Monthly Archives: May 2020

Black Tangled Heart (Play On #3) by Samantha Young-Review Tour

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Black Tangled Heart (Play On #3) by Samantha Young-Review & Excerpt Tour

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 14, 2020

To my siblings, Jane was a friend. A pseudo-sister, the girl we grew up with.
To me? She was everything.
Our passion consumed us.

When our world fell apart, I thought our love would be the thing that held us together.
She was the love of my life. But she abandoned me when I needed her most.
And I’ll never forgive her.

For years I’ve been planning my revenge against the people who took everything from me.
Jane won’t be an exception. I’m coming for her.
She knows it.

She says she wants to help me serve my version of justice on the people who hurt me.
I’ll let her.
She probably thinks it will save her from me.

It won’t.

*This is a complete standalone. The Play On series are books connected by the theme of the arts industry, not by characters.

•••••••••

REVIEW:BLACK TANGLED HEART  is the third instalment in Samantha Young’s contemporary, new adult to adult romance story line focusing on artist Jane Doe and writer Jamie McKenna. BLACK TANGLED HEART can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Each of the instalments is a stand alone story.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Jane and Jamie) BLACK TANGLED HEART covers approximately seventeen years in the life of Jane Doe and Jamie McKenna. At thirteen years of age, Jane Doe, a product of the foster care system met Skye, Lorna and their brother Jamie McKenna, and immediately fell in love with the boy who would one day break her heart. With Lorna as her best friend, and Skye a ‘second’ mother in our heroine’s life, Jane found herself loved for the first time in her life but falling in love with Jamie McKenna forced Jane to pick sides in a family that was about to quickly implode. As Jane and Lorna’s friendship slowly deteriorated, Jane’s relationship with Jamie advanced to a more personal level but all was not well in the McKenna household, when tragedy would strike not once but twice in a short period of time. As Jane struggled to move on with her life, Jamie barely managed to survive only to enact a plan of vengeance against everyone he blamed for destroying his life, including our story line heroine.

The relationship between Jamie and Jane is one of immediate attraction but our couple were only thirteen and fifteen years old when they met. Years would pass wherein Jamie bided his time waiting for the woman with whom he would fall in love, a woman he would eventually grow to hate and distrust. Jane never stopped loving the man who had stolen her heart, a man she no longer recognized following years of separation, and too much time to consider what happened in the past. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

BLACK TANGLED HEART follows two relationships: Jane and Lorna, and Jamie and Jane’s. Lorna was Jane’s only true friend but their friendship came at a cost to everyone involved. The dysfunctional family dynamics of the McKenna household would reveal a dark secret that would destroy Jamie, and eventually his relationship with both Lorna and Jane. A heart breaking and emotional story BLACK TANGLED HEART is a passionate and dramatic look at life, love, betrayal and revenge. The romance is seductive and sensitive; the characters are real, startling, broken and lost.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews

Play On
As Dust Dances
Hold On (see review below)
Black Tangled Heart

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

_________

HOLD ON
(Play On 2.5 / Big Sky 4.6)
by Samantha Young
Genre: adult, contemporary, erotic, romance

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About the Book : Release Date March 12, 2019

Autumn O’Dea has always tried to see the best in people while her big brother, Killian, has always tried to protect her from the worst. While their lonely upbringing made Killian a cynic, it isn’t in Autumn’s nature to be anything but warm and open. However, after a series of relationship disasters and the unsettling realization that she’s drifting aimlessly through life, Autumn wonders if she’s left herself too vulnerable to the world. Deciding some distance from the security blanket of her brother and an unmotivated life in Glasgow is exactly what she needs to find herself, Autumn takes up her friend’s offer to stay at a ski resort in the snowy hills of Montana. Some guy-free alone time on Whitetail Mountain sounds just the thing to get to know herself better.

However, she wasn’t counting on colliding into sexy Grayson King on the slopes. Autumn has never met anyone like Gray. Confident, smart, with a wicked sense of humor, he makes the men she dated seem like boys. Her attraction to him immediately puts her on the defense because being open-hearted in the past has only gotten it broken. Yet it becomes increasingly difficult to resist a man who is not only determined to seduce her, but adamant about helping her find her purpose in life and embrace the person she is. Autumn knows she shouldn’t fall for Gray. It can only end badly. After all their lives are divided by an ocean and their inevitable separation is just another heart break away…

•••••••••

REVIEW: HOLD ON is instalment 2.5 and novella in Samantha Young’s contemporary, adult PLAY ON erotic, romance series. This is Autumn O’ Dea, and ski instructor/ construction company owner Grayson King’s storyline. HOLD ON can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous instalments in the Play On series is revealed where necessary. Autumn is the sister of Killian O’Dea –AS DUST DANCES.

NOTE: HOLD ON is part of Kristen Proby’s BIG SKY crossover collection.

Told from first person point of view (Autumn ) HOLD ON follows Glasgow resident Autumn O’Dea as she vacations, along with friends Catie and Kyle, in the Whitetail Mountains of Montana. Not much of a ski enthusiast, Autumn will take out ski instructor Grayson King, which will ‘snowball’ into a insta-love romance between two people from opposite sides of the ocean. What ensues is the rapidly building romance and love between Grayson and Autumn, and the potential fall-out as Autumn struggles with issues of trust, and battles with separation anxiety from Killian O’Dea, the brother she considers both parent and friend.

HOLD ON is a story of romance, love, letting go and moving forward. Autumn’s history with men is dark and miserable but meeting Grayson King stirs something in our story line heroine long thought buried and gone. Grayson King’s attraction to Autumn is immediate and intense, so much so that our hero is determined to claim Autumn as his own. The premise is fast paced, sweet, and engaging; the romance is passionate and intense; the characters are colorful and energetic. HOLD ON is the perfect addition to Samantha Young’s PLAY ON series.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

NOTE: Excerpt intended for mature readers due to strong language and content.

 

I stared dully at my painting. My creative mood had left the building, under the weight of the many questions going around and around in my head. Adrenaline made it hard for me to sit still. Cursing Jamie under my breath, I grabbed my laundry basket and headed toward the front door. Peering through the peephole, I double-checked his door was shut before I left my apartment. Glowering at his door as I passed, I hurried downstairs. How the hell had he maneuvered himself into my building? And why?
To my gratitude, the laundry room was empty as I crashed around inside it. I hauled out my stash of detergent and softener from my allocated locker and started separating my whites. That rat bastard. My heart raced, sweat gathered under my arms, and it agitated me. An encounter with Jamie was the equivalent of fifteen shots of caffeine.
And I hated that he knew I was lying to Asher. Something he could easily hold over my head.
“You are a very angry laundry doer.”
Jamie’s deep, rich voice startled me. Trying to control my breathing, I glared over at him standing in the doorway. Arms and ankles crossed as he leaned casually against the jamb. He wore a T-shirt and jeans. Nothing had changed there.
He was still the sexiest man I’d ever seen.
God, I hate him.
“What the hell are you doing in this building?” I turned my back on him, marching over to the stacked washers and dryers.
“I had no idea you lived here,” he lied, his voice growing closer as he crossed the room toward me.
Attempting not to react physically, to not hunch my shoulders in tension, I stared unseeing at the machines. What was I in the middle of doing again?
“What a surprise to find out you’re my neighbor.”
I snorted in disbelief and turned around, shocked to find him already in my personal space. “Liar.” I dragged my gaze insolently down his body and back up. “Move away. And I mean that in more ways than one.”
“Oh, does my presence bother you?” His wicked smile caused somersaults in my belly.
“What are you doing here?” I ignored his proximity. Okay, I tried to ignore his proximity.
In answer, he stepped into me and I stumbled against the machines at my back. Jamie pressed the palms of his hands on the dryer, caging me in. My breath caught and held as his scent flooded me. That dark, earthy scent was enticing, and my body betrayed my emotions.
Feeling panic rise, I pushed at his chest, but he wouldn’t budge. “Jamie?”
Those ocean eyes wandered over my face, cold, calculating. “He doesn’t know who I am. You haven’t told him.”
I lowered my hands. Touching him was even more discombobulating. “No.”
He bent his head toward mine until our noses almost touched. I sucked in a breath. “I wonder why you’re keeping it from him?”
Determined not to let him see how much he affected me, I glared up at him. He’d only have to touch me, hold my hand, to realize I was trembling. His face was so familiar. His lips were lips I’d thought I’d kiss for the rest of my life. Why did the pain of it never dull? Why did it still feel like a shard of glass through my chest? “Did you leak those tapes of Foster Steadman to Asher’s mom?”
Something menacing flashed in his eyes before he banked it. “And if I did?”
“Are you being smart, Jamie?”
“Are you asking out of concern for me or for your billionaire boy toy?”
“Jamie.”
“Never mind. I don’t care.” The bastard dipped his nose to my throat, and I tensed against the stacked machines. He inhaled, his nose brushing my skin, and my fingers bit into the washer behind me. “You smell different,” he whispered, lifting his head to my ear. “Expensive perfume. You’ve come up in the world.”
I felt his breath caress my skin seconds before his teeth touched my earlobe. Gasping, I instinctively pushed my palms against his stomach as he bit down hard, causing a flush of heat between my legs.
With a dark chuckle, Jamie released my ear after one last nibble and whispered, “Is he the jealous type, Jane?”
 


 

Samantha Young is the New York Times,  USA Today  and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of adult contemporary romances, including the On Dublin Street series and Hero, as well as the New Adult duology Into the Deep and Out of the Shallows.  Every Little Thing, the second book in her new Hart’s Boardwalk series, will be published by Berkley in March 2017. Before turning to contemporary fiction, she wrote several young adult paranormal and fantasy series, including the amazon bestselling Tale of Lunarmorte trilogy. Samantha’s debut YA contemporary novel The Impossible Vastness of Us was published by Harlequin TEEN in ebook & hardback June 2017. Play On is an adult contemporary romance and the first in a brand new series set in Scotland. Villain is a companion novella to the New York Times bestselling romance HERO.

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A Date With An Admirer by Heidi McLaughlin & LP Dover-Review tour

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A DATE WITH AN ADMIRER (The Dating Series #2) by Heidi McLaughlin and LP Dover-Review & Giveaway Tour

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 19, 2020.

New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors Heidi McLaughlin and L.P. Dover come together for a sexy new series that delivers romance for every season!

February is the month of love, but not for Sophie. One week before Valentine’s Day, she learns her boyfriend of two years has been cheating on her with one of his dental hygienists. 

As much as she wants to erase any trace of him from her life, she has no choice but to face him and his new squeeze at a huge Valentine’s Day bash that has fast become the social event of the season. No way is she going alone. What she needs is a beautiful hunk of arm candy… STAT. 

Sophie’s best friend, Ellie, proposes the perfect solution to her dilemma. Her brother Tanner, the smokin’ hot surfer, just got back into town and is more than happy to help Sophie prove she’s over her scumbag ex. 

What starts as an act between Sophie and Tanner quickly swells into more. It doesn’t take long before Sophie finds herself wanting to ride more than just waves with the toned and tanned hottie. But when passion crashes over the pair, Sophie fears she’s putting her friendship with Ellie at risk. 

Can Tanner convince her to give their love a chance? Or will the bonds of friendship repel Cupid’s arrow?

•••••••••

REVIEW: A DATE WITH A ADMIRER by Heidi McLaughlin and LP Dover is a contemporary, adult, stand alone, erotic, romance novella in the authors’ DATING SERIES. This is twenty-six year old, architect Tanner Hayes , and twenty-seven year old dentist Dr. Sophie Peterson’s story line.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Tanner and Sophie) A DATE WITH AN ADMIRER follows the best friends younger brother trope. Sophie Peterson recently broken up with her long time boyfriend after discovering he had been having an affair with his dental hygienist. Needing a “plus-one” for the Valentine’s Day ball, Sophie’s best friend Ellie suggests her younger brother Tanner, a “boy” Sophie remembers as nothing more than a gangly teen. Tanner had recently lost his job in California and returning to North Carolina meant the opportunity to start anew but Tanner never expected to reconnect with his childhood crush, his sister’s best friend, and the woman with whom Tanner will fall in love. What ensues is the quick building relationship between Tanner and Sophie, and the potential fall-out as Sophie struggles with the best friend little brother conundrum .

A DATE WITH AN ADMIRER is a quick read that focuses on a few days in the life of twenty-six year old, architect Tanner Hayes , and twenty-seven year old dentist Dr. Sophie Peterson. Sophie never promised anything beyond their one night together but Tanner was hoping for something more. The fast paced premise is engaging; the romance is passionate and seductive; the characters are colorful and charismatic. A DATE WITH AN ADMIRER is the perfect read for a lazy, sunny afternoon or when one is isolated from family and friends.

Click HERE for Sandy’s review of book one A DATE FOR MIDNIGHT

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Heidi McLaughlin: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Newsletter /Instagram /Pinterest

Originally from Portland, Oregon and raised in the Pacific Northwest, she now lives in picturesque Vermont, with her husband and two daughters. Also renting space in their home is an over-hyper Beagle/Jack Russell, Buttercup and a Highland Westie/Mini Schnauzer, JiLL and her brother, Racicot.

When she isn’t writing one of the many stories planned for release, you’ll find her sitting courtside during either daughter’s basketball games.

Heidi’s first novel, Forever My Girl, is currently in production for a major motion picture.

••••••••

LP Dover: Website/ Facebook/ Twitter/ Google+ / Amazon / Goodreads / Newsletter

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author L. P. Dover is a southern belle living in North Carolina with her husband and two beautiful girls. Before she began her literary journey she worked in periodontics, enjoying the wonderment of dental surgeries.

She loves to write, but she also loves to play tennis, go on mountain hikes and white water rafting, and has a passion for singing. Her two youngest fans expect a concert each and every night before bedtime, usually Christmas carols.

Dover has written countless novels, including her Forever Fae series, the Second Chances series, the Gloves Off series, the Armed & Dangerous series, the Royal Shifters series, the Society X series, the Circle of Justice series, and her standalone novel Love, Lies, and Deception. Her favorite genre to read and write is romantic suspense, but if she got to choose a setting in which to live, it would be with her faeries in the Land of the Fae.

L.P. Dover is represented by Marisa Corvisiero of Corvisiero Literary Agency and Italia Gandolfo of Gandolfo Helin & Fountain Literary Management for dramatic rights.

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Hell Hath No Fury by RC Boldt-Review tour

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Hell Hath No Fury by RC Boldt-Review Tour

 

 

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 19, 2020

In Hell Hath No Fury, RC Boldt brings us an unforgettable tale of loss, betrayal, and revenge in this new romantic suspense standalone…

Seven years ago, they took everything from me. My father. My husband. My child.
When they stole my chance at justice, I vowed to get revenge.

Then I met him.

He tempts that long-lost part of me, but his presence is a reminder that betrayal lurks around every corner.
Their biggest mistake is underestimating my commitment for vengeance.

They don’t realize that when it comes to a woman like me, hell hath no fury.

••••••••

REVIEW:HELL HATH NO FURY is a stand alone, contemporary, adult, romantic suspense story line focusing on Caitlin ‘Kate’ Ashford, and the Hunter aka John Wilson.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Kate and Hunter) HELL HATH NO FURY focuses on betrayal and revenge. Seven years earlier Caitlin Ashford lost everything-her father, her husband and her daughter Willow when the Dixie Mafia demanded payment with their lives. In the ensuing years, Caitlin spent the time preparing for revenge including the take down of the law enforcement officials riding the wrong side of the law. Fast forward to present day wherein Caitlin, now calling herself Kate, finds she is not the only predator h*ll bent on destroying the Dixie Mafia. Enter a man she knows only as The Hunter, a man who specializes in contracted hits. What ensues is a game of cat and mouse as Caitlin continues to wreak vengeance against those who shattered her life, while Hunter waits in the shadows for his turn to destroy them all.

HELL HATH NO FURY is a story of betrayal, vengeance, retribution and death. Caitlin Ashford spent years in preparation for her return to Wilmington, North Carolina, and no one was going to stop her from getting her revenge. The appearance of The Hunter caught Caitlin off guard, a compromise she struggled to accept or defend but The Hunter is a man with an agenda of his own, and using Caitlin will be the ultimate betrayal of a woman whose heart is about to be shattered, once more. The premise is dark, gritty, raw and real with a couple of twists that will blow your mind; the characters are broken, determined but strong; the romance struggles in the face of secrets and lies, and a need a avenge the people they lost.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

 

 

 

Death.
Heartache.
Vengeance.
This isn’t a tale for the tender-hearted, the judgmental, or those who refuse to think outside the box and look at the broader picture. Those who think that everything is black and white. Simple. Cut and dried.
It’s not. There’s always shades of gray.
It’s easier to say “I’d never” when you’re sitting safely at home with the people you love most right by your side. When grief hasn’t woven itself so deeply in the fabric of your DNA that it can never be unraveled. There can be no separation. And even if you tried, it would only result in you becoming a frayed and tangled mess.
It’s easy to say you’d never walk the treacherous moral tightrope. But you aren’t the one who plummeted to the depths of hell, littered with the agony of loss and the anger of injustice, and had to claw your way out.
This story isn’t scrawled on pristine white pages in bold black ink. Marred, torn, and blood-spattered, its chapters hold deep gouges inflicted by betrayal.
This story is about a woman who had everything taken from her.
And how she took it all back.


 

RC Boldt enjoys long walks on the beach, running, reading, people watching, and singing karaoke. If you’re in the mood for some killer homemade mojitos, can’t recall the lyrics to a particular 80’s song, or just need to hang around a nonconformist who will do almost anything for a laugh, she’s your girl.

Website: http://www.rcboldtbooks.com
Email: rcboldtbooks@gmail.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RC_Boldt
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rcboldtauthor
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14543027.R_C_Boldt
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rcboldt
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/rc-boldt
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/RC-Boldt/e/B016OKF4QE

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Beach Read by Emily Henry – a Review

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Beach Read by Emily Henry – a Review

 

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Description:
Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast.

They’re polar opposites.

In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they’re living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer’s block.

Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She’ll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he’ll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no one will fall in love. Really.

 

 

Review:

Beach Read by Emily Henry is a fun romantic stand-alone novel focusing on two authors, who are totally different.

January Andrews, our heroine, arrives at her new beach home on Lake Michigan which she inherited from her deceased father.  January is a romance author, who is currently having writers block, and is having money problems.  The house is a surprise, as she discovers the father she always loved, was also having an affair, and owned this beach house with his mistress.  January has problems coming to terms accepting the truth about her father, especially with her mother still alive, having recovered from cancer, and her mother never told her about his other life.  All of this make it even more difficult for her to write happy ever after romance novels. 

Gus Everett, our hero, is January’s next-door neighbor, and the two get off on the wrong foot immediately.  Gus is also a writer, but he writes literary fiction more towards dark story lines, and he too has his own issues writing his next book.  They are both totally opposites, as Gus is more pessimistic and January is an optimist, though things will change. 

In a short time, they begin to get to know each other, and a friendship will develop.  The banter between them was cute and funny, and with both of them unable to write, they decide to help push each other by making a bet.  January will take Gus to romantic field trips, dinners, to teach him how to write a romance novel with a happy ending.   Gus will take January to meet people who have suffered a loss, visit a grave yard or meet someone involved with a cult.  The bet is for them to write something different, and whoever sells their manuscript first will win.

What follows is a romance between two people who had their own issues with family, leaving both of them somewhat damaged.  In a short time, they both will move forward past their friendship to love.  Gus comes off of a divorce, and his fear of getting hurt again keeps him from making the next step toward his relationship with January.  January has her own problems dealing with her feelings of betrayal by her father, and though she knows she loves Gus, she too is scared to move forward. During this period, they enjoy each other’s company, as they do all the things together that require research for each of their novels. There was a lot of fun and bantering between them, and we knew they were perfect for each other. 

Emily Henry has written a wonderful story of two people who deserve happiness and each other, but there was much heart wrenching angst, betrayals, secrets, and pain that made it difficult.  But in the end, happiness, forgiveness and love will change everything.  I wholly suggest that you read Beach Read.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

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A Royal Kiss & Tell by Julia London – a Review

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A Royal Kiss & Tell by Julia London – a Review

 

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Description:
Every prince has his secrets. And she’s determined to unravel his…

Every dashing young man in London’s ton is vying for Lady Caroline Hawke’s hand—except one. Handsome, delectable roué Prince Leopold of Alucia can’t quite remember who Caroline is, and the insult is not to be tolerated. So, Caroline does what any clever, resourceful lady of means would do to make sure a prince remembers her: sees that amusingly risqué morsels about Leo’s reputation are printed in a ladies’ gossip gazette…all the while secretly setting her cap for the rakish royal.

Someone has been painting Leo as a blackguard, but who? Socially, it could ruin him. More important, it jeopardizes his investigation into a contemptible scheme that reaches the highest levels of government in London. Now, Leo needs Lady Caroline’s help to regain access to society. But this charming prince is about to discover that enlisting the deceptively sweet and sexy Lady Caroline might just cost him his heart, his soul and both their reputations…

 

 

Review:

A Royal Kiss & Tell by Julia London is the 2nd book in her Royal Wedding series.  I enjoyed the first book of this series, The Princess Plan and looked forward to reading the next book.  A Royal Kiss & Tell revolves around Prince Leopold (Sebastian’s brother), and Caroline (Eliza’s best friend).   With his brother marrying Eliza, Leopold is quite the ladies’ man, but when it comes to Caroline, he finds her very annoying.  Caroline tries very hard to get the prince’s attention, and she can’t understand why he ignores her.  Frankly, I found Caroline annoying also, as everything and everyone was expected to look at her being the most beautiful, the best dressed, and all should bow down to her.  At least that was how I felt throughout the first half of the book.  But Caroline does get much better later on.

After the wedding, Caroline and her brother, Beck, as well as Hollis (Eliza’s sister) all return to London; and Leopold also decides to go to London.  With his father forcing him to marry someone he hardly knows, Leo plans to have his last hurrah as a playboy, drinking and having fun every night with friends.   He becomes even better friends with Beck, and runs into Carolyn again.   She is as vain as ever, and the sarcasm between them was very noticeable to all.

Slowly things will begin to change, as Leo finds himself looking forward to the banter between him and Caroline and a slow build romance will begin to build. Attending the many banquets she attends, Carolyn will see Leo secretly talking to maids, and starts rumors to her friends that he is a rake, and making moves on the women; causing Leo’s reputation to suffer, and invitations to events are revoked.  When Leo finally explains to Caroline that nothing is going on with the maids, except he is trying to help them escape their lives as sexual slavery.  She then insists she will help him save the women, as well as get him invites again to the places he needs to be to get to the women. 

What follows is a sweet romance between an unlikely couple, and a mystery behind the attempt to discredit Leo, and saving the slaved women.  Though I was not a fan of Caroline, she did win me over in the second half, and I really did like her and Leopold together.  I loved some of the other secondary characters, and hope to see more of t hem in future books; such as Hollis, Beck, etc.

Julia London once again gives us a wonderful and fun story line, as well as making us fall hard for the couple we questioned early on. As I noted, the last half of the book was fun and exciting.  I look forward to the next book in this fun series, which you should be reading. 

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by publisher

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This is How I Lied by Heather Gudenkauf – Review & Excerpt

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This is How I Lied by Heather Gudenkauf – Review & Excerpt

 

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Description:
Everyone has a secret they’ll do anything to hide…

Twenty-five years ago, the body of sixteen-year-old Eve Knox was found in the caves near her home in small-town Grotto, Iowa—discovered by her best friend, Maggie, and her sister, Nola. There were a handful of suspects, including her boyfriend, Nick, but without sufficient evidence the case ultimately went cold.

For decades Maggie was haunted by Eve’s death and that horrible night. Now a detective in Grotto, and seven months pregnant, she is thrust back into the past when a new piece of evidence surfaces and the case is reopened. As Maggie investigates and reexamines the clues, secrets about what really happened begin to emerge. But someone in town knows more than they’re letting on, and they’ll stop at nothing to keep the truth buried deep.

 

 

Review:

This is How I Lied by Heather Gudenkauf is a standalone intense thriller.  The storyline switches between 1995 and the present, 2020, with three POV’s.  Police officer Maggie O’Keefe becomes involved in the reopening of a murder that took place 25 years ago, when new evidence is found.  In 1995, Maggie’s best friend Eve Knox was found murdered in a cave discovered by Maggie, and Eve’s sister Nola;  we do get the POV in both time periods for Maggie and Nola.

In flash backs, Eve, who is 15 years old, lives at home with her mother and her sister and has a boyfriend, Nick who has become obsessive and abusive.  Nola is considered weird, showing sociopathic things with animals, and she also taunts Eve over the abusive marks on her body.   Maggie and Eve are together a lot, until Eve discovers something very wrong that Maggie is involved in.

In present time, Maggie is pregnant, and is assigned to work on the newly opened case, since she is better off staying at her desk or doing local interviews during the last stages of the pregnancy.  Maggie’s father was the police chief, who handled the case in 1995, but now he is in the stages of Alzheimer, so it is difficult for Maggie to ask him questions.  

What follows is an amazing gripping thriller filled with so many shocking secrets and twists along the way.  There are so many suspects, including Maggie with her own secrets; Nola was a scary character who you knew was dangerous.  From start to finish, this was an intense, heart pounding, exciting, nonstop action story that had me unable to put the book down, especially with the many surprises that threw us for a loop, and kept us confused as to who really was the murderer. 

Heather Gudenkauf wrote a fantastic adventure, as she kept throwing us so many surprise revelations and suspects that kept changing the game in this gripping thriller. This is How I Lied was an amazing read that was so well written, as well as being an intense twisty exciting thriller with some fantastic characters, and a mystery to the very end.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

Monday, June 15, 2020

As I slide out of my unmarked police car my swollen belly briefly gets wedged against the steering wheel. Sucking in my gut does little good but I manage to move the seat back and squeeze past the wheel. I swing my legs out the open door and glance furtively around the parking lot behind the Grotto Police Department to see if anyone is watching.
Almost eight months pregnant with a girl and not at my most graceful. I’m not crazy about the idea of one of my fellow officers seeing me try to pry myself out of this tin can. The coast appears to be clear so I begin the little ritual of rocking back and forth trying to build up enough momentum to launch myself out of the driver’s seat.
Once upright, I pause to catch my breath. The morning dew is already sending up steam from the weeds growing out of the cracked concrete. Sweating, I slowly make my way to the rear entrance of the Old Gray Lady, the nickname for the building we’re housed in. Built in the early 1900s, the first floor consists of the lobby, the finger printing and intake center, a community room, interview rooms and the jail. The second floor, which once held the old jail is home to the squad room and offices. The dank, dark basement holds a temperamental boiler and the department archives.
The Grotto Police Department has sixteen sworn officers that includes the chief, two lieutenants, a K-9 patrol officer, nine patrol officers, a school resource officer and two detectives. I’m detective number two.
I grew up in Grotto, a small river town of about ten thousand that sits among a circuitous cave system known as Grotto Caves State Park, the most extensive in Iowa. Besides being a favorite destination spot for families, hikers and spelunkers, Grotto is known for its high number of family owned farms – a dying breed. My husband Shaun and I are part of that breed – we own an apple orchard and tree farm.
“Pretty soon we’re going to have to roll you in,” an irritatingly familiar voice calls out from behind me.
I don’t bother turning around. “Francis, that wasn’t funny the first fifty times you said it and it still isn’t,” I say as I scan my key card to let us in.
Behind me, Pete Francis, rookie officer and all-around caveman grabs the door handle and in a rare show of chivalry opens it so I can step through. “You know I’m just joking,” Francis says giving me the grin that all the young ladies in Grotto seem to find irresistible but just gives me another reason to roll my eyes.
“With the wrong person, those kinds of jokes will land you in sensitivity training,” I remind him.
“Yeah, but you’re not the wrong person, right?” he says seriously, “You’re cool with it?”
I wave to Peg behind the reception desk and stop at the elevator and punch the number two button. The police department only has two levels but I’m in no mood to climb up even one flight of stairs today. “Do I look like I’m okay with it?” I ask him.
Francis scans me up and down. He takes in my brown hair pulled back in a low bun, wayward curls springing out from all directions, my eyes red from lack of sleep, my untucked shirt, the fabric stretched tight against my round stomach, my sturdy shoes that I think are tied, but I can’t know for sure because I can’t see over my boulder-sized belly.
“Sorry,” he says appropriately contrite and wisely decides to take the stairs rather than ride the elevator with me.
“You’re forgiven,” I call after him. As I step on the elevator to head up to my desk, I check my watch. My appointment with the chief is at eight and though he didn’t tell me what the exact reason is for this meeting I think I can make a pretty good guess.
It can’t be dictated as to when I have to go on light duty, seven months into my pregnancy, but it’s probably time. I’m guessing that Chief Digby wants to talk with me about when I want to begin desk duty or take my maternity leave. I get it.
It’s time I start to take it easy. I’ve either been the daughter of a cop or a cop my entire life but I’m more than ready to set it aside for a while and give my attention, twenty-four-seven to the little being inhabiting my uterus.
Shaun and I have been trying for a baby for a long, long time. And thousands of dollars and dozens of procedures later, when we finally found out we were pregnant, Shaun started calling her peanut because the only thing I could eat for the first nine weeks without throwing up was peanut butter sandwiches. The name stuck.
This baby is what we want more than anything in the world but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I’m a little bit scared. I’m used to toting around a sidearm not an infant.
The elevator door opens to a dark paneled hallway lined with ten by sixteen framed photos of all the men who served as police chief of Grotto over the years. I pass by eleven photos before I reach the portrait of my father. Henry William Kennedy, 1995 – 2019, the plaque reads.
While the other chiefs stare out from behind the glass with serious expressions, my dad smiles showing his straight, white teeth. He was so proud when he was named chief of police. We were all proud, except maybe my older brother, Colin. God knows what Colin thought of it. As a teenager he was pretty self-absorbed, but I guess I was too, especially after my best friend died. I went off the rails for a while but here I am now. A Grotto PD detective, following in my dad’s footsteps. I think he’s proud of me too. At least when he remembers.
Last time I brought my dad back here to visit, we walked down this long corridor and paused at his photo. For a minute I thought he might make a joke, say something like, Hey, who’s that good looking guy? But he didn’t say anything. Finding the right words is hard for him now. Occasionally, his frustration bubbles over and he yells and sometimes even throws things which is hard to watch. My father has always been a very gentle man.
The next portrait in line is our current police chief, Les Digby. No smile on his tough guy mug. He was hired a month ago, taking over for Dexter Stroope who acted as the interim chief after my dad retired. Les is about ten years older than I am, recently widowed with two teenage sons. He previously worked for the Ransom Sheriff’s Office and I’m trying to decide if I like him. Jury’s still out.

Excerpted from This is How I Lied by Heather Gudenkauf, Copyright © 2020 by Heather Gudenkauf
Published by Park Row Books


 

 


Heather Gudenkauf is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of many books, including The Weight of Silence and These Things Hidden. Heather graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in elementary education, has spent her career working with students of all ages. She lives in Iowa with her husband, three children, and a very spoiled German Shorthaired Pointer named Lolo. In her free time, Heather enjoys spending time with her family, reading, hiking, and running.

 

Social Links:
Author Website  /
Twitter: @hgudenkauf
/Instagram: @heathergudenkauf
Facebook: @HeatherGudenkaufAuthor
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Beautifully Cruel by J.T. Geissinger-Review & Excerpt tour

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Beautifully Cruel by J.T. Geissinger-Review & Excerpt tour

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 15, 2020

Alpha (noun):
1) Having the highest rank in a dominance hierarchy
2) The most powerful man in a group
3) Liam Black

He was a stranger to me, a dark and dangerous presence who materialized from the shadows one rainy night to save me from a vicious attack. I didn’t know his name or where he was from. All I knew was that the only place I’d ever felt safe was in his arms.

But safety is an illusion.
And not every savior is a hero.
And—as I’d soon find out—having an alpha save your life comes with a price.

Liam Black wanted something from me in return.

•••••••

REVIEW:BEAUTIFULLY CRUEL by J. T. Geissinger is a stand alone, contemporary, adult, erotic romance story line focusing on thirty-nine year old, billionaire/mystery man Liam Black, and twenty-four year old, café waitress/ law student Truvy ‘Tru’ Sullivan.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Liam and Tru) BEAUTIFULLY CRUEL focuses on the building relationship between thirty-nine year old, billionaire/mystery man Liam Black, and twenty-four year old, café waitress/ law student Truvy ‘Tru’ Sullivan. Tru Sullivan has served coffee to the perplexing man in black with the Irish brogue, for close to one year, with barely a word spoken between them but Tru had had enough of his late night visits and proceeds to introduce herself to the man with whom she will fall in love. The mysterious stranger will pull Tru into his dark and dangerous aura, an aura that hides a complicated past, a enigmatic present, and the potential for no future. An attack against Tru forces the man in black to reveal his presence igniting a fire between our couple that threatens to burn brighter than the sun. What ensues is the building but temporary relationship between Tru and Liam, and the potential fall-out as Liam refuses to go beyond the present.

Truvy ‘Tru’ Sullivan is no stranger to loss and heart break but meeting Liam Black forces Tru to see beyond the façade of a man who has lost much more than she could have ever imagined. Having been warned on numerous occasions to stay clear of the man that calls to her heart, Tru will be blindsided when Liam pushes our heroine, out of his life, and into the abyss of pain and sorrow.

Liam Black’s secrets are dangerous and dark; a man whose demeanor screams menace and death but a man who hides the suffering beneath an inscrutable veneer. Falling for Tru Sullivan placed our heroine in the direct line of fire, a fire Liam is willing to battle to spend forever with the woman he loves.

The relationship between Tru and Liam is one of immediate attraction but Liam refuses to act on their mutual attraction, a palpable sexual fascination that is barely contained. Tru, normally shy and withdrawn, yet strong and independent, refuses to back down when Liam warns Tru to walk away. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and intense without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

We are introduced to Tru’s friend and roommate Ellie and Ellie’s sometime boyfriend Tyler: Tru’s co-workers Diego, Carla, and their boss Buddy : Liam’s chauffeur and friend Declan, as well as Killian, another man with deep and darkening secrets. I am hoping the author has future plans for Killian, Declan, Diego, and Tru’s roommate Ellie. There are so many potential stories yet to be told.

BEAUTIFULLY CRUEL is a fascinating, energetic and intriguing story with a couple of twists and turns you will not see coming. A mesmerizing tale of one man’s need to defend and protect, and one woman’s desire to show said man that he is worthy of his own happily ever after. The character driven premise is dramatic and tragic ; the characters are dynamic, wounded, spirited and strong; the romance is intoxicating and provocative.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

NOTE: Excerpt intended for mature readers due to strong language and content

I stare at him, incredulous. “Are you telling me you think this is a good idea?”

“No.”

“Then what?”

“I don’t know. Maybe nothing.”

His pause is loaded, and I know he’s carefully choosing his words.

“But she was about to get shot—or worse—and she fought back. You saw it yourself. On the ground, outnumbered, beat up, gun in her face, she throws a punch instead of all the other things she could’ve done. Begging for mercy. Giving up. Crying.”

He lets it hang there, knowing I have enough personal memories of men far stronger than she doing exactly that.

“So she’s a fighter,” I say, aggravated, yanking on the knot on my tie because it suddenly feels like a noose. “That doesn’t make it right.”

“Aye,” he agrees, nodding. “But maybe it makes it a little less wrong.”

I glare out the window, muttering a curse. I can’t believe he’s saying this. Him, of all people. I expected him to be silently seething with disapproval, not taking her side.

Not admiring her.

“You’ve been alone a long time, Liam. If you were careful—”

My temper breaks. I glare at him and thunder, “I won’t risk her life!”

Declan’s expression doesn’t change. His grip stays loose on the steering wheel, his gaze doesn’t dart away in panic. He simply meets my eyes in the mirror and tells me a devastating truth.

“You say that like you haven’t already.”

I grit my teeth and look out the window, hating that he’s right. Hating myself for letting it get this far.

I had a chance, when all I was doing was memorizing her profile while she poured me bad coffee. Before I knew the particular way she falls asleep. What her skin smells like after a shower. How her body feels pressed against mine.

How deeply satisfying it feels to protect her.

No, more than satisfying—fulfilling.

As if it were the thing I was born to do.

But I can’t undo what I’ve done. I can’t go back to that first day I saw her eleven months ago, helping an old woman cross a busy boulevard, stopping traffic by holding up her hand as the light turned from red to green. I can’t unfeel what I felt when she glanced up and our eyes met through the windshield for a moment before she turned her attention back to the old woman doddering by her side.

She was beautiful, but I’ve seen a thousand beautiful girls.

Never one who looked so fierce, though.

With her jaw set and her mouth pinched and her brows drawn together, she looked like she’d rip the head off anyone who dared to honk his horn at the painfully slow progress she and her elderly friend were making.

She was a lioness. Even without opening her mouth, I heard her roar.

So yes, it was simple curiosity that made me tell Declan to pull over. Yes, it was on a whim that I watched her wave goodbye to the old woman when they reached the other side of the street. Yes, I fully admit it was foolish of me to follow her into Buddy’s Diner, and to sit in her section that first time.

But it was sheer stupidity that I kept coming back.

As long as I was out of the country, I could tell myself I wouldn’t see her again. I thought I had the strength to stay away. But as soon as I returned, the wanting rushed back. The pull to see those clear green eyes. The need to hear that lilting voice and see that shy smile and be near her, if only for a moment.

Now, because I indulged myself, I’m well and truly fucked.

Because need and want have turned into something more powerful. Something darker and far more perilous, for us both.

So now I have two options.

Option one: claim her.

Option two: give her up.

I can’t bring myself to do either.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads /Pinterest / Instagram /

A former headhunter, J.T. Geissinger is the author of more than a dozen novels in contemporary romance, paranormal romance, and romantic suspense.

She is the recipient of the Prism Award for Best First Book, the Golden Quill Award for Best Paranormal/Urban Fantasy, and is a two-time finalist for the RITA® Award from the Romance Writers of America®. Her work has also finaled in the Booksellers’ Best, National Readers’ Choice, and Daphne du Maurier Awards.

Join her Facebook reader’s group, Geissinger’s Gang, to take part in weekly Wine Wednesday live chats and giveaways, find out more information about works in progress, have access to exclusive excerpts and contests, and get advance reader copies of her upcoming releases.

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Scandalous Scot by Cecelia Mecca & Julie Johnstone-a review

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Scandalous Scot (Highlanders Through Time #4) by Cecelia Mecca & Julie Johnstone-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 19, 2020

Hᴇ sᴛᴏʟᴇ ᴀ ᴋɪss, ᴀɴᴅ ꜰᴏᴜɴᴅ ᴀ ᴡɪꜰᴇ.

Ian McCaim is used to following in his brother’s footsteps—even if it takes him to medieval Scotland. When he finally completes the time travel ritual, the magic lands him next to Hightower Castle and his big brother, Greyson, is there to greet him. As soon as the rest of the family returns to Hightower, the McCaims can finally go home, but in the meantime, Greyson has a task for Ian: charm the man whose son is fated to play a pivotal role in the Scottish War of Independence. An easy task—or at least it would be if Ian were capable of behaving himself.

After a lifetime of having endured stares, Màiri Kelbrue is used to being looked at—the strange mark on her cheek ensures it. So when the handsome man she encounters near her father’s loch gawks at her, she assumes the worst. Until he kisses her. The passion she feels for the stranger stuns her—she’d thought to marry her childhood friend, but never once did he make her feel like this. And then the unimaginable happens—when the stranger escorts her home, he tells her very religious father exactly what happened between them.

Within a sennight, Ian and Màiri are rushed to the altar. Ian plans to return to the future sooner rather than later, but the bride he didn’t ask for soon becomes the only thing he wants. What will he do when it’s time to go home?

•••••••

REVIEW: Scandalous Scot by Cecelia Mecca and Julie Johnstone is the fourth and final novel in the Highlanders Through Time series. This is the story of Ian McCaim and Lady Mairi, daughter of Alexander Kelbrue, laird of Clan Kelbrue.

This is the fourth and final novel of this fabulous time traveling series, and it’s a very professionally written and plotted work. The characters are each different, even though brothers, each McCaim brother has their own personality and issues. The love interests have all been special and perfectly suited to each brother. This novel is as well.

Ian is the baby brother and has never felt he quite new his place. He works for his father and brother’s company as the head of PR. He’s well gifted with being able to deal with people to be sure, but it’s just not what he wants. However, he has been unable to express that to his family.

Ian does the chant, which works. The cross goes with him because he’s the only one left holding it. He wakes up in Scotland, laying in knee deep snow. As he feels better, he stands and walks up a hill to see a large three towered castle not far away. He tells the guards he’s lost. When two men come out toward him, he’s gobsmacked to see his brother Greyson in clothing of the period carrying a weapon. Surprises just kept coming as he learns that all his brothers have found wives.

A week later, after being introduced to the clan and informed of a few things, Ian was traveling with Grey and his Uncle Ross to a neighboring clan to help convince them to support Robert the Bruce, while they also waited for the rest of the family to come to Hightower. He got himself a little away from the others by wandering around. He came upon a young woman who he thought looked hurt. As he got closer, he saw past her hooded coat and thought she was perfection. He was immediately drawn to her. He introduced himself as Ian MacKinnish (the identity they are using) and asked if she was okay. Mairi was also drawn to the handsome man she’d never seen and fought herself not to reach out to touch him. She told him she was hurt but was now better. He reached out and touched her cheek and things progressed quickly from there.

Okay, that’s the setup. I won’t spoil this marvelous read for you. Just know that Ian is a bit impetuous and the story takes off from there. There are also a lot more details than I’ve given you, but you really need to read this for yourself to understand.

This series has been a delight to read. It’s so well done and has had so much danger, unusual things happening. It’s been a real treat to take the time traveling ride with these guys. Authors Julie Johnston and Cecelia Mecca have done a wonderous job writing these novels. If you haven’t started this series, don’t wait longer…it’s all ready for you!

Reading Order and Previous Reviews

Sinful Scot
Sexy Scot
Seductive Scot

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Georgianna

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