jill_Shalvis

Newsletter: http://jillshalvis.com/faq/newsletter/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jill-shalvis

 

Sweet Little Lies (Heartbreaker Bay #1) by Jill Shalvis

Sweet Little Lies
(Heartbreaker Bay #1)
by Jill Shalvis

 Amazon  US UK / CA / AU /  B&N 

 

As captain of a San Francisco Bay tour boat, Pru can handle rough seas — the hard part is life on dry land. Pru loves her new apartment and her neighbors; problem is, she’s in danger of stumbling into love with Mr. Right for Anybody But Her.

Fall for him — hard…

Pub owner Finn O’Riley is six-foot-plus of hard-working hottie who always makes time for his friends. When Pru becomes one of them, she discovers how amazing it feels to be on the receiving end of that deep green gaze. But when a freak accident involving darts (don’t ask) leads to a shirtless first aid, things rush way past the friend zone. Fast.

And then tell him the truth.

Pru only wants Finn to be happy, it’s what she wishes for at the historic fountain that’s supposed to grant her heart’s desire. But wanting him for herself is a different story — because Pru’s been keeping a secret that could change everything…

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

He was her unicorn. He bent low behind the bar for something and an entire row of women seated on the barstools leaned in unison for a better view. Meerkats on parade.

 

Maybe he hasn’t shaved… That’d keep me from dropping trou. I only shaved from my knees down. My thighs are as hairy as a lumberjack’s chest, which is why I’m wearing capris and not short shorts. You are all welcome.

 

She didn’t ask how he knew her kryptonite. Everyone she knew worshipped at the magical griddle inside the magical food cart outside their building that a woman named Rayna ran. Pru snatched the bag from Finn and decided to forgive him.

 

It was Nineties Night. This required copious amounts of glitter, which apparently is like the STD of the craft supplies. Once you use it without protection, you can’t get rid of it… Ever.

 

“How do they fit?” Finn asked, smiling, enjoying the old man’s discomfort. Eddie rolled his eyes. “Like a cheap castle —no ballroom.”

 

“She’s so badass,” Willa whispered, staring after her. “I mean look at that dress. She’s badass, kickass, and she has a great ass. It’s really not fair.”

 

“Pru, can you tell me what’s wrong?” “I think she’s having a seizure,” Mrs. Winslow said helpfully. “Honey, you look a little bit constipated. I suggest a good fart. That always works for me.”

 

 My Review:

 

This book needs to come with a caution to avoid liquids while reading as I frequently giggle-snorted and also laughed aloud while perusing this cleverly humorous tale. I am totally in awe of Jill Shalvis’s delightfully witty arrangements of words and avariciously covet them all. Every single character was enticing, endearing, magnetically appealing, and cleverly described in a manner that incited a desire to know every little thing about them. I am irrevocably hooked and feeling an inordinate itch to clear my schedule to read this entire series.

 

Author Info

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jill Shalvis writes warm, funny, sexy contemporary romances and women’s fiction. An Amazon, BN & iBooks bestseller, she’s also a two-time RITA winner and has more than 10 million copies of her books sold worldwide.

 WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | GOODREADS

Newsletter: http://jillshalvis.com/faq/newsletter/

Book Review: THE LIES WE TELL by Debra Webb

THE LIES WE TELL

by Debra Webb

ISBN: 9780778308317

Publication Date: September 17th, 2019

Publisher: MIRA Books

 

Nothing hurts like the truth.

Doctor Rowan Dupont knows a serial killer is coming for her. Julian Addington has been waiting. Watching. And it’s only a matter of time before he strikes. But what Julian doesn’t know is that Rowan is ready for him. And more than anything she wants answers. How well did the depraved killer actually know her mother? And how many lies have been spun in the years since she took her own life?

Working alongside her childhood friend Police Chief Billy Brannigan, Rowan is determined to get to the bottom of her mother’s puzzling suicide once and for all—even if it means exposing an unsettling past. It certainly seems like her family’s Victorian funeral home has borne witness to more than one dark secret, but when a recent double homicide leads to an even grislier discovery, separating the truth from the lies might be the last thing Rowan does.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

That was the thing about secrets. Secrets never stayed secret forever.

 She hadn’t analyzed the realization too deeply in the past. Honestly, this was the first time the thought had fully formed in her brain. Ideas and conclusions so very close to that thought had bobbed to the surface of the ocean of others flooding her life lately.

 She closed the bag wondering when she had so thoroughly become her father? He had always chatted with the clients. She vividly remembered walking into the embalming room and hearing him carrying on a conversation with the person on the mortuary table. As a teenager she had thought it was completely bizarre. It was true, she supposed. You did become your parents.

She stared directly at him. Her famous eyes, one blue and one green, were as vivid as if light poured out from them.

 Paranoia. It was spreading inside her like a disease she couldn’t stop.

 

 My Review:

 

As impossible as it may be, I am even more fascinated by this complex and captivating tale than ever, it just keeps turning over and infinitely expanding while tickling my gray matter and provoking my curiosity.   This case is as slippery as an eel and ingeniously plotted. In addition to being well entertained, I’ve also gleaned a considerable amount of knowledge concerning mortuary services, a ghastly yet necessary and interestingly evolved process.

Rowan has discovered that her mother’s secrets were much darker than anyone ever imagined and has uncovered unsettling notations in researching her parent’s journals. But that is just a pittance to the disturbing and hair-raising events that take place throughout the various active and intriguingly nuanced storylines.

I am irrevocably enthralled by and enamored with this author’s well-honed storytelling and am currently coveting all her clever words.   How has she eluded my notice all this time as she has an impressive backlist of over one hundred forty novels?   I am ashamed of myself but determined to make up for my slothful dereliction and have added her to my list of favorite authors.

 About The Author

Instagram: @DebraEWebb
Facebook: @DebraWebbAuthor
Debra Webb is the award-winning, USA Today bestselling author of more than 130 novels, including reader favorites the Faces of Evil, the Colby Agency, and the Shades of Death series. With more than four million books sold in numerous languages and countries, Debra’s love of storytelling goes back to her childhood on a farm in Alabama. Visit Debra at www.DebraWebb.com
or write to her at PO Box 176, Madison, AL 35758.

Book Review: The Secrets We Bury by Debra Webb

 

Amazon  US / UK AU / CA B&N

Nothing stays buried forever…

Doctor Rowan Dupont knows death. She grew up surrounded by it in her family’s Victorian funeral home, and it’s haunted her since the day her twin sister drowned years ago. Between her mother’s subsequent suicide and the recent murder of her father, coming home to run the funeral home feels fitting—even if it leaves her vulnerable to an obsessive serial killer.Rowan refuses to let fear keep her from honoring her family. But the more time she spends back in Winchester, Tennessee, the more she finds herself questioning what really happened that fateful summer. Had her sister’s death truly been an accident? And what pushed their mother to take her own life? The dark lake surrounding Rowan’s hometown holds as many secrets as the bodies that float in its chilling depths. But Rowan is running out of time if she’s going to uncover the truth before somebody sinks her for good.

 

My Rating:

 My Review:

 

This small and typically quiet southern hamlet, with an eighty-year-old veterinarian for a coroner, was suddenly overflowing with murder cases, old and new, and lots of peculiar goings-on. This engrossing tale was extremely well crafted, ingeniously paced, and cast with a full slate of quirky and oddly compelling characters. I was instantly and forcefully yanked into the story and the intrigue and creepy sense of impending peril never let up, what with nightmares, cryptic messages from a serial killer, missing memories, and eerily misplaced objects in the funeral home – yikes.   I devised and cast off myriad hypothesis and was only partially correct, but my little pea brain would never have come up with a fraction of the deviously clever twists and turns this master storyteller has conjured from her brainpan. But wait, there will be more as the killer is still out there, lurking.   Thankfully, I have the next installment locked and loaded on my beloved Kindle.

 About The Author

Instagram: @DebraEWebb
Facebook: @DebraWebbAuthor
Debra Webb is the award-winning, USA Today bestselling author of more than 130 novels, including reader favorites the Faces of Evil, the Colby Agency, and the Shades of Death series. With more than four million books sold in numerous languages and countries, Debra’s love of storytelling goes back to her childhood on a farm in Alabama. Visit Debra at www.DebraWebb.com
or write to her at PO Box 176, Madison, AL 35758.

Book Review: The Undertaker’s Daughter by Debra Webb

The Undertaker’s Daughter

by Debra Webb

Amazon  US / UK / AU CA / B&N

 

Dr. Rowan DuPont and the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department are hunting a serial killer. All the victims have one thing in common–they could be Rowan’s twin, except her twin sister is dead.

Rowan grew up in a funeral home, surrounded by death, so her keen insights into homicide cases seldom fall short of the mark. Though growing up as the undertaker’s daughter made her acutely aware of life and all its frailties, she is only human. Will her one mistake in this shocking case be her last one?

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quote:

 

The circumstances of her birth and her childhood ensured that Rowan was intimately acquainted with death from the very beginning of her life. Her grandfather DuPont had died the day before she and Raven came into the world.   Edward insisted on taking a family photo before his father was buried. The twins were ensconced in the deceased DuPont’s lap, with their mother and father on either side. It was the way of things during her formative years. Living had always been far more mysterious and fearful to her than death.

 

My Review:

 

This was only my second time reading Ms. Webb’s enthralling arrangements of words and I am livid at myself for not noticing her genius sooner. I could not put this gripping tale down and thankfully it was a short yet highly eventful read that sets the stage for the series to come, one which I will undoubtedly be inhaling every well-chosen word as Ms. Webb’s intriguing hooks are deeply embedded in my gray matter.

 About The Author

Instagram: @DebraEWebb
Facebook: @DebraWebbAuthor
Debra Webb is the award-winning, USA Today bestselling author of more than 130 novels, including reader favorites the Faces of Evil, the Colby Agency, and the Shades of Death series. With more than four million books sold in numerous languages and countries, Debra’s love of storytelling goes back to her childhood on a farm in Alabama. Visit Debra at www.DebraWebb.com
or write to her at PO Box 176, Madison, AL 35758.