Red Blood by Kaitlyn Legaspi – a Review

Red Blood by Kaitlyn Legaspi – a Review

 

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Description:
In the fifty-two domains, there exists two groups of people: The bound and unbound, those without powers and those with them. Only the unbound can hold the highest positions in the government: The Card Holders.

When her domain’s Card Holder dies, seventeen-year-old Neela Blydes is forced to participate in a tournament to find the unbound most worthy of leading the Queen of Hearts Domain.

But the tournament isn’t as glorious as it seems. It herds unique unbound known as Specialists into deadly combat. Winning by default is nonexistent and killing is permitted. 

As Neela progresses through the first few rounds, she realizes the tournament is just one of her worries. The burn scar on her left shoulder suddenly flares up at random times, an elite assassin marks her as his next target, and a frightening connection to the murderous rogue organization comes to light. 

While trying to deal with all these stresses weighing on her shoulders, one more appears in the form of a white-haired man with crimson eyes. 

Dangerously familiar crimson eyes….

 

 

Review:

Red Blood by Kaitlyn Legaspi is the first book in her new Card Holders series. A new author for me, and one I’m going to be adding to my reading list. 

We start in the past. Men in suits come, and kill her parents and force Neela and her brother to escape with nothing but their lives! Neela needs to hide who she is, she’s unbound yes, but someone pretty special, and she needs to be careful. Someone wants her dead, Or under their control!! 

Unbound? Bound? What or who are they? The Bound are people that can’t use abilities, so Unbound can. They all have different abilities, and most people are scared of them. And as Neela has two powers!! Then she’s doubly dangerous!!

So after their parents were killed, Neela and Jacen (Jacen is her older brother) make their way to a small hospital (Neela was injured in the attack) and that is where they have lived ever since, they’ve become adopted children of the doctor who treated them. 

Domain is an area you live in (like a town) and unfortunately she lives in the poorer area, but Neela and Jacen are pretty happy, that is until Neela is told she’s going to have to participate in the tournament. The tournament felt a little like divergent/hunger games. Staying alive gives you the chance at becoming the next leader in your domain. But everyone knows the tournament is a license to kill the unbound..

There are a few characters introduced early in the book, I have a feeling they are going to be with us for a while…..

Brochan Cordis is Jacen’s boss and is going to train Neela how to participate in the tournament, training is hard and Neela is left wondering how she’s going to survive the training and the tournament! Brochan is also associated with the domain they all live in (does he ulterior motives?)

We meet William Parker (or Will or Parker as he likes to be known) as the pilot that picks Neela and the gang after an incident that nearly sees Neela not entering the contest at all!! He’s going to be a friend an ally. 

Lily is Brochan’s sister and Parker’s wife. She works the computers and enters Neela into the tournament, she comes across as a big sister. 

Neela is wary of getting too close to people (other than her brother) but these people persevere and slowly gain Neela’s trust. 

Amil Galway and Neela meet, and they are not going to be friends. He antagonises her and gives her the nickname “shrimp” and wouldn’t you know it, he’s one of the contestants in the tournament (and a pretty powerful one) and in the Organisation (but they are getting hungry for power and domains) but getting to know him, Neela sees him as a sibling in the shadow of his older and more dangerous brother!! 

The tournament is a learning curve for Neela, she thought she was good (and a little cocky) but she was soon brought back down to earth with a bump!! Each round is surprise, but not as much as the personal attacks on Neela!!!  And who is Redd Ember? Friend or foe? Well after you’ve read this book, your going to know…..

So does Neela become the next Card Holder of the Queen of Hearts? Cliffhanger? Not really, but it does leave it open for the next book. Romance? A budding friendship, definitely. Romance? Who knows. YA? Definitely. The fight scenes are as graphic as an adult might read. 

Really well written, and really well thought out. If there is another book, I’m up to read it. 

Reviewed by Julie

Copy supplied for review

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My Sweet Enemy by Jenny Hartwell – a Review

My Sweet Enemy by Jenny Hartwell – a Review

 

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Description:
The only thing tempering their insta-hate is delicious attraction.

Sunny chocolatier Charlotte Beecher is unemployed, in student debt, and on the verge of hawking her beloved copper pots just to make ends meet. So when a gourmet chocolate factory chooses her as one of five candidates to help re-launch the company in their Charlie and the Chocolate Factory inspired competition, Charlotte begins to see a light at the end of the tunnel.

Fellow contestant Luke Wells complicates her plans to win by a landslide with his flow charts and marketing projections. Mr. Tall, Dark, and Haughty is all about the bottom line and is as bitter as she is sweet. And when he snubs Charlotte in the first challenge, misunderstanding or not, she transforms from cream puff to jawbreaker. Bring. It. On.

But when these two rivals find themselves distracted by delicious attraction, will they let their passion get in the way of winning the competition?

 

 

Review:

My Sweet Enemy by Jenny Hartwell is part of her Simone’s Chocolate series.

“Charlotte Beecher was having chocolate for breakfast.  Again……”

When a book starts with that sentence, how could you not pick it up and read it. And then throw in comedy, punchy one liners, and romance, well it sounds like a great recipe for a book. I don’t watch reality tv (I know shock right!) it just doesn’t appeal to me, but if it was made into a movie, I’d grab popcorn and M&S’s and watch it. 

Charlotte needs a new job, she left the last one after being taken for a ride, people not being replaced and Charlotte was having to pick up the slack!! And after three weeks she will take anything! Her money is dwindling away and she needs to prove to herself that she can do this…..

Luke needs to strike out on his own, he needs to show his father he can do a job without family trying to step in and help. Stiff and uncompromising, he can’t afford to fail……

They are both up for the same job, both bringing something unique. There are also a few other hopefuls all vying for the job. Becoming a chief of operations would set that person on their feet and open many doors. 

And when Luke and Charlotte first meet there is a spark, Charlotte is definitely interested, Luke doesn’t want to know, he hasn’t got time to waste on romance. But as Luke spends time with Charlotte, he sees behind the smiles, he sees a large heart and a lust for life (and chocolate) he gets pulled into her orbit, and struggles hard to ignore it. 

Laughs and passion aplenty in this book. Witty comebacks and sharp retorts had me chuckling. And sabotage and a little backstabbing (people are wanting the save job, you didn’t expect all five to be nice did you?) Five people all wanting the same job, but with five different people bringing five different skill sets how will one be picked? 

Different challenges are set to work out who is suitable for the job, chaos can be assumed and a few sneaky tactics are used!! I did like Charlotte, her Sunny disposition did make me smile, she tried really hard to make friends and be liked (which isn’t always easy). Luke I wanted to loosen up just a little bit more. I just loved her best friend Beth, so funny and a straight talker. She was there to offer support and to throw her in at the deep when she thought Charlotte needed it. 

My only gripe is the pettiness that once took hold, took a little time to get worked through (and a fair few pages are dedicated to this!). Don’t know if this is a Charlie and the chocolate factory comparison, but it is fun, and it will keep you busy for a few hours. But I’d grab some chocolate before you sit down (I ended up craving chocolate all the way through) ??❤️

Reviewed by Julie

Copy provided by Publisher

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My One Week Husband by Lauren Blakely-Review & Excerpt tour

My One Week Husband by Lauren Blakely-Review and Excerpt tour

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

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date February 17, 2021

A week-long trip. A fake marriage. And seven delicious nights with only one bed in the hotel room.

He’s my business partner, my good friend, and the man I’ve craved for years.
But I’ve resisted the sexy Brit, and I plan to keep up my walls because I’ve been there, done that, and I know how much it hurts when you let someone into your heart.
Then an opportunity comes along for us to snag the business deal of a lifetime.
The catch?
We need to pretend we’re married to pull off this high-stakes deal.
So the clever, charming man with secrets a mile deep becomes my temporary husband, as we travel around Europe. Soon, we fall into bed, tangled together like newlyweds who can’t keep their hands off each other.
One week to explore our fantasies, then we return to who we were.
But when I learn the dark secrets he’s been keeping, I doubt we can go back.
Because they change everything.

••••••

REVIEW: MY ONE WEEK HUSBAND by Lauren Blakely is a contemporary, adult, erotic romance story line set in the author’s THE EXQUISITE world. This is business partners and hoteliers, thirty three year old Scarlett Slade, and Daniel Stewart’s story line. MY ONE WEEK HUSBAND can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary. Scarlett and Daniel were first introduced in ONE EXQUISITE TOUCH as business partners of hotelier Cole Donovan.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Daniel and Scarlett) MY ONE WEEK HUSBAND follows British born Daniel Stewart, and his business partner Scarlett Slade on a business tour through France, and the potential acquisition of a new hotel to add to their growing billion dollar venture. In an effort to get up close and personal with prospective hotels, Daniel and Scarlett pose as husband and wife, a partnership that lead to a happily ever after but Daniel’s past has hardened his heart to love and forever, and Scarlett struggles with the failure of her first, a marriage she believed would last a life time. What ensues is the building romance and relationship, predicated upon a lie, between Scarlett and Daniel, and the potential fall-out as Daniel refuses to acknowledge the possibility of a future with our story line heroine.

Scarlett Slade never expected to fall for Daniel Stewart but our heroine is quickly discovering that there is more to Daniel than meets the eye. Posing as husband and wife, Scarlett and Daniel take their fake relationship to the next level, a relationship that becomes all too real for our story line hero. Daniel Stewart has lusted after his partner for as long as he can remember but Daniel refuses to open his heart to romance and love. Falling for Scarlett was easy, breaking her heart was about to destroy him from within.

The relationship between Scarlett and Daniel is a business partners to lovers, fake marriage between two people who struggle to move on from the past. Daniel never expected to enter into the hotel business, and Scarlett had to move out from under the heaviness of the destruction of her marriage. Journeying through France, Scarlett and Daniel would reveal their backstories, backstories that are heart breaking, emotional and sometimes dark. The $ex scenes are intimate, intense and steamy without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

The colorful and energetic secondary and supporting characters included business partner Cole Donovan, Scarlett’s parents, as well as several Parisians, and another couple honeymooning in Paris, France.

MY ONE WEEK HUSBAND is a story of loss and acceptance; romance and love. The premise is inviting and imaginative; the romance is spirited and edgy; the characters are broken, sassy, and animated.

Reading Order and Previous reviews
One Night Only
One Exquisite Touch

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

 

“Are you a doctor?” she counters, but she lets me inspect her injury.“I’m the doctor in the room,” I tease.

I ask where it hurts, and she points to her wrist, frowning. I run a thumb gently along that tender spot, that tantalizing place that can drive a woman wild.

If you touch her just right.

Which it seems I am doing, since Scarlett’s breath hitches.

“Daniel,” she whispers, her voice perhaps betraying her. “I’m fine. I swear I’m fine.”

I tuck my finger under her chin, lift it, and meet her gaze. “Are you sure?”

She nods, her eyes a little glossy. “I swear I am.”

“Let’s be certain.”

I lift her wrist to my face, my eyes on hers. Waiting for a sign. Waiting for more.

“Yes, please.”

So I bring her wrist to my lips and press a kiss to my business partner’s skin.

She lets out a low moan.

A groan works its way up my chest, and I swallow it down as I dust my lips over her pulse point.

I close my eyes, inhaling her, savoring the scent of her skin, of her lotion, of her Scarlett-ness.

I should move away. But she’s right here.

Images of last night’s fantasies flicker before me, along with the moment just now in front of the mirror, and how she looked at the reflection of her and me.

I open my eyes.

She nibbles on the corner of her lips, gazing down a me as I look up at her.

Is she thinking the same thing I am?

One kiss.

One taste.

That’s all.

I tamp down the groan in my throat as I breathe in.

Then, I take the next step.

I stand, gently take her uninjured hand, and carefully tug her up.

I reach toward her hair, tucking an errant strand behind her ear, testing to see if she’ll make that sound again.

That gasp. That hitch of her breath.

She does. It’s sensual and erotic, and it goes straight to my cock.

I do the one thing I’ve thought about doing for the last few years. The thing I’ve prided myself on resisting. I move closer, lean in, and press a kiss to her cheek.

It’s the same type of kiss I’ve given her every time we greet each other. But this time, I linger. I don’t back away. I simply brush my lips across her cheek and whisper, “All better now?”

 


 

A #1 New York Times Bestselling author, Lauren Blakely is known for her contemporary romance style that’s hot, sweet and sexy. She lives in California with her family and has plotted entire novels while walking her dogs. With fourteen New York Times bestsellers, her titles have appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestseller Lists more than eighty times, and she’s sold more than 2 million books. In October she’ll release HARD WOOD, a sexy, standalone romantic comedy. To receive an email when Lauren releases a new book, sign up for her newsletter! laurenblakely.com/newsletter

Website ** Facebook ** Twitter ** Newsletter ** Goodreads

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Hot for Love by Melissa Foster -Review & Giveaway Tour

Hot for Love (The Bradens & Montgomerys: Pleasant Hill – Oak Falls #7) ) by Melissa Foster -Review & Giveaway Tour

 

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date February 17 2021

Trixie Jericho is on a mission to start her own miniature horse business. She’s sick of being told her idea is cute and wants nothing more than to be taken seriously. When rancher and sought-after freestyle horse trainer Nick Braden offers an opportunity she can’t refuse, Trixie jumps on it. The problem is, she also wants to jump on him, but the bullheaded, big-muscled, motorcycle-riding cowboy doesn’t mix business with pleasure. Little does he know, Trixie has never backed down from a challenge, especially one she wants more than her next breath. Saddle up, big boy, because this boot-stompin’, risk-taking, Daisy Duke-wearing cowgirl isn’t afraid to play dirty.

LOVE IN BLOOM novels feature alpha male heroes and smart, empowered women. They’re flawed, funny, passionate, and relatable to readers who enjoy contemporary romance and women’s fiction.

•••••••••

REVIEW: HOT FOR LOVE is the seventh instalment in Melissa Foster’s contemporary, adult THE BRADENS & MONTGOMERY: PLEASANT HILL-OAK FALLS erotic, romance series –a spin off and companion to several of the author’s other series. This is rancher Patricia ‘Trixie’ Jericho, and thirty-one year old, freestyle horse trainer / rancher Nick Braden’s story line. HOT FOR LOVE can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Nick and Trixie) HOT FOR LOVE follows the best friends to lovers romance between rancher Trixie Jericho, and thirty-one year old, freestyle horse trainer and rancher Nick Braden. Trixie Jericho has plans to own and operate a miniature horse centre in her home town of Oak Falls, Virginia of which her horses would become therapy animals for hospitals, nursing homes, sick children, as well as birthday parties and fun. Trixie has asked her best friend Nick Braden to help with acquiring and training the miniature horses in Pleasant Hill, Maryland, placing her in the direct line of fire while she lives with our hero for up to one month. Nick Braden doesn’t do relationships, and struggles with the demons from his past. Always considered the glue that held together his family in the face of loss and adversity, Nick’s heart and emotions have been fractured but for the love he feels for his best friend Trix. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Trixie and Nick, and the potential fall-out as Trixie’s time with Nick comes to a close.

Nick Braden battles between head and heart refusing to cross the proverbial line between friendship and love. Years earlier, the family was torn apart by the death of a friend, a death that sent Nick’s siblings in different directions. Never giving love a chance, Nick has harbored feelings for Trixie but refuses to lose his best friend in the wake of a love affair gone bad. Trixie Jericho has loved Nick Braden for as long as she can remember but believes Nick is too busy with the ‘buckle bunnies’ on the rodeo circuit. Sitting on the sidelines watching the women throw themselves at the man that she loves, our heroine takes matters into her own hands in an effort to prove he is worthy of her love.

The relationship between Nick and Trixie is a best friend to lovers romance wherein Nick struggles with what happened years before, and the possibility of losing the friendship with our story line heroine. Trixie believes Nick is the man that she will always love but Trixie knows that Nick struggles with the demons from his past. 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 Nick’s sibling Beau and Charlotte, Jillian, Jax, Graham and Morgyn, Zev and Carly, and their parents Clint and Lily; Trixie’s siblings Jeb, Trace and Brindle, Shane, JJ, as well as their parents Nancy and Waylon, as well as Dr. Jon Butterscotch, miniature horses breeder Travis Helms, Trixie’s friend Lindsay, and several cameos and appearances from characters found throughout the author’s numerous series.

HOT FOR LOVE is a story of family, friendships, relationships and love; loss, grief, acceptance and moving forward. The premise is inviting and realistic; the romance is flirty, sexy and spicy; the characters are sensitive, animated and energetic. HOT FOR LOVE is another wonderful addition to Melissa Foster’s The Bradens & Montgomerys: Pleasant Hill-Oak Falls.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews

Embracing Her Heart
Anything for Love
Trails of Love
Wild Crazy Hearts
Making you Mine
Searching For Love

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

 

More Bradens & Montgomerys: Pleasant Hill – Oak Fall
EMBRACING HER HEART
Embracing Her Heart (The Montgomerys Book 1) by [Foster, Melissa]
Leaving New York City and returning to her hometown to teach a screenplay writing class seems like just the break Grace Montgomery needs. Until her sisters wake her at four thirty in the morning to watch the hottest guys in town train wild horses and she realizes that escaping her sisters’ drama-filled lives was a lot easier from hundreds of miles away. To make matters worse, she spots the one man she never wanted to see again—ruggedly handsome Reed Cross.
Reed was one of Michigan’s leading historical preservation experts, but on the heels of catching his girlfriend in bed with his business partner, his uncle suffers a heart attack. Reed cuts all ties and returns home to Oak Falls to run his uncle’s business. A chance encounter with Grace, his first love, brings back memories he’s spent years trying to escape.
Grace is bound and determined not to fall under Reed’s spell again—and Reed wants more than another taste of the woman he’s never forgotten. When a midnight party brings them together, passion ignites and old wounds are opened. Grace sets down the ground rules for the next three weeks. No touching, no kissing, and if she has it her way, no breathing, because every breath he takes steals her ability to think. But Reed has other ideas…
Available to buy from …
ANYTHING FOR LOVE
Embracing Her Heart (The Montgomerys Book 1) by [Foster, Melissa]
After Charlotte Sterling loses her last family member, she moves to Sterling House, her family’s Colorado mountain inn, to live a solitary life. As an erotic romance writer, her days and nights are filled with passion and intrigue-even if only fictional. She loves her busy, quiet lifestyle, and she learned early on that real men can’t live up to the fictional heroes she creates-until ruggedly handsome Beau Braden arrives to do some work at the inn and, for the first time in forever, she’s intrigued by a real man.

 

Beau lost his first love years ago, and he’s never let go of his guilt over her death. As he nears the anniversary of his loss, he is on the cusp of becoming the star of a home-renovation reality show. Escaping the painful memories of his past to work at the defunct old inn is just the promise of solitude he needs to clear his head before diving in to the all-too-public career. But he didn’t count on being attracted to the whimsical, adorably sexy innkeeper.
Neither Charlotte nor Beau is looking for an attachment or a fling. But the more they learn about each other, the closer they become. Romantic evenings lead to intimate conversations, and neither can deny their deep connection or the passion it sparks. They’ve never fully healed on their own, but together maybe anything is possible.
Available to buy from …

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TRAILS OF LOVE

When Graham Braden travels to Oak Falls, Virginia to attend the wedding of his buddy Reed Cross to Grace Montgomery, he sticks around to help with renovations to Reed’s new theater. The last thing he expects is to be asked to assess and possibly invest in Grace’s sister Morgyn’s business endeavor. Graham is a careful, keen businessman, and Morgyn is impulsive, disorganized, and more interested in the energy flow in her eclectic retail shop than in the accuracy of her records. While Graham isn’t ready to open his pockets to the sassy, sexy business owner, he may be ready to open his heart.
WILD CRAZY HEARTS

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date June 12, 2019.

Brindle Montgomery and Trace Jericho have been close friends forever and on-again off-again lovers for years. As rebellious as they are stubborn, they’re both perfectly happy with their no-strings-attached hookups. But when Brindle returns from a trip to Paris with a baby bump, it sends Trace’s wild, crazy heart into a frenzy–and Brindle is left wondering if she’s made the biggest mistake of her life.

**
The Bradens & Montgomerys are part of New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Melissa Foster’s Love in Bloom big-family romance collection. Love in Bloom novels feature alpha male heroes and sexy, empowered women. They’re flawed, funny, passionate, and relatable to readers who enjoy contemporary romance and women’s fiction. These novels are written to stand alone or may be enjoyed as part of the larger series, so dive right into this fun, sexy romance.

**CONTENT WARNING: Due to mature content, recommended for readers aged 18+**

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

MAKING YOU MINE

Knox Bentley never liked the pomp and circumstance that came with being wealthy. He’d distanced himself from his pretentious family and their fortune as a young adult and found his own path to success. But even with the world at his fingertips, he realizes something is missing, and after a long stay overseas, he finally knows exactly what it is. His no-strings-attached hookups with Aubrey Stewart, an exquisite and stubbornly independent blonde, are no longer enough for him. They connect on every level, but Aubrey is a fierce businesswoman with a new movie channel on the horizon and no time for much else. She is the deal he can’t close, the precious jewel even his billions can’t buy. Now that he’s back in the States, he’s determined to show her that what they have goes beyond the bedroom and finally make her his.

SEARCHING FOR LOVE
ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date July 29, 2020Zev Braden and Carly Dylan were childhood best friends, co-explorers, and first loves. Their close-knit families were sure they were destined to marry—until a devastating tragedy struck, breaking the two lovers apart. Over the next decade Zev, a nomadic treasure hunter, rarely returned to his hometown, and Carly became a chocolatier and built a whole new life across the country. When a chance encounter brings them back into each other’s lives, can they find the true love that once existed, or will shattered dreams and broken hearts prevail? Find out in Searching for Love, a deliciously sexy, funny, and emotional second-chance romance.Amazon.com   Amazon.co.uk   Barnes and Noble    KOBO    Apple   GPlay   Paperback

 

Melissa Foster is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling and award-winning author. She writes sexy and heartwarming contemporary romance and women’s fiction with emotionally compelling characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page. Melissa’s emotional journeys are lovingly erotic and always family oriented–perfect beach reads for contemporary romance and new adult romance lovers who enjoy reading about loyal, wealthy heroes and smart, sassy heroines with complex relatable issues.Melissa also writes sweet romance under the pen name Addison Cole.

Melissa enjoys chatting with readers and book clubs. Send her an email invitation to your next event!

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….
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9th Anniversary Giveaway Prize Package from Jen Katemi

9th Anniversary Giveaway Prize Package from Jen Katemi 

NOTE: All giveaways require a comment to qualify.

Author Jen Katemi is graciously offering an Amazon Gift Card (US only) valued at $25 USD, or an Eden Books Gift Card (international) valued at $25 USD – winner’s choice of which one they prefer.

There will be ONE (1) winner

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10. Giveaway runs until February 19-28, 2021

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Fighting for Lorna by Deanndra Hall- Review Tour

Fighting for Lorna (Police and Fire: Alpha Operation) by Deanndra Hall- Review Tour

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date February 16, 2021

As a local domestic violence and sexual assault counselor, the respect of her community is critical to Lorna Reardon. That would be hard to maintain if they found out she was seeing a younger man.


Twelve years doesn’t matter to Gant “G-man” Meadows. Once he tells Tank Reardon that his mom is “hot,” Tank and Pops go to work on Lorna until she gives the guy a chance. For a firefighter, metalsmith, and former motorcycle club member, Gant is surprisingly genteel, spiritual, and gentle. He’s also determined to keep her safe from an unexpected threat, even though she’s relegated him to nothing more than a dirty little secret in her life.

Gant’s sworn he’ll love her forever, and he’s willing to make the ultimate sacrifice with no regret. The regret will be all Lorna’s. Regret that’s harsh. Regret that’s sharp. Regret that’s deep.


Regret that will last forever.

•••••••

REVIEW:FIGHTING FOR LORNA by Deanndra Hall is a stand alone, contemporary, adult, erotic, romantic suspense storyline found in the multi-authored Police and Fire: Operation Alpha (Badge of Honor: Tarpley VFD Season 2) series. This is forty-six year old, volunteer fire fighter and metal welder Gant ‘G-man’ Meadows, and fifty eight year old, widow and domestic violence counselor Lorna Reardon’s story line. FIGHTING FOR LORNA can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.

NOTE: The Police and Fire: Operation Alpha (Badge of Honor: Tarpley VFD ) series is based and focuses on characters found in author Susan Stoker’s numerous series and story lines.

WARNING: FIGHTING FOR LORNA makes reference to, and follows a case of domestic abuse that may be a trigger for most sensitive readers.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Gant and Lorna) FIGHTING FOR LORNA follows the building romance and age-gap relationship between forty-six year old, volunteer fire fighter and metal welder Gant ‘G-man’ Meadows, and fifty eight year old, widow, mother and domestic violence counselor Lorna Reardon. Gant Meadows is a fire-fighter at the Tarpley Volunteer Fire Department ,and has always kept himself separate from the men with whom he works until meeting the mother of one of his fellow fire fighters, a woman twelve years his senior but a woman who stirs something deep within our story line hero. Lorna Reardon has been widowed since losing her husband in a house fire years before and in the aftermath put herself through college with the help of Pops, at the local TVFD. As the resident ‘house mother’ Lorna is always baking goodies for the men and women at TVFD but a recent visit reveals that Lorna has caught the eye of a volunteer fire-fighter, a man few people know little about. Enter Gant ‘G-man’ Meadows. What ensues is the slow seduction of Lorna by our story line hero, and the fall-out as Lorna struggles with appearances and perception; and a domestic abuse case that is about to go all to h*ll.

Lorna Reardon is a widowed, single mother whose job it is to protect the privacy of domestic abuse victims but our heroine struggles with preconceived notions and the potential judgement of others, not about her clients, but about her own personal life with a man twelve years her junior. Falling quickly for our story line hero, Lorna refuses to take their relationship public, and in doing so, threatens any future with the man with whom she will fall in love. Gant Meadows is a divorced, father of two, but has never fallen in love before meeting Lorna Reardon. Having lived alone for a number of years, Gant struggles with the demons from his past, and the building love for a woman who is keeping their relationship a dirty little secret.

The relationship between Lorna and Gant is an age-gap romance, one of immediate attraction but Lorna battles between head and heart, and the impression and perception about her relationship with a man twelve years her junior. Gant isn’t willing to be Lorna’s dirty little secret, and in this, our hero must make a decision that will break his heart. The $ex scenes are intimate and seductive, without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful and charismatic secondary and supporting characters including many of the volunteer fire fighters at TVFD. We are introduced to Lorna’s son Tank Reardon, and senior fire-fighter Pops, Sheriff Riggs, Texas Ranger Dax Chambers, as well as Lorna’s co-worker Leigh Ann, and Gant’s daughter Amethyst and Sapphire.

FIGHTING FOR LORNA is a story of secrets and lies; family, friendships, relationships and love; domestic abuse, and power and control. The premise is dramatic and emotional; the characters are energetic and captivating; the romance is impassioned and hot but Lorna’s need to keep their romance a secret is a shot of cold water on an otherwise wonderful story.

Previous Reviews
Justice for Liella
Shelter For Tanna

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Deanndra Hall is a working author living in the far western end of the beautiful Bluegrass State with her husband of over 35 years and small menagerie of weird little dogs. When she’s not writing, she’s editing. When she’s doing neither of those two things, she’s having dinner with friends, spending time with family, kayaking, eating chocolate, drinking beer or moonshine, or looking for something that she put in the wrong place and can’t seem to find (which is pretty much everything she owns).

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Fighting for You (The Callahans #5) by Monica Murphy-Review tour

Fighting for You (The Callahans #5) by Monica Murphy-Review tour

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date February 11, 2021

Diego Garcia.
Class bully.
Football star.
My boyfriend.

I fell hard and fast for the resident bad boy and he fell just as hard for me too. We were the perfect couple, until things turned sour.

Senior year and we’re both super busy. He has football. I have volleyball. Soon enough, I hear the rumors – Diego’s cheating on me. After everything we’ve been through, I’m devastated. Breaking up with him was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. He doesn’t love me. Besides, only a few more months of school, and then I’m going away to college. And Diego will be permanently out of my life.

Until I find out I’m pregnant. And now we’re forever tied together

••••••••

REVIEW: FIGHTING FOR YOU is the fifth instalment in Monica Murphy’s contemporary, young adult THE CALLAHANS erotic, romance series focusing on the second generation of the Callahans and their extended family and friends-a spin off from the author’s ONE WEEK GIRLFRIEND series. This is high school seniors Diego Garcia, and Jocelyn Douglas’ story line. FIGHTING FOR YOU can be read as a stand alone but I recommend reading the series in order for back story and cohesion as Jocelyn and Diego’s story begins in book three ADDICTED TO HIM.

NOTE: FIGHTING FOR YOU is a young adult story line ( characters under eighteen years of age) with adult sexual situations including a teenaged pregnancy, that may not be suitable for more younger readers.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Jocelyn and Diego) FIGHTING FOR YOU follows in the aftermath of Jocelyn’s discovery that she is pregnant with her ex-boyfriend Diego’s baby, and with it the realization that she may have lost Diego, forever. Diego is a star player on his high school football team, and as such laps up the praise and attention of the female student body but Jocelyn and Diego’s relationship had hit a bumpy road, and with hit, the school girls threw themselves at our hero, ensuring his reputation and conquests found the ear of our story line heroine. Having loved and lost, Jocelyn struggled with issues of trust, and one final threat to her relationship with Diego meant Jocelyn was willing to go it alone. Months will pass before Diego and Jocelyn reconnect for the sake of their child but the months were heart breaking for our story line hero. What ensues is the back and forth, struggling relationship between Jocelyn and Diego, and the fall-out as dysfunctional family dynamics, secrets and lies, manipulation and vindictiveness threaten any potential future for our story line couple.

Diego Garcia is and was the proverbial high school football star, feeding his ego and reputation by flirting with every available girl but Diego’s actions are about to destroy the one true love and relationship he has ever known, and with it the possibility of seeing the child he may never know. Struggling with a dysfunctional home life, Diego makes a permanent break, and finds himself alone for the very first time. Jocelyn Douglas comes from a wealthy and connected family but our heroine’s reputation is destroyed by a teenaged pregnancy, and the antics of a mean –girl who is determined to take down our story line heroine. Believing she and her child are better off without Diego Garcia, Jocelyn finds herself a single parent but a parent missing the man she will always love.

The relationship between Jocelyn and Diego is a high school romance broken by the desperation of a high school bully, and the teenaged pregnancy of two students too young to commit to anything beyond the present. Diego Garcia has never stopped loving our story line heroine, and in this, the truth about the rumors continue to fuel the rage and heart break of the woman he loves. The $ex scenes are passionate and intimate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

Once again, there is a large ensemble cast of familiar secondary and supporting characters: Drew and Fable Callahan (One Week Girlfriend); Eli Bennett and Ava Callahan: fellow football players Caleb, Wyatt and Tony: Jocelyn’s friend Ellie, and Jackson Rivers; Diego’s long suffering mother Rosa, his brother Mateo, their cousin Marty; Jocelyn’s parents, as well as mean girl and bully Cami Lockhart.

FIGHTING FOR YOU is a story of family, friendships, relationships and love; of betrayal and vengeance; secrets and lies; abuse, manipulation, teenage pregnancy, rumors and heart break. The premise is emotional and dramatic; the romance is fated but destructive; the characters are broken, sensational and struggling.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Close To Me
Falling for Her
Addicted to Him
Meant to Be

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Monica Murphy is the New York Times, USA Today and #1 international bestselling author of the One Week Girlfriend series, the Billionaire Bachelors and The Rules series. Her books have been translated in almost a dozen languages and has sold over one million copies worldwide. She is both self-published and published by Random House/Bantam and Harper Collins/Avon. She writes new adult, young adult and contemporary romance.

She is a wife and a mother of three who lives in central California on fourteen acres in the middle of nowhere along with their one dog and too many cats. A self-confessed workaholic, when she’s not writing, she’s reading or hanging out with her husband and kids. She’s a firm believer in happy endings, though she will admit to putting her characters through angst-filled moments before they finally get that hard won HEA.

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The Bachelor (Chandler Brothers 1) by Carly Phillips-Review Tour

The Bachelor (Chandler Brothers 1) by Carly Phillips-Review Tour

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Re-release Date February 16, 2021

He’s got wanderlust and no intention of settling down.
She’s home to stay and has put her bad boy ex in her rearview mirror.

After spending his life abroad, embracing his freedom at every turn as a foreign correspondent, Roman Chandler finds himself the brother nominated to deal with his ailing mother’s matchmaking shenanigans. Thanks to a coin toss, he needs to find someone to marry and fast. It shouldn’t be that hard in sleepy Yorkshire Falls where women fall over themselves to hook a Chandler man.

But Roman only wants the one woman who got away.

Charlotte Bronson is back home to put down roots and get her lingerie business off the ground. She’s not interested in her past or a man that chose to chase breaking news stories to the far corners of the earth over her. No matter how good they used to be or how combustible their chemistry still burns.

It’s up to Roman to convince Charlotte he’s a changed man and here to stay.

In honor of THE BACHELOR’s 20th Anniversary all three books have been updated and will be reissued with gorgeous NEW covers with the same content but modernized for your reading pleasure.

•••••••

REVIEW:THE BACHELOR is the first instalment in Carly Phillip’s contemporary, adult THE CHANDLER BROTHERS erotic, romance series. This is journalist and foreign correspondent Roman Chandler, and lingerie boutique owner Charlotte Bronson’s story line.

NOTE: THE BACHELOR is the 20th anniversary re-release of the 2002 like titled book with an updated cover and content.

Told from third person perspectives including Roman and Charlotte, THE BACHELOR follows several paths including the second chance relationship between foreign correspondent Roman Chandler, and lingerie boutique owner Charlotte Bronson. Ten years earlier Roman Chandler broke Charlotte Bronson’s heart, and in the ensuing time Roman travelled the world where the opportunity called. A health scare for his mother brought Roman home to Yorkshire Falls, and along with his brothers Rick and Chase, tossed a coin to see who would honour his mother’s wishes by getting married and having a child. Losing the toss, Roman knew of only one woman that quite possibly would be acceptable to going it alone, as Roman had no plans of remaining in Yorkshire Falls after doing his duty to father a child. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Charlotte and Roman, and the fall-out when the truth is revealed.

Charlotte Bronson knows rejection first hand-not only from the man who has walked back into her life, but from the father who never stayed longer than a few days at a time. Falling for Roman was the easy part, losing her heart was about to destroy her once again.

Meanwhile, someone in the town of Yorkshire Falls is breaking and entering, stealing lingerie from clients who have shopped at Charlotte’s store. When the finger is pointed at our story line hero, Roman struggles in the face of sins of the past, but none more so, than the sin he is about to commit against the woman he loves.

The relationship between Charlotte and Roman is one of second chances; a rekindling romance predicated upon the toss of a coin in which Roman is the loser in more ways than one. Having no intention of staying in Yorkshire Falls, our hero has plans to seduce Charlotte Bronson, never intending to stick around for the long haul. The $ex scenes are intimate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text but I did not feel any palpable sexual energy or attraction between our leading couple. Ten years of heart break, and our heroine was ready and willing within a few hours of Roman’s return. Roman was there to do a job, and continued to believe he would walk away, once again.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful and energetic secondary and supporting characters including Roman’s brothers Chases and Rick, as well as their widowed mother Raina; Charlotte’s parents Russell and Annie, and her co-worker and best friend Beth Hansen; and several townies including Samson Humphrey, Dr. Eric Fallon; Dr. Leslie Gaines.

THE BACHELOR is a story of family, friendships, secrets and lies; a story of opportunity, manipulation (on so many levels) , forgiveness and love. An interesting premise with a number of inconsiderate, manipulative and reckless characters, THE BACHELOR was a bit of a struggle for this voracious reader.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

After a successful fifteen-year career with various New York publishing houses, and over 40 sexy contemporary romance novels published, N.Y. Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Carly Phillips is now an Indie author who writes to her own expectations and that of her readers. She continues the tradition of hot men and strong women and plans to publish many more sizzling stories. Carly lives in Purchase, NY with her family, two nearly adult daughters and two crazy dogs who star on her Facebook Fan Page and website. She’s a writer, a knitter of sorts, a wife, and a mom. In addition, she’s a Twitter and Internet junkie and is always around to interact with her readers.

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