Release Blitz + Excerpt + 5 Star Review + Giveaway : Hot Stuff by Kim Karr

Posted on 09/27/2017 by shellbellereads

HOT STUFF_Amazon

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Hot Stuff - book info

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Title: Hot Stuff

Author: Kim Karr

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: September 27, 2017

Buy: Amazon

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Hot Stuff - about book

Synopsis

Get ready to fall in love with this new standalone sports romance from New York Times bestselling author Kim Karr.

He’s the newly drafted quarterback.

Hot. Arrogant. Too sexy for words.

Ready to score.

I’m an athletic intern, and the coach’s daughter.

Driven. Determined. Prepared to conquer the world.

Completely off-limits.

The NFL is full of rules. Rules I’ve never broken. Never challenged. Never even scratched—until the day Lucas Carrington crashes into my life with his hard body and I-don’t-give-a-f*ck attitude.

After I almost injure my father’s star player, I volunteer to make sure he’s in top shape. At first, it’s hell. I don’t like his attitude, his cockiness, his easy smile. Don’t like the way he oozes sex. Or how his penetrating eyes follow me everywhere.

That doesn’t stop me from wanting him.

He’s meant to be a distraction—something to occupy my mind for these precious few remaining hot summer nights before I’m forced to leave football behind forever.

I know what we’re doing will lead nowhere good. I know we’re crossing the line. And I know my father will never understand.

None of that matters.

But maybe it should.

Rules aren’t meant to be broken.

Or are they?

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Excerpt

Gillian Whitney

I wasn’t in a hurry.

Yet I walked as fast as I could across the grounds.

When I found myself inside the large brick building and heading down the hall to the training room, my palms began to sweat. After I wiped them on my gym shorts, I unlocked the door and scolded myself for being nervous.

I could do this.

I could absolutely be in the same room as a hot guy with ripped abs, sinewy muscles, and broad shoulders.

I’d been around men like him my entire life.

So what made him different?

I had no idea. All I knew was my pulse raced when I thought of his strong arms. His firm pecks. His hard body. His rugged good looks.

It was dark inside the room, no one was here yet, and I took a moment to breathe deep before flicking on the lights and then emptying my bag.

This room was about half the size of the Bear’s Training Room in Chicago, but it was still state-of-the-art. Remodeled a few years ago, it had been designed with the Bears’ needs in mind.

“Hey,” a deep voice said. “I’m reporting for duty as ordered.”

I jumped, turning to see Lucas in the doorway.

His blue gaze practically drank me in and instantly I felt my nipples harden. I was wearing a tank top and feared their protrusion was more than evident. It was just so hard not to notice how gorgeous he was. Even in his grungy state, there was so much raw power emanating from him. Unshaved, and his hair a sexy mess, he wore sweatpants and a Bears T-shirt. A duffle hung from his shoulder in a lopsided way, and it was the first thing I noticed about his condition.

Something about it wasn’t right, and I snapped right back into work mode.

“Good morning,” I said. “How do you feel today?”

He dropped his duffle to the ground. “Terrific.”

“No headaches, nausea, or dizziness?”

“Nope,” he said. “How long is this going to take?”

Grabbing a water bottle from the refrigerator and a heart rate monitor from the drawer, I slowly started toward him. “Less than thirty minutes, as long as everything checks out.”

His expression grew pensive. “Great. Then let’s get this over with so I can get back to what’s important.”

There was something in his tone that was off. Sure, he was being a smart-ass, but I was used to dealing with that from disgruntled players. It was their coping mechanism. There was something else going on. “This is important, Lucas.”

“Yeah, right, of course it is.” His voice was cool.

I strode past him and went directly across the hall to the weight room, where I flicked on the lights.

Lucas was obviously in a hurry because he was on my heels.

I tossed him the monitor and then pointed to the treadmill. “Strap that around your chest and then hop on.”

Okay, it sounded a little dirty.

At that, he shot me a glance, and I tossed one right back. But then I was momentarily stunned when he stripped his T-shirt off to affix the monitor to his chest. Lucas had the body of a god, and by the smug look he wore, he not only knew it, but he also knew I knew it.

Climbing onto the treadmill, he tossed his shirt over the rail. Then he pushed the speed button, and the machine roared to life.

I placed the water bottle in the cup holder in front of him. “Get to a pace you’re comfortable with, one you can sustain, and if you start to experience any dizziness or headaches, tell me right away and we’ll stop.”

“And if I have none?”

With the monitoring device in my hand, I watched his heart rate increase and his blood pressure remain steady. “Then we go for the full twenty minutes.”

“And then what, I get a prize?”

I ignored his comment. “No, then, although I can’t diagnosis you, I would say you are non-symptomatic.”

Giving me a nod, he drank some water from the bottle and after he’d put it back in its place, he programmed the timer. From beside him, I noticed he still appeared to have some lingering neck spasms. Not that unusual after what happened.

About ten minutes later he looked over at me. He didn’t speak around his huffing and puffing. That was fine by me because every time his abs and pecs rippled, I couldn’t stop myself from thinking about how his sweat would taste if I ran my tongue along the ridge of his ribs or around the concave cup of his belly button.

It was wrong on so many levels.

By the time eighteen minutes passed, his mouth had set into a tight, hard line of determination. Sweat had also coated his entire upper body, but it was far from disgusting.

Ridiculous as it was, I couldn’t stop flicking my gaze from the monitor to his muscled thighs and occasionally to the incredibly mesmerizing set of dimples on his back.

God was he sexy.

“Everything cool?” he asked.

No, everything was not cool.

It was hot.

He was hot.

And I was in so much trouble.

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Michel’s Review

With all the controversy today in professional football it was a pure delight to read Hot Stuff by Kim Karr. This novel was a reminder of why fans love this sport. It showcased a young athlete’s hopes and dreams of making it in the professional league. What made it even better was not only witnessing this young man make his professional dreams come true but also falling in love at the same time.

Luca Carrington was a first round draft pick for the Chicago Bears. It was the one team he didn’t want to be a part of. He wanted to get as far as possible from Chicago and the negative memories of his childhood. After being put in his place by the head coach he’s had an attitude adjustment. Training camp is the real test, the make it or break it test that will determine whether he is cut out to become a professional football player. Lucas Carrington is all in, ready to prove his worth as a starter quarterback and a team player. On the very first day of camp he is injured by a runaway water cart being pushed by one of the intern trainers. He doesn’t know if he was knocked silly by the cart or the beautiful intern behind the beast. He’s ready for some intense therapy with this stunning beauty. He knows she’s off limits but when he finds out she is the coach’s daughter it makes her all the more unattainable. He never allowed women to be a distraction in his football career but Gillian Whitney is commanding his attention.

Gillian Whitney has lived professional football all her life. It’s natural that she would pursue a career as an athletic trainer. She also promised her father that once she got her doctorate degree she would leave professional sports behind and live a normal life. In her mind football is the normal life but her father has different ideas. This summer is going to be the last time attending training camp as an intern trainer. She intends to make the most of it before she returns to school in Florida. On the first day she runs down the new star quarterback with a water cart, not a good start. After a minor injury she feels like it is her responsibility to take care of the sexy quarterback. She didn’t count on falling hopelessly in love. Their time is on the clock. When training camp ends will their relationship survive when their careers are on different paths?

This book stood out among all the sports romance novels because it took the reader from beginning of the rookie days through the professional aspect of football. The reader was able to experience professional football from different points of view in the field. Through Lucas readers got to see the players point of view. Through Gillian we got to see how the athletes remain well oiled machines. Through Gillian’s father readers got to see how a coach executes plays while dealing with the business side of professional sports. The best part was experiencing two people finding a love that was worth fighting for. Hot Stuff by Kim Karr is a winner!

Hot Stuff - about author

Kim Karr is a New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author.

She grew up in Rochester, NY and now lives in Florida with her husband and four kids. She’s always had a love for reading books and writing. Being an English major in college, she wanted to teach at the college level but that was not to be. She went on to receive an MBA and became a project manager until quitting to raise her family. Kim currently works part-time with her husband and recently decided to embrace one of her biggest passions–writing.

Kim wears a lot of hats! Writer, book-lover, wife, soccer-mom, taxi driver, and the all around go-to person of her family. However, she always finds time to read. One of her favorite family outings was taking her kids when they were little to the bookstore or the library. Today, Kim’s oldest child is seventeen and no longer goes with her on these, now rare and infrequent, outings. She finds that she doesn’t need to go on them anymore because she has the greatest device ever invented–a Kindle.

Kim likes to believe in soul mates, kindred spirits, true friends, and Happily-Ever-Afters. She loves to drink champagne, listen to music, and hopes to always stay young at heart.

Hot Stuff - connect

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Enter the Giveaway

http://bit.ly/2uVpcPz

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Release Day Launch + Excerpt + Giveaway + 5-Star Review: Chasing Christmas Eve by Jill Shalvis

Posted on 09/26/2017 by cafemamanc7

From New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis comes the next sexy, standalone novel in the Heartbreaker Bay series… Don’t miss the amazing excerpt and giveaway below, and grab your copy today!

About CHASING CHRISTMAS EVE:

Meet cute…

Run for the hills—temporarily. That’s Colbie Albright’s plan when she flees New York for San Francisco. Wrangling her crazy family by day and writing a bestselling YA fantasy series by night has taken its toll. In short, Colbie’s so over it that she’s under it. She’s also under the waters of a historic San Francisco fountain within an hour of arrival. Fortunately, the guy who fishes Colbie out has her looking forward to Christmas among strangers. But she’s pretty sure Spencer Baldwin won’t be a stranger for long.

Make merry…

Spence’s commitment to hiding from the Ghosts of Relationships Past means he doesn’t have to worry about the powerful—okay, crazy hot—chemistry he’s got with Colbie. Just because she can laugh at anything, especially herself… just because she’s gorgeous and a great listener…just because she “gets” Spencer immediately doesn’t mean he won’t be able to let Colbie go. Does it?

…and hope for a miracle.

Now the clock’s ticking for Colbie and Spence: Two weeks to cut loose. Two weeks to fall hard. Two weeks to figure out how to make this Christmas last a lifetime

Order CHASING CHRISTMAS EVE in ebook or paperback, now available!

Amazon | iBooks | Kobo| Barnes & Noble

Add to your Goodreads

EXCERPT:

At the unexpected sight of Spence, Colbie startled hard. How was it that he was the one who needed glasses and yet she’d not seen him standing against the window? “No, I don’t kill a lot of people,” she said cautiously because she was wearing only a towel in front of a strange man. “But I’m happy to make an exception.”

He laughed, a rough rumble that was more than a little contagious but she controlled herself because, hello, she was once again dripping wet before the man who seemed to make her knees forget to hold her up.

“I didn’t mean to scare you,” he said and pushed off the wall to come close.

She froze, but he held up his hands like, I come in peace, and crouched at her feet to scoop up the clothes she hadn’t realized she’d dropped.

Leggings, a long forgiving tee, and the peach silk bra-and-panty set that hadn’t gotten so much as a blink from the TSA guy.

But it got one out of Spence. He also swallowed hard as she snatched them back from him.

“Hold on,” he said and caught her arm, pulling it toward him to look at her bleeding elbow.

“Sit,” he said and gently pushed her down to a weight bench. He vanished into the bathroom and came back out with a first aid kit.

It took him less than two minutes to clean and bandage the scrape. Then, easily balanced at her side on the balls of his feet, he did the same for both her knees, which she hadn’t noticed were also scraped up.

“You must’ve hit the brick coping as you fell in the fountain,” he said and let his thumb slide over the skin just above one bandaged knee.

She shivered, and not from the cold either. “Not going to kiss it better?” she heard herself ask before biting her tongue for running away with her good sense.

She’d raised her younger twin brothers. Scrappy, roughhouse wild animals, the both of them so there’d been plenty of injuries she’d kissed over the years.

But no one had ever kissed hers. Not surprising, since most of her injuries tended to be on the inside, where they didn’t show. Still, she was horrified she’d said anything at all. “I didn’t mean—” She broke off, frozen like a deer in the headlights as Spence slowly lowered his head, brushing his lips over the Band-Aid on her elbow, then her knees.

When he lifted his head, he pushed his glasses higher on his nose, those whiskey eyes warm and amused behind his lenses. “Better?”

Tracey’s Review

There are authors that I know I can go to when I’m in need of a visit to my happy place, when what I want is a story that will leave me satisfied and lighter. Jill Shalvis is one of those authors for me, and CHASING CHRISTMAS EVE, the latest book in her Heartbreaker Bay series, has nicely done the job.

I have been waiting for über-nerdy, arch, brilliant Spence to get his book, and his HEA. Spence is a guy that’s risen from veritably nothing because he’s so stinking smart. For all that he has, though, his most wonderful attributes are his big heart and his love for the family of friends that he’s found in Heartbreaker Bay. For all of his smarts, it’s been hard for Spence to make a romantic relationship work, mostly because he spends so much time in his own head, focusing on work and projects.

Colbie Albright has arrived in Heartbreaker Bay looking for a jump-start for her creative process, a vacation from her ‘other’ life that has worn her down and left her empty. I fell in love with her from the first scene, and, I have to say, she and Spence are kind of perfect for each other. She can keep up with Spence from the get-go, something that he’s not used to, and I think that it knocks him and his well-meaning friends (Elle, I’m looking at you) a bit off-kilter, as well as drawing him right in.

I’m a big fan of those series that, while made up of standalone books, draw on the characters and relationships from previous books, because it just lends more heart to the story, somehow. Jill Shalvis is a pro at these types of series and books, adept at crafting worlds that readers enjoy visiting again and again, and characters that are a joy to spend time with. The folks from Heartbreaker Bay are like a family, and each book draws me more firmly into their orbit. CHASING CHRISTMAS EVE is as delightful as the other books in this series, and an easy 5 smart, sweet, slightly nerdy stars for me. A definite must-read for Jill’s fans, and for fans of romantic comedy everywhere.

A Rafflecopter giveaway

And don’t miss the previous books in Jill Shalvis’s Heartbreaker Bay Series, SWEET LITTLE LIES, THE TROUBLE WITH MISTLETOE and ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE, now available! Grab your copies HERE!

About Jill Shalvis:

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental. Look for Jill’s sexy contemporary and award-winning books wherever romances are sold and click on the blog button above for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.

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Release Blitz & 5+ Star Review & 2017 Favorite: The Learning Hours by Sara Ney – How To Date A Douchebag Series – Book 3

Posted on 09/26/2017 by shellbellereads

The Learning Hours

How To Date A Douchebag Series – Book 3

By Sara Ney

Buy:

Amazon | Amazon UK | iBooks | B&N | KOBO

He’s not a douchebag; but that doesn’t stop his friends from turning him into one.

MY FRIENDS WANT ME TO GET LAID.

So much so that they plastered my ugly mug all over campus, in bold printed letters:

Are you the lucky lady who’s going to break our roommate’s cherry?
Him: socially awkward man with average-sized penis looking for willing sexual partner. You: must have a pulse. He will reciprakate with oral. Text him at: 555-254-5551

The morons can’t even spell. And the texts I’ve been receiving are what wet dreams are made of. But I’m not like these douchebags, no matter how hard they try to turn me into one.

THIS ISN’T THE KIND OF ATTENTION I WANT.

One text stands out from hundreds. One number I can’t bring myself to block. She seems different. Hotter, even in black and white.

However, after seeing her in person, I know she’s not the girl for me. But my friends won’t let up–they just don’t get it. Douchebags or not, there’s one thing they’ll never understand: GIRLS DON’T WANT ME.

Especially her.

Amazon | Amazon UK | iBooks | B&N | KOBO

Michel’s Review

OMG! How To Date A Douchebag: The Learning Hours is one of those books I will never forget. It was so good and had me glued to the pages while falling hopelessly in love with a very different kind of hero. Hands down… Rhett Rabideaux stole my heart in the first sentence of the book. He was so unexpected yet so charming and humble throughout the entire book. As a man, he won my respect. As a young male college student, he commanded my admiration. As an allstar wrestler, he demanded my team dedication and spirit. As an individual who was subject to hazing and bullying, he had my complete sympathy. How he handled the negativity was beyond commendable. He is the true definition of strength and fortitude. All these great individual qualities are enough to make the reader swoon but Sara Ney made Rhett all the more desirable with his sexy southern charm and mastery of the French language.

Rhett Rabideaux gave up everything to attend Iowa State on a wrestling scholarship in his junior year. Who does that? Only the fearless soul who’s willing to take a risk. What he didn’t count on was a team full of douchebags that treated him worst than dirt. He can tolerate the team hazing up to a point until it cost him over $400. When his teammates put posters of him up, which included his phone number, advertising to get him laid went beyond their normal douchery. It was downright humiliating. Now he’s dealing with texts from numerous women that make sexting look innocent. There’s one texter that catches his attention even though he wants to blow her off. Her snarky wit and the fact that no pictures are included seems safe enough to respond to until he finds out who he’s exchanging texts with.

It all started on a dare and the command of the magic 8 ball when Laurel decided to text Rhett as a joke. When his combative responses started burning up her phone she couldn’t do anything but engage in the battle. After a few days of texting and a simple phone conversation she’s beginning to see Rhett in a different light. The more she learns about him, the more she wants his undivided attention. The only problem is she lied about who she was and about her intentions in the beginning. Now she must come clean with the truth and her real identity because she wants Rhett Rabideaux more than any guy on campus.

Rhett and Laurel are opposites in every way. They shouldn’t belong together but they fit perfectly. It’s time to teach the meddling douchebags a lesson. Rhett Rabideaux will never fit into their club. He’s stands above them all.

Sara Ney delivered a unique romance that truly shows that love is a matter of the heart. Looks, money, and popularity don’t necessarily guarantee happiness. Actions speak louder than words. Matters of the heart follow their own beat.

I loved every moment of this book and fell hopelessly in love with Rhett Rabideaux!

Sara Ney is the USA Today Bestselling Author of the How to Date a Douchebag series, and is best known for her sexy, laugh-out-loud New Adult romances. Among her favorite vices, she includes: iced latte’s, historical architecture and well-placed sarcasm. She lives colorfully, collects vintage books, art, loves flea markets, and fancies herself British.

She lives with her husband, children, and her ridiculously large dog.

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Release Blitz + Excerpt + Playlist + 4.5 Star Review: Solace by S.L. Scott

Posted on 09/22/2017 by cafemamanc7

Title: Solace

Author: S.L. Scott

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: September 22, 2017

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/SolaceGR

Synopsis

He puts the Bad in bad boy.

She puts the Sweet in sweetheart.

When a hired gun burns out from the life he’s been living, he returns to the small country town where rumors run rampant and everyone goes to church on Sunday.

With sins and secrets trailing Jason Koster home, he is searching for redemption in hopes of living a life less complicated. He didn’t expect to find the only girl he ever loved now a recently single woman running her family farm.

Delilah Noelle never needed much, but she wanted Jason Koster—one time love of her life. When misunderstandings tear the former beauty queen and quarterback apart, can a second chance heal their broken hearts?

Will the years and circumstances that have passed be too much to bridge the distance to a future together?

Solace is a heartwarming small town romance with plenty of action and swoons that will have this hometown hero vying for the affections of his high school sweetheart.

PURCHASE LINKS

AMAZON US: http://bit.ly/SolaceAm1

AMAZON UK: http://bit.ly/SolaceUK

AMAZON CA: http://bit.ly/SolaceCA

AMAZON AU: http://bit.ly/SolaceAUS

Paperback: http://bit.ly/SolacePB1

–FREE in Kindle Unlimited–

EXCERPT

I used to think she couldn’t resist me, but she had no problem earlier this week. I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve when it comes to Ms. Noelle. Let’s see if she still can. “I’ll be right back.”

“What?” my mom asks, watching me get out of the car. “Where are you going? The light’s going to turn green any second.”

I keep walking.

She sees me. Even though her pretty eyes are hidden behind big sunglasses, I can figure they’re probably damn wide right now. Reaching for the truck door lock, her finger pushes it down just as I arrive. She can kid herself like that. She knows deep down that I’ll never hurt her, but I might pressure her into giving me a little of her time.

Standing on the other side of her door, I knock. Delilah finally looks up and points at the light. It’s green. I shrug. I make the lame twist of the wrist roll down your window motion with my hand because I have a feeling she might not understand if I pretend to push a button to roll it down.

“Get back in your car, Jason,” she says through the glass.

“No. Roll down your window.” To sugarcoat it, I add, “Please.”

“Why?”

“What do you mean why? I want to talk to you and I don’t want shout through the glass.”

Huffing, the glass slides down slowly. “What is it?” She keeps her hands on the steering wheel and her grip seems to tighten just a bit.

She glances my way, so I say, “I want to see you.”

“You’re seeing me, Jason, so if that’s all there is, I’ll be going no—”

The glass starts to roll up, but I clamp my palm over it. She releases the button and looks up at me. “I don’t know what happened the other day, what turned your mood so quickly, but I’d like another chance for us to talk this time.”

“It’s not a good idea.”

“It’s a great idea, actually. All you have to say is yes.”

“No.”

My smile tilts into a smirk. “You haven’t changed much.”

“Then you haven’t been paying attention.”

Tracey’s Review

Jason Koster has been gone from his hometown for five long years, leaving on the heels of heartbreak. But home is calling to him, and with it the memories of all that he’s left behind. Time and life has changed him, and he’s not the same person that left, but, if the one he left will give him another chance, he might just stick around.

If you’ve read the Kingwood Duet by author S.L. Scott, then you’ll remember Jason. Yes, that Jason, the friend, protector, brother-in-arms, sexy, got-your-back guy? Well, guess what? Jason is back, and we get to see where this bad boy is from, and what makes him tick in SOLACE, the newest release from author S.L. Scott.

I really enjoyed seeing this side of Jason, seeing him in his element, and learning about the past that had formed the man I met in the Kingwood books. Love, loss, betrayal, all of these things made Jason the man that left home for a life unknown, and carried him through until the desire to go back to his roots finally called loudly enough.

Meeting Delilah, the woman that Jason never stopped loving, gives more insight into why Jason felt so connected to Sara Jane in SAVAGE. Soft yet strong, innocent, yet not, Delilah has had more than her share of loss, too. Misplaced trust and a friend with his own agenda took the most important thing from her, and left her a very different person than the one that Jason had known. But it doesn’t take long for the flame to flare brighter and hotter than before, creating a second chance that has been years in the making.

SOLACE is full of sexy, steamy Southern charm, with characters that have many layers to them, yes, but there is plenty of the stock intrigue and suspense that kept me turning pages until I got to the very end. 4.5 sexy, sweet, suspenseful second-chance stars for SOLACE. Definitely one for fans that want a little bit of everything, and a great addition to Suzie Scott’s body of work.

Add to Goodreads TBR http://bit.ly/SolaceGR

Spotify Playlist: http://bit.ly/SolaceSpotify

ABOUT S.L. SCOTT

Living in the capital of Texas with her family, Scott loves traveling and avocados, beaches, and cooking with her kids. She’s obsessed with epic romances and loves a good plot twist. Her favorite color is blue, but she likens it more toward the sky than the emotion. Her home is filled with the welcoming symbol of the pineapple and finds surfing a challenge though she likes to think she’s a pro.

AUTHOR LINKS

Website: http://www.slscottauthor.com/

Newsletter: http://bit.ly/SLSNewsletter

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/slscottpage

Twitter: https://twitter.com/slscottauthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/s.l.scott/

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/slscott1

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2h6G0eI

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/Slscottauthor

Huffington Post Contributor Page: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sl-scott/

S.L. Scott FB Reader Group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/slscottbooks

S.L. Scott GR Reader Group: http://bit.ly/SLScottGRGroup

Blog Tour + Excerpt + 5 Star Review: Exes With Benefits by Nicole Williams

Posted on 09/22/2017 by shellbellereads

Exes With Benefits

By Nicole Williams

Release Date: September 18, 2017

Buy: Amazon / B & N / IBooks

Synopsis:

He wants a second chance. I want a divorce. To get what I want, I’ll have to give him what he does.

From New York Times & USA Today bestselling author, Nicole Williams, comes a new standalone romance in the same vein as Roommates with Benefits.

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“One month. That’s nothing in the scope of a person’s life.” He slid a bit closer.
“One month is everything when it comes to opening myself back up to you.”
He didn’t argue that. He let silence speak for him instead.
“What exactly are you expecting during this one month?” I might have winced when I heard myself say those words.
He rubbed his mouth, trying to hide whatever was trying to form. “For you to give me another chance. For you to be my wife.”
The term made me nauseated. “Your wife? As in your indentured servant? No way.”
It was a smile he was trying to hide. Not very successfully. It made me thankful I’d slipped into these old boots so I could give him a solid kick in the ass if necessary.
“Like be willing to spend time with me. That’s it. That’s all,” he added when he correctly interpreted the question in my eyes. The question.
“What will we be doing during that time we’re spending together?” I pulled at the chest of my dress when I noticed the way his gaze had lingered there a moment too long.
His shoulder rose. “Got any ideas?” There was an unmistakable glint in his eyes.
“No,” I answered instantly.
“You used to have plenty of ideas for filling the time.” He took a swig of his Coke.
“And then I learned how to use my brain.”
He studied my fake smile, almost like he was contemplating what it would feel like against his mouth. “Dinners. Dates. Simple stuff like that.”
I held my best poker face, considering his offer. I didn’t want to stay married to him. If one more month was what it took to be free of Canaan Ford, I could suck it up. I’d already made it five years. “No expectations of anything of a physical nature?”
“If I remember right”—his eyes narrowed as he rubbed the back of his head—“it was generally you who instigated all of that back then.”
I shoved his chest. Bad idea. Solid. Firm. Home.
My jaw ground as I worked to erase that word from my conscious where he was concerned. “And you were just the perfect gentleman.”
Canaan snatched my hand before I could pull it away. Holding onto it, he dragged me closer. Not so close that our bodies touched, but close enough the separation was painful.
“Exactly,” he said in that low voice of his. The one he’d whispered my name in so many times as he moved inside me. “A gentleman gives his woman exactly what she needs. As many times as she need it. Just doing my part.”
“How noble.”
“That’s right. So if you want to make any changes to this one month agreement, consider me your humble servant.” When his hand dropped to my waist, his touch hesitant at the same time it was insistent, I didn’t flinch out of instinct the way I should have.
Instead, I had to remind myself to pull away from him; to flinch at his touch. “I have a boyfriend, Canaan.” Even to my ears, it sounded like a weak protest.
His hand didn’t fall away when I stepped back. “You’re a married woman, Maggie.”
“My husband forfeited his rights years ago.” My eyes found his, expecting them to shoot away once mine made contact.
They didn’t. His gold eyes held to mine. “He’s here to reclaim them.

Michel’s Review

Exes With Benefits by Nicole Williams is more than a second chance romance. It’s an emotionally charged novel which clearly takes the characters on a life changing journey. Two young people got married before they were ready to step fully into the adult world. Their maturity level left them incapable of dealing with the emotional storm called life. Their communication with one another was broken. Their ability to express their emotions was non existent. Their coping mechanisms were became destructive. Their relationship became toxic. One became an enabler and the other was about to detonate. The only thing that could fix their problems was to walk away from the life they had begun to destroy.

Maggie Church and Canaan Ford got married right out of high school because of a surprise pregnancy that ended with a miscarriage. They clearly loved one another deeply but couldn’t handle the tragedy in their lives. To make matters worse there were other tragedies weighing on their souls. They were both too immature to handle their loss on an emotional level. Canaan began to drink heavily. The drinking led to a path of self destruction which included fighting and out of control behavior. Maggie couldn’t take watching Canaan self destruct and finally chose to walk away. As she watched Canaan in her rear view mirror, she vowed she would never return to Farmington, Missouri or Canaan Ford.

Five years later Maggie is forced to face her past and finally put it to rest. She has returned to Farmington for her grandmother’s funeral and to finalize the divorce. Canaan had refused to sign the divorce papers for the past five years. She has made a new life in Chicago with a successful career as an artist. She has been in a relationship with another man for the past two years. She needs to put the past to rest so that she can fully move forward in her life. Coming home isn’t always easy, especially when facing another loss. What she came home to was something altogether different than what she left behind years ago. Farmington is still the same charming small town where everyone knows each others business but the peoples lives have changed. Her friends have built careers and families of their own. Her ex husband is still living in the same apartment above the garage at her grandmother’s house but he is a different man altogether. She’s finding it hard to believe Canaan is the same man as the boy she left behind. She refuses to allow herself to become vulnerable to Canaan’s charm and apparent sincerity. She needs their divorce to become finalized.

Canaan was broken before he lost Maggie. Losing Maggie was the final bullet that killed his dying soul. He had a choice to live as the man he always intended to be or die alone from his own self destruction. He has always loved Maggie Church and knows they were destined for one another. He made a conscious choice to become the man Maggie deserved. He changed his life. He grew up. He became responsible. He became emotionally present. He became a real man. Now he’s going to win his wife back no matter how hard she tries to walk away. This time he is going to keep her. If she walks away, he’s going to chase her and bring her home. She is his wife. He just needs 30 days to prove it.

Needless to say, Nicole Williams painted a vivid picture of Maggie and Canaan’s life with her words. This novel was like an artistic painting that evoked so many emotions with it’s choice of color, realms of shading, and deliberate strokes of the brush. Sometimes the colors blended perfectly but the shading overpowered the overall piece. Other times the brushstroke strayed outside the lines but added more detail to the overall intensity. When all the creativity, choice of colors, and masterful technique came together, it became an emotional masterpiece. This is what Exes With Benefits by Nicole Williams became. Her words were what created a beautiful masterpiece about life, love, and the choice of happiness.

__________________________________________________

Nicole Williams is the New York Times and USATODAY bestselling author of contemporary and young adult romance, including the Crash and Lost & Found series. Her books have been published by HarperTeen and Simon & Schuster in both domestic and foreign markets, while she continues to self-publish additional titles. She is working on a new YA series with Crown Books (a division of Random House) as well. She loves romance, from the sweet to the steamy, and writes stories about characters in search of their happily even after. She grew up surrounded by books and plans on writing until the day she dies, even if it’s just for her own personal enjoyment. She still buys paperbacks because she’s all nostalgic like that, but her kindle never goes neglected for too long. When not writing, she spends her time with her husband and daughter, and whatever time’s left over she’s forced to fit too many hobbies into too little time.

Nicole is represented by Jane Dystel, of Dystel and Goderich Literary Agency.

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New Release + Excerpt + Giveaway + Reviews: Hot In Hollywood Duet by Katee Robert

Posted on 09/20/2017 by cafemamanc7

Download the Hot in Hollywood Duet!

TIES THAT BIND and ANIMAL ATTRACTION by NYT Bestselling Author Katee Robert are on Sale Now!

Download TIES THAT BIND and ANIMAL ATTRACTION and add them to your TBR pile on Goodreads! Then keep reading to get an EXCLUSIVE sneak peek at Hot in Hollywood and to enter the giveaway for a $50 Amazon gift card or a copy of PROM QUEEN, the book that inspired the characters in Hot in Hollywood!

TITLE: Ties that Bind

SERIES: Hot in Hollywood book 1

RELEASES: Sept 19, 2017

PUBLISHER: Amazon Publishing

GENRE: Romance

COUPLE: Cora & Jack

TROPES: Reunited Lovers

SYNOPSIS:

Once upon a time, Cora Landers was America’s Sweetheart and destined to be the Next Big Thing in Hollywood—but that was before her sex tape ruined her image and eliminated her contracts. These days, instead of being an A-lister, she’s divorce attorney to the A-listers. So when her ex—and fellow sex tape star—Jack shows up, needing her expertise, she wants nothing to do with it.

Jack McArthur might have costarred in that sex tape, but he didn’t share Cora’s fate—instead of tanking his career, the tape skyrocketed it. Now, as one of Hollywood’s most buzzed about new directors, Jack has everything to lose—especially when he wakes up after a friend’s bachelor party gone wrong to find that he’s apparently married a woman he’s never met before…and now can’t find. Desperate, he goes to the only person who he knows can help—Cora.

Cora reluctantly agrees to help Jack—both because he’s offering an absurd amount of money and because she loves seeing him as a disadvantage for once. Neither of them anticipate the very real problem of their being unable to keep their hands off each other—or that Jack’s accidental marriage might be anything but accidental. With both her heart and career on the line—again—Cora has to decide if she’s going to take the high road or leave Jack hanging in the wind the same way he left her twelve years ago.

Jack opened the back door, every inch a gentleman—if it was gentlemanly to plan to ravage her in his backseat. Cora climbed in slowly, letting her dress ride up to give him a peek of her panties. His sharp inhale was reward in and of itself.

She expected him to follow immediately, but he stood there blocking the open space, his blue eyes forbidding. “Take those off.”

Cora settled back against the far door and pulled her dress up so she could slide her panties off. She tossed them in his direction, and Jack snaked a hand out to catch them. He slid them into his pocket and only then did he climb into the backseat with her.

“Really? You’re going to…what? Take them home as a memento? Bragging rights?”

“Cora.”

She licked her lips. “Yes?”

“Shut up. You know goddamn well and good that I’m not a douche like that, so stop pretending that I am.” He hooked her thighs and pulled her to the edge of the seat as he went to his knees next to the seat itself. “And stop pretending that it doesn’t get you wet knowing that I’ll be jacking myself to the scent of you later.”

Her jaw dropped. “Holy shit.”

“Now, stop talking.” He nudged her shoulder until she leaned back against the seat. Jack ran his hands up her thighs, spreading her legs farther. “It’s been a long time.”

There was nothing to say to that because it was the truth. Cora grabbed the hem of her dress and arched off the seat so she could drag it over her head. It left her in only her bra, but Jack’s curse made the bold move more than worth it. She shook her hair out of her face. “It won’t be much longer.”

He didn’t take his gaze off her as he reached for the center console. “Fuck, Cora.” The blatant appreciate in his tone made her smile despite herself. Jack met her eyes. “This isn’t a one-time thing.”

“Excuse me?”

“You. Me. This.” He motioned between them. “We do this, we’re doing this.”

The words were less than enlightening, but with his thumbs stroking intoxicating circles on her inner thighs, she wasn’t sure she cared. “Fine. Whatever. I need you inside me.”

His slow grin was foreplay all on its own. Jack traced his thumbs along the dip where her thighs met her hips. “Getting there.” He didn’t give her a chance to curse him. One second he was teasing her, the next he pushed two big fingers into her, filling her in a way that was nothing compared to the main course. She rolled her hips, trying to take him deeper, but Jack just chuckled and kept his strokes light.

Need built, stronger than it had any right to be. His scent wrapped around her in the close confines of the car, the tinted windows creating an intimate atmosphere despite where they were. Cora didn’t want intimate. She didn’t want soft. She sure as hell didn’t want slow. She grabbed his wrist. “Stop teasing me.”

“Come home with me.”

She blinked, surprised for what felt like the thousandth time that day. “What?”

“Come home with me, Cora.” Jack kept stroking her, his fingers unerringly gravitating to that sensitive spot inside her that could motivate her to do damn near anything. She gasped and he leaned down to eat the sound. His tongue stole her words even as his fingers continued their wicked work. Jack consumed her.

And then he stopped.

He pressed one last light kiss to her lips and sat back. “What’s your answer?”

She wasn’t even sure what the question was. Cora shook her head, trying to clear it. “This is emotional blackmail.”

“Hardly.” His thumb idly circled her clit, sending a wave of tension through her body. “This is me flat out saying that I want you naked in my bed, to do with as I please for several hours before we pass out. Reality can wait until tomorrow.”

Common sense said it was the perfect time to stop this before she got herself—and her heart—into trouble. No one had ever seen her the way Jack threatened to. She didn’t relish the thought of being stripped bare, only to be left in the dust when he moved on from his current crisis.

But if she didn’t jump now, she might never get the chance to again.

The thought of spending the rest of her life kicking herself for missing the chance to be with Jack again had her finding words she never thought she’d say. “Yes.”

“Yes?” His cobalt eyes watched her every move, making her feel strangely like prey. It wasn’t a comfortable feeling, but it wasn’t entirely unpleasant, either.

Cora swallowed hard. “Take me home with you, Jack.”

Tracey’s Review

Man, those mornings after following a night out in Vegas can be a bear. I mean, headache, hangover, marriage certificate…Yep, there’s nothing quite like finding proof of a celebration that you don’t remember attending to wake you right up, and Jack McArthur is bound and determined to figure out what the heck is going on.

Enter Cora Landers, Jack’s one-time co-star in a film that she’d rather forget. Cora’s left the bright lights of fame behind, and is making her mark as a divorce attorney. Cora would rather do most anything than help Jack out, but money talks, and having him at a disadvantage couldn’t make her happier.

I love those stories that are jumping off points for more stories about the people you just have to know more about. When Cora showed up as one of Jessica’s best friends in PROM QUEEN, part of the Bad Boy Homecoming series, I knew that she was someone that I wanted to see more of. In TIES THAT BIND, all of the bits and pieces come together in a short and sexy read to complete the picture.

This story is a truly enjoyable second-chance, sparks flying, what the heck really happened in Vegas read, and is an easy 4.5 stars for me. I’m looking forward to seeing more of what makes Brooklyn, the other best friend, tick in ANIMAL ATTRACTION, the second book in the Hot In Hollywood duet.

Order at:

Amazon: http://bit.ly/TiesThatBindKindle

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

iTunes: http://bit.ly/TiesThatBindiTunes

Kobo: http://bit.ly/TiesThatBindKobo

TITLE: Animal Attraction

SERIES: Hot in Hollywood book 2

RELEASES: Sept 19, 2017

PUBLISHER: Amazon Publishing

GENRE: Romance

COUPLE: Brooklyn & Levi

TROPES: Enemies to Lovers

SYNOPSIS:

A private investigator might not be as glamorous as Brooklyn James had expected, but it pays the bills. Or at least it used to. In dire financial straits, she no longer has the luxury of saying no to jobs if she wants to pay her bills—which is how she ends up in a tree, spying on a billionaire who’s accused of dognapping. Not her finest moment.

Levi Turnbull made his fortune by creating tech that melds exercise with video games. It sounded great at the time, but now he’s got more money than he knows what to do with and he’s bored out of his mind waiting for the next game to launch. When he realizes a neighbor has been neglecting his dog, he takes matters into his own hands—by taking the dog. If he’s been trolling the neighbor ever since with hilarious fliers around the area… Well, he’s only human. When he finds a pretty redhead trespassing on his property in search of the missing dog, he sees the ultimate distraction until the launch.

Brooklyn initially agrees to a date in order to get close enough to Levi to find evidence of his dognapping—but that motivation gets complicated when they end up in bed together. She’s unable to resist his charm, and as they grow closer, Brooklyn can’t avoid the truth—not only did Levi steal a million dollar dog…he’s in danger of stealing her heart, too.

He spun her around and pressed her hands to the door, his big body at her back. “This is the door.”

“It’s a very nice door.”

“Mmm.” His hips thrust against her ass, and she swallowed hard, her body clenching in anticipation. The first-time nerves were gone. She knew what was coming, and she knew she would be coming before long. They might not be compatible in life, but their bodies didn’t know that. Levi pulled her hair off her neck and kissed her there, taking his time, the sensation of his lips and beard making her toes curl. “I picked it out myself.”

Picked out… Oh, right. The door.

She arched back into him, rubbing her ass against his cock. “You have good taste.”

“Funny you say that, because what I want most right now is to taste you.” He backed off enough to pull her jacket off and then one hand was on the front of her jeans, unbuttoning them deftly and dragging the zipper down. She felt that tiny vibration all the way through her body. There was nothing to say, though, because he slipped a big hand into her jeans, dipping beneath her panties, and speared a single finger into her.

Brooklyn moaned and tried to spread her legs. The move tightened her jeans, holding his hand in place. “I need you.”

“Tour’s not done yet.” He pumped as much as he was able. And then he withdrew his hand.

She couldn’t keep her whimper of protest in. She spun to face him, trying to shove out of her pants in the process, and nearly face-planted. “Levi.”

“Dresser.” He lifted her, and walked the handful of steps to the dresser to set her on it. Then he yanked off her jeans and tossed them behind him. “Better.”

“Much.”

He stepped between her thighs and kissed her. It was nothing like the last time. There was no careful and teasing exploration. Levi sucked and stroked and nipped her into a frenzy. His mouth drew sounds from her she wasn’t aware she could make. She wrapped her legs around his waist and clung to his shoulders and basically tried to climb him like a big, sexy tree, because she needed his cock and she needed it now.

He shifted and set her back on the dresser, untangling from her. “Mahogany.”

It took Brooklyn a few beats to catch up. She looked down at the piece of furniture she sat on and back at the man in front of her, his hard length creating a mouthwatering outline against his jeans. “I don’t care.”

“You should. It’s a family heirloom. My grandfather built it.” He hit his knees in front of her and spread her legs wider. “It was his wedding gift to my grandmother.”

She blinked. Didn’t expect that, either. Brooklyn tried to get a better look at the massive piece of furniture, but Levi chose that moment to lean in and drag his tongue up her center and suddenly, she didn’t give two fucks about what she sat on, as long as it didn’t fall apart beneath her. She gripped the edge of the dresser to keep from levitating right off it and looked down her body to meet his gaze.

The switch had been flipped again. Gone was the playfulness, replaced by that intensity that had tingles shooting down her spine. He really was something.

She half expected him to rush through the oral, but she really should have known better. Levi hitched her legs higher and went after her clit like it owed him money. He sucked and licked and growled against her skin as his grip tightened on her thighs.

Brooklyn was so lost in her pleasure, she didn’t notice that he’d half released her until she looked down to watch him again and saw that he was stroking himself. He jacked himself while licking her, as if he couldn’t contain himself and…

Her back bowed and she came with a cry. “Oh, my God.”

“You don’t have to call me God. Levi will do.” He kissed first one thigh and then the other. “But if you’re going to insist, I won’t stop you.”

“Shhhh. You don’t get to talk shit when I’m too weak from my fantastic orgasm to fight back.”

Levi rose and kissed her shoulder, her collar bone, her neck. “Honey, that’s the best time to talk shit.”

Tracey’s Review

In matters of money, beggars can’t be choosers, as Brooklyn James is finding out. Working as a PI brings more than its share of crazy cases, but, heck, if it pays the bills, Brooklyn’s game. When a client with deep pockets hires Brooklyn to find out what happened to his pet dog, she’s not in a position to say no.

Tech wizard Levi Turnbull didn’t steal his neighbor’s dog so much as liberate it. I mean, he couldn’t just sit around and let the poor pooch be neglected, right? And, if nicking the dog brings him closer to the redhead hanging out in a tree on his property, well, two birds, one stone, and all of that.

ANIMAL ATTRACTION is chock full of the sass, the fun, the sexiness that are typical Katee Robert. The chemistry between Levi and Brooklyn is immediate, overt, and such fun that I wish their story was longer, but this 4.5-star read satisfies nonetheless, and was a pure pleasure to read. As a note, while this story is part of of duet, it does stand alone. Grab this book, grab the first, nab them both, but, whatever you do, just read these and enjoy.

Order at:

Amazon: http://bit.ly/AnimalAttractionKindle

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

iTunes: http://bit.ly/AnimalAttractioniTunes

Kobo: http://bit.ly/AnimalAttractionKobo

Enter to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card and three (3) eBook copies of PROM QUEEN from Katee Robert!

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b050ef29417/

About Katee Robert

New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Katee Robert learned to tell her stories at her grandpa’s knee. Her 2015 title, The Marriage Contract, was a RITA finalist, and RT Book Reviews named it ‘a compulsively readable book with just the right amount of suspense and tension.” When not writing sexy contemporary and romantic suspense, she spends her time playing imaginary games with her children, driving her husband batty with what-if questions, and planning for the inevitable zombie apocalypse.

Connect with Katee at: Website | Facebook | Twitter| GoodReads | Instagram

Remix Tour + Excerpt + Giveaway + 5+-Star Review: Grip by Kennedy Ryan

Posted on 09/20/2017 by cafemamanc7

“…one of the most engaging and well-written romance books I have read…It’s like nothing you’ve read before. It touches the issues no one talks about in our community. And it’s a MUST-READ.”

—LJ Shen, Amazon Bestselling Author

GRIP, Kennedy Ryan’s sexy, emotional Amazon Bestseller,

is available now for only 99¢!

Scroll all the way down for an excerpt and to enter the

$25 Gift Card Giveaway!

Resisting an irresistible force wears you down and turns you out. I know. I’ve been doing it for years.

I may not have a musical gift of my own, but I’ve got a nose for talent and an eye for the extraordinary. And Marlon James – Grip to his fans – is nothing short of extraordinary.

Years ago, we strung together a few magical nights, but I keep those memories in a locked drawer and I’ve thrown away the key. All that’s left is friendship and work.

He’s on the verge of unimaginable fame, all his dreams poised to come true. I manage his career, but I can’t seem to manage my heart.

It’s wild, reckless, disobedient. And it remembers all the things I want to forget.

Read GRIP today for only 99¢ or FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

Amazon US ➜ http://amzn.to/2mR7fec

Amazon UK ➜ http://amzn.to/2gz387W

Amazon CA ➜ http://amzn.to/2vADPJn

Amazon AU ➜ http://amzn.to/2gsH3Em

Add to GoodReads ➜ http://bit.ly/2k1T1rL

FLOW, the FREE prequel, MUST BE READ before GRIP!

Amazon ➜ http://amzn.to/2m0IKOh

Amazon UK➜ http://amzn.to/2xSpMMS

WATTPAD ➜ http://w.tt/2kUo8Yk

STILL, the sexy and emotional final installment of The Grip Series,

releases September 24th!

Preorder STILL Today!

Amazon ➜ http://amzn.to/2xuUe1V

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Amazon CA ➜ http://amzn.to/2wmWoRR

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Add STILL to GoodReads: http://bit.ly/2vBiUWN

Click here to enter the $25 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway

Excerpt

“Neither of us has been in a serious relationship in years.”

“That doesn’t mean anything.” I stand and slide my feet into the Jimmy Choos. “You haven’t exactly been waiting around, have you?”

“Damn right I haven’t been waiting around.” He doesn’t get up, but his firm hold on my wrist stops me from walking away. “I’m not Rhyson.”

I look down at him, frowning my confusion.

“What do you mean?”

“Remember when Kai put Rhyson in the friend zone?”
Of course I do. For a long time, my sister-in-law Kai denied the attraction between her and Rhyson.

“Yeah, so?”

“When Kai wasn’t checking for Rhys, I assumed he had to be sleeping with other girls.” Grip shrugs. “I mean, he and Kai were just friends. But, nope. He said he only wanted Kai and didn’t sleep with anyone else.”

“Then you’re right.” I tug at my wrist, but he holds on tight. “You’re definitely not Rhyson.”

“It was months, Bristol. She shut him out for months. Not years.”

“I’m not shutting you out.” I release a tired breath. “I’m living my life, and you’re living yours.”

“Right.” He nods and turns his mouth down at the corners. “So, if you won’t be with me, then I’ll fuck whoever the hell I want. If you have a problem with that, you know what to do about it.”

For a moment, our eyes tangle in the dimness. His words sink into my flesh like briars. Every word out of his mouth only proves that I’m right to get out of here. That I’m right not to give in. If I ever gave him a chance and he fucked around on me . . . I’ve seen what that looks like. It looks like a woman as strong as my mother reduced to pathetic, teary drunkenness.

“It’s none of my business.” I shift my eyes away from him and to the glittering city skyline just beyond the rooftop.

“It’s none of your business until you say it is.”

I force myself to look back.

“Don’t hold your breath, Grip.” I say my next words with deliberation. “I mean, it’s not like I’m sitting around saving it, either.”

He pulls me forward, and I press my hand to the hardness of his chest so I don’t fall into him. My knee supports me, pressed against his on the couch.

“Are you poking me?” One strong hand wraps around the back of my thigh, anger marking his expression. “Do you want to know if it bothers me when you fuck other guys?”

I just stare at him unblinkingly. He presses my leg, urging me forward until I’m fully on the couch, fully on him, one knee on either side of his legs, facing him. Straddling him.

“It makes me want to set the world on fire.” His words come softly, but the truth roars in his eyes. “To think of you with them.”

Tracey’s Review

I fell for her before the beat dropped…

Kennedy Ryan writes in pictures, crafting masterpieces that consume me. Her way with words, the intricate, heartfelt, emotional tapestries that she weaves, make it impossible not to feel with my whole heart. Newest obsession? Marlon ‘Grip’ James. Poet, musician, overcomer, star.

There were plenty of hints about the push and pull between Grip and Bristol Gray, his manager, his best friend’s sister, and the woman that he’s wanted for a very long time, in the previous books in the Soul series by Kennedy. But fans wanted more, wanted the whole back story of Grip and Bristol, and Kennedy delivered, oh, how she delivered.

It’s hard to say what I love most about GRIP, and it’s prequel FLOW, because I love absolutely everything about these books. The intensity and sheer tenacity of Grip’s feelings, the badassery blended with vulnerability that is Bristol, the simmering desire and want that is just always there. A passion and sense of belonging that ignited in one short week, that continued, always there beneath the surface of their relationship, for so long, giving a whole new meaning to ‘meant to be.’

Kennedy has done an excellent job, too, of painting the very real picture of themes prevalent in our culture today, and does so eloquently and realistically, all the while managing to give a sense of hope. Because of their differences, Grip and Bristol face obstacles that they should not have to. While time moves slowly in regards to change that should have already happened at this late date, I’m a dreamer, and hope, along with Grip and Bristol, that love changes hearts, changes history, that love wins.

GRIP is an easy 5+ stars for me, and is going right up there as one of my favorite reads this year. Loving Kennedy’s body of work, and these characters as I do, I’m kicking myself for not having read this book earlier, because it is wonderful. A must-read for fans of Kennedy Ryan, fans of the Soul series, and lovers of a book full of heart and soul, GRIP (and FLOW before it), belongs on TBRs everywhere.

❤ P.S. Extra props to Kennedy for having Grip use one of my very favorite songs by Prince as part of a pivotal song. I’ll think of Grip and Bristol every time I listen to it now. ❤

Find the GRIP Series On Audio!

FLOW ➜ http://bit.ly/FLOWAudiobook

GRIP ➜ http://bit.ly/GRIPAudiobook

Join the GRIP Discussion Group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1891983067712410/

Click here to enter the $25 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway

About the Author:

Kennedy Ryan is a Southern girl gone Southern California. A Top 100 Amazon Bestseller, Kennedy writes romance about remarkable women who find a way to thrive even in tough times, the love they find, and the men who cherish them.

She is a wife to her lifetime lover and mother to an extraordinary son. She has always leveraged her journalism background to write for charity and non-profit organizations, but enjoys writing to raise Autism awareness most. A contributor for Modern Mom Magazine, Kennedy’s writings have appeared in Chicken Soup for the Soul, USA Today and many others. The founder and executive director of a foundation serving Georgia families living with Autism, Kennedy has appeared on Headline News, Montel Williams, NPR and other outlets as a voice for families living with autism.

Connect with Kennedy:

Order Signed GRIP Series Paperbacks:

http://kennedyryanwrites.com/signed-paperbacks/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KennedyRyanAuthor/

Reader Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/681604768593989/

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Website: http://kennedyryanwrites.com

Release Blitz + Review: Lucas by Sawyer Bennett – Cold Fury Hockey Series – Book 8

Posted on 09/19/2017 by shellbellereads

Lucas (Cold Fury, Book #8)
Sawyer Bennett
Release Date: September 19, 2017

Synopsis:
The Carolina Cold Fury hockey team is stacked with hotshots. But when a new player joins their ranks, he learns that even superstars can’t go it alone when it comes to love.

Lucas Fournier is only serious about one thing: hockey. The league’s fun-loving charmer, Luc is always up for a good prank or a great lay, and he has no intention of settling down. But being traded to the Carolina Cold Fury—and to play alongside his big brother, Max—is no joke. With another title in sight, the last thing Luc wants is to let his new teammates down. To succeed, Luc will need to keep his head in the game and the most . . . er, demanding member of his anatomy in check. But when temptation hits, Luc hits back harder.

Museum curator Stephanie Frazier has always put business before pleasure, which just about explains her nonexistent sex life. But when Stephanie meets Luc at a champagne-fueled gala, she finds herself flirting like crazy—and going home with the uninhibited athlete. For one night, she learns what passion is all about. She just never counted on the little surprise Luc leaves behind. And that’s when things really start to get . . . interesting.

Sawyer Bennett’s New York Times bestselling Carolina Cold Fury series can be read together or separately.

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33593824-lucas

Purchase Lucas (Cold Fury, Book #8):
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2xMqTRi
B&N: http://bit.ly/2iFAUc5
iBooks: http://apple.co/2jsm0mG
Google Play: http://bit.ly/2iWNW3m
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2jcyPk1
Audible: http://adbl.co/2h7mjm6Michel’s Review

The Carolina Cold Fury hockey team is back in full force. They are not only shredding the ice in the play offs, they are also shredding our hearts one player at a time. Sawyer Bennett has created a team of men that are melting the readers hearts and leaving them wanting more.

Lucas Fournier is thrilled to be a part of the Carolina Cold Fury team for many reasons, not only is he playing on the ice with his brother Max, he is also part of an exceptional hockey organization that believes in the importance of family as well as winning the cup. It’s a win win situation. Being one of the few single guys on the team is also a bonus, it’s a guarantee of more available ladies to choose from. He’s a single guy and has no intentions of settling down anytime soon. Let all the other players enjoy their family time while he reaps of the rewards as a single player. It all begins to change when he meets Stephanie Frazier at a museum benefit. He’s thrilled that he is available and that she wants a one night hook up with no strings attached. Best night of his life. Best sex he’s ever had. The sex was so good that he shredded the condom like he shreds the ice. He’s not overly concerned that the condom broke because Stephanie has the same mantra he has and is going to take the morning after pill. All is good and he wouldn’t mind another hook up with Stephanie but knows it will never happen. As I said all is good until Stephanie shows up one month later to inform him the morning after pill didn’t work and she’s definitely pregnant. Neither one of them wants to settle down. Neither one of them planned on becoming parents at this stage in their lives. Neither one of them is sure how to handle the situation but they are both sure they want this surprise baby.

Stephanie Frazier is a free spirit. She has focused on building her career and has no intentions of ever settling down. She’s happy with her single life and is fine with one night hook ups. Hooking up with Lucas Fournier was fun, thrilling, and the best sex she ever had. It was a night to remember and a night to never repeat. The morning after pill should of taken care of the condom mishap. As fate would have it, she’s the one in a few that the pill doesn’t work on. Now she’s facing becoming a mother and doesn’t have the first clue what to do. She has no concept of loving family relationships or nurturing parents. The one thing she is sure of is that she wants this baby no matter what Lucas Fournier does. To her complete surprise Lucas is on board with having the baby and co parenting. He’s willing to help out in any manner and is extremely supportive of her choices. She’s not sure what to do with that because she’s never had anybody put her needs first.

Max and Stephanie begin as tentative friends trying to maneuver their way into the parenting role. Their sexual chemistry is through the roof and they both have a healthy sexual appetite. The problem is neither one of them knows how to be in a relationship. As time goes by Lucas wants more than Stephanie is willing to give. Stephanie is frightened of all the emotions being around Lucas brings into her life. She’s pushing Lucas away and Lucas is pushing harder.

Sawyer Bennett once again delivered another win for the Cold Fury Hockey Series. The play offs are just beginning and there are some key players wanting their time to play on the Cold Fury pages.

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About the Author:
Since the release of her debut contemporary romance novel, Off Sides, in January 2013, Sawyer Bennett has released multiple books, many of which have appeared on the New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists.

A reformed trial lawyer from North Carolina, Sawyer uses real life experience to create relatable, sexy stories that appeal to a wide array of readers. From new adult to erotic contemporary romance, Sawyer writes something for just about everyone.

Sawyer likes her Bloody Marys strong, her martinis dirty, and her heroes a combination of the two. When not bringing fictional romance to life, Sawyer is a chauffeur, stylist, chef, maid, and personal assistant to a very active daughter, as well as full-time servant to her adorably naughty dogs. She believes in the good of others, and that a bad day can be cured with a great work-out, cake, or even better, both.

Sawyer also writes general and women’s fiction under the pen name S. Bennett and sweet romance under the name Juliette Poe.

Connect with Sawyer:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bennettbooks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BennettBooks
Instagram: https://instagram.com/sawyerbennett123/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/Sawyer_Bennett

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Release Blitz + Excerpt + 5 Star Review: Wicked Dirty by J. Kenner – Wicked Nights – Stark World Series – Book 2

Posted on 09/19/2017 by shellbellereads

Wicked Dirty

Wicked Nights – Stark World Series – Book 2

By J. Kenner

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Sometimes bad isn’t good enough…

On the outside, Lyle Tarpin is a clean-cut Hollywood actor whose star is on the rise. Inside, he’s battling his own demons, shunning relationships and finding solace in the arms of a string of anonymous women paid very well for their discretion.

But when he’s photographed in a compromising position by an over-eager reporter, the only way to save his career is to say that the woman he was with is his fiancée. And now Lyle has to play a very public game with the only woman who’s ever managed to get under his skin.

Struggling waitress Sugar Laine agrees to spend one night with Lyle—but only because she’s desperate to save her family home. She never expects that a night of passion will turn into a pretend engagement … or that the heat between them will blossom into love.

But sometimes love has a price.

And now the only question is—can Lyle and Sugar afford to pay it?

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My blood pounds through my body, my heart beating so hard that I can feel the pressure not only against my ribs, but against the wall behind me. My lips are parted, my breath coming in shaky gasps.

He’s only inches away, so close I could reach out and touch that famous, gorgeous face. His eyes, as deep and blue as the summer sky, roam over me. He eases closer, moving slowly, his face reflecting a hunger that sends shivers through me.

Once again, my mind conjures the image of a hungry wolf. Only now I’m thinking that maybe getting eaten wouldn’t be so bad after all.

Besides, I’m here. Might as well enjoy it.

Then, of course, I remember exactly what it is.

Oh, God.

His fingertip brushes my forehead, and I almost jump out of my skin. I meet his eyes, see something that looks like irritation, and want to kick myself. I need to focus, dammit.

“You were somewhere else.” He speaks flatly, as if he’s working to keep all emotion out.

I shake my head, conjuring a lie. “I’m right here.” And then, because I’ve seen movies with call girls, I put my hand flat on his chest, trying to seem seductive. He’s wearing a gray T-shirt, and I can feel his heart beating beneath the planes of his muscled chest.

I read somewhere that he was getting in shape to play a superhero in an upcoming movie. And kudos to whoever’s orchestrating that transformation, because this guy is rock solid.

He’s still looking at me, and I fist my hand in the material of his shirt, needing an anchor against the storm of emotion I see playing out on his face. Desire. Hunger. Longing. Regret.

And pain. I see so much damn pain that I have to fight the urge to cup my palm against his cheek and tell him that whatever it is, it’s going to be okay.

Instead, I simply whisper, “Lyle?”

I’m not sure if it was the wrong thing or the right thing to say, but I know that it was unexpected. And before I can apologize or cover or say anything else at all, he is on me. One hand at my throat, the other hard on my breast. I’m pinned against the wall, helpless, as he claims my mouth again. Wildly. Brutally.

I try to think what I’m supposed to do—try to respond. But I’m trapped. I’m not Sugar. I’m not Laine. I’m not anyone. This isn’t about sex. It’s about pain and need and that storm of horrors I saw on his face. I might as well not even be here. And as his hand squeezes tight on my breast—as his mouth clashes so hard against mine that he draws blood—my only thought is that I shouldn’t have come at all. That this was stupid. Foolish. And that this night is going to leave me scarred.

I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to be what he wants. A warm body. An anonymous female.

But I can’t do it. I can’t do it at all.

All I can be is me. A woman desperate enough to have sex for money. A girl trying anything and everything to save her house. To protect her family’s memory.

I can be that girl.

But I can’t be nothing. I can’t be no one.

And as his hand tightens in my hair—as he kisses me violently—as his body presses hard against mine and I feel the steel of his erection—I know that I’ve made a terrible, horrible, awful mistake.

Stop!

Michel’s Review

J. Kenner has created a sensational fictional world that leaves the readers wanting more. The characters are beyond dynamic, they bring something more to the Stark World that makes this series a success. Each character stands out on their individual merit as well as their contributions to their world. It leaves the readers wanting more of this world and more of all these dynamic individuals.

Lyle Tarpon is on the verge of superstardom with his upcoming role in a super hero film where he plays a villain turned good. This role will take him to the top and guarantees a blockbuster three film contract. For the past ten years he has solely focused on his acting career and kept his reputation squeaky clean. He’s determined to reach his professional goals but it comes with a great sacrifice. Lyle has kept his past under wraps, kept his Iowa farm boy image clean, stayed away from any type of romantic relationship, and dedicated his free time to children charities. His acting abilities have become more than a profession, it has literally taken over his life. He’s lost his true self along the way. The man he’s hidden away sometimes needs to be released before it explodes out of control. He’s found a way to keep those explosions under control by hiring anonymous women for their discrete companionship for one night and one night only. Lyle is determined to keep his secrets locked up tight.

Sugar Laine is struggling to hang onto her family home. The home is the last link she has to her family. She has sacrificed her life for the past five years trying to hang onto the house by working two jobs. She was forced to take out a balloon loan type mortgage in order to save the house from being condemned. Now the balloon note is due and she doesn’t have the money. When the opportunity to earn $10,000 by being an escort to an anonymous client arises, she’s willing to put aside her morals and personal feelings to earn the money. It’s just a business transaction and she needs the money. But when she arrives at the appointment, things go quite differently. Her client is non other than Hollywood superstar Lyle Tarpon. His behavior towards her isn’t anything like his reputation. On the surface he seems like a beast but it’s what hiding behind the beast that captures her attention. The man has so many contradictions that it’s hard to determine who the real Lyle Tarpon is. She doesn’t think he even knows who that is.

As luck would have it their secret liaison is exposed. Lyle is forced to hire her to become his “girlfriend” in order to keep his upcoming role in the movie. It’s a temporary solution that will fix Sugar’s financial problems and keep his squeaky clean reputation in tact.

Sometimes the best business deals take a different direction. Sugar is going to find out there is more to life than a house with four walls. Lyle is finally going to take on the biggest role of his life, learning to live with himself rather than the roles he created.

Once again J. Kenner had me hooked in the first chapter. I could not put this book down and loved the journey both Lyle and Sugar had to take to find their true happiness. I can’t wait to see what comes next in the Wicked Nights- Stark World series. There are some other dynamic people screaming for their happily ever after.

J.Kenner (aka Julie Kenner) is the New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, Wall Street Journal and #1 International bestselling author of over seventy novels, novellas and short stories in a variety of genres.

Though known primarily for her award-winning and international bestselling erotic romances (including the Stark and Most Wanted series) that have reached as high as #2 on the New York Times bestseller list, JK has been writing full time for over a decade in a variety of genres including paranormal and contemporary romance, “chicklit” suspense, urban fantasy, and paranormal mommy lit.

JK has been praised by Publishers Weekly as an author with a “flair for dialogue and eccentric characterizations” and by RT Bookclub for having “cornered the market on sinfully attractive, dominant antiheroes and the women who swoon for them.” A five time finalist for Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA award, JK took home the first RITA trophy awarded in the category of erotic romance in 2014 for her novel, Claim Me (book 2 of her Stark Trilogy). Her Demon Hunting Soccer Mom series (as Julie Kenner) is currently in development with AwesomenessTV/Awestruck.

Her books have sold over three million copies and are published in over twenty languages.

In her previous career as an attorney, JK worked as a clerk on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, and practiced primarily civil, entertainment and First Amendment litigation in Los Angeles and Irvine, California, as well as in Austin, Texas. She currently lives in Central Texas, with her husband, two daughters, and two rather spastic cats.

Cover Reveal: Pretty Dead Girls by Monica Murphy – A YA Thriller

Posted on 09/18/2017 by shellbellereads

Pretty Dead Girls

YA Thriller

By Monica Murphy

Release Date: January 2, 2018

Pre Order: Amazon / B & N / ITunes / Kobo

Synopsis

Beautiful. Perfect. Dead.
They’re arranged in a particular way. Their faces turned at the most flattering angles, their designer clothes immaculate, as immaculate as their carefully made-up faces. Only the slash of blood across their necks mars the perfect surface. Only the vacant stare in their eyes indicates they’re dead.
The most popular girls in school are going down, and Penelope Malone is terrified she’s next. All the victims so far have been linked to Penelope—and to the mysterious loner boy from her physics class. The one with the lopsided smirk and intense stare that’s almost…cute? Even though she’s not sure she can trust him, she reluctantly agrees to work with him to figure out what’s happening. All while trying to stay one step ahead of the brutal serial killer on the loose.
But this killer won’t be satisfied until every beautiful, popular girl in the senior class is dead—especially Penelope. And the killer is closer than she thinks…

_______________________________

I write books. I have the best job ever. New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. Writer of new adult contemporary romance-ish stuff. Published with Avon and Bantam. Mom and wife. Native Californian.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

Excerpt

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From New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis comes the next sexy, standalone novel in the Heartbreaker Bay series… Don’t miss the amazing excerpt and giveaway below, and grab your copy today!

About CHASING CHRISTMAS EVE:

Meet cute…

Make merry…

…and hope for a miracle.

Now the clock’s ticking for Colbie and Spence: Two weeks to cut loose. Two weeks to fall hard. Two weeks to figure out how to make this Christmas last a lifetime

Order CHASING CHRISTMAS EVE in ebook or paperback, now available!

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And don’t miss the previous books in Jill Shalvis’s Heartbreaker Bay Series, SWEET LITTLE LIES, THE TROUBLE WITH MISTLETOE and ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE, now available! Grab your copies HERE!

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The Learning Hours

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He’s not a douchebag; but that doesn’t stop his friends from turning him into one.

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GRIP, Kennedy Ryan’s sexy, emotional Amazon Bestseller,

is available now for only 99¢!

Read GRIP today for only 99¢ or FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

Excerpt

Find the GRIP Series On Audio!

Join the GRIP Discussion Group:

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Lucas (Cold Fury, Book #8) Sawyer Bennett Release Date: September 19, 2017

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BUY NOW

Amazon | Amazon UK | iBooks | iBooks UK | Kobo UK | Kobo | B&N | Google Play

Sometimes bad isn’t good enough…

On the outside, Lyle Tarpin is a clean-cut Hollywood actor whose star is on the rise. Inside, he’s battling his own demons, shunning relationships and finding solace in the arms of a string of anonymous women paid very well for their discretion.

But when he’s photographed in a compromising position by an over-eager reporter, the only way to save his career is to say that the woman he was with is his fiancée. And now Lyle has to play a very public game with the only woman who’s ever managed to get under his skin.

Struggling waitress Sugar Laine agrees to spend one night with Lyle—but only because she’s desperate to save her family home. She never expects that a night of passion will turn into a pretend engagement … or that the heat between them will blossom into love.

But sometimes love has a price.

And now the only question is—can Lyle and Sugar afford to pay it?

BUY NOW

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Lucas (Cold Fury, Book #8)
Sawyer Bennett
Release Date: September 19, 2017