Monthly Archives: June 2020

Rich Prick by Tijan-Review, Excerpt & Giveaway Tour

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Rich Prick by Tijan-Review, Excerpt & Giveaway tour

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

Add RICH PRICK to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/2ArZt5G

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release ate June 15, 2020.

He walked into school on his first day and owned it.
I guess that’s what happens when you’re a prick, rich, and you’re best friends with the ruling school’s king.
Also didn’t hurt he’s drop dead gorgeous.
That’s all fine.
I mean, I have nothing to do with them.
I’m a loner, invisible, and that’s how I wanted it to be.
I was even proud of it, until I wasn’t.
Until I saw a girl kneel before him.
Until I couldn’t look away.
Until he caught me watching.
His name is Blaise Devroe. My name is Aspen Monson.
He only knew how to get, command, and demand attention.
I knew how to do everything but that.
And this is our story.

•••••••

REVIEW:RICH PRICK by Tijan is a stand alone, contemporary, YA/NA, erotic, romance story line set in the author’s Crew Series and Fallen Crest World. This is high school seniors Blaise Devroe and Aspen Monson’s story line. Aspen is Nate Monson ‘s sister (Fallen Crest High), and Blaise is the half-brother to Cross (Crew 1 & 2). RICH PRICK can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the original series is revealed where necessary. Several characters cross over for cohesion and familiarity.

NOTE: If you have not read the author’s Crew Series or Fallen Crest, there may be some spoilers in my review.

WARNING: Although the characters are high school seniors, the story contains graphic sexual scenarios intended for mature readers.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Blaise and Aspen) RICH PRICK follows the building relationship between high school seniors Blaise Devroe and Aspen Monson. Blaise Devroe’s return to Fallen Crest High, for his final few months of senior year, comes with the adulation and power trip for the popular crowd but quiet student Aspen Monson keeps to herself, secretly stalking our story line hero. With a reputation that precedes his introduction to our story line heroine, Blaise is the new leader of the Fallen Crest Crew, a leader who is about to be taken down by a girl who struggles with loss and loneliness in a world surrounded by money and fame. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Aspen and Blaise, and the potential fall-out as Blaise’s temper threatens his relationship with Aspen, and his relationship with the people he loves.

Blaise Devroe keeps secret a dark and tormented past including the revelations about a family he never knew. With his best friend Zeke, Blaise becomes the man to beat but a man who beats himself on a daily basis. Aspen Monson is a lonely young woman whose parents are too busy with their own lives to remember their daughter back home. Having lost one brother, and the other barely acknowledging her existence, Aspen is often on her own, preferring to watch from the sidelines until the day she can finally walk away.

The relationship between Aspen and Blaise is one of immediate attraction but Aspen finds herself the voyeur for a number of Blaise’s sexual conquests. Unable to forget about the green eyed beauty caught watching our hero in action, Blaise searches out Aspen Monson, and their relationship begins to surpass anything they could have imagined. The $ex scenes are intimate and erotic 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 Blaise’s group of friends: Zeke Allen, Brian, Branston, Jamie Conway and Oliver Ashlome; his brother Cross and his girlfriend Bren, and sister Tasmin,; his mother’s husband Griffith, his father Stephen, as well as his ex-girlfriend Mara Daniels; Aspen’s brother Nate, their parents, and housekeeper Miss Sandy.

RICH PRICK is a story of family dysfunction, tempers, secrets and lies; betrayal, grief, love and acceptance. The premise is engaging, entertaining and captivating; the characters are young and aggressive; the romance is seductive and intense. As per most YA story lines, the adults are mostly oblivious and absent, wrapped up in their own worlds and problems; the mean/jealous girls are an early threat; the potential for a love triangle is dangled but never comes to fruition. The male lead as well as the secondary and supporting characters are very sexually active and somewhat misogynistic. If you are a fan of Tijan’s FALLEN CREST HIGH and CREW Series, this one’s for you.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

 

I’d done my research. Zeke Allen’s cabin was set a good ten miles away from the nearest neighbors. I should’ve been in the clear to sneak onto their land, do a little freestyle camping, and listen to the party sounds like the loser I was. But noooo. I was about to get company.
As I snuck out of my tent, and realized who it was, I almost crapped my pants.
It was Blaise DeVroe, holding hands with Mara Daniels.
As popular girls went, Mara Daniels was one of the nicer ones. She was on the dance team. Dark hair. Shorter, but athletic. The problem with Mara was that she was friends with the other popular girls. Some of them were nasty—hence the reason I wasn’t friends with them. Not that they’d tried to get to know me. Not that I even registered on their radar. But then again, that’s what I did.
I didn’t engage. I didn’t attend. I was on the edge. I was the invisible girl, and here I was, being the invisible girl once more, but man…
When I saw it was him, and then saw how his hand went from holding hers and guiding her to a tree to slipping around and grabbing her ass, something came over me. I couldn’t retreat back to my tent. I couldn’t even stay hidden behind a tree and just listen.
I know, I know. This was all sorts of wrong, but Blaise was Blaise.
He’d become the guy in my dreams, my weird schoolgirl fantasies. He was my high school crush. Everyone had one. If you didn’t, you’re even weirder than me, and that’s saying something. So when I started salivating over Blaise DeVroe, I kinda just let myself go. I mean, nothing was ever going to happen. Guys like him didn’t date girls like me. They didn’t even notice girls like me.
I wasn’t crazy. That’d make me all sorts of delusional.
I was a realist. I knew my place in life’s hierarchy. I was at the bottom. I was not the very bottom—because of my family—but socially, I was barely one rung up the ladder.
Anyway, when Blaise started kissing Mara, when Mara knelt in front of him, when she opened his pants—I lost all train of thought.
And, oh my God.
My whole body was awash with sensations, and I was captivated. Captivated! Entranced. Mesmerized.
I could not look away.
Then I felt throbbing and a warm feeling between my legs, and it was game over. It was all I could do not to make a sound, because I wanted to. So bad. I wanted to moan. I wanted to touch myself, but I didn’t. I kept myself reined in, but watch? Oh yeah. I watched.
I couldn’t not watch.
I watched the whole thing.
I loved the whole thing.
And then at the end of it, I almost died. 


 

Tijan is a New York Times Bestselling author that writes suspenseful and unpredictable novels. Her characters are strong, intense, and gut-wrenchingly real with a little bit of sass on the side. Tijan began writing later in life and once she started, she was hooked. She’s written multi-bestsellers including the Carter Reed Series, the Fallen Crest Series, and the Broken and Screwed Series among others. She is currently writing a new YA series along with so many more from north Minnesota where she lives with a man she couldn’t be without and an English Cocker she adores. 

Connect with Tijan

Amazon: https://amzn.to/30oxe0f

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/tijansbooks

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

Reader Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TijansFanPage/

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2EcGBqB

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/tijan

Website: http://www.tijansbooks.com/

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

To celebrate, Tijan is giving away a $50 Gift Card.
Click here to enter → http://www.tijansbooks.com/rich-prick-giveaway.html

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A LITTLE BIT WICKED by Melissa Foster-Review & Giveaway Tour

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A LITTLE BIT WICKED (The Wickeds: Dark Knights at Bayside #1) by Melissa Foster-Review and Giveaway Tour

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

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date June 17, 2020

Set on the sandy shores of Cape Cod, the Wickeds feature fiercely protective heroes, strong heroines, and unbreakable family bonds. If you think bikers are all the same, you haven’t met the Dark Knights. The Dark Knights are a motorcycle club, not a gang. Their members stick together like family and will stop at nothing to keep their communities safe. Their stories are told in the same loving, passionate voice readers have come to adore from Melissa. Some of the Wickeds’ love stories will be hilariously fun, others will tear at your heartstrings with injections of humor, but they will all leave you wishing you could climb between the pages and join them!

In A LITTLE BIT WICKED…
What do a cocky biker and a businesswoman who has sworn off dating bad boys have in common? According to Chloe Mallery, not much.

Justin came into the Wicked family after a harsh upbringing by a thieving father. He’s gone through a lot to become a true Wicked, and he’s made them proud. Now he’s ready to show the woman he loves exactly what type of man he is. But Chloe has worked hard to move past her difficult upbringing, and she’s wary of getting involved with a man who looks like he’s walked right out of it. When tragedy strikes, will their trying pasts draw them together, or will Justin’s protective nature be too much for Chloe’s independent heart to accept?

•••••••••••

REVIEW: A LITTLE BIT WICKED is the first instalment in Melissa Foster’s contemporary, adult THE WICKEDS: DARK KNIGHTS AT BAYSIDE erotic, romance series focusing on the residents of Bayside Cape Cod, and the members of the Dark Knights motorcycle club. This is biker/ sculptor Justin ‘Maverick’ Wicked, and twenty-nine year old, director of the assisted living facility Chloe Mallery’s story line. A LITTLE BIT WICKED and The Wickeds: Dark Knights at Bayside is a spin off from the author’s Bayside Summers and its’ numerous franchises.

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

Told from dual third person perspectives (Justin and Chloe) A LITTLE BIT WICKED follows the friends to lovers relationship between is biker/ sculptor Justin Wicked, and twenty-nine year old, director of the assisted living facility Chloe Mallery. Justin Wicked has lusted after Chloe Mallery since the day they first met but Chloe continues to place Justin in the ‘friend zone’ until a late night heart to heart reveals a similar past of heart break and pain. As Chloe and Justin’s relationship crosses into the area of romance and love, our couple find themselves pulled into the family, friendships and growing relationships of the people in Bayside, and the protective bubble of the Dark Knights MC but all is not well on the flipside for our story line couple as they both struggle with demons from the past. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Chloe and Justin, and the potential fall-out as Chloe finds herself with some unwanted attention that threatens her safety, and peace of mind.

Justin Wicked is the adopted son of Rob ‘Preacher’ and Reba Wicked but a past mired in abuse and the darkened memories of a time long ago often find Justin lost in his head with guilt and grief about was and what will never be. Meeting Chloe Mallery gave Justin hopes for a future but Chloe continues to give mixed messages between their friendship and wanting more, as she traverses the late night dating apps to no avail.

The relationship between Chloe and Justin is one of a friends to lovers; an immediate attraction that does not go unnoticed by family and friends. Chloe secretly becomes Justin’s ‘Uptown Girl’, as Justin becomes Chloe’s bada$$ bikerboy but Chloe isn’t looking for a bad boy, having lived her life watching her mother’s numerous men, come and go. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and intense, 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 couples we met in the Bayside Summers series as well as Chloe’s sister Serena and her husband Drake; Justin’s parents Preacher and Reba, his sister Madigan, and brothers Blaine, Zeke and Zander, and cousins Tank and Dwayne Wicked. Tank and Leah’s story is next in The Wicked Aftermath.

The world building is detailed, descriptive and engaging but a little bit darker than most of the author’s previous series. I am a big fan of the darker romances-the conflict, the vulnerability and the anxious moments all leading to a requisite happily ever after.

A LITTLE BIT WICKED is a story of family, friendships, betrayal and love. The premise is captivating, compelling and encouraging; the romance is seductive and erotic; the characters are dynamic, charismatic and animated…but I did have one complaint and it was the 137 times the author used ‘baby’ and 52 times the use of the word ‘babe’-at one point I thought Justin had forgotten our heroine’s name. Definitely something to think about for future stories, editors and proof readers. A LITTLE BIT WICKED is a wonderful, tenacious and emotionally satisfying introduction to THE WICKEDS: DARK KNIGHTS AT BAYSIDE erotic, romance series.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews for The Whiskeys
Tru Blue
Truly Madly Whiskey
Driving Whiskey Wild
Wicked Whiskey Love
Mad About Moon
Taming My Whiskey

Reading Order and Previous Reviews for Bayside Summers:
Bayside Desires
Bayside Passions
Bayside Heat
Bayside Escape
Bayside Romance
Bayside Fantasies

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

 

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

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

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

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

Find Melissa on the following sites….
NOTE: The Reading Cafe is NOT responsible for the rafflecopter giveaway. If you have any questions, please contact the tour provider.

NOW FOR THE AUTHOR’S GIVEAWAY

Win a Bayside Desires ebook – 2 Winners
Open Worldwide

Ending on Sunday, 5th July at 11.59pm EST
Enter Below and Good Luck !!

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Small Town, Big Secrets by Elsie Davis – a Review

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Small Town, Big Secrets by Elsie Davis – a Review

 

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

 

Description:
To save her son, shy but determined waitress Becky McAllister would do just about anything. But she never expected “anything” to include the brother of the man who broke her heart.

Steve Parker needs a wife, now, if he has any hopes of winning his local DA election and becoming the advocate for the underserved he’s always dreamed of being. The sweet waitress seems like just the person—if he can get her to agree.

One year of marriage—no strings, no personal attachments. Becky gets the insurance funds she needs for her son’s surgery while Steve’s poll ratings soar. Neither planned on a commitment in their future, so they should have no problem making it through the year without getting emotionally involved, right?

Except Becky’s holding on to a secret from her past—one that would change everything.

 

Review:

I quite enjoyed Small Town, Big Secrets by Elsie Davis.  It’s a quick read with a good pace of storytelling.  Both Becky and Steve, even though they come from different sides of the tracks, wind up really complimenting each other.  They brought a nice balance to each other’s live and the story. I was really happy to see that Steve was nothing like his brother Jack.  These two are complete opposites and his brother is a complete jackass, for lack of a better word.  Even though the story is about Becky and Steve I found that Becky’s son Byron just stole the show every time he was in a scene.  Byron is one of those characters you wind up adoring from the instant you meet him. We learn that Byron is really Jack’s son, but no one has ever learned the truth because Mr. Jackass has blackmailed poor Becky into keeping the secret of Byron’s paternity.  However, the moment he and Steve meet, you see that instant connection.  Steve has his suspicions but doesn’t push Becky for answers right away and this allows for him and Bryon to really bond and get to know each other.  Their relationship is so stinking cute you can’t help but root for Steve to win over Becky in the end. 

Steve and Becky’s road to happiness doesn’t happen over night. I liked that Ms. Davis keeps these characters real and makes them deal with real problems and fears going down the path they decided upon to help each other out. Both Steve and Becky make a deal to pretend to be in love for the benefits that a deal like this can be for both of them, not realizing that they would really develop feelings and fall in love for each other.  Yes there was some angst, drama, and bumps in the road for our couple along the way, but in the end Ms. Davis somehow managed to tie it all together in a sweet and charming way that only Steve could pull off, and deliver that HEA they all deserve including Byron. 

If you like the small town story-line theme, with solid characters and storytelling then this one’s for you.  Just grab your favourite cup of tea or glass of wine and settle in outside on a beautiful day and enjoy the adventure that is Becky and Steve. 

Until next time, happy reading everyone!

Reviewed by Marcie

Copy provided by Publisher

 

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Fifth a Fury (Goddess Isles #5) by Pepper Winters-Review tour

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Fifth a Fury (Goddess Isles #5) by Pepper Winters-Reviewm Excerpt & Giveaway tour

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

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date June 16, 2020

“There was a beginning once. A beginning that started with being sold to a monster I fell for. There was an ending once. An ending that came cloaked in bloodshed and fury.”

Eleanor Grace is a simple mortal who has the power to topple a god. She captured his heart, fed him a different future, and fought for a fantasy that wasn’t make-believe but destiny.
Sully Sinclair is a man masquerading as a monster. He let down his shields and allowed a goddess to show him a simpler path. However, neither of them could predict the war that was coming, nor the toll it would take.
A fated romance.
A fight that will finish in tears.

•••••••

REVIEW: FIFTH A FURY is the fifth and final instalment in Pepper Winters’ contemporary, adult GODDESS ISLES dark, erotic romance series focusing on thirty-three year old, billionaire Sullivan Sinclair, and his captive Eleanor ‘Jinx’ Grace. The GODDESS ISLES series is set in the same world as the author’s MONSTERS IN THE DARK and the INDEBTED series. FIFTH A FURY should not be read as a stand alone as it picks up immediately after the events and cliff hanger of book four FOURTH A LIE

WARNING: Due to the graphic violence and dark content, there may be some triggers for more sensitive readers.

SOME BACKGROUND: At twenty-one years old, Eleanor Grace was kidnapped, violated and drugged on her way to becoming a sexual slave. A prisoner in a gilded cage, Eleanor, along with several other girls, are either the willing sexual partner in a fantasy island paradise, or find themselves forced into a lifetime of suffering and pain. Purchased by billionaire Sullivan Sinclair, Eleanor is defiant to the end but a defiance that will come with a price. Four years a slave, Eleanor is about to discover that all is not well on the island paradise or with the man who now dominates and governs every aspect of her life.

If you have not read the first four instalments, there may be some spoilers in my review.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Eleanor and Sully) FIFTH A FURY picks up immediately after the cliff hanger and events of book four wherein Eleanor Grace, now a prisoner of Sully’s past, has been forced off the island that has become her home. Having let down his guard, Sullivan Sinclair’s life will spiral out of control, losing the woman he loves to a monster whose evil and pathological predilections threaten the stability of the islands, the people, and any chance at a happily ever after. As Sully battles for his life, Eleanor will take control of the man that she loves, and the protection of everything that matters in the end.

FIFTH A FURY is a dark story of brutal savagery, vengeance, betrayal and love; a twisted struggle for power between two brothers who have spent a lifetime battling one another for control, and now Eleanor Grace is the ultimate prize. FIFTH A FURY is dramatic, intense and heart stopping; emotional and theatrical; sensual, revealing and ultimately satisfying. Pepper Winters writes decadently dark stories of obsession and love.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Once a Myth
Twice a Wish
Third a Kiss
Fourth a Lie

Have yet to start the series? Book one-ONCE A MYTH is ONLY 99¢

ebook ONLY 99¢ Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Google Play

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Read the first chapter here!

 

Pepper Winters is a multiple New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today International Bestseller.

After chasing her dreams to become a full-time writer, Pepper has earned recognition with awards for best Dark Romance, best BDSM Series, and best Hero. She’s an multiple #1 iBooks bestseller, along with #1 in Erotic Romance, Romantic Suspense, Contemporary, and Erotica Thriller. With 19 books currently published, she has hit the bestseller charts twenty-six times in three years.

Pepper is a Hybrid Author of both Traditional and Self-published work. Her Pure Corruption Series was released by Grand Central, Hachette.

Her books have garnered foreign interest and are currently being translated into numerous languages, including already released titles in Italian and Turkish. Audio Books for her entire back-list will be available in 2017.

STALK Pepper: Website | Pinterest | Facebook | Twitter | Blog | Goodreads

Enter the Release Day Giveaway here!

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Secrets Hidden in The Glass/Aftermath of Secrets by Cate Beauman

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Secrets Hidden in The Glass/Aftermath of Secrets (Carter Island 1-2 ) by Cate Beauman-Reviews, Excerpt & Giveaway

SECRETS HIDDEN IN THE GLASS
Carter Island #1
by Cate Beauman
Genre: adult, contemporary, romantic, suspense

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

Goodreads: http://tiny.cc/SHIG_Goodreads

Release Date: October 12, 2017

The secrets of the past are always closer than we think…

Stained glass artist Callie Davis is in desperate need of a vacation. Burnt out and on the edge of a nervous breakdown, she’s fleeing the pressures of her career and is taking refuge on Massachusetts’ tiny Carter Island. Callie yearns for long, lazy days and pretty walks on the beach—blessed solitude and an escape from the complications of her life. Then she bumps into gorgeous Nate Carter and everything changes.

Sheriff Nathan Carter couldn’t be happier now that the height of the summer season has finally come and gone. After four endless months, tourists have packed their bags and headed for the mainland. The quiet days of autumn are about to befall the town—the way Nate and his fellow Sandersonians like it best.

But nothing ends up quite the way Nate expects when he meets the beautiful blonde with the big blue eyes. Callie’s pretty smiles hide secrets—deep, dark mysteries that could cost them both their lives if they continue digging into the past and cross a killer’s path.

•••••••••

REVIEW: Secrets Hidden in the Glass is a contemporary romance/murder mystery. It’s book one of the Carter Island Series. WOW! Where to begin? I’ve just finished reading this fantastic novel and I’m reeling. I don’t do spoilers, and no one would want this one spoiled, ever! So, let me set you up with the basics and then tell you what I found so enthralling.

The story starts with a bang of mystery and just keeps coming. Callie is found in a Hartford, Connecticut diner on July 5th, 1995. It seems she was dropped off by her mother and abandoned. She doesn’t remember her mother’s name (mommy) or her last name. She’s only four, that much she knows.

Chapter Two goes forward to September of 2017. Callie is grown up and is an internationally famous artist. Her chosen medium is stained glass and her works command a huge price, the demand is constant and she’s incredibly stressed. She’s decided to take a vacation, something she’s never done since college. She’s taking a ferry to Carter Island, Massachusetts. She’s rented a cottage and arrives to find a man in the kitchen, fixing the pipes under the sink. When he sticks his head out from the cabinet, the sparks fly, and the story truly begins.

Nate Carter is handsome, well built, and the sheriff of Carter Island. Oh yes, he’s also her landlord. Nate has lived on Carter Island most his life. He’s five years divorced from his childhood sweetheart and is instantly smitten with Callie. However, he’s perceptive and sees that she’s shy and needs to unstress. He gives her both space and time as he charms his way into getting to know the lovely Callie.

Okay, that’s an extremely basic setup. There’s much more to the first two chapters, but you need to read them yourself to get the feel of this magnificent story. Let me tell you the stuff that enthralled me.

Author Cate Beauman has done a marvelous job plotting the story and bringing it all along naturally as she spins a huge web of romance, intrigue, and danger. She develops the characters and plot deftly building their robust personalities without large dumps of information. You feel like you’re actually on the island and like you know these people and their community. The love scenes are swoon-worthy and add so much to the building relationship. You get thoroughly mired into the building mystery of Callie’s biological mother and her disappearance. Did she abandon her daughter?

This is a marvelous story and I’m ready for the next one. If you love romance and a good who done it, do yourself a huge favor and grab a copy of this one. It’s both romantic and thrilling at the same time. I’m on to the next in this series and I can’t wait for more. Write Cate Beauman, write, write, write! I need more!

____________

AFTERMATH OF SECRETS
Carter Island #2
by Cate Beauman
Genre: adult, contemporary, romantic, suspense

Goodreads: http://tiny.cc/AOS_Goodreads

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

Boston’s Most Eligible Bachelor has it all: good looks, a great career, and plenty of wealth and prestige. But Bradley Sanderson’s charmed life quickly falls apart when scandal rocks his famous family. Arrests have been made; the media circus has begun, and Brad’s been tasked with the daunting chore of restoring the Sandersons’ good name. Moving back to Carter Island and picking up the pieces hasn’t been easy, especially when the one person he needs the most won’t give him the time of day.

Bakery owner and island resident Molly Carter is loyal to her core, but that doesn’t mean Brad’s homecoming hasn’t left her torn. Brad’s darkest days aren’t lost on Molly, but reaching out to her lifelong friend isn’t so simple when she’s forced to guard her heart. Everything changed when she woke up alone after their sexy summer night.

The complications keep coming when Brad’s long-lost brother shows up in town, bringing the remnants of his checkered past with him. Forgiveness and redemption are possible for all, until new secrets come to light that may have dire consequences.

••••••••

REVIEW:Aftermath of Secrets is the second novel in the Carter Island Series. Usually, the second book in a series is good, but not exactly as good as the first. Not so with this series! I loved the first novel and I’ve swooned and cried over the second.

If you’ve read the first novel, you’ll love this story. It’s the story of Molly and Brad. They’ve known each other all their lives, but the road to finding love and peace is as turbulent as the ferry ride on a bad weather day! However, it’s so worth the effort.

Author Cate Beauman has a remarkably successful series on her hands with the first two of this series.

Molly Carter has lived on Carter Island all her life, except culinary school. It’s her home. She owns and operates the Carter Island Deli and Bakery. Her business is booming because she bakes the most delectable food and desserts. She’s been attracted to Brad most of her life, but she’s disappointed in him and herself for having one night of hot sweaty sex, and she thinks spoiled their relationship.

Brad has the weight of the world on his shoulders right now. He’s trying to do his best for his family in the aftermath of the last month. (I’m not telling what happened, I don’t want to spoil the first novel for anyone who hasn’t read it yet…what’s keeping you?) He has no one. He thinks Molly isn’t speaking to him and he misses her so much. He’s not sure how to fix this, but he wants to.

Okay, that’s the basic setup. I won’t spoil either of the novels by saying too much about the storyline. Let me tell you what I love about this series.

Author Cate Beauman has created a rich and fully developed community. Her characters are complex and yet distinct in their personalities. The conversations are realistic and intriguing. Storylines range from mysterious and dangerous to agonizingly personal. So far, all the novels are incredibly sexy and loving. Makes you want to take a vacation there or better yet, move there.

The best advice I can offer is grab your favorite beverage (wine for me) and a box of tissues. Settle in for a wonderful read. I simply hate to have to wait for the next novel in this exceptional new series, but I will. I can’t wait to see where this goes next.

Copies supplied for review

Reviews by Georgianna S

“What do you think it’s been, five or six years since you’ve been home for more than a week in a row?”

Brad nodded slowly. “Yeah, something like that.”

“It’s like the good old days.”

He shrugged, pushing off the wall, moving her way. “Sort of.”

Molly winced, foolishly forgetting that life for Brad was currently unrecognizable. “I guess that was pretty dumb of me to say.”

“No, I just meant Nate isn’t here hanging out in his boxers, and I haven’t done this yet.”

She frowned. “What?”

“Dunked you,” he said as he pressed his hand on top of her head and sent her under.

She sank beneath the watery depths, slapping at his hand and arm as he kept her submerged for a good three or four seconds. She came up sputtering and glaring. “You idiot.” She coughed again. “Are you trying to drown me?”

He dismissed her with a chuckle and flippant raise of his brow. “So dramatic. We had about three minutes before we needed to start worrying about brain damage.”

Her eyes narrowed again. “Oh, you’re dead,” she said, gritting her teeth, charging after him.

He laughed, swimming away.

But they were well-matched, both of them excellent swimmers. All the Sanderson and Carter kids had had numerous lessons in their younger days due to their proximity to the Atlantic.

She hooked her arm around his neck, maneuvered her way onto his back, and sent them both underwater, her legs locking around his waist to keep her leverage. But his sheer size and strength were her disadvantage.

Then they both surfaced for air, Brad laughing before she brought him under again. Within seconds, he had their positions reversed, and he held her against him, one arm wrapped around the front of her waist, the other around her shoulders as they came up for another draw of air.

His breath puffed against her neck in hot torrents as their legs brushed with their kicks to stay afloat, while he let her waist go and used his arm to tread water. “Molls, this is quite a predicament.”

He wasn’t kidding. She was pinned beneath his strong arm, and her back was pressed against his solid chest, with no choice but to grip his muscular forearm caging her in place. “Fine. You win.” She just needed him to let her go.

“That’s it? Since when do you give up so easy?”

Since he’d kissed her brainless and taken her to bed. “Since I realized it’s time to get home and get changed for your party at Nate and Callie’s.” She tried to move away from him.

He switched arms, now holding her around the waist, and began keeping their heads above water with his opposite arm. “No problem. Just say, Brad, you’re the best Scrabble player I know. I bow to you, you genius.”

She huffed out a laugh, raising her arm to the surface to help keep their chins from bobbing under. “I won. Three years in a row now.”

“Just luck.” He held her tighter, whispering next to her ear, his voice full of teasing. “You’re the best, Brad. That’s all I need to hear.”

“Broody Brad,” she murmured, knowing he hated it when she called him that—a slight from their childhood.

“What was that?” he asked, drilling his fingers into her side, tickling her.

She scream-laughed. “Damn it, Brad.” She fought him enough to turn and immediately realized her huge mistake as he held her chest to chest, and they stared into each other’s eyes.

He grinned. “This is certainly a situation.”

A droplet trailed down his face to land on his firm bottom lip, and his eyelashes were webbed together, making him even more irresistible than he already was. Her heart pounded, her pulse thundering in her throat, and she glared at him, needing to be free of him, well aware he was enjoying this far too much.

There was an undeniable attraction between them. All she had to do was press her mouth to his, and they would have a repeat of August. But they weren’t going there again. She wasn’t risking their friendship a second time.
 

Cate Beauman is the multi-award-winning, international bestselling author of The Bodyguards of L.A. County series and the Carter Island Novels. She is known for her full-length, action-packed romantic suspense and contemporary stories.

Cate’s novels have been named Readers’ Favorite Five Star books and have won the Booksellers’ Best Award, Maggie Award for Excellence, the Holt Medallion Award, two-time Aspen Gold Medal, two-time Readers’ Favorite International Gold Medal, three-time Readers’ Favorite International Silver Medal, and the Readers’ Crown Award.

Cate makes her home in New Hampshire with her family and their St. Bernards, Bear and Jack.

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The Legend of Gasparilla and His Treasure by Carolyn Arnold-Review

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The Legend of Gasparilla and His Treasure by Carolyn Arnold-a Review

 

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Description:
For centuries, the existence of Spanish pirate José Gaspar has been relegated to legend, but archaeologist and adventurer Matthew Connor and his friends may have just found reason to believe the buccaneer truly existed.
 
Rumored to have sailed and plundered the Gulf of Mexico and the Spanish Main during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, Gaspar would have amassed a vast fortune. But can Matthew and the gang prove myth as fact and find Gaspar’s priceless treasure? It will take courage and tenacity as the path to gold proves deadly—and even murderous once they discover the true identity and fate of the man nicknamed Gasparilla.

 

 

Review:

The Legend of Gasparilla and His Treasure by Carolyn Arnold is the 3rd book in her Matthew Connor Adventure series.  Matthew Connor, our hero, is a famed Archaeologist, and the lead in this series.  Matthew comes across as a modern-day Indiana Jones, and his two friends, Robyn & Cal, are always part of their escapades. This is an exciting & fun series, as Arnold takes us on an adventure to Spain, to find the lost treasure of a famous pirate, José Gaspar. 

Matthew is approached by a professor, who claims to have a diary of the famed pirate, that will lead them to where the treasure is.  At first, he and his friends decide they do not want to get involved, as they know nothing about this man.  But when they are attacked, Matthew, Robyn, Cal and the professor, Mel are on the run from someone trying to kill them. 

What follows is an exciting, action filled, intense, edge of your seat adventure that constantly has us in suspense.  Upon arriving in Spain, they with the help of an ally, manage to retrieve more information and a map from a museum, where a helper is killed.  They manage to survive, and head to where the map details the possibility of the buried treasure.  For every step they take, danger and death threaten from all sides. As in each of the books, there is the same villain, who once again steps in to take over the possible findings, and during a battle, they lose someone helping them.  There were so many dangerous situations they had me holding my breath. To tell too much more would be major spoilers, which would ruin it for you. You really need to read this book.

Carolyn Arnold has written an amazing story, describing everything in detail, giving us wonderful visions  of Spain, with the wreckage of the ship and a buried coffin.  I loved Matthew, Robyn and Cal, as they made a great team.  This was a fun and exciting book, which once again I thoroughly I enjoyed very much.  I look forward to more from the Matthew Connor Adventure series. Carolyn Arnold has created another winner.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy supplied for review

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Wild Horses on The Salt by Anne Montgomery-a review

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Wild Horses on The Salt by Anne Montgomery-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date June 14, 2020

A woman flees an abusive husband and finds hope in the wilds of the Arizona desert.

Rebecca Quinn escapes her controlling husband and, with nowhere else to go, hops the red-eye to Arizona. There, Gaby Strand – her aunt’s college roommate – gives her shelter at the Salt River Inn, a 1930’s guesthouse located in the wildly beautiful Tonto National Forest.

Becca struggles with post-traumatic stress, but is enthralled by the splendor and fragility of the Sonoran Desert. The once aspiring artist meets Noah Tanner, a cattle rancher and beekeeper, Oscar Billingsley, a retired psychiatrist and avid birder, and a blacksmith named Walt. Thanks to her new friends and a small band of wild horses, Becca adjusts to life in the desert and rekindles her love of art.

Then, Becca’s husband tracks her down, forcing her to summon all her strength. But can she finally stop running away?

•••••••

REVIEW: Wild Horses On The Salt by Anne Montgomery. Rebecca “Becca” Quinn is an abused woman. When she flees for her life she takes refuge at The Salt River Inn, in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona. The Salt River Inn is l owned by Gabriella Strand, who was her Aunt Ruthie’s college roommate. When her Aunt found out how bad things had become she knew Becca would be safe with Gaby.

Becca had gone to college to be a lawyer, but that was something she ended up hating. She was an artist with a soul that was starving to express itself. Later, she tries to call off her impending marriage to her husband, her mother guilts her into going through with it. Being that her future husband was quite wealthy. When Becca finally realizes that he will eventually kill her she tells her Aunt who helps her escape. As Becca begins her journey in the scenic Tonto National Forest, she finds healing and solace in the desert. She finds amazing people in Gaby, Walt and Noah Tanner. Noah knows that Becca needs healing. He becomes the friend that she needs to walk along side her through this journey of healing. Noah and her beautiful surroundings begin to reignite the fire in her soul to be an artist. But unfortunately Becca’s husband finds her and she will comes face to face with her abuser. Is she strong enough to stand her ground? Will she be able to survive.

This was a beautiful and sometimes dark story of abuse and PTSD. Becca recalling different events of abuse at times turned my stomach and made my heart ache for her. You can tell that the abuse has taken its toll on her. She finds friendship and understanding in Noah.

The story beautifully portrays the desert surroundings that lend to healing process for Becca!

An added bonus is the story of The Salt River Horses. What an amazing added Author Note at the end that further explains the situation. Even the acknowledgements at the end were quite interesting.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Erin K.

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Dream Maker (Dream Team #1) by Kristen Ashley-a review

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Dream Maker (Dream Team #1) by Kristen Ashley-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: RElease Date May 26, 2020

Evie is a bonafide nerd and a hyper-intelligent chick who has worked her whole life to get what she wants. Growing up, she had no support from her family and has only ever been able to rely on herself. So when Evie decides she wants to earn her engineering degree, she realizes she needs to take an alternative path to get there. She takes a job dancing at Smithie’s club thinking this would be a quick side gig, where she can make the money she needs. But with her lack of dancing skills and an alpha bad boy who becomes overly protective, Evie realizes this might not be as easy as she thought.

Daniel “Mag” Magnusson knows a thing or two about pain, but the mask he wears is excellent. No one can tell that this good-looking, quick-witted, and roguish guy has deep-seated issues. Mag puts on a funny-guy routine so he can hide his broken heart and PTSD. But when Evie dances her way into Mag’s life, he realizes that he needs to come face-to-face with the demons of his past if he wants a future with her.

•••••••

REVIEW:DREAM MAKER is the first instalment in Kristen Ashley’s contemporary, adult DREAM TEAM erotic, romance series. This is twenty-seven year old, exotic dancer/IT specialist Evan ‘Evie’ Gardiner, and thirty four year old, fixer Daniel “Mag” Magnusson’s story line. DREAM MAKER and the Dream Team series is a spin-off from the author’s Rock Chick, Chaos and Dream Man series.

Told from first person perspective (Evie) and third person (Daniel) DREAM MAKER follows in the aftermath of a blind date between Evie and Daniel that went all to h*ll. Evie’s brother Mick is in jail, once again, and has called in another favor from our story line heroine but said favor was about to put Evie in the direct line of fire forcing Daniel to claim Evie as his own, pulling her into a lifestyle she knew nothing about. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Evie and Daniel, and the potential fall-out as Mick’s involvement with the seedier side of the Denver underbelly places Evie and Daniel at risk, along with Evie’s friends and fellow dancers at Smithie’s club.

Evie Gardiner’s family is the poster family for troubled and dysfunctional, and the deeper Evie is pulled into Mick’s life, the more at risk our heroine becomes but Mick isn’t the only family member placing Evie at risk as the apples don’t fall far from the proverbial trees. Working two jobs in an effort help pay for future college tuition, Evie struggles with her family and their negative impact on all of her relationships.

Daniel ‘Mag’ Magnusson is a retired US army soldier, and struggles with PTSD, and issues of rage and anger having witnessed atrocities no one should ever have seen. Meeting Evie Gardiner gives Daniel hope for the future but Evie’s inability to say no to her family places everyone at risk including our story line hero.

The relationship between Evie and Daniel begins acrimoniously as Evie believes she isn’t worthy of love or affection. Their first date quickly spirals out of control, and soon thereafter, Daniel calls in his friends and co-workers, including members of the Chaos MC, and the Rock Chicks, for help and support. The $ex scenes are intimate, passionate and erotic but I struggle with the use of a certain four-letter word in my romance story lines.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful and familiar, secondary and supporting characters including Hawk, Auggie, Chaos MC member Kane ‘Tack ‘Allen; Mo, Elvira, Tex, Duke, Lottie, Axl, Boone, the Rock Chicks and their significant others; as well as Evie’s mother and father, and her step dad Rob; brother Mick; the ‘Dream Team’ dancers Ryn, Pepper, Ava; Lottie, and their boss Smithie; and Cicso aka Brett. The Rock Chicks reputation and life stories precedes their introduction to Evie’s fellow dancer,s and in this, Smithie’s girls want to be recognized for themselves, thusly calling the group the Dream Team. Ryn’s story is next in Dream Chaser.

DREAM MAKER is a story of family, friendship, betrayal and revenge. A story of a dysfunctional family unit who believe our heroine is expendable, using Evan Gardiner as their personal emotional punching bag. The premise is captivating and enjoyable; the characters are energetic and charismatic; the romance is seductive and intense-prepare for a case of insta-lust for Daniel ‘Mag’ Magnusson, and the use of baby and honey at every opportunity; and for fans of Kristen Ashley, a familiar formula as the heroine is kidnapped on more than one occasion.

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

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