Lights Out

(Tales from Cabbagetown Book 2)

by Josie Kerr

Amazon US / UK / CA / AU 

 

Christopher Schuyler wasn’t someone who got many breaks. After eight frustrating years working as a club bouncer and fighting on the amateur circuit, a prestigious MMA training gym offers Chris an opportunity he can’t walk away from.

Paul Decker knows something about dating athletes, and that is an experience he never wants to repeat. It’s taken him two years to get over his last break-up, but he’s finally getting back into the dating scene.

After a particularly gruesome social event, Paul uncharacteristically ends up solo at a gay dance club. A literal run-in with Chris brings the two men together, and soon they are both taking chances they had never imagined. Taking risks is one thing, but are they strong enough to overcome the skeletons of the past?

(This book contains references to self-harm and domestic violence, as well as adult language and sexual situations.)

 

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

You need to call this Chris, or I am going to do it for you and you’re going to have to explain to this man how you got beat up by a middle-aged woman with a cane because you’re a dumbass!

 

Tate had you reined in so tight, not to mention he was so far in the closet he was behind the winter coats.

 

My Review:

 

While any form of violence is so not my jam, human beings continue to intrigue and fascinate me, and I particularly seem to enjoy sweet and sexy love stories. It generally doesn’t matter to me who was falling in love as long as they were of age, all acts were consensual, and they treated each other well. However, some of you may need to know that this heart-squeezing tale featured a sweet and tender love story between two men – Chris an MMA fighter, and Paul a floral designer. Both men had significant and tainted histories of marked struggle and abuse as well as current challenges to their blossoming romance. This was a different type of read for me as MMA is not of particular interest, although the fighter’s story certainly was.   Chris wasn’t just an MMA athlete – he fought with heart just as valiantly outside the arena with stereotypes, vulnerabilities, and limited resources. He and Paul were adorable together.

 

 

Josie Kerr   

Website 

Amazon

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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.

 

Once Upon a Cowboy

(Almost Royal #2)

by Rachel Lacey

Amazon  US / UK / AU / CA / B&N / GP / iBooks

 

A TALE AS OLD AS TIME

Megan Perl went from beauty to beast when a car accident left her permanently scarred. Before, Megan was outgoing and vivacious, always with a man at her side. Now? She spends more time behind a camera than in front of it. She’s ready to turn her hobby into something more by offering photography sessions at the castle where she works. This year is dedicated to her career, not men. If only she wasn’t so crazy-attracted to the cowboy who’s renting the stable on the castle grounds…

Jake Reardon is no stranger to tragedy. After a fall left his bride in a coma on their wedding day, he was forced to watch her slowly fade away in a hospital bed. Now, he finds himself in the unwelcome position of virgin widower. At Rosemont Castle, he can finally focus on establishing his career as a horse trainer. The only problem is that his new landlady makes him hotter than the Virginia sun.

Sparks fly every time Jake and Megan cross paths, but there’s no way he’s going to lose his virginity with the woman who manages the property he’s leasing. As their attraction grows, though, so do their emotions. Jake carries his scars inside, but Megan has to wear hers for the world to see. Can love heal their wounds, or will it tear them apart?

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

… a slow smile spread across his lips, and poof, there went her hormones, exploding for him all over again.

 

Her parents never gave up on a miracle, but at some point over the years, I realized we were just watching her die. Years and years of watching her die.

 

… small town and all. If he was spotted buying condoms, half the population of Towering Pines would know about it in no time.

 

My Review:

 

This was a quick and pleasantly satisfying tale featuring two endearing and resilient main characters who were survivors of tragic events. As a teenaged groom, Jake could do little more than watch as his new bride slipped into a coma then lingered for nine long years. Megan remained self-conscious and insecure after surviving a car accident that had resulted in life-long scarring. Their blossoming relationship provided a sweet, tender, and heartwarmingly gratifying story as they supported each other through new careers and transitions. It was also delectably sensual as the young widower was a quick study and eager to please. Snap!

About the Author

Rachel Lacey is a contemporary romance author and semi-reformed travel junkie. She’s been climbed by a monkey on a mountain in Japan, gone scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef, and camped out overnight in New York City for a chance to be an extra in a movie. These days, the majority of her adventures take place on the pages of the books she writes. She lives in warm and sunny North Carolina with her husband, son, and a variety of rescue pets.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads 

 

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

I would never throw liquor in the face of a woman, no matter what she had done. I had class and manners. And I wouldn’t want to waste the scotch.

 

Time in the world of the law has a totally different meaning. Urgent means I’ll get to it when convenient. As soon as possible could be next week or next month. If a lawyer says he’ll “get right back to you,” grab a coffee. Maybe a sandwich. You’re going to wait a while.

 

I think there is good in everyone… In fact, I’d go as far as to say, there is a little bit of perfection in everyone.

  

My Review:

 

I am enamored with the sexy men of BAM, and although Halton isn’t actually part of the BAM organization, he is BAM adjacent and sexy and successful enough to be an honorary member.   All of Melanie Moreland’s books are class acts with the perfect balance and emotional tone in her emotive storylines, as well as interesting and engaging character and plot development, steamy sensuality, humor, flawed yet lovable heroes, odious baddies to despise, and a heart squeezing romance. I hope she continues with BAM until the founders are old enough for retirement.

 

About the Author

The Accidental Girlfriend, an all-new hilarious romantic comedy from New York Times bestselling author Emma Hart is available now!

 

Top Tip: Don’t put out an online ad offering your services as a fake date. Someone will take you up on it.

And it won’t just be for one night.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how I ended up being Mason Jackson’s fake girlfriend.

He didn’t even want me to be. No—his sister was solely responsible for me being his date for his ten-year high school reunion.

Now, she’s responsible for telling his parents our relationship is real.

We have no choice. We have to act like this isn’t all a mistake, like it’s not all fake, like we’re totally, completely, utterly, head-over-heels in love with each other.

Simple, right?

Wrong.

Download your copy of The Accidental Girlfriend today!

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My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

You know, if we were monkeys, she’d be the kind of person I’d fling my poop at.

 

This is why you’re single. The only filter you use is on Instagram.

 

“Give the kid a break, Nadia,” Grandpa Ernie said, wiping his mouth with a napkin and reaching for his whiskey. “He’s only twenty-eight. Men don’t have alarm clocks in their genitals like you women.”

 

It’s about time you got back out on the market before you go stale. Women are starting to date younger men, did you know that? I see it all the time on that celebrity channel with the housewives.

 

She was the kind of woman who’d run out of f*s to give by her fifth birthday and couldn’t care less what anyone thought about that. There was a chance we could be friends. I regularly found myself lacking in f*s. Unless I stubbed my toe, then they all came pouring out.

 

“I’ve got a list of grievances, if you’d like to hear them.” “Why don’t you keep them up your sleeve for now, Aunt Pru? You never know when you’ll need them.” “Quite right, quite right. I’ve been saving them for my speech at your wedding, but I’m starting to think you’ll never get married.”

 

Thankfully, that ship has sailed and sunk.

 

My Review:

 

This wickedly funny treasure was a total delight; my face got a workout from near constant giggle-snorting and smirking as I read.   The characters were adorable and uniquely appealing, I was endlessly entertained by Lauren’s sharp wit and clever snark, she was a feisty and saucy minx. Written in my favorite dual POV, the crisp and engaging storylines sparkled with irreverent humor and impudent levity. I couldn’t get enough of it and rued reaching the last page.

 

Excerpt:

“I’ve seen you eat nothing but junk. Are you one of those irritating people who can eat what they want and put on no weight?”

“Okay, first.” I held up one finger. “You look like you could walk into the cast of the Avengers, so don’t come at me with that. Also, I run. Every day. And I don’t always eat junk.”

“You run?” His eyebrows shot up.

“I don’t know if I should be insulted or not.”

“No, I just—you don’t look like a runner.”

“And you don’t look like Chris Hemsworth, but here you are on my sofa looking like a dark-haired Norse god,” I shot back. “What’s your point?”

He held up his hands, fighting another laugh, one that made his eyes shine. “Hey, I have a physical job. I rarely get to the gym, but I’m always moving.”

“Have you ever worked behind a bar? I’m not exactly running a call center back there. It never stops sometimes.”

“Do I look like I mix cocktails?”

Doing what he’d done just minutes before, I took a long, hard look at him, from head to toe.

It was a mistake.

If I were a sloth, I wouldn’t just climb him like a tree; I’d hang off him for a nap, too.

Lord, he was hot.

Focus, Lauren.

“No,” I said. “You look like the lone wolf who waits for the cocktail-drinking girls to accidentally spill their drinks on your shoes.” I glanced at the time. “Speaking of, I have to go and make those cocktails.”

Mason grinned. “You want me to come and get hit on by drunk girls?”

“As someone who has no say in your life whatsoever, I don’t care what you do.” I stood up and looked at him over my shoulder. “As your fake girlfriend, I’m a bit of a tiger, so I wouldn’t.”

“I know.” He snorted, following me to the front door with his laptop tucked under his arm. “I’ve seen you play the possessive girlfriend. If this weren’t all fake, I would have been a little turned on.”

I locked the front door and tossed my hair over my shoulder. “Please. You were totally turned on.”

He said nothing as we headed for the stairs.

“You can say something. That was a joke.” I glanced at him, heat rushing to my cheeks.

His lips pulled into a smirk, eyes flashing. “I reserve the right to not respond.”

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

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Love
(Men of Inked: Southside #5)

by Chelle Bliss

 

 Amazon / B&N / Apple / Google Play / Kobo

 

Angelo and Tilly never thought they’d find love again…but they’re about to say ‘I do’.

Finding love once is hard, but twice is almost impossible.
I’d almost given up, but then Tilly Carter walked into my life.
The sweet talkin’ Southern girl stole my heart.

With my future walking down the aisle, and my entire family by my side, it’s time to make her mine forever.

LOVE is the fifth book in the USA Today bestselling Men of Inked: Southside series and a continuation of Angelo & Tilly’s story from Hook.

Men of Inked: Southside

Book 1 – Maneuver
Book 2 – Flow
Book 3 – Hook
Book 4 – Hustle
Book 5 – Love

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

“First stop is Gavin’s for some martinis, then we have tickets to a show,” Daphne says over her shoulder. “What kind of show?” My stomach flips a little because Daphne’s looking at me in such a way that I know she isn’t telling me everything. “It’s like the ballet.” “Like the ballet?” I ask flatly. She nods quickly and hooks her arm with mine, leading me toward the sleek black limo. “There’re men dancing.”

 

I feel like I’m stuck somewhere in the naughtiest Twilight Zone episode, where all my relatives are freaks, and I suddenly realize I am too.

 

“We grew up. Shit isn’t all it’s cracked up to be either,” Thomas says. “Have kids, they said. It’ll be fun, they said. Biggest lie ever.”

 

“I’m not listening,” Gigi sings into her phone screen. “This is way too much information and oversharing from all of you, not to mention gross and the things nightmares of made of.”

It’s not all tight bodies, big tits, and hot guys. This is Florida. You have a better chance of seeing an old man with a beer gut wearing a Speedo on the beach than some hot young thing.

 

My Review:

 

I adore Chelle Bliss and her lively and close-knit Gallo clan, they are large, loud, and love each other hard. The men are gorgeous and bossy yet tender-hearted alpha males while the women are as feisty as they are lovely to look at. Written in my favorite dual POV, the smirk-worthy storylines were engaging, quickly paced, easy to follow, deliciously steamy, and laced together with highly amusing and irreverent levity.

 

Meet the Author

USA Today bestselling author Chelle Bliss currently lives in a small town near the Gulf of Mexico. She’s a full-time writer, time-waster extraordinaire, social media addict, and coffee fiend. She’s written over ten books and has two series available. She loves spending her free time with her boyfriend, 2 cats, and her hamster.

Before becoming a writer, Chelle taught high school history for over ten years. She holds a master’s degree in Instructional Technology and a bachelor’s in History. Although history is her first love, writing has become her dream job and she can’t imagine doing anything else.

http://chellebliss.com/

https://www.facebook.com/authorchellebliss1

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“Jewel E. Ann has once again crafted a flawless story that is utterly unique and unforgettable. Hands down my favorite book of 2019!”

— Aly Martinez, USA Today bestselling author

Jersey Six, an all-new “intriguing, gut-wrenching and raw” romantic suspense from Jewel E. Ann, is available now!

How far would you go for revenge?

A hit-and-run accident leaves Jersey Six orphaned and homeless on the streets of Newark, shattering her dreams of school dances, pink nail polish, and a diploma.

Eight years later, a burn victim with amnesia wanders into Jersey’s barely-existent life. She resists his efforts to form a friendship until he reveals knowledge of the person responsible for derailing her future. Through their unusual friendship, she discovers a way to avenge the deaths of her foster parents.

All she has to do is destroy the world’s biggest rock star.

In the ultimate game of sex, lies, and manipulation, can Jersey discover the truth? Or will she be blinded by attraction, deceived by love, and destroyed by her past?

Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

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My Rating:

Favorite Quote:

 

Sometimes … sometimes when you close your eyes, when darkness comforts you, the truth doesn’t matter because no one can see it.

 

My Review:

 

I am grappling for the appropriate words to describe this cleverly crafted and emotionally stunning book. It devastated me and turned me inside out and wouldn’t let go. I am rattled and in knots, yet I reveled in the totality of the experience.

 

The storylines were complicated and all kinds of twisted with tragedy and life-altering misery and were laced together with a cast of complex and deeply damaged characters who were not always likable but were extremely compelling. I was taut with tension and fully invested as I cringed, gasped, bit my cuticles, and gritted my teeth. It was worth the distress and every prickle of unease as the writing was ingeniously perceptive and packed a powerful punch. Jewel E. Ann has achieved a new level of sorcery – her word voodoo is without equal.

 

Excerpt:

“We ate at the hotel.” Her lips twisted to the side. “Mind if I stick some stuff in my bag for later?”

A tiny wrinkle formed between Ian’s eyes, just below the long sweep of his black bangs. “There will be lots of food available later too. But…” he shrugged, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees “…take whatever you want.”

Jersey glanced over her shoulder at the food and the three other men in the room. She decided to wait a little while before shoving as much as possible into her bag like a free-for-all. “Thanks.” Jersey returned her attention to Ian. “So … you’re a singer. Like … are you a big deal?”

Every word she spoke seemed to feed his level of happiness. “Well …” He rubbed his chin, twisting his lips. “We play music. People like to listen to our music. But no … it’s not a big deal. We’re not saving lives or anything like that.”

She eyed him with suspicion for a few seconds. That smile of his didn’t feel worthy of complete trust. “Um … what exactly do you need me to do? What’s my job? They already took Chris. Will that big, bearded guy come for me too?” Jersey couldn’t remember his name.

“No.” Ian stood, pushing his elbows out from his shoulders, twisting side to side. “Tonight you are just going to watch the concert from backstage. Tomorrow night you’ll sell merchandise.”

“Drugs. You mean drugs, don’t you?”

Ian paused his stretching, letting his arms fall limp to his sides. “Merchandise—T-shirts, posters, keychains, phone cases, hats, guitar pics …”

“To who?”

“Fans.” Ian grinned. “Okay. I might have understated all of this to you … can you name a famous singer? Old or new. Doesn’t matter. Just a famous singer.”

“I had a foster parent who used to listen to Josh Groban.” Jersey gnashed her teeth, still feeling so much anger. Dena wasn’t just a foster parent; she was Jersey’s friend.

“Okay. Well, Josh has sold millions of records, and he’s a huge star in his genre of music. Thousands of people pack venues all over the world to see him sing live in concert. And they sell merchandise of his at those concerts.”

Jersey gazed unblinkingly at Ian as he scratched his jaw.

“Well, I sing a different genre of music, but I, too, travel the world, singing to sold-out concert venues, andI have people who sell my merchandise at these concerts.”

Jersey dropped her bag to her feet and planted her fists on her hips. “Listen, Coop. Stop talking down to me. I’m not an idiot. I know what a concert is. But earlier today you didn’t say what you did or what the job was you were offering. You bought a homeless person a hot dog and offered her a job. Of course, I’m going to think something sketchy might be involved.”

Tipping her chin up, she held her breath to puff out her chest, pretending the recent revelation of Ian Cooper being a famous singer didn’t faze her one bit. Inside, Jersey’s heart hammered into her ribcage, and her mind reeled trying to figure out the day’s events.

“Coop?” His lips twitched into a tiny grin.

“It’s short for Cooper.”

“Clearly.” Ian chuckled. “But my name is Ian. Everyone calls me Ian.”

“I busted the nose and jaw of a kid named Ian. He tried to stick his cock in my ass. I’ll call you Tom, Dick, or Harry, but I’m not calling you Ian because that makes me want to physically harm you.”

Ian’s eyebrows shot up his forehead as his head whipped back a few inches. “Coop it is.”

Enter Jewel’s giveaway for a signed paperback and swag!

https://www.jeweleann.com/jersey-six-giveaway

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.

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Website 

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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.