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Zeke (Breaking the Declan Brothers 3) by Kelly Gendron-Review and Book Tour

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ZEKE (Breaking The Declan Brothers #3) by Kelly Gendron-Review and Book Tour

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ZEKE
Breaking the Declan Brothers 3
by Kelly Gendron
Release Date: January 22, 106
Genre: adult, contemporary, MMA,erotic romance

Zeke

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date January 22, 2016

Every girl in Galveston County knows about Zeke Declan’s rules and has agreed to them or is considering them.
Rule #1 Don’t call him. He’ll call you.
Rule #2 He doesn’t date.
Rule #3 No sleepovers.
Rule #4 Absolutely, no virgins.

When a couple friends talk me into going back to their hometown in the Bayou for the summer and challenge me to break “the best damn lay in Galveston County” along with every single one of his ridiculous rules, I’m confident that I can get the job done. I’m no stranger to men. I have five older brothers. I’m a teacher and I’m used to being around rebellious teenagers. However, Zeke Declan is definitely not someone that I could have prepared for. He’s not a testosterone-fueled, immature boy. He’s a confident, arousing, playful, and mind-melting man. But, behind that sexy charming smile, I know he’s hiding a secret. And, in order to break him, I’m going to need to find out what it is.

•••••••••••••••

REVIEW: ZEKE is the third and final installment in Kelly Gendron’s contemporary, adult BREAKING THE DECLAN BROTHERS erotic, romance series focusing on MMA fighters and bar owners Jax, Slate, and Zeke Declan from the Bayou Vista /Galveston County Texas. This is MMA fighter and bar co-owner Zeke Declan, and high school Manhattan English teacher Lurlene Kane’s story. ZEKE can be read as a stand alone but I recommend reading the series in order as the events in ZEKE run parallel to the events in JAX and SLATE (books 1 & 2).

Along with her best friends Emmie and Rayna, Lurlene has come to the Texas Bayou for a summer vacation and with it the friends have focused their time and seduction on the three Declan Brothers. Rayna and Emmie have a history with two of the Declan Brothers, and these two friends are determined to ‘break’ the boys for sins of the past. Lurlene has been set up to ‘break’ Zeke Declan, but Zeke has already been broken by a dark and deadly past.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Zeke and Lurlene) ZEKE follows Lurlene a ‘virginal’ high school English teacher who sets about seducing Zeke Declan. Zeke has a set of rules that all women must follow and Lurlene intends to break everyone. What ensues is the push and pull of attraction and need, and Lurlene’s attempts to stop the demons that are intent on destroying what’s left of Zeke’s soul. A few nights with Zeke uncovers the truth about Zeke’s past, and the guilt that weighs heavily on his shoulders and mind.

ZEKE is a bit of an emotional story line with issues of trust, betrayal, vengeance and guilt. Zeke is a man who believes he is not worthy of love, and Lurlene is a woman out to prove that everyone deserves love and a happily ever after. There is plenty of anxious moments and sexual tension. The $ex scenes are intense, erotic and provocative.

With the appearance of Lurlene comes her brother-boxer Token Kane -and the introduction to Kelly Gendron’s new spin off series-DARING THE KANE BROTHERS-Token, Steel, Nix, Stone and Crash. Token’s story is expected sometime in 2016.

ZEKE wraps up the Declan Brothers and reveals what happened to the family years before-the murders, the fire, the unnecessary guilt of a young boy, and the struggle to survive in a world of hurt and shame. The premise is fast paced and revealing; the characters are heartbreaking and energetic; the happily ever after is a welcome expectation. Sexy men, sexy stories, sexy happily ever afters.

Copy supplied by Netgalley.

Reviewed by Sandy

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About The Author beige

Kelly GendronKelly’s motto ~ “Bad boys, give ’em a little time and experience, and they will evolve into misbehaving men!” And what hot-blooded woman doesn’t want a naughty, all grown up bad boy?

Kelly Gendron is the author of the TroubleMaker series, the up and coming series ~ Breaking the Declan Brothers, and a few other romantic suspense novels.

When she’s not writing steamy, blush producing romances, she’s out meeting new people while representing a group of reputable nursing facilities. You can find Kelly in a quiet suburb, somewhere between Buffalo and Niagara Falls. If you Google her, she’ll pop up there too. And, please do find her. Kelly loves to hear from her readers, and meeting new people.

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Fighting Dirty by Sidney Halston-Review, Book Tour & Giveaway

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FIGHTING DIRTY (Worth The Fight #5) by Sidney Halston-Review, Book Tour & Giveaway

 

FIGHTING DIRTY
Worth The Fight #5
by Sidney Halston
Genre: adult, contemporary, MMA, erotic romance
Release Date: January 5, 2016

 

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date January 5, 2016

With his preppy clothes and horn-rimmed glasses, Enzo Silva is the last dude anyone expects to find in a mixed martial arts gym. A wealthy Brazilian banker who never had to fight for anything, Enzo’s stuck in the amateur circuit—but he burns to make the pros. Maybe that explains the heat he feels whenever he’s around Jamie Lynn Calhoun. The pint-size, magenta-haired bartender with the Texas drawl is everything he’s not . . . and everything he craves.

Tough as nails and independent to a fault, Jamie Lynn—JL to her friends—works hard to pay her bills and keep life simple. Enzo is doing his best to complicate that. Even though she likes to bust his balls, he’s got some kind of a nerdy-hot vibe that makes JL wonder if she might finally be able to let her guard down. It might do the boy some good to spend some time in her world, where blood, sweat, and victory are as sweet as the first taste of real love.

•••••

REVIEW:  FIGHTING DIRTY is the fifth installment in Sidney Halston’s contemporary, adult WORTH THE FIGHT erotic romance series focusing on the MMA fighters of Worth The Fight Club and the women they love. This is amateur MMA fighter and Brazilian businessman Enzo Silva, and bar waitress Jamie Lynn (JL) Calhoun’s story. JL is Travis’s sister-we were first introduced to our leading couple in a previous story line.

Told from dual third person perspectives FIGHTING DIRTY focuses on Enzo’s attempts to seduce Jamie Lynn-a tattooed, impulsive and feisty thirty year old who never considered settling down anytime soon. For close to a year Enzo has been trying to convince JL to give him a chance but when Enzo is ready to give up it is Jamie who asks Enzo out for their first official date. Jamie and Enzo are polar opposites in almost everything they do but Jamie’s take charge attitude pushes Enzo into some uncomfortable situations while hiding her own emotional and darkened past.

Jamie and her brother Travis never ran in the same circles as the rich and famous people like Enzo Silva. They never knew their father and their mother is an addict with a taste for drugs and men. But Jamie and Travis keep secret their younger life, and it is only when things between Enzo and Jamie begin to heat up does Jamie reveal the truth about earlier years and the reasons she hides behind the tattoos and various changes to her hair color and style. Jamie is a talented artist who likes to push the envelope between right and wrong but the envelope she continues to push lands squarely in the new business deal that Enzo had been trying to make. The $ex scenes are intimate and erotic, and for Enzo there are a number of firsts –outdoors and on the hood of expensive cars.

FIGHTING DIRTY includes all of the previous story line couples as well as Jamie’s twin brother Travis, and the woman who calls to his heart-Penny. Jamie’s BFF Violet (Laid Out #4) is a little protective of our story line heroine but it is Jamie’s secret that Violet struggles to protect the most. We are introduced to Jamie and Travis’s struggling mother, as well as Enzo’s ex wife and the ‘new’ man in her life.

The world building continues to focus on the men of the MMA but the fight scenes are limited in this particular story line. There is a ‘reality’ series scheduled to be shot in and around the Worth the Fight fighters, and with it comes the potential for more drama.

FIGHTING DIRTY is an entertaining story line with likeable characters once you get past Jamie Lynn’s initial over the top exuberance and take charge attitude. There is betrayal and heartbreak; secrets and family dysfunction; falling in love and letting go. A welcome addition to Halston’s Worth the Fight MMA series.

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

excerpt

 

JL knew that, short as she was, she often intimidated men with just a look. That’s what confidence did. And she had it in spades. It made you as tall as you wanted to be. As pretty as you wanted to be. As rich as you wanted to be. Because if you had confidence, nothing else mattered. That was a lesson she’d learned a long time ago.
But even with all that confidence, she wasn’t blind to the differences between her and Enzo. He was from a different world, and she could feel the distance between their worlds every time she thought about going out with him. It had all been harmless flirty fun until he’d taken things too far and kissed her a few weeks ago. And what a kiss it had been. He’d kissed her as if he were stuck in a desert and her mouth were the only thing that could quench his thirst. She still felt all sorts of things running through her body when she thought of the way he’d backed her up against a wall, not caring who the hell was around, gripped her neck, and slipped his tongue between her parted lips. She’d embarrassed herself by melting into him and mewling in need. In fact, she might have even dry-humped his leg. It had been that good a kiss. Then he’d let her go and challenged her by saying, “Next time you’ll beg me to kiss you.” Like she’d ever beg a man! But now, with his glorious body on full display . . .
As if he could sense her inappropriate thoughts, his eyes met hers. His stare felt like a warm caress all over her already ignited body. The charcoal fell out of her hand and a shiver ran down her spine. Is it getting hot in here? She shifted uncomfortably on her chair, but he didn’t break eye contact. Then, the ultraconservative man who had been asking her out constantly for almost a year winked at her. It caught her by surprise, and she quickly hid behind her canvas.


 

About the author

Sidney_HalstonSidney Halston lives her life by one simple rule: “Just do it.” And that’s exactly what she did. At the age of thirty, having never written anything other than a legal brief, she picked up a pen for the first time to pursue her dream of becoming an author. That first stroke sealed the deal, and she fell in love with writing. Halston lives in South Florida with her husband and children.

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Legend (Real #6) by Katy Evans-Excerpt Reveal

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Legend (Real #6) by Katy Evans-Excerpt Reveal

LEGEND
Real #6
by Katy Evans
Genre: adult, contemporary, MMA, erotic romance
Release Date:February 9, 2016

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

Maverick “the Avenger” Cage wants to rise to the top and become a legend in the ring. Though he keeps his identity well guarded, he’s known on the fighting circuit as the new kid with a chip on his shoulder and a tattoo on his back that marks him as trouble. He’s got a personal score to settle with the Underground’s one and only Remington “Riptide” Tate.

As Mav trains, he meets a young girl—the only other new person in the town–and sparks fly. When things get heated between them, he finds out she’s none other than Reese Dumas, the cousin of Remington Tate’s wife. A girl who’s supposed to root against him and a girl he’s supposed to stay away from.

But Maverick fights for the woman in his heart, and the monsters in his blood. The world’s eyes are on them and the victor will go down in history as the ultimate fighting champion; the ultimate LEGEND.

excerpt

 

‘Not in a million years, kid.’
‘No.’
‘NOT INTERESTED.’
‘Get the fuck out of my face!’
Four cities in two days, and more doors slammed in my face than I can count. I sling my backpack over my shoulder and scratch another name from my list.
Hopping on to a bus and hopping off thirty minutes later, I scan the mix of both commercial and apartment numbers down the block, then knock on my last door.
“Coach Hennesy?”
He’s a tall man, his hair like pepper, clad in sweats, with a yellow timer hanging from his neck. He gives me a questioning look.
“I’m your next champion.”
He laughs, but then he must see something on my face. In my stance. Thirst, resoluteness, guts. Maybe I’m wearing my balls in my eyes. He falls sober and swings the door wide-open. “Come on in.”
He doesn’t ask for my name.
I guess with one look, he knows he’ll find my name in the dictionary, right next to “determined.”
He leads me to his garage. “Where’d you train before?” he asks.
“Self-taught. I watch videos.”
He scoffs, then shrugs. “Okay, let’s see what you’ve got.”
I eye the equipment across the room. The heavy bag hangs from the ceiling, the leather worn from other fighters before me. There’s a boxing dummy at the corner. Speed bag. Weights. A whole private gym set up here. I drop both my bags, then zip open my backpack and start to put on the gloves without bothering to remove my hoodie.
“Take that off; I need to know what you’ve got. Need to see your form,” Hennesy says.
I clench my jaw. Slowly unzip my hoodie. Take it off and glance past my shoulder, shifting to keep my back from the coach’s view. The guy is clearing the fighting area. Good. We can get down to business. He walks to me when I face him.
“Give it over.” I hand him my hoodie and he tosses it aside, then crosses his arms and looks at me. “Speedball first.”
I inhale, position myself before the speedball, and hit. Wham.
I keep on hitting, lightning fast, my fists making the bag fly.
I would have warmed up first, but I’ve been doing this for days, and I won’t stop until I’ve got myself a coach—and not even then.
I’ve got momentum now, and I pick up speed, my arms moving back and forth, working the speed bag until it’s moving so fast you can’t even see it.
I’m starting to sweat; it’s stuffy in here, but I can’t stop. I need him to take me on. I need one yes to get me in the ring. Just one yes and I’ll do the rest.
“Time.” Hennesy stops me. He signals to the boxing dummy and the heavy bag. “Let’s see you pound the bag.”
I swing out and slam my knuckles on the bag, putting everything into my fists. Thack, thump, thud.
Hennesy’s composure starts to crumble with excitement. “Holy shit, boy!”
I’m getting in to it. I’m in the zone—where it’s just me, the leather brown bag, my fists, and nothing else but slamming the spot I’m looking at.
“I’ve seen enough.” He stops the bag from swinging. His eyes glassy. “Fill this out.”
I pull off my right glove and grab a pen as he slaps a paper onto a desk at the corner. I bend down to fill out my name and contact information and realize, too late, that I exposed the tattoo on my back.
“You’re his boy.”
I freeze midsignature.
A second ticks by. Then two.
I slowly set the pen down and take one last look at the paper. I might not get to fill it out after all. I turn.
His face has paled.
I wait it out for a few beats. Maybe he’s different. Maybe he can deal with it.
He tosses my jacket at me. “Get out. Nobody wants to see you fight.”
I frown fiercely as I catch my jacket in my fist and edge forward, equally mad now. “That’s too damn bad. ’Cause I’m fighting anyway.”
I keep my eyes on him as I pull off my left glove, shove my arms into my hoodie, and zip up.
I walk out and the door slams behind me. I clench my jaw, and I shove my gloves into my bag and spot the old, black gloves inside too. I push them down into the bottom of the duffel bag and zip it up.
The season starts in a week and a half. No coach? No fight. I can’t even get into a gym.
But I won’t let anyone or anything keep me from the ring.
I pick up a penny from the ground.
And I spot a girl in workout clothes across the street, tying her shoelaces. She’s a step away from the gym door. I straighten, pull my hoodie over my head, and cross the street, following after her like I belong.

 


 

 

Katy EvansFollow: Website / Facebook / Twitter

Hey! I’m Katy Evans and I love family, books, life, and love. I’m married with two children and three dogs and spend my time baking, walking, writing, reading, and taking care of my family. Thank you for spending your time with me and picking up my story. I hope you had an amazing time with it, like I did. If you’d like to know more about books in progress, look me up on the Internet, I’d love to hear from you!

 

 

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Breaking a Legend (Kavanagh Legends #1) by Sarah Robinson-Review and Book Tour

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BREAKING A LEGEND (Kavanagh Legends 1) by Sarah Robinson

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BREAKING A LEGEND
Kavanagh Legends 1
by Sarah Robinson
Release Date: September 29, 2015
Genre: adult, contemporary, romance, MMA

Breaking A Legend

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ABOUT THE BOOK: September 29, 2015

As one of the big names at his family’s gym, Legends, MMA star Rory Kavanagh is used to being in the spotlight—until a gruesome leg injury knocks him out of the cage. Rory is left feeling sidelined in more ways than one, battling the inner demons that come with losing the one shot at his dreams. Then Clare walks into his life and gives him a new dream: winning her heart. There aren’t many new faces in Woodlawn these days, but this tough, beautiful stranger makes Rory want to get his life back into fighting shape.

Clare Ivers doesn’t think she’ll be able to tell anyone what really brought her to the close-knit Bronx neighborhood where she just started bartending. But her life’s on pause and her past is catching up fast, try as she might to move on—with new friends, steady work, and a chiseled alpha male trying to get her attention. Even though Rory’s more than a little intense, she can’t deny that her heart beats faster when he looks at her with those soulful silver eyes. Clare thought she was done with love, but Rory might just be man enough to show her she thought wrong.

••••••••••

REVIEW:  BREAKING A LEGEND is the first installment in Sarah Robinson’s contemporary, adult KAVANAGH LEGENDS romance series focusing on the Kavanagh family of MMA fame. This is former MMA champion twenty eight year old Rory Kavanagh, and bartender Clare Ivers’s storyline.

Told from dual third person perspectives BREAKING A LEGEND focuses on the building relationship between Rory and Clare, and Rory’s recovery from a devastating career-ending injury. Tens months earlier Rory’s injury in the cage left our hero a broken man in more ways than one. Enter Clare Ivers, the newest waitress at O’Leary’s Pub, and the woman who would call to Rory’s heart. Coming from a big, Irish Catholic family, Rory has never lacked support but Rory’s choices in life have left our hero fighting the dark demons that resulted from the catastrophic injury.

Clare Ivers hides a secret. Our heroine is one the run, trying to stay one step ahead of her past and falling in love was never in the cards. When Clare’s past resurfaces, our heroine is willing to walk away from Rory and the family she has grown to love in order to protect everyone from the life she once led.

The relationship between Clare and Rory is one of immediate attraction. Rory is a man taught to respect women and in this Rory is the ultimate gentleman as he slowly seduces the woman who calls to his heart. The $ex scenes are gentle; there is no erotic, graphic imagery or text. But I did take issue with the lack of condoms. In an age of STDS and deadly viruses, the use of condoms should never be questioned.

We are introduced to Rory’s extended family including brothers- Quinn, Kane and Kane’s twin Kieran (who is currently in prison), and the youngest Jimmy, who is a member of the local police department. Jimmy has his hands full keeping his family on the straight and narrow. Rory’s loving parents Seamus and Dee Kavanagh are the backbone of the Kavanagh family ; and Rory’s cousin/sister Casey who befriends Clare when she needs it the most. The family ‘feel’ to this storyline is loving and supportive.

The world building focuses on Legends-the gym owned by the Kavanagh family where ‘legends’ are made and history is written in the Bronx borough of Woodlawn, New York. We are up close and personal with the fighters as they prepare for the next championship. There is some history with Seamus Kavanagh and the local Irish mob but we are not currently privy to the background information.

SPOILER ALERT: I did have some issues of believability with certain aspects of this storyline as it pertained to Rory and his ability to get clean and sober. It was all too neat and tidy; there is no mention of withdrawal, side effects or the physical and emotional pain one suffers during detox. Getting clean is a long process and doesn’t happen over night or in a matter of a couple of days. The unreality of the situation is questionable.

BREAKING A LEGEND is an easy read with a large ensemble cast of characters. The premise is entertaining; the characters are engaging; the romance is sweet and seductive but saying that, there was something missing in the telling of the story; the details are missing for many of the storyline components especially as it pertained to Clare’s past and Rory’s fall into the abyss

Copy supplied by Netgalley.

Reviewed by Sandy

excerpt

Well, if it isn’t our long-lost brother,” a familiar voice said a few minutes later, as he meandered into the neighborhood bar that everyone he knew frequented. A hand clasped his shoulder. “Shit, Rory, where the hell have you been?”
Rory inwardly groaned as he turned to face his younger brother, Quinn Kavanagh. Rory wanted to wipe Quinn’s smug smirk off with his fist. He had been sporting that same cocky attitude since the moment he popped into this world, a trait that Rory found uniquely irritating.
Now I remember why I’ve been avoiding this bar, Rory thought as he forced a smile at his brother.
“Just stopping in for a quick drink, Quinn,” Rory said, attempting to make clear that he wasn’t interested in socializing.
He headed over to the long wooden bar that wrapped around two sides of the small pub and stood before walls of liquor bottles and televisions. Several bartenders moved around swiftly, filling drink orders and talking with the full crowd that O’Leary’s always attracted on weekend nights. Rory found an empty stool down at one end, far away from the door, and quickly staked his claim.
He saw Cian, who had worked at O’Leary’s for as long as he could remember, and nodded his head to him. Cian nodded back and put up his hand, indicating he would be over in a minute, as he finished serving the group of college-aged kids at that end of the bar. The door to the kitchen swung open and a short, petite blonde ambled through carrying a large bucket of ice that seemed much too heavy for her small frame to manage.
Rory smiled slightly as he lifted one eyebrow, watching her with interest while she carefully poured the ice over the liquor bottles that sat in a metal bin below the bar’s surface. She huffed and her face was slightly red at the task, but she still managed to completely empty the bucket’s contents evenly around each of the glass bottles.
He took advantage of her being distracted by her task to stare at her shapely legs, which disappeared under a short skirt barely longer than her small apron. Her skin was delicately pale and smooth, and he wondered what it would feel like to slide his fingers up the length of those legs. His eyes traveled up her body, disappointed that the thick, blond ringlets dangling halfway down her back were also hiding most of her face as she leaned over the bar. He wanted to see her perfectly sloped nose, catch her eyes with his, and see what her small pink lips would look like when they smiled.
Something about this woman was intriguing him, although he couldn’t pinpoint what.
Her work completed, she exhaled loudly and plopped the empty bucket at her feet, taking a breather. Rory chuckled lightly, finally grabbing her attention.
“You laughing at me?” She put her hands on her hips, daring him to make fun of her.
Her eyes narrowed as she spoke, but he was still able to catch a glimpse of the dazzling emerald color that contrasted against her light skin and golden hair so perfectly.
“Wouldn’t dream of it, mhuirnín.” A smile spread across his face as he watched her saunter over to him, her full, pink lips tightly pressed together in irritation.
“What’s that mean?” she asked when she reached him, standing across the bar with her arms folded across her chest and one hip tilted higher than the other. Her tone was defiant and he loved the feisty spirit she exuded.
“Mhuirnín? You’re all questions today. I’ll answer your question, if you answer mine.” Rory concentrated on keeping his speech normal and not slurring his words. He might have had a bit more to drink tonight than he had intended.
She turned away from him, looking back down the length of the bar and drumming her fingers on its surface.
Rory could sense her nervousness. He already missed her green gaze and silently begged her to turn back to him. There was something about her that stirred a protective instinct in him, a feeling entirely foreign toward anyone who wasn’t family. She was smiling, but there was an undercurrent of pain breaking through her friendliness.
He didn’t like it.
“I guess that’s fair,” she relented, turning back to him and leaning against the wall.
“I haven’t seen you here before. What’s your name?” His question was simple, but the desire in his eyes was not as he licked his bottom lip and admired how perfectly her uniform hugged her curves, even on her small figure. “Clare Ivers. I’m new in town. Needed a job.” She shrugged, not divulging much, but he felt a sliver of hope when he saw that the smile on her face had yet to disappear.
He knew that she could feel his attraction toward her when he saw the blush creep up her cheeks. The smile she couldn’t push away told him she was enjoying their banter as much as he was.
Despite her clear interest, there was a hint of disapproval as he watched her eyes roam over his torso. It was a look he was way too familiar with from the last year. Rory worried he might be slurring his words or sounding more drunk than he felt.
Wouldn’t be the first time, he thought.
“Your turn.” She pointed at him, biting the corner of her lip in an attempt to hide her smile.
“Mhuirnín means sweetheart. If you’re going to work in Woodlawn, Clare, you gotta learn some Irish.”
“Is that right? I guess I’ll have to find a good tutor then,” she taunted, before turning on her heels and sauntering off.

 

guest post

Developing the hero/heroine

Developing a hero and heroine for a novel is not as difficult as one might thing. There are millions of methods you can find online, different workshops you can take, or dozens of strategies you can learn in writing classes. Personally, I subscribe to the simple method of who, what, why- or if you want to get technical, goal, motivation, conflict.

First I plot out who my characters are, which is everything from what they look like, to their age, their background, and their personality traits. The hero and heroine need to have either similar backgrounds and different personalities, or different backgrounds and similar personalities, for me to really develop a great romance between them because while opposites attract, there needs to be things in common for that romance to work long term.

Once I know who my characters are, I create their worlds and situations, along with what they want out of life and what’s motivating them to achieve it. Then lastly, I decide what the conflict will be to throw them off course and how their motivations will help them surpass that. It’s like picking out what they want more than anything, than what they definitely refuse to do to get that, then making them do it anyways.

So, for example, in BREAKING A LEGEND, I have two main characters (along with a host of very vibrant secondary characters that you’ll learn more about in subsequent books) named Rory Kavanagh and Clare Ivers. I made Rory an ex-mixed martial arts fighter with a career-ending injury that had driven him into the grips of alcohol and prescription pain killers. He came from a boisterous and large Irish family with hinted ties to the mafia, and they all own an MMA gym in the Bronx. He’s at the point where his future plans have been destroyed and he doesn’t know how to move forward, or how to be the man he once was again.

Clare Ivers, his love interest, is from a mysterious and dark background and running from something, or someone. She starting anew in the Bronx as a bartender, trying to get back into school to become a veterinarian, however, life keeps putting up road blocks. While Clare lacks confidence, Rory definitely does not, despite his failures. Where Rory lacks ambition, Clare is steadfast and knows what she wants. Their best and worst qualities balance out the other, making their relationship the perfect opportunity for both of them to grow separately as individuals, and together as lovers.

To me, that’s the goal of every romance, and any story in general. How can we take the problems life gives us, and grow from it? How can we become our best selves in a relationship, and help our partner do the same? That’s certainly my goal for my own marriage, and so I’d love to portray those same qualities and purpose in every novel I write. People aren’t perfect, but together, we can fit perfectly.

About the Author

Sarah RobinsonSarah Robinson is the bestselling author of The Photographer Trilogy and the Sand & Clay rock star series. A native of Washington, D.C., Robinson has both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in criminal psychology. She is married to a local police officer who is just as much of an animal rescue enthusiast as she is. Together, they own a zoo of rescue and foster animals.

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Tough Love (Ultimate #3) by Lori Foster-a review

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TOUGH LOVE (Ultimate #3) by Lori Foster-a review

Tough Love

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date August 25, 2015

Vanity Baker loves a good, clean match, but she’s not above playing a little dirty. She’s wanted Stack “The Wolf” Hannigan from day one. Seems as though the best way to corral the famously commitment-phobic fighter is to insist on keeping it casual. And her plan works—deliciously well—until Stack’s past steps out of the shadows.

Stack learned early to stay free of attachments. But with sexy, forthright Vanity, he’s the one always left wanting more. Then his troublemaking family comes back into the picture, threatening everything Stack cares about—Vanity included. Suddenly he realizes they’re much more than friends with benefits. He’s ready to go to the mat for her…but will it be in time to protect the woman who’s tamed him for good?

•••••••••••••••

REVIEW: TOUGH LOVE is the third installment in Lori Foster’s adult, contemporary MMA Ultimate erotic romance series. This is model/artist Vanity Baker, and MMA fighter Stack “The Wolf” Hannigan’s storyline. TOUGH LOVE can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from previous storylines is imparted where necessary.

Told from dual third person perspectives TOUGH LOVE follows the building relationship between Vanity and Stack. Vanity invited Stack to be her plus one for Cannon and Yvette’s (No Limits #1) wedding with the promise of something more at the end of the night. What ensues is a series of interruptions including a car accident involving a drunk driver; the introduction of Vanity to Stack’s mother and long suffering sister; and several assaults and attempted robberies disguised as a means to distract Stack from the woman who calls to his heart.

Like many of the series’ heroines Vanity is a rabid fan of the MMA and one man in particular- Stack Hannigan. For months Vanity’s attempts to flirt and seduce Stack have gone unnoticed or ignored until a promise of one night of $ex if Stack accompanies Vanity to their friend’s nuptial’s. Unbeknownst to Vanity, Stack has been attracted to our storyline heroine for as long as he can remember but when his past comes back hoping to reconnect, Vanity’s safety will be his number one concern. The relationship between Stack and Vanity begins as friends to an arrangement for a potential friends with benefits option but quickly escalates into something more. The $ex scenes are provocative and hot.

TOUGH LOVE also looks at dysfunctional family values; love, betrayal, heartbreak and distrust. Stack’s sister has found her herself in a difficult situation with a husband whose own life is spiraling out of control; and his mother has a difficult time saying no to her only daughter. Years before, Vanity’s family were all lost in a horrific accident; our heroine is the sole heir and with it came financial freedom and the ability to financially help whoever she can. But Vanity isn’t one to sit back and enjoy the money; she works three jobs to keep herself busy-never once asking anyone for assistance or help. It is Vanity’s attempts to help Stack’s extended family that find our heroine in deeper trouble than she could have imagined. Vanity tends to be a little naïve when it comes to trust and money; she has a habit of revealing too much information at the wrong place and the wrong time.

Lori Foster’s ULTIMATE MMA series has a large ensemble cast of characters. All of the previous storyline couples and characters play a secondary and supporting role throughout the story. The mysterious and reclusive MMA fighter Armie Jacboson may or may not have feelings for Cannon’s younger sister Merissa; and Vanity’s best friend and personal guardian Leese-another MMA fighter who has yet to come into his prime- knows that Vanity is off limits when Stack stakes a claim in front of their friends and fellow fighters.

The world building continues to focus on the fighters of the MMA and the women whom they love. The fighting is secondary to the storyline premise; in fact, there are no professional fight sequences or bouts anywhere within the TOUGH LOVE storyline-we do get a glimpse into a self defense class aimed at keeping everyone safe. All of Lori’s heroes are alpha male; dominant and over protective. Staking a claim is part of their DNA and personality.

My only concern was the ‘conflict’ and ‘tension’ woven into the storyline, and throughout Vanity and Stack’s relationship. There were so many threats from different directions that I couldn’t help but wonder if the author had a difficult time with the ‘who and why’. In the end, everything was a blur yet I felt nothing was completely resolved.

TOUGH LOVE is an entertaining storyline. There are moments of heartbreak and betrayal; tenderness and devotion; falling in love and letting go. The premise had a little bit of mystery and suspense; the characters are colorful and spirited; the romance is impassioned and intense. TOUGH LOVE sees another MMA fighter finding love with the woman who stole his heart.

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley.

Reviewed by Sandy

_________

Back To BuckhornBACK TO BUCKHORN
(Buckhorn Brothers #7)
by Lori Foster
Genre: adult, contemporary, romance

Original Release Date: June 2, 2014

For odd-girl-out Zoey Hodge, the best thing about Buckhorn, Kentucky, was leaving it behind. And now she’s back—at least until she can nurse her mother back to health and hightail it out of there anew. But there’s one person she doesn’t mind seeing again. Garrett Hudson was one of the few who was always kind to her. Now he’s a firefighter—still one of the good guys, but with a sexy alpha charm that’s tempting her inner bad girl.

In school, Zoey was smart, witty and unafraid to be herself. Garrett fell hard back then, and he’s falling even faster now. As far as he’s concerned, there are all kinds of reasons Zoey should stick around. Her pet grooming business. Her mom. And the chance for him to prove that he can be her real-life hero in every way that matters.

••••••••••••••

REVIEW: BACK TO BUCKHORN is a bonus novella included at the back of TOUGH LOVE originally released in June 2014 as part of Lori Foster’s BUCKHORN BROTHERS series. BACK TO BUCKHORN looks at the second generation of family-Garrett Hudson and Zoey Hodge. Garret is the son of Morgan Hudson (Buckhorn Brothers #2).

Zoey’s return, after a seven year absence, brings back too many memories for a number of people in the small town of Buckhorn and with it the potential for retribution and revenge. But Garrett is all about protecting Zoey Hodge-the woman he can’t stop thinking about since her return.

BACK TO BUCKHORN is a quick read; a friends to lovers storyline that ends with a commitment towards the future and a happily ever after. Morgan Hudson makes a cameo appearance –no longer the sheriff but the town’s popular mayor; and Garret’s sister Amber goes all mother bear in order to protect her friend Zoey Hodge.

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Full Contact (Redemption #3) by Sarah Castille-Review and Book Tour

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FULL CONTACT (Redemption #3) by Sarah Castille-Review and Book Tour

Full Contact

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / The Book Depository

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date April 7, 2015

When you can’t resist the one person who could destroy you…

Sia O’Donnell can’t help but push the limits. She secretly attends every underground MMA fight featuring The Predator, the undisputed champion. When he stalks his prey in the ring, Sia is mesmerized. He is dominant and dangerous and every instinct tells her to run.

Every beautiful thing Ray “The Predator” touches he knows he’ll eventually destroy. Soft, sweet and innocent, Sia is the light to Ray’s darkness-and completely irresistible. From the moment he lays eyes on her, he knows he’s going to have to put his dark past behind him to win her body and soul.

••••••••••••

REVIEW: FULL CONTACT is the third installment in Sarah Castille’s adult, contemporary Redemption MMA romance storyline focusing on the MMA fighters at the Redemption Gym and Training Center. This is tattoo artist (and Fuzz’s sister) Sia O’Donnell, and underground MMA fighter and private investigator Ray ‘The Predator’ Black’s storyline. Full Contact can be read as a standalone, much easier than book 2 -In Your Corner- but I recommend reading the series in order for background, history, character and series development.

Ray ‘The Predator’ is a private investigator and former soldier whom we met in book two when he came to work for lawyer Amanda Westwood (In Your Corner). We knew very little about the quiet and seemingly shy man, but his character shines through as he builds a presence on the MMA fight scene. Ray’s backstory finds our hero with a heartbreaking past that sets the tone for the current direction of his life. His attraction to Sia O’Donnell comes at a time when neither one is looking for a permanent relationship-at least that is what Sia claims in the beginning.

Sia is an artist, who because of a horrific and dark incident years before, has given up the paints and brushes, for ink and a tattoo machine. As Tag’s (aka Fuzzy) younger sister, Sia finds herself surrounded by the over protective MMA fighters; she is also their tattoo artist when ink needs to be done. An opportunity will present itself when Redemption offers Sia a tattoo shop of her own but Ray makes the mistake of looking into Sia’s past and taking matters into his own hands.

The relationship between Sia and Ray builds throughout the storyline but our couple must contend with Sia’s alpha and overprotective brother who blames himself for the incident years before. As with all of the MMA fighters who have found the woman he loves, Ray begins to mark his territory ensuring everyone knows that Sia is taken much to the anger and disappointment of Sia’s brother. Ray is a dominant, alpha male who at times falls into ‘Tarzan mode’ through speech and actions. The $ex scenes are seductive and provocative, and like the previous storylines, there are some mild bondage and discipline scenes. The push and pull of the attraction, want and need is continuous throughout the entire story-Ray has a difficult time with commitment or letting go.

The ensemble cast of colorful and engaging characters continues to drive a good portion of the storyline including the MMA fighters- Shayla aka Shilla the Killa, Blade Saw, Renegade, Rampage, Torment, Homicide Hank, Fuzzy and Doctor Death (all of the nick names must be used in the arena and at the gym). Some of the names border closely on a best selling vampire series. Drake aka Dr. Death remains stoic in his attempts to convince the heroines that their men are not worthy of their love and affection much to the consternation of the other fighters. We are introduced to Sia’s coworkers at Rabid Ink-Slim, Rose, Christos, and Duncan as well as Sia’s best friend Jess whose heart beats for the attention of Tag O’Donnell. . Once again, plenty of drama and angst as it pertains to Sia and Ray’s backstories.

FULL CONTACT is an energetic, impassioned and intense storyline. Ray is a man who buries his heartbreak with pain; and Sia is the heroine who intensifies Ray’s need, at every opportunity. Sarah Castille has brought together a family of fighter’s, who at the end of the day, support and nurture one another-sometimes family is not the blood in your veins, but the people who pull you back up every time you fall down.

Copy supplied by Sourcebooks through Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

_____________

In Your Corner
Redemption #2
by Sarah Castille
Genre: adult, contemporary, MMA, romance

In Your cornerABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date July 1, 2014

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / The Book Depository

He rules in the ring

Two years ago, Jake and Amanda were going hot and heavy. But when Jake wanted more, Amanda walked away. Jake immersed himself in mixed martial arts, living life on the edge. But that didn’t dull the pain of Amanda’s rejection-until a chance encounter throws them together.

A high-powered lawyer, Amanda was a no-strings-attached kind of girl. But two years after her breakup with Jake, she still hasn’t found anyone who gets her heart pumping the way he did. And then he shows up in her boardroom, hot as sin and needing help…

But can he rule her heart?

Jake is darker, sexier, and impossible to resist. As their chemistry builds, Amanda’s not sure if she can stay in control, or if she’s finally willing to let him claim her body and soul.

••••••••••••••••••••

REVIEW: IN YOUR CORNER is the second installment in Sarah Castille’s adult, contemporary Redemption erotic romance series focusing on the MMA fighters at Redemption gym and training center. This is MMA fighter Jake aka Renegade Donovan, and lawyer Amanda Westwood’s storyline. Jake and Amanda’s backstory began two years earlier- in book one AGAINST THE ROPES.

Told from first person point of view (Amanda) the second chance storyline focuses on Amanda’s downward spiral. Working for the high-powered law firm of Farnsworth and Tillman, Amanda finds herself the victim of sexual harassment, blackmail, betrayal, invasion of privacy and loss of competency. When our heroine quits her job, she begins another descent into hell carrying on with her previous promiscuous ways only to hit rock bottom and find herself being rescued by the fighters from Redemption Gym. Jake knows that Amanda is the love of his life, but he is unable to give Amanda everything she needs and wants. Not ready to settle down, Amanda walked away two years earlier, breaking Jake’s heart in the process.

Amanda likes sex and in this, her prior and continuous sexual exploits are a major point of contention throughout the story. She is a woman who will not apologize for her past but she has been pushed into a corner where she needs to come out fighting for her life as well as both her personal and professional reputation. An offer to open her own law practice finds Amanda the new legal face of Redemption, and the current representative for several law suits both for and against the fighters, and one very personal suit against the law firm of Farnsworth and Tillman.

The relationship between Jake and Amanda is a roller coaster ride of emotions, needs and disappointments. Amanda’s sexual history keeps her fidelity in question; and Jake’s need to protect Amanda comes at a cost of pushing Amanda away. Jake has a difficult time letting go of the past, and in this, he is continually on the look out for more heartbreak and betrayal. The $ex scenes are aggressive, intense and sometimes a little kinky. Jake likes to spank Amanda when she doesn’t obey his rules.

IN YOUR CORNER is an ensemble storyline. The very colorful and engaging secondary, and supporting characters include all of Redemption’s MMA fighters-Alpha males at heart- as well as the requisite evil in the form of the legal team at F&T, a couple of burly bar fighters, and Amanda’s father whose dislike of his only child comes with heartbreak and resolution. Several of Farnsworth and Tillman’s employees follow Amanda to her new office including the very British PA Penny and security/private investigator Ray (whose story will be told in book 3 Full Contact).

I did not have the opportunity to read book one AGAINST THE ROPES and I wish I had before starting IN YOUR CORNER. There is so much backstory, and history between the characters that I felt a little lost and out of the loop when the fighters talked about the past and events leading to the current time line. I am always recommending to-read a series in order and in this, I did not follow my own advice. Saying that, it did not affect my enjoyment of the story.

IN YOUR CORNER is an intense and dramatic storyline; a sensual and passionate look the personal and professional lives of Redemption’s fighters of the MMA. There is plenty of melodrama and tension as it pertained to Amanda’s family history. My only complaint is the lack of ‘information’ about Jake’s personal history and the take over of his father’s company. In this, the storyline focused more on Amanda’s struggles than Jake’s.

Sarah Castille will captivate your imagination with Amanda’s storyline as she looks for love in all the wrong places only to find herself in the arms of the man from whom she walked away

Reviewed by Sandy

•••••••••••••

Today we are pleased to sit down with Ray “The Predator” Black and Sia O’Donnell, the protagonists from Sarah Castille’s Full Contact (April 2015). From March 30th through April 20th the couple will be on tour answering questions about their relationship.

Who takes the longest to get ready in morning?

Ray: Sia. I get up, work out, go for a run, shower, dress and eat breakfast before she’s even out of bed.

Sia: Me. I am so not a morning girl.

Excerpt

 

 

Ray grabs my wrists and pins them to the mat over my head, his body angled over me. My breath catches in my throat, and I steel myself for the memories, the black rush, the heart-pounding fear, but it doesn’t come. Instead, a red haze settles over my vision, and I press my lips together and buck my hips, throwing him slightly forward.
Bad plan. Now his groin is only inches away from my face. He’s still wearing his jeans, which means that bulge isn’t a cup.
“Ray…”
His face softens. “I hurt you.”
“Yes, you hurt me. Keeping secrets hurts me. It makes me feel like you don’t respect me. And it makes me feel like I can’t trust you. So maybe you could return to your proper seat now. Tray table up.”
He shifts down, settling his weight over my hips, but he doesn’t release my hands. “I hurt you. Means you care.”
I swallow hard and meet his gaze. “You hurting me means I was being stupid. Things were going where I didn’t want them to go. Now I’ve had a wake-up call. You have secrets you can’t share. You need to protect your secrets. I need to be with someone I can trust, and I need to stand on my own two feet. It’s just not going to work between us.”
His gaze darkens, searing me to the core. “You want to be done? Or are you scared and trying to push me away?”
The air shifts between us, electrifying, tightening my nipples and heating my blood. I am hyperaware of his thighs tucked against my hips, carrying most of his weight as he sits astride me in a dominant MMA position. My wrists, hot under his palms, press against the cool mat, restrained in a way I could never have imagined allowing them to be restrained. My chest rises and falls twice for every one of Ray’s breaths, and my core tightens. The innuendo isn’t lost on me. God, yes. I want to be done in the carnal sense of the word. But only by Ray. And I don’t really want to let him go.
“I don’t want to lose you.”
Ray’s hands tighten on my wrists, and he leans down and brushes a kiss over my lips. “I don’t want to lose you either, but I live in a dangerous world. I’ve got stuff in my life that would make your head spin. I need to protect you from that, and I’ll do what it takes to keep you safe, even if it means you hate me for it, because for the first time in my life, I want something more than doing my duty. I want a life and I want you in it. I’ve got one bad guy to catch and then I’m free. And after I’m done and after what went down this evening, you’ll never have to worry about being safe again.”
Finally, he releases my hands but I don’t move. Heat sweeps through my belly. I feel both vulnerable and curiously safe lying beneath him. My gaze shifts from his intense gaze to his sensual lips, and my breasts swell, remembering the touch of his hands, the gentle press of his lips. He wants me. Not just today, but tomorrow and the tomorrow after that.
“You make it sound like I don’t have a choice about being with you.”
“You don’t.” He leans down and kisses me with a savage fierceness that takes my breath away.

 

About the author

Follow: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

Sarah CastilleNew York Times and USA Today Bestselling author, Sarah Castille, graduated with a B.A Honors degree in History and an LL.B. (law degree) and practiced law on the West Coast for several years before succumbing to the lure of foreign travel. She obtained a Masters Degree in Law from the University of Edinburgh and then practiced at one of the world’s largest law firms in London, England during which time she traveled extensively, wrote moderately, and developed a taste for tea, European footwear and Greek cuisine.

She traded in her life of European glamor for the comforts of the frozen North and the excitement of home renovation, during which time she wrote extensively, never traveled, and developed a taste for beef jerky, Tim Horton’s coffee and Sorels.

After her first book, Legal Heat, won prizes in nine Romance Writers’ Association chapter contests, including the Grand Prize in the Valley of the Sun Hot Prospects Contest, Sarah decided to take a break from high heels and legal practice to write about red-hot alpha males and the women who tame them. Her second book, Against the Ropes, was named as one of Publishers Weekly’s Top Ten Picks for Romance & Erotica for fall 2013, and her third book, Unraveled, hit the New York Times Bestseller’s list. Sarah’s current release, Barely Undercover, was named as the “Must Read Erotic Romance of the Year” in the Sneak Peek Reader’s Choice Awards (2013). She hasn’t dusted off her briefcase yet!

Sarah lives with her husband, munchkins and a family of owls in the shadow of Canada’s Rocky Mountains, where she is currently working on her next novel.

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Holding Strong (Ultimate #2) by Lori Foster-a review

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HOLDING STRONG (Ultimate #2) by Lori Foster-a review

Holding Strong

Amazon.com / B&N / KOBO / The Book Depository

About the book: Release Date March 31, 2015

An up-and-coming MMA fighter wants more than just one night from a woman fleeing her past in New York Times bestselling author Lori Foster’s irresistible new novel
Heavyweight fighter Denver Lewis plays real nice, but he doesn’t share. That’s why he’s been avoiding top-notch flirt Cherry Peyton. But a man can only resist those lush curves for so long. Their encounter surpasses all his fantasies, bringing out protective urges that Cherry’s about to need more than she knows…
Denver’s combination of pure muscle and unexpected tenderness has been driving Cherry wild. Yet no sooner does she get what she’s been craving than old troubles show up on her doorstep. And this time, Cherry can’t hide behind a carefree facade. Because the man by her side is one who’ll fight like hell to keep her safe…if only she’ll trust him enough to let him…

••••••••••••••

REVIEW: HOLDING STRONG is the second full length installment in Lori Foster’s contemporary adult Ultimate romance series focusing on a group of MMA fighters and the women they love. This is heavy weight fighter Denver Lewis and Cherry Peyton’s storyline. Although HOLDING STRONG is the third storyline in the series it can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous storylines is revealed where necessary.

Told from third person point of view, the focus of the storyline follows the push and pull of attraction and want between Denver Lewis and Cherry Peyton. Cherry is a new fan of the MMA, but more so a fan of Denver Lewis. Their attraction to one another does not go unnoticed by the other members of the fight club, but Denver continues to resist the allure of the woman who calls to his heart. When one too many men pay attention to Cherry’s innocent flirts, Denver knows that it is time to claim Cherry as his own.

Cherry has a dark and painful past; a past that demands something from Cherry that she is unable to give. Threats and dangerous situations will find Cherry under the protection of not only Denver but the other MMA fighters as well. The camararderie and friendships are tight; each member of the club supports, protects and has one another’s best interests at heart.

Denver’s past finds our hero estranged from his family. When his step mother places him in a precarious situation, Denver finds himself on the outside, without his father’s support and faith. Our hero is an alpha male; over protective when it comes to the woman he loves but in this, he is also aware, that her past has made threats and promises to make good.

The relationship between our couple is one of immediate attraction; a lust filled need between two people who have yet to give into the demands of their mutual desires. Denver and Cherry have been dancing around one another for quite a while, and Cherry demands to know if Denver has any interest or if it is better that she just walk away. The $ex scenes are intimate and seductive but not overly erotic.

The secondary and supporting characters are very active throughout the story. The previous storylines couples are present including Gage and Harper/ Cannon and Yvette as well as the MMA fighters Stack and Armie whose own storylines are beginning to emerge. As Cannon and Yvette prepare for their upcoming nuptials, Denver and Cherry consider a more permanent relationship. Offers of something bigger and better will see one of the fighters pondering a move out of town and state.

HOLDING STRONG has a little bit of everything: sex, romance, intrigue, suspense and a quick dash of mystery. The writing style is simple; there are no difficult or complicated plot scenarios or twists. The characters are flawed but likeable; everyone needs a happily ever after.

READING ORDER

.5 Hard Knocks
1. No Limits
2. Holding Strong

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

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Take Down (Billionaire’s Club New Orleans #3) by Mallery Malone-review, interview and giveaway

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Take Down (Billionaire’s Club: New Orleans #3) by Mallery Malone-review, interview and giveaway

Take Down Banner

Take Down
Billionaire’s Club: New Orleans #3
by Mallery Malone
Genre: adult, contemporary, erotic, romance
Release Date:September 2, 2014

Take Down

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/ Barnes and Noble / KOBO /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date September 2, 2014

Powerful. Dominant, Unforgettable. He commands submission at all costs.

Cage fighter, Gabriel Devereaux, a man of barely leashed power, is known as the Bayou Beast.

There is one woman he will do anything , pay any amount to possess.

Karina Armistead, has come a long way from the innocent girl Gabriel used to know. An internationally known singer, she can have anything she wants. But everything tells her that getting involved with the Bayou Beast may leave her wrecked beyond repair.

Little does Karina Armistead know, but Gabriel has decided that she will be his.

He will destroy anything or anyone who stands in his way.

•••••••

REVIEW:  TAKE DOWN is the third instalment in Mallery Malone’s adult, contemporary, Billionaire’s Club : New Orleans erotic romance series focusing on three friends from New Orleans. Billionaires and MMA fighters-Sebastian, Raphael and Gabriel-collectively own DJD Holdings and these are their stories.

TAKE DOWN is a second chance storyline that focuses on the rebuilding of a relationship between former friends and lovers Gabriel Devereux and the woman he loves Karina Armistead. Ten years has past since they last saw one another but in the ensuing time each has made a name for themselves. Karina is the darling of pop music and Gabriel is a world champion cage fighter who spends a good deal of his energy in illegal fights. When a chance presents itself, Gabriel is the first in line to offer up his hand to Karina knowing that the truth about what happened years before could very well destroy any chance of a permanent reconciliation.

The relationship between Gabriel and Karina is one of sensuality and pure love. Karina never knew the reason Gabriel walked away ten years earlier and hearing the truth has all but destroyed her heart. Gabriel suffered at the hands of someone else, and Karina blames herself for the destruction of their relationship.

The secondary characters include the previous storyline fighters Raphael and Sebastian as well as their lovers and friends. We will be introduced to Karina’s body guards who are very protective of their charge; and Karina’s brother, and father whose relationship with Karina is born out of rage, anger and hatred.

TAKE DOWN is a very quick read where two people are given a second chance at love. This is a story of lost love, broken hearts and revenge. Mallery Malone pulls the reader into a passionate storyline where hatred all but destroys the heart; and controversy seems to follow our leading couple wherever they go. Take Down is an intense look at one man’s revenge in the hopes of destroying the only man Katrina has ever loved.

My only complaint is the book blurb which describes Gabriel as a man who commands submission at all costs. That particular comment does not seem to apply to this storyline. There is no BDSM, no demands to submit from anyone in his life. Gabriel is a man possessed by the need to reclaim the woman he lost years before not a man who demands submission in order to love or be loved.

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley.

Review by Sandy

Interview

TRC: Hi Mallery and welcome to The Reading Cafe. Congratulations on the release of your latest novel-TAKE DOWN (Billionaire’s Club: New Orleans #3)

We would like to start with some background information. Would you please tell us something about yourself?

Follow Mallery: Website / Goodreads/ Twitter / Facebook

Mallery: I’m a lifelong reader of everything. Stories were always my best friends. I started writing for fun in elementary school, for extra credit in high school and to keep myself sane as a young adult! I’ve been a published author since 2000, but started writing under Mallery Malone in 2008.I live north of Atlanta, GA with my husband, our guitar collection, two attack poodles and a cannibal fish.

TRC: Who or what influenced your career in writing?

Mallery: I can’t point to one particular thing that influenced my writing. I think we writers are an amalgam of what we’ve experienced and what we’ve read. While I started reading romances with Johanna Lindey books, the first books I bought myself were fantasy and science fiction. So I’ve been influenced by Madeline L’Engle, Ursula K LeGuin, Anne McCaffrey, Isaac Asimov, Octavia Butler, Roger Zelazny. My greatest influence in my writing was an elementary school English teacher named Mrs. Flinchum. I’d turned in a short story for extra credit and she encouraged me to keep at it–even had me speak to one of her classes about creative writing. I’m forever grateful to my teachers!

TRC: When not writing, what do you do to relax?

Mallery: I relax by spending way too much time playing Candy Crush and Farm Heroes! Seriously though, I love to read, shop for jewelry and watch anime.

Take DownTRC: TAKE DOWN is the third installment in your Billionaire’s Club: New Orleans series focusing on three friends who grew up on the mean streets of New Orleans to one day own and operate a billionaire dollar business. Would you please tell us something about the series and the premise of the book?

Mallery: My fantastic editor, Monique Patterson, came up with the Billionaire’s Club series concepts. Billionaire MMA fighters in New Orleans? I was so on board! Wile that was the outward common theme for the stories, I wanted their to be an emotional connection too, and that was that they’d all come through Hard Knocks, Armand Duparte’s gym, at the same time, and bonded around their love and respect for the man who had basically saved each of them. Each one went on to achieve success in their respective disciplines, but each one also had “the one who got away” the woman who knew them before the fame and fortune, the one person who knew all their faults and failures and loved them anyway.

TRC: Who were the inspirations behind Sebastian, Gabriel and Raphael? Which model or actor best represent your ideal image for each character?

Mallery: Believe it or not, I didn’t have any particular models in mind for these guys! Hhm, maybe I need to go do a Google image search for hot cage fighters!

Billionaire's Club

Click HERE for our review of KNOCK OUT (book 1)
Click HERE for our review of POWER PLAY (book 2)

TRC: What was the deciding factor behind the setting of New Orleans?

Mallery: I enjoy visiting New Orleans. The culture, the history, the food–it appeals to me on every level. Using the city as a backdrop for a contemporary series really appealed to me, and gave me an excuse to visit and eat my way through the city!

TRC: What do you believe is the appeal of the MMA/fighter storyline to romance readers?

Mallery: Readers love alpha heroes. Outside of military or paranormal themes, you can’t get any more alpha than men who get all sweaty and bloody duking it out in the octagon. There’s something primal about fighters that appeals to women on that base, instinctual level, the one that looks for the male who will provide, defend and pass on good genes. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that they’re hot, smart, and soft-hearted for the right woman!

TRC: TAKE DOWN is the final installment in this particular series. What do you have planned for 2015? New series? Spin Off?

Mallery: I would be really interested in doing a full length story that spins off this series,perhaps a female MMA fighter. It would also be interesting to delve into Armand’s story and why he felt the need to rescue these Lost Boys. I’m working on several proposal right now both contemporary and paranormal. Hopefully one of those will find a home!

TRC: What challenges or difficulties (research, logistics, background) did you encounter writing this particular series?

Mallery: My husband and I watch MMA fights (he’s a huge Joe Rogan fan, but don’t tell him I told you that) and I have a neighbor who fights locally. So I had resources I could pump for information. In the end, with the stories being novella length romances, I knew I couldn’t provide the necessary detail for the sport that I wanted to include and still make the relationships realistic. So I chose to focus on the romances instead.

TRC: When writing a storyline, do the characters direct the writing or do you direct the characters?

Mallery: My characters are always in the driver’s seat, damn them! I think they’re going one way, then one of them will say something or have a stray thought, and down the rabbit hole we go! With Sebastian, I knew he’d had a tough childhood, but I didn’t know he was the spitting image of his abusive father until he told me in the story. I knew Raphael was a playboy, the Crescent City Casanova, but the why–because his parents loved each other so much they neglected him–surprised me. I knew Gabriel was dark because of the people who did him wrong, but Karina’s relationship with her father and what her father did to them both was a shocker to me. I love it when my characters exceed my concept of them, especially when it works.

TRC: The mark of a good writer is to pull the reader into the storyline so that they experience the emotions along with the characters. What do you believe a writer must do to make this happen? Where do you believe writers fail in this endeavor?

Mallery: For me, I think you have to feel it in order to show it. I have to feel what these characters feel. I think when you empathize with the characters you can convey that to readers, you can make it real. If you don’t get a visceral reaction from reading a passage of your story, you can’t expect the readers to. If you can be happy while writing a gut-wrenching scene, I don’t think that scene will resonate the way you want it to.

TRC: What three things would you like to accomplish in the next five years?

Mallery: Retire from my day job, support myself solely with my fiction writing, and hire a maid service to clean my house!

TRC: What is something that few, if any people, know about you?

Mallery: That I played the viola in high school. I still have it and always say I’m going to break it out one day.

TRC: On what are you currently working?

Mallery: My alter ego is working on a three book full length sexy contemporary series. Hopefully we can get those done so Mallery can get back to writing!

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite TV Show: Sleepy Hollow

Last Movie You Saw: Guardians of the Galaxy

Favorite Musical Group: Metallica, 30 Seconds to Mars

Dark or Milk Chocolate: Yes please!

Secret Celebrity Crush: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson

Last Vacation Destination; San Antonio for RWA. Strictly vacation was
Chichen Itza during the December 21, 2012 solstice.

Do you have any pets? Two standard poodles who think they’re lap dogs and would take over the world if they had thumbs!

Pet Peeve: People who stop in the middle of a busy walkway, oblivious to others around them.

TRC: Thank you Mallery for taking the time to answer our questions. Congratulation on the success of the Billionaire’s Club: New Orleans series. We wish you all the best in your writing career.

Mallery: Thank you!

Giveaway pink

Mallery is graciously offering to gift (via Amazon) the Billionaire’s Club: New Orleans Series Vol 1-3 ebook trilogy (or $10 GC equivalent) to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.

1. If you have not previously registered at The Reading Cafe, please register by using the log-in at the top of the page (side bar) or by using one of the social log-ins.

2. If you are using a social log-in, please post your email address with your comment.

3. LIKE us on FACEBOOK and then click GET NOTIFICATION under ‘liked’ for an additional entry.

4. LIKE us on Twitter for an additional entry.

5. FOLLOW us on Goodreads

6. LIKE Mallery Malone on Facebook

7. Giveaway is open to international (see above)

8. Giveaway runs from September 14-19, 2014

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