The Reading Cafe 4th Anniversary Celebration and Giveaway

Posted on January 31, 2016 by Sandy

The Reading Cafe 4th Anniversary Celebration and Giveaways

On February 2, 2012 The Reading Cafe was born. From our love of books, an idea came to life and our adventure began. The success has been phenomenal-reviews, interviews, authors and cover models, giveaways, cover reveals to behind the scenes-we offer something for everyone. As we quickly approach our 4,800th member, we cannot contain our heartfelt thanks to everyone who has made The Reading Cafe a great place to visit.

To show our appreciation and to celebrate our 4th Anniversary we are offering you a chance to WIN a number of anniversary prize packages, including a Kindle Fire, throughout the month of February, as well as our regularly scheduled promotions and giveaways.

Many of your favorite authors and publishers have graciously donated books, swag and prize packages to help us celebrate with you. Remember to drop by The Reading Cafe every day to enter for your chance to WIN.

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If you miss a daily giveaway, you may go back and enter until the giveaway deadline.

Most Anniversary Giveaway promotions will post at 6pm est

Our first giveaway for a KINDLE FIRE will commence February 1, 2016

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RULES AND REGULATIONS

1. ALL GIVEAWAYS REQUIRE A COMMENT to be eligible. Please leave a comment under each giveaway you would like to enter. Nothing much-‘enter me in the giveaway’- is fine.

There is a link on the side bar to the giveaway page. The Giveaway Page will be updated daily with new giveaways.

NOTE: Register at The Reading Cafe using the log-in at the top of the page (side bar) or by using one of the social log-in. If you are using a social log-in such as Twitter or Facebook etc, please post your email address with your comment, as Twitter etc does not account for email contact.

If you are having difficulty commenting after logging onto the site, refresh the page (at the top of your computer screen). This should solve some of the difficulty.

2. The paper giveaways are open to USA only unless otherwise specified. (it will be highlighted)

3. The ebook giveaways are open INTERNATIONALLY unless otherwise specified. (it will be highlighted)

4. Winners of all giveaways will be notified by email at the end of the promotion. Winners will have 72 hours to respond to the email notification. If the winner does not respond to the email within 72 hours, another name will be drawn.

5. Giveaway promotion will run February 1 to February 29, 2016. Read each giveaway for end dates.

Again, we want to thank you for making The Reading Cafe the success that it is.

Sandy, Barb and The Reading Cafe Team
(Vickie, Georgianna, Rachel, Julie B, Erin, Carmen, Xtina, Marcie, Miranda, Julie C and Tricia)

Rush of Insanity by Eden Summers-a review

Posted on January 31, 2016 by Sandy

RUSH OF INSANITY by Eden Summers-a review

Rush of Insanity

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date February 1, 2016

She won’t go down without a fight…and he’s looking forward to it.

Harper left the world famous solo artist, Judd Hart, over a year ago. No matter how much she cared for him, their worlds were miles apart. All they shared was great sex and the ability to drive each other crazy. So why is she at his concert, drooling over the sound of his delicious voice, when she’s spent months convincing herself they can never work?

Letting Harper walk out on him was the biggest mistake of Judd’s life. And now that he’s sighted her amongst the crowd, he won’t let her run away again. Not even if it means holding her hostage on his tour bus until he can seduce some sense into her. They have a lot to work out, but this time, he will do whatever it takes to convince her they have a future.

Apart, their lives are smooth sailing. Together, it’s pure craziness. But sometimes it’s okay to enjoy the rush of insanity.

•••••••

REVIEW: RUSH OF INSANITY by Eden Summers is a stand alone, second chance rock star romance novella focusing on world famous solo artist Judd Hart, and the woman he loves Harper Douglas-a stylist who was once hired as part of his tour.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Harper and Judd) RUSH OF INSANITY focuses on Judd’s attempts to ‘win’ back the woman who walked away fifteen months earlier. With his concert appearance in Harper’s hometown of Denver, Judd hopes that Harper is in attendance because he is determined to make her a permanent part of his life but not before he uncovers the reasons she walked away months before.

Harper is a feisty and oft-times crazy female; a woman who believes she is not worthy of Judd’s love or the lifestyle he leads, and in this she struggles with her love and need for one of music’s biggest stars. Judd lives for the music and the stage, but finds the ‘extras’ too much, and in this he has something in common with Harper Douglas. The sexual attraction is palpable; there is a frenetic energy between our leading couple. Their need for one another is impassioned and intense; the lone $ex scene is seductive and emotional.

RUSH OF INSANITY is a quick read; a passionate story about two people whose lives imploded months before.

Copy supplied by the author

Reviewed by Sandy

How To Wed a Warrior by Christy English-Review, Book Tour & Giveaway

Posted on January 31, 2016 by Sandy

How To Wed a Warrior by Christy English-Review, Book Tour & Giveaway

HOW TO WED A WARRIOR
Broadswords and Ballrooms 2
by Christy English
Genre: historical, romance
Release Date: February 2, 2016

How To Wed a Warrior

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / The Book Depository /Indiebound / Apple

When his wild spitfire of a sister makes a scene by drawing her claymore in Hyde Park, Highlander Robert Waters knows something must be done. To forestall the inevitable scandal, he hires widowed Prudence Whittaker to teach his sister how to be a lady – never expecting he’d become hungry for a few lessons of his own.

Outwardly prim, Pru is adept at keeping would-be suitors at bay. She has to if she wants to keep her secret. But all the drab colors and careful manners in the world will not hide her abundant charms from this determined Highlander…

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4.5 out of 5 for this reader folks!

How to Wed a Warrior by Christy English is the second book of her Broadswords and Ballrooms series. I love that it literally picks up right where the first book ended.

After seeing his brother happily married off (this would be the story of the first book), Robert Waters has now taken the responsibility of seeing his wild cat sister married off as well. When he finds his sister has completely once again scandalized herself by drawing her claymore at an English park, he is completely and utterly unsure how to tame her for polite English Society.

Prudence Whittaker just so happens to come across this scene in the making and before she realizes it, she has agreed to become this scandalous ladies companion and Robert’s employee. Hired to teach his spitfire sibling some English manners and cover scandal, Pru cannot believe what she has agreed to do. Dressed as a widow and hiding a few secrets of her own, Prudence soon finds herself doing all she can not to let her heart win. Especially when she finds that Robert is the man she has always wanted.

These two made a lovely couple. I loved that Pru was a independent woman, but a woman of substance just the same. She held her secrets close for all the right reasons, and giving in to her heart where Robert was concerned wasn’t really a choice.. it just was. Robert also was a man of action. He wanted a teacher for his sis, he got one. He wants this teacher in his bed and heart .. he goes after it. He wants all her worries and cares taken care of … he does it. He makes no apologies nor comes across as a pompous arse.

I only knocked off the .5 as I like my couples to be more firey, but that doesn’t mean I do not appreciate what these two had. Very sensual, straight up great story line, and a set up for future stories and characters. I highly recommend reading the first book first and then diving into this one! Looking forward to the next one!

HAPPY READING!

Reading Order
How To Seduce a Scot
How To Wed a Warrior

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Rachel T

excerpt

Robert’s eyes gleamed with mischief—and with something else, something darker, and a bit alarming. Pru’s stomach jumped at the sight of that heat, and a delicious shiver coursed through her.
When he spoke again, his voice was thick with the music of his homeland, and with something else. “Well, now, and don’t I love a woman with a backbone.”
“I’m sure you do. Now leave this room and go find one.”
“Aye,” he said, moving closer to her. She straightened her shoulders, and sniffed. His smile was infectious, and she had to work very hard not to give in and smile back.
“I do love a sniffing woman. A woman who knows her own mind, and isn’t shy about telling the world.”
“That is very edifying. I am sure there are many such women outside these four walls. Again, Mr. Waters, I bid you good day.”
Robert laughed and shook his head, stepping even closer until he was standing a mere two feet from her.
She took in the warm scent of cedar, and a hint of something else, some spice that was all Robert Waters and little else. She was sure that if he stood so close for much longer, she would lose the ability to speak at all.
“But you see, Mrs. Prudence, that’s the trouble. There are very few women beyond these four walls that speak their minds to a man and damn the consequences.”
“Honesty is its own reward.” Her heart thudded so hard that the pulse in her throat leaped. His eyes seemed to follow it, and then move up the line of her jaw, to her cheekbones, to her eyes.
“I wonder if it might reward me,” he said.
He closed the distance between them, and kissed her.
She had been kissed before, of course. She had been a debutante during the Peninsular War, when everyone thought that the young men around them were surely going to die. She had almost been engaged, and her swain had kissed her on the garden steps of her father’s house in the moonlight, so many years ago now that it seemed to have happened to another woman altogether. But this kiss was different, because Robert Waters offered it.
Pru shocked herself by accepting it for what it was—a warm touch in a world that was often very cold indeed.
She found herself pressed against him in the next instant. His hands did not come down on her. He did not touch her waist or her shoulders, but held his hands aloft, as if she kept him at gunpoint. She did not think of what that meant, but simply moved against him, taking in the heat of his body with her own. If only she might close the door and ignore her life and future and simply have him there in that lovely, overly luxurious room.
She felt his tongue on her lips, and she opened her mouth to his coaxing. He tasted of warm honey from breakfast. He tasted of man, and in some strange, indefinable way, of home.
He still had not touched her but to place his lips on hers. He withdrew his tongue, and then his mouth, and then stepped back, so that she was left alone, grasping at nothing.

About The Author Black and Blue

Follow: Goodreads /Website /Twitter /Facebook

Christy English

Ever since Christy English picked up a fake sword in stage combat class at the age of fourteen, she has lived vicariously through the sword-wielding women of her imagination. A banker by day and a writer by night, she loves to eat chocolate, drink too many soft drinks, and walk the mountain trails of her home in North Carolina.

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The Improper Bride by Lily Maxton – a Review

Posted on January 31, 2016 by Barb

The Improper Bride by Lily Maxton – a Review

The Improper Bride Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / BAM / The Book Depository

Description:
Cold, arrogant, and demanding Henry Eldridge, Marquess of Riverton, would never dally with a mere servant. But when Henry is injured in a horrible fire, his pretty housekeeper Cassandra nurses him back to health, throwing them together day and night. As he slowly heals from his burns, their friendship blossoms, and the class walls between them start to crumble. Cassandra is surprised by glimpses of a kind and thoughtful man beneath her employer’s hard façade—and even more surprised when she develops tender feelings for him. But anything between lord and servant is impossible…and besides, as a widow, she knows love only leads to heartbreak.

Henry is changing, as well. His close brush with death has opened his eyes to his self-imposed emotional isolation…and has urgently reminded him of his duty to marry a well-bred lady and produce an heir. Determined to do right by his family name, he immediately begins searching for a suitable bride. But Cassandra is the only woman who is never far from his mind or his heart. Contrary to everything he’s been taught to believe, he realizes his lovely housekeeper might just be his perfect match. Now, if only he could convince everyone else of that. Especially Cassandra…

Review:

The Improper Bride is a historical romance by the talented author Lily Maxton. Some of the characters in this book are mentioned or featured in her other book or books. This is the story of Henry Eldridge, the Marquess of Riverton, and his housekeeper, Cassandra Davis.

The story begins with Henry in his bedroom and finding that this wing of his house is on fire and he is about to be burned to death. However, while trying to get out a beam from his bed canopy crashed down and hit his head, resulting in many horrible burns on half his face and body. The servants managed to pull him out and save his life, but he was unconscious for a long period.

Cassandra Davis, a widow, is a young but able housekeeper and doing a marvelous job. The doctor charges her with helping to keep Henry occupied and pull him out of melancholy or depression while recovering. She does this by a unique idea of having him tutor her in German.

That’s the set-up. This story is well written with a slightly more modern language instead of antiquated terms. I didn’t feel any of the historical significance was lacking by it, in fact it made the story more compelling and easier to get into.

It’s a slow building romance between members of separate classes in society. It’s alternately heartwarming, frustrating, provocative, infuriating, and heart wrenching in the telling. Once they leave the privacy of his sick room and he begins to regain his life, the obstacles of position and class make themselves felt. The attraction and growing respect between the two characters is incredibly well done.

If you enjoy a really good romance, and all the frustrations that can be done while you wait for it to build, this is the book for you. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. It felt a lot like living it along with the characters.

Grab your favorite beverage, cuddle up (or down) and be prepared for an enjoyable trip of emotions!

Reviewed by Georgianna

Copy provided by Publisher

Dirty Sexy Saint (Dirty Sexy #1) by Carly Phillips & Erika Wilde-Review and Book Tour

Posted on January 30, 2016 by Sandy

DIRTY SEXY SAINT (Dirty Sexy #1) by Carly Phillips / Erika Wilde-Review and BookTour

Dirty Sexy Saint Banner

DIRTY SEXY SAINT
Dirty Sexy #1
by Carly Phillips and Erika Wilde
Genre: adult, contemporary, erotic, romance
Release Date: January 19, 2016

Dirty Sexy Saint

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / itunes

ABOUT THE BOOK: January 19, 2016

DIRTY SEXY is a dirty, sexy, smoking hot SERIES featuring three bad boy brothers bonded by shocking secrets and their damaged past. Sinful, addicting, and unapologetically alpha, these men are every woman’s erotic daydream … And your ultimate dirty fantasy.

Are you ready to get Dirty Sexy with a Saint?

Clay Kincaid knows he’s more a sinner than a saint. Especially when it comes to women. With a rough and damaged past that has left him jaded, he doesn’t do committed relationships. But he does like sex—the hotter and harder, the better. He likes it fast and filthy, which is why he refuses to even touch someone as sweet and guileless as Samantha Jamieson. Until he discovers that she likes it just as down and dirty as he does. Let the sinning begin . . .

DIRTY SEXY INKED & DIRTY SEXY CUFFED coming in 2016!

All books in the DIRTY SEXY Series are full-length novels with no cliffhangers!

•••••

REVIEW: DIRTY SEXY SAINT is the first installment in the contemporary, adult DIRTY SEXY erotic romance series co-authored by Carly Phillips and Erika Wilde. This is bar owner Clay Kincaid, and pampered, rich heiress Samantha Jamieson’s story line. DIRTY SEXY SAINT is the first in the series, and can be read as a stand alone. Each story line ends with a happily ever after.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Clay and Samantha) DIRTY SEXY SAINT follows Samantha Jamieson-a rich heiress whose life just took an unexpected turn when she discovers that her future has all been mapped and arranged without her consent. On the run without any money and just the clothes on her back, Samantha finds herself at Kincaid’s bar-drunk and with no place to go. Enter Clay Kincaid-the man who will offer Samantha a job and change her future, while she seeks the independence about which she has always dreamed.

Clay Kincaid is a ‘saint’. He is always willing to help those that need it the most and something about Samantha calls to his heart. He knows he is not good enough-his dark and damaged past proves that he is not worthy of his ‘cupcake’s’ heart. What ensues is the building relationship between Clay and Samantha, and the darkness that is about to overtake their lives. Clay’s past comes back threatening to destroy everything and everyone he loves. The $ex scenes are erotic, intense, impassioned and hot-Clay likes to talk dirty in the bedroom. There is plenty of sexual tension and chemistry between our leading couple.

We are introduced to Clay’s younger brothers: tattoo artist Mason, and police officer Levi-are three men have struggled to get past the horror of their younger years. Mason is a man who uses $ex to rid the demons from his past but it is his shop assistant Katrina that could very well steal his heart.

DIRTY SEXY SAINT is a quick and fun read with moments of humor, romance, $ex, drama and betrayal. The premise is emotional and revealing; the characters are colorful and real; the romance is passionate and seductive.

Copy supplied by the tour promoter.

Reviewed by Sandy

Direct Link to Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqgoSgLNiH4&feature=youtu.be

excerpt

She had a small amount of cash on her, and there was no telling how much longer she’d have access to her credit cards before they were put on hold. She called a cab company, then got out of the car, tossed the keys and cell phone beneath the seat—since her father could track that, as well—and manually locked the door.

Within minutes, a taxi pulled up to where Samantha was waiting. The driver was a friendly young girl in her early twenties, and she was counting on the other woman to find her just the right place to celebrate her first night of freedom. A place where no one knew her or would judge her or would expect her to be the good girl she’d always been.

“My name is Angie.” The girl glanced over her shoulder to the backseat with a friendly smile. “Where can I take you tonight?”

“To your favorite bar in the Chicago area.”

Angie’s brows rose in surprise as she took in Samantha’s designer purse and high-end attire. “Are you sure about that? My favorite bar is a far cry from The Aviary,” she said of the upscale lounge where the wealthy went to mingle and be seen. “The place I hang out at is a bit on the…unrefined side,” she said with a laugh.

Samantha grinned. “That’s exactly what I’m counting on.”

About The Author Black and Blue

carly and erika

Carly Phillips:

Carly Phillips is the N.Y. Times and USA Today Bestselling Author of over 50 sexy contemporary romance novels featuring hot men, strong women and the emotionally compelling stories her readers have come to expect and love. Carly’s career spans over a decade and a half with various New York publishing houses, and she is now an Indie author who runs her own business and loves every exciting minute of her publishing journey. Carly is happily married to her college sweetheart, the mother of two nearly adult daughters and three crazy dogs (two wheaten terriers and one mutant Havanese) who star on her Facebook Fan Page and website. Carly loves social media and is always around to interact with her readers. You can find out more about Carly at www.carlyphillips.com.

Website: www.carlyphillips.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/carlyphillips
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarlyPhillipsFanPage
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/10000.Carly_Phillips
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Carly-Phillips/e/B001I9W0MS

Erika Wilde:

Erika Wilde (aka Janelle Denison) is the USA Today bestselling author of over 50 contemporary romances for multiple print publishers.

So, why the new pen name?

As Janelle Denison I’ve always written sexy books, but lately my writing has taken on more erotic elements that I wanted to keep separate for readers because not everyone likes their reading material on the spicier, kinkier side of romance. However, please be assured that even as Erika Wilde, you will still get an emotionally layered story with characters you’ll care about and fall in love with. That is always my goal, whether I’m writing straight contemporary romances, or more erotically charged stories.

Currently, I’m working on The Marriage Diaries and making sure that Dean and Jillian enjoy exploring the more erotic side to their marriage. The series will be on-going, with no foreseeable ending as of right now, for as long as readers want to be voyeurs to Dean and Jillian’s sizzling new relationship.

I’m also planning a spin-off series in the future, featuring the hot military men that work security for Dean at Noble and Associates.

Website: http://www.erikawilde.com
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5357264.Erika_Wilde
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/erikawildeauthorfanpage
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/erikawilde1

SEAL Wolf in Too Deep (Heart of the Wolf#18) by Terry Spear-Review, Book Tour & Giveaway

Posted on January 30, 2016 by Sandy

SEAL WOLF IN TOO DEEP (Heart of the Wolf #18) by Terry Spear-Review, Book Tour & Giveaway

Seal Wolf in Too Deep

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / The Book Depository /

ABOUT THE BOOK: February 2, 2016

Debbie Renaud is a police diver working on criminal cases with SEAL Allan Rappaport. She admires him greatly for his missions in the Navy, plus he’s just plain HOT. Allan seems to share her attraction, but what she doesn’t know is that her partner is wolf shifter.

Allan is really hung up on his smart, beautiful dive partner, but he can’t get involved with a human outside dive duty. Yet when she gets between a werewolf hunter and his intended victim, one of the members of Allan’s pack, they run into real trouble, and their lives are altered forever.

••••••••

REVIEW: SEAL WOLF IN TOO DEEP is the eighteenth installment in Terry Spear’s contemporary, adult HEART OF THE WOLF paranormal, romance series. This is wolf shifter/former Navy SEAL Allan Rappaport, and police officer Debbie Renaud’s story. SEAL WOLF IN TOO DEEP can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty.

Told from dual third person perspectives SEAL WOLF IN TOO DEEP follows two paths: the building and forbidden relationship between law enforcement divers/partners Debbie Renaud and Allan Rappaport; and the hunt for a killer who has set his sights on shifter wolves. Allan is a wolf shifter whose new diving partner is a human female; a sexy woman that the leaders of the Pack (Paul and Lori) refuse to accept as Allan’s mate. What ensues is the search for a killer who has targeted ‘werewolves’, and the building romance between Allan and Debbie that will culminate in the unexpected when Debbie is caught between a killer and his gun.

The relationship between Debbie and Allan begins as co-workers in the police department. Both Debbie and Allan are police divers who investigate a series of murders and attempted murders that lead back to a possible rogue wolf or a vendetta against shifters of every kind. The romance is very slow to build as Allan understands that Debbie cannot be his mate but Debbie continues to pursue Allan for something more. Saying that, the sexual attraction and heat between Debbie and Allan is lacking; there is no chemistry or romance; no passion, no spark of electricity. I felt no emotional connection to our leading couple-the ‘mating’ felt like a handshake between business partners or strangers-cold and stilted. The $ex scenes are intimate without the over the top erotic imagery. There is a second man vying for Debbie’s love.

SEAL WOLF IN TOO DEEP has a very large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including Paul and Lori (Seal Wolf Hunting #16) and their expanding Pack, and several mentions of the original Greymere Pack. A fellow police officer-Rowdy-appears to know quite a bit of the shifter wolves-here’s hoping Rowdy’s story is next. The world building continues to focus on the shifter wolves and their attempts to keep secret their existence from the human population.

SEAL WOLF IN TOO DEEP is an interesting story line but one that lacked in many areas including the love connection between Allan and Debbie. The murder mystery focused on too many possibilities, and with the introduction of so many players, the story line got lost in the details.

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

Excerpt

He pulled out a couple of mugs while she warmed up the cocoa. He chuckled
and she turned to see what was funny and nearly had a heart attack.
He was holding one hot pink and white mug while reading it, the other
sitting on the counter: Men should be like my curtains, easy to pull and
well hung.
Her lips parted, she had to have turned cherry red, and she turned away
quickly before she burned the cocoa. Now what? Explain that a friend had
given them to her when her last boyfriend and she had parted company? Or
just ignore the fact that they were drinking out of those cups while she
was having hot cocoa with him and pretend she wasn’t embarrassed to the
tip of her toes?
He brought the mugs over. “Anything else?”
“There’s a can of whipped cream in the fridge, if you want some.”
“Real cream,” he said, eyeing the can. “Looks good.” He gave it to her,
and he lifted the mugs.
She shook up the can and pointed it at the right mug, pushed the nozzle,
and the cream dripped and fizzled. Not to be thwarted, she shook it again,
hoping that it wasn’t defective. And then the whipped cream swirled around
with perfect ridges in a twirl on top with a cute little pointy peak.
Perfect.
Then she turned to the other mug, shook the can again, and pushed the
nozzle. It was working great until halfway through her little mountain of
whipped cream twirling to perfection, when the nozzle malfunctioned again
and spewed whipped cream everywhere.
In horror, she stopped what she was doing and stared at the white cream
splattered all over Allan’s chest and a few that had dotted his boxer
briefs. Her mouth agape, she glanced up at him.
His eyes sparkled with mirth and he laughed.
“Oh, oh, let me get something to wipe it up,” she said, belatedly, and set
the can of whipped cream on the counter.
She grabbed some paper towels and wetted them, then rushed back to wipe
the mess up. He was still holding onto both hot pink mugs of cocoa. She
had every intention of taking one of the mugs and letting him clean
himself, but he just moved his arms apart as if to say she made the mess,
she could wash it up.
She thought she was going to die. Yes, he was totally hot. And yes, she’d
fantasized about making love to him-since they were both unattached, and
she truly liked him. But in her wildest dreams she would never have
imagined making him cocoa in the middle of the night in her duplex while
he stood in sexy silk briefs, not baggy, but nice and form fitting, and
then she proceeded to splatter him with whipped cream. All over his tanned
chest and those black briefs.

Website/ Goodreads/ Twitter/ Facebook Love, love, love romance, the paranormal, hunky Highlanders with their delicious brogue and hot kilts, so Terry Spear writes about those hunky Highlanders both in medieval times and as wolves in contemporary times. Jaguar shifters too! And young adult urban fantasy. And romantic suspense. She grew up reading mystery, adventure, mythologies from around the world, ghost stories, the paranormal, fell in love with Dracula and Wolfman, and felt they needed loving too. Everyone should have someone to love. Which means her stories always have a HEA. USA Today Bestseller residing in Central Texas from Sacramento, California who creates award-winning teddy bears too!

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Fighting Mad by Kathy Bryson – a Review

Posted on January 29, 2016 by Barb

Fighting Mad by Kathy Bryson – a Review

Fighting Mad Amazon

Description:
Laid off from her job at the bank, Carla turns to her friends for support only to find they’re more concerned about their jobs. The one person she can count on is local bartender Murphy, but what kind of example is that to set for her daughters? Having learned the hard way, Carla’s not depending on any man, even if he is cute, charming, very kind, and some kind of leprechaun?

Murphy is used to sneers. Clurichauns are the redheaded stepchildren of the leprechaun world and then there are the late-night throw-downs at his bar. What he wants, however, is to protect the dainty little mom who ogles him when she thinks no one’s looking. He knows she’s fighting overwhelming odds, but she’ll need more than bravery when the conflict between the King and Queen of the Fairies becomes outright civil war!

Review:

Fighting Mad by Kathy Bryson is another great story to her fun series. You don’t have to read them in order, and it will stand on its own, but the other books in the series will give you an insight to the world and the characters.

Carla is our heroine, and I’ve enjoyed her in the previous books. I had hoped she would get her own book, and it’s a great story. Very well written, very descriptive, and the narrative will have you in stitches.

Carla decides to start a wedding business after the bank lays her off, but her first (and possibly last) wedding is a disaster; with the bride threatening to sue. What’s a woman to do ? There are a few things that happen at the wedding which are pretty important, (and no I won’t spoilt it) to the story.

The attraction between Murphy and Carla is very sweet. She has loved him for ages, and has only recently been able to talk to him without stuttering or making a fool of herself. When Murphy rescues her from the wedding fiasco, things trot along nicely.

Murphy is a redheaded cousin of leprechauns (yup, we don’t get enough books on those guys), but they aren’t little men with beards and pots of gold… no, these are gorgeous men, and poor Carla is not immune to his looks and charms. He has noticed that the mother of two teenage daughters likes to stare at him, when she thinks he is not looking. Murphy has been aware of her for a while 🙂

The other story going on in the background, the one involving the King and Queen of the Fae. That’s an ongoing battle, and things are getting rather hostile! It’s a well written story, very descriptive, and the funny moments will have you laughing to yourself 🙂

I’ve read them all, and I have to say, this one has been my favourite. It’s a great read, and one I’m happy to recommend.

Reviewed by Julie B.

Copy provided by Author

Sin and Suffer (Pure Corruption #2) by Pepper Winters-a review

Posted on January 29, 2016 by Sandy

SIN AND SUFFER (Pure Corruption MC #2) by Pepper Winters-a review

Sin and Suffer

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / The Book Depository /

About the book: Release Date January 26, 2016

“Some say the past is in the past. That vengeance will hurt both innocent and guilty. I never believed those lies. Once my lust for revenge is sated, I’ll say goodbye to hatred. I’ll find a new beginning.”

SIN & SUFFER

She came from a past Arthur “Kill” Killian never forgot. She made him sin and made him suffer. She tugged him from the shadows and showed him he wasn’t as dead as he thought. And with her resurrection came betrayal, deceit, and war.

But then they took her. Stole her. Imprisoned her.

Now Kill’s carefully laid plans for vengeance are complete. He craves action, retribution-the blood of his enemies. War has begun. War is all they’ll know until they’ve paid their penance. He will get her back-and rewrite their destiny .

••••••••••••••••

REVIEW: SIN AND SUFFER is the second installment in Pepper Winters’s contemporary, adult PURE CORRUPTION erotic, romance MC series focusing on Arthur ‘Kil’ Killion and Cleo Price. Their continuing story picks up immediately upon the events of book one- RUIN AND RULE–where Kill is left for dead by a rival MC, and Cleo is now a prisoner of the Dagger Rose. SIN AND SUFFER should not be read as a stand alone –all of the events in book two are as a result of the events of book one. For fans of Pepper Winters, there is a very slight ‘cross over’ with the Hawk family and Pepper’s INDEBTED SERIES.

NOTE: If you have not read RUIN AND RULE my review may contain some spoilers.

Told from alternating first person points of view (Kill and Cleo) each chapter is introduced byway of a journal entry that focuses on the events of the past-the building of a relationship between our leading couple. SIN AND SUFFER is a story about redemption and revenge-for and against family; for and against friends; for the loss of a love so deep and pure; a love time and death could not destroy. With Cleo’s return from the ‘dead’, Kill vows to avenge her murder and the time served for a crime he did not commit. But Cleo was now in the hands of the enemy, and Killian has plans to get her out alive. What ensues is a rescue, a recovery, and a proposed timeline in which to destroy what was once Cleo and Kill’s fact of life-the Dagger Rose and all of its’ members were going to die-one way or another. Vengeance is in the hands of the first born.

Kill and Cleo’s love for one another is that of fairy tales and happily ever afters but the path to forever is paved in bloodshed and death; torture and betrayal; loss and grief. For eight years Kill believed Cleo was dead, and that he was the person responsible for everything that destroyed their lives. Fast forward to present day where Killian vows vengeance against the people responsible, then it will be his turn to walk away and making plans for the future with a new life and new wife by his side. Not everyone makes it out alive.

I did have a couple of issues: the first is the use of British terminology in an American setting-something that should have been caught by an editor. And the unreality of Kill’s involvement with the US government and his plans for the future.

SIN AND SUFFER is a suspense filled, gritty look at the MC lifestyle although the entire focus did not center on the Club but meanders a path upon which our hero is about to embark. The premise is gritty, graphic and intense; the characters are colorful, charismatic and impassioned; the romance is seductive, provocative, passionate and enduring; the $ex scenes are numerous and erotic-Arthur Killian is a man in love; who has lost his heart to the girl of his dreams; who has pledged eternity with Cleo in this life and the next. Pepper Winters is the master of betrayal and revenge.

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

About The Author Black and White

Pepper Winters wears many roles. Some of them include writer, reader, sometimes wife. She loves dark, taboo stories that twist with your head. The more tortured the hero, the better, and she constantly thinks up ways to break and fix her characters. Oh, and sex… her books have sex.

She loves to travel and has an amazing, fabulous hubby who puts up with her love affair with her book boyfriends.

Her Dark Erotica books include:
Tears of Tess (Monsters in the Dark #1)
Quintessentially Q (Monsters in the Dark #2)

Her Grey Romance books include:
Destroyed

Her Indebted Series include
Debt Inheritance
First Debt
Second Debt
Third Debt
Fourth Debt
Final Debt
Indebted Epilogue

Pure Corruption
Ruin and Rule
Sin and Suffer

The Reading Cafe

One stop pertaining to books and more

Monthly Archives: January 2016

The Reading Cafe 4th Anniversary Celebration and Giveaway

Rush of Insanity by Eden Summers-a review

RUSH OF INSANITY by Eden Summers-a review

How To Wed a Warrior by Christy English-Review, Book Tour & Giveaway

How To Wed a Warrior by Christy English-Review, Book Tour & Giveaway

The Improper Bride by Lily Maxton – a Review

The Improper Bride by Lily Maxton – a Review

Dirty Sexy Saint (Dirty Sexy #1) by Carly Phillips & Erika Wilde-Review and Book Tour

DIRTY SEXY SAINT (Dirty Sexy #1) by Carly Phillips / Erika Wilde-Review and BookTour

SEAL Wolf in Too Deep (Heart of the Wolf#18) by Terry Spear-Review, Book Tour & Giveaway

SEAL WOLF IN TOO DEEP (Heart of the Wolf #18) by Terry Spear-Review, Book Tour & Giveaway

Fighting Mad by Kathy Bryson – a Review

Fighting Mad by Kathy Bryson – a Review

Sin and Suffer (Pure Corruption #2) by Pepper Winters-a review

SIN AND SUFFER (Pure Corruption MC #2) by Pepper Winters-a review