Category: After Hours

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Book Review: Fatal Chaos by Marie Force

Fatal Chaos

by Marie Force

 

 

First the calm. Then the storm…

Escaping DC during the dog days of summer is one of the smartest moves Washington metro police lieutenant Samantha Holland ever made. Beach walks aren’t quite as romantic with the Secret Service in tow, but Sam and her husband, Vice President Nick Cappuano, cherish the chance to recharge and reconnect—especially with a scandal swirling around the administration.

No sooner are they back home than a fatal drive-by shooting sets the city on edge. The teenage victim is barely older than Sam and Nick’s son, Scotty. As more deaths follow, Sam and her team play beat the clock to stop the ruthless killers. With Nick facing his greatest challenge—one that could drastically change all their lives and even end Sam’s career—will the mounting pressure deepen or damage their bond?

My Rating:

 

Favorite Quotes:

 

I think you can only get an annulment before the marriage is consummated. Since we’ve consummated ours about six thousand times, I’d say you’re screwed in more ways than one.

 

There’s my nonfelon wife. I’m so glad I’m not going to have to visit you in prison, although I bet the conjugal visits would’ve been hot.

 

“She should’ve been spanked more as a child,” Celia said, teasing. Sam laughed. “They couldn’t catch me to spank me.”

 

“Mom! Language!” “I’ll put fifty in the swear jar.” “That swear jar is going to put me through college… Better make it a hundred bucks… I have a feeling this is gonna be a long day.”

 

“Stop making excuses for them,” Scotty said. “They’re unseemly. And yes, that’s one of our vocabulary words this week. My parents are unseemly. See? I can even use it in a sentence.” Sam and Nick rocked with laughter… Scotty folded his arms and shook his head. “You guys suck at this.” To Celia, he said, “Is there a class or something they can take before they totally mess me up?”

My Review:

 

Fatal Chaos was my perfect read with a good cross-section of suspense, sizzle, clever humor, a sexy and supportive loving couple, compelling and likable characters, a well-crafted and unpredictable storyline, and excellent writing. It was superb from start to finish, even if one of the main characters was a politician – but this is how you know you are reading fiction since he wasn’t a self-serving and egotistical weasel. I adored the snappy dialogue, and highly amusing verbal sparring and irreverent bickering Sam engaged in with her husband, partner, son, and father. They each held their own and gave as good as they got. There were multiple storylines going at once, all were actively engaging, busy, and highly interesting.   The random and vexing crime spree was heartbreaking yet realistic, relevant, and one I could not have solved. I love when that happens!

 

About the Author

 Marie Force is the New York Times bestselling author of contemporary romance, including the indie-published Gansett Island Series and the Fatal Series from Harlequin Books. In addition, she is the author of the Butler, Vermont Series, the Green Mountain Series and the erotic romance Quantum Series. In 2019, her new historical Gilded series from Kensington Books will debut with Duchess By Deception. 

All together, her books have sold 6.5 million copies worldwide, have been translated into more than a dozen languages and have appeared on the New York Times bestseller list many times. She is also a USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestseller, a Speigel bestseller in Germany, a frequent speaker and publishing workshop presenter as well as a publisher through her Jack’s House Publishing romance imprint. She is a two-time nominee for the Romance Writers of America’s RITA® award for romance fiction. 

Her goals in life are simple—to finish raising two happy, healthy, productive young adults, to keep writing books for as long as she possibly can and to never be on a flight that makes the news.
Join Marie’s mailing list for news about new books and upcoming appearances in your area. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter @marieforce and on Instagram. Join one of Marie’s many reader groups. Contact Marie at marie@marieforce.com.
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Book Review:  Sounds and Spirits (Hemlock Creek #2) by Josie Kerr

 Sounds and Spirits
Hemlock Creek #2
by Josie Kerr

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Forty-eight-year-old Liddie Hopewell doesn’t quite know what to do with herself after her husband passes away after a long illness. When one of her beloved uncles encourages her to come back to Hemlock Creek, she heads home, with her daughter and granddaughter in tow.

Tobias Harper moved back to north Georgia after three decades in Nashville, hoping to recharge and regroup. A successful musician and songwriter, Tobias is searching for inspiration but a vindictive ex-wife and the ghost of his overbearing father seem to be all he’s finding.

High school sweethearts more than three decades before, Liddie and Tobias have a chance meeting at the local tavern. A second unexpected encounter leads to answers of long-unresolved questions. Will Liddie and Tobias be able to rebuild the relationship they once had, or will the burden of the past prove to be too much for their newly-rekindled love affair to bear?

 

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

I don’t know how you didn’t go crazy, Mimi. What did you guys do for fun? Chase goats? Make cheese?

 

I had myself a little Steel Magnolias come-undone, complete with finding the flower arrangement she sent and running it over with my car… Backed over it three times and then put it back in the reception area. That was not my finest moment. She just made me so damn mad… She just had the unmitigated gall to be twenty years younger, fifty pounds lighter, and about five inches taller.

 

Marty raised his eyebrows so high they shifted his toupee back on his head,

 

And for the record, the biggest thing about Tobias is his heart and his kindness, but, honey, everything is physically proportional, and that, my dear, is mighty fine.

 

My Review:

 

Book two in the series provides more delightfully amusing, eye-popping, sheet-scorching, and heart-squeezing excellence from the smooth and clever wordsmith known as Josie Kerr. I couldn’t read fast enough to get to the mysterious secret that had been deeply buried for thirty years, I thought I knew what it was, but I was wrong. Multiple tropes and genres were tapped for this well-crafted tale as it was part second-chance adult romance and part family drama with small-town complications, clever humor, and southern flavoring. It was a quick, entertaining, and spicy read that kept me smirking. I mourned finishing and yearned for more.   Write faster Ms. Kerr; you have provoked an addiction that you are now required to feed.

 

 

Josie Kerr  

Website

Twitter
authorjosiekerr

Goodreads


Josie Kerr is a 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.

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Book Review: Whiskey and Serendipity (Hemlock Creek Volume 1) by Josie Kerr

Whiskey and Serendipity 

(Hemlock Creek Volume 1) 

by Josie Kerr

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Amazon

Nothing is going right for Kate Fahey, a forty-two-year-old risk analyst, on her last-minute business trip to Ireland. From one screwup to another, the trip has the potential to be an unmitigated disaster. The handsome Southern gentleman she meets on the flight provides a welcome distraction from her very bad day, but in her rush to a get to a meeting, she leaves the plane before she can turn her flirtation into something more.

Forty-five, fresh from a divorce and recently unemployed, Cal Harper decides to go on what should have been a delayed honeymoon to Ireland alone. Cal only wants the comfort found at the bottom of a bottle. Even hungover after a trans-Atlantic flight, he knows it was a mistake not to make future plans with the beautiful woman who sat next to him the entire time.
When the luck of the Irish brings the two strangers back together, they throw caution to the wind and agree to a wild, holiday fling. Will their short time together be enough? Or will they be forced to go back to their separate lives when they return to the US?
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My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

His deep voice reminded her of a really good bourbon—a little raspy, but ultimately smooth and languid.

 

Oh, don’t call me Mr. Harper. That’s my ol’ man, and I haven’t pissed you off enough to warrant that sort of bone-deep ugliness.

 

Babe, if this is your version of fast, going slow just might kill me…

 

Yeah, you’re right—this is a lotta look. It’s like . . . a granny’s house, but only if that granny was obsessed with both Gunsmoke and Miami Vice.

 

You know, when I met Nolan, Bridget promised she’d never try to fix me up with either of his brothers because you both needed hand trucks to haul around your emotional baggage. But you know what? … I’ll take you, baggage and all.”

 

Hold on, darlin’. Give me a chance to get the blood directed to my brain again.

 

My Review:

 

They met on a long plane ride and enjoyed each other’s company as they crossed the Atlantic, but despite the immediate attraction, somehow they didn’t exchange information, but then they just so happened to meet up again while attending the same conference in the same Irish hotel. Fate – maybe, serendipity – obviously, outstanding Irish luck – most certainly!   I adored this book start to finish! Josie Kerr has a wily sense of humor and is a master storyteller as she quickly sucked me into a captivating Cal Harper/Kat Fahey vortex with her cleverly amusing writing style, alluring and quirky characters, and enticing and engaging storylines. Even the cranky characters were appealing and/or intriguing. And sizzle and snap – this couple threw sparks and scorched the ceiling as well as the sheets. This series has proven to be addictive as the other stories are already beckoning to me. I greedily want all Ms. Kerr’s lovely and witty words; I need to know all there is to know about each of them. Thankfully I already have the second book ready for perusal.

 

 

Whiskey and Serendipity can also be found as part of the Tempting Luck Anthology


In this 21 book boxed set, from New York Times, USA Today, and other bestselling authors, find out just how lucky you can be with just one click. You’ll be packing your bags and hoping Ireland will have just that sexy sort of magic you’ve been looking for.

Goodreads

Amazon

 


Josie Kerr   

Website

Twitter
authorjosiekerr

Goodreads

Amazon

Josie Kerr is a 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.

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Book Review: Marriage of Inconvenience by Penny Reid

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Marriage of Inconvenience, an all new romantic comedy standalone in the USA Today bestselling, Knitting in the City Series by Penny Reid, is LIVE!

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There are three things you need to know about Kat Tanner (aka Kathleen Tyson. . . and yes, she is *that* Kathleen Tyson): 1) She’s determined to make good decisions, 2) She must get married ASAP, and 3) She knows how to knit.

Being a billionaire heiress isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. In fact, it sucks. Determined to live a quiet life, Kat Tanner changed her identity years ago and eschewed her family’s legacy. But now, Kat’s silver spoon past has finally caught up with her, and so have her youthful mistakes. To avoid imminent disaster, she must marry immediately; it is essential that the person she chooses have no romantic feelings for her whatsoever and be completely trustworthy.

Fortunately, she knows exactly who to ask. Dan O’Malley checks all the boxes: single, romantically indifferent to her, completely trustworthy. Sure, she might have a wee little crush on Dan the Security Man, but with clear rules, expectations, and a legally binding contract, Kat is certain she can make it through this debacle with her sanity—and heart—all in one piece.

Except, what happens when Dan O’Malley isn’t as indifferent—or as trustworthy—as she thought?

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Read Today!

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2GjPbU1

Amazon Universal: http://mybook.to/MarriageofInconvenience

iBooks: https://apple.co/2FjtjGW

Nook: http://bit.ly/2yycreU

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2zRl42J

Add to GoodReads: http://bit.ly/2neqv6k

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

They have this turkey sub with stuffing and cranberry sauce. It’s like Thanksgiving in a sandwich, but without the additional seasoning of my drunk uncle Zip’s politics, or my sister Cathy’s failed attempts at pumpkin pie. The woman never met a recipe she didn’t want to ruin by making it vegan. What the fuck is almond milk? They don’t call it ‘nut juice’ but that’s exactly what it is.

 

My stomach colluded with my heart to switch places because—if my brain could be trusted—it looked like he was giving me the sexy eyes.

 

He doesn’t scare me. He’s older than both of us, but he looks like the sort that still trips over his umbilical cord, you know? Needs everything spelled out with alphabet soup, doesn’t get the picture unless it’s finger-painted.

 

Her tone was so salty, it made me thirsty.

 

I stared at Dan, my lips parting in wonder. He’d just used some variation of the F-word as a noun, verb, adverb, and adjective all in one sentence. I didn’t know whether to be mortified or impressed.

 

I frowned, my mood shifting suddenly because, who would name their dog Bark Wahlberg? Only the funniest, cleverest, most amazing man in the world, that’s who.

 

He’ll be back. He’s like my mailman… He always comes back and brings bad news.

 

My Review:

 

I loved every word of this cleverly written and highly amusing book. Over five hundred pages of delightfully arranged words and I would covet five hundred more of the same. I adored this smart, quirky, and enticing group of characters and could never tire of reading of their antics, shenanigans, and perilous adventures.   The cheese-loving heiress Kat was advised to quickly find herself married to prevent her sinister and nefarious cousin (AKA Tiny Satan) from gaining control of her treasure chest of assets and family’s business empire by appointing himself as her guardian and having her committed. Enter Dan the sexy security man – foul-mouthed, expletive-spewing, creative cussing, bawdy talking Dan; who was excellence personified and my new BBF.   Written from my favorite dual POV, this book was complete perfection. Humor, a sweet romance, danger, an original and well-crafted plot, and top-notch writing – all in one place. There was nothing more I could have asked for. I treasure and idolize the Divine Penny Reid whose prose had me Googling the Five Knuckle Shuffle. I am always excited about learning new things 😉

Meet Penny Reid:

Penny Reid is the USA Today Bestselling Author of the Winston Brothers and Knitting in the City series. When she’s not immersed in penning smart romances, Penny works in the biotech industry as a researcher. She’s also a full-time mom to three diminutive adults, wife, daughter, knitter, crocheter, sewer, general crafter, and thought ninja.

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Connect with Penny:

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

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

Twitter: @ReidRomance

Newsletter: http://pennyreid.ninja/newsletter/

www.pennyreid.ninja

 

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Book Review: Love Broken by J.D. Hollyfield

Title: Love Broken
Author: J.D. Hollyfield
Genre: RomCom/Contemporary
Release Date: February 26, 2018

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My name is Katie Beller, but the world, as of late, knows me as Bailey Swan, the love guru behind my bestselling book.

Want the shortened version? Here it is: 

Love was stupid.

A fake. A farce

Love was broken. 

Women everywhere were eating up my advice and fighting back against fake love. My book started a relationship revolution. And I stood by my story. 

Until I met Charlie Bates.

When I throw all my own rules and advice out the window after a week-long rendezvous, I start to wonder just how real my words were. Maybe love might be just a little more complicated than I thought. 

Maybe I’m the one who’s love broken.
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My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

I don’t have a great literary background story for you on how my book hit the big time, or any “awe” love story that pushed me to write it. To be honest, I’m a bartender at a local hole in the wall in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, and I just get to hear and see a lot of shit.

 

What I didn’t expect was a cult-like following of women to read my book of words and start a hateration on dead-beat men.

 

I don’t dance. Mainly because I don’t know how to, so this game of who can make who jealous more, quickly starts blowing up in my face, since I look like I’m having a seizure over trying to get hot and heavy on the dance floor.

 

My love got so messy, it should have come with a cleaning kit. To say it was a bit turbulent at times was an understatement.

 

My Review:

 

No matter how carefully I shop, I often come home with a new carton of eggs only to later notice an obvious fissure in one of them.   Love Broken was my twelfth J.D. Hollyfield read, and my least favorite of the otherwise crack-free dozen.   I started off with a smirk and high expectations, anticipating writing up another 5-Star review for the crafty author I had previously experienced to be cleverly amusing, but my smile and projected rating started to slip, bounced a bit, then plummeted with a grimace for an uncomfortably long stretch while I actively sighed, before finally resuming to a habitable level again shortly before I ran out of pages and optimism.

My chief source of consternation was my lack of appreciation for the irritable main character of Katie, and all the brooding, conflict, and angst she mired herself with. I had adored previous readings of Ms. Hollyfield’s amusing work and had aspirations of liking this one as well, so I expended a considerable amount of energy while endeavoring to find some admirable traits in the cowardly Katie.   However, other than her witty snark and euphoric sexual chemistry with the cut, buff, and swoon-worthy character of Charlie/Chase, I found Katie rather tedious and exasperating; the annoyingly cranky and immature type of personality I actively avoid in real life.   Katie was bitterly insecure, bitingly bitchy, irresponsible, and tiresomely stubborn. I couldn’t fathom why the besotted Charlie/Chase would bother with her, other than the explosive sensual gymnastics they performed. Sizzle and snap! They scorched the sheets!

Don’t get me wrong. Love Broken was not a bad book, just not as balanced or engagingly entertaining as I have come to expect from the talented wordsmith. Despite the periodic sparkles of clever humor, I read with a darkening sense of personal disappointment that blossomed into dire discontent, which then morphed into disenchantment and near despair, but I ended on a higher note of relief with the desirable destination of a satisfying HEA conclusion. Could I have possibly added more d-words to that sentence?

 

Creative designer, mother, wife, writer, part-time superhero…

J.D. Hollyfield is a creative designer by day and superhero by night. When she’s not trying to save the world one happy ending at a time, she enjoys the snuggles of her family and three doxies. With her love for romance, and head full of book boyfriends, she was inspired to test her creative abilities and bring her own story to life.

J.D. Hollyfield lives in the Midwest, and is currently at work on blowing the minds of readers, with the additions of her new books and series, along with her charm, humor and HEA’s.
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Book Review, Giveaway : Misadventures of a College Girl by Lauren Rowe

Misadventures of a College Girl

 

by Lauren Rowe

 

Goodreads

 


#MisadventuresofaCollegeGirl
 

 


***MISADVENTURES ARE STANDALONE ROMANCES THAT CAN BE READ IN ANY ORDER***

Synopsis
 

Straitlaced freshman Zooey Cartwright has arrived at UCLA determined to have a heck of a lot more fun in college than she did in high school. What’s the first item on Zooey’s agenda before classes start in two days? Losing her pesky V card. She’s definitely not looking for a boyfriend, so where can Zooey find the right guy to do the deed and move along without a backward glance? 

At a party thrown by a bunch of football players, of course. Enter Tyler Caldwell. A beast on the field and off, cocky as heck, and often wearing T-shirts with sayings like “God’s Gift to Womankind,” Tyler is most definitely not boyfriend material. After a make-out session with Tyler leaves Zooey entirely unsatisfied, she is determined never to see him again. But her schedule lands her in not one but two of his classes, and it doesn’t take long before Tyler and Zooey have reached an arrangement for Tyler to teach Zooey exactly what she wants to know―and a whole lot more she never bargained for. Can Zooey surrender her body to this bad boy without giving him her heart, too?


Buy the Book

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2slNcLu
BN.com: http://bit.ly/2gcAExG
iBooks: http://apple.co/2tuH2Jg
Google Play: http://bit.ly/2uoXYx2
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2turXam

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

If you really want to be traumatized, then consider this: Why the hell isn’t Pooh wearing pants? He’s a bear who lives in a house and sleeps in a bed. He drinks tea out of a cup. And yet he wears no pants with his polo shirt? I mean, is Pooh fully anthropomorphized or not? Because, if he is, then he’s a ‘public lewdness’ charge waiting to happen.

 

Gosh, when the universe works this hard to put two ridiculously good-looking people together, it’d be downright arrogant of them not to have sex, don’t you think?

 

I saw you two walking through South Campus the other day holding hands. You looked good together. Like Beauty and the… Beauty.

 

My Review:

 

Written from the first person POV of a virginal female college freshman, this delightfully entertaining book was a breezy, naughty, and fun read. This Misadventure was jam-packed with clever humor, salacious sizzle, enticing characters, and a sweet romance that wasn’t supposed to happen as it was not part of the project plan or on the syllabus.   I adored the characters and thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Rowe’s witty, amusing, and engaging storylines. I fell hard and fast for this cute couple.

 


Meet the Author

Lauren Rowe is the pen name of the USA Today, Amazon #1, and international #1 best-selling author of The Club Series and more. She’s a performer, audiobook narrator, award-winning songwriter and media host/personality who decided to unleash her alter ego to write The Club Series to ensure she didn’t hold back or self-censor in writing the story. Lauren Rowe lives in San Diego, California where she lives with her family, sings with her band, hosts a show, and writes at all hours of the night. 

Find out more about The Club Series and Lauren Rowe’s other books at www.LaurenRoweBooks.com.   Facebook       Instagram

Find all books in the Misadventures Series here:

The Misadventures Series 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

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Book Review: Bare (The Vault Series Raw #2) by C.A. Harms

Bare Raw 2 eBook

BARE

The Vault Series – Raw #2

by CA Harms

AMAZON US | AMAZON UK | AMAZON AU | AMAZON CA

BRYNN
He was my weakness.
The one desire I fought the hardest, but craved the most.
There was an unexplainable pull whenever I was near him.
I was addicted to him. I was crazed by his touch. I longed for his kiss.
Until he broke me…
He was cold and callus.
What we shared was nothing but meaningless acts.
A facade. I was a ploy in his game of control.
I had no choice but to move forward.
I had to forget the impact he had on me.
More importantly, I had to forget him.
Only that was easier said than done…
Each night when I closed my eyes,
I’d hear the kind words he’d whisper, I’d feel his gentle caress as he held me close.
But the dreams always ended the same.
I would see him walking away, without looking back.
ALEC
She tested my limits from the start. 
The more I fought the attraction, the more intense it became.
She defied every rule I set for myself and challenged my need for control.
She made me want the things I had denied myself for too long,
so I did the worst possible thing.
 
I broke her heart. 
What should have been my way out only left me feeling bare.
My desire to have her magnified.
It was time to pick up the shattered pieces of my life and face the harsh reality of my choices.
But my biggest fear of all was that with Brynn, it was now too late to go back…
 
ADD TO GOODREADS: http://bit.ly/2owsGTK

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

He’s a menace…. Just last weak he told Brianna that her hair looked like milk chocolate, and the Friday before that he told Draya that her eyes looked like emeralds and he wanted to get lost in their beauty… He’s an eleven-year-old boy that thinks he’s a man. All Casanova-like, spilling his cheesy lines to one girl after the next.

 

Yep, they also have the perfect heel, so the next time you see that creep you can stomp on his toes hard, and twist. Make him squeal like the dirty little pig he is.

 

I can’t get them out of my head… They’re always there in the front of my mind playing over and over… Like a repeating scene in a damn movie that you can’t pause and never ends.

 

Holy Christmas… Santa exploded with greatness in here.

  

My Review:

 

Although both installments featured active storylines and were super steamy and packed with angsty drama; with a longer and more romantic storyline spiked with cleverly amusing humor, more relaxed characters, and a sharp uptick of sweet and steamy wooing, I enjoyed Book #2 Bare considerably more than I had Book #1 Raw. I remain a bit conflicted with the main character of Alec, he was a total ass in the first book and although still an ass, he gradually improved throughout this book, until he really screwed the pooch, again… But I admired how he sincerely tried to win over the lovely Brynn by remembering things she liked (like kissing her forehead), and being so sweetly attentive and trying so hard to please her before he was apparently re-struck with the stupid stick.

Bare is the sequel to Raw! 
ADD TO GOODREADS: http://bit.ly/2Cm06NW
Bare Teaser 1

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EXCERPT

I redirect my gaze to my brother only this time I push back. “You wanna hit me, hit me.” I lean in closer to him, ensuring he reads the determination in my eyes. “If you want to yell and fucking scream then do it, but know one thing, you will be moving out of my way so that I can get to her. Because not you or anyone else for that matter is gonna to keep me from her.”

“Noone but Mandy that is,” he adds just before releasing his hold on me.

“I told you it wasn’t like that.”

“You were with her all day,” he adds. “Yet you never felt the need to tell anyone about the plans I’m sure you’ve had for days to meet her. If that’s not guilt for doing something you knew you shouldn’t then I don’t know what is.”

We stand there, head to head in the small space near the entry door to the room. Aric glaring at me as if at any moment he would attack, and at that point I wasn’t so sure I would stop him. I felt defeated because he was right, I fucked up.

“Alec,” the sound of Brynn’s voice causes both of us to move toward her, as I quickly survey the damage. No longer did her stomach show the evidence of our child and the reality of what had taken place while I was unreachable hit me.

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Young couple having sex. Woman and man in bed.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
C.A. Harms is like any other addicted reader. She enjoys happy endings and HEA love stories. She hasn’t always been a lover of Romance and had once been addicted to a good Mystery. Just recently she has taken on a new liking and now is a full-blown Romance novel addict.
She lives in Illinois and enjoys spending time with her husband and two children. You will always find her with her kindle or paperback in hand as it is her favorite pass time.
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Book Review: One Hundred Reasons (An Aspen Cove Romance Book 1) by Kelly Collins

One Hundred Reasons 

(An Aspen Cove Romance Book 1)

by Kelly Collins 

Goodreads

Amazon

 

Fresh starts, hope, and happily ever afters…

Nurse Sage Nichols life changed when she lost her favorite patient and inherited a bed and breakfast in a town she didn’t know existed. She traveled to Aspen Cove intent to sell so she could hurry back to her life in Denver. Little did she know, she was about to find everything she ever needed in the tiny mountain town with a big heart. Sage found herself in a place where caring for your neighbor was a way of life. In her case, that happened to be surly Cannon Bishop, the man of her dreams.

Cannon Bishop was a man who learned long ago that hope was a dangerous thing. Closed off from the world after a family tragedy, Cannon lived a lonely life as the owner of Aspen Cove’s only bar and son to the town drunk. When Sage Nichols breezed into town, she offered the possibility of more if he’d only open his heart. Cannon’s protective walls tumble and suddenly a brighter future of healing, hope, and peace was possible…if only Sage would stay.

 

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My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

…the air was filled with a scent that seemed to be synonymous with the elderly. Sage tried to figure the smell out, but the closest thing she could ever come up with was Bengay for arthritis mixed with contraband candy.

 

She confiscated the candy and reminded David Lark that a man with diabetes shouldn’t feed his disease. “Come on! I gave up women. I gave up alcohol. I gave up swearing. I’m dying.” He watched her tuck the candy bar into her pocket.

 

When Sage opened her mouth, the man popped a Life Saver from its wrapper straight into it. The cherry flavor coated her tongue. She wasn’t sure if it was supposed to ease the pain or shut her up. It did both.

 

I work for peanut butter cups and Skittles… I’m cheap, but I’m not easy.

 

She’d arrived and disrupted his status quo, making him realize it had been status woe.

 

My Review:

 

I adored this sweet small-town romance as I have every other Kelly Collins book I have ever picked up. Her characters tend to be flawed, wounded, endearing, and doing their best in a difficult situation and the main characters of this entertaining tale, Cannon and Sage, fit this description as well. The storylines were fresh, relevant, emotive, and thoughtfully observant with hits of humor and steam. I am excited about this new series of stand-alone stories and am already looking forward to the next installment.

 

ABOUT KELLY COLLINS   

Kelly Collins writes with the intention of keeping the love alive.

Always a romantic, she is inspired by real-time events mixed with a dose of fiction. She encourages her readers to reach the happily ever after but bask in the afterglow of the perfectly imperfect love.

Kelly lives in Colorado with her husband of twenty-five years. She loves hockey, shiny objects and has a new-found appreciation for green smoothies.

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Book Review, Giveaway: Marrying Mr. Valentine by Laura Barnard

RELEASE DAY & GIVEAWAY! 

Marrying Mr Valentine is LIVE!

 

Amazon Bestselling author Laura Barnard brings you the follow on book from Adventurous Proposal, second standalone in the One Month Til I Do series.



Goodreads

Amazon UK – http://amzn.to/2CKUcW
Amazon US – http://amzn.to/2CBIFFz


Synopsis

 

Nadine Roberts smiles for everyone, but beneath it she hides a heartbreaking past that only a few know about. Throwing herself into her new career; wedding planner at The Duck & Goose, a property recently purchased by newlyweds Florence and Hugh, has helped distract her from her loneliness.

When a teary bride suddenly cancels her upcoming wedding Nadine looks to the two-year waiting list. Clara Blumenkrantz and Hartley Valentine. It’ll have to be a quick turnaround, but what’s the worst that can happen, right?

This should be like every other wedding she plans, but the magnetism she feels towards Mr. Valentine disrupts the orderly life she’s worked hard to carve out.

Can she ignore her intense desires and be a professional? Or will she open up her heart to the one person that has the power to break it? And in doing so endanger not just her job, but her venue’s reputation?


With reviews like this, what are you waiting for?
‘Another great read from Laura full of her usual quick wit and slapstick shenanigans.’

You don’t need to have read book one, but if you’d rather read in order you can download Adventurous Proposal:

Amazon Affiliate UK – http://amzn.to/2qxKSAk

Amazon affiliate US – http://amzn.to/2D5IhQK

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My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Where the hell did she find him? He’s like a sexy Viking… He could be a model, but I doubt he is. He looks too manly to want to prance around in his underwear. What a shame for the UK population of women… he could be a lumberjack with a body like that. I’d watch him take down a tree any day.

It’s so different being in a high school compared to the old primary school I used to work in. I actually feel self-conscious. I walk past a group of boys rehearsing, when they start wolf-whistling… ‘You’re a right fitty, Miss!’ another one shouts. His mate barks out a laugh. Well, what the hell am I supposed to do in this situation? You don’t get this kind of crap with five-year-olds. I’m blushing before I can reason with myself to play it unaffected. And now I look like I’m enjoying it. They might even take it as encouragement. Think I’m a horny Mrs Robinson type…

 Oh and is there any chance you could look into plastic surgery for one of my bridesmaids? … My bridesmaid, my dear friend, Jessica, has a huge nose, and she’s been thinking about getting it fixed. I’ve offered to pay as long as it would heal before the wedding. We don’t want that honker getting in the way of the photos!

 Of course, Princess Clara has sensitive skin. I’m sure she only uses products made with unicorn tears and elf droppings.

My Review:

 

I have smirked and giggle-snorted my way through another of the madly talented Laura Barnard’s wittily written romantic comedies. Ms. Barnard’s cleverly amusing storytelling and irreverent and bawdy humor keep me eagerly awaiting each new release. Written from the first person POV of the detail-oriented and kind-hearted Nadine, wedding planner/manager extraordinaire who was prone to filthy language and comical thoughts in her inner musings. However, this story was not all giggles and cocktails as between drunken whine sessions with her friends and handling various wedding mishaps as well as dealing with the rushed planning of the worst of the worst Bridezilla in Clara who also happened to be a rich relative of her boss; snapshots of a less than idyllic and angsty backstory were glimpsed until Nadine’s life-altering tragic experience was exposed.

The oddly tasteless yet loftily wealthy Clara became increasingly demanding and bizarre in her accelerated wedding demands although she had started small with wanting an ice sculptor of the couple kissing before working up to swans, penguins, a ten-tier cake, and rushed plastic surgery for an unfortunately large snouted bridesmaid. But what of the adorable, swoon-worthy, and Viking sexy groom, Mr. Valentine? He didn’t seem in sync with Clara at all, but that was the crux of the story.

And lastly, rubbing my palms together with glee, I have a new addition to my Brit words and phrases list with “go spare,” which Mr. Google told me was to “become extremely angry or distraught.” And Clara definitely had Nadine going spare.

Giveaway

Head on over to Laura’s Facebook page (details below) to enter her release day giveaway to be in with a chance of winning a £10 Amazon Gift Card!

Stalk Laura

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

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

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

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Book Review: Fool Me Twice by Lilliana Anderson

 

Fool Me Twice

by Lilliana Anderson

Goodreads

Amazon

B&N

 

‘Some husbands bought their wives flowers, others bought jewelry. Mine? He returned the things he stole.’

I should have known better. Hot guys didn’t hit on big girls without an agenda. They didn’t approach them in bars and talk their way into your bed. They also didn’t make you feel beautiful and proud of your curves. But I was going through a dry spell—actually, I’d kind of been going through a dry spell all my life—and dry spells sucked. Of course I slept with him.I was such a fool.

I believed his lines. Fell for his easy smile; the man swept me off my feet, rocked my world, then robbed me blind.

I really needed a three date rule.

Angry and embarrassed, I engaged the help of my best friend to track the thief down and make him return what he took. But when I found him, he wasn’t alone….

What does a girl do when she finds not one thief, but an entire family?

She marries into it, of course.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Guys often approached her, but she was painfully shy and socially awkward. The last time a hot guy spoke to her, he asked if he could buy her a drink and she just looked at him, then blurted, “I put make-up on dead people.” Yes, Alesha was a beautician at a funeral parlour—a fact I kept advising her to save for at least the second date, but her awkwardness always beat out her common sense.

 

I, on the other hand, was short and a little on the round side. Growing up, my aunt used to assure me that I was like a caterpillar, eating my way through all the leaves until I spun my cocoon and emerged a beautiful butterfly. She lied. I’m still a chubby caterpillar.

 

Um… please tell me that’s a tube of tennis balls you’re carrying in your pants… I, uh… think a baby elephant is missing a trunk somewhere…

 

Why would I be afraid? I stand in a refrigerated room and put make-up on corpses for a living. This is the most excitement I’ve had in years.

 

We’d gone to see the ballet at the Opera House and ridden the ferry to the zoo. I’d thrown up over the side and she’d laughed it off, telling me the fish would be grateful for the extra treat. I’d cried harder because we’d been eating fish and chips. I didn’t want the fish to be cannibals.

My Review:

 

I am conflicted about how to evaluate this book. On one hand, it had a sweet and highly erotic love story with an interesting premise, and the writing was often humorous and witty enough to bring a smirk to my lips, but… I struggled with some of the storylines as well as the characters. Nate was an erotic, filthy talking, porn-star worthy lover with a huge sacred member that was ultimately and aptly named Goliath. Yet Nate and his peculiar family were unapologetic criminals with a complicated family dynamic. They were sexy, crass, spoke with prolific profanity, and had a callous disregard for their victims or working people in general. I had initially liked the feisty Holland until a night of earth-shattering sex seemed to have the pernicious effect of obliterating all rational sense, as she devolved into an addled moron.

After their night of porn-star worthy sex, Nate had drugged her and stripped her apartment bare of all her worldly possessions while she slept, even took her purse and ID, and stole her car. The best sex she had ever had turned out to be costly on every level. But honestly, who would give a man a second chance after that? Or, a third chance after he did it again? But she did and he did, and then they oddly ended up married. Holland loved her husband and wasn’t afraid of him, but she feared his family, and for good reason. Most women often feel as if their mother-in-law would like to kill them off or see them gone, but this steely mother-in-law was no small menace, she informed the hapless Holland, more than once, exactly how she would slit her throat – yikes. I think I would have made tracks well before but most certainly would have after that, Goliath or not!

 

Author Bio

 

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NEWSLETTER

Bestselling Author of the Beautiful Series, Drawn, and 47 Things, Lilliana has always loved to read and write, considering it the best form of escapism that the world has to offer.

Australian born and bred, she writes New Adult Romance revolving around her authentically Aussie characters with all the quirks you’d expect from those born Down Under.

Lilliana believes the world should know Australia for more than just its beaches and outback. Book after book, she successfully brings to life city and suburban characters much to her readers’ delight.

When she isn’t writing, she wears the hat of ‘wife and mother’ to her husband and four children.

Before Lilliana turned to writing, she worked in a variety of industries and studied humanities and communications before transferring to commerce/law at university.

Originally from Sydney’s Western suburbs, she currently lives a fairly quiet life in suburban Melbourne.