Book Review – Hold on Tight

Tags

Book Review, Hold on Tight, Returning Home series, Serena Bell

Hold on Tight

A Returning Home Novel

by Serena Bell

In Serena Bell’s heartwarming novel, a young mother and a battle-scarred veteran must decide if they can rekindle the sparks they once shared.

Fighting for his country gave Jake Taylor’s life shape and meaning. Now as an injured war hero he struggles to find purpose, until he runs into the gorgeous woman he dated briefly—and disastrously—before being deployed eight years ago. Turns out Jake doesn’t just need to figure out how to be a civilian . . . he also needs to learn how to be a dad.

Eighteen, pregnant, and totally lost, Mira Shipley couldn’t track down the soldier who fathered her child, so she put college on hold and focused on making a good life for her son. Now she’s determined to be something more than Sam’s mom, her parents’ daughter, or Jake’s girl—as hot as she finds her old flame’s take-charge attitude in and out of bed. Soon Mira and Jake realize that their passion didn’t disappear when Sam was conceived—and that instead of running away, sometimes it’s better to hold on tight.

This has got to be one of my favorite second-chance romances – I love the idea that Mira and Jake were infatuated at such a young age but were separated.  Now fate has brought them back together again at a time when they really need each other.

You feel so much for both of the characters.  While Mira’s parents love her very much, her dad is also a bit controlling.  Getting pregnant at 18 and without Jake, living with her parents, means that this is the first time that she’s had a chance to try to break free.  She knows that everything was done with good intentions but it made it hard to be an adult.  Unfortunately for her piece of mind just as she’s striking out she runs into Jake again and with him comes a ton of complications.

I really liked how strong Mira is.  She’s fought for as much independence as she could while raising her son in her childhood home.  She’s dedicated, smart and very understanding.  And she’ll need all of that to deal with Jake.

Jake was dealt a very hard blow while serving as a Ranger.  He’s lost not only his leg, but his best friend and his calling.  He’s allowed everything he lost to bring him down, until he runs into Mira again and she shocks him with the news that he has a 7 year old son.  Even though the changes that Jake starts making are caused by Mira and Sam, I really love the fact that Bell has him making those changes for himself.  Realizing that he has a family is the kick he needed to get him out of his own head.

I also love that once he starts moving forward Bell doesn’t have him wallow too much in the setbacks that he experiences.  He shows the attitude that he needed to make it in the military – he picks himself, brushes himself off and tries again.  He’s vulnerable but strong in mind and body.  Some of his most embarrassing moments happen in front of Mira but she’s so very good at helping him get past them and I think it helps to make their bond even better.

Of course things aren’t 100% easy for them.  Jake is carrying around a lot of baggage, even some from his childhood which are only complicated by his accident.  But it is wrapped up wonderfully and I was so invested in them that I found myself smiling at the end.

Hold on Tight is fantastically written – the perfect balance of emotions, with Jake learning to live again and Mira learning to stand on her own two feet.  Plus both have to deal with the fact that they made a child together and now have to decide what that means for them going forward.  But Bell does a great job of not letting things get too bogged down.  Instead she manages to keep all of her characters steadily moving forward to something better and that HEA that we want so badly for them.

Available on Amazon – http://amzn.to/1KUmRr1

Book Review – The Comfort of Favorite Things

Tags

A Hope Springs Novel, Alison Kent, Book Review, The Comfort of Favorite Things

The Comfort of Favorite Things

A Hope Springs Novel

by Alison Kent

When Dakota and Thea reunite in Hope Springs after a decade apart, their love might pass the test of time…

No matter how many years Dakota Keller has spent trying, he can’t outrun his past, so when a private investigator tells him his sister needs him, he travels to the small Texas town of Hope Springs to start a new life with the support of his siblings. When he arrives to do a routine construction job at the town’s new espresso bar, he’s shocked to discover that the owner is Thea Clark—the girl he couldn’t resist in high school and whose memory kept him sane in prison.

Recovering from an abusive relationship, Thea decides that her past is off-limits for discussion, even with Dakota. After all, it feels like a lifetime since she last saw him. But when Dakota’s brother’s firm is tapped to renovate the women’s shelter Thea runs out of her home, old feelings quickly reignite. Could a casual affair from high school turn out to be the one connection neither of them can live without?

I haven’t read the other Hope Springs stories and while I think that this one could MOSTLY stand on its own, it might be easier to understand some of the issues if you’d read at least the two stories about Dakota’s siblings.  I get the idea that a lot of the issues for Dakota were fleshed out in those earlier stories and here we pick up a year after the private investigator finds him & he comes to live with his siblings.  We get the basics of what sent him to prison and why he’s been away for so long, but I definitely wonder how much more I would have understood with the background of those other stories.

Having said that, I really liked this story.  It isn’t really so much a romance (although the connection between Dakota and Thea is so very sweet) but more of a women’s fiction piece because it is a lot about letting go of the past to embrace the future.  Both Dakota and Thea, and Thea’s friends, have things they’ve done or have had done to them that they are carrying around.  These things are influencing their actions now, causing them to not be able to really live and relate to the world around them.  We get involved as they try to find out if they can let that go and really move on.  It’s tragic and emotional and heartwarming and while you probably don’t have the same kind of past you might learn a thing or two yourself 🙂

Available on Amazon – http://amzn.to/1gvzIBR

Spotlight – The Brigadier’s Runaway Bride

Tags

Erica Ridley, The Brigadier’s Runaway Bride, The Dukes of War series

Y’all I can’t wait to read this one.  I’ve been loving this series and this one looks like it could be the best one yet!

*****

The Brigadier’s Runaway Bride

The Dukes of War series

by Erica Ridley

Blurb:

Miss Sarah Fairfax is having a wretched year. Her intended perished at war. His child is in her belly. To secure her future, she resigns herself to a loveless marriage. Just as she’s about to say I do, her fiancée returns from the grave to crash the wedding… but he’s no longer the charming, carefree man she remembers.

After being left for dead on the battlefield, Brigadier Edmund Blackpool is scarred inside and out. He fights his way home only to discover his intended before the altar with his best friend. He’ll be the one to marry her, no matter what she wants! But when his new bride disappears with his child, he must reopen his wounds to win the most important battle of his life.

Amazon: http://smarturl.it/tbrbamzpr

Apple iBooks: http://apple.co/1J5CfyO 

Nook: http://bit.ly/dw5-NOOK 

Kobo: http://bit.ly/tbrb-KOBO 

GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/GPtbrb

*****

Excerpt:

Edmund flew across the cobblestone streets as fast as the stallion could carry him. Sweat raced down his back despite the bitter March wind. Devil take it. If he was too late… If the woman who’d haunted his dreams ended up someone else’s wife…

He lowered his head against the wind and urged the stallion as fast as he dared. ’Twas wretched out. The streets were slippery with icy pockets of snow. Teeming with carriages and pedestrians. The stench of horse manure and dirt. Edmund hated it all. The clamor, the crowds, the chaos. London was repellant.

It was too much like war. Like being lost. Like the endless nightmares of chasing after his brother, running toward the other soldiers, and always being left behind. He’d woken in cold sweats then. No wonder he was reliving it now.

But a wedding was underway, and he had to stop it.

Sarah was the one bright light in the darkness of his world. Pure and sweet and beautiful, she was everything he desired. Everything he’d longed for all those lonely nights. The heat of her skin. The scent of her hair. The feel of her body as he lifted her slender form above him and—

Ravenwood House rose against the blinding sunset like a dragon unfurling its wings. It was not a small part of a crescent of row houses. Its three floors and two annexes were the crescent.

Edmund’s jaw tightened. The stallion reared at the sight as if it, too, sensed danger lurking within those elegant walls.

There were no longer pedestrians crowding the pristine road. No life of any kind. Any visiting carriages had already been tucked out of sight inside the mews. And of course, nothing so gauche as a hired hackney dared sit idle before the grand ducal estate.

Tough. Edmund tucked his head and raced his horse right over the manicured grass of the front lawn. If Ravenwood’s perfect garden got mussed, so be it. There was no time to waste.

As Edmund neared the front door, servants streamed out of the estate in alarm. He leapt from the stallion and tossed the reins to the closest gaping footman before shouldering his way inside the mansion.

Of course the servants wouldn’t invite him to enter. He hadn’t been to Ravenwood House since he’d purchased his commission four years ago, so the staff was unlikely to recognize him.

He also knew he looked a fright. Tattered, mismatched clothing. Scarred face covered by a five-week beard. A scowl fierce enough to terrify the devil himself—and with good reason. If Edmund was too late to stop the ceremony…

“Where’s the wedding?” he snarled to the housemaids.

One of them keeled into the others in a dead faint.

A male voice broke in. “Sir, I’m afraid you’ll have to…”

Edmund whirled to face Ravenwood’s butler, whose jaw dropped with the shock of recognition. “Master Blackpool?”

“Where are they?” Edmund demanded, his voice hoarse. “I have to stop the wedding.”

“Master Blackpool, it is splendid to see you alive and… well, alive, sir, but I cannot in good conscience allow you to thwart His Grace’s wishes, particularly on this day of—”

“The alcove of the back parlor,” gasped one of the maids. “The blue one, next to the billiards room.”

“Agnes.” One of the other servants grabbed the maid’s arm. “You’ll be sacked for this!”

“But it’s all so romantic…”

Edmund missed whatever else was said because he was already tearing down the corridor toward the rear of the mansion.

He hadn’t forgotten the way. As a young man, he, his twin brother, and their three closest friends—Xavier Grey, Oliver York, and the Duke of Ravenwood—had spent many a lazy evening drinking the duke’s port and battling for temporary dominance over the billiards table. It had all seemed terribly important and worldly when Edmund was but a young buck of seventeen years.

He was now six-and-twenty and this particular battle for dominance would determine the fate of the rest of his life.

His breath quickened. On the ride over, he hadn’t let himself think of anything except getting back to Sarah. No good would come of wondering how she’d wound up in the arms of Edmund’s (better looking, better moneyed, better mannered) lifelong friend. It didn’t matter. She was his.

The fact that Edmund’s own brother had apparently come along to witness the unholy event also did not bear contemplating. There was no room in Edmund’s atrophied heart to feel betrayed or wounded, when he was so bloody thrilled to discover his brother was even alive. The rest would come later. He and Bartholomew were twins. The best of friends. Inseparable and indistinguishable. Edmund had dreamed of being reunited with his brother almost as often as he’d dreamed of being reunited with Sarah.

And he would not let the Duke of Ravenwood stop him.

Edmund flung open the parlor door and charged forward bellowing, “Stop!” as he raced up the makeshift aisle.

The first thing he saw was her hair. Thick and chestnut and familiar, the long tresses had been gathered up in a shiny mass and pinned to the back of her head, just as it had been in Bruges. She was his siren. He could already smell her soap and feel the softness of her dark brown curls as he plucked the pins free one by one.

As if responding to the force of his thoughts, the power of his love, Sarah turned to face him.

Edmund pulled up short. His stomach dropped, his jaw dropped, his bloody heart dropped because Sarah was… pregnant.

Not just pregnant: hugely pregnant. His slender, innocent, doe-eyed bride had doubled in size since last he’d seen her. His stomach dropped. No wonder there was a wedding.

He cut a furious glance toward Ravenwood, who held up his palms and shook his head.

The vicar clutched the cross hanging from his neck and backed away.

“Not Ravenwood,” Sarah said, her voice cracking. “The baby is yours.”

Edmund’s ears roared. If anyone was speaking, he could not hear them. Sarah was pregnant. The baby was his. Sarah was pregnant. He was going to be a father. Sarah was right there in front of him, waiting for his reaction with tears in her eyes.

Edmund’s position had not changed. His will had only been reinforced.

“Stop the wedding.” He marched forward, his gaze locked on hers. “She marries me.”

*****

Author Info:

Erica Ridley is a USA Today best-selling author of historical romance novels. Her latest series, The Dukes of War, features charming peers and dashing war heroes who return from battle only to be thrust into the splendor and madness of Regency England. When not reading or writing romances, Erica can be found riding camels in Africa, zip-lining through rainforests in Costa Rica, or getting hopelessly lost in the middle of Budapest.

Website:          http://www.EricaRidley.com

Facebook:       http://www.facebook.com/EricaRidley

Twitter:           http://www.twitter.com/EricaRidley

Goodreads:      http://www.goodreads.com/EricaRidley

Spotlight – Later Than Expected

Tags

Catherine Scott, Great Expectation Series, Later Than Expected

*****

Later Than Expected

Great Expectation Series

by Catherine Scott

Cover Designer: RE&D Margreet Asselbergs

Hosted By:  Francessca’s Romance Reviews

Blurb:

Ben Blackbird has always been there for everyone else.  He took care of his mother and sisters when his alcoholic father didn’t. He raised his son alone when his wife got sick and eventually died from breast cancer. Ben has been his family’s rock in every crisis situation. He loved his life, but he was lonely.

Greta spent her childhood in the foster care system. But she was always did well in school, but didn’t have much experience with men.  Years later after enduring years of her husband’s cheating and manipulation her husband dies unexpectedly giving her the opportunity to start a new life.

Both Ben and Greta find themselves on the same delayed flight to Nashville. Ben offers to share the drive and they find an attraction along the way.  Their romantic relationship continues but her husband’s past threatens to destroy their hopes for a long awaited happily ever after.

Amazon USA – http://amzn.to/1KccwRx

Amazon UK – http://amzn.to/1URxqjf

*****

What Others are saying about the book

Catherine you did an awesome job with this one. Can’t wait to see what you have up your sleeve for Raul book. You Rock Catherine! ~ Goodreads Review

Catherine does a wonderful job of keeping the story interesting, with the love connection that grows very quickly for Ben and Greta being the center but there is a couple other small back stories. Her character growth is coming along in strides. ~ Goodreads Review

Ms. Scott does a wonderful job of weaving into to this a suspenseful plot that has many twists and turns. Things did not turn out the way I’d predicted. ~ Goodreads Review

*****

Author Info:

Catherine Scott grew up in the Chicago area but fell in love with the Southern Illinois region while attending university where she studied psychology and special education. Catherine has taught the best kids in the world for more than 15 years. Catherine lives in Kentucky with 3 dogs and the love of her life.  She writes romantic suspense novels.  “When You Least Expect It” is the first novel in her Great Expectations series. “Later than Expected” is her second novel due for release on September 15, 2015.

You Can Follow Catherine In the Following places

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pages/Catherine-Scott-Author/709578675746339?sk=timeline

Twitter – https://twitter.com/cscott_author

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13783361.Catherine_Scott

Spotlight – Rescued by the Ranger

Tags

Dixie Lee Brown, Rescued by the Ranger

How about a sexy veteran and his combat dog to kick off the week?  Add a little danger into the mix and it’s sure to be fantastic!

*****

Rescued by the Ranger

by Dixie Lee Brown

Releasing September 8, 2015

Avon Impulse

Blurb:

Protecting those in trouble is what Army Ranger Garrett Harding does best. But after helping a feisty redhead toss a couple of losers from her Idaho bar, the woman is anything but grateful for his assistance—in fact, she seems to know him. Worse, she almost certainly hates him.

The only thing Rachel Maguire wants is to send this smart-mouthed, muscled military man packing. She knows Garrett has his own reasons for staying, so when he offers Rachel a deal—two days to prove his worth or he leaves—she reluctantly agrees. Despite wanting to loathe him, Rachel finds herself drawn to his quiet confidence…and the way he fills out a t-shirt.

But when Rachel receives a phone call from the past, everything changes. The stalker who destroyed her life ten years ago is closing in once more. Refusing to put anyone else in harm’s way, Rachel hits the road hoping to lure danger away from those she loves. But Garrett won’t leave this sexy spitfire to face her stalker alone. He’ll do anything to protect her. Even if it means risking his life—and his heart.

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25460507-rescued-by-the-ranger

Buy Links:  Amazon | B&N| iTunes | Kobo

*****

Excerpt:

A faint whine from the shotgun seat jerked Garrett’s attention back to the narrow road hugging the side of a steep mountain in the middle-of-fucking-nowhere, Idaho. Gravel crunched beneath the tires as he came close to the drop-off on his right, and he immediately guided the Jeep closer to the white line down the middle of the chipped and broken asphalt. Clearly, either he was lost, or naming this strip of pavement a state highway was someone’s idea of a joke. Whatever the case, this wouldn’t be the best place to lose his focus. It was a damn-good thing Cowboy was watching out for him, as usual.

Garrett scratched beneath the chin of the German shepherd in the seat beside him, and the dog gave another worried whimper. With no words at his disposal, Cowboy still managed to convey his opinion about the last-minute road trip they’d embarked on late last night, and at this point, Garrett was tempted to agree with him.

“Relax, boy.” Garrett cocked his head toward the navigation system resting on the dash. “Matilda thinks we’re almost there, and she hasn’t gotten us lost in a long time.”

That earned him another whine and a hopeful thump of the dog’s tail. Cowboy’s tongue lolled from the side of his open mouth as he stuck his head out of the window and resumed his panting.

Maybe Garrett should have listened to his little brother Luke. Cowboy might have been better off staying with his father at the senator’s residence in Sacramento. But Garrett had balked when Luke brought it up. The dog belonged with him. Constant companions for the past two years—watching each other’s backs, eating together, sleeping together, flushing out Sunni militants together—Cowboy was the closest thing to a guardian angel Garrett would ever see.

When they’d both been injured in a firefight outside the Iraqi city of Fallujah, Cowboy had not only led them out of the ambush, but also stood guard over him and the other surviving member of their unit until help had arrived in the early hours of the morning. At the field hospital, Garrett had insisted the dog receive the best treatment available and, a couple of weeks later, had pulled out all the stops to secure the necessary approval to bring him home.

He knew what it was like to have someone you love suddenly and permanently disappear. And it wasn’t happening to Cowboy. Not if Garrett could help it. He hadn’t left the dog behind in Iraq, and he wasn’t going to leave him now.

*****

Author Info:

DIXIE LEE BROWN lives and writes in Central Oregon, inspired by what she believes is the most gorgeous scenery anywhere. She resides with two dogs and a cat, who make sure she never takes herself too seriously. When she’s not writing, she enjoys reading, movies, and trips to the beach.

 Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

*****

Giveaway:

Ten (10) digital downloads of RESCUED BY THE RANGER

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/521ac4c8773/

*****

Click on the banner below to check out the rest of the tour

Book Review – Enchanted Summer

Tags

Book Review, Enchanted Summer, Gloria Gay

Let’s end the weekend with something sweet.

*****

ENCHANTED SUMMER

by Gloria Gay

GENRE – Regency Romance

PUBLICATION DATE – May 14, 2015

LENGTH (Pages/# Words) – 329

PUBLISHER – Kindle Books/Gloria Gay

COVER ARTIST – Killion Group

Blurb:

When Celia Meade’s uncle impulsively offers Celia and her family a chance at a better life by inviting them to live at his estate near Bath, he is surprised by his daughter Caroline’s animosity against the Meades. Caroline’s hatred of Celia began when Celia attended her aunt’s funeral and Caroline noted the immediate attraction between Celia and Caroline’s choice for a husband, Lord Robert Merrick. Running into each other again in the woods that adjoin Lord Merrick’s property the attraction between Lord Merrick and Celia blossoms into love in the warm days of summer. Enraged that Lord Robert’s sister encourages her brother by planning trips and picnics with Celia, Caroline calls a meeting with her father and Celia, and extracts a promise from Celia to not see Lord Merrick again with the threat that she will force the Meades to leave her house. To ease the tension, Celia accepts a month-long stay at a friend’s home but while Celia is away Caroline plans the downfall of Celia’s family.

AMAZON KINDLE US – http://www.amazon.com/Enchanted-Summer-Regency-Gloria-Gay-ebook/dp/B00X2RBURK/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1430683116&sr=1-1&keywords=Enchanted+Summer

AMAZON KINDLE CA – http://www.amazon.ca/Enchanted-Summer-Regency-Gloria-Gay-ebook/dp/B00X2RBURK/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1431917189&sr=1-1&keywords=enchanted+summer%2C+gloria+gay

AMAZON KINDLE UK – http://www.amazon.co.uk/Enchanted-Summer-Regency-Gloria-Gay-ebook/dp/B00X2RBURK/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1430686838&sr=1-1&keywords=Enchanted+Summer%2C+gloria+gay

AMAZON PAPERBACK – http://www.amazon.com/Enchanted-Summer-Regency-Gloria-Gay/dp/1512041793/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1430683

GOODREADS – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25537864-enchanted-summer

*****

Excerpt:

She sighed as she saw him busy filling the kettle with water from a keg and measuring tea leaves. He then took two blue and white mugs from a shelf, set them on the table and smiled at Celia. Celia smiled back. It was so easy to smile at Robert.

He seemed at home in the place and knew where everything was kept. Celia had never seen a man engaged in such domestic occupations and he seemed even more endearing to her, if such a thing were possible, as he went about in his preparations.

If there was such a thing as paradise, thought Celia, this was it in essence: a blissful, forbidden paradise. She would never again be as happy as she was at this moment, with the warmth that was beginning to give forth from the fire warming her to a delicious shiver, the scent of pinecones and fir in the air and the woodsy feel of the cabin.

All that was left now for Robert to do was to wait for the water to boil and he came and sat in the sofa near Celia. He seemed at a loss for words, and stood up quickly. He fetched spoons and napkins from a drawer in the table from a cupboard. Celia gazed at him as he did this and when their glances met Robert smiled again at her.

“Have you enjoyed your walk,” he asked and his voice was strained. When she nodded he said, “I hope you will walk here often and I hope…”

Celia waited for him to go on and realized he must have been embarrassed that he had said the word ‘hope’ several times, for a blush was stealing up his neck and cheek and he turned away.

Celia looked at his hands and noticed that they trembled. On impulse she placed her hand over his. The connection was instant. She felt rays of pleasure stealing up her arms clear up to her brain, stunning her with a swirl of pleasure she had never felt before.

Robert took one of her hands and kissed it, slowly and as slowly he pulled her up with him and they embraced. His lips on her neck gave her a floating feeling and as he pressed her closer to him an explosion of feeling coursed in skipping waves along her skin and nerves.

“I love you, Celia,” he whispered in her ear and Celia turned her face so that his lips found hers quickly and the kiss was unlike anything Celia had felt in her life. “I have loved you since the first day I saw you in that awful black gown,” he whispered in her ear, making her smile widely. It was as if she became part of him. He kissed her again and his tongue sent waves of erotic pleasure throughout her body. His hand softly on her breast made her gasp and quietly he led her up to a bed in the loft.

Like a sleepwalker led by a force she was unable to resist, Celia walked up the wooden stairs to the loft with Robert behind her, and when they reached the wide bed and Robert nodded toward it, she lay down on it. She noted vaguely that Robert was taking off her boots and then her bonnet. She floated in a soft cloud as she heard Robert take off his boots and coat, then his cravat.

She knew she would never be alone with Robert again. And she also knew she could not turn away from the swirl of almost unbearable tremors that shook her body with unfamiliar pleasure. He did not insist she take her clothes off as he lay beside her after having taken off his boots. He put his arm under her head and pressed her close to him and Celia felt that she would never in her life feel as sheltered and loved as she was at this moment as she looked deep into Robert’s eyes…

*****

Review:

I enjoyed this one, although it isn’t as tight as I usually like my stories.  It was a little more embellished in the writing and there weren’t a lot of true interactions between the characters – more internal dialogue and observations.  It kinda reminded me of what I remember Barbara Cartland books being like (and what I imagine Georgette Hayer’s books are like, although I’ve never read any).  They are super sweet, with flowery dialogue, and a plot where love triumphs in the end – the good guys get what they deserve and so does the bad guy.

I did like the heroine, who is the character we follow for about 97% of the story – she’s got a very strong sense of familial responsibility and is willing to make sacrifices for them.  And I think I could have really liked the hero if we’d had a chance to know him more.  He also seems to have a strong family connection but there just wasn’t enough dealings with him to get a good read.

I think that authors like this definitely have an audience and if this is your kind of thing then Gay is definitely a good choice.  The trials that these characters go thru on their way to a HEA make for a fun read and you’ll be happy when everything wraps up nicely at the end.

(There were some editing issues in the copy I had but I don’t know if those were cleaned up in the final copy.  I saw somewhere that someone else complained about them but I’m not one of those that it bothers so much and they didn’t impact my reading in any way, but that is something else to keep in mind.)

*****

Author Info:

Writing and painting have been Gloria’s main obsessions ever since she can remember. She and her husband consider themselves very lucky to be living in a beautiful place like San Diego, California, but most of all to have their children and grandchildren living nearby.

Enchanted Summer is Gloria’s seventh Regency romance and she has recently published her first time travel romance, A Bridge Through Time. Her other Regencies include the recently published Lovely Little Liar and Scandal at Almack’s, both with Boroughs Publishing Group, as well as Love In A Dangerous Season and Kissed In The Dark which she self-published with Kindle Books.

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE – http://www.amazon.com/Gloria-Gay/e/B0065TEP9M/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_ebooks_1

WEBSITE / BLOG –  http://gloriagay.com

FACEBOOK – https://www.facebook.com/gloria.gay.58?fref=ts

TWITTER – https://twitter.com/gloria_gay

*****

Giveaway:

5 ebooks

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/9944253c177/

*****

Today

Let’s take some time today to remember …

Book Review – To Win Her Love

Tags

Book Review, Mackenzie Crowne, Players series, To Win Her Love

To Win Her Love

Players series

by Mackenzie Crowne

To win the game, they’ll have to risk losing their hearts…

When a bizarre child custody stipulation pits popular sports blogger Gracie Gable against football superstar Jake Malone, losing the battle for her twin nieces isn’t the only thing Gracie has to worry about. Forced to live for three months under the same roof as the sexy tight end, will she fall prey to his flirtatious pursuit? Or worse, will the skeletons in her closet destroy her chance for the love and family she so desperately wants?

Neglected by his parents as a boy, Jake doesn’t believe in happily ever after. Yet living with Gracie and the twins might be enough to change his mind—and his womanizing ways. But when the press unearths a scandal from Gracie’s past, will he lose the one woman he was ready to open his heart to?

There is so much going against Gracie and Jake – they battle online about one of his plays on-field, only to find out that they have a battle of a different kind.  Forced to live together because of a custody stipulation they find out that their attraction to each other may be more than they can resist.  Except that Gracie’s secret is a doozie and could affect a lot of people Jake knows.

Gracie doesn’t let Jake get away with anything, although sometimes that isn’t all that easy.  There’s plenty of snark and humor, fun and flirtation, but when one of the sexiest men in football turns on the charm who wouldn’t go weak in the knees?  While I really liked these two together, my favorite part has to be watching Jake fall for his sisters.  He originally only agrees to being there because he knows it would be more bad press he doesn’t need, then it’s a chance to be closer to Gracie, but once he gets to know those two little girls things change … and it is so very sweet.  Plus there are Jake’s teammates.  I’m really hoping that Crowne has some big plans for these guys because a few of them definitely need to be brought down a peg or two and need a good woman to be the one to do it 🙂

With hilarious dialogue, outrageous situations, touching moments, and all of the sexy you could ask for, To Win Her Love is a definite romantic touchdown.

Buy it on Amazon

Book Review – Broken Play

Tags

Birmingham Rebels series, Book Review, Broken Play, Samantha Kane

I’ve got one today that may be a little more than some of you want to take on.  But those who are brave and a little more daring in your reading, Samantha Kane’s Broken Play delivers a scoring drive.

*****

Broken Play

Birmingham Rebels # 1

by Samantha Kane

Releasing September 1, 2015

Loveswept

Blurb:

Perfect for fans of Shayla Black and Lexi Blake, the deeply sensual new Birmingham Rebels series introduces an unforgettable team of chiseled football gods—and the daring, provocative games they play behind closed doors.

Birmingham Rebels offensive linemen Beau Perez and Cass Zielinski are inseparable, on and off the field. Cass, the captain with the cowboy swagger, is a loose cannon. Beau, the veteran tight end, is cool under pressure. And ever since they were caught on tape in a steamy threesome, their exploits have fueled more than a few tabloid headlines—and naughty fantasies.

Marian Treadwell knows all about the video. And now that she’s the Rebels’ new assistant offensive coach, she can’t look at Beau and Cass without picturing their hard, naked bodies—with her pressed in between. Marian would like nothing more than to indulge those impulses, but she knows better than to get too close to her players, a bunch of adrenaline-fueled alpha males who don’t always follow the rules.

Just the thought of sharing the gorgeous yet guarded Marian drives Cass wild. At first, Beau isn’t sure she’s right for them . . . and lately, all he desires is a little alone time with Cass to explore their new intimacy. But it’s only a matter of time before Cass breaks through both of their defenses. Because when seduction is the game plan, he always plays to win.

Broken Play is intended for mature audiences.

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23834711-broken-play?ac=1

Goodreads Series Link: https://www.goodreads.com/series/147783-birmingham-rebels

Buy Links:  Amazon | B & N | iTunes | Kobo

*****

Excerpt:

“Hey, sugar, come here often?” Jo Jo Jones said to her as he came around from the showers wearing nothing but a towel, his dark-cocoa skin starkly contrasting with the white terry cloth. Jo Jo was a great linebacker, but he had a death wish. He couldn’t stop smoking weed, and he liked to tease Marian. One of those was going to get him thrown out of the NFL, and the other was going to get him dead.

“Really?” Marian said with exaggerated disappointment. “You had the whole day to think of a come-on line, and that’s the best you could come up with?”

The guys all laughed and Jo Jo got snapped with a few towels. He laughed, too, as if he’d really been joking, which was good. Cass crossed beating him up off his to-do list.

“Okay, gentlemen—and I use the term loosely,” she said, teasing them. “Today is press day. You get to be smart and funny and irresistible for the press corps. Make yourselves pretty before you join us back on the sidelines.”

There were groans from all over the room. “Oh, man,” Tyler Oakes, team quarterback, said. “You have to, too, right?”

Marian frowned. “Hello? I’m already pretty.”

Cass laughed out loud with the rest of the team. “You sure are,” he said, loud enough for her to hear him. Her gaze darted over to him, as if she’d been avoiding looking at him but couldn’t help herself now. He was sitting there in his shorts and nothing else, sweating. Beau was leaning on the locker in front of him, similarly undressed. Cass looked at him, hoping to lead Marian’s eyes that way, too. Beau was sure enough pretty when his copper skin was all sweaty, his tats gleaming black and slick.

Marian cleared her throat and Cass turned back to her. “Uh,” she said, blinking nervously as she backed up, holding the door with her hand. “Thanks. Hurry up. Down on the field. Press. Bye.” She turned and hurried off, letting the door swing closed.

“That girl got it bad,” Jo Jo said with a whistle. “You gonna put her out of her misery, or let me pick up the pieces of her broken heart?”

“Do you have a death wish?” Cass asked quietly, rearranging his to-do list again. He took a sip of his water as he stared at Jo Jo over the top of the bottle. Jo Jo backed up, his hands in the air.

“No, sir,” he said, shaking his head. “Not me. I didn’t say anything.”

Beau laughed. “Chicken.”

Jo Jo grinned. “You got that right, my man. Smart chicken.” He laughed as he sat down and started to get dressed. “See, I’m gonna be the first one down there with Miss Marian, while you pigs still got to wash the dirt off.” He laughed again as he danced out of the way of Cass’s reaching hand. “None of that,” he chided him. “Miss Marian would be very put out if I appeared all bloody for the press.”

“We’ll just make sure you don’t appear at all,” Beau said, which made Cass feel better. Beau may not have been actively pursuing Marian, but he was definitely interested in her, thank God. Cass didn’t want to be with a woman without Beau. He hadn’t been for . . . hell, three years. There was something between Marian and Beau. He just had to push it past the edge of whatever it was and into sex. No, more than sex. He wanted more than sex with Marian and Beau. It was time for more.

Before he could digest that mind-boggling thought, Beau slapped his shoulder. “Come on, man,” he said. “We’ve got to shower and get down there before they miss us.”

“Coming,” Cass said. He put aside his confusing thoughts and focused on the upcoming interviews. He really hated the press.

*****

Review:

Y’all need to take what the blurb says seriously because this book is not going to be for everyone.  Usually your love story is girl meets boy, they fall in love, sometimes experience trouble of some sort, but figure things out so they can have their HEA.  Here, girl meets boys, who already know each other quite well, everyone falls in love and addresses a few big problems so they can live HEA (although I’m sure it isn’t going to be easy considering the nature of their relationship).  For those who don’t mind the explicit sex, including M/M and multiple partners, it is WELL worth the read because Kane does a great job of exploring some fascinating dynamics between these interesting and complex characters.  In fact, there is so much going on here that I just couldn’t put it down and finished it in an afternoon.

I do have a couple of issues with it.  Early on the flow isn’t as smooth as I’m used to, with paragraphs of weirdly stilted sentences, but I quickly am so wrapped up in their story that I stop noticing.  If it continues, I have no idea because the rest of it is that engrossing.

And then there is the unprofessional relationship between Marian, Beau and Cass.  She’s the assistant coach for their football team and a couple of times they have intimate moments in her office.  I have no idea why it bothered me because there are a ton of books with office romances, including those with the boss, but this one seemed …. well, just more so.  But then again, everything about their relationship is “more” so I guess it works 🙂

The characters hook you so completely though that it doesn’t take long to get past these things.  The relationship between Beau and Cass is so very complicated and meeting Marian causes them to evaluate their feelings not only for her but for each other.  I think my favorite thing about the whole book is how their this is addressed.  It is so smooth because they had already started putting together the framework, they just hadn’t openly acknowledged it.

Marian, though, is more complicated and has some soul-searching to do.  She had a traumatic incident in her past that has had far reaching effects, not just on her but on others.  It’s shaken her trust and causes her to be afraid, in relationships and with football players – which is not good considering her job.  Cass and Beau won’t let her ignore it because it is the make or break thing for their future.  Their solution may be unorthodox but considering how unusual their lives are anyway it works.

Again, this book isn’t going to be for everyone.  But it is full of a lot of heart and heat, which makes it perfect for those who are a little more adventurous in their reading.

*****

Author Info:

Samantha Kane lives in North Carolina with her husband and three children, two boys and one girl. With a master’s degree in American history, she spent seven years as a high school history teacher before becoming a full-time writer and mom.

Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads

*****

Giveaway:

Select Loveswept Ebook Bundle

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/235babe7251/

*****

Click on the banner below to check out the rest of the tour

Spotlight – The Earl’s New Bride

Tags

Frances Fowlkes, The Daughters of Amhurst, The Earl's New Bride

Y’all, The Earl’s New Bride has only been out a day and is already getting some great reviews!  Check it out on Goodreads and then get your own copy at Amazon.

*****

The Earl’s New Bride

The Daughters of Amhurst series

by Frances Fowlkes

Blurb:

No woman dared to love him…

England, 1819

The Earl of Amhurst has returned to his estate in search of a wife and, more importantly, an heir. Simon Devere isn’t interested in some comely, simpering creature. A beautiful woman only brings heartbreak and ruin, and Simon’s disfigured visage is proof enough of that. No, he wants a wife who is unattractive and undesirable-and the homelier, the better.

But nothing about Lady Henrietta Beauchamp is homely. She is lovely and sweet… and struggles to mix with polite society when she would so much rather have plants for company. And yet Simon is her only hope for keeping Plumburn Castle in her family’s possession. Even if it means marrying a man she doesn’t love.

It’s an impossible and unlikely match… unless this awkward beauty can bring hope back into a solitary beast’s life.

*****

Excerpt:

“Our stroll. Why wait until tomorrow? Why not do it now, my lord? You can walk me to the kitchens on the other side of the garden, where we can retrieve another cup for your ache, and kill two birds with one stone.”

“You wish to walk with me? Alone? At night?” he asked dubiously.

His concern was valid. She was alone. Without a chaperone. With the Black Earl.

She should be afraid—or at the very least, nervous, and cautious.

But the only emotion thrumming through her veins was excitement at the sudden opportunity offered—time alone with the earl—without Miss Saxton and her perfect elocution, or Lord Satterfield staring at her with disturbing interest. This was an opportunity to compare the earl’s character against the gossip—and question why her blood raced at the mere mention of his name. Henrietta took the cup from his hand, her cool fingers brushing against his warm ones, the accidental and simple touch sending a tingle up her palm and into her arm. “ I-I-I would like to walk with you. That is…if you would have me.”

He blinked, seeming astonished.  “Of course. I would be honored. My only concern is your lack of chaperone.”

“My sisters know where I-I-I am and with whom I-I-I had intended to meet.”

“Do they?” He stepped toward her, sending her heart into a near fit of palpitation. “And they have no compunction sending their sister into the dark gardens with the Black Earl?”

She shook her head. “No. Especially when he is ill.”

“I am not ill.” He winced, and Henrietta rolled her eyes.

*****

Author Info:

After viewing her all-time favorite love story, “Anne of Green Gables”, at the impressionable age of ten, Frances Fowlkes has been obsessed with affable boy-next door heroes, red-heads, and romance stories with lots of “highfaluting mumbo jumbo” written within their pages. It only seems natural then that she married the boy who used to pull on her curls in her high school English class, had not one, but THREE red-headed boys, and penned multiple love stories with bits of flowery prose.

When not writing, Frances loves spending time with her family, fangirling, and planning her next vacation.

Frances Fowlkes, originally a northern mid-westerner, now lives in the southeast with her ardent hero of a husband, three playful and rambunctious boys, and one spoiled standard poodle.

A self-professed Anglophile and summa cum laude graduate of LeTourneau University, Frances Fowlkes combines her passion for happily-ever-afters with her interests in both American and English histories.