Because of Her
(Jack & Jill #6)
by Jewel E. Ann

Nikki has a lot going on at the moment.

She’s the best sound engineer and mixer at XY Records, she’s working on a super-secret project with a pop megastar, and holding the busier-than-usual studio together.

The last thing she wants or needs is her ex-fiancé to start working in the studio over the summer. She’s over it—him. Obviously. Being ghosted has that effect. But working near someone she used to love has made her life that much more complicated.

Andre has it all figured out. Two and half years ago he had no idea what he was doing when he walked away from the love of his life. But time has given him perspective, and he’s grown up. Which is why the paleontology professor is working part-time at his ex’s recording studio. Because he wants to make amends. And maybe win her back.

Will Nikki give him the chance he thinks he’s ready for? Or will it be her turn to walk away from him?

‘All Mixed Up’ is a full-length contemporary romance and can be read as a standalone. Book #8 in the Common Threads series, Seduction in the City World, Penny Reid Book Universe.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

She’d envisioned this day numerous times. Usually in bed as she fell asleep. She’d be in a tight, cleavage- baring dress, and have a perfect, sun-kissed tan. Her hair would be long and the roots freshly done. Her makeup would be subtle and airbrushed in the way that made her look both glamorous and effortless at once.

You know when you get wrapped in your head, and the only voice you’re listening to is telling you that you suck no matter what, and you know it’s not true, but because you don’t want to actually ask anyone else to back you up on that, you start to believe that it’s true?

André kept his heart locked inside a vault surrounded by puzzles and mazes and miles of jungle overgrowth like a treasure hunter’s one last quest.

And no matter what you’ve been told, even happy endings carry their own bit of sorrow in them.

Do you want me to kick him out?… I have a couple cousins who can be very menacing. And an auntie that will make him rethink all his life decisions.

My Review:

I adored this beguiling couple, they had had a satisfying relationship that had been going well until he broke her heart and his without explanation. I had devised several theories as to what and why that had happened before this clever wordsmith finally clued me in on how wrong I had been. The characters were divinely conjured and enticingly detailed with authentic quirks and knowable foibles. Ms. Hutchinson’s writing style was smooth as silk, brilliantly paced, and easy to fall into with storylines that were engaging, entertaining, cleverly amusing, and held my interest captive. I am already looking forward to her next missive.

About the Author

Heidi Hutchinson creates funny, clever, slow-burn romance for readers looking for a guaranteed happily ever after.

She hopes the stories she writes inspire her readers to take their hearts on one more adventure.

She lives in the Black Hills with her alarmingly handsome husband, their fearless child, and a rather large and spoiled dog.

She is fueled by her unwavering and perfectly normal devotion to Dave Grohl and coffee.

And a whole lotta love.

Find Heidi online

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

Website: https://www.heidih.net/

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My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

In my world, people puffed themselves up, never down. If someone said they owned a yacht, it meant that they sailed in a dinghy once. If they called themselves an international sports star, they barely made the practice squad in Svalbard, Norway.

… she had proceeded to warble at the top of her lungs the ABCs. Or rather, the ABUs, because she “no like c.” When I tried to argue with her that c followed b, she had asked why. At that moment, with all of my education and work experience, in the face of toddler logic, I had no answer… After a day with her, I had decided that whoever came up with the phrase “taking candy from a baby” had never met a real kid.

Don’t get a big head, but you’re not awful.

What other lies has he told you about me? If he says I’m bossy, I’m not… I just have a natural way of giving directions.

Even knowing that there was nothing to feel guilty about, one stare from Mrs. Fleming made me feel like a kid caught eating Santa’s cookies on Christmas Eve.

My Review:

This was an engaging and entertaining read that was laced together with spiky humor, family drama, a fledgling romance, and volcanic sensual scenes. The main characters were an authentic and unusual mix of small-town and big city, and while I adored August, Pippa was not always likable and a slowly acquired taste, although I had faith that the clever wordsmith would eventually get Pippa where she should be and enjoyed her awakening and the end result.

About the Author

Nanxi Wen thought she was going to write the greatest historical novel. Turns out, her characters decided that they want to be in the 21st century with modern plumbing, online shopping, and reality TV shows.

She lives in New England with her husband and two young kids. When she is not despairing over word count, she enjoys reading, snacking, drinking coffee, sitting by the fireplace, hanging out with friends, and daydreaming.

Find Nanxi Wen online

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Ewe Complete Me, an all-new forced proximity romance from USA Today bestselling author Susannah Nix, is now available in Kindle Unlimited!

Love defies logic when two polar opposites attract.

Chloe and Brandon have nothing in common. She’s a spontaneous, people-loving fiber artist; he’s an uptight, introverted law student. The only thing they agree on during their blind date is that they hope to never see each other again.

Except they do have something in common—Brandon’s mother Dawn, who happens to be Chloe’s boss and dear friend. Which is how they end up stuck with each other for a six-hour road trip to Dawn’s destination wedding.

But as they get to know each other better, their mutual irritation morphs into an inescapable connection. Maybe these two opposites aren’t so mismatched after all. Could Brandon be the yin to Chloe’s yang? The peanut butter to her jelly? The rock to her roll?

Or will their differences tear them apart when they return to their normal lives at the end of the wedding weekend?

‘Ewe Complete Me’ is a full-length contemporary romance and can be read as a standalone. Book #6 in the Common Threads series, Seduction in the City World, Penny Reid Book Universe.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

For starters, his name was Bran. Not only did it bring to mind high-fiber laxatives and regular bowel movements, it sounded like the kind of one-syllable name favored by too many of the douchebags I’d known in high school.

I continued to stare at him in a sort of daze. Maybe Franz Mesmer had been onto something with that animal magnetism theory after all. Or perhaps my date was secretly a centuries-old Transylvanian noble with hypnotic powers who slept in a box filled with dirt from his homeland in the Carpathian Mountains.

“What did he do?” Angie asked in the hard, dangerous tone of someone already plotting the best way to dispose of a body.

“What a jagweed,” Angie said with a scowl. “I hope he gets a fungus on his scrotum that doesn’t respond to treatment.”

Angie was the wacky, protective aunt who’d help you key the word “dildo” onto the car of someone who’d done you wrong.

As I stepped out of the car, I had that same jarring feeling you got when you first walked out of a movie theater and realized you were in the real world again instead of the fantasy world you’d been immersed in for the last three hours.

My Review:

This was a smirk-worthy and witty delight from start to finish. The characters were uniquely and indelibly rendered with realistic flaws and significant conditions and challenges to manage in their daily lives, yet they were also deeply endearing and intriguing. The storylines were smartly written, well-paced, engaging, and cleverly amusing, while they sparkled with sharp wit, perceptive observations, and zippy banter. I do believe I have become a Susannah Nix acolyte.

Peaches and Dreams, an all-new single dad small-town romance from Juliette Cross, is available now in Kindle Unlimited!

Marly Rivers is not crazy. No matter what everyone says. They may think her dream is foolish, but she plans to prove them all wrong—one jar of moonshine at a time. 

Single dad Wade Kelley is just fine. No matter what his best friend Jed says. He doesn’t need a woman in his life. But when his son Jake breaks a jar of moonshine, he sets something in motion that neither Wade nor Marly are prepared for. 

A friendly favor turns into late nights, long dinners, and a romp in the woods. And in a deer stand too. By the time Wade realizes he’s fallen hard and deep for Mad Marly, it may be too late to tell her. When she falls into real and sudden danger with poachers, he may not even be able to save her. 

‘Peaches and Dreams’ is a full-length contemporary romance and can be read as a standalone. Book #4 in the Green Valley Heroes series, Green Valley Chronicles, Penny Reid Book Universe.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

I’m considered pretty cool with the boys. The seven and eight-year-old variety, mostly.

I put the fun in funny.

That man is a full-on smoke-show.

“Marleen. You are very scary and kind of a lot. Especially to shy guys.” I preened and flipped my hair, liking that description. “I’m kind of a femme fatale, huh?” “More like a femme frightfully flamboyant.” “That’s too much alliteration. But I still like it.”

My Review:

This was good fun from start to finish and sparkled with giggle-snort-worthy humor. I laughed aloud as often as I was gasping for breath during steamy sensual scenes that left me dehydrated and grasping for libation. The writing was cleverly amusing, well-paced, low angst, and highly engaging. The storylines were populated with authentic yet knowable characters who were endearing, smoking hot, adorable, witty, well-nuanced, and irreverent – my favorite kind of people!

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

Not for the first time, Lauren couldn’t help but notice that he smelled good. Like, really good. It was one of life’s true mysteries, because she felt like she’d know his scent anywhere, but she couldn’t quite place what it was. Some mixture of cedar and citrus, not overpowering, never burning her nose like some colognes did. But always present whenever he was nearby, and sometimes she’d catch the tail end of it when she entered a room he’d just been in. She lived in fear that one day he’d catch her inhaling a big whiff whenever he was close, and she’d have to quit her job and move to North Dakota.

Even thinking about it now made her wish the beach beneath her would suck her into a quicksand vortex and spit her back out at her apartment.

…the beauty of special underwear… You never know when it will be called into service.

You’re going to have to make up your mind about me… Because you used to think I was some hedonistic slacker who only cared about a good time, and now suddenly I’m this altruistic philanthropist giving out orgasms like UNICEF went into sex work.

Do you have cream and sugar, or do you keep your kitchen on some Soviet food rationing system?

My Review:

I enjoyed this tale. It was well constructed and populated with a plethora of complicated and quirky characters, who were well nuanced and endearing despite being a bit difficult. The storylines were engaging and the writing style was involving, unique, easy to follow, and tricky enough to keep me reading well past my bedtime.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

When we were kids, I followed her anywhere. Being with Andi felt like chasing a sunbeam: she was always going, always laughing, always full of ideas for adventure, so bright I could never look away.

Thinking about what I did and didn’t do as a teenager can feel like strangulation, long, shadowy fingers of my old self wrapping around my neck. Turns out no matter what, we can never leave ourselves behind.

It’s some ungodly, timeless hour of the morning. It’s black beyond the windows. My brain is half-awake at best, thoughts swirling lazily past like snowflakes, melting when I try to grab them. I feel unmoored, unanchored, like this cabin might be a child’s diorama and at any moment the roof will come off and faces will appear.

“Maybe you shouldn’t have worn your purity ring to church every Sunday until you were twenty-five,” Reid says. “Maybe you should shut up.” “I’m surprised it didn’t sizzle off your finger.”

It feels like I’m in a snow globe, flipped over and quickly righted, waiting for everything to settle.

My Review:

I am unequivocally enamored with Roxie Noir and want to read every tale she has ever scribbled if they are all as cleverly penned as this one. The storylines were well-paced, insightfully penned, wittily amusing, engagingly textured with real-world problems, and populated with expertly nuanced and authentic characters. I adored the featured couple and reveled in their renewed acquaintance and sizzling hot romance. I found it delightfully refreshing for a handsome man to be prone to blushing frequently and uncontrollably.

Right Guy, Wrong Word
by Jewel E. Ann

Favorite Quotes:

Like many marriages, it’s easy when it’s easy, and it’s hell when it’s not.

I can’t shake the insidious tendrils of doubt that have wormed their way into my consciousness. The feeling of being watched is ever-present, like an itch I can’t quite scratch. My reflection in the café window seems to mock me, a twisted caricature of the woman I’d once been.

My Review:

There are no heroes in this story. The main characters and most of the secondary characters are rather heinous and vile people, certainly not individuals whom I’d like to share air with, yet I was on edge, chewing on my cuticles, flinching, cringing, and wriggling on the hook to know what was going to happen to these vile creatures. Oh, my… what does that say about me?

Britney King definitely has a dark side and we should all thank our lucky stars that she has exceptional word voodoo and channels her twisty side into dynamic and enthralling stories, as no telling what nefarious happening would befall those around her if she didn’t. I shudder to think!

About the Author

.

Britney King lives in Austin, Texas with her husband, children, two dogs, one ridiculous cat, and a partridge in a pear tree.

When she’s not wrangling the things mentioned above, she writes psychological, domestic, and romantic thrillers set in suburbia.

Without a doubt, connecting with readers is the best part of this gig. You can find Britney online here: 

Website | Newsletter | BookBub | Goodreads | Amazon / Instagram / Facebook / Twitter 

To get more– grab two books for free, by subscribing to her mailing list at  bit.ly/britneykingweb

Happy reading.