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Romantic Reads and Such

~ thoughts on romances

Romantic Reads and Such

Monthly Archives: August 2013

Eat, Play, Lust

31 Saturday Aug 2013

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Book Review, Eat Play Lust, Tawna Fenske

9781622662456_p0_v3_s260x420Cami Pressman is a yoga instructor with a lifelong secret love of junk food. Not even an irresistible man can replace the mouthwatering wickedness of her favorite foods.

Until, that is, Paul Hammond signs up for her class. He’s a gourmet chef looking to score some fitness tips, and a date with Cami. Suddenly Cami’s lust for junk food isn’t the only thing making her tingle.

When this sinful chef and hot yoga teacher eat, play, and lust together, they just might bring their obsession to a new level.

At just over 50 pages, this is a sweet little treat to wind up a hot and steamy summer.  Cami is humorously neurotic about her eating and Paul has an indelicate way of keeping his foot in his mouth, but they are fun and charming and I kinda wish they’d gotten a full length story.  I would have loved to see these two go on a few dates – I’m giggling just thinking about it.  I think my favorite part is that these two aren’t perfect – he’s got a bit of a spare tire and she’s got some food hang-ups – but they are wonderful in their normalness and make for an appealing couple.

Being so short, it pretty much gets straight to the point.  Boy likes girl.  Girl likes boy.  After some bumbling around, boy and girl get together … but the bumbling is very delicious.

If you need a great way to wrap up your summer night, grab a glass of wine and sit back – Eat Play Lust is that perfect little tidbit to finish out your day.

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Stone Guardian

30 Friday Aug 2013

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Book Review, Danielle Monsch, Entwined Realms, Stone Guardian

New review is now up.

*****

cover33058-medium

Gryphons flying past Skyscrapers? Wizards battling it out in coffeehouses? Women riding motorcycles with large swords strapped to their backs? All normal sights since the Great Collision happened twenty-six years ago.

Well, not normal for everyone. Larissa Miller may have been born after the Great Collision, but as a history teacher who lives in the human-only city, she has never come into contact with any other race or species. That is, until one day she walks out of her apartment only to be attacked by a mob of Zombies, but then is saved by a Gargoyle.

Leader of the Gargoyles, Terak has been watching over the human woman for months because of a cryptic prophecy. Gargoyles trust no one outside their Clan, but something about this woman stirs every protective instinct within him. When he realizes the danger to her is real, he refuses to allow her to explore this new world without him at her side.

In the course of their investigation Terak becomes entranced by his little human. But when he discovers why Necromancers want her and the great reward that awaits him if he betrays her, he must choose between the welfare of his Clan and not only Larissa’s life, but the fate of this new Realm as well.

Stone Guardian kicks off Monsch’s Entwined Realms series and does it full tilt – Chapter One starts with the Great Collision and we’re pretty much thrown into it from there.  She does a great job of giving readers a complex and intriguing world, one full of magic and mischief, elves and orcs and all manner of creatures, but most importantly love and family.  It’s a strange world, so you definitely need to like fantasy in your love stories – after all, your hero is a Gargoyle … and amazingly sexy one too.  Tall, strong, giving and honorable, he may start out just watching over Larissa but the heart has a way of taking over.

There’s a mystery involving why someone wants to harm Larissa and since this is a magical world, there are all sorts of things that could be involved.  I’m always afraid that a sci-fi author will either write themselves into a corner so they too obviously have to make something up to get the story back on track or that their world will just become too big to grasp.  But Monsch does a fantastic job of keeping everything moving quicklly and smoothly.

At its core, we’re given a story of duty and sacrifice, love and honor, but it is liberally doused in pixie dust and magic.  There are a lot of loose ends and half-finished threads, so be prepared to leave this one wanting more.  There are a ton of characters, both magical and human, who could easily make homes for themselves in future stories … and I’m looking forward to each and every one.

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The Newcomer

29 Thursday Aug 2013

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Book Review, Robyn Carr, The Newcomer, Thunder Point

New review is now up.

*****

cover28309-medium

Single dad and Thunder Point’s deputy sheriff “Mac” McCain has worked hard to keep his town safe and his daughter happy. Now he’s found his own happiness with Gina James. The longtime friends have always shared the challenges and rewards of raising their adolescent daughters. With an unexpected romance growing between them, they’re feeling like teenagers themselves—suddenly they can’t get enough of one another.

And just when things are really taking off, their lives are suddenly thrown into chaos. When Mac’s long-lost ex-wife shows up in town, drama takes on a whole new meaning. Mac and Gina know they’re meant to be together, but can their newfound love withstand the pressure?

I love Carr’s “Thunder Point” books like I love Susan Mallery’s “Fool’s Gold” series.  And the feel of the books is a lot like I imagine their respective towns to be – while Mallery’s California based town is full of light and sunshine that sometimes masks more serious depths, Carr’s little town in Oregon has times of rain but when the sun comes out it is blindingly beautiful.

In The Newcomer, we pretty much pick up where The Wanderer left off.  Unlike a lot of series that finishes off with one pair and moves on to someone new, Carr’s series just continues to build.  We get more on Hank and Sarah as well as the newest in Mac and Gina’s changing relationship.  And we’re given Gina’s teenage daughter Ashley and her relationship with Downey as he moves away to college and she stays behind at Thunder Point High.  Some may get a little overwhelmed by all that is going on but Carr’s books are all about the community and no one is an island in her stories.

I loved Hank and Sarah so having the chance to explore their relationship further is a real treat.  And we’re left with a bit of a cliffhanger so I know we’ll get to see more of them in the next book (The Hero).  Mac and Gina featured a bit in The Wanderer so it is great to get to see their relationship come to fruition.  Both are strong, loving, family people and I enjoyed watching them figure out how to combine their worlds into one.  Especially since Gina’s world is imploding with the problems Ashley is experiencing with her boyfriend.  It was interesting to see, from an adult’s perspectvie, the pitfalls of teenage dating, espcially in today’s more technological times.  It takes up a decent part of the book so be prepared, but it does directly impact Gina and by association Mac (and even Sarah).  But that is how a small community works so I appreciate the realism.

The continuation of existing stories is one of my favorite things about Carr’s books, and although she does do a good job of giving new readers the bits of background that they need to keep up, I recommend starting from the beginning.  Her characters have such rich and complex lives, with heartbreak and joy and all the complications that go along with loving and living, that you appreciate them so much more being there from the beginning.

For believable, lifelike characters and problems, delivered with Carr’s captivating style, The Newcomer is going to thrill … but be prepared to get caught up in the many lives in Thunder Point and be left wanting more.

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Just What He Wanted

28 Wednesday Aug 2013

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Book Review, HelenKay Dimon, Just What He Wanted

New review now up.

*****

cover30995-medium

Just What He Wanted is a fantastic addition to the Holloway series, following It’s Not Christmas Without You, Lean on Me, and We’ll Be Home for Christmas.  Travis Yardley thought his life was just about perfect … then he meets Andie Patterson.  Andie moved to town to manage the mountain resort owned by her friend Lila (from We’ll Be Home for Christmas) and Travis has been instructed to help out.  Since time spent with a gorgeous, appealing woman isn’t a hardship for Travis, he’s happy to help out.  Andie is very attracted to the oh-so-gorgeous Travis, but what could he possible find appealing about an overweight woman ten years his senior?

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the Holloway series up to this point and somehow Dimon’s books keeps getting better.  I absolutely love both of these characters.  Andie recently got out of a bad relationship, one that did a number on her self-esteem.  She’s spent years being overweight and even though she’s lost a significant amount of weight she’s still quite curvy.  So in her mind she has no idea why someone so young and attractive would be interested in her.  Watching the confident Travis fall all over himself with Andie was quite a treat.  He’s always been so confident and sexy, it’s nice to see him off balance for once.  But he does have his own issues.  His childhood was awful and he still carries some of those scars – he may be young in years, but he’s got an old soul because of it.  Although he spends a lot of time and effort trying to work through Andie’s confidence problems, his own troubles are on a hair trigger.  But Dimon gives a wonderfully satisfying ending to this latest edition in her series, bringing everything together beautifully and in a realistic manner.

Those who have read books in the Holloway series before will be pleased get an update on some of their past favorites, as well as a touching romance for cutie Travis.  If this is your first Holloway book, don’t worry, you’ll be fine.  Dimon always does a great job of giving you all the details you need to know without bogging down the story.

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Love Gone to the Dogs Blog Tour

27 Tuesday Aug 2013

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Sneak Peek

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Love Gone to the Dogs, Margaret Daley

We’ve got another great blog tour going on for Margaret Daley’s Love Gone to the Dogs.  Check out the details below including an excerpt from the book and a listing of tour dates & sites.

*****

Love Gone to the DogsLove Gone to the Dogs
(Second Chances Series)
By Margaret Daley
 

Single mom, Leah Taylor, has her hands full with a grandfather, an inventor, who lives a bit risky when it comes to his job and two sons, one a rambunctious genius. But it is her free spirited beagle who gets her into trouble with her new neighbor, Dr. Shane O’Grady, when her dog makes a move on his champion bichon that he wants to breed.

Leah and Shane clash over their dogs that clearly like each other. Leah is determined to ignore her neighbor, but when her youngest son who tries to defy gravity and fly ends up hurt, it is her neighbor, the doctor, who takes care of her son. Can Leah and Shane find love or has love gone to the dogs?

Buy Links:

Amazon

About the Author:

Margaret Daley, an award-winning author of eighty-four books, has been married for over forty years and is a firm believer in romance and love. When she isn’t traveling, she’s writing love stories, often with a suspense thread and corralling her three cats that think they rule her household. To find out more about Margaret find her at Website Twitter Facebook

 

*****

Excerpt:

When Leah Taylor heard the pounding on her front door at seven o’clock in the morning, she jumped, nearly sloshing her coffee all over her hand. Did burglars now announce themselves before stealing a person blind? No one else in his right mind would be out visiting at this time. Carefully, so as not to spill the hot brew, she placed the mug on the kitchen counter and made her way toward the insistent pounding that she was sure was waking up the whole neighborhood.

She peered out a narrow slit in her mini blind and saw an enraged, huge man standing on her front porch with a shredded newspaper in one hand. The other was clenched at his side. He wore practically nothing except a pair of jean shorts. He stepped back and glanced around, clearly not happy that no one had answered his summons.

Backing away from the window next to her door, Leah nervously chewed the end of one of her acrylic nails. The man looked familiar. She was sure she had seen him in the yard across the street. He had to be a neighbor. But why was he welcoming her to the neighborhood at such an early hour, and with an angry expression on his face? She had been here only a few days, and her family hadn’t done anything yet to upset the delicate balance of this small town. Or had they?  She thought back over the past few days of almost nonstop unpacking. She had been too tired to even venture from the house much, and the same went for the rest of her family—she hoped.

When the pounding started again, she was so surprised by the sound that she bit through the end of her new acrylic nail. Well, now he was making her mad. Without thinking, she yanked open the front door and prepared to confront the man who had the nerve to pay her a call at seven o’clock in the morning.

“Look what you made me do!” Leah held up her hand. “I’ve tried everything to grow my own nails long, and nothing’s worked. I finally decide to get fake ones—that I might, by the way, tell you cost me forty dollars—and look what your pounding has done. They haven’t even lasted one week.” She blew out a deep breath, then brushed her bangs away from her face in frustration.

His dark eyes widened, and his mouth dropped open. He started to say something, but decided instead to allow his gaze to trek downward slowly—way too slowly for Leah’s peace of mind. A blush leaped into her cheeks as she remembered her skimpy attire. She controlled the strong urge to try to stretch her large, white T-shirt until it covered more than the tops of her thighs. When his survey stopped at her bare feet, her toes wiggled as if they had a will of their own.

She felt practically naked under his intense look. While he was staring at her, she began at his bare feet, which were braced apart in a stance that conveyed his anger, not one toe wiggling. Her gaze traveled upward over long legs that probably belonged to a runner, to narrow hips that the jean material hugged nicely. She paused ever so slightly at the washboard ripples in his flat stomach and came to the decision that the man worked out religiously, something she religiously tried to avoid. Her impression of his being an exercise freak was confirmed when her gaze skimmed over a broad chest, wide shoulders, and arms with taut muscles bulging as he held them rigid at his sides. Bod of steel, she thought, realizing her impulsive inspection had done nothing to cool the heat in her cheeks.

That realization was utmost in her mind until her gaze came to rest on his face—not poster boy handsome, but rugged and very masculine. Then she noticed his eyes, dark as chocolate, growing rounder as he took in her features. Oh, no! All traces of the heat from her blush left her cheeks. Why hadn’t she remembered that she had forgotten to remove yesterday’s makeup, when she had fallen exhausted into bed, and that her short hair lay at odd angles all over her head as it did every morning? Realizing she looked like Rocky the Raccoon having a bad hair day, Leah stepped behind the front door, gripped its edge, and peered around it to carry on the rest of the conversation, trying to hide as much as possible from view. Too bad she didn’t have a sack to put over her head.

Her actions snapped the stunned expression from the man’s face. He held up the newspaper, which appeared to have gone through a shredder. “This is what your dog did to my paper—for the third morning in a row, I might add. Makes it a little hard to read.”

His tightly clipped words blasted her. Who still read an actual newspaper? Her grasp on the door strengthened. “That’s not possible. He’s in the backyard—which is fenced, I might add.”

The man’s scowl deepened. “Your dog’s a beagle, right? I saw him this morning. Medium size, brown, black, and white.”

“Must have been someone else’s beagle. Arnold is as secure as a baby in a playpen.” Then, without really thinking again, Leah swung her shield wide open, leaving her visible to his full view once more, and motioned her less-than-friendly neighbor inside. “I’ll show you you’re wrong about Arnold.”

“Lady, I’m not wrong,” he said, as he stomped into her house, his large presence in her small entryway dwarfing everything, including her.

“Leah Taylor.” She held out her hand for him to shake. After all, they were going to be neighbors, and he would realize his mistake when he saw Arnold in the backyard. She believed in making a good first impression—which in this case had been blown. At least she could shoot for a good second impression.

“Shane O’Grady.” He nodded his head slightly, but didn’t take her hand in his. He still clenched the newspaper with torn bits hanging like black and white streamers.

Her blush came back to haunt her cheeks. Leah gritted her teeth and proceeded to the kitchen, intending to show the man her dog and then, with a relish, the door. Forget that second impression. “One of the reasons I rented this house was the chain-link fence. It’s four feet, and Arnold isn’t even two feet tall. I don’t think he’s learned to pole vault yet, even though he did enjoy watching it on the Olympics telecast.”

Shane O’Grady shot her a skeptical look. “I know I saw him. He was running back toward your yard.”

Leah waved her hand toward the window that afforded them a view of the yard behind her house. There lay Arnold by his doghouse, sprawled on his back with his legs stuck in the air as if he were dead. She pointed to the closed gate. “Did you see him open the gate and run back into the yard?” It was hard to keep the smug tone out of her voice. In fact, she didn’t succeed.

“It was him, lady.”

“Are you the type of man who doesn’t like to admit he’s wrong, Mr. O’Grady?”

The flint in his eyes could have set her on fire. “Ms. Taylor, if you don’t take care of the problem, I will.”

“What do you mean?” Her voice rose with panic.

“We have leash laws in Shady Oaks.”

The threat hung suspended between them. The only sounds in the kitchen were the clock ticking over the stove and Leah’s increased breathing.

“I’m not without some pull, since I am, the mayor.” He stalked toward the door, turned back to rake her with a sharp look, and added, “Keep that hound in your yard. We’ve had problems with wild dogs biting people.”

“You must be a dog hater,” she shouted at his retreating back as she followed him to her front door.

Shane halted on the bottom step. “Far from it. I have two dogs of my own, but you won’t see them running wild in the neighborhood. I keep them where they belong.”

She came out onto her porch. “Yeah, well, Arnold is innocent. In America even a dog is innocent until proven guilty. Where’s your proof, Mr. Mayor?”

He said nothing to that last remark, probably because he was jogging across the street and up the flight of steps in front of his house. But several people had heard her words—the woman next door, who was coming out to get her newspaper, and two men power walking. They all stopped what they were doing and stared at Leah as if she were an alien who had just landed in the middle of their peaceful town.

Leah did the only thing she could think of. Smiling, she waved to each one. “Just exercising my voice. It’s such a beautiful day to exercise, don’t you think?”

One man shook his head as though he couldn’t quite believe his eyes, and the other laughed. They resumed their power walk while the woman grabbed her paper and rushed back inside, probably heading straight for the telephone to tell everyone that the newcomer was obviously crazy.

“Welcome to Shady Oaks,” Leah muttered to herself as she made her way back inside her house.

When she caught sight of herself in the mirror in the entrance hallway, she groaned. She looked worse than she had thought She had dark mascara circles under her blue eyes and her orange lipstick was smeared across her right cheek. And her hair was just awful—a brash, coppery shade of red that shone in the sunlight. Well, she couldn’t help it if her home tinting had gone awry. Red was normal—usually.

Shrugging away her less than desirable reflection, Leah headed straight for the back door. “Arnold. Breakfast,” she called out, and watched her beagle roll his head into a position to see her. He stared at her for a good minute before getting up and slowly walking toward her as if he hadn’t had twenty hours of sleep, and barely had enough energy to make it to the door.

“For being falsely accused you get an extra portion this morning,” she murmured, and bent to pat Arnold. Her hand stopped on the fur by his neck. She spied a strip of newspaper tangled in his collar, and closed her eyes.

When she opened them a second later, Arnold was butting her hand to get her to scratch him behind the ears. Instead, she took the scrap of newspaper off the collar and saw the evidence against her dog mount—the piece of paper had the day’s date written across it in bold, black letters.

“Oh, no, Arnold, you couldn’t do this to us. We’ve just moved here. This was supposed to be a fresh start. Now look what’s happened. I’ve antagonized the town mayor.” Leah balled the shredded piece up in her hand and marched to the trashcan. No one was going to know about this.

Looking out the window at the securely shut gate, she wondered how Arnold had gotten out. He couldn’t open it, then close it, could he? Well, however he had gotten out, she would make sure that Arnold didn’t escape again, even if she had to chain him outside the next morning.

She had wanted to make a good first impression. She plopped down on a stool at the kitchen counter and buried her face in her hands. She knew how important that was in a small town, where everyone knew everyone. She wanted her family to belong, to finally have a place they could call home. She had researched Shady Oaks, and the town had everything she wanted, especially an excellent school system.

The sound of feet running upstairs drew her attention. Her exchange with Shane O’Grady awakened the neighbors, and her family as well. She turned her accusatory glare on her dog that sat at her feet wagging his tail while he patiently waited for his breakfast. “I should give you half rations, you Benedict Arnold.”

*****

8/26:  Spotlight – Rose & Beps Blog

8/27:  Spotlight – Literal Hotties

8/27:  2nd stop – Spotlight – Romantic Reads and Such

8/28:  Spotlight – Deal Sharing Aunt

9/7:  Spotlight – http://vividumas.wordpress.com

9/9:  Spotlight – Harlie’s Books

9/11:  Interview – http://lauries-interviews.blogspot.com/

9/16:  Spotlight – http://pennyestelle.blogspot.com/

9/17:  Interview – http://bookstogetlostin.blogspot.com/

9/18:  Interview – http://beckymoe.com

9/19:  Guest post – Mary Collins

9/20:  Interview – You Gotta Read Reviews

9/22:  Character Interview – Ramblings From This Chick

9/23:  Spotlight – Indie Authors

9/24:  Spotlight – Bootheel Cotton Patch

9/25:  Spotlight/Excerpt/Review – Lusty Penguin Reviews

9/26:  Interview  – In Shadows

*****

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One Night in the Spa

26 Monday Aug 2013

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Book Review

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Book Review, Kathy Lyons, One Night in the Spa

All right, boys and girls, we’ve got a hot and steamy trip to the spa today:

cover35216-mediumWhat starts out as a simple massage treatment for spa manager David’s best friend Kim, turns into a night of seduction and sexual discovery.

Always relegated to the friend zone, David is determined to show Kim what she’s been missing…one erogenous zone at a time. Sure, their friendship is on the line. And sure, David’s hiding a motive larger than either him or Kim. But the second his hands touch her smooth skin, he just doesn’t care anymore.

Kim’s been so focused on the loss of her sports career that she’s had no time for romance or sex. But her response to David can’t be denied. Is it just that her body’s been missing out, or could her heart be involved too?

I honestly think the description is a little bit off the mark.  David has had feelings for Kim for years but she’s had him firmly in the friend category, so that’s pretty close.  And Kim has lost her pro-racquetball career, but she was focused on her career itself (not the loss of it) and ignored her romantic life.  Now, though, sidelined by an injury she’s got the time to think about men … and the raging hormones of a teenager thanks to hitting a puberty overload due to no longer working out most of the day.  I’ve heard that being a serious athlete can cause a delay in development, but I’m not sure about it being almost a decade.  Regardless it makes for an interesting plot point – and some serious sexual tension between David and Kim.  So, to set things in motion and to make Kim look at him differently, David sets upa spa treatment … and things get hot, hot, HOT!

One Night in the Spa is sexy, but sweet, and I always love the idea of friends becoming more.  David hides his feelings but has fallen for his best friend.  He’s a good guy, supportive, caring and patient.  But he’s tired of waiting and grabs this chance with both hands.  Although he’s keeping a bigger secret that could derail their relationship.

Kim has spent most of her life either playing or training or going to school.  Now, thanks to an injury, she’s forced to slow down and is at a loss.  It’s an unusual situation to be in but her confusion and fear makes her an appealing heroine.  She’s struggling with a lot and her feelings for David just might be the proverbial straw.

If you like your bedroom scenes steamy and your characters sexy, One Night in the Spa is a great choice.  It’s short, coming in at under 100 pages, but there’s a lot packed into those handful of pages.

Buy Links

Goodreads     Amazon Buy Link     Barnes & Noble Buy Link

Author’s Links

Website     Twitter     Facebook     Goodreads

*****

And Entangled has two more sexy reads out today!

Risky Surrender by Robin Bielman

Cover_Risky Surrender - Robin BielmanSynopsis

Archeologist Lucy Davenport made a promise to retrieve an elusive piece of history buried in the walls of an iconic Indian village. But when she draws unwanted attention that interferes with her secret plans, she’s forced to risk it all with a man who threatens not only her goal, but the walls she’s carefully constructed around her heart.

Keats McCall is an environmental preservationist navigating the globe on behalf of heritage protection. When he catches Lucy at his latest project, he suspects she’s up to something. She secretive, sexy as hell—and has trouble written all over her. He devises a plan to keep her close so he can keep an eye on her. But what he isn’t prepared for is just how close he wants to get.

Buy Links

Goodreads     Amazon Buy Link     Barnes & Noble Buy Link

Author’s Bio

Robin Bielman lives in Southern California, a bike ride away from the ocean if she’s feeling really adventurous. She loves books and baking and running on the treadmill while watching her favorite TV shows. When she’s not reading or writing her next story, she’s spending time with her high school sweetheart husband and two sons, most likely watching, playing, or discussing baseball. She drives too fast, drinks too much caffeine, and if every day were Cupcake Day, she’d be a happy camper! She loves to connect with readers. You can find her online at www.robinbielman.com or on Facebook and Twitter.

Author’s Links

Website     Blog     Twitter     Facebook     Goodreads

 

Take Me (Take a Chance #4) by Diane Alberts

Cover_Take Me (Take a Chance _4) - Diane AlbertsSynopsis:

Married in the morning…

Professional heartbreaker Mike Worth thrived on the chase—and dancer Morgan Collins represented the ultimate prize. But there was no way he was going to throw away his single-man status…not even for an elusive redhead with sparkling eyes and mile-long legs. So how did he let one drunken Vegas night end with I do instead of hell no?

Morgan’s life revolved around her career and she had no intention of letting a man interfere—even if Mike made her question all her rules about love. At his urging, she reluctantly agreed to give their spur-of–moment marriage a chance. But once their trial-honeymoon ended, would she choose to follow the dance and leave her unforgettable husband behind?

Buy Links:

Goodreads     Amazon Buy Link     Barnes & Noble Buy Link

Author’s Bio

Diane Alberts has always been a dreamer with a vivid imagination, but it wasn’t until 2011 that she put her pen where her brain was, and became a published author.  Since receiving her first contract offer, she has yet to stop writing. Though she lives in the mountains, she really wishes she was surrounded by a hot, sunny beach with crystal clear water. She lives in Northeast Pennsylvania with her four kids, a husband, a cat, and a Senegal parrot. In the rare moments when she’s not writing, she can usually be found hunched over one knitting project or another.

She is a multi-published, bestselling author with Entangled Publishing, Swoon Romance, and Decadent Publishing. She has, as of this date, four books with Entangled Publishing, one book with Swoon Romance, and five older books with Decadent Publishing. Her February release with Entangled Publishing, ON ONE CONDITION, hit #18 on the Barnes and Noble Bestseller List, and TRY ME, hit #76 on Amazon. Her Swoon Romance novella, CAPTIVATED BY YOU, hit #31 on the Barnes and Noble bestseller list. Diane is represented by Louise Fury from the L. Perkins Agency.

Author’s Links

Website     Twitter     Facebook     Goodreads

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Ivy Entwined Blog Tour

25 Sunday Aug 2013

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour

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Ivy Entwined, Laura Simcox

Just a reminder, the tour for Ivy Entwined by Laura Simcox begins tomorrow.  Tour stops are listed below and make sure that you stop by here to enter her giveaway.

Grand Prize – ‘Celebration in a Basket’. (In keeping with the series theme – ‘Something to Celebrate’) Includes: fun party supplies for a girlfriends-type party (champagne glasses, napkins and plates, party food recipe cards written by the author), Mardis Gras style beads, candles, chocolate, hard candy, and a deck of ‘Ivy Entwined’ playing cards.

Three runner-up swag bags.  Includes: Ivy Entwined bookmarks, magnets, pens and a purse charm-style keychain. Each bag will contain two sets…one for the winner and one for a friend who loves to read romance, too!

*****Come back here on 9/6 for Laura’s guest blog!*****

Ivy Entwined - Laura Simcox - Banner

8/26:  Spotlight – Deal Sharing Aunt

8/30: Guest Post – Fantasy Floozies

9/3:  Spotlight – Indie Authors Books and More

9/4:  Spotlight – Melissa Kendall

9/4:  2nd stop – Interview – Romance With Flavor

9/5:  Guest blog/review – In the Name of Books

9/6:  Guest blog and review – Romantic Reads and Such

9/9:  Spotlight – Book Reviews and More

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About the book: 

When Ivy Callahan returns to her hometown as mayor, she doesn’t expect much to have changed.  But now her ex-fiancé is the town planner, the biggest business is closed, and the only store interested in Celebration, NY is a Megamart.  On top of it all, the liaison for the big, bad, box store is Marcus Weaver, her childhood crush.  And he’s still as dangerously delectable as ever.

Marcus unwillingly spent his teens in Celebration with his vindictive, drunken uncle.  As far as Marcus is concerned, the town’s only use is to cement his rise up the corporate ladder.  He needs that Megamart opened, and Ivy is his ticket. But the sexy, stubborn mayor could also be his downfall.

As the unemployed townspeople put on the pressure, Ivy needs to do something.  With a fresh downtown-renewal project in the works, Ivy could stop Marcus and his Megamart before they kill the town’s spirit.  But with sparks flying between Ivy and Marcus, they each need to decide what’s more important: their careers or their hearts.

Meet the author: 

After spending twenty years in professional theater as a costume designer, with a few of those years also spent as a college instructor, Laura abandoned the nomadic lifestyle to sit in a comfy pleather office chair at a beat up ginormous second hand oak desk and write. The result? Romance novels! Her favorite thing ever since she was, oh, about twelve. She writes contemporary, light novels and enjoys creating quirky characters and funny dialogue. Still, the love story is the focus and Laura has a huge soft spot for a sappy, happy ending. She lives in North Carolina with her husband (true love is real!) and her adorable, high energy four year old son who is currently obsessed with pirates. When not playing mamma pirate, she loves hearing from readers and you can find your favorite way to say hi via the social media buttons on her website: www.laurasimcox.com.

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Fugitive

23 Friday Aug 2013

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Book Review

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Book Review, Fugitive, Shirlee McCoy

New review is now up.

*****

cover24398-medium

Laney Jefferson is at her remote mountain cabin in a snow storm when a handcuffed, and wounded, man appears at her door.  Her terror quickly disappears when she gets a good look at his face.  She hasn’t seen Logan Randal in over a decade but he was there when a teenage Laney needed someone on her side.  Logan is on the run, accused and convicted of a crime he didn’t commit.  Now the lawman is going to find out who is behind the setup, but he needs the pretty widow to be as far away from him as possible.  Only God has other plans for the two.  As Laney and Logan keep getting pushed together, their attraction for each other starts to overcome their defenses.  Can they discover who is responsible so they can claim a future together?

Both Laney and Logan have baggage from their past – Laney’s parents were verbally and physically abusive, leading her to decide that love can only lead to heartache.  Her relationship with her husband was safe, comfortable … but she quickly realizes her feelings for Logan are definitely deeper.  Logan feels like he failed his wife when she died in a car accident so he also is hesitant to get deeply involved again.  But neither can control how they feel, so as they rush to elude the cops and solve the mystery they also have to decide if they are willing to give their hearts.

Fugitive will definitely appeal to a wide audience.  The suspense portion of the book is the driving force but the emotion behind Laney and Logan’s growing relationship and their shared history (especially Laney’s abuse) is very touching.  With a solid and interesting mystery that is beautifully combined with a touching love story, McCoy brings readers another winner.

(It shows to be a part of the “Heroes for Hire” series but I really didn’t notice it.  Some of the secondary characters may have their own books but it definitely didn’t cause any issue with keeping up with this one.  Fugitive can definitely stand on its own.)

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Bikers and Pearls

22 Thursday Aug 2013

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Book Review

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Bikers and Pearls, Book Review, Vicki Wilkerson

New review is now up.

*****

9781622661947_200

Who said tempting a sweet Southern belle would be easy?

When rebel biker Bullworth Clayton gets tangled up with pastel-and-pearls-clad April Church, sparks fly. Sure, April would clearly rather work with anyone else, but if teaming up with Bull means a successful charity event for a sick little boy they both care about, then so be it.         

April is baffled at how drawn she is to the leather-wearing, tattooed Bull—he just doesn’t fit with her simple, safe, country-club life. And as much as the handsomely rugged man tempts her, she still can’t shake the images of the tragic motorcycle accident from her past, which left her scarred and her father broken.

Bull tempts her to don a pair of leather pants and go for a ride with him, while April desperately tries to resist her attraction to the wild side and keep her exploits hidden from her small town. Will they be able to navigate their differences and find a middle road to love?

I have to be honest – I didn’t like April all that much at first … but I’m not sure I’m supposed to.  She’s timid, meek, and kinda shallow.  I understand that she had a terrible thing happen in her past, but she’s even afraid of spicy food … I know there are people like that out there, I even know a few, but it doesn’t necessarily make her an appealing heroine.  Which, for me, made her transition all the sweeter.  Working with Bull and the other bikers showed her a brand new world and exposed her to new things, so that by the time the book was over I really liked her.

Bull is your typical big, bad biker hero.  He works with his hands, loves his Harley, and is comfortable with his place in the world.  But he’s got some growing of his own.  Meeting April allows him to let go of some long held guilt and see his past in a bit of a better light.  I’m not sure everyone will like how much he pushes April, trying to get her out of her comfortable little world, but I thought he was fantastic.  He’s got a big heart, he just had a little baggage to get rid of first.

There’s a quick, fun little secondary story between one of Bull’s friend and April’s best friend and although most of it happens off the page, I liked them together.  I don’t think there is enough drama to give them their own story, but it was a good catalyst for April to reevaluate her priorities and what she wants out of her future.

If, like me, you find yourself a little put out with April, don’t give up – Bikers and Pearls is definitely worth it.  With a satisfying resolution and fun characters, it’s got a great mix of heart and depth, making April’s journey one to enjoy.

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All I Want for Christmas is You

21 Wednesday Aug 2013

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Sneak Peek

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All I want for Christmas Is You, Molly O'Keefe

We’re getting a jump start on the holidays with a cover reveal for ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU (Short Story) by Molly O’Keefe! Originally included in Loveswept’s Naughty & Nice 3-Story Bundle, this prequel to Molly’s Crazy Thing Called Love is now available for the first time as a standalone ebook.

All I Want for Christmas Is You - FINAL

All I Want for Christmas Is You (Short Story)
By Molly O’Keefe
Loveswept | 978-0-345-54244-1
On Sale November 4, 2013

Book Blurb:

In this touching eBook novella, a prequel to Molly O’Keefe’s Crazy Thing Called Love, a young woman swept up by first love is ready to say “I do”—until challenges arise during the holiday season.

Maddy Baumgarten and Billy Wilkins are spontaneous, in love, and prepared to elope the day after Christmas—that is, if Maddy’s family doesn’t throw a wrench in their plans. Her parents are more than a little reluctant to give their blessing to the impending nuptials. After all, Maddy’s barely out of high school and Billy’s a notorious bad boy. Maddy doesn’t care about Billy’s rough past—all she cares about is living in the here and now. But after Maddy’s mother stops speaking to her in protest, and a Christmas Eve heart-to-heart with her father leaves her with butterflies, Maddy starts to get cold feet. She loves Billy, but is she taking this big step too soon?

*****

About the Author

Molly O’Keefe published her first Harlequin romance at age twenty-five and hasn’t looked back. She loves exploring each character’s road toward happily ever after. She’s won two Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice awards and the RITA for Best Novella in 2010. Originally from a small town outside of Chicago, she now lives in Toronto, Canada, with her husband, two kids, and the largest heap of dirty laundry in North America.

Pre-order ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU

Connect with Molly: Facebook |Twitter | Website

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FTC Disclaimer - see bottom of page for complete statement, but please be aware that in many cases I am provided a book to read but my opinions are my own & no guarantee of positive review is given by any party.

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