Sassy Blonde by Stacey Kennedy - ARC Review

From USA Today Bestselling author, Stacey Kennedy comes a brand-new series, featuring a moody hero with too much baggage, a spirited heroine who is always game for adventure, and a sexy-as-hell road trip.

As the youngest Carter sister, Maisie is the free spirit of the Three Chicks Brewery, preferring to paint nature and have fun than actually show up to work. But she's determined to prove to her older sisters that she can be just as valuable to their grandfather's beer legacy as they are. Which means attending Colorado's craft brewery festivals to turn Foxy Diva, their top beer, into an award winner. Unfortunately, after more than one "beer mishap" on her own, it becomes clear to Maisie that she's going to need some help.

Enter her longtime friend, Hayes Taylor, a six-foot-three wall of hard muscle with a chip on his shoulder and a traumatic past he has no interest in working through. The last thing he needs is a woman in his life, particularly his dead wife's best friend, the sweet-as-pie Maisie, who brings out all his protective instincts. This damsel-in-distress couldn't be more Hayes's opposite, and yet, no matter how hard he tries to stay away, the cute and lively Maisie is always in his path, tempting him to want things he shouldn't.

When the two embark on a brewery festival tour, all bets are off when it comes to Hayes keeping his walls up, and Maisie feels certain she can bring her darkly brooding best friend back into the world of love and light. Hayes might have a thousand reasons to maintain his distance, but Maisie has the best reason of all for them risk their friendship and their hearts. Love.

Meet Me Under the Mistletoe by Stacey Kennedy - ARC Review

Penelope Carter has won the "wild child" award for years. Determined to bring joy instead of irritation over the holidays, she's arrived at River Rock to stay at her cousins brewery during the holidays, ready to earn her way off the naughty list. But when a few too many Christmas cocktails and a devilishly sexy cop from her past derail her plans, the nice list looks unreachable.

The last time Darryl Wilson saw Penelope, he was seventeen years old and had given her a hot first kiss. Ten years later, Penelope is a sweet distraction after his divorce, but she's also the sexiest trouble he's ever known. And when she becomes his trouble during the Christmas festivities that are meant to lead to his long-awaited promotion, he realizes that Christmas is about to get complicated.

But holiday wishes are sweeping through the snowy small town in Colorado, and if Darryl and Penelope survive the season, they'll see a little bit naughty is more than a little bit nice. And this Christmas might be the best one of all.

Risky Love by Stacey Kennedy - ARC Review

USA Today bestselling author Stacey Kennedy is back with the thrilling and emotional conclusion of the Dirty Hacker duet about a hacker who doesn’t back down on a case, a sexy CIA agent who is more than a little overprotective, and two slightly reluctant but perfectly matched hearts.

Tracking a killer is the last thing hacker Alex McCoy expected out of her vacation to New York, but after rekindling her one-time romance with sexy CIA Agent Rowan Hawke, she can’t refuse his request for help. Waiting for a break in the case proves to be more challenging than Alex expected, especially because it gives her too much time to think about her growing feelings for Rowan. Feelings she would much rather write off as the intensely hot chemistry between them. 

Rowan knows that Alex has a lot of emotional baggage, but every day as they work together, he becomes more certain she’s the woman for him. Unfortunately, Rowan’s instinct to protect her is put to the test when secrets come to light and Alex throws herself in the line of fire to help Rowan solve the case. As Rowan falls deeper for Alex, he must open up about his past and give her the chance to prove that she’s the right partner—in work and in life.

This is the second book for Alex and Rowan, and I was thrilled to get an ending for their story.  It was perfect, and so very them all the way to the end.

I like books when the character has a profession that exists.  And, they engage in the profession.

If they are a NFL player, I don't want it to be between seasons.  If they are spies I want them to do...spy things.  If they are hackers, I need them to hack into things.  No, I don't know what either of these professions entails, and I am the farthest thing from either, but what matters is that I believed in who the characters were in the story. 

And, well, I enjoyed it.

I am not going to go into the plot at all, as this is the 2nd in a duet and spoilers are mean, awful and terrible things...but, I can say that I enjoyed and recommend this title.

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Naughty Stranger by Stacey Kennedy - ARC Review

From USA Today bestselling author Stacey Kennedy comes a thrilling, sexy romance about a woman in danger and a small-town police detective who will do anything to keep her safe.

After a sudden tragedy blew her world apart, Peyton Kerr fled her big city career and started over in Stoney Creek, Maine. So far, she’s loving small-town life–no one knows about her past, and her easy flirtation with Boone Knight gives her a reason to smile. But then someone is murdered in Peyton’s store, and her quiet, anonymous existence is instantly destroyed. To make matters worse, Boone–a police detective–is assigned to the case, and Peyton knows she can’t keep him at arm’s length any longer. She’s resisted the simmering heat between them–but now this gorgeous man is promising to keep her safe–and satisfied…

Boone Knight doesn’t want the complications of a relationship. But when he volunteers to protect his town’s newest–and sexiest–resident, he finally admits he’d like to explore their sizzling attraction. And after one incredible night, everything changes for Boone. Peyton is sweeter–and braver–than anyone he’s ever met, and with her in his arms, everything makes sense. He just needs to convince her to trust him enough to reveal her secrets, or risk losing her to a merciless killer who seems to grow bolder with each passing day.

I loved a lot about this story.  The instant attraction, the mutual respect, the fact that there was a connection between Peyton and Boone that you could really feel and relate to.  Both of them have been burned by things that happened in the past, and it made them reluctant to commit to a serious relationship...but willing to engage in a short term fling that didn't mean anything and wasn't leading to a relationship.

At least this is what they told themselves.  But it definitely isn't what ended up happening.  And, watching them sort it out, and realize that there was so much more than a one night stand was enjoyable...and hot.

There's a murder in her new shop subplot. While I figured out who was guilty almost immediately, the point of the plot wasn't who was guilty but the depth added to the story but the danger she is in. It was the catalyst for the realization that there was a lot more between them than a casual relationship that wasn't going anywhere.

I really enjoyed this title, and I am looking forward to the next one in the series.

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Perfectly Inappropriate by Stacey Kennedy - ARC Review

A woman scorned and a politician with a wild side connect online—and explore their hottest fantasies in the flesh.

Sweet-Loving Cowboy by Stacey Kennedy - ARC Review

From USA Today bestselling author Stacey Kennedy comes the next riveting and sexy addition to the Kinky Spurs series, Sweet-Loving Cowboy.

Harper McKinney finished culinary school with big dreams. Right now, she’s a bartender at Kinky Spurs. While she’s content with her life, her brother is determined that she make a name for herself, because he wants her far away from what he deems a trashy bar. But Harper refuses to go anywhere. She’s in love with her brother’s best friend, Chase Blackshaw, and that love is keeping her in River Rock.

BOUGHT BY THE BOSS BY STACEY KENNEDY - ARC REVIEW

What’s better than one bad-boy boss? How about two?

In a duet of naughty novellas, a charity date auction turns into all-out war when a pair of powerful corporate lawyers each buy the other’s assistant for a weekend of seduction.

HIS PRICE

I’ve wanted Aria Finley from the moment I met her.
We flirt, we laugh, we connect. It could be perfect.
She’s even best friends with my assistant.
Problem is, she works for my archnemesis—Jackson Keller—and she’s the kind of girl who stays loyal unless you give her a reason not to.
Besides my hard-on there’s something hot between us, and I won’t rest until I put my finger on it.
So when I get the chance to buy Aria for the weekend at a charity auction, there’s no limit.
I’m going to take her home and take what I want because I’ll make her want it too.
And by Monday, she’ll know she’s mine.

DIRTY MONEY

Liam Maxwell thinks he can get to me through my assistant, Aria.
Well, two can play that game.
Now Mallory Beckett—Liam’s assistant and Aria’s best friend—is mine for the weekend.
Only she has no idea who bought her at the charity auction.
This is going to be worth every penny.
But soon I realize that Mallory has been waiting for my touch all along.
What starts as a fling turns into something more.
From the beginning, I was so focused on stealing her away.
I never thought about the fact that I’d drown if I lost her.
Now the game has changed. And she needs to know that she belongs to me.

Aria and Liam - His Price - 3 Stars

Aria and Liam have been dancing around one another, afraid to make the connection as Liam and Jackson are enemies, and Aria works for Jackson.

Enter the auction where Liam bids on her, and they spend a long weekend together, and the attraction between them becomes something they are no longer willing to ignore.

This novella was hot, and it was sexy right away...although I didn't love the set up of this one.  I believed there was an attraction, but I was not convinced they had spent enough time together to be in love with one another.  But, meh, it is a novella and things happen quickly in them.

Jackson and Mallory - Dirty Money - 4 Stars

The story of Jackson and Mallory was really enjoyable.  I liked that there was an attraction there, and a bunch of inaccurate assumptions on both sides, and that this gave itself to a rather believable romance.  In a novella, the challenge is how quickly everything needs to happen by looking the time constraints directly in the face, dealing with a couple who was just giving in to the attraction and ending it, before the epilogue, in a place that worked for the budding/new relationship.

From a pacing standpoint, I believed the 2nd story a little more than the first, but I enjoyed both and I recommend this title.

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CUFFED BY HIS CHARM BY STACEY KENNEDY - REVIEW

A tabloid scandal unites a powerful mogul and a woman from the wrong side of the tracks in this tantalizing novel from the USA Today bestselling author of Bound Beneath His Pain and the Club Sin series.

The multimillionaire owner of a chain of successful Irish pubs, Gabe O’Keefe loves being in the spotlight almost as much as he loves women. But when all his secrets are exposed in a shameless tabloid, his glistening reputation takes a hit. What hurts most is learning who sold him out: sweet and sensual McKenna Archer, his own employee. Gabe thought he could trust her. But now he’s got bigger problems than keeping his hands off McKenna.

After putting a difficult past behind her, McKenna would never betray Gabe. But she knows someone who would: her brother, a compulsive gambler who owes money all over town. To make things right, McKenna will have to set aside her feelings for her boss. Easier said than done. Gabe oozes pure temptation. But when they team up, McKenna sees that he isn’t the manwhore she always thought. He’s strong. He’s real. And the heat between them is the only thing that makes sense anymore.

This is the 4th in the series and I have been looking forward to Gabe and McKenna's story. The beginning was interesting and I was really looking forward to where this was going to go and the tension that was created by the beginning of the story and the revelations that followed soon after.

But, then something happened and the characters in this fell a little flat to me, and they seemed to just accept easily the things that were happening. While this is not always a bad thing, and I do enjoy the romance novels that involve characters sliding into their relationship and staying there, for some reason this didn't totally work for Gabe and McKenna.

I am not saying that the book was bad, or that I didn't enjoy it...it wasn't and I did...but I think I wanted more of the angst and the tension that was promised at the beginning.

It was nice to see the resolution of this, and the chance to see all of the other characters happy, and I did enjoy this overall.

I do recommend this title, especially if you have read the others.

ROCK STAR BY STACEY KENNEDY-RELEASE BLAST

A high school reunion is about to get down and dirty 

and a whole lot more complicated!

ROCK STAR

A Bad Boy Homecoming Novel

Stacey Kennedy

Releasing June 27, 2017

A high school reunion is about to get down and dirty and a whole lot more complicated in this new erotic romance from USA Today bestselling author Stacey Kennedy.

Veterinarian, Rae Evans expects to attend a dreadful ten-year high school reunion. Instead, she’s confronted by a past she’s never gotten over. The love of her life, Travis Walker, has returned to Catfish Creek, and the now-famous rock star wants only three things: Her. Naked. And screaming his name.

Fresh off his last world tour, Travis has returned to town to get a dose of reality. With fame casting a superficial cloud over Travis’s life, he’s scrambling to stay afloat. He needs an anchor, and Rae is that for him. But as he finds himself, he’s determined to remind Rae of the heat that once burned between them.

Before they know it, their one hot night is three, and soon, just like ten years ago, Travis holds the strings to Rae’s heart. But Rae’s not that young girl who watched her high school sweetheart race off to become famous. She’s a woman who knows what she wants and realizes when a man needs her. She just has to decide if she should put the past on repeat, or walk away from it forever.

As this was a shorter story, there is not a lot of development of the backstory with Rae and Travis prior to their meeting at the high school reunion. But, it works. I think because the chemistry is written so well.

I enjoy Stacey Kennedy, I like her characters and I like the stories she tells. In this case, it was the idea that life can draw you in a direction that makes it difficult to stay with the person you love...and what happens when you make one choice vs. the other. As kids, they chose to separate, as adults, well, they get the expected happily ever after.

I liked the juxtaposition, the idea that they get another chance to decide if they made the right choice 10 years ago, and this is not something that we all get the chance to do in our lives, and it is the reason (at least in my opinion) that we all read...for the chance to experience the other side of the same choice.

I liked it, and I thought it worked overall...being older, and having the chance to make a different choice is realistic and the phrase about hindsight being 20/20 is true for a reason.

There were a few areas where I thought there was not enough depth, enough explained to really address an idea. I know there is the challenge of it being a novella, but there were a couple of places where I wanted more resolution than I got.

Overall I enjoyed this book and I recommend it.

STACEY KENNEDY is the USA Today bestselling author of the Dirty Little Secrets and Club Sin series. She writes deeply emotional romances about powerful men and the wild women who tame them. When she’s not writing sensual stories, she spends her time in southwestern Ontario with her real life hero, her husband, their two young children, and her other babies: a mini labradoodle named Jax and a chocolate labrador named Murphy. Stacey is a proud chocolate, television show, Urban Barn, and wine addict. She likes her heroes in her books like she likes her coffee . . . strong and hot!

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RESTRAINED UNDER HIS DUTY BY STACEY KENNEDY-ARC REVIEW

An uninhibited politician’s daughter falls for her loyal bodyguard behind closed doors in this scandalous novel from the USA Today bestselling author of Bound Beneath His Pain and Tied to His Betrayal.

As the chief of security for a prominent senator, Ryder Blackwood is stunned when an anonymous source sends him a compromising photo of his boss’s twenty-five-year-old daughter getting down and dirty in an underground sex club. If it gets out, the media firestorm could ruin her father. More troubling for Ryder is how arousing he finds the whole situation. He’s known Hadley Winters since she was a kid. And now she’s the woman in all his most private fantasies.

Wild behavior helps Hadley get through those painful, lonely nights, but she’s been waiting a long time for a man like Ryder to protect her from herself. Ryder is raw. He’s real. And he makes her feel safe. Now that they’ve both become pawns in a blackmailer’s dangerous game, there’s more at stake than her father’s political career. As the intimate threats tear apart a tender new love, Hadley is forced to trust Ryder with her life—and her heart.

 I like Stacey Kennedy, and I like this series. I was looking forward to this one...and as a book, it did not disappoint, but as a part of the series, I wanted more of the rest of the men, and more resolution in the situation with the bug in the bar that was revealed in the previous book.  I felt there was a lot of build up on that situation that was not fully developed in this book.

That said, the attraction and the chemistry with Hadley and Ryder was wonderful, it was hot, and it was compelling.  I loved the idea that the stop to them being together was Ryder and that, ironically, her father really had no issue with it (don't worry, happens really early) and you know almost immediately that it is his sense of duty (hence the title) that is causing any issues with them being together.

The writing was strong, as was the pacing around the relationship.  There were parts that I felt were cut out too early, but this was around the bug, and the issues that were brought up in the other books.

For the relationship, the chemistry, and the story of Hadley and Ryder, I totally recommend this book...but if you are looking for a lot of forward momentum in the other story, there is not a lot in this one.  It is not totally ignored, but it feels like a lot less of a focus than it was in the earlier books.

I do recommend this book.