Category: After Hours

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Book Review: Heart And Soul (Angel Sands, #8) by Carrie Elks   @CarrieElks

Heart And Soul
(Angel Sands, #8)
by Carrie Elks

 

Amazon  / BB

 

An ER doctor, the single mom next door, and a fake relationship that feels all too real…

Moving to Angel Sands is a brand new start for single mom Meghan Hart. With a beautiful new apartment and a business she’s fallen in love with, things are finally looking up.

Then she meets her gorgeous new neighbor.

Rich Martin has no luck with relationships. He’s too busy saving lives to think about his own. But from the moment he sees Meghan, sparks fly.

After a run-in with a persistent ex, he asks Meghan for help. Pretend to be his girlfriend for a month. Despite her misgivings, Meghan agrees.

As they spend more time together, the chemistry between them explodes, ending in a kiss-to-end-all-kisses.

Before long, neither of them is certain what’s fake and what’s real anymore.

And right now, they’re in no rush to find out…

My Rating:

My Review:

 

I have easily tumbled into each installment of this engaging series with the comfortable ease of visiting a friend. And although each book tends to introduce a new friend, they are soon familiar and adored.   I can always count on Carrie Elks’s main characters to be highly likable, admirable, and endearingly flawed.   Her writing style flowed smoothly and seamlessly implanted me in each scene while craftily encompassing all the senses, which often proved hazardous to my diet plans as I currently found myself wanting to eat like an eight-year-old and craving tater tots and ice cream. This installment was generally low angst with lashings of humorous small-town issues, a deluded yet cleverly resourceful stalker, family drama, a slowly developing romance between a hot doc and a cool ice cream lady neighbors, and a few deliciously steamy encounters that had me gasping to catch my breath. More, please!

 

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: Totally Folked (Good Folk: Modern Folktales #1) by Penny Reid @ReidRomance

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One unforgettable night leads to an unlikely shared connection, and unlikely connections never go unnoticed by the good folks in Green Valley, Tennessee. . .

Totally Folked an all-new small-town romantic comedy filled with humor and heart from New York Times bestselling author Penny Reid is available now!

 

Fall in love today!

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

Nook: https://bit.ly/3sOrkTX

Apple Books: https://apple.co/3sShLDy

Kobo: https://bit.ly/2OkmO0L

Google Play: https://bit.ly/39G9JpY

Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/36KBgo6

Barnes and Noble Paperback: Coming Soon

 

Jackson James follows the rules. He has to. He’s a sheriff’s deputy in a super small town with a super big personality. However, strict adherence to the law during the day has been enjoyably balanced by rakish rules at night. Jackson, typically happy to protect and serve (and serve, and serve), starts questioning the value of wayward evenings when they begin to feel more like being waylaid rather than getting laid. Could it be that Green Valley’s most eligible—and notorious—bachelor longs for something (and someone) real?

Mega movie star Raquel Ezra follows only one rule: always leave them wanting more. Strict adherence to this single rule has served her well. Studio execs, reporters, audiences, fans, lovers—no one can get enough of the smart, savvy, and sexy bombshell. But when “generous offers” begin to feel more like excessive demands, years of always leaving has the elusive starlet longing for something (and perhaps someone) lasting.

When Raquel abruptly returns to the quirky Tennessee hamlet, her path crosses with the delectable deputy with whom she spent one unforgettable night. Unfortunately, scandal and intrigue soon follow. Raquel and Jackson must decide which is more important: following their rules? Or, at long last, finding something real.

TOTALLY FOLKED is a standalone, contemporary romantic comedy novel and book #1 in the Good Folk: Modern Folktales series.

 

My Rating:

 

Favorite Quotes:

 

Sexual orientation is a spectrum of course, but I think he prefers peen and pecs, and I get it. I prefer peen and pecs. What do I want with boobs and beavers? So many parts, so many holes. Why do we have so many hills and holes? Women are basically golf courses.

 

“Are you serious?” “As serious as a Botox shortage in Beverly Hills.”

 

Your mistakes and missteps will reinforce people’s unflattering ideas about you, and your good deeds will be explained away by nice weather.

 

She was basically MacGyver, Martha Stewart, and Captain Marvel all rolled up into one woman. Janet James could turn dirt and a paper clip into a winning science fair project, bake ten dozen gluten-free, dairy-free cupcakes while grading assignments, making dinner, and checking in to ensure my sister and I had finished our homework, washed our hands, and eaten our vegetables —all without breaking a sweat or displaying a single crack in her outward calm.

 

My stomach threw a dinner party and only invited anxiety.

 

My Review:

 

 Oh. Happy, Day. A new series from Penny Reid is always a cause for major celebration; as is a new book, new novella, a new newsletter, new Facebook post, new Tweet… you get the picture.   The woman has mad skills and I adore her endearingly peculiar and enticing characters as much as her crisp and cleverly amusing writing style. I have repeatedly fallen into her tales and often felt regretful in having to come back out. After eagerly anticipating the enigmatic Jackson’s story for what has felt like decades, I am delighted to opine that his chronicle could not have been better. The humor, romance, inner conflicts, startling epiphanies, snarky observations, wryly humorous insights, sensual steam, and bitingly witty dialogues were perfectly honed, simply sublime, and everything I have come to expect from this master scribbler.  

 

Meet Penny Reid

Penny Reid is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Best Selling Author of the Winston Brothers, Knitting in the City, Rugby, and Hypothesis series. She used to spend her days writing federal grant proposals as a biomedical researcher, but now she just writes books. She’s also a full-time mom to three diminutive adults, wife, daughter, knitter, crocheter, sewer, general crafter, and thought ninja.

Connect with Penny

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

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2lakzsD

Twitter: @ReidRomance

Mailing List: http://pennyreid.ninja/newsletter/

Website: www.pennyreid.ninja

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Book Review: The Runner by P.R. Black @PatBlack9 @Aria_Fiction @HoZ_Books

The Runner
by P.R. Black

Amazon  / B&N / Apple / GP / BB

Publication date: 08/07/2021

You can’t escape him.

He abducts lone joggers and forces them to run for their lives. When he catches them, he pulls out his blade…

Now he’s locked away and will be in prison for years. They call him a psychopath, a murderer, the ‘Woodcutter Killer’.

But what if you just found out you’re supposed to call him father?

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Glenn ate crisps the way a squirrel might; his hands moved so fast you had to slow the film down a little to see them, and his jaws clashed in rapid-fire.

 

Another man was with them, with a high, receding hairline, glasses and a tweed jacket. He had a pinkish hue to his face, as if he’d recently shed his skin. Freya could only categorise his appearance as that of a teacher who frightened you.

 

She let herself in, turned on every light, screamed aloud before she hurled open each and every cupboard, poked underneath the bed with a broom handle and was particularly vicious with every pair of curtains before she was satisfied that she was absolutely, positively alone.

 

My Review:

 

This one was quite a bit outside of my comfort zone for creepiness and the crimes depicted were cringe-worthy, gruesome, and disquieting, I worry about having those images in my head. P.R. Black is one twisted mamma jamma and his neighbors should be cautious and quietly tiptoe past as with the snap of the fingers he could easily plot clever vengeance on anyone who disturbs his contemplations, knocks over his bins, or allows their dog to piddle on his plants.

The writing was strikingly descriptive and pulled strong and haunting visuals that often left me shuddering, but I am a bit of a wimp. I will seek out lighter fare for my next read in order to catch my breath and flush out residual tension and adrenaline. The storylines were busy and itchy, and relentlessly poked and prodded my curiosity while also causing my stomach to churn. I often found my teeth clenched and shoulders in my ears yet I was intrigued and much liked the Woodcutter’s victims, I was hopelessly ensnared. Mr. Black has mad skills.

 

About the Author

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Pat Black is kind to spiders.

He is the author of The Long Dark Road and the Amazon bestsellers, The Beach House and The Family.

His short stories have been shortlisted for awards including the Bridport Prize and the Bloody Scotland short story competition. He was also longlisted for the William Hazlitt essay prize.

He was named one of the winners of The Daily Telegraph’s Ghost Stories competition, and his work has been performed on stage in London by Liars’ League.

He lives in Yorkshire, but will always belong to Glasgow. He knows full well what your opinions are about people who talk about themselves in the third person.

 

Follow Head of Zeus:

Twitter / Instagram / Facebook / Website

 

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Book Review: How Much Wine Will Fix My Broken Heart? (The Callaghan Sisters #4) by Kristen Bailey  @mrsbaileywrites @Bookouture 

 

How Much Wine Will Fix My Broken Heart?
(The Callaghan Sisters #4)
by Kristen Bailey 

Are you suffering from a broken heart? Searching for the right medicine? Staring down the barrel of being single and not knowing where to start? Learn from Grace Callaghan! She’s done it all:

    • Wine is the answer. Some serving-size suggestions include a glass the size of your head, a bathtub, an Olympic-sized swimming pool. Best served chilled, and with a straw.
    • Friends with benefits is always an option. Be prepared for side effects such as the guy saying ‘baby’, crying out his ex’s name, and preferring to keep his socks on.
    • Going ‘out out’ helps banish the blues. It may involve breaking into replica ships from the fifteenth century, screaming ‘Aye-aye, Captain!’ and accidentally falling off the plank.
  • Karaoke makes everything better. Best enjoyed singing Enrique Iglesias, followed by an extra-large serving of fries.

Three years ago, when Grace’s heart was blown to smithereens, she made a promise to protect herself. But has she gone too far? Has she played it too safe? Should she take a leap into the unknown, messy business of the heart? Because maybe, just maybe, she could learn to love again…

This hilarious and totally gripping tale is for anyone who’s questioned their qualifications at life, and learned that a little bit of wine goes a long way! Fans of Shari Low, Sophie Kinsella, and Why Mummy Drinks, be warned: prepare for odd looks when reading this in public due to the ugly laughing it induces.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

I could weave you a friendship bracelet made of hair. I decided against it. It has a serial-killer quality to it, though it’s useful if you want to go down the voodoo route.

 

‘The playground mafia has been around for years,’ Joyce carries on. ‘In my day it was Jeanie McGovern. I had her son round to play and he came to my house and crapped in a drawer. When I told her, and I was discreet about it, she told me I’d made it up and then spent years spreading rumours around about Tom.’ ‘What sort of rumours?’ I ask, mortified at the thought of someone defecating in a drawer. ‘It was such a bizarre reaction. She made him the centre of every nits outbreak for years. It ended with me slapping her in the playground.’

 

‘You joined the PTA?’ she asks. ‘Emma told me it would be a good way to make friends.’ ‘Never listen to Emma. Her girls are in a private school where everyone wears padded gilets and eats pheasant. Their PTA raffles off cars. Mine raffles off dusty bottles of cherry brandy. I won a bottle once that was half-drunk.’

 

You forget about the cascading effect of social media in these playground battles. One moment you tell a group that your son has a rash and the next he’s a social pariah with possible leprosy.

 

‘Gracie,’ she says, softly. ‘We lost Cam, her dear Olivier and our wonderful Tom. We will never replace them. That light has gone out. We shouldn’t replace them. But never think people can’t come in, that we’ve lost some capacity to love. We’re still alive, it does our loved ones no justice to be sitting here in darkness.’ And there it is. This is why I welcomed Linh into my world. Beautiful turns of phrase like that soothed my tired and confused soul; they still do. And she’s right. We lost three amazing people but, through their loss, our lives all became entwined.

My Review:

 

 I savored every perfectly chosen word of this riotously humorous yet poignant tale. I adore Kristen Bailey and of the handful of books I’ve read, this may be her best yet. The crisp storylines were rife with every type of rib-tickling humor from wry and acerbic wit to ribald comedy. I smirked, chortled, and giggle-snorted my way through although there were also just as many thoughtfully written, insightful, and heart-squeezing scenes of great loss, vulnerability, grief, anger, and betrayal. Ms. Bailey hit all the feels and plundered every emotion with agility and finesse.

As always, her characters were fully inhabited and enticingly intriguing and curiously alluring. I am eagerly anticipating Lucy’s story and cannot wait to see what this clever scribe does with the inner musings of the last remaining Callaghan sister’s tale. I had a feeling she would be saving the best, and most outrageous character of Lucy, for last.

One can only hope she is currently locked in the attic scribbling away. Please write quickly, Ms. Bailey, you won’t even need to leave home for sustenance as your devoted fangirl can have offerings of gin and Marmite winging your way.

 

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: Insider (Glass Family #2) by Owen Mullen @OwenMullen6 @rararesources  @BoldwoodBooks

Insider
(Glass Family #2)
by Owen Mullen

Amazon  / B&N / Apple / GP / BB

Someone’s playing both sides and now they have a score to settle…

When the family business is crime, you can never be sure who to trust. And when three of their businesses are hit in one night, the notorious Glass family close ranks. Either someone is sending them a message or a war is coming…

With trouble coming from all sides, the heads of the Glass family have more than enough to deal with, but all bets are off when a stranger from the past enters the game, causing division and mistrust.

Crooked cops, rival gangs, and old enemies are bad enough, but when the trouble comes from the inside, loyalties are tested, with deadly consequences.

Page-turning, gripping, gritty, Insider is perfect for fans of Martina Cole, Kimberley Chambers, and Mandasue Heller.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

He probably imagined he could handle himself because of the endless hours he spent at the gym. It took a lot more than that. Weights didn’t fight back.

 

The male ego at work once again, imagining he could satisfy a younger woman without bringing on a heart attack. Still – ten out of ten for effort. At one point, he’d made a sound in his throat like dolphins talking to each other and she’d thought he wasn’t going to survive. But he had. On Monday, Algie would be boasting to his colleagues about the foxy lady he’d tamed on Friday night.

 

With his gangly stride, from this distance he looked like a well-dressed stick insect on his way to the Ugly Bug Ball.

 

I was born at night, Kenny, but it wasn’t last night, you get what I’m saying?

 

My Review:

 

I continue in my fascination with Mr. Owen Mullen’s gift of words skills as found in his creation of the Glass crime family of London. And while they were a horrid collection of shared DNA, their adversaries are so much worse I caught myself admiring Luke Glass – say what now?   I had fallen so far into their criminal vortex I had lost my real-world perspective, which is a testament to Owen Mullen’s cunning skills in weaving a tale.

The storylines were just as intense, violent, amusingly snarky, and even more intriguing than the first book in the series as I was itching to uncover the mole and so very wrong in my hypothesis.   The pacing and plotting were shrewd and nothing short of brilliant. But after losing myself in two of Mr. Mullen’s tautly written and absorbing tales, I am in dire need of a vat of wine, rom/com reading material, and a spa day to soak and hammer out the residual tension.

 

 

About the Author

 

Owen Mullen is a highly regarded crime author who splits his time between Scotland and the island of Crete.  In his earlier life, he lived in London and worked as a musician and session singer. He has now written seven books and his first gangland thriller for Boldwood, Family was published in January 2021.

 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/owenmullen6/

Newsletter Sign Up Link: https://bit.ly/OwenMullenNewsletter

Bookbub profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/owen-mullen

 

 

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Book Review: Just Folking Around (Good Folk: Modern Folktales #0.5) by Penny Reid @ReidRomance

Just Folking Around
(Good Folk: Modern Folktales #0.5)
by Penny Reid

Amazon  / B&N / GP

One night? No strings? A sexy game of chess? No problem.

If you’ve never read a Penny Reid book before, this is the place to start! An all new series starter snack from the author of the WINSTON BROTHERS and KNITTING IN THE CITY series. . .

Raquel Ezra loves to fish. With so many fish in the sea, she’s never had a problem baiting the hook or reeling them in. Raquel is a good actress, she can be anyone’s fantasy for a single night as long as they agree to be hers. Which is why she doesn’t think twice about spending an evening in nowhere Tennessee with a smokin’ hot, well-mannered, and intriguing sheriff’s deputy by the name of Jackson James.

Except, when the time comes, Raquel discovers that reality might just be better than any fantasy, and maybe she’s not ready to release this catch.

JUST FOLKING AROUND is a 16k words, contemporary romance, a complete standalone, and is the prequel to TOTALLY FOLKED, book #1 in the Good Folk: Modern Folktales series.

My Rating:

 

Favorite Quotes:

 

God, he smells good. I loved me a good-smelling man. There was nothing on earth like it. Three things in life had no substitutions: a perfectly roasted marshmallow; the first cool, crisp day of fall after a long, hot summer; and the closeness of a warm, good-smelling man.

 

He unleashed a wide, pleased grin, but he might as well have released a kraken. I was stunned. Stunned.

 

This guy, he’s not a snack. Deputy James—Jackson—he was a meal. And not a Thanksgiving meal or a dinner party get-together. He wasn’t someone to be saved for special occasions. He was an everyday favorite. No matter how many times or how often you partook, you always looked forward to the next time. Jackson James is taco night.

 

 My Review:

 

This was a tasty and tantalizing amuse-bouche, a tease to taunt us and whet our appetites before the promised feast. And I am so ready for the full meal deal! I adore the clever and agile pen of Penny Reid, I am her devoted fangirl, a self-professed acolyte, a totally committed, and possibly committable, Reid-er. I have fully enjoyed the bearded denizens of Green Valley and cannot get enough of the oddly riveting Winstons, but the James clan are also a favorite and I have been waiting, impatiently I might add, biding my time for Jackson’s story.   The wait is almost over and I can tell it will be a treat well worth breaking my diet for.

 

About the Author

Penny Reid is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Best Selling Author of the Winston Brothers, Knitting in the City, Rugby, and Hypothesis series. She used to spend her days writing federal grant proposals as a biomedical researcher, but now she just writes books. She’s also a full-time mom to three diminutive adults, wife, daughter, knitter, crocheter, sewer, general crafter, and thought ninja.

Connect with Penny

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

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2lakzsD

Twitter: @ReidRomance

Mailing List: http://pennyreid.ninja/newsletter/

Website: www.pennyreid.ninja

 

 

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Book Review: Family (Glass Family #1) by Owen Mullen @OwenMullen6  @rararesources  @BoldwoodBooks

Family
(Glass Family #1)
by Owen Mullen

Family – might be the death of you…

The Glass family business is crime, and they’re good at what they do. Vengeance took Luke Glass behind bars – but now he’s free and he’s never going back. Luke wants out of the gangster life – all he has to do is convince his family to let him go.

His brother holds the reins of the South London underworld in his brutal hands – nobody tells Danny Glass no and expects to live – not even DCI Oliver Stanford, bent copper and one of the Met’s rising stars. The way Danny sees it, his younger brother and sister Nina owe him everything. The price he demands is loyalty, and a war with their arch enemy gives him the leverage he needs to tie Luke to the family once more.

Luke can’t see a way out, until Danny commits a crime so terrible it can’t be forgiven. Love turns to hate when secrets are unearthed which pit brother against brother. Left with no choice but to choose a side, Nina holds the fate of the family in her hands.

In the Glass family, Owen Mullen has created a crime dynasty to rival the Richardsons and the Krays. Heart-pounding, jaw-dropping with non-stop action, Family is perfect for fans of Martina Cole, Kimberley Chambers, and Mandasue Heller.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

If plunging to your death was an Olympic event, he’d have been in the medals for sure.

 

And the women… if ugly was contagious they’d be in quarantine. I’d move if I were you.

 

The phone dropped from his trembling fingers. Danny’s eyes bulged in his skull, his face so red I thought it might explode. Nobody did rage as he did: rising from his core, spewing like lava, scaring those around him to the bone.

 

Insanity explaining itself – the scariest thing I’d ever heard.

My Review:

 

I finished the book in a quandary as to how I felt about it, how to rate it, and even how to write a review. I was flummoxed until I perused my favorite passages, which removed all doubt. Mr. Mullen has mad skills! The book was superbly written with compelling characters and multi-textured and intriguing storylines that were intense and taut with tension. It was also cleverly snarky, distressingly violent, gruesome, gritty, heartbreaking, and oh, so, very, twisted.

I had trouble putting it down although I needed to walk away from it every so often when I found I was clutching my Kindle so tightly my hand was cramping. But even then, I continued to contemplate the characters’ dilemma in dealing with a vicious and unstable psychopathic criminal kingpin, and extra complications abound when all that mess is a sibling.

Twenty-four hours after being released from prison with the mindset to break from his family and start over clean, the main character of Luke had barely avoided death, had a massive hangover, been with a hooker, and was already drawn back into his vile brother’s brutal world of cruel and savage barbarism. The unsettling insights were brilliantly paced and shrewdly plotted. What a disturbingly cunning creature Mr. Mullen must be, I hope for their sake his neighbors take heed, keep the noise down, and frequently ply him with sweets.

About the Author

 

Owen Mullen is a highly regarded crime author who splits his time between Scotland and the island of Crete.  In his earlier life, he lived in London and worked as a musician and session singer. He has now written seven books and his first gangland thriller for Boldwood, Family was published in January 2021.

 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/owenmullen6/

Newsletter Sign Up Link: https://bit.ly/OwenMullenNewsletter

Bookbub profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/owen-mullen

 

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Book Review: All the Wrong Choices by C.A. Harms @Charms0814  @limitlessbooks

 

All the Wrong Choices
by C.A. Harms

Amazon  

 

A second chance romance packed with emotion!

Being left at the alter on your wedding day is devastating.

But when the man you are supposed to marry has run off with your younger sister, well, that’s an entirely new form of hell.

Everything I believed in, everything I envisioned for my future, was nothing more than a lie. I was a fool. The poor girl who couldn’t hold onto her man. Everyone pitied me, but I didn’t want nor need their pity.

Never again will I be the vulnerable one.

Never again will I allow myself to fall in love because let’s face it, love and commitment are nothing more than a waste of time.

Never again will I fall for a man’s lies.

I’ll remain distant and unattached and I will not falter. Not even when a tall, handsome, and incredibly hot man makes me question the plans I’ve made for myself.

I can’t give in, no matter how perfect he appears to be. I know better and all good things always come to a crashing, destructible finale. I know it will end and when it does, I’ll be the one left shattered.

I’m not sure I’ll survive another fall.

All the Wrong Choices, lead to heartbreak…

And my heart couldn’t take another hit.

My Rating:

 

Favorite Quotes:

 

When I say charming, I mean she looks as though she has itching power in her panties and is doing all she can to hide her discomfort.

 

I’m going home with Tony tonight… I’ve made the poor man wait long enough. And if I’m being honest, if I wait any longer, I’m going to attack him and most likely break him.

 

“He’ll come crawling back one day after he realizes what a mistake it was to walk away.” “And I’ll trip him as he moves on by…”

 

Reece is eyeing you like you’re a triple chocolate cake with cherries, and it’s been years since sweets have graced her tongue…

 

 My Review:

 

C.A. Harms is one of my go-to authors when I need a refreshing shot of sizzle and sass.   She populates her tales with primary and secondary characters who are endearing yet realistically flawed and packs her storylines with just the right balance of humor/angst/and sensuality to cure any funk I may have fallen into, whether it is a reading slump or external stressors. I enjoyed her latest missive featured a likable and accessible couple attempting to keep it casual when it was anything but.

 

 

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.
.

FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorCAHarms/
INSTAGRAM: Instagram.com/authorcaharms/
NEWSLETTER: http://bit.ly/1xsgHCS
AMAZON: http://www.amazon.com/C.A.-Harms/e/B0…

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Book Review: Friends With Benedicts by Staci Hart @imaquirkybird

Friends With Benedicts
by Staci Hart

Amazon  / B&N / Apple / BB

Timing is everything.

Presley Hale and Sebastian Vargas are no strangers to goodbye. Their high school summers were spent wrapped up in each other until she would inevitably go home to California. One season after college, Sebastian finally escaped the little Texas town to travel the world, and they said goodbye for what they thought might be the last time.
Sebastian went one way. Presley went the other.

For the first time in five years, they’re both in town, but the timing is no better than ever. So the only thing to do is what they do best. Keep it casual.

Friends with benefits.

They’ve done it before—doing it again will be easy.

But their hearts don’t get the memo.

When the lines of their arrangement blur, Presley and Sebastian are faced with decisions they’ve avoided for years. And that’s not even their biggest problem.
A small town in danger of failing.

A secret that could tear them apart.

And two hearts that can’t hide anymore.

They’ve shared so many summers, but none compare to what they’ll face.

Timing is everything.
And their time is almost up.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

Lightning struck me dead to the spot—shock, I realized distantly. The sensation was followed by the frying of my ovaries like a couple of unsuspecting eggs. Sebastian Vargas had that effect on me and my eggs. I turned, smiling through my surprise. And there he stood, tall, dark and smirking at me in that way that made all the girls fling their panties at him.

It’s our curse. Our men either die young or leave. So just make sure he’s healthy and isn’t going anywhere.

“I really am a kick ass mom, aren’t I?” “Judging by the small fortune in the swear jar, I’d beg to differ.”

No more telling Priscilla her dad was busy fighting crime in Metropolis, or that he was on a moon station collecting rock samples. Don’t worry— she didn’t believe me. It was a running joke in our family. Sometimes he swallowed knives with the circus. Sometimes he was a baseball hall of famer. Just depended on my mood.

 

My Review:

 

This was a delightfully fun read with the steamy treats and witty and irreverent humor that I tend to savor. I am totally enamored with Staci Hart. While I may be a relatively new acolyte I am now a devoted one. I enjoy her breezy and cleverly amusing writing style with edgy insights and keen observations. Her characters are lovable and endearing yet a bit frayed and struggling. The storylines were engaging, relatable, and highly entertaining. In a word, it was delectable.

 

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.

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Book Review: When We Touch (The Heartbreak Brothers #5) by Carrie Elks  @CarrieElks

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When We Touch
(The Heartbreak Brothers #5)
by Carrie Elks 

 

There’s a fine line between love and hate… and they’re about to cross it.

Becca Hartson should be used to moody men by now. She grew up with four overprotective older brothers, after all. But nothing could prepare her for the hostility she encounters from her new boss – the annoyingly gorgeous Daniel Carter.Sure, his first impression of her was bad. She was in the arms of his brother, crying into his shirt. But the whole situation was purely platonic and Daniel knows that.

It doesn’t stop him from scowling at her every time they work together. Or from sending her heart into a crazy spin.

But if she wants to keep this job, she’ll have to grin and bear it.

Coming back to work at his family’s distillery after six years away was a mistake. Daniel knows it from the moment his gaze clashes with Becca’s. With her tumbling waves and soft smile, he knows she’s trouble from the start.

Daniel doesn’t believe in love. And he definitely doesn’t believe in falling for his employees.

But when Becca looks at him with those sweet doe eyes, he keeps forgetting to hate her…

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Even with its modern buildings and political life, Charleston was a slower way of life. Bloodlines were important, manners were everything. And backstabbing was practically an art form.

She’d always found tuxedos a little comical before. Grown men wearing little bow ties that made them look like the mouse from Tom and Jerry, tied up and presented like a Christmas gift.

Oh come on. I haven’t heard so much squealing since Logan and Courtney bred their prize boar.

The gossip had disappeared about a week after they went public. It was amazing how boring a good relationship was to people.

My Review:

 

This was an enjoyable and satisfying installment and an excellent finale for the series although I fervently wish the family had more members, as I had grown attached to them. The characters were endearing and lovable and the storylines were relatable and easy to follow regardless of whether you had read the previous installments, although you should if you haven’t. The romance was tender and deliciously steamy with a minimum of conflict, my favorite type!   Generous helpings of humor and family drama with vile relatives provided balance and flavor. In addition to being well entertained, I learned quite a bit about distilling whiskey as well as the complications and management of diabetes.

 

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.