All Roads Lead to You by Jackie Ashenden-a review

All Roads Lead to You (Small Town Dreams 2) by Jackie Ashenden-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date November 29, 2022

A grumpy wilderness guide who just wants to be left alone.
A cheerful jewelry designer determined to get him to open up.
A breathtaking New Zealand town that inspires second chances.
An unlikely love that won’t be denied.

Brightwater Valley, New Zealand, is beautiful, rugged, and home to those who seek adventure. Finn Kelly loves everything about guiding wilderness hikes, except the part where he has to interact with people every day. But when sunny jewelry designer Bethany Grant moves into town and involves herself in every aspect of his life, he wonders what it might be like if he let in some of her light…

•••••

REVIEW: ALL ROADS LEAD TO YOU is the second instalment in Jackie Ashenden’s contemporary, adult SMALL TOWN DREAMS erotic, romance series-a spin off from the author’s ALASKA HOMECOMING SERIES. This is Kiwi wilderness guide Finn Kelly, and American jewelry designer Bethany ‘Beth’ Grant’s story line. ALL ROADS LEAD TO YOU can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary.

SOME BACKGROUND: In the wake of failures and disappointments back home, best friends and Americans Izzy, Indigo and Bethany head to New Zealand to start a new business venture in Brightwater Valley, a small town that is slowly dying without some much needed help from start up entrepreneurs.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Finn and Beth) ALL ROADS LEAD TO YOU follows the building but acrimonious relationship between Finn Kelly and Beth Grant. Finn Kelly works as a wilderness tour guide in Brightwater Valley, New Zealand but Finn struggles with demons from the past, demons of which he is unable to let go. Beth Grant’ s attraction to Finn Kelly is immediate but Finn wants nothing to do with our story line heroine, and refuses to accept her bubbly personality is honest or real. A one-night stand with Finn forces Beth to reconsider the future, a future that is about to change for them both but as Finn continues to struggle with the past, Beth quickly realizes she may be heading into the future alone. What ensues is the building but heart breaking relationship between Beth and Finn, and the potential fall-out as Finn refuses to fall in love, or let Bethany Grant into his heart.

The relationship between Beth and Finn begins acrimoniously as Beth doesn’t understand what she has done wrong. Finn is grumpy, stand offish, and rude, forcing Beth to confront our story line hero. Both Finn and Beth battle with heartbreaking losses from the past but Finn refuses to move on, destroying Beth in the process. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top sexually graphic language and text.

We are reintroduced to Izzy and Chase (Find Your Way Home), Levi; baker Bill Preston, and rancher /horse farm owner Clint. Levi and Indigo’s story is next.

ALL ROADS LEAD TO YOU is a story of grief and loss, acceptance and understanding, love and letting go. The premise is emotional and heart breaking; the romance is affectionate and considerate; the characters are interesting but Finn Kelly is broken and lost.

Click HERE for Sandy’s review of book one FIND YOUR WAY HOME

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

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Find Your Way Home (Small Town Dreams)by Jackie Ashenden-a review

Find Your Way Home (Small Town Dreams 1) by Jackie Ashenden-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date April 26, 2022

He’s hell-bent on telling her what to do.
She’s determined to make it on her own.
They’re both going to learn a thing or two about first impressions.

Brightwater Valley, New Zealand, is beautiful, rugged, and home to those who love adventure. But it’s also isolated and on the verge of becoming a ghost town.

When the town puts out a call to its sister city of Deep River, Alaska, hoping to entice people to build homes and businesses in Brightwater, ex paratrooper Chase Kelly is all for it. He sees the benefits of building the economy, but only if those who come to Brightwater are ready for its challenges. Former oil executive Isabella Montgomery and her plan to open an art gallery don’t seem up to the test. Now Chase is determined to help her learn the ways of his formidable hometown.

•••••

REVIEW:FIND YOUR WAY HOME is the first instalment in Jackie Ashenden’s contemporary, adult SMALL TOWN DREAM romance series-a spin off from the author’s ALASKA HOMECOMING SERIES. This is thirty-five year old, New Zealander, ex paratrooper and single father Chase Kelly, and American, former oil executive Isabella ‘Izzy’ Montgomery’s story line. Isabella is Zeke Montgomery’s sister (THAT DEEP RIVER FEELING-Alaska Homecoming #3).

Told from dual third person perspectives ( Chase and Izzy) FIND YOUR WAY HOME follows the building romance and relationship between thirty-five year old, New Zealander, ex paratrooper and single father Chase Kelly, and American, former oil executive Isabella ‘Izzy’ Montgomery. In the wake of losing her job, and a failed engagement with an attorney back home in Texas, Isabella Montgomery , along with her two friends, Bethany and Indigo, head to New Zealand to start a new business venture in Brightwater Valley, a small town that is slowly dying without some much needed start up entrepreneurs but the trio’s welcome to Brightwater is questionable at best including the less than welcoming attitude of the town’s so-called mayor Chase Kelly, a man who stirs something deep within our story line heroine. As Izzy, Indigo and Beth set out to uncover what is needed in Brightwater Valley, our heroine finds herself in a friends with benefits relationship with Chase Kelly, a man whose past is mired in abandonment and loss. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Izzy and Chase, and the potential fall-out as Chase doesn’t do romance, and refuses to accept anything long term with our story line heroine.

Chase Kelly is a single father whose ex-wife abandoned their family leaving Chase to raise his now twelve year old daughter, alone. Trying to keep his private life separate from family and the Brightwater Valley busybodies at home, Chase offers Isabella a friends with benefits only relationship fearing another abandonment when Isabella decides it’s time to go home. Izzy Montgomery had no plans to leave Texas but losing her job, and without the support of family or friends, Izzy finds herself in Brightwater Valley, New Zealand, on the precipice of starting over. Having lost both her fiance and her job within a matter of days, Izzy convinced herself she didn’t want a permanent relationship only to discover that her heart wanted something more. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

We are introduced to Izzy’s friends Beth and Indigo, as well as Chase’s daughter ‘Gus’, his brother Finn, and friend Levi, all of whom are partnered with the Pure Adventure NZ. Finn and Beth’s story is next.

FIND YOUR WAY HOME is a story of love and loss, acceptance and new beginnings. The character driven premise is engaging and captivating; the characters are broken but healing; the romance is seductive.

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

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That Deep River Feeling by Jackie Ashenden-review

That Deep River Feeling (Alaska Homecoming 3) by Jackie Ashenden-review

 

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date July 27, 2021

-An independent woman dedicated to protecting her town—and her heart
-A mysterious mountain man with a past shrouded in secrets
-A small Alaska town that’ll take your breath away

Zeke Calhoun doesn’t care much about Deep River, but he’ll do just about anything to keep the promise he made to look out for his best friend’s sister.

As the sole police officer in Deep River, Morgan West won’t be bossed around, but Zeke is irresistible. He’s tough, challenging, and all kinds of sexy, but getting involved is the last thing on her mind. Or is it…?

••••••••

REVIEW:THAT DEEP RIVER FEELING is the third instalment in Jackie Ashenden’s contemporary, adult ALASKA HOMECOMING romance series focusing on three friends who inherited the small town of Deep River, Alaska. This is bush pilot Zeke Calhoun, and Village Safety Protection Officer Morgan West’s story line. THAT DEEP RIVER FEELING can be read as a stand alone but I recommend reading the series in order for back story and cohesion.

SOME BACKGROUND: Thirteen years earlier Silas Quinn (Home to Deep River 1), along with his best friend Caleb West, swore never to return to Deep River but with Caleb’s death came the ownership of the town of Deep River, owned by the West family for close to one hundred years. When the sole surviving West refused all ownership, the town of Deep River was passed on to our heroes Damon, Silas and Zeke.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Zeke and Morgan) THAT DEEP RIVER FEELING focuses on Zeke Calhoun, the final partner in the privately owned small town of Deep River, Alaska. For two months Zeke has been MIA; no contact with his friends Silas and Damon, and in this Silas and Damon struggle with potential offers to buy Deep River, Alaska. Deep River sits upon a ‘gold mine’ of oil, oil that a Texas company is hoping to own, while secretly approaching the people in an effort to buy what’s left of the town. Morgan West is the only member of the local law enforcement, and the only surviving West family heir, and with it comes the knowledge that someone is hoping to gain access to the Deep River oil. Enter Zeke Calhoun, the third partner bequeathed ownership of Deep River, Alaska and the man with whom Morgan West will fall in love. What ensues is the struggling romance and relationship between Zeke and Morgan, and the potential fall-out as Zeke’s secrets are about to be exposed, as our hero struggles with issues of rejection, trust and low self-esteem.

Zeke Calhoun worries that once the truth is revealed, his friendships and relationship with his best friends Damon and Silas with spiral out of control. Having suffered through a dysfunctional relationship with his family, Zeke prefers to live life on his own terms but meeting Morgan West stirs something deep within our story line hero. Morgan West has lived all of her life in Deep River, Alaska, and like Zeke, struggles with demons from the past. Believing she is unworthy of love, Morgan finally opens her heart only to discover that Zeke’s time in Deep River, comes with an expiry date. The $ex scenes are limited but intimate and passionate, without the over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

The secondary and supporting characters include Silas Quinn and his girlfriend Hope Dawson; Damon Fitzgerald and Astrid, James; Astrid’s son Connor; Zeke’s sister Izzy Montgomery, as well as Filthy Phil, all knowing, all seeing elderly gentleman -the people of Deep River are very protective of our story line heroine.

THAT DEEP RIVER FEELING is a story of secrets, family, relationships and love. The premise is entertaining; the romance is captivating but I struggled to feel any palpable sexual attraction between our leading couple. Perhaps it was Zeke’s less than stellar attitude towards everything, or his need to move on without the woman he loved.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Come Home to Deep River
Deep River Promise

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

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Deep River Promise by Jackie Ashenden -a review

Deep River Promise (Alaska Homecoming 2) by Jackie Ashenden -a review

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Welcome to Deep River, Alaska

Damon Fitzgerald’s only desire is to get back to LA and out of the tiny Alaskan town he’s somehow inherited. But first he has to keep a promise he made to his old army buddy and look out for his friend’s son. That would be a whole lot easier if the kid’s mother wasn’t the mayor of Deep River…

Astrid James didn’t ask to be mayor of Deep River but since she is, she intends to do right by the town and her son. The last thing she needs is an arrogant outsider coming in and taking charge, no matter how attractive he is. But when Astrid starts to realize that Damon is more than just a pretty face, she’ll have to decide whether she can risk her heart and her son’s happiness on a man who’s mission is to leave Deep River.

•••••••

REVIEW:DEEP RIVER PROMISE is the second instalment in Jackie Ashenden’s contemporary, adult ALASKA HOMECOMING romance series focusing on three friends who inherited the small town of Deep River, Alaska when their best friend died in a place crash. This is bush pilot Damon Fitzgerald, and Deep River Mayor and librarian Astrid James’ story line. DEEP RIVER PROMISE can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous instalment is revealed where necessary.

SOME BACKGROUND: Thirteen years earlier Silas Quinn (Home to Deep River 1), along with his best friend Caleb West, swore never to return to Deep River but with Caleb’s death came the ownership of the town of Deep River, owned by the West family for close to one hundred years, now passed on to our hero Damon, and his friends Silas and Zeke.

Told from dual third person perspective (Damon and Astrid) DEEP RIVER PROMISE follows Damon Fitzgerald as he endeavors to come to terms with partial ownership of the small town of Deep River, Alaska but Deep River sits on a field of oil, a field of which the Big Oil companies are hoping to own. In an effort to strengthen the town, and bring in some much need tourism and money, Damon Fitzgerald, along with his best friend Silas Quinn, and the town’s Mayor Astrid James, begin to ferret out a number of possibilities but Damon never expected to lose his heart to the town and the woman with whom he would fall in love. What ensues is the quick building romance and relationship between Astrid and Damon, and the potential fall-out as Damon struggles with demons from the past, and an ailing mother back home in Los Angeles, California.

Astrid James is a single mother to thirteen year old Connor James but Astrid’s secret is about to be exposed with the arrival of Damon Fitzgerald, a man who stirs something deep within our story line heroine. Having loved and lost, and loved and lost again, Astrid ‘ran’ to Deep River, Alaska, a town with too many memories but a town that has accepted Astrid, and the boy that she loves. Damon Fitzgerald never wanted to own Deep River, Alaska, and is preparing to walk away once a plan has been put into action to save a town that meant much to his former best friend but Damon never expected to meet a feisty, single mother, a woman who isn’t afraid to call Damon out on his excuses and fears. After his death, Caleb’s request meant Damon had a responsibility, a responsibility that now included Astrid and her fifteen year old son, Connor.

The relationship between Damon and Astrid is one of immediate attraction but Damon’s time in Deep River comes with an expiry date, and Damon refuses to hang around for the long haul. Falling in love was never on the agenda but Astrid, and her son Connor, made it difficult for Damon to walk away. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

We are reintroduced to Silas Quinn and his girlfriend Hope Dawson; Astrid’s son Connor; Caleb’s sister Morgan West; as well as ferry operator Kevin Anderson; general store owner Malcolm Cooper; tourism operator Sandy; and wannabe luxury motel owner Mike Flint. Zeke and Morgan’s story line is next.

DEEP RIVER PROMISE is a story of family, betrayal, loss and love; a story of survival and reflection; promises and happily ever after. The premise is inspiring; the romance is spirited and heart breaking; the characters are sassy, determined and lost.

Click HERE for Sandy’s review of book one COME HOME TO DEEP RIVER

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

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COME HOME TO DEEP RIVER by Jackie Ashenden-Review & Giveaway Tour

COME HOME TO DEEP RIVER (Alaska Homecoming #1) by Jackie Ashenden-Review, Excerpt & Giveaway Tour

 

 

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date July 28, 2020

Deep River, Alaska boasts a fiercely independent though small population. The people who live here love it, and they don’t much care what anyone else thinks. Until the day Silas Quinn comes back and tells them an oil reserve has been found below the town and now it’s neighbor vs. neighbor. Some want to take the money and run, while others want to tell the oil company to put its rigs where the sun don’t shine.

Hope Dawson never expected to leave Deep River. Her mom needs her. Her grandfather died and left her the local hangout to run. Her dreams of college and adventure died long ago. Until Silas comes back to town, holding the key to set her free. But freedom means she loses him again, and he’s the one she’s really always wanted.

••••••••••

REVIEW: COME HOME TO DEEP RIVER is the first instalment in Jackie Ashenden’s contemporary, adult ALASKA HOMECOMING erotic, romance series focusing on the men and women of Deep River, Alaska. This is former US soldier and pilot Silas Quinn, and bar owner Hope Dawson’s story line.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Hope and Silas) COME HOME TO DEEP RIVER follows the rebuilding friendship and relationship between former US soldier and pilot Silas Quinn, and bar owner Hope Dawson. Thirteen years earlier Silas Quinn, along with his best friend Caleb West, swore never to return to Deep River but with Caleb’s death came the ownership of the town of Deep River, owned by the West family for close to one hundred years, now passed on to our hero, and his friends Damon and Zeke. Silas’ return to Deep River brought with it too many memories of a time long ago including the rejection of the woman that stole his heart. Enter bar owner Hope Dawson and the woman with whom Silas is still in love. What ensues is the rebuilding relationship between Hope and Silas, and the potential fall-out as the town of Deep River sits on a field of oil, a field that the Big Oil companies are hoping to own.

Silas Quinn left Deep River, Alaska a broken man-with the death of his mother, his father fell deep into a years long drunken stupor, and his eventual demise forced Silas to face the an awful truth. With only one reason to remain in Deep River, Hope’s rejection of our hero pushed Silas over the edge, swearing never to return to the land he once loved. With Damon and Zeke, Silas owned and operated a business in Juneau, business from which Damon is currently trying to let go. Hope Dawson once believed she was in love with Silas’ best friend but his rejection was heart breaking and pained. Having remained in Deep River to keep an eye on her mother, Hope had always wondered about moving on and out of the town she continues to call home.

The relationship between Hope and Silas is one of second chances, of a sorts, between former friends whose unrequited love for one another has never been acknowledged. Thirteen years hardened Hope’s heart to the man with whom she would fall in love but thirteen years also brought memories from a time long ago The $ex scenes are passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

We are introduced to many of the townies of Deep River Alaska including Hope’s mother Angela, bartender Axel ; ferry operator Kevin Anderson; general store owner Malcolm Cooper; tourism operator Sandy; mayor Astrid James; and wannabe luxury motel owner Mike Flint. We are also introduced to Silas’ partner Damon.

COME HOME TO DEEP RIVER is a story of family, friendships, relationships and love; power, money and greed and control. The fast paced premise is engaging and entertaining; the romance is captivating; the characters are energetic, colorful and charismatic.

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

Excerpted from Come Home to Deep River by Jackie Ashenden. © 2020 by Jackie Ashenden. Used with permission of the publisher, Sourcebooks Casablanca, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. All rights reserved.

 

Flying into Deep River, Alaska, took a special kind of grit. The airstrip was a narrow bit of gravel to the side of soaring mountains, with a river running along one edge, and there was always some kind of crosswind happening that would challenge even the most experienced pilot.
It wasn’t a forgiving landing, and there was no room for error.
Luckily, Silas Quinn hadn’t made an error in all the time he’d spent flying around the wilds of the Alaskan backcountry, and he wasn’t about to make one now.
Particularly not when he was flying into the hometown he’d left thirteen years earlier and hadn’t been back to since.
Especially not when he was coming back to what would probably turn out to be the most hostile reception since Mike Flint had once said at a town meeting that he thought the idea of a luxury motel on the side of the Deep River would be good and why didn’t they build one.
Considering the reason Si was here was fifty million times worse than the idea of a luxury motel, the response he was likely to get once he’d broken the news would probably be more than the one month of cold-shouldering that Mike had gotten.
Si would be lucky if the town didn’t kill him.
That was if this damn airstrip didn’t kill him first.
The clouds were lowering, and the rain was coming down hard, and the wind was a problem, but with his friend Caleb’s death still fresh, Si was in no mood to let the elements have their way with him.
He’d survived three tours in Afghanistan.
He’d survive this, even if it killed him.
He kept his nerve and brought the tiny plane down, the wheels bouncing on the gravel as he rolled up just shy of the lone hangar that housed Deep River’s entire aviation industry.
As the spin of the Cessna’s propellers began to wind down, Si sat in the cockpit trying to handle the rush of emotions that he had known would grip him the second he touched down. The usual mixture of grief, anger, and longing that Deep River always instilled whenever he thought of his hometown.
There was a special poignancy to it today though. Because Caleb was only a few weeks dead and the shock of the will was still ringing through Si’s entire being like a hammer strike.
Deep River was an anomaly. The entire town was privately owned and had been since the gold rush days, when town founder Jacob West had bought up all the land around the Deep River and declared it a haven for the misfits and rogues who didn’t fit in anywhere in normal society. He’d leased out the land to anyone who wanted to join him, getting them to pay him whatever they could afford in terms of a nominal rent, and in return, they could have a plot of land to call their own and do whatever they wanted with it.
The People’s Republic of Deep River, some called it.
Most just called it home.
Even over a hundred years later, the town was still owned by the Wests.
And that was the difficulty. Caleb was the oldest West and had inherited the town after his father, Jared West, had died five years earlier. And he’d ran the place since then—or at least he had until his unexpected death in a plane crash while running supplies up to a remote settlement in the north.
But that hadn’t been the end to the shocks that Si and his two other friends, Damon and Zeke, had had to endure in the past few weeks.
First, there had been finding out that Caleb had left the entire town to them in his will. And second, oil had been discovered within Deep River’s city limits—oil that the town had no idea was underneath their land.
Oil that, once they knew about it, was going to turn the entire place upside down.
Heavy stuff for three ex-military guys who had nothing to their names but a small company doing adventure tours for tourists, transport runs for hunters, and supply runs for everyone else in the Alaskan bush.
Si stared out at the rain beyond the windshield of the plane.
It hid everything from view, which was probably just as well. He hadn’t wanted to come back here, not considering what he’d been trying to leave behind, but it hadn’t made any sense for either Damon or Zeke to be the advance party.
This was his hometown. He was the one who knew Deep River and the people in it. And he was the one who’d been closest to Caleb.
Therefore, it made sense for him to be the one to break the happy news that firstly, the fact that he, Damon, and Zeke were the new owners. And secondly, there was oil in them thar hills.
Some men might have kept the oil a secret and kept all the riches for themselves too, but Si wasn’t that kind of man, and neither were his friends.
He’d been brought up in Deep River, an extreme environment where everyone learned to rely on each other since that could be all that stood between you and a very uncomfortable death. There was no time for petty grievances—though to be fair, there were a lot of those as well. But when push came to shove, the town pulled together. Because fundamentally, they were all the same. They’d all come here because they didn’t fit anywhere else, because they were escaping something, because they liked the quiet and the isolation and the return to nature.
Because they just plain old liked it.
Si let out a breath.
And now he was going to give them news that was going to blow it all apart.
*** 

 

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Sexy Beast (Billion $ Bastards #2) by Jackie Ashenden-a review

Sexy Beast (Billion $ Bastards #2) by Jackie Ashenden-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date April 1, 2020

Commanding billionaire Everett Calhoun reveals his sexy dark side to his girl-next-door best friend in this smoking hot second installment of the Billion $ Bastards trilogy!

I was born bad. Maintaining tight control—in business and in the bedroom—is the only way to keep my darkness in check. So when my girl-next-door best friend, Freya, comes to me for a sexual favor, I don’t see the harm in giving her what she needs. After all, I’ve always kept her firmly in the friend zone.

But after showing her that there’s nothing wrong with her ability to orgasm, it’s all I can do to walk away. Unleashing my inner beast on the person who matters most to me is not an option. But she wants me… Is she prepared to follow my every command? To submit to my will and let me take her to the ultimate heights of pleasure?

Getting Freya on her knees should make me feel like the monster I am, but being with her leaves me more vulnerable, more human, than ever. I need to reclaim the friendship we had before I lose control completely, or will she have me on my knees…?

•••••

REVIEW:SEXY BEAST is the second instalment in Jackie Ashenden’s contemporary, adult Billions $ Bastards erotic, romance series focusing on three friends and business partners Everett Calhoun, Damian Blackwood and Ulysses White. This is billionaire Everett Calhoun, and auto mechanic Freya Johnson’s story line. SEXY BEAST can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous instalment is revealed where necessary.

NOTE: There are some scenes of domination and spanking that may not be suitable for more sensitive readers.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Everett and Freya) SEXY BEAST follows the friends to lovers relationships between thirty two year old billionaire Damian Blackwood, and thirty year old Freya Johnson. Freya has been in love with her best friend since she was sixteen years old but having lost her mother at an early age, raised by an aunt who destroyed our heroine’s self esteem, Freya battled between head and heart as it pertained to Damian Blackwood. An invitation to be Damian’s plus one at a charity auction in London, England found Freya stepping out of her comfort zone, asking Damian if he was willing to help her with achieving her first O. What ensues is the building sexual relationship between Freya and Damian, and the fall-out as Damian struggles with his own needs and demands, believing himself unworthy of Freya’s love.

The relationship between Freya and Damian is a friends to lovers but Damian is a sexual Dominant and demands obedience in all things sexually related. Freya will soon discover that she is a willing and cooperative partner for the man that she loves but Damian struggles with what he needs from his best friend, a friend whose heart he is about to destroy. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and intense with Domination and spanking.

SEXY BEAST is a quick read; a story of friendship, power, control and acceptance. The premise is fast paced and entertaining; the romance is steamy and hot; the characters are strong, energetic, broken and hurt.

copy supplied by Netgalley

reviewed by Sandy

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The Debt (The Billionaires Club) by Jackie Ashenden-a review

The Debt (The Billionaires Club) by Jackie Ashenden -a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date September 1, 2019

Ruthless billionaire Ash Evans finds the sexiest way to collect on a debt in the first installment in The Billionaire’s Club quartet!

Notoriously ruthless property developer Ash Evans never forgives a debt. And I have two days to convince the former street fighter not to pull his investment in my father’s company. Taking a job as his chauffeur in Paris is the only way to get close enough to ask the bad-tempered billionaire for a favor.

With his sexy tattoo, scars and magnificently cut body, he’s as powerful, sleek and difficult to manage as the sports cars my family designs. And after meeting his electric-blue eyes in the rearview mirror all night, I’m more than happy to rev his engine and take the boss for a ride!

But now Ash thinks I’m just using him to get what I want. And he’ll give me what I need, but there is a price—posing as his girlfriend to help him exact vengeance on his half brother. Pretending to love Ash is the easiest job I’ve ever had…and soon my heart is racing into danger. Will a man so full of anger ever be capable of loving me back?

••••••••

REVIEW:THE DEBT is the first instalment in Jackie Ashenden’s contemporay,adult BILLIONAIRE’S CLUB erotic, romance series. This is billionaire property developer and investor Ash Evans, and car designer Ellie Little’s story line.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Ellie and Ash) THE DEBT follows the building relationship between billionaire property developer and investor Ash Evans, and Australian car designer Ellie Little. The loan has been called in on Ellie’s family business, and hoping for her father’s approval, Ellie heads to London, England in an effort to persuade their number one investor to pull back on the upcoming payments. Enter Ash Evans, and the man with whom Ellie will fall in love. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Ellie and Ash, and the potential fall-out as Ash is unable to let go of the past.

Ash Evans doesn’t do relationships, and believes he is not worthy of love but his need to succeed at all costs forces Ash to ‘blackmail’ Ellie LIttle into pretending to be his fake girlfriend. Determined to win the right to purchase a series of Caribbean islands Ash needs to present himself as a family man, and Ellie is desperate enough to go along with the ruse-pretend to be Ash’s girlfriend and Ash will hold off on calling in the loan. Ellie Little knows rejection first hand. Having lost her mother at an early age, and the ensuing dismissal by her father broke our heroine’s heart a long time ago. In an effort to be accepted Ellie heads to London to convince the man that will steal her heart.

The relationship between Ellie and Ash begins as a business arrangement. Ellie hires herself out as a limo driver in order to get closer to our story line hero. From the outset Ellie’s attraction to Ash is immediate and intense. Their first evening together finds our couple together but Ellie struggles with what has to be done. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and intense, without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

THE DEBT is a story of family, revenge, betrayal and acceptance. The premise is engaging; the romance is hot and seductive; the characters are desperate, colorful, and energetic. On the flip side I have to wonder if the author did enough research with regards to the travelling to Dubai. Our couple travel to Dubai in an effort to secure Ash’s purchase of the Caribbean island but the strict laws regarding the dos and don’ts of behavior do not appear to have been addressed, behavior that could landed our couple in some serious hot water.

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

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KING’S RANSOM (Kings of Sydney #3) by Jackie Ashenden-a review

KING’S RANSOM (Kings of Sydney #3) by Jackie Ashenden-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release April 1, 2019

“I’m here to kidnap you…”

It’s the sexy invite she’s been looking for!

Billionaire Ajax King will do anything to destroy Sydney’s criminal underworld—even kidnap his enemy’s delectable and oh-so-virginal daughter. Only Imogen White isn’t quite what Ajax expected. She’s determined to earn a deliciously carnal education from Sydney’s sexiest bad boy. And for Ajax, the ends always justify the means… Until this sweet little spitfire steals away with this brooding King’s heart!

•••••••••

REVIEW:  KING’S RANSOM is the third instalment in Jackie Ashenden’s contemporary, adult KINGS OF SYDNEY erotic, Harlequin DARE romance series focusing on the King siblings. This is eldest brother and billionaire businessman Ajax King, and heiress Imogen White’s story line. KING’S RANSOM can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous instalment is revealed where necessary.

SOME BACKGROUND: Months earlier, the King brothers took over their father’s real-estate business, a business with ties to the local mob. With their father now in jail for money laundering and fraud, Xander, Leon and Ajax King struggle to clean up a reputation inherited based upon sins of the past.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Ajax and Imogen) KING’S RANSOM follows Ajax King as he executes his plan to take down and destroy William White, one of the last holdouts in the criminal underground world of Sydney, Australia, a world of which his father once controlled. At a local charity event Ajax sets his sights on pampered princess Imogen White, a virginal young woman, believed to be the apple of her father’s eye. What ensues is the kidnapping and ‘imprisonment ‘of Imogen White, and the building romance and relationship between our leading couple.

Imogen White is pleased beyond comprehension that Ajax White is her would-be abductor. Having tried desperately to run from the life her father has imposed, Imogen finds herself looking forward to time spent with Ajax in the hopes of perhaps, something more. To be used as a pawn for her father’s business deals, our heroine is hoping that Ajax King claims her as his own, leaving her father without her once-valued commodity. Ajax King had no idea that Imogen White would be pleased with her current situation. Desperate to use Imogen against her father, Ajax struggles between head and heart where it concerns our story line heroine.

The relationship between Imogen and Ajax is one of immediate attraction but Imogen is now Ajax’s prisoner, a prisoner who finds herself falling for the man in charge. The Sex scenes are intimate, passionate and erotic, without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

The secondary and supporting characters are limited as the story line focuses on the relationship between our leading couple, and Ajax’s need to destroy William White. We are reintroduced to Ajax’s brothers Leon and Xander; as well as the introduction of Imogen’s father William White.

KING’S RANSOM is a story of family, betrayal, vengeance and love. The premise is engaging and captivating; the romance is impassioned and seductive; the characters are colorful and energetic-Imogen is a feisty young woman willing to risk everything for her freedom and more.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
King’s Price
King’s Rule

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

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