5 Star Review: Appealed by Emma Chase – Legal Briefs Series – Book 3

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Appealed

Legal Briefs Series – Book 3

By Emma Chase

Buy : Amazon / B & N  / Kobo

Synopsis:

When Brent Mason looks at Kennedy Randolph, he doesn’t see the awkward, sweet girl who grew up next door. He sees a self-assured, stunning woman…who wants to crush the most intimate–and prized–parts of his anatomy beneath the heels of her Louboutins.

When Kennedy looks at Brent, all she sees is the selfish, Abercrombie & Fitch catalogue-worthy teenager who humiliated her in high school in order to join the popular crowd. A crowd that made those years a living hell for her.

But she’s not a lovesick social outcast anymore–she’s a Washington, DC, prosecutor with a long winning streak. Brent is the opposing attorney in her next case, and Kennedy thinks it’s time to put him through a little hell of his own.

But things aren’t exactly working out the way she planned. Brent has his sights set on Kennedy, and every fiery exchange only makes him want her more–and makes her wonder if he’s as passionate in the bedroom as he is in the courtroom. In the end, they may just find themselves in love…or in contempt of court.

__________________________________________

5Star

Michel’s Review

The court is in session.  The case has been tried.

The verdict…

Appealed by Emma Chase is a 5 Star Book!

The new year has started out with quite a bang.  Each week has seen over twenty five new releases in the romance genre.  It’s hard for readers to keep up.  We are loading our kindles and draining our bank accounts because we are passionate about our vice.  Our to be read list is growing.  Luckily it is winter.  The colder weather tends to keep us inside and snuggled up with a good book.  The snow days are an extra bonus for readers.  It gives us a little more time to engage in our passion.  One of my chosen snow day books was Appealed by Emma Chase.

Appealed by Emma Chase is a second chance romance that will leave the readers with a warm and fuzzy feeling.

Brent Mason is the final partner to take the plunge in the romantic pool.  He is probably the most well adjusted, self assured, and easy going partner in the firm.  Although he was born rich, he doesn’t believe he is entitled.  He has a strong work ethic and sense of justice.  He’s able to see both sides of the coin.  His clients may be guilty but he looks beyond the criminal infractions to the criminal himself.  He looks at the motivating factors, the past experiences, and the potential for reform.  Not every client is going to make the list but the ones that do, he gives 200%.

The case he’s working on now is a case that involves a seventeen year old boy hacking into banking records.  He is clearly guilty but he is also redeemable.  Brent is trying to find the best solutions that will give this kid more than a criminal record.  He wants to give this kid a second chance.  The case looks like an easy win until the DA trying the case is changed to a new DA.  This new DA is going for the maximum sentencing.

When the case finally goes to court Brent is in for another big surprise.  The prosecutor is none other than his former best friend, his former almost girlfriend, and the girl who broke his young heart.  Kennedy Randolph is back in town.  She has a whole new look and a whole new attitude.  She’s tougher than nails and unbendable.  What happened to the sweet girl he played with in his backyard?  What happened to the beautiful young girl that stole his heart? It’s clearly evident this icy, hard woman is not the same person.  He’s still intrigued.

As the story unfolds, Brent is going to get a run for his money.  His cool, self assured manner is going to be tested.  His psychiatrist is going to be working overtime.  Brent is determined to win the case and win Kennedy’s heart.

Kennedy Randolf has changed and for good reason.  She doesn’t need a spoiled rich boy that betrayed her to remind of the stupid girl she once was.  But that spoiled rich boy was more than she thought.  She knew he had a good heart but just used it stupidly.  Now that rich boy is a sexy lawyer pleading his case.  Can she find it in her heart to give him a second chance.

Appealed lives up to the previous books in this series.  It is loaded with humor, snarky dialogue, downright fun moments, and a touching romance.  I could not put this book down.

Emma Chase has delivered another fantastic book!

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lbThe Legal Briefs Series

81++jUz94ML._SL1500_Overruled – Book 1

Buy: Amazon / B & N / ITunes / Kobo

A Washington, DC, defense attorney, Stanton Shaw keeps his head cool, his questions sharp, and his arguments irrefutable. They don’t call him the Jury Charmer for nothing—with his southern drawl, disarming smile, and captivating green eyes, he’s a hard man to say no to. Men want to be him, and women want to be thoroughly cross examined by him.

Stanton’s a man with a plan. And for a while, life was going according to that plan.

Until the day he receives an invitation to the wedding of his high school sweetheart, the mother of his beloved ten-year-old daughter. Jenny is getting married—to someone who isn’t him.

That’s definitely not part of the plan.

***

Sofia Santos is a city-raised, no-nonsense litigator who plans to become the most revered criminal defense attorney in the country. She doesn’t have time for relationships or distractions.

But when Stanton, her “friend with mind-blowing benefits,” begs her for help, she finds herself out of her element, out of her depth, and obviously out of her mind. Because she agrees to go with him to The-Middle-Of-Nowhere, Mississippi, to do all she can to help Stanton win back the woman he loves. Her head tells her she’s crazy…and her heart says something else entirely.

What happens when you mix a one-stop-light town, two professional arguers, a homecoming queen, four big brothers, some Jimmy Dean sausage, and a gun-toting Nana?

The Bourbon flows, passions rise, and even the best-laid plans get overruled by the desires of the heart.

 

sustained2Sustained – Book Two

Buy: Amazon / B & N / ITunes 

A knight in tarnished armor is still a knight.

When you’re a defense attorney in Washington, DC, you see firsthand how hard life can be, and that sometimes the only way to survive is to be harder. I, Jake Becker, have a reputation for being cold, callous, and intimidating—and that suits me just fine. In fact, it’s necessary when I’m breaking down a witness on the stand.

Complications don’t work for me—I’m a “need-to-know” type of man. If you’re my client, tell me the basic facts. If you’re my date, stick to what will get you off. I’m not a therapist or Prince Charming—and I don’t pretend to be.

Then Chelsea McQuaid and her six orphaned nieces and nephews came along and complicated the ever-loving hell out of my life. Now I’m going to Mommy & Me classes, One Direction concerts, the emergency room, and am knee deep in a damn compost pit.

Chelsea’s too sweet, too innocent, and too gorgeous for her own good. She tries to be tough, but she’s not. She needs someone to help her, and defend her…and the kids.

And that—that, I know how to do.

 

appealed3Appealed – Book Three

Buy : Amazon / B & N  / Kobo

When Brent Mason looks at Kennedy Randolph, he doesn’t see the awkward, sweet girl who grew up next door. He sees a self-assured, stunning woman…who wants to crush the most intimate—and prized—parts of his anatomy beneath the heels of her Louboutins.

When Kennedy looks at Brent, all she sees is the selfish, Abercrombie & Fitch catalogue–worthy teenager who humiliated her in high school in order to join the popular crowd. A crowd that made those years a living hell for her.

But she’s not a lovesick social outcast anymore—she’s a Washington, DC, prosecutor with a long winning streak. Brent is the opposing attorney in her next case, and Kennedy thinks it’s time to put him through a little hell of his own.

But things aren’t exactly working out the way she planned. Brent has his sights set on Kennedy, and every fiery exchange only makes him want her more—and makes her wonder if he’s as passionate in the bedroom as he is in the courtroom. In the end, they may just find themselves in love…or in contempt of court.

 

Author Bio:

emma chaseBy day, Emma Chase is a devoted wife and mother who resides in a small, rural town in New Jersey. By night she toils away the hours bringing her colorful characters and their endless antics to life. She has a long standing love/hate relationship with caffeine.

Emma is an avid reader. Before her children were born she was known to consume whole books in a single day. Writing has also always been a passion and with the 2013 release of her debut romantic comedy, Tangled, the ability to now call herself an author is nothing less than a dream come true.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

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New Release + Review: Power Play by Sophia Henry – The Pilots Hockey Series – Book 2

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Power Play

Pilots Hockey Series – Book 2

By Sophia Henry

Genre: New Adult / Sports Romance

Buy : Amazon / B & N / ITunes 

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Synopsis:

Beneath her innocent facade, Gabriella Bertucci has her reasons to be standoffish with guys. Especially guys like Landon Taylor, a star defenseman on the minor-league Detroit Pilots and the object of a serious crush since he first walked into her family’s market. But when Landon comes through for her in a moment of crisis, Gaby starts to wonder if there might be more to Landon than hard muscles and fast skates.

Landon isn’t afraid of telling Gaby that he’s got it for her bad. The problem is, she seems unwilling to believe it. And though Landon enjoys his reputation as a cool-headed athlete, he hates losing—both on the rink and off. It’s his competitiveness that makes him so damn good at what he does . . . but it also makes him just a little bit complicated.

One minute Gaby’s tempted to give in; the next, she’s getting cold feet. How can she trust a guy who’s destined for bigger and better things to stick around? Then again, when Landon pulls her close with those powerful arms, the only thing that matters is right now.

4 Star

Michel’s Review

Power Play by Sophia Henry is the second book in the Pilots Hockey Series. The Pilot Hockey series features players from the Pilot Hockey Team, a farm team located in Detroit.  Each of these players is waiting for their call up to the AHL.  They are trying to establish their names and perfect their game.  They are all hungry to move up to the professional level.  But they are also hot blooded young men trying to find their fit in life.

Power Play takes place in the heart of Detroit.  A city that is decaying right before their eyes.  Landon Taylor and Gaby have grown up in this city and seen the changes.  Their families have known each other since they were small children but Landon and Gaby Bertucci didn’t really know each other at all.  Landon grew up playing hockey and attending private schools that catered to his game. Gaby grew up in the heart of Detroit in a tight knit Italian family.  Her family has spent generations in Detroit.  Their food markets and produce stand is an icon in Detroit.  The Bertucci family is branching out and trying to breath life into the city once more by opening a store that features local artist and products from local businesses.  The store is not thriving in the current economic conditions of their city.  They are stressed to the max trying to make this store a success.  When Sophia’s father has a heart attack right before her and Landon’s eyes, it changes everything.  Suddenly there is a reason to get to know one another.  The dynamics of the family business will change and leave Sophia as nothing more than a stock person. Although she is demoted in her family’s business, she has also caught Landon Taylor’s eye.

Landon is fighting to get noticed on the ice and brought up to the pro’s. He comes from an interesting family background that makes him question where he fits into the overall picture. At the same time he is trying to win Gaby’s heart.  As he gets to know her better he sees more than a beautiful girl.  He sees her strength, her intelligence, and her dedication to her family.  He wants to help her make the store succeed and have her father recognize her talents.

Gaby has always fought for her place within the family business.  As a girl in a male dominated Italian family, it is hard.  To make matters worse her family has long ties with the Mitchell Family, another deep seated family in Detroit.  Her family chose their ties to the Mitchell family over Gaby’s best interest.  Being around Landon Taylor makes her feel like a million dollars.  He sees the real girl behind the Bertucci family facade.  He sees her intelligence, her dreams, and her ambitions.  He also encourages her to reach for her dreams.

As the story unfolds Landon and Gaby build a beautiful relationship.  It seems like a sure thing until real life gets in the way.  The Bertucci family has put their foot down once more and put Gaby in her place. Nothing Landon does will make her see what’s right in front of her eyes.

Sophia Henry added another emotional and engaging novel to the Pilot Hockey series.  I fell head over heels for Landon.  He’s the kind of guy I want my daughter to date.  He is the kind of guy we want our sons to be. She also delivered a fresh and original plot in the sports romance arena.

I can’t wait to see who is called up next in the Pilot Hockey arena!

Read Power Play by Sophia Henry.

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The Pilot Hockey Series

51JAK1i28GL._SX373_BO1,204,203,200_Delayed Penalty – Book 1

Auden Berezin is used to losing people: her father, her mother, her first love. Now, just when she believes those childhood wounds are finally healing, she loses something else: the soccer scholarship that was her ticket to college. Scrambling to earn tuition money, she’s relieved to find a gig translating for a Russian minor-league hockey player—until she realizes that he’s the same dangerously sexy jerk who propositioned her at the bar the night before.

Equal parts muscle and scar tissue, Aleksandr Varenkov knows about trauma. Maybe that’s what draws him to Auden. He also lost his family too young, and he channeled the pain into his passions: first hockey, then vodka and women. But all that seems to just melt away the instant he kisses Auden and feels a jolt of desire as sudden and surprising as a hard check on the ice.

After everything she’s been through, Auden can’t bring herself to trust any man, let alone a hot-headed puck jockey with a bad reputation. Aleksandr just hopes she’ll give him a chance—long enough to prove he’s finally met the one who makes him want to change.

Buy: Amazon / B & N / ITunes

51CP6LIPE9L._SX373_BO1,204,203,200_Power Play – Book 2

Beneath her innocent facade, Gabriella Bertucci has her reasons to be standoffish with guys. Especially guys like Landon Taylor, a star defenseman on the minor-league Detroit Pilots and the object of a serious crush since he first walked into her family’s market. But when Landon comes through for her in a moment of crisis, Gaby starts to wonder if there might be more to Landon than hard muscles and fast skates.

Landon isn’t afraid of telling Gaby that he’s got it for her bad. The problem is, she seems unwilling to believe it. And though Landon enjoys his reputation as a cool-headed athlete, he hates losing—both on the rink and off. It’s his competitiveness that makes him so damn good at what he does . . . but it also makes him just a little bit complicated.

One minute Gaby’s tempted to give in; the next, she’s getting cold feet. How can she trust a guy who’s destined for bigger and better things to stick around? Then again, when Landon pulls her close with those powerful arms, the only thing that matters is right now.

Buy : Amazon / B & N / ITunes 

Coming Soon…

51i3O2noJIL._SX327_BO1,204,203,200_Interference – Book 3

Release Date: June 7, 2016

Linden Meadows doesn’t back down from anyone, especially if her family’s involved. So when her little brother’s new hockey coach benches him in the middle of a game, Linden lets him have it. She also notices that the coach is way hotter than she expects, but Linden won’t let herself get burned by another athlete. Been there, done that—and had a kid at seventeen to show for it.

When Jason Taylor isn’t taking abuse from hockey moms, he’s patrolling the streets as a member of the Bridgeland PD. After Jason pulls Linden over for speeding, he begins to see that there’s more to her than a big mouth . . . or a lead foot. Their chemistry leads to good company, intense conversation, and an intimacy that pushes beyond the boundaries of friendship. And yet Linden’s decision to keep her now three-year-old son, Holden, is a painful reminder to Jason that his own mother gave him up for adoption.

Linden’s sure she’s found the man to round out their family. But when Holden’s deadbeat dad forces his way back into the picture, Jason starts to back off. He needs time—to heal, to grow, and to love with all his heart.

Pre Order: Amazon / B & N / ITunes

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About the Author

6095645Sophia Henry, a proud Detroit native, fell in love with reading, writing and hockey all before she became a teenager. She did not, however, fall in love with snow. So after graduating with a BS in English from Central Michigan University, she moved to the warmth of North Carolina for the remainder of her winters.

She spends her days writing books featuring hot, hockey-playing heroes. When she’s not writing, she’s chasing her two high-energy sons, reading, watching her beloved Detroit Red Wings and rocking out at concerts with her husband.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

Release Blitz + Excerpt + Review + Giveaway: Hidden Heat by Carla Swafford

Enter to Win a 
$25.00 Amazon eGift Card

 

 

HIDDEN HEAT
Brothers of Mayhem #1
Carla Swafford
Releasing on February 16, 2016

Loveswept

 

Sizzling
with passion and suspense, perfect for fans of Joanna Wylde and Julie Ann
Walker, the Brothers of Mayhem series revs up as a headstrong beauty faces off
against an outlaw motorcycle club—and falls for the bad boy she never saw
coming.

Cassidy
Ryder refuses to be intimidated by anyone, even the hell-raising, hard-drinking
Brothers of Mayhem. The daughter of their former president, she’s not above
smashing a few heads to keep her teenage brother safe. But when Cassidy’s big
mouth gets her in trouble, the only thing that saves her is some quick thinking
from the Brothers’ bartender. He’s commanding and strong, and as smooth as the
whiskey he pours: the ultimate temptation for a girl who swore she’d never be a
biker’s plaything. 
But
Thorn Savalas is no ordinary biker. He’s a cop, and he’s worked too hard
earning the Brothers’ trust to blow his cover over a female—even one who rocks
a pair of jeans like Cassidy. The only way to protect her is by claiming she’s
his old lady. Trouble is, Thorn can’t just pretend. He wants Cassidy, and every
scorching touch tells him she feels the same. But acting on their hottest
fantasies could leave them both exposed . . . even if nothing else has ever
felt so real.

 

 

BUY NOW
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Excerpt

“Listen, sugar, I’ll tell you about your brother, but you need to keep your mouth shut.”

“What is it about you people? I can say whatever I like. This is a free country.”

He let his disappointment show on his face. “You’re smarter than you’re acting.”

“I’m smart enough to know—”

He slapped the wall, frustrated that he couldn’t make her understand. She straightened, face pale and eyes wide open. That got her attention.

“For Christ’s sake, listen to me before you get us both killed,” he said, grinding his back teeth in impatience. She finally closed her mouth. “Storm is running an errand for Stonewall. And no, I can’t tell you more than that. I’m taking a chance as it is. He should be back by midnight and then I’ll tell him to call you.” Finally, in control of his body, he walked around the desk and grabbed her arm, wanting to emphasize the danger she was in. He leaned down. “Go home,” he whispered.

Her eyes searched his. Probably trying to guess his game. All he wanted to do was keep her safe, but she refused to believe it. For now, they had one more problem: how was he going to explain to the club about their time alone in the office?

He had only one solution.

Moving a little closer, he added, “Before you head home, you need to look like we went at it hot and heavy back here.”

“What?” She took a step back, confusion on her face as she glanced around.

“There is only one reason for a Mayhem Brother to take a female in the back office, and that’s to fuck her. Unless you want me to do it for real, you need to look the part.”

“Huh?” She frowned. Why was she having such a difficult time imagining anyone wanting her in that way?

Whoa!

Had no one ever come on to her? Were the bastards around there blind? He sighed and then tightened his grip on her arm.

Guessing she would learn the hard way, he kissed her. Admittedly, he’d wanted to do that since the first time his gaze ate her up. All round curves in the right places, she looked like a sex doll come to life. He’d tried to stay away from her, but this opportunity was too good to pass up.

For a split second, she pushed against his chest and then her arms slid around his neck. He cupped her full breasts and pinched her nipples. She groaned in his mouth. Without wasting time, he pulled at her tee, twisting it slightly, and pressed her back against the wall. His hand ran across her stomach, flipping the snap open on her jeans with his thumb. She smelled so good, a mixture of healthy woman and a hint of flowers. Her mussed hair from earlier was no match for his fingers running through the soft strands again. She groaned and arched into him. Damn, she was deliciously responsive.

His willpower neared the breaking point and he let her go. He walked stiff legged to the door and peeked out. All clear. One deep intake of musty air, he braced for what he’d see. Rumpled and dazed, she appeared well fucked. He bit the inside of his mouth to stop from groaning in regret. What he’d give for it to be true.

“Come on.” He held out his hand. “Better leave now or I’ll finish what I started.”

She shook her head and hid her hands behind her back.

“Why are you helping me?”

“The hell I know,” he snapped. That was a lie. Anything he said would only lead to more questions he couldn’t answer.

Another shake of her head. She appeared stuck to the floor. Was she trying to clear her head or protest his option? Before she decided to cause more trouble, he clasped her arm. She winced, and he eased off a little.

Damn, last thing I need to do is leave bruises.

Tugging her out of the door, he headed toward the barroom. When she placed her hand over his and looked into his eyes, he loosened his grip a little more. Then she matched his stride.

Everyone stared. Two old men playing cards near the door chuckled and returned to their game.

Showtime. He hoped she’d play along.

“Next time, call me.” He lightly slapped her ass. “I’ll tell you when I can visit and help with your problem,” he said, loud enough for everyone to hear.

She blinked and glanced around before nodding.

Slightly amused by the lost-little-girl look on her face, he lifted her chin with a finger and kissed her again. He sank into it wholeheartedly without any other motive but to enjoy her taste. Her lips parted without hesitation. Her tongue darted into his mouth, and he almost came in his jeans. Damn. Why hadn’t he shoved her out the door faster?

The room burst out in applause, wolf whistles, and several obscene suggestions.

Regaining control, he ended the kiss and propelled her toward the door. “See you later, sweet cheeks.” His hand smacked her ass one last time. It felt so good.

He watched her move like a zombie down the sidewalk to the parked cars. She looked back. He grinned at her angry, confused look. She jerked around and sashayed to her old beat-up sedan. That livened her up.

He liked that he stirred her up in every direction, from hormones to indignation. She needed something else to think about besides the whereabouts of a rebellious brother. That would likely get her into trouble.

As she stalked by, several Brothers hanging near the front porch checked her out and then glanced back to where he stood. One burly fellow gave a thumbs-up.

Curses filled the air. She struggled with opening the car door, and it opened with a loud metal squeak. The joints definitely needed oiling.

How did that piece of shit hold together? She needed a better ride, something safe.

Who was he to worry about that?

He turned back to the barroom and caught the expression on Stonewall’s face.

Well, hell. Thorn didn’t like that smile one bit. Meant nothing but trouble.

What in the hell had he gotten them into? How was he going to protect her and himself?

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Michel’s Review

Hidden Heat by Carla Swafford is not the typical biker romance.  Although the story revolves around the ruthless Brothers of Mayhem MC, it is more of an undercover agent story.  Would it be considered Romantic Suspense? Possibly. It’s one of those novels that stands in a class by itself.

Thorn Sevalas has infiltrated the Brothers of Mayhem MC.  He’s on a top secret case that could bring the entire Birmingham chapter down.  While trying to make a case and get out alive, a young woman comes in causing all kinds of trouble for him.

Cassidy Ryder is no stranger to the Brothers of Mayhem MC.  She knows how lawless and corrupt they are.  When she finds out that her younger brother has become involved with the club, she is determined to pull him out.  She will go to any lengths to save her brother.

Thorn is trying to protect Cassidy, keep his cover, and bring her brother out alive.  The members are ruthless.  The case is off kilter.  He is also trying to keep his own lawless family out of his business.

Hidden Heat was an engaging story.  It starts out with a bang but becomes a bit slow through the middle of story.  Once the reader gets to the last quarter of the book the action picks up and becomes very fast paced.  I found the Brothers of Mayhem MC a little off but as the story progressed I could easily imagine their violence and ruthlessness.

The chemistry between Cassidy and Thorn was sizzling hot and that is what kept me invested in this book.

It will be interesting to see were the Brothers of Mayhem go next.

I enjoyed reading Hidden Heat by Carla Swafford.

Carla Swafford loves romance novels,
action/adventure movies, and men, and her books reflect that. She’s married to
her high school sweetheart and lives in Alabama.
 

Release Day Blitz: Mackenzie Family Series … by Liliana Hart,Robin Covington,Avery Flynn,Cristin Harber,Kimberly Kincaid, and Christopher Rice

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We are absolutely thrilled to bring you the Release Day Launch for Liliana Hart’s Mackenzie Family Series! Liliana Hart’s Mackenzie Family Series is brought to you by 1001 Dark Nights. The novel and 5 novellas are all being released today! Check out this amazing series below and grab your copy of each amazing story in the Mackenzie Family Series today!

 

A Letter from Liliana Hart:

Dear Readers,

I’m thrilled to be able to introduce the MacKenzie Family World to you. I asked five of my favorite authors to create their own characters and put them into the world you all know and love. These amazing authors revisited Surrender, Montana, and through their imagination you’ll get to meet new characters, while reuniting with some of your favorites.

These stories are hot, hot, hot—exactly what you’d expect from a MacKenzie story—and it was pure pleasure for me to read each and every one of them and see my world through someone else’s eyes. They definitely did the series justice, and I hope you discover five new authors to put on your auto-buy list.

Make sure you check out Troublemaker, a brand new, full-length MacKenzie novel written by me. And yes, you’ll get to see more glimpses of Shane before his book comes out next year.

So grab a glass of wine, pour a bubble bath, and prepare to Surrender.

 

Love Always,

Liliana Hart

 

 

Experience the Mackenzie Family Series Here…

 

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Liliana Hart’s Trouble Maker (A Mackenzie Family Novel)

Marnie Whitlock has never known what it’s like to be normal. She and her family moved from place to place, hiding from reporters and psychologists, all because of her gift. A curse was more like it. Seeing a victim, feeling his pain as the last of his life ebbed away, and being helpless to save him. It was torture. And then one day it disappeared and she was free. Until those who hunted her for her gift tried to kill her. And then the gift came back with a vengeance.

Beckett Hamilton leads a simple life. His ranch is profitable and a legacy he’ll be proud to pass onto his children one day, work fills his time from sunup to sundown, and his romances are short and sweet. He wouldn’t have it any other way. And then he runs into quiet and reserved Marnie Whitlock just after she moves to town. She intrigues him like no woman ever has. And she’s hiding something. His hope is that she begins to trust him before it’s too late.

Amazon ** Barnes and Noble ** Kobo ** All Romance eBooks ** iBooks ** GooglePlay

 

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Robin Covington’s Rush (A Mackenzie Family Novella)

Atticus Rush doesn’t really like people. Years in Special Ops and law enforcement showed him the worst of humanity, making his mountain hideaway the ideal place to live. But when his colleagues at MacKenzie Security need him to save the kidnapped young daughter of a U.S. Senator, he’ll do it, even if it means working with the woman who broke his heart his ex-wife.

Lady Olivia Rutledge-Cairn likes to steal things. Raised with a silver spoon and the glass slipper she spent years cultivating a cadre of acquaintances in the highest places. She parlayed her natural gift for theft into a career of locating and illegally retrieving hard-to-find items of value for the ridiculously wealthy. Rush was the one man who tempted her to change her ways until he caught her and threatened to turn her in.

MacKenzie Security has vowed to save the girl. Olivia can find anything or anyone. Rush can get anyone out. As the clock winds down on the girl’s life, can they fight the past, a ruthless madman and their explosive passion to get the job done?

Amazon ** Barnes and Noble ** Kobo ** All Romance eBooks ** iBooks ** GooglePlay

 

Bullet Proof - cover

Avery Flynn’s Bullet Proof (A Mackenzie Family Novella)

Being one of the good guys is not my thing.”

Bianca Sutherland isn’t at an exclusive Eyes-Wide-Shut style orgy for the orgasms. She’s there because the only clue to her friend’s disappearance is a photo of a painting hanging somewhere in Bisu Manor. Determined to find her missing friend when no one else will, she expects trouble when she cons her way into the party—but not in the form of a so-hot-he-turns-your-panties-to-ash former boxer.

Taz Hazard’s only concern is looking out for himself and he has no intention of changing his ways until he finds sexy-as-sin Bianca at the most notorious mansion in Ft. Worth. Now, he’s tangled up in a missing person case tied into a powerful new drug about to flood the streets, if they can’t find a way to stop it before its too late. Taking on a drug cartel isn’t safe, but when passion ignites between them Taz and Bianca discover their hearts aren’t bulletproof either.

Amazon ** Barnes and Noble ** Kobo ** All Romance eBooks ** iBooks ** GooglePlay

 

 

Delta Rescue - cover

Cristin Harber’s Delta: Rescue (A Mackenzie Family Novella)

When Luke Brenner takes an off-the-books job on the MacKenzie-Delta joint task force, he has one goal: shut down sex traffickers on his personal hunt for retribution. This operation brings him closer than he’s ever been to avenge his first love, who was taken, sold, and likely dead.

Madeleine Mercier is the daughter of an infamous cartel conglomerate. Their family bleeds money, they sell pleasure, they sell people. She knows no other life, sees no escape, except for one. Maddy is the only person who can take down Papa, when every branch of law enforcement in every country, is on her father’s payroll.

It’s evil. To want to ruin, to murder, her family. But that’s what she is. Ruined for a life outside of destroying her father. She can’t feel arousal. Has never been kissed. Never felt anything other than disgust for the world that she perpetuates. Until she clashes with a possible mercenary who gives her hope.

The hunter versus the virgin. The predator and his prey. When forced together, can enemies resist the urge to run away or destroy one another?

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Kimberly Kincaid’s Deep Trouble (A Mackenzie Family Novella)

Bartender Kylie Walker went into the basement of The Corner Tavern for a box of cocktail napkins, but what she got was an eyeful of murder. Now she’s on the run from a killer with connections, and one wrong step could be her last. Desperate to stay safe, Kylie calls the only person she trusts—her ex-Army Ranger brother. The only problem? He’s two thousand miles away, and trouble is right outside her door.

Security specialist Devon Randolph might be rough and gruff, but he’ll never turn down a friend in need, especially when that friend is the fellow Ranger who once saved his life. Devon may have secrets, but he’s nearby, and he’s got the skills to keep his buddy’s sister safe…even if one look at brash, beautiful, Kylie makes him want to break all the rules.

Forced on the run, Kylie and Devon dodge bullets and bad guys, but they cannot fight the attraction burning between them. Yet the closer they grow, the higher the stakes become. Will they be able to outrun a brutal killer? Or will Devon’s secrets tear them apart first?

Amazon ** Barnes and Noble ** Kobo ** All Romance eBooks ** iBooks ** GooglePlay

 

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Christopher Rice’s Desire & Ice (A Mackenzie Family Novella)

Danny Patterson isn’t a teenager anymore. He’s the newest and youngest sheriff’s deputy in Surrender, Montana. A chance encounter with his former schoolteacher on the eve of the biggest snowstorm to hit Surrender in years shows him that some schoolboy crushes never fade. Sometimes they mature into grown-up desire.

It’s been years since Eliza Brightwell set foot in Surrender. So why is she back now? And why does she seem like she’s running from something? To solve this mystery, Danny disobeys a direct order from Sheriff Cooper MacKenzie and sets out into a fierce blizzard, where his courage and his desire might be the only things capable of saving Eliza from a dark force out of her own past.

Amazon ** Barnes and Noble ** Kobo ** All Romance eBooks ** iBooks ** GooglePlay

 

About the Mackenzie Family Series Authors…

 

Liliana Hart - headshotLiliana Hart:

Liliana Hart is a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author in both the mystery and romance genres. After starting her first novel her freshman year of college, she immediately became addicted to writing and knew she’d found what she was meant to do with her life. She has no idea why she majored in music.

Liliana is an avid reader and a believer in all things romance. Her books are filled with witty dialogue, steamy sex, and the all-important happily-ever-afters her romantic soul craves. Since self-publishing in June of 2011, she’s sold more than 1.2 million ebooks all over the world.

Visit Liliana Hart’s website.

 

Covington - headshotRobin Covington:

A USA Today bestseller, Robin Covington loves to explore the theme of fooling around and falling in love in her books. Her stories burn up the sheets. . .one page at a time. When she’s not writing she’s collecting tasty man candy, indulging in a little comic book geek love, and stalking Chris Evans. Don’t send chocolate . . . send eye candy! Robin’s books have won the Golden Leaf Award and finaled in the Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice, the Book Seller’s Best and the National Reader’s Choice Awards. She lives in Maryland with her handsome husband, her two brilliant children (they get it from her, of course!), and her beloved furbabies.

Visit Robin Covington’s website.

 

Avery Flynn - headshotAvery Flynn:

Award-winning romance author Avery Flynn has three slightly-wild children, loves a hockey-addicted husband and is desperately hoping someone invents the coffee IV drip. She was a reader before she was a writer and hopes to always be both. She loves to write about smartass alpha heroes who are as good with a quip as they are with their *ahem* other God-given talents. Her heroines are feisty, fierce and fantastic. Brainy and brave, these ladies know how to stand on their own two feet and knock the bad guys off theirs. Also, if you figure out how to send Oreos through the Internet, she’ll be your best friend for life.

 

Visit Avery Flynn’s website.

 

Cristin Harber - headshotCristin Harber:

Cristin Harber is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling romance author. She writes steamy romantic suspense, military romance, and new adult. Readers voted her onto Amazon’s Top Picks for Debut Romance Authors in 2013, and her debut Titan series was both a #1 romantic suspense and military romance bestseller.

 

 

 

Visit Cristin Harber’s website.

 

Kinkaid - headshotKimberly Kincaid:

Kimberly Kincaid writes contemporary romance that splits the difference between sexy and sweet. When she’s not sitting cross-legged in an ancient desk chair known as “The Pleather Bomber”, she can be found practicing obscene amounts of yoga, whipping up anything from enchiladas to éclairs in her kitchen, or curled up with her nose in a book. Kimberly is a USA Today best-selling author and a 2015 RWA RITA® finalist who lives (and writes!) by the mantra that food is love. Kimberly resides in Virginia with her wildly patient husband and their three daughters.

 

 

Visit Kimberly Kincaid’s website.

 

Christopher Rice - headshotChristopher Rice:

After publishing four New York Times bestselling thrillers by the age of 30 and being declared one of People Magazine’s Sexiest Men Alive, award-winning writer Christopher Rice became the first author to make his erotic romance debut part of the 1,001 DARK NIGHTS series. THE FLAME: A Desire Exchange Novella kicked off a steamy new series set in New Orleans, featuring magical candles and a sexy new breed of supernatural beings, The Radiants, who are devoted to helping heroes and heroines realize their heart’s desire. THE FLAME earned accolades from some of the biggest names in erotic romance and was quickly followed up by THE SURRENDER GATE: A Desire Exchange Novel, available from Evil Eye Concepts as a Blue Box Special. Aside from authoring eight works of dark suspense, Christopher is also the co-host and executive producer of THE DINNER PARTY SHOW WITH CHRISTOPHER RICE & ERIC SHAW QUINN, all the episodes of which can be downloaded at TheDinnerPartyShow.com and from iTunes. Make sure you’re subscribed to The Dinner Party Show’s You Tube channel to receive their newest content in 2016.

Visit Christopher Rice’s website.

 

 

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Release Blitz + Excerpt + 5 Star Review + Giveaway: Wherever It Leads by Adriana Locke

 

 

Title: Wherever It Leads
Author: Adriana Locke
Genre: Contemporary Romance
 Release Date: February 15, 2016

 

Blurb

 

Smooth. Sexy. Irresistible.

Those qualities equal only one thing.Big. Freaking. Trouble. Brynne Calloway knows that anything that seems too good to be true usually is. Fenton Abbott and his cashmere voice, Adonis body, and a magnetism like no other clearly falls into that category. But what’s life without a little risk? It was supposed to be a rebound, an uncomplicated escape from reality. But nothing ever goes as planned. Fenton turns out to be so much more … in ways Brynne never sees coming.
 Coming Soon….
AMAZON 
Excerpt

 

The plane begins its ascent, the engines roaring to life. Fenton whips out a file from his briefcase and gives it a once-over. Again, I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do and it’s killing me.I pull my Kindle out of my bag and try to become invested in a second-chance romance about a rock star, but it’s nearly impossible sitting next to him. Each time I become engrossed in the words, he moves and my senses are assaulted by his proximity. The third time this happens, I search the ebook for ‘cock’ and start reading a sex scene. I need some form of undoing and if that has to be done via fictional character, so be it.

The heroine is taking the hero into her mouth when a low rumble radiates beside me. Startled, I look up and see Fenton smirking.

“What?” I push the power button on my e-reader and place it on my lap. I realize the jet has leveled off and it’s quiet in the cabin. “What are you looking at me like that for?”

“Just wondering what you’re reading.”

“Why?”

“Because,” he says, his eyes darkening, “your entire posture changed. Your lips parted, your breathing became labored. I’m intrigued.”

“I don’t think you’d be interested in this.”

“Trust me—if it gets that kind of reaction out of you, I’m definitely interested.”

Dragging in a lungful of air, I remember Presley’s pep talk and decide I have nothing to lose.

I switch on the tablet and find the page. “She drew his cock into her mouth, stroking his shaft as she licked a pool of semen from the tip.” I glance over my shoulder and his eyes are wide. I wink. “A growl escaped his throat as she stroked his velvety length, running her tongue—”

“Enough.” He snatches the Kindle from my grasp and places it on his briefcase. “Fucking hell, Brynne. Do you want fucked right here?”

 

 5StarTracey’s Review

“So have a little faith in the world, rudo. Have just a little faith that the current will take you wherever you’re supposed to go, that wherever it leads is where you’re supposed to be.”

Brynne Calloway is having a hard time believing that the Universe is not out to get her. The last year has been crazy, and not in a good way. So when her phone goes missing, she sees it as just one more thing, something else designed to make her lose her mind. But when Fenton Abbott (and some organic bananas) steps in to save the day, Brynne has no idea what she’s in for.

I’ll start by saying that I am a die-hard fan of Adriana Locke. Her books, always full of alpha men and the strong and sassy women that love them, never fail to win me over. I knew that WHEREVER IT LEADS would be great, because her reads always are, but I also knew to expect the ladies to own the spotlight here, which is a bit of a departure. Never one to let us down, Adriana has delivered a book that I just loved. Fenton is one heck of a hot, mysterious, and sexy man, but Brynne, along with best friend Presley, just steals the show. The two girls have an unbreakable bond, the sort of friendship that gets a girl through anything and makes the two stronger for having found each other. It’s so nice to see two female leads lifting each other up, no questions asked, yet being the voice of reason when the world gets a little crazy. And, I would argue, this relationship is just as important as the one between Brynne and Fenton, because, as events unfold, Brynne really needs her friend to be there for her, and Presley absolutely is.

Fenton, too, is different than any of Adriana’s other leading men. He’s got so much going on that is below the surface, and is sure that he’s not a forever kind of guy. He’s exactly what Brynne needs to take her mind off of the uncertainty that’s been her focus for the last year, and, in turn, to receive the emotion that he’s closed himself off from. His commitment to Brynne, and what’s important to her, is nothing short of swoon-worthy. Watching the relationship between the two of them evolve is sweet and uplifting.

“I just…I can’t wait to be your forever.”
“You already are.”

The story in WHEREVER IT LEADS grabbed be from the first page, and I did not stop reading until the end. I just couldn’t, because the story, both the developing relationship between Brynne and Fenton, and the sub-plot involving Brynne’s brother, was so compelling that I had to see what happened. When a book engages me this way, it’s an easy 5 stars for me, and I would definitely recommend this one. Add it to your TBR and enjoy.

***ARC generously provided for an honest review.***

 

Author Bio

 

USA Today Bestselling author Adriana Locke lives and breathes books. After years of slightly obsessive relationships with the flawed bad boys created by other authors, Adriana has created her own.

She resides in the Midwest with her husband, sons, and two dogs. She spends a large amount of time playing with her kids, drinking coffee, and cooking. You can find her outside if the weather’s nice and there’s always a piece of candy in her pocket.

Author Links

Release Blitz + Excerpt + 5 Star Review + Giveaway: Break My Fall by Jessica Scott – Falling Series – Book 2

Break my Fall

Break My Fall

Falling Series – Book 2

Genre: New Adult

By Jessica Scott

Buy : Amazon / B & N / ITunes / Kobo

Synopsis

Violence.
I’m addicted to it. It’s how I feel alive. It’s the only thing that’s real any more.
And now I have to sit around and discuss it like it’s physics or calculus. I can’t do it. I can’t pretend that it’s some sterile academic topic. Violence isn’t sterile. It isn’t calm. It’s pulsing. It’s alive.
It’s my drug.
Until I met Abby, I never wanted anything beyond the next fight. Never considered that I might finally find a way back to the land of the living.
Now? Now I find myself dreaming of a woman with golden eyes.
But I can never be with her. Because I am not whole. And I never will be again.
But I cannot stay away.
And loving her might finally be what breaks me.

Books in the Falling Series
Book 1: Before I Fall
Book 2: Break My Fall
Book 3: If I Fall (Forthcoming)

BMF

Excerpt

He’s watching me. I want to step closer to him but I can’t. I won’t.

Because I’m not blind to the darkness in Mr. Douglas. It’s there, just below the surface. Like a pot of water just before it boils.

The tension is back, now. A slow burning anger I should be getting as far away from as I possibly can.

“What?” I finally ask, needing something to break the spell between us.

“Why do you care why I got angry in class? You don’t even know my name.”

I narrow my eyes at him and open my mouth, then snap it closed, mirroring his earlier action. I didn’t expect the question and I have no idea how to answer.

Because in reality, I don’t have an answer for why I’m standing here at the moment.

Damn it.

My brain finally latches onto the first thing I come up with

“Wookie life debt. Payback for you helping me the other night.”

I try to leave then. Hoping that he’ll let me go and put all my curiosity away. For good.

“Hey.” His voice tugs at me to stop.

I won’t look at him now. Because I’m ashamed of what he’ll see if he looks into my eyes.

And I can’t stand the thought of him seeing the needful loneliness that has become my constant companion since Robert ripped my heart out and left it bleeding on the cobblestone sidewalk.

“What’s your name?” His voice is low and quiet. Steady now. Almost calm.

I turn, unable to avoid looking at him now.

It dawns on me that no, I don’t know his name.

I stand there for a moment, hesitant. The last time this happened, I fell too far, too fast.

This time will be different. Because I’m not going to make the same mistake twice.

It’s like standing too close to an electrical current.

The simplicity of the question is deceptively benign.

I’m drawn to him in a way that is unhealthy and dangerous. He’s already consuming my thoughts, drawing my attention away from the matter at hand and luring me down a dark corridor where only dark thoughts and whispered need twist together.

I hold up one hand, needing to break the spell or whatever is going on between us. My hand collides with his chest, and I am flush against the stark reminder of this man’s strength and power and capability to do violence.

There’s a small cut over his left eye, from the other night. Before the rational part of my brain kicks in, I brush my fingertips gently over the bruised and damaged skin.

He goes still beneath my touch. That full bottom lip opens a little. A tiny space, but I can feel the heat of his breath on my wrist.

His eyes are locked on mine. I’m trapped, unable to move. I’m not sure I want to. I’m furious for him but I’m frozen, burning where my fingers touch his skin.

I cannot move. Cannot look away.

“I’m Josh,” he whispers. An answer to an unasked question.

Nohalfmeasures

5Star

Michel’s Review

Break My Fall by Jessica Scott is the second book in the dynamic new adult, Falling Series.  Unlike most new adult series, the Falling series features a unique cast of characters.  These characters have experienced the trauma of war and are now trying to fit into society.  They can’t relate to their college peers, they no longer fit in their former life in the army, and are holding on by a thread.  The only thing that keeps them glued together is their rag tag group that hangs together at the bar owned by a former officer and soldier.  The armed forces has used them up, spit them out, and offers very little to help them acclimate back into normal life.  While most of their college peers are thinking about what frat party to attend  or what paper is due next, they are running from their nightmares, trying to hold themselves together, and barely getting by.  Each guy has their own means of coping and while it may be a quick fix, it is not the glue that is going to hold them together.

Josh Douglas is struggling with his new life.  He’s attending one of the most elite colleges and yet he can’t escape his time in the army.  He has seen and experienced the ugly side of war.  He has watched his brothers die and or return home broken souls.  He’s a broken soul himself.  He no longer sleeps and thrives off of the thrill of fighting.  The violence pumps up his adrenaline and makes him feel alive.  The rest of the time he feels like he is a shell of a man he used to be.  He’s lost his ability to connect with others.  He’s lost his ability to function as a normal healthy red-blooded male.  When he meets Abby Hilliard, he sees more than a quiet coed.  He sees a woman that guards herself much like he does.  On the surface she’s a beautiful and smart lady but beneath the surface she has her own demons.  Demons that are just as threatening as his own.

Josh and Abby begin a guarded relationship that turns into one that opens up their souls.  A relationship that gives them courage to open up.  To allow themselves to feel the pain as well as feel the glories of love.  Together they both find the hope they need to heal.

Jessica Scott writes a brutally honest love story.  Her characters are the ordinary men and women we meet daily. What she does is gives the reader a view of what makes them special, the good and the bad.  Her experience as an a career officer dealing with men and women suffering from PTSD and other life issues, makes each of her novels much more personal and dynamic.  I truly sympathized with both Josh and Abby.  Their ups and downs, the small victories and baby steps were very realistic.  As I finished the Break My Fall I knew that they couldn’t be completely fixed but that they were going to be okay because they allowed the door to their souls to open.

The writing was engaging, emotional, and honest.  Jessica Scott has once again touched my heart.

Read Break My Fall by Jessica Scott.  It can be read as a stand alone novel or in series order.

 

___________________________________________

The Falling Series

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Before I Fall

Falling Series – Book 1

Synopsis

Stay focused. Get a job. Save her father’s life.

Beth Lamont knows far too much about the harsh realities of life her gilded classmates have only read about in class. She’ll do whatever it takes to take care of her father, even if that means tutoring a guy like Noah – a guy who represents everything she hates about the war, soldiers and what the Army has done to her family.

Noah Warren doesn’t know how to be a student. All he knows is war. But he’s going to college now to fulfill a promise and he doesn’t break his promises. Except he doesn’t count on his tutor being drop dead gorgeous and distracting as hell. One look at Beth threatens to unravel the careful lies Noah has constructed around him.

A simple arrangement turns into something neither of them can deny. And a war that neither of them can forget could destroy them both.

Buy: Amazon / B & N / ITunes / Google Play / Kobo

Break my Fall

Break My Fall

Falling Series – Book 2

Buy : Amazon / B & N / ITunes / Kobo

Synopsis

Violence.
I’m addicted to it. It’s how I feel alive. It’s the only thing that’s real any more.
And now I have to sit around and discuss it like it’s physics or calculus. I can’t do it. I can’t pretend that it’s some sterile academic topic. Violence isn’t sterile. It isn’t calm. It’s pulsing. It’s alive.
It’s my drug.
Until I met Abby, I never wanted anything beyond the next fight. Never considered that I might finally find a way back to the land of the living.
Now? Now I find myself dreaming of a woman with golden eyes.
But I can never be with her. Because I am not whole. And I never will be again.
But I cannot stay away.
And loving her might finally be what breaks me.

______________________________________________

About Jessica Scott

Jessica Scott1USA Today Bestselling author Jessica Scott is a career army officer, mother of two daughters, three cats and three dogs, wife to a career NCO and wrangler of all things stuffed and fluffy. She is a terrible cook and even worse housekeeper, but she’s a pretty good shot with her assigned weapon and someone liked some of the stuff she wrote. Somehow, her children are pretty well adjusted and her husband still loves her, despite burned water and a messy house.

She’s also written for the New York Times At War Blog, PBS Point of View Regarding War, and IAVA. She deployed to Iraq in 2009 as part of OIF/New Dawn and has had the honor of serving as a company commander at Fort Hood, Texas twice.

Most recently, she’s been featured as one of Esquire Magazine’s Americans of the Year for 2012. Learn More at http://www.jessicascott.net

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

Giveaway

: a Rafflecopter giveaway

Break my Fall
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Release Blitz: Playing For Keeps by Megan Fields – The Discovery Series – Book 2

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“Submission is a state of mind”

ღ♥*ˆ˚°★ New Release ღ♥*ˆ˚°★

Playing for Keeps by #MeganFields

Stand-alone novel, part of the Discovery series

ღ Buy Links

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1Th5rYo 

iBooks: http://bit.ly/PlayingForKeepsIB

Kobo: http://bit.ly/PlayingForKeepsKOBO

B&N: http://bit.ly/PlayingForKeepsBN

Lottie has lusted after Alex since the day she met him, all those years ago in his own back garden. Years apart have not diminished her feelings for him
and no other man has ever lived up to the boy she’s never kissed.

Now he’s back and no longer a boy, but a sexy as hell Dominant. Will Lottie risk her heart for love after it’s been left heart broken by men and shattered
by the loss of her parents?

“I’ve never craved dominance or submission, but I have hungered for Alex.” ~ Lottie

Alex has women falling at his feet, begging to be taken. It’s exactly where he wants them, but for the one woman he wants he’d happily be the one on his
knees.

Now he has a chance to make his teenage crush his, but it won’t be easy; nothing worth having is. He has to break down the walls she’s placed around her
heart and prove she’s the one.

“Lottie is mine, she’ll always be mine. Now to show her what true love is.” ~ Alex

TBR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26027993-playing-for-keeps

Free sample: http://playingforkeepssneakpeek.tumblr.com/

ღ Stalker Links

FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Megan-Fields/1507161569500752

Tumblr: http://meganfieldsauthor.tumblr.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Meganfieldsuk

#P4K #AlexandLottie #erotic #dominant #ebook #kindle #Amazon #dom #submission #erom #bdsm

 

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2016 Favorite + 5 Star Review: Sebring by Kristen Ashley – Unfinished Heroes Series – Book 5

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Sebring

Unfinished Heroes Series – Book 5

By Kristen Ashley

Buy: Amazon / B & N / ITunes / Kobo

085d5-goodreads

Synopsis

Nick Sebring has issues. Born feeling like an outsider in his own family, growing up under the shadow of a brother who could do anything, Nick isn’t that great of a guy. But when this culminates with Nick lashing out to hurt his brother through the woman he loves, Nick turns inward and makes some decisions about the man he intends to be.

And as he does this, he falls in love and truly learns the man that he’s grown to be.

When his love is murdered right before Nick’s eyes, Nick knows he has to avenge her. He knows how he’s going to avenge her. And he has no qualms using Olivia Shade to exact that vengeance.

Olivia Shade has grown up on the outside of her family too. Her problem is that they don’t want her outside. They want her all the way in, right under their thumbs. She pays the price for seeking escape and learns her lesson—she’ll never see a dawn where she wakes up free.

Then she meets Nick Sebring, and even as she fights it, the hope that died years ago starts to blossom. She can find love. She can have a man of her own. She can be happy. She can be free.

Olivia hopes while Nick schemes.

However, as Nick peels back the layers of all that is Olivia Shade, he finds something surprising. He understands its fragility. He falls in love with its beauty. He seeks to protect it.

But he forgets to protect his Livvie from one thing: Nick Sebring.

SBJ2016Favorite

5Star

Michel’s Review

The Unfinished Heroes Series by Kristen Ashley is one of my all time favorite series. The heroes of this series are not the typical knight in shining armor type of guys . They are a bit lawless and bend society’s rules to fit their own personal code of ethics. They have created a life that may fringe on the more sinister side of what society deems respectable. The difference is they make their darker side fit with their code of honor. Their actions are dictated by their own sense of justice, morality, and integrity. They are men of action rather than men of words. Each man in this series has a story and purpose. They are unfinished heroes.

Sebring is not the kind of novel you expect from Kristen Ashley. It is not a fun, lighthearted romance. It leans towards the darker side. It dives into the darker side of life and leaves the reader swimming in an emotional pool.

Readers were introduced to Nick Sebring in Knight, the first book of the Unfinished Heroes series. He is the younger brother of Knight Sebring. Unlike his brother, Nick’s childhood was good. By the time he was born his mother had finally found a good life, a good husband, and a stable home. He always lived in his older brother’s shadow and resented his strength and sense of honor. When his brother became a successful businessman, owning a popular nightclub and running a stable of prostitutes it added more fuel to Nick’s fire. Being a young man with a sense of entitlement, deep resentment, and general immaturity caused him to betray his brother. Nick Sebring was all kinds of trouble. The readers walked away with a very low opinion of this young man.

Time has a way of changing people. For Nick Sebring it was for the better. He finally grew up, learned that respect is earned, and actions define what kind of man you are. He has been working along side of the FBI as an informant in the violent underworld of organized crime in Denver. They are trying to take down the organizations that are responsible for Human Trafficking. Nick has infiltrated this violent world and has paid the ultimate price. He watched the woman he loved lose her life trying to bring down the Shade Family organization. He has invested years on this case and it’s time to bring it to an end. What he didn’t count on was falling in love with one of the members of the Shade family. Olivia Shade was his way in. Olivia Shade is his redemption. Olivia Shade is owns his heart.

Olivia Shade was born a princess in the ruthless, violent world of organized crime. She is a princess in an ugly, abusive, and deadly world. Between the psychotic father, the indifferent mother, and ambitious sister, Olivia doesn’t fit into the family’s depraved mold. She’s a prisoner in her ugly life and will never escape her violent world. She’s learned to stay within her family’s boundaries because stepping out of line comes at a deadly cost. She’s forced to work within the family business. The family business is not thriving. They have lost their leverage in their violent world. They are losing ground in the drug trade. New players are taking over their territory. Their father has lost all of the key territories due to his psychotic actions and archaic ways. Their soldiers are abandoning their jobs and moving on to new organizations. The only thing Olivia can do is try to protect the soldiers that are still in their fold, protect the money they have left, and find a new solution to make the organization profitable once again. Her sister plans to take the reigns once their father steps down. She’s as ruthless as their father but not as psychotic.

Nick and Olivia begin a purely sexual relationship that resulted from meeting at an exclusive sex club. What starts out as a way to fulfill their sexual needs turns into something more. Nick begins to see Olivia as an individual and a woman being held prisoner by her blood. She is no longer a means to an end. She is the woman he needs to save.

The price for freedom comes at a high cost.  Nick and Olivia made not be able to pay the price.

Sebring is by far the best book in the Unfinished Heroes Series. I am so happy that Kristen Ashley waited to bring his book out. She gave Nick Sebring time to mature and become a man worthy of this series. It also gave her time to grow as a writer. And she has grown leaps and bounds. Rather than a lighthearted romance that was fun, she dug deep and created a story that was complex and added multiple layers to all of the characters. She delivered a very emotional story. She also began to intertwine the Unfinished Heroes Series and the Chaos Series in the same direction. Both of these series are heading into one plot that is gaining momentum. This plot is very complex and will take an army to deliver. It’s a good thing that she added some of her other dynamic alpha characters from the Mystery Men series and Rock Chick series as part of the cast that will be in the final showdown. The war is coming. The lines have been drawn. The final battle is going to be epic! As each series releases new titles the readers will see that each book is building a slow burning fire that is blazing towards an explosive ending.

Sebring by Kristen Ashley is her best book yet!

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Author Bio:

 

kristen ashleyKristen Ashley was born in Gary, Indiana, USA and nearly killed her mother and herself making it into the world, seeing as she had the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck (already attempting to accessorise and she hadn’t taken her first breath!). Her mother said they took Kristen away, put her Mom back in her room, her mother looked out the window, and Gary was on fire (Dr. King had been assassinated four days before). Kristen’s Mom remembered thinking it was the end of the world. Quite the dramatic beginning.

Nothing’s changed.

Kristen grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana and has lived in Denver, Colorado and the West Country of England. Thus, she’s blessed to have friends and family around the globe. Her family was (is) loopy (to say the least) but loopy is good when you want to write. They all lived together on a very small farm in a small farm town in the heartland. She grew up with Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon and Whitesnake (and the wardrobes that matched).

Needless to say, growing up in a house full of music, clothes and love was a good way to grow up.

And as she keeps growing, it keeps getting better.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads 

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Release Blitz + 5 Star Review: Indigo Nights by Louise Bay

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in 1

Indigo Nights

By Louise Bay

Release Date: February 9, 2015

Buy:

Amazon / Amazon UK / Amazon CA / Amazon AU / Kobo / ITunes  

Synopsis

The only thing better than cake is cake with a side of orgasms.

Dylan James has no expectations when it comes to relationships. He uses women for sex and they use him for his money and power. It’s quid pro quo and he’s good with that. It works.

Beth Harrison has been burned. She’s tired of the lies and the game playing that men bring and has buried herself in her passion—baking which keeps her out of the reach of heartbreak. As she begins her career as a TV baker, a new world opens up to her.

Dylan and Beth both know that casual sex is all about giving what you need to get what you want.

Except that sometimes you give more than you need to and get everything you ever wanted.

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Excerpt

Beth

“As I deliberated over his age, his body, his mouth, Mr. 8A turned his head in my direction and caught me staring. I smiled, trying to cover the fact that I was thinking about him naked and between my thighs, not to mention wondering if every part of him was as solid as it seemed.”

Dylan

“I understood the dynamic between men and women. I got to sleep with hot women, and in exchange they got to fuck a rich guy in the hope that they’d become beneficiaries of my cash. I might be handsome, but I knew from bitter experience that if a richer guy came along, I’d be left in the taillights of the women I slept with. It just happened that now, there weren’t many richer men, which gave me a certain satisfaction. I’d made peace with the transactional nature of relationships between men and women and had no expectations. At some point in my past I’d thought that love was possible. Not anymore. It was all about giving to get.”

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5Star

Tracey’s Review

Although life hasn’t always been easy for Beth Harrison, her life is finally in a place that she’s happy with. Clean and sober, surrounded by family that loves her, and about to hit the big time with her baking show, Beth is settled. Until that man, that serious sexy man in seat 8A…

A longtime fan of Louise Bay, I was so excited to see that Beth was finally getting her story. As part of the cast of characters in Louise’s LIGHTNING and CALLING series, readers got to know her as one of a group of friends that I just love. While her brother and friends paired up and found their HEAs, Beth was the constant, having finally found her way to a life that was free of the drama and pain of her past.

Having found solace and freedom in baking as a way back to her sobriety, Beth is somewhat of a YouTube sensation with her cooking show. On her way to discuss the possibility of moving to television, Beth meets Dylan James, business mogul, lady-killer, and sexy-as-heck fellow traveler. Let me tell you, the chemistry is instant and off-the-charts hot between these two. What starts out as nothing but a one night stand sort of thing quickly turns into something much more.

Louise has brought all of the her usual steaminess, and, being a master at the friends, or friends with benefits, to lover read, has given us another book that, while hot and sexy, is also romantic and heartwarming. I love seeing Beth finally in a place that she can put all of the pain of her past behind her. Dylan seamlessly joins the ranks of Louise’s sexy alpha men, with his intelligence, his strength, and his utter dedication to Beth. I enjoyed seeing the gang from the previous books, as well as Dylan’s partner, Raf. Louise, if you’re seeing this, I would LOVE to see Raf’s story, because there is definitely one there! In the meantime, 5+ steamy, sexy, ‘I love this story’ stars for INDIGO NIGHTS. If you’re a fan, you won’t want to miss this one.

***ARC generously provided for an honest review.***

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Author Bio:

USA Today bestselling author, Louise Bay writes sexy, contemporary romance novels – the kind she likes to read. Her books include the novels Faithful and Hopeful and the novella series’ The Empire State Series, What the Lightning Sees and Calling Me. The novels and together each series are stand-alone although there are some overlapping characters.

Ruined by romantic mini-series of the eighties, Louise loves all things 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!

Website Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads 

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Book Tour + 5+ Star Review + Giveaway: To The Stars by Molly McAdams – Thatch Series – Book 2

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We are so excited to bring you the Review & Excerpt Tour for Molly McAdams’ TO THE STARS! TO THE STARS is a contemporary romance novel being published on February 9th by HarperCollins’ William Morrow Impulse imprint and is the second novel in Molly’s Thatch Series.

 

 

To The Stars

To The Stars

Thatch Series – Book 2

By Molly McAdams

Grab Your Copy Today!

Amazon ** Barnes & Noble ** iTunes ** Kobo ** GooglePlay

About TO THE STARS:

In the second standalone book in New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Molly McAdams’ Thatch series, Knox Alexander must convince his long-time love Harlow Evans that they’re meant to be together.

He promised to wait for her.
She told him he was wasting his time.
Not waiting for him ended up being the biggest mistake of her life.

When they were younger, Knox Alexander swore to Harlow Evans that he would wait for her to turn eighteen so they could be together. But that was two and a half years away, and Harlow couldn’t ask him to give up all the fun and thrills of going away to college for her. As the years passed, Knox remained a constant in her life but when her eighteenth birthday came around, Harlow’s heart belonged to someone else.

Every day for the last four years, Harlow has been haunted by that fateful choice. And though he may appear unaffected by what happened in their past, Knox has always tried to fill the void Harlow left. But when he comes stumbling back into her life and refuses to leave, will Harlow finally let him into her heart…?

To The Stars - Tour Teaser 2

Excerpt

Despite the glimpse of the Collin I’d once loved, it only ended up being that—a glimpse. Over the next forty minutes I messed up too many times, and Collin’s anger with me continued to grow. I knew I could have done a better job at being the wife Collin thought I should be; I just couldn’t concentrate.

I could feel Knox’s eyes on me, and it was too easy to turn and find him. But I was terrified that if I looked at him, Collin would notice. Forcing myself to look away from what my soul reached for was draining and taking every ounce of focus I had. I knew I needed to get it together, I needed to start impressing Collin even; but Knox was there. There. As was Collin. And both were incredibly pissed-off. The only good part of the night was that Ren had already left with a girl my age.

“You know what I’m finding hilarious?” Collin asked as he pulled me away from the latest couple we’d been speaking with, his lips brushing my ear. “It seems like for the past hour I’ve had to convince people you love me. You’re holding yourself stiff and away from me, you seem distracted and your responses are delayed, and you’ve barely made eye contact with me. Now tell me, Harlow, why would I have to convince all these people that my wife loves me? Better yet, why would I have to try to convince myself that she still does?”

I froze. In the years of going through all this, in the years of him having sex with someone who couldn’t bear to look at him or take part in it, Collin had never questioned my love for him. Dread filled me, making it feel like there were hands gripping and twisting my stomach. His questioning something like this would end horribly. “Collin, don’t be ridi—”

“Do not speak.” His fingers dug into the inside of my forearm, and my mouth immediately popped open, a harsh breath blowing past my lips. “Don’t show your pain, Harlow,” he warned.

I snapped my mouth shut and tried to control my expression, but I knew I wasn’t succeeding when his fingers pressed in harder.

“Do not show your pain,” he gritted out—his smile never wavered.

I clenched my jaw and somehow managed to plaster a tight-lipped smile on my face.

Collin’s lips ghosted along my neck. “Do you love me, Harlow?” His grip loosened enough to allow me to answer.

I loathe you with every fiber of my being.

TTS Teaser 5

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Tracey’s Review

From the moment they’d met, Knox Alexander and Harlow Evans had just known that there was something special between them, something so special that neither time nor distance could dim it. But when choices were made that changed the course of their love, and life took them in different directions, would that love be enough to anchor them to each other?

TO THE STARS by Molly McAdams is one of those books that you cannot bear to put down, even as it is tearing you apart. Knox and Harlow met when she was still very young, and, even though she was mature for her years, she was unable to see that Knox was trying to let her find her own way before settling down with him. The choices that she made, completely understandable ones for a young woman her age, would bring heartache that neither she nor Knox could imagine.

This book is a love story, yes, but deals with some very timely and very uncomfortable scenarios, including many that are most definitely triggers for some people. Molly has done a phenomenal job of detailing a relationship gone so very horribly wrong, and of the dark side that can exist just below the surface. The paralyzing fear that Harlow experiences, the devastation of realizing that the veneer of civility is so very thin in certain individuals, is almost visceral, and I found myself moved to tears of sorrow more than once when reading TO THE STARS.

This is the sort of story that gives you pause as you read, because it is very easy to imagine this very situation happening to someone that you know. And, honestly, statistics show that the sort of things that Harlow suffers happen all too frequently.

In the end, TO THE STARS paints a picture of a love strong enough to overcome even the most heinous evil, and shows that love always does, indeed, win. I would recommend this book without fail, and encourage you to add this one to your TBR, but make sure to have your tissues ready. 5+ stars for a story beautifully and tragically told, one that is a warning, a lesson, and, ultimately, a story of hope.

***ARC provided by the publisher for an honest review.***

5Star

Michel’s Review

This may be one of the most difficult reviews I will ever write.  I don’t really want to give away spoilers but feel like there are some things that need to be disclosed to the readers about To The Stars by Molly McAdams.

First of all I want to say that this is a solid 5 Star book.  The writing is superb.  The delivery of the story from duo POV’s, as well as past and present, make this story authentic.  Molly McAdams unique talent of writing an emotionally involving story that wrenches the readers heart  goes beyond expectations.  What she delivers in To The Stars will engage every emotion imaginable and will engage the reader physically to the point of pain.  This book is quite different from her previous new adult romances.  It goes beyond the emotional angst and delves into emotional terror.

The synopsis for this book is a bit deceiving.  It leads readers to believe that this is a second chance romance after teenage angst tore this couple apart.  It has the second chance romance that readers were expecting. The difference is the journey Harlow has had to travel. It is beyond a teenage girl making bad choices due to immaturity.  The choices she made led her down a road no woman, young or old, ever wants to be on.  She chose the wrong man and ended up scarred for life, emotionally and physically.  She endured physical abuse that led to a life of terror.

This is a book about surviving domestic abuse.  If this subject matter is a trigger or hard point, do not read it.  Molly pulled out the big guns and gave the reader a very vivid, graphic, and painful look at domestic violence.

Harlow was in an awkward position in life that led her to choosing the wrong man to spend her life with.  When she met Knox she was a fifteen year old girl.  She was too mature for the boys her age but not emotionally mature enough for an older guy.  Rather than diving into a romantic relationship, they developed a strong friendship with the promise of more when she turned eighteen.  By the time she reached eighteen, she still did not have enough life experience or social experience to make the right choice where romance was concerned.  Because of her inexperience and immaturity, her perceptions of Knox’s behavior were off base.  What she perceived as rejection was something different altogether.  Her reaction was what a typical girl  would do at that age.  She moved on to another guy.  She didn’t look at the overall picture, she didn’t analyze her emotions, and she didn’t listen to her gut instinct.  She dove head first into a relationship that appeared to be perfect in everyone’s eyes even though deep down she knew her heart ached for the boy she had once loved.  She rushed into marriage and ended up in living hell.  For five years she lived in a nightmare where the monster was very real.

When she runs into Knox at a coffee shop in town, she’s a hollow shadow of the girl he once loved.  When her secrets begin to surface it awakens the horrific beast that was hiding beneath the terrifying monster she already knew.  It’s too late for her and Knox.  She has finally reached her breaking point and resigned herself to the life she chose. She’s lost all hope.  She’s lost all her will.

Knox has loved Harlow for seven years.  He is going to do everything in his power to save the girl he has always loved.  It doesn’t matter that she chose another man.  What matters most is that the girl he loved is freed from the nightmare.  He wants her to reach for the stars. He wants to see the girl he once knew find herself again. He has loved her to the stars and back. Now he wants her to love herself.

As I read this story my stomach was in knots.  At times I was physically sick to my stomach.  I was horrified at Harlow’s life.  I felt every emotion, every moment of terror, and the resignation in her soul.  I could easily see how a young,impressionable young woman could easily fall into this kind of abusive relationship.  It clearly is not from lack of intelligence, lack of good judgement, or lack of self esteem.  It’s from inexperience and emotional immaturity.  There isn’t wisdom or previous experiences to draw upon.  There’s the desire to find romance and prince charming.  There’s the desire to be an adult and make your own choices in life. Harlow didn’t give herself the chance to blossom. Growing as an individual takes time, life experience, and reflection.

Molly McAdams delivered a powerful story that will make readers cringe but also become aware of all the ramifications caused by domestic violence. She didn’t sugarcoat the story or add fluff to the romance.  She gave the readers a very real view of a life many women have lived.  The one message I took away from this book is that no matter how bad life can be there is always hope if you are brave enough to reach for the stars.

 

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And don’t miss the first book in the Thatch Series…

Letting Go - cover

LETTING GO

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Author PhotoAbout Molly McAdams:

Molly grew up in California but now lives in the oh-so-amazing state of Texas with her husband, daughter, and fur babies. When she’s not diving into the world of her characters, some of her hobbies include hiking, snowboarding, traveling, and long walks on the beach … which roughly translates to being a homebody with her hubby and dishing out movie quotes. She has a weakness for crude-humored movies and fried pickles, and loves curling up in a fluffy comforter during a thunderstorm … or under one in a bathtub if there are tornados. That way she can pretend they aren’t really happening.

 

 

 

 

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