Cover Reveal: Spinning Out by Lexi Ryan – The Blackhawk Boys – Book 1

Posted on 03/18/2016 by shellbellereads

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Spinning Out

The Blackhawk Boys

By Lexi Ryan

Release Date: May 3, 2016

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THE BLACKHAWK BOYS, an edgy, sexy sports romance series from New York Times bestseller Lexi Ryan. Football. Secrets. Lies. Passion. These boys don’t play fair. Which Blackhawk Boy will steal your heart?

Synopsis

Secrets can cost you…
Twenty-one year old Arrow Woodison is a fuckup. A Division I running back on his way to a Heisman and a top draft pick, the world was his oyster, and he threw it all away with a semester of drugs, alcohol, and generally pissing off anyone who dared care about him. Now he’s lost it all—suspended from the team, not to mention college, on house arrest, and forced to spend a semester at home and get his shit together. The cherry on his fuckup sundae? Sleeping in the room next to his, the live-in nanny and his best friend’s girl, Mia Mendez. His secret. His mistake. And a reminder of everything he regrets.

Secrets can define you…
Since the accident that killed her brother and wounded her boyfriend, Mia Mendez has devoted her life to caring for her alcoholic father and her forever-changed boyfriend. She depends on her position with the Woodisons to support her family, but Arrow’s return home threatens her job. And her heart. She’s not sure what’s worse—the anger in Arrow’s eyes when he looks at her or the attraction that keeps pulling them back together.

Secrets can destroy you…
Desperate to be together but paralyzed by nightmares and guilt, the only way forward is to face the truth about what happened the night of the accident, even if it means revealing secrets that could tear their worlds apart.

Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000038_00074]

THE BLACKHAWK BOYS, an edgy, sexy sports romance series from New York Times bestseller Lexi Ryan. Football. Secrets. Lies. Passion. These boys don’t play fair. Which Blackhawk Boy will steal your heart?

Book 1 – SPINNING OUT – Coming May 3rd (Arrow’s story)
Book 2 – RUSHING IN – Coming mid-2016 (Christopher’s story)
Book 3 – GOING UNDER – Coming late 2016 (Sebastian’s story)

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A Note from the Author:

I’m thrilled to finally share more information about SPINNING OUT with you. I’ve been mentally writing this book for three years and first put pen to paper in April of 2014. I remember because I was on deadline and instead of writing the book I was supposed to be writing, I was in Arrow’s head and falling in love hard and fast, my heart aching with every word.

I started. I stopped. I rewrote. I cut—words, not flesh, but in significance it felt the same. The cutting and rewriting were an exercise in control over a story that didn’t want to be controlled.

I said, “It’s too sad, too dark.” I wrote something else. It called me back. Again and again, I returned. I worried I wasn’t good enough, knew the story was too important for me to fail. But it was also too important for me to ignore. I wrote seven other books between the day I started SPINNING OUT and the day I finally wrote THE END.

I had to fight to tell this story. Fight my insecurities, fight my internal editor, fight my own preconceived notion of what a romance novel needs to be and how it needs to be told.

Some books are harder to write than others. Some books drain everything we have and leave us wishing we had more to give. SPINNING OUT was one of those, and my journey through that first draft left me feeling like an unprepared surgeon, the pieces of the book waiting for me to stitch them together like a broken, bloody but still-beating heart.

Some books have to break the rules. Others have to break the author. This one did both.

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About the Author

New York Times and USA Today bestselling romance author Lexi Ryan’s novels have been described as intense, emotional, and wickedly sexy. A former college professor, she now writes full-time from her home in Indiana, where she lives with her husband, two children, and a neurotic dog. Find her on Facebook or Twitter to chat about books, TV, and her children’s latest antics.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Newsletter

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Cover Reveal: Playing With Fire by Lexi Ryan

Posted on 04/08/2015 by Saucy Southern Readers

Adult Contemporary Romance

Expected Release: July 7, 2015

Dr. Phoenix Reid isn’t who she seems…

Everyone knows a phoenix rises from the ashes. What they don’t talk about are the people she drags with her into the fire.

I thought one hot night with Max Hallowell was harmless. I never expected it would force me to face my past or bring back the man who swore he’d never let me go. Now Max wants to help me. Wants to save me. But if I let him, he’ll be destroyed. I can already smell the flames.

A woman with a secret past. A man determined to protect her. A dangerous passion that could cost them both everything.

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Playing with Fire is the first in a new series of standalone novels featuring the New Hope characters Lexi Ryan fans have come to love. While you wait for Nix and Max’s story, explore Love Unbound, the collection of books set in Lexi’s New Hope world.

*Note: Each series can be read on its own, but for the chronology purists, the reading order is below.

Love Unbound: Splintered Hearts

Unbreak Me (Maggie’s story)

Stolen Wishes: A Wish I May Prequel Novella (Will and Cally’s prequel)

Wish I May (Will and Cally’s novel)

Or read them together in the omnibus edition, Splintered Hearts: The New Hope Trilogy

Love Unbound: Here and Now

Lost in Me (Hanna’s story begins)

Fall to You (Hanna’s story continues)
All for This (Hanna’s story concludes)

Or read them together in the omnibus edition, Here and Now: The Complete Series

Love Unbound: Reckless and Real

Something Wild (Liz and Sam’s story begins)

Something Reckless (Liz and Sam’s story continues)
Something Real (Liz and Sam’s story concludes)

Love Unbound: Mended Hearts

Playing with Fire (Nix’s story, coming July 7, 2015)

About the Author

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New Cover Reveal: Text Appeal by Lexi Ryan

Posted on 03/25/2015 by shellbellereads

NEW Cover for TEXT APPEAL

By New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Lexi Ryan

Note from Lexi:

Almost three years ago, I was working full time as an English professor and learning how much a one- and five-year-old could keep me on my toes. I knew my life was full and that I was a lucky duck who had all she ever needed (and most of what she wanted), but I just couldn’t let go of this dream of “making it” as a writer. I had a couple books published with a small press but my low sales numbers were never going to help me to become a full-time writer, and that was my dream.

Despite my insane to-do list and already full plate, I decided to dive into self-publishing. Text Appeal was my first self-published novel and it was originally released in June of 2012. It was the first big step in a journey that truly changed my life.

Although I loved the original hot guy cover, it was time to give the book a fresh look that better matches my brand. I love this cover so much and the book even more. Who can resist a bad boy poker player who’s determined to get his girl?

Adult Contemporary Romance

Originally published June 2012

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks | Kobo

Charlie ‘The Devil’ Singleton is the face of professional poker. Notorious for playing cards and women, Charlie’s ready to change his ways, and the surprisingly sexy texts he’s getting from Riley are making him bet everything…on her.

Riley Carter is nothing like the hotel heiresses who make the news. A girl who’s determined to run her father’s hotel empire can’t share many traits with women who fill the gossip rags. But ‘The Devil’ has a way of tempting even the best behaved girls.

When Riley discovers the naughty messages on her cell have been coming from Charlie, not her would-be fiancé, she falls into a hot affair with the last man she expected. But consorting with the notorious bad boy puts her hard-won reputation on the line. Is Charlie worth more to her than a little TEXT APPEAL?

Excerpt:

They were in the elevator. And it was moving. They were in a small, moving elevator. They were in a very small, moving elevator and she didn’t know how long they’d been here and how much longer it would take. Had they stalled?

Charlie cleared his throat and loosened her grip on his jacket. “Not that I’m complaining about having you this close to me,” he whispered, his breath hot against her ear. “In fact, I could get used to it.”

She was glued to him, she realized vaguely, but she couldn’t contemplate moving. Not until those doors opened.

“It’s just, Riley, baby, if you’re going to have your body this close to mine, I want you to be looking desperately at me, not a pair of elevator doors. Do you have any idea what that does to a guy’s ego?”

She frowned. “I’m not worried about your ego,” she muttered.

“Hey.” He was stroking her back, soft circles between her shoulder blades. “You’re shaking.”

“I prefer the stairs,” she whispered.

“Close your eyes.”

She shook her head, staring at the doors. Like Charlie had promised, the elevator was glass, and that relieved a little of her claustrophobia. If they got stuck, people would be able to see they were inside. They’d be okay. Someone would come help them.

The elevator’s second ding signaled their arrival, and the doors slid open to the famous bustling kitchen of the French restaurant she’d always been curious about but never visited.

The maître d’ smiled. “Reservations?”

“Singleton,” Charlie said. And just like that, they were being led out of that death trap of an elevator and to their table.

When the concierge pulled out a chair for her, Riley gasped at the view. Their seats were right next to the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the eleven-story-high view of the fountains at the Bellagio.

“Will the heights bother you?” Charlie asked in a whisper.

She shook her head and slid into her chair, angling it strategically so she wouldn’t miss a second of the vision outside the window. “It’s beautiful.”

The concierge placed a leather-bound menu before her. She opened it and gaped. Quick mental calculations told her a basic meal here could more than pay for her next shopping spree at Fredrick’s. When she looked up, Charlie was studying her.

“You’re doing it again,” she said, feeling her cheeks warm.

“Doing what?” Charlie asked, eyeing her over his menu.

Flames of heat licked higher in her cheeks. She wished she was one of those women with a cute flush, but hers pinkened her whole face. She leaned forward and lowered her voice to a whisper. “You’re looking at me like I’m the sprinkles on a brownie sundae.”

His gaze dropped to her mouth, then the little of her body not hidden behind the table. Though she was covered by a black, high-necked number she’d chosen for modesty, the heat in his eyes made her feel exposed. His focus shifted back to her mouth before he said, “Sweetheart, you’re the whole damn sundae, and I am more than ready for dessert.”

Reviews:

From Barnes & Noble’s LOVE ROCKS Indie Review column: “Text Appeal is smart, sexy, filled with great writing and memorable dialogue, and features characters you won’t easily forget.”

From InD’Tale Magazine: “Readers will find themselves cheering for Riley and Charlie both. Lexi Ryan writes her dialogue with wit, humor, a bit of sarcasm, and throws in some wonderful chemistry!”

Designated “A True Gem” by Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews. “With some elevator rides that will make you blush, and a kink for lingerie that will have you running for the closest corset, “Text Appeal” will have you smiling and blushing from beginning to end.”

About the Author

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Blog Tour + Review: Something Real by Lexi Ryan – Reckless & Real Series – Book 2

Posted on 03/13/2015 by shellbellereads

Something Real

Reckless & Real Series – Book #2

By Lexi Ryan

Adult Contemporary

Release: March 3, 2015

After everything blew up on Christmas, Liz walked away from me, and I let her. She said she needed space and a chance to pursue her dreams. But we both knew she was running from the mess she made. Now the political campaign she used as an ex- cuse to leave is bringing us back together and I’m proving to her what she really needs—not just the hot nights, greedy hands, and undeniable physical chemistry. What she really needs is something real. What she really needs…is me.

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes / Kobo / Google Play

Excerpt

Sam

Security had better not have let one of those asshole journalists from downstairs up to my floor. I swear, those soul suckers would do anything to get a new detail to add to their nothing stories. I open the door without removing the chain and feel as if I’ve been punched in the gut when I see the woman on the other side.

Liz is worrying her lower lip between her teeth and watching down the hall. Is she looking for Sabrina or trying to make sure no one sees her coming to my room? My insides twist at the sight of her—an internal tug-of-war between conflicting emotions. I want to pull her into my room and kiss her until she can’t see straight, touch her until she promises never to leave me again, and at the same time, I want to demand that she go back to her room because having her close makes me hope for things I can’t have.

I remove the chain and tug her inside by the arm before closing the door behind her.

“No one saw me,” she says, her eyes locked on the floor. “I made sure.”

“I saw you,” I growl. It’s painful to be this close—to breathe her air, to smell her perfume. I never knew how much it could hurt to want and be denied.

She swallows and avoids my eyes. “Is she here?”

“What do you want, Liz?”

She lifts her head and stares at me. “Is she here?”

“Sabrina’s on her way to meet her mom in South Dakota for a campaign stop.”

Her gaze dips to my bare chest and back up. “I’m surprised they didn’t ask you to go with them.”

“They did. I declined.” I sound like a fucking dickhead, and I make myself take two steps back so I don’t do something equally dickish. Like kiss her until she melts in my arms and forgets about the other guy, until we both forget that this is hopeless.

“I’m sorry that video was leaked. You didn’t deserve that invasion of your privacy.”

She has red lipstick on, and it matches her shoes. Ever since I saw her tonight, I’ve been picturing her on her knees in nothing but those shoes, those red lips stretched around my cock. I can’t help myself, and I skim my thumb over her bottom lip.

The second I touch her, she draws in a ragged breath. “You came to my apartment yesterday.”

“I did.”

“Why?”

I trail my thumb down her neck and over the red strap of her dress. “Probably for the same reason you came here tonight.”

“To talk about Sabrina?”

“You knocked on my door in the middle of the night to talk about Sabrina?” I follow the strap down and graze my fingers across her cleavage. “Is this about her, or is it about you and me?”

“There is no you and me,” she says. “We both know that.”

“There’s so much you and me, there’s no air left when we share a room. There’s always you and me.”

“Even when you’re making sex tapes with someone else?”

“And even when you’re keeping warm in another man’s arms.”

Kelley’s Review

Lexi once again weaves a tale full of angst, and intrigue, that is emotionally intense and will have you wondering if this couple really will get their happily ever after.

If you have not read Something Reckless you need to read that first in order to truly enjoy this story. I will warn you that your jaw will be on the floor when you finish the last page of Something Reckless. Having to wait for Something Real just about killed me.

Sam and Liz have always had flirty banter between the two of them but Liz never saw Sam as serious potential relationship material. When Liz and Sam finally do come together their chemistry is combustible and Sam starts to finally let someone in. But all that changes after Liz spends too much time on an online dating app and thinks that she is dirty texting with Sam when in fact she is not. When Sam finds out he is livid and their happily ever after comes to a screeching halt.

Just when you think that Sam and Liz have spent enough time apart and realize that it is worth it to try to make things work a sex tape is leaked and the entire game is changed. If Sam has to marry Sabrina where does that leave Lizzie?

This is one of those reads that you just can’t put down. It is plot twist after plot twist and you will find yourself deeply engrossed in the story. Every time there is a light at the end of the tunnel Lexi throws a curve ball that changes the game. Lexi is one of my go to authors. I have read every single book she has ever published including her paranormal romances which I have been begging her to give us more of. She has a talent for weaving complex stories with complicated characters that pull at your heartstrings. If you like to read stories that have you on the edge of your seat as you wait to see whatis going to happen next you will enjoy this series.

Something Real Playlist

From Lexi:

Because I so frequently have to switch gears at the drop of a hat—from Mom to writer, from the business side of writing to drafting an intensely emotional scene—I rely on music to quickly plant me in the zone for any given book. Every time I start to write a book, I create a playlist that makes me think of the characters and I listen to it and add to it as I write. Here’s what I was listening to while I was writing Something Real. I hope you like it!

Amnesia—5 Seconds of Summer

Over You—Ingrid Michaelson (feat. A Great Big World)

How Long Will I Love You—Ellie Goulding

You Ruin Me—The Veronicas

Don’t—Ed Sheeran

All You Had to Do Was Stay—Taylor Swift

Changed by You—Between the Trees

Thinking Out Loud—Ed Sheeran

Crazy in Love—Sofia Karlberg

Love Me Like You Do—Ellie Goulding

Something Reckless

Reckless & Real Series – Book #1

Release: December 22, 2014

He talks dirty to me, but I don’t know his name.
He wants to tie me up, but I don’t know his face.
He turns me on, but I couldn’t point him out in a crowd.
I’ve fallen for an anonymous stranger, and tonight the anonymity ends. Tonight I want more than typed secrets and texted promises. I want something reckless. Heat. Passion. The thrill of being entirely possessed.
Because I suspect this anonymous stranger isn’t a stranger at all.

Lizzy Thompson met riverrat69 online through Something Real, a service promising to deliver meaningful relationships by forbidding its users to share names or photos until they’ve reached a certain benchmark. She was looking for love. He was researching an investment. They hit it off. Talked and flirted, hid behind screen names and cartoon avatars.
Now they’re breaking the rules and meeting in person. But Liz is prepared. She’s picked up hints and followed clues.
She’s ninety-percent convinced she’s discovered the identity of her dirty-talking online friend.
She wonders if her ex-lover Sam Bradshaw knows her identity too.
When she rolls the dice on one reckless night, her chance at something real could crumble.

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes / Kobo / Google Play

About the Author

Once a college English professor, I now write full time. I live in rural Indiana, where, when I’m not writing, I get to hang out with my husband and two kids–a six-year-old boy and

a two-year-old hellion, er, girl. Not surprisingly, reading and writing remain my favorite activities, though both come in bits and pieces these days, not the big hunks of time I en- joyed before I had children. When I’m feeling virtuous, I like to go running (I use that word liberally. I’m really, really slow) or do yoga. Don’t worry, I’m always careful to balance out such activities with a hearty serving of ice cream or a chocolate martini.

Website: http://lexiryan.com

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

Twitter: @writerlexiryan; https://twitter.com/writerlexiryan

Happy Release: Something Real by Lexi Ryan – Reckless & Real Series – Book 2

Posted on 03/03/2015 by shellbellereads

Something Real

Reckless & Real Series – Book #2

By Lexi Ryan

Adult Contemporary

Release: March 3, 2015

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes / Kobo / Google Play

Excerpt

Sam

I remove the chain and tug her inside by the arm before closing the door behind her.

“No one saw me,” she says, her eyes locked on the floor. “I made sure.”

“I saw you,” I growl. It’s painful to be this close—to breathe her air, to smell her perfume. I never knew how much it could hurt to want and be denied.

She swallows and avoids my eyes. “Is she here?”

“What do you want, Liz?”

She lifts her head and stares at me. “Is she here?”

“Sabrina’s on her way to meet her mom in South Dakota for a campaign stop.”

Her gaze dips to my bare chest and back up. “I’m surprised they didn’t ask you to go with them.”

“I’m sorry that video was leaked. You didn’t deserve that invasion of your privacy.”

The second I touch her, she draws in a ragged breath. “You came to my apartment yesterday.”

“I did.”

“Why?”

I trail my thumb down her neck and over the red strap of her dress. “Probably for the same reason you came here tonight.”

“To talk about Sabrina?”

“You knocked on my door in the middle of the night to talk about Sabrina?” I follow the strap down and graze my fingers across her cleavage. “Is this about her, or is it about you and me?”

“There is no you and me,” she says. “We both know that.”

“There’s so much you and me, there’s no air left when we share a room. There’s always you and me.”

“Even when you’re making sex tapes with someone else?”

“And even when you’re keeping warm in another man’s arms.”

Something Real Playlist

From Lexi:

Amnesia—5 Seconds of Summer

Over You—Ingrid Michaelson (feat. A Great Big World)

How Long Will I Love You—Ellie Goulding

You Ruin Me—The Veronicas

Don’t—Ed Sheeran

All You Had to Do Was Stay—Taylor Swift

Changed by You—Between the Trees

Thinking Out Loud—Ed Sheeran

Crazy in Love—Sofia Karlberg

Love Me Like You Do—Ellie Goulding

SOMETHING RECKLESS is on sale for .99 cents until March 14!

Something Reckless

Reckless & Real Series – Book #1

Release: December 22, 2014

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes / Kobo / Google Play

About the Author

Once a college English professor, I now write full time. I live in rural Indiana, where, when I’m not writing, I get to hang out with my husband and two kids–a six-year-old boy and

Website: http://lexiryan.com

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

Twitter: @writerlexiryan; https://twitter.com/writerlexiryan

5-Star ARC Review: Something Reckless by Lexi Ryan

Posted on 01/02/2015 by Saucy Southern Readers

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iTunes

He talks dirty to me, but I don’t know his name.

He wants to tie me up, but I don’t know his face.

He turns me on, but I couldn’t point him out in a crowd.

I’ve fallen for an anonymous stranger, and tonight the anonymity ends. Tonight I want more than typed secrets and texted promises. I want something reckless. Heat. Passion. The thrill of being entirely possessed.

Because I suspect this anonymous stranger isn’t a stranger at all.

Now they’re breaking the rules and meeting in person. But Liz is prepared. She’s picked up hints and followed clues.

She’s ninety-percent convinced she’s discovered the identity of her dirty-talking online friend.

She wonders if her ex-lover Sam Bradshaw knows her identity too.

When she rolls the dice on one reckless night, her chance at something real could crumble.

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22434551-something-reckless

Excerpt from Something Reckless

“You look amazing in this dress. I’ve been pretending all night that there’s something I want to do more than get you out of it.”

“What would you do with me if you got so lucky?”

“I’d keep you up all night, for starters.” He slides a hand into my hair and traces the side of my neck with his thumb. His groan rumbles through me. “Tell me what you came here for.”

I thought that was pretty clear. “I’m wearing extremely slutty underwear. What do you think?”

His nostrils flare and his breathing goes thready. “I think I’m going to have to up my game, because now I want to see it.”

I have to bite back a smile. “Good,” I say. My heart thumps out a beat, probably Morse code for please and thank you.

“How slutty is this underwear of yours?”

I lick my lips. “Oh, it’s damn near whorish.”

“Let me see it, Liz.”

I lift my chin and prop my hands on my hips. “Seriously? That’s all the seduction I get? Let me see it?”

He steps closer until I have to crane my neck to look at him, and holy hell he smells good. “What game are we playing here, Rowdy?” he murmurs against my ear. “Is this the one where we pretend we don’t want each other and sleep alone . . .” His fingers skim down my shoulder and my eyes float closed. “Or is it the one where I make you come so hard you scream my name and tomorrow you act like you want nothing to do with me?”

“Are those my only choices?” I ask, but I keep my eyes closed, focusing on the feel of his rough fingers dancing across my skin. The truth is, I don’t want to play either game. I’m done playing games when it comes to Sam. I’m done pretending I don’t want him when I do, and I’m done pretending our annual one-night stand is enough for me.

“Tell me you aren’t going to run away in the morning. Promise me you won’t shut me out again.”

I don’t know what that means, and I’m too scared to analyze it. My eyes are still closed when he takes my chin in his fingers and tilts my face up to his, still closed when he brushes his lips over mine and when I open under him because I’m helpless to this man’s kiss.

“Promise me,” he repeats.

“I won’t run away.” Then I unzip my dress and let it fall to the floor in a puddle, and my boldness is rewarded. Sam’s lips part and his breath escapes him in a rush.

He steps back and takes me in. The bra is strapless, black lace demi-cups that lift my breasts until they threaten to spill out. The panties—what there is of them—are a thong in matching black lace. Their fine lace straps sit in a sharp V high on my hipbones.

A ringlet of hair escaped my up-do, and he takes it between his fingers and twirls it around. I deserve a medal for not melting right here at his feet.

He hooks his index finger under the black bow between my bra cups. “Did you wear this for me?” His voice is a husky whisper that I can’t deny.

“Yes.”

His fingers skim my belly, trace over my hip, following the lace of my thong behind me to where the straps meet at the small of my back. My breath catches as he takes the fabric path over the curve of my tailbone and down, his fingers bringing every nerve ending to life as they pass. Electric pleasure whips through me.

“Fourteen months since I’ve touched you,” he says. “Fourteen months since I’ve gotten to hear the way you breathe when you’re turned on, since I’ve gotten to listen to you scream as I make you come. Tell me you haven’t thought about it.”

“I’d be lying.”

“Don’t lie,” he says, eyes hot and intense. “Just tell me you want me.”

Kelley’s Review

Lexi Ryan leaves us once again stunned and utterly speechless. Just when you think you have it all figured out she slaps you over the head and you are literally stunned.

I fell in love with Lizzy a long time ago. She just seems destined to never find the kind of love her sisters have no matter how much she tries. Drunken one night stands are getting kind of old and the one man that she wants more from will not give it to her so she decides to throw her hat into the online dating scene. New Hope is a fairly small town so how many people could truly be using the towns online dating site? Lizzy has been enjoying some scorching hot dirty talk via Something Real with riverrat69, one of the sites many investors. She has exchanged some racy photos with him and now he wants to meet. She is almost positive she knows who he is and is excited to meet the man who can turn her on with only his words. What happens when finds out the true identity of riverrat69 and he is not either man she thinks he is. Her reckless online behavior could cost her dearly in real life.

I wanted to scream and throw my kindle at the end of this book. I was like “No Friggen Way!!!” Lexi threw me for a serious loop and I loved every second of it. She had built up so much angst in this story that I skipped the last few chapters and went straight to the end because I could not take it anymore. I never ever skip to the end but she had me so tied up in knots that I just had to know who the heck Lizzy was talking to. OMFG!! I never saw what was coming. The question is now that we know riverrat69’s true identity how does this story shake out. I can’t wait for Something Real to see the path to Lizzy’s Happily Ever After. I am sure it is going full of twists and turns that will have our jaw dropping just like it did in this book. Lexi is the queen of cliff hangers that have you slack-jawed and at a loss for words. I know that I will be throughly entertained when I pick up one of her reads. Thank goodness this one is only a two-part read and part two will be here in March, hopefully sooner if I can twist her arm along with her other Midnight Readers.

Copyright Lexi Ryan, 2014

Adult Contemporary Romance

FREE introductory novella to the SOMETHING RECKLESS

“You need a good guy. A long-term guy. One who does dates and romance and emotional strings…I’m just an asshole who wants to tie you up, make you come, and walk away.”

Samuel Bradshaw is a man with a reputation—the kind of reputation that should have me running the other way. Instead, it has me searching for the shortest distance to his bed. I won’t be the starry-eyed girl who thinks she can change a man like Sam, and despite what he thinks, forever is not what I need. I need the things he makes me feel, the way he turns me on, and the promise of pleasure in his eyes. This promises to be SOMETHING WILD.

About the Author

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Happy Release Day: Something Reckless by Lexi Ryan

Posted on 12/22/2014 by Saucy Southern Readers

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iTunes

He talks dirty to me, but I don’t know his name.

He wants to tie me up, but I don’t know his face.

He turns me on, but I couldn’t point him out in a crowd.

Because I suspect this anonymous stranger isn’t a stranger at all.

Now they’re breaking the rules and meeting in person. But Liz is prepared. She’s picked up hints and followed clues.

She’s ninety-percent convinced she’s discovered the identity of her dirty-talking online friend.

She wonders if her ex-lover Sam Bradshaw knows her identity too.

When she rolls the dice on one reckless night, her chance at something real could crumble.

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22434551-something-reckless

Excerpt from Something Reckless

“You look amazing in this dress. I’ve been pretending all night that there’s something I want to do more than get you out of it.”

“What would you do with me if you got so lucky?”

“I’d keep you up all night, for starters.” He slides a hand into my hair and traces the side of my neck with his thumb. His groan rumbles through me. “Tell me what you came here for.”

I thought that was pretty clear. “I’m wearing extremely slutty underwear. What do you think?”

His nostrils flare and his breathing goes thready. “I think I’m going to have to up my game, because now I want to see it.”

I have to bite back a smile. “Good,” I say. My heart thumps out a beat, probably Morse code for please and thank you.

“How slutty is this underwear of yours?”

I lick my lips. “Oh, it’s damn near whorish.”

“Let me see it, Liz.”

I lift my chin and prop my hands on my hips. “Seriously? That’s all the seduction I get? Let me see it?”

“Tell me you aren’t going to run away in the morning. Promise me you won’t shut me out again.”

“Promise me,” he repeats.

“I won’t run away.” Then I unzip my dress and let it fall to the floor in a puddle, and my boldness is rewarded. Sam’s lips part and his breath escapes him in a rush.

A ringlet of hair escaped my up-do, and he takes it between his fingers and twirls it around. I deserve a medal for not melting right here at his feet.

He hooks his index finger under the black bow between my bra cups. “Did you wear this for me?” His voice is a husky whisper that I can’t deny.

“Yes.”

“I’d be lying.”

“Don’t lie,” he says, eyes hot and intense. “Just tell me you want me.”

Adult Contemporary Romance

FREE introductory novella to the SOMETHING RECKLESS

“You need a good guy. A long-term guy. One who does dates and romance and emotional strings…I’m just an asshole who wants to tie you up, make you come, and walk away.”

About the Author

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Dual Cover Reveal: Something Reckless and Something Real by Lexi Ryan

Posted on 10/29/2014 by Saucy Southern Readers

DUAL COVER REVEAL

By New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author

Lexi Ryan

Adult Contemporary Romance

Expected release: December 22, 2014

Covers designed by Okay Creations

He talks dirty to me, but I don’t know his name.

He wants to tie me up, but I don’t know his face.

He turns me on, but I couldn’t point him out in a crowd.

Because I suspect this anonymous stranger isn’t a stranger at all.

Now they’re breaking the rules and meeting in person. But Liz is prepared. She’s picked up hints and followed clues.

She’s ninety-percent convinced she’s discovered the identity of her dirty-talking online friend.

She wonders if her ex-lover Sam Bradshaw knows her identity too.

When she rolls the dice on one reckless night, her chance at something real could crumble.

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22434551-something-reckless

Expected release for SOMETHING REAL: February 2015

Description not available.

About the Author

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Special Reflection: Lexi Ryan shares her thoughts on Meredith

Posted on 08/04/2014 by Saucy Southern Readers

Lost in Me (Book One) – FREE

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Fall to You (Book Two)

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All for This (Book Three)

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Reflecting on Meredith: The Character We Love to Hate

If you’ve read the first two books of the Here and Now series, you probably have some opinions about Meredith. You might have some choice words for her as well. I know I do. When I first started writing about her, I said, “Some people are just horrible.” But even horrible people have their reasons—valid or not.

When I first “met” Meredith while writing Wish I May (William and Cally’s book), I didn’t like her. At. All. When I realized what roll she played in Hanna’s books, I liked her even less. You see, in my mind, Meredith is very much like this girl I grew up with, let’s call her…Emily* (*name changed to protect the not-so-innocent). “Emily” was horrible to me, and I never understood why. She was wealthy and “popular” (a misnomer, in my opinion, as the “popular” group was always a rather small percentage of my school). I was from a struggling middle-class family and a bank geek. She was blonde and thin and wore the nicest clothes. I was mousy and overweight and wore my big sisters’ hand-me-downs. I never understood why she seemed to hate me so much.

I went to school with Emily from grade school through high school graduation, though we were in very few classes together since I was in the advanced or “academically talented” classes. But she was around just enough to make a mark on me. If I already had issues about my changing body, Emily made them worse by mocking me when we changed in the gym locker room. If I felt awkward and unwelcome in social settings, Emily made it worse by tripping me in the bleachers at the Homecoming game and laughing with her friends as I scrambled to my feet. Emily was a total bitch.

As a writer, of course, I look back and want to know what her motivation was. Was I just an easy target? She could be Queen Bee of her little group and show her power by making me feel small? Maybe. But I like to think people are more complex than that.

I’ll never forget the day we were meeting with advisors from a small private college. Emily desperately wanted to go to this college. I’d already been admitted and knew I’d be going under and academic scholarship. Emily hadn’t been admitted and she raised her hand to ask the advisors if they would be willing to take a writing sample instead of basing her entry on SAT scores and grades. I remember it so well. She said, “I can’t take tests, but I’m not stupid.” And then she turned and glared at me, and there was so much hatred in her eyes I’ve never been able to forget it. You see, I had no idea that she struggled with her grades or with taking tests. All I saw was a pretty, rich girl who was mean to me. But I guess it was common knowledge that I was quite smart. I was in all the advanced classes, praised for my work, and I’ve never had the problem with testing that some students have. I liked reading and writing and studying—something that may get you mocked in middle school but gets you money when college rolls around. Never would I have imagined that my success as a student had anything to do with how Emily treated me, but in that moment, I knew it did. She resented me for being able to do what she could not.

As I wrote All for This, I realized the same was true for Meredith. She isn’t “just a bitch.” She had her reasons. Does that make what she’s done right? Absolutely not. But it does remind me of Emily and that look in her eyes when she said, “I’m not stupid.” I don’t hate “Emily” anymore. I hope she’s doing well and that she is secure enough in herself these days that she doesn’t have to humiliate others to feel okay about her own weaknesses.

On a final note, I want to say this blog post is probably the most personal one I’ve ever written. I don’t like to write this much about myself—I prefer fiction, TVYM. But since this is for the final book in Hanna’s series, it seems fitting. I’ve gotten so many letters from readers who relate to Hanna and her self-esteem issues, and I’ll admit, I do too. Luckily for me, I know all about finding the guy (or guys in Hanna’s case), that teach you to feel comfortable in your own skin. My wish for you is that, if you see yourself in Hanna, you can learn for her mistakes. You are more beautiful than you know, and the people who bring you down aren’t “right” about you. They’re fighting their own demons. Smile and carry on. (Unless they trip you in the bleachers in front of your whole high school. Then you have my permission to start swinging…)

XOXO,

Lexi

Release Day Blitz + 6 Star Review: All for This by Lexi Ryan

Posted on 08/04/2014 by Saucy Southern Readers

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**ALL FOR THIS is book three in the Here and Now series. It is not a stand-alone and it’s intended to be read after LOST IN ME and FALL TO YOU.**

What if you would never remember the day you made the most important decision of your life?

That’s what they’re telling me about the day of my accident—the day I put on Max’s ring and chose him over Nate. I’m counting on the wisdom behind a decision I don’t remember making.

Max is amazing—sexy, sweet, and kind. I was starting to believe happily-ever-after might be in my future after all. Then the unthinkable happened and my world imploded. If I’m going to make this work with Max, I need my missing memories, or at least answers from about those five days before my accident.

But what does my future hold if those answers aren’t anything like I imagined?

Lost in Me (Book One) – FREE

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Fall to You (Book Two)

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All for This (Book Three)

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Excerpt

**SPOILER ALERT!** The following excerpt from ALL FOR THIS by its very nature contains spoilers for the first two books in the Here and Now series, LOST IN ME and FALL TO YOU. If you hate spoilers and haven’t read the first two books, don’t read any further.

Hanna

“Where’s Hanna?” I know the voice, and an unwelcome thrill dances up my spine as Nate pushes into my kitchen and stalks toward me.

“Customers aren’t allowed back here,” Liz says behind him.

“Don’t do it,” he says, and those dark, broody eyes are all over me like he’s trying to take me in, memorize me.

I take a deep breath and look to my sister. “You should probably go.” Then I turn to Nate. “Don’t do what?”

“Um…” Liz looks Nate up and down. “Are you sure? Because I can stay to protect you. Or…try.” God bless her, she’s standing behind Nate with her hands on her hips, ready to swing on my behalf.

“Why don’t you give us a minute?”

She narrows her eyes at Nate. “Hurt her and I’ll cut off your balls in your sleep.” Then she pushes out of the kitchen, the door swinging wildly behind her.

“Don’t move in with him,” Nate says.

“What are you talking about?” I ask.

“I thought you said you weren’t moving forward with Max until after the babies were born. Don’t you think moving in is moving forward?”

“I don’t know where you get your information, but I’m not moving in with him.”

“You’re not?”

I shake my head. “He asked me to, and I said no.”

He must have been expecting a fight, because his shoulders relax and he drags a hand through his hair. “Thank you.”

I toss my wash cloth into the sink. “Is that all?”

“No.” He lifts his eyes to mine. “I need to apologize.”

“For what?”

“For this.”

In two long strides, he closes the space between us and presses his mouth to mine. His lips are hot and hungry as his tongue sweeps inside—coaxing and demanding all at once. And it’s so good. So sweet and easy and safe that, for a breath, I forget how wrong it is. I’m back in the hotel in St. Louis, finding myself in the fire between us. For a breath, I forget that I’m wearing Max’s ring.

I shove at his shoulder and push him away. “Don’t do that again.” My stomach squeezes, and my heart is so battered and beaten that it’s unrecognizable.

Nate

Her eyes flash with anger, disappointment, and heat. “Do you think you can win me with a kiss? Did you think I’m so fickle that your mouth on mine is enough to convince me to break Max’s heart?”

I step forward, blocking her between me and the counter as I lower my mouth to her ear. “I thought maybe you needed a reminder.”

“What do you want from me? You want me to admit that I want you? You know I do. You want me to tell you I’m still in love with you? It’s true.”

My heart swells and hammers at her words. I don’t know if I’ll ever feel worthy of Hanna’s love, but that doesn’t change that I want it, need it like I need air.

“Isn’t that enough? Is it like this with him? When he’s whispering in your ear, does your body hum with need? We both know I could kiss you again and make you forget him. I could kiss you until you wanted me so badly you climbed onto that counter and let me touch you everywhere, let me do anything I wanted with your body.”

“You won’t,” she says, her voice shaking slightly.

“Are you so sure?”

“You won’t,” she repeats, “because I’m asking you not to. You won’t because you’re too good not to respect that.”

“I don’t want to be good,” I growl. I step back so I can see her face—her parted lips, her smoky eyes. “I want you.”

“I’m taken.”

“What happened?” I ask, scanning her face, trying to read her shielding expression. “Between when I left LA and when I came back to New Hope, what happened to make you take him back?”

She’s silent for a minute, and I wonder if she’s going to tell me the truth. “I found out he bought me the bakery—that all my worries and insecurities about our relationship were totally unfounded.”

“I’ll buy you a hundred bakeries.”

“But I don’t want a hundred bakeries. I only want this one.”

In New Hope. I close my eyes because I can’t deny that geography still stands between us.

“Please don’t kiss me again.”

“What if you ask me to?”

She swallows. “I won’t ask.”

Kelley’s Review

This series gripped me from the very beginning. The premise that you wake up one day to find out you have everything you ever wanted, but don’t know how you got it is very intriguing. Lexi Ryan does an excellent job unveiling Hanna’s memories as she begins to remember the events that led her to make certain decisions. This series is a must read. I completely identified with Hanna from the beginning. The fact that she battled her weight and tried to stay out of the spotlight tugged at a my heartstrings as I can relate to those things. She really is the most humble and kind heroine that I have ever read. She does what is best for others and not necessarily what is best for herself. Even as she has to choose which man she is going to give her heart to, she does her best not to hurt the other as much as possible.

Lexi leaves each book on a cliff-hanger until you get to book three which is Here and Now. At this point it is time for Hanna to choose either Max or Nate. After reading Fall to You I felt like I would be ok with either man being Hanna’s happily ever after. When I started reading All for This I really began to struggle with whether or not I wanted to see Hanna with Max or Nate. Max sacrifices so much and puts his heart out there and is willing to do whatever it takes to win Hanna’s heart. I truly fell head over heels in love with Max even more than I was before after seeing him be such a sweet and doting father to Claire.

Nate Crane is holy hotness and he is the match that strikes the fire in Hanna’s body and soul. The chemistry between the two of them is scorching hot. I was not entirely convinced that Nate was the right man for Hanna. It took me reading to the very end of this read to accept the choice Hanna made and say to myself that she made the right one. That to me is what makes this read so different from any other series I have read. Here we are the last book in the series and this should be a no brainer but it is not. There is so much complexity in the choice that Hanna has to make. Does she want to leave New Hope? Would Nate move to New Hope but then resent her because he could not be with Colin? Would Max be truly ok with Nate being a part of Hanna’s life if they were to be together, knowing that she still loves Nate?

Lexi weaves a tantalizing tale that keeps you turning the pages. This is a series that you will not be able to put the kindle down for so make sure it is fully charged when you start reading Lost In Me because you will not be able to wait to read Fall to You and All for This. Bravo Lexi Ryan for creating a 6-star series that will remain at the top of my list of recommendations for years to come.

About the Author

Once a college English professor, I now write full-time. I live in rural Indiana, where, when I’m not writing, I get to hang out with my husband and two kids–a six-year-old boy and a two-year-old hellion, er, girl. Not surprisingly, reading and writing remain my favorite activities, though both come in bits and pieces these days, not the big hunks of time I enjoyed before I had children. When I’m feeling virtuous, I like to go running (I use that word liberally. I’m really, really slow) or do yoga. Don’t worry, I’m always careful to balance out such activities with a hearty serving of ice cream or a chocolate martini.

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Saucy Southern Readers

professional, honest, and timely book reviews

Tag Archives: Lexi Ryan

Cover Reveal: Spinning Out by Lexi Ryan – The Blackhawk Boys – Book 1

Cover Reveal: Playing With Fire by Lexi Ryan

New Cover Reveal: Text Appeal by Lexi Ryan

Blog Tour + Review: Something Real by Lexi Ryan – Reckless & Real Series – Book 2

Happy Release: Something Real by Lexi Ryan – Reckless & Real Series – Book 2

5-Star ARC Review: Something Reckless by Lexi Ryan

Happy Release Day: Something Reckless by Lexi Ryan

Dual Cover Reveal: Something Reckless and Something Real by Lexi Ryan

Special Reflection: Lexi Ryan shares her thoughts on Meredith

Reflecting on Meredith: The Character We Love to Hate

Release Day Blitz + 6 Star Review: All for This by Lexi Ryan

Excerpt

Hanna

Nate

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Reflecting on Meredith: The Character We Love to Hate

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Excerpt

Hanna

Nate

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