Monthly Archives: May 2018

All Night With the Cowboy (River Ranch #2) by Soraya Lane-Review and Giveaway

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ALL NIGHT WITH THE COWBOY (River Ranch #2) by Soraya Lane-Review and Giveaway

ALL NIGHT WITH THE COWBOY
(River Ranch #2)
by Soraya Lane
Release Date: May 29, 2018
Genre: adult, contemporary, cowboy, romance

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo / Google Play

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 29, 2018

BACK IN THE SADDLE. STRAIGHT TO THE HEART. . .

At the Ford family ranch, getting thrown from a horse is a part of growing up. But one cowboy is still learning the ropes when it comes to falling in love.

Tanner Ford has been riding bulls and busting broncos his entire life. So when he takes a hard spill—and sustains serious injuries—he refuses to believe his rodeo days are behind him. He’s determined to restore his body and revive his career. There’s just one problem: the finest physical therapist in town just happens to be the only woman he’s ever loved.

Lauren Lewis knows she made a huge mistake when she walked away from Tanner. But she was young, ambitious, and focused on her medical career. Now, after all these years, Tanner’s back—and, in spite of his injuries, looking better than she allows herself to admit. She agrees to work on Tanner’s big bruised muscles until he’s back in bull-riding shape again. But how can Lauren resist the smoldering attraction between her and her old flame. . .and find a way to live without him?

•••••••

REVIEW: ALL NIGHT WITH THE COWBOY is the second instalment in Soraya Lane’s contemporary, adult RIVER RANCH cowboy, romance series focusing on the Ford siblings. This is professional bull-rider Tanner Ford, and physical therapist Lauren Lewis’ story line. ALL NIGHT WITH THE COWBOY can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary. The RIVER RANCH series is a spin off from the author’s TEXAS KINGS series. You do not have to have read the original series to understand or follow the current time line. Some of the characters cross over for cohesion and backstory.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Tanner and Lauren) ALL NIGHT WITH THE COWBOY follows the second chance romance and relationship between professional bull-rider Tanner Ford, and physical therapist Lauren Lewis. Twelve years earlier, Lauren Lewis walked out of Tanner’s life. High school sweethearts, Tanner and Lauren had promised one another the world but Lauren was forced to choose between her career and love, and ultimately her career won out. Fast forward to present day wherein Tanner Ford’s bull-riding days have come to an abrupt stop with possible career ending injuries inflicted during the last World’s Finals. Enter Lauren Lewis, physical therapist, and the woman Tanner can’t stop hating for breaking his heart. What ensues is the acrimonious rebuilding relationship between Tanner and Lauren as they are forced together on a tropical island, and the fall-out as Tanner is unable to let go of the past.

Successful, rich and stubborn, Tanner Ford struggles with his attraction to the woman who destroyed his heart. Together, Tanner and Lauren must ignore the elephant in the room, focusing on healing the numerous injuries, in preparation for Tanner’s return to the bull-riding circuit but working together brings with it the memories of the past, and the overwhelming grief and memories of losing the only woman Tanner would ever love.

Throughout the story there is a definite push and pull between our leading couple. Hurtful words are spoken in haste, only to be compounded by the emotional fall-out of the truth. Maturity level is questionable; Tanner’s bitterness and bellyaching about the past is adolescent forcing Lauren out of his life once again-his constant reminders about how she broke his heart, got old, pretty fast. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

The colorful and energetic secondary characters include Tanner’s siblings Angelina, Mia and her husband Sam, Cody, and their father Walter Ford; Lauren’s sister Hannah, their father, and mother Julie.

ALL NIGHT WITH THE COWBOY is a story of second chances; a rekindling romance that suffers in the face of Tanner’s inability to let got of the past, a hurt inflicted upon his eighteen year old soul that he had never, truly gotten over. The premise is captivating; the romance is heart breaking but passionate; the characters are prickly, spirited and animated.

Click HERE for Sandy’s review of book one COWBOY STOLE MY HEART

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

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As a child, Soraya Lane dreamed of becoming an author. Fast forward more than a few years, and Soraya is now living her dream! Soraya describes being an author as “the best career in the world”, and she hopes to be writing romance for many years to come.

Soraya loves spending her days thinking up characters for books, and her home is a constant source of inspiration. She lives with her own real life hero and two sons on a small farm in New Zealand, surrounded by animals and with an office overlooking a field where their horses graze. She is the author of The Devil Wears Spurs, Cowboy Take Me Away, and I Knew You Were Trouble.

St. Martin’s Press  is graciously offering a paper copy of ALL NIGHT WITH THE COWBOY  to ONE (1) commenter at The Reading Cafe.

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9. Giveaway is open to USA only

10. Giveaway runs from May 28-June 2, 2018

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The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware – a Review

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The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware – a Review

 

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Description:
On a day that begins like any other, Hal receives a mysterious letter bequeathing her a substantial inheritance. She realizes very quickly that the letter was sent to the wrong person—but also that the cold-reading skills she’s honed as a tarot card reader might help her claim the money.

Soon, Hal finds herself at the funeral of the deceased…where it dawns on her that there is something very, very wrong about this strange situation and the inheritance at the center of it.

Full of spellbinding menace and told in Ruth Ware’s signature suspenseful style, this is an unputdownable thriller from the Agatha Christie of our time.

 

 

Review:

The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware is a wonderful whodunit thriller. What surprised me was that this not only was a great mystery, but it also had a feel of being an old-fashioned thriller, somewhat similar to Agatha Christie.  This was so well done.

Harriet (Hal) Westaway, our heroine, struggles to make ends meet daily.  When her mother died in a hit and run, Hal took over their tarot reading business at the Pier to be able to pay bills, and is threatened with a deadline by a loan shark.  Hal receives a letter about her grandmother passing away, whom she has not known anything about, and she is asked to attend the reading of the will, where she will get an inheritance. Being desperate, Hal, decides to go and play the part, since she knows it is a mistaken identity.  All she wants is some money to pay the loan shark, and give herself a fresh start.

 When she arrives at the funeral, the solicitor greets her, and afterwards takes her to Trespassen House, the mansion owned by the deceased Heather Westaway.  Hal marvels that it is a mansion, even if it is very much falling apart and in disrepair; but she knows the Westaways are rich, though the family no longer resides at the mansion.  Hal will meet her three uncles, and their family, as well as the old mean housekeeper, Mrs. Warren, who is sort of scary. 

When the will is read later that evening, everyone is shocked that Mrs. Westaway left everything to her granddaughter, Harriet.  Though some of the family is upset, they continue to embrace Hal as the niece that have never known.  Hal is upset and besides herself, feeling guilty that she is conning her new found relatives.   In a short time, she feels closer to her new family, and has mixed feelings about the inheritance she feels does not belong to her.    Hal finds a letter, and photograph that has her investigating the sister who is missing, and her mother, who turns out to be a cousin.  What she will discover will change everything, as there are so many hidden secrets, which will push Hal to try and find clues about her mother. 

As the plot thickens, with Hal slowly unravels the truth, the story becomes an intriguing thriller that had a lot of twists, turns, betrayals that kept me glued to my kindle, awaiting more details that Hal finds.  Ware gives us chapters from the past revolving around her mother, and the missing sister, which leads to many more questions.

What follows is an exciting, intense and at times even haunting mystery, as Hal begins to suspect she is in danger.  Someone does not want her getting too close to the secrets of the past.  What happened to the missing sister years before?  Why  did her mother keep secrets from her?  Who was her father?

Ruth Ware has written a fantastic story that was part thriller, but mostly a fantastic mystery, with a wonderful heroine.  I loved the old fashioned style mystery (but in present time), the many clues along the way, and the exciting,  pulse pounding,  surprising climatic ending.  This was very well done.  I suggest if you enjoy mysteries, you should read The Death of Mrs. Westaway.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

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Beyond Control by Kat Martin – a Review

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Beyond Control by Kat Martin – a Review

 

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Description:
When Victoria Langford got engaged, she told herself to give love a chance. Six months later, she’s on the run from her angry, abusive ex-fiancé with her four-year-old daughter and nowhere to go.

Seventy miles north of Dallas, the Iron River Ranch is pretty much nowhere. That’s what its new owner, Josh Cain, wanted when he came back from Afghanistan. Big skies, quiet nights, no trouble.

One look tells Josh the pretty redhead with the adorable little girl will give him trouble of the most personal kind. But he’s seen trouble before, and he doesn’t scare easy. Not when “accidents” start happening around the ranch. Not when Tory’s best friend back in Phoenix is abducted and brutalized. Not even when it looks like their current problems are only the tip of the iceberg.

But if he gets too close to fierce, determined Tory, Josh knows his nights are going to be anything but quiet. And that’s one possibility no amount of training can prepare him for . . .

 

 

Review:

Beyond Control by Kat Martin is the 3rd book in her Texas Trilogy series.  As normal with a Kat Martin book, this was an exciting intense story line that had a bit of everything; action, suspense, romance, great couple, and an evil villain.

Victoria Langford (Tory) is on the run with her 4 year old daughter, trying to be one step ahead of her ex-fiancée, who is abusive, controlling and obsessed with her.  Her ex will go to any length to find her and get her back to Phoenix.  Tory has suffered badly, and in her last escape from him, she used a stun gun to enable her get away again.   She ends up in Texas , and when she sees an ad for a ranch hand, Tory applies.

Josh Cain, our hero, is a former marine who is rebuilding his ranch, and needs help.   Josh has two disabled ranch hands who are also former marines,  and when he meets Tory, he turns her down, telling her he wants a man for the job.  Tory claims she is hard worker and begs him to give her three days to prove her worth.  Josh will give in, knowing she would be gone in three days.

Tory does prove her worth, especially since she manages to win over Satan, the horse no one can handle.  There is something about the way Tory talks to Satan, whom she starts calling Star, and slowly the horse allows her to be closer.  Josh gets a neighbor to help with Tory’s daughter, so that she can work more.  Josh also senses that Tory is running away from someone.  This will bring him closer to Tory and her cute daughter, who doesn’t trust men, as she has seen her mother beaten often.

When Tory’s best friend is beaten and shot, she will tell Josh the truth about her violent ex, who will never stop looking for her.  I will say that her ex was a nasty villain, and every time the chapter revolved around him, and the beatings he gave others, I found myself very tense, reading quickly to get past that chapter.  He was very evil, and bad to the bone.   When at the hospital, Josh will see the ex and threaten him to leave Tory alone.  But the villain has no qualms of killing others, and both Tory and Josh will find themselves es in danger.

When things start happening that threatens Tory, Josh, who is falling hard for Tory, will force himself into her life to help her, even if he is afraid of commitment. Their slow built romance will heat up, but Tory knows she loves Josh, but she fears that he will be in danger because of her ex.    The action in this story is non-stop, and always in the forefront, with the romance being sweet and sexy, but not overtaking the story line.  Tory and Josh were such a great couple; I loved them together, as well as the daughter and I hoped that they would find a way to stay together .        

It was nice to see Josh’s family again, and the friends his brother, Linc had to help him find a way to stop the ex, as well some great secondary characters.  I do not want to give any spoilers, as there are a number of tense situations and twists.

If you enjoy action, suspense, intense thriller and a sweet wonderful romance, then you need to read Beyond Control.  Kat Martin has written another wonderful addition to this series, which kept me glued to the book, which I finished in one day.   I suggest you read this series, but Beyond Control does read very well as a standalone.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

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On Highland Time by Lexi Post – a Review

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On Highland Time by Lexi Post – a Review

 

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Description:
For fans of sexy Scottish Highlanders who know how to treat a woman like a lady.

When someone changes history, affecting the future, Diana Montgomery, the most experienced agent of Time Weavers, Inc., travels back to 1306 Scotland to change it back. Her mission, to find the culprit and ensure a minor clan chief dies in battle as he originally had.

Diana is well-prepared to infiltrate the small MacPherson clan. What she’s not prepared for is Torr MacPherson, the ruggedly handsome warrior with a kind heart and a steadfast loyalty—the Laird she’s supposed to ensure dies.

 

 

Review: 

Oooooooh ..On Highland Time by Lexi Post is a time travel novel, which I have not read one of those in a while. 

Diana is a time traveler, working with a small team for TWI, (Time Weavers Inc.)

Their job is to go back in time after a Disturber (technically a bad guy) has altered a section of history and return it to how it should have be. (We do not find out why they want to disturb time, and it’s a little frustrating, hoping it gets cleared up in the next book)

A Disturber alters events, and the history of the world changes. (Good or bad I’m not sure at the moment)

Diana’s latest job is to go back to Scotland. (A Disturber has saved the life of a man who was to die in battle, and this changes the whole future). Diana is to make sure the man dies in battle and to identify the Disturber and bring him/her back to be interrogated by the TWI. 

Torr is the Laird of a small clan, loyal to Robert the Bruce. He has lost most of his family in battle, his only living relative is his younger brother. He won’t marry and he certainly doesn’t do relationships, in fact he keeps himself detached from everyone, he feels that he can’t bear to lose another loved one, and even the women he sleeps with all know that he won’t settle down, He won’t even bed the same woman twice. 

Diana arrives a few weeks before the battle.   When on previous missions to change time back, she keeps a low profile, making no friends nor does she bring attention to herself. But things don’t always go her way, and before she’s knows it, she’s befriended by the clan, and the Laird almost immediately notices the strange woman in his camp. 

Torr is looking for a possible spy so he notices all new faces, and there are several. But the one that disturbs him the most, is a woman, and he can’t get her out of his thoughts. 

He invites Diana to his bed and is shocked when she refuses…..But Diana has a job to do, she doesn’t have time for the handsome Laird. 

Diana is having a hard time doing her job this time, she finds Torr to be a good man with a big heart who is good to his clan and truly cares about them all.  Can Diana complete her task successfully? 

 I really enjoyed this story and thought the twist at the end was well done. I did have a few questions and queries, and I hope these are answered in any further books in this series.

(1) what’s a disturber ? 

(2) what do they gain from disrupting the past? 

And I wasn’t really sure about her team that she works with (including her boss “Jules”) 

(1) more info on the powers that some of her team members have.

On Highland Time is a promising start to the Time Weavers Inc. series.

Reviewed by Julie B

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

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Damaged Hearts (Damaged Hearts #3) by Monica Murphy-Review Tour

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DAMAGED HEARTS (Damaged Heart #3) by Monica Murphy-Review Tour

iBooks exclusive : iBooks

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 24, 2018

After all we’ve been through, things are finally good between us. So good, I think I’m falling for Rhett, and I hope he’s falling for me. Once my enemy, he could now be my forever. But I’m still keeping a big secret from him. One that threatens to destroy us…

Jensen has stopped running away from me. She’s realized that we’re actually meant for each other. I need her, and I think she needs me too. Yet there are still secrets between us—will she hate me when she finds out the truth?

All the lies, all the secrets come to an explosive finale in the last book in the Damaged Hearts series!

•••••••••••

REVIEW: DAMAGED HEART is the third and final instalment in Monica Murphy’s contemporary, new adult DAMAGED HEARTS erotic, romance trilogy focusing on college students Rhett Montgomery, and Jennifer ‘Jensen’ Fanelli. DAMAGED HEARTS should not be read as a stand alone as it picks up immediately after the events, and cliff hanger of book two HIS WASTED HEART.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Jensen and Rhett) DAMAGED HEARTS continues to focus on the secrets and lies between our leading couple. No longer determined to destroy the woman who abandoned her as a child, Jensen settles into her relationship with Rhett Montgomery only to come face to face with the deviant who almost destroyed her life. Secrets continue to build as the dysfunctional Montgomery family dynamics force both Jensen and Rhett to bury the truth behind more lies. The prospect of revealing more devastating information could blow the family apart, as Jensen and Rhett battle with the knowledge that infidelity is a by-product of the family DNA. The push and pull of their relationship, compounded by secrets and lies force Rhett and Jensen to reconsider what it is they want from one another, as Rhett’s family life begins to implode.

DAMAGED HEARTS is the culmination of three instalments wherein the growing angst and building anxiety, intrigue and butterflies surrounding the secrets and the lies falters in the face of several anticlimactic conflict resolutions. When all of the information, knowledge and secrets are revealed, the anticipated reaction and backlash are not forthcoming. There were no apparent histrionics or theatrics for the reader to observe as most of the confrontations were handled behind the scenes. There was a quiet acceptance and acknowledgment that no one is perfect, and life must go on. Monica Murphy’s slow reveal of secrets, and the bold and colorful characters will captivate your attention until the final reveal.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Her Defiant Heart
His Wasted Heart
Damaged Hearts

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy 

Monica Murphy is the New York Times, USA Today and #1 international bestselling author of the One Week Girlfriend series, the Billionaire Bachelors and The Rules series. Her books have been translated in almost a dozen languages and has sold over one million copies worldwide. She is both self-published and published by Random House/Bantam and Harper Collins/Avon. She writes new adult, young adult and contemporary romance.

She is a wife and a mother of three who lives in central California on fourteen acres in the middle of nowhere along with their one dog and too many cats. A self-confessed workaholic, when she’s not writing, she’s reading or hanging out with her husband and kids. She’s a firm believer in happy endings, though she will admit to putting her characters through angst-filled moments before they finally get that hard won HEA.

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Innocent Target (Redemption Harbor #4) by Katie Reus-Review & Giveaway Tour

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INNOCENT TARGET (Redemption Harbor #4) by Katie Reus-Review & Giveaway Tour

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo / iBooks

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 22, 2018

He wasn’t supposed to fall for her…

She was a target. A contract that came across his desk by mistake. Axel was simply going to warn her that she was in danger and get out. Then he got a taste of her and fell hard. But they’re from two different worlds. Not only is she innocent, she’s out of his league. He should keep his distance, but he can’t. Not when someone wants her dead. Now he’s driven to protect her, to keep her safe.

What happens when she discovers who he really is?

Hadley moved to Redemption Harbor for vet school and to be closer to her new family. Now that her billionaire father knows about her existence, her life has changed drastically. She just never imagined that she might be targeted because of her family. And she definitely never imagined she would fall for the one man she should never want. A man who kills for a living. A man who’s obsessed with her. A man who will do anything to protect her from the danger lurking in the shadows.

••••••

REVIEW:  INNOCENT HARBOR is the fourth instalment in Katie Reus’ contemporary, adult REDEMPTION TARGET romantic, suspense series focusing on the men and women who work security and Black Ops investigations for Redemption Harbor Consulting. This is thirty-two year old, former FBI agent and assassin Axel O’Sullivan, and twenty-two year old vet school student /heiress Hadley Lane-Alexander’s story line. INNOCENT TARGET can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary. Hadley is Brooks Alexander’s (Dangerous Witness #3) half-sister.

Told from several third person perspectives including Hadley and Axel, INNOCENT TARGET follows the building relationship between former FBI agent and assassin Axel O’Sullivan, and vet school student /heiress Hadley Lane-Alexander. Assassin for hire Axel O’Sullivan is sent notification about a potential target, a young woman who was not the usual type of mark, but a woman who has no idea that multiple assassins are heading her way. To ensure Hadley’s well being, Axel takes personal responsibility for the safety of Hadley Lane, a responsibility that includes quickly losing his heart to our story line heroine. What ensues is the building romance between Hadley and Axel as the team as Redemption Harbor Consulting are pulled in to investigate and search for the person responsible for ordering a hit on Hadley Lane.

Axel O’Sullivan is a reluctant assassin but all of his targets are the lowest of the low, people who have destroyed too many lives, ensuring no one is saddened by their loss or disappearance. Meeting Hadley Lane finds our hero with a change of heart as his attraction to, and developing love for our story line heroine includes threats of a personal nature from the men and women who work and own Redemption Harbor Consulting.

The relationship between Hadley and Axel is one of immediate attraction; a palpable sexual energy that sees our heroine wanting more before the truth about Axel is finally revealed. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

The colorful and dynamic secondary and supporting characters include all of the previous story line couples: Colt Stuart and Skye Arevalo (Resurrection #1), Zac Savage and Olivia Carter (Savage rising #2), Brooks Alexander and Darcy Cooper (Dangerous Witness #3 ), as well as Hadley’s father Douglas Alexander. The requisite evil has many faces.

INNOCENT TARGET is a fast paced, intriguing and sexy story line. The premise is suspense-filled and dramatic; the romance is impassioned and breathtaking; the characters are charismatic and sassy. Katie Reus’ energetic cast of characters pulls the reader into a thrilling and intoxicating story .

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Resurrection
Savage Rising
Dangerous Witness
Innocent Target

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

Katie Reus is the New York Times, USA Today, and IndieReader bestselling author of the Red Stone Security series, the Moon Shifter series and the Deadly Ops series. She fell in love with romance at a young age thanks to books she pilfered from her mom’s stash. Years later she loves reading romance almost as much as she loves writing it.

However, she didn’t always know she wanted to be a writer. After changing majors many times, she finally graduated summa cum laude with a degree in psychology. Not long after that she discovered a new love. Writing. She now spends her days writing dark paranormal romance and sexy romantic suspense. Her book Avenger’s Heat recently won the Georgia RWA Maggie Award for Excellence in the fantasy/paranormal category.

Connect with Katie:

Facebook | Blog| Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest | Website

NOTE: The Reading Cafe is NOT responsible for the rafflecopter giveaway. If you have any questions, please contact the tour provider.

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Dirty Rich Cinderella Story (Dirty Rich #2) by Lisa Renee Jones-Review & Excerpt Tour

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DIRTY RICH CINDERELLA STORY (Dirty Rich #2) by Lisa Renee Jones-Review  and Excerpt tour

DIRTY RICH CINDERELLA STORY
Dirty Rich #2
by Lisa Renee Jones
release Date: May 23, 2018
Genre: adult, contemporary, romance

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo / iBooks

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 23, 2018

A sexy standalone…

Seduced for a night. Taken forever.

With only nine months left at Stanford, and despite being top of her law school class, Lori Havens takes leave to care for her sick mother. That means she juggles three jobs, the best of which is researcher for novelist, and syndicated columnist of “Cat Does Crime,” Cat Summer.

One evening after finishing up her work at Cat’s apartment building, Lori has an encounter with a sexy stranger, and does something out of character. She goes home with him. The night is perfect, he’s perfect, wealthy, powerful and from out of town. Morning comes, and despite their connection, Lori leaves before he finds out she’s far from the equal he believes her to be. She’s not a charity case and she’s not after his money. She will make her own. In other words, she leaves before her prince charming finds out she’s no princess.

Flash forward a few months, Lori’s mother is healing, and Cat’s husband, Reese, has merged his firm with another and Lori lands an internship there, with school credit and scholarship money.. Everything is falling into place. That is until fate reveals a wicked twist of events and Lori walks into a conference room to find her new boss, Cole Brooks, one of the partners, is her one-night prince charming. One sizzling shared look across a boardroom, and it’s clear: this man is not done with her. It’s not long before Lori is informed that she’ll be working high profile cases with her one night prince charming which will require long nights and travel, starting immediately.

•••••••••••••

REVIEW: DIRTY RICH CINDERELLA STORY is the second instalment in Lisa Renee Jones’ contemporary, adult DIRTY RICH romance series. This is law student Lori Havens, and attorney Cole Brooks’ story line. DIRTY RICH CINDERELLA STORY can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Lori and Cole) DIRTY RICH CINDERELLA STORY follows the building relationship and forbidden romance between law student Lori Havens, and power attorney Cole Brooks. Lori Havens is struggling but looks can be deceiving. The recent death of her father, and her mother’s recovery from a stroke, our heroine, a former Stanford law student, is desperate for some me-time which includes a one-night stand with a stranger. Fast forward to present day wherein Lori Havens will come face to face with her future, and her past-Cole Brooks-her one night stand –and the man who has been tasked with mentoring our heroine as she returns to the study of law. What ensues is the forbidden romance between our leading couple, as they struggle to keep secret their growing attraction for one another, as Cole continues to mentor the woman with whom he is falling in love.

DIRTY RICH CINDERELLA STORY is a slow building story line where Cinderella meets her Prince Charming, a prince who continues to look for the woman that stole his heart. There are some issues between the couple including misunderstanding and jealousy when met with the possibility of previous love interests, as well as our heroine’s difficult acceptance of financial help, and the obvious wealth of the man that she loves. The premise is engaging as our couple navigate the push and pull of a forbidden relationship but the majority of the story line conflict is the perceived reaction of others, and our heroine’s blind spot as it pertains to her need to remain at home. The conflict resolution is quick and easy without too much effort.

Lisa Renee Jones pulls the reader into a fairy tale of the have and have-nots; an opposites attract story with a provocative hero, and stubborn heroine who struggles in the face of determined independence, shame and embarrassment for something that was, and is, out of her control.

Click HERE for Sandy’s review of book one DIRTY RICH ONE NIGHT STAND

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

NOTE: The excerpt is intended for mature readers 18+ due to strong language and sexual content

 

I own you.

With those words, my words, my intent in the air, and my fingers still tangled in Lori’s hair, I kiss her, a deep, possessive kiss meant to claim her, take her, make her mine, if only for this night. And she knows it too, because when my lips part hers, she pants out, “No one owns me.”

“Then, sweetheart, you’ve never been properly fucked.” I slide my hands under her jacket, settling my palms on her shoulders.

“I guess that depends on how you define properly.”

I turn her to face in the opposite direction, dragging the jacket down her arms and tangling it around her wrists, and then I lean in close. “As dirty as possible,” I promise. “And with you on my tongue, in as many ways as we both find possible.”

“Is this how you own me?” she demands. “By binding my arms?”

“As much as I’d like to have you at my mercy, sweetheart,” I say, tossing the jacket aside, and turning her to face me, “I’m selfish enough to want your hands and mouth fully available, in any way, shape, or place you so choose to use them.” I walk us backward, toward the oversized chair made perfectly for the kind of hot, wild fuck in our near future, before my hands fall from her waist. “I want to watch you undress.”

“When do you undress?” she challenges.

“We have one condom, sweetheart. Let’s make it last. Undress for me, Lori.”

Her teeth scrape her bottom lip, and for just a moment, her eyes cut, but not before I see the flicker of nerves in her stare. And right then, I know that I’ve read her accurately up to this point. I know that her control is both a necessity and a wall that protects her. I know that no one has made it safe for her to leave those things at the door. No one has ever seen her really truly naked and the only way that happens, is to do exactly what I’m doing. Push her out of her comfort zone, pull her into the moment, where she forgets the walls, and lives nowhere but here in the moment. That’s the place where nothing exists but the two of us.

Her eyes meet mine again, and I see the decision in them. She’s not going to run like she did on the street tonight. She unzips her skirt, and caresses it down her slender, but curvy hips. It pools at her feet, and she kicks it aside, allowing me to admire her long legs in lacy thigh-high hose, my gaze catching on the slender strip of lace in the vee of her body.

Her fingers catch on the hem of her blouse, and she tries to hide the small, inhaled breath of courage she draws before pulling it and her loose bra over her head. She tosses it, and stands before me, creamy pale perfection in nothing but silk and lace, her breasts high, full, nipples puckered to a pretty pink that will soon be in my mouth. “You’re beautiful,” I say. “Come here.”

“Quid pro quo,” she declares. “I’m naked, you’re naked.”

We’re still doing the push and pull, but I don’t mind, not when my mouth is soon to be all over her body, which means her mouth will soon be all over my body. I don’t want her kneeling before me unless it’s to put her mouth on my cock. That’s not my goal, not this time, at least. It’s to own her, and that means she is so damn present, she can’t think, she can only feel. That takes trust and I decide to meet her halfway. I sit down and take off a shoe, showing it to her before setting it down.

“So now I get a socked foot?” she teases, and I can feel a hint of her tension easing away, her comfort in her own skin begins to settle into place. I can feel her easing into me and the night, letting me glimpse the real woman, not the stranger.

And I find that I surprise myself by how much I want to know this woman, not just fuck her.

“The pants don’t come off with the shoes on,” I tell her, and by the time I’ve removed the second shoe, she’s standing in front of me, every creamy white, naked inch of her. She grabs it and tosses it.

“Now the pants,” she orders, making it clear that she’s no submissive, that she can hold her own, and I fucking love it. “Or the shirt.”

I reach for her hips and walk her between my legs. “You’ve distracted me,” I tell her, my lips brushing her belly, my tongue drawing a circle. She trembles beneath my mouth, and I glance up at her. “You’re owned when you can think of nothing but the person you’re with. Nothing but what they might do to you now, and in the next moment.” I twine the string at her hips in my fingers. “Or where they might lick, kiss, or touch.” I drag her panties down her legs and then lower my mouth to her sex, where I let my breath tease her. “Tell me to lick you,” I order.

Her fingers curl around the material over my shoulders. “No.”

I bite my bottom lip and shake my head. “That’s too bad, because I really wanted to know how you taste.” I nip her hip and when she gives a surprised yelp I lave the wound with my tongue, glancing up at her. “Do you want me to—?”

“Yes.”

“Say it, Lori…”


 

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Lisa Renee JonesNew York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lisa Renee Jones is the author of the highly acclaimed INSIDE OUT series.

In addition to the success of Lisa’s INSIDE OUT series, she has published many successful titles. The TALL, DARK AND DEADLY series and THE SECRET LIFE OF AMY BENSEN series, both spent several months on a combination of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling lists. Lisa is also the author of the bestselling the bestselling DIRTY MONEY and WHITE LIES series. And will be publishing the first book in her Lilah Love suspense series with Amazon Publishing in March 2018.

Prior to publishing Lisa owned multi-state staffing agency that was recognized many times by The Austin Business Journal and also praised by the Dallas Women’s Magazine. In 1998 Lisa was listed as the #7 growing women owned business in Entrepreneur Magazine.

Lisa loves to hear from her readers. You can reach her at www.lisareneejones.com and she is active on Twitter and Facebook daily.

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Aftermath by Kelley Armstrong – a Review

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Aftermath by Kelley Armstrong – a Review

 

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Description:
Three years after losing her brother Luka in a school shooting, Skye Gilchrist is moving home. But there’s no sympathy for Skye and her family because Luka wasn’t a victim; he was a shooter.

Jesse Mandal knows all too well that the scars of the past don’t heal easily. The shooting cost Jesse his brother and his best friend–Skye.

Ripped apart by tragedy, Jesse and Skye can’t resist reopening the mysteries of their past. But old wounds hide darker secrets. And the closer Skye and Jesse get to the truth of what happened that day, the closer they get to a new killer.

 

Review:

Aftermath by Kelley Armstrong is a standalone YA thriller.  Aftermath focuses on the fallout after a shooting at the local high school, and the affect it has on those closely related to the tragedy. 

Skye Gilchrist, our heroine, is 13 years old when we meet her.  She is at school, having a conversation with her friend (maybe soon to be boyfriend), Jesse.  They are called to the principal’s office, and hear news that will change both of their lives; a school shooting with both of their family members tragically killed.  Jesse’s brother was shot and killed, but Skye’s brother was one of the shooters, killed by the cops.

Jesse Mandal, our hero, and Skye’s friend tried to talk to Skye to tell her that he does not blame her, but she was grieving for her brother Luka, and never allowed Jesse to talk to her.  Skye and her family left town shortly thereafter, and with her mother ill, she returns three years later to stay with her aunt.  She dreads going back to school, rightfully so as everyone treats her like a pariah; and when she sees Jesse, she is surprised that he too would not acknowledge her.

Soon Skye will get threatening notes, videos sent to her phone, and horrible treatment from the students.  Jesse never blamed Skye, as she was not at fault, and regretted how he ignored her the first day; since he was hurt that she never called or wrote to him. Jesse keeps his distance early on, but quietly follows her, as he sees her being harassed, and when she is stuck in a room at school which is set on fire, Jesse will begin to help Skye to find out who is threatening her.  Their friendship and eventually romance (background only) will bring them together again. 

What follows is a very tense last half of the book, as the stakes rise when Skye finds herself in dangerous harmful situations a few times.  Everyone at school, including the officials blame all the threats, notes, fire  as Skye being behind them, trying to get attention.  Jesse and Skye try to find the clues as to who wants to harm her, and why.  This was a wonderful intense mystery, and as we get closer to the end, becomes a real thriller.

I really liked both Skye and Jesse, as they were very good together.  I found it a bit heart wrenching to see her being treated that way by almost everyone, especially since she had nothing to do with the shooting.  I also loved Jesse’s mom who was a respected Doctor, and stood up for Skye.  Armstrong touches a number of issues along the way, such as grief, anger, bullying.

The tension became even creepier as we raced to the exciting climax, with Armstrong throwing us so many curves and surprises.  The mystery was so good, I was surprised to discover who and why.  Aftermath was a great read, with a subject very much real in today’s world, but Armstrong made this into an exciting intense thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat.  I suggest you read Aftermath, which was so well written by Kelley Armstrong.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

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