Fallen Foe by L. J. Shen - ARC Review

Arsène Corbin does not intend to marry for love. His fiancée has always been a means to an end, a woman he wants to conquer. But when she dies suddenly in an accident, Arsène’s grand plan unravels.

Still reeling from his fiancée’s death, he meets Winnifred Ashcroft, a struggling actress who lands a coveted role in a play at his theater…and knows things about his late fiancée no one else does. The only problem? They can’t stand each other.

Backstage at Arsène’s theater, Winnie begins to let down her guard around the tempestuous billionaire. She appreciates his wit and quirky affection for astronomy. And Arsène, jaded as he is, respects Winnie’s headstrong personality.

Tragedy and betrayal bring them together, but will their painful pasts hold them back—or fuel their desire?

Not Today Cupid by Jennifer Bonds - ARC Review

 

Notes from Triada Investment Meeting:

As compiled by Scarlett Evans—executive assistant, grad student, and reluctant admirer of CEO Nick Hart's snacktastic abs

Well, my fellow corporate drones, it's another less-than-exciting investor meeting with the executives (Loud Talker, Human Buzzword, Master Delegator). And at the front, CEO Nick Hart, the world's coldest—and ok, unbelievably sexy—tech badass. The man hasn't smiled in the history of ever, he runs a tight ship filled with miserable employees, and gosh, he just really does not love feedback. Especially from me.

Development updates, acquisition delays, and…holy hell, why does he keep looking at me? I don't work for him. I work for his brother. Which is good, because otherwise I'd spend every meeting secretly wondering what actually lies beneath that cool, aloof demeanor. Like, is he an uptight geek in the boardroom...and a sexy-assed freak in the bedroom?

He'd better not find out I'm the one stuffing the company suggestion box. What's so wrong with a Valentine's Day Social, anyway? But the fact that my notes are less professional and more entertainment is one seriously dangerous game. Because if he ever found out what I really thought of him, there'd be all kinds of sweet, delicious hell to pay...

I enjoyed a lot about this book. Nick and Scarlett had excellent chemistry and their connection as boss (sort of) and employee to friends felt genuine and authentic.

But, this title also felt a little unbalanced to me. There was a lot time getting to know them, and a lot of time watching them come to like and respect one another. But the time spent with them building their relationship as a couple felt like it was missing and a little glossed over.

In a boss/employee story, or one that is a story that evolves from enemies to friends to lovers I need to believe all of the different stages of the relationship. I believed the tension between them, I believed in the friendship. We start to get an idea of what they would be like as a couple, but it's so close to the end of the book that it doesn't feel fully explored.

Do I believe in them as a couple? Yes. Do I ruin they will be together forever? Yes. Do I think the reader really gets a feel for that? No.

That said, I did enjoy it overall. It's a quick read and I did laugh in places, so I do recommend this title.

Buy This Book!
Amazon

Accidental Attachment by Max Monroe - ARC Review & Release Blitz

A successful writer accidentally sends her new (and super-dreamy) editor the wrong manuscript. Instead of the full-length paranormal novel she promised Longstrand Publishing, she sends the fan fiction she’s written about her crush…on him—including every detail of the hot, steamy “physical activity” she’s fantasized about happening between them.

And Chase Dawson may be the hottest man alive and a super-talented editor to boot, but he’s completely oblivious that he’s the star of the manuscript he just convinced his boss to green-light.

Brooke Baker has been through a lot in her thirty-one years of life.

A divorce.

A career change.

A move to New York City from “small-town” Ohio.

Not to mention, she has a bit of a medical condition that involves occasional fainting spells, mild embarrassment, and the companionship of her adorable service dog and canine sidekick, Benji.

But none of it has prepared her for this.

None of it prepared her for Chase Dawson.

Strong jaw, blue eyes, cut muscles, and a perfect swoop of superhero-worthy black hair, Chase’s features are those of a book boyfriend and then some. Obviously, Brooke would know—she literally filled an entire manuscript with it.

A manuscript no one was ever supposed to see.

Will she survive two months of revising and editing the sizzling romance she imagined with Chase in extremely close quarters with him? Or will the constant white lies and overwhelming attraction make her spontaneously combust?

Deep Tide by Laura Griffin - ARC Review

With two brothers on the police force, Leyla Breda is well aware of the rising crime in her small beach town, but she never expected it to show up on her doorstep. When Leyla finds one of her employees murdered in the alley behind her coffee shop, she's deeply shaken, and as a new law enforcement officer in town begins to circle her place of business, her instincts only sharpen.

Sean Moran is on an undercover assignment. The seaside community of Lost Beach may look like a picturesque postcard, but his team suspects it's a point of intersection for several crime syndicates that the FBI has been investigating for years. Even so, when the brash and beautiful Leyla Breda starts bossing him around, he's immediately intrigued. He knows her brothers want him to back off, but every time he sees her, he feels more of a spark.

Leyla's connections in the local community and Sean's skills allow them to go deeper into the case together than they would be able to go alone. But when a single crime spirals into something much darker, Sean's carefully planned mission takes a deadly turn.

Did I enjoy this book? I definitely did. I always enjoy this author's titles. Ms. Griffin has a unique ability to weave romance and suspense in a way that makes it work and doesn't leave you thinking "wait, a first kiss during a gin battle? Does that make sense?"

Leyla and Sean were excellent as a couple and I really liked the heroine. There was something about her that really made me relate to her, despite the fact that I have never encountered a single murder victim, much less an employee.

Plot wise, there isn't a lot I can say that won't be a spoiler for someone, so I will say that this is yet another solid title by this author. It's a standalone, so if you haven't read her other titles, you can absolutely start here...but warning, you are going to then want to read everything she has ever written.

I enjoyed and recommend this title.

Buy This Book!
Amazon
Bookbub

A Little Taste by Tia Louise - ARC Review & Release Blast

  

Aiden Stone is a six-foot-two former Marine with a permanent scowl, dark hair, and dreamy blue eyes.
He’s the oldest of the Stone brothers, and his “by the book” family has battled mine for control of our small town for generations. 

The last thing I should do is sleep with him. Or nearly run him down with my truck. Especially since he's sort-of my new boss...

It doesn’t help that my grandmother (the mayor) is a former magician, and my mom is a psychic (sort-of)... And my dad died in a failed escape-artist attempt (that my mother is convinced was a murder).
Trust me, I know crazy, but I’m just plain ole Britt Bailey, Shania Twain-loving, non-magical forensic photographer. Yes, I take pictures of dead things, but I don’t see them in my bedroom at night. 

I only want to see one thing in my bedroom at night, and when I’m called home to help Sheriff Stone on an investigation, he actually stops frowning for a minute, and my teenage fantasies get very real.  
It’s a terrible idea. We work together, he’s seven years older than me, he’s a single dad, he hates all things magic, but a little taste, and we can’t say no.

Until the town crime wave turns personal, putting everything on the line, and we’ll need more than a magic bullet to get our happily ever after.

(A LITTLE TASTE is a small-town, grumpy single-dad romance with a touch of light suspense and lots of tasty spice. No cheating. No cliffhanger.)