Showing posts with label Vi Keeland. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vi Keeland. Show all posts

January 9, 2021

Our Top Eleven Books of 2020-#3


Melissa's Pick

Dirty Charmer by Emma Chase

Abigail Haddock is stunning, sensible, and some would say . . . stuffy. But it’s not really her fault. She was raised in one of Wessco’s oldest, most affluent, aristocratic families—“stuffy” is their middle name. So is successful. Abby’s working overtime to distinguish herself as a top-notch physician, just as her family legacy demands.

She doesn’t have time for nonsense.

Tommy Sullivan’s all about nonsense.

Sure, he’s an elite bodyguard with lethal skills and co-owner of the renowned, S&S Securities Firm—protector of the wealthy and titled. But he’s also rowdy, fun and thoroughly irresistible.

Tommy knows how to have a good time, and he’s never seen someone more in need of a good time than Abby. The lass needs long, wet, filthy kisses—STAT—and he’s just the man for the job.

It doesn’t take long for a wildly sexy, sinfully satisfying, no-strings attached arrangement to turn into something more. Something sweet and addictive and real. But Tommy and Abby are too royally stubborn to admit it.

Opposites attract, everyone knows that. But can they last—can they love…for forever?

What We Said About Dirty Charmer

Dirty Charmer Blog Tour



Laura's Pick

My Favorite Souvenir by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward

My planned trip for two unexpectedly turned into a trip for one. Rather than let my breakup get me down, I packed my bags and decided a week at a luxury resort was just what I needed.
But one calamity after the next, and suddenly I was stuck without a hotel room, along with a few hundred other people.
It looked like my fancy vacation was about to turn into me sleeping on the hotel lobby floor.
Until I overheard a gorgeous man pretending to be someone he wasn’t in order to steal a reservation from a guest who hadn’t shown up yet.
When I realized there were two rooms, instead of calling him out, I pretended to be his sister. That’s how the story of “Milo and Maddie Hooker” began.
We were the Hookers.
My depressing trip quickly made a U-turn into an adventure.
My fake brother spent the next few days showing me around his hometown. When it was time to leave, neither of us really wanted to go yet.
So, instead of flying back to our respective homes, we ventured on a road trip.
At every stop, we’d pick up souvenirs.
But as hot as our chemistry was, we never crossed the line.
Milo knew I’d just come out of a tough relationship and didn’t want to mess with a vulnerable woman.
So instead, at the end of our trip, we made a pact to meet again in three months.
It was always my intention to meet him.
But when I got back home, reality hit in a big way.
And I worried I may have lost my handsome stranger forever.
Was there a place for him in my future?
Or had the memory of him just become my favorite souvenir?

What We Said About My Favorite Souvenir






 

May 4, 2020

My Favorite Souvenir by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward-Review


My planned trip for two unexpectedly turned into a trip for one. Rather than let my breakup get me down, I packed my bags and decided a week at a luxury resort was just what I needed.
But one calamity after the next, and suddenly I was stuck without a hotel room, along with a few hundred other people.
It looked like my fancy vacation was about to turn into me sleeping on the hotel lobby floor.
Until I overheard a gorgeous man pretending to be someone he wasn’t in order to steal a reservation from a guest who hadn’t shown up yet.
When I realized there were two rooms, instead of calling him out, I pretended to be his sister. That’s how the story of “Milo and Maddie Hooker” began.
We were the Hookers.
My depressing trip quickly made a U-turn into an adventure.
My fake brother spent the next few days showing me around his hometown. When it was time to leave, neither of us really wanted to go yet.
So, instead of flying back to our respective homes, we ventured on a road trip.
At every stop, we’d pick up souvenirs.
But as hot as our chemistry was, we never crossed the line.
Milo knew I’d just come out of a tough relationship and didn’t want to mess with a vulnerable woman.
So instead, at the end of our trip, we made a pact to meet again in three months.
It was always my intention to meet him.
But when I got back home, reality hit in a big way.
And I worried I may have lost my handsome stranger forever.
Was there a place for him in my future?
Or had the memory of him just become my favorite souvenir?

November 5, 2019

Dirty Letters by Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward - ARC Review, Excerpt & Giveaway!

She had yet to meet him but had never forgotten the British boy who’d warmed her heart.

As childhood pen pals, Griffin Quinn and Luca Vinetti couldn’t have been more different. Over the years, through hundreds of letters, they became best friends, sharing their deepest, darkest secrets.

Until one day it ended.

Griffin never understood why Luca disappeared. She was special. She knew the real him like no one else. He writes her a drunken letter, an angry one, never expecting her to write back.

Before they know it, they’re right where they left off. This time with heat.

But as playing catch-up goes from fun to flirty to downright dirty, Luca wants more. She wants Griffin in the flesh. That’s where it gets risky. Because when they meet, the mystery will be over. And once they really get to know each other, there’ll be no going back.\


January 4, 2019

Our Top 10 Books of 2018-#7


Laura's Pick

Sex, Not Love by Vi Keeland

My relationship with Hunter Delucia started backwards.

We met at a wedding—him sitting on the groom’s side, me sitting on the bride’s. Stealing glances at each other throughout the night, there was no denying an intense, mutual attraction.

I caught the bouquet; he caught the garter. Hunter held me tightly while we danced and suggested we explore the chemistry sparking between us. His blunt, dirty mouth should’ve turned me off. But for some crazy reason, it had the opposite effect on me.

We ended up back in my hotel room. The next morning, I headed home to New York leaving him behind in California with the wrong number.

I thought about him often, but after my last relationship, I’d sworn off of charming, cocky, gorgeous-as-sin men. A year later, Hunter and I met again at the birth of our friends’ baby. Our attraction hadn't dulled one bit. After a whirlwind trip, he demanded a real phone number this time. So I left him with my mother’s—she could scare away any man with her talks of babies and marriage—and flew back home.

I’d thought it was funny, until the following week when he rang the bell at Mom’s house for Sunday night dinner. The crazy, gorgeous man had won over my mother and taken an eight-week assignment in my city. He proposed we spend that time screwing each other out of our systems.

Eight weeks of mind-blowing sex with no strings attached? What did I have to lose?

Nothing, I thought.
It’s just sex, not love.
But you know what they say about the best laid plans…

What We Said About Sex, Not Love



Amazon  

Melissa's Pick

Love Machine by Kendall Ryan

She says she needs some help ... in the bedroom.

Come again? No, really come again.

Sweet, nerdy, lovable Keaton.

She's my best friend and has been for years. Sure she likes numbers and math, and thinks doing other people's taxes is fun. And I like ... none of that stuff. She's obsessed with her cat and reads novels I'll never understand, and yet we just click. There's no one I'd rather share breakfast burritos with or binge watch hours of Netflix. She's my person. And so when she takes off her glasses and asks me to help her improve her skills in the bedroom, I barely have to think about it.

Of course I'll help her. There's no one better for the job.

I've been there for her through everything, why should this be any different?

But what happens when she's ready to take her new-found confidence and move on?

See What We Said About Love Machine





September 9, 2018

THE NAKED TRUTH BY VI KEELAND - REVIEW

From #1 New York Times Bestseller Vi Keeland, comes a new, sexy standalone novel.

It was just a typical Monday.

Until the big boss asked me to make the pitch for a prospective new client.

After two years on shaky ground at work because of my screw up, an opportunity to impress the senior partners was just what I needed. 

Or so I thought…

Until I walked into the conference room and collided with the man I was supposed to pitch.

My coffee spilled, my files tumbled to the ground, and I almost lost my balance.

And that was the good part of my day.

Because the gorgeous man crouched down and looking at me like he wanted to eat me alive, was none other than my ex, Gray Westbrook.

A man who I’d only just begun to move on from.

A man who my heart despised—yet my body obviously still had other ideas about.

A man who was as charismatic and confident as he was sexy.

Somehow, I managed to make it through my presentation ignoring his intense stare. 

Although it was impossible to ignore all the dirty things he whispered into my ear right after I was done.

But there was no way I was giving him another chance, especially now that he was a client
…was there?


Gray and Layla have a past.

It's a messy past, and it's one of those where you don't thin that the 2 people will ever be able to put it behind them enough to find something in the present.

However, Gray doesn't take no for an answer.  Gray is back...to make Layla say yes: to dating him, to having a relationship with him, and to giving them a second chance.

There were a couple of places in this where I thought the plot stretched what I was able to believe...but, it got back on track quickly enough that I didn't feel that I was pulled totally out of the story.

Sometimes, it's nice to read about a man who just knows what he wants, and who is determined to get it.  No second guessing of himself, even if the object of his desires is a little hesitant to give him the second chance he wants so badly.  Layla is hesitant.  Gray is determined.  I am not at all surprised they managed to make this work.  And, most important, I believed that they would actually find, and keep, their happily ever after.

I enjoyed this title and I recommend it.




BUY THIS BOOK!


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January 28, 2018

SEX, NOT LOVE BY VI KEELAND - REVIEW

From #1 New York Times Bestseller Vi Keeland, comes a new, sexy standalone novel.

My relationship with Hunter Delucia started backwards.

We met at a wedding—him sitting on the groom’s side, me sitting on the bride’s. Stealing glances at each other throughout the night, there was no denying an intense, mutual attraction.

I caught the bouquet; he caught the garter. Hunter held me tightly while we danced and suggested we explore the chemistry sparking between us. His blunt, dirty mouth should’ve turned me off. But for some crazy reason, it had the opposite effect on me.

We ended up back in my hotel room. The next morning, I headed home to New York leaving him behind in California with the wrong number.

I thought about him often, but after my last relationship, I’d sworn off of charming, cocky, gorgeous-as-sin men. A year later, Hunter and I met again at the birth of our friends’ baby. Our attraction hadn't dulled one bit. After a whirlwind trip, he demanded a real phone number this time. So I left him with my mother’s—she could scare away any man with her talks of babies and marriage—and flew back home.

I’d thought it was funny, until the following week when he rang the bell at Mom’s house for Sunday night dinner. The crazy, gorgeous man had won over my mother and taken an eight-week assignment in my city. He proposed we spend that time screwing each other out of our systems.

Eight weeks of mind-blowing sex with no strings attached? What did I have to lose?

Nothing, I thought.
It’s just sex, not love.
But you know what they say about the best laid plans…


 

A 5 star book, at least for me, has to hit all the right notes. I have to be invested in the characters, I have to care about them, I have to believe them as people, and I have to like them and feel invested in their happily ever after.

This book made me cry.

I don't think there's a better way to let me know that, as a reader, I was invested.

I loved the first meeting between Hunter and Natalia, the idea that the things he has said in the past directly conflicted with what she does for a living. And, little do you know then, but there is so much more going on with Hunter. He has his reasons for pursing Nat, or as he and no one else calls her, Natalia. He also has his reasons for pulling back from her, and for not letting himself have the happy ending you can tell he wants.

Hunter broke my heart. He made me teary, he made my heart ache for him, and damn him, he made me cry.

Natalia is an incredible woman, to take on the things she has in her life, especially the things she doesn't have to...well, you get a good idea as to exactly who she is, and it lends itself well to knowing that whatever reason Hunter has for pulling away, for feeling like there is a reason that he needs to protect her, she is going to be strong enough to handle.

This book did not end the way I was expecting. Yes, there is a happy ending...but there was also info given that I did not think the reader was going to get. I thought we would be left in the dark and I loved the way this resolution was handled, as it lets you know that there is going to be a really happy ending. Complete with birds, and bird houses, and trees and the kind of love that lasts...50 or 60 years.

I recommend this title.





There are some books that you just don't want to see end. Sex, Not Love was one of those books for me. I finished it, sighed, and immediately wanted to read it again. This book was sexy, funny and full of heart and I absolutely loved it.

I loved how Natalia and Hunter met. I laughed out loud and settled in for what I knew was going to be one heck of a ride. The banter was spot on and I loved how Hunter pursued Natalia from thereon. These characters both come with their fair share of baggage and seeing them work through it was fantastic. I felt I could connect with Natalia and Hunter? Oh, Hunter is one hell of a practically perfect book boyfriend.

The chemistry was instant and just built throughout the book. The sex was hot and steamy, but these two had more than just sex. I was invested in them from the start and I loved the twists and turns their relationship took.

The secondary characters really worked in this book. Izzy might be one of my favorite secondary characters because the author just portrayed her perfectly, in my opinion. The other characters added to and enhanced this story just beautifully.

This book made me cry and it made my heart just break. But it filled all the cracks it created at the same time. I absolutely devoured this book when it hit my kindle and it is one I know will stay with me. I loved this book and can't recommend it highly enough.



About the Author



Vi Keeland is a #1 New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal Bestselling author. With millions of books sold, her titles have appeared in over eighty Bestseller lists and are currently translated in nineteen languages. She lives in New York with her husband and their three children where she is living out her own happily ever after with the boy she met at age six.







Buy This Book!

July 28, 2017

BEAUTIFUL MISTAKE BY VI KEELAND-SPOTLIGHT

Beautiful Mistake by Vi Keeland

The first time I met Caine West was in a bar.
He noticed me looking his way and mistakenly read my scowling as checking him out.
When he attempted to talk to me, I set him straight—telling him what I thought of his lying, cheating, egomaniacal ass.
You see, the gorgeous jerk had wined and dined my best friend--smooth talking her into his bed, all along failing to mention that he was married.
He deserved every bit of my tongue-lashing and more for what he'd done.
Especially when that lazy smile graced his perfect face in response to my rant.
Only it turned out, the man I'd just told off wasn't the right guy.
Oops. My mistake.
Embarrassed, I slunk out without an apology.
I was never going to see the handsome stranger again anyway, right?
That’s what I thought…until I walked into class the next morning.
Well, hello Professor West, I’m your new teaching assistant.
I’ll be working under you…figuratively speaking.
Although the literal interpretation might not be such a bad thing—working under Professor West.
This was going to be interesting…


Vi Keeland is a one click author for me and books like Beautiful Mistake show why that's the case. I practically devoured this book. I tried to slow down with it but I was hooked from the first paragraph and never looked back. I laughed, I swooned, and I cried. This book was simply incredible.

Rachel, our heroine, is so sharp and sassy that you can't help but love her. I facepalmed on her behalf in the very first chapter but I love how she handled herself. I felt a connection to her-one I didn't figure out until the day after I'd read the book-and then I was even more in love with this character. I loved her wit, her humor and her heart.

Where can I find a Caine West? From the moment we met him I was head over heels for him. He was sexy, smooth and smart. So, so smart. Was he secretive? Yep, and I wanted to know all of his secrets. I loved how he developed through this story and he absolutely had me in tears-twice.

There's an undeniable connection between these two characters. I loved the push-pull between them; it was a necessary evil given their positions, but oh the sexual tension just oozed off the pages. But it was more than sex, too. There was a mutual respect and admiration, a level of which you don't often see in romance novels. Do characters like each other? Yes. But what these two went through to be together was so much more. It was incredible.

The writing here was flawless. I loved how there were flashbacks, I loved the dual POV. Getting inside these characters and feeling the way they felt? Perfection.

I don't often cry when I read but this book touched me and had me in tears more than once. The characters, the situations everything was so well written that I was swept away into the story and didn't want to come back out. I absolutely loved this story and would highly recommend it.

 


Buy The Book:


Connect with Vi:

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorViKeeland/
Twitter: @ViKeeland



July 17, 2017

BEAUTIFUL MISTAKE BY VI KEELAND-RELEASE DAY BLITZ

 
 

The first time I met Caine West was in a bar. He noticed me looking his way and mistakenly read my scowling as checking him out. When he attempted to talk to me, I set him straight—telling him what I thought of his lying, cheating, egomaniacal ass. You see, the gorgeous jerk had wined and dined my best friend--smooth talking her into his bed, all along failing to mention that he was married. He deserved every bit of my tongue-lashing and more for what he'd done. Especially when that lazy smile graced his perfect face in response to my rant. Only it turned out, the man I'd just told off wasn't the right guy. Oops. My mistake. Embarrassed, I slunk out without an apology. I was never going to see the handsome stranger again anyway, right? That’s what I thought…until I walked into class the next morning. Well, hello Professor West, I’m your new teaching assistant. I’ll be working under you…figuratively speaking. Although the literal interpretation might not be such a bad thing—working under Professor West. This was going to be interesting…



 
 

Vi Keeland is a #1 New York Times Bestselling author. With more than 1.5 million books sold, her titles have appeared in over eighty Bestseller lists and are currently translated in sixteen languages. She resides in New York with her husband and their three children where she is living out her own happily ever after with the boy she met at age six. 

May 31, 2017

BEAUTIFUL MISTAKE BY VI KEELAND-COVER REVEAL

The #1 New York Times Bestselling author Vi Keeland is back with a brand new standalone, Beautiful Mistake releasing on July 17th and we have the amazing cover for you today!


 
Model: Lucas Barbosa Gil
Photographer: Chuando & Frey
Cover designer: Sommer Stein, Perfect Pear Creative
     

The first time I met Caine West was in a bar. He noticed me looking his way and mistakenly read my scowling as checking him out. When he attempted to talk to me, I set him straight—telling him what I thought of his lying, cheating, egomaniacal ass. You see, the gorgeous jerk had wined and dined my best friend--smooth talking her into his bed, all along failing to mention that he was married. He deserved every bit of my tongue-lashing and more for what he'd done. Especially when that lazy smile graced his perfect face in response to my rant. Only it turned out, the man I'd just told off wasn't the right guy. Oops. My mistake. Embarrassed, I slunk out without an apology. I was never going to see the handsome stranger again anyway, right? That’s what I thought…until I walked into class the next morning. Well, hello Professor West, I’m your new teaching assistant. I’ll be working under you…figuratively speaking. Although the literal interpretation might not be such a bad thing—working under Professor West. This was going to be interesting…


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    author-photo 

Vi Keeland is a #1 New York Times Bestselling author. With more than 1.5 million books sold, her titles have appeared in over eighty Bestseller lists and are currently translated in sixteen languages. She resides in New York with her husband and their three children where she is living out her own happily ever after with the boy she met at age six.

May 13, 2017

EGOMANIAC BY VI KEELAND-SPOTLIGHT


A new standalone novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Vi Keeland

The night I met Drew Jagger, he’d just broken into my new Park Avenue office.
I dialed 9-1-1 before proceeding to attack him with my fancy new Krav Maga skills.
He quickly restrained me, then chuckled, finding my attempted assault amusing.

Of course, my intruder had to be arrogant.
Only, turned out, he wasn’t an intruder at all.

Drew was the rightful occupant of my new office. He’d been on vacation while his posh space was renovated.
Which was how a scammer got away with leasing me office space that wasn’t really available for rent.
I was swindled out of ten grand.

The next day, after hours at the police station, Drew took pity on me and made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. In exchange for answering his phones while his secretary was out, he’d let me stay until I found a new place.
I probably should have acted grateful and kept my mouth shut when I overheard the advice he was spewing to his clients. But I couldn’t help giving him a piece of my mind.
I never expected my body to react every time we argued. Especially when that was all we seemed to be able to do.

The two of us were complete opposites. Drew was a bitter, angry, gorgeous-as-all-hell destroyer of relationships. And my job was to help people save their marriages.
The only thing the two of us had in common was the space we were sharing.
And an attraction that was getting harder to deny by the day.


Egomanic is not my first Vi Keeland book but it is my favorite so far. Start to finish I was invested in these characters and their journey to each other. Everything in this book just clicked for me. The pacing worked, the plot was fresh and did I mention I loved the characters-who thinks to put a marriage counselor and a divorce attorney together and makes it work? Vi Keeland.

I feel Drew is Vi's most developed male character to date. We see him as a young man in flashbacks and the man he is today-a foul mouthed, sexy as hell attorney. I fell hard for him right from the start and the more I learned about him the deeper I fell. He's witty, charming and mostly honest. His banter with Emerie had me chuckling and there were moments that had me swooning so hard I had to just stop and smile.

Emerie was such a little firecracker. Vi usually has strong heroines so that wasn't anything new here, but Emerie's sassiness was tempered with a sweet, romantic and hopefulness that I identified with. I wanted to be Emerie-and not just because I was lusting after Drew, too.

The sex between these two was definitely hot. Again, I expect that but I feel like there was a whole new level explored here. There were definitely some squirm in my seat moments as I read this.

The plot overall was great. A complex story about relationships-both between Emerie and Drew and then additionally with their families-that just worked. The pacing was spot on to me as well. We got time to know Drew and Emerie separately before knowing them together as a couple. I would highly recommend this book.



This is my second book by Vi Keeland (3rd if you count the co-written one) and I can definitely say that this one is the one where I finally started to understand the thrill of her writing and why there is such excitement around her books.

Let me explain...I have always thought the writing was strong, but I have never totally loved the characters or have been fully invested with them. That was not the case for tyhis one. I loved Drew and Emerie, and I loved them together. I liked their meet cute, I liked that he was nice to her despite his own better judgment. I liked getting to know Drew as Emerie did. I liked that this evolved from pseudo-enemies to friends to lovers.

I was impressed by how seamlessly the development of their relationship was handled. The pacing was spot on, as was the character development and the development of their changing reactions to one another. I liked that Drew was an "egomaniac" and that this never really changes. It is a part of who he is, and by the end the reader (and Emerie) see this as an endearing quality and not the annoying one it may have been at the beginning.

The chemistry was amazing, and the sex was hot...which is always important. And, with the strength of the story arc itself, there was a great connection between Drew and Emerie that I really enjoyed.

I thought, personally, that there was too much emphasis placed on a couple of characters outside of the relationship. On his side, I was mostly ok with it, as I think the story line worked and stayed realistic. But on Emerie's side, I felt that the issue was resolved, came back, was resolved again and reappeared again, and this started to frustrate me a little. But, this is the only criticism I have of the book.

There is a lot more I could say, but the evolution of their relationship contains a lot of spoilers, mostly for Drew, which I would not want to ruin for others.

I recommend this book and I am already looking forward to the next one.






April 23, 2017

MISTER MONEYBAGS BY VI KEELAND AND PENELOPE WARD-REVIEW


From the New York Times Bestselling authors of Cocky Bastard and Stuck-Up Suit, comes a sexy new standalone novel.

I met Bianca in an elevator.

She was on her way to interview me when we got stuck.
The beautiful raven-haired reporter assumed I was a delivery guy because of the way I was dressed.

She had no clue I was really Dex Truitt, the wealthy, successful businessman she’d dubbed “Mister Moneybags”―her afternoon appointment.

Bianca told me how much she hated Dex’s type―snobby, over educated, silver-spooned men who didn't appreciate the simple things in life.

So, after the elevator finally started moving again, I cancelled the interview and let her believe I was someone I wasn’t―a bike messenger named Jay. I loved the way she looked at the fake me and didn't want it to end.

I began dating her as “Jay”―all the while letting her interview the real me over email.

I didn’t expect that our chemistry online would be just as hot.
I didn’t expect the mess I’d gotten myself into.
I didn’t expect that Jay and Dex would fall in love with her.

And she was falling for two men.
Only, both men were me.
And when she found out, we were both going to lose her.

Nothing could have prepared me for that day. And I certainly wasn't prepared for what came after.

All good things must come to an end, right?
Except our ending was one I didn't see coming.



I'm a fan of Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward, both separately and together. When I saw the blurb for Mister Moneybags I couldn't stop smiling, imagining the fun the authors had in store for me. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It had the witty, sexy banter I've come to expect from these authors and was a good story overall.

I adored Dex. I really, truly did. I didn't expect to-knowing he was starting off his relationships with Bianca on a foundation of a lie but I got why he did it. And once he started, he was fully committed. A man that committed to a fake character just to spend time with someone has to have some redeeming qualities, right? Dex definitely did. He had me laughing and swooning.

Bianca, well, she just made me want to hug her. She was smart and sassy but also had a touch of vulnerability about her that made her seem so very real. I liked that she gave as good as she got with Dex.

The connection between these two was very strong and very believable. I loved their playfulness and their innate sexiness. It just all worked very well with them.

There was a bit of drama that I didn't love in the book. I just didn't see the necessity of it, but that's just a personal preference. It was well written and worked within the plot but I think it was just a bit much.

I do appreciate the cameo of a certain character that the authors use in their books. I'm always on the lookout for him to appear and laugh every single time he does.

I enjoyed this book overall. It was funny, sexy and had just the right amount of sweetness to it. I would recommend this book and look forward to the next collaboration from these authors.