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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.

Tough Cookie, an all-new heartfelt fake dating small-town romance from Talia Hunter, is now available in Kindle Unlimited!

Noah Malone is back in his hometown for a short break from his stunt work, but his mother’s set on convincing him to settle down in Green Valley so he can give her grandbabies like the good Lord intended. Not only is she pushing him to help out at the Donner Bakery decorating cookies, but her matchmaking is relentless.

To end his mother’s awkward set-ups, Noah needs a no-strings-attached pretend girlfriend. And who better than Carla, a mysterious recluse who seems to have taken an instant dislike to him? When she reveals she’s been isolated by illness, he proposes a fake relationship that’ll stop his momma’s shenanigans and help Carla ease back into the world.

Tech-geek Carla creates a spreadsheet of fake-date challenges. She’s serious and focused on her goal of slowly becoming more social… until daredevil Noah starts messing with her spreadsheet. He’s ridiculously charming, and his sexy additions may be even more appealing than the cookies he brings her, but Carla won’t let her resistance crumble.

Opposites may attract, but can such different people find a recipe for love?

‘Tough Cookie’ is a full-length contemporary romance, can be read as a standalone, and is book #3 in the Donner Bakery series, Green Valley Chronicles, Penny Reid Book Universe.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

If someone needed permission to sneeze, my mother would volunteer to organize the paperwork.

“You’re thirty-three.” She used what could only be described as a dire tone, as though Thirty-Three was the fifth horseman of the apocalypse.

“I don’t usually eat so much green stuff, but now I feel healthy. Like Popeye after he’s chugged some spinach.” Leaning back on his stool, he flexed one arm. “My bicep looks bigger now, right?”

“Yesterday, I told Momma I was officially dating Carla,” I confided. “Momma immediately called her and insisted she come for lunch this week. She probably wants to measure her for a wedding dress and slip her some fertility drugs.”

I had an overwhelming urge to let out a nervous bray of laughter. Having his arm around me and being the recipient of a wink was strange enough, but when he called me sugar, it made me feel like I had too many arms and legs. I was an octopus of awkwardness.

My Review:

 

This was delightfully entertaining and deliciously steamy while also thoughtfully written and informative. The storylines pulled me inside a warm and engaging space and held my interest with sparkling humor, clever wit, and uniquely appealing characters. Loves me some Green Valley Smartypants tales!

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quote:

 

She gives me a look like I’ve got about two working brain cells and one just gave out.

My Review:

 

I enjoyed this sweet and sexy romance, it was a slow burn until their chemistry sparked a volcanic eruption and they became a fire hazard. I adored this couple, a clever case of looks can be deceiving and never assume.

 

The Vinyl Frontier, all-new opposites attract college romance from USA Today bestselling author Lola West, is LIVE in Kindle Unlimited!

What happens when an uptight preppy frat boy sets his sights on a punk rock princess? #superherolevelchaos

Zack Worthington’s life is a carefully curated performance. Controlled by his politician father, he stands on his mark and recites his lines. There’s no room for deviation, no time for comic books, and no patience for obscure Trekkie facts. He’s all business, polished to a shine–the sparkling jewel in his father’s crown.

Then one night, Zack lays eyes on a girl he can’t unsee…

Open-minded, self-sufficient, Deaf drummer, Molly Mills is working hard to find her rhythm in a competitive college music program. She’s driven to prove herself to nearly everyone, even while living off of packaged noodles and thrift-store clothing.

Watching her alone on the dance floor, punky, free, and wild, Zack told himself that opposites attract was totally not a real thing. But a couple days later when he realizes he’s the teaching assistant in her research methodologies class, he can’t ignore his instincts. He has to know her.

Only Molly isn’t interested in his platitudes and superficial chit-chat.

Suddenly, all bets are off because this buttoned-up, rule-following rich guy actually wants to be more than meets the eye…

‘The Vinyl Frontier’ is a full-length contemporary romance and can be read as a standalone. Book #4 in the Lessons Learned series, Educated Romance World, Penny Reid Book Universe.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

She shook hands like she owned the earth. I envied the technique and shook hands with her any chance I got, trying to commit the feeling to memory.

This was not the kind of girl who stood next to you on the podium as you swore to uphold the law. This was the kind of girl who went with you to the county fair, screamed something profane from the top of the Ferris wheel, and licked the cotton candy off her fingers.

Sure, it might end in a blaze of heartbreak— but maybe every girl should date at least one totally inappropriate guy.

Thing was, I didn’t want dick pics. They weren’t sexy. Mostly they made me want to laugh. Penises, just hanging out without abs or heads, or personalities, looked kinda like the alien cousins of mole rats.

My Review:

 

I’m an old lady so I don’t often find myself reading New Adult stories, but since this is Smartypants I was all in. I am delighted to advise that this was an amusing, thoughtful, and perceptively written tale that informed of the differences between the non-hearing and hearing perspectives, and I loved that. I enjoyed the careful texturing and multi-layering of the characters as well as their snarky inner musings.

This was my introduction to the clever and insightful arrangements of words of Lola West, and I was an instant fan. I look forward to delving into more of her scribblings.

 

Dough You Love Me?
(Donner Bakery #2)
by Stacy Travis

Dough You Love Me?, an all-new second chance small-town romance from Stacy Travis, is LIVE in Kindle Unlimited!

The first rule when returning to your hometown after storming out of sight is: don’t fall for the guy who broke your heart.

Julia Browne should know better than to kiss where she bakes. She’s built a bread empire in California, and only plans to stay in Green Valley long enough to sell the family house.

She certainly won’t spend any more time with Shane Meadows than she has to…and she will not let him draw her in with his soft blue eyes or level her with his handsome smirk of a grin.

The last thing she wants is a temporary gig at Donner Bakery, baking sourdough side-by-side with Shane and clashing with his ego. And he thinks the sassy baker should take her fancy bread and return where she came from.

But that’s before they take a series of wrong turns on a road trip to look at wheat, leaving them stranded for the night. Out on the open road, neither of them can escape the sizzling attraction and old feelings that feel a lot more real this time around.

But life is complicated, and Julia’s life in California might derail their second chance at love. Will they wake up and smell the sourdough?

They say you should leave the past in the past, but what if it’s the winning recipe for love?

‘Dough You Love Me?’ is a full-length contemporary romance, that can be read as a standalone, and is book #2 in the Donner Bakery series, Green Valley World, Penny Reid Book Universe.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

You sound like a rusty tin can rolling down a road full of potholes.

Combining misery with sweet tea didn’t seem fair to the tea.

I anticipated it with the enthusiasm of a painful dental procedure without anesthesia.

If there was an atom of my being that didn’t already find him to be the sexiest man I’d ever encountered, that voice split it in two like a nuclear bomb.

My Review:

 

Another adorable entry to the Smartypants Romance collection and my introduction to the clever scribblings of Stacy Travis – double win for me. I was well entertained, highly amused, and educated with a new word – symbrachydactyly. Make that a triple win for me.

I’m looking forward to more from this scribe.

 

Best-selling author Britney King returns with an adrenaline-fueled thriller about an unlikely array of characters and their heart-pounding plunge into the dizzying depths of madness.

March 2020: Stranded on a remote cruise ship as the pandemic ravages the world, 753 desperate passengers find themselves in a perilous situation. With no hope of docking in sight and dwindling supplies, each must fight their inner demons to survive. Among them are an eclectic mix of people—a father desperately searching for a way to save his daughter’s future, an artist running from a broken past, and a hacker looking to make one last score. But what they didn’t count on is the mysterious cult convention taking place on board.

With enough resources at stake to change or end lives, suspicion and fear quickly build. When bodies begin to drop, they question—is it the virus? Or is it one of them?

Don’t miss this spine-tingling psychological thriller that takes readers on a white-knuckle ride to uncover the truth and find out who—if any—will make it off the ship alive.

Favorite Quotes:

 

I close my eyes for a moment and will the darkness to take me. I don’t want to die like this, but I don’t want to live this way either.

Once again, I am reminded that wealthy doesn’t mean intelligent. Quite the opposite, I assure you. The thing about rich people is that they must be wowed. They’ll do a lot of stupid things in search of something new, something different.

Stupidity seems to be contagious on this ship, and I decide I would rather not catch it.

As we continue our stealthy advance, I can’t help but reflect on the absurdity of our situation. Here we are, a motley group of passengers, armed with little more than kitchen utensils, attempting to overthrow a murderous cult on a luxury cruise liner. It would almost be hilarious if it weren’t so terrifying.

My Review:

 

Britney King is a wily one! I need a spa day and a vat of wine to recover from her latest missive. This story was intense, rather brutal, and filled with the prickliest of travel complications. Ms. King is such a crafty scribbler, she continued to ratchet up the tension until my shoulders were in my ears and my stomach was a boiling cauldron, yet I didn’t dare put my Kindle down as I didn’t want to leave the characters in such peril.

I was ensnared, enmeshed, and invested in their plight despite their slim chance at rescue. But she has ruined me for sailing. I may never take to the sea again, which is quite unfortunate as I live on a tropical island…

 

Make him want you.
Make him love you.
Make him dead.

Sissy has an…interesting family. Always the careful one, always the cautious one, she has handled the cleanup while her serial killer sisters have carved a path of carnage across the U.S. Now, as they arrive in the Arizona heat, Sissy must step up and embrace the family pastime of making a man fall in love and then murdering him. Her first target? A young widower named Edison—and their mutual attraction is instant. While their relationship progresses, and most couples would be thinking about picking out china patterns and moving in together, Sissy’s family is reminding her to think about picking out burial sites and moving on.

But then something happens that Sissy never anticipated: She begins to feel protective of Edison, and then, before she can help it, she’s fallen in love. But the clock is ticking, and her sisters are growing restless. It becomes clear that the gravesite she chooses will hide a body no matter what happens; but if she betrays her family, will it be hers?

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

The sound he makes is pitched and small, like a mewling little boy. When people know they’re going to die, they become children again. They shrink back down to when they were still aware of how helpless they truly are. Back when there were monsters in closets and skeletal hands reaching out at them from under their beds.

It’s been seven years since my sisters or I have been called by the names that were given to us by the state. Those cold syllables are meaningless and dead, like costumes hanging in a closet with no one to wear them.

I can see that he’s lonely too. Children don’t say as much, but they can smell emotions like bloodhounds. They can see misery, see loss at such a level that it frightens the words right out of them.

There’s a sameness to us, even in times like this when I hate it, when I hate my sisters so much that I wish I could drain all the blood I have in common with them and become someone new.

My Review:

 

Ms. DeStefano’s writing style was keenly honed, vivid, and had a depth that quickly snagged my gray matter and held my attention rapt throughout perusal. Even when I was forced to put my Kindle down and was quite busy elsewhere, I found myself ruminating on the genius of the character development, her grasp of the intricacies and nuances of the various twisted personalities, and the brilliance of the pacing and storytelling. The writing was disturbingly perceptive and kept me on edge and anxious for each new development. The gal has mad skills. I found her word voodoo to be devious and bewitching and have added her name to the top of my list of new favorites to watch.

 

As Jenny returns to the living room, what ensues is a passionate argument on the young girl’s side espousing all the benefits of Kraft macaroni and cheese, but her pleas fall on deaf ears as her brother refuses to entertain any idea other than dinosaur chicken nuggets.

How can I not dream? Sometimes families aren’t ones you make, but ones you find.

The certainty that this was the right decision fills me again and I send up a silent prayer to whoever may be out there, thanking them for this moment. That I’d ever have the chance for it. Because now that I have this, I’m never letting it go.

 

My enchantment with Allie Winters continues with the second installment in her cleverly penned new series. Realistically drawn people with real problems, annoying family members, and the stirring to life of a repressed, suppressed, and oppressed libido. I loved every well-chosen word. Ms. Winters has mad storytelling skills. Sign me on for more of the same. I live for this!

 

Allie is the author of the Suncoast University series, the Bishop Brothers series, and the Lessons Learned series. She lives in sunny Florida with her husband, daughter, and two cats. A librarian by day, she spends her nights writing happily ever afters. She enjoys reading, playing video games, and all things Disney.

Find Allie Winters online

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