Monthly Archives: May 2022

On The Edge by Aleatha Romig -Review tour

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On The Edge by Aleatha Romig -Review tour

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 11, 2022

Woodland Cliffs Country Club is the crown jewel of the small Monterey-area seaside town. It’s comfortable stomping grounds for those born to money and opportunity. With esteemed members from near and far, it’s not unusual to spot celebrities, business tycoons, or those with even more power.

It isn’t the glamour or intrigue that attracts Rae Watson to seek a summer job at the Cliffs. As a struggling college student, she simply wants to earn money for her senior year at the university and concentrate on classes.
When Rae’s friend helps secure her summer employment at the Cliffs, Rae willingly accepts. She quickly learns that there’s more to the Cliffs, particularly the hidden world of those the country club employs.

The world of the elite and those who serve them are not to cross. What will that mean for Rae and the handsome blue-eyed college student who makes her swoon?

Will she discover the secrets purged from the high cliffs, waiting to be found on the rocky shores, or will she find herself on the edge?

•••••

REVIEW:ON THE EDGE by Aleatha Romig is a stand alone, contemporary, new adult, romantic thriller focusing on a potential killer at the Woodland Cliffs Country Club near Monterey, California.

Told from several first person perspective ON THE EDGE follows in the aftermath of the discovery of a young woman’s body, a employee who went missing from the Woodland Cliffs Country Club months before. With the help of her best friend Beth, Rae Watson, about to enter her final year at college, is hired to serve the rich and famous at Woodland Cliffs Country Club but from the outset rumors abound about the several of the elite and powerful members, as well as the people in charge. When another woman goes missing, and her body washes up on shore, the staff must come to terms with the possibility that evil may be someone they see every day.

ON THE EDGE is an intriguing, edgy and haunting story of power, money and control; obsession and murder, secrets and lies. ON THE EDGE ends in a happily ever after-for now but the author has left room for many more stories about the staff and the exclusive members at the Woodland Cliffs Country Club. On that note, the romance is limited, mostly implied.

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Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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Aleatha Romig is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author who lives in Indiana, USA. She grew up in Mishawaka, graduated from Indiana University, and is currently living south of Indianapolis. Aleatha has raised three children with her high school sweetheart and husband of over thirty years. Before she became a full-time author, she worked days as a dental hygienist and spent her nights writing. Now, when she’s not imagining mind-blowing twists and turns, she likes to spend her time a with her family and friends. Her other pastimes include reading and creating heroes/anti-heroes who haunt your dreams and bring your imagination to life!

Aleatha released her first novel, CONSEQUENCES, in August of 2011. CONSEQUENCES became a bestselling series with five novels and two companions released from 2011 through 2015. The compelling and epic story of Anthony and Claire Rawlings has graced more than half a million e-readers. Aleatha released the first of her series TALES FROM THE DARK SIDE, INSIDIOUS, in the fall of 2014. These stand alone thrillers continue Aleatha’s twisted style with an increase in heat.

In the fall of 2015, Aleatha moved head first into the world of dark romantic suspense with the release of BETRAYAL, the first of her five novel INFIDELITY series that has taken the reading world by storm. She also began her traditional publishing career with Thomas and Mercer. Her books INTO THE LIGHT and AWAY FROM THE DARK were published through this mystery/thriller publisher in 2016.

In the spring of 2017, Aleatha released her first stand-alone, fun, and sexy romantic comedy with PLUS ONE, followed by the sweet stand-alone, ONE NIGHT.

Aleatha is a “Published Author’s Network” member of the Romance Writers of America and PEN America.  She is represented by Kevan Lyon of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.

Sign up today to receive her monthly newsletter  and /or text message alerts stay informed.

And if you’re new to ALEATHA, check out her FREE books.

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Ruthless Sinner (Made for the Mafia ) by Erika Wilde-Review tour

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Ruthless Sinner(Made for the Mafia 2) by Erika Wilde-Review & Excerpt tour

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Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3LP1Zn3

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 10, 2022

Dark, dangerous mafia soldiers like Marco Russo were made men, but luckily for me, they weren’t made for marriage. Which made my job of seducing him so much easier.

It was supposed to be a simple undercover operation. One that required me to work in a strip club in order to get close to Marco and do whatever it took to coax him to spill his family’s secrets. Our attraction was undeniable, so establishing a relationship with him was the easy part. Enticing him to share sensitive information took far more finesse.

But during all those steamy nights we shared I learned enough to take down his family. I also made the stupid mistake of falling for the enemy and now I was going to have to make a choice.

My head or my heart.

My job or my love.

My end or my beginning.

Because once Marco realized who I was and how I’d deceived him, he’d have a choice to make, as well.

To let me live . . . or to kill me to prove his loyalty to his family.

••••••

REVIEW: RUTHLESS SINNER is the second instalment in Erika Wilde’s contemporary, adult MADE FOR THE MAFIA erotic, Mafia romance series. This is thirty-three year old, Mafia soldier Marco Russo , and undercover FBI agent Kennedy ‘Jewel’ Lancaster’s story line. RUTHLESS SINNER can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty but I recommend reading the series in order for backstory and cohesion as the characters make references to previous events.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Marco and Kennedy) RUTHLESS SINNER follows the building relationship between thirty-three year old, Mafia soldier Marco Russo , and undercover FBI agent Kennedy ‘Jewel’ Lancaster. Kennedy Lancaster is a rookie FBI agent, working undercover as a stripper at the Mafia run nightclub The Cozy Bunny. Her assignment-to get up close and personal with Marco Russo, the second born son of the Russo Crime family, in an effort to ferret out information to feed to the local DA but all does not go according to plan as Kennedy finds herself falling for her mark, a man who is considered a manwh*re and write off to the Russo family. Marco Russo has lusted after ‘Jewel’ since the first night he saw her but Marco never expected to fall for the beautiful and intelligent woman who is currently working at The Cozy Bunny club. Marco is not respected or well liked by his father or his brother Vincent, and in this, he is desperate to prove he is worthy of respect, love and his own happily ever after but when Marco’s latest job places a target on ‘Jewel’s back, Marco quickly discovers that his family considers ‘Jewel’ the price of doing business. What ensues is the building relationship between Kennedy aka Jewel and Marco Russo, and the fall-out as betrayal and power threaten the life of the woman Marco loves.

Kennedy Lancaster was only doing her job but apparently she wasn’t getting the information the FBI or the DA needed. Left to the proverbial wolves, Kennedy discovers that something is wrong, when the people in charge refuses to protect our story line heroine. Marco Russo struggles in the face of his family’s determination to push him down but losing Kennedy means more than the acceptance of the people in charade.

The relationship between Kennedy and Marco is one of instant attraction but an attraction predicated upon a lie. Marco is a means to an end for our story line heroine but Kennedy never considered a jump to the dark side until the line between light and dark became blurry and indistinct. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and seductive.

The secondary and supporting characters include Kennedy’s handler FBI Agent Johnson, as well as the return of Marco’s brothers: Vincent Russo and Marlo Preston (Heartless Sinner 1), and Dante Russo, as well as their father Antonio Russo.

RUTHLESS SINNER is a story of secrets and lies, power and control, betrayal and vengeance, family and love. The fast paced premise is riveting and entertaining; the romance is provocative and steamy; the characters are energetic, charismatic and impassioned.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Marco was waiting when I stepped back out into the alley after work, only this time he was leaning against his motorcycle.
Oh, my God. I knew he had one but we’d never ridden it together. My legs trembled, my body already getting hot at the thought of that machine between my thighs, molded to Marco’s back as we rode…
“Nice ride,” I said, walking over and running a hand along the leather seat. “Where are we going?”
“Just a little place I know,” Marco said, and tossed me a helmet.
I put it on, and didn’t bother asking if he was going to wear one, because clearly he wasn’t. I shook my head. “Y’know, I can see why your dad worries about you.”
Marco just smirked, swung his leg over the seat, and straddled the bike. “Hop on.”
“I hope you’re not trying to impress me,” I warned him as I slid behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist, “because the opportunity to do that passed about a month ago.”
That was a total lie. I was definitely impressed by the motorcycle and I was prepared to be impressed by whatever else he had planned, but there was no way I was going to let him know that. I didn’t want him to think I was easy. Even though it had already been a month and I could probably let myself relax by this point.
Still, the thrum of arousal and anticipation that shot through me as he hit the throttle was unreal. I held on tightly and pressed my face to the back of his shoulder as we took off, out of the alley, onto the deserted late-night street.
Wherever he was taking me, I knew I’d like it. For all his fancy toys, Marco didn’t like to make a big deal of things. He wasn’t about taking me out to a fancy restaurant. Instead he took me to his favorite random ice cream shop. I liked that. I was ready for the low-key thing he had planned.
And in the meantime, I really loved pressing myself against him as we rode this motorcycle. I could feel his back muscles shifting and flexing underneath me, the firm feel of his abs against my hands as I kept my arms wrapped around him. When I rested my cheek against his back, his body sheltered me from the wind, so I could just watch the flurries of blurred light as we sped past buildings and out of the city.
At last we stopped at a hilly park that was high up, and had a great view of the bay. Marco stopped the motorcycle and got off, offering me his hand.
I looked around. “Why are we here?”
Marco rubbed at the back of his neck, like he was nervous. Big bad Marco Russo, nervous? The idea was endearing.
“This is one of the areas my family bought outside of the city,” he explained. “One of the ways we maintain our strength in the mafia and the legitimate business world is focusing on charity efforts. It gives us a good reputation with people, helps us with our public image. Vincent’s new wife, she’ll pick her own charities she wants to work with, where her focus is, but my mom was all about community outreach and the environment so she built a lot of parks. Like this one.”
He gestured towards a sign I hadn’t noticed before. It dubbed the place Marco’s Park and below it had a few lines explaining who built the park and in what year.
I looked at him in surprise. “This one’s yours?”
“Yeah, we all have one. Mom liked to name them after people in her life. And I think she knew that we all needed a place to go and breathe. I don’t know if Vincent goes to his park a lot, but I like to come here when I need to get out of the city and just chill.”
“But you love the city.” New York City was vibrant, pulsing with life, and so was Marco.
“Most of the time.” Marco leaned back against his motorcycle and looked out over the city, its lights gleaming like so many fireflies. “But what I do for the family… I see the dirty side of the city. The grime, the blood, the ugly. Sometimes I gotta get out and take a few deep breaths away from it all.”
“I understand,” I said softly. Working in the FBI wasn’t the glamorous catching of bad guys like you saw on television. A lot of the time I didn’t know if we were really the good guys or if there were only shades of gray. “Thank you for bringing me here.”
Marco gave me a small, soft smile, and it tugged at my heart.
“Who knew the bad boy with a motorcycle had such a soft side?” I added, trying to ignore that feeling in my chest and hoping to get myself back onto safer emotional ground.
“Hey, I’ve got layers,” Marco protested with a smirk. “And you can’t say you don’t like the motorcycle. I saw your face light up when you saw it.”
“Well,” I admitted, feeling there was no harm in telling him, “I’ve always had a bit of a thing for bad boys.”
“Congratulations then, you hit the jackpot.” He winked at me.


 

Erika Wilde is a New York Times Bestselling author. She is best known for her super sexy Marriage Diaries series and The Players Club series, and has also co-written the Dirty Sexy Series and the Book Boyfriend Series with Carly Phillips, her best friend and writing buddy for the past twenty years. She lives in Oregon with her husband and two daughters, and when she’s not writing you can find her exploring the beautiful Pacific Northwest. For more information on her upcoming releases, please visit her website at www.erikawilde.com and sign up for her mailing list for updates and news! .

Website / Goodreads /  Author Fan Page /  Twitter /  Amazon Author Page

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REFUGE FOR PHAEDRA (Bluegrass Bravery 13) by Deanndra Hall-tour

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REFUGE FOR PHAEDRA (Police and Fire: Operation Alpha) (Bluegrass Bravery 13) by Deanndra Hall-Review tour

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 10, 2022

Their pain threatens to destroy their passion …

Widow Phaedra Benson will do anything to leave her past behind and start over without the scrutiny of her former in-laws. As an animal activist, she’s determined to make a difference in Kentucky and raise awareness.

Conservation Officer Liam Masters has his work cut out for him when he encounters the spitfire determined to make a difference in the environmental issues of his community. Phaedra is feisty and hellbent on changing the world. The only problem: she’s wanted for murder and all evidence points to her.

As Liam and Phaedra grow closer, he realizes she’s in more danger than she ever imagined. Someone wants her silenced–for good. If she’s not going to spend the rest of her days behind bars, then someone plans to end her life. Now, it’s up to Liam to protect her before it’s too late. Will his arms be the only refuge Phaedra needs?

Western Kentucky’s Flora and Barrett from Rescue for Flora make an appearance in this thirteenth book, along with FBI Agent Cruz Livingston and Texas Ranger Daxton Chambers from Susan Stoker’s Police and Fire: Operation Alpha tales.

•••••••••

REVIEW: REFUGE FOR PHAEDRA (Police and Fire: Operation Alpha) is the thirteenth instalment in Deanndra Hall’s contemporary, adult BLUEGRASS BRAVERY , romantic suspense series featuring characters previously introduced in one of author Susan Stoker’s many story lines and series. This is forty-one year old Conservation Officer Liam Masters, and thirty-nine year old animal rights activist Phaedra Benson’s story line. REFUGE FOR PHAEDRA 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 (Phaedra and Liam) REFUGE FOR PHAEDRA follows the building romance and relationship between forty-one year old Kentucky Conservation Officer Liam Masters, and thirty-nine year old animal rights activist Phaedra Benson. Phaedra Benson is a widow and a well-known animal rights activist who is currently targeting several locations and upcoming events including a local hunt for wild boar but due to her fame, Phaedra has become a target of those with the opposing view, and our heroine is about to become a victim of violence resulting in her own rights being violated by local law enforcement. A previous sit down with Liam Masters reveals Phaedra doesn’t know everything about the world she continues to protect, a revealing sit down that brings her up close and personal with the man with whom she will fall in love. Liam Masters is a Conservation Officer with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources and his job is to enforce state and federal laws protecting natural resources including fish and wildlife so our hero is always observant when a protest is scheduled. A phone call from Phaedra Benson sees Liam becoming guardian and protector of our story line heroine, when our heroine becomes the target of a unknown source. The death of her best friend, an FBI investigation, and local law enforcement’s need to find a killer find our heroine facing a murder charge in the wake of her world spiralling out of control. As Liam, and the FBI begin an investigation into the who, how and why, Liam begins to suspect that all is not right in Phaedra’s world. What ensues is the quick building romance and relationship between Phaedra and Liam, and the potential fall-out as issues of trust pull our couple apart..

The relationship between Phaedra and Liam is one of immediate attraction; an insta-lust to love romance wherein our heroine moves in with Liam within a matter of days under the guise of protection and healing but as the investigations into the murder and the attacks against Phaedra begin to take on a life of their own, Phaedra’s past collides with her present revealing betrayal and vengeance aimed at destroying our story line heroine. Meanwhile, Liam begins to suspect his own family is not without some ghosts of its’ own. With the help of the FBI, Liam uncovers the truth and sets out to confront the demons from his past. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top sexually graphic language and text.

The secondary and supporting characters include Western Kentucky’s Flora and Barrett from Rescue for Flora, along with FBI Agent Cruz Livingston and Texas Ranger Daxton Chambers from Susan Stoker’s Police and Fire: Operation Alpha tales.

REFUGE FOR PHAEDRA is a story of betrayal and vengeance, family and relationships, greed and obsession, love and acceptance. The premise is engaging and captivating; the romance is a seductive insta lust to love but saying that I didn’t feel the palpable sexual attraction between our leading couple-Phaedra was willing to permanently move in with Liam Masters having only met him days before; the characters are dynamic.

Previous Reviews

Shelter for Tanna
Justice for LIella
Fighting For Lorna
Justice for Maisey
Shelter For Nita
Justice forJoElla
Refuge for Flora
Fighting for Amethyst

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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The Shadow of Memory by Connie Berry – a Review

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The Shadow of Memory by Connie Berry – a Review

 

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Description:
As Kate Hamilton plans her upcoming wedding to Detective Inspector Tom Mallory, she is also assisting her colleague Ivor Tweedy with a project at the Netherfield Sanatorium, which is being converted into luxury townhouses. Kate and Ivor must appraise a fifteenth-century painting and verify that its provenance is the Dutch master Jan Van Eyck. But when retired criminal inspector Will Parker is found dead, Kate learns that the halls of the sanatorium housed much more than priceless art.

Kate is surprised to learn that Will had been the first boyfriend of her friend Vivian Bunn, who hasn’t seen him in fifty-eight years. At a seaside holiday camp over sixty years ago, Will, Vivian, and three other teens broke into an abandoned house where a doctor and his wife had died under bizarre circumstances two years earlier. Now, when a second member of the childhood gang dies unexpectedly—and then a third—it becomes clear that the teens had discovered more in the house than they had realized.

Had Will returned to warn his old love? When Kate makes a shocking connection between a sixty-year-old murder and the long-buried secrets of the sanatorium, she suddenly understands that time is running out for Vivian—and anyone connected to her.

 

 

Review:

The Shadow of Memory by Connie Berry is the 4th book in her Kate Hamilton Mysteries series.  This is the first book I have read by this author, and I really enjoyed it very much. The cozy mystery read very well as a standalone, with details of the main characters giving us a wonderful background.  I plan to read more about Kate Hamilton and adding Connie Berry to my list of authors I want to read.

Kate Hamilton, our heroine, is a visiting American antiques dealer currently living in Suffolk in the small village of Long Barston. She is a widow with two grown up children, and is now engaged to Englishman DI Tom Mallory; they are still in the process of planning where they want to live. Kate is currently working with antiques dealer Ivor Tweedy, arranging an auction for valuable antiques belonging to the Netherfield Sanatorium, which is being converted to deluxe apartments.  One of the main items is a painting that is valued to be in the millions; with Kate and Ivor appraising the originality of the item.

Kate and two friends, out for the evening and taking a short cut home, come across a body of an elderly man, who is dead.  The dead man was identified to be Will Parker, and old friend of Vivian (one of Kate’s local friends), she has not seen this man in more than sixty years.  Kate will learn from Vivian about what happened all those years ago, when a group of them spent a week at Hopley’s Holiday camp, with five of them going to a local house belonging to the Beaufoy family, where the parents died suddenly, and they decided to be sleuths playing the game ‘clue’. After Ivor (with Kate’s help) hypnotizes Vivian to remember all she could back to the past, detailing that they put all their clues in a metal box. Now it appears someone in the present is wanting to find that box, and why was Will Parker trying to visit Vivian?

Kate works with Tom, trying to investigate what turns out to be Will’s murder; and as time goes on, the other 4 people seem to be targeted.  While Tom does his police investigation, Kate and Vivian travel to meet family members of the other possible targets; learning several of the former teen group have recently died.

What follows is an excellent mystery tying in the poisoned deaths of the Beaufoy parents years ago; what is in the missing box, and how the current painting was part of the past.   I really thought Kate was a fabulous heroine, and loved her relationship with Tom; hoping in the next book Kate and Tom do marry.  I also enjoyed many of the local secondary characters, as well as the wonderful village.  The Shadow of Memory was a cozy, fun and entertaining story line, with a number of surprising twists.  The Shadow of Memory was very well written by Connie Berry, and read very well as a standalone.  I look forward to reading the next book in this series.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

 

 

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STARRY-EYED LOVE (Spark House 2) by Helena Hunting -review tour

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STARRY-EYED LOVE (Spark House 2) by Helena Hunting-review tour

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Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3zOpO84

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 10, 2022

Having just broken up with her boyfriend, London Spark is not in the mood to be hit on. Especially not when she’s out celebrating her single status with her sisters. So when a very attractive man pays for their drinks and then slips her his number, she passes it right back to him with a ‘thanks, but no thanks’. As the business administrator for their family’s event hotel, the Spark House, London has more important things to worry about, like bringing in new clientele.

As luck would have it, a multi-million-dollar company calls a few months later asking for a meeting to discuss a potential partnership, and London is eager to prove to her sisters, and herself, that she can land this deal. Just when she thinks she has nailed her presentation, the company’s CEO, Jackson Holt, walks in and inserts himself into the meeting. Not only that, but he also happens to be the same guy she turned down at the bar a few months ago.

As they begin to spend more time together, their working relationship blossoms into something more. It isn’t until their professional entanglements are finally over, that London and Jackson are finally ready to take the next step in their relationship. But between Jackson’s secretive past and London’s struggle with her sisters, London must question where she really stands – not just with Jackson, but with the Spark House, too.

•••••

REVIEW: STARRY-EYED LOVE is the second instalment in Helena Hunting’s contemporary, adult SPARK HOUSE romance series focusing on the Spark sisters: Avery, London and Harley. This is business and financial administrator, co-owner for the Spark House /Event hotel London Spark, and thirty-five year old, billionaire businessman CEO Jackson Holt’s story line. STARRY-EYED LOVE can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary.

Told from dual first person perspectives (London and Jackson) STARRY-EYED LOVE follows the building romance and relationship between business and financial administrator, co-owner for the Spark House /Event hotel London Spark, and billionaire businessman CEO Jackson Holt. Several months earlier, following the break up of her most recent relationship, London spent the evening at a bar with her sisters where she would meet a stranger but with her break up still fresh in her mind, London rebuffed the handsome stranger never getting his name or details in the process. Several months would pass and a business opportunity for Spark House presents itself wherein London will come face to face with Jackson Holt, the CEO of Holt Media and Consulting, the man she met months before. Holt Media is hoping to liaison with Spark House for a business proposal, a proposal that will bring London and Jackson up close and personal but when London offers Jackson a second chance to take her out, our hero refuses, placing London on the sidelines with a potentially broken heart. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between London and Jackson, and the potential fall-out as Jackson’s past refuses to walk away, destroying London in the process.

Jackson Holt had no idea that London Spark would be the woman he met months before but working together meant the possibility of a conflict of interest if either one pursued a romantic relationship together, therefore, Jackson had reluctantly set aside his need for London, a need upon which he knew was mutually wanted. London Spark was humiliated when Jackson rebuffed her romantic advance, and in this, London struggled going forward with Jackson Holt but the business opportunities afforded Spark House meant the potential for an enormous surge in bookings and popularity, if only the heart did not want something it could no longer have.

The relationship between Jackson and London is one of immediate attraction but London refused Jackson’s initial advances, and in the end, perhaps he wanted something she was unable to afford to give. The $ex scenes are passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful and energetic secondary and supporting characters including London’s sisters Avery (Declan), and Harley. We are introduced to Jackson’s friends and business partners Trent, Lincoln and Griffin , as well as his assistant Mitchell, and Selene Angelis, Jackson’s social media and marketing advisor.

STARRY-EYED LOVE is a story of family, relationships, and acceptance; misunderstand and mistrust; romance, passion and love. The premise is captivating; the romance is seductive; the characters are strong-willed, determined and dynamic.

Click HERE for Sandy’s review of book one WHEN SPARKS FLY

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

FOLLOW: NYT and USA Today Bestselling author of The PUCKED Series, Helena Hunting lives outside of Toronto with her amazing family and her two awesome cats, who think the best place to sleep is her keyboard. Helena writes everything from contemporary romance to romance comedy, sports romance and angsty new adult romance.
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Groomed to Perfection by Samantha Chase-Review tour

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Groomed to Perfection (Meet Me at The Altar 5) by Samantha Chase-Review tour

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Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3GcE5OY

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 10, 2022.

In just one night, she stole his jacket…and his heart.

Shy baker Emilie Michels never thought she’d meet her Prince Charming. Especially not at an event she’s working at. But when a handsome stranger finds her hiding in a corner and strikes up a conversation, she can’t help but be drawn in. Unfortunately, duty calls and she’s forced to flee, leaving the man of her dreams behind. All she has to remember that night is his first name and the suit jacket he gave her to stay warm.

Family has always come first for the Vandergrifts. It doesn’t matter what Cooper might want out of his life, his parents have had a plan for him since the day he was born. His mother even has his wedding all planned out, despite the fact that there’s no bride in the picture. But when Cooper walks into the Meet Me at the Altar offices for a cake tasting and finds himself face to face with the woman he met at a party all those months ago, he thinks it might be time to finally have a say in his love life.

Cooper had resigned himself to a life that would be all about family obligations, but just a few hours with Emilie have him convinced that maybe he could be something else. It’s just a matter of deciding whose happiness matters more: his family’s or his own.

•••••••

REVIEW:  GROOMED TO PERFECTION is the fifth instalment in Samantha Chase’s contemporary, adult MEET ME AT THE ALTAR romance series. This is baker Emilie Michels, and businessman Cooper Vandergrift’s story line. GROOMED TO PERFECTION 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 (Emilie and Cooper) GROOMED TO PERFECTION follows the building romance and relationship between baker Emilie Michels, and businessman Cooper Vandergrift. Emilie Michels met a handsome stranger at a wedding, a wedding her company Meet Me at The Altar was catering but Emilie did not reveal her association to the business, and the handsome stranger did not reveal his association with the bride or the groom. An appointment for an upcoming engagement and wedding found Emilie face to face with the Vandergrift family, and the handsome stranger had been added to the list of upcoming weddings, a wedding without a bride or a potential suitor. Enter Cooper Vandergrift, and the man with whom Emilie will fall in love. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Emilie and Cooper, and the potential fall-out as Cooper’s mother is unable to accept Emilie in her son’s life.

Cooper Vandergrift knows his place in the family, and as the heir to the family fortune and business, Cooper’s life is no longer under his control. Falling for Emilie was easy, keeping Emilie in his life is much harder in the face of his inability to stand up for himself or the woman he loves. Emilie Michels never expected to fall in love with Cooper Vandergrift but when she finds herself treated like the help, and forced to do the ultimate walk of shame, Emilie knows it is time to move on without the man that she loves.

The relationship between Emilie and Cooper is one of immediate attraction but Emilie quickly discovers she is no match for Cooper’s controlling mother. Emily is forced to believe she is not worthy of Cooper’s love, and a family engagement part finds Emily on the outside looking in without any sense of support or happiness. The $ex scenes are all implied.

The secondary and supporting characters include Emilie’s co-workers at Meet Me at the Altar: Josie, Daisy, Skylar and Lea, as well as former Navy SEALs Daniel, Xander and Knox. We are introduced to Cooper’s brother Beau, his fiance Kim, as well as Cooper’s parents Archer and Evelyn Vandergrift; and Emilie’s feisty grandmother.

GROOMED TO PERFECTION is a Cinderella-esque story of family and relationships, money and power, acceptance and understanding, friendships and love. The premise is captivating and engaging; the romance is sweet; the characters are energetic, determined and charismatic.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews

The Engagement Embargo
With This Cake
You May Kiss the Groomsman
The Proposal Playbook

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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New York Times and USA Today Bestseller/contemporary romance writer Samantha Chase released her debut novel, Jordan’s Return, in November 2011. Although she waited until she was in her 40’s to publish for the first time, writing has been a lifelong passion. Her motivation to take that step was her students: teaching creative writing to elementary age students all the way up through high school and encouraging those students to follow their writing dreams gave Samantha the confidence to take that step as well.

When she’s not working on a new story, she spends her time reading contemporary romances, playing way too many games of Scrabble or Solitaire on Facebook and spending time with her husband of 25 years and their two sons in North Carolina.

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Darkly Ever After: Organized Crime Anthology-Review & Giveaway

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Darkly Ever After: Organized Crime Anthology-Review & Giveaway  Tour

 

 

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

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 10. 2022

The men of organized crime aren’t white knights.
With quick trigger fingers and ruthless souls, they’re tall, dark, and deadly.
Taking what they want and decimating anything that stands in their way.
These men rule from their bloody thrones.
Only a woman’s touch can tame the beasts lurking inside.
Bringing light to the darkness.
Love in the ruin.
It may not be hearts and flowers…
But it is darkly ever after…

Darkly Ever After Anthology features eighteen Dark Romance novellas in the sinister underworld of Organized Crime.

CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS

Silla Webb ◦ Gwyn McNamee ◦ Abbi Cook ◦ Aidee Jaimes ◦ Beck Knight & Echo Grayce ◦ Catherine Wiltcher ◦ Christy Anderson ◦ Cole Denton ◦ Cora Kenborn ◦ Indie Hayes ◦ Jagger Cole ◦ Khardine Gray & Faith Summers ◦ Jennifer Rebecca ◦ Lee Savino & KT Strange ◦ Lexxi James ◦ Sapphire Knight ◦ Sienna Snow ◦ SR Jones

Foreword by M. Robinson

••••••

NOTE: Darkly Ever After Anthology features eighteen Dark Romance novellas in the sinister underworld of Organized Crime.

I have read and reviewed the following four (4) novellas:

_____

DANGEROUS REIGN by Jagger Cole

REVIEW:  DANGEROUS REIGN is the prequel novella in Jagger Cole’s contemporary, new adult, KINGS AND VILLAINS Mafia romance series. DANGEROUS REIGN focuses on the head of the Cross criminal enterprise Adrian Cross, of the Cross family Organized Crime syndicate, and Celeste Margaux.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Adrian and Celeste) DANGEROUS REIGN follows the acrimonious relationship between twenty-three year old Adrian Cross, and twenty-one year old Celeste Margaux. Three years earlier Adrian Cross lost his father Henry to cancer, and the woman he loved to the son of a Saudi billionaire. Fast forward to present day wherein Adrian, upon the death of his uncle Aldo, is now the head of the Cross billion-dollar criminal enterprise while in his final year at the prestigious Lords College. A Friday night out with friends finds Adrian face to face with the past, the past that is now in desperate need of Adrian’s help. Someone is trying to kill Celeste Margaux, and the only man she has ever loved, is ready to guard and protect her with his life. What ensues is the rekindling romance between Celeste and Adrian, as Adrian takes down the man trying to destroy the woman he loves.

We are introduced to Celeste’s father Jean Margaux, and the members of the Kings and Villains at Lords College: Noel Ransom, Oliver Prince, Thomas Ashford, Braddock, Lars, Kristoff, Zima and Maddox, as well as Celeste’s sister Matilde Margaux Laurent.

DANGEROUS REIGN is a fast paced, quick introduction to the power players in the author’s new KINGS AND VILLAINS dark, Mafia romance series. The premise is intriguing; the second chance romance is passionate and intense; the characters are powerful, determined and strong.

________

TAINTED BEGINNINGS by Khardine Gray / Faith Summers

Note: TAINTED BEGINNINGS is a novella in the author’s Dark Syndicate and Sinful Bachelors Words.

REVIEW:  Told from dual first person perspective TAINTED BEGINNINGS follows thirty-four year old Mafia enforcer Nick Bellotto, and thirty-one year old, divorcee Tennessee Patterson. Tennessee and her friends are in Vegas to celebrate our heroine’s divorce when she meets her future in the guise of Mafia enforcer Nick Bellotto. Nick is also in Vegas, tracking down the man who killed his friend but a night spent with Tennessee places our heroine in the direct line of fire when she is used as a pawn to control Nick Bellott. On the run together, Nick and Tennessee find themselves in an abandoned home, where another gun fight threatens to end their affair before it begins.

TAINTED BEGINNINGS is a fast paced, characters driven story of revenge, second chances, heart break and love. The premise is captivating; the romance is fast and furious; the characters are charismatic and energetic.

__________

SINS OF THE SYNDICATE: THE DEBT by Lexxi James

REVIEW:  THE DEBT is the introductory novella in Lexxi James’ contemporary, adult SINS OF THE SYNDICATE erotic, Mafia romance world. This is Tia and ‘Smoke’ D’Angelo’s story line.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Smoke and Tia) SINS OF THE SYNDICATE: THE DEBT follows some of the background and the meeting between our story line couple. Smoke D’Angelo is hoping to uncover the truth about the murder of his father, and any connection to the Russian Bratva but a drugged virgin kept Smoke away from his appointed task, meaning Smoke D’Angelo, Dr. Smoke D’Angelo would put his medical degree and ethics in practice. Enter Tia, a down on her luck young woman who finds herself at the mercy of a Russian pimp about to sell our heroine into the sexual slavery.

THE DEBT is another fast paced, quick read that introduces Smoke D’Angelo, and Tia. Very little is revealed about the heroine only that she is struggling to survive on a daily basis, a struggle that reveals the naivete of a young woman with no place to live, and no one to whom she can turn to help.

__________

ILLICIT ACTS by Cora Kenborn

REVIEW: ILLICIT ACTS is the first instlament in Cora Kenborn’s contemporary, adult BRATVA’S MARK dark, erotic, Mafia romance duet focusing on forty-four year old, Russian assassin for hire Mikhail Drozdov and eighteen year old, Bratva princess Zasha Gaheris. BRATVA’S MARK DUET is a spin off from the DARKEST DEEDS story line, a part of the Cavalieri Della Morte Series. Zasha is the daughter of Ava Chernova and Niko Gaheris.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Zasha and Mikhail) ILLICIT ACTS focuses on the contract to take down Bratva princess Zasha Gaheris. Mikhail Drozdov, looking for another job, immediately takes the job, a job he knows he will never complete. Zasha Gaheris is Mikhail’s goddaughter, and our hero is about to fall for the woman that calls to his heart. Meanwhile, Mikhail’s sister has been missing for close to twenty-five years, and a notification about a woman for sale, sends Mikhail back to the place he thought he would never return.

ILLICIT ACTS is a story of power and control, betrayal and vengeance, desperation and protection, family and relationships. The premise is intriguing and captivating; the romance is steamy and erotic; the characters are charismatic and powerful.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

 

There is a giveaway for a Darkly Ever After Consigliere Book Box with a paperback, custom bullet embedded stemless wine glass, sunglasses and case, a Kindle Paperwhite, custom Darkly Ever After Kindle sleeve, customer Darkly Ever After 30oz tumbler, Kate Spade Staci collection purse and wallet-total retail value of $875

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

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Hidden With You (Stark Security 7) by J. Kenner-a review

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Hidden With You (Stark Security 7) by J. Kenner-a review

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

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date April 26, 2022

He was hired to kill her. He never expected to fall in love with her.

Former MI6 agent Jasper Kent gave up being a good man when his wife and daughter were murdered. Now, he’s a paid assassin for the highest bidder, using the payouts from his underworld contracts to fund his search for the man who killed his family. He gets the break he desperately craves when he’s invited to join Stark Security, a legitimate organization that knows nothing about his deadly side hustle, but provides the cover he needs for his private missions.

Then he hits the jackpot — kill the woman he’s been assigned to protect, and his payment will be the identity of the man who murdered his family.

Heiress Zelda Clayton has spent her life projecting a bubbly personality, certain that if she shows her darkness, she’ll be abandoned once again. Now the pulse-pounding attraction between her and devastatingly gorgeous bodyguard Jasper Kent is off the charts, and she’s terrified he will leave, too, breaking her heart right as she’s falling in love with him.

But a broken heart may be the least of Zelda’s worries

•••••

REVIEW: HIDDEN WITH YOU is the eighth instalment in J. Kenner’s contemporary, adult STARK SECURITY erotic, romantic suspense series-a part of the author’s Stark World. This is forty-four year old, former MI6 agent Jasper Kent, and twenty-three year old, author/heiress Zelda Clayton’s story line. HIDDEN WITH YOU can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.

Told from first person (Zelda) and third person (Jasper) perspectives HIDDEN WITH YOU follows the building but acrimonious relationship between forty-four year old, former MI6 agent Jasper Kent, and twenty-three year old, author/heiress Zelda Clayton. Years earlier former MI6 agent Jasper Kent lost his daughter Bonnie, and his wife Sandra, to a killer. Having searched for the person(s) responsible but to no avail, Jasper has moved to America where he begins working for the Stark Security organization in the hopes of using their resources to uncover the truth but Jasper never expected to come face to face with twenty-three year old author Zelda Clayton, a woman who stirs something deep within our story line hero, something Jasper had thought he lost a long time ago. From the outset, Jasper struggles with his attraction to a woman who is not his beloved wife, but a message from a stranger pits Jasper’s need for revenge, against the building love he feels for our story line heroine, a message that places Zelda in the direct line of fire. Enter author/heiress Zelda Clayton, and the woman with whom Jasper will fall in love. What ensues is the insta-lust to love relationship between Jasper and Zelda, and the potential fall-out as our heroine is targeted, and Jasper isn’t the only assassin hired for the job.

Zelda Clayton does not have a close relationship with her mother, in the years since her father’s death, and her mother’s remarriage to former CIA operative Carter Malloy but the estrangement has never stopped Zelda from becoming her own woman, a woman who is now the target of an unknown assassin. Zelda’s attraction to Jasper was immediate but Jasper’s less than warm reception left Zelda, once again, reeling at another rejection from the men in her life. Jasper Kent’s only path in life is to discover the truth about the murder of his wife and child but when a message come through, promising to reveal the who, how and why, Jasper battles between head and heart knowing that to finally feel peace means to destroy the woman with whom he is falling in love.

The relationship between Jasper and Zelda is an age-gap romance; one of immediate attraction but when Zelda becomes the ‘aggressor’ Jasper struggles with the memories of his wife, the grief, and his inability to move forward. Zelda knows that a permanent relationship with Jasper is never going to happen as Zelda is unable to compete with memory of the past, a ghost Jasper is unable to let go. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate but I dislike the use of a certain four-letter word (although only used once) in my romance story lines.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful and familiar secondary and supporting characters, most of whom we have met in previous story lines including Nikki and Damien, Jamie and Ryan, Evelyn, Ollie and Trevor. We are introduced to Stark Security’s new Research and Analysis specialist Owen Porter, as well Leah Ramirez, Zelda’s friend Camille, and Zelda’s mother Amelia and step father Carter Malloy.

HIDDEN WITH YOU is a story of power and greed, betrayal and vengeance, acceptance and moving forward. The fast paced premise is captivating and engaging; the romance is seductive and steamy; the characters are dynamic and broken.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Shadows of You .5
Shattered with You
Broken with You
Ruined With You
Wrecked with You
Destroyed with You
Memories of You
Ravaged with You

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

J. Kenner (aka Julie Kenner) is the New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, Wall Street Journal and #1 International bestselling author of over seventy novels, novellas and short stories in a variety of genres.

Though known primarily for her award-winning and international bestselling erotic romances (including the Stark and Most Wanted series) that have reached as high as #2 on the New York Times bestseller list, JK has been writing full time for over a decade in a variety of genres including paranormal and contemporary romance, “chicklit” suspense, urban fantasy, and paranormal mommy lit.

JK has been praised by Publishers Weekly as an author with a “flair for dialogue and eccentric characterizations” and by RT Bookclub for having “cornered the market on sinfully attractive, dominant antiheroes and the women who swoon for them.” A five time finalist for Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA award, JK took home the first RITA trophy awarded in the category of erotic romance in 2014 for her novel, Claim Me (book 2 of her Stark Trilogy). Her Demon Hunting Soccer Mom series (as Julie Kenner) is currently in development with AwesomenessTV/Awestruck.

Her books have sold over three million copies and are published in over twenty languages.

In her previous career as an attorney, JK worked as a clerk on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, and practiced primarily civil, entertainment and First Amendment litigation in Los Angeles and Irvine, California, as well as in Austin, Texas. She currently lives in Central Texas, with her husband, two daughters, and two rather spastic cats.

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | YouTube | Amazon Author Page

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