Monthly Archives: March 2019

Slow Ride (Road to Love #2) by Lori Foster-a review

Posted on by
13

SLOW RIDE (Road to Love #2) by Lori Foster-a review

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

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date March 12, 2019

You can’t put the brakes on love…

Ronnie Ashford needs a distraction. In the morning, she has to offer arrogant, conventional Jack Crews a job and convince him not to take it. She doesn’t need anyone’s help, thank you very much. But tonight is all about the tall, sexy stranger who just walked in the bar—and all the delicious trouble they could get into together. Too bad just as things are heating up between them, he whispers the three little words that destroy everything: “I’m Jack Crews.”

Jack is determined to connect with fiery Ronnie—in bed and out of it—but her terms are clear. If he takes the job, helping her acquire prized artifacts for her mysterious bosses, anything between them is strictly off-limits. Somehow he has to convince a woman who’s never felt like she belonged that she’s found her place—with him. And with the danger sparking hotter than the fire between them, it’s going to be one unforgettable trip

•••••••••••

REVIEW: SLOW RIDE is the second instalment in Lori Foster’s contemporary, adult ROAD TO LOVE erotic, romantic suspense series. This is acquisitions agent Ronnie Ashford, and Jack Crews’ story line. SLOW RIDE can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary.

Told from several third person perspectives including Ronnie and Jack SLOW RIDE follows a similar premise to book one – ROAD TO LOVE-in that acquisitions agent Ronnie Ashford is sent to meet up with a man who will be her guardian and protector as she is tasked as the courier for the rare and odd. Enter Jack Crews, the man with whom Ronnie will fall in love. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Ronnie and Jack, and the potential fall-out as Ronnie is target by a unknown assailant who wants Ronnie for himself.

Ronnie Ashford acquires oddities –murderabilia, the macabre-items found, lost and procured for the collectors Drake and Drew Dolby, but several of Ronnie’s recent assignments find our heroine’s life precariously on the edge when she becomes the target of someone unknown. Jack Crews has quickly fallen for the woman that will call to his heart but everyone becomes suspect when numerous attempts on Ronnie’s life place both in danger. Mysterious strangers, messages and attacks push Ronnie to reconsider the people from her past.

The relationship between Ronnie and Jack is one of immediate attraction but Ronnie doesn’t do relationships fearing loss and rejection as happened long ago. Jack also struggles with memories of the past, of a father whose lifestyle affected the family he left behind. The $ex scenes are intimate and seductive without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

We are reintroduced to Jack’s brother Brodie and his wife Mary; his mother Roz, and foster sisters Charlotte, as well as Drake and Drew Dolby, and a number of sellers hoping to make money from their odd collectibles.

SLOW RIDE is a story of family, friendship, obsession and love. The premise is engaging and intriguing; the romance is passionate and hot; the characters are eclectic, charismatic and intense. I did struggle with a couple of issues: the revelation and identity of the person responsible for the attacks against our story line heroine was disappointing –the disconnection between events and threats with no explanation-as was the quick conflict to the story line resolution.

Click HERE for Sandy’s review of book one DRIVEN TO DISTRACTION

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

LORI FOSTER is a New York Times, USA TODAY and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of more than 55 titles, beloved for her contemporary romance novels revolving around alpha males and the women they fall for. Lori has been a recipient of the prestigious RT Book Reviews Career Achievement Award for Series Romantic Fantasy, and for Contemporary Romance. For more about Lori, visit her website at LoriFoster.com, or check out these online locations where she interacts with readers: Facebook.com/LoriFoster, Twitter.com/LoriLFoster, Goodreads and Pinterest.com/lorilfoster.

You can also sign up for her monthly newsletter at LoriFoster.com/Newsletter.

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | GOODREADS | PINTEREST | YOUTUBE

Share

Remind Me (Magnolia Sound #1) by Samantha Chase- Review & Excerpt Tour

Posted on by
15

REMIND ME (Magnolia Sound #1) by Samantha Chase-Review & Excerpt Tour

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

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date March 12, 2019

It’s been years since Mallory Westbrook set foot in Magnolia Sound, but the death of her great-grandfather forces her back. Two weeks to get his affairs in order then she would return to her life in New York. The perfect plan, if not for Jake Summerford—her first love who broke her heart.

Jake always regretted the way things ended with Mallory and now that she’s back in town, he’s hoping they can put the past behind them. As they reconnect, old feelings resurface and Jake realizes that friendship is only the beginning of he wants from Mallory.

With one foot out of the door, Mallory is looking for any excuse to leave Magnolia Sound behind. Forever. Will Jake’s plan to replace the old, painful memories help him finally show her their love deserves another chance?

••••••••

REVIEW: REMIND ME is the first full-length instalment in Samantha Chase’s contemporary, adult MAGNOLIA SOUND romance series focusing on the Westbrook family. This is thirty-year old, contractor and architectural designer Jake Summerford, and twenty-four year old IT specialist Mallory Westbrook.

NOTE: For the backstory to Jake and Mallory’s story I recommend reading the series prequel SUNKISSED DAYS

Told from dual third person perspectives (Jake and Mallory) REMIND ME picks up six years after the events of SUNKISSED DAYS where in Jake and Mallory’s summer romance implodes leaving a heart broken Mallory in its’ wake. Fast forward to present day wherein Mallory returns to Magnolia Sound to bury her beloved great-grandfather, a man who saw much more than anyone could have imagined. Rekindling their relationship, Mallory and Jake have yet to come to terms with what happened or why. The reading of the will sheds a spotlight on the past, present and future including the possibility of Mallory returning to Magnolia Sound-for good.

The relationship between Jake and Mallory is one of second chances; a rekindling romance with the potential for something more but also the possibility of an expiry date as Mallory’s time in Magnolia Sound comes to a close. Mallory struggles with the memories of what was, and issues of trust as they pertain to the man she once loved: her immature attitude left something to be desire. Jake is willing to grovel to ensure Mallory knows she means everything and more. The $ex scenes are mostly implied.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful secondary and supporting characters including all of the members of the immediate and extended Westbrook family. The reading of Zeke Westbrook’s will let’s everyone know the old man’s plans for the future.

REMIND ME is a story of family, friendships, life and death, second chances and falling in love. The premise is delightful and revealing; the characters are sassy and animated; the romance is passionate. REMIND ME is an encouraging and heart warming look as one family comes to terms with love and loss.

Click HERE for Sandy’s review of SUNKISSED DAYS.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

 

 

“But we were already hanging out,” Mallory reminded him and the look Sam gave her bordered on hysterical. “What? What’s so funny?”
“We all know I’m the third wheel here and the two of you would like nothing more than to be alone, so…I’m leaving,” he said, walking back into the kitchen to put the beer back in the refrigerator. “I’m gonna go home and tell Mom what the plan is–I’m going out to be a good cousin, while you’re here doing…I don’t know…Jake.” He winked. “You two have fun!”
Jake knew he didn’t let out a breath until the back door closed and he saw Sam walk down the deck stairs from the living room window. “Well…that was…awkward.”
“Just a little,” Mallory agreed. “Ugh…why is my brother such a dork?”
Laughing, Jake shifted them until her head was on his shoulder. “I wouldn’t call him a dork, he’s just a little…”
“He’s a dork. Trust me. We’re twins and I’m allowed to say it.” She shook her head. “He’s going to be snarky about this until he leaves.”
“About what?”
“You and me. Us. The fact that he knows what we’re doing.” She groaned. “Now, every time I mention seeing you or doing something, he’s going to make some sort of doofus comment about how I’m doing you. I’m telling you, he’s the worst.”
But Jake couldn’t help but laugh. He didn’t have any siblings so he didn’t understand the dynamics, but from where he was sitting, it was all pretty comical. The fact that they each other and had such obvious affection for each other was a pretty amazing thing. Maybe it was because they were twins or something. All he knew was that he hadn’t met many siblings with the kind of relationship Sam and Mallory had.
Plus, he liked knowing Sam looked out for her when he couldn’t.
And that one single thought had him going still.
This wasn’t going anywhere–this was about passing the time and getting her out of his system. He wasn’t supposed to be thinking about his feelings or hers. This was temporary. They both saw the end before they started up again, so why was he suddenly feeling concerned about how Mallory was going to be when he wasn’t around?
“Jake?” she asked softly, looking up at him. “You okay?”
He nodded. Right now, he didn’t want to talk. Hell, he didn’t want to think either. All he wanted was to feel–feel Mallory’s body against his. Feel her skin under his hands. Feel her breath mingling with his.
Standing, he gently tugged her to her feet before plunging his hands into her hair and giving her a searing kiss. If she was surprised by the sudden change of events, she didn’t show it. If anything, she kissed him back with equal abandon.
So good, he thought. Kissing Mallory was always so damn good…
When he had invited her to come home with him earlier–before Sam showed up–Jake envisioned them coming in and talking and maybe sharing some lazy kisses before he seduced her into staying the night. But as Mallory pressed up against him and purred, he was pretty sure nothing was going to be slow and lazy, and that he was the one being seduced.
And he loved every minute of it.
Without breaking the kiss, they maneuvered across the room and down the hall, stopping once so he could back her against the wall and grind against her. She tore her lips from his and sighed his name like a plea. Reaching down, Jake lifted her until her legs wrapped around his waist and it took every bit of self-control he possessed not to take her right then and there. Her dress was bunched up at her waist and the barely-there panties would be gone with only the slightest of tugs…
“Bed,” he growled against her throat even as he continued to rub against her. “I want you in my bed.”
“Then take me there,” she said breathlessly.
Easier said than done, he thought, forcing himself to walk the last ten feet to his room. At the side of the bed, he simply let himself fall and kept Mallory in his arms. They laughed and rolled until they were comfortable and then he sank back into the kiss.
Mallory tugged at his shirt and once she had it pulled free of his trousers, her nails scraped up his back and it gave him chills. Sitting up quickly, he ripped the shirt off–buttons flying in every direction.
“Wow,” she panted. “That was incredibly sexy.”
“Oh, yeah?” he asked, his own breath coming out roughly. “How do you feel about this?” His hand snaked under her dress and he tugged her tiny panties off–the sound of the fabric ripping seemed insanely loud in the room.
“Oh!” she cried as her hips bucked off the bed. Jake knew what she wanted and he was more than happy to give it to her. In a flash her dress was off. He peeled her bra off with his teeth as she writhed beneath him. “Jake…”
Once he had her completely naked, his self-control completely vanished. His mouth and hands were everywhere. While he licked and suckled at her breasts, his hand was ruthlessly teasing her between her legs. Watching Mallory lose control was one of his favorite pastimes and as he urged her on, he knew it would always be this way. She cried out his name again and again and again and each time it ratcheted his own arousal up more and more.
He hated to move away from her even for a second, but he still had half of his own clothes to discard. Mallory reached for him as he moved away and he smoothed a hand across her stomach. “Soon,” he whispered. “I’m not going anywhere.”


 

FOLLOW: Goodreads / Twitter / Website / Facebook

Samantha ChaseNew York Times and USA Today Bestseller/contemporary romance writer Samantha Chase released her debut novel, Jordan’s Return, in November 2011. Although she waited until she was in her 40’s to publish for the first time, writing has been a lifelong passion. Her motivation to take that step was her students: teaching creative writing to elementary age students all the way up through high school and encouraging those students to follow their writing dreams gave Samantha the confidence to take that step as well.

When she’s not working on a new story, she spends her time reading contemporary romances, playing way too many games of Scrabble or Solitaire on Facebook and spending time with her husband of 25 years and their two sons in NorthCarolina.

Share

The Last Act by Brad Parks – a Review

Posted on by
12

The Last Act by Brad Parks – a Review

 

Amazon / B&N / Kobo / iTunes / Google Play / BAM / Book Depository

 

Description:
Struggling stage actor Tommy Jump knows he has to stop chasing applause and start chasing greenbacks. But then he’s offered the role of a lifetime: $150,000 for a six-month acting gig. With a newly pregnant fiancee depending on him, it’s an opportunity he can’t refuse, even though the offer comes from the strangest employer imaginable: the FBI.

The feds won a small victory when they arrested Mitchell Dupree, a banker who has spent the past four years laundering money for New Colima, one of the deadliest cartels in Mexico and a major supplier of crystal meth in the US. But Dupree has documents that could lead to arrests of high-ranking members of New Colima, including their fearsome leader, El Vio . . . if only he’d tell the FBI where they are.

Using a false name and backstory, Tommy will enter Dupree’s low-security prison as a felon and get close to the banker in the hopes that he’ll reveal the documents’ whereabouts. But when Tommy arrives, he quickly realizes that he’s underestimated the enormity of his task and the terrifying reach of the cartel. Because the FBI isn’t the only one looking for the documents, and if Tommy doesn’t play his role to perfection, it just may be his last act.

 

 

Review:

The Last Act by Brad Parks is a standalone novel, and my first book by Brad Parks.  This was an excellent suspense thriller that kept me reading from start to finish. 

Tommy Jump is an actor, who loves his job, but with his fiancée pregnant, he knows he has to get a regular job to make ends meet.  Feeling down after performing his last  show, Tommy runs into an old friend.  His friend is now an FBI agent, and offers Tommy a 6 month job that will make him more than $150.000.  All Tommy has to do is take on a fake persona, go to jail and make friends with a banker, who is hiding documents that will incriminate a Mexican drug cartel boss.  Needless to say, Tommy accepts the job and prepares himself and his fiancée for the 6 month acting gig.

When Tommy enters the jail, he makes sure to make friends, getting himself closer to the banker.  He also gets his FBI friends to give him contraband from the outside to use to bribe prison mates in helping him get what he needs. 

What follows is an interesting, as well as suspenseful story that is told in multiple pov’s (Tommy, his fiancée, the drug lord, and assistant to the drug lord).  While Tommy is working to discovering where the documents are, we get glimpses how dangerous and evil the drug boss is, as he thinks nothing of killing anyone on the spot.  We also get a close up of the assistant, who is determined to find the documents, before his boss kills him.   It is a very exciting story line, and very well written by Parks. 

The Last Act is fast paced, suspenseful, and intense; which keeps us glued to the book until the very end.  I do not want to give too much information, as there are so many twists and surprises all through the book.  Tommy was a great character, who evolves as the story continues; especially with the many twists along the way that change everything. The Last Act was a gripping story that was so well written by Parks.  If you enjoy suspense thrillers, I suggest you read this book.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

Share

Toxic Game (GhostWalkers #15) by Christine Feehan-Review, Excerpt & Giveaway

Posted on by
29

TOXIC GAME (GhostWalkers #15) by Christine Feehan-Review, Excerpt & Giveaway

TOXIC GAME
GhostWalkers #15
by Christine Feehan
Release Date: March 5, 2019
Genre: adult, contemporary, erotic, paranormal, romance

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

About the book: Release Date March 5, 2019

On a rescue mission in the heart of the Indonesian jungle, Dr. Draden Freeman and his GhostWalker team need to extract the wounded as quickly as possible—or risk spreading a deadly virus unleashed by a terrorist cell. When Draden gets infected, he forces his team to leave him behind. He won’t risk exposing anyone else. He intends to find the ones responsible and go out in a blaze of glory….

Shylah Cosmos’s mission is to track the virus and remain unseen. Her enhanced senses tell her that the gorgeous man eradicating the terrorists one by one is a GhostWalker—and his lethal precision takes her breath away. When he’s hit by a lucky shot, she can’t stop herself from stepping in, not knowing that by saving his life she’s exposed herself to the virus.

There’s no telling how much time Draden and Shylah have left. Racing to find a cure, they quickly realize that they’ve found their perfect partner just in time to lose everything. But even as the virus threatens to consume their bodies, they’ve never felt more alive.

•••••••••

REVIEW: TOXIC GAME is the fifteenth instalment in Christine Feehan’s contemporary, adult GHOSTWALKERS erotic, paranormal, romance series focusing an elite group of ‘genetically enhanced’ men and women known as the GhostWalkers (GW). These ‘super soldiers’ were once part of an unauthorized government experiment performed by Dr. Peter Whitney. This is former model, GhostWalker and doctor Draden Freeman, and tracker Shylah ‘Peony’ Cosmos’ story line. TOXIC GAME can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary but I recommend reading the series in order for backstory and cohesion.

WARNING: TOXIC GAME contains scenes of graphic violence that may not be suitable for all readers.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Shylah and Draden) TOXIC GAME follows the building relationship between GhostWalker Dr. Draden Freeman, and GW tracker Shylah ‘Peony’ Cosmos. Dr.Draden Freeman is a member of the GhostWalkers Team Four Pararescue Unit, and their latest assignment finds the team in Indonesia to investigate the mass deaths possibly related to a man-made virus, a biological weapon, that if not contained could destroy the world. Infected and on his own, Draden will meet female GhostWalker Shylah Cosmos, who exposes herself to the virus in order to save our hero’s life. Shylah has been sent to Indonesia to track down and kill the men responsible for releasing the virus, a position ordered by the man in charge. What ensues is the building relationship between Draden and Shylah, as Team Four works overtime to find a cure in order to save their friend and fellow warrior.

The relationship between Draden and Shylah is one of immediate attraction. Draden recognizes, early on, that Shylah is the female ‘developed’ especially for him, something Dr. Whitney has purposely formulated in an effort to produce powerful offspring and heirs. Unlike many of the previous story lines, the relationship and power distribution between our leading couple is based on romance, attraction, and equality, without the male lead going all alpha and forcing the female to bend to his will. The $ex scenes, although limited due to the nature of the story line premise, are intimate and passionate, without the use of over the top sexually graphic language and text.

The world building continues to focus on the camaraderie, friendship and bond between the GhostWalkers, and the women they love. Dr. Peter Whitney, although ultimately responsible for the GhostWalker’s enhanced powers, and the torture of so many psychic females, his role in the series may be changing direction.

Most of GhostWalker Team Four (and their significant others) play secondary and supporting characters: Diego Campo, Ezekiel Fortunes, Gino Mazza, Team leader Joe Spagnola, Malichai and Mordichai Fortunes, Trap Dawkins, Rubin Campo and Wyatt Fontenot, along with a cameo appearance by Wyatt’s Nonny Grace Fontenont. Most of the female characters have been segregated from potential infection.

TOXIC GAME is a story of betrayal, power, revenge and control. The suspense is limited as the conflict focuses on the fight to find a cure for the man-made virus. The premise is intriguing and engaging as the author includes plenty of medical and biological references; the romance is seductive and captivating; the characters are colorful, charismatic and sassy. There are some issues of redundancy especially as it pertains to Draden’s appearance (mentioned numerous times), and saying that, I am a bit of a cover snob, and thusly, the cover doesn’t remotely give credit to the character’s beauty quoted as ‘jaw-droppingly handsome without being so beautiful he bordered on femnine’.

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

Exclusive except provided by the publisher

He’d been dead. Well, he would have been dead had she not given him CPR, yet he had come out of it fully cognizant. Completely aware.
He turned his head back toward her and those dark, navy-colored eyes bore down into hers. She stayed very still, trying to keep her body relaxed. If she didn’t tense up, it was possible he would relax his grip and she’d be able to break free. She wasn’t certain that would do much good; she’d seen him run and he was the fastest she’d ever seen.
“Did you give me CPR?” It was a demand.
She tried to nod. His lashes swept down for a brief moment, and she saw despair etched deeply into his face. Her heart ceased to beat and then began to pound as sudden knowledge filled her. She knew he was infected. She didn’t know how, but it was that look on his face. The way his hold on her throat gentled. He shook his head and moved back away from her.
“We have to get out of here.” His voice was a mere whisper of sound.
“You’ve been exposed to the virus, haven’t you?” Now her heart was wild. Out of control. She was terrified. She’d seen the horrific way the men and women had died. She knew, but she still needed his confirmation.
He caught her hand and rose, pulling her with him. Her arms and legs suddenly felt like spaghetti. There was a strange roaring in her head. Chaos reigned in her brain. She began to hyperventilate. The virus. He was infected with the virus and she’d put her mouth over his and breathed into his lungs. Her fingers had wiped at the blood on his temple. She had his blood on her at that very moment.
His fingers tightened around her upper arm. “We have to move. Right now.”
The urgency in his voice caught at her. She was an elite, highly trained soldier. It didn’t matter if the worst had happened; she would deal with it later. She straightened her spine, looked into those eyes of his and nodded.
Her reward was instant. His expression softened, and he gave her a quick nod of approval and then began to jog, still holding her arm, forcing her to go with him down the embankment.
What are you doing? They’re going to be on the river in boats. Without thinking she went to telepathy because the women she’d trained with all could speak mind to mind.
They’ll be expecting us on this side. We’re going back in and crossing to the other side. There was a place where the forest came right down to the edge of the water. We’ll cross there so they won’t be able to track us.
She hadn’t expected the intimacy of his voice in her head. It had a smoothness to it that gave way now and then to gravel. The way he moved in her mind stole something from her. She liked that little nod of approval he’d given her as if she were his equal just because she hadn’t given into the hysteria welling up.
She didn’t object, and he didn’t slow down, his fingers never leaving her arm, so she didn’t slow either. She was worried about his injury. It had to hurt even though he was the smoothest runner she’d ever met.
I’m Shylah Cosmos. Well, Shylah is the name my sisters gave me. I dislike my real name with a passion. Peony. Who is named Peony?
Draden Freeman. I believe I know your sisters. Bellisia and Zara? Did Whitney send you here? And there’s nothing wrong with Peony.
She almost stopped jogging she was so shocked. He knew Bellisia and Zara? Are they alive? They left separately on missions and we never heard from them again. And there is something wrong with being named Peony, so never call me that.
Whitney knows they’re alive. He came after them even after he said he’d let them go.
Dr. Peter Whitney had found her in an orphanage. Zara and Bellisia had been found the same way. Whitney had chosen them because he had a talent for recognizing others with undeveloped psychic abilities. He brought the infants to one of his many secret military facilities to experiment on them. He considered them throwaways. In his quest to find the perfect supersoldier, he experimented on the girls and when he thought he’d perfected what he was looking for, he psychically and genetically enhanced the soldiers in his GhostWalker program.


 

Christine Feehan is a #1 New York Times bestselling author multiple times over with her portfolio including over 70 published novels, including five series; Dark Series, Ghostwalker Series, Leopard Series, Drake Sisters Series, the Sisters of the Heart Series and Torpedo Ink. All of her series have hit the #1 spot on the New York Times bestselling list as well. Her debut novel Dark Prince received 3 of the 9 Paranormal Excellence Awards in Romantic Literature (PEARL) in 1999. Since then she has been published by various publishing houses including Leisure Books, Pocket Books, and currently is writing for Berkley/Jove. She also has earned 7 more PEARL awards since Dark Prince.

Follow: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

Christine’s Feehan’s publisher is graciously offering a paper copy of TOXIC GAME to ONE lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.

1. If you have not previously registered at The Reading Cafe, please register by using the log-in at the top of the page (side bar) or by using one of the social log-ins.

NOTE: If you are having difficulty commenting after logging onto the site, please refresh the page (at the top of your computer).

2. If you are using a social log-in, please post your email address with your comment.

3. Please LIKE Christine Feehan on Facebook

4. Please LIKE The Reading Cafe on FACEBOOK and then click GET NOTIFICATION under ‘liked’ for an additional entry.

5. LIKE The Reading Cafe on Twitter for an additional entry.

6. Please FOLLOW The Reading Cafe on GOODREADS for an additional entry.

7. Please follow The Reading Cafe on Tumblr

8. Giveaway open to USA only

9. Giveaway runs from March 12-16, 2019

Share

OFF HER GAME by Zoe Forward – Review & Giveaway

Posted on by
28

OFF HER GAME by Zoe Forward – Review & Giveaway

 

 

Amazon / B&N / Kobo / iTunes

 

Description:
Tori Duarte’s big dreams to be a video game designer…well, they haven’t panned out. And a girl’s got to eat. Enter: the Stadium, a secretive video game gambling ring. As a world ranked eGamer, winning should be cake. Until it’s not. Gambling debts suck her in deep.

A chance encounter with the media shy, ridiculously handsome video game CEO Noah Harrison offers her a way out. The deal: 1) Assist the FBI to catch the underworld eGaming kingpin (doable but dangerous). 2) Keep the FBI connection secret by pretending to date Noah (not optional but keeping it PG is problematic).

What neither expects is an explosive chemistry that’s more than convincing—it’s sizzling. Falling for each other is the most dangerous thing they could do…

 

Review:

Off Her Game by Zoe Forward is the first book in her new Game Lords series.  I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started reading this series, as it was a different type of read from what I was used to with Zoe Forward. I am happy to say that I really enjoyed this book.

Tori Duarte, our heroine, is one of the best elite gamers, which is especially unique for a female.  Tori also designs video games, hoping to sell them to make money to pay off her debts, which forces her to be involved with a secret gambling ring.  

Noah Harrison, our hero, is the CEO and co owner of a game company, known to many as Game Lords. Noah, is a wealthy and handsome bachelor, who is an introvert and shy around women and media.  But when he meets Tori, he finds himself very attracted to the badass gamer.  But Noah and his partner have agreed to help the FBI find out who is behind the secret gambling ring that is murdering people who worked for them, especially since one of the victims was their brother.

Tori is pulled into the FBI sting, since she needs money, and also knows she too is in danger.  Noah will join hands with Tori to pretend to be dating, which draws the attention of the evil gaming kingpin.  During their adventure, they will both begin to fall in love with each other, though Tori cannot believe that Noah could possibly care about a girl like her. There chemistry was very steamy.

What follows is an exciting, suspenseful and fun story. I am amazed how well Zoe Forward described the gaming industry, giving us a wonderful insight to that industry.   I loved Tori and Noah together, and Forward also created some very good secondary characters; such as Emma, Jake, Quan, Sam. I expect to see more of them in the future books.  Off Her Game was a fast-paced, fun enjoyable story; wonderful couple, great secondary characters, as well as filled with excitement and suspense.  Great start to this new series, which I intend to continue reading. 

Reviewed by Barb

Copy supplied for review

 

 

 

Zoe Forward is graciously offering a $20 Gift Card to ONE lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe

1. If you have not previously registered at The Reading Cafe, please register by using the log-in at the top of the page (side bar) or by using one of the social log-ins.

NOTE: If you are having difficulty commenting after logging onto the site, please refresh the page (at the top of your computer).

2. If you are using a social log-in, please post your email address with your comment.

3. Please LIKE Zoe Forward on Facebook

4. Please LIKE The Reading Cafe on FACEBOOK and then click GET NOTIFICATION under ‘liked’ for an additional entry.

5. LIKE The Reading Cafe on Twitter for an additional entry.

6. Please FOLLOW The Reading Cafe on GOODREADS for an additional entry.

7. Please follow The Reading Cafe on Tumblr

8. Giveaway open to USA only

9. Giveaway runs from March 11-15, 2019

 

Share

Bayside Escape (Love in Bloom: Bayside Summers #4) by Melissa Foster-Review and Giveaway Tour

Posted on by
13

BAYSIDE ESCAPE (Love in Bloom: Bayside Summers #4) by Melissa Foster-Review and Giveaway Tour

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

About the book: Release Date March 6,2019

Fall in love at Bayside, where sandy beaches, good friends, and true love come together in the sweet small towns of Cape Cod. Bayside Summers is a series of standalone steamy romance novels featuring alpha male heroes and sexy, empowered women. They’re fun, flirty, flawed, deeply emotional, always passionate, and easy to relate to.

Hold on to your hat for Violet’s wildly hot love story! Lizza is up to her old tricks again, and Violet is in for the surprise of a lifetime!

Two years ago Violet Vancroft was a nomadic artist who never wanted to put down roots and Andre Shaw was a prominent Boston physician whose roots ran too deep to unearth. Their love didn’t stand a chance-or at least that’s what Violet believed when she received a plea for help from the sister she’d never really known-so she snuck away like a thief in the night.

Now Andre travels the world setting up new medical clinics, and Violet has finally found the family she’d always craved and the roots she’d never known she wanted. When their paths cross unexpectedly, it’s not the reunion either one imagined. But they’ve never stopped loving each other, and after the dust of anger and hurt settles, passion ignites even hotter than before. As the end to Andre’s time at the Cape nears, reality sets in, leaving them no closer to a future than they were before. Violet and Andre are forced to dig deep to discover if they’re destined to live apart forever or if true love really can conquer all.

••••••••••••

REVIEW: BAYSIDE ESCAPE is the fourth instalment in Melissa Foster’s contemporary, adult LOVE IN BLOOM: BAYSIDE SUMMERS erotic, romance series focusing on a tight knit group of friends and family in Wellfleet, Massachusetts. This is Dr. Andre Shaw, and artist/inn owner Violet Vancroft’s story line. BAYSIDE ESCAPE, and subsequently BAYSIDE SUMMERS is another one of Melissa Foster’s spin off series from both the Love in Bloom and Seaside Summers series but can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Several characters and couples cross over for cohesion and familiarity.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Violet and Andre) BAYSIDE ESCAPE follows the second chance romance between Dr. Andre Shaw, and artist/inn owner Violet Vancroft. Two years earlier, Violet volunteering overseas fell in love with Dr. Andre Shaw but a call from her sister found our heroine disappearing without a trace, breaking Andre’s heart in the process. Fast forward to present day wherein Violet will come face to face with her past, at her sister’s wedding. Enter Dr. Andre Shaw, the man with whom Violet fell in love. What ensues is the rekindling romance between Andre and Violet, and the potential fall-out as Andre’s time back in the States, comes with an expiry date.

Andre Shaw hasn’t stopped looking for Violet Vancroft but was caught unaware of her true identity. Meeting Violet at aher sister’s wedding brought with it painful memories of loss and heartbreak. Seeing Andre on the arm of someone she knew sent Violet into overdrive where it concerned her love for the man she left behind Having finally set down roots, Violet struggles with Andre’s need to pursue the lifestyle she once enjoyed.

The relationship between Andre and Violet is one of second chances; a rekindling romance between two people hurt by secrets and lies, and Violet’s need to run when things got serious. Mature to understand where everything went wrong, Andre and Violet agree to start fresh, on the road to their happily ever after. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and intense, without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

The character driven story line has a large ensemble cast of colorful, familiar and fun secondary and supporting characters. The premise is fun, fast paced, inviting and entertaining ; the characters are sexy, sassy, and energetic; the romance is seductive, spicy and provocative. BAYSIDE ESCAPE is an animated, lively and spirited story line of second chances.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews:
Bayside Desires
Bayside Passions
Bayside Heat
Bayside Escape

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

FREE boxset of SEASIDE SUMMERS (Love in Bloom 1-3) by Melissa Foster

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

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

Bayside Desires (Bayside Summers #1) 

As the co-owner of Bayside Resorts, Rick Savage has a fabulous job working with his best friends and brother, and a thriving business in Washington, DC, which he’ll be returning to at the end of the summer. Spending time with his family is great, but being back on Cape Cod has unearthed painful memories. When sweet, smart, and overly cautious Desiree Cleary moves in next door, Rick is drawn to the sexy preschool teacher, and she just might prove to be the perfect distraction.

Running an art gallery was not in preschool teacher Desiree Cleary’s plans, but after being tricked into coming to her impetuous, unreliable mother’s aid, she’s stuck spending the summer with the badass half sister she barely knows and a misbehaving dog. If that’s not frustrating enough, she can’t escape the sparks igniting with her strikingly handsome and pushy neighbor, Rick, who makes all her warning bells go off.

Passion ignites as Desiree and Rick spend long summer nights sharing heartfelt confessions and steamy kisses. For the first time in years Rick is enjoying life again instead of hiding behind mounds of work miles away from his family. Desiree has touched him in a way that makes him want to slow down. Only slowing down means dealing with his demons, and he isn’t sure who he’ll be when he comes out the other side.

•••••••••••

Bayside Passions (Bayside Summers #2)  
Bayside Passions (Bayside Summers Book 2) by [Foster, Melissa]

When Emery Andrews’s best friend, Desiree, moves away, falls in love, and opens a an inn all in one summer, she feels her absence like a missing limb. Until she visits over the holidays and meets sinfully hot Dean Masters, who’s as easy on the eyes as he is to talk to. After returning home, what starts as a flurry of late-night flirtations quickly turns into a deep connection and unexpected friendship. Now, months later, Desiree offers Emery a job teaching yoga at the inn. Adventurous Emery jumps at the chance and heads for Wellfleet, Massachusetts, to reunite with her BFF and her new close friend, Dean.After months of sharing their lives, and their secrets, over video chats and phone calls, Dean’s ready to move things to the next level. The fact that Emery seems oblivious to the sparks between them and has recently put her foot down about dating friends just means he’ll have to bide his time.

When Emery finds a naked man in her kitchen the first morning she’s there, Dean doesn’t hesitate to move her into his guest room. Maybe now Emery will see what’s right before her eyes–although that guy she’s got a date with might be a problem.

Amazon.com  Amazon. ca  Amazon.co.uk   Barnes and Noble    KOBO    iBooks   GPlay   Paperback

•••••••••

BAYSIDE HEAT (Bayside Summers #3)

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date August 8, 2018

Drake Savage has always done the right thing, especially where beautiful and fiercely determined Serena Mallery is concerned-even when it means keeping his feelings for her to himself. Serena has always wanted more than what their small town of Wellfleet, Massachusetts has to offer, and Drake’s roots are so deeply entrenched in the Cape, it’s all he can do to watch her pack up her life and move away.

Serena has always had big dreams. As a teenager she dreamed of becoming an interior designer and marrying smart, musically inclined, sexy-as-sin Drake Savage. Now she’s finally landed a killer job with a top interior design firm, but though she has spent the last four years working side by side with Drake, he’s never made a move. Four years is long enough for her to accept reality, and her new job in Boston is the perfect way to move on.

A weak moment leads to sizzling, sensual kisses, opening a door through which they’ve both been aching to walk. But Serena’s determined not to give up her shot at the career she’s always dreamed of, and Drake has loved her for too many years to stand in her way. With true love at their fingertips and a world of unstoppable passion igniting between them, can the two star-crossed lovers find their way to their happily ever after?

Melissa Foster is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling and award-winning author. She writes sexy and heartwarming contemporary romance, new adult romance and women’s fiction with emotionally compelling characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page. Readers adore Melissa’s fun, flirty, and sinfully sexy, award-winning big-family romance collection, LOVE IN BLOOM featuring the Snow Sisters, Bradens, Remingtons, Ryders, Seaside Summer, Harborside Nights, Wild Boys and Bad Boys After Dark, and the Montgomerys. Melissa’s emotional journeys are lovingly erotic and always family oriented– perfect beach reads for contemporary romance lovers who enjoy reading about loyal, wealthy heroes and smart, sassy heroines with complex and relatable issues.Melissa also writes sweet and clean romance under the pen name Addison Cole.

Melissa has painted and donated several murals to The Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, DC. Her interests include her family, reading, writing, painting, friends, helping others see the positive side of life, and visiting Cape Cod.

Melissa is available to chat with book clubs and welcomes comments and emails from her readers. Visit Melissa on Facebook or her personal website.

Never miss a brand new release, special promotions or inside gossip again by simply signing up to receive your newsletter from Melissa.

Find Melissa on the following sites….

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

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Share

Angel (Linear Tactical #4) by Janie Crouch-a review

Posted on by
11

ANGEL (Linear Tactical #4) by Janie Crouch-a review

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

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date February 16, 2019

Even angels have their demons

Jordan Reiss is well aware that if she was on fire the entire town of Oak Creek would probably go inside and make a sandwich. She can’t blame them. Her father scammed half the town out of their retirement funds, and then she…

She did so much worse.

She doesn’t expect forgiveness. But she’s back in town with no other options and just wants to be left alone to live on the fierce Wyoming land she’s missed so much during her six years in prison.

Former Navy SEAL Gabriel Collingwood’s callsign may have been Angel, but he’ll be anything but to protect his sister. Especially from a pretty ex-con who has somehow weaseled her way into a job at his sister’s new bakery.

He doesn’t trust Jordan, even with her big gray eyes and quiet smile.

But when someone decides its time for Jordan to leave Oak Creek—preferably in a body bag—Gabe will have to put his distrust aside. Jordan needs her own guardian angel. And he happens to be one.

•••••••••••

REVIEW: ANGEL is the fourth instalment in Janie Crouch’s contemporary, adult LINEAR TACTICAL romantic suspense series focusing on a group of former Special Forces soldiers who own and operate Linear Tactical, an Oak Creek, Wyoming business specializing in survival skills, security and protection. This is twenty-three year old Jordan Reiss, and thirty-two year old former Navy SEAL and owner of Collingwood Technology Gabriel ‘Angel’ Collingwood’s story line. ANGEL can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary but I recommend reading the series in order for backstory and cohesion.

NOTE: Some of the events in ANGEL run parallel to, and cross over with some of the events in book three-SHAMROCK.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Jordan and Gabriel) ANGEL follows the acrimonious relationship between twenty-three year old Jordan Reiss, and thirty-two year old former Navy SEAL and owner of Collingwood Technology Gabriel ‘Angel’ Collingwood. Eight years earlier Jordan’s world imploded when her sole surviving parent, Michael Reiss, scammed the town of Oak Creek Wyoming out of their retirement savings. Two years later, working several jobs to stay afloat our heroine is sentenced to six years for the death of a mother and child caused when she fell asleep at the wheel of her car. Fast forward to present day wherein Jordan returns to Oak Creek, Wyoming in an attempt to start over. Jordan, now persona non grata and the town pariah becomes the target of many twisted and unforgiving minds including former Navy SEAL Gabriel Collingwood, who is desperate to protect his sister, the woman who hired Jordan at the local bakery shop. What ensues is the building but tempestuous relationship between Jordan and Gabriel, and the fall-out as issues of trust, betrayal, lies and secrets continue to send Jordan’s life spiralling out of control.

All Jordan Reiss wants is to be left alone; to earn a little money to clothe and feed herself but the town of Oak Creek, Wyoming refuses to leave our heroine alone. From her father’s illegal scams that destroyed the small town, to the accident that killed a mother and child, Jordan is unable to forgive herself, or forget about the past. Falling for Gabriel Collingwood gave Jordan a hope for the future but like most of the townsfolk Gabriel struggles to look beyond the past.

The relationship between Gabriel and Jordan struggles in the face of preconceived notions, and Jordan’s history in Oak Creek, Wyoming. No longer a prisoner, yet still a prisoner, none the less, Jordan hides in plain sight as she continues to be the target of people looking for revenge, as well as the man with whom she will fall in love. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate, without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

Once again, there is a large ensemble cast of colorful and energetic secondary and supporting characters. We are reintroduced to Aiden Teague and Violet Collingwood (Shamrock #3), Finn Bollinger and Charlie Devereaux (Eagle #2), Zac Mackay and Anne Griffin (Cyclone #1); Linear Tactical warrior Dorian Lindstrom; Sheriff Curtis Nelson; as well as a number of business owners and townsfolk desperate to right a wrong brought upon Oak Creek by Jordan’s father Michael Reiss.

ANGEL is a story of betrayal, forgiveness, greed and love. The premise is heart breaking and powerful; the characters are energetic and dynamic but flawed; the romance is gritty and raw. ANGEL is an impassioned and emotional story of one woman’s struggle to move on from the past.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Cyclone
Eagle
Shamrock

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Share

Cold & Deadly ( Cold Justice: Crossfire #1) by Toni Anderson-a review

Posted on by
11

COLD & DEADLY (Cold Justice: Crossfire #1) by Toni Anderson-a review

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

About the book: Release Date February 12, 2019

Hostage Negotiators can talk themselves out of anything—except falling in love.

FBI Supervisory Special Agent Dominic Sheridan is an accomplished expert in the Crisis Negotiation Unit. Practiced, professional, used to dealing with high-stake situations under tense conditions, Dominic is a master at manipulating people. Everyone, that is, but the headstrong rookie agent bent on destroying her fledgling career.

As a child, Ava Kanas put her life on the line when the mob executed her father. Now someone has killed her mentor, the man who inspired her to become an FBI agent—and she’s the only one who recognizes it was anything but a tragic accident.

When another agent is murdered and Dominic nearly dies, it becomes obvious a serial killer is targeting the FBI. Together Dominic and Ava search for clues in the investigation, all the while fighting a forbidden attraction that will complicate everything, especially when the predator sets their sights on Ava.

•••••••••

REVIEW: COLD & DEADLY is the first instalment in Toni Anderson’s contemporary, adult COLD JUSTICE: CROSSFIRE romantic suspense series-a spin off/crossover with the author’s COLD JUSTICE series. This is FBI Supervisory Special Agent and hostage negotiator Dominic Sheridan, and rookie agent Ava Kanas’s story line. You do not have to have read the previous series to understand or follow the Crossfire series.

Told from three third person perspectives (Dominic, Ava and the killer) COLD & DEADLY focuses on the hunt for a killer, targeting FBI agents. At the funeral for her mentor and friend Agent Van Stamos, Ava Kanas, Dominic Sheridan and the other members of the FBI become sitting ducks; proverbial targets for a gunman h*ll bent on taking down anyone connected to the past. Hoping to prove Van’s suicide was a murder and not the final act of a desperate man, Ava Kanas along with Dominic Sheridan begin an investigation of their own only to discover that both have been pulled from active duty. Several attempts against Dominic’s life; and the deaths of several agents connected to the New York Field Office of the FBI, find Ava and Dominic hunting down a serial killer long thought dead and buried. What ensues is the building relationship between Ava and Dominic, and the potential fall-out as Ava becomes collateral damage in a game of murder and revenge.

Ava Kanas is desperate to prove her mentor and friend did not take his own life but the people higher up refuse to acknowledge the elephant in the room. Dominic Sheridan is used to negotiating with hostages in a crisis situation but trying to pull Ava back from the brink pulls our hero into an investigation directly connected to his past. Ava will be assigned as Dominic’s security when yet another attempt on Dominic’s life nearly ends it all.

The relationship between Ava and Dominic begins acrimoniously as Ava goes rogue in an attempt to prove her mentor’s murder. Dominic, desperate to help the woman with whom he is falling in love calls in some favors with the FBI. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

The world building follows several paths including a domestic dispute, an escaped prisoner, and a hostage situation at a medium security federal correction prison that will bring Ava’s life full circle with the past. We are up close and personal with FBI negotiators as they struggle to prevent further chaos, killings and the rape of a federal employee. The character development is revealing and interesting.

We are introduced to Ava’s supervisor FBI Director Raymond Aldrich, FBI profiler Lincoln Frazer, and Chief Negotiator of the FBI Quentin Savage, Charlotte Blood, Alex Parker and Mallory Rooney. Alex and Mallory were first introduced in A COLD DARK PLACE –Cold Justice Book 1.

COLD & DEADY is a story of betrayal, vengeance, madness and love. The premise is intriguing, suspenseful and fast paced; the characters are energetic and captivating; the romance is a slow build to a happily ever after.

Own a copy

Reviewed by Sandy

Share