Monthly Archives: February 2020

Creeping Beautiful by J.A. Huss- Review, Excerpt & Giveaway tour

Posted on by
11

Creeping Beautiful by J.A. Huss- Review, Except & Giveaway tour

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

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date February 19, 2020

McKAY

I wasn’t the one who broke her but I played my part. She came to us when she was ten. I raised her. I loved her. I taught her how to survive in a world of evil men. But it wasn’t enough.

ADAM

I wasn’t the one who saved her but I did my best. She needed me as much as I needed her. Bought and paid for on the auction block. But not for the reasons you think. She was my weapon.

DONOVAN

I wasn’t the one who lied to her but I hid her truth. She was broken before I got there. Wild and angry. Defiant and bratty. But she trusted me most. She loved me best. So I set her free.

Indie Anna Accorsi is a woman lost in her past. A pretty little nightmare. A gorgeous piece of misery. A mess of lovely darkness. She is creeping beautiful. And now we want her back.

•••••••••

REVIEW: CREEPING BEAUTIFUL is the first instalment in J.A. Huss’ contemporary, adult, suspense filled, mind-bending, dark, psychological thriller focusing on four ‘friends’: McKay, Adam, Donovan and Indie.  CREEPING BEAUTIFUL is a spin off of, and set in the same world as the author’s THE COMPANY (2017).

Told from four first person points of view (McKay, Adam, Donovan and Indie)  using present day and several time lines throughout the past, CREEPING BEAUTIFUL covers fourteen years and follows the unconventional relationship between McKay, Adam, Donovan and Indie. At ten years of age, Indie Anna Accorsi was sold and bought by the next generation of an organization known as The Company who trained child killers and assassins to do the work of cleaning up when society has gone wrong. Throughout the years the reader is up close and personal as Indie struggles with her direction in life, a life controlled by the boys, now men, who make it their responsibility to protect Indie from herself and others but all is not well in Indie Anna’s mind, a mind destroyed and still controlled by the psychological manipulations inflicted before she was bought and sold.

J.A. Huss pulls the reader into a dark and deadly world of mind control and assassins; of family and friendships; of the manipulations of the body and soul; of one young woman’s desperate attempts to be normal when her world is anything but. CREEPING BEAUTIFUL focuses on Indie Anna Accorsi, and her relationships with the man who bought her, the man who raised her, the man who tried desperately to keep her together, and the boy with whom Indie fell desperately in love.  A mind-f*ck of epic proportions; a twisted, intricate and detailed tale of  suspense that ends on a cliff hanger-you have been warned.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

ADAM
By the time that job was over I realized something.
I loved her.
I guess that’s what happens when you get used to something and then someone tries to take it away from you.
Because our trip home from Pensacola was two days later than planned and Indie Anna didn’t smile a single second of that ride.
She didn’t cry, either. But I could tell she wanted to.
And I did exactly what McKay told me to do if things went sideways. I did not yell. Not once. I just said, “It’s fine, Indie. It’s gonna be fine,” in the most soothing voice I could manage as I watched the Company doctor restrain her to the bed and fix her up.
And the game we played on the drive home was a new one called Let’s Pretend That Didn’t Happen.
Knowing what I do now, I probably wouldn’t have played that game with her.
I probably would’ve done a lot of things differently if I had known how good she’d get at pretending shit didn’t happen.
But hindsight can kiss my ass. You can’t change the past.
Indie Anna Accorsi is a beautiful little mess. She is a lovely little bundle of blonde hair and blue-eyed darkness. And even though I should have all kinds of regrets about how she came to be mine and how we came to be hers, I would absolutely do it all again.
Knowing her now, I wouldn’t change a thing.
Because if all those terrible things hadn’t happened, she would belong to him right now. She would be living in that little brick house with Nathan St. James.
She would be whole, and normal, and maybe even happier.
And my heart would be shattered into tiny shards. Millions of bitty pieces.
So yeah.
I’m a selfish piece of shit.
But I want what I want.
That’s the only way I can explain it.
Maybe she didn’t become mine the day of the auction, but the day that asshole triggered her without my permission, she did.
She is.

Follow: Goodreads /Website Facebook /Twitter /Instagram

J.A. Huss never wanted to be a writer and she still dreams of that elusive career as an astronaut. She originally went to school to become an equine veterinarian but soon figured out they keep horrible hours and decided to go to grad school instead. That Ph.D wasn’t all it was cracked up to be (and she really sucked at the whole scientist thing), so she dropped out and got a M.S. in forensic toxicology just to get the whole thing over with as soon as possible.

After graduation she got a job with the state of Colorado as their one and only hog farm inspector and spent her days wandering the Eastern Plains shooting the shit with farmers. After a few years of that, she got bored. And since she was a homeschool mom and actually does love science, she decided to write science textbooks and make online classes for other homeschool moms. She wrote more than two hundred of those workbooks and was the number one publisher at the online homeschool store many times, but eventually she covered every science topic she could think of and ran out of shit to say.

So in 2012 she decided to write fiction instead. That year she released her first three books and started a career that would make her a New York Times bestseller and land her on the USA Today Bestseller’s List eighteen times in the next three years. Her books have sold millions of copies all over the world, the audio version of her semi-autobiographical book, Eighteen, was nominated for a Voice Arts Award and an Audie award in 2016 and 2017 respectively, her audiobook Mr. Perfect was nominated for a Voice Arts Award in 2017, and her book, Taking Turns, was nominated for an Audie Award in 2018. Johnathan McClain is her first (and only) writing partner and even though they are worlds apart in just about every way imaginable, it works.

She lives on a ranch in Central Colorado with her family.

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

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Share

Keep Me Wanting by Angela Addams – a Review

Posted on by
11

Keep Me Wanting by Angela Addams – a Review

 

Amazon / B&N / Kobo / Google Play

 

Description:
All I’ve ever tried to do is keep the people in my life safe. That’s gotten me into hot water more times than I can count. Hell, the last time got me four years behind bars.

So when my favorite barista tells her mom that I’m her boyfriend to stop the woman’s endless criticism, I can’t stop myself from helping her out. But she’s too innocent and I’m too damaged for this to ever be the real deal.

I can’t allow myself to touch her, not when making her mine will drag her into my world and drown her in my messed up life. What I really need to do is stay away.

Except every touch and every accidental kiss breaks my control. I want her.

Then I find out her dad is the detective who put me away…and he’s trying to take down my family.

I don’t blame him. The secrets I’m keeping are big enough to destroy everything.

 

Review:

Maggie Chandler is a barista at the local coffee shop, and her life just isn’t quite going as she had planned. Recently graduating from college with a marketing degree, she can’t compare with her successful lawyer older sisters. Her mother isn’t happy that she works small jobs to make ends meet, while interviewing for a marketing position. 

With her judgemental mother coming to town to meet her made up on a whim boyfriend. Maggie has no choice but to ask her crush customer Liam if he would pretend to be her boyfriend for a few minutes. But Liam has had a secret crush on Maggie since the moment he saw her, and while at first he balks at the idea of helping her, he quickly changes his mind and pretends to be her boyfriend for her mother’s sake.  But things then take a turn. 

Liam isn’t exactly who he says he is. He is actually Liam Doyle and he comes from a family that has done some shady things.  But what makes things even more complicated – Liam soon finds out that Maggie’s dad is the detective that put him away for four years – on a charge that should have put Liam’s older brother Shawn away, but he took the fall for the family.  After meeting her mother, Liam decides that he will attend a family reunion with Maggie, because if anyone in his family is going to keep an eye on the Chandlers – it’s going to be him. 

Maggie Chandler was a completely relatable character. Working several small jobs while interviewing for her dream marketing job. She has had a crush on her coffee shop customer for quite some time. She takes a leap of faith and asks him to pretend to be her boyfriend. I love Maggie’s vulnerability in asking Liam to help her. But what will happen when she finds out the truth of Liam’s past? Will she still feel the same way about him or will her feelings change?

Liam Doyle has lied to his barista crush. 

The moment he agreed to help Maggie with her mother he realized that Maggie was a Chandler. The detective that is gunning for his family and put Liam in prison for four years on a charge meant for Liam’s brother Shawn is Maggie’s dad.  In trying to keep his brother Shawn out of trouble with the law, Liam decides its best for him to keep an eye on the Chandler family while helping Maggie fulfill proving to her mom that she has a boyfriend!  

The chemistry between Liam and Maggie is explosive, but they both try to keep things cool and slow at the get go.  But both of them soon find out that it is easier said than done! But will Liam’s past ruin their future? And will Liam do what he needs to against his brother Shawn to protect what he needs to? 

Keep Me Wanting by Angela Addams was a great story, look forward to reading more! 


Reviewed by Erin

Copy provided by Publisher

Share

SAVAGE BURN (Savage Trilogy #2) by Lisa Renee Jones-Review Tour

Posted on by
9

SAVAGE BURN (Savage Trilogy #2) by Lisa Renee Jones-review & excerpt tour

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

RELEASE DATE: February 18, 2020

My name is Rick Savage but they call me Savage for a reason. But savage that I am, there is only one woman who can tame the beast in me, one woman who sees the real man. I loved Candace. I lost Candace. Now my enemies have targeted her. For this, they will not survive. I’m back home to save her and win her back, no matter what the cost.

•••••••••••

REVIEW: SAVAGE BURN is the second instalment in Lisa Renee Jones’ contemporary, adult SAVAGE erotic, romantic suspense trilogy focusing on former Green Beret and Walker Security specialist Rick Savage, and architect Candace Marks. The SAVAGE trilogy is a spin-off from the author’s NAKED and Dirty Rich series with the appearance of several characters from the author’s Walker Security series. SAVAGE BURN should not be read as a stand alone as it picks up immediately after the events and cliff hanger of book one SAVAGE HUNGER.

SOME BACKGROUND: Eight years earlier Rick Savage destroyed Candace Marks’ heart when he sent a ‘Dear Candace’ letter while on assignment overseas but what Candace never knew was that Rick Savage was recruited by a covert CIA black ops unit, a unit whose former members are now in prestigious and powerful places in the US government. When a debt is called in, Rick Savage must face the inevitable including the woman whose heart he destroyed.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Rick and Candace) SAVAGE BURN follows Candace and Rick as Rick must come to terms with the threats against the woman he loves. Having stayed away for close to eight years, a debt-owed brings Rick back into Candace’s life, a debt Candace could potentially pay with her life. As Rick’s past begins to target the woman he loves, Candace must face the possibility that her life as she knew it is spiralling out of control. What ensues is the rebuilding relationship between Rick and Candace, and the fall-out as the number of players in the game of revenge grows exponentially as the stakes get higher and more dangerous.

SAVAGE BURN is a story of secrets and lies; sins of the past; issues of trust, power and control. We discover Candace is a pawn in a game that reaches the highest level of the US government; and Rick Savage knows that his past will do anything to destroy the woman he loves. The premise is engaging, intriguing and energetic; the romance is erotic, passionate and intense; the characters are colorful, dynamic, powerful and strong. SAVAGE BURN ends on a cliff hanger-you have been warned.

Click HERE for Sandy’s review of book one SAVAGE HUNGER.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

“I stayed away for a reason. I knew if I ever touched you again, I’d want all of you. I’d want to own you and I wouldn’t give a shit about the price. So, yes, I’m going to spank you.”

“You think me submitting during sex means you own me?” she challenges.

“One night at a time, baby.”

“One night at a time, until you ruin me?”

“And then some,” I assure her. “There’s no saving you now.” Just to be sure she’s clear on that fact, I scoop her up and start walking.

She doesn’t object. She holds onto me. I want to believe she’ll hold on forever, but I’m not sure we’re there yet. Who am I kidding? I know we’re not fucking there yet, which is why we’re not doing this in the kitchen. This isn’t about sex. It’s about us, it’s about our relationship, our connection, the intimacy we have shared, the past come back to life. That means our bedroom.
The place we started and ended days together. The place we talked for hours. The place where we did naughty, kinky things to each other. Okay, I did naughty, kinky things to her more than she did to me. But it was here where the most intense moments were shared.

Once there, I find a small lamp by her bedside alight, casting the room in a dim yellow hue, shadows dancing on the walls with our movements. Shadows that taunt me with everything I’ve hidden from Candace and can no longer hide if I want to make this work. And I do.
I set her down on the floor in front of the mattress, her back to my front. My hand is on her belly, my erection at her hip. My lips at her ear. “Do you think you’re ready to trust me again?”

Her hand goes to my hand as if she’s trying to control where it goes, to hold it there, and yet, she leans into me. “We’ll find out now, won’t we?”

Check out the ebook deal for book one -SAVAGE HUNGER -only 99¢

Amazon: amzn.to/2uRW3H9

Amazon ca:amzn.to/38AySzz

Nook:bit.ly/2wpcuv3

Indigo:bit.ly/2SAzPCt

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.

Share

The Priestess by M.A. Abraham – a Review

Posted on by
13

The Priestess by M.A. Abraham – a Review

 

Amazon / Kobo

 

Description:
Britallia hides secrets from her people, even as she leads them as their Princess Priestess. She is an Elf. She keeps her hair in a style that always covers the points of her ears, but she can’t hide what she is from others like her.

Talus is one of the chosen, an Elven Prince who has earned the right to be part of the squadron of Elven/Dragon shifters that guard the Elven Empire. He, like his brethren, have been in Dragon form for too long, and have lost a part of his heritage to the character he becomes.

It takes one look for these two unlikely mates for them to recognize each other for what they are, Life Mates. The question is, can she tame his Dragon, or will she be bound to forever love half an Elf?

 

 

 

Review:

The Priestess by M.A. Abraham is the 3rd book in her Guardians of the Empire series.  Refresher: This series is set in the same world as Abraham’s wonderful Elven Chronicles series, but thousands of years after that series ended; with all surviving humans having been granted a land called The Valley, to live in peace and prosperity.  Over the years, these humans did not remember the Elves, who were in their own portal.  In the first two books of this series, we not only met three wonderful powerful female leaders, who play major parts in this series; with Chania and Serena having been the heroines; but the Elves will get to meet many of these humans, as well as having to fight against the evil in those lands.

Britallia, who is the priestess, is our heroine in this story, as she tries to avoid having contact with Talus, who is her lifemate.  Britallia thinks that being a priestess doesn’t allow her to have a relationship with her mate, but in time she will learn how wrong she was.  They did make a great couple

As this story is a continuation, I do feel the major character in this series is Gabriella, an Eagle Claw and descendant of Gabriel.  She is the General of the Elven Army, and a very powerful and fierce warrior. Gabriella will work closely with Chania and Britallia to help save some of the innocents under the regime of the evil King in The Valley.  

Evart, who is the youngest son of the King, worked with them secretly to send his twin sister, Sonya to safety working with the powerful female Elves, and as the story comes close to the end, he helps send Alexis, a young woman he was in love with to join Sonya; leaving both of them broken hearted.  Will Evart be able to survive his father and brother’s wrath should they discover he was helping the Elves?

Another POV of this story, are the Guardians who are looking for their life mates.  As the story ends, we get to meet a new character who has been hiding behind a veil for many many years, which promises to be an excellent continuation in the next book.  The Priestess was an entertaining, fun, and serious story line, with a wonderful cast of characters. 

Reviewed by Barb

Copy supplied for Review

Share

No Inhibitions (Dirty Sexy Fairy Tales) by Erika Wilde-Review tour

Posted on by
10

No Inhibitions (Dirty Sexy Fairy Tales) by Erika Wilde-Review & Excerpt tour

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

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date February 18, 2020

A contemporary fairy tale with a dirty, sexy twist! NO INHIBITIONS is a modern, sinfully seductive take on Lady and the Tramp.

What would you be willing to risk to find the one?

Remy Lowell leads a private life. After a troubled past, he’s worked his way up from nothing and he’s damn proud of that fact. His newest contracting job is more erotic than expected and his new client has him thinking thoughts he shouldn’t.

Tempest Wilder is intent on creating her own empire, and her newest venture is Wilder Things, a series of erotic spaces where couples play out their wildest fantasies. Only she didn’t plan for the sexy, rough-around-the-edges contractor she’s hired to build out the rooms that challenges her at every turn.

He’s a cautious and guarded professional, but she’s a temptress he can’t resist, and the customers won’t be the only ones fulfilling fantasies.

But after their business deal is over and their affair comes to an end, will the lady and the reformed tramp throw out all inhibitions to find their happily ever after?

••••••••

REVIEW: NO INHIBITIONS is the third instalment in Erika Wilde’s contemporary, adult DIRTY SEXY FAIRY TALES erotic, romance series. This is twenty-six year old, lingerie designer Tempest Wilder, and thirty-four year old, construction contractor Remy Lowell’s story line. NO INHIBITIONS can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary. NO INHIBITIONS is very loosely based on Lady and the Tramp.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Tempest and Remy ) NO INHIBITIONS follows the building relationship between twenty-six year old, lingerie designer Tempest Wilder, and thirty-four year old, construction contractor Remy Lowell. Tempest Wilder is a business woman who has set her sights on Remy Lowell. Having danced around one another for a number of months, Tempest is determined to let Remy know how she feels and what she wants but Tempest is surprised to discover that the quiet yet sexy man struggles with a dark secret about a past that controls every aspect of his present. Hiring Remy to design her hotel, places Remy within reaching distance of Tempest’s heart. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Remy and Tempest, and the potential fall-out as Remy’s past destroys all hopes for his future.

Remy Lowell has lived a life of rejection. From his biological mother to his first wife who told Remy he would never be good enough. Falling for Tempest Wilder gave Remy a hope for the future but self-doubt, and demons from the past continue to haunt our story line hero. Tempest Wilder lost everything at a very young age, and felt she found a kindred spirit in Remy Lowell but something about Remy called to her heart.

The relationship between Remy and Tempest is one of immediate attraction but Remy believes he is not good enough for a woman he believes to be a spoiled princess. Having no idea about the Wilder history, Remy only sees a rich entitled young woman, not a hard working business woman with plans of her own. As Tempest starts a slow seduction of Remy Lowell, Remy continues to struggle with believing himself not good enough for the woman with whom he will fall in love. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

The colorful and energetic secondary and supporting characters included Tempest’s brothers and their significant others: Maddox Wilder and Arabella Cole; Hunter Wilder and Gabriella Darien; as well as Tempest’s ex boyfriend Kyle Jenkins.

NO INHIBITIONS is a story of family, friendships, relationships and love. The premise is engaging and captivating: the romance is seductive; the characters are dynamic, charismatic but broken. NO INHIBITIONS is a story of self doubt, broken hearts, and falling in love.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Total Surrender
Absolute Pleasure

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

“Hello, Remy,” she said in greeting when she finally reached him.
“Tempest,” he replied with a cordial nod.
She cocked her head playfully to the side, momentarily drawing his gaze to the way she’d swept her dark hair into an intricate style that was held together with crystal and pearl pins. The elegant updo left her shoulders and slender neck bare, emphasizing the pair of sparkling ruby earrings hanging from her lobes.
“Dare I say you look like you’re about to bolt for the exit,” she said, a light accusation in her tone.
He inhaled a deep breath—big mistake—because the scent of her soft, feminine perfume went straight to his dick. It took effort to remain outwardly unaffected, and for her, he allowed a smile to ease across his lips. “Guilty as charged.” He planned on doing exactly that as soon as she went on her way.
Her perfectly shaped brows furrowed in a concerned frown. “Are you not having a good time?
“Don’t take this personally, but fairy tales are not my thing,” he replied, his tone wry.
“How do you know that for certain?” she countered, a flirtatious glimmer now sparking in her amber eyes. “If you leave right now, you’ll never know if something magical might happen tonight.”
He huffed out a laugh at her whimsical, romantic notion, though the sound that erupted from his throat was as rough as sandpaper. “I’m not looking for anything magical to happen.” In fact, he’d do his best to avoid anything even remotely close to it.
She shrugged a smooth, bare shoulder. “Sometimes, it’s better to leave all expectations and cynicism at the door and just see where the evening takes you.”
He shook his head in disagreement. “Trust me when I say my cynicism is well earned.” And now he was determined that all that skepticism would protect what little was left of his soul from being further ransacked. “I was happy to come and support the Wilder Way Foundation, and now that I’ve done that, I think it’s best if I go. Good night, Tempest.”
He started to walk away, but she grabbed at his tuxedo sleeve. “Remy, wait.”
Not wanting to be rude, he stopped and glanced back at her.
The smile she gave him was so sweet and persuasive it made something in his chest shift ever so slightly. “You can’t leave without having at least one dance.”
Oh, yes, he could, and he shored up his resolve against that imploring look of hers. “I don’t dance.”
The hand on his arm slid down, until her cool, slender fingers curled around his, not only startling him but ensnaring him in more ways than one. “It’s a ballad,” she pointed out of the song Raevynn Walsh was now singing. “Everyone can slow dance. It takes minimal skill . . . unless you don’t trust yourself to stand that close to me?”
Her comment was underscored with a subtle challenge, an undeniable dare that alluded to the attraction between them that was getting increasingly difficult for him to resist.
“Just one dance,” she persisted oh so sweetly, her husky voice taking on a teasing lilt as she leaned in closer. “I solemnly promise not to cast any kind of fairy-tale spell on you.”
Bold and determined Tempest Wilder didn’t give him another chance to turn her down. With her hand secured in his, she pulled him toward the dance floor in front of the stage, which was already filled with other couples, and he would have looked like a jackass if he rebuffed her at this point. Once she found a spot for the two of them, she turned back around and didn’t hesitate to step as close as their bodies would allow.
The provocative feel of her soft breasts pressing against his chest and her supple thighs skimming along his was like a fucking shock to his celibate system, and he automatically tensed in response to the sexy female curves aligning perfectly to his more masculine frame. It was all he could do to keep his dick from getting hard as a spike against her lower stomach.
Still holding his one hand, she smoothed her other one up the lapel of his jacket and around his neck. Clearly sensing his discomfort, she tipped her head back and gave him a flirty smile, no doubt meant to tease him.
“So, when it comes to slow dancing, the man usually puts his arm around the woman’s waist,” she suggested, since he hadn’t yet done so. “And if he really likes the woman he’s with, he’ll splay his hand low on her back and pull her in close.”
Oh, he knew how to slow dance, but just the thought of putting his hands on her so intimately was wreaking havoc with his libido, and he had a feeling she was well aware of his predicament, too. It was another sexy dare from her, and while he’d spent the past few years avoiding this kind of close contact with Tempest, the sexually starved man in him who desired this woman slipped past all his carefully erected walls.
Fuck it, he decided. What could happen in a room full of people? Giving in to the temptation to touch her, to enjoy the feel of her in his arms, even for a few minutes, he placed his hand on her bare back and slowly caressed his palm all the way down to the base of her spine. The subtle pressure of his hand against her smooth skin drew her as close as the two of them could get, aligning their hips in a way that was suggestively carnal.
Breathing became difficult . . . He hadn’t been this close to a woman in over three years, and there was no denying she felt so damn good. She was incredibly soft, she smelled like heaven, and she made him want to do something wild and wicked and uncharacteristic—like take her somewhere dark and private where he could give in to the lust clamoring inside him.
An unmistakable shiver coursed through her as they shifted in time to the slow song. With her staring into his eyes, her own darkened with awareness as she moved her head to the side of his to speak into his ear. “See, touching me wasn’t so bad, was it?”
“You’re bad,” he murmured, shocking himself with his own playful response when he’d been so indifferent to women for years. It was as though this woman was rousing his sex drive, along with a more indulgent part of him, from a long, deep slumber. The thought was both frightening and exhilarating.
She drew her head back and laughed. To his surprise, the light, sensual sound eased the rest of the tension in his body, allowing him to just enjoy the moment with her.
She gave him a cheeky grin. “Just for the record, Mr. Lowell, I can be very bad, depending on the circumstance.”

Erika Wilde is the author of the sexy Marriage Diaries series and The Players Club series. She lives in Oregon with her husband and two daughters, and when she’s not writing you can find her exploring the beautiful Pacific Northwest. For more information on her upcoming releases, please visit website at www.erikawilde.com.

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

Share

Dominik (Arizona Vengeance 6) by Sawyer Bennett-Review & Giveaway tour

Posted on by
13

DOMINIK (Arizona Vengeance #6) by Sawyer Bennett-Review & Giveaway Tour

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

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date February 18, 2020

I built myself up from nothing. A product of the foster care system, I learned early on how to fight hard to get what I want. Whether it was starting my first company in college, earning my first billion, or buying my first professional sports team, I know how to get what I want, when I want it.

Until now.

Willow Monahan is fierce, independent, and hot as hell. She also takes great pleasure in shutting down my advances. The younger sister of one of my star players, Willow intrigues me to my very core. And while she may have willingly given me her body, she is hesitant to offer up more. Now I’m on a mission to find out why.

I’ve decided to approach my desire for Willow like I’ve approached much of my life; with persistence, determination, and a whole lot of that Dominik Carlson alpha charm. Buying a hockey expansion team, building the Arizona Vengeance from the ground up, and bringing home a championship may prove to be an easier feat than winning Willow’s heart.

But I’ve never been a quitter.

Willow Monahan… I’m coming for you.

••••••••••

REVIEW: DOMINIK is the sixth instalment in Sawyer Bennett’s contemporary, adult ARIZONA VENGEANCE, erotic, hockey romance series focusing on the professional hockey team the Arizona Vengeance-a spin off from the author’s Carolina Cold Fury Hockey series. This is billionaire businessman and team owner Dominik Carlson, and photojournalist Willow Monahan’s story line. DOMINIK can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous instalments is revealed where necessary. There is a slight cross-over with the author’s Cold Fury, and Jameson Force Security series. Willow is Arizona Vengeance left winger Dax Monahan’s sister.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Willow and Dominik) DOMINIK follows the building romance and relationship between billionaire businessman and team owner Dominik Carlson, and photojournalist Willow Monahan. Willow Monahan and Dominik Carlson met months before but Willow’s job takes her to some of the most dangerous places in the world. While Willow struggles with Dominik’s attention, Dominik finds himself pulled into the aura that is our story line heroine but when Dominik discovers the truth about Willow’s dangerous career, Dominik battles between head and heart when it comes to Willow’s security and safety. What ensues is the building romance between Willow and Dominik, and the potential fall-out as Willow is unable to let go of the past, a past that affects every relationship going forward.

Willow Monahan doesn’t do relationships; she has been burned in the past and refuses to look towards a future with Dominik Carlson. Dominik wants something more from our story line heroine but his own happily ever after was not in the cards. Refusing to step back from the dangerous situations, Willow is willing to risk her own life when things begin to spiral out of her control.

The relationship between Dominik and Willow is one of immediate attraction but Willow is all about her independence and freedom, an independence that places Willow in the direct line of fire. Dominik struggles with the danger and life threatening work of which Willow is involved but his personal fear is a warning signal to Willow Callahan who refuses to step back or step down as it pertains to her career. 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 and energetic secondary and supporting characters including all of the previous story line couples, as well as Rafe Simmons, and Aaron Wylde; and the Monahan clan.

DOMINIK continues to focus on the run for the championship; the camaraderie of friendship and players on the Arizona Vengeance; and the personal lives and fall-out of illness and injury. The premise is engaging and engrossing; the characters are stubborn, strong and sensitive; the romance is spicy and spirited. DOMINIK is a captivating and compelling addition to the Arizona Vengeance hockey romance series.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Bishop
Erik
Legend
Dax
Tacker

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Since the release of her debut contemporary romance novel, Off Sides, in January 2013, Sawyer Bennett has released more than 30 books and has been featured on both the USA Today and New York Times bestseller lists on multiple occasions.

A reformed trial lawyer from North Carolina, Sawyer uses real life experience to create relatable, sexy stories that appeal to a wide array of readers. From new adult to erotic contemporary romance, Sawyer writes something for just about everyone.

Sawyer likes her Bloody Marys strong, her martinis dirty, and her heroes a combination of the two. When not bringing fictional romance to life, Sawyer is a chauffeur, stylist, chef, maid, and personal assistant to a very active toddler, as well as full-time servant to two adorably naughty dogs. She believes in the good of others, and that a bad day can be cured with a great work-out, cake, or a combination of the two.

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | BOOKBUB | AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE | INSTAGRAM

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

DOMINIK by Sawyer Bennett releases on February 18 and she’s celebrating with a HUGE new release giveaway!!

He’s the alpha billionaire who owns the Arizona Vengeance.
She’s the relationship averse sister of one of his star players.
GAME. ON.

This prize pack includes:
► A signed paperback of DOMINIK
► Arizona Vengeance tote
► Arizona Vengeance pillow
► Arizona Vengeance mug
► Arizona Vengeance sticker

ENTER TO WIN HERE: https://sawyerbennett.com/giveaways/giveaway-dominik/

Share

Breathless (Texas Nights 1-3) by Lex Martin-Review Tour

Posted on by
11

Breathless (Texas Nights 1-3) by Lex Martin-Review Tour

 

BREATHLESS
Texas Nights #3
by Lex Martin
Release Date: February 18, 2020

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

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date February 18 2020

The boy next door has always made her breathless.

Joey… I wouldn’t say I ran away exactly—twenty-two is too old for that. I’d call it self-preservation.

I have one objective: protect my heart from the boy next door who has no clue I’ve loved him my whole life, even with a front row seat to his revolving bedroom door.

My escape plan almost worked. Except I left one thing behind.

Logan Carter hijacked my heart, and now it’s time to get it back. This time for good.

Logan…I wouldn’t say I’ve been lying this whole time—not about everything. Not about how much I miss my best friend, and definitely not about how pissed I am that she left with hardly a goodbye.

She’s the last person I ever expected to ghost me, and her absence left a gaping hole in my chest.

When Joey Grayson steps off that bus, I know I’ll do anything to keep her home, and that means finding out the truth. But I’m not sure how to tell her my truths when I’m living so many lies

•••••••••

REVIEW: Friends to lovers…

I officially worship at the bookshelf of Lex Martin!

The third in the Texas Night series, Breathless is a heartwarming, uplifting romance of friendship, family and love.

We are welcomed back with characters from the first and second books, but even more so we get the story of Joey and Logan.

Logan Carter has always been known as the ladies man of the brothers, and while that is true, no one knows the real him. No one but Joey.

Joey AKA Josephine, his lifelong best friend. A best friend that just returned from a six month trip to Florida. A trip that Logan has hated.

Joey ran away from Logan, to clear her head and to try and get over the man who she has been in love with for as long as she remembers. As if that works, after retuning home, the drama kicks off right away.

The spark that has always been there between these two is finally burning…but will secrets come a calling and drown that spark before it can burn bright.

Join Logan, Joey and the rest of the Carter brood as they navigate family drama and secrets that may just ruin the entire of the family.

This book has it all, romance, friendship, family and vulnerability. Once you start this book you won’t want to put it down, the pages will just call you right back!

—————-

SHAMELESS
(Texas Night #1)
by Lex Martin
Release Date: April 26, 2016

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

Brady… What the hell do I know about raising a baby? Nothing. Not a goddamn thing.

Yet here I am, the sole guardian of my niece. I’d be lost if it weren’t for Katherine, the beautiful girl who seems to have all the answers. Katherine, who’s slowly finding her way into my cynical heart.

I keep reminding myself that I can’t fall for someone when we don’t have a future. But telling myself this lie and believing it are two different things.

Katherine… When Brady shows up on a Harley, looking like an avenging angel—six feet, three inches of chiseled muscle, eyes the color of wild sage, and sun-kissed skin emblazoned with tattoos—I’m not sure if I should fall at his feet or run like hell. Because if I tell him what happened the night his family died, he might hate me.

What I don’t count on are the nights we spend together trying to forget the heartache that brought us here. I promise him it won’t mean anything, that I won’t fall in love.

I shouldn’t make promises I can’t keep.

••••••••••

REVIEW: Sweet, sexy and oh so yummy.

This was one of the first books by Ms. Martin I have had the pleasure of reading, and let me tell you I am hooked! A small town, Texas romance that is guaranteed to get all engines firing.

Brady is a Harley riding, hunk covered in muscles and tattoos. What’s better than that?! Originally from Boston, the tattoo artists heads to a small town in Texas after his brother and sister in law pass away. Now book peeps, this where the book gets good. Overwhelmed and out of his mind in grief, he enters into his brothers home to find his niece Isabella, a niece that he and his family thought had died with her parents, but that’s not all he finds..

Katherine is holding it together by the skin of her teeth. Her life long best friend, Melissa is gone, along with Melissa husband, and now she is holding their child waiting to meet a man she has never laid eyes on. Although she has drama of her own, Kat can’t leave the poor baby alone. When a Harley rolls up the farms drive, Kat doesn’t know what to expect, but Brady was not it.

Brady is awestruck when he meets Kat, but she quickly becomes his saving grace when it comes to caring for his niece. Their connection and chemistry spark to life, and neither know what to do with. Join Brady and Kat on their journey as they both cope with the loss of family, find love and a new beginning.

————

RECKLESS
(Texas Nights #2)
by Lex Martin
Release Date: February 20, 2018

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

Tori…
For the record, I’m not going to hook up with my boss.

I’m a lot of things—a screwup, a basket case, a flunky. But when I take a nanny job to be near my pregnant sister, I swear to myself I’ll walk the straight and narrow, which means I cannot fall for my insanely hot boss.

I don’t want to be tempted by that rugged rancher. By his chiseled muscles or southern charm or the way he snuggles his kids at bedtime. Ethan Carter won’t get the key to my heart, no matter how much I want him.

Ethan…
Between us, she’s the last thing I need as I finalize my hellish divorce.

What sane man trying to rebuild his life wants a hot nanny with long, sexy hair, curves for miles, and a smart mouth? A perfectly kissable, pouty mouth that I shouldn’t notice.

My focus is on my kids and my ranch, not the insufferable siren who sleeps in the room next to mine. It doesn’t matter that she wins over my kids in a heartbeat or runs my life better than I do. Tori Duran is the one woman I can’t have and shouldn’t want, no matter how much I crave her.

••••••••••

REVIEW:The second in the Texas Night series, Reckless is a book of second chances, warm embrace and scorching sexiness.

Ethan is newly divorced and struggling to keep his ranch and children going. His ex-wife up and left, and he still doesn’t understand why. He needs help, he just wasn’t expecting Tori to be the help me really needed.

Tori, a fiery but vulnerable young woman trying to live down her past and start anew. After her sister Katherine gets her an interview as a nanny for a neighbor, she reluctantly takes her up on it. Tori wants to be close to her sister as she is heavily pregnant and family means everything to her. When she meets Ethan she is knocked off her feet, she wants to dislike him, she wants to stay angry, she’s DOESN’T want to want him like she does. His children; Mila and Cody burrow their way into her heart and slowly the connection she and Ethan share blooms.

…but what happens when his ex comes calling? Tori’s past comes to rear it’s ugly head. Join the pair as they explore their new connection, experience a new beginning and learn to love all over again.

I loved this book, the first in the series I would recommend reading, while you can read this as a stand-alone it would be best to read the first as to get the full experience of all the characters. It’s safe to say that I can’t wait for Logan’s book!!!

copies supplied for review

reviews by Sarah L.

Lex Martin is the USA Today bestselling author of the Texas Nights series (Reckless/Shameless) and the Dearest series. She writes contemporary romances, the sexy kind with lotsa angst, a whole lotta kissing, and the hot happily ever afters. A former high school English teacher and freelance journalist, she’s lived all over the country but currently resides in her hometown of San Antonio with her husband and twin daughters.

To find out more about her upcoming projects, visit lexmartinwrites.com.

To get an email alert when she releases a new book, paste this into your browser: http://bit.ly/2DrPcUi

Connect with Lex:

Website: https://www.lexmartinwrites.com/

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

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/336647169822184/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexlaughs

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexlaughs/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7792877.Lex_Martin

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/lex-martin

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2Yd9PhG

Newsletter Signup: https://www.lexmartinwrites.com/subscribe

 

Share

Death in the Family by Tessa Wegert – a Review

Posted on by
11

Death in the Family by Tessa Wegert – a Review

 

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

 

Description:
A storm-struck island. A blood-soaked bed. A missing man. Senior Investigator Shana Merchant believes it all adds up to a killer in their midst—and that murder is a family affair.

Thirteen months ago, former NYPD detective Shana Merchant barely survived being abducted by a serial killer. Now hoping to leave grisly murder cases behind, she’s taken a job in her fiancé’s sleepy hometown in the Thousand Islands region of Upstate New York.

But as a nor’easter bears down on her new territory, Shana and fellow investigator Tim Wellington receive a call about a man missing on a private island. Shana and Tim travel to the isolated island owned by the wealthy Sinclair family to question the witnesses. They arrive to find blood on the scene and a house full of Sinclair family and friends on edge.

While Tim guesses they’re dealing with a runaway case, Shana is convinced that they have a murder on their hands. As the gale intensifies outside, she starts conducting interviews and discovers the Sinclairs and their guests are crawling with dark and dangerous secrets.

Trapped on the island by the raging storm with only Tim whose reliability is thrown into question, the increasingly restless suspects, and her own trauma-fueled flashbacks for company, Shana will have to trust the one person her abduction destroyed her faith in—herself. But time is ticking down, because if Shana’s right, a killer is in their midst and as the pressure mounts, so do the odds that they’ll strike again.

 

 

 

Review:

Death in the Family by Tessa Wegert is the first book in her new Shana Merchant series. Death in the Family is an exciting mystery thriller.  We meet our heroine, Shana Merchant, who has only been in this upstate New York town for about a year, after recovering from a kidnapping as a NYPD detective.  She hoped that she would not have to get involved in high crime areas that she was used to.  She and her partner, Tim Wellington are called to investigate a possible murder at an isolated private island, and must travel on the lake through a nor’easter storm; the island mansion is owned by the wealthy Sinclair family. Upon arriving, Shana looks over the bedroom scene, with one side of the bed covered in blood, with no body to be found.

As the weather worsens, everyone is trapped at the mansion, including Shana and Tim, with the local police unable to get there.  Shana does take charge, but she has to interview members of the family, who most are not very likable, and she is also at some odds with Tim, who is sure the missing person is alive and well, and Shana is confident that this case is a murder.  This is very much like an old fashion murder mystery, with a house full of worthy suspects of being a possible killer; similar to Agatha Christie mysteries. 

As Shana interviews each of the family members, with some of them very belligerent, we get a great view of the clues she finds, and when there is another victim, the danger escalates for all of them in the house who cannot leave; but one thing is set, there is a murderer in the house.  Shana needs to get beyond her past memories that still plague her; and to confide to Tim about what happened to her.     Tim has done well in keeping everyone calm, as she investigates, but he knows something is wrong and tries to get her to talk to him.  Her past memories rise up when threatened by temperamental people, and eventually her and Tim will iron things out and work well together.

I will say that just about everyone in the house wasn’t likable, with the exception of the matriarch, Camilla, who is slowly losing her battle to cancer.  Each of the members are suspected, and with so many twists and turns, it is impossible to correctly guess.  The caretaker & the missing Jasper’s fiancée were the only ones who seemed nice besides the grandmother. As we race to the climax, I had an inkling who the murderer was, but was totally mind blown at the twist.

Death in the Family was very well written by Tessa Wegert, with an exciting, gripping and chilling thriller all the way, as well as the many twists and turns that kept throwing us off. If you enjoy an old fashion mystery thriller, look no further then Death in the Family.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

Share