Not Fooling Anyone, an all-new fake relationship college romance from Allie Winters, is available now in Kindle Unlimited!

The deal is simple—pretend to be Ethan’s girlfriend for a psych study and we each get a nice payday. Despite him being a dumb jock who willingly gets punched for fun at my dad’s boxing gym, I can handle it. I’ve mastered the art of keeping others at a distance. Especially after… Well, never mind that.

Except, I didn’t count on him not understanding the definition of boundaries. Suddenly, we’re having to fake being in love all over campus to keep up the ruse. And when he tries to slip under the barriers I’ve worked so hard to create? Yeah, that’s not happening. Even if it turns out he’s surprisingly understanding… and funny… and charming… and smarter than I ever would have given him credit for. Not to mention that muscled body from all that boxing…

No, that’s irrelevant. I may have misjudged him, but that doesn’t mean I’m interested. He has no idea what kind of baggage I’m carrying. A relationship is the last thing on my mind.

Even if I’m not fooling anyone.

‘Not Fooling Anyone’ is a full-length contemporary romance and can be read as a standalone. Book #2 in the Lessons Learned series, Educated Romance World, Penny Reid Book Universe.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

He squints at me. “Are you making small talk? The Lexie I know wouldn’t do that.” I bite my lip, not keeping my grin very well contained, and push his shoulder. “Shut up.” Delight flares in his gaze. “If an alien’s taken over your brain, blink twice. Three times if you’re possessed by something else.”

All you need to know about Russian literature is that something depressing happens, they drink vodka, and a bunch of people die tragically. The end.

“There are some things that are hard to share,” she whispers. “They bare a part of your soul. And you have to hope the person you show it to will keep it safe. Will protect it. You have to take a leap of faith.” She looks up at me, her face tear-stained again, but she’s never looked more beautiful. “I want to take that with you. I know you’ll be there to catch me on the other side.”

“Babe, you’re turning into a romantic.” Her lips tilt up at the corners in amusement. “I know, it’s awful. You’ve given me…” She pauses for dramatic effect. “Feelings.” “I’m a monster.”

Every time I order a salad, I think this is the one. This is the salad that’ll make me love salads. But then, you know, it’s not. It’s just a boring salad.

“Where does he find these girls?”… “Some kind of girlfriend store?” I suggest. “Maybe on clearance? That’s why they don’t last long.”

My Review:

Another easy home run for the sparkling writing style, wily wit, and insightful observations of Allie Winters writing for the Smartypants crew. Why didn’t I latch on to this talented scribe sooner? I adore her humor and clever detailing that stealthily tucks amusing yet thought-provoking perceptions and inner musing into her engaging prose. The characters are realistically flawed with topical issues that entertain as well as inform with the inclusion of educational tidbits as they process their daily living. I am wiggling on the hook and looking forward to her next installment.

About the Author

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.

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Lola Landry stares through the window of her locked car with the keys in the ignition and the radio blaring Beck’s “Loser.” While standing there and sweltering in the soupy Tennessee humidity, she wonders how her orderly life had crashed and burned so badly. Then her high school nemesis saunters up in all of his tall, strapping, fireman-to-the-rescue glory, slapping her with the humiliating proof that it can always get worse.

When the uber-confident Jedediah Lawson requests a date in return for popping her lock, a lightbulb goes off. Revenge is sweet. He would make the perfect victim—guest, that is—for her next podcast episode on Kiss and Tell. What shocks her is the casual way he not only agrees to the post-date interview on air, but ends up hijacking her audience and wooing them with his swoony, southern charm. Not even a low score on the date-o-meter can dissuade the man or keep her fans from demanding more of the charismatic Jed.

What’s worse, she secretly wants a second date with this man who is so different from his teenage self. His unwavering patience and dimpled smile erode her will, until she breaks the Kiss and Tell rules by agreeing to a second…and a third date. It’s a disaster. Not the date. They’re wonderful. The disaster is that she is falling for a man she once dubbed Jockstrap Jed.

‘Parks and Provocation’ is a full-length contemporary romance and can be read as a standalone. Book #2 in the Green Valley Heroes series, Green Valley Chronicles, Penny Reid Book Universe.

Favorite Quotes:

Ever since the layoff, my ego had been suffering from severe fracture lines, splintering into a million spiderweb breaks. I was holding it together with duct tape and a prayer, the most reliable of southern adhesives.

“Welcome to the annual man-meat show.” I was horrified and stupefied and in complete danger of swallowing my own tongue. I hoped there was a defibrillator in that ambulance just in case.

I bit my bottom lip, determined not to regret anything in the past. There was no use to it. Like my dad always told me, “Don’t waste your time looking back. You’re not going that way.”

Life is never fair. You just have to make roses out of shit-hills most of the time.

Meeting Jed’s family was like falling into a vortex and being squeezed tight by fluffy teddy bears and sharp-toothed piranhas at the same time.

My Review:

This was a cleverly written, fun, and frisky romp that kept me smirking, gasping, and seeking libation to rehydrate my desiccated body.   This engaging couple had a compelling yet tempestuous history as well as undeniable physical chemistry that singed the sheets.

My Kindle was smoking and my mouth was frequently parched. This was my first exposure to Ms. Cross’s delightfully delectable word voodoo as her listing looks primarily paranormal, a genre I don’t often peruse, although I can’t help but cross all my fingers and toes she churns out more of these clever Smartypants romantic comedies.

One wealthy businessman, a trio of unsuspecting wives, and an explosive turn of events. In this scandalous, twist-filled new series from Shelly Ellis, will too many secrets and one devastating bond unite three women–or destroy them?

Noelle. Diamond. Vanessa. Each woman believes she is Cyrus Grey’s only wife–until he’s nearly shot to death. Now, as he lies in a coma, the deceptions keep coming, unraveling everything they thought they knew…

Gorgeous model Noelle’s marriage to Cyrus anchored her–though she couldn’t understand why he wouldn’t have a baby with her. They certainly had the money. But she’s learning fast just how Cyrus became so rich–thanks to his fatally attractive business partner…

For Diamond, marrying Cyrus saved her from the streets–and being a pimp’s punching bag. But her past makes her the police’s prime suspect in Cyrus’s shooting. She’s determined to get to the truth–if she can she survive long enough to tell it…

Even with her beautiful house, three kids, and elegant lifestyle, Vanessa sensed something was wrong in her marriage. But she never expected this–or that taking a lover for comfort would change the game completely.

With danger closing in, Cyrus’s life hanging in the balance, and collateral damage threatening to take them all down, how far will each woman go to be the real Mrs. Grey?

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

All eyes in the waiting room were focused on them. Vanessa wondered if the nosy family of three huddled across the room in the line of leather chairs was going to break out a bucket of popcorn to watch the show.

Why would I be jealous of a woman who’s made of more plastic than my daughter’s Barbie dolls?

Ripe? … What am I? A damn grapefruit?

When Vanessa had heard he was shot, she’d braced herself for the possibility that her husband would die and had even started eagerly looking forward to it, but here he sat, very much alive. A wave of emotions overwhelmed her, making her eyes flood with tears.

Cy’s life had always been a delicate balancing act. He would sometimes envision himself as one of those high-wire performers rolling across the Big Top on a unicycle.

My Review:

This was a gritty, confounding, and curiously intriguing tale about horrible people engaging in stupid and reprehensible behaviors.   While some were getting what they deserved, some were not. The storylines poked and taunted my curiosity while also making me itch and gnash my teeth, yet I couldn’t put my Kindle down as Shelly Ellis can certainly unspool an entertaining, addictive, and uncomfortably chilling tale. But, to leave me dangling with a despicable cliffhanger… what gall! Thankfully I already have book two locked and loaded or I would be stamping my little foot and turning the air blue.  I do believe I am invested.

I generally despised 90% of Ms. Ellis’s uniquely bent and well-drawn characters – the uncouth, volatile, and self-serving wastrel of wife #1 Vanessa, most of all.   Although followed closely in my level of annoyance was the weak and moronic wife #3, named Diamond.   Vanessa was a conspicuous and spoiled trophy wife who seemed to be thinking with what was between her legs rather than using the limited gray matter she had between her ears. Although, I wanted to give all three Mrs. Greys a few good smacks with my Kindle to hopefully jar lose the few functioning brain cells between them, and most of those seemed to belong to wife #2, Noelle.

Mr. Grey was obviously a demon and a toad, and I have my fingers crossed that these hideous humans get exactly what they deserve in the newly released sequel.

Killer Instincts
(Assassins in Love #1)
 by Tawna Fenske

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

“You have a goat named Scape and a horse named Maple?” Like he wasn’t already half in love with her. Jen’s cheeks pinken like he’s spoken out loud. “Scape Goat and Maple Stirrup, yes.” Her chin tips up. “Pony Soprano’s on loan to a kids’ petting zoo this week.” It’s official. She’s his dream girl.

 

“Gabor. Well, Ga-boar.” A pig pun like Maple Stirrup and Scape Goat. “I tried Eva and Magda, but she’s more of a Zsa Zsa.” The pig squeals behind him but stays on the couch. Maybe her hoof hurts, or maybe life’s better on a La-Z-Boy.

 

He’s never met a woman so delicate and daring, so fragile and fierce.

 

“You’re a hitman.” He flinches. “I prefer ‘bodyguard.’” “And I prefer ‘princess,’ but I’m a goddamn farmer, okay?” Jen huffs a breath. “You’re an assassin.” It’s just semantics, and he knows he shouldn’t argue, but— “Security professional.”

 

“Didn’t go well?” “Nope.” A pause. “Cover’s blown?” Dante flinches but keeps walking. “Yep.” “Had a hunch when she stalked past muttering how all men should be castrated at birth.”

 

“Do you really love me?” “Yes.” No hesitation. “Really?” “More than anything.” He takes a step closer, arms opening to enfold her. “More than chili or Cheez-Its or my Ruger Mark IV Hunter.” “More than Cheez-Its?” She draws back and gives him a skeptical look. “Sounds serious.” “You have no idea.”

 

My Review:

 

This was a fun, lively, smirk-worthy read and I loved every cleverly written word of it. The storylines were engaging, vastly entertaining, and actively paced with crisp and cunningly snarky humor that caused a few giggle-snort eruptions during my rapt perusal. I haven’t had this much fun in ages and am eagerly awaiting the next installment.   This wily author has more than redeemed herself for that demonic cliffhanger of a prequel, which now that I think about it, was rather ingenious.

About the Author 

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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.

About the Author 

 

Website 
Amazon
Goodreads 

 Facebook
Twitter 

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.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

She’s still looking for that happy ending where someone will pick her up, pledge undying love and whisk her away to a new-build semi in Surrey. The sort of world Hayley and I inhabit, the semis and happy endings normally end on our faces.

I know what my sisters are like and this could possibly still be a very elaborate joke. Those cows told me for years that my real father was Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and that he had to leave the actual country to be a Watcher because he was so ashamed of me.

‘We’re just going to get you into a deep state of relaxation…’ All I can think is that when I’m that relaxed I will most likely break wind. I hope the lotus and white musk will be able to mask that.

My Review:

This was a fun, dynamic, and energetic read that kept me wildly amused and gleefully giggle-snorting with abandon. The writing was crisp, breezy, sweary, and delightfully snarky while the sharp visuals conjured were diabolically humorous and colorful in every sense of the word.

In the previous installments, Lucy’s character was the most eccentric of the five sisters. Lucy was the fiercely independent, feisty, and predictably unpredictable free spirit/firecracker and youngest of the Callaghan clan. So I was doubly impressed with the insightful observations and emotive underpinnings permeating the unfamiliar sense of vulnerability Lucy was experiencing as she struggled to regain a sense of self during her period of memory loss following a head injury. Having lost twelve years would be quite unsettling for anyone but Lucy had packed a lot of living her best life and unusual adventures and eye-opening experimentation into those years. I was fascinated and deliciously entertained by each new development.

This being the last of the series, I am experiencing a sense of rueful melancholy, I will greatly miss this irreverent, divinely inappropriate, and tightly bonded family unit. They were good fun and their hijinks provided me with not only smirk-worthy entertainment but several unusual entries of British vernacular to my Brit Words and Phrases list. Many of which I cannot add to my reviews for fear of being censored, but this installment has produced the current publishable new addition of gurn, which Mr. Google indicates is to grimace or make an ugly face. I would expect nothing less from the lascivious Lucy.