Category: After Hours

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Book Review:  Leave Me Breathless (Winterville #3) by Carrie Elks   @CarrieElks

Leave Me Breathless
(Winterville #3)
by Carrie Elks   

 

 

Amazon  / BB

She’s his best friend’s little sister. Completely off-limits. And now she’s moving in with him…

When Gabe Winter’s best friend calls with an unusual request – give his broken-hearted little sister a roof over her head for a few months – he readily accepts.But he doesn’t expect Nicole to be quite so enticing. Or for her to bring out all the feelings in him. Feelings he thought he’d buried long ago, beneath his easy-going façade and womanizing reputation.

But now they’re spending late nights watching movies together, snuggled beneath the blankets with popcorn in their hands. And there’s inches between her lips and his.

It’s wrong but it’s also inevitable. He’s falling for the one woman he shouldn’t want.

He’s in over his head, but drowning never felt so good.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

“Don’t make me call your mama. Because you know I will.” “C’mon now. There’s no need to do that,” Kyle mumbled. The twenty-something, muscled man looked terrified at the thought of his mom being called. “I’m just being friendly.”

 

“Please tell me this won’t hurt,” Dolores said, catching her hand as she walked into the studio. “The last time I exercised Ronald Reagan was in the White House.”

 

Oh no. She wanted to die. Or at least disappear for a very long, Jimmy Hoffa amount of time.

 

My Review:

 

This was an enjoyable and lively read full of amusing humor, insightful and witty observations, and frequent family meddling – which was both good and bad for the main protagonists. The storylines were crisply written, entertaining, engaging, and easy to fall into. The Winterville characters were an enticing, fun, and feisty bunch with plenty of sass and snappy banter. I adored the main characters’ connection and their Netflix binges and discussions of porn, Matt Damon’s abs, and The Notebook. I look forward to more Winterville escapades and am itchy with curiosity about Alaska’s mysterious misadventure as a child, which is hopefully being cleared up in the next installment.

 

Carrie Elks writes contemporary romance with a sizzling edge. Her first book, Fix You, has been translated into eight languages and made a surprise appearance on Big Brother in Brazil. Luckily for her, it wasn’t voted out. Carrie lives with her husband, two lovely children, and a larger-than-life black pug called Plato. When she isn’t writing or reading, she can be found baking, drinking an occasional (!) glass of wine, or chatting on social media.

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Book Review: On the Honey Side (Blum’s Bees Book 2) by Staci Hart  @imaquirkybird

 

On the Honey Side
(Blum’s Bees Book 2)
 by Staci Hart

No one can ever have Keaton Meyer.

Least of all me.

The brooding construction manager is a man of myth and legend, rarely seen in the wild. Once upon a time, he was the star quarterback, the smiling homecoming king, royalty in our small town. Until tragedy struck. And then he disappeared completely.

Now he’s resurfaced, and I can’t keep my eyes off him.

He’s an island surrounded by lava, bound by a desert, and guarded by dragons. I don’t stand a sunshine’s chance in a hailstorm.

Our siblings disagree and are out to prove it, nudging us into each other in the hopes we’ll fall. But with our town in tumult and the two of us firmly in the middle, nothing between us is easy. And when he’s faced with an impossible decision, I learn the truth of what I already knew.

No one can have Keaton Meyer.

And I have the broken heart to prove it.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Sighting Keaton in the wild was a rare and unheard of event. But when my gaze did happen to be blessed by his visage, I lost all higher function of my brain and body, leaving me staring like a fool at a man no one might ever have, least of all me.

I’d seen him just a few days ago on Main Street, but for the stretching of time he inspired, you’d think I’d never seen him in my life. He looked like he’d walked out of a Chevrolet commercial for the manliest truck in their inventory. Or like a social media thirst trap on his way to chop wood with no shirt on.

A few of the more judgmental women of our town circled the block and tried to look disdainful. They only managed to look thirsty.

He has the IQ of a koala.” My brows drew together. “Are koalas dumb?” “They have the smallest brains of any mammal, eat food they can’t digest, and they carry chlamydia. They’re dumb as shit,” she answered.

I flung myself at him, knocking both of us to the ground as he caught me. Our lips crashed together with the rest of us, and once the surprise ebbed, the kiss was a pliant possession, a sweet forever, a hundred thousand million yeses with a chorus of angels singing behind us.

My Review:

 

I adored these lovely characters as much as I reveled in their cleverly amusing tale. Staci Hart is such an agile and witty storyteller, I fall right into her delightfully flippant, crisply written, sparkly books and don’t want to resurface. The characters are accessible, knowable, and so well constructed I feel I would recognize them if I met them in person. I am definitely hooked and eager for more of the same.

About the Author

 

Staci has been a lot of things up to this point in her life — a graphic designer, an entrepreneur, a seamstress, a clothing and handbag designer, a waitress. Can’t forget that. She’s also been a mom, with three little girls who are sure to grow up to break a number of hearts. She’s been a wife, though she’s certainly not the cleanest, or the best cook. She’s also super, duper fun at a party, especially if she’s been drinking whiskey. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, sleeping, gaming, or designing graphics.

Amazon | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Website | Newsletter

 

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Book Review: The Best Kept Secret (Smokejumper #3) by Tawna Fenske  @tawnafenske

 

The Best Kept Secret
(Smokejumper #3)
by Tawna Fenske 

 

Amazon / B&N / GP/ Apple / BB

 

Nurse Nyla Franklin knows three things to be true. Taking care of others brings more joy than a basket full of kittens. A triple-fudge sundae can cure just about anything. And no good ever comes from keeping a secret… So when her best friend spills his biggest one ever, Nyla knows she’s not just holding a secret. She’s holding a ticking time bomb.

Mr. Always Does the Right Thing Leo Sayre knows three things to be true. Piloting smokejumpers over burning forests is the best job in the world. His best friend Nyla is the smartest, funniest, and okay, sexiest woman ever. And pain meds are apparently his truth serum. Now his post-surgery confession has everything flipped upside down and turned inside out… including his relationship with Nyla.

Secrets have a way of piling up, and it’s just a matter of time before someone lights a match. Because while the truth can set you free, it can also burn completely out of control…

Each book in the Where There’s Smoke series is STANDALONE:
* The Two-Date Rule
* Just a Little Bet
* The Best Kept Secret

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

You know how he is. Thinks he’s Mr. Fix-It, but he’s really more like Mr. Bean.

 

“Did I really say ‘hiding the hot dog’ to my parents?” “Yep.” He grinned, no longer able to fight it. “You did. Want us all to pretend you didn’t?”

 

Are we going to end up on one of those weird talk shows, throwing furniture?

 

My Review:

 

I smirked, cringed, and laughed aloud as I perused this missive.   I am a devoted Tawna Fenske fan and this series is her best work yet. While reading, I have reveled in and continually admired the agile plotting and well-textured tales of all three highly amusing Smokejumper installments, although this one featured an unusually thorny issue and did so with humanizing and thoughtful sensitivity, perceptive insights, and clever humor. I adored these recognizable, witty, and endearing characters and wanted the best for them. The storylines were enjoyably entertaining and easy to follow with a cast of players all lovably flawed, generally well-meaning, and bumping along as best they can within a complicated family dynamic.

About the Author 

 

Website 
Amazon
Goodreads 

 Facebook
Twitter 

 

When Tawna Fenske finished her English lit degree at 22, she celebrated by filling a giant trash bag full of romance novels and dragging it everywhere until she’d read them all. Now she’s a RITA-nominated, USA Today bestselling author who writes humorous fiction, risqué romance, and heartwarming love stories with a quirky twist. Publishers Weekly has praised Tawna’s offbeat romances with multiple starred reviews and noted, “There’s something wonderfully relaxing about being immersed in a story filled with over-the-top characters in undeniably relatable situations. Heartache and humor go hand in hand.”

Tawna lives in Bend, Oregon, with her husband, stepkids, and a menagerie of ill-behaved pets. She loves hiking, snowshoeing, standup paddleboarding, and inventing excuses to sip wine on her back porch. She can peel a banana with her toes and loses an average of twenty pairs of eyeglasses per year. To find out more about Tawna and her books, visit www.tawnafenske.com.

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Book Review: Am I Allergic to Men? (The Callaghan Sisters #5) by Kristen Bailey  @Bookouture @mrsbaileywrites

Am I Allergic to Men?
(The Callaghan Sisters #5)
by Kristen Bailey 

You think you’ve got it bad? I lost my memory, I’m so single I’ve basically got an allergy to men, and my own cat despises me.

‘Lucy! If you can hear me, squeeze my hand!’

That’s the first thing I hear when I wake up in hospital. Then my sister drops a bombshell: I’ve been in a coma.

It gets worse. In my head, it’s 2009 and I’m seventeen. Somehow, I need to remember the last decade…

Plan A: Track down my exes. Highlights include a one-night stand with someone in a Batman costume, and balcony sex that gave the neighbors a nervous breakdown.

Plan B: Get flirty. Lowlights include a fling with someone hairier than a yeti.

Plan C: Figure out why I have more exes than underwear. Am I allergic to men?

As I piece together my past, I find a mysterious note: Oscar, 9th February. Determined to work out what it means, I uncover a secret I’ve been hiding from everyone.

When the truth comes out, will my memory return? Will I get my life back? And will I ever find the cure to my singledom?

You’ll laugh so much your abs ache! The perfect page-turner for fans of Sophie Kinsella, Lindsey Kelk, and TV shows like Schitt’s Creek.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

She’s still looking for that happy ending where someone will pick her up, pledge undying love and whisk her away to a new-build semi in Surrey. The sort of world Hayley and I inhabit, the semis and happy endings normally end on our faces.

 

I know what my sisters are like and this could possibly still be a very elaborate joke. Those cows told me for years that my real father was Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and that he had to leave the actual country to be a Watcher because he was so ashamed of me.

 

‘We’re just going to get you into a deep state of relaxation…’ All I can think is that when I’m that relaxed I will most likely break wind. I hope the lotus and white musk will be able to mask that.

  

My Review:

 

This was a fun, dynamic, and energetic read that kept me wildly amused and gleefully giggle-snorting with abandon. The writing was crisp, breezy, sweary, and delightfully snarky while the sharp visuals conjured were diabolically humorous and colorful in every sense of the word.

In the previous installments, Lucy’s character was the most eccentric of the five sisters. Lucy was the fiercely independent, feisty, and predictably unpredictable free spirit/firecracker and youngest of the Callaghan clan. So I was doubly impressed with the insightful observations and emotive underpinnings permeating the unfamiliar sense of vulnerability Lucy was experiencing as she struggled to regain a sense of self during her period of memory loss following a head injury. Having lost twelve years would be quite unsettling for anyone but Lucy had packed a lot of living her best life and unusual adventures and eye-opening experimentation into those years. I was fascinated and deliciously entertained by each new development.

This being the last of the series, I am experiencing a sense of rueful melancholy, I will greatly miss this irreverent, divinely inappropriate, and tightly bonded family unit. They were good fun and their hijinks provided me with not only smirk-worthy entertainment but several unusual entries of British vernacular to my Brit Words and Phrases list. Many of which I cannot add to my reviews for fear of being censored, but this installment has produced the current publishable new addition of gurn, which Mr. Google indicates is to grimace or make an ugly face. I would expect nothing less from the lascivious Lucy.

 

 

To celebrate the publication of the fifth and final Callaghan sisters novel, let’s find out if you are Meg, Emma, Beth, Grace, or Lucy?

Quiz compiled by the author, Kristen Bailey.

About the Author

Mother-of-four, gin-drinker, binge-watcher, receipt hoarder, enthusiastic but terrible cook. Kristen also writes. She has had short fiction published in several publications including Mslexia & Riptide. Her first two novels, Souper Mum and Second Helpings were published in 2016. In 2019, she was long-listed in the Comedy Women in Print Prize and has since joined the Bookouture family. She hopes her novels have fresh and funny things to say about modern life, love, and family.

 

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Book Review: Give It Arrest by Laura Barnard @BarnardLaura

Give It Arrest
by Laura Barnard

 

Amazon  / B&N / BB

The high always comes before the fall…

Sadie would do anything not to end up on the streets again.  Even come up with the crazy idea of selling marijuana to cancer patients struggling through chemo.

Before they know it Sadie and her friends are over-run with orders, have a sexy detective on their trail, suspicious neighbours and drug dealers angry they’re working on their patch.

Can Sadie pull them out of this dangerous world they’ve found themselves in, all while ignoring the attraction between her and sexy detective Harry? And can she do it before they end up in prison?

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

‘You think I’m a police lady?’ I ask in disbelief. ‘How dare you! Have you even seen my shoes?’ I throw my leg up onto the counter, years of adult ballet working in my favour. I present my black patent stilettos with a red strap. ‘Do these look like the ugly shoes of a policewoman?’ I ask, my voice rising higher than it should. Damn it, he’s offended my shoes. He might as well have called me fat.

 

I feel a thrill of excitement go through me at the thought of it. I’m like a bond agent. What would I call myself? Pussy Galore’s taken. Maybe Gorgeous Chick. No, that doesn’t sound like a name. Maybe Gigi Paris. Yeah, I like that.

 

My God, my lady bits are so excited I’m worried I’m going to take off any minute, spinning round the room like a let off balloon.

 

My Review:

 

Don’t pick up this book unless you are ready to let your hair down for an irreverently humorous, snarky, sweary, and busy read. The writing was sly, wry, snappy, ironically amusing, and laced together with Ms. Barnard’s signature style of impertinent levity. The storylines were filled with struggling and conflicted characters who were deeply flawed and extremely annoying, yet I was invested in their plight.

The story was written from the first-person POV of Sadie who was recently unemployed and panicked by her inability to find a new job. Sadie was flippant, crass, and brassy, yet she meant well. She was fiercely independent but had a painfully heavy chip on her shoulder, was prone to irrational temper flares and was easily distracted. While trying to make ends meet and help her former co-workers/friends, Sadie found herself on a course of self-destruction.   I alternated between empathizing with her and wanting to pop her in the mouth. Her unusual odyssey was cheekily entertaining, smirk-worthy, and action-packed.

Laura Barnard lives in Hertfordshire, UK, and writes romantic comedy or ‘chick lit’ as it is so often described. In her spare time, she enjoys drinking her body weight in tea, indulging in cupcakes the size of her face, and drooling over hunks like Jamie Dornan, Ryan Gosling, and Leo Dicaprio.

She enjoys wearing yoga pants and reading fitness magazines while sitting on the sofa eating chocolate. She’s a real fan of the power nap and of course READING!

She writes not to get rich or famous, but because she LOVES writing. Even if one person tells her they enjoyed her book it makes the midnight typing worth it!

 

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Book Review: Hearts In Winter (Winterville #2) by Carrie Elks   @CarrieElks

Hearts In Winter
(Winterville #2)
by Carrie Elks 

 

 

It’s Christmas time in Winterville – and second chances are in the air…

When Everley Winter lays eyes on her ex-husband for the first time in years, those are the last words she expects to hear. But it’s true, the paperwork never came through, and she’s still married to the man she thought was the love of her life.

Dylan never wanted to hurt Everley the first time, but a second time is unforgivable. He makes himself a vow to make her happy, no matter what it takes. But when he offers her a clean divorce things begin to get complicated.

When a project he’s involved in goes wrong, Dylan and Everley are forced to pretend they’re happily married. But the time they spend together reminds them just how good their relationship used to be – and how hot the chemistry is between them.

The only problem is, Dylan is due to leave town when Christmas is over, and Everley knows that they’ll be finished for good.

Which leaves her wondering about one thing. Is it possible to fall out of love with your husband all over again?

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quote:

 

Dylan and you were like Romeo and Juliet. You burned bright, but you ended in tragedy.

 

My Review:

 

Carrie Elks has a knack for pulling me in and involving me in her irresistible series with each installment being fresh and crisp even while updating and entwining the characters from the previous installments. She deftly and underhandedly does this so well yet each volume can still stand alone with strong and entertaining storylines. The community she has created for this series is unique, enticing, and appealing on all levels with multi-layered and quirky characters who are so well textured with surprising details and complications that they feel alive and are living and breathing on my Kindle during perusal.   I covet Ms. Elk’s magical word skills and marvel that she has churned out two deliciously engaging holiday-themed small-town romances in a row.

About the Author
Carrie Elks writes contemporary romance with a sizzling edge. Her first book, Fix You, has been translated into eight languages and made a surprise appearance on Big Brother in Brazil. Luckily for her, it wasn’t voted out. Carrie lives with her husband, two lovely children, and a larger-than-life black pug called Plato. When she isn’t writing or reading, she can be found baking, drinking an occasional (!) glass of wine, or chatting on social media.
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Book Review: Homecoming King (Three Kings #1) by Penny Reid  @ReidRomance  @SmartyPantsRom

Homecoming King
(Three Kings #1)
by Penny Reid 

Amazon  / B&N / Apple / GP / BB

 

Rex “TW” McMurtry’s perpetual single-hood wouldn’t bother him so much if all his ex-girlfriends didn’t keep marrying the very next person they dated, especially when so many of those grooms are his closest friends. He may be a pro-football defensive end for the Chicago Squalls, but the press only wants to talk about how he’s always a groomsman and never a groom. Rex is sick of being the guy before the husband, and he’s most definitely sick of being the best man at all their weddings.
.
Bartender Abigail McNerny is the gal-pal, the wing-woman, the she-BFF. She’s dated. Once. And once was more than enough. Privy to all the sad stories of her customers, ‘contentment over commitment’ is her motto, and Abby is convinced no one on earth could ever entice her into a romantic relationship . . . except that one guy she’s loved since preschool.

The guy who just walked into her bar.

The guy who doesn’t recognize her.

The guy who is drunk and needs a ride home.

The guy who has a proposition she should definitely refuse.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

I’d never slept in twelve-hundred-dollar pajamas and I didn’t think I was ready to pick up the habit. What if I could never go back to oversized T-shirts and sleep shorts after this was all over? I didn’t want to ruin myself with unsustainable luxury.

 

I can’t not buy them, Rex. They deserve a home. They deserve to give love in the manner in which the creator of the quilt intended… And that’s why I have twenty-four quilts.

 

Santas were in every corner, some danced and sang if you walked by them… I couldn’t even begin to absorb the splendor… She even had that leg lamp from A Christmas Story on the side table in the living room and that bowl of eggnog with the reindeer antlers from Christmas Vacation. The woman was a marvel.

 

That boy was blinder than a bat with its head up its own ass.

 

 My Review:

 

I will never tire of Penny Reid’s divinely amusing and smirk-worthy tales. Her style is sweetly salty and deliciously steamy, although this one was a clever slow burn that finally culminated with such volcanic combustion I struggled to catch my breath and felt a trickle of perspiration despite being in the chilly room. The characters were well nuanced, quirky, multi-layered, and highly appealing. I adored them and reveled in their banter, insights, and sharp and witty humor. I am eagerly anticipating more of this new series and curious as to the direction it will be taking.

About the Author

Penny Reid is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of the Winston Brothers and Knitting in the City series. She used to spend her days writing federal grant proposals as a biomedical researcher, but now she writes kissing books. Penny is an obsessive knitter and manages the #OwnVoices-focused mentorship incubator/publishing imprint, Smartypants Romance. She lives in Seattle Washington with her husband, three kids, and dog named Hazel.

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Book Review: CHRISTMAS IN ROSE BEND by Naima Simone @Naima_Simone

 

CHRISTMAS IN ROSE BEND
by Naima Simone

ISBN: 9781335620996

Publication Date: October 26, 2021

Publisher: HQN Books

The holidays have never been her thing. But Christmas in Rose Bend has more than one surprise in store…

Grieving ER nurse Nessa Hunt is on a road trip with her sullen teen half-sister, Ivy, and still reeling from her mother’s deathbed confession: Nessa’s dad wasn’t really her dad. Seeking answers, they arrive in Rose Bend to find a small town teeming with the kind of Christmas cheer Nessa usually avoids. But then she meets the innkeeper’s ruggedly sexy son, Wolfgang Dennison.

 

Wolf’s big, boisterous family is like a picture-perfect holiday card. Nessa has too much weighing on her to feel like she fits—even though the heat between her and Wolf is undeniable. And the merriment bringing an overdue smile to Ivy’s face is almost enough to make Nessa believe in the Christmas spirit. But with all her parental baggage, including lingering questions about her birth father, is there room in Nessa’s life for happy holidays and happily-ever-after?

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

And to answer your question, yes, we do take Christmas seriously. Because it’s serious business. Peace on earth and goodwill toward men is not something you half-ass, Nessa Hunt. You use your whole ass.

 

A dull ache started at the back of Nessa’s head, one that usually coincided with Ivy’s tone. The tone that warned, I’m about to go into a full-out preteen hellish mood that all the berserkers and centurions in Fortnite won’t be able to save you from.

 

The other woman smiled widely, showing all her teeth, and even if the rest of the group hadn’t reacted as if this woman carried the strain for the next zombie plague, that smile would’ve had Nessa leery. Shark smiles— from people who grinned so huge you could count every tooth in their mouth— could rarely be trusted.

 

God, only a dinner party with Kanye West and Taylor Swift could possibly have been more awkward.

 

A couple of years ago, some enterprising soul replaced the ex-mayor’s box of decorations with penis-and-ball-shaped ornaments. Hilarious! We’ve all been secretly waiting for Penisgate to happen again. You can’t make this up, my friend.

 

She can throw a verbal smackdown that would leave a person crying and sucking his thumb.

 

My Review:

 

Shame on me, this prolific storyteller has one-hundred-and-one books listed on Goodreads and this is my first time reading her clever craft. The characters were likable and realistically flawed, yet resilient while struggling with individual issues. The story hit all the feels with the angst well tempered with amusing humor and volcanic and gasp producing sensual steam, although the latter came much later in the tale. The storylines were relatable and easy to follow with generous servings of family drama, wry humor, a supposedly no-strings holiday romance with a short shelf life, and small-town community holiday festivities – and this little berg was really into Christmas. Ms. Simone’s Christmas tale provides a bit of tasty spice and is a higher octane alternative to the more chaste and commercially packaged seasonal eggnog out of the carton Hallmark moments broadcasting nonstop this month.

 

 

About the Author

Author Website

Facebook: @naimasimoneauthor  

Instagram: @naimasimoneauthor

Twitter: @Naima_Simone

Goodreads

 

USA Today Bestselling author Naima Simone’s love of romance was first stirred by Johanna Lindsey and Nora Roberts years ago. Well, not that many. She is only eighteen…ish. Published since 2009, she spends her days writing sizzling romances with heart, a touch of humor, and snark.  She is wife to Superman–or his non-Kryptonian equivalent–and mother to the most awesome kids ever. They live in perfect, sometimes domestically-challenged bliss in the southern US.

 

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Book Review: Beard in Hiding (Winston Brothers #4.5) by Penny Reid @ReidRomance @SmartyPantsRom

 

Beard in Hiding
(Winston Brothers #4.5)
by Penny Reid 

Amazon  / B&N / Apple / GP / BB

Diane Donner—recently divorced pillar of polite society—is craving danger. She’s tired of playing it safe and she knows just the sexy criminal motorcycle man to proposition for a good time. Problem is, she doesn’t actually know his name.

Jason “Repo” Doe never takes risks. So when the queen of local commerce walks into his club, looking to get risky and frisky, Jason knows the smartest thing to do is save himself a headache while saving the new divorcee from her worst impulses.
But then one thing leads to another, and the memory of just-one-night doesn’t feel like enough.

Theirs is a story with no future, because how can a dangerous criminal win (and keep) a queen?

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Ashley was a reader and she’d given me a list of the best sexy books to read during my alone time. Suffice it to say, Ashley Winston-Runous was now one of my favorite people on the planet.

 

If you feel the need to be a criminal, that’s your business. And if I feel the need to be a vain glutton, spending a ridiculous amount of money on shoes I don’t need instead of giving the money to charity where it’ll help folks and do some good, then that’s my business. You know how many people are food insecure in this country? And I have over one hundred pairs of designer shoes. See? We’re both sinful in our own way. So what? We’ll go to hell together with smiles on our faces.

 

Staying in a marriage like that isn’t noble, it’s spiritual suicide. And I don’t think Saint Peter would take kindly to me knocking on the pearly gates without my spirit.

 

Kip said my name as though it tasted like farts and spoiled milk.

  

My Review:

 

This is one of my favorite Penny Reid books. I had despised the character of Diane Donner in previous installments in the series, as she was odious. I loved seeing Diane’s highly entertaining journey of discovery and personal growth into a likable creature, she certainly took a direct route.   As always, Ms. Reid’s writing provided a fun read that sparkled with clever wit, crisp and irreverent humor, heart-scalding insights, volcanic sensual heat, and oddly beguiling yet uncommonly quirky characters. I am completely enamored with her skills and adore her fresh and saucy style!

Penny Reid is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of the Winston Brothers and Knitting in the City series. She used to spend her days writing federal grant proposals as a biomedical researcher, but now she writes kissing books. Penny is an obsessive knitter and manages the #OwnVoices-focused mentorship incubator/publishing imprint, Smartypants Romance. She lives in Seattle Washington with her husband, three kids, and a dog named Hazel.

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Book Review: Sutton’s Choice (Hudson Boys #1) by C.A. Harms @Charms0814  @limitlessbooks

 

Sutton’s Choice
(Hudson Boys #1)
by C.A. Harms

Amazon  / BB

First impressions can either be a kiss of death or seal your fate.

You either click or clash, soar or fall.

Or in my case, they could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Problems arrive when the other party wants more.
That can, and did lead to a very messy situation.
One I was not prepared for, I was oblivious to what people around could see.
Maybe I was blinded by the comfortable state Bennett and I had fallen into.
Or maybe I chose to ignore the signs.

All I did know for sure was that I was the girl in love with the new guy…


OR the other guy…

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

If the five-day-old fuzz growing on your legs is any indication of what you’re hiding beneath those shorts, I’d say you got a few hours of trimming and shaving ahead of you. I’m just saying if Brantley goes exploring, the last thing you want is for him to mistake you for a gorilla.

 

Just wait until I’m outta sight before you two start swapping spit again. Otherwise, I’ll be forced to get out one of my shotguns and have that manly talk with you, boy.

 

My Review:

 

While I haven’t been lucky enough to read them all, this is my favorite C.A. Harms book yet. I adored this new series opener and fell in love along with the couple and their extended group of sassy friends. The characters weren’t just likable – they were admirable and endearing. The plot and storylines were irreverently amusing and realistic as well as entertaining and relatable with a thoughtful and sizzling hot romance developing along the way to a satisfying HEA. What more could a romance reader ask for? Sigh, it was perfection.

 

 

About The Author

 

I am an Illinois girl, born and raised. Simple and true. I love the little things; they truly mean the most. I may have a slight addiction to my new Keurig—oh my, that thing is a godsend. And so fast too. I have two children who truly are the greatest part of my days, and their faces never fail to put a smile on my face. I have been married to my best friend for seventeen years and looking forward to many more.

I am one of those authors that adore my readers. I love to hear from you. After all, it is because of each one of you that I continue to write.