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Romantic Reads and Such

~ thoughts on romances

Romantic Reads and Such

Monthly Archives: January 2018

Book Review – The Bookworm and the Beast

31 Wednesday Jan 2018

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Book Review

≈ 1 Comment

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A Romantic Fairytale Retelling, Book Review, Charlee James, The Bookworm and the Beast

The Bookworm and the Beast

A Romantic Fairytale Retelling

by Charlee James

When quiet, bookish Izzy Simon accepts a two-week assignment as an assistant for an author of children’s books, it seems like the perfect way for her to make some much-needed extra money, but the grumpy author claims he doesn’t want or need her services. He might be as handsome as a storybook prince, but his prickly personality and resistance to all things Christmas are sure to make for a chilly holiday season.

Derek Croft never agreed to the cheery temp his staff arranges for him while they’re on vacation. Izzy is his polar opposite, but Derek soon realizes she could be the perfect solution to his interfering family…if he can get her to agree to pretend to be his live-in girlfriend. Before long Izzy’s sweet disposition and unflappable optimism has him decorating a tree and looking forward to late night hot cocoa, but he’s all too aware their time together can’t last.

There’s no denying that this is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast but that doesn’t make it any less enjoyable.  While there are no big surprises, there’s a certain awwww feeling when the author uses something out of the original and tweaks it a bit.

Derek is gruff and not very friendly but he’s hiding his more princely qualities behind a lot of hurt feelings from his childhood.  Izzy has her own issues thanks to her mother and tends to run away when pushed (which grumpy Derek does more than once) but she really needs the money that she’ll get working for him.  Time spent alone over the holidays has them growing closer but until they can figure out a way to resolve their pasts they’ll never have their HEA.

For those who love old Disney fairytales, I think this one will be a winner.

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Book Review – When the Stars Come Out

30 Tuesday Jan 2018

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Book Review, Contest, Sneak Peek

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Book Review, Cottonbloom series, Laura Trentham, When the Stars Come Out

This isn’t my first visit to Cottonbloom … and I really hope it won’t be my last!!!

*****

When the Stars Come Out

A Cottonbloom Novel

by Laura Trentham

Blurb:

Cottonbloom. A beautiful, faraway place where a woman can escape her past—and find reason to stay forever in Laura Trentham’s When the Stars Come Out. . .

Willa Brown never planned to stay in Cottonbloom. She was on the way to somewhere else when she landed there and found work at the Abbot brothers’ garage. . .and a sense of comfort and safety that she had never known. The same holds true for Jackson Abbott himself. With one glance in her direction, he can make Willa’s heart melt. But what begins as an unrequited crush turns into something far more powerful than Willa could have ever imagined. . .

Jackson’s most meaningful relationship has always been with his car—and he’s not afraid to admit it. Still, he can’t help but become emotionally entangled with his new star mechanic Willa, who is definitely hiding some dark secrets of her own beneath the hood. Jackson desperately wants Willa to trust him, and to seek protection in his arms. But even as the two slowly surrender to their shared attraction, the danger lurking in Willa’s past remains a stubborn obstacle. Can she open up enough to give them both a chance at having real and lasting love?

Goodreads: http://smarturl.it/minm6t

Amz: http://smarturl.it/ot9u7g

BN: http://smarturl.it/z4d8xz

iBooks: http://smarturl.it/5dles5

Kobo: http://smarturl.it/j60yyx

GooglePlay: http://smarturl.it/qvi0by

Praise for When the Stars Come Out

“The fifth installment in the Cottonbloom series, following Leave the Light On (2017) is hot and sweet, and readers will cheer for Willa and Jackson. Fans of Kristan Higgins and Susan Mallery will love the immersive world that Trentham has created in Cottonbloom, a small southern town divided by the Mississippi River.” Booklist

“When the Stars Come Out is a tender and sexy small-town tale of blossoming love.” BookPage

Returning to Cottonbloom has never been sweeter, When The Stars Come Out is pure literary magic, it’s sure to have readers mesmerized from start to finish!! Red’s Romance Reviews, 5 stars

*****

Excerpt:

Willa glanced down and back up at Jackson through her lashes. The gentle, flirtatious look hit him like a punch. This time his heart kicked like he might require someone to call 911. “Do I clean up good?”

He knew what she wanted to hear and later, in the dark solitude of his bed, he’d tell her and, even better, show her. But, for now, he tempered his response, hoping to get a rise out of her. “Not bad.”

She stepped forward and punched his arm. It might have stung if she hadn’t tipped to the side as her fist made contact. Her eyes popped wide and a little huff escaped. With reaction times honed on the racetrack, he wrapped his arm around her waist, bringing her flush with his body.

“You sure you know how to operate those shoes?” This time he couldn’t keep the smile off his face.

“They don’t require a license. And I was doing fine until you showed up.”

Her admission made him feel slightly better. He wasn’t the only one who was off balance. Her body notched into his perfectly with the added inches the heels lent her. His focus dropped from her sparking eyes to her mouth. Maybe he’d kiss the gloss off them right now. His lips hovered an inch from hers. So close he could feel the ramp-up of her breathing. Or was that his breathing spinning out of control?

*****

Review:

Be still my heart – I just want to give every Abbott brother a hug!  Abandoned by their mother as small boys, they were loved by their father and their aunts, but they definitely missed out on something without that motherly love.  And now with the sudden death of their dad, things are even more complicated.

For Jackson it all comes to a head when he realizes that he might lose his right-hand woman.  Willa has been running from her past and trying her best to lie low.  And while she’s had a crush on Jackson for years, having him finally notice her as more than a great employee doesn’t fit her plan for hiding.

Trentham is one of the best at delivering character driven small-town romances.  There is such a feeling of community (here it shines with the closeness of the brothers) and when trouble happens they rally around each other.  And while Willa doesn’t think that’s what she wants, it is definitely what she needs.  It is time that she faces up to what happened so she can finally start living again.  Unfortunately she’s been on her own for so long, scared and hesitant to trust thanks to some bad experiences, so it is going to take a lot of patience and understanding on Jackson’s part to get her to that point.  Good thing the more self-contained Abbott brother has both in spades!

*****

Author Info:

An award-winning author, Laura Trentham was born and raised in a small town in Tennessee. Although, she loved English and reading in high school, she was convinced an English degree equated to starvation. She chose the next most logical major—Chemical Engineering—and worked in a hard hat and steel toed boots for several years.

She writes sexy, small town contemporaries and smoking hot Regency historicals. KISS ME THAT WAY, Cottonbloom Book 1, won the Stiletto Contest for Best Long Contemporary and finaled in the National Readers Choice Award. THEN HE KISSED ME, Cottonbloom Book 2, was named an Amazon Best Romance of 2016 and was a finalist for the National Excellence for Romance Fiction. TILL I KISSED YOU, Cottonbloom Book 3, is a finalist in the Maggie contest. LEAVE THE NIGHT ON, the latest Cottonbloom book, was named an iBooks Best Book of the Month and a Recommended Read from NPR.

When not lost in a cozy Southern town or Regency England, she’s shuttling kids to soccer, helping with homework, and avoiding the Mt. Everest-sized pile of laundry that is almost as big as the to-be-read pile of books on her nightstand.

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

Or join my reader group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1733284316920632/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LauraTrentham

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/lauratrentham/

Sign up for my newsletter: http://eepurl.com/bwbOkD

Follow me on Bookbub for new release or sale announcements:

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/laura-trentham

*****

Giveaway:

Enter to win the first four (4) books in the Cottonbloom series!

Kiss Me That Way, Book 1

Then He Kissed Me, Book 2

Till I Kissed You, Book 3

Leave the Night On, Book 4

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/746772683/

*****

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

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Spotlight – One More Promise

29 Monday Jan 2018

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Contest, Sneak Peek

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Band on the Run series, One More Promise, Samantha Chase, The Shaughnessy Brothers series

This is getting some FAB reviews.  But with a sexy (tattooed!!) rocker with layers and a woman with a bit of an ugly duckling issue … how can it now be awsome!

*****

One More Promise

Band on the Run #2

by Samantha Chase

Blurb:

Dylan Anders is making amends

…to his family

…to the public

…to the woman who just walked into his life

Paige Walters must learn to forgive

…her busy father

…her bossy sister

…and the wonderful man she horribly misjudged

Ambitious Paige Walters is ecstatic when she’s hired to recruit musicians for a literacy campaign—it’s her chance to prove she’s got the chops to make it in the family business. When Dylan steps in, she immediately dislikes him and vows not to let the fallen idol screw it up. But as the work brings Paige and Dylan closer together, their attraction grows…and so do their challenges…

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2xUXvrL

B&N: http://bit.ly/2ipDaEM

iBooks: http://apple.co/2xVmnzv

*****

Excerpt:

“Brilliant. Just brilliant,” Paige murmured as she placed her trash in the pail and carefully wove her way through the crowd of people in the coffee shop. Over and over in her mind, she replayed her clumsy act of knocking her stuff to the ground.

And that was after practically orgasming while eating a cake pop.

Okay, two cake pops.

She groaned as she exited the shop and walked toward the parking garage. Why had she agreed to go to coffee with Dylan Anders? Why hadn’t she stuck to her guns and had Daisy call him with an appointment? Not only could she have avoided making an idiot out of herself, but she also could have kept her previous clueless opinion of him intact and not have to deal with the fact that he was a nice guy who seemed to get what she was trying to do.

Other than Daisy, he was the only one who seemed to get what she was doing.

And now she realized she had a fascination with tattoos. Tattoos! When Dylan had first taken off his jacket, she was shocked and a little repulsed by the sheer amount of ink on his arms. But after a little while, she couldn’t help but keep noticing the artwork and found it to be…exquisite. Beautiful. More than once she had to stop herself from reaching out and touching his arms—which, forgetting about the tattoos, were muscular and sexy—and asking him to tell her what had inspired the choices.

Why? Why him? Why couldn’t one of her favorite authors have come in and talked with her like this? Why did it have to be a scruffy, tattoo-covered rock star who not only didn’t look the part of anything she was trying to do, but who potentially would also be a distraction for…well…her and probably any female in a ten-mile radius?

Although, she had to give him credit—other than the barista who handed him their order, no one bothered him. No one came looking for autographs or pictures. He blended right into the crowd. How was that possible? When she got home, she would do a thorough Google search and see what else she could find out. Yes. That’s exactly what she’d do. As charmed as she was by him—and she truly was—she had a feeling that part of it was an act to get her to agree to have him join the campaign.

But why? Why was this such a big deal to him? He wasn’t going to be paid for it. And really, compared with being in one of the biggest rock bands in the world, this was nothing. It wasn’t doing anything for him on a professional level, so why was he so anxious to be a part of it? What could he gain?

If there was one thing Paige prided herself on, it was being a good judge of character. And Dylan didn’t strike her as the selfless type. He had a swagger and a confidence that seemed in direct conflict with the image she was hoping to project with this campaign.

So was this personal? Did he know someone who struggled with reading? He was clearly well read based on what he’d shared with her, so she knew he didn’t have the issue. Someone who struggled with literacy didn’t read that many books in a three-month time span. Should she decide to work with him, she’d have to ask.

With a groan, she pulled out her keys as she approached her Toyota Prius Prime. Her sporty little hybrid was shiny and new, and she loved how she was doing something good for the environment at the same time. It had been a fight to get her father to install charging stations in the company garage, but he had relented and now…

She stopped and noted that her car wasn’t charging.

“Dammit, how could I have forgotten to plug it in?” Then she remembered how she had hurried in this morning and feared she was late. Honestly, it wasn’t the first time she’d forgotten. But as she stepped closer, she saw that was the least of her problems.

She had a flat tire.

“Dang it,” she hissed. With a loud sigh, she opened the door and tossed her bags in and then popped the trunk to get at her spare tire.

Then she really started to curse.

It wasn’t until that moment she remembered how this model no longer came with a spare but with a patch kit and a pump. Great. Like she had even the slightest clue how to patch a tire! She let out an aggravated growl and slammed the trunk shut.

“Everything okay?”

Great. Just great. Turning around, she forced a smile. “Oh…hey, Dylan. What are you still doing here?”

“I wasn’t in a rush to get anywhere and I got a call, so I decided to take it rather than be distracted on the road. So…what’s going on? Everything okay with your car?”

And for the life of her, she didn’t know why her temper chose that moment to snap, but it did. “Actually, no. It’s not. And you know why?”

Dylan was about to answer, but she cut him off.

“Because life sucks, that’s why!” she cried. “Or maybe it’s just me. I forgot to put my car on the charging station. Why? Because I’m too worried about how it will look if I’m three minutes late for work! Then—because that’s not enough—my front tire is flat. Flat! It was fine this morning! And my super-new, super-cute, super-efficient, great-for-the-planet car doesn’t come with a spare tire. Oh no. That would have been too easy. No, this car comes with a patch kit and a pump. So I have more trunk space, but now I have to figure out how to patch a tire!”

“I’m sure it’s not—”

“Do you see the lighting in here? My glasses? Do I look like someone who is going to be able to spot a hole in a tire and then patch it? Take the tire off and put it back on? Do I look like I even want to?” she asked, her voice going into the hysteria category.

Slowly, Dylan climbed from his car and walked toward her. “Okay, okay. How about we call AAA or something? Maybe they can send someone to do it for you?”

While it was a completely reasonable suggestion, it pissed her off even more. “Because I wanted to leave! I wanted to leave an hour ago! And now I’m never going to get to leave or go to the grocery store to get brownies and wine, so I can go home and Google who the heck you are!”

*****

Author Info:

New York Times and USA Today Bestseller/contemporary romance writer Samantha Chase released her debut novel, Jordan’s Return, in November 2011. Although she waited until she was in her 40’s to publish for the first time, writing has been a lifelong passion. Her motivation to take that step was her students: teaching creative writing to elementary age students all the way up through high school and encouraging those students to follow their writing dreams gave Samantha the confidence to take that step as well.

When she’s not working on a new story, she spends her time reading contemporary romances, playing way too many games of Scrabble or Solitaire on Facebook and spending time with her husband of 25 years and their two sons in North Carolina.

*****

Giveaway:

Samantha Chase Prize Pack

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/54ca7af7622/

*****

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Book Review – Along Came Jones

26 Friday Jan 2018

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Book Review, Sneak Peek

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Along Came Jones, Book Review, Victoria Bernadine

We all need a little Jones in our life!

*****

Along Came Jones

by Victoria Bernadine

Publisher: Love of Words Publishing

Pages: 324

Genre: Chick Lit/Contemporary Fiction

Blurb:

Benjamin Ferrin Macon-Jones has it all: a luxurious lifestyle in Toronto and the love of an intelligent, ambitious woman…until that same woman refuses his marriage proposal, tells him he’s a detriment to her career, and leaves him. Unable to deal with his cantankerous family trying to be supportive, he quietly slips away into the Canadian countryside.

Lou Upjohn has problems of her own. She’s a recluse and agoraphobic, staying safely within the walls of her ancestral home in small town Saskatchewan and depending on Ike, her best and only friend, to deal with the outside world. Only Ike’s just married another woman and now he’s moving to Vancouver. Before he leaves, he hires the new guy in town, Ferrin Jones, to run her errands and do her yard work. Lou isn’t happy, but even she has to admit the stranger looks mildly interesting.

Both their lives could be changed forever if she only has the courage to open the door.

Amazon

*****

Book Review:

Along Came Jones is one of those slow build books that wraps you up and makes you comfy from the very first page.  There’s something so appealing about just falling in and letting it take you along for the ride.

After getting turned down, Ferrin runs away from home where his adventure takes him to a quaint little town and eventually into Lou’s orbit.  Through charm and tenacity, he interjects himself into her world … much to her initial dismay.  A recluse, Lou has only seen one person for years.  And that person is definitely NOT Ferrin!  But he proves too hard to resist and before she knows it her circle of friends has expanded and they are slowly drawing her back into the rest of the world.

Keep in  mind, that this is not a quick fix.  It takes months and months before things start happening for these two but thru patience and understanding progress is made.  And time spent together shows both of them the kind of people that they want to be and the type of life they want to live.  It’s a sweet, leisurely path to a HEA but it is all the more satisfying for it.

*****

Excerpt:

“Marry me.”

Olivia laughs.

“What?” she teases with a fond, slightly mocking smile.  “Are you ‘proposing’ because you think it’s what people are supposed to do on New Year’s Eve?”

Ferrin smirks his lopsided, endearing smirk as he lowers himself to one knee and proffers the small, square velvet box he dug out of the pocket of his tuxedo.

The beautiful brunette laughs again.  “Oh, Ferrin, get up—you’re being ridiculous!  And the joke really isn’t all that funny.”

Olivia glances at the crowd of beaming friends and family surrounding them and Ferrin watches as realization slowly dawns on her face.  Her gaze snaps back to his as realization morphs into horror, and Ferrin feels a corresponding sick, sinking feeling grow in his stomach as her expression changes.  His own smile slips away and his face freezes into an expressionless mask.  Their spectators’ hissed in-drawn breaths and sudden, uncomfortable silence barely register given his complete and utter focus on Olivia.

He knows what she’s going to say before she says it, but like any impending disaster, he can’t seem to look away.

“Oh, my God,” she whispers.  “Oh, shit!”  She bites her lip, then says in a rush, “I love you, Ferrin, I really, truly do…but I can’t marry you.”  Her voice breaks; her eyes fill with tears.

The silence that follows seems to grow and envelop them in a stifling cocoon built from his humiliation and suddenly terrified heart.  Ferrin hears, as if through cotton wool, subdued voices and the shuffling of feet as their family and friends gather their things and leave the apartment.  In some distant corner of his mind, he’s mildly surprised they’re all leaving so quietly…or maybe he just can’t hear them across the yawning divide that’s opened between him and Olivia.

As the door closes, she whispers, “Get up.  Your knee must hurt.”

Does it?  He can’t tell over the crushing pressure in his chest, his stomach, his head, but he struggles to his feet anyway, like she asks, because she asks, aching and sore and suddenly ancient.  He straightens and becomes, as always, self-consciously aware of how big he is in comparison to her, and how his bulk looming over her always makes her edgy.  He automatically slouches his shoulders, trying to minimize his size, trying to make her comfortable.

“Say something,” she begs, and her voice breaks.

His voice is cracked, hollow, distant, as he says, “Is this it?”

‘It’, he thinks with despair.  Such a tiny word with such a huge meaning.

She hesitates, then nods, not quite looking at him.

“This can’t come as that much of a surprise.  Not if you’re honest with yourself.”

Ferrin can’t seem to make his brain work.  He shakes his head, trying to force something—anything—loose so his world—his life—will start to make sense again.

“I—I—no.  Yes.  Why?” he asks, and winces at just how lost he sounds.

Olivia sighs and says, very gently, “I want other things in life than you do, Ferrin.  My career means everything to me and I want to make it to the top of Macon-Jones Enterprises, or as high as I can get without being a blood relative.”

Finally, finally, anger flares inside him.

“And I’m holding you back?  In my own family’s company?”

Olivia hesitates.

Ferrin’s eyes widen.  “You really believe it,” he breathes.  “When have I ever stood in your way, Olivia?”

This time her sigh is long-suffering.  “You’ve never stood in my way, no, but you’ve never actively helped me, either.”

“I didn’t think you wanted me to!  If I recall correctly, you told me so in no uncertain terms when we moved in together.  That’s only a couple of years ago!  What’s changed?”

“I didn’t want you using any undue influence with Abram to get me promotions I didn’t deserve,” Olivia snaps, her own anger flaring.  “That didn’t mean I didn’t want you to help me at all!”

Ferrin snorts.  “Nobody has undue influence with Abram.  You should know that by now!”

“Abram isn’t the point!  The point is that I could have used your support when some of my projects came up for a vote before the Board.  Instead, you, as always, stayed out of it and gave your vote to the first cousin who asked for it, without any regard to how the decision would impact my career or my projects!  Half the time, you didn’t even bother asking me how I wanted you to vote!”

“I never ask anyone about the projects or how they want to use my vote!  The cousins know how I play the game and it works well for all of us.  Why do you think I’m the only one any of them will talk to without a witness present?”

Olivia throws her hands up in the air as she whirls and paces away.  “There!  That’s exactly the problem!”

He takes a step back, blinking.  “What?  The fact that I’m friendly with all my cousins?  That’s a problem?”

“No!”  She brushes a hand over her face in exasperation.  She turns to him, and now he recognizes that look on her face.  It’s the one she has when she’s getting ready to lecture him on what, exactly, he’s done wrong, and what he needs to do to avoid making the same mistake again.

She says, “It’s not the fact the cousins all like you that’s the problem; it’s the reason they all like you!  You’re such a goddamn fixer, itching to solve everyone’s problems that you’ve become a complete pushover!  I don’t want to hurt you, Ferrin, but, let’s face it:  you’re a sucker.  You’re gullible.  And I hate to say this, but you’re also a bit of a wimp.  You’ll do whatever anybody tells you to do, and that’s proven in spades by your so-called ‘business investments’!  All anybody needs in order to get money out of you is a sob story and a half-assed idea!”

His mouth sags open as he rocks beneath her barrage, every word slamming into his heart and his gut and his mind.

“What the hell?” he chokes.

Olivia deflates, pity in her eyes.

“Look,” she says, and now her voice is calm and firmly matter-of-fact, the way Ferrin has so often heard her speak whenever he’s forced to attend a board meeting with her, “I’m going to be CEO someday of a multi-billion-dollar multinational company.  Your family’s multi-billion-dollar multinational company.  It’s ruthless and cutthroat, and a spouse’s strengths and talents are just as important to an executive’s rise as the executive’s own skills and talents, especially in Macon-Jones Enterprises.  You know how outright Machiavellian your family can be, and that’s when they’re arranging Christmas!  If you think they’re ruthless in their personal lives, they’re ten times worse in the boardroom, trust me!”

“Yes, I know,” Ferrin says drily, and is almost glad he’s starting to feel something—anything—now.  “I have met my cousins and I’ve even been to a board meeting a time or two.  Abram seems to have done all right without a spouse to support him.”

She snorts.  “He’s Chair and he was handed the job by your great-grandfather!  He’s never had to prove anything to anybody!”

His laugh is harsh and barking.  “Now you’re the one who’s forgotten what my cousins are like!” He waves his words away.  “Doesn’t matter.  You knew when we met that I do everything I can to avoid anything to do with the company.”

“You’re not supposed to avoid it by giving your vote to whichever cousin gets to you first!  Besides, you’re your father’s only surviving child, the last of your particular branch of the family!  You out of all your cousins shouldn’t avoid the company at all!”

Ferrin flinches.

She grimaces.  “I’m sorry; that was low…but you know I’m right.  You could wield enormous influence and power in the company, and not only with the family when they want something, if you’d just take an interest!  If you would listen to me, let me guide you, advise you so you don’t believe everything you’re told, and let me stop Carson, Dyson and Jack from constantly distracting you, you could be the next Chair of the Board instead of Jack!”

“So I’m not only gullible and a wimp, I’m also so stupid I can only trust you to advise me?” he says, incredulous.

“Of course not!  But you’re wasting your potential—and your birthright!  Your father was Abram’s second-in-command, for God’s sake!  All you have to do is step up and follow in his footsteps!”  She runs a hand through her hair and groans.  “Face it, Ferrin, I’m never going to be CEO if I remain allied with you, not unless you change your approach to the business.”

Ferrin rears back and stares.

“‘Allied’?” he says slowly.  “Is that what the last five years have been about, Olivia?  An alliance?”

“No!  Of course not!  I love you.  I do!  You’re a wonderful man, Ferrin.  But you’re…” She spreads her hands and shrugs helplessly.

“Weak,” he says flatly, “and obviously a little stupid.  Have I got it right?”

“Ferrin…”  She takes a step towards him, but he quickly retreats.  She stops and stares at him, her large, brown eyes brimming with tears.  For once, he’s unmoved.

“I’m sorry I’ve been such a disappointment to your professional ambitions,” he grates out, a bitter twist to his lips.  He turns and heads for the exit.

“Where are you going?”

“I have no idea,” he says, and slams the door behind him.

♠♥♣♦

Lou signs the last of the papers and sits back with a rueful scowl.

“Considering I never leave the house,” she grumbles to Ike, “you’d think there’d be less paperwork.”

Ike chuckles as he straightens the papers and tucks them into his briefcase.

“You have a lot of investments, Lou.  You need to keep track of them all.”

She shrugs.  “I suppose, although I thought that’s what I was paying you to do.”

“Lou,” Ike says, and leans back in Ike’s Chair with an annoyed sigh.

She grimaces and waves a hand.  “Whatever.  You know I don’t read the things when you put them in front of me, and I tune out as soon as you start talking finances and investments and whatever the hell else you’re saying when your lips are moving.”

“Yes, I do know.  Why do you think I gave up a long time ago on trying to convince you to pay more attention?”

She shrugs, then tugs her over-sized, dirt-brown sweater more closely around herself.  Her stomach churns and tightens as she buries her suddenly shaking hands in the knitted wool.  She staunchly reminds herself of her New Year’s Resolution to make changes in her life, beginning with her relationship with Ike and ending with her finally figuring out a way to leave the house.

“Would you like something to drink?” she asks, carefully casual, but she can’t quite keep the hopeful lilt from her voice.

It’s been a long time since Ike stayed past the time it takes to get her signature on a stack of papers, or to confirm she’s still breathing.  She misses the days when he’d linger and talk with her, giving her news of the world outside the walls of her house.  Even more, she misses those all-too-few nights, when he’d whisper against her heated skin, and leave her weak with need.  But those nights, like everything else, faded away and now he barely spends any time with her at all.

She doesn’t really miss people, but she misses Ike, and he’s the only one right in front of her.

Now he hesitates, and the thoughtful look on his face makes her stomach drop.

This won’t be good, she thinks.

“I don’t want anything to drink,” he says slowly, “but I do want to talk to you.”

Her stomach drops even further as she shifts her weight in her seat, her fingers clutching at the strands of her sweater.

“All right,” she says, feeling as wary as a rabbit sensing danger.

Ike leans forward, his gorgeous golden-brown eyes never wavering from hers.  He says, very carefully and precisely, “On New Year’s Eve, I asked Irish to marry me, and she said yes.”

The ensuing silence lengthens, deepens, as the words drift around her like leaves, like dust.

She loves Ike, has always loved him.  Even while they played cops and robbers through the dusty streets of Ledoux, or hunted for ghosts in and around the abandoned hospital on the outskirts of town, or searched for buried treasure in the rare copses of trees that dot the prairie landscape, she also secretly dreamed of playing house.  He’s her white knight, riding to her rescue whenever he noticed her schoolmates teasing her or when her mother got sick or when she realized she could no longer bring herself to face the world lurking outside her windows.  He starred in more dreams than she can count when she was a teenager, and he’s in more fantasies than she cares to admit as an adult.

Ten years ago, he helped her cope with her mother’s illness as he gradually took over all the mundane tasks she had no time or energy to do:  paying bills, buying groceries, talking to the neighbours.  Five years later, he stood by her side, strong and tall and comforting, when she finally laid her mother—that poor, long-suffering woman—to rest. Lou had been twenty-five then, grief-stricken and suddenly unable to cope with the world outside, but Ike remained her friend even after she crept into her house and allowed the doors to seal shut behind her.

She stayed inside, and there were those few brief months when he joined her in her bed, but then his desire faded away, and when she wasn’t looking, he fell in love with Irish.

She shivers.

The cold of a Saskatchewan winter doesn’t even come close to the ice growing inside her.

“Lou?”

She blinks and shifts, her fingers flexing nervously against the knitted fabric of her sweater.

“Congratulations,” she croaks.  Her heart clenches at the genuine happiness on his face, in his eyes.  She clears her throat, then asks, her voice husky, “When’s the big day?”

“The beginning of March.”

“That’s only six weeks away!”

He laughs.  “Well, there’s no reason to wait, is there? Don’t worry, Lou, I’m still going to manage your finances and take care of you.”

“Oh.  Well.  That’s…good.”  What did it matter, she wants to scream, if there’s no longer any hope you’ll come back to me?

Ike nods as he smacks his hands against his knees and surges to his feet.

“Maybe someday you’ll meet her,” he says, grinning as he picks up his briefcase.

She forces a smile, and hopes he doesn’t notice her trembling lips.  “Maybe.  You’ve told me so much about her, I feel like I know her already.”  She winces inside at her dry tone.

Ike either doesn’t notice or decides to ignore the sarcasm.

“You’d like her, you know,” he says as he walks to the door.  She drifts after him and watches, helpless, as he pulls on his boots and parka.  “She reminds me a lot of how you used to be.”

Lou opens her mouth to say she could be the way she used to be; she just needs to figure out how to get there, that’s all.  But he’s already opening the door, and she closes her mouth, the words unsaid.

He pauses on the threshold, the icy air swirling round his feet and into the large, cluttered foyer. He half-turns towards her, standing in both shadow and light.  Lou swallows, once again struck by how perfect he is, from the compelling beauty of his amber eyes, high cheekbones and perfectly symmetrical features, to his crown of carefully groomed dark brown hair, now ruffled by the cold winter wind.  She sometimes finds it hard to believe he’s ever run barefoot through mud, or hovered over her as he patiently coaxed her to orgasm.  Maybe if she had been able to enjoy the sex more—

“I’ll be back before the wedding,” he says now, startling her from her thoughts.  “See you later, Lou.”

He flashes his charming smile, and is gone before she even finishes nodding.

She stares at the door without seeing it before she carefully straightens her sweater, vaguely aware her feet are numb even in their wool socks, thanks to the cold prairie wind that had blown inside the house.  She turns and walks just as carefully back to the living room.  She eases down onto the couch, feeling as if even the air touching her skin is enough to break her.

She stares at nothing, and allows the comforting silence to gently settle over her.

*****

Author Info:

Victoria Bernadine (a pseudonym) is, as the saying goes, a “woman of a certain age”. After twenty-something years of writer’s block, she began writing again in 2008.

Victoria enjoys reading all genres and particularly loves writing romantic comedy and post-apocalyptic science fiction. What those two have in common is anybody’s guess.

She lives in Edmonton with her two cats (The Grunt and The Runt).  Along Came Jones is the second novel she felt was good enough to be released into the wild.

*****

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Book Review – Trouble With Gold

25 Thursday Jan 2018

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Book Review, Contest, Sneak Peek

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Book Review, Love and Other Games series, Melinda Dozier, Trouble with Gold

Got a fun little read for those looking for something to put them in the mood for the Olympics!

*****

Trouble With Gold

A Love and Other Games Novella

by Melinda Dozier

Genre: Contemporary Romance Novella

Release Date: November 20, 2017

Hosted by: Book Partners In Crime Promotions

Blurb:

US snowboarder and notorious prankster, Ty (Trouble) Madsen is only getting a taste of his own medicine when his Olympic teammates shackle him to a fence wearing nothing but his boxers.  Reception and protocol volunteer, Nadia Hoffman, gets up close and personal with the sexy snowboarder to rescue him, but she’s not the kind of girl who lets her hormones get in her way.  A professional performance could help her land her dream job at Olympics Committee Headquarters, but her new assignment supervising the rambunctious US Snowboarding Team is making that difficult.  Can she see behind the snowman in the community center bathroom and into the warm heart of the man everyone calls Trouble?

 

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ iBooks ~ Kobo

Goodreads

 

*****

Excerpt:

“Thank God you’re here,” a male’s voice groaned, in English.

Nadia looked across the path toward the stairs ahead of her and saw a very well built, tall man, light brown hair curled around his beanie, with a chiseled chest and tight thighs. Wait a minute. Why could she see his chest and thighs? It was zero degrees Celsius. Why would a man be standing in nothing but his underwear? Her mother always warned her about sickos.

She dug into her purse, searching for her mace – something she carried since her internship in New York last summer. It settled somewhere at the bottom. Great. When she finally needed it, she couldn’t find it.

“Do you mind?” He said, a little louder. “I could use some help.”

“I have mace.” She answered, still searching. “Stay where you are.”

“Not a problem.” He laughed, a deep laugh that sent tingly sensations from head to toe. God, sleep deprivation must be worse than she thought if she had these thoughts about a sicko.

She shook her head and finally held the mace up. The man remained in the same spot. He had a fabulous smile and a few wrinkles at the side of his eyes, from smiling or being out in the sun. He must be an athlete with that tight physique. “Who are you and what are you doing?”

Instead of answering, he let out a laugh all while his teeth chattered. An ache sat in her throat. Poor guy. If his blue lips and frosted hair was any indication, he was beyond cold.

“Are you okay?” She slowly approached the stairs, not sure what the handsome man would do. But, he looked like he was in trouble.

His eyes perused her from top to bottom and then he looked back into her face. “Better now.” He smirked.

*****

Review:

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this little story.  It is short – listed at coming in under 100 pages – so it does have that whole insta-love thing going on and there is an issue or two that could have used a few more pages.  BUT, the characters are interesting and their interactions are fun & entertaining.

Ty works hard and plays hard.  He understands what a big deal it is that he’s made it to the Olympics but he’s not going to forget to have a good time when he can.  Unfortunately that occasionally puts him at odds with Nadia.

Nadia takes her job as a volunteer very seriously.  Her goal is to get a job with the Olympic Committee and this is her chance to show them she can be a good employee.  Running into a nearly naked man, hand-cuffed to a railing in the snow, is not exactly how she imagined her evening going.

But the attraction between the two is apparent and Ty’s not one to let it go.  Nadia is going to have a hard time resisting him when he puts his mind to the task of seducing her.  And so are readers …

Trouble With Gold to be a cute (and sexy) little romance that knows how to enjoy itself.

*****

Author Info:

Reading romance has always been at the top of Melinda’s favorite past times. You can always find a book in her hands no matter where she is. Melinda is Louisiana born, New Mexico raised, Guatemala adopted, and recently a newcomer to Houston, Texas. So, it’s only natural that her stories take place all across the world. Melinda loves reading, reality TV, traveling, blogging, and playing Words with Friends. Learn more about her at http://booksbymelindadozier.com.

Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Google + ~ Pinterest ~ Instagram

Amazon ~ Goodreads ~ Website ~ Blog ~ Newsletter

Street Team

Email:  melindaromance@gmail.com

 

*****

Giveaway:

(1) eBook of TIME CHANGES EVERYTHING

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/7996b6c5415/

*****

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Spotlight – Here Comes the Sun

24 Wednesday Jan 2018

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Sneak Peek

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Here Comes the Sun, Marie Force

Another one getting Ah-Mazing reviews.  But who would expect anything less for Marie Force!

*****

Here Comes the Sun

Butler, Vermont series

by Marie Force

Blurb:

Wade Abbott is one and done.

One look, one conversation, one weekend, and he knows who he wants.

Except, Mia Simpson is not free to return his affection. In fact, he suspects she’s in an abusive marriage, but she never confirms that, and he has no choice but to mind his own business where she’s concerned.

Two years after they first met and a year after he last heard from her, Mia shows up half-frozen, bruised and beaten on his doorstep, needing something only Wade can provide.

He’s determined to make it work, no matter the cost. Grab the latest in a series you will fall in love with! 

Kindle US: http://geni.us/hctsamz 

Nook: http://geni.us/hctsbn 

iBooks: http://geni.us/hctsibooks 

Google: http://geni.us/hctsgoogle 

Kobo: http://geni.us/hctskobo 

Kindle UK: http://geni.us/hctsamzuk 

Kindle AU: http://geni.us/hctsamzau 

Kindle CA: http://geni.us/hctsamzca

*****

Excerpt:

Wade walked into the conference room and wanted to turn around and walk right back out. The table had been set with placemats as if they were hosting a dinner party. On each placemat was a wide array of products, things normally used in the privacy of one’s bedroom and not laid out like a sexual buffet on the conference room table.

Will came in after him, took one look and groaned. “Do we hafta?”

“Dad says we hafta.”

“Maybe we should look into a nursing home for him. He is getting on in years.”

“I heard that, William,” Lincoln said when he came in. “And good luck with that plan.”

“I can’t sit in a room with my sisters and talk about sex toys,” Will said.

“Yes, you can. Think of them the same way you would anything else we carry—foot fungus cream or hemorrhoid remedies or yeast infection cures.”

“We don’t have to have special training for any of those products,” Will said.

“Um, I did,” Wade said. As director of health and wellness, he’d been trained in all the products offered in the store’s apothecary.

“Not with Charley in the room,” Will said of the more obnoxious of their three sisters.

“True,” Wade conceded.

“This product line has nothing to do with me,” Will said. “It’s not Vermont Made. Why do I have to be trained on it?”

“Very good question, Will,” Hunter said when he joined them. “I’m an accountant. Why do I need to know about this?”

“Because we’re going to have to train the sales team on the floor and at the distribution center,” Linc said, “so we need to be able to answer their questions. And we don’t ask anything of our employees that we aren’t willing to do ourselves.”

Most of their “sales team” were grandmothers who’d worked for the company for decades. The thought of indoctrinating them on this product line had given Wade nightmares for months. Fortunately, the contractor from the company that produced the line would be doing most of the heavy lifting. But he had to be in the room. He didn’t want to be in the room.

“I don’t work with the sales team,” Hunter said. “They won’t be asking me questions, so I don’t need to be in this meeting.”

“I never realized I’d raised such a bunch of prudes,” Linc said. “Where did your mother and I go wrong?”

Molly breezed into the conference room. “Are they being prudes, love?”

“You warned me they would be,” Linc said, accepting a kiss from his wife, who marched right over to one of the place settings and began picking up and examining the various objects. She pushed a button on one of them, and it roared to life, making her laugh.

“I can’t,” Hunter said, staring at their mother, eyes agog. “I just can’t.”

“Oh, sit down and be quiet,” Molly said. “These things are going to generate revenue unlike anything we’ve ever seen. Think about the money you’ll get to count, Hunter. That always makes you happy.”

“Put that thing down, Mom,” Will said, “and never touch it again.”

Elmer came bustling in, stopping short at the sight of his daughter holding a phallic object. “Oh. Well. Here we go, then.”

“What,” Will said, “is he doing here?”

“I’m the reason you’re here, young man, so I’ll remind you to mind your manners.”

“Are you providing counseling for those of us who’re going to be traumatized by this?” Will asked his father.

“Sit down and chill,” Linc said. “It won’t be that bad.”

Elmer hit the power button on one of the devices, and it launched right out of his hand.

“It will be that bad,” Will said, slumping into a chair with Hunter next to him.

“Did they bring blindfolds?” Hunter asked. “That’d help.”

Believe it or not, it goes downhill from there. Read all about it and find out what happens when the woman Wade Abbott has longed for shows up beaten and half-frozen on his doorstep, asking for something only Wade can give her. Here Comes the Sun is out on Tuesday!

*****

Author Info:

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

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

Her goals in life are simple—to finish raising two happy, healthy, productive young adults, to keep writing books for as long as she possibly can and to never be on a flight that makes the news. 

Join Marie’s mailing list for news about new books and upcoming appearances in your area. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter @marieforce and on Instagram. Join one of Marie’s many reader groups. Contact Marie at marie@marieforce.com.

Website:  http://marieforce.com/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarieForce

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marieforceauthor/

Newsletter: http://marieforce.com/subscribe/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1508588.Marie_Force

Reader Groups: https://marieforce.com/contact/

*****

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Spotlight – About That Kiss

23 Tuesday Jan 2018

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Contest

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

About That Kiss, Heartbreaker Bay series, Jill Shalvis

Jill Shalvis is one of those go-to authors for contemporary romances.  Seeing a new book by her is definitely a highlight!

*****

About That Kiss

Heartbreaker Bay, Book 5

by Jill Shalvis

Avon Books – Jan 23rd, 2018

Blurb:

When love drives you crazy . . .

When sexy Joe Malone never calls after their explosive kiss, Kylie shoves him out of her mind. Until she needs a favor, and it’s a doozy. Something precious to her has been stolen and there’s only one person with unique finder-and-fixer skills that can help—Joe. It means swallowing her pride and somehow trying to avoid the temptation to throttle him—or seduce him.

the best thing to do . . .

No, Joe didn’t call after the kiss. He’s the fun time guy, not the forever guy. And Kylie, after all she’s been through, deserves a good man who will stay. But everything about Kylie makes it damned hard to focus, and though his brain knows what he has to do, his heart isn’t getting the memo.

… is enjoy the ride.

As Kylie and Joe go on the scavenger hunt of their lives, they discover surprising things about each other. Now, the best way for them to get over “that kiss” might just be to replace it with a hundred more.

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35069559-about-that-kiss

Goodreads Series Link: https://www.goodreads.com/series/169076-heartbreaker-bay

Buy Links:    AMAZON | B&N | iBOOKS | KOBO | GPLAY

Series Buy Link: http://jillshalvis.com/books/#heartbreaker-series

*****

Author Info:

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jill Shalvis writes warm, funny, sexy contemporary romances and women’s fiction. An Amazon, BN & iBooks bestseller, she’s also a two-time RITA winner and has more than 10 million copies of her books sold worldwide.

Author Links:  WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | GOODREADS

*****

Giveaway:

print copy of SWEET LITTLE LIES and Tote Bag

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/521ac4c81367/

*****

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

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Spotlight – Until You’re Mine

22 Monday Jan 2018

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Contest, Sneak Peek

≈ 1 Comment

This one is on my TBR list and I’m only a book or two away from it … I can’t wait!

*****

Until You’re Mine

by Cindi Madsen

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Blurb:

You might’ve heard of me, Shane Knox, the guy who rose quickly through the MMA fighter ranks, only to crash just as fast. No one cares about personal reasons when it comes to losing fights and money. I’m determined to get back to where I was. For you to hear my name again. I’ve finally convinced the owner of Team Domination to take a chance and get me back in fighting—and winning—shape. What I didn’t bargain for is the guy’s spitfire of a daughter. Factor in her two professional-fighter brothers who are acting as my coaches and the fact that my career hangs in the balance, and Brooklyn’s the last girl I should be fantasizing about.

The closer we get, the more I want Brooklyn. The stakes are high, and I know there’s a big chance of both of us getting hurt, but I won’t stop until she’s mine.

Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Kobo

*****

Excerpt:

I stroked my tongue over hers until she was the one distracted. Every time I thought I’d gotten my fill of this girl, I took another taste and found myself starving for more. Just like that, I was ready to go again.

My muscles, unfortunately, not so much. They complained with every tiny movement, reminding me they’d been pushed to the brink of exhaustion, and a non-sexy type groan slipped out. The ice bath had robbed me of my breath, but it’d helped the aching. Looked like I needed another one, but I chose to lose myself in a warm body instead. Or I would once I caught my second wind.

I sagged into the comfort of the couch.

Brooklyn ran a finger down my chest. “Oh, sure, get me all riled up and then crash out.”

“My body’s taken a lot of abuse lately. Give me a second to rest my arms and I’ll be good to go.”

Her finger drifted lower, and my body was ready to take more abuse at the hands of this girl. “Guess that means I need to do the work,” she said.

I was about to argue, but then she crawled on top of me. She rocked her hips and my groan was all pleasure this time.

I ran my hands up her thighs, my energy slowly returning.

She toyed with the bottom of her shirt. “Okay, so I’m guessing about now’s when you’d remove my top.”

“You know me. The sooner I get you naked, the better. If it were up to me, you’d lose your clothes the second you stepped inside my apartment.”

“Well, lucky for me, you were already shirtless when I arrived.”

“I strive to please.”

She pulled off her top, and I soaked in the sight of the hot-pink bra I’d asked her to model for me. Her confidence and the seductive way she peered down at me propelled me right from want to need, and my cock twitched, impatient for his turn.

“That bra’s even sexier than I thought it’d be, but now I’m wondering how it’d look on my floor.”

“Well, I know how unimaginative you can be.” She reached up and pushed one of the straps off her shoulders. She batted her eyelashes as she did the same with the other side. Then she reached behind her to unhook it, and my lungs stopped taking in oxygen.

The bra hung there, suspended for a blood-pumping eternity, and I couldn’t take it anymore. I curled my hand around the little pink bow in the center and jerked it down and off. While I was thoroughly enjoying the show, there was no way I was letting her do all the work—or have all the fun—so I dipped my head to one of her exposed breasts and flicked her hard nipple with my tongue.

She squirmed, the friction turning me on even more, and all thoughts of sore muscles drifted away.

“Be careful,” she said. “I’d hate for you to sprain something.”

I gently bit down and she made a husky sound in the back of her throat that would haunt my dreams for weeks. When she pulled away, I started to protest, but then she held up a finger.

“Patience, Grasshopper.”

“I have no patience,” I ground out. “You should know that by now.”

“Well, then, we better work on that.” She undid the button on her shorts, then took her time tugging down her zipper, and I thought it’d be worth the resulting pain to shoot up and push her against the wall.

My muscles throbbed like they were telling me don’t even think about it, buddy, but a more insistent throbbing grew stronger, and it was seconds from taking over. Finally the fabric fell to the floor, and she stepped out of her shorts, leaving her in nothing but lacy pink panties that matched her discarded bra.

I reached for her, and she smacked my hand away. I growled, and she flashed me a falsely-innocent vixen smile. I clicked my tongue. “Taking advantage of a poor, beat-up guy.”

“Yeah, yeah. I feel so sorry for you, the guy who purposely submits himself to a lifestyle that means sore muscles and constantly being punched and jabbed.” She shimmied her hips, a few inches out of my reach. “What about me? I’ve got to do my job and your job just to get off.”

I shot out my arm, caught her wrist, and yanked her to me. She tumbled into my lap, her perky tits rising and falling with her low, intoxicating laughter. Every muscle in my body burned from the fast movement, and it was totally worth it. I sank my teeth into her earlobe. “No need to do my job. I’ll get it done just fine, I promise.”

*****

Author Info:

Cindi Madsen is a USA Today Bestselling author of contemporary romance and young adult novels. She sits at her computer every chance she gets, plotting revising, and falling in love with her characters. Sometimes it makes her a crazy person. Without it, she’d be even crazier. She has way too many shoes, but can always find a reason to buy a new pretty pair, especially if they’re sparkly, colorful, or super tall. She loves music, dancing, and wishes summer lasted all year long. She lives in Colorado (where summer is most definitely NOT all year long) with her husband and three children.

Website | Facebook | Twitter

*****

Giveaway:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/4cf78adb632/

*****

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Book Review – Nothing to Fear

19 Friday Jan 2018

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Book Review

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Blackbridge series, Book Review, Claire Boston, Nothing to Fear

Nothing to Fear

A Blackbridge Novel

by Claire Boston

The gifts were innocent… at first.

All Hannah Novak wants to do is to live a simple life, but her traumatic past refuses to let go. Her trust in men is at an all-time low, but when she becomes the target of a dangerous stalker she’s forced into close proximity with the sexy new cop in town.

Ryan Kilpatrick has travelled across the country to get away from his manipulative ex-wife. Now, all he wants is to build a stable, loving home for his son. The last thing he needs is to be attracted to the secretive Hannah but he’s duty-bound to protect her.

As the stalker’s gifts turn nasty, and time is running out, Hannah must face her fears and learn to trust again. Because if she doesn’t, she may not get a second chance. 

I have been a fan of Claire Boston since I read What Goes on Tour (LOVE you Adrian!) and so I’m always excited to get a chance to read one of her books.  She does a great job of delivering not only a darn good love story but also creating a dynamic world full of interesting characters.  Occasionally she likes to throw in some suspense or danger just to keep you on your toes 😉

With Nothing to Fear we get a group of friends that have been together for decades and they are still there to support one another every day.  That connection has helped prop up Hannah since her father murdered her mother and assaulted in college.  She’s managed to keep the latter a secret but she’s relied on her friends to keep her going.  Now there’s a threat and she going to have to face her past whether she’s ready or not.

Ryan is new in town and finds himself drawn to Hannah.  Obviously something has happened to her to make her so skittish but he’s such a patient man that he’s willing to wait her out.  He’s had a history of his own so it helps him understand exactly what she needs.

While the love story and Hannah coming to terms with her past is very well done, add in the mystery of who is leaving her gifts and I couldn’t turn pages fast enough!  Boston does a great job of balancing both and keeping your attention until you get to the bitter end.  It’s not an easy journey for Hannah but with her support in place and by listening to both her head & her heart she can overcome anything.

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Book Review – Royal Pain

18 Thursday Jan 2018

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Book Review

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Book Review, His Royal Hotness series, Royal Pain, Tracy Wolff

Royal Pain

A His Royal Hotness Novel

by Tracy Wolff

He’s a womanizer. He’s cocky. He’s not exactly a prince. Only he technically is. Meet your new royal obsession in this addictive novel from New York Times bestselling author Tracy Wolff.

Being rich opens a lot of doors. When you’re rich and royal, those doors lead to a new bedroom every night. I should know. The tabloids call me His Royal Hotness, Prince Kian of Wildemar. Women across the world see me as a naughty fairy tale, an image I’m happy to indulge. As the spare to the heir, I’m the prince with none of the power . . . and all of the perks.

Then my twin brother is kidnapped, and suddenly I’m the one who could be king. The crown chasers start circling—and yet it’s a luscious waitress who catches my eye. With a smart mouth and the curves to back it up, Savannah Breslin is as brazen as I’d expect an American commoner to be.

But Savvy’s not interested in playing Cinderella. As sexy as she is, she’s no stranger to heartbreak. Besides, a nice guy wouldn’t drag her into all the drama that comes along with royalty. Lucky I’m not a nice guy. And, as it turns out, I might not even be her first prince. . . .

 

 I am REALLY not a fan of the man whore as a hero.  I understand that reformed rakes make the best partners (at least in romance novels) but Kian definitely embraces all of the “spoils” that his title can bring.  I got to the first scene and put it down because I just couldn’t like him … but I felt that I needed to at least try so I came back to it.  And I’m glad I did.

Kian actually turned into a guy with more depth than I expected.  He’s got some serious issues with his dad (which come to play a lot in the story and I’m sure will be even bigger in his brother’s) and with the pressure of his position in the family.  He cares, though, about his brother and his country and wants what is best for his people.  He just doesn’t think he’s it.  With his brother missing it doesn’t look like he has a choice, at least for now.  And then he meets Savvy.

Savvy is understandably hesitant to get involved with a prince – she hasn’t had the best track record with them.  And it impacts a lot of her relationship with Kian.  Throw in his reputation and things only get trickier.

I was surprised at how much I liked him (she was OK but Kian was definitely a star for me).  I’m so glad I gave him another chance and I’m definitely intrigued by what will happen in his brother’s book.  There’s a lot of baggage that these two men carry around with their crowns and I’m looking forward to seeing how it all plays out.

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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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