Monthly Archives: October 2019

The Duke’s Stolen Bride by Sophie Jordan-Review Tour

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The Duke’s Stolen Bride by Sophie Jordan-Review Tour

 

THE DUKE’S STOLEN BRIDE
The Rogue Files #5
by Sophie Jordan
Release Date: October 22, 2019
Genre: adult, historical romance

 

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date October 22, 2019

An urgent dilemma…

To save her impoverished family, Marian Langley will become a mistress. But she will not be just any mistress. Marian intends to become so skilled, so coveted, that she can set her own terms, retaining control over her body and her fate. Only one problem remains: finding a tutor…

A scandalous solution…

Other men deprive themselves of pleasure for propriety’s sake. Nathaniel, Duke of Warrington, would much rather be depraved. He slakes his desires with professionals who ask nothing of him but his coin. Marian’s proposal—that he train her without taking her virtue—is an intriguing diversion, until their lessons in seduction spin out of control.

And a most unlikely duchess…

When Marian is blackmailed into engagement by a man she despises, Nate impulsively steals her away. Though he never intended to take a wife, he can’t tolerate the idea of Marian forfeiting her freedom to another. But can he bear to give her what she demands—a real marriage?

•••••

REVIEW: The Duke’s Stolen Bride is a historical romantic fiction by Sophie Jordan. It’s set in a small shire in England, Brambledon, the date isn’t clear. I was at first concerned, but as I read, I became thoroughly intrigued and delighted by the whole circumstance of the plot.

Marian Langley is the daughter of a dedicated and loved doctor. She was a governess for aristocratic families and has lived well. Until her father passed away. She had to return home to care for her siblings, Charlotte, Elanor (Nora), and a brother. They are penniless and getting into debt just trying to live. Marian is hounded by creditors and is being propositioned by Mr. Lawrence, the blacksmith. She doesn’t want to marry and lose her freedom, and the blacksmith is not a nice man.

Nate is the Duke of Warrington. His home in this small community is Haverston Hall. It holds a few happy memories for him. His was not a happy childhood. He was small as a boy and bullied at school. He only got to come home on a few occasions. His father died when he was a baby and his mother remarried, a man of lower station who didn’t like the boy much. His mother and stepfather visit rarely, and he doesn’t care. His wife, Mary Beth, died in childbirth only three years after they were married. He thought she cared for him, but they weren’t really in love. He now hires paramours to come visit occasionally and he pays them generously but forms no attachments.

They meet when Marian is being chased by the coal seller. She runs into Crawley’s tavern, and hides under a corner table where a man is sitting. She askes him not to talk to her or let anyone know she’s there. The coal merchant follows her in and questions the man at the table, who answers his question with another question. Finally, Mr. Crawley chases the coal merchant off and tells him to leave “His Grace” alone. She comes out from under the table and they spar with words a bit.

Later, when the blacksmith brings a ham to her house, he lets her know she must marry him to save her sisters and brother. He will provide them with money for a dowry and money for an education for her brother, but only if she marries him.

And the fun begins… Marian learns that a “widow” living nearby was, in reality, a courtesan. She saved enough of her own money to maintain her lifestyle and keep her freedom. She decides this would be the answer for her and her siblings. Mrs. Ramsey tells her she needs a tutor to show her the things men like and teach her to be good at it. Guess who comes to mind?

Yes, it’s truly an interesting plot twist. Her proposal to him, the actual reason he decides to do this are great. The lessons, the shocking way he makes her feel. The things she does to him…all so very entertaining. There is so much more to this lovely story. However, you should read it yourself. It’s a fun read, it has a little danger, nothing comes without a price. Kudos to author Sophie Jordan, this is a great read.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Georgianna

 

SOPHIE JORDAN grew up in the Texas hill country where she wove fantasies of dragons, warriors, and princesses. A former high school English teacher, she’s the New York Times, USA Today and international bestselling author of more than twenty novels. She now lives in Houston with her family. When she’s not writing, she spends her time overloading on caffeine (lattes preferred), talking plotlines with anyone who will listen (including her kids), and cramming her DVR with anything that has a happily ever after. 

AUTHOR LINKS

Website http://www.sophiejordan.net/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sophiejordanauthor/
Twitter https://www.twitter.com/SoVerySophie
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sosophiejordan/
Goodreads https://goo.gl/jbJNT9
Amazon http://amzn.to/2BLceES 

 

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

GIVEAWAY TERMS & CONDITIONS:  Open to US shipping addresses only. One winner will receive a paperback copy This Scot of Mine by Sophie Jordan. This giveaway is administered by Pure Textuality PR on behalf of Avon Books.  Giveaway ends 11/4/2019 @ 11:59pm EST. 

 

CLICK HERE TO ENTER!

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Tangled Up in Christmas by Lisa Renee Jones-a review

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Tangled Up in Christmas by Lisa Renee Jones-a review

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

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date October 29, 2019

I haven’t been back to Sweetwater, Texas, in years but somehow, here I am―back where it all started. I’m still trying to figure out how. And of course, I don’t even make it out of the airport before I run into my ex―the entire reason why I left Sweetwater in the first place.

Horse wrangler Roarke Frost’s shoulders are just as broad as I remember, that crooked smile of his still in place, and my heart is melting like chocolate in the sizzling Texas sun. Stupid heart. But worse, we’re supposed to play nice together to pull off a Christmas festival in record time, which is the key to launching my new business.

Now we’re working side by side to save injured animals, setting up a bid-on-a-cowboy auction, and he’s pushing for a second chance. But I know he’s still keeping a secret that could tear us apart if I give him an inch.

•••••••

REVIEW:TANGLED UP IN CHRISTMAS is the second instalment in Lisa Renee Jones’ contemporary, adult TEXAS HEAT erotic, romance series. This is veterinarian Roarke Frost, and photographer Hannah’s story line. TANGLE UP IN CHRISTMAS can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary. We were first introduce to Roarke in book one The Truth About Cowboys.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Hannah and Roarke) TANGLED UP IN CHRISTMAS follows the second chance romance and relationship between twenty eight year old photographer Hannah, and thirty four year old veterinarian Roarke Frost. Roarke and Hannah had been best friends all of their lives but seven years earlier betrayal broke Hannah’s heart sending our heroine to Los Angeles, California. Engaged to be married to the man that she loves, Hannah is destroyed when a video surfaces betraying everything she ever loved about Roarke and the small town of Sweetwater, Texas. Fast forward to present day wherein Hannah heads home to Texas in an effort to restart her career, a career destroyed by jealousy and revenge. To Hannah’s surprise and misery, she will come face to face with her past, a past she has never stopped loving but a past she is unable to forgive or forget. Enter veterinarian Roarke Frost. What ensues is the rebuilding relationship and romance between Roarke and Hannah, and the potential fall-out when the truth is revealed.

Hannah ran from Sweetwater, Texas in an effort to forget about the man that she loved. Destroyed by betrayal, Hannah struggled to move on with her life, always comparing every man to the one that she lost. Roarke Frost never got the chance to defend himself, and in this, our hero struggled to move on from the past. A successful veterinarian on the horse circuit, Roarke pushed himself in an effort to forget about the woman that ran away.

The relationship between Hannah and Roarke is one of second chances: a rebuilding friendship and romance between two people destroyed by someone else’s vindictiveness, jealousy, greed and anger. The town of Sweetwater, Texas believed that Hannah and Roarke were always meant to be but only a few people knew what happened to destroy their life-long love affair. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate, without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful secondary and supporting characters including Jason and Jessica (The Truth About Cowboys #1); Hannah’s business partner Linda Moore; Roarke’s grandmother Ruth; Jason’s grandmother Martha; Hannah’s parents; Mayor Luke Combs, as well as a number of veterinary interns.

TANGLED UP IN CHRISTMAS is a story of betrayal and vengeance; forgiveness and moving forward; second chances and love. The premise is sexy and inviting; the characters are flirty and sassy; the romance is spicy and seductive. The angst level is low; there is no suspense or threats from an outside source; the conflict resolution is tender and realistic. TANGLED UP IN CHRISTMAS is a delightful addition to the author’s TEXAS HEAT series.

There is also a surprise addition to the ARC-a copy of a previously released holiday novella-SANTA BABY by Lisa Renee Jones

Click HERE for Sandy’s review of book one THE TRUTH ABOUT COWBOYS

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads

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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Colder Than Sin (Cold Justice /Crossfire) by Toni Anderson-Review Tour

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Colder Than Sin (Cold Justice /Crossfire) by Toni Anderson-Review Tour-Review & Excerpt tour

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✦ Add COLDER THAN SIN on Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2KVnu77

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date October 22, 2019

Top FBI negotiator Quentin Savage is hurled into his worst nightmare when a terrorist attack on a luxury hotel propels him from esteemed keynote speaker to powerless captive.

Haley Cramer is co-owner of a private security firm and prides herself on her independence, but she is shaken to the core when gunmen attack a conference she is attending. She survives, but only because Quentin Savage pretends she’s his wife.

Together Savage and Haley plot their escape from a ragtag army of brutal but efficient thugs while struggling to figure out exactly who the enemy is. Why was the conference attacked, and why was Quentin a specific target?

••••••••

REVIEW: COLDER THAN SIN is the second 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 Negotiator Quentin Savage, and business woman Haley Cramer’s story line. COLD THAN SIN can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line/series is revealed where necessary. Quentin Savage was first introduced in book one Cold and Deadly.

NOTE: Due to the story line content, there may be some triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Quentin and Haley) COLDER THAN SIN follows in the aftermath of a terrorist attack on Nabat Island in the Flores Sea, Indonesia during a security conference where most of the attendees were former military or security specialists. Running from a personal nightmare Haley Cramer finds herself in the arms of FBI crisis negotiator Quentin Savage, the man with whom she would fall in love. As our couple struggle to break free of the carnage at the local hotel, they will find themselves prisoners of a rogue band of guerrillas, barely surviving through the Indonesian jungle, and volcanic activity of the nearby islands. What ensues is the building relationship and romance between Haley and Quentin as our couple struggle to stay one step ahead of a dangerous terrorist cell, and the potential fall-out as Quentin battles memories from the past, and the possible connection to someone involved with the hotel massacre.

Quentin Savage had flown to Indonesia to negotiate the freedom of several American citizens currently held hostage by a militant group of soldiers. With no ransom demands on the horizon, Quentin finds himself struggling to locate the people in charge but never expected to be caught up in an attack at the local hotel. Haley Cramer was hoping to make contacts for her security business but finds herself the victim of unwanted advances by a business colleague. Making her escape, Haley lands in the arms of FBI negotiator Quentin Savage, the man who would save her life on multiple occasions.

The relationship between Quentin and Haley is one of immediate attraction but Haley doesn’t do relationships, and Quentin is warned away by a confidant and friend. The attack against the hotel pushes Haley and Quentin closer together but it remains to be seen whether the adrenaline rush for the for fight of their lives will continue or be accepted back home. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including Australian billionaire businessman Cecil Wenck: former military operatives Grant Gunn, Chris Baylor, and Nick Karlovac; FBI agent Alex Parker; business woman Tricia Rooks and partner Sean Logan; operator Logan Master, Eban Masters, and volcanologist Darby O’Roarke. I am looking forward to Eban and Darby’s story line.

COLDER THAN SIN is a story of betrayal, revenge, terrorism and love. The fast paced premise is intriguing, suspenseful and gritty; the characters are animated, strong and resilient; the romance is captivating and seductive. COLDER THAN SIN is a spicy, timely and edgy addition to Toni Anderson’s COLD JUSTICE: CROSSFIRE romantic suspense series.

Click HERE for Sandy’s review of book one COLD & DEADLY

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

It was possible Haley Cramer was playing him. She could have jumped the balcony and intentionally found him, a senior FBI agent, to act as a witness, crying sexual assault in order to blackmail the billionaire into either damages or signing what was presumably an extremely lucrative business deal.
However, false claims of sexual assault were exceedingly rare. And Quentin didn’t think Haley had known who he was when he’d grabbed her to prevent her from crying out in fright. She’d seemed genuine when she said she was no longer interested in working for Wenck and didn’t want to press any charges. Also, why had someone gone into her room searching for her? Unless she’d stolen something…
Her glittery purse sat on the table beside the unconsumed whiskey. Plain sight? Ish. He opened her purse and found a cell phone, a key card to her room, and a tube of scarlet lipstick. He examined the tube to make sure it was just a lipstick and not some fancy listening device or computer gizmo. As far as he could tell, it was just lipstick.
He felt like a bit of an ass for going through her stuff. He checked her wallet but found nothing out of the ordinary except a black American Express card that he’d assumed was a myth. It had her name on the front. Shit. He closed the purse and repositioned it back on the table.
It was better to be thorough than to look like a damned fool, so he emailed his secretary with a request for background information on Haley Cramer. Then he eyed the chaise-lounge. He wasn’t looking forward to trying to contort himself on that thing all night, but he’d been raised with manners and would never allow a woman to take the couch. It wasn’t even ten PM yet, but he had an early flight tomorrow morning, and if she had any sense of self-preservation, Haley Cramer would be joining him on it.
He quickly stripped to his boxers. Everything he’d brought with him, except his wash bag, was ready to zip up and head out the door. He set his alarm, grabbed a throw to nail home the point that he wasn’t moving from the chaise, laid down with his eyes closed to at least attempt to get some sleep.
After five minutes or so, the bathroom door opened. Haley Cramer stood outlined by the light behind her, wearing a towel wrapped around her body, wet hair brushing bare shoulders.
“I hung shorts and a t-shirt on the doorknob for you to sleep in. You can take the bed. We have to be up early, so goodnight.” He closed his eyes again, determined not to think about her naked under that towel. He wasn’t going to get all worked up about sharing a room with a beautiful woman. She wasn’t his type at all—except in appearance. He liked a simple life and uncomplicated women. Haley Cramer was not an uncomplicated woman. She was unstable dynamite left too close to a flame. She was the labyrinth beneath the pharaoh’s tomb.
Soft footsteps came closer. If he was an asshole, he’d be hoping for sex, but he wasn’t an asshole. Nope, he was a damn saint.
A light whisper floated on the quiet night air. “I don’t mind sharing. The bed, that is.”
He opened his eyes. He wasn’t an asshole but apparently, he wasn’t dead either.
“Although I generally sleep naked, which might bother you.” She undid the towel and let it fall to the floor. The light from the bathroom backlit her body, showcasing a silhouette of an hourglass figure. “And so there is no misunderstanding…this is an invitation for you to join me in bed. Naked. With sex on the menu if you’re interested.”

Toni Anderson is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, RITA® finalist, science nerd, professional tourist, dog lover, gardener, mom. Originally from a small town in England, Toni studied Marine Biology at University of Liverpool (B.Sc.) and University of St. Andrews (Ph.D.) with the intention she’d never be far from the ocean. Well, that plan backfired and she ended up in the Canadian prairies with her biology professor husband, two kids, a rescue dog, and a laid-back leopard gecko. Toni started writing while pregnant with her first child and never stopped. Her greatest achievements are mastering the Tokyo subway, climbing Ben Lomond, snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef, and surviving fourteen Winnipeg winters (fingers crossed). She loves to travel for research purposes and was lucky enough to visit the Strategic Information and Operations Center inside FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C. in 2016, and she also got to shove another car off the road during pursuit training at the Writer’s Police Academy in Wisconsin. Watch out world!

Follow: Website / Goodreads/ Facebook / Twitter / Instagram/  bookbub /  Pinterest

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Meant to Be Yours by Susan Mallery – a Review

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Meant to Be Yours by Susan Mallery – a Review

 

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Description:
In Happily Inc, love means never having to say “I do”…

Wedding coordinator Renee Grothen isn’t meant for marriage. Those who can, do. Those who can’t, plan. But she never could have planned on gorgeous, talented thriller writer Jasper Dembenski proposing—a fling, that is. Fun without a future. And the attraction between them is too strong for Renee to resist. Now she can have her no-wedding cake…and eat it, too.

After years in the military, Jasper is convinced he’s too damaged for relationships. So a flirtation—and more—with fiery, determined Renee is way too good to pass up…until his flame becomes his muse.

Renee is an expert at averting every crisis. But is she finally ready to leap into the one thing that can never be controlled: love?

 

Review:

Meant to be Yours by Susan Mallery is the 5th book in her Happily Inc. series. I’ve not read any of the previous books in this series. And I don’t think you miss anything, as it reads well as a standalone. 

Renee is a wedding coordinator, she enjoys her job, but she’s got no plans to EVER get married!! It’s not for her, a good time yes, but marriage hell no!! Is the reason she is against the concept of marriage a failed marriage? A family who didn’t care? Or something else? We do get to find out, but you do have to get a good way into the book, before anything is revealed. 

Jasper doesn’t think he will ever be ready for a relationship, seeing the things he did whilst serving in the army (he was a military policeman) has left him empty, so how the hell does he expect a woman to understand, he doesn’t understand it himself. 

Jasper is now a writer, he’s good at what he does (a detective series) but is getting pressure to end the series, that’s not the problem…. it’s the ending. It’s suppose to have a happy ending, his character meets and falls in love!!! How the hell will he pull it off?? 

Renee and Jasper meet and it’s almost instant attraction. And a one night stand has both of the characters thinking of one another. 

Renee is happy to “sleep” with Jasper, but doesn’t want or need the “white wedding” at the end. Jasper wants Renee’s opinion on the female psyche!! 

The interaction between these two is funny, but there are a few moments where you want to smack them!! And the wedding planners that the author either interviewed or followed around, really paid off, she made it informative rather than full of “coordinator” speak. 

So will Renee finally fall in love? Or will she be proved right? Will she have her heart broken? And can Jasper move from friend to the “unsafe” zone of possibly husband?  You will need to read Meant to Be Yours to find out.

Reviewed by Julie B

Copy provided by Publisher

 

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LOVE ME DEAD (Lilah Love #3) by Lisa Renee Jones-a review

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LOVE ME DEAD (Lilah Love #3) by Lisa Renee Jones-a review

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

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date July 23, 2019

The next heart-racing Lilah Love story.

The killer wants to play a game with Lilah Love. Lilah doesn’t play games, she doesn’t submit to demands. The love of her life, her ex-lover, that isn’t so ex at all, Kane Mendez, knows that all too well, but like the hero, or perhaps criminal that he is, he’ll try to play the game for her.

But this killer isn’t playing with Kane, demanding Lilah step up or more blood will be shed. Lilah claims her role on the game board, and she’ll do it to save lives, but she isn’t happy. And when Lilah isn’t happy, someone is going to die alright, and it won’t be her fault. It will, however, be her duty.

•••••••

REVIEW: LOVE ME DEAD is the third instalment in Lisa Renee Jones’ contemporary, adult LILAH LOVE romantic suspense series focusing on FBI profiler Lilah Love.

Told from first person perspective (Lilah Love) LOVE ME DEAD follows FBI profiler Lilah Love as she is sent to Manhattan to investigate a murder that will pull our heroine into the biggest game of her life. Always one step behind, Lilah will discover that she is unable to trust co-workers or friends; everyone has an agenda; and someone is trying to take our heroine down. With possible connections to the Society, and the man that she loves, the killings follow a similar pattern that will force Lilah to face the truth that the killer may be someone she knows.

LOVE ME DEAD is an intriguing, suspense filled story; a raw and gritty killing spree that finds Lilah Love the ultimate target of an intelligent and crafty killer determined to destroy her world. Lisa Renee Jones pull the reader into a complex, detailed and tragic story with an unfiltered and strong heroine, with the ability to intimidate the strongest man.

LOVE ME DEAD ends on a cliff-hanger, you have been warned. The story continues in LOVE KILLS (October 2019).

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Murder Notes
Murder Girl

Own a copy

Reviewed by Sandy

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Dark ‘N’ Deadly by Tee O’Fallon – a Review

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Dark ‘N’ Deadly by Tee O’Fallon – a Review

 

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Description:
ATF Special Agent Eric Miller and his explosives detecting K-9, Tiger, pull over a truck, the contents of which are explosive. Literally. More shocking, the driver is the kid brother of a woman he left behind. One who still haunts his days and his nights.

They’d never so much as kissed, but Tess McTavish never forgot the handsome, dangerous agent who vanished in a shroud of mystery. Now the last thing she needs is an ATF agent with his own agenda. Doesn’t matter that Tess and her brother are innocent. If Eric learns the truth of their past, they’ll never be free.

Eric’s drive for revenge against the man who targeted him and his colleagues in a deadly explosion still burns hot inside him. Another bomb is about to be detonated and he’s sure there’s a connection between that man…and Tess’s family. But Eric and Tiger will do everything they can to protect the woman he’s falling for from what’s coming…

Each book in the Federal K-9 series is STANDALONE:
* Lock ‘N’ Load
* Armed ‘N’ Ready
* Dark ‘N’ Deadly

 

Review:

Dark ‘N’ Deadly begins with Tess McTavish receiving a cryptic phone call from her little brother, Jesse, saying the words she had prayed for “……….I want out………”.  When Jesse had to abruptly end the call, Tess had no idea what would happen next.

Eric Miller was driving with his K-9 officer, Tiger, when a truck in front of him lost it’s truck bed’s cap.  Eric turned on his lights to pull the guy over, but the driver had other ideas.  Eric gave chase and the driver finally pulled over.  When the tag came back as bogus, he knew something was off.  As he approached the vehicle, there were other signs that put him on alert and let him know that he was pulling over a “sovereign citizen”, who happened to be hauling two partial drums of ammonium nitrate that sovereigns use to blow things up.  The driver then left his vehicle and ran, but Tiger gave chase and apprehended the guy pretty quickly.  Once Eric learned the boy’s name was Jesse McTavish, he couldn’t believe it.  The resemblance to Tess was unmistakable, but he had no idea how much his life was about to change.

When Tess arrived at the station, she couldn’t help but wonder why it had to be Eric Miller who had pulled her brother over.  She did know one thing……..she would do whatever she had to to get her brother out of the nightmare she had ran from so many years ago.  When she gets to talk to Jesse, they come up with a sort of plan for how Jesse would answer the questions that they both knew would be asked of him.  Eric comes into the room to begin and is not really prepared for seeing Tess again, but he reigns in those ‘old’ feelings and begins.  It doesn’t take long for him to catch on to the fact that Tess is signaling Jesse.  Wondering what they are hiding, he soon realizes that Jesse is just a pawn in a bigger plot and that the kid really had no idea how much trouble he could be in.  When Jesse agrees to help them find out who is behind the shipment, Tess is uneasy, because she knows down to her toes that once Eric finds out who they are related to, all bets will be off.

Dark ‘N’ Deadly is an amazing story.  The world that O’Fallon has built with this series is unparalleled.  The characters she writes about are rich and complex and leave you wanting more.  Tess’ backstory is one of isolation and abuse.  Once you read why she had to leave her brother behind, your heart will break.  Eric didn’t have as bad of a childhood as Tess and Jesse, but it shaped his life in a way that left him craving control.  What hit him even harder was his team being killed during an op. The chemistry between Tess and Eric is palpable.  The building suspense keeps you turning the pages faster, but it’s their interactions, both intimate and just their every day rapport, that endears them to the reader.  The secondary characters, some of whom we’ve met in previous books, are well written and only add to the story.  Once again, O’Fallon has written a truly amazing story that will leave you cheering.  I can’t wait for the next installment.  Well done, Tee O’Fallon!!!!  Very, very, very well done!! 

(Personal note:  Very early in the book, O’Fallon tells about an event in West Memphis, Arkansas where two policemen were killed by sovereign citizens.  My ex-husband, and the father of my children, was a cop in West Memphis for over 20 years.  I personally knew both officers who were killed.  One ate supper at my table so many times when he was training so many years ago.  My girls, and our entire community, were devastated over those deaths. The schools were on lockdown and we watched the actions play out on live tv at my office that day.  My oldest was home, and was maybe 75 yards from where the literal shoot out happened once the perps were located.  I called to make sure she had the doors locked and could literally hear the gunshots as the situation came to an end.  It was terrifying having to tell my daughter to get down in case a stray bullet from a high powered rifle came towards our home.  Every year, on the anniversary of their deaths, our community still mourns their loss.)  

Reviewed by Vickie

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

 

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Before You by Marni Mann-Review & Excerpt Tour

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Before You by Marni Mann-Review & Excerpt Tour

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

Add to Goodreads: http://bit.ly/BeforeYouMMGR

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date October 22, 2019

From USA Today bestselling author Marni Mann comes Before You, a devastating examination of the things we find, the things we make, and the things we lose.

It was supposed to be a typical work trip. New York to San Francisco, window seat, exit row. Maybe a mimosa.

Then, seat 14B sat down. When our eyes met, the flight became anything but routine.

I could pinpoint the moments in my life where everything changed forever.

Meeting Jared on that flight was first.

Falling in love with him was second.

Discovering the secrets he kept was third.

Putting my broken self back together and forgetting what I learned would be difficult. Forgiving Jared would be impossible.

He said, before me, nothing mattered. But after him, nothing would ever be the same.

••••••••••

REVIEW: Marni Mann, who are you, and what have you done to my soul?!

I am at a loss for words. I have NEVER read a story that has settled into my bones and left me speechless, and that is saying something. This was a first time read for this author and I have been thoroughly mind f*cked, left to ponder, ugly cry, crawl into a corner and sob for days. I refuse to give away spoilers, this is a story that you simply must read to get the goodness, but I promise you, it will change you as a reader. It did for me.

The intensity, the secret, the heartbreak, the soul crushing love, this story is a Hallmark movie, a romance movie and a tragedy all rolled into one, topped with a dollop of lusty sex. Billie and Jared are two of the best characters I have ever had the pleasure to read about, their emotions, their interactions with one another, and the pain that they experience together, it’s so real.

This story is one that people will read for years and years to come. This is simply a one click buy for sure, you won’t regret it!

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sarah L

 

 

“Are you willing and able to help in the event of an emergency situation?” the flight attendant asked as she stood beside our row. She had appeared directly after the announcement that informed us that all of the passengers were now on board the plane to San Francisco and the pilots were doing their final preparations before Flight 88 pulled away from the gate.
“Yes,” I answered, and I should have gone back to the article on the housing market in lower Manhattan that I’d started when I was waiting to board. Instead, my eyes were on her.
The girl in seat 14A.
She had dark hair that went well past her shoulders, a patch of freckles under each of her eyes, and lips that were pouty and full. She wasn’t beautiful. She was exquisite.
And she had no idea at all.
In the forty-seven years I’d been alive, I’d learned something about women. There were those you couldn’t help but look at and those you just shouldn’t look at.
She was both.
That was rare.
“Yes,” she replied to the flight attendant, and then she looked at me.
Before all of the interruptions, she had asked why I was going to California. I finally answered, “Some work, some pleasure. And yourself?”
“Same.” Her eyelids narrowed. “Are you from Manhattan? I don’t detect an accent.”
I felt the paper in my hands and knew there was no way I could go back to it. Not yet at least, not with her fiery green gaze on me.
“When you’ve lived in New York for as long as I have, you tell people you’re from there. It’s easier.”
She laughed, and it caused me to keep staring at her. “I’ve been here a while, too, and I agree. Once New York becomes home, you seem to forget everywhere else you’ve lived.” She tucked some hair behind her ear. “Why is that?”
When I’d asked my assistant to book this flight, I hadn’t considered flying commercial would put me in a position for conversation, like the one she’d just started. I hadn’t thought much about the actual flight at all besides knowing I had to be on it.
But now that I was here, I had no idea what the fuck I was thinking.
I really shouldn’t be going to San Francisco at all.
I looked away from her to glance up ahead. The main door was closed, telling me it was too late to get off the plane. The only thing I could do at this point was get some air.
I excused myself, halfway to my feet, knowing we were minutes from leaving the gate and supposed to be in our seats, and I went down the aisle. “I’ll be quick,” I said to one of the flight attendants as she approached me, and I continued to the lavatory.
When I got inside, I locked the door behind me, guessing I had about thirty seconds before I heard a knock.
If I were in any other restroom, I would have washed my face, but I wasn’t going to do that with the water from a plane. What I needed from this tight, crammed space was to catch my breath.
Because all of it had been sucked out of me, and there wasn’t any air to be found in row fourteen.

 



Best-selling Author Marni Mann knew she was going to be a writer since middle school. While other girls her age were daydreaming about teenage pop stars, Mann was fantasizing about penning her first novel. She crafts sexy, titillating stories that weave together her love of darkness, mystery, passion, and human emotion. A New Englander at heart, she now lives in Sarasota, Florida with her husband and their two dogs who subsequently have been characters in her books. When she’s not nose deep in her laptop working on her next novel, she’s scouring for chocolate, sipping wine, traveling to new locations, and devouring fabulous books.

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Bishop’s Queen (Endgame Trilogy 2) by Katie Reus-Review & Excerpt Tour

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Bishop’s Queen (Endgame Trilogy #2) by Katie Reus-Review & Excerpt  Tour

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date October 22, 2019

Return to the Endgame trilogy where blood is thick, but passion is thicker…

He doesn’t believe in fairy-tale endings…

They used to call Evan Bishop the golden boy. He had it all and was about to close the business deal of a lifetime, then marry the woman of his dreams. But everything goes to hell when a faceless enemy wants to destroy his family’s empire and see him dead. Except the bomb meant to kill him fails. He wakes up from a coma to find his face scarred and his brother missing and wanted for murder. Now that he’s damaged, he hides away from the world—including the woman he loves. He refuses to be a burden to her, so even though it destroys him, he sets her free.

She’s about to prove him wrong…

Isla MacDonald isn’t walking away from Evan just because he’s decided to shut her out of his life. He blames himself for the bombing that got her father killed and nearly killed him—but he’s wrong. After all attempts to see him fail, with a broken heart she tries to resume her life and take over her father’s firm. Though it’s not her dream, she wants to honor his legacy and finish the deal that will save thousands of jobs. But when someone tries to kill her—twice—she needs a bodyguard. To her surprise Evan steps up and insists on protecting her, putting on a show as the caring fiancé. But he won’t let her back into his life or into his heart. To have any chance at a future together, they’ll have to resurrect the past and stay alive long enough to expose the man determined to see them both dead.

••••••••

REVIEW:BISHOP’S QUEEN is the second instalment in Katie Reus’ contemporary, adult ENDGAME erotic, romantic suspense trilogy focusing on the Bishop siblings-Evie, Evan and Ellis Bishop. This is thirty-eight year old, businessman and former Marine Evan Bishop, and twenty-eight year old, Isla McDonald’s storyline. BISHOP’S QUEEN can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous instalment is revealed where necessary. There is a slight cross-over with the author’s Red Stone Security series.

Told from three third person perspectives including Evan and Isla BISHOP’S QUEEN picks up immediately after the events of book one Bishop’s Knight, and follows the rebuilding relationship between thirty-eight year old, businessman and former Marine Evan Bishop, and twenty-eight year old, Isla McDonald. Months earlier a bomb killed Isla McDonald’s father and seriously injured the man that she loved but in the ensuing months, Evan Bishop pushed Isla McDonald out of his life believing he was responsible for her father’s death. Fast forward to present day wherein Isla has taken over her father’s business, and in doing so, has become the target of an unknown stalker. Still in love with Isla McDonald, Evan becomes guardian and protector of our story line heroine. What ensues is the second chance romance between Isla and Evan, and the potential fall-out as Isla’s stalker is intent on destroying her life, along with the lives of anyone who interferes

Evan Bishop is scarred both inside and out, and in this our hero struggles with his place in Isla McDonald’s life. Unable to come to terms with the bombing, at his building, that took the life of his fiancee’s father business magnate Douglas McDonald, Evan battles between head and heart believing he was unable to protect the woman he loved. Isla McDonald never wanted to take over the family business but her father’s death forced our heroine to become CEO and boss of a company she had been hoping to leave, a company that would become ground zero for the attack against her life.

The relationship between Evan and Isla is one of second chances; a rebuilding romance between two people torn apart by jealousy and betrayal; vengeance and madness. Evan Bishop has never stopped loving Isla McDonald, and with new threats against her life, Evan becomes both protector and lover to the woman with whom he wanted to spend the rest of his life. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate, without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

We are re-introduced to Evan’s sister Evie and her husband Dylan Blackwood (Bishop’s Knight #1), as well as Detective Carlito Duarte. The reader is introduced to businessman Geno Conti; head of security Logan Masters; senior executive Madeleine, and IT specialist Oliver Mulaney, and Isla’s mother Sophia McDonald. Evan’s brother, DEA Agent Ellis Bishop having been framed for a murder he did not commit, remains on the run-his story is next in the final instalment-Bishop’s Endgame.

BISHOP’S QUEEN is a story of one man’s obsession taken too far; of one couple’s fight for their relationship and love. The character driven premise is intriguing and engaging; the characters are stubborn, captivating and determined; the romance is provocative and intense. A great instalment in Katie Reus ENDGAME Trilogy.

Click HERE for Sandy’s review of book one BISHOP’S KNIGHTS

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

He leaned down, not sure what the hell he was going to do to cut her off. Kiss her? God, what was he thinking? He started to pull back, then she grabbed him by the front of his shirt and yanked him down to her.

Her green eyes flashed in anger—and hunger—as her lips collided with his. What was she doing? What was he doing? He should pull away, but he couldn’t. Instead, he threaded his fingers through her thick auburn hair, cupping the back of her head as she plastered herself to him.

He loved the sweet taste of her, had missed her for far too long. Every morning he woke up, expecting to roll over and see her, but his bed was always empty. And cold. He’d ached for her in that hospital room, even as he was the one who’d kept her out. And he’d continued to ache for her once he’d been discharged. He simply couldn’t stop wanting her.

Needing her.

Without breaking the kiss, he reached behind himself and held his hand to the scanner. A second later, the door opened with a soft snick and then they were inside his place.

Though it wasn’t really his place, but a sparsely furnished rental with the basics and a killer view.

He wasn’t sure what they were doing, not really. He wanted to be friends with her, wanted her in his life, but he didn’t want to saddle her with him. And he really didn’t want her to have any regrets. “We should stop,” he rasped out, surprised he was able to talk at all as he pulled back, his breaths coming in hard and shallow.

She slid off his jacket and tossed it to the ground. “Should we?” Her tone was tart as she stared up at him almost defiantly.

Dammit. He couldn’t remember why they should stop as he looked into her bright eyes. He wanted her so much, had never stopped wanting her, loving her.

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:

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