Holiday Review: Home For Christmas by Fiona Greene

Posted on 12/03/2014 by shellbellereads

Home For Christmas

By Fiona Greene

Synopsis

What began as an impersonal-but-cheerful holiday gift for a soldier far from home becomes so much more…

Sergeant Tate McAuliffe, stationed in Afghanistan, opens his Christmas care package from Australia and is stunned by both its contents and the sender.

Fun-loving Christmas tree designer Layla Preston is a breath of fresh air for loner Tate. Although they’ve never met, their email friendship quickly develops and their feelings for each other deepen.

But Layla knows the heartache that loving a soldier can bring and when Tate is injured, her deep-seated fear drives them apart. With their relationship in tatters, can Layla and Tate work through their differences, so Layla can welcome Tate home for Christmas?

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

Tina’s Review

*** Provided by Netgalley in exchange for an Honest Review. ***

To say Sergeant Tate McAuliffe has had some crappy Christmases in his past would be an understatement and why should this year be any different? Stationed in Afghanistan, he’s taken by surprise by the gift he receives from a stranger.
Layla Preston lives in Australia and follows the troops’ mission in Afghanistan. She comes from a military family, but they are all gone now. Inherited from her dad, she has Bonsai Christmas, a tree farm her father purchased after retiring from the military.

This IS an Australian novella, some terminology translations may be helpful:
Ute= Utility Vehicle, Thong= flip flops, Esky= cooler, RSL= Returned and Services League (support organization for the ADF (Australian Defence Force)), doona= quilt or blanket

Short Holiday novella: under 100 pages. Stands alone.
Tate really is portrays as a broken spirit when it comes to family and holiday reunions, preferring his fellow soldiers to blood family. Layla is like an angel in spirit. She breathes life and vitality to all with her kindness and generosity. There’s a nice blend of secondary characters that help support the story. Believable dialogue and interaction enable the dynamic and dramatic plot to flow smoothly and swiftly. There was enough push and pull in the story line to create some conflict, although it was nothing of epic proportions, and a pleasant enough resolve was found. Predictability was blissfully low. The conclusion was solid and without cliffhangers. Overall, this was a very enjoyable read.

Author Bio:

I love books.

As a child we didn’t live near a library until one opened when I was nine. I was in heaven, then we moved and I traded my library card for one for a mobile library that visited the local shops. Ten months later, we moved again. This time to an older house on stilts with a dark and scary ground floor. Exploring the depths, I discovered a cupboard and stored inside were boxes and boxes of romance novels.

My early love of category romance morphed into a passion for historicals, romantic suspense and futuristic romance. In an attempt to widen my reading preferences, I still visit the library regularly, but choose all my books by the spine, without reading the back cover. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t.

My books and short stories range from journeys across time and space – futuristic and sci-fi romances to contemporary romance. After all, what’s not to love about a strong military leader with a spacecraft? Unless its a sexy farmer with a Ute?

A lot of my pre-writing is done while I’m pounding the pavement – either running or walking the family’s two large dogs. I’m always up for a challenge, so I split my time between my home town of Brisbane and an owner-builder project on a rural property in Queensland’s Southern Downs, where the air is crisp and clear and the view of the night sky is to die for.

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ARC Review: Addicted by Zoey Williams

Posted on 12/03/2014 by shellbellereads

Addicted

By Zoey Williams

Synopsis

Talia Truman is a manager’s worst nightmare. A former child star, Talia traded in her braids and became a smart-mouthed party girl with a penchant for bad boys and even badder decisions. (Usually involving alcohol.) With a massive movie deal on the line, however, Talia needs to keep herself—and her purple thong panties—out of trouble. But sex-addiction rehab? Definitely not her idea…

Unfortunately, being stuck in rehab with emerging country music star Matt Skyler—aka The Most Delicious Man Talia Can’t Have—is testing Talia’s newfound chastity. All she wants to do is fall off the wagon and onto Matt. But Matt isn’t exactly the bad boy she thought he was. In fact, Talia is starting to suspect that this cowboy might secretly be a total gentleman. And worse still, she likes that.

Now, under the blinding glare of the paparazzi, this not-so-bad boy and trying-to-be-good girl must choose between their reputations…and who they really are.

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

Tina’s Review

*** Provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. ***

Talia Truman was a television child star and is trying to break away from that persona with her partying, drinking and boys. She thought she scored a movie franchise deal only for them to threaten to take it away. She needs to clean up her act – now – if she wants any chance at keeping the movie deal. More for publicity than need, her manager decides that the best way for Talia to clean up her image is to admit her into a sex addiction rehab facility.
CMA’s “Best New Artist” nominee, Matt Skylar, is a bigger fake than Talia! He’s taking it real hard that although he’s nominated, he’s not KNOWN. All the publicity and attention falls to the Bad Boys of Country. So, a he figures he’d rough up his appearance and plan a stint in rehab that he purposely extended from two weeks to six weeks. On the eve before his “graduation”, Talia joins the facility and calls his bluff.

Novella, under 100 pages. Stand-Alone. No Cliffhanger.
The characters, all of them, have a caricature feel to them; like they are exaggerated for comedic purposes. In this, Ms Williams would be successful. The dialogue is witty and sharp. Banning the toothbrush was funny, but it escalates from there. There’s a fluidity of the read, making it an easy, joyful piece to read. The action causing the conflict is believable, the reactions to the building conflict are very appropriate for the characters and the resolve is perfect. There really is not a lot of predictability in whole and the conclusion is solidly wrapped up.

ARC Review: Full Throttle by Julie Ann Walker- Black Knights, Inc. Series- Book 7

Posted on 12/02/2014 by shellbellereads

Full Throttle

Black Knight, Inc. Series- Book 7

By Julie Ann Walker

Synopsis

She Needs a Hero…

Abby Thompson didn’t sign up to be the daughter of the President of the United States. The position was forced on her by the small matter of her birth. Preferring a quiet life of study, she’s content to leave the politics and the international intrigue to her father. Unfortunately, the most powerful man on the planet is sure to make enemies. When a group of armed thugs takes her hostage half a world away, demanding the U.S. government release prisoners in exchange for her safe return, she fears her father’s policy of “not negotiating with terrorists” means she’ll never see the shores of the Potomac again. Luckily, there’s one glimmer of hope. His name is Carlos Soto. And though she abruptly ended things with him years ago, she knows now he’s the only man who can save her…

Black Knights, Inc. to the Rescue…

Carlos “Steady” Soto has taken part in his fair share of dangerous missions working at the covert government defense firm of Black Knights Inc. But nothing prepared him for the emotional rollercoaster he faces when he’s tasked with rescuing the only woman he ever loved—who also broke his heart. Racing against time and outmaneuvering a group of trained terrorists will take everything he’s got. Plus there’s the heat simmering between them which is threatening to ignite into an inferno. While ruthless enemies stalk them, they must learn to trust each other again. Even if they do make it out alive, will Abby turn her back on him…for the second time?

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

Tina’s Review

*** ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. ***

Abby Thompson was the youngest daughter of the POTUS front-runner eight years ago and a student at Georgetown, studying pre-med when an explosion on campus rocked everything and everyone near to her and subsequently she ended up having to give up pre-med and took up botany instead. Currently, as the President’s daughter, she is protected more heavily than even before, especially when she leaves the country and there’s inconclusive buzz and murmurs of kidnapping one of the President’s daughters.
Carlos “Steady ” Sotos was studying to become a General Surgeon in college, claiming he enjoyed the thrill and challenge of not knowing what would come through the ER doors next. But, that was then… before that tragic day eight years ago. After that day, he signed up and joined the military. Now he’s a member of Black Knights, Inc., a covert government defense firm that operates under the cover of being a custom motorcycle shop, and finds himself on Abby’s supplemental BKI security detail in Malaysia.

As a fan of Ms. Walker’s BKI series, I was very grateful and appreciative to have been approved to receive an ARC of this book. My fandom will not reflect in the ratings or review, as you will see.
The Prologue starts you out eight years ago when Abby was in college with Carlos and his twin, Rosa, all of which were studying medicine in one form or another. Then, tragedy strikes and forever changes their lives. Chapter One flashes you forward to present day. Carlos is, hands-down, front and center from page one. He is an extremely Hot Alpha Male. Muy Caliente! I feel that most of the focus of the book was on him, overshadowing Abby. I could not connect with her as much as I’d have liked to. The secondary characters, both good and bad, were very well-written. I had to wonder if, in Ms. Walker’s extensive travels, she’d ever been to Malaysia. The descriptions of the sights and sounds transported me to that Hotel with them. Perfectly executed. There’s a secondary relationship building between Dan and Penni that I am guessing we’ll see further develop in a later book. The plot itself was excellent, I really enjoyed the story line. It was a silky, smooth read with great character interaction and dialogue. There was a lot of conflict that carried on throughout the entire book that was not fully confronted and resolved until the very end. There was very little predictability. The conclusion felt a bit rough; it seemed rushed and there were questions left. Where do they go from here, with her in D.C. and him in Chicago? If it would have had an Epilogue with a more solid ending, this would have definitely been a five-star book. As is, it was VERY close.

Michel’s Review

I am a huge fan of the Black Knights, Inc. series by Julie Ann Walker. This is one of the best romantic suspense series out there. Add the biker element and special ops background to the characters of this series to make the formula even more enticing.

Full Throttle is the seventh book in the series. It was a steamy and suspenseful book. The characters captured the readers attention. Carlos Soto is one hot alpha man that had me swooning. Abby was a strong woman with a personality that made readers empathize with her. The plot, the use of words, the flow of the story, and suspenseful plot were masterfully executed.

I highly recommend reading Full Throttle. It can be read as a stand alone book or in series order.

Author Bio:

Julie Ann Walker is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of award-winning romantic suspense. She has won the Book Buyers Best Award, been nominated for the National Readers Choice Award, the Australian Romance Reader Awards, and the Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA award. Her latest release was named a Top Ten Romance of 2014 by Booklist. Her books have been described as “alpha, edgy, and downright hot.” Most days you can find her on her bicycle along the lake shore in Chicago or blasting away at her keyboard, trying to wrangle her capricious imagination into submission.

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ARC Review: Vision of Darkness by Tonya Burrows- D. I. E. Squadron – Book 1

Posted on 12/01/2014 by shellbellereads

Vision Of Darkness

D. I. E. Squadron Series- Book 1

By Tonya Burrows

Synopsis

A beacon of light…

Undercover DEA agent Alex Brennan doesn’t believe in the paranormal, despite the exhausting nightmares that reveal things he shouldn’t know. When sleep deprivation causes him to make a horrible mistake on the job, he is driven to find answers. Dreams guide him to a lighthouse in Three Churches, Maine, where he finds an inexplicable and comforting familiarity in the arms of the lighthouse’s beautiful keeper, Pru Maddox.

A whisper of memory…

Deadly misfortune has long plagued Pru’s family, the result of a curse “The Green Lady” placed on the lighthouse. Skeptical, Alex searches for less ghostly explanations, though he can’t deny that the town has had more than its fair share of disappearances, suicides, and accidents. As their passion simmers, Alex digs deeper, and his dreams turn violent, frightening, and very real.

A vision of darkness…

To keep Pru safe, Alex must embrace his abilities and unravel the lighthouse’s mystery. Except someone—or something—wants the past to stay buried…and will do anything to keep it that way.

Buy: Amazon

Tina’s Review

*** eBook ARC provided by Author in exchange for an honest review. ***

Character Introductions-
Alex Brennan had just endured two years undercover for the DEA and now has been ordered some indefinite downtime. He needs this time to reacquaint himself with, well… himself and find his direction again. In doing so, he’d planned to head out West to visit a friend, but found himself going North into Maine. Stopping to eat at a diner, he encounters Pru. She sparks his interest with an intensity he’s never felt before.
Waitressing at her grandmother’s diner in Three Churches, Maine, Pru Maddox sees a lot of road-weary travelers and hears a lot of gossip from the locals. She’s been divorced for six months, practically runs the diner when her grandmother’s off on an adventure, and she most recently purchased the lighthouse, it’s outbuildings and the property around it with the dream of turning it into a Bed and Breakfast – if only The Green Lady would cooperate.

~ Debut book in Tonya Burrows’s NEW series! Paranormal Romance Genre! ~
From the moment Alex and Pru meet, they feel an intense draw toward one another but she’s recently divorced and guy shy. He’s not in the greatest position at the moment either, in part due to an on-the-job incident. Alex “knows” when things are about to get ugly; he “feels it”, but chalks it up to gut-instinct or good intuition. He does not believe in any of the “woo-woo” that his squadron or his institutionalized brother does. He’s extremely stubborn and cynical whereas Pru is still very naive and trusting, even after a traumatic experience caused a chain of events that eventually tore her world apart. The secondary characters are solid and support the story well, good and bad. This series promises to be edgier and darker than Ms. Burrows’s other two series, but still holds enough HEAT to burn up the pages. The flow is smooth, the dynamics are present and plentiful, the conflicts are layered and interwoven. How do I approach the predictability without spoilers? Before the twenty percent mark, I thought I figured out the “woo-woo” of the relationship, but was only partially right. The same goes for the ship and crew. There were a few plot points that were not fully addressed, but they were not key points. Alex and Pru receive a solid ending, but the Epilogue provides a healthy lead-in to the next potential book.

Author Bio:

Tonya Burrows wrote her first romance in 8th grade and hasn’t put down her pen since. Originally from a small town in Western New York, she’s currently soaking up the sun as a Florida girl. She suffers from a bad case of wanderlust and usually ends up moving someplace new every few years. Luckily, her two dogs and ginormous cat are excellent travel buddies.

When she’s not writing about hunky military heroes, Tonya can usually be found at a bookstore or the dog park. She also enjoys painting, watching movies, and her daily barre workouts. A geek at heart, she pledges her TV fandom to Supernatural and Dr. Who.

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Review: Last Chance Family by Hope Ramsay- Last Chance Series- Book 8

Posted on 11/28/2014 by shellbellereads

Last Chance Family

Last Chance Series- Book 8

By Hope Ramsay

Synopsis

Mike Taggart has always been willing to take a gamble. But these stakes are just way too high – there’s no way he’s prepared to become a legal guardian to his five-year-old niece. His only option is to head from Las Vegas to Last Chance to sort things out as quickly as possible. Problem is, he arrives to find an inconsolable little girl, her sick cat, and a gorgeous veterinarian he can’t get out of his mind.

Charlene Polk has two talents: healing sick critters and falling in love with the wrong men. Mike has trouble written all over him, but she can’t leave him in the lurch. And the more time she spends with the sexy high roller, the more she sees that this ready-made family is the best stroke of luck they’ve ever had . . .

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

Tina’s Review

*** Provided by Netgalley in Exchange for an Honest Review. ***

Professional Poker player Mike Taggert’s half-sister, Angie, was gunned down in Chicago, witnessed by her five-year old daughter, Rainbow. Now, Mike’s flown in from Vegas to collect Rainbow and her sickly cat. His hope is provide a better opportunity for Rainbow by handing her off to his half-brother, Reverend Timothy Lake, in rural South Carolina. But Timothy never even knew he had half-siblings and a niece.
Charlene Polk is the veterinary assistant at Creature Comforts Animal Hospital, working for Dr. David Underhill. She first encounters this handsome man, an unkempt child and the sickly cat a few minutes before the office was to close. One look at the child’s face convinced her to take a few minutes to see to the sneezy beast. Later that night, she discovers that he’s subleasing her neighbor’s apartment.

Charlene comes from a old-fashion, well to-do family with strict ideals and morals. Whether she realizes it or not, her parents have rubbed off on her to a degree, being that she was awful quick to judge someone without knowing them even after she’s been subjected to exactly the same sort of scrutiny as a young adult. Mike grew up in poverty with an alcoholic mother. Now, as a professional poker player, his whole world revolves masking his emotions and not giving any tells. This leads people to see him as unfeeling and they are suspicious of it – at first. Never had there been two more seemingly opposite people. The nosy busybodies are perfectly depicted. The interaction and dialogue between characters felt natural and believable. While the flow of writing is very smooth, the plot feels a little flat and tired. It sort of dragged for me. Now, this could be because this is the eighth book to the series and I have not read any of the previous books. There are a wide variety of supporting characters that I can only imagine have already been highlighted and/or showcased before this story, some enjoyable and others not. I wanted to reach through my e-reader and destroy Charlene’s parents. The conflict was the plot, for the most part. There were numerous points of predictability, but not in such a manner where it would be off-putting. The conclusion was solid. This story was sweet and warm; stolen kisses and caresses, the sex remained behind closed doors and was mostly implied.

*My brain keeps mulling over the cover… it has four kittens in a basket. In the book, the basket only contained three kittens. If the fourth kitten is to represent Tigger, it should have been a larger cat. It’s a minor details issue I have, on the publisher’s side, and does not reflect on the rating itself. It’s a discrepancy.

Author Bio

Hope Ramsay was born in New York and grew up on the North Shore of Long Island, but every summer Momma would pack her off under the care of Aunt Annie to go visiting with relatives in the midlands of South Carolina. Her extended family includes its share of colorful aunts and uncles, as well as cousins by the dozens, who provide the fodder for the characters you’ll find in Last Chance, South Carolina. Hope earned a BA in Political Science from the University of Buffalo, and has had various jobs working as a Congressional aide, a lobbyist, a public relations consultant, and a meeting planner. She’s a two-time finalist in the Golden Heart, and is married to a good ol’ Georgia boy who resembles every single one of her heroes. She has two grown children and a couple of demanding lap cats. She lives in Fairfax, Virginia where you can often find her on the back deck, picking on her thirty-five-year-old Martin guitar.

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Holiday Review: It’s A Wonderful Fireman by Jennifer Bernard- Bachelor Fireman Series

Posted on 11/25/2014 by shellbellereads

It’s A Wonderful Fireman

A Holiday Novella

Bachelor Fireman Series- Book 6.5

By Jennifer Bernard

Synopsis

Hard-edged fireman Dean Mulligan has never been a big fan of Christmas. Twinkly lights and sparkly tinsel can’t brighten the memories of too many years spent in ramshackle foster homes. Although he’s established himself as one of the top firefighters at San Gabriel Station 1, he doesn’t think he’s good enough for someone like gorgeous Lizzie.

Lizzie Breen is used to fighting—from her alpha male brothers, who try to smother her in the name of safety, to the life-threatening childhood illness she overcame. She knows what she and Mulligan feel for each other is a lot more than a fling, but she can’t get him to see that. The only gift Lizzie wants to give him this season is her love, but he’s not willing to accept it.

When Mulligan is trapped in the burning wreckage of a holiday store, a Christmas angel arrives to open his eyes. But is it too late? This Christmas, it’ll take an angel, a determined woman in love, and the entire Bachelor Firemen crew to make him believe … it is indeed a wonderful life.

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

Tina’s Review

*** Provided by AVON and Edelweiss in Exchange for an Honest Review. ***

Dean Mulligan really does not like Christmas. In fact, he actually thinks Christmas should be banned… for safety reasons. He suffered an abusive childhood and fought on the street through his teen years. He’s a Topman and one of the best fire readers around.
Lizzie Breen, Fred’s little sister, recently finished her EMT training and has been looking to get her pilot’s license and helicopter certification to become a flight paramedic. She plans to reveal a bog job offer she just received in British Columbia, but for now she volunteers in the Children’s Wing at the hospital as often as time allows.
Mulligan and Lizzie have a… something… between them, sort of, that neither of them can explain or identify with certainty. When Mulligan falls through the roof of a Christmas store, of all places, his deluded imagination conjures up a sexy Christmas Elf Lizzie Angel while he lays trapped.
This short but sweet holiday novella has a definite IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE vibe to it. The storyline takes you through key points of Mulligan’s life, including highlights of his and Lizzie’s time together.

Mulligan is a hulking man trying to hide behind a tough and gruff exterior. Lizzie is a warm, kind-hearted soul with a competitive streak to rival her brothers’. Together, they balance one another. Many of the past characters to the series make cameos, almost as a proper Final Farewell to the readers as much as for the story itself. The plot is well written and flows quite smoothly, even with the switch between flashbacks and present situation inside and outside the incident. There’s plenty of emotions to dig through in this one. Conflict seems to be Mulligan’s middle name, so it ran throughout the book and most often was difficult to resolve, but Lizzie’s determination and Clarence’s guidance brought eventual resolution. There was very little predictability. The conclusion was solid. The readers were given a final update on all characters from the series’ previous books while allowing Mulligan and Lizzie to have their own unique ending.
This was a bittersweet read, knowing it’s the end of the firefighter era for Ms. Bernard. But she did manage to nicely introduce Caleb Hart from Mulligan’s past and he’ll be the Hero in her new baseball themed series. ALL OF ME is scheduled to release in May of 2015.

Author Bio:

Jennifer Bernard is a graduate of Harvard and a former news promo producer. The child of academics, she confounded her family by preferring romance novels to … well, any other books. She left big city life for true love in Alaska, where she now lives with her husband and stepdaughters. She’s no stranger to book success, as she also writes erotic novellas under a naughty secret name not to be mentioned at family gatherings.

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ARC Review: The Shape of My Heart by Ann Aguirre – 2B Trilogy- Book 3

Posted on 11/25/2014 by shellbellereads

The Shape of My Heart

2B Trilogy – Book 3

By Ann Aguirre

Synopsis

Some people wait decades to meet their soul mate. Courtney Kaufman suspects she met hers in high school—only to lose him at seventeen. Since then, Courtney’s social life has been a series of meaningless encounters, though she’s made a few close friends along the way. Especially her roommate, Max Cooper, who oozes damaged bad-boy vibes from every pore.

Max knows about feeling lost—he’s been on his own since he was sixteen. Now it’s time to find out if he can ever go home again, and Courtney’s the only one he trusts to go with him. But the trip to Providence could change everything….

It started out so simple. One misfit helping another. Now Max will do anything to show Courtney that for every heart that’s ever been broken, there’s another that can make it complete.

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

Tina’s Review

*** Provided by Netgalley in Exchange for an Honest Review. ***

Courtney’s not your stereotypical heroine. She’s a bisexual, Jewish college student studying business. Max is the resident bad-boy majoring in mechanical engineering. He tried to play himself off as a jokester and partier, but there’s a darker, more intense side to him. Angus is the brightness in the house and gay. They need to fill the fourth roomie spot that just opened when Nadia moves out. Angus suggests his friend, Kia, who’s trying to get out of a controlling relationship. These are the main characters of the story, with a primary focus on Courtney and Max.

Obviously, this is the last book of the trilogy, of which I have NOT read the previous two. I will be commenting and rating the book as if it were a stand-alone novel. These are New Adult characters, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, none without flaws or drama. The main characters are early-20s college students that co-habitate. Max needs to go back home, for the first time in over five years and asks Courtney to come with him for moral support. During their journey, they experience a shift in their relationship which neither are great at deciphering or communicating. The characters are well written, even though they are kind of angst-y. Drama and trauma seem to run amok among the characters, main and secondary. The plot moves along smoothly, but a little slow in places. Interaction and dialogue are age appropriate, full of snark and sass; emotions are conveyed pretty well. There were numerous conflicts throughout the book, giving it plenty of dimension. Some of the resolutions were well thought out, while others seemed too easy. There was some minor predictability in the later third of the book, but nothing glaringly obvious. The conclusion was solid and was followed up with a nice epilogue.

Author Bio

Ann Aguirre is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling author with a degree in English Literature; before she began writing full time, she was a clown, a clerk, a voice actress, and a savior of stray kittens, not necessarily in that order. She grew up in a yellow house across from a cornfield, but now she lives in sunny Mexico with her husband, children, and various pets. She likes all kinds of books, emo music, action movies and Doctor Who. She writes all kind of fiction in multiple genres, both YA and for adults.

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ARC Review: Perfect Chaos by Noshoda Rose- Unyielding Series- Book 1

Posted on 11/24/2014 by shellbellereads

Perfect Chaos

Unyielding Series- Book 1

By Nashoda Rose

Synopsis

Georgie

I lie to survive.

Have since I was sixteen and my world fell into chaos. But I found a way to endure, or rather it found me. Now I’m a prisoner of my own doing, hiding behind a false mask so no one sees the truth. Not even the man I want but can’t have—Deck. But I messed up and the lies are spilling over, out of control.

Deck is unrelenting and will settle for nothing less than the truth. He demands everything from me—EVERYTHING—even if it rips me apart.

DECK

I kill for a living.

Unyielding—It’s how I survive in my line of work. I bend people to my will…except Georgie.
But that ends now.
I’ve played her game for far too long. Now I think it’s time we play mine.

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

Tina’s Review

Georgie was a control freak. So much so that her brother, Connor, teased that she should join the Canadian forces like he did. He was not only her brother, but one of her best friends. But her world abruptly changed one Sunday morning when Deck showed up to deliver the bad news. Now, years later, Georgie owns a coffee shop she named Perk Avenue, has inherited a watchdog… Deck and is living a lie out of necessity.
Deck Ryan served as Connor’s team leader. Informing his best friend’s family of his failure to save him was one of the hardest things he’d ever done. To watch sixteen-year old Georgie meltdown and walk out on her was even harder. Two years later, he returned and now – for years, he’s watched over her; kept her safe from others, and herself, either personally or through one of his men at Unyielding Riot.
**WARNING:
There is a “reliving” and recurring memory replay of graphic violence.
Not suitable for all readers.
———————————————————————————
Although this is the first book in a new series, it is – quite obviously – heavily tied to the Tear Asunder series, which I have NOT read. There is much mention early on regarding characters, and events that had occurred, that hint at a much deeper and more intimate history between these characters that this book alone would not be able to convey on it’s own as successfully.
Deck is the picture-perfect extremely intense uber alpha. Georgie is hiding her old self deep under a new facade of a care-free alcoholic party-girl out of fear and determination to keep her loved ones safe. Deck and Georgie are each tormented with their own demons from the past and this creates a pair of wonderful, extremely emotional and dimensional characters. The plot is filled with plenty of action, sass and twists. There’s some really clever stuff going on and there are many layers hidden within the plot that are capable of providing shock and surprise throughout. The dialogue is equal parts exasperating and humorous. The overall big-picture plot conflict will carry over, it looks like, as a predominant theme to throughout the series, however the individual conflict has been resolved fairly well for now. It would not be correct in calling the conclusion “solid”. There is definitely a “to be continued” feel, BUT the lesser, more intimate story does have a good grasp at closure. I guess we wait to see how things continue in PERFECT RUIN and PERFECT RAGE. Cover is extremely appealing, choosing a piece from Michael Stokes with model Aron Abikzer.

Author Bio:

Nashoda Rose is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who lives in Toronto with her assortment of pets. She writes contemporary romance with a splash of darkness, or maybe it’s a tidal wave.

When she isn’t writing, she can be found sitting in a field reading with her dogs at her side while her horses graze nearby. She loves interacting with her readers on Facebook and chatting about her addiction—books.

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ARC Holiday Review: A Cowboy’s Christmas Promise by Maggie McGinnis – Whisper Creek Series- Book 2

Posted on 11/21/2014 by shellbellereads

A Cowboy’s Christmas Promise

A Whisper Creek Holiday Romance

Whisper Creek Series- Book 2

By Maggie McGinnis

Synopsis

In a captivating novel spiced with holiday magic—perfect for fans of Rachel Gibson, Susan Mallery, and Molly O’Keefe—a rugged Montana man mends a Northeast girl’s jaded heart.

Boston veterinarian Hayley Scampini tends the city’s pampered pets but dreams of the rural life of a country vet. She’s single and determined to stay that way, convinced that love isn’t permanent enough to trust. Then a vacation to the Whisper Creek dude ranch introduces her to Daniel McKee, a sexy single dad who runs the kind of veterinary practice she aspires to—and rattles her conviction to keep men at a distance.

Managing a thriving practice, coping with the loss of his wife, and fighting a custody battle with his in-laws over his twin daughters, Daniel couldn’t be more overwhelmed. Hayley is a godsend, accompanying him in the field and winning over his girls. It doesn’t take Daniel long to realize he’s falling for this woman, hard and fast. So before Hayley returns to Boston, he extracts a promise: that she will return to Whisper Creek for Christmas. It’s the perfect time and place to show Hayley that the promise of a beautiful life together is something she can believe in.

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

Tina’s Review

*** Provided by Netgalley in Exchange for an Honest Review. ***

Two years ago, Hayley Scampini inherited her uncle’s Boston vet practice when he chose to retire and since then she’s been handling pint-size critters and ridiculously spoiled show cats. She’s looking forward to taking a break to attend her best friend Kyla’s wedding in Montana under open skies and dealing with larger animals.

When Daniel McKee lost his wife two years ago to cancer, he suddenly needed to learn how to be a single dad to his five-year old twin girls. He desperately needs a partner for his vet practice, but finding a graduate more interested in livestock than domestic has proved impossible. In the meantime, he’s still struggling to balance work with fatherhood.
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Although this is the second book in the Whisper Creek series, it can easily stand on it’s own. The characters are wonderfully written. Daniel and Hayley are extremely enjoyable as primaries. The secondaries are fantastic, however I think the twins kinda steal several scenes. The plot is dynamic and it flows quite smoothly. There are many emotions conveyed nicely and a sweet humor that makes you smile and laugh as you read it. There were several conflicts of various degrees that took some time to resolve, thus creating a world of realism that not many books manage to capture in such a mature way. NO major Cliffhangers, NO “to be continued”. The conclusion was solid, it closed the book nicely with only the slightest hint of other stories that could develop in the future.

Author Bio:

Maggie McGinnis is a USA Today® Bestselling author and Golden Heart® Finalist who writes humorous contemporary romance and cozy mysteries.

Her heroines are smart and sassy, and her heroes are ju-ust right … but only if they find the right gals!

She’s a member of Romance Writers of America, and is agented by the fabulous Courtney Miller-Callihan of Sanford J. Greenburger Associates.

Maggie’s Whisper Creek series is published by Random House Loveswept®, and her upcoming Echo Lake series will be published by St. Martin’s Press.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

Serial Feature + Review + Giveaway: Donut Shop Divas by Khloe Adams- Books 1-4

Posted on 11/19/2014 by shellbellereads

The Donut Shop Divas Serial

Books 1- 4

By Khloe Adams

Reviewed by Tina

Hot & Glazed

Book 1

Hard-working Miranda Hunter, donut shop diva and owner of HOT & GLAZED, is one frustrated girl. She needs to find a man to put the zip-a-dee back into her doo-dah. But not just any man will do. Long ago, she’d sworn off pro jocks with their cheating ways and groupies. She’d seen enough of it with her dad, a former pro defensive lineman, who’d played on and off the field and broken her mother’s heart.
When hot and delicious Aiden Knight walks into her donut shop, sprinkles and sparks fly. After an all-nighter of torching sex with the 6’5” hottie, Miranda discovers Aiden is a star quarterback. OMG! She’s broken her vow never to date pro athletes. Will she recover from her fumble and enforce her no jock rule, or will she continue to play the game with the sexy pro?

Miranda co-owns HOT & GLAZED, a little bakery in Denver, Colorado with her younger sister, Rachel. Rachel is the wild and care-free baking and decorating genius while Miranda is the responsible caretaker of the duo and the financial genius of the business. As luck would have it, the morning Rachel is sick and can’t help prep to open, the OPEN sign was never turned off from the day before causing a giant super-hunk to come knocking too-early at the store’s front door – but willing to pay a small fortune for a dozen donuts. Her immediate attraction to Aiden has her acting out-of character.
Aiden Knight is a professional football player coming off of an injury. He’s in between teams currently and has a weakness for sweets. He doesn’t expect the immediate attraction to the little baker that opens the door nor the jolt of awareness when they make contact. Immediately, he knows he had to spend more time with her. He asks her to dinner… and one night, to make their hottest fantasies come true.
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Be forewarned, length-wise, this is a micro-novella. It’s focus is on the introduction of characters and their night together. Miranda is supposed to be the responsible sister, but honestly the reader does not see too much of that here. Together they seem to have great chemistry. The dialogue is believable. The plot is a bit confined given the story length, but it has life in it and flows smoothly. I’m happy there’s no predictability thus far but there are underlying conflicts that cannot be resolved this early on, so they are left open; this “book” is only the first *part* of the story therefore does NOT have a conclusion, it carries into Hot & Lei’d.

Hot & Lei’d

Book 2

After one delicious, sinful night in Denver, star quarterback Aiden Knight invites Miranda Hunter to Hawaii. Only Aiden has a reputation as a player – on and off the field – and she doesn’t want to be hurt. The smart move is to walk away. But she can’t get him out of her head. Risking her heart, this donut shop diva and owner of HOT & GLAZED packs up her bikini and a box of donuts from her shop and jets to Maui.

Aloha, Miranda! Under swaying palm trees on a moonlit beach, Aiden and Miranda feed their sexual hunger for each other. They share their deepest secrets.
And then…fumble! Miranda accidently reveals his darkest secret to the world. Will Miranda get a pass, or will she be tossed off Aiden’s team with a broken heart?

Miranda meets up with Aiden again, this time in Hawaii, ten days later. He’s there to help promote the Hawaiian Youth Football League and asked her to join him. She had received a simple text, “Give me another chance.” and that was enough to convince her to accept the first-class tickets that arrived, pack her bikini & jump on a plane bound for paradise!
————–
In the second installment, there’s a touch more game-play and plot. It should have been named Hot and Sexy. It was as fun as it was steamy. Everything: characters, dialogue, interaction, plot… everything was very well written. When underlying conflicts are still hinted at and secrets are revealed to one another, exposure can be one’s downfall. Very minor predictability present. There is no conclusion, rather a gaping hole for HOT & CUFFED to pick up and start filling in.

Hot & Cuffed

Book 3

Paradise turned out to be one big disaster!
With her passionate affair with the star quarterback Aiden Knight left dangling in the tropical wind, Miranda Hunter packs up her bikini and returns home, broken hearted. Just when she thinks her life couldn’t get more miserable, an armed thug threatens to rob HOT & GLAZED, the donut shop she and her sister own.
Saved by FBI Special Agent Connor O’Leary, she seeks comfort in his strong arms. Unable to resist this agent known for being an all around badass, she takes off with him to a secluded mountain cabin where inhibitions are forgotten.
Wow! This donut shop diva never knew playing with a dangerous man could be so addicting. Will her new addiction be enough to heal her heart, or will she still yearn for the sexy quarterback?

Miranda can’t help but notice the hot new customer that’s been coming around and staying longer than average customers would. Never did she expect him to save her life, though.
Connor O’ Leary is a Boston Irish FBI Agent. He’s divorced and recently moved to Denver to be closer to his six-year old son.
Neither expected an attempted armed robbery moments after introductions were made, but that’s exactly what happened. The life-threatening occurrence may have amplified the mild attraction, but Miranda is still hung up on Aiden. Connor’s a gentleman, but intense and protective.
—————————————–
I’m a little on the fence with Miranda in this segment. The plot flows smoothly but centers primarily around an afternoon at his house followed by two days at a cabin in the mountains. The conflicting issues are still present and there’s no solid conclusions as of yet. Thankfully, the predictability is practically non-existent. To be continued… in Hot and Hooked.

Hot & Hooked

Book 4

Miranda Hunter, donut shop diva and owner of HOT & GLAZED, thought she might never see Aiden Knight again. Surprise! The superstar quarterback signs up with Denver’s pro football team, moves to Colorado, and sends her a message: Aloha.
Miranda lives up to her last name. She “hunts” him down, determined to hook her man. But this time around, she has grown wiser. As their smoking-hot passion reignites, this mega-sexy pro will either have to play by her rules, her game, or lose her heart forever.

Things clearly have not been the same for Miranda since leaving Hawaii.
In the final segment, Miranda is still shattered over the hottest news in Denver and is still determined to find a means to make amends for the inadvertent slip-up that occurred months ago. It just may take more than some strawberry-filled glazed donuts with sprinkles on top to get through to him though.
The characters are still a fun mix of human error and sexy sweetness. The plot flies by smoothly with plenty of dynamics and smart, snappy dialogue. The conflict between Miranda and her leading guy finally find a resolve and they get the conclusion they needed, It leaves room enough for Rachel’s serial to begin without having any major cliffhangers.

Author Bio:

The truth behind Khloe Adams is—she’s not one author but three. Plus, one of the authors is a USA TODAY Bestseller and has written over 75 books. Together, they write hot and sexy contemporary romance with a touch of humor.

Their story began when they met each other on an elevator at a Romantic Times Convention. Only this was no ordinary ride. The elevator became stuck between the fiftieth and fifty-first floors at the hotel.

But don’t get worried. They write romance, not horror.

They were trapped with a male model from the cover of several steamy romances. He kept them very entertained. Afterward, they needed a drink to cool down and headed for the nearest bar.
One thing led to another and they decided to form a partnership and write about independent women and strong, sexy guys. With the help of modern technology, they’ve managed to do it. Two of them live in Florida, and the other one lives in Colorado. A recent USA TODAY review said, “Khloe Adams writes hot with a flair—great humor.”
Their debut serial Donut Shop Divas features four bite-sized erotic romances focusing on Miranda’s story: HOT & GLAZED #1, HOT & LEI’D #2, HOT & CUFFED #3 and HOT & HOOKED #4.

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Serial Feature + Review + Giveaway: Donut Shop Divas by Khloe Adams- Books 1-4

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