December 10, 2017

FOLLOW BY TESSA BAILEY - REVIEW

He wants her soul. Too bad she already sold it.

Family is everything to gambling den darling, Teresa Valentini. Blood comes first, especially before men. So when her brother lands himself in hot water, she’s willing to do whatever it takes to save him. And showing up topless in her unwitting savior’s motel room is turning out to be the furthest thing from a hardship…

Will Caruso is the bad boy of New York’s financial scene…and he just found out the very thing that drives his success is a damn lie. Now, he’s exchanged his high-stress life for the open road, no one but his Great Dane…and half a million Instagram followers to keep him company. When a mysterious beauty arrives, her secrecy prods his suspicions, even while she tempts his lust to the breaking point.

Teresa met Will under false pretenses, but the bond consuming them is real. They’re strong enough to overcome a little betrayal…aren’t they?


In the blurb for Follow, it mentions the book is "mega hot" and, while this may not be catnip to all readers, I have a definite love for Tessa Bailey's books and the dirty talking heroes she writes.

Calling Will a "dirty talker" is, well, not even close to what he really is...he takes sexy, hot, and raw conversation to the next level.  There are some incredible scenes where he is pure sex, with just his words. 

And, wow, does it work well.  And, while it is sexy as hell, it never feels over the top.  Credit definitely goes to the writing talent of Tessa Bailey here, as this is where her storytelling skill comes in, she makes it to where the sexy is balanced with the emotional and you also see how his words effect Theresa as well as Will, and the things he is saying are hot for both of them.  Ms. Bailey builds on the instant attraction they feel to one another, punches up the chemistry with one heck of an interesting dinner, adds a little secrecy and distrust, and leaves the reader loving what they end up with.

As I am guessing is obvious, this title is driven both by sex and by the story.  I thought there was an excellent balance of both, especially as this is on the erotic side, and often the plot is lost in the focus on making sure the story is hot.

I also loved the dog and the element that is brought to the story as well as I thought the resolution of the story with Southpaw added both to the character development of Will and to the overall plot and development of the story.

As the blurb says, this is a mega-hot, incredibly sexy, erotic romance.  I absolutely loved it, as always with anything by this author. 

I recommend this title.




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December 9, 2017

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 fiancĂ© 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.

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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.










December 8, 2017

HEY, WHISKEY BY KAYLEE RYAN-COVER REVEAL




Title: Hey, Whiskey
Author: Kaylee Ryan
Genre: New Adult
Cover Design: Perfect Pear Creative Covers
Release Date: January 9, 2018

Blurb

I’m over this year, and I’m over relationships. I’ve learned that the only person you can count on in life is yourself. Moving forward, I’m living for me. Working toward standing on my own two feet, that’s my goal. Funny how meeting him changed my path.

It’s been years since I’ve been back in this small town of West Virginia for more than a day or two. Spending time here brings back a lot of fond memories. When I stopped by an old friend’s bar, I was expecting to grab a drink and catch up. What I didn’t expect was her.

We share an undeniable attraction, but we continue to fight it.

Until one night in Vegas changes everything.



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Author Bio

Kaylee Ryan is a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author. When she’s not spinning tales of happily ever after, she’s reading or spending time with family. Born and raised an Ohio girl, Kaylee resides in Cincinnati with her husband and their son.

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December 7, 2017

THE BRITISH KNIGHT BY LOUISE BAY - BLOG TOUR

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When I’m offered the chance to leave New York to live in London for three months, I can’t pack my suitcase fast enough.

As soon as I touch down I’m obsessing over red telephone boxes, palaces and all the black cabs.

But my favorite place is the tube. It’s wall-to-wall hot British men in suits.

When I’m offered a temporary job working for a barrister, I say, sign me up.

On my first commute into work, it’s a total accident when I lose my balance and fall against the most handsome Brit alive. He’s as charming as James Bond and as suave as Mr. Darcy. I want to lick tea from his hard abs and listen to his accent all night long.

Turns out Mr. Handsome is my new boss. And his attitude isn’t as hot as his gorgeous face, broad shoulders and tight ass. He’s brooding, short-tempered and the most arrogant man I’ve ever met.

As we’re fighting, out of nowhere he kisses me. And I’m pretty sure I see fireworks over Big Ben and hear God Save the Queen.

I wasn’t looking for the fairytale but I might have found my knight in shining armor. The problem is he lives an ocean away.

A stand-alone, contemporary romance.


London is one of my favorite cities, so, the setting of this story was like another character in addition to Violet and Alexander. I loved the setting, the time in London, and the obvious affection the author has for the city...it translates to a book that not only is about the human characters but also about where they are and the way it impacts their lives.

I loved Alexander, how British he was, how willing he was to live life with a "stiff upper lip" and how surprised he was when he realized that he was living a life without the emotion that made that life better.

Violet is the life that is better. And, there's an irony in this as she doesn't see it. She sees herself as a little foundering and unsettled, and she is...but she is also learning who she is in the same way that Alexander is, but while she figures out who she is, Alexander figures out who he isn't. the combination of the 2 works very well and makes for a wonderful romance with the London backdrop.

I loved this book, all of it. The characters, the writing, the setting, the pacing, the entire book just flowed and was a pleasure to read.

I recommend this title.




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Alexander My workout this morning had been punishing. The harder I worked, the harder I worked out. I was a big believer in that if I wasn’t physically fit, I couldn’t perform as well in my job. And I was willing to do whatever I had to do to be the best barrister I could be. As a result, I’d been up since five, worked out until six thirty, and then had a conference call with Dubai at seven. I hated days when I was late into the office, but this morning couldn’t be helped. My commute had been . . . unusual. The woman I’d knocked into while getting off the tube had been beautiful, and I couldn’t keep the image of her gazing up at me in the middle of Lincoln’s Inn Fields out of my brain. I needed to focus. And perhaps get laid when I got the time. But it wouldn’t be tonight. I’d be working. I had hundreds of witness statements to go through and my opening statement to draft. In three days, I’d be in court, and that was my sole focus. There was no time to be wasted on fantasizing about women. As I trawled through my emails, trying to pick out the important ones from the hundreds littering my inbox, someone knocked at my door. I resisted the temptation to growl. I hated being interrupted—I needed a sign for the door. “Come in,” I barked. The door swung open, and I could tell by the footsteps that the head clerk had swooped in. “Mr. Knightley.” “Craig.” I didn’t take my focus off my laptop screen. Craig was an avuncular and charming man in his mid-fifties. He’d been in the business since he was fifteen and had clerked my father. If anyone could interrupt me, he could. And he knew it. Over the years, I’d tried to get him to call me Alex, but he insisted all the clerks and admin staff call the barristers by their surnames. The bar could be a very old-fashioned place. “I want to introduce you to your new assistant, Violet King.” I paused, my fingers hovering over my keyboard. I knew nothing of this and would never have agreed to it—I worked alone. Slowly, I turned to find Craig in front of my desk, his eyebrows raised in expectation. “My what?” I asked. A figure moved in beside him and I slid my gaze to the right. I found myself staring straight at the beautiful woman who’d invaded my thoughts since I’d arrived in chambers. What was going on? I looked away from her, sure that Craig would see my attraction to her if my eyes lingered over her for more than a split second.
 
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About the Author:  

USA Today bestselling author, Louise Bay writes sexy, contemporary romance novels - the kind she likes to read. Her books include the novels Duke of Manhattan, Hollywood Scandal, Park Avenue Prince, King of Wall Street, The Empire State Series, Indigo Nights and Hopeful.
Ruined by bonk-busters and sexy mini-series of the eighties Louise loves all things sexy and romantic. There's not enough of it in real life so she disappears into the fictional worlds in books and films.
Louise loves the rain, the West Wing, London, days when she doesn't have to wear make-up, being on her own, being with friends, elephants and champagne.
She loves to hear from readers so get in touch!

Connect with Louise:  

Faceboook: https://www.facebook.com/authorlouisebay/  
Twitter: www.twitter.com/louisesbay 
 Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8056592.Louise_Bay  
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RETREAT BY JAY CROWNOVER - SPOTLIGHT REVIEW

Every once in a while, you need to get away from it all.

I was a woman on the edge, shaken and shattered after a breakup that felt like it tore my entire world apart.

My best friend, sick of watching me drown in misery and melancholy, harassed me until I agreed to go with her on a week-long wilderness retreat.

She promised days spent bonding and getting in touch with our inner bad-asses.
It was supposed to be all about the two of us roughing it and making do with the bare minimum. She assured me we were going to be pushed to our limits in ways that were unimaginable. Neither one of us could have ever guessed just how right she was.

Nowhere in the glossy brochure did it say anything about the fact I was going to have to battle the insufferable but deliciously rugged and sexy trail guide instead of the elements. The brochure also forgot to mention the part that warned when you left civilization behind, there was no place to pack your inhibitions and fears.

I was told that I would be facing a week where the only thing I should expect was the unexpected. However, no one mentioned that I was going to have to fight for my life…and my heart as soon as I ventured into the unknown.

I was a pro at hiding from my feelings but when it came time to face a real threat, one that could change everything, I learned I was more of a no surrender, no retreat kind of girl.

Retreat is a standalone novel, the first in the Getaway series which centers on the hardheaded and brokenhearted Warner brothers and the women that dare to love them.

These boys are very good at putting the wild in wilderness.


I enjoyed this book, a lot. There were a couple of parts where I thought the pacing was a little off compared to the rest of the book, not slow or fast, just not in keeping with other similar scenes, but this was not something to really remove me from the story itself.

I liked that the blurb doesn't tell you the names of the main characters or all that much about them, and I am not going to here either...as a lot of fun with the story is getting to know the characters, who they are, and deciding whether or not you like them. For the record, I liked both of them a lot. The author does have a bit of a warning in the beginning to give the heroine a chance,that she has been through some things...although while I was not always fond of her, I thought she was authentic and likely behaving as most would after similar events. The blurb mentions a breakup, but it was maybe a little more than this, one of those breakups that make you really assess if you were the problem, not the other person.

The writing was strong, the characters were great, and I really enjoyed the scenes after they got together. They had amazing chemistry...and the scene in the campground shower...Oh. My. Let's just say, it made me want to go camping, just so I could have an excuse to clean up with him.

This is the first in a series of books, although it did not have the plot issues that I often find in the first of a series, namely that too much time is spent setting up the next books, and it ends with the story told for the lead characters in this, but with a set up for what is coming next for the characters we met in the first book. I am looking forward to the next book.




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