A Virtual Affair:

An inspirational story of love and loss.

by Tracie Podger

Amazon US / UK / CA / AU / B&N

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

I smiled when I thought of my parents. They lived nearby in Crinkly Bottom as they called it. It was a complex for the elderly.

Before I turned out the light I noticed a white shirt in the laundry bin. It was one of Michael’s.   I pulled it out and held it to my face.   It smelled of him, of his aftershave.   It smelled of her perfume too. I took the shirt into the garden and lifted the lid off the BBQ. I squirted lighter fuel over the top and with my lighter, watched it go up in flames.

Watching my dad die, witnessing the process of death, would live with me forever. As would the smell. There were no words to really describe the smell of death, but it permeated the air, my clothes, and my hair. It was acrid with hints of acetone.

I’d never slept naked before. I had that silly thought instilled from childhood – never sleep naked in case the house caught fire. I had a fear of the fireman having to help me down a ladder with my bare arse on show.

I wanted you from the moment you stumbled on a speed boat. I don’t know what it is about you but I need you. I’ve never connected with someone the way I connect with you. You pull me, all the time.

‘I can’t let go of you,’ he said. ‘Don’t let go of me,’ I whispered.

My Review:

I finished Tracie Podger’s latest masterpiece of A Virtual Affair with my bruised yet hopeful heart in my throat, tear tracks down my face, and a smile on my lips. Poignant is a word that comes close to describing this book – but it doesn’t quite do it justice. Let me add in real world, relevant, heart squeezing, painfully honest, highly emotive, cleverly insightful, masterfully written, and sneakily humorous. As I read through the book, I frequently mused to myself that Ms. Podger knew far too much about depression and personal pain to be able to give such vivid detail and perfectly descriptive words and passages to the dark feelings of despair and sorrow. In reading her ending letter I found that the book contained, “many truths and a lot of made up stuff,” bingo!

During a cold and unhappy marriage, the main character of Jayne had gradually become a ghost of herself – and like many caged and neglected animals in a zoo – had become complacent in her misery.   Following a traumatic loss, she tumbled into a steep spiral. The inner narrative of her struggles and recovery was deeply moving, and my eyes seemed to develop a strange wetness that just wouldn’t go away. But I don’t want to give the impression that the book is morose and maintained a constant level of gloom and angst – NOT! As with any and all Tracie Podger stories, A Virtual Affair also contained stealthy and welcome hits of clever levity throughout, as well as a few deliciously steamy sensual scenes. Ms. Podger has mad skills, as well as a wicked and underhanded sense of humor that I just adore – more, please!

Author Bio

Tracie Podger currently lives in Kent, UK with her husband and a rather obnoxious cat called George. She’s a PADI Scuba Diving Instructor with a passion for writing. Tracie has been fortunate to have dived some of the wonderful oceans of the world where she can indulge in another hobby, underwater photography. She likes getting up close and personal with sharks.

Tracie writes in various genres, Contemporary Romance but likes to explore relationships that are not always easy and there isn’t always a happy ending, Romantic Suspense, Thriller, and Erotic Romance. She likes to have her books feel real with realistic timelines and with strong women who don’t run because the going gets tough. Sex is important between loving people, therefore all her books contain graphic scenes. However, the character’s relationship is more important.

If you would like to know more, please feel free to contact her, she would love to hear from you.

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My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

For the record, it’s a bad sign when the guy you’re having sex with buys you sleepwear that suggests you should cover up more.

I’m grinning like a girl who just unwrapped Barbie and the Barbie Dreamhouse…

“You just had a big birthday, am I right?” Glenda’s sympathetic cluck would be more appropriate if she offered it to someone who just lost a limb. “Best get to it, sweetheart. Those eggs are drying up.”

He stretches up and pulls back the cover on the car’s sunroof. It takes me a few seconds to figure out what I’m staring at. “Is that a butthole?” Ian nods solemnly. “Yep. The feline variety.” … The cat stays seated with its stink-star pressed against the glass… “I’d just appreciate him removing his cheerio from our line of sight… Well, fiancée… I can’t promise you romance, but I can promise you laughs.” “And cat buttholes,” I add.

He squirts some canned cheese onto a cracker and hands it to me. “Keeping it classy.”

My Review:

I mirthfully smirked and periodically fanned myself throughout this fun and wickedly humorous tale featuring a pair of past college friends who had missed their chance at a deeper connection due to unfortunate timing and circumstances, but were back in touch ten years later while circling that big three-o celebration of their birth, and recalled they had jokingly made a pact to marry at that particular milestone if both were still single.

Ian thought he was taking a practical route of leaving love out of the mix by establishing a legal contract for a relationship of mutual attraction and benefit. Sarah was agreeable and determined to see the common advantage to deem it acceptable to settle for less than true love, but was having some minor difficulties in getting there. If not in total simpatico, they were more than compatible in most ways that counted, and then some. The plot seemed far-fetched yet the storylines were so smoothly engaging and gleefully entertaining, the premise became reasonably convincingly. And oh my, sizzle and snap, this couple of dirty talkers needed to keep a fire extinguisher handy as they were atomically hot and sensually matched well enough to leave scorch marks not only on the sheets but also on the ceiling, floor tiles, walls, and car seats. I had greatly enjoyed the previous books in this series and was instantly enamored with these endearing and cleverly crafted characters as well.

 

About the Author    

Goodreads

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.

A Bad Bit Nice

by Josie Kerr

Amazon / B&N

Em Davidson is a curvy, never-married, 43-year-old Internet security analyst who has been working at the wrong job, living in the wrong house, and involved with the wrong man for about 10 years too long. All she wants is a challenging career, her very own home, and an age-appropriate Mister Ideal who will make her toes curl when he kisses her.

Mick Brennan is a bearded, tattooed widower of 20-plus years who thinks, maybe, just maybe, he might be ready to dip his foot back in the dating pool. He might not know exactly what he’s looking for in a relationship, but he knows he doesn’t want a girl half his age.

When Em moves into her dream home, she had no idea that her downstairs neighbor could be her Mister Ideal. When Mick meets his talkative upstairs neighbor, he’s more intrigued by her than he has been in any other woman in two decades.

Can these two lonely people overcome the wounds of their pasts to discover love again?

This contemporary/second-time contains explicit sexual situations, graphic language, and material that some readers may find objectionable.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

Em, if I had a rack like yours, I would be topless as much as possible.

I know it’s only been a week or so, but goddammit, you’re super smart, crazy caring, and hot like fire and I think I could love you, so you need to kiss me or tell me to utterly and completely fuck off.  Either way, put me out of my misery.

Mick, honey, what you did to me earlier?  If you’d been more expert at it, I seriously think I would have lost consciousness.

Rory, don’t do anything that will get you sent to prison, because I am absolutely not having sex in a trailer!

I always knew that Em, Miss National Merit Finalist Summa Cum Everything Smarty Pants, would end up with a tattooed brawler.

My Review:

This is undoubtedly my favorite type of book and I whole-heartedly adored this story from start to finish.  I was already marveling at the easy flow and crisp humor as I read the first page.  My eyes nearly popped from their sockets – like Roger Rabbit’s – when I discovered this exceptional tome was the author’s first novel.  I want to rave about its merits.

The story and writing were unique, well-crafted, highly entertaining, and plucked each emotion with surprising depth.  I smirked, snorted, gasped, fanned myself, and at other times – I teared up and… okay… maybe sobbed a little bit.  The characters were middle-aged, adorable, broken, lovable, flawed, thoughtful, and would most likely be easily overlooked in real life.  Moreover, I absolutely must love a woman in her forties who babbles when she is nervous, swears so creatively, just recently bought her first pair of “magical panties,” and often looks at events as “a sign.”

This book was fantastic.  It was humorous, insightful, thoughtful, clever, and witty.  I enjoyed the characters’ teasing, fun banter, and supportive relationships.  The love story was sweet, endearing, and so smokin’ hot my kindle was sizzling.  First novel or 100^th, Josie Kerr has mad skills and is definitely one to watch.

About the author

Goodreads

Website

Amazon

Josie Kerr is transplanted West Texan living on the edge of semi-profoundly rural Georgia, a.k.a. the southernmost edge of the northernmost county in Metro Atlanta.

She has an M.Ed. in Secondary English Education but discovered that she hated high school more the second time than she did the first, so she decided to meld her love of technology with her education background and became an Instructional Designer. When not writing articles about how to fire someone without getting sued or why you should really not apply for jobs using your SexxyStud99@aol.com email address, she writes steamy romance novels that feature grown-up Heroes and Heroines.

Hook  (Men of Inked: Southside, #3)
by Chelle Bliss 

Amazon  |  Apple Books  |  B&N Nook  |  Kobo

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

God took a little extra time when he created this one, and he should be enjoyed, even if my thoughts aren’t exactly holy.

She doesn’t just drop hints, she hurls bombs.

“It’s a dinner as friends,” I remind him, even though I’m dressed like I’m ready to pounce on my prey and get busy.

Delilah and I can watch the kids… They can even spend the night… What’s two more? It’s already mass chaos at our place. The only thing I can promise is that they’ll come back alive, but everything else is a crapshoot.

She will stab you with her fork if you try to take a bite of her cake. You’re safer if you buy the whole damn thing…

Daphne stares at Delilah’s stomach and points to her tiny pooch. “Maybe you should lay off the cake.” “You better shut up,” Delilah snaps and sucks in her gut until she practically turns blue.

My Review:

Hook was an emotive and evocative read with the perfectly balanced between the heartbreak of grief, irreverent humor, the sweetness of precocious children, the excitement of a new romance, and the comedy of a loud, tightly knit, and overdramatic family. The Gallos are a garrulous and meddlesome clan who work and love hard and whole-heartedly, and generously pepper their speech with profanity and expletives. I adore them to no end and covet one to have as my very own.

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/

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A Place Without You, an all-new emotional New Adult romance from Jewel E. Ann, is available now!

The Law of Henna and Bodhi:

When love breaks, fall inward, fall together, and fall hard. Then let time pick up the pieces.

Everything feels temporary when you’ve experienced tragedy—until Henna Lane meets Bodhi at a music festival.

Young and spontaneous, they have a lust for seizing the moment, falling hard and fast.

When Bodhi is forced to leave without a goodbye, Henna thinks she’ll never get over him. But then she meets Mr. Malone, her sexy, new guidance counselor.

They are reckless.

They are forbidden.

When their secret is discovered, Henna has to choose between finishing school—banned from seeing Mr. Malone—or dropping out to follow her nomad dreams.

Henna chooses her dreams.

Over time, she learns that life is not a destination or a journey, some things are more than temporary, and the forbidden can never be ignored. But if she returns for him, will he still be hers?

A Place Without You is an emotional story of young love, shattered dreams, and impossible decisions.

Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

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

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

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

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

He eats one fry and hands me the last one. It’s oddly the most romantic thing a guy has ever done for me. The final french fry trumps a single red rose. At least, that’s how my mind works.

“Are you still flirting with me?” “Always. Even when our kids think it’s gross and we’re too old to flirt, I’m going to tease you with my sexiness.”

It’s hotter than a pot of Devil’s stew.

Do people really use paperweights? I always think of them as unsuspecting weapons in murder mysteries.

One of his eyes pops open, followed by the other. “Oh my God! You’re not dead.” I drop to my knees and rest my forehead on the arm of his chair, grabbing his hand and squeezing it tightly. “Not today, young lady. But Christ … I hope the mortician does a better job of checking my pulse than you did. I don’t relish the idea of being burned or buried alive.”

I’m pretty sure you’re still my greatest memory.

My Review:

I am not a fan of the angst which made this tragic story a treacherous and somewhat arduous trek for me to journey through, yet the writing was stellar and the cleverly alluring characters were enticing, complicated, and so incredibly nuanced; I couldn’t give up. I had to read all the words. Even the ones that greatly annoyed me.

The storylines were shrewdly paced, and often heart-wrenching and multi-layered with complex issues and thought-provoking real-world dilemmas and obstacles that would be difficult for anyone to navigate, much less while in the throes of an epic love story. The writing was lushly descriptive, poignantly insightful, and relentlessly mined all the feels with panache. And oh, I have to mention the bone-melting sensuality… I may have been gasping… a few times.

I struggled in how to rate it overall which proved to be quite the predicament as there were sections I truly struggled with as well as the unfortunate deployment of my least favorite trope, yet the superior quality and thoughtfulness of the writing couldn’t be overlooked. While the HEA was hard won, it was well worth the effort and “quite the snack.”

Excerpt:

“Let’s eat before we leave. I’m sure there’s quite the spread downstairs.”

“Rich people breakfast?” I ask.

She furrows a brow for a few seconds. “Yes. I suppose so.” Rolling away, she swings her legs around and stands up, stretching like a cat.

“Do you eat rich people breakfast every morning?” My curiosity has been piqued.

After a long yawn, she cocks her head to the side, lips slightly twisted. “Shredded Wheat with cut-up banana and almond milk. Is that a rich person’s breakfast?”

I sit up, doing a bit of my own stretching, loving the way her gaze roams along my bare chest, her lips parting ever so slightly. “No. I think that’s a solid middle-class breakfast.”

“Middle. That’s average. Average is good, right?”

“There’s nothing average about you, Henna.” I stand, following her into the bedroom.

“I’m going to shower quickly, and by quickly I mean I need an hour. Do you have an hour?”

“To shower with you?” I try to play it cool, like I’m serious.

I’m a little serious.

The color leaves her face. “Oh, um …” She twists her fingers together, drawing her shoulders inward.

“I’m kidding.”

A little kidding.

Henna’s posture relaxes as her cheeks pink up again. “We could.” Her gaze darts around the room before landing on mine for two seconds only to wander around the room again.

“My clothes are at my hotel. I’ll shower there. I need to get going.”

A slow sigh deflates her chest as she tries on a smile that misses the confident mark by a few centimeters. “Okay.”

“But thanks for the offer.” I wink.

More color paints her cheeks, and it looks stunning on her. “I kinda sorta thought we’d have sex last night, but we didn’t, and that’s fine, but now I don’t know what comes next.”

Does that make me the world’s biggest idiot for not taking what she was planning on offering? Or does that make me a gentleman? I’ve already fucked her a hundred different ways in my head, so I’m going to shy away from the gentleman label.

“How about you put my number in your phone and I’ll call you later today? That feels like a good next, don’t you think?”

Henna nods and turns, walking toward the bedroom door. Digging through her purse, she retrieves her phone. When she pulls it out, a string of three condoms comes out with it. “Oh jeez.” Quickly snatching them off the floor, she shoves them back into her purse.

I don’t respond because I’m not sure what the correct response should be.

“I was conceived at Coachella.” She hands me her phone with the contact screen open, ready for my information.

Taking her phone, I give her an expectant look, but she withholds all elaboration.

“And by conceived, you mean physical conception, not merely an idea kind of conception?” I hand her phone back and give her mine.

“In the shadows behind a stage. I know more details than most people should actually know about the moment they were conceived.” She lifts a shoulder in a small shrug. “But Juni is my best friend. She’s the absolute coolest mom ever, and the story of how she met my dad is my favorite story ever.”

I nod as she keeps her chin tipped toward the screen to my phone. “Why is that?” I take my phone back when she holds it out to me.

“Yin Yang. Opposites. Laws of the universe.” She wears a satisfied smile. “My parents were temporary. I was permanent.” Holding out her arms, she inspects her henna tattoos as if seeing them for the first time. “My mom had henna tattoos on her body when she met my dad. Henna grows in intensity over a few days before fading to nothing. It’s magical and beautiful and then it’s gone. My parents say that about their love for each other. It grew quickly into something deep and intense, but over time it faded. Their love—like most everything in life—was temporary.”

“We’re temporary.”

Her empty stare shifts to meet my gaze and she nods. “Don’t sweat it. Everything is temporary. But today…” she walks into my chest, and my arms wrap around her as she looks up at me “…we should be at our brightest, our most intense.”

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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