Wednesday, May 31, 2017

BLOG TOUR Somehow, Some Way by Jennifer Probst

 

SOMEHOW, SOME WAY by Jennifer Probst is now live! This is a 1001 Dark Nights novella in the Billionaire Builders series.

 

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SOMEHOW, SOME WAY by Jennifer Probst

Billionaire Builders, #2.5

BLURB:

Bolivar Randy Heart (aka Brady) knows exactly what he wants next in life: the perfect wife. Raised in a strict traditional family household, he seeks a woman who is sweet, conservative, and eager to settle down. With his well-known protective and dominant streak, he needs a woman to offer him balance in a world where he relishes control. Too bad the newly hired, gorgeous, rehab addict is blasting through all his preconceptions and wrecking his ideals…one nail at a time…

Charlotte Grayson knows who she is and refuses to apologize. Growing up poor made her appreciate the simple things in life, and her new job at Pierce Brothers Construction is perfect to help her carve out a career in renovating houses. When an opportunity to transform a dilapidated house in a dangerous neighborhood pops up, she goes in full throttle. Unfortunately, she’s forced to work with the firm’s sexy architect who’s driving her crazy with his archaic views on women. Too bad he’s beginning to tempt her to take a chance on more than just work…one stroke at a time…

Somehow, some way, they need to work together to renovate a house without killing each other…or surrendering to the white-hot chemistry knocking at the front door.
 

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 Poor, poor misguided Brady. The phrase, she was not what he wanted but everything he needed, comes to mind when I think about Brady and Charlotte. 

Charlie, 'cause she hates being called Charlotte,  knows what it is like to struggle, she grew up thrifty and money smart she also grew up to appreciate making things like new. She loves renovating houses and working with the Pierce Brothers is everything she always wanted, but now she has her own house she plans on flipping and doing it all on her own. But once the brothers find out her house isn't in the best of neighborhoods they ask Brady to help her out. Brady has a clear and set idea about what he wants in a wife, domestic and submissive. Brady's first impression of Charlie isn't good, they snip and argue about everything. As much as she the opposite of everything he thinks he wants in a woman he is undeniably attracted to her and when he gets bullied/volunteered to babysit/help out Charlie on her house they both agree to set their dislike aside until the house is finished. However in the time they spend together they actually start to learn about each other and like each other and soon their animosity transformed to friendship and much more. 

Overall, this was a good read I really liked it. Brady was hard to like at first I still don't know if I really like him very much or not but in the end he was a sweetie and him and Charlotte balance each other out. Jennifer Probst as always does a spectacular job writing.     




 

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Everywhere and Every Way

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AUTHOR INFORMATION:

Jennifer ProbstJennifer Probst - Bio: Jennifer Probst wrote her first book at twelve years old. She bound it in a folder, read it to her classmates, and hasn’t stopped writing since. She took a short hiatus to get married, get pregnant, buy a house, get pregnant again, pursue a master’s in English Literature, and rescue two shelter dogs. Now she is writing again.
She makes her home in Upstate New York with the whole crew. Her sons keep her active, stressed, joyous, and sad her house will never be truly clean. She is the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of sexy and erotic contemporary romance. She was thrilled her book, The Marriage Bargain, was ranked #6 on Amazon's Best Books for 2012. She loves hearing from readers. Visit her website for updates on new releases and her street team at www.jenniferprobst.com.

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Tuesday, May 30, 2017

COVER REVEAL Haunted Blade by J.C. Daniels


Haunted, Hunted…and harassed.

Never let it be said that Kit Colbana had ever been given the easy road. Or even the semi-paved road.  Only weeks after dealing with the mysterious—and murderous—being called Puck, she’s got another killer on her hands. Perhaps even two. 
Some of the bodies turning up bring up haunting memories of a past she longs to forget, but as always, that past is chasing her at her heels, like a hated shadow.

As the body count racks up, there’s an imbalance of power, particularly among the vampire population and Kit must yet again deal with ugly memories as one of the monsters who tried to break her is set free to deal with the imbalance of power.
Yet while a power struggle rages in East Orlando, there’s another, more subtle battle taking place and Kit feels like the center of it all.

Arrogant? Maybe. But the dead bodies don’t bear the mark of her grandmother’s pet killer by sheer coincidence…and she doubts her nemesis being released is either.

Releasing in September.

It's up for pre-order.

Buy links.





Thursday, May 25, 2017

ARC REVIEW Nothing Like A Duke by Jane Ashford

Book four in the Duke's Sons series and I have been waiting for Robert and Flora's story since the first book. Every other book has teased at their attraction and the bickering it's all foreplay. Jane Ashford has lead us on a merry chase with these two, in the last book the only mention was how bad humor Robert has been in since he left Oxford and Flora. The nice thing is that while it would be beneficial to have read the previous books (at least to get a feel for the past history of Flora and Robert and the other books are worth the read) it is not entirely necessary.

I love the writing style of Jane Ashford she's focused on the romance and the character building and does so in a way that is funny, romantic, and heartfelt. Both characters balance each other out and bring out the qualities they never thought they had. Robert is the pink of the ton very popular, fashionable and very sociable. Flora is a bluestocking who spent most of her life living up the the standards of her father who never got the boy he wanted. Flora never learned to socialize, she sees these girls act dumb and it irks her to no end that they do that and that men expect their women to act that way. There is no place in Flora's world for stupidity and no love for the high society that rejected her mother for marrying a poor scholar. But Robert changed her perspective on things he made her think things were possible and that she was willing to try going into society.

Robert could not fathom why Flora's opinion mattered to him, why he tried so hard to prove to her that he wasn't just a pretty face in society but that he was intelligent as well. However Flora just kept pushing him and making cutting remarks that Robert left and he thought to put the whole thing behind him and continue has he always had but he couldn't stop thinking about Flora. Getting into society at one of the better house parties before the season started he thought was the perfect place to forget about Flora, until she shows up and takes his breath away. Flora initially planned to go to the house party to experiment and learn about how to act in society so she can finally have her season. She hurt that Robert left she thought better of him but giving up and going back into society kind of reaffirmed everything bad she thought of him. Throughout the span of the house party through the childish actions of a manipulative young woman who has her sights set on Robert to the desperate actions of a cruel and money hungry gambler both Robert and Flora learn a lot about each other.

Overall, this was a good read. The side characters are a hoot, they made the story much more enjoyable.


Tuesday, May 23, 2017

ARC REVIEW Never Trust a Pirate by Valerie Bowman

Even though it is book seven of Valerie Bowman's Playful Brides series it is a perfect stand-alone. Never having read any of the previous books only the mentioning of  Rafe and Daphne past gives any inclination that this is part of a series and since they aren't the main characters and their book was book four, it really has no precedence in this story all the pertinent information is given and really very easy to follow.

The descriptive playful in the series title is also a good descriptive for the writing style. It kind of reminded me of the older pirate romance with a playful twist on it. I love the direction it went and how the story played out the characters were all very likable and easy to empathize with.

Danielle came from a good family and high in society but her mother was disowned when she married a Frenchman for love. It didn't end well and Danielle ended up becoming a spy for the English crown. Danielle just wanted one thing in return for her service to get vengeance against the man who ruined her life. Getting closer than she has ever been before to the pirate she just needs to bide her time until the right moment until then she was been charged with keeping an eye on Cade Cavendish and see what he's up too.

Cade faked his death years ago for his brother's protection but he's back now and with one last thing he needs to do before he can settle down but the intriguing french lady's maid that his sister in law just hired has piqued his curiosity and stirred his lust. The attraction is instantaneous which Danielle thinks is horrible because she thinks he is his brother. Thankfully that quickly gets straighten out and against her better judgment she falls under his spell and allows the seduction. But things are not always what they seem and in the end Cade and Danielle have a common goal.

Overall, this was a quick and witty story. A joy to read, seriously this book made me happy. The whole Black Fox thing was very clever.      

ARC REVIEW No Easy Target by Iris Johansen

No Easy Target by Iris Johansen a spin -off novel of the Eve Duncan series. The main character Margaret was previously in an Eve Duncan novel. I use to read Eve Duncan but I got burned out because it seemed just the same ole same ole. It really feels like this is suppose to be the replacement for Eve, especially with the ending. (that's all I'm sayin' on that, draw your own conclusions). It started off really good, very exciting a bunch of sexual tension tied with animosity. John and Margaret don't like each other at the start. Margaret is on the run from a sadistic sociopathic arms and drugs dealer and she will do anything to not go back to Nicos. To John, Margaret was just suppose to be a means to an end; the key to getting back his mentor back from Nicos who is holding him to torment John and to teach him a lesson.

John learned everything he could about Margaret, he tracked her down and planned on trading her for Patrick, the one person who understood John and helped put him on the path of special forces to CIA to multi-millionaire. But once John finally caught Margaret and understood how scared she was to go back he changed his plans to that she would never have to go back to Nicos. Margaret's empathic ability that allows her to communicate with animals also lets her feel powerful emotions from people so when she feels the terror and desperation coming from John she agrees to help, but she tells him she will never return to the island, unfortunately sometimes things can't go the way they are planned.

Margaret has to face the man who causes her nightmares. Margaret thought she learned her lesson about getting close to people but Nicos reinforces that lesson in a way she will never forget. It didn't work like Nicos planned however Margaret didn't break she got stronger. Face to face with him again she is stronger than she has ever been. She has keep people at a distance however for her to escape Nicos she must rely on John to help her out. Despite the rocky start Margaret knows she can count on John and his team of security experts to pull her out safely.

Overall, I enjoyed it but it almost felt like I had read the book before the characters reminded me way too much of Sarah Patrick and John Logan and the overall situation reminded me of The Search. I found myself asking if the Eve Duncan series was being rebooted or on an alternate timeline or something.

Thursday, May 18, 2017

ARC REVIEW Ararat by Christopher Golden

Ararat is a horror, mystery, monster-ish book. It's not what I thought it would be, but that is not a bad thing. It was well written and even though I really didn't like the overall plot it was written engaging enough to keep me wanting to read it and finding out what happens. It wasn't bad just not my usual cup of tea. Don't get me wrong I love creepy, scary, paranormal, and horror stories but demonic possession stories don't really do it for me. I was expecting something a little more monstrous and abominable, so yes I was disappointed there. I did like the creep factor Christopher Golden inserted into the whole Noah's Ark story, that was a good twist. I halfway expected all the characters introduced in the first chapters to die at the end of the those chapters.

Earthquake in Turkey reveals a cave opening with a giant ship inside it. Locals and scholars believe it to be Noah's Ark. Advanced teams are sent up the mountain Ararat to discover the truth.

Adam, Meryam, Feyiz, and Hakan made a deal with the Turkish government that who ever made it to the cave first would have the rights to the cave. Adam and Meryam are adventurist and authors, they record all their adventures and put them out on the internet and finding Noah's Ark, if it is indeed The Ark, would be the big break they needed. Feyiz and Hakan are sherpas they know the mountain better than anyone else. In a race against time these four start ascending the mountain hopefully to get their before the other team. Three weeks later specialist Dr. Ben Walker, Dr. Kim Seong, and Father Cornelius Hughes are called up the mountain for their expert opinion, but on what they don't know yet. Once they get there it's immediate, a dark feeling surrounds them. Something isn't right with the cave or the ruins of the ship. Once they see what Adam and Meryam found in the ruins of the ark strange things start to happen. The sarcophagus with a demonic looking corpse makes everyone uncomfortable. Rumors are running rampant and the workers are getting scared of the creature but a blizzard she them trapped inside the cave until the next morning at least. But people start disappearing and people keep behaving out of the norm. Can the crew make it past nightfall or will they be forced to leave the cave and face the blizzard instead of the thing inside it.

Overall, like I said not normally my kind of read but was written in a way I needed to find out what happened.      

ARC REVIEW Falling Hard by Stacy Finz

Book 9 in the Nugget series by Stacy Finz stars the intelligent Annie Sparks whom we first met in the last book along with Logan Jenkins the illegitimate son of Ray Rosser, the convicted murder and no good sonovabitch of Nugget who died in prison. Logan didn't even know who his biological father was until he was contacted by a lawyer about being named in his father's will. Logan out of curiosity went to the ranch that use to be his father's, it now belonged to Gia Trendwell, he didn't care about any of that he just wanted to  know more about his father. Annie moved on to the Rosser ranch when she walked out on her boyfriend. She had enough with lazy moochers who did nothing but waste her time and this included her brother who continually made bad decisions and cost their parents lots of money and this time collateral on the farm they could not afford to lose. Annie wanted nothing more than to help Gia's tree farm succeed especially the part of the plan that helped women get back on their feet, learn money management and business.  

It was just suppose to be temporary, it was just suppose to be a fling until he left to San Diego and then Annie would get on with her life wherever that was heading and that was it. Annie and Logan never intended to fall in love, but they did and hard and neither of them knew how to handle that. It's hard enough trying to figure out where your relationship is going when moocher brothers cause problems and then there is Raylene, Logan's half sister who if you've read the other books you know how she is, getting in the picture just to rock the boat and stir up trouble for Logan. Logan, omg, he's such a freakin' sweetheart; even though it's "casual" he ends up buying Annie new boots because she needs them and a pair of cowboy boots just because he knows she'll like them. Logan is the opposite of what Annie normally goes for but he is exactly what she needs. Logan is the opposite of his father, he was raised by a good man and it shows he even goes out of his way to help Raylene after she acted like a twat.

Overall, this is another great read. I love this series it is one of my favorite small town romance series and they just keep getting better and better.

ARC REVIEW Reed by R.C. Ryan

Reed is book three of the Malloys of Montana series by R.C. Ryan. Reed is the youngest of the three brothers and even though he has the playboy image he takes one thing very seriously, his cattle. He is trying to raise a herd of free range organic cattle that has been a money pit, until now. This latest herd is doing surprisingly well and if he can get them to market he has a buyer who will pay very well for them. Ally Shaw and her son Kyle needed a do over. Kyle's father was a military man who died overseas. After it happened a coworker of Ally's started acting weird, and possessive. Ally wanted to get away from him and everything else. She moved to Glacier Ridge and into her uncle's home. Uncle Archer reluctantly let them stay until Ally could get the apartment upstairs from her new business liveable. Archer had some strict rules for them to follow and half the time it was difficult for a four year old Kyle to remember them. It was the wrong time for them to meet, Ally needed to worry about her store and her son and Reed needed to concentrate on his keeping his livestock healthy until roundup. But once Reed saw Ally, no matter how much he tried to convince himself otherwise, he knew there would be no other woman for him.

Trouble followed Ally to Montana, it started as little things but the closer she got to Reed the worse things got. Even her relationship with her Uncle which was precarious already got worse. But she had lots of good things going on that outweighed the bad, her business was successful the towns people loved her, and she even acquired a new assistant a young girl with a knack and passion for vintage clothes. She also had the love and support of the entire Malloy family especially Reed. The only thing bringing her down was the crazy stalker and her temperamental Uncle.

Ally is, of course, hesitant to start anything with Reed, after what happened with Kyle's father she was worried about a relationship with any man. I loved the slow but constant seduction Reed goes through with Ally, the not so subtle reminders that he is there for her, and willing to wait until she's comfortable but not letting her forget how much he wants her. Reed is great with Kyle and with dealing with all the crap that followed her Ally can't resist the charm and the attraction.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read. I like R.C. Ryan her style of writing is smooth and easy well balanced between the suspense, emotional and the romance. OHHHHHH and the continuing story arc is finally concluded! I really enjoy reading R.C. Ryan western romance and I can't wait for more.    

Tuesday, May 16, 2017

ARC REVIEW Lord of Pleasure by Erica Ridley

Lord of Pleasure is book two of Erica Ridley's new series Rogues to Riches. This is another great story by Erica Ridley, the characters are likeable and the whole situation is humorous. It's a fantastic Cinderella type story. Camellia is the perfect daughter she does as she's told, she sings when they want her too and what they want her to sing, she's also the sensible one, but her parents go too far when the arrange her marriage to a much older gentleman who doesn't even have the courtesy to actually ask her, then leaves for a month. Lord Wainwright, Michael, is tired of getting his image drawn as a caricature in the paper linking him to all sorts of gossip and rakish behaviour, sometimes it's true but he's tired of being made fun of, as a joke his friends bet him he couldn't stay out of the gossip column for 40 days.

In an atypical act of rebellion Camellia accepts the invitation meant for her sister to the notorious Lambley's masquerade ball. Once there she is swept off her feet by a masked man who seems to not only listen to her but enjoys talking to her. She has four weeks until her fiance returns and has the banns announced so she decides to enjoy her time with the masked man and returns to the masquerade ball every week.

So far Michael is succeeding in avoiding the gossip rags, he's seen in all the right places and attends his duty in the House of Lords and is terribly bored the only thing keeping his interest is Lady X a wonderful woman whom he has no idea who she really is. The other perplexing thing he comes across is the obvious dislike the Grenville sisters have for him. He has no idea that he made one off hand remark that caused the backing out a charity that was run by one of the sister and out of loyalty all the sister must hate him too. It doesn't take very long before Camellia discovers her masked man is none other than Lord Wainwright. Camellia is despaired that the man she has fallen in love with the same man who is a notorious seducer and who inadvertently hurt her sister. Camellia needs the strength to finally stand up to her parents and shake things up a bit, but can she find the courage Michael knows she has or will it all be for nothing.        

Overall, it is a great Cinderella retold story.

ARC REVIEW Lethal Lies by Rebecca Zanetti

I absolutely love The Sin Brothers series and this is book two of the spinoff series Blood Brothers. The problem of Dr. Madison and Sheriff Cobb continues as they try and track down the missing brothers. Heath Jones is in the middle of an investigation trying to track down a serial killer who just murdered an undercover FBI agent. I feel like RZ pulled a Psycho on us introduced one character then killed her off and replaced her with her sister. It all good though Anya and Heath are a dynamite couple the attraction is palpable and undeniable, hot, so so so hot. I really like Heath, he has so much in common with Shane it was like reading another version of his story. I love the writing RZ is one of my favorite Romantic Suspense authors she always keeps it paced well with a well balanced story.

The Copper Killer strikes again. This time it's Anya Best's sister and FBI agent Lorraine. Anya has been the target the whole time with each kidnapping she received a letter and a picture and the dead body of the redheaded victim would show up a few days later. The Bastard Brothers were hired by one of the family but it's personal now. Even more so when Anya (very traumatized and devastated) acts selfishly and announces for the world to hear that Heath is her fiance and that they will be investigating it together. Heath and the rest of his brother are now on alert because it's only a matter of time before Dr. Madison sics her soldiers on them. But Heath can't leave Anya alone with a serial killer after her. But the killer is close he's teasing them and taunting them and they know it's only a matter of time before he finds Anya. Anya and Heath know it's not the appropriate time to start a relationship or to even fall in love they even try to avoid it altogether especially since Heath is on the run but you can't deny true love and Heath will risk his life to keep Anya away from the killer.

Overall, it was a great read. I loved it it had a spectacular twist, I really didn't see it coming.

Saturday, May 13, 2017

ARC REVIEW My One True Highlander by Suzanne Enoch

Book two in the No Ordinary Hero series by Suzanne Enoch, My One True Highlander has a serious undertone to the cliched almost comical storyline. Kidnapped English Lady and the rugged Scottish Laird, what makes this more serious than other stories is the situation behind it. Laird Graeme wants to be loyal to the clan his family swore fidelity to but the chieftain of the clan just wants to make war with the Englishman who inherited the land and refused to sell it. Graeme just wants to live in peace and have his family and his tenants happy and healthy but with the increasing tax and the threat to be thrown out of the clan looming over his head Graeme is just trying to survive. Graeme is the guardian to younger brothers and when they get the idea that kidnapping the Englishman's sister and giving her to the chieftain and be given a reward for her and Graeme is stuck between a rock and a hard place.  He knows giving over the English woman won't solve anything and will endanger her life, but if her brother finds out his life is pretty much forfeited because he will cover for his brothers stupid mistake. He is even more confused by his feelings for the English miss.

Marjorie is tired of being on the sidelines, she went from a ladies companion to a Duke's sister in the matter of seconds and he newfound status didn't win her any friends she in fact lost the few she did have. When Marjorie get a letter from her brother stating he's getting married and will send for her sometime in the spring she makes the decision to leave now. The large age difference between them kept them apart for most of their lives and Marjorie is determined not to miss another major event in his life. Together with the companion she hired to see her into society she travels up to Scotland without incident until they almost get they get within a day's journey of her brothers new estate. Marjorie gets kidnapped. Misconceptions and presumptions between Graeme and Marjorie lead to the initial dislike between them. Marjorie thinking they are a bunch of barbarians and Graeme thinking she is a spoiled London Miss. But over time they learn the truths about each other, especially after Marjorie covers for Graeme and his brother by posing as a tutor for the youngest brother. At that point she stops being a prisoner and becomes a willing guest and Graeme lets her write a note to her brother telling him she's okay. The letter however is intercepted by Sir Hamish Paulk, who is not a nice man and wants to bring about the doom of Marjorie's brother.

Despite the seriousness of the story there is a very cheesy romance feel to the book the Marjorie and Graeme romance, once they get over the whole English Scottish kidnapping thing falls into place fairly easy, but by then Marjorie gets kidnapped again. Overall, it was a good read, I enjoyed it. It's read fine as a stand alone so you don't have to worry about reading book one to understand what's going on.          

ARC REVIEW Bad Behavior series by Melissa Marino

 So Twisted, the first book in Melissa Marino's Bad Behavior series is a cute story.  I had a hard time getting into it because I normally stay away from alternating person POV, the beginning feels way too much like they are telling me instead of showing me; especially when it came to Aaron's former marriage. It was just kind of thrown out there right off the back, I felt like information overload and none of the emotion that went with it, I had a hard time trying to figure out why Aaron reacted the way he did because when he "remembered" everything at the very beginning of the book he didn't really show his reaction just his determination. It's not until at the end where it explains more. I couldn't justify Aaron's actions, I couldn't empathize with him because of it and ended up not really liking him. Callie on the other hand the opposite very open with her emotions with herself and I sided with her completely through the whole debacle.

Callie is going to school to be a teacher but to afford her tuition she has to work as a bartender in a sleezy-ish hook -up night club that is until her best friend Evelyn finds her the perfect job for her as a live in nanny for a well off business owner. There is instant chemistry between Aaron and Callie and they manage to hold off on acting on their feelings until after Callie goes on a date with Aaron's playboy brother Abel. Callie and Aaron's lives fall into a nice and easy pattern. Aaron starts trying to hard and moving way too fast for Callie. Callie just wants to please Aaron and in her fear of messing up and repeating whatever mistake his first wife made she started up a good friendship with Abel when ever she starts to freak about something Aaron did or said she uses Abel as a sounding board. Callie doesn't tell Aaron the she's good friends with his brother had when he finds out he (way) overreacts and kicks her out. Callie after some time of healing she becomes determined to do things for herself and not to please other people. Aaron realizes his mistake but is it to little too late to win Callie over.

Overall, it was sweet and the ending was pretty good. Delilah, Aaron's daughter, really stole the show.      



 So Screwed takes place some months after the first book. As soon as I read about Evelyn and Abel in the first book I knew they were destined to be together. This is probably my favorite out of the three. Abel and Evelyn are both playing the field neither of them ready to settle down yet and no matter how many time Callie has told them both not to do it Evelyn finally gives in to Abel's charms and agrees on a date. It was easier for me to get into this one with the alternating person POV Abel's narration was more open and even when the shit came down toward the end I felt like I knew him well enough to know he had his reasons for doing it. Evelyn is very career driven she won't give herself time for an actual relationship but for Abel she makes the exception. Abel is a teacher without a teaching job, he feels like he is living under the shadow of his successful brother; Aaron including him in on business opportunities and letting him work as a bartender in his very exclusive bar but it all makes him feel like he's lacking like he will never be good enough or do good enough for his brother or parents. Abel has a secret he's been telling everyone that he's been making extra money teaching courses online but what he's really been doing is gambling. Abel is a very good card player but he's been on a losing streak. Abel trust Evelyn enough that she knows about this and she keeps his secret. Evelyn finally works through her feelings of abandonment with Abel and they both finally admit their feelings to each other but an incredible job opportunity came up for Evelyn where she has to spend three month out of state. When she gets back Abel is engaged to someone else. Evelyn is very appropriately devastated. Abel has a whole lot of work ahead of him to make it up to her. I loved that what he did it was so freakin sweet.

Overall, emotional rollercoaster the whole way and I loved it.


   
So Wicked takes place some time after the events of book two, it follows Aaron's best friend and business partner, Marshall, from Chicago to California opening a brand new bar. Marshall's idea to make the place stand out and be unique was to offer desserts that complimented the drinks he never expected the genius baker who made the delicious confections (I have to admit I would love to try some of them) is none other than Alexis, formerly known as Lexie, Aaron's ex-wife who abandoned her infant daughter. I didn't know what to expect with Alexis but her story when she finally comes out and admits everything to Marshall is so emotional and heart wrenching, she did have a good excuse but it could have been handled differently. This one is probably one of the easiest reads of three and Marshal is definitely the sexiest.

Once Marshall and Alexis get over the initial shock of oh god it's you and the anger that was there, they find themselves trying to ignore the attraction. Marshall has been attracted to her from the beginning but out of respect for Aaron's feeling on Lexie he never made his move. Even now his business relationship, brother like friendship with Aaron is keeping Marshall from acting on this attraction. Alexis has grown so much since she first meet Aaron and Marshal. Alexis is surprised to find the clean cut college boy has turned into a tattooed foul mouthed bad boy. Alexis liked Marshal before but now she finds him down right irresistible. Alexis however is dealing with not only her feelings for Marshall but also trying to overcome the guilt of her past. Only when they give in to each other do they both start dealing with it. Marshal however never told Aaron that Alexis was here let alone started a relationship with her so when he does show up unexpectedly tempers flare and harsh words are spoken.

Overall, as emotional as this book is it's probably one of the most emotionally grown up books with how they reacted and dealt with the problems. I liked that.  

Thursday, May 11, 2017

REVIEW & EXCERPT TOUR Tangled by Rebecca Zanetti

   

We are so excited to bring you the Review & Excerpt Tour for TANGLED by New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Zanetti! TANGLED is a novella in her Dark Protectors-Reese Family Series brought to you by 1001 Dark Nights! Grab your copy of this sexy novella today!

   
About TANGLED:
From New York Times bestselling author, Rebecca Zanetti, comes a new Dark Protectors—Reese Family Novella.
Now that her mask has finally slipped…
Ginny O’Toole has spent a lifetime repaying her family’s debt, and she’s finally at the end of her servitude with one last job. Of course, it couldn’t be easy. After stealing the computer files that will free her once and for all, she finds herself on the run from a pissed off vampire who has never fallen for her helpless act. A deadly predator too sexy for his own good. If he doesn’t knock it off, he’s going to see just how powerful she can really be.
He won’t be satisfied until she’s completely bare.
Theo Reese had been more than irritated at the beautiful yet helpless witch he’d known a century ago, thinking she was just useless fluff who enjoyed messing with men’s heads. The second he discovers she’s a ruthless thief determined to bring down his family, his blood burns and his interest peaks, sending his true nature into hunting mode. When he finds her, and he will, she’ll understand the real meaning of helpless.

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I'll admit I was apprehensive I didn't know what to expect with Ginny the manipulative thief, and after not really liking the last one I was cynical but I love Rebecca Zanetti and out of all her 40 plus books I've only read two I didn't care for so with that in mind I jumped back into the Dark Protector-Reese Brother's series and I enjoyed it. As much as I hated Ginny at the end of the last book I didn't think RZ could redeem her but damned if she did it, I actually started to like Ginny toward the end. The story was good, Ginny was forced into a situation she had no control over and did what she had to to survive. Once Theo discovered the severity of the shit she was in he made it his job to fix it for her. Ginny didn't want or need his help but she got it and the full co-operation from the other Reese brothers and kinda sorta the Realm also. 

RZ's writing is as always hot, dirty and exciting. Ginny definitely gives Theo a good chase. To me it had kind of that old heist movie feel to it with everything going on. Overall, it was a good read and I have a feeling we haven't seen the last of the Reese family yet.   






“I’m sick.” She looked down at her ankle. “The planekite has infected me. There’s no going back.” She shrugged, her jaw firming with the stubborn tilt he somehow knew well. “This is my last chance to save my father, and I’m taking it. You have to step down.” 
“I think you’re right about the planekite poisoning,” Theo said, gesturing toward the laptop he’d pushed to the side. “The queen sent me all the research data she has on the mineral, and long-term exposure seems to be fatal. It also explains why you can’t create fire or even heal the bruise on your face.” Every time he looked at the dark mark, he got pissed off. 
She cut him a look. “Don’t sugarcoat it.” 
“Not going to.” He leaned back and clasped his hands behind his neck, stretching his torso. “I said no lying between us, remember?” 
She shoved curls out of her face. “You surely did. So yes. I’m dying. Yay for the truth.”
Wasn’t she cute when she was dramatic? If he told her that, she’d no doubt punch him in the face. So he went for more truth. “So we need to get mated, then.” 
She reared up to argue more, stopping suddenly. Her pink lips opened in an O. She closed them, her mouth moved again, and nothing came out. 
He bit back a grin. So much for the woman leaping into his arms with gratitude. “Gin?”
Her lids half-lowered, and she pressed her hands against her hips. “You are not funny.”
“I am not kidding.” He wanted her more than he’d ever wanted another woman in his long life. He liked her. Hell. He wanted to be with her. It made sense on so many levels. A voice in the back of his head laughed wildly, and he banished it. 
She shook her head in an odd convulsion of denial. “You’ve lost your damn mind, then.”
“Probably,” he agreed. 
She swung her arms out. “We can’t get mated. That’s crazy. We can barely get along.”
“We get along just fine,” he countered. “At least we will after you give me back the information that could destroy my entire family.” 
“I’m a thief,” she snapped, very nice color filling her face. 
He nodded. “I’d very much like for you to find another profession after we mate. Definitely after we procreate.” There were plenty of legal ways to help other people. 
“Procreate?” she asked, her voice trembling. “Theo, you’re an old-fashioned guy.”


Rebecca Zanetti’s TANGLED – Review & Excerpt Tour Schedule:
May 10th
Books n Wine – Review & Excerpt
Marie's Tempting Reads – Review & Excerpt
May 11th
GraveTells – Excerpt
Hannah's Words – Review & Excerpt
May 12th
Oh My Growing TBR – Review & Excerpt
Maddy's Reading – Review
The Sassy Bookster – Review & Excerpt
May 13th
Bookalicious Babes blog – Review & Excerpt
Dog-Eared Daydreams – Review & Excerpt
May 14th
Rainy Thursdays – Review & Excerpt
The Reading Cafe – Review & Excerpt
May 15th
Celtic Dragon Book Reviews – Review & Excerpt
Feel the Book – Review & Excerpt
May 16th
Always YA at Heart – Review & Excerpt
Pardon My Blurb – Review & Excerpt
Read-Love-Blog – Excerpt
May 17th
I'm A Sweet And Sassy Book Whore – Review & Excerpt
Reese's Reviews – Review & Excerpt
May 18th
Angels With Attitude Book Reviews – Review & Excerpt
Magical Pages Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
The BookWhisperer – Review
May 19th
Caroline Jane Reads – Excerpt
The Escapist Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
Vagabonda Reads – Review
         




    About Rebecca Zanetti: New York Times and USA Today Bestseller Rebecca Zanetti is the author of over twenty-five dark paranormals, romantic suspense, and contemporary romances. She lives in the wilds of the Pacific Northwest with her own Alpha hero, two kids, a couple of dogs, a crazy cat…and a huge extended family. She believes strongly in luck, karma, and working her butt off…and she thinks one of the best things about being an author, unlike the lawyer she used to be, is that she can let the crazy out. Her current series are: The Dark Protectors, The Maverick Montana Cowboys, and the Sin Brothers series. Upcoming series are: The Realm Enforcers and The Scorpius Syndrome.

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Tuesday, May 9, 2017

ARC REVIEW DC Universe Rebirth Wonder Woman vol. 2 Year One

Wonder Woman vol 2 Year One

Issues 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 14
DC Universe Rebirth
Story by Greg Rucka
Art by Nicola Scott with Bilquis Evely 




 The story: I don’t know if Greg Rucka is really annoying or a freakin’ genius breaking up the story like he is, back and forth between the past and present with each issue. All I know is I am glad I wait for the graphic novel comes out in volumes grouped by the timeline. The story, as the name implies, is the first year the very beginning. We see side by side Diana and Steve a few years before up to the point when Steve ends up on Themyscira and all that jazz. It’s a good point of reference if you have no idea about how that got started and to point out differences from the past origin stories. Once Diana leaves and is confronted with the realities of our modern world she is astounded with the wonders of it and dismayed at all the violence. The Gods have gifted Diana with special abilities, to aid her on her mission, as she goes on she discovers what they are; super strength, flying, ect…

The problem all leads back to the terrorists, The Sear Group. The mission Steve was on when he crash landed was to stop the Sear Group from obtaining a deadly chemical. Now that have it and they are threating massive attacks around the world. Barbara Ann Minerva who was contacted because her knowledge and ability with languages and is so far the only one who can communicate with Diana, connects the dots between The Sear Group and Ares. Big fight ensues.






Art: Nicola Scott did a great job with it. I love the differences between past and present. Liam Sharp has a great visual of the desperation and sadness Diana feels while Nicola Scott is lighter and you can see the happier, younger more naïve side of Diana before it all changes. I especially like the more 70’s retro feel to some of the illustrations. The action is well done and the coloring fantastic. The variant covers pretty awesome.



Characters: The cast of characters is basically the same as vol. 1 but you have the added Amazons. Diana is a young and hopeful woman, sees the good in things and she genuinely wants to help. Steve was the sole survivor of the plane crash and feels the loss of his best friend and his brothers in arm, especially since his best friend just had a baby Steve is feeling a bit of survivor's guilt but his need to stop the Sears is stronger. Diana and Steve bond through their grief. Barbara Ann Minerva also has her little pre-origin type story in this volume as well which shows her obsession with finding the real life Amazons and a bit on her background. Etta Candy is also here but not as prominent yet.  

   

Review: Overall, I don’t know how much I love the back and forth the story is going with past and present and I am hoping the end result is as good as I think it could be. I love origin stories so this was a good read for me. I like knowing the who, what, where, why, and how’s of the character. It is definitely a well thought out story with beautiful art.    

  

Thursday, May 4, 2017

ARC REVIEW It Started with a Kiss by Ella Quinn

Book Three of Ella Quinn's The Worthington's series but can easy be read apart from the others. Ella Quinn has a way with words it's a quick read and has all the charm and romance of her other books that makes her so enjoyable to read. I loved the first book. There is a large cast of characters on Louisa's side of the family and it's easy to get lost if you allow yourself to get distracted by them really the only thing you need to focus on is Louisa and Gideon but if you can't then read the first book it is so worth it.

The romance was pretty easy between Gideon and Louisa. It was love at first sight and Louisa knew pretty much from the start that Gideon was going to be the man she wanted to marry. The main conflict has purely to do with male pride and Gideon not feeling worthy of Louisa because the state his father left the estate in, which was a wreck. Gideon flat out refused to pay any of his father's gambling debts, and even gave his father's mistress plenty of time to vacate the townhouse she occupied. He also send out word to all the pawn shops that if any of the items on the list were to show up that they were stolen property and to be confiscated and returned. Gideon had his solicitor earning his wages with all things Gideon was trying to fix. But people don't take the hint, people are threatening Gideon, and his father's mistress isn't going to let go so easily. All the while he was hiding this from Louisa.

Conflict number two, Louisa is pretty much the bell of the ball and even with all the suitor she could choose from she just wants Gideon, unfortunately his cousin called Gideon to London to help him persuade Louisa to marry him, but Gideon had already met and fallen in love with Louisa. Gideon loves his cousin and tries to do things Louisa's way by showing him their is someone better for him. To add to the all the crap Gideon has to deal with with his father's vowels, someone tries to blackmail Gideon into marrying his daughter but when Gideon is faced with the girl Louisa speak up and claims she is already engaged to Louisa which his cousin overhears and throws a tantrum. Gideon needs to learn it's ok to ask for help and that Louisa is much stronger than he thinks.

Overall, I really liked this book. It was fun and I loved the characters, the whole family is great and loveable I can't wait for their books.    

ARC REVIEW Saving Mercy by Abbie Roads

More dark, bloody, chilling romance by Abbie Roads. Saving Mercy has a real sinister feel to it, and can be real morbid with the content, Cain can be lugubrious but with his method of finding out what happened at crime scenes is quite disturbing and how he got that way is disconcerting and it is completely understandable for him to be the way he is. Cain is the son of a serial killer, Adam Killian, who forced Cain to watch all his murders and bathed him in the blood of the victims. Ever since Cain has had an extrasensory ability to read the murder scene, he can see the murder through the killer's eyes. He now works for the FBI with the agent who saved him from his father and then raised him as his own.  

Mercy survived the unthinkable, she watched as a serial killer murdered her parents in front of her and his own son. She barely survived but grew up fairly normal and well balanced until the "good" Dr. Payne has her institutionalized. Dr Payne is obsessed with Mercy and her survival of the attack, he is telling everyone she's crazy and out of her mind. Cain is friends with a nurse, Liz, a woman who has been like a mother to him since his Father was caught and he was saved. Liz tells him he needs to save Mercy from the doctor. Cain has been keeping tabs on Mercy the whole time and when Liz fills him in on what the doctor has been doing to Mercy he knows he's the only one who can save her. But the most recent murders is tieing Cain to them, and it is suspiciously like his father's murders, only it couldn't possible be his father he is still in prison  and only Cain can track down this copycat. Cain and Mercy have a connection, and while Cain feels guilty for it Mercy sees it as a kinship. Mercy proves she doesn't hold him responsible for the sins of his father. Can their bond prove to be thicker than blood?

Overall, such a good book. OMG! Suspenseful, nice twist. Bloody, oh so bloody. Romance in an unlikely time but fated to happen. Abbie Roads is a great writer, she transports me into the book and proceeds to creep me out, I love it.  

ARC REVIEW Forever Mine by Erin Nicholas

Forever Mine is book two in Erin Nicholas' Opposites Attract series. I enjoyed this much more than the first book. Maya is a real life super hero, a former police officer who got injured in the line of duty and had to quit due to her injury. But still she has no issue putting herself at risk to help someone who needs it, and she wants to make sure people can save themselves, she runs a martial arts and self defense studio where she teaches kids to stand up for themselves and what they believe is right and that they can be their own superhero. Alex is a doctor with a rare blood disorder who grew up and became an expert in that field. A several months ago he discovered he had a daughter who inherited his blood disorder from him. Alex tries to relate to his daughter the only way he can think of and that is through her favorite superhero movie series. Alex discovers Maya's superhero class the plan, because it is to dangerous for his daughter to do it herself, was for Alex to join and then teaches his daughter what he learned in a controlled environment. Alex and Maya have instant chemistry and because of that Maya works with Alex just so she can spend time with him. Even though he feels guilty for not spending time with his daughter Alex looks forward to spending his time with Maya.

The conflict that both Alex and Maya face is just as much internal as it is between them. Alex growing up was constantly overprotected by his mother, he hated that but now with a daughter of his own he is trying to do things differently, but he is still very sensitive about the subject of his own disorder. For a doctor who does conferences and speeches he is horrible when it comes to communication. Maya doesn't know when to give up she is constantly pushing herself to prove that she can still do things even with her physical limitations. Maya falls head over heals for Alex but he's not very communicative, and it makes it seem to Maya that what she is feeling is one sided. Alex needs to face his inner demons before he can fully open up to not only Maya but his daughter as well.

Overall, a very emotional and heartfelt book, you can tell the author feels deeply about the topic. The characters are very well written, I pretty much wanted to slap Alex upside the head there for a bit that's a good thing in this case.