The Cityscape Affair Trilogy by Jessica Hawkins-Review

Olivia Germaine has already found love. Devoted wife, loyal friend, determined career woman—she’s created the life she always envisioned…until she locks eyes with a handsome stranger across a crowded room.

David Dylan, alleged playboy and Chicago’s most eligible bachelor, awakens a passion in Olivia she buried long ago. He’ll do anything to prove to her that despite his playboy ways, he’s worth leaving behind the stable future her husband can offer her.

But in order to accept a love she never thought possible, with a man who could be her soulmate, Olivia will have to let go of deeply rooted fears that could ruin everything.

Everything is what David wants to give her, and it’s what he demands in return. But even as an alpha male who always gets what he wants...this time, David may be fighting for something unattainable.

The Cityscape Affair trilogy box set includes three full-length novels: Come Undone, Come Alive, and Come Together.

The Honey Don't List by Christina Lauren-Review

Carey Duncan has worked for home remodeling and design gurus Melissa and Rusty Tripp for nearly a decade. A country girl at heart, Carey started in their first store at sixteen, and—more than anyone would suspect—has helped them build an empire. With a new show and a book about to launch, the Tripps are on the verge of superstardom. There’s only one problem: America’s favorite couple can’t stand each other.

James McCann, MIT graduate and engineering genius, was originally hired as a structural engineer, but the job isn’t all he thought it’d be. The last straw? Both he and Carey must go on book tour with the Tripps and keep the wheels from falling off the proverbial bus.

Unfortunately, neither of them is in any position to quit. Carey needs health insurance, and James has been promised the role of a lifetime if he can just keep the couple on track for a few more weeks. While road-tripping with the Tripps up the West Coast, Carey and James vow to work together to keep their bosses’ secrets hidden, and their own jobs secure. But if they stop playing along—and start playing for keeps—they may have the chance to build something beautiful together…

REAL DIRTY BY MEGHAN MARCH - REVIEW

Country music's bad boy, Boone Thrasher, takes center stage in USA Today bestselling author Meghan March's brand new stand alone Real Dirty Duet! 

I have everything a guy could want—a new single burning up the charts, more money than a simple country boy could spend, and a woman I’m planning to marry. 

Until she doesn’t show up for my proposal. 

The life I thought was so perfect, isn’t. 

The guy who thought he had everything, doesn’t. 

I’ve got my heart on lockdown, but life sends me straight into the path of a mouthy bartender who puts me in my place. 

Now the only place I want to put her is under me.

I thought I was done with love, but maybe I’m just getting started. 

Real Dirty is the first book of the Real Dirty Duet. Boone's story concludes in Real Sexy.

I enjoyed this title, a lot.  There was something about their attraction, their first meeting, and the fact that she likes Boone less knowing that he is famous than she would were he just a "regular" guy.

I didn't love that their first time together was while she was drunk...but, it worked for them.  Boone is a good guy, but he's not always great at remembering to be a good guy.  He plans events to bring people to a fledgling bar, but forgets to consider the logistics of the idea.  He takes a woman home, and she is drunk, but forgets to consider that she is drunk.  While this is not my favorite circumstance in a novel, it didn't ruin it for me.

This had the angst and twisty relationships that I have come to expect from a Meghan March title, and it kept it a fun, enjoyable read.  I liked the characters, and the story, and the fact that the second book in the duet has been published, so I didn't have to wait to find out what happens next.

I enjoyed and recommend this title.

BUY THIS BOOK!

AMAZON

VISIT THE AUTHOR'S WEBSITE!

HOTHEAD BY STELLA RHYS-REVIEW

Blurb

He's the hottest player in Major League Baseball, the most notorious playboy in all of Manhattan...

And my fake fiancé for the next three months.

I was drunk-dialing my ex the night I met him.

Six-three, sexy as sin and so incredibly rude I could smack the asshole smirk right off his face. Long story short, we got off to a bad start. But when the tabloids interpret our sparring as Drew Maddox "groveling" with a "mystery brunette," his agent presents us both a proposal:

Shacking up as a couple this summer.

It’s an alleged “win-win.” I need to prove to my ex that I'm fine. Drew needs to prove to his team that he's stable. Thanks to his on-field brawling and never-ending lady drama, Drew Maddox has suddenly found himself on the trade block - which means he needs a fast, easy way to show the team that he's settled down.

Hence this fiancé thing.

Our fights are real, our kisses are fake, and thanks to the nonstop heat between us, I’m starting to mix up all my signs. But whether it’s real or fake, there’s one thing I do know:

I’m already addicted.

ADD TO GOODREADS

I struggled with this book. In fact, I almost didn't finish it. Drew is an ass ay the beginning, and, well, through a large part of the book, and I had a tough time connecting with him.

I'm glad I didn't give up. I ended up really enjoying his story with Evie and really liking Evie. I even liked Drew by the end.

I enjoyed their connection, their chemistry was excellent and this book is HOT... so that always helps the enjoyment. I thought the storyline was interesting and I liked that Drew wasn't the misunderstood bad boy who was good again when he met the love of his life. Nope, he maintained the edge he had that was part of who he was.

There were a couple of things I didn't love, both storyline choices... one that I think I rhe common easy way to cause conflict, and one that bothered me because it was left too unfinished and I didn't feel it was resolved. Not everything in life, or in books, can be perfect... but this felt like it was left hanging.

I did enjoy this book overall, and I do recommend it.

Purchase Links

99c for a limited time

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

Free in Kindle Unlimited

Author Bio

Stella Rhys is an author of contemporary romance and can't help but write it hot, steamy and borderline filthy (just kidding, it's just flat-out filthy). Writing aside, she lives for coffee, the Knicks, the Yankees and cooking recipes way out of her league. She was born and raised in New York and now lives there with her husband and charmingly entitled fur babies.

Author Links

FACEBOOK

GOODREADS

TWITTER

NEWSLETTER

FOLLOW ME BACK BY A.L. JACKSON - RELEASE BLITZ AND REVIEW

The next seductive, unforgettable stand-alone romance in the FIGHT FOR ME series from NYT & USA Today Bestselling Author A.L. Jackson . . .

Kale Bryant. Arrogant. Gorgeous. Commanding.

This ER doctor is married to his job. His only vice is one-night stands and short-lived flings. He learned a long time ago loving someone isn’t worth the risk.

Harley Hope Masterson. Beautiful. Brave. Sweet.

The owner of a small coffee shop knows what it’s like to struggle. Embroiled in a bitter divorce, she’s threatened with losing everything.

When Kale accepts a new position down the street from Hope’s shop, he begins to question every wall he’s built around his heart.

He wants her in a way he hasn’t wanted anyone.

One touch is fire.

One kiss, and he’s spinning out of control.

But taking her won’t come without consequences.

Hope is in for the fight of her life. One neither of them saw coming.

Now Kale must decide if loving her is worth risking it all.

She will fight with everything she has.

But sometimes even hope needs a hero . . .

This was my first title by A. L. Jackson, and it won't be my last.  Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, everywhere I went, people were posting about loving this title, and now that I have read it, I see why.

Her writing style is polished and accessible, you feel like you are reading about real people, with real emotions and real issues.  The characters work, even the ones you are not supposed to like, the villain, seems real.

Kale and Hope have chemistry, and a connection that you believe from the first minute they both catch the other's eye in a bar.  Kale comes across as a player, and he is, but he has a reason for it, and the reason is one that he keeps close to him, and really doesn't share often.  But, once you know what it is, you love him even more for it.  Hope, she also has her reasons for resisting the pull that she has to Kale.  And, like Kale, her reasons make sense, and you believe them.

This book is angsty.  But in a different way.  Let me try to explain.  There are books that pull on your heart because the characters are apart, there are books that make you want to watch the characters fight to be together, and there are books where outside forces pull against the characters being together.  That is the usual angst.  But, in this book, the angst is more internal.  Yes, there are outside influences, but when it comes down to it, both Hope and Kale have their own, very personal reasons, for fighting what they are feeling.

Angst, in order to work, has to be something I am willing to believe.  Without specifics, I once read a book that the character angst was focused on one of the couple getting a job in a town that was 2 hours away.  And, this was the issue.  And, I found myself having a tough time relating to that angst as moving somewhere in the middle seemed like a simple solution to stay with the love of your life.  So, if the angst feels manufactured, I have a tough time with it.

But, in this book, I believed it.  Did I totally agree with the reasons?  No, not always.  But, and this is what matters, I believed the characters did, and I believed that was reasonable.  They were torn and they really believed that stepping away, and letting each other walk away, was best for everyone.

I liked Kale in this.  I liked that he is a genuinely nice guy.  He is one of those guys that you want to get to know, that you feel sorry for, and that you believe would carry the guilt of the past on his shoulders, whether he deserved it or not.

I enjoyed this title, and I recommend it.

"This is why I read romance." --Lauren Rowe, USA Today and Internationally bestselling author

Amazon

Paperback

Audible

Kindle Fire HD 8 + Show Me the Way & Hunt Me Down Signed Copies + $25 Amazon GC Giveaway 

A.L. Jackson is the New York Times & USA Today Bestselling author of contemporary romance. She writes emotional, sexy, heart-filled stories about boys who usually like to be a little bit bad.

Her bestselling series include THE REGRET SERIES, CLOSER TO YOU, and BLEEDING STARS novels. Watch for A.L. Jackson’s upcoming novel, FOLLOW ME BACK, the second stand-alone novel in her brand-new FIGHT FOR ME SERIES.

If she’s not writing, you can find her hanging out by the pool with her family, sipping cocktails with her friends, or of course with her nose buried in a book.

Be sure not to miss new releases and sales from A.L. Jackson -
Sign up to receive her newsletter http://smarturl.it/NewsFromALJackson or text “aljackson” to 33222 to receive short but sweet updates on all the important news.

Connect with A.L.

Facebook
Amazon
Bookbub

THE PLAN BY ELLA JAMES-REVIEW

SYNOPSIS 

You’ve heard this story before. Woman feels her biological clock ticking and gets someone to knock her up.

Not for love, for baby.

Crazy, right?

That’s what I thought.

Then I found out my fiancé had a vasectomy. The life I thought I had? Nope. Suddenly I’m 33, and I don’t even have a kissing buddy.

When my mom’s health takes a turn and I wind up back in my hometown of Fate, Alabama, I tell myself to leave things up to…well, you know.

Then I see Gabriel McKellan. He’s Fate’s most famous son, a bestselling author who is beautiful, complicated, and living just below me. In addition to his plus-sized brain, Gabe’s well-endowed in other ways, and great in bed to boot. I would know. He's my ex husband.

When I suggest The Plan, I don't imagine that he'll take the bait. It's been ten years, and we don't work. But Fate has other plans for both of us.

Available NOW

99¢ FOR A LIMITED TIME & FREE IN KU!

AMAZON US: http://amzn.to/2iVVpzb

AMAZON UK: http://amzn.to/2AbMhjW

AMAZON CA: http://amzn.to/2BpJS2G

AMAZON AU: http://amzn.to/2n9mdR2

ADD to Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36046927-the-plan

Marley and Gabe were married 12 years ago, the divorce left unresolved feelings on both sides, and seeing one another again opens those up...initially in the form of anger and hostility. This anger comes a little out of the blue, at least it did for me, as there is no reason to expect that particular welcome when she arrives in her hometown, and immediately I was intrigued as to where the relationship and the story was going to go, and how it was going to get there.

In this instance, as the story goes on, you find out the why of their relationship end, and you start to see it from both sides and from the view of each of the characters. Twelve years have passed and Marley and Gabe were in their 20s when they were together last time, and the lack of maturity and life experience that contributed to the break up come through in the story.

The sex is hot, and the relationship between Marley and Gabe is interesting, the way it moves from anger to a friendship to something deeper and finally to love, it works and you can follow it.

Unfortunately, I was not able to really connect with Marley or Gabe when they were not together. For some reason, they never felt like individuals to me. I was able to relate to them as people in a relationship, and to the people they were in the relationship...but individually I didn't feel that there was a lot there for me to feel like I knew who they each were in the absence of the relationship. I think this kept me from being able to fully engage with the story.

I did enjoy it overall, and I do recommend this title.

I'm a fan of Ella James and this blurb really caught my attention. Second chance romance and the possibility of a baby? Sign me up! Also, I have to admit I loved the idea of a town called Fate. I'm a sucker for cute small towns.

In the beginning of the book, I felt I could connect to Marley. This is a woman on a mission; she has a plan. She's not used to failing so this one goal that's she's trying so hard for-and not getting, is eating at her. So from that stand point I could understand her. But my connection didn't last as long as I wanted to with Marley; other than the goal I didn't quite connect to her as an individual.

The same with Gabe. I wanted more from him individually. I mean, he had swoon worthy moments (I can't deny the ending was a big swoon) but he wasn't quite what I was expecting.

There was passion between these two characters. When they were together I was rooting for them. That was when I saw glimpses of who these characters were and who they could be. The sex was hot and steamy. I did believe in the journey these two took together and in the resolution they came to.

This book definitely dealt with some harsh real life issues-which is great, it just wasn't something I expected. There were some twists and turns that I didn't fully see coming, which is always good. I thought it was well paced but just wanted more out of Marley and Gabe as individuals. Overall, I do recommend this title.

TURNING UP THE HEAT BY ERIKA WILDE-REVIEW

A sexy stand-alone, full-length novel!

Radio personality Kerri McCree really likes sex. Talking about sex, that is . . .

Kerri knows firsthand that you can hide a lot behind a microphone. Although she's earned a reputation for discussing every aspect of sex on her show, she's never had to back it up . . . until a sexy mystery caller proves to be even more irresistible in person.

Ian Carlisle is immediately intrigued by the sultry voice he hears on the late night radio show, and it doesn't take him long to arouse Kerri's imagination with his dirty talk. Now he's turning up the heat and seducing the rest of her. Their on-the-air chemistry sizzles and they heat up the airwaves, debating any and all provocative issues possible. As the ratings soar, so does the sexual tension.

But will Ian do when he discovers Kerri's not the sex expert she professes to be?

Originally published as Heat Wave under the name Janelle Denison

This is a re-issue of a book written a few years ago, and it is done very well and seems modern, like it was written in 2017. But at the same time, kind of like a movie that was filmed in the 80s feels like a movie from that decade, this one felt like this too. There was a retro feeling about the situations and the feeling of the book that I enjoyed.

I liked Ian and Kerri and I loved the idea of the attraction between them being explored over the radio before there was an in person relationship. The exploration of the attraction of what worked for each of them and how things could be with them, and the idea that this was all explored without in-person contact gave the reader a kinship with the characters, and I think this made the title relateable.

There was a lot going on with the secondary characters, and at times I thought there was a little too much and the scenes felt a little long, but at the same time, I felt that the relationship with Ian and Kerri was developed.

I loved the ending. Was it a little predictable? Yeah, it was. But it was also important that it ended that way and it worked...as it was the way I think it would have progressed if they were real people. And, when I can believe the characters are real, I am definitely more engaged with the book.

I recommend this title.

 

Buy The Book

Amazon

COMPROMISED IN PARADISE BY SAMANTHE BECK-REVIEW

Stressed out hotel heiress Arden St. Sebastian is in Maui for one thing and one thing only. Work. But when the hottie at the bar buys her a drink to end all frilly umbrella-and-glow stick drinks, she can’t help but accept his unspoken invitation. When they get back to her villa, however, and the sexy moment of truth arrives, she can’t…quite…get there. Again.

ER resident Nick Bancroft can handle a night of fun, anonymous sex, but he draws the line at a fake orgasm. He makes his mystery woman a deal. He’ll take care of her little stress-induced orgasm problem if she’ll spend the next six days exploring the island with him, no questions asked.

A week of island relaxation on the arm of the sexiest man she’s ever met? Arden’s game. As long as she keeps her identity secret, she’s got nothing to lose…except her heart.

Brazen titles are expected to be on the erotic side, and to be focused on sex and moving from one sexy encounter to the next. And, this one was exactly that, but with the fun twist of Nick helping Arden work through her stress related inability to have an orgasm.

I thought the premise was fun, and it gave the movement from one sex scene to the other a reason, and it gave the story more plot than a lot of the more erotic titles. It also matters that you really like Nick and Arden, you want to get to know them, and you want things to work out for them (even if that does mean her father is right).

The writing was good and the pacing worked, the sex scenes were placed with enough romance and enough character development that they moved the story along. And, the sex is hot...which is important for a more erotic story.

Was this the most emotionally wrenching book I have ever read? No. Was it a good time with a couple of likeable characters and some really hot sex? yes.

I recommend this title.

One night. No names. No Promises. COMPROMISED IN PARADISE is only #99cents!!

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2x4W7zz

Nook: http://bit.ly/2vdqfKp

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2uiJvmA

iBooks: http://apple.co/2vfexx2

THAT THING YOU DO BY KAYTI MCGEE-REVIEW

Friends don’t let friends marry the wrong man. But where, oh where, is Mr. Right?

In high school, Greta Steinburg and her two BFFs made a pact: none of them would get married unless they all approved the man in question. Since then, Greta has had her fair share of romantic ups and downs—but now, after her latest failed relationship, she is done. Greta announces that her days of dating are officially over, and she’s kissed the idea of happily-ever-after goodbye. . .

Of course her friends will hear none of it. Instead, they insist that Greta go out with Jon, the hottest new DJ who just happened to be at her sister’s wedding. To get her friends off her back, Greta proposes that they pretend to date. The only problem is, for every fake date they have—from feeding angry rhinos to crashing a kiddie roller-skating party—Jon wants a real one. Each time they get together, their attraction grows. . .and soon there’s no turning back. Could it be that true love requires a leap of faith—and that Jon is the one Greta’s been waiting for all along?

Kayti McGee's That Thing You Do is a charmingly sexy novel about finding love in the least likely place.

Kayti McGee is a favorite of mine. Her characters are fun, they are quirky, and her stories always feel just slightly different than other books out there in the romance genre.

Jon and Greta meet at a wedding, as part of a "fake" dating arrangement, and then life becomes a little more real, as life often does while you are trying to make other plans, or as Greta was, avoid something by being a little less than forthcoming.

Usually, I love Kayti's characters. And, in this title, I really connected with Greta, with her desire to have just a little more than what she thought she had...which I think we all connect with. I definitely felt her frustration and disappointment with her job and employer. Unfortunately, I was never really all that on board with her attachment to Jon, as I never really connected with him.

I am not sure why, but he felt a little flat to me...and there is something he does at the end that really turned me off to him. It was in his personality to behave that way, and it was in Greta's to forgive him, but the connection with the hero was never really there for me.

That said, I enjoyed this overall...and as this is the start of a series (or at least looks like it has the potential to be) I do recommend it. There is definitely a heart here, and there is a heartwarming relationship as well as a story of growth for Greta, which was a lot of fun to experience.

I recommend this title.

About the Author:

Kayti McGee writes romantic comedy in varying degrees of ridiculousness from beautiful Kansas City, Missouri. Go Royals. Besides writing, her hobbies include travel, cooking, and all things Whovian. She also writes as the latter half of Laurelin McGee. Like her co-author Laurelin Paige, she joined Mensa for no other reason than to make her bio more interesting.

Is it working?

Pre-Order That Thing You Do 

Amazon